Firestarter

Chapters

Into the flames of life
Isaac's Guide to Everdale, just another day in town
Isaac's trip to the Forest, oh what fun.
Chapter IV {Un-edited}

Into the flames of life

Fire, it has more than one meaning. For some, fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. A logical explanation yes but there is another.

For others, it can have a symbolic meaning such fire consumes, warms, and illuminates, but can also bring pain and death; thus, its symbolic meaning varies wildly, depending upon the context of its use.

Fire could also symbolize war, hate, anger and pure rage but for me, fire isn't any of that. Fire is an alley, a close friend who's had my back ever since I was born.

Funny, I look back at my childhood from time to time and realize the harshness I've overcome. I was told that a day after my birth, I was given into the town orphanage. Without never knowing my parents, I lived a life without a last name.

Years of degrading hope later, I turned thirteen and the orphanage caught fire with me in the center. Everything was ablaze and I just sat there whilst the other children evacuated the building. I waited for the fire to consume me as it did with everything else but it never did.

The flames danced and flickered around me, I waved my hand through the fire just to see the flames follow my movement. The fire of unknown origin had left me unharmed as it burn the building down onto the ground.

From that day forwards I had been living the streets, stealing from the market for food. Of course, that led towards the people despising me for robbery - though I didn't mind the hate.

Two years later, I managed to scrounge up enough money to pay intuition and attend the local school. Back then, the only school was a private school, meaning it was expensive to get in.

Attending school had gotten me a few stares and comments from both the students and staff. Once my predicament was revealed to the school, I was treated as an outcast. I never knew why.

Apart from being outcasted by the others, I was bullied by the school rich kid and his lackies. Calling me worthless and street rat but I paid no mind to the name calling, it was the beatings that got me.

He send in his lackies to teach me a lesson. Everyday of the week, same time and same place. Alone with no friends, I decided to make one.

Luckily the school had a woodshop class room and being granted permission, I began my work. It took days of work but once it was done, I knew I had done a great job in crafting it.

It was a marionette, appearing as if it was crafted by master craftsmen. It was then I had plotted a devious prank against my bullies and began painting the marionette, giving it the most coldest stare and creepiest smile, I knew that it would work.

It was a simple prank, I hide the marionette inside their lockers and the first was the rich kid. Give them a good scare, I always thought.

The next day was amazing, it worked and the spoiled brat ran down the hall screaming in terror, allowing me to retrieve the marionette before he had returned, making him look like a fool. The next day was his lackeys, their reactions were a little over the top.

I had placed the marionette inside one of their backpacks and once they saw what it was, they just fainted. No screams or yells, just them hitting the cold hard floor.

This went on for months until I decided to write a message. Cutting my finger, I wrote Leave him alone in blood. It worked, heading my message, they left me alone and never bothered me again.

It was three years later that I graduated from the school. During graduation though, a fire started and like the orphanage, the fire burned everything around me.

Like the orphanage before, the fire seemed to ignore me. I don't feel any heat and my skin wasn't showing any burnt marks. It was then I realized, I can move the fire with the wave of my hand.

The next day, investigators arrived to look for the cause of the fire but found nothing. The fire seemingly just appeared out of nowhere.

Taking what I've learned from the now burnt down school, I began building my life. At first I worked with wood. Repairs, building and even crafting. After a whole year, I had gained the money to buy my own house. There I began a hobby in inventing.

I had turned twenty when I met the tomboyish little girl named, Skyler Hawk. Her mother, Anna Hawk, brought one of her daughter's toys and ask if I could fix them.

Skyler was only ten at the time and had shown interest in how I work. After finishing with her action figure, Skylar’s mother had tried paying me but I kindly refused, saying that their satisfaction was payment enough.

The day after, I was visited by Skyler. She had tried to go unnoticed but that didn't go so well. She said she was bored and wanted to see what I was doing.

I had asked about her friends and she answered that she had none. Being the nice guy, I had offered to be her friend. She was overjoyed in finally having a friend but her happiness left as her step father came to pick her up.

She acted as if the man was pure evil and at first I didn't see it but the man showed his true colors days after Skylar's mother left to join the guard.

Days after Skylar's mother left, Skyler herself arrived at my home with bruises and a black eye. She blamed her step father for her injuries and I know she would never lie but I still couldn't believe it.

I had a talk with the man himself, he defended himself saying that it was the bullies from the newly built school house. I grew suspicious of him over a hunch.

The next day, Skyler showed up with a cut on her arm. Her wound reeked of alcohol and was made by a glass shard. That's when I knew it wasn't made from bullies, it was made by the man.

But with no evidence showing that it was him, I couldn't help her and she went back home. I felt down knowing I couldn't help her but then Skyler came back with a case full of clothing.

She said she was running away, that she couldn't stand it anymore. If she lived on the streets, she could end up in worse situations than what I've been through. So I offered her a room in my own home.

I wanted to help, to lead her into a better life than the life of a run away. So with open arms, I allowed her to live with me while I kept her step father away from her.

A year ago, I was twenty four and it was Skyler’s fourteenth birthday. Her mother had finally came back for her daughter's birthday and once she arrived, she went looking for Skyler.

During her search, Skyler was busy in school and her step father was trying to come up with an explanation. Anna’s search ended in my garage as she saw Skyler helping me with one of my projects.

Asking why she wasn't home, Anna got her answer in the form of her husband. The man had lost it. He reeked of alcohol and his clothes were a mess.

To make things short, he was busted once I showed Anna the pictures of Skyler’s injuries. After explaining that I took those pictures as evidence, Anna had taken her now ex husband into custody and had been apologizing to Skyler for her ignorance.

After hanging out with her daughter for the entire day, she came to a conclusion. She allowed Skyler to stay with me as long as I take good care of her which isn't a problem as she and I have been living with each other for four years.

The next morning, Anna said her goodbyes before heading back. Since that day, things started looking up for the both of us.

I sat in my garage, sleeping on my desk. I was tired. I had stayed up all night working on another robotic animal, this time it was a Hawk and it was nearly finished, only needing a voice module that would allow it to sound exactly like a Hawk.

Snoring loudly, I managed to wake myself up slightly. I could hear someone else in the garage as the person typed into my laptop.

I could hear something being plugged in before feeling a pair of mechanical talons on my stomach as it moved up to my shoulder. Still half asleep, I wasn't ready for what happened next.

I was greeted with the loudest rooster call ever. This got fully woke me up and as a result, I reeled to the side and fell of my chair but caught the mechanical Hawk before it fell.

“Ow.” I muttered under my breath before opening my eyes and was greeted with the sight of a laughing Skyler.

Groaning, I sat up and looked at her with a bemused look as she laughed ass off. Placing the robot on the desk, I then stood up and dusted myself off.

“Hardy har har, very funny.” I said to the laughing fourteen year old.

“It was hilarious!” She exclaimed before breaking into laughter again. Rolling my eyes, I sat back down and looked at my laptop, seeing it displaying the audio the robo-Hawk is using.

“Death Metal Rooster? Sky, where did you get this?” I asked her as I deleted the sound file.

“Where I get most of my music.” Skyler answered, earning a questioning look from me. “YouTube.” She clarified.

“Right. Anyway, how many times have I told you to not do that?” I asked her.

“Oh come on! You have heavy metal music blasting your ears all the time.” Skyler said with her arms crossed. I turned to look at her.

I finally noticed her attire. She wore an orange shirt with a pair of wings on the front. She also wore a pair of light navy blue jeans. Her hair was purple, the result of her dyeing her hair.

I narrowed my eyes at her and she did the same. We glared at each other for a minute before I let out a chuckle, followed by a chuckle of her own before we erupted into a fit of laughter.

“Nice.” I said, complimenting her joke as I was left chuckling. Skyler stopped laughing but still giggled before calming down.

“Thanks, sorry about scaring the crap out of you.” Skyler said with an added apology. Waving my I hand, I chuckled lightly.

“It's fine as long as you didn't break anything.” I told her before turning towards the robo- Hawk on my desk. Pulling my laptop towards me, I began uploading the correct sound file. Once it hit a hundred percent, I looked towards the robo-Hawk before turning it on.

Nothing happened at first, which almost caused me to give up but then I saw its eyes blink before it moved its head to scan its surroundings. I stared in silent amazement as it began to move around.

“It worked.” Skyler said in amazement. I clapped my hands together before raising my arms in victory.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, earning a caw from the robo-hawk. Without warning and to my surprise, it flew up to my shoulder. I stared with wide eyes.

“How did it..” Skyler stopped as I raised a hand.

“I'd rather not look into to it.” I told her before the hawk turned to look at Skyler. It blinked at her before tilting its head.

“So what's up, aren't you supposed to help with the preparations for the Summer solstice?” I asked Skyler as I looked at my laptop, seeing what the Hawk is seeing through its eyes.

“Oh right, Miss Cheerilee wanted me to tell you that the princess’s protege is coming to town to supervise.” Skyler informed me. Waiting for her to further explain where I fit into all that.

“She wondered if you could be the protege’s guide.” She said. I thought about it before nodding.

“Sure, ‘Isaac’s guide to Everdale’ has a nice ring to it.” I joked before standing up, earning a confused look from the Robo-hawk. Rolling my eyes, I then looked back at Skyler.

“So when is the so called protege arriving?” I asked as I began putting my tools back where they belong, meaning on a pile on my desk while my laptop is safely above all of it.

“I don't know, but I think you should change.” She said before sniffing the air and pinching her nose with a groan. “And shower too.”

“Alright, mom.” I said, turning towards the kitchen room door. Opening the door, I turned towards Skyler. “You should head back, I don't want to get scolded by your teacher again. Oh and take the little guy with you.” As I said this, the robo-hawk flew towards Skyler before perching itself on her left shoulder.

“You sure?” Skylar asked. I waved my hand goodbye before going through the door. Closing the door behind me, I looked at the kitchen sink, seeing it empty and with clean dishes drying on the side.

I smiled before heading out of the kitchen and entering the living room, seeing Skyler’s game consoles under the T.V. The controllers were still on the couch and the table infront of the couch was littered with tiny bits of chips.

I shook my head with a chuckle as I remembered last night before working on the Robo-hawk. I walked over an empty can of soda before finally reaching the stairs and heading up.

I entered my room after closing Skyler’s door again and stripped from my dirty clothes. I looked onto the wall, seeing a large full body mirror and my reflection.

Six feet and seven inches tall is my height. I wan average looking guy, not skinny but not muscular either and I guess I needed a tan, Skyler noted my pale skin a few weeks ago. On both of my arms were the tattoos of two dragons ready to breath fire. I had hazel brown eyes and light brown hair.

Walking towards my drawer, I already knew what to wear and only needed to find it. Looking through my drawers, I found a black sleeveless tank top and a pair of navy blue jeans.

I mostly wear sleeveless shirts because I wasn't afraid to show my tattoos. Getting a towel from the hallway closet, I then proceeded to the bathroom for a shower.

It took a bit of washing, rinsing and repeating but I finally finished showering and gotten dressed before heading out. I made my way through town, greeting the friendly people who waved at me.

I had reached the center of town and sat on the edge of the fountain before pulling out a cigarette. Holding the cigarette with my mouth, I snapped my fingers which lit my finger ablaze before lighting the smoke. Putting out the finger fire, I began to wait

It wasn't long before a chariot landed, gaining a large crowd as it stopped. Two Skyborn guards had managed to make the crowd back away before opening the door for someone.

Walking out of the chariot was lavender haired woman and by the looks of her, I could only guess that she was at least twenty three or twenty four. She wore a purple blouse and some skinny jeans. In her hands, she held a large book.

Behind the woman was a young teen boy wearing a green hoodie and purple jacket along with a pair of torn jeans. They looked around as the crowd dispersed.

After the people left, one pink haired baker still stood there. The newcomers tried to ask something from her, earning a gasp from Diane before running away.

Shaking my head, I dropped the cigarette in my hands before stomping it. I then walked over towards the newcomers.

“Hey, maybe we can ask him.” The teen said, gesturing towards me. The lavender haired gal looked towards me.

“Um, hi. I'm here to supervise the summer solstice festival’s preparations but I don't know my way around town.” She said. With a smile, I replied.

“No problem, I was asked to be your guide and I'll be happy to help.” I told her, earning a smile from both of them. “Now, where to first?”

Author's Note

This is a complete remake of my old fic Ashes to Ashes.

The characters will have human names. I will post either a blog or an authors note with the names of each character.

Sky born are basically humans with wings

Skyker Hawk = Scootaloo

Everdale = Ponyville

Isaac's Guide to Everdale, just another day in town

Walking around town has never been exhausting. The heat of the sun may seem a little too hot for some, but the residents of Everdale, myself included, have to deal with the heat for work. Today isn't any different, seeing as it is the middle of summer.

“Summer Solstice Festival official overseer's checklist. Number one, banquet preparations: Sweet Apple Acres.” Said the woman behind me as I guided them through town. Some people had stopped what they were doing as they noticed the two newcomers behind me before resuming their current tasks.

Turning right on a street corner, the smell of sweets greeted our noses as the local bakery, Sugarcube Corner, was in sight. The building was made to resemble a gingerbread house with decorative gum drops.

“What the?” The voice of the young teen broke the silence between the three of us. Looking over my shoulder, I could see the kid drooling at the sight.

“That building is the town's local bakery, home to Equestria’s finest sweets.” I informed them, earning a scoff from the woman. Frowning, I moved on before passing the bakery and catching a glimpse of Diane inside.

‘Welcome Party at the Library.’ Diane mouthed as she looked straight at me before going back to whatever she's doing. I could never understand that woman.

“Can we please focus.” The impatient woman said as we walked away from the bakery, and after ten minutes of nonstop walking, we had arrived at the Apple farm. This is where the food for the festival is being prepared.

Going under the archway, we were greeted with rows upon rows of Apple trees. Continuing forward, we stopped as we could hear country music and, looking to the left, the source of the music was coming from the Smith family reunion.

The lavender haired woman walked towards the family before Jacqueline Smith noticed her and welcomed her to the farm. While this went on, me and the teen stayed back.

“So what's your name, little dude?” I asked, breaking the silence between us. The teen shook his head, I guess he was in deep thought.

“Sorry. My name is Isaac Drake but people just call me Drake.” He introduced himself and with a smile, I offered my hand out.

“Mine's Isaac Parker, seems you and I have the same first name.” I mentioned as he grabbed my hand and shook it in a friendly manner.

“Cool, I’ve never met anyone with the same name before.” He said with a smile. “So what is it that you do here?” he asked.

“I work odd jobs, but most of the time I work in my garage making little robot animals.” I said, earning a confused look from the teen. Smiling awkwardly, I then clarified. “I have way too much free time. What about you, what do you do?” I asked him. He frowned before answering.

“I keep Lydia in check.” He answered with deadpan tone.

“Lydia?” I said in confusion. Drake then pointed at the lavender haired woman.

“Her name is Lydia Aurora, personal student of the princess.” He said in an informative tone before looking back at me. “She studies non-stop and drags me into her all nighters so I can get the books she needs.”

“Doesn't she have magic?” I asked him. He looked at me with a raised brow. “You know, summoning, conjuration and restoration.” I said.

“I know what you mean and yes, she does have magic but what does that have to do with anything?” He asked. Dear Celestia, does this kid think with his feet?

“Then she could just use a levitation spell to get the things she needs.” I told him. He looked at me then at the ground in deep thought before smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand.

“I feel stupid on that regard, but I also make sure she doesn't go overboard with studying, she'll stay awake for a week if given the chance.” He said just before Jacqueline walked up to us with Lydia beside her with an arm over her shoulder.

“Let the poor woman go, Jacqui.” I said in a loud tone. With a nervous laugh, she let Lydia go before stopping just in front of me and Drake.

“Howdy, Isaac. I've just been introducing our new friend to the family.” Jacqueline said, gesturing towards Lydia. The latter smiled awkwardly at the gesture.

“I can see that, but I'm sure the supervisor of today's festival has more important things to do than to be introduced to your extensive family.” I told her with a deadpan look. Jacqui then looked at Lydia before looking back at me.

“You mean that's her, the princess’s personal student?” She asked and earned a nod from both me and Lydia. Drake just stared longingly at the food laid across the tables.

Jacqueline looked at Lydia for a second time before shrugging.

“Sorry for hauling ya off their, sugarcube. I guess I got excited seeing a new face.” Jacqueline said with a smile. Lydia only stared with an unamused look before sighing.

“It's fine.” She said, walking passed her. Passing me and Drake as well, she then stop after walking a few feet away and looked back at us.

“Come on, we're burning daylight.” She said, waiting for me to take the lead. Looking back at Jacqueline, I waved my goodbye and left.

Now back on the path out of the farm, Lydia looked at her list while Drake was eating an apple. How and when he got the apple is beyond me but better to not question it.

“Now we need to find a Skyborn by the name of Rachael Dawn Wind.” Lydia said out loud. I groaned at the name.

“She's not to hard to fin-”

“Watch out!!!” Without another movement after the shout, Lydia was sent back onto the floor covered in mud. The assailant was none other than Rachel Dawn Wind, the town's egocentric jock.

“Nice job, bird brain.” I said to Rachel as she stood up, leaving Lydia sitting in the mud. The former glared at me before looking back at Lydia.

“Don't worry, all this needs is a little touch.” She said before flying around Lydia, creating a small tornado from the amount of speed. Soon enough, the tornado disappeared and there stood Lydia, clean from the mud but her hair was a complete mess. This got a laugh from both Rachel and Drake while I groaned.

“Oh come on, even a hothead like you couldn't laugh at that.” Rachel commented towards me. Rolling my eyes, I then helped Lydia back on her feet.

“Are you Rachel Dawn Wind?” Lydia asked after standing up and dusting herself off. Rachel, after hearing her own name, flew up from the ground and flexed both her arms.

“The one and only.” Rachel said, ego dripping from every word.

“Then you're the one in charge of clearing up the clouds, right?” Lydia asked, earning a nod from the Skyborn. “Then you're doing a poor job at, not a single cloud has been moved since I arrived.” Lydia said.

“Well excuse me, I was busy practicing.” Rachel retorted in defense. I looked back at Drake, still eating his apple while paying close attention to the current argument.

“Practicing? For what?” Lydia asked in a deadpan tone. I sighed and stepped in.

“The Blue Angels. She's planning on impressing them during their show in the festival.” I answered, gaining a raised brow from the impatient Lydia.

“You mean Equestria’s elite Skyborn group? Those Blue Angels? I doubt they'll be interesting in her.” Lydia said, loud enough for Rachel to hear. The latter glared at Lydia before crossing her arms.

“I'm the fastest there is, in fact, I bet I can clear the clouds in ten seconds flat.” She said.

“Whatever floats your boat, bird brain.” I said just before she took off. Looking back at Lydia, I gained her attention with a tap of the shoulder.

“Let's go before she's finished.” I said before starting to walk again. Lydia and Drake both followed suit. With haste, we left the area faster than Rachel could clear the skies.

Once we left the vicinity, I could hear Lydia groan once we stop. She said nothing and looked back at her list while Drake waved at a passing woman. The local mail carrier, Daisy Doo. A bit of a clutz, but that's what makes her unique (along with her sincerity).

“Just two more stops.” Lydia said in a whisper, but I managed to catch every word before she checked her list again. Drake, after stopping just beside Lydia, looked at the list.

“Decorations.” He said before looking forwards. Eyes wide and mouth agape, he managed to utter a single word for what he saw. “Beautiful.” He said.

Following his gaze, my eyes were greeted by the town's very own seamstress, Sophia Belmont. Wearing a white blouse and grey skirt, she looked at her work while.mumbling to herself.

“How's my hair?” Drake asked, coaming his hair before hovering a hand over his mouth, exhaling a few times.

“That's Sophia Belmont, she's the town's seamstress and- you're not even listening.” I said, finishing my sentence with bemused tone as both Lydia and Drake walked passed me. “Go ahead, it's not like I need the respect or anything.” I said to myself. A second after Sophia turned to look at Lydia, the former gasped as she saw the state of Lydia’s hair. Dragging Lydia inside, Sophia ignored her victim's request for freedom while Drake followed behind.

Looking up at the building they had entered, it resembled an actual carousel - hence the name Carousel Boutique. Shaking my head, I followed suit and entered the Boutique.

Opening the door, I was greeted with Sophia taking a sudden interest in where Lydia's from. From taking measurements to applying make-up, Sophia showed an extensive skill in multitasking. It wasn't long until Sophia finally noticed me and halted to a complete stop.

“Isaac? W-why are you here?” She said before quickly checking her own breath. “Did you come here to see little ol’ me?” She said with a twinkle in her eyes.

“No, I'm here to pick up the festival's supervisor.” I said with a groan. From all the things that had ever annoyed me, Sophia was on the top of the list. It wasn't hard to see that she had a strange obsession with me with the way she acts around me.

She continuously flirts with me, she sends me love letters every two weeks and always find a way to stand next to me. It has gotten to the point where I had caught her stalking me and threatened her with a restraining order.

“You mean…” She trailed off as her eyes widen in realization. Not a minute later, she began cleaning Lydia off before the latter used her magic to clean herself.

“Let's go.” Lydia said after getting cleaned up. She walked passed me and went through the door, slamming it shut after exiting.

“This is not her day.” I muttered under my breath and walked out the door as well. Drake followed suit after offering to help Sophia with the rest of the decorations but after a decline from the latter, Drake walked out behind me.

“Just one more stop and I can go to the library.” Lydia repeated to herself as we walked. The last on the list was music.

After passing by a few houses, my own included, we arrived at the edge of town and on the very border of town stood a small cottage. The owner of the cottage was Everdale’s own animal caretaker, Angelina Calliope.

Arriving at the cottage, Lydia was inches away from knocking on the door before hearing the singing of birds. We made our way to the side of the cottage and saw Angelina teaching the birds what to sing but stopped to talk to one of the many doves.

“Oh my. Um, stop please, everyone, umm. Excuse me, sir? I mean, no offense, but your rhythm is just a teeny-tiny bit off. Now, follow me, please. A-one, a-two, a-one two three-” I could vaguely hear her say as Lydia walked up behind her.

“Hello!” With that the doves flew off, startled by Lydia's sudden raise of voice. Angelina yelped, turning to face Lydia.

“Yell louder next time, maybe you'll scare off all of Angelina’s animals. Sorry for suddenly appearing, Angelina.” I said, adding an apology for our intrusion. Angelina, seeing both Lydia and Drake, only nodded meekly.

“I'm sorry for scaring away your birds, I just came to check on the music preparations for the festival but everything seems in order. My name's Lydia Aurora, what's yours?” Lydia said, putting on a fake smile. Angelina let out a cute squeak as a response.

“Okay.” Lydia said before looking over to Drake. “That was easy.” With that, both of them walked off. Shaking my head, annoyed with the way Lydia acted towards Angelina.

“I'm really sorry about her, I'm not sure why she's like this.” I told the shy woman in front of me.

“It's fine but now it'll take me longer to practice for the festival.” Angelina said in a sad tone. Feeling guilty for what happened, I smiled at her.

“Then allow me to help.” Cupping my hands together and placing them just inches away from my lips, I began to whistle. The whistling resembled that of a dove and just like that, the doves returned to their spot.

“Wow, you've really improved your bird calling.” Angelina said, rewarding me with a smile. Lowering my hands and smiling back, I replied.

“Well I learned from the best.” I said, gaining a blush from the woman before I waved her goodbye. Walking up to the front of the cottage, I was greeted with an impatient Lydia.

“What took you so long?” She asked in a demanding tone. Frowning at her tone, I answered her.

“Fixing your mess.” I said through gritted teeth, before leading them to the old library. On the way, Lydia vented out her frustration of the her day towards Drake while the latter was forced to listen.

On the way, I noticed the lack of people but the two behind me didn't. Knowing what this meant, I could only chuckle quietly under my breath as the library came into view.

After a full minute of her rant, we finally arrived at the front door of the library. Opening the door, I then looked back at Lydia.

“Hope you enjoy yo-” With the slam of the door, I was cut off from my sentence and only let out groan. Waiting outside, my ears were then greeted with the loud shout of the word surprise.

Taking this as my cue to leave, I turned around and began walking towards the direction of my home. On the way I had decided to light another smoke on the way.

Walking down the street, I was able to see the sun set just before my house came into view. I could see the garage door was open and knew that Skyler was home.

Entering the garage, I could see the newly built robo hawk turn to look at me before tilting its head. Flying off from its perch, it then perched itself onto my shoulder before I entered through the kitchen.

“Nooo! Stupid Baron!” Were the first thing that greeted my ears as I closed the door behind me. Looking at the dinning table, I could see a box of half eaten pizza.

Walking pass the table and grabbing a slice and feeling that it was still warm, I took a bite before arriving at the living room. There sat Skyler sitting cross legged on the couch, holding a controller for the Play Nation. The large words You Died covered the screen before being replaced by a loading screen.

“Sup, squirt.” I said, announcing my presence to the teen. She looked up at me.

“You’re home? I thought you'd be at Dianne’s Welcome party?” Skyler said in confusion. Hopping over the coach and landing next to Skyler, I then took another bite of the pizza.

“So how did it go?” She asked, earning a groan from me. Looking over to her, I answered.

“Don't get me started.” I said before finishing the pizza. Skyler only stared at me in silence as the game began again only to be paused by her. With the roll of my eyes and the sudden squeeze of the shoulder by the Hawk, I began telling her about my day.

As I explained my day to Skyler, the minutes turned into hours and as soon as I was finished, I had noticed how late it was. Looking over to Skyler, I turned off the television.

“Awww.” She whined, placing the controller next to her.

“Come on, it's late and you have to go to school tomorrow.” I told her.

“You said I could go to the festival this year.” She said in a whining tone. I raised a brow at her before sighing.

“Alright but if I get chewed on by your teacher because you couldn't stay awake during class, you won't have any gaming privileges for three weeks.” I told her, giving her the last warning. Taking this as a challenge, Skyler scoffed.

“Deal.” She said, narrowing her eyes at me as she did. Feeling the robot hawk still perched on my shoulder, I stood up and stretched my arms, earning a few pops.

“I'll see you at town hall!” Skyler declared before the slamming of the door greeted my ears. With a small smile and the hawk on my shoulder, I soon followed suit and headed towards town hall.

On the way I had greeted a few of the townsfolk who aren't able to go to the festival before passing by the library and seeing the light off. Not wanting to see if Lydia was there, I continued on towards the town hall before seeing a massive crowd around the building.

The Robo hawk on my shoulder tilted its head before taking off from my shoulder, leaving me confused, before walking inside town hall. Through the crowd I had spotted both Rachel and Jacqueline conversing with one another. Angelina was next to Sophia, the latter was fixing Angelina’s hair and in front of the crowd bounced Dianne Pye, excited as ever.

On a corner of the room I had spotted Lydia and Drake by themselves. Sticking to myself and away from the large crowd, I leaned my back against the wall and had a perfect view of where the mayor stood patiently. Through the chatter of the large crowd, the sound of a bell rang through, signaling the start of the longest day of the year.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, as mayor of Everdale, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Solstice Festival!” The mayor announced with glee while the crowd cheered.

“In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very person who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria…” Angelina heard this and stood ready to compose for the birds. With a large smile, the mayor stepped aside as the curtains behind her opened.

“...Her royal majesty, Princess Celestia!” She exclaimed, bowing down to the Princess. Gasps were heard from the crowd. Eyes wide, I stared at the empty space.

The Mayor straightened up before looking through the other side of curtain only to come back out shocked.

“She's gone!” The mayor exclaimed, causing the crowd to murmur with worry. “Calm down everyone, I'm sure everything's fine.” As if by magic, thunder boomed through the skies as a strange midnight blue mist appeared just behind the mayor.

“What the fuck?” I asked myself at the mist took shape. Once the mist left, an armored woman stood where the mist once was. She wore medieval dark blue armor and held a sword.

“Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces.” The armored woman said with a malicious grin. Rachel took action and spread open her cyan wings.

“What did you do with our Princess?!” She tried to take off but Jacqueline had managed to grab a firm hold of the athlete's leg. With a dark chuckle the armored woman looked down at the crowd. I was still in shock by the sudden appearance.

“Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am? Even after a thousand years you mortals are always the same, ignorant.” The woman said. Dianne opened her mouth to speak but closed it as she was in deep thought but Lydia on the other hand stood forward.

“I know who you are, you're Nightmare Moon.” Lydia said, revealing the name of the armored woman. With a grin, Nightmare looked at Lydia.

“At least one of you knows who I am.” She said in a grateful tone before looking back at the crowd. “But do you know why I am here? Why I was imprisoned for a millennia?” No answer was given and a frown formed on Nightmare’s face.

Lydia tried to speak but her fear of the situation caused her to stutter in her words. Looking around, I saw that everyone was in the same state of shock as me. Shaking my head, I looked back up to Nightmare.

“No one?” She asked but no answer was given. “Then let me tell you why, I am here to claim what's rightfully mine, Equestria and purge the day to bring forth eternal night!” She exclaimed. Screams of terror emitted from the crowd as Nightmare spread open her large black wings.

What happened next could very well be the most stupidest thing I have ever done in my life. Taken out of my shocked state, I made myself known with simple shout what could very well be my final words.

“Fuck. That.” This was followed by a torrent of flames heading towards Nightmare.

Author's Note

Weeks, it took me weeks (Exaggeration Detected) to make this and after three days of an island wide black out, I finally finished. Yay.

My reasoning for the delay is simple, I go to college and have to much work.

Hope you enjoyed

Edited by CommanderWolffe and Dragonoidsix Seekers.

Isaac's trip to the Forest, oh what fun.

‘Do you remember anything else?’ A woman's voice greeted my ears as I lazily blinked my eyes. I felt extremely tired and very sore, the light in my eyes didn't help either.

“You were there. Why do I need to tell you?” I asked, earning a chuckle from the voice.

‘So I can tell if you suffer from memory loss, you baboon.’ The voice replied after chuckling. Rubbing the tiredness off my eyes, I let out a yawn before answering.

“Can't it wait till after I eat?” I asked after feeling the rumbling of my stomach.

‘No and I will keep you here until you tell me what happened last night in full detail.’ Answered the voice. With a groan, I decided to comply.

~Ω~

“Fuck. That.” With my hands raised and my palms open, a torrent of fire shot out from my very hands. The fire not only consumed the woman but set the balcony ablaze. “Not happening.” With that the fire stopped and I lowered my hands.

“You think fire will help you?” Her voice echoed through the large room as she stepped out from the fire and with a wave of her hand, the fire behind her was extinguished by the mist that now surrounded her. As the flames died, I couldn't help but flinch at the sudden pain. “You are a fool to think that it could stop me!” She exclaimed in anger before glaring at me.

“Knobs.” I muttered out of breath. I looked up only to be meet with the sight of an angry demi goddess holding not one but two swords and threw one at me. The blade embedded itself onto the wall just inches away from my face. “Fuck!” I yelled in shock.

“The night will last forever.” Nightmare repeated before the mist consumed her and left out the window.

The people that filled the room were still in shock. I tried moving away from the sword that nearly killed me only to see that my shirt was stuck on it.

“Oh come on.” I groaned before trying to pull out the sword but to no avail. It was firmly embedded onto the wall with my shirt. “This is my favorite shirt.” I spoke to no one before ripping my shirt off of the sword.

“Great. An insane woman is running amuck and my shirt is ruined, fucking hell.” I said, storming out of town hall but not before seeing Lydia dragging a very tired Drake behind her. With a frustrated grunt, I resumed my walk back home.

The walk was uneventful, which was good because I was not in the mood for anything else to happen today. Once I finally arrived back home, I went straight to my room for another shirt and a jacket.

After zipping up my jacket, I headed back downstairs. Once I reached the living room, I picked up a box of matched from the the drawer under the flat screen and left for the library.

Like my walk back home, the walk to the library was uneventful and to my surprise as well. Once I stood on the doorstep of the library, I opened the door and was greeted with Lydia explaining her knowledge of Nightmare Moon to Angelina, Dianne, Jacqueline, Rachel and Sophia.

“ -Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!” Lydia said to the other girls.

“The Elements of what?” I muttered in confusion. Lydia finally noticed me in the doorway before shaking her head and looking through the bookshelves. Dianne walked towards a far off shelf and pulled out a violet colored book.

“The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide.” She read the title out loud, gaining everyone's attention. “Found it!” She exclaimed.

“How did you find that?!” Yelled Lydia in shock before running over to Dianne.

“It was under E~!” Dianne answered in a sing song voice before handing the book over to Lydia. While this happened, I walked over to Jacqueline.

“So what's going on exactly?” I asked her. Jacqui looked at me and shrugged.

“I'm as confused as you, partner.” The farm girl answered.

“Um… I know what's going on.” Angelina spoke out in her quiet tone. Despite her quiet tone, I heard every word she said and looked at her. “Lydia said that there was a way to defeat Nightmare Moon. She's trying to find out where they are.” I nodded at this, somewhat understanding the situation.

“Oh. There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the Celestial Sisters. It is located in what is now… The Everfree.” Lydia read out loud, causing the others to gasp except for me and Angelina. I've gone into the forest a few times, despite the many warnings given to me but those warnings were simply exaggerations and it seems that only me and Angelina knew this.

“It's just a forest, it's nothing to be gasping about.” I said to them.

“Just a forest? Haven't you heard of Timberwolves?” Asked Jacqueline.

“You mean the piles of living sticks? Not only that, they avoid any encounter with us as if they're lives depended on it.” I answered back with my arms crossed. Rachael opened her mouth to retort.

“It's just a forest.” I said through gritted teeth, earning a glare from the Athletic Skyborn. “Anyway, if these so called Elements of Harmony are in the Everfree then let's get a move on.”

“Then onwards onto Victory, friends!” Yelled Dianne, holding both a sword and shield before charging towards the door only to be grabbed by a lavender aura.

“Not so fast. Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own.” Lydia said, moving Dianne back. Lydia then began to make her way towards the door. Jacqueline quickly grabbed Lydia’s wrist, stopping the latter from reaching the door

“Oh no you don't. You ain't going nowhere without the rest of us, sugarcube.” Jacqueline said, gripping the wrist of the Magic user.

“Yeah, that crazy bitch picked a fight with all of us and there's no way I'm backing out now.” Rachael said with a smirk. “So if you're going, we're going.”

“So I suppose I can’t convince you?” Lydia asked. The group shook their head and with a sigh, Lydia said. “Fine, let's go.” With that, Jacqueline released her grip from Lydia’s wrist before following the latter out the door.

“Are you coming as well?” Angelina asked me as I stood behind. She looked at me, expecting an answer.

“You're basically going out in the dark into an even darker forest without any form of light.” I said before shaking my head. “I'm going.” With that, I followed behind Angelina.

After following them for five minutes, we had stopped just in front of the the path that led into the Everfree. It wasn't until we had begun our track that I had snapped my fingers and caused them to burst into flames and engulfing my hand. This action had gained me a curious look from Lydia.

After walking through the dark part of the forest, the light of the full moon shone brighter than the flame in my hand so with a quick flick of my wrist, the fire vanished into a puff of smoke. I then put my hands into the pockets of my jacket and felt something small and rectangular inside the left pocket.

“So, none of you have been in here before?” Lydia asked everyone. I stayed silent as I pulled out the item in my pocket before seeing that it was the MP3 player I had misplaced a few weeks back.

“Ugh, heavens no! Just look at it - it's dreadful.” Sophia said with a bit of disgust. I reached into my pocket again and pulled out the earphones that belonged to the Mp3.

“And it ain't natural. Folks say it ain't right.” Jacqueline added her words into the conversation. I plugged in the earphones before putting them on.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Lydia asked with a questioning side glance. I turned on the Mp3 and waited for it to loud.

“Nobody knows. You know why?” Rachael asked with a grin forming on her face. Once the Mp3 was one, I maxed out the volume before selecting random.

“Rachael, quit it.” Jacqui said with a groan and facepalm.

“Because everyone who-” Rachael’s words, along with everyone else's were drowned out by the song that had just began to play.

Just as I began to get into the feel of the song, the earth beneath gave away. Eyes wide as dinner plates, I fell and began sliding down to what I could tell was a cliff. I quickly took hold of an exposed root before looking and seeing Jacqueline sliding down fast. Quickly taking hold of her wrist, I held her up from falling just as she did the same with Lydia. I could see that Lydia had spoken to Jacqui but because of the music, I couldn't hear a single word coming from either of them. Shaking my head, I had managed to get the earphones out of my ears which in turn, caused them hang loosely from my pocket.

“Let go.” Was the first thing I heard coming from Jacqueline. Snapping my attention back at the two women under me, I could see the panic look on Lydia’s face.

“Are you crazy!?” Lydia yelled in her state of panic. I peeked over the edge and had caught a glimpse of Angelina.

“Just trust her dammit!” I shouted as I felt my hand start slipping away from the root. Closing her eyes, Lydia let of Jacqueline’s hand and slid off the edge with a scream of fear.

“Got ya!” Yelled Rachael as she held Lydia up with one arm while Angelina held Lydia up by the other arm. Both Skyborn’s struggled to keep a firm grip on Lydia as they flew down and out of my field of vision.

“Alrighty… now what?” I asked the woman under me. This brought a sigh from Jacquie.

She reached over to a large stone that poked through the ground before checking if it wouldn't just slip off. Getting her idea, I started to do the same and before we knew it, we had began to climb down the cliff and reached the others. Though I did find it odd that the cliff suddenly broke apart but thinking of the Night crazed woman from earlier, I only just shook my head and thought nothing of it. I reached into my pocket to take out the Mp3 only to find it missing again.

‘Great, it must've slipped out while I was climbing down.’ I mentally groaned. Everyone made sure that no bones were broken and that no one was hurt, though I did ask where had Sophia been while all this happened.

“I'm terribly afraid of heights so I tend to stay in a relatively safe distance from the edge but I did find another way down here.” The Fashionista said before pointing at what appeared to be an old stone staircase that was carved out from the large hill.

“But what about Dianne?” Asked Jacqueline after she had took a glance around the group. I did the same but saw no sign of the party enthusiast.

“Weee!” The loud voice belonging to the baker in question echoed just as she appeared sliding off the edge before performing a perfect backflip and landing on her feet unharmed.

“Should've seen that one coming, huh?” I asked the farmer next to me, earning a laugh from her. Lydia only stared in disbelief but stayed silent dispute the situation she had been in.

Once everyone made sure they were fine, we began moving once again. As we walked deeper into the forest, the soothing sounds of the night echoed around us but of course with the constant bragging that Rachael does, the sounds were drowned out by her egotistical rambling.

“... But once Me and Angie saw the edge, we spread our wings and flew faster than you could ever see us fly and BAM! Caught you in the nick of time.” Rachael said for the tenth time in a row. Everyone groaned at the excessive bragging that Skyborn brought.

“Don't you ever shut up, bird brain?” I asked with a frown. She looked down at me and glared.

“ Why I aught to-” She started but was cut off my Angie as she simply glared at the both of us.

“Why do you to act so immature towards each other?” Lydia asked to the both of us.

“Cause that's how our friendship works.” Both me and Rachael said without missing a beat.

“What?” Asked Lydia. Jacquie caught her attention before asking anymore questions.

“It's complicated, so don't ask.” Was all the farmgirl said. It was true, our continues ‘Fights’ never lead to anything more than an argument that would be simply be solved by a dare given to us by Dianne. It's an odd type of Friendship that can leave others to wonder if we were friends or enemies, maybe even frenemies.

“So I heard Simon was back in town-” Rachael began to say before being cut off by a gasp from Lydia.

“Manticore!” She yelled in surprise as the animal in question growled but hadn't made a single move. With a more focused glance, I had noticed that it kept its right paw up. By the looks of both Jacquie and Rachael, they looked ready to start a fight.

“How ‘bout we let an animal expert handle this.” I told them, keeping my arm up and my hands open in case they wouldn't listen. “Angie, can you see what's wrong with it?”

“Him.” The Animal caretaker corrected.

“Him. Can see what's wrong with him?” I repeated my question. With a nod, Angie walked up to the growling Manticore before saying soothing words to it. Everyone looked ready to defend Angelina at the moment the Manticore decides to attack but to their surprise, the Manticore lifted its paw and showed Angie a large gash covered in dry blood. Angie frowned before taking a hold of an item that was lodged inside the open wound before pulling it out without haste, causing the Manticore roar in pain. Jacquie and Rachael were about ready to shove me aside until they both heard the cat like pure from the beast itself.

In Angelina’s hand was a jagged silver dagger covered in blood. She held it up despite her disgust while the Manticore’s wound simply closed itself, leaving only the dry blood and a scar behind. It looked at Angie and purred while itself onto Angie. The latter was taken by surprise but quickly began to pet the Manticore.

“Aw you're just a little ol' baby kitty, aren't you? Yes you are, yes you are.” Angie cooed at the Manticore.

After the Manticore walked deeper into the dark forest, Angie then dropped the dagger in pure disgust. Seeing this, I walked over to her before the others caught up.

“How did you know there was something wrong?” Lydia asked the Pink haired Skyborn. Angie turned to look at Lydia.

“I didn't, Isaac did but I showed him kindness and helped the poor thing.” She answered with a smile. I smiled as well.

“We should keep moving.” Said Lydia once she walked on ahead of the group. We followed behind and as we walked deeper into the forest, the light of the moon was soon blocked by the treetops above us.

“No. My eyes need a rest from all this icky muck.” Just as Sophia said those words, everything seemed to have become darker. “Well, I didn't mean that literally.”

I had tried to light my hand on fire again but it was extremely cold for me to do so. After the fifth attempt, I gave up and put my hands into my pockets for warmth.

“That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn't even know it.” Lydia complained.

“Hey!” I shouted at the person who pushed me.

“I didn't see you there, my apologies.” It was Sophia who apologized.

“Right here…” Rachael said to which was followed by a disgusting squelch or squish. “Guh…” She said in disgust.

“Oh wait, I think I stepped in somethin'.” Jacqueline said. Just as she said this, I felt the bottom of my shoe sink an inch into the ground.

“I think I did too.” I replied but continued on walking, ignoring the horrendous filling of mud seeping into my shoes. Without warning, Angie let out a terrified scream and this caught the attention of all of us.

“It's just mud.” I told Angie. She shook her head and simply pointed to the left of her. Looking towards where she pointed at, I was greeted with a scary face carved onto a tree.

I walked over to it before looking at the trees surrounding us, seeing the same face growing more and more grotesque as I looked on. All of a sudden, Dianne had appeared in front of the tree I stood next to.

“Wow, the unoriginality on these are off the charts.” She said before seeing the rest of the face carved trees. “Seriously, it's like she isn't even trying?” She grumbled the last part, leaving confused.

“Okay?” I said in confusion. She looked back at the tree and took a very deep breath.

“Things that bother you never bother me! I feel happy and fine, AHA! Livin' in the sunlight!
Lovin' in the moonlight!
Having a wonderful time!” She yelled in a singing song fashion that had made her look and sound hilarious. Her normal happy go lucky smile was replaced shortly by a furious look.

By the distant sound of laughter, I could tell that the group found this oddly funny as well. I mean, I did too knowing the song she just yelled was supposed to be one of joy and happiness but she expressed it in the most ironic way possible.

It's almost as if an illusion was being broken around us, the trees grotesque faces soon vanished while the darkness around us was lit up from the moonlight. After everyone had stopped laughing, which took longer than one would expect, we began to resume our trek towards the ancient castle.

As we walked, the distant sound of flowing water echoed and was coming from up ahead. Ignoring the feeling of dread, I followed the girls as we spotted a river. I made sure to keep myself away from the very edge of the river while making sure no one noticed me doing so.

“How are we supposed to get pass this? The current is way too violent.” Lydia said in an informative tone. It looked Dianne had an idea but wasn't able to tell it as the distant cries of despair sounded from our right.

Oddly enough, it was a tall giant that made those cries as he stomped the waters in sheer disgust to something. The Giant's attire appeared as if he was a fashion enthusiast and his mullet was a golden blonde. Lydia was the first to speak as she walked closer to the giant.

“Excuse me, Sir? Why are you crying?” Asked Lydia while everyone caught up behind her. The Giant turned and looked down at us before answering m

“Well, I don't know. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now I look simply horrid.” Said the Giant before sobbing into his hands almost comically.

“Is he serious? This has to be a joke.” I told Rachael.

“If only.” She groaned.

“So that's what this fuss is about?” Jacquie groaned as well while Dianne and Angie stared with a blank expression.

“Why, of course it is. How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such smooth and unblemished skin.” Sophia said, gesturing towards the Giant.

“I know.” The Giant said with a sniff.

“And your expertly coiffed hair.” Sophia kept speaking towards the Giant.

“Oh, I know, I know.” The Giant said with a loud sob.

“Your fabulous manicure.” Sophia said, looking at the Giant’s nails.

“It's so true!” The Giant said with another sob.

“All ruined without your beautiful mustache.” This caused the Giant to finally break into tears again.

“It's true, I'm hideous!” The Giant said between loud sobs.

“I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected.” Sophia said with a hint of determination.

“But it's just facial hair.” I said out loud only to be ignored by both Sophia and the Giant. “It'll just grow back.” I grumbled to myself with an annoyed frown.

“This is sooo not cool.” Rachael groaned just as a loud snip was heard from Sophia. Looking back at the fashionista, I was surprised to see her long ponytail missing.

“Oh-hohohoho! My mustache. How wonderful.” On the Giant's face was the cut off hair attached onto his face, replacing his torn mustache.

“This isn't like you, Sophia. You'd normally rather die than mess your hair up.” Rachael commented. Sophia gave somewhat of a forced smile.

“Oh don't worry, hair grows back and I've heard short hair is back in season.” She said before looking at the now calm river. “Now let's keep moving.” She said. Those words caught the attention of the twenty foot Giant.

“Allow me.” Said the Giant as he bent down and picked up large log and placing down, making sure it was on the ground at the other side as well. Sophia thanked the Giant, so did Dianne and Angie.

I only gave him a friendly wave but was still annoyed at the situation we were just in. The girls walked across the log without delay while I simply looked at the moving water before taking a large gulp of air and carefully walked across. Once I was across, I felt my entire body shiver in fear over what could've happened.

“Hey, slowpoke!” Rachael yelled. I looked up and saw that she along with the others had gone farther away. “Come on!” She yelled. Taking a deep breath, I sprinted towards the rest and caught up with them the span thirty seconds.

Once I did catch up with them, the ancient castle came into view. I wasn't the only one who saw this by the sound of Lydia’s excited voice.

“There it is, the ruin that holds The Elements of Harmony. We made it!” Lydia exclaimed in excitement before beginning to.run towards the castle.

“Lydia, wait for us!” Shouted Jacquie as we all tried to catch up with her but stopped as we saw the edge of a cliff. After seeing this, I kept sprinting.

“We're almost the- Whoa!” She yelled as she tried to balance herself but to no avail and slipped. I reached towards her right hand and took a firm hold of it before pulling her back, causing me to fall onto the ground on my back with Lydia on top of me.

“Developed a fetish for falling?” I joked, earning a frown from the woman on top of me before she stood up.

“Now what?” Dianne said with a frustrated sigh. Rachael looked down at her feet and saw the untied rope for the the other post on the other side.

“Duh.” She said with the rope in hand. I gave her deadpan look as she held the rope.

“You don't even know how to tie a knot. You avoid shoelaces like if was some sort of a disease.” I told her with my arms crossed. This made the athletic skyborn frown while blushing in embarrassment.

“I practiced and I'll prove it.” She said before spreading her wings and flying across the large gap. As she flew, a thick layer of fog settled in.

“Odd, it isn't that cold.” Lydia noted while I stood, shivering from the sudden shift in the temperature.

“S-says y-y-you.” I stuttered out. Lydia looked back at me with a questioning glance.

“You okay, Icy.” Asked Dianne. I glared at her use of the nickname.

“I'm tired and cold as balls, I'm far from okay.” I said, managing to not stutter my words. “When I get back home I'm taking a hot shower.” I said to no one in particular.

“I think I'll second that.” Jacquie said with a raise of her hand.

“I just want to lay down. I've had too much excitement in one day.” Angie said in her usual quiet tone. We continued to wait while conversing with one another, though Lydia wanted no part of the conversation as she would ignore any and all of our questions about her.

“What's taking her so long?” Lydia said with frown as she stood in front of the bridge. Looking towards the thick layer of fog, I narrowed my eyes as I caught a glimpse of four silhouettes. One silhouette took flight and Rachael appeared from the fog.

“Pfft, like I'd ever leave my friends hanging.” Muttered the Skyborn athlete. She looked crossed with whatever happened at the other side of the bridge but said nothing, only mentioning how she'd never leave her friends hanging for something so selfish, whatever that something may be.

After cautiously making our way across the bridge and calming down Angie from her fear of heights. She was never interested in flying and often chooses to walk but seeing the large chasm below the bridge must've really frightened her.

After a short trek from the bridge, we had finally arrived at the ancient castle and by the looks of it, it has been abandoned for ages. I let out a loud sneeze as the dust fell from the broken roof, earning me an angered shush from Lydia.

“A simple bless you is too much to ask from you, isn't it.” I muttered as I wiped my nose. We had been going from room to room in search of the Elements of Harmony only for our search to be a failure. At least it was until we arrived at the large throne room, seeing five hanging stone orbs on the ceiling as if they were chandeliers.

“Are these it?” Dianne said, pointing towards the stones above. Lydia’s eyes grew wide as dinner plates.

“Yes! Hurry, get them down from there.” She said, using her magic to grab one and safely pull it out of its restraints. Rachael flew up and release the very chains that held the stones up before landing and putting it on the ground. Jacquie picked up the first one from the ground while Rachael brought down another one, to which Dianne took hold of. This went on until all five of the orbs were safely placed on the ground in a circle.

“There's only five here.” I said before looking at Lydia with raised brow. “I thought you said there were six of them.” I told her.

“The book said: when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.” Lydia said with a worried look.

“These are just rocks. What are we supposed to do, bash the crazy bitch with them?” I asked, frustrated to see that our journey through the forest was all for a few stone balls.

“Of course not!” Lydia retorted with an angered look. “Just… Just let me do something and stand back.” With that she raised both her hands towards the stones orbs. Her hands began glowing a lavender color.

Without warning, the midnight blue mist appeared behind Lydia as an armored hand took a firm hold of her shoulder. I was the first to react and ran as fast as I could only to slip into the mist along with Lydia and all five of the orbs.

A sudden urge to vomit overpowered the pain of hitting the cold hard floor once I was thrown onto the ground. I opened my eyes before groaning and saw the shattered stone orbs.

“Did you honestly think I'd allow you to defeat me so easily?” This was the voice of Nightmare. Looking towards the direction she spoke from, I saw Lydia lying on ground unconscious with the tip of Nightmare’s sword just inches away from her neck. “I mean really, I've only allowed you and your friends to live for the sake of my own amusement.”

“Sta-stalker much?” I said between groans, earning her attention. Her glare softened for a mere second before becoming cold again.

“I've had enough of you, it's time I show my sister the error of her ways.” With that she raised her swords, ready to strike and as she swung down I let loose large breath of fire that had managed to push her away from Lydia’s unconscious form. I weakly stood up before rolling my shoulders and hearing both of them crack. “Why you little brat!” Yelled Nightmare as she suddenly appeared in front of me and with wave of her hand, took hold of me in a dark blue aura before throwing me against the wall. I howled in pain as I felt my entire body hit the stone wall. I took another deep breath but Nightmare stopped me by covering both my mouth and nose. I began to struggle to break free from her grip as I felt the air in my lungs sucked out of me. Her grin was sick and twisted and she held her sword up, ready to end me but howled in pain instead and it was followed by a familiar roar.

I was dropped onto the ground with my back against the wall and began slipping into unconsciousness but before I did, caught a glimpse of the assailant.

I couldn't help but smile weakly before blacking out. It felt like seconds when I opened my eyes again but it was actually than that as I saw the girls wearing strange necklaces except for Lydia, who wore a tiara. Nightmare stood with shocked expression before everything went black once again. Like before, I slipped back into consciousness only to see woman in white looking at me with worry in her eyes

~Ω~

“And that's basically it.” I finished retelling yesterday's events. I waited for a reply but only heard a sigh.

‘You could've died, you know.’ The womanly voice said with a stern tone.

“You say that about everything I do.” I said with a deadpan tone as I sat up on my bed.

‘Because everything you do is dangerous and idiotic.’ Replied the womanly voice, I could feel her roll her eyes as she did. ‘I did not help raise you to be some sort of daredevil.’

“Yeah, thanks mom.” I said in a mock tone as I stood up from my bed. I moved the my left arm slightly, adjusting the strap that kept my arm up. “How long do I have to wear this? My arm is getting itchy and it bothers me that I can't scratch it.”

‘The Doctor said that your arm should be fine by this afternoon. So get used to it, you still have a few hours before you can take it off.’ The womanly voice said informatively as I looked over to the door, absentmindedly trying to scratch the itch only to feel the cast.

“I'm going to eat now.” Was all I said as I opened the door and left, leaving the door ajar.

Author's Note

To those of you wondering why Dianne sang a part of Running in the Sunlight, click this Link and watch the whole thing. It's like a minute long.

Anyway, this is edited by my long time friends and trusted editors CommanderWolffe and Dragonoidsix Seekers.

Hope you're enjoying the story so far.

Chapter IV {Un-edited}

‘Do you seriously believe this to be a good idea?’ I ignored the question, too busy trying to scratch the unbearable itch inside the cast. After having explained my involvement in last night’s crazy event, I had gotten downstairs to serve myself some breakfast but woe is me as amidst my preparation I had gotten an itch that, slowly over time, grew unbearable to the point that I had considered smashing my arm against the wall to break the cast.

“Shut up, I think I'm onto something.” I said with a fork in hand. Before I could attempt to scratch the itch with a fork, a fiery feline tail wrapped around my wrist and stopped me. “Unhand me you vile cat, the itch must be vanquished!” I yelled a little too dramatically as I attempted to regain my arm but to no avail. The feline in question was my lifelong companion, Wisp, a fire elemental I had created as a kid with a fondness for felines. Wisp gave me a bemused stare, pulling her tail back with my wrist.

‘Drop it.’ Wisp looked at me with narrowed eyes. Her tail squeezed my wrist tightly, cutting off the blood from surging into my hand. ‘Drop it!’ Not wanting to lose my hand, I dropped the fork and my wrist was freed just seconds later. I laid on the floor with a groan, the unbearable itch making itself known once again.

“Gah!” I yelled in outrage, wanting nothing more for it to stop. Tried as I did, I couldn't scratch the itch even to save my life.

‘Oh don't be such a big baby.’ Wisp looked down at my covered arm before licking herself. I glared at the fiery feline before she sighed and walked up to my arm. She then blew into the cast, her burning embers caressing and soothing my skin. The unbearable itch that caused me so much suffering gone as it were never there. ‘There.’

“Ahh yeah.” I said, finally feeling relaxed. Eventually I stood up and made myself some breakfast, my stomach having been growling throughout my ordeal. Wisp watched me as I ate a bowl of cereal and while this isn't something new, it still annoyed me that she just sits there and looks at me. “Why are you just staring at me?” I finally asked the flaming feline.

‘Keeping a watchful eye on you will decrease the chances of you harming yourself.’ Was her response. She then proceeded to lick her leg some more in silence. I groaned at this before looking down at the empty bowl, seeing only the milk there. I soon stood up and placed the bowl in the sink before heading back upstairs to change and prepare for today.

After a brushing my teeth and, lazily, combing the mess that is my hair. Finally after having put on a tank top and a pair of simple jeans, I made my way downstairs and saw Skyler playing her game again. I greeted her but only received a half-assed hello as she focused more on her game. I rolled my eyes as I headed to my workshop out in the garage.

Opening the door and turning on the light of the garage, I was greeted with the comforting mess of my work area. Scraps and various parts littered the shelves, floor and even the workshop table itself with only enough space for my laptop. I sighed, seeing my laptop there ready for me to use but at my current state I wouldn't be able to get anything done. I simply grabbed the chair and straightened it up before sitting down.

‘And what do you plan on doing here?’ Wisp asked me, appearing through the door and gazing at the mess. With a bemused look her gaze landed on me as I stared blankly at my laptop.

“Something… anything…” I answered as the laptop booted up. It didn't take long for it to show my desktop, showing all the labeled folders and documents neatly organized around the desktop. One folder, labeled games, caught my attention and brought my mouse over to it before opening it. It wasn't a big folder, holding at least three games in it though the familiar capital V caught my eye and made me wonder. “I guess a simply game wouldn't hurt.” Wisp shook her head and sighed before carefully manoeuvring herself around the scattered junk around the floor before opening the garage door, to which I was immediately greeted with the breeze of the wind and the light of the sun. With a final decision in mind, I clicked the game and opened it to fullscreen. For the next few hours or so was spent with me focusing more on my game, feeling the sense of accomplishment with each battle one and feeling angry with each battle lost.

My focus, while known to be unbreakable, was suddenly taken away from the game upon hearing a panicked scream. Quickly turning to the source, I saw Lydia and Drake with panicked expressions. Before I could question the reason for such a thing, they ran into the garage and Drake rapidly pressed the button to shut the garage door. When it finally shut they sighed a brief of relief and it wasn't until I felt the twitch of my eye that I made myself known.

“What in the Sun's light are doing in my garage!?” I yelled at them angrily as I heard my tank units be obliterated by Aerial bombers. They were my best ones too…

“Isaac!?” Lydia turned to me, horrified at the sight of me. In her hands she held a pair of golden tickets… I wouldn't have noticed them if they weren't reflecting light to me. With a angered grunt, I raised my hand to block the light.

“Put those stupid reflective pieces of scrap away before I shred them to bits!” I yelled still angered over the loss. Though they didn't know the anger was not meant for them and while Wisp was watching this happen, she refused to utter a word.

Lydia pocketed the two tickets, though as she looked at me oddly as she did as if expecting me to fawn over them or something of the sorts. I quickly turned around to my game and noticed several Yak enemy troops surrounding my gold production city.

“Please don't send us back out there! You have no idea what kind of Tartarus we're going through over these stupid things!” Lydia said, almost begging. With a side glance, I shrugged not really seeing any negatives in doing so.

“Yeah yeah sure, just don't bother me… I'm busy doing something important.” I said as I commanded my troops for a final stand in the city, having a last ditch effort in hand.

“Thank-You-Thank You-Thank-You!” Lydia said, sounding as if I just gave her sanctuary. Lydia didn't bother to explain her predicament before running into the house and by the sound of it, locking herself in the hallway bathroom. Drake carefully manoeuvred through the scrapped junk around the floor before stopping at the sight of my game just in time to see the blinding white flash and a mushroom cloud forming.

“Is that…” Drake halted in his words at the sight of me nodding.

“Everything was going so well…” I said as my shoulders sagged. Drake walked up to me and stood to my side. I looked at him oddly before pulling out a large upside down bucket for him to sit on. For the next half hour we spent continuing the game with Drake being my advisor and diplomat while I was the one leading the charge of my armies and rallying up recruits. I was once again interrupted from my game by the sound of my doorbell ringing not once, not twice but five times in rapid succession. With agitated groan I stood up and paused the game before heading over to answer the door. Upon entering through the garage door, I was startled by the sound of my door being broken off its hinges.

“I know she's here.” Jacqueline’s voice was the first I heard before I took a deep breath and marched over to the front door, seeing it laying on the floor and the five supposed elements of harmony scouring through my home… well four them as Angelina was doing her best to put everything back to where it was. Rachael looked through the supply closet before speaking up.

“I'm telling you that ticket is as good as-” Unfortunately I was beyond angry at them for breaking into my home.

“What the actual fuck!?” I yelled, causing them to halt in their tracks. They all looked at me before looking at what they were doing. Rachael carefully shut the closet door, Jacqueline placed down the couch she held up, revealing a very spooked and silent Skyler. Sophia walked down the stairs with a few of my clothes in hand, some of them dirty I noticed before she noticed me and dropped them. Dianne popped her head out from the ceiling before falling down onto the coffee table below her and smashing it.

“I- uh… I didn't think you lived here, Isaac.” Jacqueline said with sheepish smile and a horrible lying tone. I rubbed the side of my head with my good hand.

“I have… such a headache.” I muttered under my breath before glaring at all of them. “Why did you break down my door, Why are you in my house and why shouldn't I report you all for breaking and entering!?” I asked/yelled at them.

“A ticket.” Dianne answered as she hopped to her feet with ease, not a single scratch or tear in her clothes. I looked at her then at the rest before sighing. It was then Lydia came down stairs with an open envelope in one hand and the two golden tickets in the other.

“I've made up my- Oh.” Lydia said noticing the damage and the mess. “Oh-oh dear. I'm so sorry, Isaac, I didn't know they'd do this.” She said in an apologetic tone. She was going to add more to her apology but stopped her with a raise of my hand.

“You owe me an explanation…” I said to her frowning again as I looked over to the others, more specifically at Jacqueline. “And you owe me a door.” I told her, gaining a quick nod from the farmer woman. Lydia began to explain the situation, mentioning how she got the tickets but only two. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together but that didn't make me less angry. After give them all a piece of my mind, I told Lydia that if she was going to do something with the ticket to do it now before I rip them to shreds.

When she finally put the tickets into the open envelope, she quickly added in a message to the princess detailing her stressful day before she sent it away, I was quick to kick them out of my house. When everyone was gone, I let out a sigh and placed the broken door next to the doorway.

“Are they gone?” Skyler asked regaining her composure, she was spooked badly by them kicking down the door.

“Yeah, long gone.” I told her with a frown. Skyler looked at me and then at the leaning door. “Look after the house for me, I'm getting this cast taken off before I go nuts.” I said to the young teen before heading out. Skyler moved the door in a way that it appeared closed and watched me go before heading back to no doubt continue her games.

Author's Note

VERY very sorry for wait. Had bad case of writers block so this one might be shit.