Present Day: Equestria

'This is my world.' Seven thought as he stood in Haven's topmost observation platform. The grey earth pony took in a deep breath, listening to the wind blow throughout the castle.

The cloud fortress didn't look like a fortress was expected to, but that was the point. Nopony would be able to find them out here. Not unless they really tried, and most that came this far out into the ocean never made it back to report what they saw.

'This is my world. And it does not belong to me.' Seven thought before turning and facing his bodyguard. "The month’s reports, Shyv. Please." Seven commanded of his bodyguard.

"Of course, my Lord." She said, reflexively curtseying.

"You don't have to do that, old friend." He spoke in what Shyv recognized as his gentle-but-firm tone. The tone she had been used to hearing for most of her life. "Please, you can call me by first name. I am no Lord. I am simply... me."

"Of course, my Lord." Shyv repeated once again before she could catch herself.

Seven sighed. "Just get the reports Shyvanna." She nodded, this time keeping her mouth shut as she hurried back inside the fortress to garner the Eyes' reports.

'I suppose it's in her nature...' Seven thought to himself. 'The dragon half of her brain is telling her to be submissive to the alpha, use titles. It's only natural for them. The pony half is probably the only reason she can talk normally with me...'

His thoughts were interrupted when his bodyguard returned with loud hoofsteps. "I have the reports, sir." She said.

Seven cracked a smile. "Anything good?"

"I wouldn't know sir. I haven't looked." Seven's smile faded a bit, but he didn't say anything. He simply nodded and reached out with the Flow.

‘Such curious power, the Flow. The only thing close to it being unicorn magic.’ Seven thought. With it, he was able to command raw energy. An extension of his will, but much more potent than that. He thought of what to do, and the Flow gave him the means to accomplish it.

The saddlebag carrying an assortment of thick scrolls was surrounded in his red aura, unbuttoning itself. He lifted one of the thick rolls of parchment out of the bag, levitating it out in front of him and unrolling it so he could read it.

"Our good friends Celestia and Luna..." Seven said as he scanned the paper. "Seems they're doing well for themselves... thought there would be more tension between them, considering it has only been a few years since her return... not to mention Celestia hiding Luna from her 'illegitimate' foals... 'Depressive episodes'? Bah. No need to do anything at the moment." Seven smirked and threw the parchment off the balcony, where it gently danced in the windy air before bursting into flames, wind scattering its ashes through the land below. He levitated another scroll out of the satchel, unrolling it like the other.

"Miss Twilight Sparkle." He read through the paper for a few seconds before chuckling. "Or should I say, Miss Shadow. Or Miss Shadow Sparkle? I wonder if she would take his name or replace hers with his or whatever..." He continued to read. "Things seem to be going well with those two. Hay, she's even getting out more 'cause of him. Maybe now she'll remember to eat before she gets lost in her stu-" He stopped for a moment, rereading the text just to make sure. "My, my, Miss Sparkle. That’s not something you would want to keep to yourself... If I wasn't reading it I wouldn't think it was possible, knowing what you don't." He chuckled again. "Ah. Young love. So right, and yet so blind."

Instead of igniting the scroll, Seven put it aside. "Maybe we could do something to help her out. But only if nothing more important pops up." He turned to his bodyguard, levitating the saddlebag off of her. "Shyv, you can leave. You don't need to stick around and listen to me think out loud." He said, wearing his usual mad grin.

"Uh... I don't really have anything better to do... sir."  She said, with a slight hesitation.

Seven chuckled. "Alright, but you need to get a hobby." He paused before adding. "Other than keeping me in line, of course..." Seven had already begun reading the next report, but he could feel Shyv's smile creasing her face.

"Ah, my favorite little Nightmare, 'Nightmare Shade'! Oh how I love that the Eyes think they should write their full names. We're the only ones who know them, why bother with using names they don't acknowledge?" He said. "What has she been up to, I wonder?" He said, quickly glancing through the text. "For the most part, learning to be an adult. I was worried that things wouldn't work right, being a filly in a mare's body and all... been spending a lot of time at the apple orchard recently." He read on for a bit before bursting out laughing. "Wish I was there! Good thing that Eye wrote down a transcript.” He turned to face Shyv. “Which one do we have on Shade at the moment?"

"I believe it is Swift." Shyv said after a brief period of thought.

"Remind me to think of something to thank him with later. Listen to this!” Seven stopped and coughed in a theatrical way. “'Yew fancy unicorns wouldn't know a good days work if it fell on ya’!'" He said, mimicking Applejack's accent poorly. "'Watch this!' And of course she kicks the damn tree, all the apples fall down, yadda yadda yadda... Then Shade gets mad and kicks the tree next to it. That tree and all the trees in that row of the orchard fall over! The noise could have been heard for miles!" Seven said, stifling his laughter. Shyv didn't say anything, but secretly wondered if it would have been funnier to see it rather than hear about it.

"Seems she's stuck working for them to pay it all back. Shouldn't be too long considering she can just levitate all the apples down, though she might want to be a bit more careful about showing her... physical strength off like that. " He pushed forth to the end of the report. Something written near it caught his eye. "Interesting... but nothing important. Yet. At least the big lug knows what he's getting into." Once again, the scroll burst into flames and withered away.

"Y'know, Shyv, maybe you oughtta find a colt." He said, reverting to his usual playful tone. Shyvanna did her best to hide a slight blush. "After all, it might help you relieve some of that stress. It'd give you something to do on your off time other then read those damned-"

"Sir? There are two more left." She said, eager to sway the subject away from her personal life. Seven laughed and levitated the next scroll in front of him.

"I have a feeling I know who's next. Drum-roll please!" He said, making a game out of the scrolls that contained reports on the most important ponies in all of Equestria. He unfurled the next one. "And I was right! Miss Vinyl Scratch! Or DJ Pon3. Whichever you prefer... making enough money to live off of and more I see. Good, good..."

Shyvanna cleared her throat to catch his attention. "Some of the others are beginning to question why you are... uh... in their own words 'Wasting your time' watching over that mare." Seven froze. Shyv could see the difference in his demeanor, prompting herself to try to remedy her own words. "They are starting to circulate rumors-"

"My anger is not directed towards you, my friend..." He said, his tone darkening suddenly. "But please do put out word that if anypony speaks ill of her, or any I have chosen to watch over for that matter, I will deal with them personally. Understood?"

She managed to keep herself from swallowing out of nervousness and fear. "I understand, my Lor- friend."

Seven let himself smile. "I guess I should just move onto the last one. Make sure you keep Lucifer near her at all times. You know the drill."

"Understood, sir."

"And of course, the only pony left on the list... Nightmare Shadow. Again with the full names. Pfft." He read through. "Doing better, but needs to work towards acting like a normal pony... Seems happy with the way things are going with himself and that little marefriend of his. 'Reluctant to tell her his secret'..." Seven redirected his gaze towards the clouds, smiling.

"Y'know how I love to mess with other ponies’ affairs, Shyv. I know for a fact that he'd never tell a soul what he really looks like if he had the chance... I think it's time to meddle." He said, a wicked grin creasing his face.

'A chance to kill a few birds with one stone. Can't pass that up.'

"Nothing like a little stress in their lives. After all, stress make's secrets easier to tell..."

Shyv nodded. "I'll be ready wherever you need me. Just tell me when, sir."

"Good." Seven replied. "There is one matter though... a more personal one. I may be getting paranoid, but I have reason to believe that the Elements of Harmony are no longer safe in the Canterlotian palace."

"You want me to contact the princesses?" Shyv asked in a concerned tone.

"No. You know where they are hidden? I want you to find them and bring them back here. I trust you and specifically you with this task, as there are no others I feel I could ever trust. We will figure out what to do with them once we have them."

Shyv nodded, eager to take on such a difficult task... and proud that she was the only one Seven would trust to carry it out.

"You are dismissed then. Please, do take a break and relax a bit, hmm?" She didn't hear him as she trotted back inside the fortress.

Seven sighed. He was alone. Truly alone.

"I still remember when she was little..." He thought aloud. "So much sadder... but so much happier too. I don't know... sometimes I wish I could turn back the clock..." He chuckled a bit at the thought. "I guess I could if I wanted to. But time has to keep moving on. It's the rules."

Seven often wondered if he would ever let her out of her contract, the small piece of parchment that kept her with him for hundreds of thousands of years. He wondered if she would like that.

He wondered if he could do it. Cut ties with the only true friend he had ever known. She had changed, yes, but who wouldn't change after so long?

Seven wondered if he had changed. If, maybe, this world had changed him.

Hundreds of thousands of years earlier:

She had been galloping for a long time now. She galloped harder than she ever had during her relatively short existence. Her lungs ached and her muscles burned, begging her to stop, but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She knew that they had killed her father because of her, and now it would be her turn. She couldn’t see or hear anything; her legs moving in a seemingly automatic way. But she knew that they were after her. She knew she was being hunted.

She felt her legs give up as the ground sped dangerously fast against her face. She couldn't keep running anymore. The adrenaline still burned inside of her, but her body vehemently refused every command the brain sent. She panted and huffed, eying the canopy with fear, keeping one eye on the sky just in case. The yellow slits scanned the area quickly. She felt safe... for now.

She looked around, trying to see where exactly she was, but trees and mountain peaks were the only things visible. She took her time and tried to calculate how much exactly had she run, but a dark shape loomed overhead. ‘They found me again!’ She let out a ragged yell and got up on her legs, much to their dismay. She dared a look back and panicked when she saw that the shape was much closer. It seemed to be diving for her. She knew that she couldn't outrun it, it was far too fast. She had to find a place to hide.

Her eyes shot up when a very small opening in a rocky mountain came into view. ‘There!’ It might be cold, but she hoped that the opening were small enough for them not to fit inside. ‘Maybe I’ll be safe!’ She thought and pushed her already sore muscles forward.

She turned sharply and galloped towards the cave, panting and groaning all the way there. She began to feel her legs give way, but managed to hold on long enough that when she did finally tumble, she rolled directly into the dark maw of the cavern. She looked up and met the eyes of the one she had tried so desperately to escape, except they were dangerously closer. She let out a terrified scream as the creature seized her in his claw; the talons lightly cutting through her skin. At that moment she knew that she was going to die there.

"Foolish little half-ling..." The creature snorted and small fires escaped its nostrils. She felt hot tears stream from her eyes as its grip became tighter and tighter. Less than two and already going to die. She didn't even have a name.

Seven gasped as he awoke from his unconscious state. "Okay... lungs... are working... that's... a good sign." He thought aloud, moving his hooves around his body to check for everything. His first few breaths were painful wheezes that quickly settled into the natural rhythm of breathing.

He hesitated before opening his eyes and was immediately blinded by sudden exposure to light. "Ow." He said as his eyes slammed shut again, a hoof covering both. He tried one more time, but slowly, to make sure that they acclimated to the bright light, which he now realized wasn't so bright, appropriately.

He suddenly realized how uncomfortable a position he was in, laying down on his back with his legs to his sides. He slowly rolled over onto his stomach and stood up on all fours. A quick look at his surroundings told him he was in a mountain valley. "Okay. Everything seems to be fine." He spotted a small pool of water, likely from a stream formed by the melting snow from the nearby mountains. "Let's see what we have here..."

He trotted over to the pool and studied his reflection. He was a grey earth pony with no mane, no tail, and bright red orbs for eyes. A suit covered where his cutie mark wasn't.

"Well... that might be a bit hard to explain." He looked back towards his flank. "I guess I can say that something ate my tail. The eyes... aren't so bad."

He frowned and stared back towards his reflection. "The lack of a mane, though..." A lightbulb went off in his head. He focused and soon enough, a red aura began to surround him. With a loud cracking noise, a top hat popped into existence from seemingly nothing. It landed on his head softly and he looked at his reflection once more, this time with a smile.

"Perfect!" He exclaimed.

He frowned at a sudden pain in his head, accompanied by a far too familiar feeling of weakness. "Great. This early on."

He looked up at the sky and grimaced at what he saw, the moon and the sun were eclipsed. The sky had a purple tinge to it. "Not quite as bright as I thought... that's right... not enough light for plants. Not enough for me." He looked through the forest, spotting a healthy looking tree among some that had started decaying. "That'll do, I guess."

Seven sighed as he walked up to the tree and reached out with the Flow again. As it touched the tree, its leaves began to wilt. He breathed in deeply. Suddenly, the tree withered and blackened as its life was literally ripped from it. It fell over, the shriveled remains of its trunk barely making a sound as it hit the ground. He whispered a silent apology to the unfortunate plant as he poked his hoof through a pocket on the suit. A blue gem levitated itself out of the pocket, glowing.

"Seven. Glad to see you made it alright." The voice emanating from the gem said in a feminine voice; one he recognized immediately. It sounded ethereal over the connection, but it was clear enough for him to tell who it was.

"Nice to hear from you too, Six. Mind telling me where they dropped me off?"

"One moment, brother." He smirked as various shuffling noises came from the crystal. "It seems you’re in dragon territory... just a few miles off from the Equestrian border."

Seven frowned. "I thought he was in Equestria... Why'd they put me here of all places?"

"I have no clue. The others wouldn't tell me anything. In any case, head west and you should reach the border by nightfa-" A loud roar echoed throughout the mountain valley, and was soon accompanied by a startled yelp.

Seven looked towards the source: A cave going into a nearby mountain. "I know that look. Brother don't-"

"I'll send word later, Six." He tapped the seer crystal with his hoof, cutting the connection before his sister could respond. Seven turned back to the cave and galloped towards it.

"I'll never understand what drove him to create... you." The elder dragon said in a disgusted way as he turned the filly over in his hand. She had her hooves over her eyes, frightfully waiting for the end. Her leathery wings were furled on the sides of her body, but were shaking with the rest of her. "But, I suppose you would have to be quite mad to violate such laws in our lands. Pity that. Your father was always one of the smarter ones." The grip on his claw became tighter, but another's voice caused him to pause.

"What has she done to deserve your wrath?" The voice spoken in his tongue boomed in the air, resonating against the cave’s walls. The dragon turned to meet the voice, expecting one of its kin, but instead met the unnaturally red eyes of a grey earth pony.

The dragon snorted in contempt. "I would simply kill you, but I am in a generous mood today, equine." The dragon said in perfect Equestrian. "Leave this place and I will not consume you... although I cannot say the same for the rest of my flight." It grinned at him. Seven had learned much about the inhabitants of this world before coming here. The dragon was at least a thousand times his size, extremely old, powerful, and knew it.  It felt superior because it looked superior to everypony else. Everypony else except the stallion standing in the room with him.

"I shall not leave until you answer my question, drake." Seven spat back at him defiantly.

It simply shook its head. "If you must know, earthbound, this... hybrid was born from my flight. I am simply removing a weak link in the chain. An abomination to us both. Now, be gone!" The dragon roared and flapped his wings fiercely, creating a strong current that pushed against Seven. But he held his ground.

"You have renounced her from your clan?" The pony asked incredulously. The dragon glared at him. It's usually much shorter patience with equines was wearing thin.

"Yes, yes she is not considered of my kin, now be gone!" He looked back down to his hand, only to find the filly had vanished.

"Then I am claiming her as one of my own." The dragon looked towards the pony and found the filly cowering on the ground next to it, hooves still over her eyes, completely oblivious as to what was going on around her. "And according to the laws you helped to write, any attempt on her life is considered a direct insult to me."

The dragon chuckled. "You prove that you are well learned, earthbound, but are hopelessly naïve. Kindness will not get you far here. But since you are so eager to die for a stranger..." He inhaled deeply, and then exhaled sharply. A plum of fire erupted from the dragon's maw, enveloping the unfortunate earth pony. The dragon breathed in again, causing the fires to cease. He waited for the steamy clouds to dissipate, expecting to see the pony's charred corpse. He was surprised when he saw nothing.

"I don't think you understand, and for your arrogance your life is forfeit." The dragon felt a sharp pain in his side. He tried to turn his head to see the source of his pain, but found his neck and head unwilling to move. He felt the pain in his side go numb for a second before spreading to his whole body all at once in a single wave of agony, causing the once mighty dragon to cry out as he was flung across the cavern. The dragon caught a glimpse of what looked like red tinted lightning before hitting the wall with enough force to cause the cave to collapse around him.

Now outside of the cave, Seven lifted the pony off of his back and onto the ground gently.

"A hybrid... how interesting." He quickly scanned her features. 'Yellow dragon eyes, pale blue coat, red mane, leather wings. Just a normal, dragon-pony half-ling.'

He hadn't considered why he had saved the poor filly. There was no point in helping her, as it only prolonged the short life she would live as she was hunted down by dragons like the one he had left buried under the rubble of the cave.

And yet...

Like others of his kind, he could see things in others. Potential energy. They all simply guessed it was part of being a living battery. Like how they can use The Flow. When he looked at the little half-ling sleeping peacefully on the ground he saw... something.

'Potential?'

"I think I'm going to be glad I ran into you, little filly." He said aloud. To his surprise, the little pony jolted awake. She looked at the strange earth pony with a mixture of fear and wonderment.

"Hello, little one." He said, smiling. "I think we are going to be good friends, you and I."