Hatching in Equestria as a Silver Dragon

September 10 year 981 Coconut POV

I am in my room, with both my beloved wife and my little menace of a son, trying different armor on, so far the gambeson is the best fitting and lightest, but it only covers my chest and back, my head neck and rear are completely exposed and Sylf thinks this is unacceptable, and i certainly agree with that.

She has given me the padded armor used for training and told me to use chainmail on top, it covers everything much better except from attacks from below, but that's where the training armor comes in, made of different pieces of thick cotton filled with cushioning material inside, a piece that protects my belly, a section that goes over the flanks and wraps around and between my legs, then the legs themselves all have sections that cover the outside held by straps, a neck section that has extra thick padding and is held by buttons that keep it closed, chest padding that is tight fitting and finally the head piece, called a coif that has little holes for my ears and opening for my muzzle, the pieces are also light and flexible.

With all of this I hope to prevent the hits from doing any real damage, I hope, if anything it should absorb some of the impact of most hits.

I must say the padding is a bit tight and gets too warm in some areas, but I prefer being sweaty than being wounded, even if I can heal myself, I would rather not have to experience any serious wound.

I don't like pain at all.

In the end I went with training padding to stop blows, the gambeson on top of that for my torso and on top of it all, covered by chainmail to stop slashing or piercing attacks.

Sylf went to the closet and grabbed a shortsword from a pile of them with a leather scabbard, she pulled it out and checked it, frowning slightly and returning it back, then she pulled another and checked the edge with her own leg, cutting some hair off, and nodding. Then she tied the scabbard straps to my armor and jostled it a bit to see if it was properly secured, then she nodded and patted my back with the ghost hand.

"You're set my love, all geared up! Now I'll check on Onyx, just relax and try not to sweat too much." My wife gave me a small nuzzle before moving over to our son and helping him look over the weapons.

Both of them seemed adamant that I wear all of this, so I accepted, even if I feel a bit heavy and slow, my face was uncovered so I could see well and breathe.

Onyx wears only his saddlebags, on his side the sword scabbard is tied to it by straps too, having easy access to his weapon at all times just like me.
Other than that he wears no armor, he says it will only slow him down and not allow him to cast spells fast, instead he is wearing black robes with red pattern lines, they look very sinister and even evil, partially covering his head too, but the robes don't seem to offer any real protection from attacks.

I ask him what this robes are and why is he using them.

"Oh this! This is is a magical artifact in the form of a robe, it's pretty good, makes any spells only use half the normal amount of mana, thus allowing me to fight for much longer without running out." He explained simply, I understand perfectly now, this was actually an incredibly powerful magical artifact.

Onyx says there should not be any threats left other than maybe some ghosts, which he says he can easily get rid off.

I don't know why but this idea of fighting ghosts scares me, I don't know what they are capable off, I have never seen a ghost and I don't think I want to see them now either, but I trust him, and I need the experience.

Everything is ready, supplies are packed and, premade meals, both vegetarian sandwiches and omnivore sandwiches clearly labeled for me and for Onyx, all packed neatly in a wooden crate that will go into the inventory.

"Okay, we have everything, it's time to head in, ready?" I can only nod, I was as ready as I could be.

Then we both disappeared and instantly appeared inside an unfamiliar place, it felt like we just... We're here, no flash of light, no sound, no transition.

POV Onyx

The castle was right as we had left it, no one was around, I relaxed and sighed in relief, looking around just in case, i don't want to let my guard down, this place could have more enemies and i had a VIP to protect.

"Looks clear, but I would need to look around to make sure, stay close and if you feel or see something, let me know." I explain clearly, starting to form a spell in my mind's eye.

"I've got your back! I'll keep my senses sharp too, don't forget I trained with you, and I know how to fight too." I just nodded at his answer, he was right, the spell almost complete.

Then I finally finished forming it, and 7 motes of golden light start orbiting above the top of my head, like a slowly rotating crown, the motes lighted up the area nicely, better than a torch. -35 mp 253/288

Dad was taken aback by this sudden bright light appearing above me, but he was also amazed and hypnotized by the admittedly beautiful spell, he approached behind me and looked closely at the lights, his body slightly pressing against me.

"Whoa! It's.... beautiful! What is this Onyx? Can I touch them? They are like tiny stars!" He asked with enthusiasm, clearly wanted to know more.

"Do NOT touch them! You could lose your hoof or worse! I'm not exactly sure if they will activate if you touch one, but they are really really powerful and deadly, touching them may could as being attacked by one!" I yelled, afraid he may get seriously hurt and holding his hoof with my claw firmly away from the Crown of Stars.

"Oh! I-im so sorry I just thought... It looks really amazing I couldn't help myself, I promise not to touch any spell again." He looked shocked at my serious and harsh tone and pulled his hoof back when I let it go.

"M-my bad, I just thought it was a spell to provide illumination..." He defended with a slightly hurt tone, which made me feel a bit sad for raising my voice, but his safety was my biggest concern.

"It's okay, I'm just looking out for you, and yes this spell is a light spell but also an attack spell, in case we are in a fight, I can send the motes from the crown as small deadly radiant projectiles, they are very effective against beings made of darkness, like ghosts and some undead, all monsters that I fear may be around here somewhere."

We started walking down the stairs, heading towards the door to the castle, making sure I took the path that had no traps we had already cleared up before, I casted detect magic once we got to the ground floor, remembering to recast it once in a while because I didn't want us to get caught in a deadly spell, even if I could most likely withstanding it, I didn't want neither of us to get a nasty surprise.

"Onyx? What are you doing? What is that spell you're casting?" At his answer I turned to him placed my claw in his muzzle, gently caressing him while I explained.

"It's to check for dangerous spell glyphs or other magical traps, don't worry dad, I think I've disabled all the other traps from here on, let's go out that door then we will be in the town proper." I said pointing towards the large double doors that out of the castle.

"I remember the layout somewhat, oh and dad? As soon as we go into combat, can you use your Guardian Spirits spell?
I know there may be ghosts out there, or in the houses, so listen I have been checking your spell list and I've read all about that spell, it's ideal for dealing with the ghosts that will try to move close and hit you with their deadly necrotizing claws." He paled at the prospect, but nods slowly.

"I-ill have that spell ready for anytime I see something! I will make sure to set you in the spell as an ally, don't worry, my goddess has taught me how to cast it properly and quickly, even without practice I feel like I've known it for a while, thank you. Now I know what exactly to do, but what do I do after that?" He asks looking down at me for guidance.

"Then I'll take care of them with my magic, don't fear! You just need to try to make sure they don't grab a hold of you, if they grab you they could posses your body and then I'll have to knock you unconscious to free you, and that's going to suck because I haven't really ever knocked someone out, I don't know how much force to use." His pupils shrunk and his face paled, he shook slightly in fear.

"P-possession?! A-are you serious? Oh my goddess, you are! M-maybe coming here was a really bad idea, what will you do if I get possessed? What will I do?!" He asked in a desperate tone, looking ready to run away, his legs a bit shaky.

"Whoa whoa calm down! You're gonna be okay! Just make sure they don't get too close, I'll make sure you are safe okay? They won't get to you, and if for some reason they do, I promise to gently get you unconscious! Ghosts are not too strong anyways, in just a little bit you'll become strong enough to be immune to their possession. We just need to raise your level slightly." I explain to calm him down.

It works so what but he is clearly not fully convinced, as his face betrays how he feels about the situation he is in right now.

"I... Okay but how will you get me unconscious? Can you please not hit my head? I'd prefer if you suffocated me instead, I don't want my brain turned into mush, okay?" He asks softly, calming down somewhat specially when I nod to him.

"Yeah sure, I don't want to hurt you either, now it's time, let's go out there!" I exclaimed and pushed the door opened to the exterior, seeing the familiar view of the street heading out from the castle and the large building we have stayed the night a long time ago with Sylf and Kari.

We took a few steps ahead and started to walk into the street, we headed towards the edge of town, where I remember that ghost pony from earlier used to be.

Then I felt something was wrong, my senses told me we were being watched, I felt shadows moving and swirling in the corner of my eyes and outside the area lit up by my Crown of Stars.

Something evil is around us, something bad, hiding in the darkness outside my spell, but following close and looking for an opening to attack us.

'Hey, we have company, be prepared to use your spell, there is at least a dozen moving shadows stalking us and the only reason they haven't attacked yet is because of the intense light from my spell, I think they may be afraid of light.' He looks at me with alarm but I smile at him with a lot less worry.

'What do I do?! Do you have a plan for dealing with them?' he ask urgently, I nod right away.

'I want you to run in a circle inside the edge of the area of light, try to be fast but make sure you don't go outside, all while you have your Spirit Guardian spell active. Hopefully that will deal with most of the annoying shadows stalking us, I'll keep an eye on you and shield you if they try to hit you, okay?'

'Yes son, I'm ready, I'll start now!' he exclaimed telepathically and suddenly in a large circle around him golden glowing little spirits that floated in a spinning circle appeared, the area inside the circle was glowing white like his aura, and soon the shadow creatures who were within the area became visible and we're consumed in white light as if they were burning, they produced a ghostly wail of agony, I was curious as to what they were so I inspected one quickly before it exploded into a puff of shadow and light and 'died'. -30 mp 80/110

Level 10 Shadow
30 HP

Skills: Stealth.

Damage Vulnerability: Radiant.
Damage Resistances: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder, Physical attacks.
Damage immunities: Necrotic, Poison.
Condition Immunities: Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained.

Senses: Darkvision 20m, passive perception.

Skills

Amorphous: it can move thought a space as narrow as 2cm wide without squeezing.

Shadow Stealth: it can hide in dimly lit or dark areas.

Undead nature: a shadow doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Sunlight weakness: while in sunlight, the shadow becomes weaker, both it's attack and it's defense as well as it's abilities become half as strong.

Strength Drain: it's attacks deal necrotic damage and drain the Strength of the target, each hit can drain from 1 to 4 STR and once the target reaches 0, they die.
A non evil creature killed by a Shadow will raise as a new Shadow from the corpse 3 days later.
From the darkness, the shadow reaches out to feed on living creatures' vitality. They can consume any living creature, but they are especially drawn to creatures untainted by evil. As a shadow drains its victim's strength and physical form, the victim's shadow darkens and begins to move of its own volition. In death, the creature's shadow breaks free, becoming a new undead shadow hungry for more life to consume.
If a creature from which a shadow has been created somehow returns to life, its undead shadow senses the return. The shadow might seek its "parent" to vex or slay. Whether the shadow pursues its living counterpart, the creature that birthed the shadow no longer casts one until the monster is destroyed.
.

My eyes widen as I realized the danger he was in, this monsters could kill him! I growled and began sending the motes of light to the ones I could sense, the motes followed them even if they tried moving, as I could control them each to ensure they hit their target.

At the same time a shield formed around my father, I made sure that he was shielded as his Guardian Spirits destroyed the horrifying creatures.

Shadow has taken 15 damage! 15/30
Shadow has taken 20 damage! 10/30
Shadow has taken 32 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 31 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 16 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 14 damage! 16/30

They started approaching him, trying to attack him, for some reason they were extremely focused on him, but some also targeted me, a single one of my orbiting motes of light was enough to destroy them.

But I wasn't idle, another spell was forming in my brain, this one would hopefully deal with the issue completely.

Shadow has taken 23 damage! 7/30
Shadow has taken 16 damage! 14/30
Shadow has taken 15 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 35 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 14 damage and is destroyed!

The more motes of light I sent out, the smaller the area of light around us became, I decided to stop using it because the number of shadows was still too high and they weren't slowing down, they kept coming, one by one getting closer and surrounding us from all sides.

Knowing they were resistant to almost all forms of damage I had no choice but to use radiant, it was the most deadly form of attack, an idea came to mind.

Coconut was swinging his sword to any of the Shadows who tried to get close, but they tended to die before they could even get withing striking distance, as his spirit guardians tore through them like as if they were made of paper, he still was focused on keeping the spell active, not paying attention to me.

'Coconut, dad I'm going to get close to you, don't worry about attacking them with melee, I'll shield you, just focus on holding the spell and I'll get them off your back!' I warned him so he wouldn't get scared via telepathy.

'Y-yes thank you, it's hard to hold concentration with so many of them getting close and trying to attack me, it's terrifying!" He said with a strained mental voice, his mind clearly not able to focus on much more than the spell and fighting them off.

Shadow has taken 25 damage! 5/30
Shadow has taken 13 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 17 damage! 13/30
Shadow has taken 14 damage and is destroyed!

I ran over to him and walked into the guardian spirits, thankfully he used it right and they didn't hurt me, once inside I used my strongest shield, a dome of semi transparent energy completely surrounded us, blocking the creatures from crossing, they uselessly attacked at the shield with their claws, the noise was barely perceptible from the inside, while I had to concentrate to hold the Globe of Invulnerability, I knew for a fact that nothing short of a higher tier spell could get through. -35MP 218/288

'You can just focus on the spell now, you're safe, I'll help you deal with them.' I said in a reassuring tone, standing flank to flank with him, well I was lower so not exactly but we were covering each other backs to have a 360 degree covering.

'Oh, thank you! Holding this spell... Its not easy you know? I don't think I can hold it for much longer!' he says with a look of concentration.

'You can rest for a bit and recast it, my shield will hold, trust me.' I started sending my radiant projectiles again, aiming for the shadows that tried to attack the shield, killing one after another.

Shadow has taken 33 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 16 damage! 14/30
Shadow has taken 15 damage! 15/30
Shadow has taken 15 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 31 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 16 damage and is destroyed!
Shadow has taken 36 damage and is destroyed!

No new ones seemed to be coming now, and I couldn't sense more around, but there were still about half a dozen, with a tired sigh dad sat on the ground, his horn stopped glowing as his spirit guardians winked out, but I wasn't worried, even as the last of my stars flew like a missile and hit it's mark, it made a Shadow glow from the inside before bursting into light and a smoke like cloud.

Shadow has taken 38 damage and is destroyed!

But I was ready for this, and instantly another much brighter and fully complete spell hovered above me, the light made the Shadows now probably used to the darkness again recoil slightly before continuing their assault, they didn't have a sense of self preservation at all, they were mindless monsters that wanted nothing more than to tear into our living flesh with their draining abilities, I worried about father more than myself, since I would not run out of strength easily, but he would in a few hits, he wasn't weak by any means but... Not risking it!
-35 MP 183/288

Now with the spell fully completed I felt comfortable with just blasting away with spells I knew would not do much, while the others were deal with by the Crown, and my blindsight.

I used firebolts, focusing three at once on a single monster, the spells were extremely weak on them, but cantrips used so little mana that the energy recharged as soon as the spell was fired, the only way to use mana for cantrips was to multicast and use them constantly for a while.

Something I was about to do now, as I stood on my hind legs and started blasting.

The air around me was warming up as the firebolts, as weak as they were, carried a good amount of heat, the mana started to go down, but one after another, the monstrous shadow creatures were going down too.

The air was shimmering, distorted by heat, the flashes of orange lit up the eerie night, making the voids of light that were this creatures appear even more terrifying.

It was a bit wasteful and inefficient, but it was easy to do, the spell was simple enough to cast without thinking.

My claws were burning by now, in pain from repeatedly using heat spells I was not immune to myself, while the spell didn't generate directly in contact with my scales, it still felt like having fire right next to your scales. It fucking stung, to say the least, I hope dad will heal em later.

We were spinning around as I attacked, making sure we got them all, they needed to be exterminated.
-30MP 153/288

5 Shadows destroyed!

19 Shadows destroyed in total! Your party earned 7125 EXP (5700 EXP +1425 bonus)
Onyx 9659/23725
Sylf has leveled up to level 30! 4036/23725
Kari 19066/19771
Coconut has leveled three times up to level 19! 999/3193 EXP

You have completed a side objective.
Cleanse the Shadows: defeat all the Shadow undead. 10000 EXP (8000 EXP + 2000 bonus)
Onyx 19659/23725
Sylf 14036/23725
Kari has leveled up to 30! 9295/23725
Coconut has leveled two times up to level 21! 3975/4598 EXP

Coconut has obtained new spells and class and racial specific perks have been unlocked!

Tier 4 cleric spells unlocked: Aura of Life, Aura of Purity, Control Water, Death Ward, Divination, Freedom of Movement, Guardian of Faith, Locate Creature, Stone Shape.

Unicorn Nature: your blood is more magically dense, your intelligence is added to your mana as a bonus.

Equine Body: your body has become sturdier and you can go for longer without getting tired. Your constitution is now added to both your health and your stamina as flat bonuses.

Chosen of Faust: Your wisdom is added to your mana as a bonus.

Channel Divinity: your goddess gives you a boon she knows you will need, you can now use Turn Undead any time you want.

I sat down next to my father, but still kept my senses on high alert, my ears perked and eyes watching over everything, trying to find any shadow that didn't belong, any shimmering in the air, or something that looked off.

"O-oh my goddess... I-I FEEL INCREDIBLE! I don't care what those things were! I feel like I can take on them all! Goodness! I feel every fiber of my being has more... Life, magic, energy, everything! Ohh I feel sooo good from the tip of my nose to even my tail and everything in between, I'm all tingly heheh~."
Great... he was drunk with power, I'm glad he's wearing his armor now, I suppose this was my fault.
I never explained levels to him and how it feels to level up, didn't I? He was beyond excited, I didn't really want to know for sure how much, he was also a bit lost in it. Maybe not explaining that increasing in power many levels at once feels probably better than an orgasm was a miscalculation on my part?

"It's like I'm better than before in every possible way... Wow, that felt SO good!" He looked at his front hooves while sitting down, like that would give him an answer.

"What just happened?! Why do I feel like this? S-should I be worried?!" He asked after a while in genuine concern, overwhelmed by the feeling of immense new power.

"Oh haha I should have maybe warned you about this... What you just felt is how it feels to grow your power extremely quick, you can call it leveling up, because you are now in a completely different level, you can do a lot more than before, more than you may realize, let's see here..." I started checking his new perks and his stats, noting how much more mana he had now, it was an amazing improvement! His new power was exactly what we needed right now too.

HP 145 / MP 177 / Stamina 155

"I have to say you are much more capable now, still will keep a close eye on you but you're not a little glass foal anymore, you are also not as defenseless either now! Not that you were, it's just that... Well you are stronger definitively useful in a fight too." I was honestly impressed, those spells, they were awesome! Specially Death Ward, maybe he should have that on us at all times, he could rest after and recover his mana.

"Do you think... I won't be a burden anymore to you?" He asked softly, I looked at him like he was an idiot, why would he think that? Just because I wanted to protect him? He was actually extremely important and useful! More than me, since he is the only healer we have, he is the one who can save us all and even bring us back from death!

I grabbed him and shook him gently.

"You're NOT a burden, you big fluffy dumb stallion! You're the healer! You're our lifeline, you already have proved to be able to heal others, you proved to me at least that you're useful in a fight." I rubbed his armored back as I sat next to him, then pressed my head against his neck.

"You killed a bunch of those monsters with your spell, you did not falter, you didn't run off like a headless chicken and you didn't act rashly, I'm proud dad!" He hugged me around the neck and held me like that for a few seconds, I think he is finally realizing he isn't some coward, he is a warrior too now, he has already risked his very life for this.

"Thank you, I really mean it... Now I feel calm again, in all honesty that was really scary but the 'leveling up' thing that happened made me really forget everything else, now that I think about it, those monsters seem to have something against me, more so than yourself, do you know why that is?" He asked with a slightly scared tone, but he was still calm.

"Oh I think it's because you are pure being, and I have more or less killed someone, even if it was for a good reason and that someone was evil, I guess I'm not as pure as you, who have not ever done harm to a sapient creature." He looked saddened at my answer, holding me in a hug once again shortly.

"That was the evil wizard that Sylf supposedly killed right? You were only fighting in self defense, she killed him, not you! Why would that make you any less pure?" He asked in a slightly upset tone, clearly not at myself but at the unfairness he perceived from me being considered less pure.

"Oh no, that wasn't it, you know when that evil necromancer was slain, his mind and soul were trapped inside a magical artifact, said artifact is an extremely complex and ancient item, practically indestructible." I explained while taking said item out of the inventory and show it to him, he was in awe at the perfectly cut and large gemstone, the engraved runes too small to make out without a magnifying glass, and even then it was challenging to read them as they were too small.

"He was trapped here, consciousness and soul, and I decided to simply absorb his knowledge, letting the soul escape to either go to some afterlife or be reincarnated, I'm not so sure anymore after what happened to you..." I paused to think, his revelation was still being processed in my mind but I couldn't deny what happened to him, just rationalize it as maybe me being unworthy or our dimensions just being too different.

"But yes I 'killed' him, destroyed his consciousness and took all of the magical knowledge, I didn't take his soul, not like I have a use for those and I feel that would be crossing some line that I can't uncross, but I technically killed his consciousness, I won't deny that, I think I explained something about this to you before right? Mama tried to blame herself, but it was me who did it, I realized I was being manipulated and didn't want to deal with him any longer." I concluded, we were silent for a minute, just sitting next to each other.

"I think you did the right thing, it was either that or... Who knows what he could have done to you if you or Sylf if he somehow managed to return to life? I-i don't know if I would have been able to do it, but I think you are brave to do that before anything terrible happened, sometimes the choices we have to make are very difficult and you did what you thought was right, and what's most important now is that our family is safe." His voice was soft and soothing, and he gently ran his hoof in circles on my back.

"Thanks, I mean I agree too, but I will not deny that I killed him while not being in immediate danger so i have no excuse for it, and I don't regret it."

We stayed silent after that, deciding to get up and walk towards the nearest house, I could guess this city had around 30 small houses and a few bigger ones near the castle, must have been home to a hundred ponies, give or take, slightly smaller than Ponyville, now that I think about it.

I twisted the knob and pushed the door open, the interior of the house was completely dark but once I entered, the light from my hovering spell banished the darkness completely.

Once we were both inside I closed the door behind us, and started to explore the interior. Together side by side, the first room was large and multi-purpose, consisting of the kitchen, a table for about 4 and a few bookshelves.

This place has been degrading for a long time, I tried getting a book out of the bookshelf but it was completely ruined with mold, nothing was legible and it fell apart in my claws, like it had water damage, or the humidity had condensed on it.

Sadly all the books were worthless and unreadable, a true tragedy, I let out a sad sigh as I went and at down at the table on a stripped wooden log that served as the seat, it was at least smooth and polished nicely, he joined me, sitting to my left.

"It smells like mold in here, I wonder how long has it been since a pony has lived here, and what happened to them..." Coconut though out loud, I hummed in though, then answered.

"I'd say about a thousand years, but in this place, things don't work the same as in the real world, things can rot, but they also may not, there is no sunlight, so things don't dry and there doesn't seem to be consistency with the bacterial decomposition, mold exists but it doesn't take over everything as I would expect from something that has been in such a dark and humid place for so long, it's like the mold itself dies too after taking over things." I answered with my own thoughts, he gave me a confused look, probably not knowing what I meant.

"Oh and you don't want to know where the ponies are, trust me." I say in a sad tone, those poor ponies... Their decapitated and tortured bodies still probably hung from hooks and ropes on poles around the village.

"I have no idea what a bacteria is, but I know what mold is, are you saying that the mold here dies out before it can take over? I don't know a lot about mold but I know it usually doesn't die easily. And... is it really that bad? What happened to the ponies I mean, this village looks like it's made for ponies, this very house, its small and cozy, I've visited some villages like this before with dad when I was younger, maybe it was a bit more modern but it was not too different." I nod to him, he was right.

"Yes and the ponies... Well it's a really sad and horrible story that I don't think you want to hear, but to put it bluntly, everypony died and they suffered enough to create the horrible shadows and ghosts that haunt this place, they are not actual pony souls, they are just the darkest manifestation of the worst experiences and emotions a being can feel before they die." I explained and his ears lowered, his face rested on the table with sad eyes, and slowly tears started to run down his muzzle.

I couldn't help but feel sad too, this tragedy that this village had gone through was horrifying, and the one responsible was none other than Post Mortem, he made the Griffon army do this, he used mind control on them, and the ponies were helpless to stop them.

They were far too innocent to expect such a horrible thing to happen, even as they were tied and bound, even as they were pulled from their houses one by one, they just expected to be kicked out of the village at worst, none would have expected a massacre, a horrifying mass torture and murder out in the open.

I felt myself shed a few tears too, bitter tears at the unfairness of this all, I hope all the ponies were are happy in another life, or the afterlife, nothing could make up for suffering like that.

I was glad I killed that evil and disgusting monster, in fact I would do it again without a second thought.

"I just... I feel that you're understating how bad this was, I can tell you're trying to spare me from the worst of it, but we may have to do something about all of this, and what if I'm not strong enough to do it?"

"You know it's hard not to run away when all my instincts are screaming at me about the danger, the only thing that keeps me anchored and firm is you, your strength and bravery makes me feels safe even when we are surrounded, so thank you." He wipes his tears away with the fetlocks and smiles at me.

"Are you feeling more rested now? I think I'm going to have some water and food, want something too?" He offers while pulling the crate of food from the inventory, placing it next to his vertical log chair, and prying if open with his telekinesis.

I nod at him with a smile of my own, feeling better at the mention of food.

"Well, you're welcome dad! And yes I'd love a ham and cheese sandwich." He hands me one and I unwrap it slowly while he does the same with a daffodil and cucumber sandwich.

I pull out a glass bottle of water, and a couple of wooden cups from the box, using my indigo tk to our the water while I start eating the sandwich, once both glasses are full, I put the cork back on the bottle and place it back into the crate.

"Mmmh like always mom makes the most delicious sandwiches! Maybe next time I'll ask her for buttered bread with blue cheese and walnuts, or some tuna sandwich... Those are yummy~" I purred contently as I ate, the food made me forget all the danger we were in, if only for a little while.

"Mhm! The daffodil is sweet and the cucumber is crunchy and fresh, she even added a little bit of olive oil for extra flavor... Oh I love her~" Coconut said sweetly as he also devoured the sandwich, both of our sandwiches were made using whole wheat loafs, that are my favorite type of bread, they are much more flavorful than regular white bread and work wonderful for sandwiches as long as the bread is fresh.

Suddenly I feel myself be pushed up from nowhere, I fall from my chair and I see Coconut float up towards the ceiling very fast and slam face first into the wooden beam supporting the roof, he barely manages a terrified scream before his nuzzle hits the sturdy wood with a crunch of bone breaking.

Coconut has taken 30 force damage! Muzzle fractured!
115/145

I was tok shocked and surprised to react as I watched him fall towards the ground, landing on his side on top of the wooden log, his screams of pain and fear made me incredibly angry, what was going on?! at the same time I felt something trying to push me against the wall, but the force was too weak to get a grasp on my magically resistant body, so it felt like being shoved back.

Coconut has taken 5 falling damage! Armor absorbed most of the impact. 110/145

Blood dripped from the ceiling where dad had impacted, I finally came to my senses and hugged jumped protectively over my dad, covering him with my body, and gently holding onto him.

He was whimpering in pain as he also came to his senses, seeing me on top of him.

"Gaahhh! H-hurts so bad!" He barely managed to say as trying to speak probably felt like torture for him with the broken muzzle, I felt our bodies trying to be pushed once again but I held onto him, denying the unknown assailant or assailants any possibility to move him, my resistance to magic protecting him from being reached.

"Heal yourself! You have the spells remember? Or use the amulet! Don't panic, I have you protected now I promise, I won't let you go! I won't let whatever that is throw you around again!" I was getting angry at this.

As I was there using my body as a shield and anchor, he grabbed the amulet and finally decided to use it on himself.

Coconut has recovered +35 HP 145/145

He let out a happy sigh as his pain faded, and his face went back to looking normal and completely healed.

"T-that was horrible! What was that? Is it still here?!" He asked in fear, looking around as much as be could with me laying on him.

"Yes, it's here alright, it's probably trying to find a way to g-" I was stopped mid sentence as a strong painful blow hit me on the side of the neck, making me let out a pained gasp.

Onyx has taken 15 damage! 231/246

"Onyx! Something... Something invisible is attacking us! Buck! I think it's close, watch out!" Suddenly the crate of food we brought floated up, and then was hurled directly at my head, I barely managed to put my foreleg up in time to prevent it from hitting me, blocking it but still getting hurt from the impact.

Onyx has taken 8 damage! 223/246

This time I didn't just lay there and took it, I used 'See Invisibility' and right away I saw what was attacking us, a little foal, the outline of a foal at least, sadly i couldn't do much but defend myself, it was attacking and our lives were in danger.

Plus it wasn't a real foal at all, just a manifestation of a foals last and worst emotions, I decided to inspect it.

Poltergeist
Lvl 10
50 HP

Damage Resistances: acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder, bludgeoning, slashing and piercing from non magical attacks.

Damage immunities: necrotic, poison.

Condition immunities: charmed, exhausted, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious.

Senses: Darkvision 40m

Perks

Incorporeal movement: the specter can move through solid objects or creatures slowly, but if it stays too long inside one it takes force damage.

Sunlight Sensitivity: this creature is half as strong as normal in sunlight.

Invisibility: this spectre is permanently invisible.

Forceful Slam: the spectre deals force damage with each hit.

Telekinetic Thrust: using a telekinetic field, the spectre can lift and throw creatures or objects around incredibly hard, causing damage depending on how much time to accelerate the creature or object had before they hit something. This effect can be negated by a strong enough creature that can just shrug it off, or a magically resistant creature.

Undead Nature: a specter requieres no air, food, drink or sleep.

The table suddenly lifted into the air, and fell right on top of me, smashing hard against my back, and in turn my body squeezed between the armored pony ended and the table above.

Onyx has taken 10 damage! 213/246

The table fell edge first right along my back, it was heavy and the hit was painful, I groaned as I rubbed my head, I was thankful to have scales or the pointy edges of the table would have hurt a lot more

But I wouldn't let this little foal ghost keep doing this, and sent my Crown motes flying after it, when they hit the monster glowed with the deadly radiant energy, and after 3 hits it was finally dead.

Poltergeist has taken 20 damage!
Poltergeist has taken 22
Poltergeist has taken 26 damage and is destroyed!

Finally it was gone, but I wasn't about to let my guard down, and I was glad I didn't because the table lifted off me and was thrown down again, this time on the flat side, but I was ready this time and overpowered the Poltergeist hold on it, throwing it hard against the opposite side of the house, breaking it half, i stood and looked to the opposite side of the room.

Not far from the door another Poltergeist was standing, this one was a larger adult pony, and it started lifting my charge as I had stopped holding him, but I grabbed him quickly, not letting him be tossed anymore, he was more or less helpless to being tossed around, only thing keeping him safe ish was his armor, but his muzzle was free.

With the unicorn held in my forelimbs I ran over towards the last specter and once I was close, I made it pay with its own medicine, grabbing it harshly with telekinesis and squeezing it hard to the floor, it tried to escape by becoming intangible and hiding under the floor, and that was it's undoing as I just kept pushing it under until it started to take damage and died.

Poltergeist took 10 damage!
Poltergeist took 15 damage!
Poltergeist took 12 damage!
Poltergeist took 10 damage!
Poltergeist took 7 damage and is destroyed!
Your party has earned 1250 EXP!
Onyx 20909/23725 Sylf 15286/23725
Kari 10545/23725
Coconut has leveled up to level 22! 627/5517

"That's what you get for attacking us! Bloody specters, they are a pain to deal with! This ones don't even have a single weakness and tons of resistances, at least they can't just shrug off my telekinetic hold, and I can push them into the ground to kill them." I let Coco free and rubbed my sore neck where I had been hit with that attack earlier, also my entire back where the table had slammed on me was a bit tender.

"Ohh good! They're gone, aren't they? I feel my whole being energized and stronger than ever before, but still, that was bucking painful! Thank the goddess for having improved the Amulet you gave me, those... Whatever they were broke my muzzle!" He said in an odd mixture of hyperactive, excited, scared and upset, it's always a thrill to feel yourself gaining power, even if the situation is scary and even in the middle of battle, your emotions become more intense and unpredictable.

"They were Poltergeists, specters of negative energy that use telekinesis to grab and throw around objects or creatures, and like almost all specters, they have a disdain for living creatures, what surprised me is that they didn't attack right away... Or maybe they weren't here when we arrived and were attracted by our noises or emotions."

"I suppose they couldn't get a good hold of you, right?" I nodded at that. "Right now I really envy you for being a dragon, you know? Must be nice to be resistant to things like this... Aren't you resistant to cold temperatures too?" I shook my head.

"No dad, im not resistant to cold temperatures, I'm immune to them, and I'm also immune to poisons of all types, I have... Adapted to them using a trick, but I'm not sure it can even work on you, maybe it can but it's not exactly pleasant." He looked concerned at my words, but also curious.

"Immune to cold AND poison?! What?! That's awesome! But he way you make it sound is as if you did something really painful to be able to become immune to poison, aren't you telling?" He gave me an adorable pout and eyes that worked almost as well as Sylf's puppy wolf eyes, almost.

"Not tellin' not unless mom approves first, I think maybe it can work since im supposed to be able to share my powers with others, normally only I would be able to do that but since we are in a partyy... Well I don't know, and even testing would be really a pain for you, if hitting your face on the ceiling and breaking your muzzle is painful, this is a million times worse." He winced at the reminder, gently running his muzzle with his hoof.

"No thank you. As much as I like trying new things, I don't think I will ever enjoy feeling pain, no offense to any who does." I couldn't help but chuckle at his phrasing.

"Hahah dad! That... It's a good point, I don't like pain either, but after some things I went through I don't think most pain is enough to stop me from something I really want now, in fact could you heal me a bit? I got my neck and back a bit hurt, i think my neck muscles have been damaged, my back will recover fine on its own tho, it's not bad there." He gasps and runs over to me,.checking my scales, but it's not exactly visible, the damage is under the scales.

He gently prods my neck where I got hit, I can't help but let out a small gasp.

"Y-yes there, it hurts if you touch it, I think my muscles are a bit torn up, can you heal it dad? Pretty please?" I ask in a pleading tone and give him the same look he gave me earlier, and my superior charm works excellently, as I am a master manipulator.

"Yes your neck is a bit swollen on that side, it looks like you may torn a few of the muscles there, but your neck still works, I'll heal you of course, I'm just trying to see what exactly is wrong so I can heal you completely and efficiently, using the knowledge that the goddess gave me." He gently nuzzled my damaged and tender neck and gave me a small kiss there, while his horn glowed white and he healed me quickly.

Onyx has regained +15 HP!

I let out a small happy sigh as I felt the pain fade and the tear on my muscles fixed.

"Thank you so much! Now can you do my back? And arm? I got that crate of food launched at me and my back got smashed by the table that I smashed into pieces over there." I explained pointed to the two halves of the wooden table right next to us.

He nodded and used his magic again, white light washing over my body and healing all the remaining damage, as dad whispered a quick prayer to his goddess.

"Ohhh, that feels wonderful~ all the soreness is gone! I feel ready to take on the world now! But really dad, thank you for that, and thank your goddess for her kindness to heal me as well, from what you told me she seems like a wonderful mare, maybe someday I'll meet her." I think out loud as I touch my body where I was hurt, stretch and flex my arm to check for any pain or damage left, and there is nothing.

"Oh buck! Wait I forgot, the food crate!" I exclaimed as I ran over and checked on the food, sadly there was problem, the glass water bottles inside the crate had exploded when it was launched at me, and a bunch of the food was covered in tiny glass shards, and soaked in water, no one likes soggy sandwiches, let alone ones with glass shards in them.

Sure I could eat glass, but I wasn't the only person here.

"Fucking wonderful, our food is ruined! our water and our food, sure I can eat it but you can't eat glass shards, Soo... We can only stay here a couple more hours at most, this is all I could save.
It seems we will have to cut our expedition a bit short." I was feeling a furious with this damn specters, almost all of our food went to waste, and if there was something I really hated, it was wasted food. I made sure to eat all the leftovers at home to keep old food from accumulating.

I took the only two bags of sandwiches that weren't soaked or had glass on them, the ones at the very top of the crate, only two of them, and i unwrapped them. Making sure there was no glass shards, the wrapping prevented that but I triple checked and handed one to dad, the vegetarian, and I held the one made with pork meat and gem sprinkled barbecue sauce.

"Oh, do you want to go back now? Or want to continue for a few more hours? I think your mom would want us to go back, but we have one more sandwich each, don't we?" He asked with a smirk.

"I want to get rid of those damn monsters, all of them! Im pretty sure this place is getting worse the longer the specters and ghosts remain, or maybe more appear from accumulated negative emotions, since those dont exactly stop coming and wont stop anytime soon."

"You mean that there will be more of this things or other things the next time we come here?! You're kidding right?" He asked in disbelief, but I explained to him why this was the case, I explained in detail what the dungeons were and why they would always get filled with more and more monsters the longest we went without clearing them, because the real world was actually the origin, this was just the symptom, and the only way to stop the symptom was to cure the disease that was the suffering of sapient creatures in the poorer and less happy nations of the world.

"So... That's why you wanted me to do this so badly huh? I... I see how son, you really have thought things ahead, well I'm glad you chose me for this, it's an objective I can agree on, too! But I need to look after my two foals, or the little pups as Sylf calls them, they're small bundles of joy and love." His smile was contagious as he spoke with so much passion and emotion of his son and daughter.

"How about when the foals are adults we go together? I mean... The three of us, I know it's a long time from now but we can plan and prepare, or we could make small escapades with just the two of us once i get my wings and learn how to fly, taking just a few days to a week and going to heal creatures from distant villages where they don't have any hospitals."

He gave the ideas some thought for a few minutes before answering me.
"When the foals are adults it's definitively a yes, I'd gladly go with you two! But that's still a long time from now, and about some small vacations... Well that's not a bad idea you know? Maybe I can take your offer, or I can go with Sylf and leave you to take care of the foals, would you do that last thing for us if we asked you? I mean not now, when the foals are older." I suppose it couldn't hurt to be left as the foalsitter, because they were my little brother and sister, so it would be really inconsiderate of me to not accept, I also found them super adorable, I hope they would stay adorable and not be too destructive once they were a bit older.

"Deal! You and mom going out to visit distant places would actually make my 'work' of clearing the dungeons much easier and less dangerous, at least when it comes to prevent monsters there from becoming stronger or growing in number even more, so yes, I'll watch the foals if that makes things easier for you." I answered, probably sealing my fate to foalsit for who knows how long every time my parents wanted time for themselves.

"Thank youuu! You have no idea how nice hearing that from you is! I haven't been able to get alone time with my wife very much since the little ones were born... Sure we sleep together but we get interrupted often sometimes by their cries." I nod in understanding, even I sometimes woke up from them.

"It's not easy being a parent I bet, now let's eat our sandwiches and go hunt the last things in this dungeon before we have to go back, because I know I want them gone and ASAP!" I said and started eating my sandwich, going back to the issue at hand, the damn ghosts, I had a bad feeling about them, I felt like getting rid of them wouldn't be as easy as before, there would be more of them coming, and I didn't know what they could do, but then an idea struck me.

"Yes sir! On it!" Coco started eating his last sandwich too, and we enjoyed it slowly, savoring every bite.

"Hey dad? Do you have a spell that will protect us from death? I read about it when you leveled up, am I right? I think its a good safety measure." I paused eating to ask him, and he finished chewing his food before answering me.

"Mm oh, yeah it's called Death Ward, it's pretty good actually! It stops any instant death effect from taking place, destroying the spell instead, and also this spell prevents an attack from Killing us instantly, leaving us at... One health point instead, is that right? Oh, I don't want to know how that would feel..." I saw him visibly shiver and go a bit pale.

"Yeah trust me, you really don't. I've been close and it's horribly painful, but with you on our side I think... We will not go through that again! Can you cast the spell on the both of us please? How long does it last for?" I answer him and also ask him a question at the same time.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear you suffered so much, I-ill do my best to prevent you to go through that again! And the spell lasts for 8 hours, I can cast it, but it's going to take a little while since it's the first time, please stay still, I'll cast it on you first." He touched his horn to my snout softly, and started to concentrate, his eyes closed as he probably brought up the spell matrix, he prepared the hardest spell he ever tried to use, and after a few minutes of waiting, his horn glowed a bright white and a wave of golden light washed over me, now tiny golden thread of light were floating around me in a circle at my midsection, as of it was an odd type of shield. -40 mp 142/182

"It worked! Yes! That's my first time using such a difficult spell~ I think I know what to do now, it's my own turn now, just wait a minute." He concentrated, but this time he took less than half the time, his horn then glowed again brightly and his aura covered him, forming the familiar golden threads around his midsection, like as if he was wearing dual rings of barely perceptible light. -40 mp 102/182

"For a first time you did it perfectly, she has really given you a wonderful power, I think I may start to believe too at this rate, thank you." After that we shared a smile and finished our food, now feeling more confident and ready, we may need to go house to house and clear them of any enemies, at this rate it was the only way to ensure no specters were left.

We walked out the door with me at the front and dad at the back, prepared to fight off anything that was hostile, his horn alight with a prepared spell and my active spell a beacon in the darkness.

The scent of death and decay hung heavy in the outside. It was much worse the closer to the edge of town we were.