The life and times of Lafayette Ryder

I stand in front of my home as it burns; I feel the heat from the fire singe the hair on my arms and it causes sweat to drip down my body. I stand and laugh at what just happened, I laugh at the fire, at the dragons, at the loss of my son.

“Daddy,” Dulcie says cautiously, “what’s so funny, why are you laughing?”

My loud guffaws dwindle to mild chuckles as I turn to my daughter.

“It’s funny,” I tell her, “because that inbred draconic FUCK thinks he can make off with my boy and get away with it. It’s funny because I’m going to go get Thaddeus and I’m going to return wearing dragon hide boots. It’s funny because I’m going to go fight my way through a nest of those big, scaly cunts and kill them all.” I laugh again and wave my shaking hand to my side. I start to teleport from this miserable spot in Ponyville to wherever my boy is but something stops me mid way. My body is halfway gone but a pair of ash covered purple hooves grasping my hand prevents the rest of me from leaving.

“Don’t go,” Twi tells me, “at least not until we talk to Celestia.”

I nearly disobey her and just bail but her hooves stay on me even when I try to shake them off. I look down at my wife, at the tears in her eyes, and I cave.

“OK.” I whisper. I grab Dulcie’s hand and Dulcie grabs Starbright. I hold my family close to me and close my eyes.

“We’re here daddy.” Dulcie quietly informs me. I open my eyes and see that we’re in Celly’s room and that her white muzzle is sticking out of the barely open bathroom door.

“Why in Equestria are you here?!” she asks in a cross between anger and confusion.

“A dragonoid set the library on fire and took Thaddeus.” Twilight solemnly explains.

“Oh my,” Celestia gasps and the door shuts, “give me just a moment and I’ll be out.”

Dulcie takes a seat on the bed with Starbright, Twi starts to pace nervously, I just stand and fight the urge to ditch them all and find Teddy. I nearly smile as I think of the nickname, for years he couldn’t pronounce his full name so he went by the same alias my grandfather had taken. My moment of pleasurable memories is ended swiftly by the opening of two doors’ from one a freshly bathed Celestia walks in, from the other a startled Luna and two ShadowBolts enter. Upon seeing who broke into her sister’s room Luna promptly dismisses her guards and rushes to Dulcie’s side. I pay little attention to my daughter and her new marefriend, congratulations can be offered later, for now all I care about is what Tia has to say about the situation. The regal Alicorn lies down on her bed and rubs her eyes as she speaks.

“What, exactly, happened?” she asks.

“A dragonoid set fire to the library and abducted Thaddeus.” Twilight explains in-between whimpers and tears.

Celestia blinks rapidly. “What is a ‘dragonoid’? I’ve never heard of such a creature before.”

Twi gulps and describes it. “It’s a creature with the head, hands, feet, tail, and wings of a dragon but with the torso of a man, they hold legendary status since so few are ever seen. From what I’ve read about them they first emerged after the humans originally came here, my best guess is that a human somehow managed to mate with a dragon and that these are its descendants.”

“How would that even fit?” Dulcie asks randomly from her spot next to Luna and Starbright. Twilight just shrugs her shoulders and leans on my thigh as she starts to weep once more. I look to Celestia.

“I’m going now; I’m gonna go get my boy back.”

“NO!” both princesses shout at once. “You can’t go!” Luna adds to the order.

“Why the fuck not?” I ask sourly.

“Because, if you attack any of the dragons they’ll attack Equestria.” Tia reveals.

“Do you really think there will be any dragons left in that nest after I go through there?”

“No, but other dragons will learn of the attack and retaliate.” Luna says.

“I don’t care,” I tell them apathetically, “I’m going to get my boy back regardless of the consequences. If a thousand of those giant fugly bastards swoop down anywhere near here because of my actions I’ll kill them myself.”

“I forbid you to go!” Celestia stands to look me in the eye as she orders me around.

“I’m going.” I tell her definitively as I glare at her.

“You will not! Or else-”

“OR ELSE WHAT?” I scream at her. “Or else you’ll stop me? Or else you’ll sic your guards or changelings one me? Or else you’ll try and stop me yourself?”

“Yes!”

I laugh in her face. “Bullshit.” I slap her across the face and turn away from the shocked goddess to address my family. “I don’t know when I’ll be back but I know this; when I come home, I’ll have Thaddeus with me. I swear to God!” I look at the others in the room, they’re terrified of me. I look over my shoulder and see why; my demon wings are back, so are my hands, and probably my feet. I scrape my claws together and my armor appears on me, modified to fit around my new body parts.

I look at twilight, Dulcie, and Starbright, I mouth the words ‘I love you’, and I vanish from sight.