It's Sarius' job to keep the Balance of Reality. It's not easy and being thrown into a world where all the rules change makes it that much harder. This time things get more crazy as time goes by with him there.
It's Important to know this a First-person story and also a story based on my Headcanon. If your not into these kinds of stories, you have been forewarned.
Sarius Trusdale is a DNA hybrid, part human and part dragon with other little DNA strands from other species thrown in. He was given the role of Keeper of the Balance between Good and Evil. He can be seen as a hero or a villain but he's really neutral.
Fortunately, Sarius isn't the only Keeper of the Balance. He is one of three siblings who all share the same role and destiny. When they work together, they're unstoppable. Now that gets put to the test as they face off with an evil as old as time itself.
For my past readers, I advise you to reread my story from the top as I have revised the prologue, first five chapters and made changes to the sixth.
Note: There are no humans in this story, but they are often mentioned. Sarius himself is half-human and has a few scenarios where he becomes a human for a short time.
The Violence tag is for the numerous fight scenes in this story and the drawing of blood in most. Gore and Sex tags are for the blood and innuendo, as well as implications.
If you find any inconsistences in the story or grammar errors, please leave a comment telling me where it is so I can fix it. Thank you.
They say life in the universe began with a Big Bang, but that’s only half the truth. In the beginning, there were a group of Primordial Deities that each represented a single aspect of Reality. Life, Death, Creation, Destruction, and natural elements are some examples.
These Deities are far different from Gods. Gods can die and be reborn again, but Deities can’t die under normal conditions and while killing Gods oftentimes poses no problems or consequences. Killing Deities is completely out of the question because killing a Deity unleashes what they represent onto Reality and until another takes the place of the Deity the aspect will run rampant wiping all life and upsetting the Balance.
Two such Deities Naturus, otherwise known as Mother Nature, and Asgroth, who is later known by many different names, created and started Reality. Asgroth the Deity of Creation, created the planets, stars, moons, and galaxies while Naturus the Deity of Life, gave birth to the living creatures, plants, and other living organisms of Reality. The Deities that represent each of the Elements did their part in making the planets, moons, stars, and galaxies hospitable and suitable for sustaining life as well as creating their own forms of living organisms. Very soon everything, in Reality, was born and started their lives.
But the Deities weren’t the only beings around at that time, there was also a group called The Watchers. The sole job of the Watchers is to observe, record, and ensure Balance was maintained. The Watchers were not to interfere with the workings of Reality under any circumstance but could do so if the situation was dire. Every universe, in Reality, has at least one Watcher monitoring it. There is one Watcher above the rest known as the Elder Watcher that helps watch over all of Reality with the other Watchers and is the one that determines if the Keepers of Balance need to be called upon to maintain Balance.
The Balance is a Boundless law expanding all of Reality that states; “There cannot be Light without Darkness, nor Darkness without Light. Just as Life is born so too must that Life succumb to Death and renew new Life. Balance must be maintained, neither good nor evil can hold control over the other. When the Balance is threatened the Keepers must be summoned to alter the weights in accordance. The Keepers must play the role necessary to fix the imbalance even if they don’t want to.”
Reality in its natural sense is a comprised web of various fictional worlds and universes separated by a void of nothing to prevent the worlds from merging together. These universes aren’t meant to interact or merge with each other for it would cause unforeseen chaotic effects that may be irreversible. But power or beings that are able to affect the foundations of Reality can potentially connect universes together for a brief period of time. No being has ever tried to perform this kind of feat. After all, even if they don’t know it everything in Reality, has that natural instinct not to mess around with powers and beings they know absolutely nothing about. Some choose to ignore this primal instinct.
Energtris, the source, and origin of all energy in the web of Reality. Some have theorized whether energy has no base origin and can just be morphed or changed quite easily or if Energtris really is the source from which all energy stems from. Half of the former is true while the latter is entirely the truth. Energy in the purest sense is able to be converted and changed but it’s not as easy as one might think. One has to know the foundations of energy and the form to which you’re converting the energy to. Energtris however, can easily convert itself into other forms of energy because it’s the original source and Energtris does this naturally so there’s no need to know the different energy sources and how they differ from each other. Unless you want to make use of those different energy sources.
However while Energtris is the source and origin of all energy, this means it’s a very powerful raw force that should not be taken lightly. It takes a trained mind and body as well as an understanding of how Energtris and energy at its core works and how it is drawn out to use with little risks. But even then there are still risks. Energtris is fueled by emotion and losing control of those emotions will cause the user of this power to lose themself to it. On the flip side, intensifying the emotion and maintaining control will increase the power and amount of energy greatly. Another major risk is since Energtris is raw energy it is extremely volatile.
Energtris cannot be used by machinations or inorganic beings since a soul is required to produce emotions to control it. Instead, Energtris takes on a more focused but less powerful form acting as a fuel when implanted into such creations and unlike the organic counterparts, the energy isn’t replenished naturally and must be refueled. This form of Energtris can only be used as merely energy fuel and nothing more. Trying to convert it to its original form will result in it exploding since Energtris cannot return to its original form once it becomes fuel.
Energtris users have two very important weaknesses, Cobalt and Lapis, or energy depletion. Both will result in total power loss and render the user from accessing their energy. The only difference is how long the power loss will be in effect. Full energy depletion will require the user to wait until their energy fully recovers. Consuming substances that have high amounts of energy, like vegan products and pure water, help speed this up. This also helps with recovering energy faster in general. While being affected by Cobalt or Lapis only lasts for a certain amount of time from a couple of minutes, up to 2 hours at most depending on the duration of contact.
The extent and range of abilities, powers, skills, and usage of Energtris are practically endless since it’s literally limited to the user’s imagination. That being said every application of Energtris requires a certain amount of energy to effectively use it and have no limit to how powerful they can be. This will also force the users to be smart and observant of their own energy. Trying to use more energy than you can supply will either result in it failing outright or force you to use it at the current strength. Since Energtris users have no limit to what they can do, complete mastery of Energtris will make them Omnipotent. However, achieving complete mastery is impossible since there are so many different ways of using Energtris. It would take millions of years of practice and training to achieve this. Not to mention, to use the most powerful applications of Energtris demands a very large amount of energy, most often nearly all of the user’s energy.
But a user only needs to learn and master a few applications of Energtris that will make the users very powerful and difficult to defeat. Energized Healing, Energtris Shield, Quick Charge, Super Energtris State, Energy Booster, and Energtris Infusion. Mastering these could take 2 decades.
Energized Healing is an advanced healing factor and the rate of self-healing is based on how much energy the user puts into it, going from a slightly faster normal healing factor to either regrowing limbs or instant regeneration. The healing factor is deactivated the second the user doesn’t have enough energy to maintain it.
Energtris Shield is a materialized energy shield capable of blocking or absorbing any and all attacks and minimum energy is needed to activate it but the most use comes from absorbing attacks dealt that hit the shield.
Quick Charge is a technique that takes a small amount of energy and forces it to multiply many times completely replenishing the user’s energy to full but at the cost of less overall energy with each usage. This can be used up to 4 times before the user runs the risk of draining their energy supply to zero resulting in power loss.
Super Energtris State is the upgraded version of the Energtris State and instead of a sky blue aura, it’s a golden yellow aura. In this state the user’s energy is unlimited and the total energy supply is doubled. Using Quick Charge in this state will no longer lessen the overall energy and can be used more than 4 times. However, this state should only be used for an hour at most after which the user’s energy supply starts to drain till it drops to zero again resulting in power loss. The most major risk this state poses is overloading the user’s body with more energy than it can safely handle, resulting in potential self-destruction. Using Quick Charge when the energy starts to drain will drain it faster by a large amount. To achieve this state the user needs to be able to reach the 5th and final level of the Energtris state then breaking their limit.
Energy Booster is also a technique that enhances the user's power, speed, durability, resistance, and if they possess it, magic. Like with Energized Healing and Energtris Shield, applying more energy to this can increase the effects up to 2 times at least and 20 times at most. A large amount of energy is needed to enhance the effect and a small amount over time to maintain it and the amount increases the further the enhancement. The effects of the technique at maximum levels can only stay active for a few minutes before the body has to recover for a set amount of time in order to use it again, half an hour to 2 hours depending on the user. But lower levels of the enhancements can be sustained for a long time without the body needing to rest with enough practice and training. Booster can also be applied to others but requires the same amount of energy for each individual.
Energtris Infusion is taking the user’s energy and infusing it into a part of their body or anything outside of the body. The options are limited but still plentiful. Infusion to the body can be done in a variety of ways to increase strength, armor, or speed like using energy to harden the body part either for defense or increasing stunning power or force for a blow. Infusion can also be used to cover the arms into a sharp energy blade or create a shield. Infusion in anything outside the body varies on the object or organism. The user can use the same applications of armor and speed infusion for others. Infusion, by all means, can be considered a lesser but more precise version of Booster since instead of increasing all attributes at once, the user can enhance either a specific part of their or other's body. Even though Infusion is mostly used for increasing or encasing parts of the body, it can also be used to decrease or weaken as well.
Through a combination of these abilities, one can easily achieve the levels of a Deity in exchange for a vast amount of energy.
Energtris energy in its pure form is rare and only two known races out of all the races throughout Reality naturally possess this power. Dragons and Phoenixes.
Dragons are naturally and arguably the strongest creatures in all of Reality, even theorized to the possibility of either rivaling or surpassing Gods. Part of that almost godly power comes from Energtris energy. Some dragons have learned to use this natural source of energy. Dragons can live for hundreds or thousands of years because of Energtris.
Phoenixes are capable of performing incredible miracles such as almost perfect healing and doing feats that shouldn’t normally be possible for a bird. Phoenixes are well known for being able to be reborn from their own ashes that are produced from their deaths, essentially arguing Phoenixes are immortal creatures. This is all possible thanks to Energtris as their natural energy source.
Other beings from other races can possess Energtris as their natural energy source but it’s a rare case and not consistent, unlike dragons and phoenixes.
There was an event that nearly brought an end to all of Reality. The creation of an entity of pure negativity and darkness, Shivaden. An entity filled with nothing but hatred, anger, madness, and darkness. It started small but quickly became as large as a galaxy, consuming or destroying all that crossed its path. It eventually threatened all of Reality and all the Watchers, Asgorth, Naturus, and almost every Deity were forced to take action.
The battle lasted for weeks with several Watchers and the Keepers of Balance at that time dying. Shivaden never showed signs of weakening or losing so an unthinkable circumstance was brought about. Death herself interfered and tried killing Shivaden with a single swipe of her Mors Scythe but somehow through sheer hatred and anger towards all life, Shivaden was only split in half. But the half that was cut off faded to nothing and then every being present acted quickly to seal the other half somewhere that was brimming with positive energy. The seal would be used as a medium for the positive energy to slowly weaken and with high hopes, vanquish Shivaden over time.
New Keepers and new Watchers were sought out to rebalance everything, Naturus along with a heavily weakened Asgorth and the other Deities figured out a way to bring back everything that was destroyed since Shivaden’s awakening. This all took a year. Eventually, life in Reality returned to normal.
Asgorth, now known by Durlex, returned to his tower that rested just below the border between the stratosphere and mesosphere to live out the rest of his days. In that time he created the dragon race as a means of hopefully one day finding a suitable successor to take his place as Deity of Creation. As time went by he slowly grew weaker and weaker, his body never recovering from his battle with Shivaden and never will. When the Earth gave rise to the first Hemosapiens and they slowly evolved, the machinations they made began polluting the air of the planet especially in the high parts of the stratosphere for Durlex’s tower was. This pollution was quickening his inevitable death by making it hard for him to breathe. That was fortunately remedied later on by Sarius, Circe, and Tirean Trusdale who constructed an Energtris Barrier that turned the air inside it pure and clean.
Over time, most of the Watchers and Deities that survived Shivaden’s wrath slowly fell to memories but were never forgotten. However one Deity was affected by Shivaden’s influence, Tenebris the Deity of Darkness. The Deity was corrupted and lost control then guided by Shivaden’s will, sending the Deity to finish what Shivaden started. Starting with Durlex.
The Trusdale Triplets along with Kalia and Scáth managed to intersect the corrupted Deity. The battle was long and hard bringing the Hybrids to their limits. But through one last act, Circe and Tirean lent their energy and power to their brother, Sarius along with Kalia and Scáth doing the same. All this energy and power helped Sarius push past the limits of the fifth level of the Energtris State and achieve the Super Energtris State. This state proved to be a perfect match for the corrupted Deity and evened things out. Unfortunately, the Deity was only corrupted so Sarius couldn’t risk killing him and had to find a way to free him. Sarius managed to do so, barely managing to keep the Deity alive and keeping his own energy from running dry.
But the essence that corrupted the Deity wasn’t destroyed, it simply returned to where it came from. This piece of Shivaden found its way back to its main body and weakened the barrier seal that contained it. Now Shivaden was rousing, sensing the newfound weakness in its seal and looking to break free.
In the room of the once Graceful, Beautiful, and Loving Princess of the Night, lay a dark alicorn mare, now nothing more than a shadow of her former self. Overcome with grief and sorrow, the young alicorn laid in the darkness of her room. Shut out from all light, she lay trying to hold onto the memories of her and her love. Her bed sheets were soaked from the long night's worth of tears. The more she thought of him, the more she had the urge to cry and wail again. She was convinced he was truly gone, for her sister had yet to find him. Perhaps they never would, after all, it was the darkness itself that took him. The darkness of a black hole, that left nothing in its wake. She looked towards the small table next to her bed. On it rested a pendant given to her by her love as a sign of love. An ultimatum that he declared she would be his love now and forever. A pendant he once said was handed down to him from his mother, who in turn had received it from his father. The pendant was a family heirloom that had been passed down generation after generation. She felt the tears begin to well up again and began crying once more for her lost love. The first and only true love she ever had was now lost forever. She wondered if she was truly cursed to live an immortal life alone.
Meanwhile, deep within the darkness of the planet, darkness, far darker than anything anyone had ever known, was stirring. This darkness took interest in the Night Princess's tribulation and saw a darkness in the heart of the now broken alicorn. A darkness that was waiting patiently for a chance to return and finish what it had started. The entity reached out with its dark shadowy arm, closing in on the princess. The alicorn was so engulfed in anguish that she did not notice this darkness's presence. The entity took its grip on the alicorn and began feeding the nightmare inside with its power. By the time the alicorn had taken notice, it was too late. In mere moments, the Princess of the Night began undergoing a forceful and painful transformation. Her teeth became fangs, her fur became slightly darker, her size grew a couple of feet. Her mane became that of a shadow and her wings grew longer and stronger. Her eyes opened and the once perfect circle pupil was now the slit of a cat’s eye with a change of color from sky blue to moss green. She chuckled and began laughing, the laugh getting more sinister. The alicorn who was once the Princess of the Night was now the Nightmare all once feared.
Nightmare Moon has returned, much stronger than before and without the Elements of Harmony, there’s no chance of stopping her. The only one who could stop her was nowhere to be found and the only remnants of him were the sole pendant he left behind that he gave to her. Nightmare Moon shed a single tear that marked that the Night Princess was no more. Soon after, she turned her attention to the outside world and chuckled. She had a lot of work to do and decided to start with the ones who had defeated her before.
"This time, the night will truly last forever." Nightmare Moon said to herself. She began chuckling which quickly turned to an evil and sinister laugh.
The Darkness that had nearly brought the end to Light was rising again. The true war between Light and Darkness has begun again and the Darkness was already winning.
Before the Rise of Darkness
My eyes shot open as I tried to calm my breathing. It was rare that I had a dream since I couldn’t sleep. Apparently, I cried a couple of tears as I felt them run down my cheeks. I raised my hand to wipe away the tears and watery trails they left, only to be surprised by the sight of what was once my hand. It was a red dragon claw. I took a glance over my body and recognized the red scales and silver underbelly. Somehow I transformed into my dragon form but I couldn’t understand how or why without my awareness.
I stood up, feeling a bit awkward standing on four legs. It’s been a long while since I was in my dragon form so it would take some time to get used to the idea of having a tail and wings again. I took a couple of minutes to check my surroundings and it didn’t seem much different from the area I took a nap in, a large open clearing with a lake in the middle surrounded by trees. I also took notice of how I was lying on my side instead of on my back.
Anyone would naturally assume nothing changed since things seemed so similar. But thanks to the dragon god DNA in my blood, my six natural senses were cranked up to 11 at least. It was helpful but also a pain in the ass sometimes. Through the senses of smell and hearing, the air was different. Not to mention I could sense energy in the air, earth, and water. I had Energtris, or pure energy running through my veins. Energtris was the original source of all energies, Elemental and Magical to name a couple.
The air itself seemed filled with magical particles. Not only that, the earth, the trees, and even the water in the lake held magical properties. Also, I felt positive energy everywhere I looked. I was not on Earth anymore for some reason. I looked up to see that the Sun was oddly in the same place.
I suddenly sensed some activity north of where I am. I didn’t know what I had to do yet but it was clear I needed to check things out. Even though small pieces of knowledge and history were slowly filling my mind, I had to gain information to put them together. So I unfolded my 12 feet wingspan, which I noted was smaller than usual, stretched out the muscles in them since it’d been a while since I used them, and with a heavy motion rose off the ground. I slowly flapped my wings, working out the muscles some more and steadily rising in the air till I was past the top of the trees.
From this new view, I saw I was in a small mountain range with mountains to my south and east. I could see a town several miles out north-east, it was small though possibly a village. To the north, the green land started to meet a white landscape. Judging from the temperature and being close to a heavily snowy area, I was somewhere close to what could be the North Pole. As I gazed further into the distance, a snowstorm was seen potentially blocking any further line of sight.
The activity I sensed came from somewhere in the snowstorm so, with a steel resolve, I took off in that direction. I quickly relearned how to fly with wings. It wasn’t long before I was reaching speeds of a fighter jet, though making sure I didn’t go past a certain threshold. I flew right into the snowstorm, feeling the air get colder but I didn’t mind at all. I much preferred the cold since my inner body ran hotter than a furnace. This made it so I could be like a heater for others.
I started sensing some negative energy not too far ahead along with life energy from several living things. It didn’t take me long to see the source of the negative energy. A large mass of shadow was giving chase to horses. The sight of the horses greatly surprised me. I had no idea what world I was sent to, but it was beyond a doubt the weirdest one yet. Light was being emitted from a magic shield that was able to be seen through the storm.
I stopped in mid-air not too far from the shield and hovered in place. The horses were running through the shield and not being stopped but one stopped and turned to the ocean of shadow. A shadowy figure in the form of a head formed from the mass, the head of a horse with a horn. A glow was then emitted from the smaller horse’s forehead as a beam of energy was shot at the shadow. The shadowy head split in half to dodge the attack and reformed. It then retaliated with a black energy beam that hit its mark. Using my dragon eyes, I noticed the horse was a stallion and saw the energy caused some black shards to form around the stallion’s horn.
The shadow then lunged at the stallion and with master control and experience of the Wind element, I flew so fast I would have easily broken the Sound Barrier if I wasn’t being careful and got between the shadow and the stallion. With literal seconds to react, I raised my right claw to the shadowy being, and controlling the flow of energy within my body, I created a large Energtris Shield stopping it in place as it made hard contact with it. The head reared back in annoyance.
This shield was my best defense move. Depending on the amount of energy I used to create it, it could take a lot of damage before cracking which rarely happens. It wasn’t exactly impenetrable but it does take a lot to break it. The one thing that could either shut down or naturalize the shield and my power were Cobalt or Lapis. My energy does drain when the shield is damaged and with enough attacks, my energy supply can be used up leaving me very vulnerable. Almost all of my abilities and techniques required energy to be utilized effectively. So running low on energy is the worst thing that can happen to me. Therefore I’m always mindful of my energy supply.
And in this situation, I was already really low on energy. I was involved in a massive battle before being transported here, that pushed me to my limits and had me use a lot of my energy. The shield I created wasn’t very tough in the usual standards, but it was tough enough to hold back this shadow being. That much I was sure of. Most of the energy I used for this shield was put into the size of it.
Something told me the being didn’t feel any pain from smacking against the shield. Its red cat-like irises glared at me, purple smog was flowing from its eyes and the usual white in the eyes was a sickly green. I could tell for a fact this shadow wasn’t normal at all.
I was too focused on the creature in front of me to notice the stallion had shut his eyes on instinct until I heard him gasp, despite the roar of the storm in my ears. I turned my head slightly to look at him. He was a white stallion with a navy blue and light blue mixed mane and tail. His eyes were also light blue. He was shocked but from either my appearance, me protecting him, or him not being dead I couldn’t tell. He also had some sort of dark-colored goggles and scarf.
I flicked my tail towards the shield, trying to tell him to get to safety. Thankfully he got the message as he nodded, turned, and was about to run for it. But the shadow suddenly rose higher into the air and fired another black beam right at the stallion. I wasted no time moving the energy particles in the shield from in front of me to behind the stallion.
I haven’t mastered my power yet, but I have gained a lot of valuable experience and knowledge in controlling it. The amount of time it took for the beam to reach the stallion from its point of origin was approximately 15 seconds at least. The fact I was able to diffuse the energy structure of my shield from one place and refuse it in another place that was 2 and a half yards apart from each other to effectively block the beam in 15 seconds was incredibly impressive. Mind you, the shield was smaller but it was stronger to compensate for the power of the beam since I had no idea how strong it was.
Basically, it worked and the stallion made it through the shield to safety without any further damage. I heard the shadow growl that sounded deep like the entire form was vibrating from anger. I dispersed the shield and turned back to face the shadow as its angry gaze fell on the only thing within its reach. It was clear now the shield was keeping it out and the shadow had no means of getting through it.
I knew I had to follow the horses through the shield but I had to confirm something first. It didn’t take very long for the shadow to start attacking me. A shadow spike extended from the body in an attempt to run me through but with quick air maneuvering and reflexes, I moved to the left in time to dodge the first spike. I flapped my wings to move forward and just in time cause a second and third spike came out, though I had to fly up to avoid the latter.
It was common sense not to stay in one place during a battle, so I kept moving. Flapping my wings to push me in a direction and using the wind to grant me a speed boost to avoid the upcoming spikes. If anyone was watching this, they would see me dancing through the air with the way I moved my body to dodge the attacks. Considering I was a dragon it would be natural to think I couldn’t do it but I had a lot of practice with flying. Plus I was much smaller and lighter than most teenage or adult dragons.
My wings were getting the exercise they very much needed after so long. I was thankful they were still in good shape and didn’t stiffen up despite not using them for a while. I had flown around to the open airspace behind the shadow in a clockwise direction. I put some distance between us and slowly built up some speed before flying back at the shadow. It predictably retaliated by firing black beams and spikes at me which I dodged with minimum effort.
I readied my right claw to slash at it and when I was practically a few feet away, I swung hard at the part that would be its throat. As I thought though, my attack didn’t affect and simply passed through it like it was air. I quickly turned around 180 degrees in mid-air and readied myself for a counter-attack. As predicted another shadow spike shot out that I dodged by flapping my wings to lift myself up and rose my lower body as it passed underneath me.
I got my answer though so I didn’t waste any more time sticking around and flew to the shield. To my relief, I wasn’t stopped by it and went through.
I was nearly blinded by the contrast of light inside the shield compared to what was outside. Going from barely seeing in a heavy snowstorm to an entire city of crystals reflecting light was a bit of a shock. After my eyes adjusted, I could see that the shield was surrounding the city and everything inside the shield was unaffected by the snowstorm. The air was still cold though.
I had no idea what it was I was supposed to be doing but decided I should head for the giant crystal tower in the middle of the area at the very least. As I slowly flew to the tower, I looked down at the city to see crystalized horses walking around. Though unlike the rest of the city, they were less shiny and dull in color. I didn’t find the horses I saw earlier or the stallion I saved so I kept flying to the tower.
Suddenly the shield flickered. I stopped in mid-air, very perplexed. It didn’t occur to me that the shield was formed by something or someone. But now that I was focused on it, I could sense magic from it. It should have been obvious the shield was magical. I didn’t know the reason for the flicker but it was a clear sign that it wasn’t permanent.
Releasing my focus from the shield, I continued my flight to the tower, this time much faster. I reached a balcony and softly landed on it, finally giving my wings a rest. Not too long after I started walking to the only opening, I heard a female voice ring out.
“-to You!” A quick gasp of air was heard. “This is gonna be great! I loooove research papers!” The voice sounded enthusiastic and nerdy.
“Yeaah. Who doesn’t?” Replied a slightly lower tone second female voice in a sarcastic tone.
I walked through the opening and saw closed double doors when a third female voice was heard. “Oh oh oh. Let me guess.” A whoosh was heard as I neared the doors. “Is it Spike? Nonono, Fluttershy. Rarity?” The last word was more high-pitched. The owner of the voice sounded very energetic and hyper.
“Don’t worry big brother, I am really good at this sort of thing.” The first voice spoke up again.
Obviously, a group of people was in the room conversing, so I knew the most polite thing to do was knock before entering unannounced. Which I did.
“Who’s that?” Asked another female voice who had a Southern accent.
The sound of hooves walked to the doors and opened them. “Hi, can we help you-”
I saw the horses running into the shield earlier and I’ve seen the white stallion close up, but none of it could prepare me for the sight I was forced to take in and accept as the truth. In front of me was an average-sized throne room with 8 differently colored horses and a baby purple and green dragon staring at me. One of which I recognized as the stallion I saved.
“GAHHHH!!” Screamed the lavender-colored horse directly in front of me with wide eyes.
I was granted only 10 to 15 seconds to take in the sight in front of me before I was greeted with a scream that rattled my ears. I instinctively flinched and took a step back before sitting on my hunches as I rubbed my weirdly shaped ears with my claws.
“I expected that response but didn’t expect it to hurt my ears.” I joked knowing full well my appearance was intimidating and a bit scary.
I didn’t have to see their faces to know they were either scared or nervous of me. “Sorry about that. Who are you?” Asked the lavender horse.
I looked at the horses one by one before returning my attention to the one in front of me. “I’m Sarius Trusdale.” I got back up on all fours and extended my right claw to the horse, ready to shake her hoof. “Pleasure to meet ya.”
What followed was a whole minute of silence. The mare looked between my claw and my face confused about what to do. “Uh.” She muttered.
My ears flopped down as my face showed the emotion of someone who just did something stupid. “Great, I already made it awkward. Yay me.” I said unenthusiastically and I lowered my claw. “So, who are all you?” I asked, trying to avoid the embarrassment.
The lavender mare pointed a hoof to herself. “I’m Twilight Sparkle.”
She then pointed to an all pink horse with a really fluffy mane and tail. “That’s Pinkie Pie.” The pink mare smiled widely and bounced in place with a sound effect somehow.
Then she pointed at a white horse with a groomed purple mane and tail. “This is Rarity.” The mare flicked her mane almost like on command.
Twilight’s hoof pointed to a cyan horse with a rainbow mane and tail. “Rainbow Dash.” The skittle mare started hovering in place with a confidant smile.
Next was an orange horse with a standard cowboy hat over her blond mane. “She’s Applejack.” The country mare tipped her hat in respect.
Twilight tilted her head a bit. “And it seems Fluttershy is hiding behind her. She’s the yellow mare by the way.” I did see a yellow horse behind Applejack who was cowering and shivering.
Twilight then pointed to the last two horses in the room, one white and the other light pink. The white stallion I knew, the other not so much. She had a multi-colored mane and tail consisting of pale yellow, bright pink, and purple also she apparently was falling asleep standing up.
“And that’s my big brother and sister-in-law, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance,” Twilight announced.
I looked at the baby dragon. “And him?” I asked.
Twilight looked at the dragon and gasped in shock. “Oh, I can’t believe I forgot about Spike.” Twilight sounded guilty. The baby dragon Spike simply shrugged and sighed. Apparently, he was used to the neglect.
The one called Shining Armor took a good look at me and gasped. “You’re the one that protected me, aren’t you?” He asked.
I nodded. “Yup. I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt.” I looked at his horn. The shards were still there. “Are those shards affecting you somehow?” I asked as I started walking towards him.
Everyone in the room aside from Shining Armor and Cadance watched me closely. “Yeah, it’s preventing me from using my magic. I was helping my wife maintain the barrier.” He said.
I stopped just a few inches from him and took a good look at the shards. These shards certainly hid small traces of magic but most of its properties were of the Darkness element. I could tell for a fact this was caused by Shadowlock.
“I can remove those if you want,” I suggested.
A collective gasp of shock was heard. Shining Armor looked at me wide-eyed. “Are you sure? These were most likely caused by magic.” He sounded hopeful.
I shook my head. “It’s not magic. It’s a power called Shadowlock. Individuals that possess the Darkness element have access to this basic power. Despite being basic, it’s powerful due to the fact it’s hard to remove. If used on a limb or a body part, it renders it useless. You either take down the one who used it on you or have another with access to Shadowlock to remove it. There are other ways of removing it but those are the most common and easier ways.” I explained.
I could tell everyone was staring at me surprised, aside from Cadance I assumed. “How do you know all that?” Asked Twilight, curious to know.
I turned my head to her. “I have a friend who uses Darkness and is quite experienced in it. Plus I need to know everything I can about what a user of the Darkness element can do because Darkness is my major weakness, element-wise.” I stated. “So shall I remove them?” I asked again, turning back to Shining.
“Sure, if you really think you can,” Shining replied, hopeful.
“Alright. All I ask is you lower your head and try to keep still.” I requested.
He did so, albeit reluctantly. Once his horn was level with my face, I sat my lower half on the floor and raised a claw close to his horn. I had to focus on this. I couldn’t do Shadowlock but I was trained by my friend on how to remove it if needed. I requested her to train me so I could better defend myself against Darkness.
My energy was extremely low but was enough to get the job done. I moved the flow of energy in my body to my claw and extended it from my claw into Shining Armor’s horn. Once I felt my energy was inside his horn, I moved it around so it was in contact with the shards. I could tell the shards were evil but the shards were just a fabrication of the shadow’s power. So in truth, the shadowy being was evil. I needed total focus and steady control of my energy for the removal of the shards. With the precision and accuracy of a trained surgeon, I slowly pushed the shards out with my energy.
This action caused the shards in his horn to wobble. Eventually, I managed to push the shards out completely as they clattered on the crystal floor. I didn’t waste any time using the energy in my claw again to gather up the pieces, lift them up, and created a small energy orb around them. I held the orb in my claw as I examined the shards.
Everyone was surprised at my display. “Whoa, that’s amazing. Sarius was it?” Shining Armor asked, lifting his head. His horn glowed as if to test if it works.
“Yeah,” I replied simply, not looking away from the shards in my claw.
“That’s two I owe you now.” Shining Armor stated.
“Two, brother?” Twilight asked confused.
Shining smiled at his sister. “I already said. He protected me against King Sombra and now removed the shards that prevented me from using my magic.” He clarified.
The name caught my attention. “So that shadow being is called Sombra huh.” I sat up. “I never thought I would be in the company of techno-colored horses with the capability to talk, but here I am,” I said to myself.
“Horses? Is that meant to be an insult?” Asked a confused country accented voice.
I finally turned my attention from the orb in my claw to the horses behind me. They were looking at me confused and conflicted about what I said. “No. Is it usually meant as an insult?” I asked, obviously clueless.
“Well, to be honest. The word doesn’t get thrown around a lot, so it’s hard to say if it’s meant as an insult. While we are technically horses, we prefer to be called Ponies.” Twilight explained.
“Gotcha. I’ll be sure to remember that.” I said. I then turned my attention to Cadance. “So I take it she’s exhausted from using her magic for too long?” I assumed that was the case considering her horn was glowing and has been since I walked in.
Shining Armor walked over to her side and placed a hoof on her shoulder which caused her to stir. “Yeah. Her magic is what’s spreading love and light in the Crystal Empire and keeping King Sombra out.” He stated.
I morphed the tip of my tail into a four-pronged claw, curved it around to my left claw, and put the orb I was holding in the palm of the tail claw, gripping it tightly. With my left arm free, I walked over to Cadance and examined her.
She has bags under her eyes, obviously from sleep depravity. Just by looking I could see her entire body was under a bit of pressure and stressed from being pushed to its limits. I focused my sight to see her energy levels and wasn’t surprised to see it was very low. What did impress me is despite running on magic fumes she still kept the spell active.
“Uh, Sarius?” I heard Shining say.
I blinked and looked at him. “Yeah, that’s me.” I jokingly replied.
“You’ve been staring quite intensely at my wife for a whole minute.” Shining pointed out sounding a bit nervous.
“Oh, sorry. I was just checking her condition. Her magic and energy levels are extremely low. It’s amazing that she’s keeping the spell active still. But she won’t last much longer at this rate.” I explained.
Everybody gasped at my words. “You misunderstand my words. I meant she’ll pass out and potentially go into a coma. I don’t know if pony anatomy is similar to humans, but I am certain that if she’s been at this for a couple of days at least, her body will shut down forcing it to rest.”
I got a confused look from Shining and I assumed the others were giving me the same too. “What’s a human?” He asked.
”Damnit. I had to use the word human in front of them.” I cursed at myself in thought. “It’s kinda hard to explain, but it’s not really important to know,” I said trying to drop the topic before it got too far. “Anyway, I can help her.”
“How?” I heard Twilight ask.
“I’ll give her the rest of my energy. It should be enough to keep her going for a while longer.” I answered.
“Again, how?” Twilight asked with more emphasis. “How can a dragon help a unicorn or an alicorn in this case, recover magic with energy?” She added making sure I understood her confusion.
“Well, to make a long explanation short; I can convert and change my energy pretty easily. Since my natural energy is the literal source of all energy it can be converted to anything. I just simply transfer my energy and whatever the transfer target’s natural energy is, is what my energy changes to.” I looked at Twilight. “Is that a good enough answer?”
Twilight seemed to be at a loss for words. “What kind of dragon are you? Can you even be called a dragon?”
I sighed. “I promise I’ll try to explain everything as best as I can later. So for now the only answer I can give you, is I’m a Hybrid. Now-” I turned to Cadance and sat down in front of her. “-I need to tend to her.”
I closed my eyes and concentrated. I can sense there was only about 7% of my energy remaining in me. Even though in the back of my mind, I was trying to convince myself not to completely drain my energy. I knew for a fact I had an emergency back-up energy supply my body stores up automatically for when my energy supply depletes. It releases about 2 to 3 percent of my energy to my body so my healing factors can keep going.
That’s also enough energy to activate a Quick Recharge which uses 1% and supercharges it refilling my entire energy supply. The downside is I’ll have less overall energy at my disposal, usually between 10 to 25% of my total energy. Meaning I can use Quick Recharge two more times before I’m pushing my limit. That’s not to mention the supercharge doesn’t last a long time, about 10 to 30 minutes depending on how taxing my body is. Hence Quick Recharge is best used amid combat.
So ignoring the selfish voice in the back of my head, I controlled all my remaining energy and forced it out of my body and into Cadence’s. My eyes were closed so I couldn’t confirm if my energy was visible during the transfer. I naturally had my energy undergo the necessary change to fit Cadence’s natural energy. Once the last bit of my energy left my body, I felt heavier and very exhausted despite my emergency reserves being released into my body.
I groggily opened my eyes and had a half-lidded look in my eyes now. Cadence groaned as her closed eyes squeezed a bit tighter before finally slowly opening. Cadence’s first sight was me sitting on my rear end looking at her with an almost mirror expression of her sleep-deprived self and despite that, I gave her the best smile I could. Which was a weak but genuine smile.
Cadence was a bit surprised to see a dragon sitting right in front of her. Though what caught my attention was her looking at me like she recognized me. “I, uh, apologize for asking a question that surely was answered already, but what’s your name?” Her voice was sweet, gentle, and carried a caring tone.
I tried to answer but couldn’t open my mouth all that much to form words due to being drained and exhausted. Thankfully, Cadence’s husband answered in my place. “This is Sarius Trusdale, hon. I’m certain the reason he can’t talk right now is because he gave you what was left of his energy and as a result is exhausted and drained.”
I slowly nodded once just to confirm what Shining said is right.
Cadence’s gaze sharpened from hearing my name. “Sarius Trusdale.” She repeated. The way she said it gave the impression she knew me. She smiled. “Well, I’m sure you already know me but I’m Princess Cadence.” She said with a slight bow which surprised everyone just a bit, including me.
I shook my head and was able to speak again. “No need for that,” I said with an exhausted tone. “I rather not have others bow to me.”
Cadence picked her head up to look me in my still groggy eyes. “Thank you, Sarius. I’m grateful for your help. But are you going to be okay?” She was obviously concerned about my current condition.
I waved my claw. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been in worse situations. I’m just happy and glad to help whenever and wherever I can.”
“If you say so.” Cadence turned to Shining. “I’m gonna need you to catch me up to speed and the rest of you. Do what it is you were sent here to do.”
“You got it. Let’s head out girls. There’s no time to waste.” Twilight said.
With that the 6 mares and the baby dragon left in a rush to do whatever they’re meant to do.
“What about Sarius, Cadence?” Shining asked.
Cadence turned to me and gave a small smile. “Let him rest here. It’s the least we can do after he’s done so much, especially since we barely know him.”
I barely managed to lift myself up, walk to a spot next to the throne and laid down in a comfortable position. I closed my eyes and rested.
Cadence and Shining walked over to me. “Are you really feeling okay, Sarius?” Shining asked.
“Honestly, I’m really exhausted and tired mostly. I’ve been low on energy for awhile now and I used the last of it removing the shards and restoring Cadence's magic.” I released my grip on the orb containing the shards right in front of me and turned my tail back to normal. “It’ll be a long time before my energy fully recovers.”
“Then go ahead and just rest for now, Sarius. You did more than enough for us.” Cadence said with a smile. I decide to close my eyes and rest.
After some time passes, Twilight and Spike come into the throne room with a book that has crystal shards on the cover and goes straight to Cadence and Shining Armor. Spike holds the book up while Twilight reads through it.
Twilight mentions an event called The Crystal Fare. Something the first queen of the Empire a long time ago established to renew the love and unity of the Empire every year. She and her friends could set it all up.
Cadence nodded. “Then carry on with it, Sis. The sooner, the better. I may be feeling better thanks to Sarius here but he said it won’t last long.”
Twilight nodded in return. “Okay, come on Spike we got a fare to put together.” Twilight ran out the throne room with Spike struggling to carry the book.
Cadence looked over at me. “You want to join them? They might find something for you to help you recover.” She suggested.
I managed to recover a bit of energy as I stood up with little problem this time. “Well, it’s better than just lying here. I’ll go see what they’re doing at least.”
After picking up the energy orb with my now morphed tail claw again, I walked out the throne room and to the balcony, I landed on earlier to look over the crystallized city. Twilight and the others were hard at work getting everything together and set up. With my eyes I noticed them grab some food, corn on the cob specifically that was also crystallized. I leapt off the balcony and with my wings extended hovered down to the ground. I startled some of the crystal ponies who weren’t even crystallized. I grabbed an ear of crystal corn and took a bite out of it.
My body instantly felt the effects as my energy was slowly restored by a moderate amount. I ate the rest of the corn with little hesitation and the amount of energy that was slowly being restored sped up. I took an estimated guess that between 5 to 10 percent of my power returned from just one ear of corn. I took three more and ate them quickly but not too fast. I wanted to enjoy the new type of corn that also tasted like actual flavored corn. Before I knew it, about 20 to 40 percent of my power returned.
As I was finishing my meal, the shield flickered and went down. A mass of shadow started racing toward the city as a part of it formed the head I saw earlier in my last encounter. Sombra was trying to take this opportunity to rush the city and reclaim it. The energy I was restoring finally finished and my body let out a large pulse of energy that stopped the shadowy ocean of Sombra surrounding the city. Not too long after that, the shield came back up as it cut off a piece of his horn.
With a good percent of my energy restored, I spread my wings, flapped them, and lifted myself into the air. I flew up to the balcony where Cadence, Shining Armor, Twilight, and Rainbow were standing.
Shining Armor noticed me. “Sarius. Are you feeling better?”
I nodded “That Crystal corn really hit the spot for me. I’m not at full capacity but it’s enough for me to do one last thing to help you all.”
Rainbow walked up to me. “And what’s that? Just so you know, we need the Crystal Heart to get rid of Sombra. How can you help us?”
“I don’t know about the Crystal Heart and just leave that to you guys. Instead, I’m gonna distract Sombra for you and buy time.” I looked at Cadence. “Especially for you. Take the time to recover a little bit of strength.”
Cadence looked at me. “Alright, go for it.”
I nodded. Before I flew off, I created an energy saber and cut at nothing to create a small rift. I took the orb from my tail claw, stuck that claw in the rift and pulled it out to close the rift. With that done I turned around and flew outside the barrier to start round 2 with King Sombra.
I flew out and saw Sombra was groaning in pain, scrunching his face and his cut horn glowed green and purple. I took a quick glance inside the barrier and saw the piece of the horn that was chopped off was glowing green and purple then it grew into a dark crystal and shadowy tendrils were reaching out for the closest crystal pillars and turned them from red to black.
“Yessss, crystalssss.” He hissed like a snake.
I smirked. It was obvious he hadn't noticed me and he was about to regret it. I opened a claw and focused my energy into a small orb. I then juggled it a bit with that claw and tossed it into the air.
“Think fast, Sombra!” I shouted really loud before turning around and doing a mid-air backflip, kicking the orb just as it’s within reach right at Sombra’s face.
It made an impact as he barely flinched but a blue wave of energy rippled throughout his form. He turned towards me slightly annoyed and un-amused.
“You. You’re that dragon from earlier. Who are you and what did you do?” He asked with a low growl as if his entire form was speaking.
I turned towards him, smiled and clenched my fist in his direction. “I’m Sarius Trusdale. Remember it well, ‘King Sombra’.” I said in a mocking tone. “And what I did is simple in execution but hard to explain how it works. But basically-“
I stopped mid-sentence, charged him and gave him a punch with the clenched fist. “-I solidified your shadowy form so I can physically interact with you.”
He grunted. “How is that possible? No dragon should be able to do that.”
“No normal dragon maybe. Believe it or not, but all dragons have Energtris as an energy source. There are only a few dragons I know that are actually able to use that energy in some way but most of them can’t to this extent. And as far as explaining what I did, well.”
I paused to collect my thoughts. “I’ve dealt with foes like you before and was trained by a close friend of mine to help me deal with opponents with the power over shadow and darkness. The energy I hit you with created a frequency that was emitted through your body converting the molecules in your body from the substance of an air or liquid form into a solid. That’s the easiest way I can put it.”
Sombra glared at me almost like he was giving me his full attention which is what I wanted. “I see. Then I just need to eliminate you before trying to take back the Crystal Empire.”
“Don’t think it’ll be that easy, Sombra.” I retorted.
“That’s King Sombra to you lowly dragon!” He shouted as he shot shadow spears at me that I dodged by flapping my wings and pushing me to the right.
“Alright, Let’s Tango, your highness.” I said with enthusiasm and a smile.
I charged forward and gave him another punch across his face following it up with a kick to his throat. But he didn’t gag or get affected by the throat blow. I flapped my wings hard and moved back several feet.
“So you must still have a shadowy physical form if a blow to the throat doesn’t cause a reaction.”
Instead of responding he fired a mixture of green and purple or black magic bolts at me. All of which I managed to dodge with great speed and an incredibly fast reaction sense. I started to fly to move around the battlefield and get a better position. After a couple of seconds of flying around Sombra, I used a small bit of my energy, directed it to my back claws and pushed the energy out causing me to propel myself at him. I took a swing at his forehead and where his horn was and made contact, I quickly followed it up with another punch to his nose and finished it up with an uppercut kick.
As I finished back flipping, I flapped my wings once hard and pushed myself away from Sombra. He quickly retaliated with shooting shadow spikes at me but with another small pulse of energy from my back claws I quickly rose into the air several feet. I spun around in a 180, shot another small pulse and dived right into his procerus. I pushed into him and forced his entire form into the ground. I flapped my wings again and quickly rose into the air.
Sombra lifted his shadowy head from out of the mass showing a face of anger and annoyance. “You’re no dragon. You’re simply a bothersome fly.” Sombra said, trying to insult me.
I keep flying and picking up speed. There was one thing I needed to make sure I did before this battle was over and he got defeated by the ponies. With the single goal in mind, I turned in mid-air and flew straight at him. He shot magic beams and shadow spikes at me once more, all of which I avoided again. As I got closer to him, I took a swing and made contact this time, taking off a chuck of his shadowy form.
He made no indication he was in pain. Instead the chuck I tore off just healed itself while I still held the piece I ripped off. Wasting no time I used my energy to mold the shadowy chuck into a ball and created an orb around it, then used my free claw to create a small rift and threw the orb in there before closing it.
Sombra turned to me confused as to what I did and why but he kept pressing his attack. I achieved my main objective and only needed to delay Sombra. I have taken notice that despite the fact his attention was on me, he was still attempting to use his shadowy form surrounding the barrier to break through. A bit of progress was being made on his part so I had to figure out a way to get full attention.
I only had at the very least 19% of my energy at my disposal so I can’t go crazy with it. But I know I had enough for one particular attack. I opened my mouth and my chest started glowing bright red which slowly turned to sky blue. That glow was going up my throat and showing in the back of my throat as fire began to form back there as well. The fire turned from a hot red to sky blue as well as small bits of ember was exiting my mouth in anticipation. I emitted a low growl as the flames started dancing in my maw.
Sombra now took notice of what I was doing and proceeded to try and stop me via firing shadow spears and magic bolts at me but it was a little too late. I closed my mouth for a second before opening it back up and letting out a massive funnel of blue flames at Sombra. Every single attack he threw at me clashed with the flames and were either dissipated by the raw energy in the flame or vaporized by the massive amount of heat they produced.
Sombra’s eyes widened as the massive funnel nearly engulfed him and the sky blue flame covered the black of his shadows. Through the roar of the flames I could still make out a yell of pain from Sombra. I smiled knowing I was able to inflict pain on him. Energtris energy is unique; Energtris can nullify any and all protections, invulnerabilities, immunities, and negations even those that are omnipotent, can be revived, or have the ability to adapt. But even with that kind of potential, energy is still required to pull it off and depending on the level and type of defense a lot is needed to nullify them.
I cut off the flame and let it die down. Sombra’s entire shadowy form was almost blocked from view from all the smoke that was coming from his charred body. Sombra looked at me with pure anger and though he was trying to hide it, pain. I kept smiling at him.
“What kind of dragon are you? Are you even a dragon at all?” He asked with disbelief.
“I assure you I am. Half dragon but still dragon.” I answered.
“I’ve encountered dragons before but none could do these kinds of things. So how are you different from the rest?” Sombra asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice now.
My smile faded as I was about to get serious. “It doesn’t matter what I tell you now. Your time is almost up, Sombra. If you had any thoughts that you could take me, then I’m gonna disprove those assumptions right now.” I started to glow as my pupils silted. “But I will at least tell you this, any dragon is capable of what I’m doing but it takes a lot of practice and training to pull it off efficiently. I may be unique among my fellow kin but it took me several years for me to use my power to this extent and I’m still learning.”
My entire body was covered with a thin sky blue aura as I got a bit serious. “Now, let’s finish this up.”
With an even greater speed than before I charged at him and punched him right in his lower jaw with an energized fist. This caused him pain as I quickly followed it up with another punch to the jaw then another and another till I was chaining a combo and finishing it with an energized dash kick to his procerus forcing him back. I closed the distance and started using small pulses from my back claws to jump around and hit from different angles and sides and pulling out.
He was barely able to retaliate as I kept using the pulses to quickly move in, deliver a punch or kick, and using another pulse to pull out. I slowly picked up speed as I kept going. Eventually I stopped attacking with closed claws and kicks and used the claws in my attacks. I could see the pieces of Sombra I was shredding off him with my sharp energized claws. His roar of anger and pain told me I was getting on his nerves. So I decided I shouldn’t fool around anymore.
I flew away from Sombra to get a mile of distance between us then I started flying back towards him at supersonic speeds, my claws at the ready. He fired shadow spears and magic bolts at me again but I didn’t try to avoid them since my aura was practically deflecting them all. I extended my arms out in an almost defensive posture with the claws out, as I got within yards of Sombra I swiped them in a cross pattern as I flew right through Sombra. The resulting attack created a massive energy cross slash that cut him into four parts.
Sombra was bewildered and his eyes widened in shock as he lost feeling of most of his form for a couple minutes. But once his lower shadowy form reattached itself to him he was back to normal. More angry than before, he searched around to find me but couldn’t. Right after I connected my attack I figured I bought enough time and flew back into the barrier surrounding the Crystal Empire.
“Sarius Trusdale! Come back and face me coward!” I could hear him shout my name in sheer anger. But I was done messing around with him.
I flew back to the balcony to see that the darkness from Sombra’s horn reached this far in. I even noticed the landscape was transforming from a light and bright color to a dim and dark color as if Sombra’s malicious force was corrupting the city. Suddenly I heard what sounded like an alarm going off and looked up and saw it was coming from the top of the tower. I turned in time to see Sombra react to it as well as his horn glowed. I flew up to the top to find out what happened.
I found Spike with his claws in his armpits cowering away from the dark crystal formation in the middle and Twilight was stuck in the middle of that formation. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but Twilight yelled and Spike picked up a heart shaped crystal that seemed to give off a strong amount of energy and started climbing down the tower. I noticed the barrier was breaking down as Sombra was pounding away at it and it eventually crumbled. I started to wonder if angering him caused this.
I snapped out of it and flew to Spike. “Need a lift, Spike?”
Spike looked up at me watching out for black crystal spikes coming out of the tower. “Sarius? Are you really willing to help me?”
I nodded. “But only if you’re willing to accept it.” I held out a claw for him.
I could tell he was scared he is what most dragons consider to be a baby still. He put on a brave face as he grabbed my claw. I lifted him and the crystal until my back.
“Look out!” Spike yelled. Just in time too as I turned my head left to see a shadowy spike was coming right for my head. I barely dodged it by moving my head down.
“Hold on tight Spike!” I ordered as I tucked my wings in and dropped. I quickly opened my wings to fly away as Sombra roared shooting more projectiles at me. I hoped Spike was holding on tight as I did aerial rolls and dodges.
“Is that really all you can do, Sombra? Shoot sharp objects and magical bolts at me? It’s getting really old. I’ve already demonstrated to you that you can’t beat me so why keep trying?” I yelled, starting to get annoyed by his persistence.
“Be silent and just give me the Crystal Heart! RAAAA!” He fired even more projectiles at me thinking it would make any difference.
“Tsk.” I keep flying around avoiding him.
“Sarius. We need to get the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadence. Cadence can use the Heart’s power to defeat Sombra.” Spike suggested.
I looked towards the balcony of the tower and saw Shining Armor and Cadence looking at me, Cadence had a spark in her eyes like the Heart was calling out to her. “Alright, I ain’t got no better ideas anyway. At least none that won’t potentially cause property damage and maybe collateral damage at worst. Hold on tight, Spike!”
I flew higher into the air as I could feel Spike’s grip tighten. I did a quick 180 and used a pulse to give me a boost towards the tower. Sombra tried to fire even more projectiles at me but he was practically aiming for where I was.
“Spike climb on my head quickly!” I ordered. I could tell Spike wanted to retort but he did so and just in time.
I looked at Cadence and she nodded as if she knew what I was planning. Cadence ran up to the edge of the balcony and leaped. I lowered and quickly raised my head tossing Spike and the Crystal Heart to Cadence which she caught with her magic. I slowed down and avoided ramming into the balcony and flew away from it.
Cadence simply glided down to the ground underneath the tower as I hovered between Sombra and the tower. Sombra was surprisingly a pony again and not a mass of black smoke. “The Crystal Heart is returned! Use the Light and Love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not!”
The Heart was flung into what literally looked like the heart of the city. Some form of magic caught the heart and levitated it between two spires that formed from the ground and the tower. Every pony of the Crystal Empire crystallized suddenly and bowed to the Heart and the walkways throughout the city then started to glow.
“What? No. No, Stop!” Sombra shouted over the loud humming of energy as the light retreated back to the Heart.
“Sorry to break this to you, your highness!” I shouted at him to get his attention. He looked at me with anger filled eyes as I could hear and feel the Crystal Heart humming with energy. “But you lost this battle the second you came back!” I smirked.
He growled as his eyes went pupil less and his horn glowed green and purple. “I can still kill you for interfering! I would have succeeded if it weren't for you!” He fired a powerful magic beam in my direction.
“That’s where you’re wrong!” I quickly gathered energy into my claws, put them together and shot an equally powerful energy beam to collide with his magic. Sparks and energy were flung around as the beams struggled against each other. “You would have lost to Twilight and her friends despite my interference. Now accept that you’re defeated!”
A boom was heard when a blast of energy filled with Love and Light was discharged from the Heart. Anything that was evil was getting blasted away. The discharge passed through me as I felt a sudden surge of energy I’ve never felt before get absorbed into me and added itself to my beam, making it stronger and larger. This surge of energy seemed to amp my own energy as Sombra’s magic beam was getting overwhelmed and vaporized by a combination of my energy beam and the discharge.
My beam and the discharge from the Crystal Heart slam into him as he roars with pain and anger and then his entire body completely shatters as shards of his body are sent flying into the horizon. I cut the energy and quickly check the pieces of Sombra for any life remaining. I caught sight of his horn with my enhanced sight before it went out of my view. I still sensed his essence in the horn meaning he wasn’t dead as I thought. I made a mental note to myself to keep an eye on his essence.
When I was finally content, I looked around and noticed I was also crystallized. My red and silver scales and blue wing webbing were of a much lighter tint and reflecting light. “Huh, neat.” I remarked. I even saw the trail of colors spreading out across the sky from the tall crystal spire. “And that’s not something you see everyday. It’s an amazing sight.”
I also felt different somehow. The energy that was released from the Crystal Heart somehow managed to become a part of me. Which meant I most likely possess some of the Crystal Heart’s power or something else. It was something I had to look into when I had the time. But for now I had to go see Cadence. Something was telling me she knew me somehow and I wanted to know if she does and how.
I flew back onto the balcony where Shining and 5 of the Mane Six are. They were crystallized as well. Shining noticed me and walked up to me. “Did you destroy King Sombra?” He asked.
I shook my head. “No, he’s still very much alive but it’ll take him a long while before he’s back to fighting strength. And I didn’t defeat him, Cadence and Spike did with the Crystal Heart. I merely defended myself against his desperate final attack.”
“Regardless, what you did was totally awesome!” Rainbow shouted with excitement. “I’ve never seen anything like that at all.”
“None of us have.” Applejack added. “Ah reckon you’re no ordinary dragon, are ya?”
“Like I said I’m a Hybrid and I will explain myself. But I need to ask Cadence about something.” I replied giving only half an answer.
“Ask me what, Sarius?” I turned around and saw Cadence dropping onto the balcony with Spike on her back. She and Spike were also crystallized.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked simply. “Earlier the way you were looking at me and the way you reacted when you heard my name tells me you know about me, somehow. So do you?”
Spike hopped off Cadence’s back with a small clank. “Not entirely but yes.” She answered.
A pop sound was heard as a spark of purple signaled Twilight appeared next to us. “Is King Sombra still here?” She asked, a bit frantic.
“No.” I answered. “He got blown to literal pieces.”
Twilight’s pupils turned to dots. “Wait really? Did we....” She hesitated.
“Kill him, no.” Twilight looked at me shocked. “What? Not used to hearing that word?” I asked.
“Of course not. It’s a pretty dark word, you know.” Twilight said, sounding somewhat nervous. “Anyway how do you know he’s still alive?”
“I sensed his essence in his horn as the horn disappeared from my sight.” I stated.
Cadence took a step forward with a serious look on her face. “Then we must track down his horn and properly deal with him before he has a chance to try this again.” Cadence ordered.
“There’s no need for that.” I replied with reason.
Everypony was confused at that, Cadence especially. “You would refuse an order from a Princess of Equestria?” Cadence asked, sounding hurt and disrespected.
I looked Cadence square in the eyes and refused to blink. I wasn’t about to be ordered around. “First off, I’m sure you’re aware but I’m not from Equestria.” Everypony except Shining and Cadence was shocked. I didn’t know why, I thought it would have been clear I wasn’t from their world. “So, you can’t order me around and I refuse to be ordered around. At least not by someone with that kind of attitude.” I disputed calmly.
Twilight trotted between me and Cadence as if trying to stop us from arguing. “Sarius, please don’t be disrespectful.” Twilight said, trying to keep a polite and calm tone.
But I wasn’t gonna back down just because someone asked me politely. “Secondly Twilight.” I looked at Twilight. “You think ‘I’m’ being disrespectful? If anything Cadence is being disrespectful to me. Thinking I need to obey an order from a Princess. If you want me to follow orders you have to earn my trust and respect. I absolutely refuse to be ordered around like I’m a common soldier.” I stated disdainfully.
Everypony was silent and still shocked. “Besides, there’s no point in finding his horn. He’s already masking his presence. You all could search for weeks and never find that horn.” I added.
“But you can sense him still, right?” Shining asked. “How else would you know he’s masking his presence?”
“Yes, I can.” I answered. Cadence opened her mouth like she was about to say something but I stopped her by continuing. “However, I must ask if you have any means of confining and sealing him effectively?” I asked.
Cadence closed her mouth and looked down at the floor. “No.” She answered.
“Then there’s no point in tracking him down. Not only would we be wasting time but it’ll be pointless if we can’t confine him.” I emphasized.
“Can you do it with your power the same way you took out the shards in my horn?” Shining asked.
“I could, but it wouldn’t keep him confined. My energy shields can be easily broken from the inside out. Since most of the energy is concentrated towards the outside.” I explained. Everypony looked at me with worried eyes. “Don’t worry though. Since I can sense him, I’ll keep a close eye on him. There’s a reason I kept the shards extracted from Shining’s horn.”
Cadence looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Oh and what reason would that be?” Cadence asked, sounding a bit shaken up from my argument.
I walked up to her and placed my right claw on her left shoulder trying to calm and reassure her. “I have an idea that will need some time to work out and I can’t exactly go through with the idea on my own. But I promise you, I’ll take care of him when he attempts to return.” I explained.
Cadence turned her head to me and gave me a hopeful look. “I also want to apologize.” I added. Everypony watched and listened with great interest. “It was never my intention to disrespect you, Cadence. If you had asked me why instead of accusing me of disobeying, I would have told you I have a plan and that I’ll be watching him. What I said is no lie. I rather have friends that I can trust and respect and vice versa. I can tell you’re not the type of princess that doesn’t want to order others around so don’t start now please.” I entreated with earnestness.
Cadence was genuinely surprised by my manners and words. She smiled. “Very well. I’ll try to live up to your expectations, Sarius. Now to properly answer your question, I only know a little bit about you from my aunts. Princesses Celestia and Luna.”
Everypony but Shining gasped in surprise. I wasn’t surprised in the least, merely curious about this whole situation I’m in. “Huh. So there are two other individuals who know about me.” I said to myself.
“The Princesses know about Sarius?” Twilight asked, absolutely awestruck.
Cadence nodded. “I don’t know all the details or even how much they know. All I know is what they told me.” She looked at me. “That I was to expect a red and silver dragon with bright brown hair by the name of Sarius Trusdale who will help.”
My lips pressed tightly together as my eyebrows lowered. “Well that’s literally lackluster. I feel disappointed for you, Cadence.” I said, expressing that disappointment.
She shrugs. “I guess somepony has to.” Cadence said matter of factly.
Rainbow walked forward looking confused. “So what now? We beat the baddie, isn’t this where we go home?” She asked simply.
Twilight nodded. “King Sombra is defeated so we should head home now. Shining, Cadence, is there anything else you need us to help with?” She asked, wanting to make sure.
Cadence and Shining shook their heads. “Nope. You’re all free to go back to Ponyville now.” Shining answered. “You have our thanks. You especially, Sarius. I doubt we could have won if it weren’t for you.” He added.
I shook my head and waved a claw. “No, you all would have been fine without me, I assure you. I just made it easier for all of you. I can clearly see you all have trust and faith in each other and that’s what got you all through this.” I said with confidence.
“So where will you go now, Sarius?” Twilight asked.
I turned my head and looked over the city. “For now, I’ll be heading back to Ponyville with you all. I don’t know a thing about Equestria or this world but I was sent here for a reason. I just need to figure out what that is.” I stated.
“Do we get to stay like this?” Rarity asked enthusiastically, taking in her crystallized form and messing with her mane.
“We’ll walk you all to the station and see you off.” Cadence said walking to the door. Everybody including me followed her through the door, down the stairs, out onto the street, and finally out of the empire. As we pass the two crystal pillars, our bodies return to normal.
“Aww. I do so wish it was permanent.” Rarity stated in disbelief. “Did you see how my mane just absolutely sparked?” She asked, pouting.
“But. Good things are better when they’re; Ah Rarity.” Applejack joked with a wink.
“Awwww. Hah ha ha.” Rarity giggled.
Spike for some reason had his arms folded and his eyes were fidgeting. “Everything’s going to be okay.” Shining Armor stated. “You gotta stop saving my rump like this. Starting to get embarrassing.” He jokingly added.
Twilight had a frown on her face as if she was doubting herself. “It wasn’t me who saved you in the end. It was Spike.” She said with a sad tone.
“It’s just a test. Maybe she’ll let you retake it.” He said in a joking manner, but Cadence nudged him with her wing telling him not to joke about that.
“I don’t think she’s going to give me a new test.” Twilight said, sounding depressed and with her eyes and face down.
She walked past Shining and Cadence as they looked at her with sad eyes. I stopped next to them. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her.” I said. Cadence and Shining looked at me with a bit of surprise. I turned and smiled at them. “Trust me, I know what it's like to feel doubtful of yourself and what you achieved.”
Cadence and Shining smiled back at me with hopefulness in their eyes. “I know we already thanked you but I can’t express how thankful we are for your help.” Cadence said.
I held up a claw and chuckled. “Please. I’m just glad I got to help somehow. Like I said you all would have been fine with or without me there. I look forward to seeing you two again and hopefully we can become friends next time we meet.” I said sincerely.
Shining chuckled while Cadence giggled. I tilted my head in confusion. “There’s no need for us to become friends, Sarius.” Shining said with a smile.
I raised an eyebrow. “Why would you say that?” I asked, completely baffled.
Cadence gave me a warm smile. “Because we’re already friends, Sarius.” Cadence answered as she walked up and gave me a hug.
I was completely taken aback by her gesture. Her fur felt warm and fluffy. She broke the hug after a minute and stepped back. “Oh, I apologize if that made you uncomfortable.” She said after seeing my bewildered expression.
I blushed a bit, which was hard to see on my red scales as I shook my head and smiled. “It’s fine. I don’t mind sudden hugs. I just didn’t expect us to be friends so quickly.” I said.
“Well you better get used to it. In Equestria, everypony can become friends quickly. They do say friendship is magic.” Shining stated.
The train whistle blew signaling it was about to leave. “I better get on the train before it leaves. It was nice meeting you two. Later.” I said quickly as I ran across the tracks and onto the train.
“It was nice meeting you too, Sarius.” Cadence called back.
“What she said.” Shining added.
I heard both of them as the train started moving. I walked along till I found the others. Fluttershy was shying away in the back but she didn’t freak out when she saw me. In fact it seemed like she was watching me with curiosity. Rainbow was sitting with Pinkie Pie in one of the first seats by the door. Pinkie smiled and waved her hoof at me. I simply smiled back. Rarity and Applejack were sitting across from each other in one of the middle seats.
Twilight and Spike were sitting on the opposite side of AJ and Rarity. Twilight was just staring out the window while Spike still had his arms folded sitting next to her. I walked over and instead of sitting on the chair I sat on the floor between the chairs. Spike looked at me, wondering what I would do.
I had to break the silence. “It should be obvious I don’t know what you’re talking about when you mention a test so I’m not gonna pretend I do.” I started. Twilight barely moved her eyes. “I also can’t tell you whether you passed or failed since I don’t know what the test was. However.” This got Twilight’s attention as she turned her eyes to me, barely moving her head. “I can assure you, the fact the Crystal Empire was saved and Sombra has been repelled for now, should speak volumes.”
“But it wasn’t me who achieved it. It was Spike.” Twilight said, almost repeating herself word for word from earlier.
I shake my head. “I may not have seen what happened at the top of the tower. But if Spike was with you the entire time then seeing him trying to climb down the tower with the Heart while you were nowhere to be found, tells me you were willing to place your trust and hope in him. That he would get the Heart to Cadence and save the Empire.” I explained.
“I was given the task of saving the Empire and I failed that because I was trapped and had to rely on Spike to take the Heart in my place.” Twilight tried to argue. Spike looked over at Twilight as if he was ashamed he was forced to do it for her.
I sigh. “I assume your test was finding a way to save the Empire. In my eyes, you passed.”
Twilight turned her head completely to me. Her eyes gave me the idea she was ready to argue more about how she failed. “Princess Celestia gave me this test, not Spike.”
“And it was ‘your’ decision to let Spike help and take the Crystal Heart to Cadence. Tell me, what was more important to you at the time; ensuring you pass the test or saving the Empire?” I asked.
“Saving the Empire of course. But-” Twilight answered but before she could give a rebuttal I interrupted her.
“Then you passed.” I stated. “I’m sure Celestia will say the same thing I’m about to say. You chose to protect and guarantee a better future for the ponies of the Empire over your own. You made a selfless act that went against your desire.” Twilight looked at me shocked.
“How can you be so sure?” Twilight asked, not completely convinced.
“Because the desire and need to protect and save others lives over your own is the most noble achievement possible. I would know.” I said with a smile. “So there’s no point in doubting yourself, Twilight. Even though Spike was the one who got the Crystal Heart to Cadence, it was ultimately your decision to let him go that resulted in that outcome. Trust me when I say I’m still learning to accept help when I need it most.”
Twilight was silent as if she was thinking about how sound my explanation is. “And what if that isn’t the case?” She asked, seemingly trying to erase the last bit of doubt she had.
“I doubt Celestia would see it that way but on that small chance. Just know that no matter what anyone says, what you did was noble, selfless and the right thing to do. I guarantee it. At the very least, you saved an entire empire of ponies from a tyrant.” I stated.
Twilight didn’t reply at all. She merely looked back out the window and stayed silent. At least she did for a couple minutes. “I really hope you’re right, Sarius.” Twilight said with a bit of hope in her voice.
I looked out the window too and saw the Crystal Empire was so far away now. I tried to think of a comparison to help settle Twilight’s doubts about Celestia failing her. “I don’t know what Celestia is like. But if she is anything like my mother, I’m sure she will be proud of you and tell you exactly what I said.” I said deciding you use my mother as a comparison.
Twilight looked at me when I mentioned my mother. “And what’s your mother like?” She was curious to know.
My smile fell a bit into a small smile. “She was the best family I could ever ask for. My mother was kind, caring, loving, forgiving, but still tough as nails. She would never stop telling me how much she loved me and my siblings. She knew exactly what kind of individuals we were deep down and told me to never forget who I am in my heart.”
Twilight was surprised to hear me say she was. But she gave a small smile herself. “You know. If you didn’t tell us you weren’t from Equestria, I would swear you just perfectly described Princess Celestia.” She said jokingly.
I chuckled. “Oh so you would have suspected Celestia was my mother?” I joked with a wink.
She giggled which felt good to hear. “I guess I am.” Twilight played along as she went back to looking out the window again. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m overthinking this like always.”
“Are you admitting you overthink things often?” I asked, a bit serious and a bit jokingly.
“Yeah, I am. Oftentimes I don’t even realize it until somepony points it out and stops me.” Twilight answered.
I smiled. It seemed my talk helped cheer her up. The train ride was pretty silent aside from Pinkie, Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack talking to each other. Even though Twilight was in a better mood, I had to make sure. “Feel better now?” I asked.
Twilight gave a small smile. “Yeah. A lot. Thanks, Sarius.” She answered with genuine gratitude.
“You’re welcome. If you ever need anyone to talk to don’t hesitate to talk to me. I’m a great listener and can surprise you on the kind of advice I can give.” I stood up and walked past the chair opposite Twilight and sat in the next closest chair.
I just sat in silence watching the scenery outside pass by and letting myself get lost in it. I didn't know how long the train ride would be or how much time had passed since we got on. So I didn’t try to think about it, instead I thought about my situation.
I know I was transported here by my uncle, Duewind and I was supposed to serve a purpose. Since I woke up in this world, I’ve been getting small pieces of information and knowledge. It’s not nearly enough to tell me much of anything, just pieces of history I’m not familiar with. The only piece of information that linked to anything I was currently aware of was the term ‘Alicorn’. I know of Unicorns and Pegasi since even though they exist in myths and legends in my world, they live in hiding from the sight of others and I also met a few so I know they exist. I didn’t know what an Alicorn was exactly but I figured since Cadence was quite different from the rest of the ponies since she had a horn and wings, she was an Alicorn.
I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t realize Fluttershy managed to work up the courage to walk to my seat and tried calling for me. It wasn’t until I stopped thinking about things and let myself become aware of my surroundings that I heard her.
“Um…. Excuse me….” Fluttershy barely managed to speak.
I turned my head to her and she slightly jumped as a response. “Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought and I didn’t mean to make you jump.” I apologized sincerely.
“Oh. It’s… fine. I still get jumpy at things.” She spoke softly.
“So, did you need something, Fluttershy?” I asked.
“Um, well. I was wondering… if we could talk for a bit…. If you don’t mind, of course.” Fluttershy said softly again.
“Sure, I don’t mind at all. And please no need to be afraid of me. You’ve seen that I’m no threat. I promise I won’t harm you.” I said, trying to reassure and comfort her.
She nodded in understanding and walked over to the chair across from me to sit on it. “You said you were a hybrid?” Fluttershy asked.
I nodded. “I am a Hybrid.” I corrected her.
“Oh. So you’re part dragon and part what?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well. To be exact, at least 40 percent of my DNA is a dragon. The remaining 10 percent is various other creatures that are in great sync with the 40 percent and enhance my capabilities. The other half I’m almost certain you never heard of, but I accidentally mentioned it.” I explained.
Fluttershy tries to think back on the things I said. “Um. Does it have something to do with you talking about pony anatomy?” She asked, making a guess.
“Yes and no. Yes it was on the subject and no I’m not half pony. I’m half human.” I answered.
“Human?” Fluttershy tilted her head. I’m not surprised she’s never heard of humans. “What’s a human?”
I looked out the window trying to think of the best way to answer it. “To be honest, it’s difficult to answer. Much like you ponies, there are many different types of humans each with their own appearances, characteristics, and personalities. But, again like ponies, humans are similar in one regard or another and that’s their physical appearance. They are bipedal creatures with fingers like my claws except they aren’t sharp. They have no fur despite the fact they evolved from primates or a tail but they have the potential to grow tails since the bottom part of the spine is called a tailbone. The average height is between 4 to 7 feet. And that’s simplifying the subject.” I explained.
Fluttershy looked like she was trying to paint a mental image in her head. “So… Are humans like Minotaurs?” She asked.
My eyes showed my curiosity was extremely peaked at the mention of Minotaurs being a race in this world. It made me wonder what other races and creatures live in this universe. “Actually, yes. Minus the horns, tail, hoof feet, bull snout and big muscles and chest then maybe shrink them down a foot or two and yeah. That’s a perfect example of what a human looks like.” I stated.
Fluttershy put a hoof on her chin in thought. I could only imagine what kind of image she was coming up with. “And which part of you is natural and normal, human or dragon?” She asked.
“I was born human and became part dragon by means of a DNA serum injection which is what made me a Hybrid. So now both are natural and normal for me. Though it really hurts having to grow wings and a tail.” I shivered at the thought of remembering.
Fluttershy was amazed. “Oh my. You’re definitely not from Equestria or where dragons come from, are you?” She asked, possibly wanting to make sure.
“Yup. Like I said to Cadence, I’m not from anywhere in Equestria or what this planet is called.” I answered.
Fluttershy gasped. “Are you from beyond the sky then?” She asked bemused.
“You mean from outer space? No, I’m not an alien.” I answered. “Although, I guess I am technically an alien cause I’m from a different part of Reality.” I mumbled.
“Umm… I’m getting confused here. Outer space, aliens, planets, and reality. I honestly never heard these words before.” Fluttershy said, truly confused.
I look at her, smile and chuckle nervously. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to drop words you don’t know on you. It will be very hard to explain those things if you haven’t managed to travel through space. But I can explain Reality well enough.” I said.
“Space travel...” Fluttershy said, almost wondrous about the idea. “Anyway, explain away. Tell me more about reality.”
“First off, there’s the word reality and there’s the concept of Reality, which is capitalized by the way. Now think of a web or a tree depending on what’s easier for you to picture. For me; Reality is a literal web of different worlds kept separated by a void and with no easy way of melding or mixing them together. Here’s an image for ya: imagine a large spider web, the spaces between the webs represent a different world or dimension with its own rules, creatures and concepts and the actual web lines are the void that keeps them separate.” I explained.
Fluttershy stared at the ceiling trying to picture it. “Oh. I think I can see that.” She said, looking back at me. “Have you been to these other worlds, Sarius?” She asked full of curiosity.
“A few yes.” I answered.
“Wow. What are they like?” Fluttershy asked with even more curiosity.
I smile. “I don’t want to tell you too much, it might overwhelm your mind with so much knowledge. I can basically say most are like your world and mine in terms of basic construct.” I answered.
Fluttershy started to pout with her ears flopped, which made her look absolutely adorable. “Oh… Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked, wanting to make sure.
I chuckled. “Tell ya what, maybe I’ll tell you about them once we get to know each other better. But like I said, it’s a lot to take in. Even for me.” I answered.
Fluttershy’s eyes sparkled as she smiled. “Yay.” She said as if she was yelling it but not. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear about them.” Fluttershy added.
I smiled in response to her happiness. “You made quite a lot of progress.” I stated.
Fluttershy looked at me a bit confused. “What do you mean? Progress on what?” She asked, tilting her head slightly.
“With me.” I answered. Fluttershy blinked. It took her a minute to process it but when she finally got it she gasped. “Not in that way if that’s what you were thinking. I meant in approaching and talking to me. When you first saw me, you were scared and hiding behind Applejack but now you’ve lost that fear and gained curiosity in its place. I’d say that’s a lot of progress in such a short time.” I explained.
“Oh. You do have a point. I am absolutely terrified of dragons….” Fluttershy paused. “Actually, I’m scared of everything to be honest, dragons especially. But I’m not scared of you now because I saw you try your best to help and protect us and the Crystal Empire. So you can’t be as bad as other dragons.” Fluttershy mused.
“You’d be surprised how many dragons are actually as kind and good as me. My Sensei is one prime example.” I said with pride.
“Your sensei?” Fluttershy asked, astonished. “Is that another word for teacher?” Fluttershy added.
I nodded. “My Sensei is one of three Dragon Kings. His name is Bahamut. He’s the most honorable, kind, and benevolent dragon I know. Sure his appearance makes him look intimidating and scary but he’s a big softy with a bigger pure heart.” I mused.
Fluttershy had a face of absolute amazement and curiosity. “Oh wow. I wonder if I’ll ever get to meet him. You seem to hold him in really high regard.” Fluttershy said.
“Maybe you will one day. And yes, I hold him in high regards. He’s taught me as much as my DNA father has. The power I displayed against Sombra wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for those two.” I stated happily. Fluttershy smiled.
“There’s our stop.” Twilight announced.
Fluttershy and I looked out the window. In the distance was a tall mountain and built onto the side of the mountain was a large white city, the tallest and largest of which was a castle with several towers. A large waterfall was flowing down next to the city. It was an amazing sight to take in.
“We should be there in a few minutes everypony.” Twilight said.
Twilight got out of her chair and walked down the train lane to speak to me and she noticed Fluttershy was sitting in the opposite seat which surprised her. “Fluttershy? This is unexpected. I thought you were terrified of him.” Twilight said matter of factly.
Fluttershy nodded. “I was. But after seeing what he did for everypony, I wasn’t as scared. And I don’t know why but I just suddenly had a feeling that I needed to talk to him.” She explained.
The last part she said got me curious. “Well, I’m glad you managed to work up the courage, Fluttershy.” Twilight said, praising Fluttershy. Fluttershy smiled, almost having her long pink mane covering her face.
“Anyway, Sarius.” I turned to look at Twilight. “We’ll be stopping at Canterlot so I can talk to Princess Celestia about my ‘test’.” She said the word test loosely. “If Princess Cadence is right about Princess Celestia and Princess Luna knowing you, they may want to meet you. So-”
“I’ll be walking in with you. Is that what you were going to say?” I said cutting her off.
Twilight blinked. “Yes.” Twilight seemed at a loss for words suddenly.
I shake my head. “I assure you I wasn’t trying to be rude or disrespectful. Just letting you know I’m aware that I have to go in with you. Though Celestia might want to have a private chat with you first before talking to me.” I said with an apologetic tone.
“Right. Of course.” Twilight said.
After a couple of minutes the train slowed to a stop and everyone who was stopping at Canterlot was to disembark since the train would be departing soon for the next destination. Me and the six mares along with Spike took our que to leave the train. When I stepped off the train the sight I was greeted with was quite breathtaking.
A large flat of earth was jotted out of the side of the mountain with a paved road heading into the city complete with a drawbridge, gate and castle walls. Part of the waterfall I saw was flowing down under the drawbridge while the rest was flowing down the rest of the mountain. Our group walked forward towards the gate but I was stopped by the guards with their weapons drawn at me. I looked at one then the other in confusion. They were wearing golden yellow armor and helmets.
“Back away dragon. This is the royal city of Canterlot and we will not allow you to enter.” Spoke the one on the right who was a stallion.
I sighed. I was very tempted to point out that I could easily fly over them and the wall into the city plus they wouldn’t be able to stop me easily. I held back the urge since I knew better than to be talking like that. I was a good soul after all and I refused to break the promise I made to my mother.
“Let him pass please. He’s with us.” Twilight said, walking over to the guards. “He’s not a threat to anypony. In fact I believe the Princesses are expecting him.” She added.
“We can’t take risks especially since the Wedding.” The left guard said. Also a stallion.
“We also didn’t get confirmation to let him pass from the Princesses. So he either leaves or is branded an enemy.” Spoke the right guard again.
“Then consider this confirmation! Stand down and let him through!” Shouted another male voice.
A stallion perhaps as big as Shining Armor with the same armor as the guards walked forward past the mares and straight to the guards. He had bright brown fur with a chartreuse yellow mane and tail as well as a horn. Attached to his side was a pole with no metal attached aside from a spike on the end sticking out of a sheath of some kind.
The guards looked at the stallion. “Morning Dew. Sir, are you certain about this? Did the Princesses really invite a dragon into Canterlot?” The left one asked.
Dew looked at the guard with a stern look. “Yes I am certain because Princess Celestia herself asked me to escort this group right to the castle.” He said with an authoritative tone.
The guards went wide-eyed as they looked back at me. They lowered their weapons and stepped back to their posts. Dew took a few steps towards me. “I apologize for their behaviour and words, if they insulted you.” Dew said in a more normal tone.
I shook my head. “Nah. It’s nearly impossible to insult me. Besides, I am used to this kind of thing. I understand what I am and what it entails.” I said.
Dew smiled. “An honest dragon huh? That’s nice to see. I like it. As I’m sure you heard the guards say, ``I’m Morning Dew.” He said.
I smiled back. “Sarius Trusdale. But I’m sure Celestia already told you my name.”
Dew chuckled. “Yeah she did. But I wanted to be gentlecolt and have a proper introduction. It's a pleasure to meet you.” He stated.
“Likewise buddy.” I replied.
“Anyway.” Dew turned around and started walking up the road. “Allow me to escort you all to the castle.”
He walked in front of the group as we followed him through the streets of Canterlot to the castle. Along the way, I got various glances and looks from the residents. Mixtures of fear, confusion, anger, and/or astonishment. I was used to it but it still somewhat pains me that I get those looks.
“Don't let their eyes get to you, darling.” Rarity said as she walked beside me. I didn’t even realize she went out of her way to try and talk to me. “A lot of the ponies in Canterlot are rich and are judgemental of those that they deem aren’t up to their standards. So don’t let them get to you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re fine in my book.” She added.
I smirk. “Speaking from experience?” I asked. She nodded. “Then thanks for the advice. Like I said to Morning Dew, I’m used to it. But it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt a bit emotionally.” I stated.
“I understand. If it makes you feel better, the girls and I accept you.” Rarity said. “Plus I’ll admit you are quite charming.” She added with flirting eyes.
I noticed Spike pouted when he heard that. I smiled. “I appreciate the compliment, Rarity.” I attempted to give her the indication I wasn’t gonna be swayed by her flirting. It worked a bit as I heard Rarity give a small whimper.
We kept walking for a couple minutes and finally saw the castle in the distance. It was huge, much too huge for two royal princesses in my opinion. Dew led the way through the castle’s front yard and right up to the front doors which were big. Dew told the guards to let us through and they did. Once the doors were opened, Dew led us inside and began navigating us through the castle to the throne room.
The castle was naturally much larger on the inside with so many long halls. It would be extremely difficult to make your way through the castle without a map. Eventually after a couple of minutes we arrived at the doors to the throne room.
“Alright, Princess Celestia wants to see Twilight first. So all of you need to stay out here with me until they’re done talking.” Dew spoke.
Everyone nodded as they started to get a bit nervous. Twilight looked back at us, still nervous herself but much calmer and a bit more confident. “Alright girls. Wish me luck.” Twilight said with a small smile.
The doors opened and she walked in then after a few seconds the doors closed. I decided to walk to the wall opposite the door and lay down. Everyone except Dew, looked at me with a bit of confusion on my actions.
I turned to look at them. “Don’t be so nervous. She’ll be fine.” I stated.
They all calmed down. Dew smiled at me and walked over to me. “You seem confident of yourself.” He said.
“Yeah, I am. I find it extremely hard to believe that this ‘test’ Twilight was given was supposed to result in her saving the empire all by herself. No one can do everything alone. A lesson I’m still trying to learn.” I said.
“Oh, you have a hard time accepting help?” Dew asked.
“Yup. Even when I know I need to accept it. I’m incessant on doing things all on my own for fear others might get hurt or in bad situations.” I said.
“I see.” Dew said.
I looked at Dew’s ‘weapon’. “So is that a spear or something else?” I really wanted to know.
Dew turns his head to look at the end of the pole. “Oh this thing? Nah.” His horn glowed yellow as he slowly pulled the pole out of its sheath. What greatly surprises me is what the weapon really is. He managed to pull out a 5 feet long halberd with a considerably large blade attached. “This is my weapon of choice.”
“A halberd.” I smiled. “Quite powerful and with a long reach. A bit slow due to the weight of the blade itself, but with enough force can break and smash bones and even sever limbs.” I looked at his horn and then at the spot where his magical grip was. “Though it is quite unfair you can wield such a big weapon with magic.” I stated.
“I guess it is. But sometimes you gotta make due with what you get you know.” Dew replied.
“Ain’t that the truth.” I agreed.
The doors then opened and Twilight walked out beaming. “I passed!” She shouted with sheer happiness. Twilight ran over to me. “Thank you, Sarius. You were right. Princess Celestia said exactly what you said.”
“I called it.” I stated.
“Princess Celestia has requested me to bring you all in.” Twilight said.
I stood up. “Does it have anything to do with me?” I asked.
Twilight nodded. “Best not to keep them waiting.”
“Them? Both Princesses are in there now?” I asked.
Twilight nodded again and walked in making sure we were all following her.
Upon entering the long throne room, the first thing I noticed was stain windows depicting events that seem to have transpired in the past. One of which seems to be of the final events at the Crystal Empire with Spike returning the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadence. Others looked like they had the six mares in them doing something. Once I took in those sights, I looked down the hall at two tall pony figures. One white and the other dark blue.
Upon getting closer I noticed they had similar royal attire on, an extended tiara that sits on their heads and comes down around their necks. They also had shoes or slippers that matched with the tiaras. All of them were of different colors, one being golden yellow the other black. The only exception was Luna’s slippers were silver.
Celestia and Luna looked like they were Alicorns as well. The amount of energy and power they gave off was a dead giveaway for me. Celestia was all white and much taller than everyone else in the room and even taller than me but I was shorter than usual, her mane was mixed with a variety of colors like a rainbow. Her eyes were a light magenta color. Luna seemed about the same height as me and she was dark blue and her mane was dark blue but it was almost like a nebula haze. Luna’s eyes were of moderate cyan color.
Celestia stepped forward one step. “Sarius, please come forward.” She asked in a polite tone.
I did what she asked and stepped in front of the others by a couple of feet. “Here I am, your highnesses.” I stated.
Luna stepped forward and looked me up and down. “Hmm. So you are. You’re one of the children of Asgorath?” Luna asked in a moderate tone.
I was slightly surprised to hear my DNA father’s real name. “Yes I am. It’s safe to assume you know of the Deity of Creation then?” I asked, getting very curious.
“Yes we do.” Celestia answered. “Your uncle has told us a fair amount of information regarding you.” She added.
“That’s good, I guess.” I say, not really sure if it truly is a good thing.
Luna and Celestia look at each other for a couple seconds and nod as if agreeing to something. Luna lets out a long sigh. “Sarius Trusdale. I apologize deeply for what I’m about to do.” She said with a sad tone.
“Apologize for wh-”
Before I could finish asking, Luna summoned a black sword with a crescent moon on the hilt almost like she was drawing it from another dimension with magic. In the blink of an eye faster than I could see, she charges me and runs me through the heart with her sword. The tip of her sword pierces through my back and blood slowly runs out of the wound she created.
My normal expression turned to complete shock and horror realizing she plunged a sword through my heart. But most importantly piercing my scales with little effort. I looked down to see her sword had gone in and stopped at the hilt. My blood was slowly pouring out of the wound. She looked at me with a very serious look, but there was a hint of sadness in them.
I could hear everyone except Celestia all gasp and nearly scream from Luna’s action.
It took a couple of seconds before I started feeling the pain, and it was agonizing. But through training to use my power; I learned to maintain my emotions and thoughts so I can remain in control and pain was basically a nerve to brain response. Plus while getting stabbed through the heart was indeed painful; I have experienced plenty of painful attacks that felt just as agonizing or worse.
I coughed up a bit of blood. I gritted my teeth and narrowed my eyes at Luna. My eyes were on the verge of turning blue from the usual hazel green but the pupils did slit. If Luna was trying to get me in a fighting mood; she did a perfect job. “What the hell are you doing?!” I yelled in both anger and confusion.
My chest started to glow as I was about to shoot an Energy Pulse out of my chest. Luna quickly pulled her sword out of my chest, which hurt really badly, and formed a magic shield between us. I let the Energy Pulse loose from my chest as it collided with her shield and pushed her back next to Celestia. I then noticed Celestia had her own weapon drawn and ready to use. A golden halberd that was at least 6 feet long with three golden handle covers on it.
My silvery chest was stained a bit red from my blood. The wound closed and healed in a matter of seconds. “Ah. So that’s how effective your healing factors are.” Luna stated, seemingly confirming a thought she had.
“Your Highnesses! What is the reason for this?” Dew shouted, running to stand in front of the others. “Did you really have me escort them here; just so you can kill Sarius?!” He asked, questioning whether or not the group behind him was next.
I closed my mouth, hiding my now sharp teeth. “That wasn’t an attempt to kill me,” I said, answering Dew’s second question. “If they really wanted to kill me and know who I am; they would know that simply stabbing me in the heart wouldn’t be enough. Although following it up with chopping my head off would do exactly that.” I explained.
“Princess Celestia. What has gotten into Princess Luna?” Twilight asked, getting frantic. “Why would she attack Sarius like that?”
Celestia kept a straight face. “Understand this isn’t out of malice, Twilight. We have no intention of killing Sarius Trusdale.”
“As Sarius stated, we knew for a fact that wouldn’t kill him. We are testing him to see if he’s truly as powerful and experienced as his uncle claims.” Luna added. A bit of my blood dripped from her sword.
My left eye twitched at the mention of my uncle. “Oh, my uncle is involved is he?” I asked, not really feeling surprised anymore but more annoyed. “I’m gonna have to give him a piece of my mind when I get the chance later.”
I started to calm down now knowing the two had no ill and/or killing intentions. I took a deep breath as my eyes finally turned sky blue and maintained the slit pupil. “If you wanted to test me, you could have just said so. I would have been more than willing to spar with you. Now prepare yourselves.”
I smiled and got into a fighting position. They responded with their own battle stances. For a whole minute, silence filled the long hall. I could hear the heartbeat of everyone present. Everyone but Celestia and Luna had faster heartbeats mostly due to the tension and watching Luna run me through.
I pressed my front limbs into the ground and pushed against the ground rushing towards the duo with great speed. The two quickly reacted by raising their weapons up and came swinging downward at the spot I was coming to. But I knew they would do that, so I pushed off the ground and into the air a couple of feet. Letting their weapons nearly touch my shoulders, I pulled my wings down then towards each other and pressed together as my wings went into the empty space between the duo. Once my wings reached their side, I pushed my wings out and shoving both the princesses away with the sheer force and strength of my wing muscles. This also pushed me down onto the ground.
Luna and Celestia managed to stop themselves on the walls. Luna wasted no time leaping off the wall and diving towards me. I was about to turn towards her but I saw Celestia push off her wall and charge right at me with her halberd out of the corner of my eye. Celestia attempted to stab me in the side while Luna was bringing her sword down on me.
“Tsubasa-” I said as I lept off the ground and to the left just high enough to avoid Celestia’s stab. While I was leaping I turned my body left to avoid Luna’s downward swing towards my shoulder. My back barely passed over Celestia’s horn as I finished my line. “-Henka!”
My wings underwent a transformation as I slid to a stop a couple of feet away from Celestia. The wing membranes withdrew into the wings as the wing fingers grew thicker and much larger in width. The tips opened up, showing holes for something to come out of. I demonstrated this by having my energy shoot out of them like they were jet thrusters for a few seconds.
I lifted my left claw and rotated my left-wing thruster towards the duo. At the same time, I moved them back and forth in a taunting gesture. “Let’s tango, ladies,” I said with a confident smirk.
Luna dashed to my right, while Celestia hung her halberd on the ground. Celestia charged and swung upwards with the halberd which I easily avoided by moving my head to the side. Luna came swinging her sword at my throat but I stopped her blade with my right-wing thrusters with a loud clang. This surprised Luna as Celestia rolled her halberd from an upward position down and to my left, attempting to connect with either my neck or head. I caught her halberd by the long handle with ease, I felt the amount of force and momentum Celestia was putting into her swing.
They said they had no intention to kill me but it was apparent now; that didn’t mean they weren’t gonna fight me without attempting to kill me. My uncle must have told them that the best way to draw out my power and skills was to fight with the full intention of killing. I couldn’t deny that he speaks the truth, but I still wish he didn’t tell them to resort to this kind of measure; just to test me.
That’ll mean I’ll have to return in kind. I turned my left-wing thruster around which surprised Celestia and started charging up energy in it. I could see the blue hue on her face as the energy was coming out, ready to explode. As the energy explosion was going off, Celestia jumped back quickly several feet avoiding it. Her magic grip on her weapon dropped as I held her weapon in my claw.
This caught my attention as I spun the weapon around and planned to take a swing at Luna with her sister’s own weapon. It wasn’t heavy to me since I had the strength of a dragon god but it would most likely be heavy for any normal individual. It would naturally need to be held by two hands since halberds are two-handed weapons.
I pulled my right-wing back a bit and pushed with as much force as possible, causing my wing to clash with Luna’s sword and sending her flying back. I leaped towards her, spinning the halberd just for the fun of it, and swung downwards with it. Luna swung her sword upward with the same amount of force as a loud clang was heard when they connected. The combined force behind the two weapons clashing was enough to emit a shockwave that caused the nearby ponies and dragon aside from Dew to almost lose their balance.
I lifted the halberd off her sword, pulled it back, and attempted to stab her with the point. She flapped her wings once, making the halberd point miss. I knew she was going to do that so I turned the ax part of the halberd towards her and swung upwards. She barely had time to roll to avoid getting slashed but she didn’t account for the halberd catching her sword. When she realized it, it was too late as I used the momentum to spin the halberd and shoot her sword across the room into the wall.
Like with Celestia and her halberd, Luna’s magic grip on her sword’s handle disappeared. This confirmed something for me; an alicorn or unicorn can’t keep their magic gripped on something if it’s out of range or being knocked out of their grip, like disarming someone. Meaning from now on; I’ll have to determine the magic range of opposing unicorns and alicorns if I ever fought with one.
I pulled the halberd back and attempted to stab Luna. Her horn glowed as she flashed out of existence and caused the halberd to stab air. I turned around to try and find her but was instead greeted by Celestia shooting a large fire spell in my direction. The flame engulfed me and then collided with a magic shield that kept it from fuming out towards the ponies present. The halberd suddenly started heating up as if Celestia’s flame spell was infusing itself into the weapon. I was forced to drop the weapon as it grew too hot to keep a grip on it.
Meanwhile, the shield encircled me causing the flame spell to wash over itself; increasing the intensity, heat, and power of the spell. I trained under one too many fire dragons which resulted in me being immune to fire, heat, or lava. But despite the immunity, a fire or source of heat can still hurt and burn me if it reaches higher temperatures than the core of the sun. It would just take a bit of time for it to get through my scales. And right now the fire spell was starting to burn me because it somehow felt like I was in the core of the sun.
I started glowing as I gathered energy in my body, readying a powerful pulse. When it was fully charged, which took a few seconds, I released it all in an energy shockwave powerful enough to snuff out the flame spell and break the shield. I also roared during it out of habit. When the flames cleared and I got a clear view of the hall, Luna teleported right in front of me and swung her sword hard aiming for my neck.
I had little time to react and was only able to do one thing; stop the blade with my teeth. This maneuver surprised everyone and most likely made them start to question if I was a bit crazy. The truth was I was unpredictable; very unpredictable and most of those unpredictable acts of mine were last-second decisions or instinctual movements. But I would admit I am crazy considering there were a few things I’ve done that were considered insane.
Normally stopping a supposed magic forged weapon with your jaws would result in a decapitation. But I’m not normal in the slightest. My teeth like my claws are stronger and tougher than normal dragons plus I was naturally magic resistant. I had to do something to get myself out of this situation; so I turned my wing thrusters forward, built up the energy in them, and in the span of a couple of seconds; released the sword from my jaws and shot the energy out of my wings propelling me away from Luna towards the wall.
Luna looked as if she backed away instinctively thinking I was about to blast her like I tried with her sister. But in the time it took for me to reach the wall and ready to fly at her, she got over her shock of my crazy stunt. Turning my wings back around, I charged another blast that took a second and flew straight at Luna.
Celestia flew between us and stopped my advance with her halberd as I struck it with my claw. Celestia’s horn started charging another spell as I backed off and readied my own counter. Another flame spell shot at me as I spewed my own flame causing the two flames to collide. The flame funnels sprayed all over the place, luckily there was nothing in the hall that could catch fire and Dew had cast a protection spell over the group since the fight began.
After a couple of seconds, Celestia stopped her flame spell realizing; fire-based spells would never work on me. So I stopped my flame not wanting to burn them alive. I sensed some magic behind me as Luna teleported and tried to stab me in the back. I turned my body left causing her sword to miss as I retaliated with a punch to her chest from my now morphed tail claw.
Celestia charged through the remaining sparks of the colliding flames and swung her halberd at my abdomen. I avoided it by letting my body lean back into a backspin just as the ax barely passed over my chest. Both of my claws glowed as I held out my palms to the duo and hit them with Energy Pulses pushing them both towards a wall. I finished my backflip and shot energy out of the thrusters to keep myself in the air.
I looked over at Luna as she watched me waiting for what my next move was. I smirked as I turned to her and powered up my energy thrusters to charge right at her. She positioned and swung her sword at me but I stopped just inches from her. Her blade bounced off my wings with a clunk as I turned them downwards and shot upwards. I flew with precise maneuverability, avoiding collision with the ceiling, and flew along with it towards Celestia, surprising Luna.
I pushed off the ceiling and in mid-fall, my left-wing turned from a triple prong set of wings into a long spear. This action surprised everybody except me as I held the spear in front of me, pointing to the opposite side. When my front legs touched the ground, I leapt upward and swung my wing like a weapon upwards towards Celestia, she blocked it with her halberd as she was lifted off the ground.
My left-wing returned to normal very quickly, as I sensed Luna rushing at me swinging her sword at me again. My right-wing changed this time as I swung it to meet her blade with a loud clang as it was coming down on me. However, my wing swing was more powerful than Luna thought as her sword bounced off and it pushed back. Luna flapped her wings to get some distance from me but I quickly took advantage of her quick retreat by attempting to run her through with my wing spear.
Luna turned her body in time to avoid it but got a slightly deep cut across her abdomen. The wound instantly started bleeding but not for very long as the wound healed itself quickly. The blood coated her dark blue underbelly a bit redder. She didn’t bleed much thankfully since I didn’t mean to cut her.
Luna suddenly gave me a very serious glare that made me nervous. She quickly charged me and slashed at me with faster speed than usual. I barely dodged and stepped back before she was on me again attempting to slash or stab me. She moved so fast, a few of her attacks met their mark; small cuts on my arms and chest. She slashed upward with her sword which forced me onto my hind legs to avoid it but I didn’t as I felt her sword cut my chin.
I gritted my teeth and quickly turned my wings around, charged up, and set off a blast that forced Luna to back off for a minute while also pushing me back a couple of feet. I got my bearings as fast as possible. Thankfully Luna kept her distance and just kept glaring at me with very serious eyes. It was almost as if she misinterpreted me cutting her as an accident.
I didn’t have the time to think it through, all I knew then and there were her recent attacks were faster and had much more strength and force to them. She was definitely getting serious and I had to respond. I growled and let out a battle roar as I charged at her.
What happened next was a massive blur but despite that, I remember it all. Luna tried to intercept me with her sword but I dodged it by side-stepping and punching her in the abdomen. I quickly followed it up with a flurry of punches and finished the combo with an uppercut kick. Luna dropped her weapon to fight me with her hooves as she and I exchanged punches and kicks. This went on for a whole minute until I grabbed her by the head just as she was getting her sword. I threw her into the left wall and quickly fired up my energy thrusters, flying right at her. Holding out my left-wing, I rammed into her and caused us to go through the wall straight outside.
I pulled my wing back and thrust the other towards her with the sharp end aiming for her heart. She stopped it by blocking it with her sword. Luna flapped her wings, lifting herself into the air, and fell back down punching me with one of her front hooves downward onto my head. I started flipping forward, so I decided to use that to my advantage by double kicking her in the chest. This also pushed me away from her a couple of feet.
She must have used a spell to propel herself towards me because she was right back in my face not a second later. She swung her sword at me and on instinct, my chest glowed blue as another blue light worked its way up my throat and a blue flame danced in my mouth. Without hesitation; I let loose a massive funnel of Energtris-infused flames from my maw. Thankfully my flames went up towards the sky and away from the city below but nonetheless; it was a very large amount of fire.
It wasn’t until after the fact, that I found out Luna used a powerful magic shield to defend herself from my flame. However, my flame wasn’t normal as it was infused with my energy which caused her shield to crack and nearly break, forcing her to teleport away. The flame breath lasted half a minute before I realized what I just did and stopped it.
As the flames died down, I looked for Luna hoping I didn’t burn her to a crisp. The good news was I didn’t, the bad news was it gave her the perfect opportunity to come falling down towards me. I barely had time to sidestep her downward slash, just avoiding decapitation but not avoiding getting a deep cut to my throat. I could feel that her blade almost cut through my windpipe, as blood gushed out of my throat. I reflexively grabbed my throat to stop the bleeding but thankfully my healing factor quickly got to work. It took a whole minute for the wound to completely heal.
I gritted my teeth in pain. I had no idea why this spar escalated so much so quickly, but if Luna was fighting at her best; it would be dishonorable and disrespectful for me not to fight at my best. Currently anyway. I had about 15% of my energy remaining so I could risk using some of my energy. My forearms were covered in energy and formed energy sabers. I charged and swung one of my arms at Luna and she blocked it with her sword. Surprisingly, my energy didn’t cut her sword in half.
That helped reassure me I could attack her blade without risks. So I did, I swung my arms around like they were swords and connected with her sword every time. I connected with her sword one more time and sent her back. Luna immediately retaliated with magic blasts to my chest, but they didn’t feel like magic attacks. It felt more like I was getting hit by energy attacks based on the moon and star power. Energy-based attacks would be half as effective but since these attacks were infused with moon and star power, they weren’t hindered by my resistance. So they hurt.
I got hit with enough of them to send me flying back. I dispersed the energy sabers and used the energy to shoot energy lasers that tracked and chased Luna as she flew around trying to avoid them. She managed to cut a few of them before the rest made contact and caused miniature energy explosions. I throttled my thrusters and took off into the air.
I flew around for a bit before making a nosedive towards Luna. When the smoke cleared, Luna shot a powerful laser at me that I blocked with an energy shield. This resulted in a short struggle as we tried to overpower each other before I changed direction and flew up. Luna stopped her attack and watched me closely. I flew around and attempted to nosedive her again. This time however she didn’t shoot a laser, she merely created a shield I collided with. I wasted no time flying away again and coming back at her.
Every time though she countered with the same thing. After a few times, I charged again this time with my energy surrounding my body. When I made contact with her shield, I easily broke through it. Luna quickly teleported away as I flew past the spot she was at. Luna reappeared and made a stance as she prepared something. I stopped as we just stared at each other.
My energy was running low, as I used more than intended. I wouldn’t have enough to heal any major wounds. Luna’s sword began glowing as she charged at me. I gathered energy in my left claw as I charged at her as well. We were a couple of feet from colliding when in a bright flash of light; Celestia appeared and blocked Luna’s blade with a powerful shield and my claw jab with her halberd.
“That’s enough you two!” Celestia shouted in an extremely loud and booming voice. She then surrounded us in magic and teleported us back into the throne hall.
Luna withdrew her sword and I did the same with my arm. “What is the meaning of this sister?” Luna asked, somewhat insulted. “Weren’t we sparring with Sir Sarius?”
The sir added before my name caught me off guard. “We were. Until you took it too far.” Celestia answered, looking at Luna with a disappointed look.
“Took it too far? Pray tell, what do you mean?” Luna asked, seemingly like she’s not at fault here.
“You started attacking Sarius relentlessly. So much so, I assume Sarius had to get serious just to stay alive.” Celestia answered, getting to her point.
“And that is a problem? I thought Sarius injuring me was his way of telling me to take the spar seriously. So I did.” Luna stated a little too flatly.
Celestia sighs as she shakes her head. “I’m pretty sure that was an accident, Luna.” Celestia pointed out, which was the truth.
“Was it?” Luna asked as she looked at me. “Does my sister speak the truth, Sir Sarius? Was it just an accident?”
I nodded. “It was. I miscalculated and cut you. Celestia is also right about me having to get serious just to survive. Thankfully, Celestia stopped the fight when she did cause if I suffered any more injuries they wouldn’t heal quickly. I’m running low on energy.”
Luna was appalled. “Oh, I am truly sorry, Sir Sarius. I did not know you were in such a weakened state. I too am glad my sister stopped the fight.” Luna apologized, sounding very sympathetic.
I waved my claw. “It’s fine. I had fun at least. Well, expect when you nearly cut open my throat. Quite a bit of my energy was used to heal that.”
Luna bowed in an apologetic manner. “Again, I am truly sorry. I was in the moment.” Luna stated.
I chuckled nervously since I didn’t like being bowed to. “I said it’s fine. We were fortunate this time that I had the energy to heal. It’s very rare when a weapon does that amount of damage to me. In fact it’s rare a weapon can penetrate my scales at all.” I walked over and eyed Celestia’s halberd. “What kind of weapons are these? Not types because I can tell this is a helbard and Luna’s weapon is a sword.” I added.
Celestia let me properly inspect her weapon. “Our weapons were created in a special and unique way. Crafted from a rare metal and imbued with power and energy of the sun and moon respectively. Our parents did help to ensure they were imbued with that kind of power though. The halberd you’re looking at, her name’s Sol.” Celesita explained proudly.
Luna held up her sword. “And she is Mani. They were also specifically made for Celestia and myself. As they respond and become empowered by our magic and power. But I’m sure you figured out that much.” Luna added.
I recalled when I held Sol and got engulfed by Celestia’s flame magic, the halberd became too hot to keep my grasp on. “Yup I did figure that part out. So your weapons are the Norse words for Sun and Moon huh. Neat.” I said, I was quite intrigued.
“Norse? What doth thee cullionly?” Luna asked using what sounded like Shakespearean words.
“Luna. Your old ponish is coming out again.” Celestia said as if it was a reminder.
“Oh apologies. We- I mean, I’m still trying to adapt to the modern language. What is this Norse you speak of, Sir Sarius?” Luna inquired.
“Well, Norse is basically one of many mythos or pantheons that is in my world’s history. They’re a bunch of myths and legends told by individuals during those time periods and are almost impossible to prove whether they’re true or false.” I explained. “But, I know personally that those myths and legends are all real. It’s just kept a secret to the vast majority of the masses. If the world knew these old legends and myths were real, it would cause quite a panic and get the attention of some unwanted individuals seeking power.” I added.
“Ah. Sounds like your world is quite a fascinating one, Sarius.” Celestia said with an intrigued and curious tone.
“Sure, that’s one way to put it. But even though my world is all fascinating and full of wonder. It’s also quite…. Dangerous and dark.” I hesitated saying the last part, since it is true. My world has many wonders, myths, legends, and mythical and/or ancient creatures and gods that is enough to make one’s quest for knowledge almost endless but the fellow human race were not all friendly or good. I knew that from very personal experiences. “Basically my world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s got an equal amount of good and evil stuff to it.” I simplified.
“I see. That is unfortunate.” Luna said.
“Are you going to be okay, Sarius? You must have used quite a bit of your power against my sister.” Celestia asked with genuine concern.
“I too wonder about your current condition. I did not know you were so low on energy. If I had known I wouldn’t have gotten so serious.” Luna said, adding her two cents.
“I appreciate the concern. I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ve been in worse conditions to be honest.” I said as I looked at Luna. “Although I do feel honored that at 15 percent of power, I made you get serious, Luna.” I added with a confidant smirk.
Luna returned the smirk. “Don’t misunderstand, Sir Sarius. I wasn’t being fully serious either. If I had, you would have found yourself in the medical ward at best.” She said, sounding sure of herself.
My smirk turned to a smile. “Well then. I guess we’ll have to test that theory when we’re both at 100 percent. I’m actually eager to see how strong you are then.” I said.
“Likewise, Trusdale.” Luna returned the smile.
I could see Twilight mentally freaking out, that Luna and I set a date for ourselves to pummel each other, until one of us ended up in the hospital. The other mares as well as Spike were completely shocked at the spar they witnessed. Dew sighed as he dropped the shield and smiled at me, albeit a bit nervously.
Celestia giggled to herself. “Oh my. It’s good to see you two are already getting along so well.” Celestia teased.
Luna just rolled her eyes. “So what are you going to do about your lack of energy, how does it work exactly?” Luna asked, wanting to get her mind off something, it seemed.
“Oh, my energy will naturally replenish itself over time. Though for anyone who doesn’t have Energtris as their natural energy source it won’t. Although, the process will take several days at most because my body can store a very large amount of energy. One drawback of training myself.” I said with a weak chuckle. “But thankfully, I have ways of quickly recharging it. For example-”
I closed my eyes and focused on a specific spot in my soul, a spot that housed 11 small energy crystallized signatures. I grabbed a hold of them and pulled them out. I opened my eyes as 11 colored crystals floated around me, 10 small and 1 large. The large floated from the circle to over me as I felt the energy from them slowly flow into me, recharging my energy supply.
“-I can recharge myself with my crystals. Though they have their own energy supplies that need to replenish.” I finished.
Everyone was shocked I made 11 crystals materialize out of me. Celestia and Luna were quick to get over their shock as they closely inspected the crystals.
“What kind of crystals are these? Did you somehow acquire them while you were at the Crystal Empire?” Celestia asked.
I shook my head. “These are very unique and rare crystals that have absorbed Energtris into them and adapted to it. They were passed onto me by my DNA father. He made these crystals a very long time ago. They are referred to as the ‘Energtris Crystals’ and are meant to be used by dragons. Specifically those that are direct descendants of my father because only his descendants can make the best use of them.” I explained.
“Interesting. So you just absorb the energy from these crystals to recharge yourself?” Luna asked. I nodded. “Sounds quite useful in a pinch.” She added.
“That’s the idea. But like I said, these crystals have their own energy supplies that I need to be mindful of. Fortunately, both the crystals and my body seem to know when I absorbed enough energy and are able to stop the process, against my own decision. But it’s better that way, if I’m to be honest.” I stated.
“Each one has a vast amount of energy and absorbing 75% of the 10 smaller crystals combined energy, can restore half of mine. The big one by itself can also restore me to half energy, by absorbing 75% of it as well. So all together, 75% from the 11 will restore me to full. The big one is basically a result of the 10 smaller ones being combined. It’s also connected to them and acts as a master control of sorts. Having it in your possession not only grants you the same amount of power as having all 10, but by doing something specific you can bring the 10 to you, stop or interact with them remotely.” I explained in more detail.
Everyone was in awe. “You seem to be full of surprises, Sarius Trusdale.” Celestia pointed out with a smile.
I chuckled with a smile. “Yup, and there’s a lot more to come.” I declared pridefully.
Luna chuckled as well. “I certainly look forward to seeing those surprises, Sir Sarius.” Luna said eagerly.
At this moment, I absorbed about 25% of energy from the crystals which is enough to restore me to 25% of my own energy. I was about to withdraw them back into myself, when something caught my eyes. Somehow everyone present had an aura around them, but not the typical life or power aura. This aura was mist-like and had an incomplete form. The aura of each pony were different sizes as well. Twilight and Fluttershy’s aura looked to be the largest.
I was surprised I never noticed until I was ready to absorb the crystals back into me. I took a look at Celestia and Luna, their auras weren’t larger than Twilight or Fluttershy’s but they were still large. I sensed the energy in the crystals change as if they were trying to tell or show me something, so I let them.
What the crystals showed me, or pointed out to be exact, were the auras represented the individual’s potential. The larger they were, the greater the potential. So the fact Luna and Celestia had large auras with so much power already was insane. The crystals were also telling me I should unlock the potential of the six mares I traveled here with.
“Sarius?” Celestia’s voice called me out of my thoughts. “Are you alright?”
“You had a strange look on your face. It was hard to tell if you were looking at somepony with seriousness in your eyes or you were thinking about something.” Luna added.
I nodded my head to Celestia’s question. “I’m fine, and it was the latter Luna. I just found out that the crystals can show me hidden potential in others.” I answered.
The six mares in the back had their mouths agape, Dew and Spike were amazed, Luna and Celestia were surprised. “You mean you never knew about this?” Luna asked. I nodded. “How long have you had them on you?” She asked.
I look up in thought. “Huh. I would say…. 4 years at least.” I answered, not entirely sure.
“Then how come you’re just learning about it now?” Luna asked another question.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I want to say it’s the first time the crystals talked to me, but that’s a lie. However it is the first time that I can see other’s potential so again I don’t know.” I answered unsure if it would suffice. I tapped my chin in thought. “When I think about it; I never really saw other’s potential because they most likely already unlocked it by themselves. I have always been around my friends and family who are all Hybrids like me, and as far as I know every Hybrid that was created like me and my siblings, has access to their full power from the start.”
“The crystals are sentient?” Luna asked, bewildered by that fact.
I looked at her with a deadpan expression. “Is that really the only thing you got out of all that?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t answer yes seriously.
“Of course not. It’s just a shock that crystals can be capable of speaking or having sentience.” Luna answered.
“They aren’t actually using words to speak, it’s more like they’re showing me things or communicating via energy.” I pointed out. “And the Energtris energy inside them is what gives them sentience, that and they were created by my DNA father; Asgorath, the Deity of Creation. Anyway, it seems like I’ll be activating the hidden potential of those six.” I absorbed the crystals into me. “So is everything good now?” I asked.
Celestia and Luna looked at each other for a minute and then nodded. “Yes. Everything is well. We are satisfied with your performance, Sarius.” Celestia answered. “So you and the Mane Six are free to go.”
“Great.” Before I took a step forward however, a thought crossed my mind. “Would either of you mind if I used a shower in the castle?” I asked.
“For what purpose? Surely you could wait until you get to Ponyville.” Luna asked while raising an eyebrow.
“I could. But you have cut and wounded me, thus drawing blood. I don’t want to stink up the train with the scent of my blood and the smell of battle.” I answered.
Celestia simply smiled. “Of course. There’s one down the hall to the left.” Luna gave Celestia a sharp glare.
“But that’s-” Luna was cut off as I softly ran past her and Celestia.
“You guys can wait for me at the train station, I’ll be there soon.” I said to the Mane Six and Spike before running through the doors and to the left.
Luna’s POV, 3rd person view
The Mane Six and Spike all looked at each other. Twilight shrugged and turned to Celestia. “I guess we’ll take our leave now, Princess.” Twilight said.
Celestia nodded. “Very well. Take care, Twilight.”
Twilight and the others bowed before making their exit. Once they were out of the hall, Morning Dew turned to the Princesses. “So back to my usual routine, your highness?” He asked.
Celestia nodded again. “Yes. I will call on you again if you are needed. Thank you for escorting them, Morning Dew.” Celestia answered with a warm smile.
Dew saluted. “Just doing my job.” He left the hall and went to do his usual guard duty,
Once it was just Celestia and Luna, Luna turned to her sister. “Care to explain why you gave Sir Sarius permission to use my shower?” Luna asked.
Celestia giggled. “Apologies Lulu. He seemed like he was in a rush, so I told him where the nearest shower was.” Celestia stuck her tongue out in a playful manner.
Luna simply groaned. “And what about Twilight Sparkle?” Luna asked.
Celestia blinked in confusion. “What about my student?’ Celestia asked in response.
Luna frowned. “You and I both know she’s more than just your student.” Luna answered.
Celestia sighed and turned her head. Her playful tone and attitude completely dropped. “She’s not ready to learn the truth.” Celestia stated. “Not yet.”
Luna gave her sister a concerned look. “No pony is ready to learn the truth. Which is why it’s best to tell it as soon as possible.” Luna said. “If you prolong this, it’ll only make it harder for her to accept it. She deserves to know.”
Silence filled the room for a brief moment before it was broken by Luna sighing. “Do what you believe is right, but remember what I said. I’m going to see if I can convince Sarius to use another shower.” Luna trotted off down the hall.
The throne hall was quiet for a while, leaving Celestia alone in her thoughts. “How could she accept me as her mother…. When I gave her to her current family?” Celestia asked herself. “All because I wasn’t ready to be a mother.” Celestia frowned and the whole hall dimmed slightly from the drop in her mood.
Luna trotted down the hallway for a whole minute before she heard Sarius talking. “How do I turn this on?”
Luna slowed to a walk as she neared the shower double door. When she reached them she slowly peeked inside to see Sarius was softly fiddling around with stuff. Luna noticed his wings had changed back to normal now. The fact he was able to transform his wings like he did, greatly took her by surprise. It wasn’t until after the battle that she recalled what he said; Tsubasa Henka. She was obviously not familiar with the words.
Luna decided to take this opportunity, despite how questionable it was, to get a good look at Sarius. The first things that got her attention were the fact he had a mane or just hair instead of spikes or spines. And despite being the same size as an adolescent or teen dragon, he was far more powerful and capable of doing things she and her sister have never seen in their entire lifetime. Even more so when Sarius got serious against her after she did, fighting with incredible ferocity. The only being she and her sister have ever encountered that fought them with such ferocity was King Sombra.
King Sombra wasn’t that powerful of an opponent, no it was the fact she and Celestia underestimated him and fought him on his home turf. Luna has suspected that Sombra’s source of power was from either anger, wrath, dark magic, or just desperation or perhaps a combination of them. Luna doesn’t quite remember how the battle ended, she only has images to go by and an unwavering feeling of dread.
Luna shook her head to snap herself out of those thoughts. She knows exactly what followed that battle. She would rather not recall it, if at all. Luna turned her attention back to Sarius, who was turning the knobs he now noticed. Luna managed to get a look at his tail as the shower head released water onto Sarius. It was very hot water, which didn’t affect Sarius at all. Luna wasn’t all that surprised since she saw Sarius withstand one of her sister’s flame spell combos; using a fire spell and encasing the target in a magic shield so the flames would continuously wash over each other, increasing in power, heat, and intensity. He even countered another of her sister’s fire spells with his own fire breath, which was impressive since Celestia’s connection to the sun and mastery of fire spells; made her fire spells burn even the toughest of dragons.
Sarius quickly adjusted the water using the knobs so the water was less hot. His hair was now soaked as it fell half-way down the back of his neck. Luna immediately remembered when she slashed his neck. According to Sarius, she nearly cut his throat open. Even though she was in the midst of battle, she saw all the blood that gushed from the wound. She started feeling bad once again and had a sudden urge to apologize to Sarius again.
Even though Luna saw how fast Sarius healed when she stabbed him in the heart, she was still surprised and in awe at how fast the throat injury healed. Nopony wouldn’t even be able to tell it happened at all, since there’s no scar or mark on his neck.
Luna watched to see how much blood was rinsed off Sarius’ body. Turns out there was quite a bit, mostly from his chest and throat. She looked away, suddenly thinking about what she and her sister observed that transpired at the Crystal Empire, using a combined spell to view the events. They saw Sarius hold his own against King Sombra on two separate occasions.
Sarius’ first encounter with the tyrant was intriguing. Despite being up against Sombra in his shadow form, Sarius held his own. The way Sarius outmaneuvered Sombra in the air was amazing. Luna had never encountered any creature that could move and dodge so fluidly through the air like Sarius did. Seeing him do that during the spar was truly a spectacle. While Sarius couldn’t harm or touch Sombra, Sombra couldn’t touch or harm Sarius either.
The second encounter was interesting. Sarius used a small energy orb to solidify Sombra’s shadowy form so he could make physical contact. One clear difference Luna saw between the first and second encounter was how fast, powerful, and skillful Sarius was. Sarius even started doing things with his energy. And seeing him in action personally confirmed Luna’s theory; Sarius’ level of power is determined by how much energy he has. Luna and Celestia even saw Sarius remove the crystal shards from Shining’s horn and take a piece of Sombra.
“I think that’s good enough.” Sarius said, snapping Luna out of her thoughts as she looked back over to him.
It was hard to tell if there was still blood on him, considering he was red. He must have thought the same thing when he said; “I should still make sure I get in between the scales.”
”How can he get between the scales? Aren’t dragon’s scales tightly pressed against each other to prevent any direct contact with the skin underneath?” Luna thought to herself.
Her question was answered when Sarius lifted his front right claw and made some small movements with the claw tips, making the water coming out of the showerhead stop in mid-air and forming them together into a small water orb. He took that water orb and covered himself with it, starting with his head. He slowly moved the water orb down his neck to his shoulders, then to one forearm and switched to the other. Once he brought the water to his body, he had circled it around his entire body as it worked its way down his body. After reaching the tip of his tail, he brought the orb back over to cover his back legs and finally his wings.
Once he was finished precisely directing the water orb over his body, he moved it in front of him so he could look at it. Luna looked as well and saw how much blood and dirt were in the orb. It was enough to almost completely dirty the water. Luna’s mouth was agape, she didn’t suspect Sarius had control over water or any other element besides fire. He had used the water to get in between his scales to collect all the blood and dirt that wasn’t washed off.
Sarius’ mouth opened slightly as a familiar blue flame was forming in it. Luna was immediately on guard recalling that kind of fire nearly burned her to ashes. Instead of a huge funnel of blue fire, Sarius let out a small breath’s worth of fire to evaporate the water orb in front of him and burn the blood and dirt.
Once the orb was completely gone, Sarius ceased the fire. He then walked around in a circle a couple of times to have the water from the shower head cover his body. Luna was fortunate Sarius wasn’t paying attention to what he was looking at when turning around, cause he would have seen Luna watching him.
Luna was starting to feel different. She couldn’t explain what it was she was beginning to feel, but seeing Sarius made her feel warm and at ease. Her mind was even starting to have some ‘thoughts’ about him and her. Luna quickly realized what kind of thoughts she was having and turned away to shake her head.
”No! You are a princess. Get a hold of yourself.” She thought to herself. But her mind went back to fantasizing about Sarius. Luna stopped her thoughts quickly. ”No, I just met him. I shouldn’t be having these kinds of thoughts about him.”
When she thought she got her thoughts under control, a part of her seemed to say; ‘Not yet anyway’. This was enough to make Luna blush, yell, turn around and slam her head against the wall, leaving a hole in the wall in the shape of her head. She almost jammed her horn into the wall but thankfully didn’t.
“Someone there?” Hearing Sarius call out, Luna went wide eyed as she just realized, she made a lot of noise with her action. Luna began to panic as she heard Sarius’ footsteps. Luna didn’t know what to do except for one thing. Her horn glowed as she started a teleportation spell, she didn’t have time to think of an exact location so the throne hall popped into her head.
With a magical poof, Luna found herself back in the throne hall. Luna turned to see Celestia staring at her with curious eyes. Her sister must’ve noticed the look on her face, cause Celestia began to form a mischievous smile. “Why Luna, if I didn’t know any better. I would say you were watching Sarius take a shower.” Celestia placed a hoof on her mouth and giggled. “This is the last thing I expect from you, Lulu.” Celestia playfully jokes. “So did you like-”
Celestia was caught off when Luna walked up to her and gave her a serious look, while still blushing. “Not. A. Word. Sister.” Luna said in a firm and authoritative tone.
Despite being on the receiving end of Luna’s serious and firm approach; Celestia smiled and winked. “Of course, sister.” Luna backed off and started to calm down. “Changing the subject, how well do you think he fared against us?” Celestia asked, wanting to hear her sister’s opinion.
Luna was still blushing a bit. “Very well. He certainly knows how to handle himself in a fight. He also thinks very quickly on his feet and he’s quite fast to boot. Whatever he lacks at the moment, he makes up for it with something else.” Luna answered with her input. She sighed in content. “It has been so long since we battled with an individual; who could adapt and hold their own against us.”
Celestia smiled. “Yes it has, Luna. Yes it has.”
“So what about you? What’s your take on his performance?” Luna asked, curious to know.
“Well, as you have said; he’s fast and flexible. But I never encountered an individual who could power through any of my fire spells. It was quite a surprise, despite the fact he was a dragon. My spells are powerful enough to damage dragons afterall, but they didn’t even faze Sarius.” Celestia said awestruck.
“Indeed. Even his regeneration was astonishing. He is quite the dragon.” Luna concurred with a bit of sparkle in her eyes, which Celestia noticed.
“Have you taken a liking to him, Lulu?” Celestia asked with a mischievous grin.
Luna quickly turned her head to Celestia and eyed her, the blush returning in full redness. “H-h-have I what?!” Luna asked, feeling her blood rush to her head as her heart beats faster.
“I said, have you taken a liking to him? Do you have a crush on Sarius?” Celestia asked, trying to be more clear.
“A crush on Sarius?! What do you mean? I am not familiar with your choice of words, sister.” Luna stated.
Celestia giggled. “I mean, do you like him?”
Luna’s blush was now covering her entire face as her mouth was agape. “I….” Luna was at a loss for words. “I don’t know if I’m to be honest.”
“Oh, of course. I don’t recall you liking any stallions as we grew up. You must not know what this feeling is.” Celestia pointed out.
Luna was silent. “Tell me how you feel, dear sister. I’ll tell you if it's affection you feel for him or not.” Celestia said.
Luna placed a hoof on her chest. “Well for starters, my heart is beating so fast, which causes me to accelerate my breathing. Right now, my mind can’t think of anything but him. When I was watching him..” Luna paused and looked at her sister, who seemed to be waiting for her to accidentally speak the truth with a hopeful smile. But the way Luna was feeling right now, she didn’t care. “When I was watching him shower, I was absolutely fascinated with him. I had certain…. Thoughts cross my mind as well.”
Luna looked her sister in the eyes with a hopeful look. “Do you think this is the affection you mentioned?”
Celestia nodded and her hopeful smile turned into a warm and happy one. “Yes, it is. I’m so happy for you Luna.” Celestia calmed herself. “But there is a chance this feeling you have may pass, so let us not jump the train so to speak.”
Luna looked at her sister with a confused look. “Why would we jump the train and are we jumping on the train or off? I do not understand.” Luna said in a perplexed but cute tone.
Celestia giggled which turned to a small laugh. Celestia would never lie about her sister being cute when she was confused and asking such silly questions. “It’s just a phrase, Luna. We’re not really jumping on a train.” Celestia answered, still giggling a bit.
“Oh. Then what did you mean?” Luna asked.
“I mean, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. As far as we know you just have this feeling because you sparred with Sarius and was heavily impressed by him, which was mixed together with watching him shower. It could be a simple crush or it might be real genuine affection. Only time will tell us what it really is, my sister.” Celestia answered.
“I see. Very well.” Luna said as she used her magic to transport her sword and sheath to another location. Celestia did the same with her weapon. “So I’m to let things unfold and see how this feeling develops?” Luna asked, regaining her royal composure.
“Pretty much.” Celestia answered. Both the princesses began to walk outside slowly.
Sarius’ POV, 1st person view
I heard a female yell that was followed by a decently loud smash. I asked if someone was there and walked to the double doors but saw nothing in the hall. The only clear sign someone was out here, was a hole the size of a head in the wall.
I decided to ignore it and went back to the shower but I had already fully washed myself, so I just turned the water off. I just listened to the sound of the water from the showerhead and my body dripping onto the floor for a minute, wondering who was outside the shower room. I heated my body up to evaporate the water still on me, my hair dried out as well. I walked out the shower room and began walking back the way I came.
After a minute of walking around, I bumped into someone while turning a corner. “Mmph. Would you mind watching where you walk? You just bumped into-” The stallion started to say before he took in the sight of me.
His face and eyes quickly shifted to fear as he backed up, shaking. “A-a-a-a-a d-dragon?! In the castle?!” Even his voice was filled with fear.
I sighed. This was the reaction I’m always expecting when others see me in my dragon form. Dragons were naturally feared due to size, capabilities, and/or their presence. I looked at the stallion, he was a white male unicorn with a blonde colored mane and tail, blue eyes, and wore the neck portion of a suit with a bow on it.
I just had to take one look. Just one, to know I wouldn’t like him. He gave off a vibe that he was a royal scumbag with a pretty boy attitude. “And who are you?” I asked with an accidental bit of annoyance in my voice.
The stallion just backed up more as he started breathing hard. “G-g-g-g-guards!! There’s a dragon in the castle! Help me!” The stallion ignored my question and screamed at the top of his lungs. My ears instinctively folded back from the shrill and sound of his voice.
Unfortunately for the stallion, I seemed to have caught him in a section of the castle where there weren’t any guards around. “Could you please not scream like that?” I asked, trying to be as polite as possible, albeit reluctantly.
The stallion just started freaking out more when he looked around and noticed no one was coming to his aid. “S-stay away, you beast. I’ll have you know Celestia and Luna are my aunts. If you harm me, they’ll make you pay.” The stallion replied.
My eyes shot open and widened when he said the princesses were his aunts. My mind was now trying to wrap around how and why this obnoxious royal pretty boy became their nephew. I stopped this train of thought since it was rapidly leading to an error in mind.exe and resulting in a shutdown. Instead, I just simply narrowed my eyes at him in annoyance at the sheer dismay of that revelation. Someone must have been approaching because the stallion’s eyes no longer showed fear and discomfort. He rushed past me, much faster than I would have ever thought he’d be capable of and over to a guard. “Please help me! Either slay this beast or send it away.” The stallion said getting behind the guard.
“What beast, Blueblood?” A familiar voice asked.
I turned around to see Morning Dew, who showed up because of Blueblood’s distress, seemingly. “We meet again, Dew.” I said as I felt the annoyance and disdain leave my body.
“Trusdale. What are the chances we would meet again before you leave?” Dew asked as he walked up to me.
“I would say low, but maybe we were meant to meet one more time before I left.” I answer.
Dew chuckled. “Are you saying we’re destined for each other?” He asked in a mocking tone.
“Ha ha. I wasn’t. So anyway, I heard you call that ‘stallion’ Blueblood?” I asked, looking at the stallion in question.
“That’s ‘Prince’ Blueblood to you!” Blueblood shouted, still standing in the same place.
Dew sighed. “Yes, you heard right.”
I look Dew in the eyes. *Please tell me, all that prince talk is just an inflated ego because he’s living in the castle?” I ask quietly, despite already knowing the answer.
Dew shook his head, I wasn’t shocked but instead disappointed that it wasn’t the case. “Unfortunately, it isn’t. He is indeed Princess Cadence’s cousin and Princesses Celestia and Luna’s nephew.” Dew said, distraught.
I looked at Blueblood who jumped a bit. A thought then occurred to me. “Wait if he’s just a nephew/cousin, who’s he the son of?” I was reluctant to know the answer.
Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as I thought. “Nopony in the royal family. He was adopted by Celestia herself. For reasons unknown to all but Celestia. Though I’m sure even she’s forgotten at this point.” Dew answered.
I looked back at Dew with a raised eyebrow. “You’re sure about that?” I asked.
Dew turned to look at Blueblood who was beginning to get agitated. “Yeah. Pretty sure.” Dew answered flatly.
“Why are you staring at me, guard?! I told you to dispose of this dragon! Now do it already.” Blueblood ordered, not caring we were talking bad about him.
“This dragon’s name is Sarius Trusdale, Blueblood.” I said with disdain.
“I don’t care, dragon!” Blueblood shouted, stamping his hoof. “A dragon like you shouldn’t be allowed in the castle.”
“He was allowed entry by the Princesses themselves.” Dew replied.
Blueblood’s jaw dropped hard as he was shocked. “WHAT?! WHY?!” Blueblood shouted in utter shock.
“They wanted to speak to him, duh.” Dew answered. He then turned to me. “Though I still can’t get over the fact that all that happened. Even though it was right in front of my eyes.” Dew added, obviously talking about the princesses engaging me in a spar.
“Yeah, well it took me by surprise too. I didn’t expect Luna to be that forward.” I said. Luna stabbing me right in the heart without any warning was the last thing I expected.
“EXCUSE ME?! What kind of heinous act did you commit against my aunts?!” Blueblood shouted in horror.
“Nothing on your current mind track, so get your mind out of the gutter, Blueblood.” I retorted.
“I beg your pardon.” Blueblood said as he finally worked up the courage to walk up to my face. “My mind is not in the gutter. Now answer my question, scoundrel.” He ordered.
I was unfazed by his approach or order, I simply smirked at the display thinking he was acting cute. “I said not what you are thinking. Your aunts and I just sparred. That’s all.” I stated.
“Sparred? You fought them? I may be impressed you’re still in one piece, but it’s overshadowed by the distaste of your actions.” Blueblood said with disdain. “Why in my aunt’s name would you fight them?”
I was starting to get annoyed with him as I just stared at him with apathy. “In my defense, Luna attacked me first and they initiated the spar. Just know getting stabbed in the heart isn’t pleasant.” I said just barely holding back my emotions.
“Ha! If you really were stabbed in the heart, how are you still alive?” Blueblood asked, not believing me.
“Healing factor.” I answered simply.
“He really did get run through with Luna’s sword. I saw it all happen.” Dew vouched.
Blueblood looked at Dew then to me, then he eyed my chest. “If that’s the case, where’s the scar?” He asked, still refusing to believe.
I rolled my eyes. “It healed completely. My healing factor is fast and strong enough to ensure scars don’t get left behind. Only scars you’ll find on my body are those made under special conditions.” I answered.
“So you basically have no proof you sparred with my aunts?” Blueblood asked.
I groaned. Blueblood was starting to get on my nerves for real now. I turned to Dew. “Can you point me to the exit? I’m gonna leave while I’m still in my right mind.” I stated.
“Probably a good idea.” Dew pointed down the hall to a door. “The exit is in that direction, can’t miss it. I’ll see you later.”
I started walking away but a magic bolt shot past the side of my face. I turned to see it was Blueblood who fired the bolt at me. “You’re not going anywhere, dragon. Even if my aunts allowed you to be in the castle and in their presence, I won’t accept it. A dragon like you doesn’t deserve that kind of respect. And if this guard won’t dispose of you, I’ll just have to.” Blueblood threatened.
I snorted smoke out my nostrils as I turned completely to Blueblood and walked right up to his face. “While I’ll admit, I don’t know your capabilities; I doubt you're as strong as your aunts. So if you wanna try, by all means: try me.” I glared into his eyes giving a visual, but final warning to back off.
He returned the glare with less intensity. I could see he was scared and nervous. Dew groaned as if he wasn’t expecting Blueblood to literally grow a pair. I wasn’t going to make a move until Blueblood took the first shot, the actual first didn’t count because he missed.
We just kept staring at each other for a few minutes, Blueblood was getting more nervous and scared with every minute that passed by. “What’s wrong, Blueblood? Lost your nerve or did you actually think that shot would intimidate me? If you still have that pair you grew not too long ago, take another shot. My only advice to you is; don't miss this time.” I warned.
I knew for a fact any magic attacks he could throw at me wouldn’t do much to me but nevertheless, I kept my guard up. I wasn’t planning on hurting him at all since I knew I could easily wrestle him to the ground, though there was a chance I would hurt him from being greatly annoyed by him.
“What is going on over here?” A familiar warm female voice called out.
Everyone turned to see Celestia and Luna were slowly walking down the hall, only to quicken the pace when they saw Blueblood and I squaring off. “Pray tell, what is the meaning of this nephew Blueblood?” Luna demanded.
Blueblood was still nervous but less scared. “Aunts, I was just minding my business when this ‘dragon’ walked into me and started causing trouble. I tried to call for a guard to dispose of it but none came except this one.” He pointed to Dew, who felt disappointed Blueblood doesn’t even bother to call him by name. “When it was clear, the guard wouldn’t at least detain the dragon, I thought I’d take matters into my own hoof. The guard even had the nerve to say the dragon was personally invited into the castle by you two.” Blueblood explained.
Luna simply shook her head as Celestia just sighed. Blueblood was confused by their reaction. “What’s wrong, aunts?” He asked, obviously not being able to read the room.
“That’s because he was invited by us, Blueblood.” Celestia answered, sounding disappointed.
Blueblood was shocked when he really shouldn’t be. “You are very fortunate that Sir Sarius isn’t like other dragons, Blueblood. Taking a potshot at any other creature would instantly have it attack you. And have you learned nothing from magic classes and biology? You should know that dragons have a natural resistance to magic.” Luna scolded.
Blueblood wanted to retort but couldn’t bring himself to speak out. “Remind me again, sister. Did you adopt him or is actually a part of the royal family?” Luna asked.
“He is adopted in a sense, but it was somepony else in his family.” Celestia pointed out.
“Ah. That being said, move along Blueblood. You’re causing an unnecessary scene as well as disrespecting our guest.” Luna said.
Blueblood gritted his teeth and moved aside. He may not like it but he had to respect his aunt's wishes. Blueblood took one last look at me. “Don’t think you’ve seen the last of me, ‘Sarius’.” He said before walking off in anger.
What he said was enough to make me feel like I should be on guard at all times. Something told me he was gonna be major trouble somewhere down the line.
“Please do not hold any ill intent towards him, Sarius. I don’t really know what’s causing him to be like this but he wasn’t always like this.” Celestia pleaded.
“I don’t hold anything against him. I can tell something is off about him, but I don’t know what.” I replied.
“I am personally not fond of him. He is self obsessed, a coward, and he feels everypony should be at his beckoning call. That said, the display he has shown is very odd and suspicious.” Dew added.
“My sister and I were heading out, Sir Sarius. Care to join us?” Luna asked.
“Sure, I don’t mind.” I answered. “But what about-”
I looked at Dew who waved a hoof. “I still got patrol duty so don’t worry about me. I’ll see you again sometime, Sarius.” Dew started walking down the hall I came from.
“Back at ya.” I said back, loud enough for him to hear me. A simple turn of his head and nodding was the response I wanted.
So Luna, Celestia, and I walked our way to the exit of the castle, where the Mane Six and Spike were waiting. Once the Mane Six, Spike, and I said our farewells, we left to get on the train heading to Ponyville. Our last stop.
3rd Person
Blueblood walked to his chambers, still angry that his aunts would allow a dragon like that in the castle. He couldn’t stand it when others stood up to him like they were on his level. First it was Rarity at the gala a year and a half ago, now it was a strange dragon. What Rarity never realized was the act he put on was only because Celestia asked him to be on his best behaviour. Sure he made himself look like a fool at the end, but in his eyes that’s how he saw the citizens of Canterlot act and thought it was ‘normal behaviour’. Despite being royalty and Celestia’s nephew, he was still treated like a commoner by the other wealthy families growing up. Which is the reason he wants to be treated with respect and not be treated like he’s anypony’s equal.
He opens the door to his chamber and notices a cloaked figure sitting in a chair, helping himself to some tea Blueblood made. The tea cup was being held in place by a light blue magic aura. He knew it was a stallion since this wasn’t his first time visiting. The pony gestured for Blueblood to close the door, which he did reluctantly.
“Blueblood, how long has it been? Tea’s still as wonderful as ever.” The stallion sounded young and old at the same time. Blueblood could never figure out why and may never will.
“A week at least. And it’s Prince Blueblood-”
Blueblood was cut off by the stallion shushing with a hoof on his mouth. “No need to speak my name. This isn’t a social visit this time.” The stallion said, taking another sip of his tea.
Blueblood groaned. He didn’t like being interrupted either but he knew best not to mess with this stallion. “Then what is it this time?” Blueblood asked.
The stallion took another sip as if taking his time. “I came to get an update from an informant and decided it would be rude not to pay a friend a visit.” The stallion then looked at Blueblood. “Or are we not friends?”
Blueblood didn’t know what it was about this stallion but when Blueblood looked into his eyes, he felt scared, intimidated, and even cold. Almost like he was staring Death in the eyes.
“Well, truth be told. We’re…. Good acquaintances. You’ve never really tried to befriend me and I always thought it best, not to get too deep in our business relationship.” Blueblood answered, trying his best not to insult the stallion.
The stallion was silent as he stared at Blueblood for a minute. Blueblood thought the worst before the stallion turned his attention away from him and spoke; “Hmm, you make a fair point.” He takes another sip. “So is there anything you want to request while I’m here, enjoying your tea?” He asked.
“Is that really why you’re here? I thought you said you were paying a friend a visit.” Blueblood asked.
“Am I not allowed to have more than one reason for visiting? You make some good tea and I do enjoy our time.” The stallion asked, sounding almost hurt that Blueblood was accusing him of lying.
“No, you can have more than one reason. Just make sure to tell me if there’s more than one reason for a sudden visit.” Blueblood answered.
“Very well, I will try to remember. Now any requests?” The stallion asked again.
Blueblood shook his head. “None other than what I already requested.”
The stallion sighed. “Still holding onto that grudge. It is unhealthy, you know.” He stated.
“They’ll get what’s coming to them. They’ll get their dues, mark my words.” Blueblood said angrily, ignoring what the stallion said.
“And would that include the princesses, your aunts and cousin as well?” The stallion asked.
“Aunt Celestia will be spared the pain, but Aunt Luna and Cousin Cadence won’t.” Blueblood answered.
The stallion took a final sip of the tea. “Assuming they’re still alive when you get the chance.” The stallion muttered to himself.
Blueblood stared at the stallion. “Pardon?”
The stallion stood up and hovered the tea cup over to the table where Blueblood brewed the tea and placed it. “I hate to say, but your request still can’t be fulfilled for now. We are still missing a couple pieces to the puzzle. So please, do be patient.” The stallion said. “I’ll be going now. I’ll try to give a notice before I come visit again but no promises. Farewell.”
The stallion’s horn lit up and he seemed to dissolve into the air completely. Blueblood shivered. “Why can’t he just teleport out like a normal unicorn?” Blueblood asked no one in particular.
Blueblood walked over to the tea table and checked the cup. Like always no visible lip prints or traces of use. The stallion was always very careful not to leave behind evidence he existed. Blueblood grabbed another cup and poured himself some tea as he went about his day.
Sarius’ POV, 1st Person view
I opened my eyes to a completely different setting. I would have sworn I was transported into an alternate reality because of the way the world looked. The only thing that confirmed this was a dream was not feeling, smelling or hearing anything that I didn’t need to. The setting in front of me was a completely destroyed village with smoke and ash covering the land around gray and the world beyond the village was devoid of color. The skies were nearly pitch black, void of any stars and filled with clouds but not normal clouds. Dead bodies of ponies covered the streets, buildings either destroyed or half-way there via fire, the smell of blood filled my nostrils and an overwhelming crushing feeling of darkness was pressing on my body.
Among the corpses was a recognizable one. The body was nearly unrecognizable aside from two things; a horn and wings and the cutie mark which was a crescent moon. This was Luna’s dead body. Across the street from her was another much larger body that I knew was Celestia. I couldn’t see Cadence, any of the Mane Six, or Spike but somehow knew they were dead as well.
“Sarius?” A familiar voice spoke out. I quickly turned around to confirm it was who I thought it was and it was; Kasulis. My other half, the dark half.
“Kasulis?!” I was surprised to see my other self in this dream. But perhaps I shouldn’t have been considering the setting. “Did you cause all this?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. I could never-”
“Don’t lie to me. You’ve come close before. Why would this be any different?” I demanded interrupting him. I knew what he was gonna say, but I refused to believe it was the truth.
“Why would I lie to myself? Yes, I’ve come close before but I never did.” Kasulis answered. “I’m you and you’re me. We both know neither of us would ever do this.”
“It has to be you! I don’t know another being that would cause this much death and destruction.” I declared.
“Why are you still thinking I’m the villain here? Anything and everything I feel and think, originates from you, Sarius. I was created from your negativity, remember?” Kasulis argued.
“Yes, I remember. I’ll never forget that day.” I said.
“Then maybe you should recall it again and pay more attention.” Kasulis suggested.
“Why are you asking me to recall one of the worst times of my life?” I asked.
“Because you’ll learn what I have. I’ve had a lot of time to think about things.” Kasulis answered.
“What are you trying to do here? This is the first time you haven’t taunted me first.” I asked.
“Look around you. We already know this is a dream which means it’s a premonition of the future.” Kasulis stated.
I didn’t want to look at the hellscape we were in anymore but I did so anyway. “It’s obvious, this is the end we need to prevent from happening.” Kasulis pointed out.
“We? Why are you suddenly referring to you and me as we?” I asked, utterly confused.
“Do you not get it yet?” I shook my head. “We need to become one again in order to work together and stop this.” Kasulis said with urgency.
My eyes widened. All this time, I thought Kasulis was trying to become the dominant personality of our soul. I started finding myself questioning everything I thought I knew about my other half. He was right, we had to change whatever events created this future but my experiences with him were convincing me to go against it.
“S-sarius..” I heard Kasulis’ voice quiver, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I turned to Kasulis who was feeling uneasy and he looked at me with fear in his eyes. Which scared me since it’s the first time I saw him show fear. “Kasulis…. What’s wrong?” I quavered.
“I…. I don’t know.” Kasulis voice trembled. “I feel like…. Something’s pulling me apart.”
Kasulis’ eyes widened as his body was turning into ashes, his face expressed pure terror and anguish but couldn’t utter a sound as he disappeared right in front of my eyes. I started stepping back in pure fear as I noticed the darkness was quickly encircling me in a tornado. I lost all sense of sight as I kept shouting for Kasulis. I never got a reply, but I should have known better.
”Hello, Sarius Trusdale.”
I heard a deep, echoing voice speak out from the darkness itself. I turned around slowly and was filled with absolute terror for the first time in my life at what I saw. A shadowy figure was floating just a couple of feet away from me. The figure looked equine-like but I knew it wasn’t of equine origin. What truly terrified me about this figure was the aura, eyes, and sensation I was feeling. Every fiber of my entire being screamed at me to run, but I couldn’t as I was paraylzed by fear. This being held some much negativity, darkness, chaos, and murderous intent.
”Welcome to the End. Everything and everyone is gone now and I saved you for last.” It declared.
“W- Who are you?” I barely uttered.
The figure appeared to have smiled. ”I am…. Extinction.” It dictated.
After that, no sound, smell, or feeling was heard other than pure terror and the overwhelming feeling of death approaching. The tornado spun faster and grew larger, as the figure’s body faded into the twister. It wasn’t before long I saw it’s face which wasn’t equine in any way. It smiled a large toothy smile as it lunged at me, sank its teeth into me and devoured me.
I woke up nearly screaming at the top of my lungs. My breathing was fast and short along with my heartbeat being just as fast. The fear I felt was still lingering and wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. I began sweating as I slowly calmed myself down. I looked around to see I was alone in the back of the current train cabin, which was good. I didn’t want to explain what I saw.
I tried to process what I experienced as best as I could. Kasulis was trying to convince me he isn’t to blame for the way the future looked. He said we were gonna need to work together to prevent it. I still didn’t think I could believe and trust him but I remember what Kalia asked me to do. Despite everything my other half has done, Kalia was willing to give him a chance.
The figure claimed it was Extinction. I had nothing to go on, except it certainly had an aura of something primal and very powerful. Enough to put the scare in me and Kasulis especially considering it takes a lot to scare us.
I knew what I needed to do. Firstly, I have to visit the Mane Six individually to not only get to know them better but unlock their potential. Second, I’ll need to decide whether or not to get them and the Sisters involved with my confrontation with Kasulis. Finally I’ll confront Kasulis and settle everything. It doesn't matter if it goes good or bad, we will put our conflict to rest.
I looked out the window and saw we were leaving the tunnel through the mountain and Ponyville was in sight. From the looks of it we were a few minutes away from the station. I stood up and stretched out my limbs.
“Oh you’re up?” Twilight asked as she walked into view.
“Yeah. I hope I wasn’t doing anything weird in my sleep.” I denoted.
Twilight walked forward a bit with a look of concern. “About that. It wasn’t weird but it was…. Worrisome.” She uttered in a troubled voice.
I didn’t need to ask what I did as I looked at her with worry. “How bad was it?” I asked.
Twilight shook her head. “I don’t have anything to compare.” She disclosed.
“Right. Uh, scale of 1 to 10 then. 1 being low.” I said.
“I would say an 8 at least. You started to scare us with how scared you were. Especially Fluttershy.” Twilight stated.
I was silent and slightly wide-eyed. I never thought I would have a dream-like premonition in their presence. And I never had a premonition as bad as this one. I didn’t see it but I knew, not just from what the figure said but what I felt; everything in Reality was gone.
Twilight gave me a concerned and somewhat frightened look. “What kind of dream was it?” She inquired.
I looked at the floor. “It…. wasn’t a dream.” I hesitated. “It was a premonition in the form of a dream.” I added.
Twilight’s eyes widened. “What? You can see the future in your dreams?” She wondered.
I shook my head. “It’s not as often as you think. And it’s a good thing it isn’t. My premonitions always tend to be bad ones. It also only appears in a dream form because I don’t sleep.”
“You don’t sleep? Then how do you get your rest?” Twilight asked.
“Closing my eyes and resting for a few hours.” I answered.
“Oh, that simple huh.” Twilight spoke. “So you feel like telling us what the premonition was about?” She inquired.
I thought about it for a minute but since I barely knew them or this world, if I told them I saw a future that was desolate, destroyed, and everything was killed, they would freak out. Not to mention they might get suspicious when I told them; I was the last one to be killed. Besides I had a feeling the future I saw was a long way away so I had time to tell them.
“I do want to tell you guys but I think it’s best not to share right now. Especially since you just saved an empire. Once I get settled in and get familiar with everyone, or everypony; I’ll share it with you.” I concluded. “Also it’s gonna be a bit weird to say everypony now instead of everyone.” I added.
Twilight looked a bit disappointed and worried I wasn’t sharing what I saw. “That does make sense. When you’re ready to share, we’ll be ready to hear it.” Twilight reassured me.
I smile. “Thanks, Twilight.”
“We are reaching the Ponyville train station now. Please be sure to disembark if this is your stop. I repeat-” The speakers blared.
“Well, we’re here now. Let’s go and give you a tour of Ponyville, Sarius.” Twilight gushed.
As the train came to a stop, me, the Mane Six, and Spike walked off the train and out the station. I looked around at the town. It wasn’t a big town but still big enough to get lost in. An oak tree with a treehouse built into it stood in front of us. I followed the mares and Spike around the town as they showed me every shop that was in the town, the homes they reside in. Pinkie lived at Sugarcube Corner where she also works. Rarity lived at Carousel Boutique which was also her shop for clothing as well as making them. Twilight said she’s staying in the Golden Oak Library, which was the oak tree we first saw when we left the train station. Rainbow simply stated her house is on a cloud she can move around. Applejack pointed to a large red barn in the distance to the southwest and said that it was a part of Sweet Apple Acres, which is where she and her family live and work. She even added the fact it was a farm and a large one at that, where they harvested; surprise, surprise, apples. Fluttershy didn’t point out where she lived, only stating her cottage was close to the forest.
Wasn’t really much to go on but I figured I'd be able to find it if I went looking. “And that’s everything I believe aside from the Town Hall here.” Twilight said, gesturing to the tall building next to us. “So what do you think?” She asked.
“It’s nice, small, and, despite getting nervous glances from the townsfolk, inhabited by friendly individuals.” I answered.
“That’s good to know.” Twilight beamed along with the others. Twilight then frowned a bit. “I hate to bring this up but do you know where you’ll be staying, Sarius?” She asked.
I looked at her and shook my head. “Not a clue.” The mares and small drake gave me a look of concern and seemed like they were about to offer me a place to stay. I smiled. “But no need to worry or fret about it. I don’t need a roof over my head and/or a pillow and mattress under my head to be happy and comfortable. I know how to fend for myself and survive on my own. I learned how to.” I crowed, attempting to reassure them; I would be fine.
“Well, if you do happen to change your mind; just ask any one of us.” Twilight stated. The other 5 mares nodded in agreement.
“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind. Now if you girls don’t mind.” I spread my wings out and began flapping them, raising in the air slowly. “I’m gonna fly around and familiarize myself with the area. I’ll come visit and spend a bit of time with each of you. Later.” I flapped my wings hard and rose into the air quickly with a single flap.
I hovered in one place for a bit to look around at the town’s surroundings. A deep and dense forest giving off bad vibes was to the south. Canterlot and the mountain it’s attached to is to the north and east a bit. To the north, I could still see the lights from the Crystal Empire. In the sky not too far to the left of the empire was a large assortment of clouds bundled close together, I figured it was a city built on the clouds. To the east as far as I could see was an ocean and with my Dragon’s Sight, a shoreline signaling another continent. To the west was a long stretch of plains, forests, and mountains. To the far south was a stretch of mountains acting as a border but I could see beyond that was a desert.
Once I was able to identify the various landscapes around the continent I was on, I slowly floated down till I was only 30 meters above the town compared to a dozen miles. Then I just flew around slowly above the town, identifying it from a bird’s eye view. I could see ponies on the ground looking up at me but at this distance, they couldn’t tell if I was a pegasus or a very small dragon. I can say I’m a little bigger than Luna.
When I familiarized myself with the town, I stopped and hovered in place over the town hall. I started thinking about who I should visit first, since the entire survey took me half an hour. While I was thinking, I had a desire to try something. I focused on shifting into my Dragoon State and with a bit of difficulty, pulled it off.
My overall appearance didn’t change since my dragon form was acting as armor for me. But I knew I changed since my wings felt smaller than normal, my tail didn’t feel the same, and my front and back claws were of a different shape. I lowered myself to the ground near a river to use as a mirror.
When I looked at the surface of the water, I saw a red stallion with a brown mane wearing nearly full-body dragon armor, looking back at me with slitted hazel green eyes. I had the claw part of my armor retract so I could see my hoof. It was a normal hoof at first glance but the bottom part could separate into claws. I let the armor cover my hoof.
”So in this world, when I transform into a Dragoon; I become a pony instead of a human. Good to know.”
I then heard a roar to my left. It was a roar I was somewhat familiar with but couldn’t quite remember what creature it belonged to. I flapped my wings and caused the armored wings to lift me up off the ground. Despite the armor part of my wings being near twice the size, my enhanced strength made up for it. I flew up and in the direction of the roar.
Fluttershy’s POV, 3rd person view
After Sarius flew off, the girls all decided to stay their farewells and head to their homes, Spike obviously went with Twilight. Fluttershy was accompanied by Applejack as they walked along a paved path and over a bridge.
“Mind if ah ask you a question, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, breaking the silence.
Fluttershy nodded, almost nervous the soothing silence was gone. “Of course, AJ. You can ask me anything.” Fluttershy responded.
“For as long as ah’ve known, you’ve been terrified of dragons. Never once wanted to deal with them. So why do you suddenly start warming up to Sarius? I’m not suspicious about him, ah’m just wondering why he’s an exception.” Applejack asked.
Fluttershy stopped for a second and thought about it. “I guess… it’s because he’s a hybrid?” Fluttershy questioned herself. “I don’t really know why, but I know he has this aura about him that made him approachable. I wasn’t scared of him, nervous yes, but not scared.”
“Ah noticed too. He’s certainly much different from other dragons, especially Spike.” Applejack agreed. “Well, just be careful sugarcube. He may be friendly and approachable but who’s to say that’s not all there is about him.” Applejack added.
Fluttershy nodded, understanding Applejack’s point. “I’m aware of that. I will be careful.” Fluttershy noted.
“Alright, I’m heading to the farm now. See ya later, Flutters.” Applejack tipped her hat and left down another paved path towards the barn in the distance. Fluttershy continued down the current path.
Fluttershy eventually came to a forked path, one that led into the Everfree Forest and the other to her cottage. She walked up the path to her cottage, happy to be back home. The first thing she did was open the door and grab various animal food to go out and feed her animal friends.
Not too long after she brought the food out, her animal friends all swarmed ready to be fed. “Oh you poor things. You must be starving. I’m sorry that I was gone for a while but I’m here now.” She said as she fed each one of them the proper meals.
A white rabbit was sitting outside the cottage door just staring at Fluttershy. Fluttershy took notice and looked at it. “Oh, Angel. Don’t think I forgot you okay.” Angel narrowed his eyes at Fluttershy. “I’m sorry I left, but it was an emergency and I had to help my friends.” Fluttershy pleaded, trying to get the little rabbit’s forgiveness.
Angel just rolled his beady eyes as if he’s heard this excuse a few times. Fluttershy then made him his favorite meal and he decided to forgive her. This time anyway. It didn’t change the fact he was upset at her for leaving when she said she would be spending the day with her animal friends, especially him.
Once he finished eating, he stomped his foot to get Fluttershy’s attention. It did because Fluttershy knew a rabbit stomping its foot was a sign they were upset. “What’s wrong, Angel?” Fluttershy asked.
Angel vocalized with a chirping sound. ‘I’m upset, that’s what’s wrong.’
“But I apologized, didn’t I. I know I made plans of spending time with you and the other animals today but like I said it was an emergency.” Fluttershy remarked.
‘And what will your excuse be next time, then?’ Angel retorted.
“Please don’t start this kind of argument right now, Angel. We both know these kinds of things can’t be helped.” Fluttershy pleaded.
Angel huffed and turned his head in disapproval. Fluttershy sighed. Angel was always like this, getting overly upset over certain things when he shouldn’t be. No matter how hard Fluttershy would try to apologize, Angel will always stay upset at her for a while. But she knew he'd calm down eventually. Thankfully, Angel dropped the argument and went about his usual business.
After a few minutes, Fluttershy managed to feed all the animals. She wiped her forehead with a hoof and sighed, content that the labor was finished. Fluttershy was about to head back inside the cottage when she stopped due to a sudden bad feeling. She turned around to see all the animals all stopped eating and were staring at the entrance to the Everfree forest, not too far from her cottage. They all knew and felt something was wrong and it was heading this way.
The answer came in the form of a manticore appearing out of the entrance. Fluttershy isn’t scared by a manticore since she helped one when a thorn got stuck in it’s paw. But this one was different. It didn’t seem like a misunderstood innocent creature, it was more angry and feral than usual. The manticore eyed her and the animals all began backing away, while Fluttershy was getting frightened.
The manticore roared loudly and began charging at Fluttershy. Fluttershy was scared but mustered up enough courage to stand her ground, step forward and shout, “STOP!”
Thankfully the manticore stopped just a couple feet away from her and wasn’t making any attempt to attack her, mostly out of surprise that she didn’t attempt to flee. Fluttershy noticed how it was panting hard and had silted eyes. Something had this manticore worked up but she didn’t have the faintest idea what it is.
“Easy there. What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked, trying to maintain a soothing tone despite her fear.
The manticore made no reply and just stared at her. The way it was staring at her was both unnerving and saddening. She could see it was under a lot of stress and pain but couldn’t figure out why.
“I can help you, if you’ll let me.” Fluttershy said in a soft and soothing tone as she slowly hovered over to the manticore with a hoof out to touch it.
So far it wasn’t making any attempt to attack her and seemed to be calming down. But before Fluttershy could place her hoof on the creature's forehead, it reared back and growled. Fluttershy backed up a bit but stood firm. Once the manticore calmed down, she tried again. This time the manticore backed up and roared at her. While she was covering her ears, the manticore raised it’s right paw and swung it at her.
She closed her eyes thinking this was her end. Killed by a creature she could tend to. But she felt no pain come. She risked opening one eye and saw a red figure standing between her and the manticore. She opened both eyes and saw it was a dragon, or it looked like a dragon. The ‘dragon’ caught the manticore’s paw, stopping it’s swipe.
The ‘dragon’ turned to look at her and it was now a full dragon. Most importantly, it was Sarius. Either Fluttershy’s mind was playing tricks on her from a near-death experience or she saw very clearly, Sarius was a pony in some sort of dragon armor for a few seconds.
“You alright, Fluttershy?” Sarius asked her.
She nodded. “Yes. T-thanks to you.” Sarius smiled.
Sarius’ POV, 1st Person view
I turned back to the manticore in front of me, I gripped it’s paw, turned it around and pushed it back. The creature flew back to the bottom of the small hill Fluttershy and I were standing on. The manticore didn’t seem to care that it was up against a dragon as it roared and prepared to pounce.
“Fluttershy. Cover your ears!” I warned.
I had no idea if she did or not, as the manticore leaped at us. Before it was able to land on me, I inhaled a deep breath of air, I reeled back and just as the manticore was on top of me, I roared very loudly. It was no ordinary roar, it had a lot of force behind it. The sound waves impacted the manticore's chest and sent it flying back across the river.
The manticore landed on it’s back, letting out a groan. I stepped forward, ready to jump over and take care of it when Fluttershy grabbed my tail. I look back at her. “Sarius, don’t hurt him please. Something tells me, the poor thing isn’t itself.” Fluttershy pleaded.
I gave her a comforting smile. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan to. I know he’s not himself and I have a strong guess why. I’ll bring him back to his senses.” I said reassuringly. I leapt over and landed at the manticore’s side.
I started sniffing the manticore, searching for a certain scent but the manticore was getting back up. He stared at me as if wondering what I did to it just a minute ago. I stepped forward and the manticore’s eyes widened as it swung it’s paw at me instinctively. I ducked under it with ease and stepped back. I knew I could handle the manticore but I didn’t want it swinging wildly. The only thing I could do was restrain it. So I did, with a light stomp of my back left leg, the earth itself gripped the manticore’s back legs and clamped hard. The manticore was surprised and attempted to pull it’s legs out but ended up falling on its stomach. Another light stomp and the creature’s paws were held in place by another set of rocks.
Feeling more assured that it won’t attack wildly, I started approaching it slowly. He growled and roared at me but I responded with shushing and words. “It’s alright. I won’t hurt you. I’m going to help you.” I spoke softly in a soothing tone.
It growled again but didn’t roar and the growl was softer, so I was making progress. “Easy. Trust me, if I wanted to hurt or worse kill you. I would have already done it. Just relax and let me help you, please.” I begged.
The manticore finally let me approach, it was still panting hard from increased activity. I resumed sniffing the manticore from its mane and reached its back when I caught the scent I knew would be there. I reached my claw out and felt around it’s furry back, then I tapped a small needle injector. I pulled it out of the creature and recognized it, it was exactly like the needle that was used on me to make me a hybrid.
I levitated the needle with my energy and pressed my right claw against the back of the manticore’s neck. I focused my energy, had it enter the creature, and once it was inside, I used it to help calm it and eliminate traces of the serum that was injected into it. Once I knew it was all gone and the manticore was calm, I took my claw off its neck and walked in front of it. The last step was used to break apart the rock holding the creature down.
The manticore stood up and the two of us exchanged a look for a minute. He purred at me as if to thank me then walked back into the forest. I levitated the injector onto my right claw and took a good look at it. I had no doubt that it belonged to Raynin, the one who made me into a hybrid and assisted me for a time. For a while after he went into hiding back in my world, he began experimenting with small serum doses and injecting wild animals with them; making them go wild. This injector was proof that somehow, somewhere; Raynin was in this dimension.
Fluttershy trotted over to me. “Sarius, are you okay? You didn’t hurt him did you?” Fluttershy asked with concern.
I took my attention away from the needle and looked at her. “I’m fine and he’s fine. I didn’t hurt him one bit except maybe hitting him in the chest with a roar soundwave but otherwise nothing else.” I answered.
Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. She then noticed the needle in my claw. “What’s that?” She inquired.
“This; is proof that the manticore wasn’t himself. Long story short, I know someone who used these with a serum to make animals go completely wild and aggressive. His name is Raynin and I thought he was still in my world but he’s somehow managed to travel between different webs of Reality.” I explained.
“You really think he’s in Equestria?” Fluttershy asked, a bit concerned.
“Yes, I mean what could explain this being stuck to a manticore?” I gestured to the needle in my claw.
Fluttershy nodded. “I guess you have a point. Is he dangerous, Sarius?” Fluttershy asked, worried.
“Yes, he is. He’s the smart and tactician type. He’ll always be planning his next move while making a move. But that can be used to our advantage. He spends a lot of time plotting his moves out. And I suspect he’s not made himself familiar with Equestria and whatever this planet is called. So he’ll need to take care of that before making any plans. The needle injection on the manticore was most likely him testing if his serum works on Equestria’s creatures.” I explained. “I suspect that manticore won’t be the last creature affected by his experimenting.” I added.
Fluttershy was starting to feel nervous now. “How long do you think that’ll be? The next creature attacks.” Fluttershy asked.
I shook my head. “I couldn’t tell ya. He’s somewhat hard to predict. But I know it’ll be soon. I’ve even wager he’s had surveillance set up so he can watch his experiments in action and make notes of what to improve on.” I answered, taking a look around for anything to provide said surveillance.
“You mean, he’s w-watching us… right now?” Fluttershy asked, starting to freak out.
“Hey take it easy. I can assure you, his surveillance has nothing to do with spying on others. As I said, it's mainly used to watch how well his serum experiments go.” I answered trying to reassure Fluttershy. But I knew Raynin was also smart enough to use that surveillance to learn more about his enemies. I just didn’t want Fluttershy to freak out anymore than she already is.
“Since I know you’re safe Fluttershy, I’ll take my leave and visit everypony and come back. Remember I plan to unlock the potential of the Mane Six. So later.” I stated. Futtershy nodded and I left.
But little did I know, that was exactly what Raynin was doing at that moment.
3rd Person View
Meanwhile at an unknown location, the events of Sarius beating the manticore and healing it were playing out on a screen. Sarius then began to tell Fluttershy about Raynin and what he does. A pony sat in a chair watching the whole thing and smiled at the mention of his name.
“You know me too well, Sarius. But I wonder why you refuse to tell her that you know I’m watching every move you and your new friends make.” The pony version of Raynin held a hoof to his chin. Aside from the light coming from the screen, it was too dark to see what he looked like. “Oh well. Not that it matters.” He finished.
The sound of hoofsteps approaching was heard. “Still doing your ‘surveillance’ Raynin?” A familiar voice asked.
“Yes. If it makes you feel better, I’m not waiting for anypony to begin intercourse just to pleasure myself. I’m mainly learning all I can about the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses. I’m looking for weaknesses I can exploit and use to my advantage.” Raynin turned to the mysterious figure. “Surely you and your team will want to gain that knowledge as well.”
The figure looked at the screen. Sarius was currently leaving the Bearer of the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy. “It will be beneficial, yes. How long until you're satisfied with your experiments?” The figure inquired.
Raynin shrugged. “Who knows. It’ll go quicker if you and your team bring me creatures I can test my serum on.”
“What’s the point of this? If you don’t mind me asking.” The figure inquired.
“Mostly a distraction from us and what we’re doing but also to see what my serum can affect in this dimension.” Raynin answered. “Now, can you bring me something stronger and more dangerous than a manticore?”
The figure narrowed his eyes. “Yes. We’ll go and retrieve one for you.”
“Excellent. I look forward to what you bring.” Raynin replied excitedly and smiled.
I put the injector away into my pocket dimension since I had nothing on me to carry it in. As I was walking along the path next to the river, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something in the forest to my left was… watching me. I tried my best to ignore it and kept walking. I tried to think about who I would pay a visit to first. When I came to a fork in the road that led to Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack lived, I decided to visit the farm mare first.
As I walked along the more worn-out road, I looked at the vast amount of apple trees to my right. When I first saw it and was told the name of the place, I joked about the name being very literal. Applejack laughed and agreed that there are indeed a bit too many apple trees. I suspected it was more than her small family can handle by themselves. I was reassured that Applejack’s family is rather large and expanded, the majority of the family had their own orchards and farms to tend to, which made sense.
Before I knew it, I came to the gate leading to Sweet Apple Acres’ barn house and walked down that path. My nostrils were filled with the smell of apples again. I never knew how many different recipes there were that involved an apple until I visited here. Applejack and her small family proved to me, there are so many different ways to cook something.
When I reached the barn, I looked around at all the animal pens. The animals the Apple family kept were of the normal variety, you would find on a farm. Cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, and even a dog. The animals all took notice of me, the chickens freaked out a bit but the rest didn’t since they’ve seen me before. Plus I wasn’t as big as other dragons, in fact, I was no bigger than Luna, who was supposedly as big as a stallion. Namely Big Mac, Applejack’s brother.
Speaking of Big Mac, I saw him leaving the barn house carrying a bag on his back. I walked over to him. “Hey again, Big Mac.” I greeted.
He looked at me and nodded. He was a quiet stallion. He was red with an orange-colored mane and tail. “Do you know where your sister is?” I asked. “The older one,” I added since I know he has two sisters.
“Eeyup.” He said as he turned his head to the house.
“Thanks,” I said before walking over to the house.
I opened the front door, walked in, and was almost overwhelmed by the smell of the Apple family’s cooking. The door led to the kitchen which is where Applejack was, making apple dishes. Helping her out was her sister, Applebloom, a young bright yellow with red hair and a hair bow. I suspected Granny Smith, a green elder mare with white hair, was resting somewhere in the house. Applebloom saw me and her eyes widened.
Applejack saw the expression on her sister’s face and turned to see me. “Oh howdy, Sarius. Ah didn’t expect to see ya again so soon. Ah take it yar here to ‘unlock my potential’ or something?” Applejack asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I was walking down the path from Fluttershy’s and decided to stop by here first.” I answered. “So let’s get started,” I added walking forward.
“Right. How’s this gonna work?” Applejack asked.
“Just stand in front of me, facing me. Then just relax.” I answer.
Applejack did as instructed. I placed a claw on her forehead as the Energtris Crystals appeared out of my body and began circling the two of us. Using the Crystals, I reach into Applejack’s soul to find her hidden potential. After a few seconds, I find it, and again using the Crystals I unlock that potential. Applejack’s body glowed faintly along with the light green Crystal and disappeared as quickly as it came. I removed my claw from her forehead as the Crystals retreated back into my body.
“So how do you feel?” I asked.
“Different, that’s for sure. What kind of hidden potential do ah have?” Applejack inquired.
“Judging from the Crystal reaction, something related to the Element of Nature. Though I suspect it’s just simple earth bending.” I explained.
“Right, sorry. The light green Crystal glowed along with you, signifying your potential being related to the Nature Element. The element of Nature is simply anything and everything related to Nature, grass, trees, the earth, and flora. That’s excluding wind and water since they are their own elements. And earth bending is as the name says; the power to bend the earth and ground beneath your hooves.” I explained. “Did that make better sense?”
Applejack rubbed her head with a hoof, a bit confused still it seems. “Somewhat. Ah can understand what you said but it’s a bit difficult to wrap mah head around. Ah am just a farm pony.” Applejack pointed out.
“Understandable. Then I’ll say it like this; your potential may help with your applebucking and maintaining the farm. With enough practice at least.” I specified.
Applejack’s eyes lit up with newfound interest. “Oh! That Ah can understand. So what happens now?” Applejack asked.
“I will teach you the basics on how to use your power so you can start practicing. Let’s head outside for this.” I advised.
“Alright. Ah finished the last apple dish so it’s good timing.” Applejack assured.
The two of us walked out the door and Applebloom followed, curious about what we were talking about and what we were about to engage in. The front yard of the Apple’s farm was quite spacious so I knew there was no need to worry about practicing precision just yet. Applejack was following me so I gestured to her to stop and walked a few steps away from her, while Applebloom stayed close to the barn.
“Now, first things first; the basics.” I began. “The first step to earth bending is maintaining a firm grip on your emotions. Technically it’s the first step for anything. You can’t control and use your power to its full extent if your mind’s clouded with emotion. So basically, stay in control of your emotions and thoughts or at the very least ensure you can think rationally.” I explained.
Applejack was looking at me and blinked a couple of times. “Just keep a clear head?” Applejack queried. I nodded. “Okay, Ah can do that.” She added.
“Next; you simply need to view the earth as an extension of yourself. This also applies to a lot of things. Just imagine a section of the earth you want to bend and move it like it was your own leg. I’ll demonstrate.” I declared.
I focused on a part of the earth a few feet away in front of me and I kept my eyes on that spot. I imagined my body was connecting to that point and with a quick soft stomp of my back leg, a rock spire shot out from that spot. Applejack and Applebloom went wide-eyed, shocked beyond words.
I looked at Applejack who was looking at me with that shocked expression. “Just like that. It’s easy to explain but hard to put into action.” I said. “Now you give it a try,” I instructed.
Applejack shook her head to rid herself of the shock. She was watching me closely and tried to do exactly what I did but with a different result. No spire shot out of the ground like when I did it. I shook my head. “No, you’re simply imitating my actions. Pick a spot and imagine it’s connected to you. So when you stomp your hoof, the ground will continue the motion.” I specified.
Applejack narrowed her eyes attempting to focus her attention. After a couple of minutes, she stomped her left front hoof and a spire shot out of the ground. Not as big or refined as mine but it was a start. Applejack blinked, looked at her hoof then back to the spire she made contemplating that she did that.
“Yes, you did it right. Not too shabby for a first attempt.” I confirmed.
Applejack looked at me and smiled. “That was different but Ah like it. What else can Ah do with this?” She inquired.
“Well, that depends on the extent of your power. The furthest I can think of how far your power can go is metal bending. Once you’re able to manipulate metal, you’ve reached your full potential. But don’t think reaching that point is the end. At that point, you should start mastering everything you know until it all comes naturally and your body will act on its own.” I explained.
“Metal bending? Ah thought the earth bending stuff was just what you showed me.” Applejack asked, confused.
I chuckled. “Trust me, there’s more to earth bending than just being able to shoot rock spires out of the ground. I’ll show you.” I stated.
With a snap of my claw fingers, the two rock spires AJ and I made, descended back into the ground. Applejack looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I smirked and shook my head answering her internal question; ‘Was that it?’.
I refocused on the ground in front of us and held up a claw. Once I knew I got my grip, I moved my claw left and right, causing the ground to shift and move with my claw movements. This motion made both Applejack and Applebloom drop their jaws in sheer surprise. But that was a simple thing I could do with my experience. I stopped the motion and let the ground settle.
I then took the same claw I moved the ground around with, gripped the ground, and pulled a chunk of it out. I then sat on my butt and held up my claws a few inches from each other. The chunk of the earth I pulled out began moving and it slowly dispersed into small pieces as I had them float around in different directions. I wasn’t using my physical body for this, I was using my will to move the particles however I wanted.
Applejack and Applebloom were still shocked but they closed their mouths. I showcased my control over the earth, by making the dirt transfigure into stone, then mud, then sand, and finally back to dirt. Once I was done showing off I put the dirt back into the spot I took it from and made it look like it was never disturbed.
I looked at Applejack. “And all that is just simple bending capabilities. Metal bending is the mastery but before it, is being able to transfigure the dirt into either stone, mud, sand, or metal. But transfiguring requires knowledge of the said things and dirt. It’ll be a lot to learn but once you learn it and put it into practice enough times, you’ll be able to pull it off without needing to think about it or the method of transfiguring.” I explained.
Applejack slowly nodded her head, trying to convince me she understood it but I knew she didn’t fully get it. “I know it’s hard to understand but trust me, once you start using this power on a regular basis almost like walking, breathing, or even cooking those apple treats; it’ll make much more sense and come naturally.” I simplified it to the best of my ability.
“That does make sense. Just use this here power of mine and Ah’ll eventually learn everything I need to learn. Right?” Applejack asked.
“Yup, Exactly that,” I answered. “The only advice I can give you, for now, is practice. When you need some advice on earth bending itself, let me know.”
“Ah will. Thank you, Sarius.” Applejack thanked.
“It was my pleasure,” I said.
“Uhhh, Sarius?” A young, and almost Fluttershy levels of timid, spoke up
“Yeah?” I asked, looking at Applebloom who was pawing at the ground in a cute manner.
“What’s up, Sugarcube?” Applejack inquired of her little sister.
“Uhh. Ah was j-just wondering about something.” Applebloom said.
“What about?” I asked, trying to encourage her.
“Well. How do you feel about p-ponies, Mr. Trusdale?” Applebloom asked.
I smiled. “Please no need to call me Mr. Just Sarius.” I corrected her. “And to answer your question; I couldn’t give you a straight answer right now. This is all still new to me. I’m gonna need some time. But if it’s a suitable answer, I think ponies are far better than what I’m used to, back where I’m from.” I answered.
Applebloom smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good enough answer for me. Ah gotta go do mah chores now, so Ah’ll see you later-” Applebloom hesitated for a second. “-Sarius.” She finished before running off to the barn.
“Ya made quite an impression on my little sister, Sarius. You become more amazing every minute I spend with ya.” Applejack complimented.
I chuckled. “Thanks, AJ. That means a lot, but my business here is concluded. So I need to go and visit the next pony on the list.” I stated. I was about to walk away but quickly turned back to Applejack real quick. “But I’ll be back to try some of those apple treats you and your family make. That’s a promise.” I finished.
Applejack chuckled and smiled. “Ah’ll hold you to that, mah friend. Take care now.” She waved.
“Back at ya.” I waved back and left Sweet Apple Acres.
As I walked along the path back to Ponyville, I pondered on which pony I should visit next. I recalled that Fluttershy was the furthest one from Ponyville and the farm Applejack lived at was along the way as well as the Carousel Boutique, which is where Rarity is. In fact, I was able to see the shop as I crossed the bridge into Ponyville. So I decided Rarity was next. I walked up to the front door and took a minute to compose myself for what would come next.
I knocked on the door. “Coming~” I heard Rarity sing-song.
The door opened revealing Rarity with glasses on, but her eyes were closed. I won’t lie, she looked attractive with those glasses on. “Hello and welcome to the Carousel Boutique.~ I am Rarity, the owner and designer of the store. How may I-” She cut herself off when she opened her eyes and looked at me with her blue eyes. “Oh, Sarius! I… wasn’t expecting you so soon, darling.”
“My apologies. I came from Applejack’s place and unlocked her potential, before that I was saving Fluttershy from a manticore. Then-”
“WHAT?!” Rarity squealed with widened eyes. “Is she alright?!”
“Yes. She is, don’t worry. The manticore didn’t hurt her and I didn’t hurt the manticore much. Everything’s fine.” I said, trying to calm Rarity.
Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear. Sorry for screaming at you, darling. It was very unladylike.” Rarity apologized.
“No need to apologize for screaming. You were scared for your friend and I understand that and that doesn’t make you any less of a lady.” I said with a friendly wink.
Rarity giggled. “So do you want to come in?” Rarity asked, moving over and gesturing to the room.
“Sure, I came to visit you after all.” I said as I walked into her home/workplace. Rarity was indeed working as I saw pony manikins with unfinished clothing on them. The place was a lot bigger inside than it looked from the outside.
Rarity walked in front of me. “So, how do we go about unlocking my potential? I’m very eager to know what I’m capable of.” Rarity mused.
“Rarity!” A young voice squeaked out. A white filly with a light purplish and rose streaked mane & tail came galloping down the stairs in a panic. “I heard you scream, is everything o-” The filly was cut off when she laid her green and now widened eyes on me.
“Oh hey, Sweetie Belle. I’m afraid I’m to blame for your sister screaming. I just told her something happened to Fluttershy.” I stated.
Sweetie Belle began to blush a bit. “Hey. Sarius. Fancy seeing you again. What’s the occasion?” She asked, trying to keep her cool. She failed a bit, but it was cute nonetheless.
“I’m going around and visiting Rarity and her friends to unlock their potential. My Crystals suggested I do so.” I explained.
“My sister has potential? Also crystals?” Sweetie Belle inquired with a squeak.
“Yes, darling. Your fabulous sister indeed has potential. Oh I hope it’s the potential to be even more fabulous.” Rarity crooned.
I chuckled. “ I doubt your potential will be something like that. At least I’ve never heard of one’s potential making them more fabulous. Now just stand in front of me and hold still.” I stated.
Rarity did as I asked and I placed a claw on her forehead, making sure to avoid her horn. The Crystals floated out of me again and floated in the air as I reached into Rarity’s soul, extracting the hidden power within. Once I grasped her potential, I yanked it out. Rarity’s horn came to life and began sparking traces of pure magic I was familiar with and elemental energy. To top it off, 8 of the 11 crystals glowed. The only ones that didn’t glow; were the larger crystal and the Light and Dark Crystals which were white and black respectively.
The Crystals were absorbed back into my body again. “Wow… those were pretty.” Sweetie mused.
“So what’s my potential darling?” Rarity asked, very interested to know.
“Being a Black Mage.” I say simply with a smile.
Rarity looked at me with horror. “A B-black mage?! I have the potential to be evil?!” Rarity shrieked, clearly freaking out.
My eyes widened when I realized my little mistake. I shook my head and claw rapidly. “Nononono. You’re misunderstanding. Though I should have been clearer, so my bad. The kind of Black Mage I’m referring to is a magic user that utilizes the elements. It is referred to as the Black Arts sometimes but I assure you it’s not inherently evil.” I explained as clearly as possible.
Rarity calmed down. “Are you sure?” She asked nervously.
“Yes. Completely sure. The kind of Black Magic you can use are spells that, again either utilize the elements or pure magic to do damage. There are only a few spells that are favorites of assassins and such. Bio is one example, it’s a spell that poisons a target.” I explained with a bit more detail.
Rarity took in every word I said and when she understood it all, she sighed in relief. “Okay good. You had me extremely worried.” Rarity stated.
“I’m really sorry for giving you the wrong idea. I should have explained it instead of just saying it.” I apologized. “Anyway, I’ll teach you the basics, though I suspect it’s technically no different than using your unicorn magic. It’ll most likely just be a different application.” I added.
“So what, just use my magic?” Rarity asked rather simply.
“Yes and no. Like I said, it’s likely a different application meaning it’s used a bit differently than when you use your unicorn magic. I suggest doing the same thing you always do just instead imagine something like fire or ice being created from your magical energy.” I instructed.
Rarity attempted to do that but nothing happened. I tapped my chin with my claw thinking. “Hmm. Perhaps you don’t have the power to create the elements from your energy.” I muttered to myself. “Rarity, did you get any knowledge in the past few minutes?” I inquired.
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I… don’t know. Was I supposed to gain some?” She replied.
“That’s part of my current theory, yes.” I responded.
Rarity stared at the wall, seemingly in deep thought, then she shrugged. “I don’t believe I did. All I have in my head right now is a bunch of mumbo jumbo science stuff, I think.” Rarity spoke.
“That’s it. That mumbo jumbo stuff is what you need to refer to for using the element magic.” I replied.
Rarity looked at me, surprised. “Really, are you sure? I don’t even understand any of it.” Rarity noted.
I shook my head. “You don’t have to understand it, you just have to know that knowledge is needed to use Black Magic. Besides, after a while you’ll start to understand it anyway. For right now, you just have to focus on one recipe in your head and let your body do the rest.” I explained.
Rarity raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Recipes? Am I using magic or making a cake?”
“The term recipe is thrown around more often by chefs and individuals that make food dishes, but it’s a universal term for a set of instructions that need to be followed for a certain product or outcome. Alchemists use recipes and they don’t make food. If you prefer, guide can be a better and less confusing term to use.” I explained.
“Oh. So you said just focus on one recipe or guide and let my body do the rest?” Rarity asked.
I nodded. “Trust me, since the knowledge is there your magic should automatically make the adjustments, just as long as you keep the guide in your head. Then you just pick a target and use your magic.” Rarity narrowed her eyes, indicating she was focusing really hard. She was staring at one of her pony manikins quite intensely. Her horn started to glow and I suddenly felt compelled to say something. I had a feeling she was about to do something a bit stupid.
“Uh Rarity. Are you sure you want to-”
I was cut off when the manikin spontaneously caught fire, which quickly engulfed the entire manikin from one spot. Rarity’s horn stopped glowing as she loosened up her eyes to take in her work, then she smiled and started hopping in place.
“I did it! I don’t know how, but I did.” Rarity cheered.
The fire wasn’t shrinking and was threatening to reach out to whatever was in reach to spread. “Rarity.” I said, trying to get her attention. It didn’t work as she was still being gleeful. “Rarity!” I shouted this time.
Rarity snapped to attention and looked at me with shock. “What, darling?” She nearly shouted back.
“Were you planning to set just a manikin on fire or your entire home/workplace?” I asked simply.
“Just the manikin. Why do you-” She cut herself off as she looked at the fire that was now igniting a second manikin. “Sweet Celestia!! Sweetie Belle, find the fire extinguisher quickly!” Rarity squealed as she and Sweetie Belle were about to head to what I assumed was the kitchen.
“No need, ladies.” I spoke trying to help calm them down.
Rarity quickly turned to me. “What do you mean by-” She was cut off again as I opened my maw. “NO STOP!! YOU’RE GOING TO-”
Instead of fire shooting out my mouth, it was a stream of water right at the fire. The force of the stream pushed the manikins against the wall, and the fire was about to set something else ablaze before I aimed the stream for the rest of the fire, extinguishing all of it. Once I knew the fire was gone, I stopped the stream of water. I moved my mouth around a bit and spat out a little bit of water that stayed in my mouth. I turned to Rarity and smiled. She and Sweetie Belle were completely baffled, and at a loss for words.
I raised an eyebrow. “What? Did you really think I would be stupid enough to try to use fire to extinguish fire? It never ends well, trust me. Besides, I can do more than breathe fire or use energy.” I stated.
Rarity shook her head. “Uh thank you, darling. I’m glad you were willing to jump into action so quickly.” Rarity complimented.
I smile. “That’s always my plan, being ready to spring into action when needed. Anyway, you’re gonna need two new manikins now.”
Rarity giggled. “Oh not to worry. I have plenty of those to use.” Rarity walked up to me to look at the mess that was made from her attempting to learn how to Black Magic. “So… did I do okay, at least?” She inquired.
“Yes. You did okay. Just… keep in mind that the spells you use are still elements. The elements exist all around us, using Black Mage magic just helps spread it or takes the element and magnifies it. So the fire you created was just you causing a lot of friction, or basically the term for when two things rub together, which caused combustion, and thus fire was created. If you don’t control the element it’ll act like it always does.” I explained.
“Alright. Duly noted.” Rarity said.
“Your Black Mage potential will grow over time as you use them and you’ll gain more experience. Over time you’ll be able to use stronger variations of those basic spells and use advanced spells. You’ll figure out how to use the advanced spells as well.” I stated.
“You’re sure I’ll figure it out?” I nodded. “Okay then. Well I’ll make sure to get the practice in. Thank you, darling.” Rarity said.
“Will I see you again, Sarius?” Sweetie squeaked. She had a blush on her face.
I chuckled. “Definitely. Later ladies.”
They waved bye to me as I walked out the door. I began walking into town with the Sugarcube Corner next on my list. I began approaching the oddly shaped store after a few minutes. I could already hear Pinkie Pie being herself as I walked into the building.
The inside still smelled so sweet and inviting. I saw Pinkie bouncing around cleaning the place. Seeing her being so full of energy reminded me of myself a long time ago. She noticed me out of the corner of her eye and gasped. She ran right to me like a blur and smiled at me.
“Hi, Sarius. I’m so glad you came to visit me. It’s always exciting to meet new ponies or dragons in your case. Are you excited because I am? Very much so. Like so exciting that I-”
I cut her off by softly grabbing her mouth. “I get you’re excited, Pinkie but try to ease up on the super fast talking okay?” I asked with a chuckle.
“Mkay” Pinkie said with a muffled voice. I let her mouth go. “So what exactly are you going to do? You said you were releasing everypony’s potential but never told us how you would do it.”
“Just stay still. I know it’ll be difficult for you but it’ll make it easier for me.” I instructed.
“I’ll try.” Pinkie said as she went as stiff as a broad.
I blinked. “I’m glad you’re able to stay still but you should relax. Being too tensed up will make this take longer.”
Pinkie breathed out and relaxed. I placed my claw on her head and focused. My crystals appeared out of my body and hovered there. I spent a bit of time locating her potential but eventually found it and unlocked it. The gold crystal was the only one to glow. I removed my claw from her forehead and the crystals returned to my body.
“Ooo, what was that? What did it mean?” Pinke inquired.
“That was my crystal indicating your potential is unlocked. As for what the sole glowing crystal meant, since it was just the gold, it basically tells me your potential is an extension or upgrade of a power you already possess.” I explained.
“Oooo. What is it, what is it, what is it?” Pinkie asked, resuming her bouncing.
“Well, it’s… kinda difficult to explain. Your potential allows you to sense anything, whether it’s another individual or an object that doesn’t originate in your world, and know exactly where it is.” I pause for a second. “Oh it wasn’t as difficult as I thought.. Anyway, you can only sense something within a 30 mile radius and I can only assume there’s a limit to how many things you can sense and keep track of.” I explained.
“Ooooo, that sounds neat. How will I know when I sense something?” Pinkie inquired.
I tap my chin in thought. “I mean, you’ll know for sure when it happens. I can’t really say what to expect since it’ll be different for everyone.” I answer with as simple of an answer as possible.
“Oh I guess that makes sense. So is that it?” Pinkie asked.
“As far as I can see that added something new. As for whether or not it affected anything else about you, I couldn’t say. You’ll have to figure that out on your own, I’m afraid.” I answer.
“Okie Dokie Loki.” Pinkie bubbled. “So are you leaving now?” Pinkie asked with a hint of sadness.
“Yeah, unfortunately. But we’ll see each other again, Pinkie. I promise.” I replied with a warm smile.
“You Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie asked as her lights lit up.
I blinked. “Yeah. I Pinkie Promise.” I repeated.
Pinkie was a bit confused. “You don’t know the Pinkie Promise gesture do you?” I shook my head which made her smile. “Oh okay. Then I’ll teach you.” Pinkie did a set of hoof movements and said “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” while doing them. “Now you try.”
I lifted a claw, made a cross gesture over my heart and carefully placed my claw on my eye while chanting, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” I gave her a smile.
Pinkie bounced in place in sheer happiness. “Yup yup. That’s how it goes.” Pinkie gleed.
I chuckle at her bubbly and good personality. “I’ll see you later then.” I lower my claw and begin walking out the door.
“Make sure you come back. You don’t want to break a Pinkie Promise!” Pinkie warned.
I walked out and to my next location: The Golden Oaks Library. It was on the edge of town and was literally a library home bought into an oak tree. I reached the front door and knocked on it. I took a minute to look around and see how spacious the space around the tree is.
I heard the door open and turned to see Twilight standing in the doorway, since she used her magic to open the door. “I was expecting you. Come in, Spike just made some tea.” Twilight beamed.
I walked in and took in the sight of Twilight’s home again. It was a literal library inside of an oak tree and furnished and modeled to be a home. The books were all organized by alphabetical order. Spike walked over with a hot cup of tea and offered it to me. I took it and took a sip.
“Mmm. That’s good.” I said.
“Thanks.” Spike gleed.
Twilight walked over after closing the door. “So how are we gonna do this?” Twilight asked, getting to the point.
I took another sip, turned my tail into a claw and gripped the tea cup as I walked to Twilight. “First relax and-”
I was cut off as Twilight zipped past me to look at my tail, totally bewildered. “Amazing. The tip of your tail can turn into an additional claw. This is fascinating.” She marveled.
I blinked. “Uh. Yes it is fascinating. If you really desire it, I can let myself be analyzed by you at a better time. For now I need you to relax so I can unlock your potential.” I proposed.
Twilight snapped out of her fixation. “Right, sorry.” Twilight apologized as she walked back in front of me and started to relax.
I placed a claw on her forehead and like before my crystals appeared out of my body and hovered above us. I searched her soul for her potential and was surprised to find it rather quickly and that it was massive. However when I tried to unlock it, I couldn’t. Something was preventing me from unlocking her potential. The glow of the crystals got my attention, specifically the master crystal since all of them were glowing and humming.
I pulled my claw away and the crystals returned into my body. Twilight and Spike were baffled. “What’s my potential?” Twilight inquired.
I shake my head. “I don’t know.” I answered, still a bit surprised about this.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Didn’t you unlock my potential?” Twilight was puzzled.
“I was unable to. Something was preventing me from doing so.” I disclosed. “However, I can tell you that whatever your potential is, is immense. A game changer even and that it has to be unlocked naturally.” I added.
“Unlocked naturally? How?” Twilight asked.
I shrugged. “Again, I don’t know. I can’t do anything else, sorry.” I sighed.
Twilight shook her head. “No it’s fine, Sarius. I apologize if I was rude.” Twilight apologized.
“It’s cool, Twilight. When you do unlock your potential naturally, I’ll be there to help guide you through it.” I stated.
“Thanks.” Twilight replied.
I click my tongue. “So, since I can’t really do much here, I’ll head off now. Thanks again for the tea, Spike. It’s great.” I complimented before drinking the last bit of the tea.
“Thank you.” Spike stated.
I bidded them both farewell and walked back to town. I did a quick check in my head, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight even though I couldn’t do anything for her. All that was left was Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I looked up to the sky and saw a few clouds, but I couldn’t tell which was Rainbow’s house. So I flew up to look.
All the clouds right over Ponyville were just simple clouds. So I flew around the outskirts of the town and found a house on top of a big cloud. I flew up to it and something flew past me really quickly. When I turned to see who it was, I just saw a rainbow blur. I didn’t have to guess who that was as I gave chase.
It didn’t take much or long to catch up to Rainbow. Rainbow had her eyes peeled to the front, so when she finally looked right a bit she saw me, flying right next to her. I smiled at her and she gave me a smirk.
“Oh, you think you’re fast huh? Well try this.” Rainbow spoke before accelerating faster.
I knew she was trying to see how far she could push me until I resorted to my wing thrusters, but I wasn’t ready to humor her yet. Using the wind, I sped up and managed to catch up to her. She looked at me, a bit shocked. She shook her head and went faster. I chuckled as I flew up quite a bit of distance and started diving at a small angle.
I wasn’t trying to catch up to Rainbow through a dive, I was using the dive to adjust my wings. My wings slowly shifted into airplane wings. Once they did, I was going faster and flew out of the dive and towards Rainbow dash. I caught up to her again and she groaned. She flew straight up and took a dive like I did. She used it to pick up speed as the air around her tried to fight her back but she broke through.
She performed a Sonic Boom and her rainbow mane became a literal streak as she flew around. I blinked and was impressed. My wings shifted back to normal as I decided she earned it. “Tsubasa Henka.”
My wings transformed into energy thrusters and I went nearly full throttle. I broke the sound barrier as well, caught up to Rainbow, and pasted her all in a matter of seconds. Rainbow stopped in her tracks and watched me in sheer shock. I slowed down and stopped to hover in front of her.
I smirked. “Was that fast enough for ya?” I teased.
Rainbow blinked. “Whoa. I thought those wings were just for combat.” Rainbow stated bemused.
“Sure, they are but their main function is allowing me to travel at high speeds by air. As you just witnessed. By the way, your sonic boom was different from most.” I pointed out.
Rainbow smiled. “That’s because it’s a Sonic ‘Rainboom’.” She corrected me.
“A Sonic Rainboom, huh. As in a rainbow sonic boom?” I asked.
“Yup. I break the sound barrier and I create a rainbow streak as I fly around, hence Sonic Rainboom.” Rainbow mused.
“Cool. So is that your house right there?” I inquired pointing to the house on the cloud nearby.
Rainbow nods. “It’s nice being a pegasus, you know. Not that I’m being racist, but being able to have your house on a cloud you can move around is pretty sweet. I can literally take my home anywhere.” Rainbow gushed.
Rainbow and I fly over to the cloud and she lands on it. I started lowering to it but Rainbow went wide-eyed as she quickly warned “Careful! You don’t want to fall through-” I landed on the cloud and was not falling through it like she worried. “-the cloud. Huh. I guess dragons can land on clouds then.” Rainbow finished.
“Tsubasa Henka.” As I say that my wings return to normal.
“Wait what did you say?” Rainbow asked, confused.
“Oh, it’s Japanese for ‘Wing Change’.” I answer.
Rainbow tilted her head. “Japawhat?”
“Jap. A. Knees.” I spelled out. “It’s a foreign language from where I’m from.”
“Japanese.” Rainbow repeated. I nodded. “Okay. Cool.”
I walked over to Rainbow. “Did you want me to unlock your potential here or inside?” I asked.
“Right here is fine. I actually want to find out what my power can do the second I get it!” She said excitedly.
“Okay, but you shouldn’t rush into it. Trust me. Sure, using an ability or power is the best way to gain experience in using it but it’s very dangerous if you don’t know how to control it. Just wait until I tell you what it is first, okay?” I implored her.
“Okay, Okay.”
“And try to stay still and calm if you can.” I added.
“I’ll try but I’m not good at that.” Rainbow pointed out.
I chuckle. “I can definitely relate.”
I repeat the process of unlocking Rainbow Dash’s potential the same way I did the others so far. I found her potential in her wings which shouldn’t be surprising. The gray crystal glowed for a minute before the glow faded. Rainbow dash stayed still like she said would try to do.
“So, what is it?” She said in anticipation.
“Control over the wind.” I say simply.
Rainbow Dash blinked. “What?”
“You can control the wind.” I repeated.
“So what does that mean to me?” Rainbow inquired.
I smirk. “Well, you like being fast and flying. So controlling the wind will help with both.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened in excitement. “Ooo. Now we’re talking!”
I chuckle. “So, here’s the basics: like I’ve instructed the other girls. Imagine the wind blowing around you as an extension of yourself. Considering how fast and maneuverable you are in the air, I imagine being able to do things with your wings like blowing wind in a specific direction isn’t out of the question.” Rainbow is following what I’m saying but I sense she doesn’t really get it. “How about I demonstrate?”
I unfold my wings but don’t flap them. Rainbow watches me closely as I make the very air around me blow in a circle. The air becomes a wind and by repeatedly spinning it around me, it literally becomes visible. Suddenly, I start floating off the ground. My wings are still spread out and not flapping.
Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock. “Whoa! How are you floating without flapping your wings?”
“Simple. I’m directing an air current so it’s blowing into my wings thus lifting me up. But I have to get the air current to pick up speed by flowing in circles around me and I can only manage this much because I’m so heavy. For a pegasus such as yourself, it’ll be far easier to fly around with just the wind.* I explained as I softly dropped back onto the cloud, folding my wings, and made the wind stop. “Now you try.”
Rainbow unfolded her wings and attempted to get the wind to blow into her wings. But nothing was happening as she just stood there looking constipated. “I know it’ll be hard to imagine it, but picture the air around as your blood-”
“Wait, what?!” Rainbow looked at me with slight horror.
“Let me finish. Your blood is constantly flowing through your body in streams. But the blood can’t flow until your heart beats and sends blood through the stream. Now imagine the air is like your blood going through your body and you are the heart that’s pumping the blood. I know it’s not the best visual but it’ll work.” I finished.
Rainbow pursed her lips as she reluctantly visualized it. After a minute, the air started moving. Abelit slowly but it was moving. “That’s it. Keep at it. Move the air around.” I encouraged her.
The air slowly became a current that blew into her wings but she wasn’t lifting off the ground. I shook my head. “You can’t just make the air blow into your wings. You have to build up the speed and power of the wind. Focus on making it flow around you in a circle, like I did. Then once it’s made a few laps, push it into your wings.”
She followed my instructions and the wind was going around and around then flowing into her wings. She started lifting off the ground. She had an expression of awe. “I’m doing it.”
I nod. “Don’t let up though. Keep the air going.” She did just that and she was able to stay off the ground for a good minute before she dropped to the cloud out of breath.
“Haa. That was. Exhausting.” She spoke between breaths. “I haven’t been this out of breath in a long while.”
“You did good though. Again I know I didn’t give the best visual but overtime you’ll be able to pull it off without it. And if you can come up with a better visual then stick to that.”
“So what now?” Rainbow asked.
“For now, keep at it. You’ll need to practice with it. All I can really give you is some advice on how to use it. Truth is, you and the other girls have to figure out the best way to use your newfound powers on your own.” I explained.
“Understood. I’ll keep at it.” Rainbow said with gusto.
“Awesome. I’ll be going now. Fluttershy is the last one on my list. Though I probably should have started with her.” I muttered the last part to myself.
“Just take your time with her. She might be the least self-confidant pony I know, but I know she can be awesome and do incredible things if she tries.”
I smile. “I will, don’t worry. I can at least relate to her shyness and lack of experience with socializing.”
“Ha! A dragon like yourself is shy and antisocial. That’s funny.” Rainbow chuckled.
“I was at one time. Before I became a hybrid.” I clarified.
Rainbow looked at me and saw how serious I was. “Oh… Sorry. I wasn’t trying to make fun of you.”
I give her a small smile. “I know. I want to believe ever since I became a hybrid and half of my DNA being turned into Dragon DNA, my personality and temperament improved greatly.”
“Well while I can’t say it’s a big difference since I don’t know ya that well or before you changed, but if being shy and antisocial was part of who you were before then I can say it’s a good change.” Rainbow complimented.
“Thanks. I better get going now. See you later.”
“Yeah. Later. I’ll want another race when I get a good handle on my new power.” Rainbow smirked.
I smirked back, “I look forward to it.” With that, I jumped off the cloud and flew off.
After flying for a few minutes I reached Fluttershy’s cottage. I walk up to the front door and knock on it. Someone comes to the door and opens it slowly. I see Fluttershy peeking through the doorway to see who it is, once she sees me she opens the door fully with a smile. “Oh, Sarius. You’re back.” Fluttershy said.
“Yup. I visited our friends and unlocked their potential. You’re the only one left now.”
“Okay. Come on in then.” Fluttershy stepped to the side and let me through. I walked in and was able to see the inside of the cottage.
The inside of her cottage had the typical furniture to expect from a house but Fluttershy has numerous homes and beds for various animals. There was a staircase leading upstairs and a door that led to the kitchen if I was correct. There was another door that should lead to a bathroom.
I didn’t see the animals but I felt their presence. I assumed they were hiding from me since I was a dragon. I wasn’t bothered since I understood, unlike other humans or ponies in this case, they were responding to a natural instinct. It’s not like humans or ponies didn’t have natural instincts but more they have a stronger understanding and common sense.
“Oh, I’m very sorry about my animal friends. They’re usually so excited to meet new ponies.” Fluttershy then looked at me and started frowning. “Oh, but you’re not a… pony.” She said hesitantly.
“It’s okay. I understand you’re trying not to hurt my feelings but please. There’s no need to beat around the bush. I am exactly what I look like. And I know just how much it scares others.” I put on a smile. “So don’t worry. I won’t hold it against them. They are simply listening to their instincts. I’m sure they’ll come around when they no longer sense they’re in danger.”
Fluttershy’s frown instantly turned to a warm smile. “Yes. You’re right. Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll go make you some tea.” With that, Fluttershy walked to the kitchen.
I sat on the couch and ended up using the whole space so I just sat on the floor. It wasn’t uncomfortable for me, thankfully. For the next few minutes, I sat in awkward silence feeling the scared gazes of Fluttershy’s animals while she was humming to herself in the kitchen. Fortunately the silence was broken by a new voice that wasn’t Fluttershy’s, unfortunately I would quickly realize the owner of the voice has quite the ego and mouth.
‘A dragon in my home?! I thought she was scared to death by them?’ The voice was male but it was soft and had a slightly high pitch. I turned my head to the owner of the voice. It was a white rabbit.
The first thought I had, which wasn’t since it always popped into my head whenever I see a white rabbit, was the Killer Rabbit from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. My first ‘real’ thought was: ”Did this rabbit just say ‘his’ home, not Fluttershy’s?”. As I thought that I raised an eyebrow.
The rabbit narrowed its eyes on me. It obviously wasn’t scared of me which I couldn’t tell if it was a good or a bad thing. ‘The nerve of you to make yourself at home like this. She may have let you in but don’t think this means you’re welcome.’ The rabbit then seemed to scoff. ‘I bet you can’t understand a word I’m saying can you, you oversized lizard.’
I narrowed my own eyes back at him slightly but I also gave him a smirk. The smirk must have had a reaction since he stopped glaring at me. “You must have some nerves of steel to mouth off to a dragon of all things like that.” His beady eyes widened in surprise and my smirk faded. “Also ‘your’ home? What makes you think the cottage belongs to you? That’s some ego you got, little bunny.”
The bunny didn’t say anything for half a minute. ‘You understand me?’ He asked with surprise.
I raised an eyebrow at the stupid question. “Really? You have to ask that? Of course I can.”
‘How?’
“Now that’s a better question. My aunt is Mother Nature and I gained her ability to communicate with animals.”
The rabbit deadpanned at me. ‘Am I expected to know who that is?’
I roll my eyes. “Meh, not really but you at least should know she’s very important. She gave life to everything after all.”
The rabbit blinked. It seemed like what I was saying was flying over his head. I shouldn’t expect a rabbit to understand things about higher beings like gods. ‘Well, since you understand me. Then I’ll vocalize my complaints; as far as I’m concerned you’re not welcome. So get out of here.’
I looked away from him and snorted. “Nah. The only way I’ll leave is either of my own choice or if Fluttershy asked me to. I’m not gonna let a rabbit order me around.”
This must have set him off since he hopped onto my head and started hopping in place on my head and occasionally pounding his feet on my head while saying some colorful words. It didn’t hurt or bother me, but it was a bit annoying. Though I did have to commend the little furball for having the courage to do this to a dragon. Naturally any other dragon besides earth or ice dragons would either scare him away or straight up swallow him whole. I honestly found it amusing now.
Fluttershy came back with the tea in a cheerful mood then she saw the rabbit angrily stomping on my head with little effect. “Angel! Stop, he’s a guest. You shouldn’t treat him like that.” Fluttershy quickly put the tea cups down and flew over and plucked the rabbit off my head. Angel protested against it. “Oh, I’m so sorry for his behaviour.”
I give her a small smile. “It’s fine. While it wasn’t my intention, I did set him off. And it’s not like he was hurting me. Though I will say he is quite gutsy.”
“Okay.” Fluttershy put Angel down and he just stared at me. “Angel behave please.” She pleaded.
‘Why is he in my home? Get rid of him.’ Angel demanded.
“I told you, he’s a guest. It’s not kind to let somepony in just to kick them out.” Fluttershy said.
Angel chriped angrily. ‘I don’t care! I don’t like him! He’s not welcome!’
“Angel please.” Fluttershy was starting to sound like she was in a losing battle.
I sighed and stood up getting the attention of both Angel and Fluttershy, the former was a little scared. “It’s clear Angel doesn’t want me in here. So I’ll go outside.” I said, wanting to resolve the situation.
“No, stay please Sarius. Angel doesn’t want you to leave, right?” Fluttershy looked at Angel expectedly.
Angel smirked a bit. ‘Yeah. I want him to leave. It was nice not knowing you stupid lizard.’
Fluttershy gasped. “Angel! That’s rude. Apologize.” Fluttershy tried to demand but her voice was betraying her.
Angel gave Fluttershy a raspberry. ‘No.’
Fluttershy was about to say something when I stopped her. “Enough.” Angel and Fluttershy looked at me again. “It’s obvious he’s gonna keep fighting you on this. I’ll go.”
Angel kept a smirk while Fluttershy looked a bit ashamed that her rabbit was getting the better of us. “But…” She started to speak.
I give her a small smile. “It’s okay. I’m only going outside. We can just talk out there.”
Fluttershy seemed a bit sad. “O-okay…”
When I was about to take a step towards the door, I felt something tug on my tail. I turned to see a squirrel pulling my tail. Fluttershy, Angel, and I were all surprised by this.
‘D-don’t l-leave.’ The squirrel spoke. It sounded kind of young. ‘Angel is just n-not very friendly to others but F-Fluttershy.’
Angel scowled. ‘Hey! I let you all live here.’ Angel protested.
‘M-maybe so. But you’re still mean to us.’ The squirrel retorted. ‘If Fluttershy wants you to stay, y-you should stay. Please.’ He added, saying it to me.
‘Squil is right.’ A new voice spoke out. We looked around and saw it was coming from a bluejay sitting on Fluttershy’s shoulder. It sounded like a female. ‘This is Fluttershy’s home no matter what Angel says. So she has the right to decide who stays and who goes.’
“Bete, Squil.” Fluttershy uttered. “Thank you.” She sounded genuinely happy her animal friends were standing up for me. I was too but more because they weren’t scared of me anymore.
All it took was one or two to speak up and the rest of the animal’s Fluttershy was tending to, came out of hiding as if they were in agreement with both Squil and Bete. Angel made a very soft and high pitched growl. I’m pretty sure he groaned.
‘What the hay?! You’re all gonna let a dragon into my home?’ Angel protested.
‘Zip it, Angel!’ Bete snapped as she hopped over to Fluttershy’s other shoulder to glare at Angel. ‘This isn’t your home. It’s Fluttershy’s. And she’s the sweetest creature around to allow all of us to stay with her without any complaints.’ I heard her chirp but her voice scoffed. ‘You’re taking advantage of her kindness because you’ve known her the longest. Honestly, I think she gives you more attention than you deserve.’
‘What?!’ Angel started grinding his teeth in annoyance. ‘Listen here you blue canary-’
“That’s enough Angel!” Fluttershy shouted, cutting off Angel as she turned to glare at him. But the glare she was giving felt very powerful, almost unnatural for a pony. “I will not have you saying such mean things. Not about the other animals or Sarius. Sarius is staying. End of story.” She declared with a firm resolve.
I wasn’t the only one that was shocked and taken aback by her outburst. All of her animals stared at her, Angel was intimidated. I got the feeling Angel still wanted to argue but the glare Fluttershy was giving him was denying him and even scaring him into submission. Angel actually backed down by turning around and hopping away to a bed slightly larger than him and laid down in it. He then started watching me.
Fluttershy’s intense glare ended not too long after Angel hopped away. I had no idea what kind of power was behind that glare but I definitely sensed something familiar. It wasn’t until I started searching Fluttershy’s essence, with my minor ability to scan others, that I realized what kind of power her glare had; Energtris.
Fluttershy turned to me with a sad expression. “I’m really sorry you had to see and hear that, Sarius.” She then noticed I was looking at her with a very surprised look. “Is something wrong?”
I shook off the shock. “No. It’s just that glare you gave. I sensed some real power behind it.”
“Oh, you mean ‘The Stare’? Yeah, I don’t really know much about it other than it’s very powerful. I’ve only used it a few times but everytime I did I, um, controlled animals. It’s even worked on a cockatrice.” Fluttershy answered.
My eyes widened a bit. “Whoa. You’ve stared down a cockatrice?!” I asked slightly bewildered.
“Oh, um, yes…” Fluttershy meekly answered.
“That’s incredible. The Stare must have some protective aspects to it if you were able to make eye contact with a cockatrice and not get turned to stone instantly. More often than not, a creature that can petrify via eye contact does so in an instant.” I explained.
“Oh, I know and it’s not that… impressive.” Fluttershy rebutted.
I shake my head. “You’re wrong about that. It’s truly incredible. I sensed you used Energtris in that stare.”
Fluttershy blushed from my compliment and gave me a surprised look. “Ener… what?”
I blinked then pursed my lips. “Right. I didn’t tell you about my power. First; it’s pronounced: Ener, Tris.”
“Ener… Tris.” Fluttershy repeated, I nodded. “Energtris.” She said again.
“Yup. It’s basically energy in its purest and rawest form. But it’s also very powerful and difficult to control. I had to seek my DNA father out just to learn the basics of controlling it and not have to worry about it raging out of control. It’s also extremely versatile so it’s most likely impossible to master.” I explained. “When the crystals showed me everypony’s potential, your’s and Twilight’s were the largest after Celestia and Luna. And seeing you use The Stare in action, I’m practically convinced your potential involves Energtris. Which is rare in any creature that isn’t a dragon.”
Fluttershy looked surprised. “A-are you sure?”
“Almost certain about it.” I answer.
“B-but, I don’t want to have something that can s-shoot lasers and b-blow ponies up.” She said somewhat fearful of her potential now.
“You won’t have to. As I said, Energtris is extremely versatile. You can use the energy in so many different ways. I may mainly use it offensively but I can use it defensively as well. And it’s not like Energtris is all about explosions and lasers. Someone I know very well mainly uses it to heal others and she’s very good at it.” I said, trying to reassure Fluttershy it wasn’t that bad.
“Oh, okay. I’ll try to learn to heal too then.” Fluttershy responded, perking up a bit.
“That’s fine but you’ll still need to learn an offensive or defensive skill to protect yourself at least. It’ll be best to learn one of each, in my opinion.” I suggested.
“O-okay. If you think so.” Fluttershy replied, feeling a bit worried.
“It’s okay, Fluttershy. Just think of what I’ll teach you as Martial Arts. You’re not learning it to harm others, only to defend yourself if needed. A famous individual once said: It’s better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it. Plus it’s good exercise.” I smile with a friendly wink.
The wink made Fluttershy blush a bit. “A-alright. I’ll do my best then. I just hope I won’t have to use it.” Fluttershy stated.
I look at the tea Fluttershy brought out. It was clear it was getting cold. “For now though, let’s just sit and enjoy the tea you made.” I retake my seat on the floor.
Fluttershy blinked. “But, what about my potential?”
“I’m still gonna unlock it, I just want to relax and chat with you for a bit. Besides, the tea’s getting cold.” I pointed out.
Fluttershy looked at the tea cups then she made a slight gasp from the realization. “Oh, you’re right.” Fluttershy sat in a chair that seemed a bit too big for her.
Fluttershy reached out and somehow managed to grasp a tea cup with her hooves then took a small sip. She sighed contentedly. I reached out and grabbed my tea cup using my claw digits like fingers and looked at the tea in the cup. I hesitated taking a drink, not because I had a suspicion it was poisoned but because I was trying, and failing, to figure out how ponies can pick up and hold things with their hooves. It was absolutely baffling.
I then noticed Fluttershy was looking at me with a look of concern so I took a sip. It was still warm and it tasted very good. While I much preferred cold tea over hot, I knew there was still merit for hot tea. The tea did taste differently than what I’m used to but I chalked that up to a different setting.
“Is it… to your liking?” Fluttershy asked with both worry and curiosity.
“Yes. Very much so. I must say you make some really good tea.” I complimented.
Fluttershy blushed at that and instinctively tried to cover her face with her mane, which was cute. “T-thank you. I’m glad you like it.” I smiled in response. “Um… if you don’t mind me asking, how are you able to understand and talk to animals l-like me?” She asked.
I take another sip of the tea. “I don’t mind at all. In fact I was expecting you to ask so I can gladly tell you.” I take yet another sip to wet my throat for talking. “Honestly, it’s rather easy to answer. The ability comes from two separate but connected sources. One is my aunt who is Mother Nature also known as the Deity of Life; Naturius. She breathed life into Reality as a whole, so that includes; people, ponies, animals, plants, trees, and even the things that have a lifespan to an extent like stars. The second is my DNA father Asgorath. He is the Deity of Creation and Naturius’ brother. He created everything else including knowledge. So in a way, he created languages.” I take a moment to breathe. “You could say my ability to communicate with animals is a combination of the fact that my aunt created the animals and my father creating the language they use to speak to each other.” I finally finished.
Fluttershy was listening very closely and seemed like she understood it all. “Oh wow. That’s amazing, Sarius. Is it all true?”
“Eh. Who knows.” I say to her with a friendly wink and smile.
Fluttershy giggles. Her giggling really warms my heart, it was innocent and cute. Much like the pony herself. “So are there… any other Deities besides your aunt and father?”
I nod. “Yes. They are considered the Primordial Deities. When my father created Reality, he also created Deities, who in turn created the elements, space, time, and other things I can’t name off the top of my head. Those Deities not only created these things but they govern and control them. There is even a Boundless Law that states; ‘Deities must not be killed under any circumstance.’”
Fluttershy cringed a bit at the word kill, her ears rolled back for a second before perking up a bit. “Wha… what would happen if they w-were…” Fluttershy hesitated not wanting to say the word. “K-k-k-killed?” She meekly finished.
I look at her for a minute then look at the nearby fireplace that was unlit. “Well, to put it simply; what they keep under control will run wild. As an example: imagine the fire of a fireplace or campfire. The warmth and comfort that fire brings in the cold and the dark. It’s controlled, contained. Then the Deity of fire suddenly dies. That fire will rise and explode into an inferno. Literally. Since the Deity of fire created fire and controls it, if it dies all fire across Reality will become uncontrollable and spread like, well, wildfire. Anything that uncontrolled flame touches instantly catches fire and spreads very quickly. It takes a couple days for a large lush forest to burn down from a fire, but without the Deity holding it back, it’ll take 30 minutes. Give or take.”
Fluttershy had a horrified look on her face. “And that’s just using the Deity of Fire as an example. Imagine what would happen if the Deity of Time or Space bit the dust.” I paused for a second. “Actually, don’t imagine it. I’m not liking the image so far. But that’s why the law exists. And everything in Reality is aware of this law.” I take a sip of the tea to clear my throat. “All the Deities are passive. They aren’t good or evil since the things they created are either used or turned good or evil. They also mostly keep to themselves. Only Asgorath and Naturius are known for socializing naturally since one created everything and the other gave life to all beings.”
Fluttershy was unable to speak for a bit. “That’s… terrifying.” That was all she managed to say.
“Yea it is. But the Deities are very powerful so it wouldn’t be easy to slay them plus they’re immortal so you have no need to worry.” I said, trying to reassure her. “I would know, I felt against one.”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh no. What… happened?”
“He was corrupted by something very… malicious and I had to fight him to help break the control of whoever was controlling him. It was my most difficult battle because I had to hold back so I didn’t accidentally kill him but I also had to fight seriously since he was very powerful. Thankfully I managed to loosen the corruption’s grip enough for it to leave his body.”
Fluttershy calmed down again. “That’s good.” She takes another sip of her tea and I take a sip from mine. We drank the rest of our tea in silence which was only a couple minutes.
Once we were done, I stood up. “Alright, it’s time.”
Fluttershy put her cup down and got off the chair and stood up. “O-okay. What should I do?”
“Just stand still.” I place a claw on her forehead.
The Crystals appeared around me as I began searching her soul for her potential. As I figured it didn’t take very long, her potential took up a large portion of her soul. I undid the lock holding it back and it flowed through her soul like a raging torrent. I lowered my claw from her forehead and as expected all 11 Crystals were glowing. Fluttershy’s body was covered with a familiar sky blue aura.
Fluttershy’s pupils became dots as she felt an overwhelming amount of energy flow through her. “Oh my, I feel really energetic. Is this how Rainbow Dash feels when she’s flying around?” Fluttershy looked like she was about ready to dance in place from how much energy she’s getting.
“Fluttershy, breathe.” I ordered. It was a bit stricter than I wanted but I knew exactly what she was feeling and how hard it was to handle. Fluttershy started breathing but still looked anxious. “Deep breaths, Fluttershy. Focus on taking deep breaths in and out slowly. That will help with calming yourself.”
Fluttershy inhaled a great amount and exhaled. She repeated this several times and I could sense her energy was calming down. “Good. Now just imagine all that energy you feel being weighed down by weight only you can move. That’s my best method for controlling it.”
Fluttershy was quiet for a couple minutes then she sighed. “O-okay. I think I got it.” She said, not sounding sure of herself.
I decided to sense her energy and confirm for myself. Sure enough, the energy that was threatening to burst was calm and controlled, and the aura around her was gone. “Very good. Trust me when I say the image of your energy being weighed down will always be in the back of your mind, you just have to remind yourself the weight holding it down can only be moved by you.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Okay.”
“I hate to do this to you just after you learned to control it, but I’ll teach you the three skills you should know.” I take a quick look around. “Let’s step outside for this.”
Fluttershy blinked. “H-huh? Why?”
“You’ll understand, trust me on this.” I start walking to the door and then open it.
Fluttershy wants to rebuttal but she follows me outside anyway. Once we get outside, I look for a spot away from her cottage, animal shelters, and farms to start her lessons. It was actually down the hill her cottage was built on but before the natural bridge over a small river. I turned to the empty space that’s to the left of the bridge as you walk across it, then I softly stomp a back claw so a small pillar of earth pops out. Fluttershy jumped a bit at that.
“Alright, so first off; an offensive skill. It’s a very simple but important one. Watch what I do.”
Fluttershy watches me closely, her nervousness to learn an offensive skill returning in full swing. I lift my front right claw and turn it so the claw points are pointing up. I focused my energy into my palm then had it form into a ball in my palm. This caused my claw to glow then an energy ball formed in my claw.
Fluttershy stared at the energy ball. “Wow.”
“This is what I did.” I paused waiting for her to listen to me, and she did. “First, I lifted the weight on my energy just a bit so a small amount can be used. Then I had that energy focus around my claw then I pushed it out and compressed into this energy ball. You can do quite a bit with this but for now the only application I’ll teach you is a concussive shot.”
I demonstrated by pointing my palm towards the pillar I made and with a tiny amount of energy, shot the ball at it, like hitting a ball in ballards. The ball flew at the pillar at roughly 60 mph and hit it dead on. The pillar was undamaged but there was an indication left that something hit it.
Fluttershy was confused about what I did. “Um… wasn’t it supposed to… blow up?” Fluttershy asked.
“No, because I purposely made the energy much less reactive and volatile and more solid and stable. Or in other words, much less like a blast and more like a punch. The concussive shot is an energy ball that is meant to impair, stun, or knock something unconscious. It’s relatively harmless unless it’s fired in rapid succession or hits the same spot multiple times.” I lower my right claw and turn my head to Fluttershy. “Now you try. I don’t expect you to get it on the first try, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work.” I finished.
Fluttershy lifted a hoof and switched from looking at her hoof and the pillar a few times. “Um… I don’t know if I want to do this.”
I let out a sigh. “I’m not surprised you’re reluctant on this.”
Fluttershy lowered her head, seeming both sad and ashamed. “I’m… sorry.”
“It’s fine. I understand you don’t want to fight. No one does.” I turn to look at the sky. “Truthfully, I don’t want to either.” I admitted.
I can sense Fluttershy turn to look at me. “You don’t?” She sounded a bit surprised. “Then why do you?”
I lower my gaze to the pillar in front of us. “To protect and save others. To fight for them. What’s the point of having this power, if I don’t use it to do some good things? Especially since I brought this on myself.” I go silent for a bit as I quickly drift into a stupor. “I should least make the most of the second chance I was given even if I don’t deserve it.”
“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked. I snapped out of my stupor. I turned to meet Fluttershy’s gaze and realized what I said due to her confused and concerned look.
I pursed my lips as I turned my attention away from her eyes. I was now pondering if I should tell her as I could see her trying to make eye contact with me again. I let out another sigh. “Alright, I guess you should know.” I turned my head to look at her. “But I won’t tell my story to just you, I’m going to tell the others too.”
Fluttershy blinked in surprise. “Really? You’re gonna tell our friends?”
I nodded. “And the princesses.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, that’s good to hear.”
“Anyway, back to practice. Take a shot at the pillar and try to not blow it up.”
Fluttershy turned her attention back to her hoof. I watched her as she attempted to summon energy into her hoof with little success. Using my energy sense, I could see her energy was in her hoof. All she had to do was bring it out and focus it into a stun ball. But she was having difficulty with it.
“I know it’s not easy to draw out the energy, so picture you’re holding a baseball in your hoof.”
Fluttershy looked at me with a puzzled look. “Baseball?”
I mentally slapped myself in the face for not realizing she wouldn’t understand anything about Baseball. “Right…” I held up a claw and created another energy ball. “Then use this as reference.”
Fluttershy focused on the ball in my claw. Nothing happened right away but I could see the energy in her hoof was trying to form the object she was looking at. Slowly but surely, she created an energy ball in her hoof. It took a good 10 minutes but I knew she only managed to create it that fast, thanks to using my own energy ball as a reference.
Fluttershy was still focused on my energy ball despite the fact she made her own, so I decided to point it out. “Fluttershy, you did it.”
Fluttershy looked at me a bit confused but she turned to her own hoof anyway. She smiled at the sight. “Oh…. my. I did it. Yay.”
“Fluttershy, stay focused. I know you’re happy but if you let your focus slip, that energy ball may blow up in your face. So-”
I was caught off by her gasping as she started holding her hoof away from her. “Y-y-you never warned me about that.” She was clearly freaking out which did show when the perfectly round energy ball was shifting its energy around.
“Fluttershy! Deep breaths!” I ordered. Fluttershy let out a small squeak at me raising my voice but she complied, taking deep breaths and calming down.
“Good. I’m sorry I raised my voice. I can’t have you freaking out when you’re doing so well. Now, just because I said it may blow up doesn’t mean it will. It’s only happened to me and my family like-” I paused and recollected. “-a couple times. And it was with the same amount we’re using. The worse outcome is the resulting small explosion singing your hoof and face but that will quickly heal.”
Fluttershy looked at me, still worried but in control. “A-are you sure? Will it really heal that fast for me?”
“Yes. Believe it or not, but my secondary healing factor is my most powerful because it uses Energtris. If my track record of Energtris users is on point then every user automatically has that healing factor. So I don’t see why you wouldn’t.” I summarized.
“Wow.” Fluttershy was amazed at that but she quickly became confused. “But didn’t you say Energtris is rare in non-dragons?” I nodded. “So does that mean other dragons are users as well?”
I smiled. “I figured that question would come up. Realistically, yes they are. However, not all dragons can utilize Energtris. At least not to the extent me and my family can. So as far as I know, they don’t gain the benefit of the healing factor. They’ll still heal faster than most creatures though. And as for the dragons that can utilize Energtris, the way they use it isn’t quite the same way as us. Elder Dragons are the first to come to mind. Their mere presence causes changes in the weather or environment they’re in. That’s their way of using the energy. Because of that, Elder Dragons are considered ‘natural disasters’ and should be avoided at all costs.”
I take a moment to catch my breath before continuing. “Dragons like my Sensei can’t really draw out Energtris in it’s true form, but still put it’s verstiality to good use by converting it to another form of energy they can manage. Since Energtris is the source of all energy, it’s very easy to convert it to other forms of energy but very difficult to revert. As it stands; I’ve yet to meet another dragon, other than my father and one other who can use Energtris the same way me and my family can.” I finished.
“Oh. So do Elder Dragons and dragons like your sensei have the healing factor since they can use Energtris in some way?” Fluttershy asked in a somewhat intelligent way.
“Kinda. The natural healing of Elder Dragons is much faster than normal dragons but it only activates when the Elder Dragon isn’t in battle. As for my sensei and others like him, they do gain some benefits but since they’re converting the energy into something else it’s not as potent. So in a way, they do but not in the same way as you and me.” I explained.
“Oh okay.” Fluttershy acknowledged. I noticed how Fluttershy’s energy ball hasn’t shifted or fluctuated in any way, meaning she was still in control despite listening and talking to me. I smiled which made Fluttershy blink in confusion. “Why are you smiling?”
“The energy ball you created has kept its shape and form despite the fact you’ve been talking to me.” I pointed out.
Fluttershy looked at her hoof and gasped. “Oh my. I-is that a good thing?”
“Yes. It means you have good focus. But now you should give it a test against that pillar. I still need to teach you the defensive and support technique.”
“R-right.”
Fluttershy finally turned to the pillar, extended the hoof with the energy ball out to it, and with a slight push of energy fired it. Unfortunately her aim will need work as the ball flew past the pillar and hit a rock behind it. Additionally, when the ball made contact with the rock, it exploded and completely destroyed the top half of it. Fluttershy’s eyes shrunk to dots and I pursed my lips. The resulting explosion scared her animals.
“Oh my… I-” Fluttershy stopped, seemingly at a loss for words.
“It’s… fine. It was small in scale thankfully. Though this means you will have to work on manipulating the energy more thoroughly.” I say trying to reassure her. It was not as bad as she thought.
“O-okay. If you’re sure.” Fluttershy said.
“I am, trust me. Now that you know what you need to do for that, let’s work on the defensive technique.” Fluttershy turned to me to watch. “To start off, you’ll be doing the same thing you did with the ball; focus your energy but into both your front legs this time.” I demonstrated by holding my arms up in a cross block. “Then again you’re gonna push the energy out to form a barrier. Like this.” I pushed my claws forward and created a thick energy barrier in front of me.
Fluttershy gasped which made me look at her. “Is that what you used to save Shining Armor?”
I smiled. “Yes actually. Though the barrier at that time was much stronger. What I used then was my signature defense technique ‘Energtris Shield’, while this is just a simple barrier.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Now you give it a try. Remember, focus your energy into your front legs then push it out to form a wall.” I instructed.
Fluttershy did as instructed. She held up her front legs in an x, having slight difficulty with standing on her back legs while focusing her energy into her front legs. I can sense her energy circulating in her legs then with a slight push from her legs and energy, the energy in her front legs came out and formed an actual wall. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting but I did tell her to form a wall.
She looked at me for confirmation and I nodded. “Good. That was a really good first attempt though you made an actual wall and not a barrier. But still well done.”
Fluttershy smiled. “T-thank you.” She lowered her front legs with a sigh and the wall disappeared. “Oh. It’s gone.”
“Only because you weren’t maintaining it. You can make it so it lasts for a short while but that requires better energy control. Something you don’t have just yet.” I stated.
“And how will I get better?”
“Practice. Plain and simple.” I answered with a smile.
“O-okay.” Fluttershy didn’t seem to believe she could get better.
“Have more confidence in yourself. I know how difficult it is to control and use this power, but I’m certain you wouldn’t have the potential to wield it if you couldn’t handle it. Just practice when you can.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I will…”
“Now finally the support technique. I won’t lie, I’m not good at healing with this power but I know how to do it. Basically you extend your energy out and imagine it acting as your external healing factor. I can’t really demonstrate it since it’ll require someone to be injured to show how effective it can be. Perhaps you can practice with your animal friends.”
“I do tend to animals that get injured. Maybe now I can heal them instead of bandaging them up.”
“Yes, but your energy will need to recover so don’t forget how to tend to them. And running out of energy when you need it most is a stressful situation. Take it from me.”
“Oh, I won’t forget it.” Fluttershy looked at me for a bit as if contemplating something. “Um, Sarius…”
“What’s up?”
“Since you and I share the same power. What exactly comes from that?” Fluttershy asked very curious to know.
“Basically, we can help each other by giving our energy to the other. We can sense each other’s energy which kinda acts like a tracker so if you need to find me, you can by sensing my energy out. And additionally, you can gauge how strong or how much energy another Energtris user is.”
“I… can?” Fluttershy asked curiously. I nodded. “Can you… show me how strong you are? If you don’t mind, of course.”
I blinked and became a bit worried. “I can… but are you sure about this?”
“Y-yes. Why?”
“Well…” I pause. “My power might be… too much for your mind to handle right now.” Fluttershy didn’t seem to be bothered by that idea. “I mean, I just unlocked your potential and taught you some basics today. Sensing my power as you are right now…” I pause again. “Again it’ll be too much.”
“I understand, but I want to know how strong I could be.” Fluttershy stated.
I remain quiet for a minute before letting out a sigh. “Alright, but just know that what you do sense may not be what you are capable of reaching. As I’m sure you’re aware, dragons have ridiculously long life spans and thanks to that, there’s theoretically no limit to how powerful they can become. And this is just for dragons, I don’t know if the same works for non-dragons. The only non-dragon users I know are two girls from my own world. So you’re sure about this?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. I am. I’ll be fine.” She smiled warmly. “Since you’re here to make sure nothing bad happens.” I blushed a bit from that.
I reluctantly walked away and leapt across the river then turned to Fluttershy. “Here goes.” I told her so she could prepare herself.
I then closed my eyes and focused, removing the imaginative weight I placed on my energy and let it all out. When I opened my eyes, while I couldn’t see it I knew their color changed from dark hazel green to sky blue and were glowing. My wings spread out on their own then my energy blanketed the air around me and rose up above the tree lines of the forest. I started floating into the air automatically from the amount of energy leaving my body. It was as if my body couldn’t contain all the energy I had but I knew that wasn’t the case. I was simply not holding it back or controlling it. Even though only Fluttershy could sense how strong I was, the aura my energy was creating was bright and large enough to be seen from miles away.
I looked at Fluttershy to see her face was mixed with wonder and horror. I could sense the fear in her and while she was trying her best to fight it, it unfortunately beat her as her eyes started staring into the distance and her body gave way, forcing her to fall onto her abdomen. I immediately took control of my energy, forced it all back, and replaced the weight as I rushed over to her with major worry and concern.
“I knew this would happen...” She didn’t react to my approach or show any sign of movement. I placed two claw tips on her forehead and used my energy to force her brain to function again.
She blinked several times as she let out a deep gasp as if her lungs were devoid of air. “W-w-w-what h-happened?” She said completely unsure of what transpired.
“To put it simply; your brain shut down.”
“What?!” She shouted for the first time since I met her. “H-h-how am I-”
“Your energy kept you alive by acting as a brain. It would only do that for so long though.”
“O-oh… so why did my brain shut down?”
“If I had to guess; prey mentality.”
“Prey mentality?” She asked, confused.
I nodded. “It’s most likely safe to assume that in Equestria, ponies are at the top of the food chain?”
“Top of the food chain?” Fluttershy asked, more confused.
“Right. In my world, humans see themselves at the top of the food chain because they’re more intelligent than other animals. But humans are still relatively weak and frail so they can be easily killed by other animals. Basically, humans are predators and prey. So I assume ponies are the same way.”
“Oh… well, yes but not really. Other races are just as smart as ponies.”
“And I’m willing to bet it’s because of Celestia and Luna being two of the most powerful beings that force all races to treat each other fairly, correct?”
“Mhm.”
“Okay so since you tend to the animals you should know everything about prey and predators. The prey mentality I’m referring to is what goes through the mind of the prey when a predator is near. Since I’m a dragon and you’re a pony, I think your mind shut down when you felt my power and presence due to the prey mentality.”
“But I know you weren’t going to eat me.”
“I know. I could sense you fighting the fear and trying to prevent it from happening but nothing’s more powerful to primal instincts.”
“O-oh. I’m sorry.” Fluttershy apologized in a quiet tone.
“It’s okay. Good news is, you’ll overcome it with time. It’s just a matter of mental training. Though I will warn you that mental training takes a lot longer to set in than physical training.” Fluttershy managed to stand back up again, having her strength return to her. “So despite mentally passing out, did you get a good sense of scaling?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Y-yes. It was the last thing I remember before…” Fluttershy paused. “W-will I be that strong?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Like I said, I’m unsure of how this power works for non-dragons since it’s a rare thing. The two girls I mentioned have kept up with me in terms of power but I am leagues ahead of them in terms of experience and energy levels. You may become this strong but you need to keep in mind that my current level is barely half of my power due to energy loss. And eventually I’ll slowly grow stronger past this point.”
“That makes sense.” Fluttershy answered simply.
“I believe that’s everything I needed to teach you. The rest will come with practice and experience, trust me. This is a power you need to experiment with a lot.”
“Experiment.” Fluttershy repeated. She then giggled. “I didn’t expect I would be doing something Twilight does.”
I chuckled. “I guess it does. The only thing I need to tell you is that your energy will recover on its own. There are specific things you can eat or drink that will help restore your energy. I would definitely recommend you drink a lot of clean water and eat healthy. It will help immensely.” I looked around just in case the sight of something would jog my memory. “Anyway, I’ll take my leave now. See you later Fluttershy.”
“Yes. See you later, Sarius. I… enjoyed the time we spent together. I hope to see you again.” Fluttershy said with a genuine smile. I blushed a bit and after a second so did Fluttershy after she realized what she said and what it implied. “Oh, my. I-I-I didn’t mean anything by that. Please don’t misunderstand.”
I chuckled lightly and waved a claw. “It’s okay. I’ll be honest, I’m actually looking forward to seeing you again as well.”
I then turned away from her and as I walked away, the tip of my tail morphed into a claw to wave bye to her. After walking out of her line of sight, I unfolded my wings and took off into the air. After flying up 1 and half miles, I looked around trying to find a place I could stay for now since I didn’t exactly have a place to live in yet. I found a mountain not too far from Ponyville to the north-west and flew in that direction.
After reaching it, I noticed there was a large cave at the top. I landed on a large ledge that went around the peak of the mountain and the cave then looked into the maw of the cave. While it was faint, I could sense a dragon was here. I knew the dragon was long gone since the smell and sensation would have been stronger. I could also tell it’s been gone for a long while due to the same reason. I started walking into the cave to check it out at least.
When I walked all the way in it opened up to a wide open cavern. The smell and sensation was at its strongest here but it was still faint, a clear sign that again meant the dragon was long gone. Though I could sense this was filled with gold, gems, and other valuable items that dragons tend to hoard. I was able to tell due to the residue being left behind by all the gold and knowing how dragon hoarding works since I was half dragon.
Naturally everything the dragon hoarded was gone, either the dragon took it when it left or perhaps the residents of Ponyville collected it somehow. Regardless, I had a place to either stay or frequent as I exited the cave. I walked to the edge of the ledge and looked out upon Ponyville. I could see the same mass of connected clouds and Canterlot to the east. I laid down and made myself comfortable as I relaxed for a while.
I was unsure what Equestria or the future had in store for me, but I knew that eventually things would get very very bad. If I was right, the entirety of Reality was at stake. I had no clue about the being that considers itself as ‘Extinction’ and it wouldn’t be easy to find out. Thankfully I knew some individuals I can ask that should know something. Even though the premonition I had was horrible, I had the feeling I had plenty of time to prepare and stop it. So for now since I had unlocked the Mane Six’s potential, well five out of six, I can focus on confronting Kasulis and finally fulfill the promise I made to someone.
Kasulis was right, we will need to work together. But I couldn’t bring myself to trust him, not after everything that’s happened between us. At least, not yet. I’ll need to find out if what he said in our dream was the truth. So as I sat and relaxed, I began to think of a way to get the truth out. The whole truth of Kasulis.
Twilight’s sitting on a pillow staring at an open book on a short study table. Spike comes out of the kitchen holding a fresh cup of tea and places it on the table. Out of habit, Twilight levitated the cup to her lips and sipped, swallowing a bit of the tea. She places the cup back down as she sighs.
“I can’t find anything, Spike. I read through this chapter and other books about potential or hidden power and there’s absolutely nothing about unlocking it.” Twilight said with slight annoyance.
Spike shook his head. He was used to this. “Sarius did say he couldn’t unlock it himself and stated that only you could do it. But I highly doubt this is what he meant.”
“Well how else am I supposed to do it, if I can’t use my own magic to unlock it?” Twilight inquired, turning to Spike.
Spike shrugged. “Let it happen naturally?”
“And what if it doesn’t happen naturally?” Twilight asked back.
Spike rolled his eyes. “Twilight, you of all ponies knows what will happen if magic is used on something that is meant to be acquired naturally. You even told Apple Bloom that.”
“But that was about Cutie Marks, this is different.” Twilight argued.
“As far as I see, it’s not that different.” Spike responded.
Before Twilight could retort a knock came from the door. Both Twilight and Spike raised an eyebrow at the sudden intrusion. They weren’t expecting anypony else today. Twilight walked to the door and opened it to see Rarity standing there, trying to straighten her mane which did seem off.
Rarity realized Twilight had opened the door and laughed nervously. “Hello darling. I apologize for the sudden visit but I’m afraid I need a bit of help.” Rarity said.
“With your mane? I would think you have better experience with mane care than me.” Twilight pointed out.
“Oh goodness no. It’s not my mane I need help with.”
“Then what?”
“My magic, darling. Sarius unlocked my potential and I gained the power of, and quoting him here, ‘A Black Mage’.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “A Black Mage?! No, don’t tell me-”
“No, I'm not evil. Sarius reassured me of that.”
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. “Then what does it mean and how can I help?”
“He told me I can use my magic to create and control the elements.”
“But there are already spells that can do that.” Twilight pointed out.
“I’m aware. Sarius believes there’s a difference. Instead of using our magic to cast an element spell, we’re or rather I am using my magic to create and control the elements.”
“So you’re skipping a step basically?” Twilight inquired.
“Yes, exactly. Although that’s where I need your help. You remember me telling you I’m not very good at magic?”
“Yes.”
“Well, unfortunately my lack of experience is rearing its ugly head. I may be able to do basic spells but this is far more advanced than what I’m used to.”
“Come on in then and-”
”Look out!!”
Both Twilight and Rarity looked to see Rainbow Dash flying straight at them with seemingly no control. They ducked and Rainbow flew over their heads and into the library. With quick reflexes, Twilight used her magic to stop Rainbow from hitting the wall.
“Thanks,” Rainbow said. Twilight let go of Rainbow and the blue pegasus automatically hovered in the air. “I was trying out my new power but I started going too fast and lost control. For some reason I couldn’t stop myself.”
“You want some help too, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, a bit gunhoe.
Rainbow looked at Twilight and blinked. “Uh. Not really. Sarius told me I just needed practice and that’s what I was doing. Like I said, I lost control and the only thing I could do was change direction, so I naturally came to you. I knew you could stop me before I became a pancake.” Rainbow explained. Rainbow then noticed Rarity. “Oh hey Rarity. I didn’t see you.”
Rarity stood up, still trying to straighten her mane. “Yes, hello Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said mildly annoyed.
Rainbow chuckled. “Sorry I almost flew into you two.” Rainbow apologized knowing Rarity was a bit upset about the pegasus nearly crashing into them.
Rarity gave a small smile. “Well at least you gave us a warning so, apology accepted.”
Twilight cleared her throat. “Anyway come on in, Rarity.”
Twilight stepped aside, allowing Rarity to enter. Rarity walked in, now trying to fix up her mane with her magic, trying her best not to set it on fire or cover it with ice. Twilight was about to shut the door when she heard a soft rumble, followed by a; “Consarn it!”. Twilight looked back outside and saw Applejack was walking toward the library, but she stopped at a small dirt pile. Pinkie Pie was bouncing alongside Applejack.
“Everytime Ah think Ah got it under control, another one pops up.” Applejack ranted.
Pinkie Pie giggled. “You’re doing fine, Applejack.”
Applejack softly stomped a hoof and the dirt pile was gone, which surprised Twilight. Applejack turned to Pinkie. “It may seem like it, but Ah ain’t doing fine. The fact it stills happens from time to time shows Ah need to be more careful.”
“What’s wrong, Applejack?” Twilight asked from the door and got the two mares' attention.
“Oh hi Twilight.” Pinkie gleefully announced.
“Nothing that Ah can’t handle, Twi. Ah still need some practice on focusing or what not.” Applejack answered.
“Okay, well come on in you two. Everypony is here except for Fluttershy.”
AJ tipped her hat and walked in while Pinkie bounced in, making sure not to bump her head against the door frame. Rainbow was still hovering in place but it was obvious she was getting a bit antsy, completely natural for her. Rarity sat on a couch as Spike brought her some tea which she happily took, even complimenting him on his manners and how well it was made. Spike naturally blushed at the compliment from Rarity. Applejack sat on the floor next to the couch Rarity was sitting on and Pinkie was bouncing away.
Twilight cleared her throat, getting the attention of everypony in the room. Pinkie even stopped bouncing. “Okay. We’re missing Fluttershy but that’s fine. Rarity you came here so I can help you with your magic. Did the rest of you come here to visit me and Spike?”
Pinkie giggled. “Do we need a reason to visit a friend?”
Twilight shook her head with a smile. “Of course not. I’m just making sure you girls don't need my help as well. So you all got your potential unlocked by Sarius?”
Everypony but Spike and Twilight nodded. “What about you Sugar Cube?” Applejack asked.
Twilight sighed. “He said I have potential and it’s strong but he couldn’t unlock it. All he told me was it seemed like I had to unlock it myself.”
“And I’m sure you will, darling. You are the Element of Magic after all.” Rarity said.
“So what kind of potential did you girls have?” Twilight asked.
“I’m able to control the wind. It didn’t sound that cool to be honest, but Sarius suggested I use this power to make myself faster. I definitely liked that idea.” Rainbow answered.
“Of course ya did.” Applejack retorted. Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Ah got the power to control the dirt. Or as Sarius put it; Earth maniwhatsit.”
“Manipulation?” Twilight suggested.
“Yeah, that. He said Ah could control dirt, stone, metal, and even convert one to another if Ah practiced enough.” Applejack explained.
“Sarius told me I can find things that are out of place and don’t belong.” Pinkie stated.
“Is that it?” Twilight asked, not really convinced that’s all Pinkie’s potential was.
“Nope. He told me the specifics. The things that I can find are things that don’t belong or originate in our world, and it can be a variety of things like but not limited to; objects and ponies. He told me I would know when I sensed something. I figure it will be a Pinkie Sense.”
“And Rarity learned how to use elemental magic that Sarius refers to as Black magic.” Everypony but Rarity, Spike, and Twilight gasped. “It’s not evil magic, don’t worry. I’ll be helping Rarity with her magic so everypony else can relax.”
Twilight walked over to Rarity and began tutoring her in using her unicorn magic, while Rainbow finally lands and starts a conversation with Pinkie. Applejack remains quiet as she focuses on controlling her power. Spike brings everypony a cup of tea.
It would be very difficult to tell how much time had passed since I’ve been on this mountain pondering, but thankfully I had a natural internal clock. I’ve been here for half an hour so far. 30 minutes and nothing’s come to my mind as far as getting the truth out of Kasulis. Not to say I didn’t have ideas, it’s that none of them were reliable since I know words can be only words. Empty and be easily taken at face value or even just words you want to hear. The only thing I would be able to rely on is; feelings, but since we were separate I couldn’t feel what he feels, despite us being two halves of a single soul. Naturally there aren’t any methods, if not at all, that can allow feelings to be read or felt. Which meant I would have to improvise.
Then I heard hoofsteps approaching me, so I turned to see who it was and to my surprise, it was Fluttershy. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you, Sarius.” She spoke softly.
I gave her a smile. “It’s fine. I was done thinking anyway.” The smile faded to normal. “How did you find me?”
Fluttershy walked closer to me. “Well… I felt your presence and I flew over. I don’t know why I suddenly had the urge to come see you again. Especially since it’s only been a short while since we saw each other.”
My eyebrows rose in slight surprise. “You’ve already figured out how to find me by Energy Sense? Amazing.”
Fluttershy blinked. “Energy Sense? Is that a good thing?”
“Yes and yes. Energy Sense allows you to track energy signals from things that radiate energy of any kind. If something doesn’t emit energy or small amounts of it, it’ll be hard to find. You might even be able to sense things that radiate magic since magic does use energy, but more importantly I can tell your world relies on magic mostly. So magic would be like energy in my world.” I explained.
Fluttershy was amazed by this. “Oh my. That does sound good. I never thought I would be capable of what you say.”
“I don’t blame you for thinking that. This power is very unique and dangerous if it isn’t controlled properly, plus it’s something only dragons are naturally born with. My siblings and I are an exception since we gained dragon DNA. My other two friends are special cases as well since they didn’t receive dragon DNA.”
“Oh. What kind of DNA do they have instead?” Fluttershy inquired with apt curiosity.
“One has Phoenix DNA and the other lion DNA but the lion DNA is quite different.” I answered.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re friends with a Phoenix?”
I raised an eyebrow. “In a way, yes. She’s like me and my siblings though, she was born human and received Phoenix DNA. So in a sense, she’s half Phoenix.”
Fluttershy’s expression softened. “Oh. So what about your other friend, what’s so different about their DNA?”
“Well, it’s the DNA of a female lion but it’s very different from usual. My guess is it’s the DNA of a female Nemean Lion, which I don’t know is possible.”
Fluttershy blinked. “Nemean…Lion?”
“It’s a creature from my world’s mythology. It’s a lion that’s bigger, stronger, and tougher. It’s mane and skin is said to be able to repel any and all attacks. Of course in the mythology, whenever the Nemean Lion was mentioned, it was considered male. As far as I know there isn’t a Nemean Lioness.”
Fluttershy’s eyes lit up a bit. “Oh my. That sounds like a very interesting creature all right.”
“You say that now, but in my world creatures aren’t as kind or tolerant.” I warn, causing Fluttershy to look at me with worry. “It’s okay. I’m just saying to exercise caution with creatures.”
“Oh okay. I was heading over to see Twilight before I had the desire to find you, did you… want to come with me?” Fluttershy asked with a slight blush.
I smiled. “Sure. I got nothing better to do plus I did say I would tell my story to all of you.”
Fluttershy smiled back. “Yay.”
I stood up and stretched a bit. I look back over at Fluttershy, who was now next to me. I carefully unfolded my wings and so did she, I leapt off the mountain and began flipping my wings. Fluttershy followed suit and we started flying towards the library.
After flying for several minutes, Fluttershy and I landed outside the library tree then we walked to the door. I heard faint voices when I knocked softly, then the voices went silent but were followed by faint hoofsteps on wood moving toward the door. The door opened showing the rest of the Mane Six plus Spike already inside relaxing, Twilight was the one who opened the door.
“Oh. Sarius, Fluttershy. I knew you two would come by. Come on in.” Twilight smiled.
Fluttershy and I walked in then took a seat. Rarity looked like she was in the middle of casting a spell since her horn was lit up. Applejack was seated next to a table, Rainbow was hovering, and Pinkie was looking at the books on the shelves, for some reason. Twilight closed the door.
Rarity spoke up first. “I’m so glad you could join us for our sudden get-together, Sarius.”
I smile. “I was actually planning on bringing you six together very recently. I told Fluttershy I would share my story with all of you.” This declaration caught the attention of everypony.
Twilight beamed. “Oh, that’s so good to hear. I can’t wait to hear it.”
“I’ll say. I’m mighty curious to know what crazy tales you have to talk about” Applejack concurred.
“As are we.” A regal voice called out from the second floor.
All eyes directed at the source of the voice and to our surprise, it was Celestia and Luna. The Mane Six as well as Spike quickly jumped up to their hooves and bowed on instinct.
Celestia lightly giggled and waved a hoof. “Now, now, there’s no need for that. This is a casual visit, since as my sister stated, we want to know about Sarius’ story as well. His uncle only told us what we needed to know before meeting him.”
“Indeed. So don’t mind us.” Luna added, as she and Celestia walked down the stairs to sit on the floor, waiting to listen. Almost in response to a habit supposedly, Twilight tried to make them comfortable through different means, to which Celestia kindly rejected.
“Twilight, no one likes a brown-noser.” I joked.
Celestia giggled at that, Luna tried to hide a small smile, while Twilight was slightly confused. “Brown-noser? What is that supposed to mean?” Twilight inquired.
“It means you have a literal brown nose from always sticking it up people’s-”
“I know what the term means.” Twilight interrupted me. “I mean why are you thinking I’m being a brown-noser?”
“Because you’re trying to overextend and trying to offer the princesses comfort when they’re already comfortable. If Celestia or Luna required some comfort they would ask, I assure you. If anything you’re making them uncomfortable by constantly trying to help.”
“W-what?!” Twilight asked, shocked. She turned to the princesses hoping they had different opinions. “Is he right about that, princesses?”
Celestia reached up and patted Twilight on the head. I was surprised that Celestia's legs were that long. “Yes, unfortunately. I was trying to be polite to you, my student, but it seems Sarius understands that sometimes, you have to be blunt. I am sorry that it had to be conveyed that way.”
Twilight walked over to the table with a sigh. “No. It… makes sense. Go ahead and tell us your story, Sarius.” She then sat down.
“I will but first I should catch you all up to speed on how my power works. I already explained most of it to Fluttershy, so it’s only fair you all should hear it too. This will take a while so I’ll need something to drink.” Spike walked over to me and handed me a fresh cup of tea. “Oh thanks, Spike.”
“No problem, sir.” Spike gleefully responded.
I was lifting the cup to my mouth but stopped when I heard ‘sir’. “No need for formalities Spike. I may also be a dragon, as well as possibly being older than you, but you don’t need to call me sir. Just call me by my name.”
“Oh alright, Sarius.” Spike replied.
“And why do you not want to be called sir, Sir Sarius?” Luna asked.
I turned to look her in the eyes. For some reason when I looked in her cyan eyes, my face felt a bit hotter. I knew I was slightly blushing but didn’t understand why. In fact, just looking at her made me feel warmer. Not the heat kind of warm, but the fuzzy kind of warm.
When I saw her mouth move but didn’t hear her words, I realized I was in a daze and blinked to snap out of it. “What did you say?” I asked.
Luna’s head tilted in slight concern. “I asked if there was something wrong with me.”
“No no. I just… got lost in a daze. Anyway, I don’t want to be called sir because I want others I know well enough to not be formal with me.” I answer.
Luna smiled. “Very well, but I will still refer to you as Sir Sarius, for my own reasons.” Celestia gave Luna a knowing look.
I ignore the look Celestia’s giving Luna. “Alright if you really want to. Now-” I finally take a sip of the tea. It felt warm and nice going down my throat. “-about my power. Firstly, I believe I mentioned to all of you that it's the control of Energtris, and Energtris is the source and origin of all energy in Reality. No matter what form it takes. Next-” I then spend the next hour explaining to the group everything I already told Fluttershy while also taking occasional sips of the tea, just to catch them up to speed. “-And that’s everything I told Fluttershy so far.”
Everypony, aside from Fluttershy, Celestia, and Luna were wide-eyed in shock and amazement, while the Princesses were more curious and very intrigued. “So that’s how it works.” Luna asked. I nodded. “May I ask a question, Sir Sarius?”
“You technically did, but sure.” I joked. Luna deadpanned at me while Celestia giggled.
“Can you use your energy to replicate any source of energy?” Luna inquired.
“Yes, but I can’t regenerate the energy I convert Energtris to. Otherwise I would have a lot of unusable energy.”
“And what about magic, can you replicate magic with your energy?” Luna inquired further.
“Not really. Magic is its own thing and entirely separate from energy. Energy may be needed for some magic but magic has its own source of power.”
“Then explain why one of your Crystals allows you to use magic.” Luna suggested.
“Oh. Well, the Crystals are far older than me so I wouldn’t know everything, but I suspect all the Crystals were enchanted to allow the use of elements and magic. I believe this is the case because the gold Crystal doesn’t give an element but more energy and power instead. So that leads me to believe the enchantments slightly weaken the overall power of the Crystals.”
“And what of the Master Crystal? You said half of the power you can get from Crystals comes from it.” Luna pointed out.
“That’s simple. The 10 other Crystals are connected to the Master Crystal and the Master Crystal has what I like to call; ‘Admin Rights’ over the other 10. It has access to the other 10 as well as being able to control them, but the 10 have no influence over the Master Crystal. Not alone anyway. Since the Master Crystal has Admin Rights, it can make use of the enchantment functions of the other 9 without losing power.” I purse my lips. “But again the Crystals have existed for a long, long time. So I may be wrong in all this. When I asked Asgorath about it, he told me the same thing. Only difference is he discovered the Crystals then had someone enchant them. He couldn’t tell me how it worked, if at all, because he never asked nor needed to know. Just as long as it worked as intended.”
“Ah. Very well.” Luna said, somewhat satisfied with the answer.
“Now my life story.” Everypony started to listen closely. “To start off, I was born a human. A race I’m certain none of you are aware of, since they don’t exist in Equestria it seems.” Luna and Celestia seemed like they knew something but I decided not to ask. “I was also born on a planet called Earth. Earth is in a different universe or dimension so I highly doubt Earth would exist in this universe. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if it did. A lot of universes have their own version of Earth, and something tells me this planet is by all means, this universe’s Earth. But that’s a different discussion.” I catch my breath. “Anyway, for 12 years I lived as a normal regular person. Then one day, an event occurred that changed my life drastically.”
“What kind of event?” Fluttershy asked.
“And how drastic did your life change?” Twilight added.
“The simplest answer to you Twilight is right in front of you.” I stated.
Twilight blinked. “You mean your dragon form?”
“Yes. As I said, I was born completely human. Now for Fluttershy’s question… I’m afraid the answer isn’t pretty. But before I talk about that, I will mention I have siblings. A brother and a sister. While we were growing up my brother separated from us and eventually disappeared.”
“What happened to him?” Twilight asked.
“He began training with someone who wasn’t very pleasant in order to achieve one goal, at the time.”
“And what was that?” Rainbow asked.
I knew for a fact they wouldn’t be okay with the answer but they should know about me and my family. “To kill me.” The room fell silent and I could tell everypony present had their eyes opened wide from shock. “But obviously, he didn’t achieve it since I’m still here. Although he came really close.”
“Sarius.” I heard Celestia say, in a surprisingly, serious tone. “Should we consider your brother… an enemy?” She asked reluctantly.
I gave a reassuring smile. “Of course not. Believe it or not but when he had the perfect chance to do it, he didn’t take it and stopped just a few inches short. The weapon he was gonna use was mere inches from my chest. And the reason is simple, he realized what he was doing was wrong as well as something he didn’t truly want. In the end, we’re brothers. Family, and family don’t do bad things to each other without reason.” I look at Celestia and Luna. “Am I right?”
They looked at each other with a hint of sadness, obviously there was a bit of bad history between. But they both smiled at me. “Yes, you are correct.” Celestia answered.
“Indeed. Despite turning into Nightmare Moon and nearly conquering Equestria by overthrowing my sister, she forgave me in the end. And I’m very glad she did.” Luna added.
“It broke my heart I had to send you to the moon to stop you.” Celestia mentioned with a tear forming in her eye.
“Seems like it all worked out in the end to me.” I said.
“It did, and it was thanks to the Element bearers.” Luna stated.
“Oh please, Princess Luna. We only did what needed to be done.” Twilight said.
“Being humble is a very good quality to have for a hero, Twilight.” I said.
“Humble? I’m not being humble… am I?” Twilight asked, confused.
Celestia and Luna giggled. “Yes you are, my faithful student.” Celestia answered. “It seems Sarius has some good wisdom.” She added.
“Yeah. I had to learn to be a better me and I’m still learning.” I said. “Now I hate to bring the mood down but I should continue with my story.”
“Very well, go ahead, Sir Sarius.” Luna said with a nod.
“The event that changed my life was my death.” Silence filled the room again. “But again I obviously didn’t since I’m still here right? I’m afraid not.” I take a moment to compose myself. “Truth be told, I did die. I… lost conscience but it wasn’t like being knocked out or sleeping. It’s hard to describe but I was dead for a few minutes. Only barely hanging on due to a sheer will and desire to save my sister.”
“Save your sister… What happened to her?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well. Earlier that same day, the home my family and I were living in was attacked. They knocked me aside and knocked out my mother then took my sister. In a rage, I chased after them. Not too long after I left home, it exploded.” Everypony gasped.
“Did your mother…” Applejack started to ask.
“D-d-die?” Rainbow finished.
I didn’t reassure them with a smile, instead they only saw sadness on my face. “Not… at the time.” Silence again. “I didn’t discover that she survived until later but I grew more angry at the assumption of her death. Once I caught up to the group, one man was left behind while the others left. Still in a rage, I charged him only to get shot in the chest.”
“Shot? With magic?” Twilight asked.
“No. I’m not sure if you have any in Equestria, but I was shot with a gun.”
“Gun? What is that? Sounds a lot like gum, I have some. Anypony want any?” Pinkie spoke up.
“Oh I assure you, guns are vastly different from gum. Normally, when shot by a gun, it’ll pass through your body. But the bullet stopped at my heart and the bullet was instead an injector that injected a slow acting venom into my heart.”
“A venom?” Celestia asked.
“Yes. Whenever I run out of energy, the venom starts running through my veins. My energy is the only thing keeping it at bay. I can also choose to let it go if I want but I would only do that under one strict condition; when I need to stop holding back. Anyway, the rest of that day was blurry but I remember I was rushed to a hospital. The doctors couldn’t save me, then a scientist came in and took me to a facility. He and a few others worked quickly on a serum to save me, I died for a few minutes then they injected me with the serum. When I woke up, I was in a room feeling way more energized than usual. The scientist that dragged me from the hospital was there. I learned his name… is Raynin.” I look at Fluttershy, knowing she’ll recognize the name.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened a bit. “The same Raynin that made that poor manticore violent?” She asked.
“One and the same I’m afraid.” I answer.
“Hold up. Did I miss something here? Did a manticore attack Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked.
“Yes. The poor thing was acting strange and I thought I could help it.” Fluttershy said.
“And it attacked you? The manticore we encountered didn’t, even it should have.” Rainbow mentioned.
“This was different. It wasn’t… acting normal. In fact it was far more aggressive. I would have been seriously hurt if Sarius didn’t stop the manticore.” Fluttershy looked at me with a smile and a blush. “I am very grateful for that.”
“As am I darling. When Sarius mentioned it, I freaked out and assumed the worst. But he reassured me you were alright.” Rarity said.
“Wait, you knew?” Rainbow asked.
“Well yes. Sarius told me.” Rarity said.
“Sorry girls. I didn’t think it was important to tell everypony. I’ll make sure to do it next time.” I said, feeling slightly guilty.
“No, it’s okay darling. While it is important to mention such dire events, sometimes it’s best not to tell everypony. After all, I doubt anypony will want to deal with multiple freakouts like the one I had.” Rarity reassured.
“You got a point.” I said. “Anyway, Raynin told me he was a scientist working on a serum specifically for me and my siblings. Said he was tasked by our father to do so, I still don’t believe it to this day.”
“Why’s that?” Twilight asked.
“My father wasn’t always around because he was busy at work, so he isn’t my favorite person. He was a scientist too.” I answered.
“Was?” Twilight asked.
“He’s dead now.” I answered flatly.
Silence filled the room again but nobody was horrified. “How did he die?” Luna decided to ask.
“Killed… or rather put down. By me and my siblings.” That made everybody gasp and stare at me in horror. “We had to. When my siblings and I ran into him after so long, he… wasn’t himself anymore. Because he was a scientist, he experimented with serums. He even made one for himself exclusively so he can get a bit of DNA from Asgorath.”
“By force?” Celestia asked.
I shook my head. “No. My father was a bad father but he wasn’t dumb. He knew for a fact you can’t just force a Deity into complying. You have to prove yourself worthy and that’s what my father did. He made himself stronger so he would be able to prove himself to Asgorath. But it wasn’t his strength or intelligence that proved his worth, but his desire and devotion to his children. Turns out my father sought out Asgorath for the sole purpose of bestowing his power to us so we’ll be able to do good. The two ended up making a deal; Asgorath will provide a single scale, and my father would guide us to Asgorath so he could personally train us.” I paused. “Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. According to my aunt, who was watching him because of her own suspicions, after he gave the scale to Raynin, he went to my old home and found it destroyed. Then he spent a year wandering around looking for us, but the serum he used on himself decided to… give him a nasty delayed side effect.”
“What kind of side effect?” Twilight inquired.
“The kind that corrupts you, starting with your mind and it wasn’t a fast corruption. It took years before he ended up in the condition my siblings and I found him in. By then, he no longer resembled the man we once knew. His mind was almost completely gone, his physical appearance was horrific and certainly no longer human, to top it off he lost any semblance of control. For all intents and purposes; he was a mindless monster that ended up as such due to a side effect he could never have predicted. He was strong too, it took quite a bit of effort on our part to put him down. In the end with his dying breath, he thanked us for putting him out of his misery. He also told us how proud he was of how we ended up.”
I paused for a minute. “Of course like my aunt, I have my doubts. But I won’t ignore his intentions.”
“So what happened after receiving the serum?” Fluttershy asked.
“I was told who captured my sister and that her location was unknown. But Raynin assured me he would find her so I can save her, it would just take time. So for 4 years straight I trained, only stopping to eat, drink, and sleep. Before that, I had to make a visit to Asgorath so I could learn how to control my power. After 4 years passed, Raynin finally located my sister then I went and rescued her. Not too long after that, my brother came back and we fought which nearly resulted in my death. He ran off afterwards and laid low for a while before coming back to my sister and I. And my sister decided that after seeing our brother nearly kill me as well as the fact she was held captive for 4 years, she would accept the exact same serum I received. Then my sister and I found out that Tirean received the same serum as well. We didn’t know at the time, but Raynin gave all three of us the serum… exactly what father dearest wanted. The main problem with that was my brother underwent assainnation training just to kill me.” Silence once again filled the room.
“Your brother is an assassin?” Applejack asked.
“Yes and no. He trained to be one but he didn’t take any lives other than his targets. After coming back, he decided to put that profession to rest then we retrained ourselves.”
“Are you and your siblings the only ones?” Fluttershy asked.
“Only what?” Rarity asked in confusion.
“Hybrids, Rarity. And no, we weren’t the only ones. I had my own set of friends I made through my life. Each one had a problem that lessened their overall capability. One had cancer. They accepted the serum, but it was different from the ones my siblings and I got. The most important difference was it didn’t have Asgorath’s DNA in it. So they ended up becoming sort of regular Hybrids, but no less stronger. And miraculously, the serum cured them all.” I catch my breath. “Also there were two additional Hybrids we weren’t aware of until later. One is my lover.”
Everybody was shocked. If I didn’t know any better, I would swear both Fluttershy and Luna were heavily disappointed and mildly sad at that.
“Can you tell us about them?” Twilight asked.
“I guess I can since I mentioned them. Their names are Scáth Kalen and Kalia Rundance. I told Fluttershy a bit about them already.” I looked at Fluttershy and she blinked in slight confusion. “Scáth is the one with the Lion DNA and Kalia has the Phoenix DNA.”
Fluttershy’s face brightened at the realization. “Oh. Those are lovely names.” She said,
“Lion and Phoenix DNA? Do you have Phoenixes in your world?” Celestia inquired.
“Yup. They’re rare though and exist in myths for people who aren’t aware they’re real. So because of that, all the mythical creatures of the world are safe and it’s ensured it’s kept that way.”
“So what are their abilities and powers?” Luna inquired.
“Same as me and my siblings as well as my friends. Though Kalia is far better at healing with Energtris than anyone else. She doesn’t like being in a fight but she can handle herself when needed, and she’s not someone you want to anger. Trust me.” I shudder from a memory. “Aside from that, she also has the abilities of a Phoenix. Scáth can control and use shadows to her advantage. The things she’s able to do with it are impressive, even going so far as to use shadows to warp around. More importantly, Scáth got her power for a specific reason; to capture me.” I explained.
“And is she good at it?” Twilight asked.
“Oh yeah. On a couple occasions, she’s stopped me in my tracks and I couldn’t break her grip. Which was a good thing at times.”
“Is Kalia able to resurrect like a Phoenix?” Celestia asked.
“Honestly, we don’t know. My sister and I believe she can, Kalia wants to believe it too but we never want to find out. For obvious reasons. Anyway, that’s about the gist of it for my backstory, or at least what I feel comfortable telling you all.”
I raise a claw and it glows, then the energy forms into a short blade. I then stab thin air with said claw and cut downward, creating a small portal. Everyone was watching me closely. I reached my claw in and grabbed something then pulled it out. Fluttershy instantly recognized the injector capsule I extracted from the manticore. I held up my other claw to the portal like I was gonna squeeze it and closed my claw, effectively closing the small portal.
“What did you just do?” Twilight asked.
“I used my energy to puncture space and force open a passage to a pocket dimension my siblings and I created as well currently share. Then I used my energy to close it.” I explained.
“Amazing. You’ve done something even the most powerful unicorns couldn’t accomplish.” Celestia complimented.
“That’s interesting to know.” I stated. “But that’s not what I wanted to show you. This is.” I show everyone the injector capsule.
“Is that some kind of injector?” Twilight questioned.
“Good eye Twilight. It is but I doubt it’s anything like what Equestrians use. Plus the purpose of this injector is different. This was stuck in the manticore that attacked Fluttershy.”
Everyone but Fluttershy were a bit surprised and now viewing the thing in a different light. “I can run some tests on it. See what kind of substance was used on the manticore.” Twilight offered but I waved a claw.
“No need. I already know what was in it and you won’t find any trace of it in the manticore. I made sure to destroy the substance in order to cure it. It’s a serum that causes the subject to become more aggressive and violent while also enhancing physical capabilities. Of course that also means the subject can’t think straight due to the brain being clouded with aggression and anger. My sister made a cure for it but I unfortunately don’t have any with me, hence why I used my energy.” I explained.
“Who would do such an awful thing?” Applejack asked.
“Only one person; Raynin.” Everyone but Fluttershy were shocked.
“But didn’t you say Raynin gave you, your family, and friends your powers?” Rainbow asked.
I looked at the floor. “He did. But that didn’t mean he did it with good intentions. He only gave me and my siblings the serum because of his promise to our father. My friends however… I don’t know. I want to think he did it so I could trust him but I know him better now. Giving my friends a serum that also managed to cure them of their health problems was… out of character for him.”
“Maybe there’s some good in him.” Fluttershy suggested.
“Maybe…” I’ve always pondered that. “I can only hope. Regardless, Raynin is smart and dangerous. He’s studied me, my siblings, and my friends for a long time. He’s even learned how to harness Energtris properly. And if he used this serum on a manticore, he’ll most likely use this on something else.” I cautioned.
“Something else? You mean he’s gonna use this on other poor creatures?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yes, unfortunately. Like me, he’s in a different world. Even though most of the things I’ve seen are similar to something in my world, they are most likely different on a cellular and atomic level. I can sense magic fills the air here and it’s as easy to breathe in as oxygen, so everything here might be different from my world because of that fact. So Raynin is very likely testing his serum to see if it still works on Equestria’s creatures.”
“Then we find Raynin and buck his lights out.” Applejack said.
“Yeah, I second that.” Rainbow chimed in.
“If only it were that easy. Raynin is very good at hiding. Once the truth about him was revealed, he went into hiding and no one was able to find him. It was only recently that we found where he was hiding and he was gone. He made a one way portal to somewhere and it was only able to be used once.”
“And you think he ended up in Equestria?” Twilight asked.
“This is undeniable proof.” I gesture to the injector in my claw. “I can recognize his work from a mile away.”
“Then how will we deal with him?” Luna asked.
“With patience. Like I said, he’s in a different world just like me. All of you seem to know how things work here, so I’m sure he’ll mess up and leave a trail without realizing it. A trail any of you should be able to follow, but for now though, there’s something I need to take care of.”
“And what would that be?” Fluttershy asked as I started to stand up.
“I need to have a serious talk with myself.” Everyone started looking at me trying to figure out if I was being serious or not, as I started walking to the door.
“Wait.” Twilight said as she galloped to stop me. “Is that really everything and what do you mean ‘have a talk with yourself’?” She inquired.
“Yes, that’s everything you needed to know for now, and I meant exactly what I said.” I answered.
“Can you give us some context, Sarius? Please.” Fluttershy asked.
I turned to look at Fluttershy who was looking back with pleading eyes. I was familiar with those kinds of eyes and normally it wouldn’t work, but not with Fluttershy it seemed. I didn’t want to get them involved in my personal affairs. At the very least they deserved to know this too. I sighed. “Alright. I’m going to talk to my alter ego.”
I saw Luna raise an eyebrow. “An alter ego, you say. Tell us more please.” She requested. Seems like I mentioned a very interesting topic for everyone to ask me about.
“Putting it simply; he’s a bad version of me.” I gave a short answer.
Everyone then watched me with caution, Twilight even started backing away from me. “Is he dangerous or a threat we should consider?” Celestia asked.
“He has acted maliciously in the past and even tried to kill people. But…” I paused.
“But what?” Celestia asked, wanting me to continue.
I had to think about the subject. “But I’m not sure if he’s still gonna be like that now. He never took lives, I also remembered a promise I made to someone, in that I would talk to him and try to work things out.” I remain quiet for a moment. “I’ve started to see past events and him differently recently. So I can’t be certain if you should consider him dangerous or a threat, since even I don’t know myself. We can determine that after I get back.”
“Get back? Why can’t you do it here, silly filly?” Pinkie asked.
“Because I would be putting all of you and this town at risk. I may not know if he’s dangerous but I do know that I need to take precautions. I would rather have a chat with him in a secluded area, alone.” I answer.
“Alone? But you said you need to take precautions, and dealing with something alone is a bad idea. Let us come with you so we can help you if needed.” Twilight objected.
I stared at her. “I won’t put you girls in the danger zone. I’m sorry.”
“Do you think we cannot defend ourselves, Trusdale?” Luna asked, sounding a bit offended.
“Of course not!” I shouted. Everyone was a bit shocked by my response. “Sorry. I just… I don’t like it when others make assumptions like that. That’s not what I meant when I said that. I meant I don’t want you to get targeted by him. He’s attacked the people close to me in the past, and none of them are here, which means all of you are the next best thing.”
“Sarius…” Fluttershy walked up to me with concern and worry in her eyes. “Let us help you.”
I purse my lips. “I don’t want any of you to get hurt because you were trying to help me.”
“Please Sarius…” Fluttershy reached out a hoof and held one of my claws, which slightly surprised me and everyone else. “We’re friends, and friends help each other. Right girls?” Everyone nodded in agreement. “So let your friends help you.”
I look over at everyone. “Are you sure about this, all of you?” I asked. They all nodded. “Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I just need to locate a good place now.”
“I know one nearby. It’s a large empty valley. Will that do?” Celestia suggested.
“Yes, that’s perfect. Lead the way.” I said.
“Actually, Luna and I can teleport all of us straight there.” Celestia stated simply.
“Oh, that’s convenient. Go ahead then.” I said.
Celestia focused her magic and with a puff, we disappeared.
The sounds of a struggle and heavy chains rattling can be heard echoing through the halls as a pegasus with dark green skin and dark gray hair was watching the struggle. A griffon clad in armor walked in to see the commotion and whistled when it saw what was causing the noise.
“Ain’t this more than what he asked for?” The griffon said with a gruff female voice.
“He said something stronger and more dangerous than a manticore. He never gave specifics.” The pegasus retorted.
The griffon chuckled. “Hey. I ain’t complaining. I’m actually hoping it kills him. Something about that unicorn rubs me the wrong way and he’s not from ponyland.”
“Equestria” The pegasus corrected. “And I’m aware. I don’t like him anymore than you do. But our master has made it clear we need him.”
The griffon grimaced. “I rather not call that… ‘thing’ my master.”
“Whether you like it or not, our master has chosen everyone here. So I suggest you at least pretend you belong.”
The griffon scoffs. “Don’t act so high and mighty just because you’re the master’s favorite.”
The pegasus ignores her retort. “Are you fully prepared?”
“Yes, I am.” The sounds of the struggle cease.
“Good.” The pegasus begins to walk away. “The meeting is in a week’s time. Head back to the Griffon Kingdom to do your part, and don’t screw up”
The griffon watches him walk away with a glare then turns her attention back to the center of the room. Where the newly captured hydra is, which is now chained and subdued.
After a flash of magic, we end up on a cliff overlooking a valley that was at least a couple miles in size. The valley was full of trees, vegetation, and possibly wild animals. To my immediate right was a cave dug into the side of the mountain. I took in the beautiful sight while I could, since there was a chance it won’t be the same after today.
Everyone got adjusted to their new surroundings as I separated myself from them. I walked at least a dozen feet away from them before turning to them. “Are you all ready?” Celestia and Luna looked like they'd been ready, while the others I could tell were reluctant. “You can back out now. I’m sure Celestia or Luna will gladly send you back. I just need to make sure you’re ready for this.”
I could sense the anxiety and fear from everyone, Fluttershy was visibly shaking but I knew they all were. They just did their best to hide it. “W-well, it’s not like we’ll ever be prepared for a fight. Right?” Twilight said.
“You got a point.” I agreed. “Alright, be on guard and ready for anything. I can’t guarantee he won’t attack right away.” I cautioned.
They all took defensive positions as I turned away from them. “This is honestly gonna be the first time I let him out willingly.” I said to myself. It wasn’t hard to find him in my soul, nor was it difficult to bring him out. The most difficult thing about this was deciding if I should even go through with it. But I already made that choice.
I used my energy to grab his half of our soul and started pulling him out. Energy began to form from my chest, expanding outward until it began taking the shape of me. The energy detached from me and became whole with the figure in front of me. The blue from the energy faded away, revealing another me with a much darker tone of color. The double was looking away from me as it took a deep breath before turning to me, looking me right in the eyes. The double’s expression was very serious and grim.
“Well now…” His voice was slightly deeper than mine and sounded more bloodchilling. I could tell he was making it sound like that on purpose. “...This is interesting. To what do I owe the pleasure, for having ‘you’ let me out so willingly?” He asked with curiosity.
“That’s his alter ego? They look so similar.” I could hear Rarity say.
“Not really, one’s darker than the other.” Rainbow corrected.
“To talk.” I answered him.
He raised an eyebrow. “Really?” He sounded genuinely surprised. “After everything we've been through, you just want to… talk?” He asked. I could hear the suspicion in his voice.
“That’s right. Am I not allowed to have a chat with myself?” I asked sarcastically.
He stares at me as if trying to figure out what my true intentions are. “No… but it is a bit weird, talking to yourself. Don’t you agree?”
I shrug. “Maybe, but I never thought of it that way. You know that.”
He then looks at the ponies behind me, I could sense them all tensing up. “Then why are they here?” He asked.
“Well, they wanted to meet you and also to help me if needed.” I answered.
He looked back at me. If he wasn’t skeptical before, he certainly is now. “Help you? What would they be helping with?” He asked.
At this point our conversation was getting dangerously close to a point that would result in a fight. “With you. But as long as you don’t do anything bad, neither they or I will act in a violent way. I just want to talk.” I answer.
He continues to stare at me. “Is there a problem, Sarius double?” Luna asked.
He then glared at Luna. I know she was trying to help but calling him ‘my double’ wasn’t a good idea. “If you’re smart, ‘your highness’, you won’t refer to me by that name in any way.” He warned, his tone grew sinister.
“And what do you prefer to be called?” She asked, obviously offended that he mocked her title.
“Kasulis. That… is my name.” Kasulis answered. “You better remember that.”
“Kasulis.” I spoke a bit louder than usual to get his attention, which worked. “I only want to talk. I did not drag you out so you could start a fight.”
“Talk…” He repeated, annoyed. “Are you sticking with that excuse?” It was clear this conversation was about to escalate. “If you really want to talk, then talk.”
“What you said in my vision, were you serious or not?” When I mentioned he was in my vision everyone gasped.
“Wait, he was in it?” Twilight asked. “Did he cause something in the future?”
Everyone but me and Kasulis looked at Twilight, who then realized she messed up. I pursed my lips at the fact Twilight mentioned something I wanted to keep under wraps for now. “The future.” Celestia repeated. “Sarius, have you really seen the future?”
“And why didn’t you tell anypony but Twilight?” Luna added.
Kasulis gestured for me to talk to them. “Yes… I did see the future and I didn’t tell Twilight the details. I only told her I saw it and asked her not to mention it to anyone. I just met all of you and I haven’t been in Equestria for more than a day at least. If I mentioned I saw a bad future, you would suspect I have an involvement, which I don’t. Tell me I’m wrong.” I answered.
They went silent, as if they were thinking about my viewpoint. “No… you’re not wrong. But we would at least hear you out.” Celestia finally answered.
“How nice of them. In our Reality, others wouldn’t hesitate to shun or turn on us based on simple accusations.” Kasulis pointed out with a bit of disdain.
No one wanted to comment on what he said. “Back on topic. Answer my question, Kasulis.” I said, getting the conversation back on track.
“Right. Was I serious about what I said…” Kasulis repeated my question. “You’ll have to remind me what I said exactly.”
I was suddenly getting the impression Kasulis had no idea what I was talking about. “Do you not remember our dream?” I asked, not realizing my chosen word term was the trigger.
“Our?” Kasulis repeated with vexation. My eyes widened a bit. “Since when did you consider me a part of you?” I could sense his energy was slowly rising and if I could, Fluttershy could too. “For years, you considered me a villain. An evil version of you. Now you suddenly change your viewpoint?!” He yelled in anger.
I was now certain. Somehow the Kasulis in my dream was a different one from the one in front of me right now. Perhaps, a future version of him. Either way, I had to choose my next words carefully, but something told me it was too late to stop the inevitable result.
“I know it’s hard to believe. I haven’t completely changed it, but I’m willing to talk it out. Please, Kasulis.”
Kasulis’ eyes widened a bit. “You’re… pleading to me now?” He started gritting his teeth. “If this is some kind of joke, it’s not funny.”
“It’s no joke. You told me we needed to become one again for what's to come. Not to mention I made a promise to someone. We can work this out.”
Kasulis goes silent for a minute. “Isn’t this ironic? I remember a certain set of words ‘you’ used a long time ago. You remember what they are?” He asked in a chillingly low tone. “‘You’re not me.’ Those were your exact words! Now you’re going to accept it, after all these years of denying it?!” He roared so loud that me and the ponies behind me were pushed back a bit.
His aura became visible now which made us take defensive postures. “I’m really hoping to avoid a fight.”
“You’re failing pretty badly then!” Kasulis said with anger.
”I should have figured I wouldn’t be able to talk this out. I have to get him to see what I saw somehow. Unfortunately, there’s only one way to do that.” I stared at Kasulis. “Listen closely, don’t drop your guard for a second! He won’t hesitate to exploit it! Got it?!” I shouted to the girls.
“I’m going to break you and finally reclaim myself, Sarius Trusdale!” Kasulis shouted as he charged me.
Kasulis threw a punch at me to which I responded with my own punch. As our fists collided, the amount of power he put behind his punch created a shockwave that pushed the others away. It was a clear sign, he wasn’t planning on holding back against me. However, I fully intended to meet his fist with mine. For a single second, memories and emotions went through my mind. His memories and emotions and if I felt his, he felt mine.
Unfortunately, I had no idea if what he saw and felt were what I hoped for. Although, Kasulis’ eyes widened a bit and he leaped back, he looked at the claw he tried to punch me with, then stared at me with a confused look. I could only imagine what he saw, but if what I saw from him was anything to go by, it wasn’t really much to work with. Still the fact he reacted to something after our fists connected, is a clear sign my idea will work.
Kasulis soon dropped the confused expression and went back to being serious. He inhaled through his nostrils and shot a water blast at me. It was obviously better than a fire breath since he knows we’re immune to fire. I was about to defend myself when an Energtris Barrier appeared in front of me, blocking the water blast. Kasulis was shocked. I looked to my right to see Fluttershy had her hooves up.
“Are you okay, Sarius?” She asked out of concern.
“Yeah. I didn’t need the save but thank you nonetheless.” She smiled.
“So what happened? Your punches hit each other then he suddenly backs off.” Fluttershy inquired.
“Remember when I said I couldn’t come up with any ideas to convince him?”
“Yes.”
“Well, the truth is… I do have a method but it would require me to fight him. And I was trying to avoid that if possible.” I said with a bit of disappointment. “Fortunately though, since he’s engaged us in a battle I can go through with it.”
“Then we’ll help in any way we can.” I heard Twilight say as she fired a magic bolt at Kasulis, through a hole Fluttershy made in the barrier. Fluttershy’s control over the barrier amazed me. He didn’t bother dodging it and it just hit his chest harmlessly. “What?”
“You’ll have to either use different types of magic or hit him with stronger magic. Since he’s a part of me, he’s naturally very resistant to magic. We’re immune to fire so don’t bother with that. Though Celestia’s fire is a different story.”
“What about just bucking him?” Applejack asked.
“That’ll work naturally, but remember a dragon’s scales are tough. And ours are much tougher. So don’t be afraid to hit him hard. He can heal just as fast as me.”
“So what’s our objective? How do you plan to defeat him?” Luna asked.
“Our objective; is to make him exhaust his energy. Tire him out. It’ll be a long fight but it’s the best option. Fluttershy will focus on support and healing. Luna and Celestia, you will be able to hold your own against him but try to give support as well. You two are Alicorns which means you must know plenty of healing and support spells. Twilight, unless you have something that can damage him, you’ll have to be support as well. Pinkie, you can be a good distraction and force him to use his energy. Everyone else focuses on offense but stay on guard. And do not kill him, if you do I’ll die as well.”
Everyone was shocked at that revelation. “How?” I heard Twilight ask.
“He and I are two halves of one soul. I’m the light or good half, and he’s the dark or bad half. A long time ago, I severed our soul in half to prevent myself from being corrupted by negativity. Looking back on it, it was the worst decision I ever made. And I’m paying the price for it again. On that note, if you want to hurt him, try some Light or Holy magic. I’m weak to Darkness or Shadow type attacks so he’s weak to Light or Holy type attacks naturally.”
“And what about the method you mentioned to Fluttershy?” Celestia asked.
I stared at Kasulis who had long ceased his water breath attack and was just growling at us. “Let me worry about that. All of you just need to focus on making him use up his energy, I’ll focus on getting through to him. Now let’s go!” I shouted.
Fluttershy dropped the barrier, Applejack stomped on the ground creating stone pillars underneath Kasulis, who jumped to avoid them. Rainbow took off into the sky picking up speed, Pinkie started bouncing around, and the magic users charged up their horns. As for me, I ran forward and jumped towards Kasulis then did a backflip kick to his chin, sending him further in the air.
Rainbow came flying back and kicked Kasulis in the back. Kasulis let out a painful groan as he was sent flying toward Applejack, who turned around and bucked him square in the chest. I could hear his ribs crack as he let out another painful groan before he went back into the air. Not even a second after he recovered in the air, his wings were hit with Blizzard almost freezing them in an instant, but he easily shrugged it off. Before he could retaliate though, Twilight hit him square in the chest with another magic blast. This time it was way stronger since it actually affected him, but it seemingly took quite a bit out of Twilight. Celestia and Luna followed that up with a combined magic blast that created an explosion when it made contact with him. Kasulis let out another groan as he fell to the ground.
“Did that do it?” Twilight asked.
“Don’t even think it’ll be that easy.” I warned Twilight.
As I said that, Kasulis quickly got up. I knew for a fact that he’s already healed from the attacks. He turned towards Applejack and charged at her. I start running to intercept him as he reels a fist back and goes to punch Applejack in the face. I managed to get in front of him and threw my own punch, making our fists connect again. His eyes widened in surprise for a second but he gritted his teeth, pulled his fist back, and kicked me across the face with his left leg. I was sent flying toward the edge of the cliff but I managed to catch the ground and stopped just short of the edge.
As I was recovering I saw Applejack stomp her hoof, making earth spikes jut out towards Kasulis, but he used an energy pulse from his back feet to push away from the spikes. Kasulis grabs the ground with his front claws and spins around so he’s facing Applejack, then he lunges forward. Applejack barely has time to react as Kasulis shifts his momentum by stopping with his front claws, then turning and slapping Applejack hard across the face with his tail with an audible smack.
She’s sent flying towards me as Kasulis turns to follow up but he’s forced to stop and dodge a downward swing from Celestia’s Sol. He backs off as Luna charges in and attempts to run him through but he sidesteps it. I catch Applejack before she flies off into the valley below.
“Appreciate the save, sugarcube.”
“No problem.” I replied.
“That tail hurt more than Granny Smith’s paddle on the flank.” Applejack remarked.
I raised an eyebrow at her phrase. “Yeah, best watch out for that.” I say simply.
Kasulis looked at Celestia and Luna’s weapons then smirked. “Oh how cute. You have weapons. If you think having weapons is gonna make this easier, then you’ll be in for a world of pain.”
Celestia and Luna both charged him attempting to stab him but he easily sidestepped it, then he retaliated with an energy pulse to Luna’s side, pushing her into Celestia. Celestia was able to stop herself as Luna rolled over her back, Luna then disappeared in a flash of magic as Celestia faced toward Kasulis, who was flying at her. Celestia stabbed the rock and swung it forward with great strength, throwing pieces of rock and dust toward Kasulis. Kasulis started rolling to the left, completely avoiding all the projectiles. As he spun around 270 degrees, Luna appeared above him and started dropping toward him with Mani aimed right for his chest. Kasulis unfolded his left wing as he kept spinning, his wing pushed Luna and her weapon away. Kasulis then grabbed the ground and stopped as Luna landed next to him with Mani in the ground.
Kasulis smirked as he inhaled through his nostrils. Luna created a magic shield just as a funnel of fire shot out of Kasulis mouth. Celestia leapt forward attempting to slash at Kasulis’ neck but he stopped the fire and dodged to the left, then he shot the fire at her. But Celestia was unaffected by the flames, surprising Kasulis. Kasulis stopped his assault as Celestia took another swing with Sol but Kasulis just ducked under it. He then jumped forward and grabbed Celestia by the neck only to slam her into the ground. Celestia started choking as Kasulis tightened his grip. He was so focused on Celestia that he didn’t notice Luna quickly approaching as she stabbed him right through his shoulder.
He groaned loudly as he was forced off of Celestia. Luna forced Kasulis to move away from Celestia as she tried to catch her breath. Kasulis looked at Luna with malice in his eyes. He then noticed her horn was glowing and there was a similar glow on the hilt of the sword. He spun towards Luna, his maw opened wide, Luna’s pupils shrunk to dots thinking he was about to bite her face. Instead his head turned sideways as he bit her horn, surprising her and causing her to scream in pain. As he’s doing this he kicks Celestia, who was getting up, straight in the face with his back left leg, causing blood to sprout out of her nose and fall backwards.
Luna tried to keep a grip on her sword but Kasulis’ strong grip on her horn prevented any magic from reaching her horn. She lost her grip on the sword and Kasulis swung his tail around, wrapped around the sword’s hilt then pulled it out, resulting in a muffled but loud grunt. Still holding the sword, he pulls his tail back and swings it back towards Luna, aiming for her chest. Before it reaches her, a set of blunt rock spires shoot out of the ground right into Kasulis’ right side, pushing him away from Luna and forcing him to release her horn. Since he’s still holding the sword, he swings his tail towards Applejack and lets the sword go, sending it straight at her heart. I jump in front of Applejack and coat my claw in energy, then catch the sword with no damage to my claw.
Kasulis slides to a halt and is about to charge us but Pinkie suddenly appears in front of him, surprising him enough for him to reel back in shock. He gets over it quickly and slashes at her but she dodges it with surprising ease. His expression mimics mine; shock and confusion while she simply giggles. I look at Luna who’s now over the shock. She turns to me and I toss the sword back to her, she catches the sword in the air with her magic instinctively. She seems glad her magic still works, but I figured her magic was only blocked due to Kasulis’ jaws acting as a clamp to prevent magic flow.
When I turned back to Kasulis, my expression turned to bewilderment. The current exchange between Pinkie and Kasulis can be easily summarized as a fight in a cartoon. Everytime Kasulis tried to hit Pinkie, she just dodged with ease and often in a bizarre cartoonish way, giggling and laughing all the while. No matter how fast Kasulis tried to hit her, she’d just defy logic and dodge anyway. I took a quick look at the others and they all shared the same bewilderment.
I shook my head, refocused my attention on Kasulis, and ran at him. He was getting annoyed by Pinkie’s cartoon logic which I knew was a bad sign. With a roar, he lifted his front claws and stomped the ground hard, creating an inclination in the stone and producing a ground-level shockwave that made Pinkie lose her footing. As Pinkie was falling in the stone face first, Kasulis leapt at her, his left claw raising up ready to slash downward. I saw Rainbow flying in to divebomb him and save Pinkie, Kasulis looked in Rainbow’s direction and smirked. Rainbow noticed and tried to break away but she was going too fast. Rainbow’s back hoofs landed in Kasulis’ left claw. She didn’t have a chance to flap her wings to get away since Kasulis grabbed her hoof then swung his arm forward, letting go, and tossing Rainbow into Pinkie. Kasulis pulled his right claw back as he kept moving forward, ready to punch Rainbow. The pair were coming at me so I crouched down to slide under them, and readied my left claw. When they passed over me, I stood up, surprising Kasulis, and had our fists connect again. Kasulis then just stared at me for a good minute before leaping back a couple feet.
He looked at his fist then back at me, practically stunned by something. I can hear the others running to my side, so I spread out a wing, signaling them to stop which they did. Though they were confused and not happy about it, they realized why I did that when they saw Kasulis’ stunned expression. Our fists made contact three times, while he showed surprise the first two times, he shook it off. But this time, he was completely taken aback. He must have seen something that’s making him question himself. Whether or not it’s what I wanted him to see, I still had no idea but this was good progress. The inclination was in between us.
Kasulis looked me in the eyes. “What are you trying to accomplish here?”
“You already know.”
Kasulis’ eyes narrow just a bit. “Are you intelationly trying to show me something?”
“I have no control over what you end up seeing, but I was willing to do this for as long as it takes.” Kasulis goes quiet and looks at his fist again as he slowly opens it. “What did you see this time?”
Kasulis expression softened, which surprised me. “I saw… them.”
“Them?”
He looked at me with a hint of sadness. “Kalia and our twins…”
Everypony was shocked by the fact I had twins but I wasn’t paying attention to them. “Was she sitting down, holding them while talking?” I asked, hopeful.
“No, the twins were in a crib with Kalia looking at them.” Kasulis answered.
“That wasn’t the one I hoped for. But why was that enough to make you stop?”
Kasulis looked at the ground. “Because despite our differences, they are precious to us.”
“You know she wouldn’t want this.”
Kasulis locked eyes with me again. “Since you want to show me something so badly, let’s spar. Just you and me.”
Luna and Fluttershy stepped forward. “Is this a ploy to kill Sir Sarius?” Luna asked sternly.
Kasulis looked at her with a raised eyebrow then he looked back at me. “Did you even tell them how you and I work?”
I let out a sigh. “Luna, remember how I warned you girls not to kill him since it’ll kill me?”
“Yes. Are you saying it works both ways?” Luna asked.
Kasulis smirked. “Well now, she can learn and catch on.”
“Silence Kasulis!” Luna shouted. “If you weren’t a part of Sir Sarius, I would slice off that mouth of yours.”
“Oh, I like a girl with spunk and who ain’t afraid to speak her mind.” Kasulis teased.
Luna kept her glare but the fact she knows Kasulis is a part of me, made it difficult for her to not blush at the tease.
I shake my head. “Alright let’s settle this already Kasulis.”
“Very well then.”
I walk forward then Fluttershy and Luna step back not wanting to be in the crosshairs. I stop several feet from Kasulis, then he and I stare at each other. The wind blows past us as the tension gets heavy between us. The mares and Spike back up a bit more, not really sure what’s about to happen. A rock breaks off the cliff face and lands with an echoing clank, signaling for me and Kasulis to charge at each other. Our fists collide, creating a powerful shockwave that would have pushed the group back if they didn’t already back up.
Whatever Kasulis saw, I doubt he was gonna tell me or show any indication on his face. The message was clear on his intent for our spar; he wanted to settle things between us. We have a lot of bad blood between us that we’ll need to work out, but at least we can start now. He and I did the same maneuver, pushing ourselves into the air and away from each other with a strong jump. Our wings opened and flapped almost in sync.
We didn’t hover idly for long as we flew at each other. I flapped my wings to get the extra height advantage, raised one of my back legs and attempted to do an axe kick on his head. He naturally dodged by moving his head and spinning around to kick me across the face. I grunted from pain but responded by grabbing his tail with my tail claw, then I pulled his tail back and forced him to come forward. I punched him in the face with my left claw, pulled him in again for another punch, but the third time he intentionally moved forward and headbutted me. While this wouldn’t hurt me because of my tough skull, it did rattle my brain and skull, forcing me to let go of his tail. He tried to punch me but I recovered quickly enough to intercept his punch with my own. Not two seconds after, Kasulis moved an open palm towards my chest and was about to blast me with an energy pulse, but I reacted with my own, resulting in a huge pulse that pushed us both back and a shockwave that nearly shook the entire valley.
I recovered and hovered in place, very interested in what happened. “Huh, so that’s what happens when two equal pulses are used against each other. I’ve always been curious about it.”
“Pay attention Sarius!” I heard Kasulis shout as he dove at me.
“Oh, I am.” I dodged him and started flying in the opposite direction.
Kasulis and I turned around and flew at each other then our fists collided again, causing a powerful shockwave that sounded throughout the valley. We pulled our fists back and tried to kick each other, only for our legs to connect. I tried to punch him again hoping our fists would connect but he moved his head to the side and punched me across the face. I managed to grab his arm before he pulled it back and threw him. He didn’t hit anything since we were at least several stories in the air so he just recovered.
I gave him a look of displeasure. “You’re not gonna make this easy for me, are you?”
He smirked. “It wouldn’t be fun if I did.”
I smiled and let out an amused ‘Hmph’. “Fine, then I’m pulling my punches.” I quipped.
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” Kasulis winked playfully.
As I flew at him to re-engage, I couldn’t help but notice his behavior had changed. I always took Kasulis as the more serious and angry side of me, but seeing him being snarky and playful was definitely surprising. But it was a welcome change since it meant my plan was working. I still had no idea if he saw what I wanted him to see though.
I attempt to dropkick Kasulis, he dodges by flapping his wings but I expected it as I turned in mid-air and fired an energy pulse from my feet. I slam into his chest with my elbow then quickly spin and kick him in the side. I quickly turned to him as he tried to kick me in the back but instead he ended up kicking me in the chest. I grunt as I pushed his leg aside and tried to hit him with a left hook. He moved his head to the side like last time but I stopped the hook and pulled my arm back, elbowing him in the face before he had a chance to punch me back. I turn to him and then punch him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and giving me a chance and time to follow up with six additional hits; three punches, two kicks and a hard tail slap sending him flying.
I flew after him while he recovered and threw a punch at him, he responded with his own and our fists connected again. He then flapped his wings to get some distance then he inhaled deeply. I immediately started flying as he shot a stream of lightning at where I was going to be, but with insanely fast reflexes I managed to barely dodge it. The stream only lasted for a second as he turned and aimed for where I was going to be again. Once more I dodged it, a bit more easily this time since I knew what he was shooting at me. He fired it again, again, again, and again. Each time I dodged it but I noticed how low I was flying. I realized I was about to fly between Kasulis and the group on the cliff, and he knew. He naturally aimed for them and shot another stream of lightning, forcing me to fly in front of his attack. I barely had time to put up an Energtris Barrier to block it.
I gave him a dirty look. “I thought you wanted this to be one on one.”
He shrugged. “Sorry, force of habit.” He tried to sound convincing.
I dropped the barrier and flew up trying to gain speed, all while Kasulis was still firing streams of lightning at me. I then turned and flew around still gaining speed. Kasulis had a harder time trying to fire at me. Eventually I came around him so fast he nearly lost me as I swooped in and smacked him with my tail. He fired off a shot at me but he missed since he couldn’t aim it. I swooped back around and smacked him again. I did this a few more times before flying above him then diving down and slamming into him, tackling him to the ground. A large crater formed in the middle of the valley forest as a large dust cloud shot into the air.
I jumped out of the crater and turned to it. Kasulis followed shortly after but instead he jumped to a tree. He pushed off the tree towards me but I jumped out of the way. He skidded on the ground as I leapt off the branches and down towards him to drop kick him. He grabbed my feet and tossed me into a nearby tree. I felt my spine nearly crack from the force as I almost let out a yell of pain but I only let out a sharp exhale and groan. Despite the pain, I had to jump away as Kauslis charged me and slammed into the tree. The tree fell with a loud crash that sounded in the valley, half of its roots came out of the ground.
Kasulis tried to rush me again but I quickly spun around and performed a spinning back kick, my heel connected with Kasulis’ nose and cracked it. A bit of blood flowed out of his nose as he cracked it back into place. That bought me enough time for my back to heal so I ran at Kasulis. He stood on his back legs and swung his fist down towards me. I made a sudden stop and his fist hit the ground in front of me. I quickly did a backflip and whacked the underside of his jaw with my tail with enough force to push him off the ground a couple feet. Once I finished back flipping I kicked him in the chest hard, his back hit the ground hard and he bounced then landed onto his stomach.
Kasulis got up groaning. “Okay… I deserve that, but it still hurt like hell.” He rushed at me and tried to punch me.
I threw my own punch and our fists connected. “So did throwing me into the tree back first.”
Kasulis and I jumped away from each other then we dashed into the trees. We clashed and fought within the confines of the forest, our hits connected and could be heard throughout the valley. We kept using the trees to reposition and charge at each other. To any who could bear witness, we were practically blurs of red. The only evidence of our battle was the repeating echoing sound of our blows connecting and the rush of wind we were creating from our immense speed. We went from one side of the forest to the other, focusing on nothing else but each other as we continued to spar.
“Wow. Look at them go… is what I would be saying if we could actually see them.” Rainbow remarks.
“I know right.” Spike agreed.
“They’re so fast…” Twilight commented. “If we didn’t see Sarius trade blows with the Princesses I would find this hard to believe.”
“They’re also fighting in a forest.” Applejack pointed out.
“At least we can hear them. Good heavens. The sound of fighting is so uncouth to my ears.” Rarity complained.
“Did we really stand a chance at helping Sarius?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, my faithful student.” Celestia spoke. “You’re only thinking that way because you can’t see them.”
Everypony except Luna and Fluttershy turned to look at Celestia. “Can you actually see them, Princess?” Twilight asked.
“Yes and so can Luna.” Celestia answered. “You’re simply untrained, my young student. With time and practice, you’ll be able to as well.”
Rarity turned to Fluttershy who is staring at the forest below. “Fluttershy darling, can you see them as well?”
Fluttershy can barely see them and she’s so focused on trying to see them, she almost didn’t hear Rarity. “Yes, but barely.” The rest of the Mane Six turn to Fluttershy in shock and amazement.
Kasulis and I flew out of the forest. We both inhaled deeply then fired lightning streams at each other which connected, causing lightning bolts to shoot out randomly. A few bolts hit trees, igniting them, others hit the mountains, one barely missed Rainbow as she yelped. We stopped our attack and hovered in place. Kasulis simply stared at me. I couldn’t tell what his expression was but it seemed like he was thinking about something.
For a whole minute he did nothing but hover in place and stare at me. “Am I the only one being shown things?” He asked.
I almost didn’t expect him to ask me questions. “No. I’m seeing things too but from your perspective.” He looked down toward the ground. “What did you see?”
He didn’t answer and instead flew at me really fast. I didn’t have enough time to react as he grabbed me by the face and smashed me against a mountain behind me. He let go and pulled his claw back, winding up to punch me. I moved my head to the side as he swung at me, his claw punched through the stone. I quickly retaliated with a kick to his abdomen, pushing him off me and the mountain. I rolled over to stand up as he kicked the spot I was at. I give Kasulis a right hook across the jaw then attempt to punch him in the chest. He catches it then returns a right hook and starts pushing me while repeatedly punching me. I move my head back avoiding the fourth one then headbutt him. I force Kasulis to let me go then use an energy pulse to push him back.
As Kasulis and I stare at each other panting, I check how much energy I have left. I have nearly exhausted all my energy. Most of it was used for my healing factor and I suspect the same can be said for Kasulis. This battle of ours was about to draw to a close.
“I don’t have much left in me, and if I know us, neither do you.” I said.
“Indeed. This battle of ours is about to end.” Kasulis agreed.
“Then shall we settle this?” I asked
“We shall and with the end of this battle-” Kasulis started.
“-Our Eternal Struggle can finally conclude.” Kasulis and I voiced together.
With a leap back into the air, Kasulis and I proceeded to continue our spar with the full intention of draining the last of our energy. He and I were smiling the entire time as we were able to fight each other without the desire to best the other. We were simply enjoying the moment. Our movements were sharp and fast, our attacks on each other were strong but not severe. We were making use of the entire space in the valley, both on the ground and the sky.
After some time, Kasulis and I flew at each other with our fists pulled back. With one final swing, we punched each other using all the strength we had left. We then fell down to the ground with a thud, completely spent of our energy and unable to break our fall. Kasulis and I simply laid on the ground where we landed. I felt pain throughout my entire body as I panted. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the mares and Spike getting off the cliff side, making their way towards me.
“You know… You never answered my question.” I spoke in an exhausted tone.
Kasulis didn’t answer and I thought he was knocked unconscious until he spoke in the same exhausted tone. “I believe… it was what you intended for me to see.” I couldn’t really see him but I could hear him rolling over to his side, trying to stand up.
“Did you see a destroyed town covered in ash and unnatural clouds?” I asked.
A brief silence. “...Yes.” He faintly spoke. “And the corpses of your new friends.”
I sat up. “So I was right. That wasn’t you in the vision, or at least not the current you.”
“Yes. You are correct. That was the future me, during the time the vision took place.” Kasulis looked towards me. “I was correct in saying, you and I need to work together. I don’t know what the being we saw was, but it’s clearly a powerful and ancient entity. Perhaps as old as our father.”
The Celestial Sisters along with Rainbow and Fluttershy were the first to get to me, since they could fly. The rest weren’t far behind. Luna and Fluttershy were about to check my condition when Kasulis stood up with a bit of struggle. Everypony immediately took defensive stances around me to protect me.
“Relax guys.” I said as I stood up as well. They looked at me, hesitant to do so. “He and I exhausted our energy, so we can’t fight anymore. Besides, my plan worked.” I smiled. “I got him to see what he needed to see.” Kasulis tries to act quiet and cool like he was still trying to be the villain. I chuckled. “Come on Kasulis. You were never the villain so stop trying to act like it.”
Kasulis sighs and if I didn’t know better, I would swear he blushed a bit. “By Asgorath Sarius, you’re sentimental and naive.”
“Yeah, I know.” I walked past Luna and Fluttershy who were standing in front of me.
“It’ll be the death of us, I swear.”
“Maybe, but for now that’s just who I am.” I stopped a couple feet in front of Kasulis. “And you know that.” Kasulis looked me in the eyes then gave me a genuine happy smile for the very first time since I’ve known him. “Kalia will be upset she didn’t get to see that.”
“Don’t worry, she will.”
“Only one last thing to do” I spoke matter of factly.
“Indeed. Let’s go home. Together this time.” Kasulis stated.
“Dugis us Soulva” We spoke in unison.
Our bodies shined brightly as our bodies turned to energy particles, mine were glowing white while his glowed black, then they combined and mixed together. After a whole minute, my body was reconstructed from the energy particles and the light faded. I stood there with my eyes closed for a bit.
“Sir Sarius?” I heard Luna ask with slight anxiety.
I opened my eyes and turned to look at her and the rest of the group. There were no changes to my appearance as far as I was concerned. I smiled at her. The group relaxed as they smiled back.
Suddenly, I felt a massive wave of exhaustion, pain, and mental fatigue crash over me. The second I felt it, I was already unconscious and fell to the ground. The only thing I saw before passing out was everypony shocked and horrified at my collapse.
I was sitting on a couch watching the clock tick away the seconds. I yawned and laid back on the couch. I held my head back and closed my eyes. The sound of water was heard to my left in the bathroom. It sounded like someone was taking a shower. I started to wonder if this was a memory or a dream. Though something about this felt familiar, like deja vu. I felt relaxed and tried to recall the battle, but nothing happened. I just sat there for a while, until the water shut off and silence filled the room. I heard some noises and sounds, like someone was drying themselves and getting dressed. The door to the bathroom then opened and a soft warm voice was heard that caused my heart to skip a beat.
“All done. Trying to take a nap?” The voice asked.
My eyes opened and I took in a sight that I haven’t seen in a long while. Dressed in gym shorts, sandals and a cute green t-shirt was Kaila. She had let her hair down, that went down to her middle back. Her hair was wet from the shower but the dark red color of her hair was amazing. She was in peak physical condition, her chest held D cup breasts, her butt was nicely shaped, she was slim but not too skinny and her arms and legs had some muscle to them. Her face was the best of her for me, she had beautiful dark blue eyes that seemed to burn a hot but calming fire.
I wasn’t in control of my actions, which meant this was a memory and I was just watching. My body sat up and smiled. “Nah, just relaxed a little too much.” I answered.
Kaila smiled and giggled. Her giggles and laughs were something I worked hard to get, since they were very blissful moments for me. She just had the best giggle and laugh. She rolled her eyes. “Yeah okay. You and I both know well you got bored.” She winked.
I chuckled. “Yeah, pretty much. What can I say, I get bored really easily.”
She walked right and out onto a balcony. I got up and walked to the balcony door. The sun was drying her hair, as it did her hair started turning more red. I walked up beside her and leaned on the rail. We both looked over the balcony at our backyard.
The house we lived in was in a secluded area, not too far from the nearest town, but just far enough away to have peace, quiet and the local wildlife stroll through the yard with no fear. Just below the balcony was a small garden that contained flowers of various types, collected by Kalia and planted here to help improve the atmosphere and make the home more pleasant. I noticed a few bunnies were roaming around the small garden, there were also a couple deer just wandering around. The soft cool breeze of summer was blowing, sounds of birds chirping, water flowing without restraint and the smell of nature was in the air. To our left was a rather medium sized forest where the trees were large and healthy. Our parking garage and driveway was on the right with a paved road half a mile out.
The setting was more than enough to make me smile. I closed my eyes for a brief minute and just took in the sounds and smells of the area.
“Sarius?” Kaila started. I opened my eyes and looked at her. “Can we still have this moment?” She asked. “I mean, after this war we’re fighting.” She added as she looked me in the eyes.
I nodded. “Of course we can. I don’t see how we can’t. Besides,” I paused a second and turned my attention back to the view I was enjoying. “These kinds of moments, are what we wait for. And to be honest.” I turned back to look Kaila in the eyes again. “I think it’s worth the wait. Don’t you think so too?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. Definitely.”
She stayed quiet for a while before speaking up again. “Sarius, why are we fighting? What can we possibly accomplish winning this war? Wars are pointless. They just cause more pain and suffering. And some wars were started over a stupid idea that seemed good at the time. So why?”
I leaned off the balcony. “Everyone has their own reason and purpose for what they do. While it’s true that wars are pointless and solve nothing, it doesn’t mean the battles that are fought have no meaning.” I looked up and stared at the deep blue sky in thought. “I fight to protect and save those who aren’t strong enough to, but also partly because I believe I’m the only one who is willing to fight for them. Perhaps, that can be a good enough reason for you too.”
Kaila thought about it for a minute before nodding and smiling. “Yeah, that’s good enough for me. Thank you, Sarius. I’m glad to have you here by my side.” Kaila started blushing. “Can… you make a promise to me?” Kaila asked.
“Sure, anything.”
“I want you to promise me, you’ll be by my side when I need you the most.” She looked away in embarrassment.
Kaila was always a tough but sweetly kind girl on the outside and rarely showed her sensitive and passionate side to others. That kind of side was only seen by those she really trusts, but even then she wants to be seen as a strong and independent female considering what she’s been through. It made moments like this more memorable for me.
I softly grabbed her chin and turned her head towards me. “I promise, Kaila. And I want you to do the same for me.” I said.
Kaila’s eyes started to light up showing her very soul was happy. “I will, because I love you very much, Sarius.”
“And I love you just as much too, Kaila.” I replied.
We leaned in closer to each other, closed our eyes and felt our lips connect. The kiss was passionate, short but showed a strong sense of love. After a few seconds our lips parted and we pressed our foreheads together in a loving manner and stared into each other’s eyes with a sense of joy. My attention was slowly panning away from the embrace to the pendant that hung around my neck. Everything slowly turned black expect the pendant which started to emit a sky blue glow, a color I realized was symbolizing the color of Enegtris. After a minute the glowing pendant too faded to black as a steady beep was heard and slowly rising in volume, pulling me out of the memory and back into reality.
I slowly opened my eyes and was forced to keep my right eye shut due to a bright light from the window. My vision slowly adapted to the light and both my eyes were soon opened. I looked to my right and saw the window where the light was shining through. The sun was apparently rising which meant it was morning. I then looked left and saw an IV that was attached to my left arm, a heart monitor which was steadily beeping and a curtain that separated me from the empty bed next to me. The rest of the room looked like a typical hospital resting room. End tables for flowers and get well gifts, curtains that curled around the beds, cabinets that contained various medical supplies and some chairs for visitors to sit in.
I took the bed sheet that was covering me off, folded it and put it on the end table. I sat up and checked my body for bruises and signs of pain. As I figured there were no bruises or sharp pains. I did however feel cramps in my wings, since I was lying on my back it made sense. I started to wonder how long I was in this hospital for then a thought crossed my mind. I laid against the headboard on the back of the bed, closed my eyes and begun to shut out the beeping.
I had to make sure the union worked as intended so I called out to Kasulis. For a few moments there was silence, but he eventually spoke as he appeared right next to me as a sort of ghostly figure. “I’m here, Sarius.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. That’s the first, and hopefully only, time we reunited willingly. I needed to make sure it worked.”
As I looked at him, I realized his appearance was slightly different. Firstly, his slightly darker tone of red was still there and his claws and teeth still had a rustic look to them, but he looked much cleaner than usual. The scars, wounds and traces of battle injuries on his body were gone. He could easily pass off as me and no one could tell the difference. Not to mention his posture and the way he presents himself has softened up by a large degree.
“I know I suddenly look a bit different. I’m pretty sure it’s because I let go of all the anger and hatred I had towards you. It was… kind of hard to hold on to it after what you said and showed me.”
I winced recalling the vision I was trying to show him. “It’s hard to imagine that’s our current future.”
Kasulis frowned. “Indeed. What’s even harder to believe is that this being might be in the Web of Reality called Equestria.”
I turned to look at him and ask what he meant by that but the sound of a door opening snapped me back to reality and the sound of hooves approaching was heard. A white mare with a pink mane and tail, blue eyes, a cutie mark of a red cross with hearts on the four corners and a nurse’s cap with her cutie mark embedded on it walked past the curtains and into my view. She was carrying a clipboard with a pen attached to it. She looked at me and started smiling.
“Ah, Mr. Trusdale. I see you finally woke up.” She walked up to the left side of the bed which was leveled a head and half lower than her, now that I could see a comparison. She checked the IV and proceeded to perform check-ups on me. She walked to the counter on the other side of the bed, grabbed the stethoscope, walked back to me and placed it on my heart. “Take deep breaths.” She instructed. I did so, taking a slow deep breath followed by releasing it slowly. This went on for a full minute before she put the stethoscope around her neck. She then started pressing on various parts of my body, my chest, arms, legs and neck with increased pressure asking if I felt anything. I responded with no each time. After that she grabbed a flashlight and shone the light in my eyes asking if I’m experiencing any headaches, dizziness or any other symptoms, to which I answered no. Then she put the flashlight away and started writing on the pad. She paused, then asked “How are you feeling overall?”
“I’m feeling good. In fact I’ve never felt better in my life. I finally feel whole again.” I smiled.
The mare tilted her head in confusion with a mix of curiosity. “You feel whole? What do you mean by that?” She asked.
My eyes widen in realization. Of course she didn’t know. I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head in slight embarrassment. “Oh, right. Long story short, I had a split personality of sorts that has its own independent function. For the longest time my two personalities have fought each other, but very recently we stopped fighting and accepted each other. So the bottom line is I feel whole again.” It took me a minute to realize what I said sounded crazy. “There’s no reason to put me under watch doc, It’s not a problem anymore.”
The mare just looked at me for a minute, then smiled. “I see. I’m glad you’re doing better and I wasn’t thinking of putting you under watch.” She paused for a second. “Unless of course, you desire to be put under watch. After all, some ponies have said that it’s not a problem only to be put under watch.” She added, her expression being more serious. My eyes widened and I shook my head really fast. Her expression softened up suddenly and started laughing. “I’m only kidding, Mr. Trusdale. I believe and trust you. But if it becomes a problem the option is open to you.” She then went back to writing on the pad as I breathed a sigh of relief. She must have heard me sigh since she giggled a little. After another minute or two, with the nurse switching her attention from her clipboard to me and back, she seemed to finish her diagnosis. “Okay, it seems everything checks out Mr. Trusdale. You’re in a much better condition than before. So is there anything you want to ask of me before I leave?” She said as she turned to me, putting the clipboard away and sitting in a nearby chair.
“Your name would be a nice start.” I stated knowing well that she never introduced herself.
Her eyes widened as the realization finally hit her. “Oh, I apologize. I completely forgot to introduce myself to you. I was supposed to do that before I did the check-up. My name is Redheart. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Trusdale.”
Everytime she said ‘mr’ I cringed a little. “One thing I like to mention to you is there’s no need to call me Mr. Trusdale. Just Trusdale is fine. I don’t like others having to use terms for authority with me.”
Redheart nodded. “Okay, I understand Trusdale. Any other questions?”
“A few in fact. Firstly, what hospital am I in?” I asked.
“The Ponyville General Hospital on the outskirts of town. The hospital is fairly large, not as big or impressive as the hospitals in other towns or cities, but it’s certainly good enough to help take care of the folks in Ponyville. Though I should mention pony hospitals have more experience with ponies and not other species. This particular hospital has experience with zebras since one lives here. I will admit you were quite a challenge to handle Trusdale. No pony hospital has cared for a dragon aside from this hospital and Canterlot that have treated Spike who is Twilight’s assistant. Though he’s obviously a lot younger and less mature than a regular dragon. Surprisingly, your body structure and antomatny is almost similar to ponies.” She finished.
“I can’t really explain the similar body structure and antomanty since it might be crazy to believe. So let’s just be thankful for that. Also a Zebra lives here in Ponyville?” I asked in response.
Redheart nodded. “Yes, but she doesn’t live in Ponyville itself but instead she has a hut in the Everfree Forest. I wonder how she can live in that forest with the dangers and threats that lurk in there.”
“Maybe she found means of repelling or fending off the creatures and such. If you live in a dangerous or isolated place long enough you start to learn ways of surviving. I know from personal experience.” I paused for a second before asking my next question, one I was kinda hesitating on asking. “How long have I been out?”
Redheart placed a hoof on her chin thinking. “Hmm. I would say about a week at least. When the Mane Six and the Royal Sisters, to everypony’s surprise, came in and had you check in, they seemed panicked. When we got to check on you, we found you were in a comatose state. We did some examining on you to find the cause. Your body was covered in scratches, bruises and burn marks. We were shocked that a dragon like you could get burn marks like those. We eventually found out you merely collapsed from sheer exhaustion and collective nerve pain. So we just had you put into a room with an IV, a heart monitor and a nurse doing constant check-ups on you to ensure you were still alive. Everything was normal afterwards. Your heart rate did increase quite a bit for a short time but it didn’t seem major. You must have had some pleasant dreams.” I gave a pleasant smile telling her yes. She giggled and continued. “After some time we noticed the injuries disappeared suddenly. They were there one day and gone the next. We couldn’t figure out how or why that happened, wounds like that don’t disappear overnight.”
I decided to cut in and give an explanation. “I have a healing factor in the form of an Accelerated Regeneration. It must have finally kicked in at that point.”
“Oh, I see. That makes more sense. Though if you have that benefit why be admitted into a hospital?” She asked, feeling curious suddenly.
“Simple. In certain situations it doesn’t work like it’s supposed to or it doesn’t activate at all, in which case I want to be on surveillance to ensure I stay alive.” I answered.
“Ah. Anyway that’s all that happened.” She finished.
“A week huh? Well, that’s not bad considering my record.”
She raised an eyebrow up in interest and concern. “Your record? Pray tell, what’s the longest?” She asked.
I looked at her with a serious face. “I’m pretty sure you don’t want to know.” I sighed. “But if you really need to know, the longest I’ve been out was 3 months.”
Redheart’s eyes shot open. She was in absolute shock. I could tell very easily. She began stuttering before talking fully again. “T-T-T-Three m-m-m-months! By Celestia!! What in Equestria happened to put you out for that long?” She asked without thinking it through.
I shook my head. “You’re better off not knowing. It’s very crazy and hard to believe as it is. Even I find it hard to believe. In any case let’s not dwell on that since I still have a question.” I said cutting the subject off at the root to keep from answering it. Redheart came back to her senses and understood I didn’t want to continue with the subject.
“Very well. What is your next question?”
“Have I had visitors?” I asked plainly.
Redheart nodded. “Oh yes. Quite a few. I believe everypony I mentioned earlier has visited you at least once. Though Princess Luna only came during the night, she visited nonetheless. The most common visitor was Fluttershy. Why, I can assume she has visited you 5 days out the entire week and she stayed until visiting hours were over and she was asked to go home. If I didn’t know better, I would say she’s taken quite a liking to you.” As she said that, I blushed a little. It was barely visible on my red scales, but somehow Redheart knew I was. “Spike even paid a visit by himself. Even the younger sisters of Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash came to see you. You’re quite popular, Trusdale.” She finished.
A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door and another nurse opened the door. This mare had a horn, scarlet red mane and tail that were both braided in a ponytail and the mane went down to the middle of her neck. Her fur color was a calm light blue, her eye color was dark green and her cutie mark was an arrow shooting through a circle, indicating she was really good with a bow. It dawned on me why she would be working at a hospital. Maybe she was earning money.
She smiled at me and walked to Redheart. “Mr. Trusdale has some visitors.” She said, her voice was sweet but with a hint of confidence, like she was able to handle herself in a fight.
Redheart nodded and got up from the chair. “Your vitals check out and you’re in good condition. I’ll sign your release form tonight and you’ll be free to go tomorrow so long as you’re still healthy in the morning. I’ll take the I.V. out since you’re awake now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Trusdale. Take good care of yourself.” Redheart took the I.V. out before walking out.
“Chances are I’ll be in this hospital a few times. So we’ll be seeing each other again.” I called out.
Redheart turned toward me and gave me a sly look. “What are you trying to say? That you're gonna get yourself hurt on purpose to see me more often, or you're gonna be getting into some trouble that results in you being here?” She asked.
I smiled. “The latter to an extent. I’ll tell you now, I don’t often go looking for trouble because trouble always comes looking for me.”
Redheart smiled back. “Well if that’s the case, I’ll be happy to look after you. I’ll see you during your next visit Trusdale.” With that she walked out while the other mare took one more good look at me before following her out. After a minute there was another knock on the door but no one came in. I realized immediately whoever it was was waiting for me to call 'em in.
“You can come in.” I said in a loud tone so my voice would carry past the room and through the door. A few seconds later a pink alicorn with a long goldish, magenta and purple mane & tail along with a white unicorn with a dark blue mane & tail came in. Princess Cadence and Shining Armor came to visit.
“Sarius! You’re awake. We heard you were in a coma.” Cadence announced rushing over to me and pulling me into a tight hug that caused me to gasp for air. For a young and small alicorn, compared to Luna, she had quite a bit of strength.
“If you don’t ease up, I might be back in a coma.” I joked.
“OH I’m sorry!!” Cadence shouted as her eyes shot open and let go, placing her front hooves on the bed. I took a deep breath. “It’s good to see you're alright at least.” She smiled.
“It was somewhat hard to believe you were out for a whole week, my friend.” Shining armor spoke up. “By the way, here,” He used his magic to pull out a single crystal corn on the cob out of the saddle bag he was wearing. “We know you’re not supposed to eat anything but what the hospital gives you, so this will be our little secret.” He winked as he handed the corn to me.
I smiled. “Thanks, Shining.” I took the corn and started eating it. Already feeling my energy swell up from the magic crystallized corn. My energy was filled up to full capacity thanks to a week of rest. After finishing the corn, I threw the cob into the nearest trash can. I belched a little and small energy particles came out of my mouth. “Excuse me. That’s a sure sign my body liked it. My energy is full now thanks to this.”
Cadence then took a moment to speak up. “So what happened to put you in the hospital like this, Sarius?” She asked with slight worry and major concern. I was taking a major liking to Cadence. She reminded me of my sister and Kaila, but mostly Kaila since when Cadence spoke, her voice seemed to speak from the heart. I told myself I need to consider her to be a sister to me, since a part of me was screaming at me that I was already in a big enough bind with two mares I have an affection for and need to choose between. Last thing I want is to add a third to the still growing problem. She is also married.
“Well, to put it simply, I got in a fight with myself.”
Both Shining and Cadence blinked. “With… yourself?” Cadence asked in disbelief.
“Yeah. I didn’t mention to you or Shining yet but not too long after I became a Hybrid, a tragic event occured that sent my negative emotions to dangerous levels. So much so I lost complete control of myself and don’t remember anything. When I regained control I-” I paused. I always loathed what I did. If I can even say it was me at all. I shook my head and decided to skip that part. “-I noticed a change in me. A darkness was formed from my negativity and it eventually gave birth to an alternate persona; Kasulis. Everytime Kasulis came out, he and I fought for control of our main body. So in short, I had a fight with Kasulis. Hopefully it’s the last time.”
“You hoping he’s gone for good?” Shining asked.
I shook my head. “Just the opposite. He and I were two halves of one soul. We managed to accept each other now and became whole finally. So I’m hoping we don’t have to fight each other anymore and instead fight together.”
Cadence and Shining smiled. “Shining and I will hope for the best then, Sarius.”
I smiled back. “Thanks. Kalia definitely wanted us to get along. In fact, it was her idea to begin with.”
“I see you’ve finally recovered, Sir Sarius.” Luna’s voice came from the window.
We all turned to see she teleported in and was standing in front of the window. She was staring at me. It was clear she was still a bit upset at my sudden collapse. “Sorry, Luna. I completely forgot the effects of fusing me and Kasulis together. I’ve always beat him to the point I can reabsorb him.”
Luna gave a sigh. “Just don’t scare us like that again.”
“I… can’t promise that but I will try. How are the others?”
“My sister and I are fine, the Mane Six are a bit shaken up, but they’ll be fine. I’m fairly certain this was their first ‘real’ battle.” Luna stated.
“Sombra doesn’t count?” Shining asked.
Luna shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Neither do Discord or Nightmare Moon. If I recall, the Mane Six didn’t actually fight in the literal sense. They just used the Elements of Harmony for a quick victory.”
“Discord, Nightmare Moon, and Elements of Harmony?” I asked.
If the three ponies didn’t know I wasn’t from another Reality they would have looked at me like I was crazy. “Discord is a draconequus that is able to use Chaos Magic. His control of Chaos Magic makes him powerful enough to contend with my sister and I. We had to use the Elements of Harmony to best him.” Luna explained.
“A draconequus huh. Also these Elements sound like weapons.” I stated.
“Not exactly. It’s unclear what made the Elements of Harmony as they came from the Tree of Harmony, which we also don’t know the origins of. As far as I know, the Elements and Tree can’t be used by evil. So the Elements can’t be used as weapons and are a last resort.” Luna explained.
“I see. Anything more you can tell me?”
“The Elements are 6 stones imbued with Harmonic Magic. They represent 6 qualities; Magic, Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, Kindness, and Laughter.”
“Qualities of what?” I asked.
“Friendship.” Luna answered.
“And what about Nightmare Moon?”
I see Luna’s face darken a bit. “I must take my leave now. I stopped by because I was about to turn in for the day.”
“Turn in?” I look out the window. The sun was just now rising over the horizon. “You’re a night owl then?”
Luna blinked in confusion. “No, I’m an Alicorn. Princess of the Night.”
Cadence giggled and I chuckled a bit. “No, I meant you’re the type that sleeps during the day and is more active at night.”
“Oh. Then yes.” Luna’s horn lights up as she prepares a spell. “I shall be back later tonight, Sir Sarius. I wish to chat with you about some things.”
I smile. “I look forward to it, your highness.”
She smiles back before engulfing herself in a shadow and disappearing.
I turn to look at Cadence and Shining Armor, the latter is giving me a goofy grin. I raise an eyebrow. “What?” I asked.
“You know what. You managed to woo a Princess too, buddy.” Shining replied.
“That’s not what happened.” I said, trying to deny it. But I had the feeling he wasn’t wrong. Just a small feeling though.
Shining just gave me a knowing look. “Oh, I see. Trying to act cool about it huh? I get ya.”
Before I could retort, Cadence softly elbowed Shining in the chest. “Don’t listen to him, Sarius. Shining is just being a romantic goofball. Whether or not you and my aunt have a thing going on, is not our business unless you want it known.” Cadence gave me a reassuring smile for a couple seconds. “But I do recommend you work things out with her.”
“That’s not-”
Before I could finish repeating myself, Cadence shut my mouth with her hoof. “I never told you what I’m the princess of, did I?” I shake my head. She removes her hoof. “I’m the Princess of Love. So trust me when I say that if there’s any love connection, I can sense it. And I do sense a connection between you and Luna, albeit a tiny one.” Cadence can tell I’m not really convinced. “Just make sure she doesn’t get hurt, Sarius. I know what love can do to someone.”
“You have my word, Cadence. And my word is my bond.” I said proudly, causing Cadence to smile. “Mind if I ask a question?”
“Of course.”
“When I asked Luna about Nightmare Moon, she avoided the topic. Why?”
Cadence and Shining Armor both lost their smiles as they looked at each other, then back to me. “Because it’s a very sensitive topic for her. She was… Nightmare Moon.” I looked at the wall, understanding why it was a sensitive topic. “You’ll have to ask her for the details, but I can tell you she was sealed on the moon for a thousand years by Celestia. She just recently returned and was saved by Twilight and her friends using the Elements.”
The room went silent for a bit before Shining spoke up. “Speaking of Twilie, we should go and see her. That’s the main reason we came. No offense, Sarius. We heard you were in the hospital shortly after we arrived so we rushed right over.”
“I appreciate it. Go ahead and spend time with your sister.”
Cadence pulled me into a hug and Shining offered his hoof. I kinda figured he was asking for a bump, so I balled up my claw and bumped his hoof with it. Then they left me in the room with complete silence as my guest now. The only sound was the steady beep of the heart monitor.
Since I was gonna be alone for a long while, I closed my eyes, took steady deep breaths as I cleared my mind and meditated. In no time, I entered my subconscious where Kasulis was sitting down looking at something. As I walked closer, I noticed he was looking at a projected screen. On that screen was a memory of mine, that was now ours, the memory was about me talking to Kalia about what I assume was the two of us talking about Kasulis. I could hear me and Kalia’s voice from the screen but I didn’t pay attention since I remembered the whole thing. I tapped his shoulder. He simply looked at me without moving his head for a couple seconds before returning his attention to the screen.
“How many times have you replayed this particular memory?” I asked despite possibly knowing the answer.
Kasulis sighs as the screen goes blank. “Enough.” He turns his head to look at me finally. “When did you two have this discussion?”
“It was very recent. A little before I, or rather we, ended up on this Web, that for now is called Equestria.” I answered. “So you don’t need to be suspicious or upset at me for not bringing this up in the past.”
Kasulis stands up. “Fair enough. So we actually have twins?”
I look away with a bit of a blush. “Y-yes.”
Kasulis chuckles. “They are very adorable.”
I smirk. “Yeah, well one day those two will become stronger than us. So I wouldn’t underestimate them just because they’re adorable.”
“Naturally.” Kasulis retorted. “Isn’t it the point for children to surpass their parents?”
“Yes. But they deserve a chance to be their own selves.” I answered.
Kasulis’ smile slowly disappeared. “Will we get the chance to see it?”
I knew what he was getting at. “You know I can’t promise that. But at the very least, we will make sure we’re a part of their life. We’ll be a good father to them.”
“‘You’ will. I might become a bad influence for them.” Kasulis chuckles.
I chuckle too. “Nah. You’ll help me remind them that everyone has a dark side. And most of the time, it’s better to embrace it than fight it.”
“Coming from the guy that took a long time to do just that.” Kasulis smirked.
I scratched the back of my head. “Sorry. I was dead set on believing you weren’t a part of me. But when I think about it, you were created not too long after I became a Hybrid.”
“Speaking of. I want to ask you something… about that day.” Kasulis asked. His tone became much more serious.
I was naturally nervous and worried about recalling that day. “What about it?”
“I… don’t have any memory of it.” Kasulis answered. “All I recall was your emotional state at the time.”
“Which was pure anger and hatred. That would explain why your first appearance was so memorable. The way you fought me and every once else. It was like… you had animosity towards everything.”
Kasulis looked away. “I won’t lie, I kinda did. In fact, I don’t quite remember much of that. All I knew was I had to lash out. At something.”
“Considering what happened to put me in that emotional state, I can’t blame you for being so malicious and destructive. I do remember the phrase; ‘It’s not fair.’ was the only thing running through my head.”
Kasulis turned back to look at me. “What do you remember… about that day?” Kasulis asked.
I went quiet for a minute. “Well for one, I remember how sick and disgusted I was after the fact.” I do my best to hold back a gag reflex. “Also mom getting stabbed and falling over, bleeding. Right afterwards, all I remember was feeling something shatter then… nothing.”
Kasulis raised an eyebrow. “Nothing? Like, ‘you lost your memory’ nothing or-”
“-Like ‘it’s not my memory’, nothing. It was like I was unconscious… asleep. Then I woke up to… that sight.” I shivered a bit. Kasulis stared at me. “I… always thought you did it. You really have no memory of it?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“But I know you were created that day. It had to be you because-” My eyes widened in realization.
Kasulis just continued staring at me, as if he’s not surprised. “You and I are the only personalities in this body.” He said, as if he was finishing what I was saying.
“Kasulis… please tell me you’re not implying… what I think you are…” He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to answer since I already knew the answer all along. “How? And who?”
“I couldn’t tell ya. But I do know, if you didn’t create me… someone or something else did, using your negativity.”
“So it wasn’t either of us that did that…” I let out a sigh.
Kasulis gave me a confused look. “That supposed to be a good thing?”
“Yes, cause it means neither of us are the monster that did those things.”
Kasulis averted his gaze from me slightly. “You’re right. That is a good thing.”
“So what do we do?”
“For now, there’s nothing we can do. All we know is there’s another personality or something else entirely in us, since things don’t add up. I’ll try to find an answer while you control the body, but don’t expect me to find any for a long while. Now I hate to keep the mood lingering, but there is something else that needs to be brought up.”
“Something worse than what could be inside us?”
Kasulis expression turned much darker. “Yes and I believe there's a connection with the vision.” I stared at him. I started feeling a chill start running up my spine. “When you brought me out, the first thing I noticed was how different the atmosphere was. There’s a lot of positivity in this Reality. Much more than normal. So naturally I felt a… hole, of sorts.”
“Hole?”
“Yes, a ‘hole’ in the atmosphere. A ‘hole’ that wasn’t filled with positivity, but negativity. A massive amount.”
“And do you think this is connected to the vision?”
“Do you remember what you felt in the vision?”
“Yes. It’s not something I will soon forget.”
“Well, let’s just say… when I felt this hole of negativity… I felt the same way you did in that vision.” I suddenly felt that chill fill my entire body. Kasulis chuckled nervously. “I… never felt that way. So is that what fear feels like?”
“It’s more than just fear.” I stared right into his eyes. “It’s fear in the purest sense of the word. We always fear failing to protect and lose the ones we care about, but this… this is true primal fear.”
“As if there’s a difference…” Kasulis said.
“At the very least, we now know why we’re here… I hope.”
“You know it’s gonna take more than just us.” Kasulis pointed out.
“I do. If this thing you sensed is the entity in our vision, then it’s not just Equestria that’s at risk. But all of Reality.”
Kasulis nods. A couple minutes of silence followed, both of us were still feeling the chill from earlier. Kasulis clears his throat. “Mind telling me what you were dreaming of last night?”
I looked at him and blinked. “How… would you know I dreamed of something?”
“We’re connected now, so I can feel it. I can’t see it yet.” With a soft blush, I told Kasulis what the dream was about. He couldn’t help but blush a bit as well. “I can’t blame us for falling for a girl like her.”
I chuckle. “You can say that again.”
“So, what’s the meaning behind the dream?” I looked at him a bit confused. “Sarius, we don’t sleep. So when we fall asleep and dream, it’s always telling us something.”
“Well, my dream was focused on the moment between us and Kalia, and there was an emphasis on our pendant. So I think it might be about… love.”
“You think so?”
“It would make sense.”
“Hmm.” He scratched his chin as he looked at the projected screen that was still there. “Then let’s figure out what the potential love interests are.” The projection starts playing through the recent memories since I arrived in Equestria. “Seems like the most notable candidates are; Fluttershy, Princess Luna, and…” Kasulis gives me a weird look “Princess Cadence…”
“Definitely not Princess Cadence because a, she has a husband and b, I’m forcing myself to see her as a sister.”
“Good. Then that leaves Fluttershy and Princess Luna.” He looks back at the screen and a picture of two fillies come up; Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. “Of course, we’ll need to address these two.”
“Why?”
Kasulis deadpans at me. “Are you that oblivious?” I raise a claw. “Don’t answer that. These two have a crush on us.”
“Ohhhh.” I go quiet for a bit. “Wait they do?” Kasulis facepalms.
“By Asgorath, Sarius. Just take my word for it alright?” Kasulis looked ready to smack me.
“Sure, but how do you know Luna is a candidate? I figured Fluttershy was one.” I asked with interest.
“Because she refers to you as ‘Sir Sarius’ and seems to refuse to acknowledge you by anything else.”
“Ah. I should’ve guessed that.” I felt silly for not noticing that detail.
“Dare I ask how you’ll handle this?” Kasulis asked with reluctance.
“I will try to handle this with care, but I can’t guarantee anything.” I answered honestly.
Kasulis sighs. “That will do, I suppose.”
Since it seemed like the discussion about love and romance had run its course and the previous mood was lifted, I decided to bring up a topic that’s been on my mind for a while. “I need to ask you something.” I give him a slightly serious expression.
He returns the expression. “Go ahead.”
“Did you find Sombra’s ‘death’ off?”
“I did. He literally shattered to pieces.” Kasulis answered.
“I saw his horn fly off somewhere. Can you find it?”
“Already have. I happened to have gained consciousness a day after us passing out. So I’ve been looking into things. I found the horn, it’s a few miles away from the Crystal Empire. Sombra seems to be masking his presence but he can’t mask his negative aura.”
“Good. Keep an eye on him for me.”
“Do you have a plan for dealing with him?”
“Half of one. The other half requires some answers to questions. We’ll need a few things to cancel his magic and ability to turn into a shadow, like Scáth. Otherwise we’ll be back at square one.”
“Fair enough. So what will you do?”
I raise an eyebrow. “I assume you mean after solving the love triangle?” He nodded. “Well, that depends. We’ll need to learn more about this entity in our vision and if it’s connected to the one you sensed, before doing anything about it. If it really brings an end to all of life across the Web of Reality we can’t afford to make any mistakes. Sombra will be dealt with when he returns. So all that’s left to my knowledge is the forest close to Fluttershy’s cottage.”
Kasulis narrowed his eyes a bit. “That forest… isn’t normal by any means. I can sense evil lurking in there.”
“We both can. But for me, I can sense something familiar in there. I have no doubt our instincts will scream at us to stay away. Not only that, but the power I can sense from it seems ancient and powerful.”
“I concur. About the forest being ancient and powerful. Just make sure to exercise caution if you end up in the forest.”
“Of course.” I can feel he’s worried about me. “Heh, I won’t lie. Knowing you and I are connected now and can sense how the other feels, will take a bit of time to get used to.”
He smiles. “I agree, but it’s a welcome change.”
”Sir Sarius?” A voice was heard, echoing in the void.
“It sounds like Luna.” Kasulis stated. “I believe we’re done now anyway. I’ll be here if you need some company, Sarius.” Kasulis started walking away and slowly faded in the darkness. The sight kinda saddened me just a bit.
I opened my eyes and was surprised to see it was dark outside with the stars already out. I turned my head left to see Luna was standing next to my bed. She must have come in through the door.
“Hey Luna. I apologize if you knocked. I didn’t exactly hear it.”
She waved a hoof. “Tis fine.” Her eyes widened a bit. “I mean, it’s fine.” I chuckled lightly which caused her to blush a bit in embarrassment. “I swear I’m trying, Trusdale.”
I scratch my head. “Sorry. I… actually don’t mind. You sound cute when you speak like that.” My eyes widened a bit this time, when I realized I just complimented her. So naturally, I blushed a bit which wasn’t easy to see on my red scales.
Luna smiled and if I didn’t know any better, it was a bit of a seductively smile as she walked to the side of my bed. “Well, perhaps I might just forgo my desire to speak naturally when in your presence.” I can’t help but wonder if she was trying to mix casual talk with shakespeare talk. She giggled. “I’m only jesting, Sir Sarius. But if you wish for me to speak like that more often, you need but ask.” She said that with a bit more of a blush than earlier, but not out of embarrassment.
I cleared my throat. “I’ll… give it some thought. For now, just casual talk.”
Luna nodded. “Very well.”
“So what did you want to chat about?”
“Well, I’d like to know more about where you came from. I’m also curious about this Asgorath you mentioned before.”
“Ah. I have told Fluttershy already even though she didn’t need to know, but I can definitely tell you.”
I then told her everything I told Fluttershy, and she listened with great interest. Once I was done she gave me a good look over, as if she’s trying to picture me being the DNA son of a deity.
“Hmm. To think you’re the son of the Deity of Creation.”
“Just to assure you, I don’t have the full power of a Deity. But I do have a Deity’s immense potential. Which is how and why I got so strong.”
Luna’s face grew dark a bit. “I never imagined such beings could keep things like fire and ice in check, and need to. And you happened to fight one and won.”
I looked out the window. “Well… it wasn’t a fight. More like a struggle.”
Luna looked at me with worry. “What do you mean?”
“I couldn’t kill him since he was being controlled, but I couldn’t hold back or I would have been killed. No matter how you look at it, if that ‘battle’ continued… I have no doubt I would have been killed. So all I could hope to do is last long enough for him to regain control.”
Luna went silent for a minute. “That certainly sounds like an unwinnable battle.”
“You've been through one yourself?” I asked.
Luna didn’t respond right away. “Not… directly.” I turned to look at her and she held a sorrowful look in her eyes. She even looked like she was about to cry. “It was when my sister fought me when I was Nightmare Moon. I wasn’t in control of my actions but I saw… everything.”
I gave Luna a minute to compose herself enough to continue. “She… couldn’t fight back since I was family but she wanted to save me. And the only thing she could do was use the Elements of Harmony to seal me in the moon for a thousand years. I saw the tears flow down her face as she used them. Nightmare Moon didn’t shed tears, but I did.”
I reached out to grab her shoulder, she turned to me with tears running down her cheeks. I lifted my claw off her shoulder and wiped the tears away. “What matters is that you were saved in the end. I understand waiting a thousand years to be saved is incredibly hard, but it seems like you’re the type that’s patient.”
“I… wouldn’t say I’m patient. I was trapped within Nightmare Moon so I had no choice but to wait.” Then she smiled. “But you’re right. I was saved in the end and I swore I would never lose control like that again.”
I smiled back and pulled my claw away. “Anything else you want to ask?”
“How is your father doing? Asgorath, not your biological father since you told me the latter is dead.”
My smile faded and my expression was replaced with a sad one. Luna noticed and her smile faded too as she looked at me with concern. “Truth is, he’s dying.”
Luna’s eyes widened. “What?! How and why?”
“From a… unique type of poison caused by pollution. It’s not something you get right away, but over a prolonged exposure and well… he spent too much time being exposed to it.”
“Is there a cure?”
I shook my head sadly. “And I doubt there ever will be. All that can be done is prolonging what little life he has left, which my siblings and I did already. We surrounded his home in the sky with an energy bubble to keep the polluted air out. But as I said, it’s too late to save him.”
“Then… what will happen when he-” Luna hesitated finishing her question, remembering the most important fact about Deities I mentioned to her. “-dies?”
I also hesitated answering her, knowing full well what Asgorath’s death could entail. “Well, one of two things. One; life goes on without him, while the other Deities maintain the Web of Reality. Or two… everything just… ends. It’ll be like if Azathoth woke up.”
“Azathoth?” Luna asked, a bit perplexed.
“An elder god in the Lovecraft mythos. It’s in an eternal sleep, and therefore is eternally dreaming. When it wakes up, the universe ends since everything is basically a part of his dream.” Luna blinks. “I know it’s not something you're familiar with but trust me, it makes sense to me. Anyway, I don’t know which will happen since he hasn’t exactly told me. And since he’s not in any rush to tell me, I can only assume it’s not the latter.”
“And what if it is the latter?”
“Someone will have to replace him as the Deity of Creation, so life can go on. As long as a Deity that represents Creation exists, life will exist. But I’m hoping since my aunt is the Deity of Life, she’ll keep life going.” Silence settled for a moment. “Now, enough of the foreboding talk.”
“Of course. Onto a brighter subject, my sister and I will require your help soon.”
I raise an eyebrow. “With what?”
Luna gave a small smile. “My sister will give you the details. Say, can you tell me about your siblings, Sir Sarius? I know you saved your sister and your brother underwent training to slay you, but what are they like?”
My ears twitched. “Oh. My sister is gentle, sweet, very caring, and very smart. But like me and my brother, she is a force to be reckoned with and is not someone you want to anger. I don’t think you’ll see our human forms but her dragon form is that of an Eastern Dragon.”
“Eastern Dragon? Well, I suppose the dragons do originate from the east.” Luna said with a hoof on her chin.
I waved a claw. “I don’t know if there are serpentine like dragons in your world.”
“There are actually.” Luna reassured me.
“Oh, I see. I suppose I’ll have to visit the dragons sometime then. Anyway, she doesn’t have wings like me and my brother. She has antler-like horns instead and I’d bet you she’d be adept at using magic with those horns. My brother’s dragon form is like mine. Only differences are that he's bulkier and wings have claws on them.” I unfold my left wing and point to the wing bend. “Right here.”
Luna looks at the spot intensely as if trying to picture a claw there. “Hmm.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll realize it makes sense when you see him and he puts it to use.”
Luna shrugs. “I’ll take your word for it then. Now, mind telling me what your mother was like?”
I look at her for a bit. “Sure. She was a beautiful and caring woman. She knew a good amount of witchcraft and-”
“Witchcraft?!” Luna asked with shock. “She was a witch?”
I blinked. “In practice. She couldn’t do magic. Where I’m from, being able to use magic wasn’t common. In fact, at one point in history those that did or suspected as much, were burned on a stake and yelled out for being cohorts with the devil. Even though the real practice of witchcraft is just celebrating things and using otherwise common household items to perform things like curing an ailment.”
Luna almost flinched at the part of being burned on a stake. “The devil? Ha! What nonsense.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You know of devils?”
Luna rubbed her leg with a hoof. “Not… personally but yes.”
“So demons are a thing in Equestria I take it?” I asked with curiosity.
“Yes. They are described in books but no pony has actually met one to my knowledge. That, or the ponies that have, went missing or died a mysterious death. It’s truly hard to tell.”
“And what about you, have you actually seen one?”
“Again, not personally. But I have seen a vast amount of things in the night. Things even my sister won’t acknowledge exist. So I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Then how do you know demons and devils exist?”
Luna paused for a minute like she was considering an argument. “How do you know that gods exist in your world? Gods that are from mythos you mentioned, like Norse or Lovecraft.”
“Because I’ve actually seen them, and met some of them.”
“What about before you became a Hybrid?” She asked with a smirk.
I opened my mouth to retort but knew she got me there. Before I became a Hybrid, I had no clue things like gods, Deities, or magical creatures actually existed and were just good at hiding. Most of the time. I sighed. “From books…”
Luna tilted her head up, as if proud of herself. “Exactly. And if it’s recorded in books, somepony must have witnessed it and written about it, correct?”
“Yeah, but no need to act so proud. Anyway back to my mother, she did the witch things I mentioned. Celebrating certain holidays and using household items to help with certain rituals.” Luna gasped. “Not satanic or magical rituals.” Her ears flopped back. “She would take some incense and spread it around to cleanse the home of evil and negativity. Stuff like that.”
“Did it actually work?”
“Realistically, probably not. But because of the Placebo effect, it worked in our brains.”
“Ah, the Placebo effect eh? It certainly works like a charm sometimes. Not literally of course.” We both shared a short laugh. “So what did your mother do for a living?”
“She was a crime scene investigator and a really good one.”
“Ah. That sounds interesting.” Luna looked at the window. “Hmm, I think it’s about time I left.”
I blinked. “Why?”
She looked at me. “I have nightly duties to attend, Sir Sarius. I spend a majority of the night watching over the dreams of others, and assisting them with advice and help. After all, dreams are when your mind goes through the events of the day, so if a dream is a nightmare it means the holder has regrets and troubles.”
“I know.”
“Oh, my apologies. I assumed since you can’t sleep you didn’t know the functions of dreams and why they’re important.”
I shake my head. “Nah. It’s not like I have had the inability to sleep since I was born.”
“I see. Well then, I shall be going now.”
Luna turned and was about to leave. “Wait.”
She stopped and turned to me with confusion. “Yes Sir Sarius?”
I started to blush at the thought of asking my last question for the day. “Can I ask you something?”
“You just did.” Luna joked. I knew her joke was a slight jab from when I said the same thing to her before.
I just shook my head with a slight smile. “Do you have an interest in me?”
Luna tilted her head. “What do you mean? I do find you quite interesting since you’re a human and dragon Hybrid from another world.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant…” I paused to consider how to word it. Since she has a somewhat old fashioned mind, I figured this would be the best response. “Do you feel any affection towards me?”
The wording must have worked since Luna’s pupils shrunk a bit and she blushed. “W-w-well, I’m honestly not sure… I’ve been having this sensation since our spar. My sister seems to think it is affection but she also stated that it could be a crush and might pass.”
I stared at her in surprise. I honestly didn’t expect her to come out and admit it. “What about you, Sir Sarius?”
I blinked. “Oh, uh. I might have feelings for you too but like with you, it’s a little early to tell.”
Luna nodded. “Oh, I see. Then perhaps we should heed my sister’s advice to ‘not jump the train’ and see where this goes.”
I chuckled which caused Luna to laugh. I couldn’t help but notice her laugh was soothing and charming. “That’s good advice.”
“Speaking of my sister, I should mention that she will be seeking you out.”
I raised my eyebrows in interest. “Oh, what for?”
Luna smiled. “If I told you, then it would ruin the point of her seeking you out, now wouldn’t it?” She joked. I simply rolled my eyes in amusement. “Don’t worry, you and her will be talking soon. Anyway, it's time I left for real. I had fun chatting with you, Sir Sarius.”
I smiled. “Back at you, Luna. Have a safe night.”
“I will and you have a good night.” With that she walked out the room, taking one more look at me before fully leaving.
I sat in silence for a long while, thinking about recent events, what will come next and how I should prepare for them. I’ve been in this world for at least a week but only experienced almost two whole days worth of it. I clearly have so much of the world to explore, see and understand. My reason for being here remains unclear, but I know I will figure out what it is in time. Until that time I should learn as much of this world as possible. But for now I must focus on the present. If Celestia and Luna want me to be their escort and protection, I’m gonna need a few things from home first. Once I get the chance I would need to contact my sister. But for now it’s still night time, I should get some rest. Although I got a whole week’s worth of it, it wasn’t a peaceful rest. I positioned myself so I was lying on my side and comfortable enough to close my eyes and take a drake nap till morning or until a nurse came to give me the okay to leave.
The next morning
Nurse Redheart is walking into the hospital with her hair in a bun and a nurse cap on her head. She makes her way into the facility office and starts filling out a release form for Sarius. After a few minutes the form was finished and she headed for the room Sarius was in to inform him he was free to go.
I decided to get up and off the bed when sunlight started coming through the window. I was looking out and watching the wind blow around the grass and leaves in the trees, just admiring my aunt’s work when I heard a few knocks at the door.
I turned my head to the door and said, “Come in.”
The door opened and Nurse Redheart walked in smiling to see me on my feet. “Ah Sarius. You’re looking well I see. Did you sleep well?”
I nodded and turned to her. “I didn’t actually sleep but got the benefits. You here to give me the okay?”
She nodded. “Yup. Everything checks out. Again you seem to be quite different from a regular dragon, but despite that and the lack of medical knowledge of dragons you’re breathing, walking and all healed up. You’re as free as the birds.”
“Great. Thank you for looking after me while I was unconscious.” I bowed my head in a thankful manner.
Redheart started giggling and just waved her hoof. “No need for formal bows. I’m just doing my job. After all, being a nurse/doctor is how I got my cutie mark. Now please don’t get yourself hurt again to be here.” She joked.
I chuckled. “Don’t worry, I would never plan that sort of thing.”
“Alright, take care then Sarius.”
“Same to you, Redheart.” Redheart and I started walking out the door and going in different directions. She was heading to another room in the hospital while I was heading out the door.
I was really looking forward to being able to fully explore Ponyville and the surrounding area. But I thought it best to go find Celestia and find out when the meeting was so I could prepare for it.
After walking south from the hospital for a good while thinking of where I could find Celestia at, out of the corner of my eye I caught a glance of the figure of Celestia and turned my head to indeed see it was Celestia. ”Well, that was easy.” I thought to myself as I started walking towards her. She was not to far east from the park and just a couple feet from the bridge.
Celestia seemed like she was watching something until she turned her head left and saw me. Upon seeing me she turned towards me and gave me a warm and motherly smile. “Ah Sarius, I see you’ve recovered?” She asked in her motherly tone.
I nodded. “Hmm hmm. Just got released from the hospital this morning. I was about to try and find you actually.”
“Oh you were? What for?” She asked, curious.
“Luna visited me last night and she mentioned you wanted to talk to me about something.”
Celestia giggled. “I see. I figured she would let you know. Luna and I will be heading to a remote location outside Baltimare to meet with the current Griffon king to discuss things. Before you ask, we will have a hoofful of guards with us.”
“Why do you need me then?”
“Well, as you already know. Your uncle has mentioned you to me and Luna and while the battle between you and your other half showed us, as well as against my sister and I, you’re quite capable and powerful in battle. We want to find out if you’re just as good on protection detail. He didn’t give much information I’m afraid.”
“Yeah. I thought as much. He does have a lot of things to watch over. And I would like to think I’ve been doing great on protecting my friends and family.”
Celestia smiled. “I like the fact you have a lot of confidence in yourself, Sarius. But know that confidence will only get you so far.”
I laughed. “I know. I’ve been reminded of that a lot. I’m confident because I know the full extent of my power. It’s just a matter of judging when the right time is to use it and how much of it I should use. Hence why I’m always holding back.”
“So I’ve seen. Also I do want to mention, we want you with us so we can get to know you better. Luna especially.” Celestia winked at me and gave me a sly smile. I knew what she was getting at so I started blushing and turned my attention away from her.
“Anyway, what are you doing out-” Before I finished my question I noticed a large house almost a yard away from where Celestia and I were just next to a river. “Celestia, that house-”
“Indeed it is, Sarius. It’s yours. I personally saw to it’s construction. It’s supposedly big enough to house you and 5 others in it. The worker ponies were certainly hard at work with this and I do believe their finishing up the interior soon.”
As she said that, one of the said worker ponies came over to us with a hoofful of papers. Judging by appearance, size and muscle build the pony seemed to be a stallion “Construction is complete your highness. The other workers are just finishing up.” He then turned to me. “So I take it your Sarius Trusdale?” I nodded in confirmation still surprised out of my gourd. “Good, here are copies of the construction papers that tell what was installed and added.” I subconsciously took the papers in one of my claws due to being dumbfounded. “Enjoy the house.” He turned back to Celestia and bowed. “I must be going. There are other projects to work on.” Celestia nodded and the pony left.
Celestia looked at me and started laughing. “Is it too much Sarius?” She joked.
I closed my eyes and shook my head to snap myself out of it. “Are you kidding? This house is way too big for me.”
“I know. I had it built with the idea you might have others living with you. Like your siblings.”
My shock was fading now after hearing that reason. “Oh. I see now. That makes a lot of sense now.” I started walking towards the house as the workers began leaving it.
The front doors were typical doors a mansion would have. The make and wood material of the house was certainly nice, but those kind of details in a construction project never get my attention. I opened the doors to find the inside was easily bigger than what the outside showed, but I only saw the house from one side. The house was separated into three sections it seemed. There was a second floor and perhaps a third floor or just an attic with two stairs leading up on both sides of the hall. The main hall was pretty big, almost taking up half of the house since there was a wall at the opposite end of the hall with double doors. The other half I assumed was a big kitchen and a big dining area. The hall was long but not wide, there were two doors on each side of the hall. I opened each one and saw they were bedrooms with another door that seemed to lead to the adjacent room but were actually bathrooms that linked them together. The bedrooms were large but the bathrooms were of considerable size too, made for two individuals to share. I then checked the double doors at the end and found it did lead to a big dining area like I thought. Though the dining area seemed bigger than the kitchen that was on the right, but the kitchen itself was large too. Large enough to have several cooks in it working together. One thing that did catch my attention, every room had practically no furniture or anything aside from lights, kitchen appliances, curtained windows, toilets, sinks, bathtubs, showers and electrical outlets. Were ponies able to use electricity or were they magic outlets that act as electricity? That question was making my mind run wild with curiosity. How advanced was the magic they use. Questions I would have to ask Celestia or Twilight when I had the time to.
I made my way back to the front doors and went up the stairs on the left and came to a hallway with a door on the right and a door on the left side of the hall. I opened the door on the right and walked into a mini library, or a study with large shelves filled with books. A couple tables with chairs sat in between the space from the door to the other door on the other side. I closed the door and started moving down the hallway which wasn’t long, opening the first door I came to. The door opened to reveal an average sized bathroom. The hallway continued to the right for quite a distance and connected with another that went right, with two doors on the left side. I opened the doors into two more bedrooms or regular rooms. It was hard to tell what the rooms were supposed to be since there was nothing in them. I came to the next hallway which was the longest yet and went to yet another hallway going right. There were three doors on the left and one on the right, which led to the library. Two of the rooms on the left were much smaller than most of the rooms so far. The room through the middle door however when I opened it, I was surprised to see it was fully filled furnished. From the looks of it, this was a master bedroom with a couple dressers, a King sized bed with end tables on both sides and three doors, two to the left and one to the right. Two opened up to closets, while the last opened to another bathroom with a shower, hot tub, toilet and sink. I left the room, closed the doors on the way out and proceeded to the next hallway. This hallway went right again at the end and the rooms on the left side seem to mirror the opposite side of the second floor. The last hallway led to stairs and yet another door that opened to the library which meant the stairs led back to the front door. I walked down the stairs and indeed ended up at the front door, where Celestia was standing smiling.
“Is the house to your liking, Sarius?”
I shrugged. “It’s certainly big. I’ll give a better opinion on it later when more individuals are living here with me. Though aside from the master bedroom, bathrooms, kitchen and library, every room isn’t furnished. It gives this mansion an empty feeling.”
Celestia laughed. “I apologize. There wasn’t enough time to furnish the whole mansion. So I thought to only do the essential rooms after the mansion was finished being constructed. The other rooms will be furnished overtime, I promise.”
“Makes sense. I noticed there are actually electrical outlets around the mansion as well. Do the ponies use electricity or is it magic?”
Celestia rubbed her chin and closed her eyes, thinking. “You’re asking about something from a long time ago. So my knowledge of the origin is very vague, but I can say with certainty they’re run by elemental magic.”
“I see.” I looked around the main hall once more still trying to take in the fact that this mansion is mine now.
Celestia turned to the doors and stopped just short of opening them. “By the way Sarius. The time and day of the meeting is tomorrow at first light of the sun. So you have the entire day to do prep for it.”
“So I’ll see you tomorrow then Celestia.”
She nodded and smiled warmly. She opened the doors and started walking only to turn around suddenly. “OH. I almost forgot to mention that you’ll be getting visitors soon. I’m unsure if it’s today or not but at least you know. Anyway have a pleasant day Sarius.” With that she closed the doors and left, leaving me in silence trying to ponder what she meant by visitors. I shook my head and decided to not focus on that. I went to the master bedroom since I had a call to make.
I closed the door behind me and laid on the bed to check what type it was, which seemed to be a spring bed. I relaxed and made myself comfortable to the best of my ability, shut my eyes and focused on my sister. After a few minutes of meditating I spoke with my mind, “Circe, Can you hear me?”. For a good minute there was complete silence, it never took long for my sister to get back to me.
Before I could worry about the possibility that I couldn’t reach her, I heard a distant voice. ”Sarius?…”
Circe. I’m here. I can barely hear you.”
”Dang it, how do you work this stupid thing….” Her voice sounded closer.
”Focus on me Circe. Were you not doing that?”
”Oh right. Of course. Give me a sec…” A couple seconds of silence. “How’s that, can you hear me properly?” She asked, shimmering into existence in front of me.
“Yes perfect.” Her current form she took was her human form. She had long curly red hair, bright blue eyes, C cup breasts, and nicely toned muscles. She wore her typical study or lazy outfit, which consists of a blank yellow t-shirt and regular blue shorts.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I guess I wasn’t focusing. Sorry. Anyway, are you doing okay Sarius? You quite literally dropped off the face of the Earth, and felt far away suddenly. Tirean said he wasn’t concerned, but I could tell he was. Though Kalia wasn’t concerned either, I guess she could just feel you were still alive, since you two are so close and all. So I guess I should be trying to cut our brother some slack. Say something, bro.” She said rather quickly.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. Pinkie Pie and Circe were too similar in personality it helps with handling Pinkie Pie. “It’s kinda hard to say anything when you don’t give me a chance too sis.” I said with a chuckle.
“Oh sorry.” She smiled sheepishly.
“First off, I’m getting by alright so far. This world I’m in is certainly something one has to experience to understand. Secondly, you can thank our uncle for my sudden disappearance. I’m absolutely sure he’s responsible for sending me to this dimension. Has anything bad happened there since my departure?”
Circe shook her head. “Nope. It’s been very quiet, even with you disappearing.” Circe then decided to look at me. “Uh, why are you in your dragon form Sarius?”
I placed a claw on my face and sighed. “It’s not a long story but it will sound far-fetched for sure if I try to explain it. The gist of it is in this world my dragon form is more natural to take to blend in.”
“I see. I’ll take your word then.” Circe then sat down in a chair that manifested out of thin air. “So what is it you want bro?” Circe was really smart and could easily figure out I called her for a reason then to just chat.
“Well, I wanted to see if you can transfer a couple of my things over to me if you can.” As soon as I said that, I thought about how she could do that. “Somehow….”
Circe raised an eyebrow, showing a look of disappointment. “That’s it?” She sighed this time. “Alright, tell me what it is you want transferred. I’ll send them via our connected Pocket Dimension.”
My eyes went wide and I face palmed myself. “Of course. The Pocket Dimension. I can’t help but feel like I forgot about that completely. Anyway, it’s my pendant that I didn’t have on me for some reason, and that set of Energy Armor you made for me. Is it finished by the way? Last time I checked it was just a prototype.”
“Yes and yes. I had quite enough time to complete it. Though I understand why you would want the pendent, but not the armor. Care to explain bro?”
“Well.” I thought about it for a minute not realizing I would need a reason. “This world is quite different from our own, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something that could harm me or render my power useless the same way Cobalt or Lapis Lazuri does. The armor could help protect me against that or at least keep me protected if my power wanes. Besides, I've been asked to be an escort for two princesses who are technically queens in this world.”
That got Circe’s attention even more so despite the fact that I already had her full attention. “Oh really? My brother’s being a personal escort for royalty already? How do you do it Sarius?” She said winking at me in a mocking manner. I rolled my eyes as she laughed. “In any case, it’s not like I wasn’t going to send it, just wanted to know the reason, that’s all. I’ll get the items for you. Give me a minute.” She then shimmered away.
After a good few minutes, I felt a ripple in the connected PD my siblings and I share. Then she shimmered back. “Alright their up for grabs. So I have to ask, when do you think you’ll need Tirean and I?”
“Soon, most likely. I should mention Kasulis and I have finally made peace and are working together now. He mentioned sensing a large amount of negative energy in this world. I also can’t shake this feeling that there’s something dark and evil under the surface of positivity and it’s something that I most likely can’t uncover by myself.”
My mention of the current situation with Kasulis caused her to flinch, mostly due to bad memories of him. “Are you sure you and Kasulis have made peace? Remember what happened that one time between him and Tirean.”
I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. “I know, Circe. I would rather not be reminded of it, and he certainly doesn’t want to be reminded. He regrets everything he’s done sis. Trust me, who could possibly know him better than me, his good half. Besides, it was Kalia’s idea that I try to work things out with him. And I don’t think it’s a stretch to say you and Tirean came to a similar conclusion that Kalia did”
Circe reminded silent for a while, thinking about it. “Alright. You’re right for a change. Logically speaking you and him are two halves of one soul, and that soul isn’t evil or corrupted. So even though he’s the quote unquote bad side of you, he’s not likely to commit murders or crimes for the heck of it. Like you he needs a reason to kill. Am I correct?”
I nodded. “Yup, he and I follow the same two rules I placed upon myself. To which I hope you remember what they are.” I gestured my claw to her asking for a reply.
“Yes. No killing unless it’s the only option left aside from death and protect, save and put others ahead of yourself no matter what.”
“Good. Now as for when the two of you will join me here, soon I imagine. As long as one of us puts the word in to our uncle at least.”
“I will. I need to give him a piece of my mind anyway for yoinking you out of this dimension without a warning.”
I laughed. “Make sure he’s still alive please when you’re done ranting at him.”
She laughed at my poor joke. “Ha ha. You’re such a riot. Anyway, guess we’ll talk later bro?”
“Yup, perhaps it’ll be when you arrive. Give my regards to Kalia and tell her Kasulis and I have worked it out now. It’ll make her smile I’m sure. Also inform Tirean as well and tell him I still worry for him.”
Circe rolled her eyes when I said I worry for Tirean. “Okie dokie. I love you bro.”
I smiled. “Love ya too sis. Take care”
“Ditto.” With that she vanished for good this time, but I knew she and I were still connected through a very deep link.
After I opened my eyes and got off the bed, I focused my energy in one of my claws till it started glowing blue. I then took that claw and punctured a hole in space-time and opened a portal that led to the PD I shared with my siblings. I walked in the hole and into a black empty space with a door that lead into a storage room. Several items, artifacts, trinkets and various other stuff were carefully placed in different places. Things my siblings and I came across, collected and stored here either for future use or to keep them away from evil hands. I found my pendant and armor, which was a small blue sphere, next to 6 different brightly colored stones and a wood badge with an acorn carved into it. I picked up the pendant and took a good look at it. It was a shiny silver pendant with a dragon that has stretched out wings curling around the middle of the body in a protective pose, the tail was curling around the base of the pendant. A bright blue sapphire is attached to where the heart of the dragon would be. I slipped my head through the silver chain and grabbed the sphere. The pendant itself was four inches in both length and width and almost an inch and a half in thickness. I left the room, turning back to look at everything one more time before shutting the door and watching the door disappear. The room is a part of our PD but was specifically designed to only appear when we wanted it to. I walked back through the portal and making sure to close it shut.
Not one second afterwards, I heard a faint wood creaking sound. It was somewhat hard to pinpoint, but I was able to deduct it came from downstairs. I put the sphere on the closest end table then proceeded to open the door, closed it and trekked my way to the main hall while keeping my hearing sense on high in case another noise was made. Once I made it to the front doors, I took note it was still bright outside. Judging from the shadows outside, the sun was nearly setting it seemed. It still surprises me that my internal conversations with either Kasulis, my siblings via our link or telepathy with others took so much time. While I seemed too focused on what was outside my senses still picked up the slack as my ears twitched when I heard the same faint noise but slightly louder this time. It sounded like it came from the dining area.
”Is there someone in the mansion right now? If so, who and why at this hour?” I thought to myself. Then I remembered Celestia mentioned I would have visitors. Despite being told that, I still kept my guard up as I slowly made my way to the door to the dining area, staying as light footed and quiet as possible to ensure I didn’t give my position away. My hunter instincts were on, but not my predator instincts to ensure if it was an enemy I could capture and not kill by accident. Once I got to the doors, I leaned in to listen closely. I simply heard faint breathing, I couldn’t make out whether there were multiple individuals breathing, a unison of breathing or just one who was close to the door. I grabbed one of the doorknobs carefully, took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.
The room was pitch black, even the windows had the curtains and blinds covering them. I still heard breathing but it came from every direction meaning I was potentially surrounded. Though if this was an ambush I would have been jumped already, so my guard was lowered slightly. Something told me I was meant to announce myself now, so I took the leap hoping that whoever was here wasn’t simply waiting for me to drop my guard.
“I’m here. Show yourselves now.” I thought I was expecting anything, but turns I wasn’t since what happened next caught me by complete surprise.
In the span of a single second light flooded the room, blinding me for just a second revealing a lot of ponies gathered in the dining hall and Pinkie Pie appearing right before me, all yelling “SURPRISE!!!”
My eyes went wide from shock, my wings unfolded in surprise, my teeth were gritted and my face had gone white as I shouted. “Holy Mother Naturis!” Both my eyes and ears were sore now from the combination of sudden light and loud sound. It took me a whole minute to regain my composure and calm myself down from the sudden shock.
Pinkie however, wasted no time in striking up a conversation. “Hi again, Sarius. Did you like the surprise? I did say I was going to throw you a welcome to Ponyville and Equestria and Congratulations You’re a Couple Party in one single PARTY!!” She shrilled on the last word. “You didn’t forget did you, nah of course you didn’t. That would be sil-” I cut her off by grabbing her mouth and shutting it.
I rolled my eyes and smiled. “I do like surprises Pinkie, but I never had one to this degree.” I detached my claw from her mouth. “Though I must point out, there’s no need for a ‘Congratulations You’re a Couple Party’.”
Pinkie looked confused. “Really?” She asked with a cute high pitch. “Then what was the thing between you and Fluttershy about?”
“Um, we only agreed to work things out when there was time, Pinkie.” Fluttershy was slowly making her way forward through the crowd keeping her head low out of shyness. “We’re not really a couple.” Fluttershy whispered the last word out.
“Besides Darling.” Rarity appeared out of the crowd now. “A romantic relationship isn’t usually so immediate. It takes time to develop and starts from friendship. Right, Twilight?” She said to Twilight who was beside her.
“That’s exactly right. I may still be learning about friendship and have little knowledge of romance, but I do know that a romantic relationship takes time to build from friendship. Being a friend is easy, but being a romantic partner is harder. Not to mention a true bond must be forged to have a healthy relationship.”
“Their exactly right, Pinkie.” I chimed in giving my two cents. “I’ve may have only dated at least three females and have little knowledge of romance as well, but I was friends with my partners first before things got serious. It’s best to know someone really well before deciding if you actually like them as just a friend or a lover.”
“You’ve dated only three females?” Rarity asked slightly surprised. “Forgive me for assuming, but I thought were a looker or a mare magnet. Considering your charm and appearance.”
I laughed. “You flatter me, Rarity. But believe me when I say my looks as a human are slightly disappointing. I personally like to believe my dragon form is my best look.”
Rarity’s eyes sparkled. “OH, it most certainly is, but it’s still surprising to hear you didn’t date many females.”
I waved my claw. “Even so I’m not the type of male who tries to date every female I find attractive. In fact, the three I dated I felt a real bond with. Anyway-” I turned to Pinkie. “How did you know I had this mansion and I recovered today?”
“Princess Celestia duh.” She said, like I should have known. “She told all of us. And by all of us, I mean, Me, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. I just got everything ready for the party, and we set it all up.”
I was baffled by that. “Wait, the six of you put all this together while I was just upstairs?” I looked around and noticed the dining hall was filled with party decorations. “And how?” I added after looking around.
“Yup. Ya seemed out of it, so we thought we could get it done before you noticed.” Applejack said standing next to me. “Fer some reason, ya didn’t hear the racket.”
“And as for how. Well.” Pinkie pie leaned to my ear. ”It’s a trademark secret.” She smiled. I simply rolled my eyes. “I needed to throw a party anyway after the whole mirror pool incident. Being trapped in a room filled to the brim of your own clones and being forced to watch paint dry is really boring. I wouldn’t recommend it. Oh, I just remembered I need to give a yelp review for the mirror pool. Hope you enjoy the party.” Pinkie hopped away humming to herself.
I stood there slightly confused. I looked at Twilight. “Equestria has yelp?”
She gave me a confused look. “What is yelp?”
I gave a deadpan look. “I swear Pinkie is getting random by the minute.”
“Tell us about it. I always keep saying that.” Rainbow Dash said hovering in mid-air a couple inches above me.
“Ah Rainbow Dash. I was wondering where you were. I have to be honest though, every time I see you, you’re just hovering. Why?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Don’t know. Habit I guess.”
Fluttershy stepped forward and started looking at my body closely. “Have you recovered fully, Sarius?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Like I said, I have a healing factor. Two actually, but that’s beside the case.”
Fluttershy walked around me like she was looking for a scar. “I know, I just never expected you to be healed so quickly. I expected to see at least a scar.” She then saw my pendant which wasn’t around my neck before. “Oh, what is this? It looks beautiful.”
I wrapped my claw around the pendant. “This is my family heirloom that has been passed down through generations. I’m uncertain how long the tradition has been going on for but I’m the current holder of it. As for the scars, trust me I do. A lot of them. You just can’t see them since my power is active. Though honestly I would rather avoid the scenario where I have no energy for a while. It’s one of the few things that scares me, feeling vulnerable without my extra healing factor.”
“Wait, that’s a thing?” Rainbow asked.
“Yes, it is. A serious thing.” I answered with discomfort. “It’s not a pleasant time I can guarantee you.”
“So Sarius, what exactly happened before you collapsed? You seem like you were talking to Kasulis and there was a bright light then it was just you.” Twilight asked.
“Simple, Kasulis and I finally accepted each other for who we are, made up and now we’re working together for now on. While we recovered, I had a long talk with him that was long overdue.”
“Are ya sure he can be trusted, Sarius? He did try to kill us after all. I would dare say if it weren’t for you or the princesses, we will be dead fer sure.” Applejack asked, obviously having doubts.
“I’m certain. You all trust me, right?” I asked. The five mares nodded. “Then you can trust him as well. I won’t lie, I believed everything I told everyone about Kasulis as well. But after actually thinking about it and remembering a conversation with Kalia about him, I realized he’s not as evil as I pegged him to be. He was only the more ‘expressive’ side of me when it comes to things, like anger or jealousy for example. He’s even a naughtier version of me.” My eye twitched when I recalled Kalia saying that. “Despite trying to convince myself I’m not naughty. I am a male, so it’s only natural. On the bright side, I can rely on him to help keep my negative emotions and thoughts in check, while helping him remember the good and positive things in our life.”
The mares still seemed skeptical about Kasulis, and I didn’t blame them. Though they didn’t have the experience of dealing with him over a long time, so compared to my friends back home the mane six and the celestial sisters can easily forgive and accept him. I made sure Kasulis was getting my thoughts, because now I think there is a way to help my friends forgive him. By showing his best to the inhabitants of this world and getting accepted by them, they could vouch for him to my friends. I felt a ripple move through my body, which was new. I assumed Kasulis was saying he got the message and understood.
Fluttershy then spoke up. “Well I’m willing to give him a chance.” She was the first to say this, naturally. “Like you said Sarius, you and him are the same. So he should be just as kind and caring as you are.”
”She reminds me of Kalia. No wonder you developed feelings for her.” Kasulis spoke in my head.
I blushed a little. ”I don’t need you to point that out right now.” I heard him laughing.
Somehow the mares saw me blushing. “Are you alright, darling? You’re looking a bit more red than usual.” Rarity asked.
“Yeah. Just being teased by Kasulis.” Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight giggled, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash chuckled.
“Well, if Fluttershy is willing to give him a chance, I guess at least we can do the same. Right girls?” Twilight asked the others.
“Eeyup.” Applejack replied.
“Yeah. If Fluttershy and AJ are okay with it, then I am too.” Rainbow answered.
“Of course darling. I don’t see any problems with giving him a chance.” Rarity chimed.
“Same here.” Pinkie said as she hopped on my back, which did surprise me a bit. “Though now this a great opportunity to celebrate this party even more. A Happy Reforming Party.” She moved her front hooves in a half circular pattern and somehow releasing confetti and making a party noise simultaneously. A bit of the confetti fell on my head and got in my hair, but I simply smiled.
“Thanks girls. I’m sure you’ll help him get some experience of being a good drake.” I felt at ease and so did Kasulis it seemed.
“Well with all that said, enjoy your party Sarius.” Pinkie said as she jumped and somehow disappeared into the crowd.
Fluttershy then looked at my pendant again, enticed by it. “So care to tell us what the tradition for this pendant is?” Even Rarity was examining it, considering she was fashionista I wasn’t surprised she was interested.
“It is quite gorgeous, darling. The gleaming silver color makes it extremely elegant as well. Do tell what the materials were when this was made if possible as well. Please?” Rarity asked adding to Fluttershy’s question.
“Alright. To answer your question Rarity, I am unsure of all the details. But I do know this pendant was forged and made from a very powerful silver elder dragon’s scales. I’ve been told that the elder dragon is a female and her power courses through the pendant. It would make sense, since whenever I put it on, I feel slightly different. As for Fluttershy’s question, the tradition is this pendant is handed to a male child from the mother, who then decides which female will receive it as a gift. But most importantly as a declaration of undying love. That female would wear it till she gives birth to another male child and the process starts again.”
Fluttershy was blushing. “A declaration of undying love, that sounds really romantic.”
“I agree.” Rarity replied. “Seeing how absolutely beautiful this pendant is, it most certainly should say nothing less when given as a gift. So you have to decide who receives this Sarius?”
I blushed a little. “Yup, I do. The one I love with all my heart gets it. If you noticed the sapphire in the pendant is placed where the dragon’s heart is. So this pendant is a representation of my heart. So technically my lover is given my heart as a gift.”
“Oh my. That is certainly romantic. I would certainly be overjoyed at that proposal. I can’t help but feel envious of the one who gets such an astonishing treasure.” Rarity was beaming now.
I smiled. “Well if you like it that much, would you like to have it, Rarity?” I joked. Fluttershy shot me a look of sadness and disappointment not realizing I was teasing Rarity.
Rarity’s face turned from white to complete red very quickly. She was waving her hooves out frantically. “Nonononono. I mean, I would be overjoyed to be picked by you. But after hearing such a romantic and thoughtful tradition your family created, it would hurt me deeply if the one you truly love didn’t receive your heart.”
Fluttershy looked like she was about to cry. I lifted her head to look at me, I winked at her with a sly smile trying imply I wasn’t serious. She seemed to have gotten it as her mood lightened a bit. “Oh come on, Rarity. You seem to be a big fan of romance and you like me a lot. Why not just accept my heart?” I kept teasing.
“NO! You couldn’t have decided on me so quickly.” Rarity cried out.
“But what if I did Rarity? Are you really gonna turn down my proposal and essentially break my heart?” I asked with a very sad tone.
Steam was rising for Rarity’s face and ears. “I-I-I-I-I-I-I” She was stuttering very badly and seeing my sad expression wasn’t helping her. She was trying her best to regain composure. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. After a minute she walked up to me, face still red and took one my claws and placed her hoof in it. “I…. Appreciate the thought dear Sarius. But I’m afraid you can’t simply just choose me over somepony you truly love. I would be happy just seeing that pony receive their eternal happiness from you.”
“Are you absolutely sure Rarity?” I asked slightly serious.
She nodded. “I am. I am the element of Generosity, it would go against my own element if I took this from somepony who truly deserves it.” She smiled at me.
I smiled back, released her hoof and placed my claw on her shoulder. “And that is the correct answer. I apologize for teasing you. I just wanted to make sure you were the pony I saw in your soul.” Rarity’s blush lessened as she became slightly annoyed. “You were just teasing me?! How could you take such a serious matter like love, romance and traditions and treat it like a sport of amusement?!” She shouted somewhat furious.
My smile vanished and was replaced with a serious expression. “It was the only way I could test you, Rarity. If you are true to your element and yourself, you would refuse a false proposal and instead insisted I choose the one I truly loved. Which you did. I just wanted to make sure the pony I was introduced to was different from the one I would come to know properly, aka the Real Rarity.”
Rarity’s anger quickly disappeared as she understood my motive. “Oh I see. Well when you put it that way. Your teasing sounds reasonable. Still.” She paused as the blush returned a bit. “You shouldn’t have teased me like that. I thought you were serious.”
I laughed. “Again, I apologize. I just thought it was the only way the real you would show itself. Are we good?” I asked wanting to be sure.
Rarity just sighed and smiled. “Apology accepted. And yes we’re good.”
The party lasted from sunset to almost midnight, by the end most of the ponies had left and went home to sleep. I also noticed every pony in Ponyville was here which surprised me. Though I figured Pinkie was everypony’s friend and didn’t want anypony feeling left out. The Mane Six stuck around to the end of the party, if only to help me clean up the mansion which I appreciated. Once the task was done, I said farewell to the Mane Six and went to the bathroom attached to my room and rinsed myself off in the shower. I shut the water off and stood there for a minute, listening to the water on my body drip to the floor.
”What’s up, Sarius? You’re unusually quiet right now. In both mind and soul.” Kasulis spoke up, breaking the silence.
“It just occurred to me, that these ponies became our friends so easily and quickly. In our world it’s never that easy to become someone’s friend. There’s always complications.”
Kasulis was silent. “And it’s not just the Mane Six or the Celestial Sisters, I got along with a couple of the ponies in this town and became friends with them too. They’re all so kind, it just-” I cut myself off for a second. “It convinces me that the humans of our world are far crueler and uncaring.”
”I know that all too well. But despite all that, remember your- I mean ‘our’ friends back home. I would say they are the best the human race has to offer. It’s not just them either, there are plenty of humans who are just as good. And just because everypony in Ponyville has treated you like a friend, doesn’t mean everypony in Equestria will. I’m certain there are a few bad apples in this world as well. Besides, a true friendship comes from acceptance and eagerness to do anything you can for another. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I smiled and started laughing for a whole minute. “Wow. I never thought I would see the day where my dark half was giving me a talk of friendship and the bright side of things.”
He chuckled. ”I’d say you rubbed off on me too well.”
“So I did. Thanks.”
”I’m here for you, and you me. Don’t hesitate to talk to me, Sarius.”
“I won’t.”
I got out the shower and dried myself off. I left the bathroom door open and proceeded to lay on the bed. Making myself comfortable, I let my eyes close and wondered what was next for me after escorting the princesses. Little did I know, everything would change after tomorrow.
My mind wandered for quite a while. I had questions but not the right individuals to ask and get answers. I opened my eyes, and looked out the window. It was still dark outside and my internal clock was saying it was sometime past 1 am in the morning. I was glad I couldn’t physically sleep and just get the benefits by just closing my eyes. The thoughts that were running through my mind would definitely keep me awake.
I stepped off the bed and walked to the end table that the armor was sitting on. I picked it up and examined it. It looked like an ordinary sky blue sphere. I tried using my energy to levitate it and ended up activating it. It split down the middle and spread itself around me, engulfing me in a blue hue. But instead of being absorbed it covered my body, acting as a secondary layer of skin. I opened my wings up a bit, as the sphere now turned energy blanket covered my wings with a secondary layer of wing membrane. The sphere finally reached the tip of my tail.
I walked to a mirror and saw a blue dragon staring back. The parts of me that were red or silver became blue by the armor. My pendant was still visible and my eyes and claws were still the same color. I didn’t have much thought on the armor as this point, only it made me feel weird being all blue. Though the armor was giving off a blue glow, maybe Circe infused the armor with actual Energtris energy. Afterwards I tried to get some semblance of rest before dawn.
After a few hours of finally resting, I saw sunlight shine through the cracks of the curtained windows. It was now 5:30 am, Celesita and Luna were going to arrive soon. As I got off the bed and looked out the window I both of the sisters and a handful of guards, twelve in all half sun and half moon. I started walking out of the room, shutting the door behind me, walking down the stairs and through the dining hall out the double doors. I noticed there were double doors in the dining hall leading outside during the party last night. As I walked out the doors and closed them, I saw Celestia smiling at me warmly while Luna was simply smiling and I smiled back.
“Good morning Sarius.” Celestia said.
“Yes good morning, Sir Sarius.” Luna added. “DId you sleep well?”
“I didn’t really sleep, but yes. I have a lot of questions that need answers which kept me from resting for a while. I highly doubt those questions will get answers anytime soon, so I need to focus on the task at hand.”
“A lot on your mind, Sarius?” Asked a familiar voice. It came from one of the Sun Guards who stepped forward. He came up to the bottom of Celestia’s neck in size, with a golden halberd attached to his armor.
I quickly recognized this stallion. “Morning Dew?! You’re on of the guards on this escort?”
He nodded. “Yup, I am top of the class.”
“I hate to be rude, but we have a lot of ground to cover before we reach the meeting place. So I personally believe we shouldn’t be wasting time.” A mare’s voice from one of the Moon Guard spoke up as she stepped forward. She had a quiver filled with arrows and a bow attached to her armor. She looked and sounded familiar, scarlet red mane and tail, light blue fur color and dark green eyes. She was at the hospital when Cadence paid me a visit.
“Relax, Scarlet Yumi. We’re taking the train to Baltimare.” Dew said.
“Scarlet Yumi. You’re the mare from the hospital aren’t you?” I asked.
She looked at me with a calculating stare. “Yes, I am. Everypony’s got to make a living.”
“Now now, everypony.” Celestia spoke in a motherly tone. “I understand you take your responsibilities as our personal guards seriously, but there is no need for unnecessary tension.”
“My sister is correct. Scarlet Yumi I assure you, Sir Sarius poses no immediate threat to any of us. So I would appreciate it if you didn’t make him feel uncomfortable while being in our midst.” Luna instructed.
Scarlet Yumi narrowed her eyes at me before looking away. “Very well, your highness.” She said reluctantly. “But I’m still keeping an eye on him regardless.”
Celestia sighed. “Now then, shall we depart?” With that we all walked our way to the train station. Luna was walking beside me trying to stay close but not too close. Celestia was walking ahead of us and looked at me and Luna, giggled and winked at me. I rolled my eyes. The 12 guards were walking in a rectangular pattern around the 3 of us. I could feel Yumi’s eyes glancing at me every once in a while. It didn’t bother me, I was used to being on a watch list of the most dangerous entities. After a few minutes of walking, and getting curious and/or interested looks from the town folks, we arrived at the train station. Celestia ordered the tickets and we all boarded the train and departed for Baltimare.
Between me, the princesses and the 12 guards, we got a whole train car to ourselves. Wither the 15 of us took up the space or a security detail is up for debate. I sat on the bench on the left side of the car in the middle. I could easily lay on it and take up the space entirely, but reluctantly chose to sit up. Luna decided to sit on the same bench as me, causing my heart to run the heat engine slightly hotter than usual and Celestia sat across from us taking up the whole bench herself. I noticed Luna was slowly trying to scooch over closer to me, make the engine get hotter by the second. She was a mere one and a half inch away from me as I started hyperventilating. Trying to catch my breath, I noticed Luna was slightly blushing despite trying not to while Celestia was trying her best not to laugh at this. Scarlet Yumi was across the car sitting with Morning Dew, staring daggers at me while still having the calculative stare. I looked at Morning Dew asking him ‘a little help’ he curved his lower lip and switched between looking at me and Yumi. He simply smiled and shrugged as if saying ‘sorry can’t help ya’ I replied with a roll of my eyes saying ‘yeah thanks for nothing’.
Thankfully the silence was broken after a while by Luna who said something a little too straight forward and humorous. “So Sir Sarius, mind telling me why your suddenly blue?” I heard Celestia snort a little loudly trying to hold in her laughter.
Still trying to catch my breath from having Luna so close I spoke without trying to sound strained. “It’s uh, armor made by my sister. I had her deliver it to me so I could use it today.”
Celestia was intrigued by that. “Oh, your sister must be quite smart and talented to make something like that.”
I nodded. “She is and I’m proud to be her brother.”
Luna started leaning in to take a closer look at the armor. “It doesn’t look like armor. I assumed you just painted yourself blue.”
I was starting to sweat a bit. “Well, it’s not normal armor. It’s more like a secondary layer of skin and scales that is quite tough.”
Luna’s eyes brightened. “Oh I see now.” She then noticed the pendant around my neck. “And what’s this?” She held her hoof out to touch the pendant.
I was starting to blush now since I was gonna have to tell her about it. “That’s a family heirloom. It was given to me by my mother. You see, there’s a tradition in my family that the male child would receive this and would give this to the one they truly love as a sign of undying love.” Hearing that Luna started blushing more. “This tradition has been in the family for a very long time. It all started when an ancestor of mine was given the scales of a powerful female silver elder dragon to forge and make items out of. This pendant was one of them.”
“Well, it certainly is beautiful.” Celestia remarked. “I can also sense something from it.”
“That might be the dragon’s power from the scale. I did say she was a powerful elder dragon. It would also explain my increased capabilities when I wear it.”
“Oh, so it makes you stronger?” Luna asked still flustered.
“Only by a little bit I think. And if what my sister said is true, this pendant isn’t fully complete.”
“Why’s that?” Celestia asked more curious than before.
“I don’t know. It’s physically complete but not complete in the natural sense. Maybe it requires a dragon’s power to use it’s full potential. I would have to ask my sister about it when I can.”
I looked out the window of the train, still trying to calm myself a bit. Talking to the sisters helped with that but the fact, Luna was so close was still getting to me. The train was currently running through some empty plains with a forest and a couple mountains out quite a ways, a river was not too far ahead. My attempt at calming myself was getting harder after realizing Yumi was still glaring at me. I didn’t have to see it, I felt it.
Luna must've noticed Yumi’s stare since she said something. “I deeply apologize for Yumi’s behaviour Sir Sarius. I’m afraid she takes her job as part of my Moon Guard a little too seriously. I tried convincing her you were no threat and don’t deserve such a treatment. She obviously didn’t listen.”
I looked away from the window and at the floor, sighing. “It’s fine, Luna. I’m used to it. I know I’m dangerous.” I ended up giving a small smile. Maybe it wasn’t so bad though. Having her keeping an eye on me is encouraging me to try harder to be better. I wasn’t going to say that though, not in that way anyway. “But being on a watch list does help remind me to stay in check. I always want to prove I’m in full control of myself and my power and no one has to fear me.”
“I see.” Luna gave a small smile herself. “You always seem to try and see the positive side of things and stay hopeful. I think…” She paused and started blushing again. “I think I’m really starting to like you Sarius.” She said as she turned her head to me.
Just as she said that her eyes widen in realization at what she just said, blushed harder and placed her hooves over her mouth in embarrassment after letting a gasp out. I started blushing again from the sudden confession and widen my eyes in surprise as well. Without realizing it Luna and I were looking into each other’s eyes a bit too deeply.
We didn’t realize until Celestia started laughing. Luna and I looked at her confused. “Oh goodness. You two look so adorable together.” She smiled sheepishly.
Luna’s face turned completely red as she started waving her hooves up and down in embarrassment and squinting her eyes like some anime girl. ”DON’T TEASE ME SISTER!!” She yelled in an almost booming voice.
Celestia smile went from mischievous to regular. “Relax, Lulu. It’s all in good fun. Besides, you shouldn’t try to ignore these feelings you have for him. If you put this off for too long, it might end badly for somepony.” Celesita in a concerned tone.
Luna calmed down but was still blushing a bit. “I know. And please do not call me Lulu in public.”
I was confused. “What’s wrong with Lulu? Is that a nick-” I was cut off by Luna staring at me with a pouting face and a glare warning me to stop while I could. I started sweating a bit from the combined glare of Luna and Yumi.
Celestia giggled. “Forgive me. I’m afraid Luna here isn’t fond of being called by her nickname in public or by others she doesn’t like. In fact if she’s giving you that look, she likes you enough to warn you at least.”
“Oh.” I merely say blushing.
Luna then stared at Celestia. “Why did you have to tell him that?”
Celestia shrugged. “Just thought he ought to know the reasoning about that.” Luna merely responded with a grunt.
I looked out the window again and saw a city in the distance. “Is that Baltimare?”
Celestia turned her head to see. “Yes, indeed it is. It seems we’ll be arriving shortly.”
“So where’s the meeting place at then? In the city?” I asked out of curiosity.
“No. It’s a place in the forest outside the city.” Luna replied now starting to fully calm down. “The Griffon King asked us to pick a location away from the populace. He has nothing against ponies, but finds it rather uncomforting being in a place filled with them.”
“That makes sense. I wouldn’t want to be surrounded by individuals I didn’t trust.”
The conductor announced we were arriving shortly. The guards started gathering around the 3 of us, as we slowly came to a stop. The princesses and I got off the benches and were escorted out of the train by the guards. When we stepped out I noticed we were in the middle of a large street. Not as big as Time Square back home but big enough to have two roads on both sides of the train tracks. The buildings around us ranged from single story tall to several stories tall and everything in between. Baltimare didn’t look like Baltimore back home, it was much smaller in scale but still quite big to have the namesake of a city. Lots of ponies were walking around the street block and a large amount of those eyes caught sight of the princesses and decided to smile and wave in their direction, only to look at me. get nervous and walk away.
I sighed. I felt Celestia’s hoof press against my left shoulder. “Don’t let their actions get to you. The ponies of Baltimare are the closest to the Dragon Lands. So they’ve seen more dragons flying about than most.”
“I’m not. After all I keep saying I’m used to it. I just wish there were some random strangers didn’t look at me in such a way.” I said feeling like a broken record at this point.
We then started walking north east and I saw a paved road leading to the forest. We walked onto the sidewalk and were about to head out on the road when I felt a small hoof touch my front right leg. I looked down to see a filly looking up at me with curiosity in her eyes. The princesses and the guards stopped and looked in my direction, it dawned on me that the guards weren’t around me at all. I looked down the sidewalk and saw a few ponies were watching me, one mare in particular had a look of distress. Must have been the mother of this filly.
“Are you a dragon?” Asked the filly in a cute voice.
I looked back down to her and instantly forgot I was being watched. I lowered myself to the ground to look her in the eyes and try to show the older ponies.I wasn’t a threat. “Yes I am. Half actually, but still counts.” I answered with a slightly high voice releasing my inner child.
She tilted her head. “My mommy and daddy say dragons are dangerous. Are you dangerous?” She asked innocently.
I chuckled. “I think I’m not, but what do you think?” I asked taking a blunt claw to boop her nose, getting a giggle from her.
“I don’t think you're dangerous. I think you look silly for a dragon.” She said booping my nose causing me to smile.
“Well I like to think I am a silly and funny dragon. The fact you think so too must make it true.”
“Honey come along now. I think the dragon has things to take care of.” The mother called out.
The filly gave me a sad look. “Really, is that true Mister Dragon?” The filly asked sadly.
“Yeah it is. See the princesses over there.” Me and the filly turned our heads to the princesses and the guards, Luna and Celesita smiled at us. “They asked me to be their personal escort for a trip. You wouldn’t want to keep me from my job do you?” I asked.
The filly shook her head. “No.”
I patted her head. “Besides, I think you’re mother is getting concerned about you. I wouldn’t want your mother to worry herself over you.”
“Alright.” She said as she walked back towards her mother, keeping a sad look.
“Though I want you to remember one thing for me.” The filly stopped and turned to me with the mother getting more concerned. “Not every dragon you’ll see is gonna be like me, okay. So please be careful around them. You understand?”
The filly nodded. “I do. Be careful Mister Dragon.”
I smiled. “Back at ya and turn that frown upside down. Don’t be sad about me leaving. You might see me again one day.” The filly smiled in response and ran back to her mother’s side. After a few seconds everypony started going back to their business.
I got up and walked towards the princesses. “Wow Sarius. I never knew you were so good with children.” Celestia said.
“I’ll say. You have experience with young ones?” Luna asked.
“I do cause I have twins back home.” This shocked everypony present.
“You’re really a father of two?” Dew asked.
I nodded. “Yup. Though I haven’t been able to spend as much time as I wanted with them. I hope I can remedy that one day. Anyway Luna, Celesita you two can ask me all the questions you want later. I believe we still have a meeting to attend.”
The sisters shook off their shock, nodded and we departed down the paved path into the forest.
We walked through the forest for several minutes, staying on the paved road. I caught sight of a building through the trees not to far out. When we got to the entrance, it looked like a well preserved ruin. But it was a home made out of brown marble that stood two and a half stories tall. It certainly didn’t seem too special about it, just your average home. The inside however was a different story.
The interior was about ten yards in length with walls on each side holding up a second floor balcony with stairs at the entrances. There were large pillars that held up the roof. The second floor seemed to have walls and open spaces for windows on every yard of length. The pillars seemed to block the window spaces at different angles but there was always one window that wasn’t blocked. I was too busy with the interior layout that I didn’t notice there were what seemed to be comfortable chairs in the middle of the building with a large table. Right now there were only two chairs on my side and one on the opposite side. I did see the other chairs stacked against the wall on my right.
Luna and Celestia began taking their seats and I noticed only two guards were with them, one Moon guard and one Sun guard respectively. I assumed it was Scarlet Yumi and Morning Dew. “Where are the other guards?” I asked with slight concern.
“They are either patrolling around the premise or staying guard outside making sure nothing gets in.” Celestia said.
“Our guards are trained well, Sir Sarius. We have nothing to fear or worry about from outside.” Luna added.
I stood next to Luna and decided to take it upon myself to look around the place one more time. Sure they might have nothing to worry about outside, but what if something was already inside waiting. I noticed two windows on the second floor, one on each side of the building that was perfect for an archer to shoot the princesses. I couldn’t help but feel something was in the building. I never noticed the Griffon King and his three guards were on the other side of the table until the king spoke.
“Princesses Luna and Celestia. I am glad to see you two here. I was worried you wouldn’t show.” The griffon said in a gruff voice.
“You shouldn’t have been worried, King Galedon. Nothing is more important to me or my sister than the well being of every creature in Equestria.” Celestia said.
“Indeed. We wish to have all the creatures of Equestria to live together in Harmony. We want to be able to deal with any and all troubles before they rise out of control and become a problem for all.” Luna added.
“Good. That’s good to hear. In that case, my home of Griffonstone is in distress. Ever since we lost the Idol of Boreas, the city has never been the same. But I reckon you already knew of that.”
“Yes, it is quite tragic that you’re greatest treasure was taken by a cyclops and lost with it’s fall.” Celestia acknowledged with sympathy. “My sister and I are willing to do what we can to help the once great city of Griffonstone return to its former glory.”
I suddenly got a feeling of danger in the air. I immediately shut off the conversation that was still going on and focused, trying to enhance my senses. I wasn’t picking up anything, so I decided to use my aunt’s gift, ‘Life Sense’. My eyes turned bright green as I could now see pulses of life. I clearly saw the life sighs of the guards outside and the current individuals inside the building. That being the four guards, the king and the princesses.
”Wait four guards. There were three griffon guards, I’m sure of it. Where did the third one go then?” I thought to myself. However I couldn’t search as that feeling of danger was getting even stronger. I decided to look to the second floor, and unbeknownst to me the griffon king asked about me.
“Uh, I didn’t notice you two brought a…. Dragon with you.” He said with hesitation. “Should I be worried about him?”
Luna shook her head. “No you have nothing to fear. He’s not your typical dragon. He’s surprisingly half dragon. We personally asked him to escort us to test him.”
“Okay. But he’s being a bit... weird.” The griffon said trying not to sound insulting.
“Don’t fret, your highness. Like my sister said, he’s not your typical dragon. He does have abilities and powers we never seen before. But I assure you he’s no threat to you or your subjects.”
I sensed nothing on the right side of the second floor but when I looked to the left, I noticed a faint pulse. Unlike everything else I sensed, this life pulse was far weaker or was trying to give the illusion of being weak to hide itself. I deactivated the ‘Life Sense’ to see a pony that was barely visible. It was cloaked and staying low to the ground. But when I enhanced my sight, I quickly noticed the pony was notching two arrows and seemed to be aiming for the princesses.
I heard the faint sound of the bow string being released and had little time to act but enough to quickly unfold my left wing entirely and cover the princesses. The arrows met my armored wing with a loud ding that echoed through the building. The entire collective of souls present gasped in shock and horror at my display. The princesses themselves saw the arrows that fell on the table, now realizing how close they were to being shot. Yumi and Dew jumped to action quickly, trying to pinpoint the location of the arrows origin.
The pony on the balcony stood in surprise and seemed to stare at me and I stared back with an angry glare. “Yumi and Dew. Protect the princesses for me. I gotta catch the culprit.” I said demandingly and unfolded my wing.
I was fully expecting Yumi to retort but didn’t bother to stop and listen to her, as I mustered all the strength in my back leg muscles to launch me to the pillar next to the window. The pony got its senses together and made a mad dash somewhere, as I leapt off the pillar through the window skidding across the floor a few inches.
“Oh no you don’t!” I shouted as I gave chase.
I was barely to register the passage I was taking while chasing the pony, all that I knew was that we ended up in a long pathway somewhere. The pony was certainly fast but I was no slouch in speed and was quickly catching up to it. However I didn’t need to stop it as we came to a dead end.
I decided to take a good long look at the pony and identify it. Silence filled the air for half a minute before I tried to have a conversation. “Seems like you’re stuck doesn’t it.” I said being as bluntly obvious as possible in an attempt to annoy the culprit. “So mind telling a few things, like who you are?”
A few more seconds of silence followed by a sigh as the pony turned to me and removed the hood. “Nelkanth. You have earned the right to hear my name at least.”The pony was a stallion around Cadence’s height if my memory was correct. Though most of his body was covered by the cloak, I could see a part of his cutie mark which seemed to be a dagger dripping poison and an arrow drawing blood. He had a horn that was almost hidden underneath a dark gray mane, and a dark greenish tone of skin. His mane was of medium length like mine. His eyes were light blue, but what was throwing me off about his eyes is it seemed his soul was void and empty of anything. I was able to piece together quite a bit of information from just looking at him. “I’ll admit I was surprised you sensed me and stopped the arrows.”
“I take it you’re an assassin?” I asked nearly eighty percent sure of my assumption.
“Yes I am.” He answered with a hint of disbelief.
Even though this stallion looked and sounded young, my instincts were telling me to not take him lightly. “Why kill the princesses? Aren’t you one of their beloved subjects?” I asked starting to get into the big questions.
He chuckled finding my question humorous for some reason. “I’m afraid you’re not gonna make me talk that easily, my friend.” He smiled.
I smiled back showing my teeth for the first time in a smile. “Oh really? Well the way I see it, it’s you tell either me willingly, or tell the guards after they torture you. Either way you’re gonna talk, ‘friend’.” I put emphasis on friend.
“Oh, and do tell what you see right now?” He asked trying to be oblivious.
“You’re trapped between me and a dead end. I don’t see any way of you getting out.” I explained despite him trying to act ignorant.
He laughed again. “Well, the way I see it, this is only a minor inconvenience.”
I narrowed my eyes at him wondering what his game was right now. I decided to try and ask one more question. “Are you working alone or is there another helping you? I highly doubt you would let the Griffon King or the guards get away and tell the ponies that their princesses are dead. Plus you only had enough time and resources to kill the princesses.”
He tilted his head in ignorant confusion. “How would you know if I didn’t have the time or resources? Maybe my whole plan was to let the king go and start a war between the griffons and ponies.” He righted his head position and looked me dead in the eyes. “You shouldn’t make assumptions like that. Sarius Trusdale.”
Hearing him speak my full name caught me by surprise. I instantly went from being shocked to taking a fighting pose. “I have no idea how you know my name, but it’s enough proof for me to take you in right now. You clearly know something and I’m not about to you let you go now.”
He laughed once more. “My source was right, you are very smart and straight to the point. I’m sure you would actually capture me in any other situation, but I’m afraid this isn’t one of them.”
I stepped forward ready to pounce on him. “Enough with the confidence. You can not escape.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I planned for this. I’m afraid you just lost you’re only chance to capture me.” He grinned amusingly.
”NO MORE GAMES!!” I shouted as I jumped him.
Not even a second later, an explosion takes out the wall behind Nelkanth which pushes me back and creates a large cloud of dust. My ears rang for a minute and my eyesight was slightly blurry but I was able to unfold my wings and create a strong gust of wind to blow away the dust. Unsurprisingly, Nelkanth wasn’t there anymore and only a huge hole where the wall had been remained. I walked to the opening and looked around, using my Life sense to find him or the other who caused the explosion. No luck, the surrounding flora was covering up any pulses of life I would have found. I gritted my teeth in frustration feeling anger build up but I relaxed and took a deep breath. I decided to head back through the pathway back to the main building.
After walking through the long underground passageway and climbing stairs to the main floor with another set of stairs going to the second floor and exiting an open doorway, I came back to the place of the meeting. The first thing I noticed was the third griffon guard that wasn’t here was back. I had a suspicion that the griffon helped Nelkanth escape and that name was slowly nagging my brain. That name sounds familiar but I didn’t have the faintest idea why. I ignored the thought for now and checked on Yumi, Dew and the two princesses. They were unharmed but obviously shaken up. Yumi noticed me walking toward them, gave me an angry glare and trotted to me halfway.
“Who do you think you are ordering us around? And where is the culprit? Don’t tell me they escaped.” Yumi said being on the verge of yelling. I remained silent which angered her more. “ANSWER ME!!!” She shouted echoing her voice in the building.
”Stand down Yumi!” Luna’s shouted as if she was using a megaphone. She walked over to me and Yumi, while Yumi just turned to her with a look like she wanted to argue. “Sarius was acting in the heat of the moment. He wasn’t trying to command you. Besides, you should be grateful, if it wasn’t for him. My sister and I…” She paused feeling dread from what transpired. “Would have died. We all should be grateful actually.”
Celestia came up to me and bowed to me in a respectful manner. “Luna is right, we should be grateful. I believe I speak for everypony here when I say thank you.” Dew and Luna bowed in the same manner, Yumi did the same with hesitation. I was getting a bit flustered from this.
“Did you find out who the culprit was?” Asked the griffon king who was obviously nervous.
“Yes and no. I only got the name, Nelkanth and nothing else. But I did figure out he was an assassin and came here to kill the princesses.” The princesses gasped.
“Was he a pony?” Celestia asked.
I looked at her and Luna and hesitated to answer. They deserve to know who it was that tried to kill them, but were they ready to understand it was one of the very subjects they look after and care for so much. It would cause more problems if I didn’t answer and truthfully. “Yes.”
Celestia held a hoof to her mouth in horror, while Luna looked at the ground in solemn disappointment.
“How did he escape Sarius?” Dew spoke up trying to help the princesses think of something else.
“I’m not entirely sure. He was trapped with no way out, or so I thought. There’s a passageway under the building that leads somewhere a dozen or so yards away from here. The other side seemed to be closed off with no way of opening it. He was only able to escape because of an explosion that created an opening for him. So I suspect he wasn’t alone here.”
Dew and Yumi went wide-eyed. Yumi then took a defensive stance and looked at the griffons. “Maybe their in league with him?”
The griffon guards stepped forward claws on their weapons ready to defend the king while the king was getting even more nervous.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions Yumi!” I shouted trying to get her to stand down. “If you attack the king or the guards right now without any conclusive evidence, you’ll be starting a war.” As I said that I remembered Nelkanth mentioning a war. “The unicorn actually gave me a vague idea he was here to start a war. Let’s not make it a reality.”
Yumi looked at me from the corner of her eye. I gave her a look that I knew what I was saying and wasn’t afraid to back up the words. Yumi sighed and relaxed. “Very well. You make a good point. But I would advise we still keep an eye on them.”
“We have nothing to do with this. I’m only here on the notion of peace and trading. The griffons are suffering after all.” Galedon said trying to be reasonable.
“I have no doubt you are here for peace Galedon. But I can’t help but think that one of the guards you brought with you aren’t.” I said trying not to sound suspicious of the griffons.
One of the guards stepped forward. “What are you trying to get at, punk?” The griffon sounded female but had a grunty voice.
“Now, now Gilda. I doubt he’s placing any blame on any creature. Just relax.” The king said trying to defuse the situation before it got out of hand.
“He’s right. I’m not placing any blame here. I will point this out though. When you four arrived you were all together, but when Nelkanth was taking the shot, one of you was missing. And when I came back after chasing him and losing him I immediately noticed that the one guard was back like they never left. Now I’m not saying they helped him escape, maybe they took a bathroom break at a convenient time. I just wanted everyone to know I noticed this. It’s the griffon’s call to figure it out if they want to.”
The female griffon Gilda was eyeing me with a somewhat malicious intent. Before things could have a chance to get worse, Galedon spoke up. “Alright, princesses. Perhaps it would be best if we make agreements later?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes, perhaps it would. If you’re willing, Luna and I will arrange a meeting with you at Canterlot Castle where it’ll be safer to discuss things.”
“Sure. I mean, after today I won’t be able to feel safe anywhere now so why not. We’ll take our leave then.” The king said as they departed. I went to the table and decided to take the two arrows to study.
The princesses, Yumi, Dew and I left ourselves, regrouping with the rest of the guards and made our way back to Baltimare train station. I looked back at the building then noticed a much smaller building in the distance. I recognized it as the exit point of the underground passageway. It must have been an emergency escape route if anything happened to the main building.
As we left the forest and made our way onto the train and heading back to Ponyville, no one said a thing. I didn’t blame any of them. The guards were more active and on guard than the last time we were on the train. Luna was sitting next to Celestia in the middle of the car, with Yumi and Dew sitting across from them. I decided to sit in the back of the car on the right side. I took out the arrows and examined them closely.
The arrows were crafted much differently than normal arrows. The feathers on the end weren’t of a birds but perhaps something stronger. The stick seemed to emit an aura of some kind that was affecting my armor. The arrow tip seemed like it was dipped in something acidic in nature, but I knew it wasn’t anything I was familiar with. The tip however I knew was smelted from a mixture of a dragon scale and a sturdy metal. These arrows were made for one thing and one thing only: to kill anything in one shot without problems. And it definitely would too, the acid on the arrow tips would have been more potent on entry in the bloodstream. I figured the princesses have healing factors of their own and powerful healing spells to boot, but this acid would ensure they didn’t have the time to heal themselves. The wood would also most likely nullify any shield spells.
I then remembered the arrows hit my wing, so I unfolded my left wing and turned it so I could see the spots the arrows hit. To my surprise, there were two holes in the energy armor that left my wing vulnerable to another attack. I looked at the arrows again, trying to visualize how this was possible. I came up with nothing as to a proper explanation, whatever this arrow was made out of was able to neutralize my energy. If hadn’t worn this armor who knows what state my wing would be in. The armor didn’t seem like it was regenerating, either my sister didn’t incorporate the ability to regenerate or the arrow was more effective than I originally thought. I folded my wing back up and just stared out the window for the rest of the trip.
So much was happening so fast and I didn’t have a single answer to the questions I already had and I was now getting more questions. We went through a tunnel and came out with Ponyville in sight. I decided it’s high time I contacted my uncle and get the aid of my siblings. There was no way I could solve any of the current problems without them.
When the train stopped at the Ponyville train station, I got up and noticed the 12 guards and the princesses weren’t leaving. Luna looked at me, got up and walked to me. “This is your stop, Sir Sarius. My sister and I along with the guards are staying on the train for Canterlot. So this is farewell for now.” She went silent for a few seconds and started blushing about something. I was wondering why when she unfolded her wings and moved forward to embrace me with her wings and fore hooves in a hug. I instantly started blushing and understood why she was too now. She was warm to the touch and her wings brought more warmth, but also had a sort of coldness about her. I couldn’t place my claw on it though. Maybe it had something to do with her control of the moon and stars. The hug lasted only half a minute and the warmth she gave was replaced with the slightly cold air.
“I can’t possibly thank you enough for saving me and my sister today. But we will need some time to ourselves for a while I’m afraid. You understand why, right?” I nodded knowing full well what she was implying. “I want to say I’ll spend some time with you tomorrow but it might not happen. So instead I’ll see you tomorrow night and go from there. That okay with you?” She asked.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Knowing you almost died is pretty overwhelming, I would know. So take as much time as you need Luna.”
Luna smiled warmly. “I will. Thank you again Sarius.”
I walked off the train and waved farewell to the sisters and the guards as the train departed for Canterlot. I started walking back to my mansion wondering what my next move should be.
The walk back was silent as expected, but the silence only made me wander in my mind seeking possible answers to questions that would not be so easy to answer. On top of that the name Nelkanth was continuing to nag my mind. Something seemed so familiar about it, like I heard it or read it somewhere. I was so lost in my thoughts I almost didn’t notice I was about to bump into a building several times on my way back. I arrived at my mansion finally deciding to put all my questions aside for now. I opened the front doors, closed them behind me and went to my room and entered it. After a few minutes of messing with the armor I finally got it off and back into an energy sphere. I put the sphere on the end table and sat down on the floor. Time to make a call. I focused and pictured my uncle.
”Uncle Duewind.”
”Sarius. It’s been a long time since you and I talked. How are you?” Duewind spoke in his old grandpa like tone.
”I have quite a problem on my hands. Thanks for that by the way. I have a lot of questions that need answers and at this rate I’ll have all questions and no answers. I need my siblings.”[/i[
”I see. I’ll send them once their ready and have what they need. Now why don’t we talk, it’s been a while?”
”As much as I want to catch you up, I can’t. I have a conundrum to sort out. Just send my siblings and quickly please.”
”Alright, alright. I’ll take care of it. Just make sure you take care of yourself in the meantime.”
”I know.”
Afterwards I sat in silence for a while thinking of what I should do now. I just had to wait for my siblings to arrive before moving forward. I wanted a few of my questions answered at least. I did have the difficult task of choosing between Fluttershy and Luna, but I didn’t feel like dealing with it. Not right now at least. I needed to clear my head. I decided to take a walk, as I left my room and the mansion making sure I shut all the doors. I headed toward the forest that was just south of the mansion. I never noticed my home was close to the Everfree Forest. Instead of entering the forest this time I walked on the edge of it heading right and followed that path for a while.
I walked along the edge of the Forest for what seemed like half an hour. The entire time I felt some kind of presence in the forest, like it was watching me. I don’t know if the forest was magical, primal or connected to something that was magical or primal in nature. I was certain it wasn’t connected with nature or at the very least lost its connection to nature and taken by something else. Whatever the case was, it made sense the ponies and even the princesses were nervous of its existence.
I then noticed a shack that looked abandoned just a couple yards away from the edge of the forest. It was surrounded by trees, but the trees didn’t seem like they were attached to the same network the trees in the Everfree Forest were. These trees were beautiful in that they had bared flowers and fruits. As I got closer to the shack it was much easier to see how old it was.
The shack was small in size but big enough to house a small family of three to five. A fenced off area held a garden that seemed to be used for flowers. A much larger fenced off area looked to be a farm. But aside from that, the way the shack was covered in moss, vines and largely grown flora, this shack had been here for at least a century. Because of that it was hard to make out anything about the shack. The windows were broken, the front door was laying on the ground having fell off its hinges from rust, and the wood from which the shack was built off of was withered and rotten quite a bit.
The inside wasn’t any better, bits and pieces of trash littered the interior. Though the home was cleaned up quite a bit before being abandoned. The various furniture were ruined and destroyed by animals that tried to make their home here. The shack was a considerable size, having a rather large living room with two hallways leading to a bathroom, a couple bedrooms and the kitchen. But it was hard to tell what room was what, from the obvious overgrowth that had taken over the place.
I quickly realized the small amounts of trash I saw were recent. The smell indicated that someone was recently here. It smelled like an alleyway with a couple homeless individuals hanging around at. But there was a faint sweet scent of something in the air. I tried following the scent but realized it was everywhere and heavily covered in the other smell in the shack so it was hard to pinpoint where it was being emitted.
I accidentally stepped on something which resulted in a loud noise. Not two seconds afterwards I heard faint breathing in the corner of the living room. I looked over and saw what looked like a pony standing up but upon closer examination it was something else. It had an almost pitch black skin color with teal mane and tail, insect-like wings and large horn. What caught me by surprise was, it had holes in its legs, horn and wings. When the creature stood up fully, it nearly came to my head height. It certainly looked like a regular pony but it clearly wasn’t.
It’s fully green hued pony eyes scanned me. It then hissed revealing fangs and took a defensive posture. “Who are you and why would a dragon be here of all places?” The voice was feminine but had a distorted echo effect in her voice.
I stared at her trying to get a read on her. I couldn’t tell if she was good or bad, but she was certainly nervous and on edge. “Sarius Trusdale. That’s my full name. I’m also only half dragon. As for why I’m here, well believe it or not I just found this place by random chance.” I said trying to sound non-threatening.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You expect me to believe a dragon would venture this far out by pure chance?” She started walking very slowly around me in a circle like a predator. I remained still just keeping my eyes on her. I was confident I could stop her if she tried to jump me in a blind spot. “Don’t think I’m an idiot.”
“I’m not even thinking that and I told you already, I’m half dragon. I don’t associate myself with the dragons of Equestria. In fact, I haven’t seen a single dragon at all expect the young hatchling that lives nearby.”
“Young hatchling?” She repeated questionably, thinking it seemed familiar.
“Look, I promise you I won’t hurt you. I know a homeless creature when I see one.”
“Creature?!” She repeated angrily. “I’m not a creature. I am a changeling.”
“Alright, sorry. I’m just not familiar with the inhabitants of Equestria. Could you please tell me your name?”
She went around in a whole circle before stopping in front of me again. She looked at me as if deciding if she would answer me. “I am Queen Chrysalis. Or at least I was a queen.”
“What happened?”
She narrowed her eyes at me again. “You don’t need to know. Why should I tell you anything about me?”
I looked at the floor. “Maybe because I want to understand how a queen ended up losing her title and be by herself in the middle of nowhere without any subjects around.”
She just stared at me for a couple minutes. “Why would you care?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s in my nature, I guess. I always try to help others. It’s just the way I am.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Really? A dragon with a caring nature? That sounds ridiculous.”
I chuckled. “I guess it does. But it’s true.”
She just looked at me completely perplexed. Her nostrils twitched like she was smelling the air. She must have smelled something good or bad to her since her eyes slitted and her tongue was sticking out like a snakes and hissed. This put me on guard, I was unsure of what was going on. I didn’t get much time to think much less ask her if she’s okay, as she lunged at me fangs fully bared. Thankfully my constant training of trying to make my body act on instinct has given me some good merits. My tail moved so fast making a whooshing sound, positioning to the left of Chrysalis then swung and connected with the right side of her neck and body. It wasn’t a hard hit, just enough to send her crashing into a wall. Silence filled the shack for a minute then the sound of debris being moved was heard. Chrysalis stood up dazed but relatively unharmed. Her hide must be quite tough to withstand that kind of blow.
“Ughh. What happened?” She asked confused. She looked at the ground and the wall noticed the damage and debris then at me. “Did you hit me into the wall?”
I was still in a defensive posture from her lunging at me. “Yes, but you attacked me. I had to defend myself.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh no.” She said. “It happened again…”
I rose an eyebrow. “What happened again?” I asked concerned.
She sighed. “I lost control. I caught of whiff of love and happiness from you and my primal instincts just kicked in.”
I was now concerned for her. “Lost control? Wait-” My face showed a look of interest. “You smelled love and happiness from me?” She nodded. I tilted my in confusion. “Huh. Wonder what that smells like…” I shook my head. “Questions for later. You said you lost control and your primal instincts kicked in?”
“Yes. I am sorry for attacking you.” She said with sincerity.
“It’s fine. No need to apologize. Just tell me what could cause that to happen without warning.” I asked.
“Hunger.” She said plainly.
“Hunger?” I repeated raising an eyebrow in confusion.
She nodded. “While changelings can consume, digest and process most normal food. It only persists for a short time before we get hungry again. But sucking love, happiness or any positive emotions from others helps better sustain us and recover. And you seemed to be enveloped by love and happiness. So much so that I lost control and wanted to devour it because I was hungry.”
I looked at her with curiosity. “So you want to feed off my love and happiness?” She nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Okay, but wouldn’t it be better and more efficient if I let you willingly instead of taking it by force? Perhaps with a special method.”
She stood there for a minute thinking about it. It seemed like this wasn’t something she thought of before. “It might. Neither me or my hive ever tried to my knowledge. So I’m willing to give it a try at least. I’m not sure how though.”
“Maybe you have a spell or ability specifically for changelings that allow other creatures affected by the spell or ability to manifest their positive emotions of their own accord.” I suggested.
Chrysalis then looked like a lightbulb went off in her head. “There actually is. I almost forgotten about that spell. I don’t know about my hive but I never understood when and why I would use it, but now I finally understand.” She walked forward a couple steps and her horn lit up with a light green glow. “Alright. This is the first time I’m using it, so I’m not entirely sure if it’ll work or not, or properly for that matter. I also suspect that since you’re a dragon it won’t be able to affect you so easily. Magic resistance and all.”
“Well, fortunately I’m able to drop the magic resistance very easily to allow magic to affect me. So you’ll have no problems there.” I assured her.
“Greaat. That’s one less thing for me to worry about I guess.” She said unenthusiastically, still unsure about this. She then looked me in the eyes. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah. I’m sure. You stated you’re hungry and I can clearly see you’re not doing well at all. If this will greatly help you, then I’m all for it.” I said certainty in my voice.
She took a deep breath. “Alright then. Here goes nothing.”
Her horn started glowing a bit brighter as her magical aura engulfed me. My magic defense was down like I said it would, so I was feeling something. It didn’t feel like a bad feeling, but it wasn’t comforting either. After a while the aura around me disappeared and her horn stopped glowing.
“Okay, that should do it. I’m not sure you would be able to manifest anything, so give it a go.” She said.
We stood there in silence as I tried to come up with ways to do it. After a minute passed I decided to try releasing my emotions the same way I released my energy. I focused but not on my energy but my love and happiness. The deep well of love I had for Kalia that I was all to willing to share. Not too long afterwards, an orb of love manifested out of my chest I assumed. This got a surprised reaction from Chrysalis.
“By the sisters, it worked. It actually worked.” She began examining the orb very closely and sniffed it. “There’s no mistaking it. That is a pure manifestation of love given willingly.” She stepped back hesitantly noticing how large it was. “But are you sure you’re willing to give me this much? Whoever this love is for, must really mean something to you.”
I nodded. “Again, I’m sure about this. The individual is very important to me, but I’m confident this love for her will always replenish itself entirely. We have a deep connection after all. Nothing could take this love I have for her.”
Chrysalis started shafting her gaze between me and the orb, trying to consider if she really wants to go through with it. She chose to accept my offering knowing full well she couldn’t ignore her hunger. She opened her mouth and slowly starting sucking in the orb. Her eyes widen meaning it must have tasted good to her and sucked harder. As this was going on I was barely able to notice something was happening with her body. The holes that covered various parts of her body seemed like they were getting smaller. It was very hard to notice at all, considering how smoothly the holes shrunk. After a few seconds the last bits of the orb were absorbed into Chrysalis. She licked her lips and had a satisfying look on her face.
I felt a small amount of strain and a bit drained, but was overall normal. Despite trying my hardest not to show it, Chrysalis still noticed. “Are you alright? I told you it was a lot.” She asked concerned.
I waved my claw and smiled. “I’m fine, just didn’t expect to feel like this after the fact. The real question is are you feeling better now?”
She looked over herself as best as she could. I did wonder if she seemed a bit taller, but maybe I was imagining it. Her wings did show a slightly more noticeable change than the rest of her. Her wings were originally holed up and clear, but the holes were smaller and the wings had a bit more color to them. “I never felt better honestly. Your love feels quite sustaining. I never expected any creature much less a dragon to have so much love for another. I might get addicted if I’m not careful.” She said slightly seductively.
I gave a deadpan look. ”How many females are going to hit on me before this is over?” I thought to myself stupidly. ”It’s not like I asked to be so attractive to the opposite sex.” Which was true. I seemed to have an almost unnatural amount of luck finding females who become interested in me.
She tilted her head in confusion. “What’s that look for? Was it something I said?” She asked obviously oblivious to my situation. Then again she didn’t really know.
I narrowed my eyes for a second before returning to a normal face. “Sort of. There is quite a bit I’ll have to explain to you. So what will you do now?” I asked curious to know.
She tapped her lower jaw with her hoof thinking. “Well, I can’t return to my hive as I will no longer be a queen to them. I certainly can’t be seen around ponies because of the trouble I caused in Canterlot. I also can’t stay here since I’ll eventually starve if I do. I don’t really know.”
“What kind of trouble did you cause in Canterlot and how bad was it?” I asked.
She looked at me again wondering if she should answer the question. It seemed like I crossed the line until she answered. “I know you’re a dragon, but have you heard there was a royal wedding at Canterlot not too long ago?”
I thought about it, searching my brain for something. I got something but it wasn’t a complete picture. Canterlot Royal Wedding is the only clear thing I got. “Vaguely.” I answered honestly.
Chrysalis sighed. This seemed like a sensitive topic for her. “Basically I invaded the wedding, posed as the Princess Cadance who was getting married, in order to feed my hive with the love and happiness of the wedding. But I wasn’t…. Myself. I believe I was under the influence of my primal instinct as a changeling. I had absolutely no control of my actions.”
I felt bad for her. Being half dragon I know what it’s like to have a primal side of you just waiting to let itself loose. That and I dealt with quite a few dragons who went primal. “At least you’re not dead. Dragons have that problem too and every time one went primal, they get killed.”
Chrysalis looked at me slightly shocked. “I guess so. But personally I would prefer being killed instead of living and having to remember that I nearly succeeded while primal.”
I stepped towards her and placed a claw on her shoulder. “Try not to think like that. Instead of feeling bad for yourself for losing control, try harder to be better. Trust me when I say, I made mistakes as well, some of which I could never forget or forgive myself for. But I don’t dwell on it and instead better myself so it doesn’t ever happen again.” I smiled trying to cheer her up, which unfortunately didn’t work.
Her face showed confusion with a hint of sadness, like she’s on the verge of crying. “We don’t even know each other and yet you’re trying to help me. Why?”
“It’s true we don’t know each other at all, but I can tell we have something in common. We’ve both done things we regret and will for the rest of our lives. But seeing you suffer from this and thinking such things, makes me want to save you from them. Because I’ve been there.” I said with reassurance.
Chrysalis was at a loss for words but a select few. “You really would go this far for someone like me?” I nodded. Her eyes started watering up as tears began falling from them. “But what if I’m never forgiven for what I’ve done?”
I looked deep into her eyes to search her soul for the answer I know was there somewhere. She was good I could just tell. I smiled. “If I’m right about you, you’ll be forgiven. After all, what you did was not as bad as what I did. I promise.”
Very quickly the tears became slow waterfalls as she instinctively hugged me. I hugged her back and let her drain the tears from herself, tears I’m certain were long overdue. I let her cry for as long she needed. After a few minutes she stopped crying, and took a deep breath. She pulled away from me and wiped her eyes of the tears that didn’t fall.
“I never met a kind and pure soul like you aside from my little sister.” She noticed we were rather close and she took her hooves off me and blushed a bit. “Sorry for hugging you like that.”
I shook my head. “Don’t be. Everyone needs a hug when their in a down mood.”
“So, I guess you can leave.” She said not really knowing what to do now.
I stood up on all fours. “Why don’t we both leave together?”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m a fugitive and easily recognizable.”
“But if you’re a changeling can’t you just change your appearance?”
“I can but I don’t know what to change to.”
I thought about it for a minute. “Well I had a mansion built for me not too far from here and currently I’m the only one living there. Why don’t you move in with me and disguise yourself as a maid or caretaker mare?” I asked hopeful.
She looked at me for a few seconds with curious eyes. She tapped her chin with her hoof thinking. “That could work. I mean I wouldn’t mind helping by cleaning and be a caretaker if you want me to. It would be my way of repaying you.” She then gave me a look of concern. “But are you sure you’re okay with this and the potential punishment if I’m caught under your care?”
“I am. I even think that by staying with me, you’ll get the chance to redeem yourself when the time comes. In fact I’m certain of it. Besides, like I said, I am the only one living there right now. So we can keep each other company. And if you do get caught under my care, I’ll stand up for you and protect you no matter what.” I extended my claw for her to take.
She took my claw and I helped her to stand up. “I don’t know how to even thank you.”
“You just did.” I laughed. “Now pick your disguise.”
“How’s this?” She asked losing her echo and having a higher pitch to her voice.
I gave a thumbs up. “Great. So what’s your cover name?”
“Dusty Homage, but I would prefer you to call me Keyleen.” She said with a smile.
“Alright Keyleen. Now that this is all settled, shall we proceed home?” I asked.
“Yeah. Lead the way.”
I walked out the abandoned shack with Chrysalis, now under the guise of Keyleen or Dusty Homage following me back to my mansion.
The walk back took several minutes, so I decided to tell Chrysalis some of the things I’ve already told others but not all of it. “Are you serious or this some crazy story you came up with?” She asked bewildered.
I chuckled, fully expecting her not to take it seriously. “I am serious. It’s all true, whether or not you want to believe. I don’t blame you for not believing me though. It is a really crazy, far fetched story.”
“No I believe you, it’s just hard to wrap my brain around.” She replied shaking one of her hooves.
I cocked my eyebrow. “Oh, and why do you believe me? I find it a bit hard to believe, you believe the story of someone you just met only a few minutes ago.” I asked in a slight mocking manner.
She looked at me as I gave her a sheepish smile. She rolled her eyes and gave a small smile. “When I drained your love I got some knowledge about you. Changelings have that ability to gain knowledge of the ones we drain love from. It’s to better understand them and those they hold close to their heart. It’s to help with reconnaissance and spying. Basically I know you’re an honest and trustworthy dragon.”
“Oh I see. That makes sense. There’s the mansion.” I said just as I saw it in the distance.
After getting closer Chrysalis stopped in her tracks. I stopped and turned to her, to see her wide-eyed with fear. I looked back to where she was looking and noticed Fluttershy was waiting outside the double doors. I was slightly surprised to see Fluttershy just outside my mansion, but more concerned why Chrysalis was seemingly frozen with fear.
“You recognize Fluttershy?” I asked her.
She nodded. “She’s one of the six mares that stopped me, along with the princesses Cadence and Celestia.”
“Well remember your disguised, so it’s not like she’ll recognize you. Besides Fluttershy is sweet and kind, she may very well be your ticket to prove your redemption. You befriend her and let her see and know the real you she’ll vouch for you as well.”
Chrysalis looked at me with hopeful eyes. The fear was still there, but it was starting to fade. “Alright. I’ll try.” She said drooping her head.
I used my tail to lift her chin up, getting her to keep looking at me. This caused her to gasp. “You won’t be alone in this endeavour, I promise. I’ll make sure Fluttershy gets to know the real you.”
I walked toward the mansion with Chrysalis following with hesitation. Fluttershy must not have been listening since she didn’t hear my footsteps. I tapped her on her shoulder which caused her to yelp and jump in surprise. She jumped a couple feet away from me and relaxed when she realized it was me.
She was breathing slightly fast. “Goodness Sarius. You scared the daylights out of me.”
I gave her an innocent smile. “Sorry, I didn’t see any way to let you know I’m here that didn’t scare you.”
She started pawing the ground with a hoof, which looked cute. “Well, I am easily scared. So I can’t blame you.” She looked me in the eyes and smiled. “You are a very kind dragon.”
Chrysalis poked her head out from behind me, trying to hide herself. I rolled my eyes and stepped to the side and used my tail to push her next to me. I had to wrap my tail around her flank to properly push her over which caused her to squee. Fluttershy looked at her and got a little nervous, with Chrysalis trying not to make eye contact.
“Fluttershy, this is Dusty Homage. I found her in an abandoned shack not far from here on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. So I decided to bring her here to stay in my mansion till she can get back on her hooves.” I announced hoping Chrysalis or Fluttershy will say something.
To my surprise, Fluttershy spoke up. “Oh, that sounds awful. How long were you alone out there for?” She asked concerned.
Chrysalis looked at her with shock, apparently not expecting the same kindness I gave her from another. She eyed me as if she wanted a sign. I nodded towards Fluttershy hoping she understood it’s okay to talk to her. Chrysalis gulped. “I… Don’t really know. I at least know it’s been a while. I barely managed to get by. But Sarius found me, helped me and offered me a place to stay till I get back on my hooves, like he said.” She gave a weak smile.
Fluttershy held her hooves against her mouth while gasping. Seemingly out of instinct and surprising both me and Chrysalis, Fluttershy charged forward and hugged Chrysalis tightly. “OH! It must have been scary and lonely out there, all by yourself. You’re very fortunate and lucky Sarius found you.”
Chrysalis looked at me utterly confused and potentially internally screaming. I was trying my best to hold back a laugh at her dispense. After a minute Fluttershy broke the hug, while Chrysalis was at a loss for words again. “I-I-I-I-I-I appreciate the kindness, but isn’t it a little too much to show to a complete stranger?” She asked stuttering and trying to keep a leveled head.
“I don’t think so. I do represent the Element of Kindness, so I guess it’s only natural for me to do these things.” Fluttershy smiled happily and giggling.
Chrysalis was clearly nervous and was trying to find a way out of this situation. So I decided to lessen the attention on her as I cleared my throat to get Fluttershy’s attention. Which worked as she looked at me with curious eyes. “So Fluttershy, may I ask what brings you to my mansion at this time alone?” I asked truly curious.
Fluttershy’s eyes lit up like she remembered something. “Oh. I was coming to see you actually. I was thinking that…. If you’re not busy we could…….hang out. if you’re okay with that.” She said getting steadily nervous and lowering her voice.
“Sure. I don’t mind. I mean I got nothing better to do right now anyway, aside from getting Dusty settled in. Just give me a few minutes alright.” I said with clear intent to hang out.
Fluttershy started blushing a bit. “Okay. I can wait. Please take your time.” She replied clearly happy. I then looked at Chrysalis and nodded towards the doors saying, come on. The two of us walked in while Fluttershy waited outside.
Once I closed the doors, Chrysalis let out a long sigh. “Oh goodness, that was a rush for me.”
“Huh, and here I thought your kind loves to get the attention. More to feed off of in all.” I joked.
Chrysalis gave me pouty face. “Yeah we do. But even us changelings have a limit on how much love and emotions we take before it starts overflowing and becomes hard to contain.” Her face then returned to normal. “I mean, I already drained a lot of pure freely given love from you. I’m certain I’m close to my limit today.”
I gave a small smile. “Yeah sorry for that. I didn’t realize that was a lot for a changeling.”
Chrysalis shook her head. “It’s fine. I definitely needed it. I was on the verge of starving after all.” She then looked outside at Fluttershy. “Though, I will admit while draining your love, I sensed you had love or strong positive feelings for others.” She then looked at me. “Is she one of them?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I have… feelings or an affection for her and another.” I hesitated before saying feelings, since I wasn’t sure what I felt for them. All I knew was that I found them both attractive. “The other happens to be Princess Luna.” I stated not wanting to try and hide it.
Chrysalis wasn’t surprised but was a bit anxious that I mentioned the Lunar Goddess by name. “I see. I do hope you intend to deal with this soon. It’s a bad idea to let this kind of thing drag on for too long.” She said. Not one second later her eyes bugged out realizing she made a dragon pun. She looked at me, as I stared at her with narrowed eyes. “Sorry. It just slipped out.”
“Hmm hmm. To put your worries to rest, I am about to deal with this. Right now in fact.” I returned my eyes to normal. “After I show you around the mansion and you decide on a room for yourself.”
The next few minutes were spent doing just what I said, showing her around. She decided to stay in one of the rooms near the front doors, which was still empty. “Why are most of the rooms empty?” She asked dumbfounded by the idea of an empty mansion.
I shrugged, not really understanding what Celestia told me fully myself. “Well Celestia just said she and the worker ponies only had enough time to build the mansion and make sure the systems work. Yet there was enough time to fully furnish my room and fill the shelves of the library full of books for some reason.”
Chrysalis cringed at the mention of Celestia’s name. “Well how long do you think it’ll take?”
“I dunno. But if you want, you can stay with me in my room until your room is furnished. We can discuss things later. I think I kept Fluttershy waiting long enough. In the meantime your free to do what you want while I’m gone. I don’t expect you to cause trouble.” I smiled at her, showing her I have full trust in her.
She smiled back. “Enjoy your time with her Sarius.”
“I will.” I said as I walked out the doors and straight to Fluttershy. “Shall we?” I asked.
Fluttershy got up and smiled. We then started walking toward her cottage as Chrysalis closed the doors.
Fluttershy asked my about the escort trip, to which I told her everything. She got seemingly jealous at me mentioning Luna’s approaches during the trip, though it was hard to tell if she was jealous since she was hiding it so well with her natural personality. She was obviously shocked at the mention of assaissation of the two princesses, I mean who wouldn’t. By the time I finished telling the story we arrived at her cottage.
“So you have anything in mind for our hang out?” I asked Fluttershy clearly curious to know.
“Oh… I just thought we could… just sit and talk a while. Maybe even help me tend to the animals.” She said unsure of herself.
I smiled. “That’s fine with me.”
She opened the door to her cottage and I followed her in. The animals of her cottage were hiding until they caught sight or scent of Fluttershy. Most hesitated when they saw or smelled me, but they quickly eased up when they recognized me. Most came to Fluttershy and some to me. The two of us greeted the animals with kindness and love. Once the animals calmed down, Fluttershy and I sat on the couch.
“So Sarius, what can you tell me of yourself, that hasn’t been said yet?” Fluttershy asked.
“Hmm. Well my favorite food is pizza, I tend to try lone wolfing a lot which makes me push people away for fear of hurting them.” As I said that last part I remembered I hurt Fluttershy not too long ago. “Sorry for hurting you by the way.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. I could tell from your eyes. I should have listened to you and left.” She said with a hint of guilt in her voice.
I shook my head this time. “No, I think it was meant to happen. After all, because of you I fled and found a place far from anything where the battle could take place without fear of others getting hurt. Anyway, I don’t really know what else I could say about myself that hasn’t been said already.” I chuckled. “A simple matter to talk about one’s self but not very lengthy is it? Considering you wonder what would actually count and matter.”
She giggled. “I suppose so. But knowing somepony’s favorite things helps for when your thinking of gifts and ways to thank them.”
“You have a point.”
One of the animals came up to Fluttershy and starting speaking. Fluttershy and I could understand it. It was basically time for lunch. “Well it’s time to feed them. Sarius mind giving me a hoof?” She asked.
“Nah, I don’t mind.”
Fluttershy and I got up and started feeding the many various animals she has. She gave me instructions for each animal that I followed to the letter. After half an hour all the animals got their food and were eating it, while Fluttershy and I worked on our lunch. Fluttershy was being real chipper the entire time. I guess she was enjoying the time we were spending together. I was too, it had been a long while since I spent time cooking with someone. The last time was with Kalia which caused me to shed a tear.
Fluttershy noticed and felt concerned. “Are you alright Sarius?”
I wiped the tear and nodded. “I am. Cooking with you just reminded me of the last time I was with Kalia.”
Fluttershy’s smile was slowly turning into a frown. “Oh, I’m sorry. If you want, you can-”
I pressed my claw against her mouth, shaking my head. “I’m not leaving, Fluttershy. This kind of thing is going to happen, no matter how hard I try. Don’t think of me as being sad, instead think of me being happy. I want to be able to remember the good times in my life. I really can’t stop myself from shedding a tear from happiness. No one can really.” I smiled while giving her a look of hope and light.
Her frown transition stopped and the smile returned. “Oh okay. I was worried I was making you sad.”
“Well, I personally try not to be sad or cry in front of others. I want to be a strong figure everyone can look to for comfort and strength. Though even a tough dragon hybrid like me has to let the tears loose every once in a while. Tears can make you stronger.” I said trying to sound like I knew what I was talking about.
“Well if you say so, Sarius.” We continued with the lunch making, finished it and returned to the living room to enjoy our lunch together.
She made herself a sandwich with a small bowl of salad on the side while I cooked myself 2 grilled cheese sandwiches. We ate in silence but a happy atmosphere was still present in the cottage, indicting Fluttershy and I were enjoying our time together. After we finished eating, we cleaned the plates, bowl and silverware and put them in the dishwasher. Then we returned to the living room once again.
I knew I needed to mention Chrysalis to Fluttershy. Somepony had to know so they could help her with redeeming herself. I simply thought Fluttershy would be the best choice. This was a long shot but I went for it anyway. “Hey Fluttershy, there’s something I have to tell you.” Trying to sound serious.
“Really? Okay.” Fluttershy was obviously nervous when I started sounding serious.
“The mare I brought back with me, Dusty Homage. Well, before I say anything, I want you to promise me you’ll hear me out and not freak out.” I said while keeping my eyes fixed on her. “Not too much anyway.” I added knowing full well she was gonna freak out.
“I-” She paused hesitating. She took a deep breath. “I promise.” She swore.
I sighed. “Dusty is actually…. Queen Chrysalis.” I said still keeping my eyes on her. Once she heard that name she immediately started breathing hard, eyes wide eyed with fear.
“C-C-C-C-C-Ch-Chrysalis?!” She stuttered obviously freaking out despite me asking her not to.
“Calm down Fluttershy! I promise you she’s not as bad as everypony says. You promised to hear me out remember!” I say reaching the line of shouting and talking loudly in hopes I can calm her down. It worked a bit, she was still freaking out but was willing to hear me out. “Now, I know about the whole Royal Wedding and Chrysalis crashing the party to drain love and happiness from it for her hive. But, that wasn’t her at all.”
Fluttershy tilted her head at me in confusion while still freaking out a bit. “What do you mean by ‘It wasn’t her’? I saw the attack first hoof, I was part of the whole thing actually.”
I shook my head. “It seems like dragons, changelings have a primal side to them. Chrysalis was only surveying the event to see if she could use it to feed herself and mostly her hive without causing problems for the changelings and ponies present. She didn’t expect the event to produce so much love and positive emotions. And when she realized it, it was too late as her Primal instincts took over causing her to become the Chrysalis you all saw.”
Fluttershy calmed down but was still skeptical. “Well think about this for a minute. I told you Dusty is Chrysalis and you personally met and interacted with Dusty. At that point did she seem threatening or scary?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, if anything she was the one scared and nervous.”
I nodded. “Exactly. She was scared and nervous mostly because of what she did at Canterlot and you being one of the ponies present during it. She was also so close to Ponyville where there was plenty of love and positive emotions going around for her to feed off of. Yet she chose to seclude herself in that shack all this time, only feeding off on the natural food of the earth.”
Fluttershy was silent for a good couple of minutes, thinking about what I said. “Do you believe she isn’t evil? Is everything you told me really the truth?” Fluttershy asked serious.
I nodded. “Yes. I do believe she isn’t evil and I would never lie to you or someone I care about. I understand it’s your decision to believe me, but know I’m sticking with what I said and I’ll be trying to help her redeem herself.”
Silence filled the cottage for a good long while. Too long to be honest and with the animals in the cottage also being silent, made me nervous honestly. Just when the atmosphere was getting tense, it faded rather quickly when Fluttershy smiled. “Okay, I’ll help with redeeming her. You made good points that are hard to argue against. Besides I am the Element of Kindness, it would go against my element if I didn’t treat her with kindness and give her a chance.”
I smiled in response. “Thanks Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy and I spent the rest of the day talking about things, mostly Fluttershy telling me what happened in Ponyville in the last year. Since I only recently arrived in Equestria and slowly getting information about this world and the events that transpired in the past, having someone tell me stuff tends to help fill in a few gaps. So far my knowledge only consists of majorly known events, like the Canterlot Wedding Crash, The Banishment of Nightmare Moon and the Disappearance of the Crystal Empire. Even then I only had bits and pieces of those events which were the important parts. I was starting to get knowledge about Discord’s Return but thankfully Fluttershy told me everything that happened since she was a part of it. Though she had a lot of guilt and shame about it, being turned into a mean version of herself by Discord.
I was also told Discord is a draconequus with chaos magic and reality warping powers. Supposedly Discord is known to be a very powerful being, rivaling even the Celestial Sisters. Fluttershy also asked me if draconequui are related to dragons, to which I replied sort of. It’s true some draconequui had dragon like features and power compared to dragons but like drakes and wyverns are to dragons, draconequui were cousins or just simply a separate species of dragons all originating from the Father of all Dragons, Durlex my DNA related father. But they could just simply be mythical creatures who had draco in their name. Either way it was impossible to tell, since the term draconequus only exists in the dimension of Equestria and the only creature that had a close resemblance to a draconequus was the Chimera, a creature that consists and is made up of various parts from other animals.
Our talk lasted till dusk when the moon was starting to come up. “I guess we’re out of time for today huh Fluttershy?” I asked.
“I suppose so. Mind if I walk back with you?” She asked hopeful.
I smiled. “Sure, I don’t mind.” Fluttershy gave a full happy expression, closed eyes, beaming smile and radiating with happiness.
We walked out the cottage and I waited for Fluttershy to lock up. When she did, she and I made our five to ten minute walk back to my mansion. I was actually wondering what Chrysalis did all day, though Fluttershy told me something that happened very recently that I needed more clarification for.
“So, when you said Pinkie Pie cloned herself with this ‘Mirror Pool’, was there literally hundreds of Pinkie Pies running around?” I asked somewhat skeptical.
“Yes and I think it was more like fifty. The creepiest thing was, the clones were all shouting “Fun” over and over again. I was with my animals when they came flooding the town and the clones scared and creeped us out. I’m just glad it was all sorted out and we still have the real Pinkie Pie.” Fluttershy said shivering from the memory.
“Huh. No wonder Pinkie mentioned giving the Mirror Pool a review on Yelp. Though I’m still wondering if Equestria has Yelp or not.” I looked at Fluttershy hoping she had an answer, but I wasn’t expecting one.
She shrugged. “It’s certainly not something I heard of before. Then again I don’t get out much anyway, so asking me might be pointless.” She giggled.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” I chuckled to myself.
We were almost to my mansion when the moon was fully in view and then I suddenly felt foreboding. I looked to Canterlot Castle and was able to make out Luna’s figure. She was flying to my mansion but somehow noticed me with Fluttershy and a feeling of dread washed over me. Fluttershy must of felt it too as she tried cowering behind me which didn’t help.
Luna landed in front of me with a serious expression. “Evening, Sarius.” She said with withdrawn distaste. “May I ask why you are with the Element of Kindness on this night?”
I gulped, knowing her not calling me by Sir Sarius was a bad sign. “Well, she asked me to hang out with her today. But not as a potential lover, but as a friend.” I said trying to sound sure of myself.
Luna just narrowed her eyes at me, as if she’s waiting for me to show a sign of lying. “The one known as Fluttershy, does he speaketh the truth?” She asked subconsciously returning to her old ponish talk.
Fluttershy was obviously shaking but she managed to peak her head from behind me. ”Y-yes your h-highness. W-w-we were j-just hanging out as f-f-friends.” Fluttershy said in a literal hush tone, stuttering on almost every word.
Unfortunately, Luna still wasn’t buying it. “Really?” She asked barely holding back the distaste now. “Then why are you so frightened? I had thought you learned not to fear me.”
I decided I should chime in for Fluttershy. “Well, in her defense. It’s kind of hard to not be scared of you when you’re like this.” I said trying to tell Luna how she’s presenting herself.
Luna’s blue eyes came right back to my eyes and I felt a sudden chill go down my body. “Are you trying to insinuate I’m imposing and frightening, Sarius?” She asked. The tone of her question hinted that I should choose my words carefully.
I was beginning to feel backed into a corner. “Well, uh-”
Before I could say anything, Fluttershy stepped out from behind me. “I am!” She shouted. Luna and I both looked at her with surprise on our faces. “You might be scaring Sarius, but you’re certainly scaring me.”
Luna looked at her slightly puzzled. “Here I thought you were the shy one. Where did this courage come from?” She asked completely bewildered.
“Took the words right out of my mouth.” The words literally came right out of my mouth on instinct.
Fluttershy was still shaking but you wouldn’t be able to tell so easily by how she’s standing tall and almost unwavering. “You’re threatening Sarius, unless I misheard you or misreading the tone you said it in.” She answered.
Luna was completely shocked. “What? Are you accusing me of threatening Sarius, an individual I have feelings for?” This question made Fluttershy’s eyes widen in shock. “I would never harm him or threaten him.” Luna said indicting she felt a small amount of spite from Fluttershy’s accusation.
“Wait, you also have feelings for him, your highness?” Fluttershy asked which in turn caused Luna to go wide eyed this time.
The atmosphere turned so tense suddenly that it could be cut with a dull knife. My eyes were slowly becoming dots as I realized the scenario that both Kasulis and Chrysalis warned me about was now playing out right in front of me.
“I-impossible.” Luna said flatly. “If that is true, I refuse to let you have him.” She said losing the shock and replacing it with anger.
“Well, I could say the same to you. Don’t think you’ll get off easily because you’re a princess and an alicorn.” Fluttershy challenged.
The two then began staring daggers at each other with such intensity, it could start a large fire around us. I had to do something.
“He’s mine you weak, lowly pegasus!” Luna shouted venomously.
“Not on your immortal life, self loathing, emogorgon!” Fluttershy spat out with just as much venom.
They gritted their teeth and stared at the other with an intense anger. This was about to turn into a fight to the death. The thought of these two sweet ponies going at each other over me was angering me. That anger boiled to it’s breaking point.
I lifted my front claws, inhaled a deep breath, stamp my claws in the ground so hard it created a small hole and roared at the top of my dragonic lungs;
ENOUGH!!!
My voice echoed off the mountains in the distance and likely waking up and scaring almost every pony in Ponyville and Canterlot. The roar caused some of the grass and dirt several feet in front of me to be pulled out and thrown forward a couple more feet. The two mares had their ears folded from my roar naturally. They both looked at me shocked and quiet, all the anger they had moments ago was almost gone. Almost.
I stared at them both with a small amount of anger but mostly disappointment. “Now listen. I Refuse to let two of the sweetest and most caring ponies I know, fight each other like this. Especially over me.” I said, letting that sink in for a minute.
I sighed. “Neither of you can choose to have me without my consent. This is a matter that needs to be decided unanimously. And I’m sorry but that won’t happen if the two of you are at each other’s throats.”
I started to turn away from them. “So until you two chill out and agree to a unanimous decision, I will not spend any time with either of you or make a decision.” I looked at the ground, now feeling guilty and sad I’m doing this. “I’m going now. Let me know when you two are ready to work this out properly.” I didn’t wait for their answer as I unfolded my wings and with one mighty flap took off the ground and headed slightly southwestward creating a strong wind gust.
I flew for a couple minutes and found a tree-house that was decorated. I laid in a tree nearby and tried to make myself comfortable. I coiled my tail around the large branch I laid on and closed my eyes, hoping to get some rest. I must have been mentally tired since my brain went blank. I just listened to the combined peaceful sounds of nature and night time critters.
Before I knew it, several hours passed when I was roused by the sound of rustling grass. I saw three little filles walking into the tree-house. I recognized the three fillies as the CMC which meant this treehouse was their clubhouse. My ears were able to pick up the conversation going on inside.
“Are you sure about this, Applebloom?” A sweet and squeaky sounded. Sweetie Belle.
“Ah’m sure, Sweetie. Ah know the path to Zecora’s just fine.” Applebloom said confidently.
“Come on Sweetie Belle. Where’s your sense of adventure?” A lightly husky voice sounded. Scootaloo.
“It’s fine where it is. It’s being pushed aside by my common sense. I don’t think this is a good idea, girls.” Sweetie said obviously concerned.
“Ah promise ah know the way. Trust me.” Applebloom said trying to convince Sweetie Belle.
I heard Sweetie Belle sigh in defeat. “Fine. But only because it’s two against one here. Just let it be noted I tried to be the voice of reason.”
“Duly noted. Now let’s go, Applebloom. To Zecora.” Scootaloo said sounding pumped.
The sound of a door opening and closing was heard and the three filles trotted their way east, with Sweetie Belle lagging behind obviously. I didn’t know where this Zecora lived, but I knew what was in the direction these fillies were heading to. I jumped off my tree branch and took note of how it seemed to be close to dawn, with the sun just peeking over the hill. I followed the filles as close as I could without giving away my presence. As I feared they were headed straight into the Everfree Forest without stopping. I stood at the entrance to the forest, wondering what was waiting for me and the fillies inside.
With a deep breath I followed the fillies inside, determined to protect them from whatever was in there. No matter the cost.
After Sarius left, the two mares left behind stayed there in awkward silence for several minutes. The silence was broken when Dusty came out of the mansion and over to Luna and Fluttershy.
“Um, do you two mind moving this awkwardness into the mansion, where it’s potentially less cold?” She asked somewhat nervously. Whatever feelings of fear she had from both Luna and Fluttershy being here, was gone the moment Sarius shouted at these two.
The two mares just stared at her, Fluttershy’s stare had more meaning behind it while Luna’s was blank. Without a word the three mares walked into the mansion and situated themselves in the large dining area. Luna and Fluttershy sat on opposite ends of the room.
Dusty sighed to herself. Dusty being the former queen Chrysalis of the changelings she could tell there were complications here, and not just love complications. Dusty decided to talk to the two mares to try and help remedy this. ”These two certainly have it bad right now.” She thought in her echoey tone.
She walked to Fluttershy first, since she felt more comfortable with her than Luna. Fluttershy was sitting in a chair with her head resting on the table. Fluttershy seemed to be quite down, possibly from Sarius yelling at her.
“Hey Fluttershy. Is everything okay?” Dusty asked feeling like she wanted punch herself hard for asking a stupid question. ”Of course everything’s not okay! She’s obviously feeling bad right now!” She yelled to herself in her head.
Fluttershy sighed. “Not really. I just-” She paused for a second. “I never thought I would anger Sarius so much to the point he would yell at me.” She started moving her hoof in a circular pattern on the table for no reason.
“Well, in his defense. You and Luna looked like you were about to tear each other apart. He had to stop you two somehow.” Dusty stated. Fluttershy groaned in response. “You know he wouldn’t hurt either of you or even yell at you without a good reason, right?”
“I guess you have a point.” Fluttershy replied plainly. “Why should this matter to you?” Fluttershy asked.
Dusty took a seat at the table. “In all honesty, it doesn’t. But Sarius helped me and gave me a chance when I thought I didn’t even deserve any of it. And I guess, I want to help him in any way I can. Right now for instance, you and Luna have feelings for the drake. But you don’t know what to do now and maybe I can help you two.”
Fluttershy picked her head up and looked Dusty in the eyes. “Is this just so you can feed off the love created between the three of us, Chrysalis? Or do you really mean to help us over yourself?” Fluttershy asked seriously.
Dusty’s eyes went wide. “What? Y-you know? H-How?!” She asked frantically.
“Sarius told me. He also asked me to help him redeem you.” Fluttershy stated plainly.
“Oh.” Dusty felt stupid for now realizing it. “He did say you would be perfect to help me in my redeemation.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Please answer it.” Fluttershy said in a kind tone.
Dusty looked at Fluttershy for a good minute. “I already told you. Sarius saved me, gave me a chance and is letting me stay here. All out of the goodness of his heart and I want to at least try to repay that kindness. In any way I possibly can.” Fluttershy was somewhat unfazed from this. “And again right now, there’s a problem between you, Luna and Sarius that needs to be taken care of right now. It’s true that the love between you three can feed me and sustain me for a long time, but it’s not my goal at all.”
Fluttershy then smiled brightly. “Alright. You just erased any doubts I had about you. Just tell me what I need to do to fix the problem that’s been caused.”
“Surely Sarius has already told you two. You two have to be willing to decide unanimously and respect Sarius’ decision when he makes one. But most importantly, neither of you should hate the other or Sarius.” Dusty said with certainty in her voice.
“Oh.” Fluttershy was somewhat disappointed. “I was honestly expecting it to be… I don't know…. Requires more effort.”
Dusty shook her head. “Nope. It’s that simple but it’s not easy either.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I know. But as long as Sarius is happy.” She smiled even though there was sadness to be seen in her expression. “I’m happy.”
Dusty smiled. “And I’m sure that’s all Sarius would want to. I’m certain the last thing he wants is to hurt either of you. Though you two will have to help him. Choosing between the two of you will be very difficult for him, especially when he could end up breaking the heart of one of you.”
Fluttershy sighed. “I know. I’ll just need to prepare myself for it, that’s all.” Fluttershy then looked at Luna who was silently watching from the other side of the room. “Now go talk to her as well. And make sure she doesn’t find out you're Chrysalis. I assume Princess Luna will be far less forgiving to you after hearing what you did to her sister and niece at the wedding.”
Dusty gulped and shivered slightly from Luna’s gaze. “Yeah, I know. Don’t remind me.” Dusty got up and started walking over to Luna, every step seemingly getting heavier.
“Your highness.” Dusty said, trying to sound respectful.
“I assume you want to give me a lecture as well?” Luna asked without losing her demeanor.
“Um, yes. Unless you prefer I don’t.” Dusty said, trying not to stutter.
Luna simply sighed. “I don’t think it will be necessary, my little pony. I overheard part of what you said to Fluttershy.” Luna said.
Dusty’s eyes went wide and her blood almost went cold when Luna mentioned overhearing the conversation with Fluttershy. “U-uh. H-how much d-did you overhear, your highness?” Dusty asked, getting frantic.
Luna looked at Dusty with a cocked eyebrow. “The part where it’s Sarius’ choice and we both will have to respect it. As well as not hating the other.” Luna leaned in closer to look at Dusty more closely. “Why do you ask? Is there something you prefer I didn’t find out?” Luna asked, confused.
Dusty was sweating, but started calming down when Luna said nothing about her being Chrysalis, but she was still quite frantic. “No No. There’s nothing I’m keeping from you, your highness. What could I possibly have to hide? I’m just a regular unicorn who is tending to Sarius’ home for him.” Dusty was internally screaming at herself for being stupid.
Luna narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Dusty felt like she blew her cover and was prepared for the worst. But Luna simply backed away from Dusty having a regular expression. “I suppose you have a point. Though now I’m realizing you never told me your name.”
“Oh.” Dusty felt like face hoofing herself right now, but was mostly calming down knowing her cover wasn’t blown. “I’m Dusty Homage.”
“Dusty, I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you Dusty.” Luna smiled.
Dusty’s heart was racing a mile a second as she was trying her best to slow it down. “So, you know what needs to be done, your highness?” Dusty asked, looking for confirmation.
Luna nodded. “More or less.” Dusty sighed in relief. “Though I must ask what do you mean by the love between the three of us can sustain you.”
Dusty’s heart rate picked right back up again as she was internally screaming even more. “W-w-well. I-I-I was referring to being-” Dusty was trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t raise suspicion. Luna started eyeing her confused.
Then an idea hit her in time. “I was referring to being happy when the three of you work things out and everything turns out for the better. Cause I too want you three to be happy.” Dusty hoped to whatever gods that were present, Luna would buy it.
A moment of silence that felt like a whole year to Dusty was broken when Luna smiled. “I see. That’s good to hear. Since you’re the caretaker of this home, you would want nothing more than for the owner to be happy. It makes sense.”
Dusty wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but held off on it for fear Luna might ask another frightening question. “Is there… anything else you wanted to ask me?” Dusty asked hoping the answer was no. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
“Yes. How did Sarius find you and where?” Luna asked. Luckily it wasn’t a question that could endanger Dusty’s secret.
“Oh. He found me alone in an abandoned shack on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. I was barely able to survive, just eating off the fruits of the nearby land.” Dusty answered knowing it was all true.
“Were they apples?” Asked Fluttershy who decided to walk over.
Dusty jumped a bit at the sound of Fluttershy’s voice but instantly was beginning to calm down. “Y-yes. I do believe they were.”
“Oh. Well I would recommend not telling Applejack you ate the apples from her farm.” Fluttershy jokes.
Dusty got concerned. “Is there a punishment for that?” Dusty asked somewhat, not wanting to know the answer.
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, but Applejack takes tending to the farm very seriously. If she found out the reason for fewer apples recently, she wouldn’t be happy.” Fluttershy stated.
“Ah don’t find out what?” Asked a husky female country voice.
Dusty’s eyes opened wide once again as she, along with Luna and Fluttershy, looked to the door leading out the back of the mansion. Applejack was standing right in the doorway. Dusty doesn’t know how much more of this she can take. Her heart rate since she started talking to Luna was at an all time high.
“Nothing really, Applejack. We were just talking about you.” Fluttershy said, trying to defuse the situation before it got out of hoof.
“If ya say so.” Applejack said not really pleased with that answer.
Behind Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie pie came through the doors. “Hi Everypony!” Pinkie shouted as she entered. When Pinkie caught sight of Dusty she let out a loud gasp and moved towards Dusty so fast she was a blur. Pinkie took her hoof and started shaking it really fast.
“OH MY GOSH! This is the most amazing, interesting and spectacular thing to ever happen. There’s another new face in Ponyville which means another party. This is a real good doozy, I never thought I would throw two parties within such a short time.” Pinkie let go of Dusty’s hoof as Dusty was trying her best to not scream from a combination of terror, panic and the sheer desire to just scream.
“Have you met Sarius? No, that’s a silly question to ask, I mean you’re here in his home so of course you met and know him. This is all so amazing. Tell me who you are, where did you come from, what’s your favorite thing and if you have more, tell me them all in order from least to most, and most importantly-”
Pinkie was caught off by Applejack closing her mouth and pulling her back a bit. “Now now Pinkie. Ah know yar excited, we all are. But you’re scaring the poor mare. Take it easy will ya?”
Pinkie, in some unexplainable way, instantly calmed down but still had a smile. “Okie Dokie.”
“She’s certainly a hoof-full, wouldn’t you agree darling?” Rarity asked Dusty, trying to be casual.
“You could say that, I guess.” Dusty replied halfheartedly, mostly from everything happening right now.
Rarity then took a good look at Dusty which made the latter a bit more nervous. “I must say though. The color of your mane and fur are quite unique, my dear. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony with a green mane and tail before.” Rarity smiled. “I will say, this might give me some ideas for a design.”
“Oh, well…. Thanks?” Dusty asked confused on whether or not what Rarity said was a compliment or just an obvious observation.
“Don’t worry, I’m not being rude. I’m just saying you are very unique, my dear. Possibly in more ways than one.” Rarity said with gusto.
Fluttershy stepped forward wanting to help get some of the attention off of Dusty. “So Aj, what brings you here? I am also curious as to what Pinkie Pie and Rarity are doing here as well. As far as I’m aware we didn't have a social gathering today.”
“Ah know. Believe it or not, Ah came here to see Sarius and talk to him about something a bit important. And apparently Rarity was doing the same thing.” Applejack answered.
“And I’m just here cause everypony else was coming.” Pinkie smiled.
“Oh, you and Rarity wanted to talk to Sarius. What about?” Fluttershy asked curiously.
“Well, it has something to do with Applebloom.” Applejack said.
“Sweetie Belle for me.” Rarity added.
“Really? What could your sisters have to do with Sarius?” Fluttershy asked, concerned.
“Ah noticed that Applebloom has been… getting behind on things. Like farm work, school work and sometimes just being in a daydream. And it’s been happening since Ah introduced her to Sarius.” Applejack said.
“Same here. Sweetie Belle has been trying to read some of my romance novels as well as lacking in school work and daydreaming as well.” Rarity added again.
“Oh dear.” Fluttershy muttered her breath. “Wait, do you two think that Sarius had done something to them?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.
Applejack waved a hoof. “No, of course not. I know Sarius isn’t the kind of drake that would do this. I just wanted to ask him if he knew anything about this.” Applejack said with reassurance.
“Ditto.” Rarity agreed.
“I believe I might know what’s happening with those two.” Luna spoke up, seemingly catching a few of the ponies present by surprise.
“P-Princess Luna? I had no idea you were here.” Applejack bowed in an apologetic manner. Rarity did the same.
Luna shook her head. “There’s no need to bow. I’m here for a.. Casual visit.” Luna hesitated a bit knowing her visit wasn’t causal at all. “Anyway, regarding your younger sisters. They both had a single dream about them and Sarius together.” Applejack shook her head while Rarity just blushed a bit. “I do believe these two have a… What was the word my sister used?” She tapped her chin for a minute. Her eyes then brightened up as she remembered. “A Crush. Yes, they have a crush on Sarius.”
“Just a crush, huh? That’s not as bad as I thought.” Applejack sighed in relief.
“Gracious. I had no idea my little sister actually took after me.” Rarity mused.
“Are you sure it’s just a crush, your highness?” Fluttershy asked, wanting to make sure.
Luna nodded. “I’m sure. I’ve seen this before.”
“Well as long as it’s just a crush, it’s easily fixable, right?” Applejack asked.
Luna and Fluttershy nodded. “It should be, but don’t forget that even though we don’t see it as a big deal, we shouldn’t expect them to as well.” Fluttershy said, trying to make sure everypony understood.
Suddenly, the doors were slammed open by a panicked Rainbow Dash. “YO GIRLS!! We got a serious problem!!”
All eyes turned to her. “What do ya mean, Rainbow? What’s the emergency?” Applejack asked worriedly.
“I was following Scootaloo, she met up with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle at their clubhouse. They then ran off into the Everfree Forest together.” Rainbow said, still panicked.
A collective gasp was heard from all the ponies present and eyes widened in shock and horror.
Meanwhile, the CMC were walking on a path in the forest for about 15 minutes. Sweetie Belle was getting nervous and concerned. Applebloom seemed centric on following an invisible path to all but herself. Scootaloo was getting a bit impatient.
“Hey girls, are either of you getting a bad feeling right now?” Applebloom and Scootaloo were silent. “Because I am.” Sweetie muttered to herself.
“How much longer Applebloom? I thought you said you knew the path.” Scootaloo asked.
“I don’t know and I do. Something’s just not right.” Applebloom said, not sounding sure of herself.
Applebloom suddenly stopped. “Hey what gives?” Scootaloo asked, a bit annoyed.
“I think…. We’re lost.” Applebloom said definitely.
Scootaloo eyes widen. “WHAT!” She shouted.
“Oh boy.” Sweetie uttered, not entirely surprised.
Scootaloo was a little angry. “I thought you said you knew the way?”
Applebloom was getting nervous. “I just said I do. But it’s only the path from Ponyville to Zerora. We came in from the farm, I was hoping when we would find that path.” Applebloom said mildly frantic.
Scootaloo groaned but calmed down trying to not be mad at Applebloom. “Okay, let’s just think about this for a minute.” Scootaloo placed a hoof on her head, thinking. “So we came from that way-” She pointed down the path. “-and that’s where the farm is.”
“Uh huh.” Applebloom agreed.
“And Zerora’s should be somewhere that way right?” She pointed the opposite way.
“Yeah it should be.” Applebloom said not really sure.
Sweetie Belle wasn’t liking where this was going. “So we just keep going that way.” Scootaloo said, sounding sure of herself.
“Or we can turn around and leave while we can,” Sweetie Belle suggested. Applebloom looked at her, like she was considering that option. Scootaloo however wasn’t listening.
“Nah. If we just keep heading that way, I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Scootaloo said completely ignorant of her friend's concern and worry.
Scootaloo continued marching down the path with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle trailing behind.
Applejack was straining to charge into the forest but was being held back by Rainbow, Rarity and Fluttershy. Rainbow was holding her tail, Rarity was using her magic to hold her back, while Fluttershy was standing in front of her trying to talk sense into her.
“Let me go!! I gotta save my little sister!” Applejack yelled out of sheer fear and concern for Applebloom and the other CMC members.
“We know AJ! But you can’t just run off into the forest by yourself. It’s suicude.” Rainbow yelled trying to get through Applejack’s thick skull.
“She’s right darling. We must wait for Twilight to come up with a plan. If we act hastily, we’ll put not only the fillies in more danger but us as well.” Rarity said through strained teeth. Applejack was certainly strong enough to make it difficult for Rainbow and Rarity to hold her back.
Luna was still present watching this happen. “Applejack, I highly suggest you calm yourself now. If these three aren’t enough to stop you, I will. And you know I can stop you, so make it easier on both of us.” Luna warned.
Applejack stopped struggling as Luna’s warning managed to drain her strength. “I know, but y'all can’t expect me to just stand here and do nothing.” Applejack retorted.
“Calm yourself and think Applejack.” Fluttershy said in as calm and gentle of a voice as possible. “Do you feel any sense of foreboding? This also goes for you two Rarity and Rainbow.” Fluttershy asked.
Rainbow was breathing a bit hard from the struggle. “I don’t feel anything except being tired from holding her back.”
Rarity tapped her chin. “I feel deeply concerned about the filles but nothing else really.” Rarity confirmed.
Fluttershy looked at Applejack. “And you?”
Applejack just looked at her. After a minute of silence from Applejack hopefully thinking, she finally said something. “I don’t feel any ‘forebodying’ or what you call it. I’m just a bit mad and concerned.” She said with honesty.
“See. If any of you felt a bit of foreboding, you would know. And as long as none of us feel that, I’m certain the CMC are fine. In fact-” Fluttershy held her chest with her hoof. “-I believe they are quite safe.”
Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow looked at Fluttershy confused. “What do you mean, Darling? What makes you so sure?” Rarity asked.
“I feel like, somepony is watching them and keeping them safe. Or more precisely-” She smiled. “Somedrake.” Fluttershy corrected.
Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t think so. I know.” She looked at Luna. “What about you? You feel it too?” Fluttershy asked, both now knowing they have affections for a shared individual.
Luna nodded. “I do. As much as you three won’t believe Fluttershy and I, the fillies are safe.”
“Well it would explain why you two are so calm right now.” Rainbow pointed out.
“We’re back!” Yelled Pinkie as she was bouncing towards the group with Twilight and Spike in tow.
“Twilight! Tell us ya got a plan.” Applejack asked.
“I do. So let’s not waste any time.” Twilight said as the Mane Six were gathered with Spike and Luna tagging along. Everypony but Luna then headed into the forest together.
Luna looked to Dusty who was standing outside the door. “You coming?” Luna asked.
Dusty shook her head. “No, I think I’ll hold down the fort, so to speak for you all.”
“Very well then.” Luna, satisfied with the answer, ran after the others in the forest quickly catching up, until Dusty was alone finally.
Dusty breathed a long sigh of relief. “At least I finally get a minute to myself now.” Dusty said to herself.
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are still making their way deeper into the forest slowly. Sweetie’s nervous and frantic feelings were high now, Applebloom was starting to be concerned and worried, while Scootaloo was losing the determination she had earlier. They were drawing close to a small covered clearing.
Applebloom decided to speak up. “Hey, Scootaloo. Maybe we should stop and go back like Sweetie Belle suggested?”
“Nah. I’m sure we’re fine. Let’s just-” Scootaloo paused. “-keep going, maybe we’ll get lucky?” She said unsure of herself now.
“Come on, Scootaloo. Let’s just turn around and leave the way we came. Before it’s too late.” Sweetie said thinking to herself it was too late. “The Everfree is a dangerous place. That’s what everypony keeps telling us, remember?”
“I know.” Scootaloo said somewhat annoyed Sweetie thought she forgot. “But in all seriousness. While it’s unclear how far in the forest we are, but if this place really was dangerous-”
Sweetie and Applebloom’s eyes widened from the realization Scootaloo was about to say the worst thing ever. “No. Don’t finish that sentence Scootaloo…” Applebloom warned.
Scootaloo however, ignored it. “-Then something dangerous would have already attacked us by now.” She finished completely ignorant of what she said.
“By Celestia, you’ve done it now.” Sweetie said with utter fear.
On cue, low growling could be heard across the clearing. Not just one growl but multiple were heard almost as if it was coming from everywhere. Then a single figure made of wood appeared through the trees and grass followed by more. Wood figures that resemble wolves, with sharp bark for teeth and claws and eyes that glowed a deep dark green. The CMC slowly started to back away, but the wooden wolves matched their two steps with one.
“Of all the things, Timberwolves.” Applebloom muttered.
One in the front reeled on his hind legs and howled. A couple of the other wolves then growled and barked as they charged forward. The CMC then huddled together and closed their eyes as the wolves leaped into the air at them, accepting their fate.
Suddenly a strong gust of wind was heard as the sound of wolves yelping and falling was heard and was soon followed by another growl behind the CMC. But this growl was deeper, a bit more angry and far more primal. The CMC opened their eyes one by one and saw the timberwolves weren’t staring at them but something standing over them.
If the CMC saw what the wolves were seeing, they would see a tall and long, red and silver dragon with blue wing webbing, standing in a defensive posture over them. Wings spread out, teeth fully bared with bright flames dancing in the maw as a form of intimidation. Glowing blue angry narrowed eyes staring back at the timberwolves with the intent of killing. No words were needed to be exchanged, for what was about to happen next was all too clear.
A battle was about to start and it wouldn’t be a pleasant sight in the least.
When I followed these three I stayed out of sight, just so I can keep an eye on them and protect them if needed but ultimately let them do what they want. I practically heard every conversation they had and I was about to lose my chill with Scootaloo. She sure takes after Rainbow alright. Sweetie Belle I could tell was the smart level-headed one of the three, not that the other two were dumb except maybe Scootaloo. Applebloom looked like she was trying to be the leader of the group and she was doing fine until Scootaloo stepped in with her stupid idea. I was disliking Scootaloo at this point, but I refused to let myself dislike her. Maybe she was just confident in herself and the others and willing to take risks and chances for the better. I couldn’t give Scootaloo grief, after all, I had a best friend that was exactly like her. He turned out for the best so maybe she could too.
Though, I facepalmed myself way too hard when she said the forbidden sentence that should NEVER be used in these situations. Once I saw the figures of the wolves coming out of the trees, I knew I had to step in. There was barely any chance these three young ponies could survive against even just one. I stepped out of the trees I was hiding in, ran behind the CMC as three of the wolves leaped into the air to pounce on them, I spread my wings and with as much force I could muster without creating a gust that could rip the trees from their roots, I slammed my wings together. The gust was powerful enough to send the three wolves back to the other side of the clearing and made the rest flinch from the strong breeze.
Now I’m staring these wolves down with every intent to kill them to protect these three and the first thing I noticed was the putrid smell of their breath. My eyes were glued to the wolves so I didn’t notice the CMC had their eyes closed and just now opened them.
“S-S-Sarius?” Sweetie Belle asked still shaking.
My protective instincts were set to the highest setting right now, so I could barely utter a word that wasn’t a threat. But luckily through training, I learned how to control and manage my instincts. “Do you know of any other dragon that could save you three?” I asked in a playful mocking tone, trying to help them calm down.
“Be careful Sarius. Those are Timberwolves. They are quite dangerous.” Applebloom warned.
I snarled at the wolves. “I know. I can sense something is different about them. I don’t know what, but it’s got my danger sensors on high.” I spoke the truth.
These wooden wolves were different from other living wooden beings like ents, creatable wooden puppets and minions and wooden elementals. These wolves were giving off an aura of magic of some kind. Certainly magic I’m not familiar with, but it was magic regardless. Whatever the case I did not want to find out if they can hurt me.
More wolves were coming out into the clearing in front of us. There was no way I could protect these three and fight off an essential army of Timberwolves at the same time. I realized that I only had to achieve one goal right now: Getting the CMC safely out of the forest and back to their sisters.
“Alright listen closely you three. I want you to do only one thing and that’s to just run, you hear me?” I asked trying to make myself as clear as possible.
“W-What?!” Scootaloo shouted seemingly scared out of her mind. “We can’t run from them, we won’t get far.”
“Right now, Scootaloo, I need to get you three out of here and now! I will protect you.” I declared. “Even if it costs me my life,” I added.
I felt the three stare at me, hoping I wasn’t really planning on sacrificing myself for them. But they knew better than to think that. My body language was speaking volumes. The CMC prepared themselves as the wolves moved closer.
“Now-” I started to say as I let loose a large cone of fire at the center of the clearing causing the wolves to fall back and steer clear of the flame. “RUN!!”
As I shouted that, Me and CMC took off in the opposite direction. The CMC were running much slower than me so I was trying to stay in pace with them. Unfortunately, it wasn’t even a minute before the wolves were on us again. Howling, grunts, growls, panting and yelps of pain were the only sounds being heard right now. A couple of wolves took leaps at either me or the CMC, to which I attacked them and keeping myself close to the CMC. I was moving so fast, it was all a blur for me, but I do know I performed suplexes, grapple maneuvers and straight-up physical combat on at least 4 to 6 wolves.
It eventually got to the point where some of the wolves were running ahead of us, trying to get a better angle on us. I gritted my teeth. If this keeps up any longer, one of the filles is going to die for sure.
“I need you three to climb on me now!!” I shouted over the rush of the wind as I tried maneuvering and moving my body down so the CMC could get onto my back safely.
Sweetie Belle was the first to try to jump on and missed but fortunately for her, I used my tail to ensure she got on. Scootaloo was too scared to try and one wolf was about to grab her. I grunted and slammed my tail onto the ground hard, causing a spot of earth in front of where Scootaloo was to push upward and onto my back which also resulted in the wolf slamming headfirst into the earth pillar. Lastly was Applebloom, but by now the wolves picked up on what I was doing and were trying to prevent Applebloom from reaching me. A wolf got between me and Applebloom and another was behind her about to grab her.
“Oh no, you don’t!!” I shouted as I extended my right-wing to the ground, shoved into the wolf next to me sending him hurtling into the trees and slipped my wing underneath Applebloom, causing her to yelp and make a small squeal. I raised my right-wing till she slid right down onto my back. As a sense of precaution, I used my energy to tether the CMC to my back.
“NOW HOLD ON!!” I shouted again as I picked up speed, reaching my top speed on foot and nearly leaving the wolves in front and behind us in the dust.
My sudden boost of speed caught the wolves by surprise, but they were quick to catch up. As I ran as fast as I could through the forest and making sudden turns when needed, I used a combination of Energy and Life sense with my natural sense of direction to make my way to the Mane Six, who were now in the forest making their way towards us. Luna was also with them it seemed.
I shook my head. “No. We don’t have time to think about that right now.” I thought to myself.
I had no clue how far I ran or how many wolves I fought off, but I did lose count after 12 or so. The wolves were still trying to pounce and attack me despite seeing it wasn’t working very well the last half a dozen times. One wolf did come close to biting one of the fillies which caused me to stomp on its head in anger, essentially crushing its bark-like skull. Then I felt the Mane Six and Luna were close but weren’t heading in our direction. I took upon myself to signal our location to them. I gathered up a small orb of fire in my maw and shot it into the air. It flew into the air several yards up before exploding with a loud bang. I could only hope they heard and saw it and were now heading our way.
I saw a clearing up ahead of us and decided I needed to fight the wolves off. The last thing I wanted was to bring these numbers straight to the Mane Six. I couldn’t take the chance of any of us getting overwhelmed. It was mostly because I knew I could handle myself against these numbers and not knowing if they could.
“Alright, you three. The Mane Six and Luna are close. Just keep heading in this direction and you’ll reach them.” I said trying to sound calm.
“But what about you?” Sweetie asked concerned and worried for me.
“You’re worried about me? That’s cute, but I’ll be fine for the most part. I just don’t want to lead these wolves to the others. So I’m going to let you three go and stay behind and fight them off.”
“No, Sarius!” Applebloom shouted scared for me. “We’re better off having them help you. Especially if Luna is with them.”
I shook my head. “I can’t take that chance, Applebloom. Despite what you may think, anything can be overwhelmed by sheer numbers. No matter how powerful they are. I will not risk anyone’s life but my own if I can help it.”
I smiled. “Because I see it as my responsibility to use my power to protect and save those who can’t do it themselves. Now-” I paused as we reached the end of the clearing. “-FLY YOU FILLES!!” I shouted as I slide to a stop, extending my left wing and letting the CMC slide down my wing as well as giving them a head start by launching them forward with a flap of my wing.
Thankfully despite their proclaims, they ran as fast as they could like I asked. I quickly used a combination of powers to create a blockade of nature and energy to prevent the wolves from pursuing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough to stop two from getting through. Though several wolves collided with the wall and shattered to pieces.
“Damnit.” I cursed under my breath but still took note of how the wolves fell apart instead of getting knocked out. “I can only hope the Mane Six are close enough and I gave those three a big enough head start. Regardless-” I turned to the wolves who stopped and were taking defensive postures at the opposite end of the clearing. “-I still have all of you to take care of. So which one of you is first?” I asked itching for a fight.
The wolves were starting to spread out around me in a pack like manner. I could tell they gave up on trying to pursue the fillies. There wasn’t a point after all, by the time any of these wolves got to them it would be too late. I decided to dispense with the waiting. I roared and charged the wolves as they charged at me.
Meanwhile, the fillies had a big enough headstart but it only lasted for a good 30 seconds as the two wolves chasing them caught up to them. The CMC tried running back and forth between the trees and rocks to try and trip up the wolves. It was helping at least, but it only resulted in the wolves getting angry and annoyed.
Sweetie Belle then tripped on a small vine and fell onto her face after sliding a couple feet. Applebloom and Scootaloo stopped and were about to run to her when one of the wolves ran at them. Applebloom and Scootaloo had to roll out of the way as the wolf ran past failing to get Applebloom’s tail. Sweetie was trying to get back on her hooves before turning her head around to find the other wolf had stopped and was slowly walking towards her.
“We’ll save you Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo shouted trying to run towards her. She was forced to turn around and run to the trees as the one wolf chased her.
Sweetie started backing away from the wolf but it quickly stopped her by clamping it’s claw on her, trapping her.
“SWEETIE!!” Applebloom shouted running towards Sweetie but was caught off by the other wolf. Forcing her to stop and roll out of the way of the wolf’s claws.
Sweetie tried to struggle but was fruitless in her efforts. The wolf growled at her and bared its teeth, ready to clamp down on her head. She closed her eyes bracing for the end.
A shot of blue magic hit the wolf on top of Sweetie Belle right in the eyes, as it reeled back in pain and off of Sweetie. Sweetie opened her eyes and turned around to see a furious Rarity.
“Don’t. Touch. My Sister. You Rotten Mold-Infested, Wooden Mutt!!” Rarity shouted in an unladylike and uncouth manner.
“Big Sister!” Sweetie squealed in excitement and happiness.
The other wolf snarled and charged at Rarity only to get intercepted by Applejack hitting it square in the jaw with an uppercut, sending it skyward. Where Rainbow flew in double kicking the wolf into the ground at fast speeds, shattering it to pieces.
The other wolf got its senses back only to realize it was outnumbered as the rest of the Mane Six along with Spike and Luna showed up. It tried to run only to be caught by Rarity’s magic.
“Oh no, you don’t.” She said menacingly. She pulled the wolf back and used her horn to create a sharp spire of ice to pierce the wolf through the stomach. She then created a strong wind gust around the hole and forced it to shoot outwards, causing the wolf to shatter. Every piece of it ended up everywhere.
“Jeez Louise, Rarity! Don’t you think that’s excessive?” Rainbow asked having newfound respect and fear of her.
Rarity simply flipped her mane and huffed. “Absolutely not! That ruffian almost hurt my little sister. And I simply will not tolerate that!” Rarity said still somewhat furious.
“Applebloom!” Applejack called out.
“Ah’m right here,” Applebloom called back showing herself from behind a tree stump.
“What were ya’ll thinking running into the forest?!” Applejack scolded as she walked towards her. “Ya’ll would have been killed if we didn’t show up.”
“Ah’m sorry, sis. We just wanted to go see Zecora. It’s mah fault. Ah thought Ah knew the way.” Applebloom said ashamed.
Applejack sighed losing any anger she had. She pulled Applebloom into a hug. “Ah’m just glad ya’ll are safe.”
“Who saved you, girls, though?” Rainbow asked.
“Sarius..” Scootaloo answered appearing from behind the tree she hiding at.
“See, I was right. He did protect them.” Fluttershy said sounding proud of herself.
“He did, but he’s still in trouble.” Sweetie Belle said concerned.
“What do you mean, young filly?” Luna asked.
Sweetie was suddenly nervous having to answer Princess Luna’s question. “He- He stayed behind t-to fight off the Timberwolf horde, j-just to make sure we got away safely.” She answered a bit worried.
“What!?” Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow asked in unison.
Luna was a bit wide-eyed. “That fool. He has no idea what he’s up against.” Luna said with fear in her voice for possibly the first time in her life. “They’ll tear him apart. Twilight Sparkle!” Luna said loudly.
Twilight almost flinched. “Y-yes your Highness?”
“We must help him. Any ideas?” Luna asked.
“W-well, we can certainly help him but the problem is the CMC. Who’s gonna protect and get them out while we help Sarius?” Twilight said looking to everypony present.
“I could!” Pinkie said bouncing in place. “They’ll be safe in my hooves.”
“I can go too. I might just get in the way anyway.” Spike added.
“I’ll go too, darling. I doubt I could help much against a group of Timberwolves.” Rarity said.
Twilight shook her head. “No, I’m sure you can. But regardless thank you. Now you three get the CMC out while the rest of us go and help Sarius. Sound like a plan?” Twilight asked.
Everypony nodded but the CMC. “But we want to help him,” Sweetie interjected.
“Yeah. He saved our lives, we want to help him.” Applebloom added.
Twilight simply shook her head. “I’m sorry girls. Sarius saved you three, so I’m sure the last thing he wants for you to go help him. You’ll be putting everypony at risk since we’ll be trying to protect you. I promise you three we’ll bring him back in one piece.”
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other. They both sighed in defeat. “Alright. We’ll leave.” Applebloom said.
“I mean, we did cause enough trouble already,” Sweetie added.
“Good. Now let’s get going.” Twilight said as she ran in the direction of the battle along with Luna, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.
The remaining six, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and the CMC started walking their way out of the Everfree Forest. The CMC were concerned and worried about Sarius the entire way.
I slid backward slightly panting. Pieces of the timberwolves scattered the entire clearing. I figured I’ve taken out a good five to seven of them since stopping, but somehow their numbers didn’t dwindle one bit. In fact, it almost seemed like I took none out. I gritted my teeth in agitation and annoyance.
“I need to figure out how they keep coming. Surely there’s a limit to their numbers. I refuse to believe me and the CMC got the attention of every timberwolf in the forest.” I said to myself.
Maybe the answer is in front of me and I’m just not paying close enough attention to it. Before I could do anything I sensed movement behind me. I turned my head in time to see a single wolf lunging at me. I dodged the wolf by turning my front half towards the right and retaliated with a claw jab straight through the wolf’s torso and tossing it into the group. I heard the wolf shatter on impact.
I then turned around to see where the wolf came from only to be wide-eyed at the sight of what’s happening behind me. The pieces of the wolves that smashed against the barrier were rattling, levitating and being controlled by some magic. I watched as the pieces came together and slowly reassembled a timberwolf.
“So that’s how. The magic that envelops them must be reanimating them somehow. But what kind of magic allows the control and revival of organic beings?” I shook my head. “Questions for later. Right now I need to figure out a way to either disrupt the magic or make it so these puppies don’t get back up.”
The wolf that reformed tried attacking me but I just jumped over it. “Maybe I could try burning them since their made of wood. It’s worth a shot at least.”
I inhaled and quickly exhaled a funnel of flame right into the middle of the pack, causing several wolves to be ignited and catch fire. Yelps and whimpering of pain were heard from the wolves on fire, while the rest growled and snarled in uneasiness trying to keep their brethren from setting them on fire. In no time at all the wolves that were on fire split apart and the pieces turned to ashes.
“I hope that sticks,” I say to myself as I charged in while the wolves were distracted with the ashy remains. I took the chance to jump on one wolf, rip off its head, used my tail claw to slash another in half and then jumped to one more and ran it through with my claw and proceeded to rend it apart.
The wolves quickly got over their interest in the ashes and started growling and snarling at me again. I ran up to one, ducked under its bite, uppercut it following it into the air and span myself forward and smacking it hard with my tail, sending it falling back to the ground and shattering on impact. One wolf jumped at me trying to bite me, which was obviously a big mistake. I unfolded and flapped my wings once causing the wolf to miss me but before it could fall, I caught it by the back of the neck in my tail’s claw. It yelped and whined as its limbs swung around in the air helplessly.
I flew up a bit higher, grabbed it’s back with my back claws and dropped to the ground. We were several yards off the ground so I landed on the wolf making a loud crash sound. Though before I could get my bearings, yet another wolf jumped me and managed to slash me. It didn’t pierce the scales but it left a scratch mark. I quickly grabbed the wolf by the tail, spun around and slammed it hard into the ground.
Another wolf jumped me and tried slashing my back but only got the same result as the other one. I span around, slammed my tail against its side and sent it careening towards the tree line. Almost on a rhythm another wolf ran at me and tried biting me which I dodged and retaliated by punching its back into the ground. One more wolf came at me but this time it managed to bite my left arm, causing me to wince and grit my teeth. I jumped up a couple yards and let myself fall to the ground with my left arm still in the wolf’s maw and crushed it under my weight.
As I got up, more wolves started charging me simultaneously. Some managed to leave more scratch marks, a couple got a bite in but the rest didn’t get me. I quickly pushed them aside and got myself a safe distance from them. My left arm started feeling wet from something and when I looked, my eyes widen when I saw blood. The first bite mark pierced the scales, punctured the skin and was now bleeding but what shocked me was it wasn’t healing.
I then got charged from all sides, not getting a moment to breathe. I could feel more bites getting in as I was being piled on. Angered, my eyes glowed blue and I created a large energy pulse that threw all the wolves on me in different directions. My anger and annoyance were high as my body started glowing blue and was surrounded by a blue aura. This display forced the wolves to stay back for a while, obviously unsure of what was going on.
I could feel my energy flowing through me rather quickly, but I noticed there were parts of my body I couldn’t feel. It was the parts of me that got bit. I also took a look around and noticed the ashes of the wolves I burned were gone completely.
“So they can reanimate from even ashes. That’s rather troublesome.” I said agitated.
One of the wolves decided to be either brave, stupid or a pointless sacrifice as it charged me. Instinctively I surrounded my right claw with enough energy to make my claw look like a small energy knife. I stabbed the wolf through the heart on instinct and slashed its head off with the same claw. The pieces of the wolf fell to the ground and smoke like substance fumed from them. I suddenly felt the magic presence that is in the wolves leave the pieces on the ground.
The other wolves got nervous and scared. Somehow my energy counteracts the magic they had or were given.
I chuckle. “Ironic. That magic can nullify my hybrid power and energy. And my energy can dispel the magic. That’s irony at its finest.” I took a quick glance around me to get a headcount so far.
“Still a dozen here huh. As much I want to believe it’s the magic that’s neutralizing my power, I can’t help but feel like there’s another factor to add here. Something that’s preventing my regeneration entirely.”
The wolves were getting impatient and more riled up than usual. So much so their mouths started secreting a clear yellow tinted liquid substance that when falling to the ground boiled the dirt and steamed from the spot. Their saliva was acidic it seemed. Then it clicked, the two arrows that were used to nearly kill the sisters, the arrowheads were dipped in some acidic substance.
“Does that mean the saliva of these wolves was used to help kill the sisters? And could their saliva be the thing that’s preventing my body from regenerating?” I asked myself, finally getting some pieces to a puzzle that I was given since arriving here.
I didn’t have time to think about it though, as all the wolves charged me at the same time from all sides. Before they got to me I leaped back into the air and decided enough was enough. A flame started forming in my maw that quickly turned from bright red to sky blue. I let loose a large funnel of my Energy Flame into the group of wolves. Some managed to get out of the way but the rest weren’t so lucky.
More than half of the dozen wolves were set ablaze in blue flames, as yelps and howls of pain and anguish were heard. I stayed in the air and watched my flame consume the wolves entirely, eventually turning them into ashes that wouldn’t be reviving. This time I was sure of it. I lowered myself to the ground and dumbfoundedly let my guard down as one wolf managed to jump me and bite my neck.
I growled in anger as I twisted and turned my body till I could grab its throat with my mouth. I clamped hard and spun in a circle twice before slamming the wolf’s body into the ground hard. I spat out the pieces that were still in my mouth. I didn’t wait for the last few wolves to attack so I charged them and quickly dispatched them with ease.
When the last wolf fell to pieces I looked around to see if anymore showed up, thankfully none did. Smoke was rising from the ashes and grass that caught fire from the two times I used my flame breath. I walked over to the fire and harnessed the water element and shot a torrent of water to douse the flames. Once I was sure the forest wouldn’t catch fire I calmed myself and lost the blue glow and aura around me and in my eyes.
Before I could start to leave, the pieces that littered the clearing were surrounded by green magic and begun reforming themselves along with parts of the forest including trees, branches, and rocks. In a matter of minutes, a giant version of the timberwolves was built and towered over me by a dozen feet. It roared at me, it’s putrid breath covered me forcing me to gag from an overload to my sense of smell.
It took a swipe at me which I barely dodged since I was still trying to clear my senses. I reminded on the defensive for a couple of minutes while my nostrils and lungs cleared of the wolf’s breath. When I got my bearings again, I charged and began clawing at the beast slowly chipping off the wood but when I managed to take another chunk off, the previous parts I took off repaired itself. I then flew into the air to dodge another swipe, inhaled and let loose a large funnel of flame at the oversized wooden wolf.
It seemed effective at first causing pain but that quickly changed when the wolf reached out and grabbed me in its maw, tossing me into the ground hard. I grunted on impact and started to get back up but was then met with a crushing force from above resulting in pain. I was practically pinned to the ground by the wolf’s giant wooden paw. It slowly applied pressure threatening to break my backbone and rib cage. Apart from my legs, wings, and head, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t use my legs to push myself up as my legs were pressed against the dirt, preventing any vertical movement.
The wolf roared in suppose triumph. It's maw now barely a few feet away from my head, it exhaled on me causing me to gag again. My mind was clouded by anger, annoyance, pain and a slight amount of fear. I couldn’t think straight but I knew all too well what it was about to do next. It was about ready to clamp its jaws on my neck and head and try to snap my neck or rip my head off. Either way, I couldn’t allow it.
My energy surged through me again as my body and eyes began to glow blue, with the added status of my eyes slitting. I flapped my wings, tried my best to position my legs to push me up, anything to get the wolf’s grip off of me. But it failed. As I felt its jaws closing in on me, in desperation I flapped my wings once more, with a roar of anger, as my wings reached the peak of their rise. I shoot lasers out of the spikes in my wings that pierced right through the wolf’s body. This somehow locked the wolf in place as it tried it’s best to close the distance, biting and trying to lean closer.
My body started reacting on instinct from this point onward, as I slowly began to rise moving the timberwolf with me. I pushed off the ground with incredible strength, causing the ground to crack, and into the air. With one hard, fast flap of my wings, the lasers cut through the sides of the wolf taking off several chunks of wood and various things that made up the wolf’s body. The wolf yelped and roared with pain as it fell, barely landing on its back legs. The lasers I shot out dissipated as I landed on the ground and turning to the wolf with anger in my eyes.
The wolf wasted no time lunging at me. The tip of my tail turned into a claw and feeling a rush of energy going through my body into my tail, I shot another set of lasers that pierced the wolf’s skull and neck. The wolf’s advance was stopped as it tried helplessly to move. I lifted my tail, lifting the wolf with it and with one quick motion, swung my tail down causing the wolf to smash into the ground hard, making a small crack in the ground and pieces of the wolf fly off. I did this two more times, creating a small crater and littering the clearing again with pieces of the wolf.
I lifted my right claw and focused my energy into a small orb. I pulled my tail back, cut off the flow of energy causing the lasers to fade away, forcing the wolf to fly towards me and quickly struck the wolf’s stomach with the orb in my right claw. The orb entered the body as I commanded the energy to spread out fast, causing the wolf to explode to pieces in an energy explosion. The explosion was massive and loud, the draft of wind from the explosion rattled the trees in the vicinity.
I started panting from mild exhaustion and energy loss. I had increased my energy output two times to what now seemed like unnecessary levels. I could assume I wasted a bit of energy by not using it. My mind was still clouded, but I was clear enough for me to regain control of myself. Now having full control of my body, I looked around at the clearing, it was quite literally filled to the brim with sticks, pieces of bark, stones, ashes, and other wood pieces from all the timberwolves I slew.
My arms then felt wet, I looked up expecting a mild shower but didn’t. I looked at my arms and realized it wasn’t wet from water or rain but blood. Only a small amount of blood seeped from the wounds, wounds from bites that just managed to pierce the hard scales and tough skin. In fact, I feel a lot of bite marks throughout my body, all with small amounts of blood dripping from them.
I was certain the wounds weren’t life-threatening, but the fact that I wasn’t healing was a problem. I had to leave before either more timberwolves or something else shows up. And once again as I turned to the exit about to leave, I heard howling. I turned back around to see a dozen glowing eyes in the trees as more wolves came into the clearing.
“Great…. Just what I needed.” I groaned feeling a mild sense of deja vu. This time however I didn’t cut off my increased energy flow which was probably a bad idea on my part. I could feel myself being drained of wasted energy since it couldn’t be used to heal me. Regardless I stood ready to face the new horde. I waited for them to make the first move.
As expected they came charging at me with reckless abandon. I shot a blast of energy fire in the middle of the group. However, my eyes widen in shock, as the wolves leaped and moved out of the way causing my flame to past them without hitting a single one. I barely had time to stop the fire from reaching the trees before the wolves were on me.
As they piled on me, I felt more bites and scratches. They started scratching up my wings which was tearing into the thin membrane, creating holes in my wings. The pain was excruciating, mostly from feeling my wings being torn apart. I roared in pain as I tried my best to push the wolves away to no avail. They had me pinned and unlike with the giant wolf, there were too many to fight off. I was only able to push one or two wolves away before they jumped right back on me.
The ground was now being covered in a pool of blood from a combination of my bite wounds and torn wings. I decided if I couldn’t fight them off, I would tucker down. So I created a large Energtris Shield that surrounded my entire body. It managed to push the wolves back in surprise but they got over it quickly and resumed attacking. As I suspected they’re claws and jaws couldn’t put a dent in the shield. But some of their saliva dripped on the shield causing it to sizzle and burn through the shield very slowly. I realized it was only a matter of time before they either created holes in the shield or my energy ran out, since creating a shield of this size was taking a lot of it.
Suddenly a shot of powerful magic hit several wolves and almost destroyed them on the spot. The rest stopped to see what happened then two sharp spires of earth shot out of the earth and stabbed two wolves. A rainbow streak went through two more wolves at incredibly high speeds. I tilted my head back to see, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy and Princess Luna standing there. Luna had a look of pure anger on her. The eight wolves that weren’t killed or destroyed, charged the ponies. Luna charged up her horn so intensely everyone present could feel the magic. The other three ponies backed up not wanting to be hit by this. Luna shouted in anger and shot a wave of pure darkness that consumed the wolves and shrunk away, leaving nothing behind.
“Whoa, nelly. Twilight, remind me not to upset the princess.” Applejack said scared.
Twilight nodded with a fearful stare. “I think we all will need to remind each other, AJ,” Twilight said matter-of-factly.
“This isn’t over. Pay attention.” Luna ordered glaring daggers at something across the clearing.
The other ponies and I looked over to see more wolves, just cautiously standing there. Luna walked past me to stand between me and the wolves.
“Help him out of here. I’ll keep these pups away.” Luna commanded, her tone gave the feeling she didn’t want any backtalk or argument.
I lowered my shield, either from an insufficient amount of energy or the feeling of being safe. I couldn’t tell. The three ponies, along with Rainbow Dash who was above the clearing came over to me. I turned and proceed to stand up, but before I could Applejack, Rainbow and Twilight helped me up. I felt a lot of pain and though I chose to ignore it, my legs refused to budge. Applejack and Rainbow sled under me to hoist me onto their backs with Twilight using her magic to help. While Fluttershy just hovered over me using her energy to try and heal me.
I couldn’t see Luna, but I could hear her blasting wolves that decided to be courageous. Once I seemed secure on Applejack and Rainbow’s backs they began trotting out the way they came in. After seeing I wasn’t sliding off, they picked up the pace and went into a gallop. My lower body and tail were being dragged but I wasn’t complaining.
“Let me carry him while you help keep his tail from skidding on the ground, Rainbow.” Twilight requested.
“Are you sure? He’s quite heavy.” Rainbow then looked at me. “No offense.”
I shook my head. “None taken.”
“I am sure,” Twilight replied.
“Alright,” Rainbow said as Twilight moved closer to her.
When Twilight was in the right position, Rainbow moved and used her wings to hover, grab my tail and lifted it and herself off the ground a couple feet.
Twilight groaned from my weight. “Careful Twi. Ah'm sure I could carry him myself if you can’t.” Applejack said concerned.
“I’m alright AJ. I’m just not used to this, that’s all.” Twilight responded with a smile.
Surprisingly, Fluttershy was still in the same spot, hovering just over me healing me. I then felt another pony slide underneath me and carrying me a bit higher off the ground. Luna’s head was right under mine as she was galloping at full speed.
“Luna. You alright?” I asked concerned.
She nodded. “You should be more concerned for yourself, Sir Sarius.” She retorted.
I shook my head. “Nah, that’s not me. I only worry about others. Get used to it.” I joked.
Luna shook her head but smiled.
The ponies ran with me in tow for several minutes until the entrance of the forest was finally in sight with the sound of the wolves still behind us.
As I was carried out the forest by Luna, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Fluttershy, I saw that Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Dusty, and the CMC were waiting by my mansion. Their looks of happiness and relief were quickly followed by fear as the wolves that were chasing us came out of the forest. The ponies that were carrying me stopped, helped me onto the ground and turned around to take care of the remaining timberwolves, while Fluttershy just landed next to me still trying to heal me.
Once I knew the wolves would be handled, I noticed despite Fluttershy’s attempts my wounds weren’t healing. Thankfully the pain I felt was gone. I grabbed her hooves with my claw, shook my head and lowered them.
“It’s not working, Fluttershy. You’re just wasting energy.”
“But if I can’t heal you, won’t you-”
“I’ll be fine.” I cut her off before she could finish her question. “The wounds hurt. A lot mostly from my wings, but they’re not severe. The blood will stop soon. So I’m not gonna die.” I reassured her with a smile.
“Then why aren’t you healing?” She asked still not convinced.
“My guess, the wolves saliva. It has anti-healing properties to it. Making it so, any kind of healing is impossible while it’s in effect. I’m sure a good bath will work wonders. But overall it’ll dissolve in my bloodstream.” I answered sounding like a scientist.
I turned my head and watched as the Mane Five and Luna, who were now joined by Pinkie and Rarity, fought off the wolves, slowly driving them back into the forest. The CMC ran straight to me, crying tears of joy to see me in one piece. They tackled me and nearly pushed me onto my side.
“Easy girls. I’m still injured.”
“We were so worried,” Sweetie said overcome with relief.
“We’re really sorry, Sarius. Because of us, you got really hurt.” Applebloom added.
“Take it easy. Sure I’m hurt, but at least the three of you are safe and sound. That’s all that matters to me in the end.” I said trying to calm them down.
“But you wouldn’t have been hurt if we didn’t go into the forest. If only I listened to Sweetie and Applebloom and left when we had the chance. Or I decided against the idea in the first place.” Scootaloo said feeling very guilty.
She realizes her mistakes, that’s good. Thanks to her saying that I now understand her better. “Well, I’m glad to see you accepted you were the most at fault here, Scootaloo. It’s a sure sign of maturity.” I said feeling proud of her.
She rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof in embarrassment. “Yeah, but these two were being more level-headed than me and I was the one who tried to push on despite the situation. I realized that a little too late.”
“Better late than never, Scootaloo. At least you’re alive to learn that lesson.” I then looked at Sweetie Belle and Applebloom who stopped crying now. “You two as well. The full blame doesn’t rest on Scootaloo, you two have some blame to share as well.”
“Like what?” Sweetie asked.
“I’ll tell you later,” I answered. “I’m sure you’re sisters will want to hear it as well. What you three did was dangerous, though I can understand why you did it. You just have to think things through carefully.”
Debris was covering the forest entrance as the Mane Five and Luna destroyed one wolf after another trying to prevent them from leaving. At first, it seemed like they were too focused on finishing me off but after a while, they stopped advancing. The Mane Five were getting a bit tired, but Luna was still holding strong. I could feel the glares as the wolves all eyed me, now judging whether or not I was still worth the trouble. After a few minutes, a howl was heard and the wolves all retreated into the forest. The pieces from the ones destroyed were surrounded by magic and pulled into the forest as well.
After a couple more minutes to make sure the wolves truly left, the Mane Five and Luna walked over to check on me. Dusty who was still hanging by the doors also walked over as well.
“Are you alright, Sarius? You don’t look so good.” Twilight asked obviously concerned about the various scratches and bites across my body. The others seem to share her concern.
I waved a claw. “I’ve been through worse, to be honest. Though I will admit not being able to heal has me on edge. Something about those wolves makes it so I can’t regenerate.”
“Can you stand on your legs at least, sugar cube?” Applejack added.
While I was exhausted and in pain, I wasn’t out of stamina. I tried to stand up and with a bit of difficulty, I was on all fours. “Yeah. I believe so. Though I could use some rest. Why don’t we take this conversation inside?” I suggested already walking to the door.
Everypony present was amazed at how wounded I was but was still up and walking around like it’s nothing. It really is nothing. I opened the door, turned to the group and nodded my head to the opening. After a minute of getting over their shock, they all walked in. I guided them to my room where I laid down on the bed.
Surprisingly the room was big enough to house them all without causing someone with claustrophobia to act up. The three fillies I saved were standing in front of the bed with their older sisters standing next to them, while the rest stood to the side.
“Alright, let me settle the air in here.” I started and looked at the older sisters. “The blame can be placed on all three, but they had good intentions. Trust me when I say, bad things tend to happen a lot from good intentions. For what reason is beyond me, but it’s a fact. Just be happy I was there to save them and get them out without them suffering injuries.”
Applejack tipped her hat, either in gratitude or shame was unclear. Rarity took a small gentle bow. Rainbow simply nodded her head in understanding.
“But ya got hurt, Sarius. If it wasn’t for us ya would have been fine and we wouldn’t be in this situation.” Applebloom retorted sadly.
I just looked at her. I opened my wings to show most of the injuries I got. “Please, this is nothing compared to the worse thing that happened to my wings. The worst that happened was the wing membranes were all torn out and I couldn’t fly for a long while.” Everypony present cringed at that, which didn’t surprise me. I folded my wings again. “So don’t feel bad I got hurt. I’m more than willing to put my life on the line for others who need saving. It’s just who I am.”
I cleared my throat. “Now. Applebloom, Part of the blame you share is not taking charge and telling the others to just turn back while you’re safe and able to. Especially when Scootaloo came up with that notion of continuing.” Scootaloo turned her head away in shame. “Be a bit more dominant. Take charge if you need to.”
I then turned to Sweetie Belle who seemed to cower at my gaze. I smiled to help ease her. “As for you, Sweetie. You should have been louder when you were speaking out against the whole thing. I see Applebloom as the leader of the group and you as the advisor. I am very certain the other two would have listened to you and heeded your advice.” Sweetie blushed slightly at my praise. “Don’t be afraid to speak out, especially if what you have to say could matter on the grand scale of things.”
“And you.” I looked at Scootaloo who went wide-eyed and was afraid I meant chew her out. “Aside from you saying. The. Literal. Worst Thing. EVER!”
I sighed. “Taking charge when it was clear that wasn’t a wise decision, is the blame you have to carry. Unfortunately, you are gonna feel more guilty than the other two, since that decision nearly got you three killed.”
I paused for a second. “I’ll be honest, Scoots. I originally thought you were either just dumb or too headstrong but after considering who you call your older sister and idol. I realized you were neither, you just wanted to try and prove your worth as a co-leader or somepony the other two can rely on if things get rough and tough. That’s not a bad thing at all, but you must learn when it’s time for action and when it’s time to retreat. Turning back and retreating isn’t something to be ashamed of. I’ve had times where despite how strong I was, I had to retreat.”
Scootaloo eased up a little and was taking everything I said with great interest. “I personally see you as the one in the group who is the pillar that supports the others and isn’t afraid to take charge and jump to action if needed. Especially if Applebloom isn’t able to take charge.”
I looked at the three in turn again. “Take what you learned today and better yourselves.” I smiled which caused all three to smile back but Applebloom and Sweetie Belle blushed.
”Yup they definitely have a crush on us. Could we blame them?” Kasulis asked with a chuckle almost like he was trying to interrupt my thoughts.
”Could you not bring that up at this moment?” I heard more chuckling. Yup definitely messing with me.
“With all that said, you three are free to go. Just don’t forget the lessons I give you.”
“We won’t.” All three said together. They looked at each other and giggled.
I then looked at the older sisters. “Don’t punish them too badly. They do feel terrible and guilty about what happened and I would say they’ve learned their lessons today.” They nodded.
The three fillies and their older sisters walked out together.
Pinkie ran in and hugged me tightly. “Hope you feel better soon. Later.” She then hopped out.
“I can’t think of anything else to add, so try to keep yourself out of trouble Sarius,” Twilight said unsure of what she could say.
“I will try but trouble seems to always find me regardless of what I do. It’s a curse really.” I chuckled.
“Well, try to stay safe at least.”
I nodded. “I can do that.” Happy with the answer, Twilight smiled and departed.
I was then alone in the room with Luna, Fluttershy, and Dusty aka Chrysalis. All of which had feelings for me, well Dusty I wasn’t sure but I was sure she was at least thankful for helping her and giving her a place to call home for a while.
Luna cleared her throat to get everypony’s attention, but I knew for a fact she was gonna chew me out. “Now Sir Sarius. With all due respect, what in me and my sister’s name were you doing in the Everfree Forest, to begin with?!” She said angrily nearly on the verge of shouting.
Fluttershy staggered back a bit from Luna nearly yelling. Dusty eyes seem to show a hint of fear, most likely from the thought of Luna directing that anger and voice at her.
“She does make a point, Sarius. The Everfree Forest isn’t to be taken lightly. I assure you there are way more dangerous things than Timber Wolves in that forest.”
“Dusty is right, Sarius,” Fluttershy added in. “There’s a reason nopony wants to go in there.”
“Alright then, why don’t you three tell me what you think is more dangerous in there?” I asked wanting to know.
“Personally, the entire forest is dangerous to me,” Dusty said without hesitation.
“The Cockatrices for me,” Fluttershy replied. “I’ve had to stare one down to protect the little filles who wanted to save one of my chickens. Twilight was also turned to stone as well.”
My eyes widen upon hearing about cockatrices. “Wait. There are cockatrices in that forest?! When was anyone gonna warn me about that?” I asked somewhat frantic.
Luna tilted her head in curiosity. “You worry about the cockatrices?”
“Well, yeah. I may be a powerful dragon god, but I don’t have immunity to petrifaction. I can resist it well enough though, but I can be turned to stone.” I answered. “I’ve actually had a run-in with a basilisk one time. It caught me by surprise and I was turned to stone before I could properly identify it. It wasn’t until after my friends defeated the basilisk and I unpetrified that I realized it was a basilisk.” I finished.
Fluttershy and Dusty seemed surprised, while Luna was intrigued and curious because of her next question. “You can unpetrifiy yourself? I haven’t heard of such a thing before. When a creature gets turned to stone, it’s permanent until special treatment for petrification is used or whatever petrified them undo it.”
“I know. I believe because of my unique DNA and power, I’m able to unpetrifiy myself after a while. I mean I’m barely affected by diseases, poisons and venoms, and most status ailments. They can still affect me, but not for too long. Anyway, I’m just glad no cockatrices showed up during the battle.” I turned to Luna. “So what’s the most dangerous creature for you?”
“Shadowwalkers.” She said flatly.
“Shadowwalkers?” I asked with a combination of confusion and curiosity.
She nodded. “The current populace knows them from legends and myths, but my sister and I know they exist. Though even with our knowledge, not much is known about them. All I know and need to fear from them, is they hunt from the shadows and darkness. Every night when I raise the moon, my fear of the Shadowwalkers using the night to their advantage and prey on my subjects takes hold.” She shuddered a bit at the thought. “Thankfully, nothing of the sort has happened as far as I’m aware. But I still fear for my subjects every night.”
“And they’re rumored to reside in the Everfree Forest as well?” Luna nodded. “That forest truly is dangerous. I won’t lie, just seeing it puts me on guard and considering how badly I got torn up from the timberwolves, I realize I have a good reason to always be on guard when I go near it.”
I looked at Fluttershy and Luna. I took a deep breath, readying myself for what might come next.
“Alright, you two,” I said directing my voice at Luna and Fluttershy, who’s heads peaked with attention. “Have you calmed down and ready to work out your feelings for me more ‘maturely’?” I added more emphasis on maturely.
The two looked at each other with embarrassment in their eyes and on their faces. They then looked back at me with embarrassed smiles and nodded. “Good, then let’s discuss how we’re gonna work this out.”
“I was thinking about that. How about you go on a single date with each of them?” Dusty recommended.
I looked at her with amazement. “That’s what I was thinking. Not only would I get the same quality time with each, but I would also get a better idea of what I feel and think of them.” I turned my attention back to Fluttershy and Luna. “Does that work for you two?”
They both nodded. “If it’s possible, I would like to have that date later today. If that’s okay with you.” Fluttershy said starting to cover her face with her long pink mane.
“Then I call for a date tonight,” Luna said. “The sooner we settle this matter, the sooner we won’t have to worry about resolving it later during a bad time.”
I tapped my chin in thought. “Two dates in one day. You are right that we should settle this quickly but I was expecting you two to choose separate days at least.” I shrugged. “Then again, it’ll be easier for me to get a sense of how I feel towards you two and choose when those feelings are fresh.”
Dusty gave me a questioning glance. “Then it’s settled?” Luna asked.
“Yeah, it’s settled. Fluttershy, since it’s still morning, I’ll see you for lunch. And Luna, I can hold off on dinner till you raise the moon. Sound good to you two?” They both nodded. “Alright, then Fluttershy you got a couple of hours to get ready and Luna you have all day. I’ll see you again on the date.”
With a smile on their faces, they left together supposedly talking to each other about what they will do on their dates to woo me. I just walked to the mirror that was nearby and took a good look at myself. Scratches and bites marked my entire body, the blood was now dried up and very visible on my red scales. It was easy to tell what wounds drew blood and what were just scratches. I opened my wings and almost cringed at the sight of the mangled wing which was my right-wing. Most of the wing webbing was tore off, seemingly in an effort to prevent me from flying to escape. I told everypony, that wing had worse which wasn’t a lie. My other wings had a couple of scratches, but nothing compared to the other.
I narrowed my eyes at the dragon in front of me, almost angry I was nearly killed by wooden pups. But I was mostly angry for letting my guard down and underestimating the wolves. I was caught in the sight of my own injured body I nearly forgot Dusty was still in the room.
“May I be honest, Sarius?”
“Of course. I would prefer you to be honest with me, Chrysalis.”
I could feel her tense up from hearing her true name. “I can feel that the love shared between you and those two is incredibly strong. So much so, I was almost tempted to absorb some. But why would you say it’ll be easier to choose after the dates? Wouldn’t it be easier to just choose right now?”
I looked at the pendant still hanging around my neck. It was undamaged which didn’t surprise me. The scale it was crafted from was immensely tough. My thoughts wandered to the females I’ve been attracted to before I finally settled with Kaila. There were three that I got attracted to but didn’t fall far for. One was an ex-girlfriend long before Kalia, another was one I got attached to for a while during my training trail of receiving the weapons made from 3 other scales, who helped me through it. The most recent was one who was almost the exact opposite of Kaila. Luna slightly reminded me of her, as someone who travels down the path of darkness for the greater good.
I’ve spent some quality time with each female, but Kaila was ultimately the one I felt best around. I would make my judgment and decision between Fluttershy and Luna the same way.
“Sarius?” Dusty asked sounding concerned.
I didn’t even realize I got lost in my thoughts for a good minute. “It wouldn’t be easier to just choose right now. It will feel rushed and based on love, instead of love and compatibility. Going on a date with both of them will help me understand more about them and how well our personalities and abilities complement each other.”
Dusty seemed to understand where I was coming from. “I guess that makes sense. Just try not to hurt them emotionally or mentally.”
I looked her in the eyes and smiled. “Of course. I’ll be careful with that. The last thing I want is to potentially hurt them.”
Dusty started taking a real good look at my body and all the injuries that covered it. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? Shouldn’t you see a doctor at least?”
I folded my wings feeling a slight pain from the injured and ripped membrane and waved my claw. “I’m sure I’ll be okay and I doubt a doctor would be able to help with the timberwolf saliva. It’s either the saliva or the magic that composes them. I’ve at least narrowed it down. Once it wears off, my body will recover rather quickly. It’s only scratches and bites, though the wing will take a bit longer.”
Dusty didn’t seem convinced but decided that was the best answer she would get. “By the way, if I recall correctly, Princess Luna wanders the realm of dreams. What would happen if she found my dreams and put two and two together about who I really am?”
Mentioning Luna was a dream wanderer took me by surprise, I knew she is the Princess of the Night and watches over things while her sister sleeps. But a wanderer of dreams shouldn’t have surprised me but it did.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But if I had to guess, she would certainly confront you about it.” Dusty shivered at the thought. “Though, I’m sure your fear of being discovered will wake you and if that happens. Run to me and I will protect you. We’ll convince Luna your not as evil as everyone thinks.”
If there was ever a face of absolute uncertainty, Dusty had it right this moment. She knows I will help her to my best ability, but a small part of her believes I couldn’t. I didn’t blame her, I often question myself on, if I could do the things I’ve done. But I always remind myself, I’m a lot stronger than I or anyone else would believe. I just hold back a lot because I know what I’m capable of if I don’t restrain myself.
I placed a claw on her shoulder in assurance. “Put your trust in me, Chrysi. That’s all I ask of you.” I smiled warmly. If I didn’t assume so, I might have matched Celestia’s signature smile.
Dusty slightly blushed at the sudden nickname and gave a weak but genuine smile. “Fair enough. I trust you, Sarius.”
“Good” I removed my claw from her shoulder and started walking to the door. “Now in the meantime, I need to try out something I did during the battle and practice at it. It was certainly a new method of using my energy.” I turned to Dusty. “You’re free to come with and observe,” I said invitingly.
Dusty took a quick glance around the room and shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better to do, so sure.”
She followed me out of the mansion and just sat next to the door, simply watching. I lifted my left hind leg and quickly slammed it onto the ground. The second my claw hit the ground a small earth dummy raised out of the earth a couple of yards in front of me.
Dusty was amazed at this. “Wow. I would never have guessed you could control the earth.”
“I’ve had training from various elder dragons to help better myself as a dragon. And it’s not controlling the elements, but utilize them to my desire. The sources of the natural elements are uncontrollable but they allow themselves to be used. Trust me when I say trying to control the raw, natural source of the elements, causes problems.”
With a small amount of concentration, my tail turned into a four-pronged claw. This caught Dusty’s eyes, she never saw my tail transform like that. Aiming the claws at the earth dummy, I tried my best to recall what I had done to shoot piercing lasers from my wings that allowed me to keep the giant timberwolf in place. The best I came up with was focusing the energy on the tips of the claws and releasing it as a thin laser piercer. When I did, very thin energy lasers shot from my claw and struck the dummy in four different spots in a vertical line.
Both Dusty and I were surprised by this. Since I had it working, I decided to experiment with this power. I lifted my tail claw up and with a bit of force, the dummy was pulled out of the ground and lifted with my tail. I then moved my tail around in various ways, side to side, up and down, turning, and the dummy followed suit. I softly lowered my tail claw down to the ground and placed the dummy down then cut off the energy flow.
I walked over to the dummy to check the places where the lasers punctured. As I thought four small holes were in the exact spots the lasers hit. I then had a thought. I lifted my claw up and aimed my claws at the ground. I did the same exact thing I did with my tail expect with my claw as the focus point. Like with my tail, thin energy lasers shot from the five points of my claw into the ground. I cut the flow after a good half a minute.
I smirked and backed away from the dummy a couple of feet. With another quick lift and slam of my left hind leg, the dummy was catapulted several yards into the air. With good accuracy, I shot the same lasers out of my tail on a more intense level and swung my tail in different directions across the dummy. I could hear the energy slice the dummy into pieces. Once I cut the flow of energy, nearly a hundred pieces of rock hit the ground.
“So I can shoot penetrating energy lasers that tether things in place and with adjustments I can slice things apart. Neat.”
Dusty was absolutely bewildered. “I have never seen anything like that at all. What kind of dragon are you exactly, Sarius?”
“Well as you’ve clearly seen, I’m no normal dragon. Long story short, I’m from another world and through a DNA serum, became a hybrid. The dragon part of the DNA I got was from a dragon god. So I’m naturally part dragon god which is where the energy comes from.”
“That’s really hard to believe. But considering how you survived against timberwolves and are doing things any normal dragon from Equestria can’t do, I’m able to believe it. So what are you able to do with that power?”
“A lot of things and I’m still learning. This power of mine is one of the few things that none could perfectly master since there are so many different ways to utilize it.”
Dusty was pretty intrigued by what I was telling her. “I see. But you mentioned being trained by elder dragons, how are they different from regular dragons?”
“As I said before, I don’t know about the dragons of Equestria, but where I’m from Elder Dragons are dragons that managed to evolve further and become much stronger than before. Only a small amount of dragons have been capable to become Elder Dragons and a handful of those elder dragons affect either the weather or environment just by being in the area.” I paused taking a moment to catch my breath.
“From creating hurricane-force winds to filling the sky with thunderclouds, or just making the area a lot hotter than usual. But the real advantage or change that a dragon undergoes when becoming an Elder Dragon is gaining a power or ability that puts them on an entirely different level from other dragons, aside from a massive increase to their natural capabilities, like strength and speed.” I finished explaining.
Dusty seemed like she was able to understand it all. She then gave me a curious look. “And how do you compare to the elder dragons?”
I thought about it for a bit. “It depends on the elder dragon. The elder dragons that use fire as the main means to damage me are no trouble to me since I have an immunity to fire. The elders that change the weather or environment are fun to spar with at least. There are only a couple of elders that give me a true challenge.”
“You are quite interesting, Sarius. I must say.” Dusty smiled.
I smiled back. “That’s one of the best parts of me.”
“May I make a suggestion, take a bath to wash off the dried blood. I doubt you want to show up to your dates still looking like came fresh from the fight.” Dusty joked.
I laughed. “You got a point.” I took a quick glance at my right arm and had to look again to realize the wounds were healing again. I quickly opened my right-wing and noticed the wing membrane was slowly regenerating now.
Dusty took notice and was entranced by the sight of my wing slowly mending itself together again. “That seems like it’s very helpful in a pinch. What I would give to have that fast of a healing factor.”
“You have no idea. Maybe you can get my healing factor when you absorb my emotions.” I suggested folding my wing.
Dusty tapped her chin in thought. “That is an interesting concept. I will have to try that when I’m injured. For now, go take that bath.”
I chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.” I walked back into the mansion and made my way to the bathroom connected to my room. I took notice of how large the tub was. It was certainly big enough to hold me and someone else in it. I turned on the water and let it run till it was warm enough for me at least. Once it was I placed the plug into the tub and let it fill to half-way before turning the water off and laying in the tub.
I then heard the sound of hooves approaching and turned to see Dusty in the doorway. She was trying her best to hide the small blush on her and so was I. “Umm. I figured since your allowing me to stay here as a caretaker or whatnot, I would help you rinse off the blood.” She waited for my answer.
“Uh, sure. I don’t mind. I mean I can do it myself but if you’re offering help, I shouldn’t decline. I was taught that much by my mother.”
“Good.” She walked over to the tub and grabbed some soap. She then slowly pressed her hooves on my back, trying her best to scrub off the dried blood while I scrubbed off the blood on my arms and upper body.
I kept thinking to myself this wasn’t supposed to mean anything. She was only helping but some part of me was trying to convince me otherwise, which may probably right but still. I was able to shut that part of me up and convince myself, that I already had two other mares who clearly had affection for me and I was going on a date with both of them to figure out who I would be dating. Chrysalis I believed liked me because I had what I assumed was an entire ocean of love and happiness she could live off of. I wouldn’t mind, I was freely willing to let her feed off it.
I was lost in thought again when Chrysalis was rinsing my neck and touched the chain of the pendant wrapped around my neck. “Is this a pendant?” She asked curiously.
I turned to her so she can see the pendant itself. “It is.”
She took a good look at it and her eyes lit up with awe. “It’s beautiful. Weirdly, I never noticed till I touched the chain. What’s it made from?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is hard to see in contrast with the silver part of my body. It was made from a single scale of a silver female elder dragon.”
Chrysalis tilted her head at that. “Another elder dragon, what’s special about this particular one? And how do you know it’s a female?” She asked, gaining interest.
“Well, what makes her special is that she has incredible defense capabilities and she’s one of the fewest dragons who are naturally kind and caring. I actually met her. Hence how I know she’s a female and she’s kind and caring.” I explained.
I smiled recalling the day I met her. “Heh, the second she laid her eyes on me, she quickly grabbed and hugged me like I was her son returning to her after being taken from her for so long. She then saw the pendant that was crafted by her scale and she cried tears of joy, knowing that her gift was well taken care of. She then told me the story of how she met my ancestor and the events leading to the gifted scales. She even complimented me saying I was as handsome as my ancestor.”
Chrysalis smiled. “You are full of surprises it seems, Sarius.”
“That I am.” I agreed. “That I am.” After conversing, we realized there was still dried blood on me. “I can handle the rest. Thanks for helping at least.”
“It was my pleasure. I have to repay your hospitality somehow.”
I resumed washing the dried blood off. “You don’t have to. I’m helping you cause I can and I want to. Repaying me is your choice but it’s not necessary.”
It didn’t take long to wash off the last bits of dried blood. I rose out of the tub and stepped out. I looked in the mirror as I took a nearby towel to dry myself off. The wounds that covered my body only several minutes ago were completely gone. I unfolded my right-wing and was happy to see it was almost fully recovered now.
“Again I must say that you have a really fast regeneration.”
“There were a lot of battles where my healing factors helped me stay in battle a lot longer than I should have. And they will continue to do so.”
“Healing factors? You have multiple?” She asked.
“Two. One is the natural healing factor that is faster than normal and the other uses energy to heal me at either a slightly faster pace or an extremely fast pace if I choose to.”
“You really are something, Sarius.”
“Thanks.” I folded my wing. “Now it’s time I get ready for my dates.”
Fluttershy was looking at her collection of attire that she could wear for the lunch date. She didn’t know what she could wear.
“Maybe, it’s best if I don't wear anything fancy.” She paused for a minute and shook her head. “No, this may be my only date with him. So I should look my best at least.”
Though she only needed to take one look at her closet to realize her current selection is severely lacking. All she had was the dress from the Grand Galloping Gala and two outfits she wore as a model. Something she still regrets to this day, she didn’t like being the center of attention.
She sighed. “I’ll go see if Rarity has any recommendations for me.” She closed the closet door, headed downstairs, told her animal friends she’ll be back soon, and left for Rarity’s Boutique.
“Are you serious, Luna?” Celestia asked, still somewhat surprised.
“Yes, I am. He and I have a date tonight and I want to look my best.” Luna looked at her older sister. “Am I to repeat myself several more times?” Luna asked, half-serious, and half-jokingly.
Celestia shook her head and gave the warmest smile she could give. “No. It’s just so good to hear that it’s happening.” Celestia suddenly couldn’t help herself as she hopped around Luna’s room, singing “Luna’s got a date. Luna’s got a date.” for several minutes.
Luna’s left eye twitched seeing her sister’s display. “Sister! Can you please focus here? I still have to win over his affection.”
Celestia finally stopped, giggled to herself and blushed from slight embarrassment. She was so glad that none of her subjects or guards saw that display. She would hear it for days. “Of course. Forgive me, sister. I’m just so happy for you right now.”
Luna gave a small smile. “As am I. But you don’t seem concerned about my competition.”
Celestia waved a hoof. “Of course I’m not. If you want my personal opinion, Luna. I think you and Sarius are almost perfect for each other. No offense to Fluttershy though.”
Luna blushed at this. “Y-you really think so?”
Celestia giggled. “Do I have to repeat myself this time?” Celestia joked.
Luna’s face scrunched up. “No. Now please help me pick something nice.”
Celestia smiled and used her magic to pull a very beautiful gown out. It was a black gown with silver stars placed carefully across it to resemble the night sky when it’s filled with stars. It had space for Luna’s wings. To go with the gown, a moon pendant, and star earrings were in small boxes.
The entire set left Luna speechless for a minute. “It’s…. It’s so beautiful. But I don’t remember having this.”
“That’s because you didn’t. I had it made recently specifically for you.” Celestia recalls the day she had this made. “It was sometime before you returned as Nightmare Moon. I wanted you to have something as a reminder that regardless of what happens between us, I will always love you and care about you.”
Luna’s eyes started watering as she smiled. “T-thank you sister. It’s a gorgeous reminder.” Luna walked up and hugged her older sister as Celestia returned the warm embrace.
“Now-” Celestia breaks the embrace and levitates the gown and jewelry to Luna. “-Let’s see how it looks on you”
After a couple of minutes of carefully putting on the gown and the earrings, Luna stepped in front of a large mirror that showed all of her. The sight of the gown and the jewelry on her made her blush and feel like she was the most beautiful creature in Equestria.
“It feels…. Perfect.” Luna said, taking in the sight as long as she could.
“Indeed it should. I had it made for you and you alone. Now I’m certain Sarius won’t be able to keep his eyes off of you.” Luna blushed more at the thought. Celestia smiled. “I do believe you’re ready. You just need some sleep.”
Celestia helps her sister out of the gown and takes the jewelry off and puts them away as Luna walks to her bed and uses her magic to close the curtains till it’s dark. Celestia goes to the door before turning to Luna. “Sweet dreams, Lulu.”
Celestia walked out of the room and closed the door. Leaving Luna in a completely dark room. Luna slowly fell asleep.
Fluttershy arrived at the Boutique and knocked on the door.
“Coming~” Rarity’s voice singsong inside the shop. Sounds of objects being put away and moved are heard for a minute. The door opens showing Rarity with her cute red glasses and some specks of something on her coat.
“Hello. Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, I am Rarity. Now how can I-” She stopped mid-sentence as she opened her eyes to see who was at the door. “OH, Fluttershy. It’s you darling~. Come in please.”
“Thank you,” Fluttershy muttered as she walked past Rarity and into the main room, while Rarity closed the door.
Rarity stood in front of Fluttershy with a smile. “So did you need something, my dear?”
“Y-yes. I do.” Fluttershy started blushing, still trying to come to terms she was getting ready for a date with Sarius. “You see…. I have a lunch date with Sarius and I-”
She was cut off by Rarity gasping as her eyes sparkled to life. “I understand completely, Fluttershy. I will make you an outfit that will surely play your tune using his heartstrings. Just leave it to me, dearling.”
Rarity wasted no time running around grabbing various clothing materials and bringing them to Fluttershy. “Real quick, what color would you fancy?”
“Um… If I had a choice then-”
“Oh wait, how silly of me. I know exactly what color will be perfect.” Fluttershy was cut off again as Rarity grabbed some light blue cloth and held it against Fluttershy’s yellow body. “OH YES! That is a perfect contrast.” Rarity shouted in delight as she set aside the cloth and pulled out a quill and some paper and began drawing.
Only the sounds of a quill on paper were heard for a while. “Um… Do you want me to… do something?”
“No. Just stay put. I am working on a design.” Rarity answered without looking up from the paper.
A couple of minutes went by, as a small pile of crumpled up paper was on the floor from designs Rarity did not like. Rarity sighed. “I am stumped.” She said flatly. “I want to make your outfit stunning! Enough to woo that dragon into your hooves.”
“It’s okay, Rarity. He has to make the decision, so I don’t think a dress is gonna have an impact. In my opinion.” Fluttershy said, trying to make Rarity feel better.
But it had a somewhat opposite effect. Rarity’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Won’t have an impact?” She repeated. “Nonsense Darling! A beautiful dress will force his eyes to see nothing else but you. Giving him more time to see how priceless you are. I simply can not allow you to leave until I know for sure you’ll capture his heart.” Rarity vowed.
Fluttershy giggled. When Rarity gets like this there’s no point in stopping her. Fluttershy just wanted to look nice for Sarius. She felt she had no chance of winning Sarius’ affection against Princess Luna, but not only would the princess and Sarius be disappointed with her for not trying, but Fluttershy herself also wouldn’t be able to deal with herself. So she has to try.
For her, whether or not she wins Sarius’ heart she just wants him to be happy. At the very least, she will have some quality time with him on a date. And she was sure Princess Luna would want the same thing for Sarius, happiness. With that in mind, she had no worries or concerns.
“Try not to stress on it, Rarity. It is just a lunch date. I simply want to look nice for the occasion. Really there’s no need to go big or go home. As long as he’s happy in the end is enough for me.” Mused Fluttershy.
Rarity just looked at Fluttershy in the eyes. After a minute she smiled. “Very well. If you insist. But I will at least do my best to make sure the outfit is stunning.” Rarity looked at the blank paper in front of her. “As soon as I get the design right.”
Fluttershy smiled. “I’m sure you will. You always do.”
“While I think, I am curious to know how that power you gained works.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy looked at her hooves in thought. “Well, I’m not entirely sure myself, but Sarius explained that I had the power that barely a few creatures outside of dragons possess. Energtris, I believe he called it. He described it as the original primal source of all energy. Very powerful and hard to maintain control of, but he’s taught me a fundamental defense technique that is near impregnable.”
“I see. Well, we all knew you were special, Fluttershy.”
“We all are in our own way. You’re able to use actual elemental magic.”
Rarity’s eyes then widened for a brief second before sparkling and a smile appeared on Rarity’s face. “Idea!” Rarity sang out as she quickly went to the paper. “I have come with a design that will make use of my new abilities. And it will- Fabolous!!” She sang out again.
After a couple of minutes of hearing Rarity sketch a design, Rarity put the quill away. “There. Now time to work my magic.” She immediately went to work on making the dress as Fluttershy watched.
Nearly half an hour passed as Rarity wiped her brow. “Done!” She took the dress in her magic and showed it to Fluttershy. “What do you think, darling?”
Fluttershy’s eyes shone. “It’s lovely as always, Rarity.”
“Good, now let’s get you ready for your date.”
After spending several hours getting more practice and training with my energy control and the newest technique, I started getting exhausted and drained. Once it was close to reaching lunchtime, I just relaxed and waited only to realize I didn’t have the two specify whether I’ll meet them or they’ll meet me. I decided it would be best to go to them.
Once the optimal time for lunch was a few minutes away, I said farewell to Chrysalis, aka Kayleen, and left for Fluttershy’s cottage. My body was fully healed, especially my wings so I wanted to see if it was healed enough to fly. It was and I felt the cool air of the wind on the newly regenerated wing membrane even more than usual.
As I flew past the forest, I shivered slightly and tried to push the events from earlier out of my head. It’s a mystery I will solve one day but not today. I landed a couple of yards away from Fluttershy’s front door. The animals started gathering around me, happy to see me again while Angel was just staring at me. He still didn’t approve of me.
“I really wish you would stop giving me the stink eye,” I said to him hoping he would but I knew better.
Angel rolled his beady eyes at me. I just shook my head, sighed, walked up to the door, and knocked on it.
“Just a second, darling.” I heard Rarity say.
I was slightly surprised to find out Rarity was at Fluttershy’s cottage.
Rarity opened the door and smiled when she saw me. “Ah, Sarius. You’re just in time. I just finished helping Fluttershy with the dress I just made her.” She turned away from the door. “Fluttershy dear. Sarius is here and ready.” She called out.
“O-okay.” I heard Fluttershy say back in a very soft tone.
I heard the clopping of hooves on wood but it had a different sound to it. Rarity pushed the door open more for me to see inside. “Why would she need a dress for a lunch date Rarity? Wouldn’t that be excessive?”
Rarity giggled as the steps were getting closer and louder. “It may be, but as I always say ‘A lady must always look her best’. Besides, I very well believe you’ll have a different opinion when you see the attire I’ve chosen for her.” As she said that, I could see Fluttershy as she finally came to the door.
The sight before me made my jaw drop. Fluttershy’s mane and tail were braided and expertly done in a way that made her even more beautiful than usual with her mane being done into a ponytail. She had two simple earrings but they fit perfectly for her attire. Her dress was another entire story in itself, it was a gentle blue color with a blur of yellow on it. The dress had two straps that held the dress around Fluttershy’s neck as the bodice wrapped around Fluttershy’s chest and downwards. The straps actually looked like an ice necklace when I looked closely. The dress seemed to emit a low warm glow and I noticed that her mane was braided up in a water bind and her ponytail was subtly being pushed around by a small breeze all from the earrings. The skirt part of the dress seemed to be a noncombustible fire.
Aside from that, the dress wasn’t exaggeratedly large and was just seemingly a normal dress a female would wear on a date just more custom made since Rarity made it. But it caught my attention for a good few minutes, so much that I didn’t say anything since I was too busy taking in the details put in the dress.
“Umm, Sarius?” Fluttershy said in a hushed tone, blushing. “Are you okay?”
Her voice snapped me out of my trance. I shook my head slightly to get my brain back on track. “Yeah, I’m fine.” I then looked at Rarity who smiled knowing what I was about to say and I was staring at the dress. “You were right. I do have a slightly different opinion right now. I am impressed and proud you have gotten better at Elemency to the point of infusing objects with elemental magic.”
Rarity and Fluttershy tilted their heads in confusion. “Elemency?” Rarity repeated quizzically.
I nodded. “It’s what the art of Elemental Magic utilization is called.”
“Oh, I see. Well, thank you for the compliment.” Rarity’s smile returned. “I’m glad to know I’m getting better.”
“So, how do I look?” Fluttershy asked, starting to slowly spin around in place so I saw her and the dress in its entirety.
I smiled. “You look absolutely amazing. The dress is certainly a major hit.” I looked at Rarity again. “Maybe you should use Elemency in some of your work,” I suggested.
Rarity took a hoof and majestically flicked her mane. “Oh, nothing feels better than being praised for hard work and I think I will. I’ll need a lot of practice though.”
I turned my attention back to Fluttershy “Anyway I’ll follow your lead Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy paused. “My lead?”
I nodded. “Yeah, you and Luna set up the dates. So I have no idea what either of you wants to do.” I looked at her with concern. “Will you be able to handle it?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Oh, y-yes of course. It’s just… I’ve never been one to take the lead.”
I chuckled. “Well, I wasn’t either at first. But I took the role of leading simply cause I was naturally better than any of my friends. So don’t worry. Now let’s go.”
Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Alright. I do have an idea for our date. Since you haven’t had the time, I would give you a tour of Ponyville and then just relax on the hill overlooking it afterward. Does that sound good?”
I nodded. “Sounds like a good enough date for me.”
“I will accompany you two till we reach the town. So if there’s anything you wish to ask Sarius don’t hesitate.” Rarity said cheerfully. The three of us started walking to town with Fluttershy staying as close as she can to me without tripping us. “I must say though, I didn’t think you had any interest or knowledge of fashion. You are an interesting dragon.”
“Yeah, I’m full of surprises and I’m not really interested in fashion as much as you, but I know a thing or two about looking my best. Besides, believe it or not but my sister and one of her friends who is a fashionista had me be a model for them.”
Rarity looked at me in shock. “You were a model?!” She shrieked in amazement.
I chuckled and blushed a bit. “Yeahhh. It’s not really something I think of putting on a resume or telling others since it kinda embarrasses me. But I’m the type who will help however I can. Plus it’s nearly impossible for me to say no to my sister.” I grinned like an idiot at the thought.
Rarity’s eyes lit up in curiosity. “My goodness. Your sister sounds like she is very persuasive. I may just ask her for some advice.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, just know anything you learn from her won’t work on me.”
“Oh, and why’s that?”
“It’s because I doubt you’ll be able to get the same effect that my sister has on me. It may be because she’s my sister and knows very well what buttons to press on me.”
Rarity giggled. “That makes sense. My little sister Sweetie Belle learned from me and dare I say she’s gotten quite good at it. But don’t tell her that I said that.” Rarity said.
I chuckled. “I promise I won’t say a thing.”
We were halfway to town when the conversation finished and walked the rest of the way in silence.
When we reached Carousel Boutique, Rarity turned to us. “Alright, this is where we part ways. I hope you two have a lovely date.” Rarity pouted a bit. “Oh, I must confess, seeing you two like this is making me jealous.”
Rarity waved her hoof in dismissal and simply smiled. “Don’t worry about little old me, my dear. I will be just fine. I am certain I will meet the right stallion when the time comes.” She placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “You just be happy, you found somepony or drake in this case that’s special and means something to you.”
Fluttershy smiled back and nodded. “I will and I’m gonna make the most of this date.”
Rarity then turned her gaze to me. “Please don’t hurt her or the princess, you hear?”
I nodded. “Trust me, that’s the last thing I want to do.”
“Good. Farewell for now.” Rarity then turned around and started walking to her shop/home while waving to us for a couple of seconds.
When Rarity closed the door, Fluttershy stepped in front of me. “Let’s go. The first stop is Sugarcube Corner. We will need snacks for when we stop at the hill.”
She started walking into town with me following closely behind her.
Fluttershy and I walked to Sugarcube Corner’s front door and walked in, causing a bell to chime that echoed in the building.
I decided to ask a question about my concerns about Fluttershy. “So are you doing okay walking around town and Sugarcube Corner in that dress?”
She turned to me and smiled. “No. As you know I’m really shy, timid and don’t like to be out in the open with crowds. But this time around I’m fine since I have you with me.” She then tapped her hoof in thought. “I guess I feel more confident and sure of myself when you’re around.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I tend to have that effect on others.”
“Hi again, Sarius!” Pinkie bounced seemingly out of nowhere with a cupcake in her hoof. “How long has it been since we last saw each other?”
I looked at her as she shoved the cupcake in her mouth and swallowed it without chewing. “Only a few hours at least,” I answered.
“I know it’s such a long time, right?” She asked. Neither Fluttershy nor I could tell if she was seriously asking that kind of question.
“Maybe your perception of time is vastly different than everybody else,” I suggested.
“Maybe.” She turns away from me and starts staring at something else. “You on the other side of the screen, how are you all doing over there?” She asked seemingly no one.
“Pinkie! No Fourth Wall breaking.” I exclaimed.
Pinkie turned her attention back to me and simply giggled and smiled. “Oh, right. Sorry.” She sang out.
Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion as she looked at the walls of the establishment. “Fourth wall breaking? But the walls seem fine to me.” She said.
I waved my claw. “No, no. That’s not what I meant so don’t worry about it. It’s something only Pinkie Pie would understand for obvious reasons.” I said as Pinkie gave me the goofiest grin possible.
“Oh okay. Anyway Pinkie, I wanted to buy some snacks for Sarius and me later.” Fluttershy said.
“Okie Doki.” Pinkie said as she bounced around to the other side of the checkout counter. “So what would you two like?”
“I don’t really have a preference, whatever you recommend is fine,” I said.
“Same here. There’s a lot of things to choose from and I’ll take a long time to choose for me. So take your pick Pinkie.” Fluttershy agreed.
“Alrighty.” Pinkie, leaving a dust cloud of herself behind, ran across the store grabbing various things and placed them on the counter so fast the dust cloud didn’t disappear fully before she was back in the same spot. “And that’s how you divide by zero.” She said as if she was explaining something. I blinked from that trying to not think of what train of thought produced that result.
There were a couple of boxes on the counter now. “Um, I don’t think we need that much Pinkie. It’ll just be the two of us.” Fluttershy stated.
Pinkie looked at the stack. “Oh. You got a point.” Pinkie then moved the boxes around until there was only a small box on the counter. “How about these?”
Fluttershy opened the box and a dozen cookies were in it. “Oh, that’s perfect. We’ll take them.”
“Awesome! Here you go. That would be 5 bits, but since you two are on a very special date, it’s on the house.” Pinkie beamed.
“Thank you very much, Pinkie. You’re the best.”
Pinkie leaned over the counter to whisper to Fluttershy. “Just don’t go telling others ponies about this. They might come to get free samples as well and Mr. and Mrs. Cake will give me an earful.”
“We won’t,” I promised.
Pinkie pulled back and smiled. “Thank you. Now have fun, you two.” She said as she bounced away upstairs.
Fluttershy closed the box and picked it up but couldn’t figure out where to put it. “Oh no. I forgot my saddlebag and I don’t think you have one yet. So how are we gonna carry this?”
I chuckled. “I got it.” I took the box from her. I then focused my energy into two of my claws and pierced the fabric of space and time opening a small window to my family’s pocket dimension.
Fluttershy gasped in surprise not knowing I could do that as I leaned in the window to create a table to put the box of cookies on for now. Once they were secured I pulled out of the window and refocusing my energy I grasped the bottom of the hole and pulled up, basically zipping up the hole.
“What did you do?” Fluttershy asked bewildered.
“I used my energy to open a portal to a pocket dimension my siblings and I share. It’s something the three of us managed to create when we finally got power and combined our energy together.” I explained.
“Oh, that sounds very useful.”
I nodded. “It is.”
“Hey!” Pinkie suddenly poked her head from the top of the stairs and stared at us. “Did you do something weird or strange just now? Cause I just got a really different Pinkie Sense vibe. It was something I’ve never had before. Seemed like a mix of a Twitchy Tail, Twitchy knee, and Itchy Back at the same time.”
I looked at Fluttershy who spun her left hoof around in a circle like she was telling me to just roll with it. “Yeah, I opened a portal to the pocket dimension my siblings and I shared. That vibe you got must be the ability you gained when I unlocked your potential. You know the one that allowed you to sense if something not part of your world was nearby.” I explained.
“Oooooohhhhhhhhh! That makes sense. Now I know what it means when it happens again. Anyway, I’ll see you two later.” Pinkie then quickly left.
I turned to Fluttershy and she just giggled. “Come on, we still got a tour to finish.” Fluttershy and I then walked out of Sugarcube Corner.
She then took me further downtown. There wasn’t anything interesting or amazing about the area, it was simply the section of town that has the majority of places that sell things. Fluttershy made sure I knew which places sold what things so I wouldn’t wander around aimlessly later when I’m shopping. The next place Fluttershy took me to was the Goldenoak Library where Twilight and Spike live.
“I’m sure you know this place right?” Fluttershy asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yup. I’ve been here twice.” I stated.
“Sarius, Fluttershy?” Called Twilight from the balcony. “What are you two doing?” She asked leaning against the rail.
“I’m giving him a tour of Ponyville and then relaxing on the hill overlooking it,” Fluttershy answered.
“Or we’re on a date. Considering her attire.” I added.
Twilight looked at Fluttershy but couldn’t make out the dress. “A date? Hold on, I’ll be right down.”
Twilight galloped inside and half a minute later the door opened and she walked out with Spike at the door wondering what’s going on. Twilight immediately checked Fluttershy and studied the dress she was wearing.
“By Celestia. This dress actually looks amazing, Fluttershy. Did Rarity really make this?” Twilight asked slightly bewildered.
“Oh yes, she did. Sarius said she used her new power of Elemency to make the features you see work.” Fluttershy answered showing Twilight the earrings and letting her look closely at the straps and fire skirt.
Twilight took in every detail with a glee in her eyes. “I never thought it was possible to imbue elemental magic into clothing.”
“You can,” I started getting both of their attention. “I’ve been to places where clothes were created a certain way to help the wearer resist or be immune to various things, including the elements. But that kind of making is only possible with special materials and those who are familiar with the elements or status ailments and how they work. But this-'' I pointed to Fluttershy’s earrings and dress. “-is easier to pull off as it just requires someone knowledgeable in enchanting.”
Twilight and Fluttershy stared at me for a good minute, possibly to process what I said.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing. It’s just you seem to be very knowledgeable in a lot of things.” Twilight answered. “Heh, I almost keep forgetting you’re not a full dragon.”
I shrugged. “I get that a lot.”
“Well, I just think that’s a nice dress, Fluttershy. Especially since Rarity made it,” Spike said, giving his two cents.
“Thank you, Spike,” Fluttershy said with a slight blush.
“Anyway, we’re burning daylight. Shall we continue with the tour, Fluttershy?” I asked, trying to not sound impatient.
Fluttershy looked at me and nodded. “Of course.” She then turned to Twilight. “I’m sorry we have to leave so soon. But we are on a date.”
Twilight shook her head. “It’s okay, I understand. I was reading something when you showed up and needed to get back to it. You two just have fun.” Twilight said walking back in the tree home and waving before closing the door.
Fluttershy and I continued the tour. She showed me where the hospital was, which I knew but what I didn’t know was how far from my home it was. It was practically on the other side of the town. I must not have noticed how far I walked when I recovered due to being lost in my thoughts. Next was the uptown which was the residential area where most of the ponies of the town live. Not much else was to be seen aside from the farms and outer areas of Ponyville so Fluttershy led me eastward from the Town Hall.
After a couple of minutes of walking and crossing the train tracks, we came to a hill with a sawmill and a couple of houses. The sawmill looked like it was old and not used often and the homes looked old as well.
“Who lives here?” I asked.
Fluttershy frowned. “No pony. At least not for a long time I believe.” She then waved to the sawmill. “The sawmill is used every once and a while to cut some trees and since it’s very close to the tracks, the train would make a quick stop here to load the lumber.”
She then focused her attention on the train station nearby seemingly in thought. “I don’t know how long it’s been since the sawmill was last used.”
I looked from Fluttershy to the station and back to her then turning my attention to the abandoned homes. “How long has it been since these houses were abandoned?” I asked.
Fluttershy shrugged. “I don’t really know. A long time I believe.” She then pointed at the nearby hill. “That’s the hill I mentioned. Let’s go make ourselves comfortable.”
We walked to the hill and using my power I opened a portal to my shared pocket dimension again and pulled out the cookies and absorbed the energy I used to make the table before closing the portal again. Something told me Pinkie just got a Pinkie Sense alert again. Fluttershy took the cookies as we sat down together and made ourselves comfortable.
The hill gave us a perfect view of the entirety of Ponyville and Canterlot in the distance. Cloudsdale was hanging overhead as well. The wind was blowing just slightly, bringing a slight chill breeze past us. I closed my eyes and took in the smell and the feeling of the air, brushing past me. It wasn’t adrenaline-pumping when flying at Mach speeds but more relaxing and calm just imagining the wind blowing through my body and carrying the negative thoughts and emotions in me away.
I didn’t realize several minutes passed by and I looked asleep until I felt something warm press against my right arm. I opened my eyes and saw Fluttershy poking me with her left-wing. “Sarius?” She asked slightly worried
“That’s me,” I responded.
She tilted her head as she smiled. “Are you okay? You went very silent for several minutes.”
I nodded and smiled back. “More than okay. I feel very relaxed and calm right now.” I watched the ponies of Ponyville go about their businesses as I recalled the last time I had this feeling of peace and relaxation.
Fluttershy giggled, which made me think of Kalia’s giggle. No. Something told me that Fluttershy’s giggle didn’t sound similar to Kaila’s but my sister’s, Circe. It then dawned on me, Fluttershy and Circe had the same Energtris expertise for defense and healing. They also had similar personalities and eagerness to help in any way possible. Not to mention they both have a way with animals. Now in my mind, Fluttershy was being seen as a sister to me.
“I guess I picked a good spot then if you really feel that way,” Fluttershy said with a bit of pride.
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes again this time making sure not to lose myself in my head and simply listening to the wind and sounds of the town. “The sound of the wind is very calming. You should try closing your eyes for a bit so you can hear it.”
I didn’t know if Fluttershy closed her eyes so I opened mine a bit and looked at her. Her eyes were closed. “Oh my. It is very calming.” A gust of wind went by bringing a bit more cold than the others causing Fluttershy to shiver. “But it can be cold sometimes. Brr.”
I extended my right-wing and covered her with it and considering the size of my wings it was able to completely cover her from the neck to the flank. The contact of my warm wings made Fluttershy gasp in surprise but she mellowed out rather quickly and sighed happily.
“Is that better?” I asked.
She slowly opened her eyes to look me in the eyes with her sea-foam green orbs. “Much.” She then leaned closer to my face like she was about to kiss me. But instead of lip contact, she kissed my cheek. She and I blushed a bit from it. “T-thank you, Sarius.” She said a bit flustered.
“No problem Flutters.” I gave a warm smile.
“Flutters?” Fluttershy was a bit taken by that.
I tilted my head. “Yeah, I decided that’s my nickname for you. I can call you Fluttershy instead if you want.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No need. It’s actually the same nickname Rainbow gave me.”
“Oh. I see.”
After that, we opened the box of cookies and shared them with each other as we just relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company for a long while. Once the cookies were eaten, Fluttershy decided to roll to her side to take a nap and accidentally pressed her body against mine. It was nothing suggestive as my side was to her back, she subconsciously moved closer to me for warmth, comfort, and safety.
Before she fell asleep though I decided to ask her what was on my mind for a couple of minutes. “Flutters. May I ask something?”
She sighed contently. “Sure, what is it?”
I thought of how Fluttershy had the perfect chance to kiss me square on the lips but she went for the cheek at the last second. “Why a kiss on the cheek? I wouldn’t have stopped you from an actual kiss.”
Fluttershy blushed slightly and sighed. “I… Don’t know. I wanted to but I had a sudden feeling kissing you would feel….. wrong I guess is the right word.”
I turned my head to her slightly confused. “Wrong. Why?”
She shook her head. “Again, I don’t know. For some reason, I’m starting to see you more as a…. brother, I guess.” She then looked at me. “I’m sorry. I’m being weird it seems.”
This time I shook my head. “Nah. To be honest, when I started thinking about it more carefully earlier. You remind me more of my sister, Circe than Kaila, and started viewing you as a sister.” I turned my attention back to the town. “Besides, nothing wrong with being weird. Everyone’s weird in their own way.” I chuckled.
Fluttershy giggled. “Yeah. You got a point. Anyway thanks for putting me at ease about it. I was worried I was ruining a relationship with that line of thought. But now I’m happy to be considered a sister to you.” I could sense her smile.
I smiled with her knowing somehow she sensed my smile as well. “And I’m happy to be considered a brother to you.”
Fluttershy then yawned and not a half a minute later she fell asleep. I laid my head down on the soft grass with my head turned to have her in my sight. I decided I’ll take a quick nap too and closed my eyes.
After an hour I opened my eyes, now had enough rest to cover for the entire night and possibly the next day. I was sure Luna would want to spend the entire night with me. I just took in the sight of everything in front of me, from the ponies going about their lives to places far on the horizon that are either unexplored or I haven’t seen. Using my Dragon Sight, I took in as much detail of the surrounding lands as possible and made a mental note about them. When my sight shifted to Canterlot, I looked toward the castle itself. I didn’t know where Celestia or Luna’s rooms were so I just scanned the entire castle, if only to identify its structural makeup. That’s when I caught a glimpse of Celestia and Luna in a room doing something. Even with my Dragon Sight, I couldn’t see that much. I assumed Luna had asked Celestia to help with something
So I turned my attention more left as far as my head could turn. I could faintly see the Crystal Castle in the far distance. I started wondering what Shining Armor and Cadence were up to. I finally directed my attention more to the east. Aside from the Everfree Forest, which was still sending chills down my spine, I could barely make out another town that was a long way out and a very large canyon or mountain pass on the horizon.
I then sat in silence for a while just listening to a combination of the wind and Fluttershy’s breathing. The last time I felt this relaxed and calm was during a peaceful moment with Kaila. But the moment was done when Fluttershy started waking up.
She slowly opened her eyes and let out a yawn. “Feeling rested now?” I asked.
She rubbed her eyes and smiled. “Oh yes, thank you.” She yawned again. “How long was I out?”
“An hour at least.”
She was somewhat surprised by that. “Really? Well, I guess I was really comfortable and warm.” She then looked me in the eyes. I could see the trust and love she has for me as well as her feeling of safety when I’m around. “But as much I hate to put a stop to this, you need to prepare for your date with Princess Luna.”
“I guess you have a point.” Fluttershy and I got up and stretched out our limbs from sitting for so long. “Let’s head back then.” We then made our slow walk back to Fluttershy’s cottage.
“So how is our relationship gonna progress from here, Sarius?” Fluttershy asked as soon as we entered the town.
“If we’ve decided to see each other as mutual brother and sister then we’ll just become closer together as a family rather than lovers. That being said, having a love for each other is alright. It’ll just have to be more family love than lovers’ love.” I explained
“I see.” She replied, sounding a bit disappointed.
“You didn’t strike out,” I stated, getting her attention. “I know at the start you wanted to be in a lover’s relationship with me because I did too. But the fact we chose a different relationship doesn’t mean you struck out.”
Fluttershy looked at me with confusion in her eyes. “Let me put it this way; you wanted to love me as much as I wanted to love you right?” She nodded. “Well, even though we’re not lovers, we can still share our love for each other in another way. I mean our love for each other must have changed during the time we spent together. Our love for each other doesn’t have to be lost, just changed.” I tried to explain.
Fluttershy tilted her head slightly. “So what are you trying to say?” She asked, wanting me to get to the point without being rude.
“I already said it. Instead of loving each other as a couple would, we love each other as siblings would. Family’s Love not actual love, though both still basically are love just different in application. You get it now?” I asked, worried I would have to explain it more. Thankfully I didn’t.
She nodded and smiled again. “Yeah, I’m sure I do now.” She then giggled. “Love really is difficult to explain isn’t it?”
I chuckled. “It is. It makes you wonder how Cadence explains it seeing as she’s the Princess of Love.”
Fluttershy laughed a bit. This was the first time I heard her laugh, even if it was a small laugh. It always warms my heart knowing I can make others laugh. I had that in common with Pinkie.
Without realizing it, Fluttershy and I made it to her cottage and we stopped at her front door. “Well, we’re here. I guess I’ll see you later.” I turn to walk back to my mansion when Fluttershy stops me by placing her hoof on my arm.
“Wait. I-” She said, starting to blush a bit and getting nervous. “I want to try something real quick. If you don’t mind.”
“I-I don’t.” I was getting a bit nervous myself now as I turned back to her.
A couple of seconds went by as Fluttershy looked like she was mentally preparing herself. She then started leaning in close to me, slowly closing the gap between us. My heart started beating a bit faster realizing where this was going. Our lips were mere inches apart as she stopped. Something must have been trying to stop her from closing the distance. I pondered on the thought of closing the gap for her but decided against it since I wanted her to finish the deed on her terms.
She took a deep breath, which was warm against my snout and smelled of the chocolate chip from the cookies earlier, closed her eyes, and finally closed the gap. As our lips pressed against each other a warm sensation went through me but was quickly followed by a distaste. Fluttershy must have felt the same thing since she opened her eyes and broke contact after barely two seconds.
She rubbed her lips, almost questioning her decision. “Yeah. I thought so. It just felt weird and slightly wrong.” She then looked at me. “What about you?”
“More or less the same. Though if I had to be honest, I-” I started looking away in embarrassment. “-had kissed my actual sister before, by accident.” I could feel an embarrassed blush coming in.
Fluttershy was taken aback by this. “Really?”
I lowered my head. “Yeah. My sister and I had the same reaction too.”
“Well, I’m sorry I reminded you of that. Anyway-” She then stepped forward and hugged me with her hooves and wings. “-thank you for the lovely time we spent. I am kinda sad my love for you was simply sibling love but I am happy for you and Princess Luna.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure she’ll be happy that her competition threw the bout.”
Fluttershy laughed as she pulled away from me. “I am also happy that our love for each other won’t be wasted.”
“Well, it also means there’s more love for Chrysalis,” I added.
“True. You take care of her, okay?”
“Of course.” I then turned ready to walk back. “Anyway see you later, Flutters.”
“Yes. Later.” Fluttershy repeated as I started walking back to my mansion.
At the mansion, Dusty had to answer the door since a delivery was being made. Dusty nervously allowed the mover ponies to move various furniture from a carriage to a nearby room. After about an hour the bedroom was all furnished and ready for a new occupant.
“I apologize for our intrusion, but for now we have no means of informing the homeowner of these deliveries.” The stallion, who was at the front door said before taking a quick look around. “Where is he by the way?”
Dusty was starting to sweat just a bit. “He’s uh... Out… on a lunch date.”
“Oh really? He just moved to Ponyville and he’s already dating somepony. Hah, lucky dragon.” The stallion smiled. “Any idea when he’ll be back?”
“I don’t, to be honest.”
“I see.” The stallion then took a clipboard from another stallion standing next to him. “Well, we need a signature clarifying that we made a delivery and changes today. Just so we don’t accidentally make this delivery again.”
Dusty stared at the clipboard like it was infected. She was worried if she signed this, her hoof writing would be recognized by the princesses if they read it.
“Is something wrong?” The stallion asked, obviously concerned.
Dusty was fearing the worst, when she took the quill provided in her magic and about to sign when Sarius walked through the front door, slightly confused.
“What did I miss?” He asked.
“Ah. There you are.” The stallion said, turning to him. “We need a signature saying we furnished a room for you.”
Sarius nodded, walked over to Dusty, and placed a reassuring claw on her left shoulder. He grabbed the quill as Dusty turned her magic off. Sarius didn’t hesitate to sign the paper.
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you and Celestia for doing this for me.” Sarius insisted.
The stallion smiled. “Very well then. We’ll try to notify you or this mare when we’re furnishing another room.” The stallion then looked at Dusty. “What’s your name, by the way?”
“Dusty Homage.”
The stallion then wrote down that name on the paper. “I’ll make sure to add you as a tenant. Alright, we’re done here. Hopefully, you’ll be home next time, Sarius.”
“Yeah, hopefully.” He replied.
The stallion waved his hoof farewell and everypony left. Once the door was closed, Dusty sighed like she was holding in the air for a long while. “Jeez. How much more anxiety and scares am I gonna have to endure before I’m redeemed?”
Sarius shrugged. “Don’t know. It might be a while. Just try to hang in there okay.”
“And you mentioned Celestia. Is she helping with furnishing the mansion?” Dusty was somewhat reluctant to know the answer.
“Sort of. She helped build the mansion and put orders in for the furnishing. But I don’t think she’s in charge of making sure the furnishing happens.” Sarius answered.
“But would she have gotten the paper?”
Sarius shrugged again. “Don’t know. Maybe.”
Dusty started sweating from the thought of Celestia reading the paper and recognizing her hoof writing.
“I’m really sorry,” Sarius said out of nowhere.
Dusty looked at him confused. “Sorry for what?”
“For taking you in, trying to protect you and keep you safe. I didn’t think it would be very hard for you to keep yourself composed. So I’m sorry for that.” Sarius sounded sad and guilty like he was to blame.
Dusty lifted one of her hooves up and hit the wooden floor to make a sound for getting his attention but not to damage the floor, which did work. “Listen to me. Don’t blame yourself for being kind and caring. It’s only natural I would be like this when I did something bad and now living close to the ponies that were involved. I knew I was gonna be a literal nervous wreck for a long while when I accepted your offer.”
Dusty looked down at the floor for a second before shifting her gaze to Sarius’ eyes. “But, as long as you and Fluttershy are willing to help me redeem myself then I shouldn’t have anything to fear. I just have to accept this is my punishment for letting myself lose control.” Dusty then smiled. “Afterall, how can I be a great queen if I don’t learn from my mistakes?”
Sarius smiled back. “Alright. Though I’ve been told quite a number of times that I’m too kind and caring.”
Dusty shook her head. “Maybe so, but I would say that’s one of the best parts of you. I even bet Luna and Fluttershy would agree.”
Sarius didn’t respond but it seemed like there was no need to. He looked through one of the many windows of the mansion at the sunset. “Luna will be coming soon for our date.”
“I know. I’ll be alright as long as you’re here.” Dusty replied without any need to think about it.
“I’ll step in the shower real quick to rinse myself off. Luna might get a bit biased if she can sense or even smell Fluttershy on me without realizing it.” Sarius began walking to the master bedroom.
“But I thought they worked it out,”
Sarius stopped at the top of the stairs and turned his head to her. “Hence why I said, without realizing it. Trust me, I watched enough harem anime to know the involved party never comes to terms with each other right away.”
Dusty turned to look at Sarius utterly confused and raised an eyebrow. “What in Equestria is an anime?”
Sarius’ only response is continuing his walk to his room with the face of someone who said the stupidest thing.
I listened to the sound of the running hot water for what seemed like several minutes, mostly thinking I should be beating myself over mentioning anime but instead understanding I was clearing suspicion. The remaining part of me was simply enjoying the hot water running down my body.
Trying to remove traces of Fluttershy’s scent and presence on me was harder than expected. I had to use a combination of wind, water, and slight traces of fire to ensure it was wiped away, and being accustomed to her obviously made it take longer. Once I was comfortable with the results I shut off the water.
I stepped out of the shower and using wind, dried myself off especially in the creases of my scales. Feeling an average temperature breeze on what was essentially my literal skin under the scales made me miss the wind I felt when I was human. A normal breeze couldn’t move through my scales as precisely as controlling it can.
Once I felt I was properly dried off, I stepped out of the bathroom and into the master bedroom. I looked out the window to see the sun had nearly vanished over the horizon. “It’s almost time,” I said to myself.
I checked myself in the mirror that was in my room. The family pendant was around my neck and all the wounds I sustained since the time I arrived in this world were healed. Despite that fact, I knew where all the new wounds were. It still bothered me that there was a creature that could negate my regeneration and power.
I wasn’t dressed for the date but to me, there was no need. Wearing anything while I was in my dragon form would just ruin the majestic and amazing sight. I always had a fascination with dragons and any creatures/beings of supernatural or unexplained origins. Or simply just a fascination with the unknown and what most normal individuals fear.
I started wondering if Luna was gonna dress up but I quickly pushed that thought out. I didn’t want the surprise to be ruined for me. Seeing no reason to keep staring at the mirror I left the room and went downstairs. I looked outside again and the moon was over the opposite horizon now so I decided to wait for a couple of minutes.
After about 5 minutes a gentle knock was heard from the front door. Dusty, who was in her newly furnished room, opened the door to see who it was as I opened the front door. I was expecting to see Luna but to my surprise, it was her sister instead, with her usual warm smile.
“Good evening, Sarius. I know I’m not who you expected but I come on her behalf.” Celestia said with a slight bow. “Luna has suggested your date with her be in Canterlot.”
“A date in Canterlot huh? I have no objections.”
Celestia nodded. “That’s good. Shall we be off now? My sister is eagerly waiting for you.”
I turned to Dusty who smiled and motioned with her hoof as if to say; ‘Go on. Have fun’.
I looked back at Celestia. “Sure, let’s not waste a single second.”
Celestia’s smile returned as her horn ignited and with a flash, we were in front of Canterlot Castle. I blinked a couple times feeling my blood run a bit faster.
“I’ll admit, being teleported like that by someone else is quite the rush,” I said, just speaking straight from my mind.
Celestia frowned. “My apologies. I should have let you know I was teleporting us.”
I shook my head to get my brain working right. “No, don’t take what I say too seriously. I tend to say what’s on my mind without thinking it through on occasion.”
“Oh, I see.” Celestia stopped frowning.
“Anyway, where’s Luna?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“She should be coming out right about now,” Celestia said looking at the starry sky.
I looked to where she was looking only to see nothing. I kept looking for a whole minute just to make sure but still nothing.
“Okay. Where is she really, Celestia?”
“I’m right here, Sir Sarius.” Luna’s voice replied.
I diverted my gaze to the source of her voice and my eyes widened at the sight as a sharp gasp fled through my maw.
Luna’s appearance was beyond my expectations. The soft black with streaks of silver and dark blue made it hard to tell she was wearing a dress. The flank part of the dress had a silver moon and stars that mimicked her cutie mark. The dress was a bit loose to allow her body to breathe I assumed. The skirt lowered close to the ground, barely touching it. A silver necklace with shapes that resemble the phases of the moon lined the outer part of the necklace. Her earrings were a couple of silvery stars. But what got my attention the most was her mane. The usual starry and black flowing mane and tail was now just a long straight light blue mane neatly brushed as was her tail.
My heart skipped a beat for the first time in a long time. “Now, I know the night sky is quite the sight but please try to keep your attention on me,” Luna said with a giggle.
My brain literally shut down and rebooted.
“So how do I look, Sir Sarius?” She asked, most likely hoping I didn’t pass out standing up. I kinda did, unfortunately, but only for a minute.
The smile I gave was the same I gave to Kaila on our first date when she also looked too beautiful for words. My heart skipped a beat then too. “Literally beyond words, Luna. You made my heart skip a beat from how beautiful you look.” I said feeling a blush coming on.
Her face also turned red from my compliment as she started feeling flabbergasted. “O-oh. I-I don’t know how to respond to that, Sir Sarius.” She said, almost struggling with the words.
“There’s no need. Also, you’ll need to drop the Sir for the entire night okay?” I said, wanting her to feel comfortable and less formal.
“O-okay. I’ll try my best, Sir-” She stopped herself and cleared her throat. “-I mean, I’ll try my best, Sarius.” She smiled.
I chuckled. “We’ll work on it.”
Celestia giggled. “See, Lulu. I told you, he’d love it.”
Luna pouted. “Don’t call me that in public, sister.”
Celestia smiled. “Sorry, it slipped out.” She said, playfully winking and sticking her tongue out.
Luna simply groans at the gesture.
“Anyway, try to be patient with her, Sarius. My sister, unfortunately, doesn’t get out much and just tends to her nightly duties every night. So for tonight at least, I’ll be doing them for her so she can just enjoy herself.”
“Understood. I may not be known for my patience but I’m a lot more patient than most tend to believe.” I said this mostly trying to reassure myself that part of me has changed.
Luna walked up to me, wrapped her right-wing around my left forearm, and smiled causing me to blush a bit more. I assumed what she was doing was the equivalent of holding a lover’s arm. “Then let us be off already!” She said barely trying to contain her excitement now.
Not wanting to wait for my reply, Luna started trotting into Canterlot and practically pulling me with her for a bit before I started walking at her speed.
“You have quite the strength to be able to pull me with just your wing, Luna,” I say as we started walking beside each other and finally slowing down.
Luna looked at me as if trying to figure out if she should take what I said as a question or a compliment.
“It was an observation, Luna. Though you should take it as a compliment. It is rare to see anyone pull me around so easily.” I tried reassuring her, but somehow it didn’t sound quite right regardless.
“I see.” Luna must have decided to brush the entire conversation off. “Anyway, do you mind if I ask how your date with Fluttershy went?”
Luna’s voice had a hint of jealousy and dislike when she spoke Fluttershy’s name. I know she doesn’t mean it but it still makes her beautiful and gorgeous appearance wane a bit with the negativity.
“I'd rather not say right now,” I answered simply.
Luna frowned and seemed a bit angry. “And why not?” She asked, trying to keep her voice from sounding annoyed.
I sighed. “Because I don’t want to right now.”
Luna scowled at me. “Are you thinking of choosing her over me?!” The anger was starting to be heard.
I returned her scowl and question with an annoyed expression. “And what part of what I said gave you that impression? I simply don’t want to answer right now. So I’ll answer it later.”
Luna’s scowl turned to a pout. “But why?”
I turned to her. “Because I don’t want that to be in our thoughts during our date. ” Luna’s eyes widened at the realization. “You get it, now?” I smiled. “I want us to enjoy this date to the fullest. Now push that question to the back of your mind. I promise I’ll answer it later when the time is right.”
Luna looked into my eyes for a minute and her smile returned. “Very well, Sarius. Allow me to take the lead then. I know exactly what I want to do first.”
She took me to a diner that seemed to serve Italian dishes though I knew better than to think it’s Italian in this world. The smell and aroma of various pasta, pizzas, and cuisine were enough to make me drool a bit. The interior also seemed typical for an Italian diner.
The host was an average-sized stallion with light grayish navy hair and a light vivid green coat color. He smiled as Luna approached the counter.
“Good evening. How many are we serving tonight?”
Luna smirked like she had the upper hand on her foe. “I actually sent a request for a reservation for two tonight. Surely you have gotten it?”
The stallion raised an eyebrow. “I’ll check.” He ducked behind the counter and sounds of rummaging paper were heard. He stood back up as he placed a letter with the royal seal on the counter. “Would this be it?”
Luna closed her eyes and puffed out her chest almost like she achieved a victory which made me tilt my head in slight confusion. “Why yes, it is. If you have it then you must have read it.”
The stallion with his eyebrow still raised looked from the alicorn to the mail and back again. “Uh, sure. Though I’ve never heard of somepony having a guard send a reservation. Plus the way it was written was kinda weird.”
Luna opened her eyes and looked at the stallion with confusion. “Weird you say? How is my hoof writing weird?”
The stallion pursed his lips. “Uh, it seemed like it was written in old ponish, I guess? I’m afraid I’m not too familiar with Equestria’s history so I may be wrong.”
Luna blinked. “Oh. I see.” She cleared her throat. “I apologize. I am still trying to, as the ponies would say, ‘kick the habit’ of speaking in old ponish. Seems I’ll have to work on my writing as well.”
“Right.” The stallion eyed her up and down as if he was now examining her. “But, how do I know you’re Princess Luna?”
Luna looked at him like she was insulted. “What do you mean? I am Princess Luna. Princess of the Night and sister to Celestia. Who else could I possibly be?”
The stallion frowned and shrugged. “A customer trying to use the name of royalty to get in and have a free dinner.”
If Luna wasn’t insulted by the stallion’s identity question, she certainly was after being accused of trying to falsely use her name and status as a princess. “How dare thee try to accuse us of falsely being thyself!” Luna’s eyes started glowing as her horn sparked to life. “Shall we give thee a demonstration of thy power?” Luna threatened nearing Royal Canterlot voice levels.
The stallion’s eyes being dots as he and everypony else in the diner started watching in horror. The magical aura around Luna was intense and seemed to make the very air itself crackle with magic energy. Even the ponies outside the diner were now watching and fearing for their lives.
I sighed and walked up to Luna’s right side. I placed a claw on her shoulder. “Luna, chill out. I do not want you starting our first date by blowing up a diner over a simple identity check.”
Mentioning our date was enough to make Luna cease her magic power up and look at me with a guilty and ashamed look. “F-forgive me. The last thing I want to do is ruin our first date.” She lowered her head as the air started to settle down.
I took my claw and lifted her head back up by the chin and smiled. “You’re forgiven. Now let me handle this.”
I walked to the counter as the host looked at me with fear still in his eyes. I assured myself he wasn’t scared of me but Luna, though he most likely was more nervous now cause I was a dragon.
“I deeply apologize for her actions. May I read the letter?” I asked politely and softly, trying to remove the tension in the air.
“S-sure. Knock yourself out.” He said trying to sound calm, which didn’t work.
I picked up the letter, opened and unfolded it, and read it. The letter was in fact written in old ponish, if I didn’t already understand the differences between Shakespearean and English words it would have taken me several minutes just to swap out the words in my head. It was pretty much a request to reserve a table for two before the moon was raised as Luna said. Luna even ended the letter with her name.
I looked up from the paper and at Luna. Aside from recently seeing her getting angry and trying to nuke the diner, it didn’t diminish her beautiful and otherworldly appearance in the attire. I took a minute to see Luna as the host would. Her mane and tail were different, the usual royal attire was nowhere to be seen, her cutie mark was being covered up and her wings seemed to blend in with her dress. I folded the letter back up and placed it on the counter.
“I think I see the problem,” I say to myself.
Luna raised an eyebrow since I was looking at her. “What kind of problem?”
I walked past her and did something I would never do unless it was necessary, which in this case was necessary. I lifted up her skirt so her cutie mark was able to be seen by the host. This action caused Luna to yelp and blush madly which caused her wings to unfold and reach their full wingspan.
“What are thou doing?! This is hardly the time nor place for this, Trusdale!” Luna shouted, flustered. Though I had a suspicion she didn’t have a problem with this, which I tried to push out of my mind.
I looked at the host who was now blushing and standing mouth agape. This must have been possibly the most eventful evening he’s had since he started working as a host. Going from normal to scared and now speechless in a matter of minutes.
“So, is this enough to convince you she’s Princess Luna? I mean how many Alicorns do you know?” I asked pretty sure of myself.
The host seemed to have lost his ability to speak for a good minute before forcing a smile. “Yeah, I’m convinced. I-I’ll take you two to your table now.” He walked out from behind the counter taking two menus with him.
I lowered the skirt then me and a still flustered Luna followed him to our table. “E-enjoy your time and dinner here.” He quickly left once he put the menus on the table.
I pulled out one of the chairs for Luna to sit in, she quickly sat in it and didn’t say thank you. I didn’t mind since I knew she was embarrassed by my actions. I then sat down in my chair.
The other ponies in the diner were taking occasional glances at Luna and me. Her outburst followed by my skirt lifting really made an impression. It was safe to say we would be getting unwanted attention for a while but I know it will go away rather quickly.
The atmosphere between Luna and I was beginning to get awkward and tense, so I decided I needed to say something. “I apologize for what I did.” This got her attention as she went from looking at the table to me. “I thought the best way to confirm your identity was to show your cutie mark and wings. I also wanted to help defuse the tense situation. The last thing I wanted to do was embarrass you in front of your subjects.”
Luna seemed to hang on every word. After a minute of silence, she smiled warmly. “You’re forgiven, Sarius. I understood your motive but despite my status and being, I’m still a mare. Having my skirt lifted like that triggered a natural reaction. Nothing more.” She used her magic to pick up the menu. “So I would naturally get embarrassed. Although, I must admit…” She paused for a few seconds and she started blushing as she brushed a hoof over her forearm. “...I kinda enjoyed it since it was you.”
I started blushing and my pupils grew a bit smaller. My suspicion was correct, even though I hoped it wasn’t and the gesture made her look cute. I took a deep breath to try and keep my composure. “Well, I’m happy to hear that. But let’s try to keep the naughty stuff to a minimum. This is our first date after all.”
Luna opened the menu with her magic while I opened mine. “Of course.”
A waitress then walked over. Her coat was Bilbao and her mane was pale blue. “Good evening, I’m Dew Charm and I’ll be your waitress. What would you two like to drink?”
Luna lowered the menu to look Dew in the eyes. “I’d love to have some coffee.”
Dew took out an order pad and a pencil and somehow wrote down on the paper with the pencil in her mouth. She then looked at me, waiting for my order. I was so baffled by what she did, I almost forgot to give her my order.
“Sweet Tea for me.” She again wrote on the paper which was still baffling me. She then put the pencil and pad away.
“Alright, I’ll be back with your drinks.” She then left for the kitchen.
I just stared at the general direction of the kitchen trying to figure out how she wrote with her mouth. I kept staring as Dew came out with a cup of coffee and a glass of tea balanced on a tray and over to our table. She places the cup and glass on the table and gets uneasy from my staring.
“Um, is everything okay?” She asked.
I finally realized what I was doing, blinked, and shook my head. “Yeah, sorry. Just trying to figure out how you wrote with your mouth.”
Dew stared at me like I asked a silly question while Luna understood the reason since she knows I’m from another dimension entirely. “My date here, Sarius, isn’t from Equestria. So it’s actually unusual for him to see how we do things. Please forgive him for staring.” Luna said politely.
Dew looked at Luna surprised and back at me. “I see. You’re forgiven. So where are you from then?” Dew asked.
I was reluctant about answering that question cause I knew what the natural responses would be. Either laugh it off thinking I’m telling a terrible joke or just saying I’m crazy or have an incredible imagination. Very few believe such a thing right away.
Thankfully Luna spoke up. “Where he is from is irrelevant, I’m afraid. Now, Sarius,” I turned my attention to her. “What will you be having? I’m having a hard time deciding.”
Dew didn’t seem happy about her question going unanswered, but she knew best not to push. Especially if the Princess herself says it’s irrelevant. She pulled out the pad and was waiting for our order.
I looked at the menu and quickly glanced over it. Only one thing got my attention as it naturally would. “I will have a large extra cheese pizza with…” I paused and thought of the various toppings I could have, only to remember the ponies don’t eat or serve meat. One thing did pop into my head though, “Green peppers on it.”
Dew wrote it down, which is still baffling me and she then looked at Luna. Luna looked like she was getting stressed out. She just closed the menu and sighed deeply. “I can’t decide. Sarius, do you mind sharing half the pizza with me?”
I was slightly taken aback by that. I nodded. “Sure, I don’t mind.”
Luna closed her eyes, clapped her front hooves together, and smiled. “Oh, thank you, sweetie.”
The endearment caught me off guard as I blushed. “N-no problem,” I replied, feeling conflicted about whether or not I should return the endearment.
Luna giggled, which made my heart skip a beat, and Dew was feeling a little awkward from this. She put the pad and pencil away. “Will that be all?” She asked, wanting to make sure she got everything.
Luna’s eyes opened like she got an idea suddenly. “Actually, is it possible to make this a bit more romantic?” My pupils shrunk knowing full well what she was trying to do. “Like maybe some scented candles, a musician for a jazzy feel. Oh, and can we dim the-”
“There’s no need for any of that!” I shouted, cutting off Luna, who was surprised. “Just the pizza, Dew. Just the pizza.” I tried my best to keep calm but my small chuckle gave away that I was getting a bit flustered.
“O-of course. I’ll go inform the chef.” Dew tried to casually trot back to the kitchen but failed just a bit.
I sighed trying to relax while Luna simply pouted at me. “Why would you interpret my request? I wanted to have a romantic evening with you.”
I looked Luna in the eyes feeling slightly guilty. “You will and I promise, we will have a romantic dinner eventually. But right now, let’s at least get to know each other a bit better and enjoy our time together.”
Luna tilted her head in confusion. “But don’t we already know enough about each other? I know plenty about you from your uncle and you most likely know about me from my sister and the Bearers of Harmony. What else is there to know about?”
I looked at her dumbfounded and slapped my forehead with a claw. This action made Luna even more confused. “There’s a lot to know about, Luna. You and I know the other’s history, but I’m referring to more personal things. For example, pizza is my favorite food, orange is my favorite color with sky blue being the second favorite. And more importantly, I’ve trained under a lot of dragons.”
Luna perked up at the sound of the last bit. “You have? How many?”
I tapped my chin in deep thought. I never thought to keep track of how many I trained with. “Hard to say. More than 20 at the least, that much I can say.” Luna was astonished. “Although, quite a few were fire dragons. More than I actually needed. I practically learned everything there is to learn about the elements of Fire, Lava, and Heat. I’ve even become immune to any forms of fire, lava, and heat. I would need to be exposed to the core of the sun for a whole minute before I start to feel something.” I was proud of that fact, but not of training under so many fire dragons.
Luna’s eyes showed she was very intrigued. “I see. That’s quite amazing, dear Sarius.” Luna then gave me a confused look. “Though I must ask. If it truly takes a whole minute before the heat of the sun’s core can affect you, why did you avoid my sister’s fire attacks?”
“Simple, natural instinct. I tend to rely on my instincts 80% of the time in combat against powerful opponents. I usually keep control of my actions, but you two weren’t willing to give me a second so my natural instincts took over for me.” I recalled the spar. “I will admit, Celestia’s flames were far hotter and more powerful than I’m used to. When she engulfed me in that flame pillar, it didn’t take 5 seconds before I felt the heat of the attack. I guess that proves her title of Princess of the Sun isn’t an exaggeration.”
Luna laughed. “Indeed. The same goes for my title, Sarius. There is a legend that says I’m capable of crashing the moon onto Equestria and well. It’s no exaggeration either.” The fact she straight up admitted that got me concerned for life on the planet. Luna must have sensed it cause she playfully winked at me. “Don’t worry. I would never do that. I love my subjects, my sister, and Equestria. There’s no part of me that would even think about destroying all that, not even Nightmare Moon.”
Luna’s mood took a drop after mentioning Nightmare Moon. “Don’t let that get you down, Luna.” She just looked at me, I gave her a smile. “If you ask me, I have a feeling that Nightmare Moon to you is what Kasulis is to me. Kasulis is exactly like me, only darker and less worried or afraid of getting his claws dirty if needed. Sure his methods can be questionable, but he has good intentions. Besides,” I maneuvered my tail carefully so I can effectively tickle Luna. It seemed to work as Luna started giggling and smiling. “We’re on a date. So cheer up.”
After a couple of seconds of tickling her, I decided I would spare her of any more tickle torture. Luna tried really hard not to laugh cause it would have been a bit loud, but she giggled enough to the point she started crying. She took a minute to recompose herself after I retracted my tail.
Once she settled her breathing, she returned a genuine smile. “Very well. I will try at least.”
“Oh, I’ll make sure you’re in an upbeat mood if you slip up.” I lifted my tail tip in front of me and wiggled it with a malicious smirk on my face.
Luna shook her head trying to not blush. “No please, Sarius. While I did enjoy it, I rather not be tickled in public. There will be no more need for tickling tonight.”
I lowered my tail and let it flop on the floor. “Alright, I promise I’ll try to restrain myself for tonight.” I chuckled while Luna giggled.
Luna then noticed her coffee cup. “Oh, I almost forgot about that.” She used her magic to levitate a packet of sugar, open it, and poured the contents into the cup. She then levitated a spoon and stirred the coffee. After stirring a few times, she took a quick sip.
“Hmm. Needs a bit more sugar.” She repeated the process again and took a quick sip. She smiled when she was content. “That’s good.” She placed the cup back on the saucer it came on.
Seeing her do that made me decide to check my tea. I took a quick sip from the glass. It was only slightly sweet, which caused my left eye to twitch. I disliked the fact that individuals occasionally don’t serve me sweetened tea.
I took two claw tips and poked the surface of the tea. Using my knowledge of controlling water or any liquid, I took the entire contents of the glass and formed an orb of tea in front of me. I reached for the packets of sugar and took a couple. One by one, I opened them and poured them into the liquid orb. The sugar particles were visible in the tea for a couple of seconds. I moved my right index claw tip in a circle to spin the orb and stir the sugar in it. I stuck my snake-like tongue out and softly licked the orb. Still wasn’t as sweet as I wanted it. I repeated the process again. It was almost there. I took one more packet and repeated the process one more time. It was just right now.
Satisfied with the tea, I carefully poured the orb back into the glass. I looked at Luna to see she was very intrigued about my water control and not at all surprised. “You don’t seem surprised.”
Luna raised an eyebrow at me. “Why would I be? I’ve already seen-” Luna stopped herself before she accidentally mentioned that she saw Sarius in her shower.
I tilted my head in confusion. “Seen what already?”
Luna started blushing from recalling the memory. She shook her head. “Forget I said that. What I meant to say was, you just mentioned training under dragons so I assume some were able to utilize the Water element.”
“Yeah…” I replied not really content with her dodging the question. “Though personally, controlling the water wasn’t that impressive.”
Luna stared into my eyes with disbelief. “Are you jesting? I have seen only a hoofful of unicorns manage what you did.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really? Here I thought levitation was a simple spell.”
Luna scoffed. “Sure, while most unicorns are capable of basic levitation, or just picking stuff up and moving it around. That is only with solid objects. But levitating liquids is an entirely different story. That’s considered a master level spell. Levitating and keeping the shape of the liquid without any of it spilling is incredibly difficult and requires knowledge of how liquids work.”
“Huh.” I wasn’t keen on learning about magic, since I don’t have any magical potential. But that wouldn’t stop me from being interested in how it works. “So I assume most unicorns don’t have a lot of magic to wield?”
Luna blinked. “What do you mean exactly?”
I looked up, down, then to the side trying to think of how to phrase it. “In terms of being combat ready. I assume that most unicorns don’t have enough magic to perform combat duties?”
“Oh.” Luna looked down. “Well, you’re not wrong. But it’s just that there's barely any conflict in Equestria. So the citizens don’t have to do any kind of training preparations.” Her eyelids close half-way. “Though now that I said that, I can’t help but fear for my subjects when a crisis strikes.”
I looked down at my plate and for a moment I wondered, how long till the pizza was ready. Not even a second after that thought, Dew came back carrying the steaming pizza, fresh from the oven it seemed. “Here you go. Enjoy.” Dew walked off as quickly as she arrived.
Luna looked in awe at the pizza. I noticed it was cut into 8 slices, and the green peppers didn’t completely coat the pizza. I grabbed a slice close to me and took a bite and it tasted delicious. Luna levitated a slice of her own to her mouth and took a bite. She smiled as she chewed.
“That’s good.”
“It is. This is why pizza is my favorite, though it doesn’t taste the same without meat.” Luna looked at me, and so did a few other ponies. “But I can do without it. I’m not gonna eat anypony jeez.” I pouted. The other ponies turned back to their meals.
“Relax Sarius. They are just not used to seeing dragons. Don’t take it personally.”
I sigh and take another bite. “I’m aware, Luna. Still doesn’t change the fact I dislike others watching me like I’m a monster that could go berserk at any moment.” I glanced over to the side and locked eyes with a pony looking at me from the corner of their eyes. They quickly avert their gaze as a small drop of sweat slowly goes down their face.
“You just have to give them a reason to not fear you, Sarius.” Luna said, trying to comfort me.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about your subjects.” I stated, bringing the topic to an earlier one.
“Worry about what?”
“That your subjects are not prepared for a crisis. If ponies are anything like humans then when a crisis happens, they’ll come together and do their best to protect and help each other, all for survival. You might end up surprised when you see your subjects do things you wouldn’t think they’d be capable of.”
Luna looks me in the eyes, I can see there is some hopefulness in her eyes. “How can you be so certain?”
“I’ve seen it before. Trust me.”
“I’ll… take your word for it.”
We then ate our shared pizza in awkward silence, or perhaps it was a necessary silence seeing as we needed to eat the pizza before it gets cold. All I knew was I didn’t like silence lingering for too long. I took a glance at Luna for a second then back at my plate.
I started to recall the training I received from the dragons and ended up mumbling to myself without realizing. “8. 5. 3. 4. 3. 2. 1. 1. 4.”
I saw Luna’s ears flick slightly out the corner of my eye. “Pardon?”
I had a piece of a pizza slice in my mouth when she asked that. I looked at her. “Hmm?”
“I heard you mumble something. It sounded like numbers.”
I swallowed the piece. “Yes, it was numbers.”
Luna tilted her head slightly. “What do they mean, if I may ask?”
I may not have thought to keep track of how many dragons I trained under, but it didn’t mean my mind wasn’t keeping track of it subconsciously. “8 fire dragons, 5 water dragons, 3 lightning dragons, 4 earth dragons, 3 ice dragons, 2 poison dragons, 1 light dragon, 1 magic dragon, and 4 non-elemental dragons. That’s what the numbers mean.”
Luna was a bit surprised. “Oh wow. That’s impressive. I assume that’s how many trained you?” I nodded. “Quite a repertoire of trainers, if I do say. Although…” Luna gave me a perplexed look. “I never heard of a non-elemental dragon.”
“I’m not surprised. Most dragons can either breathe an element, manipulate the elements to their will, or can create them. So a dragon with no element is quite rare.”
“And you were trained by four while only have been trained by one magic and light dragon?” I nodded. “Are light and magic dragons just as rare?”
“Yes but for a completely different reason. You see in my world, magic and dragons don’t mix. Sure almost all dragons have some resistance to magic, but only because dragons are generally among the most powerful creatures to exist. Not only are magic dragons a rarity, but they are considered the black sheep of dragons.”
“What does a black sheep have to do with dragons?”
I shake my head. “It’s a term. It’s used to describe someone who is looked down upon by others of a group or even family.”
Luna was appalled by that. “That’s horrible.”
“Yeah…” I made a distasteful expression. “But that’s how it is.”
“Tell me what you think, Sarius.” Luna looked at me, interested to hear my thoughts.
“I think, it shouldn’t matter what you are but who you are as an individual that determines how you’re treated. To clarify, it shouldn’t matter if a dragon can use magic. What matters is if they use their unique power for good or evil.”
Luna smiled. “Well said.”
I smiled back. “Continuing on from earlier. Light and dark dragons are a rarity because possessing such a powerful element is rare in itself. Plus being a light or dark dragon unfortunately puts you on a metaphorical pedestal of being good or evil.” Luna seemed a little confused by my wording. “Basically, everyone views being able to use light or darkness as ultimate signs of being good or evil respectfully. Which isn’t false, but just because you can wield light or darkness, doesn’t mean you’re good or evil. A dark dragon can be a good guy and a light dragon can be evil. But because of that, light dragons are hunted down by evil beings to remove good from the world, and dark dragons are hunted down for fear of them being evil.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “That is truly hogwash.”
I shrug. “Hey, that’s how the general populace often views things. And history has told us that it can’t be changed. At least, not easily.”
“So what are non-elemental dragons exactly?” Luna took a bite out of her current slice. She and I were on our third slice now.
“They have no element associated with them. Simple as that. But they are generally far more powerful dragons in other ways though. For example; one of the non-elemental dragons I trained with, was able to manipulate energy and is considered the dragon god of power.”
Luna paused. “Dragon god of power?”
“Yes.” Luna looked like she was thinking about something. “Does it ring a bell for you?”
Luna shook her head. “No, but I remember it from somewhere. I just… can’t remember where.”
“I see. Well, regardless as a result of my training with them, I became naturally stronger with refined reflexes and instincts. I also got to test my power against one of the strongest dragons to ever exist.”
“Did you win?”
I shook my head. “It’s not a matter of whether I won or not. It was like our spar. Though if I had to guess if we had fought for a victor at the time, I would have lost.”
Luna was shocked by that. “That’s hard to imagine.”
“I know but I said at the time.”
Luna calmed down. “And what about now?”
I chuckle. “I think I’d still lose. Maybe it could end in a tie if I try my hardest.”
“Wow. Is this dragon god good or evil?”
“He’s neutral, but he tends to align himself with beings of immense power since he’s the dragon god of power, after all. That said he doesn’t lend his power to everyone. He only does so to those who prove themselves. So you don’t have to worry about him. As far as I know he’s not aligned with anyone.”
“That is reassuring.” Luna and I finished our half of the pizza as Dew came over.
“Are you ready to check out?”
“Yes, perfect timing Mrs. Dew.” Luna smiled.
“P-please just Dew, Princess.” Dew then places a piece of paper down in front of Luna. “This is the total amount.”
Luna looked at it and nodded. She used her magic to materialize a bag, opened it and pulled out several thick gold coins then gave it to Dew. All with her magic. I had to admit her control of magic is amazing. Dew took the coins and walked off, then came back with a receipt.
“Thanks for dining with us. Hope you enjoy your date, your highness.” Dew bowed and walked away.
Luna giggled as I got up out of my chair. I walked around and helped her out. I know she didn’t need it, I only did it to be a gentledrake. Luna gave me a knowing smile. “Why thank you, ‘Sir’ Sarius.” She giggled as I rolled my eyes in amusement and smiled.
She and I walked out of the restaurant together. “So did you enjoy the pizza, Luna?”
“Yes, I did. I can see why it's your favorite. What about you, was it to your liking considering the lack of ingredients?”
“It actually was. It tasted as good as a pizza with meat toppings surprisingly. I wager that with the lack of carnivore options, the attention to cooking the other options is increased. And the ingredients in this world might have some magical properties to them, which improve the taste.”
Luna smiled. “Good, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” The two of us walked around a bit. “So are we officially a couple?”
“Not really. While we are on a date, it’s the first date. Everybody goes on dates and friends go on dates.”
Luna looked at me with confusion. “Then how does this work?”
“Well, it’s our choice, but we shouldn’t rush a relationship. We should confirm our feelings for each other first.”
“I see.” We kept walking around for a bit. “In that case, let me show you around Canterlot. The night is still young after all.”
I smile. “Sure, that’ll be nice.”
For the next hour I assumed, Luna showed me the notable locations of Canterlot. Although Luna said she wasn’t really familiar with the layout of Canterlot, she made sure to ask her sister about it for the date. It was clear she was embarrassed about that fact but I assured it wasn’t a big deal to me.
Canterlot was definitely a city filled with high society ponies. The fashion stores had very classy and expensive clothes, which was something I wasn’t into. There were a few theaters on some of the main streets but they weren’t movie theaters, instead they were old fashioned theaters. Theaters you go to watch plays and such. Definitely not something I was interested in. There were other restaurants as well, but for some reason they seemed more or less the same. There were bars, which wasn’t all that surprising. What did surprise me was the strip clubs. Don’t get me wrong, seeing strip clubs in a city like Canterlot isn’t surprising. No. It’s the fact I was in a world full of colorful ponies that’s filled to the brim with positive energy. I was under the impression Equestria wouldn’t have places like strip clubs. Though I guess the more important question I should be wondering is: why are there strip clubs if ponies are always naked? The obvious answer would be, stripping still has an arousing effect.
But that just leads me to another question: if ponies are always naked then why haven’t I seen any anatomy for reproductive purposes? I looked around and noticed something out of the corner of my mind. I stopped to turn and look. The second I did, my eyes widened in shock. I was looking at the flank of a mare and for some reason saw the anatomy I know all too well was, for lack of a better word, glamering. I closed my eyes and shook my head feeling a blush and my arousal rising. When I opened my eyes, the mare’s flank was bare again.
I blinked in confusion. “Something wrong, Sarius?”
I snapped out of my daze and looked at her. She was looking at me with concern. “No. I think I was seeing things. Any other places to show me?”
“I believe I showed you everything. What do we do now?”
“Well, I don’t need to sleep so I got all night and I know your sister said she would handle your nightly duties, right?”
“Yes she did and in exchange I handle her duties tomorrow.”
“And you’re worried she won’t be able to handle it?”
“No.” I stared at her for a good minute. She sighed. “Yes… The thing is, I don’t think my sister understands how difficult my duties are. Managing dreams, providing support and advice to those suffering from nightmares, and protecting our subjects from terrors of the night isn’t easy. Oftentimes I have to forgo one task to manage another. So I…” She paused and rubbed her foreleg. “...I can’t help but think she couldn’t handle it.”
I understood where she was coming from. Luna has most likely been doing this for so long that she naturally believes only she can handle it. But I knew better. “I obviously have no idea of how you do those things nor do I know how you and Celestia can manage an entire kingdom. I couldn’t see myself being the ruler of an entire nation. Not in a million years. However, and I hate to remind you, Celestia has managed the kingdom on her own for a thousand years since she banished Nightmare Moon. Imagine what she must have gone through in the first year.”
Luna’s expression was seemingly a mix of sadness, jealousy, and mild anger. “What is thy point, Trusdale?” The fact she called by my last name, almost reminded me of my mother when she got angry. Almost.
“Mine point-” I paused letting the fact I used mine instead of my settle on her mind. “-Is that you’re both the best at what you do. But have you ever considered asking her if she tended to your duties as well while you were gone?”
Luna moved her mouth to respond but she stopped. “I… haven’t. I just assumed-”
“-That only you could handle it?” I interrupted and supposedly finished her statement. Her shock was proof I was correct. “Believe me when I say I understand why you think that. But the truth is I couldn’t do everything by myself and I learned that the hard way.” She looked down. “Okay, let’s assume that Celestia isn’t able to go into the dream realm and unaware of the nightly terrors. She still managed to keep the kingdom safe and the subjects protected by herself for a thousand years.”
Luna was quiet for a bit. I sighed. “Look, bottom line is there’s no harm in switching roles with your sister for one day and night.” Luna’s ears twitched and she looked at me. “Besides, this way even if you both fail at the other’s duties, you’ll learn more about what the other does. I’m sure Celestia’s duties are just as difficult as yours.”
Luna huffed. “I hardly doubt it. From what I’ve seen, she just smiles and waves while listening to nobles prattle on about simple, miniscule things.”
I smirked. “And Celestia most likely believes that managing dreams and providing advice to ponies suffering from nightmares is easy in comparison. Everybody can make claims all day long and not get anything done, only for their claims to be false. Point is, you won’t know for sure until you experience it yourself.”
Luna sighed. “Of course. Though this will mean we’ll have to end our date now so I can get some sleep for tomorrow.”
“That’s fine with me. Even though it wasn’t that long of a date, we shared a pizza, talked about each other, and you showed me around Canterlot while experiencing it yourself. So this date was fun. I enjoyed it.”
Luna’s eyes sparkled a bit and she smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad our first date was acceptable. I also had fun and enjoyed it.”
I smiled. “See. As long as we both had a good time, a date can’t be bad. Now let’s head back.”
“Very well.” Luna and I started walking back to the castle.
After a bit she decided to ask me something. “By the way, are you sure nothing was wrong earlier?”
I knew what she was asking about, but I didn’t think it was a good idea to mention or bring up. Recalling it was bringing the blush back so I kept my eyes forward. “Yes. I’m sure.”
I felt Luna’s eyes on me. I could sense she didn’t believe me and was waiting for her to call my bluff. Thankfully she didn’t as she stopped watching me. We walked together in silence, though internally I was questioning what happened. I know what I saw. So why did the moment I started to think about it, is the exact moment I actually saw the seemingly invisible anatomy? Was it a spell? No. The mare in question wasn’t a unicorn. Though I didn’t know much about how magic works in this Web of Reality, so a spell is still possible. I wondered if the same thing would happen for male anatomy.
I shook my head and removed those thoughts from the front of my mind. Now wasn’t the time. Especially since Luna and I were walking up to the castle gates. We stopped once we reached the courtyard.
“I suppose this is farewell, Sarius.” Luna said as she turned to me.
“Yup.” Luna stared at me for a bit like there was something on her mind. “What’s on your mind?”
“I know you told me to put it in the back of my mind, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how your time with Fluttershy went.”
“Oh right. I did say I would tell you when the time was right. I suppose now is as good a time as any. My date with Fluttershy went well but we realized we couldn’t be a couple. We see each other more as brother and sister.”
I could see Luna’s eyes light up with hope. “So she forfeits?”
“That’s… a harsh way to put it but yes.”
“I’m actually looking forward to our next date now.” Luna said excitedly.
I couldn’t help but smile at her excitement. “Ditto.”
I bowed to Luna. It wasn’t out of necessity but playfulness. Luna giggled. “Please Sir Sarius. You don’t need to bow to me.” Seems like she’s gone back to the surname.
I chuckled. “I know, I was messing with you Luna.”
“I see. Farewell then.”
“Farewell.”
With that Luna walked into the castle and I walked back out the gates. I stopped to turn back and take one more look at Luna. Coincidentally, Luna did the same thing. We smiled at each other one more time before turning away. I unfolded my wings and flew off towards Ponyville and my home.
Luna was walking to her room with a spring in her step and didn’t even realize it. Celestia noticed when she was making her last roundabout before turning in.
“The date went well, I take it?” Celestia asked in her warm and motherly voice.
Luna stopped and turned to look at her sister. “Oh, yes indeed it did. He also enjoyed it.” Luna’s tail was swinging around. Celestia could tell she was happy from the spring in her step and her tail swinging around. “We also look forward to our next date.”
“That’s great to hear Luna. And what about Fluttershy?”
“Sarius said they see each other as brother and sister now. So Fluttershy isn’t a rival now.”
“I’m glad they were able to sort it out at least. Anyway, you can sleep tonight, dear sister. I will handle your duties.”
Luna gave Celestia a semiserious look. “Are you sure? Do you actually know the spells used to enter the dream world?”
“I actually do. I studied your spell books on it today. So don’t worry.”
“I’ll try not to. Goodnight sister.”
“Yes, goodnight.” Luna entered her room and Celestia went to her room to prepare for her temporary night duties.
Luna carefully removed her dress and all the accessories then put them away. But she knew she’ll be wearing them again, hopefully soon. She then laid on her bed, feeling weird about sleeping during the night. After getting comfortable she turned the lights off with her magic and slowly drifted to sleep.
Meanwhile, Celestia is looking over the city. She noticed that not everypony was asleep. She didn’t really understand why. “Less dreams I have to manage, I suppose. This should be easy compared to what I have to do every day. I just have to watch over the dream realm and help ponies with nightmares.” Celestia then realized there’s really nopony around to hear her. “Oh, You’re talking to yourself Celestia.” Her eyes widened. “But there’s nopony to talk to. Not yet anyway. I can talk to ponies in their dreams. So best get started.”
Celestia closed her eyes and focused her magic, her horn glowed a golden yellow as the world around her slowly fades to darkness, including her. After a brief moment, Celestia opens her eyes to a starry realm filled with small bubbles slowly moving about. She can see images in those bubbles, images that show different ponies and what they’re dreaming of.
Some of the bubbles she peered into were of Pinkie Pie throwing a party, Twilight reading books while encased in a book fort, and Fluttershy was spending time with Sarius. On closer inspection of the latter, Celestia deduced it wasn’t a date but just a casual hangout with a friend. There was a rather tall pale, light grayish aquamarine pegasus stallion with a messy pale light grayish gold mane there as well. It looked like Fluttershy was introducing the two. She was a bit annoyed for some reason.
“Now all I have to do is save ponies from nightmares, which aren’t real. That doesn’t sound hard, right? Right. Good call Celestia.” She felt proud and confident about this, only to then realize she’s talking to herself again. “And I’m talking to myself again. I hope this doesn’t become a habit.”
Celestia spent some time wandering the dream realm looking for nightmares to help with. She found a couple but they seemed to be rather tame nightmares to her. One was about the rose ponies in Ponyville fainting and screaming about their flowers being ruined by a number of things. The other was Rarity having problems with fashion things, such as the sewing machine breaking, a mannequin falling apart, and her cat playing with valuable string.
“Huh. So far this has been easy. I have no idea why Luna thinks this is so difficult. This is nothing compared to dealing with politics.” She giggled. “Oh, I can’t wait to hold this over-”
She’s interrupted by a sudden unpleasant feeling. When she looks around, she doesn’t see anything noticeable. She should have figured there wouldn’t be anything in the dream realm with her. Only she and Luna have access to the spell that allows entry here, and as far as Celestia knows there aren’t any creatures or beings capable of entering here.
So why does she still feel uneasy. And that unpleasant feeling is also present. She looks around, this time at the bubbles. One in particular catches her eyes almost instantly. As she approached it, she can feel genuine dread from it. She wondered if this was one of the nightmares she’s meant to save her subjects from. She peers into it first.
It was extremely dark but what she can make out is a filly or colt that seems to be barely matured from infancy. After examining it, she sees the young pony has a horn… and wings.
She gasps sharply. “An Alicorn child?!”
The possibility of another alicorn existing and that’s suffering from a nightmare. Celestia couldn’t help but think this was a golden opportunity to try to find and save a member of her nearly extinct race. So she went into the dream.
She would realize too late this was a mistake.
Once she entered, she was surrounded by complete darkness. Even when she used her magic to create light, it did nothing against the darkness. She couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched now. She tried her best to ignore it. She had to find the child and see if she could be able to locate where they are so she can save them.
Celestia then heard the crying of a colt. After figuring out which direction it’s coming from, she galloped off in that direction. After galloping for what felt like minutes, she found the colt in question. The light from her horn wasn’t helping again so she could barely make out the colt’s form. The crying was certainly coming from the colt. As Celestia slowly approached, she could see the colt was balled up. Crying and whimpering, as if he was hurt, scared, or both.
Celestia reached a hoof out to the colt. “Shh. It’s okay.” She said in her best motherly tone. “There’s no need to be afraid now. I’m here now.”
The colt didn’t respond. “Can you tell me where you are?”
Again no response. Just crying and whimpering. “Please. I can help you. You just need to tell me where you are. Any sort of description will help.”
Suddenly the colt stopped crying. Celestia thought she finally got through as the colt slowly turned his head to look up… But not at her. The colt’s face then contorted into a look of fear and dread. Celestia was hesitant to turn around to see what was causing such fear and dread in the colt.
“No… please…” The colt uttered. His voice sounded dry and weak. “I don’t want to…”
“Don’t want to, what? Who is forcing you to do something you don’t want?” Celestia begged, hoping she could get some kind of reply.
“Please… let me go… I just want to go home.” The colt didn’t answer her question. She now knew she couldn’t do anything here and she didn’t like it. The colt reacted to something, since his face contorted more.
”Is there someone talking to him? Someone I can’t hear?” Celestia thought.
“No…. This isn’t…”
Celestia decided enough was enough. She attempted to use her magic to try and interfere with the nightmare. She recalled some spells in Luna’s spell book about the dreamscape. She tried some of them but nothing worked.
”Isn’t this a nightmare? Why won’t the spells work?”
Suddenly the colt vanishes right in front of her. Her eyes widened in horror and shock. “No. Was there nothing I could do?”
“You really shouldn’t meddle in affairs that aren’t your own, Princess.” A stallion’s voice sounded behind Celestia. She quickly turned to see a cloaked figure that’s at least half her size. She could just make out a horn and a dark gray mane. “Especially if they have nothing to do with your duties.”
“Who are you?” Celestia asked sternly.
“Oh, so the sisters have switched roles? This is unexpected but it doesn’t really matter.”
“Answer me.” Celestia said, softly raising her voice to assert her authority as Princess.
“Tsk, tsk. Your authority means nothing to me, Celestia.”
“Then tell me whose dream I saw?”
The stallion doesn’t respond for a second. “I refuse to tell you.”
“What are you doing here?”
The stallion didn’t answer.
“Why and how are you here?”
Again, no response. It was clear this stallion was not going to answer any questions. Celestia in all her years has never met any creature that was uncooperative. There were plenty that refused but Celestia was able to make them talk eventually.
But this stallion. Whoever this stallion was, he showed no fear or respect. This stallion must believe he was Celestia’s equal. This upset Celestia but she remained calm.
“At least tell me who the colt is.” Celestia asked in as sincere a voice as possible, given her current emotional state.
The stallion’s light blue eyes met Celestia’s. Celestia could swear she saw a hint of sorrow in his eyes for but a second. “It won’t matter if I tell you. It’s far too late to save him now.”
Celestia’s eyes widened in horror. “No… Don’t tell me. Is that colt…”
The stallion looked away. “You’ve overstayed your welcome, Celestia. Farewell.”
Before Celestia could respond, she was forced out of the dream by a powerful force. The shock from being forced out was enough to break her focus on the spell and she opened her eyes with a sharp gasp. Her eyes were greeted by the gentle light of her sun slowly rising up the horizon.
She had no idea what forced her out and she didn’t get any information about the dream or the stallion. The stallion’s words are echoing in her mind.
It won’t matter if I tell you. It’s far too late to save him now.
Was a colt dead because she failed to save him from the nightmare? Or was the stallion’s statement more literal? The words, far too late, stand out to her. But wouldn’t that mean the colt has been dead for a long time?
Celestia rubbed her temples in a circular motion. “There’s no point in thinking it over. I don’t have anything to go on except speculations.” She sighed. “The more important question is if I should tell Luna.”
“Tell me what sister?”
Celestia nearly jumped at the sound of her sister’s voice next to her. “Oh Luna. You startled me.”
Luna walked up to Celestia with concern. “Is everything alright? Did the dream walk go well?”
“Y-yes. I had no problems. Everypony had good dreams. Not a single nightmare to be found.” Celestia looked away. “Well, not major ones at least.”
“What kind of nightmares were they?”
“Oh, the rose ponies freaking out over their flowers being ruined and Rarity having slight issues with fashion design.”
Luna sighed. “I see.”
Celestia was getting worried. “Should I have taken care of them?”
“No, no. Those kinds of nightmares are common and pose no threat to the psyche.”
Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness.”
“Did something happen sister?”
“No. Nothing happened.” An obvious lie.
Luna stared at Celestia. Celestia was worried her sister would call her bluff. Luna sighed. “Very well. Get some sleep then. I will handle your duties for today as agreed.”
“I made a list of things to do for you. It should be on my dresser.”
Luna nodded and walked into Celestia’s room. Celestia stood up, her legs were shaking a bit as she walked into her room from the balcony. Possibly from the events of the night. She got into her bed as Luna was reading the list.
“Are you sure you can handle it, Luna?” Celestia asked with worry.
“Yes. You handled my duties, so it’s only fair I handle your duties. Just rest dear sister.”
“Very well. Thank you, Lulu.” Celestia laid down and started to get comfortable.
Luna had a small smile. “And thank you, Tia.”
Luna made her way out of her sister’s room, making sure to turn the lights off, and closing curtains so Celestia could sleep soundly. Celestia didn’t close her eyes, even after Luna left.
“I’m sorry sister. I didn’t want you to know before your shift. The last thing you need on your mind is learning about what I encountered.” She closes her eyes. “But I promise I’ll tell you.”
It took a bit of time before Celestia was able to fall asleep, given the recent experience she had.
The facility was relatively quiet which was just fine for Raynin. He was used to it after all, working on the machines he believed would bring an end to the Triplets. But alas, his machinations always proved to be inferior to their potential. It infuriated him that his near perfect machines were always one upped by the Triplets. Why was their power and potential always beyond his calculations? Even when he tried to single them out, they would either survive long enough for others to help them or get out of the situation by themselves.
He had hoped that by finding a way to traverse the Web of Reality, he would escape them. A task that seemed almost impossible. After years of studies and research, he finally made a breakthrough. Unfortunately, he was only able to create a one-way gateway to an unknown destination. When he had arrived in this new world, he had changed from a human to a unicorn, and discovered that this world lacked technology. So he had a major set back and had to compensate with magic, which in of itself took quite some time to learn.
Thankfully, applying magic to his creations made them far better than he could hope to achieve with technology. After all, in his own world, technology was limited until advancements were made which wouldn’t happen for some time. But he couldn’t make any robots due to the lack of technology. He suspects that if he incorporates magic into them, they would be twice as powerful.
Naturally ‘he’ arrived. Although it should have surprised him that Sarius Trusdale appeared in this world, it really didn’t. Raynin knew deep down there was no escape from the Triplets. Eventually one would show up and it wouldn’t be long before the other two show up. At the mention of that, the monitor flashed an alert getting Raynin’s attention. He turned from his current work, an updated formula that would strengthen those injected, to look at the monitor. The alert was about the appearance of something through dimensional travel.
Raynin smirked. “She’s arrived.”
He walked over to the monitor to check the location. It seemed to be a location to the east and a bit south from Ponyville, in a mountain ridge. He opens the surveillance feed. He then sees an unconscious dragon with a serpentine body and no wings, surrounded by a bunch of devices and tech.
“Ah, she’s brought some toys with her. Good. I could make use of those.” Nelkanth walks into the room. Raynin turns to him. “Perfect timing. Go gather some of the mercenaries and head to this location.”
Nelkanth eyed the monitor then scoffed. “You’re fortunate my master has a need for you. Otherwise I would kill you on the spot for such disrespect.”
Raynin frowned. “Oh my apologies. I’m just so used to having machines at my command.” Nelkanth shook his head and turned to leave. “And take the cage with you too.”
“Anything else… Raynin?” Nelkanth asked in a soft annoyed tone.
“Just one. Grab as much of the equipment you see there and send them here. I can make use of them.”
Nelkanth was quiet for a minute. “And what of the dragon?”
“That’s what the cage is for. Keep her alive. As much as I want to dispose of her, I have a use for her as well. Speaking of-” Raynin’s horn lights up and a canister levitates over to Nelkanth, who grabs it with his own magic. “-put some of her energy in that.”
Nelkanth eyed the canister. It was cylinder shaped and looked as though it could hold a jug of water. “And how would I do that?”
“Simply have it next to her and press the button on the top. It’ll automatically collect energy that's leaking from her body and fill to capacity. This way even when she escapes, I’ll have Energtris to work with.”
Nelkanth turns to give Raynin a dirty look. “When, you say. And what makes you think she will escape from me?”
Raynin didn’t answer as he turned back to the monitor. The dragon was stirring a bit. “Get going. She won’t be out for long.”
Luna had just finished the diplomatic relations between two nobles. To say she was annoyed was an understatement. As the nobles left the throne room, she let out a long exasperated sigh. She already had to endure maintaining a smile and positive outward appearance throughout the day, which was much easier than she thought considering she had such a good time with Sarius the night before, as well as having a pleasant dream. But still, these nobles.
“How does my sister put up with their antics and absurd manners day by day?” Luna rubbed her temples. “By the moon, Sarius was right. My nightly duties are easier compared to this. I wouldn’t be surprised they only treated me with respect because I’m a Princess of Equestria.”
Luna finally got out of her rather uncomfortable chair and the effect of having to sit in it for a couple hours kicked in. She rubbed her flank trying to alleviate the pain and nullify the numbness, but to no avail. It didn’t help that she was going to be doing her nightly duties tonight.
As she made her way to the kitchens to request dinner, a pegasus stallion was approaching her quickly. From her exhausted eyes, the stallion had white medium length hair, light greenish skin tone, and dark blue eyes. He was also wearing the sun guard armor, meaning he was a part of her sister’s guards. “Princess Luna!” He shouted seemingly in a rush. “Where is your sister?”
“Princess Celestia is currently resting right now. I am handling her duties in her steed. Is there a problem…” Luna droned in a way to signal the stallion to give a name.
“Loveheart. Dullin Loveheart, your highness.” Dullin answered.
“Loveheart…” Luna repeated in a hushed tone. “Are you perhaps related to Cadenza, Dullin?”
“Princess Cadence? No ma'am. Just a happy coincidence.” Luna was a bit exhausted but she could swear she saw his eye twitch at the mention of Cadence. “Anyway, I have some disturbing news, your highness.”
Luna’s ears twitched at the thought of disturbing news and gave Dullin her full attention. “Speak then.”
“I’m afraid to inform you that Galedon, the griffon king, is dead.”
Luna’s eyes widened in horror. “Dead?! How and why?” Luna shouted, nearly reaching Royal Canterlot levels.
“Unfortunately, the griffons withheld the information. I couldn’t tell you why they would, but they are accusing us.”
Luna was now confused on top of being shocked. “My sister and I just had peace talks with Galedon a few days ago. I would remember because we were nearly assassinated that day.”
“I’m sorry I was unable to get any information.” Dullin apologized as if Luna was blaming him.
Luna shook her head and tried to give him a reassuring look. “It’s fine, Dullin. I’m sure you did your best. Did the griffons say anything else?” Luna asked, fearful of an answer.
Dullin’s grim expression was enough to tip her off. “Yes ma’am. They said if we don’t turn over the killer, they will wage war.”
Luna bit her lower lip and cursed. “Turn over the killer. They make it sound like they already know who it is.”
“They do, it seems ma’am.”
“Who?” Luna asked.
“They didn’t give a name, only a description. A blue dragon with brown hair and hazel green eyes around your size.”
Luna’s pupils shrunk to dots. She knew who he was describing; Sarius. Sarius was wearing armor acting as a secondary layer of scales that made him look blue that day, but his hair and eyes remained unchanged. That and Sarius is the only dragon she knew of that had hair instead of spines.
“What should we do ma’am? I can warrant this dragon’s arrest.”
“No!” Luna shouted, causing Dullin to flinch. “I mean, no. Did they say how long we have to turn the killer over?”
“Yes. 3 days.”
She took a deep breath. “I will take care of it. Don’t inform anypony about this or let it go public. Is that clear?” Luna asked sternly.
Dullin bowed his head. “Yes ma’am.”
“Good. You may go.”
Dullin backed away and turned to leave. As he was walking away, he had a disapproving frown. Luna was staring at the floor trying to think of a way out of this. She gritted her teeth. She was already having a mentally exhausting day with a night shift to worry about to boot. Now the news of Galedon’s death and Sarius being accused of his murder.
“This is gonna be the longest 24 hours of my life. At least when I was trapped in the moon for a thousand years, Nightmare Moon was in control so I didn’t experience it personally.” Luna let out yet another sigh. “I’ll have to tell my sister before my night shift.”
Luna tried her best to continue the day with the news on her mind. Thankfully it wasn’t long till the sun began to set and Luna had taken care of most of her sister’s duties. When the sun was setting, Luna stepped outside to lower the sun and saw her sister on the nearest tower balcony raising the moon. Once day had turned to night, Luna flew over to Celestia, who greeted her with a warm smile.
“Good evening sister.” Celestia then saw Luna was upset about something and her smile faded. “What’s wrong?”
Luna let out one more sigh. “Let’s step inside for a moment sister. You’re gonna wanna sit down for this.”
Celestia blinked and was feeling rather nervous now, but she took a seat once she stepped inside. Luna made sure to close the balcony doors then she took a seat as well.
“I’ve been informed Galedon the griffin king has been murdered, according to the griffins.”
Celestia gasped as her eyes widened in horror. “Why and who?”
“I don’t know why but as for who, well they suspect Sarius Trusdale.” Celestia was glad her sister told her to sit down. This was an absolute shock that she was at a loss for words. “It unfortunately gets worse. If we don’t hand over Sarius, the griffins will wage war.”
Celestia looked down in thought. “While we let that sit, I have news of my own that I need to share with you.”
Luna looked at her sister. “What kind of news?”
“I may have discovered something in the dream realm. I came across a dream that gave off a dreadful feeling. When I entered it, it was completely dark and no magic could illuminate it. I then came across a very young alicorn colt.”
Luna’s eyes widened in shock. “An alicorn colt?! I had thought you and I were the last of our kind.”
“So did I. That’s why I investigated but no matter what I tried I couldn’t establish communication with the colt. He was so scared and was pleading to something. Then a figure appeared and warned me that I shouldn’t mettle with the affairs of others. I tried to question him but he absolutely refused to answer me. The last thing he told me was that it was far too late to save the colt, then I was forced out.”
Luna was hanging onto every word her sister was saying. She was certainly concerned. “This figure forced you out of the dream?”
“Correct. Is that natural?”
Luna shook her head. “No. You could only be forced out if the host was waking up and it isn’t sudden. This is different.”
“Has this happened to you?” Celestia asked with concern.
“No. This is a first for me too. But I do know that in order for this to have happened, the host has to be strong and proficient in magic. The host also has to know the Dream Walking spell.”
“What are the chances?”
“Hmm. To my knowledge only Star Swirl’s old spell book has a record of the spell, which is in our possession. So very low.”
“I see. And what about the colt?”
Luna thought about it for a minute. “Since the figure appeared in the dream with the colt, it’s highly likely it’s a memory.”
Celestia was surprised. “Is it possible to have a dream about a memory?”
“It’s a very rare case but yes. There have been a couple times I entered another’s dream and it was a past memory. Usually the past memory is a painful one that haunts the host.”
“Are you suggesting that the figure is the colt?”
“It’s possible. What did the figure look like?”
“I saw a horn but no wings. He had a grey mane and light green skin. The figure was cloaked as well. And before you ask, I couldn’t see the colt since it was too dark.”
“Then all we have is speculation. We’ll think on it, for now what do we do about the griffons?”
“How long do we have?”
“3 days.”
“I see. Go about your duties and I’ll think on it.” Celestia got up and started walking to the door then stopped.
“Do you think he did it sister?” Luna asked with concern.
“Do you?” Celestias asked back.
“Of course not. We may not know him well but I know for certainty, he’s not the type to commit murder. Not even his alter ego Kasulis will senselessly kill.”
Celestia smiled. “I feel the same way, Luna.” Celestia made her way out of the room as Luna smiled. Luna then went about her nightly duties.
Dusty was busy maintaining the mansion since she said she would do that to repay Sarius. The sun was just rising when somepony barged in through the door screaming.
“Sarius!!” It was Pinkie Pie and the sudden entry and yelling made Dusty jump and scream. “I got a disturbance! I got a disturbance!”
Sarius jumped down the stairs and looked very alert. “Calm down Pinkie. You don’t need to yell. Tell me what you got.”
Pinkie galloped up to Sarius. “I got the Pinkie Sense. The same one from yesterday when you and Fluttershy were in Sugarcube Corner.”
“You mean when you sense something that doesn’t originate in your world?” Sarius asked.
“Yup yup.”
Sarius almost smiled. “Do you know where?”
“Yupperro.” She digs into her mane and pulls out a map… somehow. She then points at the location which was labeled: Rambling Rock Ridge. “Right around here. This 6th sense is really nifty, Sarius.”
He nodded. “Great.”
“Do you know what it is?” Dusty spoke up, curious.
“Well, I’m not 100% sure. But I have an idea.” Sarius answered.
Pinkie did small rapid bounces in excitement. “Ooo, ooo, ooo. Can I guess?”
Sarius laughed. “You could try but I doubt you’ll guess it ri-”
“-You think it’s your sister.” Pinkie interrupted.
Sarius was shocked. “Don’t tell me that 6th sense also tells you who or what as well?”
“Who what?” Pinkie asked, confused.
“I mean, you can sense something when it appears and where. Does it also tell you who or what appeared?”
“Hmmm.” Pinkie droned. “I don’t think so, just a where and maybe a when.”
Sarius blinked. “I won’t question how you guessed it right.” Pinkie Pie laughed. Sarius then put on a determined look. “Still, once my sister gets settled in and caught up to speed, I have no doubt she’ll be extremely helpful.”
“Wow, you must have a lot of faith in your sister Sarius.” Dusty stated.
“You bet I do. She’s far smarter than me and is more proficient in things I have little knowledge about. So I better get going and bring her home.”
Sarius started walking to the door. “Be careful out there, Sarius.” Dusty said.
Sarius stopped to turn and give Dusty a smile. “I will.” He then left.
Celestia let out a sigh. It was almost time for her duties and what she learned from her sister is still heavy on her mind. She couldn’t believe the griffon king was dead and that the griffons blamed Sarius, and they wanted him handed over or they’ll wage war. This was quite the problem to deal with. Thankfully Celestia found a silver lining while Luna was doing her nightly duties. Something that could give them a chance to prove Sarius’ innocence as well as drawing out the ones truly behind framing him.
Morning Dew approached Celestia. He had a look of urgency on his face. “Your highness. I was just informed that a group of mercenaries have appeared at the Rambling Rock Ridge.”
Celestia gave him a look of surprise. “Mercenaries? Do you know why they’re there?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Send somepony out there to investigate them. If they’re up to anything malicious, deal with them accordingly.”
Dew bowed. “Understood ma’am.”
“No need to send anypony, I’ll go myself.” Luna said as she approached. She looked exhausted from doing Celestia’s duties yesterday and her own last night.
“Are you sure sister?” Celestia asked with concern.
“Yes. I promise once it’s done I will get some rest.”
Celestia knew there would be no way to talk Luna out of something once she set her mind to something. “Very well. Please be safe. If it helps, I figured out a way we can prove Sarius’ innocence.”
Dew was a bit confused. “Innocence? Is he guilty of something?”
“I’ll inform you on the details later Dew.” Celestia remarked.
Luna gave a tired smile. “It will help, sister. Thank you.”
Luna then took her leave and went to Rambling Rock Ridge.
As I landed in the general area I took a look around. I could sense my sister’s presence without a doubt, but it was weak for some reason. Not only that, I could sense several life signs in the area. I had a feeling my sister was in a tight spot. And when I found her, I realized how tight of a spot she was in.
The clearing was covered with technical equipment and various ponies examining it or carrying it to what looks like a portal. I didn’t recognize any of them. I turned my attention left and saw my sister in a cage. At first I wondered why she was letting herself be caged like a beast, but I quickly realized it was specifically designed to keep someone of her power contained. Which meant one thing; the cage was made with traces of cobalt or lapis to shut down my sister’s power. I had no doubt Raynin was behind this. Then I saw a familiar face approach the cage; Nelkanth. He looked like he was talking to Circe about something.
“Ah, Sir Sarius.”
I quickly turned to see Luna walking up to me. I gave her the signal to shush and take cover. She tilted her head in confusion. I sighed.
“Not so loud and lower yourself down so you aren’t seen.”
Luna was confused as she walked over to me much lower to the ground. I pointed to the clearing. She raised her head to look and was a bit shocked at what she saw. She lowered her head to look at me.
“What are those contraptions and why are the mercenaries examining and collecting them?”
“Those ‘contraptions’ are machines and devices I’m sure were made by my sister, who brought them with her.”
Luna was surprised to hear about my sister. “She’s here?”
I pointed toward the cage. “That’s her.”
Luna looked and ended up glaring down Nelkanth. “Who’s that?” She asked with a low serious tone.
“That is Nelkanth.”
Luna looked at me with an angry glare. Thankfully I knew it wasn’t for me. “He’s the one that nearly assassinated me and my sister?” I nodded.
She looked back at him as if to memorize him in his entirety. She took note of how he had a grey mane and light green skin like what her sister described in the dream. “Something tells me you know who the group of ponies here are.”
“I do. My sister was informed that a group of mercenaries had appeared here. So I came to investigate on her behalf.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this despite working for a full 24 hours without rest?” I asked with great concern.
“I’ll be fine, Sir Sarius.”
I wasn’t convinced but it was best not to question it further. “Then let’s compare notes here.”
Luna looked at me. “Very well, but can we afford to waste the time we can use to save your sister?”
“She’ll be fine for a few minutes. And I have no doubt in my mind she’ll figure out a way to get out on her own eventually. She’s that smart. Besides-” I looked over at Nelkanth still talking to Circe. “-I know for a fact, Raynin has no desire to kill her right away.”
“Raynin’s involved with this?”
I turn back to Luna. “Don’t act surprised. I told you that Raynin has made use of me and my siblings' power before. Capturing one of us is simply a means of harvesting our energy for his work.”
“That just means we need to free her now.”
“I said she’ll be fine for a bit. Now let’s catch each other up.”
Luna and I spent the next few minutes going into more detail about why we were here. I wanted to bring Circe home so she can help me with protecting this world, while Luna wanted to find out why the mercenaries were here and now, why they were assisting one of our greatest enemies. On top of all that, we both wanted to figure out how Nelkanth was connected with Raynin.
“There’s no way this is a coincidence. Raynin has relations with Nelkanth, because I have no doubt if it were up to Nelkanth; he would kill Circe on the spot instead of capturing her. Also there’s the fact the mercenaries are collecting Circe’s equipment and sending them through a portal. If the previous fact doesn’t convince you that Raynin is connected to Nelkanth, then the latter certainly will. Only Raynin would benefit from making use of that equipment due to the lack of technology in this world.”
“Alright, so how should we do this?”
“Well for one, I need to stay away from that cage. I can’t tell what part of it is cobalt, so it would be wise and best for you to get her out. Besides, I can’t really help much in dealing with things that have cobalt and lapis involved. Second, Nelkanth is smart. I don’t know his strength and overall power, but I know he’s smart. We have to approach this carefully. Which isn’t usually my style to be honest.”
“Very well. Then may I suggest you get their attention while I get your sister out?”
I raised an eyebrow. “I mean, sure. But do you think it’s an ok idea?”
“You said we have to approach this carefully and yet you also said it’s not your style. So I thought you should do what’s more natural to you. I’ll free your sister.”
I nod. “Alright. I’ll try to not make a mess or heavily injure the mercenaries.”
Luna walked off as I took a deep breath. I looked over the clearing to figure out the best place to make my approach.
Circe’s POV, 3rd person view. 30 minutes ago
Circe slowly opened her eyes. She only saw white for a whole minute. ”Did I pass out during the traversal?”
After the white finally faded her sight was greeted by the bars of a cage. She was a bit shocked and slowly started to freak out internally, considering her past experience. But thankfully her brother had helped her in overcoming the trauma. Even though the experience was etched into her very being. All she had to do was take a deep breath, which she did.
Once she got herself to calm down, she took a careful look around. Her keen eyes saw the bars were made from different metals melded together. One of which was cobalt, the rest being either steel or iron. She checked the spot she was sitting on and it was the same way. So her energy has been shut down.
”That’s gonna be a pain to deal with.”
She turned her attention to what’s outside the cage and saw all the things she brought with her spread out all over the clearing and… ponies were examining and carrying them.
She blinked. ”Wait, ponies? What kind of world did my brother find himself in and dragged me to?”
She noticed not every pony was the same. Every single one was of various different colors. Some had horns, some had wings, others had neither. But they all had one thing in common; they had what seemed to be tattoos on their flanks and each one was different as well.
She heard something click next to her and she quickly snapped her attention to it. She saw a canister next to her arm, floating in place. As she examined it, she saw it was slowly filling. Once she realized it was being filled with Energtris it was too late, because as she made a grab for it, it disappeared. She quickly looked around for it and saw a unicorn standing in front of the cage, staring at her with light blue eyes. He had dark gray hair and dark green skin as well as a horn on his forehead. The canister was next to him surrounded by a light blue aura, the same aura was around his horn as well. Circe realized he was holding the canister with telekinesis.
“Who are you?” She asked.
He pressed a button on the top of the canister and it closed. “My name is of no concern to you, Circe Trusdale.”
Circe was already on edge but the fact this unicorn knew her full name put her defenses on high alert. “I’ll take a wild guess and say someone I know is working with you.”
The unicorn stared at her. “You are indeed as smart as he said.”
Circe narrowed her eyes. “Raynin… Of course it had to be him. So that means you know everything about me and my brothers, correct?”
“Not everything. Only what I needed to know. Your strengths, weaknesses, and personality.”
The unicorn began walking away. “You can’t trust him.”
The unicorn stopped and turned to look at her. “I don’t trust him. He’s simply a means to an end for me.”
“It’s the same for Raynin.”
“I assure you, if that fool tries to backstab me he won’t succeed.”
“And how can you be so sure?”
The unicorn turned away and resumed walking. “Get comfortable Circe. You’ll be in that cage for a while.”
“That’s what you think.” She said under her breath.
For the next 30 minutes, Circe could do nothing except sit in the cage patiently. All while watching some random ponies go through her things. Circe knew that the tech was being sent to Raynin which upset her. She knew only he would be able to make sense of her work. She then saw the unicorn come back.
“It’s almost time.”
“Time for what?” Circe asked with a raised eyebrow.
“To transport you to Raynin.”
Circe glared at the unicorn. “Yeah… no. That’s not gonna happen.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have much of a choice my dear.”
“Not if my brother has anything to say about it.”
“No matter how strong your brother may be, he can’t rescue you and fight the mercenaries at the same time.”
“You’re underestimating him, and that’s a bad idea.”
“Funny. That’s exactly what Raynin keeps warning me about.”
“For good reason you know.”
“Hmph.”
The unicorn looked like he was about to start moving the cage when a loud thud followed by a pony being thrown in their general direction, got his attention. The pony landed next to the unicorn with a thud. The unicorn groaned softly. “Great…”
Circe smirked. “Right on cue as always.”
A couple yards out across the clearing, stood Sarius. Confident and ready for action.
Sarius’ POV, 1st Person View
After Luna left quietly, I thought it best to not stay idle for too long. She was counting on me to draw attention from her. So I lept out into the clearing and landed conveniently right next to a merc. He barely had time to register my presence before I curled my tail around his back legs, then spinning around and tossing him towards the cage.
“Yeet!” Was all I said, and something I wanted to say for a long time. The merc missed Nelkanth which was a shame since I was trying to hit him with the merc. “Hey buddy. I’m gonna have to ask you to let my sister go, and I’m asking nicely first because I’m a nice guy.”
Nelkanth just stared at me as the rest of the mercs showed up. “You got a lot of nerve and guts trying to take us all on alone, even if you are a dragon.” One of the mercs remarked.
I smiled. “That’s just who I am.”
The earth ponies and pegasi mercs charged at me at once while the unicorns prepared spells to use on me. I knew I had to take them out first. The mercs charging me had various weapons made from iron and possibly steel, but little armor. As I dodged the first wave of attacks, I figured these mercs weren’t really prepared for battle but transporting things. I saw one of the unicorns finish a spell and fired a lightning bolt at my head. I dodged the lightning bolt by ducking and since lightning moves at mach 364, my movement was seen as being instantaneous by everyone.
This shocked all the mercs, pun intended, but didn’t seem to surprise Nelkanth. I took the chance to charge at the unicorns moving at near mach 1. While I moved much slower than when I dodged the lightning bolt, I was still quite fast. I had to hold back from going mach 1 since that would create a sonic boom and either damage or destroy my sister’s devices, as well as harming the mercs which I was avoiding. The merc I ran up to seemed to turn to me in slow motion as I spun around and swept his legs with my tail. As he was falling forward I grabbed his face with an energized claw, I used my energy to temporarily shut down his cerebellum. I let go of him and he fell to the ground. He tried to get back up but his muscles wouldn’t respond right. He tried to use his magic but it was also malfunctioning.
“I suggest you sit this out. You’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
Another unicorn fired a bolt of magic at me and while I was tempted to let it hit me, I knew it was far smarter to dodge it and give the illusion I could be harmed by it. I dodged it by side stepping to the right, but it turned out it was a set up as I saw a few of the melee wielding mercs take swings at me. One aimed for my neck, a few aimed for my legs, and the last aimed for my tucked wing. The blades hit my neck and legs with a clank, but I pulled my wing up so the sword just hit my side. They were all shocked again.
I smirked. “Did you know that bathing in lava helps toughen scales? Mine were already tough as it is, but since I had to bathe myself in lava for training, they got tougher. Sure lava softens them up but once they dry the molten stone mends with the scales, essentially adding a layer of defense. Sorry to say but your iron and steel weapons are ineffective against me.” I generated a weak energy pulse that pushed the mercs back a bit. “Though my wings are a different story and I would rather not have them get messed up again. Especially by low tier fighters like you.”
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Luna slowly making her way to the side of the cage. Circe hasn’t noticed her apparently, neither has Nelkanth or the mercs. But I then saw Nelkanth was turning away from me and towards the cage. I gritted my teeth for two reasons; one he would most likely spot Luna and second, but most importantly, I felt insulted that I wasn't worth his attention. So once again moving at near mach 1, I charged him. He noticed me moving towards him and in the span of just a couple seconds, he conjured a magic shield to block my punch. I didn’t see him charge up his horn for it but it was glowing with magic. That was all I needed to know that Nelkanth was in a league of his own. He may very well compare to Celestia and Luna in terms of magic mastery and reaction speed.
Thankfully, my stunt got his full attention back on me. I gave him a disapproving look. “A word of advice, Nelkanth; don’t turn your back to me.”
“Hmph.” His horn charged up and with a swing of his head, he fired a magic wave at my throat. I quickly backed off and moved my head to the side as far as I could to avoid decapitation, but he made it wide enough that it cut my cheek.
I took my front right claw and felt where my cheek was cut and sure enough there was blood. Though the wound healed quickly. Despite being injured I smiled. “Where was this side of you when you ran with your tail between your legs last time?” I was trying to get him riled up, but either he was good at masking his emotions or he wasn’t bothered.
“I had places to be, Trusdale. I am a busy stallion after all. In fact you’re taking up too much of my time right now.” I suddenly felt an aura begin to surge from him. I could tell he was starting to take me seriously. “So I’m afraid I’ll have to dispose of you, much to Raynin’s displeasure.”
I didn’t need to see it but I knew the mercs were all backing away now, trying to get a safe distance away from the upcoming fight. My smile faded as I put on a more serious expression. “Just don’t expect me to die as easily as you hope.”
“Noted.” He closed the distance between me and him in less than a second, which took me by surprise, then delivered a powerful punch to my chest. I was sent flying into a small rock face behind me with a loud crash. I felt the wind get knocked out of me but I didn’t feel any broken bones or other damages.
My instincts then screamed at me to move. I quickly flipped onto the top of the cliff face as a beam of magic hit the spot where my chest was, piercing straight through it. If I hadn’t moved then the beam would have pierced my heart. Under normal circumstances it wouldn’t kill me right away, but this was far from normal. I already experienced nearly getting mauled and ripped apart by timberwolves due to their abnormal magic infusion. Who’s to say that Nelkanth’s magic wouldn’t nullify my healing factors.
I glared at Nelkanth who kept his horn charged up. I knew for a fact he was waiting for me to make a move. My pupils slitted as I charged at him. Circe’s POV, 3rd Person View
Circe has been deadpanning since the moment her brother showed up. ”Did he charge in without thinking first, again? How’s this gonna help me get out of here?” She sighed. ”Why is he always like this?”
The sound of someone approaching got her attention and she turned her head right to see another pony quietly walking to the cage. Circe couldn’t tell if the pony was male or female, but she judged from the pony’s features, the pony was female. The female was even wearing attire, the female was still naked in all sense of the word, but at least she was wearing something. Circe noticed that the attire seemed to be regal, she even had a crown. Then Circe noticed the female had a horn and wings.
“Who are you?” Circe inquired.
The female looked at her and placed a hoof over her mouth, as if to tell Circe to be quiet. “Not so loud, dear Circe. You’ll ruin the opportunity Sir Sarius has given me.”
Circe blinked a few times. “You know me too?” Circe narrowed her eyes. “Are you with Raynin too?”
The female stared at Circe like she’d been insulted. “Of course not. I’m helping Sir Sarius.”
Circe then put two and two together. “Wait, are you one of the princesses he told me about?”
The female blinked. “I am unsure of when he mentioned that to you, but yes I am. I am Princess Luna.”
Circe relaxed, but not too much as she knew she would be going to help her brother very soon. “Alright Luna. Think you can get me out of here?”
Luna was a bit surprised that Circe was quick to accept her answer. She was sure Circe would still be skeptical of her. “You actually… trust me?”
Circe smiled. “Of course.”
“Just like that?” Luna inquired further.
Circe gave her a smug look. “Yeah. My brother obviously trusts you, if he’s willing to have you get me out. And you trust him too, since he’s fighting to keep them distracted for you. So if my brother trusts you, then so do I.”
Luna couldn’t help but smile. “Sir Sarius was right, you are smart. Anyway to answer your question, I’ll have to examine the cage. So give me a minute.”
Circe turned to the battle unfolding in front of her. Sarius was taking swings at the head unicorn while moving at high speeds. The unicorn was even keeping up with him and using spells to block and counter Sarius. Circe could easily see this unicorn was very experienced… too experienced for someone of his age. Plus the fact he could keep up with her brother at his current speed was worrying.
“Hmm. It seems to be a regular cage that’s just got cobalt infused in the metal. A simple unlocking should do the trick.” Circe turned to Luna as her horn glowed and the sound of the lock rattled. “Ah. I see Nelkanth has taken the liberty of applying an anti-magic seal on the lock. He’s far more talented than I gave him credit for.”
“You can still get me out, right?”
Luna huffed. “Of course. I am an alicorn. The only beings that I know of who’s magic either rivals mine or surpasses it are; my sister, Discord, and Grogar.”
Luna seemed pretty confident as her horn glowed again but a bit brighter. The lock rattled again. After a couple seconds, the sound of something shattering is heard and the lock clicks. Circe pushes on the door gate and it opens. She then pushes it all the way.
Sarius’ POV, 1st Person View
I was having a tough time getting past Nelkanth’s magic defense and every time he countered me, I barely managed to dodge. He was very skilled and good at adapting to my moves. I wasn’t going at my fastest since I was trying to hold back. But it was slowly dawning on me that I have to stop holding back. Just when I was about to use more of my power, I heard something shatter and apparently Nelkanth did too, since he and I stopped to turn to look at the cage.
The cage door was fully open and Circe stepped out, with Luna walking around to her. “Well, well. Princess Luna. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Nelkanth commented.
“And I’m glad I came. Since I got to see the face of the pony who tried to assassinate me and my sister. I’m surprised that such a young and handsome stallion is behind it.”
Nelkanth scoffed. “Flattery won’t help you, your highness.” He sighed. “It seems like we’ll have to retreat.”
One of the unicorn mercs walked up to Nelkanth. “Are you sure?”
“We have no choice. I rather not deal with two of the Triplets and Luna.”
“Don’t think you’ll get away that easily Nelkanth.” I glared at him as he turned to me. “You’re not getting away again.”
“If it means anything, I don’t plan to get away alone. Your sister has been in the cage for at least 30 minutes, so she can’t use her power for a couple hours. According to Raynin anyway.”
I growled then I saw Circe start moving from the corner of my eye, and when I looked over I saw her running around looking for something. This also got the attention of everyone else as well.
I blinked. “What are you doing, sis?”
She didn’t bother looking my way as she dug around in a pile. “I knew this situation would come up eventually, so I came prepared with something that should help. If I can just find it…”
“Grab her now.” Nelkanth ordered. “Luna and Sarius can’t stop all of you.”
The mercs all started running to grab Circe. I got ready to charge at them but Nelkanth blocked my path. I saw Luna rush over to combat the mercs, but they were already using their advantage in numbers to get around her. I actually started to think I would lose my sister.
Thankfully, I knew better.
“Got it!” Circe pulled out what looked like a flashlight. “Now let’s see if this works as I intended.”
She pointed the bulb end at her chest and pressed a button on the end of the handle. The bulb end began to shift around into a metallic grabber and seemed to begin scanning her. After a few seconds, the bulb end gave off a blue light and started to suck energy out of her. I thought she was intentionally draining her own power but I realized I didn’t see nor sense energy leaving her. Instead it was something else. The handle began glowing as a blue substance filled it. Turns out the handle was a capsule of some kind. It suddenly stopped and returned to normal with the only change being the substance in the capsule.
“Perfect. Just as intended.” I saw a couple mercs make a grab for her and I was about to charge past Nelkanth to get to her. “Now did you say I couldn’t use my power for a couple hours?” With a swipe of her claw, she created a wind current infused with Energtris to blow back the mercs onto their flanks. Safe to say, everyone was shocked.
I saw Nelkanth grit his teeth. “It seems Raynin lied to me.”
Circe put the device down. “No he didn’t. I wasn’t able to use my power like you said, but as I said earlier I came prepared for this. This device is something that’s long overdue. My brothers and I always lose our power when we come into contact with either cobalt or lapis. Depending on how long we’re exposed, determines how long our power is offline. But after careful examination and assistance from someone who didn’t suffer from that weakness, I was able to make this device.”
Circe turned to Nelkanth. “It’s a work in progress so there’s bound to be side effects and minor issues, but I can deal with that at my own leisure later. For now, I can kick your butt for capturing me.”
“Mind explaining how you manage to get your power back?” Nelkanth inquired, as if he expected Circe to actually tell him.
She gave him a wink and stuck her tongue out. “I’m not telling you the trade secret, bucko.” I couldn’t help but chuckle and smile at her juvenile behavior. It’s one of the many things I loved about my sister.
Nelkanth clicked his tongue. All the mercs went back to his side. “It’s time to leave.”
“Raynin’s gonna be furious if we come back empty handed.” One of the mercs pointed out.
“I think not.” He pulled out a capsule that’s filled with energy. Energtris. “In fact, I’m certain this is what he meant when he said ‘when she escapes’.”
Circe recognized the capsule. “Hey! You actually took my energy while I was asleep? It’s rude and naughty to mess with a lady while she’s asleep, you pervert.”
I swear I saw Nelkanth’s eye twitch at being called a pervert. He then glared at me. “I advise that you pick your friends and enemies carefully, Sarius Trusdale.”
“Why you gotta say something so ominous?” I asked.
“It’s simply friendly advice.” He chuckled as he and the mercs walked through the portal.
Luna and Circe were about to chase after them but I stopped them. Luna was upset by that. “Why are you stopping us? We can still capture them.”
“There’s where you’re wrong. The fact the portal is still open, obviously means he’s waiting for us on the other side.” I point out.
Luna sighed. “We can’t just let him get away. He nearly killed me and my sister, Sir Sarius.”
“I know. But I rather you didn’t make the fact I protected the two of you pointless in the end.”
Luna groaned. “Relax your highness. I kinda expected my equipment to get taken from me.”
When me and Luna turned to look at her, she had a remote in her claw. A remote I recognized from a lot of movies. “Sis. What are you planning to do?”
Circe gave a small evil smile. “Giving Raynin and his helpers a nice ‘surprise’.” She pressed it and then started running. “I suggest you two run now.”
My eyes widened as Luna was just puzzled. “Why would she-”
I started running. “Just start running Luna!” Luna was taken aback by my sudden rush but she started to run as well. We caught up to my sister and followed her. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
She gave me that evil smile again. “Yup. I was feeling generous when I made the kill switch so they’ll have maybe a minute or two to do what they want with my stuff before it literally blows up in their faces. I just wish I could see their faces.”
I shivered a bit. “I said it before and I’ll say it again; you’re really scary sometimes.”
She simply laughed. “Back at you, bro.” She then stopped and we stopped with her. “This should be far enough.”
“What did Miss Circe do exactly and why did we need to run?” Luna inquired.
“And more importantly, how big are we expecting it to be? We ran at least half a mile away.”
“Oh it’s not gonna be that big. This distance is just a precaution.”
Luna stamped her hoof. “Will somepony please tell me what Miss Circe-”
She was caught off by the sound of several explosions. From this distance we could see the explosions. They weren’t big like Circe said, but the fact there was a chain of explosions going off meant a lot of debris was going to scatter like literal dust. So we were far enough to not have to worry about the debris.
“Oh, right… this is gonna make quite a mess.” Circe turned to Luna and pressed her claws together in an apologetic manner. “I’m really sorry and don’t worry, I’ll clean up my mess. You have my word.”
Luna was quite flabbergasted by the explosions. “R-right. I’ll… take your word. Just…” She paused. “Don’t make any more explosives please.”
“Sure. I can do that. I’m not really into demolition anyway. I simply create and construct things to help me and my brothers. I also love to tinker too.”
Luna then took a good look at Circe. She wasn’t really paying much attention to Circe’s appearance, due to the situation and the fact she was still mentally exhausted from pulling a double shift, but now that things have calmed down, and Luna could see Circe up close, she instantly realized Circe doesn’t look like a typical dragon.
Circe had a more serpentine-like body with no wings. Her scale color was a mixture of dark blue and gold in the form of stripes. Her hair was bright red and her eyes were bright blue. What really caught Luna by surprise was that Circe had antler-like horns. She immediately began to wonder if Circe could use magic using those horns.
“I got a question for you sis.”
“Yes?”
“What did you use to get your power back?”
She pulled out the device she used. “This?”
Luna took a step back. “That’s not gonna explode too is it?”
“No, don’t worry. As for what it is, it’s a device meant to extract the cobalt and lapis essence that goes into our bodies when we’re in contact with it. I learned that for Energtris users like me, you, and our brother, cobalt and lapis tend to implant a special type of essence into us. This essence is what prevents us from using our power. The longer we’re in contact with either, the more essence that’s implanted. And it takes our bodies a long while to dispose of it naturally. So I created this device to extract it.”
I was surprised. “You were able to figure all that out and make something we can use to prevent power loss?”
“Of course. Would you expect anything less from your sister?”
“Nope, but I must ask. Why did you take so long to make it?”
Circe gave me an annoyed look. “Well, researching the effects of cobalt and lapis on us wasn’t easy, not to mention I needed someone to help me analyze. It also took a while which was time we didn’t really have while we were dealing with Raynin. So when Raynin up and vanished it was the perfect time to start. Though the whole ordeal with the Deity of Darkness put it on hold for a bit.” Circe pouted. “And it was almost finished too.”
I deadpanned. “That wasn’t my fault, you know.”
The device then broke as the essence in it escaped and faded away. “And there it is…” Circe sighs. “Knew there was gonna be a problem. Now I just have to figure out what that problem is and fix it.”
“Ahem.” Luna said aloud to get our attention. “While this was a very eventful morning, I do need to get some sleep.”
“You didn’t sleep Luna?” Circe asked.
“No. I have duties to tend to every night. Last night in particular was rough since I had to take care of my sister’s duties yesterday in exchange for her taking care of mine the night before. So I haven’t slept for a full 24 hours.”
“Okay but why though?”
“Why did my sister and I switch our duties? Well.” Luna blushed a bit. “Because I went on a date with your brother the night before.”
Circe gasped and smiled. “You two went on a date?!”
“It was… a rather short one, but yes.” Luna answered.
Circe gave me a knowing look. “So are you two an item now?”
Luna and I blushed. “Sis, you know couples don’t get together after just one date.”
“I don’t know about that.” Circe winked at me. “You and Kalia did. In fact I would dare say you two hooked up before you went on your first date.”
Luna was surprised at this. “Is this true, Sir Sarius?”
“Kalia and I were a special case. One could make the argument we’re soul mates.”
Circe looked up in thought. “That’s true.” Then she looked at Luna. “Also what’s with the prefix?”
“Are you referring to me calling your brother, Sir Sarius?” Circe nodded. “Simple. Out of respect for him. My sister and I traded blows with your brother and he held his own. In the process he impressed both of us.”
“You had a fight with my brother?!” Circe was taken aback.
I rolled my eyes. “It was a spar, sis.”
Luna nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Though I got a bit carried away when Sarius accidentally wounded me. I mistook his intention and thought he wanted me to get serious.”
“Where you nearly chopped my head off.” I pointed out.
“And I deeply apologized. Please don’t remind me.”
“Wait, seriously?” Circe was surprised.
“Seriously. You know I would never joke about that.”
“Wow. That must have been one sharp blade then.”
“Ahem.” Luna said to get our attention again. “I must be going now. It was wonderful getting to meet your sister, Sir Sarius. I look forward to speaking to you when I’m less…” Luna yawned. “Exhausted, Circe.”
Circe smiled. “So am I. Just worry about getting some sleep, your highness.”
“I will. Farewell.” Luna used her magic to teleport away.
Circe looked at me. “I’m hoping you have a place for us to stay, cause I really don’t plan on sleeping or tinkering on a rock.”
I deadpanned. “We can’t sleep sis. Remember?”
She pouts. “We still need to rest.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I do happen to have a place. Celestia was kind enough to build me a mansion with plenty of room. Even though most of the rooms aren’t furnished, there is one that was recently furnished.”
Circe’s eyes lit up with glee. “A mansion? Are you serious?” I nodded. “How did you manage to woo two princesses?”
“Okay firstly, it wasn’t my intention. Secondly, I only wooed Luna. And to answer your question, without the woo part, being a DNA child of Asgorath does have benefits. Though it was most likely because I was a good and fun sparring partner. Plus I believe the spar helped me connect with them.”
Circe deadpanned. “Are you really gonna throw that fact out every time?”
“Of course not.” I retorted.
“Well, let’s go home then brother.”
I smiled, unfolded my wings and started flapping them then flew off to our home. I turned to see my sister following me by floating through the air and easily keeping up with me. After several minutes of flying we made it and landed right outside the front door.
Circe let out a slightly exhausted sigh. “It’s been a long while since I flew around like that and walked around as a dragon.”
“I know right?” I walk up to the front door. “Come on in sis. Oh, and there is another pony living here with us. Her name’s Dusty Homage and she’ll be tending to the cleaning of the mansion, despite my protests.”
“Oh, we have our own personal maid?” Circe then gives me a knowing look. “Have you done anything naughty with her, brother?”
I give her a disappointed look. “Of course not. Who do you take me for?”
“A guy who has a maid fetish.” Circe winks which causes me to blush.
I loudly gave a fake cough. “I’m gonna need you to focus, sis. Kasulis and I have determined there’s something bad brewing under the surface of the world. So to speak.”
“Something bad? Here?” Circe asked, confused. “This world is practically brimming with positive energy.”
“I know. That’s all the more reason why he senses it. Remember; even though we’re whole now, he still holds most of my negative energy.”
“You got a point. Still it’s hard to believe anything bad exists here.”
“Well when I first arrived, I ended up battling a unicorn who was a literal shadow.”
“A shadow you say?”
“Yeah, which is something I’ll need your help with.”
“Say no more. I’m pretty sure I know what it is you want.”
“Anyway, let’s head in already so I can show you your room.” I opened the front door which surprised Dusty who was standing there. “You know eavesdropping can be a bad look.”
“Well, it’s kinda hard not to when you both were standing right outside the door, talking a bit loudly.” Dusty said with a pout.
Circe’s eyes sparkled then she ran up to start hugging and petting Dusty which surprised Dusty. “Aww. She’s adorable and cute.” Circe then winked at me. “Not to mention gorgeous. Just how many suitresses are lined up for you?”
Dusty blushed at that. “S-suitress?”
I rolled my eyes. “Not as many as you think, sister.”
Dusty’s eyes widened a bit. “Sister?!”
Circe smiled. “Yup. I’m Circe Trusdale. Pleasure to meet you Dusty.”
“Likewise Circe.”
“She’s formerly a changeling queen who’s also wanted.”
Circe gave me a serious look. “So why is she here then?”
“It’s because I made a mistake.” Dusty spoke up. Circe turned her gaze to Dusty but she didn’t waver. “I infiltrated a wedding to harvest the love and positive emotions to feed my subjects but due to the immense love and positivity, I lost myself to my primal instincts. I was soundly defeated and I went into hiding when I regained my senses. Your brother happened upon me and brought me here. He helped me despite what I did and he’s willing to help me redeem myself.” Dusty looked into Circe’s eyes with powerful determination. “So I owe him.”
Circe’s serious look faded and she gave an approving smile. “I like that attitude of yours. So is Dusty your real name?”
“No, it’s a cover name. My real identity is Chrysalis.”
“Chrysalis. As in the in-between state of a caterpillar and a butterfly or moth?”
“Well… yes. Huh, I never thought of it that way.”
“You learn something new every day.” Circe chirped.
“If you’re done caressing Dusty, I’d like to show you your room sis.” I said, trying to pry my sister’s attention from Dusty.
Circe looked at me. “Oh yeah.” She let Dusty go, who took a minute to breathe like she was suffocating. “Please show me.”
I walked her to the only other room that was furnished. It wasn’t as big as my room but there was still plenty of space for a dragon of her size. It had the typical bed, nightstand, closet, a chair and table as well as a window with blinds and curtains. She took a quick look around.
“Well, I guess this could work. I’ll just need a bigger table and a more comfortable chair.” Circe said.
“You can either ask the mover ponies or go into town to find what you’re looking for. Knowing you, you’ll do the latter. Though you don’t have money and neither do I.” I suddenly realized something. “Actually, I don’t even know the currency.”
Circe gave me a deadpanned look. “Way to be on top of things, bro.”
“Shut up. A lot has happened since I arrived.”
“Bits.” I heard Dusty say at the door. “Equestria’s currency is bits.”
Circe and I raise an eyebrow. “Bits huh. If I hadn’t seen the currency myself, I wouldn’t help but wonder if it’s the same as the currency in Digimon.”
Dusty blinked. “Digimon?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Do you happen to have any bits, Dusty?”
Dusty rubbed her front leg with the other, like she was embarrassed. “Do you think I would be stealing apples from the farm if I had bits?”
“...Fair point.” I frowned. “Great. So we’re broke.”
“If we think about it, we’ll find a way to earn bits brother.” Circe said. “We can start now if you have nothing to do.”
Before I could answer, a loud familiar voice yelled out. “So you’re Circe?!”
Circe yelped as we all turned to see Pinkie Pie, somehow popping out from under the bed. “Y-yes. I am.”
Pinkie let out a loud gasp as she was suddenly suspended in the air. “Oh my gosh! I knew there was somepony new in Ponyville. But you’re not a pony of course, you’re a dragon. A different dragon than usual but still, I gotta go!”
Pinkie raced out the mansion like a blur after finishing her breakneck pace talk. Circe was left dumbfounded by the whole experience. “Uh… what just-”
“For the sake of sanity, don’t question it.”
Circe’s eye twitched at that. “Why?”
“Just-” I gave her a serious look. “-don’t. Trust me, okay?”
Circe pouted. “...Fine.”
“Anyway, I don’t have anything to do for today. Though we’ll be going to a party shortly now.”
“I can’t believe we’re just ignoring that a pink mare suddenly appeared and just as suddenly disappeared who also knew who I was.” Circe mumbled. “Wait. A party?”
“Yes.”
Circe was getting confused. “When was it set up?”
“It’s being set up as we speak.”
Circe became more confused. “By who?”
“Pinkie Pie, the pony who just ran out.”
Circe got even more confused. “Why would she throw a party so suddenly for no reason?”
“It’s her thing from what I can tell.”
Somehow, Circe was more confused than physically possible. “W-what kind of party?”
“Welcome to Ponyville party.”
I could swear Circe’s brain was about to crash at this point. “T-t-t-t-t-t-that’s not a party I’ve heard of.”
“I know. It’s because it’s a party only Pinkie Pie sets up and throws apparently.”
And Circe’s brain has officially crashed and rebooted. “And you told me not to question this?”
“Yes.”
“Again why?! I have to understand how-”
“Just don’t.” I quickly said. “There’s just some things you shouldn’t question and have to accept.” Circe pouted again and made a cute groaning sound. “On that thought, instead of thinking of something we can ask Pinkie Pie or other ponies what we can do to earn bits.”
Circe calmed down a bit. “You have a point.”
“Let’s get going then.” I start walking to the front door.
Circe followed me. “Go where?”
I turned to her. “To the town hall. I have no doubt Pinkie is setting up the party there. Dusty you’re coming too.”
Dusty was suddenly nervous. “Uh. I thought I would stay here.”
“Don’t be nervous Dusty. Circe and I will be with you to keep you company, not to mention Fluttershy as well.”
Dusty looked down. “Don’t force the poor mare, bro.”
“Thank you for the support Circe. But your brother is right.” Circe looked at Dusty. “I was once queen of the changelings, and if I want to be queen again, I can’t afford to be nervous and back down from a social gathering. Especially if I’m gonna be allying with Equestria.”
I smiled. “Then let’s get going, Queen Chrysalis.”
Dusty blushed a bit at me calling her queen then the three of us left.
Meanwhile
Raynin was absolutely fuming. All the gear and tech that Nelkanth and the mercs sent to him were completely destroyed. Set to self destruct by Circe herself no doubt. Not only that but some of his work got caught in the destruction. Nelkanth rolled his eyes while the mercs tried to keep their distance.
“I expected Circe to escape but rigging her equipment to be destroyed. She’s too smart for her own good.”
“And what exactly do you plan to do about it, Raynin?” Nelkanth asked.
Raynin growled and grabbed the injection he was working on, with a now completed formula. “It’s time to take this for a test run.”
Raynin started walking over to the hydra that was recently captured and chained down. It’s multiple heads growling and hissing at him as he approaches. However their expressions changed to horrified looks when they saw the malice and anger on Raynin’s face, not to mention he wasn’t even fazed by their intimidation tactic. The hydra tried to get away but due to the chains it could only struggle and squirm. Raynin held the injection in his magic and then forced the injection into the hydra’s chest, a little too forcefully. Once the substance went into the hydra’s blood stream, its eyes went bloodshot with uncontrollable rage. The chain that was holding it down was beginning to break from the hydra’s newfound strength. It eventually broke free and let out a loud guttural roar.
Before it went on a rampage, Nelkanth stopped it in its tracks with his magic. “Seems like your new formula worked.”
Raynin laughed. “Good. Now knock it unconscious.”
Nelkanth narrowed his eyes as he shot a powerful lightning bolt at the hydra’s multiple heads. The electricity forced the brains to shut down temporarily rendering the hydra unconscious. “What’s your plan Raynin?”
“We wait. For the next sibling to arrive. Then we’ll sic this creature on him.”
Nelkanth raised an eyebrow. “And what do you expect to happen then?”
“For one, I’m expecting the hydra to kill him. Second, I have no doubt Circe and Sarius will rush to his aid. So I’m hoping Circe will pay greatly for humiliating me.”
“You’re gonna kill off a valuable resource?”
Raynin shot Nelkanth a glare. “I have ways of capturing the Triplets. But Tirean Trusdale, is more troublesome to be kept alive. More so than Circe or Sarius.” Nelkanth just stared back at Raynin. “Believe me or not, you had better not underestimate them.”
“Like when you thought you would get Circe’s equipment?”
Raynin narrowed his eyes and walked away. “Just keep this beast asleep until it’s time.”
Circe, Dusty, and I arrived at the town hall. I opened the door and as I expected, it was dark inside. Once the three of us walked in, the lights shut on and everypony yelled “Surprise!”, causing Circe to yelp and Dusty to jump, while I was unfazed. The Mane Six came over to the three of us.
“I take it you’re Circe, Sarius’ sister?” Twilight asked.
“Yes.”
“Then welcome to Ponyville Circe. I’m Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends.”
Applejack tipped her hat. “Howdy Circe. I’m Applejack. My family owns an apple farm.”
Rarity flips her mane. “I’m Rarity. I own a boutique and have a career in fashion.”
Pinkie Pie bounces in place. “You already know me.” She giggles with a snort.
Rainbow Dash simply hovers in place. “I’m Rainbow Dash. A very fast pegasus if I do say so myself.”
Fluttershy walked up to Circe and held out a hoof for her to shake. “And I’m Fluttershy.”
Circe shakes Fluttershy’s hoof and smiles. “Pleasure to meet you all. I’m Circe Trusdale.” The Mane Six smiled back. “Now that pleasantries are out of the way, I have a question.”
“Oh oh, are we gonna play 20 questions?” Pinkie asked as she suddenly appeared on top of Circe’s head. “In that case, we’ll take turns. You go first.”
Circe blinked at Pinkie’s impossible speed. “Uh, do you girls know any ways to earn bits? My brother unfortunately didn’t take the liberty of asking.”
Rarity winked. “Oh, you could always help me with my store and designs.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Can ya actually pay them Rares, or are ya just needing extra hoofs?”
“Well no.” Rarity looked down. “I would just like the extra help.”
“While I would be happy with helping, right now I’m trying to help my brother secure funds.”
“What do you need bits for? Maybe we can lend you two some.” Twilight suggested.
Circe waved her claw in rejection. “No no. I can’t do that to you girls.”
“Oh nonsense. We’re friends and friends are meant to help each other.” Twilight retorted.
Circe pursed her lips. “All I want is a table and a comfortable chair.”
The Mane Six all blinked. “Oh… Well if that’s all, then no bits should be needed. Between the six of us, I’m sure we can find a good table and chair for you.” Twilight said.
“Really?”
“Certainly darling. I’m fairly confident one of the tables I have will meet your standards.” Rarity stated.
“I can give you one of my chairs and it has a cloud for a seat so it should be comfortable.” Rainbow offered.
“A cloud seat?” Circe asked with interest. “That’s quite curious.”
“As for earning bits, you and your brother can have a part time job in Ponyville. Or just assisting ponies.” An old female voice said.
We all turned to see a pale amber mare with a white mane and tail and a unique tie around her neck. “Oh Mayor Mare. Didn’t realize you were listening to our conversation.” Twilight stated.
Mayor laughed. “Well I have to apologize to Mr. Trusdale. I’ve been quite busy the past few days so I haven’t had the chance to chat with our newest resident and now there’s three. Anyway-” Mayor held out a hoof for me to shake and I shook it. “-I’m Mayor Mare and as you would guess, I’m the mayor of Ponyville.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Mayor. Glad to know I don’t scare you.”
“If the residents are okay with you, then so am I.”
“Fair enough.”
“Now if there’s any job you want to take, just come by my office and I’ll find openings for you two.”
Circe stepped forward. “I will. My brother doesn’t like to go through that stuff, so I’ll bring him the details.”
“Very well. You two enjoy yourselves now.” Mayor said before taking her leave.
After Mayor Mare left, Circe and I had some snacks and enjoyed the party. This is the first time the both of us have been to a party or a social gathering, so we wanted to make the most of it. Dusty kept close to either me or Circe, mostly me if she could help it. Circe was talking with some of the ponies and socializing while I stayed at an empty table with Dusty. One thing Circe was better at than me, aside from being smarter and making things, was socializing. Despite preferring to tinker and work in her personal workshop, she was quite outgoing.
Dusty and I were chowing down on some snacks. “So, Sarius. Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
Dusty blushed. “That you have a maid fetish?”
I nearly spat out the drink I was drinking. I started blushing. “W-well. Yes but that’s not that important. Why would you ask that?”
“Well.” She started blushing harder. “I could… help you indulge in your fantasy…”
I stare at her with wide eyes. “A-are you suggesting… what I think you’re suggesting?”
“M-maybe. If you’re ever feeling stressed, I could… wear a maid outfit while I tend to you.”
The idea and thought of Dusty wearing a maid outfit to comfort me during a stressful time was appealing to say the least. “What do you get out of it?”
“It would feed me. Love and positive emotions will sustain a changeling enough. But so can sexual desire. In fact, in the act of coitus, changelings gain even more sustenance.”
I pursed my lips and looked away. “You actually said it…” I sigh. “I’m not really interested in that stuff right now. I’m also trying to build a relationship with Luna, so I don’t want to mess that up, just to indulge in a fantasy.”
Dusty gave a small smile. “That’s fine. The affection and attention you’ll give me for dressing up will be enough for me.”
“Dressing up as what?” I heard Fluttershy say from behind me.
I turned my head and Dusty turned to see Fluttershy laying on my back. I have no idea how she landed on my back without me feeling it. “N-nothing Fluttershy.” Dusty said.
“Oh…okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Fluttershy apologized.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize.”
I let out a sigh knowing one of my secrets was kept between me and Dusty. “As a maid.” CIrce said. But unfortunately my sister was the type to mess with me.
I deadpanned. “Seriously sis? Can’t I keep some secrets?”
“You have plenty bro.” Circe giggled.
“That’s beside the point.”
Fluttershy blushed a bit. “Oh my…”
The party continued for a while before everypony including Circe, Dusty, and I had to leave to go do other things. The three of us bid farewell to everypony and left. Before we went back to our home, the three of us stopped by Rarity’s to get a table for Circe. The table was of a decent size, certainly big enough for Circe to do some tinkering on. Then we flew up to Rainbow’s place to fetch the chair, and it actually had a cloud for a cushion. Circe remarked it was like memory foam. We took the chair and table and headed back to the mansion. Once there we put the table against the wall of Circe’s room, next to her bed and the chair sat under it. Circe put the busted device, that she used to absorb the cobalt essence from her body to be able to use her power again, on the table.
Circe sighed as she sat in the chair. “Ah, that’s better. This will work.”
“Good. I’m glad we got this sorted out. Now why don’t you get some rest Circe. Even though you used that device to basically repower yourself, I’m sure there will be side effects from doing it.”
Circe waved a claw. “Relax. I made it so I can extract the essence and it’s gone now.” Circe held up a claw and attempted to create an energy ball, but nothing happened. Circe blinked. “Uh.”
I gave her a ‘I told you so’ look. “You didn’t notice it, did you?”
She looked at me in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“When the device broke and the essence got out. It didn’t disappear, it went back to the source it was extracted from.”
Circe stared at me. “So that means-”
I smirked. “-You’ll need to let your body recover naturally.” Circe pouted. “Hey, you can still do things. Just not involving using your energy.”
“Fine… Maybe I’ll go see Twilight and see if I can learn how to use magic.” Circe left the mansion.
“Good call.”
I decided to pay Fluttershy a visit to check her progress with learning Energtris. So I left to go see her and Dusty insisted I go with her. As we were passing the Everfree Forest, I noticed Dusty was staring intensely at it.
“What do you know about the forest?”
My question managed to tear her attention from the forest. “No more than what everypony else knows. But…” She looked down a bit. “...There is a legend my mother told me about the forest that goes way back.”
“How far back?”
Dusty looked at me. “According to my mother, when the Celestial Sisters were young or even before they were born.”
I stopped to turn to her. “Do tell me. You piqued my interest.”
She stopped as well. “I don’t remember much since I was a child when she told it to me but I do remember it had something to do with an ancient being that created the forest thousands of years ago.”
“An ancient being huh…” I looked into the forest. “That would explain the ominous feeling I get from the forest.”
“You mean you sense something in there?”
“Yeah… I can’t sense if it’s good or evil, just… ominous.” I looked at Dusty. “So, what’s your mother like?”
Dusty suddenly had a dark expression. “She… was a very pleasant Changeling Queen… at least for a time.”
I immediately knew I hit a sensitive subject. The fact Dusty used the term ‘was’ meant her mother had passed away, and the addition of ‘for a time’ meant something major happened. “Are you… willing to talk about it?”
Dusty looked away and didn’t answer for a bit. “Not… right now.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be here when you’re ready to tell me about it.”
I saw Dusty give a small smile. “Thank you, Sarius.” She turned to me. “Let’s get going.”
“Right.”
We continued down the road till we reached Fluttershy’s cottage and we saw her tending to the animals. She saw us and gave us a warm smile as we approached. “Sarius, Dusty. What’s with the sudden visit?”
“I came to check your progress on your power and Dusty wanted to come along.”
“Oh. I think I’ve gotten much better.” Fluttershy stopped what she was doing and turned to me. She then performed the technique I taught her almost flawlessly and created an Energtris Barrier. “What do you think?”
I smiled and gave her a thumbs up. “I think you did great. What about the other technique?”
Fluttershy lowered the barrier and raised a hoof hesitantly. “Um… I’m not sure.”
“It’s okay Fluttershy. I’m right here if something goes wrong.”
Fluttershy nods and points her hoof at a nearby tree. I could tell how hard she was focusing by the intense stare and groaning she was making. Eventually she made a small energy orb and it was a good minute before she released it. It hit the tree with a loud thud this time. She looked at me for approval.
I nodded. “Yup, that’s it. Good job. That’s my sister.”
Both Dusty and Fluttershy blinked with the former staring at me in confusion. The latter blushed a bit and smiled. “Wait, I thought Circe was your sister.” Dusty pointed out.
I looked at Dusty. “She is. But Fluttershy and I decided we’d treat each other like siblings.”
Dusty looked to Fluttershy for confirmation and Fluttershy nodded. “Okay. It’s still love at least.”
“Anyway, since you can do those two things and heal really well now, how about I help you learn to better manage your energy?”
“Is that something you can teach me?” Fluttershy asked.
“Well, I’m not exactly teaching you. More offering advice and ideas based on my experience. Whether or not they work for you, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Oh, okay. Before you do, would you mind helping me tend to my animal friends?”
“Of course not. Dusty?”
Fluttershy and I looked at Dusty. She looked away in slight embarrassment. “I suppose I could help… a bit.”
Circe was wandering around Ponyville since she had no idea where Twilight lived. It dawned on her that she wasn’t familiar with Ponyville a minute after walking out the front door. She couldn’t go back and ask her brother since it would be embarrassing to her. Typical sibling shtick. It didn’t help that her power was disabled due to her device breaking. She knew where Rarity and Rainbow Dash were, and the City Hall as well but for some reason she wanted to find Twilight’s home on her own. She didn’t understand why, maybe to prove to her brother she could find her way around a new world.
She stopped. ”Then again, it’s completely normal to ask a local where something is. So I’ll ask the closest pony.” She looked around and saw… no pony around. She deadpanned. ”Isn’t it the middle of the day? Where is everybody?” She saw a tree that had been turned into a home to her right. ”Well, the next best thing is knocking on someone’s door and asking the resident.”
She walked up to the door and knocked on it. She was surprised and relieved when Twilight was the one who answered the door. “Oh, hello Circe. I didn’t expect you so soon.”
“I know. But it turns out a device I made to extract cobalt essence from me broke, and the essence went back into me. So I’m depowered for a good few hours. As such, I decided to come visit you to see if I can learn how to use magic.”
Twilight gave Circe an examining gaze. “You do have horns. But dragons shouldn’t be able to use magic to my knowledge. Then again, you’re very different from normal dragons like your brother, so it’s possible.” Twilight nods. “Alright come on in. I’ll grab some old books about magic.”
Circe walked in and closed the door since Twilight immediately went to the book shelves. Circe made herself comfortable then Spike appeared next to her, almost out of thin air. “Care for some tea? I just made a batch.”
“Oh. Sure. I prefer cold tea, but I like hot tea as well.” Circe reached for the cup.
“Be careful the cup is hot.” Circe picked up the cup with ease and no sign of pain. “Oh… nevermind.”
Circe tilted her head. “What? Is it surprising that I can touch a hot cup without burning my claws?”
“N-no. It’s just-” Spike looked away in embarrassment. “-I still burn myself from time to time, and I’m a dragon too.”
Circe giggled which got the attention of Spike who looked at her in awe. “That’s normal. You are a baby dragon, correct?”
“I guess?” Spike asked, confused.
“How long have you had him for, Twilight?”
“Since I was a kid. I had to hatch a dragon egg to be admitted to magic school. The egg I hatched was his. If you want a rough estimate of time, I say 14 years.” Twilight answered as she grabbed a book from a shelf.
“Then yes, you are technically a baby dragon. So it’s normal for a baby dragon to get burns. Your scales haven’t matured yet. Though if I had to guess.” Circe took a close look at Spike who blushed a bit. “I’d say… you’re almost at the point where dragon infancy will end.”
Both Spike and Twilight looked shocked. Twilight stopped what she was doing to look at Circe. “Are you certain?”
Circe backed up a bit. “Not 100%, but yes. If dragons are the same in Equestria as they are in my world, then dragons are sure to start maturing from infancy to teen rapidly after 14 to 16 years.”
“But I’m already as smart as the adults in Ponyville.”
“That’s because dragons mature far more slowly than other creatures, and the transition between maturities is pretty fast. While a normal pony in this case would spend 8 to 10 years as a child, then 7 to 8 years as a teen before finally becoming an adult. Dragons mature really quickly at certain ages. At least, that’s according to my brother’s study. Unlike in Equestria, dragons, unicorns, and talking ponies are not common, and tend to be feared because they’re unknown entities. So it’s not like my brother can publish his studies to the world. It would quickly be considered farfetched. My two cents, I think dragons age at the same pace as everything else, just over a longer period due to longevity.” Circe realized she rambled. “Oh sorry. I tend to talk a lot about certain subjects.” She took a sip of the hot tea. “Ahh, that’s good. Tastes sweet.”
Twilight laughs. “It’s fine Circe. I’m used to getting my ear talked off by Pinkie. Besides, I enjoy talking about potential research topics.” Twilight grabbed another book before walking to sit down and handing Circe the books.
Circe put the cup down, grabbed a book, and started reading. The book started with the basics of magic control and potency, before going to a bit of the advanced stuff. Circe checked the cover and it read: “Magic for Beginners”. She looked at the other book and the cover read: “Magic for Experts”.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a book about magic mastery in my library but I’m sure there's some in Canterlot’s library.” Twilight gushed.
“That’s okay. Always best to start with the basics.”
Circe started reading through the beginner’s book at a fast pace, so fast it surprised both Twilight and Spike. Within half an hour Circe finished the book. She closed it and put it down. She then stared at something to help focus on channeling any magic she had. To her surprise, magic began to flow to her horns, causing them to glow bright blue. Twilight and Spike watched the display in complete awe. Circe looked for a random object and locked her eyes on a quill sitting on a desk. She focused on lifting it with magic and without delay it was lifted into the air.
Satisfied with the results, Circe lowered the quill down and turned off her magic, removing the glow from her horns. “Wow… I… Wow.” Twilight was at a loss for words right now.
“Yeah… I’m sort of a prodigy. I was always a fast reader and learner but since I became a Hybrid, I’m able to read insanely fast. So much so, I can’t really enjoy a regular novel.”
“Why don’t you read a lot slower?” Spike suggested.
Circe chuckled nervously. “Oh, I tried. But no…” Circe’s eyes then looked like a dead fish’s. “My mind developed a habit of reading really fast, and no matter what I try, I can’t break the habit.” Twilight and Spike stared at her with concern. Circe then smiled and her eyes returned to normal. “But it’s fine. I instead learned to tinker and work with machines and other things to help my brothers. It’s really fun for me.”
“That’s good to hear. Still, I’m amazed you learned the basics of magic so quickly.”
Circe scratched the back of her head. “Well, compared to learning how to use Energtris properly, literally everything is easier. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to control Energtris half the time.”
“If you’re able to do the same things your brother’s capable of, I believe you.”
“Yeah, though I have my own moves and techniques. Plus he’s had way more practice with Energtris. My other brother as well.”
“How long has he had that power compared to you?”
“About four years.”
“And the other brother?”
“Hmm. I don’t really know when exactly he got his power, but I would say under 3 years maybe. And before you ask, I’ve had my power for at least 2 years now.”
“So Sarius has had that power for 6 years basically?” Circe nodded. “Wow. He must be very experienced then.”
“Not quite. While 6 years is enough time to learn and potentially master most things, Energtris is not one of them.”
Twilight was piqued with curiosity. “Really? How so?”
“Well, I don’t know if my brother told you about our DNA father Asgorath, but he’s the literal creator of Energtris and it took him several million years to actually master it.”
Twilight’s and Spike’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Several million?! What kind of power is Energtris?”
“Energtris isn’t a power, it’s an energy source. The very first original energy source from which all other energy formed from. As such, Energtris has limitless uses. Mastery of Energtris is the equivalent of being omnipotent, so therefore it’s impossible to master in a single lifetime.”
“But I saw your brother in action. It was clear he was very experienced.” Twilight pointed out.
“That’s because he took our father’s words to heart. ‘Only master what suits you, and never stop learning new ways to use this power.’ Sarius mastered what he could do best, using Energtris for offense. While also mastering one defensive technique.”
“So what about you and your other brother?”
“I’m very good with support while my other brother is best at defense and countering.”
“I see. Since you and your brothers are good at different things, you’re meant to work as a team.”
Circe winked. “Yup, and we’re basically a nearly unstoppable team.”
“What’s he like?”
“Tirean? He’s very calm and collected, and very serious. Sometimes too serious. He’s still a nice guy though, he just has a stoney exterior.”
“So he has a heart of gold basically?” Spike asked.
“That’s one way to put it.” Circe said, half-truthfully.
“How would you put it then?”
“Exactly like you said. He has a heart of gold but it’s beneath another tough exterior.”
“How many tough exteriors does your brother have?”
“Only the two. He was trained to be an efficient assassin, so he learned to close his heart out to everyone and everything around him. Thankfully, Sarius and I were able to help him change that. But old habits die hard. It still takes a bit for him to trust anyone.”
“Sarius told us about that.”
“Something tells me you don’t really believe me.”
“No I do, though it is hard to believe the truth sometimes.”
“I promise you’ll understand when you see him.”
Circe’s eyes widened when she sensed something. “W-what’s wrong Circe?”
Circe then smiled. “He’s arrived. Much sooner than I thought he would too. I’m afraid I have to cut my visit short, Twilight. So I would like you to send books over to the mansion, starting with Magic for Experts.”
“Ah. In that case I’ll let you borrow that and Varieties of Magic, parts one through three. So you have some material to practice with.”
“I appreciate it, Twilight. Now I better head out quickly. I’m sure Sarius senses him too and I would rather not have those two be alone right now.”
“Why’s that?”
“Simple, they’re brothers with a rough history. So I’ll need to be a mediator.” Circe stands up. “I’ll come visit again soon.”
“You and your brothers are welcome anytime, Circe.”
Circe smiles as she quickly runs out and flies off.
Dusty and I were helping Fluttershy take care of her animals when I suddenly sensed something familiar. I stopped what I was doing and looked off into the distance. Fluttershy noticed.
“Something wrong, Sarius?”
“No. I just sense my brother. It’s time I leave. I’m leaving Dusty under your care Fluttershy.”
“Oh, okay. See you soon Sarius.”
Dusty looked like she wasn’t okay with the idea of being left alone with somepony else, but since it was Fluttershy she was relatively okay with it.
“I will be back soon Dusty.”
“I know. Just be careful.”
I smirked. “I’ll try.”
I spread my wings and took off. As I flew over Ponyville I saw Circe flying away from Twilight’s home. We then flew together towards the location we sensed our brother. We flew for a few minutes at mach 1 speeds. Once we flew over the area our brother was at, we circled around to survey the area. It was an average sized meadow with a few trees here and there. Finding our brother would have been easy but fortunately and unfortunately, our search was made way easier since we spotted a massive hydra attacking something. Once we came around to check it out, we immediately knew it was attacking Tirean who was simply on the defensive, most likely due to confusion and his sudden forced transformation.
Circe and I nodded before we flew off in different directions to approach the hydra. Three of its heads were reaching out to Tirean as Circe and I flew in from each side, and slammed into the two outer heads into the middle one, effectively dazing it. Circe and I kicked off the heads and sled to a stop next to Tirean. Tirean looked like he wasn’t having a good day.
“I was beginning to wonder where you two were. I assume we can thank Raynin for the welcome committee?” Tirean asked.
“Afraid so. Though something seems off.” I pointed out.
The hydra was quick to recover and charged at us. The three of us scattered to try and divide its attention which worked. The hydra’s heads snapped at each other when they tried to go after different targets. Thankfully that was all I needed to see to know what was off.
“I know what’s off. The hydra is much more aggressive. Something tells me Raynin stepped up his game a bit with that serum.” I shouted to my siblings, which unfortunately made all five heads decide to target me.
One head spewed poison at me, while it wouldn't affect me in the slightest, I avoided it on instinct. It was a good thing too apparently, since the poison started melting the ground I was standing on. Another head fired a breath of frost at me, I managed to jump out of the way but a third head fired a breath of fire at me. Which I was okay with since I was immune to fire, so I took the opportunity to fly into the fire stream. I swung my tail around to smack the head hard which caused the head to stop its attack. I saw Circe use her power over wind to send slashing waves of wind onto the hydra’s back. The cuts drew blood but they were quickly healing. Tirean came flying down to smash a giant slab of rock on top of the hydra, forcing it to lay on the ground in a bit of a daze.
“We need to neutralize the serum in its system. Any one of us can do it, but the other two will need to restrain the hydra.” Circe shouted.
“I’ll help hold it down.” Tirean said.
“I’ll restrain it as well. That means it’s up to you to neutralize the serum sis.”
“Got it.”
The hydra quickly got back up. Two of its heads shot out poison and frost at me, which I did my best to avoid. The other three attacked Tirean, shooting fire, lightning, and gas. Gas was first as it spread around Tirean. Tirean slammed his two front claws onto the ground creating a barrier of rock and earth in front of him as the fire came and hit the gas, igniting it and causing an explosion. The lightning hit the spot where Tirean was but with the dust from the explosion it was hard to tell if he was hit. When the dust cleared a dome of earth encased Tirean, protecting him from the explosion and the lightning bolt hit the barrier he erected earlier. The dome crumbled away and the earth that formed it quickly lunged forward to grab the hydra’s three heads, then pinning them to the ground.
I flapped my wings to start flying around the two heads attacking me. I focused my energy to my tail and started creating an energy line. I flew around the necks and the energy line forced them together, the energy was powerful enough to keep the heads binded. I then quickly flew under the hydra’s body to tie up two of its legs, while Tirean used chucks of earth to encase the other two. With the hydra restrained and busy trying to fight me and Tirean, Circe was able to sit on its back and use her energy to search the hydra’s body for traces of the serum.
Tirean and I thought we had it secured but to our surprise, the hydra began breaking out of Tirean’s restraints and overpowering my energy cable. One head got free of the earth and retaliated with a bolt of lightning at Tirean. It struck his back but he shrugged it off.
“Not only is it more aggressive, it’s strength is enhanced as well. How much longer Circe?”
“I found it but I’m having a tough time neutralizing it. I need a bit more time.” Circe said.
“Dang it. We won’t be able to restrain it for very long thanks to its absurd strength.” Tirean commented.
“We’ll think of something. We just need to keep its attention away from our sister.”
Tirean punched the ground with one claw and caused a pillar of earth to shoot up and slam down onto the freed hydra head. The impact was loud and clear enough to hear its skull getting rattled, almost cracking. So it was plainly obvious the head was out cold, but the other two heads broke free. The gas head spewed out gas while the fire head was getting ready to ignite it. I flew around to the head as it shot fire, taking the full hit and using an energy shield to ensure none of the fire touched the gas to ignite it. I reached out and grabbed the upper and lower jaw and forced its mouth closed. This also forced it to stop breathing fire. I then uppercut the head, did a forward spin and swung my back claw down onto its snout hard, causing the head to fly down and collide with the ground. Effectively knocking it out.
The gas head moved towards me and opened its mouth. As its jaws closed I caught two of its teeth and the base of its lower jaw with my back claws, keeping its mouth open. I could smell the gas and it was terrible, but then highly flammable gas never smells pleasant. I could see the two heads I lassoed with energy broke free and they both came after me. One head could easily bite my tail and start stretching me out, and making me lose my grip. Thankfully I didn’t have to worry about that as Tirean flew up and punched one of the heads square in the forehead, dazing it. Then he raised his wings, pressed the claws together and slammed the head down to the ground, knocking it out. The last head then took advantage of Tirean finishing an attack to shoot a stream of acid at him. He was barely able to block it with his wings, as the acid coats his entire body.
“Tirean!!!” I yelled in horror.
I thought I was gonna watch my brother melt away but it didn’t happen. I was surprised to see the acid was indeed burning his scales due to the steam, but it wasn’t completely affecting his scales. Tirean just shook it off.
“Wait what? You’re resistant to acid?”
“Yes. Remember I’m more like an earth or metal dragon. So naturally my scales are incredibly tough and durable. So much so, not even acid can affect me. Now how long are you gonna let that head harass you with bad breath?
I pulled on the upper jaw and forced the mouth closed, making sure to move my back feet, then I did a forward flip and hit the back of my foot right in between the hydra’s eyes. Then I raised a claw and fired an energy pulse that pushed me, and the head down to the ground, knocking it out.
“You’re still being bossy as usual.”
The last head decided not to attack either me or Tirean but Circe who was trying to neutralize the serum in the hydra’s body. It fired a stream of acid at Circe. I was the only one fast enough to intercept the attack. I took the full brunt of the acid stream. Immediately, I felt the scales all over my body burn, and my wings weren’t spared, the webbing was melting and burning. I could only imagine what my body looked like right now. The pain was excruciating, causing me to yell in pain.
“You idiot!!” I heard Tirean yell as he slammed his wings claws down onto the hydra’s head. The head was knocked to the ground. All the heads were effectively rendered unconscious. I fell to the ground, since the wing webbing was quickly melting. I could feel the skin under my scales were becoming exposed now.
Circe finished the cleansing and immediately rushed to me. She created some hot water and a wind current, then proceeded to clean the acid off of me. Once she cleaned it all off, my skin was exposed in several places, and my wing webbing was completely gone.
Tirean suddenly headbutted me causing Circe to start freaking out. “You’re such an idiot! Why did you take the hit, knowing full well this would happen?”
“I’m sorry… I was the only one fast enough to get between the hydra head and Circe.”
“You really believe I wouldn’t be fast enough? You clearly don’t realize how fast I can be. Just because my dragon body type is more for defense, doesn’t mean I lack speed.”
“I realize that, I just acted without thinking. I had to protect our sister.”
“You don’t need to do everything on your own, brother.”
“He’s right, Sarius. We want to protect you just as much as you want to protect us. So please, don’t get yourself hurt trying to protect us.”
I look down. “I know, but you know I would rather have myself hurt than let others be hurt.”
“Of course we know. Again, we feel the same way bro.”
Tirean sighs. “Regardless, did you get all of it sister?”
Circe nodded. “Pretty sure. Sorry it took a little longer than needed. I just recovered from having my power shut down and the serum was stronger than usual.”
“Stronger you say.” I look at the hydra. “I realized the serum made the hydra more aggressive and possibly stronger, but the fact that the serum itself was stronger…” Circe frowned. “It means Raynin is stepping up his game. We need to find him before he creates something worse than this serum variation.”
“Easier said than done. We’ve been trying to capture him for two years and never got close.” Tirean grimaced.
“He was always two steps ahead of us. But we have an advantage here.” I said.
“And that is?” Tirean questioned.
“He lacks the technology and resources he had access to back in our world. Plus I don’t doubt he has a body like the ponies, something he’s not used to.”
“True but the fact he was able to do this to a hydra, means he’s still just as dangerous.” Circe pointed out.
“Speaking of the hydra. I know my knowledge of mythos is rusty, but is a hydra capable of using those breath attacks?”
I shook my head. “Lightning and ice, not a chance. Fire and poison, certainly. Gas is possible too but unlikely in most cases. And the poison wasn’t poison but acid. I don’t think that’s possible for hydras.”
“Is it possible it was because of the serum?” Tirean asked.
“No. The serum simply made it stronger and more aggressive. It didn’t affect the hydra’s abilities to use different breath attacks. Its abilities were enhanced in a different way.” Circe answered.
“And what way is that sis?” I inquired.
“My guess; magic.”
“Magic. Is there a spell or magical power that can do that?” Tirean asked.
“In our world, maybe. But this world thrives on magic so I don’t doubt it’s entirely possible. I just started learning the basics of magic but from reading the book Twilight gave me, I can tell how versatile and powerful the magic here can be.”
“Who’s Twilight?” Tirean asked.
“You’ll see Tirean.”
“Very well. So as it stands, we defeated a hydra that was physically stronger and more aggressive, thanks to Raynin’s serum, and can use breath attacks not normally possible thanks to magic enhancement. That about right?” Circe and I nodded. “Which means we’re not only dealing with Raynin, but a magic user as well.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Raynin is working together with this magic user.”
The sound of movement was heard and we all turned in unison towards it, taking battle stances to see the hydra getting up. The expression on its heads was pure confusion and a bit of fear. It looked at us and started backing away. We noticed it was scared so we calmed ourselves as I approached the hydra slowly. It instinctively backed up more but I made a shushing noise to try and calm it down.
“It’s okay. We won’t hurt you. We know you weren’t yourself.” I stopped and started giving off a calming aura to help calm it down.
It seemed to work as one of its heads slowly came down to my level. I reached out slowly to pet it and it reluctantly let me. As I petted its snout, I could sense its fear disappear. I smiled. One of the heads reached down to Circe and she petted it as well. A third head tried to reach down to Tirean but Tirean turned his head to show he wasn’t interested in petting it.
“Now what made you so scared huh?” I asked but I knew the hydra wasn’t gonna just up and talk. So I tried something new with my energy, something that I had a doubt would work.
I used my energy to softly probe the hydra’s minds and enter its memories. At first I wasn’t getting anywhere, but I kept at it. Eventually I was able to see the hydra’s memories from its point of view. I saw me and Tirean fighting it, and its vision was nearly red, supposedly from anger and rage induced by the serum. I started rewinding the memories. The whole fight was rewound, then I saw it chasing down Tirean, before that I saw it wake up in the meadow. From there it was a blank, until I saw a very dark and big room. It was here where the red vision was kicking in, meaning this was shortly after the injection. I went rewound further and saw Raynin approaching the hydra with a look of pure anger, and could feel the fear the hydra felt.
“Yeah, I’ve seen that look of anger before. I don’t blame you for being scared of that.”
I saw what I wanted confirmed but I figured I should go back further. Afterall it was captured so maybe I could see who captured it and how. So I rewound the memory further. The scene changed from a large dark room to a jungle or forest. What I saw next was quite surprising. The hydra was actually fighting off a group. Each member of the group was different in that, no two were the same species. First, I saw a minotaur, then a dragon the size of an average human, a griffon, a bipedal dog, then a pony. It was hard to make out the details due to the fact it was a fight, but I did see that the pony looked like a unicorn with a dark gray mane. Satisfied with the results I pulled myself back to reality. The hydra head I was petting was looking at me, as if it knew I was probing its memories.
“Sorry for not asking for permission.” I apologized.
It made a soft grunt. Thanks to my knowledge of animal language, it basically said ‘Just ask next time’.
I smiled and nodded. “I will from now on. Thank you.”
The hydra head nodded and pulled its heads away then slowly walked off towards a nearby forest.
Circe walked up to me. “What did you do without permission?”
I turned to her. “I looked into its memories.”
“Oh wow. That’s my bro. So what did you see?”
“Well firstly I should point out that I think the hydra let me do that.”
Circe was a bit surprised. “How could you tell?”
“It could have resisted me and kept me out, but it didn’t. It’s not that hard to resist mind probing, it’s just nearly impossible to stop it when someone actually tries their hardest. And I wasn’t trying to force myself into its memories. As for what I saw, well it’s no surprise that Raynin did inject it with the serum. But I was able to go back further before it was captured.”
“And who captured it?” Tirean inquired.
“A group. What was strange about this group is out of the five I saw, no two were the same species.”
“Interesting.”
“I saw a minotaur, a dragon that was human sized, a griffon, a bipedal dog, and a unicorn with a dark gray mane. They were fighting the hydra.”
“Do you happen to know any of them, bro?” Circe asked.
I shook my head. “I haven’t seen anything other than ponies, a couple griffons, Spike, the Celestial Sisters, and Chrysalis. However I have a good guess who the unicorn is.”
“Who?” Tirean asked.
“He calls himself Nelkanth.”
Circe pouted. “He’s the same jerk who tried to capture me!”
“You were almost captured?!” Tirean asked with surprise.
“Unfortunately yes. He put me in a cobalt cage while I was out from interdimensional travel. Thankfully Sarius and his new girlfriend, Luna, saved me.”
“I told you, we aren’t dating yet!” I retorted.
Tirean shook his head as if he was disappointed in me. “I understand you have Kalia’s permission to have a polygamy, but to think you would actually pursue it.”
“Shut it bro!” He gave me a smirk. “Anyway, Nelkanth is not to be underestimated. He’s a lot stronger and experienced than he lets on.”
“Had a run in with him I take it.”
“Twice.”
“Hmph. That’s one too many times.” Tirean said in a mocking tone.
“You wouldn’t be mocking me if you faced him yourself.”
“Sarius is right, bro. I saw the fight myself. Nelkanth matched Sarius blow for blow and was able to keep up with him. Honestly, if Princess Luna wasn’t there to help, I wouldn’t be here.”
Tirean looked at Circe then back at me. “He’s really that strong?” I nodded. “Very well. If Circe agrees with you then I’ll believe it.”
I give him an unamused face. “Really? You won’t take my word for it, but when our sister agrees with me you will?”
Tirean closes his eyes and slightly turns his head from me. “You tend to over exaggerate things.”
I stare at him with a dumbfounded look while Circe sighs. “How are you gonna be able to fly back, Sarius?”
My expression returned to normal as I looked at Circe. “Oh that’s easy.”
The Crystals materialize around me as I focus on increasing my healing factor to semi-high levels. High enough that the wing webbing started slowly regenerating and my scales started regrowing. The regeneration picked up speed quickly, restoring my wings to normal in minutes and every spot where the acid hit was covered with scales again. This took about 10 percent of my energy to do, which was returned to me by the Crystals. The Crystals were then reabsorbed into my body.
“I always keep forgetting that our healing factors are adjustable.” Circe pointed out.
“Only because you don’t fight that much.” Tirean retorted.
“Now let’s go home. We have to figure out what we need to do.”
“We’ll follow your lead, Sarius.” Circe said.
I turned around and started flapping my wings. Tirean did the same while Circe floated off the ground. The three of us started flying back to Ponyville. In the distance, someone had watched the events unfold.
The three of us made it back to the mansion with little trouble, though my wing webbing was a bit chilled since I just regrew it all. I opened the front door and we walked inside.
“Unfortunately, there’s only two bedrooms that are furnished.” I said with an ashamed tone.
“It’s not like I need a bed to sleep.” Tirean remarked.
“True, but I still feel bad about it.” I retorted. “Anyway, let’s go to my room to talk.”
They followed me to my room then I closed the doors once we were in. My senses were on alert for one reason; I was expecting Pinkie Pie to suddenly materialize here since Tirean was here. She did that not too long after Circe first arrived here, so I have no doubt she’ll do it again with Tirean. I had to be ready to stop her.
“So what do you know so far, Sarius?” Tirean asked, getting straight to the point like usual.
“Not that much I’m afraid, but it’s something Kasulis-”
Before I could finish Tirean’s tail shifted to a blade and had it pressed against my neck. He had a serious look in his eyes. “Are you in control or is he?”
“Oh right… I forgot to tell you.” I scratched the back of my head.
“Tell me what?” Tirean demanded.
“Sarius and Kasulis worked things out finally. Kasulis is no longer an enemy, brother.” Circe answered with concern.
Tirean didn’t move his head but he looked at Circe for a second. “Is that true, Sarius?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Are you certain this isn’t a trick?”
I suddenly felt myself lose control. “Bro! I’m not the type to play tricks like that and you know it!” Kasulis yelled in irritation.
Tirean was a bit shocked. “So, you show yourself.”
“Only because you’re being so uptight and annoyingly persistent that I’m evil incarnate. I assure you I’m not. I sensed the real thing.” Both Circe and Tirean stared at Kasulis in disbelief. “Now will you lower your tail so Sarius can finish?”
Tirean reluctantly lowered his tail and it shifted back to normal. “Very well. But I’m watching you, Kasulis.”
Kasulis rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah. Though I advise you not to keep watch over me 24/7. You might not see the real threat before it’s too late that way.”
I regain control and sigh. “Thank you for getting him riled up to the point of forcibly switching places with me.”
“Then perhaps he shouldn’t have caused so much trouble when he was around. That way I wouldn’t be on guard”
“Or maybe, you could learn to loosen up and not be so cautious and on guard around your family, you son of a-”
“Sarius! Don’t insult mom like that!” Circe yelled.
I bit my tongue realizing I was about to call our mother a female dog in heat. I sigh and take a deep breath. “Look, the three of us only have each other now. So if you can’t trust us and relax around us, then I’m sorry, but there’s no hope for you.”
Tirean goes quiet for a minute. “It’s not that I don’t trust my siblings, it’s just…”
“Your assassin training made you naturally cautious by nature. We know.”
“I’ll try to ‘loosen up’ but I can’t promise anything.”
Circe smiles.
A gasp is heard as Pinkie suddenly appears from under my bed. “Oh my gosh! There’s another new dragon in Ponyville. Two new dragons in one day. I need to-”
I press my claws against her lips to stop her. “Pinkie Pie.”
She smiles as I remove my claw. “Yup, that’s me.”
“I know you’re excited, but perhaps you should hold off on throwing another party today and instead wait for tomorrow?”
Pinkie gasps like I just said something bad. “Why would you say that?”
“Think of everypony else, Pinkie. You already threw a party today for Circe, so I’m sure everypony is tired and wants to rest. Hence why you should wait until tomorrow.”
She taps her chin with her hoof in thought. “Hmm. You do have a point.” She goes quiet for a few brief seconds. “Okay. Tomorrow then.” She’s about to vanish into thin air again but I stop her, by grabbing her mane. “Ow hey.”
“One more thing.”
“Yeeesssss?”
“Please remember to use the front door and knock. Suddenly appearing in rooms like this will cause someone a heart attack or you’ll see things you’ll wish you didn’t see. You’ll thank me later.”
“Okie Dokie Loki.” She comes out from under my bed and hops to the door. She opens it with her mane and continues hopping out the door. “Did you want me to close the door?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Okay.” She resumes bouncing away. We heard the front open and close. The room was quiet for a couple minutes as we stared at the open doorway.
Tirean turned his attention back to us. “Anyway-”
Circe’s eyes widened. “Hold up! You’re not even gonna question that?!”
Tirean stared straight into her eyes unblinking. “Nope.”
Circe looked like she was about to lose it again. “Circe, what did I tell you?” Circe groaned. “Anyway, I was about to tell you guys what Kasulis noticed. But before I tell you, I should get you two caught up on what I've been through so far.”
I spent an hour retelling the events I went through since getting here. I gave as much detail as possible and even shared what Kasulis and I talked about, as well as told them about the dream premonition I saw being the last thing. Circe shivered at that while Tirean gritted his teeth.
“Extinction huh…” Tirean muttered. “Going by what you described seeing, I don’t doubt it.”
“And it’s not this world that will be wiped out, but all of Reality.” Circe added.
“That’s why we have to find out what this being is and stop them. But we barely have anything to go by.”
“Got any ideas where to start?” Circe inquired.
“Two. We know there has to be a connection between Raynin and Nelkanth. I can’t guarantee we’ll find out anything about this being by investigating that connection but we need to take care of Raynin as quickly as possible.” Both Tirean and Circe nodded in agreement. “The second idea is dangerous. Kasulis knows exactly where he felt this presence. One of us can go there to investigate.”
“Do you have a map?” Tirean asked. I just stare at him. “....Are you serious right now?”
“Hey, I told you I was busy. I was thrust into this world when there was a battle going on, so I naturally helped out. And you know where that led. I haven’t had the chance or time to ask the fundamental stuff.”
Tirean placed his claw on his snout. A piece of parchment suddenly landed in between us, catching our attention. I immediately looked over to the door to see Dusty standing there. “Here’s a map.”
Tirean quickly turned his head towards Dusty. “So you must be Chrysalis?”
Dusty instinctively froze up. “Relax Dusty. This is Tirean, my brother. He may not seem like it but he’s very trustworthy.”
Dusty relaxed a bit. Tirean smirked. “I must say though, the fact you snuck up on us is quite a feat, ‘Dusty’. Especially me.”
“Changelings are quite stealthy, Tirean. Afterall we can turn ourselves into virtually anything.”
“Noted. Now-” Tirean opened the map. “-Kasulis, tell us where it is.” I felt Kasulis take control briefly to look at the map and point it out. Tirean raised an eyebrow. “Are you trying to be funny?”
Thankfully Kasulis was allowing me to see what he was pointing at… which was the right edge of the map. I understood why Tirean was confused, cause so was I. “No. I’m pointing here because I don't know the layout of the planet. Do you really expect me to show you the location on a map of a world I don’t know?”
Tirean groans. “Alright, then how about you tell us which way it is and how far?”
Kasulis closed his eyes. Since he was sensing the evil entity, I could sense it too. And it felt eerily familiar for some reason. “East. I would say about… 30 miles.”
Tirean, Circe, and I were almost shocked. “30 miles?! Manhattan is not even half that long.”
“Are you referring to Manehattan? It certainly isn’t.” Dusty pointed out.
“Wait, Manehattan?” Circe asked with confusion.
“Yes.”
“I’m talking about Manhattan.”
“I’m certain Manehattan is Equestria’s version of Manhattan, Circe. When I went on that escort assignment, we went to a city called Balitmare.”
“Oh. Well still. 30 miles is quite a short distance.”
“Dusty where is Griffinstone located?”
“Griffinstone. It’s across the Celestial Sea to the east. In fact it’s right across the water from Fillydelphia. Why do you ask?”
“I believe the location is somewhere past Griffinstone, to the northeast of it.”
“Then I’ll be sure to check it out tomorrow after Pinkie’s party.” Tirean said.
“Be careful out there. We have no idea what this entity is capable of.”
“Just to add to it, the ponies don’t have much information or knowledge of things beyond Griffinstone. So asking around will do little good.” Dusty added.
“What about the Celestial Sisters?” Kasulis inquired.
“They might know something but I wouldn’t count on it.”
“So what do we do in the meantime brothers?” Circe asked.
“For now, Tirean needs to get accustomed to the area and you both need to get accustomed to this world.”
“And what about you?” Circe asked.
“I’m not sure.”
A knock was then heard at the front door. We got up and walked over to it. I opened it to see Morning Dew in his gold clad armor. “Afternoon Sarius, and I take it these two are your siblings?”
I turned to them. “Yes. Circe and Tirean Trusdale.”
I could swear I saw Circe’s pupils become hearts. “Wow, what a hunk.”
I deadpanned. “He’s taken Sis.”
Circe had a look of shock, followed by a pout. “Aww.”
Dew simply chuckled. “I will say I’m flattered that Sarius’ sister fancies me. But unfortunately I’m here to fetch Sarius for Princess Celestia.”
“Oh?” I asked while turning towards Dew.
“I’m afraid I can’t spare any details.”
“Alright.” I turn back to Dew. “Teleport us straight to her.”
He nodded and his horn lit up. With a poof, he and I appeared right in front of Celestia and Luna. I was a bit shocked to see Luna. Celestia looked at me but didn’t give me a warm smile like usual. Instead it was a strained frown, like something was deeply bothering her.
“Hello dear Sarius. I hate to say this isn’t a social invitation.”
“I kinda figured from your face and the tension in the air. So what’s up?”
Luna sighed. “We have received news recently that Galedon, the current griffon king… was murdered.”
My eyes widened. “What?! Who did it?”
Luna and Celestia exchanged glances. “We’ve been told… you did.”
A diamond dog walks into the massive chamber where Nelkanth is standing by. Nelkanth doesn’t look at him. “Report.”
“The Triplets were able to defeat the enhanced Hydra. Sarius sustained heavy injury from the Hydra’s acid but used something to quickly heal the damage.” The dog spoke with a weird accent.
“I see. Did they kill it?”
“No, they cleansed it somehow and let it go.”
“I should have figured. Raynin was right, they are too soft.”
“Another failure.” Raynin said as he entered. “Despite the enchantments you made, Nelkanth, I expected it.”
Nelkanth looked at Raynin. “Then what’s your next big move?”
“I need to work on it, unless you can round up something stronger than a hydra?”
“There are plenty of things stronger than a hydra, but far too dangerous to mess with.”
“Oh? You have piqued my curiosity.”
“I recommend you don’t get involved in such things. Trust me when I say, some things are better off buried and forgotten.”
“Noted. Now I have work to do and things to look into now.” Raynin turned and left.
Nelkanth sighed. “Stubborn fool. I tried to warn him.” Nelkanth turned to Glida who was nearby, sharpening her blade. “Did you succeed in killing your king?”
Glida stopped to glare at him. “You want the truth?”
Nelkanth narrowed his eyes. “I want nothing else.”
Glida sighed and shrugged. “Then no. I failed.”
The diamond dog barked in annoyance. “You had one job.”
Glida shot a death glare at the dog. “Shut it mutt! Don’t be so quick to judge me.”
“How did you fail?” Nelkanth asked in an eerily calm tone. Glida started to sweat a bit. “When I went to perform the assassination, he was gone.”
“Did you tell anyone?”
“Of course not, besides the griffins couldn’t care less.”
“Then explain how the king could escape.”
“I don’t know but at the very least the king is no longer an issue. There isn’t much he can do anyway.”
Nelkanth sighed. “We’ll deal with him later then.” Nelkanth whistled, causing a group of various individuals from different species to emerge. “For now, we prepare for the next part of the plan.” Nelkanth smiled.
I just stood there in absolute shock and utterly speechless. I mean, what could I say? Galedon was dead and I was being blamed. This was not something I needed nor wanted. Celestia and Luna traveled to the outskirts of Baltimare just to negotiate with him. I just came along as an escort. I was someone the sisters barely knew but trusted, so it’s enough to suspect they were behind it as well.
“We know you didn’t do it, Sir Sarius.” Luna spoke up, seemingly sensing my distress.
I blinked and managed to get my thoughts back in order. “What was the purpose of telling you, other than to inform you of a fellow ruler’s death?”
Celestia sighed while Luna gritted her teeth. “They made a demand. Either we hand you over to the griffins or they’ll go to war with Equestria.” Celestia answered.
Once again I was shocked. “What?!”
“Do not worry, Sir Sarius. We will not let them have you. Or at least, I won’t.” Luna spoke with a stamp of her hoof.
I pursed my lips. “I truly appreciate it, Luna. But I refuse to let you go to war just to defend me. It’s the last thing I would want.”
Celestia waved her hoof. “Now now. I assure you that is not our intention. I have a solution.”
My eyes lit up with hope. “Really?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes. The griffins gave us three days to hand you over, so Luna and I decided we’ll call for a council meeting before the allotted time.” Luna huffed. It seemed she didn’t like the idea for some reason.
“A council meeting huh? Will they accept though?”
“I assure you, Sir Sarius. This is not something that can be ignored nor denied if multiple parties agree to it. This way, we’ll settle the matter about you and the accusation as well as make negotiations with the other nations.”
“That sounds good. When is it being held?”
“Two days time. We already sent out the notice. We should be hearing from the leaders soon.”
“Mind telling me how the council meeting is gonna go?”
“Of course. The leaders of each nation will decide whether to accept or not, and if enough accept then all the leaders will need to show up regardless if they accepted or not. Each leader will need at least 2 attendants and 2 guards with them. Luna and I are a special case, since we rule Equestria together, we can bring up to 6 attendants each and only require two guards. I will be bringing the Element Bearers.”
“And I will be bringing you and your siblings, Sir Sarius.” Luna added.
“Is it okay if I brought along a fourth?”
Luna looked at me with curious eyes. “I’m not sure why you want that, but sure. Who is it?”
“It’s Dusty Homage.”
“Ah, your maid. I don’t understand why you would want her to come along but very well.”
“Yumi and I will be their guards.” Morning Dew said.
“Naturally. Couldn’t ask for better guards.” Celestia said with a smile.
Dew smiled back and rubbed the back of his head. “Please, your highness. You’ll make me blush with those compliments.” Celestia giggled.
“This will also allow you to get acquainted with Equestria and its inhabitants.” Celestia added.
“That is a plus. My sister will want to get to know the cultures and history, while my brother will be interested in the geology of the land.”
“Then I suggest that Tirean get to know the Diamond Dogs. They are miners and study the gems of Equestria. They will certainly have knowledge about the geology of Equestria.” Celestia suggested.
“Thanks for the info, Celestia. I hope everything works out for us. I don’t want a war started over something I supposedly did.”
“It really doesn’t add up, does it?” Celestia inquired with a straight face. “The only one’s present at the negotiation were the guards Luna and I selected, you, Galedon and the guards he selected. Luna and I trust the guards we selected and you, and I’m certain Galedon trusted his guards. Galedon was a good king who did his best to help his kin during their worst time. As far as I know, he was respected so who would want to murder him and for what purpose? No matter how I try to think about it, it doesn’t make sense.”
I place a claw on my chin, thinking about the different possibilities and scenarios. “Hmm, the best possible conclusion I can come to, is that his murder was orchestrated.”
This got the attention of the only three ponies in the room. “Orchestrated you say? What makes you come to that conclusion, Sir Sarius?”
“Well, as Celestia stated, he was respected since he was doing his best for his kin. But that doesn’t mean every griffin was okay with him. Perhaps one decided to off him and put the blame on me. It’s a long shot but maybe it’s one of the guards that Galedon brought with him. I mean, who else will know who to put the blame on? There’s also the fact they know I’m associated with Equestria. As for the purpose behind it, I wouldn’t be able to figure it out. The best thing I can come up with is, they either really want to go to war against Equestria and need a good reason, or since I’m an unknown factor to them they’ll want to have me executed or converted. Again it’s a long shot so don’t hold me to my word until we have concrete evidence.”
Luna, Celestia, and Dew looked at me in surprise, though I mistook it for shock. “I’m not suspecting anyone or anything, just stating what’s on my mind. That’s all.” I added to try and defend myself.
Luna shook her head. “Nopony is thinking that, Sir Sarius. It’s just surprising you came to those conclusions.” Celestia nodded her head in agreement.
“My mother watched a lot of murder mysteries.” I chuckled.
“It certainly shows.” Dew agreed.
I just deadpan at him for a few seconds. “So, is that all you have to report, princesses?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes.”
“Alright. Before I go, I do have something to report as well.” Celestia and Luna perked up, obviously interested in what I had to say. “As you probably already know, my brother is in Equestria. Circe and I helped him fend off a berserk hydra.”
“Was it Raynin’s doing?” Luna asked.
“Afraid so. I can only suspect that a hydra is the worst he can throw at us, hopefully it is. Now I managed to extract information from the hydra.” Celestia, Luna, and Dew raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t torture it nor extract information forcefully. I merely looked into its memories. It was captured by a group, each member was of a different race, and Nelkanth was involved as well.”
Celestia had a serious expression when Nelkanth was mentioned. “You did mention that Raynin might be cooperating with Nelkanth. I expected Nelkanth to have a group backing him, I find it hard to believe that just two ponies can capture the likes of a manticore and a hydra.”
“Nelkanth is strong and experienced, Celestia. Make no mistake. He was able to keep me occupied. If Luna didn’t show up, I wouldn’t have been able to save Circe. At least not through brute force. I probably could have saved her if I made a wiser approach, but something tells me making a wiser approach wouldn’t work either.”
“He is right, sister. I saw it myself and I also sparred with Sir Sarius so I know how strong he is. The fact Nelkanth was able to match and keep up with Sir Sarius is concerning.”
Celestia took a sip from her tea cup. I won’t lie when I say I didn’t even notice she had one next to her. “Did you see who was in the group, Sarius?”
“I can’t give names obviously but I saw a minotaur, a human sized dragon and most humans are around five feet, a griffon, a bipedal dog, and most importantly Nelkanth.”
Celestia let that sink in for a bit. “I see. Do you think that’s the whole group? Be honest with me.”
I shook my head. “I doubt it. Nelkanth seems like the leader type, so I have no doubt he is most likely the head of a squad, and five individuals don’t make a squad.”
Celestia smiles. “You’re quite a fascinating individual, Sarius Trusdale. You truly are full of surprises.” Luna gave her sister a warning glare. Celestia giggled. “Oh relax Lulu. I don’t plan to steal him away from you. I’m just saying it’s nice to have somepony like him around.”
“Thank you, Celestia, that means a lot. I better get going since my siblings and I have a lot to do.”
“Of course. You’re free to go, just remember in two days time we may very well be attending a council meeting.”
“I won’t forget, thanks for all that you did.”
I took my leave, the thought of Galedon’s death weighing on me. He seemed like a benevolent ruler only wanting to do what’s best for his people, so the fact he was killed possibly by his own kin was shocking to say the least. I exited the castle and began my flight back to the mansion. I thought about what Celestia and Luna said, about the council. I was certainly curious about what kind of races were in Equestria, since there were no humans to be seen and I always loved mythological things and creatures. Though the group I saw in the hydra’s memory was really concerning. What I told Celestia and Luna wasn’t a lie, I had a feeling there were more members of that group that didn’t participate in capturing the hydra. Not to mention the high amounts of negativity that Kasulis sensed. Just what was going on here?
I was almost lost in my thoughts when I arrived at the mansion. I opened the door and was greeted by my sister with a hug. “I’m glad you’re back bro. How did it go?” All she had to do was take one look at my face to understand. “That bad huh?”
“It wasn’t bad, just bad news.” I saw Tirean walk into view. “Turns out the griffin king Galedon is dead.”
Circe gasped while Tirean raised his eyebrow. “By Asgorath. Here I thought murder didn’t happen with the amount of positivity in the air.”
“Tell me about it, but it’s a thing apparently.” I agreed.
“Who killed him?” Tirean asked, straight to the point as always.
“Me for some reason.” Circe and Tirean both gave me weird looks. “I obviously didn't.”
“Then I’m assuming you have a list of suspects?” Tirean questioned.
“Not a list pre-say, but I have some ideas. The peace talk was broken down thanks to Nelkanth and while the Equestrian side had no hard bearings towards Galedon, the griffin side I don’t think agreed. Especially one griffin in particular. A griffin by the name of Gilda. She gave me a rough time and tried to argue with me. She even would have fought me if Galedon didn’t hold her back.”
“So you think Gilda killed Galedon?”
“Most likely. I don’t know why but there had to be a reason for it.”
“What are the sisters doing about your accusation?”
“They’re holding a council meeting in two days. The four of us are going with them. There, we’ll be able to work out a solution to Galedon’s murder case, hopefully. We’ll also be able to meet the different races of this world so it’ll be fun. Tirean, Celestia suggested you get to know the Diamond Dogs as they’re miners and are familiar with the geology of the world. And I know you’ll be interested to know about the different cultures and histories of this world, Circe.”
Tirean, who didn’t always show interest in many things, showed a slight amount of curiosity to that suggestion. While Circe was just really giddy about learning more about Equestria and its inhabitants. I noticed Dusty walking out with a confused look. “You said four. Does that not include… me by any chance.”
I shook my head. “Afraid not. You’re coming with us. You used to be Queen of the Changelings so you might know some of the individuals we’ll meet and give us information about them.” I can see Dusty was already getting nervous about this. “Don’t worry, we’ll stay by your side the whole time.”
“That doesn’t help much, Sarius.” Dusty answered honestly.
“Yeah, I know.” I look at Tirean. “We got time so you can investigate the mass of negativity to the east.” I then turn to Circe. “As for you, you can get started on the shadow lock.”
“I might still have one left over from back when we had to deal with Scáth. Maybe that would work.”
“Possibly, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
“That lock was designed to counteract her Energtris power if needed.”
“True, but here everything is more magic based instead. So you’ll have to make tweaks to account for magic energy.”
“Oh right. You got a point. I’ll see what I can do. And what will you do?”
“Good question.” I said it with a Scottish accent while pointing an index claw at Circe.
Circe just stared at me with an unamused expression. “Do you have to act like Shrek when you say that?”
“No.” I said in my normal voice. “But it’s fun. Anyway, I’m tempted to visit Griffinstone to see if Galedon really is dead, but that may just land me in a trap. I’ll instead go check what’s going on in Ponyville today. It’s something I can do at least.”
“Fair enough.”
“Does Kasulis know where I’ll be going other than a general direction?” Tirean asked.
I hold up a single claw, then nod. “He says he sees an empty fortress in the distance and there’s a giant hole in front of him. That’s it.”
“An empty fortress, eh? I might look into that tomorrow as well. For today, I’ll just get my bearings around the town.” Tirean added.
“Be mindful of your surroundings, bro.”
“Of course, I’m not like you in that regard.”
“Ha ha.”
Tirean chuckles. “Well, I’m off then. I’ll be back before nightfall.”
“Oh before curfew huh. Good on ya.”
Tirean just gave me a deadpan look before leaving and flying off. Circe has already taken the shadow lock out of the pd and was examining it. “I believe I can modify this to resonate with magic. I just need to study how magic works in this reality, and I already got started with learning how to use magic. So it should only be a matter of time before I figure out how magic works on the fundamental level. I’ll get started on reading those books Twilight lent me.”
“Have fun with that, Circe.”
“I will. I’m glad I get to use these antlers for something other than looking pretty with them.”
I smile before leaving Circe with her day of reading about magic. As I left the mansion I saw Applebloom running to town with AppleJack following her. I decided to follow them from a distance. Sweetie Belle and Scootalo joined them as they went to the train station. I sat in the nearby tree and watched the events unfold. With my hearing I heard everything, the filly they picked up was Babs Seed, a cousin of Applebloom and had no Cutie Mark like the CMC. I simply watched the events of the day unfold. It made me upset that Babs was tricked into being a bully to the CMC by two bullies named Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. This was my first time seeing the two but I knew right from first glance that they were bullies. Plus they were rich brats too so that adds to it. In the end though Babs saw the error of her ways and stood up to the two bullies. It turned out Babs was bullied in Manehatten for not having a Cutie Mark much like the CMC, making this whole scenario ironic, which Sweetie Belle made very clear.
I took the opportunity to show myself which surprised everypony. “It sometimes is Sweetie Belle.” Babs was shocked and a bit terrified to see me, naturally. But she calmed down when the others didn’t scream or run for the hills.
“Sarius.” Sweetie Belle said with a cute squeak. Both she and Applebloom blushed a bit. “Were you watching the whole time?”
“Yeah. Sorry for that. I would have stepped in but everything worked out and if I did no one would have learned a lesson. Which is what’s most important after all.” I then looked at Babs who flinched a bit. “Relax. I’m not gonna pass judgment on you. I understand what it’s like being treated harshly just because you’re different. Though resorting to bullying others isn’t what you should do, even if you wanted to feel like you belonged. Trust me when I say, you wouldn’t be happy living that way. Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet a cousin of Applebloom. I’m Sarius Trusdale.”
“Uh, pleasure to meet you too, Sarius. Any friend of my cousin’s is a friend of mine.”
I smiled. “I really am glad things worked out in the end. I’ll be leaving now. Take care.” I then walked off.
Meanwhile with Tirean, he was perched at the top of the mountain Canterlot was on. He had circled from the south of Ponyville, all the way around getting the survey of the surrounding areas. Now he was sitting at the top of the mountain using his control over earth to determine the geology of the land. What he was getting was rather interesting. The very earth itself had traces of magic to it. Everything was slightly different than what he was used to. From the dirt to the rarest mineral. He was starting to have thoughts about the uses for them, some ideas were sounding pretty intriguing. Thanks to his control over earth he was able to map out the entire landscape.
It was the method of using soft vibrations, much like echolocation. Through this method he can map out cave systems, locations of minerals and gems, and even find living things. Every mineral, gem, and living organism have their own unique signature. It would be difficult to tell them apart to untrained earth elemental users, but Tirean has gotten enough experience and time to learn.
From what he could sense, there was a large cave system close to Ponyville with one part of it being filled to the brim with gems and minerals. This piqued his interest and had to investigate. He was able to map out the surrounding area of Ponyville so he was satisfied to up and leave his temporary perch to check out this cave system. The closet was in a ravine and he noticed several very large tunnels, and signs of large life forms. He makes a note not to mess around with the tunnels and enters the cave system.
As he enters, the tunnel is dark for a bit only for it to brighten up once he walks into a section filled to the brim with gems and minerals. What was odd was the gems and minerals were supposedly growing like fruit. It was weird but Tirean was not bothered by it as he uses his earth manipulation to help determine and identify the objects in great detail. Through this process, he finds out the gem and minerals are relatively the same as what he’s used to, but yet different. The makeup of the gem and minerals was a mix of the normal atoms and seemingly magical particles. Tirean was theorizing that if the same minerals and gems from his Reality and this Reality were used to make the same result, they would be fundamentally different in terms of properties and attributes. The main difference being traces of magic would be included.
As he finished, he heard the echoing sounds of hooves approaching. Like his siblings, he has a sharp sense of hearing so he can hear them from very far away. It didn’t take long for him to hear the voices of two females.
“You didn’t have to come along, darling. I’m very capable of doing this by myself.” Said one voice. It had an accent to it and sounded elegant.
“I know. But some of my animal friends keep mentioning I should get away from the cottage every once in a while. So that’s why I came along” The second voice said, nearly whispering. It was soft and gentle.
“There’s no need to get out of your comfort zone if you don’t want to.”
“It’s okay. They care about my wellbeing and are concerned. Besides, I… can’t exactly argue against them.”
The first voice sighed. “You are really too kind for your own good, darling.”
“I do represent the Element of Kindness.”
Tirean contemplated leaving before they inevitably arrived at his location but safe to say, he was curious to see these two female figures. He wasn’t the social type but he was at least more social than his brother. Eventually he heard the hoof steps getting louder from a hall across from him. The figures appeared from the hall. Tirean saw two mares similar in size to Pinkie Pie. The main, noticeably obvious, differences these two have are they’re color. One was white with blue hair and a horn, the other was yellow with pink hair and wings. When they entered they didn’t notice him right away but when they did, they were initially shocked. Tirean expected them to freak out immensely and run away screaming but they didn’t, which surprised him. Although the yellow pegasus hid behind the white unicorn as if the unicorn could hide her presence.
“Oh my.” The white unicorn spoke. “This is… unexpected. Although I suppose it was only a matter of time before dragons found this mine. We should leave Fluttershy.”
The two mares were about to leave when Tirean spoke. “My apologies.” This stopped the two mares.
“Beg your pardon?” The unicorn inquired.
“I was not aware this mine was frequented. Although, I’m not familiar with this world anyway.”
The pegasus’ ears perked up as she leaned over to look at Tirean with curiosity. “W-wait.” Her voice was like a whisper. “Y-you’re not from Equestria?”
“No. I’m not.”
“T-then… are you, Tirean?” She raised her voice a bit when she said his name.
Tirean wasn’t expecting anyone in this world to know him, especially by name so he was utterly surprised. “Yes. I am. How do you know my name?”
The pegasus seemingly lost her fear as she came into view. “I know your siblings. Your brother mentioned he went to get you last time I saw him.”
“I see.” Although Tirean acknowledged the pegasus knows his siblings, his training and habit of closing off others made him keep his guard up. “I’ll leave then. I apologize for intruding and interrupting your hangout session.” Tirean thought it best to leave quickly.
“Hold on a second darling.” Tirean stopped to look at the unicorn with a raised eyebrow. “Do you mind telling us what you are doing here?”
Tirean just stared for a bit, debating whether or not he should tell them. “I sensed the abundance of gems and minerals in this area. Naturally, being interested in the geology of Equestria, I wanted to see it for myself.”
“So you’re not here to take the gems for yourself?”
“Why would I do such a thing? Are you assuming I’m the type of dragon that has a hoard to his name?” Tirean didn’t mean to come off as intimidating but it came so naturally to him that he doesn’t catch himself often.
“C-certainly not, darling. Although it did cross my mind, wondering why a dragon was here just examining the gems. I meant no offense.”
“None taken.”
Due to Tirean’s unintentional intimidation, the unicorn was finding it rather difficult to pick a new topic. The pegasus however didn’t seem affected as she started to approach Tirean.
“We didn’t introduce ourselves, so sorry about that. I’m Fluttershy and this Rarity.”
Rarity knew all too well about Fluttershy’s fear of… well everything. Dragons especially. What pony wouldn’t be scared of one of their, if not the most, dangerous natural predators. So the fact Fluttershy showed no signs of fear or being affected by Tirean’s intimidation act, was leaving Rarity in awe and surprise.
Tirean could plainly see that Fluttershy didn’t have any malicious intent in her bones or soul. In fact he was confident she wouldn’t hurt a fly. But that did not stop his built in instinct to be on guard at all costs. In fact it’s almost easy to tell due to how tensed up Tirean tends to look.
Fluttershy noticed this little detail and was a bit worried. “I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable.”
Tirean finally noticed how tense he was and tried to calm down a bit. “Don’t be. I developed a habit of being on guard all the time due to my training. So I don’t always notice.”
“Does that go for your intimidation tactics?” Rarity asked.
“Yes. That’s also something I developed during my training. Apologies.”
“What kind of training did you have, darling?” Rarity and Fluttershy were already told what Tirean trained to be by Sarius, so naturally they didn’t want to mention that fact and have Tirean say it himself.
“Why do you keep calling me ‘darling’?” Tirean asked, trying to avoid the topic of his training.
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s a habit of my own. Don’t take it personally please.”
“Very well. Why are you two here then?”
“Ah, I came to collect some gems for some designs I’ll be working on and Fluttershy here insisted on coming along with me.”
“Designs?” Tirean was interested. Not a lot, but just a bit, mostly to understand how these gems would be used by Rarity. Tirean can sense some latent magic power in every single gem and mineral in this mine. He can find quite a few uses for them so he’s curious as to how Rarity would make use of them.
“Yes darling. I make dresses tailored for clients. And oftentimes these gems either make or break the designs.”
Tirean just blankly stared at Rarity. He started to wonder if she wasn’t aware of the uses these gems could have, if utilized properly. It’s true the air and earth itself has magic power running through them, so maybe it’s because of that fact she doesn’t notice the latent power in the gems themselves.
“Did I… say something wrong, darling?” Rarity asked with concern.
Tirean softly shook his head. “No.” Tirean thinks carefully about how to phrase his next question. “Are you aware of the magic power in these gems, by any chance?”
“Oh, well…” In truth Rarity never gave it much thought but she did in fact sense it in the gems. “Yes, but I’ve grown so used to it that it completely slipped my mind.”
“Makes sense. Then let me ask you this; should you waste these for pretty dress designs?”
Hearing the words waste and designs in the same sentence set off a part of her brain that designs. She glared at him. “How dare you assume they’re a waste for such elegant dresses! They are absolutely essential for making the designs perfect.”
Tirean was a bit surprised by her reaction. “You misunderstand the intent of my question.” Rarity calmed down a bit. “I was implying making use of the gems' latent magic power for different purposes. Like say external storage for magic.”
Rarity taps her chin in thought. “Hmm. I never considered that, but that sounds more suitable for armor or jewelry. Not dresses.”
“That is true. Though from my experience, sometimes combat scenarios get forced upon you at the worst possible times. For example, when you’re spending time with friends. So having clothes that can act as armor in bad situations can be helpful.”
“You do have a point. But Equestria is very peaceful so the possibility is very low.”
“That may be the case, but it won’t last long if recent events are anything to go by and what my brother mentioned.” Tirean paused for a moment. “That being said, I’m not trying to tell you what to do with your job. In all honesty, I don’t know if you have the capability of turning these gems into external magic storages. It’s just an idea. An idea I’m willing to help with.”
“If you want, you can share that idea with the Princesses to see if they’re interested.” Fluttershy suggested.
“I will when I get to see them.” Tirean may not be sociable compared to his sister, but even he could tell this conversation almost went from casual to an argument. So he knew he needed to change the subject to help relieve tension. “Since you’re collecting gems for dresses, how often do you visit these caves, Rarity?” It’s not a complete topic change but it will change the direction at least.
“Oh, umm, it depends, really. Sometimes I can go a couple months without resupplying, but more often than not, I need to make a trip into the mines every few weeks if I make a dress that’s pretty popular.”
“I see. Don’t you have to worry about these mines running out of gems?”
“Thankfully no. I don’t fully understand myself, but the gems in these caves replenish, almost like they’re farm produce.”
Tirean raised an eyebrow. “How curious. It is true that gems and minerals do replenish overtime thanks to nature naturally running its course, but that’s a very long process that takes months or even years. Perhaps magic has a play in this particular process.”
“It’s possible.” Rarity concurred.
“I’ll take one piece to study.” Tirean picked a sapphire from a stone-like branch, like it was a flower yielding its nectar. As he held the sapphire, he could feel the magic power sleeping within. Naturally, since he and his siblings' power resonated with sapphire, he could feel his power being influenced by the gem.
“I don’t mind, darling. I hope you get the results you’re looking for.”
“So do I. It was a pleasure meeting you two. I’ll take my leave now.” Tirean did a slight bow, turned around and walked out the mine leaving the two mares.
When Tirean exited the caves, he looked up into the clear blue sky in thought. What Rarity said about Equestria being very peaceful made him worry about the future for Equestria. Peace is a fragile concept that’s easily broken by unexpected conflict. Conflict that he can feel in his bones and soul is coming. Sooner than anyone realizes. And conflict can make people question things after the fact. Tirean recalled a famous saying back in his world; “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.”
Tirean sighed. He wondered if the inhabitants of Equestria would even be able to defend themselves and their country if war broke out. Perhaps he should bring up the possibility with the Princesses. Then again, his brother would say that it’s during those times when the heroes in their hearts would awaken. But the fate of the world shouldn’t be left to chances like those.
Tirean decided not to dwell on these thoughts, since it would all be brought to light soon enough, and maybe measures can be made in preparation for the upcoming conflicts. For now, he just needed to focus on helping himself and his siblings by learning more about this world and how it works. So he flew off back towards the mansion to begin studying this gem.
Back with Circe, she’s tweaking the shadow lock she took from the pocket dimension. She can tell right away that while this would work perfectly on Scáth, but it might not work on Sombra. Circe was smart enough to put two and two together when her brother recalled everything that happened to him since arriving here. When he first mentioned needing her help, he mentioned a shadow pony and Circe knew he wanted her to work on a shadow lock. This poses the problem with this lock. Sombra is a unicorn so he’s using magic which should mean his shadow manipulation relies on magic. So in order to prevent him from escaping with his shadow manipulation, she’ll have to make the lock prevent abilities that use magic. Which ultimately could mean; she’ll have to make a lock that prevents shadow manipulation and block magic. And with the little knowledge she has about magic, it might be difficult especially if her brother will need it very soon.
Circe sighs as she puts the lock down on the table. Circe concluded that for now, she would learn more about magic. Maybe she’ll gain enough knowledge and experience using it to make the necessary adjustments. She’s hoping there’s another method she hasn’t considered yet. But for now, she starts reading one of the books Twilight sent over about learning magic.
Like with the basics, Circe was getting the hang of magic pretty quickly. With her reading speed, she was able to read through all the book material Twilight lent her within an hour. Which would have required several days considering the size and complexity of the books. Circe told Twilight she wasn’t happy about this ability of hers. It made reading, which was her favorite hobby when she was growing up, become nothing more than a reminder of how much things have changed.
As she fiddled around with her magic, she heard the front door open and close. Without losing focus she checked the hall. Her brother came in holding onto a gem, they locked eyes for a second before Tirean spoke up. “Do you have access to our research equipment, specifically for studying geology?”
“Of course. But you’ll have to open the portal. I’m still depowered.”
Tirean walked in. “How long were you exposed to the Cobalt cage?”
“I’m not entirely sure. I was knocked out when I arrived and I don’t know for how long.”
“An hour at least.” The two turned to see me standing in the doorway. “I sensed you appearing and I quickly booked it to the scene. Then I had to be a distraction for Luna. So your power should be returning to you shortly.”
As soon as I said that, Circe felt a surge of energy rush through her body. This caused her magic to increase in power and size so she was forced to shut it off quite quickly before it got out of control. I gave her a ‘called it’ look. Circe rolled her eyes as she opened a portal. “I’ll be right back with the equipment.”
Circe entered the portal. A few minutes later, she brought out the equipment and put them on her table. Tirean bowed in thanks and got to studying the gem. The room was quiet except for the sound of Tirean testing the gem. A few minutes later, Tirean let out a satisfied sigh. “Whatcha got, bro?”
Tirean turns to us. “On a physical level, it’s the exact same as any sapphire that can be found. But there is a slight difference. The shape of its raw form is slightly different from normal. Most likely due to being like a harvestable plant and growing in a magic filled environment.”
“A harvestable plant? That requires some context.” I pointed out.
“I found it in a diverse cave system. It was one of possibly thousands in there. It was like stone flowers yielding fruits. It was quite a sight to see.”
“That is interesting. So do you think we can find a use for these gems?”
“I have no doubt in my mind, although since they contain latent magic in them, they’re far better suited for those who can use magic. I suggested to Rarity of adding these gems to dresses to hold extra magic that can be tapped into during emergencies. She simply suggested applying that to armor instead. Now since our sister can use magic now, she could make use of these gems as well. So who knows, this will warrant further study.”
“I see. Well, it seems for now you two have your work cut out for you. Learning magic for Circe and learning more about the geology of Equestria for Tirean.”
“What about you bro?” Circe asked.
“I suppose deeping my friendships with the ponies I met since this journey started. They’ll be crucial for the coming trails.”
“Huh.” Circe muttered.
“What?” I asked. “Is that a bad goal?”
“Of course not. It’s just… I know we have friends but you never prioritized friendships with them and you certainly didn’t want them to get involved with our affairs for fear of losing them or seeing them get hurt.”
“I still don’t want our friends to get involved, but this is their world. They know it better than we ever could and they have more reason to fight for it and protect the individuals living here than us. So it would be inconsiderate of us to try to keep them out of the fight.”
“Fair point.” Tirean agreed.
“Besides, if we really are facing a being whose confidant that he’s extinction itself, we’ll need all the able hands as possible. It might not be just a battle for Equestria, but all of Reality.”
The room got quiet at that foreboding fact. Circe shook her head. “We have plenty of time to prepare for it hopefully.” Tirean and I nodded in agreement. “No point in worrying about that right now.”
“Excuse my interruption, but may I suggest you three have some lunch?” We all turned to see Dusty standing in the hall looking at us with concern.
Tirean’s gaze narrowed a bit. “How much did you hear?”
Dusty naturally got nervous and was about to start sweating. “Relax brother. We can trust her. Who knows, she might help us brainstorm things. She’s smart and quick to catch on. Besides-” I felt my stomach rumble which made a loud growl as a result. I gave a silly smile. “-Having full stomachs will help our brains be more focused on sensitive subjects over thinking about what our next meal will be.”
Circe giggled while Tirean sighed. “Very well.”
We all got up and headed down to the kitchen. It was thankfully stocked with food so Circe and I got to work on making some lunch. Dusty and Tirean watched in silence. Circe and I made some egg salad. Dusty was a bit surprised by it. “What is this? You mixed eggs with various ingredients and put them between two pieces of bread.” “It’s egg salad. It’s actually good. Try it.” I said.
Dusty hesitantly took a bite then her eyes lit up with surprise. Since she kept eating it was a sign she liked it. We all started eating. Dusty stopped for a minute to look at Circe with interest. “So you’ve been practicing with your magic Circe?”
“Yup. Somehow it’s coming easy for me.”
“As expected of my sister. I did notice your magic increased in power when your energy returned.”
“Really? Huh.” Circe noted while poking one of her antlers.
“I might be wrong but I came up with a theory.” I sat up in the chair I was sitting in. “For starters, magic in our world is supernatural and is difficult to explain the fundamentals and functions of. A lot of intelligent scientists came up with different possible theories but none were resolute and dismissed. But we’ve learned magic is not to be underestimated since it involves powers beyond our natural understanding. But the magic here doesn’t seem like it’s supernatural. I think it’s like energy. And we can use Energtris which is energy itself, when Circe’s energy returned it increased the power of her magic.”
“If that’s the case, it’s a good thing I cut it off quickly. Otherwise it would have been bad.”
“How bad?” Dusty asked with a worried tone.
“Hmm. Well for starters, this whole mansion could have been blown up. Or at least my brother’s room would be a bit messed up.” Dusty stopped eating to stare at Circe, hoping she wasn’t serious. Circe shook her head. “Let’s just be glad I have control and experience.”
“Still, with my theory in effect, it’s interesting that you’re able to use magic while you were depowered. If magic here works the same as energy does for us, then by my theory, you shouldn’t be able to use magic. Unless.” I pause.
Circe seemed like she was able to come up with an idea as her eyes lit up a bit. “Unless, our bodies follow our world’s logic and not this one’s. Remember in our world, magic is influencing and using the natural and supernatural energies from one’s surroundings. Or perhaps, since our life energy is Energtris and not magic like the inhabitants, I can use magic despite being depowered. But if that’s the case, how am I able to use magic despite this world’s logic saying it's life energy?”
Tirean, now more calm than earlier, nonchalantly took another bite of his sandwich. “You two are forgetting a key factor here.” Circe, Dusty, and I turned to him. “We’re Keepers of Balance. We don’t technically follow any world’s logic.” Circe and I look at each other. “Think about it. How many times have we done something with our power that otherwise seems impossible by laws of physics or natural laws themselves? If I need to give an example, I’ll give one simple one; you brother.” I turned to look at him with mild confusion. “You have been in one too many situations where you, by all means, shouldn't have survived. Yet, here you are.”
It suddenly dawned on me and Circe that our brother had a point. Ever since we got our powers, we’ve achieved feats that shouldn’t be possible by normal mortal standards or even godly standards. One such feat that comes to mind, is surviving a battle with the Deity of Darkness while also freeing him from the control of a malevolent force. Which was very recent mind you. I always chalked it up to my stubbornness and refusal to stay down, but maybe being a Keeper of Balance had some sway in my survival. As Keepers, we’re meant to balance out Reality. Neither good nor evil is allowed to dominate the other while we’re around. We haven’t really needed to do our duty as Keepers since the balance between good and evil has remained steady for a long time. But we still need to be here and ready, if any of us die, the other two Keepers would need to take up responsibility for the fallen. And if we all died, Balance would need to create a new Keeper to take our place. And there’s no telling how long that process will take, and the last thing my siblings and I want is to put the responsibility and duty of a Keeper on someone who isn’t ready for it. We want to make sure the next generation is ready to take our places when the time comes.
I blinked as I finished my train of thought and looked at my siblings. It didn’t need to be said that the three of us were on the same train. I could easily tell from their expressions. I finished my egg salad. “Let’s not dwell on that note, at least until we have more evidence to support it. For now let’s focus on the important things.” Circe and Tirean finish their meals, Dusty finishes hers not too long after. “I decided what I’ll do for today.”
“And what’s that?” Circe asked.
“Rest.”
Tirean raised an eyebrow. “Really? You’re not the type to just rest and relax at times like this.”
“I know, but ever since I arrived here I’ve been getting one thing after another. The only real rest I got was being unconscious for a whole week. To me, that was simply forced rest. What I really need is some mental rest. I mean, so much has happened in the brief time since I arrived. I should take the rest of the day to collect myself mentally.”
Circe gave me a look of sisterly concern, something I was used to and always glad to see. “I will admit, I was getting worried about that. I’m glad you’re taking the time to sort through everything. I’ll keep practicing my magic.”
Tirean looked away nonchalantly. “And I’ll start studying the gems and minerals. With little knowledge of how magic influences this world, I doubt I’ll get satisfying results. Though I might learn about it through my studies.”
“Alright. Let me know if you two need me for anything.”
Circe and Tirean nodded before leaving for their rooms. Dusty then turned to me. “What should I do?”
I shrugged. “The usual. No need to do anything more. If there’s anything you need help with you just need to tell us.” I smiled softly before leaving and heading to my room to rest.
I laid down on my bed, not to close my eyes and sleep to the best of my current ability, but simply to lay down and think about things. Thankfully I was able to work through all the details of the past events, thanks to gaining a photographic memory when becoming a Hybrid. I noticed some things I didn’t before due to tense moments. Like my fight with Nelkanth. After playing through the battle in my mind, I realized that Nelkanth was able to keep up with me and match my every move despite being a Unicorn. I didn’t notice it was night time now.
I got off my bed when Luna teleported into my room, surprising me. “Luna. Are you dropping by?”
She gave a small smile. “Yes and to give you an update.”
I turned to her, my attention piqued. “Do tell.”
Luna walked forward slightly. “Celestia and I already got a few replies from the representatives in the upcoming Council meeting.”
“Already huh? Any good news?”
“Mostly. Naturally, the Griffins refused.” I sighed. “Remember Sir Sarius, just one vote against won’t stop the meeting from taking place, and even if they did they still have to show up. That being said.” She turned her head to look at me. “The Diamond Dogs and Minotaurs have agreed.”
“Minotaurs? That’s a race in Equestria?”
“Yes. Not as prominent as some races like Ponies and Dragons, but they are around. As for the Diamond Dogs, they mostly live underground.”
“Like dwarfs. Makes sense since they are mostly miners.”
Luna tilted her head. “Dwarves?”
I shook my head. “Forget it for now. Who else sent a reply?”
Luna’s expression became slightly serious. “The Changelings.” She said it with a bit of venom behind it. I was told by Dusty about the invasion during the wedding between Cadence and Shining Armor. It only seemed natural that Luna would be angry towards the Changelings, even though I have no idea where Luna was during the event.
“What did they say?”
“They refused.” Luna was slightly relieved but also distraught at that. Relieved that they didn’t want to bother with it but distraught because they’ll be forced to attend anyway if the majority voted for the meeting.
“I understand you and Celestia have things to work out with the Changelings, but please don’t let any negativity towards them swell out of control during the meeting.”
Luna looked at me before giving a soft smile. “Do not fret Sir Sarius. I promise I will keep my emotions in check.”
“Good. So you’ve gotten four replies so far? Two for, and two against.”
“That is correct.”
I tap my chin. “Four out of how many in total?”
Luna closed her eyes and thought about it for a minute. “14.”
I blinked in surprise. “Wow, that’s… quite a bit more than I expected.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “Oh, and how many were you expecting, if I may ask?”
“Well, 7 at least. Ponies, Changelings, Griffins, Diamond Dogs, Dragons, Zebras, and perhaps a group that represents others.”
Luna smirked for a second. “Well, you are not wrong. There is a group of Anthropomorphs that are represented as a whole.”
“Really? Anthropomorphs.” I tried to imagine something like a pony or a changeling being more human than animal, which thankfully wasn’t difficult since there was a massive amount of fan art about that sort of thing back on Earth. “Huh, neat.”
“I’m sure you’re smart enough to realize that the total isn’t actually 14.” Luna said knowing full well this would pique my curiosity.
My animal-like ears perked a bit in response. “Then what is the total?”
“Of what I’m currently aware of, 25.”
“25 different sapient species in Equestria?!” I was beyond shocked and my eyes showed it. “25, you are actually aware of?”
Luna nods. “Celestia and I had contact with 20 for a long time. However, for reasons unknown, two species ceased communication. Those being the Kirins and the Hippogriffs.”
My shock disappeared as my interest and curiosity were piqued again. “Kirins and Hippogriffs? Wait, are you saying there was a point in time where ponies and dragons had offspring together?”
Luna blushed a bit but quickly recomposed herself. “Yes. A long time ago. While there have been records of ponies and dragons having relationships throughout the years, it is often looked down upon. For obvious reasons. I don’t really know whether or not offspring were produced nor sure if each one was a Kirin. But somewhere down the line, it happened.”
I liked the idea that there were Kirins in Equestria. “So why have they ceased communication?”
“We don’t know. Same with the Hippogriffs.” Luna was clearly upset about this.
“You and Celestia had good relations with them, didn’t you?”
Luna looked out the window as her face became more somber. “While I never met Rainshine and Queen Novo, Celestia has told me they are benevolent leaders. I wish I could have met them.”
“I’ll make sure you will. My siblings and I will find out what problems they’re having and help solve them.”
Luna turned back to me and softly smiled. “I’m glad you are so willing to help others.”
“Well, my siblings and I see it as our sole duty to help and protect others who can’t do it themselves. Besides I know what it’s like to be helpless and powerless to stop something. I don’t want others to experience that.”
“Indeed it is.” Luna nodded.
“So is there a reason why only 14 out of 20 might be attending the council?”
“Aside from the Kirin and Hippogriffs, the other 4 are Dryads, Reindeer, whatever controls the Timberwolves, and Sirens. Dryads and Reindeer are independent species. Celestia has chosen to give them their privacy. While the Timberwolves and Sirens are evil.”
“Hmm.” I look away for a moment before returning my attention to Luna. “But what about the Changelings? Aren’t they evil since they raided the wedding?”
“The Changelings operate off a sort of hivemind. If the queen is evil, the hive is evil. I haven’t had many interactions with Queen Chrysalis, so I can’t speak to her alignment.”
I won’t deny I considered telling Luna about Chrysalis, and it wouldn’t be the last time. I knew it was best to let things play out. Dusty wanted to prove herself after all. “You mentioned 5 other species outside 20?”
“Those are species that I know exist but they don’t reside in Equestria.”
“Outside Equestria, huh? I’m curious, what are they?”
“Centaurs, Gargoyles, Goats, Humans, and Shadow Walkers. My sister denies the Shadow Walkers exist, but I know better.”
I was shocked about humans existing on this planet, but Luna did mention she was familiar with humans. “Wait so humans do exist outside Equestria?”
Luna pursed her lips. “According to my sister, they do exist outside Equestria. But just as she’s skeptical about Shadow Walkers, I’m skeptical about her claim. Of course I mentioned my sister and I know about humans in an alternate universe. So in some sense or another, humans do exist in this, as you call it, Reality. You’ll have to venture past Equestria’s borders to find out.”
“Goals for the future then.” I was excited to say the least about discovering things on this planet. “So I take it you’ll be leaving now?”
“Correct. I have my duties to perform. We’ll see each other again soon.” Luna smiled before teleporting away.
I was left in my room to think about the topics I discussed with Luna. My siblings and I had a lot to look forward to. I checked the clock that was sitting on a nightstand next to my bed and it read 9pm. I left my room to check on my siblings, starting with my sister. When I walked into her room, I saw that she was using her magic to levitate several objects, including the shadow lock. She was currently carefully inspecting the lock. I suspect she was seeing how she can enhance it to my standards. Seeing that she was busy, I left her room not wanting to disturb her. I then checked on Tirean, whose room was now furnished. I assumed it was done while I was following the CMC around or sometime afterwards, and he has moved the equipment he used to study the gem into his room. He looked like he was studying another gem, while comparing it between other gems that were lined up on the table the equipment was on. Tirean also appeared to be busy, so I left him alone as well.
I decided to step outside and just sit down, looking up into the night sky. Since it was now night time, the stars and moon were out in full display. And since Ponyville supposedly didn't use electricity, the prospect of being affected by light pollution was null. So I could see all the stars.
It was that moment I realized, I never had the chance to sit down and just look up at the night sky. Now that I was, I immediately noticed the constellations I was used to were gone. There were completely different constellations. Though I didn’t mind since I enjoyed just sitting and looking at the night sky. Plus it was nice feeling the wind on my scales. If I didn’t have the ability to get 9 to 12 hours of sleep with just a 1 to 2 hour power nap, this sensation would make me tired and want to take a nap. Some time passes before the front door opens and Circe steps out with a groan and a sigh.
“Can’t get it to work?” I knew exactly what was bothering her.
“Afraid so. While I have learned quite a bit about how magic works in this Reality, even getting some practice with it, it’s not really something I’m used to. I might not be able to configure the lock to block magic as well as lock shadow manipulation.” Circe turned to look at me with her frustrated gaze. “How soon do you need it?”
I looked off into the distance towards a seemingly random direction, but I was looking in the direction of the Crystal Empire. I closed my eyes and focused on searching for the remnants of Sombra. Thankfully, it was in the same place the last time I checked and I didn’t notice any significant changes. I opened my eyes. “It’s hard to tell but not too soon. You should have plenty of time. Just take your time, sis.”
Circe took a deep breath. “I’ll try, but like I said I might not be able to pull it off.”
“Of course you will.” Circe blinked at me. “You’re the smartest out of the three of us, and you’ve made a lot of amazing things that have helped us get out of tight situations. The most recent is the cobalt nullifier you used on yourself to help Luna and I get you home. Sure, it didn’t work exactly as intended but it worked regardless and that got us out of a bad situation.” I smiled at her. “It doesn’t matter if you get it to work with your own two hands or get assistance from someone who is more knowledgeable in certain aspects, as long as the end result is the same. Afterall, you’ve been trying to get Tirean and I to realize we don’t need to handle things on our own. Heed your own advice.”
Circe just stared at me for a minute, before giving a warm smile. “Thanks bro. I guess I forget that, even I need help from time to time when making things. When we meet up with Luna and Celestia for the council, I’ll ask them for ideas. They’re sure to know something.”
“Now that’s using your brain.” I joked with a wink.
Circe pouted. “Hey, at least I use my brain.” She retorted.
We looked at each other for a couple seconds before we started chuckling for a good minute. “I’ve been told there are a lot of sapient species in Equestria.”
“Oh really?” Circe’s ears flopped a bit in excitement.
“Yup. One caught my attention; Kirins.” I knew this would get a reaction out of my sister.
Circe’s ears perked up. “Kirins! Oh my. So a pony and a dragon got intimate, huh~?” Circe gave me a knowing look. “You think Luna will birth a kirin?” I deadpan at her. “Relax, I’m only joking. Still, it’s interesting that kirins exist here and it makes me curious about their origin.”
My expression returns to normal. “I agree. Kirins are powerful creatures in our world so I wonder if the same is true for these kirins.”
“Will they be attending the council?” Circe asked with gleeful anticipation.
I shook my head with a frown. “Afraid not.” Circe also frowned. “For some reason, Celestia lost communication with them. Same goes for the hippogriffs.”
Circe became concerned naturally. “Hmm. That’s weird and a bit spooky.”
“Don’t worry. I told Luna we’ll figure out what’s going on and help solve the problems.” I reassured Circe.
“Good.” Circe stretched her legs. “I think I’ll take a nap, recharge my batteries. I’ve been practicing my magic while trying to tinker with the lock. I’m getting really good at it. Soon I might be able to defend myself even if I lose my power again.”
“That’s good to hear. Enjoy your nap, sis.”
“Thanks, I will.” Circe goes back inside, leaving me to gaze at the stars again.
The rest of the night was uneventful as I just gazed at the stars for a while longer then returning to my room. I decided to pass the time by getting better at controlling my energy. I was constantly gaining more and more energy as time passed, even if it was a little bit at a time. Before I knew it, it was morning when Dusty walked into my room.
She must have had something on her mind since she started the conversation. “Is it really wise to bring me along? A former queen of Changelings and the main culprit behind the wedding invasion.” I looked her in the eyes. It was obvious she was nervous. No, scared at the potential prospect of her true identity being revealed. I knew there was nothing I could say to help ease her worries, but I can try my best to comfort her.
I sighed. “Wise? No. Necessary? Yes. I understand you’re scared, but everyone has to face their fears eventually. Otherwise, it’ll control our lives.” I got off the bed. “I know I can’t put your worries to rest, but I can say with certainty; no matter what happens, me and my siblings will protect and cover for you should the worst come to pass. The three of us understand instinctual primal urges and the dire consequences of giving in. You’ll be surprised how many of my kin I had to put down, just because they lost themselves to their primal side. The fact you managed to come back from that is amazing. So don’t sell yourself short.” I gave a soft smile. “When the council is underway, just stay close to us.”
Dusty had a shocked expression. I can only assume it was due to mentioning I killed dragons. “You… killed them? I… had a feeling when you mentioned dragons tend to die when they go primal. But I didn’t want to-” Dusty was at a loss for words.
I shook my head. “I try to not think about it too much. I can try to justify my actions by saying ‘if they weren’t stopped, lives and homes would have been lost.’ but it doesn’t ease the guilt. It never does. Still, at least it’s on me and not anyone else. I have several things to feel guilty about already. But let’s drop this dark mood. It’s a new day now.” I slightly purse my lips. “Which means Pinkie Pie can throw her welcome party for Tirean. I have no idea when she’s doing it, so I should go find out.” Without another word, I left the room and the mansion.
I headed straight for Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie Pie was living. The store wasn’t open but I was able to enter regardless, which surprised the Mr. and Mrs. Cake a bit, who appeared to be cleaning up. “Oh my. A customer this early. I’m afraid we’re not open for another hour. We haven’t had a chance to turn on the fryers yet.” Mrs. Cake said with a somewhat drowsy tone.
I assumed they either just got up or haven’t gotten much sleep, which is possible since they have twins from what I’ve been told. “I’m not a customer, Mrs. Cake. I came to see Pinkie Pie. Is she here?”
Mr. Cake shook his head. “Afraid not. She left not too long after we got up, saying something about being too excited to sleep and needed to prepare for a party.”
I facepalmed myself. “Of course she’ll get up early for that…” I turned and headed out the door.
“Is everything okay, uhh-” Mrs. Cake started
I stopped at the door and turned my head to them. “Sarius and yes. I just need to catch her and convince her to slow down.” I was then out the door.
“Good luck with that.” Mr. Cake muttered.
I didn’t know where Pinkie Pie would be, but I had an idea. I was gonna check the residence of each of the Mane Six. Starting with Fluttershy. So I had to fly to get there quickly. When I landed I was glad to see my sudden appearance didn’t scare the animals. Fluttershy was thankfully outside feeding them so she was surprised to see me drop in. Literally. “Oh good morning, Sarius. What brings you here, if I may ask?” Fluttershy asked in her soft tone.
“I’m looking for Pinkie Pie.” I said rather quickly as I looked around. I saw no sign of her.
“Ah. Well, she’s not here and I honestly don’t see any reason why she’d show up so suddenly.” Fluttershy replied.
“She’s planning for another party.”
“Another? So soon?” Fluttershy inquired. “Is it because your brother is here in Equestria now?”
I stopped to look at her with surprise. “Yeah, how did you know?”
“Oh. I met your brother in the mines with Rarity. He’s-” She paused to think. “-an interesting dragon. If he wasn’t so tense, I would say he was shy like me.”
“He’s not the shy type. He’s just not a conversationalist and prefers to keep to himself.” I clarified. “Still, if she’s not here then I need to go.” I then took off into the air again.
“Oh… Okay. I’ll see you… later then.” Fluttershy muttered to herself in a disappointed tone.
While I was flying I started thinking about where Pinkie could be. I quickly ruled out Rainbow’s home and Sweet Apple Acres. Then I ruled out Rarity’s home. Which meant she should be at Twilight’s home so I quickly flew over there. I landed, walked up to the door, and knocked on the door. After a moment the door was opened by Twilight who was surprised, like Fluttershy was, at my sudden appearance.
“Sarius. I wasn’t expecting you today. But then I wasn’t expecting Pinkie either.”
“So she’s here?” I asked rather quickly.
Twilight blinked. “Y-yes. Is everything okay?”
“Oh hi Sarius! I was gathering ponies for your brother’s Welcome to Ponyville party.” Pinkie yelled from inside the tree.
Twilight sighed. “She showed up not too long after Spike and I woke up.”
I rolled my eyes. “I figured. May I come in?” Twilight motioned me in so I walked inside. “Pinkie, I know you’re really enthusiastic and excited about throwing this party for Tirean.”
“Yuppers, I am. I’ve never been so excited except for that time I threw a party for your sister. You remember that?” Pinkie started talking really fast.
“Yes, Pinkie.” I quickly said to cut her off before she went off on a tangent. “That was literally yesterday. It’s also early in the morning. Most ponies are just now waking up and getting ready for the day, so maybe you should hold off on the party until this afternoon at least.”
“Okay but why?” Pinkie asked with innocent glee.
“Like Sarius said. Everypony will still be a bit tired at this hour, so throwing a party this early would be a bad idea.” Twilight pitched in with her argument.
“But a party is the best way to get everypony smiling.” Pinkie tried to argue.
“Not this early. If everypony showed up to the party while they’re still waking up, the party itself would be dull and down, due to the culminating mood of the ponies. You don’t want to have a party like that do you?” I winked at Twilight knowing this would be the perfect way to convince Pinkie.
Pinkie opened her mouth to make an argument but said nothing for a good minute. “You’re right. I definitely don’t want a party like that on my watch. Okay, I’ll hold off on the party until lunch time. That way everypony is awake and hungry for snacks.”
I smiled. “That’s more like it. Now go on. You can at least start preparing for the party.”
Pinkie did a salute and started bouncing out the oak home. Twilight and I just watched her for a bit, then Twilight spoke up. “So did everything go well with your brother?”
I looked at Twilight with a confused expression. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”
“Circe mentioned you two have a rough history, that’s all.” Twilight stated.
“Oh. Yeah.” I sighed. “We are trying our best now to make up for the past. But there is a lot of time to make up for.”
“As long as you’re both making an effort, it’ll work.” Twilight said, trying to reassure me.
“I know.” I took a deep breath. “Anyway, I managed to stop Pinkie from making a big mistake so I’ll head back.”
I was about to walk out but Twilight stopped me. “Wait. How is Circe progressing with her magic?”
I looked at Twilight. “Uh, I think she’s got the hang of it. Last time I saw her using magic, she was levitating several things at once while tinkering with something being levitated by her magic.”
Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. “She’s already gotten that good in one day?!” I raise an eyebrow at her. Twilight then realized I wasn’t familiar with how magic works in Equestria. “It usually takes a young unicorn some time to develop their magic just to levitate an object, then it takes a bit more time to learn control to move said object freely. So the fact she was able to levitate multiple objects freely within a day is absolutely incredible and almost unheard of. She must be a natural with magic.”
“She is good at controlling her energy so naturally that will play a part in her control of magic.”
“You have a point. Still it’s incredible. I remember I performed a feat that required a lot of my magic to do.”
This piqued my interest as I turned to her fully. “Oh, do tell me.”
Twilight must not have expected me to take interest in what happened since she shuffled in place a bit. “Uh well. Firstly a unicorn came to town called Trixie who was a showpony. Using her magic to perform tricks and stunts to amuse an audience, while claiming she was the most powerful unicorn in Equestria. Spike wanted me to prove her wrong but I didn’t want to be accused of being boastful so I ran. Trixie claimed she defeated an Ursa Major so I took the opportunity to look into the creature. While that happened, two colts; Snips and Snails, decided to bring in an Ursa Minor into town just to see Trixie perform the feat she claims to have done. So I ended up having to use my magic to lull the Ursa Minor to sleep by blowing wind over some cattail to make a lullaby, took Ponyville’s water tower and filled it with milk to feed the bear, then levitated the bear back home. All that took almost everything out of me.”
I was amazed and curious about the Ursa Minor and Major. “Well, don’t sell yourself short Twilight. That in of itself is an amazing feat. I doubt any unicorn could pull that off. But it’s interesting that there’s creatures here named after constellations in my world.”
“You don’t have Ursa Minors or Majors in your world?” Twilight asked, this time her curiosity being piqued.
“No. The biggest bear in my world is a dire bear. But there are a few mythological bears like a god that’s the king of bears.”
“Your world really sounds interesting.”
“Trust me, it’s not. Most of the things in mythology are hidden from the common eye since most humans are scared of the unknown. You’d have to go out of your way to find them and even then you’d have a hard time finding them if you didn’t know where to look.”
“I see. I’ll uh… take your word on it.” Twilight sounded disappointed.
“Forget about it. Equestria is far more interesting honestly. I mean there’s multiple races in Equestria itself that aren’t human at all. That really is amazing and I’m definitely looking forward to meeting them all.”
“So am I. I honestly don’t know how many races exist in Equestria so I’m looking forward to gaining knowledge on all of them.” Twilight said with enthusiasm.
“You’re in luck then, since Celestia is gonna take you and the rest of your friends with her to the council.” I smiled.
Twilight’s jaw dropped as her eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh wow. I can’t wait but why didn’t the princess tell me?”
“It’s up in the air whether or not the council will happen so she most likely didn’t want to get your hopes up, only to be disappointed.”
“That makes sense.” Twilight agreed.
“Well, I’m going now. See you at the party Twilight.”
“Likewise. I’m interested in meeting your brother.” Twilight said with curious glee.
My smile turned to a smirk. “Just don’t be disappointed when he’s not what you expected.” I walked out and then flew off.
I landed outside the mansion a few minutes later, I was a bit surprised Tirean and Circe were waiting for me. “Did something come up?”
“No. Just curious why you left so early. You’re not the morning type before we became Hybrids.” Circe spoke.
“Same goes for you two.” I retorted.
“True. With the benefits of our new sleep pattern, it makes it possible to do all-nighters and morning activities.” Tirean added. “So what did you do?” Tirean asked, getting straight to the point like usual.
“Going to convince Pinkie to delay her party until at least after lunch. Since a party so early in the morning would be a bad idea since everyone is waking up and getting ready for the day.”
“And you managed to convince her?” Circe inquired.
“I wouldn’t be back if I didn’t.”
“So what now?” Tirean asked.
“We could give Circe some practice with her magic during combat.” I suggested.
“What do you mean? I just learned to use and control it yesterday.” Circe protested.
“I told Twilight what you managed to do with your magic, and she was shocked that you progressed so far so quickly. I figured since you can levitate and control multiple objects at once, you’re ready to test your offensive capabilities with magic.”
Circe seemed a bit skeptical about this. “Well, I suppose I can give it a try, but there’s no telling if magic is applied differently for combat scenarios.”
“And the best way to learn; is to test it in a non-lethal combat scenario. I mean, that’s how we learned how to control our power. Also this way, any magic that could potentially hurt others will be used on me and Tirean without risk of a major or fatal injury.”
Circe contemplated it for a minute. “Alright. I can’t really make any good arguments here. So we’ll give it a try.” The three of us relocated a fair distance away from the mansion, with Tirean and I being several feet away from Circe. Circe stared at us for a while. I assumed she was channeling her magic and energy for offense. She then took a deep breath. “Here we go.”
Circe didn’t hesitate as her horns started glowing before a blast was shot from the gap in between the antlers, aimed right at me. It was too big in size to dodge while standing still, so I hopped to the right. As it passed me, I felt there was Energtris incorporated in the attack. The blast made contact with a hill and resulted in a small explosion, destroying a part of it and leaving a sizable hole in the terrain. Tirean and I looked at Circe in mild surprise. We knew she’s slightly stronger than us but the fact she’s able to produce such a strong magic-based attack on her first try was amazing. I didn’t know about Tirean but I felt proud of my sister, though I knew deep down he was proud too.
Circe smiled sheepishly and blushed a bit. “Sorry. The power output was a coin toss. There was no way to tell if it would be too strong or too weak.” Circe’s smile then turns into a confident one. “Now, I have a good grasp on it. Here I come, brothers.”
Circe’s horn glowed again as she fired two shots from her horns, one at me, one at Tirean. I was about to dodge it but it suddenly sped up so it hit my chest head on. It didn’t damage me per say, but it had a lot of force behind it so it ended up pushing me back several feet, causing four dirt lines to be formed in the ground. The attack did hurt but it wasn’t an external pain but an internal pain. I groaned a bit as I looked to see how Tirean handled it. Not to my surprise, he managed to block it with his wing claw despite the sudden speed. I chalked it up to Tirean’s instinct and senses being honed through his training.
Circe’s smile didn’t fade as she fired four shots this time, all of them aiming for me. What surprised me was that the shots were coming at me from different angles at different speeds. I considered canceling out the shots with my own, but the infusion of magic and Energtris would require more energy than usual. So I dodged the first shot, smacked the second away, forced to dodge the third since it suddenly sped up, and the fourth stopped in place. It confused me but when I looked around, I realized the other three shots turned around, then all four shots flew towards me from four different directions. I leapt into the air and started flying which caused the bullets to chase me, so I quickly realized Circe’s previous attack had a tracking property to it . I flew around a bit while they chased me so I took the time to think of a way to deal with the bullets. I decided to give something a try as I focused my energy into my tail. It turned into a claw as energy pooled at the tips of the claws, after a few seconds the energy was discharged as thin lasers shot out, piercing the four bullets. As I hoped, the lasers caused the bullets to disperse safely, although the lasers punctured the ground as well so I cut off the energy flow.
I landed on the ground and looked at Circe who raised her eyebrows. “That’s new.”
I smiled. “You’re not the only one who learned something. Also very clever incorporating a homing property into that attack.”
“Well, I just tried to do what I normally do with Energtris and surprisingly it worked.” Circe admitted.
“Convenient.” Tirean uttered. “Back to the action.”
Tirean then charged at Circe, surprising her a bit, and threw a punch with his wing claw. Circe dodges it and counters with a magic pulse that pushes him back, then quickly follows up with a magic bolt. Tirean couldn’t dodge it since he was being pushed back by the pulse so he couldn’t change directions and the bolt was fast. As it hits his chest it has a penetrating effect causing him to groan and knock the wind of him. Circe spins around and swings her tail in my direction, I noticed her horn was glowing so when a magic wave was created, I wasn’t caught by surprise. I leapt up and dove down, spinning forward to slam my tail down onto her. She reacted with a magic shield and countered with a pulse that pushed me back into the air, following quickly with another fast bolt. Normally, there would be no way to avoid it but there was one thing that would, as Tirean clearly forgot, is using my own pulse from an extended arm to push me out of the way.
Only for me to use a pulse to get back into Circe’s face to punch her in the face. I had no intention to connect the punch since I had an ulterior motive, thankfully she did exactly what I expected her to do and blocked it with a magic shield. Before she could counter, I used the shield to maneuver around as I placed my claw on the shield and pushed off it so I’m behind Circe, since her shield only covered her front. I quickly gathered energy in my claw and fired it at Circe’s back. Circe was watching me as she moved the shield to block the shot, the shield was shrunk due to how quickly she had to relocate it. I didn’t hesitate to land and quickly move around to try and swipe Circe across the face with my tail. Circe had to defend again, the shield shrunk a bit more again.
I kept moving around and attacking Circe to test her magic defense, each time the shield shrunk more and more. I was helping Circe test her limits of magic in a combat scenario, and so far she hasn’t been able to counter since my first attack. Tirean recovered from Circe’s counterattack a while ago and noticed what I was doing, so he stayed back and just watched. Circe’s reflexes and reaction time are as fast as mine, but her capabilities with magic were not up to par yet. Because of that, eventually Circe couldn’t muster a magic shield and ended up creating an energy shield instead. This surprised her but I knew it would happen so I stopped my assault and backed off.
“You did good, sis. Your capabilities with magic despite your first time using it for combat are good, especially since you learned it within a day.” I then smirked. “But you are a Trusdale, afterall.”
Circe smiled. “Thanks.” She then fired a magic bolt that came at me so fast and unexpectedly, it hit me in the face and knocked me on my back with a thud. I heard her giggle. “Sorry, not sorry. I couldn’t resist getting a cheap shot in.”
I rolled over and turned around to deadpan at her. “Very funny.” I stand up. “At least, you know what you have to work on.”
The shield vanishes as Circe nods. “Yup. Of course, I could use Energtris for defense and magic for offense or vice versa, until I get better at magic.”
“Don’t make it easy for yourself, sister.” Tirean stated. “You’ll never improve if you don’t push yourself to your limit.”
“You would know best bro.” I concurred. “We can only imagine what kind of hell you went through during your training.”
Tirean suddenly stared into the distance as if he was willingly losing himself to a distant memory. “It was grueling to say the least. Hell doesn’t even come close to describing what I went through. I was supposed to be ruthless, merciless, and null of emotion so I completed my task.”
“Like a dragon Winter Soldier. We know, Tirean. We do tease you about that, you know.” Circe interjected.
Tirean turned to look at Circe then me. He didn’t smile but both of us could tell he was happy and glad about how things turned out even though he wasn’t proud of what he’s done. “But I didn’t become the weapon they wanted. If it weren’t for the two of you, I would have. So-” Tirean stopped himself and I knew why.
“We know.” I said with a somber tone and a gentle smile. “You don’t need to say it. You didn’t have to, and you still don’t. We’re just as happy with this outcome.”
Silence settled in as we didn’t say anything for the next few minutes, not even through telepathy. Circe decided to break the silence by clearing her throat. “Let’s heed your advice brother, and push ourselves right now. We got plenty of time before lunch.”
“Yeah, I do love working up an appetite.” I said with enthusiasm.
“Just don’t eat out Ponyville’s entire food stock.” joshed Tirean with a smirk.
I return the smirk. “Same goes for you two.” The three of us share a good laugh before resuming our training.
Circe focused on getting better with her magic while I practiced with the piercing laser. Tirean and Circe gave it a try as well and they succeeded naturally. The three of us also trained our energy capabilities, since the more we use it the stronger they’ll get, and it’ll allow us to test our new limits. Everyday our power grows and our energy reserves deepen just a bit, so we’re always willing to test our new limits. By the time lunchtime was around the corner, we used 25% of our energy reserve and while we were out of breath, we weren’t exhausted in the least. In fact, we were still raring to continue but we knew we had to attend the party since we did work up an appetite like we said we would. So we headed off to the party which we assumed would be at the town hall again. But to our surprise it was in the town square outside the town hall.
“Welcome to Ponyville Tirean!” Yelled everypony. Tirean’s expression didn’t change and looked indifferent, but Circe and I knew he was a bit overwhelmed by this. He wasn’t a social guy after all and preferred to be solitary. Still he took this with grace all things considered.
He slightly bowed his head out of respect and replied with a simple, “Thank you.” The party commenced afterwards and naturally the Mane Six approached us. “Hello again, Rarity, Fluttershy.”
This surprised Circe and I as well as the other four Mane Six. “You actually socialized, brother?”
Tirean just turned his gaze towards me without moving his head. “I never claimed I was antisocial. You two just automatically assumed I was because of my training and how I was in the past. I just prefer seclusion so no one I know and care about ends up being targets.”
“That’s understandable.” Replied Circe. “Still you should have spoken up about it.”
Tirean’s gaze returned to the front. “Noted for the future.” Tirean said that but for some reason, it seemed like he was messing with us by saying it and not actually planning on doing it. “So who are the rest of you girls?”
“Applejack.” Answered Applejack with a tip of her hat.
“Rainbow Dash.” stated RD.
“Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight responded.
“And you already know me.” Pinkie remarked with her trademark bounce.
Tirean nodded in acknowledgment. “Duly noted.”
The sound of a stomach growling would have interrupted the introduction if it wasn’t concluded. The mares looked around for the source of the sound but didn’t have to look too long as I sheepishly smiled and chuckled lightly. “That was me. The three of us had time before the party so we trained hard, since it’s been a long while since we did so. Naturally we worked up an appetite.”
“Then it’s a good thing I made a bunch of treats and snacks.” beamed Pinkie.
“Thank you.” thanked Tirean.
The three of us started eating, being mindful of not scarfing the food down like we’ve been starving for days. The food was rather tasty, but it wasn’t a surprise considering Pinkie was the one who baked them and she lived in a bakery.
“So how is it?” questioned Pinkie.
“Very good.” I remarked happily while carefully chewing the food.
“Indeed it is.” Tirean concurred after swallowing his mouthful.
“My brothers speak for me, like always.” Circe bantered knowing it would get a reaction out of the both of us. And it did since we both looked at her and rolled our eyes.
“You’re free to give your own opinions sis.” I verified.
“Then my opinion is this food is terrible.” joked Circe with a snarky smile. The Mane Six look at her with worry, especially Pinkie Pie. Though the worry quickly disappears when they realize Circe was only joking.
“So.” Twilight spoke up as if trying to continue the conversation. “Your siblings told us a bit about you, Tirean, but I wanted to personally ask you a question.”
Tirean shallows the last bit of the snack he was currently eating. “Go ahead.”
“What was your training like?” inquired Twilight.
Tirean paused for a moment. Circe and I knew why but the Mane Six obviously didn’t. “It was difficult and trying. I’ll say that at least.”
“Aw, I was looking forward to hearing about it.” Pinkie Pie whinged.
“You have to respect his privacy, Pinkie dear. If he doesn’t want to share, that’s his choice.” Rarity objected.
“She’s right, Pinkie.” concurred Twilight. “Besides, I have another question for the Triplets.” This caught our attention as we put a pause on our eating. “You’re triplets who share the same power and origin of those powers, so why are you three so different in appearance?”
“You know I never thought about it. But I don’t need to really think about it. I told you we’re DNA children of Asgorath, so our appearance might have been affected by our personality and character. I’m an all-rounder to be frank so that might be the reason I have the appearance of a typical dragon which is a European or eastern dragon in our world.” I pondered.
“I’m smarter and a bit wiser than my brothers. That apparently has a knick for magic now, who’s also female. So I became a long or a Chinese dragon in our world.” hypothesized Circe.
“While I have a very stony exterior personality, according to my siblings. I also technically abandoned my family to undergo brutal training for a rather dark purpose, so that would be why my appearance is a sturdy, intimidating, yet lonely looking dragon with wing claws.” Tirean surmised.
Circe and I glance at Tirean with regret. “Despite our attempts to stop him.” I declared.
“Though we are somewhat at fault for not trying harder.” Circe added.
“No.” He sighed. “I’m afraid any further attempts would have made my leave much harder on you two.” lamented Tirean.
“Anyway, that’s why our appearances are different.” I surmised trying to not let the mood stay somber. The Mane Six were a bit speechless about us answering Twilight’s question, then turning the mood somber, and me attempting to bring the mood back to normal.
“I apologize for ruining the mood.” Tirean spoke up. “I don’t socialize as much as my siblings, so I tend to forget mannerisms and what ‘kills’ a mood sometimes.” Tirean air quoted with his wing claws when he said kills.
I legit assumed that the Mane Six wouldn’t know what air quotes were since they didn’t have fingers, so I called out my brother. “Bro, what if they don’t know about air quotes?” I instantly felt guilty for making such an assumption.
“Oh, we know about air quotes.” responded Rainbow Dash, demonstrating the point by making air quotes with her hooves. It was a bit weird that she just simply scrunched up her hooves but it did answer the question.
“I should have figured.” I thought aloud while scratching the back of my head. “Sorry, I tend to blurt things in my head before even having a chance to think about it.” I pointed out.
“It’s alright, sugarcube. Everypony has their faults. The six of us learned more about each other and ourselves ever since Twilight moved to Ponyville.” Applejack reassured me. “I reckon ya’ll have yet to know each other or yourselves fully either.”
“Despite your deep bond and familial connection.” Fluttershy asserted.
“You might be right.” Circe pondered.
The party continued for a while as we got our fill of delicious and well-earned snacks. For the rest of the party, the Mane Six tried to make small talk with Tirean while Circe headed off into the crowd to socialize with the rest of the townsponies. Meanwhile, I decided to step outside for some fresh air. As soon as I was sure I was alone, I almost instantly dropped my facade of being in good spirits. My face melted down from a smile to being almost expressionless. Despite having a whole night to reflect on it, the news of the Griffon king being presumed dead, and a council meeting to openly discuss it among other things with various races has been on my mind all day. I was even told that two races have ceased communication with the Princesses. Even though I told Luna I would see if I can help them, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what happened to them. Were they still alive? Did they encounter problems or did they simply decide to not associate themselves with ponies? I knew these were questions I could only theorize on so I forced myself to push those questions aside. For now, there were other things to deal with first.
“You look stressed.” A familiar female voice spoke up next to me. I turned to look at her and quickly recognized her scarlet braided mane.
“Yumi.” I said putting on a smile. “I didn’t expect you to strike up a conversation with me of all people, I mean ponies.”
Yumi just looked at me with the same expression as before; suspicion and annoyance. “Too late to crack a smile, dragon.” gibed Yumi but she made the smallest of smirks which surprised me. “Though it does make me feel better knowing you’re not always cheerful and optimistic.”
My ‘fake’ smile faded as I stared back at her. “In what way? Better about yourself that I feel stressed, or better that I’m more relatable?” I challenged, hoping for a proper answer.
“I haven’t decided yet.” Yumi shrugged which made me purse my lips in mild annoyance.
“Alright, why are you out here talking to me then?” I queried.
“I’m not into parties. Despite the fact that Pinkie invited me. She always invites everypony, no expectations.” Yumi commented.
“Are you the only pony like that?” I questioned.
“Of course not. There are quite a few ponies in there who don’t like big parties like this. We all just accept the invite because it’s Pinkie Pie. She makes a big deal about parties.” Yumi deadpanned. “Nopony can figure out where or how she gets the energy to do these things with such enthusiasm.”
“How indeed.” I concurred.
“Anyway, I don’t know what’s got you so stressed and I couldn’t care less. But Princess Luna and Celestia hold you in high regards, so I have no doubt you’ll work things out. Whatever they are. Plus you have your siblings now.” mused Yumi with the same expressionless look from a second ago. “Regardless, good luck.” Yumi starts walking away.
“Why are you giving me a pep talk, if you aren’t concerned about me?” I asked, looking puzzled.
She stopped briefly to answer me. “Because I hate to see the Princesses be wrong about you. It would look bad on them, you know.” Yumi clarified. “Personally, I couldn’t care less what happens to you.” Yumi ribbed, continuing to walk away.
I just watched her leave as she left me baffled about this whole exchange. “Does she really not care, or is she just teasing me about her indifference?” I wondered to myself. “But she is right. With my siblings, we’ll figure things out. We have to, for everyone’s sake.” I vowed silently before returning to the party.