Rebellion Finale

Just as quick as the two collided they came apart, springing from each other with huge pushes from their back legs while in the air. Wergal landed on his feet and slid backwards, dust flying up as he dragged his nails through the ground below. Dreggen did the same, but he incorporated his right claw into the action. They ended up pretty much where they began, the only thing different would have to be the small cuts and bruises dotting their bodies here and there.

Dreggen’s body was littered with far less cuts and bruises than Wergal. Just as ‘Nightmare Hound’ was about to jump back in for some more, I placed a hand on his shoulder roughly. He rounded on me with a vicious growl, claws extended and ready to cleave my face off should he follow through with his instinctive thinking. I was unfazed by the gesture because I trusted Wergal with my life. I mean, he only saved it a little while back, right? He had also expressed that a true hero trusted the ones he allied himself with and I definitely view Wergal as an ally.

“Take your own advice and calm down. Dreggen’s snapped mentally but your rage could’ve gotten you killed right there. I know he’s taken something precious from you, but you have to keep better tabs on your feelings or you’ll die. Who’ll take care of Diamond then?” The hand not holding Hope was motioned to indicate a female diamond dog who was slowly getting back up to her feet. Wergal’s fur shimmered for a second or two, showcasing his grey fur for a little, before heading back to black.

“Thanks, Silas, I needed that. Now where were we...” He trailed off in that classic Anti-Hero speech. You want a good description of that? Think Shadow the Hedgehog mixed with the scratchy voice of Vegeta. And if you make that overrated joke in the comments section, I’m going to personally shove my foot up your ass and wiggle it for good measure! “Ah yes! Here me, freed slaves of Granite Podium! You now have the option of deciding this man’s fate! Silas and I will either kill him as he fights us, or cripple him and wait for you to get down here! Either way, there will be copious amounts of blood!” Wergal’s speech was met with a huge uproar from the revolutionaries.

“Kill him!” Griffins shouted.

“Gut, Dreggen!” Diamond dogs howled.

“Break his legs and arms! I want a piece of him myself!” Ponies yelled.

“YOU'RE ALL FOOLS!!!” Dreggen shouted back, only making the ex-slaves increase the volume of their murderous desires.

“I take it back! Kill him dead, Mr.Dragon and Mr.Diamond Dog!” A chorus of ‘yeahs’ and other forms of agreement came forth to the pony’s change of heart, making Wergal and I chuckle.

“I think we have an answer, Silas.” Wergal uncrossed his arms and cracked his knuckles loudly. I punctured the ground with Hope so that I could do the same with my knuckles as well.

“Remind me to kick your ass after this. You never told me you could talk, dammit. I probably would’ve let you go without breaking your leg.” I raised an eyebrow as a question came to mind. “Why did you let me break your leg back then? By what you’ve displayed down here, I’m led to believe that scuffle in the forest shouldn't have played out the way it did. I just want to kn-”

“Does this really look like the best place for this?” Wergal asked me with raised eyebrow.

“Suppose not. Still, I would like to know why you didn’t fight back when this is all over and we’re back at Judgement.” I picked up my sword without looking at Wergal, who I heard give a snort of amusement. Something tells me his reasoning was a little funky.

“It’s like you two were made to disrespect me!” Dreggen shouted angrily, bringing Wergal and I to look upon him once again.

“We try.” Wergal and I said at the same time.

“You should also know that even if we may fall to you-which I really don’t see happening- these revolutionaries of ours will see to your execution anyway. You’re trapped like a rat in a maze, a maze you built no less! At least you can die like a man atop your finest creation, right?” I jutted my thumb to The Podium with a scowl on my face.

I was growing bored with Dreggen and with how long this whole endeavor was taking. I knew, however, that my current level of power was nowhere near good enough to challenge him one on one. Wergal and I would have to do him in together, as much as it pains me to say it.

“I won’t be dying here, but I guess I can indulge you in this deluge of heroism!” Dreggen swung a claw strongly, some dirt fluttering from the ground in response to the sudden wind. His left eye was spasming fast enough to cause worry.

Not from me, but maybe someone else?

Yeah, not likely.

“You can practically hear the enthusiasm in my voice,” Wergal scoffed disinterestedly, “Now get moving. I don’t have all day.” He finished, pointing a finger at The Podium’s steps. Dreggen didn't like being bossed around apparently, for he simply brought his claws out and gracefully scaled the spire of rock; and by gracefully, I mean he tore that shit up!

“Now, you shake a leg.” Wergal was pushing me towards the steps with a claw, apathy written all over his face as I sighed in defeat. Perfect. The Hero is getting pushed around by the Anti-Hero! Tell me how this is not ironic!

“Fine, Mom! Get your grubby little paws off of me.” I remarked dryly as I ran up the steps as we reached them. I gripped Hope tightly, feeling the magic inside of it fill me with a ethereal warmth. This was it and by the way Wergal was tensing up, he could feel it too. “Wergal.” I called out, making him turn his head and look at me from the corner of his eyes.

“You felt it too?” He asked simply. I nodded. “Good, then I wasn’t the only one. It seems like Dreggen’s finally getting serious. Something’s up with that dog and I don’t like it. He was dodging a lot of my attacks at point blank range. It pisses me off, how he’s so agile!” Wergal clenched his teeth and furrowed his brow, snarling and growling at Dreggen who was busy getting the red bows off the balls on top of his head. After the balls dropped down into regular fur, he snarled back at Wergal.

Of course, I was left to be the awkward duck in all of this. I offered my own growl at the both of them. They stopped their growling match and stared at me with a raised eyebrow, silently asking me ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

“It was awkward just sitting here! I took action!” I complained and gave a ‘hmph’, turning my nose up and making Wergal facepalm.

“You’re an ass.” He stated simply before going into an all-fours stance, setting his sights on Dreggen who decided to remained upright. “Now let’s settle this with a snap.” Wergal snapped his fingers and a slew of ex-slaves came pouring out of the tunnels on the ground. Some tripped on guard bodies while others added more to the pile, sliding them off of swords and pikes; spears and arrows, horns and talons.We were surrounded in seconds, the once vacant ground around The Podium was now filled with hundreds of living bodies.

“YOU TRICKED ME!!!” Dreggen’s fury was rekindled, making a knowing smirk streak across my face. Wergal had this all planned out from the beginning, probably before he met me! He was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to advance his scheme. Wergal’s been plotting the coup all along and that’s why he didn’t kill me in the forest. This only shows his dedication in completing a mission which I believe will be vital for the profession I’ve adopted.

In fact, I’m going to need a lot more people if I want to achieve maximum hero status! There’s no rule saying that I can’t have a guild! A heroes guild! Think of the possibilities! They’re virtually endless!

“THAT’S IT!!! I’M ENDING YOUR LIVES HERE!!!” Dreggen roared in fury as he rushed us without warning, commencing the battle without me being ready for it. And from the way he was charging me down, he didn’t seem too focused on keeping that shred of dignity I tried to give him. I sidestepped a horizontal slash and brought Hope down in an overhead swing, attempting to cleave the Alpha in half. Dreggen’s speed kicked in once again, allowing him to sidestep the swipe at the last possible second and thrust a clawed hand towards my face.

My eyes widened as a black-furred fist zoomed towards Dreggen’s face, but once again that supernatural speed of his kicked in and he executed a perfect barrel roll, sending Wergal flying over him as the blow grazed off his spinning form. I stood there with my jaw practically scraping up rocks when the familiar feeling of pain rocketed through my body in the form of a giant paw slamming into my face. I staggered back from the blow, stars dancing in my eyes as I felt a powerful attack slam into my left temple, forcing me back even more as I gave a pained grunt.

“NOW DIE!!!” I shook my head and instantly ducked, seeing the swirls and clouds dissipate as a burly hand shot forward. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve mistaken Dreggen for Albert Wesker. I rolled to the left, hearing the disappointed snort from Dreggen as Wergal took up his crossed-arms position at my right side. All this scuffle managed to do was have us swap places.

“That was a close one.” I breathed out painfully, wincing as a deep pounding rocketed through my head. I gotta be careful from now on because I think I have a concussion. “I’m not seeing how we can hurt him, Wergal. The guy just pulls off the craziest dodges and shit like it’s-” I snapped my head up in realization.

“It’s what?” Wergal asked as he tensed up, ready for another scuffle to manifest. He’s gonna be disappointed because victory is all but assured. I smiled darkly before aiming Hope at Dreggen, which caused the evil dog to snicker.

“This bravado of yours churns my belly, alien! Be grateful that I haven’t already slain you with my supersonic speed, weaklings! You should be prostrating yourselves, begging fo-”

“Shut the fuck up.” I interrupted. “You don’t have the power you claim to have; if you did, then surely everyone here would be dead by now. You may try to play off your abnormality as a god-tier power, but it’s just an abnormality. I don’t know how you got this power, but I honestly don’t care because I’ve figured it out! The way you’ve been dodging at the last second and how you constantly charge us only solidifies my findings!” I narrowed my eyes as a victorious smirk graced my features.

He’s lost.

“It’s all reflexive, Wergal. Dreggen has heightened reflexes! And thanks to my eagle-like vision I noticed when I was studying Jack back at Judgement, which is useful for studying things in ridiculous modes of magnification, I can tell how it works!” Dreggen was snarling now, because he knew I had him pegged. “Picture this. Underneath every follicle of fur lies a pore that has nerves in it. Thanks to Dreggen’s heightened reflexes abnormality, the reaction time on the nerves picking up the presence of a threat is accelerated drastically, bolstering the chance of a successful evasion unrealistically. But this abnormality comes at a cost, just like every power.”

“His abnormality is only activated subconsciously, otherwise it wouldn’t exactly be reflexes now would it, Dreggen!?” I raised my eyebrow challengingly as he barked his fury at me. “Having said this, it’s easy to see where his weakness lies. His strength is his weakness! His abnormality can not be controlled manually! Having said that, I can honestly say that this fight has reached an end.” I concluded, bowing deeply as Dreggen began laughing his ass off maniacally.

“Interesting! Then let’s see you back up those words with ac-” I swung Hope as hard as I could, bringing it across the ground in a sweeping horizontal slash. The wind that came forth did exactly as I predicted it would to Dreggen. He instantly jumped into the air, his own eyes widening in fear.

“Wergal.” I said simply, seeing the diamond dog grin maliciously before closing the distance between the Alpha and himself relatively quickly. So quick in fact, that he had arrived underneath Dreggen while he was still in the air. Wergal cocked a fist back shot it forward, putting his whole body into it. I could see Dreggen’s body twitch up as it tried to move away, but he was airborne and the abnormality only lets him dodge, not block.

Needless to say, the punch was every inch of nasty I envisioned it to be as it slammed into the chin of Dreggen. His body went straight with the new force counteracting his descent back to the ground. In fact, the force was so strong that the puch succeeded in tossing him back into the air, albeit with less teeth.

“Yes!” I pumped my unarmed fist towards my chest in victory as my plan worked. That does it then! I love being smart!

“GET SOME!!!” Wergal yelled as he jumped in the air after Dreggen, twisting his body to throw a roundhouse kick straight to the ribcage of his children’s murderer. I heard a crunch and an ‘oomph’ as Dreggen’s form was sent spiraling back down towards The Podium; and more importantly, me.

“Nice pass.” I stated simply, raising my sword arm with a stoic expression on my face. I braced myself for impact as Dreggen’s form came flying at me chest first. Perfect. I saw Dreggen’s eyes bulge out as his body became impaled on Hope, the wings on its sides actually slicing the sides of his stomach clean off. The impact itself sent out a wave of wind behind me, making my jacket and mane flutter madly.

My outfit was caked in blood as Dreggen let out a pained yell from his new resting place. I lifted Hope and the impaled form of Dreggen over my head with two hands, watching as the slaver lord’s limbs dangled in the air.

Blood was cascading down the hilt of my sword and onto my face and hands. Dreggen gave another pained holler as more of his body slid down slowly, only serving to improve the amount of internal bleeding he was suffering from.

“I told you so.” I mocked, lifting the sword even higher as Dreggen gave out constant whines and grunts of pain with every centimeter that went deeper. Now to finish this cur in style, just to inspire the masses. I motioned for Wergal to join me underneath the impaled form of Dreggen. He shook his head and I snarled. He wasn’t pleased about my response, but he came over anyway. “I want you to grab Sunset Shimmer and your family then scram for the surface. I’ll be up there shortly. These ex-slaves need a leader right now, and I’m the only candidate now that Dreggen’s practically defeated.”

“You’re going to finish him with an unneeded amount of magic?” Wergal phrased that question like a statement and he said it in a bemused voice.

“Yup.” I responded simply.

“Hoping it’ll get the slaves to listen to you further?”

“Most likely.”

“...Have your fun.” And with that he walked off.

I stopped and made a confused face when a feeling of deja vu came over me, but instantly snapped back to reality as a pained moan from Dreggen snapped me out of my reverie. I turned my attention back to my impaled guest.

“You are a symbol for oppression and depression amongst the ex-slaves gathered here. You’ll be going out in a blaze of glory.” I smiled devilishly, watching as his eyes widened again as he tried removing himself from the sword. I winced when he tried to firmly grasp it in his hands, which only served to sever his fingers from them. He gave another howl of pain before simply slouching. He’s given up.

“Stop wearing down what little honor I have left and kill me already. Let me join my brothers in Tartarus,” Dreggen wheezed, “Take your time or hurry up, I die either way; and if I,” He gave another painful shriek into the air as he slid lower, “IF I...FUCK!” I jostled him a little, ending his rant instantly.

“Ex-slaves of Granite Podium! What you’re about to witness will fill you with such a bravado and spirit, that these long years you spent in captivity will no longer hinder you! The sky is yours and right now, I’m unleashing the final manacle that binds you to this place!” A chorus of ‘Hell yeahs’ and ‘Whoos’ rung out loudly, making me smile.

“Dreggen the Agile had been defeated and now I shall remove his ilk from this world! He has told me that he had absolutely no intentions of changing his ways should I let him go, claiming tradition to be better than the common good for everyone! If given the chance to live, there is no doubt in my mind that he would’ve escaped and did the same thing all over again!” Boos. I can’t hold all these boos.

“Too bad it won’t come to pass! Now watch in joy as I remove his scourge from the world!” I turned my head to look at the still-bleeding form of Dreggen, who was crying with a distant look in his eye. He’s fading fast! I have to think of something flashy to solidify myself as a hero! These people need to see that a strong fighting spirit and a leveled head can triumph over anything!

“You will all continue my legend! Speak of the Alien with Indomitable Spirit, who makes his bed in Judgement and smites all evil with Hope! Speak of Silas Epista, the Alien Hero!” Now that shameless self-promotion is done, I instantly thought up a series of spells that will look amazing.

Seeing as how my spell limit of five hasn’t been reached, I quickly took position. I spread my legs a little bit and focused on the magic in my sword and in my blood, feeling both pulsate with warmth.

“Because I’m a hero now, I will show mercy by dulling the pain until you pass on to the afterlife. Thank me in death, scum, because you don’t even deserve this!” I pushed some of the magic into Dreggen’s wound, muttering ‘Torpens’ in order to numb it until the attack was over. I noticed a feather drift off from Hope’s Shining Wings and fizzle out before it touched the ground. It seems like the wings themselves are gauges for how much magic is stored in the sword. Good to know.

I have the spell thought out. It’s perfect!

“Dreggen the Agile; I will now let you add on to the burden of death I must carry. Can’t say I’ve had fun beating you, seeing as how you were handing me my ass on a silver platter, but that’s a matter we can discuss when I die and join you in Tartarus. Are you prepared to pass on?” I asked with an amused smile. Mocking this guy is more fun than it should be.

“Yeah, I’m ready you fuck-up! Now hurry up before I feel the gods damn pain again!” Dreggen remarked with a growl. I furrowed my brow at him as I imagined a raging electric storm rushing through my body.

 Intent and clarity are everything when casting magic. As I’ve said before, you could end up killing yourself.

That being said, I imagined Hope to be an electric rod of sorts. In an instant, crackling blue-colored lightning began gathering at the base of my sword and arching up to the tip of it then back. This kept going on, with more charge subtracting the time it took for the charges to travel the length of blade and then go back. To make a long story short, in a couple of seconds, Hope was nothing more than a bright and arcing bolt of blue-lightning.

Dreggen couldn’t feel anything because of the numbing spell I put on him. He probably won’t even feel anything when he dies. Lucky bastard.

I moved my hands down to my left side, holding the thirty-one inch monstrosity of a lightning bolt a little ways away from my side. Dreggen’s feet were sliding along the ground clumsily, almost getting a snicker from me. I looked up and saw my target perfectly. The glass and stone that was used to possibly burn insubordinates alive was now in my sights, becoming the bullseye for this magic-infused dart of badassery.

I gave a deep sigh, clearing my mind as I imagined the final step in my head.

“FULGUR HASTAE VIRI!!!” I yelled out as I flung the bolt towards the tower with all the strength my body had left to offer. It soared with the roar of a dragon, exactly as I planned it to. The onlookers watched with widened eyes as Dreggen was suddenly compressed against the circular piece of glass. The glass began to crack slowly, then shattered instantly as Dreggen’s form was carried off into the clouds. From down here, you could see two or four flashes of lightning before all went quiet.

Now!

“FREMITU FULGUR DRACO!!!” The clouds were pushed aside as a mountainous winged-dragon made completely out of my magic and lightning filled our vision. It’s dark-blue lightning-infused body clashed horribly against the baby-blue and orange sky of sunrise. It gave a deafening roar then quickly fizzled out, completing its task.

I waited for a little bit before a dull whistling filled my ears, making me stretch out and catch Hope by the hilt just as it fell past my chest. I gave it a couple of twirls, noticing the wings were gone, before sheathing it in a flashy manner. I waited with bated breaths, wondering how they took my performance/execution.

The tunnels broke out in a cheer as my name was praised. Ponies and griffins wrapped each other up in hugs full of affection while the diamond dogs stuck to clapping and whistling in awe. I extend both arms into the air after hearing their cheers go one for some time, then slowly brought them down. The motion took effect immediately, most of the ex-slaves recognizing the universal motion for ‘quiet down’.

“Now that your freedom has been solidified, another problem arises. You see, I know the minotaurs here belong on Bullivia, but what about the griffins and ponies? A dilemma has made itself known once again. How will you all get home?” I asked the congregation of freed slaves.

“There has to be a port town somewhere, right? Can’t they just make a seafaring pilgrimage back to the Main Continent?” I smiled happily as Sunset Shimmer’s voice reached my ears. She was coming up the steps with a dorky smile of her own. I could still see some hurt in her eyes, making me remember some of Dreggen’s words. More specifically, gloryhole.

I snarled quietly and cursed his name under my breath.

“Yes, but where would they get the funds? As far as I’m concerned, with them being slaves, they have no money. No money means no ship ride.” I pointed out, making her put on a thinking face and rub her chin with a hoof.

“We could always find the Alpha’s vault. They had to keep their gems somewhere.” Wergal came up behind Sunset Shimmer, his grey fur taking up his body once more. Good to see that ‘Nightmare Hound’ wasn’t permanent because that manic look of bloodlust in his eye was very unnerving.

“True enough,” I began, taking my attention off Sunset and focusing it on Wergal as he made it to the top step, “But how will we go about finding it? There’s also the chance that some of the freed slaves could be sick with some form of illness. Finding a way to take them home quickly or get them medical treatment has higher priority than finding gems. With that being said, I think I’ve found an ultimatum!” I called out happily.

The tunnels were dead quiet but noticeably brighter now that the tension from the battle and the skylight were gone. They were waiting for this ultimatum and I will gladly provide it.

“Well, seeing as how we don’t want to keep the ill waiting, I want to pass the notion of allowing them to ride in my spaceship. Given that its speed is somewhat otherworldly, I can probably get these people to the mainland fairly quickly. From there, I guess I’ll take them to Equestria. As for the city, I’ve not a clue. Does anyone here know where the best hospital can be found?” I asked the general populace of The Podium.

A cough meant to gain attention made me look to the left. How did I not see this coming.

“Canterlot is the wealthiest city in Equestria proper, which means the best medical facilities are housed within its confines. If there’s a place of high standards you want to take the sick to, then I personally recommend Dr.Limp of Canterlot General.” I nodded my head at her then turned my attention back to the ex-slaves.

“Now that a destination has been acquired, I must converse with my spaceship in order to get a gist of how long the voyage will take. I’ll also be summoning it here. Where is ‘here’ exactly?” I turned my head to face Wergal, who was busy bathing his mate with his...tongue. Oh...Oh god. Doesn’t he know what she’s been through!? ALL OF MY WHY!!!

Wergal stopped bathing his mate and looked at me. “This is Dragonbait Mountain,” He paused and snickered with a raised eyebrow at the ‘Are you fucking serious’ face I was giving him, “The irony is not lost on me. It’s just a little ways north of Stonehaven. A good guess would be two and a half miles.” Wergal explained simply before going back to cleaning his mate after she nipped him once or twice. I still shivered in disgust when he picked up a white-covered patch of dirt.

“To the minotaurs with us, I pray that you remember what I said about spreading my name around?” I asked out loud, shaking the disturbing picture I just witnessed out of my head. A mixed sound of agreeances rung out, making me nod in return. “Then you are free to go,” I started, making many of the minotaurs say ‘excuse me’ or ‘pardon’ as they tried to leave, “But I have a favor to ask of you all.” I ended with a smile on my face. The minotaurs stopped although a couple of them gave small snorts of bemusement.

“I ask you to help the others in their quest for finding the Alphas’ gem vault. If my reasoning is sound, then the vault is somewhere below this level. I need experts dealing with these tunnels to stay behind, no questions asked, to help with revealing its location. I’ll have my friends, Wergal and...” I left it open as I gestured at the female next to Wergal. What was her name again....Ah yes!

“...The lovely Diamond, oversee the operation while Sunset and I are away. If you wish to leave I will not stop you, but your service will not go unrewarded. You will be able to take a fair amount of gems that Wergal will divvy out amongst the minotaurs that helped, but only after a select amount is given to griffins and ponies to help in their endeavors with a voyage at sea. To make a long explanation short seeing as how some of you are confused, you’ll get paid after the ponies and griffins get their share in order to return home.” I heard a couple of agreements but they were drowned out by the sudden uproar of dismissive scoffs and snorts.

This will not stand.

“LISTEN!” I reprimanded instantly, making the snorts stop. “I will not put up with more bigotry! You are all acting like Dreggen for fuck’s sake! Get your heads out your asses! I said you didn’t have to help and that your service in helping with the revolution was greatly appreciated; but I mention that you’ll get paid a select amount of gems only after your fellow brethren get theirs and you throw a fucking tantrum!?” I was mad now, but a soft hoof from Sunset Shimmer caused the sudden spike of anger to dissipate. I balled my hands into fists and squeezed as hard as I could, using them as a makeshift stress ball.

“You may leave, but I would-and I’m pretty sure everyone else would-appreciate your further service. Please help them in their moment of need.” The scoffs were replaced with quiet murmurs as the minotaurs conversed with one another quietly. Then suddenly-

“I’ll do it.”

“Count me in.”

“I reckon my friends and family won’t mind another day or so.”

“Let’s do this!”

“YEAHHHHHHH!!!!” A manly voice broke the quietness as the minotaurs gave shouts of agreeances.

I smiled.

“THEN GET TO IT!!!” I yelled out, causing the ex-slaves to cheer madly. Some even began dancing, making an impromptu party break out.

Out from the back of the group, I noticed a speck rise into the air and soar towards The Podium. Once the speck got closer, I noticed that it was a decent sized griffin. He hovered in the air, making me slightly envious of how carefree flying was to him.

“Sup, the name’s Ace! I saw that little fireworks show you made out of that bastard Dreggen, and I’ve gotta say that was some sick shit!” His light-blue eyes showed grand amounts of mirth, which I automatically thought was because of Dreggen’s death and his freedom. “But I’ve gotta say, your flying is shit, man.” He let out a chuckle as I felt my cheeks redden in embarrassment.

I frowned with mirth in my eyes. This guy wants some witty banter, I can provide some witty banter! “Then my flying and your smell have something in common.” I finished with a smirk of my own. His smiled deepened as a sudden realization washed over me.

He wanted a response. My smiled deepened as another asshole just made himself known.

“Like your skills with a sword?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Like your life so far?” I retorted.

“Like your love life?” I winced as he said that. Forget sticks and stones, words fucking hurt!

“Grr..You win, Ace.” I conceded as he broke out into a fit of giggles with me joining him after a while. He stopped his giggling and held out a yellow eagle claw. I took it in my hand and we made a friendly shake before letting go. “Seeing as how you made it your mission to personally come up here, I’m guessing you want something?”

“Yeah...I’m not sick or anything, but I was wondering if I could come with you. I was kidnapped by diamond dogs when a show I had scheduled in Las Pegasus at a casino called The Royal Bit went sour. I broke my wing in an accident and crash landed on the outskirts of the town. I was scooped up by Dreggen on his way west and the rest is history!” He finished with a smile.

“A show?”

“Professional flying, like the Wonderbolts?” I nodded in understanding.

I was trying to figure out what he wanted during his tirade and boasting, so I wasn’t really paying attention. Needless to say that when he started calling my name in the same manner Sunset had, I couldn’t hear him. By the time I had figured out what his angle was, a slap went across my face.

I shook myself awake, stopping only to see Ace with a raised eyebrow.

“So glad you can join us here on Equis again, Mr.Silas. How was the call from your planet?” Ace mocked.

“Better than any letter you got from a romantic interest.” I quipped back with a smile. He chuckled.

“So I can assume we agree on it?” Ace asked with a smile and an extended claw.

“Agree on what? I don’t remember a deal being brought up.” I responded whilst crossing my arms and elevating my eyebrow.

“On me being your flight instructor, duh. If you agree to take me to Signal, I’ll be your flight instructor until we arrive.” Ace explained with a bemused expression. “Were you even paying attention to my fucking story!?”

“Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t.” I quipped, making him give a sigh of apathy.

“Whatever,” He began with a roll of his eyes, “So do you accept?” I just noticed that his hand was out the entire time.

“Not just yet. I want to know what Signal is. According to the maps I got from a minotaur family on the surface, it’s not a country or a city that I know of.” If he’s hiding something, I’m going to find out what it is.

“Right, you’re an alien or something like that. How did I forget?” He lowered his extended claw and dropped to the ground, opting to sit down for however long this chat was going to take.

“Never thought you’d get saved by an Alien Hero today, did-”

“Who flies like shit. Can’t forget the ‘flies like shit’ part.”

“Never thought you’d get saved by an Alien Hero who flies like shit,” I added with a roll of my eyes as I looked down at Ace again, “Did ya’?” I finished.

“No. No I didn’t, but that’s not the point. The point is....Signal and why I want to go there, right?” Ace asked with a serious expression on his face. I nodded, knowing that I’m about to subject myself to a rather serious flashback soon.

“Tell me something, Silas. Have you heard of...the Griffin Pirates?”