Calming Sigh-- with a Breath of Fire

Chapters

Millenia of Boredom, Centuries of Pain
Son of the Brood
Return of the Emperor
Surprise?
Introvert: Keep Away, But Family Can Stay
Lesson Zero: Friendship
The Calling and my urge to shoot the Caller
Dragon Council
Dragonville
Crossover: Bushy Tails and Dragon Scales
Rhyme and Reasons
The Flock
Crossover: You Will Know Our Names - Part 2
Bad Dragon
The Truth
Omake: Fishing Spot
So it begins...
Dragon's Wrath
Crossover: Guidance Part 1
Crossover: Guidance-- Conflict and Resolve
Interlude: Behind the Curtain Part 1
Interlude: Behind the Curtain Part 2
My Little Omake: Word Play is Magical
The Wheel of Fate Turns
Rebel 1
LOSE; Continue?
A Purpose
Gambit
First Diary Entry
Crossover: You Will Know Our Names - Part 1

Millenia of Boredom, Centuries of Pain

The land of Equestria. A land filled with magical talking ponies, where the sun and moon are both heavenly bodies manually moved far out in the sky. A place of fantasy and impossibility, of mythical creatures and mundane, adventure and romance, peace and harmony.

It was a paradise.

...is what most people believe.

Even here corruption and evil lingers, away from the light of the sun and deep into the shadows of darkness. Ponies of higher nobility, save for a handful of few, take what they have for granted and look at what common pony have in disdain. Gryphons have their battle hungry states, where they would exert their dominance over other species. Dragons, at the time, seem to have the worst of the characteristics. They were big and ferocious, arrogant and vain, heedless and foolhardy; they have the qualities of a wild animal, yet they have the intelligence of any sapient creature of the land.

Over the course of time that had been the common understanding of all inhabitants of the world. Some changed, yet others predictably did not. Surprisingly, however, were the dragons themselves. Years ago, they would take anything that they wanted from any nation or royalty, it didn't matter. This habit of the race was so severe that it started more than a few wars against all sapient beings of the world. It was only after the princesses took the throne that they've stopped their reckless hoarding, and decided to not antagonize the other races that live in the land.

A celebration was made that day, where all spoke of how the Princess of the Sun and Moon confronted the beasts and made them submit to their will. The silence of the race only reinforced this claim, and all were at peace knowing that their treasures were in no danger of being taken from them.

What was odd, the ponies thought, was that none of the Princesses wish to speak of what transpired between them and the dragons. The citizens respected their wishes, and left the confrontation to their imaginations.

What the ponies and other races didn't realize, however, was that not even the Princesses knew what they did to make the dragons change their ways. They went over to where most of the dragons migrated, clad in armor, and prepared themselves for a violent refusal, but they were surprised when an elder dragon came and agreed for the rest of his kin. They saw that some dragons disapproved of the decision, yet none dared to voice their thoughts.

It was then that the Princesses knew that something was not right. They prepared themselves for a trap over the passing months, but when none transpired, they both agreed that it was merely paranoia toying with them.

If only they had reached out to the races outside their country, they would have been more suspicious of what caused the dragons to change their ways, and what had caused other vicious races from disappearing or going into hiding.

It was not until the reign of Sombra did they finally met me.

I looked down from a crystal spire, hunched down in the shadows of the Crystal Palace. The sun was soon to set, yet the citizens haven't been told to stop their work.

Ponies were shackled and bound, all miserable with eyes that had lost all hope. They continued to march and carve, creating and destroying things on the whim of their tyrant king. He sat upon a crystal throne, fanned on both sides by miserable slaves that were once his subjects. They gave him offerings, as per his wishes, and submitted to all his desires.

Across the land of Equestria, and the ones beyond, his cruelty was known. In a few short years, less than a decade, he somehow managed to take over an entire empire on his own, using nothing but his own magic and cruelty. Some say he took over using a limitless number of armies, others say that it was because of his talent over the crystals and being in the empire boosts his overall power, but there are some that say that he took something called the 'Crystal Heart', rendering the Crystal Ponies defenseless against him when he took over.

There were a lot of gossips and rumors going around with his name and his reign, but the general idea was all the same:

He is a Tyrant

He is Evil

Unfit to sit upon the throne of the empire.

He must be stopped!

And then here I was, crouching on one of the crystal structures, hiding from his all seeing eyes. I've only been here for a day, yet every time he makes his appearance, he would always look smug and arrogant while looking down on the chained ponies. Then of course, he'd go back inside and lavish in luxury not a moment later.

I was subjected to this insufferable scene, all because I wanted to put crystals into my draconic diet.

Silently, I slid down crystal and started to stealthily crawl on its surface while keeping myself blended in the shadows. My hands, once pale and fleshy, shifted into an amber colored appendage with five sharp claws and covered in scales. My feet also shifted into something similar, taking my shoes along with the transformation.

I squeezed along the walls, keeping myself hidden from any of the residents. I wanted to find out the state of the empire, and how they compared to the stories that I've heard before coming here. And it was actually worse than I thought.

This... this could not go on. Though as much as I dislike showing myself to others, leaving that choice only when I grow desperate and in need, this slavery cannot go on. But what should I do? I'm confident enough with my power to take on the Tyrant, but what of after? What of during the encounter?

The choices that were available to me were few and limited, with the end result being the same or an empire filled with confused ponies. I wanted my anonymity to last until the day where I can find something I could use to go home.

A deep and feral rumble started in my chest. How very frustrating. This was like with the dragons all over again, back when they were still nothing more than barbaric thieves. It took four adult dragons and an arrogant elder to make them change their ways. Five lives lost, all of them by my hand- no... by my claws. I have to remind myself that I'm also a dragon now.

And all of that was triggered when one of them had the gall to steal an heirloom from the Earth Pony mare that took care of me when I first awoke in this world. I may not be much for social gatherings, but even back home my temper was something to be of wary, even if it did take specific things to spark my rage.

Harming my friends being one of them.

I looked up to the sky as I heard the tell tale signs of beating wings. There, I smiled, the answer to my dilemma. Finally, the princesses have arrived, clad in their armor and ready for battle.

When they arrived at the castle, Sombra actually greeted them as if to receive his guests. From the look in his eyes, he knew what they were there for, yet he showed no signs of fear in their presence. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was up to something, and that he already anticipated their arrival sooner or later.

The Great Pony Sisters, the two Alicorns who sealed away the Spirit of Chaos himself, Discord, into stone. Their fame grew thanks to that victory, and were crowned as the new Princesses of the land as they represented all three types of ponies that lived in Equestria. Or so I've heard.

Though I will miss the annoying prankster, he should have known that not all of his 'Chaos' was taken well, and that not all of them were... tame. I still hear that some ponies still have not recovered from what were done to them, and were mentally and emotionally scarred.

The only reason he left me mostly alone during my travels was because we found out during our first encounter that he has no power over the things that are not of 'This' world. Either that, or something about me is keeping me protected from him.

I watched as how Sombra interacted with the princesses from my hiding spot in the shadow behind the throne. The Evil King was simply oozing with confidence and arrogance, and the sisters were not taking this well.

It was the younger sister who initiated the first attack. She shot a beam from her horn straight to the king. Sombra, in turn, smirked at the princesses and ignited his own horn, his eyes releasing a purple vapor. From the ground, a black crystal rose up and intercepted the princess' attack. It was there that the battle continued and intensified.

I stood back and watched from my hidden spot, observing the way the battle progressed. Sombra had been baiting them, using his natural arrogance and confidence to goad the Moon Princess to keep attacking recklessly, even going so far as to pretend that he was losing before countering with a near fatal attack to the mare's heart. The sun princess would then save her sister, and scold her for being unmindful of her surroundings.

I caught something from the younger sister's eyes, something that Sombra did as well. There was a glint of irritation every time Celestia scolded Luna, and every time, she would ignore her sister's warning and keep pressing forward.

Siblings.

I couldn't help but shake my head. Even here, sibling rivalry was also common, even to royalty. It only took one good strike from the king to nearly end the younger princess as she carried on with her reckless pursuit. Predictably, Celestia took the opportunity to teleport in front of her sister and defend her from Sombra's killing blow. It was then that the tyrant king sprung his trap.

Black crystals sprung from the ground and surrounded the Pony Sisters, trapping them within. Sombra laughed menacingly and mockingly at the two sisters. Magic didn't seem to work on the crystals, and teleporting out would just pull them back in. The sisters have met their match.

I only wanted to observe, but it seems that I need to step in after all. And why does Luna look so angry?

My eyes opened just as I felt a tug in my grip, strong enough to wake me from my slumber. I looked down at the end of my fishing pole and saw a fish trying to struggle out of the hook caught in its mouth. I pulled back on the rod and easily lifted the fish out of the water, where it thrashed harder before I caught the string in my hand.

"This should be enough for now." I muttered.

Unhooking the fish from the line and struck its head with a powerful slap, it didn't take long for it to go limp from the shock. I threw it back with the other three that I caught and went over to the fire pit to prepare for lunch.

I sighed as I looked at the forest around me. The Everfree, the only wildlife in the Equestria that resembled the nature of my home world. It's been centuries, over a thousand years even, since I was brought here. I spent most of my first few years traveling around the continent, searching ways, artifacts, magic, and rituals that had something to do with different worlds. The closest thing that I found were the notes that Starswirl himself gave to me near the beginning of my journey, back when I got so desperate and actually showed myself to the equivalent of Merlin of this world.

The rest of my years I spent by experimenting with the powers that I got and mastering them. I dissected each skill that I knew and created variants and branches based on them. They were my only past time during my travels, and more than a few were created from mere accidents and boredom. I'm surprised my human mind didn't go insane yet over the years, it wasn't supposed to last more than four hundred as our mentality were quite frail to the life of longevity, even worse since I was alone in my travels.

I went over to where one of the corpses of the timberwolves that attacked me and put their remains in the fire-pit. When I piled enough timber (I snorted in amusement at the pun) I took a deep breath and felt tingle start bubbling in my chest. I faced the pile of wood and blew out the air in my lungs, where a stream of fire came in along with it.

I stared at the fire a couple of seconds to see if it would go out. Satisfied that it wouldn't, I turned back to the fishes that I caught and prepared to clean them.

As my hands were kept busy from the familiar practice, my mind wondered back to the fire that I blew out. I was supposed to be human, as my appearance would suggest, yet I was able to do what I did because I was no longer normal by mankind's standards.

I was a dragon in human guise.

My hands stopped momentarily before continuing. That was a thing that I grew used to as I traveled, being a dragon but never forgetting that I was human. It's a complicated and a contradicting thought, but it's helped me pull myself back when homesickness got the better of me.

"GASP! You're still alive!"

The fake gasp and shout filled with so much exaggeration made me twitch and stopped my hand from skewering the cleaned fish on a stick.

"Weren't you supposed to be sealed in stone or something?" I asked, setting the fishes by the fire.

"Weren't you?"

The owner of the voice slithered in the air and came into my perspective view. I looked into his mismatchedly dilated, red eyes and he stared back.

"Still the brooder, I see." he said with a fanged smile before snapping his lion paw's fingers where he was suddenly roasting smores on my fire.

"I suppose that a 'Congratulations' is in order for your release?"

"Why thank you!" he said cheerfully, throwing the smore into the air where I followed its descent into the foliage. "You have no idea what it's like to have no one appreciate the things that you do."

"Of course I don't." I drawled sarcastically. "But when it comes to you, Discord, I wonder why."

"Oh don't be like that!" he slithered over to where I sat and hooked his gryhpon arm over my shoulder. "Aren't you happy to see a familiar face, at least?"

"I suppose that it does my sanity good to recognize someone from so long ago." I said, turning the fish by the fire. "Though being happy to see the Spirit of Chaos free and roaming makes me question my mental fortitude."

"Well!" the spirit huffed as he pulled away. "I see you haven't lost that sarcasm of yours." he turned away with his arms crossed, trying his best to look offended.

"If I remember correctly..." I began. "Whenever you came to visit me I get a pie in the face, a slap from a fish, a water balloon on the head, roads made of lego blocks that I can feel through my shoes, and other pranks that caught me in areas that I did not appreciate."

"I was just trying to make you stop brooding."

I shot him a flat look before going back to my fishes, only to find out that my lunch skipped straight on to dessert. The fishes were gone, and only smores were roasting at the fire. I gave him an irritated glare before swiping one of the sticks and taking a bite.

"There! You see!" he said, looking triumphant at me eating the snacks he made. "You should loosen up more!"

I rolled my eyes and kept eating. It's actually been a while since I had anything sweet. You don't get the luxury of getting these kind of things when you keep yourself hidden from anything other than the dragons and a few close acquaintances. The reptiles aren't really ones for baking pastries.

"Shouldn't you be causing chaos and mischief somewhere?" I asked the cheering spirit.

"I was actually just on my way to Ponyville before I caught a whiff of your unique signature." he said, looking smug at the particularly interesting achievement. And what an achievement it was. I was practically invisible to any magic sensing abilities while in my human form, only when I used magic did they have a chance in detecting me.

I paused mid-bite when I heard the name of the town. "Ponyville? Isn't that where Molestia sent her new student, the pony incarnation of the Element of Magic?"

Discord chuckled at the name I kept using to refer the Princess at times. "I still can't believe how catchy that name is, even now." he said. "But you're right. That's actually where ALL of the bearers of the Elements are. Quite the coincidence, isn't it?"

"Or quite the manipulations." I countered back, finishing off the last stick of the campfire snacks. "Two pegasi hailing from Cloudsdale suddenly going all the way to a ground bound town. Loyalty came down there so that Kindness wouldn't be alone. Honesty already lived there from the start, and with the burden of its family there was no way that she would have left. Generosity stays because of her talent and the quarry of gemstones close by for materials. Laughter settled there because it was close enough to her home and she could still share her special skill to the residents there and the ones passing by. Magic was the only thing she kept a close eye on. If it had seen how flimsy the concept of Friendship was, then the magic behind the combined elements would have been weaker."

"It looks like you've been keeping tabs." He gave a slow and menacing chuckle. "It makes me wonder how long you've been out. I'm pretty sure that I saw your petrified statue still in Celestia's garden, roaring at the sky even after a millenia."

"And I'm sure that the Sun Princess still thinks that the one they got with the Elements back then was me." I stood up and dusted my pants, dousing the flames of the fire and retrieving my fishing rod.

"What will you be doing now, then?"

"I'm waiting." I told him.

"For what?"

"A Calamity." I took a deep breath as my power began to rise. "Something like me. Something that's not of this world. I've felt it coming for a long time, but I made sure to keep myself hidden from it. It's been getting closer every time I used my powers."

"Should I be worried?"

"No." I shook my head. "If it's what I think it is, then there's no way of preventing the confrontation, only prolong the inevitable. I was on my way to Canterlot to see if her royal sunness would be interested in helping me with it."

"And you didn't ask for moi!" Discord gave me a look of fake outrage, literally glaring daggers from his eyes.

"I was. But I was going to ask her first and get her to agree before coming to you." I said. "But for now, I think I'll just stay here until things settle down."

"I sense something you're not telling me~!" he said rather sweetly.

"Remember when I said that I know of things, Discord?" I saw him nod and continued. "This is one of them. I'm going to ask after you've had you fun."

"Oh goodie!" the spirit clapped his mismatched paws in delight. "I get to have fun in my return and aid in an epic adventure!" with a snap of his fingers he was suddenly wearing a medieval armor fit for his body type. "Onwards!"

A sword appeared in his paw and pointed it towards the town of Ponyville. He started marching towards its direction before instantly disappearing in mid-step. I couldn't help but smile at the childish antics, but it was short lived as I looked on to where the spirit of Chaos disappeared to.

"Sorry Discord, but this is for your own good."

Power gathered within me before something manifested and dropped out of my chest. I caught it in my hand and opened it. It was a thickly bound book colored in red, with a quill securely strapped on the top of it's cover. I looked at the part where I wrote about the release of Discord and his re-sealing soon after.

Flipping the book near the end, I reviewed all of the skills that I've learned. They were all listed in one section of the Diary, all skills and spells that I could use, but it was up to me which ones I would learn and how to learn it.

With a nudge from my thoughts, the fishing rod in my hand dissipated into mana. It was a variant of [Mind Sword], the ability to attack foes using a blade made of pure magic. Of course with no weapon to channel it to, I had to improvise and create one out of my own magic. It took years, almost a century even, to make weaponry strong enough to withstand my dragon enhanced strength. Then I refined that skill and started creating other items using it.

After reading and remembering the skills, I let the book dissipate back inside me. It was a part of me now, just like how all of the Dragon Genes became a part of me when I became Ryu.

I walked over into the shade of a tree and allowed my magic to bleed out of my body and embrace me. I activated my own variant of the original skill and began to sink into the darkness.

"[Shadowwalk]"

It was a skill that allows me to walk into shadows. It was intended to be used as an ambush attack and strike at an enemy's vital point to score a critical blow, but after some time I've started using it as a travel and escape method.

After all, it's one of the skills that saved me from being turned to stone.

Son of the Brood

The Princess Siblings were powerful, yes, but they were still ponies of mortal minds. They had emotions that could be taken advantage of, quirks that could be exploited, and defenses that could be cracked.

The princesses were young when I first encountered them. They were still prone to rage, and were plenty prideful to say the least. Royalty seemed to have gotten into their heads, Celestia's especially. She looked more content and proud with what she had, but even her brightest rays could not banish shadows that it made, only see the light that they cast. For the Sun Princess, she could have at least tried to do it, and maybe, just maybe, she might have found Luna sooner in the shadow that she herself created over her sister.

The battle with Sombra made me realize just how far the Princess of the Moon was falling into the darkness. All she had wanted was for somepony or someone to love and acknowledge her and the wonderful nights that she bestowed upon all. But alas, they all loved and praised Celestia's day more than they did her evenings. I would have reached out for the poor mare if I didn't know that she would have more than likely stab it with her horn than reach out to it.

She was very desperate for recognition back then, but only sought it from her own pony kind.

And that was her own mistake.

The battle with Sombra ended just as expected. The tyrant king never even thought that someone else would be after him when the princesses arrived. They all knew and expected the princesses to take care of the evil stallion. Everypony had confidence that they could get the job done, and the cunning king counted that they would come on their own.

Noble Pride, I snorted, how predictable.

I jumped out of the shadow that wasn't in the king's sight, one big enough to make it look like I was hiding behind the fractured crystal that cast it, and used my [Bonebreak] skill on one of his hind legs to distract him.

There was a crack, loud and audible. I saw and felt his leg dent and cave in. Sombra's eyes went wide and began screaming in pain. He fell to his side and looked at his broken leg before screaming louder than before.

I rushed over to where the princesses were trapped, transforming my arm from shoulder to fingertips into a dragon's limb. With a roar of effort, I plowed through the crystal with pure brute force.

The battle went easier from there as the king was reduced to nursing his leg and staying immobile during combat. But I made sure that I stayed as far back as I could and allowed the Princesses to take the final blow on the king.

King Sombra had been furious, roaring out as best a pony could and spraying spittle with his every attack. He made sure to shoot me every hateful glare he could when he had the chance, but with me staying away he couldn't get any kind of revenge for what I did to his leg. He was cursing with all his might at what I was, what I did to him, and that I ruined his plans. His eyes were manic, and he was practically frothing in the mouth.

It was a satisfying sight to behold, and I made sure to smile at him broadly for every look he shot my way.

Near his defeat, however, he activated something near his crystal throne just before he was banished out of the empire and into the frozen tundra. The ground shook and the whole room lit in a crystalline light, I had no choice but to access one of the Dragon Genes within me just before the whole empire disappeared.

I grew draconic wings and my hands turned into scaly claws, while a set of horns sprouted from my head through my lengthening hair, and a thick tail extended down at the end of my spine. [Warrior], my human/dragon hybrid form granted to me by the [Force] Gene. It emphasizes on power, but it also allowed me to take flight. It's one of my favorite forms, as it still retained its humanoid appearance.

There wasn't much we could have done to the empire and its ponies, but I already knew that the disappearance was not permanent.

It was only after the land became empty that I remembered that I was not alone.

"What are you, Creature!"

My eyes snapped open as my ears picked up the sound out someone close by. My body tensed and my mind was immediately on high alert. But then I remembered where I was.

Two Canterlot guards were standing beside the newly re-sealed spirit of chaos in the royal gardens. The noise that I heard came from their armors' shifting plates just as they made their way to their posts.

There wasn't really any need for me to panic. Even with the two guards merely a few feet away from me, there was no chance of them spotting me in my current location; not unless they could look into the dimension inside the shadows.

"I'm really not liking my new position here in the garden." said one of them. I began stretching in place, one ear focused on their conversation.

"It's not like we have much of a choice." said the other. "You've heard what this thing did to the closest town?"

"The Chaos Capital of the World? Who hasn't. There's a celebration later on in honor of the mares that turned this thing back to stone."

It's been a few days since Discord's rampage. The places that weren't reached by the light that came from the Elements of Harmony were still being rebuilt, repaired and/or restored. I've taken to sleeping within the shadows of the palace in order to avoid Luna's ability to visit dreams, seeing that I have yet to show myself to Celestia and her loyal subjects.

I just can't seem to get the timing right, and every time I try she's either busy or already too tired. I would prefer it if she were at full strength, if only to ease her nerves when I do decide to show myself, and make her less guarded when she thinks that we're on equal footing if ever a fight breaks out.

That thought still gives me a certain amount of discomfort. Asking for help from one of the beings that disliked me, and was still around to do it even after so many centuries. I usually just leave them alone and wait for time to take its toll, but that idea was pretty much moot on someone with Celestia's longevity. The only ones that I've shown myself to were the descendants of the mare that took care of me more than a millennia ago, and there were those few good creatures who helped in my travels and their descendants.

"Say, have you noticed how the princess has been acting for the last few days?"

I heard one of the guards ask. By this point I was already wide awake and this particular topic piqued my interest. For Celestia's "Motherly" act to crack in the presence of her 'Little Ponies', there must be something weighing in her mind.

"I've noticed it, too." the other guard answered.

"Did you see her usually looking out into the gardens every once and a while?"

"Yeah. I also heard that she was pretty distracted during the Day Court. A few nobles had to repeat what they were saying a few times for her."

Hmm, curious. For the Sun Princess herself to be this distracted, it must really be something big. Was Discord's release really bothering her? I don't think what he did then and now were any different.

"You think it was because of this?" the guard asked, pointing his spear at the petrified Spirit of Chaos.

"I did." the other guard answered. "But then I saw her just before my shift the other day looking at that instead."

I raised a brow when the guard turned his eyes my way. I was sure that they couldn't see me, or even sense me in the dimension within the shadows, I've checked centuries ago.

"That?" questioned the other guard. "What is that anyway? I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before."

Now I noticed that the guards weren't really looking at me directly, but were actually looking at the thing that was casting the shadow where I was hiding.

My gaze shifted to the figure that the guard's eyes were set on. Up on a pedestal, with a plate for its name, was a figure unlike any of the other creatures that could be seen in this world. It stood on its hind legs, with its arms and claws spread apart as it roared to the sky. From within its long mane, a set of horns sprouted from its head not unlike that of a young Minotaur. However, what made others re-think of its race were the wide open, scaly, leather wings that were on its back and the thick, reptilian tail that extended from the end of its spine.

"What is that, anyway?" the guard asked.

"The name's on the plate."

With curiosity winning over his mind, the uninformed guard slowly made his way towards the statue. I leaned back within my hidden space and looked at his expression as he read the words etched on the plate. Confusion was apparent in his face before he drew back with an incredulous look, then he turned back to his partner.

"Is this thing real?"

"As real as this guy." the other guard said, tapping his spear at the new pedestal that was made for Discord's new re-sealed state.

The other guard went back to his post beside his partner with a little more haste in his steps. He looked back at the statue, and then to the one that was Discord and shivered.

"Dude, is that why the princess was checking that statue? Cause she thinks that he might break out as well?"

"If I had to guess?" the better informed guard pondered. "Yeah, there's a high possibility of that if this one got out." he looked back at the biped-standing statue again and nodded to it, directing his partner's attention. "If Discord here represents Chaos and Disharmony, that thing over there represents Power and Destruction."

His partner shivered as the last two words were said with a deliberate emphasis. "What did he do?"

The guard shrugged before adopting the stoic guard expression as he looked steadily forward. "No one really knows much except the princesses themselves, but from what the captain said to me when I asked, he said that the Badlands wasn't always as big as it was a thousand or-so years ago."

"And that thing was the reason?"

"That's what the captain said."

I drew deeper into the shadows as the conversation was concluded. I quickly made my way to the royal kitchens, taking all of the food I intended to eat without any of the ponies even noticing.

My mind went back to the conversation of the two guards. My lips quirked in amusement at the reason for Sun Princess' public mask cracking.

So, Celestia was actually expecting my return. That just makes it easier for me, more so when she's still wary of the things that I've been capable of back then. She and Luna had only seen three of my many dragon forms, seeing that I rather dislike going full dragon. I've only shown them the ones that I could become while splicing the Force Gene and my strongest Gene: [Warrior] , [Myrmidon] and [Kaiser].

What they had in the gardens was my [Myrmidon] form.

That had been quite the battle, easily the longest one I had since coming here. Nothing ever surpassed it in terms of time and effort. I knew that the sisters would only have kept coming after me after showing them what I could do at my best in the Badlands. The place had definitely earned its name over time, but back then it was more ... dark. Anything and everything disgusting and vile was set in that place, crimes and "Evil" were common, and a lot of residents near the place would normally get raided every other week. And it wasn't just ponies that hung out there. Every other outcast went to that place and they banded together as a group.

It had to go. For the sake of the precious ones I knew in Equestria and the few I knew over the borders.

[Trance], [Radiance] and [Infinity], the Genes that I spliced to unleash my body's strongest form.

Trance for strength in spirit, Radiance to focus on all that is good within me, and Infinity to unseal the strongest power of my dragon blood.

The Brood, a dragon clan nigh extinct because of the whims of a Goddess who feared their power. They had the strength to destroy the world, and almost did so after the Goddess promised to grant any wish they desired. The dragons fought over the wish like starving dogs.

The clan was split into two factions in the aftermath of the internal war: one, ashamed of what they had done and the destruction that they have wrought to the world, sealed their powers in repentance; the other continued to pursue the Goddess and the wish. In the end it was never granted as the first generation of Ryu defeated the Goddess and weakened her enough that she hid herself for years.

The second generation of Ryu had to kill her spawn a few centuries later. I wasn't familiar with his story, but it was more or less the same as his predecessor.

This Identity of mine is the Third Generation, centuries after the Second Ryu.

The Goddess had rewritten the history of the world and portrayed the Brood as evil Demons who nearly destroyed the world. She created four Guardians to hunt down and destroy the Brood with the aid of her power. Still, even with the power that my kind had, they gave only the barest amount of resistance as they were hunted down. They could have won easily, but because they feared the catastrophe of nearly destroying the world to happen again they sealed their bloodline's potential for the last time and fled across the ocean to escape their pursuers. Those that didn't were unfortunately slaughtered.

In order to find this truth, the Third Ryu, along with his friends, journeyed the world to find the Goddess. Along the way he learned from many masters and obtained the spirits of the many slain Brood while learning the art of combat and arcane. In the town where the remnants of the Brood that sealed their powers resided, the Elder, Jono, tested Ryu and gave up his life to unlock the strongest power of his kind to him: [Infinity]

But, without [Trance] and [Radiance], the power would consume him and will become berserk, a dangerous state while wielding the strongest transformation of the clan.

[Infinity] had always been the strongest power of the Brood, and it was this power that I unleashed in the Badlands to wipe out the cancer that plagued it. I transformed, for the first time since coming to Equestria, into a full dragon and unleashed a devastation that even I wasn't prepared for.

The ponies nearly went to war with the dragons for what I did, but after claiming that I was independent, the ponies had to grudgingly pull back in their attempts. The dragons didn't really care. They knew that in an all out war they would be the victor, with or without my help. Even with the princesses, the ponies would have too many casualties on their side.

The dragons from then on heeded every word I said after personally going to see the extent of my Dragon Lineage. It's one of the reasons why I still kept contact with them even after our first sour encounter. I had to make them all keep my existence a secret to those who did not know and stressed to them that I was nothing but a myth.

The ponies were easy enough. I was only categorized as a 'Dragon' to them as they refused to believe that a tiny biped that looks like a disfigured Minotaur was the same 'Dragon' that caused the expansion of the Badlands. With a begrudging sigh and a throbbing nerve from the princesses that tried to warn them, they gave me a name appropriate enough to count as a terror to the ponykind, and one that was more or less revered by all Draconian kin. Ironic that it was merely a translation of my ultimate dragon form and my name from two different languages.

From inside the shadows of the garden, I looked back at the petrified state of my dragon form and looked at the name that was carved on the marble stone. All this time, even though I was already nothing more than a myth in history, I knew that at least two ponies remember me and the terror hidden beneath my dragon scales.

"Emperor Dragon"

I still laugh remembering the confusion of the ponies back then when they pass the statue. They wondered what the princesses were thinking of when they put the name of the strongest dragon on a disfigured Minotaur. Some even found it distasteful and said that the princesses merely added the wings and tail to make it resemble a dragon somewhat. Obviously this was never said in their presence.

It was past noon and the ponies were gathered in the great halls of the castle, where stained glasses depicted the greatest exploits of the six mares who were about to receive recognition for their defeat of Discord. Many of them waited patiently, and cheered as the guards blew their horns to signal the entrance of their heroes.

I eased back within the many shadows cast in the room and awaited for the Mane Six to arrive.

Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn prodigy, protege of the Sun Princess, Scholar of Friendship, and bearer of the Element of Magic; led the group of five mares who each represented an element that completed the set of the most powerful artifact in all of Equestria.

To her right was the Earth Pony, Applejack: proud owner of the Equestria's best apple orchard, a mare with an earnest heart, the living lie detector, the pony whose bucking skills could even make a grown manticore run with it's tail between its legs and Bearer of the Element of Honesty.

To the left of the unicorn was another Earth Pony, Pinkamena Diane Pie, aka Pinkie Pie: the pony who broke more rules of the world that would have made even Discord proud, the mare who was at a constant sugar rush and the prime party planner of all Equestria; Bearer of the Element of Laughter, and the pony who brings mirth to my brooding heart.

Behind the Party Pony was the Pegasus, Rainbow Dash: the fastest flyer in all Equestria, the only pony in history who recreated the legendary Sonic Rainboom as a young filly, the most protective of all the Mane Six, the flying dare-devil with a courage of steel but a confidence of glass, and Bearer of the Element of Loyalty.

By her side was another Unicorn, Rarity: one of Equestria's top fashionista, the mare whose vanity is only equaled by the amount of beauty products she uses every week, the Drama Queen that cannot be matched in whining, the mare who only wishes the beauty of everything she sees, and the Bearer of the Element of Generosity.

And last but not least, the Pegasus whose natural beauty cannot be tarnished, but only enhanced, the mare whose personality makes you want to grab your chest as if pierced by the arrow of concentrated cuteness, the shyest and most soft spoken pony in all of Ponyville, the veterinarian whose Stare could intimidate even a full grown dragon (Much to my shame), the Bearer of the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy.

All six ponies made their way on the red carpet of the halls, the crowd taking in every single one of them. They reached the throne and smiled proudly as the guards continued to blow the horns in the tune of victory and celebration. Celestia smiled back at them before flaring her wings to gather the attention of the crowd as the music played on.

"We are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these six friends who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal Chaos."

The ponies in the crowd cheered and stomped their hooves as a form of applause, shouting and hollering praises for the six. Celestia took this as a cue and directed their attention to one of the closed curtains. Her horn shined and parted the cloth to reveal a new stained glass portrait, depicting the six mares and them working as one to defeat the spirit of chaos.

The ponies seem to only cheer louder at the sight of the portrait, and the six mares merely basked at the attention, some waving bashfully back to the crowd. The pink pony named Pinkie Pie was instead hopping in place as the excitement grew. Today was a time of joy and celebration, the tranquility after a great disaster. Celestia stood proudly behind the Elements and she smiled at the cheers meant for her champions.

And after that instance, there was only silence.

The ponies all stopped smiling and stopped their applause. Confusion spread on their faces as all of them tried to talk, yet no sound would come out. Some noticed their steps and tried to make a sound by stomping their hooves, but again there was none. Confusion gave way to panic as the idea that they had lost their hearing came to them.

Celestia saw the state of the her subjects and opened her mouth to speak, but like them there was no sound that came out. The Mane Six all tried to communicate with each other, but with the sudden loss of their primary tool for reaching out to one another they slowly started to feel what the rest of the crowd felt.

"Ponies..."

The sudden call of their kind easily startled the silent crowd, some even jumping off the ground from the surprise. Heads turned to look for the source, but most tried to see if they could hear or speak again. All suddenly stopped cold and stared at the throne. Celestia and the Elements boggled at the sudden intensity of their stares. It took them a moment to realize that it wasn't them that ponies were focused on, but what was behind them. And as one they turned, with Celestia's eyes shrinking into dots after seeing just who was there to greet her.

"Hello Celestia."

I sat on top of the throne of the Sun Princess, poised like gargoyle as I stared down at her and the ponies. The claws on my hand and feet were digging into the seat, my wings were partially opened and keeping me balanced, my tail was wrapped along the throne, and my lengthened hair fell past my shoulders and partially hiding my face.

On the ceiling high above, a gigantic eight pointed star was rotating unnoticed over their heads. It was [Silence] a spell that did just as the name intended. Originally, it was a spell intended to keep mages from casting spells, but because ponies here used their horns as a focus instead of verbal commands to trigger the self hypnosis function to achieve the magic, I had to find a way to make it a useful tool. And this was the fruit of centuries worth of trial and error.

[Absolute Silence]

With a snap of my finger, the spell was released, yet no sound came as the ponies stood in shock as they looked on.

I shifted the way I sat and made myself comfortable on top of the throne, one leg dangling down while the other hugged near my chest. My cheek came to rest on my knee as I stared at the Princess in a bored contemplation.

"So, Celestia. Where is Luna?"

Return of the Emperor

I wanted to run away that day, right after the disappearance of the Crystal Empire. The princesses were still fresh out of a fierce battle and adrenaline was still high. They wouldn't have been in the proper mindset to talk peacefully, especially Luna in her current state. But still I tried, and it paid off.

I introduced myself as Ryu, a dragon of the Brood, and that I merely came to the empire to help the crystal ponies. They reluctantly believed my claim when I reminded them of the aid I gave during the battle with the evil stallion. I told them not to fret about the state of the empire for it was just temporary. I saw the hope they had in their eyes as I brought them the news, but that was immediately dimmed when I told them that because of the accumulated energy gathered by the mechanism that caused the empire's disappearance, it would take a millenia or more before it returns. I warned them that the fate of the empire and the tyrant king was intertwined; that when one returns, so will the other.

So, with the a new flame burning in their eyes, they resolved to find a way to bring back the empire and prepare for the return of the evil king. They asked me to lend them my power, but I had something I needed to do. I still had to travel the lands and find a way to return to my world. I had to, sadly, refuse the two princesses and tell them that I was on a quest, a journey that I alone must travel. They asked if they could help with whatever it was that I had to do, but I could not accept their help. Being associated with royalty would only give unnecessary distractions, and there was a possibility that I had to steal whatever it was I needed to get off this world, or even go so far as to kill for it.

So no, I could not accept their help.

Years had passed since bidding the two alicorns farewell and I traveled, searched, and scoured the land of every known legend and myth pertaining about the void, paradise, nirvana, and other things associated to different dimensions or not of this world. All that time wasted with nothing to show for it.

I obtained infamy beyond the land of Equestria as the Demon Who Sought, a name that I did not appreciate at all in the slightest. I traveled using my [Warrior] form, taking advantage of its flight capabilities, and fought my battles with my [Myrmidon] form. Since the only difference with the two were the color palette of the hair, scales and other dragon features, I was only ever seen with either one form. I had to be careful as not to show myself to many, but there was hardly any choice when I needed information.

I tried to make it so that only the ones in charge of the village or town was the one to meet me. I succeeded most of the time, but some of them either had family or guards when I revealed myself. In return for the information I had to fulfill tasks and requests for them, and not many were easy or safe at the time. Some of them even betrayed me after completing the tasks that they set me to do. Those ones I had to use force to extract the information, and few of them I had to wipe off the map entirely. Them and their whole settlement.

Some places had disgusting cultures, as I've unfortunately learned. I saw some that eat the creatures that visited their settlements; travelers and tourists alike. There were those who worshiped gods of pain and offered sacrifices when they could. I was disturbed and disgusted by them and made sure to leave them as a crater afterwards when I was done with what I needed from the place.

Thus was my title as a "Demon". I was driven by my desire to go home, and wasn't always in the right mindset for betrayal and things that got between me and my goal. The villages that I didn't like were the places where I vented my frustration. I was certain that none missed them. Hopefully.

I was on my way back to the mare who helped me settle in the world after years of traveling, feeling disheartened at my lack of progress. It was then that I had the misfortune of flying over the mountain ranges of the Badlands. I heard a cry of agony and flew to the source. What I found there had been enough to send me over the edge.

I threw my hesitation in the winds and for the first time since coming to this world, I felt it.

Power

The power of [Kaiser].

I looked at Celestia in the eyes and tried to read the emotions she had over my reveal.

Surprise was evident, as I could imagine. There was also fear in them when her eyes flickered over the crowd and the Element Bearers around her. Then there was the determination to protect them.

I cast my eyes over the Elements of Harmony and raised one finger over my lips, a gesture to shush them before one of them even spoke. I then turned my attention over the silent crowd, making sure not to make any sudden movements as I remember the local xenophobia of their kind.

"Ponies." I spoke evenly, my voice echoing through the chamber as the silence permeated. Some near the front flinched as I addressed. "Please excuse me as there is something that needs to be discussed between me and the princess. Exit the doors in a calm and orderly manner as to not trample anyone."

I looked back to the princess who never took her eyes off me, but I noticed that she had taken a step forward and opened her wings fully, shielding the ones closest to her.

"If you would please, Celestia." I gestured to the guards carrying the horns. "Ask your guards to escort them out and I promise you that none of them will be harmed."

The princess glared at me as she pawed the ground. Twilight and the others were keeping their silence, but Rainbow Dash was being held back by Applejack, with Pinkie Pie having one of her hooves in the pegasus' mouth to keep her quiet.

"You don't want them to start panicking now, do you?" I asked the Alicorn of the Sun.

The princess finally took her gaze off me and looked back to her loyal subjects. Some met her eyes, but most were still staring at me with their pupils visible in full circle. She turned her glare back to me before she spoke, but her words were not addressed to me.

"Guards, have everypony escorted out."

"Your Highness..." one of them spoke hesitantly.

"That was an order!"

Everyone actually recoiled back at the force behind the princess' voice. Her usual mask of calm and serenity was nowhere to be seen as it was currently replaced by a look of angry determination. It wasn't really that surprising for me. I'm sure she remembers that I specialized in multiple targets, and that my attacks were hazardous to those unfortunate enough to be too close. In an enclosed space like this one, fatalities were unavoidable if I ever decide to attack.

"Just do as you're told." I addressed the guard. "Her highness has been really stressed for the past few days, and is now at the end of her patience, seeing that an old foe is not in his stone prison."

The guards seem to momentarily gather their courage as they turned their own glare over to me. I didn't mean to sound patronizing, but I would really rather not have some accidental deaths by my hands if things get out of control. I was simply asking politely. Was it too much to hope for them to return the same courtesy?

There was a few moments of hesitation before the guards complied. The ponies near the exit looked visibly relieved as the doors opened. I made sure that I didn't move at all from where I sat as I watched them leave. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that even the smallest twitch could send them all into a stampede. Honestly, their xenophobia was ridiculous, bordering absurd.

I turned back to Celestia and smiled in amusement as she kept her glare. It's like if I strained my ears enough I could probably hear her heart thumping in anticipation and slight relief. She and the rest of the Elements refused to move, making sure that they were between me and the crowd.

As soon as there were only a few ponies left and that there was no chance of a stampede, I raised both of my arms, sending her Highness and the Bearers into a tense stance, and swung them both to meet each other. The loud clap echoed in the halls as scaled flesh met scaled flesh. The sound had been strong enough to startle the left over ponies and make them yelp, scaring them to run the rest of the way out.

With them out of the way, some guards re-entered the room with weapons brandished and horns covered in magical aura. I regarded them silently as I contemplated their presence in the discussion. I suppose that it wouldn't be too much of a difference if some of them were present, but if they make any sudden moves against me then I would be very... peeved.

"Send out your guards, Celestia." I turned to the princess. "I'd rather not defend myself against ponies who can't even keep their hair-triggers in check."

"You have no right to demand such things, Ryu."

I took a deep breath as my heart nearly skipped a beat. It's been months since the last time someone called me by my name. Even now, I still felt some slivers of excitement and nervousness whenever someone would address me by that persona.

"Maybe not." I consented. "But would you rather have them hurt or crippled because they tried to... ''Defend'' you from someone who merely wishes to talk?"

"They will stay." she declared stubbornly.

I sighed in exasperation before flipping myself down from the throne. The princess and the Elements all jumped back in surprise, with the guards all shouting an exclamation. I landed on the seat of the throne, where I made myself comfortable just to spite the princess and the guards for being so difficult. Some unicorns took the moment to send out beams of magic my way where I simply took them all with a grunt.

"Hold!" Celestia called out.

At the end of the barrage I looked down to where the attacks hit before shrugging. They didn't have enough power behind their attacks to penetrate dragon skin, especially one of my age. Celestia didn't look surprised when I didn't fight back, it took more than a few shots to force me to retaliate, unless it was a lethal one. I remember that it wasn't me who initiated the skirmishes we had over a millennium ago, I merely returned their use of force in kind.

I leaned forward and placed my elbow on my knee, with my chin on my palm. I was about to say something before I noticed that not all of the Elements jumped back along with the princess. She barely even looked rattled from the attacks of the guards.

"Well hello there."

"Hi!"

I chuckled in amusement as one Pinkamena Diane Pie sat in front of the throne. She was making the biggest grin I could ever remember anyone has given me while waving a hoof in greeting.

"Pinkie!"

The other girls all shouted in alarm as the young mare was barely an arm's length away from my reach. Any closer and I could easily grab hold of the girl. I saw the princess use her horn to forcefully teleport the pink party pony over to her side, where the girl looked around in confusion from the sudden jump in distance.

Another thought came to mind.

"Why didn't you just teleport the ponies out?" I wondered out loud. "I know it would be a massive drain, but it's for the wellness of your subjects. Were you worried about something?"

"I prefer being at full strength when going up against someone who has earned the title of Emperor Dragon."

The Elements and some of the guards who didn't know about me all snapped their attention over to the Sun Princess. Admittedly, it was a bold title for someone who was only slightly taller than a teenage dragon.

"Also, I could teleport you and I instead of that many targets, Ryu. But I would rather not have my subjects panic by disappearing with an enemy."

"Well, you've certainly become more motherly over the years, it seems." I noted. "Though really, Celestia. Emperor Dragon? I like Kaiser better than the translated version you all gave me. You have no idea how much I was teased by my friends back then when that title started circulating all around. But I suppose that it did help me somewhat. All creatures in Equestria were keeping an eye out for a Dragon. Back then they saw me as nothing but a disfigured minotaur."

Celestia's glare only intensified.

I slightly grinned in amusement at her, baring my fangs for them to see. "Nopony did take you and your sister seriously when you kept chasing after me in the aftermath of the Badlands. Since then, I've never gone full dragon."

"What is he talking about, princess?" Twilight asked her mentor.

"Oooooh, a story!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, somehow pulling out a bag of popcorn from somewhere.

"Darling, this is a serious matter." Rarity chided the pony.

"But I want to hear about it." she whined.

"Go on, Celestia, tell her." I urged. "We still have time before Luna arrives. Unless of course no one was sent to inform her about me."

"Enough!" bellowed the Sun Princess, using the ancient Canterlot Voice to silence the rest of the mutterings, though only the subdued version. "Why are you here, Ryu! Are you out for revenge after my sister and I sealed you in stone!"

I barely held my laughter at the princess' assumption. I let out a snort instead. "Really, Celestia, do you really think that Canterlot would even be standing if I did want revenge?"

"Are you here to taunt us then, holding the kingdom hostage and making demands of us."

"Oh Molestia, you perverted little mare. What kind of man do you take me for?" I muttered in fake embarrassment. A lot of ponies glared at me for that remark, but I didn't miss the tint on Celestia's face when she remembered the old catchy nickname. "And your listening skills need work. I already said what I wanted, didn't I?" I asked the pink pony, who was the only one who wasn't tense like the others.

She nodded her head enthusiastically before shoving a hoof-full of popcorn in her mouth.

"Also, it's really hard to go out for revenge when there's nothing to avenge." I said to the Alicorn.

"What do you mean?" her eyes narrowed at me in accusation and I noticed that some of her fur seeming to stand on their ends.

With a grin, I felt the magic inside me and pulled from the core. I stood up from the throne, making all of the ones present tense in anticipation, then I turned to my left and took a step forward. Many sets of eyes widened when something else took a step to my right at the same time.

There, beside me, was another complete replica of myself made entirely out of magic. It looked like me in every single aspect, save for the eyes. It had no pupils, and it also had no will. I controlled the construct using my connection to it with my magic. It was then that comprehension dawned on the princess.

"[Aura]"

I smiled in satisfaction when she remembered the name.

"A skill that allows me to project a magic construct in my likeness. Its original design was supposed to be a transparent version of the caster, only a great many times their size. But if it was concentrated and condensed, you could have it as a duplicate of yourself."

A few moments of stunned silence later, the doppelganger dissipated like mist before their eyes.

"Of course, since it's a magic construct with nothing to keep it together other than the will of the caster, it dissipates after a few seconds after the casting. Its' attacks discharge the magic that keeps it solid, making it twice as strong as the caster, but they weren't meant for anything more than a single attack..."

"Or a sturdy shield in some cases." Celestia finished with her eyes looking on where the construct had been.

"It took every ounce of magic I had to keep it from dissipating when the Elements made contact." I added another piece of information. "It kept trying to deconstruct what I made and every time a piece of it was chipped off it was replaced instantly because I never cut my link to it. I kept pushing all of my reserves until what you had was a solid stone of my [Aura]. Because of your intent to seal me like you did with Discord, the Elements had no choice but to follow the wishes of their caster and turn it into stone instead of something else."

Though it did take me a while to think of that strategy in the middle of combat. I knew that when the Elements were used, they would emit a light source that would come careening to the target. I kept my use of [Shadowwalk] a secret as that had always been my trump card all these years.

When I made myself vulnerable enough in their eyes, they used the Elements to finally end the battle. The reason for that was because I was making sure that [Aura] was ready for casting, and I took a few hard hits as my concentration was split during the battle and the spell. When the light of the Elements finally came, I used my skill to make a duplicate of myself and dropped down into my own shadow that was made thicker by the strong light source from the magic rainbow. The rest after that was history. The sisters thought I was sealed and I was once again free from any sort of pursuit and left to my own devices. I met with old friends and acquaintances every few years and forged new ones over time.

I saw the horror painted on Celestia's face as I revealed the truth about the statue in the gardens.

"Th-Then..."

"I was free for more than a thousand years in the land, training, refining my skills, and getting stronger as the time passed. You and Luna only fought me during the time when I was still experimenting with what I could do, and still learning new spells. Now I've gained mastery of the skills I knew then and a few new ones that you and your sister have never seen."

Her whole body shook as the notion of my declaration sunk in. I was strong then, but was still merely a whelp compared to the one now present in the room.

"But now you gotta face us!"

I turned my attention to the rainbow maned pegasus, who was just now able to pull herself away from the farm pony that was stopping her from flying and talking in the midst of the tense situation.

"Loyal Rainbow." I acknowledged. "With Generous Rarity, Kind Fluttershy, Honest Applejack, Laughing Pinkie and Magic Sparkle."

The girls and Celestia became more guarded at the mention of their names and elements, save for a few. I waved my hand over to the rainbow one and gestured for her to go on.

"How do you know our names!"

"I've been all around Equestria." I told her with a quirked brow. "In the last few months I've been living in the deepest part of the Everfree and some times I take a walk out to update myself with the latest news. I go to the closest settlements and gather information there. The closest being Ponyville."

A lot of eyes predictably widened at the tidbit of news.

"You've been so close to home all this time?!" came the exclamation from the farm pony.

Fluttershy went "Eep!" before going back to hiding behind the others and behind her mane. She was the closest to the forest and would have been the first to have encountered me if I had ever decided to show myself.

"I was also there during the time with Nightmare Moon. I noticed that the sun was late in rising and had a hunch of what was the cause, as I have experienced something similar so many years ago and suddenly recalled it out of nostalgia. I went over to the old castle in the forest and was proven correct when I saw Black Luna facing off with the Element of Magic."

I saw another shudder pass through Celestia as I informed her that I had been so close to the Elements all that time. Had I been any more malicious, those relics would never have been found.

"That had been more than half a year ago." she whispered.

Before anything else could be said, a crack of magic signaled the arrival of Luna in the middle of the room where she proceeded to nearly shatter the eardrums of everyone present with her use of the Canterlot Voice. "Art thou unharmed, dear sister?"

Manes were literally whipped back by the sheer volume alone. I had both my forefingers in my ears, but even then it was still audible without proper earplugs.

It was then that she caught a glimpse of me. "FIEND!"

I noted with some bit of amusement that the guards closest to her were on the floor and holding down their ears. I haven't even done anything to cause them harm, yet here was one of their princess doing it to them.

I put my hands down and turned to the Moon Princess with an acknowledging nod. "Luna." I greeted. "'Tis a grand sight to behold, for the Princess of the Moon to be amongst us once again."

"We cannot sayeth we hold the same sentiment." the mare said with her teeth bared.

"It matters not for I am merely here to converse." I told her. It's been years since the last time I spoke so formal, but when one speaks to you in something similar, you can't help but return the gesture. "Hear me Royal Sisters of Equestria, I, the Emperor Dragon hath broken my millennium of silence to seek the aid of the Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon! Heed my words for these pertains the future of the lands and the citizens under your rule!"

There. If anyone misunderstood what I said they need to get their ears fixed. If anything, the Royal Canterlot Voice made a great act to deliver a message. Thank you dragon lungs for making this possible.

Stunned silence followed after my announcement, with the guards and Elements being confused more than anything. I've fought the princesses a millennium ago to many stand stills and escaped using minimum amount of retaliation. For them to hear me ask for help was something I'm sure they never saw coming.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow Dash asked, unknowingly voicing out the thoughts of the others around her if the looks on their faces were to go by.

"I. Need. Help." I repeated slowly.

Celestia worked her mouth but no words seem to come out, same with Luna. It took the nudging of her student by her side to finally snap the alabaster Alicorn from her flabbergasted state.

"Princess, is something wrong?" the purple unicorn asked her mentor. I'm sure she's never seen Celestia in this kind of state before.

"Twilight, my dear student," Celestia began, her eyes still wide and looking directly at me. "You must understand something when you cross paths with Ryu." she looked at the purple unicorn with a serious and solemn expression. "He is an individual who has enough power to level mountain ranges at full strength and wipe villages out in his current form."

The unicorn and most of the other ponies all looked back to me with wide eyes and slightly open mouths. As a member of the Brood my powers are nothing to scoff at, especially now since back then I wasn't even in my first decade in familiarizing myself of my full potential.

"The Badlands, before what it was now, was nothing more than a gorge surrounded by mountains with tunnel mazes dug by diamond dogs." Luna added, her voice low and melodic from her lack of use of the old Canterlot Voice. "And all it took was one night to reduce it into the desolate wasteland you all have come to know."

Another moment of silence passed in the room. I leaned back on mytail as I stared out into nothing, allowing the ponies to let the information sink in. The Badlands was a place with sour memories for me. I didn't care for the lives that were lost that day, they deserved it, but the destruction that I wrought made me realize just what the Brood had been afraid of and made me understand why they chose to seal their powers away.

A memory flashed in my head, of the aftermath of my attack.

My one and only attack.

Then another memory flashed, ones about my friends; the ones who were able to make an impression in my heart during my travels and mare who took care of me in Equestria. Dread and Fear crept inside me that day, of the things I could do and what could happen if I ever lost control.

As I've told Celestia: "Since then, I've never gone full dragon."

I've unconsciously limited myself with my [Warrior] and [Myrmidon] form since then. It made me think that if I kept my forms humanoid, I could keep my humanity and not fall into the powers of my dragon blood. It didn't get any easier when Celestia and Luna started hounding me all across Equestria. I suppose that it didn't help that I hardly fought back, making them all the more eager to continue their pursuit.

I threw every spell I knew at the time to throw them off my tail, but they saw the hesitation in my attacks and pressed on. Months had passed and the chase went on when I was seen by any residents of the land or by a royal guard; where they would inform the sisters soon after. It was after I knocked out Luna with my [Aura] skill that they finally decided to bring the Elements with them on the next and final encounter.

I was cut off from my reminiscing by Twilight Sparkle, looking confused when her eyes met mine.

"But if you are as powerful as the princesses say you are, why would you need help?"

"Because this problem may be equal or more powerful than I am." I confessed.

I saw some colors drain from Luna's face, though I think Celestia was the same. It was hard to tell with her color.

"And there is a possibility that they may or may not be more malicious." I added.

"Who are they?" Celestia asked with a voice full of dread.

"She goes by the name "Myria"." I said. "She is the Goddess of Desire and Destruction."

Then I added one last thing that made them all realize the severity of the problem.

"She's also the one who nearly brought my Clan to extinction."

Author's Note

Right. For those who don't know the game and the skills, there's a video on youtube where you can see the skills being showcased and another one for the dragon forms. Here's what [Aura] looks like in the game. When the skill is being chosen, pause the video and look at the description on the top of the screen. My skill mechanics will be based on that and how the skills are performed in animation. (This video ain't mine)

Surprise?

I regretted that day. I allowed myself to be consumed by something that I wasn't familiar with and now I'm regretting the fact that I came to realize the thing of which I held. The Power that the Brood wielded but never used, The Power that even a Goddess feared enough to commit genocide.

I flew as far as I could from the Badlands after witnessing the aftermath of my attack, my one and single attack.

The Princesses started hounding the cause of the destruction, and heard of a great dragon flying off to the empty northern regions. They found me a few miles close to where the Crystal Empire used to be and they asked me if I knew what happened to the dragon that they were after. My mind was still reeling at what my body had been capable of at the time, and wasn't really at the right state to keep secrets.

So, I told them. I'm my moment of brilliant vulnerability, I told them: My return to Equestria, the cry of agony, the base within the Badlands, my discovery of what acts were done in that deprived hell hole, my rage, my fury, my justice, and my power.

They were accepting at first, but after I told them that there was no way of saving the victims in that horrid place, they grew stern. They said that there was always a way to save them, a way to heal them. They said that there was no such thing as losing hope.

Naive.

For all their strength, they couldn't understand the plight of those victims who were born without power or have come to acquire them. The creatures, the victims, that I saw in that place had already given up hope, given up on waiting for someone to come and rescue them, and most of all they've given up the will to live. Their eyes that were so dim and without light only served to fuel my rage. I will never forget their words, where they pleaded for freedom.

To be free of the curse called "Life".

Something inside me snapped at that moment, where everything began to clear. My mind completely went still. The fury that had been growing suddenly shrank and was pushed deep into myself. But that didn't mean that it lost any of its intensity. I felt so disconnected with my emotions that everything just felt... numb.

The last that I saw of them was when regained the light in their eyes, where hope was once again ignited in their souls, where they looked on and smiled as the item of their demise fell upon them and erased them from the world. The numbness inside me continued to linger as I watched the gorge get swallowed by the blast, but that soon gave way to fear and panic as I noticed that the blast was not stopping. I looked on as it continued to sweep across the mountain ranges of the Badlands, and watched in trepidation as it devoured everything it touched.

Every hateful emotion I felt before then was drained as I looked at the aftermath. The once high and imposing mountain ranges of the Badlands were reduced to nothing but a crater of destruction. I hovered at the center of it all, surveying the damage, the cataclysm. Miles worth of land, high and towering mountains, reduced to rubble and dust and burning debris.

Then came the realization, my ignorance of my own body, the power that it held and the countless number of deaths that it would wreak if I ever lose control of it. What would she say, or do, if she ever realizes that what she had taken in back then, what she cared for and nurtured carried something so monstrous inside him?

The Pony Sisters, as I expected, were not pleased by the death of both the victims and the criminals. They tried to preach to me of peace and harmony, and that death and violence were only meant for the wicked. I paid their words no heed as my thoughts were still caught in a never ending turbulence.

I had power but no control, no better than a savage beast without a goal. So I decided, if I were to live in this body of mine, I must learn to master it and rely on my dragon forms as a last resort. I needed to master my magic.

Oh how I am still vexed at the sisters and their interruptions. The two have no sense of timing whatsoever.

We were still in the throne room, where I was leaning back on my tail, said appendage was stabbed through the floor for better balance. The guards and princesses didn't appreciate the damage on the floor.

The guards had me surrounded from all sides, the Pony Sisters were up on their thrones, and the Elements were forming a half circle right below them. The girls were given each one pillow to sit on, where Generosity was more than happy to accept while saying that all the stress was getting to her. Even with that small bit of amusement, the air was still tense, and some of the guards had been eyeing the hole that my tail made with a barely recognizable nervousness.

"I see..." Celestia muttered in contemplation. "This news is truly rather disconcerting."

I've informed her and everyone else of the Brood and Myria, and the possibility that it may be her that was coming closer to this world. I told them of the war that almost destroyed our (the original Ryu's) world because of the Goddess and her power, where the Dragon Clan's greed made them turn on each other for the right of the wish.

And also of the brave hero and his friends who battled with the goddess before.

By the Sun Princess' side was Twilight Sparkle, having asked for someone to get her some parchment for her to take down notes as I told the story. It was almost disturbing to watch the shine in her eyes if I wasn't already expecting something like this from the die-hard scholar.

The rest of the Elements were also paying rapt attention to the story, commenting on some details and annoying me on some occasions when they would continue to disturb me one after another. But even all of that was nothing compared to the awe and possible worship that I saw in the eyes of the other dragon in the room.

Spike had been fully immersed with the tale that he had unconsciously made his way towards me to hear the story better. If it hadn't been for Celestia and Luna pulling the young drake back beside them with their magic I wouldn't be surprised if he had been sitting in front of me as I finished my tale.

"Fascinating!" the lavender unicorn chimed. "A whole different dimension! And a being not resident of this world here in the castle itself!"

If that mare comes even close to me with dissecting tools, I'm chaining her to a wall and leech her magic enough so that she wouldn't be able to teleport out of them for a long while.

"Indeed." Luna commented. "For thou to actually come from another world, 'tis quite a surprise, but We should have known better after searching the farthest reaches of the world for the rest of thy kin and gaining naught even a sliver of word even after months of research by Our subjects."

I shook my head sadly. "You wouldn't have found another like me." I said. "I'm the last of my kind to carry the might of my clan. And if you did find another they wouldn't even have any power at all."

The original Ryu had been called the Prince by the Brood who gave up their power since he was the only one left capable of transforming into his dragon forms. He was the last to carry the burden and legacy of what was left after the rest were hunted down. Now I am Ryu, and by technicality what was his is also mine now.

"That's so cool!" Spike exclaimed, his eyes shining in admiration and bouncing on his heels while Applejack had his tail pinned down with her hoof. "It's like one of the stories I've read in books!" he stopped for a moment, changing his expression and the tone of his voice while he spoke dramatically. "The last of his kind, The chosen one, The hero who fights the forces of evil to save the world! Just like Supermare!"

I snorted and gave a small smirk. That wasn't too far from the truth-- actually, that's exactly what the third Ryu's life was like if it comes down to it. As well as the other versions of Ryu. Speaking of which...

"I find it rather odd." Celestia muttered as she looked at me. "For three generations of your kind to fight the forces that threatened your world were all named the same."

"It's symbolic." I muttered helplessly. Yes, I told her about the three generations and that they shared the same name. "It literally translates as 'Dragon' in another language. The first and second generation also didn't make it a big of a deal in what they did and accomplished, choosing to fade in history rather than bask in the glory. After their adventures they simply vanished, or at least that's what I managed to get from the stories."

"And now you bear their name." she said. I thought I heard a bit of an accusation in her tone, but ignored it.

"You can start calling me Bob, if you want, but that doesn't really change anything." I told her. "It'll just prove how petty you are."

She took a deep and calming breath, which made me think jokingly that she might fire sunbeams from her nose if she exhales. Instead she just closed her eyes and visibly tried to keep her temper in check. I knew she was still sore from being outwitted a millennium ago, and that I had been hiding in her country without her knowing. It was a big blow to her ego, I'm sure.

"And what do you want us to do with this information?" she asked.

"Oh, that." I piped up in thought. "Nothing. I want you and your pony subjects to do absolutely nothing when they do come."

"Nothing!?"

Everyone doing something at the time all snapped their attention back to me immediately, all those that were simply zoning out also did the same.

"Yes. That's the best help you can give me: Nothing." I said as I pulled my tail out of the hole I pierced through the floor. "If I didn't come here to warn you about it then you'd have probably tried to negotiate with her or something, where she'll just manipulate you into hunting me down like she did the rest of my clan. Then when you find me and sic the Elements my way, I'd be forced to fight back, where after I make my escape you'll announce to the kingdom that I'm some sort of Evil Incarnate, or something."

"Hey! The Princess wouldn't do that!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before turning to Twilight. "Would she?"

The unicorn tapped her chin in thought before looking at her teacher for an answer. Celestia caught the look and sighed, ruffling her wings before turning to me.

"I probably would have." she said.

"Do keep in mind that before this conversation, Celestia and Luna here considered me as their enemy." I pointed out. "And even now I think they still do." I looked at both of them and threw an accusing stare.

The guards around me all pointed their spears on my upper body, glaring at me with and equal amount of anger. "You will respect the Princesses!" one of them exclaimed.

I gave them all a flat look. I then turned my attention to the spears that were in front of me. "Celestia, you should really teach your goons to stop provoking creatures that could easily rip them apart." And to prove my point, I took one of the spears in my hand and pinched the bladed tip, where I then pulled off half of the metal as easily as tearing out a piece from a soft clay.

The guards all looked a tad more nervous than before, but they still held firm, standing as diligently as they could.

"Stop patronizing my subjects, Ryu!" the Princess of the Sun demanded. "They are merely doing the tasks assigned to them, and it is their job to protect us and the kingdom. Is this how you act to those you seek aid from?"

Letting out a grunt, I threw the broken tip of the spear behind me, ignoring the sound of it bouncing off one of the guards' helmets. "You never saw me talking to a crowd, Celestia, and time changes a person's patience depending on how they live." I said. "Just as you are now less arrogant and prideful, I've become less patient to lack of common sense and general stupidity."

You'd think that living for centuries would make me more patient, but because I lived most of the time in isolation, I really started to hate socializing. Of course, I didn't spend all of my time alone. I've met a few travelers over the passing years and even made friends with most of them. They staved off the insanity that came with boredom, keeping my head straight after all this time. Though I also kept in touch with the descendants of my friends, and getting appointed as the recluse uncle who just comes and goes.

Come to think of it, I should really go and say hello to them soon, there was one family member that hasn't met me yet.

"I suppose that's all I have to say. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to pay some friends a visit." I turned my back to the princesses and started walking towards the door. I waited for the guards blocking my way to part... but they didn't.

I looked back to the throne and found Celestia standing with stern expression on her face. "Though your warnings are appreciated, I cannot simply sit by as this world is invaded. As a ruler of Equestria, I also cannot allow someone with your destructive temperament to just wander the land. The last time you did, you turned the Badlands into a wasteland and even destroyed a few forests in the country."

"Have you gone senile, Celestia?" I shot her a look of irritation which she returned with a scowl. "I admit that the Badlands were my doing, but the forests that you're talking about were only half my fault. You and your sister also contributed to those when you kept shooting at me and kept on missing."

"Insolence!" Luna bellowed. "'Twas thee who destroyed more of nature than Our sister and Us!"

"Those places where you found me were isolated! So isolated in fact that no one lived close to it for miles." I retorted. I was just starting to familiarize myself with my abilities fully back then and was thinking of better ways to apply it other than just combat, " But still, it's not as if you could stop me. I know that you've gotten rusty, Celestia, after years of peace and the lack of war. I know that Luna should still be up to par with how she was back then, but after the whole Nightmare Moon incident, her magic has become less... how do I say this. Potent? And I don't even want to begin with the six mares who had little to no combat training."

Rainbow Dash immediately stopped laughing at that. "Hey! If I wanted to I could knock you down ten seconds flat!"

"Only because I would be laughing at all your attempts to hurt me." I countered. Though I do faintly remember that out of all of them, she was the one who was most battle oriented.

"Why I oughtta-- Ow, hey!"

The rainbow pony looked down on her tail, where it was pinned down by Applejack's free hoof while the other was still on Spike's. "Settle down there, Rainbow. Don't let 'em rile you up."

"That's right, darling." Rarity spoke. She looked at me and the single piece of clothing that I wore; which were my pants, secured by a large belt. "Eugh. You really shouldn't approach him until the princesses deem it safe."

...I feel somewhat insulted yet self conscious now that the fashionista made a face on my attire. I feel an odd urge to cover myself with my wings. My clothes are a part of me and this body, I can get them to appear and disappear if I want. I'm somewhat thankful for that since I didn't want to change clothes every time I transform, ripping what I had on at the time. I could still wear other clothes, but my default set is the only one that's safely converted into magic when I turn into a dragon while others don't survive the process.

"I would actually love to see you try, little pegasus." I taunted the mare, which only made her struggle more under the farm pony's hoof. Applejack sent me a look that said she didn't like me poking fun at her friend. I raised my arms up in a gesture of surrender and stopped myself from saying anymore. "But like I said, I did not come here to fight, so please stop poking at the dragon's pride."

"The Princess is right." Twilight Sparkle commented as the pegasus began to settle down. "Someone like you shouldn't allowed to roam around without an escort. Who knows what you'll do?"

"I spent years doing nothing to your Equestria, and now you accuse that I'll be doing something to it now that I revealed myself to you?" I raised a brow towards her. "Where's the logic in that?"

"You will stay here at the castle until we are convinced of your sincerity." Celestia spoke up, flaring her wings from where she stood. "With Discord's recent rampage, the ponies all need time to recover from the trauma that were inflicted upon them. If word of your return circulates, and if they find out of our previous encounters all those years ago, I'm afraid that my subjects would panic upon knowing that you have been free all this time."

"I won't say anything if you won't. Also, it's really annoying when you do that." I pointed at her wings. "Fully extending your wing to make yourself look bigger than you already are to the ponies." I did the same and extended one my wings prompting the guards at that side to move out of the way when it unfolded. It was more or less seven feet in length, and would be fourteen if I also add my other wing into the equation.

Celestia said nothing as I compared her feathery wings with my leathery ones, but she still didn't fold hers when I did. The other ponies in the room were rather surprised at the length of my wing, only now noticing it since they were more concerned about the person who it was connected to. Rainbow Dash also stopped scowling under Applejack's hoof to compare hers with mine.

"Don't do that to creatures who don't care for formality, Celestia, because the law of the wild dictates that as a sign of a challenge." I pointed out. I've met creatures before who had wings and also make the same gesture when they feel threatened or are threatening someone or something else. I had many of the same gesture pointed at me over my travels, and ran away from most of them because it would have been troublesome in keeping myself hidden from the world. The some who didn't let me leave came to regret that decision after I transformed into [Myrmidon].

"There are also some who use it as a sign to attract mates." Fluttershy added helpfully.

Then I saw Celestia snap her wings close with the speed of a stretched out rubber band. I found a great amount of amusement in the princess's look of horror when she looked at Fluttershy. Everyone was also doing the same when they looked at the resident animal expert, who went "Eep!" and tried her best to hide behind her mane. I suppose that it never occurred to sapient beings that some gestures they make are also used by animals in the wild.

I sent the Princess of the Sun a knowing look which she returned with a pointed stare and a light blush. We've both lived for over a thousand years, so we both know what it's like to have a repressed sexual drive when the body's aging slows down to a crawl or even more, and that doesn't mean that the urge disappears. It takes a lot of willpower not to let it control us, but everyone has a breaking point, and Celestia and I were no exception. I took care of mine a few decades ago and still have a few decades left till it becomes unbearable. I wonder how Celestia works around it since with her being a princess and all. I don't think I've heard of a prince to her princess title ever coming around to sweep her off her hooves. Or maybe she does, in a hidden drawer somewhere in her room.

"This is funny and all," I started, "But there is no way that I am giving up my freedom just because you say so."

"Then do it as a sign of trust." Celestia countered after taking back control of her own facial expression. "Even though we were against each other all those years ago, we cannot simply stand by and allow you to be hunted down by this Goddess."

"Unless you have an army with a magic potential equal to your student, then no." I told her sternly. "I don't know if she'll be coming here alone or with backup, but, all the same, your guards have no chance."

I saw that some said guards looked affronted by what I said. I turned my attention to them and glared hatefully, causing more than a few to flinch as they remember who they were talking to.

"She has powers equal to mine and can easily wipe you all out as easily as breathing." I said. "I know that if she wanted to she could bring monsters here that originated from our world."

"We can take 'em" Rainbow Dash asserted.

"Just like you took care of that sleeping dragon a few months back?" I retorted. "Some of the creatures that I'm talking about are just as equal in size, but are more ferocious, less intelligent, driven by their anger and instincts." I looked at the rainbow pagasus in the eye. "Some of them are even capable of magic. Very strong, potent, and lethal magic."

I could feel the dread the came down on the room. I felt the added burden that everyone felt when I spoke those words, but unlike them, I've been familiar with the feeling ever since I embarked on my journey alone into an unknown world.

"Creatures with magic?" Twilight asked in both fear and intrigue.

"Yes." I nodded seriously. "I know of species that breath out ice with the strength of a blizzard, lizards that could summon bolts of lightning and direct it at their foes, monsters who take the form of miniaturized volcanoes and spit out lava, hideous gigantic fishes that could crawl on land and breath out venom. Demons, monsters, ghosts, abominations, and all manners of horrors are frequent and alive back in that world."

As I mentioned some of the common monsters of the Breath of Fire world, Celestia and Luna were the only ones who were not impressed in the slightest or even at all worried. If anything they grew more serious.

"Thou portrayeth thine world in a horrible light. Surely it cannot be as bad as thou sayeth." Luna commented.

"Half the world is covered with flourishing nature, but half of it is nothing but a barren desert." I told her. "The only thing separating the two is the vast ocean that divides the planet." I neglected to tell them that maybe the barren half was the remnants of the internal war of the old Dragon Clans. I have no proof, but with the history of nearly destroying the world, it could be possible. "It's survival of the fittest and everyone is required to at least be able to defend themselves from the random monster encounters."

Even though what I'm saying is RPG logic, it would be a terrifying thought if I actually lived in a world like that. Ryu and his friends actually lived there, and even camp out at nights. You'd have to be very, very brave and strong to pull something like that and survive till morning.

"And you came from that kind of world..." Celestia muttered solemnly.

"More or less." I shrugged. Not completely a lie. Back my original world, there are some monsters in human skin and it was definitely survival of the fittest, in a sense. "It's also because of this that Heroes are less than rare but not really common."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked, the topic suddenly gaining his attention.

"Because of how harsh life is, there are a lot who would take advantage of others to make their life easier." I said. Like the people of Syn City and its criminal organization that Rei, Ryu's friend, pretty much slaughtered. "In return there would be heroes who would rise above the rest and right the wrongs. The sense of justice is strong in the less fortunate. They find the courage to act, not out of duty, but because it's the right thing to do."

A moment of silence passed in the room, with the atmosphere lifting up as the seconds ticked by. The dread the everyone felt earlier was slowly being eased by the talk of heroes and such. Even though I don't really believe in such concepts.

After a while Celestia smiled, and I saw something flash in that calculating eyes of hers. "Tell me, Ryu, why did you reveal yourself to us?"

I looked at her, long and hard, giving her my best deadpan I could muster. "Have you truly gone senile, Celestia?" I ignored the indignant looks shot at me by most of the ponies in the room, keeping my attention solely on the Sun Princess.

"Humor me, if you would." she said in her most serenely and motherly expression.

"I came to warn you." I said plainly.

I saw her smile stretch farther. "And...?"

I kept my face impassive as I repeated the question in my head. Why did I reveal myself to her? I could have just sent anonymous messages to warn them, but that wouldn't last if Myria asked for me specifically. Celestia would just think that the messages that I sent were traps and after they find out that the statue wasn't the real me, they'll just send out search parties after me, which in turn would keep me away from the friends I made through the years.

I could have just taken care of this silently without revealing myself for a while, but I'm pretty sure that the battle between me and a Goddess would be felt even by the sealed Discord. And the risk of getting civilians involved in the fight would escalate if I were to be caught in or close to a settlement without the royal sisters sending a warning to evacuate the area.

I did it because it was the safest path I could think of, minimizing casualties and using Celestia's own drones to report any strange activity through the land where the incoming threat might have come in silently instead of something like a flashy entrance. I did it because there were only so little I could do while keeping myself hidden, even if I called in the aid of my friends. I did it because I'm pretty sure that none of the Equestrians could take on this threat. I did it because through the years I've grown bored and this could sate that boredom. But most of all, I did it because-

"I'm lonely." I sighed, slumping my head down.

A lot of inquisitive brows were raised at my statement, but it was Celestia who seemed to actually know what I meant by what I said.

I raised on hand up rub my face, slumping my shoulders tiredly while I sighed again. "You should know what longevity does, Celestia. Friends and loved ones come and go, but even through the flow of time you stay the same."

I cracked an eye open and saw a melancholic expression settle on the white mare's face. She gave me a sympathetic nod and sighed softly as well.

"I gained great mastery over my magic three hundred years ago, and spent most of my time from then till now roaming the lands again and visiting old acquaintances." I said. My eyes panned across the ponies present, settling mostly on the two ponies that I've known most. "I want to stop hiding and maybe settle down somewhere. But even after seeing most of the continent, all of its glory and splendor, Equestria was always the place that I find myself returning to no matter where I go."

I took note of the pride that most of the ponies showed when I confessed to them of what I thought of their country. In all honesty I couldn't blame them. This was the most peaceful place I have ever encountered, even with it's hidden darkness in some corners that Celestia's sun couldn't reach.

"If I swear to you, Celestia, that I would protect this land till my last dying breath, will you leave me in peace?" I looked her in the eye and held my gaze with hers.

After a few moments of searching, the Princess of the Sun relented as she leaned back and sat down on her throne. "I see no lies or deceit in your eyes, Ryu." she turned her head and met her sister's gaze, smiling as she smiled back. "I, too, know of the pain and the loneliness that comes through the passing of time. After my sister's banishment, I only had my subjects to help me pull through in the coming years."

"But that wasn't really enough." I added.

"No, not always." she shook her head sadly before looking back to me. "As you've said, they come and go but we always stay the same. It's hard to watch the ones you cherish complete the cycle of life while you can do nothing but watch as it does."

By her side, Twilight Sparkle looked at her teacher sadly. Unlike us who have lived for so long, the lavender pony couldn't understand the pain and heart-breaking acceptance that we must endure all these years. I had to watch as the mare who took care of me back then die as her time came. I went back to her and the town she lived in time and time again, never really noticing that every time I visited, years had already passed.

Whenever I came back empty handed in my journey home, I would always cling to her like a child. I started treating her like my own mother and I didn't even realize it until the time where I had to say goodbye for the last time. It was then that the painful truth came to me, that her passing would not be the first or the last that I will experience in my long and miserable journey.

"Princess." Twilight whispered to her mentor.

Celestia smiled back to her and I saw some cheer return to her features. "But I endured. I was not truly alone, and I learned to cherish the memories I have of them. And I also had a sister to wait for."

That's one of the things that I envy of her. She has family, a real blood related family member.

I grunted, gaining her attention again, and I couldn't hide the displeasure I had from showing on my face. "And I had to resort to hiding like a rat all these years, because I reshaped the Badlands and killed everything in it."

I was bitter about her still having a family, but can you blame a guy who had his ripped away from him? Though as soon as the feeling came, it left just as quick. The feeling wasn't anything new, and I was more bitter back then than I was now. I encountered many settlements in my journey, so seeing a family close and enjoying their lives was a common sight. It left me bitter and jealous, but that only lasts until I came to accept the feeling and knowing that there was nothing I could to about it.

That doesn't mean I couldn't express my displeasure, though.

Some of my friends back then noticed my growing depression and went out of their way to welcome me into their own family. It had been a touching day and it lessened the pain I had of losing the mother figure that took care of me. Still, that didn't erase my bitterness completely.

"Anyway, I'm still going to see my friends." I repeated. "And there's nothing you can to to stop me from doing it, Celestia."

The princess sighed, looking ready to relent as the talk about friends and memories seem to let her sympathize with me. "I suppose I have no right to prevent you from being with them, and your crimes were already more than a thousand years ago. Few ponies even remember that day, and even then they only know the gist of it." Her face grew serious, and the guards all around me straightened in their spots. "I will be lenient, but you will still be punished for what you did to the Badlands."

"Oh?" I raised an interested brow at her. "And what would that punishment be?"

Celestia shot me a mischievous smile before looking at Luna. "You are to help my sister familiarize herself to modern times."

Huh?

"WHAT!" was Luna's more vocal reaction.

All of the elements cringed around her while Celestia didn't even so much as twitch when her sister nearly blew her eardrums by how close they were sitting. The guards were giving their ruler a clear surprised look, breaking their vigil at the deemed punishment.

While the ponies were all making faces at Celestia, I never really broke eye contact with her after she declared the task I must do in order to be forgiven of my crimes.

To others it may not seem like a terrible punishment, but to me it was different. The implications of the things that I'll do, what I must do, and be forced to do against my will made me glare at the smiling alicorn in irritation. This means that I'll have to interact more than I'm comfortable with, and to a pony who more or less hates my guts. I'll probably have to teach her how to talk like the modern day ponies and be forced to be in the same room for hours with... books. I shudder at the thought.

I grunted. "If I didn't know how you ruled, Celestia, I would have called you a Tyrant."

"So, do you accept the punishment?" she asked with a smile a little to sweet for my taste.

"Though I dread the time I'll be wasting, I don't think my friends will be happy with me if I said No." I confessed. "It's honestly pretty light, now that I think of it... more thoroughly, and who knows, I might even get me some laughter at her expense."

"We Refuse!" Luna bellowed. "We will not be taught by a criminal!"

"But you will have to." Celestia told her sister sadly. "He is the only one suited enough to impart the history of one thousand years during your banishment, and is also well verse in the modern tongue. I really wish to give you a better instructor, Luna, but..."

She trailed off and I saw some hurt coming in the features of the younger sister. I also noted that some guards shifted and looked away uncomfortably.

It made me wonder if one thousand year banished princesses also applied to the local xenophobia, even if they were the blood kin of the one who ruled over them for over a millenia. I can take a guess and say that her attempt in making night eternal not once but twice also added in making the ponies close enough to get skittish.

Well, from her lack of progress in her speech patterns, it would be safe to assume that she rarely had anyone to talk to, given that it was nearly a year ago that she was set free from her Nightmare phase. It also gave the lazy bum inside me some hope that all I had to do during the duration of my punishment was to strike conversation with the Moon Princess until she was adequate enough to talk to other ponies or creatures of the land.

I suppose, I also feel sorry for her as well.

"I'll do my best, then."

Luna looked at me in surprise while Celestia merely smiled. "Thank you." the sun alicorn said.

"Can I leave now?" I asked, crossing my arms and tapping my foot impatiently.

"Yes, I believe that is all. But..." Celestia trailed off just as I was about to turn around. "Tell me, Ryu, if it wouldn't be any trouble. May I ask who these friends of yours are? They must be great ponies to have accepted you given your... difference with the other inhabitants of the world."

I was about to tell her that it was none of her business but then caught the sight of the Elements looking curious and hopeful as well. They all looked like children eager for a tale. And with my age it wouldn't really be much of a stretch. Still, over the time that I interacted with my friends, I saw all of them grow up from when they were nothing but colts and fillies to great stallions and mares. The look that the six were giving me really struck a cord in my old, grandpa, heart.

"I guess they wouldn't mind," I muttered carelessly.

"Then...?" Celestia urged.

Instead of answering her, I turned my attention to someone else in the room.

"You won't mind if I made my visit early, right, Applejack?"

Author's Note

Damn. Sorry for the late update but I was really having trouble cooking up the scenes. I already know what I want to do and how the main events were supposed to happen, but putting them together was tricky.

Well, anyway. For those who don't know much about the breath of fire 3 and are patient enough, you can get the play by play in this LP that I found. It's really helped me remember the good things about the game. Read it if you want to get more familiar with the crossover.

Breath of Fire 3

and the source of the sprites.

Sprites

Introvert: Keep Away, But Family Can Stay

As a guy who traveled around while trying to hide from almost everyone, I can't help but appreciate a good home with a roof over my head as time passes on. After setting out in my journey for a way to return home, I never realized how true those words were.

Camping out in an open space made me realize how vulnerable I felt without something to turn my back on. I was very paranoid even with my draconic resistance and barely slept on my first nights.

In forests, I couldn't help but feel the hungry gazes of the predators that hunt during the night. I wouldn't be able to sleep soundly without making sure that there was nothing out in the darkness that would take the opportunity to end me as I slept.

I couldn't forget my first rainy night. While pegasi in Equestria handled the weather, and other nations use their own local practice to tame theirs, places where there were no civilization nearby were left for nature to take her natural course. I was cold and wet, without cover and very miserable. It took me a few months to figure out that splicing my [Frost] dragon gene with my natural form would make me resilient to the cold. Unfortunately, even after I learned of that method, I was still left to endure the uncomfortable feeling of sleeping in wet clothes.

And then there was my first experience sleeping outside under a huge storm. That was… well. Let’s just say that the howling winds and cracks of thunder did nothing good on my nerves.

You never really appreciate a home until the time you have to look for one for yourself.

"Rise and shine, ya lazy drake! The apples need'a buckin'!"

I grunted sleepily inside my mound of hay as I tried my best to return to my peaceful sleep. I've only just begun to feel relaxed inside the four-walled structure, and still have not felt at peace even after the few long hours that have passed since settling in.

"C'mon Uncle Rahy, didn't'cha promise ta help me an' Big Mac on the farm today?"

I gave out a pitiful groan as I realized that family was up and was trying to take me away from my slumber. "Ugh…Who?”

"It's Applejack, Uncle."

"Ah, right." I huffed as the name triggered a set of memories that was mixed in with a few others that were Apple-pony related. "Give me a moment."

I pulled myself out of the hay stack where I slept in for the night, brushing off the straws that managed to come out with me by sticking to my clothes. While I started stretching out the kinks left by my sleep, the little farm pony beside me was giving me the biggest smile I've seen on her for a while.

“Are ya ready to help out again, Uncle?”

I graced her with a smile of amusement before pushing her hat down on her head playfully. "It’s been merely a year and a handful of months, Little Apple. I’m sure my skills haven't dwindled in the slightest."

As I stepped out of the homey barn, met the cool morning breeze of the Sweet Apple Acres. The scent in the air was clean and fresh, and there was a hint of apple that lingered in my nose. It's good to be back on the soil of the family that I've come to love over the years.

A few steps behind me was Applejack, one hoof on her hat as she pushed it back in place. She gave me another smile before we started making our way to the main house, where everyone else was gathered.

"By the way, Uncle, Lil’ Apple's mah cousin."

"Oh." Pony names confuse me even after so many years.

It’s been a day since I revealed to the Pony Sisters about my relationship with Applejack and her family. It was one of the many things that made the Artifacts of the Harmony pretty much useless against me. I don’t believe that Applejack will ever allow herself to cause harm to her family, even if only considered as an honorary one such as myself.

It was a surprising event, just over two hundred years ago in fact, that I met her great-great-great grandfather over her mother's side of the family while he and a few of his clansmen were looking for a place to settle down. At first I thought nothing at the time since my memories about the events that were supposed to transpire were ravaged by the passing of time, and I have not taken my time to review the magical [Diary] that was bound to me and where I listed down what I knew of the My Little Pony world.

It was a couple of years since that meeting that I decided to pay his descendants a visit. It was just my luck that they were having quite a hectic week and were in dire need of assistance with their foal. Having nothing to do at the time and was bored out of my mind, I volunteered to look after none other than Little Smith when she was still a foal. It really wasn't clear to me at the time, but it came to me after a few years later when I found out that she was with a foal. I realized that one day she won't Little Smith anymore but Momma Smith instead, and then Granny Smith a few years later.

The name struck a chord in my mind, a nearly forgotten memory buried under centuries worth of training and traveling. I used the [Diary], the magic book bound and was a part of my very being, and the reason why I was in this world in the first place. I searched its’ contents of the name Granny Smith. It was easy enough to find. I only had to think of what I was looking for and the book would magically conjure up the words that I have written about it. Everything I took down in the book was stored and sealed into its’ pages, allowing me to write down everything in my travels, training, and everyday life in general without fearing of running out of paper to write in.

The words that came when I searched for Granny Smith made me remember of the other notes that I took down so many years ago. Then I realized that I was close to the events where the Elements of Harmony would be revived. Just in time as well. I had been feeling a tiny connection pulling at my being every time I would transform into my [Myrmidon] or [Warrior] form. I felt it from outside my perception, somewhere beyond my reach. I’ve been using my transformation sparingly ever since then.

A few decades later and Applejack was born. Ever since the founding of Ponyville, I spent a little more time in the Everfree than I did my traveling. The forest was still a dangerous spot filled with wild and vicious beasts, so I made it my duty to spend a couple of years clearing out the dangerous animals near the outskirts and pushed the rest deeper still, which, after some time repeating, became a habit. I found myself spending more and more time inside the Everfree, and started to reminisce about my original world as time flew by. Then I recalled the lack of internet, which made me bitter for a good while.

"Are ya ready to meet Apple Bloom, then, Uncle Rahy?" Applejack asked me as we made our way to the main house.

"That depends.” I said. “She won't freeze and scream in terror, will she?" I remember the first time the rest of the Apple relatives met me two centuries ago. It was the most awkward and chaotic family reunion I have ever experienced.

"Nah." she said, walking inside the house as I held the door for her. "That little filly might just make sumthin' up to get her Cutie Mark based on you, ah reckon'."

I chuckled at the thought. From what I reviewed in my [Diary], Apple Bloom was part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, along with Scootaloo and Rarity's sister, Sweetie Belle. The Apple filly goes on adventures and misadventures with her little group to find the special talent each of them should have. Though often times they get themselves and others in trouble because of their crusades.

"A Cutie Mark made to look like me?" I shook my head in amusement. "I'd love to see any Pony that would ever get a mark like that."

We moved over to the dining area where I found Big Macintosh setting the table and Granny Smith by the oven.

"Morning, Big Mac." I greeted the stallion.

"Uncle Rahyu." He nodded back.

Ah, the Rahyu thing. Ponies seem to have a hard time pronouncing my name, and find it confusing. One little filly working on syllables way back then was having trouble saying it, so I had to pronounce it slowly for her. What was supposed to be pronounced as 'Rih-yu' became 'Rah-yu' because the little filly kept repeating my name wrong while I was out traveling like usual. No one wanted to correct her as it had been one of the first few words that she was able to say. Filly foals are just so darn adorable that saying cute words made you want to coo them forever. That was when the name stuck. For the rest of the generation and to this day.

From her spot near the oven, Granny Smith started making her way towards me in her slow, aged steps. I met her halfway before sharing a hug with the old mare.

"Good morning, Little Smith."

"Mornin' Uncle Rahyu."

We broke the embrace so that she could get back to cooking and where it was my queue to wash myself before breakfast. I was looking forward to experiencing indoor plumbing again. Especially the showers.

"Where's the last member of the house?" I asked the red stallion as I made my way to the bathroom, passing him by as I go.

In return, he pointed over to the top of the stairs, where I saw the end of Applejack's tail rounding the corner.

"Still in bed?" I asked.

"Eeyup."

"Doesn't she have school today?" I pointed out.

"Eeyup."

"Should I be worried when she sees me?"

"Nnope."

It’s funny to know someone who spoke so little, and speak only words with so much depth in them. Well, even if it was merely another way to answer instead of using the usual ‘Yes’ and ‘No’.

Shutting the bathroom door, I willed my clothes away and put the little pouch that had been hanging on my belt over to the sink. Untying the string that kept it closed, I dipped my hand in and pulled out a bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo, toothpaste and a few more items that were far too many to fit inside the pouch that was no larger than both my palms cupped together.

It was something sort of an [Inventory] pouch, similar to the ones seen in most RPG games. It has a nigh unlimited space capacity, and is linked to my magic and will so that I could pull out anything I want that I placed inside before. Though I usually make sure that it comes with a list inside my [Diary] or else I lose the things I forgot I put in there.

It's the product of Star Swirl's notes on dimensions and my mastery over my [Shadowwalk] skill. It made traveling simpler once I found a way to make it work. Carrying a backpack bulging with necessities and trinkets was too much of a bother to haul all across Equestria, and I'm usually one to travel light, so I took a page from my old lazy gaming life and made something that was pretty much every RPG world's most common necessity. Why make it harder for yourself when you can use magic to find a shortcut? It also helped me carry the gems that I used as rations a lot easier.

Stepping under the shower head, I turned it on and let the spray of water rain down on my dirt-covered body.

I gave out a satisfied sigh as I closed my eyes. "Sweet bliss."

Muffled voices slipped through the cracks of the door as I began to scrub my body clean. I heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs, but the lack of another set made me wonder why only one pony was coming down.

"C'mon Apple Bloom, ya've got school today! Freshen up an' come down, Ah want ya ta come an' meet somepony!"

Ah, so that's why. There was another bathroom upstairs and another one downstairs that I'm using currently. Apple Bloom must be using the one closer to her room rather than this one.

"Where's Uncle?" I heard Applejack from the the other side of the door. "Ahh." I heard afterwards, probably after Mac silently pointed at the bathroom door. "Ah thought he ran away or went ta hide somewhere. Again."

Again, she says. How rude. She wasn't lying or wrong, either, but saying it out loud was still rude.

"Ah'm ready!" A new voice entered my hearing range after a few minutes later as the last set of hoofsteps came down the stairs. "Well? Who's this somepony that ya wanted me ta meet?" came her excited voice.

Applejack gave a hearty chuckle at the young voice who I guessed was probably Apple Bloom. "Hold yer horses. He's still in the bathroom." she knocked on my door just as I stepped out of the showers and pulling out a towel to dry myself with. "Hurry up, Princess! Ya don't want to keep family waiting, would ya?"

"Why don't you hold your horses, Applejack?" I drawled out from the bathroom. "Let me savor this. It's been months since I last enjoyed indoor plumbing. Swimming in forest rivers loses its appeal once you need to pull out the tenth leech that stuck to you while bathing."

"Don't be such a drama queen." she said with mirth.

"I’d like to see how you’d like it when them varmints start sucking your blood." I willed my clothes back again, primed and pristine. Breaking it down into magic and willing it back together removes all the stains and stench that stuck to it while I still had it on. It made keeping it clean a breeze, that much was certain. Though I kept some of the articles of clothing away since armor wasn't appropriate in a casual or family setting.

I stepped out of the bathroom wearing only my brown, sleeveless shirt, olive green pants and brown boots. I didn't see the need for my long, white vest and breastplate with the puffy shoulders. I also didn't bother with the red scarf since it was too hot for the season.

As I dried my hair with a towel, my eyes zoned in on the pony filly that was staring at me with her eyes wide open in surprise. My lips quirked in amusement as I looked at her, which was mirrored by the other ponies in the room who already knew me. I went over to one of the chairs around the dining table and sat down, continuing with hair.

"Applejack..?" the young filly called her older sister's attention, her eyes still locked on me ever since I came out of the bathroom. "What is it?" she asked, referring to the tall being that was me.

"Ah see ya don't remember im." Trotting over to where I sat, Applejack nudged my side and gestured to the traumatized(?) filly. "C'mon Uncle. Say hello to Apple Bloom."

The filly's head snapped over to her sister, finally taking her attention away from me. "Say what now?"

"Hello Apple Bloom." I said, smiling with amusement when the filly jumped as I called her name. "You might not remember me since I was mostly out in the orchard whenever I'm around, and Little Smith mostly spent time with you indoors during your foal years, but my name is Ryu, a longtime friend of the family and an honorary Apple. You can call me by my name, which you ponies seem to find weird and confusing, or you can use the name that the family uses to address me-"

"-Uncle Rahyu." the three older ponies all said at the same time.

"-Right. That." I nodded to the three. "So, how about it, Apple Bloom?"

I saw her eyes shift to the others in the room, all who were pretty much relaxed and were at ease with my presence. Big Mac and Granny Smith were already sitting on their side of the table, with Applejack moving over to hers. None of them were digging in for the moment and were just sitting still and waiting for the filly's reaction.

I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, finding out about a weird creature and saying that he was part of the family was pretty uncommon. I've been doing this for a while now, and even encountered a meeting where the filly or colt would suddenly start screaming bloody murder and run around like a headless chicken until their parents calmed them down. The first time that happened it traumatized me somewhat and made me dread the following meetings after that. I even went so far as to skip some of the reunions, not just of the Apple family's, but also of my other friends. But they all talked me out of it after a while and made me bite the bullet, as it were, and just get it over with.

It helped that the kids would mellow out after a few years and learn to accept me, but then it was their kids’ turn to meet me and... well. Some of them were like their parents when they first saw me: Rinse and Repeat.

But after a few years it turned into something of a game which the adults also anticipated for their children. If the kids scream in terror we'd laugh, but if they don't then we'd be proud of their willingness to reach out to other creatures that weren't their own species exclusively. And now it was Apple Bloom's turn. The rest of us wanted to know how she'd react to me. From the way she locked her eyes with mine, I could already tell that she's made her decision.

"Are ya really mah uncle?"

I smiled at that. Yeah. This apple really didn't fall far from the tree.

Apples fell into the empty baskets that I've placed under the apple tree just as I pulled my leg away from its bark. I looked up into its branches to see if I missed anything before nodding in satisfaction. I took a moment to wipe away the drop of sweat that trailed down my chin before picking up the baskets and pouring its contents into an empty cart close by. Just a few steps away from my tree was Applejack, setting down a few empty baskets of her own under another tree.

"Are ya sure it's okay fer Apple Bloom to tell her friends about'cha?" she asked, just before she bucked the tree with her powerful hind legs.

"I'm sure." I said, moving over to another tree and setting down the empty baskets around it. "I'm just getting tired of all the hiding, and it would be nice to visit everyone in the open instead of sneaking into their houses like a thief."

"It makes me wonder how that worked out fer ya all these years." she muttered with more than a hint of mirth. I snapped my finger in response and tipped her hat over her eyes with a burst of wind.

"Not good, I assure you." I confessed, ignoring the chuckles that she sent my way. "They tried to attack me more than once because they didn't realize it was me. It's only thanks to my dragonhide that I didn't end up with any wounds during those visits."

Applejack gave a contemplative hum before bucking another tree and watching as the apples came raining down into the empty baskets. "Still, ah'm not sure about not making Apple Bloom promise to keep ya a secret like ya did fer me and Big Mac."

Somewhere in the distance, in the part where Big Mac was left to plow the field, I heard him call out with a loud "Eeyup!".

"Baby steps." I told the farm pony, and said it loud enough for the red stallion over yonder to hear it as well. "Since I'm already moving to reveal myself, why not start here? With my family's close friends?"

"But they're still jus' kids." Applejack insisted, coming back from pouring her apples into the cart. "Ain't'cha worried they might talk about'cha with their other friends?"

"Like I said." I assured her. "Baby steps. Though in this case, 'Filly Steps'. I'll just let word of my existence circulate around town before going to that party that Pinkie Pie promised to throw for me. Their descriptions might help the town's folk of what to expect when they see me." Though I'd just slip into the shadows without anyone noticing and stay there until the party was over. I'd come out when someone starts looking, but other that that? No. Just no.

Before any more conversation continued, Applejack and I both heard the air parting. The sound coming from the sky. We both looked up just in time to see a rainbow colored trail flying over the trees, and then turning back a few distance away, heading straight towards us.

Coming to a stop was the pegasus Rainbow Dash, flapping her wings in the air to hover in place. "Hey AJ." the pegasus mare greeted before turning to me, her good nature suddenly turning sour. "And you." she finished with an accusatory leer.

I rolled my eyes away from her and turned back to the apple tree where I gave it a good, hard kick. The fruits fell and filled the baskets quickly.

"Hey there, Rainbow." Applejack greeted the pegasus with a pursed lip, noticing easily the look the flying mare was giving me. "Ah'd appreciate it if ya'd stop glarin' at ma Uncle."

"C'mon, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash flew over beside the farm pony, where she then started pointing her hoof over my direction. "You can't possibly trust this guy. You know what the Princesses said-"

"Ah know what the Princesses said." Applejack interrupted with a scowl. "Ah already heard it when ah was a filly. It's what he used ta make misbehavin' cousins behave. He never made it a secret. Ah also know that he's family, an' ah'm sure he'd go out on a limb ta make sure none o' us would get hurt."

"Actually, no." I piped up near the cart, pausing from pouring the full basket in my hands. "If any of you, and by 'You' I meant you and your family, were hurt by something and I find out about it, I'd swear vengeance upon its very existence and seek it out to tear it limb from limb while smiling as I do it." I declared before tipping the basket over.

Both ponies actually went silent after I gave out that statement, long enough that I was loading up another full basket before they spoke up again.

"See!" Rainbow Dash insisted. "He's dangerous!"

"Calm down, Rainbow." huffed Applejack. "He's probably messin' with ya."

"No, I'm not." Again, I piped in, setting up another set of baskets under a tree. "Time did a number on my sanity. The bonds that I have with your family and the rest of my friends are the only things keeping my mind from unraveling. So, really, she has the right to be worried." stepping back from the tree and preparing for a kick, I took my time to look at the Rainbow pegasus in the eyes. "If you have any plan to break my bond with Applejack here, I hope you're prepared to lose something important in return, because I assure you I am very spiteful."

"Stop threatenin' ma friend, Uncle." Applejack said sternly, giving me a disapproving glare. I raised both hands in surrender and shifted away. I saw from the corner of my eye Applejack turn to her friend. "He's not dangerous." she said with finality.

"Are you sure he's not using some kind of mind control thing on you and your family?" Rainbow Dash grumbled as she crossed her forelegs over her chest. "'Cause I'm not convinced."

"Ah'm sure, Rainbow." Applejack said soothingly. "Why don't'cha try ta get ta know him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Yes I would." I piped in from under a tree, taking a bite from one of the apples that I took from one of the baskets. I continued as I chewed. "I don't like her very much." I pointed out.

Then in a blink of an eye my sight was met with a pair of magenta colored orbs glaring right at me. I felt one of Rainbow Dash's hoof poking hard on my chest as I continued to chew on my apple and scrunched up my nose when she snorted so close to my face.

"Well, at least we both agree on one thing." she said, giving my chest another hard poke. "I don't like you either."

From behind the pegasus I heard Applejack heave an exasperated sigh. "I swear it's like ah'm talkin' to foals."

"Hey, I heard that!" Rainbow Dash yelled over her shoulder. I took the moment to step to the side and away from the mare's poking hoof to enjoy the rest of my sweet apple treat. I can see now why the game version of Ryu liked these things so much when he was younger.

"Uncle, why don't'cha give her a chance." Applejack urged, making her way beside me to poke me on my calf. "Ya said that ya didn't want ta hide anymore. Well, this is yer chance. Be nice to Rainbow and make friends."

I paused in mid-bite over my apple treat to give Applejack a long, searching look. I turned back to the pegasus mare who had her forelegs crossed over her chest before turning back to Applejack.

"Why in the world would I do that?" I asked Applejack in complete bafflement. I knew the pegasus was her friend, but that doesn't mean that I wanted her to be mine as well. "I only wanted my existence to be known for convenience sake. Why the heck do I have to make friends? I already have you and everyone else."

I took another bite from my apple and saw how the farm pony's hoof met her face with a loud smack. I saw that even Rainbow Dash had some kind of reaction. Her face turned angry red but didn't really say or do anything other than grind her teeth together. I wonder if the rainbow mare found my lack of interest in befriending her to be insulting. Maybe she did.

Like I care, for that matter. I think she was still following Celestia's rule about antagonizing me too much. I can tell that she's struggling just to keep her promise to the royal sun-butt.

I finished my apple and disposed of the core via magic fire and went over to one of the full baskets. I was about to take another one, but a hoof came up to stop me before I did.

"Make friends with Rainbow." Applejack looked me in the eye with complete and utter seriousness. "It's fer yer own good."

"Make friends with the most brash and boastful pony in all of Ponyville?" I asked with an incredulous look on my face. "The one whose ego eclipses Celestia's sun and clouds even Luna's moon?"

"Hey!"

"Why should I?" I asked Applejack, ignoring the outburst of the other mare.

"It'll be good fer ya." she said. "She might rub off some of that outgoing attitude of hers to ya."

I shuddered at the thought. "And if I say no?" I asked.

"You can't say no." she said stubbornly.

My brow instantly raised and I waited for her to continue, only for her to counter my action by raising her own brow in return. It didn't look like she was going to say anything else. I stared at her long and hard, something she returned without any hesitation. I looked at her and felt a flash of sentimentality rise inside me. It's been months since I've seen her up so close, and I couldn't help but compare her to the little filly that I had in my memory now that I took the time to observe her.

I saw her as the little filly that I've known and seen grow over the years; The cute little foal that ate three full plates of apple fritters in one sitting; the little filly who went out on her own to find her own destiny and come back home to embrace it; the little filly that became very competitive after seeing two family members doing more work in the farm than she did; and finally the sad little filly who cried when she lost her parents too soon in her short lifetime.

My eyes unconsciously went over to the side. I heaved out a sigh and swiped another apple from the basket, using my other hand to push Applejack's hat down on her head and ruffled it for good measure.

"For family, I suppose I have no choice." I uttered helplessly before taking at bite from the fruit.

Applejack lifted her hat and gave me a cheerful grin, something that made me smile when I saw it. "Thanks Uncle." She said.

"Right." I huffed dejectedly, turning over to face the rainbow menace. I grimaced immediately when I suddenly felt awkward instead of antagonistic like I had been earlier. "Ugh. How do you make friends again?" I asked the little Apple pony.

"Well ya'll can start by reintroducin' yerselves." she answered.

Both me and the pegasus faced each other and shared a grimace at the thought. I looked at her and gave her a once over, with her doing the same, apparently. She had a lithe body, slightly muscular, but completely flexible. She was probably an tiny bit smaller than an average pegasus, but that merely made up for her speed. She had an athletic build, that was without a doubt, but that was more because of a training regimen instead of the result from years of farm work like Applejack.

Well, if anything, I could at least appreciate her loyalty, even though it really didn't go as far as mine did. I don't think she'll resort to killing like I would if something happened to her friends. Or maybe mine wasn't really loyalty? It could just be some possessive/obsessive kind of mentality thing?

Meh. It could also be a dragon thing that I got from spending a few times with the local drakes of this world.

"Well, I don't like you now, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to change that." I started. "I'm Ryu, the Apple clan's reclusive uncle that just comes and goes every blue moon, as well as the guardian of the family. I'm also the guardian of other families from all around the continent, not just Equestria. Anyone or anything hurts the people under my protection gets hurt back, and I make sure that they remember it."

I reached out to her with one hand to shake with and waited for her to return it. It took a few good seconds before she reluctantly and begrudgingly reach out for it, grumbling for a bit before introducing herself as well.

"Rainbow Dash." she grumbled before suddenly returning to her normal attitude and shaking my hand more firmly. "Fastest flyer in all of Equestria, Future Wonderbolt star, Element of Loyalty, Head of the local Weather team, Applejack's best friend, and the pony that can kick your flank anywhere in ten seconds flat."

I gave her a look so dry it could probably shrivel even Celestia's own sun. I turned my attention back to the exasperated Applejack and I pointed at the pegasus with the hand that wasn't shaking her hoof.

"Huh?" I grunted with an expression incredulity. She wanted me to make friends with this?

"Rainbow." Applejack sighed. "Ya just did that because ya wanted ta one up mah Uncle about being our family's guardian, didn't'cha?"

"No." the pegasus drawled. "I was just letting him know who's cooler."

I kept my mouth shut as we pulled out of the hand/hoof shake. If Applejack hadn't wanted me to befriend the pegasus, I would have told her, for the sake of spiting, that the Dragons in every tribe also referred to me as their ruler, similar to Celestia's reign to her ponies, alongside the Elder Dragons on each tribe. Also, I wasn't really idle during the centuries before the present time. I went to places where it was best suited for the type of magic that I was mastering, and in some of those areas I've met with the locals who I shared some training with, giving me titles after mastering the magic we worked hard on side-by-side.

Oh, and before all that, there was a tribe that witnessed me eradicating some of those cannibalizing settlements outside of Equestria. I didn't know when it was founded, but after venturing outside again, I found some altars made in the likeness of my [Warrior]/[Myrmidon] form. There wasn't anything malicious about it or anything. There wasn't even any sacrificial tables anywhere near them. I left them alone, mostly, since I really didn't care at the time.

"Well, that is that." I said, walking over to the cart already full of apple produce and hooking it up to the long line of carts that were also filled with apples. "I'll just put these away and let you two play, or something." I quickly used my [Shadowwalk] skill to appear in front of the lined carts, using the heavy shade that the apple trees provided for me. To others it just looked like a teleportation spell, only without the flash.

I'll go help Mac after taking these away.

A few hours later, I found the two mares hanging out behind the barn, the place where we usually gather the reunions for the Apple family. Now though, it was pretty empty except for a few equipment that Applejack uses to practice her rodeo skills. Rainbow Dash was busy flying in the air and doing a few impressive tricks, while Applejack was by the white fence around the barn and looking at the performance with a smile.

The farm pony noticed my approach and started waving me over.

"Done fer today?" she asked. "Sorry fer not helpin' out more. RD was just a bit more pushy today."

"Yeah, don't worry about it." I answered, moving beside her and leaning back on the fence. "It's a good feeling to be back in the farm. I've been spending more of my time here than I do traveling. It's almost like I've already settled my home here, now."

Applejack's smile suddenly dwindled for a moment and became a bit more subdued. She lost interest in the next trick that Rainbow Dash performed and turned her head to me. "Ah'm sorry fer that, Uncle."

"Hey..." I knelt down to her level and wrapped an arm around her in a hug. "None of that, now. I chose to stay for a couple of years because I also felt something similar so long ago. I didn't want you, Big Mac or Lil' Smith to go through that alone, and the rest of the Apples couldn't always spare a helping hoof with the farm. You were all still hurting, and based from my own experience, it takes years to get over the death of loved ones, especially if it's for the first time." I whispered sympathetically. "Besides, if it helps any, I had nothing better to do than continue my Hermit ways."

Her depression immediately broke and she chuckled a bit before digging her elbow to my side. "Thanks, Uncle."

"Hey, what gives!" We both looked up and found Rainbow Dash giving us a look of frustration. "I was just about to do my newest trick!" the pegasus raged.

"Settle down, Rainbow." Applejack said, moving away from my arm to placate her friend. "We were just havin' a family moment. We're ready ta pay attention, so why don't'cha show this new trick of yers."

"I lost momentum." she grumbled, crossing her forelegs and turning away. "Now I don't feel like it."

"She's grumpy because no one was paying attention to her." I whispered to Applejack, prompting her to snort out a bit of laughter. A few foal-sitting memories began to overlap over Rainbow Dash's image, and I couldn't help but smile at the sudden thought.

"I heard that!" the pegasus snapped her hoof over my direction with glaring eyes. She zoomed her way towards me and, yet again, invaded my personal space. She sounded a bit eager as she spoke. "Alright, hot-stuff, how about a race, then. You've got wings, right?"

I pursed my lips as I gave her a dry look, stepping back to get some of my space back. "No." came my answer.

"Why? Afraid you'll lose?" the haughty pegasus taunted with a smirk. I remembered how she compared her wings to mine when we were in the Throne Room in Canterlot, and based on her personality she's probably eager to see how mine, given their size, would compare to hers when it came to speed.

"No. Because I already know I'm going to lose." I said without hesitation.

It took a few seconds for the mare to process what I told her, and when she finally did her only response was a short "Huh?".

"Um." Applejack spoke up. "Aren't'cha givin' up a little too early there, Uncle?"

I shook my head before making a gesture towards the mare in the air. "Unlike Rainbow Dash, or other flyers in Equestria in general actually, I don't use magic to help me fly." I explained. "It doesn't help me lift myself into the air or even negates my body-weight like what pegasi do. I use pure muscle and wingspan to fly, and can only go fast in short bursts before maintaining that speed."

"That shouldn't be a problem in racing." Rainbow Dash said after snapping herself from stupor.

"True." I agreed. "Other than not really being in the mood or even being a competitive type, there's still my issue on acceleration. Anything closer than Ponyville to Canterlot distance, I'm pretty sure I would lose."

"Huh?" her expression suddenly turned into confusion. "I really don't see the problem. We can just make it so that whoever reaches Canterlot and flies back here in the farm first wins."

The problem is I don't wanna.

"You can go from zero to mach one in ten seconds flat." I deadpanned, using her own favorite choice of words to stroke a bit of ego. "If I pushed myself hard enough I would only be able to get half of that in the same amount of time. And that's pushing it."

"Yeah. Well..." she conceded looking slightly flustered, but that didn't stop her from puffing up her chest at the compliment. "Not everyone can be as cool as me."

"And that's not accounting the Sonic Rainboom." I added. "I can never generate enough speed to achieve something similar, or even break mach 2 for that matter. Pegasi use magic with their flight, I don't. That's a big difference, and it gives you ponies the upper hand against me."

"Well, why don't you do the same too?" Applejack pointed out.

"I could," I conceded. "but my type of magic is just so different that it's impossible for me to recreate the way the pegasi ponies use their magic." I could probably just use my buffs to increase me physical aspects and become faster, but not by much. "So you can't really challenge me into something that you clearly have the advantage on. That just ain't fair."

"How about some other competition, then?" the Rainbow pegasus insisted.

"I can't even think of one where the odds are even." I said with a shake of my head. "In a test of strength, unless you can lift over five hundred pounds and hit twice as strong than that, then it wouldn't be fair; and that's without me transforming. Natural physiology grants me an advantage even when most of my dragon blood is dormant. Oh and you can't use your wings on ground based competitions, cause that would be cheating."

"Wish we had that rule a few months back." I heard Applejack grumble.

"So did I." I agreed looking at her with flat look. "But before that. How did you lose in the hoof-wrestling during that Iron Pony thing?"

Surprise came upon Applejack and Rainbow Dash's face, with the farm pony voicing her thoughts. "How'd ya know bout that?"

"I was in the Everfree, there was a commotion coming from town when there shouldn't have, and I was close by." I deadpanned before looking at her curiously. "How did you even lose that? You're an Earth Pony, for goodness sake. You should be the stronger mare in a test of strength." I looked at Rainbow Dash. "Or do you clop too much."

A heavy blush rose on the pegasi's face. "What!?" she squeaked.

"Don't answer that." I quickly added, but Applejack laughed at her friend's expense. But she stopped when I shot her a look. "A toned flank is nice and all--" I ignored her embarrassed blush. "but you should also work on you forelegs, AJ."

"Ah don't really see the point in doin' that." she admitted. "Ah use mah other set o' legs to buck apples."

"Well... I suppose." I conceded. Her body's already in great shape, but her hind legs were far superior than her forelegs by a large margin. I speak mostly on a combat perspective since I found it more comfortable to fight in a fully balanced musculature than an unbalanced one. Years of combat does that to you. Then I looked at Rainbow Dash. "I'd also like to say that most of my dislike to you came from cheating against my family during a friendly competition."

"CHEATING?!" the pegasus cried out, a clear look of offense on her face. "I didn't cheat!"

"You flew." I deadpanned. "You used your wings to lighten yourself during those push-ups, you used your wings to fly during the long jump, and blatantly used your wings to hold AJ over the mud-pit by flying. Your dumb friends didn't even call foul against that last one for some reason."

"There wasn't any rules about not using my wings!" she defended.

"There shouldn't have been because it was supposed to be common sense." I sighed in exasperation. "But then again, the common sense that I use is different than your kinds'." I've learned long ago that even though this world shared a lot of similarities to my own, even with horse puns scattered in the region, there are some things that are just so different from my world. "But still, it wasn't fair. You even went and rubbed it in when everyone was cheering on your win."

"Hey! I won that Iron Pony competition fair and square!" she insisted.

"By using your wings against a pony that doesn't have them." I retorted.

"Stop!" Applejack yelled, jumping in between us just before our tempers got the better of us. She went ahead and faced me with a rather fierce look on her face. "Can'tcha be nice ta her, Uncle? I know ya said that ya didn't like her, but starting fights just ain't gonna make things better. Besides, we already settled our differences back in the Falling of the Leaves."

"Good for you then, AJ." I grunted before backing away from the pegasus mare. It was good that Applejack already forgave her friend, but that didn't mean the same for me. "But I still don't like her. I'll be cordial if need be, I'll be polite if I have to, and so long as she stays away from me then I won't start a fight." I turned my back on them and started walking my way back to the barn. But before I got too far, I told them in a volume that I'm sure that they could be heard. "She's a bad influence to you, and I don't approve of her being a friend. Elements of Harmony be damned."

"Jerk!" I heard the pegasus.

"Let it go, Rainbow."

I snorted in mild contempt as I reach the barn and found the stack of hay that I used as my bed. As I made myself comfortable, my mind went back to the friends that Applejack found herself with.

The Element of Generosity, Rarity, was a mare that I could approve of. She works hard, and dedicates herself to her craft with an almost religious zeal.

The Element of Kindness, Fluttershy, was also someone I approve of. Even though she was probably a mare who had a traumatic experience growing up that resulted in her being the doormat that she was now, --poor child,-- her willingness to still reach out to others was a trait I found very much refreshing. I'm looking forward in befriending that one.

Then there's Laughter, Pinkie Pie. She's... entertaining, I suppose is a word I could describe her. But there are times where that girl would say hurtful things to others. No tact, I suppose. Either she doesn't realize it or she doesn't care, I cannot decide. Still, she can be tolerated, and her smiling disposition usually brightens the day for others.

The Element of Magic... Twilight Sparkle. She's... a girl with incredible magic potential, but her upbringing left her common sense with much to be desired. I'll have to watch her closely and make sure that she doesn't point that horn of hers on anyone of my family. For someone so wise, Celestia really messed up how that girl was supposed to grow up. Or was that all part of the plan?

Then there's Loyalty, Rainbow Dash...

I really don't like her. She's very lazy and irresponsible. She procrastinates and doesn't even warn the colts and fillies that watch her stunts that what she does was a result of training and years of practice. That little pegasus filly that Apple Bloom befriended really looks up to the Rainbow mare. It's good that she still hasn't learn how to fly or else she might have started practicing those tricks she saw without supervision.

My brows furrowed and my scowl deepened. Rainbow Dash really was a bad influence. If that girl even passes those traits to Applejack we will have words. Preferably in blood. Though whose blood is up to debate.

Till then, it's time to start Luna's lesson in dreamland. I wonder if I can traumatize the alicorn enough so that I can stop these lessons indefinitely, my history certainly has enough gore for it.

And so that night, I dreamed of blue ponies turning green with the air filled with the smell of vomit and salty tears.

Author's Note

Another Ryu image.

Lesson Zero: Friendship

It shouldn't be surprising that the very next day Celestia came over to the Sweet Apple Acres to confront me. By confront me, I mean, she shot down from the sky like a meteor and left a small crater on the ground when she landed. If she could have fired lasers from her eyes, I would have had holes in mine after the glare she gave me.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SISTER!"

The application of the Royal Canterlot Ear-buster sent the apples on every tree within the perimeter into the air just by the sheer volume of the Pony Princess. Luckily, I already had baskets ready at the bottom of each tree. Unfortunately, that did nothing to catch the apples that were blown away.

"And now I have to pick all those up." I sighed in irritation.

"Ah can't believe ya did that!"

I ignored Applejack's outburst as I was too busy scratching my sternum, the spot where Celestia fired off her magic beam on. I was surrounded by sun-butt's loyal Element bearers inside the Apple family's home. Granny Smith was in her rocking chair, knitting her time away. Big Mac was out in the fields again while Apple Bloom had to go to school. In front of me was still the glaring visage of the fat, white Pony Princess.

"What did I do, exactly?" I asked.

Applejack opened her mouth to scold me again, but blinked before looking to her princess. "What did he do, yer Highness?"

"Luna did not say." Celestia said, turning her head to Applejack. "But this morning after her first lessons with Ryu she told me that she was feeling ill and wishes to skip on today's duties, as well as the rest of the week."

"Good for her." I muttered, forcing everyone's attention back to me, with them giving me varying looks on their faces.

"Luna has never skipped on her duties ever since her return." Celestia said, returning her glare to me. "But after last night, she was suspiciously withdrawn after I tried to inquire about her studies."

Applejack groaned, rubbing her hoof on her temple. "Uncle, what did you do?"

"I gave her a lesson in history." I said, removing my hand from my chest as the itch from Celestia's venting finally vanished.

"Ah know ya did more then that." the Apple pony said, pointing her hoof at me. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Ah know yer kind of humor, Uncle. The family has YOU to blame fer most of our traumas."

"You have to admit, it built their characters." I defended. "It also kept you all straight and narrow."

"Don't change the subject." the pony deadpanned, causing me to raise my hands in surrender. "But on that note: Yer ta blame fer mah reaction to Zecora all those months back. Yer stories about suspicious characters stuck ta me when ah was a filly. Now, what did ya do to Princess Luna?"

"Like I said; I showed her history." I repeated before I started counting off with my fingers. "The Great Divide, The Diamond Dog Colosseum, The Kindling, No Harvest Season -"

"Those were one of the worst events ever recorded in history!" Twilight Sparkle exclaimed in shock.

"Well... yes." I admitted. "Those were the events where I was most active, and had first hand experience in."

"Aha!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "You were the reason for those, weren't you!"

I ignored her and easily shrugged off the pony's accusation. "The Great Divide was when the Griffon Kingdom was split between the Royalty and a Rebel faction. I was having trouble in looking for necessities and went looting between the two of them; The Diamond Dog Colosseum was when I was starting to starve because I neglected my food supply and focused on training. I fell in one of their holes and was forced to fight in order to get food. Years later after I escaped, your ponies found the place and shut it down; The Kindling was the most terrible forest fire in history. Thankfully it was outside Equestria, but unfortunately it destroyed a lot of livelihood and a few of my friends were victims; No Harvest Season was -"

"The worst famine that hit Equestria and its border countries four hundred years ago." Celestia finished.

"The cause was a gigantic swarm of Parasprites that some idiot created through alchemy." I said. The idiot wanted a familiar/lab rat that's easily acquired and easily replaced; thus its multiplying capabilities. "Equestria and the countries around it tried hard to eradicate the pests. Unfortunately, the damage was already done by the time the swarm was destroyed. The crops and food supplies were devoured and there was only a handful of edible stuff in all of the countries left. " My face darkened at the reminder of the event. I had no problem like that in Equestria since the ground was rich with gems, but the other inhabitants of the countries suffered so much in the aftermath.

I was outside of Equestria when it happened, not knowing that it wasn't only on my side of the continent that the crops were being eradicated. News didn't travel my way until later that day, when there was still plenty of stragglers that needed to be destroyed. Even with my AoE spells, it took me three days just helping out a single town. We found out the hard way that leaving even one alive was a bad idea.

I turned my attention back to the ponies present. "I just showed Luna the ones with the greatest impact on Equestria, and the reasons why there were many creatures allied with the country." I said. "The Great Divide was what made the Griffons turn to Equestria for help when their conflict cost them more than they anticipated." My looting went too far, apparently. "The Diamond Dog Colosseum was where different creatures learned to work together in harmony out of necessity. Even the Diamond Dogs, after being freed from their tyrannical, Mutant Alpha Dog became residents of Equestria and helped with mining the rich minerals of the land for trade in other countries." The Alpha somehow dug his way into Tartarus and got infected by its negative atmosphere. The tunnel he used was sealed up by Celestia personally so that the same event never happens again.

I saw from the side that Twilight Sparkle was very enthusiastically nodding her head at my history lesson. She looked very pleased and excited, given the giant grin plastered on her face.

"The Kindling was where the the ponies showed that they were a very important part of the world." I continued. "It showed just how important they are. The unicorns used their magic to replace the burnt trees; The Earth ponies helped the land regain its beauty; and the scheduled rain of the Pegasi was what finished the rehabilitation of the land. The other creatures saw that ponies didn't just help the cycle of night and day, but they also help keep the land in perfect, habitable conditions."

I stopped for a moment as I felt the egos of those in the room swell. However, there was one in the room that didn't feel the same.

I looked at Celestia as I saw how her stance became more tense as I prolonged my silence.

"Why don't you tell us the effects after No Harvest Season," I gestured at one of the ponies in the room. "Twilight Sparkle?"

"Gladly!" the girl exclaimed, her grin growing bigger as she eagerly stepped up to recite the information in her head. "After the swarm was contained-" It was actually destroyed, mostly, as the case was a swarm a few months back. The last of the Parasprites that attacked the town finally met its end in the Everfree when they met me. Hopefully I didn't miss one. "The inhabitants of the land, creatures from all the countries, turned to Princess Celestia for guidance. With her directions, she able to save so many lives and managed to ration the food supplies until agricultural productions were was restored. All manner of creatures banded together with the ponies and helped each other to survive. It was the only point in history where many forms of life mingled in harmony. From that day on, peace has reigned in all of the lands, and many have revered the Princess for her actions."

She recited it as if it came from a holy scripture, or something. After the unicorn finished, I looked at Celestia with a very deep frown. I've only had first hand accounts on everything I know, with a few information given to me by my friends whenever I came by to visit. What Twilight Sparkle just gave me was a very censored version of what I've seen and experienced.

The creatures that were affected turned to Celestia for help, that much was true, but that was because they had no one else to turn to who had to power to help them. Ponies have the magic to command nature itself, so it was no wonder that many turned to them for help. Many creatures were definitely not in harmony from what I've seen. A lot of them fought over on who would get what, and how much of what are better deserved for who. Thousands died from starvation; one of the cruelest ways to meet one's end. Many did not revere Celestia; most of them were terrified of her. She had their lives in her hooves. What better way to keep to her good side than kissing up to her fat flank?

"Was there a pony named Ambitious Dreamer mentioned along with that information, Twilight Sparkle?" I asked the girl. My eyes were still on Celestia when she answered.

"Oh yes!" she piped up excitedly. "A unicorn named Ambitious Dreamer created a spell to help crop production growth. He was one of the most notable figures who helped during No Harvest Season. Unfortunately he disappeared during the peak of his fame and nopony has ever seen him since."

"If I remember correctly," I hummed in thought, tapping my chin as I looked at the Princess in the room. "Wasn't he a student of yours, Celestia?"

Twilight Sparkle turned to her mentor with a starstruck awe reflected in her eyes. Celestia, however, didn't show pride at the accomplishment of her old student. Instead, she looked more sad and depressed at the mention of the old Unicorn's name.

"He was." Celestia said. Her anger towards me upon her arrival seemed to have dwindled away after I explained my intention of showing Luna history's darkest times. Why that was, I could not tell; I was no mind reader, I only base my assumptions through observation.

"Do you still have problems with my teaching methods to Luna, then?" I asked the over-sized mare. "I'd like to call it my 'Light at the End of the tunnel' approach."

"I still do not approve of this teaching method." Celestia stated with a stern look.

"Too bad for you, then." I said. "It's either this or no lessons at all. I have no other methods of teaching her and I've already seen how effective my style is on others."

Celestia straightened her sitting posture in a more regal poise. It didn't impress me any, but the others in the room seem to sit or stand straighter in response. "It was my decision to assign you as the instructor to teach Luna of modern society, as well as the history of the land." she declared. "Even if I have reservations on your methods of doing it, I still believe that you are the right individual to inform her of the crucial happenings since her return."

I nodded in response, satisfied. "Anything else?" I asked.

"None for now." she said. She turned to her student and slipped her motherly mask back in place, easing the tension that was once in the air when she called her. "Please keep an eye on him when you can, Twilight."

She should have asked Applejack for that; it would have been more convenient.

"You can count on me, Princess." the unicorn bowed.

With one final, gracious smile, Celestia lit up her horn and used her Teleportation spell to vanish from the room. Ignoring the chatter that started after the Princess's leave, I stood up from my seat and walked towards the door, pushing Applejack's hat down on her head playfully as I passed her.

I was very dissatisfied by the information that Twilight Sparkle shared to the others. There were many elements that were meant to mislead and others that were outright excluded. From the way Celestia looked, it was either her who had the information deliberately removed, or a pony who wanted to sugarcoat the tragedy that transpired. If it was Celestia, I could understand the act since it was her student, Ambitious Dreamer, who created the Parasprite in the first place.

But then again, I was the reason he disappeared after I learned of the fool's accomplishment.

Days later I found myself, surprisingly, in Fluttershy's home. I was helping her carry a few heavier bags of animal feed from her storage to one of the cabinets. I took care of cleaning the chicken coop while she kept the chickens busy. I even helped her with that devil rodent that she ironically named Angel.

Applejack forced me to make friends with the others after that time with the Rainbow pegasus. Though I would rather stay in the farm and help with the chores, I was rather curious about her other friends. Since this gave me a decent enough excuse to do just so, I took it.

The town still didn't know about me, but Apple Bloom was planning to introduce her close friends in a couple of days during one of their sleepovers. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, from what I've noted in my [Diary], got into a lot of trouble. Some of them dangerous, even. I... have a feeling that I'll be spending more time with them after I reveal myself to the ponies of Ponyville. I can't, in good conscience, just leave them unattended if what I've written wasn't an exaggeration of my recollection of the original show.

Opening the door back inside Fluttershy's home, a little white devil rodent dashed under me just between my feet towards the outside. Following the white blur, probably chasing the damned thing all over the house, was the kindhearted Fluttershy. She had a carrot in her mouth with a bit of its tip chewed off; Angel's, I assume.

Without even stopping my stride inside, I shifted out of the mare's way and made a grasping gesture with my hand towards the outside. There was a squeak of indignation that came from the devil rodent as he found himself suspended slightly off the ground. Fluttershy took this opportunity to catch up to the thrashing bunny and begin her soft scolding on the thing. Her method never really worked on that one.

The mare looked up from the bunny when she noticed that it wasn't listening to her. "Thank you, Ryu."

I nodded back in return before carrying on with my task. I released my telekinetic grip on the bunny before going to one of the closets and returning the bucket I used to carry the fish for the otters outside.

I was slightly surprised of my telekinetic abilities two hundred years after successfully switching myself with my [Aura] to the Princess Duo's petrifying friendship beam. I probably shouldn't have, but I forgot that in the original game the Buffs and Debuffs were considered to be Psionics; Psychic abilities that have positive or negative effects on the body. Not all of the skills in the game were considered as [Magic]. I always wondered how to launch [Mind Sword] without throwing it with my arm. I guess I found out how the original Ryu and his friends were able to propel their magic attacks on their targets.

Years of... well, more like Centuries worth of [Meditation] allowed me to hone my Psychic abilities enough to even perform a [Ragnarok]; pulling giant rocks from space or somewhere else was a very demanding task. Since I focused most of my time with Magic, I've effectively turned myself into an Spellcaster-type character. I can stay in my dragon form for a very long time, and am able to throw high-tier magic attacks as easily as Celestia can move her sun. I'm very proud of that fact. Concerning my physical capabilities, my dragon forms make up for that. They multiply my human form's capabilities by a great amount of percentage, even more than the original Ryu's, since the Genes have matured over the centuries and synchronized with my body perfectly.

Even though I usually place the [Force] gene as the base template of my transformations, it being neither my weakest or most powerful form, I can splice two different genes along with it to enhance its overall capabilities; my limit is three and I don't splice more because of fearing the type of abomination that I might become. I have seven gene templates that add different skills, elements and properties; six others that affect the outcome of the spliced genes; and four more that would overcome my [Force] gene and give me a complete dragon form instead of [Warrior]. I never used three of the four as the last one was the reason the Badlands were a wasteland.

Back then, during my first century of training, whenever I transform into [Warrior], my magic and psychic abilities were locked and unusable; my dragon genes making it difficult to split the Mana that was being used to activate the transformation and use the skills. It took a very long time to get around that handicap, and even now, unless the spell is elementally aligned with my dragon form, most of my offensive magic were locked. Fortunately, I managed to adapt my Psychic skills with my transformation since it also had a minor affinity for it.

Looking back to the open door, I saw Fluttershy carrying the grumpy rodent back inside to resume his meal. This kind of reminded me of how the pegasus reacted when I was first sent to her to be friends with. Sure it was awkward at first since the girl was so shy and I pretty much relished the silence, but the little rodent made the first move to break the ice by jumping off her arms to kick me in the shin. It didn't hurt, but with Fluttershy's torrent of apologies and my reassurances, the little white devil was actually the reason why we eased up around each other. I still didn't like the thing, but that doesn't mean that I don't have some respect towards him for that favor.

It makes me wonder if Angel was just being a pain to Fluttershy to make her more assertive. If so then I may be in the presence of this century's most diabolical entity in all of Equestria.

"Thank you again for coming by to help, Ryu." the shy mare said as she set the bunny down on the couch. "You were very helpful, and the animals all seem to like you well."

"It's not a problem." I said. "I kind of have a bit of appreciation to the little critters. They don't attack like other predators, and they're good company when you have no one else to talk to."

"Oh yes." the mare nodded happily. "They make great conversations."

I gave her a wry smirk as I kept silent about my inability to communicate to the animals like she could. Even though I get what they were trying to say thanks to a few body gestures, I still didn't speak animal. "Of course they do." I said.

"Are you also going with us on the picnic later on?" she asked, taking out a broom from the closet and started sweeping from the corner of the room.

"Applejack said I should." I said, poking a finger inside one of the birdhouses near the ceiling; the one whose feed was left untouched. I gently prodded the inside to wake up its resident, pulling it out soon after I felt something pecking my wiggling finger. "I don't mind you being there, Fluttershy, but I'm still not sure about the others."

I felt something land on my shoulder and saw Fluttershy's hoof resting there. She was giving me one of those motherly smiles that I saw her give to her other animal friends. "It will be fine." she assured me.

My eyes caught hers for a split second before I shifted them away out of habit. Another reason why the girl easily relaxed around me was because of my reluctance to make eye contact unless I wanted something important or wanted their attention. Making eye contact seems to put pressure on the girl, and my reluctance to do so allowed her to approach me easier than she could others. I think she caught on to my dislike for social interaction and brought it upon herself to help me with that.

My lips quirked up a bit in distaste. "I don't know." I said.

"I promise to scold Pinkie for smothering you." she said in confidence.

I snorted in amusement at that. "Of course you will, my shy little mare." I said, patting her on the head. Then my hand slowed before coming to a stop on her hair, raising an inquisitive brow towards the open door. "Uh..."

"Something wrong?" she asked, lifting my hand off to look at my face.

"Is this an attack, or is that a friend of yours?" I asked, turning the hovering pony around to look at the grizzly bear that was out the open door.

"Oh dear!" Fluttershy exclaimed in alarm before flying over the bear. The animal was growling-... no, wait. I think it was groaning.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked, walking over to the two of them. Fluttershy was patting the slouched bear on the shoulder while it had a look of utter misery on its face.

"Harry has a bad back." Fluttershy said. "He came here for help."

"[Bad Back]?" I asked, uncertain. There was actually a skill in my [Diary] with that name. Stupidly enough, I used that skill to skip one of the reunions with my friends during his family's get-together. Dumber, even, is that it worked. "Do you need assistance?"

"Oh no, it's fine." she assured with a smile before turning back to the bear. "Come now, Harry, let's move to the backyard. We'll have more room to fix you there."

I followed the two out, shutting the door behind me, looking at how the mare escorted the bear around the house. "I'm done with the chores, Fluttershy." I told her just as we were about to part ways. "I'm going back to the farm to get Applejack for the picnic."

"Okay, Ryu, take care." she said.

Walking away from the house, I was just about to dive into the deep shade of one of the trees when something tackled me from the side. I gave a grunt of annoyance as I kept myself from toppling over. I already saw her coming, that's why I walked away from the house. I thought she was looking for Fluttershy, but apparently I was wrong.

"Hello Ryu! I didn't see you there!"

I'm sure it was hard to miss the single human in a fifty foot wide clearing, and that pouncing on them was considered to be a normal, unintended bump. "Hello, Twilight Sparkle." I greeted the mare miserably. "Can I help you?"

"No, but I can help you!" she cheered happily. She didn't seem to have brushed her mane this morning, I noticed. There were a few loose strands sticking out of her normally flat hairstyle.

A wave of déjà vu washed over me, but I shook it off. "I don't need any assistance at the moment." I told the girl. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to head back to the farm."

"But you still need help in making friends." the girl insisted. "You still haven't accepted Pinkie's party yet, or Rarity's offer to make you clothes, and you're still fighting with Rainbow Dash."

I leaned away from the mare as she came closer and closer the more she talked. I found the spark that she had in her eyes to be more unsettling than usual. What's gotten into her? "I'll work on that eventually." I said.

Wrapping the mare in my own, invisible, telekinetic grip, I turned her around before allowing the shadows of the tree to consume me. I heard her exclamations on the other side of the shadow dimension, but ignored them and quickly swam in the colorless world towards the shadows of the Sweet Apple Acres. I kept my eyes straight, with the other world inside my peripherals, ignoring the maddening void that was beneath me, the vast darkness like the deep abyss within the ocean's floor.

I never dared to venture deeper than the surface of the shadow realm. My sanity was already thin enough; no need to break that fragile thread because of stupid curiosity.

A little while later, Applejack and her friends all gathered in a flowery meadow just outside of Ponyville. Applejack dragged me, figuratively speaking, to the picnic. As per usual, given my dislike for social gatherings, especially gatherings with a few individuals that I dislike or can't get along with, I tried feebly to excuse myself from the event. My little farm pony, however, was having none of it. Even though I wanted to start on the new barn that she wanted, she was still insistent on me getting along with her friends.

Fluttershy was the first to reach the designated area as her house was closest to the spot. Applejack and I came in next, with Rarity and Rainbow Dash following. Pinkie Pie was just over the hill, bouncing her way towards us.

Untying my [Inventory] pouch from my belt, I dipped my arm inside and pulled out the picnic cloth that Applejack gave to me. Setting it down on the grass, I started pulling out the other things that Applejack had me take for the picnic.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Rarity eyeing my pouch with a bit of wonder. "That certainly is a convenient thing to have, dear." she said, gently setting down the basket she brought with her telekinetic grip.

"Ah'll say." Applejack agreed. "It made deliverin' supplies to Appaloosa a cake walk."

"Speaking of," I said. "How were they when you visited them, AJ? Last I heard they were having problems with the natives."

"Already taken care of." she said. "Braeburn and the other Apples are having the Buffalo stampede in a path they made in the middle of the orchards. Their thunderin' hooves help shake off the apples near the path."

"Huh." I grunted in response. "I guess that's one place of the family I won't have to worry for a while."

"Still." Rarity spoke up. "Wherever did you find that wonderful artifact." she asked, pointing her hoof at my pouch.

I opened my mouth to say something without answering the mare, but Applejack beat me to it with a quick, "He made it."

I gave the orange pony a chiding look. That was something that I didn't want others finding out. The only ones who knew about my pouch were close friends and families. "Applejack, you really need to start learning how to omit some truth in the things you say."

While Applejack gave no response to my remark, Rarity held her hoof by her mouth in surprise. "Oh my. If Twilight hears about that then the girl will never leave you alone."

"More than she already does!" Rainbow Dash commented with a guffaw.

After that day when Celestia asked Twilight to keep an eye on me, she was usually over the farm every day. The mare was asking a lot of questions pertaining Equestrian history, forcing me to recall things that I really wished to stay buried in my subconscious.. My answers were quick and straight to the point, but there were some things that I couldn't answer because I wasn't there during the event. Even though I wanted to chuck the mare back to Ponyville from where I stood in the farm after the second day, Applejack got the idea of spending my time with her friends from Twilight Sparkle.

The good news was that the purple mare's time with me were shortened. The bad news for me was that I had to interact with the rest of Applejack's friends instead, even Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy was the easiest to befriend, with Miss Rarity close to second because of her good manners; Pinkie Pie was a little too overbearing, just as I predicted; Twilight Sparkle treated me like a lab specimen; and I still haven't made friends with Rainbow Dash.

I rolled my eyes as they playfully laughed at me expense. "Maybe." I said. "It'll be even worse if she finds out that it was originally based on the notes that Starswirl gave to me."

At that, they completely went silent. All eyes were on me, with Applejack even looking surprised.

"You know Starswirl the Bearded, Uncle?" Applejack asked.

"I lived a very, very long time. I got the notes from him personally." I answered. Since they already knew about the pouch, I might as well blow their minds with another fact. "He was a great guy. A little eccentric, but still great."

A stray breeze blew by. I watched as how a little butterfly got swept along as more silence descended in the clearing. I went ahead and finished up on the picnic items on the cloth before sitting down in the shade of the closest tree. It took that long for someone to finally regain voice function.

"Ah don't think Twilight should know about this." Applejack spoke up. "Who knows what she'll do."

"Agreed." the other affirmed. I did not like the look Rainbow Dash's face.

They answered just in time to see Pinkie finally reaching our spot. "Hi girls!" she greeted before looking over to me. "Hi, Ryu!"

Everyone gave their own greetings before going back to their business. Applejack went ahead and started talking to Fluttershy, asking about her day with me. Rainbow Dash pulled out some sunscreen and a pair of shades, making me question in my head why ponies do that when they don't even tan. Pinkie Pie seemed to have brought balloons for the picnic, then watched as the inflated rubbers floated her basket to the sky. She looked like she was having fun as she watched it go.

My attention was mostly in the snow-colored mare with the stylishly curled mane. She was frantically digging inside the basket that she brought, panicking about something that she forgot, before declaring that, "It was the Worst. Possible. Thing!"

I had to blink a few times in confusion when she telekinetically pulled out a fainting couch from a nearby bush.

Ignoring the following conversation, I eased under the shade and closed my eyes for a quick nap. But I wasn't even able to let my mind drift off when I started hearing one of the girls yelling. Something about 'Tardy'. Another memory started to scrape the corners of my mind, but for some reason I can't get a good read of it.

Just then, I felt a weight settle on my belly, making me grunt in surprise. Looking up, I came face-to-face with a disheveled and manic looking Twilight Sparkle. The crazed look in her eyes almost made me hit her face out of reflex.

"Ryu!" she greeted to my face. "You're a problematic individual, there must be something I can do to help you!"

I resent that statement. But I kept my silence since that wasn't a wrong way to describe the kind of person I am.

I placed a finger on the mare's snout to keep her there while I leaned away what I could from her. Picking her up and setting her down beside me, I dipped my hand inside my pouch and pulled out a brush. The paternal instincts pounded into me during my days in taking care of the kids while they were young started to act up as I saw her state.

"What's wrong?" I asked kindly as I raised her chin up to face me before I started brushing her hair in place. "You look like someone who's on the brink of a mental breakdown."

"I haven't written a letter for Princess Celestia this week." she told me, keeping her head tilted up as I brushed her fringes. "If I don't send one in time, I'll be tardy! What do I do?! I've never been tardy in all my life! This has never happened to me before!"

I hummed and nodded in response, shifting her to the side so that I could to brush the hair on her nape. "And this is important, because?" I asked.

"You don't understand!" she said, throwing her hooves up in the air. "Princess Celestia sent me here to learn about friendship, and gave me the task of writing what I've learned every week! If I don't send it on time, she'll think that I don't take my lessons seriously and send me back!"

"Send you back, you say?" I asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed.

"Do you mean to tell me that she expects problems with your friendship with the others here? And that if you somehow don't find a way to overcome it she'll take you away from your friends? Has Celestia really turned so cruel?" I asked evenly before levitating the brush to start with her tail.

"What? No!" she said, turning her head sharply to me. "That's not it!"

"Then tell me." I said, reaching up to her head and started to give her a few soothing brushes with my hand.

"She- She-... The Princess just wants to know if I'm taking my lessons seriously!" she repeated when nothing seems to come in her mind to say. I saw that my treatment was slowly showing its effect. "She wants to make sure that I haven't been slacking off."

"And how many times have you slacked off in your studies, Twilight Sparkle." I asked slowly.

"Never!" she looked at me, aghast. "I always take my studies seriously!"

"And Celestia knows this?" I asked.

"Of Course!"

"Then why do you make Celestia seem so cruel and unforgiving?" I asked her solemnly. "Has she done anything before to make you doubt her?"

"No! Of course not!" the girl exclaimed, jumping to her hooves in her Princess's defense. "The Princess has done nothing to make me doubt her!"

"I see." I muttered as I prolonged eye-contact. I leaned back on the tree where I failed to take a nap under, and stretched the silence further by retracting any further questions.

I noted, with some irritation, that my interaction with Twilight Sparkle seems to have become the highlight of the picnic. The other girls were giving their focused attention on us and seemed to have neglected the picnic altogether.

Looking back to the purple unicorn, I saw that her stern face never changed. The brush had already finished its job and I made it return to me, where I dropped it back into my pouch. Her earlier signs of anxiety were absent now that I've focused the girl's ire on me instead.

"Have you calmed down?" I asked.

She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated for a moment. She made a thoughtful expression before looking back to me, nodding her head with a bit of uncertainty. "I-... yes. I think I have."

"Good. Now," I began, gesturing for her to take a seat. "Let's talk about this again, only this time without the near catatonic state."

"Sorry." she apologized before taking taking a seat on the grass in front of me.

"You need to send a letter to Celestia." I repeated her earlier statement. "But you haven't encountered any friendship problems this week, thus your lack of report."

"That's right." she nodded.

I can already see what at least counted as a 'Friendship Problem' right in front of me. I tapped my temple in thought, looking at her curiously. "Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, do you really expect problems to come to your friendship every week?" I asked.

"Well, yes," she answered. "Given that I've managed to keep my letters by schedule until today. "

Right. I almost forgot that she valued her studies more than she did social interactions, thus not knowing that what she said was a bit abnormal. The mare was very dedicated, and made it her duty to be the very best student to what she sees as the very best teacher: Celestia. It was a privilage that was only given to a few handful of ponies who had great potential. Though, all of them were unicorns given that, I suspect, Celestia was secretly racist.

But that's just me and my pettiness.

"Sparkle." I began to explain. "Friendship isn't something that one can write a problem about every week. I won't deny that during the beginnings of it there will be many complications and maybe a few misunderstandings. But after some time you learn and pass hurdles to become closer to your friends. That entails lesser complications and fewer misunderstandings. Meaning that fewer problems mean better friendship while more problems mean more effort must be put in to strengthen that friendship."

"You mean like you and Rainbow Dash?" she asked with a thoughtful look on her face.

I had to resist the urge to bite off my tongue, but nodded nonetheless. "Yes." I nodded, barely managing to hold a hiss. "Some friendships start that way. But the more they interact, either good or bad, they bond like that. An example would be rivals. Though they compete against each other, there is no malicious intent but only friendly competition. That's how they bond."

"Like Applejack and Rainbow Dash." she nodded in a bit of understanding.

"Yes. Like them." I nodded. "There are many aspects of friendships that you don't know, Twilight Sparkle. You've only seen a few of them." A few that began from the brighter side of first impressions. "You should be proud that you don't have to send a letter to Celestia. It just means that you're making great progress in you friendship." I waved my hand over to where the other girls were. Twilight Sparkle followed the gesture and saw that her friends were smiling at her. "The more you spend time with them the closer you all will be. And before you know it, you'll have a bond that nothing in this world will be able to break."

The mare smiled softly as she looked at the others. "Like you and Applejack."

I nodded. "Like me and my surrogate family." I frowned when I heard the telltale sign of flapping wings. I looked up to the sky to see a white blot coming in to the clearing. I saw a few flashes of gold and the flowing hair and knew exactly who the incoming pony was. I clicked my tongue in irritation before going back to address the purple pony. "There are also those who you call bad friends; friends that you don't like but have no choice but endure their presence."

Everypony also started to hear the beat of the wings and looked up to see who it was. Twilight Sparkle gave an audible gulp, her ear laying flat on her head. "Like you and the Princess?"

I nodded my head. "Like me and her." At least the girl is learning. I wonder how Celestia will react if I start corrupting her student. Luna certainly made entertaining reactions during our dream lessons.

Author's Note

I really don't like this chapter very much, but I kind of need it to build Ryu's character. It's pretty forced, I admit, but nothing else seems to come to mind. Everything that I've thought of before just ended up turning him into a Gary Stu. :facehoof:

Anyway. I think that you all noticed that I started placing Dragon Tears as my line breaks. If you don't know what they are, they were used in Breath of Fire 2 (I think) as a way on how someone feels about your character. Here though, I use it to show how Ryu feels about others. Here's what they mean.

= Murderous Intent (Violet)

= Hate (Magenta)

= Dislike (Orange)

= Neutral (Yellow)

= Fondness (Green)

=Loyalty (Blue)

= Absolute Devotion (Rainbow)

Edit: A little Extra.

The Calling and my urge to shoot the Caller

Dreams. They're a curious thing here in Equestria. Back in my own world they were nothing but thoughts, images, sensations, and mostly old memories that were mixed together to create a sort of artificial world in the mind while the body slumbers. That's not to say that it's different here in Equestria. The difference between here and back there was that dreams in a magical land are far more vivid than in a place that's not, and sometimes nightmares are sentient.

"We art confused." muttered the alicorn pony as she watched reenactment of the Minotaur Tribe coming to Equestria decades after No Harvest Season. A small group of Minotaurs were making their way through the dirt roads heading for the mountain of Canterlot. "Why would a tribe of Nomads come and settle in an unclaimed land close to Equestria after many generations of wandering?"

At the moment, I was showing the princess a first hand experience of how the tribe entered the lands and on their way to present their proposition to Celestia. I leaned back into my wooden chair as I played the images that were dug from old memories left forgotten. Since Dreams were greatly connected to a creature's subconscious, its easy enough to pull out memories that you could barely recall while awake.

Luna, at first when she arrived all those weeks ago, was surprised to find out that I could mold my dreams into anything I wanted. That was hardly an impressive feat to creatures who have lived for so long. The Elder Dragons who were more in-tuned with their nature have been doing this practice during their hibernations, to keep their slumber pleasant and peaceful. It was also a good defense against nightmares. Luna, as far as I know, was the only creature who could invade the dreams of others.

"The routes that the Minotaurs used were affected by the Swarm." I told the mare, as I closed my eyes and drifted into a meditative state to pull out more memories from my past. "Food supply would run out if they continued with tradition and they would all starve themselves to death. It wasn't an easy decision, but they had no choice. It would take years until their travel routes would bear the sufficient amount of food for the whole tribe. In the end, though, only few of the Minotaurs returned to their Nomadic ways as most of them became content on settling down and raising their little ones in a stable home."

The princess rubbed her chin in thought as I changed the landscape and fast forwarded into the completion of the Minotaur home a few years later. "We-... I see." she muttered, her speech pattern momentarily slipping before correcting herself. "Over time, the living creatures of the land are forced to relinquish old traditions to make way for better and easier lifestyle."

"We all adapt and progress along with time." I commented. "Falling behind will only lead to future complications and social misunderstandings."

"Like the Chimeras?" she inquired dryly.

"Like the Chimeras." I agreed. "Secluded tribes and clans continue with traditions of old, unaware of the changes, thus whenever they meet creatures from the outside of their homes, it would almost always lead into conflict. Then there would be groups who would be called in order to rid the place of the 'Savages' that lurk in the area."

The alicorn stood up from where she had been lying on the ground and began to stretch. "It would seem that no matter how things change-"

"-they always stay the same." I finished, opening my eyes to look at the surroundings and noticing the horizon farther away were beginning to fade into white. "Barbaric tendencies are now spoken out in a different, and more polite manner, than they were back a thousand years ago; though they still call killing the old tribes as a 'Just' cause for the sake of the citizens." I stood up from my seat and looked at the mare. "It seems that's all we have for today, Luna. My body is waking, and I have to start my morning chores in a few minutes."

I waited for a few moments for Luna to step out of my dream, like she did whenever my body's starting to wake up, but for some reason she was staying longer. Me waking up wouldn't really do anything to Luna other than getting something equal to a boot to the rump and getting kicked out of my mind, but it was still odd that she's staying longer than normal.

"Something the matter?" I asked the pony, consciously stopping my real body from waking up by locking myself in a meditative state through my [Meditation] skill. The remaining surroundings became blurry, as well as Luna, but that was it. I was between conscious and unconscious.

"Our-- My sister told me of an event in a few coming nights." she said with a pondering expression. "She has suggested that I try and participate this year to... accommodate myself with my subjects."

I blinked at her for a moment before a big red book appeared in front of me and hovered in place. I ignored her look of confusion and settled my attention on the book as its pages flipped towards a certain page. It was all simple theatrics, really, since the pages of the book was mostly blank. Everything I write inside would simply vanish after closing it, but they would be [Saved] inside by its magical properties. It's how I never ran out of pages to write in even after so many centuries of writing down the events of my life.

"You speak of Nightmare Night, yes?" I asked, snapping the book shut and banishing it back to where it usually resided near my source of magic.

She nodded her head while sitting up straight with a proud smile. "To have a night especially dedicated to us is a most joyous occasion." I gave her a look on her slip back to her old speech patterns. "I mean: Dedicated to me?"

"So long as the sentences coming out of your mouth can still be understood, I suppose you're still free to use the 'Royal We'." I conceded. Besides, it would make her more royal- ish to those who hear it. "Is that all you wanted to say, Luna? Because, truthfully, I don't see why you want to tell me that."

Now she looked a bit more hesitant before saying, "We actually wish to consult thine counsel."

"Please don't use thy, thine, or thou. We don't use that anymore." I said as I raised a brow in interest. "But other than that; what's this about wanting my advice?"

"About this Nightmare Night." she said trying to look as confident about the subject, but the fidgeting of her shoulders were giving her away. "We wish to know thy- your thoughts of it."

"You do realize that I still dislike you and your sister yes?" I asked with a raised brow.

"We realize this after you did not stop playing the Griffon War to us." she deadpanned. All those death and gore were such a delightful way to pass our time. Luna even went so far as to cry her eyes out at the carnage, along with what was in her spiritual stomach. She was simply touched by their passion.

"Then why ask?"

"You merely dislike us." she said, giving an even look. "But like our sister, we sense nothing else behind that dislike. There is no intensity of hate; just apathy. But given the chance, we know that you will find amusement in our misery; you don't seek to bring us pain, merely wait until something else does."

"Hmm..." I tilted my head and pondered her words. She wasn't wrong, but she wasn't right, either. Oh, there was still hate in me. A great amount of it. But holding a grudge for over a millenia without doing anything to rekindle it will leave the flames to die. Like a blade, anger tends to dull when not properly tended. After a while, I realized how pointless it was to hold grudges, but I simply could not let it go. Until the time I get some form of revenge, I leave it buried somewhere in the back of my mind.

Now though, after so long, it's still there; only not as intense. Just like Luna said, I won't seek to torment the sister siblings, but I won't hesitate to announce my amusement during their times of woe.

"I see no benefit in this." I told her. "I can only see myself laughing at you at the end."

The mare slumped and her expression sagged after the words left my mouth.

Like she said, I wait for opportunities. And this was one of them.

With a mental nudge, I canceled my [Meditation] and kicked the alicorn out of my mind by opening my eyes in the real world. I smirked to myself as I imagined the mare screaming her lungs out as she sailed all the way back to her body, but dropped that bit of amusement when I noticed that something wasn't right in the barn that I slept in.

The door was opened slightly. But Applejack and Big Mac should still be in the main house either getting ready for the morning or making breakfast. I certainly don't remember leaving it open last night before going to sleep.

"See, girls. He's awake!"

With that, mystery solved.

I looked down from the mound of hay that I used as a bed and saw something that triggered a memory in my head.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders."

Apple Bloom beamed my way but the other two fillies with her just stared.

I was running- Well not really, actually it was just a bit of jogging. Not usually my choice of travel, but I needed to keep my senses open for my targets: Three very energetic and adventurous targets.

Prey and Predator. That's what I mentally called the game in my head. One group would chase, and the other would flee. And I, the dragon, the meat eater, the creature whose teeth could cut through diamonds, was fleeing for my sanity, away from the three devilishly adorable predators.

"Get 'im!"

And that was my queue to look up to the trees and grab one of its branches. I grunted a bit to pull up my legs as high as I could, just in time for a filly riding a scooter to pass by, hauling a cart with two other fillies were riding.

I chuckled when I heard three sets of frustrated whines from where the girls went. I let go of the branch and dropped softly on my feet.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders. Three little ponies on a crusade to find their Cutie Marks, the little stamp on their rumps that points out what their special talents are, or is. They're more like slave marks in my eyes, though.

Cutie Marks are the closest things to a religion in Equestria. Once you find out what you're destined to do, then you devote yourself to that particular talent for the rest of your life. It's not really a bad thing, I suppose, since most of the ponies enjoy what they do. Only a handful out of the populace dislike their talents.

Like if a pony gets a talent for killing or making the lives of others miserable.

Yeah. There are Cutie Marks out there that aren't all sunshine and rainbows. None of them asked for it, but they were just so good at one particular bad thing that they got a magical tattoo for such an achievement. Most that got these type of Cutie Marks despise it, but there are also those who make use of such talents.

Cutie Marks also have a pretty abstract concept. If they don't portray the pony's talent through the picture on their flanks, then they do it through the characteristic associated to the picture. Take Miss Rarity, for example. She has three diamonds as her Cutie Mark, but she's a tailor, not a jeweler. Her talent lies in finding jewels from the ground (an invaluable talent to dragons like me). But that's not all, one characteristic associated with diamonds are their glamour, how they attract the eyes of others to appreciate their beauty. Miss Rarity portrays this through her work, and the designs that she creates.

There are also those whose Cutie Marks confuse you and makes absolutely no sense at all. Take Fluttershy for an example. She has three pink butterflies as a Cutie Mark, but she's an animal caretaker, not an entomologist. It could be that its being associated with her delicate personality. But that wouldn't make sense. That was not a talent. One of the characteristics of a butterfly is being visually pleasing. So is Fluttershy's talent being just to look pretty?

I gave up on figuring it out a long time ago, it just gives me a headache whenever I ponder about it. I might be missing some information, but then again, my vocabulary was never that broad to begin with.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders: Dragon Hunters! Yay!"

And the chase was on again.

I passed by Applejack as I made my jog through the orchard, grabbing one of the falling apples that she just bucked down. She gave me an indignant "Hey!", but I just waved back.

I swerved left and right, dodging the lined rows of apple trees, but not fast enough to lose the three pursuing fillies while taking little bites from the apple I pilfered. The chase came to a stop once I made it to one part of the farm, a place where a little house was built one the tree's branches. I squeezed myself inside the little pony sized door and allowed myself to be cornered.

I heard the fillies just outside, giving out excited mutterings. While they were stalking the ramp towards the entrance, I busied myself by observing my surroundings.

The inside was pretty bare, but for a tree house that was supposed to be a decade old, it looked pretty good. Last time I saw this place it was an asymmetrical wreck; the boards weren't measured properly, the windows didn't fit in right, the wood used to build it was poor, and I don't know what I was thinking when I gave it to Applejack. This place was where I should have been sleeping in whenever I visit the Apple family, but because of my lack of talent with the nail and hammer, it didn't turn out well for someone of my size.

There was a little podium in the back of the room, scattered pieces of paper were on the floor, there was also a circle by the window in one side of the room, lamp hung right over the circle, and the last thing in the room was that little table. It was short enough that it looked like it was meant for ponies the size of a young filly or colt.

I heard the fillies just outside the door.

"Shh." I heard Apple Bloom. "He's in there."

I heard the wooden boards creak at the collective weight of the three. I chuckled at the rather loud whispering that they made as they planned for my capture.

Children. How I love them.

After spending most of my new dragon life striving for control of my powers and learning my limits, to watching the flow of time pass by and witness that the land of rainbows and fantasy were not without darkness, the little bundles of trouble were the only things worth looking out for once I had nothing left to do after mastering my magic.

I chuckled to myself as a plan popped inside my head. Wisps of magic started to rise from my body as I slowly sank into my shadow. In the place where I stood was another me, my [Aura] spell... skill? Whatever. I made my replica sit in the middle of the room, with his legs crossed and his back towards the door, never severing my magical connection to it. I would have been unnerved of the soulless gaze that it pointed towards the wall if I already wasn't used to it. The absent pupils were something I never knew how to fix, so I made it close its eyes instead.

"Get ready, girls"

Just outside the door, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo huddled together, with a large hoof-made net clenched between their teeth.

How unsanitary.

But I've learned long ago that pony immune systems were a lot better than humans.

I watched in amusement from the darkest corner of the room as the fillies approached my duplicate slowly. I made the clone creak its neck to the side, similar to how someone would stretch that certain body part. The girls froze in mid-stride, all at once, it was like pausing a video. When the clone straightened its neck again the girls made their move moved.

"Yeah!"

With a synchronized battle cry, the girls threw their net on the clone and began to pile on it.

The compressed [Aura] skill was definitely one of my favorite skills to use, along with [Shadowwalk] and [Mind Sword].

[Shadowwalk] was a skill best used for quick escapes or ambush attacks. Your enemy will never know what hit them until you jump out of their own shadow; a 90% guaranteed successful assassination blow.

With [Mind Sword] I could create constructs similar to [Aura], but as inanimate objects instead. Sure, I'm limited to items that I could only hold in my hands like medieval weapons and other small items that only requires a cylinder shape (like my fishing pole) and a flat edge, but the effect granted by each clean hits make up for it. [Mind Sword] is not only magic, but also psychic. Each hit has a second psionic blow behind it. Every pain it inflicts, every contact it makes to send a signal to the brain adds a bit of migraine to the victim. The closer the hit was to the head, the stronger the migraine. This was thanks to my other skill, [Mind Flay], that I cast every hit.

[Aura] may not have the same effect as [Mind Sword] or the swiftness of [Shadowwalk], but it makes up with its jaw-dropping concussive force and Holy property. I've also found other ways in making use of its likeness to myself. It's my partner, my tag team, my human-sized atomic bomb, but most of all, it's my double.

It may not sound impressive, but it's very deadly if used properly. I used the skill from a character in my gaming days and ripped off his signature move. I've already displayed it back when Celestia and Luna tried to use the Elements of Harmony on me.

[Decepti0n]

A skill where I leave behind a clone, and force everyone's attention on that instead of my real self. Like a snake shedding its skin. I do something similar in a split second and drop into my shadow. From there, I keep my connection to my [Aura] and keep it from dissipating. As soon as it takes a blow, I'd then detonate my clone and devastate everything in the vicinity while I would be hidden and safe within the shadows to either flee or finish off my foes.

And like Zer0, the guy who I ripped the move from, I also liked to make haiku when I felt like it.

With skills of a snake/ I will hide and stay hidden/ My strike will come swift.

But, alas, it's not perfect, I'm afraid. There are glaring differences between my [Aura] and me. It's eyes, for instance, has no pupils. A dead giveaway that it's not me. Then there's also its weight. It's only a concentrated magical construct, thus it's barely even a fourth of my overall weight. If I gave Applejack permission, she'd probably be able to buck my [Aura] from the farm to halfway in the path to Ponyville.

So, with that fact said, it's no wonder that when the Cutie Mark Crusaders piled on my clone, they had no problems in flattening it to the floor.

"We did it!"

Scootaloo cheered, with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom following her lead. They stood over my unresponsive clone and danced around it in circles. I was laughing in the shadows over what they've done, and the way that they're celebrating.

I loved children. No matter how much I hate them during my teenage years, I really, really love children now. They are a bundle of trouble, with equal amounts of fun and amusement. They give you joy with their smiling faces, and make you cringe in awe at the most random things. It almost makes me want to--

I shook my head and quickly killed that line of thought.

I looked out into the other world, outside the blurry darkness of the shadows. The girls were laughing, cheering and enjoying themselves. I made my clone sit up, its eyes closed so that it wouldn't scare them. It smiled at them, a kind and perfectly molded one, the best I've ever made my clone express.

It smiled and ruffled their manes through the net. Each girl gave a squee of delight when it reached out for them.

I should really give up one that dream. Being the only one of my kind here, I'll never have a chance to make my own family.

As my [Aura] was about to poke and tickle the little fillies again, something came in through the window. A dark purple-ish smoke slipped through, gaining the attention of the girls. It swam through the air, hissing like a snake every time it moved. It went to the corner of the room, right in front of the shadow where I was hiding in. It stopped in the air and abruptly crashed into the floor.

The girls screamed when the mist exploded into a purple blaze, scorching the scattered pieces of paper that had pictures of children drawing on them. The girls hid behind my clone as the fires expanded outwards. The clone didn't move from where it knelt, eyes still closed in the spot where the Crusaders were on before.

The fires scorched the air, but the ground they touched never even singed. It stopped after a certain distance was reached. Three feet in diameter. Then the words came.

After the little show of flames, the ring that it made quickly closed and imploded. There was a pop and sizzle soon after, and in the circle of fire before, there was a message branded on the wooden floor.

"THE TIME IS NIGH"

Drama. You is big fat lizard with flamethrower installed in throat.

The Crusaders popped their heads out from behind the clone, looking startled from the light show. When they deemed that the message wasn't going bite them, they slowly made their way over to read what was written. They gave each other questioning glances before looking back to the floor and tried to figure out what the message meant and for who.

I, on the other hand, was looking at the message in the shadow, my mouth quirked down a bit in irritation. That was dragon fire. Not like my destructive dragon fire, but a fire from a dragon here, in this world. The Brood could never do anything like that. They lean more on Power and Destruction.

Dragons, who are in-tuned with the magic of this world or were old enough that they acquired the affinity, are able manipulate what their fire can do. There were those like Spike, Twilight Sparkles' assistant, who were hatched by overexposure to magic and there were those who lived long enough to slowly absorb the magic from the air itself. Right now, one of those that lived long enough sent me a message using something similar to what Spike has been doing for Twilight Sparkle and Celestia.

I climbed out from my clone's shadow and allowed it to safely dissipate. I walked over to where the fillies were huddled together and reached out Apple Bloom's head.

"Looks like I'm being called." I said.

The girls turned to me, with Apple Bloom reaching up to my hand. "This was fer you?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "This is how dragons send messages. This is how they call. A little over-dramatic, but that's how the prideful lizards are."

"Wait." Scootaloo spoke up. "What do they mean by 'The time is nigh'?"

"It means that the important dragons of every clan and tribe are being called." I told her.

"But why call you?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I'm the only one of my kind present and known, a single species different from theirs. But I still qualify as a dragon." I took away my hand from Apple Bloom's head and stood up. "That technically makes me an elder, even though I'm only over a thousand years old."

"How old do you have to be, to be an elder?" Scootaloo asked.

"Five thousand." I sighed in resignation. "It's enough time for the dragons to mellow out of their prideful streak, and enough time to gain some wisdom."

"Dragons live that long?" Sweetie Belle whispered in awe. Her two friends shared her expression.

"Quite." I said with an uncertain smile.

I'm not really sure if that should also apply to me, though. In the original game, the Elder of the Brood that Ryu met was only over five hundred years old, yet he looked like an old prune when he fought Ryu and his friends. It made me wonder why, even after a thousand years, I look barely out of my twenties. But then I remembered that the Elder had hidden himself away inside a barrier that temporarily sealed his Brood powers to keep Myria's Guardians from sensing him. Maybe he could only access the bare minimum of his Brood blood, that's why he looked so old after only five hundred years. But it could also be because of the self-preservation ability that the Brood have that kept him alive if he only had the lifespan of a normal human.

When in times of great peril, or when a Brood in danger of dying, their blood awakens and transforms them into a dragon to allow them to survive. Ryu, in the game, managed to survive Balio and Sunder's first attack when he was just a child because of this. (Balio and Sunder were two anthropomorphic unicorn stallions that were sent to kill Ryu and his two friends when he was just a kid) He even survived being stabbed from behind with a sword, and survived a tumble down a mountain while protecting someone else by using his own body like a sled for her. In each of those events, he unconsciously transformed to keep himself alive.

I shudder to think how powerful the original Ryu would be, post-game. He was between sixteen to eighteen years old when he finished his quest, and that was barely even old enough for other dragons to stop calling him a hatch-ling.

Turning my attention back to the three fillies, I stood up as I addressed them. "You three continue playing. I need to tell Applejack and the rest that I'll be leaving again."

"Aww..." Apple Bloom whined. "D'ya really hafta ta go, Uncle?"

"I need to." To act as a deterrent and keep the dragons from turning back to their old ways. "I'm sorry I couldn't get to know your friends better, Apple Bloom."

"It's alright." Scootaloo said. "It was still fun to meet you, Uncle Rahy."

"Me, too!" Sweetie Belle said happily.

I barely managed to stop myself from scooping the two up my arms and give them a tight hug. But I did it anyway, and added Apple Bloom with them.

"Uwah!"

"Aah!"

"Eeep!"

They're so adorable.

"And that's why I need to leave again." I concluded to Applejack and the rest of the family in the main house.

"Yer leavin' cause ya almost squeezed the life outta Apple Bloom and her friends?" Applejack asked. "Ah thought it was cause the dragons are callin?"

"I suppose that's important, too." I conceded. "Even though the girls forgave me, I still forgot to mind my size and strength. I'm going to see if I can find some 'I'm sorry' presents for them." I ignored that said fillies were just outside the window, looking as healthy as can be. I waved back when they waved at me.

"Uh-huh." Applejack said, unconvinced. "So, when can we expect ya ta come back?"

"Not really sure." I shrugged. "It depends on what they want. I might also visit the other families as well."

"Months, then?"

"Weeks, if I have anything to say about it." I corrected. "Besides, magic is mostly concentrated here in Equestria. You remember what I told you and the others about those who are after me? The only way they'll get here is through someplace where there's enough energy to use to penetrate the dimensional barrier between this world and the one outside." It's easier to make a hole in something if someone else from the other side helps you hammer through.

Applejack sighed a moment before looking back to me. "It can't be helped, ah suppose."

"No. No it can't." I said. I knelt down in front of her and opened up my arms in invitation. She moved in quickly to give me a hug. "I won't be gone long."

"Ah'm sure."

I released Applejack from my hug and went over to Granny Smith's rocking-chair. She'd been listening to our conversation, but didn't really say a thing. It was normal for her to see me leave after a while, already used to it throughout her childhood. I gave her a hug and a kiss on the head before saying goodbye as well. Then I moved towards Big Mac near the oven and patted him on the head.

"Keep an eye on your sister and don't let her do something that's way over her head."

"Hey!"

I ignored the mare and focused on Big Mac nodding to me. "Eeyup."

With that done, I turned back and started towards the door. "I'm going to say goodbye to Miss Rarity and Fluttershy next. Seeya, everyone."

"How about Twilight, Pinkie and Rainbow?" Applejack asked. She moved over close to me and walked me out the door. "Aren't ya gonna say goodbye to them?"

"Nnope!"

I threw a ball of concentrated magic, [Magic Ball], into the air and discharged it over head. It created a bright flash of light strong enough to darken the shadows of everything within distance. Applejack immediately closed her eyes on the discharge, and when everything cleared, I was gone.

Goodbyes with the other two ponies weren't all that eventful, being that we haven't even known each other for that long and there was no magical artifact that made us instant BFF's.

Fluttershy was walking beside me as I stepped into her backyard. The place had enough space for my lift-off.

"Have a safe trip." she said.

I gave her a friendly pat on the head and smiled at her.

With my tasks done, I asked her to step aside for a moment as I gathered my magic.

[Accession], the term used to describe when a Brood awakens their blood. The powers of my kind were usually dormant, and were mostly passive. But with magic, we can awaken that sleeping power, which is why it's hard use other spells when in dragon form. I need to keep the flow of magic constant to keep my transformation or else I revert back to my human self. If there was a way to permanently keep my form transformed, I haven't found it. But if I had to guess, it had something to do with nearly dying.

I suspect that this was a curse given to us by the Yorae Dragon. But that's just the theory that the Breath of Fire 4 was actually the origin of the entire series.

As I continued to focus, my body started to glow slightly from the build up of energy. Heat began to concentrate inside my chest as gathered more and more. I breathed in deeply, my face calm even from the effort of concentration. I imagined my magic as the rays of the sun, and my sleeping dragon blood as seeds slowly waking inside every vein in my body. With one big effort of will, I released the pent up energy in one burst and drowned the seeds with light.

"HAH!"

A dragon's magic should never be underestimated. Dragons are creatures of power, beings with great destructive force found in any world. Stories, Myths, and Tales speak of their ferocity, of their great sizes, and the destruction in their wake. So it shouldn't be a surprise that when I released my concentrated magic, it came out with something strong enough to warp the dimensional area around me in the shape of a sphere; something strong enough that you couldn't see the inside as it turned into a black void.

Energy cracked like electricity on the surface of the sphere as I felt my body change. I probably should be grateful that I can't see how I transform completely. It feels so weird, unnatural.

I felt my muscles move under my skin, something growing over my flesh, hard and scaly. I heard my bones creak and felt new ones forcefully poking out my back in between my shoulder blades, and an extension of my spine into a tail. Then more things grew; over the bones of my newly emerged wings and tail, new horns on my skull, teeth lengthening into fangs, and everything below my biceps and thighs changed into something more draconian.

As my transformation completed, the energy that I released began to stabilize. The warped space that was the result of my release began to fix itself, which probably have sent another signal to those after me in the multi-verse of my location. When everything was done, I stood in Fluttershy's backyard in my [Warrior] form. The rest of my clothes were gone, except for my pants, being turned to magic particles that permanently orbited around body. I could probably do away with the pants, with my lower half being covered by some kind of fur and all, but growing up with human culture and being uncomfortable in showing my body to others when I was still only human made me say no to nudist tendencies.

The butter colored pegasus looked shocked and startled at my transformation, having seen it for the first time. I ignored the feedback energy that I received from those who were after me outside the dimension, coming back to me in the form of something similar to a sonar.

Bending down my knees, I braced myself. My wings opened wide into their full wingspan (gaining the eyes of the pegasus mare. Yes, they're really that big, and they look bigger and more intimidating up close) in preparation to my lift-off. With a grunt of effort I launched myself to the sky, flapping my wings at the same time for extra force, with speeds equal to a shot cannonball. I gained the height of my jump several hundred feet above the ground and over the clouds.

If I remember correctly, dragon lands were south east of Equestria. Since Ponyville was south of Canterlot, it was easy enough to find the right direction. I'm really not looking forward to this gathering.

Author's Note

Great, waaaaay late for posting this. I'm not gonna make excuses on this one guys, I'm just gonna apologize for being late. Let's just say that my Pen Name wasn't really that complicated to choose from.

Also, Ariin and Eridos, thanks for the comments, best motivations I've had since banging my head on my table doesn't seem to work anymore. I would have posted this a few days ago, but I finished it just when a storm came to the Philippines. Power and internet just came back a few hours ago.

Dragon Council

Author's Note

AIYA! Next chapter ahoy! Read and Review, please. It's getting lonely just writing.

Also, I've written another story inspired by the Power Lottery Group. Don't worry, though. I'll focus on this story more than the other one. Check it out if you have time.

Dragon Council

Flying through the air at mach one speed, my wings swung in powerful arcs, almost lulling me into a hypnotic trance as they were the only things worthy of note in the empty sky. It took me a day and a half to get into Dragonland from Equestria. Leaving behind the lush greens of the ponykind, and flying into the realm of volcanic wastelands of dragon kin.

Even with me being so high in the air, I could still smell the faint fumes of the volcanoes that littered the dragon continent. Clouds in this world fly lower than in my old world. I never really thought much of it, or even noticed it earlier, but every cloud, smoke, or some other things similar to both, absorb magic. Or already have magic in them.

Inside some of the volcanoes that I've passed by, I saw a few specks diving into the molten lava. Dragons, the teenage drakes, were enjoying themselves in what most creatures would avoid ever touching their body. Every dragon had at least some resistance against lava, it's only a matter of how much that vary. Depending on where the dragon was born, how they hatched, and who their parents were, a dragon may have differing characteristics.

In this world, there is more than one Type of dragon. And apparently I was the newest one that came this millenia.

A few more hours later and I was finally able to see my destination. A series of mountains that rivaled the height of Cantelot's highest tower. A sierra; mountain peaks likened to a saw's teeth, or a dragon's ravenous maw in this case. In the middle of it all, though, was a gigantic spire that dwarfed the rest. It stood twice, or so, more than the others. It was nothing but a giant spike that rose from the earth, but its size was more than enough to intimidate those who would complain of its tasteless shape.

On the surface of every mountain in the area had multiple number of caves where dragons would dwell in. Inside were enormous bounties of gold, jewels, shiny trinkets, and others knickknacks that dragons procured during their travels as they grew from hatchling to adulthood. They often come here to settle down and have a family of their own when they've grown bored or have sated their greed in hoarding.

I flew up all the way to the highest peak of the spire in the middle of the village, crouching low as I perched myself as I landed.

ROAR

The sound of a dragon's rage echoed in the village- or would it be better if I called it a valley? My eyes looked down and searched for the source, and found two dragons rolling down one of the mountain sides biting, clawing, and trying to end each others life. If the two had been nothing but teenagers, (a drake more or less human sized), I would have thought that they were merely playing. But two adults, male ones at that, having a tussle wasn't common unless they were trying to kill each other.

In this world, like any other worlds, gold, jewels and any other shiny treasures were finite. There was a limit on how much a dragon could hoard before they would run out. Back then this was not a problem. If they wanted more treasures, all they had to do was steal it from another race. And over one thousand years ago that practice had stopped, because a strict law on theft from other races was established and enforced. Of course, the dragons all objected with this new law, and tried to stop it by killing the one to propose it.

The one who proposed this new law was tiny compared to the other dragons. He was the size of teenage dragon, the same size of a three story house dragon's foot. They laughed at him, loud and mockingly, and an elder tried to squish him like a bug. What that didn't expect was for that tiny intruder to disappear under his massive foot and appear in the shadow under his chin, where he then swiftly crawled over to the elder's ear, plunged my hands through the membrane protecting it, and roared into the canal with a pitch so high, with no obstruction, that the elder didn't know he was dead until he started bleeding from his snout and eyes.

[Howling] was a move designed to intimidate foes using a primal roar that would reverberate inside the victim's ear and rattle their brains from the sheer volume, stunning and making the victims hesitate. That was the effect when the target was a dozen feet away, and where they still had the opportunity to cover their ears for defense. But when used so close to the hearing organ, with no time or opportunity to raise any kind of defense for it, and where the pitch was raised so high that it would normally render the victim deaf even in a fair distance, it was no surprise to me when the elder started to froth in the mouth as he crashed down, dead before he even touched the ground.

I was very reckless back then. My only battle experience came from the games that I've played. Rage had been driving me, and was still emotionally unstable. It still hadn't been a year since I came to this world, so I was still shaken from my near instantaneous shift in lifestyle. I killed that elder with a surprise attack, and killed four more, his sons, with four [Aura] attacks that snapped their necks with tremendous force.

It was no easy battle. I got crushed under a fist or claw a few times, but the hate that I felt back then numbed my pain and kept me up even as all four ganged up on me. Overconfidence had been their downfall, bickering near the end on who would finish me off. One got impatient and made for the kill. He didn't even get the chance to see what killed him when my [Aura], in its natural state of being three times my size, sprung up and crushed his neck when he tried to kill me with his jaws.

The other three soon followed. A burst of concentrated mana would always appear whenever my [Aura] made contact, penetrating their scales and going through the muscles on their necks and straight to the bone. After that, the Dragon Code was in motion: Five deaths, all wins for me. It was 'Winner take All'.

My proposition was already accepted after I killed the elder dragon. It was a rule, a law, that when somedrake wanted to have a new code added to the laws they need to win three out of five favors from the dragon elders. But dragons were prideful creatures, and would never take no for an answer. Thus was the alternative way to pass the law: a duel to the death with an elder.

The challenger could choose any of the elders that declared Nay, and fight them to the death. When one was chosen, the other elders were not to interfere at any circumstances. Without that rule, there was nothing to stop all five from ganging up on the challenger.

The dragons respected only power and greed, and this extended to all species in the world. Without the laws, they would have killed each other a long time ago trying to steal the hoard of other, weaker, drakes... and nothing was there to stop them from killing hatchlings, either.

Of course, I knew nothing of these laws until later, but the duel began as soon as that one elder raised his foot to crush me. Only two elders were present at the time, but they knew that the vote was a unanimous Nay. It didn't matter who I chose back then, that was already taken from me when all of them would say no.

When all five elders were to refuse the new law, it would mean that it had insulted them in some way that they didn't like. It would be up to them on who they would send to execute the proposer. And one was quickly chosen and chose to quickly end me my crushing me under his foot.

Unfortunately for me, there was no law saying that they couldn't kill the proposer to null the new law. That was another thing. In order to null and void a law, the one to propose it must be dead and another must properly appeal to the elders to abolish it.

The four sons of the elder were quick to take advantage of the opportunity, for revenge and to take the empty seat that their sire left. Normally, the one to win over the elder would be the one to replace him/her, temporarily, but I didn't. I hated the dragons back then, utterly abhorred them. With the other four dead, stacking up my wins, that meant that I could take all of their hoards for myself. Luckily, one of them was the one that took the heirloom. After retrieving what I came for and forcing the dragons to follow the new law, I returned the stolen item and refused the offered seat for the new elder.

No new dragon came to challenge me after that. They saw me take on five dragons simultaneously and earned their respect by winning.

ROAR

I continued to watch as on of the two fighting drakes was able to capitalize on an opening, and managed to latch on to his opponent's neck. He pushed down on his opponent's body and gave a mighty heave. I didn't hear anything from where I was perched, but there was no doubt that there would have been an audible crack that emanated from the now-limp dragon's neck.

ROAR

The victor bellowed out in the sky as other dragons stood back and watched the fight. They roared soon after with the winner, and proceeded to congratulate him. The dead and defeated dragon lay where it was, with only a handful of its kind moving over its corpse and mourn for his death. The winner then proceeded to fly into one of the caves, and came out carrying an arm full of treasures.

I couldn't look anymore. These dragons sicken me. The only ones tolerable were the ones that isolate themselves away from this rabble. At least they were kinder than these lot.

I looked down on perch and noted the dark shadows cast by my wings. I activated my [Shadowwalk] and sunk into it without delay. The faster I get to this meeting, the quicker I can leave this horrid place.

Deeper down into the massive tunnels inside the spire, I continued to swim down, passing by rooms meant for the elders and their blood relatives. It functioned like a hotel for what the dragons considered as royalty. At the very bottom of the spire, deep underground, was a chamber filled to the brim with gold and other treasures. Enough to bury Ponyville twice over and still have plenty left to spill in the outskirts.

It was the accumulated hoard by the very first dragon so many millenias ago. The treasures inside the chamber were gathered so long ago that they even exceeded the age of all the current members of the Elder Council, and the oldest one was nearing his 8000th birthday.

The Council was made up of six dragons, all different from one another. I became one a few years after successfully deceiving Celestia and Luna with my [Aura]. Before I became one, however, there used to be only five dragons that held the entire Council. These five were the dragons of Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Magic. Each one has a name passed down to the next successor, where they would carry it on for the rest of their lives or until the decide to pass it to someone else from the same elemental type. Usually.

Fuego, for the dragon of fire.

Agua, for the dragon of water.

Sora, for the dragon of wind.

Titan, for the dragon of earth. It used to be Wyrm, but was changed twenty years ago during the annual 'Gathering for Nothing in Particular'.

Then there's the dragon of magic, Da Wan, pronounced as 'The One'.

When I came along and was added amongst the the top drakes, the normal element system was updated into a parody of the Elements of Harmony. They stopped using Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Magic as the basing system. The Names were still passed down, but the selection in choosing the next elder now- (who didn't die in battle)- required the right characteristic from the elements of harmony to gain the seat.

Now we have Da Wan of the Dragon Magic.

Agua of the Malicious Generosity.

Sora of the Hysteric Laughter.

Titan of the Stoic Kindness.

Fuego of the Brutal Honesty.

And Kaiser of the Undying Loyalty. Ironic, since I didn't like the current bearer of said element.

Da Wan was the eldest of the Council, being over 7900-ish. He was hatched during a chaotic storm, with the air nearly suffocating with magic residue coming from the land itself. His flames were enchanted from the very first time he breathed them. He didn't need thousands of years to passively absorb the magic in the air to manipulate his flames like his predecessor. He could manipulate them however he wanted.

Agua was the second eldest: 7100-ish. She was hatched under the ocean, where the rest of the aquatic dragons resided. They lived near underwater volcanoes to help incubate their eggs, and gather pearls and sinking ships back when they were still allowed. The other name for their kind were Leviathan, after the greatest sea serpent to ever come to this world's existence. Though her fire breath was little more than puffing smoke, she has a special talent to take water through her gills and spit them out like a high pressure hose, strong enough to cleave a mountain in two.

Titan came third, only hitting his 7000 this decade. He was hatched under the earth, or more specifically, he was planted like a seed under the soil and was left to grow on his own. Earth dragons leave their eggs buried so that they may absorb the magic from the ground itself and help them hatch, similar to how a seed grows only using the earth nutrients. This in turn made them like the dragon version of Earth ponies. They were big, strong, and were the sturdiest of all the dragon types. They were lazy, though, but kind. They were the least greedy of the drakes, where they only gather gems for food and nothing else.

Sora was next, being only 6000 years old. His predecessor gave him the Name about a hundred and twenty years ago. Sora was the most frequent in changing the dragon taking up the elder seat. They were hatched on very high mountains, and sometimes even on clouds. They were flighty in personality, and had a very severe case of wonderlust. Their most interesting trait was that they had four wings similar to the dragonfly insect. The current Sora was the fastest of the Wind dragons, as well as the most... um. I suppose his personality was similar to Pinkie Pie's, only instead of throwing parties, he likes to drift around the sky and invite anyone who was interested.

The current Fuego was only 3000 years old. Surprising since the council normally on lets those who were over 5000 to take an elder's seat. It spoke volumes of her combat prowess as the seat for the Fire dragons were mostly decided by battles to the death. But then again, revenge was a great incentive for progress. Ember Scales, the Fuego elder, was a short-tempered, ill-mannered, and angst-y dragon whose been after my head for centuries now.

Well, I did kill her father and four brothers.

Dragons live for a very long time. It's not surprising for them to have a child, parent, or relative to have thousands of years in age gap. The four brothers were actually getting groomed to replace their sire when he finally stepped down from the Council seat. After his death, the four took the opportunity to try and take it while also taking revenge and abolishing the (what they thought was) ridiculous new law. With them dead, however, the seat of the Fire elder became a free for all. Come to think of it, I think there was a steady decline in the Fire types these last few centuries.

Fire dragons were born and bred close to lava or in it. They have the strongest fire breaths that could melt almost anything within a few seconds. Fuego's was exceptional, from what I've heard. She had a talent in concentrating her flames like a blowtorch, and even scorching through the another dragon's fire immunity.

I don't even know how she does it. Maybe she was adding magic into it?

As I was moving through the shadows inside the tunnels of the gigantic spire, I noticed that Agua, Da Wan and Titan brought along their children and were busy having a tussle in one of the bigger chambers. Sora and Fuego's cousins seem to be there as well.

Heading deeper underground, about a quarter mile in, I finally arrived at my destination. I pulled myself out of the wavering shadows made by the dragon fire torches that served to light the tunnels. Heaving out a sigh, with a scowl firmly etched on my face, I walked further in and arrived in a gigantic cavern. All five dragons were already there. I was the only one missing.

Three of the five had been busy with their conversation, while Fuego and Titan merely looked on, bored and stoic, respectively. The chatter immediately stopped upon my entrance. Da Wan and Sora both gave me a fanged grin in greeting, while the two others nodded. Fuego just glared at me with hate as I walked over to my spot in our circle.

From the north was Da Wan, facing me in the south. Agua sat to Da Wan's right, with Sora on the left. I had Fuego sitting beside me to my left, wtih Titan sitting to my right. We sat with a fair distance from each other. The chamber was big enough that we all fit inside and still have enough space to stretch out wings. With that, all six were present and complete.

"You're late." Fuego said, glaring daggers at my tiny frame. She was fifty meters long from the tip of her snout to her tail. I was the tiniest in the room, being only 5'10", human size.

"I know." I muttered in reply, spearing my tail into the ground and leaning on it for support. "I had better things to do than show up to this nonsense."

Fuego snorted, crossing her arms and giving me a sneer. "Ponies." she spat.

I grunted in return, saying nothing else. Fuego, or Ember Scales, was named after the unique coloration of her scales. I only knew her name because she announced it to me during my first meeting as an elder in the Council. The real name of the others, though, were still unknown to me.

Ember had been hatched in a pit of lava, and came out looking like a metal fresh from the forge. Even after she had cooled down, her scales retained their almost-golden fire color. While not uncommon, hers gave off an unnatural shine, or glow, under the rays of the sun. From what I've heard of her, she had been a popular during her early years as a pup. A lot of dragons tried to take her and add her to their hoard, but her father and brothers kept that from happening.

Quite a strong family bond, given the nature of their kind.

Her golden eyes would have been a beautiful sight to behold, if only they weren't filled with so much contempt. I turned my head away from her and faced the one who called me.

"Da Wan." I addressed the dragon elder. "Let's hurry up and get this over with."

"Aw, don't be like that, Kaiser." Sora said, waving his grass-green claws in a placating gesture. "This one's actually pretty important."

"If this is like the one twenty years ago, I'm leaving." I told him.

Sora merely grinned in response, his pale blue eyes filling up with mirth.

The green elder was a member of the Wind type dragons. He was hatched on free roaming cloud a was already flying after he was fully out of his egg. That wasn't strange for his kind, but his speed as a hatch-ling was something of an intrigue. He was flying like a humming bird with perfect control, and was twice as fast as his fellow newborns.

He was forty meters long with four wings. His kind were meant to be fast and light, and his wings weren't leathery like the typical dragon types. They were similar to the insect dragonflies', but every buzz they make were fueled by magic and helps them fly like how the pegasi do with their wings. He has an ability that nauseates everyone around him using his wings. Same with how my [Howling] rattles the body in a certain area of effect, his wings' range were more spherical. Everything within a certain radius would have a hard time reorienting themselves if he ever decides to vibrate his wings at a certain high frequency.

"The eggs are hatching!" Da Wan grinned as I eyed him.

"Ah..." I breathed out, nodding my head. That was all I needed to hear. Migrating season was soon.

Dragon eggs are very, very hard to hatch. The new pups are only born under very specific circumstances. A heavy dose of magic was needed to wake the eggs from their dormant states.

Up north, far beyond Equestria, an island materializes every 100 years. An island called Paradise.

As I've said before, this world was a world filled with magic. Paradise was one of those places where the flows of moving magic meet: A ley line. Because of the amount of magic in the island, it would shift in and out of the dimension. Disappearing for a hundred years and returning for a full year. Enough time for the eggs to absorb a good amount of magic to hatch. The reason for its disappearing was because of its location, and its size. It was an unstable rock unlike Equestria where it could anchor itself to the land.

Though not as powerful as the one in the ponies home country, the island's power was only slightly below compared to the land of ponies. And unlike Equestria, the island contained all of the elements needed to hatch all the types of eggs. An endless storm could be found on the north end of the island, where the land and sky were leaking concentrated amounts of magic; the place where Da Wan was hatched. In the middle was an active volcano, glowing with power and perfect of the Fire types to hatch their eggs. In the south was a deep trench, just off the beach, for the Water dragons. In the east side was a high mountain that produces its own clouds for the Wind types. One the west was a perfect field of soil for Titan and his kind.

As for me, my purpose on that island was similar to what I do for my friends and acquired family. I was a guardian. I roam the island and look for any malicious magic and destroy it. The island's power was close enough to Equestria's that it attracted a lot of unwanted attention during its reappearance. And dragon eggs were a delicacy to some creatures.

Like the Everfree forest, the sea surrounding the island was a chaotic and lawless region because of the ambient magic. A lot of monsters lurk under the ocean, many were unknown even to Agua and her kind. Out of all the dragons, it was the eggs on Agua's side that was in most danger. Because I had no form that could breath underwater, her kin were always the most vulnerable. It didn't help that most of the more dangerous monsters came out from the sea instead of coming from the island itself.

The adults had no problem pushing them back in case of trouble, but the eggs were mostly the ones in danger. Once the eggs were set, they weren't allowed to be moved because once it started absorbing magic it was constant. Being moved from its spot could have detrimental effects on the newborn dragon, or even weaken it.

The absorption process also takes time. Unlike Twilight Sparkle's assistant, there was no unicorn in the area to forcefully inject the magic into the eggs, and that method only works for eggs that were already set to become similar Da Wan's type.

“When will the island reappear?” I asked. Though I didn't care much for the dragons, I did have my own reasons for coming to the island.

“In a few more months.” Sora answered. “A few of mine saw the island blink in a few times before disappearing again.”

“We also felt the ocean shift because of its momentary reappearance.” Agua added. “It’s going to cause a high tide and a few tsunamis to the uninhabited islands a few miles away, and unfortunately we found a few settlers in one of those islands.” Her long serpentine body slithered as her tail fin came came up to cover her coy smile. “I had one of mine warn them, though, but those griffons were very stubborn and still insisted on building their resort in one of those islands.”

I snorted. “I’m sure you also generously offered them your kind’s assistance in fending off the other sea monsters from their construction?”

“Of course.” she admitted clearly. “They even gave us some of their signature dishes as a way to say thank you.”

“And now that resort was washed away with every creature inside dead.” I muttered dispassionately.

“Tragic.” Agua sighed sadly, but the small smile on the corner of lips said otherwise.

Agua was a Leviathan. Fifty-five meters long from snout to tail, with gorgeous blue shimmering scales. Her appearance reminded me of a Pokemon I've seen back in my old world: a Milotic. She was beautiful, graceful, majestic, sadistic, cruel, and finds amusement from the misery of others. But only to an extent.

I wouldn't hesitate to call her evil. But even so, I didn't dislike her much. Shame as I am to admit it, her looks were enough to distract any creatures from their hatred of her. I say this from personal experience.

Her laugh, or more like titter, would send goosebumps up and down your spine. Her eyes, both irises and sclera, were glittering sky blue. They would pierce your heart and dampen your raging emotions. Her smile, even the tiniest of curls, would make any dragon weak in the knees and prostrate themselves before her.

She was one of the very few in this world that could turn her looks into a deadly weapon, where she could easily manipulate the hearts of both male and female kind. She knew very well of what her appearance does to others, and she had no reservations in taking advantage of it.

It wasn’t much of a stretch to say that she could make anyone’s heart skip a beat, like what mine did when I saw that smile of hers.

Placing a scaly hand over my chest as I looked somewhere else, I sighed in exasperation. The others in the room made sure to turn their heads away quickly as to not fall prey to her charms as well.

This was why she was called the Malicious Generosity. She was a very agreeable dragon, and would willingly lend her aid, or the aid of her kin, to anyone so long as you didn’t ask for any of her hoarded pearls or whatever treasure she found from sunken ships. But then she’d milk you of every misery she could until she’s done “helping”.

The phrase “Your tears are delicious” would always come to mind.

"I'm sure it was." I muttered.

"I hope that we can count on you again this year, Kaiser." Titan finally spoke.

I looked up to the biggest of the dragons and nodded. "Of that, you can be sure of." If it's for the new pups than I have no problems in helping.

Wyrm, now Titan, was an Earth dragon. Like his other brethren, his scales were one of the various shades of brown. Their kind have traded the use of their wings for bigger and better claws for digging. Like the Diamond Dogs, they easily wade through the ground like water. They've also acquired an instinct that would tell them if a spot is safe to dig and won't be in danger of collapsing.

Earth dragons were bred to be big, and Titan was no different. He was eighty meters long and was two times wider than the rest of the dragons that have gathered. They would have easily subjugated the rest of the dragon kin had they been like the brash Fire-types. Luckily for the rest of the dragons, earth types were the kindest of all the dragons, and have the least amount of greed in their blood. And like every other elder, he also has a characteristic that stands out from the rest.

He has a roar that could shake the very heavens themselves, make the earth tremble and rattle, the air vibrate in intensity, cow the turbulent waves to silence. He was proof that Kindness was not a Weakness.

"If that's all..." I said, getting ready to walk out.

But when Da Wan's smile slipped and turned into a grim frown, I new that there was more.

The rest of the dragons also shared the same look.

"That wasn't all, was it?" I asked.

"No." Da Wan shook his head. "It wasn't."

For the Dragon of Magic to become serious... it must be something that even he hesitates to go up against.

Da Wan, the oldest of the Council, was a dragon who's learned to take life less seriously. He was still greedy, but a little more playful than the rest. He's fifty-five meters long, with dark purple scales. His build was similar to the Fire-types, and the only difference between them and Magic-types was the ability to manipulate their flames and conscious application of magic.

He can augment his body and strengthen any part that he wishes to. They could grow bigger, smaller, older, younger; all they need was the right kind of trigger. The perk of being a Magic-type was having multiple specialty and talents. The can imitate the abilities of the other dragons to a lesser degree and also create spells using their flames. I would have also been categorized as a Magic-type if it weren't for my human form and other variants, as well as my nuclear breath attack.

"I've been feeling that something is getting closer." Da Wan said.

"So, you also started feeling it." I looked at he grim looking dragons. "The Rebound?"

"That's a good name for it." he nodded. "It comes only after I feel you transforming."

Because my transformation actually creates a minor distortion in the dimension, and it has my own magic signature in it, those with high sensitivity to such distortion would most likely feel it when I transform fully. Celestia, for all her "greatness", didn't notice such distortions, apparently. Or because such things were common whenever a unicorn teleports nearby, she probably just ignores it.

Even though my transformations should create the same distortion signatures because it came from the same source of magic... it doesn't. My dragon Genes give me different properties and attributes depending on what Gene I'm using. Though I use the [Warrior] Gene as my base template, adding another Gene would change my magic signature's "Flavor". I become a whole new different creature when I transform. It's like an instant evolution.

"It's fine." I said. "I've already told a couple of friends of mine about it and started preparing."

"That's good."

"I've also told Celestia and Luna about it." I added.

"I see- Wait, what?"

Every expression in the chamber suddenly change to surprise upon hearing my added news. My seclusion was no secret among the older dragons, and they all knew my disdain for Equestria's princesses.

"As in," Agua spoke. "You yourself went to the ponies and exposed yourself?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"You mean like, you didn't have somepony tell it to the alicorns?" Sora asked. "Or maybe write a letter or something?"

"No. I went there and told them personally." I said. "I'm surprised that it hasn't reached you all yet. It's already been a few days, and there's no way that the ponies would keep quiet about it."

They said that gossip travels faster then the speed of light. Though I neglected to see if that was true, there was no way that the Canterlot snobs would ever hold their silence of the monster that interrupted the ceremony that Celestia herself had thrown for that heroes that defeated Discord. I completely forgot about it since Applejack and her friends said nothing. Even Miss Rarity.

"Is this good news, then?" Titan asked. "Or is it bad news?"

"That depends." I said. "I'm actually going to stop hiding and start walking out in the open again."

From my left, I heard Fuego snort out a gout of flames. "Finally done hiding like a coward, then?"

"No. More like I'm done acting like a hidden bomb." I said, panning my eyes over to her with an even stare. "The only difference now is that I'm a bomb out in the open. I could still be set off accidentally, but now also deliberately."

Fuego snorted at my use of metaphors and returned to ignoring me. I could see that Da Wan and Agua were extremely pleased by this revelation while Titan and Sora still acted the same as ever.

"That's wonderful news!" Da Wan exclaimed, tossing his arms up and grinning with his full fangs bared. Him, Agua and Sora all gave me their praises and congratulations in which I nodded in return.

"Finally." Agua sighed airily, sending shivers up and down everyone's spine. "Everydrake will be very pleased with this."

At this, Fuego smirked a little. "It's time to announce the superiority of the Council and the entire dragon race to the world. They'll respect us again and put those pony princesses in their place."

"This calls for a celebration!" Sora exclaimed.

And now I'm uncomfortable. Not really because of Agua or of Fuego's statements, but because of what Sora said.

"I hope you're not including me in that, Sora." I eyed the green dragon.

"Why not?" he asked cheerfully, completely ignoring or unaware of my feelings. "We're going to celebrate because of you, so you have to come!"

Titan sent me a look of understanding while the rest gave me a smile. Even Fuego, seeing as I was uncomfortable with it, shot me a malicious grin. Agua definitely had a devious leer on her while Da Wan just looked like he didn't care as long as he could enjoy himself.

"Stop being so recluse, Kaiser." Da Wan said. "We know all about your little bonds with the other races, but you really should start thinking about pups soon."

"I already do think about the pups." I said heatedly.

Da Wan scoffed. "Not the pups of others. I'm talking about yours."

My lips pressed into a thin line as I looked back at the drake. That was a sore spot for me.

"I'm still looking." I said plainly.

"You don't need to look too far, Kaiser." he said, opening his arms and directing my attention to the ceiling above, or more specifically, the dragons on the surface. "We have great dragons here who have seen what you can do a thousand years ago. They have no problems in being your mate."

"I definitely wouldn't mind." Agua added.

"See!" Da Wan pointed, though I thought I heard a little bit of envy in his voice. "You lucky reptile."

"There's also Fuego." Sora interrupted unhelpfully.

"WHAT!"

The elder of Brutal Honesty didn't seem to keen with the idea. Her whole body was glowing with heat, and her mouth was spewing fire like a blowtorch. It looked weird from my perspective.

"Like heck I would ever— With that thing—!" One of her claws was pointed at me as she continued to sputter. Her eyes then went straight to mine.

I broke eye contact and snorted. That seemed to have been the wrong choice of action.

Fuego's body twirled in place instantly. Before I even noticed what she was doing, the end of her tail was already on me. The force behind the tail-whip sent to the opposite wall. I sunk a few inches into the earth and was aware enough to see the other dragons wincing at the same time.

I felt a sting on my side, where Fuego's tail connected, and nothing more. The dragoness turned her back to me and huffed a gout of flame.

"You okay, Kaiser?" asked the green drake who started the Fire dragon's ire.

"Peachy." I replied.

Damned Tsundere.

Dragonville

It's been a while since I've fought anyone. At least a few years. After killing off most of the bad ones that were good enough to hide from Celestia and the other races, you tend to feel the boredom setting in. If anything, the dragons were a good partner to relieve some stress.

"Hold still!"

Like running around in circles while dodging every dragon limb heading your way.

Fuego gave frustrated growl as I flew over her pounce and getting some distance between us. She jumped towards me with her back still turned, and whipped her tail out as she spun around to face me.

I dropped down to dodge the appendage and dug my toes on the ground. As the Fire elder fully faced me again, I launched myself towards her using every bit of strength carried by my legs.

[Flying Kick]

Yes. I know. As absurd as it was, that was actually a skill found in the Skill List in my [Diary]. It's damage was based on the character's agility in the game. Which in real life actually meant that the power of your kick is based on how much momentum you gain before hitting your target with your foot.

Of course, no matter how strong I was now in my transformed state, there was still Physics's law pertaining the collision of two mass of differing sizes. Big one crushes small one, unless big one was soft and small one was hard, traveling at an accelerated speed. Let me tell you now that dragon scales are hard.

But then if you can't win in Physics, you cheat.

[Flying Kick] + [Spirit Blast]

When my kick made contact with Fuego's exposed underbelly, my momentum was stopped by her hard scales. But that didn't stop her from doubling over and exhaling sharply.

I jumped back to gain some distance again, and waited for the dragon to recover. Some of my skills were actually Martial Arts based, similar to the ones that fictional ones I've read back in old world (even though most of them were physically impossible). Thanks to my Minotaur friends, I've managed to actually learn the skill when I couldn't make them work by myself.

[Spirit Blast] was a skill that ignores defense. When an object in motion strikes another, that kinetic energy is absorbed by the second object's surface while any excess motion is transferred completely to move the object from its stationary position (if, at all, possible). Something like a game of billiards.

Imagine me as the white cue ball and Fuego as a flat concrete wall (... there's a joke there somewhere). If you shot me straight at the wall I would either bounce off because of the reflected impact, or I would shatter if I wasn't sturdy. [Spirit Blast], however, ignores this rule.

When I make contact to the surface, the impact would not spread on the wall at all. Instead, my body would be completely halted upon impact and the inertia would still carry on the point of contact, sparing me from any damage from the rebound of force.

The reason that Fuego double over was because even though her scales were hard, her insides weren't. The inertia carried on straight through her and struck her body like a phantom.

"Give up?" I asked the recovering drake. She was still holding the place where I made contact and glared at me as she looked up.

"If you think this is enough to stop me, then you're dead wrong." she pulled herself up to full height, but cringed as she straightened.

"So, we continue?" I asked.

Her response to my question was her scales glowing and a beam made of fire from her mouth. Unlike the other dragons, her breath attack did not fan out as they exited her fire glands. They continued to maintain a certain shape that keeps the heat of her flames at maximum and constant.

I dodged out of the way as my current form, [Warrior], didn't have any fire immunity or protection at all. I would have melted instantly if that attack ever hits.

What I didn’t have in size, I easily made up for explosive leg power and long distance dashes. I kept ahead of Fuego’s attack by a very good margin, nodding to myself as I properly gauged the dragon’s range.

The dragons above, looking down on our fight from their caves, all cheered and roared at Fuego’s relentless assault. The little open space we were in that acted like the dragon’s very own coliseum was a place where all drakes could come and enjoy a sanctioned battle between their kin.

After the Council had adjourned earlier, Fuego was still huffing and puffing her wounded pride. I pretty much had nothing to do while in the village except wait for Da Wan to finish his preparation for the migration.

Agua and Titan went back to their children to make sure that no one was making trouble for them. Sora was up in his element, drifting somewhere in the stratosphere and looking down at the world from heaven’s point of view.

That left me with Fuego. She also didn’t have anything to do. The only pastime there was in the village was either fighting or counting your hoard.

Normally I would already be halfway to Griffonia by now, on my way to visit the friends I had in that Kingdom. But Fuego’s attack from earlier made me want to see if I’ve gotten rusty with my fighting skills. I would’ve had the same opportunity on Griffonia, but I wanted to test myself out on something bigger than me first. It has been a while since I fought someone with the intent to kill.

Fuego had been all too eager to accept my request for a spar, and was practically vibrating at the chance to kill me by accident. The other dragons thought I didn’t see the smirks they sent our way, but I did. Whatever it was they were thinking, I’m sure I wouldn’t have liked it if I knew.

Fuego finally stopped her [Fire Beam] after my count to thirty-four, and I didn’t waste time on taking the opening.

I kicked off the ground and went the opposite direction of my clockwise run around her. The sudden change surprised her enough that, even if she had been trying to catch me off guard with a trap by pretending to be out of breath, she didn’t have time to catch me in her aim when I dashed to her side.

[Magic Ball] started pulsing in my hand as I came closer, preparing the flash grenade for my follow up skill. I threw the ball to her face and discharged it halfway before touching her. The sudden flash generated by the concentrated magic darkened every shadow in the vicinity. The light stayed for a second and a half, forcing those in the area to close their eyes and turn away. It gave me enough time to use [Shadowwalk] and dive into the shadow, then come out of the shade generated behind her head.

I curled myself into a ball and folded my wings inward, taking a deep breath and holding it as I felt my magic start to circulate rapidly all over my body. It took half a second for every scale and skin to start glowing from the speed of the circulation, and for small wisps to start seeping out of me.

[Aura Burst!]

I released my control over the circulating magic and expelled all of what I generated in such a short time. A wave of dragon magic slammed into Fuego’s back and hammered her into the ground. She sunk a few inches in the dirt, similar to how I sunk in the wall during the meeting.

The Fire elder groaned from her prone position. The dragons above gave another set of cheers and roars, shouting for a finisher or coup de grace.

I hadn’t noticed them before, but it seems that Titan and Agua came by to see what the commotion was all about. Beside them were their younger pups, one of the few that they took with them for the meeting. They were probably a little over a hundred years old based from their sizes. They were only half as big as their parents.

I glided down near Fuego’s body, where she was still embedded on the ground. I could tell that she wasn’t all that hurt, but the attack did rattle her. She was grumbling from what I could hear.

Every single one of my dragon forms have some kind of breath attack. From baby dragon variants of [Whelp Breath] to the grown dragon variants’ laser-like [Dragon Breath]. Trygon’s [Flame-], [Frost-], and [Thunder Breath]. The [Shadow] Gene’s [Shadow Breath]. [Radiant] Gene’s Divine breath. Tiamat’s [Doom Breath], Pygmy’s [Magma Breath]...

And a few more others.

[Aura Burst] or [Aura Breath], was a breath attack for my [Myrmidon] form. I’ve managed to recreate the attack with all of my [Warrior] form variants. I didn’t need [Myrmidon] specifically to use it anymore.

Unlike my other breath attacks, my [Aura Burst] doesn’t come out of my mouth. It takes the form of a wave of energy expelled from my body that washes over a certain radius around me. Though it’s a [Breath] attack, it’s not that strong.

[Aura] was stronger as it was concentrated. [Aura Burst] was nothing more than a pretty wave of energy slamming into my enemies. It’s not really my type of attack because it creates too much collateral damage. It’s also pretty ineffective against foes that could fly over the wave. It could probably level a few trees in the Everfree, but the wave gets weaker the further it went and the range isn’t all that impressive. I can only get maximum damage at point blank.

The sound of Agua’s titter bouncing off the mountain passes silenced every single drake in the area. That laugh sent goosebumps to everyone that heard it. More than half of the dragons in the area held themselves and shivered. I saw at least one dragon whose eyes rolled to the back of their head and went limp, up near one of the caves. Probably one of the younger ones.

“Having fun, dears?” the beautiful nuclear hazard asked us, as Fuego pulled herself up.

“More or less.” I said, rubbing the back of my neck and easing away the last few shivers that her laugh elicited. “I’m done with this spar, anyway.”

Fuego’s head snapped over to me and growled in her throat. “Done? I can still fight!”

“I know.” I said, looking at her, mildly in irritation at her insistence to continue. “The only way for me to make sure that you stay down is for me to actually put you down. If I don't stop this now then we'll be here for days.”

“As if you can ever kill me.” She grunted as she crossed her arms.

I ignored the Fire elder and started walking over to where Titan and Agua were. “An easy challenge/ The most disappointing task/ I’m not touching that.”

Fuego growled at my sudden haiku, but did nothing and joined me in walking over to our fellow elders.

“Such a brave, young, drake.” Agua started when we were close. “Trampling the prides of others. My heart flutters so.”

That made me pause. I looked at Agua and raised a brow, counting the syllables of her words.

She knows haiku. Should I be surprised or not?

“She gets around.” Titan said to me.

I nodded and accepted that. The sea was very vast, and she could probably charm any poets into teaching her their arts without them even knowing.

Fuego gave her elder counterpart a glare, but relented when she only got a coy smile in return. Agua looked behind her and fanned her tail to call someone.

“You remember my sweet little pearl, right Kaiser?” she asked me. “You met her after she hatched.”

I looked at the twenty meter long water serpent that slithered into my view. Just like her mother, she was also a thing of beauty. Her stoic, emotionless, eyes met mine and she nodded in greeting.

Her scales were seafoam-green, different from her mother’s baby blue. Her features weren’t quite as striking as her mother’s, but she still had a few centuries to grow. She struck me as the silent type of drake. A contrast to her mother’s malicious noble woman personality.

Though underneath that scale, she might also be a sadist.

“Venus.” I said. “If I recall correctly.”

“Correct!” Agua said happily. “I’m so glad that you remember.”

I, along with the others in her range, raised our hands to shade our eyes from the Water elder’s rather radiant smile when a ray of sunlight slipped through the smog-filled sky. I think I heard a thud somewhere behind me from another dragon getting their consciousness ripped away from them.

“She was your only egg when we went to Paradise last time.” I said, lowering my hand just as Agua raised her tail to cover her mouth. “She was also pretty tiny back then.”

“Well, that pretty much happens after one hundred years.” she said, gesturing to Venus and her size. “She still has room to grow.”

“Mother…”

My eye twitched a little as Venus spoke. The sudden image of wind chimes singing in a summer afternoon breeze flashed in my mind. The soothing tune that came out of her mouth made me want to lay down and take a nap on a grassy field under the shade of a tree.

Well, at least I know that she inherited more than her mother’s looks. That’s going to take me some time to get used to, like her mother. Hopefully it wouldn't take as long for me to adjust.

Agua moved closer to her daughter and gave her a loving nuzzle. Fuego and I both had the same idea and immediately made a hundred and eighty degree turn. Being without any familial love from blood relatives ourselves, we would have received more damage to what was to come next.

With our backs facing the mother and daughter duo, I had no problems seeing a lot of dragons above falling down like flies. They all made choking sounds and were clutching their chests, making a long winded “D’awwww...” as they fell.

As I’ve said before, Agua’s looks were a deadly weapon. Add in her daughter’s beauty as well and the love that they were showing and you’ll lose yourself in envy or awe.

I know that it’s an exaggeration, but that didn’t stop the other dragons from making a show out of it.

“Are you done yet?” Fuego asked without looking back. She was highly irritable at the show of affection. I tried not to feel the same.

“Yes, dear.” I heard Agua.

“Quartz.” I heard Titan. “Come here and introduce yourself.”

I looked back again and saw another Earth dragon, forty meters tall and with lighter brown scales than Titan. He gave me a friendly smile as he stood beside my fellow elder.

“Hello, Lord Kaiser.” he said. “My name is Quartz.”

“Polite.” I noted, turning around to face the two families properly. “Hello Quartz. I suppose that your father already told you, but I’m Kaiser. The sixth and final member of the Council.”

“Don’t let his appearance fool you, little Quartz.” Agua spoke. “He may be tiny, but that is not his real form, nor is it his only one.”

The young Earth drake blinked and looked at the Water elder. “You mean he’s a Magic type?”

“No, dear. He’s something more.” she said. “And don’t look at me like that, Kaiser. Since you refuse to appear in your real form the very best we can do is let the younger ones know that the form you usually take isn’t your real one.”

The look I gave the sea drake told her how much I appreciated her spilling out secrets that I didn’t want others to hear.

Out of all the dragons in this world, only one has ever seen my [True Kaiser] form, that was what they thought was my real form. The dragon had been drifting over Equestria and nothing more, then he saw the explosion made by my attack all those years ago in the Badlands. Curiosity got the better of him and went to investigate, then saw my frozen form hovering over the destruction.

That had been Sora’s father, who had been an elder six hundred years ago when his predecessor passed the seat to him for seeing my [Kaiser Dragon] self. He was the source of the rumors that made every other dragon visit the aftermath in Equestria. He was also the one who described the look of my [Kaiser] form to others.

“Golden scales glowing in the fires of destruction.”

“Rippling muscles on every inch of his powerful form.”

“Great spines blowing out majestic wings of fire and magic.”

“And gleaming pairs of emerald death glaring down on all it sees.”

I’m not really sure if it was emeralds or crimson, though. I wasn’t looking at the color of my eyes when I was [Kaiser]. Agua had been urging me to change into that form every time she had the chance. Da Wan and the other were also curious, but they never pushed it like the Leviathan did.

“You must let me see it one day, dear.” Agua said to me, her body wiggling left and right in her spot in some sort of giddy dance.

"In your dreams, Agua."

"So cold!"

Even after saying that, she was smiling. I saw a tremor run down her body starting from her neck to her tail.

Stupid sadomasochistic drake. She really needs to find another hobby.

I looked at Venus. “Contain your mother.”

The young water drake’s eyes went wide and looked back and forth between me and Agua. Indecision was apparent on her face as she fought between choosing to disobey the order of an elder or suffer the wrath of her mother. Well, looks like she didn't know that it was just a jest.

Luckily for her Fuego came to her rescue and prevented her from making the mistake of obeying.

“She’s not part of the game.” said the Fire dragon to me. "She's a little too young to know about it."

“Game?”

Agua finally stopped her wiggling and nudged her daughter playfully. “It’s something we do when all six of us gather.”

“We banter.” Titan said, clearing the confusion of the two younglings.

“Most of us, at least.” I said, giving the usually silent Earth dragon a meaningful look. “Since most of the dragons pretty much do whatever they like, there isn’t much for us to govern, which incurs boredom. So long as everydrake abides by the Dragon Code then they won’t risk the wrath of all six of us coming down on them.”

Quartz and Venus seem to pale at the thought of all six elders working together and bearing down on the violator of the code.

“Because we don’t frequently get action, we banter to alleviate boredom when we gather like this.” I said. “There’s also our hobbies.”

“Since you two are pretty young, you probably don’t even know why you should follow the Code.” Fuego spoke. “You probably just do it because everyone else does.”

“Dragons are Greedy, Selfish, and Prideful.” I said. None of the drakes around me were even mildly insulted by what I said. “Every so often somedrake would get it in their head that they’re above the rules that we’ve set and start violating it without any second thoughts.”

“That’s when one or more elders move.” Agua continued. “Depending on who is closer, it would be their job to make that dragon stop. How they do it is mostly up to them.”

“We mostly just kill them.” Fuego added. “A lot of violators ended up in Equestria because of the amount of gems growing there. Also because the ones living there were mostly herbivores. Those are always easy to threaten.”

“That area is under my protection. Even after I announcing the law that I’ve set, there were still some that decided to ignore them.” I informed the two younger drakes, looking at them with a hint of warning. “I’ve set up a law saying that no dragon is to ever harm or steal from a pony. If attacked without provocation then the dragons are free to retaliate. The severity of the retaliation is also based to the slight. That law was updated a few years later and extended to not just ponies but to other races as well. I am very strict with my rule.”

“None of the Code-breakers ever returned from Equestria. Not even their corpse.” Agua added. “They simply vanished.”

Actually, I dumped them in my [Inventory] pouch, then ate them when I’m hungry. Their fire immunity disappear slowly after they die, when their magic dissipates. They’re nothing like the Mythical dragons of the stories that I’ve read in my old world. They’re pretty tasty with the right cooking method.

I deliberately ignored the looks that the other elders were giving me, along with the fearful ones that Venus and Quartz sent my way. I probably shouldn’t have unlodged that piece of gem that was stuck in my teeth at that moment. That probably clued them in on what I do with my victims.

“You’re sick.” Fuego told me plainly.

“To the winner goes the spoils, as per dragon standards.” I retorted. “But I like them fresh than spoiled.”

“I was wondering where most of my cousins went.” Fuego muttered to the side. “That’s cannibalism, by the way.”

“It’s only cannibalism if you eat your own kind.” I corrected. “Those flying lizards were nothing like me or my kind.”

The topic was starting to get uncomfortable to the other dragons who were listening. The way the two young drakes were shifting in their spots made me realize that. They didn't know that it was actually an old custom practiced ten thousand, or so, years ago. That kind of stopped after dragons found out that gems were tastier.

“By the way, dear,” Agua spoke. “I see that you haven’t left yet. Normally you’d be gone after the meetings.”

“I wanted to brush up on my fighting.” I said. “The last time I’ve fought something bigger than me was a few decades back. I couldn’t get much experience from that because I tend to finish my battles as fast as I can.”

“And what about me?” Fuego asked with an edge in her tone.

“I learned a few things during the years you kept on hounding me for a fight.” I said with an exaggerated eye roll. “Since I fight you with an intent to subdue, I’ve gained experience on how to dodge attacks of your size.” Which I’m a bit grateful for since in some of my travels I managed to anger a few ancient beings that were equal, or greater, in size compared to dragons.

“Well, I’m happy that you two are bonding, at least.” Said Agua.

“Bonding?” Fuego scoffed. “Please.”

My nose scrunched up at that thought. Yeah. I suppose that what we do would be considered as a bonding moment. Our fights managed to mellow out her anger on me and I was able to tolerate her more over the years. I guess you could consider us as friends even with the dislike that we had with each other. She still hates me like no other, though.

“Anyway.” Agua started. “Since you are going to announce your presence to the world, Kaiser, will you be flying with the others to Paradise now?”

“Maybe…” I muttered with uncertainty.

Normally I would be heading for the nearest shore heading to Paradise right after visiting my friends on the way there. Da Wan would then message me on when the island finally appears and I would fly there before any of the dragons arrive, killing all of the harmful inhabitants that had any intentions on the dragon eggs.

Now that I’ve decided to stop hiding, I would probably fly along the migration on the way to Paradise, watching out for poachers that wanted the eggs the dragons were carrying.

Even though everyone knew about the dragons and their tempers, that still didn’t stop the dumb and reckless ones from trying to get their eggs to sell or eat.

Since Paradise only comes every one hundred years, the dragons who don’t plan well on their relationships had to defend their eggs earlier than others who’ve timed their laying. They tend to let their instincts rule over them most of the time and rut when they could. This would then result in female drakes laying eggs way before Paradise was coming, and be targeted by poachers if word got out.

Twilight Sparkle’s assistant was probably one of those poached eggs. That, or his parents didn’t want eggs and just threw him away. There were dragons like that.

Everyone knows how long-lived dragons were, and were thankful that they were born only after every hundred years. Also, that they kill each other most of the time. If they were hatched like other creatures were (that combined with their extended lifespan) then the world would have been overpopulated by their kind a long time ago.

“How many eggs are going to be incubated this year?” I asked the others.

“Thirty-two for the Leviathans.” said Agua.

“Fifty for the Earth drakes.” said Titan.

“A little over two hundred for mine.” said Fuego.

I looked over to Titan. “Fifty?” That was surprising. In terms of population, water and earth drakes were usually equal. Sora’s kind had the least population since it’s rare for them to stop their wandering and decide to find a mate.

The Fire dragons have the highest population amongst the dragons, with Magic coming in second. Water and Earth are both equal, more or less, in terms of numbers, and Wind only hatch about ten to twenty eggs per century.

“Some of the drakes in mine managed to lay two or three eggs in one season.” Titan said.

“Huh…” I wonder if that’s an omen. Dragons normally only lay one egg per mating. If they wanted another one, all they had to do was mate again. Two or three eggs in one laying was pretty rare, but for it to happen to more than one of the Earth dragons was really amazing.

“I’ve already informed Da Wan of this.” he said.

“What did he say about it?” Fuego asked.

“Nothing.” said the Earth elder. “He merely congratulated me and my kind.”

Agua and I turned our heads at once and exchanged looks. Should we write that up as suspicious or not? Da Wan would usually be more eccentric than that. A simple congratulations was surprisingly tame.

I looked up and took note of the darkening sky. It was hard to know what time it was because of the smog in the area.

“I should go.” I said. “I still have something to do before the island reappears.

“Going to the Griffons, I presume?” asked Agua.

“I still don’t get why you would go to those birds for training.” Fuego huffed. “The dragons here are more than enough to get you ready for the island.”

“Brute force really isn’t what I’d call skills.” I deadpanned. “I’ve learned how to use a sword thanks to them, and even learned a few chokeholds from their duels.”

“Still don’t see how that’s any helpful.” she grumbled.

“For dragons, maybe not.” I said. “But for other creatures that are about my size, then it’s effective.”

I ignored her grumbling and prepared myself to liftoff. I still don’t get why she keeps insisting that I stick to the dragon ways of fighting. I may be physically strong enough against her kind, but I still have my size disadvantage.

“Take care now, Kaiser.” the Water elder fanned her tail fin at me. If she were human I bet that she was waving her handkerchief at me instead. “Say hello to those birds for me.”

“Farewell, Kaiser.” Titan nodded to me, in which I returned the gesture.

I kicked off the ground and swung my wings at the same time, propelling me into the clouds and coming out to the sky. I climbed as high as I could before turning towards the directions of the Griffin continent.

The new pups are coming soon and I have a few more months left to remember the other skills that I forgot over time. I can just join the migration during its course over Equestria, giving me time to spend with the Apples there.

But for now I need to go to Griffonia and sharpen my dulled sword skills. If I still have time, maybe I’ll go to the Minotaur settlement and retrain my iron staff skills.

Hmm… I still have to get something for Applebloom and the Crusaders. Maybe a set of armor for their Crusades?

~kztzz-

What?

My wings never lost a beat as I flew, but there was a static buzz in the air. I thought it was the rebound from Myria, but this one feels slightly different. What was that?

Shaking off the tremble that traveled down my spine, I flapped my wings harder and flew faster to my destination. What ever that was, it felt like something that wasn't supposed to be here. I really need to brush up on my skills. I'm starting to easily get spooked.

And why am I thinking of the Displaced?

Author's Note

To my fellow Displaced, do you want to write a crossover with mine?

Crossover: Bushy Tails and Dragon Scales

Author's Note

My first crossover with someone! I had fun making it. We did it in the PM chat a la Role Play-style. Is there other ways to do this?

Not much happenings except for Ryu officially getting introduced to the Displaced.

Here's their story. Bushi Tales.

Crossover: Bushy Tails and Dragon Scales

I was flying along and still on my way to Griffonia after leaving the Dragon Lands. The buzz of static was still ringing in my ears after half an hour of traveling. It feels something like a signal that comes from the outside dimension. Something similar happens when I fully transform, where the distortion of my change would send a unique ripple to the Void and where the incoming threat would send a ripple similar to a sonar to find which dimension I was in. The relentless buzzing was different, though. But only slightly.

"What is that?" I wondered.

I kept my eyes straight ahead, minding anything on the horizon. Flying out in the open was something I was never comfortable with, especially with the large body of water below. I always keep my guard up during flight, making sure that nothing catches me off guard.

Well. In my defense what happened next wasn’t because of my lack of attentiveness. What hit me was something small, small enough to be a strand of hair.

It glittered out of nowhere in my flight path and slapped me in the face. It was thin, and it hit dead center between my lips and clung off from there. For a moment I thought that it might have been a strand of hair from my fringe, but dismissed that idea when, instead of a single strand of hair, it was a bundle of thin thread. It began to unravel as it clung on to the spit on my lips.

I stopped in the air and tried to spit it out. A sense of vertigo sudden came over me as it finished unraveling. It felt like I went for a swim and somersaulted underwater.

When I shook off that moment of nausea I knew that there was something wrong. I was no longer hovering over the ocean. Griffonia was over the seas, and it was quite far out from the Dragon Lands. Now though, I was hovering over a forested area. What caught my attention most was the familiar sight of Canterlot a few kilometers away.

My brows furrowed in confusion. "What's going on?"

I spat out the piece of thread that had been hanging on my lips and grabbed it. I looked at it suspiciously before tying it into a bundle again and shoving it inside the [Inventory] pouch hanging on my belt.

With no other choice at the moment, I think it’s better to pay Celestia a visit. Maybe she knows why I was suddenly teleported back to Equestria.

Up in Canterlot, in one of the meeting rooms meant for briefing new recruits, a girl with long silver hair tied into twin ponytails, was explaining about a Guild system from her homeland to some of Canterlot’s top nobles, trusted guards, and distant relatives of the Princesses themselves, detailing on why Equestria needed it now.

What was surprising about the girl, however, was that she wasn’t a pony. She stood on two thin, but upright, legs. She had arms instead of forelegs, and hands instead of hooves. Her face matched no race known to common ponies, except for a certain Brood already heading for the capital of Equestria.

As the girl continued her explanation, her mind wandered to her companion. She honestly had no idea where her friend was at the moment and would have preferred it if she had stayed and helped, if only to put some stuff into perspective. Her friend found activities such as these boring. If she had to guess, her companion was probably annoying the Guards in the garden or disturbing the Moon Princess to play some games.

As she delved deeper into the subject, discussing candidates for the leader of the Guild house, her senses picked up something unusual out of sight. She glanced around the room, partly ignoring Prince Blueblood as he talked on and on about how this one mare besmirched his honor and not noticing that no one was listening. She quietly reached for the runic staff by her side while looking over to a pair of guards assigned in the room. She held back on knocking her head on a wall when she saw that they were asleep. She was going to talk to the Princess about this and the guards’ lack of vigilance.

Gwen, the Arcanist, was not amused of their antics.

Meanwhile, the silver haired girl’s friend was in the garden, holding a pair of training spears in each hand, dual wielding them as she stared down a guard with a very real spear held in his telekinetic grip.

The girl was very unusual, very different from her friend. While the other one with the silver hair seemed more human in comparison, this one was more like a dog. Her legs were furred with a paw instead of feet, still likened to that of an animal. Her head was also completely similar to that of a dog, save for the long blonde hair on the top of her head and cascading down to her back. That part was pretty human. But instead of forelegs and paws, she had arms and hands.

Quite a sight, especially given that she was wearing armor and clothes.

Three other guards were sitting on the sidelines, watching. The girl was slightly tense as she stayed in position, waiting for her opponent to make his move. The silence in the garden was aggravating.

The guard moved a hoof slightly in the dirt, bracing himself before making his move.

"CHAAAAAAAAARGE!"

The Canine Samurai blinked at the guard’s battle cry. She didn’t even need to be cautious before springing into action. She quickly brought the weapon in her right hand up to parry the guard's spear away and bring her other training weapon to his horn. A loud 'WHAP!' resulted in the harsh contact, making the other guards wince in sympathy.

Her opponent fell to the ground, holding his horn in pain as she turned to the other three guards. "So what have we learned today?" She asked with a chirp in her tone.

"That Sarge shouldn't charge like an idiot?" One of them, an orange unicorn, suggested.

Allie, the Bushi, grinned at the guard before looking down on the one still groaning on the ground.

Something was different.

I’ve been swimming inside the shadows of Canterlot, in the dimension accessed by the [Shadowwalk] skill. The ponies were still doing their business, but there was something wrong. They were talking about Discord.

Now normally that wouldn't be anything significant as the Spirit of Chaos had just gotten out and resealed a few weeks ago, but the story coming out of the gossiping ponies was that it only happened a few days ago. There was definitely something going on. That, or the ponies in the capital were a little late on the news. Unlikely, though.

Moving faster in the shadows, I quickly swam my way straight to the castle. If anyone had the answers on what was going on, then it would definitely be Sunnybutt.

Just as I was about to enter the shadows of the castle, something else caught my eye. The garden where Celestia kept her little statues, and also where she hid her petrified foes in plain sight, was ruined. Was Canterlot attacked recently? There was also something there that shouldn't be.

It was a dog. Or at least it resembled one. Maybe it was a Diamond Dog? But I’ve never seen one wearing that much clothes before, and this one was also female. Come to think of it, she's almost like a female version of Scias from Breath of Fire 4. I haven’t met a Diamond Dog with a snout that long.

Was she a new recruit for the Royal Guards? Odd, though, because from what I hear of the Canterlot Nobility they would never hire a 'Mutt' for their protection and usually raise a fuss whenever a non-pony signs up for the Guard.

Shaking my head and ignoring the subject for now, I turned towards the throne room. I'll think of that later. For now I need to find Celestia and see if something's wrong. Something had teleported me back to Equestria and I didn't know who or what did it. Maybe she'll know, and hopefully it's nothing to worry about.

Gwen dismissed the meeting, telling the nobles to come back two hours after lunch. She’ll have to continue talking about the Guilds later, for now she needs to prepare herself for whatever it was that was coming.

As the ponies stepped out of the room, she went over to the two sleeping guards, raising her weapon high.

'Whack!' “OW!”

'Whack!' “OUCH!”

Both guards rubbed their heads in pain, gulping nervously when they saw the Arcanist glaring down at them. After waking them up with liberal uses of her staff, she moved out of the meeting room with both of them at her side. Gwen winced as she turned her attention back to the flow of magic and found that whatever had disturbed her senses was getting closer.

"Be on guard." She spoke up sharply to the two stallions with her. "There is something in the castle."

"W-what?" The first guard she had hit stuttered slightly, the swift wake up still hampering his thought processes. "H-how can you tell?"

Gwen contemplated telling them but she also recognized that she didn't know how, whatever it was, moved or traveled so it could be listening in on them. She went with the easy response that most non-unicorns would accept.

"Magic."

That was what went through my ears. But for all the enhanced hearing my dragon form gave me, I may as well be deaf at the moment.

I thought that since there might have been an attack, the Elements of Harmony would be called. Celestia, from what I could recall, always sent for the Elements when something like an attack on the capital happens. I immediately switched destination. Family was more important than anything else, and I really didn't care much for the rulers of the land or most of its inhabitants. They could die for all I care.

I was hoping to see Applejack in one of the guest rooms in the castle and see if she was safe. She was one of the few that wormed into my heart, and I helped raise her since she was a filly; one of the few that I would, without hesitation, put my life on the line for just to protect.

What I didn't expect in my search, however, was the humanoid girl that just smacked two sleeping guards awake.

Humanoid. Because she wasn't a pony or a quadruped.

A girl. Definitely because her clothes were too feminine to be male. I didn't even notice the non-human ears as I was more focused on her face and posture. I didn't really care about her skin tone being a little too grey for a normal human. I'd forgotten that it wasn't normal for any my species at the moment. After spending centuries transforming into [Warrior] with different attributes, I stopped noticing that humans don't have grey skin, or orange skin, or blue ones.

Who was she? And why did I not know of her until now?

At least I found what may have been that cause of the garden’s state.

Narrowing my eyes in suspicion, I circled the hallway from inside the shadows. She was looking for something, that much he could tell. When I moved to the side, her head would suddenly turn.

I froze.

Could she sense me? How? I already knew that I could hide my presence while in the shadows since it was in a separate dimension, and so long as I don't use magic in human form then I was also safe from detection, even out in the open. But she could sense me?

I moved again, this time into one of the guard's shadow. Just as I suspected, her head moved towards my general direction, but she didn't look directly at me.

So, she can sense where I am, but she can't pinpoint my exact location.

Yet.

It was something that I learned a long time ago: “Never be certain that you're undetectable”. I made that mistake a few times in the past, and it caused a lot of injuries ranging from minor ones to major ones.

But that doesn't matter right now. I had to know who this girl was. Though, I'd much prefer it if she had been alone when confronting her. The guards and... Blueblood made that choice unavailable.

I hadn’t notice it before, but the spoiled prince had been trailing behind them for a while. He was going on and on about something, but the girl and her two guards simply ignored him like he wasn’t even there.

I had the displeasure of knowing who the Phoney Prince was during the Grand Galloping Gala that Applejack was invited to. The end of that event had been entertaining, but seeing him insult the Apple family’s cooking made me want to slap him across the room.

Well, I was already going to announce myself to the world after the Dragon Migration, showing myself to the Pompous Turd of nobility shouldn't be a problem. And if it did become a problem, then I had a [Skill] that could fix that.

With a nod to myself, I went over to the opposite end of the hall directly into her path. Her head Followed my movement, and I stepped out of the shadow. I didn’t rise from the ground or step out of the wall; I simply phased inside the shade of the shadow from wall by the window, where Celestia’s sun gave me enough darkness to do so.

I saw her tense as I made my appearance, and so did the guards. Blueblood continued to ramble on but stopped when he bumped into one of the guards.

“Watch where you’re going you…” our eyes made contact.

My dragon-scaled toes clacked on the marble floor. My arms were laxed by my side, and my wings were folded comfortably on my back. I tried to look as nonthreatening as possible, but the deep frown and suspicious glare on my face made that attempt almost impossible.

First impressions were always important, especially if you wanted to have a civilized conversation. If you show yourself as too threatening then they might be too much on guard to even speak to you properly, and any misunderstood gestures could end up with both parties at each others throats.

"Who…” I began slowly. “...are you?"

Her eyes moved from my scales to my horns, to my tail and then to my wings. I could see that she was thinking of many things. Her eyes told me as much. I saw her hesitance, probably debating whether or not to answer my question and just skip to the fight. But from the way her mouth thinned into a flat line, she had already made her decision.

“My name is Gwen, a Vessel, Arcanist, and current protector of this land.” she held her staff up defensively and I felt the humm of a spell silently being ready to cast. “And you are?”

I was surprised a bit that she answered willingly. I searched my memories of anyone with that name, but only came up with nothing. Now that the surprise from her appearance had worn off, I finally started to notice things.

Even if her appearance looked similar to a human, her arms and legs looked too thin to be healthy or normal. Her ears were long and furred, definitely not human.

"Never heard of you." I said bluntly, crossing arms. The movement only made her tense more, but I tried to not take notice of it. "As for who I am... My name is Ryu."

I took note that the guards in the room were also acting defensively. Come to think of it, why do they look more at ease around the girl? Then there was Blueblood.

"MONSTER!" he shouted, pointing a hoof at me accusingly. "Why did you come here! Are you after one of Equestria's Princes!? Guards, why are you just standing there!?"

My eyes went over to Blueblood's for a moment before going back to the girl. Let's pretend he doesn't exist and maybe, one day, it might come true. "I'd like to ask what you're doing here on Equestria." Depending on her answer I might have to get rid of her if she poses a threat to those I protect.

"Do not ignore me!"

Still ignoring Blueblood.

Oh how I wish I could use the [Silence] spell on that pony right now. But they might interpret that as an attack and retaliate. I wonder if I could make the pony disappear later. I don’t think Celestia would mind.

The way the girl, Gwen’s, eyes started to twitch made me recognize her ire for the pony as well. She held up one hand in a halting gesture before saying, “One moment, Ryu. I need to gag someone.”

Using her staff to point at Blueblood, a magic circle suddenly appeared underneath the stallion. Vines snapped out of the circle and started to bind the whiny noble, including his horn and snout.

Gwen looked back to me again, looking as though she didn't just hogtie one of Canterlot's nobility. “My comrade and I were sent here in Equestria over a thousand years ago. It was then that we put a stop to Discord’s rampage.” she stated. “Afterwards we were turned to stone and were only recently set free.”

What?

“Over a thousand years ago?” I repeated in mild disbelief, ignoring Blueblood’s muffled complaints. At least she was forthcoming with the information. Still... That doesn’t make sense. If they’ve been in Equestria for so long then why haven’t I heard of them. Helping Celestia and Luna in sealing Discord, the princesses should have made a public announcement of them, and rewarded them for their aid.

But no matter how hard I try to recall, I can’t remember any of that.

At the time I was still traveling all over the land, searching for clues to get back home. No matter how far I was, there should have been at least a bit of gossip about Gwen and her comrade, as well as their origins.

“You said that there was someone else with you.” I said. “Where are they now?”

“She’s probably outside in the garden given how Princess Luna is asleep and Princess Celestia is sending letters to the Griffin, Deer, and Zebra lands for assistance in the near future.”

My brows furrowed as I frowned. Why was Celestia sending letters? I already told her that I didn’t want any help from her. I also don’t recall any event where other nations were needed by Equestria.

Then I saw her face twist into a grimace. “Honestly, I don’t think you should disturb my friend. She might have an… adverse reaction towards your appearance.”

I looked down on myself and pondered. Yes, sometimes my scales and fangs do scare a lot of creatures when they see me for the first time. I remember them either screaming in terror while running away or picking up weapons to try and kill me. That’s why I prefer traveling through the shadows when passing by towns and villages.

Still, I already went by the gardens earlier and didn’t see any human looking creature there, only that Diamond Dog and some guards. From the way Gwen had described her, I’d say that her friend was a girl. Could the dog have been her friend?

“You gave me more questions that need answers.” I muttered to myself as I shook my head. “I need to find Celestia. Hopefully she can answer them all without being her aggravating self.”

I started backing away from the group of ponies and humanoid, ignoring how tense they became the further I stepped back. I raised my hand where a [Magic Ball] started pulsing and readied for my leave.

“It was nice to meet you, I suppose.”

The spell in my hand intensified in preparation for a bigger discharge given the distance between us. What I didn’t expect, however, was for her to be quick with her spells.

She swung her staff towards me, and I saw vines suddenly spring out of the ground where a magic circle laid. The surprise was enough to break my hold over my spell and forced the [Magic Ball] to dissipate into a static discharge instead of a flashbang. The buzz went through my body and I grunted from the backlash.

The vines wrapped around my upper body as I recovered. They moved around my arms and held on tight. I was bound before I knew it.

“Get Allie.” I heard Gwen tell the guards as I was too busy looking at the vines.

Well, crud. She must have thought that my spell was meant to be an attack. Even though I already counted her reaction to be something like that, I still wasn't expecting the speed of her spellcast.

I tested their hold and found that they didn’t even give me enough slack to wiggle my arms without moving my torso. I could probably break out of them if I increased my strength with [Might], but that would take too long and she might layer her spell with another one. That’s what I would have done.

“This won’t hold me.” I told the girl.

Even without my arms, I could still use my magic. I was also a dragon, which meant that my mouth could also spit out breath attacks. But [Warrior] was rather limited in that regard. I could also create a [Magic Ball] without using my hands, but I’d rather that be a surprise just in case I need a quick escape. I may have to take her down if her sensing me in the shadow becomes a nuisance.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I still need to find Celestia, and being bound here wasn’t going to let me do that.

Well, it might. But I rather not suffer the humiliation of being presented to her like a criminal. Even though I was sure that she’d love to see me like that.

Magic began to swirl inside my body, circulating through every part inside me. I condensed what I gathered and expelled them all at once.

“[Aura Burst!]”

A wave of pure dragon energy swept through the castle hall like a golden wall. Given that we were indoors, there was little possibility of them flying over it. They could have teleported through it, but they had to gauge the width of the wave if they wanted to escape from it unharmed.

When the force hit them all at once, I dove quickly into the shadows and made my escape.

I made sure to pull back enough in the attack so that I didn’t kill anyone. I don’t know how much that girl means to Celestia, but it’s better to keep her alive than take a chance in angering the Sun Princess.

Images of the other side of the shadows flashed by rapidly as I willed myself to move faster in the dimension. The vines that bound my arms wasted away after stepping out of range of the girl's circle. That was interesting. I better remember that next time if I ever go up against her.

From what I’ve seen based on Blueblood's binding and my own, the magic circle that appears from her spells was something very significant in creating the magic effects.

It was a pretty basic Formal Craft. Phenomenons created through the use of Arcane Circles, powered by the caster’s magic. The Runes in the circle act as the program data to weave the intended outcome of the ritual. I suppose her claim of being an Arcanist wasn’t much of a boast but an actual fact.

I’ve encountered my fair share of magic circles during my travels, but I’ve never seen one that was successfully created through pure magic before. She more or less solidified her magic and used that as the material to perform the ritual for those vines. Then there was the speed of her spell weaving.

Definitely not human. That Gwen girl was definitely not human. Unless she had some sort of computer in that staff of hers, then the calculations needed to perform her type of magic style is beyond what humans are capable of.

I passed by the throne room, but that was empty. Gwen said that Celestia was sending letters so I may need to look for her in her office. But there was a problem with that.

Even though I’ve been in Equestria for a very long time, I’ve never actually been to Canterlot very much. Canterlot Castle especially. I’ve been trying to keep myself as far away from the Sun Princess as possible, just in case I mess up and expose myself to her. The only reason I even knew where the guest rooms were was because of Applejack, and that had been when I was stalking her and her friends from the shadows.

I knew nothing of the twists and turns of the castle, and the throne room was easy enough to find because it was close to the front door. Dammit. This might take a few minutes. The guards scrambling all over the halls was just making things more difficult.

“Gweeeeeeeeeeen!”

My head turned over to one of the images in the dimension, showing me the other side of the shadows. The Diamond Dog that I saw earlier was running frantically in the halls and bowling over the guards that got in her way.

“I don’t want you to die because I got lost!”

I watched her run farther and farther before disappearing at the end of the hall, turning sharply into another path. As soon as she did, however, an immense sense of dread washed over me.

Ba-Bump

I shuddered inside the shadow, gasping as one of my hands went to my chest.

Past the corner where Ryu saw Allie disappear to, the one he mistakenly identified as a Diamond Dog, the girl stared at marble white wall in front of her.

“Awwwwww, a dead end.” she whined, her ears flopping down sadly on her head. “Maybe Gwen’s on the other side?”

She reached down by her side and pulled out her sword, her most powerful weapon, Amano Habakiri. The pitch black blade forged from the scale of a terrible dragon that she and her friends slew back in her own world. Even after a thousand years, the blade still bled with the evil of its dragon host.

Allie took a stance and began to gather power, looking on with determination at the wall.

What was that?!

Ba-dump

“Kha…!”

Something was very, very wrong. Something out there was calling out to me-- No… calling out to a part of me.

Closing my eyes, I looked inside myself and searched for whatever it was that reacted to what was outside the shadow dimension.

Eighteen orbs came to the forefront of my mind. Eighteen orbs that represented an aspect of the Brood’s power.

The five elements: [Flame], [Frost], [Thunder], [Shadow], and [Radiance]

The Sword and Shield: [Force] and [Defender]

The genes that bring about the Brood’s hidden potential: [Eldritch], [Miracle], [Gross], [Thorn] and [Reverse].

Then the rest, the most unique of the Brood’s line of abilities:

[Mutant], the mutation of the dragon’s blood.

[Trance], the gene that aided me in controlling my strongest form.

[Failure], the unfortunate side of my power that grants me my weakest form.

[Fusion], the power that allows me to take on the characteristic of an ally close to me.

[Infinity], the True power of the Brood.

[???], and finally the unidentified Gene. I never really knew what it did, both in the game and while living here on Equestria.

Out of the eighteen orbs represented in my mind, one had been been pulsing in tune with my heartbeat.

The [Shadow] gene was the power of the Brood obtained from the accumulated hate of the slain dragons.

D. Zombie, the enemy where the original Ryu obtained the Gene from, was a fake dragon created by the hate and lament of the Brood that became Chrysm, crystal fossils, in the Dauna Mines.

It bore the hatred of the dragons against Myria’s Guardians, the ones who blindly hunted them down only because it was deemed by their “God”. It kept urging the original Ryu to kill the Guardian that had been with him at the time.

Garr was one of Myria’s four Guardians, the target of D. Zombie’s hate. Garr, at the time, had been questioning his actions against the Brood, as well as the “God” he served for five hundred years. He was going to take Ryu to meet with his God and ask the truth about the war between them and the Brood.

After defeating D. Zombie, the fake dragon turned into a black Chrysm. The original Ryu took the Chrysm and absorbed its power to unlock the [Shadow] gene. It contained the malefic power of the Brood, their hate, their anguish, their call for revenge after being forced to hide deep underground to escape Myria and her Guardians.

Though it had been small, there was a chance for the gene to corrupt Ryu after obtaining it. It was only thanks to another spirit that he was able to keep it in check.

The [Fusion] gene had also been a spirit-turned Chrysm. However, the truth behind it was unknown. It took on the form of a woman with wings, similar to the women of the Dragon Clan in the previous Breath of Fire series. It could have been like the D. Zombie, but was the accumulated kindness of the Brood, instead. Another theory had been that she was the original Ryu’s mother.

If the [Fusion] had been keeping the [Shadow] in check inside me, similar to the original, then there must be something out there that was resonating with the malicious part of my power. But for it to affect me even inside another dimension, it must be another dragon with an unimaginable amount of power for it to resonate with the malicious side of mine.

I looked at my shoulder and saw my tanned skin slowly turning purple, a characteristic I gain when adding the [Shadow] gene with the [Force] gene.

“Hahh… hahh…”

I was still gasping for breath as the forced splicing continued to mold my current gene with another. Though I knew that I could add more genes to my current form even while transformed, I never really practiced it much because the pain that it causes me was too much for it to become practical during combat. If I could get as far away from what’s causing my forced splicing, then maybe it’ll stop.

There was a resounding boom in the corner where that Diamond Dog ran, and I had the sudden urge to find out what caused it.

I shook my head and forced myself to look away.

No. I needed to find Celestia. Whatever that was could come later. Because of my Psychic abilities, I’m able to sense the lingering essence of dead dragons in their remains. Like how the original Ryu is able to sense the Brood in their Chrysm and absorb their power to unlock more of his Brood lineage. Something like that was happening right now. But instead of me calling out to it, it was calling out to me.

Another shudder came over me. Whatever it was I didn’t need it, nor do I want it. With the power I gained after training for almost one thousand years, I don’t need any corrupting element to coax me into destroying the world.

I knowthat I can destroy this world given that nothing has ever forced me to break my self imposed rule of limiting myself to [Warrior] and [Myrmidon]. Even if they were my most powerful in terms of Physical prowess, they still pale compared to the Destructive force of my other forms.

I breathed out a sigh of relief as the [Shadow] gene returned to its dormant state after making some distance between me and whatever it was that agitated my blood. I flushed out all of its aspect from my [Warrior] form and my skin returned to its normal tan color.

Either whatever it was had been sealed or went into hiding, I was hoping that I never encounter it ever again. I wasn’t even paying attention to where I was going, only to get as far away from it as possible.

“Where am I anyway?”

I looked through the windows/images/portals that allowed me to see the other side of the dimension using the shadows themselves. Thanks to the amount of darkness in the area, I was able to see perfectly what was on the other side.

It was a room, or a chamber I suppose given its grand size. On the ceiling were little twinkling lights that looked like stars. Even with the curtains drawn, blocking out the sunlight, I could perfectly see that the room’s interior decoration was heavily colored blue. Velvet blue.

From the four posted bed that was in there, it’s easy enough to deduce that it was someone’s room.

Luna’s to be exact.

I remember heading as far up into the castle as I could, running away from that resonance earlier. I didn’t expect to find Luna instead of her sister, though.

In any case, she’ll do. Even if she doesn’t come out that often in public, she should still be well informed of the happenings inside the castle.

Stepping out of the shadows, I made my way over to the sleeping alicorn. I looked down on her peacefully sleeping face and pursed my lips. Based from personal experience, waking up from a violent or sudden nudge tended to get me cranky for the rest of the day.

Moving my hand over the pony princess’ face, I began poking her awake.

“Luna, wake up.”

“Uungh…” the alicorn groaned, moving away from my hand and digging herself deeper into the sheets. “Leave Us be sister.”

“Do I sound like your sister?” I asked the pony.

She stopped her shuffling and froze in bed.

“Luna, I need some questions answered.”

Her eyes opened and looked up at me. Her eyes roamed my scales, horns and wings similar to how Gwen did earlier.

“What’s been happening here since I went away?”

Then her horn started glowing.

That can’t be good.

BOOM!

Down in one of the castle’s hallway the, still, lost and wandering Bushi stopped in her search for the Sun Princess to look at the direction of the loud disturbance.

“Explosions are really bad if F.O.E.s are behind it.”

She ran towards Luna’s room with her impressive speeds, overtaking the guards that were on their way to the room as well.

Stopping in front of the large double doors, she opened them with a bang. “Luna-loo! You okay?” she called out.

She and the arriving guards blinked at the state of the room. Then blinked again when they found their princess standing over something that was splayed out on the floor.

“Ha-HA!” the Lunar Princess cried out. “Assassin! Thou thought Us vulnerable in Our slumber? Think once more!”

I blinked. My eyes hurt. It usually does when you take on a blast of alicorn magic to the face. The front half of my body also ached a bit from her follow up attack. If I hadn’t been in my [Warrior] form then that would have hurt more.

I frowned, looking down, or up if you will, at the alicorn. Hadn’t I kicked her out of that old fashioned speech?

“That wasn’t funny, Luna.” I told her.

“What gave thee right to call thine Princess by her name!” Her chin was raised as she looked down on me.

I looked up from where I was on the ground after noticing the light shining into the dark room. The Diamond Dog that was in the garden earlier was there, along with a few guards. Now that the dog was closer, though, I noticed that something about her unsettled me greatly.

I threw up a [Magic Ball] from my hand towards the ceiling, where it discharged a blinding flash of light that allowed me to [Shadowwalk] myself to another side of the room, away from the princess and the door. And the dog. Especially the dog.

I’m really exposing myself to a lot of people today, I noticed. I didn’t care about the guards. But Gwen and the dog were different.

I waited for them to stop rubbing their eyes, the darkness of the room adding potency to the spell since they had to adjust to it. I still needed my questions answered, and Luna was the closest one at the moment to answer them.

“I am not amused, Luna.” I deadpanned at the alicorn.

The alicorn turned with a scowl on her face. “Again.Thou speaketh Our name as though We know thee. Name thyself, insolent cur!”

“Stop acting like you don’t know me.” I said. “It makes me want to slap you.”

“You DARE!”

Her horn flashed but I wasn’t even impressed. There wasn’t enough build up to kill me or even stun me.

“What are you playing, Luna.” I said with a scowl.

“It’s not you who should be asking that.”

My attention went over to the opened door. The dog and the guards all stepped aside to let the another alicorn through. The pony I’ve been searching finally arrived, but she was not happy.

“It is us who should be asking you.” she said.

“Celestia.” I acknowledged the pony.

It was then that the guards finally managed to find their competence and moved themselves in front of the two princesses.

“How did you sneak past us!” one of them demanded. They were bat ponies, Luna’s personal guards. They didn’t have any visible weapons, but they fangs were laid bare for me to see.

The dog was still rubbing her eyes, probably because of her enhanced sight like the other Diamond Dogs. Though she asked me something weird.

“Did you come because of the giant sheep attack that Discord caused when he got free?”

Outwardly I just stared at her. Inwardly I was scratching my head.

What?

Giant sheep attack? Did Discord do something like that?

“Huh?” the dog finally stopped rubbing her eyes and for the first time, I’m guessing, managed to get a clear look at me. Then what came next reminded me a lot of Pinkie Pie. “Dragon Human Hug Attack!”

“Hrk!”

The dog rushed me faster than I could blink. She hopped right before making contact and latched on to me like an over affectionate barnacle. If this was a real attack then I’d say that it’s pretty effective. I can’t even squirm.

I was suddenly very, very uncomfortable. This dog was the source of the resonance from earlier. There was a certain taste of taint around her, but not coming from her. I don’t know. I can’t really think at the moment.

I looked at Celestia, but she wasn’t making a move to tell the girl to get off. Luna also didn’t seem to care, much. Even the guards were only staring at me and the clingy girl. They were acting like this was normal.

Where was Celestia’s cautious look on me? Where did those lessons with Luna go? Why were the guards still incompetent even after I snuck past them weeks ago and crashed the celebration for the Mane six after sealing Discord? Why the hell was this dog being so clingy!?

“The hell is going on!” I roared and struggled more in the dog’s grasp.

She didn’t seem to care.

“I’m giving you a hug.” she said. None of her limbs even slackened as she talked. “And for some reason you tried to wake Luna up after the big super duper party we had last night."

I don’t really care that you all had a party last night. I’d care more if you just let go.

The girl hummed, blinking at me. Her snout was too close to my face. "Oh yeah, have you seen what happened to one of the halls? I heard from the guard that something happened there and my best friend is there but I got lost and I really don't want--"

“I’m fine!”

I looked past the living vice grip and saw Gwen, hobbling through the door, using her staff for support to keep her upright.

"And before you attack anyone else, I want you to talk to me and me alone!" she shouted.

“That won’t be a problem the way I am right now.” I could wiggle my hands, but I couldn’t move my arms.

No matter how much I struggled, the girl just would not let go. I couldn’t really use [Shadowwalk] with her clinging on so tightly. I wouldn’t slip past her but drag her along with me to the shadow dimension.

If she had been clinging on to me with malicious intentions then maybe I wouldn’t be so reluctant to use more force to get her off. But she wasn’t. It was just a hug. An over affectionate hug, but still a hug. Guilt would nag at me if I hurt her for being nice.

I wonder if this is the “Allie” that Gwen asked that guard to fetch earlier.

I looked at the girl clinging on to me and got a doggy grin in return. From the breeze that kept hitting my pants, her tail must also be wagging.

Dammit. Why were there people who act like over affectionate puppies? Pinkie Pie was already hard enough to resist, now I have this girl that actually looks like a dog. I don’t know if I should start hating my soft spot for children and animals, or what.

“Do you recognize this?”

I looked back to Gwen, who was holding a familiar bundle of threads for me to see.

"If you do, then congratulations, you accidentally entered our universe... somehow." She said that last part while clapping a little. I think it was sarcasm. "If not, then, to quote one of my comrades from Tharsis, 'you are bonkers'."

I frowned and pondered over what she said. At least things were starting to make sense now. She traded looks with both Luna and Celestia, probably over what we were talking about right now.

Still clinging on me, the dog giggled. “Bonkers is a silly word.”

No one needed to tell me that I was bonkers. I already went back and forth between there and the state I am right now.

I sighed. Still, now I know what was happening and why I was so confused by how everyone was acting. I was in an alternate version of Equestria.

I was in another Displaced’s world. It’s what we call the humans and whatnot shoved into the many versions of Equestria. Like me, I suppose.

The reason why I knew about them was because of the random selection of trinkets that I’ve been finding everywhere after my training: A coin, a gauntlet, a piece of jewel...

I don’t know how, or why, but those tokens have the ability to seek and follow the Displaced wherever they may be. I saw the same piece of tokens appear before me during my training, but I never picked them up because I was too busy focusing on mastering my magic. A few years later I saw them again, only on a different location.

When I finally did pick one up, however, I heard a voice talking inside my head. They told me their name along with their oath or titles. Not really something I was prepared to use given the amount of magical artifact that I’ve uncovered during my first years of traveling in this world. More than half of what I found back then had demons sealed in them, that’s why I was so reluctant to even use one.

I didn’t know if they were good, or bad. I wasn’t sure I could even beat them if they decided to take over my Equestria. I’ve kept all of those artifacts inside my pouch as well as the tokens of the other Displaced.

If the other Displaced were like Gwen here, then maybe I can finally use one of those tokens without fear.

I looked at Gwen’s attire again, only this time I didn’t ignore their design. It definitely wasn’t native of this world, from what I can tell. It didn’t even remind me of anything in my travels.

“So this is a Displaced…” I muttered before looking at the dog again. “Both of you, right?”

Gwen gave me a look as the dog, Allie I suppose, only tilted her head.

“Don’t give me those looks.” I said. “I know of the Displaced, but I never met one before. I didn’t use any of the tokens that I found and I never made one of my own.”

I started squirming again in Allie’s grip, hoping that the topic distracted her enough to slacken her hold. No dice.

"After escaping my version of Luna and Celestia's [Petrifying Beam of Friendship], I spent most of my thousand years honing my magic and creating new ones.” I explained. “I found a few of those tokens but never used them. I don't trust random magical trinkets falling out of the sky or ones that conveniently appears before me, no matter how well the voices tell me otherwise."

“I suppose that there are some pretty Evil Displaced out there.” Gwen nodded. “But yes. Both Allie and I are also Displaced. We came from the same world.”

The dog wrapped around me finally started to move. I held some hope that she might let me go now that the misunderstanding was cleared, but she crawled over to my back instead. At least my arms were free.

“You wanna spar?” she suddenly asked. I looked at her over my shoulder, raising a brow. “The best way to become friends is through battle--”

Not really my style.

“--Then you might have more friends!”

“Because friendship is magic.” Gwen concluded for her friend as she palmed her face.

“I’m not in the mood for spars at the moment.” I told the girl on my back. Besides, I’d rather not fight her if possible. I felt that if we did, I’d regret it. Dearly. That taint around her might do something irreversible to me.

Reaching into my [Inventory] pouch, I pulled out the thread that brought me into this world. “This fell on me and unraveled by accident. That probably triggered whatever it was that sent me here.”

Gwen looked at the bundle of thread and nodded. “That’s our token. It's called an Ariadne Thread. It can be used as a way to escape Dungeons, Labyrinths, and the like, almost instantaneously along with anyone with you."

A warping item, huh. It would have been useful to me a thousand years ago.

"Ya gotta take one with you everywhere!” Allie spoke up on my back. I could tell her tail was wagging from the draft hitting my back pants. "You never know when something could poison you or kill you or when a giant evil moth could attack!"

I'll... keep that in mind.

"Ignore her. Our home universe is not a very nice one." Gwen muttered. "I can send you back if you wish to do so now."

The original Ryu’s own world also wasn’t very nice.

"I would appreciate that." I said. Looking at the girl I took note of how she was using her staff for support.

I tried not to grimace. That was most definitely my fault. I was surprised that she wasn't in a hospital right now, she was tiny if you compare her to me. Her limbs were thin and looked like I could easily snap it with little effort. My [Aura Burst] definitely had broken some of her bones earlier, that was for sure, probably more than the guards that were with her. She must have some healing spells if she's able to hobble herself all the way here.

"I'd also like to apologize for earlier. I tend to react violently when I get trapped. I hope you can forgive me for that."

I placed a hand over my chest and slowly pulled out a book with a feathered pen strapped on its cover from inside me. The [Diary] was my magical artifact. It did more than just serve as a book to write my experience in, it also contained the skills that I could use and the ones I created over the years.

Opening the book, I pulled out a page. I didn't rip it off, it simply came off without trouble.

"I am Ryu, the dragon of the nigh extinct Brood. I am the Kaiser who carries the legacy of its slaughtered kin. I am one who believes in Vengeance, for the wronged ones without power, for the lives who cry out for Justice unheard. Call to me when the innocence of the Pure is threatened by the Corrupt. I will smite them with Fury and cleanse them with the fires of Rage."

The page I pulled out slowly dissipated into light. Replacing it in my hand was an item, a Dragon Tear.

"Ominous," one of the guards remarked. All eyes fell on him and he began to sweat heavily from the stares of the Princesses, the two local heroes and the Dragon.

I flicked the accessory item with my is thumb over to Gwen. "I hope you'll accept this as a peace offering."

"I accept your apology." Gwen nodded catching the token in mid-air. She gave the guard a flat stare before turning back to me. "I accept this token as well. If you ever need a few hands in a fight, you know how to contact us."

Allie hopped off with a slight whine. I was thankful for that. It was almost time for me to leave. "Bye, Mr. Reeu."

Well hey. I got a new nickname.

The sound of Gwen's hand meeting her face was audible in the room. The guards even winced a little from the sound of flesh meeting flesh.

“Goodbye, Pup.”

I placed a hand on her head and ruffle her hair slightly. I also couldn’t help scratching her ears a little. If I had been a few centuries younger, the action would have been embarrassing for me. But after living in a land full of ponies and other sapient animals, I’ve learned to ignore it.

I dropped their token into my pouch so that I wouldn’t lose it, then wrote its name into the [Diary]. After putting my book away I looked over to the Arcanist and nodded. "I'm ready to go. The Dragon Migration is close and they need every claw they can get."

Allie's tailed wagged before Gwen spoke.

"Noble Ryu, I break our Contract. You may go home."

An amused smirk crawled over my face from what she said. I barked out a bit of laugh at that. “Noble?”

The shadow under me thickened, and I could feel a great pull coming from the other side.

I smiled at everyone in the room and took in their reaction to my fanged grin. "There is nothing noble about a killer."

Activating my skill, I fell into my shadow. Just as the link to their world disappeared, I heard the Arcanist’s words.

“We’re killers, too, honestly…”

I smiled in amusement before diving deep into the dimension.

As I traveled between worlds, I saw glimpses from their shadows. Then I recalled all of the tokens that I had with me. If they were anything like Gwen and Allie, then maybe the other Displaced weren’t so bad.

I took out my [Diary] once again as my travel continued. Pulling out a few pages from the book I scattered them all inside the Void.

“To those who find themselves alone and without ally, use my token and call out my name. I will come and be there by your side to help you, to protect you, and to save you. Let me be your salvation!!”

The pages all crumbled into light and changed into Dragon Tears, falling into the other worlds that I passed.

I saw myself heading straight to another portal. Was it my Equestria or another’s? It doesn’t matter for now.

I willed myself to go faster, and saw the light on the other side. I broke through the portal with a roar.

Rhyme and Reasons

Author's Note

This didn't take me long, at all! I went to 2000 words per day! Enjoy, guys and gals!

Rhyme and Reasons

The clear blue sky greeted me as I emerge from the shadows. I didn’t stop to see where I was in fear that someone might see me and make a profile of my appearance. I flew higher and higher until I felt the cold frost begin to gather on my skin. Only then did I stop and look down on where I was.

It was Equestria, for which I was glad for. From the angle of my flight, it seems that I came out of Canterlot itself. It may have been because of the parallels of both universes.

Now to see if I this was my Equestria.

Wrapping my tail around my legs in a downward spiral, I squeezed both limbs together. I also wrapped my wings around my body and began my descent from the sky. I angled my drop towards the Everfree and increased my speed with some manipulation of the wind while reducing the air resistance further.

I fell so fast that I don’t think that anyone would have gotten a clear view of what I was. I reached the ground in seconds and unfolded my wings with a snap, sending gales to the ground and into the forest. The wind magic that I added immediately after made sure that the drop wouldn’t have killed me.

I landed down with a thud and sunk in a small crater made from the excess force. The forest was quiet as the roars of the gale died down.

I stood up and cracked my neck for a moment. Those types of entry stung, even with my dragon form. But other than the landing they were my best choice whenever I needed to infiltrate someplace heavily guarded, or if I didn’t want to get spotted from the sky. Anyone close by for my entry would have been blown back and before they regain their bearings I would already be in the shadows.

That was actually a very extreme version of my skill, [Jump]. In the game it was an attack that inflicts a random amount of damage ranging from the character’s normal attack to their critical hit. Here, though, that no longer applies. It relies more on physics now instead of the game’s description.

Looking around, it looks like I scared off all of the animals in the area. I landed quite a few distance away from Ponyville and the zebra that lived in the forest. If I wanted to confirm that this was my world, then I’ll need to find either Applejack or Big Mac. And fortunately for me the farm isn’t that far from where I was.

With another application of [Shadowwalk] I entered my own shadow and made my way to the farm.

I wasn’t able to find Applejack on the farm. But I did find the big red apple.

“Psst. Big Mac”

“Eeyup!” he stopped pulling a cart full of apples and looked around, searching.

“Quick question. Who’s your favorite uncle?”

“Uncle Rahy?” The stallion’s head whipped around once again, this time looking for me specifically.

“Thank God.” I sighed in relief. “I’m in the right one.”

I pulled myself out of the cart’s shadow and Bic Mac was looking at me oddly. I dusted my hands and met his questioning look.

“I accidentally got sent to another world.”

He raised a brow.

“No, this one was different. The last one was an artificially created space inside the dimension by an ancient spirit.”

His lips quirked a bit upward.

“No. They didn’t worship me in this world. And no, none of them offered themselves to me.” I frowned. “How many times do I have to tell you that it’s true. I wasn’t making any of my stories up. I did meet those sea ponies and they wanted me because of my blood.”

And now his chuckling as he made his way to the barn with the cart.

“And Salt Water was real. She was a great mare.” though I don’t think she’s alive anymore.

“Eeyup!”

I think that was sarcasm.

I sighed. No point in convincing him. “Say, Big Mac, where’s AJ?”

He stopped for a moment and pointed over to town. Maybe she was in charge of the stall today?

“I’m going to go and say hi before I get going again. See ya, Big Mac.”

“Eeyup.”

I watched him enter the barn before I dove inside the shadows again. Applejack gets a bit cranky when I pass by but don’t say hello. Hopefully I can see Applebloom as well.

The town was oddly silent when I arrived. There wasn’t a single pony out in the streets, but there were some in the houses. Something about all of this smelled fishy.

I went to the marketplace and also found it empty. By this time of the day the place should have been bustling with activity. I knew that because Granny Smith would have been at the stall with Applejack while Big Mac and I would be back in the farm bucking apples. That was how it was back then. To find this place so deserted sent warning bells ringing inside my head.

I searched the whole town, worried about Applejack. I went in and out of houses as fast as I could while also checking the streets and alleys. Thankfully I found the mare with Twilight Sparkle and the zebra Zecora on the edge of town. Even though I found my surrogate family, a new kind of worry replaced the old one as I saw them looking at Applebloom. The filly was tap dancing with a panicked expression while covered with tattoos. She also had a metal ring being played by her tail like a hula-hoop and two spinning plates balanced on sticks on the top of her head.

No, wait. Those weren’t tattoos. They were Cutie Marks. All of them were Cutie Marks.

Damn. Old memories flashed through my mind. I recalled a scene similar to this one. I remember ponies all covered in tattoos and doing random things associated with said tattoos.

I took out my [Diary] and opened it. An old entry of mine suddenly started to write itself on the page, detailing my experience of the odd malady.

I encountered something odd today. I saw ponies covered in Cutie Marks and saw every single one of them doing what the marks represented.

There was a pegasus doing farm work, a unicorn doing the weather, and an earth pony drawing a magic circle in the middle of the street.

Those were only some of the few that I found odd, considering their pony race. The disease was called Cutie Pox, apparently. They force ponies to perform the talent the Cutie Mark represent and don’t stop until the pony is dead or all of the talents were done and fulfilled.

In the case of the latter group, they would always have the urge, or need, to perform their marks no matter how much they don’t want to. This could be prevented by knocking out said pony, but it continues as soon as they wake up thus repeating the cycle once again.

I hope they get the cure here soon. Knocking out Hard Glare again and again for the last five days is getting harder when I can’t get a wink of sleep because I need to reapply the spell every two hou--

Great. She’s awake again.

Oh, right. Now I remember. Hard Glare was a pegasus I met in Baltimare. The cause of the epidemic was a kind of tea that a pony named Taste Buds was selling at the time. The cure was supposed to be some kind of flower, but I was too tired to write about it and forgot it after waking up. I didn’t do anything to Taste Buds, though. His business was ruined from what I recall and no one even wanted to buy anything he sold.

“Applejack.” I called out to the mare from inside her shadow.

She jumped slightly from being startled. Her head whipped around looking for me like her brother did.

“Uncle?”

Twilight Sparkle and the zebra turned, hearing her call.

“Ryu’s here?” Twilight Sparkle did the same thing Applejack was doing, only in a more frantic manner. Maybe she’s mad that I didn’t say goodbye when I left?

“Uncle, where are ya?”

“Stop looking for me, Applejack. It looks suspicious.” I said from inside the shadow. “Now correct me if I’m wrong, but does Applebloom have the Cutie Pox?”

“How do you know about the Cutie Pox?!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed. I didn’t like the way the ponies in their homes turned to her because of her outburst. “Don’t tell me you came all the way from the Paleopony period!”

“Don’t be stupid, Sparkle. I may be old, but I’m not that old.” I grunted. “I came to Equestria in the late Pre-Classical era.” Where I had to learn how to speak Ye Olde Equish just to communicate with others. Me speak like caveguy, though.

“Then how do you know of the Cutie Pox?” she asked. She still didn’t stop looking around.

I saw another Cutie Mark appear on Applebloom. Then she started lifting a dumbbell with her tail.

...

...You know. I always had suspicions that earth pony tail and mane were actually tiny strands of muscle fiber and not hair at all. I’ve seen them perform acts that should be impossible with hair, yet do it anyway. From what Applebloom was showing me with that dumbbell, there might actually be some truth in that random thought after all.

Back to Sparkle’s question. “Something similar happened in Baltimare a few centuries ago. An Earth Pony was selling tea that started the disease. A unicorn that gained a precognition talent because of the Cutie Pox managed to guess the cure. They had it shipped to the city within two weeks.”

I was a bit worried when Applebloom started juggling bowling balls. I fought down the urge to take them away since I knew that if I did she’d only be forced to look for something heavier to juggle. The only thing keeping her from making a mistake were her artificially acquired talents.

“Taste Buds was the scion of a very wealthy family.” I continued. “They threw away their entire fortune just to keep the ponies silent of their son’s mistake. But that didn’t stop their businesses from closing down entirely because of the event.”

“Ya know the cure, then, Uncle?” Appejack asked.

“Unfortunately, no.” I told them. “All I know was that the cure was some sort of flower and that there was a special procedure needed to make it grow.”

Applebloom seems to have heard our conversation. “Uncle Rahy, is that you?”

I went over to her shadow and tried my best to sooth the panicking filly. “There, there, Applebloom. Yes, it’s me. Just keep calm, we’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

“Then…”

“We have Zecora here with us.”

“Zecora?” Applejack asked. She and Twilight Sparkle looked over to the zebra who had a smile on her face.

“Ah, the hunter in the Everfree. Do my ears deceive me?”

I smiled as well inside the shadow, moving over back to the older mares. I looked at the zebra with amusement. “No worries, dear, for I am he, the one you met walking in the forest of Everfree.”

The zebra chuckled as the two ponies with her looked confused. “Such a pleasant encounter to find somepony for a quick relaxing banter. But now is no time for rhymes, I’m afraid. Young Applebloom is still in need of our aid.”

“I’m sure you already found the way to help Applebloom and save the day.”

“Indeed. I already have the solution.” she took out something from the basket hanging on her side. “With the Seeds of Truth we’ll put this problem to a conclusion.”

“Well, what’r we supposed ta do with ‘em?” Applejack asked. “We need ta hurry.”

“Do not be so quick, my pony friend. These do not grow similar to the trees you tend.” Zecora said. “For these seeds to grow, one must tell the truth. It matters not who says them, but they must be pure and absolute.”

I poked a single dragon finger from out of the shadow behind Applejack’s hoof, then used my wind magic to drill a hole in the ground. The three mares looked down at the little twister between them with a bit of fascination. After the hole was dug I used my invisible telekinesis to levitate the seeds from Zecora’s hoof to the hole and covered it. Hopefully no one noticed my finger.

I saw a cowlick suddenly spring out of Sparkle’s mane, and her eyes regained that manic look in them like last time during her “Tardy” episode.

“You’re invisible!” the lavender mare exclaimed before she started waving her hoof around her in hopes of finding me.

That’s… adorably funny, I have to admit.

“No time for that now, Twi.” Applejack said. “The seeds ‘r already planted, now soMEPONY TELL THE TRUTH!”

I looked around the closed houses to see if there was anyone who was willing to spill their secrets just save my surrogate niece. I could only sigh when no one did. I suppose that was a little too much to do for a stranger.

“Quick, Sparkle.” I said. “Tell us. Did you actually make a scheme where you would strap me down on a metal table just so you could extract every historical detail I had in me?”

That snapped the scholar out of her little episode. “What?! No! Of course not!”

I looked at the seeds. There was no movement.

“Sparkle…” I said slowly. “Are you lying to me?”

“Twilight!” Applejack exclaimed.

“No, of course not!” the unicorn denied. “I didn’t plan on doing anything like that!”

The seeds conspicuously didn’t move.

“Maybe not...” I relented. “But you must have been planning something similar!”

“NO!”

“Uncle!” Applejack exclaimed. “Stop picking on Twilight!”

“Meh. It was worth a shot.”

“WHAT!” Sparkle cried out. “You were picking on me?!”

“...You make it sound like I was on to something.”

“...No?”

Suspicious.

Just then, Applebloom gained another Cutie Mark. It showed a picture of a tornado. The little filly began to twirl in a way that would probably make every ballerina in the world green with envy. If she worked on her form she probably would have been accepted to any ballet school in Equestria.

“Waahhh!” Applebloom cried.

Oh dammit. Becoming a living pony tornado was definitely not a safe talent. Her legs were out stretched and her mouth was open while she screamed. The blood in her body would be forced to the tip of her hooves, and I don’t even know what her spin would do with the blood in her head. Worst of all was that if another Cutie Mark appears she’ll stop abruptly.

And that’s bad for her neck.

I phased out of the shadow dimension and into the shade of a nearby house. I ignored the sudden gasp of every pony in the area and dove straight at the filly tornado. She was spinning so fast I can’t even pick out any details of her face.

[Mind’s Eye]

With the help of the psychic skill, my perception increased significantly and my eye for detail rose as well. With both of them raised my ability to predict moves based on muscle movement was increased.

In the game it was a skill that increases the character’s hit rate. When I use it, however, it allows me to predict the highest probable move of whatever I see in front of me. And right now I’m using it to time Applebloom’s movement so that I can grab her while following through the direction of her spin.

I saw my chance and took it. The filly took me with her as her twirl continued. Because she was an earth pony she had no trouble carrying my weight, but I had been dragging my feet as I held my grip on her. She thankfully started to slow down, but I had to keep my arms firmly around her since her body still refused to stop.

As the dust cleared I was on my back, with the filly still struggling in my grip. I grunted every time her hoof hit me in the face because of her tap dancing and moved her higher when one of her hind hooves came a little too close to my privates.

“Ah’m sorry!”

“It’s fine.” I told the filly. I was still on my back and holding her close. “I don’t feel them, anyway.”

“Applebloom!” Applejack ran up to us but kept her distance from the filly’s uncontrolled hooves. “Are ya alright, Uncle.”

“Peachy.”

I ignored the looks of horror the ponies the houses were giving me. Their thoughts don’t really matter as my family's safety came first. I’ll make them pay if start something with the Apples just because they were associated with me.

I felt the filly on me stop waving her hooves. Instead I started to feel her vibrate. Dammit. I might need to cast [Sleep] on her and get her the cure later.

“Wah! Ah can’t stand it anymore!” the filly cried out. I still held firm just in case. “Ah admit it! Ah didn’t earn mah Cutie Mark!”

I saw the soil where I buried the seeds start to move thanks to my still active [Mind’s Eye].

“They're all fake!” Applebloom continued. “Ah figured the Heart's Desire would help me get what Ah wanted most! So when Zecora left her hut, ah mixed up a special potion and put the rest of the Heart's Desire in it!”

Oh I am going to scold her after this.

The Seeds of Truth quickly grew from the filly’s confession. It sprouted from the seeds and grew straight into a flower. I plucked it out of the ground with my telekinesis and hover it in front of the filly.

Applebloom didn’t hesitate biting down on the flower and started chewing. She swallowed it all in one gulp and sighed in relief.

I held her by her sides and raised her up. We all watched as how the assortment of Cutie Marks vanish and left her with her normal yellow fur and lack of Cutie Mark.

“Applebloom!”

“Are you okay?”

I placed the filly down beside me as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came running up to her. They both looked worried for their friend. Which was good. She’s going to need them later.

“How about you, Uncle?” asked Applejack.

I didn’t move from where I was lying down, but huffed a long winded breath. “C’mere AJ.” I said, waving for her to come closer. When she did, I pushed her hat down over her eyes.

“Hey!”

I chuckled a bit before looking up the morning sky. I sighed. “Well. I feel so exposed right now.”

I could feel the eyes of every pony in their houses. I didn’t even need to see their reaction. They way their doors stayed shut and locked told me enough.

“Ryyyyyuuuuuuu!”

“Hukk!”

I let out another grunt as a pink pony landed on my stomach. I looked up to the pink party pony giving me a cheerful smile. I rolled my eyes and gave into her demands. I reached up with one hand and started petting her head, also scratching her ear every so often.

“Mmmmm…”

She held on my wrist and kept on smiling.

“Pinkie, stop.” Applejack said. “Yer embarrassing yerself.”

“No I’m not.” Pinkie Pie said. “You should try it, AJ. It feels nice!”

“Ah know it’s nice. But ya don’t do that in public!”

“She acts like a pup.” I commented.

“Don’t encourage her!”

I grinned at my flustered little apple and moved Pinkie to the side so that I can get up.

“This was certainly surprising.” I said. “I wasn’t expecting the Cutie Pox to make a comeback after being forgotten for centuries.”

“When did you get back, Uncle?” Applejack asked.

“Just a few minutes ago. I won’t be staying long, though.”

“Yer leavin' again?”

I looked down to see Applebloom giving me an adorable wide eyed stare. Her friends behind her were also doing the same.

“I need to, Applebloom.” I said, crouching down to pet her head as well. “The Dragon Migration is coming soon and I need my skills to be sharp in the coming months.”

“What’s the Dragon Migration?” Scootaloo asked.

“It’s when the dragons will be traveling from all over the lands to go north. They stay there for a whole year to hatch their eggs.” I said.

“You have eggs!” Sweetie Belle squealed excitedly.

“Not me, dear.” I said, pressing on her snout playfully. “I don’t have any. The other dragons, though, do.”

“How come you don’t have an egg, Uncle Rahy?” Applebloom asked. “Don’tcha have some special somepony?”

My lips pressed into a thin line as I looked anywhere but her. “It’s complicated.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s Secretly complicated.”

“What?” the three fillies tilted their heads in confusion. I need to change the subject before they start pressing on. I could feel three sets of eyes on my back, but I saw Applejack looking uncomfortable in the corner of my sight.

“Let’s not go there, girls.” I said. “For now let’s talk about you, Applebloom.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You.”

Then I started using [Evil Eye].

Equal to Fluttershy’s of Stare, it paralyzes those caught in my vision to stay still out of fear. I don’t know how Fluttershy’s work but mine uses a minor mind control via psychic eye contact. It makes my target’s brain fear me, and depending on the intensity it can be crippling or unsettling.

Right now I’m trying to unsettle my little niece.

“What’s this I hear about you stealing?”

All three girls made an audible gulp. I forgot that the skill works on everything in sight, not like in the game of vs one only.

“What did we learn?” I asked.

“Stealing is bad.” Applebloom recited.

“And…?”

“Ah shouldn’t be in such a hurry to get mah Cutie Mark.”

I looked at her and her friends behind her in another table. I knew this wasn’t gonna last. I could see it all in their eyes. Children will be children, I suppose. It’s not like I could or wanted to take that away from them.

I sighed and looked around the room. Applebloom was with me in one table while Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Zecora were with the other two Crusaders in another. Pinkie Pie was in the kitchen baking.

We changed our venue since scolding the girl out in the streets would just embarrass her in the eyes of the town. We were in Sugarcube Corner. The Cakes were upstairs with the Missus pregnant and due in a couple of weeks. The stress of meeting me probably wouldn’t be good for her so Mr. Cake was told to stay by her side while Pinkie was left with the store.

I picked up the little filly from her seat, minding my sharp claws, and gave her a hug. “I still don’t get why you want to be a One Trick Pony.” I put her down then shooed her to her friends.

She gave my hand one last nuzzle before going over to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle and Zecora took her place at the table.

“Well, the cat’s out of the bag.” I shrugged as they came over. “Too bad I won’t be here to see what they’ll do after knowing I exist.”

“Now ah can tell yer lyin’, Uncle.” Applejack said after taking her seat beside me. “Yer actually glad ya’ll ain’t gonna be here when the ponies step out of their houses.”

True. It’s times like these when I prefer to run away from the attention and prolong my absence as much as possible. Thankfully I have a valid excuse, this time.

“Meh.” I grunted just as four cupcakes were expertly tossed to our table where they landed perfectly without even disturbing the frosting on top. This just goes to show that even if unicorns have their magic and pegasi have their weather abilities, Earth Ponies are the most talented of all the races hands down.

Pinkie Pie joined us at the table after giving the Crusaders some sweets. However, she took a seat on my shoulders instead of the ones around the table and used my horns to steer my head left and right. Now she oddly reminds me of Allie.

Everyone present was laughing at me. Applejack looked a bit envious, though. I used to give her shoulder rides when she was a filly and she had fun from being up so high. But she stopped asking for them when she grew up.

I kinda miss those times, and Pinkie’s making me nostalgic.

Now if only she’d stop tilting my head side to side then maybe I could relish in the memories. I think I’m starting to feel sick, and the cupcake I’m eating wasn’t helping at all.

“So, Uncle, ya said you were joinin’ the Dragon Migration?” Applejack asked.

“Ask Sparkle, she probably knows what it is.” I said, swallowing the last of my cupcake. I pinched Pinkie’s flank on my shoulder where she squeaked and giggled from it but still continued to play with my horns.

The apple mare turned to the librarian for answers. Twilight Sparkle was also looking at the party pony with a bit of envy. Pinkie was actually touching me, and she was probably wondering how my transformation work. I bet she’s wondering if my new appendages were real or just magic constructs.

If I had to guess, she’s probably like that because my transformation was pretty much giving evolution the middle finger.

“Hm?” the librarian finally turned away from me after noticing Applejack’s stare. “The Dragon Migration? Yes. I know of it.”

The Crusaders on the other table shifted their attention to ours, looking curious about the subject.

“It happens once every generation.” Sparkle explained. “Dragons from across the land all fly north over the Crystal Mountains and continue on beyond the ocean. Researchers have tried to find where they were going, but each and every one of them were scared off by the dragons.”

“Of course.” I snorted. I switched from pinching the pink pony to tickling her sides. That finally stopped her from messing with my horns. “This is a pretty sacred time for dragons. We didn’t want any poachers--”

“Researchers…”

“--Poachers, taking the eggs from their parents.” I turned to the unicorn with a glare. “You have no idea how many of them wanted to break open an egg just to see what’s inside. They were lucky that the dragons only scared them off, not get burned to a crisp. The Dragon Migration is meant to hatch newborn pups and not a place for scientists to gain new specimen.”

I tried to continue with my glared. I really did. But then Pinkie started playing with my horns again.

My head tilting from side to side really didn’t look intimidating,

Placing both my hands on her sides and the tip of my tail on her back, I renewed my tickling.

“Eeeeek!”

Tremble, little filly, to the might of my dragon powers! I have enough strength to knead your muscles and make you feel the tickles, no matter how well built earth ponies are. Repent for making me look less intimidating. Repent!

“I give! I give! Hahahaha!”

Lifting her off my shoulders, I placed her over my lap. I wrapped my arms around her as we both laughed together.

Ah, it’s really hard to resist Pinkie Pie. She acts too much like a filly. If she wasn’t so insistent with her party for me, I probably wouldn’t have any trouble loving her like the rest of my family.

“And there goes the tense atmosphere.” I said, rubbing my face on the giggling pony's own. "Thanks, Pinkie."

"No problem, Ryu." she said, not even hesitating to return the act. "You really should laugh more. Smile!"

She tugged both my cheeks, somehow, with her hooves and stretched out the smile that was already on my face. My fangs were fully bared and she didn't even look disturbed by them.

“And that’s another o’ mah friends that ya like.” Applejack piped in, looking pleased with my interaction with the party pony. “Ah knew they’d wear ya down.”

“Bah!” I ignored Applejack’s words and carried on in nuzzling the happy pony on my lap. Why couldn’t AJ have acted like a filly every once and a while, like Pinkie here.

Well, she did have to act more mature for Applebloom’s sake. She pretty much replaced their mother in the family.

I tried not to notice the way Sparkle looked down on the table dejectedly.

“Aw, don’t worry Twilight.” Pinkie said, noticing her friend’s expression. “You’ll get him soon. Right after I throw him a party!!”

“No Party.” I deadpanned at the mare who kept grinning on my face.

“You said poacher…” Twilight Sparkle said carefully. “What do you mean by that?”

“When I said poacher, I meant Poachers. Plural.” I said. I shifted my tail’s tip towards Pinkie so that she might have something to play with while I talked. I wiggled it in front of her. “In recent years, dragons are more friendly now than they were a thousand years ago. If those researchers tried following them back then, then none of those ponies would have come home alive.”

Pinkie giggled when I poked her belly with my tail, then dodged every attempt of hers to catch the appendage.

“Now, the dragons are encouraged to use non-lethal methods during the Migration, but they are still allowed to kill if ever any poachers managed to get too close to the eggs.”

I reached out with one hand towards the table of the Crusaders, and grabbed the empty air. When I pulled it back, something followed my arm’s movement. Inside my telekinetic grip, straight from under the table, a purple lizard was stuffing his face with jewels.

“Spike!” Sparkled exclaimed.

“Uhh…” he gave the unicorn a sheepish look and tried to hide the bowl of gems behind his back.

“Behold.” I said, shaking the lizard in mid-air. “The result of poachers taking eggs.”

All attention went from Spike then over to me. Even Pinkie stopped playing with my tail. The young reptile dropped his bowl of gems and would have spilled them if I hadn’t caught them in another telekinesis.

“Tell me, little pup.” I said. “Where did you come from? The only dragons living here are the ones who want to isolate themselves from their own kind, and even then they are all adults. How about you. What’s your excuse?”

Twilight Sparkle broke my hold over the young lizard, and used her own magic to carry him over to her side.

“Spike was born here. I hatched him in Canterlot.” she said. “It was when I was a filly and when I got my Cutie Mark.”

“Hmm… That’s actually pretty impressive.” I said, shifting the pony on my lap to make her more comfortable. “But to find a dragon egg in Canterlot… Celestia, or her guards, probably confiscated his egg when they found it.”

“Wait. You mean…” Spike trailed off as his voice trembled.

“It means you were taken from your parents, Spike.” I told him sadly. Some dragons may throw away their eggs, but none would ever be willing to give them to another race.

Twilight Sparkle wrapped the young reptile in a hug when he started trembling.

“A lot of creatures are curious about the dragons.” I continued. “They would do anything just to unravel the mystery of the drakes. I’ve taken down a lot of poachers in the past, and most of the time I wasn’t able to save the egg that they took. You are very lucky, Spike.”

The lavender unicorn wrapped him in her hug tighter. The Crusaders stepped away from their own table to comfort him as well.

“Do you know how dragon eggs are hatched, Twilight Sparkle?”

“Umm… isn’t it the same as any other hatching spells?” she asked hesitantly, patting her assistant on the back gently.

“No, Sparkle. You don’t magically incubate a dragon egg to make them hatch.” I said. “They hatch depending on the amount of magic poured into them. Their types also depend on the environment in which they were hatched. If two dragons of differing types make an egg, then they have the choice in which type their hatchling would be.”

“Wait. What do you mean?” she asked.

“There are five types of dragons in the world, with one being the most common than the rest.” I began to explain. “Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and Magic.”

“Magic?” Sparkle repeated. Being that it was her element, I shouldn't be surprised.

Spike temporarily composed himself to look at me. He looked ready to cry any moment now, but managed to hold his tears back. The current topic managed to distract him from his emotions. For now I’ll try to tell him more of his kin to provide at least some semblance of comfort.

“Yes. Magic.” I pointed over to the purple dragon and grabbed him with my telekinesis, then carried him over the table so that he was directly in front of me. I ignored the exclamation that came from him and the unicorn.

Pulling out a piece of paper from my pouch and materializing the feathered pen that came with my [Diary], I quickly wrote down a note.

You are fat.

I showed it to him before rolling it up. I placed it before the pup's mouth and I gave him a strong poke on his belly, forcing him to send my message with his enchanted flames.

It pays to know the ins and outs of the children you take care of.

“What did you do?!” the lavender unicorn asked as she looked on in horror at the wisps of fire heading out of the store.

“I showed you an example of a Magic type dragon.” that seemed to have snapped her out of her trance. I pulled out one of my bigger gems from my pouch and slipped it into the frozen dragon's claws as an apology.

“It still wasn’t nice writing to somepony that they’re fat.” Pinkie suddenly commented.

I grinned at the former residents of Canterlot as the other one finally realized what I did. They knew exactly to whom that message was going to and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

“Do you want me to finish, or would you like to stop here now so that you can send your own message to Celestia?” I asked the frozen duo.

“That’s not nice, Uncle.” Applejack said, giving me a reproaching look.

“It was a good prank, though.” Pinkie said with a smile.

I patted the pink pony on the head while looking at Applejack with a tiny smirk. “See? This one gets it.” I also patted the frozen Spike still on the table.

“Oh no, Oh no! What do I do?!”

On the other side of the table, the unicorn was having a panic attack. The Crusaders, Zecora and Spike started laughing at her expense. It was enough of a distraction for the pup, at least.

“Don’t worry. I made sure to sign it before sending it.” I lied.

I grabbed Applejack’s uneaten cupcake on her side of the table then shoved it into Pinkie’s mouth when she started to say something.

Bad Pinkie. Don’t ruin the prank.

The unicorn started to calm down, nodding to herself in reassurance. “Ok. Ok… So long as the princess didn’t think it was me…” she turned to me with a glare. “You did sign it, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did.” I said, smiling as serenely as I could. Unlike the Apple family, I knew how to lie with a straight face.

I clenched the hand that Pinkie wasn’t licking for leftover frosting and grabbed Applejack’s muzzle with my telekinesis. I knew the girl had a built in lie detector, so she was probably going to call me out on that lie.

“So what about the other dragons?” Spike asked, moving away from the top of the table and taking a seat on an empty side. He was still holding on to the Quartz that I gave him, not eating it yet.

“Indeed.” Zecora added. “I am also curious to hear. What the type of dragons that all creatures seem to fear.”

I smiled at the zebra. “The Fire types are the ones so brash. They think that those not of them are nothing but Trash. The Magic types are the scholars of their kind. They breathe out different fires, you will find. The Water types are serpents of the sea. If you find them, they may help you for free. The Earth types are giants living deep underground. Look for them on the surface and none will be found. The Wind types soar high in the sky. They love to wander with their ability to fly.”

“Uh…” I looked to the lizard. “Translation please?”

You can kiss my tail you uncultured runt. You’re lucky I’m still feeling sorry for you.

The look on my face must have sent my message clear. He shifted nervously in his seat then looked at Sparkle for help.

Said unicorn was also looking confused.

What? Was I too vague? Were my rhymes not that good? Did I stutter somewhere?

I rolled my eyes. “Please tell me you understood at least, Zecora.”

That got me a chuckle from the zebra. “Yes. I understood what you wish to portray. But not all ponies understand the rhymes we say.”

“To each their own.” I grunted. I took my hand away from Pinkie and froze her spit on them. It’s still probably going to smell. I’ll just burn my hand later to get rid of it. “I really should get going again. I’m going to see if Gilbert is still alive.”

“Gilbert?” Applebloom asked. She and other other Crusaders were squeezing themselves on Sparkle’s side of the table after I took Spike away from them.

“Is that your pet?” Scootaloo asked.

“No.” I told her flatly. “If the old Griffon heard you say that he would have been furious.”

“Griffon?” Pinkie asked. “You know a Griffon? Does that mean you know Gilda?”

“Just because their names both started with Gil doesn’t mean they’re related.” I said, patting her on the head. I placed her on my side and stood up, stretching out my wings wide from sitting down on the floor for too long.

“Whoa.”

The Crusaders voiced their childish awe at my wingspan. It was long enough that they almost touched the walls on my left and right sides. Spike and the other ponies, save for Applejack, were also looking at them with the same expression.

“Anything else before I go?” I asked.

“Um…” it was Spike who tried to gain my attention. “Can you tell me more about the dragons? Maybe after you come back?”

“Tell you what.” I said, bending down to level our eyes. “With your guardian’s permission, I might even take you during the Migration.”

“Really?” his eyes shone with excitement. He looked over to the uncertain unicorn and pleaded. “Can I, Twilight? Please?”

“I… I don’t know, Spike.” she said.

“Think of it like this, Sparkle.” I said, gaining her attention. “This might be a chance for him to get to know himself and maybe, just maybe, even find his parents as well.”

Spike’s eyes widened and turned to me. It’s possible. If my hunch is also correct, then I already know who his father is. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any other dragon that was able to manipulate their flames with Spike’s level of control until their hundredth year.

“My parents?” he asked, his expression hopeful yet pondering as well. “I never really thought about them before.”

Applejack went to his side, placing her hoof on his little shoulder. “You should go, Spike.” then she looked at Twilight. “You will let him go, right, Twilight?”

The look that my little niece gave the unicorn made it clear that she wasn’t allowed to say no. I couldn’t help but look at Applejack sadly as I straightened my posture. Family was very important to an Apple. To her especially.

“I…” Twilight Sparkle hesitated. “I don’t know.”

I went over and picked up Applejack into a hug when I saw her expression tighten. “Hush, now.” I told her gently. “She’s also his family, remember that.”

That was enough to calm the mare down. I placed her down again and rubbed her head through her hat.

“You shouldn’t worry, Sparkle.” I told the unicorn. “I’ll make sure that he’s safe.”

She hesitated a second longer, but the look Applejack and Spike made finally forced her to make a decision.

“Okay.”

I could tell that she still wasn’t sure, but her words were enough to make the dragon whoop a cheer in his seat.

Now. How the hell am I going to explain this to the other Elders?

The Flock

I looked at my opponent as he circled around me in a prowl. I watched him walk on all fours, returning my gaze warily. Talons and paws scraped the ground after each step, and the wind ruffled the wings on his sides. My head turned further and further until I lost sight of him behind me. When I lost interest of his location I faced forward and looked at the other griffons watching a few meters away.

It was then that my opponent attacked. The sounds of his wings unfolding were the only warnings that I needed to move. I jumped high into the air, my millennia honed human body surpassing normal limitations thanks to my dragon blood. With my head tilting backwards, I made a flip and saw him directly under me when I was fully facing down. What a stereotypical pounce.

I grabbed his wings in mid-air and used them to pull myself on top of him. My weight drove him to the ground on his belly and squawked when the air was driven out of his lungs. I followed up my attack with a slap to the side of his head and then jumping back for some distance.

My attack disoriented him, and I smiled when it took him more than a moment to get back on his legs. He shook his head to rid him of the effects, but that seemed to only make it worse. It was because my hand was cupped when I hit him over the place that I knew was the area where hearing organ was closely located. Even if I hit it lightly they would still leave a little ringing after the blow.

While he was standing on spaghetti legs at the moment, I turned to the other griffons in the clearing. My eyes roamed over the ones present and sought the elderly feather that was observing silently from the side. He gave me a silent nod that I returned and looked back at my opponent.

The young, and very angry, cub glared at me and threw caution away just to try and claw at me recklessly. I dodged his swipes left, right, back, and went over him for distance. When he turned to face me he met only a kick that went against the direction of his spin, adding more force to the blow he received.

As the cub was reeling from the attack, I jumped over him again and rode on his back. I wrapped an arm around his neck and locked it there with my other one, completing the chokehold, and started to add pressure to it. With both my legs keeping his wings pinned and my arm tightening as I reeled back every time he tried to swipe at me over his head, he slowly lost his strength and slipped into unconscious.

I released my arms before I killed him by accidental suffocation, then looked at the other griffons paying attention to every detail of the fight.

“And that is why you just don’t attack blindly.” said the old griffon by the side.

“Youth today are always so eager.” I commented.

“Pah!” the old griffon exclaimed. “They’re always like that. It’s only after a few years that they start thinking differently.”

“Like you, sir Gilbert?” I asked.

“Yeah.” he spat, though without any malicious intents. “Like me, you scaly old bastard.” He looked at the other, younger, griffons and glared at them with feral intensity. “Well? Are you all just gonna sit there and gawk all day? Take that runt to the infirmary and start doing your drills!”

I watched in amusement as all of them scrambled away, with two going over to and carrying my unconscious opponent somewhere else.

The old griffon glided beside me as I went under the shade of a tree, leaning on its trunk for support.

I looked around the forested clearing and found myself relaxed once again inside nature’s presence. I don’t know if it was because of my years of being a hermit or if it was something that came with me after being turned into Ryu, but forests have had a calming effect on me for a long time.

I was finally in the Griffonia, home of the eagle-lion hybrids. It took me a day and a half to get to the continent from Equestria, and another half a day to fly near the capital mountain city of Petoria, founded by the old king Petoronem Von Griffonia. This place I’m in is probably what you’d call the country’s own version of Ponyville.

Gryphonville.

…

For the sake of not saying that name ever again, that’s the only time I will ever utter it, even inside my head. I’ll just call it The Village, or something similar if I ever need to refer it in context.

Just like its counterpart in the pony civilization, there was mostly just one type of race that lives in the village. There were a few ponies who chose to live here because of their jobs or because they found somefeather that they want to be with. It may seem odd but that was how love and Cutie Marks work. This place was also where most griffons come to become guards, or to study if they wish to explore the world outside the continent.

The weathered Griffon beside me was a friend of mine, a direct descendent of my old knight tutor, Sven Downing.

Gilbert Downing was retired knight veteran. He’s protected the royal family since he was nineteen. And just like how his grandfather helped me, I also helped Gilbert hone his sword skills when he was eight until he went into service.

The Griffons, unlike the ponies, aren’t as peaceful. Even now there are somefeathers in the shadows, plotting to take down the crown. It’s been like this ever since the Great Divide. Even though the rebels were defeated that didn’t mean that they were wiped out.

I’ve helped Sven back when he was alive. Over a century ago a faction of the rebels went into Equestria to strain its relationship with Griffonia. They were planning to use that as an excuse to ruin the royal family’s reputation and make their subjects turn on them. With that setup it would have been easy to blame an assassination on the populace.

Normally I wouldn’t have done anything at all about this, and would have ignored it until it blows over. But the random attacks of the griffons on the ponies started to become worse by the week. It made me fear for my family’s safety. Even with how strong I was, I still couldn’t be in two or more places at once. [Aura] was useless since I had to control it remotely. It had no will of its own.

So in the end I went and hunted down the griffon rebels. I didn’t meet up with Sven and his company until I had nearly eliminated all of them in Equestria…

...and ate their bird halves.

They were tasty and cockatrice meat were getting too small to fill me completely.

It was Sven and his company who found me, unfortunately. I’d been hunting for the rebels for a couple of weeks and was feeling confident with my success. I couldn’t search in the open. That was why it took me so long. Looking for somefeathers wasn’t really that easy when you don’t know where your targets were.

They found me near Vanhoover when I was… extracting the location of the other pests.

It wasn’t bloody or anything like that. It wasn’t some form of torture. It was quick, clean, and efficient. But it had some detrimental effects on my psyche.

It was a skill called [Monopolize].

In the original game, it was a skill that allows the character to gain all of the experience points after battle. It was a great way to grind and level up the party member that was falling behind the others or to further the level of one and plow through random battles with them.

When I played Breath of Fire 3 for the first time I gave the skill to Ryu, but I rarely used it. It was only near the end that I abused the skill to grind his level over 60 while the rest of the party were between level 40 and 50. Even with that, though, Myria was still hard to beat.

[Monopolize] is a skill that steals the Experience of others. It steals the memory of the battle and gives it to the user, allowing him/her to view the skirmish in three different perspectives.

I used the skill to pull the memories of the griffon from his head. It was a telepathic leeching.

It was a very useful skill, one that I used more than I should have. With the influx of foreign memories, it gave me a little identity disorder. I sometimes confuse my own memory with the ones that I extracted and would feel emotions that I shouldn’t have for some individuals.

Fortunately my old age came as an advantage for this problem. The side effects were only minor due to my longer life experience overcoming their shorter ones. That’s why for those whose memories that I’ve extracted they only affected my feelings for certain individuals and never once did they ever convince me that I was them. Mostly.

Sven and his company found me after I had just finished stealing the memories of one of the rebels. It took me a few seconds to assimilate all the new information and didn’t notice him until he had his sword poking at my back. I was in human form, then. My dinner, unfortunately, was turned in over to them alive.

It would have been so easy to overpower them all, and take their memories of meeting me. But that had been the first time that I took so many Experiences in such a short time that I began to lose coherency of who I was. I’ve been using it to find designated meeting spots of each individual squads.

I needed at least a week to straighten my mental state after all those extractions.

I couldn’t just run away since they had Celestia’s blessing, and they would have reported my existence to her if I just disappear. So I struck a deal. I help them take care of the rebels in Equestria and go with them back to Griffonia to expose the ones there as well if they kept my existence a secret, or they refuse…

...and I kill them.

I could have just framed their deaths to the remaining rebels in Equestria, but that meant that I wouldn’t be able to get rid of the pests so callously anymore. Most of the other deaths that I did were designed so that Sven and company looked like they were the ones who did it. Others... I made it look like some random predator attack.

Sven was suspicious of my intentions and was understandably wary. But it’s either that or we both screw over the two countries with an impending war. None of us wanted that.

After catching the remaining rebels, and me being forbidden to kill them (and eat them), I silently snuck on board their ship to set sail to the Griffon continent. I helped Sven root out the rebels in Griffonia and became good acquaintances after that. As a knight he valued honor and, along with those who were with him, swore to never reveal my existence after the help that I gave to them. Too bad those rebels we caught were only one part of a fragmented whole.

I didn’t help them during the raids. As an outsider I had no right. I saw Sven and his comrades use theirs combat skills to take down those who threatened the crown. It made me feel inadequate seeing them and their sword skills, even though most of them walk on all fours. They gave me the urge to learn how to handle the sword as well.

So I asked for lessons.

Sven and the others were willing to teach me, even if the rest had been reluctant. They’ve seen me in action and thought that I didn’t need swords if I was fast enough to get into my enemy’s defense and hit hard enough to cave in their skulls.

It had been hard learning at first. No matter what I seem to do it just didn’t feel right. The broad sword that I used for practice was just wrong in my hands. With the battle axe and warhammer, I had no skill or technique, even with my brute strength. I didn’t have the dexterity to use bows and arrows. And knives were just too short and I’d rather use my fist instead at that range.

It was very frustrating. I had below satisfactory skills with all of them. But inspiration struck me after one of my [Mind Sword] creations broke in half under strain. I saw my problem then.

Broad swords were meant for clashes and overpowering opponents. Axes and Hammers were meant to crush your foe. Bow and Arrows were meant for speed and accuracy. I had those. All of those. but I didn’t excel in any of them.

What I prefer was technique.

And so came my favorite choice of of weaponry. A katana. Similar to the Ryu in Breath of Fire 4.

With a blade as long as my leg and a handle I can grip with one hand or both, I finally found my rhythm.

Thanks to its single edge design for slashing, I was able to do tricks that didn’t come to me with a broadsword. I could twist my wrist and perform unconventional slashes, a quick draw maneuver with an added sheath. It also doesn’t bother me when only holding it with one hand while preparing a spell with the other. I didn’t like clashes and prefer hit and run tactics.

Sven and the others may not have taught me much technique, but they gave me experience in how to use my weapon in battle. We all improved in our time together, up until they became the crown’s personal guards together after showing their improvements and loyalty to the country.

They were happy and I was happy. Sven and the others, his own blood brothers that he took to Equestria, regained the honor of their family after their ancestor’s assistance in the betrayal in the Great Divide. And from then on I made sure that they kept that honor.

By killing those who meant to tarnish it.

The other fallen clans, the ones who took the side of the rebels, didn’t like the Downing’s ascension back to nobility. They tried hard to drag them back to their level but I had been there to put a stop to it. When I was in the area.

My [Monopolize] was a great boon in rooting out those disgraced famiies. It kinda made me wish that I had it over a thousand years ago. It would have helped me in my journey in looking for a way home. But no, it was one of the last skills that I learned in my training because of my reluctance of what it could do.

Well, what’s done is done. It’s not like I’m not happy with the life that I have now.

“You surprised me, Ryu.” said Gilbert, sitting down beside me to enjoy nature as well. “I didn’t think that you would show yourself to my students like you did.”

Gilbert became an instructor for the cubs and chicks who wanted to become a guard. It was a setting that he happily agreed to. He could still serve the crown even when he’s retired as a knight.

“I’m preparing to reveal myself to the world.” I told him. “And it’s easier to let the griffons know about me than the ponies. At least here they’ll try to kill me first before running away.”

He sighed and shook his head. “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

“It is, actually.” I insisted. “Unlike the ponies, who’d rather run away screaming in terror, I can show you griffons that I mean you no harm through combat.”

“If any of the younger ones with less experience hear you say that they’d think you’re an idiot, or something.”

“But it’s a proven fact.” I said with a shrug of my shoulders. “It can lessen the animosity between two individuals by making them respect each other’s strength and make them see that they are equals.”

“You trounced three squads, with ten trainees in each one. I don’t see them looking at you as their equal.”

“Then they’ll see me as one of their superior, or a hurdle that they need to overcome.” I said. “The smart and calm ones saw me harming no one and just dodging, they were the ones that called you. The brash, reckless and headstrong ones were the trainees that kept on attacking me even when they saw that they had no chance. Respectively, they fit each category.”

“I’m still not seeing how combat will make them trust you.”

“I could show them that I don’t intend on killing them. I will spar with them and give them advice while they come at me with the intent to kill. That was what I would have done had I been alone.” I looked at him and smiled. “But if you vouched for me on who I am to you and your family…”

He snorted. “Wow. How devious.” he said sarcastically.

Huh. I almost forgot that most griffons are jerks.

This is fun.

Klang!

This is definitely fun.

Schick!

Gilbert’s blade slid off my magick constructed sword as I parried another blow. He followed through his downward slash with an upward swing then looped it with a horizontal third before taking some distance.

I twirled my katana around my wrist, feeling the familiar weight of my [Mind Sword] weapon. I never gave my weapon a name. I never needed to. It broke quite a few times, even in spars, that’s why I stopped trying.

But that was fine, it doesn’t need one. It doesn’t need much mana to create, and the drain in keeping it solid is negligible at best. Because of my high reserves and dragon stamina, I recover more than I lose with the [Mind Sword].

Actually, all of my psychic abilities have a very small drain on my magic. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since it depends more on the mind instead of magic. But on the other hand, converting my pure magic into an element drains a significant amount compared to my Psionics.

“Dang, he’s nimble.”

The comment caught my attention and made me tilt my head to hear the rest of the voices.

“He doesn’t attack much, does he?”

“Now that you mention it, no, he doesn’t.”

“But Sir Gilbert hasn’t even landed a hit.”

“Don’t let him fool you. He’s nothing but a coward.”

I snorted at the last one and turned back to my opponent. That one was probably one of the griffons that kept attacking before Gilbert came. At least my old friend was kind enough to allow me to finish my eavesdropping before he attacked again. The old griffon stood on his hind legs, using his wings to maintain his balance, and held on to a wooden broadsword ready.

I took my stance; right foot forward and left foot back, body facing the side with my heart area hidden from my opponent, katana in right hand with the blade tilted to the outside of my body and the handle pointing downwards to the inside. My left hand was hidden from his view, always ready to cast a spell.

“Still as annoying as ever, I see.” Gilbert remarked. He was smiling, though. I’ve learned long ago that the place where their beaks were connected were soft enough for them to make facial expressions.

“Mahh…” I drawled. “I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t get under your skin at least.”

“Hmph.”

“Also, they’re complaining that I don’t attack often.” I said. “I probably should change that if I want to at least gain some respect from them.”

He grunted, then switched the way he held his weapon, moving it closer to his body. “Well c’mon. Are you going to wait until I’m dead to make your move?”

“You’re just over sixty.” I said flatly.

“And that’s old!” he exclaimed. “I’m not like you, you old relic!”

I looked at the youthful reflection coming from my sword. Fair complexion with a face that looks barely out of his teens, or early twenties. I definitely look young. It makes me wonder sadly how long I’ll keep looking like this. After a thousand years the only thing that changed about me was the length of my hair. But I always cut it if it got in the way.

“That was rude Gilbert.” I said to the griffon. “But anyway, have you already taught the little hatchlings the importance of a good defense?”

“Yes. I trained them like how you trained me.”

I grinned maliciously as I turned to the observing flock. Their surprised expressions reminded me of my years tutoring Gilbert when I told him the regimens that I was going to put him through. I saw a few shudder when I shifted my blue eyes into a dragon’s slitted sapphire.

“You told them the quote, yes?” I asked.

“Yeah.” he said, mirroring my grin.

“How fun was it?”

“Probably as much fun as you had when you did it to me.” he said. “Though unlike you, I had more than one victim.”

The trainees all gave a cry of outrage at the old knight. We both laughed at their indignity and recited the quote that I drilled into his old hide.

“Beating the crap out of someone is easy! It’s keeping yourself from getting the crap beaten out of that’s hard!”

-Sakaki Shio

I went into the attack immediately after that, clashing wooden blade with blunted magic sword. I didn’t push through even though I knew that I could overpower him. That just wasn’t my style.

I slid my weapon on his and passed by his right. I twisted my wrist to make the blade face him and returned for another attack. He blocked that and the next few strikes masterfully, even if I was pushing him back with my relentless assault.

“Definitely nimble.” I heard the same trainee comment.

I passed him by with single running slashes. I never stayed in one place and kept on moving around, circling him in his prone position. My even breathing techniques helped me prolong my stamina even further.

Eight Slashes and One Pierce.

That was one of the things that I also drilled into Gilbert’s noggin. No matter what type of sword your enemy uses, there are always eight types of slashes and one type of lunge.

From up to down: Downward slash.

From down to up: Rising slash.

From left to right: Horizontal slash.

From right to left: Horizontal slash.

From top left to downward right: Diagonal slash.

From top right to downward left: Diagonal slash.

From bottom left to top right: Rising Diagonal.

From bottom right to top left: Rising Diagonal.

Finally was the lunge attack. The common Pierce.

No matter what type of solid weapons you have, you always follow these basic swings. No matter how flashy that attack is, it’s there in the basics. No matter how powerful you think your move is, it’s there in the basics.

The only difference in everyone else’s attacks are the abilities that you add to the swings and the speed of which the swings were executed. There was no such thing as a circular slash. That’s nothing but four fast swings that flow together smoothly that they look circular.

It’s all in the wrist.

To make the swing flow and follow through, it’s always in the wrist. To connect a Downward slash with a Rising slash you need to rotate your wrist near the end of the swing quickly to make them flow. No matter how quickly you do it, it’s always the same in slow motion.

Flashy moves are the product of well trained bodies and flowing attacks. You need to find the rhythm and timing to make them perfect.

A skill of mine called [Tripled Blow] is an attack of three in one swing. To execute the attack I need to swing my sword once and never lose momentum from the rotation of the wrists to follow through the rest of the attack. With the perfect timing, I can make three simultaneous slashes without losing the power behind them.

Then there was [Super Combo] with a maximum of seven hits in an instant. A very, very hard move to execute that required perfect timing, speed, precision, muscle control, and wrist movement. But that was rather taxing on the muscles. Even for mine.

Back to the spar. Gilbert was doing wonderful even with his age. He blocked my attacks with his weapon and turned to the direction of my lunge, letting it slide on the wood like polishing steel.

I was proud to say that he hadn’t dulled with age.

I came at him again, this time with an overhead, downward slash. I deliberately made the swing too quick for him to parry or dodge, forcing him to block my attack and absorb the blow.

I graced him with a cunning smirk right before my blow landed. With a passing thought, I cut the mana supplying my sword. It shattered on contact and forced my hand to continue downwards to complete the swing.

His eyes were wide from surprise and wasn’t prepared for my next move. I fixed the broken half of my [Mind Sword] and raised its new tip to his neck.

The attack was a distraction to force him to block with his sword horizontally. The breaking of my weapon was always a surprise to those who didn’t know that I could deliberately do it. With my hand still below after the completed swing, I'd fix my weapon and aim for a critical spot. His guard was still up, but my sword was inside it.

“And that’s my win.” I said to the griffon, my dull sword still pointed at his throat.

“Should have remembered that you like doing that.” he mumbled. The shattered pieces of my sword had dissipated before they touched Gilbert or the ground. The glittering lights that they leave behind also added to make the distraction more effective.

I can shatter my blades at will and fix them instantly. I caught quite a few opponents of mine off guard with that attack. I usually aim for the necks for that tactic, and they result in either a fatal wound or a grievous one.

“You know how many tricks I have, Gilbert.” I said, letting my katana dissipate. “You fell for quite a few of them yourself.”

“Bah!” he grunted tossing the battered wood that was his weapon aside. “You have the sword skills to be a knight, Ryu. You could do without the deceptions.”

The day I’d do that would be the day when I decide to commit suicide. I prefer the assassin style of fighting, rather than the knight’s scream-at-them-as-you-pummel-them-to-death style.

My method was influenced by my introverted personality as well as the stealth games that I played back on earth. I love the art of stealth and the way of the ghost.

There was one game back home that influenced me greatly with the challenge of Ghost and Clean Hands achievement. Ghost is where I’m never detected in a level, and Clean Hands is where I never killed a single person. Even the target of the mission.

I always keep myself hidden at all times. I only kill when I’m spotted or if I get bored from playing nonlethal. But my preference was always stealth. Lethal or nonlethal play, Stealth is always my number one priority.

Gilbert looked over to the trainees. It was in the afternoon and the sun was setting. We decided to have this exhibition match for them to see what a battle between two veterans look like. Hopefully, with this, they won’t charge in recklessly like most of the cannon fodder in the ranks. “Alright. Who wants to test themselves against something that isn’t a griffon?” he asked. “You can use real weapons. And if you manage to actually kill this bastard, then I’ll personally recommend you to the crown.”

That got them all perked up. I almost wanted to laugh when they all looked my way with their intent clearly out and displayed for all to see. I settled with smiling at them before jumping back and disappearing into the forest that surrounded the Village.

“Your objective is to hunt him down and take him down.” I heard Gilbert announce, along with the sounds of metal weapons being unsheathed from the trainees. “You can either work alone or in groups, it doesn’t matter. As long as you take him down, then I’ll keep my promise.”

This time I chuckled, climbing up and hiding in the thick leaves of one of the trees. Thanks to my dragon enhanced hearing, I could clearly listen to what they were talking about a few yards away.

“Sir?” I heard one of the trainees. “Are you sure you want us to kill this guy?”

Gilbert snorted. “If you actually managed to do it then congratulations. You did something that I’ve been trying for decades.”

“Is he really that good?” another trainee asked, this time female.

“In terms of skills we’re equal.” said Gilbert. “But he’s faster than me, and he refuses to stay in one place at a time. He can cave in a boulder easily and pulverize it if he finds the motivation. The way he thinks is also different.”

“What do you mean, Sir Gilbert?”

“He can’t stand a formal confrontation.” he said, making me smile inside my hiding spot. “He likes to take his opponents by surprise, and runs away when he’s exhausted all of his plans.”

“Wait, sir, you mean he’s-”

“Like an Assassin.”

The clearing was quiet for a bit of time, with only the breeze making a sound. I sat in my spot quietly. I’m going to enjoy this little test.

“Like I said. If one of you manages to actually kill him then I’ll personally send a recommendation for your name to the crown.” Gilbert said. “Even now there are still those in our kingdom who wishes to conquer the the world under their rule. We all know how foolish that is. Our kind may be great warriors, hunters, and predators, but we are not the most dangerous creature in the world.”

I could hear some bitter mutterings from the younger griffons, knowing exactly how outclassed they were in terms of magic, size, and ferocity of other creatures in the world.

“Those who oppose the crown refuse to see this, that what they’re doing would only lead us to destruction should they succeed. That’s why we have you, the ones who wish to serve our kingdom and protect us from their foolishness.”

Ah. They grow up so fast. I still remember those times during our training where he’d start ranting about getting me back for not taking him seriously.

“I want you all to treat this simulation seriously, as if you were hunting a criminal!”

I’m kicking him later for that.

“He has years of experience. How you deal with this is up to you. Your time limit is until midnight tonight, or if all of you are incapacitated. Good Luck, and Begin!”

It wasn’t until night time that I left my hiding spot. I did nothing but daydream while the thirty griffons searched for me in the forest that they should know like the back of their talon.

I was actually waiting until the night settled in. It may not have much effect against their naturally sharp eyes, but every advantage counts. Waiting for this long also served another purpose. While searching for me, all of them went their separate ways either alone or in groups.

With them all scattered like this, it should be easier picking them off one by one.

I looked up when I started to hear the rhythmic beats of flapping wings. Two of them were in the air, if I’m not mistaken. I looked down from the branch I was on to see three quadrupeds weaving through the thick bushes and weeds below.

The ones on the ground had a crossbow, a sword, and a spiked mace. The ones in the air had another crossbow and the other had a spear.

Hmm… how should I do this?

My hand cracked and twitched. I held back a groan as my arms from the elbow down changed and transformed. My human hands became scaly, expanding my palms slightly and lengthening my fingers. After the transformation was complete, I could probably hold my entire head with a single hand if I wanted.

I clenched and unclenched them, feeling nothing wrong in their movement. The slow transformation still felt unnatural even after so long of doing it.

I used my [Shadowwalk] to get down from my perch and hide behind another tree, keeping myself hidden from the ones in the sky. They must be keeping an eye out in case of an ambush. How smart of them.

“This is taking too long.” I heard the male leading the group said, his sword carefully held in one talon while keeping his balance with his wings. “Where is he?”

“Hiding.” said a female. I could practically see her rolling her eyes. “You heard what Sir Gilbert said about him. If he moves like an assassin then he’ll probably be good at hiding. That’s why we all decided to separate in groups.”

I should brush up my skills on those as well. Let’s see if I still remember them right.

Basic assassination 101: Know your target.

“When I see that coward, I’ll make him taste my blade.”

Assess their personality.

“Don’t be so excited.” said the female with the crossbow. “You’ve already seen what he can do with a sword. Sir Gilbert also said that they were equal in skills, so what makes you think that you have a chance against him one on one?”

Read their thought processes.

“We’ll use your bolts to keep him distracted.” the one with the mace said. “While you do that we’ll corner him for a pincer with the twins in the air.”

Be mindful of quirks.

“Bah! I’ll get him for sure!” the one with the sword said. “Then I’ll be there with the other prestigious guards.”

And predict their behaviour based from the gathered data.

“I’m surprised you even know what ‘Prestigious’ mean.” said the laughing female.

I smiled to myself from my crouching spot behind the tree, waiting for all three to pass by and the two to fly over.

The one with the sword sounds like the typical idiotic leader with high goals but an honest heart. I heard no malice in his tone. For him to be working with others also made me see him in a better light.

The one with the mace made think he was one of those idiots who swing those things as long as it hits something, but the way he talked about their plan made me think otherwise. I have to watch out for him.

The girl was probably the voice of reason for the group. From the way that she and the one with the sword interacted, they probably knew each other for a long time. A possible link that could be exploited.

That should be enough intel for now.

My little griffons have separated into groups. If this one was any indication then they’re probably in groups of five. They cover both land and air, making my hiding spots limited. I can’t really transform since that would be cheating on my part, and [Shadowwalk] is just cheap.

Well, Dishonored wasn’t the only game that I played that had stealth elements. Since we were in a forest, this is more of a Far Cry 3 experience.

I looked down on my dragon hands and grinned at the arcs of electricity dancing between my fingers. It’s not like I needed the [Tatau] to use some of the things that were available in the game.

“By the Ancestor’s Grace!”

I chuckled silently as as my target flew through the dense forest as fast as he could. This one was the one who carried the spiked mace.

He darted in between trees, looking frantically for the other groups nearby. It hasn’t been long since I took down his other comrades.

I first took down the two in the air, pouncing on both of them from behind. They were both out cold before they could cry out to their team. But, of course, I wasn’t silent when I landed with both dead weights in my grasp.

Using my powerful legs, I dashed away from the unconscious duo before their friends arrived. The girl was trained as a medic as well and confirmed that they were merely knocked out. She pointed out the singed feathers on the back of their necks, and deduced that it was the cause.

[Thunder Strike]

My skill where I coat my attack with electricity and causes temporary paralysis on my target. It strikes the nerves and, as a bonus, could knock out the victim if caught off guard. In the game it was just [Paralysis] but here it was different. Both my hands acted like tasers.

The girl tried to make a loud cry, to alert the other groups of my general location. She didn’t get more than a squawk when I jumped out under a bush and caught her with both hands around her neck, knocking her out instantly.

The griffon with the sword roared as he saw her collapse. He swung his sword like a raging amateur, making openings after openings after each swing, and his friend couldn’t even move in or he might risk getting cut down himself.

I caught the sword during its downward slash and sent a pulse of electricity through it. I was impressed when he held on and simply clenched his beak. I almost lost my head because of his friend at that moment.

The griffon with the sword didn’t last long after my second attack, however. And now I’m simply taking my time on this last one. I smiled broadly when I saw him coming up to the next group.

“Brandon!” a griffon from the new group called out.

The griffon with the spiked mace, Brandon, smiled in relief when he saw them. “He’s right behind me!” he called out to them. “Get ready!”

I really wanted to laugh out loud when he said that.

Two griffons landed beside the three in the ground. Brandon flew like his life depended on it, joining the group and turning back to where he came.

“Where’s your group?” a male carrying a spear asked.

Brandon shook his head, standing on his hind legs with his mace out and ready. “He took the twins out in the sky before they even saw him. Matilda was next when she tried calling out, and Bret couldn’t even touch him.”

“How in the Ancestor’s name did he even catch Matilda off guard? She has one of the sharpest eyes in our age group.”

“He hid under a bush.”

I broke a twig a few distance away from them to catch their attention, immediately cutting off the rest of the conversation. I waited patiently as they all went on high alert. Minutes passed and I didn’t move at all from my hiding spot. I could easily see them all losing their nerves.

“Are you sure he was right behind you?”

“Yeah.” Brandon said. “I heard him rustling the bushes when he came after me. There’s no way I’m wrong.”

“Well...?” another griffon asked. “Where is he?”

I grinned at them as the temperature in the area suddenly dropped. They all shivered as a thin coating of frost appeared on the leaves of every plant that they could see.

“He’s definitely here somewhere.” said Brandon.

[Chill]

An area skill that plummets the temperature to uncomfortable levels and hinders the movements of all those caught in it by using the cold. It forces the muscles to tense and lock the joints. It doesn’t matter if the target is immune to the cold, the psychic effect that comes with it would ensure that they become slower. Unless their have a strong will.

From the looks of things, these griffons didn’t.

“It suddenly got cold, did he do this?”

“Probably.”

“Where do you think he is?”

“Hm… somewhere?”

"You're pissing me off, you know." he growled.

"I'll shut up now, then." I grinned.

“Well look at you, acting all cool.” the griffon with the spear grumbled as he turned around. “Who the heck do you-...”

I grinned at him. Three unconscious griffons were held close to my chest by one of my arms, and a fourth one was clasped in my other grip.

I dropped all four knocked out, twitching birds and lunged for the shocked birds, grabbing them both by their necks and holding them up in the air. Both of them dropped their weapons and tried to pry my grip with their sharp talons.

“H-How?” Brandon choked.

“In the light of hope/ All those in fear drop their guard/ A foolish mistake.” I quoted.

The other griffon cried out as a pulse of electricity went through him, rendering him unconscious. After dropping him, I turned back to Brandon.

“While you were trying to escape, you kept looking back.” I told him. “I was never there. I kept up with you by your left side, ten meters away. In your panic, you didn’t even realize I was there.”

I began to add more pressure to my grip, slowly choking him into unconscious.

“Every flap of your wing covered the sound of my approach. The rustling leaves you heard was from the gales created by your wings.”

My grip tightened again.

“When you joined your friends, I went past you. As you all turned in the same direction, I came behind you. While you all readied for battle, I was taking you down one by one.”

His eye rolled back and his arms hung loosely. I also eased my grip.

“Those who cannot keep their cool will lose their focus. Those who lose focus are bound to make mistakes…”

I dropped the young griffon on the ground and turned around. I was met with the cold gaze of Gilbert and two other instructors tending to the trainees.

“There is no room for mistakes in battle, especially in their chosen profession.” I opened my arms wide as I looked at my friend. “Hunt or be hunted, manipulate or be manipulated. That’s how this game works.”

I turned around and started walking away.

“Ryu…”

I stopped and looked at Gilbert.

“My grandfather died with honor.”

“Sven died because of a mistake.” I snarled, my eyes flashing with a glare. “He was manipulated by those he trusted, hunted down in his family’s own land and was executed in front of his son!”

“Justice had been served to those monsters.” Gilbert said with conviction.

“But my vengeance was not.” I spat, walking away.

“Don’t let this consume you, Ryu!”

Sven, my friend, my mentor, my brother in arms, he died because of politics. Because of the manipulations of those above his station.

He didn't even reach fifty. There were those who did not approve of his ascension back to nobility. I was so focused on those who were disgraced that it never occurred to me that there might be those who did not welcome the fallen back with open wings.

I wasn't there when they set a trap for my friend. They posed as one of the rebels and took his son. It was a perfect cover up. They led him to a secluded location in his family's land, and held a blade at his son's throat. They didn't even let him put up a fight.

His son, Grave Downing, managed to escape while they gloated over his corpse. He went to his uncles Sever, Kain, and Dred and told them what happened. They managed to resolve the issue even before I came to visit them. But Sven's death still took a heavy toll on my heart. I had no one to lash out on as the ones responsible were already dead and executed. Their families had nothing to do with the scheme, and venting on them would simply tarnish Sven's memory.

So, with nothing else to do, I had no other choice but to grit my teeth and swallow my rage. So close. So very close. I almost snapped then. I left the country soon after, leaving the haunted son of my friend to his uncles. I didn't come back until Gilbert was born. I apologized for running away, but even then the country still made me feel the slivers of rage inside me.

I don’t believe in forgiveness. I don’t believe in forgetting the way they wronged me and mine. I don’t believe in Justice, nor do I believe that one life is equal to another. My friends and family are worth more than a nation. They are worth more than a country. I will burn this world for their sake. But there are some things that I believe.

I believe in Trust. I believe in Promise. I believe in Oath.

I believe in the Trust that my friends and family have given me. I believe in the Promise of their love and affection. And I believe in their Oath that they would always be there for me, even as they grow old and weaken, even as they die and wither away. They would always be there in my Mind, and in my Heart. For them, there is absolutely nothing that I will not do.

I looked up to the night sky as I walked. My eyes honed in on Luna’s moon. This melancholy. Why does it fill me with such unease?

Crossover: You Will Know Our Names - Part 2

It took a while, but only a bit of convincing to alleviate the temper of the chaotic spirit. It seems this Eris knew her friend well and started laughing when Ryu mentioned that the fight began when he mentioned Nicko’s height.

“So, I take it that the subject’s a little touchy for him?” Ryu asked as he sat down on the ground. They’ve all decided to talk civilly, at least. Ryu took one side of the cave while Nicko and Eris took the other.

“Oh yes.” the female Draconequus nodded, still chuckling at her friend’s expense. “This isn’t the first time that this has happened.”

Ryu sighed, shaking his head. “At least it was me who was winning.” he said. Then he pointed at the Rune Slayer who was rubbing his sides. “Had it been Nicko who was more powerful than the two of us then I would have gone straight to lethal methods in subduing him.”

The red head stopped nursing his side to look at the dragon. Eris finally stopped laughing to do the same. The Rune Slayer was still feeling his tender ribs even after Ryu healed them. It would take a few hours for them to stop aching, but it was better than the pain of walking around with cracked ribs.

Both spirit and Rune Slayer exchanged uncomfortable looks. Eris had informed Nicko on who the dragon truly was after things had calmed down. To think that the human looking Ryu was actually a dragon was a shocking surprise. Matching Nicko in speed, power and surviving a surprise Storm Blade at almost point blank range while in human form said a lot on Nicko’s chances of winning. To hear him admit that he would have likely went for the kill had the tide of battle been different was a very frightening thought.

“Um,” Eris started. “You wouldn’t have really killed him, right?”

“Yes, I would have.” Ryu said in a matter of factly. He propped his chin on his palm as he looked at Nicko tiredly. “He started the fight, and was coming at me with a sword. So it was either him or me. I don’t know about you, but I like living.”

“I wasn’t going to kill you!” Nicko exclaimed in his defense. He would have just given him a simple beating. No way was he going for the kill.

“I didn’t know that.” Ryu retorted. “You just came at me all of a sudden. What else was supposed to think?”

“That it was a misunderstanding?” Nicko said.

The dragon shrugged. “It’s not like you were willing to listen to me at the time.”

Eris looked over to Nicko. “Well, you do tend to go overboard when you’re angry.” she pointed out to her friend.

Nicko groaned before throwing his hands up in the air. “Enough of this. We’ve got better things to talk about.”

“He’s right.” Ryu agreed. “Right now the griffons think that you’re a criminal who served to distract the guards while one of the rebels went after the royal family. Thanks to that I’m also seen as a criminal because I look human, like you.”

“Hey! We’re not part of those rebels that you’re talking about!” Nicko exclaimed. “I didn’t ask to be sent here!”

“I know.” Ryu assured, taking the Rune Slayer’s indignation calmly. “You were forcefully summoned here against your will, so I don’t blame you.”

“Wait,” Nicko said. “How can you tell?”

“Just a hunch.” Ryu shrugged. Displaced were called by using Tokens.

Tokens were a Displaced’s symbol, their sign. It’s a part of their being that could be used to summon them through dimensions or alternate Equestrias. Ryu knew that this was true, having already experience it.

The summons can go both ways, however. Ryu had accidentally activated a token fairly recently and, instead of calling the Displaced into his own version of Equestria, he was sent to theirs.

Tokens are what connects the Displaced together. It lets them know that there are others who had similar circumstances as them. Ryu was forcefully sent to Equestria, Allie and Gwen were also forced as well. It lets them know that they weren’t alone.

“So, what do we do now?” Nicko asked.

“Well, for starters,” Ryu pointed at the Rune Slayer. “You and me are going back to the city, go to her Highness, the Queen, and you will plead for your innocence.” Then he turned and pointed at Eris. “You one the other hand will try to gain information based on where the rebels are hiding. If you’re a complete hax like the Discord I know, then this task should be easy.”

“Chaos Magic is not hax!” Eris exclaimed. “It’s primordial force of the universe that allows us Draconequi to break the laws of physics.”

“So…” Ryu trailed off. “Like the ultimate cheat code?”

“Exactly.” Eris nodded in satisfaction.

Ryu left it at that. Chaotic spirits were chaotic. You could always count on them to do or say random things that make no sense to others. Ryu, though, already learned to take many things in stride. Dealing with Discord all those centuries ago made him realize that pushing the spirit away just made him want to cling onto you more. Discord found it funny to get on the nerves of others.

Centuries after Ryu’s escape from the pony princesses, the dragon realized that getting on the nerves of other creatures was indeed entertaining. If Eris was anything like her father then random things are to be expected.

“So…” Ryu prompted. “Do you think you could find the rebels?”

“That depends.” the spirit shrugged.

He should have known. Nothing the dragon did was always easy when it came to situations like this. Even when he was still helping Sven.

“What do you need, then?” Ryu asked.

“I need a lead.” said Eris as she reclined on the empty air. “You can’t expect me to just prance around hoping to find something, do you?”

Actually, that was what Ryu was expecting. But he supposed that she had a point. “If I’m right, then you could probably find a lead in the area where you and Nicko first arrived in.” said the dragon. “Pulling a creature from a different dimension really isn’t something that you could do easily. Something like that would definitely leave some excess magic in the air.”

“Hmm…” the spirit pondered, tapping her claw on her chin. “You’re probably right. It probably drowned out my senses earlier when we woke up, that’s why I didn’t notice. If it’s still there then we might actually get a lead.”

“It should be.” Ryu said. “Griffons aren’t really the type who use magic, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t know any. They have ceremonial rituals for them, and they gain their power from their worship over their Ancestors.”

“They sound different from the griffons that I know.” said Eris.

“That shouldn’t be surprising.” Ryu commented. Different Equestria may mean different lore.

“Whoa, hold on a minute!” Nicko shot back.

“Yes?” Ryu asked.

“Why is it that I have to apologize?! All I did was end up in the middle of town and it wasn’t my fault!” The Rune Slayer was a little frustrated. Sure, he wanted to find out how he ended up here in the first place. But that didn’t mean that he had to make a plea that wasn’t entirely his fault.

“You caused a mass panic, set the guards on high alert, resisted arrest, got them to chase you, and became the scapegoat of a rebel faction that we don’t even know the location of.” summarized the drake. “If you had just let them take you in you could have just explained to them your situation without the extra violence. But you didn’t. And now we’re here.”

“For your information, I didn’t hurt anyone. That has to count for something.” Nicko grumbled. “When I was in the town square, that stupid guard captain prevented me from even asking any questions before he called me a runt. If anything, I think he’s suspicious. Like there’s a reason for his attitude.”

“You mean besides being the captain of an entire army?” Eris commented.

“Isn’t there a saying: “Innocent until proven guilty”?” the redhead snarked.

Ryu couldn’t help but palm his face. He could easily picture the scene in his head based on what he knew of the griffons and his short battle with Nicko earlier.

The griffons were a very serious military nation. They’ve had constant struggles with the remnants of the rebellion for centuries. This ensured that they were on edge most of the time. To hear how Nicko reacted to what was probably a regular arrest made the dragon wish that he went against Sven’s wishes back then and actually went and eradicated the rebels that he found.

“Nicko, kid.” Ryu tried to say. “You really are an impulsive one. It’s people like you that have the most interesting of lives.”

The dragon was content with living a sedate life. He took care of his problems in the most efficient ways so that they won’t haunt him in the future. That left him with a lot of free time for his friends and family, but in turn made everyday a bore when he wasn’t in their presence.

Nicko gritted his teeth as he glared at the dragon. “Interesting? You don’t know what my life was like.” he was lucky that he had his brother with him through it all. “It isn’t my fault that I’m impulsive! I just hate it when people always refer to me based on what I look like rather than what I’m capable of. It’s the same thing with my Twin brother.”

Both Nicko and Anson were thought of as weird when they were young because of a medical issue called Autism Spectrum. They weren’t highly affected by the disorder, but it was still enough that when it came to social interaction via verbal and nonverbal communication. When Nicko was young, he thought of himself similar to a Nobody from the Kingdom Hearts series since back then; they weren’t able to understand peoples emotions as much as they could now. Nicko took a little bit more time to explain everything to Ryu about what he and his brother had been through, including finding their parents after they thought they were originally dead or just disappeared.

After some time though, Nicko thought of something. Something that went along with what Ryu asked for. “Okay… I’ll come along. But, I want you to help me with improving my combat skills. Going up against you just a few moments ago taught me that I can improve upon my swordsmanship despite the fact that I already mastered my skills in Rune Magic.”

“Rune magic, huh? Would that happen to be the kind of magic you used earlier?” the dragon asked. It certainly piqued his interest when he saw it in action. If Ryu could learn how to do it himself, then the possibilities of what he can do with his magic would gain a significant boost.

Nicko nodded, creating a single Rune above his hand to show the drake. “The one you saw was one of my mid level skills called Storm Blade.” he took out his skill book and showed it to the dragon. “I know a bunch of other skills that also have different purposes, depending on the situation I’m in. How I fight might take a lot to explain, but I want you to help me improve my combat abilities before I go back to my world.”

Nicko was pretty confident of what he was capable of. Powers like his weren’t always used for attacking the enemy head on. Critical Sword was an ability that allowed the teen to increase his strength and chance for a critical strike for a short amount of time while Magic Chainwas a passive debuff that encased his enemies in a mystic chain that decreased their Magical Defense. Phoenix Talon was an ability that served as an attack and also enhanced the caster depending on how it’s used. If enemies were in the caster’s range, they would get burned by the phoenix while it ascended into the sky.

Ryu stared at the single page of Nicko’s skill book. Though he couldn’t understand what was written inside, he pretty much got the gist from what he saw earlier. It was like combining [Aura Burst] and [Mind Sword].

By using the energy gathered for the [Aura Burst], Ryu could convert that energy into a series of [Mind Swords], impaling everything around him and sending solidified magic swords in every direction around him. The dragon gave off an intrigued hum. That could work.

Thank you, Nicko, for the idea that you provided for Ryu’s new [Blade Burst] skill. The dragon supposed that he should pay the kid back for his help.

“I don’t mind Apprenticing you.” the dragon pondered. Ryu tried not to show any expression on his face, but the small upturn of his lips clearly expressed how eager he was at that prospect.

Back in the original Breath of Fire 3 game, there was a Master System. The Masters provide bonuses on the stat growth of those Apprenticed to them every time that character level-ups. But the Master System also has its downsides. Some stats may gain some bonus points, but there were also areas where they decrease.

Masters could be used to balance out a character’s stats, or specialize in the area that they excel in. With seventeen Masters to choose from, it was a tricky system to find out which one would be best for who.

“We’ll see if we have time.” Ryu said. “Eris, can you please start looking in the city now? I’ll take Nicko to the palace myself. They’ve already seen me once. If they have any problems with Nicko, I’ll be sure to take care of it.”

“Yessir!!” Eris playfully replied as she saluted and disappeared with a snap of her eagle talon.

Ryu sighed when the spirit left. He stretched his back and muttered to himself. “Alright then.” With a mental command and a grunt of discomfort, two spikes made of bone pierced through the dragon’s clothes on his back, shocking the Rune Slayer at their appearance.

“Whoa!”

The dragon ignored the teen, having to focus his thoughts mostly on the transformation. Muscles began to cover the bones, and slowly completed the draconic pair of wings. Once the last set of scales settled in, Ryu breathed out a sigh of relief and turned to repulsed looking Nicko.

“Right.” Ryu started. “Let’s go. I’ll carry you to the city.” He went to approach the kid, but stopped and looked at him. How was he going to carry the boy?

Shaking his head, the dragon bent down and wrapped an arm around Nicko’s mid-section before lifting him on his shoulder.

“Hey wait! Put me down!” the teen flailed as he tried to pry himself off the dragon.

“Shut up before I decide to paralyze you.”

Ignoring the Rune Slayer’s cries, the dragon started sprinting towards the exit. Before Nicko could voice anymore complaints, Ryu leaped out of the cave’s entrance and began to fall.

“AAHHHHH!!!!”

“Hahaha...” Ryu laughed at his passenger’s cry of panic before spreading his wings and started to glide, taking control of his descent. With a powerful flap of his dragon wings, and Nicko lurching from the force, both of them shot up straight into the sky and made their way towards the city.

Nicko saw the ground quickly shrinking away as they flew higher up. After the initial shock of falling, the teen began to feel a mixture of shock and awe as he realized that he was flying. He had always wanted to know what flying was like, but never thought it would be like this. Screw thinking of Smaug, nicko felt that Ryu was ten times better than that! “God, this feels incredible! Now I know why Rainbow Dash likes flying so much!”

The joy of flying mostly came from the liberating sensation of freedom. Ryu felt the same before, and still could feel some of it every time he took the skies.

No walls barred his way, no ground to hold him down, no cloud too high, and no place was definitely too far. He could see so many things into the vast horizon from the embrace of the sky. The feeling of absolute freedom was amazing. One of the things that Ryu liked about his dragon blood was his ability to experience this joy.

The dragon soared higher and higher, even going past the mountain city. He gave Nicko a view that he would probably rarely see…

Even if the way Ryu carried him wasn’t the most dignified position.

High above and beyond the clouds, higher still, the dragon soared beyond the height of what other creatures flew. He stopped and flapped his wings in a timely beat, allowing him to hover in the air. The winds roared at the high altitude, but Ryu created a steady stream of wind magic pushing out of him in the shape of a sphere to allow them to talk normally.

“So kid, what do you think?” Ryu asked.

“What do I think?” Nicko said. “I think this is beyond anything I’ve seen before.”

The Rune Slayer marveled at the sight. He could see Griffonia’s entire continent, as well as the sea that surrounded it. Their land had many mountain ranges, but all of those were flooded below by a literal sea of trees. He had never seen so much green.

The Griffons respected the land their Ancestors passed on to them, and they never cut down their forests unless they were in dire need of them. Their castles and mansions were made using stones and bricks, with hardly any wood. They had a solid foundation, and even their houses could be considered as a bunker.

Nicko still looked on in awe of the country, pushing on the dragon’s shoulder to raise his upper body to give him a better view of his surrounding. He had Ryu to thank for the unforgettable sight, because this was a memory that he would truly cherish. “It’s almost like a dream… Thank you for making it come true.”

“Watch it, now.” Ryu started, a small amused smirk forming on his face. “You keep talking like that and you’ll make me think that you’re trying to come on to me.”

Nicko sputtered in embarrassment, dropping his grip on the shoulder so that he wouldn’t be able to see the dragon’s face when Ryu tried to look up at him. “Good god!! I’m not like that! I’m just being thankful!!” Images played and… Eugh! Definitely not that!

“Good.” Ryu nodded, “But then again, I stopped caring for genders four hundred years ago.”

If you couldn’t find the time to relieve yourself because you're too busy training your magic, then it wouldn’t be surprising to find yourself expanding your preferences. Thankfully, however, Ryu still likened himself as a well polished sword than a snug sheath.

With another powerful flap of his wings, Ryu suddenly stopped their beating. They were suspended in the air for a moment, before gravity remembered that its job also included them as well.

Both humans fell from the sky at an incredible rate. The dragon releasing his grip on Nicko so that he could see his new Apprentice scream in terror without his support. However he was sadly disappointed when, instead of screaming his lungs off, the kid just kept his silence and watched as how the ground came closer. Nicko was falling with his body facing downwards and his arms and legs spread wide to catch draft.

“Uhh Ryu? Is it just me or are we falling to our death?” said the kid with the medical disorder.

The dragon sighed dejectedly. Nicko wasn’t screaming like he hoped to. Ryu was controlling his descent so that he would be at level with Nicko’s body. The kid was acting so casual about falling from a height near the stratosphere. Something was definitely not right in his head.

For Nicko, however, he was having the time of his life. He was grinning broadly as they fell. He was never scared of heights. In fact, the teen was one who always enjoyed coming down from big falls. It reminded him of a scene in Devil May Cry 3 where Dante dove off a gigantic tower that was as tall as the mountainside of Canterlot. Nicko always wanted to find a way to do that in real life. This was the closest he had gotten to that.

He wasn’t a son of sparda, but Nicko didn’t really care at this point. He was having a blast, that’s what counts.

“Stay close to me when we land and play along.” Ryu said as he grabbed Nicko under his arm.

Nicko nodded as the dragon’s wings began spread wide, gently slowing their descent. Ryu made sure that the landing was soft enough that Nicko wouldn’t suffer any whiplash before setting the boy down on the ground. No sooner after they arrived that guards showed up with their weapons ready. Ryu recognised them as the sharpshooters under Gilbert’s tutelage. He saw the old Griffon coming forward from the line of young soldiers.

“Well Ryu, it seems like you found our troublemaker.”

The dragon nodded before gesturing to the other human. “Gilbert, this is Nicko Nocte. He is the one the guards came across earlier today.”

Many looks were exchanged from the griffons behind Sir Gilbert. Nicko wanted to say hello to be polite, but was unsure of what to do. They did kind of blame him for the course of events that happened earlier even though he had no intention of causing them harm. Right now, he just stayed silent. Like an old rule in the Military, do not speak unless spoken too.

The old griffon looked at Nicko, raising his brows when he gazed at the boy. “This child? I didn’t expect someone this young being capable of some of the things that I’ve read in the report.” Gilbert said, taking out a piece of parchment from the sack hanging by his side, and reading Nicko’s description again.

The teen thought that the knight was actually talking to him. He even saw the Griffon make eye contact with him before looking at the papers again. Still, he remained silent. Unless Ryu said otherwise, he would have to be quiet for the time being. Damn his Autism Spectrum. He didn’t know what to do at the moment.

“Gilbert, is her majesty able to see us?” Ryu then asked. “I believe there are some things that we need to clear up with the queen.”

“I’m afraid not, Ryu. She wanted some time alone with the King for the time being. It may be a while before you will be able to see her.” He gave the dragon a thankful nod. “What you did helped a lot. The King has recovered enough to regain his consciousness.”

“That’s good.” Ryu said. Still. Even with the King well and awake, that left the solution to Nicko’s predicament on hold. Hopefully Eris finds something on her side of things. “Would you happen to know where the Training Barracks are?”

“The Training Barracks?” Gilbert repeated. “Why would you need to go there?”

Ryu pointed over to the silent redhead, who was standing in attention and was stiff as a board. “The boy asked for me to help him with his swordsmanship. He has a temper when somebody refers to him by how… tall he is and during a brief clash we had, I saw that his emotions affected his combat skills.”

Murmurs came from the griffons that were behind Gilbert, the soldiers who still training to be a full guard. The old Griffon was surprised that Ryu got a new student. Though the queen said that the boy was Ryu’s business, training the Red-maned youngling wasn’t something that he expected from his friend.

Gilbert went to point out something that was off sight beyond the houses. “It’s not far from the palace. I can take you there if you want.”

“Are you sure.” Ryu asked, “Don’t you have to find the rebels that attacked the King?”

“The Queen’s soldiers have been tasked with that job.” the griffon snarked with a roll of his eyes. “They just had us make sure there wasn’t anything lurking in the area that we have to deal with later.”

The Griffon made a gesture for both humans to follow him. Nicko looked at Ryu, unsure if they should or not. But a nod from the drake was all he needed to see before the two of them started walking. Gilbert himself was in between Nicko and Ryu as they made their way over to the barracks. Nicko was personally surprised though when the Griffon actually began to talk to him.

“So, Nicko. How old are you?”

Following the rule of do not speak unless spoken to, the Rune Slayer replied as he put his hands in his pockets. “Just turned Eighteen about a week ago, Sir.”

Social situations were one thing that wasn’t Nicko’s strong point. Sure, he could talk. But talking to new individuals he never met before was a challenge for the teen. Not knowing much about that person really made it hard for him to find out anything about who he was talking too. So instead of asking questions, he simply answered the questions Gilbert asks him. They continued to talk as Ryu soon joined in and caught the older Griffon up on everything so far. The only part they left out though was Eris. Letting them know that a Draconequus was helping them would cause panic given the way that Discord’s actions had driven the world into chaos. So, they just referred to her as an Associate.

As they made it into the barracks, they turned their way to the wide open field where the griffon soldiers had their drills everyday. There wasn’t much activity there as most of them were out in the city searching for the rebels.

Ryu didn’t wait for Gilbert and Nicko when they stopped for the Rune Slayer to take in the facility. The dragon went ahead and stepped into a large circle of dirt and kicked some it with his boots. It was a good place to train in.

“Nicko!” the dragon called out, gaining the Rune Slayer’s attention. “Get over here. Since I don’t think we have a lot of time until our mutual friend finds a lead, we should get at least some training in.”

“Right.” the redhead nodded, unholstering the sword on his back and making his way into the circle.

Gilbert watched with no small amount of amusement at the boy’s eagerness. Ryu was definitely going to make him regret that later. The trainees behind the old knight stood off to the side, also eager to see how the two humans would clash.

When Nicko stepped inside the circle Ryu clenched his fist and created a katana from his [Mind Sword]. He examined the blade, making sure that the edge was blunt. He wouldn’t want any accidents in the training.

“Right then.” Ryu began. “First off, Nicko, tell me what you are.”

“What?” the teen asked in confusion.

“What are you?” the dragon gestured to the boy’s body. “Here’s an example. My name is Ryu. I’m a human and a dragon. I can transform into a dragon because of a bloodline. The name of my kind of dragon is Brood. Now you.”

“Well, um.” the teen scratched his head. “I’m Nicko Nocte, a Rune Slayer.”

“What do you specialize in as a Rune Slayer?”

“Um, Runes?”

“I’m sorry, what?” the dragon said, cupping his ear towards the teen. “Did you say Spoons?”

“No. I said Runes.”

“Prunes, you say?”

“I said RUNES!” the Slayer shouted. Nicko didn’t know why the dragon wanted him to repeat himself when he knew that Ryu heard him perfectly. It was starting to get on his nerves.

“There.” The dragon declared. “Say it properly and make sure that you know it yourself.”

After saying that, the dragon lunged, swinging his blunted sword in a wide arc above the Rune Slayer. Nicko gave a startled cry as he moved to block the blow. Both blades clashed, with Nicko straining to hold his sword in place as the dragon continued to press against his weapon.

“Now, Rune Slayer, what is your specialty?” the dragon asked, adding more pressure on his sword.

Nicko grunted. With a cry of exertion he pushed back and jumped away, raising his hand towards the dragon.

"Too slow!" the dragon roared as he lunged at the retreating teen. He grabbed Nicko by his vest with his left hand and pulled him back then threw him to the side. "So obvious! You attack, you cast! You defend, you cast! You need to know how fast you can make a rune, and how well!"

The dragon went into the offensive once again as the teen recovered, swinging his sword in wide arcs and giving Nicko enough time to react.

Every attack, Nicko blocked. Ryu continued his assault, deliberately sliding his sword over Nicko's blade. He attacked from every direction; up, down, left, right. He forced Nicko on the defensive, repeating the slashes even as the teen grunted after every blow.

"Deflect, Nicko! Redirect! Parry! Don't block!" Ryu shouted as his sword swung to the side, shifting Nicko's sword into that direction and leaving the teen exposed. The dragon roared and shoved his foot into Nicko sternum, kicking him back and making the teen tumble.

Nicko's face twisted in pain as his tender ribs took the blow. He held his side as he righted himself into a crouch and looked up at the dragon staring down at him without a hint of emotion on his face.

"You're not a tank, Nicko. You're a runt."

The Rune Slayer glared as a tick appeared on his temple.

"Don't give me that look. You're tiny, but that doesn't mean that it's a disadvantage." the dragon dashed over to the downed teen, Nicko jerking his head back as the Ryu stopped in time and held his sword at his neck. Both humans made eye contact, with Ryu looking down at him. "You're agile. You're quick. You're strong. But you're not very bright."

"What?!"

Ryu withdrew his blade and started walking back to the middle of the circle. Nicko took this time to get back on his feet and rub the spot on his neck where the dragon's sword had been.

"You're not inventive." Ryu called out with his back turned to the teen. "If you haven’t noticed, both our fighting styles should be the same.”

“Huh?” Nicko stopped glaring as he looked at Ryu with confusion.

“Don’t be so surprised.” the dragon swung his sword in his right hand, slashing the air once, then twice. Then he pulled back his sword hand so that it was behind him, shifted his legs and made sure that his left hand was in front. His hand was spread open. “[Simoon]!”

Nicko and the other spectators flinched as an explosion made of fire and wind came from the dragon’s hand. Ryu turned and spun, swinging his sword into a sweeping slice, then stopped with his left hand out once again.

“[Sirocco]!”

Tiny balls of fire sprayed out of Ryu’s open palm, where each light exploded into individual [Simoon] spells in the air.

Looking back to the gaping Rune Slayer, he opened his arms wide, showing Nicko his sword held in his right hand and the excess magic leaking out of his left hand. “This is what I meant. With Sword in one hand, and the Arcane in the other, our style in fighting should be the same.”

Even though Ryu had powerful magic spells, he rarely has any uses for them. Most of the spells were too noisy and too flashy. Maybe in time, when the world knows who he is, he’ll get the chance to unleash every spell in his arsenal. But for now he’ll focus on teaching Nicko his more subtle and efficient style.

“Focus on your speed, technique, and stamina, Nicko. My style is based on those.” Ryu said. “I have enough stamina to leave me standing after days of non-stop fighting. I have speed fast enough to lead my enemies on and drive them into an ambush. I have the technique to fight opponents who can easily overpower me, and hold my own until I find a way to win.”

Nicko nodded as he paid attention. Both him and Ryu had more or less the same type of body build. Ryu was slightly different, only because he was older and had the time to develop his muscle based on his style.

“Also, the most important thing about my style.” Ryu tapped his temple. “Innovation.”

“Innovation?”

“To create new, and clever ways of using your skills.” the dragon explained. Ryu held up a [Magic Ball]. But instead of creating a flash with it, he directed it to the ground and fired. The spell dispersed in a violent discharge, but there was no blinding light that came from it.

He created another [Magic Ball] in his hand, then tampered with its creation. The ball of pure magic ignited and turned into a [Fireball] after Ryu added the element within the composition.

“Just because a spell is used in one way doesn’t mean that it could only be used like that.” Ryu explained. “Experiment and learn through trial and error. Break down the components of your magic and create new ways to use them. An explosion is loud, flashy, and carry concussive force. With enough practice and control you could use that force factor to aid you in your movements. You could use their flashy display as a distraction. You could use the noise they make to disorient your enemies. There are many methods for you to choose from, not just these.”

Even the most harmless of skills could have a devastating effect. Ryu made enough of them to know himself.

The dragon continued. “You could use the explosions to add more power in your sprints by creating them under your feet and propel you forward faster. You could learn to plant runes and use them as traps. You could learn to carve them into rocks and create grenades.”

Nicko gaped at the dragon’s absurd ideas. Ryu rolled his eyes as he looked at the teen’s expression.

“This is what you call Mastery, Nicko.” the dragon declared as he created four [Magic Balls] around himself.. “It’s not a matter of how many times you can use it; not how well you could perform it; not with how fast you can cast it. It’s about being diverse.” the four spells changed and turned into a [Fireball], [Snowball], [Gustball] and a [Lightningball] “One spell for different situations, creating different uses out of it. You do this right and I guarantee to you that you will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Nicko stood still as he looked at Ryu’s display. He looked down at his sword and hand before clenching them tight. That was a good point: Diversity. Back in Elsword the number of skills he could learn were limited. But here that might not be the case. If what Ryu says is true, then maybe he could create skills of his own.

Fire Rune, Splash Explosion, Storm Blade, and his other skills. If he could somehow find a way to break them down, maybe creating a new skill wouldn’t be so hard.

“Heh.” Nicko looked up and stared at the dragon straight in his eyes. “You know, if I didn’t know any better then I’d say that this was a training for me to gain a new Job Class.”

“Job Class, huh.” the dragon smiled at the idea. “What would that Job Class be?”

Nicko shrugged, holding his sword in one hand and leaving the other free, similar to how Ryu held his own weapons. “Don’t know. But it probably has something to do with sword and magic, like a Rune Slayer.”

Ryu gave Nicko a satisfied smile. Seeing the teen ready for more training made the dragon proud. “Let’s think about a name later, for now let’s concentrate.”

“Yes, Master!”

Ryu’s smile suddenly turned evil as he heard what Nicko addressed him as. Off to the side, the feathers of Gilbert and the rest of the trainees all became ruffled as they shivered at the look in the dragon’s eyes.

“On to the next lesson.” Ryu declared. “Beating the crap out of someone is easy. It’s keeping yourself from getting the crap beaten out of that’s hard!”

“What?” the Rune Slayer asked, gaining a perplexed expression.

“Prepare yourself!”

The birds looking on turned their heads away as the one sided beating began. Gilbert shuddered as he heard the sound of blunted sword hitting naked flesh. “I think I just had a flashback.” he muttered to himself before wincing as he heard the same sound again. “Arcane Blade.”

That was a good name. The mysteries of Sword and Magic. Both learned and exploited, creating a master of the unorthodox swordplay and magic tricks. If there was a Job Class with a name like that, then Ryu definitely belonged in that category.

As time ticked on, an invisible Eris continued to search for some kind of lead that could explain how she and Nicko ended up into Ryu’s world in the first place. According to the drake, summoning rituals like the one that brought them here would leave some leftover magic in the air. Additionally, a token would be needed as a catalyst in order to summon them specifically. Using these as the only clues she had, the spirit began looking for the ones responsible for bringing her and her friend here.

Her Chaos magic was quite useful right now for multiple reasons. First off, she was able to hide herself from the all the guards that patrolled through the streets. Second, she was able to sense magic in the air. But how she sensed it though was different from how Unicorns or Alicorns would feel sorcery.

Draconequus such as Discord and herself feel magic based on smell. It may be different to other Draconequi, but that was how it works in her world. Each spellcaster has a special kind of aura that defines themselves and is based on their personality and traits. Her father’s aura, for example, smelled like warm chocolate chip cookies. Nicko smelled like cinnamon sugar and Ryu smelled like apple pie (For some odd reason). Those with a sweet scent would be known to have a good heart and care for somepony, while those with a foul scent are known to be the opposite.

Speaking of foul scents, she was beginning to smell something of that nature not far from the courtyard of the palace.

Slithering through the streets and above the heads of the civilians living in the area, the spirit followed the smell until she came across what looked like a trashbin. Whatever Eris was feeling, it was inside there. Using her Chaos magic to make the metal tin can disappear, the daughter of Discord was soon surprised to find what was hiding inside the bin as she picked it up with her paw.

It was a small stone, but it had the same symbol as the one that Nicko had on his left shoulder.

“Well, that must explain how we got here.” The Spirit said to herself as she looked around a little. The smell of the object reeked of rotting flesh. Something Eris thought was a little disturbing. But still, she was going to use the scent of the object to track it’s caster. Which was easy to do because objects could not have their own magical scent unless they were enchanted items.

That meant that the scent that was left on here was the scent of the individual responsible for this. Or individuals.

Any fool that doesn’t know how to cover their tracks leave a trail behind. Using her nose, Eris carefully followed the smell back through the courtyard. The Draconequus was careful not to bump into any of the griffons that were in her way while she was moving and made her way over to the outside of a closed office. It seemed to be the living quarters for the guards.

Unlike Canterlot, where the living quarters and the barracks were part of a two story building, Griffonia’s living quarters and barracks were two separate building that were right next to one another. Based on her magical senses, her friend and the dragon were close to where she was.

Creeping through the window that was already open, Eris took the convenient opportunity to make her way inside and wait. Soon, a griffon wearing a cloak entered the room along with one other individual.

The captain of the guard. Wow. Nicko was right with his guess earlier.

“I could not have been more specific with my instructions. Now, thanks to you idiots, I have more problems to deal with and your assassination attempt on the king failed.”

“Failed!?” Squawked the other griffon. “May I remind you that I was the one who brought that boy here, disposed of the evidence and made sure to poison the king with the most vicious of mixture that would kill a minotaur within minutes!”

“Yes, but thanks to that brat, the city was on full alert and the king is alive thanks to the Elder Dragon that healed him-!”

“That is on you, not me! You were the one who hired me to do a simple job of summoning that runt and using it as a distraction. What happened afterwards is not on my head but yours. Besides, the procedure itself was risky enough given what was needed to perform the ritual.”

“Damn you. I knew I should’ve never trusted a wetboy like yourself.” The captain snarled. “What do you plan on doing now?”

“I plan on leaving. You asked for one simple thing and that was already done. Everything else is not my responsibility but yours. So if you want to become king that badly, you better finish the job yourself!”

This was followed by the griffon in the cloak brushing through the captain and out the door. Eris decided to follow him until he was in an alleyway and then give him a nice surprise. If you count that surprise being getting tied down by rope with just a finger snap.

“What in the ancestors-?”

“Sorry, little birdy. But I have some friends who want to meet you… And they have a few questions for you.”

By now, Nicko was starting to get the hang of what Ryu was teaching him despite multiple bruises and pain coursing through his body. The Rune Slayer had not demonstrated all of his abilities to the drake, but Nicko wanted to make sure and start off slowly with only a few abilities using Ryu’s teachings on mastery. He had a few ideas of how he could be innovative with his powers, but wanted to make sure to try them out before doing anything crazy.

The redhead positioned himself as he looked at his teacher. Ryu still had a lot of energy to spare and so did he. The dragon had taught him about the diversity of his powers as well as for defense. Two elements that were very important to survival. Now was where the Rune Slayer needed to prove to his teacher that he understood what the dragon taught him.

“[Siricco]”

But first he needed to dodge that.

The Rune Slayer ran around inside the sparring circle, dodging all of the little bombs that the dragon sent his way. Ryu hasn’t moved from its center, giving Nicko the chance to retaliate if he ever chose to do so.

“Come now Nicko, think!” Ryu called out as his left hand continued to spray the spell, controlling the power in them to a minimum. “From your list of skills what can you do to counter!”

“I can’t think of any!”

“Then make one!”

The dragon ceased his barrage and made to grasp the air. Nicko found himself locked inside Ryu’s telekinetic grip. The dragon swung his left arm with effort and the Rune Slayer soon found his body following its direction.

Nicko was flung outside the sparring circle, rolling on the ground dirt when he made contact to reduce the damage. He recovered quickly, however, already accustomed to being thrown around by his new instructor. By the time he was on his feet, he was already moving back towards the circle, Ryu stopping his assault until he steps back inside.

The Rune Slayer himself had an idea of where to start with his counter attack, but first; he needed to get closer to the drake. Using one of the idea’s Ryu suggested earlier during his explanation, Nicko ran forward, using his Runes to create tiny explosions under the soles of his feet, giving him more distance and speed with every step.

Ryu made a sweep with his left hand, sending another spray of his [Sirocco] spell. Nicko dodged every tiny balls of fire coming his way, swerving left and right and ducking under them. He swung his sword when he was close to the dragon instructor, however it wasn’t aimed at Ryu. Nicko swiped the ground near his feet, sending a wave of dirt towards the drake.

Since Ryu gave himself a disadvantage by refusing to move from the middle of the sparring circle, Nicko made sure to exploit it. The dragon sweeped his left arm and pushed the incoming dirt away with a burst of wind, only to blink in surprise when the Rune Slayer used another of his Rune’s explosions to propel himself forward and slide between his legs. Nicko slapped his hand on the ground just under Ryu, creating an Ice Rune underneath him to hold him in place.

The Rune created the same effect as the dragon’s [Chill] spell, but it slowed down Ryu’s movement purely by using the sudden drop of temperature around him. Before the dragon could even make his counter, Nicko channeled a blue colored magic around his hand as he swung for in a low diagonal motion. “LUNA BLADE!!”

A huge aquamarine blade emerged from overhead and slammed down nearby Ryu’s prone location. The dragon, however, didn’t stand idle. Even with his body slowed, his magic was still quick and free of obstruction. He created another spell, this time a single [Simoon]. He hopped slightly off the ground as the spell detonated beside him, the force of the explosion pushing him away from the Ice Rune’s area of effect.

The Rune Slayer expected the dodge, and picked up a few nearby rocks that were made from the impact of the Luna Blade for a few extra surprises. Chucking them at Ryu, he snapped his fingers once they landed on the ground by his feet.

“RISING SLASH!!”

Normally, the spell would summon forth a barrage of blades from either side of the Rune Slayer, as a source of protection when enemies came too close to him. But for this tactic, he placed the runes used to summon the blades on the stones he threw towards Ryu. The Elder Dragon was caught off guard once four huge blades sprung from the stones, scratching his arms when he tried to cover his body and head.

Ryu smiled at the rather devious tactic. The boy was improving and his teachings were paying off. It showed him that helping the redhead was not a waste of time.

“Impressive.” Ryu complimented, looking at the scratches on his arms. “Grafting your runes on an object and using them like a grenade, at least you’re taking my advice. But I still believe you can improve a bit more.”

Before he could do anything though, a new voice began to speak to the two of them. ‘Hey Nicko? Ryu? Can you hear me?’

‘Loud and Clear, Eris. Find anything?’ the redhead replied.

Ryu himself was confused at first. but it only took him a few moments to realize that Eris was talking telepathically. Quite a handy trick. Being a Psionic he should to see if he could learn it.

‘I did more than just find something.’ said the spirit. ‘I found the griffon that performed the summoning ritual. Meet me in the alleyway between the marketplace and the forge inside the city and I can show you what I mean.’

“Hmm…” the dragon hummed, healing his own injuries and walking over to Nicko to do the same. “I suppose that’s it for now.”

Off to the side, Gilbert and the trainees gave the two humans confused looks. The old knight shrugged before walking close to the circle since both looked like their lessons were over.

“That was splendid, Nicko.” the griffon praised. “It’s nice to see the scaly bastard get hit for once.”

“He had magic,” the dragon shrugged. He rarely had time to fight others who could use combat magic like Nicko. “But for now, we need to get going.”

“Where?” Gilbert asked.

“Our little tracker seems to have found a lead.” Ryu said. “We’ll tell you what we know when we get back.”

“I’ll go with you, then.” the griffon offered.

“It’s fine Gilbert,” Ryu assured his friend. “We’ll give you the information once we get them. I promised you that I won’t get involved in this. But--!” he pointed at the Rune Slayer. “Nicko will. Being unwillingly summoned, he should be there when you make the arrest.”

The old griffon looked at Nicko, frowning as he studied the teen. “Well… I suppose we could allow that. He was used for their schemes unwillingly.”

Ryu nodded, content with the decision. He took his attention back to the Rune Slayer. “From the moment we get the info, it’ll be just you and the knights. I won’t get to join you since this is their country’s problem. Don’t forget the things that I taught you.”

“Yes, Ryu. I’m extremely thankful for your teachings.” Nicko gave his new Master a grateful bow before straightening again.

Ryu just smiled as they began to walk to the location Eris directed to them. Gilbert was not far behind them, along with his trainees. Shortly after arriving at the location though, the drake gave Gilbert a look that would say “Stay Here” as the two of them walked into the alleyway. Shortly after losing sight of the old griffon, Eris dropped her invisibility spell. The dragon and Rune Slayer looked at the Draconequus as well as the guest that she had tied up beside her.

“Ah perfect. I was beginning to wonder if you two got lost on the way.”

“What did you find?” Ryu asked, getting straight to the point.

“Well, this here birdy is the culprit responsible for summoning Nicko and I with the use of this.” The Chaos Spirit told him as she tossed the Rune Slayer’s Mark to the Elder Dragon for both of them to inspect. The object pulsed in his hands and felt warm to his touch. “Furthermore, he says that he was hired to perform the ritual.”

That was an interesting thing to know, Ryu pondered. So a Displaced could also be summoned by other creatures as well, not just by other Displaced. But based on what Eris said, they can’t just call on them easily. Even so, he’ll have to remember to give Gilbert and the rest of his family his own token.

“Hired by who?” Nicko asked.

“That’s what we need to find out.” Eris grinned as she untied the rope she had around the Griffon’s beak. The cloaked griffon coughed violently and was gasping for air. Those things were plugging his air holes.

Nicko facepalmed to himself during this. He did not expect for Eris to hold the bird like a hostage.

Ryu snorted when the chaotic spirit took out a feather. The dragon wasn’t wrong in his assumptions about her intentions with it when Eris started tickling their captive.

“Tell us what you know.” she said with an eager grin. When the captive griffon gave her a look that said he was not amused by her antics, she turned to her other companions while still wiggling the feather. “He must be trained for this.”

While amused by the Draconequus’ little game, they still needed the information from the griffon’s skull. Unfortunately for the bird, Ryu had a skill that could do that.

The dragon suddenly grabbed the griffon’s head, startling Eris and Nicko.

“Allow me.” said the dragon.

[Monopolize]

Without warning, their captive jerked for an instant before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Ryu continued to peer down at the griffon, barely moving any muscle. Nicko looked confused when he saw nothing happening except the griffon twitching every so often, but from the way Eris’ eyes widen she may have an inkling of what he’s doing.

The griffon gasped suddenly as the dragon released his grip. He didn’t move even as their prisoner collapsed on the ground unconscious.

Ryu breathed out slowly, closing his eyes as if to calm his nerves. When he opened them he looked at his hand in confusion, and began to examine it.

“Ryu?” Nicko called out to the dragon.

“It’s nothing.” he said, shaking his wrist as he turned to the redhead. “Our friend here is Solov Hazing, a scholar of the local academy of Arcane. He was hired a week ago to enact a ritual using an artifact. Even though the employer seemed shady, he didn’t refuse because he thought that it was a chance to further his study in magic. He, along with a few others, were definitely the ones behind bringing both of you here and he was the one who attacked the king.”

Solov Hazing was one of the disgraced families. Him and his friends. But unfortunately it seems that his other family members had nothing to do with the plot. The same goes with the others. They were simply a bunch of teenagers who did something stupid because they thought it was interesting, and that they were going to get something out of it.

Unfortunately what they got was something too interesting, as well as a place under the guillotine once Ryu tells Gilbert of what he knew. Based from the memories that the dragon leeched off from the griffon, his friends were enjoying the pay that they got from this situation.

“Here’s what I found out.”

The dragon began telling what he knew to Nicko and Eris first. Telling them how they’ve set up the ritual as well as position the assassination near the area where the King and his family frequented. Throughout the explanation, Eris was unnaturally silent.

After finishing, the dragon left in a flash of light and, as promised, stayed back to allow Nicko and Gilbert to deal with the situation.

“Solov Hazing? Is this correct?”

“Yes, Sir Gilbert.” Nicko confirmed for the old griffon once the guards have seized Solov and began to escort him to prison. “According to Ryu, he was hired around a week ago to perform a summoning ritual. The only reason why he performed the summoning was because he believed it was an opportunity to learn more in the field of Magic he was studying.”

“Which is?”

“Ancient Arcane.” The Rune Slayer explained. “He and his friends were part of one of the families that was disgraced. However, Ryu also said that they’re just simply a bunch of teenagers who only did it because either they thought it was interesting or because they would get something out of it. Sheer stupidity if you ask me.”

“Aye.” The griffon replied. Arcane sorcery was used for plenty of purposes, but it really depended on the caster. This kind of magic was rare and can only be controlled by a certain few individuals.

One thing concerned the Griffon, however. Even though he was told that somebody hired him to perform the job, Solov never said who hired him. If he was a puppet in all of this, then who was the one that was pulling his strings?

“Well, the rest of the guard could take him in for questioning. Right now though, I think the Queen might be ready to see you now.”

“Alrighty. Lead the way.”

The boy’s enthusiasm made Gilbert smile a little as they walked back towards the palace. He was not as nervous as he was earlier in the day. In fact, he seemed a little more comfortable.

They soon reached the Palace as they walked inside. Nicko himself was more relaxed with being by Gilbert. not to mention the fact that Eris was inside his head again. Both Human and Griffon walked through the marble-floored halls; ignoring the stares and murmurs that came from the other griffons that were in the room.

The two of them soon reached the door to the Queen’s chamber as the guards once again saluted Gilbert.

“We’re here to see the King and Queen.”

Both guards now looked at Nicko before looking back at the old Griffon. “Yes sir, but… If I may… Are you sure that it’s safe? This… being, matches the reports that-.”

“I understand that. But this boy is under my protection as well as the protection of my Mentor. There is a misunderstanding that we must clear up.”

The two guards looked at each other in confusion for a few seconds before opening the doors. Both Griffon and Human stepped inside as the doors closed behind them. They were inside the Royal Bed Chambers, a place where Gilbert had only entered a few hours ago with Ryu. There, the King of Griffonia looked as if he was on the verge of death, but now his condition had greatly improved. Ryu’s spell must’ve done wonders for him.

“Sir Gilbert,” The queen greeted once again as the old Griffon respectfully bowed in her presence. Her gaze now turned towards the boy that was with him, looking very confused. “I’m to assume that you’re the boy who has caused quite a stir inside this city?”

“My lady,” Gilbert began to speak. “This here is Nicko Nocte. He is indeed the one known as the Rune Slayer, but my mentor believes that he was summoned here against his will.”

The Queen looked at Nicko, suspicion lurking within her eyes. “Please explain your claims, Child.”

“Well, earlier, we caught the individual who summoned me here. His name was Solov Hazing, a scholar of Arcane magic. His only motivation for the act was to improve his study in magic and to satisfy his own curiosity.”

“Hazing, you say?” The King coughed, surprising the two visitors when he opened his eyes.“If I recall correctly, that is one of the dishonored families… Would he have happened to mention who hired him?”

Before Nicko or Gilbert could say anything, a loud screech could be heard from outside the doors in the hallway that lead to the chambers they were in. A sound of a sword slicing through solid flesh could be heard as more cries of agony echoed throughout the room.

“What in the Ancestors name is going on!?” The Queen demanded as she raised herself to defend her husband.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Nicko told them, readying himself for whomever entered through the door. It swung open as the guards that protected the front door were thrown in like ragdolls with bloody wounds across their chests. Gilbert rushed over to them, only to realize that the first one was already dead and the second guard was barely breathing.

‘Nicko, watch out!!’

Eris’ warning couldn’t have come at a better time as the Rune Slayer ducked, avoiding the blade of the assailant. Returning back to his feet, the teen’s eyes widened as he realized who it was.

The captain of the guard was standing right in front of him, holding a blood covered broadsword in one claw while having the other one unsheathed for when he needed his sharp talons. The Black Griffon lunged forward again, thrusting his sword forward towards Nicko’s chest. A predictable move that the Rune Slayer blocked with his blunt sword before kicking him backwards.

“You little piece of trash.” The Attacker taunted.

“What the hell is your problem? First you call me Runt and now you call me Little!!? Are you just asking for trouble!?”

“What is the meaning of all this?!” The Queen hollered. She was shocked at finding out the head of her own guard had just barged into the castle, killed the guards, and now came after both of them while they were in the middle of a discussion with Sir Gilbert and the Rune Slayer. She wasn’t the only one who was confused. Nicko and Eris were just as confused as the lady griffon.

“The meaning of all this is to finish what that damned Solov never did and never could complete. Because you don’t leave a hatchling to do a hunters job!”

The Captain tried to use his wings to propel himself forward towards the King and Queen in a fast paced blitz. However, Nicko predicted this and used his newfound trick of a small rune explosion at the soles of his feet to put himself in between the enraged warrior and the frightened sovereign. With a quick motion, he deflected the incoming sword and went behind the Griffon to try and grab his wings. But doing this though caused the Black Bird to react, almost striking the teen with his back claws.

“You stay out of this, Freak! Or else I’ll end your life just like I’ll end the king’s!!”

“Oh really now?” Nicko taunted. “Very well then… HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT!!!”

The former captain snarled in satisfaction. But soon, he realized something when he tried to move his wings. His muscles became stiff. Like they were locked in place. Turning his head, his eyes widened at the sight of two of Nicko’s Ice Runes right where the wing joints met his back.

“What the bloody hell-?!”

Nicko grinned silently. “Looks like Ryu’s teaching have paid off. He taught me that when fighting against others who are incredibly fast, strike them in an area that would slow them down.”

“But you didn’t even hit me-!”

“Remembered when I tried going for your wings?”

Now the Griffon realized what he meant. The boy wasn’t trying to grab hold of them, but get close enough to cast his blasted spell! He cursed the ancestors for his bad luck. But realized that he didn’t need wings in order to move. Running on all fours, the assailant charged at the Rune Slayer blindly. Unknowing of what the boy had in store for him.

Nicko himself was so confident to the point that he set his sword back on his back for this one. He cracked his knuckles as he prepared his right fist, pulsing with magic. The Griffon lashed out furiously with it’s claws, but barely managed to get a hit on the boy.

Nicko though, had a surprise for him.

“WIND BLADE!!”

The Attack surged from Nicko as it shattered the guard’s armor and left him lying on the floor, unconscious. Nicko walked over and checked the birds pulse, making sure that he didn’t put TOO much power into that last attack. He was relieved when he felt the creatures heartbeat. Turning towards Gilbert, he sighed. “Well, seems like another arrest is in order.”

Ryu frowned as he watched the clash through the shadows under the room. Though he was happy to see Nicko practice his advice, something about this whole situation nagged the dragon.

The Guard Captain was one of the most trusted soldier of the crown. They were those who were noticed by a member of the Royal family itself and was recommended personally. They either became the head of the soldiers, or became a personal bodyguard for the royalty.

Ryu still couldn’t tell what drove the captain to betray his liege. The position came with fame and prestige, love of the masses and a welcome back to the ranks of nobility if they had been disgraced.

The captain’s actions now also didn’t match with his earlier schemes. Summoning Nicko and using him as distraction while his assassins tried for the king was a clever ploy, but charging into their majesties’ presence while blatantly telling them that he was the one behind it all just screams stupidity.

Ryu’s frown deepened. No, the captain wasn’t behind all this. He was nothing but a lackey. Someone’s pawn. Even so, the dragon still had to keep his promise. Like Pinkie Pie’s little rhyme, Ryu had to abide by the Dragon’s Code.

No. That was a lie. It wasn’t because of the Dragon Code. He didn’t care if he broke one of those. What Ryu cared for was the promise to his family, as well as to his close friends.

Decades ago he gave his word to Sven that he would never interfere with the Griffonia’s rebel business if he could. To the deceased knight they were still his ancestor's comrades, even if their cause had been wrong.

He’ll have to remember to tell Gilbert about his thoughts on the former captain. Ryu was still regretting how anti-climactic this was. But still, this was his world’s troubles. He didn’t need Nicko to start helping a dimension that wasn’t his. Ryu was sure that the Rune Slayer had enough trouble on his own.

For now he needed to say goodbye to his apprentice. With whole debacle done and over with, there was nothing keeping Nicko from going home.

Shortly after Gilbert arrested the now former guard captain, the female sovereign expressed her gratitude towards the Rune Slayer for his bravery and strength, even the king showed his thanks to the young human for the actions he took. They asked him if there was any way that they could repay the boy, but Nicko kindly refused. He didn’t need anything from royalty right now though. He was in a hurry and had to get back to the Equestria that he knew.

But beforehand, the Rune Slayer decided to visit his teacher one last time.

Ryu himself was in the training barracks again as he had nothing else to do. It only took him a few seconds to recognize his student’s presence as well as the presence of Eris as she decided to come out of Nicko’s body.

“Leaving so soon?” Ryu asked him.

Eris nodded her head. “Yeah, we need to hit the road. Everypony back home needs us.”

“You probably haven’t been gone long. You’ve only been here for a short amount of time.”

“Yeah, but different versions of Equus might move differently in time. At least we won’t be running into anything that could drain us of our memories or something like that.”

Nicko himself chuckled a little at the statement. But Ryu didn’t see it as funny. Eris was referring to what he did in order to get the information out of Solov. That griffon would be lucky if he remembered what he did, thankfully the drake didn’t [Monopolize] his whole life but only the last week. Speaking of which…

“Oh that reminds me…” The drake told the two as he went back into his pockets and pulled out the Rune Slayer’s mark that Eris tossed to him. Ryu was handing it off to Nicko, but all the teen did was just smile and shake his head.

“Go ahead. You should keep it.” Nicko told him. “Call it a thank you gift for all the training and helping me with my magic.”

Ryu smiled a little. “Well, in that case. I have something for you then.” The dragon then took out his [Diary] and tore out a page. The paper began to glow as it dissipated into a bright light. When the light faded, the page was no longer there. But instead, something new took form in order to take it’s place.

“This is a Dragon Tear.” The Elder Dragon told The Rune Slayer. “If there’s ever a time where you need my help, use this.”

Nicko smiled as he put the token in his pocket. He hugged the drake out of habit and the Ryu twitched from the sudden contact. He never really liked surprise hugs. Especially if they came from guys.

“Thank you for everything Ryu. You can not believe how grateful I am.”

Before the dragon could say anything though, Eris said her goodbyes and snapped her talon. The two Displaced disappeared right in front of the Kaiser. All he did though was huff through his nose as he created another set of wings and ascended into the sky.

He had quite a story to tell once he returned to Canterlot.

Or I would have.

In the dark and filthy dungeon of the palace, a griffon was angrily muttering to himself. He looked up suddenly when he heard a noise.

My hand shot out from the darkness and grabbed his beak, keeping him silent.

"Hello captain."

His eyes went wide as I pulled myself out of the shadows.

"If you think you'll get away from me because of your death sentence, then you're wrong." I looked down and glared at him. "Now let's see what you know."

The griffon jerked and his eyes rolled back as I held him firmly in my grasp.

[Monopolize]

"Who do you work for?"

Bad Dragon

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

The Truth

Author's Note

Warning! Warning! Ryu ranting ahoy! Read at your own risk and hate at your leisure.

The Truth

Spike shrunk as he fell. I flew down and caught him in the air, while wrapping my tail around Rarity after I realized that it was her that was in the dragon’s grasp earlier. Using my free arm, I strained to hold onto the water tower that Spike used to hoard his loot.

We landed in a thud, and I grunted as I put the water tower down none too gently. Its contents started spilling out when it tipped over.

“Are you alright, Miss Rarity?”

“Spike!”

The mare squirmed in my tail’s grip. After getting over her shock, she finally realized who the dragon was now that he reverted back into his original form.

The little purple lizard wasn’t moving, and there was a hole in the middle of his chest. I may have used too much on the little guy.

I shrugged. Que sera, sera

I laid the dragon down on the ground, along with the mare. She started fussing over him when Spike didn’t move. Then she started bawling when she touched his cold scales.

How annoying. He’s not dead. He’s just grievously injured.

“Spike!”

A new pony came. Finally the guarding of the drake comes. Twilight Sparkle teleported into the scene, her face streaked with tears. Then she saw the hole on his chest.

“NOOO!!!”

I rolled my eyes and sat down on a nearby rock. Maybe I should check what the little bastard pilfered from the locals. Then Twilight’s eyes were on me.

“How could you! HOW COULD YOU!”

Oh great. Here we go.

The unicorn’s horn started to glow an eerie purple light. Her eyes glared at me with hate from what I’d done to her little dragon slave. Not little brother. Not assistant. Not even a pet.

Spike was her slave.

Twilight Sparkle fired a beam of pure magic straight at me. I didn’t dodge it since there wasn’t enough force behind the spell to even break my [Myrmidon]’s skin. Nonetheless I made a [Barrier] around myself to cut the damage in half.

My [Barrier] spell doesn’t negate physical attacks, but it does halve any magical attack it comes into contact with, no matter how powerful. By circulating magic around my body, I can cushion magic attacks somewhat.

I took her attack with a small grimace, noting that the place she aimed at was the same area where I inflicted Spike’s wound.

She may not know it consciously, but they’ve already brainwashed Spike to do all of their bidding. They’ve also cemented Spike’s loyalty to them, her and Celestia specifically.

It’s always so easy to brainwash the young and impressionable. Make them call you their parent and there’s a high probability that they’ll never question what you say. From an early age, Spike’s been groomed to be Twilight Sparkle’s little slave, and he doesn’t even know it.

Twilight fired another beam, this time straight to my face. My head tilted back slightly from the impact.

But then again we’re all slaves to our parents. I personally didn’t disobey mine, from what little I could remember of them. I was a good little munchkin.

Spike was the only dragon around when he was born, and didn’t know anything. I’m grateful that Celestia even raised the little lizard. But that still doesn’t excuse the type of mentality that they’ve instilled into the little whelp.

Twilight Sparkle made for another beam, this time charging it for good measure. Behind her, Rarity was still crying out for her little ‘Spikey Wikey’. I cringed a bit at the nickname, and I think I saw Spike’s body also twitch a bit.

Ignoring Twilight for the moment, I looked up to the sky where I noticed a rainbow blur approaching us at extreme speeds. Based from the glaring face that’s on the tip of the blur, it’s safe to assume that Rainbow Dash saw what I did and is coming over to help Twilight vent her rage.

Yeah… Nope.

Twilight Sparkle I can forgive. I did just put what’s hers on the verge of death. But Rainbow Dash? Like hell. I owe her nothing.

Standing up from my rock, Twilight adjusted her aim higher in response to my movement. I had to close my mouth firmly when she fired a stronger beam at my face again. The mare was so deep in her rage that she doesn’t even care if her attacks are working, just as long as they hit.

It’s fine, though. I find it admirable. Her attacking me lets me know that she really does care for her little lizard. Her name just went up in my good books. Now for that rainbow pest.

…

Shit I can’t think of any non-lethal methods.

“I got you now, you stupid dragon!”

In moments like these, I usually just use [Resist] and watch the thing coming at me go splat against my spell. But Rainbow Dash was AJ’s friend, and I don’t think she’ll like it if I break her friend’s neck.

Raising my right hand towards the pegasus, and ignoring another blast from Twilight, I grabbed Rainbow Dash with my [Telekinesis]. It wasn’t strong enough to stop her because I couldn’t get a firm grip, but it was enough for me to redirect her flight path away to another direction.

I swung my hand away and Rainbow Dash’s flight followed its movement. She swerved to my right and flew straight into that direction.

“Whoa!”

She tumbled a bit in the air before righting herself. She turned her head my way to glare at me, then she faced my direction and restarted her charge. Twilight made another blast to my stomach, but this one was a tad too low for my comfort.

My eyes shifted over to Spike, noting the he didn’t have long to live. Maybe that was enough? I should probably heal him now.

Seeing Sparkle charge another beam, I grabbed her head with my [Telekinesis] and then pointed it to the side before she fired.

“Ahh!”

She yelped in surprise when I moved her head, being too distracted in charging her spell to notice me using my psionics. Using my other hand, I sent a blast of wind magic straight towards Rainbow Dash’s charge. The mare slowed down enough that I managed to get a solid hold of her with my [Telekinesis].

“Hey! Let me go!”

Rainbow Dash thrashed in my grip. I was having a hard time multitasking with her and an angry Twilight Sparkle. My focus was mostly on the unicorn as she was using her own magic to negate my hold on her head. The only reason she still hasn’t done it yet was because she didn’t know that we were using different types of [Telekinesis].

“Uncle Rahy!”

Beautiful music to my-- ah, there goes Rainbow Dash.

“Rahh!”

The pegasus took advantage of my distraction with Twilight and Applejack. She used her speed to fly straight to me and decked me on the cheek.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack cried out in surprise.

The rainbow pegasus turned back after gathering momentum and started pounding on my body. I used my free hand to cover my head while my other was still making sure that Sparkle’s head wasn’t pointing at me.

The unicorn’s eyes started to glow in the same intense light on her horn as her magic surged. Slowly, she began to overpower my psionics, and I struggled to keep her in place. She was slowly turning her head, and thanks to a lucky shot to my eye from Rainbow Dash, my focus broke.

“Haahhhh!”

With her head fully turned my way, Twilight Sparkle released the pent up magic in her horn. Dark purple light spewed out like a geyser from her forehead. The beam she created was big enough to swallow my whole body.

I gritted my teeth. The force of the magic was heavy, but that was nothing compared to the raw emotion that she used to fuel the attack. I could practically taste her sorrow and rage through my skin.

She really does love Spike. He was her assistant and her little brother. He was her responsibility, even though she unintentionally mistreats him, she still cared about him. To see him fall from my attack, it was almost like something inside her broke.

And just like that, my conscience brought me down to my knee.

When her attack ended, I was on the ground, one knee holding me up. My arms were up, covering my face in defense.

Slowly, I stood on my feet and made my way towards her. Twilight Sparkle was breathing hard, her eyes glaring at me with hate. Applejack managed to catch Rainbow Dash’s tail and used that to keep her from attacking me.

The lavender unicorn began her attacks once again, only these ones lacked the power of the ones in the beginning. She was tired, emotionally and physically.

I knelt down in front of her as she charged another shot. I didn't give her enough time before I wrapped my arms around the mare. She struggled in my embrace, but I merely held her tighter instead.

“You killed him! You killed him!” she cried to me as she found the futility of her struggles.

“I’m sorry.” I told her truthfully. “I was wrong. It wasn’t my right to do that to your brother. Forgive me.”

Her struggled lessened until they all but faded. When she finally stopped, she began wailing towards the sky, with tears of sorrow running down her face.

“Spike! Spiiike!”

I sighed as I held her close. The sun was shining brightly up above. What an inappropriate setting. It made me want to blame Celestia.

“Don’t worry.” I whispered to the grieving mare in my arms. “Everything will be fine. Again. I’m sorry.”

Twilight Sparkle cried in my arms, letting out all of her sorrow. My heart twinged every time her tears fell on my bare chest. I frowned and glared over the distance.

Twin orbs of slitted eyes caught my glare. Even with the distance between the mountain and the Everfree, I knew that it could see me. Inside the canopy of trees, I expressed my hate through my eyes and directed them to the owner of the slitted pair. They swayed for a moment, and then went back deeper into the forest.

The moment I saw the green scales disappear into the trees, my hand snapped straight, pointing behind Twilight and towards Spike.

“[Restore!]”

Light of Life Magic appeared in my hand and went straight for the purple dragon. Rarity made a shriek of surprise and jumped back. Rainbow Dash renewed her struggles against Applejack’s hold, probably thinking that I was intending to hurt the dragon further.

The hole in Spike’s chest rapidly began to fill; punctured organs healed, broken bones fixed, torn muscles re-knitted, and obliterated scales regrew.

Rarity gasped in wonder, raising a hoof over her mouth. Rainbow Dash’s jaw hung open as she froze in her struggles. Applejack released the pegasi’s tail and smiled smugly behind her back.

“It’s okay, Twilight.” The light in my hand disappeared as the healing finished, the dragon already breathing normally again. Once done, my hand went to the unicorn’s head where I started caressing her mane soothingly. “Spike is going to be alright.”

Her head rose and her eyes met mine as she sniffled uncontrollably. I held back a cringe, even as my chest tightened. It almost seemed like she became a filly again. Her eyes were filled with pain, and her expression was like that of someone who had lost their way.

Still, I tried to smile to her. “He’s fine. See?” I pointed behind her.

Confusion came over her face and she hesitated. She was probably expecting to see her dragon still with a hole in his chest and bleeding to death.

My hand caressed her mane again, and I smiled at her reassuringly.

Finally she turned. For a moment she didn’t seem to comprehend what she was seeing. Then slowly she realized that it wasn’t her eyes playing tricks on her.

“Spike!”

The unicorn mare cried out in happiness and immediately went to the dragon’s side. She picked him up with her hooves and held him close, hugging him with all her might. I tried to raise a hand to stop her, to tell her that the healed parts might still be tender, but seeing her crying tears of joy made me stop. Dragons were pretty sturdy, so letting her continue should be fine. Probably.

I sighed to myself as I heard hoofsteps coming up beside me.

“Whew! Thank the stars that’s over.” Then came the look that I was dreading: she glared at me. “Don’cha think that maybe what ya did was too much?”

Sighing again, I gestured for her to follow me to the side. I didn’t want to spoil Twilight’s moment.

After walking a bit behind a few bushes and making sure that the unicorn was way out of hearing range, I turned back to Applejack.

“Well?” she prompted, tapping her hoof impatiently on the ground. “Ah’m waiting.”

Shrugging my shoulders helplessly, my body shimmered for a moment before I came out back in my human form; no armor. Just my plain shirt, olive pants and boots. “What I did was a necessity, Applejack. It’s the dragons’ version of power play.”

Her expression change from disapproving to confused. “Dragon business?”

“Something like that.” I muttered. “Equestria is my territory. That means that it’s my job to protect it from other dragons. Celestia doesn’t know this, but I’ve been making sure that no drake ever sets their foot here intending to harm ponies.” I pointed over to the distance. “Tell me, Applejack, what’s that place over there, beyond those hills?”

“The gem quarry.” She answered.

“And what’s a dragon’s favorite treat?”

Her eyes widened in comprehension. “Gems.”

“And tell me this.” Squatting down, I stared at here in eye level. “How many gem quarries are there in Equestria? More than that, how many of those quarries have magic gems that dragons love so much?”

She swallowed. “Too many to count?”

“Do you remember you Heart’s Warming story, AJ?” My brow rose. “Remember why the snooty unicorns chose this place to live in?”

“The Gems.” She grimaced as she began to put things together. “But… what’s the point of what ya did tah Spike? He wasn’t after the gems.”

Pursing my lips, I sat down on a nearby rock, and then made a gesture for her to do the same on the grass in front of me.

“Let me tell you a story, AJ.”

Over one thousand years ago, during the era where ponies have only just established their homes here in Equestria, they were still living peacefully.

The pegasi commanded the sky, the Earth Ponies nurtured the earth, and the unicorns cycled the morning and night.

During this time, ponies have been digging up gems from the ground, and using them as decorations for their homes. There was no house you could see without these pretty rocks on their doorstep or window frame. The unicorns were especially pleased with the accommodations.

Unfortunately, it was because of this vanity that caused Equestria to gain the interest of the dragon race. The drakes saw the reflected shine of the gems as they flew over their homes. The Law that no drake was to ever harm or steal from ponies still wasn’t established during the time, and there was nothing holding them back from simply taking the things that they want.

Flames and destruction were the result of the dragons’ greed. They took everything that caught their eye, ripping the gems from the pony homes and burning down what was left simply because they could.

They plundered and pillaged the pony settlements for many days, taking their gems and destroying their homes. Because of the chaos and despair caused by the drakes they managed to gain the interest of the one who would drive them away.

The Spirit of Chaos, Discord

“Wait, what?!”

“Hush, Applejack, I’m not done.”

“But yer telling me that Discord saved us from the dragons!”

“Yes, yes he did. The only reason it wasn’t told in history was because it got buried under all his pranks.”

“Who told you that horse apple.”

“My mother did.”

“…”

“I’ll continue, then.”

The dragons stayed away from Equestria because of Discord. They were prideful and arrogant, but brute force just wasn’t enough to get rid of the Spirit of Chaos.

That, and getting humiliated reduced their standings in the eyes of their kin.

So, they waited. They waited for a few years, watching and observing Equestria from afar. They waited until the day that Discord was sealed, and where the Princesses started their rule.

Discord was powerful, and so were the princesses, but unlike the draconequus the princesses couldn’t make reality their plaything and they were easier to avoid than the seemingly all-seeing spirit of chaos.

So, while the princesses were busy in one side of Equestria, the dragons would raid the other. While the alicorns helped fixed that area, the dragons would choose another to attack. This went on and on for a few years. The princesses were running themselves ragged just to keep up with the attacks and calming their subjects.

It was during this time that they attacked my mother’s home, and took something important from her.

I’ve probably told you the rest, yes?

I searched for the dragon, found him in the Dragon Lands, demanded for them to stop stealing from ponies, got laughed at, killed an Elder, unknowingly became one, and then returned what was stolen back to my mother.

Now, I haven’t officially declared Equestria as my territory yet back then; I didn’t know I could do that. Every few months or years that I came back, I’d usually have to kill a dragon that’s been terrorizing ponies.

I killed and killed and killed the flying lizards, again and again and again.

Centuries later, after learning that I became a member of the Elder Council, I claimed Equestria as under my protection, and have been its guardian ever since.

“Uncle, that’s interestin’ an’ all, but what does that have tah do with what ya did tah Spike?”

“Because, AJ, even after all these years, the dragons are still looking for an excuse to accuse me of being unable to protect my territory.” I told her evenly. “If I didn’t prove to them that I could, then we’d probably have dragons coming from all over the lands, digging up gems and leaving deep pits in the entire nation. Equestria would look like Swiss cheese.”

“Can’t you just, ah don’ know, share some of Equestria to them?”

“AJ, dragons are jerks.” I told her flatly. “Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. If I gave them permission to dig anywhere in the country then you’ll suddenly find tunnels everywhere underground in the next few years. And because dragons are stupid, they’ll keep digging until they’re satisfied or until they get buried alive.”

“Uh, aren’tcha a little harsh on the critters, uncle?”

“Applejack, please.” I said, rolling my eyes. “I know them far longer than you’ve heard of them. Trust me when I say this: dragons are single-minded idiots. Once they decide to do something, they won’t stop until they actually do it. Just look at Ponyville right now if you want me to prove my point.”

“Oh.”

With the conversation done, there was only silence left between us. Applejack looked deep in thought, probably taking in everything that I’ve told her. As for me, I was just content being back in Equestria. Though I could use an apple right about now.

“Uncle Rahy?”

“Hm?”

“Are there any dragons close to Ponyville?”

Instead of answering, I went and pointed over to the Everfree. I forgot the names of the ones living there, but there were at least two: the one who was peeking through the trees, and a sea serpent living in the river, Francis, I think. Or was it Steven?

“Oh.” Applejack muttered. “Is that why you spend a lot of time there, back then?”

I leaned back and hummed to myself, before standing up from the rock I was sitting on. Walking over to Applejack, I crouched down in front of her and gave her a hug. My hand stroked her mane and she nuzzled my chest in return.

Back when I was raising Applejack and Big Mac, I couldn’t really spend all of my time with them like I wanted to. With all of the predators in the Everfree, I still needed to maintain control of the population in the forest or else they start coming out. With Ponyville being the closest, and Sweet Apple Acres being just beside it… It was hard not to worry.

During the day I would be working on the farm, Granny Smith would be in the market selling apples while taking care of Apple Bloom, Big Mac and Applejack would be in school. In the afternoon AJ and Big Mac would start helping me, Granny Smith would still be taking care of Apple Bloom while also preparing dinner. At night the kids would be doing their homework with Granny Smith helping them, and I would be in the Everfree, managing the creatures in it and making sure that the drakes weren’t up to something.

The only time I could spend with them would be during the weekends. But I usually use that time to take a break and nap all day, leaving Applejack and Big Mac to play by themselves.

Looking down at mare in my arms, I couldn’t help but sigh. Well, at least she grew up fine, from what I can tell.

“Pa…”

And with that single word, my hand froze and I cringed.

If Twilight’s expression earlier made my chest tighten, then what I feel right now when I heard her say that word was like someone stabbing me through with a chainsaw and turning it on.

Out of all the ponies—no, more like out of all the creatures that I’ve protected, Applejack was the one that I was closest to. There were moments, private moments, where she’d stop calling me uncle, and call me Pa, instead.

I’d smile and indulge her, allowing Applejack to continue calling me Pa when we were alone. Every time she did, however, I’d always have to hide a cringe. Every time I hear that word I’m always reminded of the thing that I kept myself from having.

Damn you, Myria. I’d rather not have to watch my kin get slaughtered or be used against me. In the original game, adult or whelp, no dragon was spared by her Guardians. There’s no doubt that she’d do the same here when she finds me.

Regardless of that thought, I forced my hand to move again before she notices.

“AJ.” I whispered. “Why don’t you go back to Twilight and Spike? The others might already be there with them. She needs you, too, you know.”

She gave me a few more nuzzles before she nodded. “Alright. You’ll be staying, right?”

Kissing her forehead, I ruffled her mane through her hat and smiled. “I was planning on going to the Minotaurs, but I suppose I could stay.”

Applejack grinned, an expression that I couldn’t help but mirror, and made a cheer of “Yeehaw!” before running back over to where Twilight was.

After watching the dust trails disappear through the bushes, my grin dropped and my eyes narrowed up at one of the trees.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than to eavesdrop on our family moment?” from the upper branches of the tree, a prismatic Pegasus dropped onto the ground in front of me. “Rainbow Dash.”

She was scowling, scuffing her hoof on the ground. Other than that, she just kept on looking at me like I did something wrong. Well, wrong to her.

“You should have left after I explained why I did what I did to Spike.” I told her.

“Like I’d ever leave you alone with one of my friends.” She said, though her voice was a little softer than usual.

“Applejack is my family.” I said with a glare. “She’s one of the most important, if not the most important, pony in my life. I’d rather cut off my own arm first before I do anything to harm her.”

Rainbow Dash gave me a disgusted look, probably because of the part about me cutting my arm off.

“How can you easily make promises like that?” I leaned back a bit when she flew up to my face. She glared at me, with one hoof poking me in the chest. “Do you think it makes you cool, or something? Making extreme promises like that, do you think that others find it awesome?”

My lips tugged downwards. I leaned forward and got into her face, making her lean back for space. Raising one finger I poked her in the chest, and started pushing down on it. With her distracted with my eyes, I was able to push her enough so that I was looking down at her.

“Is that what you think? That I say words like that because they’re cool or make me awesome? You think I make extreme promises because they make me seem incredible?” I pressed down on my finger again, making her sink lower as my eyes glared. “You think that’s it, that I would be shallow enough to spout out lies and things that I don’t mean?”

I pushed on my finger harder, to the point that she let out a grunt, and I kept pushing until she found herself lying down on the ground and with me looking down at her with complete fury. She flinched when my teeth turned to fangs.

“Don’t compare me to you, Rainbow Dash. I am not an attention seeker. I don’t go around showing what I can do just so that others would cheer my name, I don’t proclaim to the world that I’m the best when I know I’m not, and I sure as hell don’t make half-baked promises.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but I beat her to it and shut her up with a single word.

“Scootaloo.”

Her mouth closed with a click.

“When are you going to actually tell her, Rainbow?”

I asked, leaning close with a diabolic leer.

“When will you tell her that you can’t teach her how to fly when she can’t even get off the ground yet? When are you going to tell her that you don’t even know why she can’t fly yet, that she should have been able to race already at her age?”

I stood up straight and spread my arms.

“How long are you going to keep her hopes up until you get bored and crush it?”

I looked down on her pityingly.

“This is our difference, Rainbow Dash. When I make promises, I make sure to keep them. When there are things that I don’t know, I always tell the truth and say ‘I don’t know’. I don’t lead others on like that, Rainbow Dash, and I certainly don’t do it to fillies who practically worship the ground that I walk on.”

Bending downwards, I picked up the unusually silent Pegasus by her forehooves and made her sit up.

“You don’t have the right to call me out on the things that I say, Rainbow Dash.” I said, walking over behind her and picking out the stray grass the stuck on her back. “I don’t boast unless I’m messing around, and the only time that I mess around is when I’m with friends and family. You and me? We’re not family.” Noticing a piece of grass caught in her fathers, I flicked it off with my finger, making her flinch. “Nor are we friends.”

Standing up, I gave her a few condescending pats on the head.

“Bye bye, Rainbow Dash. Spend some time thinking about what I said, okay?”

With a quick nudge of my magic, my shadow quickly swallowed me in, leaving a depressed Pegasus in the clearing.

When I met back with Applejack and the others, I made sure to apologize to all of them from what did to Spike. I also promised to say sorry to the little guy as well. I pulled out a fire ruby from my pouch and gave it to the sleeping drake as a late birthday present. It wasn’t fancy, like Rarity’s heart-shaped present, but it was pretty big, almost the size of Spike’s head.

I didn’t really want to eat it because of that. I liked my gems to be able to fit in my mouth, not gems that were big enough that they could be used as bowling balls.

On our way back to town, Applejack asked me. “What were yah doing, by the way? Took yah a bit of time before yah joined us.”

Smirking, I answered. “Nature called, and said it wanted an offering.”

The mares around me chorused an “Ew~!” and left it at that.

Looking at the town, I sighed in resignation at its state. It was going to take a few days fixing all of it, and since everypony already knew that I exist, Applejack’s going to urge me to help as well.

“Well, you were gonna show yourself to everyone, anyway.” I muttered to myself. “Why not contribute in fixing the town to get on the ponies’ good side? Though if Celestia comes to nag you about what you did to Spike, grab a fish from your pouch and slap her with it. The incredulity should shut her up for a bit.”

Looking up in the direction of Canterlot, I saw that the princesses were already on their way to Ponyville with a garrison of guards.

“And here they come. Now comes the most important question upon their arrival…”

Which fish should I use to slap Celestia and Luna with? I’m rather partial with the Lionfish and the Puffer.

Omake: Fishing Spot

Author's Note

You are all to blame for this.

Omake: Fishing Spot

I sat by a pond, deep inside the Everfree. My chin was propped on my palm as my other hand held on to my fishing rod, something that I created using my [Mind Sword] skill.

Looking up to the sky, I glared. "Say one thing as a jest, then suddenly everyone wants to see it happen. I blame you all for this."

It was nighttime, and everypony else was asleep in their homes. Though some chose to sleep in their friend's houses since theirs were still under repair. It'll take a couple more days before we fix everything, maybe a little quicker if the princesses decide to help with their spells.

Currently I’m in my favorite fishing spot. I rarely ever go here, given that it was pretty deep into the forest, and was a bit too close to Canterlot for my liking. I always worried that Celestia would use her telescope to watch the glowing pond from her balcony when she gets bored.

There was a reason that this was my favorite Fishing Spot.

“RYU!”

“Great.” I sighed. “Let the fun begin.”

I didn’t move from where I was sitting when Celestia landed behind me. I could feel her glare on my back, or at least that’s that I think it was. There was a spot there that I think started to sizzle slightly when she touched down.

“You and I need to have a word, Ryu.”

Her tone was serious, with a slight hint of anger. But that did nothing to break my concentration over my fishing line. My eyes narrowed when something tugged it down.

“HIT!” I cheered.

I stood up from where I was sitting and pulled on my fishing pole with both hands. The one tugging at the end of the line was pretty heavy, and I grinned at the prospect of a big catch.

“Listen to me, Ryu!”

Oh shut up you prissy pony princess. I’ll deal with you once I get this one out of the water.

Partially transforming my arms, I began to pull harder.

“I’m here to talk about Spike.”

*SLAP!*

I blinked. The smile on my face remained frozen as I watched the ripples of the pond slowly disappear.

My arms were raised over my head, and my fishing line was completely pulled back. I may have pulled a little too hard on it.

Slowly, I turned around.

A trout thrashed at the end of my fishing line, its mouth still caught in the hook. Celestia was blinking rapidly, and her cheek was soaking wet.

“Did… Did you just slap me with a fish?” she asked.

Turning back to the pond, I recast my fishing line into the water without removing the trout. “Nay. T’was an accident.” I responded monotonously.

Thanks to my acute sense of hearing and the relative silence of the forest, I was able to hear Celestia’s mouth flapping without saying any word. When she finally stopped, she started again.

“Nevermind…” she said, sounding calmer now than she did earlier.

Something was tugging at my line again.

“About Spike-”

I pulled.

*SLAP!*

I didn’t even look this time and just recast my line back into the water, fish and all. I think the trout evolved, because what I saw going back to the water was a Rainbow Trout.

“Ryu!”

“Yes?” I responded calmly.

“That was on purpose!”

I snorted. “It was pulling on my line. What? Did you expect me to just let it be until you finished talking.”

“Even still!”

“Just say your piece and go.” I retorted. Come to think of it, that was probably her first time tasting the rainbow, even if it was from the Elements of Harmony.

Celestia made an unladylike growl, and I could feel her magic pulsing behind me. I don’t think she’ll attack, though. She’s too kind for that kind of act.

“It’s about Spike-” she said again.

My eyes widened and I pulled with all my might.

“Aha!” Celestia ducked under the fish, and I stared at it thrashing behind her. “I knew it!” she said, pointing one of her hooves at me.

My mouth opened and closed, and I pointed at the fish behind her. Celestia looked smug, though a little soak, but still was very smug.

Making my way closer to the pond, I looked into the water. The light that it was giving off from below made it impossible to see that bottom.

“Wait- AAAHHHH!!!”

Looking back to Celestia, I saw that the shark that I managed to pull out from the pond had her tail in its mouth and was chomping away at it. The princess then did something that most people do when they see a shark’s jaw coming at them: she tried to get away.

“AAHHHH!”

She ran around the pond in circles, screaming as the predator clung to her tail like a bear trap. I stepped over to the side to avoid her, watching as she ran in futility trying to get away.

I looked at the pond, then my fishing pole.

Shrugging my shoulders, I recast my line and started fishing again.

“Help me!” the pony princess cried.

Being a princess where her castle was pretty much in the middle of the nation, she probably hasn’t had much encounter with sea creatures, and the sight of the shark was pretty scary.

Something was tugging again.

“AHHH!”

Oh, a Marlin! How rare, and pretty good quality, too, its snout stabbed straight through a tree. Impressive.

I recast my line again.

“Ryu!” came Celestia’s plea.

I heaved at my fishing pole and pulled out the next fish.

*SLAP!*

“AHH!”

Bluefin Tuna! Lovely! Next.

*SLAP!*

“Oof!”

Mackerel. Bah, I could do better. Next.

*SLAP!*

Salmon!

*Whack!*

Catfish!

*BOOM!*

WHALE! YES!

“Sister, what is happening!”

Oh, it looks like Luna’s here, too. Let me give her something as well. Hup!

“Wah! Wait, is this-! Tentacles! Sister, I see tentacles everywhere!”

With an octopus hugging her face, Luna soon joined Celestia in running around the pond.

Hehe. This is getting fun. Let’s see what I’ll pull out next.

“Hm? Oh, Kaiser, hello!”

Moving closer to the water, I pushed Agua’s massive head back inside. The Elder Dragon of Water tittered when I touched her.

“Eenope!”

This Fishing Spot, there’s a reason why it was my favorite: you could practically pull anything out of it. I just didn’t think that ‘Anything’ covered such a broad concept.

Dismissing my fishing pole, I turned around and started walking away. “Nope, nope, nope. That’s enough fishing for tonight.”

I stopped for a moment and allowed for Celestia and Luna to pass by. The Solar Princess still had the shark on her tail, while the Lunar Princess was screaming about tentacles with the octopus still clinging to her face.

Then, watching calmly, my eyes followed the line of fishes that I pulled out from the pond, following the two princesses. They were hopping along the ground and were covering enough distance to keep up with the two ponies.

When my path was clear, I started walking again. “This night just turned weird.”

“Whoa!”

And there goes Steven.

“Steven!”

Followed by his gem guardians.

…

...

I’m not even going to comment on how I knew them. I hope Big Mac still has some hard cider in his stash.

“Guys look! A pony with a fish tail!”

I didn’t look back. I just ran through the forest and left all of that madness behind me.

So it begins...

Several weeks passed, and winter came.

All of the wrecked houses had been repaired with the combined effort of the town’s ponies and the help sent from Canterlot. A lot of the residents had to have their houses rebuilt from the ground up, while others only needed a few repairs. There were some ponies that shed a few tears as their homes were torn down when they were deemed beyond repair.

For a time, they blamed Spike for the damages and the lost memories from when their homes were torn down, but Celestia’s presence silenced their complaints as they didn’t have the courage to show their rage in front of their beloved princess. It took a month until they calmed down, where most houses had been restored, but they still expressed their dislike to the young whelp by ignoring him completely.

Speaking of the little dragon, he was fine, if a little depressed. He vaguely remembered the things that he did, and was feeling down because of it. It was an important lesson to be learned, but for Spike, the price that he had to pay for it was rather steep.

The friends that he made when he started living in Ponyville were reduced to only a handful of few, not including Applejack and the girls. They still say hello when they pass him, but other than that, his former friends would rather stay as far away from him as possible.

The town developed a slight trauma against dragons, hiding in their new homes or hurrying to their destination whenever I walk by. What I am wasn’t a secret anymore after the stories Apple Bloom passed around started to circulate; stories that she heard from Applejack and Granny Smith.

It didn’t help my reputation, but at the very least I didn’t have to sneak around anymore, something that Applejack and the rest of the family were happy about. Also, I am now the official sitter for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, something that I didn’t mind at all.

The girls were entertaining to watch. They’d go around, doing their crusades for their cutie marks, and I would be close by, making sure that what they were doing wouldn’t get them hurt. I had to stop them a few times when they suggested some pretty extreme activities.

I wonder why, though, that the girls are still oblivious of their special talents. Apple Bloom is good with things that have something to do with construction and building, Sweetie Belle clearly has a talent with her voice, and Scootaloo can do pretty impressive things when it comes to sports on wheels.

Let’s see… what else.

Pinkie Pie finally got around to throwing me that party that she wanted when the town was repaired. It managed to ease some tension between me and the ponies of town, but not by much. I was pretty amused when I saw the DJ, who had a pretty similar hairstyle to mine, and the pony that inspired the Displaced whose Token I got recently.

Fluttershy still accepted my help around the cottage, especially during the time when her animals were preparing for their hibernation. Oh, and I also wrestled with Harry the bear once, during that time when we were bored. Fluttershy used The Stare on us after that. I don’t know why everyone’s afraid of it; I just thought it made her adorable, trying to make me feel bad. Or was that just my Doting Daddy Switch getting flipped?

Miss Rarity has been using me as a model for her new line of fashion. Why? I don’t know, since most of the things that she sewed were for ponies. But she did make a few suits my size, along with the slacks and shoes. I was rather fond of the clothes that she made for me, especially the line of fashionable suits. Though I couldn’t break them down into mana particles like my regular clothes, I still kept them all in my pouch for formal events in the future.

For Twilight, the mare somehow mellowed out when it came to her questions. She started being more polite, and less invasive of my personal space. She also started to respect my wishes when I told her that she didn’t need to know some particular events of the past, something that I was both proud and appreciative of. It’s safe to say now that Twilight has definitely become my friend.

As for Rainbow Dash… the girl had been keeping her distance. My words must have really affected her, which, surprisingly, made me feel bad. She always avoided me when the girls decided to have a picnic break during the reconstruction of the town, something that the others seem to take notice. Applejack’s been frowning at me ever since.

Hahhh… I suppose I should make peace when I get the chance. It was easier when the girls were nothing but strangers to me, but after getting to know them and getting them to be my friends, I’d feel bad if I singled out someone from their original group.

Till then, I’ll keep myself busy by glaring at the frozen scenery outside the train. With my head propped up on my fist, my elbow secured on the closed window’s sill, and my lips firmly in the form of a thin line, it was obvious that I wasn’t enjoying myself.

“C’mon, Uncle, stop brooding.”

I turned my head to the side, with Applejack sitting right beside me on the train ride. “Seems fitting, though, being that my clan was supposed to be called Brood.”

“Why are you so grumpy, anyway?” Pinkie asked, sitting right across from me.

“I don’t like the cold.” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. The car was reserved for us, so it was only me, Spike and the girls inside. The CMC were by one of the doors, quietly making plots about their next crusade. “It makes me remember the time where I still didn’t know how to partially activate some of my dragon genes.”

“Why?” Spike asked in his seat behind me, turning around to look at my direction. “Did something happen?”

The whelp sounded like he was expecting a story. Too bad, though, since it wasn’t really much of a tale.

“Winter was pretty harsh on me during the time.” I said. “And travelling doesn’t really provide you with a house you can stay in during blizzards. So, most of the time, I needed to stay transformed so that I wouldn’t get sick or die from the cold.”

“Oh my. How terrible.” Fluttershy gasped. She was sitting on the other side of the car, along with Rainbow Dash and Twilight. “Are you alright, now?”

“I just dislike the cold now, and prefer warmer climates.” I told her. “That type of hardship kind of leaves an impression on you, even after so long.”

“By the way, Ryu, you mentioned something about genes?” Twilight spoke. “What do you mean by that, something about controlling your Dragon Genes, specifically?”

“Hmm?”

Normally I would keep quiet when others pry like that, but… well, it isn’t really something that would hurt me in the future. Besides, most of us are already friends, so it should be alright.

“It’s in my blood.” I said, creating a solid wall of magic behind me so that I could lean on something. “I’m not sure if others of my kind had the same capabilities since most were already dead or had relinquished their powers, but I can choose what hidden potential in my blood I want to awaken. My magic is the trigger, and it accelerates the mutation and transformation of my body into the dragon form that I want.”

“Wait!” Twilight’s eyes widened and an excited gleam twinkled inside them. “Are you telling me that you can forcefully make your body evolve?! Something like that—“

“--Is painful and incredibly taxing unless you’re built for it.” I interrupted. “I don’t know any other creatures capable of doing so safely like I can, but whenever I transform my changes are always instinctive.”

“Meaning?” Twilight asked, looking confused.

“Meaning that my transformations already have a predetermined form. It doesn’t matter what gene I splice because the result will always be the same or a variant of the same kind, depending on the dominant gene present.” I raised my arm for them to see, half transforming it so that it would gain scales. “This is the [Force] gene, granting me the [Warrior] series. It releases my blood’s potential for physical strength. It doesn’t alter much of my humanoid form, only adding a few extra advantages: wings, scales, tail, denser muscles and stronger bones. Depending on what I add to it, I could gain additional attributes.”

“Additional attributes?” the scholar’s eyes widened. “How many forms do you have?!”

Shrugging, I looked out the window to see Canterlot station coming up. “I have eight transformations, not including the variants of each form.”

“Eight?!” everyone in the car exclaimed, even Applejack. My little Apple only ever saw me use one form.

“Hm.” I nodded. “Though I say that, I still limit myself with the [Warrior] series.”

“Why?” this time I was surprised that it was Rainbow Dash who asked.

“Because,” I said, as the train slowed to a stop. “I don’t want a repeat of the Badlands.”

The conductor announced our arrival at the station, and the girls hurried along the exit since no one really brought anything with them for this quick visit. There were ponies in the station that gawked at my appearance when I stepped off the platform.

I was surprised, really. I’d have thought that the ponies already knew about me, seeing that it was me who interrupted the girls’ celebration of their defeat of Discord. Was it because I didn’t have my dragon features?

After noticing that I just ignored them all, they returned the courtesy and did the same. Since no one was screaming ‘Monster!’ I think it’s safe enough to walk out in the open.

“Dear, are you sure you’re not cold?” Rarity asked, walking up beside me.

“I’m fine, Miss Rarity.” I said. “The clothes that you made are warm enough, but thank you for your concern.”

I was wearing some of the clothes that Miss Rarity made for me, though the black sweater was just adjusted since it was one of the orders that were cancelled by one of her clients. The blue pants were thicker than my regular olive ones, helping keep the cold out, and my tan boots had wool stuffed inside them. All in all, I loved my new clothes.

“Your scarf’s also a nice touch.” Pinkie added.

That was something I kept from my regular clothes. “Thank you, Pinkie, and you as well, Fluttershy for the white gloves. It’s amazing how you managed to make them fit perfectly. Did you knit them yourself?”

The girl tried to bashfully hide herself in her hair, only to fail but succeed in making her look more adorable. “Oh, um. You’re welcome, Ryu. It’s the least I could do for all your help around the cottage.”

“I was happy to lend a hand.” I said, pulling at the glove and marveling how it easily snapped back in place like rubber, but still had the comfy texture of the yarn she used.

“Fluttershy, you really must show me your technique.” The fashionista said to the Pegasus. “It was hard enough to measure his fingers, but the elasticity is simply marvelous!”

They fit perfectly, alright. All of them: The gloves and the clothes. It’s very rare for me to wear anything other than my regular attire from the breath of fire 3 game, but I always look forward to days like these where I can try on something new.

“By the way, Ryu.” Pinkie said, bouncing to the front of our group, where she started hopping backwards and impressively dodged every obstacle that she would have bumped into.

“Hm?”

“I’ve been wondering…” She trailed off and looked at me… or more precisely, looked at the top of my head. “What is that thing?”

I could only sigh to myself at her inquiry, and start playing with my glove to keep my mind from thinking about it too much. I knew that at least one of the girls would ask about it, and the way Applejack was laughing to herself wasn’t helping, either.

“That, Pinkie, is what happens when the cold makes my hair droop.” I deadpanned. “It’s normally hidden inside the rest of my hair when they spike up and lean to the side, but because of the season most of my hair gets matted down, and it stands up and out.”

“I get that.” Pinkie said, with the rest of the girls now also looking up at what’s on top of my head. “I’m asking what it’s called, ‘cause I don’t think it’s a cowlick.”

I sighed. No point trying to ignore it now.

Reaching up to the top of my head, I flicked the few amounts of hair that chose to stand erect in the form of a single, twitching antenna, where it wobbled back and forth after I flicked it.

“It’s called an ahoge.”

Pinkie giggled. “That’s a funny name.” she said. The other girls giggled with her when the ahoge stopped wobbling and stood erect once again on the top of my head.

The original Ryu never had this. This one seems to be unique only to me. I only noticed that it was there one winter morning, and that there was a surprise waiting for me every time I tried to get rid of it.

Miss Rarity’s horn suddenly started glowing, and I felt the ahoge on the top of my head getting tucked under the rest of my hair.

“There.” She said. “Perfect.”

I turned to her. “Not really.”

We all heard the sound of an audible ‘Twang!’, and all of us stopped walking so that they could all look at the revived ahoge twitch on the top of my head, waving around like a flag of victory.

Miss Rarity blinked, looking at the ahoge strangely. Her horn started glowing again and tucked the hair back under the rest. Once her horn stopped glowing, the ahoge sprung back to life and started wobbling back and forth on top of my head.

Ah, this world of magic, always trying to make things funny somehow.

“Hup!”

Pinkie Pie jumped and landed on top of my head, laying herself flat on top of the piece of bundled hairs. Her tail wagged back and forth over my face as we both waited for the inevitable.

*TWANG!*

Just as expected. Even with a heavy weight on it, the ahoge once again lives to twitch another day, sending the pink pony flying, and the mare going “Wheeeee!” before getting buried under a pile of snow.

The jaw-drop expression on Twilight’s face would have been funny were it not for her eye making twitches like the blasted thing on my head… Actually, it was still pretty funny.

“Don’t bother questioning it, Twilight.” I told her, reaching up to the top of my head, grabbing the ahoge.

“Wait, what are you--!”

Then I pulled.

*Pop*

The girls, and everypony that had been watching, stared at me in shock as I pulled it out. Maybe they were expecting me to cry out in pain, or expected my head to start bleeding from pulling out so much hair at one time, or maybe they were just looking at me because my ahoge made a noise that sounded like a cork being pulled out of a bottle when I ripped it off.

Nonetheless, I opened my hand towards them, showing off the bundle of hair… where it suddenly dissipated like mist and where a ‘TWANG!’ was heard coming from my head again.

Jaws that weren’t hanging before were now swinging along in the cold breeze of winter.

I grabbed all the jaws of the ponies around me with my telekinetic grip, with a bit of concentration, then slowly closed them all.

“I would have blamed Discord for it.” I said, flicking my ahoge. “But this only appeared five hundred years ago.”

Twilight shook herself out of her daze, rubbing her temple as she gave a sigh of frustration. “This one’s like Pinkie, isn’t it.” She asked rhetorically.

“Yes… and no.” I said. “Watch.”

I began concentrating on the ahoge, and soon enough it started to glow yellow. It turned to where I wanted it to, and pointed at the ground. Then I fired a beam from it, melting the snow under its rays.

Twilight gasped and pointed at the ahoge in shock. “It’s a horn!”

I said nothing as I made a face of pure displeasure, and then started walking again. The girls followed soon after, with Twilight bouncing along like a little filly while staring at the ahoge. The ponies watching lost their interest after finding out that the mysterious collection of hair was actually my version of a unicorn horn. Nothing really special about that. It just looked weird.

“How did that happen?” Twilight asked, after bouncing up beside me. She looked both happy and excited about my fake horn.

“I’m not sure, but the only thing I could think of is magic contamination.” I said, rubbing my forehead.

After hearing the word contamination, Twilight’s expression suddenly dropped. “Oh.”

“Mah--, don’t look so down, Twilight.” I said to the mare, bending down to pat her on the head. “Just think of it as me adapting to the Equestrian environment.”

The unicorn blinked at me, looking confused. “What do you mean by that?” she asked, somehow pulling out a pad of paper and pencil from somewhere.

“You know how some animals of the same type differ depending on their environment, right?” I asked, getting a nod from her and Fluttershy. “Why do you think that is?”

“Of course!” Twilight’s eyes lit up in understanding, lightly smacking herself on the head with her hoof. “It’s an evolution process so that they may survive their habitat, and you already told us earlier that have some control on your own mutation!”

“Yes. I can force my own evolution, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t do so naturally.” I said. “One of my dragon genes is called [Fusion], the potential of my body to be influenced by those around me. By using my magic to awaken it, I can take on the characteristics of another living creature close to me when I transform, combined with dragon features.”

The unicorn scholar’s expression turned giddy as I said that. “Any creature? You mean like a pony or even a gryphon?”

“Yes. Pony, gryphon, minotaur, deer…” I said. “As long as they’re close enough for me to get a sample of their magic and DNA, I can turn into a dragon hybrid of their species.”

“Ohhh…”

I backed away from the mare as her eyes started to… well, sparkle, I guess. It was really disturbing.

“Wait.” Spike spoke. “That doesn’t explain how your ahog-thing comes back after you pull it out.”

“Chaos Magic.” I told the drake.

“Huh?”

“Back when Discord was first sealed, the chaos magic that he used didn’t disappear.” I began. “Your princesses used the elements to clear Equestria of Discord’s magic, but they weren’t strong enough to filter chaos magic that pure. In the end, some wildlife couldn’t be fully purified, thus some animals became wild beasts.”

“So?” he prompted.

“With some areas filled with chaos magic, and me preferring to be in the country of ponies with unicorns who use their own magic so casually,” I pointed out. “and my body having a gene that lets me adopt characteristics of different species as longs as it’s close by…” I looked at Twilight, urging her to finish me little equation.

“The change would be inevitable.” She concluded. “You wouldn’t have escaped the process unless you left Equestria altogether. Still, though…” she looked at me in confusion. “Why were some of your hairs changed to emulate a horn? I’ve seen you use your hands to cast magic before, so why add a new focus?”

“Imprinting.” Was my best answer to her. “Ponies have been trudging on Equestria’s soil for a good few while, and every spell cast by unicorns leave traces in the air, along with every flight path of every pegasi and every tracks left by earth ponies. The land had enough magic in it to cultivate a rich amount of gems, and with the place being mostly a blank slate, imprinting it with pony essence wasn’t really that hard.”

“But you only seem to have a unicorn’s horn.” Miss Rarity pointed out.

“I can walk on clouds.” I told her. “Something that I couldn’t do before, one thousand years ago. My healing spells also started to affect plant life, allowing me to use it as a substitute for fertilizers.”

“Mighty dang useful on the farm.” Applejack commented. “Kept us financially off the red.”

“Quite.” I nodded.

“So you have some of the three tribes inside you?” Pinkie asked.

I smiled at her and gave her a pat on the head. “Yes. That’s why I felt like I should come along with you on this play.”

Then Pinkie suddenly gasped. “Oh my gosh! You’re like the spirit of the entire Hearth's Warming Celebration!” without any warning, the pink pony jumped into my arms where I was prompted to carry her like a bride. “Can I ask you for presents?” she asked, grinning cutely.

I chuckled at her antics, as well as the reference that she shouldn’t even know. “Maybe. But I’m out of bits at the moment.”

“Aww…”

“How about next year?”

“You Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” I made the gestures that came with the promise, and Pinkie cheered as she hopped off my arms.

“What about us!”

Looking down, I saw that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were giving me their best diabetes inducing pout and doe eyes.

I picked all three of them up in my arms and furiously rubbed my face into all of theirs. “Of course I haven’t forgotten you three! I already gave you those armors didn’t I?” the ones that I had commissioned back in Griffonia.

“AHH! Sis, help!” Sweetie Belle cried.

“We’re getting squished!” said Scootaloo.

“I can already feel the static from his rubbing!” Apple Bloom shouted.

Aw, they are so adorable! Rub, rub, rub…

*BZZT*

Huh. So Apple Bloom wasn’t exaggerating after all.

*Bzzt* *Bzzt*

Maybe I should have stopped the first time I heard the buzz? The static keeps persisting.

“Now, Uncle, behave yerself, y’hear? We don’t want ya getting kicked out b’cause ya got rowdy.”

“They can kick me out, but I’ll just sneak back in right under their noses.”

We made it inside the castle where the girls were going to perform a reenactment of Equestria’s founding, with all six mares playing the lead roles. Since there was still time before the play, I decided to see what the girls were up to, backstage. That was where I found myself getting some reminders from Applejack.

My little Apple gave a resigned sigh when I gave her my reply. “Don’t do that, uncle. Yer gonna make ‘em look bad at their jobs.”

I hummed as I looked around the room of actors, not really caring about what Applejack wanted me to do. “I’ll get back to you on that, AJ, as soon as I find it in my heart to care.” I paused for a few moments. “Nope. I can’t seem to find it. It must be somewhere deeper, along with my mercy and table manners.”

We were interrupted by another pony, one of the stage hands/hooves, tapping my pant leg and saying: “Actors only.” He said to me.

I looked down at him, and stared. I heard Applejack sigh before trotting away towards Pinkie and the rest. I was still staring down at the unicorn stallion even when she left. I could see him starting to fidget as we both locked eyes.

And with a spark of magic-

[Confuse]

-my pupils shrunk and a swirling line began to turn in its place. The stallion began to sway after looking at my eyes for a few seconds.

[Command]

“Somepony needs help with their costume.” I said. “Why don’t you go lend a hoof.”

The stallion was still swaying when he nodded. “Yes, sir.” He trotted past me and started looking for somepony who needed help with their costume.

I turned my head up and cracked my neck to ease the soreness of looking down too much.

[Confuse] was another one of my many… broken skills, I suppose I should say. It makes the victim susceptible to psionic enhanced verbal commands, thus its partner skill [Command]. The downside of it is that I need at least three seconds of continuous eye contact for it to be in full effect.

Normally the [Command] skill is next to useless unless someone is either [Confused] or [Berserk]—In the original game, that is. Now, though, it has an added bonus of grabbing the attention of those who hear me speak while it’s activated. It has a sound based psionic, allowing me to convey my words through, even to the most stubborn of creatures.

It’s also my Scolding Voice, ensuring that the little fillies and colts I scold really heed the words I say. I also may, or may not, have been using it whenever I give my sermons to Rainbow Dash.

Walking over to where the girls were gathered, I was just in time to hear them all cry out:

“SHUT THE WINDOW!”

*BAM!*

Everyone in the backstage jumped in surprise when the window slammed shut.

“You’re Welcome.” I said, breaking the silence that lingered after the closed window. The girls at least had the decency to look sheepish for arguing over such a small thing.

Spike walked through the curtains, announcing that there was only two minutes left before the play starts.

Nodding to the girls, I made a [Magic Ball] in my hand. “Well girls, break a leg.”

Discharging the spell in a flash of light, I sunk down into the shadows and disappeared.

I watched from inside the shadows as the play began, laughing merrily at Spike’s narration. It wasn’t bad, but hearing the kid talk flowery sentences made me crack up.

The play continued to the part where the leaders of each tribe met to discuss the winter weather, accusing each other of hoarding the food and being the culprit of said weather.

It was a fun and enjoyable tale, where I’d laugh at some parts. I remembered that Pegasi were still very militaristic when I first arrived to this world. The Earth Ponies were quirky, back then, and the unicorns were… well, they acted like the unicorns of Canterlot.

Then came the part where they were all stuck in a cave, claiming what they could for their tribes by drawing lines on the ground. The leaders argued, while the vassals worked; then Fluttershy drew the line of the Pegasi around a rock that was in the way, resulting in Rainbow Dash reprimanding her for giving the other tribes more of the land.

I wonder if this was in the script, or if this was an improvisation. I couldn’t help but laugh when they started fighting over a rock. I know that this was supposed to be a reenactment, but it was a bit too childish. It must have been something that was implemented so that the tale would be more child-friendly.

Then came the Windegoes’ snow and ice, covering the entire cave with chill. The entrance of the cave was covered by a thick glass of ice, trapping the ponies inside. Even with the situation being so dire, the leaders continued to argue, blaming one another over everything they could and over the most childish of things.

The Windegoes fed on their disharmony and froze all the leaders in ice, leaving their vassals afraid and cowering.

*bzzt*

Ow. Damn static.

The climax was with the unicorn applying Deus Ex Machina when they were nearly frozen over; the unicorn being Clover the Clever, a student of Star Swirl the Bearded.

To the ponies watching, it looked like they were saved by their friendship, as the Windigoes only feed on hate and conflict. To me, being my cynical self, it looked like a failsafe spell that Clover didn’t even know that she had, making me suspect her old mentor being the one responsible for it. I mean, she only heard of the Windigoes from Starswirl anyway, so it was a logical conclusion.

It would also match what I remember of the unpredictable, and eccentric, unicorn mage.

The fire of friendship lives in our hearts
As long as it burns we cannot drift apart
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through (will see us through)
We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end

Even after one thousand years I still love hearing this song. It’s one of the few things that hasn’t changed by the passing of time.

*bzzt*

Damn it! Why won’t it sto--...

…

That buzz didn’t come from me. And why wasn’t anyone singing anymore?

Looking back to the stage, my eyes saw something floating in the center. The ponies in the audience watched in mesmerized awe at the ball of light that spasmed arcs of lightning. By the look on Applejack and her friends, I knew that this wasn't part of the play.

Then the ball pulsed.

My hand shot up towards my chest, gripping my shirt just above my heart.

The ball pulsed again, and this time my body replied with a pulse of its own.

The ball of light expanded, and grew bigger and bigger.

No… No no no no. Why now?! I thought I still had time!

My heart clenched as the ball gave another pulse that my body replied to. Like a heartbeat they came, with the dormant genes of the brood inside my body echoing its rhythm.

“YYYEEEAAAAHHH!!!!!”

A loud cheer came from inside the ball, which had grown into a height that was twice as mine. Two figures came from it, stepping out of the giant sphere in a calm gait.

“Hello every--!” one of the figures began before he saw the slackjawed ponies all staring at him and his companion. “Uh, bro? Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?”

“I’m looking at it, but I can hardly believe it.” the other figure said. “They look… they look like ponies- tiny, multi colored, tattooed ponies.”

“What the hell kind of world is this?!” the first one cried in disbelief.

“One that you and your brother aren’t welcome in.”

I couldn’t stay quiet anymore. Out on their side of the dimension, the ponies and the two figures shivered as I pulled out every ounce of magic from inside my body, preparing to cast every single spell I knew in my arsenal.

In the middle of the path which separated the the audience of ponies, a speck of shadow grew and darkened, gathering the attention of the crowd and the two newcomers.

I rose out of the shadow, with my body exuding wisps of magic ready to be converted into [Aura].

The first of the two figures laughed when he saw me, moving close to his brother and patting him on the shoulder. “Hahahah! Is that him? Is this the same guy that we were sent after?”

“Yeah…” said the second figure. “That’s definitely him. Even though he looks older, I can still see the same brat in him.”

The first figure laughed harder, slapping his knee as he looked at me with a bloodthirsty grin. “Well, aren’t you an idiot for coming out here! HAHAHAHAHA! This time you don’t even have that fucking behemoth with you to protect you.”

My eye twitched and some of the magic pouring out of my body gathered in my hand. Grabbing the gathered magic, I turned it into a [Mind Sword] before raising it to point at the one laughing at me.

“Mind your language.” I said through gritted teeth, barely suppressing the urge to lunge at him and run him through with my blade. “There are children in the crowd.”

That seemed to only make him laugh harder. “Hahaha! Di-- Did you hear that, bro? The baby dragon is actually trying to play tough.”

His brother didn’t seem to share his amusement. He looked at me, and I looked back. My teeth turned into fangs and my eyes shone a wicked light.

“Uh… I don’t think this one’s a baby anymore.” the second one said.

“Pfft. What’s he gonna do? Garr isn’t here to save his ass this time.”

I growled. The size of the hall bounced my rumble and made it echo in the silence of the crowd. The two bipedal, anthropomorphic, unicorn stallions stared at me, their expressions frozen as my magic rushed out of my body like a geyser.

“Sunder.” I said, indicating the first figure. “Balio.” I said, looking over the second. “I don’t know how you two are still alive after losing to the Original and Garr, but you came here, to this world, the one where I’m in, spouting foul language in the presence of impressionable young fillies and colts…”

My magic stopped flowing, and started to focus, creating a second layer over my skin.

“I can’t let that slide.”

“What’cha gonna do about it?” Sunder said impishly.

[Aura] became a combustible armor all over my body, and my [Mind Sword] started spewing out a continuous jets of flames from its blade. The two anthropomorphic stallions on the stage stared at my preparations in stunned silence.

“I’m going to implement one of my house rules.” My arms and upper body started forming scales over my skin as I partially awakened my [Force] gene. “Prepare to be disciplined.”

The ground under me cracked, and I kicked off the ground.

They found me. I don’t have any time anymore to prepare. They’re already here, and they’ve sent Sunder and Balio first.

These two were the trigger that started the sequence of events that led Ryu to find Garr, and where Garr then led him to Myria.

But that wasn’t important to me. That wasn't important at the moment.

These two were the ones responsible for separating Ryu from Rei, and Teepo. The two siblings were sent to kill all three of them, but only succeeded in splitting them apart.

In my long life in this world, there have only been a few times where I was uncertain, and those times were back when I first set out to find a way home.

Now, that uncertainty is back.

I’m afraid.

Please… Please don’t make me lose someone important.

Please don't make me watch as I lose them

...I don’t know if I can take it...

Author's Note

Sunder:

Balio:

Balio and Sunder Concept Art:

Dragon's Wrath

Author's Note

Ugh... pacing sucked. Bah! Nevermind.

BEHOLD THE GREAT REVEAL!

Dragon's Wrath

I lunged using every fiber of muscle I had in my legs. I need to finish this quick. All I have to do is puncture a critical spot and I’ll have one less stallion to worry about. Thanks to the [Aura] that was wrapped around my body, all of my movements had an additional explosive power that increased the distance of my dashes and physical damage that I deal.

Balio and Sunder jumped back further into the stage and readied themselves, shifting to their sides.

As I made it to the stage, I stomped down on the wood, splintering it, as I made another dash to the right side. I threw my sword to the left side of the stage before I stopped on the far right. They followed me with their eyes and shifted their stance accordingly, though Balio cast a wary glance at my thrown weapon.

Using my telekinesis, I grabbed the burning sword in midair and aimed it at Sunder’s back. I created another burning [Mind Sword] in my hand, gaining Balio’s attention, and charged at him while pulling my first sword towards his brother’s back at the same time.

Balio shifted and his right leg started crackling with electricity. “[LIGHTNING!]” He forced his leg forward into a kick, sending a discharge of electricity into the air, where it homed onto my position and accelerated.

I didn’t bother dodging it and merely shifted the fire of my sword into electricity. I stopped, slashed at the incoming spell, and spun.

My sword left behind a trail of electricity, and as soon as Balio’s spell hit the trail, his lightning spell followed my sword’s path.

I completed my spin and ducked, throwing my sword at the wide-eyed Balio with his own spell following the path of my weapon.

Sunder grabbed his brother and both of them dove to the side. My first sword had slowed because of my counter, but it came at Sunder just in time of his jump. The brown stallion cried out in pain when my burning sword blazed a path over his back.

My swords collided in the middle of the stage and both shattered on impact, spraying fire and lightning all over the area. Balio’s spell dispersed when the sword that it followed shattered, disappearing along with the discharged sparks.

Sunder hissed and started rolling on the floor with a badly burnt layer of flesh on his back. Balio worried about his brother and glared at me.

I didn’t give them time to recover and plan. Raising my hand above my head, I conjured up an [Inferno]. The blazing ball of fire grew at an alarming rate, feeding off my magic and the air around us. I could feel the space around me immediately dry up, and Balio hurried over to his brother in a panic.

‘Die’

I swung my arm forward, and the [Inferno] followed my gesture.

‘Disappear’

Sunder was still writhing on the ground until Balio hoisted him up.

‘Burn’

The fire was almost there. With Sunder dragging his hooves, there was no way they would make it.

I watched with glee as the fire—

--Dispersed

My eyes widened in shock. Then I glared above. There, hovering above us was Celestia, sending me her most hateful glare.

“Don’t interfere, Celestia!”

Balio and Sunder panted from the adrenaline rush, sending their gratitude to the alicorn. They were encased in a golden bubble of magic: Celestia’s barrier spell.

I snarled at the princess, before gathering a large amount of magic and preparing for a barrage of [Sirrocco]. I tried throwing my arm forward, but a glow of velvet blue magic covered my arms, preventing me from aiming them.

I growled and turned my head enough to look behind me. Luna was there, her horn glowing and giving me a look of disapproval.

“And you as well…” I growled.

Balio and Sunder started laughing at my expense, with Sunder making faces my way. “Yeah, fuck you! Thank you pony things!” sending his gratitude to the Sun Princess.

My temper flared and my eyes glowed. Raising one leg up, I stomped down hard and sent a [Quake] into their direction.

The ground rippled under my foot as if it was water. The ripple moved and went straight into the Balio and Sunder’s direction. They screamed in panic as the wooden stage shattered and sent shrapnel and splinters in the air, all of which were aimed towards them thanks to my telekinetic nudge.

“AH! What the hell! You couldn’t do that before!!”

A bright flash caught my attention above and, like a shooting star, Celestia dove between the wave and the two stallions. The shockwave created by her crash blew the debris away, as well as crushed the ripple in the ground.

I was about to cast another spell when my whole body was covered by Luna’s magic glow. She lifted me off my feet and slammed me into the wall farthest from the stallions, keeping me there by pressing her magic continuously.

My body strained under the pressure, and I gave Luna a glare.

“Luna, if you don’t release me now, then I would make sure that you and your sister will not be able to interfere any further than you already have.”

Luna frowned, her stance was firm, and her head was lowered to point her horn at me. “We art surprised, Ryu. We have never seen thy face twisted in such malice. Even in the time when both mine sister and I scoured the land for thee, thy face only showed annoyance and panic. But now, thou hath shown the face of anger and hate, throwing spells with the intent to kill, not to distract, like you did with Us many years ago.”

Behind her, I saw Celestia walking closer to her sister, with her own horn glowing and ready for a spell. Following Celestia were Balio and Sunder, both of them were grinning at me, walking behind the Sun Princess in a relaxed manner.

“Stop this at once, Ryu.” Celestia commanded. “We don’t know what this two have done, but this violence will cease!”

“You don’t know these two like I do, Celestia!”

“Whoa, someone gained a temper when they grew up!” Balio declared mockingly.

“Yeah, someone really became prissy.” Sunder laughed with his brother, before wincing from the burn on his back. “Where’re you friends, baby dragon? Did they leave you behind again?”

My vision went red.

I haven’t noticed before, but I was breathing hard. It wasn’t from exertion from using too much magic in such a short time, or exhaustion. I was angry. Very angry. I don’t know why, but my control over my own emotion was slipping.

Balio and Sunder separated the original Ryu from Teepo and Rei, both of whom were like family to him. Rei found him when he was passed out in the Cedar Woods and took him to their home even when they had nothing to eat. Teepo willingly reached out to Ryu even though he was a complete stranger.

Balio and Sunder destroyed his family; them, McNeil, and Loki. And now the two of them are here, looking for me.

I won’t let them destroy my family.

I won’t let them destroy what I worked so hard to obtain!

The walls on my back started to crack as I pushed against them. My magic flared and gathered into my core, where the blood of the Brood in my body started reacting.

“[ROAR!!]”

A loud and primal sound of rage escaped from my throat. I felt the whole room shudder, with the walls bouncing off my roar and amplifying it. The stained windows that depicted Applejack and her friends’ accomplishments also cracked at the sides.

Celestia’s magic glow combined with Luna’s as they pressed me against the wall. No matter how hard I strained and pushed, their combined effort froze me in my spot. It only made me angrier.

Then a hoof covered my vision, and pain erupted from my face. My concentration broke, and the magic circulating in my body fluctuated.

Luna cried out in distress as I realized that Sunder had closed the distance between us and was now raining down punches and kicks all over my immobile body. Balio assured them that they were only helping the princesses subdue me.

I gritted my teeth as I continuously healed my body after every blow. Balio and Sunder’s physical physique weren’t just for show; they were both fit and well muscled. I could feel my bones crack and my flesh bruise continuously under Sunder’s onslaught.

My eye flashed when I caught Sunder winding back for another punch.

[BONE BREAK!]

With Sunder’s next blow, his fist collided with my face. As soon as he made contact, I sent a concentrated psychic impact straight into his arm, penetrating through his bones and muscles. He screamed agony and stumbled back, holding his mangled arm and staring at it with horror.

“Sunder!” Balio cried out to his brother. He and the princesses shared the same expression as Sunder as they gazed at his arm.

I healed my wounds with [Cure] and gathered magic for another spell.

[Magic Ball]

An orb of magic manifested in front of me, gaining the attention of the four. Then it discharged into a flash of blinding light.

[Shadowwalk]

Using the shadows that it created, I sunk into the one behind me and appeared in front of the two blinded Alicorn princesses. Both my hands grabbed their heads and gripped them tightly.

[Mind Flay!] [Mind Flay!] [Mind Flay!]

Three pulses of psychic blasts went straight into their brains. They both tumbled back as I let them go, collapsing onto their sides as the concussive headache and lingering psionic effect ravaged their minds.

I spun around and swung my fist straight into Balio’s side, where he had been standing beside the princesses and spouting lies about justice and friendship while his brother tortured me with pain.

Creating two [Mind Sword] constructs as he stumbled back, I switched my grip and held the swords in reverse, with their blades pointing downwards. I slipped into his guard and stabbed my swords down, piercing through both his thighs. The stallion screamed in pain, grabbing my wrists on reflex. I shook off his grip and placed both palms on his abdomen.

[SIMOON]

The explosion of fire and wind sent the stallion flying back to the side of the assembled stage. I jumped back to the side as soon as I heard Sunder screaming out his rage, his mangled limb hanging limply by his side. He pulled out a short sword from his lower back and swung it down at me. I dodged, and grabbed his wrist on the upward follow through.

[Myollnir!]

Pure magic converted into lightning ran throughout Sunder’s body. “AHHHHHH!!!!” The stallion screamed as thousands of voltage went up, down and through his system.

I twisted his remaining good arm, forcing him to drop his sword, then threw him over to his brother. I raised both my arms and aimed at their location.

[Typhoon]

The air around us gathered and converged into a single spot, right where the two brothers were still recovering. The spell would have gathered air pressure and detonate into a series of wind blades, shredding anything into ribbons within a few meters radius. But after my spell gathered enough pressure, I added another spell.

[Infer--!]

Then I saw something under the stage’s curtain. A pony was there; her hooves wrapped around one of the play’s props. She was trembling in fear, with tears running down her face.

I quickly looked behind me and saw Twilight Sparkle beside her mentor, her horn glowing and trying to dispel the psionic effect of [Mind Flay] that addled the victim’s thought processes. Close to them were the others, with Luna faring better than her sister when it came to attacks to the mind.

The room was mostly empty now; with the only ones remaining were the two brothers, the Element bearers, the princesses, a ring of guards, and the mare on the stage. I didn’t even hear the audiences' scream of panic when I went after the two stallions.

Turning back to my unfinished spell, I growled as I cancelled it.

Damn it! How did I lose control?!

Walking up to the mare in the backstage, while keeping half of my attention on the maimed, bipedal stallions, I placed a hand on the mare’s nape, where she whimpered at my touch. I don’t need this right now. I really don’t.

She was scared, and confused, with self-preservation locking her hooves around the stage prop like a lifeline.

[Command]

I hummed a tone; a soothing note, along with my sound based psionic. Her trembling diminished almost instantly and her head turned to me. When she saw my face, however, she almost screamed.

“Hush.” I commanded, and she obeyed thanks to my [Command]. “You’re safe.”

I hummed another soothing note, slowly trailing my fingers from her nape to her hooves. I helped her let go of the prop and wrapped her in an embrace. She tensed in my arms but didn’t struggle.

I changed my humming and turned it into a hymn; something mournful, yet soothing at the same time. It wasn’t a song that was taught to me. I only learned it one day thanks to the harmonious magic that the ponies give off in Equestria.

The mare slowly started to relax when I started caressing her mane and nape, her trembling almost disappearing completely.

“Go.” I whispered.

I nudged to the side, directing her to the direction of the door behind the guards. She turned and looked at me with an expression of fear and hesitation. I repeated my command and, thanks to my spell, she ran as fast as she could towards the exit.

I sighed for a moment in relief. But that only lasted for a moment before an overwhelming sense of shame came over me.

I almost lost control. Damn it, that was what I’ve been training so hard to avoid.

Dejection added to my shame, and I couldn’t even make myself look at the owner of the orange hooves that trotted up to my field of vision.

I turned to the side so that I wouldn’t be able to look at her. I don’t want her to see me like this. Instead I went and looked at Balio and Sunder, writhing in pain, but no longer in the ground.

Both of them glared at me, and I found my calm once more as I examined the damage I dealt.

Sunder’s right arm was mangled and useless, and a horizontal line of burnt flesh was cauterized on his back. He was using his left arm to support his brother up.

Balio still had two swords stabbed through his thighs. His abdomen was burnt and cooked, and his front side was suffering from different degrees of burns.

“You’ll pay for this, kid.” Balio said through gritted teeth. “Do you have any idea who we work for?!”

I put a hand on my chest and pulled out my [Diary], searching for the names that I’ve written down so many centuries ago.

“Balio and Sunder…” their names appeared on the pages. “Those that were associated with them was a guy named McNeil, the guy who hire you two to kill three orphan kids living in the forest. You burnt down their home and waited for their return from being accessories of a crime they didn’t know was a ploy from a greedy villager. That was where you attempted to kill them.”

Behind me, Applejack and the other girls gasped.

“There’s also that time where you tried to sell a dragon to the king of Wyndia, only for that dragon to wake up and turn back into a child not even old enough to be thirteen. Then you kidnapped a princess, forced her and the child dragon to flee for their lives, capture them again and their new companions, forced them to fight a tournament that would have gotten them killed and finally attempted to murder those children and the friends that they’ve managed to gather.”

I put my book back inside me, and look at the two stallions. Applejack and rest of the ponies present were looking at the two with horrified expression. Balio and Sunder didn’t even look ashamed of what I just said.

“So what?!” said Sunder, looking enraged. “We did those things for a reason, we also needed to eat, you know?! Who the hell do you think you are, making us look like bad guys, huh?! You don’t even fucking know what we went through!”

I stopped glaring at them and froze.

“What gives you the right to judge us.” Balio gritted out. “You know nothing about us!”

I felt a twinge in my chest as I looked at the two battered stallions.

That’s right. In the game, their only role was to be the antagonist for Ryu and his friends when they were younger, it never delved into their past. The only things known about them was that they were criminals, they were greedy, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill to make money. Given the setting of the game, it was probably the most profitable job in the entire region, no matter how questionable it was.

It makes one wonder why they’d work like that, and how did they end up working like that.

“You two…” I trailed off. “You’re orphans, too, aren't you.”

“Yeah, genius.” Sunder spat. “Congrats on figuring that out.”

I scowled, and thought it over.

Balio and Sunder were unique characters. They were the only anthropomorphic stallions that were in the game. In the Breath of Fire Series, there were several clans throughout the its world: Dragon Clan or Brood for Ryu and Teepo, Woren for Rei, Wing Clan for Nina, Grassrunner for Momo, Grassmen, being the only closest clan Peco has any relations to, seeing that he was a sprout from the Yggdrasil tree, and the unique Guardians created by Myria herself.

The Woren had tiger-like characteristics; yellow striped fur all over their bodies and a bushy tail. The Wing Clan were humans who had wings that they used to fly, but they degraded over the generations. Grassrunners had dog-like traits, much like how Worens have tiger-like traits. Grassmen were the plant-like people of the series. And the Guardians were like gargoyles in appearance.

There were still other clans in the game, but none of them match Balio and Sunder in any way.

“You two…” I muttered. “You aren’t natural, are you? You have the ability to combine yourselves into a single being; a being that I’ve only seen in one place… In Myria’s station, where she kept her test subjects.”

“SHUT UP!”

“You’re like the Guardians.” I muttered, my eyes widening at the realization. “You two were created by Myria, weren’t you? That’s how you’re here, that’s how you’re both alive. You’re both from the samples that were at the station.”

“You’re wrong!” Sunder shouted. “We’re not like that! We’re real! If that’s true then how the hell do we remember you, huh?! If we’re fakes then how the hell did we recognise you?!”

“If you work for Myria, then it isn’t that hard to imagine.” My eyes narrowed as I scowled. “She created the Guardians and even swayed the minds of other people that the Brood were evil beings out to destroy the world. If she can create the Guardians, then it would be logical to think that she could create other beings as well.”

I raised my arm and aimed at Balio. The blades in his thighs shattered and the stallion screamed.

“Bro!”

I ignored Sunder’s panic and used another spell.

[Vigor]

The ponies behind me grimaced as they watched the injuries on both stallions healed and mended. Sunder’s arm was a sight that sent Miss Rarity running behind a pillar and regurgitating her lunch.

“I’ve always found it strange, you know?” I continued, as the two stallions before me panted from the nauseous healing process. “I noticed that the monsters that were near Myria’s chamber were almost perfect replicas of all the monsters that I fought throughout original Ryu’s journey.”

Balio looked up, having caught the way I addressed the original Ryu from the game.

“I fought three stallions that looked almost exactly like your combined form.” my eyes narrowed. “There was even one the looked like Mikba’s demonic form; the Nue from the mountains in the Yrall Region; Gazer from the lighthouse; the Angler from the Black Sea; the squids on the black ship; hell, even Rocky the Rooster from McNeil’s chicken house was there.”

Balio and Sunder slowly stood up. I may have healed them, but that doesn’t mean that they’re ready for another clash so soon. There would still be lingering pains in where their injuries had been.

“And it all began with you two…” I glared at them. “The Nue was easily dealt with, but it was only after you two came that everything started. Ryu and Teepo awakened their Brood heritage after your attack, and you chased Ryu around until he met with Garr.”

It may have been a game from where I came from, but everything about that seemed a little too convenient to happen in real life.

Ryu and Teepo were the only Brood left who could transform into their dragon forms. Was it fate the they met each other? Or was it because someone had been manipulating things behind the scenes?

If… if that was true then…

“Uncle?” I looked behind to find Applejack trotting closer. “What are ya’ll talking about?”

“Give me a moment to think about it and I’ll tell you.” I looked back to Balio and Sunder, daring them to do anything at the moment. “You two, stay there and keep quiet. I need to think about some things.”

“Don’t burn your brain out.” Balio commented sarcastically.

My magic flared and a spike of ice rose up under his legs. It stopped just before touching his groin area.

Balio stumbled back in panic at seeing the spike of ice. “Okay! Okay! I’ll keep quiet!”

I snorted before going back to my thoughts.

Let’s think back to where this all began. Myria was a goddess that came to the Dragon Clan, intending to grant them their wishes. The Clan fought over the wish and almost destroyed the world because of it. Then they sealed her away--

That’s… not right. They sealed her because they didn’t want to fight for her wish. They also labeled her as evil because of it.

This still all goes back to Myria.

Myria was a goddess, right? And the only gods ever known to the Breath of Fire series were from the Breath of Fire 4: the Endless. If I remember correctly, Myria was also an Endless. There was also Deis, who was in all four Breath of Fire games. In the third game she was Myria’s sister, and in the fourth game she was revealed to be an Endless.

Damn it, what were the Endless again?

They were gods; that was how they were portrayed. They were shaped by the thoughs of the people around them. They also… they also grant the wishes of their worshippers--

My eyes widened.

In the fourth series, the Endless were summoned to fulfill the wishes of those who summoned them. It was never mentioned in the game of where Myria and Deis came from; their original dimension. It was possible that they were summoned into the first three games' universe before the series began; that they were never really a native of the world at all.

There was also something else…

In the fourth game, Momo was in that world's Wyndia. She was a Master for Ryu and the rest of the party. There was a part in her dialog where she says that she felt that she didn’t belong there, like she was from another dimension. She also mentioned something about bright flash of light. But the only flash of light I remember in the third game, where Momo and the rest of the party couldn’t escape from, was during the time where they were leaving Myria’s station after beating the goddess. They were using the elevator downwards when the explosion of the crumbling station reached them. It's possible that there was an alternate ending to the game.

If all of those were real: the Endless granting wishes; the Endless being gods; the Endless being shaped by the thoughts of the people around them--

'Tis they who determine how our power shalt be used.
'Tis their desires that shape us.
The Endless be not good, nor be they evil. The Endless are.
They become gods or devils according to the desires of those who summon them.

Words long forgotten suddenly sprang up in my mind.

I stumbled back and grabbed my head. Having psionics does that from time to time. There were times when epiphany would come to me.

Still, if those words were true, then… Myria was innocent?

Endless were neither good nor evil, they just Are. It was the Dragon Clan who made her the way she was. They… influenced her. Their strife and slaughter…

Is that why she was so different in the third game? Was it because the Dragon Clan were mostly at peace, and that there were no more Evil Dragons who wanted her wish? Did she try to exterminate them all because she was afraid that they would influence her again?

It’s… In a twisted sort of way, it kinda makes sense. The Dragon Clan demonized her, and in turn she demonized them.

“Heh..Heheh. HAHAHAHAHA!” That's funny. No, it's actually hilarious; so hilarious that it was sad as well.

“Ryu?”

“HAHAHAHA! Is that it?!” I looked back and face Celesta. “A misunderstanding. A big fat misunderstanding! It looks like that is what this is all about!”

“I think he broke, bro.” Sunder whispered.

“Don’t say that! She won’t like it if we tell Her that her boy toy broke.” Balio hissed.

“YOU!” I pointed at the two, which made them both straighten up on reflex. “Why did you come here?”

“Uhh…” Sunder mumbled, before looking over to his brother.

“We- uh… we were just told to find you?” said Balio.

My eye twitched and my finger trembled. “And..? Is that all? You said that you were sent after me, that can’t all be, fucking, it?!”

Applejack’s attention snapped over to me. I rarely, if ever, cuss in front of her. I don’t care, though. I’m so… fucking… I DON’T EVEN KNOW!!!

Balio and Sunder huddled closer together, which in all honesty pissed me off. Why the hell are they looking at me like I’m crazy? Fuck them! FUCK ALL Of THEM!!

“ANSWER, DAMN IT!”

“She just said to find you!” Sunder answered in panic.

“Her exact words were ‘He’s here, find him’, and that’s it! I swear!” cried Balio.

I held my head in my hands and gritted my teeth. “FFFFFFUCK! THAT’S IT?! SHE DIDN’T TELL YOU TO BRING ME TO HER BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY?!”

The both nodded eagerly without saying a word.

I was breathing hard again. This time there were tears running down my face.

“HEH… HEHEH… HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

I started laughing loud and started pulling out my magic. The ground under my feet cracked as I expelled out every ounce of mystic energy I could.

This is fucking hilarious. They were here just to find me. It was me who attacked the messengers. I started the fight.

HAHAHA! It’s so funny, right?! The punchline for my years of anxiety and depression over the goddess that I thought was out to get me! FUNNY, RIGHT?!

“NO!” I roared in rage. “THAT CAN’T BE ALL OF IT! IT JUST CAN’T!”

I looked up at the two stallions, who were now starting to tremble at the sight of me.

“THIS IS A TRAP, ISN’T IT? A PLOY TO MAKE ME LOWER MY GUARD? THAT’S IT RIGHT?!”

Both of them shook their heads quickly. “We don’t know! We were just told to find you.”

This time I shook my head. “NO. NO.NO.NONONONO. YOU’RE LYING! IT’S A LIE! IT’S--guh!!”

I clutched my head in pain. The magic continued to pour out from my body. I didn’t know how much I’ve pulled out, but I starting to feel the strain. My body throbbed as my dragon genes wanted to awaken.

I have to stop. My body’s starting to hurt badly. I feel like I’m being torn apart. BUT WHY THE HELL WON’T IT STOP!

“Uncle!”

“Get back, Applejack.”

Ggg..n, Rainbow… Dash… keep her...gguh… away.

“Let go of me Rainbow!”

Pain…

“What’s happening?!”

...being..ugh… torn…

“Shit, shit, shit, shit. What’s happening, bro?!”

“I don’t know! Agh, those injuries still sting! Damn that kid grew strong.”

...help… me…

My mouth opened as I tried to scream. What came out were grunts and whimpers of pain.

All that waiting…

...voices… aag...

Yeah. What a bummer…

..in my… head… agh..

We shouldn’t do this…

He made his choice…

So fuck that, I’m gone…

...what… are you… saying…?

We’re saying that this is Goodbye…

Then my world, my mind, my body, only knew pain

Balio and Sunder watched as the dragon that they’ve been set out to find grunted, whimpered, and screamed in pain. The magic coming off of him was unbelievably thick, and even though a few minutes had already passed, the kid was still pulling out more.

Both of them looked at each other. They knew that this wasn’t normal. If the kid doesn’t stop, he’ll burn himself out and die.

Their attentions went back to the dragon kid and, along with everyone else, flinched when he opened his mouth and howled an inhuman roar from his throat.

They watched as small orbs of light came out of the dragon, his screams rising every time one of those things appeared.

One, two, three… again and again they continued to appear from him, and, every time, the brothers wanted to cover the ears like what the other pony things were doing.

Then it stopped.

The magic that had been pouring out of the kid’s body just… stopped. Above his head were the balls of light, now turning into different colors.

The dragon kid collapsed and panted. He was pale, as in really pale. He didn’t look like that murder machine that almost finished them off a few minutes ago.

The eighteen orbs in the air spun around and some of them collided with each other. Instead of hitting, though, some orbs were absorbed by others.

Eighteen were now left to six, and all of them were pulsing with power.

“Uncle!”

Balio and Sunder looked at how the orange pony thing went over to the dragon. It-- she was fussing over him while the rest were staring at the orbs.

Then one of the orbs spoke.

“Pfft. Pitiful, ain’t he?”

Holy shit, it spoke!

“None of this would have happened if we stayed.”

“Shut the fuck up, you hypocrite. If you wanted to stay then you should have fucking stayed.”

“...”

“Yeah. I didn’t think so.”

“C’mon! Let’s go, I’m getting bored here!”

“You shut up, too, brat! But yeah, let’s get the hell out of here. Let the fucktard rot like he should have years ago.”

“Wait!”

“Applejack…”

“What’s wrong with Uncle Rahy?! What did you do to him!?”

“You’ll know soon enough once he’s awake.”

“And until then, we have better things to do.”

Celestia trotted up, looking at the orbs sternly. “Which would be?”

“Not hold back. Goodbye ponies, and tell the Whelp to come find us if he wants us back.”

The six orbs shot out of the windows, punching through the stained glasses. They split off in different directions and disappeared from sight.

Balio and Sunder looked at each other before they nodded.

“Let’s report this first.” Balio said.

“Yeah. Things are a bit tense around here.” Sunder agreed.

They grabbed each other’s wrists and flared their magic, before disappearing from sight.

Down by Applejack’s hooves, Ryu continued to stare into nothing, unable to feel, and completely numbed from the pain.

His eyes slowly closed, with his body feeling… Empty.

His dragon genes were gone.

Crossover: Guidance Part 1

Author's Note

Another colab with FrostTheWolf in his story - Of Magic and Machines

Crossover: Guidance Part 1

Weeks had passed since Hearth’s Warming Eve. It was a day that hardly anypony in Canterlot would ever forget soon.

Two creatures that stood on their hind legs and looked like ponies suddenly appeared on stage after the play. Then another bipedal creature appeared and attacked the first two; that was Ryu. The princesses had tried to stop the fight, but they lost after Ryu subdued them using his psionic skill and attacking their minds; something that took some days for the princesses to recover from.

It was after that, however, that Ryu came to a realization. He turned his eyes away from his rage and, for the first time, truly looked at Myria’s past.

Myria was a goddess and, more than that, one of the Endless. She was summoned to grant the wishes of her summoners, but they fought over her power and blamed her for the near destruction of their world, the Dragon Clan’s world.

She was sealed away and demonized by the very dragons that had summoned her. At the time of her release, she tried once again to fulfill her purpose, only to be denied yet again and be seen as the monster that the Dragon Clan had proclaimed her as.

Now, Ryu sat on the bed in Canterlot Castle’s medical wing. He had been staring at his hands before he looked out of the window. Something in him had changed.

It’s been two months since the Hearth’s Warming event, and Ryu had only been awake for a week. Several had immediately noticed the change.

He was smiling more, and was far kinder to everypony else. He had apologized to Rainbow Dash for all the harsh words that he had said, shocking everyone at how sincere he sounded. He had even forgiven the princesses for what happened all those years ago.

He was different; A new man.

But Applejack didn’t like it.

She’d been so happy when he finally woke up. His magic core had severely depleted, and it was a miracle that he was still alive. She lost her smile, however, the first time he graced her with his new smile.

She didn’t like this new uncle Rahy. At all.

Most of his friends, however, thought otherwise. It was refreshing how he would smile more often; so kind and gentle. Unlike how he was before this sudden change, he used to look bored at everything, and only seem to gain some cheer when he was around Applejack or anyone that he considered family.

The old Ryu was a jerk. There was no other way of putting it.

Ryu stared out of the window and smiled at the clear blue skies. Even after two months, there were still some parts of his body that tingled from the phantom pain, and some parts of his body was feeling more numb than the rest.

The pony doctor has said that he was fine, and that there were no nerve damage. Still, even now, even when he keeps poking at his legs, the response that he’d get would always seem hollow, like he was tapping an artificial skin that was on top of his own.

But that didn’t stop his smile. When he woke up, it was like a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt lighter, emotionally.

He lost his cheer, and every other emotion, however, when he delved inside his body.

His Dragon Genes were gone. All of them.

From his [Flame] gene all the way to [Infinity], they were gone. Nothing was left, and along with them were his other dragon characteristics.

His superhuman strength was gone, his enhanced senses, his durability, the potency of his elemental magic, and he even lost the ability to eat gems. His teeth just could not cut through them, and he almost choked when he tried to swallow one.

He was human again.

But with magic.

And he couldn’t be any happier.

He didn't have to fear losing control anymore. There was no more great power inside him, waiting to cut loose, where even the slightest mistake could wipe out an entire town just by sneezing wrong.

He was free from the burden; free from the responsibility...

But there was a nagging voice in the back of his head whenever he’s alone, telling him to look for the Genes before something bad happens. He’s been ignoring that voice, and continued to do so, even today.

For now, though, he had better things to think about. He noticed Applejack being more subdued in her interactions with him. He wasn’t blind to not see the looks that she’s been giving him. Much as he wanted to do something about it, however, he just didn’t know how.

He was happy now. It would only get better as soon as Applejack starts treating him like normal. He missed holding his niece/daughter figure.

In another world, someone else was having a problem.

“I need some advice.” Was the first this that Anson heard from Nicko once the two of them had returned from Orpheus’ world.

“Okay, ask away-.”

“Not advice from you, idiot. Advice from someone else. Before seeing you, I was only recently released from stone and even though I still know how to fight and everything, I find that I always get myself in a situation where it might end with someone I know getting hurt. Hell, I had to snap Jade out of a blood rage and almost ended up killing myself in the process.”

Anson thought this through… then asked a new question to him. “Okay, who did you have in mind?”

“My teacher. He was the one that told me how to use my spells in new ways I never thought I could before. Maybe he might have some more suggestions for me on how I can improve.”

“Okay, and I’m assuming that he is a Displaced as well?” Nicko nods, answering his brothers question for him. “Well, if you're going, I’m going too.”

“But what about Faith-?”

“She can take care of herself. Plus, Pinkie Pie is looking after her. I trust her to make sure to keep her safe. Besides… What’s the worst that could happen?”

Nicko thought about it for a moment, then nodded his head in agreement. “Fair point. Alright, let’s do it.”

After informing the Baker Pony about where the two of them were going and letting Eris stay behind so she could rest her tired body, Nicko began the process of being summoned by his teacher. Unlike other tokens, where they served as keys to that world’s doorway, Ryu’s worked differently; his were powered by the prayers of those who summon him, something that he adopted in the original Breath of Fire games. The Rune Slayer’s thoughts would be heard by the Elder Dragon, where he could ask for Ryu to summon him using the token that he gave to his mentor.

Nicko closed his eyes and held the Dragon Tear close to his chest.

‘Ryu. It’s me, your student. Nicko. I want to get the chance to talk to you and see how you have been. For me, I haven’t seen you in a LONG time. But I’ll inform you on the details later. Right now though, I hope you can hear my thoughts and allow my brother Anson, along with myself; entry into your world.’

Ryu looked up from his bed. He chuckled at Nicko’s greeting, and reached up to the desk beside his bed, where his pouch was located. He took out Nicko’s token and flared what little magic he had at the moment.

“From my world I call out to thee; my pupil, my friend, come here to me. With thy kin by thine side, he may come along for the ride. To come to this world of mine, you have my blessing. Let’s see what troubles you, my friend, that needs my addressing.”

The bedridden Displaced laughed to himself and levitated his pupil’s token in the middle of the room, just in case his entry might be violent.

After using his token, the Rune Slayer soon stepped through a doorway-like portal that surfaced in the room along with another figure. His student now wore a new set of garments that included a Red Overcoat, Black shirt and pants and had a new sword to go along with it. The other figure, which he assumed to be his brother was sporting a Black overcoat with a red undershirt and black pants and boots. Unlike Nicko though, this one carried two blades with him and his red hair resembled the spikes of a hedgehog. This must’ve been Anson, the brother that his student mentioned.

“Hello, Nicko.” Ryu greeted his student, smiling as he took in his new student’s new changes.

Nicko though, was a bit surprised by a few things. First off, the smile and sudden politeness was unlike the Elder Dragon that he met last time that he was here. Second was the fact that his skin was a LOT paler than he last remembered and it wasn’t until after noticing the surrounding area that he realized that his teacher was on the bed of a hospital room.

“Holy crap, are you okay? You look like you got your soul sucked out of you.”

“It’s nothing; just some trouble on my end of the multiverse.” Ryu replied to his student’s concerns.

“Well, if there’s anything that we could do to help, I think Anson and I can pitch in if you need some help with anything.” His brother agreed with him, saying that any friend of Nicko’s was a friend of his and that he would gladly lend his sword to help out Ryu.

Despite being amused by the two of them and them insisting on helping him, Ryu shook his head and declined their offer. “I still stand by my decision, Nicko. My world, my problem.” He told his student, now looking at Anson. “I take it that this is your brother? The resemblance is quite uncanny.”

Nicko himself was quite surprised by his teacher’s choice of words. It was far from what the Ryu he knew would say. He was a lot… calmer and less of Ryu being… well, Ryu. Normally, Nicko saw him as a Hardass, but also Wise teacher that helped him wake up and realize that being a Displaced was not all fun and games. It was survival against whatever was thrown at you.

His brother though, never knew this and just greeted him casually. “It’s nice to meet you, Ryu. I’m Anson, Nicko’s brother and an Infinity Sword.”

“A pleasure to meet you, then, Anson.” Ryu nodded. Anson had an interesting title. He wondered how much he lived up to the name, though.

“Hey, are you okay Ryu?” Nicko asked “You seem a lot… different from the last time we’ve met. Are you sure that the doctors didn’t give you too many painkillers?” The Rune Slayer asked out of concern.

Ryu chuckled kindly and shook his head. “I’m not on painkillers, since there no pain at all to suppress.” he grinned at Nicko; a very childish and bright smile. He wasn't in pain, at the moment, but he knew that there would be flashes of those episodes where his body would suddenly start to relive the pain he felt from two months back. “Let’s just say that I no longer have to carry a heavy burden anymore.”

Nicko’s reaction to this wasn’t exactly what Ryu thought it would be. Due to the Rune Slayer’s autism, Nicko wasn’t one to adjust to change really well. He was a LOT more comfortable with the old Ryu than this… Whatever the hell this was. Was it painkillers that were secretly slipped into him? A mind control spell? He didn’t know, but he did not like this new Ryu. He wanted the old one back.

Ryu hummed, seeing the expression on Nicko’s face. “I’m really fine, Nicko. Really, I couldn’t be any better. So, please, stop worrying for my sake.”

“You know, Nicko’s told me a LOT about you and I gotta say, you’re quite different from what I thought you would be.” Anson remarked, folding his arms and looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

Ryu gave him an awkward smile, looking at Nicko before turning back to Anson. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, for one thing, he told me that you were a great teacher despite the ‘methods’ that you used to instruct him. He even told me about you being able to turn into a dragon because of the title you carry. Being an Elder Dragon must come with a lot of responsibilities if you ask me.” Unknowingly to Anson, he didn’t realize in that moment that the door of the room was beginning to creek open as Applejack stepped inside.

“Uncle, are ya ok-?”

The mare was shocked to find two unknown figures inside the same room that her uncle Rahyu was in. But what really caught her attention was that they had weapons. Her mind went back to that day on Hearth’s Warming eve, and remembered the state her uncle was left in at the end.

“Get away from him!”

Applejack stormed into the room, knocking the Rune Slayer onto the other hospital bed and tried to buck the Infinity Sword as well.

Ryu tried to call out to Applejack, to tell her that Nicko and Anson meant no harm, but another jolt of pain ran through his body. His muscles locked and he grabbed onto his chest with a gasp. Even after two months, his body still remembers the horrible pain that he went through.

Anson himself, despite the situation, drew one of his swords and used it to block the incoming pair of hooves while using the blunt side of his blade to knock the Earth Pony down with a Fatal Slap. Nicko tried to attend to Ryu, seeing him clutch in pain, but instead, he was shoved to the aside.

“What the hell were you thinking!?” Ryu yelled, fearing for Applejack as he saw her make contact with Anson’s sword. Even if it was only the blunt side, his heart rate still soared after seeing Applejack go down.

“Hey, I reacted in self defense!” Anson countered Ryu’s statement. “Plus, I only used the blunt side of my blade so nopony could get hurt!!”

Despite the Infinity sword’s claims, it was heard on deaf ears by the time that a Rainbow Maned pegasus swooped in and saw her friend getting up off the floor and Ryu in his current state. Seeing as Anson had his weapon unsheathed, the Element of Loyalty immediately rushed at him, causing Anson to block it again while summoning his other blade to block Applejack’s next attack as it was a little too close for comfort for him.

As another method of protection, Anson used Sword Shield to protect himself from future attacks, but it’s backlash was that it caused the ponies who attacked him to get hurt.

“Anson, stop this NOW!!”

“Wait, you two know each other-?” Was Rainbow’s reply before her hoof accidentally touched one of the blades on Anson’s shield, cutting her. A small scream of pain was all it took to have the rest of the girls enter the room as well and for Nicko to put himself in between his brother and the Elements of Harmony.

Ryu sighed in relief and exasperation as the pain passed and situation escalating. He raised his hand and created a barrier with [Resist] between the two groups. That took their attention to him.

“Let’s take this somewhere else.” Ryu said, only to grunt as his arm spasmed in pain, shattering the barrier as he lost concentration.

The group moved their location to one of the castle’s open balcony, where they had enough room for all of them to lounge in comfortably. Twilight had called for the Princesses and informed them of the two strangers. Celestia and Luna decided to join in this discussion just in case it becomes a repeat of two months back.

Now here they were, sitting around three separate tables and enjoying some tea provided by the castle staff. The Element Bearers were in one table, with the Princesses in another, and the Displaced being in the last. The tables were moved closer together to make the conversation easier.

Nicko himself was slowly drinking the tea that was given to him. He wasn’t quite a fan of the warm beverage and mostly preferred Coffee or Hot Cocoa, but he would make due with it for now. Anson, on the other hand, wasn’t quite a fan of it. Seconds after drinking his tea, he set down the cup immediately due to the fact that he burned his tongue and the stinging sensation was still there after a while.

Ryu was enjoying his cup as he sat in a modified wheelchair, often glancing at everyone else’s curious expressions over his student and Anson.

“I suppose introductions are necessary.” he said, making a gesture to the near identical duo. “The one with the spikier hair is Anson, and the other being my student, Nicko.”

The ponies looked surprised at that bit of news.

“To explain it properly, I suppose that I should tell you about the Displaced, a group of individuals who were taken from their original worlds and thrown into multiple versions of Equestria, while at the same time losing their identity and becoming someone or… something else…”

The ponies nodded and listened carefully about the Displaced, with Ryu starting things with the Merchant and the items that he sold, either personally or indirectly. Nicko and Anson also added in some their experience, and telling them of the other Displaced that they’ve met.

“So wait,” Rainbow Dash started, pointing at Ryu. “You mean you’re not really a dragon?”

“Originally no,” he shook his head. “But after I got my merchandise, I became one while waking up here, over a thousand years ago.”

Twilight and the princesses were obviously interested. From the spark in their eyes, Ryu knew that they had some questions for him after he was finished explaining.

“How come ya never told me about this b’fore?” Applejack asked as she looked at her uncle.

“I only found out after I was coming back from the dragonland. It never really came up after that.”

Despite the confession, Applejack wasn’t really pleased with hearing this. Before she could say anything though, Twilight had interjected to ask Nicko and Anson about what their Equestria was like. Both brothers complied as they told their adventures to the ponies, but everyone was quite shocked and surprised when Nicko told them about meeting Ryu in Griffonia. They left out the details about Twilight becoming a Princess, Eris being with Nicko and Discord being reformed just for Sanity’s sake as they continued to tell them.

During this time though, Luna watched as Ryu smiled and laughed alongside the girls as Nicko and Anson both told their tales.

Everyone may have forgotten about it, but Ryu still continued their lessons in their dreams. Even when he was outside of Equestria, he would somehow find a way to call her attention in the corridors of slumber, allowing her to find him in the myriad of doors.

During their lessons Luna had noticed some of the expressions on Ryu that she would have never seen in the waking world. He would show a face of a stern friend when he displayed the history of the Griffons, a dedicated student when it came to the Minotaurs, a cruel but fair dictator to the dragons, and, most surprising of all, a kind and loving father to the ponies.

It confused her when she saw his sadness during the times where ponies despaired and suffered; his proud smile when it came to a pony he knew achieving something grand; his kind, yet awkward, smirk when he showed a memorable event of a mare who had climbed the ladder of success, one who he had the honor of raising when she was just a foal.

She couldn’t explain what she felt when she saw those different sides of him, where her mind had already portrayed him as a powerful foe, once, all those years ago, and a cold and grumpy teacher at present. It was those sides of him that made her eager for their next lesson, either on history, or on her speech.

Though she did have to hold back on lashing out on him most of the time, seeing that he was always so insufferable. But after that day, on the Hearth's Warming Eve, she finally saw those hidden sides of him emerge to the surface when he opened his eyes, where those two months she couldn’t even find him in her realm of dreams. He smiled, he laughed, he sincerely apologized; he became the person that she had seen glimpses of on those nights.

Yet, even though she smiled and was happy with his change, there was a part of her that was conflicted. Like Applejack, there was a part of her that longed for the insufferable drake that she had come to know… and maybe even love.

That feeling came crashing back when she saw him tense while putting his cup back on the table. His body spasmed in some areas, and his fingers twitched erratically. He gritted his teeth and tried to hide the reaction from what clearly looked like pain, but everyone had stopped their conversation and had their eyes solely on him.

“That’s it.” Applejack stated abruptly, staring down her Uncle. “There’s definitely something wrong with you. This has been happening a lot, and don’t you dare brush this off. Tell us what those balls were during Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

Ryu tried to smile at her in assurance, but the glare she sent him made him realize that he wasn’t getting out of this one. He sighed and leaned back on his wheelchair. “They were my Dragon Genes.”

Applejack eyes widened, along with Twilight. Nicko and Anson themselves decided to pay attention for their own reasons. Nicko because he did not know what these Dragon Genes were and Anson because he wanted to know more about Ryu in general.

“How is that even possible?” Twilight asked. Genes were part of every creature’s DNA, so to have them removed would be like… Twilight grimaced. Was that why he was in a coma for two months; because he experienced the pain of being torn apart?

Ryu groaned a little and sighed. “The Brood are different to the dragons of this world. Once they die they fossilize by becoming chrysm, a crystal like mineral that’s similar to solidified magic.”

“You mean like the gems in Equestria?” Rarity asked.

“Yes. But thousands or ten thousand times more potent in magical property.”

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. Nicko and Anson were also quite surprised as well upon hearing these details. But also knew that the circumstances were different because of being a Displaced so they just played along with it as Ryu continued to speak.

“There are some Chrysm that are special, however. These are the remains of a powerful Brood that manage to keep some of their souls into their corpse. I don’t know about the other Broods, but I can assimilate these special Chrysm and gain their powers in the form of Dragon Genes.”

“Then those eighteen balls were…”

“My dragon Genes.” Ryu finished Applejack’s thought. “I don’t know if it was because some soul lingered in them, still, or if they’ve become sentient over the passage of time, but I heard them. Before they ripped themselves out of me, I heard all six of them.”

“The same number of orbs left after they combined.” Celestia murmured thoughtfully.

“Splicing.” Ryu corrected. “By splicing the Genes, I gain new abilities or make my already vast arsenal of spells more powerful. The problem now is that I don’t know what combinations were created.” This put Nicko and Anson in a state of concern as the conversation continued.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I already told you that I have more than one dragon form. Depending on what Genes were spliced, different dragons would manifest.” Ryu personally grimaced at the next sentence he was going to say. “Worse of all is that Kaiser was one of them.”

Both Celestia and Luna tensed up as the Sun Alicorn’s eyes widened. “You’re saying that one of those orbs could have been the Emperor Dragon?”

Ryu nodded his head, expression going grim. “I’m one hundred percent sure that one of those orbs had been Kaiser. That gene is the most powerful one I had, and it overwrites every other gene except for one.”

“And that would be?” Twilight asked.

“Failure- the gene of a failed dragon. A dragon that was so weak that it was more human than a dragon. It degrades Kaiser’s power, allowing me to use that form without the risk of losing control of my sanity.”

“And the possibility of Kaiser being combined with this gene be?” Luna urged.

Ryu sighed sadly. “Zero.”

By now, the Princess had heard enough of this and immediately stood up from her seat at the table. “We must find those orbs immediately! Ryu, where are they now?”

Ryu chuckled without any mirth, shaking his head as he looked to Celestia. “I don’t know.”

“Ryu, what effects has this done to thee?” Luna asked. “This… we canst-- cannot even imagine what this did to you.”

Ryu pursed his lips and picked up his cup. He held it up for them to see, no longer suppressing the effects of the pain that came and went. The cup in his hand trembled, along with his arm. The fingers of his other hand would also twitch every so often.

“They gave me a traumatic gift, an aftereffect from them forcefully pulling themselves out of my body. After they left I’ve lost all of my dragon characteristics. I can’t naturally breath fire anymore, or cut through gems with my teeth. My skin is easier to prick now with a needle, and my musculature isn’t as dense anymore.” That made Nicko and Anson both realize what had happened as they both looked at him and he did the same.

“That’s right. I’m human again. One hundred percent squishy human. I can still use magic, but every spell costs at least ten times more than normal if I want them to be as powerful as they had been when I still had the Dragon Genes.”

Both the brothers were quite concerned for Ryu, wondering how much strength did he actually expend when he originally summoned them. But there thoughts were interrupted by the former Kaiser as he smiled at the two of them.

“It’s fine. I’ve trained my magic enough that even when I have so little, I can still use it to lift an entire house for five to ten minutes.” Centuries worth of meditation and flexing his magic stretched his reserves phenomenally.

The student of Celestia turned towards her teacher, whispering if she could be able to pull off the same feat. However, Celestia told her a firm no as she tried to reroute the conversation back to the task at hand. She didn’t want to tell her student that the only strenuous magic exercise she’s done over the centuries had been moving the Sun and Moon, but that wasn't really that difficult given her special talent.

“So, I’m afraid that I’ll have to leave this to you.” Ryu finished as he spoke to Celestia, gesturing towards his makeshift wheelchair. “As much as I’d love to help, Celestia, I’m afraid that I’d be more of a liability than an asset as I am now.” He placed the cup back on the plate, and eased back on the wheelchair again.

Applejack’s eyes narrowed as she watched her uncle. It had only been for a moment, but she saw a glimpse of Ryu’s old personality resurface as he gave his reason to the Princess for being unable to help. For her ears, though, it sounded more like an excuse; something that her uncle frequently did when he didn’t want to do something he didn’t want to.

Celestia contemplated on the information, frowning worriedly as she watched her old foe recline and noticing the twitches that still haven’t left his hands.

“I see… It’s unfortunate, but it would seem that the only way you can aid us if you act as an adviser.” she said.

“I’ll be more than happy to tell you what I know.” Ryu nodded. “Until then; I’ll be entertaining my guests for the duration of their stay.”.

If there was one thing that really grinded Anson’s gears, it was the feeling of being helpless. Not to mention the feeling of being carefree when a possible danger could be lurking anywhere. Right now, the teacher of his brother was beginning to show those signs and it pissed him off internally. But he did his best to not let this show. It was for the best since he would end up embarrassing the two of them.

Nicko, on the other hand, felt the same way, but didn’t want his emotions to get the better of him in this instance. In fact, he still had a few questions he had to ask his teacher. “Hey Anson, I need to ask Ryu a couple of things. Mind if you give us some Privacy?”

Anson grunted, but replied. “Sure. I’ll go walk around a bit in the Garden.” Nicko thanked the Infinity Sword as he took a seat where he was leveled with Ryu in his chair.

Ryu watched Anson’s leave with a raised brow before turning to Nicko. After the ponies left the balcony to do their own duties, the Displaced trio stayed behind for some privacy. Celestia had already informed the guards and staff that they meant no harm.

“So, Nicko, you had something to ask?”

Nicko sighed. “Well, when my brother and I said our stories… Not all of it was exactly… Accurate. For one thing, we’re not twins anymore.”

Ryu raised a brow. They looked alike plenty enough.

“Well, at one point in our fight against the Diabolic Esper that was attacking our Ponyville, he was able to reflect the blast that the Elements of Harmony gave off and aimed it towards Anson. But I used myself as a human shield to protect him. For seven years since, I was in stone. But he was able to return home. I’m now 25, but he’s 39. Fourteen years older than me. Not to mention that I have a niece who is also a Displaced.”

“I think you have some misconceptions of what it means to be twins.” Ryu shook his head with an amused smiled. “Anson will always be your twin no matter the difference in age. As for you having a niece, well, I can only congratulate you for it. Being an uncle is quite a privilege. My only advice for that is: Don’t spoil your niece too much.” God only knows how much he spoiled some of his first ones.

“Thank you Ryu. I have another question though and it’s about Eris. For a long time now, she and I have been friends. Partners. I really care for her and I want to be able to find a way to show it to her. Do you know anything that can help me?”

Uncomfortable would be the word to describe Ryu on the subject of love. Living for so long, he’s had quite a few flings, but those were just to satisfy his libido. Love has never really become a concern, seeing that he was either too busy training or, after that, worrying about a goddess coming after him.

“Well, the only advice I can give you about that is to take her out on dates, hang out more often, or just spend more time with her in general.” Ryu said. “To show someone that you care, you have to let them know that you’re paying attention to them; be there when she wants you, when she needs you, or even if she just wants to kill some time.” He scratched his head as the expression on his face changed. “Though you might have to mind how much you do it. Trust me, Nicko, you don’t want to be called a stalker by the ones you love.”

Ryu sighed to himself before looking at Nicko, who was partially interested to hear what exactly he was referring to by that . “Let’s just say that when I first got my family… well, I was creepy as hell.”

Anson needed a much deserved break as he began to walk through the garden outside, the wind blowing through his crimson hair and his pitch black jacket. He couldn’t feel the chill that the wind brought with it, but something else still lingered inside his mind. The thought of Ryu and his current personality was not like anything that his brother had told him before… and he wasn’t a fan of it.

Turning around another bush, the Infinity Sword soon came across the statues that were in the garden. He recognized one of them as Discord, the Avatar of Chaos. But there were a few others that weren’t so recognizable. One of them, however, looked awfully like a human with draconic features.

“Hey! Wait up!”

To Anson, he was surprised on two things. One, that Applejack was following him. The second was the statue that he was looking at and how it’s presence felt similar to the one he felt when he met Ryu for the first time.

“Pretty dramatic, don’cha think?” Applejack asked him. Anson answered the pony with a simple nod of the head as he continued to look at the statue in front of him. However, one thing that Applejack said to him caught his attention and had him listen to her more. She looked at the statue and gestured at it. “This was mah uncle back in the day, where he said he was at his weakest, but was at his most dangerous.”

“Yah won’t recognize him as he is now, but this guy right here?” She took a breath to point her hoof at the statue before continuing with a sigh. “This was mah uncle. Look at this thing; roarin’ up tah the sky like there’s no tomorrow. But when ah think about the stories that mah uncle told me when ah was a little filly it might have been true. Ah woulda never met ‘em if his plan back then failed.”

“I understand what you mean. I’m a father myself with a daughter of my own and I’ve been in the same position that he had probably been in once or twice.”

“Thank ya kindly.” She replied with a smile, but then frowned as she looked back at the statue. “I kinda miss mah old uncle; he’s different now. He was pretty much broodin’ all the time, rarely smilin’ unless it was to family. He’d always show us an honest tah goodness smile, tah me and mah family; tah all the Apple family, even. But now…” She shook her head before turning around to Anson. “How ‘bout you? What’cha think about mah uncle when yah met ‘em?”

“Honestly. My brother told me to expect him to be… almost like how you would describe him. Nicko told me that he was a bit of a, excuse my prench, Hardass and brutal teacher, but he learned from it. Now though, I’m seeing someone who’s trying to hand off his own responsibilities to others and I don’t like it.”

“So, yah don’t like ‘em too, huh.” The Element of Honesty chuckled in response. “He really acts unnatural. His smiles look so real, but you can tell that none o’ them's completely true. It’s weird for me to see ‘im so relaxed. Ah should be happy, ah know, but somthing’ about how mah uncle’s actin that’s really settin’ off mah nerves.”

“Mine too. Like he knows that he could be able to do something, but doesn’t want too.”

“An apt observation, Fair Applejack, Sir Anson.”

Both Anson and Applejack looked up behind them to see Princess Luna as she descended from the Upper balcony and softly landed on the ground by them. Applejack did the first thing that came to her mind and greeted her by her title as she bowed. However, Luna had surprised them both by saying that they only wished to converse. Anson himself then proceeded to ask why as the Alicorn of the Night exhaled another breath.

“We-- I am merely here to say that I also suspected your claims, Fair Applejack.” She began to speak as she looked at the statue of Ryu’s [Myrmidon] form. “I have known Ryu for some time now, thanks to our nightly lessons. I have seen that there is more to him than just what he shows.” Applejack nodded, agreeing with what the Moon Princess had said.

Luna then sighed sadly as she continued. “Though I am happy for his change, I cannot help but feel some lingering doubts about his new personality; it is too lax, too kind. I cannot help but feel some measure of revulsion seeing him smile so openly. I recall the times of ages past, where my sister and I would hunt the one dragon who had laid waste to the mountains of the Badlands. He was a threat, thus we pursued; for our subjects.” She smiled fondly as a gentle wind began to blow through Anson’s hair and the manes of both Alicorn and Earth pony.

“Ryu was one of the most aggravating opponent that my sister and I have ever encountered. He was cunning, vicious, yet attacks only to distract and never to kill. We thought that he only adopted such tactics because he could not defeat us, and that he needed more time to become a full dragon. Though, besides this form that you see in front of us, he only used one other form that he referred to as the [Warrior].”

Luna chuckled to herself as she looked back on what happened back then. “We lost. From the very beginning, we could not hope to capture him without resorting to lethal force. Had we tried hard enough from the very start of our pursuit, there was no question of our victory. But for each passing day Ryu learned a new spell, a new skill; using it efficiently and wisely. After he learned how to create explosions, we could no longer hope to out maneuver him; it was his most versatile spell for distractions.”

For a moment, Applejack puffed out her chest. Possibly as a sign of pride, but not one of Anson’s major focuses as he listened to Luna, who was now smiling melancholically with the ending of her story approaching.

“Even at the end, with us using the Elements against him, we were still outsmarted. He knew that they were our trump, our last resort against him, thus he used our surety, our confidence, against us. He acted as though he was fighting desperately, taking attacks that he may have been able to dodge. He was full of wounds near the end, but none of them were threatening. We caught him between our attacks, and, instead of dodging like he would usually, he took it all and was caught in the discharge. He had been on his knees, panting heavily, and my sister and I decided that it was our chance to use the Elements." Luna chuckled and shook her head. "He used that opportunity escaped by replacing himself with a double, and my sister and I were none the wiser.”

“Interesting…” Anson said, intrigued a little by hearing the talented skills of his brother’s teacher. “If I may ask, is Ryu still… Up to par on his combat skills in his current state?”

“I am sure. Ryu has had centuries to hone his skills. With or without his dragon forms, Ryu will always be a dangerous foe.”

Applejack nodded. “From what he’s told me and what the Princess just said, he’s only used [Warrior] and [Myrmidon], then pretty much focused everything on fightin’ as a human.”

“Well, the guy I’ve met is definitely not like the one you have told me about just now.”

“That’s why ah’m so frustrated.” AJ then shook her head again before looking at Anson again. “Ah know that we only just met, but please, ah have tah ask ya a favor; Please help me get mah uncle back to his old self. It’s killin’ me inside every time I look at ‘im actin’ like that.”

Anson grinned a little. “Oh I believe I know EXACTLY what to do.”

As Nicko and Ryu finished their conversation, the two of them began to search for his brother; who left them alone so they could talk in peace. Now that they were finished, Nicko and his brother could return to their Equestria and to Faith, who he believed was waiting for them to return as soon as possible. The two of them soon found Anson standing in the statue garden with his arms folded and his eyes glaring at Ryu. “Hey Brother. I’m just about done. Are you ready to get going?"

“In a moment. I have a bone to pick with Ryu and the fact that he’s acting like he doesn’t want to find his Dragon Genes.”

Ryu frowned at the accusation as he gestured his head towards the wheelchair that he was currently sitting in. “If you haven’t noticed, Anson, I’m not really fit to fight at the moment-.”

“Bullshit.” Anson spat. “For someone who was able to outsmart any problem that you've come across, outsmart the freaking princesses and find my god damn brother when he was hidden in Griffonia; finding these Genes of yours wouldn't be as hard as you say it is.”

The frown Ryu had on her face had only began to deepen. The Infinity Sword had figured him out. In truth, he could just easily use the [Prana] to find the locations of the Genes like how he found the location of his student a few months back. He was going to confront him on why he was doing all of this, but his answer soon came with Anson’s next sentence.

“Applejack has been worried about you and she wants her old uncle back. Is this new you the person that your family would want to see you as.”

Ryu clenched his teeth, glaring back at the Infinity Sword. Nicko noticed the tension between the two of them and tried to break up the argument between one another. Despite this though, Anson pressed on. Applejack had told him a few things about her Uncle and to him, they were rounds in the chamber. And he wasn’t planning on missing any shots that he was going to fire at him

“Ever since you lost your Genes, you’ve been hesitant on wanting to get things done and using every excuse in your book of tricks in order to avoid solving the problem. You know what I call that? Laziness. Your Dragon Genes could be out there causing who knows what kind of destruction and you’re just enjoying sitting back and doing nothing. You think doing nothing is going to help you when those Genes go after Applejack and her family next!?”

Ryu’s temper flared, and along with it was his magic. “Shut up! What the hell do you know?!” Ryu had already thought of what Anson had just pointed out, but his freedom from the burden of the Genes just felt too good. He was conflicted, oh so very conflicted. Same with any problems that he had that he can’t kill or destroy, he decided to bury it and forget it all together. “Why are you doing this?! What do you want from me?!”

“I want you to stop trying to ignore your own problems and do something about it.”

Again, Nicko tried to separate the both of them. But was caught off guard when Ryu pushed himself off of his wheelchair, standing up and beginning to confront his brother. Anson then turned towards his brother, looking at the conflicted Rune Slayer as he posed his next question for him. “Is this the person you respect as your teacher? A coward who has others fight his own battles no matter who gets hurt!?”

Nicko thought it through for a few moments. He looked at Ryu, then to his brother, but soon he walked over next to Anson while looking at his teacher teacher with a frown. “Ryu, I respect you. But this new version of you is not the teacher that I came to respect back in Griffonia. And if you dare try to harm anyone from my family that I care about, I will not hesitate to harm you in order to protect those I care for.”

Gritting his teeth, the former Kaiser glared at both of them and sighed deeply. “Fine.” Holding his hand out by his side, Ryu created a [Mind Sword] construct and held it up towards them. This one wasn’t blunt like when Nicko trained with him back in Griffonia. “You can both suffer together.”

The determined pair of brothers drew their own swords in preparation for what was going to happen next. In preparation, Nicko used Critical Sword to help him boost his attack power as a rune of a Sword and Sun circled around him.

Both groups looked at one another, one glaring with the other two looking determined. Two people took a step forward, and the battle began.

Crossover: Guidance-- Conflict and Resolve

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Interlude: Behind the Curtain Part 1

Two months back before the fight with the two Displaced and before Ryu awakened to his potential, a greater threat skulked the void outside the world’s dimension. There, a large fortress existed in the empty space. Inside were vast amounts of advanced technology, broken and shattered.

Its name was Obelisk, the flying fortress that housed the goddess of Desire and Destruction; Myria. This was her temple, the place where she was at her most powerful.

Inside, Balio and Sunder appeared out of a distorted vortex and landed on their hooves. They both shuddered at the complete wrongness of their transportation before shrugging it off and walking deeper into the structure.

They entered a large chamber full of broken machines. Jumping over the debris that littered the spacious area, they came up to its center where a raised platform was located. They stopped and stood side by side, their postures rigid.

“We found him.” Balio began. “Just like you said, he was in this world.”

Sunder nodded, before quickly adding. “He looked like a clone of that dragon kid. There were some differences, but the resemblance was just too close.”

Up on the platform, a woman stood. Her back was turned to them, and her attention was more on the cracks that stretched all over the chamber’s ceiling.

Long, flowing blonde hair fell from her head and past her hips, moving like flowing silk from the calm but powerful aura that expelled through her skin. A beautiful purple dress hung upon her body snugly, showing off her generously proportioned figure to all. However, it was the two gigantic wings on her back that really caught the attention of others.

The two wings were covered in feathers, shining almost ethereally even in the dim light of the room, switching through the colors of the aurora and were almost hypnotic to the eyes. What made them all the more eye-catching, however, were the way that they were positioned: both wings were inverted. It made for an odd sight, but it did little to lessen the beauty of them, or the woman who carried them.

This woman was Myria, the sworn enemy of the Brood, the goddess that left the world in ruin, and a creature of the Endless.

Her back was still turned, with closed eyes still regarding the ceiling. “I see. I did find it curious to feel two almost completely similar powers clashing in the void. But for it to be confirmed to be almost a twin…” her head shifted to the side, making the stallions stand even straighter when they saw the smooth skin of her face turn to them partially. “What else can you tell me?”

Balio swallowed in slight fear, hesitating to answer. “He’s powerful. Someone that really shouldn’t be underestimated.”

Sunder nodded. “Very powerful. He didn’t even let us combine. He was on us as soon as the fight started.”

Myria’s head turned further, her body shifting slightly to regard the two of them better. Malicious red light started to slip under her closed eyes, making the siblings tremble at the sight. “There was a fight?” she asked with a hint of edge in her tone.

Balio and Sunder glanced at each other nervously, both of them starting to sweat even under her blind glare.

“Yeah…” Balio said hesitantly. “We kinda tried to test him; to see what was so special about him.”

“Also, with how much he looked like the other kid, we wanted to know what else was the same.” Sunder added. “It’s just a little unbelievable to see someone look so much someone you know.

The light in Myria’s eyes began to intensify as her eyelids slid upwards. Her skin also started to adopt a purple tint as her anger rose. ”So you taunted him?”

Balio and Sunder openly trembled as the very air vibrated around them. An invisible weight kept pushing on them, but fear froze them on their hooves.

“… Yes.” Balio admitted, silently praying his last pleas in his head.

“We kinda regretted it given how things went.” Sunder added, hands clenching and teeth clattering together.

They closed their eyes, waiting for their inevitable deaths. It was a pretty short lived second chance, but being nothing but Samples from a near extinct clan, it wasn’t like they were expecting a glorious death, or a long life for that matter.

They waited and waited, but nothing came. Cracking one eye open, both of them saw the goddess openly examining them.

“Hmm... I don’t see any injuries.” She muttered, her skin slowly starting to return to their tan color, and her eyes closing to hide the eerie glow in them. “But I can tell that it wasn’t you two that were victorious.”

Balio held his abdomen, wincing slightly at the memory of his injury. “Like I said: Powerful.” He could still smell his own cooked flesh, making his face twist in revulsion.

Sunder grabbed his right arm, rubbing it slightly as he also recalled his own injury. “His magic was thick. Like, molasses thick. We know what healing spells are like, but his were probably ten times stronger than the ones we know. That’s not normal.”

There was hardly anything to read on Myria’s face, but still she was curious all the same. ”What else?”

Balio and Sunder glanced at each other and gulped discreetly. This was the part that they were dreading to report. Who know how the goddess would react to the news.

“Something happened,” Sunder began. “but we’re not sure what.”

“There were some things that came out of his body. We don’t know what they were, but it almost killed him.” Balio said.

Myria’s breath hitched. “What happened?” when no one answered her eyes snapped open. “What happened?!”

A blast of force pushed Balio and Sunder off their hooves, shoving them all the way to the walls of the chamber. The fortress shook under the temper of the goddess, and the two stallions trembled along with it.

The two stallions have never been so afraid in their entire lives, they could do nothing but fear and panic under Myria’s blazing gaze. “WE DON’T KNOW! WE DON’T KNOW!” both of them held each other as they cried their pleas. This was the worst possible thing that could happen in their entire lives.

Myria’s pristine white teeth became jagged saws, showing them all entirely as she sneered at them. “Leave!”

She swung her arm and blew a massive gust of wind at the stallions. They were pressed to the walls for a few seconds before they fell, and they scrambled out of the room as soon as they got on their hooves.

Myria panted and shuddered as she turned away from their exit. Her skin was once again painted in purple, and the place where her eyes should have been were nothing but a bright red glow. She struggled to control herself, and after some time she did manage it.

She exhaled a shaky breath before looking at her palm. It was back to its tan color, and her eyes were closed once again. Her gaze lingered on it for a while, thinking about what she had heard about the Brood in the other world.

“Magic so potent that it almost erases all injuries…” she muttered to herself. “What could that mean? My Ryu was never that strong.”

“Are you really that interested?”

Myria turned head to the darker part of the chamber, her brows furrowed as she frowned in disdain. “Deis.”

A woman with long blue hair surfaced from the shadows. She was dressed rather scantily, with a simple bra to cover up her modest chest and an intricately designed cloth that was wrapped around her biceps serving as sleeves. On her lower half, was a skirt hiding her waist but left the rest of her lower body uncovered. She did not have legs, however, as everything below her was composed of nothing but a snake’s body with green scales.

Deis, as Myria had called her, was the elder sister of the goddess. She was also an Endless.

Myria sneered at the woman, no longer keeping her face emotionless as she did for the stallions. “Don’t pretend that you’re not.”

“Maybe.” Deis muttered with a shrug.

“Don’t lie to me, sister.” the goddess spat. “I know that you’re interested in this one, just like the ones before him.”

“Who wouldn’t be,” said Deis, moving closer to her sister even as the blonde goddess slowly leaned back from her. “given their circumstance.”

“Stay away from me, Deis.” Myria hissed, her eyes slowly opening again and her skin turning purple. “One act of kindness does not erase your slight against me. You, who aided in my sealing and an accomplice to the one who almost slayed me, can never understand how I feel.”

As the the goddess turned and disappeared, Deis couldn’t help but feel a pang of hurt at Myria’s words. She looked down sadly before sighing.

“For all the powers of the Endless, why can’t we ever defy fate?”

Turning around, she slowing slithered away back into the shadows.

“And more than that, why did you have to accept yours?”

Her body shimmered, and the Endless disappeared.

The Endless; beings of great power and ones who could change worlds with their very presence.

The Brood; once known as the Dragon Clan, are people with the power to destroy worlds.

Two races, completely different from each other, yet so similar in some aspects. The Dragon Clan are mortals, feared and revered by the people who knew of what they are capable of. The Endless are immortal beings, they bring forth salvation or destruction depending on those who call to them.

This story was something long forgotten, barely any creature remembers. It was a time before the War between the two factions, the Goddess and the Dragon Clan. It was a time where both did not exist, and a time where conflict and strife was common.

It was an era where the world was at war, and one God observed from the heavens.

Ladon, the Dragon God of the Dragon Clan.

But no. Perhaps it would be better to refer to him to a name long ago forgotten.

Endless Dragon YORAE, the God of Destruction

Back in Equestria, a certain Brood slowly drove his wheelchair in Canterlot’s restored gardens. He stopped before the statue of his petrified double and examined its reptilian features.

Looking down at himself, he gazed at his palm and clenched his fist. His skin briefly shifted into scales before quickly returning to its original texture.

He knew nothing of this new gene, and he had yet to give it a name. Unlike the original eighteen, there was no game mechanics that would display its capabilities to him. He wasn’t sure if he could fight the the six dragons that manifested from the original eighteen as he was now.

He needed help, and he knew just the people to do it. The only problem would be the time it would take to train himself.

Perhaps many are confused by this, outraged even, by Ladon’s identity. If one were to connect the dots, tracing the line from the present to the past, then maybe it would all become clear.

Ladon was the Dragon Clan’s god.

The Endless are Gods.

Ladon was worshipped by the Dragons.

The Endless are worshipped by those who know of them.

Ladon awakened the power of the [Infinity] inside the First Ryu.

To kill a God, an Endless, they needed a power similar or greater than the deity.

Endless… Infinity...

Did this clear the picture? Or did it only bring more confusion? Then perhaps more clues are required to paint it in better quality.

The Dragon Clan are powerful. So powerful that even a Goddess feared them.

The Endless can change the world by their mere presence; they could warp reality itself.

The Dragon Clan have the uncanny ability to attract friends and allies to themselves, creating bonds that have lasted lifetimes.

The Endless have a powerful life force; something called a Life Stream. These streams are large and strong, pulling the smaller Life Streams of other creatures to them and intertwining their fates with the Endless.

Is it clear now?

Ladon was an Endless. Myria was an Endless. Deis was an Endless.

Ryu of the Dragon Clan is an Endless.

…Partly, at least.

In the shadows of the Obelisk, Deis laid down on the nothingness of the pocket dimension. She raised her hand above herself and summoned her baton; a golden foci made to look like a twisted serpent holding an orb in its mouth.

She looked at the item for a long while, thinking back of the past, as well as the two who she shared adventures with. It was funny that they carried the same name.

Then she remembered the third one.

The First who was given the potential.

The Second who awakened an aspect of its power.

And the Third who could passively tap into it.

All of them sharing a single name, all of them gathering allies for their cause, and all of them somehow managing to change the fate of the world three separate times.

The Life Streams of the Endless pull along the smaller Streams of others, sharing their destinies with them. It transcended space and time.

Deis wondered if it also transcended Life and Death.

Ladon was the first Endless to come to their world, not Equestria but the world Deis and Myria left behind. He was summoned by the despair and hopelessness of those who suffered from the unending wars. He came to their world to bring them peace.

Peace through the Annihilation of Everything.

He cleansed the world and left so little of it. Those who saw his visage did not live long, and those who didn’t had survived. He came down like lightning and disappeared just as quick. He fulfilled his purpose, their wish, and stopped their suffering.

Conflicts were no more, and wars were stopped. No one saw him and lived to tell the tale, and the survivors could only call out to a god that they never saw. Thus they called him by a name.

God Of Destruction

Funny how the Displaced Brood seem to emulate this in his early years.

We of the Endless are summoned to this world by mortals. They that summon us have the power o'er us. 'Tis they who determine how our power shalt be used. 'Tis their desires that shape us. The Endless be not good, nor be they evil. The Endless are. They become gods or devils according to the desires of those who summon them.

Years and years went by after Ladon had served his purpose. He gave the people their peace, and he was left with nothing to do but watch over them. Had he been mortal, he would have certainly gone mad by how long it took for the world to restore itself.

Still, even as he watched, he was curious of the mortal beings that inhabit the world.

They were different from the Endless, and he knew nothing of them. He was intrigued by how they lived; by how different they were from each other, yet somehow seem so similar in certain ways.

Mortals were truly interesting creatures. If only he could converse with one of them, then maybe he would learn more?

Maybe…

Once we hath served our purpose, once our time as gods hath passed, we become as you see us now--dragons. And thus do we watch over the world.

Many times had Ladon pondered and hesitated, taking years of mortal time for him to finally decide his course of action. A millennia had passed, and he made his choice.

He came down to the world and mingled with its people. He came not as an Endless, for it would mean that his task has yet to be done. No, he came to them in a form similar to them.

He came to them as Ladon, a wanderer from a distant land who came to learn more of the world. He met many of the different races on the planet, of the different clans scattered in each continent. Truly, he did not regret his choice.

Then, of course, because he had stayed in their presence for so long, the people he met slowly began to change him, and he them. He slowly forgot the ways of his kind, of the Endless, and began to learn how to live like a mortal.

And as any mortal, he learned about the beauty of love. Thus had been the beginning of the Dragon Clan.

Back in the Obelisk, Myria walked into one of the darkened rooms of the fortress. There, many tanks of different specimens lay dormant, completely dead to the world.

She looked at all of them, each one being one of her creations. They served as her vassals, to spread her will across the world. They carried a piece of her power, and each one were like her very own children.

Her knees buckled suddenly as a wave of fatigue washed over her. She braced her hands on the ground to stop her body from meeting the floor. Her wings stopped their shifts in color and settled on the pure color of white.

She had not fully recovered, not after facing the power bestowed upon the Dragon Clan by Ladon personally. It was just like with the First Ryu, she needed time to regain her strength. It didn’t help that time flowed differently when they weren’t anchored to a world.

For Myria and the people on board the Obelisk, only three years have passed since she fought against the Third Ryu and his allies. It was not enough time for her to heal and regain her lost powers. The aspect of [Destruction] was truly thick in the blood of the Dragon Clan.

She looked at herself and the white wings on her back. Why couldn’t she have inherited the same?

She loved her wings dearly, it reminded her of her own mother. It was better than the leather wings that most Dragon Clan females carry on their back. The blood of the Wing Clan was thick in her veins, matching the quality of the other aspect of her lineage.

“Father…”

Why did he leave? Where did he disappear to?

After Deis had awakened her true power as an Endless, their father simply vanished. It wasn’t long before she, too, ascended like her half sister into an Endless.

Deis used her ascended powers for herself, openly displaying its destructive properties to everyone. She was vain and sought the attention of others. It sickened Myria that she wasn’t using it to help instead.

The blonde Endless used her gifts to help her family. She discovered that with her powers, she could change the world and grant them their wishes. As long as it’s the desire of someone, she could use the energy of that wish to warp reality and grant it for them.

She was happy to be helpful, and she thought that if she did well her father would return to them. So she granted as many wish that she could, uncaring even as some of them started to become malicious in nature.

She didn’t know that she was channeling the ways of the Endless through herself, but was too young and foolish to take notice of it. She had only been in her early teens, after all.

That had been the start of it. The catalyst of the war between her kin, and the slaughter that portrayed her to be the demon in the stories that they told. It was at that time that her clan had almost destroyed the world.

The Endless are shaped by those who summon them. But what if one was merely ascended to be one? The Endless were not mortals, and they originally did not look human. Deis and Myria were an exception because they were only half of a True Endless.

At the height if the killings, one of her brothers stood before her. Behind him was Deis and a few others who became his friends and trusted allies.

He had been one to follow their father’s footsteps. He travelled the world and learned of its ways. Along his journey, he met other people who were drawn to him because of his Life Stream.

When different Life Streams come together and combine, they become bigger and may become powerful enough to change the course of the world’s fate. Deis had been caught along within the combined Life Steam and made it strong enough to even challenge Myria at the height of her power.

They sealed her away for a thousand years and twisted the tale of the Dragon Clan’s shame. It was because of them and their Greed that nearly destroyed the world. They wanted her power, something that every single one of them had the potential to access had they pursued ascendance.

But no. They wanted what was already there and ignored the consequences of their actions.

While in the seal, the Dragon Clan continued to twist their tales, portraying her as a monster so hideous for mortal ken. They didn’t know that, as an Endless, how they saw her also affected her powers and form.

Myria would never forget the horror of watching the multiple transformation that her body entered when she was in the seal. She cried for her mother, her father, and her family, but none, not even her god of a father, heard her despair.

Back in the Obelisk, Myria slowly wrapped her wings around herself as she stood up from the ground. She held them close and caressed their feathers. Thinking about the past made her think about her mother. She didn’t know what had become of her, but she had been mortal. She would not have be alive after one thousand years.

Then there was the First Ryu, the Clan’s legacy and the Fated Child. When she first saw his face, her heart had been struck with fear. He looked so much like the brother that had sealed her, it was terrifying. But she discovered that he was merely a descendant, a member of the Light Dragons from the fractured family of the Dragon Clan.

This one seemed to have also followed his ancestor’s footsteps; travelling around the world, meeting friends, creating allies, making bonds that lasted… more than a lifetime. She thought that he was a reincarnation of her brother.

She thought that perhaps it was because of the Life Streams. Their resemblances were all so frightening. The First Ryu had a member of the Wing Clan, so did her brother and her Father before him.

Then came another surprise. Ryu had gained access to one of her father’s great temples. [Infinity] had been awakened in him, partially giving him access to his Endless lineage.

He used it to tap into the power of the great Life Stream that he created along his friends; A power strong enough to even kill a god. Deis had also been there, adding more fuel to its inferno.

She thought that it was the end for her. After suffering for so long, she would die at the hands of her family at last.

But she didn’t.

He had used it only when she was weakened. It did not break the illusion that she created, masking the hideous form that she bore because of the lies of his clan. What they killed had been the illusion, the [Aura] of her powers.

When they left, Myria had shifted the Obelisk outside of the dimension, hiding the transfer by making it look like the fortress had self-destructed. There, she began to recuperate, while also keeping an eye on the progress of the world.

She saw that her aura seemed to have had an effect on one of the creatures nearby.

The Endless are summoned to this sphere... This changeth the very balance of Nature herself, flooding the world with energies both powerful and dangerous, and doth cause those beings easily influenced by it to think themselves gods.

When the power of the Endless increases in the world, it begins to affect creatures sensitive to their aura. They absorb some of that power, and think themselves gods.

She saw the effects of the death of her [Aura] double. It created a creature who thought himself a God, spreading his influence by creating a religion to offset the followers of Ladon.

This thing was called Deathevan.

She had seen its effects and noticed its growth in power. She saw how it slowly began to spread all over the world, how they slowly made the people forget about her Father.

The Light Dragons and Dark Dragons at the time had reconciled after her supposed death. Both halves became one again, and the rift in the Clan was mended. They had noticed of the dark presence that lingered in the underworld and moved all of their clansmen into the depths of it.

The Dragon Clan created a village between the dark presence and the world on the surface, waiting for it to form a body for them to vanquish.

A member of the Clan was tasked to return to the surface and search for signs that the so called Dark God was spreading its influence. This clan member’s name was Valerie, and she was the mother of the Second Ryu, the next Fated Child.

It was ironic that she married a priest of St. Eva, the very religion that worshipped Deathevan itself.

In the next coming years, the member of the Dragon Clan would be once again struck by misfortune. Valerie would transform into a dragon and serve as the seal to the gates of the underworld; Ryu’s father would then be taken by a demon and he would never know the fate of his sister.

As for the Fated Child, he would also follow the steps of his ancestors. Along with his travels would be yet another member of the Wing Clan, a girl also named Nina.

Two for two. It was starting to look less and less like a coincidence and more like a machinations of fate.

Ryu, Nina, and their companions would travel the world and commit great deeds of heroism, changing the destinies of others and fulfilling their goal. This one, this Second Ryu, did not need the aid of Myria’s father to unlock his potential. He would awaken his own powers himself, but not enough for him to ascend into an Endless.

It was close, though.

He managed to tap the powers of the Endless through [Infinity], restoring his friends’ from their demise and fighting together against Deathevan. They had won, and the world was safe again for a while.

However, Deathevan had still been alive, merely scattered in the depths of the underworld. It continued to consume the life force of everything around it, killing the land on the surface and creating the Desert of Death.

Those on the continent fled across the sea, saving themselves from the spreading terrain. Myria used this opportunity to shift the Obelisk back into the world, and settled the flying fortress on top of Deathevan’s location.

The Dragon Clan had fled along with the people, helping them reach the continents beyond. Myria then used her powers to create great turbulence in the ocean, preventing most from returning to the dying continent.

She went to the underworld personally and destroyed whatever was left of the Dark God. Such an abomination was not needed in the world. From there, all she had to do was wait.

Many years later, Myria founded her own religion from the remnants of the St. Eva sect. Their worship helped her in recovering her lost powers, while also altering her hideous form into something less.... unsightly.

But the Dragon Clan still lived. She knew that with them still existing, she would never fully recover her original form. Their lies countered the worship of her followers, preventing her body from shedding its monstrous transformation.

Her anger and resentment fueled her desire to destroy them, and with her powers recovered, she created her Guardian; her shield and sword against those who oppose her.

Guardian Gaw, Guardian Gatz, Guardian Gaist and Guardian Garr.

With all four of them together, she tasked them to hunt down the Dragon Clan. She began to call them the Brood, the evil dragons who once almost destroyed the world because of their greed.

Her Guardians followed her command and slaughtered many of her former kin. Though she felt a tiny stab of remorse for what she had done, it was still nothing compared to what the Clan did to her. They made her out to be a monster, yet hid the fact that it was also the fault of their kind that made them slay their kin.

An Eye for an Eye, as they say. They turned her into a monster, and she in turn made them out to be demons.

Her sister, Deis, had come to her Guardians and tried to reason with them. Myria ordered Gaist to seal the fellow Endless, using a magic that used the life of her Guardian as the key to unlock it.

She knew it was cruel for her creation, but Deis’ words managed to reach his heart. Myria did not appreciate sympathizers to those who have wronged her.

In the end, though, she had won. Barely any of the Dragon Clan were left, and those that managed to escape either died in their hibernation or have sealed their powers completely.

She had spared those who could no longer transform, seeing that they no longer have the means to fight back. Though she may have been turned into a monster, Myria was not one without mercy.

Still, it was within her power to completely destroy the Dragon Clan, but… for every one of them slain, the guilt in her heart increased. She had been recovering her form faster because of those that worshipped her, and every time she changed, so did her heart.

The Dragon Clan was the only race who completely thought that she was a monster. Her worshippers believed her to be a benevolent saint, coming to the world to save it from evil.

Because of their faith, Myria had entered another change. As an Endless, the thoughts of others mattered greatly to her powers, form, and perception. If she were to be portrayed as a devil, then she would be. If she were to be portrayed as a saint, then she would be.

When her change was done, she only knew grief. She had come to regret what she had committed to her Clan and thought of what her father would think of her. She began to remember her original desire, why she used her powers like she did.

She had never been able to find Ladon. She knew of his temples, and sometimes she prayed to them to hear his voice. But nothing would come. He was silent to her prayers and she knew then how disappointed he was with her.

Ever since that day, she tried to live up to her worshippers’ faith. She became kinder, more motherly. She did not scorn Garr when the Guardian began to question her teachings. She allowed him to live, free of her influence, and gave him her blessing.

A few more years have passed, and she felt another Brood awaken.

In the continent across the sea, a young whelp had awoken from its hibernation. It was nothing more than a baby dragon, alone and wrapped in the fossilized remains of its parent. This one clearly had the potential of the Endless as well, but it was not Ryu.

It was Teepo.

Before the Third Ryu awoke from his own slumber, she had been watching over Teepo as he grew. He found his way out of the mines and travelled all the way into the Cedar Woods, collapsing near the house of a stray Woren Clan member named Rei.

Rei found the unconscious Teepo and took care of him since then. Myria watched happily as the two of them became a family. It was a scene that made her long for those days with her mother. But not long after that, Ryu broke out of his own Chrysm prison.

The goddess had been… confused. She knew that the whelp that came from the mines was another Ryu, and that he also had the potential to become an Endless, but… it was lesser than his predecessors.

Why? How did he lose his potential? Myria did not understand. She wanted to know what happened, why he was so weak unlike the first two.

And so she began to manipulate the world. Using the powers of the Endless, she began to change their fates, weaving the threads of destiny and make them come to her. The Endless had the power to change the world, but it took a considerable amount of energy to do it.

She wanted to know more about this Ryu, learn more about him, find out why he was so weak.

Then she found it. After she had Balio and Sunder separate him from Rei and Teepo, she felt him awaken to his lineage. She was baffled, intrigued, and almost ecstatic with what she learned.

His affinity to the Endless was not weak.

The First and Second were never able to become an Endless, their connections to the world had been too solid that they were inflexible in adapting to the energies that would make them ascend. The Third, however, was not.

He was a blank slate, a newborn dragon with no earthly ties to the world. He woke up alone, with no purpose. Unlike Teepo, this Ryu did not have a driving force within him, merely reacting to everything that he has encountered.

He was the best candidate of the three to truly ascend.

That was not all, however. This Ryu could use the leftover essence of the dead Brood, and make their powers his. He could assimilate them, be influenced by them. It was like watching an Endless fulfill the wishes of the dead and using his own body to channel their powers.

The shamans of that world could do something similar, but never to this extent. Ryu was not so limited, especially after obtaining the power of the [Fusion]. He could take the aspects of his friends from the Life Stream and become a Hybrid of their influence.

Then there was his battle against her Guardian, Garr. Underneath the Angel Tower, her creation fought against the child Ryu with the intent of slaying him. She had been worried for the young dragon, having grown fond of him as she watched his travels.

Her worry had turned into elation as his internal turmoil awakened the strongest dragon within him: [Kaiser].

Like the Second Ryu, the Third was able to manifest his power without the aid of her father. His incomplete awakening was not a surprise. After all, he was still just a child who looked as if he was barely out of ten.

Then a thought came to her. What if this Ryu became greedy like his ancestors before him, the ones that did not share his name. Being more in tuned with the Endless in his blood, he could be influenced easily by those around him. She hoped that it would not come to that.

As Ryu’s journey progressed, Myria felt a sudden sense of nervousness within herself. Their fates were already changed so that they would come to her, yet she could not begin to think of what she would do once they made it to her Station.

That nervousness only grew after they met with the remnants of the Dragon Clan, the ones who have fled back into the continent where Obelisk hovered. They told him the lies of their clan and poison his mind of her.

She knew that they did not have high opinions of her after hearing Garr’s original mission, of his crusade with the other Guardians. It only became worse after Ryu and his friends stayed in the rotting village of Dragnier.

Her nervousness then gave way to fear. Somehow, Ryu had obtained [Infinity] without her knowing. She did not foresee this coming. She saw him use it for the first time, where he rampaged in the Desert of Death and almost killed his friends.

[Infinity] increased Ryu’s link to the Endless, granting him access to his powerful Life Stream. He could already use a trickle of its energy within his body, but acquiring [Infinity] was like opening the floodgates to the Life Stream.

He could not take it all, and the result was him drowning in its power.

Ryu had turned a portion of the desert into glass, raining down death on every monster that was living there. It seemed that he also carried in him the aspect of [Destruction] inherited from his bloodline.

It took half a day for him to stop, exhausting his magic and reverting him back to his human form.

Myria did not know what to do. They were coming to her, and she knew that, more than likely, they would be after her life. She did not want to die, nor did she want to hurt Ryu and his friends. Her worshippers had changed her too much for her to wish for their demise.

But Ryu carried in him the power to destroy the world.

She needed to find a way to pacify them, to stop Ryu from ever using [Infinity] until he was ready. And she knew the right person for the job.

Author's Note

World building is fun! Making it work, though, is a bitch and a half.

Myria (Child):

Myria (adult)

Deis:

Interlude: Behind the Curtain Part 2

As Myria entered a dark chamber inside the Obelisk, another figure joined her as she walked. They approached a large machine, a device that Myria had confiscated from the remnants of St. Eva’s sect.

Much as she abhorred its original purpose, she could not deny its usefulness for one such as her.

The figure beside her scowled, looking at the machine with disgust. Myria took notice of the expression and addressed them before she activated the machine.

“Are you well?” she asked. Concern was apparent in her voice as she looked at the other person. “You know that you needn’t be by my side at all times. A year is not enough for you to recover fully, and with the facility as it is, the only other way for you to regain your lost strength is by bed rest.”

“I’m fine.” the person said. “I know I’m still not fit to fight, but I’m strong enough to walk on my own. Besides,” sharp, purple, eyes shifted from the machine and over to her. “I’m curious about what those two bastards found.”

Myria couldn’t help but sigh sadly from those disdainful words. She knew that there was no way of curving that anger, especially given the person’s history with the stallion brothers.

“I suppose it’s only right for you to know of your kin.” she said. “But please, Teepo, let go of your hate.”

Sharp eyes narrowed, and his arms rose to cross over his chest. Teepo, one of the few remaining Brood to have access to their power, stood beside the goddess with a nigh permanent scowl on his face.

“It will destroy you someday.” Myria warned. “If you cannot, then turn you fury onto me, the one to commanded them separate you from your brothers.”

His eyes did not soften, nor did the fires in them dim. Though those smoldering orbs were directed at her, a part of Myria could tell that there no anger towards herself personally. That fury was only reserved for two.

Teepo’s face and posture did not show it, but he was still recovering from being brought back to life.

It was not because of his potential to ascend that Myria returned him to the land of the living, nor was it because she had plans for him in the future. No, it was simpler than that.

After spending years with him inside the lonely Station, she had begun to care for the moody and impulsive child.

Like the Displaced Brood in Equestria, Myria had lived for so long in solitude. But unlike him, she had no one. No one to talk to, no one to interact with, nobody to care for… All she had was her hate for her former clan. But after her final change, she had learned how lonely her life had been.

She had only taken Teepo to her Station to make sure that he did not interfere with Ryu’s growth. She did not expect to become so attached after allowing him to live in the artificial outdoors in one of Obelisk’s gigantic chambers.

“Do you really have to be the one to do this?" Teepo grunted as his eyes turned to the machine, clicking his tongue as he did. "You know those two would make great batteries if you only want to restart the Obelisk’s system.”

That had been her plan. That had always been Myria’s intentions whenever she entered that particular room.

The Obelisk was a massive structure, not unlike that of a small island. It has its own internal source of energy, as well as a system that would make it habitable for almost any sapient species.

In its current state, however, where most of its systems were offline and where different sections were in danger of collapsing, she needed to power up one part of the Obelisk to restart the undamaged maintenance drones to fix it all.

Myria sighed and shook her head, knowing exactly what the spiteful dragon had in mind for volunteering Balio and Sunder. “Teepo, you know why.”

Because the machine would kill those two if they were ever linked to it, where the device would syphon their souls from their body and transform it into energy for the Obelisk. For Myria, however, she was an Endless with a soul as big as the ocean. Balio and Sunder, on the other hand, were only mortals with souls as big as a puddle compared to hers.

Teepo shrugged. “Well, it was worth a try.”

Myria simply ignored the jest, dark as it was. Teepo had become very cynical as time went by, especially after hearing her story with her clan. Add to that the history of the Dragon Clan and the multiple misfortunes that plagued them in each generation.

Ever since Ladon left, the dragons had been steadily falling into ruin.

“About the Brood, then.” Teepo began. “What did they find?”

Myria waved her hand over the machine, where a hatch unlocked at her command. “Someone with extremely potent magic,” she answered. “As well as a face almost identical to the Ryu that we both know.”

Teepo’s eyes narrowed, but his eyes glinted with interest.

“Though they didn’t say his name, the fact that Balio and Sunder managed to taunt him into a fight using, from what I gathered, information only the Ryu that we know would react to tells us something about his identity.”

The Brood hummed in thought. “A fourth one, then.” he muttered.

“Perhaps…” Myria replied. She herself wasn’t sure if this was really the Fourth one, but she wasn’t ruling out the possibility just yet.

“Does this one have the potential as well?” Teepo asked. Ever since he had given in to his desire to be with Ryu and Rei, the family that he had come to crave, he had lost his chance for ascension.

He could still tap into some powers of Infinity, a gift given to him by Myria like how Ladon did for the First Ryu. But it would never be as powerful as friend’s or his two predecessors. Teepo could use it to turn into his own variant of the [Kaiser] for an indefinite amount of time, but unlike his kin he had full control over it.

Myria shook her head. “I do not know if this one carries the potential, but the possibility is quite high.”

She had noticed how symbolic the name Ryu had been. In every generation or so, a Chosen One would always rise, baring the name. Their faces were also almost the same, like a twin displaced in time.

Myria suspected that the Life Stream had something to do with it. If it could intertwine the fates of people, then maybe it could bind their souls to the world as well.

The goddess frowned at that thought.

“Those two fought him, right?” Teepo asked, referring to Balio and Sunder. “But from what you said, they didn’t win.”

“No.” Myria shook her head. “They lost, and are now even reluctant to face him again. I do not know what this Brood did to them, but it must have left its mark.”

The young dragon beside her smirked at hearing that. Anyone to put those two horses in their place was okay in his book.

“I’d like to meet this Brood myself.” he said. “Once I recover enough, I’ll personally head down into this new world and introduce myself. Who knows, maybe this one will be willing to join us.”

Myria watched as Teepo turned and walked away, sighing sadly as the young man faded into the darkness.

“One can only hope.”

Turning back to her task, Myria approached the St. Eva’s machine and sat in its modified hatch. She could feel it begin the process of draining her soul, but unlike the people that it was used on, the goddess’ soul grew back faster than it could syphon.

With nothing else to do but wait, Myria allowed her mind to wander back into the past. The time when she asked for Teepo to try and talk to Ryu about his quest.

She did not order, nor did she demand it. She simply asked Teepo to talk with Ryu and nothing else. Her charge already knew what his fellow dragon wanted, but it seemed that Teepo also had something in mind for Ryu and his friends.

He wanted his family back, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave the Obelisk and Myria. It warmed her heart that he became just as attached as she was.

Teepo had come a long way since his separation with his adopted family, though she did wish that he would be more inclined to use less violence to things that he disliked.

His magic grew leaps and bounds, rivaling even the most powerful mages of their world in less than a decade. Though she did contribute to his growth.

She became his Master, and Teepo her Apprentice. The bond that they shared served to be a great boon to his magical reserves, along with his Intelligence and Strength.

Teepo could perform great magic with ease, and his affinity to the [Shadow] gene granted him the ability to trap his enemies within their own minds. He could create nightmares from his own imagination, which have proven lethal to those not strong enough to combat them.

Another advantage of having Myria as his Master was that she had the resources to grant him a few more benefits. One of these is to gather the crystallized remains of the Brood.

Similar to Ryu, Teepo could also gain the powers of the deceased dragons and acquire their genes. Though he was not compatible with all of them, he still managed to infuse himself with some.

[Flame], [Shadow], [Force], [Eldritch], [Trance], and the gene that Myria awakened herself inside him: [Infinity].

Teepo’s own [Infinity] gene was not as powerful as Ryu’s. It wasn’t awakened by the father of the Dragon Clan, thus losing some of its potency. But still, it was powerful by its own right.

Then came Teepo’s confrontation, and then his fall.

She had watched it all, from start to finish. She saw how Ryu was so set in his quest and was too sure that Myria was evil. She saw how Teepo trapped them all in a dream and tested his kin’s mettle against a nightmare of his own creation.

She saw how Ryu overcame the monster and came out stronger because of it. Then came the clash and her Apprentice’s fall.

She could have stopped it. She could have saved Teepo. She had already raised her hand, prepared to intervene if necessary.

But she hesitated.

She waited for Teepo to admit his loss and escort Ryu and his friends to her. But he didn’t. He pushed on and fought Ryu, against his clansman’s many dragon forms. She should have known that Teepo’s stubbornness wouldn’t let him give up.

She should have known…

But still she couldn’t save him. Or perhaps it was because she hadn’t intended to save him at all.

Just before the final blow was delivered, a wave of emotions rose inside her. They were Malice, Hate and Glee.

When she had managed to push those feelings down, it was already too late. Teepo was dead and the two that he saw as his brothers were mourning over his body

The young dragon that she had taken care of, taught, and cared for was dead. Along with his passing came a realization for Myria.

She still absolutely abhorred the Dragon Clan, no matter how much she says, acts, or thinks otherwise.

Her hate for them ran deep. Far, far too deep for even Teepo’s companionship to heal. It was a part of her as much she was an Endless.

There was no denying it, no escaping it. If there was an actual excuse to kill a Brood then she would take it, no matter how much her own heart bled for it. Her hate had been carved directly on her soul. Her only solace was the fact that it did not extend to those who could not transform anymore, such as the dying people in Dragnier.

Still, she wanted to change that. She needed to change that hate.

When Ryu and his friends finally reached her, she tried to convince Ryu to give up his powers and stay in the Obelisk to protect the world from it. There was a chance that he could master it, but the risk would be too great.

Myria told herself that this was for the best and that this was for the sake of the world.

But that was a lie.

She wanted to convince herself that she no longer hated the Brood and also fill the emptiness in her heart after she saw Teepo perish. She wanted a replacement. Even if she kept denying it to herself, what she wanted was for someone to take Teepo’s place in the Obelisk.

But Ryu had refused.

Shock and Desperation overcame Myria when Ryu swung his sword at her. Then hate and fury rose in the depths of her heart. Her thoughts were overwhelmed by the desire to kill. She wanted to kill Ryu, to kill the Brood. To kill her clansman.

A thousand year old grudge can never be forgotten.

Her malice had overwritten everything in her mind, making up excuses after excuses as to why Ryu refused. All of those thoughts were painted by her negative feelings for the clan.

She accused Ryu of being mad with power, that he didn’t want to relinquish it so that he could use it for his selfish desires. There was no way of reasoning with her.

They fought inside the Obelisk, a battle that shook the flying fortress itself.

Myria had transformed into a monstrous being, with a face of a beautiful woman and a body of a monster. She fought without hesitation, and nearly destroyed the fortress herself.

Ryu and his friends fought hard against her, using everything they’ve learned in their journey. Some of them almost lost their lives, even. But in the end, the dragon and his allies won.

Ryu had used all of his transformations against Myria, somehow matching the odds against the goddess. He used everything he had… except one.

Not once did he release the [Infinity] gene.

But even with that handicap, Myria still lost. Perhaps it had been a sign, or perhaps she had been unconsciously holding back. It didn’t matter however as Ryu and his friends stood victorious and Myria was left inside a collapsing structure.

It was only thanks to Deis that she was still alive, arriving in the aftermath. The older Endless kept the fortress from collapsing using her magic and convinced Myria to live. She urged her to slip the Obelisk outside of the dimension and travel the Void for a new life.

It took a while, and Myria even received a slap for it, but the decision was still made. She used whatever strength she had left and pushed the fortress outside of the dimension and kept on pushing until they were far away from that reality.

And not even a few seconds after that, they both felt a resonance call out to them.

The shock of the resonance almost made Deis’ concentration falter, but she pushed herself as hard as she could to keep the Obelisk from falling apart. Myria then did everything she could to keep it in one piece, directing every maintenance bots to areas with the highest risks.

She lost a lot of her technology in the process, and drained the Obelisk almost dry of power, but the fortress remained standing.

Neither sisters even needed to talk about their next plans. They already knew what they wanted.

There was a resonance in the Void, something that called out to both of them. It was a member of the Dragon Clan, a Brood. But unlike the rest of the dragons, this one felt familiar like a person they’ve already met.

Every time they felt the resonance, they had been shocked at how it became stronger and stronger each time. After three years in the Void they finally found the source of it. Time did not flow the same to those not anchored to a world, thus they didn't know the reason for the Brood's rapid growth from their perspective.

Now all they were doing was waiting to gain back their strengths. After that, they would enter the world and find the Brood.

If not that, then an Endless.

Back inside Equestria, in the Canterlot gardens, Ryu was once again looking around and looking for signs of his battle with Nicko and his brother. It surprised him still that there was almost nothing. The only evidence he had was Discord roaming free again.

Speaking of the Spirit of Chaos…

Ryu pushed his wheelchair in front of the Spirit’s statue. After solidifying a bit of his magic to make a stick, he started poking the statue’s foot.

“Stop that!” the statue suddenly said, raising its foot away from the stick. “You’re going to blow my cover. I’m very ticklish, you know.”

“Just checking to see if you were still in the area.” said the Brood, leaning forward to continue poking the stone foot. “Other than this statue of yours, there’s nothing for me to use to contact you.”

Discord was shifting his leg on his pedestal, trying to dodge Ryu’s magic stick that seemed to extend whenever the Brood wished for it. “What do you want, then? Make it quick, I can see sun-butt looking from the balcony.” He stepped on the stick to stop it, but it broke and shattered as he did. Then a new stick formed in Ryu’s hand, where he started using that to poke at Discord again.

“Don’t move then and just let me poke your foot.” Though he said poke, he swatted one of the statue’s toes before actually starting to poke. “Besides, she shouldn’t be able to see from all the way here. This spot’s blocked by a tree.”

“Ow!”

“She’ll just think that I’m trying to antagonize your petrified self if she gets curious.”

“I don’t like this plan. Ow!”

Discord really didn’t. After a whole minute, Ryu still didn’t say what he wanted and kept on abusing Discord’s foot. A few passing ponies watched the dragon antagonise the statue before moving on in a hurry, hoping that he didn’t switch his focus on them instead.

Discord was clenching his jaw as his eyes roamed the gardens to see any ponies nearby. His foot was also starting to get sore. “Well?”

“I’m thinking.” Ryu muttered. “This isn’t a very easy decision, you know.”

“Well hurry it up! That foot you’re poking isn’t very ticklish anymore. It’s starting to hurt!”

Ryu blinked and looked up at him for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. “Okay then.” He switched to poking the other foot instead.

“NNNNNNGGGG!!!!”

“Relax.” Ryu snorted, throwing the stick behind him. “I’m done thinking.”

Discord’s eye twitched.

“I need a favor.” said the Brood.

“I have half a mind to refuse you outright without hearing the reason right now.”

“A part of me also would like that.” Ryu shrugged. “It’s why I’m pissing you off.”

“Honesty. Blech…” the spirit drawled, moving his abused foot and twitching his toes to alleviate some of its pain. “It must be a big decision if you’re hesitating.” Usually Ryu would have already made up his mind once he comes up to someone. For him to still be undecided when he’s already in front of them was quite odd.

“It is.” Ryu admitted. “I’ve been thinking about the Genes and the Displaced in general.”

Discord stopped moving and held his statue’s pose, but his stone eyes rolled downwards to look at the local Displaced. “Oh? What have you come up with?”

The dragon sighed as he leaned back to his wheelchair, propping his chin up with his right arm. “I need to train again.”

It took a moment for Discord to make the connections, but when he did he almost started laughing on the spot. “Pfft! Train? Wa-Wait, you mean like a training montage or like one of those hero comic books?”

“Shonen manga.” he corrected. “And yes, just like those characters.”

Discord froze before he couldn’t stop himself anymore. “PFFAHA--!”

Ryu quickly deployed a field of [Silence] around him and the statue, having predicted the spirit’s response already. He waited until the statue’s eyes stopped glowing in mirth before he dispelled the field.

Ryu glared, almost baring his teeth. “I’m serious.”

Discord was panting, though luckily he managed to stop himself from moving an inch as another guard passed. His eyes were the only signs to know that he wasn’t as sealed as he seemed. “Oohhh. Does our little protagonist need a power up? Maybe a new finishing move?”

“Yes.” Ryu deadpanned.

The spirit sighed in disappointment at hearing the lack of response from his teasing. “It’s no fun when you agree.”

“I’m serious.” the dragon hissed, sitting up straight in his chair. “What I know just won’t cut it. I have a feeling that whatever skills and spells I know, they know them as well. Do you have any idea how many variations I’ve created from them? How many new skills I’ve developed by combining two or more of what I know?”

“I was still sealed when you started your previous training quest.” Discord said with a careless shrug. “I have no idea what you’ve been doing while I was trapped in that uncomfortable stone prison.”

“Let me give you an example, then.” Ryu said, breathing out heavily. He leaned back into his chair and tried to temper his rising temper. “[Aura] and [Sacrifice].”

Discord paused, looking at the Brood oddly. “...I don’t know what the other one does, but from its name I can tell that it’s not pretty.”

Ryu waved his hand dismissively before he started to explain. “[Sacrifice] converts the life of the user and turns it into an unstable form of energy.” he created a [Magic Ball] the size of a marble at the tip of his finger. The spell then started to shrink and began to tremble uncontrollably as it hovered. “It will then detonate and obliterate everything within a certain distance depending on how much life force was converted.”

With a flick of his finger, the spell was tossed over a nearby bush and began a sort of vaccum effect. Not a moment later the bush was ripped apart by an explosion coming from its center. It was only thanks to Ryu’s [Silence] spell that stopped it from being heard by anyone in the area.

“Yeah…” Discord drawled, looking at the torn leaves and twigs around the small crater of the blast. “Not pretty at all.”

Ryu nodded and continued his explanation, looking at the result of the destruction as well. “With [Aura] however I don’t need to convert my own life to do it, instead I just have to use the energy sustaining the magic construct. The original purpose of [Aura] was to use magic to punch through a target with brute force, but with the aspects of [Sacrifice] I can convert that concentrated force into a concussive blast with a range of thirty meters in diameter.” he turned to Discord, eyes sharp and with a frown on his face. “And do you know how many [Aura] I can make with my vast magic reserves, Discord?”

“... a lot?”

“A Lot.” Ryu repeated, his tone falling lower from the weight of his own words. “I’ve developed similar skills because I didn’t want to rely of my dragon forms.”

Like [Mind Sword] and its many variants: Transforming the magic that makes up the sword into a certain element, then maybe add a certain debuffing psychic skill in its core for added effect.

There’s also [Leech Power], where Ryu could transform the magic leeching gem into a gigantic bomb before or after it gathers enough magic in the air. The other Variant of that method would be creating smaller [Leech Power] gems and throwing them like hand grenades.

There were also the [Magic Ball], [Sirocco] and [Shadowwalk] variants. The last skill in particular was really useful for ambushes and assassinations. Ryu really had to watch out for that one since even he could spam that broken move as long as he had magic to burn.

They both waited until the rounding guards passed by to talk again. In the meantime it gave them a moment to gather their thoughts.

Ryu’s mind went back to his friends and family, along with the upcoming Dragon Migration. A lot of things have happened and the event had almost slipped his mind. He was wondering if he’ll still be able to participate.

Discord’s mind was more to the Displaced and the Genes, of their effect on Equestria as a whole.

“I guess I can see why you need new skills and techniques.” Discord said finally. “It would catch those Genes of yours by surprise if you used something new on them.”

Ryu shook his head and sighed despondently. “Unfortunately I can’t use them too much or they’ll learn it as well.” He raised his hand and tapped his head. “I’ve developed a mind that automatically tries to break down every skill, spell, and techniques that I see to try and recreate it.”

Discord’s statue grimaced as his mind conjured up what that meant. “Something that I seem to notice from every so called ‘Hero’ that I’ve seen or heard of.”

“Adaptability, Diversity, Ingenuity and Mastery." Ryu shrugged. "Four things I found that were very crucial in winning a fight, especially against an enemy or enemies that have a great deal of advantages over you.”

The statue’s eyes glinted as they peered at the Brood. “I imagine killing a dragon isn’t easy?”

The man scowled, his mind going back to the first five dragons that he had killed over a thousand years ago: the Elder and his four sons. “I’ll give credit where credit is due. Big and dumb the dragons in this world may be, they’re still hard to put down unless caught by surprise.”

The statue hummed in thought. “How sure are you that nothing will happen until you’re strong enough?”

“I’m not.”

Ryu reached out towards the statue and placed his Token by its foot. Discord’s eyes showed some hint of curiosity at the sight of it, but said nothing.

“That’s why I’ll have you as my backup plan. I’ll need you to call me back here when the Genes are on the move. Not just them, though, but also the ones I know are lurking just outside of the dimension.”

“I knew that you didn’t need me to warn you about them. After all…” the statue’s claw moved for a moment, making a gesture towards Ryu and the wheelchair he was on.

“As long as you understand.” Ryu shrugged, making no comment over his current state. “Will you do this for me, Discord?”

The Spirit of Chaos chuckled, the Token by his foot disappearing and suddenly appearing within his claws. “It’s really hard to say no when you’re asking so nicely. But shouldn’t you be giving this to your pony family instead of me?”

Ryu nodded. “I’m still giving Applejack a Token, but I know that she won’t use it until the worst possible moment where it’s almost too late. She worries too much about me fighting against the Genes and a Goddess.”

“Ah, family…” Discord drawled. “Doesn’t it just make you all queasy inside?”

Ryu rolled his eyes and turned his wheelchair around, grabbing it with his telekinesis and driving it away from the statue. “Goodbye, Discord.”

“Goodbye, Brooder.” he muttered. “Hopefully, like in all those comic books you get stronger without getting a new trauma.” he began tossing the Token up and down his palm. “With barely any guidelines to follow anymore who knows what’ll be in store for you.”

The power in the Obelisk slowly began to return. The maintenance bots have also started going back online after they were taken priority to recharge.

Teepo continued to walk silently through the halls, his body feeling heavy and sluggish but tried to not let it show. He hated how slow he was recovering, but with the healing chambers still offline he had no other choice.

He passed by some of Myria’s experiments as he walked. He only gave them a brief glance in their tanks before ignoring them, having already gotten used to the sight of genetically altered monsters.

Teepo didn’t care for Myria’s hobby. She has hers and he had his. She liked making new lives and he liked killing them.

There were a few tanks, however, that drew his attention fully. He stopped and stared at them for a moment before smirking and making his way over.

He gazed past the glass and chemicals, and looked at their unconscious forms. Teepo couldn’t help but chuckle as he crossed his arms.

“I don’t know which of us fared better when the Obelisk almost collapsed, but at least it isn’t me that’s still in a coma after three years.”

He raised his hand and gently rapped the glass.

“How are you today, Ryu?”

Blue hair swayed inside the tank of healing chemicals. An unconscious teen floated inside its confines, unaware of the world around him. Beside him were four more tanks, each filled with his friends.

The Wyndian Princess, Nina, was to his right.

The Genius Engineer, Momo, was beyond that.

The Worent Thief, Rei, was to his left.

The Sapling of the Yggdrasil, Peko, was beyond that.

In front of all five of them was the Petrified Body of Garr, one of Myria’s Guardians.

Teepo grinned as he leaned closer to Ryu’s sleeping face. “Fighting Myria just a few days after beating me wasn’t a smart move, brother.”

It really wasn’t.

Though they had magic to mend their physical wounds, there was still the fresh scar left after killing Teepo. Not to mention the emotions that they must have felt after fighting all the familiar monsters outside Myria’s chamber, the ones that they’ve all fought in their journey as the most memorable ones.

It may have been true that they defeated Myria, but that didn’t mean that they did it without anyone heavily wounded or exhausted.

When the Obelisk began to collapse, Ryu and his friends didn’t make it to the elevator to bring them down from the Station. Everything had happened too quick, and it was only thanks to the maintenance bots that found them that they were still alive.

Teepo was thankful that there were some Chrysm in the Obelisk to power the tanks of Ryu and Rei. They and their friends were completely separated from the entire system of the Obelisk, to make sure that their life support weren’t cut off whenever the Station ran out of power.

Teepo smile and turned around, walking away to rest his body back in his room. He may not have been able to convince Ryu to stay with Myria, but they were no longer in their dimension. It’s not like they have any choice now.

Soon they’ll wake up and Teepo will have his family back. And if their friends had any problems with that… well, it’s not like he cared of what they think.

Author's Note

Ugh. I have no excuse. The only thing I can say is that for those who have free time: SAVOR THEM. 'Cause when you go look for work or are already working, the only thing you want to do back in your house is rest and Laze Around.

It took a looooooooong time, but I finished it finally. Anyway this Displaced is ready for a few crossovers. I'm pretty decent with fight scenes, so if anyone's Displaced is fighting then feel free to call on Ryu for some back up.

Don't worry though, this isn't the end of the story. Let's just all it the Introduction Arc, yeah? After the crossovers, I'll be starting the Dragon Quest Arc. Pretty apt name, don't you think?

Bonus! My Ryu character redesign. His hair grew longer after two months without a trim. What do you guys think?

My Little Omake: Word Play is Magical

Author's Note

Beware the sexual innuendos

My Little Omake: Word Play is Magical

It was a bright and sunny day in Ponyville. The ponies were doing their best to scuttle away from my path, and all of them were giving me uncomfortable looks as I passed.

I was on my way to Twilight Sparkle’s little library to deliver a package. I didn’t know why she couldn’t get it herself from the post office, but since it was her turn to spend some time with me I couldn’t rightly refuse without a good reason. Applejack would tan my hide if I did.

The package in question was a small box, about meter long. Sparkle said that it was the final component of a project of hers.

When I entered the library I tossed out a [Might] spell over to Spike, who was struggling to carry a large stack of books in his arms. The little whelp blinked in surprise when he suddenly lifted the books with ease, the spell increasing his muscle’s output by a quarter more.

I left the dragon to his chores, snorting in amusement as the pup shifted the stack he was carrying to one arm to flex the other. He started looking rather smug when his eyes caught his own reflection in one of the library’s windows, then he started reciting some cheesy lines to an imaginary Miss Rarity.

I made my way down towards the basement, where Sparkle had set up a lab to conduct her experiments. Said unicorn was writing something down on a notepad when I found her.

“Delivery for the Mad Scientist, Twilight Sparkle.”

The purple pony lifted her face up and gave me a pointed look. “That’s not funny, Ryu.”

“How is your experiment doing?” I walked over to the side and leaned against the wall, giving the pony an uninterested look. “Are we ready for the next lightning storm? Or have you been practicing your cries of ‘IT’S ALIVE, IT’S ALIVE!’”

“I really don’t see how Fluttershy got along with you better than me if you’re always like this.” she gave me a pointed glare, something I ignored with ease.

“It’s because I like her better.” I said with a shrug. “Anyway, you said that you needed my help with something?”

And just like that, her frustrations were suddenly overwhelmed by her excitement. She was grinning giddily as she bounced in place. “That’s right! I want your help with something I’ve been working on.”

The pony scientist turned around and motioned over to something that was hidden under a massive cloth. It was bigger than I was, and it took the whole backroom of the lab.

“What is it with you tinkers and your little presentations?” I couldn’t help but comment.

Sparkle teleported the cloth away to reveal what was underneath…. I don’t know what it was. It looked like a platform, with two antenna things on both sides. There were just too many things to point out that it just became indescribable. The variety of colors of each part made it seem like something you’d see in an art exhibit.

Frankly it was making my head hurt.

“What is it?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes. I probably stared at it for too long.

“It’s something I made to help me study your transformation.” the unicorn scientist explained. “After hearing how it involves you using your magic to awaken dormant genes, I wanted to see if I could replicate it somehow.”

I looked down at the stupidly curious pony and held my stare until she became uncomfortable with it. “You want to harness Forced Evolution?”

“Yes!” she nodded her head excitedly. “Exactly. Just think of the possibilities!”

“Think of the Disaster!” I exclaimed with equal zeal. “Think of all the new types of diseases, health complications because of it, and the violation of mother nature.” I deadpanned. “Think about that.”

“Er… well, I also thought about that.” she scuffed her hoof on the floor, looking very sheepish from the things I pointed out. “But it’s not like we’re going through with it, yet. We’ll perform a few tests before we go any further.”

I leaned back and narrowed my eyes in thought. “I don’t know… I admit that I’m also a bit curious of what we’ll find but--”

“Then it’s fine!” Twilight Sparkle interrupted. “You’re curious, I’m curious… Just think of the things that we’ll discover!”

My lips pursed as I stared at her for a moment. It was actually to give me a few seconds to think, but there was no denying my curiosity over my own body. “.... Alright, I guess I could go along with this for now.”

“Great!” she exclaimed. “Now we just need the final component for us to begin.”

Her horn started to glow before I felt something tug at my belt. “Hey!”

A purple glow was wrapped around the package I had hanging under my belt. Apparently that was that last thing we needed to start this experiment of hers.

My hips jerked forward along with her tug, and for a moment I was afraid something might rip. “Oi! Don’t just start tugging it like that!” I took the package in my hand, breaking Sparkle’s overeager grasp from it. “Let me undo my belt first, dammit.”

My clothes were ancient. Even if they were magical clothes I didn’t want to risk any permanent damage on them.

“Sorry!” she apologized, but it did little to dampen her excitement. I could practically smell it from where I was standing. “I’m just a bit excited. You have no idea how long I wanted to do this.”

“Then at least let me keep my pants in one piece.” I turned around and unhooked my belt, releasing the package from a sling I made to hold it in place and presented it to the unicorn. “Here.”

“Sorry.” she said, this time with even more sincerity. She was blushing when she took it back into her magical grasp. “Let me just take it out so that we can get started.”

I eased myself back to the wall and watched as how she gently took it out. Twilight Sparkle’s eyes were shining with awe as stared at it.

From the tip to the base, it was quite a sight to behold. From her expression alone I could tell that Sparkle’s never seen anything like it, or at least see it close and personal. I have no doubt that there was probably a book about it somewhere in the library.

There was without a doubt that the thick and pulsing shaft in her grasp was magical.

The lines around its girth pulsed at the touch. It was warm when you hold it, but it becomes hotter the more you work your grip around it. This magical tool was something that no pony has ever produced, or will ever for that matter.

And that made my lips quirk into bemusement.

This majestic thing was something you see only with dragons. It was tempered by their hot blood and fiery hearts. To see such a tiny pony looking at it with awe just sets something wrong inside me.

“Just look at it.” she said with a heavy breath. “Now I really can’t wait for us to get started.”

I looked up from where I was and stared at the door heading up to the library. I could hear the ponies just outside, probably wanting to borrow a book but the librarian was busy drooling over the shaft in her grasp.

“Now, Ryu.”

My attention went back to Sparkle again. Right. We were doing an experiment concerning my transformation. What she had in her telekinesis was probably going to be used as a battery, even though it was made from a dragon’s blood and their dying heart.

“I want you to insert this into this opening.” she pointed at the dragon rod and her machine, where I noticed had a little hole in its center.

“Me?” I asked. “Why can’t you do it? I’d really rather sit back and watch you work.”

“Because I’ve already prepared everything else.” she rolled her eyes and passed the shaft to my hand. “I want you to have some contribution before we start this session.”

I gave her a flat look. “I’m probably going to do most of the work.”

“Come on, Ryu. Just do it.” she rolled her eyes and waved me close to her little hole. “I know you’re just as eager as I am about this.”

“I can’t see why you don’t just use your hooves or telekinesis for this.”

Moving closer to the hole, I peered inside it and began to line up the tool in my hand. It was barely an inch towards the hole when I stopped.

“Why did you stop?”

“It won’t fit.” I said, still holding the pulsing shaft near the hole.

“What do you mean it won’t fit.”

I turned to her with a flat look. “What I mean is that it won’t fit.” I pressed the tip into the hole, but no matter how much I pushed, the rest of it just won’t slide in. It would probably need more force for me to do that.

“Is it too small?”

I stopped pushing and glared at her. “It’s as thick as your arm, of course it’s not small.” I moved it close to her arm and made the comparison. “It’s just too big and your hole is just too small!”

“But that’s impossible!” she exclaimed. “I personally prepared the hole myself with the exact measurements of the tool that’ll go into it.”

I sighed in frustration as I rubbed my face. “And where did you even find these measurements?”

“I found them in a very sophisticated manual explaining the mechanics of a dragon’s magical shaft and their almost boundless energy---”

“You found them in a magazine inside the library.” I summarized with a flat look before I palmed my face. “These things don’t come in fixed sizes, you know.”

Sparkle made a frustrated groan as she pointed back into her hole. “Just try again.”

I did. “Still too big.”

“Alternate position, then. Rotate.”

“I could always just force it in.” I suggested.

“No! You’ll break it!” she exclaimed before glaring at me. “Maybe we just need something to make it slippery for easier insertion.”

“Why not spit on it.” I moved the shaft to her face, right in front of her mouth. That’s what the Apples do for stubborn things like this.

“Wha-Ew, no! That’s disgusting! And stop waving it at my face, it’s rude.” she moved her head back from the tool and pushed it away.

“It’s you who wanted to do this.” I reasoned. “So unless you want to postpone it…”

“No! I want to do this now!” she nearly shouted. “I’ve waited for so long to do this. You were always hanging out with my friends, and I saw how closer you are to them than me. I want this to be something only the two of us could share.”

I think I just swooned a little.

“Give it here.” she said. “Let me try.”

“Okay.” I shrugged and passed her back the tool. Her magical grasp wrapped around the shaft, bringing it closer to the hole that she personally prepared for our bonding time.

A girl’s touch would probably be better for delicate insertions like this. I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings by forcing my ideas on her.

The little mare’s tongue stuck out as she focused on the task, spreading her legs and lining her sight into the hole. The tool twitched after each failed attempt, eliciting a groan of frustration from her.

“Don’t hurt yourself, now.” I said, easing back on the wall again.

“I’m…” she tried again, and failed. “...fine.”

I looked up to the door that led to the library again, hearing more hooves moving on the other side along with more than one voice talking. A lot of ponies seem to be interested in books today.

After a minute or so of just sitting back and hearing Sparkle’s groans and startled gasps, I had to ask. “Are you sure you don’t want me to just force it in?”

“YES!” she exclaimed, the multiple failed attempts of insertion finally setting off her temper. “This part is very delicate and very important. You can’t just power through it!”

“Alright, alright.” I said placatingly. “There’s no need to lash out on me. But still, it’s not like we’ll ever get this started until you put that in.”

“We can’t force it!” She insisted.

“Then oil it!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms up in aggravation. “Provide some lubrication for it like I said earlier! Gods, it’s like this is the first time you’ve had something like this.”

“Um… well.”

I gave her a flat look. “This is your first time?”

“No.” she firmly said as she frowned at me. “I’ve done this a few times before. Back then I had Spike assisting me, though.”

“WHAT!!!”

I looked up to the library, where the loud exclamation came from. “What was that?”

“Ignore it.” Sparkle shook her head in frustration, turning her attention back to the shaft and her tiny little hole. “This is more important.”

“It sounds like there are some ponies upstairs.” I pointed out. “Aren’t you the one supposed to be running this place?”

“I already asked Spike to handle everything for me today.” she grunted from another failed attempt. “Let’s just get back to what we’re doing.”

“Where’s the oil, then?” I asked.

A bottle of said lubricant floated over to me. It was covered with Sparkle’s telekinesis. “Here.”

I took the bottle in the air. My brow furrowed as I shook it. “It’s empty.” I said.

The mare blinked a couple of times and looked at me. Then she looked at the empty bottle. “Oh. Um, I probably used it up without noticing.”

“This still looks brand new.” I noted, looking at the brand name on it. “Is this the only bottle you have?”

“No, actually.” her head pointed over to the side of the room, where a few more bottles hovered over close to us. “I have plenty.”

I took them all one by one, frowning more and more as I grabbed them all. “They're all empty.”

“Huh?”

“Every single one of them’s empty.” I shook one, tossed it away, shook another, then did the same for the rest of them. “How much of this stuff do you use?”

“Um…” her cheeks gained a bit of color as she looked away shyly. “Sometimes a whole bottle when I’m in the mood for a few experiments.”

I leaned back a bit and blinked, slightly impressed. “I’m not really judging or anything, but wow.” I can’t even think of what she used all of those bottles for.

The mare turned her head away sheepishly, looking a bit embarrassed from the compliment. I noted that she was just probing the little hole with the tool in her magical grasp and wasn’t really paying attention.

An idea then struck me, and I couldn’t help but act on it. “Gotcha!”

“EEP!”

Sparkle gave out a startled cry as I shoved the entire length of the shaft into her hole. Her whole body trembled as she pulled myself away slowly, her eyes focused only on the part where the entire tool vanished within the tiny hole.

It took her a moment to recover from the surprise, but when she did she gave me the fiercest glare she could muster. “I told you not to force it!”

I made a careless shrug and pointed at the finished task. “It’s fine, isn’t it? Nothing looks broken.”

“You could have damaged it!” she exclaimed. “Do you have any idea how much that scared me?!”

“Sorry, okay?” I sighed, trying my best to placate her rising temper.

“Do you have any idea how sensitive that hole was?!” she leaned her face closer to mine, trying to be intimidating. “It had to be for what we plan on doing.”

“Bah. Whatever.” I pulled out from this little engagement and retreated out of her reach. The mood for the whole experiment was already ruined, so nothing productive was going to come out of this. “Let’s continue this tomorrow. You can check if anything was damaged until then.”

We started making our way up the stairs to the library. Sparkle was saying something under her breath about me being a complete and utter jerk to her. When I opened the door as we reached the top, however, we found the rest of the Bearers looking at us with a shocked expression. All of their mouths were hanging wide open.

“What?”

The Wheel of Fate Turns

Not long after leaving my Equestria, I found one of my Tokens close by. I could feel it reacting to my desire, and it led me to its location.

I swam through the darkness, ignoring some of the things that I thought I saw moving around me. There were no shadow windows for me to look into, my only light source in this realm, thus leaving me to rely on my bond with my Token to guide me. It wasn’t long before I saw an exit in the darkness.

I quickly rushed forward and threw myself to the other side. My eyes were met with the bright rays of the sun, and it helped me fight down the fear that rose inside me when I was in the outer dimension.

It made me wish that there was some other way for me to travel between worlds.

I was in a forest. In a clearing where the sun was able to penetrate the dark shades provided by the leaves. From the looks of the wildlife I was somewhere within the Everfree.

I don’t see my Token anywhere nearby, but it was probably close. I could feel it resonate with myself.

A loud rustle of the leaves caught my attention. A shadow jumped out of the foliage, too fast for any animal I’ve seen in the Everfree. I quickly jumped back and dodged as soon as I saw it coming at me.

A long blade came down right onto the ground where I stood before. A blast of wind soon came after the impact and blew me farther back than I had intended. The forest shook from the strength of the blow and I heard every animal in the area flee from the noise.

“Displaced.” said the figure through a synthesized voice.

My eyes widened as he raised himself into full height. Standing taller than I was, was a man clad in white armor. His faceless mask stared right at me and his blunted tip nodachi rested closely beside him.

I knew of this character.

“I did not call for you.”

A wave of bloodlust washed over me, and I took a step back. My body tensed and readied for combat even as we both stared at one another.

“Sorry for the intrusion, then.” I said.

“Leave.” he raised his blade and pointed at me. “Your kind has no place here. This world is mine.”

“Well, at least I can tell that you’re in character. I just don’t know if you’re like me, or actually the original.” My hands began to glow as I snorted in dismissal. “If I remember correctly… the Boundary in your series is like a hole towards the void if put into Displaced terms.”

The white knight scoffed, lowering his sword back to his side. “I suppose that you can put it like that. And I shouldn’t be surprised that you know who I am, considering that Blazblue was quite popular.”

“Hakumen.” I addressed to my fellow Displaced. “One of the Six Heroes, destroyer of the Black Beast, wielder of the Nox Nyctores: Ookami.”

He hummed thoughtfully, but the tension in the air was slowly dying down. “You know of me, but unfortunately I don’t recognize you.”

The glow in my hands died down and I lowered them back to my sides. “I’m Ryu from the third of the Breath of Fire series.”

“I don’t know it.”

I scowled at the rather blunt reply before shrugging my shoulders helplessly. “I’m not surprised. The Breath of Fire was an old and almost forgotten series. Few people even remember it back when I became a Displaced.” My scowl deepened as I thought back. “It was actually one of the first games that I played.”

“Tragic.” he grunted without a hint of sympathy. “And? Why have you come here? I did not know that others could intrude on different worlds on a whim.”

“I don’t think anyone could.” I shrugged. “I just thought that if I could feel someone from outside of the dimension, then I could probably do the same for something that’s tied to my very being.”

“The Tokens…”

I nodded. “That’s right, and it looks like my hunch was correct. I’m actually on a level grinding quest, you could say. I’m looking for people whose skills and abilities I could replicate using the ones I have currently.” I looked over to the side and frowned thoughtfully. “For some reason my memory isn’t as sharp as it should be. I should already know how you perform your skills, but for the life of me I just can’t remember them.”

“And what?” he asked. “Did you expect me to just show them to you?”

I scowled. “I had hoped that asking nicely would work.”

He threw his head back and barked out a harsh laugh. “Then you are a lot more naive than I had thought.” Sheathing his sword back into the scabbard on his back, he turned around and started walking away. “Begone. I have no time for you.”

I stood back and watched as how he slowly disappeared into the forest. Watching his powerful back, I couldn’t stop the feeling of a wasted opportunity if I just leave.

Hakumen stopped in place as a sword stabbed into his path. He raised his hand to the handle of his weapon and partially turned to face me. The numerous red eyes on his body all focused their sight to my raised arm, glowing from my magic.

“Hoh…?” he drawled. “So if asking nicely doesn't work, you would resort to force?”

I shrugged. My hands started glowing again. Since [Mind Sword] wasn’t as strong as it used to be, I couldn’t use it as my primary weapon anymore. But then again, crossing swords with Hakumen, even if he was just a Displaced, was a really stupid idea.

“I’m pretty desperate.” I said.

[Might] - The output of my muscles increased.

“I can’t really dally as much as I want to.” My hands opened and closed, flexing the joints.

[Protect] - Overall physical resistance increased.

“I’ve got strong enemies to prepare for and a family to protect.” I rolled my neck and stared at him.

[Speed] - Nerves were heightened, increasing my reflexes.

“So I apologize in advance for stealing your techniques.” I lowered my center and raised my fists.

[Wisdom] - Magic circulation increased, and so did its potency.

I watched with a mixed sense of trepidation and excitement as he slowly pulled out Ookami from his back. "I will make you regret this decision." He placed his sword forward, his free hand hovering over the blade.

The Everfree became unnaturally silent. Not a chirp could be heard from any bird. The insects on the ground didn’t crawl or scuttle. The leaves were still, like everything was frozen in time. All of them because of the man before me.

“I Am The White Void…”

A wave of bloodlust washed over me. I stood in place and watched, my heart pounding heavily inside my chest.

“I Am The Cold Steel… I Am The Just Sword…”

The air vibrated as he held his sword before him. The ground shook and rumbled, and Hakumen’s presence seem only to grow as the seconds pass.

“With Blade in Hand Shall I Reap The Sins Of This World… And Cleanse It In The Fires Of Destruction!”

His long, silver hair rose high on his head. The ponytail segregated into nine different parts and danced as if they were alive.

“I Am Hakumen”

Everything ceased. His hair fell and there was only silence once again.

I made my stance and stood firm. My heart was pounding in my ears and my blood sang for the opportunity of violence; of conflict. My mouth opened and both of us cried out.

“THE END HAS COME!!!”

Author's Note

My story's still ready for a cross over. If you guys want to see the fight, then feel free to tell me otherwise I'll skip it since no one's interested.

Anyway! Comment, Review, give your constructive criticism and whatnot. You're all my fuel, and I'm running out of gas.

Rebel 1

I didn’t waste time to put some distance between us. It was a dumb move to engage Hakumen in close combat. His attacks were devastating, and from what could remember of him he has a counterattack skill that would always give him an opening to retaliate.

The same moment I jumped back, I raised an arm and aimed at him. “[SIROCCO!]”

Multiple balls of magic explosives sprayed on where he was. But I was surprised when he sliced through one of them and created a magic sphere that seemed to disperse the rest of the projectiles that it came in contact with.

I forgot about that. Long range attacks were ineffective against Hakumen as long as he was fast enough to cut through the projectile. I don’t know whether it was because of the armor, the Susano’o Unit, or his weapon, Ookami, but the result would always be the same as long as he cuts through them.

Hakumen phased through the magic circle and came at me with surprising speed. The ground underneath him exploded just from leg power alone.

“[Ice Blast!]”

I created another spell. The temperature of the area in front of me plummeted dramatically and a spike of ice rose from it.

Hakumen sliced through that distraction easily, but the moment the ice blocked his sight I dove into a shadow and reappeared behind a tree.

There was a moment of silence as he stood motionlessly in place. The multiple red eyes all over his body shifting all around and looking for signs of my location. I didn’t move an inch, my breathing was calm and silent even though my heart was beating faster than normal from the adrenaline.

I took that moment of reprieve to assess my opponent again. A bit of dread rose inside me as a thought came to mind.

Was this a regular Hakumen I’m fighting, or was it the Unlimited version?

In Blazblue the player can select two types of mode when they choose a character after fulfilling certain requirements. There was the Normal version and then there was the Unlimited version.

The Normal version was self explanatory, the Unlimited version, however, gives the character a boost in some of the things that they have; attack speed, movement speed, attack damage, or even new skills.

I can’t tell which version I’m fighting with this Hakumen. Add to the fact that this was a Displaced, my information might as well be obsolete.

Still, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to back down.

“Come out, coward!” Hakumen bellowed, “It was you who wanted this! Come out and fight!”

… that oddly disappointed me. The exclamation was definitely something that the cool and collected Hakumen wouldn’t say. I was expecting him to cut through the tree that I was hiding behind. I expected him to know exactly where I was and I was expecting to be hard-pressed on the defensive.

Hakumen was an impressive character with a great sense of justice. Even though he leaned more on the violent side of it, he was someone that people could admire.

He punishes the wicked and spares the innocent. He had the charisma to lead five people of exceptional skills against the Black Beast, a monster so terrible that it almost destroyed his world. But compared to the one that I was facing…

The tree beside me fell down as Ookami sliced through its trunk. I remained motionless and watched it hit the ground with disinterest. I heard another one fall a few distance away from me, going further and further away from where I was hiding.

The one I was facing wasn’t the Hakumen that I knew; the one that I admire. This one wasn’t the original. Even if he had the form, the weapon, the techniques… it doesn’t make him the same person.

These were once human, like me.

No matter how similar this one acts like the original, he will never be the same. The Displaced are nothing but fakes. But it was because we were fakes that we could grow out of the characters that inspired our new forms.

I don’t believe that this one knows that yet.

[Mind Sword...]

I looked down at my hands as my magic gathered.

[Variant: Spear]

The handle of my sword extended while the blade began to shrink in length. The almost transparent weapon rested on my palms as I looked out of my hiding spot to see if he sensed me.

He didn't.

The fabled sixth sense only comes along through experience, and even then it was limited to the intent that awakened it in the first place. The most common being negative intents such as anger, malice, envy, contempt, etc. etc.

After becoming a Displaced, he should have inherited some of that sixth sense, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll be good at it. It’s the same with me with my Genes and magic.

If there was a Displaced out there who mastered their powers without practice, then I don’t want to meet them. That would mean that there was something wrong with them already to have quickly assimilated their new existence so readily. I don’t want to meet those broken people.

Going back to this Hakumen Displaced, he shouldn’t have the ability to sense magic. It was never shown in the game that he was capable of such a feat. “Intent to Harm”, however, he could sense, most likely. I knew he had to since the original Hakumen had been a warrior with great battle instincts.

With just a thought, I broke my spear. That was just to test out if he could find me.

I sighed. “Let’s try again.”

[Magic Ball]

I looked at the ball and concentrated, changing its form and molding it into another.

[Mind Sword Variant: Spear]

The sphere of magic transformed into a pole with a blade on one end, but it still carried the original properties of the [Magic Ball] it was created from. Unlike the regular [Mind Sword] I’ve been using, this one has more substance and has a secondary effect other than just distracting glitters. I don’t use it regularly because of its… of its…

Wait...

How come I don’t use this version of [Mind Sword] more often?

I looked down at the spear again, my brows furrowing in thought. My mind came up with nothing.

The advantage of using a regular [Mind Sword] would be that I could add two more effects into it. This version now I’m holding could only hold one more because of the “Three Skills Per Combo” rule.

But that doesn’t change the fact that this version was sturdier than just a regular [Mind Sword].

Why have I been using the regular version instead of this? Why didn’t I think of using this version in fights like the one with Nicko and his brother? It doesn’t make sense. Why the hell would I give myself a disadvantage like that?

Come to think of it, why can’t I remember Hakumen’s moves? His appearance alone would have triggered my [Recall]. How come I’m not getting anything?

Damn it. Now’s not the time for thinking about this. I have to finish this fight first. I need to push him enough so that he’ll use his best skills.

I stepped out of my hiding spot and stared at Hakumen in the distance. I grabbed the spear in one hand and raised it, aiming at the White Knight’s back.

[Target]-- an offensive skill where my psionics aid me. By sacrificing some power behind my attack, my psychic abilities would help my aim to never miss my intended target. This technique only seems to work on what could be considered as physical attacks, never can I use it with my magical ones, unfortunately.

With my sights set, I looked up to the skies and hurled the spear with all my might. The weapon looked as though it would miss, the angle in which I threw it was too high. But as soon as it came over Hakumen’s head, the spear’s flightpath changed and went straight towards him.

His numerous eyes shifted and saw the spear. He spun and raised his sword, swatting the weapon in the air. He turned and saw me, but I slid back behind the tree and disappeared in its shadow.

He roared in rage and made a dash towards the tree. Ookami sang as it parted the air and sliced through the bark of my previous hiding place.

I reappeared a distance away from Hakumen, behind another tree, and heard him roar in rage.

Hmm… that was interesting.

I ignored Hakumen for now and allowed him to cut through multiple trees, going nowhere near my hiding spot.

The spear that I hurled to him didn’t shatter, but it was no doubt damaged. If it had broken then there would have been a blinding flash of light from the effects of [Magic Ball]. That means that I have an available weapon for myself, now.

I poked my head out from behind the tree and looked at Hakumen.

[Magic Ball] + [Mind Sword Variant: Knife] + [Target]

The sphere of magic flattened and turned into a simple kitchen knife. This variation was something I use while I cook. There was no shame in abusing my magic for something so mundane. Besides, it was a good way to practice my control.

I hurled the knife far into Hakumen’s right side, aiming at a tree. However, before it could stab into the trunk, it swerved left, dodging every other tree in its way and headed straight to Hakumen’s foot.

The White Knight’s eyes saw it and he swung Ookami to smash it into the ground in anger.

Hmm… he looks willing enough to use his skills now. His body was shaking as he looked at the kitchen knife pinned under his sword. He raised Ookami high into the air and started smashing it on the magic construct.

...Is it wrong of me to find amusement in his rage?

Hakumen turned, his head facing directly at the upper part of my body poking out from behind a tree. I grinned at him and waved before ducking back behind the trunk.

I sunk into the shadows again and made some distance. I heard him scream in rage, and I came out of the shadows just in time to see him raise Ookami high above his head.

“You wish to see my techniques!” he shouted, “Then come out and watch this!”

I did. I stepped out from behind another tree to his left and watched him. He turned his body and I saw his sword glow, seeming as though it was gathering energy from the air.

[Kokuujin Ougi!]

I raised an interested brow at the Japanese name.

[SHIPPU!]

He swung his blade downwards and the gathered energy was released. I grinned broadly as the wave of destruction came down at me like a tsunami.

I raised both of my arms to the side and shouted, “New Skill Learned!” I stood before the wave and let it wash over me.

[Leech Power]-- the skill that sucks in the magic in the air and gathers it within a hollow gem made from my magic.

[Mind Sword Variant: Nodachi]-- the skill that would allow me to turn the gem into a weapon.

[Wind Strike]-- the skill that lets me create a physical manifestation of the element. Its damage is based on my strength and how much magic I put in it to create the wind blade.

[Variant created: Kokuujin no Ougi, Shippu!]

I was grinning when I rose up from the shadow of a tree behind Hakumen, out of sight of his many eyes. The fatal flaw of his technique against me was that it shined. It created and deepened the shadows. With someone like me who could take advantage of that, flashy skills were completely useless.

That was one technique down, but I was sure that there were others for me to learn.

I slowly began to clap as I stepped out from behind the tree. “Awesome, simply awesome.”

Hakume growled as he slowly turned to face me.

“You really are a Displaced, aren’t you?” I said, “Not just that, but you were also a civilian. Don’t deny it, I can tell. Battle Instincts were shoved down your throat when you turned into Hakumen, and it’s like giving someone a gun then telling them that they could do whatever they want with it.”

He lowered his center and made a stance. I paid it no mind and continued.

“You’re probably confused with your identity right now. You don’t know whether you’re still yourself or if you’re that character that you’ve become.” I went on, “You were acting a lot like Hakumen before, but that persona seemed to have cracked under pressure.”

[Mind’s Eye]-- the skill that lets me read my opponent’s movements and aid the accuracy of my predictions of their next move. It increases my Hit Rate in the original game, but here it lets me plan my attacks better by using the mostly accurate predictions.

I used the skill as soon as I saw his legs tense.

Jumping back and ducking low, I dodged his horizontal swing. I hopped up slightly and spun sideways, dodging the low swipe of his follow through swing. Both my legs hit the ground and I pushed myself forward. My right palm shot up and nailed him on his masked face.

The leverage plus my normal strength was enough to throw him backwards, but he recovered quickly and rolled to his feet.

“When you were threatened by me, you allowed yourself to be driven by your battle instincts. Given that Hakumen was originally Jin Kisaragi, and that Jin Kisaragi was slightly unhinged in the head, you became a bit of a psycho.”

I jumped up high to dodge another attack, but he quickly followed me in the air. I materialized two sturdier [Mind Swords] and crossed them over my body when I saw him spin in the air above me.

[TSUBAKI!]

A black distortion wrapped itself around his blade and my arms rattled from the blow of his downward swing. He spun his entire body and used his entire weight to perform the technique, adding more power behind the attack.

My blades shattered and I fell to the ground faster than he did. I landed on my feet and hopped back a few paces from him. He landed on the ground and was immediately on stance.

“When a civilian is threatened, a Flight or Fight response would occur.” I started, “But when that civilian is carrying a weapon already during the response, they will more than likely lean more towards the Fight response. That means you, the civilian, carrying the weapon, Hakumen, responded to Me, the threat. However...”

A sturdier [Mind Sword] appeared in my hand.

“Just because you’re carrying a weapon, doesn’t mean that you know how to use it.” I finished.

Now it was my turn to be on the offensive.

I ran forward and swung my blade down. He met my attack with his own downward swing.

Both swords clashed and sparks flew. My weapon was cracked but we both followed through.

We both swung our blades upward, and he tried for a lock. I slapped his sword away, since I don’t really block.

We both swung sideways, with no one stepping back. Our clashes rage on, in an all-out attack.

“You may have the Body, the Power, the Speed, the Instincts,” we continued to clash, “But you don’t have the Technique, the Grace, the Style, or the Finesse to use them right. Instincts help you to know when to attack, when to defend and when to dodge, but during those times it doesn’t tell you how to attack, how to defend, or how to dodge.”

Our swords met once again and mine shattered on contact. The shards twinkled in the air and Hakumen’s eyes shifted to them. Not a moment later they started popping like fireworks twelve inches before his eyes.

“Gah!” Hakumen cried out and stumbled back in surprise. The eyes on his body were twitching and moving erratically.

I capitalized on the opportunity and slipped into his defense. My eyes were closed during the flashes, thus leaving me relatively in better shape than Hakumen.

My foot stomped forward with all of my weight pressed down onto it. My body twisted and my shoulder rushed straight to his torso. It was a move that the Minotaurs taught me, something that made me learn a technique in my Skill List.

[Charge!]

It was an attack based on my defense. Meaning that it was a technique that utilizes the sturdiness of the body and using it as a weapon to ram my opponent with.

[ZANSHIN!]

A magic circle materialized in front of Hakumen’s chest. My body froze as soon as I touched it, feeling a wave of energy that halted every momentum that I generated.

A strong hand grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me forward. I suddenly found Hakumen’s knee being driven into my solar plexus.

The air rushed out from my body and I flew back straight into a tree. The bark cracked like the rest of my ribs, and I found myself having trouble breathing.

“You seem to think that I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said.

I looked up to where I was kneeling, taking in deep breaths and healing my ribs.

“Like you said. I was just a civilian before becoming a Displaced.” he said, lifting his hand up and clenching it into a fist. “If a civilian was given a weapon and they don’t know how to use it, what do you think they were doing before the threat arrived?”

My breathing was back to normal, and I slowly rose back up to my feet.

“I practiced with it.” he said simply, “Did you think that I did nothing while I was alone in this place? That I simply sat by and let the time flow by? Don’t be a fool.”

He lowered his center and made his stance.

“I was only unbalanced for a while because you were the first to ever survive this long against me.”

“So I guess I wasn’t the only one who was assessing my opponent.” I sighed.

“Indeed.” He nodded.

[Magic Ball] + [Mind Sword Variant: Spear]

I grabbed the weapon in the air, twirled it around my wrist before settling down into my own stance. “Let’s continue then, shall we?”

I rushed forward with a thrust, the tip of my spear aiming straight at his head.

LOSE; Continue?

Author's Note

Not proof-read, but I think I've kept this on hiatus for too long. Read and Review, guys and gals. I'd love to get some feedback on this.

Expect more fighting in the next chapter.

LOSE; Continue?

My boot left a dent on the ground as I lunged, the tip of my spear aiming straight at Hakumen’s head.

The White Knight raised his left arm to guard, just as I had expected him to. A Zanshin circle appeared on his forearm and I noticed all of his limbs tense in preparation. As soon as my weapon made contact, my whole body froze. My eyes lost their focus on everything around us and my mind began to [Examine] everything about the skill. It was like stepping back to see the entirety of a piece of art.

My mind began to analyze everything I knew about the skill from past and present experience, recalling every spell and technique I knew that was even remotely close to the Zanshin.

Images were brought up and discarded, deeming them incompatible with the skill. My magic and techniques were brought up, showing me their functions and how I’ve used them over the years.

Only three skills were left within my arsenal, the ones closest to the Zanshin. My mind had begun to stack them over one another, looking for the best alignment to create the Zanshin’s effect.

[Resist], my impenetrable barrier. Though still unmastered, it still provided me with a solid defence on a single area on my body, provided that I was given enough time to concentrate fully.

The skill could provide me with the defence needed for the Zanshin, however it does not have any of the paralyzing effects that comes when something makes contact with it.

[Evil Eye], my skill that expresses my desire using my psionics as a catalyst. The skill has the ability to penetrate the psyche of my foes and inject the emotion that I wanted into the one looking into my eyes.

Usually it uses my “Intent to Kill”, instilling fear into my opponents and make them hesitate. Sometimes the effects could be crippling, rendering my foes paralyzed from sheer terror. But this skill required eye contact. Anything else that doesn’t need the use of sight would be invulnerable to the attack.

Then there’s [Thunder Strike], the skill that uses electricity to paralyze the body by attacking the nerves.

It could work for the recreation of my version of the Zanshin, but… [Resist] required my full concentration to cast. It was hard enough to maintain, but layering a skill over it would require a great amount of mental effort. Effort that would most likely leave me like a sitting duck.

[Skill Incomplete. Unable to learn at current time.]

And in a blink of an eye, it was over.

My focus returned to everything around me and I was still suspended in the air. Between the moment I began to breakdown the Zanshin to the moment that my consciousness came to together again, barely even a second had passed. Everything came crashing back, and my eyes were locked onto Hakumen’s faceless mask.

I barely managed to twitch when Hakumen’s hand lashed out and grabbed my shirt. “HAA!” With a cry he turned around and hurled my body behind him, towards a tree.

His strength was far above any normal human’s, definitely above mine, and the force of his throw didn’t give me any opportunity to reorient myself before I crashed through several trees. It was on the seventh one that I finally managed to get my feet under myself, planting both of them on its trunk. No sooner when I did, I flipped myself higher into its branches, barely dodging Ookami as the sword sliced through the tree’s body, right where I had landed.

My back was throbbing, but I felt no broken bone. Those trees may have hurt, but they were plywood compared to the steel that was Hakumen’s knee that broke my ribs before.

The other Displaced looked up and I saw my face reflect off of his faceless mask. My lips were settled into a small frown, one hand aiming directly at him. The other one was keeping me balanced on the branch. Magic gathered within my palm and created a ball of condensed energy.

[SIROCCO!]

Multiple balls of combined fire and wind sprayed down on top of the White Knight. They were all over him even before he could raise a guard to defend himself.

I hopped off the tree as it began to fall from its severed trunk, my aim never wavering as I continued my barrage of explosives. I could see him inside the explosions, covering his face as his multiple eyes focused on me.

“Enough!” Hakumen swung his sword in a wide sweep, catching one of the unstable balls with his sword and activating his anti-projectile spell.

I didn’t stop my attack even as he hid inside the sphere of vacuum. Though it nullified my onslaught before it reached him, the circle didn’t seem to be having an adverse effect on Hakumen whatsoever. My mind once again tried to [Examine] what I was seeing.

[Failed to learn. Skill incompatible]

I scowled as my consciousness came back into focus.

“It’s useless.” Hakumen declared, standing casually within his circle of protection. He carried his sword in a reversed grip, his posture completely upright. “Your attacks cannot reach me.”

My eyes noted the circumference of the sphere, or more specifically its height. Hakumen’s feet were poking out from the bottom.

I raised my right foot high and stomped down on the ground, injecting my magic directly into the earth.

[QUAKE]

The earth rippled around me like water. As if someone had dropped a stone in the middle of a tranquil lake, the soil rose high and sank like waves. Hakumen wobbled on his feet when the spell caught him unprepared, his anti-projectile sphere phasing out into nothing.

[Mind’s Eye!]

My legs kicked off from the ground and hurled me towards the trees. I caught myself on their barks before I started bouncing off of them, circling around Hakumen before he regained his balance.

His eyes snapped over to where I landed, just as the ground had stopped trembling. I ducked down as far as I could as soon as I saw him turn. He took a step sideways as his body rotated and swung his sword wide.

My [Mind’s Eye] skill predicted the path of the sword and I moved just enough to dodge his swing. My favored katana materialized in my hand as I rose up, swinging the weapon upwards and catching the left side of his torso before I kicked him back to get some distance between us.

He didn’t even have a scratch on him. The Susano’o Unit was quite impressive.

Hakumen’s feet made a drag trail on the ground as he kept himself upright. As soon as he caught himself he exploded into action immediately.

He tried to shove his pommel straight into my gut. Had I been standing still I would have definitely doubled over from the attack. Fortunately for me, I was never really comfortable in staying in the same place for a while in a fight.

I was already hopping back even before he recovered, but then he surprised me by swinging his sword immediately after his shove didn’t connect. I grew some dragon scales all over my left arm as Ookami made a curve straight to my side, hastily throwing up a quick [Resist] barrier as well just in case.

Hakumen’s sword landed on my barrier made out of condensed space and shattered it like glass; I didn’t have time to fully concentrate on it. My scales fared better when I braced it in front of the blade’s path, but the weapon still bit into my arm by an inch before I found myself being thrown away by the strength behind the attack.

I rolled up to my feet and used the momentum of my flight to keep jumping back away from the White Knight. If he had been curious about my scales, Hakumen didn’t say. He was more focused on gaining on me than the traits of the Character that inspired my body.

I threw a ball of fire and wind explosive at his face, only for Hakumen to bat it away with his sword and continue running without pause.

I spun, twirling around behind a tree, putting it between me and my opponent. I pushed on its trunk as soon as I completed the spin and threw myself backwards into a flip. Ookami cleaved through the tree as soon as I did.

I righted myself on my feet before I started making a run for it, throwing back balls of fire and wind from my [Sirocco] spell.

Hakumen showed me his mastery over the blade as he cut through every projectile that came at him, ignoring the ones that weren’t going to hit him or slow him down.

I changed tactics after that, channeling my magic through my legs and stomping down hard at every step.

[Quake!]

Seismic tremors bloomed from where my boot hit the earth, sending out wave after wave all around me and devastating the entire forest area.

Hakumen wasn’t even slowed, however. He used the trees as platforms and kicked off from them to continued his pursuit of me, his legs pulverizing each and every one he used. His aerial path left him untouched by my grounded tactic.

I clicked my tongue and flipped myself forward, landing on another tree before kicking myself off to meet Hakumen in the air.

He swung his sword as soon as he saw me coming, turning his body so that his entire weight was behind the blow. I turned and spun in the same direction of his swing, my own sword materializing into my hands as I deflected his attack.

As we passed each other, I coiled my body into a ball and forced myself to turn and face his back. My arm was outstretched and my magic gathered on my palm.

[Cyclone!]

Blades of wind erupted from my hand and sailed towards Hakumen. He had only just managed to turn to me before the spell was on him.

Multiple blades of wind slashed all across his body, leaving no cuts but definitely doing some damage based from how he was screaming.

“RAAAAH! Damn you!”

The winds had also destroyed his balance in the air, leaving him tumbling uncontrollably until he crashed into the ground like a ragdoll. Again, he had no scratch. It made me wonder what material was used to make his body.

Hakumen was on his feet barely a second later and flew to where I was standing, the ground beneath him exploding massively from his kick off. I was ready to face him then, hands glowing in preparation to create my weapons.

I met his downward slash with an upward swing of my [Mind Sword], his sword sliding down the blade of my weapon, bleeding it of its strength. I jumped and twirled over his horizontal slash, then ducked low as it made a return swing.

I ducked again under his rising diagonal, scoring an elbow into his gut that was powered by the penetrating strength of [Spirit Blast]. He froze then, completely stunned by the counterattack.

In the Blazblue, this could be considered as a Fatal Counter.

In that moment, I capitalized on my advantage.

My fist found itself in his gut, bending him forward, then his chin was forcefully raised by a foot that left me in a complete, vertical, split. The heel of the raised foot crashed down on his faceless mask, forcing him to look down. I spun, driving an elbow in the middle of his torso before following up with a palm thrust in the same area with the other arm.

The thrust pushed him back and it looked like he was finally starting to recover. I placed both of my fists on his torso for a final attack, elbows bent and my footing squared.

[BONEBREAK!]

Both fists were shoved forward with every strength I could muster. The psionic force that came along with it threw Hakumen back, where he crashed through several trees before finally stopping at the seventh one.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, slowly standing back straight and relaxing every muscle that tensed in that attack.

Hakumen slowly made his way back on his feet, his whole body shaking either from exertion or rage. It was hard to tell without any expression to look at.

My lips quirked as I flipped backwards and landed on the vertical surface of another tree. I turned my back on the other Displaced and started climbing upwards into its branches and jumped straight through its leaves.

I heard the ground behind me explode and I knew that Hakumen was coming after me again. My magic started gathering under the soles of my feet and created a [Magic Ball]. That spell then transformed into [Simoon], the slightly stronger ball of fire and wind from [Sirocco].

I think I remember teaching this to my Rune Slayer student.

When the ball was completely transformed, I kicked both of my feet downwards and detonated the spell. The explosion resulted into a platform of concussive blast that propelled me higher into the air and far away from Hakumen’s reach.

The other Displaced only managed to cover a quarter of the distance of my flight before he started falling, his rageful cry audible even as he disappeared under the leaves. Looking down at Hakumen from the apex of my flight, I began to gather my magic for another [Combo].

Bright, blazing flames ignited in the palm of my hand. I reared my arm back and threw it downwards. It wasn’t aimed at Hakumen, as I knew that he could probably negate it, but instead I aimed it at the forest around him.

“[INFERNO!]”

The trees where Hakumen fell into erupted into flames. They began to spread around, the embers catching onto the dead leaves of the heavily forested area.

I threw my arms to the side and gathered as much wind as I could. I commanded what I managed to summon to contain the flames, gradually moving my arms closer to each other as I did. The winds moved in a spiral, corralling the blaze inwards into the area where Hakumen was.

“[TYPHOON!]”

Once everything was gathered, I relinquished my hold over the forces of nature and simply let go. There came a moment of silence, where everything went still. The flames were gone and the winds didn’t blow. I crossed my arms and raised my legs close to my body to brace myself as I fell. They two spells had combined.

“[GIGAFLARE!!]”

There was a bright flash, then went white.

A massive, ear-splitting explosion erupted from the forest. I was thrown back upwards again from the sheer force of the blast. I tumbled up in the air for a while, but soon managed to right myself and look down at the destruction.

The explosion was still spreading outwards, reminding me almost of the sweeping doom that I unleashed in the Badlands so many centuries ago; on a greatly reduced scale, thankfully. However I wasn’t done with my [Combo], yet.

What I did next was something I never would have done had this been my Equestria.

Before the explosion disappeared, I grabbed whatever leftover of my magic that was left in the destruction.

The blast had been nearly a kilometer wide. Everything in it now was nothing more than charcoal; both plants and animals were dead in the area of effect.

Tiny balls of light that held my leftover magic from the explosion were near the outer edges of the burnt circle. They began moving into a spiral, feeding off the magic that I was constantly pouring into them. They began to rise up higher into the air as they came close to the center, then hovered in place.

I fed them as much magic as I could afford, the [Combo] already draining nearly half of my massive reserves of magic. I landed in the trees just outside the burnt area and raised my right hand into the air to take hold of the ball of lights with my [Telekinesis].

I clenched my hand into a fist and brought my arm downwards.

[EARTHBREAKER!]

A rain of miniature [Gigaflares] buffeted the center of the burnt area. The ground shuddered with every blast and the deafening booms of the explosions rang like a raging god. It lasted for five, continuous, seconds before it stopped.

I hopped down from the tree that I landed on and started picking my ear. They were still ringing from the explosions even as I strolled through the devastated area in search of the other Displaced.

“Did I go too far?” I wondered, finding no signs of the White Knight. “I’d be very disappointed if he died from that.”

“[SHIPPU!]”

I stared at the massive wave of destructive energy heading straight at me. I didn’t stop picking my ear and allowed it to loom over my body, just enough so that I could finally see my shadow grow thicker behind me.

I silently used my [Shadowwalk] to dodge the other Displaced’s attack and stayed in the shadows until I was sure that it was gone. I reemerged under the roots of a burnt tree, still picking my ear, and started looking for Hakumen again.

He was walking over the desolated area, his sword pointed threateningly to the side. He slowly made his way towards where I was.

“To think that you would go this far just to learn a few measly techniques.” There was an unmistakable hint of rage in his voice.

Thankfully, I still managed to catch that even from the noise inside my eardrums. I turned around and used my healing spell to fix my hearing; I didn’t need that kind of distraction right now.

“I already said that I was desperate.” I shrugged. He wasn’t even limping. That was.... honestly very impressive. “I’m surprised that you’re not crawling after that. [Bonebreak] should have dealt a critical blow on your body, and [Earthbreaker] is actually one of my stronger combos.”

Rare, though, do I make this much destruction in such an open area. I usually do it in the Dragonlands.

“The Susano’o Unit is able to withstand the ravages of the Boundary.” He gestured towards his body, covered in dirt and dust but otherwise it was undamaged. “That, along with its automatic healing trait, allows me to continue fighting for a long period of time. I am a class far above and beyond your own.”

“Another line out of character. I get really confused when you do that.” I said as I clicked my tongue in annoyance, giving the other Displaced a slight glare. “You try to act like the real Hakumen, but then you do something this. The guy isn’t that arrogant. I really can’t see why you keep trying; it’s useless and pointless. Just be yourself, damn it.”

I kinda hate that way of thinking. I just realized it now, but I really do.

Because trying to keep yourself in-character puts a limit on what you could do and what you could accomplish. If I had done that then I probably wouldn’t have been able to pull off half of the things that I could do now.

I love learning; I love branching out my studies on magic and discovering new things that I could do with it. Learning and creating new skills was pretty much a hobby to me, now that I think about it. Acting in-character would have crippled that for me.

I looked back at him, my lips settling back into a small frown. My left foot slid back, shifting my body and hiding my left hand from Hakumen’s view.

“I’m not the real Ryu. You’re not the real Hakumen. We’re different. We’re not them. We are US. Learn the difference.”

“For you it may be needless and pointless,” Hakumen said, bending his legs and going into his battle stance, “But to me, it is necessary to keep myself sane.”

I blinked in surprise at that.

My opponent’s whole body tensed and a gust of wind suddenly erupted from where he was standing. Along with it came a wave of power that I’ve never felt before.

“KISHIN UNIT, ACTIVATE!”

“Huh--?”

Before I could make another blink, Hakumen was already in front of me, the pommel of his sword driving deep into my sternum.

“Ghak--!”

Spit and air rushed out of my mouth. My body felt like it had caved inward. My arms fell limp as I stared down into nothing and tried to recover. There was an actual dent in the middle of my torso.

Breathe…

Breathe!

The same word repeated itself in my head as drool started running down my gaping mouth.

Hakumen grabbed me by the hair and forced me to face up towards him. Some sort of energy was surging from his body, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

“It’s time I take this seriously.” Hakumen growled before he shoved me backwards and swung Ookami. “HAAA!”

I was able to cover my body in scales before the blade made contact. It probably saved me from being completely decapitated. The only thing it did was leave a gaping gash that probably went through some important organs.

I wasn’t sure. I was still busy suffocating.

I was thrown back by the strength behind the swing, which left me rolling through the scorched earth for a time, leaving a trail of blood flying everywhere I went. I let out a gasp as my back slammed into a dead tree, stopping my tumble and finally sucking some air back into my lungs.

Then I screamed.

“AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

The pain. The white, hot, burning pain.

I looked down in anger at the source of it. The gaping wound of my body continued to bleed and kept on sending signals to my brain. The damage was severe, and if I didn’t treat it soon then I would run out of blood.

I gritted my teeth and closed it in a flash of healing magic, [Restore], draining more of my reserves than I had intended. I didn’t have time to catch my breath as Hakumen was on me again.

He was faster; terrifyingly so. He was also more powerful.

My swords shattered after every blow, forcing me to drain my reserves again and again every time I created a new, sturdier one. I dodged and jumped back whenever I could, but it wasn’t enough. Hakumen kept forcing me to block. Not deflect. Block.

My arms shuddered and my muscles strained. I couldn’t find an opening for me to escape. He didn’t leave me any time to cast and just kept on attacking relentlessly.

I was losing. Badly.

“What’s wrong! Where’s that arrogance of yours now?!”

I blocked another attack and my sword shattered. Even allowing myself to be pushed back by his strength to get some distance, Hakumen didn’t relent. He was on me as soon as I recovered.

I gritted my teeth and glared, even as he shattered another sword.

Jumping backwards, I didn’t create another weapon. Instead, I covered my entire left arm with scales and raised it to meet Ookami’s blade. I had no delusions that my new Dragon Gene had the defensive capabilities to block the sword, but then again that wasn’t what I wanted.

It was a gamble, but I was betting that he still retained some of his civilian mentality. I couldn’t think of any other ideas at the moment, Hakumen wasn’t giving me any time to plan, it also didn’t help that I was panicking.

I bit back a scream as my arm was severed just above the elbow. I jumped back and stumbled slightly, but I didn’t fall.

Hakumen stopped moving, arm still outstretched from the swing, as his head followed the arm in the air until it landed.

I was panting breathlessly, sweating profusely, and clutching onto the stump of my newly severed limb. I stopped it's bleeding, but didn’t heal the wound. I had less than a quarter of my reserves left, and my healing spells didn’t regrow missing limbs.

Hakumen turned to me with barely any emotion telling in his posture. He was completely disinterested and just didn't care.

He stood up straight and pointed his sword to me. “Leave this place and never return.”

I wanted to make some witty retort out of spite, but I didn’t want to push my luck.

My breathing was better now, no longer breathless. My reserves were steadily recovering as I continuously used [Rest]. I looked over to my severed arm and slowly started making my way towards it. Half of my attention was on Hakumen, just in case he would attack.

I picked up the severed limb and looked at the cut. It was clean, and I was certain that it would be easy to reattach. I was afraid that I had to regrow this thing… again.

It’s been a while since I’ve come this close to death. The last time being when I ran into an ancient spirit lurking in Tartarus to train my magic spells with Holy property. It was still probably mad at me given that I destroyed one of its arms. Though I did have to sacrifice one of my own to do it.

I snorted at the memory and connected the severed limb to my stump and reattached them with [Restore]. I grimaced at how much magic it took just to do that. There were no sluggish movements from the arm; hopefully the magic took care of the nerves properly.

“Damn…” I sighed, stepping back cautiously from Hakumen. “I guess this is my limit.”

Hakumen scoffed, his blade still raised and pointing at me. “Do not make me repeat myself. If you ever come back, I will sever the threads of your Fate.”

I jumped back further away and shrugged at him, knowing exactly the name of his attack that would do just that. [Time Killer] would sever my “Time” in the present, cutting my link to the past and future, thus ceasing my existence. It was a move that I definitely wouldn’t be able to learn. “The real Hakumen must be pretty terrifying if this is what his Displaced could do.”

“...”

“... Alright, I’m going.” I snorted before turning my back from him and sprinting away. Hakumen didn’t follow to make sure that I left, but I was okay with that.

I dove into one of the shadows under the forest as soon as I was out of sight. But I didn’t leave the dimension, yet. Something in the sky caught my attention, and I was curious to know what they wanted.

I was in the Castle of the Two Sisters, sitting on Luna’s old throne after I destroyed the one meant for Celestia.

Call it childish, but after going through all that trouble and only learning one skill from Hakumen, can you blame me for my bad mood?

“Finally.” I muttered on the throne. I’ve been bored for two hours just sitting their and updating my [Diary]. Though it did give me enough time to [Rest]. My reserves were almost back to full and I was ready for another confrontation. “Took you both long enough to find me.”

The sound of hooves stepping on the stone floor echoed in the old throne room. I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees, clasping both hands together under my chin.

“Princess Luna… Princess Celestia…” I greeted the two Princesses. I raised a brow as soon as got a full look at them. “You two look… You look like you’re both ready for war.”

Luna and Celestia were both wearing a full set of armors. Luna’s looked eerily similar to Nightmare Moon’s, and Celestia’s gold one looked… familiar.

The name Tyrant suddenly came to mind.

Her mane was also different. Instead of the usual tri-color that I’ve been used to, it was instead like a blazing inferno set upon her head… and tail, I suppose.

I probably would have made a joke about it... if only the two of them weren’t frowning so gravely.

“Displaced.” Celestia started, “If you know of us then there will no need to introduce ourselves.”

“Yeees?” I drawled. “To what designs doth Equestria’s princesses have to seek out this humble otherworlder?”

Both alicorns scowled at the show of disrespect.

“We saw your fight.” Luna said, stepping forward and getting a side glance from her sister. “We saw how you were able to force Hakumen into using his Overdrive.”

I ignored the look that Celestia was sending her sister and closed my eyes, starting to [Recall] what I knew about the Overdrive System.

That’s right. Didn’t the Blazblue have a power-up system in the later installments?

The Overdrive System was a type of… Ars Armagus/Magitech skill that lessens the burden on one's body to perform greater moves and skills. It was a type of mode that could only be used on a limited time in the game, but once performed in actual practice by a Displaced it would be up to the user to decide when to end it. That is, if it followed the same rules of my own abilities.

That’s probably the system used to access Unlimited Mode.

But there was also a drawback in that System. Though I can’t really [Recall] whatever it was, for some reason, but I knew that it was pretty bad.

The closest skill that I had to the Overdrive System would probably be [Celerity]. The skill releases my body’s limiters and unleashes my untransformed body’s full capabilities; all base stats are increased by 100%. The drawback of the skill, however, was that it lasts for only about thirty minutes.

I couldn’t stop it once it was in effect, and after the time limit my body would receive an excruciating amount of pain lasting for three days straight. That’s what happens when you push your body past your breaking point. I could lessen that penalty by using [Rest] for a whole day, but that method leaves me quite vulnerable for an entire 24 hours.

“So?” I asked, opening my eyes to look down on Luna, and to Celestia who was still giving her sister side long glances. “What of it, your highness?”

Both alicorn gnashed their teeth at my further disrespect, but I kept the look of disinterest on my face. I wasn’t one of their ponies, and, though they didn’t know it, I also have a station equal to theirs. As one of the Six members of the Dragon Council, the two sisters were not my betters.

“We wish to ask for your aid.” answered Celestia.

“My aid?” I asked, raising a brow. A sudden sense of Deja Vu washed over me.

Luna inhaled deeply and sighed. “Yes. Your aid. We need your help in finally bringing down Hakumen once and for all.”

“Oh?” This sounded interesting. “Tell me more.”

So it would seem that Hakumen was the boogieman of this world.

He has a reputation where he was both revered as a great Hero, in very small areas, and as the most heinous Villain.

He first appeared on the day that Luna and Celestia confronted Discord and seal him with the Elements of Harmony. Hakumen alone defeated the spirit of chaos, showing the princesses his mastery of the blade and the great amount of power hidden within his body.

And by “Defeat”, I meant that he killed Discord. He showed no mercy on the poor draconequus.

That meant that Chaos was dead; not sealed by Harmony, but snuffed out by Order.

Hakumen holds in his body something called the Power of Order. Based on my fragmented memory of it, it has the ability to resist and/or destroy Phenomenon Intervention. Whatever that was.

I don’t know much about it, but I do know that the Power of Order has some power-boosting effect. That, plus Hakumen’s ability to cut through dimensions to view alternate timelines/ alternate possibilities, it wasn’t really that hard to imagine the mischiveous spirit falling to his blade.

But still, I was having a hard time coming into terms that Discord was dead. Even though it wasn’t the Discord that I knew, it still affected me.

The princesses told me the history of this world and everything else that happened after Discord’s demise.

Luna never became Nightmare Moon.

The Elements of Harmony were returned to the Tree by Hakumen himself after the royal sisters tried to use it on him.

The Gryphons were nearly driven into extinction.

The Mane Six never came to be.

And the Dragons were no more. I couldn’t stop the grin that appeared on my face after hearing that.

Still though, I was getting a headache from all of these events that have changed. This place was a completely different Equestria. Nothing made sense to me; nothing was right. Nothing was like the Original timeline.

The only good thing about this world that I heard was that ponies actually Loved Princess Luna.

On the day that Hakumen started his crusade against all things that he deemed “Evil”, Luna had been working nonstop going into individual dreams and calming down every frightened creature that has ever encountered the White Knight. Even now, she still occasionally finds a frightened soul to calm after they saw Hakumen just wandering by.

Her kindness had led many of her subjects to love her because of this. Luna didn’t have any time to become jealous of Celestia as she was too busy doing her duty to calm her little ponies in their slumber.

The Sun Princess in turn became busy in planning things out with his guards to drive Hakumen away from her… excuse me I meant their land. Or if not, then to permanently put an end to him.

I was wondering why they didn’t just take the Elements back from the tree, but then later found out that they could no longer access it. Their Cutie Marks were erased from the tree’s surface, and their bonds with the Elements were completely severed.

They suspected that Hakumen had something to do with that, but I had my doubts. The character called Hakumen never had any kind of ability like that. Though I knew that Hakumen had the power to sever someone’s “Time”, thus ending their existence, I never heard of him being capable of being able to sever “Bonds”.

The Gryphons apparently wanted to subjugate the ponies, for some reason. The Princesses never told me much of the details but the result of that brief war was that Hakumen came in and slaughtered nearly everyone of the cat-bird hybrid.

They didn’t even know who the Mane Six were. Dread started to fill me after hearing that. I was going to see if the Apple family still existed in this timeline later on.

Sunset Shimmer was Celestia’s current student, not Twilight Sparkle. The purple pony didn’t exist, as far as Celestia knew. The mustard and ketchup colored mare was learning combat and magic from her teacher, something that made me look over Celestia with a contemplating quirk on my lips. At least she wasn’t as soft as the Celestia that I knew.

Luna, surprisingly (or maybe not), had Trixie Lulamoon as her current student. Like her sister, she was teaching the blue colored mare combat and magic, though they were focusing more on the subtler side of the arcane. I gave the alicorn a nod of approval on that, something that Celestia didn’t seem to like based on her mane suddenly blazing faster for a brief moment.

That made me grin.

As for the dragons… Hakumen decided that they weren’t needed in this world, a sentiment that I wholeheartedly agreed with. He went on a dragon-slaying quest when he wasn’t around terrorizing local bad guys.

With the last of the flying lizards put out of their misery, the White Knight started wandering Equestria for the sole purpose of smiting evil. Anything that was doing something unjust was cut down by his blade.

I found that pretty extreme, even for the real Hakumen.

“And now you want me to get rid of him?” I asked, getting a nod from both of them. “Why should I? This isn’t my problem, nor is it any of my business. I only came here to fight and learn, not actually kill my fellow Displaced.”

“But you must see reason!” Celestia insisted, “Hakumen’s killing has gone far enough! Who knows what he will do once there is no more foes for him to fight.”

“... That’s a good point.” I muttered, considering perspective on this. With no more evil to vanquish, who else would he draw his blade to?

“He must be stopped now.” Luna said, “It was only recently that he entered Tartarus and came out covered with the blood of every being there.”

I was honestly shocked by that. As well as a bit disturbed. If he managed to clean out Tartarus, then I couldn’t possibly win against him in a full on fight to the death. That is, if this world’s Tartarus was the same as the one in mine.

Wait a minute. Why am I even considering a death battle with another Displaced? I should just leave and put this all behind me.

But at the same time I still wasn’t satisfied with my fight with the White Knight. I was definitely itching for a rematch, but the possibility of me winning was still slim. Unless I actually go in for the kill, I don’t think I could beat Hakumen.

But the man had already attacked me with the intent to kill. Does that mean that I’m allowed to do the same now? He only did that because I forced him, and it was because I was intruding in his world to begin with. Do I have the right to take his life now even though it was my fault that he was pushed too far? Was it really even my fault to begin with, given what I've heard of his history.

What a dilemma.

“I don’t know.” I muttered, leaning back on the throne. “There’s nothing really in it for me other than pain and a possible new skill. And even then the skill isn’t even a sure thing.”

There was still one move in Hakumen’s arsenal that I didn’t see, and that was what I wanted.

The royal sisters exchanged a glance before nodding at each other. “We are willing to pay you anything.”

“Anything?” I asked, greed suddenly rising inside me. I blame that on my dragon side.

“Yes.” Celestia nodded.

I frowned at her, which she returned with a scowl. I looked at Luna and hummed in contemplation, getting a deeper scowl from the Sun Princess. What crawled up her ass?

“Then I want Ookami.” I told them, leaning back and placing my ankle on my knee. “I want Hakumen’s sword.”

“That’s…” Luna hesitated, “Doable, I suppose.”

“So you agree, then?” Celestia asked. “Help us take down Hakumen and you may keep his sword.”

“Of course.” I answered.

Not really. No.

I wasn’t really sure about this course of action. I don’t really want to kill a fellow Displaced, someone who, more or less, suffered the same circumstances that I did.

But there was a part of me, a violent and very destructive part of me, that wants to make Hakumen pay for nearly killing me. I wanted to rip him to shreds and tear him limb from limb. I wanted revenge for my loss.

I tilted my head downwards and looked at the princesses past my fringe, trying to hid the fury in my eyes.

This part of me, I also blame it on my dragon side.

“But before we go after Hakumen,” I started, “I want something to be prepared for me.”

The sisters looked at each other in confusion as I stood up from the throne. Only now did Celestia notice that her old one was wrecked and she gave me a heated glare because of it.

My only response to her was a grin. One fiilled with many sharp fangs.

“I still do not see the point in this.”

“Trust me on this.” I said, looking at my reflection as I combed my hair neatly so that they wouldn’t spike up anymore. Now if that blasted ahoge would just stay down… “If there’s one person that could rile Hakumen up, it’s this one.”

“But you aren’t him.” Luna uttered pointedly, “You said so yourself.”

“I’m not.” I agreed wholeheartedly, “ But that doesn’t mean that I can’t act like him. Pass me the coat, please.”

“Is this plan actually going to work?” the blue alicorn asked, levitating the next article of clothing towards me. “We may have worked hard on enchanting those clothes, but they are still nothing compared to real armor. We could have given you something else.”

“It’s fine.” I placated the mare, slipping my arms into the sleeves of the altered raincoat. “Besides, an armor is completely useless if I don’t intend to get hit. I prefer speed over defence any day.”

Luna sighed, shaking her head. “If you are sure.”

“Yes, princess.” I said, throwing the hood of the coat over my head and shadowing the top half of my face before turning to her with a grin stretching far on my lips. “I’m sure.”

Now for round two.

A Purpose

I was staring at a forest, still clad in the similar attire of Yuuki Terumi. I stood with my back slouched, still and unmoving. My arms were limp by my side, fingers cold and numb from who knows how long since I stood there.

Behind me was the Everfree Forest, dark and unusually silent. Nothing moved within its’ chaotic wildlife, nothing that I would care to notice, at least.

My breathing was silent as I pondered again and again, the same thought repeating in my head for I don’t know how long awhile.

I thought that it was a possibility. I thought that there was a chance for it to happen, but I dismissed the idea entirely. For it to come to pass would mean that something had been lost forever.

Yet, here I stood staring at Nothing.

The gears in my head turned as my mind tried to think of something else… anything else. But it couldn’t. It was like a broken record, singing the same tune and song again and again and again and again....

Gone...

“Ponyville…”

Gone…

But that was wrong. That would imply that it used to be there before.

Gone…

The gears in my head were old, complicated and… cracked. Bits and pieces were chipped off and lost forever, along with those chips were most of my rationality and logic; the things that made me myself. I knew that. I knew and accepted that.

My Conscience had been the very first to break off. When I started my search for a way back to my old world, I realized that nothing would have happened if I just waited for something to fall on my lap. I made a choice, then, to do whatever it would take to get what I wanted.

Gone...

Next had been my Reluctance. I became daring; Driven. I acted like there was nothing else to lose. I searched and searched and searched, then I took and took and took and took… anything and everything that would lead to a new world.

Gone...

The rest of my mind soon followed. It was slow, and it was gradual. I lost more and more as the years went by, only seeming to pull myself back together when I came back to Equestria to visit the mare that took care of me when I first came to this world.

Gone…

My Humanity. That was the only things left inside. I clung on to it desperately even as I trained to fully master my body. Much of it had been lost, chipped away, but the core of it still held strong. It was the reason why I’ve never dared to go full dragon again. I feared that if I ever did, then that piece of me would shatter, taking the rest of my mind along with it.

Gone…

But I was wrong. That little piece wasn’t the thing that held me together. What held me together was my desire to go home, to go back to my family. And I found one. I found it after I gave up on trying to return to my old world. I found it before I fully succumbed into despair.

The Apple Family. My Family.

Gone…

They were my home. They were my loved ones. My Friends. My companions. My Treasure.

Gone…

They were what held me together. They ARE what STILL holds me together!

But they’re gone...

They DON’T exist here!

Gone…

Where are they!? Where is my family!? WHERE IS MY HOME!?

Gone…

Where was the little filly I raised?! The one who grew old enough to become the best grandmother for her family?!

Gone…

Where was the young and silent colt that I raised?! The one who grew up to be strong and dependable?!

Gone…

Where was my little niece that I barely even knew, yet?! I haven’t even shared many memories with her! I still wanted to tell her of my stories, to teach her more, and raise her like I did her family!

Gone…

Where was Applejack?! Where was my little girl, the one I loved and cared for like my own?! Where is she?! Where is my DAUGHTER?!

Gone...

“Give them back.” I glared through gritted teeth. “Give them BACK!”

The winds blew into a hurricane. Magic erupted from my very skin as I stared at WHAT NEVER CAME TO BE.

The forests around me tilted and fell. The animals fled for their lives. And the skies above darkened.

“GIVE THEM BACK!”

Hakumen!

You! You’re the reason for this! It was because you tampered with the past, it was because you meddled with the destiny of this world! You took away something that can never be returned!

“Give them back.”

My vision blurred as my tears fell. My jaw trembled as I held back a sob.

“Give them back…”

My legs buckled and I fell to my knees. My magic stopped spreading into the air, my mind unfocused and buried in grief, as I cried on the grass.

Gone...

I knew that this wasn’t my world. I knew that my Family still existed. I knew. I KNEW.

But… only my Mind knew. My Heart simply couldn’t tell the difference.

This was a possibility that I never wanted to happen. This was a possibility that I feared the most. In the Alternate Equestrias, I never wanted to come to one where my Family did not exist.

“Please…” I sobbed. “Where is my home? Give me back my home.”

And so I cried and cried and cried… There was nothing else that I could do.

They were all Gone...

I have never felt so drained in my entire life. To face a reality that you never wanted to happen could destroy a person.

When I came back to Canterlot to meet with the two sisters, they asked me what happened. I didn’t say much. I just told them that the devastated land would gain Hakumen’s attention, where he would come and investigate for the cause.

I left all of the planning up to them. I was unwilling to participate and was just content in simply floating in the realm of the Shadows. There, I pondered on what to do in a world without a home. But I couldn’t think of anything.

A few days later, Hakumen was spotted near the area where Ponyville should have been. The Princesses had been making preparations and were ready to deploy by then. They waited a few hours to make sure that Hakumen didn’t leave. When they deemed that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon, they decided to put their plans into action.

It was an evening with a full moon. The Everfree around the old castle of the two Sisters was quite, instinctively knowing the hidden tension in the air.

I looked up and stared at the monument that once held the Elements of Harmony. It was the same place where Applejack and the rest of her friends found the stone orbs of the Elements, back during Nightmare Moon’s return. The stone scales still held the five orbs in this world but…

Taking one in my hand, I started scratching off the moss that clung on its surface. There was no magic within the rock in my hand, not even a sliver of power. It’s been too long since the Elements were taken. These must merely have been their vessels.

“Preparations are complete.” Celestia declared behind me. “Hakumen has been spotted near the forest, in the area where you and him fought before.”

I hummed in response, still not motivated to do much. I was still grieving.

Celestia clicked her tongue in irritation. Her temper had been running high since the day I came back to their castle. I barely interacted with her and her sister, and when I did it was only to give them a response.

“I still do not see what was so special about that land.” She said with mild contempt. “Even after you leveled the area, we still saw nothing of importance in there.”

A bubble of rage started to rise inside me, but it simply fizzled out before it could become anything more.

I blinked and looked down at the two broken halves of the stone orb in my hands. I pushed them back together to see if the breaks matched, simply out of curiosity. They did. With that satiated, I placed the broken halves back on the scale where I first took them from.

Celestia snorted, reading more into my reaction than there really was. “Get ready.” She said in more like a command. “You know the plan already, yes?”

“I do.” I nodded, my back still turned to her.

“Then remember,” she added, “this plan relies on you to inflict as much damage on Hakumen as you can. Luna and I will be in the distance, to make sure that we are ready to attack as soon as you give the signal.”

“Understood.” I said. Though I did wonder briefly how they plan on penetrating the defenses of the Susano’o Unit. I’m not sure if even I had something that could break the outer layer of Hakumen’s armor.

Soon…

Hm?

Soon…

My head turned from side to side, looking around the ruined castle. A strange feeling welled up inside me, something similar to anticipation. But it wasn’t mine. I could tell that it wasn’t mine.

There was something like a resonance in the air, an invisible pull tugging at my core.

My head finally turned towards Celestia and I felt the pull stronger coming from her. She was looking into the distance, to the place where Hakumen was said to have been located. Her stance, expression, and her aura radiated the same feeling of anticipation that I sensed.

I frowned in confusion. I don’t recall having that kind of ability. I was no empath, there was no way that I could have developed something like that. At least, not without the [Fusion] and [Mutant] Gene inside me, and not without a creature with empathetic properties. But even then it would require me to be in their presence for decades for such mutations to occur.

“What’s on your mind, Princess?” I wondered out loud, catching her attention.

She turned to me, her expression transforming into a mask of determination. “Nothing that concerns you, Displaced.”

Yet those words only heightened my curiosity. The feeling of anticipation was still there, hidden under her facade, and I could still feel it. “On the contrary, Princess, if what you have has anything to do with the upcoming fight, then it is a concern of mine. Any potential distraction could lead to my demise. I will need you and your sister to be focused primarily on the task at hand.”

Celestia’s face scrunched up in anger as she glared at me. “Then there is no problem.” She said through gritted teeth. “The only thing that I have in mind is the death of Hakumen and the peace of my kingdom.”

My brow quirked at the statement. “Your kingdom?” I asked, taking a step closer to the armored Princess. “I seem to recall that there two rulers of this land.”

The alicorn’s face darkened and I was mildly surprised at the amount of contempt that I saw on her expression. “Yes…” she hissed. “There are TWO princesses in Equestria at the moment, yet everypony seems to forget that tiny, little detail.”

Two, she said, as there had been no ascensions in the last few centuries. There was no Princess of Love in this world. Cadence existed, that much I was sure of, but the little mare lived in Cloudsdale, away from the ground where Hakumen walked. She was put in charge of the flying city, but that was it. Perhaps she was too busy to find her calling and become a princess? I didn’t know, for I didn’t check.

“A sense of Deja Vu suddenly overwhelms me.” I mused, taking another step closer to the mare. It felt like the start of Nightmare Moon all over again. “Care to share your tale, Princess?”

“It’s none of your business.” She spat, turning her back to me and trotting away.

I dove into my shadow, thick and prominent thanks to the fires of her mane and tail, and quickly rose out of the shade under hers. The [Shadowwalk] had been quick, near instantaneous, and Celestia reared back in surprise the moment I popped out in front of her.

“But, Princess, it’s as I said,” I leaned forward and loomed over her. I held her gaze just as wide as she held mine. “If this distraction will endanger my person, then I at least would like to know the thing that could possibly get me killed.”

Celestia glared and leaned forward, the front of her horn pressed on my forehead as she began to push against me. Her mane lit the shadows under my hood. “I said: It’s none of your business.”

“As the Bait,” I grabbed her horn and pushed back slightly. She gasped in surprise, but I used my other hand to grab her face to make her look back into my eyes. “It is my business. I’m placing my life on the line for you and this world, the least you could do is share what you’re thinking. Tell me what’s on your mind, Celestia, tell me what could possibly fill you with anticipation that I could practically feel it radiating off your body.”

I released my hold on her head and took a step backward. I endured her glare without flinching. Even as the fires that made up her mane blazed bigger and hotter, I held her gaze without blinking and stared right into her eyes. Still, she remained silent despite my disrespect.

My eyes narrowed. I couldn’t have that. Her hidden feelings were driving me mad. It was like a compulsion, something I can’t seem to break out of. I want to know that she’s thinking. I want to know what made her give out such an intense feeling. I want to know.

What is it that you desire so much?

“Tell me…”

Celestia’s eyes widened and dilated as she stared into mine. I saw her whole body shudder as my words rumbled out from my throat, a growl of something primal. I could feel my eyes change from a partial transformation. The unknown Gene insde me started to beat like a heart, only harder, as if reacting to something. Was it to Celestia, or was it to me? I don’t know.

With my eyes transformed, the [Evil Eye] came in effect. My intent was delivered straight into her mind by eye contact; my want, my desire to know. Celestia could only stare, unable to bring herself to look away. I could see my psionic ability taking effect.

Her mouth moved, but her words came out shakily. “This… is the day that I’ve waited for so long; the day where the love of my subjects would return to me.”

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. “How?”

“With the death of Hakumen.”

My brow raised in curiosity, but I didn’t break eye contact. “Explain.”

She hesitated for a moment, but that was because her face turned pained before she spoke. “My sister is loved by all. She is the Jewel of Equestria. She brought them peace through their dreams, giving them an escape from the terrifying reality where Hakumen exists.” Her jaw trembled and a single tear fell from her eye. This reason, this secret, it must have been a heavy burden in her heart. “But I had no such power. I could not help them like my sister, I did not have the same control as Luna. Though my magic is great and abundant, greatly dwarfing hers, I did not have her skills.”

A few more drops escaped her eyes and fell down on the stone floor. Finally, she broke eye contact, only to wipe her face of them. I did not stop her, nor did I force her to look at me again. There was no need.

“I could destroy a mountain with ease, burn down acres of land with the same effort, but all of those were useless.” She said. The tears now fell constantly, and she no longer wiped them away. She could only stare at the ground, letting them trail down her face unimpeded. “For all my strength and power, they were all useless against Hakumen. He could cut through my magic, negate my amazing strength and he could kill me just as easily as crushing a bug.”

Yet she lives. I’d heard of the many clashes between the Sun Princess and the White Knight, and the armies that she raised against him. But the end of all those battles were the same. Hakumen would stand on a bloody field, the survivors would cower away from him, and Celestia would look defiant under his presence. But the White Knight would never cut down the princess, no matter how many opportunities he’s had in the past.

“He left me humiliated every time.” Celestia spat at it with a curse. “My subjects, then, began to fear me. They feared that I would call upon them again, for their fathers, brothers and sons; to take up arms and attempt to kill the White Terror. Luna would always, then, be there to sooth their fears, portraying me as the villain and her as their savior.”

“I’m sure that wasn’t what she intended.” I said to her.

“You’re right.” She chuckled bitterly. “It wasn’t. She tried to stop me more than once in my attempts to fight Hakumen, but I didn’t listen. My pride would not let me listen.” Her head raised and she looked back into my eyes. Tears streaked her face, and a bitter smile was on her lips. “I was arrogant. When we were crowned as rulers of Equestria, I made a vow to bring Hakumen to justice. I urged Luna to use the Elements of Harmony with me to seal him, but that was a failure. He knew what they were, and what they were capable of, and he held nothing back for the first time in order to take them from us.”

I could imagine how terrifying that must have been. Hakumen became stronger and faster all of a sudden, becoming an unstoppable force. I remembered the risk that I had to take just to make him stop.

“I did not give up and pressed on. I sacrificed so many lives because I was stubborn, unwilling to stop. I drove my subjects away. It was only because of Luna that I am not outright scorned by them. It was because of her that I still have some form of respect for my station.”

“ Do you hate her for it?” I asked.

“At first I did.” She admitted. “But over time I came to realise and understand what her deeds had done, and I love her for it. I stopped throwing the lives of my ponies at Hakumen, but the jealousy was still there. We both knew it was there. And yet she still loved me.” She wiped her tears away, and the smile on her face was no longer bitter. “It would take over in most days and nights, but the love I felt for my sister would always triumph. It made me bitter and scornful, but I could always stop myself from lashing out. It strained our relationship as siblings, but even then she would still love me. It was I who strains it.”

I looked up to the sky, towards the moon, deep in thought. Celestia looked up as well, a smile was on her face, her eyes seemingly buried in a memory. A song started to play in my heart, a tune that resonates with the beat of the Gene inside me.

My eyes closed as the a cold evening breeze blew, and I savored the feeling. We stood in silence until I felt the song in my mind finish, only then did my eyes open. I’d made a decision.

“Tell me, Celestia,” I began, “ what do you wish? What is it that you desire that fills you with so much anticipation?”

The mare smiled as we looked at the moon. “I wish to help my sister, to free her of a heavy burden. For so long has she soothed the kingdom, for so long has she tried to calm them down. I wish to bring her peace, and happiness. I wish to bring an end to the strain of our relationship, to mend our bonds with each other.”

“And Hakumen?” I inquired.

“He is the obstacle.” Celestia answered. She turned to me with eyes filled with determination. “I wish to put an end to him, of the terror that he brings in his wake. I wish to free our kingdom of the threat that he represents. Will you help me?”

With a flare of my coat, I bent down on a knee. I looked up to her, right hand over my heart. The Gene inside my body thrummed louder, and I finally understood what it wanted. “I will do everything in my power to help you.” I declared. “I will free your sister of her burden, to bring her peace and happiness. I will help you mend your bonds and rid you of the terror that walks this plane.”

Celestia’s chest rose and a beautiful smile stretched upon her lips. Her eyes shone kindness that I’ve never seen before from her. “Thank you.” Her head bowed and her eyes closed in gratitude.

My arms came up and wrapped around her. Her eyes opened wide in surprise before she calmed, closing them again and settling into my embrace.

The song in my heart once again returned, singing along with the Gene inside my body. I felt strength coming to me, coming from her. It began to fill me, and I felt myself grow stronger.

A Wish. The Gene inside my body reacted to a wish. Like my Tokens, activated by a Wish or Desire, it felt like a call. Why is that, I wonder. Why did this new Gene react to it? Why did I feel stronger when I made that promise?

It doesn’t matter. I felt content.

In a world without a home, what am I to do?

Simple. Search for a purpose.

I won’t forget why I came here. I won’t forget why I traveled to a different world. My mission was to become stronger, to learn as many skills as I can. And with this knowledge, the property of my new Gene, I could accomplish that.

I sighed in contentment, my eyes opening slowly. I made a promise, and I would deliver. For Celestia, for this new purpose, I will do everything in my power to grant her wish.

My arms drew the mare closer to my body, holding her tighter. My first task is to rid Luna of her burden. For that, I will begin immediately.

The song in my heart ended, and the Gene in my body returned to its silent beats. I smiled, my lips stretched wide and thin. Then I grinned, broad and feral. The first task would be easy.

[BONEBREAK]

crack

Gambit

The cool breeze of the night felt good. The way it caught the tail of my coat, gently dragging it along, made for an entertaining watch. I’ve never worn a coat before. I once had a cloak, so many years ago, but it didn’t have any magical property. It got worn and torn by use and time, back when I dared to explore the farthest West of Equestria.

The moon was shining brightly, an illumination in the evening gloom. I felt so relaxed, like a heavy weight had been taken from my shoulders. Yet, at the same time, I felt so hollow; at ease, but without the satisfaction. The death of Celestia, of this Equestria’s version of Celestia, did not give me that satisfaction of revenge like I thought it would. Maybe it was because it wasn’t my Equestria’s Celestia, or perhaps it was because, like they said, revenge was an empty goal.

But that doesn’t really matter, I guess. That wasn’t my primary focus at the moment. Something was coming from the darkness of the Everfree. I could practically taste the anger permeating the air as the overwhelming presence seems to come closer.

Hakumen stepped out of the woods, his strides at ease and without haste. He leaped over the rickety bridge that hung over the chasm separating the Everfree from the Castle of the Two Sisters. He looked at the light coming deep inside the Ruins and proceeded into its direction.

He came upon the chamber where the vessels of the Elements of Harmony were supposed to be contained. Their altar laid farther into the room, beyond the source of light that illuminated the ruined chamber. He took a moment to stare at the light, his body making a momentary jerk of surprise. “No.” he said before he covered the distance between him and the light.

He stopped before it and knelt down. His hand hovered over the cooling corpse of Celestia, still donned in her battle armor. The light had been her flaming mane, now slowly dimming as the light of her magic had disappeared.

“Who did this?” Hakumen growled. He stood up and looked around the room, searching. There was nothing that the ruins could tell him. There had been no fight, no struggle. It had been a clean kill. Celestia didn’t realize the danger that she was in before it was too late.

I took some satisfaction in how he turned rapidly, the eyes one his body shifting and taking in everything that they could. It would have been a good laugh to see how long he would keep doing that, but it wouldn’t be very fun.

The sound of my clapping hands echoed in the ancient room, making Hakumen turn abruptly at the empty corner shrouded by shadows. I grinned under the hood of my yellow raincoat, willing myself to slowly phase out of the shadow. The way his body jerked and his hand going straight to his sword made me laugh.

“Yo, Hacky.” I said, stepping away from the corner. “Hisashi na, eh?”

There was an explosion of bloodlust. It washed over me live a wave and even managed to blow Celestia’s mane outwardly, away from Hakumen’s position. “TERUMI!” he roared.

“Pfft,” I snorted, “Good guess, bud, but you’re completely wrong.” I pulled my hood down; showing him my combed down and gelled hair, the stupid ahoge persisted in staying up. I placed my hands on my hips and waited for the inevitable explosion.

“RYU!!!!”

There we go.

“Yo.” I greeted again, lazily. “You look pretty high strung there, Hacky. You really should relax for a bit. Stress if very bad for the health.”

“YOU KILLED CELETIA!” he roared at me. His bloodlust looked like it was coming off of him like mist. I let it wash over me like a breath of fresh air.

“How dare you accuse me of murder!” I exclaimed indignantly, shifting my body to the side and clutching my chest with hurt feelings. “Did you actually see me commit such a heinous act? Do you have any proof of your claim?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know!” Hakumen said, his voice still high and shouting. “Why did you kill Celestia?!”

“Again with the accusations.” I shook my head, waving my finger with a tut and scolding him. “If you’re not careful, Hakumen, you might hurt someone’s feelings.”

“Then are you saying that you didn’t kill Celestia?” he asked.

I snorted. “Oh come now, let’s not be too hasty. I never said I didn’t.” My body exploded into motion, a burst of air exploding behind me and propelling me forward. I lashed out with my left foot just in time for Hakumen to raise his arm in defense.

A glyph of [Zanshin] appeared over Hakumen’s forearm, waiting for my shoe to make contact. Then I stopped. Not because of Hakumen’s skill, but by something that I used on myself. I stopped in mid-air, suspended by an unseen force. My own telekinesis held me at bay and stopped me from touching the skill on Hakumen’s arm.

“What?” Hakumen asked, his glyph fading as the skill’s duration only lasted for a moment. I smirked at his confusion and twisted. Using my left foot as leverage, the foot closest to the other Displaced, I swung my right one and nailed the masked warrior in the side of his head.

The force of my kick sent the armored Displaced into a rolling tumble, continuing until he rolled straight into the altar of the Elements. The stone structure of the altar was obliterated by the Hakumen’s plated body, sending the stone vessels of the Elements scattering all over the floor.

I landed by Celestia’s corpse, stopping one of the stone vessels by stomping my foot on it. I waited for the dust to settle and to see Hakumen stand. The man didn’t disappoint as he was back on his feet and already mid-leap before I could get a better look at him.

With eyes shining from my [Mind’s Eye] I traced the path of Hakumen’s sword and moved my body slightly, shifting far enough that the blade won’t reach me.

Ookami, Hakumen’s tip-less nodachi, cut nothing but air. I was prepared for the pressure that followed the swing and braced for it. The blast of wind succeeded only to blow the tail of my coat into the air but didn’t do any harm on me at all.

I kicked the stone orb forward as soon as I saw Hakumen’s leg move. The Element’s stone vessel rolled straight into the spot where Hakumen’s foot was going to land, causing the man to crush it in his step. The follow up swing he made swung wide and missed me by a mile because of the disturbance of his footing. I took that moment to point my right hand’s index and middle finger at the eye that was on his right shoulder; his sword arm.

“[Lightning]” I said gleefully.

A massive bolt of static erupted from my fingers, straight into the eye on Hakumen’s shoulder and through it. The other Displaced screamed in pain as he flew backwards, discharges of electricity dancing around his body. His right arm shuddered violently, but he impressed me when the hand hold his sword remained firmly closed. The eye that had been my target on his shoulder was covered in soot, and I was displeased to see that other than that the eye remained intact.

“Damn,” I muttered. “You gotta love an indestructible body. No blood or any of that messy stuff at all.”

I turned around and walked over to Celestia’s corpse, ignoring Hakumen’s writhing body. I could have capitalized his prone position, but kicking a man while he was down wasn’t all that fun. Not unless I could see his face twist in pain. But the mask kinda made that point moot.

“Thank you for luring him here, Celestia.” I said to the corpse as I picked her up by her broken neck with one hand. I wiggled her for a bit and watched head roll side to side. “I hope you don’t mind where you’re going, but I really need you out of the way.”

Then, for Hakumen’s viewing pleasure, I opened my mouth wide and connected the shadows in my mouth to my inventory pouch before swallowing the corpse whole. I made sure to add some noisy slurping sounds just for Hakumen to hear.

I patted my belly after my little swallowing act, burping out a small bit of air as the bloodlust in the air seem to multiply. Odd growling noises started coming from Hakumen’s body. The little mists of power that was coming from his armor were thicker now and his muscles seem to be shifting under the cloth.

“I showed you mercy and allowed you to leave with your life.” He said as he rose back to his feet. His almost-seven feet in height looked bigger under the oppressive air that was pushing down at me. “But you did not heed my warning and instead spat on what kindness and generosity that I’ve given.”

“Says the guy who didn’t even let the Element Bearers manifest in this world. There is no Kindness of Generosity here.” I quipped, only to get ignored.

“And now you killed one of the rulers of this world and devoured her body right before my eyes.” He said.

“I’m sure that if you wait long enough you’ll see her again.” I said, ignoring his angry ranting. “But I hope you don’t mind her looking like shit since… well, she’ll literally be shit after she goes out the other end. Though, if you ask me, it would be an improvement. Just think of it as her moving up in the world and embracing her calling. She was a shitty ruler before, and now she has the chance to literally be one.”

“RYU!” Hakumen roared. “I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!”

“What’s there to forgive, you dumbass.” I deadpanned. “I was doing it on purpose.”

“I am the White Void, I am the Cold Steel, I am the Just Sword!” Hakumen chanted loudly, his rage palpable with every syllable. “With Blade in hand I shall reap this world of YOUR Sins and send you into a path straight to Oblivion!”

“Oh my, you edited your mantra just for me?” I asked, flattered. I should be honored, but instead I just felt like laughing at how much he was pouring his hate towards me. “Go on, continue. Introduce yourself to the only person here who already knows you.”

“I AM HAKUMEN!”

“Hello Hakumen.” I said in a sarcastic drawl with a lazy grin on my face. “Would you care to share your thoughts to us this evening?”

“I WILL BE YOUR END!!!!”

“…And that’s why we all need therapy.”

Hakumen went down into his stance, a palpable aura of rage and power cloaking his very form. During his mantra he had gone and activated his Overdrive mode. The man that I was facing now was the Unlimited version of Hakumen. With an increased level of Power, Speed and a variety of new skills available to him, Hakumen has declared that he was going to kill me dead before the night ends.

I clapped my hands gleefully and laughed loudly. Just what I wanted. “No wonder Terumi was a prick. If this is how people react most of the time then I can really understand why he loves screwing with peoples’ heads.”

“You think this is funny?!” Hakumen asked loudly, his front foot creating a spread of cracks along the stone floor as he placed his weight on it. If he thought that a show of power was going to scare me, then he would be wrong.

“Maa, maa...” I waved my left hand dismissively in front of my face, a massive grin stretched on my lips. “Lighten up, Hacky. If you get any angrier you might get a stoke. But never the less, I suppose that I should return the favor for you little display.”

I crossed my arms before my face and squared my feet. My legs bent and braced themselves on the ground. The stone castle shook… because I wanted to look impressive. I let my magic seep from my skin even as I continuously used my [Quake] spell into the ground. My coat flared and thrashed from the winds that I conjured up along with my magic leak. Hakumen actually looked wary as he tried to keep his balance. Then, I began my own chant; as a tribute to my opponent.

“I am the Great Wood”

Hakumen twitched.

“I am the Intimidating Pillar of Power”

Hakumen growled.

“I am the Great Phallic Idol!”

My seeping magic shot to the sky, longer and higher than the one Hakumen displayed. It became a beacon of awe and majesty, exposed to many in the miles around. I threw my arms to the side and bent myself backwards, to the point where my pelvis was jutting out.

“Like a tent in the pants, I have risen to the challenge to bend you over and make you cry like a bitch.”

I failed to keep my laughter in check and started howling with mocking hilarity. The way Hakumen was trembling didn’t help matters.

“You Can Call Me Daddy!”

The pillar of light dissipated and I shifted my body to send my right leg forward before slapping my thigh. A loud smack echoed in the suddenly silent castle.

“Now come here and get rekt!”

…

“Ryu…” Hakumen spoke, his tone dead and lifeless.

“Yes?”

I jumped back quickly and awkwardly as the ground before me suddenly exploded into a pile of dust and debris. Before I could even land, Hakumen was already in my face. He grabbed me by the collar of my suit and then pulled me close to his faceless mask. He roared this to my face:

“YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD!!!!!”

“AND YOU’RE OUT OF CHARACTER!!”

With one hand firmly keeping me in place, he used his sword arm to swing Ookami at our close distance with the intent of taking my head. I grabbed the hand that held my clothes and slipped out of his fingers. I barely managed to bend myself backwards to dodge the swing, but the shockwave that followed the attack sent me rolling and tumbling away from him.

He was already there when I recovered, already swinging his sword at me. I made another close dodge and was sent tumbling once again.

More swings came and I barely had any time to have my legs under me. There were too many close calls for me to be comfortable with, but I still managed to keep myself in one piece. The waves of pressure that came from Hakumen’s sword swings prevented me from really recovering fully, but I felt that if I ever braced myself for too long then Ookami would cut me in two.

More stone, dirt, and parts of the castle was sent flying into the chasm surrounding the ruins by Hakumen’s relentless assault. The longer this lasted the more I was coming to regret ever staying here. I felt like bits and pieces of my life were being carved away for each close call that pass. My heart was beating wildly; muscles and nerves were strained by my use of magic just to keep up with Hakumen’s enhanced body.

When I managed to get my feet under me again, I made a mistake and stumbled. Half a second gone and Hakumen was looming over me with his sword raised. His presence was overwhelming, like a massive figure in the veil of death. It was in that moment that I realized that I may have made a mistake in mocking him the way I did.

But that didn’t matter to him. There was no way he could choke out the loud and hysteric laughter that was coming from my lips, the one that’s been playing ever since Hakumen’s first attack.

The White Knight raised Ookami high. The moon behind him made his armor glitter in its ray and the man became a figure of both terror and majesty before my eyes. My life flashed before me; from the day I came to Equestria, my struggles, my quest for home, my training, the friends I made, the family that accepted me, to the fun but short times I experience with the Bearers.

Tears trailed down my face as Hakumen swung down. My laughing ceased.

Ookami bit down on my left shoulder. The blade sunk down and parted the cloth of my raincoat. It continued downwards and went past my shoulder, down my ribs, past my heart, stomach, hip and left leg.

The ground beneath me exploded when the blade came down with a thunderous boom; the sword having finished its pass through me.

When the dust cleared I saw my frozen smile reflect from Hakumen’s mask. He stared at me and took a long hard look.

My right hand shakily came up and grabbed him weakly by his mask. My fingers trembled as my nails tried to find purchase.

“You were a fool, Ryu.” He said to me. “And now you pay the price.”

My mouth opened and moved. For a moment I tried to find the words that I wanted to say. “But, Ha-Hacky…”

Then my fingers finally found something to hold on to. I grinned at him, one full of energy.

Full of Life

I showed him all of my front teeth in the smile. “I’m not dead yet.”

Hakumen jerked back too late.

“[BONEBREAK!!!]”

For the first time in the evening, I made my own shockwave. However, unlike the ones made by Hakumen, mine connected to its intended target. With my right hand firmly wrapped around Hakumen’s masked face, there was no way for him to escape my point-blank telekinetic attack.

The shockwave originated from Hakumen’s cranium, my attack going straight into his brain. The man reeled and screamed in pain, but my fingers remained firm. With a physical connection established close to his mind, I dove into his psyche and pulled.

“[MONOPOLIZE!]”

Memories not my own flashed before my eyes. Experiences that I never encountered poured into me, sharing wealth of knowledge for every second, minute, days, weeks and months that had been Hakumen’s history.

I screamed. Hakumen screamed. Our minds were connected, both of us in great pain, but I was getting the better cut of the deal.

With a roar of effort Hakumen’s free left hand found my torso and shoved me away. I went rolling down the cracked stone floor, dazed and with a great and splitting headache.

“Gahh!” Hakumen thrashed and swung his sword wildly, one hand clutching his head. Wave after wave of air pressure bloomed with his every swing.

I was laughing; still laughing even as I rolled out of control and slammed into a wall. Both my hands were on my head, my mouth alternating between choked laugher and screams of pain.

I LEARNED… I LEARNED SO MANY THINGS!!!

[Impact], [Corona Upper], [Comet Cannon], [Space Counter], [Asteroid Vision], [Big Bang Smash], [Particle Flare], [Planet Crusher], [Nacht Jager], [Nacht Rozen], [Schwarz Jagd], [Sturm Wolf], [Konig Flug], [Frostbite], [Ice Blade], [Violent Ice], [Crystal Strike], [Ice Fang], [Moon Song], [Kokuujin: Yukikaze], [Arctic Dungeon], [Hell’s Fang], [Gauntlets of Hades], [Inferno Divider], [Dead Spike], [Belial Edge], [Carnage Scissors], [Blood Kain], [Devoured by Darkness], [Sword Iris], [Ouroboros], [Venom Sword], [Serpent’s Benediction: Rising Fang], [Serpent’s Infernal Rapture], [Eternal Coils of the Dragons Serpent], [Hungry Darkness of a One-Thousand Souls], [Burning Heart], [Bang’s Shadowstep Jutsu], [Bang’s Tempest Kick], [Bang’s Unstoppable Double Palm Thrust], [Set Nail], [Fatal Eruption], [Steel Rain], [Bang’s infinite Chaos-Fist of the Void], [The Ultimate Bang], [Zanshin], [Guren], [Kishuu=Enma], [Renka], [Hotaru], [Zantetsu], [Tsubaki], [Kokuujin:Shippu], [Kokuujin Ougi:Mugen], [Kokuujin Ougi: Akumetsu]...

So many… so many techniques that I don’t think I’ll ever even use. It hurts my head remembering them; remembering them using Hakumen’s memories. But the pain felt good.

I stood up from my spot on the wall and saw Hakumen start to calm. He wasn’t swinging his sword anymore, but he was still clutching his head with one hand.

“What did you do?” he asked me. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

“I did what I intended to do when I came here.” I told him. “I took your techniques and learned them. Since you weren’t willing to just hand them over, I took them.” I tapped my head and grinned at him. “Straight from the source.”

Hakumen growled before shakily going back into his stance. “You are far too much like Terumi for my liking.”

“[Mind Eater], right?” I asked. “It’s Terumi’s ability to steal memories of people and taking them for himself. Yeah, now that you mention it, I can definitely see the parallels between us. Though unlike him, I have diversity in my repertoire.”

I raised my hands high and turned my body to the side. A sword manifest in my grasp made from my magic. From there it began to gather the energies in the air, using my [Leech] skill and empowering the blade.

“That’s-?!” Hakumen exclaimed in disbelief.

“[Kokuujin:]” I said with a wide and gleeful grin. “[Shippu!]”

I swung the blade down and unleashed a concentrated wave of destructive energy. It washed over the stone floor of the ruined castle, kicking dust and debris as it went. Hakumen braced himself on the ground, the attack being too wide and too high for him to dodge, his head still probably throbbing in pain.

The wave did nothing to his defense, but his feet were rooted to the ground unless he wanted to get blown away. The conjured sword shattered in my hands, it's energy spent. With the wave dissipating, I charged straight at Hakumen with a wide and vicious smile. But he was ready. He snapped his sword from his defense and made a horizontal slash at my body. It was an attack that I didn’t dodge, letting it hit my side.

Hakumen completed his swing through my body, but my right leg connected to his masked face without any problem. He went for a returning swing, another attack that I didn’t dodge. The blade passed my body without obstruction and my next attack connected once again. This time it was a focused punch, Makoto Nanaya’s [Impact] drive.

The charged fist dealt a heavy blow, strong enough to topple Hakumen and send him tumbling and skidding backwards. I threw a [Magic Ball] behind me and let it detonate. The flash of light elongated my shadow and connected it to Hakumen’s, where I used that connection as a path for my [Shadowwalk].

I appeared above the Knight even as he skidded on the ground, one hand raised high with another glowing and charged fist. But the man exploded into action and whirled into a spinning disk of legs. One clawed foot connected to my side, but like his blade it just sunk into my body and passed along without inflicting any damage.

My fist lashed out and drove him straight into the ground. The floor collapsed under the weight of my blow, sending us down into the depths of the ruins.

With the moon shining down at us into the hole, I grabbed Hakumen as we fell. I grinned at him and watched my reflection off his mask as the floor came closer and closer behind him. Hakumen made an effort to grab me by the collar of my suit, but his hand just passed through without even touching me.

I kicked off his chest and added the force of the impact of his fall. One of the larger part of the collapsed floor was falling over my head, and I was left without much choice to dodge it.

So I didn’t.

I let the falling rock crash down on my head, the moon still illuminating the hole on the upper chambers, and I phased straight into the shadow of the falling debris without effort.

The rocks fell and buried Hakumen in the rubble. Multiple tons of stones crashed down, kicking up dust and covering the place in smoke. I phased out from one of the shadows and stood in the wreckage, never really doubting that the heavy rocks did any sustaining damage to my opponent. I was proven right when one part of the hole erupted violently. I sat down on one of the rocks jutting out of the floor and waited for the man to appear again.

“Shadows…” I heard him say. “You can use shadows…”

I grinned and brushed away the dust on my coat. My suit was still clean and pristine, and there was no damage on my body whatsoever. “Neat trick, right?” I asked. “Thanks to one of my skills I can step in and out of shadows whenever I please. I’ve used it for sneaking, for travelling, for setting ambushes, and most of all…!”

“You use it to dodge my attacks.” Hakumen said with a growl.

“Where there’s light, there’s shadows.” I explained. “And where there’s shadows, there’s a path for me to escape through.” I pointed up the whole where we were in, up towards the moon shining down on us. “It doesn’t matter how strong the source of light is. As long as there’s an illumination I can use this skill whenever I want. And with the right set of clothes…” I pulled at my coat, pointing at the darker spots hidden inside.

“You use your coat to cast a shadow over your own body…” he said. There was a tone of wonder and caution in his voice, and he was probably thinking of ways of how I utilize this skill of mine to the fullest. “That means…”

“You can’t touch me.” I told him, loudly and confidently. “You’re blade can’t reach me, Hakumen!”

This was why [Shadowwalk] was my trump card. It provided me with a perfect method to dodge. When my opponents thought that they had me, I took the pleasure of proving them wrong by killing them while I stood inside their shadows. It was nearly a perfect escape method, as well as an assassination method. All I had to do was make a light in front of my opponent. When their shadows were cast that was when I struck; either behind them or from inside the armor that they thought that would protect them.

“You’re wrong, Ryu.” Hakumen said. “I can still reach you.” He raised his blade by the said of his head and took a stance.

“[Time Killer], right?” I asked with a smile. I knew that there might not be a chance for me to dodge a conceptual attack, but so long as his blade can’t reach me I didn’t need to be afraid. “That’s pretty much the reason why I showed this to you. I can’t make a decisive attack that will put you down for good, and there was still a chance that you might use [Time Killer] on me when you get desperate enough. I can’t allow the attack to take me by surprise, that’s why I had to make you realize that you can’t touch me by conventional means.”

“So you’re going to bet it all into a single moment?” he asked.

“If your blade reaches me then I’m dead.” I said, “No, even worse. I would be deader than dead. My Present would be cut, my Future will never come to be, and my Past will unravel. I’ll be dead to the point where I never even existed. That’s the scary part about conceptual attacks; it hurts you deeper than any physical wounds ever could.”

“And you’re just going to take it then, my attack?” he asked.

“There’s no point in moving.” I said. “Like I said, it’s conceptual. If I move then you’ll just cut down the me of the past that stood where I’m currently standing, and that might still reach me. But if I don’t move from this spot, and still manage to dodge, then you’ll be left weakened by doing the attack. That would be my chance to end you once and for all.”

“You’re insane…”

“No,” I shook my head, “I’m desperate. There’s a difference.”

“…” Hakumen stayed silent as his power flared. Ookami shined brighter than the light of the moon and I had to stop myself from reflexively move from my spot. Like I said, there was no point. This was a gambit meant to cut down what could have been days’ worth of battles.

Shoving my hands in my pocket, I made sure that there were no exposed skin where he could aim at. The only spot available was my face.

“This is the End!” Hakumen shouted.

“Just take your swing!”

“TIME KILLER!”

I barely saw him move. And as I predicted, he aimed at my most vulnerable spot.

My face was exposed since I pulled down my hood in the beginning of our fight. My hair could have triggered my skill, but that had been blown back by Hakumen’s assault. If he aimed high then the shadows on my scalp would swallow my forehead completely. If he aimed low, then the shadows under my chin would move up. So he made the most logical choice of attack and made a thrust for the bridge of my nose.

Just like I wanted him to.

As his blade approached, I saw with my [Mind’s Eye] where he would strike. I tilted my head upwards, the shadows of my scalp were crawling too slow to reach the area where the sword would touch. The same was with the shadows under my chin. But I already knew that. I already anticipated that. So I did something that I knew he didn’t think of.

I opened my mouth and breathed out a tiny gout of flame. It didn’t stop Hakumen’s sword, nor was it meant to. With my head tilted upward, and with the fire coming out of my mouth, my nose cast a shadow right between my eyes. It was too late when Hakumen realized his mistake. My head was gone before his attack even connected.

This was my win.

First Diary Entry

Dear Diary,

I write to you now weeks after my coming to this world. A world where I'm somewhat familiar with thanks to my time at home and doing nothing but surf the web and look at what meme people have come up with. It's hard to believe that... I'm actually here. I've been doing my best to cope and survive in this new land, and thankfully, the local dragon diet was adapted by this hybrid body of mine.

The human once seen on my reflection as Clyde Pierce was transformed into the visage of Ryu, dragon 'Prince' of the Brood Clan. The last, as far as I know, of the Brood who could access the full might of his bloodline. Even now, I'm still having a hard time coming into terms with this name: A character supposed to be of fantasy, now turned my reality.

I take these words down to remind me of what I was and what I am not supposed to be. I was human, but now turned into a dragon. If I ever read this page again, I wish to remind myself of one thing...

Don't Forget Home

Crossover: You Will Know Our Names - Part 1

Author's Note

Heads up for my readers. This is a part one of two chapter crossover between mine and FrostTheWolf's Swords, Sorcery, and Shennanigans. Both the chapters that will appear on our stories will be the same, and I get that some might complain about it. But this needs to be done so that there won't be any confusion in the story.

This'll be in a third person perspective since the neither of us wanted our Displaced to be left out of a scene. Tell me how you like and dislike, people! Write what you feel about it!

:fluttershysad: Pretty please?

Crossover: You Will Know Our Names - Part 1

As the night progressed, some ponies usually are sleeping peacefully. Around this time though, Spike was starting to get a little restless. His stomach grumbled as it urged him for a midnight snack.

When he began to walk downstairs, however, he felt that something different inside Nicko’s room. Usually the human would be there, already sleeping at this hour. But something felt off.

Quietly, the young drake snuck into the open room only to find an empty bed.

“Oh horseapples.” The dragon muttered. “This is bad.” Leaving without making any noise wasn’t like him.

The dragon quietly left the library. He needed to find the human and the best person to check with first was probably Molly. She was at Lyra’s at the moment, so it was a safe bet to start there. After reaching the house he knocked on the door.

He heard a groan and some sluggish shuffling coming closer. He could relate to the feeling, but for now finding Nicko was more important.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Spike. Is that you Lyra?”

The door opened and the mint green unicorn greeted him at the entrance. “Spike, it’s two in the flipping morning. Why are you here? Do you need to pick up something?”

“Actually, I was wondering if Molly was here? I woke up and found that Nicko wasn’t in his room.”

The mare groaned as she rubbed her eyes. “I can go check right now…” she muttered as she went back inside. It didn’t take long for him to hear her cry out in panic moments later. “Oh no! Molly’s gone!!”

“What!?” The dragon hurried inside the house, and met the unicorn running back to him.

“She’s not in her room! Where do you think they are?”

“I don’t know!” Spike told her, the feeling of panic was starting to build up inside him. “Get to the hospital and see if Amy is still there. I need to see if Anson is still at Pinkie Pie’s”

Nicko groaned as he came to, his head felt like it someone wrapped it around in string and let it loose like a top. His vision was blurry and his sight was out of focus. The ground under his hand felt like stone bricks, like the ones he’d seen in Canterlot. He remembered that Eric had space and time distortion abilities. So he was probably one to blame for this.

‘Eris? Are you okay?’

‘Ugh… My head… I feel like I got turned into an anvil and somepony tested the hammer to see how hard I was.’

‘You and me both.’ The Rune Slayer said as his vision finally came into focus. He saw the stone brick path he was on, but it was different from Canterlot, a little darker. He heard screams, but they sounded nothing like a pony’s screams and more like a hawk or an eagle’s cry.

“What is that thing!?”

“Call the guards, quick!”

Nicko’s shook his head and got to his knees. He could now see what were making those noises. They were quadrupeds, half bird and half cat. Even with the different colorations of some of them, it was easy enough to guess that they were Griffons. Some of them were running away but more than a few were on high perches and glaring down on him.

‘Eris, where the hell are we?’

‘I don’t know, but this place looks very familiar. It looks like… Griffonia. The Kingdom of the Griffons. But still, this place doesn’t feel like the one in Equestria we know. Everything feels… off. I can’t even feel your brother or my father’s magic signature.’

Seeing that they weren’t walking on two legs was obvious enough for him. The griffons here were more like the ones in human mythology than the ponies that he was used to.

Now Nicko was back on his feet. His sword was on his back and his bag was slung across his chest from his right shoulder. Before he could even step forward or ask anyone for clarification, he was swarmed by a flock of Griffon Guards with swords, spears, crossbows and spiked maces pointing directly at him.

“Don’t even think about trying anything.” the head guard in charge of the battalion hissed at the teen.

“Okay, just what exactly is going on-?” Nicko tried to ask before all the most of the weapons moved in closer to his chest and neck.

“I’m the one who’s going to be asking the questions, runt.”

‘Oh no...’ Eris thought inside Nicko’s head.

“What did you call me?” The disturbingly calm Rune Slayer asked the guard, his tone gaining a hint of edge in them.

“Listen runt,“ the guard emphasized the word. “I told you I would be asking the questions here and there’s no possible way for you to escape-.”

“Listen up, feather duster!! I have no freaking clue how the hell I ended up in this place and I’m trying to find a way to get back home. But you are being a complete jackass and thinking that when I haven’t even done anything, yet.” Before the head guard could even give an order, Nicko curled his fingers and swiped his hand around him. A ring of runic magic appeared around him, causing the guards to jump back in surprise.

“It’s a spellcaster!?!”

“What the heck is he doing!?!”

‘What in chaos are you trying to do, Nicko?’ Eris demanded as the symbols swirled around him.

‘I’m trying to make a distraction. I don’t want to hurt any of them, but we need to get out of here. Can you possibly put a smoke bomb by my feet?’

‘Yeah, but why-?’

‘I’ll have the runes hit it and cause a smokescreen. In the panic, we can make our move and get out of the city.’

Eris grinned. She liked the plan. Inside Nicko’s mind, the Draconequus conjured the spell while Nicko slammed the ring of runes into the ground. The Smoke Bomb went off, clouding the area. The guards coughed and covered themselves in what they thought was an attack. The Rune Slayer then made his move, knocking some of the weapons out of the way and then running down an alley.

“Don’t let him escape!!!”

He ran around the unfamiliar ways of the city, ducking through every alley he could find. The guards scrambled into the skies and scattered, using their sharp eyes to find the Rune Slayer. Though the smoke bomb had been a great idea, Nicko still stuck out amongst the griffons, especially with his vibrant red hair.

“There he is! After him!!”

The guards followed the direction of the Rune Slayer and dove down to trap him once again. They were more cautious now that they saw him cast magic.

“Oh come on.” Nicko muttered as he stopped and turned around. “SPLASH EXPLOSION!!”

He unleashed the spell and had the medium sized rune hit ground to create another smoke screen for him. The pursuing griffons covered themselves to protect their eyes from the dust, giving Nicko enough time to climb the roof and clear a number of buildings before the guards resumed their chase.

‘Eris, would you happen to know a way out of here. we can’t keep running forever.’

‘Yeah, I got a plan. Just go towards the wall and jump off the edge.’

The city was built on a mountain, and unlike Canterlot it didn’t dangle on the side like the royal sibling’s castle. It reminded Nicko of the old Assassin’s Creed setting.

‘Are you insane!? That’s suicide!!’ The Rune Slayer mentally screamed at the spirit, even though he knew that he was running out of options. And roofs.

The guards coming from both the ground below and the air above, leaving him limited amount of room to move around without getting cornered. The only option he had was to trust the spirit of Chaos as he was being corralled to the edge of the outer wall.

“You have nowhere to run!” he heard the same guard in charge taunt behind him.

That really made Nicko want to spite the guard. “Actually, A Rune Slayer like myself always has a place to run. Just some ideas are crazier than others.”

With that, Nicko took the leap of faith off the edge. The guards still tried to follow the wingless maniac down his fall. It was a smart move, but he forgot that they had wings. Only when they were about to reach him, a bubble of magic enveloped Nicko where he disappeared with a sound of a snap.

“What in the Ancestor’s name?!”

The captain roared as he and his squad pulled up. He looked around, searching for any indication of where the runt had gone to, but there was no trace of him anywhere. “I don’t know and I don’t care.” he snarled. “Have every able guard on high alert and have them search the outside of the castle as well as the streets. Stop anyone suspicious and if they resist-.”

“Sir!” a frantic guard flew over to him, panting heavy breaths as he flapped his wings to stay in place. “The King was attacked!”

The captain’s eyes widened and clenched his beak. “The King!?”

"Yes, His highness is in critical condition and the healers are trying their best to keep him alive.”

The captain on the guards nearly broke his talon from the grip that he had on his sword. This was all a distraction. While they were chasing that so called Rune Slayer the blasted rebels were back to their old ways once again. He still questioned why the King kept their families alive.

“All Guards are on FULL alert as of right now!! Look high and low for that bastard. We’ll turn this city inside out if we have to. Anyfeather who resists will be arrested and charged with treason!”

“But sir-.”

“NO BUTS!!! Now GO!!!”

As the guards were searching the city, the Rune Slayer reappeared in one of the cave pockets on the mountain, panting heavily as adrenaline coursed through his veins.

“Nicely done. Just where are we though?”

“In a cave, duh?” the spirit said with a roll of her eyes. “Back home, I use to come here all the time if I wanted to take some time to just think when I was just tired or stressed. I call it, The Crow’s Nest.”

Right. Because crows are birds and griffons are part birds. Haha. “Will we be safe here?” Nicko asked.

“Yeah, I used Aura magic on the door to make it look like it’s just the side of a cliff. Barely anypony would know how to remove it unless they too knew the same kind of magic.”

“Good job.” Nicko replied as he sat down in a Lotus crossed legs position. “Any ideas on how we should go from here?”

“Yeah. You stay right here and try to regain some of your energy. I’ll go see what the commotion back in the city. A few griffons mentioned something about “rebels” so maybe the history section of the library would have some information about it.”

“Wouldn’t they see you though?”

“Not if I use an invisibility spell.” Eris replied as she snapped her fingers and disappeared.

“Heh… Very clever.”

“Alright. I’ll be back as soon as I can. You stay here.” The spirit told him as she left the cave, leaving the Rune Slayer to reread his skill notes. He wanted to refresh on his powers, because it seemed like he needed to use some new spells given the current situation. That way, he could prepare himself for whatever he was put up against.

Down the mountain, in the village where Ryu and Gilbert were, the drake was watching the old griffon’s students run through drills he himself thought of for his friend when he was younger. He was especially enjoying the aerial acrobatics meant for dynamic maneuvers for aerial chases.

Those who walked by eyed him warily. Thirty griffons. Those were how many he had knocked out last night. Even if they were still trainees, they still had at least two years of training experience.

It had definitely been a disconcerting experience for them. It was different when it was them that were hunted down, instead of the other way around.

Sir Gilbert had tasked them to follow Ryu into the forest, and kill him if they could. They became overeager when the old knight promised that they would be recommended personally to the crown if they succeed. They didn’t know how a daunting task it had been.

Ryu used [Chill] to slow them down and bring forth dread with the cold. He used [Thunder Strike] to knock them out, and used [Evil Eye] to paralyze them with fear. Being a race of predators themselves, that had been a big blow to their prides.

At the very least, all of them learned something from the test. Though they differ from each other, they all agreed to be more vigilant in the future, and train harder so that they may get the blue haired human back for what he did to them.

“Ryu.” the old griffon came up to him. “I see you’re still here. Normally you’d be gone after a day. Aren’t you going to say hello to the rest of the family as well?”

“I was planning on it.” he replied, leaning back under the shade of a tree. “But ever since last night I haven’t been feeling well.”

Gilbert raised a curious brow at him. “You’re sick?”

Ryu snorted at the old griffon. “Dragon immune system. If there a virus out there that could bypass that then it would be something of legends. I also have healing spells that would magically burn any ailment in my system.”

He had [Cure], [Remedy], and [Purify]. He also had other spells that would accelerate his healing. But with the way he fights, anyone that actually manages to injure him severely must have done something to force him to out of hiding. That, or he made the dragon pissed.

“Of course.” Gilbert said sarcastically, palming his head. “How forgetful of me.”

“I know a spell that can turn other creatures into eggs, Gilbert.” the dragon warned his friend. “Don’t test me.”

[Ovum] was a transfiguration spell. A terrifying skill that turns something into a fragile egg. Though it’s not like Ryu knew how to cast it.

“Do it, then.” Gilbert dared. “It would be good to have my youth back.”

“I will boil you.” Ryu growled, only for the griffon to laugh at him instead of feeling threatened.

“Sir!”

Both griffon and drake paused in their banter as a messenger glided down to them from the mountain. The old knight stood straighter while Ryu quietly slid inside the shade and into the shadow dimension.

“What is it?” the old knight asked.

“There’s been a disturbance in the city.” the messenger reported. “While the guards chased down the culprit, an attempt was made to the King’s life.”

Gilbert’s eyes widened before they turned into a determined glare. “Did they catch the one to make the disturbance?”

“I’m afraid it escaped, sir.”

“Damn.” the old griffon cursed. “And the King?”

“In critical condition. We don’t know if his majesty will make it, sir.”

The old griffon cursed once again. This was the work of those damned rebels again. This was the closest that they’ve come to killing a member of the royal family in decades. Hopefully his majesty will pull through.

“And?” Gilbert asked. “Why come to me? I’m already retired.”

The messenger saluted. “Sir, we need all available griffons. I’m afraid they called for you and some of the trainees to help hunt down the cause of disturbance.”

“Peachy.” the old knight grumbled. He looked over to where the younger griffons were observing their interactions and stopped doing their drills.

This could be good, or this could be bad. They were still inexperienced, but after what happened last night they were more than likely to treat this more seriously than they would have the day before. Still, if it was for the crown…

“Matilda!” he called out. “Get over here with the rest of the sharpshooters!”

The female griffon and eight others came before the old knight, lining up in a row. Each of them stood in attention, and showing not even a hint of emotion.

“I’m sure you all heard him. We need trackers to find whatever it was that distracted the guards. You’ll all come with me to the capital.”

“What about the rest of us, sir?” another griffon, Bret if Ryu not mistaken, asked.

“The rest of you will stay here. Be prepared in case you get deployed. Even if you all haven’t graduated yet, you’re still trained for moments like these. Make sure that none of you embarrass me.”

“YES, SIR!” the trainees all saluted.

Gilbert turned back to the messenger, nodding. “There you have it. Tell your superior that we have nine able trackers, and twenty-one battle ready troops. I’ll be up in the city shortly.”

“Sir!” the messenger saluted before flying away.

From under the shade of the tree, Ryu phased out into view. “Their pulling you out of retirement?”

“So it seems.” Gilbert grunted. “But I’m not doing this alone.”

The drake raised a brow, prompting his friend to continue.

"You were planning on showing yourself to the world, right?” the griffon asked his old mentor. “What better way to do that than to help the crown.”

Ryu hummed in thought. “I suppose you make a good point.” he said. “This could also be a chance to gain the favor of your kind. If Celestia finds out that I helped she might make one of those sour expressions of hers when I bring it up.”

“Celestia?” Gilbert asked. “As in the ponies’ princess?”

“Yeah.” the dragon nodded. “We don’t really get along well.”

“It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who hates your guts. Hahaha!” the old griffon laughed.

“Let’s just go.”

Ryu and the ten griffons flew up to the mountain city. The dragon had to forcefully grow his wings through his clothes without going full dragon. He groaned and complained how that still felt so unnatural. It wasn’t so bad during full transformations. The change was almost instantaneous that way. But partial transformations were slow and he could feel all the change happening in his body.

He made sure that he was in the middle of the flock. He knew that other creatures acted irrationally after they see something living and know nothing about it. He’s been chased by enough mobs to be certain. Being in the middle made him look less threatening.

They all landed in the main street leading to the palace. The area made Ryu think of an old game based on earth’s history. The houses were made of slab, with barely any amount of wood to be seen. Even though some them have been rebuilt to modern designs, there were still those who chose to follow traditions and lived a minimal lifestyle.

Ryu decided to keep his wings for a while. Being in a mountain gives you more opportunity to fly than to run. Also, similar to growing them, they also give him a sense revulsion when they shrink back under his skin and disappear.

The streets of the city were quiet. But unlike the ponies, Ryu could see a few glaring eyes peering out the windows, each one carrying a weapon with them. Being a militaristic race, each griffon had at least some form of combat training.

“Sir?” one of the griffons around Ryu spoke.

“I’ve noticed.” said Gilbert.

Every time they pass a house, the eyes of its residents were solely glued on them. They could hear weapons being readied and hostilities were obvious for all of them to see.

“Ryu?” the old griffon called out to his friend.

The drake had deep frown on his face as his eyes roamed every open window in the city. Those citizens weren’t pointing their glares at the ones around him, but directly at him. He held himself back from growling as their actions made him want to react in kind. He didn’t understand why they look like they wanted to swarm him.

“Sir Gilbert!”

The dragon was thankful that there was someone who distracted him. All those eyes were starting to wear him thin. The griffon who arrived reminded Ryu of his old friend’s armor back when he was still in service. His helmet and shoulder guards were more stylized than the other troops flying in the sky.

The griffon looked at Ryu and glared at him. “I see you’ve caught one yourself.”

“Caught one?” Gilbert asked. “Explain yourself, Captain.”

Both the Captain and Ryu were looking each other in the eye, glaring at one another. “A few hours ago one this thing-” he pointed at Ryu. “-appeared in the city. It fled before we could take it in for questioning. My squad chased it all over the city streets where it jumped off the mountain and disappeared soon after. We believe that it was some sort of teleportation.”

Gilbert turned to Ryu in surprise. The dragon shook his head from his friend’s questioning look. “Not possible. I’m only one that looks like this.” he gestured to his human form. “Trust me, I’ve looked for a very long time.”

The Captain scoffed at the drake. “Looks like you didn’t look hard enough.” He could see that his taunts had visible effects, and that the bipedal creature was straining to keep himself from lashing out. “While we were busy with the chase, the palace had been attacked. The Queen and her children were fine, but the King was severely injured from defending them.”

"How is his Highness?” Gilbert asked.

“Weakened.” the Captain spat. “We believe that the weapon used had been poisoned. Only time will tell if the King will recover.”

“If it helps, I know a spell that burns most type of poison and accelerates the healing of the body.” Ryu offered.

“How delightfully convenient, then.” the Captain growled. In a blink of an eye, his sword was out of his sheath and pointed directly at Ryu’s throat. “For the attempted murder of the crown, I hereby place you under arrest. Surrender peacefully or we will use lethal force.”

From the rooftops of the houses, dozens of griffon knights rose up into the air, creating a cage of feathers with Ryu, Gilbert, the Captain and all nine trainees inside.

“I’m trying to help.” Ryu growled, glaring at the Captain. The younger griffons huddled together with their mentor, who pushed them off to the side as Ryu conversed with the stubborn Captain.

“Stay your blade, Captain!” Gilbert commanded. “He is not one of the conspirators who tried to murder the King!”

“I’m sorry, Sir Gilbert, but this is the closest that they’ve gotten in killing a member of the royal family. We cannot take any chances.” the Captain turned back to Ryu. “What say you, Monster?”

“What say I?” Ryu repeated. “I say: You have five seconds to stop this idiocy, think carefully and rationally before I bring down [Lightning] on every single one of your troops.”

“I dare you to try.” said the Captain, pressing his sword to the unconcerned dragon’s throat.

Gilbert dove between the two, pushing the sword away from his friend. “Stop this foolishness. I can vouch to you that Ryu is no threat! He has been with my family ever since my grandfather’s time!”

“But he is our only lead, Sir Gilbert!”

“And I’m telling you now that he knows nothing!” the old griffon roared. “He can help us! The more you antagonize him, the more he’s liable to refuse his offer to aid us!” he grabbed the Captain by his armor and pulled him close. “He can bring anyone from the brink of death. I’ve seen him do it, and experienced the same thing myself.”

Gilbert pushed the guard away, moving back beside his old mentor and friend.

“Do not be so impulsive, Captain.” said the old knight. “As you’ve said, we need all the help we can get. Then what better way to help than have a dragon on our side.”

“Dragon?!”

The guards all turned back to Ryu, who shifted his scaly wings blew smoke from his mouth. His eyes were slitted and glaring hatefully at the Captain.

“You were this close in dooming the city.” said Gilbert to the stunned captain. “Angering a dragon is foolish, but angering an Elder Dragon is the height of idiocy.”

“An Elder Dragon?!”

Once again surprise ran throughout those who were present. Though much were still unknown to the titanic drakes, the griffons still held the most experience when it comes to knowing how destructive they are in a fight. Battalions were needed to fight one, and Armies would probably be required to even face an Elder.

Legends were still told of their ferocity, of how the griffons warred against the beasts over a thousand years ago before they simply stopped their pillaging.

Fuego would have burned them all to a crisp before devouring them.

Agua would have cut their mountain in two and wash away the remains.

Sora would have buzzed his wings until they crash, and laugh as they fall from the sky.

Titan would have simple roared and they, along with their mountain, would have crumbled from the power of his voice.

Da Wan would have used his magic to grow in size and send their armies across the sea while he rampaged across the city.

“That’s not possible!” cried the Captain. “This thing cannot be kin of those giants.”

“Would you like to test that?” Ryu asked. His arms slowly shifted into a dragon’s, and his boots disappeared while his legs also began their transformation.

The Guards above readied their weapons as the Captain took a few steps back.

“That’s enough, Ryu.” Gilbert warned his friend. “We need to cooperate if we want to bring the bring those who did this to Justice.”

“Then they can start by bringing me to their King.” he told the old knight.

“We will never let you near his Highness!” the Captain roared, brandishing his blade.

Ryu glared at the stubborn griffon. “Then you leave him to die. If your King really was poisoned then he grows weaker by the minute. Unless you already found the cure.”

“Well, Captain?” Gilbert asked. “Was the antidote already given?”

The griffon hesitated in answering. His weary eyes were still on the blue maned dragon. In a few moments of reluctance, he lowered his sword and sheathed his blade. “No, I’m afraid that this seems to be a new type of poison. The healers are doing all they can to find the an antidote for it.”

“Then would you at least let him try helping the King?” Gilbert asked.

“I’ll even let you chain me.” said Ryu as he presented his transformed hands. The captain would have believed his sincerity if it wasn’t for the infuriating smirk that he had on his face. Dragons were strong, naturally, and chains would have done nothing but inconvenience them at best. If they could chew through gems, then what’s stopping him from merely gnawing his restraints.

“Let them pass!” he ordered the troops, but begrudgingly so. They parted a path towards the palace, with some grumbling under their breaths. He stopped the drake just before he walked by. “If you do anything--”

Ryu didn’t let the Captain finish as he quickly bent down and got into his face. “If I did anything then you wouldn’t be able to do a thing but watch as I burn everything you care about.” he hissed. “I wouldn’t even care for your kind if it weren’t for the Downing Clan. I would have been content ignoring your existence.”

The griffon clenched his beak as both of them glared at each other. With a final scoff the dragon turned away and followed his friend to the palace. The captain watched until they disappeared inside, feeling the anger bubble inside him.

“Sir?” another griffon came up to him.

“Investigate the Downing Clan.” he ordered. “Find out everything you can from Sir Gilbert’s grandfather up to their descendents today. I want to know who that creature is and his motives.”

“But sir, Sir Gilbert said--”

“I KNOW WHAT HE SAID!” he turned to the guard sharply. “But that doesn’t mean that we have to accept his word for it. Find out what you can and bring it to me. The Downings used to be part of the rebels. If they went back to their old ways then we must be prepared. GO!”

“Yes, sir!”

Glaring at the palace one last time, the Captain jumped into the air and resumed his search for the red haired runt. He will find the brat and make him pay for this humiliation. Him and that dragon bastard.

Eris felt tense. Despite the fact that nopony could see her in the spirit’s current state, something made her think that a pair of eyes were watching her. Upon returning to the castle, she could tell that their arrival had caused quite a stir. Guards were everywhere and every one of them seemed on edge. Well, it was a given since their species was very militaristic.

As she slithered through the streets, she could hear the guards talking amongst themselves. Mostly about who was this “Rune Slayer” that jumped off the wall of the mountain castle. Others about non important issues that were the least of her concern at the moment. She just stayed focused on her goal on reaching the Griffonia Archives.

A positive sign for her that she was going in the right direction was when she saw the archway that led to the inside of the building. Eris found a directory and began to search for where she would need to go. The spirit’s best guess was something involving history. So looking through the guide, her eyes soon found the place where she needed to be.

? Historical References: Floor two, Row 137

‘Well, at least I’m getting somewhere.’ The Spirit told herself as she floated up to the second floor and swiveled to the right row. Now the hard part. To try and find the most accurate book in the row. Most of the books she found were either illustrated or for Hatchlings in grade school. It wasn’t until reaching almost the very end of the row where she found a valuable source.

Here and Now: A guide to Griffonia’s History

‘Bingo!’

She didn’t even question the convenience of it all. But then again, being a spirit of chaos, conveniences were hardly anything new.

With another snap of her claw, a pair of glasses appeared in her other paw. They looked similar to normal reading glasses, but unlike those these ones were a bit special. It was one of those little items that would have made Twilight Sparkle start frothing in the mouth. It gave the wearer the ability to Speed read through books. Eris was personally thankful that Twilight did not try to steal them from her yet.

The glasses began to work the moment Eris put them on and opened the book. Hundreds of pages began to flow and blur as she kept flipping them one after another. One particular spot made her stop in the middle of the mind-numbingly thick book. There was something within the Griffon’s history that was different with the one back in her home.

A War.

Putting a claw on the top of the page, Eris began to softly read the scripture on the page. “Many years ago, there was a war that split Griffonia in half. The Royal Family only wished for prosperity of the nation, but wanted to stay in their home continent. However, an uprising began as the more foolhardy of the Griffons wanted more. They wanted to go beyond the seas and conquer the lands and place them under their banner. Both groups clashed and after years of conflict and bloodshed, the Royal Armies won at the cost of disgracing multiple noble families for their participation in the rebellion-.”

The Draconequus stopped as her ears picked up voices coming in the hallway and noticed two guards by the stairwell leading to the first floor. She slithered in the air and hovered above them. Something about their conversation intrigued the female Draconequus.

“Hey, did you hear about what happened in the city with Sir Gilbert?”

“No, I’ve been moving along these damn floors for the past few hours. Isn’t that old fluke retired?”

“Was retired. Thanks to what happened with the Red maned brat, the guards have been on full alert and called for everyfeather able to lend a claw for help. But when he came with a few trainees, a dragon was with him.”

“You’re joking? A dragon?”

“Not just any dragon, but an Elder Dragon from what I heard.” The griffon emphasized. “It was on two legs and had the same body structure like the little runt with the sword in the courtyard. He even offered help heal the king’s wound and extract the poison out of him.”

Eris stopped listening to the guards at that point. She never heard of any “Elder Dragons” before and with the description of the individual the guard just mentioned, it almost made her think of a human, if they made the comparison with Nicko. That tidbit made her curious, though.

Turning towards an air shaft in the back of the room, the chaos spirit squeezed on through and made her way back outside. Eris had something else that she needed to do now.

She wanted to see who or what this “Elder Dragon” was. Her curiosity was getting the better of her on this as she slid past the tightened security in the hallway that led to the kings chambers. Boring old history would come later, this was more interesting.

Boots, claws and paws scraped over the marble floors of Griffonia’s royal palace. Nine military trainees sent as trackers now served more like an escort as they passed through each grand halls. The ceilings were built high above the ground, enough space for griffons who chose to fly in order to reach their destination faster.

Few who served as staff and guards alike threw scathing looks at the group. Though none were aimed at their fellow birds, the young soldiers-to-be felt a sense of unease the further they went inside. The cause of the feeling came more from their companion, rather than the looks sent their way.

Ryu was clenching and unclenching his hands every time he caught a griffon glaring his way. He fought back a snarl for each one, and resisted the urge to paralyze them with an [Evil Eye]. It was only because of Gilbert, walking by his side, was the only thing preventing him from doing so. There were also the guards who tried to silently follow them into the palace.

Though the group of ten guards tried to be silent, there was no hiding the sounds of their armors unless they trained for it. The Griffons prefer open combat rather than Ryu’s more efficient style in battle, thus their lack of a more subtle branch in their military.

Ryu had turned his feet back to normal and reformed his boots. He kept his hands in scales and his wings out as proof that was what he claimed to be. What he didn’t expect were the looks that they were sending him as he passed. Each one was slowly chipping away at his patience. The sooner he heals their King, the sooner he’ll be out of the palace in search for what could probably be another Displaced.

That was the only explanation he could come up with. The person that they chased in the city was more than likely another of his unfortunate fellow human thrown into Equestria. Based from the description that he learned from one of the passing guards was that he was able to create explosions using some sort of runes. It reminded him of Gwen from that other Equestria and her impossible application of Formalcraft.

Hers had been instantaneous magic circles to create a phenomenon in reality, and this one sounded similar in application but focused more on a single outcome: Explosions. But he couldn’t be sure of that. This Rune Slayer had only cast two spells that created explosions. He may have more in his arsenal. After all, even though Ryu himself focused more on [Shadowwalk] and [Magic Ball] he still has his Psionics and Elemental Magic.

As the group approached an ornate set of double doors, the standing guards gave Gilbert a respectful salute.

The old griffon returned the gesture. “We’re here to see the King.”

Both guards took a quick glance over to Ryu before looking to the griffon. “Sir, are you sure it’s safe?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” He turned back and looked at one of the younger griffons. “Matilda, you and the rest are to stay here. We’ll be back in a moment.” He looked at Ryu. “This won’t take long, right?”

“Not unless I have to reattach a limb.” the dragon answered.

Gilbert nodded. “Come on, then.”

The two guards opened the doors for them. The room was the royal bed chambers. It was a little bigger than Luna’s room in that alternate Equestria that Ryu saw.

Surrounding the bed were two griffons in white outfits. If the drake had to guess, they were the medical staff. On the other side of the bed was another griffon, though this one was garbed in a very expensive looking ensembles worn by the royal family. Based from the way she held the claw of the bird on the bed, she was most likely the queen.

“Sir Gilbert.” she greeted in surprise. The old griffon giving her majesty a respectful bow. “And who is this?”

She turned and faced Ryu. He expected the same look that the rest of her kind had given him, but was surprised when she merely looked confused and startled. She gave no malicious looks directed to him.

“My Queen.” Gilbert greeted. “I am here with someone who may be able to help his Highness in this time of great need. Allow me to introduce to you my mentor, the Emperor Dragon, Ryu.”

Said drake resisted the urge to slap his former disciple. Gilbert knew how embarrassed Ryu was when someone mentions that atrocious title.

“Emperor?” the Queen repeated in surprise. “Were the dragons not governed by the Elders?”

“They are, and currently still are.” Ryu answered, placing a clawed hand over his chest and tilting slightly forward for a small bow. “I am one of six who rule over the drakes. Emperor Dragon is what the ponies have given me a thousand years ago. I am referred to as Kaiser by my fellows. I am neither above nor below the Elder Dragons for we six are all equal in rank no matter the age, gender or power.”

“I see.” her Highness muttered carefully. “May I ask why you have come here, Lord Kaiser?”

Lord Kaiser. He liked the sound of that.

“I wish to help your King.” Ryu gestured to the heavy breathing griffon on the bed. The stab wound on his chest looked rather severe, even when covered by bandages. “If I am not mistaken, the rebels this time have summoned something not of this world. They used him as a distraction in order to catch the King and guards unaware of the assassination attempt.”

“You know who did this?” she asked. A sharp glint of edge shone in her eyes. He knew that look. That was the look of someone who wanted revenge.

The dragon shook his head. “I’m afraid not. But I am here to aid you in search for the culprits. For now, however, I am here to heal the King. I have a spell that should be potent enough to close the King’s wound and burn most, if not all, of the poison that ails him.”

The griffon looked at him warily. “I’m afraid that I cannot allow that, Lord Kaiser. I hope you understand, given our situation, I cannot trust the life of my husband to an outsider.”

“Perfectly understandable.” Ryu nodded. “I commend you for your caution, your Highness. Had I been in a similar situation I would have done the same.”

He placed his hand on his chest once again, then bowed to the Queen in show of respect. This time his tilt had been deeper.

“You needn’t worry, however. I swear by my name, as a member of the Elder Council of Dragons, in accordance to the Dragon Code, that I am here only to help you and your kind. I only wish that this situation be resolved as quickly as possible, and clear the name of the fellow that I believe to have been wrongfully summoned into this world.”

“Does this mean that you know of the one who created the commotion in the city?” she asked in surprise.

“Not personally, I’m afraid.” Ryu said. “But I am fairly certain that this person is not only similar to me in appearance, but also in circumstance as well. I also wish to clear our names and not be associated to the rebels that plague this kingdom.”

“I see.” the Queen sighed as she visibly relaxed. “So that is your motivation?”

“Of course.” Ryu gave the griffon a tiny smile. “As a dragon I cannot allow these vermin to slander the image of my kind.” As a human being. “I will make those rebels pay dearly for succumbing me to the hate and glare of the populace when I myself have done nothing wrong.”

“I understand.” she said. “I do hope that you will accept my apology for my subjects’ grievance. This attempt on the King has been hard on us all.”

“I accept your apology.” the dragon said. He took a step forward closer to the Kings bed. “If I may?” he asked.

“Please.” she pleaded. “Help my husband.”

Nodding to the distraught Queen, the medics by the bed gave way for the dragon. Ryu held up his hands over the suffering King as he channeled his magic.

“[Cure]”

Light descended from his hands as the spell began its work. The effects were almost immediate as the King’s labored breaths began to calm, his expression easing as well.

[Cure] was a unique spell unlike some of healing spells in his arsenal. It accelerates the body’s healing and burns any ailment inflicted upon it. Every healing spell that Ryu knew was a product of a special type of energy: Life Magic.

He’s seen how powerful his healing magic was, and the effects that they do. Similar to the original game, they also deal damage to the undead. That had been one of the proof he needed to convince himself the his healing was a form of Life Magic. He has also been able to [Resurrect] dead animals whose time has not yet come.

Some of his friends, however did not see this skill as a gift. They treated the ability to bring people from the dead as dark sorcery. Even when he tried to convince them that it was not a type of necromancy, they still did not believe him. Twice had he only considered to use them, but he was rebuked on both times.

The first time was when he discovered them a few centuries ago, long after his surrogate mother had passed. He wanted to bring a friend’s recently departed mother back to life, but he was met with scorn and hate when he brought it up to them.

The second time had been for Applejack’s sake. Granny Smith, however, stopped him before he could even attempt it.

Ryu nodded as his work was finished. He stepped away from the bed and looked at the two medics. “Most of the poison is gone, and the wound has also been healed. He still requires the antidote, but his life is no longer in danger.”

Beside the King, the Queen was weeping tears of joy as she caressed her husband’s peaceful face. He looked at Ryu in gratitude. “Thank you, Lord Kaiser. How can I ever repay you?”

“If you would allow me.” Ryu began, “Then I wish to personally execute the ones responsible for this.”

From his spot near the door, Gilbert sighed. He’d been watching how his old mentor worked, and how his Queen’s spirit was lifted after hearing the state of the King. “We can’t let you do that, Ryu.” the old knight said. “This is our country’s business. A foreign power has no place in this.”

The dragon clicked his tongue, clearly dissatisfied by the answer. “I was hoping that I’d be allowed to, this time.”

“I am sorry that I cannot give you your wish, Lord Kaiser.” the Queen spoke, wiping away her tears. “If it is any consolation, I will immediately spread the news of how you helped the King in his recovery.”

“And hopefully that would be enough to piss the rebels off.” said the deviously grinning drake.

“You look like a villain, Ryu.” Gilbert commented.

“I never said I was a Hero.” he countered.

“Given that you did this to save your reputation…” Gilbert said. “I can believe that.”

The dragon shrugged in nonchalance, have no problems in being called a villain. “I suppose that now would be a good time for me to search for that red haired human that the guards are looking for.”

“You’re still going to help?” Gilbert asked with a bit of disbelief in his tone.

“If I’m right…” Ryu began, “Then that runt is trespassing on my world.”

"Trespassing?” the Queen inquered. “I’m afraid that I am lost in what you mean.”

“It’s nothing that you should be worried about, your Majesty.” the dragon waved her off. “If you consider these rebels as your business, then this boy is mine. Even if he does fall in your jurisdiction since he caused a disturbance into your city.”

“Hmm…” the Queen pondered. “If you wish, Lord Kaiser, I am willing to pass this task onto you. You may seek this “Rune Slayer” at your leisure while my troops focus on rooting out the ones responsible for my husband’s attack.”

“That would be the best course of action, I believe.” Ryu agreed. “If he’s anything like me, then he’s more powerful than he looks.”

“Is that your head I see swelling, Ryu?” Gilbert laughed.

“You’re lucky you’re old, Gilbert, or I would have smacked you for that.”

“How will you find him?” the Queen asked. She didn’t ponder on the fact that the two got along well together. If he truly was Sir Gilbert’s old mentor then that would explain why.

“I have my ways.” said the dragon.

Closing his eyes, Ryu drowned out the world around him. He began to feel the magic inside himself and focused on a particular ability.

The dragon’s body began to glow in a golden light. He raised his head as the radiance slowly concentrated on his forehead. When all of the light gathered into one spot, it rose in the air above him. Ryu opened his eyes to see it, and focused on a single goal.

To find the Displaced.

The bright speck above him suddenly created a string of light, pointing into a direction past the chamber’s wall.

[Prana: The Eye of the Gods]

It was an ability given to the original Ryu by the witch Deis. They sought her out and freed her from her imprisonment when she told them that she knew where Ryu and his friends could find the Goddess Myria.

Deis had been weakened by her five hundred years of imprisonment. She said that she would have take them directly to the Goddess herself, but her powers had been drained by the passage of time. In exchange, she awakened original Ryu’s [Prana] to point out the direction of the Goddess.

The Queen, Gilbert and the medics all looked at the light and the string, never having seen that type of magic before.

Ryu breathed out deeply as the light slowly faded. In the original game, that ability would have been used to find Myria. But since the Goddess was not in this world, it more or less had no purpose. In his years of training, however, he found a way to make the [Prana] search for beings with great power.

The Displaced, while seemingly lacking the raw output of a God or Goddess, still have enough power in themselves for the [Prana] to work. Or at least that was what he was hoping. It could be pointing out to a rather powerful artifact instead. Ryu prayed silently that it was directing him to the Displaced and the artifacts that they have.

“I have my direction.” he said to the griffons in the room. He looked at the Queen and bowed. “By your leave.”

“Oh, yes. Of course.” said the startled Queen. Now that she thought of it, a dragon was bowing to her. That was a rather strange experience.

“See you later, Gilbert.” the dragon said.

“Until then, Ryu.” the griffon saluted. Then he turned to the others in the room. “You all may want to close your eyes.”

The dragon chuckled as his friend was given odd looks. He raised his hand and created a [Magic Ball]. “You may want to do what he said.” he warned,

Without even waiting for the other griffons, he raised the spell high above his head and discharged it into a bright flash of light. He ignored the cries of alarm from the Queen and medics and quickly sunk into the darkened shadows.

Now all that’s left to do is find that Displaced.

As time ticked on, Nicko became a little antsy. He was trying to calmly meditate in peace, but this was harder given the present situation. The Rune Slayer and his Spirit friend were chased out of the city of Griffonia by the guards that protected the city. Now, Eris was trying to find information about this place that could help the two of them. However, it had been almost an hour since she left and Nicko was now beginning to get a little nervous. She wouldn’t normally take this long in order to find out something as simple as some information.

He spent most of the time waiting in deep meditation. He wanted to make sure his flow of magic was not cut off by anything or disturbed in any way. The Rune Slayer was now looking back at his skill notebook that contained the notes from Starswirl the Bearded’s research on rune magic and also his spellbook so he could remember the additional spells he had been processing.

Now though was when Nicko decided to get off of the floor and onto his feet. His legs had been sore from sitting in the lotus position for so long. He needed to stretched them so his reflexes could still be sharp for the moments that he had to fight.

But his thoughts drifted on to something else. He was worried for his brother. What was going on right now that he was here? What if he came back to find that Eric had ravaged everything back in his Equestria? The Rune Slayer shook his head, dismissing the thoughts as he straightened himself up after flexing his leg muscles.

“Alright, now to practice my swordsmanship.” The teen told himself as he grabbed his blunted greatsword and began to practice his basic attacks. He started with his basic attack combinations with his right hand and then switched hands to his left. Once he was done with that, he was going to focus on his active skills. He stopped when he heard a strange noise that attracted his attention. For a moment, he thought that it was Eris coming back. But soon realized something.

Eris never walked on her two legs, nor did she wear boots.

Nicko tensed as he turned around towards the entrance. From there, he saw something he never expected. Another human. He had blue hair and an odd choice in garments. He remembered that there was a barrier that prevented anypony from seeing him. But something told him that this person was a different case. Maybe someone like him…

For a moment, he saw that the man outside looking around. Nicko waited for a few seconds to see if he would do anything. What worried him though was the Katana this person had in his hand. Why he had his weapon out, he had no clue, but it was definitely not a good sign.

For the moment, he thought he was safe. Then, the man raised a hand and touched the outside surface of the barrier, tapping and knocking on it with his fingers. The Rune Slayer wasn’t sure why he would do so, but he watched as the person inspected the texture of the fake stone wall. Something made his blood run cold as he said one word off the tip of his tongue.

“[Simoon]”

The man’s hand glowed and braced himself. In a flash of fire and wind the stone barrier exploded, sending Nicko skidding backwards. The Run Slayer used his sword to hold his ground from the wave of force that followed it. Whatever this person did, he just destroyed Eris’s barrier spell. It may have looked simple, but it was still created by a spirit of chaos. Just what the hell was he?

The unknown individual said nothing as he walked through the entrance tunnel of the Crow’s Nest. He looked at Nicko calmly, but his slitted eyes reminded him of something ferocious. Like when he saw Smaug in the Hobbit movies. But his appearance was mostly human. Why would this guy make him think of a dragon?

“Red hair… and human. You must be the Rune Slayer, am I right?” This person spoke; emphasizing on Nicko’s job class as he said the question.

“Yeah, but what’s the big idea with blowing up the door?” Nicko stated. With the wall of rock behind him and the only exit was through the other guy, he felt really cornered. “Matter of fact, who the hell are you?”

“You’re not what I expected you to be.” The man muttered with his hand by his side and switching the grip on his sword in reverse. “My name is Ryu. Now, can I ask for your name?”

“My name is Nicko. Nicko Nocte.” He replied. The teen was feeling uncomfortable given the current situation. He wasn’t the best when it came to talking to new individuals he hadn’t met before and, threat or not, this guy was no exception. He curled and uncurled his left hand while his right hand held his sword.

Ryu saw the action and pondered over it in his mind. He thought that the teen might be a little tense. Coming in with sword in hand probably wasn’t his best decision.

“Now then, Nicko, let me ask you something… Why are you here?”

“Excuse me?” The Rune Slayer shot back. “I didn’t ask to be here. All I remember was going into the Castle of the Royal Pony Siblings with my brother and two friends to stop a crazed maniac, a bright flash of light went off and the next thing I know, I’m surrounded by a platoon of guards interrogating me like I’m a criminal.”

Quite jumpy, Ryu noted, and so quick to assume. There something about what he said that bothered the drake, however. “You mean Royal Pony Sisters, yes?”

“No, I mean Royal Pony Siblings. You know… Celestia… Artemis…?”

“Artemis?” The dragon repeated. That can’t be right. Did Luna have a different name in that Equestria?

Nicko was now beginning to be a little frustrated by this guy. Sighing, he palmed his face in exasperation. “Forget it… I have a question for you, though. Why are you here?”

Ryu shrugged as she turned his attention back to the teen. “Isn’t it a little obvious? I’m here to help.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“Well… little boy.” He decided to describe him based on his appearance. Nicko was five foot two, while Ryu was a little over five foot ten.

“What if I told you that-?”

Before Ryu could even finish his sentence, Nicko leaped forward and swung his sword at the Elder Dragon. Ryu’s katana quickly intercepted the blow as he gave a small grunt at the surprise attack. The expression on the Rune Slayer told the dragon that he may have angered the kid.

“Never… Call me LITTLE!!!”

Ah. So it was a height thing.

Nicko’s next move was to try and kick Ryu across the face, only to have it blocked by Ryu’s other hand. The dragon pushed forward, shoving Nicko back further into the cave.

“Look,” the dragon started. “Will it help if I said sorry? I didn’t know that you had a thing about your height. I didn’t think that you had a short-fuse over--”

“Stop calling me SHORT!”

The red haired kid lunged once again, swinging his sword at the dragon. Ryu could only sigh internally as the kid reminded him of a certain blond alchemist. Though Nicko seems a little more immature and definitely has a shorter fuse than the elder Elric.

Both Displaced clashed once again, with Nicko more on the offensive. The Rune Slayer hacked and slashed with abandon, swinging his sword at any spot he thought was an opening. He had power and speed, but the dragon noted the subpar sword skills and technique.

After years of sparring with Griffonia’s knights, Ryu has learned a lot from them. He also taught Gilbert for a few years. He saw the inexperience in Nicko’s swings, but his power and speed make up for them. If he hadn’t been directing the blows to slide off his blade, his [Mind Sword] would have probably shattered after a couple of blocks. Thankfully, though, the boy lacked the skills to force him to absorb the blows.

In one swing, Nicko swung with a little more strength in his attack. After redirecting the blow, Ryu shot out his hand and hit the Rune Slayer in the chest with a palm thrust. Thanks to his enhanced strength, the blow managed to push Nicko back, skidding on the ground. The boy hacked and coughed, holding his chest where the blow landed, glaring at the dragon.

Nicko went for another lunge, but hesitated at the last moment. His sword felt a little heavier, his muscles straining a little further. His joints also felt rigid all of a sudden.

From where he was standing, Ryu watched as how the boy tested his body’s movement. Nicko’s eyes were still on him, but still hasn’t attacked.

In Ryu’s arsenal of spells, some of his Psionic abilities have a special effect on the body. He had a skill that could lower his opponent’s muscle tension, slows nerve impulse, and addle’s the mind’s thinking processes. It allowed the Elder Dragon to gain the upper hand in battle for most beings with a brain.

[Blunt] and [Weaken] lowers the attack and defense in the original game. But here, Ryu can use them to weaken the muscles by hindering the brain.

[Slow] lowers the speed of the signals that the brain sends to the body, thus the sudden drop in speed and reflexes.

[Mind Flay] was an attack that also strikes the brain. It leaves a psychic block that makes mental processes to commit error in their deduction.

When he attacked Nicko with his palm thrust, he used his Psionics to force those effects on his body. Doing them all at once may have lowered their effects, but with every clean hit he can lower his opponent’s [Attack], [Defense], [Speed], and [Int] by 3% per blow.

Using his free hand, he conjured a [Magic Ball] that went off like a flash bomb, causing the Rune Slayer to cover his eyes. When the teen reopened them, his opponent was gone.

But that was when the cold edge of the Ryu’s blade touched the Rune Slayer’s cheek, having used the flash to blind him and using [Shadowwalk] to get behind.

“You’re clumsy when it comes to combat, kid. Give up.”

Nicko though, just grinned a little. This was the right opportunity to try out one of the new spells he was reading up on earlier. “I’m not clumsy. I just simply miscalculated.”

Not cool.

With one quick motion, Nicko snapped his fingers as what looked like a rune appeared from under his feet. The magic from the single symbol rose upward into the shape of a sword’s tip. Then more blades bloomed around its edges as it began to spin in a rather spectacularly hypnotizing display. "STORM BLADE!!!"

Ryu himself was surprised by the technique. Jumping back when it rose from the ground, he took a few shallow stab wounds before he managed to step out of their range. The Drake allowed for the possibility that the kid was able to do more than just cause explosions, but he didn’t think that the boy was strong enough to form blades out of just magic. It reminded him of his [Mind Sword], but this one conjured up more than one blade. It was stylish, if he had to admit.

Ryu countered Nicko’s attack with one of his own. He raised his hand and made a [Snap] just as soon as the blades disappeared. Ethereal jaws of a bear trap appeared in the air above Nicko and chomped on him multiple times. The Rune Slayer hadn’t been expecting the move, hoping that the surprise of his own skill would give him enough time to attack. He could only watch as the transparent jaws came down on him before it threw him to the nearby wall. He cried out as his muscles failed to tense and protect his ribs from cracking at the impact.

[Snap] left no visible wounds on the teen as it was purely Psionic. The image of the phantom jaws clamping down on him were enough for Ryu's psychic skills to realize the pain that would have come with them had they been real. From the pained expression that Nicko was showing, the secondary effects were also met. [Snap] had the ability to lower [Defense] as well.

Nicko gritted his teeth as he tenderly got to his feet. Ryu was still just standing in place, looking at him and not attacking. That really pissed him off. He couldn’t give up, though, he had to hold out until Eris comes back. Then maybe they’ll be able to get away from this lunatic.

In the dragon’s side, though, he was just waiting for Nicko to stop attacking. To think that all of this just because he called the boy short. At the very least he got to practice some of his skills. It was good to know that he still remembered them.

Using the blood that was on his hands, Nicko began to draw a rune symbol on the wall he was against.

Breathing out a tired sigh, Ryu kicked off the ground at full strength and propelled himself towards the kid. Thanks to the small size of the cave, it wasn’t much of a distance. He grabbed Nicko by his throat and held him up, preventing him from doing anything else lest he got choked to death.

“Just stop this right now. I really am trying to help.”

‘Says the guy who’s holding me up by my neck. Is this how you help other people?!’ Nicko shouted in his mind. He was going to say the words, but instead coughed up a bit of blood. Ryu’s grip was tight and it felt like he was crushing his windpipe. The drake was so preoccupied on the boy that he didn’t see the incoming bolt of Chaos magic until it curved in the air and struck him dead on the face.

Nicko dropped down and coughed turning towards where the magic came from. He was relieved to see who was standing there. “Eris!”

“Dear Chaos, Nicko. I leave you alone for thirty minutes and you already are attracting unnecessary attention.” She said as her eyes locked on to the individual rubbing his face on the ground. She recognized him as the “Kaiser” that healed the king. But why he was here was another mystery. She only stayed long enough in order to watch him perform his magic to heal the Griffon king before making her way back into town to gain information.

“How did you know?” asked Nicko.

“I felt a reaction from my barrier when it was dispelled. Shortly after that, I felt your magic like you were casting and I hurried as fast as I could.” Eris now turned towards the Elder Dragon that was on the ground as she floated over him.

Ryu was now starting to come back to his senses as he saw what was next to Nicko. “A Draconequus?”

“Yeah, so?”

Ryu groaned, lumping back on the ground. She looked a lot like Discord. “Who are you, then?” he asked.

“Names Eris. Spirit of Chaos and Discord’s daughter. Now, you better tell me one good reason why you’re here and why you attacked my friend.”

Great. A chaotic spirit with a temper. Just lovely.