Chapters Prologue: From Ghastly to Tartarus
"And that should be the last of them," Jagged Breeze sighed as he sat down, watching the remaining tatzlwurms dive their way underground, eager to get away from the pony who just killed seven of their ten-piece group. Having to deal with the creatures of Everfree was one thing - the timberwolves weren't that bad, and the manticores knew to stay away from his stone projectiles. The tatzlwurms, however... they needed a lesson. Brushing his white-and-black mane out of his face, he brushed of his light red coat before yelling, "And don't you DARE come back!".
Ever since he was given the land of Ghastly Gorge as a reward for taking down a group of Windigoes that were harassing Appleloosa, he had been all the busy taking care of the creatures who tried to make him leave. From manticores to rocs - even a hydra tried - only for the remaining in the groups to tread away, head hung low in shame as they discovered they could not succeed. Due to Jagged's ability over wind and earth, he could manipulate the area around him to defeat his enemies.
Stretching his forehooves, he walked towards his cabin, located on the side of the cliff. It took him roughly three years to build it, but thankfully he managed to make a convenient living home for himself, and made sure to add a few guest rooms in case anypony wanted to visit, leaving him with a two-story house, complete with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, large kitchen, basement, and a wide garden in the back.
'I get too lonely around here,' he thought as he closed the door behind him and began to brush his hooves off.
"Well, it's a good thing I came over for a visit, eh?" a voice stated from his kitchen, as if reading his mind.
Turning in surprise, Jagged's jaw dropped as he saw a familiar creature lean over his counter, drinking from a teacup that he did not own. His long, slender body was covered in brown fur, while his draconic tail ended with a tuft of white hair, matching his facial hair on his gray face. His eyes were misshaped, and were yellow with red pupils, as well as him having a single fang sticking out of his mouth. The most interesting part, however, was his appendages. He had two horns, one of a deer antler, the other a goat horn, his right arm of a lion, his left of an eagle's claw, his legs were from a green lizard and a goat, and his wings from a bat and pegasus. Seeing that he had the pony's attention, the draconequus chuckled before snapping his fingers, creating a second cup in the process.
"Tea?"
"What do you want, Discord?" Jagged stated coldly, his horn beginning to give off a faint red glow to accommodate his coat, while his blue eyes were watching him, unwavering from his target.
"Can't some old friends just have a cup of tea and talk?' Discord asked in an melodramatic voice, tilting his head in amusement.
"Since when were we friends? You're the one who turned my old house to butterflies before letting a flock of robins eat them - and you STILL haven't payed me back for that!"
Despite the situation, the draconequus couldn't help but laugh as the memory came back to mind. It was funny at the time until Jagged threw a boulder at him the size of his face.
As he did now.
"OW!" Discord complained as he rubbed the sore spot. "What was that for?!"
"That was for breaking into my house," Jagged growled. "This," he stated as his horn glowed brighter. "Is for all the other shenanigans you pulled off."
Before he could react, Discord found himself flying through the roof of the house, having the air knocked out of him by a boulder launched at his stomach, albeit larger than the last one. despite the fact, Jagged was forcing the wind to push the draconequus higher into the air, forcing him to start losing oxygen. Sighing, he snapped, causing him to teleport back into the unicorn's living room, unbeknownst to Jagged.
"You know, that's no the way to treat your guests," he stated blandly, causing Jagged to jump at the noise. "I thought you would be better than that. Guess I'll have to show you a few manners."
He snapped his fingers, meaning to turn his table into a pile of french fries, but was shocked when Jagged started to scream in pain until he fell to the ground. In a stage of panic, Discord ran to his side and checked his pulse, and was horrified to find none.
"Well...that was new."
{*}
"Ugh...where am I?" Jagged asked, rubbing his head to try to remove the pain.
"Sit down, young one," a voice answered. "You are still weak from entering my realm."
Upon hearing those words, Jagged's eyes flew open as he looked around him...only to see a world he would never understand. The buildings were far larger than he could've imagined, but they were angled at different locations, as if there was an anti-gravity spell needed to get from one building to the other.
"Where am I?" he asked again, out of pure confusion.
"This is the Distortion World, young Jagged Breeze," the voice responded. "But your kind refers to it as Tartarus."
"Tartarus...Wait, does that mean - "
"That you are dead? Quite so," The voice chuckled as the owner of the voice came into view, causing Jagged's breath to go...well, jagged.
Before him stood a large serpentine dragon, far larger than Tirek at his full power. It had six long, shadowy tendrils sprouting from its back, each ending with a red spike. The serpent's black, grey and red body went well with the gold plating found miscellaneously across its surface, along with ten spikes on its body, five on each side. It wore a gold helmet, but its glowing red eyes stared right at Jagged - Not with hatred, but with curiosity.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the creature spoke. "I am Giratina, the Renegade Pokemon, and ruler of the Distortion World. And you, I believe, would like some answers."
"How - What - Why - "
"Take your time," Giratina chuckled. "We have plenty here."
After taking a few short breaths, Jagged looked up at the creature. "Okay. First off, what's a 'Pokemon'?"
"That is what the creatures from my home planet are called. Granted, we all have different names, but the species themselves are one."
"And this place...is Tartarus?"
"Yes, though I will admit, it has been some time since one of your kind arrived this close to my presence. The last one...I think his name was...Sombrero? Something like that."
"YOU KNEW KING SOMBRA!?!"
Giratina looked at the unicorn, a little irritated at the outburst. "Yes. That was his name."
"Do you know why he turned, then?"
"When he visited me, he was already corrupted, but struck a deal with me to give him more power." At this, Giratina chuckled maliciously. "As I do with you."
"Huh?"
"Tell you what, Jagged Breeze - "
"How do you know my name?"
"A minor detail. Now, as I was saying... I'll let you return to your home in Equestria, but on one condition."
"What would that be?"
"Your body was obliterated when Discord attacked. Granted, it wasn't his fault," he continued, which caused Jagged's eyes to go from enraged to confused. "Another force struck you down and used his powers, as to get you out of his path."
"Who was it?" Jagged practically yelled. "Who killed me?!"
"That, young one, you will have to find on your own. As for the deal...I will grant you a new body, along with new abilities. However, you will have to return as a Guardian Of Equestria to protect the princesses - and their citizens - from the trouble that will come."
"What's the catch?" Jagged sighed, knowing there was one.
"...they may or may not be able to recognize you."
"So... I have to return to Equestria as a complete stranger, while protecting the princesses?"
"To put it easily, yes. Do - "
"Deal."
Giratina blinked. "Are you sure?"
"Meh, don't see what could go wrong with this." Jagged shrugged. "Might as well give it a go."
"Very well, then," Giratina stated curtly before part of his helmet opened, revealing his mouth as he let out an ear-splitting screech, which caused a portal to appear. "Once you go through the portal, you will have everything you need there. Good luck, Jagged Breeze."
Rubbing his ears in annoyance, Jagged glared at Giratina before breaking into a full gallop and running towards the portal. As soon as he went through, he barely heard the Pokemon chuckle.
"...Or should I call you Lycanroc now?"
When Introductions are Made
The Peaks of Peril was a timid location in Equestria. Due to its past-quiet residents, the Kirins, not many ponies decided it was worth the funds to make an expedition to explore. Despite this, however, many ponies still did so, not for the citizens, but for the nature found on the mountain, which they all found breathtaking.
That was, until two days ago, when a mysterious creature rose from a portal located in the river.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Rainbow Dash asked, slightly annoyed. "We've been going around this mountain for hours!"
"Now, Rainbow, there's no need to be impatient," Fluttershy reassured. "Besides, Applejack and I know the way to go, we should be there any moment now."
"Besides, shouldn't ya be glad ya get ta stretch yer wings out a bit?" Applejack smirked. "After all, ya didn't seem ta be doin' good after that last competition with the Wonderbolts."
"It wasn't THAT bad!"
"Ya nearly broke yer wing...again...five different times."
"The point is," Twilight interrupted. "Rainbow's fine. But, I do have to agree with her. Shouldn't we have come up on the village by now?"
"You mean the one that was just over this hill, as if it was waiting for us?" Pinkie said abruptly, pointing towards the Kirin village just below the hill they were travelling on.
The group of mares looked at Pinkie in confusion, who simply shrugged and bounced towards their destination.
"That mare is gonna be somepony Ah'll never understand..."
{*}
Jagged groaned as he sat up from his bed, eyes still closed. He let out a yawn, but was shocked to hear a yelp of a surprise from doing so. Upon opening, he noticed a group of...
"You're...a Kirin, right?"
The creature nodded. "Sorry to startle you, I just wasn't expecting all the teeth you had in your maw. My name is Fern, by the way. Fern - "
"Wait, what do you mean, 'all my teeth'? Don't we all have teeth...and what do you mean, my maw?"
Fern blinked in confusion. "Um...do you know what you are, exactly?"
"Of course I do, I'm a unicorn! What is going - "
He went to lift his hoof in exasperation, but was shocked when he saw a white paw where his hoof should've been, with three black claws at the end. Hurling off the blanket, he was shocked to find the body of a canine creature in his sights, a blood-red color with with white fur across his paws and chest. Fearing the worst, he rose a paw to his forehead, only to find a long tuft of hair blocking his right eye, but no horn. Naturally, he did the only thing natural for a dehorned unicorn.
He began screaming at the top of his lungs.
{*}
"Excuse me, is Autumn Blaze anywhere around?" Fluttershy asked a Kirin the mares ran into.
"We was hopin' she could point us towards that creature y'all found not too long ago," Applejack added.
"Well, if it's the creature you're looking for, all you need to do is- " The Kirin stopped when she saw Pinkie put earplugs into her ears. 'Uh, what is she doing?"
"Three..." Pinkie whispered.
"Pinkie? What's going on?" Rainbow asked.
"Two..."
"Darling, what you're doing is quite rude," Rarity pointed out.
"One..."
"Should...should we be concerned?" Twilight asked nervously.
"Cover your ears!"
Unfortunately, her cry went unheard as a ear-piercing scream rose from somewhere farther into the small city. Everypony covered their ears as the sound pierced the sky, only for the sound to still ring in their heads when it passed. Except for Pinkie, that is, as she pulled the earplugs out of her ears and put them back in her mane.
"Come on, he's this way!" Pinkie stated as she hopped down the alleyway, ignoring the fact that her friends were still rubbing their ears.
"Well...that was something else..." Twilight sighed. "Come on, might as well check that out."
{*}
The group of ponies went towards the house, where they saw multiple Kirins standing outside, looking towards the door in confusion as they tried to comprehend what they heard.
"Is everypony okay?" Twilight asked, looking towards the door as well.
"Everything's fine, Princess Twilight," a Kirin said as she emerged from the house, her eyes slightly dazed from the direct screaming. She had a gray-tinted gamboge coat with amber scales across her back, while her mane was an orange tone, and she had a dark-crimson horn, as did the rest of the Kirins. Her eyes were a beautiful crimson color, and she smiled softly as she gazed over the ponies. "Just trying to recover is all."
"Are you sure your okay, Fern?" The Kirin Ruler, Rain Shine, asked as she approached. Her amber-gray coat accommodated her light-gold scales along her back, along with her opal and turquoise mane. Her amaranth eyes only shown wisdom as she looked upon the Kirin with concern. "A yell with that velocity could not have been well to hear up close."
"While I will admit it was... rather unpleasant," Fern grimaced for a moment before smiling. "But he seems to be a nice creature, even if he is a little confused."
"What do ya mean by that?" Applejack asked in confusion.
"Well...come in here, and hopefully he'll elaborate more."
{*}
As Jagged tried to catch his breath, the door opened again, and he was shocked - and somewhat horrified - to see the Ambassadors of Friendship walk through, led by the Kirin who was treating him, Fern. Seeing them look at him caused him to tense up in fear, but Fluttershy gave a soft smile.
"It's okay, we're not here to hurt you," she reassured, causing Jagged to relax, if only a little bit. "We were just curious about what you are, is all."
"Which leads us ta askin', what are ya?" Applejack questioned. "Ah've only seen one creature like ya before, and that was a timberwolf."
"That's just it, though - I don't know what I am," Jagged said nervously. "I was a unicorn before I... passed out, then I went to Tartarus and met a creature named Giratina - "
"I'm sorry, what?" Rainbow asked, interrupting him. "What did you say?"
"...I saw a creature named Giratina?"
The mares looked at each other in confusion. "And...what did this place look like?" Twilight asked slowly.
"Well...there were a lot of buildings, and they were at weird angles, as if there was an anti-gravity spell...now that you think about it, I didn't see anypony there, nor any creatures either, other than Giratina."
"That's because this 'Giratina' lied to you, darling," Rarity sighed. "Never have I heard of such a creature down there, and we have been down there more than twice."
"So...he took me to his world?"
"Apparently so," Rainbow Dash shrugged.
Jagged blinked slowly, causing the others to grow nervous as they saw his full-red eyes go from confused to infuriated.
"When I get my hooves - er, paws... on that Pokemon, I swear I'm gonna - "
"What's a Pokemon?" Twilight asked, seeming intrigued by the concept.
Jagged sighed as he began to rub his forehead. "This is gonna be a long day..."
Don't worry," Pinkie Pie reassured as she pulled a lawn chair and a bowl of popcorn out of her mane and took a seat. "We got a lot of time right now."
The turned-unicorn looked at her in confusion, but decided not to question in, seeing how she's done worse.
"Alright...well, I guess it all started when I was at Ghastly Gorge...wait, what day is it?"
"It's the twenty-third. Why?" Rainbow said nonchalantly, but flinched as Jagged's eyes dilated.
"I'VE BEEN KNOCKED OUT FOR A MONTH?!?!"
"...actually, you've only been here for two days," Fern whispered, starting to feel intimidated by the creature before her.
"What?"
"She's correct," Rain Shine commented as she came in, causing Jagged to freeze up again. "It's alright, young one, though I would prefer it if you wouldn't yell like that."
"Y..Yes, ma'am," Jagged whispered, his head hung low. "But about the two days... is that true?"
"Quite."
"Huh," Jagged stated as he processed what he just heard. "Guess this will be a bit longer than what I thought..."
"Well, come on!" Pinkie cried. "My popcorn bowl's almost empty, and I only have one more after that!"
"Well, like before, it all started back in Ghastly Gorge... a month ago, when I was fighting off a couple of tatzlwurms..."
{*}
As the hooded unicorn walked into the dark cave, he grinned as he saw a large rune on the floor of a cave he was searching for the past ten years. As he fired up a spell he blasted the rune with a dark-violet colored beam of magic before it activated, causing a giant black cocoon to rise out of it, in the shape of an egg. Though most would look at it in confusion, the unicorn began laughing maniacally. He lowered the egg once more, but used a replication spell on the rune and placed it onto an artifact he brought with him. Turning towards the entrance, he glanced back at the rune before blasting it again, causing it to unravel itself. Satisfied, he turned once more and made his way back to the daylight.
"Soon, Bringer of Destruction, you shall be mine," he chuckled before closing off the cave as he walked out.
"So...remind me where we're going?" Jagged asked as he continued with the Mane 6. Despite his new form, he was still uncomfortable walking bipedal, so he continued walking on his four paws, even if he was a bit taller than he was before.
"We're going to Ponyville, silly!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed while bouncing around the group, nearly leaping over Jagged while they waited for the train. As she hopped from one end of the station to another, Jagged could only shake his head in confusion. Where that energy came from, he would never know...
"And why, do tell, are we going to your hometown?" Jagged asked pointedly, trying not to show his agitation. "Why can I not be left alone?"
"Because, darling, you were found unconscious for a month and need to be taken care of properly," Rarity pointed out. "It's not everyday somepony goes missing for a month and then turns up again as a new creature. One, may I remind you, that - "
"That was never before seen in Equestria, yes, I know. But, why couldn't I have stayed at the Peaks of Peril? The Kirins were doing just fine to take care of me..."
"Ya barely knew they were takin' care of ya, sugarcube," Applejack stated flatly. "Besides, it would give us all at Ponyville a new friend ta hang out with."
"As well as somepony to run experiments on..." Twilight mumbled, but Jagged was able to hear her statement.
"WHAT!?! No, no no no, NO! There is NO way in Celestia's name that I am becoming a lab rat for anypony - an Alicorn, no less!"
"Look, bud, we're only trying to help!" Rainbow stated, starting to lose her temper.
"So, you say 'helping' is forcing somepony to come with you, and then becoming a test subject for the princess of said town?! Hay, no!"
"Jagged - "
"Look, just leave me alone, alright!? Let me take care of myself, just STOP-"
He paused when he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. Turning to glare at whatever tapped him, he felt guilt as he saw Fluttershy flinch under his eyes. "Mr. Breeze, please understand, we were only trying to help you. I'm sorry if it doesn't feel that way, but please don't yell at us."
Jagged let his gaze linger on her before sighing. "I...I guess you're right. I just felt like I was being...forced to travel with you all. I just felt like I should've had a say. I'm...I'm sorry."
Fluttershy sighed with relief as the others' gazes fell to the floor.
"I guess it would only be fair if we apologized as well, darling," Rarity admitted. "We did force you to come with us, after all."
"Ah suppose you should've gotten a say on if ya wanted ta come with us," Applejack stated as well. "Sorry, pardner."
"Just...next time, don't yell at all of us." Rainbow stated coldly, but flinched as the creature's gaze hardened when he looked at her. "Please?"
"Fine," Jagged snapped.
"B-But...tests..." Twilight muttered.
"Twi, the only way yer gonna get a test on him is if he complies," Applejack pointed out. "If he ain't gonna comply, you ain't gonna get a test. Hooves down."
"...fine..."
"Hey, what's that over there?" Jagged pointed towards a giant blue fireball that was flying towards them.
While most ponies would look at it in confusion, Twilight gazed at the fireball in horror. "EVERYPONY GET OUT!!!!"
She had enough time to shout this before she noticed Jagged's eyes glowing brighter as he punched the ground with a long howl escaping from the creature. Almost immediately, blue-colored rocks began to escape from the ground, starting from where Jagged punched the ground and continuing until they met the fireball.
Upon contact, there was a massive explosion that shook the very bones of the ponies inside the train station. There eyesight was momentarily blocked as well by a mass wall of smoke that rose from the impact spot. When the smoke cleared, they saw Jagged facing another pony, both in a battle stance as they glared at each other. The pony in question was an ash-grey color, with a blue-and-purple mane, strongly resembling fire that covered part of the right side of his face. His horn was curved, similar to Mistmane's, which was giving off a purple glow that flickered through the remaining smoke, and his right eye was a sky-blue color, while his left eye was covered with a black eye patch. His height, surprisingly, was almost the same as Luna's, if not taller. The rest of his appearance, however, was unexpected. His front hooves were similar to dragon's claws, and he had a dragon tail that was nearly the length of his body, having three silver spikes along the back and ending with a tuft of fur similar to his mane. What caught Twilight's eyes, however, was his wings. Very similar to one of a bat's, the only difference was that they had a claw at the 'elbow' of each, and his entire wingspan was the length of his body, from his snout to the tip of his tail. His Cutie Mark was a purple flame that had two eyes piercing through, one blue, the other red.
"What..." Twilight started to ask, but was interrupted by the pony yelling, "What are you ponies doing here? Leave this location before this creature begins to attack!"
Jagged, however, was staring at the pony in shock and recognition. "...Scorching? Is that really you?"
The pony identified as 'Scorching' looked at Jagged in confusion. "How do you know my name?! Who are...wait..." It was then that he noticed the necklace around the creature's neck - a pendant with the symbol of a wolf howling at the moon, the Cutie Mark of one of his old friends. "...Jagged?"
"Scorch, it is you!"
"Jagged!" Scorch yelled, and charged the creature, pulling him into a bear-hug before pulling back. "Where in the name of Nightmare Moon have you been? I've been searching all over Equestria for you!"
"Yeah, about that..."
"Jagged, what's going on?"
The creature turned to look at the Mane 6 staring at the duo in confusion, with the exception of Fluttershy, who was hiding behind Rarity while shaking violently. "Who's that?"
"Guess we should start over," Jagged sighed. "Scorch, these mares are, respectively, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Princess Twilight Sparkle - "
"Just Twilight is fine," the alicorn muttered.
"And...wait, where's Pinkie?"
"Cool wings you have!"
Scorching yelped as his wing was extended as Pinkie began to look it over. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?!" he roared in her face - literally - causing Pinkie to pedal backwards in shock and trip over herself.
"Hey, I don't know who you think you are, but you better stop, or else I'll - " Rainbow started.
"You'll what? Beat me to a pulp? In case you didn't know, I am more than capable to crush you under my claw before you can even make a hit on me." Blazing began to growl, but Jagged got in between the two.
"That's enough," he sighed. "Anyways, this is Scorching Wraith, Head Captain of the former Moon Guard and right-head stallion of - "
"Wait, the Moon Guard?" Twilight asked as they could she her visibly pale as she began to shake. Th-That was the name of the Guard of - "
"Yes, Princess," Scorching sighed. "I was the right-head stallion of Nightmare Moon."
"So...w-when you mentioned Nightmare Moon earlier - "
"I meant it out of respect, yes."
"But...She was a monster! She was going to kill Celestia and - "
"Was she, though? Did you get the time to know what her plan was? What she wanted to do?" Scorch waited as he glared at Twilight, expecting her to answer.
"Well...s-she wanted eternal night! She was going to banish Celestia and let the world die off - "
She was stopped as Scorch released an unearthly growl. "False. All False. The only thing Princess Luna, bless her name, wanted was to be recognized, have some respect pointed towards her. That's what caused her to become Nightmare Moon. Still, while she was going for creating eternal night, she wasn't going to let the face of Equestria die off. She was still going to let it continue as it is now." Looking over the shocked faces of the mares, he glanced at Jagged and smirked. "So, what caused all of that to happen? Last I recall, you were just a unicorn."
"Long story, but I think that can wait," the creature said as he turned towards the station again, the train pulling in. "I'm tired."
"Fair enough, I suppose."
While the two creatures walked towards the train, the mares looked at Twilight, her face still pale, but her jaw dropped in surprise.
"Uh, Twi?" Applejack asked, waving her hoof in front of her friend's face. "Are ya..."
"WHATONEARTHISTHATTHINGI'VENEVERSEENSOMETHINGLIKEHIMIHAVETOTESTTHIS!!!" Twilight screamed as her eyes dilated and strands of her mane began to pop out of place. "I HAVE TO!!!"
She began to run after the duo, but was stopped when Rainbow stepped on her tail. "Twilight, you need to calm down!"
"Agreed, darling," Rarity said slowly. "He doesn't seem all that friendly..."
"At least give 'em some time ta catch up with each other, Twi," Applejack continued. "It's clearly been a while since they saw each other."
"But, Applejack - "
"Twilight," The earth pony insisted.
The alicorn looked at her friend, searching the mare's face for any form of giving in, but eventually sighed. "Fine...I'll give them some space..."
"Thanks, Twi. Now come on, y'all, we'll miss the train if we stay here."
"No kidding!" Pinkie Pie called from inside the train as it began to pull off. "Hurry up, come on!"
The mares ran towards the train, able to get on before it left the station.
"Pinkie, sweetheart, how did you get on the train?" Rarity asked in confusion. "We didn't even see you get aboard."
Pinkie grinned. "Because reasons," she said with a shrug, which caused the mares to groan.
"Let's just get comfortable and get some sleep, alright? I'm tired," Twilight said as a yawn escaped from her lips. "Guess the hiking's finally caught up with me..." Before she could say anything else, she slumped to the floor of their cabin and began to snore, causing the other mares to laugh.
"Guess we should follow suit," Applejack chuckled. "Get some rest, y'all. Ah gotta feelin' tomorrow's gonna be a long day..."
Silence.
The two "stallions" sighed in content as they leaned back in their respective seats, the only sound found in their breathing. As the two smirked at each other, they soon found their silence would be broken by a certain pony...
"Hey, guys!"
"Gah!"
Both males tumbled out of their seats, resulting in a small bundle of red-and-gray fur. As they tried to break free, the others came to their car to find them on the ground, as well as Pinkie, who was laughing her flank off at the sight.
"Oh, my goodness!" Rarity gasped as Applejack and Rainbow Dash helped the two untangle themselves. "Are you two alright?"
"We've been better," Jagged sighed, a hint of anger in his eyes.
Scorch, however, was quite different. "What in the name of TARTARUS was THAT for?!?" he growled at Pinkie, his hair beginning to flicker with flames.
"I thought it was weird that is was so quiet over here, so I came over to see what you two were doing!"
"And you thought it was okay to JUMP-SCARE US!?!"
"Wasn't my intention~" Pinkie said in a sing-song tone before breaking into a giggling fit again.
Which, naturally, was quickly cut off.
"Look, I'm going to make this VERY clear," Scorch growled. "If you EVER do that again, I will make SURE you leave with second-degree burns." Flames began to flicker over his jaws to emphasis his point. "Understood?"
While the other mares looked at him with a mix of horror, disgust, and shock, Pinkie merely shrugged.
"Okie-dokie-loki!" she piped before bouncing back to the train car that the mares were staying in.
You...you were joking, right?" Rainbow piped up with a nervous chuckle, only to get a hard glare from the grey pony.
"Did it look like I was joking?"
"ANYWAYS," Twilight interrupted before anything else could spark. "Why don't you tell us a little bit about how you two met. If you were a guard for...Nightmare Moon...then how are you still around today?"
Scorch turned his glare towards the alicorn, but seeing as she didn't falter under his gaze, he sighed. "Simple. I'm a kirin. Nothing to it."
The mares looked at each other in confusion.
"But...we just saw other kirins, and they didn't look anythin' like ya," Applejack stated, slightly confused.
"And you're a pony, but that doesn't mean there's only one kind of pony, correct?"
"Well...now that ya think about it..."
"Exactly," Scorch interrupted. "The kirins over at the Peaks of Peril, while we are the same species - even by default - that doesn't mean we have to look the same. Those kirins are more pony-based, while I am more draconian than they are."
"Well, that does explain your wings..." Twilight muttered to herself. "But what about your horn? Does your horn look like that because of your mother?"
Jagged and Scorch looked at each other before chuckling to themselves, much to Twilight's annoyance.
"What? What did I say?"
"Twilight Sparkle, how can you say that you were Princess Celestia's top student...when you can't even notice a simple illusion spell?" At this the males began to laugh, which confused the alicorn even further.
"Illusion spell? What are you..."
Scorch stopped laughing long enough to roll his eyes and mutter, "Oh, for Faust's sake..." before lighting his horn up...and causing it to disappear. In its place were two dragon horns on the sides of his head, both curving back. Like his coat, they were also an ash-grey color, but the horns darkened the further it went, eventually becoming pitch-black near the tips. As a whole, they were glowing with the same purple aura that his unicorn horn was glowing before the spell before he dispersed the glow.
"As you would expect, it is quite obvious as to why I keep my horns hidden."
"But...why?" Rainbow asked. "They look awesome!"
"Well, let's start with Ms. Fluttershy here..."
The group turned to the mare in question, and they saw how terrified she truly looked as she tried her best to hide behind Applejack, but ultimately failed to do so.
"He-He looks m-more like a d-d-dragon now," she whispered.
"But darling, I thought you weren't afraid of dragons," Rarity protested.
"B-B-But - "
"But she's never seen a half-dragon before, or at least, one like me," Scorch interrupted, much to Fluttershy's relief. The kirins she's met were more comfortable to her, I'm guessing, because they looked more like ponies than I do. Correct?"
Instead of responding, she only nodded to his theory, causing him to sigh. Before he could continue, however, the group noticed that the train was beginning to slow down.
"Now arriving at Ponyville Station," a voice stated over the intercom.
"That's our stop, everyone," Twilight pointed out as she and the others went to get off the train.
Well, almost everyone.
"You're not coming?" Jagged asked, confused when he noticed Scorch hadn't moved from where he sat.
"No, it's just..." he sighed. "It's...been a while since I've been in society. I'll catch up with you in a - "
"Oh, no you don't!" With that, Jagged grabbed Scorch by the horns and began to drag him out of the train.
"Hey, could you - ow! Stop pulling on my - OW! Hey, I'm talking to you - OW!!!"
"Look, Scorch, it's been nearly five years since we last saw each other," Jagged growled. "I am not letting you leave this quickly - not without you explaining where you've been."
"That...could take a while."
"Exactly. So, put that illusion spell on your horns, and let's get moving."
"But..."
"No buts! Let's go!"
{*}
"I really despise you right now," Scorch growled as the two went to catch up with the mares. Despite Scorch's protests, Jagged still managed to keep a grip on his friend, even threatening to continue it when they went to town. At this threat, Scorch stopped fighting back, but not until he grabbed a cloak that he had in his saddlebags and put it on while casting his illusion spell on his horns.
"Well, I'm pretty sure you would try and do the same with me," Jagged smirked before looking forward again. "Anyways, here we are!"
"Where have you two been?" Rainbow asked as she flew towards the two. "We've been looking everywhere for you since you disappeared after the train."
"Scorch just needed some enthusiasm to get off the train, is all," Jagged chuckled, much to Scorch's chagrin.
"All you had to do was ask instead of drag me out of the train, quite literally!"
"But, in the end, it got its point across, so..."
The kirin only growled in response, causing a smirk to appear on the creature's face.
"Anyways..." Rainbow continued. "The girls want you two to come over to Twilight's castle. Said they got a surprise for you."
"Her castle? Where in Equestria would her castle..."Jagged turned around and saw a giant purple-and-blue crystal castle looming over the small town. "Oh."
Scorch, meanwhile, was looking at the castle with big eyes and a bit of drool falling out of his mouth. "Crystals..."
"Don't even think about it."
{*}
"Quick, they're coming!" Pinkie yelled as she turned all the lights off and went to hide as the door opened, leaving Rainbow, Scorch and Jagged to look into a dark room, the light outside barely making it easy to look inside.
"I don't trust this..." Scorch whispered to Jagged, who frowned in response.
"What are you thinking?"
"I say we leave before something - " Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the doors behind them closed, plunging the whole room in darkness. " - happens."
"Who's there?!" Jagged growled, his red eyes beginning to shine in the darkness, along with Scorch's horn. "Show yourselves!"
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Rainbow cried and turned on the lights.
"SURPRISE!!!!"
In the room was the five other mares, along with a young dragon, three younger fillies, a zebra (surprisingly), and a six-some of random creatures, including a pony, dragon, yak, griffon, a bug-pony, and some hybrid of a pony and a griffon. Above them was a giant banner that read, "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!", and there was a giant cake to the right of the group, with Pinkie in the center standing bipedal with her fore-hooves raised high.
The joy on the group's face, however, turned into shock as Scorch extended his wings and roared in shock before taking flight, leaving through an open window and Jagged running out the door after him, yelling, "Scorch, come back! They're not gonna hurt - SCORCH, DON'T YOU DARE!!!"
Almost immediately, the kirin returned, but this time with his horn glowing and fire licking his jaws. "WHY ARE YOU BACK!?!" He shouted, pointing at a figure that was not noticed before hiding in the shadows. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE RESIDENTS HERE!?!"
The ponies looked at the figure in shock, to see its face with an emotion of shock as well. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything to them."
"Yeah, right, Apophis! Why have you come here?!"
The figure, to everyone's surprise, began to pale at the name. "How do you know that name? Apophis was supposed to be banished centuries ago."
"Wait, so who - "
"Scorch!" Jagged yelled as he bolted back in. "What are you - " he started, but froze when he saw the creature in the shadows - and immediately started growling. YOU !!!!!"
"Aw, crud..." Discord sighed. "Well, go ahead. Let it out."
Jagged, in response, charged the draconequus and blasted him through the castle wall, causing them both to stumble when they hit the soft grass. Jagged was the first to rise, and slammed his fist into the ground, causing the same blue rocks to erupt as before. Discord, shocked, began to go around the spikes, but eventually got hit by one and caused a massive explosion, sending Discord into the air. Upon landing, Jagged punched the God of Chaos in the gut, receiving a grunt of pain in response. Throwing the draconequus back at the castle, he charged him again, but was stopped when something blue tackled him to the ground.
"Dude, what gives!?" Rainbow yelled in his ear.
"Let go of me, Rainbow! He's gonna pay what he did to me!" Jagged growled and managed to pin Rainbow to the ground, dazing her for a couple of seconds. As he got up again, however, he saw Fluttershy standing in front of him with... were those tears in her eyes?
"Please...Please stop..." She sniveled.
"But...why? He harmed Equestria for centuries, did it again when released, and, above that, caused this to happen!"
"Discord's changed, I promise..." Fluttershy then blushed. "Plus, he's my...my coltfriend."
Jagged stared at her for what felt like an eternity until a single word escaped from his mouth:
"WHAT!?!?!"
Explanations are rough...
The mares watched Jagged pace back and forth as he muttered under his breath, shooting a glare at Discord every now and then. After Jagged's attack on Discord, Twilight thought it was best to send everypony home (much to Pinkie's disappointment) and try to sort things out between the two. While the Mane 6 and Spike wanted to help, they felt rather intimidated by the creature. Jagged gave up on walking on all fours, and decided to go back to bipedal, and was discovered to be the same height as Big Mac. Eventually, however, Jagged stopped pacing and glared at Discord, who was trying to comfort Fluttershy.
"So let me get this straight," Jagged growled. "You, Discord, The Lord of Chaos - "
"Yours truly," Discord stated jokingly, but shrunk under Jagged's glare.
" - After throwing Equestria into chaos for over a millennia, then again recently, and betraying the Elements to literally the most powerful enemy in Equestria history - "
"He's not proud of doing that," Fluttershy whimpered.
" - Somehow, not only became friends with the Elements, but also was able to begin dating one?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Discord stated with a shrug. "Any other questions, because if not..." He made to get up and leave, but Jagged caused a glowing rock to rise in front of him.
"You are staying here," Jagged growled, then pointed towards Twilight. "Explain. Now."
"Well," the alicorn started. "After Tirek was defeated, Discord was able to befriend Fluttershy, but after being threatened to lose her, he realized how important friendship was, causing his reformation."
"Uh-huh," Jagged deadpanned.
"Dude, what's your problem?!" Rainbow yelled at the creature, getting in his face. "Why are you hating on Discord so much?!"
"Now hold on, Rainbow," Applejack interrupted, pulling the pegasus back. "There's quite a few ponies who aren't a fan of Discord being out of stone. Jagged, why don't ya explain why yer...not a fan of him?"
"With pleasure," Jagged growled. "Unlike many ponies across Equestria, my home was ultimately lost during Discord's second reign of chaos. My home was never returned to me, and it caused me to go homeless from then until about four years ago, when I got rid of some Windigoes that were harrasing Appleoosa. As a result, I got a bit of land from Ghastly Gorge as a reward. However - "
"Wait, yer the one who saved mah cousin's farm?" Applejack asked in shock.
"Yes. I was able to get rid of them with my ability over wind, now if I can finish?"
"O-Of course, just... thank ya fer that."
"No problem. Anyways, I got land from Ghastly Gorge, but I wasn't offered a team to help me construct a home for myself. So I had to build my own house, along with fighting off the monsters that were trying to force me out. It took me a while, but eventually I was able to finish. two months later, however, was when this party-pooper showed up."
"Hey!" Discord stated, clearly shocked at this statement.
"I'll admit, while I'm not mad for him killing me - "
"WHAT!?!"
"I am still rather infuriated that he destroyed my old house, leaving me homeless for four BUCKING years straight, then showed up again, acting like nothing happened!"
"Darling, I don't think you're thinking straight - you said, Discord killed you?" Rarity asked.
Jagged glared at the unicorn, causing her to back up slightly. "Believe me when I say this, I know first hand what it feels like to die. I wouldn't be making it up if I didn't."
"But...how are you still here?" Spike asked nervously.
"Didn't anypony tell you, silly?" Pinkie piped up. "He told us that he went to that false-Tartarus place and met the ruler of that place, who gave him a second chance and brought him back as a Guardian of - "
Jagged put a paw to her mouth, silencing her. "I never mentioned that."
"But you - "
"I don't know how you would know that, but I don't stand to it as true. Understood?"
Pinkie nodded, and Jagged let go of her mouth, which she then said, "Okie-dokie!" before bouncing off.
"What was she saying before?" Twilight asked.
"Don't know, don't care," Rainbow scowled, pointing a hoof at Jagged. "What I want to know is why he thinks he can lie on Discord and - "
"He's telling the truth," Discord sighed.
The mares and dragon looked at him in shock, Fluttershy beginning to back up. "B-But why - "
"He didn't directly kill me," Jagged interrupted. "Giratina explained to me that somepony from here channeled Discord's magic and used it against me, while giving off the appearance that Discord used his magic on me to cause my death."
"But somepony who could channel Discord's magic would need a high level of magic-tolerance!" Twilight exclaimed. "Even I can't do that!"
"Have you tried?"
Both Discord and Twilight winced. "Let's...leave that under wraps for now."
"So somepony who can use Discord's magic for harm caused your death, right?" Rainbow asked, getting a nod in response from Jagged. "That doesn't explain why you hate Discord."
"I LITERALLY just said why I - okay, I don't hate Discord. Hate's a strong word - I dislike Discord, and if you were paying ATTENTION, you would know WHY!"
"Um, e-excuse me?" Fluttershy started, but was interrupted when Rainbow started yelling again.
"Do you know who you're yelling at?!"
"The supposed 'Element of Loyalty', but all I see is a hot-headed, arrogant pegasus who can't see knowledge even if it backhands her! Why don't you go fly around and cool off before you say something you'll eventually regret?"
"Oh, THAT'S IT!" Rainbow yelled, getting in his face. "You. Me. Noon. Sweet Apple Acres." She left after that, muttering under her breath as she flew off.
Jagged snorted in annoyance and fury after her before turning back to the others and saw their stone-faced glares. "What?"
"What was THAT for?!" Twilight yelled. "That was completely avoidable - "
"If she was actually paying attention," Jagged interrupted. "I don't know why you all are mad at me when she started it."
"Well, for starters - "
As the alicorn continued, Jagged began to hear a faint whistling from farther off. It sounded familiar, but it wasn't recognizable. He turned around, and saw a rainbow streak flying towards him.
Oh, horse-apples...
Before Rainbow could strike, however, Jagged had a quick instinct to try and block it. Glaring at Rainbow, he crossed his arms in front of him, while unknowingly beginning to glow blue. Right before the pegasus made contact, however, Jagged grabbed her hoof, stopping her in her tracks and causing a large whirlwind to surround the two. The group watched in awe at the power the creature held, but it quickly changed to horror as the blue glow surrounding Jagged moved to his free paw - and slammed into Rainbow's chest, causing her to blast off into the sky.
After the initial shock, however, Rainbow flew up and prepared to launch at Jagged again when she noticed purple sparks sprouting to the left of the castle, at least a few hundred yards off, but somewhat well-secluded.
"Hey, guys? Something's going on over there!" Rainbow yelled before flying off in said direction, leaving her friends to catch up.
"Well, I guess we should go, then," Twilight stated before noticing Jagged was gone. "Hey, where'd Jagged go?"
"He went that way," Pinkie pointed towards where Rainbow was going, and that was when Twilight noticed the smoke cloud residing from his travelling.
'Great, two speedsters to deal with,' Twilight sighed. "Let's get a move on, you guys."
{*}
Jagged got to the secluded area Rainbow pointed out as soon a few moments before she landed, and smirked at her gaping mouth."
"But - how - " Rainbow stuttered.
"Better close your mouth until flies crawl in," Jagged joked before seeing a large purple spark form from...
"Where'd that come from?"
"I...I don't know," Rainbow admitted before crouching. "Better get ready for anything."
Jagged snorted at her actions, but began glowing blue again, preparing himself for an attack.
What happened instead, however, surprised him.
As he watched, a purple vortex began to form before Jagged's eyes , and his eyes grew in shock as Scorch came through, his eyes closed as he wobbled back and forth.
"I really need to get over that sickness..." He muttered softly. "Now, where was I - OOF!"
"Rainbow, get off him!" Jagged yelled, pulling the pegasus off the Kirin. Rainbow, out of combat reflexes, tackled Scorch before registering who he was.
"For the name of Faust, who - wait, Rainbow? Jagged? What are you two doing here?" Scorch asked, looking back and forth between the two with a look of...was that horror in his eyes?
"More importantly, Jagged, GET OFF!!!" Rainbow yelled, pushing the creature off. Ignoring his growls, the pegasus pointed at Scorch. "What are you doing, and where'd you come from?!"
"I -" Scorch started, but it was then that the rest of the group showed up.
"Why...were...you...two...so...fast?" Twilight wheezed.
Jagged and Rainbow looked at each other, shrugged, then turned back towards the Kirin. "Well?" rainbow started up again, but Jagged pulled her back, albeit softer than before.
"Scorch...talk to us, man."
Scorch looked up at his friend, one of the closest friends he's had in decades. If Jagged started hating him...
"You...you deserve an explanation," Scorch sighed. "All of you do."
