An Earth Pony named Creation Nation, comes to the town of Barcelponia to start his job as a student of an art institution. But, when he discovers that mirrors are pulling people into another world, he and 8 others must unlock a power within them.
Creation Nation is a young Earth Pony, that has applied for an art institute, known as Art Gifted Institute, a school that has gathered many races from across the world into one school. He is one of the gifted individuals that will go there for a year. Why? Because, the school only requires you to stay there for a year, unless you want to stay and be a teacher. Though, around the same people, a strange occurrence begins to fall among the city of Barcelponia. People are being pulled into mirrors and afterward, are tortured by their worst fears. Creation along with 9 others must discover the solution to stop this culprit. The only way to do that is to obtain an ancient power known as Persona.
Unknown Area A young stallion found himself in a gallery of sorts. A gallery where everything is a velvet blue color. Well, except for the pictures. What kind of pictures? Pictures of ponies in blue velvet clothing, holding books or cards in their hooves or with magic. He looked around and tried to move, yet he was prohibited by some invisible force. He tried to speak, but again, it seems that privilege was also taken from him. He looks around, and before him were 5 strange creatures. Well, by looking at their silhouettes, he could tell that there were 3 ponies, a dragon, and a bizarre-looking changeling. The lights from a supposed sun shined through the crystalline glass that was formed as both a ceiling and a glass dome, shifted to reveal the identities of the strange company. There were a few similar features throughout the ponies. They all had a peach-colored pelt, a bleached mane and tail, yellow irises, and blue velvet clothing on. But, they all had their differences as well.
The earth pony had a fez upon his head, filled with a moderately organized bleach mane, with a golden "V" in the middle.
The unicorn was positioned in front of a canvas, painting something. He couldn't tell, for she was blocking the canvas. She had on a blue beret, with a golden "V" as well, on top of her curly and quite elegant bleach mane.
The pegasus, who was wearing a velvet blue stetson with the iconic golden 'V' on the side on top of his spiky blonde mane, was playing piano, alongside the dragon, who had a light blue underbelly, regular blue scales for the rest of her body, and dark blue scales for her spinal scales. She was singing alongside the ominous female voice that somehow was playing from somewhere unseen while sitting at the edge of the piano.
The changeling was the most bizarre of them all. First of all, he wasn't even onyx colored. He was a palish-peach color. His eyes were bulging and bloodshot, with no pupils. And, he had a forced smile on his face. He wore a classic vest, with a black suit tie. He lifted his head finally and tilted his head.
"Welcome..." He said in a polite, yet strange tone. Everyone turned their heads to him, giving polite and welcoming smiles.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." They all said in unison. After saying that, the ponies and the dragon went back to what they were doing before they paid any attention to the young stallion.
"This place exists between dream and reality... Mind and matter. You probably are wondering why you are here, am I correct?" The Changeling asked. At that moment, the pony felt his voice come back.
"Yeah... Why am I here? Also, how did I get here?" The normal-looking stallion asked.
"Do not worry, young one. We have summoned you here, by dream. You are currently asleep on the train taking you to Barcelponia, home of one of the greatest art institutes in Equestria. You are heading to a place where you may discover your physical and artistic potentials, but you may also awaken to a spiritual potential as well. You are here, so we may help you discover and harness that same potential. Yet, for us to do so, you must forge a contract with the residents of this very room so that we may help you even further. All I need you to do is sign your name here." The changeling said as he made a small folder and quill levitate towards the young stallion, without using magic.
"What is this contract about?" the young stallion asked.
"It just makes our services available to you for the year ahead of you." The changeling said. The young stallion gave the changeling a blank stare and proceeded to look at the contract. All it said was; 'I shall have the power to change my fate for disaster, by signing this contract'.
There was a line for him to sign his name on. He grabbed his favorite pencil out of his puffy, tan mane, and signed his name. He closed the folder and gave it back to the changeling. He opens the folder and looks at the signature.
"Thank you, Mr... Creation Nation." The changeling said before gasping.
"I do believe I haven't introduced my staff to you, nor have I told you my name. I am Igor, the master of the Velvet Room." He said with glee. He turned to the unicorn.
"This unicorn's name is Visionary Oath. She is a master of the visual arts. She paints what lies within your future." Igor said before Visionary Oath turned around.
"I am pleased to meet you." Her tone was mature and motherly, with a hint of a French accent in it. Igor chuckles and turns to the earth pony with the book at hoof.
"This is Rare Novel, an expert, and critic of the literary arts," Igor said.
"Salutations. It seems that a new chapter in your life is about to begin." Rare Novel added. His voice was that of Indian descent, and it was quite the Indian accent. Igor turns to the Pegasus and the dragon.
"The pegasus' name is Radiant Solo, and the lovely dragon's name is Azura. She is a master in the art of vocal performance, while he plays the piano, alongside many more instruments." Igor said, his tone saying that these were the final two people he wanted to introduce.
"Hello there, good sir. It will be nice doing work with you." Radiant Solo said while tipping his Stetson ever so slightly for respect.
"Darlin', if you need anything from us, just come right back, okay?" Azura said while giving him a wink. Her voice was slightly western for an opera singer.
"I believe that your time here is up. You'll be arriving at your location soon." Igor said calmly, yet his voice still as strange as before.
"Until we meet again, farewell..." Everyone said in unison before Creation Nation's eyes grew heavy, and before he knew it and could react, he was asleep.
Saturday, January 9th Daytime Weather: Sunny Train to Barcelponia Creation Nation woke up to see himself on the train. This was the train he boarded at his hometown of Baltimare. He was going to the city of Barcelponia to attend the Barcelponian College of the Collective Arts, a prestigious school with a variety of studies for creatures from all across the world to attend and perfect their craft. It was always his dream to go to some illustrious college that would allow him to truly hone on his art skills, I mean, that's what his cutie mark is for. He was born for art. The train would exit the darkness of the cave, and at his disposal, was the most gorgeous sight he has ever seen in his whole life. A full view of Barcelponia. It was beautiful, showing the ancient structures left by ponies of the Renaissance Era of Equestria. Wonderfully crafted arches underneath the bridges the train ducked under. The historical buildings had wonderful quartz columns on their corners and around their doors, baroque streetlamps adorning the concrete sidewalks. It was, as said earlier, a truly wonderful and awe-striking sight to see. The speaker that has been planted on the wall plays a jingle, interrupting Creation's thoughts the conductor beginning to speak.
"Arriving at Barcelponia Main Station. I repeat, arriving at Barcelponia Main Station. Make sure you take all your luggage and don't leave any valuables behind when you step off the train." The conductor announced through the speaker. He stood up and grabbed his respective luggage. Once the train stopped, he exited through the open doors and looked around the station. There was a moderate amount of ponies at this station. He was looking for a special somepony. Not a lover, no. He was looking for one of his relatives. His grandmother, Cherry Drink. She is an excellent chef. She's #1 around these parts. In the distance, he saw a levitating sign, that had his name written over it.
"There she is.." He said to himself silently. He jogged through the mild crowd of ponies and stopped right in front of the wielder of the sign. A visibly youthful unicorn mare with a white pelt, a crimson and pink mane and tail, and an apron, with a navy blue and baby blue plaid pattern across it. Her hair was nice and wavy, just like his mother's. Creation Nation had one of those grandmothers who doesn't look older than 24. The truth is, his grandmother is 68 years old. Very old for a pony... Cherry Drink gave Creation Nation a patient smile, lowering the sign to her side.
"Took you long enough." Cherry Drink teased. Her voice sounded like Creation's older sister.
"Sorry. I'm still a bit tired from the trip." Creation Nation said, before yawning. He rubs his hoof against his eyes. Cherry Drink gasped when she saw the tiny bags under his eyes, staining his bright yellow face.
"My goodness! Why didn't you take a nap on the train?!" Cherry Drink exclaimed.
"I did, but my dream-" Creation said, before his grandmother's hoof gently met his mouth, hushing immediately.
"No excuses. Come on, let's get you to a nice comfortable spot in my home." She cooed as she picks up Creation Nation's luggage with her teeth, instead of her magic.
"But, I can-" Creation Nation tried to rebut against her hasty care before his mouth was closed once more by that same pearly white hoof.
"No time for talk. We need to get you something to eat, and somewhere to sleep." Cherry Drink replied through her teeth. Creation Nation had no other choice, but to pick up the rest of his luggage, and follow her back to her home.
Afternoon Cherry Drink's Home You know that awkward yet nostalgic feeling you get in your bones when you're traveling and you have to stay in a relative or friend's home? That's what Creation Nation was feeling, right when his hoof met the welcoming yet tacky woven doormat of Cherry's home, which read “Home Sweet Home” in big black letters, surrounded by small pastel flowers places on thin green vines. The brass doorknob twists in Cherry’s mana grip, allowing the two to trot inside the house to be greeted by the living room. The living room was very pleasant. Wooden floor, a couch right in front of the nice warm fire, a chandelier, a few bookshelves, and quite the amount of exotic flora. Cherry Drink leads Creation Nation upstairs to a room, to their left. The room was very mundane. No color. Just bland grays, whites, and blacks. This bothered Creation Nation. He liked colorful rooms.
"Sorry, if there's no color. Hearing your arrival so soon kinda cut into my schedule. Heh... Maybe when I have some time, I can help spice this place up. How about it?" Cherry Drink said in an apologetic tone.
"Yeah. Let's do that." Creation replied, his smile as soft as his reply.
"Good. Now, come downstairs, dinner should be ready by now." Cherry Drink cooed, trotting right back down the stairs, Creation right back on her flank. In the kitchen, were two unicorn mares. One mare had a nice baby blue pelt with a mint-green mane and tail, with sparkling blue eyes that were very enveloped with a book. The other had a nice spartan red pelt with a milk chocolate-colored mane and tail, each with a bright orange streak through them. She was idling doodling on a piece of paper, ignoring the textbook next to the flimsy piece of paper she was scribbling on. These two were Creation’s cousins, Mint Morning and Cinnamon Sunset respectively. From the sounds of hooves, the two would remove their sights from their current doings to see their yellow-pelted cousin with their grandmother.
"Creation!" Mint Morning said with a serene kind of excitement, making her way to Creation in an orderly and poised fashion, putting a singular arm around his neck, Creation doing the same. Creation was then, yanked from his calmer relative’s grasp and pulled into a noogie.
"Little cuz! It’s been so long! How’s it been in saditty Baltimare, Color Butt?" Cinnamon Sunset cooed teasing, making Creation scrunch his nose in annoyance, trying to escape the harsh greeting ritual. Cinnamon was definitely the more intense cousin compared to Mint.
"Cinnamon! What did I tell you about pestering your relatives?" Cherry inquired with a disciplinary tone, glaring at her granddaughter who only replied with a shrug.
"Yeah, yeah... Treat others how you want to be treated and all that.." Cinnamon would let Creation go, who would softly rub the area of impact for the noogie. “But, it definitely is good to see you again, Creation.”
“Yeah, I can say the same, excluding the ‘noogies’.” Creation said, pulling his crimson cousin into a side hug, who would gladly accept. Afterward, the 3 would sit down at the 4 person table, waiting for the meal that Cherry was conjuring.
"So, what’s for dinner, Mint?" Creation Nation asked, the excitement only just noticeable within his hushed voice.
"Dandelion Stew with a side of Hay Fries," Mint replied, leaning in with just as much excitement. This caused the both of them to hum in delight at the thought of their grandmother's wonderful stew, filled to the brim with vegetables.
"And, for the drink, Cherry Soda Float..!" Cinnamon squealed. Creation Nation started to drool just a bit, just thinking about the sweet, savory taste of his grandmother's floats. She won 2nd Place in a culinary competition that was nationwide, being the runner-up to two ponies that have a sweet shop in Ponyville. He was soon snapped out of his daydream by Mint. Seeing that he delved deep within his passionate food fantasies, he would wipe the drool off of his chin and smile cheekily.
"S-sorry about that, heh..." Creation replied bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck once more in embarrassment, though that moment would be short-lived as Cherry Drink began to serve their dinner and poured their drinks. Afterward, the rest of the night was filled with talking over food and drink, speaking of what activities Creation is ready to do the most as he attends BCCA, which were all very obvious: Art related things. And this dragged on for a long time.
Evening Creation's Room Once Creation was able to walk up to his room, he would open the door, pushing the rest of his luggage on the side of his bed, and checked out the room. The walls were all white, along with the ceiling. The floor was made from the same wood that was present within the rest of the house. A mixture between light and dark browns. The window has a set of thin white curtains which showed the moonlight pressed against them, but wouldn't allow the beams of light to touch the floor. Next to the window would be a big wooden desk, possibly installed so Creation would have a place to conduct any art-related work he had to do. When he turned to his bed, he was greeted in white sheets and white pillows. Next to the bed, there would be a wooden nightstand with a singular magic-fueled lamp sitting on top of it, devoid of any sort of activity. Creation, too tired to ponder on his hatred of mostly white spaces, would walk over to his bed and flopped down, looking at the bleak white roof above him and thinking himself to sleep.
"All right, Creation Nation... You can do this..." He softly cooed to himself before he fell into a deep slumber, readying himself for what he may have to endure in the morning.
Sunday, January 10th Early Morning Weather: Sunny Creation's Room Creation woke up and looked out his window, the sun’s brilliant rays blasting through the window, causing him to squint his eyes ever so slightly. After he let out a mighty yawn and performed his morning stretches, he would open his door and go straight downstairs for breakfast, not even bothering to comb his matted mane. However, when he made it to the last step, he found that his cousins and grandmother were waiting for him, each with a purse.
"H-huh..? Where are you guys going?" Creation groggily asked as he rubbed his tired eyes.
"To the Barcelponian Market," Mint said.
"Oh.. Alright." Creation responded complacently as he continued his journey to the kitchen, only to be halted, and pulled back to the mares with a cherry red aura of magic grasped around his tail.
"Oh no, you don't, mister! You are not going to be like your father. All he does is sleep, eat, and work. I'm not letting you do the same thing. Come on, we’re gonna spend some quality family time together, it’ll be nice! Please?" Cherry pleaded as she gave him the puppy eyes. Creation tried to hold his mental ground, but her puppy face was too strong for his resolve. He would let out a sigh once he knew he was defeated, which only made Cherry’s smile grow into a grin.
"Fine.." He groaned, trudging back upstairs to get his satchel, comb his mane and splash his face with water so he didn’t look so... Dead. After that, they would all go out to the market for the day.
Morning Market Street, Barcelponia The day was very long. Shopping can be fun, but Creation finds it very tiring, especially when there were no art supplies anywhere... They bought all kinds of stuff. Food, Clothing, Cloths... All types of needs and wants.
‘How do these 3 have so much money?! Oh wait, I forgot.. You’re talking about the #2 chef in Equestria..’ Creation thought to himself, though his focus is broken by the slight commotion happening behind him.
“Crimson, I don't have time for you or your friends' antics today.." Said a young, beautiful mare. She had a nice snow-white coat, with silvery hair, and nice storm gray eyes. Her cutie mark was a beautiful thorn rose with two petals falling off.
"Aw, c'mon lil' filly. Don't just give me that stare. You could at least show some appreciation for all I’ve done for you. Come on, Belle. I just wanna talk.." The crimson pegasus commented, trying to sound hurt. Upon observation, his cutie mark was that of a white sonic boom, with a red lightning bolt in the middle. His hair was feathered like most of the male superstars in Equestria nowadays. The mare just continued to pay him no mind.
"I can handle myself, you know. Now, leave me be." Belle retorted, with quite the icy hiss in her voice.
"Yeah. I suggest that you leave my daughter alone.." A deep masculine voice stated, coming from an approaching gray stallion, with gray and black hair, ruby-red eyes, and an eye patch. His cutie mark was... unsettling, being a gavel with a noose tied around it. It seemed that this bronco has some sort of reputation. The air itself seemed super still and frozen almost.
"Uh... Let's skedaddle, dudes!" One of Crimson's lackeys squeaked before they all made a mad dash away from the newcomer and his supposed daughter. Belle turned to the stallion and huffed.
"Dad, I could have handled that myself!" Belle said, angrily.
"You should be thanking me. I spared you the effort." The stallion stated blankly and blatantly. Belle simply huffed and walked off. The stallion gave off a small nose flare and started to walk past Creation, though Creation shortly afterward was caught in his sight, causing the dark stallion to turn to the colt.
"Hey, you... Were you flirting with my daughter?" He inquired with frozen rage plastered across his words causing Creation to panic, though a shaky response did leave his lips.
"U-u-um, n-no sir, Mr....." Creation replied, looking at the stallion, hoping that he would either say his name or just leave him at that. Creation would have preferred the latter, but instead got the former.
"Strike. Justice Strike. And, I'll let you in on a little secret..." Justice leaned into Creation's ear with a slow and eerie lean forward.
"If I ever catch you flirting with my daughter, I will wait until you're alone... Then, I'll gut you like a fish. Understand?" He said, glaring at the dead center of Creation’s soul with only his words. Creation simply nodded his face white with fear.
"Well then, have a great day," Justice said politely, walking off as if this was an everyday thing for him... And by the looks of things, it was. Cherry Drink would soon walk up to her frozen grandson.
"Seems you've met Mr. Tough Justice there." She said with a bit of a sour tone, something that isn’t really common with this sweet old lady.
"Y-yep... Let's just go home for the day..." Creation suggested, his voice still trembling as the threat from Justice continued to resound through his mind, wondering why he, of all people, was threatened.
"Alright, if you say so. Mint! Cinnamon! Come on! We're going home for the day! Let’s get ready to make dinner!" Cherry Drink shouted through the now thinner market as the sun began to set. Mint and Cinnamon came walking down the lane, and once they had caught up to the other 2, the quartet began to advance home.
Evening Creation's Room Creation tucked himself into his bed, looking at his still blank white ceiling. Man, he really needed some paint.
'This year will be... Interesting. Interesting, indeed...' Creation thought to himself, as the Sandpony did his work, and put him to sleep.
Monday, January 11th Early Morning Weather: Sunny Creation’s Room Creation soon awoke to the warm beams of the morning, the tweeting of birds, and the soft commotions of the city outside. He stretched and yawned, smacking his lips afterward to get that morning taste out of his mouth. After he finished his morning routine, he would walk downstairs to be met by the sight of his cousins waiting for him with his satchel in Mint’s aura of magic.
“How are you guys ready this early in the morning..?” He asked, his question followed by a yawn.
“Mint and I were so excited to go to school with you, so we decided to wake up early in the morning,” Cinnamon replied.
“We packed your breakfast and put it in your bag. You can eat it when you get to class.” Mint added, placing his satchel upon his back.
“Um... Alright.” He said as he shrugged. He was usually used to being almost late for everything, but it looks like he’ll have just enough time to get some breakfast-to-go. Mint and Cinnamon would accompany their male cousin into the streets of Barcelponia and head towards the collage, picking up breakfast on the way.
Morning Barcelponian College of the Collective Arts Creation’s mouth was agape when he saw his chosen school. It was beautiful. The architecture... The decor... The flora... It was perfect! The cleanly chiseled columns, the stylistically trimmed hedges, the fountain depicting mystical creatures spitting water into the shimmering pool of clear water below, the beautiful statues of well-known benevolent rulers. It was like a dream come true for him.
“I am not worthy of this place!” Creation yelled out in passion.
“You and me both, Color Butt,” Cinnamon replied, earning a glare from her two relatives.
“C’mon, you two, let’s go get our schedules for the year,” Mint said as she trotted up the stairs, Cinnamon and Creation following her. Creation was taking all of the features in. He looked over to one of the side gardens at the statues. They had statues depicting Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight as well as the other leaders of allied nations of Equestria. It seemed they were just building one for Princess Flurry Heart. He then stopped to gaze at the other garden seeing the non-Equine leaders. King Thorax, Dragon Lord Ember, Prince Rutherford, Queen Novo. They were so gracious and lifelike. He then felt someone beginning to drag him into the building, though it didn't deter his gaze.
“Come on, Creation... You can praise the academic gods later...” Mint snarked in a kind tone, dragging him into the institution of art.
Morning BCCA Gym The gym had multiple sets of desks with lines of colts and mares waiting to get their schedules for the 1st semester. Creation, due to having a surname, was in the ‘N’ line instead of the ‘C’ line.
‘Wow... There’s a lot of ponies in this line...’ He thought to himself as he waited.
And waited...
And waited...
And waited...
...Until he finally got to the front of the line, snapped out of his daydreams by the kind mare at the desk, acquiring his schedule. Upon leaving the physical education space, he placed his schedule on the floor to take a look at it, his face gaining a look of jubilation as he saw his first period.
“YES! VISUAL ARTS!” Creation rejoiced loudly in the middle of the hallway, gaining almost everyone’s attention. Upon this realization, Creation stopped his celebration, shrinking into himself slightly, chuckling and waving to all who stared.
“Sorry about that..” Creation said in a hushed tone, quickly galloping to his classroom.
Schooltime Visual Arts Creation Nation arrived at his designated classroom, Room A-19, which was run by a “Pastel Skies”. Once he entered, he mentally deduced that the classroom reminded him of a high-school classroom, but much bigger, and well decorated with what seemingly was past art, mostly done by the teacher. Everypony was sitting at tables in groups of 8. Every table was filled with talking students except for one, a table right in the middle of the room which only held 7 ponies. Creation Nation, for personal reasons, decided to sit there, instead of the back of the room, something he usually would do. Before introducing himself to the new ponies, he took a deep breath before walking up to them with trepidation in every step.
“Um, hi there..” Creation said as he tried to conceal his anxious behavior. The ponies stopped their conversation and looked at him. One of them, in particular, was giving him a cold glare, and another was mirroring his anxiousness.
“Uh... I’m Creation Nation, and I was, uh... Wondering if I could sit in that spare seat..” The ponies all look at each other and nod in a consensus in response to the request.
“Sure. You can sit here. You’re more than welcome to! I’m Finish Line!” said the earth colt with a dark brown coat and a black mane with a single white stripe running through, kinda like a skunk. He’s taller than the average colt, mostly from his legs, and he was pretty thin. He wasn’t scrawny, but he wasn’t built either. He was wearing a white jersey with 01 on it and a pair of black gym shorts. Creation Nation sighed with relief and sat down, his insecurities slowly ebbing away.
“I-Is this your first day?” said a hushed voice next to Creation, which caused him to look around before his eyes set on the orange colt next to him.
“I-It’s mine too... At least my friends are here..” said the orange colt, obscuring his face with a white hoodie. Though, upon closer inspection, he had a silver-grey mane and tail, with icy blue eyes. Yet, he had no cutie mark.
“That’s Silver Flame. He’s pretty shy and doesn’t talk too much, but he’s a pretty nice guy,” Finish Line pointed out.
“Oh.” Creation Nation, making a gesture with his hoof to silently say ‘hello’, caused Silver Flame to smile softly before looking away ever so slightly.
“Now, this gal-” He said, going over to a tan mare he seemed to be introducing next, pulling her into a side hug.
“This is Cruel Fate. Don’t be bothered by her name, she won’t speak any kind of curses on your life. Unless you make her mad~” Finish Line said jokingly, a huge grin on his face as the tan mare gasped and removed herself from his contact.
“Don’t joke like that!” Cruel Fate yelled as she started to scold Finish Line. Not too much, but she wasn’t going easy on him either. She was shorter than the average mare. Well, for her age. Accompanying her tannish coat were locks of scarlet for her mane and tail, along with fiery amber eyes.
“Can you two get through a day with scolding each other? You sound like an old married couple,” Said a white earth pony mare jokingly. She just so happened to be sitting on the other side of Creation. She had a white coat and a nice mix of blue and white strands in her mane. Her cutie mark consisted of two frost-covered berries, with two green leaves. Cruel Fate sits down and huffs while Finish Line chuckles and looks back to Creation to address the mare.
“That’s Winter Fields, a master of the agricultural arts.” Finish Line said in a mockingly flattering tone, eliciting Winter Fields to giggle.
“Stop flattering me!” Winter Fields said between her giggles. Once she had stopped, she looked at Creation Nation, looking as if she was going to say something, but she simply closed her mouth and puffed out her cheeks for a short moment, looking away in supposed thought before returning to her passive staring at Creation.
‘Maybe she forgot what she was going to say.’ Creation thought to himself before he would return his attention to Finish Line as he continued to introduce this large friend group.
“This pretty gal right her is [color=#ff00]Sapphire Valley..” Finish Line said with an interesting tone motioning to a beautiful unicorn mare, whose beauty could rival that of a very popular and generous mare. Her coat was the purest of snow whites and her mane was a mixture of light blue and dark blue, with a pink bow placed at the back of her head. Her eyes were like the ocean, having its deep blue color which could captivate anyone. She simply gave Finish Line a look, causing the smug grin upon Finish Line’s face to disappear. Afterward, she looked towards Creation, taking a break from the book she was reading.
“...Greetings.” She said coldly, though there wasn’t a hint of animosity on her face.
'Yikes..' Creation thought, seeing her display of emotion. ‘I’ll watch what I say.’
“Alright, I’m not ‘finished’ yet..” Finish Line proclaimed as he skipped right over his pun, getting ready to introduce the next of his friends only to be interrupted by Creation bursting out into laughter. He always loved a good pun. His laugh was very squeaky and youthful if that made sense. He laughed with no sense of inhibition at all. It was the perfect laugh if laughter were ever ranked. When he stopped, he saw everyone looking at him, causing him to blush and sink into his chair.
“Oh, sorry... I know, my laugh is kinda annoying..” He said as he rubbed his hoof across the back of his mane.
“I’d beg to differ..” Said the collected-looking unicorn stallion across the table, smirking. He had a swept-back electric blue mane, with eyes of the same color, and a dark grey coat. His cutie mark was a sigil rune. “It was quite amusing, to be honest.” He said.
“R-Really?” Creation said, happier to hear the compliment.
“Uh-huh! Definitely broke some ice in the atmosphere!” Finish Line said while turning to Sapphire Valley, who look back at before realizing the reason the earth colt was staring at her and huffed, returning to her book. Creation Nation smiled more at the other compliment.
“I’m Rune Writer. I came here to learn about magic, so my magical horizon can expand.” Rune Writer said as he lifted his head in the air with modest confidence.
“Well, that just leaves one person left. Curio Libre, get out of that book!” Finish Line exclaimed playfully. Another earth pony colt, this one with a bluish-gray coat and a dark red mane which was a bit spiky on one side, raised his head from a brown leatherbound book.
“Interesting..” he stated in a slightly hushed tone, still looking down at the book he put on the table. Only when he closed it, would he direct his gaze towards Creation Nation. Looking closer, he had amber eyes and a satchel around his shoulders. His cutie mark was that of a face. Half of the face was covered by a mask with a neutral expression, while the uncovered half donned a mischievous smile. He looked over at Creation Nation and smiled.
"Welcome to the group. It's nice to meet a new face." He said with calm enthusiasm. This made Creation Nation smile, as he looked around. A new group of people to talk to. On his first day too! Soon, a feminine voice calls out to everyone in the class.
"Alright everyone, settle down. Class is going to begin in a second.." Said a unicorn mare walking through the entrance to the room. She had a silvery pink and melon-colored mane, which was tied into 'hippie' dreads. She had a peach-colored coat and dark slate grey eyes. Her cutie mark was a piece of chalk drawing a cloud.
"I am Pastel Skies, your visual arts instructor. Through the year, I will not only teach you about art. I will tell you the mathematics, history, and literature that goes behind the art. You see, other subjects are intertwined into this subject, and it's my job to teach you how to embrace these different facets of art. Now first, let's go over the basics.." She said as she started to lecture everyone on the meaning of 'art'.
'This is going to be a long, yet interesting year...' Creation thought to himself as he listened to the mare prattle on.
After School BCCA Hallway Creation was making his way to the entrance of the school which doubled as an exit to embark on his walk home but was stopped by a voice calling out to him. He turned and was met with the sight of Mint.
“Hey, Creation. Where are you going?” Mint asked. Creation tilted his head at this because Mint made it sound like he had somewhere else to be.
“Back to Cherry’s place. Why?”
“Well, I was thinking that on your first day, maybe you should get ahead on any work you may have so you can be scott-free for the next few days. So, I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to Study Hall?” Mint suggested, leaning in with a small, innocent grin planted on her face. Creation shrugged and nodded.
“Sure, why not? Studying early can’t hurt..”
Evening Cherry Drink's Home Upon hearing knocks coming from the front door, Cinnamon Sunset would get up from her spot on the couch and opened the door for her sister and cousin, who both had very lethargic expressions plastered on their faces. Cinnamon raised one of her brows in response to this observation.
"Where were you two? I came home right after my school ended." Cinnamon inquired.
"We went to a study session," Mint said, groggily, trudging up the wooden stairs, her trotting heavy. "With pre-assessments coming up and our classes already piling on the homework, we thought we'd study a bit and knock out some of the work..."
"We were gonna come back way earlier but we were distracted by the inane ramblings of some of the other people who were ‘studying’, " Creation said as he flopped onto the couch, letting out a big huff before closing his heavy eyelids. Cinnamon seeing this would grab a blanket with her teeth and slid it over Creation, before trotting up the stairs after her sister, leaving the yellow colt to wandering into the realm of his dreams.
Unknown Area Creation woke up in an ebon void with white noise being the only thing that entered his ears.
"H-huh..? Wh-where am I..?" He questioned himself, cautious of his surroundings. He frantically looked around to catch sight of anything that could give him any sense of geography until he saw a sight that made his blood go cold.
He saw.. himself. Though, there was something definitely wrong. His once slightly vibrant yellow pelt was pale and matted, and his bones formed horrific hills within his skin. His eyes which were normally a vibrant blue were now faded gray, and his sclera was tinted to a dirty gold. His mane and tail were reduced to tangled and unkempt patches of frazzled curls. Though, the part that horrified the colt the most was how half of the skin on his snout was gone, revealing his boney jaws with an unnaturally long tongue hanging out the side.
Creation couldn’t stare any longer. He had to do something. He couldn’t throw up in disgust, he couldn’t scream in fear, nothing would leave his throat. So, he ran. But, it would be for naught at the zombie horse would already be in the direction he was running in, pinning him to the ground with a quick pounce. Creation finally was able to let a frightened scream escape his lips as the beast he saw was standing over him.
It would bend its head down and opened its jaws to let out an unearthly growl, which would be followed by a waterfall of black ooze to come pouring out of its mouth, starting to coat Creation's pelt. It was thick and unyielding, unlike any liquid he felt. The more liquid that poured from the beast’s mouth, the more Creation was enveloped by it, wrapping and constricting itself around him...
He started to struggle with all his might, but nothing he did would help... It started to cover his hooves, his flank, and his main body... Then his neck, around his head... Soon, it started to suffocate him as it covered his nostrils and mouth... He felt like he was going to drown... Soon, his eyes would be the only things that were unclaimed by the ooze, but it wouldn’t persist as it began to cover them.
First his left, then slowly closing over the right, all before-
Nighttime Cherry Drink's Home Creation woke up abruptly and looked around, seeing that he was still in the home of his grandmother, safe and sound. Creation clutched his blanket towards his person and laid back down to attempt to gain some more sleep, but it seemed that fear had robbed that privilege from him for the rest of that night...
Tuesday, January 12th Schooltime Weather: Rainy Visual Arts Everyone at the middle table looked at Creation Nation in concern, as he had deep black circles under his eyes and his once jovial smile was turned into a frown devoid of any sense of happiness. It was very sad to look at.
“Are you alright?” Cruel Fate questioned cautiously, not wanting to potentially trigger him, but Creation was mostly docile... It was scary how silent he was before shaking his head and looking around.
“W-wha... Yeah... Yeah... I’m fine...” Creation said, a yawn escaping from his mouth.
“My goodness, he was sleeping with his eyes open...” Curio Libre whispered to himself in shock, between Creation’s words.
“Excuse me..” He added to his previous statement, before abruptly letting his face fall to the table. Pastel Skies sees this and walks behind him. She clears her throat and-
“YOUNG COLT, GET YOUR LAZY BUM UP!!” She yelled in a strict, army sergeant voice, causing Creation to spring up from his slumber, quickly shaking his head to provide a jolt to his senses, staring at Pastel Skies with wide, tired, and almost absent eyes. Pastel Skies smiled, content with her action, walking back to her place at the front of the classroom.
“Thank you..” She added, with her usual soft tone as she returned to her lecture. Creation groaned and slammed his head on the table in embarrassment. Winter Fields gave him a sympathetic look and patted his back.
“Hey, don’t worry... A lot of us, when we had our first day of college, tended to have days like this. What you have to do is-” She consoled the tired pony the best she could, but was cut off by a loud snore. Winter Fields looked down at him and shook him slightly. He wouldn’t budge.
“This guy is hopeless...” Cruel said, shaking her head. Sapphire Valley, looking up from her notes, sighed and would lift Creation with her magic before shaking him around in the air for about 5 seconds. Upon setting him down, his hair was now even messier than before, and one of his eyes was twitching.
“Th-th-thank y-y-you..” Creation shakily replied, earning him a nod from Sapphire. He then went back to listening to Pastel Skies’ lecture about art, though it was a very grueling experience for him as his eyes continued to haunt him with rest. He definitely was heading home right when school ended.
After School Weather: Cloudy Barcelponia Streets Creation Nation walked home alone... Tired and dreary from the terrible nightmare he had experienced last night, and from the plethora of long, drawn-out lectures today...
“Stupid nightmare...” He grumbled to himself, looking down at the wet stone road he walked on before he felt a violent jerking on his satchel before it slid off his neck. When looking up, he saw some hooded figure. He soon became alert to the fact that he was just stolen from and gave chase.
“Hey! Thief! Get back here!!” He yelled as he chased after the figure down the streets. He followed the figure into an alley, only to find his satchel laying down, next to a huge, antique mirror...
‘Strange..’ Creation checked his surroundings to make sure he wasn’t about to be ambushed by anyone with any ill intentions. Seeing as there was no one around, he slowly sauntered towards his satchel to pick it up. However, once he did, he felt a force shove him right into the mirror. But, instead of the glass shattering, he felt nothing. Like he just went through the mirror.
Unknown Area Creation fell to the ground, a big puff of air escaping his lungs. He groaned and stood back up. But, when he did, it felt strange... He looked at his front hooves to check if they were alright but... What he found was very off-putting. Not only did he find that hooves were indeed not there, but he also found out that what had weren’t hooves. They were hands.
“WHAT IN THE SWEET NAME OF CELESTIA?!” He shrieked, standing on his back hooves. He looked at himself, seeing himself covered in foreign white clothing. A one-piece that covered his torso, his biceps, and his legs, only exposing his back, er bottom hooves, and his hands. He looked at himself and sighed, relieved that he was at least in one piece. Before he moved, he began to look around him, and what he saw absolutely astonished him.
He found himself in some strange version of Barcelponia, where everything was a shade of purple or magenta, the sky was like a sunlit twilight with what seemed like thousands of stars adorning the skies. There were also castle-like structures all over the place as he walked around. Bridges spiraling in the air, staircases that lead to nowhere, incomplete pillars, it looked like someone stuck reality into some crazy fantasy world, molding the city into a fantastical cluster of madness!
As he was observing the city with both wonder and bewilderment, he heard an inhuman screech, causing him to whip his head around to the source of the noise, met with the sight of large piles of black substance lurching towards him. He stepped back, albeit clumsily since he was not used to this new body. They would stop at a distance away from the yellow horse, only to pulsate and rise upwards, molding themselves into a form. They would soon form into 8 rodent-like creatures with messy pelts covered in ragged clothes, big cartoonish ears, long fuzzy tails, big toothy grins plastered on their faces, their eyes covered with black masks, a golden “VI” imprinted on a bulk of their ebon accessory. They seemed harmless enough until they reached behind their backs and pulled out-
“BOMBS?!” Creation screamed before he clambered back to his hooves and began to run for his life, his heart beating like a drum. To add to his misfortune, he soon came to face a dead end as he turned one corner. He turned around to escape the alleyway, only to see that the Goblins had closed him in, starting to get closer. And the closer they got, the more he would whimper and shiver in terror. He would close his eyes, resigning to his fate...
That was until he heard a voice ring throughout the air.
“Medusa!” a boisterous feminine voice proclaimed. Creation opened his eyes as he heard the sounds of a scuffle, though he seemed to be untouched. And when he did, he saw the most perplexing sight. A giant woman covered in a red toga surrounded by a flowing blue aura. Coming from under the crimson clothes would be a long, green serpentine tail. In the opposite direction, her neck, arms, and hands would be equally as scaly, sharing the same green color, her claws pitch black. Meanwhile, when looking at what would be her head, his sight would be met with a silver cage surrounding her headspace, casting her face into shadow, the only visible part of her face being her glaring, bestial, yellow eye. Through the spaces of the bars, snakes of equally green color with red eyes and thin red tongues slithering from their mouths would be surging out and hissing at the enemies.
The Goblins would attempt to attack the snake creature, though they wouldn’t get that chance as the yellow eye would glare and the snakes would release small balls of light from their mouths, blasting each of the bomb-wielding creatures from the air. They would each hit the ground, soon to be dispatched by a string of barbed wire which would slash through each of them, making them disperse into clouds of red and black aura. When the snake woman disappeared from thin air, a feminine figure was standing there, raveling her barbed whip.
She was a Diamond Dog, adorned in gothic clothing. A black spiked choker was fastened around her neck with similar black spiked bands were adorned on her wrists. She wore a black corset laced with white, with a black long sleeve underneath that stopped halfway down her arms. Though, she had on black pants under the skirt, which were only ripped at the knees and below. Upon looking at her face, she had glowing amber eyes that rivaled the brilliance of the sun. Her head shape was like that of a wolf. Slender with a small skull frame, though her ears were fairly big, and somewhat held back, as a sign of anger. Aside from her bodily details, she had a black satchel and a whip holster at her waist area. She snapped her fingers right in front of Creation’s face.
“Hey, buddy! Don’t be fallin’ in love with me already! We’ve only just seen each other..” She said, somewhat annoyed. Creation jumped to his feet and shook his head.
“Sorry. That was just... Wow. You exude so much... Power..” Creation said, exasperated.
“Don’t worry. If you can enter this place without having a screwed-up fantasy trying to kill you, you’ll probably be seeing this a lot.” She said as she started to walk off. Creation was puzzled at this, wanting to ask so many questions but felt his survival was more important than the information gap, so instead of moving his lips, he began to move his legs and followed the diamond dog. Though, after following her for a while, he began to speak up.
“...M-my name is Creation Nation,” Creation said awkwardly, which only got a short “Hm” out of the dog-woman.
“I’m Carboni,” She said, not paying Creation any mind as she was looking around the area, possibly scouting for more of those creatures. Creation made sure to stay close to her just in case. “Let’s focus on getting you out of here.”
“Sure..!” Creation piped up, following her throughout the twisted and distorted streets of this dream, or to be accurate, nightmare realm. As began to lead him back to the familiar Main Street avenue with the city. Creation recognized it by the broad road and the alignment of streetlamps and hedges in the middle of the road. Though, before they could advance any more, the black and red mist those creatures formed from began to surround the duo in clumps before forming into newer creation. No longer were those creatures the bomb-carrying gremlins, they were now surrounded by infantile rabbit creatures, wearing what seemed to be diapers that were clipped with golden pins labeled with a “VIII”, though wielding bulky red wooden crossbows with dark magenta bolts placed in them, ready to aim. Carboni would groan and shake her head, unhooking her whip from her waist.
“Crud, stupid Anti-Cherubs!” She said as she took out her whip.
“Anti-Cherubs?! Can’t you use that big snake woman?” Creation cried out, standing close to the whip-wielder, who would huff, shaking her head.
“No. Even if I wanted to, Light doesn’t work on these bastards! I just gotta brute force them,” Carboni said, as she began to lash her barbed wire whip towards the seemingly angelic crossbow wielders. However, her attacks miss as they swiftly dodge her, starting to barrage her with the pink bolts. She would dodge most of them, though a few grazed her legs and arms. Upon realizing the danger, Carboni began to summon that blue aura that was present when he saw the giant snake woman.
“Damn it! Medusa- Agh!” She yelled before a bolt lodged itself right through her hand, causing her to hold her wrist as her hand was in agony, the blue aura fading from around her. It seems that Medusa was the name of the snake woman. Creation saw this and ran up to Carboni, looking at her injured hand.
“A-Are you alright? Can you still fight?” He asked, hunching over her as a body shield.
“N-Not until... I can get the bolt out...” Carboni croaked, trying to remove the projectile from her hand, only for Creation to bash to the side by one of the Anti-Cherubs, held at bolt-point. “Creation..!”
Creation tried to stand, only for fear to take the feeling in his limbs, causing him to stay to the ground, the mischievous smiles of the lagomorphic angels staring him down, his vision becoming clouded by darkness and the fog within his mind. Was he... Being consumed by these shadows...?
‘Is this... The end of me..?’ He questioned himself, his eye filling with tears, waiting for his swift and yet so painful death... Only for a voice to call out to him.
“You are a coward..” Called the stern and thundering voice. As soon as it spoke, time seemed to slow down exponentially. Creation opened his eyes wide and looked around.
“H-huh..?” Creation question out loud.
“I am talking to you, Creation Nation. You are a sniveling coward... Over what? Facing death? Ha! You should be laughing in the face of it. That is what you used to be like! Now, you are quiet and boring... What happened? I will tell you what happened... YOU HAVE LET FEAR INTO YOUR HEART!!” When his voice boomed, Creation held his head in pain, crying a bit.
“Look at you.. Pathetic. Crying over a tiny headache... Where did all the passion in your life go? You used to be so full of vibrance and color... Yet, something is missing... Greyness stains your soul... Now, you have fallen into a trepid nature... Did you notice it too? I thought so. You have let fear into your soul and create fissures... And, I’m here to help you heal those wounds... Let us form a bond... One that cannot be formed in the material realm...” said the voice. Soon, Creation Nation’s head started to throb like hell, and his skin started to feel like he was boiling away on the sun...
“Thou art I.. And, I am thou... Thou hast seen what a truest of hell’s is like... Being chained to an undesirable position. But now, emancipation is soon to be granted to the... I am the one who was torn into pieces and was thrown away to be fish food... But, those who cared for my destroyed body put me back together... I soon knew what I had to do... It was my turn, to rule over the dead.” The voice announced as Creation Nation was balling out on the ground. Screaming... Drooling... Crying... Thrashing... And basically, in pain. He didn’t know how much more he could take.
“Say my name...” The voice said as blue flames crawled onto Creation. Soon, the flames began to form into a set of light armor for the stallion. A golden gorget with a wind design adorned itself upon his shoulders, a while hood cast above his head, connected to a flowing white cape with a gold ankh embroidered upon the cloth. Two golden braces appeared on his upper arms, while two long bracelets covered his lower arms, veto his hands. Down his torso was a leather plackart, woven to appear in a “v” pattern, ending in a golden belt with a brown sheath with golden accents attached to it. Held up by the golden garment, a while shendyt hung from, with a long rectangular strand placing itself in the middle, with the titular ankh embroidered on it. Underneath the shendyt were a pair of brown pants adorned with golden knee pads and a set of black boots to help guard the stallion’s hooves.
“SAY... MY... NAME!!” The voice boomed. Creation closed his eyes tight and gritted his teeth. Soon, he couldn’t take it anymore. A blue aura began to form around him, a thick blue ribbon tied around his body. He saw that he had only one choice. Grabbing the ribbon, getting ready to tear, and screaming:
“OSIRIS!!”
As soon as time went back into its normal speed, an explosion of blue flames came from behind Creation, as his Anugyptian clothing reformed onto his body, blowing the Anti-Cherubs back, who could only watch as something started to take form within those flames. A green, Frankenstein-ish pony-man with a clean white shendyt wrapped around his stitched waist, along with a pharaoh’s hat. He, or it, had a malnourished frame, his ribs poking through his torso’s skin. Yet, he still had strong features, like abs, and manly pecs. He had a single poofy, brown ponytail on the back of his head. His eyes were completely white. And, wherever there was supposed to be a joint, there was a stitch line. He had on long fingerless gloves, with the Ankh symbol on them. His fingers were long and sharp. On his back was a paintbrush, with red, flaming pain on it.
“I am Osiris, King of the Underworld, the former king of Anugypt. I cometh into the physical plane...” said Osiris, as he towered over Creation Nation. “Now, young Hero, go forth and lay waste to the darkness!”
Creation Nation chuckled, and held his hand out, the blue flames forming a sleek scimitar in his hand.
“Alright Osiris... I’m ready. Let’s kick some ass!” Creation yelled out loud, proud of his new accomplishment. Osiris let out a bellowing howl, sending all the Anti-Cherubs back, allowing Creation to help Carboni get to her feet.
“So, you have a Persona now? That’s great... Let’s take these D-bags down!” She said with angered enthusiasm. She would rip the bolt out of her hand before dousing the wound in a green liquid from a potion bottle, healing the hole and leaving a slight scar. This is where the battle truly begins.
Creation and Carboni V.S The Shadow Horde (Anti-Cherub x6)
FIGHT!
“Persona!” Carboni summoned the blue aura around her, slashing it with her whip, summoning Medusa.
Medusa used Cleave on Anti-Cherub A!
Medusa would rush forward and used her sharp black claws to slash at one of the Anti-Cherubs, sending them flying.
“Persona!” Creation would slash the blue ribbon he had just gained the ability of summoning, the dead king appearing.
Osiris used Agi on Anti-Cherub A!
Osiris would draw a brazier hieroglyph in the air with his paintbrush, the sigil glowing red before transforming into a ball of fire and launching itself at the Anti-Cherub, sending it crashing down, dropping its crossbow in the process.
“Woah, you hit its weakness!” Carboni screamed in triumph, flabbergasted that this new guy was able to strike at the creature’s weakness, turning to him with a bright smile on her face. “Do it again!”
Osiris used Agi on Anti-Cherub B-F!
Creation would nod and began to blast the rest of the Anti-Cherubs down, Osiris drawing the flaming symbol for each one, sending them crashing down to the ground in smoking heaps, one of them even still smoldering with fire.
“Let’s thrash ‘em!” Carboni screamed, drawing out her whip. Creation nodded and drew his blade rushing at the devilish angels and giving them all they got, reducing them to the black and red wisps they came from.
Creation, realizing that the threat was gone, turned towards Carboni with a big smile on his face.
“Hey, we did it! We-” He cheered before a sudden bolt o fatigue washed over his mind and body, his voice going mute and his body going limp as his eyes shut close and-
Velvet Room Once Creation comes to, he finds himself back in the strange blue gallery. He looked around and saw those strange ponies with the pale changeling. Creation remembers that the changeling was Igor, Master of the Velvet Room.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room!" Igor said cheerfully, his bizarre smile still planted on his face. He would bring his hooves together for soft applause towards the colt.
"It seems that you have awakened to a newfound power. The power of Persona. The power to summon the inner machinations of one's psyche into the physical plane... Outstanding, isn't it?" Igor said, chuckling afterward. Creation nodded.
"Well, my young stallion, I'll let you in on some information we may have found. Inform him, Rare Novel." Igor said, directing his attention to Rare Novel, the earth pony with the fez upon his mane. Novel lifted his eyes from his book and smiled.
"You have the ability of The Wild Card. The Wild Card allows the user to gain power through the bonds they may forge in their journey. Associates, or the people you'll make bonds with, are the ones who will fuel the flames of your soul, thus allowing you to grow and gain more power." Novel explained. Creation looked at him in amazement.
“But, don’t get it twisted, young fella... Your bonds must be real and genuine. Otherwise, you’ll just find yourself on a downwards power trip until you crash...” Radiant Solo interjected, turning slightly towards the foreign guest of the room with caution supplanted in his voice.
“But, that’s why we’re here, doll... To keep you on the straight and narrow. To help you not stray from your path...” Azura said with a reassuring smile.
"As a client of the Velvet Room, we must allow you to have access to our services and hospitality, so we can see your progress and watch you grow. So, we bestow upon you the power of entering this very room at any time you please." Igor says as a golden key tied to a thin white string floated down onto Creation's neck from the beacon of light that cascaded from the glass dome above. Creation felt like he and Igor had a slight bond growing, knowing that Igor wanted Creation to do good, both by the Room and the World..
Thou art I, and I am thou... Thou hast gained an Associate, a newborn bond... With this bond, the Associate of the Glimmer shall teach you the potential and power that has yet to be awakened... This bond shall open the doorway to courage, bravery, and glory...
There was a nice warmth in Creation's heart, one that he had never experienced. It felt nice. Igor, somehow, smiled even more than he usually did.
"Well, I believe that it is time for you, my dear guest, to return to the material world. Until we meet again, farewell.." Igor said as Creation Nation's eyes close once more, as he felt his mortal conscious awakening...
Wednesday, January 13th Barcelponian Hospital Daytime Weather: Cloudy "Ugh... My head... C-Carboni...?" Creation rasped, his eyes cracking open... Only seeing bright whites and yellows around him as his sight was still blurred.
"Carboni..?" A familiar, mature female voice said. Once Creation's vision regulated, he saw that the voice speaking to him his grandmother, Cherry Drink, who was right in front of his face. This sudden appearance caused Creation to jump, hitting his head on the wall.
"Ow! Hi Grandma.." Creation said begrudgingly, rubbing the tender spot on the back of his head with his hoof. He took a moment to gain his footing in his environment, before removing his hoof from the back of his head and looking down at it.
'Wait, my hooves are back..' Creation thought to himself, looking down at them in amazement. Cherry Drink looked at him strangely, raising one of her eyebrows.
"Are you alright? You're looking at your hooves strangely..." She said with concern, walking closer and putting a hand on his hoof, which made her grandson look her in the eye, giving her a small nod before looking back down at his hooves, seeing no wounds on his body whatsoever.
"How did I get here? I remember passing out in an alleyway..." Creation asked.
"Mr. Cold Hard Justice found you passed out in an alleyway, laying next to an antique stained glass painting, with seemingly no injuries.” She explained, relief washing over Creation’s mind. Perhaps that whole thing was just a sleep-deprived dream he had.
“Funny thing though... There was a gray dragon protecting you, trying to wake you up. Do you know her by any chance?" She inquired, tilting her head with curiosity.
‘A gray dragon..? No, it can’t be...’ Creation thought to himself. Though, he had to check...
“Grandma.. Did that dragon’s name happen to be Carboni?” He asked, which caused Cherry to blink twice before looking upwards with a thoughtful expression.
“I think so.. She is outside the room if you’d like to chat with her.” Cherry said, walking towards the door and opening it, talking to a figure outside of Creation’s view. “Can you come in, sweetie? My grandson would like to see you.”
A gray dragon with brown eyes, black spikes, and a black underbelly walked into the room. Her figure was slender, yet she had a small bit of definition to her muscles. Her snout was skinny and sleek, almost like a serpentine reflection of her diamond dog visage. Her legs were digitigrade, her claves bending back and forced to walk on her toes, which were adorned with pearly white talons. When she saw Creation in bed, a small smile grew on her face.
"I think I’ll let you two speak. I’ll be right out here, so just call for me if you need me, alright?" She said, giving him a patient smile before exiting the room, leaving the dragon and Creation alone in the hospital room.
"Carboni? Is that you?" Creation said as he sat up, glaring at the supposedly disguised diamond dog, which earned him a smirk and an arm cross from the draconic female.
"Took ya’ long enough." She replied bluntly, chuckling a bit afterward, Creation joining her in the small humorous moment. She then took a seat at the side of Creation’s bed.
"Yeah. Your scale pattern kinda tipped it off." Creation replied, watching her saunter her way to the armed chair.
"So, how are you feeling? Any serious injuries?" Carboni asked, with genuine concern.
"No. Just a nasty headache..." Creation said, rubbing the back of his head gently before a question popped up in his head that he hadn’t thought to ask first. "Why did you disguise yourself as a dragon?"
"How do you think everyone in town would react to a diamond dog of all things, just strolling through town?" Carboni questioned rhetorically. “Even with the all the races and creatures having been integrated for years, that doesn’t quell the subconscious suspicions of past mistakes from a race as a whole.”
"True that.." Creation replied a little sourly. "But, how did you transform into a dragon..?"
"That's for me to know, and for you to find out, newbie.." She stated quite bluntly, Creation just nodding to her answer. They sat there for a while in awkward silence, both of them trying to find a way to pick up their conversation once more. Carboni's hissed softly through her teeth to break the silence.
"Um... Sorry that you got injured while getting dragged through this mess. I should have just gotten you out of there quicker than that.." She said as she looked down to her feet.
"No, it's not your fault... You did your best and had to handle most of that on your own... I mean... I probably would have died if you hadn’t come along." Creation said, smiling sheepishly afterward. Creation’s comment made Carboni smile and scratch the back of her neck.
“Aw, you flatter me, Creation...” She said in reply, a bit of pride picking up in her voice.
“No problem!” He softly responded, giving her a smile before the both of them return to much more solemn and sweet silence. After a minute, Carboni would stand up.
“Well, I should probably get out of your hair and back inside the mirror...” She said, walking towards the door and waving to the colt, who would immediately jolt up and held his hoof out to her.
“Wait! You’re going back inside that mirror world? With those monsters?” He cried out in concern for his new friend, who would turn back to him in surprise, Carboni taking a minute to process his words before replying.
“Yeah... I don’t exactly have any money on me to stay anywhere. Nor do I have a home to go back to...” She lamented, crossing her arms once more and looking back at the ground, softly kicking at the floor tiles. “Why do you ask? You don’t have to deal with me anymore or that world ever again... We’re not even friends...”
“But, you saved my life. If that doesn’t make us friends, I don’t know what will!” Creation would hop out of the bed, walking slowly towards the dragon.
“Even if I awakened to the power earlier, I don’t think I would have survived without you by my side... After that, I can’t just let you go back in there.” Creation would then stop in front of Carboni before holding a hoof out towards her, giving her a reassuring grin. “At least, not by yourself.”
Carboni stood there, astonished at this colt’s gusto, her mouth slightly agape before a toothy grin appeared on her face and her scaly hand met the soft hoof of the earth pony before her.
“You got yourself a deal... Friend...”
Thou art I, and I am thou... Thou hast gained an Associate, a newborn bond... With this bond, the Associate of the Dragon shall teach you how to be useful and resourceful to the bonds you are bound to... This bond shall open the doorway to courage, bravery, and glory...
"Good. Now, about getting you a place to stay, I think I have a good idea." Creation said as he began to think of a charitable and kindhearted soul that would house a homeless dragon.
Cherry Drink's Home Evening "I'm real glad that you decided to stay with us, Carboni! It’ll be nice having another traveller in this house!" Cherry rejoiced as he spoke to the dull-colored dragoness sitting at her rustic table with her 3 grandchildren as she cooked their meal, Mint, and Cinnamon looking at her very bewildered and out of sorts...
“Oh, no problem, Ms. Drink. I’m just glad Creation was kind enough to offer up such a wonderful home! I do hope I’m not intruding.” Carboni said as a sort of reply to the stares she was getting from Creation’s cousins. She would then, lean closer to Creation. “Do they always stare at people like that..?”
“No, they’re just being extremely rude.” Creation stated, giving the two of them glares that would cause them both to go back to doing their own things: Mint reading a book and Cinnamon whistling while looking up at the ceiling.
“It’s alright. I can understand having a new person of the streets in the house... Not really that reliable, is it?” Carboni ruefully remarked.
“Heavens no, we in this house are trusting and kind to all those who deserve it. You had all the chances to steal things off of Creation and you didn’t. So, let us at least thank you with some room and board, alright?” Cherry said as she began to serve the dishes of some seafood stew, placing a few gems in Carboni’s bowl.
“Alright! I’ll make sure I earn this privilege and keep this house tidy until I can get onto my feet!” Carboni said with a pep in her voice before everyone began to indulge in their meals and talk about Creation’s injuries and Carboni in general. Towards the end of the meal as Carboni and Mint began to wash the dishes and Cinnamon went upstairs to get some early sleep, Cherry Drink would walk up to Creation as he would be sitting in the living room in front of the warm fire.
“Grandson, could we talk for a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you outside.” Cherry said with a less chipper attitude than usual, Creation knowing that this usually meant that either something was wrong or she wanted to talk about something serious. He would obey her orders and followed the cream-colored mare outside, closing the door after he exited.
“Creation, I’m glad that you wanted to help that poor girl, I’m proud. I really am! But, I must ask? Did you think on that decision?” Cherry said, raising an eyebrow. Creation would tilt his head and scrunched his nose in confusion.
“Think it over? She saved my life, why would I have to think over helping her?” He questioned back, wondering about the perspective of the suspicion his grandmother was throwing out.
“Honey... In this city, people will be nice for as long as they need until they get what they want. And when they get it, sometimes they’ll leave you for dead.” Cherry Drink sated bluntly, that usual radiant smile of her disappearing in an instant, replaced by a small frown, not out of anger or sadness, but from some form of experience with this situation.
“Wow, Grandma...” That’s all Creation could find as a reply. He never thought such comparatively grim words could come out of his sweet grandmother’s mouth. What had she gone through to warrant this talk?
“Now, don’t get it twisted. That Carboni girl, she’s genuine. She’s got nothing malicious going on, I talked to her in the hospital a little while before you woke up. I didn’t badger her, but I made sure that she didn’t have anything bad in mind for you. But, thank the cosmos she didn’t.” She said, a small smile returning to her face before walking closer to her grandson and placing a hand on his shoulder. “I only say this to protect you as best as I can. There are some bad people with good masks in this world. I only ask that you look out for them. ‘Kay?”
Creation would slowly nod, allowing Cherry Drink to give him a big smile once more.
Thou art I, and I am thou... Thou hast gained an Associate, a newborn bond... With this bond, the Associate of the Farmer shall teach you reason and the pathways through the conventions of life... This bond shall open the doorway to courage, bravery, and glory...
“Good. Now, get your keester to bed, you got school in the morning and some work to make up!” She teased, opening the door in her carnelian aura, allowing the mustard-colored colt to trot inside and up the stairs to his bedroom.
Creation's Room Nighttime Creation, nearly asleep, heard a knock at his door later on in the night, prompting him to open it, finding Carboni at the door.
"Yeah, Carboni?" He asked with a bit of nighttime rasp in his voice, looking at her with a slightly tired expression.
"Um... Thanks." She replied softly, giving Creation a smile. “You really helped me when I needed it.”
"No problem... A life for a life." Creation said, grinning back at her, both of them chuckling for a quick moment. “Alright.. You should get some rest for the morning.”
"Alright, dad... Night..!" She snarked, walking down the hallway to the other guest room that would be occupied by her until she found a home and decent source of income.
"Goodnight, Carboni..." He answered back, closing his door and hopping onto his bed, letting his mind finally rest for the night.
