Ancestral Cycle #1: Freedom

The clean-up was harder than the battle itself. Bodies littered the landscape, and many holes from magic blasts made it harder to pile the bodies up onto the wagons and get them moving. As for the enemy, they dragged all of the bodies to one of the charred pits and burned them. “No glory for the enemy,” Reap Horn had said. While they all cleaned up, Iricah had used her wing to get Song to the nearest wagon back. The Keeper and Winter decided to tag along, just to watch him and take care of important business-Chrysalis came along to see the castle. The medic in the wagon patched up Song’s chest, wrapping white gauze around his chest to keep the bones from breaking, and the ointment that was applied to him was to help heal his bones.

"Now that the war is finally over and we have a righteous ruler among us," Keeper began, looking at Song. "What shall we do first? Everyone in the wagon looked at him for a response.

He honestly had no idea how to lead-much less lead a kingdom that was very diverse. Suddenly, Sunstar came back into his head. Mind if I help? She asked.

No problem, Song replied.

We need to rebuild the kingdom. I'll start with that, and you can go on from there. Sunstar said.

"Well, we should first inform Queen Twilight of the extraordinary news of our victory." Song began, and thought some more. "Then we sustain order. We tell the kingdom who the new king is, give all of the Infantries a town to patrol, and to revise the Laws and Orders." Song looked at The Keeper, who nodded. "Good. After that, we start rebuilding. We fix damaged buildings, and take down whatever forces are left. After we do that, we destroy the old castle and build a new one." All of them gawked at him.

"But sir!" Winter objected. "That might take forever!" Song looked sideways at Queen Chrysalis. Voidus had told Song about her intrusion on Canterlot castle, almost overthrowing the kingdom.

"My Queen," Song began, getting her attention. "I assume you are here for more than just sight-seeing?" She nodded and he said, "We need your changelings once more. If you help us rebuild my Kingdom, I promise you there are great things that will be in store for you from your friend, Sulvania."

"Thank you, my King." Chrysalis said, her raspy voice having a hint of thankfulness in it. "I will bring all of my changelings to make the progress quicken. What will you give in return?"

He slowly nodded his head. "Still thinking about that." He said. "It will involve love, though. So that's a plus." She purred with amusement. He turned his attention to The Keeper. "Did you get all of that?" She nodded and tapped her head.

"Sir," The medic spoke, and Song turned his attention to him. "I recommend that you do not do any lifting or physical abilities, besides walking, for a while. It may put strain on your rib cage, and break more than a few ribs." Song nodded, and they rode in silence for the rest of the way.

**

The next day, after taking care of informing Twilight and doing business across the land, Song now stood on a podium before a large mass of ponies and dragons. Behind him stood the old castle, standing strong as if wanting to scar everone's minds. The keeper helped him practice how to do speeches, but now he decided to improvise. He cleared his throat and began. "Creatures of many races, we are gathered here today to celebrate the victory of yesterday. Many have fallen for over a thousand years of endless bloodshed, and many have survived in fear of the future. We respect those males and females who died over the years, and those who did everything in their power to stop the tyranny of not just the enemy, but in their own kingdom as well." He sighed softly.

"I am aware of what my Ancestors' past sins have done to this land, but that will change. I am here to finish what Requiem has started: to turn Chaos, into Harmony!" The entire crowd erupted into a deafening roar of cheers.  When it died down, he continued. "Today is a new chapter in the story for this land! Today, we will begin to show the world who we are!" He threw his hoof to gesture the castle behind him. "And we will start by rebuilding Sulvania! We must take down this landmark of pain!" Every creature roared with excitement, and the soldiers began to blast away at the castle. Luckily, the crowd of creatures were really far back.

For the next hour and a half, the sounds of destruction echoed all across the land. Finally, the last piece of the castle was completely destroyed into nothing. Every creature cheered and celebrated and was merry. All that stood now was the throne in which the Dark Lord sat, and Song wanted to destroy it himself, but The Keeper wouldn't let him. Instead, she let Star Blaze destroy it-Dark was the one that also destroyed Star's entire town and murdered her whole family. She destroyed the throne with her fire breath, melting it to nothing.

And now, reconstruction began.

***

As the year turned into winter, everypony in the castle of Dragonvale noticed two things: The power of Song Tune, and how much fluffier his fur got. A lot of the mares found him adorable, but he was too much focused on running the new kingdom to care. He probably didn't have time to spend with mares.

Except Iricah.

There was something special about the mare, and Song knew it. She was a bit shy, but once he got to know her, she was a friendly mare. From what he had gathered, she had defaulted to their side when she found out the true ambition of Abhorren-who was the actual name of the dragon. Apparently he was a "Dark Lord" of the true Dark-which Twilight had said the name was Penumbra. Back to the point, Iricah was a different mare altogether.

During the winter, The Keeper had Song's royal attire ready, and even Voidus thought it would swipe mares off of their hooves. There was a white robe that would only cover the front half of his body. There was a royal purple cape that would cover all of his back and hang down his sides, and finally attached to the cape was a black fur collar.  Iricah had helped him get the attire on, and also helped The Keeper get the attire together. She had been more than help.

Then, a miracle happened. There is a special holiday similar to that of Equestria's Hearth's Warming-except it was called Caminus Vesper. On that day, the building of the castle was complete; like a present to the entire Kingdom. Every creature cheered and celebrated the entire night, and a great feast was held. The party was held for the next day as well, and gifts were given and received as every creature had never been happier in their lives. Two days after, all of the guard, soldiers, and builders began moving things into the castle and preparing it for Song Tune and his court.

As winter progressed, Song and the Keeper worked to get together the Royal Advisory: a place where he elected nobles to help him rule the large kingdom. After that, then came the peace treaty between the Changeling Kingdom and Sulvania. Song was informed about some kingdoms nearby that were in a large struggle, and went and met with the leaders. In one kingdom, it reminded Voidus of the Crystal Kingdom, full of Crystal ponies and dragons, the other was filled all sorts of rare creatures: Celestial Dragons, Rurin, a few Yuldion, Chimeras, and other various creatures that intrigued Song. Under his power, the two kingdoms joined the Kingdom of Sulvania, and the Province of Sulvania was created; Sulvania, the Changeling Empire, Dragonvale, Opulian(the Jewel Kingdom), and  Phantasma(Kingdom of the Estranged).

And all was well with the Kingdom.

***

"S-Sir...?" Song heard a voice as he was going through paperwork. He wore glasses(mainly because he found out his vision was bad when he needed to read) and was reading the information that the leaders of the kingdoms sent him. he looked over the brim of his glasses to see Iricah-without armor, strangely-standing at the doorway. She was leaning uneasily against the door frame, as if needing something bad.

"Yes, Iricah?"

That caught her off guard a bit. He always called her Lieutenant. "I-um...I need to tell you something..." A gurgling sound rumbled in her stomach. She slowly closed the door and approached him. "T-there's something you should probably know..."

Song set the papers down and took off his glasses. He raised an eyebrow, and said, "Continue."

She finally blurted out, "I'm a vampony."

There was a moment of silence, and he tilted his head in confusion. "Vampony? Like a bat pony?"

Iricah sighed. Of course, being from Equestria, he would never know what a vampony was. "No...vamponies are normal ponies who are...different..." She sat in the chair in front of his desk. "They are immortal, and from time to time they are in need of..." She licked her lips. "...blood."

"And, you're asking me if I can help you?"

She slowly nodded, and two fangs slid out of her mouth down to her chin. "I-I...I need some blood, if you don't mind..." She fidgeted, not knowing how he'd react.

Song unclipped his cloak and said, "Very well, if you need to feed, then you must do it." He moved the colaok away from his shoulder, and Iricah awkwardly got up and walked over behind him.

"S-Sorry if I hurt you. Just...just tap me when you need to, okay sir?"

He nodded and said, "You can stop calling me 'sir'. 'Song ' is just fine." She nodded and licked up the side of his neck, sending shivers down his spine She then rubbed her teeth along a tender part of his neck, making a slight moan escape his lips. She then swiftly bit into his neck, drawing amounts of sweet blood from him. She felt his muscle tense, and a slight cry of pain escaped his lips. She wrapped her hooves around him and bit deeper and drank more blood.

She finally brought her fangs out and they retracted back onto her mouth. She licked her lips and slightly bowed. "T-Thank you...Song..."

"No problem, Iricah. Anything for a friend." He smiled at her, and she blushed slightly.

"S-....Sir?" She asked, and Song,who had resumed to reading, nodded with acknowledgment. She took a deep breath, and suddenly asked, "You love me, don't you?"

There was total dead silence in the room. Song looked at her and set his glasses down again. He inhaled deeply, and after what seemed like an eternity, he nodded and said, "Yes...I have developed feelings for you, Iricah. At first it was a strange feeling, one that I had never known. But as time went on, I realized you were one of the very few ponies I felt.....comfortable." He put his hooves together and leaned forward on them slightly. "I like you, Iricah. You've been the most helpful pony around, besides The Keeper." He then sighed and looked at her.

"Wanna go on a date tonight?"

Iricah couldn't believe what she heard. She suddenly nodded and said, "Of course!" She smiled, and he smiled back.

"Now, I'd head back to your post before somepony or dragon gets suspicious." He smirked, and she began to leave. "Oh, and iricah," She turned around and he held up a letter. "Inform The Keeper that I need her right away. I am ready to send a letter to princess Celestia." Iricah nodded and  left the room. Song took his glasses off for a third time, reclined in his chair, and looked out of the window. He thought of the past four years, it seemed to happen all so quickly. He looked at the setting sun and smirked slightly.

I'll see you again, Celestia. Like i promised you.

The Keeper walked in when Song was getting ready for a date. "What are you doing?" She asked. "You look like you're going out."

"I am," He said, tightening his collar around his neck. He went over to the dresser where a few select colognes were. he picked one up and asked, "What cologne should I wear?"

The Keeper stared at him. "You're going on a date."

"Thank you, detective.

Slap!

Song couldn't resist laughing and The Keeper glared at him. "Fine. I'll help you this one time, sir."

"But I thought you are my adviser."

Slap!

Song laughed some more, holding his hooves up. She picked up a vial and sprayed some cologne on him. "Who's the lucky mare?" She asked as she fixed his messy collar. "Have you ever been on a date before?"

"No, I haven't." He said as he slipped into the amethyst horseshoes. "She's a sweet pegasus. Iricah."

The Keeper glanced at him. "Knew it. I thought there was a little something between the two of you." She began to comb his long mane. "Perhaps we should cut some of your mane and trim your coat. Its getting a bit long."

"How about  no?" Song smirked. ".........I'll think about it." After she got him ready, he nodded to her. "Thanks, Keeper. I feel a bit awkward, especially for a first date."

She smiled as she tightened the collar one more time. "It'll be fine. Just be who you really are, and she'll like you. Where are you two going?"

"Probably to the theater to see one of the plays." He flipped his mane out of his face. "Do you think she'll like me? I mean, more than just a friend?"

The Keeper smiled. "Song, stop being pessimistic and show a mare who you are." As he thanked her again and began to leave, The Keeper told him to wait. "You think I may have forgotten, but here we are." She brought a box and gave it to him. "Happy Early Birthday, Song."

He looked at the box. It was a decorative chest, much like the one that Celestia kept her royal wear in when she went to sleep or took a shower. The Keeper slid it over to him, and he slowly opened it. Inside laid what Song thought at first was a tiara. It had a golden base, and in the center of the front was a real amethyst. The gold wrapped around the amethyst like it was a stand. Song put it on his head, and The Keeper fixed the positioning for it.

"When Requiem created this Kingdom, he worked with Forge Igniteous the blacksmith to create this crown. He made it like this, mainly because he never knew whether there would be a dominant stallion leader or a dominant mare leader. He believed that whoever his descendant, whether mare or stallion, they have more authority than their spouse." She explained as she brushed his coat a bit. She patted his shoulders and smiled with sanctification. She then nudged him towards the door and said, "Go on, there's a mare out there who you need to fall in love with."

Thirty minutes later, Song was staring at what Iricah wore. She wore a lovely black dress, where there was an opening above the chest, and she had brushed her beautiful black and green mane. She obviously put on a little make-up, but not too much. In reality, she was beautiful. "Did my looks sweep you of your hooves?" She asked and winked playfully as she walked by. She slapped his side with her tail, making him jump a bit in surprise.

"Well, uh....." He looked for the right words. "You look beautifully stunning tonight." Damn. Shouldn't have said that.

Iricah giggled and said, "And you are wonderfully handsome as well~" She stood next to him, side-by-side. "Shall we be off?" She asked, looking at him.

He slowly nodded. "Yeah. I've got us a renovation at a theater dinner."

She walked closely to his side, her wing wrapped around him. "Ooh, nice~" She giggled and winked at him. "You're such a stallion."

Song chuckled nervously as they walked together along Mane Street to the dinner theater. "It's uh....I've never been on a date before..." He blushed and looked away embarrassingly. Iricah laughed and bumped her hip against his.

They finally reached the theater, and paid the stallion at the front the tickets. They went in and took a seat, and a voice from the stage said, "Thirty minutes until the theater production 'Ancestral Tales' starts." There were a few other ponies and even a couple of a dragons.

"Song?" Iricah asked, and he looked at her. "Why are we here so early? Shouldn't we have waited until it was closer to the time?"

Song and Iricah were sitting so close that they were touching. He looked down at her(he was taller) and said, "Well, I wanna get to know you more." He smirked, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

She purred softly and asked, "What do you want to know about me?"

Song grinned and said, "What kind of mare are you?"

"What?"

"What kind of mare are you?" He repeated, asking her.

She was silent for a long time, then finally spoke. "Well, I am a lovely mare, as you know. Very fun in many cases. An excellent fighter, and a beautiful spell-caster." She bit her lip, wondering what he was prying at. He smiled, and this time she asked, "What kind of stallion are you?"

Song came close to her and said, "One that can love a broken heart~" He kissed her cheek, telling that she was sad deep down. She looked up into his golden eyes, and saw something she hadn't seen in a long, long time; kindness, hope, friendliness, generosity, and most of all: love. She saw love in his eyes. He was definitely falling for the mare.

"S-Song...?" Iricah stuttered. "D-Do...you have feelings for me?"

Song answered her with a full on kiss, their snouts clashing together.

The guard kneeling was unsure of what to say to Princess Celestia. "Well?" She asked. "What of the shipments? You asked, and I know want to know." She slightly snorted as she sat on her throne, wishing Twilight would get here quicker so she could talk to somepony.

The guards stood up straight and pulled out a clipboard, saying, "Well...we have the normal shipments from Draclepuff, Chiryo, Starlightia, and the other southern and western kingdoms, but there's something that's been troubling the shipment master: we have this...uh....new Kingdom that popped out of nowhere. By the name of..." He checked his clipboard. "Sulvania."

"Any information?"

"N-No your highness. The captain of the ship just gave me the paper that was released before he left." He looked up at Celestia, who had her hoof outstretched. The guard, knowing what she wanted, gave her the paper.

"You are dismissed, sergeant." She said, and the guard saluted then walked out. Celestia sighed with annoyance and began reading the newspaper. Only then would she realize not only what-but who- was in the paper.

Twilight walked to the golden doors, and the two guards opened it for her. Just as they opened it, a big flash of whiteness zipped by, blowing wind all over them as Celestia literally flew to her room. Twilight, dazed and confused, gave chase after the Princess to her room. When she came to the room, Celestia was throing all sorts of items into bags and whatnot. To Twilight, it seemed as if Celestia was packing for a trip.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight called as she ducked from being hit by a flying mane brush. "What's going on?!"

Celestia paused long enough to see that Twilight was there, and said, "Oh hello, Twilight. I'm leaving to go somewhere. it's uh....a short notice thing." She went straight back to packing.

"What?!" Twilight felt like panicking. The Princess didn't just leave on short notice! "But Celestia?! What of Luna? She hasn't even returned from the Starlightian Moon Ceremony!"

Celestia paused yet again and said, "Well, you can let her know that I'm heading to greet the new royalty of a new Kingdom. I want to be sure that our kingdom and his can have a well-established link in trade and companionship." She continued packing things she needed.

"Wait, he? Celestia, is this about you needing a stallion?" Twilight asked, suspicion raising in her mind.

Celestia froze, eyes wide. "N-No, of course not!" She said with a nervous laugh. "I simply want to greet the new royalty! Did I say 'he'? I'm sure I said 'they'.

Twilight sighed and said, "Alright, I'll tell Luna. But if she turns into Nightmare Moon over this, I'll ship her to you to deal with."

"Okay!" Celestia said in a happy voice. Twilight began to leave, but stopped when Celestia called. "Twilight? I just have one question to ask:" Twilight turned and saw Celestia holding up two dresses that were decoratively ornate-one looked like it would be fit for a sun goddess to wear, and the other was a pearl white.

"Which one should I wear?"

***

Two day later, Captain Star lightly knocked on Song's study door. He looked up over his glasses and said, "Yes, Captain?"

She walked in and shut the door. "Uhm...The Keeper told me to inform you of....of what I am. She said you were a bit curious..." Song took of his glasses and nodded. Star slowly took off her helmet, and undid her armor, and let it fall to the floor. She took off her goggles and her face mask, and Song studied her. She was an albino mare, and fluffy as he was. Her ears were pointed like a dragon's, and her eyes were a dragon's as well. Her mouth had two fangs-large and thick ones-that reached down past her chin, like a saber-teethed dragon.

Song nodded approvingly and asked, "Is this why you hide behind your armor?" Star blushed with embarrassment and nodded. Song stood up, and began to circle her. "Well, you are a fit mare...what is your race's name?"

"Alterats, sir."

Song nodded some more. "Captain, why is it necessary to hide like that?"

She was caught off guard. Star thought, and then said, "Well, sir, I'm afraid I will be the fear of others, sir. When I was younger, many ponies abused me verbally, and occasionally physically, and I hid from them."

Song stood in front of her. "Do you mind if I share my piece of my mind, Captain?"

"Not at all, sir."

Song thought of how to put it all together. "You say you hide your appearances from other in fear that they might abuse you, or worse, shut you out and fear you. Am I correct?" She nodded. "Now, Let me explain something; use that fear for an advantage. If ponies cannot comprehend on why you look like that, ignore them. Whereas, if you do not cover your appearances in battle, the enemy will fear you, giving you the upper hoof. Fear is a key in winning a battle. If they fear you, you win. Do you understand this Captain."

"Yes sir. Thank you."

He smiled and sat back down. "Not at all, Captain. Now, I would like you to take this list,  and inform those on the list that they have a week to prepare for a trip." He handed her to sheet, and sh read the names. When she saw her own, her brow furrowed.

"Sir? Why is my name on this sheet?" Star asked, as she waited at the door.

"We're going to Equestria, Star, and we're going to meet the Princesses."

She saluted, and began to leave, but instead stopped when she heard somepony frantically trying to stop another with words. "Please, your highness! He's studying and is in deep in thought! You mustn't disturb him!" It sounded like The Keeper, and Song slowly got up and walked to the door. "I'm warning you, there'll be now way he allows-" Song opened the door to see a white mare with a beautiful flowing mane staring at him, their snouts almost touching. Song blushed, and stammered one word.

"C-Celest-tia?!"