After finally convincing Fluttershy to stop dragging me, and then glaring under my helm at Applejack for snickering, I managed to get a good look at the Town of Ponyville. Each house had a thatched roof, wood, probably oak, supports, and stucco as well. The roads were either paved dirt paths or cobblestone, or sometimes, in the main streets, there wasn't a road at all. We passed countless ponies of all races, sizes, and colors. Some I recognized, like Colgate or Minouette, Berry Punch, Roseluck, Derpy, and...was that Doctor Whooves? And did he just smirk at me? I sighed. Figures. He knows something, as is usual for the Doctor. Uh oh. Pink blur sighted, brace for impact!
"Oof!" I said as the wind was knocked out of me, but I still remained standing.
"HI!" said a voice that I could tell from the tone alone that this pony had most likely been snuffing sugar by the truckload. I am of course, talking about Pinkie Pie, the master of parties. "I saw you walking around and noticed that I didn't know you which means you're new in town which means I need to throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville!' party! I'm Pinkie Pie, by the way!"
"Nice...to...meet you, I'm...Praan," I said between breaths.
"It's nice to meet you too, Praanny! But down to business! What is your favorite type of food, drink, color, game, second favorite color, food, and favorite cake?" she asked in rapid succession. Thankfully, I talk rather fast myself and I was raised with people who talk fast as well, so I could understand her pretty well.
"Ramen, oriental flavor, root beer, pale blue, that game is unique to my home and I doubt you will find it, white, chocloate filled croissants, and any cake will do as long as it's not heavily frosted, but I do prefer chocloate ice cream cake," I answered. She wrote it all down on a notepad she had pulled out of her mane somehow, then said a quick "Thanks!" before rocketing down the street and out of sight.
"Well...that was somethin'," said Applejack lamely. I nodded.
"Shall we continue?" I asked. They nodded and we continued on our way. They showed me the market, which had everything from raw materials like wood and ore, to furniture and home appliances. Then, they showed me Town Hall, which was quite a bit taller than I thought it would be. And then they showed me something I didn't remember from the show or any fanfics; a church. With stained glass windows with the symbol of the Almighty from Dragon Quest IX, pointed, tiled rooftops, stucco, and fancy mahogany doors and supports. It confused me as to why it was there. I was broken out of my daze as Fluttershy nudged my leg.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. Why is this here?" I asked. Although I think I had a sneaking suspicion as to why, and I don't know if I liked the idea.
"What do ya think it's here for? It's here for ponies ta pray ta the Almighty, and where adventurers can be brought back to the land of the livin'," Applejack explained. I clenched my fists. It was as I feared. This could only mean those stories about people being sent to Equestria as their costumes was true. And I had been sent to a world where the laws and rules of Dragon Quest IX applied. And worst of all, the Almighty was in this world. I didn't like him entirely, as he was a dick who didn't give second chances until he forced his own daughter to sacrifice herself for the betterment of Humanity. And then he, someone whose name says he's basically all powerful, gets dethroned and kicked out of his realm by a pissed off Celestrian and even after the Celestrian is defeated you only ever see his daughter. Which means he either is too weak to get back in, is a coward who doesn't want to be responsible for his actions, or is too lazy to fix things. In my eyes, he doesn't deserve to be a god. A feral growl erupted from my throat as I shook with rage.
"Praan, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked, concern in her voice. I grit my teeth and bit back my anger.
"Nothing, just...can we leave? I don't want to be around here much longer than absolutely necessary," I said through clenched teeth. They glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at me.
"Why? Ya got somethin' against churches?" Applejack asked.
"No, just...look, I'll tell you later, okay?" I said.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah...just need to get away from here," I answered.
"Okay Praan, we can go to Twilight's Castle next," Fluttershy soothed.
"Thank you," I said, grateful that we were finally moving away from the church. Applejack was eyeing me up, no doubt trying to discern what my deal was. We made our way across town until I noticed a glittering construct peeking over the rooftops of the various buildings. Then, I saw it, and it was beautiful, the stories really didn't do it justice. It was a massive castle made out of crystals in the shape of a tree. There were two balconies, and two towers, the tallest one having a crystal star like Twilight's Cutie Mark at the top. The crystals ranged in color from purple to light blue, whilst the actual buildings the branches held were purple with gold trims and railings. Solid gold double doors stood in front of me, with two purple stained glass windows on either side. Just before I could knock on the doors, they slammed open and hit me right in the face, knocking me down. Even with my armor, that hurt.
"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! Are you okay!?" exclaimed a familiar voice. I sat up and saw the lavender alicorn herself, Twilight Sparkle. I groaned and shook my head.
"I'm fine, just disoriented. Who are you?" I asked, once again trying to feign ignorance. This time, I could feel Applejack's glare from behind me. Naturally, I tried to ignore her.
"Oh good. I'm Twilight, Twilight Sparkle. Might I ask who you are?" Twilight asked.
"Name's Praan, nice to meet you." I greeted. Twilight smiled.
“it’s nice to meet you, Praan. Hey, now that I think about it..." she began. "Um, Praan, could you excuse us for a moment?" I raised an eyebrow under my helmet but nodded anyway. Twilight immediately grabbed Applejack and Fluttershy and pulled them back with her into the castle. I sighed and laid back on the ground, hands behind my head. Today just keeps getting weirder and weirder.
Twilight dragged her friends into the castle lobby and immediately shut the doors behind her.
“What's all this about, Twi?” Applejack asked. Twilight turned to face her friends.
“Praan might be a danger to Ponyville,” Twilight stated simply. Fluttershy gasped at her friend’s accusation.
“Twilight! I thought you knew better than to judge ponies so quickly!” Fluttershy said with righteous anger, her voice raised for once, though it was still not very loud. Twilight raised a hoof.
“Hear me out. I came outside because I went to the Cutie Map today and it showed me a problem right outside the castle. So, naturally, I went outside to investigate, and you know the rest,” Twilight explained.
“That doesn't mean he's dangerous!” Fluttershy defended.
“He’s wearing full-plate armor, has a shield, and an evil looking sword,” Applejack deadpanned. Fluttershy wilted slightly.
“But...but he’s been so nice and polite…” Fluttershy weakly added.
“He also hasn't been tellin’ us the whole truth,” Applejack supplied.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“Well, every time he asks, ‘Who are you’ he seems ta be hiding somethin’, and when he said he was a traveller he was lyin’, somewhat,” Applejack informed.
Twilight gained a look of contemplation. Then, a bright flash of light blinded them all, and when they opened their eyes again, an hourglass with fire, earth, and water in it streaming continuously but not filling up the bottom half was in front of them. It was about as tall as a quarter the length of a pony’s leg, and had the same circumference and diameter as the average hoof. Twilight reached for it, and as soon as her hoof made contact a voice emanated from it, deep, strong, and powerful.
“I am Draigo, a primordial dragon. To those who find this hourglass. Know that I'm here should you need help. I will give my protection to those I deem worthy. I will give my attention to those who need to talk. Finally, to those who misuse this item and others like it. You shall know my wrath.”
Twilight and the others stared at the hourglass before Twilight picked it up and said, “Umm...Hello?” There was another flash of light, this time brighter. Once they opened their eyes once more a big bipedal creature stood before them. It wore black armor with gold accents that covered its entire body. A black cape with purple lining flowed from its shoulders. Upon a closer look it only had one glowing eye and the fingers of its gauntlets had small claws coming from the tips of them.
“Greetings, I am Draigo. Who was it that found my token and summoned me?” the being inquired as it looked down at the three mares.
“Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked as she hid behind Applejack, who took a defensive stance.
“What are ya doin’ here?” Applejack asked. “And what's all this about summoning you?”
“Did you not find an hourglass that you then picked up and said something to? There should have been a message to go with it. Maybe I got placed further away from the summoner than I thought...” Draigo said as he held his chin and began looking around the room. Twilight stepped forward.
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “I mean, yeah, we found an hourglass and spoke to it, but how in Celestia did that bring you here? Summoning magic has only speculated doing something like that!”
“Hmm, I get it now. Where’s he or she at? Your oddball of a being, that is. He or she may or may not look like me,” Draigo said as he removed his helmet to reveal a human head that has dark brown hair, tan skin, and ice blue eyes with black sclera.
Twilight stared and slowly raised a notepad and quill. Applejack looked skeptical of him, and Fluttershy remained hiding behind her before speaking up.
“He’s...out th-there.” Fluttershy stuttered, pointing to the golden doors.
Draigo strode over to the golden doors and pushed them open as he ignored Twilight’s decent into her ‘question and answer’ mode. Once the doors were open, he saw a boy laying in the grass with his arms behind his head that was wearing full-plate armor.
“So, this world’s Displaced is a human. What’s your name?” Draigo asked the prone boy.
The boy looked up through his visor to see a large man that wore similar armor to Golbez, before slowly standing up and bowing his head.
“I am Praan. What is your name, might I ask?” Asked Praan.
“My name is Draigo. I have been summoned here by the nerdiest pony alive,” Draigo said as he hooked a thumb towards Twilight and her notepad.
“I am not a nerd!” Twilight cried indignantly. Praan’s shoulders quivered with a quiet chuckle.
“Sorry to hear that. Hope she didn't pull you out of something important,” Praan said with forced kindness.
“So you didn’t immediately pull out your quill and notepad and start asking Praan questions upon discovering him, Twilight?” Draigo asked as he turned his head to look at Twilight while putting his helmet back on. “She pulled me out of explaining to Celestia and Luna about how I got corrupted in another world and became ‘The Dragon in the Moon.’ So, a little important, I guess?”
“Ah, sorry about that then. But, while you're here, could you help me with something? Maybe even give me some information?” Praan asked.
“Sure. You mind if I freak the ponies out a bit more?” Draigo asked. Praan shrugged.
“Just as long as you don't overdo it and stop their hearts.” Praan replied.
“Hmm, Twilight’s heart might stop for a bit, but it should start beating even quicker once she recovers from the shock. Fluttershy might hide behind her mane for quite awhile, though,” Draigo told him as his armor began to melt into his body. Scales, spines, a tail, and two wings began to grow from his body. The scales were very small and snake like and shone a multitude of different colors as they caught the sunlight. Claws could be seen growing from his hands and feet while fangs grew from his jaw. His claws, spines, and fangs were serrated instead of the usual smooth conical. Finally, his eyes were molten gold with black sclera. It only took a few moments, but when it was over a dragon whose shoulders were the same height as Princess Celestia’s stood before them. “Ahhh, it feels so good to be back in my draconic form!” Praan let out a low whistle.
“You're pretty intimidating!” Praan complimented. The ponies immediately freaked out. Twilight fainted, Applejack once again took a defensive stance, and Fluttershy was quaking. Other ponies around town noticed the large figure and panicked instantly, running into their homes and locking the doors and windows.
A rainbow streak speeded towards Draigo and rammed into his snout, before backing off slightly to reveal a cyan Pegasus.
“How’d you like that!?” the Pegasus asked rhetorically.
“Not this again. Rainbow Dash, you need to learn to look before you dive bomb,” Draigo said as he wiped some blood from his snout. Wind began to swirl around him. The wind then flew over to Rainbow dash and pinned her wings to her sides. “Be a good mare and calm down before you make a mistake that you’ll regret.” Rainbow struggled before falling to the ground, earning her a few bruises.
“Let me go!” she demanded. Applejack came up behind Draigo and tried to buck his legs out from under him.
“Let her go, ya varmint!” Applejack demanded as she tried and failed to buck his legs out from under him.
“I’m just defending myself, Applejack. Surely just being a dragon doesn’t warrant being attacked, but if you really want me to... I’ll play along with this little ‘fight’,” Draigo said as he encased Applejack’s hooves in earth. Twilight regained consciousness, and, seeing the scene in front of her, immediately got up and charged her horn with magic.
“Let them go!” Twilight demanded.
“I’ll tell you what I told Applejack. I’m just defending myself, but getting some exercise is always nice,” Draigo told her as he eyed her glowing horn.
“I’m warning you!” Twilight warned.
“You may be an Alicorn in this world, but you are still nowhere near Celestia and Luna’s level,” Draigo commented. “Do you think you can take on someone who can take them both on in a fight?” Twilight faltered for a moment.
“I...If it means saving my friends, then yes!” she said with newfound determination. Just then, a small tornado blew the ponies and dragon a little ways before dissipating. They all turned to where it came from to see Praan with one of his palms outstretched.
“”Applejack, Rainbow, Twilight, think about this for a second. Who attacked first? And Draigo, please stop antagonizing them, I’m having a bad enough day as is, I don't need a headache on top of it,” Praan scolded. The three ponies ears wilted.
“B-but—!” Twilight began. Praan gave her a glare. “Sorry…”
“Yeah, sorry…” Rainbow apologized.
“ Ah’m sorry too...But ya’ll better start explainin’, right now. Both of y’all.” Applejack ordered. Fluttershy slowly approached Praan.
“Praan, are you sure you’re okay? Ever since we went to the church you’ve been acting really irritated…” Fluttershy asked. Praan sighed.
“I’ll tell you later, Fluttershy, okay? I’m just...not exactly happy, that's all you need to know for now,” Praan answered before turning to Draigo. “Could you release them now?”
“Sure. I’m uninjured and Rainbow only has some bruises. So, no harm no foul,” Draigo said as he looked Praan over. “Does anyone else have any other questions?” Twilight butted in.
“How does your magic work!?” she asked.
“Whoa, calm down, Twilight. My magic is called Elemental Manipulation. It works by me thinking of any element and what I want it to do,” Draigo replied.
“Fascinating! That sounds so similar to some of our combat spells!” Twilight squeed in delight as she wrote everything down. “Okay, what exactly is a human? You seem like some form of primates, but greatly evolved,” Praan growled but said nothing.
“We are Homo Sapiens. According to science back on Earth we evolved from apes. According to religion we were created like this by God,” Draigo explained. “You know, you ponies don’t even seem to question how I know your names. It’s interesting.”
“Ah have been meanin’ to ask about that,” Applejack replied. Praan sighed and laid down in the grass, hands behind his head as he listened.
“I’ve met each of you in my own world. Heck, I used to live in your barn and I now live with Celestia and Luna in Canterlot Castle. I have a question for Praan before we get too much further along. Does this world resemble anything from back on Earth or is this a normal Equestria?” Draigo wondered.
“I’ll...tell you later. When we're alone,” Praan said cryptically. Applejack glared at him but said nothing.
“YOU MEAN MULTIVERSE THEORY IS RIGHT?!” Twilight screeched, stars in her eyes.
“Well...yeah. I was summoned from my own world while I was talking to my Celestia and Luna. It’s going to be a pain once I get back. They’ve never liked being interrupted when having something they really want to know explained to them,” Draigo said as a set of shivers rocked his body.
“What's Multiverse Theory?” Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack asked simultaneously. Praan sighed in relief, glad that Applejack was distracted.
“Multiverse Theory states that there are limitless universes that run parallel with each other. They are each similar, but no two are the same. For example, I’ve gone to several different Equestrias and none were exactly the same. One even had a male version of Princess Celestia!” Draigo exclaimed. “When Twilight spoke to the hourglass she found she activated the magic inside it and summoned me from my universe to yours. Now, I get to experience another Equestria and there are so many differences. Like, Twilight being an Alicorn.”
“You mean there are other Equestria’s out there? And ones with Princess Celestia as a stallion?” Rainbow asked, incredulous.
“Well Ah’ll be…” Applejack said in amazement.
“Exactly, Rainbow. I’ve got my own versions of all of you. I gotta say, you pack less of a punch than my Rainbow does.” Draigo said. “Anyway, we’re off topic. Any more questions?”
Rainbow grumbled while Praan smirked under his helm. Praan raised a hand.
“I got one. How did you turn into a dragon?” Praan asked.
“At first or just now?” Draigo asked for clarification.
“Either or,” Praan replied.
“I’ve been a dragon for the last fourteen billion years and one of my abilities is shapeshifting. I can turn into whatever I want, but I like keeping it simple so I keep to this form and my human form,” Draigo explained nonchalantly. Praan and the others laughed.
“Fourteen billion, yeah right!” Praan said between laughs.
“Should I get you a rocking chair and some prune juice, old man!?” Rainbow said mockingly.
“This ‘old man’ was able to knock you out of the sky, puny mortal,” Draigo said in retort. “I’m a Primordial dragon. Meaning that I’ve existed since time began. Being the elements, literally, tends to make you that old.” Praan immediately fell silent.
“What did you call her?” Praan asked, his hands trembling as he clenched them hard and stood up, glaring at the dragon.
“I called her a puny mortal. Tis an apt description since she is smaller than me and a mortal. You got a problem with accurate descriptions?” Draigo said.
“It's condescending and not fitting for someone who is supposedly more mature than even the Sisters. Or Faust for that matter. If that's how you talk to others than I’d hate to see how you treat friends and family,” Praan said coldly.
“You have a point, but age doesn’t mean maturity. There are plenty of people who act more mature than their actual age. Now, as for how I talk to others, I follow the golden rule unless I don’t have a good relationship with them already. She gave an accurate, but insulting description of me. So I returned the favor. I’m sorry if that offended you, but I will not sit here and be made fun of for speaking the truth,” Draigo explained. Praan clenched his fists harder before doing breathing exercises. After a few minutes, he calmed down.
“Sorry, just...I just have a bad history with condescending beings.” Praan said tiredly. “Can we go somewhere? Alone?”
“Of course. Have anywhere in mind?” Draigo asked.
“I saw a park on the other side of town, rather secluded,” Praan answered.
“Sounds like a good spot so long as certain curious ponies don’t follow and eavesdrop on us. Like the CMC, Pinkie, or Twilight. Pinkie is the only one of them that could pop up out of nowhere, though.” Draigo said with a grin as he remembered some times Pinkie had done just that.
“Just erect a barrier then. And please, I don't need the wrath of Murphy right now,” Praan replied with another tired sigh.
“All too true. Shall we go before I jinx us even more?” Draigo asked.
“Definitely, this day has been weird enough,” Praan answered.
“Hopefully, it’ll get better for you then,” Draigo replied as the two of them started to make their way to the park. Twilight, thankfully, didn't follow, though that was only because her friends were holding her back. They passed dozens of houses, and Praan could see the eyes of their owners and occupants staring right back at him, watching them go.
After about ten minutes, they made it to the aforementioned park, and because Draigo was still around, the ponies were all indoors hiding instead of enjoying the day at the park. Which meant the two had it all to themselves. Praan walked until he found a pond surrounded by trees and sat down against the trunk of one.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Draigo asked as he laid on his belly next to Praan. Praan chuckled quietly.
“Funny thing, that. Used to collect pennies back home. Until...they happened.” Praan said darkly.
“Ah, the hated enemy. I know what you mean. I’m guessing that’s not what you really wanted to talk about, though,” Draigo said.
“Just...could you tell me about the immortals you met? Were they nice at all?” Praan asked, gripping his armour tightly.
“Immortals. Hmm… I know two immortals. One is named Sora and the other is Jason. Sora is a good guy who fights to rid his world of heartless and loves his Luna. Jason is nice and is trying to keep Ragnarok from happening. Neither of them were condescending unless they were in a bad mood, but we all have moments like that. Anything else you’d like to know about them or myself since I’m also immortal?” Draigo said as he looked down into the pond. Praan hesitated.
“....Have you ever been denied the peaceful earth? Does it anger you?” Praan asked, trembling.
“My body has been destroyed before, yes. So long as there is element left my body will rebuild itself within twenty-four hours. An hour if I really need a body. Does it make me angry? It did, then I found a reason to keep on living,” Draigo told him.
“A reason?” Praan queried, curious.
“Yes, a meaning to my existence. I must keep two immortals in my world from losing their meaning to exist. You see, my Princesses are immortal and when I first saw them they had a sorrowful look on their faces. When they met me they perked up and treated me as a friend. Now, I will do what I can to help them day by day,” Draigo explained. Praan grew a smile, small though it was.
“.......You sound like my dad.” Praan said plainly.
“I have been known to make some good ‘dad jokes’ every now and then,” Draigo said with a chuckle. Praan sighed wistfully.
“Well...you’ve spilled your beans, I suppose I should spill mine.” Praan began. “Ever hear of Dark Souls?”
“The game that is super hard to beat, but then you feel invincible in every other game once you do? Yeah, I remember it,” Draigo replied.
“Ever listen to the YouTubers speculate the story?” Praan asked.
“I don’t remember listening to that, but my memories from Earth are kinda foggy. What did they speculate?” Draigo asked as he turned to look at Praan.
“Most people agree it's all spot on, but the gist is; Life on that earth is a curse. It’s a never ending cycle of death, misery, and rebirth, all because what was essentially their God King committed the First Sin. Linking the First Flame to Humanity. It goes back and forth from Light to Dark endlessly, and it can never be fixed. Never,” Praan explained.
“That does sound like life is a curse. Do you feel like your life was so cursed?” Draigo guessed.
“Ha! I don't just feel like it, I was cursed, me and everyone else on my Earth. It all started when some guy got captured by the authorities because he could die and come back. The government tested on him, according to what people say, and his curse became the world's. And we had no way of tipping the balance to either Dark or Light. I was one of the few who weren’t cursed, until the war started. World War III. The British invaded, and took me hostage along with my family. After nobody came for us, being around our hosts took its toll, and we became like them. After months, we were freed, and we had to hide for years. The War ended, but people were going Hollow left and right, and we had to quarantine a lot of the land. Then, my parents went Hollow, and I never saw them again,” By this point, Praan was crying his eyes out.
“Damn, a war with that curse? That’s worse than hell. Now you’re here. Isn’t that something to be glad about?” Draigo asked in hopes of finding a silver lining to this freakishly dark cloud. Praan chuckled between hiccups.
“Yeah, but if I touch anyone, they’ll become like me. So I don't really have a future here,” Praan said dejectedly.
“Yikes! Okaaay...Well, what was it that you wanted my help with?” Draigo asked to change the subject. Praan eventually calmed down.
“I wanted you to look around the Multiverse for anyone with knowledge on souls. In the sequel, there was a king who saw the essence of the soul, and could bless items that held the remnants of powerful leaders, their crowns, to be exact, so that those who wore them wouldn't go Hollow. If you can find someone with any knowledge on how to do that or any knowledge on souls, then I’ll gladly die for you.” Praan said, his voice brooking no argument.
“Of course, but I won’t need anyone to die for me, hopefully. I’ve yet to meet anyone like that, but I’ll keep my ears open. Now, what do you do for fun? We could use some fun after this conversation.” Draigo said. Praan looked up at the sky, taking note of the beautiful stars twinkling while Luna’s moon gleamed.
“Well, it’s night, which usually means Pinkie will have set up my party by now. We could go to that,” Praan suggested, standing up and stretching his limbs.
“Sounds like a plan, but I think that the ponies will just run away if I show up. They’re a lot less resistant to strange things happening than mine are,” Draigo commented.
“Just go in your human form then, you can change back after I tell them about you. Oh, and Draigo?” Praan began.
“Yeah?” Draigo prompted as he switched to his human form.
“Pinkie Promise me you won't tell the ponies, or any of the races here unless I say so. Please,” Praan pleaded.
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Draigo said as he crossed his heart and pretended to stick a cupcake into the one glowing eye of his helmet. Praan smiled.
“Thanks. Now, let’s go,” Praan said.
“Let’s. There’s an upside to me showing up like this besides the ponies not running away, you know.” Draigo said as he stood up and walked over to Praan.
They began their walk out of the park as Praan said, “Oh? And what might that be?”
“Anything that seems evil about you, like that sword, won’t look anywhere near as evil compared to me!” Draigo said in a cheerful, energetic voice. Praan laughed heartily. A laugh he, and most that knew him, hadn't heard since the War on his world.
“Thanks, I needed that,” Praan said. “You know, I was serious about dying for you. But before we do that, I need to make a token. Any ideas?”
“Hmm, anything iconic about you or the character you became? I ask because I made mine due to not being from anything,” Draigo said as he thought about the other tokens he’d collected and seen.
“Only big thing about Dragon Quest IX was Benevolessence, but mortals can't see it. Only other thing would be a rosary like in the game. But...I would probably have to steal it from a church,” Praan replied.
“Hmm, I see. Well, anything that would represent who you are or what you stand for? Mine represents my past on the bottom and my present and future along with my connection to the elements on the top. I’ve seen chains, a bullet, a skull, and a few others. They were all something that could be held in your hand and most could be put in a pocket,” Draigo elaborated. Praan snapped his fingers.
“Oh yeah! I found a Fygg in the Everfree when I first came here! One sec…” Praan stopped for a moment, seemingly concentrating on something before a shining golden fygg appeared out of midair. It seemed to sparkle in his hands. “Hmm...might be a bit dangerous for mortals, but as long as they don't eat it, it should be fine.” Praan said to himself.
“We can always make it so it’s not edible if it’s actually dangerous for mortals to eat. That’s up to you, though. Anyway, now that you’ve picked an object put some of your magical energy into it, say what you want others to hear, and throw it into the void. The void will then distribute it throughout the multiverse.” Draigo explained.
“Hmm...well, honestly, it might teach a mortal to think more about their beliefs and ideals if they eat it, as the Fygg grants you your heart's desire, but it's like a monkey’s paw, unless it's a sincere wish with the intent to help and absolutely nothing else, it’s not all that destructive. That, and it makes you immortal, or at least ageless. And since I’m pretty much double immortal, being part Celestrian, and Undead, I’m pretty much safe,” Praan explained.
“Huh, well then. What’s your message going to be?” Draigo asked quizzically.
“Hmmm...I got it!” Praan said, before speaking into the Fygg and channeling his magic into it. “I am the Angel of Immortality, call upon me, in thy time of need, and I shall come to reap the souls of those who cross thee!” With those words, the DarkSign appeared on the Fygg, ever blazing away. Praan turned to Draigo. “How’s that?”
“Very poetic considering the whole cross and religion thing going on. Now, toss it into the void and you’re all set.” Draigo said as he opened a portal to the void for Praan to throw the Fygg through. Rearing back and getting in a baseball pitcher stance, Praan chucked the Fygg into the Void. He turned back to Draigo.
“I believe we should continue on our way now, eh?” Praan said.
“Yep, one sec, though,” Draigo said as a copy of Praan’s Fygg landed in his outstretched hand. “Okay, all set.” He put the Fygg into a leather pouch that was attached to the back of his armor and continued on to the party. Praan briefly thought he heard a ‘pop!’ but ignored it and continued.
After about fifteen minutes, the two arrived at a dark Sugarcube Corner. Praan looked at Draigo and smiled.
“I have an idea. Wanna hear it?” Praan asked.
“Alright, what cha got?” Draigo asked. Praan leaned in and whispered the plan in Draigo’s ear. “You got it?”
“Oh man, this is going to be good!” Draigo said enthusiastically. Praan gave him a thumbs up and quietly snuck around to the back door while Draigo climbed up top and opened an unlocked window leading into Pinkie’s room. Praan looked around for a flashlight and thankfully saw one on a counter in the kitchen. Then, he quietly snuck into the lobby, and waited to hear the sound of Draigo.
Draigo conjured up some water and formed it into a orb. He then looked around to see if there was anything he could color it with. He noticed some food dye on one of Pinkie’s table tops and applied it to the orb of water. He let the dye set in and then drenched himself with the blood red water. He then walked to the door and opened it before moaning, as if injured, as he hobbled down the steps.
“What's that noise? I thought this wasn't that kind of party,” said a random stallion. A mare kicked him in the leg and pointed at the stairs, where the sound was coming from. The ponies all watched and listened in fear and apprehension as the sound drew closer. And then, slowly, Draigo came into view, his armour gleaming in the moonlight as well as the light Praan provided with his flashlight, the ponies screamed bloody murder before they heard raucous laughter from a figure near the entrance to the kitchen and the one at the stairs. A pony turned on the lights to see the two men laughing on the ground.
“Y-y-your f-f-faces!” Praan wheezed out between laughs.
“Did you hear that scream? Oh man, we really had you going there,” Draigo managed to blurt out.
“That was mean, you two!” said Twilight as she recovered from the shock.
“Yeah! That wasn't funny!” yelled a brown mare with a light brown mane and tail with white streaks and amber eyes, no cutie mark present on her flank. Exclamations of agreement were erupting from the ponies, aside from Applejack, Doctor Whooves, Colgate, Rainbow, and Pinkie.
“I think some of you disagree with what seems to be the consensus.” Draigo pointed out. “Would you have preferred my other form?” Praan smiled wide under his helm.
“I don't think any of you do,” Praan declared. Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack giggled.
“He’s right!” they said simultaneously.
“Well, enough about that. Let’s get this party started!” Draigo exclaimed. The ponies, though some were hesitant at first, slowly began to party with the two humans/immortals. The music that played reminded both of Earth, but they tried to ignore it and party on. Doctor Whooves approached Draigo with a kind smile.
“Are you the one they call Draigo?” he asked.
“I am. What can I do for you?” Draigo wondered.
“Oh nothing, just thought I should give you a friendly warning. Well, more like a tip, really,” the Doctor began.
“What would that tip be?” Draigo asked. The Doctor gestured for him to come closer. Draigo leaned in as the Doctor had asked and waited to hear what he had to say.
“Keep those mares close, and be mindful of those beyond,” The Doctor whispered in his ear, before waving goodbye as he walked away and disappeared into the crowd.
“Well, that’s not cryptic at all,” Draigo said sarcastically as he tried to figure out what the Doctor meant. Praan came over after maneuvering through the crowd of ponies.
“Guess what? They’ve got booze!” Praan announced before he noticed Draigo’s expression and frowned under his helm. “Something wrong?”
“Just trying to figure out a cryptic message,” Draigo replied. Praan shrugged.
“Well, anyway, you want a drink? Somehow they got Blue Moon,” Praan asked, licking his lips.
“Hmm, I know I can’t get drunk in my draconic form. Let’s see if I can get drunk like this.” Draigo told his slightly drunk friend. Praan pointed at the screen.
“Hey! I’m not drunk! Just -hic- buzzed!” Praan said indignantly.
“Uh huh. If you say so. What does that brown stallion with an hourglass for a cutie mark do? I ask because he’s the one who gave me the cryptic message,” Draigo inquired.
“Oh, him? He’s the Doctor. Ya, know, Doctor Who? He was talking about—” Pinkie appeared and shoved a chocolate croissant into Praan’s mouth after taking off his helmet, all in one movement.
“SPOILERS!” she cried. The man simply nodded as he chewed his croissant.
“Thank you, River. I wanted that spoiler, though,” Draigo told the hyper pink pony. Pinkie turned to Draigo and booped him on the nose.
“You’ll have to find out for yourself, Dray!” she said before hopping away, leaving Draigo confused on how she bopped his nose when his helmet was on.
“I better stop thinking about how Pinkie did that or what the Doctor meant otherwise my head’s going to fry,” Draigo said after a few moments of thinking. Praan, after finishing his croissant, raised a finger wisely.
“Actually, in another verse, your head did fry,” he commented.
“That’s true, but I’m not there. How did you know what the Doctor was talking about without me telling you about it?” Draigo queried. Praan shrugged and waved a hand dismissively.
“Eh, I can break the Fourth Wall when I’m buzzed. Watch!” Praan smashed a fist through reality before taking out — Hey! Put me back! I need to write the story! “Sorry!” Phew. As the hole in reality fixed itself, Praan just stood there proudly, hands on his hips and chest puffed out. Jerkwad. “I heard that!” Shit! “Eh, not worth it. Don't need to scare the readers by taking the story down this early.” Phew.
“I’m not even going to ask who that was. In fact, I didn’t see anything!” Draigo exclaimed. Praan shrugged.
“No need to shout about it. Now, you wanna drink?” Praan asked.
“Sure,” Draigo replied. The two walked over to the makeshift bar, which was really just the main counter with drinks on the shelves in the back instead of sweets. Praan walked over and sat down at a stool in front of the counter.
“Can you get me another Blue Moon, Berry?” Praan asked. Berry nodded and filled a mug with the beverage and slid it over to Praan. Berry turned to Draigo.
“You want anyshing?” the mare slurred, taking a quick sample of one of the drinks.
“A Blue Moon, please,” Draigo told the drunk mare.
“Hold on a sec,” Praan said before smashing another hole in reality and pulling out a man. “What did I tell you before? We’re not drunk! We’re buzzed!”
“You’re drunk, Praan. Go home. And put me back! I’ve got two crossovers to help write!” the man said. Praan blew raspberries in the man’s face.
“Not until you apologize and say we're not drunk!” Praan demanded.
“I’m helping to write this so I know you’re drunk. So, be a good Displaced and return me to my living room!” explained the frazzled man.
Praan stared the man in the eyes, straight to his soul. “Do you want me to take your soul?” Praan threatened.
“Do you want me to make it so Draigo goes fully corrupt and razes the entirety of Equestria out of your reach?” the man returned. Praan growled before sighing.
“Fine. You win. This time,” Praan said before throwing the man back in the hole rather roughly.
“Of course I win. I’m an authoooor!” The man said as the hole closed behind him. All the ponies stared for what seemed like forever. Especially Draigo.
“What?” Praan asked innocently.
“Nope, didn’t see anything, again,” Draigo said as he tried not to think about what the man had said. The ponies resumed their business and Praan chugged the entirety of his drink when no one was looking. Then, there was a knock at the door.
“Hmm, that’s odd. Who knocks when everyone was invited to this party? Mares, stay away from the door and come closer to me.” Draigo said as he remembered the Doctor’s tip. To Draigo’s confusion, it turned out to just be a white Pegasus mare with a long pink mane and tail with a sun for a cutie mark and another mare, a thestral, with a slightly lighter blue mane and tail tied into ponytails, she had a cutie mark of the moon.
“Sorry we’re late, everypony!” said the white mare.
“Aunt Sunshine! Aunt Dusk!” Twilight cried as she rushed to the two mares and gave them a hug. Praan was laughing his ass off as soon as he saw the two. Literally. His ass came off. He began chasing it around before eventually reattaching it, seemingly scolding it.
“You gotta pull yourself together, Praan. You seem to be falling apart.” Draigo said as he chuckled at Praan’s antics. Praan fell to the floor laughing, along with Pinkie, who was snorting as she did so. The two mares approached Praan and Draigo, smiling as they did so.
“Hello, are you two Praan and...was it Draigo?” the white mare, Sunshine, asked.
“Yes, ma’am. That is correct. It’s nice to meet you.” Draigo said to the white mare.
“Ish nish to meet shooooo~!” Praan sing-songed.
“I’m guessing you heard of me from Twilight. Is there something we can do for you ladies?” Draigo said.
“OH OH OH! We can shing for shem!” Praan suggested.
“Is he alright?” Dusk asked.
“He’s drunk, but won’t admit it.” explained Draigo.
“Cork it, ya two yellowed bellyed lung giver! I am…-hic- I am -hic- I am jus’ busshed!” Praan said before weakly getting up and throwing a weak right hook at Draigo. “Shut up ya gits! It -hic- washn’t weak!” And with that, Praan fell to the floor, out cold and already snoring.
“Well, he’s down for the count. I wonder what he’d say if he knew I can manipulate alcohol? Hmm, best that he doesn’t know.” Draigo said as he looked at the passed out drunk. “Now, was there something I could help you with, ladies, or did you just want to meet the two humans?” Twilight sighed and shook her head in disappointment at Praan, mumbling something about how he only had three drinks.
“A bit of both, actually, just wanted to know the intentions of the only two humans in Equus.” Sunshine said, ignoring Twilight's comment.
“Well, my intention is to help Praan for a bit and then go home. What happens during that time is up in the air. I have no idea what Praan’s intentions are and we won’t be able to find out until he wakes up.” Draigo told the mares. There was the tiniest and slightest of twitches in Dusk’s eye, one that didn't go unnoticed by Draigo.
“Very well. I suppose we shall visit later than. Does tomorrow at noon work?” Sunshine said quickly.
“It works for me, but I can’t speak for the drunk. Tell me, why are you so interested in Praan’s intentions?” Draigo asked, suspicious of that eye twitch. The thestral began to sweat slightly.
“Oh, what with our dear little niece running around saving the day all the time, we can't help but feel protective of her. It’s a habit.” Sunshine said with a smile.
“Uh huh. Well, let’s try this again. Why are you so interested in Praan’s intentions, Miss Sweaty?” Draigo pressed. The mare sweated profusely, before finally breaking.
“I can't do it, sister!” yelled the mare, bolting out the door. The white mare sighed before turning back to Draigo.
“Follow me, please,” she said politely.
“I’ll follow, but you and your friend are very suspicious.” Draigo said as he cautiously followed the mare. As Draigo thought about it, the two mare’s voices sounded...familiar. After walking out the door, the two traveled for what felt like hours, until they spotted a tail hanging off the side of a cloud.
“Come down please, our charade is up,” Sunshine called. The thestral peeked over the side of the cloud before sighing and gliding down.
“Okay, familiar voices, those colorations, the cutie marks...Why didn’t I see it sooner? Your charade really is up. Celestia. Luna.” Draigo said as he put the clues together. The two sighed and in a flash of light, they were their regal selves.
“Is it really that obvious?” Luna asked.
“You barely changed your cutie marks and colorations. Plus, you were way too interested in finding out Praan’s intentions, while mine were glossed over, to be regular ponies. Oh, it does help that I live with my Celestia and Luna and you two forgot to change your voices.” Draigo explained to Luna. “And , just so you know, I’m more dragon than human.”
“...Fair enough. And you live with our counterparts? I find that to be...strange.” Celestia commented.
“You find it strange that two immortals want another to stay with them so they can always have someone to talk to?” Draigo asked as he clarified.
“You really are dense. Though I suppose that's to be expected, especially from a Primordial Dragon. But I’ll give you a hint. Well, more a question you should try and answer on your own: What female invites a male into their home without some ulterior motive?” Celestia asked.
“Dragons. They never change.” Luna said with a giggle.
“Umm… Well…” Draigo cleared his throat loudly. “Enough about me. What is it about you Celestias that makes you so untrusting of something different? I mean the last one I met shot at me and my friend and asked questions later.”
“For your information, I’m only worried about the intentions of another Immortal who has ties to the Dark. None but my sister, my father, and grandmother had ties to it, but they didn't have it to this extent. True, he also has ties to the Light, quite immense ties, I might add, but he still has ties to the Dark, and that is always a cause for worry when the being in question has unknown intentions.” Celestia informed. Luna sighed and draped a wing over her sister.
“Be calm, sister, he meant no disrespect, I am sure. But, he could tell us the boy's intentions, as I was scrying on them earlier and saw them talk for quite awhile.” Luna soothed.
“Sorry. I already Pinkie Promised that I wouldn’t tell unless he allows me to. Oh, and I have ties to the Dark as well.” Draigo said as he took off his helmet to show them his eyes. Purple flames could be seen flowing from the corners. “So, what are you going to do now that you know?”
“We had been meaning to ask about that. Though from what we can tell, your ties are not nearly as deep rooted as the boy’s. His ties go as deep as the core of his soul, but yours? It has merely scratched the surface, if that.” Luna replied.
“For now, we will keep a very close eye on the boy. Also, if you wish to be cleansed, you could try contacting the Almighty or his daughter and our great grandmother, Celestria. They could easily cleanse you.” Celestia added.
“I could, but I won’t. It’s a reminder of a time when I became a world’s Nightmare Moon. I was foolishly confident and got corrupted as I fished. I will bear this until I feel I’ve redeemed myself.” Draigo told the pair. “Keep as close an eye on him as you want. I’ve got no say in another Displaced’s world, really.” The sisters seemed slightly surprised, looking at each other and then back to Draigo.
“Are you sure? If it isn't dealt with in the near future, it will corrupt your soul completely.” Luna asked.
“I’m sure. Once I’m back in my world nothing will happen to me beyond the usual side effects that we’ve already noticed. Besides, my connection to the ‘Dark’ is much deeper than you think and has been since the dawn of time. I mean, I can fuel my powers with energy from the Underworld itself. I don’t, but it’s still a possibility. Thank you for worrying about me, though.” Draigo explained to them. The two smiled sadly.
“Still so dense. Very well. I take it we shall see you at noon tomorrow?” Celestia said, shaking her head in slight disappointment.
“I’m not that dense. I just want to feel as though I’ve repented enough before trying to have the rest of the corruption cleansed, that’s all.” Draigo said indignantly. “I will tell Praan, but it will be up to him whether he meets you two or not.” The princesses smirked.
“I can see why they took an interest to you now. Farewell, Draigo, until tomorrow.” Celestia said as she spread her wings and took flight, her sister following soon after.
“I’ve got so many questions!” Draigo yelled after them before giving up and returning to Sugarcube Corner. As he drew closer, he noticed ponies leaving and returning home. Two of which were the Doctor, Derpy, and an orange unicorn stallion wearing goggles and a brown vest. The Doctor smirked knowingly at Draigo while Derpy waved and the unicorn nodded in acknowledgement.
“That freaking tip is going to make me paranoid if I don’t figure it out soon.” Draigo muttered to himself. “Do any of you know what happened to Praan?”
“Miss Pie decided to let him stay with her and the Cakes for the night, so he should be up in her room,” The Doctor grew a serious look. “One last thing, she might be in danger. I can't help, but you can.” The Doctor walked away without another word.
Upon hearing that Pinkie might be in danger, Draigo ran into the store and leapt up the stairs. He plowed through Pinkie’s door and looked around for any sign of her. He heard her voice from the bathroom and immediately rushed over to it and opened the door, seeing her about to take off Praan’s armour.
“Don’t touch him, Pinkie!” Draigo shouted as he tried to get her away from Praan.
“Huh?” Pinkie said obliviously before taking off Praan’s helm while she looked to Draigo. “Oh hey Dray! You shouldn’t be in here, this is private!” Pinkie said as she got up and tried to close the door on Draigo.
“Private my immortal ass.” Draigo muttered as he put his hand on the door and forced his way in. “Pinkie, you’ll never be the same if you touch him!” Pinkie struggled with the door, before Draigo opened it again and he noticed a faint white mist coming from her eyes, nearly unnoticeable.
“I just want to see his body!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Just a peek!”
“Fine! Just don’t touch him. I’ve got no problem helping you give him a bath or something, but you can’t touch him. You can only look.” Draigo said in an attempt to reason with her. Pinkie bit her lip, before nodding. She stepped aside so Draigo could come in and they set to work taking off his armour.
He was fairly handsome for his age, not to mention a rare type of Human. His hair was chalk white, his skin was pale, and every now and then his eyes would flicker open for a moment, giving them a glimpse of his eyes, which were like liquid gold on fire. Of course, he immediately closed them afterwards, but every time they opened the two stopped in fear of waking him.
Finally, they undid his chest plate and Pinkie nearly drooled at the sight, they weren't much compared to Draigo, but his abs were still very well toned. Then, Draigo saw it, the accursed DarkSign, right over his shoulder blade. The black mark swirled like a maelstrom, but didn't extend very far at all.
“Okay, satisfied, Pinkie?” Draigo asked. “There’s some things that you probably don’t want to see quite yet.” Pinkie almost reached a hoof out to caress Praan, before the white mist from her eyes faded and she sighed and dropped her hoof, walking out the door.
“Well, that was weird. And that’s saying something when you’re talking about Pinkie.” Draigo remarked to himself as he changed his human form so that he only wore a loincloth before beginning to give Praan a bath.
The boy nearly woke up several times throughout the process, but soon fell back asleep each time. Eventually, after about thirty minutes, Praan was clean. Draigo, after performing the tedious task of putting Praan’s armour back on, walked out the door with the boy draped over his shoulder.
As Draigo set him carefully on the mattress Pinkie provided and wrapped a blanket around him, he heard the boy mutter in his sleep, “I love you...Dad…”
“I love you too, son.” Draigo told the boy, hoping Praan would hear his dad say it in his dreams. Somehow, Draigo could feel the boy smile under his helm, before he saw Pinkie staring at him from her bed, sniffling. Just as she was about to wail, Draigo covered her mouth.
“Shh, shh, shh. We don’t want to wake him up.” Draigo said in a hushed voice with a finger to his mouth. “I know the feels are strong, but we need to go to bed ourselves.” The pink mare nodded slowly and wiped her tears, curling up in her bed before looking at Draigo.
“Where are you going to sleep?” she whispered.
“Do you mind if I slept in my draconic form?” Draigo whispered back as he thought over his options. Pinkie shook her head. “Then after I change into it I’ll sleep next to Praan, on the floor.” Pinkie smiled.
“I can see why he likes you now,” she whispered before closing her eyes and immediately snoring away.
Draigo chuckled at how fast Pinkie fell asleep. He silently changed into his draconic form and laid down next to Praan on the floor. Curling his tail around himself and laying his head along it, Draigo wondered how the day would go tomorrow as he fell asleep.
The next morning Praan woke to two blue orbs in his face while Draigo woke to two unblinking amethyst orbs. Naturally, they reacted in accordance.
“GYAAAH!” exclaimed Praan, immediately backing up.
“WHO-!?” Draigo tried to ask as he reared back. He hit his head on a dresser, silencing his question. The two calmed down slightly as they realized it was just Pinkie and her pet baby alligator, Gummy. Though they were still irritated.
“Seriously, Pinkie!? Was that really necessary!?” Praan growled. Pinkie giggled.
“What's wrong with watching my friend sleep?” she asked innocently. The alligator simply stared at Draigo blankly, like he was peering into his soul.
“I’ve woken up to people being close to me, but never that close or staring into my eyes.” Draigo commented. “Pinkie, that is very creeperish of you.”
“I’m not a creeper though, if I couldn't smile I would be so sad!” Pinkie said, oblivious. Praan sighed in exasperation.
“I’m not saying you are a creeper, Pinkie. It’s just kinda creepy for a friend to watch another friend sleep. Especially when you can’t even see that friend’s face.” Draigo said as he stood and stretched all of his limbs. Praan groaned.
“You know what? I don't care, just keep it quiet, I have a migraine.” Praan informed.
“Oh? Do you have a hangover?” Draigo asked in an overly loud voice.
“Yes, now keep it down before I steal your soul.” Praan threatened. Pinkie giggled.
“Wow Praanny, you seem irritated!” Pinkie commented. Praan reached for his sword.
“One more word, I swear I'll steal both of your souls. Push it and I’ll kill the alligator too.” Praan said with a growl. Pinkie laughed, causing Praan to flinch and groan.
“Now, now. Let’s go eat breakfast. That should help with your hangover, Praan.” Draigo said in a quiet voice so Praan’s head wouldn’t hurt as much. Praan returned his sword to its sheath before getting up.
“You're lucky, we don't open for another hour and a half,” Pinkie told Praan. Praan simply grunted in response and walked out the door and downstairs.
“Got any hangover cures, Pinkie? I’m sure Praan would be very appreciative if you gave him one.” Draigo said as he walked down the stairs. Pinkie shook her head.
“I gave the last one to Berry Punch,” Pinkie replied as she followed.
“Dang. Well, I guess Praan is just going to have to tough it out. Hopefully, he’ll be alright by the time we meet those mares at noon.” Draigo said. The two made it to the bottom of the stairs to see Praan at a table with his head in his hands. The two sat down in the chairs next to him.
“How’s your head feeling, Praan?” Draigo asked and then realised he’d forgotten something. “Oh, what do we have for breakfast, Pinkie?” Praan groaned.
“Like a dire wolf is jumping on my head.” Praan uttered.
“I dunno, Mrs. Cake usually makes me breakfast. There she is now,” Pinkie said, pointing towards the plump mare approaching them with plates of flapjacks balanced on her back.
“Here you go, dearies,” said the mare, sliding the plates onto the table. “Let me know if you want more, I’ll be back with some drinks.” She said before walking off to grab said drinks.
“This looks great. Thank you, Mrs. Cake.” Draigo said before digging into the flapjacks. Pinkie ate hers in one bite, whilst Praan was taking his time, moaning in ecstasy with each bite. Mrs. Cake, who was coming around to hand them some orange juice, noticed Praan’s uncovered face and giggled.
“My, you're a handsome one, Mister Praan. If I didn't already have my husband, I’d have latched onto you in a heartbeat.” Praan blushed profusely and looked away.
“Praan, you better be careful~. It seems that even married mares like how you look.” Draigo teased as he continued to eat his breakfast. Praan quickly ate his breakfast before slamming his helmet on, then groaning from the pain of the action.
“Bad idea…” he moaned. Mrs. Cake giggled along with Pinkie.
“I can't help it, he’s just so...exotic. Though your other form was quite ravishing as well, Mister Draigo.” Mrs. Cake complimented. Pinkie giggled.
“She’s right!” Pinkie chimed.
“What am I chopped liver?” Draigo wondered as he changed into his human form and removed his helmet for emphasis.
“Far from it, Mister Draigo,” she gave him a peck on the cheek. “Now, if you don't mind I have to go help my husband.” She said before walking away.
“Well, that proves that it’s not just Praan.” Draigo said as he changed back to his draconic form. “I think I’ll stay like this for as long as I can.” Praan chuckled.
“Serves you right, ya wanker,” Praan said in a mock British accent. Pinkie turned to him.
“That was a pretty accurate accent, where’d you learn to speak like that?” Pinkie asked.
“You don't need to know,” Praan said coldly, making Pinkie wince at the harsh words before he got up and walked to the front door. “I’m gonna walk around, you wanna come with Draigo?”
“Sounds good. We’ve got a meeting at noon with two mares, though.” Draigo said as he followed Praan. Praan sighed.
“I already know who they are, Draigo. I read some stories that detailed the Princesses using those disguises,” Praan said tiredly as he looked around the town for something to do while they walked.
“Well, you can’t blame me for trying to surprise you. What stories are you talking about?” Draigo asked curiously. Praan shrugged.
“In my spare time at home, I would read MLP fanfics for hours. Ranging from Displaced like Jason Hughes, Gilgamesh, and The Trinity, to just regular crossovers and romance,” Praan explained.
“There’s stories about all of this!? Man, wish my memories weren’t as foggy as they are.” Draigo admitted. Praan shrugged again.
“Your world might not have had stories about the Displaced, I know that when I read most of the ones about those who had some idea of what they were they only referred to stories about disappearances. And I never finished all of them, especially since they were still ongoing. It's one of the reasons I wasn't surprised at your appearance, I figured you were a Displaced,” Praan explained as he thought he saw a mint green pony disappear behind a shrub.
“Yep, just like you. I may or may not have read those stories, but there are some things from back home I can’t remember,” Draigo told him. Praan zipped his head in the direction of another bush as he heard rustling, but saw nothing.
“Great, we're being followed by an enthusiast,” Praan whispered in exasperation.
“Oh? Which enthusiast might that be? Could it possibly be small and not have a cutie mark yet?” Draigo asked in a hushed voice.
“Worse. Human enthusiast. Or as most have speculated, pony with a human fetish,” Praan said with a shudder.
“Who? I don't think I've met that one yet.” Draigo admitted as he searched their surroundings for whoever Praan was talking about.
“Lyra Heartstrings, known for her obsession with all things human. Ponies call her crazy, and she kinda is,” Praan informed quietly.
“Huh...Oh, right. Her. Haven't met her, but I've heard of her. What would you like to do?” Draigo said as he remembered a conversation he had back in his world.
“When I say go, we start running. Got it?” Praan whispered.
“Got it.” Draigo said with a nod as he prepared to leg it.
Praan waited until he saw a flash of mint green before yelling, “Go!” and running as fast as his legs could carry him. Draigo was close behind him as he occasionally glanced behind them to see if they were being followed. To his dismay, they were, and their pursuer was right on their heels, her mane and tail bobbing as she sprinted after them
“I just want to see your hands!” she shouted after them.
“What? That's just strange!” Draigo said as he ran and thought of how to lose the mare. This served only to further the mare’s efforts.
“I am not strange! Now stop and let me feel those hands!” the mare yelled as she ran.
“Over my rotting corpse!” Praan replied.
“You want to feel something? Feel this!” Draigo said as he set a sheet of ice under the mare. The mare slipped and slided, trying to regain her balance before faceplanting.
“Nice one, Draigo!’ Praan complimented, looking back. As a result of not looking where he was going, Praan collided with a pink ball of fluff. Well, more like disappeared into it. The mare the fluff was attached to replied to this with a simple shrug.
“Holy crap, that's a lot of fluffy fur. Where'd Praan go?” Draigo wondered as he skidded to a stop before checking around the fluffy mare for any sign of him. There was no trace of Praan anywhere around the mare, but then, he saw Praan’s head pop out from her fluff and motion for him to follow before disappearing again. The mare simply looked at this and blew raspberries.
“Okaaay? Apparently that's a language even my omnilingual mind can't understand if it even is a language.” Draigo said quizzically. “Pardon me.” He then walked into the fluff as Praan had indicated. What he found was an entire world of different hues of pink, and he was standing in a plain of pink grass that went up to his head. Draigo could barely see Praan in the distance near a clearing with a tree, waving him over.
“Is trying to understand this like trying to understand Pinkie Sense?” Draigo asked as he walked over to Praan. Praan nodded.
“Yeah, no one really knows much about Fluffle Puff, but she can do things others can't. Mainly involving her fur. Honestly kinda surprised she's here. Anyway, we can hide in here until Lyra gives up,” Praan informed.
“Sounds like a plan. Any idea how long that will take, though?” Draigo asked as he laid down next to Praan. Praan shrugged.
“Might take minutes here, or it might not. Time could flow differently in this place. It is, after all, Fluffle Puff we’re talking about here,” Praan explained. Out of nowhere, the two heard what sounded like the buzzing of an insect, only much larger. “Oh no…”
“Well, sounds like there's a changeling in here somewhere. Last one I met wasn't very nice, but she wasn't bad. Just snarky.” Draigo commented as he listened to the buzzing.
“Ever meet their queen? Because we’re about to,” Praan said as he got in a battle ready stance.
“Chrysalis? Yeah, I met her when Jason summoned me to his world. She was the snarky changeling.” Draigo told him as he stood and tried to find the source of the buzzing. The buzzing seemed to be coming from behind them, so the two turned around to see the Queen herself flying towards them. She landed in front of them with a soft thud.
“Well this is new. Might I ask what you two are doing here, and what you are?” she asked, her voice echoing.
“Hiding from a hand crazed pony, and I’m a Primordial Dragon.” Draigo stated.
“I am a human, I suppose,” Praan replied, muttering the last part under his breath.
“A human and a Primordial, you say? Well, that's rather interesting. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave now. I have a strict rule with Fluffle that clearly states only I can be in here,” Chrysalis said before her horn glowed.
“She only blew raspberries at me. How was I supposed to understand raspberries? That’s not even a language!” Draigo argued. “Couldn’t we just stay until Lyra gives up? That was our plan anyway.”
“Hmmm...Nope, don't care. Bye!” Chrysalis said before she used her magic to teleport the two out of Fluffle Puff’s Pink Dimension and right in front of Lyra.
“Please no,” Praan uttered before Lyra immediately tackled him and grabbed his hands, trying to take off his gauntlets.
“Lyra, you won’t be able to feel his small hands properly. If you’re going to feel them then try mine they’re much bigger than his.” Draigo said as he changed into his human form, but only wearing some gold arm bands and a loincloth. Praan was about to object before realizing the Primordial’s plan. Lyra immediately turned around and drooled at the sight of Draigo, stars in her eyes, and Praan decided, even though he knew he was just doing it to help, he would get some payback.
Praan immediately shot up and started running, yelling back, “I’ll remember your sacrifice!” as he ran out of sight. After Draigo believed Praan had gotten far enough away he changed back into his draconic form, much to the dismay of Lyra, and flew off to find him. As he was searching for the armoured boy, he wasn't paying attention to where he was going and got a snout full of a gray bubble butt.
“Eep!” squeaked the gray mare.
“I’m sorry, miss. I was looking for a friend of mine that’s land bound and forgot to keep track of the sky around me.” Draigo explained to the grey mare. The mare turned around, revealing her amber criss crossed eyes.
“I-it’s a-alright, no h-harm done!” she said with the biggest blush Draigo had ever seen. It was then he noticed something wet on his snout and immediately recoiled.
“Oh. Oh no! Crap, crap, crap! Please, miss, I know you said there was no harm done, but please let me make it up to you somehow!” Draigo said desperate to not incur the wrath of every mare who found out about this incident. The mare blushed harder, which seemed impossible, but she did.
“U-u-umm...I-I-I...D-don’t kn-know i-f I-I-I sh-sh-should do that w-with a st-stranger, m-m-m-mister!” she squeaked out.
“What? No, no, no! I didn’t mean it like that!” Draigo quickly told the confused mare. Tears formed in her eyes.
“A-am I n-not p-p-pretty enough?” she asked, her golden mane and tail bobbing.
“No! Not in the least! You’re very pretty! I just have someone else that I like! That’s all!” Draigo said, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to say no to anything she asked him to do if she started crying. The tears grew.
“It’s m-my eyes, isn't it? You m-must think I l-l-look retarded!” she asked rhetorically, tears flowing freely. “I’m sorry! I'll just leave now!” she began to fly away at her top speed, crying the whole way.
“What!? No! I don’t think that at all!” Draigo called to her as he gave chase to the emotional mare. The mare somehow flew relatively well, despite being blinded by her tears, though she did make a few narrow misses with other pegasi. Draigo, however, was not so lucky, and rammed into a group of mares wearing skin tight flight suits. They all started falling before landing on a rather large cloud in a tangle of limbs.
“Alright, who has the balls to stick their nose there!?” yelled a very authoritative female voice.
“Get your claw off of my flank!” yelled another, arrogant sounding voice.
“Get your tail out of my face and get off please!” said a smooth voice.
“Sorry! Sorry! I’m trying to catch a crying mare! So if you’ll excuse me!” Draigo said as he extricated himself from the three mares and took off after the grey, crying mare before he lost sight of her. The three mares sounded their protest, but were too busy untangling themselves to chase Draigo.
Draigo chased the crying mare until she stopped by a two story house and opened the door before slamming it closed behind her, her weeping emanating strongly from it.
“Miss! I really want to make things up to you! Tell me what you’d like me to do and I’ll do it so long as it’s within my power!” Draigo called to the crying mare. The crying turned to loud sniffling, before the door creaked open a crack, one amber eye peeking.
“R-r-really?” she asked, still sniffling.
“Really. So, will you please tell me how I can make it up to you?” Draigo said pleadingly. The mare fidgeted.
“U-umm...W-well...maybe...a d-date?” she asked.
“If that’s what you want me to do to make things up to you...A date it is.” Draigo said. She opened the door fully, revealing her wide smile and tear stained fur, along with her trimmed golden mane and tail and cutie mark of bubbles.
“I’d like that. I’m free tomorrow. Umm...I never got your name, Mister…?” she queried.
“My name is Draigo. I’ll be sure to be here tomorrow then. I do have one question, though. Would you prefer me like this,” Draigo said as he motioned to himself, “or like this?” He changed into his human form and gestured to himself.
“O-oh my g-goodness! P-please c-cover yourself, Mr. Draigo!” she said as she shielded her eyes. Draigo chuckled a little at her reaction before conjuring his armor into place.
“I do apologize for that. I had used that to help my friend earlier and forgot to put my armor back on.” Draigo said as he rubbed the back of his helmet while looking at the ground. “If I’m going to go on a date then I’d like to look my best for my date. That’s why I asked.”
The mare blushed and looked at the ground herself before mumbling, “Umm...Th-that f-form…”
“Okay, I’ll show up like this. Now, what time would you like me here, Miss...Ah, forgive me. I seem to be forgetting a lot of things today. What is your name, miss?” Draigo said, his embarrassment increasing exponentially for not remembering so much today.
“D-D-D-Ditzy, Ditzy D-Doo,” she answered, not used to someone being so polite to her was making her flustered.
“Ditzy. What time should I come to pick you up, Ditzy?” Draigo inquired.
“O-oh! U-umm...S-s-six in the e-evening sounds g-good,” Ditzy replied.
“Until then, Ditzy.” Draigo said as he placed a hand on his heart and bowed before resuming his search for Praan. After searching and searching for hours, Draigo finally found Praan hiding in a tree in the same park they were in yesterday, only this time there was a mob of unicorn and earth pony mares trying to climb up it, and he only had his boots and undergarments on. Draigo looked at the mares to see a few still fighting over the pieces of his armour they had torn off of him.
“Did any of them touch you, Praan!?” Draigo asked worriedly. Praan, finally noticing the Primordial, grew a look of rage.
“OH! So now you care! What happened!? Got tired of abandoning me and decided to go off and abandon someone else!?” Praan asked rhetorically as he fumed.
“I ran into a mare by the name of Ditzy Doo, literally! One thing led to another and she ended up flying home in tears! I gave chase and ran into three more mares before following Ditzy to her home! So, I asked her what I can do to make up for running into her and now I’ve got a date with her tomorrow at six!” Draigo yelled to be heard over the mob of ponies.
“Praan, go on a date with me!” called a white mare.
“No, me!” said a purple mare.
“I just wanna nuzzle you!” said another. Praan waved a hand in a shooing fashion.
“Leave me alone! Go away!” he yelled, before looking back at Draigo. “Okay, I’m sorry, just get rid of them!”
“None of you are going to touch a hair on his head so long as I’m around!” Draigo shouted as he changed to his draconic form. He took in a deep breath and let out a primal roar. The mares immediately dispersed and screamed as they did so, dropping Praan’s armour in the process. Praan let out a sigh of relief as he jumped down and started gathering his armour.
“You still didn’t answer my question. Did any of them touch you?” Draigo asked as he joined Praan in gathering his armor. Praan let out a sigh of exasperation.
“No. Now can you help me put this on? I’ve never worn metal armour before and I don't want to get chafed,” Praan asked as he held up his armour.
“What are friends for? I’m glad you aren’t hurt and none of the mares are cursed, though.” Draigo said as he began to help Praan put his armour on.
“...Thanks. I’m...sorry for being rude. I’m just frustrated, you know?” Praan said as Draigo strapped the chest piece to his sides.
“It’s alright. I don’t blame you. I’m pretty sure anyone would’ve been like that in your situation.” Draigo told the boy. “Ugh, I can’t believe my first official date as a Displaced is going to be with a mare that isn’t Celestia or Luna.” Praan chuckled as Draigo helped him put his helmet on and made sure all the other pieces were in place and not too tight or too loose.
“Yeah, sorry to hear that. What exactly happened?” Praan asked.
“I was flying around to try to find you and accidentally ran into a delicate area of Ditzy’s. You know the gist of what happened afterwards.” Draigo told the boy as his scales darkened.
“Wait, delicate area? You mean you—?” Praan started.
“Snout first.” Draigo admitted. Praan erupted in laughter.
“It’s not that funny! I’m pretty sure I offended those three mares I ran into while chasing Ditzy as well.” Draigo said. Praan fell to the floor, seemingly dying of laughter. “Seriously, I don’t even know who they are!” Prawn laughed for a good while, making Draigo blush harder,before he finally recovered.
“I...hehe...sorry...wh-what...heh, what did they s-sound like?” Praan asked, before adding, “And what did they look like?”
“One sounded authoritative, one was smooth and the other was arrogant. They were all wearing skin tight flight suits. Beyond that I have no idea what they look like.” Draigo told the boy. Praan laughed again before recovering quickly.
“Ha Ha...Oh dude, you're screwed. Those were the Wonderbolts! And judging from the description, it was Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and Cloud Chaser too!” Praan said before laughing again.
“Wonderbolts? As in the stunt team? Why am I screwed? All I have to do is go to their headquarters and apologize.” Draigo said, stating a simple solution to the complicated problem. Praan stopped laughing enough to answer.
“Well, judging by your blush, you had quite a run in with them, and if that's true, then a simple apology won't cut it. They’ll want a favor. How did the four of you end up after you rammed into them, anyway?” Praan asked, a cheeky smile under his helm.
“In a jumble of limbs and body parts. I heard them mention ‘there’, ‘my flank’, and ‘my face’, though. I’m sure there’s something I can do to make it up to them.” Draigo said thoughtfully and ended optimistically. Praan started rolling on the ground in laughter.
“You’re still laughing?” Draigo asked in exasperation. Praan continued laughing, this time pointing at Draigo like he was a clown, and after a while, calmed down.
“Okay, I can admire the optimism, but there is such a thing as too much. Those mares? They’ll want a lot more than an apology. A lot more. Especially if they said those things. You're denser than the average dragon, you know that?” Praan said as he smiled wide at Draigo.
“Just because I weigh twice what they do doesn’t mean it’s not insulting, Praan.” Draigo told him. Praan smiled wider.
“One, that just proves my point. Two, I meant metaphorically, silly,” Praan explained.
“It’s not my fault I spent around ten billion years alone and had all that proper social stuff be forgotten because of it!” Draigo argued. Praan shook his head in mirth before placing a hand on Draigo’s shoulder.
“Calm down, I didn't mean any disrespect. Just...I prefer being up front when it comes to my opinions,” Praan soothed.
“Well, I appreciate that your candor.” Draigo said and sighed. “Any suggestions about how to handle this?” Praan shrugged.
“Beg for forgiveness, and do whatever it takes to make it up to them. Then, again, it’s not like you just left without saying a proper apology, right?” Praan queried.
“I said sorry twice and explained why I was in a rush before excusing myself.” Draigo informed him. Praan winced slightly.
“Ooooh...yeah, they're gonna see that as you running away from facing their wrath. You're gonna have to make it up to them big time,” Praan explained.
“I was planning on asking them what I could do, within my power, to make it up to them. Is that good enough?” Draigo said hopefully. Praan shrugged.
“Eh...I’m sure it will work out,” Praan said unconvincingly.
“Thanks, that’s really helpful. What time is it anyway? We’ve got that meeting with those two at noon.” Draigo said as he tried to figure out the time by the sun’s position. “They never did tell me where they wanted to meet.”
“By the looks of it, high time we went and met them. Come on, let’s start looking,” Praan said as he began walking. The two walked for some time, checking the Castle of Friendship, Sweet Apple Acres, Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner, and even Town Hall before finally seeing the two disguised mares in question outside a tea shop. The two mares smiled as they saw the two Displaced.
“We were wondering where you two were, shall we find somewhere secluded?” Celestia asked, or as she preferred when in disguise, Sunshine. Praan nodded.
“We walked all over town, got chased by a hand crazed mare, ended up in awkward situations, and you want us to go to another spot?” Draigo told them in an annoyed voice. “Can we at least fly there?” Draigo asked and complained simultaneously.
“Actually, I have a spell, called Zoom, that can take us back to my campsite or anywhere I’ve already been.” Praan told them. The Princesses looked at each other before turning back to Praan.
“So it is a teleportation spell, then?” they asked.
“More like it flies us to the destination at the speed of light,” Praan answered.
“As long as it’s faster than walking, I’m game. Your Majesties?” Draigo said as he turned his attention to Celestia and Luna. The two looked at each other for a moment before turning back to the two.
“We suppose,” Luna replied. Praan nodded again, before raising his hand and then throwing it upwards, sending them all sky high before immediately and suddenly turning horizontal and then straight for what seemed like less than an instant before they all landed back on the ground in Praan’s campsite, the blue light around them dissipating. The group immediately heaved their lunches onto the ground, though Praan was not so lucky.
“OH GOD IT'S UP MY NOSE!” he cried as he tore his helmet off and ran to Fluttershy’s house to wash his face in the stream.
“Okay, never using that spell again. I’d much rather fly.” Draigo said after his stomach was empty and he’d conjured some water to swish with.
The group then faintly heard Praan yell, “WHY, FISH, WHY!?”
“I don’t think they like you using their home as your washbasin!” Draigo called to him with a chuckle. Praan came rushing back up the hill, his helmet still off, and a small fish up his nose.
“SHUT UP AND GET THIS THING OUT OF MY NOSE!” Praan shouted as he ran in circles.
‘Hold still and I will.” Draigo said as he followed Praan’s path with his eyes. Praan did as asked, though he twitched quite a bit with every movement the fish made. Draigo walked over to the twitchy boy and, gently as he could, pulled the fish from his nose before tossing the fish into an orb of water and placing it back in the stream. “There, better now? Can you still smell fish?” Praan sniffed before gagging.
“Yeah...Did I mention I hate the smell and taste of fish?” asked Praan. The Princesses were trying their best to hold back their giggles.
“Man, I used to go fishing all the time back home. I still like the taste of fish and the smell never bothered me. Sucks to be you, though, since that smell probably won’t go away for a few days.” Draigo said with a reminiscent sigh. Praan gagged a few more times before recovering.
“Thanks…” he said after catching his breath. The Princesses finally let themselves go, giggling like mad. Praan glared at them. “It was not funny.” He crossed his arms and pouted. The Princesses immediately started to coo at the sight. This only served to irritate Praan more. “Will you two stop it and get to the point?”
“Well, I can tell you that. They want to know what your intentions are. Apparently your connection to the Dark and not knowing your intentions is freaking them out.” Draigo told him as he hooked a claw at the two giggling mares. The two eventually recovered and cleared their throats, dispersing the spell disguising them.
“As Draigo has said, we simply wish to know your intentions. And just so we know you're not lying,” Celestia’s horn glowed golden before the glow stopped. “There, now we will now if you are lying.” Praan sighed and shook his head.
“Should have known you two would be concerned. Honestly, I don't have any intentions, aside from making friends here. I can't exactly have a lover without turning them into an Undead like me, so you won't have to worry about crossbreeds. Really, I’m just here because I was brought here. The only thing I can do is try to make a life here.” Praan said tiredly. The Princesses looked at each other, confused.
“Undead?” they asked simultaneously. Praan sighed.
“Draigo, could you explain? I don't feel up to it right now. Honestly kinda in a bad mood now. Explaining the despair and hopelessness of the curse would just make me sink into depression.” Praan asked, looking tired.
“Certainly. An undead is a being that is neither truly alive or dead. They’re somewhere in between. Praan is also cursed. The curse makes it so that anyone who touches him turns into an Undead, unless they are immortal. They are then doomed to never be able to die even if they are killed by someone.” Draigo explained for the Princesses. The Princesses’ ears went flat against their heads.
“Y-you mean—?” Celestia began.
“If you’re thinking he’s a zombie then you’re pretty dang close. If you’re thinking he’s a major danger to your citizens then know this. They have to touch him. Not his armor and not his clothing, him. For them to be turned into Undead.” Draigo told them in hopes of guessing what they were going to say next.
“That's terrible! How could anyone live with that!?” Luna exclaimed. Praan sighed once more.
“You're forgetting the memory loss and the Hollows, Draigo,” Praan added.
“Oh yeah. When they die, after becoming undead, they will lose some of their memories starting with their oldest memory. They can become Hollow if they give in to the darkness within them.” Draigo explained after he lightly hit his head with his palm.
“That's...that's worse than anything I’ve heard in all my years. I dread to ask, but what is a Hollow?” Celestia asked.
“A rotting corpse with no other purpose but to kill and devour souls. Luckily, one can't grow stronger once Hollow, but it's still a...debilitating curse.” Praan added, his eyes narrowed and heavy, and his brows stiff. Any traces of a smile or even the possibility of him being able to seemed like an impossibility.
“Okay, grumpy, don’t make me get Pinkie here. You know you won’t be able to resist her ability to make you laugh and she’ll then be able to pop up here whenever she wants.” Draigo said. “Try to think of the positive things, my friend.” Praan rounded on the Primordial.
“Forgive me, Primordial, but did I not tell you I have no future here? All I will have is friends, and eventually, I will want for companionship, only to curse my beloved to my fate. So my only future is going Hollow from giving in because I will have nothing. And then my friends will be killed by me. Does that sound like a future to you?” Praan asked, his tone as cold as nitrogen.
“Well, anything looks like a downward spiral of doom if you look at it with that attitude. The future is what you make of it. Who knows, you might find a way to get rid of the curse.” Draigo said optimistically.
“I...yeah...I guess,” Praan said, sounding uncertain and just overall tired as he sighed for the umpteenth time. The two were so absorbed in their argument that they only just now heard the sniffling and crying of the two sisters, who immediately glomped the boy. Praan didn't know what to do, so he just patted their backs awkwardly.
“Well, aren’t we popular with the mares?” Draigo said teasingly. Praan sighed.
‘Yeah. That might be a problem.’ he thought. After a long while, the sisters relinquished their hold on Praan and wiped their tears.
“I promise, you, we will do anything within our power to help you. If it comes down to it, we’ll just quarantine you. We are not giving up on a being with such a tragic past.” Celestia promised. Luna nodded. Praan looked at them.
“Thanks...I guess?” he said uncertainly.
“Dude, the more help you’ve got the better.” Draigo told him. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Or so the saying goes.” Praan grew a small smile.
“Yeah…” he responded. Celestia and Luna giggled.
“You humans have such strange sayings,” Celestia commented.
“Oh? I’m pretty sure that we’d find some of your sayings strange as well.” Draigo replied.
“A fair point. Well, I suppose we can conclude this meeting then, but before we do so, I would like to offer you a place to stay at the Castle, we can tell the staff to refrain from touching you until we find a cure.” Celestia offered. Praan thought about it.
“That...might be for the best. Just as long as you make them Pinkie Promise to not tell anyone else.” Praan replied. “...And if I can visit Ponyville when I want.” Celestia and Luna smiled.
“Certainly, we’ll take you there when you're ready,” Celestia responded.
“Sounds like your situation is looking up, Praan.” Draigo said. “The castle is a very nice place to live. I’ve got first hand experience, in my world.”
“Yeah...I guess things are.” Praan said, his small smile growing.
“Oh, I just thought of something that will make your mood even better. It’s about what you asked me to search the multiverse for.” Draigo told him with a grin. Praan perked up immediately.
“Really!? How!? No, forget that, when can I meet them!?” Praan asked desperately.
“I’ll talk to him about it, but Magnus has created all of one token. He’ll come to you if he believes that he can learn something about magic, the warp, or something similar. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier considering he sent a fragment of his soul into the void to search for something and ended up coming to my world.” Draigo explained. “Once I’m home I’ll send him a message. When he comes is up to him and it will, most likely, only be his soul fragment.” Praan immediately hugged the dragon.
“Thank you so much!” Praan exclaimed as he cracked Draigo’s bones with the strength of his hug.
“You’re...wel-come. Can I start to heal my bones now?” Draigo said as Praan hugged him, tightly. Praan released him quickly before scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
“Hehe, sorry,” Praan apologized. The sisters smiled warmly at the two.
‘He’s just like a father to him’ Luna thought.
“No problem. I can heal myself really quickly while in other worlds.” Draigo told him as a white energy permeated Draigo’s body before disappearing after a few moments. “There, all done. Aether manipulation plus quick healing equals almost instant healing.”
“Well...I guess you have to go back now, huh?” Praan said sadly.
“Only if you want me to. If I’m actually needed my Celestia will summon me, but if I go back now that’ll mean that Magnus gets told about you and he might visit you while I’m gone.” Draigo told the glum boy. “I do have that date tomorrow, though.” Praan was silent for a long time, teetering on the balls of his feet with his hands behind his back. Finally, he looked up at Draigo.
“I...would like it if you stayed for a bit. If that's okay,” Praan said.
“Of course. Do you have anything you need to grab before we head to your new home?” Draigo asked him. Praan shook his head before picking up his helmet and putting it on. “Alright, then we should get to an area that I can grow to my full size in before you get on my back and we fly to the castle.”
“There's a wide open field that way,” Praan said, pointing to the field just to the east of the campsite.
“Alright, let’s get going.” Draigo said as he started to walk toward the field. The group walked for a ways before Draigo stopped. He began to grow until he was about the size of a football field long with his wingspan being almost double his length. He was now forty-four feet at the shoulders and thirty feet wide.
“Welcome aboard Draigo airlines.” Draigo said as he extended a wing down to the ground for Praan to climb onto his back. Praan gawked before shaking his head and walking up the wing and onto Draigo’s back, finding a secure spot between two of his spines.
“I ever mention how cool you are?” Praan asked. The Princesses likewise gawked, but remained that way.
“You’ve said intimidating, but I think that’s the first you’ve said about me being cool. Thank you.” Draigo told him with a smile. “Now, hang on tight.” Praan did as asked, as he did so Draigo felt a burst of power erupt inside him as he took off, the amount of power going into his take off and causing a huge amount of displaced wind that blew the sisters away.
“Hey, any idea how my power got boosted? I’m not complaining, just wondering. I mean, I’m already powerful, but this amount is ridiculous.” Draigo said as they flew towards Canterlot.
“It’s my armour! In the game, it gave an old dragon enough power to fight his dead rival after having been weakened by age for fifty years along with old wounds from a war with an evil empire!” Praan shouted over the wind.
“I might have to summon you to my world if things get really bad then.” Draigo told the youth. Praan smirked beneath his helm.
“I said I would die for you, but let me go a step further, I would Hollow for you!” Praan shouted back. Their altitude and speed slowly dropped due to Draigo forgetting to flap his wings from the shock of the statement he’d just heard.
“Well… Uh... “Draigo cleared his throat and resumed proper flight. “I shouldn’t need either of those from you, but thank you. That means a lot knowing what it means for you.”
“Consider it a thank you for helping me out so much!” Praan said, before adding, “Now let me show you a trick I just thought of!” Praan then added his magic to the already enormous boost of power from the armour alone. The result was Draigo growing twice his size, and glowing a rainbow of colors while he emitted an aura of sheer power. Praan laughed as he watched Draigo stop flapping for almost a full minute.
“Here I thought I couldn’t get even more powerful. Proved me wrong.” Draigo admitted. “Now, where are those princesses? I’m gonna get shot at by their guard if I show up without them.” Praan laughed again before cutting the power.
“Dunno! But whenever I do that you supposedly have access to my spells! And the fans speculated you could do like in Soul Eater and add your soul's power to the mix! I only added my magic!” Praan informed.
“I guess I can land in the Royal Gardens, but we’re probably gonna get surrounded by the guard. Not that they are a real threat to us, but it’s the principal of the thing.” Draigo said as he headed toward the Royal Gardens. Praan laughed again.
“That's true, but I think you seem to be ignoring what I said! I bet we could beat a System Admin if I added my soul’s power!” Praan commented.
“Well then...that’s even more ridiculous and powerful than even Jason and he’s got the freaking Oden Force.” Draigo told him. “He’s another Displaced that I’ve met.”
“Yeah, I read the first story on him!” Praan added before pointing to the white and blue specks at the Royal Garden, along with the many others scrambling around in a panic. “I think we just made a lot of work for them!”
“Eh, they can handle it.” Draigo said as he dove at the two specks. “Hold on really tight! I’m gonna give em a scare for not flying along with us!” Praan did as told, and braced for anything.
Draigo opened his wings wide and gave a massive flap a small distance from when he was going to hit the wall that the Princesses were standing on. He successfully stopped right before the wall and glided over them as his claws brushed through their manes. The Princesses gawked, seemingly trying to catch flies with their open mouths, while some of the nervous Guard, which was pretty much all of them, accidentally fired at Draigo, though they missed due to his speed.
“I think they might have just shit their pants!” Praan commented.
“They don’t wear pants, though!” Draigo replied with a deep chuckle. Draigo found a nice place to land, just a few yards from the Princesses.
“You get the idea!” Praan retorted.
“Yeah, I do.” Draigo said before turning his attention to the Princesses. “You could have flown with us instead of going ahead. It worked out, but I thought for sure that your guards were going to have target practice while I tried to land.”
The Princesses stood stock still in shock for a full minute before gaining their composure back. Though they still stuttered.
“Wh-what was that power!?” Celestia asked.
“A-and that aura was so immense! Was that you!?” Luna said in bewilderment.
“It was us. Praan was able to give me a power boost.” Draigo told the stuttering sisters. The Princesses stammered and stuttered for another few moments before a veritable army of guards surrounded Draigo and Prawn.
“St-stand down, dragon!” a general demanded.
“You and your army are the ones who should stand down, General. I could bury the lot of you, literally, with a thought. So, want to think about that again?” Draigo said as he extended his wings to their maximum and extended his neck to its fullest.
The entire group of guards were shaking in their armour, and the general was about to retort, before the Princesses spoke up finally, “Stand down, all of you! These two are friends! Guests, at that!” Celestia ordered. The guards looked extremely hesitant, but did as asked and lowered their weapons. Praan smirked.
“Thank you. I truly didn’t want to hurt them since they actually seem competent, unlike my guard back home.” Draigo said as he slowly began to shrink as he extended a wing for Praan to slide off. Praan slid off of it like a slide, landing at the bottom with a chuckle. He then yawned and looked up, seeing the moon out and rising.
“I’m exhausted. First I had to spill the beans, again, and then using all that magic, I’m just pooped.” Praan said with another yawn, this one larger and louder. “Weird, never needed to sleep as an Undead. Usually did it because I felt like it.”
“Probably because of the power boost and other things you’ve done today.” Draigo reasoned. “Would someone be so kind as to show us to our rooms?”
“We’ll take you to them, although we only have one guest room at the moment. Some nobles from other countries are visiting.” Luna informed as she gestured for the two to follow.
“Thank you, Luna. One room is quite alright.” Draigo said as he finished shrinking down to Celestia’s size.
The four walked into the castle and maneuvered through the corridors. The moonlight shone softly on them as they passed the many stained glass windows, and the dark and light blue carpets and tapestries with Luna’s cutie mark embroidered on them only added to the dim yet comforting lighting of the halls, not to mention the potted plants of lavender and blue lilac along with dark purple decorative vases and statues of Night Guard armour.
“So, how exactly did Praan give you such a boost of power?” Luna asked.
“It seems to be an ability of his armor.” Draigo told them, leaving out the additional boost he’d get from Praan’s magic and soul being added to his own.
“Really? That much power from a suit of armour? I suppose I should have guessed, what with the grand decoration, but that just seems ridiculous to grant that much power. Is it just for those he touches or rides?” Celestia asked.
“Apparently it’s only for dragons that he rides.” Draigo explained.
“I see...So that was why we felt such a powerful presence of magic from you. That's quite remarkable, might I inquire as to where you obtained the armour, Praan?” Luna queried.
“...I knew some people,” was all Praan said.
“Seems that subject might be a little touchy, Luna.” Draigo said, noticing Praan’s reluctance to answer.
“My apologies, Praan, I did not know. Perhaps another time you can regale us,” Luna apologized. Praan yawned.
“Yeah...maybe,” Praan began. “Honestly Princesses, I just want to sleep and forget about all this. I am sorry if I sound rude, I’m just...tired, emotionally and physically.”
“It's fine, Praan, we understand,” Celestia replied. The four walked for about ten minutes before finally stopping in front of two birch doors with gold engravings.
“Here you are, your new place of residence,” Luna said. Praan yawned.
“Right, thank you, Princesses, if you don't mind I’m going to hit the hay now.” Praan said as he pushed the doors open and jumped on the bed.
“Thank you again, Celestia. Luna. I’m going to join Praan in getting some sleep.” Draigo said as he walked into the room and shut the door behind him with his tail. “You able to get comfortable, Praan?” Praan shook his head as he was under the covers already.
“There’s a breeze and the covers are thin as heck,” Praan answered.
“I think I can help with that as long as you don’t mind me joining you on the bed.” Draigo told him. Praan thought about it for a moment before shrugging.
“Sure, just don't make it weird,” Praan finally said.
“I’ll be draping a wing over you while my tail and neck are wrapped around you, for warmth and shelter from the breeze. Heck, I’m going to stay on top of the covers. There’s not much that bothers me after having to sleep in the void of space.” Draigo told him as he did as he said.
“I would ask, but I’m too tired to continue a conversation right now. Goodnight,” Praan said as he closed his eyes.
“Good night.” Draigo said. He stayed up long enough to ensure Praan was truly asleep before dozing off himself.
