Chronicles of The Edge: A Return to War

"Ah'm tellin' ya, he can pick up trees right outta the ground, he don't even need to cut 'em." A small filly was busy telling her friends all about the Drake that was staying at their family farm, her yellow hooves flying this way and that way, her red bow flopping up and down with every exaggerated motion.

"That sounds real neat Applebloom, but how do we know he's even real?" The reply came from another filly, she had a white coat and a well cared for purple and pink mane.

"Because Applejack asked him to try and help us get our cutie marks, he's gonna meet us here." Applebloom seemed really happy, she and her friends had tried hard the last few years to get their cutie marks. She turned to her other friend and asked, "Don't ya think that will be fun Scootaloo?"

The third filly just stood there, running an orange hoof through her short purple mane. "I don't know, he sounds cool but why didn't we just ask Rainbow Dash, I'm sure she could do all of that." She really was certain, standing there with a grin of satisfaction, she didn't even notice Bo standing behind her. He stood there for a moment, his blond hair rustling just below his sholders in the breeze, his eyes a bottomless blue. He was tall, about seven foot three, he smiled knowing what he was about to do was going to be hilarious, he held a single finger over his lips to keep the other two quiet as he leaned down close to Scootaloo. He took a deep breath and connected with his dragon side before releasing a thundering roar that shook the ground beneath him. Bo stood up laughing as Scootaloo looked out from behind Applebloom.

"Just as cool as Rainbow Dash huh," he struggled to suppress the laughter he felt inside, "I guess I have to start somewhere."

It had been a month since The Edge which marked Bo's arrival in Equestria, it was far better than Earth as far as he was concerned. All the humans ever used him for was war, and Bo just didn't like to fight and kill. These days he had a schedule he stuck to well; every morning he woke up first to work out, after that he had his morning chores, then he would go out to the Everfree Forest to meditate and practice his magic, The Edge was on it's way back and he wanted to be prepared for it. For the most part he only knew Runes, and he was good at using them, the chain of attacks would light up his body like a thunderstorm, each Rune pronouncing itself as it was used. He knew a couple of Glyphs , Divinum Lucem and Flammis Aeternam Dolor, he even knew how to combat a couple different styles, Musiikki and Bekjempe, but he just didn't have a knowledge of most types of magic.

"So, if I understand correctly cutie marks are like a symbol of what you're really good at, right? So let's see, Sweetie Belle, you're a unicorn how is your magic?"

"Hey why does she get to go first?" Scootaloo stomped her hoof demanding an answer.

"It's actually quite simple, if strengthening her magic abilities is all she needs, I know how to do that. It's going to take a little more time to figure out how to help you and Applebloom." Bo looked up at the sky, he studied the sun trying to figure out the time. "Ah shi....." he stopped mid sentence, realizing he was about to make a bad impression on the three fillies, "ah shoot." He looked around nervously hoping nobody realized his near slip.

"Wha's wrong Bo?" Applebloom looked at him a little worried.

"It's nothing major, Sweetie come over to the farm with Applebloom after school tomorrow and we'll get started. I promised Mac I'd meet him at the market so I gotta go." Bo turned and went into a full sprint, literally leaving the fillies in a thick cloud of dust.

"Told ya he was cool." Applebloom's statement spoke for itself as the three tried to breath in the cloud of dirt.

There wasn't much talk around the table at dinner, it was Bo's turn to cook so everypony was busy eating their fill before it was gone, except Bo. He just kept staring out the window into the expanse of open sky, he wanted to go out there and fly away from everything, he knew Lohikäärmeen Siivet could carry him far despite being made of pure light, but he couldn't leave, not now, not with the edge approaching again. He hadn't told anyone, he didn't know what was coming through the gateway and he didn't want anyone to be afraid. Eventually the fear started to show in his eyes, the whole family started to notice it, but Applejack assured them that everything was alright, that he was just a bit exausted from all the extra work he'd been doing lately. It wasn't until she noticed him in the same state before they went to bed that she even thought about asking if everything was alright.

"Bo, ya seem a bit distant here lately, is there somethin' ya wanna talk about?"

Bo thought for a moment, "I guess," Bo knew how it was going to sound to Applejack, and he didn't want to hurt the mare he had fallen in love with. "I haven't been honest."

"What are ya talkin' about sugarcube, ya told me everything, even about that day ya didn't want to talk about with princess Celestia. What could ya have possibly lied to me about?" Applejack seemed a bit worried, she stepped a little closer to Bo, the thought that Bo had lied about something made her a little upset and tears started to form in her eyes.

"Everyday after my chores I've been going out to the Everfree forest. I've been working out, meditating, and 'interacting' with the timber wolves. I've just been so afraid that you wouldn't approve of the way I've been spending the time. It started with that nightmare, the demons were Drakes, I was being attacked by them. I couldn't hold them off, but just when I was ready to give up fighting I was saved by an Alicorn, his coat was black as the night sky and he had a Drake's Brood Marks that were white as snow."

"Bo tha's nothin' to be worried about, ya had me thinkin' ya were seein' somepony elses." the southern mare's eyes showed a massive relief in her mood.

"That's not the end of it. The way I've been interacting with the timber wolves is," he lowered his head in shame, he didn't want to admit to what he had been doing, "I've been fighting them, I wait for them to attack and then I fight them, I know they get back up eventually, it's the only reason I do it."

Applejack stared at Bo for a moment, the relief she had felt slowly faded. Since arriving in Equestria Bo had maintained his disapproval of violence, but now he was telling her that he was doing something he hated. "Why? Ya always tell the Applebloom that fightin' ain't the answer, that there's always another solution. Why would ya say that and go do the opposite?" Applejack was more confused then angry.

"I know it doesn't seem like the best choice, but it's the only choice right now. The humans are coming, they know I didn't die in the arctic, they're coming to finish the job, and I'm not going peacefully."

No, sugarcube that can't be right. It's like ya say, violence ain't the answer ya gotta find another way! Maybe ya could try-"

"There isn't another way," Bo interupted her, walking slowly towards the window, "it's in the way Drakes are made. Have I told you that story, about my creation?" He looked at Applejack, waiting for her response.

"Well, Ah imagine it starts when a dragon notices a human an' the two git to know each other really well, and then it's just like everything else."

"It isn't that simple. How it works is the humans find a host for the Drake, typically a soldier, then they take a dragon, only warlords and kings will suffice for this part, then they extract the DNA from the dragon, the process kills them but the humans see it as acceptable. They modify the genetics before placing them in the host egg, makes the result bigger, stronger, faster, and more violent. Then they raise it like any other child, when the Drake becomes a technical adult they send them into war. The humans negotiate only when their Drakes can't do the job, and it's millions of them, versus one of me. The Drakes won't negotiate, all they're going to do is kill anything that moves unless I can stop them."

"Then get outta mah house! Ah thought that I could trust ya, but if all Drakes are made the same way then yer no different then the ones the humans are gonna send."

"Look, I don't like it, I just have to do it. I have heard the story about the last time a Drake was loose in Equestria, and if I have the power to stop that I will." Bo stood tall, trying to look like a hero.

"So ya have to be our hero 'cause ya had a bad dream? What that sounds like is that yer no better than that brother of yers!"

Bo took a step back, Applejack's remark caused Bo to feel a sharp pain, as if his honor was a part of his body. "I am not...I never will be..." the words he wanted to say just wouldn't come out "I am nothing like that monster!"

"Tha's not the way Ah see it." The heartbroken mare turned her back to Bo to hide the tears that ran down her face. "Jus' leave, Ah don't want nothin' more to do with ya, Ah don't wanna see ya, talk to ya, nothin'."

Bo could smell the saline in the southern mare's tears, he knew he had hurt the one pony who had shown him the most kindness, and the only one who had ever truly loved him. Slowly he raised his arm to cast a rune, before he left he issued a mock apology, "I'm sorry that what I am, and what I am forced to be, isn't good enough for you. Kuljettaa!" Bo suddenly changed into a beam of bright light which shot out the window towards Ponyville. Applejack stood there, crying over the love she had tenderly kindled, a flame which was now void.

The beam of light slowed down as it approached the center of town before it finally stopped and deposited Bo on the ground. He had nowhere to go now, he began to seek shelter in the dark night when a familier voice called out to him.

"Bo what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the farm with Applejack?" The voice was soft, kind, and gentle. Bo quickly turned around to see that it was Fluttershy addressing him. The shy yellow pegasus was standing outside the Library, talking to Twilight. "Is everything okay?"

Bo lowered his head, "Not exactly, we had a bit of a fight and she kicked me out."

"Oh, that's terrible." Fluttershy had gotten used to Bo, she saw him as a friend and was actually a little hurt to hear about the problems he had with Applejack. Fluttershy said good night to Twilight and walked over to Bo. "You know I have some a spare bedroom in my cottage, I just finished cleaning it out. You should come stay the night with me." Fluttershy tried her hardest to avoid cracking under the pressure, even after the time he spent with Applejack she still liked Bo, to be honest she was even a little jealous of how happy the two were together.

"I appreciate it Fluttershy, really I do, but I don't think it's a good idea. What happened between me and Applejack," Bo wanted to tell her, he did, but at the same he didn't want to scare her, "I just don't want to chance losing another friend."

"Well I guess I understand, but I'm not taking no for an answer. You need a place to stay, and that place is my extra bedroom." Before Bo could issue an argument he felt the shy mare behind him, pushing him towards her cottage. "It's just one night, tomorrow you can figure something out if you want but right now it's too late."

Bo thought to himself as he started to walk on his own, allowing Fluttershy to lead the way. 'Tomorrow I might not be alive. Besides it looks like I didn't have a choice in this to begin with.

The bed was comfortable, Fluttershy peaked her head in one last time to check on Bo before stepping down the hall to her own room for the night. Bo slowly faded off to sleep, letting the long day fuel his desire for rest.

"Poor poor Bo, trying so hard to run away from your destiny, only to find yourself closer than ever. Destiny is hard to flee Bo, it'll hunt you down somewhere along the way."