Striving for Adaptation

Oh, my God.

I didn't have much energy for other thoughts. The three of us had been walking along the lava river for hours. A few times I found the strength to ask for a rest. But Daniel and, surprisingly, Ahirata refused. It's really strange, considering that she's still breathing heavily.

By the way, we're not much different in that respect. Sighing heavily, I gathered my strength and looked up. The sun had already started to rise above the horizon. Yes, the walk was really long. And I really want to sleep. Oh.

"Seriously, can we stop for at least an hour? I feel like I'm going to fall right now." I complained, casting a weary glance at Ahirata and Daniel's backs.

"To make a useful rest stop, you need to find food. Do you see any food here? "What is it? "He asked rhetorically without even turning to me.

"Besides, I do not want to stay in the open. " Ahirata went on with a tired sigh. By the way, she didn't turn to me either.

If this goes on, I'm going to collapse from exhaustion. I have to think of something.

I took a deep breath and scanned the area, hoping to find at least one thing that would motivate them to stop. But all I could find were rocks and a river of lava. There aren't even any dragons in this land of dragons!

I sighed in disappointment and rubbed my eyes: "I just have one small question. Do we even have any water? "

I was greeted by the most frightening thing in this situation. Silence and the sound of footsteps. Seriously? Did we bring water? Unfortunately, Ahirata silently confirmed my fears: "I didn't think it through. "

"Catch it. " Daniel said dryly, and the next thing I knew, a steel flask flew right into my face. The next moment it hit my forehead before falling to the ground. It doesn't kill, but it hurts.

Leaning over the flask, I muttered irritably: "First of all, it hurts. And second, you could just hand it over!"

Oh, why am I even trying to talk to him? He doesn't even look. He's just walking forward.

With a snort, I opened the bottle and took a quick sip. The most delicious water of my life. Maybe because it gets hotter by the hour in this stone desert. But even better, the water gave me the energy to remember something.

The torch. That's the name of the current Dragon Lord, judging by the fact that Twilight is still a unicorn. And Ember, the Dragonlord's daughter. What will she give me now? As an answer to my own question, I could only mumble slowly: "I don't know. . ."

And then I suddenly had an epiphany. The Dragon Lord has a staff with a crystal in it. Whoever has the staff is the most important. In the worst case, we can just steal it, make a quick order, and return it. Everything will be peaceful. Only because of my knowledge.

But how am I supposed to tell them? Ahirata will hardly believe that this world is an animated series, and even if he does, he will be shocked. Daniel thinks I'm crazy in general. But I'm going to try anyway.

After taking a quick sip of water from a flask and rubbing my eyes, I found the strength to pick up the pace. After overtaking Ahirata, I caught up with Daniel and said softly, handing him a flask: "Remember how I was talking about the anime and this world?

Daniel glanced at me briefly before grabbing the flask and asking without enthusiasm, "Yes, I remember. Would you like to try again to prove that this knowledge is real? "

Barely suppressing an exasperated groan, I slowly shook my head and replied: "Look, you said yourself that when a person says he can do something, you have to believe him. Or something like that. So give me a chance! "

In response, Daniel turned his head to me and just studied me. In response, I just looked at him as tiredly as I could, for a moment letting the desire to sleep show on the outside. At the end of this duel, Daniel chuckled briefly and said quietly, "Well, state your ideas."

"What are you talking about? Ahirata asked confusedly from behind.

Damn

"Nothing, we're not talking about anything!" I assured her, turning my body halfway around to meet her gaze. And to be honest, lying to the face of an absolutely unblinking dragon is very exhausting. But when she finally nodded slowly, I was able to exhale.

I looked back at Daniel, began to gesticulate uncertainly, and after a few moments found the strength to speak slowly: "I remember from the series that dragons have a staff with a red stone. If the dragon lord doesn't want to talk to us, we can, well, take his staff for a second, give the order for the lava lake and return the staff. "Unfortunately, he just stared at me for a few seconds before asking, "And what's to stop the Dragon Lord from just telling us to get lost and bring the stuff back? "

" I'll tell you! The owner of the staff will become the Dragon Lord. Everyone else will obey him. I replied irritably, barely keeping myself from raising my voice. I guess the lack of sleep has made me a little less restrained.

Daniel just blinked calmly for a few seconds before he said slowly, "If your plan doesn't work, consider that I'm taking back my trust in you on credit. Are you confident enough to risk that?"

You talk about your trust like it's the most valuable thing in the world.

Once again demonstrating the wonders of patience, I simply nodded at Daniel's question. In response, he briefly adjusted his glasses before standing up and saying loudly: "Okay, I think we need to rethink our plan."

"A rest stop?" I asked in surprise, but I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice. As soon as Daniel waved his hand in answer to my question, I immediately collapsed onto my back. It hurt a little, but under these conditions, even stones are the best bed.

"Just don't fall asleep." Daniel grinned and crouched down next to me.

"So. What exactly are we going to think about?" Ahirata asked slowly, hesitantly kneeling down and putting her hands on my lap.

I sat up slightly to start speaking, but Daniel beat me to it: "We need to think about what to do if the Dragon Lord refuses your request."

I swear, if Ahirata could have narrowed her eyes, she would have done so now. For she clenched her clawed paws into fists and said slowly but harshly: "Violence should be the last resort. Absolutely the last."

Daniel shook his head quickly and said calmly: "We have another idea. Steal the Dragonlord's staff or whatever it's called."

Ahirata seemed to calm down a bit, but asked with her head tilted to the side, "And what's the point?"

"As Arthur said, the owner of this staff becomes a Dragon Lord immediately. You take the staff, give the order to return the thing to its place." Daniel replied calmly.

Are you kidding me!? It had to be disguised somehow, I do not know!

While I was mentally expressing my disappointment, Ahirata turned to me and asked with curiosity in her voice, "Art, where did you get this information? I didn't think you'd been here long enough to find out."

Art? Probably not the worst variant of my name. Mentally shaking my head, I tried to think of a quick solution and finally said nervously, "Well, we had a party in the library. And in the end, when there were very few ponies left, I decided to read something. And I found a book about dragons! What a coincidence, can you imagine?"

Ahirata stared at me without moving and, as always, without blinking. Finally, she said with a merry laugh, "Ha, I've never liked books.

"We'll discuss that later," Daniel whispered in a voice that made me shiver. The discussion will clearly not be polite and pleasant.

Suddenly, Daniel cleared his throat loudly and said, "Now that you know about the staff, Ahirata, I can begin to explain my operation.

I'm already scared.

With lightning speed, Daniel pulled his sword from its sheath and twirled it slightly in his hand. How did that happen? I could only pull the sword out slightly with both hands, but he pulled it out completely! Ahem, anyway, Daniel scratched L D A and a on the stone floor. I'm afraid that little a is me.

After taking a short breath, he began to explain slowly, "Now, the idea is this. You, Ahirata, will negotiate with the Dragon Lord, since you look most like a dragon. Meanwhile, Arthur and I will hide somewhere nearby and try to see where the staff is. If the negotiations fail, I will quickly grab you and teleport you to the staff. It's that simple. "

I crossed my arms and asked a little indignantly, "Why is my only job in this regard to hide? Will you take me and let me take the staff? "

"Do you think the Dragon Lord might not be a dragon? " Daniel asked calmly, raising an eyebrow.

Um, I'm not sure. This detail was not mentioned in the series.

When I didn't answer, Daniel snapped his fingers and said with a grin, "That's right. We have to maximize the chances of success for this dubious plan. That's why you stay safe, I'll ambush, Ahirata will negotiate. Any other objections?"

Awkwardly rubbing her knees with her hands, Ahirata asked uncertainly, "Can't I negotiate? I'm not very good with words, you know. "

Seizing the opportunity, I raised my hand and said: "I can negotiate! To the best of my knowledge, I will definitely be able to speak respectfully and correctly to the Dragon Lord. "

To my surprise, Daniel laughed a little and asked: "You really want to take every available place in the adventure, don't you? "

"Yes! " I replied with an immediate nod.

Oh, I seem to be a little eccentric when I don't get much sleep.

Daniel held his grin for a few moments before he returned to a serious face and said, looking at his scribbles: "Well, I'm not going to redraw, so we're working on words. Arthur will negotiate, and Ahirata and I will lie in wait and look for the staff. If Arthur can't do it, and he can't. . ."

"Hey!" I interrupted indignantly with a frown.

Daniel rolled his eyes and continued unperturbed: "If Arthur suddenly collapses, I will teleport Ahirata to the staff, she will become a lord and order to do what she wants with the lake. It is advisable to return the staff to its rightful owner at the end, so as not to provoke a conflict and draw too much attention to yourself. "

"Fair enough. " Ahirata said quietly, nodding slightly.

"And just for fun, I'll call it Operation Breakthrough. " Daniel said calmly, as if this was standard procedure.

Well, it looks like everything is planned. Now I have to figure out what I'm going to say to the main dragon myself.

Before I could even begin to think, Daniel straightened up, put the sword back into its sheath and asked: "Ahirata, have you recovered enough to build some kind of tower? I would like to see everything from above."

"The Dragon Lord should be sitting on a huge rock," I said, getting up from the ground very reluctantly. By the way, I can't remember. Was that rock surrounded by lava in the show or not? What if it wasn't and we've been walking along the lava river for nothing?

Ahirata took a deep breath and said with a slight wave of her hand, "Take a step back, both of you.

Before I could process her words, Daniel tugged at my shoulder. Snorting, I took a few steps back on my own and shrugged off his hand with a movement of my shoulder. Fortunately, this time he decided not to cling to me with a death grip.

When we were a few steps away from Ahirata, she took another deep breath and a red aura appeared around her hands. With a quick movement, she placed them on the stone floor. And in the next moment, the earth began to tremble with increasing intensity.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Ahirata's feet began to rise into the sky, forming a kind of pillar. This is certainly unusual.

Yes, I am really surprised by every second use of magic. Probably because I can't do anything like that myself.

After a few seconds of watching the stone pillar rise into the sky, I finally decided to focus on a more important issue. What should I say to the Dragon Lord to convince him to turn the lava lake into a normal one? Maybe I should just talk to him very, very politely?

No, I don't think that will work. He'll probably just laugh at your request. Or even get angry because I want to take away the dragons' beloved lava. Maybe he will say something about the lake being cursed? No, that's complete nonsense. Hmm. . .

Unfortunately, my thoughts were interrupted when the stone pillar began to descend with an unpleasant screech. Soon, it shrank to about my height and Ahirata calmly jumped down. Then she turned to me and said with a tired sigh: "I saw a big rock and a dragon of almost the same size behind the hill. No lava at all.

Uh, yeah, it was awkward.

Daniel shook his head and asked calmly, "Over what hill exactly?"

Ahirata simply raised her hand and pointed to a small hill. If we had continued walking as we had started, it would have been directly to our right. Realizing this, I couldn't help but grit my teeth. I had really messed up with my idea.

Fortunately, Daniel only gave me a quick pat on the shoulder before telling me to hurry up: "Okay, let's go. I don't want to be boiled alive when the sun comes up."

"Yes." Ahirata confirmed, adjusting her wreath slightly before following him. I, on the other hand, just closed the line and started walking without saying a word. Though following Daniel is not very pleasant.

Like, I really have a feeling every second that he's going to take us all somewhere wrong. And anyway, what can you expect from a person who doesn't have YouTube on his phone!?

Shaking my head slightly, I just kept walking, trying to think of a plan. How can I convince the Dragon Lord to at least give up the lava lake? Ideally, he should also help us, but I think this is too high a bar. So we think. . .

Uh, offer the dragon lots and lots of crystals? If I remember the series correctly, they really like to eat crystals here. And I think if Ahirata's abilities are tied to rocks, she could dig up some pieces. So is that maybe a viable option? Oh, I still feel like I have to come up with something better.

Unfortunately, my thoughts were interrupted when we climbed the hill and I could see my destination. A dragon sat on a huge rock in the distance, periodically releasing clouds of black smoke. Probably asleep.

How am I supposed to wake up such a big thing?

Daniel put a hand on his hip and asked slowly, "Ahirata, we are doing all this because of your wishes. Tell me, do you still want to try to solve everything with words?"

She immediately replied in a firm tone, "Yes, I want to do everything right. "

Sighing nervously, I slowly walked forward and said, "Okay. Just don't leave me if he attacks me, okay? "

" Don't worry, Arthur. If he attacks you, I'll take a good chunk out of him. " Daniel replied before grabbing Ahirata's wrist and walking with her to the side, to the stone.

I do not want to see someone get hacked to pieces. . .

Taking deep breaths, I began to get closer and closer to the giant dragon. Along the way, my mind frantically gathered the available information and invented ideas. Lord Torch. Lava lake. Please drain it in exchange for many precious stones. And if it's not hard, fill it with water. Somehow.

In the end, I got as close to the dragon as I could. The fact is that the rock he was sleeping on and I were separated by a huge trench. From my position, I couldn't see a bridge across it. So we'll have to talk about this.

Stifling a yawn, I asked slowly, "Eh, Dragon Lord?"

There was no answer. Taking a deep breath, I said a little louder, "Lord Torch!"

Again, no reaction. Despite the tension, I took another deep breath and shouted at the top of my lungs, "TORCH, GET UP, WE NEED TO TALK!"

Unfortunately or fortunately, the dragon let out a loud groan and began to move.

There is no going back. Pull yourself together, Arthur, come on.

As I tried to regain my confidence, the dragon slowly rose. Finally, he stood up to his full, fantastically impressive height and looked around a bit. After a few tense moments, he lowered his snout and slowly asked in his deep voice: "What kind of dragon are you?

He's so big that he can't see me properly. Swallowing slightly, I replied in a raised tone, "Well, I didn't want to bother you too much, Lord Torch, but my friend has a request. Uh, payment for a huge amount of crystals is attached!"

He just stared at me with his orange eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he said irritably, gritting his teeth: "I won't even listen. I have more than enough crystals. It's insulting that you thought I was in need. "

"But. . ." I tried to object by raising my hand.

"Don't bother me anymore, little dragon. I still need to sleep. " The torch replied by lowering its face slightly, only to let out a puff of smoke. As soon as I started to cough, he moved away, but continued to look at me from above, as if he expected me to leave. The negotiations failed quickly. And I didn't have time to think of a backup option.

After all, I live.

As this thought flashed through my mind, I noticed that my hands were shaking. The rest of my body is also shaking, but not nearly as much as my hands. I don't think I can even move right now. So we can only hope that Ahirata and Daniel were able to see the staff.

When I found the strength to look up, I finally noticed a very tiny red dot on the head of the torch. This meant to me that it was only a crown. But after looking a little closer, I was able to see that the staff itself was there! It is very hard to see against the background of his red crown.

To my delight, there was a tiny blue flash on the head of the torch. Maybe you can't see it from this distance, but I know for sure they saw the staff too! However, the torch seemed to sense my happiness, for it asked irritably, "Are you leaving, annoying dragon?"

I opened my mouth slightly to reply, but was interrupted when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. When I looked up, I saw that it was Daniel, and Ahirata was standing next to him, holding the staff with both hands. Before I could smile, he said, wagging his finger, "No, no, the former Dragon Lord. You must do as she asks. "

Ahirata smiled very slightly and said slowly, "As the new Dragon Lord, I would like to drain a lava lake and fill it with water. "

Win!

Torch, the former Dragon Lord, stared at the three of us dazedly and blinked. Slowly but surely, his eyes narrowed and his claws balled into giant fists. He's obviously angry. He lost his title and there's nothing he can do about it!

Suddenly, he brought his snout as close as possible and said through clenched teeth: "You will return the staff immediately, apologize, and hand over every jewel you have. Otherwise, I'll kill you all. It was long and painful. "

" How can you talk like that to the new Dragon Lord? "I asked indignantly, not backing down. He's just freaking out. But I know how it works from the show.

In response, a bubbling sound came from Torch's mouth and he slowly said, "I see.

The next thing I saw was a big blue ball forming around me. And then the whole view was blocked by fire. He was just trying to burn us down!

B-But I remember everything correctly. The owner of the staff is the dragon Lord. I did everything right!

As the fire continued to beat ineffectually against our shelter, Daniel looked at me and said slowly, as if holding back his emotions: "So, Arthur, your knowledge has proven inadequate."

Immediately after his words, I heard the most unexpected sound. A sob. Then another. And more. Turning to the source, I saw Ahirata trembling, holding a staff in her hands and sobbing. Despite her lack of tears, it was clear that she was ill. Then she said between gasps: "I just wanted to do everything well. To be kind. W-why can't I do that? WHY!?"

I feel like such a bastard. My hand went to her almost instinctively to comfort her, but Daniel beat me to it. He put one hand on Ahirata's shoulder and said quickly, "Hey, hey. Please put this aside for later, for a more appropriate setting. Would you like me to call Rarity when it's over? You seem to have a good relationship with her."

At that, she shivered and said, seeming to calm down a bit: "I know what you want to do. But please, I beg you, don't kill him! I can't stand another victim for the sake of my desires! I-I just can't stand it."

Daniel took a deep breath and reluctantly replied, pulling his sword out of its sheath: "Okay. I'll do my best. "

I feel like such a bastard. We are now in a dome surrounded by fire and the girl who treated my back is crying. I did everything wrong.

After a few seconds of suspense, the fire with the magic shield stopped and then it dissipated. Daniel began to walk forward and said, pointing his sword at the torch: "I suggest another direction. You will fight me. And you will fulfill the girl's wish if you lose."

At that, Torch laughed and asked with a hint of interest: "A little thing like you? Let's say so. What do I get if I win? "

"Absolutely everything. If you want, I'll bring you one of the Equestrian Princesses. I have access to the castle. " Daniel replied and continued to take slow steps forward to the edge of the moat.

Torch smiled toothy and said, raising a fist, "Good. I'll play with you for a while."

This guy, Daniel, is completely insane. How is he going to defeat a dragon whose only eye is bigger than his entire body!?

Instead of answering my question, Torch immediately brought his fist down on Daniel, causing the ground beneath my feet to shake so violently that I collapsed to the ground. Despite some pain, I managed to see how Daniel seemed to dodge the blow and started throwing quick punches at Torch's fist. But what difference does it make if they are even smaller than mosquito bites?

In response to the minimal damage, the dragon raised his other hand and brought it down on Daniel without clenching it into a fist. But in the last second before contact, there was a barely perceptible black flash. It was as if night had fallen around Daniel for a second, within a radius of a few meters. And in that instant, the palm of the torch turned into a mangled, bloody mess that lay on the ground around Daniel. Charred flesh, broken claws, and even the ground smoked.

H-How did he do it? What kind of monster is he!?

Unable to look at such an amount of blood, I turned away and squeezed my eyes shut as soon as I heard the torch's painful scream. Almost immediately, I covered my ears to muffle the sound, but to no avail. He was in great pain.

Suddenly, Daniel's loud and irritated voice rang out: "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

These words seemed to remind Torch that there was a fight going on and silenced him, at least for a moment. Daniel took advantage of this and continued to speak, still in an irritated voice: "While you were feeling sorry for yourself, you have already lost several times. You have nothing but physical data. And I'm sure you haven't earned it through hard work. You're nothing but a disappointment.

A-Are you are provoking him!?

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Torch raise his other hand, but Daniel interrupted him with an angry shout: "Don't act like an idiot. Admit defeat and do as they ask. Do you think losing two limbs will prove anything? Yes, you will prove something. YOUR BLUNT STUPIDITY! "

It seemed that Daniel's anger was enough to make the torch retreat. He put his whole hand on what was left of his palm and asked with a hiss, "Which lava lake do you need to fill with water? "

Daniel pointed behind him and said calmly, "There is a lava river behind that hill. Go against the current and you will see the right lake. "

The torch let out some fire through its nostrils before lowering its muzzle almost directly at Daniel and saying with suppressed anger, "So that I never see you and your friends again. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Daniel just nodded and turned to face Ahirata and me. Despite my attempts to turn away, my eyes couldn't help but stare at him. The blade of the sword was almost completely soaked in blood, and there were traces of blood and small pieces of flesh on Daniel's body itself. But despite all this, his gaze was completely blank.

The monster. Whatever he did at that moment, it was absolutely monstrous. I... I can't describe the extent of my fear.

Ahirata's sobs subsided slightly, but not completely, as she said in a trembling voice: "You are incredibly cruel, Daniel. Monstrously cruel. But, th-thanks for helping."

Unfortunately or fortunately, I couldn't find the words to respond. I could only force myself to finally get up from the floor and look away somewhere.

My ears caught the sound of footsteps, followed by a yawn and Daniel's words: "Okay, let's go back to the platform. I don't know about you, but I'm planning on sleeping while we sail back to Tartarus."

"I don't think I'll ever sleep again. " I murmured quietly, not daring to look at Daniel again.

You see, I'm, well, afraid of blood. A little bit. Just a little bit.

My thoughts were interrupted for a moment when Ahirata carefully placed the staff on the ground and opened her mouth to say something. But she froze, her gaze piercing me as soon as she realized what I was looking at. Obviously, she didn't like the outcome of my idea.

But in the end, she turned away and said in a restrained voice, "I am truly sorry, Dragon Lord. I promise I won't bother you anymore with my presence."

I nodded slightly, not daring to look at the torch, and turned away. As soon as my eyes discovered that Daniel was already a dozen steps away, I looked away and quickly began to catch up with him.

Yes, I'm afraid to be around him. After all, he turned the palm of a giant dragon into a bloody mess in an instant. Who knows what else this guy can do with such an ability!?

But I still have to follow him. At least for the next few hours. Oh, just don't look at him. Just don't think about what he can do in less than the blink of an eye. Just get away from it, Arthur.

"So, Arthur, let me summarize the results." Daniel said slowly, making me tense up for a moment.

He paused for a moment before he said with a click of his tongue: "As you probably understand yourself, your conviction that this world is represented in the cartoon series is counterproductive in the adventure. So if you want adventures in a new world, look for them yourself."

"I would also like to point out that I suspect you of lying. In my value system, you'd be better off raping someone instead. " Daniel said coldly. What are you offering me? To tell someone from this world directly that this is all an animated series!?

"Any questions? " Daniel asked, and I swear it seemed to me that he turned his head in my direction.

I tried my best not to look at him and said slowly, "I'll prove to you that I'm right. "

"And how?" Daniel asked calmly.

For a moment, a lump formed in my throat. Really, how am I going to prove it to him? Why do I want to prove so badly that everything here was in the cartoon?

What if I hit my head really hard and my little pony doesn't exist?

No, everything exists. I know it. I remember every second with my sister when we watched the show. And I want to prove it because I'm right and these memories are real! And also. . .

I want to break this guy's confidence. I clenched my hands into fists and whispered determinedly: "I will become stronger. Thanks to the cartoon, I will find out where, when and how the next villain will attack. And I will defeat him before you even know of the threat!"

Daniel was silent for a while before he happily said, "Good. I'll check on your progress. Do I need to recommend any teachers to you? "

"No! I will achieve everything myself. I don't need you, you conceited idiot. You're not even half as important as you think you are. " I replied harshly.

"Excellent, Arthur. Excellent. " Daniel said with a satisfied sigh.

I won't tolerate your attitude anymore.