The Prankster

The Unexpected Guest

Disclaimer: This is a commission for c1lop, who owns the characters of Vio and Dion. The character of Melthurian, as well as the setting of Briarwood and all associated names and concepts, are owned by King Mel; the character of Law by Lawaow; the character of Ars by Ars Machina; the characters of Kyurian and Gheras by SpectralKyurem; and the character of Deminos by DeminosSkullwolf. Please check out the works and socials of all these people!

This is a direct sequel to "The Battle." While not strictly necessary to follow the plot, it is recommended to read that first for full context.

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It was a quiet afternoon. The house was almost silent, save for the low flickering of a fireplace in the living room, its soft glow and warmth filling the space. Across from it, on a plush couch, a small dragonborn was curled up in a blanket, his yellow eyes staring into the flames. He let out a melancholy sigh.

It had been an... eventful day. Dion had set out that morning to visit his friend Mel, intending just to spend the day together. But one thing had led to another, and the two of them had ended up dueling, Mel's fortress had suffered some extensive damage, and in the course of trying to help fix it, Dion had been struck in the head with a rock. Multiversal carnage had ensued from there, and it had taken the efforts of six of his friends to finally put everything right.

He pulled the blanket tighter around himself, feeling his throat tighten. His friends had assured him repeatedly that they didn't blame him in the slightest, that they were just happy to see him alive and well, and for this he was impossibly grateful... but just because they didn't think he was guilty didn't mean he agreed, and this was weighing on him heavily.

He might have felt better if his partner had been home- Deminos had a way of being able to cheer him up from most anything, and if nothing else it would've been a comfort to see him after the ordeal. But unfortunately he'd come back to an empty house and a note saying that his partner had gone out himself, which meant Dion had to content himself sitting alone.

He sighed heavily. He needed a distraction... "Do we have batter mix in the pantry...?" he wondered aloud. He hadn't done any baking in a while, and that'd be a nice way to keep himself busy-

Without warning, the fireplace extinguished, plunging the room into darkness.

Dion jumped, blinking into the sudden darkness. "Wha...?" He stared into the fireplace, frowning, and spoke an ignition spell. The flames roared back to life- for about four seconds, before abruptly going out again. "Okay," Dion sighed, standing up and looking around the room. "What are you, and what do I need to do for you to stop putting out my fire?"

Whatever the culprit was, it gave no answer, verbal or otherwise.

The dragonborn closed his eyes. "Okay..." He started chanting a detection spell- then felt something strike the back of his head hard enough to sting and break his concentration. "OW!" He whirled around, rubbing the pained area and looking around for what had struck him- and soon found what looked like a pebble on the ground. He quickly picked it up and examined it, deeply confused-

-only for the fire behind him to roar back to life, making him jump again and whirl around to face it. "Okay, come on!" he cried- then yelped in surprise as he felt himself lifted and carried into the air, without anyone or anything seeming to grab him. Alarmed, he flapped his ethereal wings- but they flared harmlessly out, changing nothing.

Then he felt himself pelted on all sides by more tiny rocks.

Dion growled with genuine frustration. "CUT IT OUT!"

"Awwww, but where's the fun in that?!"

Dion blinked, his eyes widening, then he scowled. "Seriously, Vio, this isn't a good time!" He craned his neck to look somewhat behind him- specifically, at his shadow, cast on the wall by the fireplace.

Or, more accurately, at the creature holding his shadow. They looked pretty much like a large fox, with two immediate differences. The first were the eyes, which were solid bright pink; the second was its color, or rather colors plural, for its body looked more like a night sky filled with stars and constellations, washed over by a multicolored aurora-like effect.

Below the pink eyes, a vulpine mouth smirked mischievously. "There's never a 'good' time for pranks, Dion, that's what makes them pranks!"

The dragonborn rolled his eyes. "Granted, but I'm really not in the mood today!"

Vio frowned, releasing his hold on the other's shadow. No longer held in place, Dion fell to the floor with a yelp. The cosmic fox then leapt into the air, shrinking as he did to a tiny size barely larger than a tv remote, and landing solidly on the top of Dion's head, where he promptly curled up and laid down.

Dion felt the tiny mass laying on his head and stared straight ahead with an unamused expression. "You're gonna pull this now?"

Vio stretched. "Hey, you're in a mood, and this always cheers you up!"

Dion sighed. "Not today, buddy, not today..." He reached up and gingerly grabbed the fox, who let out a tiny surprised squeak, then brought him down to eye level. "Look, Vio, today... it wasn't good. I really can't appreciate a good prank right now."

Vio's small ears flattened, his eyes turning sad. "Awwww... What happened?"

Dion shook his head. "I... don't really wanna talk about it. I went to visit Mel in Briarwood, and... there were some problems. I... kinda need to be alone for a bit."

Vio blinked slowly. "...O...kay, I guess. ...You sure I can't help?"

"I appreciate it," Dion told him, petting his head. "But nah, I just need some time. You can find someone else to hang out with, can't you?"

Vio tilted his head slightly, looking off at a corner as he thought. "Y'know... you did just give me an idea..." He looked at the dragonborn again. "Alright, Dion, seeya later I guess. Feel better, okay?"

"I hope so," the dragonborn sighed.

Vio tucked his head into his stomach- and then his whole body started to swirl. Dion quickly let go, just in time for the fox to suck into his own body, implode to a single point, then vanish.

Dion stared at where he'd been for a second, then looked down at the small rocks all over the floor. "Why does he always make a mess...?" He raised his hand, chanting, and all of the scattered bits of rock shot up and gathered in his palm, concreting into a single lumpy mass, which he then carried to a window. He spoke another quick spell, and the window opened- and there was an immediate sound of howling winds as the air in the room was rapidly sucked out. He quickly tossed out the rock, before speaking another spell to seal the window and refill the air supply.

The rock, meanwhile, flew out in a straight, unbroken line, encountering almost no resistance as it hurtled away from the house and into the vacuum of space, joining the field of debris that surrounded the large asteroid the house was sitting on and the bridge connecting it to Dion's far away castle.

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