Chapters "Allow me to tell you a story, one you've definitely heard of before!
When the Vault Hunters who've bested Handsome Jack had accomplished many things, you would think that they would settle down and enjoy the riches they've collected over the months on Pandora. But no, these idiots continued their adventure, attacking bandit camps, uncovering secrets. Anything to distract them from the boredom that grew in their hearts.
Enter Krieg, an odd Psycho that was tamed by the Vault Hunters, mostly because of Maya the Siren.
Krieg was clearly infatuated with the Siren and desired her attention. One day, he discovered a Vault during his nightly hunting. Choosing to just go on ahead and pilfer the hidden treasure within in the name of love, Krieg entered the Vault blindly with the thought of impressing the Siren. But that itself only led him to a path to another world.
He was never seen again, the Vault Hunters were crushed by his disappearance and for weeks they searched. And yet, there was no sign of him anywhere.
But do not lose hope my friends... For this was just the beginning of a story, one that takes place on a land called... Equestria."
"This sucks!" Gallus complained as he and his friends traveled through a land of ash and stone.
Ahead of the students was the Headmare of the Twilight's School of Friendship, Starlight Glimmer. And with her was the Dragon Lord Ember, who acted as their guide through the land of dragons. Today, the school was on a field trip through Ember's home, as a way to see into the daily lives of dragons so they could understand the fiery lizards more.
But what Gallus expected an adventure, was instead treated to Ember's best impression of a tour guide.
"And over there are the lava pits where we dragon's like to swim in. And just next to that are some crystals if any of you are hungry."
"This is boring..." Gallus said again.
"I don't know, I kinda like it!" Sandbar believed. "Plus, we get to keep any gems we find!"
Smolder chuckled from her side. "Yeah, good luck hiding those from me, Sandbar, they'll make a good snack when we get back."
"Are any of you guys even listening?" Ember asked them. "There's like, cool stuff you're missing here."
"Cool, I'm sorry Lord Ember, but I'm honestly bored." Gallus admitted.
This earned him a scolding from Starlight. "Don't say that, Gallus, Ember is doing her best to keep us entertained. I say she's doing great, I mean, there's so much to take in. The sights, the air, and best of all, these ruins!"
"Huh, what now?" The last part brought Gallus back from his boredom at the mention of a ruin.
And just like Starlight said, there was what looked to be the remains of some sort of fort. A couple of towers still stood, but the walls were nothing but piles of bricks. It would appear that there's a story here, and soon they'll find out what that is. This ruin was such a strange place, dragons were not much for their building prowess, and it was not said in any history book about them constructing forts.
This was an anomaly, the only answer was that someone from Equestria had set up on a random spot in the dragon lands.
"What exactly is this place?" Silverstream finally asked the two locals.
Ember simply shrugged. "We call this place Wicked Nest, not much is known about this place besides a few stories to scare hatchlings away. Heck, there used to be a few dragons that just sat around the ruins armed with weapons, no one knew why, they just acted more like statues."
"Wait, then where dragons go?" Yona questioned.
"And what exactly are these stories you said are used to scare children?" Starlight added.
"The dragons that sat around here just up and vanished, no one knew where they went. As for the stories, it was said that something lives in the ruins, deep below, and every night it scours the lands for any hatchlings that strayed too far from the nest, then they eat them."
Smolder huffed. "I didn't believe that story when I was younger, Spike is honestly lucky to be raised by ponies, bet that shorty would be super scared by the Wing Eater."
"So, how about we look around?" Ember suggested as she walked into the ruins nonchalantly. "I haven't been anywhere near here before, because the dragons kept everyone away."
"As if they're protecting something?" Starlight guessed. "I mean, that still doesn't make any sense why they'd disappear then."
"Oh, a mystery!" Silverstream beamed with excitement. "And just when I thought our field trip just couldn't get any better!"
Before Starlight could say anything, Silverstream flew off to do her own thing. She went straight over to one of the two towers that still stood and investigated. The rest decided to follow Silverstream's example and went around the open area.
Gallus approached with the same curiosity as the others, they've seen ruins like this fort before, but none had ever thought that such remains could be found in the dragon lands. Of course, there were some complications between ponies and dragons, but not enough to lead the ponies to build a structure here of all places. Though he had a nagging feeling that he'd been in this place before, it looked so familiar to him.
Now Gallus wasn't one for war history, but he had read a lot of books with his friend Ocellus. Some of them were related to the war between his kind and the ponies; it was said that their conflict ended when the ponies amassed an army so large that it trampled any settlements that were in their way. Though their history wasn't as great as it was right now, Gallus couldn't help but wonder why the books about the war were different from the griffons.
But that was not important, there was much to do in this ruined fort.
His friends were occupied with all the rusty weapons that scattered around, strangely though, the weapons were placed neatly in the ground as if they were a symbol. Or a graveyard.
Sandbar and Yona went to check on the weapons and were amazed by the sight. Yona had some interest with a hammer for obvious reasons. Ocellus, the smart changeling she is, had opted to inspect the structures for their design, eyes peeled for any flaw that somehow lived to this day. Smolder stayed by Ember's side, though she wore an uninterested look, there was a slight shiver from the younger dragon, the same could be said about Ember.
Perhaps, it was due to the story that was told to them when they were but hatchlings. If Gallus learned about a spooky house that was just down the street from a young age, then he too would feel the same if he was in the presence of the said house.
Gallus chose to enter the other tower, it had a far larger door than the other, and it would appear that the door itself was made of stronger materials. And by the fact that the tower itself was built at the center of the fort meant that it was important.
"Woah, this is far more stable than the other one!" Ocellus commented.
"How so?" Gallus inquired to his friend.
"Well, you see that the base of this tower is fortified, and judging by those iron rods that poke out of the metal layer, this tower has a series of frames to keep it from falling."
She tapped and caressed the exterior of the tower with a small smile on her face.
"I'm no rock farmer, but you could tell that these bricks were carved out from limestone." She believed. "Though the placement of this fort is quite interesting since it holds no strategic value."
"Ugh, enough with the dork talk," Gallus grumbled. "Any idea why ponies built this place?"
Ocellus stared at him oddly. "Uh, Gallus, I would imagine you'd recognize a griffon fort."
"That's weird, like you said, there's no point for a fort to be here, so I doubt griffons would be the ones behind this fort. Besides, Lord Ember said that dragon's occupied this place, so I'm sure they built it."
"Well, there's plenty of evidence that it was indeed the griffons, such as the roost on top of the tower, and the perches that were made for your talons. And the layout of this fort, despite the coincidence, reminds me of Fort Redwind, do you remember it?"
Gallus took a second to recall a memory. "Right, it's the one north of Griffonstone, it was the biggest fort we had before it was abandoned. Now that you said it..."
Now that it was pointed out, Gallus realized why everything looked familiar, in the past, he had been to Fort Redwind. And just like Wicked Nest, there were weapons littered everywhere, but it had armor sets as well. It was as if the soldiers of Fort Redwind had given up defending the fort and tossed their equipment away. Here the weapons were neatly placed, which the detail only sent a shiver down his spine.
"Leave...."
A ghastly voice echoed through the ruins.
Ember and Starlight immediately called out to the students. Fearful of the strange voice, they all gathered together as quickly as possible, except for Gallus and Ocellus.
Before the two could even take a step, the massive door flew off its hinges as a dragon gray as ash lumbered out of the tower. "You dare step into our domain!" He bellowed with the door stuck to his arm like a shield. "Interlopers shall be punished!"
Starlight was quick, her telekinesis pulled the rest of her students to her before the dragon could even harm them.
The dragon wore armor made of weapons that were melted together to form a piece for each vital part of his body, his helmet covered his face, a banner with a symbol they'd never seen before acted as his cloak. But something caught Gallus' eye; on this dragon's belt was a purple ring of sorts, too large for anyone to actually wear, but perhaps not to a dragon.
"This is just a misunderstanding!" Starlight said. "We thought the fort was empty and believed that it held no residence!"
"Deception!" The dragon slammed his shield onto the ground, the earth shook and nearly threw the smaller beings down. "I smell the stench of insanity! Bandits, you've returned once more acting as innocents to lure me into your trap! Foolish, I will not fall for such!"
Ember took a step forward, and with a prideful stance, she stared down the larger dragon and spoke with great courage. "I am Dragon Lord Ember, and we are not bandits, I order you to stand down!"
The old warrior paused for a minute, but then snarled at Ember. "It appears that you are not my enemy, for they would not claim to be Lord of the dragons, for they are too stupid! Even so, I only answer to the golden crown! I will spare you, so leave!"
"Y-you what!?" Ember was taken by surprise, she had expected that her name would calm the dragon, but instead, he outright told her that she had no power over him. "Now hear me, as your leader, I demand answers from you!"
"I said leave, if the stench is not coming from any of you, then it only means that they have not arrived!"
"Does he mean the bandits?" Sandbar questioned. "If so, why are the bandits after him?"
"Listen here, you are on my land, and I will go anywhere I please!" Ember said as she took a defiant step forward to show the dragon that she means business. "Now you explain yourself, or else I will do something I will not regret!"
The dragon laughed, his thundering voice alone could shatter glass if there were any. "I am Sir Ashborn of the Trinity of Equestria! This fort, ten meters away from it, is owned by Princess Celestia, as agreed by both Dragon Lord Smaug and King Grover!"
This new information was not received so simply, the students, Starlight, and Ember were all taken by surprise. None expected such a turn of events, to learn that this fort itself had such a history, something they have not heard of before.
"When was this decided?" Starlight couldn't help but ask.
Ashborn said nothing, his eyes focused on the horizon in the west. But he had heard the pony, and simply wanted more to stare at the distance. "I am not in place to explain, but know this, the beast cannot live, or else a new age of darkness befalls our homes."
He turned towards the younger creatures, his bones ached, and his mind was not clear.
"Excuse me..." Smolder stopped forward next to Ember. "Are you, the Wing Eater?"
It was a question that she had in mind ever since Ashborn made himself known.
Ashborn scoffed. "I am nothing like that beast!" He brought down his fist against the dirt in front of the smaller dragons. "Leave!"
"We actually should," Starlight told Ember. "I don't think we are welcome here."
"He can't do that, he's just making stuff up! I mean, did you know that there's a Trinity of Equestria?"
Starlight held a hoof to block Ember from going any further. "Well no, but we might end up in a fight if this goes on, and we have students here. We should really go back anyway, Sunburst and Garble could be waiting for us in the station with the others."
Before anyone else could say a word, they all heard some kind of roar in the air, and in the distance, the same direction Ashborn was so focused on, came several metal beasts.
"Curses," Ashborn unfurled his wings. "they've returned so soon, I do not have time to fight or the strength!"
"Wait, who are those?" Ember demanded to know for she was witnessing an illegal entry into her land.
"Bandits who desire what I hold, and I cannot let them have it!"
Without any explanation, the dragon flew into the sky to escape the bandits that approached. Out of instinct, Starlight brought up a magical dome for protection. Several of these metal beasts avoided them, one bounced against the dome when it did not see them in time, which resulted in a horrible accident.
"Ugh, what the heck was that!?" From the wreckage, a large black dragon crawled out. He wore a strange attire, a metal mask hid his face but they all could see the crimson red eyes filled with fury. In his hand was an anchor, something that really was out of place. The dragon was pointy too, he was covered with so much metal. "Did you idiots just drive into some kind of pink bubble!?"
"I'm sorry Captain Flynt," Another creature appeared. "I have the worst kind of color-blind, everything just looks gray to me!"
"Why in the hell are you even driving!?" Flynt screamed at the driver. "Someone call us a ride! We can't lose that damn artifact!"
"Who are you?" Silverstream caught the attention of the two bandits, to which her friends glared at her for doing so.
Flynt raised his anchor at them. "Huh, who the heck are you!?"
Ember stepped up. "I am Dragon Lord Ember, and as your leader, I demand answers from you!"
"Dragon Lord!? Uh, never heard of you..." He said. "Whatever! Baron is gonna have my ass if we can't get one measly dragon! And that stinking- artifact?"
They noticed him freeze like a statue as he stared into the bubble, their gaze landed where his focus was and found a purple ring in the center.
"You idiots, call back the others, the damn Vault artifact is here!"
It appears that the ring which had fallen off Ashborn's belt was important.
"Now, drop the damn dome and give up that ring!"
Seeing that they were being threatened, Starlight wanted nothing more than to pummel this Captain Flynt, Ember felt the same, to her, he was challenging her as a dragon. He didn't even wait for an answer, his anchor bounced off the dome several times. And as if they sensed it, a couple of these metal beasts came back from their chase and unloaded several more bandits into the scene.
"What are you doing!? There is no need to get violent!" Starlight said.
"Light them up boys and girls, get that damn MacGuffin!"
"Does no one listen to me anymore!?" Ember huffed, her fists clenched and were aching for a fight. "Drop the dome Starlight, I'll show these guys who's boss!"
Before Starlight could even argue with Ember, the bandits around them harnessed the power of thunder in their claws, talons, and hooves. The dome was put to the test. Already the weapons managed to put a crack on Starlight's dome. These bandits threatened their lives, and one wrong move could spell disaster for them.
Being the responsible and only choice in their situation, Starlight lit up her horn and teleported everyone out of danger.
"What was that!?" Smolder gasped as everyone popped into existence, now closer to the train station.
"Those guys were seriously trying to hurt us, for that ring..." Sandbar said.
Ocellus picked up said object with a curious eye. She inspected it closely, it glowed deeply in purple even if her aura was wrapped around it. Something ominous about it, yet she could not bring an answer.
Ember huffed with clear frustration. "Whatever, you all should go back to your school, I need to send a letter to Spike about this bandit problem."
Just as she said that, they rounded around the corner and came to a terrifying scene. There was a train, but it was not what they expected. It looked and was designed as if it was from an apocalyptic setting. And worse of all, bandits were everywhere. Yona was unlucky enough to shatter a small discarded crystal under her hoof. A moment after, every masked bandit in the train station turned towards them.
Worse of all, the ring started to quake in Ocellus' magic. Something angered it, and now trouble was about to start.
Caught in the middle of a hidden war, they unraveled a secret that was meant to be buried, the young six were unsure what to do.
Author's Note
This is a rewrite of The Pain Goes HERE , it was honestly a great idea in my opinion. Anyways, enjoy.
"This can't be happening!"
Silverstream cowered behind cover along with everyone else. A hail of death flew over their heads. Their cover, a random boulder that was thankfully nearby, suffered the brunt end of the wrath of their attackers. Second by second, the bandits slowly dug into the boulder with their weapons.
And still, the ring Ocellus held was acting violently. She did her best to hold it in place, it was like it had a mind of its own.
"This is great, I was expecting a boring trip, not weird bandits attacking us for no reason!" Gallus complained.
"Yona wanted to crush rocks not hide behind big rock!"
"Okay, everyone shut up!" Starlight scowled as she massaged her temples. "I need to think for a second, and teleporting you guys somewhere safe is top priority! Then I'll deal with these guys!"
Ember growled. "I can't believe that they dared to even invade my land! Bandits or not, whoever chooses to just attack like this is sure to feel my wrath!"
"There's too many of them, and they have a train!"
Suddenly, the attack halted, and silence befell upon them. Silverstream grew enough courage to peek over the boulder to see the reason why. And her friend could see the colors drain from her.
"Uh guys, they have a cannon pointed at us!"
The others soon looked around the boulder to confirm, and not only were bandits slowly inching towards them but there was indeed a cannon ready to obliterate their cover.
"Oh, this is not good..." Starlight muttered.
She wanted to teleport everyone out, but a bandit had managed to sneak up on them, they all called out to Ocellus as the Psycho pulled her away. "Canned soup for the soul!"
"Hey, let her go!" Gallus made an attempt, but the Psycho pulled his weapon out and pressed it against Ocellus.
"Don't move!" A Marauder had also closed in on them and trained his weapon Starlight. "Give us the artifact and you'll get hurt less!"
"No you idiot, we offer them safety, then kill them once we get the stuff!" Another said.
"Oh, right..."
"Don't try anything funny, magic pony! Or else we put a cap on one of them!"
Starlight cursed under her breath, they were surrounded. The bandits waited for her to make a move, so they could have an excuse to just get rid of her. Under this pressure, Ember felt powerless, she hated that feeling. Outnumbered, and unarmed. If only she had her dragons, if only there was a way to call them for support against these invaders.
Smolder, she felt fury, her friends were threatened and like her leader she was helpless. Gallus worried for the others, the bandits were not playing any games, any wrong move could end in a tragedy. They all tried individually to think up a solution to their problem, Gallus and Smolder wanted to save Ocellus from the Psycho, but knew that they had no power to do so.
Ocellus was too deep in her fears to even move, she felt the Psycho breath down her neck as it stared at the ring that hovered above them. The lenses of his mask turned from blue to purple mysteriously. Heck, for every Psycho that grew closer to them, their eyes changed as well. As if they were connected somehow.
"Hey, don't you dare!" The Marauder scolded a Psycho who was trying to snatch the ring. "You know what happens if you touch that, it eats you!"
"Right, we need a unicorn to hold that thing..." His friend said as he looked around for someone to help them.
*Don't be scared...* Ocellus gasped lightly as a calm soothing voice spoke. *Don't be scared...*
She knew not where that voice came from but wished that whoever it was they could help her and everyone from this pinch they're in.
Suddenly, the boulder blew up, everyone near it was tossed to the ground by the explosion. "Damn it, who ordered the cannon to fire!?" They demanded to know.
Due to losing balance, the Psycho and Ocellus separated as they crashed into the dirt. But the ring fell out of her hold. Everyone that was a bandit panicked, they watched as the ring bounced on the ground once, then it froze in the air. Their attention focused on the ring that hovered above the ground. Even Starlight was shocked to see the event unfolding in front of her.
None said a word, a deathly silence filled the air. Only the ring itself hummed an ominous tone.
"Shiny..." A Psycho was mesmerized by the artifact, he slowly moved forward to it along with a few others, their eyes sharing the same shade of purple.
"No, you idiot, don't!" A bandit tried to stop one of the Psycho, but was unable to do so.
*Don't be afraid...*
Ocellus stared as she realized where the voice was coming from, it was the ring, it spoke to her. Or... did it? She felt it more that the voice did not even see her, it spoke to someone else. She turned to her friends and wondered if they could hear the voice, but it would seem that they were caught up with the odd anomaly to even confirm.
Then the screaming started, every Psycho that was too close to the ring screamed like they were in pain. Their hands wrapped around their heads as the glow in their eyes intensified.
*Wake up...*
Those who were suffering screamed even louder as energy started to flow out of their face. Through their eyes, the mouth of their masks, it was a fear-inducing sight. Everyone was too stunned or curious to do something, if anything, they were scared.
And finally, it happened, the ring only siphoned so much from the Psychos but allowed them to live with a sliver of their energy. It glowed even brighter, the bandits started to back away as the artifact positioned itself horizontally, then the unthinkable happened. A purple silhouette formed itself from head to toe. A shape of a large dragon, taller than Celestia. Details started to show themselves, a mask similar to those Psychos. He flexed his claws as if he had just regained control after so long.
A dragon who had an awful resemblance to Smolder stood under the ring, and from their perspective, it looked more like a halo. He had a few bits of metal all around him that acted as armor, around the lower part of his legs were a cloth that covered them. While his right arm was wrapped in bandages. His horns were like a bull's, pointed forward ready to skewer his foes. He was a bandit by the looks of it, and though this is something new to Starlight and the others they knew quickly that they cannot trust him so easily.
Then his eye snapped open, his one single eye which glared with a deep scowl. His hunched figure eyed every single one of them, his body quaked as if he was diseased.
"Oh no..." The Marauder muttered aloud, he looked as if he'd seen a ghost. He then made the right choice and bolted for his life.
The dragon saw this, he did not like that one bit, and he even expressed himself by going after the bandit. The Marauder glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the Psycho dragon upon him. He could not scream as his head was crushed between the ground and the palm of the beast.
Silverstream screamed, everyone was aghast by the violent display. Ocellus, for the first time, felt no fear. She remembered the voice from before and remained calm, unlike her peers. Perhaps this was who the voice spoke to, the dragon who looked like the bandits around the train station. She also noted that the ring stayed above his head, a detail she would surely remember.
He rose back to his feet and stared at his bloody palm, a low deep chuckle escaped him. *Krieg... calm down...*
"Krieg?" Ocellus muttered, this went unnoticed by the others, even a bandit nearby heard her utter the dragon's name.
"Krieg!? Oh no, everybody run!" He told them as he let loose all of his ammunition at Krieg.
The Psycho turned towards his attacker, and Ocellus could tell that he wore a manic smile under his mask.
"Salt... good GOD where's my salt!?"
Those were his first words before everything went downhill for the bandits. Weapons that were aimed at Starlight and her group before were now focused on the large dragon with a halo. For the first time in their lives, they've seen blood spilled and souls taken from the living realm. Krieg had produced a weapon designed from scrap, the circular saw blade spun to life eager to take lives. They were frozen deeply in terror, a maniac started to massacre the bandits with a ferocious thirst for the red juice.
Quickly, Starlight gathered her students and Ember and pulled them towards safety. Ocellus could not rip her eyes away from the spectacle. The way Krieg moved with a wild step, it was like watching an animal that hunted for sport. A sadistic form of art.
Then she remembered how Ashborn, the dragon from before, had shown distaste for Smolder's mistake of believing that he was the Wing Eater, or the inspiration of. He mentioned a beast that must stay dead or a new age of darkness threatens the balance. Could it be that the beast and the Wing Eater are just one and the same? Why did they not write this down in history?
So many questions filled Ocellus' brain.
Once far enough, Starlight stopped everyone into a crater where they were safe. Bullets could not harm them there, and the bandits could not harm them as long as they were distracted. Ocellus turned to meet her eyes, Ocellus saw how empty they were, Starlight's pupils were as small as pinpricks. Everyone tried not to listen to the screams of the bandits, but they could not hide their emotions. Silverstream and Sandbar nearly cried, Gallus was like a ghost, Yona was sickened by such violence. Smolder stayed strong and simply wanted for it all to end.
Ember, on the other hand, was confused. She was the only one brave enough to join Ocellus and watch the violence that Krieg brought upon the bandits.
"Who is he?" Ember muttered.
"He's... the Wing Eater..." Ocellus said.
"But, he was just a story, I'm sure of it!" Smolder argued. "T-this guy is... I don't know!"
Ocellus decided to make her own answer with all the information she had. After a few seconds of thinking, she finally came up with a possible story. One that she hoped was far from the truth.
"Guys... I think he's the reason why dragons have a boogeyman, maybe Princess Celestia and the leaders of dragons and griffons united to fight against him, but that does not explain why there was a fort in the Dragon Lands. Unless it was meant to lure him here... Away from any major cities and settlements."
"But..." Ember was doubtful. "If he was entrapped here, then why haven't any of us heard of him?"
"To hide him," Starlight deduced. "He's... He was meant to be hidden somewhere no one would even dare to look, and the dragons that you said who lived in the Wicked Nest, were guarding that ring... or halo by the looks of it."
"The stench of madness... Are the bandits related to him somehow, other than appearance?" Silverstream wondered.
"Uh, everything went quiet." Sandbar pointed out the lack of explosions. They could hear the train leave the station and the screaming stopped.
When Ember tried to look over the edge, she found a fist wrapped around her throat. She struggled in Krieg's hold as he lifted her to his eye. "Meat..." He hummed loudly as he eyed her hungrily.
Ember clawed and punched at the limb, but her attempts were like a small child playfully attacking their father. "I am... Lord Ember! I order you... to release me!"
"Crack the ribcage to get the goodies!" He laughed as his other hand pressed against Ember's chest.
Starlight zapped him with a spell, which only received a powerful glare from Krieg. He released Ember and snatched Starlight away; she could not even fight back or cast any magic as his other hand wrapped itself around her horn. The students quickly went for the rescue seeing as this was just one dragon, all but Ocellus who stared at Krieg with a curious glint in her eyes.
While her friends struggled to separate Krieg and Starlight, there was another conflict, one that Ocellus alone could witness.
*Let her go!* The voice shouted. *She isn't a bandit!*
"Self-harm, a beautiful display of guts and feces!" What the others might see as inane blabbering, Ocellus saw an argument. It appears that the Psycho before her communicated with random blabbers. "Bloody bombers!"
Ember made the worst mistake of her day, she set Krieg ablaze which prevented the others from helping. "H-how!?" Ember exclaimed with a short stutter.
Starlight only panicked more as the fire grew too hot for her, she could not speak as this giant held her throat tightly.
*It was an act of self-defense, you attacked them, they are innocent!*
"The broken gavel is married to your eyeball!"
*And those appear to be children, you're possibly attacking an adult who is in charge of them. Let her go or else I'll-*
"Who are you two?" Ocellus finally spoke, she earned the attention of every soul around her. "Are there... two of you?"
Her friends stared at her confused, but then all staggered back as Krieg released Starlight from his grip. Krieg strode over to Ocellus, the others were about to save their friend but they saw a different scene from before, Krieg gently wrapped his claws around Ocellus and raised her to his face.
"The caved skull spits!?"
"Uh, yes... I can hear you..."
This made Krieg happy, but confused the others even more. "Fart taste, eat the glue!" The fire around him died down.
"I don't understand him..." Ocellus said truthfully. "Just you, I um... Could you not hurt my friends?"
Krieg glanced over his shoulder to look at the others, they were petrified under his gaze, and the two dragons felt a burning hatred directed at them both. The Psycho faced Ocellus once more. "Out of the cage, into my pooper!?"
"W-what?"
*He's asking if those two dragons really are your friends.*
"Oh, well yes, so could you not attack them?"
Krieg sighed audibly and groaned after. "Wandering blood donor?"
"Gallus?"
Upon being mentioned, Gallus swallowed a lump in his throat as Krieg turned to glare at him.
"Yes, Gallus is my friend. Why do you ask these questions?"
*I... don't know why he... I can't remember anything... But the Vault entrance... Does... Krieg knows?*
Ocellus hummed softly. "Hey Krieg, do you know?"
"Free for all, big ball!" He screamed loudly. "Flamebuckets, Seven Spices! Pointies! Bloody Krieg!"
*A war... Between the dragons, griffons, and ponies... But, how come I can't remember?*
Everyone was taken aback when Ocellus repeated the voice's words. The truth that Krieg was part of the war between griffons and ponies was a surprise, but they mentioned the dragons which was a shocking reveal.
"Hold on now," Ember took a step forward, but retreated back when Krieg's eye met hers. "Uh... Right, well, the dragons don't exactly go to war, we aren't as organized as other countries."
"No!"
All eyes looked towards the sky, Krieg gently placed Ocellus back on the ground so he could grab his buzz axe. "Ketchup, back to the slaughter!"
Above them all, a distraught Ashborn hovered, his eyes threatened to release a flood of tears. "Years, I have been keeping you beneath the earth, only for my own mistake to forever haunt me! How could I allow this!?"
"Spine sings for me!" Krieg laughed. "Thirsty for thee!"
"Revenge?" Ocellus muttered, the others heard her. But they and the voice were all confused. It appears that the voice knew not the truth, only the Psycho that ruled his body.
"You may have brought madness to my brethren, but I still live! Your days are numbered Krieg, for I will amass an army to bury you once more!" Ashborn said as he glared at Krieg with an undying hatred. "You have doomed our home, the sun shall fall, the moon devoured, and the blight shall corrupt the Dragon Lands! But I will not surrender so, beware, Krieg, I shall return!"
With that, the old dragon flew away, Krieg cried out and cursed at Ashborn, he threw a stick of dynamite at the dragon in the sky but he was too far to reach. So with nothing else to do, Krieg cursed at the heavens and promised an unending pain upon those who crossed his path.
"That's ominous..." Gallus commented.
"Winner winner!" Krieg nearly slammed his fist into Gallus' face but he was lucky that Starlight was there. Krieg's fist froze just a few inches away from Gallus' beak.
"Did you just try to hit me!?"
"Rat king drank the bone marrow!"
"I think... He wants to eat you." Smolder guessed, and boy was she right.
"Alright, I am not dealing with this!"
"Deal with what?"
All turned toward the new addition in the group, Sunburst, he stood there confused just like everyone else. He even questioned who Krieg was and why he was there. Starlight sighed as she realized that the rest of the class had finally returned from their field trip with Garble.
Before any of them could answer, a scream was heard from where the massacre took place, everyone remembered the horrors that were caused by Krieg. Though they accepted that he saved them, he still had tried to attack Ember and Starlight. But this was just the beginning. For their adventure on Equestria had yet to end with this bloody mess. Unbeknownst to them, they had opened Pandora's box and released its contents upon Equus.
Author's Note
Alright, here's the reboot. I've made a blog about the idea and now had executed it. So another adventure awaits and perhaps I could finally get that same drive I had from when I started the first one.
Like my rwby crossover fic, I am giving this one a new look.
Plan is different, but the plot is the same. Macguffin, young 6, secret history.
Also, I was playing around with that ai art app thing on my phone and decided that I should make one for this story. And it turned out fine and recognizable. I was aiming for turmoil and madness within, haha.
I hope that you all stay for the story.
The whole station was eerily quiet, Ember had called for a few dragons to clean up the mess that Krieg had left. The Psycho himself helped despite the protests of others. Sunburst and Starlight conversed with each other far from any unwanted ears, while the class they've brought to the Dragon Lands were placed somewhere they would not see the carnage that resulted, except for Ocellus and her friends.
They- along with Garble- instead stayed around to watch Krieg, not out of curiosity, but worry. They feared that he would suddenly go on and wreak havoc upon everyone. But luckily, he seemed to be well behaved today. That, and the fact that the voice, or Sane Krieg, had promised to keep Psycho Krieg in check. Ocellus learned a lot in the past few minutes since Sane Krieg didn't have to work with the body.
They tried to find a solution for the voice to communicate with the others, but none could discover how Ocellus even received the ability. Though the halo was given to them by Krieg, that itself did not help one bit.
"No, don't eat it!"
They watched as Krieg attempted to devour a corpse, but was immediately scolded by Ember. The Dragon Lord even swatted him with a broom, to which Krieg had eaten after.
"Gah, you idiotic..." With a huff, Ember stormed off somewhere far from Krieg. "Can you believe this guy!? Honestly, do dragons not obey me anymore!?"
"We obey," Garble said meekly.
"Right, but for some reason, I had met dragons that don't. Not even the bandit ones follow my orders, and they should've helped me in my time of need!" She sighed deeply. "Okay then, new plan."
Everyone stared at her strangely as she paced in front of them. A serious and stern look on her face, as if she had a mission or something to prove.
"So you've noticed how this Krieg guy managed to fight off those bandits, right?"
Gallus rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Can't really call it that, more like... a one-sided massacre."
Silverstream shivered. "I... Should we call the authorities?"
"No!" The students and Garble were shocked by Ember's sudden outburst. Heck, even the other dragons stopped what they were doing, Krieg on the other hand, took the chance to steal a few corpses to snack on. "Ahem, this event occurred on Dragon Lands territory, so it is my responsibility to judge Krieg for his... crimes. But after thinking about it long and hard, I am to call his actions merely self-defense. Plus, the part where he tried to kill us was all a misunderstanding."
"But... I mean," Smolder stuttered a bit, she was unsure how to take Ember's decision. But none could understand her reason to forgive Krieg for his actions.
"And..." It appeared that Ember was not done yet, she had something else in mind. Which scared the young creatures. "Recently there has been a bandit attack so close to an important place such as the train station, and I... You know what? I'm just gonna say it, I'm keeping Krieg."
"What!?" Smolder snapped at Ember. "Do you have any idea what that lunatic could do!? You've seen it!"
"If my sister doesn't like him, then I feel the same, Ember. From the looks of it, he's not the kind we should keep around." Garble said. "I like breaking stuff as much as the next guy, but not to this level."
"No, he's staying," Ember said defiantly. "Whether any of you like it or not, he can be a great help against bandits, and whatever threat comes to Equestria. Do any of you remember that time those three villains nearly plunged the world in eternal winter? See, we defeated them because we all united, but, if we had Krieg back then, maybe it would've ended differently."
"One of those villains was a child!" Sandbar gasped.
"Yes, and Krieg didn't hurt any of you, did he? He's still smart enough to know what's right or wrong! So I'm sure after some training we can make Krieg into a model dragon!"
Starlight and Sunburst entered the conversation after Ember finished her sentence. "Alright everyone, the train is gonna arrive soon, and once we get Krieg back to Ponyville, Sunburst and I are gonna go through the library for some answers."
Sunburst nodded. "Yes, in all my years I haven't heard of a Unity of Equestria, but if what Starlight had theorized is true, then I think we've uncovered something that Celestia herself wanted hidden."
"If we can't find the answer in Ponyville, then we'd have to request Twilight's help with this..." Starlight said it was obvious that she was stressed out of her mind. Who wouldn't be? It was possible that some kind of dark prophecy had been released upon Equestria and they are partially at fault.
"Bad news, Headmare Starlight, Ember wants to keep Krieg." Sandbar informed Starlight of the decision that was made without her knowledge.
"You what!?" Starlight nearly cast a spell on Ember for deciding with such little thought. "This is a problem, and we need answers. That means we keep Krieg out of trouble, so he'll have to follow us to Ponyville!"
Ember scoffed. "You ponies don't have any power to argue, I had decided to keep Krieg here, and to make sure that you won't take him away, he's going to be my champion!"
Starlight groaned as the stress built itself up in her head. They nearly died, and now Ember was acting like a child who did not understand that Krieg was a murderous psychopath that must be under watch no matter where. Or else tragedy befalls them.
"Ember, I'll give you one last chance to reconsider, before I paralyze you and take Krieg away."
"You've seen what he's capable of," Ember sneered. "those weapons the bandits used could destroy anything in their path, but he just stood there like they were nothing! Hey, Krieg!"
Krieg stopped his feasting, he turned towards the group and wondered what they needed from him. Seeing that there was nothing to do, Krieg rushed over to them with a joyful skip in his step. He was eager to learn what they desire, he hoped that it was related to skull bashing.
"Two in the chamber, pipes filled with gallons of pudding! Turn the valve and let me burn!"
Ember quickly turned to Ocellus for a translation. "Oh, he's asking if you have something for him to do. Then Sane Krieg said that Krieg wants to eat your face..." She said the last sentence in a hushed tone, in fear of scaring Ember.
*I don't understand him sometimes, but he wants to shove everything in his mouth...*
Ember shrugged her shoulders, unfazed by the translation. "Well Krieg, I just need you to stand still there and- ha!"
From the ground, Ember kicked up one of the guns that littered around them and caught it in her claws which she then pointed at Krieg, the others could not stop her as she pulled the trigger.
Krieg just stood there as bullets slammed into his scales, he was deathly silent as Ember continued her barrage of lead. When her gun was dry, only then did Ember cease. She leaned the weapon on her shoulder and turned towards Starlight with a prideful smirk. But what she did not account for was how Krieg saw her action.
A shadow loomed over the shorter dragon, she glanced over her back to see Krieg behind her. Though she feared for a moment that she made a mistake, Krieg just stood there, his eye blank and soulless.
"Say... big guy," Ember chuckled awkwardly as she stepped away, the weapon fell out of her hands as she did so. She knew it was a terrible idea to antagonize him like that, but it was not her plan to do so. "I was just testing you, you sure are durable. Listen, I have an offer I know you can't refuse. For some reason, as you've already seen around, there is an increase in bandit activity. So I am offering you a chance to be my champion and represent the Dragon Lands!"
There was a short moment of silence, Starlight wore a frown as she waited for Krieg's answer. She had wanted to stop Ember earlier, but out of curiosity, she wanted to see how Krieg would react. He was an anomaly, one that came from an artifact of unknown origins. Krieg also shared some similarities with the bandits, they reacted with fear upon learning his name.
But just in case, Starlight was ready if Krieg would act violently towards Ember.
Ember coughed into her fist. "There are plenty of perks, you get to see my hoard, you'll get the best gems in the land. And we have plenty of monsters to fight."
"Sharpen my fists on their femur!" He said joyfully, though many could not understand his words, his actions spoke louder. Ember felt the earth beneath her feet leave her as Krieg pulled Ember over his head. Ember found herself on a walking throne made of flesh and madness, one that would not cease his running. "I'll be the fuse, you be the whiskey!"
"What the, l-let me down!"
*He accepts, as long as he isn't bored.*
Ocellus quickly told them of Krieg's decision which Starlight couldn't believe. "I know you've made your decision, but you have no right to keep him here, we need to transfer Krieg somewhere he can't hurt anyone."
"Starlight, we've been friends for a while now, I'm sure you can trust me." Ember wore a reassuring smile.
"Sunburst, back me up on this, she can't just keep a warrior from the past as some kind of pet."
"I mean..." Sunburst took a sharp breath.
Starlight stared disappointedly. "You can't be thinking of leaving that bandit!"
"From the result of the fight, I am to believe that Krieg is a destructive monster, Starlight. If we bring him somewhere populated with innocent ponies, I'm afraid we would only bring trouble back home. We need to keep him here where there's a much lower chance of casualties. And I'm not sure we can even argue with Lord Ember..." Sunburst reasoned.
"Even so, letting him loose out here is irresponsible, I mean, sure I can trust you Ember. But I can't in good conscience just leave him with you, knowing what he's capable of."
"How about you leave Smolder and her friends here until you find your answers?" Ember suggested as she sat comfortably on Krieg's shoulders.
"That is even worse!" She replied so fast that her voice cracked for a moment. Starlight cleared her throat as her cheeks turned red, embarrassed for allowing herself to stumble in her words. "These are just kids, sure they're old enough, but as their Headmare, I can't just leave them with that monster."
"Well..." All eyes looked towards Ocellus who shuffled awkwardly under their gaze. "I am the only one who could understand him, with Sane Krieg I mean, so I think it would be a smart move if I am to stay by his side..."
Gallus huffed. "Ocellus, as your friends, we can't just leave you here."
"I know, Smolder can stay and help out."
Sandbar shook his head. "If two of my friends are in danger, I can't just sit around back in Ponyville, so if you're staying then I will too."
"Yona wishes to protect friends if bad bandits return!" Their yak friend was not easily dissuaded by the past.
Gallus rolled his eyes at them, then turned towards Starlight. "Guess that makes five of us, and of course I can't just leave them on their own. Sorry, Headmare Starlight."
Starlight only sighed at Gallus before she looked over to Silverstream. "And you, are you also staying? It's alright if you wish to come back with Sunburst and me to Ponyville."
Silverstream turned away from her friends, it was clear that she did not like the idea one bit. She whispered something they could not hear as if she was undecided and unsure of her answer. "I..." Her eyes returned to them, but they could tell that she was focused on Krieg. "I don't like him, he's just as bad as those bandits that tried to hurt us..."
*Ocellus, tell her that there is no need to be afraid. And tell her everything I'm about to say...*
Ocellus smiled at her friend. "Silverstream, the voice in Krieg's head tells me that there's no need to be afraid, he promises that if Krieg ever crosses the line, then he'll protect us. Even now, he promises that Krieg will not let any bandit harm anyone that doesn't deserve it."
"Does he...?" There was a silent moment, Ocellus nodded her head at Silverstream. "I... I'm staying..."
"If that is your decision." Starlight concluded. "Very well, but if anything happens, just call Derpy to send us a letter and we'll be with you in just a blink."
"Alright!" Garble laughed. "It's been forever since you and I hung out, sis'!"
"I'm just as excited as you are Gar Gar!" Smolder smiled, but then it turned into a frown. "Though we gotta keep Krieg around, so he won't do anything dangerous towards other dragons."
"Right," Starlight sighed. "I don't like how he looks at everyone, especially your kind Ember. It's like he is plotting something."
Ember snickered as she relaxed on Krieg's head. "Don't worry, he and I are already buddies! I mean, only friends allow each other to ride their shoulders, right? We are friends now, right Krieg?"
"Gecko stewed in my lungs!"
*Huh, you warmed up quick.*
"See, he likes me already! Spike's friendship lessons really paid off." Ember said with pride, she was happy to hear that she found friendship with Krieg despite the lack of effort.
*Krieg... I still need answers...* Ocellus perked up upon hearing Sane Krieg speak to Krieg. She wondered what it was that the voice sought. *I can't remember much... And I'm not sure if it's thanks to us being together for too long... But I'm sure we aren't even a dragon, and this isn't Pandora. We, what were we? Their names... What were their names? I can't... remember anything after the vault opened...*
Krieg allowed Ember off his shoulders before turning towards the horizon, Ocellus listened intently for any information that could bring light to Krieg's mysterious past.
"Maya..." Krieg muttered.
*Maya? That's right... she saved us, even gave us a chance... She was the siren we met at that train station. Just like how we met these people here, I wonder... Why is my memory fading?*
Krieg left no answer, instead, he started to blather nonsense at everyone. Though it was a terrible idea, Ocellus and her friends decided to stay in the Dragon Lands to keep an eye on Krieg and make sure he would not harm Ember.
Starlight could only hope that they made the right choice, but deep down, she doubted their plan, an army was chased away by one single dragon whose power could not be compared with anyone. Perhaps she had a better chance against Krieg, but she doesn't know how to beat the Psycho.
If she was quick, then they might find an answer. They'll need a lot of help if they desire the truth. For now, Krieg shall be the champion of the Dragon Lands, and may he protect the weak from those that wish to harm the peace of this land.
