Shisai POV

"ahhhhh~~~" I cooed, as I sat on a beautiful beach I created in my dream. I've been a lucid dreamer for years and I'd usually picture myself in a family of 5 with my mother, father, 2 sisters and me. Occasionally going to the park, going camping with my dream dad as a bonding trip and letting my fake sister style my hair anyway they wanted to. As calming as it was, I decided to stop dreaming about that because every time I woke up I always felt sad about the fact that I didn't have any of those things in my life.

Getting up from the lounge chair I made I began walking along the beach in thought. "Should I train with my weapons more? I mean, I know everything about them, but more practice couldn't hurt." I began changing the scenery going from a beautiful beach to a coliseum full of warriors duking it out for the right to call themselves the winner of the tournament they participated in. As I looked around I saw some of the fighters. There were 3 unicorns using their magic to hold their swords and shields, all teaming up against one minotaur, who in fact looked like everything they did tickled. As the minotaur raised it's broadsword, the ponies began to brace for the hit only to be smashed into the ground under the pressure of the minotaur's attack. Already knowing their fate, I turned away to look at the others that were participating. I soon rested my eyes on a dragon wearing no armor and slashing through people with it's razor sharp claws and melting others with its fire breath. I continued to look around only seeing more minotaur and a couple of lizard people. Finally bored watching I made my weapons and gear appear on my person as I jumped from the stands to the battle area. Once I had landed I unsheathe my sword, holding it in one hand, and grabbed some kunai out of my hip pouch, holding them in between my fingers. I crouched low getting ready to fight as I made all of the remaining fighters focus on me.

~~~~~Battle Start~~~~~

I decided to go from smallest to biggest and ran towards a few ponies. Among the group were 2 unicorns, a Pegasus and 3 earth ponies. The Pegasus attacked first, it being the fastest out of the group, performing an axe kick towards my head. I rolled out of the way as it's hoof crashed into where my body was a second before. I threw the kunai in my hand at one of its wings hoping to immobilize it. Unfortunately it managed to dodge 2 of them, but the third landed in the pony's side. Backing off, I saw the earth ponies move up as the Pegasus went back towards the unicorns as their horns lit up. Their auras wrapped around the Pegasus as it hovered in the air above them. Realizing what they were doing I began thinking up strategies to take the unicorns out. The earth ponies had finally reached me, one leaping at me with it's short sword, trying to hit me with a vertical slash. I blocked it, and using one of my tails, I wrapped it around another earth pony's body and slammed it into the other one sending the two flying. The unicorns began to charge their magic as the Pegasus charged at me again, but this time I had a plan. Throwing a kunai in it's direction, I slowly lifted one of my tails as it dodged the kunai I smacked it onto the ground.

Not wanting it to get away from me again I threw 2 more kunai at its wings. Being unable to move, it had no possible way to dodge as the kunai ripped through its wings, partially severing them to the point you could see the bones that connected them along with the veins as blood spurted from the wound. As I walked up him to finish him off the world around me began to darken, knowing this feeling all too well I sat down and closed my eyes as I waited to wake up.

Jewels POV

"mph owww" I groaned as I sat up feeling an intense pain in my side I put my claw on it only to feel leaves on my side. "huh, what happened?" I asked myself While I was looking around noticed that all my cuts and bruises were covered over with leaves like my sap and was that, …tree sap holding it together?
"Oh Good Morning nice to see up and better!" startled I turned around to see a fox with multiple tree logs behind itself being held up by it's tails.
"Ummm who are you and better yet what are you?" I asked confused.
"I'm a kitsune, my name Shisai Kiritogaia but you can just call me Shisai it's very nice to meet you." he said to me
"Well hi there Shisai and thank you for patching me up but I have to get home no- Ahhhh!" I tried to say standing up, but before I could get up all the way a searing pain made from my side dropping me back to my knees. As I clenched my eyes closed I felt something soft wrap around me and softly lay me back on my back.
"You really shouldn't move that gash on your side is nowhere fully healed yet and you trying to move will only make it worse." said Shisai, while I know what he said was the truth I knew I had to get home and tell everyone's parents about what happened.
"Look I have to get home my friends were killed by the manticore you slayed earlier and I need to tell their families what happened is there some way you could help me get there?" I asked in a hopeful voice.
"Well yes I could help you but are you sure you need to go now at least wait a little longer to somewhat heal that wound of yours." he said in a concerned tone.
"There's a hospital in town you can take me there and I'll be fine." I told him
"sigh... alright I'll help you get home" He said.
"Thank you now help me up." I asked him.
"Who said you'd be walking, you'll be riding on my back ." he said

Taking this as a chance to inspect him I realized that he was as tall as me if not more just sitting down. I continued to stare at his body, taking a glance at his back I could see the definition on every part of his body, the fast but graceful movements his of leg muscles showing how strong he was.
"Are you done checking me out now?" he said with a smirk on his face and his eyes half lidded.
"W-what n-no I wasn't checking you out I w-was just thinking about what to do when I got home." I said as I turned my head away blushing as I continued to think about how strong he looked.
"Hmm alright I believe you... maybe~~" He sang as if enjoying how flustered I looked.
"Just take me home" I said awkwardly
"Alright alright I have everything set now hop on" he told me.
As I looked back toward him I saw a satchel around his neck as he stood in front of me. Climbing on he asked me which directions to go in, telling him to go north he began trotting at a brisk pace. As I sat on his back I watched his ears swivel around listening for any potential threats around us. After travelling for a few minutes I found the silence going on around us to be unnerving and began making small talk.
"Hey so where are you from Shisai?"

Shisai POV

"Well someone was gonna ask me at some point hmm ah I got it!" "I was born in the Everfree forest it was where I had lived for 5 years before I left after seeing my parents die in front me protecting me from a hydra, from then on began travelling the world looking for a place to call home. I was adopted by and old earth pony mare who took care of me after a few years she got sick and passed away so I left with this necklace being the last piece of her I have left." I said as I raised the necklace from my chest with a tail.
"What about you, you never told me your name or anything." I asked her.
"Well me and my mom moved into town because we wanted to live peaceful lives away from other dragons because of how violent they can be. We had been there for a year before mom told me she was dating a unicorn named Emerald Shower. They had supposedly met when she was out in the market getting stuff for dinner and everything clicked from there. Eventually he married my mom and he started calling me his daughter and I liked him so I started calling him dad. despite how easily my mom found someone every time I tried I got turned down spending all of my heat seasons alone, crying from how much it hurt to be treated that way because I was a dragon. Most ponies were hesitant to talk to me thinking I would do something to them, eventually I made some friends Shade Tree, Sunshine Sparkle, Evening Star and Laughy Taffy. We had all met at a park when we were smaller and stuck together ever since until yesterday at least."
"Do you think any of them survived?" I asked her in a hopeful tone.
"Maybe Evening he just disappeared when we were all getting chased." She said in response trying her best to sound hopeful, but she strongly doubted it.

"Well Jewels I'm glad to tell you that your town is a couple minutes ahead of us." I said looking back at her with a smile. Being able to tell because of the scents I picked up ahead.
"Oh thank Celestia! Now when we get there the hospital is on the left and straight ahead." she told me excitedly.
"Someone seems happy to be home hehe!" I laughed as I felt her bounce or my back. Speeding up the pace I began running towards her town set on getting her treated as fast as possible.
"WoooHooooo!" she yelled as we glided between trees.
As I saw the tree line pass us I slowed down and started trotting again, when I walked past a sign that said "Welcome back to Trottsville, Population 530 + 2 1" "Wonder why it's crossed out?" I thought to myself. As we began walking along the path to the hospital the ponies around began glaring at us, wanting to get there faster I sped up my pace only to see more and more ponies heading towards the middle of town with scowls on their face. After walking for a few more n=minutes I noticed they were glaring at Jewels not both of us. I looked behind me to see how she was reacting and she looked just as confused about what was happening as I was. When we mad it to the hospital Jewels climbed off my back and began leaning on me as we walked through the doors. Walking towards the front desk the receptionist looked at us sending me a smile and a hate fueled stare at Jewels.
"I would like to get her some medical attention she was attacked out in the forest earlier and I brought her back here to get treatment for the wound on her side." I told the mare with a slight frown on my face.
"Alright sir can you please sign your name and sit in the waiting room while we get her patched up, it should only take a few minutes." she responded.
"Okay" I said appreciatively as I sat down where she told me to.
I watched her take Jewels down the hall and into a room.

Jewel's POV

As the nurse brought me into a room she sent me a scowl and said "A doctor will be with you in a minute but trust me I think we'd all be better off if you just died" as she walked out and closed the door sending me another hateful glare. After a few minutes a doctor walked in to the room with a smile on his face staring at a clip board, when he lifted his face I saw his smile become a scowl as he said "Now I was told you has a wound on your side?"
"Yes sir" I told him turning to my side to show him as I told him what happened, which in turn only made him look at her angrily.
"sigh-Alright I can patch this up fast with my magic please hold still." he said as his horn began glowing. I felt his magic touch the wound and watched as it slowly closed and disappear like it never existed. "Okay your free to go, you should only feel sore for about an hour" he said in annoyance.
"Thank you doctor" I said to him, but as I walked out I heard him whisper to himself "You better be thankful bitch those kids didn't get to." Feeling my eyes tear up I walked back to the entrance seeing Shisai walking up to me with a concerned frown "Are you okay Jewels? I don't know why their acting like this towards you but just know everything's okay." he said to me reassuringly. "Thank you Shisai" I told him thankfully

As we left the hospital we stopped abruptly see what seemed like the whole town standing in front of us. "SO BITCH WHAT GAVE YOU THAT WOUND HUH!" a villager said everyone yelling 'yeahs' and 'whats' in the background. "Me and my friends wer--"
"FRIENDS, FRIENDS NO NO YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT WE WERE FRIENDS!" said a voice yelling in anger I gasped as Evening Star pushed his way through everyone to stand in front me his teeth gritted in anger.
"YOU LET THEM DIE DAMNIT WATCHED THE WHOLE THING!" he yelled.
"WHAT NO I DIDN'T I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" I yelled back at him
"Oh yea then answer me this when Sunshine sat on the ground why did you run without looking back you didn't say one thing to her you just bucking ran!" he said pointing a hoof at me accusingly.
"Evening she didn't want to get up, Shade had literally said he would leave her behind to save his own hide!" I yelled back at him hoping he would believe me.
"Oh sure, so your saying Shade was the problem, then why when Laughy Taffy told us the manticore was coming you told us not to believe him because he was obviously joking!" he yelled sarcastically.
"I didn't say that we all didn't believe him you jackass! Don't try to cut yourself out of the blame because everyone else is dead!" I said to him.
"YOU LEFT HER YOU LEFT SUNSHINE TO DIE YOU DAMN BITCH, IT'S TRUE WHAT THEYSAY ABOUT DRAGONS YOUR ALL HEARTLESS BEASTS!" he yelled at me. Being unable to take it anymore I began crying and crumbled to the ground holding my head in my hands.
"STOP"looking up I saw Shisai standing above me his teeth gritting in anger.
"Look I may not know what happened but Evening Star I have a question to ask you if you don't mind." Shisai said to Evening,
"Sure what?" he said angrily.
"Why didn't you help when you saw Sunshine and Jewels together, why didn't you whisper over to them, get their attention and have them hide with you?" Shisai asked with a smug smile on his face catching onto Evening's words.
"Humph I wasn't anywhere close enough to them to whisper their names and yelling would only draw attention to me so what of it?" he asked back with a smug smile of his own being thrown at Shisai.
"What the problem is that you seem to think that that's enough of an excuse to let your friends die so once again I ask why didn't you help?" Shisai asked again this time with a serious look on his face that looked as if it could destroy you if you answered wrong.
"Enough"
"Grandmother? what are you doing here" asked Evening with feigned innocence.
"As mayor of this town it my job to deal with problems like these, Jewels your a dragon even for a female you are considerably strong so why didn't you carry poor Sunshine to safety?" the mayor asked.
"She told me to leave her and the thought didn't come up in my mind to carry her away because of how scared I was." I said in response feeling ashamed for not thinking of that in the first place.
"When Evening came back we held a vote and although I wish for a different outcome it cannot be help, Jewels the dragon you are hereby banned from setting claw into this town's borders anything of your is now in our possession you have 5 minutes to leave or the towns ponies will execute you" the mayor said with squinting eyes.
"What wait what about my mother!" I asked hurriedly.

"She was sadly executed by vote of the towns ponies seeing at as too dangerous for an adult dragon to remain among us, but do not worry your father now resides in the dungeons as a prisoner for sexual acts with such a creature." the old mare said. After hearing about what had happened to my mother I fell back to the ground sobbing.
"Your running out of time dear you know have one minute to leave town before I let the villager go" she warned. Suddenly I felt Shisai's paw grab my shoulder, looking up I realized we were no longer in town but back at the river we had left from. Looking back to find Shisai I didn't see him as an explosion went off in the distance from the direction the town was in and a second later Shisai appeared and knelt down giving me a hug as I continued to cry into his shoulder he began whispering in my ear that it was ok and that everything was ok.

Author's Note

Alright guys although this chapter may not be the happiest we do have something to be happy about and guess what that is..... I just wrote a 3k word chapter. OH HELL YEAHHHH!!! A special thx to my man Delta Boio for being my editor for this chapter. Now imma go take a hot shower and the cha cha slide singing 3k~~ for 10 minutes.

May the light guide your path and the shadows watch your back.