Earth, 7 Years ago...

Night had fallen. David was walking down the sidewalk, enjoying the warm summer air of the city. There was a proud stride in his step. “Man that was a great movie.” He grinned briefly as he turned the corner and was only a few blocks from his apartment.

He continued walking, thoughts of the exciting movie still playing riveting clips in his mind. That was until he caught the sound of indistinct voices. They were echoing from the alley that he was about to pass.

David scratched the back of his head nervously as what he heard of the voices sounded more and more distressing. He wondered if someone was in trouble. Hesitantly, he turned down the alley and made his way along the metal drums and small dumpsters that lined the path ahead of him.

A slew of building fire escapes partially cluttered his view, but he was able to make out a small group of about five people where the alley widened.

Now that David was closer, the voices were more distinct. He heard a woman whimpering. “Please, leave us alone.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have the money.” A man spoke, his words quivering with fear.

David got a better look at the group as he concealed himself behind one of the dumpsters. From what he could tell a man and his wife were being held up by a couple of thugs.

The leader of the group chuckled, as he looked the man and his wife over. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Jerry. But, we did that “big favor” for you, and now it’s time for us to collect.”

Jerry flailed his hands frantically in a fit of nervous energy. “L-look, I just need more time, Buzz. That’s all. I promise I’ll get it for you.”

Buzz crossed his arms and shook his head. “Nah, that won’t be necessary. We’re collecting and we know just what we’ll get too. Boys, take her.”

“No! Not my wife!” Jerry cried stepping in front of her. “You can have anything else you want. What about my car?”

“Sorry, Jerry, it’s too late for bargaining. You said you understood the terms of our “agreement”. Now, we’re gonna rake you across the coals, so to speak.”

“Stay back!” Jerry warned them holding up his fists, but he wasn’t overly toned and lacked the brawny stature of Buzz’s men. They pushed Jerry aside and grabbed his wife.

“Honey,” Jerry’s wife called out. “Why is this happening?”

Jerry scrambled back onto his feet. “Sweetie, I’m sorry. I made a huge mistake. Buzz, please! Don’t do this!”

Buzz laughed. “I guess you just don’t know how this works, do you?”

Jerry ran up to Buzz. “That does it, Buzz. The deal’s off.” With less than impressive force, Jerry punched Buzz in the face.”

The sinister Buzz had been taken a little off guard, but was essentially unscathed. All Jerry did was make the thug angrier. “I can see we need to teach you some respect.” Buzz rubbed his cheek. Then, he glowered vehemently at Jerry as he slugged him right in the face.

Jerry’s wife screamed as he went down. David wasn’t sure what to do. He was unarmed and his own level of strength was no match for three street-hardened thugs. All he could do was watch and see if there might be an opening when he could act.

David felt a rush of panic as he saw blood trailing from Jerry, which ran slowly toward a nearby grate.

Jerry staggered back to his feet. His face was all bloody – it appeared that Buzz had broken his nose with a single blow. Clutching his face, Jerry reached his other hand toward his wife. “H-honey.”

Buzz laughed viciously. “Poor, Jerry. You should have paid us back.”

A noise from behind the dumpster caught one of the thug’s attention. “Buzz, I don’t think we’re alone.”

“Is that right?” Buzz eyed up the dumpster and saw a sneaker sticking out from the side. “Hey, come on out. I can see your shoe.”

David felt his heart nearly stop. He’d lost the element of surprise, which meant there was little he could do now. In fact, now that he’d been discovered, he feared he would be next as he crept out from his hiding place.

Buzz grinned. “Ah, you had me worried. I thought you might be a cop or someone trying to muscle in on my turf.”

Trembling, David stood there gripped with fear. He saw the same fear mirrored on the faces of Jerry and his wife. They were pleading for help, only David still wasn’t sure what he could do.

Buzz laughed. “We don’t have any beef with you. Just run along, and leave us to our business. There’s no need for you to get involved.”

David just stood there for a few more moments, he couldn’t believe they’d just let him go.

“Go on. Beat it. I’ve no interest in you. Just walk away and forget you saw this, and you will have nothing to fear. There’s nothing you’ve seen here that makes you a credible witness anyway. So, if you value your life…run!” Buzz gave David a stern expression.

Now at the mercy of his own fear, David did the only thing that he could think of and ran. He turned around and sprinted out of the alley. A part of him cried on the inside for he new those two were as good as dead, but there was nothing he could do.

As he left the alley, David remembered he had his cell phone. He’d call for help, and maybe it wouldn’t be too late until the cops arrived…

* * * * * *

Ponyville, Present Day

David stood there staring at the column of smoke as it continued billowing into the evening sky. The memory he thought he’d come to terms with was still there, haunting him. That happened over seven years ago. I was only 22 at the time. But why, what’s making that horrible event come back into my thoughts? The human stood there and then he realized. It must have been what happened yesterday, and all tied in with my meeting Luna. Yes. The sword…I saw a chance to do what I didn’t do back then. I know I called the police for help, but by the time they arrived, those thugs had taken Jerry’s wife and he’d been left for dead. The cops told me I did the right thing, but that was little comfort when Jerry coded in the alley, before the paramedics had a chance to help him. David clutched his left fist as more of the memory flashed within his mind. And there was so much blood. Those butchers! David stared at the fiery disturbance on the far side of Ponyville. But will now be any different? No! Even if the odds still aren’t good…I’m never going to let someone in danger down again. I won’t be a coward, no matter how scared I am.

David gripped the hilt of his sword and unsheathed his weapon. Twilight turned her attention to him, as her mouth fell partially open. “David?”

“You said it, Twilight. We have to help the other ponies and stop who or whatever is attacking!”

Twilight saw an unmistakable conviction burning brightly within David’s brown eyes as a sudden gust made his black hair dance.

The unicorn nodded as she waved a hoof to the others. “Come on, everypony. Time is of the essence!”

David, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Spike and Lyra started off toward the growing smoke and flames. Just as David was about to break out into a sprint, he heard a voice call. “David! Wait up!”

He came to a halt and turned back. “Blade! What is it?”

Blade trotted over to David with the utmost of haste. “Here.” He reached to his back and grabbed something. “Take this.”

To David’s amazement, Blade had just handed him a shield. He looked at the stallion with great surprise.

“If you’re going into battle, I think that this will be a big help. Gramps coated it with a special potion that’s heavily resistant to fire. It just might come in handy.”

David smiled briefly and nodded. “It sure will. Thank you, Blade. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Tempered Blade waved a hoof. “Of course. Take care.”

He nodded. “Hmm, you too.” David resumed running and caught up with the group, uncertain as to what they were heading into.

* * * * * *

The other Pegasus guard saw to Glide, as Charger and Pierce continued sizing each other up.

He grabbed hold of Glide’s hoof and carefully pulled him out from under the smoldering debris. “Glide, Glide, are you okay? Say something!”

A low painful groan escaped Glide’s mouth. “Oh, what did they hit me with?”

“Not what. You were thrown into a building.” The other Pegasus found a fairly safe place to leave him rest. “There, now don’t move. I’m sure the commander will be coming.”

“Ah, my left hind leg. It hurts, Swift Wing.” Glide grunted as a sharp pain ripped across his leg and up his back.

Swift Wing patted Glide’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay, buddy. The commander will bring the medic and they’ll get you patched up.”

Glide pawed his fellow guard. “Hey, do you think you could take me to the local hospital or the urgent care center. I’d love it if a cute nurse patched me up instead.”

Swift Wing forced a chuckle. “Good old, Glide, even when you’re banged up you still make a joke. Only, if we don’t stop this Dragon Knight, I don’t think the hospital will be able to help you.”

Charger galloped toward the hulking Pierce, his sword held at the ready. “Yahhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“Mwa, ha, ha, ha, ha! Come on!” Roared the Dragon Knight. He swung his mighty serrated sword. It clanged against Charger’s blade.

“Hrrrr.” The unicorn grunted as he tried to hold back the beast’s impressive strength. “You…won’t stop…me!”

“Wanna bet?” Pierce drew back his left leg and kicked Charger, sending him sailing just above the ground.

The unicorn gritted his teeth together as he fought to regain control of himself, planting his armored hooves into the grassy ground. He skidded a good twenty feet before coming to rest. Charger huffed from his nose and leered at the Dragon Knight. “It’s not over yet!”

* * * * * *

Commander Regalas stood proudly near his command tent, which stood right in front of Ponyville town hall. He took a deep breath as he watched the fire continue to burn. “Listen up, soldiers! We have a situation here.” He pointed to a group of nine guards. “I want all of you to spilt into groups of three and watch the other three gates we added to the defensive fence. Unicorns, if any of you spot anything out of the ordinary, send up magic sparks and we’ll know there’s trouble.” The guards nodded in acknowledgement and departed quickly on their way to the other gates.

Regalas moved toward the remaining guards. “The rest of you come with me, except you four. I need all of you to stay and keep an eye on the camp.”

“Sir,” the four of them spoke saluting faithfully.

“We have an intruder in Ponyville and Princess Celestia sent us to keep scum like that from getting in. So, let’s go kick him out!” The commander pointed his hoof toward the flames, roaring courageously.

The others joined him in thrusting a hoof forward as they took off to help their fellow guards and any of Ponyville’s citizens that may need help along the way.

* * * * * *

Charger struggled to get back onto his hooves. He had forgotten the Dragon Knight’s powerful tail, and was caught off guard as he had been smacked into a nearby building.

The unicorn managed to grip his weapon, as he stood a little wobbly. He huffed breathless from the last attack, but he knew what was at stake and wasn’t about to give up, not while he could still fight.

Pierce chuckled as he brandished his vicious sword from within his clawed hand. “My, you are a stubborn one. You should know I could easily end you.”

Charger looked up, trying to maintain his fierce demeanor. “Then, why d-don’t you?”

“Because, it’s so much more fun…this way! Heh, heh, heh!” Pierce lowered his sword. “But, I think I’ve grown bored with you after all. Yes. It’s time you die!”

The Dragon Knight stood proudly and unfurled his leathery wings. He took in a deep breath as he drew back his head. Then lunging forth, he opened his mouth and exhaled an intense blast of his fiery breath.

Charger stood there, his eyes widened in horror. He was in worse shape than he realized and his legs could barely keep him standing, let alone carry him out of the path of Pierce’s attack. There was nothing he could do. He didn’t want to show fear, but he closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable.

“Yahhhh!” David shouted as he emerged from the side of a nearby building. He stood in front of Charger and held up the large round shield that Blade had given him. The human stood his ground as the fiery cone struck the shield. David leaned forward as the attack continued. The power behind the fire was comparable to a torrent of surging water. He felt the intense heat seep around from the sides of his protective gear. I sure hope this works.

The fiery barrage continued for a few moments more, before David noticed the force against his shield had ceased. Cautiously, he lowered it, and while glancing upward, David saw that the attack had indeed ended. His eyes widened as he saw trails of steam rolling up from his shield.

Taking a long look at the hulking creature, David discovered he was right. It was definitely a Dragon Knight attacking Ponyville. Reaching to his side, the human unsheathed his sword and secured the shield within the grip of his right hand. He swallowed hard. Man, this guy’s huge, he’s easily two feet taller than Rend! And he was at least eight feet tall. David growled, securing his clasp on his sword. No matter…I’m not going to back down.

A sinister laugh carried through the air. “Hmmm, and what do we have here?” Pieced growled softly as he eyed up the human. “You must be that creature…the h-human I heard about. Yes.”

David stood his ground and gave the Dragon Knight a gaze of bitter disgust. “That’s right. I’m David.”

Pierce chuckled. “Pierce…and once I’m through with you, you’ll be – DEAD!!”

The human adjusted his stance and prepared to attack, that was when he heard a commanding voice from nearby shout, “CHARGE!!”

The sense of dread eased as David discovered the other Royal Guards had arrived. They were less than 100 yards away, and were making their way toward the Dragon Knight.

“Ha, looks like I’m not going to be as dead as you thought, Pierce!” David snickered, feeling secure with reinforcements coming to his aid.

Pierce let out a rolling chuckle. “Bwa, ha, ha, ha, ha! You all underestimate me!” The hulking beast growled under his breath gathering power. His squinting orange eyes spied a series of buildings that would do just fine. Puffing out his chest, Pierce opened his jaws and unleashed a long blast of fire. It smashed into one of the houses to his left. He then turned his attack in a crossing line that moved from building to building and engulfed each one in turn, leaving a rapidly growing blaze, which now cut off the Royal Guards. “Nya ha, ha, ha! Now, who will help you…human?”

David felt a nervous heat roll up his back, his help was stopped dead in their tracks. Things were looking pretty grim. All he could do now was stand and fight, and hope his skill level had improved enough to keep him alive, at least, until help could somehow arrive.

* * * * * *

Luna soared through the twilight sky. The sun was sinking closer and closer to the horizon. She beat her wings harder, as she saw the fire in Ponyville continue to grow. She knew her subjects were in danger, but more than that, she feared for David. Hang in there, David…I’m coming!

* * * * * *

The fire continued to burn as David’s fight with Pierce had begun. Much to his amazement, he was managing to hold his own. But with each mighty blow of the monster’s jagged sword, David knew his strength wasn’t going to hold out forever. He had to find a way to do some damage and quick.

David dashed out of the way as Pierce’s sword cleaved into the ground, tearing up a chunk of grass and dirt.

Looking up at his scaly foe, David tried to search for any spot on the creature that might be vulnerable, but there didn’t appear to be any, at least no weak spot that wasn’t bolstered by armor.

Pierce leered back at the human. “You aren’t as feeble an opponent as I’d wagered, but still, you will never be my equal. Heh, heh. Now dance!” The Dragon Knight blew a cone of fire at David.

“Whoa!” David shouted as he veered out of the fire’s path, narrowly avoiding it. He came to rest behind a partially crumbled wall, huffing for breath. “This is crazy.”

David’s eyes widened as he heard a fierce roar seep into his ears. He gripped his sword and shield and ran from the wall, just as the rest of it crumbed to the ground.

Looking skyward, David saw Pierce standing above him with his left arm extended and his fist clenched. “Found you!” With a second punch, Pierce sent David flying. He crashed into a nearby hay cart. The straw helped cushion his impact, but the force of the blow made the cart shatter against him, sending jolt after jolt of pain across David’s body.

David laid there for a moment, huffing for breath. He knew he had to get up, but the onset of pain from his growing injuries was getting tougher and tougher to bear. Nevertheless, he dug deep and rolled off the cart and slowly made his way back onto his shaky feet.

Sweat dripped from David’s face as he squinted at his foe. A quick wipe from his hand cleared his blurring vision, but the sting of the sweat in his eyes made seeing quite laborious, not to mention the air was slowly thickening with smoke from the growing fire. David coughed and huffed. Thankfully he could still breathe without too much difficulty, but he didn’t know how long that would last.

“Agh,” he grunted, trying to keep Pierce in sight. Aww man. This is getting ugly. My body is really getting battered. David gasped, endeavoring to fully catch his breath. I don’t know what I did to what, but hitting that hay cart didn’t do me any favors. Darn it…I won’t go down like this. Why…

“Still standing…I’m almost impressed. That is, I would be, if you weren’t a slight gust of wind from being knocked out.” Pierce scrapped his sword along the rocky side of a nearby building. “Die!”

Pierce swung his sword, forcing David to drop to the ground and roll out of range. He came to rest beside a nearby tree, and for a moment thought he could catch his breath. That was till he saw the Dragon Knight open his jaws again. Scrambling for his shield, David held it up with what little strength he had left. The fire plowed against the treated metal. David shivered and gasped while doing his best to keep his shield from faltering. Thankfully, the coating Clang put on the piece of armor was still working.

Just as before, David noticed when the attack ended, only his eyes widened in alarm when he felt heat radiating from behind him. Turning back, to his horror, David saw the tree had been engulfed.

Grunting in pain, he stood up and tried to run, only he found he could barely walk, in fact he was staggering more than anything. David felt the ground quake from beneath him, as he saw his enemy was right on top of him. “Ahhh!” An alarmed shout is all he could muster as Pierce swatted him like an annoying insect with the back of his scaly hand.

David careened into a nearby wooden fence, breaking through it and coming to rest on the grass and dirt behind it.

His grip had failed and his sword and shield both fell from him, landing on the ground a few feet from where he laid. David wanted to go on, but he couldn’t move. The muscles in his forearms burned relentlessly with fatigue. There was nothing he could do now. Every scrap of power he had was spent. Luna…I’m sorry. I wasn’t strong enough.

Pierce arrived at his fallen opponent and huffed. “Humph. Stauncher prey tends to make for a much better killing. But, I suppose one death is as good as another.” The Dragon Knight cackled. “And to think, you thought you were helping that guard who foolishly challenged me as well.” Pierce watched as David twitched and attempted to move. “Don’t feel bad. At least you and he can die together.” The beast raised its large sword and went to thrust it into David.

Before Pierce could strike true, a powerful jolt of blue lightning struck his right hand. “Argh!” He bellowed in pain as he dropped his weapon, taking a few clumsy steps backwards. And in a flash, Princess Luna landed in front of her fallen David wearing a fiercely determined look. Pierce stared at her curiously. “Ah, so you’re the one that struck me.”

Luna huffed, bearing the brute a gaze of disgust. “That’s right! How dare you come to this peaceful town and endanger our subjects?!”

Pierce laughed. “Don’t make me laugh, puny alicorn. You may have some power, but very few of your race have ever fell any of my kind. And while I know you helped your sister best Rend, I don’t see her here. So what can you hope to do to me?” Pierce flexed his right wrist as the pain began to subside. He grinned as he retrieved his weapon. “That zap of yours was a nice trick, but as you can see, I’m still standing.”

“Not for long!” She shouted, channeling magical energy to her horn, which began glowing a bright pale blue. “We’ll show you how puny we are!”

“Not if I cut you down to size! Ha!” Pierce slashed his blade at her, but she vanished before his sword got anywhere near her. “What?!”

“Over here, brute!” She snarled. Pierce turned her way. “Take this!” Her horn shined even brighter as she unleashed an intense bolt of magical energy.

The attack slammed into Pierce, forcing him to adjust his footing. “Why you…huh?!”

Before he could attempt a counterattack, Luna soared at him, and drove her right forehoof into his face. The force of her blow was strong enough to knock him on his back, making Pierce land with a rumbling thud.

Luna looked over to David and then back to Pierce. “How dare you attack, David!”

Pierce placed a clawed hand over his face. “You mean that human?”

“Yes!!”

He huffed. “I’ll kill whomever I want. Err and you’ll regret that.” Pierce made his way back to his clawed feet. “Grrr, it’s been a while since I’ve felt pain like this. You are indeed a worthy foe.” He snickered. “One I shall relish tearing apart.” The Dragon Knight spread his leathery wings and took in several deep breaths.

Luna remained aloft, as she was ready to continue the fight. “Come on now!”

“If you insist!” Pierce beat his wings and rose into the air with her. Fiery embers seeped from the sides of his jaws. “Raahhhhh!!” He roared, unleashing a blast of his breath.

Luna’s eyes widened as she gracefully dodged the flames. She turned her head and took aim with her horn and fired several bolts of energy. Pierce growled in pain, but continued chasing her in the air just above Ponyville. He grew closer to her and managed to grab hold of her hind leg. “Now I’ve got you.”

“Not yet!” Luna shouted, while she struggled to move her left hind leg. She could feel Pierce’s scaly fingers gripping her, but as she continued to squirm, she noticed his grip began to weaken until finally, Luna broke free.

Growing tired of the Dragon Knight, Luna shot a blast of magic into some nearby clouds. The spell she cast quickly took shape as the clouds grew in size and intensity, until they jarred Pierce with a series of shocking lightning bolts, one zapping him right after another, until he’d been struck more than a dozen times, which finally forced him to land.

Pierce snarled bitterly. “I am beyond vexed! And that’s very bad for you!”

Luna knew she was starting to damage the hulking beast, but she knew she needed to stop him faster. That was when it hit her, if she could take care of his armor, surely a weak point could be found on the flesh beneath it.

Her dark blue mane swirled and shimmered in the glow of the fire, as Luna realized her next attack would come with some risk, but it didn’t deter her. She pulled back and swooped in toward Pierce, ready to end this. She cried out into the night as she formed a narrow blade of magic energy along her horn.

Pierce stood ready as he saw her rapidly approach from above. Luna flew past him, striking with her magical blade as she attacked. However, as she passed his shoulder, she didn’t see that his tail was pulled back, and as she soared by, Pierce lashed her with it. Luna was struck with considerable force and slammed into the ground, generating an eruption of dirt and grass. As the debris settled, she whimpered faintly. “Oww, that really hurt.” She took a deep breath as she rose to her hooves. While she was in considerable pain, that attack was hardly enough to best her.

The determined looked continued to beam across Luna’s teal eyes as she spied her nemesis. “There you are, fiend!!”

Pierce rubbed at the armor along his left shoulder, very near his chest. Her attack had damaged his chest plate, but it hardly was enough to slow him down. “I have had enough of this!”

“So have we!” Luna could take no more. She gathered as much power as she could and aimed her horn at the Dragon Knight. Her eyes began to glow white as she powered up an even stronger attack. A matching white beam tore off from her horn and whisked towards Pierce barreling into him and sending him flying into a nearby hill. He struck the large grassy mound and the beam exploded, stirring up a large cloud of dust and debris. The dirt settled quicker than Luna expected and to her delight, the beast wasn’t moving. She sighed heavily. “Finally!” Then fearing for David, she located him, still laying along the shattered fence. “David!” She called galloping over to him.

David managed to sit up as her noticed the sound of her voice and caught the familiar sight of her silhouette approaching. “L-Luna.”

She ran to his side and stood before him. Tears formed in her eyes as she saw the condition he was in. “D-David. What happened to you?” He had a series of cuts, contact burns, and plenty of other marks and dirt caked to his face and arms.

He forced a smile and coughed. “I was just trying to help one of the guards.” David winced. His body was still quaking with pain. “I’ve got to stop trying to fight Dragon Knights on my own.”

Luna carefully placed her hooves around him. “I’m just glad you’re okay.

“Ahh, watch the shoulders.” He sighed, as his shaky arms moved to embrace her back. “Luna.”

“David.” She sniffled, nuzzling her cheek to his, tears falling from her eyes.

“H-hey. Hey now. I’ll be all right. You stopped that creep and you saved my life…again.”

She chuckled faintly and sighed again. Luna pulled back and looked into his weary eyes. She leaned in and softly kissed his lips. David managed to stroke her mane, while she smiled, the anxiety beginning to flee from her face. That was until they heard a loud roar.

Luna turned back. “It can’t be!” She stood up as the ground began to quake.

Pierce was back on his feet and making his way back to them. Flames flickered from the side of his mouth as he stomped along the ground. “I am livid! You…” He seethed. “I have had enough of you…alicorn!” He breathed his intensely hot breath at her.

Luna quickly dodged and prepared to attack. Only to her surprise, Pierce reached out and grabbed her. “Let go of me!”

He snickered under his breath. “As you wish!” Pierce drew back his arm and flung Luna into a nearby house, which she smashed into. He laughed maniacally. “That should take the wind out of you! Bwa ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!”

David looked over where Luna had fallen, fear trying to snare him in its grip. “Come on, Luna. Get up! You can do it!”

There was a slight clatter as fallen boards and other pieces of rubble shifted. Princess Luna emerged from the building and made her way back to Pierce. “I…it’ll take more than…” She came to a halt and swayed a bit, before she collapsed.

“Luna!” David yelled out in terror. He went to move, but was still unable to. Pain surged through his battered body. “No. Not Luna.”

Pierce laughed in his throat, amusement clinging to his reptilian face. “That certainly put her in her place.” He turned to the human. “Come, David. I can clearly see she means a great deal to you and vice-a-versa. Before I silence you, I’ll let you watch, helplessly as I crush the life out of her.” The Dragon Knight continued to laugh.

David eyed his sword, but as he went to move, he was forced to stop. The pain was still too great.

Then, just as he was almost out of hope, he heard a familiar voice shout. “Hold it, you beast!” To David’s amazement it was the unicorn Lyra. He didn’t know what she was doing there, but from the serious look in her amber eyes, she was there to help.

Pierce grinned. “Oh, and what do we have here.”

“Stop hurting my friends and leave our town alone!” Lyra stepped toward the beast, her horn glowing with orange magic.

“Ah, so you think you can stop me? Ha, ha, ha. Go ahead and try!” Pierce grinned callously at her, unimpressed by her bravado.

Lyra shouted as she charged him unleashing several zaps of her magic. They struck Pierce, only her strength was no where near as potent as Princess Luna’s. The Dragon Knight crossed his arms and laughed at her feeble attempt to harm him.

Lyra stood there, gritting her teeth in frustration. “Darn it. I’m not through with you! I…”

“Don’t waste my time.” He snarled. Pierce reached down and grabbed her in his right clawed hand. “Ah, you’ll do.” He snickered. “Do you know that Dragon Knights like to crush their prey in their hands. Just…like…this!”

Lyra’s eyes widened in terror as he began squeezing her. She began to gasp frantically in fear as her body filled with unending pain. “No, let me go! Please, stop!” She pounded her hooves into his hand, desperate to free herself. Lyra looked over and saw David sitting there, near the broken fence. “David! Please, help me!”

Pierce leered at her. “Grrr, quiet down! I like noisy prey, but you’re a little loud.”

She quickly felt his claw crush down on her harder, it felt like her bones were going to crack if he didn’t let her go immediately. Lyra whimpered and cried out as the pain continued to worsen. She kept calling to David to help her.

David wanted to help her, but he was in no better shape to stop Pierce. He sat there despising himself. It’s happening again, just like it did back on Earth. Why, why do others have to bully and pick on the weak? And why, why am I such a pathetic weakling and a failure?! David looked over to Luna, she still wasn’t moving. He felt warm tears begin to fill his eyes. I’m so sorry, Luna. I’ve failed you…just like I’m failing everyone else. He heard Lyra cry out again.

No…no. I can’t let this happen! Even if it costs me my life. I…I won’t let them win! Not again!

David saw his sword still sticking out of the dirt. He reached his left hand toward it and tried to crawl over to it. The pain jolted up his back and across his limbs. He growled and grunted as he began to move. I won’t let this pain stop me! He staggered along, until he managed to place his hand on the hilt of his sword. Come on body…MOVE!! MOVE!! Why won’t you…MOVE!! His grip tightened on his sword and despite all logic, for a reason he couldn’t explain, the pain began to ease. “Huh?” A few more seconds passed and the pain began to fade even more, in fact, David began to feel his strength return.

A look of fierce determination formed on his face as he began to stand, making it back to his feet. With his renewed strength, he freed his sword from the earth and held it aloft. He began seething with anger as he walked toward Pierce. “Let her go!” He yelled vehemently. But the Dragon Knight ignored him and continued squeezing Lyra. David walked right up to Pierce and held his sword high. “I said…let her…GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Swinging his sword forward, David cleaved it right into Pierce’s arm with everything he had.

“Raaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” Pierce shrieked out in agony as his grip on Lyra was broken.

She fell from the beast’s hand. David dropped his now bloody sword and did his best to catch her. He planted his feet firmly and held his ground trying not to fall. “Lyra, are you okay?”

The unicorn whimpered a little. “I think so. Man did that hurt.” She looked up and realized it was David who had saved her. “David? You saved me?”

He nodded silently. “Yes, and now, I have a job to finish. Go stay by Luna.” David deftly set Lyra down and retrieved his sword.

Pierce stood there shaking his right clawed hand. “Ow! That hurt you miserable retch! You’ll regret that.” The Dragon Knight reached for his sword.

“No, I won’t. I’ve had enough of you!” David stood his ground, a cold look enveloping his normally cheery and welcoming face.

Pierce saw the look in his eyes and growled. “I’ll burn that determined look right off your face! Rarrrrggghhhh!” He once again spewed a cone of burning flames at David.

Not wasting a second, David veered out of the path of the fire. He huffed a moment and saw Pierce standing madder than ever. Man, even with my strength back, I can’t dodge him forever. I’ve got to do more damage. David glanced up and saw the part of his armor that Luna had loosened near the side of his chest and shoulder. Luna must have done that. I got it.

David quickly dodged another blast of fire, then made his way behind a nearby building. “Darn, no way to get to any of the roofs.”

“Hey!” Called out another familiar voice.

David turned and saw the colorful Rainbow Dash fly over to him. “It’s you…Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah. We’ve all been trying to find a way around that wall of fire. Twilight and the guards are trying to put out some of the flames, so I said I’d scout ahead.”

David saw her flapping wings and quickly got an idea. “Rainbow. I need your help.”

“Oh?”

“Could you please give me a lift? I need to gain some height.” David looked at her earnestly.

“Sure, but what for?”

“So I can put that hulk of a Dragon Knight out of commission!” David pointed over to the beast.

Rainbow landed and stood close to David. “Whoa, that guy’s big. So what’s the plan?”

“Carry me up and then let me fall. I’ll strike the weak point in his armor with my sword. Hopefully that’ll injury him enough and make him stop his attack.”

“All right. Hang tight. It looks like we don’t have much time.” Rainbow resumed hovering and grabbed hold of the back of his shirt, holding it in her mouth. “Ere we bo.” She mumbled.

She began flapping her wings vigorously as she lifted them both into the air. Pierce continued searching for his elusive prey. Then to his delight he saw Rainbow Dash flying them right to him. “Ah, there you are.”

David gripped his sword tightly and prepared to strike. He judged the distance from Pierce and how high she had carried them. “Okay, Rainbow, that should do it. Let me go!”

Rainbow Dash released his shirt and left David drop in on their enemy. He held up his sword and yelled. “Take this!!!” David swung his weapon forward with as much force as he could muster. The blade cut into the Dragon Knight’s scaly hide drawing blood. David landed on the ground, and managed to keep his footing. He moved back as Pierce clutched his freshly inflicted wound.

“Argh. You little…runt!!” Pierce glowered at him, while smoke seeped out of his mouth. “I’m going to burn you to a crisp!”

“NOOOO!! You are not going to harm him or any more of our subjects!!” Shouted Princess Luna. She unleashed another powerful beam of magical energy and sent Pierce skidding backward a good twenty yards.

The Dragon Knight huffed, the pain from his two wounds continued to grow. He located his sword and clutched it tightly. Pierce looked to his foes and up at the town. He growled bitterly, “This isn’t over!”

Luna huffed angrily and shouted, “Oh, but it is!!” Her eyes lit up white with rage, as she channeled even more energy into her horn. Aiming at Pierce, she unleashed a blast with everything she had. "Be gone beast!!”

The magical beam plowed into Pierce even harder than the last and sent him sailing into the trees of the nearby forest. The Dragon Knight shuffled to his feet. The once prideful look had fled and exhaustion filled the brute’s orange eyes. He sheathed his large blade and shook his head. “You may have beaten me, but you haven’t seen the last…grrr.” He grabbed his injured shoulder. “Of me! I will have my revenge on you, alicorn. And that human of yours as well. Rarrrrrrgghhhh!!” With an angry roar, Pierce withdrew into the forest and vanished in the darkness.

Back along the trees, another agent of Ghastaloom’s had been keeping watch from afar. The unicorn, Shroud, chuckled to himself as he gave a firm nod and disappeared into the shadows, before anyone could pay notice to him.

Luna’s eyes returned to normal, now that Pierce was gone. She took a deep breath and realized David was standing beside her. “David…”

He hugged her tightly. “Luna, that was incredible!”

She smiled at him and placed a loving hoof on his shoulder.

Rainbow Dash flew in from above and stopped to hover in front of them. “That…Was…So, Awesome!!” Her eyes widened. “Whoa, and to think I got to help!”

David chuckled looking up at the excited Pegasus. “You really did. Thank you so much, for your help, Rainbow.”

She waved a dismissive hoof. “Aww, it was nothing.” Rainbow grinned, holding her head up proudly. That was when she noticed things became quiet. She opened her eyes and saw David hugging Princess Luna. Rainbow grinned nervously. “Uh, yeah, I’m going to go see if Twilight and the others need help putting out the rest of the fire.”

Flapping her wings, Rainbow Dash moved on and noticed another pony nearby. “Lyra, what’re you doing here?”

The unicorn stood a little shaky as she greeted Rainbow with a partial smile. “I was just trying to help out David.” Lyra chuckled sheepishly and added, “Only that monster tried to use me as a stress doll.”

“Is that why you look rather roughed up?” Rainbow placed a curious hoof to her chin.

Lyra nodded. “Yeah. Thankfully, David came to my aid in time. Ouch, but I’m still a little sore.”

“Well, why don’t we take you to see a doctor. You could have a broken bone, ya know?” Rainbow nodded sternly.

Shaking her head, Lyra said, “Oh come on. I’m tougher than I look.” She flinched, favoring her right shoulder. “Oooh, okay, maybe it’d be a good idea to see a doctor or at least a nurse.” She grinned nervously.

Rainbow snickered as she placed a supportive hoof on Lyra’s back. “Come on, easy now. I’ll guide you safely through the fire.”

Luna and David watched as Rainbow Dash and Lyra disappeared out of sight. They both stood there as the remnants of the fire continued to burn behind them. David stared deep into Luna’s glassy eyes. Now that the immediate danger had passed, they could enjoy a moment alone.

“David!” Luna cried as she embraced him tenderly in her hooves. “I-I’m so glad you’re all right.” She sniffed.

Warm tears pooled in David’s eyes as he wrapped his arms around his princess. “Luna…” he quivered. “I’m s…so thankful you’re safe.”

She pulled back. “Me? What about you?” Luna sighed, sniffing back a few more tears. “When I saw you laying along that broken fence…m-my heart nearly stopped.” She squeezed him again. “I don’t ever want to lose you. Even if we’ve only been together this short while.”

David nuzzled Luna’s cheek, their tears began to blend as they both sobbed. “My sweet, princess. I feel the same about you. When I saw you collapse after Pierce threw you into that building…I felt my heart in my throat. The thought of losing you…” He trailed off and held her tight.

Luna sniffed as she pulled back and saw the burning fire reflected within his teary eyes. “I love you, David.”

He softly caresses her mane, sharing her affectionate gaze. “I love you too, Luna.” David gingerly kissed her lips. Luna’s mouth hung open, while David felt her warm breath brush against his face. Her eyes fell partially shut as she leaned in, kissing him deeper.

David caressed her mane and shared her loving kiss, savoring a much-needed moment of tenderness. The breath from their noses added to their deepening exchange of affection.

Their kiss ended and David continued stroking Luna’s beautiful starry mane. She smiled, resting her hoof along his shoulder again. “I’ll never tire of that.” She smiled.

He shook his head. “Neither will I.” David looked to the fire. “As much as I’m enjoying this. We should go help the others. Ponyville is still in danger.”

Luna nodded as they moved apart. “Yes, the fire is still burning.”

“Hey!” The couple heard a familiar voice shout.

Luna and David gazed up to the rooftops. Rainbow Dash came sailing in. “Twilight, they’re over here!” Rainbow pointed.

Twilight Sparkle came galloping from an alternate path they found around the flames. Commander Regalas and several of his guards were following behind her, trying to keep up.

“Twilight!” David smiled as she and the others met up with them.

She smiled at David and proceeded in giving him a big hug. “You’re all right.”

“Of course I am. Well, a little worse from wear, but you know.” He returned Twilight’s friendly gesture for a few moments before she pulled away.

Twilight looked around. “What happened here?”

Luna sighed and shook her head. “It’s a long story. And right now, I’d say we have bigger problems.”

David nodded. “Yeah.” He looked around. “The Dragon Knight may be gone, but he’s left quite a mess.”

Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry. I have a plan. We just needed to get around the fire. See?” She pointed a hoof toward the town water tower.

“Ah, I do.” He nodded again.

“Come on everypony, let’s put this fire out!” Twilight nodded confidently as they gathered to extinguish the flames.

* * * * * *

The torches continued to burn along the walls, deep within Ghastaloom’s cavernous lair. Shroud threw back his hood and looked around, while he approached his master’s altar.

“Ah, Shroud. So you’ve returned.” Ghastaloom’s essence swirled and softly pulsed with a magenta glow.

“Yes, master, I have.” A smirk formed on his face as he adjusted his metallic headgear, which continued to cover his horn. “As you no doubt know, Pierce was repelled from Ponyville. He was pretty roughed up, but a large part of the town was still burning when I departed.”

“Yes, Pierce has already given me his report. Princess Luna and that meddlesome human, David gave him quite a thrashing. At the moment he’s tending to his wounds.” Ghastaloom’s ethereal form glowed brightly.

“So, master, how did the other part of the plan go?” Shroud placed a curious hoof to his chin.

Ghastaloom chuckled. “It went quite well. Send them in.”

A raspy cackle filled the air. “We are here, master!” The lead diamond dog, Rover, entered the room and gave a nod to his two cohorts. Shroud’s ears twitched as he caught the sound of metal chains dragging on the cavern floor. His eyes widened as he saw the other two diamond dogs forcefully pulling two more chained ponies into the chamber.

Shroud chuckled and nodded his head contently. “Just as you planned. Pierce offered the diamond dogs the perfect cover.”

“He did at that.” The mist turned to the diamond dogs. “Did you have any trouble securing these two?”

Rover shook his head. “Nope. They were all too busy with Pierce’s attack and the fire he started to care about us.” He chuckled gleefully.

Minuette and Rose trembled before their captors, fearfully looking around the cavern.

The large diamond dog, Fido, snickered. “These two are well behaved. They are so scared, they are barely even whimpering.”

“Heh, heh, heh, heh.” Ghastaloom snickered. “Yes well, like the others, they have nothing to fear for now. Take them to the holding area to join their fellow ponies.”

“You got it, boss.” Spot, the scrawniest of the diamond dogs grinned and saluted respectfully. Then, he and the other two lead the ponies deeper into their master’s lair.

“Things are proceeding beautifully. And do you know the best part, Shroud?”

The white unicorn shook his head. “No.”

“Thanks to Rend’s attack on Canterlot, and now Pierce’s attack on Ponyville, Princess Celestia is going to be on high alert. She’ll be wasting time protecting other towns and cities, wondering where our forces will strike next. But, the true surprise will be that there won’t be any more attacks. At least, not for now.”

“Yes. Even after Queen Chrysalis drains the energy from the six captive ponies, it will take my relics a good seven days to refine the extracted magic so that we can use it for your revival.”

“That won’t be a problem.” The mist of Ghastaloom swirled. “The princess will be so worried about protecting her kingdom, that she and the other ponies will never think to search the Everfree for us. Which means you have plenty of time for your relics to prepare the means of my resurrection.” The mist crackled with energy. “Ah, I can hardly wait. Soon, very soon I will be alive again. And my enemies will know what it means to cross Ghastaloom! Mwa ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!”

Shroud stood silently, a proud grin on his face as his master continued to enjoy a maniacal laugh.

* * * * * *

David and Luna joined Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies in flopping down on the hill. David lightly huffed, catching his breath. “There, we did it.” He turned to Twilight. “That was quick thinking on your part using the town water tower like that.”

She lightly blushed and chuckled. “Well, I’ve had some past experience with that.”

Spike snickered. “Come on, Twilight. Don’t be so modest.” He turned to David. His green eyes were a twinge with awe. “The last time Twilight moved the water tower was when she vanquished an Ursa Minor. You should have seen it, that was incredible.”

David scratched his head. “What’s an Ursa Minor?”

Applejack chuckled. “Just think of it there as a really big and grumpy bear cub.” She waved her hoof and grinned recalling the event in question.

“Wow. And now you used the water tower to put out that huge fire Pierce started.” David gave Twilight a look of admiration.

She blushed again. “It was nothing. Besides, Princess Luna and Commander Regalas did most of the legwork. I doubt I could have moved it to the waterfall so quickly on my own when we refilled it for a second pass on the fire.”

Luna smiled. “Then why don’t we call it a team effort. Everyone played their part in winning the day.”

“Yeah.” David nodded in agreement, before he sighed looking around at the fading embers. “Though Ponyville is going to need some major repairs now.”

“Shucks, it’s nothing that can’t be rebuilt. Thankfully, nopony was seriously hurt.” Applejack leaned back and tilted her hat. “For the moment, I think we’ve all earned a little break.

“Yeah. A break sounds good.” Twilight yawned laying back on the soft grass.

David chuckled, then turned to his beloved Luna. “I guess we should think about returning to Canterlot. I’m sure your sister knows what’s going on, but a report from us would help. That and I’m sure she’s been worrying about you.”

Luna nodded. “I have no doubt. And you’re right, David. We should get back. But let’s just take a moment.”

David moved closer to Luna. They both laid back onto the grass, a good distance from the others, just beneath the branches of a towering oak tree. “Yeah. That sounds, really nice.”

Luna cooed softly as she snuggled against him. “I missed you while you were here visiting.”

He smiled, gazing lovingly at her. “I missed you too. It wasn’t an ideal moment, but I was so happy to see you when you arrived. In fact, you were beyond amazing today.”

“Huh?” Luna gasped.

“I saw you fight the other day in Canterlot, but tonight. That was epic.” David brushed a stray lock of her mane from her face and grinned. “Oh, and what was that “We” and “Us” stuff you were shouting at Pierce?”

Luna’s eyes widened, then her cheeks began to blush. “Oh, that.” She chuckled nervously. “When I get really emotional, heh, heh or in this case extremely angry. I still tend to break out into the “Royal We”. But since my return from the moon, I’ve learned that’s not how royalty speaks anymore.”

David kissed Luna’s cheek and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Well, I liked it. You sounded very courageous when you shouted it.”

Her blush deepened. “I’m glad we’re not too close to the others.”

“Why?”

Luna giggled. “Because you’re embarrassing me.”

“Sorry, but I was just impressed is all.” He nuzzled her tenderly and drew Luna into a loving hug. “I’m glad we’re together again.”

“So am I.” Luna stared at him with her bedroom eyes, then leaned in to kiss him deeply.

They shared the moment of blissful passion before parting their lips. David sighed and ran his fingers along her silky swirling mane. “My sweet, Luna.”

She giggled and ran her hoof along his cheek. “My loving, David.”

The two laid their heads on the ground and closed their eyes, enjoying a peaceful moment following the fierce battle with the Dragon Knight.

* * * * * *

Princess Celestia finally had a moment to get some air. She stepped out onto one of the castle balconies. This one overlooked in the direction of Ponyville. The princess placed a hoof over her heart and let out a sigh of relief. The flames were out, and only a few trails of smoke remained. “Thank goodness. Luna made it in time.”

Celestia smiled, as her mouth dropped in excitement. “I know.” She grinned as she left the balcony. I’ll send a letter to Twilight and ask her how things are going in Ponyville.

The princess made her way through the corridors, heading for her bedroom. She took a route that led her past the chamber where the Elements of Harmony were kept. As she passed the chamber, she felt a twinge in her horn. “Huh?” She gasped coming to a halt.

Celestia stepped over to the chamber door, but everything seemed quiet around the elements. Then she felt the twinge again, only it was coming from the top of the chamber. She glanced over and saw the elegant curved staircase that lead to the area above. The princess made her way up the steps and slowly stepped onto the floor over the elements. She was met by a brilliant pulsing light, which kept changing colors. It flashed blue, purple, red, orange, green and pink, and continued cycling in those colors. There at the center of the floor, a small altar had risen from the chamber below, and sticking out of it was the hilt and blade of a magnificent sword. It was one that Celestia had not seen in an extremely long time. “I-I don’t believe it. The Sword of Valor…it has risen and is resonating. But how can that be?! It hasn’t appeared for centuries.” Celestia stood there in awe wondering what this development could mean. “I have to get word to Twilight. Luna and I must get to the bottom of this.”

Making haste, Celestia left the altar and made her way to her room, hoping to shed some light on this new mystery.

Author's Note

I know this chapter is more than a century late, but now that I have a new job, which offers me much more free time than I've had in the past three years, I will finally be able to get back to updating more regularly.

Thank you, to all of you that have stuck with me during this long dry patch. Your patience will not have been for nothing.

• Jaydex