Links to the Past

Hase got off the road as soon as it was possible. He didn't need the girls to try to catch up. They were going to distract him, and he needed to be concentrated right now. He was going to try to bring out some back- up.

It was probably going to be a horrible failure, but he had to try. He remembered how the lords bragged with their powers, and didn't want to leave his father fighting them all 6 alone. He wasn't going to be of any use, but something else would do the trick.

Hase wondered wheter Princess Celestia had already been informed of all this. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were probably going to contact her when the lords escaped their prison. That ment she was on her way, probably even already here. Perhaps she was speaking with his old friends and the girls in this very same moment. She probably brought the Mane 6 with her, meaning all of his friends would come searching for him at once. This many ponies (and Hermes, who would probably search from above) would find him very easily, so he needed to be ready before they could. He didn't want to be found, but he was also afraid to get lost in the forest, so he went to the only place in the Everfree he knew well.

The arc cannons aimed at him, as he stepped in front of the gate.

" Awaiting identification. " a robotic voice sounded from the speakers on the two columns.

" It's me. " the pegasus spoke.

" Voice recognised: Hase, director. Access granted. " the gates slid open and revealed the old hideout.

Hase walked forward, leaving the gates close behind him. This was the very place it all began. There was the three with the huge hole, where he built his home and lived for weeks, planning how to get it back at Celestia, even equipped with a small window. Except that tree in the bottom of the lawn and the thorn bush fence surrounding it, the lawn was clear. With a smile on his face, Hase remembered how he built robotic insects to spy the residents of Ponyville. Back than, when things were simple and he didn't have to deal with magical things he barely understood. His father told him he'd get used to it, but right now he was... uncertain. He had to help his father, but he wasn't sure what he was doing. The black alicorn had taught him one spell, he had figured a crude version of a second on his own, but how could he be sure something wasn't going to be terribly wrong if he tried to improvise again? If one of his machines broke, the worst thing, that could happen, was his laboratory blowing up. But if he messed up the magic he was planning, the whole world could suffer the consequences.

That's when Hase heard a familliar caw. He smiled and patiently waited, until his winged friend landed on his right shoulder.

" You'll always find me, won't you? " he turned to the phoenix.

Hermes nodded.

" You're a smart bird, you know. The only problem is the others will see where you landed. " Hase told him.

Hermes cawed, as if trying to ask something.

" Of course I want them to find me, just... not yet. " the pegasus frowned. His friends surely saw where Hermes landed, and were now coming in his direction. The thorn walls he knew the passages through, while they didn't, were going to grant him 10- 15 minutes, but no more. The arc cannons were going to be neutralized in no time, which ment he had 15 minutes to do something, before his friends came to reason with him.

' Don't think. Act! ' he commanded himself and decided to think of the consequences later. After all, if something messed up, he could suck the Voidians back in.

At first he imagined a portal, but he perished that thought immeadietly, remembering how the Voidians were being sucked in. No, he needed a single Voidian. Vortex had said, that Voidians come in all forms, and that all the creatures have a Voidian version. Hase needed something big, that could outpower a least half of the lords. Nothing came to his mind for minutes, and suddenly he heard Spike's voice from the edge of the lawn:

" I can see him! "

' A dragon! ' Spike came in the perfect moment for Hase to find the sollution. A Voidian dragon could easily deal with three of the lords and give his father an advantage. Controlling him would be tricky, but all Hase needed to do was bring it to the Castle of the Two Sisters. The black alicorn would take on from there. How hard could it be to force a dragon to fly half a mile?

So he imagined a dragon. A big, powerful dragon, like the ones that guarded their treasures. A dragon, that ment the difference between life and death. Than he summonned the surge of energy and felt it flow through him.

A portal opened in the middle of the lawn and a big black dragon flew out. His sharp muzzle opened, and he roared. Hase was satisfied by this dragon and was just about to try to gain control of it, when suddenly the portal, instead of closing, expanded to the ends of the lawn, as something huge flew out. All the black pegasus could see was a black body and wings, that spread from the one end of the huge lawn to the other. The dragon cried, as the winged black beast flew above him. As the thing turned around, its giant wings no longer hiding it, the startled black stallion realised, that this was a second dragon. It opened its jaws and a big stream of fire, as long as the highest tower of Canterlot's height, forced the other dragon into the portal. It closed behind it, as the beast landed in front of Hase.

This dragon was twice the size of any normal dragon. Hase was as big as one of its nails. As it folded its humongous wings, Hase could turn his attention to the other details of this dragon. Just like the other, it was all black. His tail had the same length as his fire stream, with many spikes in the end, that opened consequently, like aloe leaves, leading to the the biggest spike in the end of the tail. Such a tail could easily smash the whole Golden Oak Library with a single swish.

Its claws were beyond description. Each of them was probably as big as the Cutie mark Crusaders' classroom. But the most interesting parts of the dragon were his neck and head. It had a long neck, like a hydra, although shorter. Unlike it was with the other dragons, this one had a shorter muzzle, that somehow made it look smarter than other dragons. A few spikes protruded from the top of his head, but there weren't any along its spine. And its eyes...

Hase remembered the pony Voidian he met in the Void had black eyes with white irises. So did the other dragon, from what he had seen. This dragon, however, had normal eyes, with gold yellow irises. It looked around, apparently searching for something, untill it finally noticed Hase. He sat down and brought his head down to the ground, so that he'd have an eye contact with the pegasus.

" Did you summon me? " the dragon spoke with a deep voice. Apparently it was male.

" Yes. " although he was a it frightened (who wouldn't be), Hase didn't show it.

" What for? " the dragon asked.

" To deal with some of my enemies. "

" You call out a dragon to deal with your enemies? " the dragon laughed. His laugh echoed through the whole forest.

" Good thing I'm not your enemy. "

" Well, I had something smaller in mind, when I thought of it. " the pegasus laughed as well.

While he was laughing, the dragon faintly smiled.

' He still hasn't tried to establish any control. His summon search wasn't good enough to stop me from coming. He's a newbie. My chance to live again. ' he thought.

' He let me go. He doesn't know, but he let me go. I'll deal with his small enemies from gratitude. However, vengeance comes first. '

" Are we in the Everfree forest? " the black dragon asked.

" Yes. Are... were you from Equestria? " the black pegasus asked.

" Yes. " the dragon confirmed.

" So... shall we go? " the pony asked.

The dragon knelt down. With some help from his claw, Hase managed to get to the base of his neck, the spot he choosed to ride.

" We're heading for the castle. " the inventor spoke.

' We are. After a small tour to Ponyville. ' the dragon thought. He nodded, flew off, his giant wings creating a wave, that passed through  the treetops. He roared triumphantly, announcing his return.

Vortex was patiently waiting, with his back against the wall. The five lords were coming closer. He was ready. In their cursed versions, they weren't going to be challenge. In their normal versions, they could be reasoned with.

They arrived sooner than he expected. Cobalt landed heavily right in front of him, Blaze landed a bit further, but still close enough for the former emperor to feel the heat. Tempest, Neptune and Hydro also landed nearby.

" Where is Hase? " the rock lord asked, muzzle to muzzle with his creator.

" I have no idea where my son is. " the chaotic was actually glad the lords were back to their normal selves.

" Your son? " the confused Blaze asked.

" Ta- ta- taaa! " Hydro tried to make the moment more dramatic.

" You're Hase's father? " Cobalt's anger was also replaced by confusion.

" Yes. I don't know what you've been told, but the only reason I brought Hase here was to be able to tell him the truth without somepony listening. " Vortex replied.

" That means the day won't end with a fight. " Blaze sounded relieved.

" But where is he? "

" I thought you were going to attack me, so I sent him off. He's probably already back in Ponyville. Why are you interested anyway? " the black alicorn told the fire pegasus.

" We are indebted to him. " Neptune spoke.

" His lessons of friendship were passed to us through the no longer existing psychic bond. He's the reason for us to realise our purpose again. We just want to shake his hoof and show him his lessons had reached us by repaying those lessons with actual friendship. "

" Neptune, you've always loved the complicated expressions, haven't you? " Vortex spoke benevolently.

" Well, if things are so in deed, I guess all that is left is to return to Ponyville, to my son, and hope my brother's daughters will be understanding. "

" We were witnesses. We'll make sure she won't judge you for an old crime. " Tempest assured his creator.

Just as the six stallions were getting ready to departure for Ponyville, a wind wave passed through the trees, along with a loud roar. Vortex got almost pale.

" What's wrong? " Blaze asked.

" It's just a dragon. "

" Not any dragon. " the former emperor knew this roar too well. It was him, who sent off that beast to the Void. Ironically, his son had brought him out.

' I should have known he wouldn't just run away. I wouldn't have. But why did you summon the only thing in the Void, that can't be controlled? What were you thinking? ' the concerned alicorn thought.

" I guess there is going to be a fight in the end of the day after all. To Ponyville! As quickly as you can! " the alicorn spread his wings and flew, closely followed by the five lords.

It was Rarity, who actually led the others. The thorns constantly stuck in her mane and tail, pulling them as she walked and probably turning them into a mess, but that wasn't importrant at that time. All that mattered was that she found Hase and tried to help him out of this whole mess he had gotten himself in.

The white unicorn smiled. She had reached the tree tunnel, that led to the lawn. The lawn where she had first met Hase, without having any idea he'd be her special somepony some day.

" Over here, girls! The road is over here. " she tried to signal the others with her voice.

" I can see him! " Spike's voice was heard. Apparently he had found some hole in the thorn wall, surrounding the wall. That hole was probably close to where Rarity was, since it wasn't long before Spike popped out of the bushes, along with Twilight. Twilight's mane looked as if it had just attended a punk concert, and Rarity couldn't help but grin, but didn't point that out, since her mane probably looked even worse.

" I'm afraid we have no time to wait the others, Twilight dear. They'll have to catch up with us. " the concerned Rarity turned to Twilight. The purple alicorn nodded and the two mares, along with Spike, ran down the tree tunnel.

" What else was there on the lawn, Spike? " Rarity asked, while she galopped.

" Hase opened some portal, but I didn't see if something came out or not, since Twilight pulled me away. " Spike replied.

The white unicorn glared accusingly at her friend.

" We didn't have time for that! " the lavender mare excused herself.

" The gate! " Spike yelled.

The two mares brought their attention back to the road. The gates were right ahead, with the arc cannons already aiming for them. Before they could fire, however, Twilight prepared herself and teleported all three of them on the other side of the fence. They appeared just in time to see what they would never have believed if they didn't see it with their own eyes.

A black dragon, twice the size of any normal dragon, with wings that spread from one end of the lawn to the other. The dragon was already about 20 feet up in the sky, so there was no hope they would be able to run, jump and hold onto its legs. The worried Rarity looked around, searching for Hase, but he didn't appear. The rest of the group caught up just as Spike pointed three coloured dots on the back of the dragon. One red dot and two blue dots.

" Hase and Hermes. " Twilight recognised them.

Just than, the dragon roared, a loud roar unlike anything dragonlike Rarity had ever heard, even from that dragon, that lived on the top of a mountain. It was much louder and stronger.

" That can't be him. " Celestia and Luna seemed frightened, which frightened the rest as well. What dragon was powerful enough to make even the Princesses shudder in fear?

" It is him. " an unknown male voice replied.

Twilight and Rarity turned around to see 6 stallions with the height of Princess Celestia. 5 of them were pegasi. The first one was made out of fire, the second one- out of clouds, two of them seemed made out of water and the last one was their friend Cobalt. Apparently those were the reformed lords the Cutie Mark Crusaders had spoken of and they weren't reason for worries.

The last stallion amongst them was a black alicorn, who stepped forward. His mane and tail were etheral, like Luna's and Celestia's, but split in several streaks at the base of the mane (or tail) and waved separetely, although in one direction, untill they blended with the air in their ends. His eyes, mane and tail were all the same colour - dark violet. His cutie mark was a whirlpool of a purple cloud.

" Vortex. " Celestia inserted all her hatred in that one word.

" Niece. " the black alicorn spoke with an unexpected familiarity.

" You dare speak to us that way after you... " Luna also seemed very angry, but mid- sentence she was suddenly showered by a water stream. One of the two water lords, the one with different coloured water, jumped between the confronting sides, and just to be sure, showered them all with water from his hoof once more, earning Pinkie Pie's giggle. He winked at her and spoke:

" Before this conflict gets any worse, the 5 of us would like to object the accusation, the object of which is known as Vortex, former Emperor of Equestria. New evidence has been found in the form of 5 eyewitnesses, that are ready to swear, that the reason for the death of Solarion, the victim, was an out- of- control Voidian. Therefore, you have no right to accuse our client of such crime! " Hydro, since this was him, spoke.

" It wasn't you? " Luna and Celestia seemed relieved.

" No. " Vortex replied.

" I'm afraid, that even for a chaotic veteran, maintaining the control of a whole Voidian army is something difficult. You never know if a single unit won't slip out of your control and do something you'd have to be held responsible for later. " the black alicorn frowned and got closer to the two alicorns. They backed off a bit at first, but all he did was hug the two Princesses one after another and pat them on the back.

" Yes, in some way I am the reason for your father's death. I never should have thought the sollution to the war would be so easy as I made it be. Yes, the indirect reason for the death of your father, of my brother, am I, me and my bad decision. I hope you could forgive me for that bad decision. " he looked at the two alicorn mares with a guilty look on his face.

" We all make bad decisions. " Luna smiled and put her hoof on his shoulder. Vortex smiled. He looked to the other ponies, and noticed the almost panicked Rarity amongst them. Knowing who she is, the black alicorn came over to her and kneeled, so that he'd be eyes to eyes with the worried unicorn.

" You're Rarity, right? " he asked with a concerned tone.

" Yes, milord. " the white mare nodded.

Vortex smiled. Than he spoke louder:

" I don't want to hear anypony amongst you call me " milord " , " your highness " etc.. My time as a royalty has passed. Now I am no more royalty than any of you, Princess Twilight excluded. "

Twilight was confused, that the alicorn knew her name, but didn't interrupt his private conversation with Rarity.

" Than you are probably my son's special somepony? " the former emperor turned back to the fashionista mare.

" Yes. " the unicorn replied.

Vortex got up and spoke loud again:

" Our useless quarell distracted us from the main reason we're here. Each second that dragon takes your friend, my son, further from us and closer to Ponyville. I know this beast all too well. Each second we spend here means Ponyville is one step closer to getting burned to ashes and Hase is one second closer, just like me, to be accused of a crime he never comitted. Let's not waste any more time! "

Everypony nodded and all ran to the exit. The arc cannons turned back, aiming at them, untill the left one was hit by Vortex's chaotic magic blast and the right one - from Celestia's normal magic blast. Luna blew away the door and the group proceeded, racing with time.

" You're flying in the wrong direction! The castle's that way! " Hase pointed back.

" You don't need to yell! I can hear you anyway! " the dragon noted, annoyed. Ponies constantly underestimated his hearing.

" The castle's that way! " this time at least the sport didn't yell.

" I know. I'm flying in the direction I want to fly in! " the dragon finally let that pony know who actually led the charge.

" I told you to fly towards the castle! Why won't you listen? I am a chaotic, you're a Voidian! "

The dragon was suddenly overwhelmed by laughter, so he stopped mid- air to clear things out with that young master.

" What are you laughing at? " Hase's surprise grew.

" In order for a Voidian to listen to a chaotic, the chaotic has to " put a leash " , so to say. A special spell. You haven't put such a spell on me, I don't have to obey you. "

Hase closed his eyes and concentrated, but was interrupted by the dragon:

" You've chosen the wrong inhabitant of the Void to put your first leash on, rookie. "

" I'm not a rookie! " Hase protested, his concentration ruined.

" Prove it, sport. Do you have any idea what you're dealing with? Who am I? " the Voidian asked.

After a minute of silence, Hase had no choice but to tell the truth:

" No idea. "

" I give you mostly 2 hours of experience. All chaotics are told about me the first day of their training! Be honest, how many spells were you taught by so far? Exclude those horrific copies you learned yourself for a several minutes. Perfection comes either by practice or by learning from a teacher, and your summon was the furthest from perfect it can get. "

" Who are you? " Hase was shocked, that this Voidian had gotten behind his wall of confidence.

" Since you're the reason for my freedom, I'll do you the favour to tell you. Now listen carefully, sport.

Millenia ago, at the same time, lived the three greatest dragons of them all. All of them were shortmuzzled... "

" Shortmuzzled? " this was new to Hase.

" A different dragon species with shorter muzzle. Like me. " the Voidian was annoyed.

" Rarer than the longmuzzled.

As I was saying, all three of them were shortmuzzled.

Zephyros ruled over the high mountain peeks, with his giant blue wings, that allowed him to cover great distances and granted him great manouverability. However, otherwise he was weak. His fire stream was never longer than 15 feet. His claws could only rip apart ponies and sheep, but not bigger prey, like cows or buffaloes.

Terras ruled over the plains and the woods. With his mighty claws he could shred anything to pieces. When he couldn't pass through the woods, he just sawed his way through them. Villages and towns had to build stone walls to be safe from him... "

" Couldn't he just fly over them? " Hase pointed out the obvious sollution.

" He couldn't. He had relied exclusively on sheer strength so much, that his untrained wings could no longer lift his muscular body. Since he never used fire either, he could only ocasionaly spit out a fireball, once a month or two.

The third one was just as feared as the other two. Magmaris,whose fire stream with the length of the highest tower of the Canterlot could turn another dragon to ashes just by holding him in range for two seconds, reigned over the volcano areas and the rocky hills, his thick scales allowing him to even bathe in lava, something no other dragon would dare to do. However, his underdeveloped wings didn't allow him to fly more than a mile without getting tired, and his claws were weaker than those of any normal dragon.

Those three strongest dragons were also the weakest, the symbol of what no dragon should become, delivering an importrant message to all the other dragons: " Develop your talents equally! " . This is something all dragons know, although not all know from where they know it.

Those three dragons carried on their lives as legends any normally developed dragon could defeat, until he went after them. The Dragon Hunter.

Iron Ring was the pony, whose name every dragon feared. Whole areas were deserted, if even the smallest rumour of him coming was heard.

Dragon hunters were a thing of the era, before dragons and ponies made a truce, which stated " Each side minds their own business. " . They were the symbol of the era, when dragons still hunted sheep, cows and other animals ponies used, even sometimes ponies themselves. To be a dragon hunter for ponies ment to be a hero, for dragons it ment to be a fool, since very few survived their first hunt. Iron Ring was one of the few, if not the only, exception. Nopony knew why he was so good at this - after all, he was just a normal unicorn. But he was the only dragon hunter a pony would call if they wanted to be sure the job will actually be done.

That unicorn didn't only hunt for payment... he also hunted for joy. But let's not get into details about that dragon hunter. For my story, the only thing, that matters, is that he captured Zephyros, Terras and Magmaris one after another, utilizing their natural weaknesses to the maximum. He gathered them all on one lawn in the Everfree forest, and for their surprise, broke their shackles. Than he mocked them, telling them they're the worst dragons in the history of Equestria, and asked them if they wanted to become something more, if they wanted to become perfect. The three dragons, having no idea of the hunter's plan, answered positively. Than Iron Ring revealed himself. The illusion, surrounding his horn and eyes, dissappeared, revealing a curved horn and red irises. "

" Dark magic. " Hase realised.

" First stage of dark magic contamination, yes. " the dragon agreed.

" As he revealed himself in front of them, he told them, that to make them truly powerful, he needed to perform a dark fiery ritual and revealed the details.

The next 20 minutes they spent flying, untill they reached the Badlands, where most of the dragons reside, specifically in the Valley of Ashes. Iron Ring told them, that in order for the ritual to proceed, the three dragons needed to kill 100 dragons and set the whole valley on fire. Blinded by their lust for power, Zephyros, Terras and Magmaris did as they were told, slaughtering a hundred of their own kind and setting their corpses on fire, turning themselves into the villains of a horror story mother dragons tell their younglings. As they returned to the dragon hunter, he warned he'd have to stab them, so that their blood might suck in the power of their fallen foes. The dragons agreed even to this and let themselves be stabbed. So they lay down amongst the dead dragons, while Iron Ring began his dark ritual. His curved horn glew with a purple and green oreol, as he stood on one cliff, above the whole valley. At his command, the flames went crimson red and rose 100 feet, devouring all dragons in the valley and reaching the height of the cliff the pony was standing on. Those flames burned on for 20 minutes, until they were finally extinguished and the ultimate dragon arose.

In some way, Zephyros, Terras and Magmaris weren't cheated. They were told they'd become greater than before. They only weren't told, that they'd have to become one dragon. That dragon was me. A black dragon beyond the size of any other, with wings big enough to cast a shadow over a whole town, and claws strong enough to smash a building. I had one mind only, but I had the memories of all three dragons, and all of their hate. Realizing how they/ I was cheated, I tried to attack Iron Ring, but it was late. During the process of the dark union, he had put an unliftable spell on me, that kept me from death and any harm not caused by him and bound me to his will, like a Voidian. I was in deed the most powerful dragon, but at what cost? Just as these thoughts were crossing my mind, this villain grinned and spoke triumphantly:

" Rise Formidon, Obstructer of the sky, most powerful among dragons! You will help me take Equestria! "

His plan was obvious. He planned to assault Canterlot using me, since his dark magic alone wasn't powerful enough. He flew away on my back, but size has one disadvantage: you get spotted easily.

While we were flying, I swore I'd one day destroy Iron Ring's home the same way he made me destroy mine. We didn't reach Canterlot, as you'd expect. Mid- way, the two alicorn brothers, the rulers of Equestria, intercepted us and brought us down to the plains. I disobeyed Iron Ring's orders as much as possible, which occasionaly separated us, leaving him, the not very skilled dark magic user fight against the bigger brother, Solarion, while my enemy was the younger, Vortex.

Iron Ring was defeated pretty easily, but Solarion needed rest, so Vortex was left alone. I used all methods I knew from my previous lives, but this alicorn was skilled. Our battle lasted half a day, untill finally, with his last strength, he opened a portal to the Void and pushed me in.

With Iron Ring dead, it ment I couldn't be hurt by anything, the Void included, which means I'm not actually a Voidian, and I couldn't be controlled by nopony. So you, newbie, can't order me! " the dragon said and flew again, in direction Ponyville.

" Now I will keep my promise. I will destroy Iron Ring's home the same way he destroyed mine! " Formidon laughed.

Almost panicked, Hase opened a portal to the Void right in front of the black dragon, hoping he'd get in. However, the dragon swiftly avoided it, along with the two others Hase put on his way. He closed the last one dissappointed and full of despair.

" The same trick won't work twice, sport. " the black beast commented.

" You won't destroy Ponyville! " Hase got up, the surprised Hermes almost falling off his shoulder. Luckily, the dragon's neck kept the wind from blowing him away. Ponyville was close, Hase could see that.

" Was that an order? " Formidon asked ironically.

" It was a promise. " the pegasus replied.

" A promise? You think you'll stop me? "

" Ponyville is the home of hundreds, thousand of innocent ponies! You can't kill them because of one pony, that's already dead anyway! There's no use in that! " the inventor protested.

" I won't destroy Ponyville because of Iron Ring. I'll destroy it because of the hundred dragons he made me kill! " the dragon almost yelled.

The dragon was above Ponyville. Hase could already hear ponies screaming.

" Say goodbye, sport. One last turn and the town will be ashes. " the black beast triumphed.

One last thought crossed Hase's mind. Hoping it would work, he closed his eyes and spoke:

" Your master will be proud! "

Hearing those words, the dragon again halted in mid-air. Fearing those words might motivate the dragon, the scientist seized that chance to climb up the dragon's neck, pass the top of his head and soon he and Hermes were standing on the dragon's muzzle, eyes- to- eyes with the dragon.

" Don't be a fool. He's dead for a long time. " Formidon replied.

" Fine. He would have been proud, than. " the black stallion only switched the tences, which angried the dragon:

" He would have been proud with me burning his home?! " Hermes cawed worried, as he saw smoke coming out the dragon's nosdrils behind them.

" That's what he wanted all along. Think about it. " Hase was surprisingly calm.

" Burning Ponyville won't be enough for you. Soon you'll want to burn the place where he lived for a year or two, the place where he gathered you all, the place where he last fought. Ponies are fearful. When you devastate those places, with few exceptions, they will all flee. Those, who remain, will try to fight you, and the great Formidon will bring them all down, of course. After that, you'll be the most powerful being in Equestria. Which means, that all of this, " Hase spread his hoof, pointing everything around them.

" , will be yours. And since you would have taken it with force, you will have conquered Equestria, just as Iron Ring wanted you to. If he could, he'd appear to you in that moment and complement you. "

" Stop. " the dragon commanded. Anger could be felt in his voice. However, Hase continued.

" You will have done his job for him. You will have conquered Equestria,as commanded. "

" Stop! " this time the anger was more obvious, but, Celestia knows why, the black pegasus still kept going:

" You will have been a good, obedient dragon, who follows his master's orders. I'm sure he will give you a bone, if he could... "

" STOOOOOOOP!!!! " the dragon's yell passed into a roar, that continued half a minute. Hase knew he had won this duel of minds, so he patiently waited. With a smile on.

" Who are you? " the dragon asked, curious.

" And how did you do this? "

" I'm Hase. " the inventor replied.

" I beated you, since I fight for clauses, much greater than revenge. I fight for Ponyville, the town I wish was my hometown. I fight for all my friends, who I am sure will support me. I fight for the mare I love! " the pony spoke proudly.

" Friendship... how can friendship give you such power? What is friendship, but an alliance? And of what use are allies, that aren't with you at the moment? " the black dragon asked, befuddled.

" You're wrong. " the scientist told him.

" Friendship is not alliance. Allies can always betray you. True friends will never do that. Your old three selves lived solitary lives, and were rejected because of their disadvantages, so they never learned what friendship is. Your new self couldn't learn friendship in the Void, since friendship doesn't exist there. Now that you have returned to our world, now that you are back in Equestria, you have a second chance.

Initially, I thought you are a Voidian, and I planned to use you to help my father. I learned, that you're a free being, unbound to the Void and its control, therefore you aren't a threat to Equestria.

I don't want to be your master. That would mean I will have control over you, and I don't have the right to have control over you. No. But I have the right to be your friend. And I will use that right of mine. " Hase concluded and spread his right forehoof as a sign of his offer.

" If you really want to know what friendship is and spend your eternal life with somepony, who cares about you, accept my gift. " the stallion told the dragon.

Formidon looked at Hase, trying to judge him. He saw no lie in his eyes. The pony was honest.

" I will accept your offer. " he replied and spread one of his huge claws up, making Hermes back off a bit. Hase however kept his position and shook one of the dragon's fingers with his two forehooves. He than climbed back on his head and slid down to his neck, reaching his initial position.

" Now will you please get me and Hermes down? My other friends might be worried. " the stallion said, seeing a big group of ponies exiting the Everfree forest.

" Anything for a friend, right? " Formidon asked with an ironic tone.

" That's the spirit! " the scientist approved that.