Lightning Master

Chapters

Never Quit
Greetings
What Awaits Me
Getting to Know the Newcomer
Life is Weird
Date Night
Reunions Part 1
Reunions Part 2
Getting Acquainted
The Gang is Back Together Again
End of a Disastrous Reunion

Never Quit

The Forge, an alliance that Earth has formed with many other planets found in our galaxy. Many saw it as a blessing and encouraged the interaction with the races found on these worlds. There are few who disagree with this and seek to divide these worlds apart and cause an intergalactic war. At first the worlds were able to fend off any attempts made by these individuals but as time went on they started to become more of a problem as their numbers grew and they became more organized. The Forge was still able to push them back until one day a strange individual, who went by Purgatory, had shown up out of the blue and was commanding the forces of these galactic terrorist. Under this Purgatory's leadership, the group, that now called themselves The Rippers, were no longer bent on ripping apart the alliance but galactic takeover and were able to beat back the troops that stood in their way.

When all seemed lost and The Rippers' victory inevitable, a single man came to block their path and openly challenged Purgatory to a duel. The man didn't seem like anything special and all those that were present had began to prepare for their new lives as slaves but Purgatory accepted as to show that he respected this individual's courageous, but foolish request. At least that's what they all thought at first glance. When the dual had started, Purgatory had allowed a good amount of hits before making his move. This is where things became interesting as the man was only sent back a few feet before going back to deliver another flurry of punches. After knocking the man back several more times Purgatory had begun to grow irritated and used his power on the man. During the war that Purgatory started, he had made it a point to display his control over the other side as he brought countless souls back from the dead and the power of the unholy flames.

When he was forced to use this power on a seemingly ordinary man Purgatory became even more enraged and sought to make an example out of this human that had dared to oppose him. That is when the man made his move as Purgatory drew closer to him, ready to drive him into the ground with a flame covered fist, all watched as Purgatory was sent flying by a bolt of crimson lighting. From there the battle turned towards his favor and the people of The Forge had growing hopes as they watched this man, this hero, give the space tyrant a run for his money. The battle took several long grueling hours as these strange beings fought with all their might to beat the other and the man who controlled lightning had inspired the remaining soldiers to fight against the Rippers' army and believed they would be able to win and take back control. The final moments of the war were drawing near as troops from both sides were unable to fight and Purgatory and the man, that they deemed the Lightning Master, were on their last legs as they were battered and beaten. The final strike, that was all that was needed to end the war and decide the victor, they both knew this and were ready to use what strength they had left to make sure it was them.

After their strikes connected all present watched with bated breath as the two warriors stood there, backs towards each other, and staying perfectly still. Soon both fell to the ground, too exhausted to hold themselves up but it was declared a victorious day for the Forge as the citizens came to the aid of their protectors and forced the Rippers back to whence they came. Purgatory was taken with them and all praised the Lightning Master for his bravery. He kept the peace once he was back on his feet and kept Purgatory at bay as they continued to battle from that day forth.

It has been ten years since Purgatory showed up and everything was better than ever with the help of the one called Lightning Master even if he has proved to be a handful as it was discovered that the man was incredibly mischievous. He might takes things too far at times with his pranks and jokes and he doesn't seem to care but no one does anything as they have come to understand that he does what he does to get some joy in his live seeing as he is their only defense against the likes of Purgatory. But one day, in the year 2187, both of them disappear and were never seen again, but our story begins on the last day either one was seen.

"So how have things been lately Lightning Master?" a reptilian man asked mockingly as the man groaned.

"I told you to not call me that while we're civvies Tonoe." The man said as he shoves Tonoe over a dingy couch.

"But it's so fun to tease you with it knowing that irritates so much. Besides it sounds so much cooler than your real name. Drake Angelo, I looked up their origins and learned that your parents are calling you a dragon angel. Is that what you want to be called instead, the dragon angel because I happen to think that it sounds gay." Tonoe said as he patted down his clothes.

"Well you would be the expert on all things gay now wouldn't you Tonoe, or should call you The Belly Dancer." Drake said with a toothy grin an intense blush appeared on Tonoe's face.

"Hey, you agreed to never mention that again!"

"Nooooo, I said that I would never mention it around other people but I wouldn't worry about it too much man. If you roll like that I'm okay with it just....just never try to make a move on me otherwise I might be forced to punch you." Drake went over to give his reptilian friend a friendly pat on the back as he sat next to him.

"Thanks dude, it means a lot to hear you say that, well except for the getting punched part, but still thanks. You're the only person I know that will defend me whenever shit gets out of hand with the insults."

"Still can't believe that those assholes just sat there and kept egging them on. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm keeping a low profile I would have electrocuted those fuckers on the spot but I had to settle for electrifying their drinks instead so I guess it was still a good day when you exclude the insults." Drake chuckled a little at the memory of the distorted faces of Tonoe's so called friends as they drank the charged up beverages.

"Still can't believe you managed to do even that without detection but I have to admit the face Lia made was the funniest one there. She was all like 'DUHHHH'. Tonoe made it look as though his jaw was swinging around limply and his eyes were squirrely before we busted out laughing. An alarm went off as they were calming down and Drake turned towards a blank wall that soon opened up to reveal a monitor. The monitor showed an overview of the planets that were a part of the Forge Alliance before it began triangulating the origins of the signal. After showing that it was on a distant world it put up a video display from a security camera and Drake let a smirk onto his features.

"It would seem that my old pal Purgatory and his Ripper pals are causing problems again. Well I better go and show them the errors of their ways, not before saying hello though." Drake said as he walked away from the monitor to another wall that opened up, after he stepped on a hidden plate in front of it, to get his suit and some other equipment that he thought that he would need.

"Uh Drake, you might want to hurry. It says here that they're heading towards the Nanocell Experimenting Lab, you remember what they're working on in there don't you?" Drake's eyes widened at the mention of the lab and got everything he needed situated before heading back to the terminal below the monitor and pressed a glowing orange that opened up the floor behind them. A spacecraft that looked like a futuristic, sleek designed hover bike, came up and Drake hopped on and started it up.

"We'll hang out as soon as I get out of the hospital Tonoe but I don't think that'll be a long stay." Drake said as Tonoe walked up to him.

"You really think that it'll be that bad?" Tonoe asked as he was worried for his friend.

"Purgatory was basically there already by the time the alarm sounded and even on BlackStreak here, it'll take a couple of hours to get the Nanocell Labs. By then he'll have whatever weapon he's looking for and will have to wait for their pick up. I'll get there in time to stop them from leaving but I know that I'll be taking some hits from whatever he'll have plus anything the Rippers are going to have. So yeah today is going to be a painful one."

"Alright man, but you better come back soon otherwise I'm going to track you down and make you wish that you were dead!" Tonoe shouted as Drake ascended into air and took off towards the experimenting facility.

As predicted, Drake had gotten to the planet in a matter of hours and took a couple more of minutes to get the lab. There's no one out here. Not sure if that's a good sign or a bad one." Drake said as he observed the damage that made it evident that Purgatory had indeed been there and was possibly still inside with no signs of any goons to pick him up.

Deciding that he wanted to get this over with fast he made a barrier of pure electrical energy surround BlackStreak before angling its nose straight down. Activating his afterburners he sped towards the ceiling of the lab and kept going down when he was through as he was tracing Purgatory's unholy power levels.

He stopped when he came to the lowest levels of the lab's basement and spotted Purgatory with a small army of Rippers standing around a strange device. They all looked up when they heard something come through the ceiling and get their weapons ready when they spotted Drake descending to stand in front of the group, electricity already flowing through his hands.

"Ah, Lightning, so glad that you could make it. I was worried that you wouldn't be here before I unveiled my surprise to the rest of the Forge." Purgatory said as he made his way to Drake, neither one taking their eyes off of the other.

"Well I would have been here sooner but I got my invitation a little late but I made to hurry over when I did. So mind telling me what you're doing here?" Drake said with a neutral expression as the two continued to stare each other down.

"Well you tell me, you should remember what that is," Purgatory said as he pointed to the device behind him. "You were the one that helped figure out that additional dimensions did, in fact, exist. I'm just here to travel to one and extend the......hospitality that we have to share here and maybe offer a few of them to come back with us." The Rippers started laughing when they heard the word hospitality as they thought how they were going to go about showing beings from another dimension their own 'hospitality'.

"Yes, but I also know that that thing is still unstable. If you turn it on it could either destroy the planet from the repercussions of the explosion that would surely take place or just end up have the portal collapse and be trapped in whatever dimension you're going to. I'm actually hoping for that second option as long as that is all that happens."

"Well then I'll be able some of your worries to rest then. I've made some modifications to the device that takes away any possibility that it'll explode but the portal still has a chance to collapse. That is why we have this second device that will allow us to open it up again without that fear and return with some new friends." Purgatory had an evil smirk at the mentions of friends and Drake was done listening to the mad man.

He released an emp wave, knocking down the Rippers that were beside Purgatory who had jumped away at the last moment the shock that would follow should he be hit. Drake aimed for the Dimensional Portal device only for one Ripper use themselves as a meat shield to protect it. He tried again only to come up with the same results and decided to just go for Purgatory instead. Rippers got in the way of their fight as they tried to assist their leader only to get burned or electrocuted as the two exchanged shots. Drake was determined to destroy the machine behind him to prevent another war at all cost. He knew that it was by luck that he had managed to take down Purgatory at the end of the war and has been trying to make himself stronger ever since he got out of the hospital.

He already knew how to get to the machine as he and Purgatory had a set way that they would go at it where it'd start of with simply popping of shots at each other at first for a while before going in for close combat. Drake was going to use to first part to move Purgatory into a position where he could set off a shot towards him and he would end up getting the device destroyed when he dodged thus destroying it. It had to be timed perfectly so that none of the Rippers could get in the way.

It took a good five minutes but he had managed it as a bolt whizzed past Purgatory and headed towards the device. It was so close when a previously injured Ripper had somehow found the strength to move and yet again got themselves electrocuted. This enraged Drake greatly as he had enough of their meat shield bull crap and extended the electrical charge running through his hands all the way up his arms and went straight for the machine. He was stopped as Purgatory tackled him down and started beating into him. Drake kicked him off and launched himself at him, giving him a beating of his own. Purgatory got Drake off of him before started to have an epic struggle of strength as they seeked to overpower the other. They were so engrossed in their struggle that they had both forgotten what they came here for and focused on each other that they failed to notice that they destroyed the portal device, or that there was a black vortex that was beginning to grow and suck in everything in the area.

Having stopped mid-strike without it being their will is what finally got them to notice what was happening. Once they did they also noticed that they were being sucked into it as well and struggled to get a foothold. Drake latched onto a vent opening that had the latch already gone and Purgatory used his powers to have several undead servants hold him down. Seeing this Drake started firing at the undead when he felt that he wasn't going to be sucked into the vortex. It was working as one by one the servants were destroyed and Purgatory was inching closer towards to vortex. He tried to find something else to grab onto when he noticed Drake's BlackStreak along with a chain that had wrapped itself around it. He grabbed it and pulled it towards him in hopes of using it to get away but Drake wasn't having it.

"Oh hell no asshole, no one fucks with BlackStreak." Drake said as he made his way to the chain that connected the two. He was being dragged inch after inch towards to sucking vortex until he reached the chain. He pulled out an eight-inch dagger and brought it down, hard, and broke the chain. Purgatory was pulled right in once it was and Drake watched with a gleeful expression at how angry he was. He felt the chain give more than it normally did and looked towards Blackstreak only for his world to suddenly go dark as something came into contact with his head and felt very light all of sudden. Drake understood that something smashed into his head and rendered him nearly unconscious and he was slipping further into it as he lost the strength to resist the pull of the vortex and was being sucked in as well.

"Fuck....." Was the last he remembered saying as lost the hold on his senses and the portal closed behind him.

Author's Note

Tell me what you think of the first chapter of Lightning Master. It took me three tries just to find a way to start off the story with something I could work off of and finally got this. I'm more confident in this beginning that I was with the others so will probably stick with it but will make adjustments to it should I find anything wrong that I missed before.

Greetings

It was another busy day in the city of Manehattan but for a completely different reason other than work. The princesses were showing up today for a festival that was to take place. The train carrying them was only minutes away and they were there, ready to greet them as they stepped off. The train pulled into the station as the last of the ponies showed up and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stepped off along with their personal guards. The citizens of Manehattan bowed when they saw the princesses as the mayor walked up to them.

"Greetings your majesties. It's great to have you here in our fair city and hope that you enjoy your stay." The mayor stated as he bowed as well.

"We're always happy to see our citizens, especially during celebrations." Princess Celestia said as she smiled down at the earth stallion.

"Well the festivities won't be starting for another hour but you are free to explore the city until then and we'll send somepony to inform when we'll be starting." The stallion informed her as he stood up nervously.

"No worries Mayor Stone me and my sister will be going to our hotel and resting from our long train ride. It is unlikely that we'll be going anywhere else so you can send a pony there when you have everything ready." Princess Luna stated as she scanned the city's appearance.

With that they took their leave with the guards following close behind. Luna was still looking around as though she was suspecting something to jump them from out of nowhere. Celestia took note of her sister's behavior and asked the obvious question. "Luna are you alright? You look like you're suspecting an assassin to jump out from somewhere."

"Hm, oh, well we aren't sure but I feel as though something is going to happen very soon but I can't tell if it's a good or bad thing." Luna told her sister as she stopped to face her.

"Well I doubt that anything bad will actually happen, are you sure that it isn't the fact that we're in a city that you haven't been in since you've gotten back and everything here is still somewhat foreign to you?" Celestia asked to help calm her sister.

"I'm not sure but it could be. I guess I'll just ignore it for now and see if it goes away."

"Good because I want to get some rest and be ready for the festival."

"Agreed."

With that they continued on their way in silence to their hotel and wait for the completion of the festival preparations.

It took a good two hours to get everything ready but the princesses weren't complaining as it gave them an extra hour of rest before having to go out and party. It had been three hours into the festival and sunset was on the horizon, almost time for the sun to be lowered and the moon to be raised. The royal sisters were enjoying themselves immensely as their citizens got enough drinks in them to talk to them without being so formal, but not too much to do anything stupid. When the time came Celestia lowered her sun and Luna raised her moon and created her starry night. Everypony watched in awe as they did so and complimented Luna on her beautiful night, something she more than glad to hear.

As ponies stared up at the sky they noticed a patch of stars was suddenly blocked out and was replaced with pure darkness. They started murmuring and as it got louder the princesses got wind of what they were saying and saw the patch themselves. They were staring at it as they noticed that a small dot of color poked through the darkness and was slowly growing. When there was crimson spot that took up the center of the dark ring the sisters ordered their guards to be ready for anything as they thought that the patch was a portal some kind and something was coming through. Before they knew it a crimson light lit up the sky as what looked to be a crimson colored comet came through and smashed through one of the skyscrapers. The sisters and their guards took off looking for what had came out of the portal to find it a good dozen blocks away and saw a crimson light coming from a crater in the middle of the road.

"What is that sister?" Luna asked as she and her sister looked into the crater to find a strange creature that was surrounded by a barrier of crimson lightning. They determined it was male by its facial structure and saw that it was hairless everywhere except for red and red-violet streaked patch on the top of his head and that his skin was brown in color. He was wearing equally strange armor but noticed the sword that was secured on his back. They knew that he had been in a battle recently from the cuts that adorned the exposed parts of his body and the bruises that adorned his face.

"I do not know Luna but whatever he is it is obvious that he is hurt but that lightning surrounding his body doesn't look promising in retrieving him." Celestia as she was thinking of a way to get the strange creature the help he needed.

"What if we using a rubberizing spell on the guards' armor and have them retrieve the creature?" Luna proposed.

"That could work but I'm not sure if that will work. Would you gentlecolts be willing to try if we did so?" Celestia asked her guards as she was uncertain that it would work. She felt that something was off about the lightning and wouldn't behave as it should.

"If it is her majesty's wish then we will try." Said one of the guards. Celestia nodded her head in acknowledgement before her and Luna's horns lit up. Their auras surrounded their guards for a few moments before disappearing. The armor didn't feel any different to the guards but decided it'd be to trust their princesses and went into the crater to fetch the creature. They were around the creature and were deciding who would be to first to try and touch it when a one of the newer additions to the squad volunteered . He knelt down and slowly reached a hand out to the field. He jumped back from the creature as the lightning surrounding the creature disappeared with a pop as soon as he touched it.

The guards looked to each other before they picked up the creature without any further delay and climbed out of the crater. They loaded the creature onto a cart that the princesses had gotten them and proceeded to the nearest hospital. When they got there the doctors were baffled by the creature that the guards but quickly got over it when they saw its wounds. Before the doctor had gone into the depths of the hospital Luna got her attention.

"Make sure that you secure the creature as we don't know whether or not if it's dangerous yet." Luna informed her as the unicorn mare nodded before proceeded into the emergency room.

It had been a few hours and Drake was finally coming to. He felt that he couldn't move his body and thought that it was from exhaustion from having taken such a beating from Purgatory. As he waited for the his eyes to adjust to the light he tried to remembered what had happened before this. He remembered receiving the alarm and responding to it, as well as the fight between him and Purgatory. He also remembered the destabilized portal opening up and sending Purgatory into it but everything after that is just dark.

"Fucking eh man. I can't believe I got my ass knocked out by Blackstreak. Hahaha, I guess it's her revenge on me for making her ram through the lab." He laughed at the thought of the his favorite ship gaining sentience and purposely coming after him. His eyes were still closed when he heard a door open and the sounding of clopping enter his ears. He turned towards to source of the sound and asked, "Hey doc you think you can dim the lights or something because it's a little too bright in here." It was then he heard a gasp and what sounded like whoever had entered his room running out. He sighed as he figured that he may get this reaction if he was truly in another dimension but as he thought of this another thought came to mind. "If I'm here then there's the possibility that Purgatory is nearby. The asshole didn't knocked out before he was sent through and he could be out there right now causing trouble. I need to get...... out.....right......now." Drake said to himself as he struggled to get up but it was then he realize that he was strapped down and naked except for the hospital gown he was currently wearing.

He was struggling against his restraints when he heard the door open again and what sounded like more creatures come in. He heard more gasps before hearing a feminine voice speak to him. "Seize thine struggling creature those restraints have been enchanted so there is no way for you to remove them yourself." The voice said smugly.

"Then let me out, there is a dangerous man here that I need to track down before he can start causing trouble." Drake not heeding the woman's words and continued to struggle. Having made no progress thus far Drake decided to use his powers to break free. He gathered electrical energy into his core and spread it out throughout his body. Releasing the energy it destroyed the bed he was restrained to and the surge temporarily disabled the lights. He fully opened his eyes and looked around to see nothing but darkness and blobs and figured that it was still dark out. He then saw a golden light before the lights came back on and he couldn't help but snort as he held back his laughter.

Before him stood several different technicolor anthropomorphic ponies and thought it funny how a few of them that had armor were trying to look intimidating as he stood over them. Two of them caught his eye though as he followed a strand of a rainbow that consisted of blue, green, and pink that was waving around in the air to a brilliant white mare. She was wearing a beautifully elegant white dress that had gold trims and golden shoes. He was scanning her body and took note that she had H-cup sized breast that her dress hugged onto as well as noticed that she also had a tail that matched her mane. She had wings and a horn that laid above her deep magenta eyes and then he saw the crown on her head. "So they have royalty here huh, well I guess I know where I won't be staying for long." He whispered to himself as he thought of the few encounters he's had with those of noble blood. None of them ended well as he didn't care much for status even his own as a hero of the Forge.

He looked to the white mare's right and saw another mare whose figure was similar in appearance to the other but also vastly different. She had a dark blue coat instead of white and her mane and tail looked like a starry night. Her dress was just as elegant and beautiful as the other mare's but was blue as well and she wore light blue shoes. Her bust was just a little smaller but was still sizable though she seemed to be packing more in the rear department. She also had a pair of wings and a horn along with a crown. As he observed her he noticed that she was staring at him angrily with her cerulean eyes and her horn was glowing in an aura that matched.

"Sorry about that but I really must be going, the job of hero is an exhausting one but as long as my foe doesn't rest neither will I." Drake said as he went towards only to remember something that he needed. "Can any of you tell me where my armor and weapons are by any chance?" He asked as he turned back towards them while they looked at him like he was crazy. The look didn't last long though as the blue princess got up and a ball of energy was growing at the tip of her horn. Drake saw it and took it as a bad sign so he put up a lightning barrier. The royal shot a beam of energy at him and struck his shield. When she noticed that the barrier wasn't yielding she out more into it but came up with the same results. She tired herself out and was forced to stop her attack while Drake just looked on with amusement.

"I wouldn't feel to bad if I were you, there isn't anyone that can get past my lightning barrier but you did a good job of wearing me out a little." Drake said as he knelt down and patted the mare on the head.

"How are you able to control lightning like that? There isn't a pegasus or unicorn in history that can control an element so casually and yet you haven't even broken a sweat." The tired royal asked.

"Well seeing as I'm not of this dimension it's not surprising you don't know who I am so I'll give you a little update. From where I'm from I'm called the Lightning Master, for obvious reasons, and have been considered a hero there since I stopped a war with our side as the victor. My real name though is Drake Angelo and I can something of an asshole when I want to be. There aren't many you can go up against my power except for one person and he is here, he came here before me actually but I'm not sure if he actually ended up here considering that we were sucked into an unstable interdimensional portal that was in development. This man is the one I was referring to earlier and his name is Purgatory and he is able to revive the dead under his command along with the unholy flames at his disposal. I need my armor and must go search for him before he has a chance to fully recover to end his reign once and for all. So I'll ask again, do you know where it and my weapons are?" The tired royal said nothing as he sighed and looked towards the white royal that was now standing.

"I know where your armor is but I don't think you'll need it. We saw the portal that you came through when it first appeared but saw nothing else come out." The white mare said after a moment of silence.

"You sure about that because I'm not going to be letting down my guard until I know for sure."

"Yes I'm sure. There was nothing besides you and considering your entrance you weren't hard to miss and the portal closed as soon as you came through." The mare told Drake but he still was wary of her.

"Very well then, so then I guess I owe you and the doc an apology for being defiant and destroying the bed but I would like to get my clothes back as soon as possible. I don't like being in a hospital for longer than I need to and I really need to stretch my legs." Drake said as another guard stuck up behind him. The guard was holding a club over Drake's head and brought it down to be met by nothing. The guard looked around but his head snapped back as he was sent flying to the other side of the room. "You're going to have to a lot better than that if you want to sneak up on me you fucking royal!" Drake growled as he glared down at the downed mare before him.

"Who are you to think that you are allowed to speak to the princess of the night in such a manner?" The 'princess of the night' said as she picked herself up off the ground.

"How about someone who isn't a conceited bitch just because they're of noble blood. Most of you damn nobles call us of lower class uncouth and worthless but I believe it is the other way around with how you treat those below and get on their ass whenever they do everything they ask right when you ask it. So damn ungrateful of everything you have and to those who make it I wonder how long you would last in the real world if you weren't born into your money and power. I've come from the lowest of the low from my home and kept it that way even when I got my powers so I wouldn't become like you. So I suggest before you decide to bite off my head about calling you an ungrateful, conceited bitch, you take a long hard look at everything you've done so far in your live and think about what I said." Drake said with venom oozing from his words as the blue mare closed her mouth and her ears went flat atop her head. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Guess you weren't wrong when you said you're asshole." The other mare said as she looked at the scene with amusement.

"I least I said it straight up and didn't try to dance around that side of me like others would do." Drake shrugged his shoulders as he moved away from the other royal. "So what is your name anyway, I mean I have told you mine already so shouldn't you return the favor?"

"Well for the record, Drake, you told my sister and I just managed to catch it but I suppose introductions are in order aren't they. I am Princess Celestia, the reagent of the sun, and ruler of Equestria. The mare you just berated is my younger sister Luna, the reagent of the moon. Together we watch over our subjects night and day and keep them from harm." Princess Celestia introduced herself and Luna with a small bow.

"Why the hell are you bowing to me, it's not like I'm some visiting dignitary or something."

"My apologies, it's a force of habit after doing this for thousands of years."

"Thousands how, do you ponies age differently or are you some kind of immortal?" Drake asked as he heard her say that.

"Well that depends on what you years are like, ours is 365 days."

"So is ours, so then I guess you two are immortal then."

"Yes, but I have to ask. What are you because we've never seen anything like you in Equestria before." Celestia asked as she circles around Drake.

"Well I'm a human and what are you I may ask. We have very old myths and legends about unicorns and pegasi but you're a combinations of the two. Do you call you two pegacorns or winged unicorns?"

"Neither, we're referred to as alicorns and there is one more as we have a niece that is one as well." Celestia informed him

"Ah, well I don't about you but still tired and would like to get some sleep but I'm more than willing to talk tomorrow when I wake up but I'm going to need to find another room or......... so magic exist here too? Yeah, that figures." Drake said as watched Celestia's horn light up with the golden aura from before, before it surrounded to pieces of the destroyed bed and began to repair itself.

"Well Drake I wish you a good night and look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Come Luna we should get some rest as well before it's time to raise and lower the sun and moon." Celestia said as she took her sister out of the room and took the rest of the ponies with her as Drake laid back on the bed.

"Still think I need to be on the lookout for Purgatory but I think being here is going to be interesting. I wonder what kind of new things will be presented to me tomorrow." Drake said to himself before going to sleep.

What Awaits Me

Drake awoke to next morning feeling refreshed as he stretched out to get the kinks out of his body. He looked around and remembered where he was and he couldn't help but chuckle. As he looked around the room he spotted his clothes and armor on the stand next to him. He picked them up and went into the bathroom that in his room. After taking a quick shower to get the remaining blood off of himself Drake got out and got dressed. He stopped to look in the mirror when he looked back and saw the scar that ran diagonally down his back, remembering what had caused it.

"I take it there's an interesting story behind that scar?" Drake jumped when he heard Celestia but calmed down when he saw her standing at the door.

"Yeah but then again there are a lot of scars on my body that interesting stories, the main one being my powers." Drake said as he put on the rest of his clothes and armor. They walked out for Drake to find his gear sitting on the bed. He grabbed everything and secured it onto his form before turning back to Celestia. She just smiled as she gestured towards the door and they headed to the front desk to get him checked out. Along the way all of the ponies stared at him but Drake paid them no mind as he was making his own observations. He kept them to himself for now as he saw that they had gotten to their destination. Once there he spotted Luna sitting nearby and was staring at the ground while a few guards were posted near the entrance. The mare working at the desk got his attention when she poked him in the arm and he proceeded to fill out the paperwork.

"So where are we headed?" Drake asked as he and the princesses were riding through the city in a cart. As he stared out to the city he saw how kind they seemed to be towards one another and it made him smile. Truth be told about Drake is that he never really liked fighting unless it was done in a friendly manner. He had always been fighting for the kind of friendliness that these ponies displayed but knew that wouldn't be possible with Purgatory around and he fought any way.

"We're heading towards the place where we retrieved you to see if there was anything else you own was still there. After that we're heading to the train station to head back to Canterlot."Celestia informed as she watched the human's expression become happier as he watched the ponies go about their daily lives. After what he said about living as one of the lowest of the low she couldn't help but feel sympathy towards the creature. He must have been treated like dirt for him to end up like that but choose the righteous path instead of seeking revenge.

It took only ten minutes to get to their destination and for Drake look around before getting back in the cart and head for the station. Celestia had informed him that the trip would take a few hours and so Drake decided to ask the obvious question. "Okay princess I've been looking around the city and have noticed to surplus of mares compared to stallions. What is up with that because there isn't a single species on the planets that I've been to that has a gender ratio this high and is it just this one place or does it exist everywhere on this world?" Drake asked as he has become curious of the matter.

"Actually it's everywhere and we aren't sure why the ratio is so off," Celestia said as she shrugged. "No matter what we try the number of fillies borned compared to colts is always higher and it is because of this that we allow herds and harems." Drake looked at Celestia quizzically as he thought they herds and harems were the same thing and Celestia continued to explain when she saw this. "Herds usually consist of a single stallion that is courted with three to five mares. A harem is much bigger as it consists of a stallion having many more mares to call his lovers but of course there are a few that are fine with just being a couple as well."

"And what of same sex relationships?" Drake asked as he thought about Tonoe, hoping that his friend would be okay without him there to lend him support.

"They're around but it's up to who you are as a pony when it comes to acceptance. So far it's about equal but you won't have to worry should you seek a stallion as your own." Celestia said with a smile as Drake laughed at the misinterpretation of his question.

"I'm actually straight Princess Celestia but I asked because I had a friend that was homesexual and he was picked on a lot when we were younger, still is too. I was the only one that accepted him for who he was and have his back and I wanted to see if that was something that happen here." Drake explained as Celestia nodded her head in understanding but stopped when she remembered something he said earlier in the cart.

"Drake I remembered you saying something about visiting other planets. How is that possible and what have you've seen?" Celestia asked as Drake groaned. From there him and Celestia proceeded to talk about the different places they've been to and what they've seen at each location. That conversation took the bulk of the trip while the advancements in technology and the galactic war took up the rest of the time. Luna just sat next to her sister keeping quiet as she listened to them talk refusing to budge when her older sister tried to get involved in the conversation. They were greeted by a slew of guards when the train finally arrived at Canterlot and Drake couldn't help but take in the extravagant city and managed to see a castle that rose over all of the other buildings in the city. As he was walking he didn't notice the guards that were brandishing spears at him until he felt the tip of one jab him in the nose. He looked to the guard holding the spear and looked around for Celestia but didn't see her anywhere.

"I would suggest putting those down before Princess Celestia sees what you're doing to her guest." Drake said casually as he knew that they didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Princess Luna told us that her sister had ordered us to escort you to the dungeons under heavily armed guard so get to moving creature!" The guard in front of him shouted as the others got into position.

"Princess Luna said that huh, well hate to burst your bubble but I know Celestia didn't say that. Luna just told you that because Celestia had sent word to not do this very thing when we arrived, am I right?" Drake asked as he cocked an eyebrow at the unicorn stallion.

"Yes she did but Luna sent a message soon afterwards deeming otherwise." All the guards surrounding Drake brought their spears closer as he still refused to budge.

"Look I've tried to do this the civilized way, but seeing as you too damn dumb at your job to get anything right I'm going to give one warning and one warning only. Put those toys of yours, get out of my way, and I will let you leave without injury, got it?" Drake growled as he was growing irritated by the situation Luna has put him in. When they drew closer instead of backing away Drake had gotten his answer and prepared to release an EMP wave. The guards and signaled to one of the others behind him with a nod of his head. The guard that it was meant for was a pegasus stallion with a magic inhibitor and he swooped down and clamped in around Drake's neck. Drake felt this but didn't feel any changes and released the energy that he was building up and took down the guards. They all stared at him in shocked as the inhibitor did nothing to stop him as Drake strolled past them.

Drake looked around for the princesses once he was out of the station but couldn't find them. Since Princess Celestia said they were going to the castle he took to the roofs the find his way there on his own. As he was jumping from roof to roof he noticed that there were pegasus guards up ahead and they looked ready for a fight. "Oh this is going to be fun." Drake said as a smirk came across his features. Before it was said that Drake didn't like fighting but having done his job for so long has changed his mind. He especially enjoyed it when his opponents where lackies sent by royalty as it just helps to solidify his argument for despising them. Sure he felt a little bad for these guards since he and Princess Celestia got along just fine so and they were taking orders from both but that thought died quickly when thinking how stubborn and unreasonable they were being back at the train station.

Drake channeled his lightning into his hands and triceps as they drew closer. He flipped over them but not before sending just enough electricity through their nervous systems to paralyze them. "You know if you're going to fight someone who controls lightning then you should be better prepared!" Drake yelled behind him as he kept moving towards the castle. He had to fight a few more guards on his way but just like the first they had been paralyzed. He finally got to the castle gates and saw the princesses getting out of a carriage and was about to make his way down to them when he was tossed back by a purple ray magic. It tossed him back a few yards but he managed to right himself before looking towards his attacker. He saw a white unicorn mare with a mane and tail that were streaked with different shades of blue and angry blue eyes. She wore armor that was different from the others guards so far as hers was violet with gold trims and had a shield with a six-pointed star in the center and three more stars above the shield. Her figure was muscular enough that it should have told you not to fuck with her but didn't take away her womanly charm and it was obvious that her chestplate were severely compressing her but within it as it looked like it was going to just burst open.

"So this is the creature that has been causing my guards trouble I have to say that I'm a little disappointed by what I'm seeing. When they came and told me that you were some highly dangerous freak of nature and imagine some big, hideous monster to be rampaging through the streets of Canterlot. All I'm seeing here is a weakling that looks as though he could barely hold his own in a real fight, let me guess, you did something to render my guards incapable of fighting and moved on." The mare said mockingly.

"Your guards huh, so I take you're the one that's in charge of training them, well it's no wonder why they can't do their jobs right look at who's leading them." The mare didn't seem to like what he was implying as she started to growl at him.

"And what is that supposed to mean freak!?"

"I mean that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my training either if I had a mare as hot as you in charge. I'd be too distracted wondering how my leader was really like outside of the guard to do anything right. Let's not forget your assets either, especially considering look ready to burst out of your armor any moment now." The guard mare blushed a Drake's compliments before shaking her head to get her thoughts together.

"Sorry freak but flattery will get you nowhere with me and even if I was interested I already have a marefriend so you're out of luck." The mare said before Drake snapped his fingers saying," Damn," before he turned back to her.

"Very well then but could I least get the name and rank of the mare that managed to get the jump on me by herself?" Drake asked as the mare contemplated it before simply shrugging.

"Sure I don't see any harm in that. My name is Gleaming Shield and I am captain of the royal guard. So how about you?" Gleaming said as she gestured towards Drake to introduce himself.

"Well my name is Drake Angelo, or Lightning Master back where I come from. I am considered a galactic hero there after putting I put an end to a war that we almost lost, and for your information Gleaming Shield, I am a human and I am not from this world, hell I'm not even from this dimension. Both of your princesses know of me and I have a good standing with Celestia, Luna not so much but you can probably guess that from the order to throw me in the dungeons that overruled her sister's order of not to."

"Well I don't know that you're not lying to me so I would rather get in trouble with Princess Celestia if your claims are true, than not do my duty and have something happen to either of them because of a foolish mistake."

"Well I then I commend you then my good lady but don't feel sore when I beat you into the ground." Drake said as he bowed before straightening up and prepared for a fight with this mare.

"We'll see about that human." Gleaming also got into a basic fighting stance and her horn started to glow with her magic.

A wind blew around them as the two waited for the other to make a move. Drake launched a lightning bolt as soon as the wind stopped to which Gleaming responded with a barrier the same color as her magical aura before shooting her own beam of magic back towards him. Drake took the shot head on as he used his hands to shield himself from it. He knew he could just put up another barrier like he did with Luna but he wanted to get an accurate reading of this mare's strength and was more than impressed with her magical power so now it was time to test her physical strength. Drake clapped his hands together to put an end to her attack and caused a bright flash that temporarily blinded her. Gleaming blinked away the spots in her eyes just in time to see Drake coming at her with a fist raised. She brought up her arms to deflect the punch before delivering a knee to the gut. Drake felt the some of the wind get knocked out of him before he quickly recovered and delivered a kick to her side. She was sent to the edge of the roof of the building they were on and she was silently thanking Celestia that they were on a building whose roof was bigger than the training ring in the courtyards. As Gleaming was picking herself up she noticed the overcast above her and rolled out of the way as Drake came down and out a sizeable into the material.

Gleaming gulped as she saw what Drake was capable of but didn't allow the fear to get to her as she went in for a strike of her own. Drake dodged Gleaming's kick but just barely as he got his hand dislodged from the hole he made. As magic and lightning was seen streaking through the air as the human hero and guard captain battled it out on the roof the princesses were in a situation of their own. Luna was arguing with Celestia about what should be done about the human from another dimension.

"Sister we must insist that you reconsider the thought of punishment for the creature. He is simply too disrespectful to let him run around and have him influence others." Luna said as she threw her hands up dramatically. Celestia sighed at her sister's apparent dislike for Drake as she had been arguing the same point since they left the train station.

"Luna I keep telling you that I won't throw him the dungeon, and I won't have be tortured," Celestia said before Luna could say anything. "You two just got off on the wrong foot is all. I'm sure that if you both sat down and apologized to each other what was said you two can become great friends."

"And why should I have apologize to that thing?" Luna asked as she crossed her arms and pointed her muzzle upwards.

"About for attacking him unprovoked and having a guard try to knock him out and for not attacking you in either case though it was clear that you were the one to blame for both instances." Celestia pointed out.

"We will not apologize for wanting to protect our subjects."

"Protecting them from what? All Drake was planning to do was going out to find his nemesis and keep him away from our little ponies without any reason to do so, especially after you attacked him." Luna opened her mouth to retort but was stopped when they both heard a familiar voice call out to them.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, I was wondering when you were going to be back from the Manehattan Festival!" A violet colored unicorn mare said as she walked up to the princesses and gave them each a smile and a hug. The mare had an indigo colored mane and tail that had a pink and dark violet streak running through them. She wore a light blue blouse with a skirt that was a shade darker than her fur and had a six-pointed star on it that was surrounded by smaller stars. She had decent-sized hips with a slim waist and a pair of C-cup sized breast. She looked at the princess with joy in her violet eyes as she had a big smile on her muzzle.

"Twilight, it's great to see you too. What are you doing here?" Celestia asked as she returned the mare's hug.

"Well I came by to see you but was told you were at the festival in Manehattan so I paid my sister a visit. We were having a great time before she got called away to help deal with some freaky creature that was causing trouble in Canterlot." Twilight answered back as she hugged Luna whose eyes had widened. She looked to her sister to see that she was indeed upset with her.

"Luna did you tell the guards to arrest Drake without telling me?" Celestia asked her sister hoping that wasn't the case but when she received no answer she let out an annoyed sigh.

"What is it princess, and who is Drake?" Twilight asked as she was confused and what was going on between the sisters.

"Drake, my dear student, is a being from another dimension. He is known as a human back from where he is from and there was an altercation between him and my sister last evening. Either him, your sister, or both could end up in the hospital if she's already found him though that wouldn't be happening if Luna hadn't gone behind my back and ordered the guards to apprehend him." Celestia said as she directed that last part to Luna who was hanging her head in shame.

"Well maybe me and friends could help find them." Twilight offered, excited that there was a new species in Equestria to examine.

"Your friends are here as well?"

"Yeah, they're waiting in the throne room right now while I was going to check in with one of the guards of when you were supposed to be coming back."

"Well then I believe that we should head there and see what we can come up with. I'm afraid that we wouldn't be able to just intervene in fight between those two, especially not with Drake's power."

"What powers would those be princess?"

"Drake is a special human as he is the only one who can control the element of lightning to his whim. He's already used it once blocking an attack from Luna without any effort on his part."

"But how is that possible, not even alicorn magic can allow such control over something that powerful." Twilight asked her mentor as she tried to find out what could possibly cause such a thing to occur.

"I do not know but I do know that it wasn't magic seeing as his dimension holds no such thing." Celestia as Twilight's mind went into with the information. The three got to the throne room and were greeted by the sight of five other mares, two being pegasi, two others being earth ponies, and another unicorn. One of the pegasus was cyan with a rainbow colored mane and tail along with reddish-violet eyes. She wore a pair black shorts that hugged her legs tightly, that had rainbow colored lightning bolts coming out of clouds on the sides, along with a white sports top that did the same to her B-cup sized breast, along with fingerless gloves.

The other pegasus had a cream colored coat with a flowing pink mane, that hid one of her baby blue eyes, and tail. She wore a pair of jean pants and a green sweater that covered her breast that appeared to be the same size as Celestia's, if not a little bigger, and barrett with three butterflies on it in her hair. There was an earth pony mare that had pink as a reoccurring theme with her coat, poofy mane and tail, and skirt being pink. The skirt had three balloons on it and she wore a white shirt that had a duck plastered right under her DD-cup breast, along with a blue overshirt that matched her sky blue eyes.

The other earth pony of the group had an orange coat along with a blonde mane and tail that were tied in ponytails. She wore a plaid shirt the that was tied in the front of her C-cup breast and jean shorts that complimented her legs nicely. She had cute freckles that rested under her emerald green eyes and wore a stetson hat atop head with three apples on the side. Finally there was the other unicorn in the room who had a snow white coat with a royal purple mane and tail that were styled into curls. She wore a white blouse covering her C-cup breast and a purple skirt with three diamonds on one side that complimented her sapphire eyes.

All of them turned towards their friend and the princesses when they heard the door open and saw the serious expressions that told them something was wrong. "Girls I believe that we have a situation that we're all going to need to help with." Twilight addressed her friends as they gathered around.

"What kind of situation are we talking about here? Does it have something with that creature running around Canterlot? I swear when I get my hands on it it's going to wish that is never-"

*Ahem*"Yes it is about the creature in Canterlot Rainbow Dash but it's of no threat to anypony and we simply need to find it to prevent him or Gleaming Shield from getting hurt." Celestia interrupted Rainbow Dash before she could go into a rant.

"If it's not dangerous then why send the guards after it then?" The white unicorn asked.

"I had originally sent word that Drake was not to be harmed when we arrived Miss Rarity, but it would seem Luna had gone behind my back and changed those orders to get back at him for some things he said to her last night. He can take care of himself but that is what has me worried." The five mares looked at each other confused as to why their princess was worried for a creature that could supposedly take care of himself.

"And why is that Princess Celestia?" The cream color pegasus asked shyly.

"Because Fluttershy, he has the ability to control lightning and if he is fighting my older sister then that could be going all over the place and cause damage to homes and endanger other pony's lives." Twilight answered for her.

Before any of them said anything else they heard a series of loud explosions and each sounded to be coming closer and closer. Not knowing what it was or where it was coming from they huddled together ready for anything. The explosions went on for a few more seconds before they suddenly stopped. They all waited for a moment or so before they relaxed only to jump when the ones they were looking for came crashing through the window. The two bounced on the floor once before Drake righted himself and threw Gleaming into the wall behind next to the thrones. Gleaming got up and launched another magic attack at Drake who in turned sliced right through with his sword. Once they were both out in the open everypony saw that both looked as though they've been put through the ringer as they adorned all manners of cuts and bruises and their armor in tattered.

Despite their appearances it seemed that neither were ready to back down and could keep going. "You might as well as give up human........... you aren't going to win." Gleaming said as she tries to catch her breath.

"I could say the same to you Gleam, especially considering that already panting. You haven't seen the battles I've been in with my enemy Purgatory so you don't know what a real battle looks like. If you choose to keep going then that's fine with me but I do want to say that you can give up and I promise I will still hold major respect for you. You're the only one that has been able to last in a fight this long with me and that takes some true skill to do." Drake told her as he gave her a genuine smile.

"Takes Drake, and you know I'm half tempted to take you up on that offer but I can't as long as I haven't received any word from the princesses that you aren't a threat."

"Well then why don't ask them yourself?" Drake said as he gestured to the group that was watching them.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, your majesties I hadn't realized that we had dragged this onto castle grounds, my apologize." Gleaming said as she kneeled before them but stood when Celestia ordered.

"It is quite alright Captain Shield we understand the power of your opponent though I would hate to tell you this but he is right. He is not a threat but a guest but do not worry as it was my sister that gave you and your guards the order," Celestia informed Gleaming with her motherly smile.

"I see, well then I guess I owe you an apology Drake." Gleaming said but Drake waved it off saying that it was no problem and that it was actually kind of fun to which she nodded in agreement.

"Well I would say that you two have earned a bit of rest so how about you two head off to bed and we'll come fetch you for dinner later." Celestia said as the two just walked out of the throne room to show their agreement. As they did the battered fighters couldn't help but push each other around though in a friendlier atmosphere than before. Gleaming stopped by one of the rooms and opened it up for Drake, "So I guess you can sleep in here if you want." Gleaming said as she used the door to prop herself up.

"Hey you need help getting back to your own room, or barracks, or wherever you stay?" Drake asked worried that she might collapse on her way to her own bed.

"Na, I should be fine until I get there, thanks for the offer though." Gleaming proceeded to walk out into the hallway, still leaning against the wall and Drake stood just outside watching her to make sure she didn't hurt herself. When he saw that she was about to fall he was there propping her up. "Okay so I can use some help but I don't want to hear anything from you." She threatened playfully.

"Hey, I was just going to say that it's alright to ask for help considering you were fighting with me. You're the second per, erm, pony that has lasted that long against me in a one on one fight."

"I find that hard to believe." Gleaming said as they started to move.

"Well it's true. Back home any trouble that was brewing was stopped by me within a few moments of arrival thanks to my powers, all except for my fights with Purgatory, my arch nemesis. Of course it makes sense with his control over the unholy fires and the undead, the asshole can be a handful." Drake said as he ran a few volts through his muscles to heal the bruises.

"Does everypony in your dimension have some strange power that unicorns wished we could do as easily as you do?" Gleaming asked as she watched the bruises disappear from Drake's skin.

"Not really, it's just me and Purgatory and he has actually had his abilities for far longer than I have. I would like to tell you how I got my own power but even I have no idea. Though I do find it kind of weird considering that there is an entire galaxy filled with other creatures and not one has been able to figure it out either" Drake said as Gleaming instructed him to make a right down the next corridor, then a left.

"Galaxy? Are you saying that you're able to travel through space in your dimension?" She asked to which he nodded. "That is pretty awesome I wish I could do it."

"I could have taken you if my Blackstreak had came with me but as of right now I have no idea what has happen to it, it sucks actually." Drake responded sadly.

"Aww, does the poor wittle colt miss his toys?" Gleaming said in a baby voice mocking Drake who just rolled his eyes and laughed a bit.

"You know you and my friend Tonoe would get along perfectly, you already have a few things in common."

"And what would that be?"

"For one you're both gay, secondly neither of you are afraid to get into with me, difference is though that you can take me, you'll still lose but you can take me, and lastly you will both got on me when I start getting into it about my baby."

"You had a gay friend?" Gleaming asked with genuine curiosity.

"Yeah, though he wasn't human, he was a Meancepan, which is a reptilian species that was the first to have made contact with us. He was and is my best friend since we were kids and I was always there to protect him. I used to be opposed to fighting back then though that changed with Purgatory coming into the scene and start a galactic war, but I would that behind me whenever I saw him getting bullied. Started getting some actual payback when I got my powers. He also the only one who knows of my true identity while the rest of the galaxy still wonders who really is the Lightning Master."

"Isn't that how things go with superheroes though. Everypony just needs to find out who's really behind the mask."

"Yeah, well that's the funny part. I don't wear a mask but I do keep myself shrouded in a veil of lightning though that's more for protection more than keeping my identity a secret."

"Yeah I can see that with you, oh hey we're here." Gleaming said as they were in front of a door with "P.C+G.S.'s Room" on a plague. "Well thanks for helping me get here but you should probably get going now."

"Yeah that's not happening. I'm not leaving until your butt is on that bed and you aren't moving until you rest for the next few hours." Drake said sternly as he thought the Gleaming was trying to get rid of him.

"No Drake, I'm doing this for your good. Me and marefriend stay here and if she-" The door to the room was thrown open by a pink alicorn who had yellow, violet, and pink mane and tail, wings that had a purple tint to them at the edges, and had deep violet eyes. She was wearing a pink dress with a purple trim and a slit that ran from mid-thigh down that showed off her legs. Her bust was a size smaller than Luna's but went well with her all round figure. Drake remembered Celestia saying that there was one other alicorn besides them called Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence, and that she was their niece.

"Gleaming where have you been and what happened to you?" Cadence asked as she saw the state her marefriend was in.

"I'll take credit for that. Me and her got into a fight as she was following orders that shouldn't have been given out at all and your aunt, Princess Celestia had to stop it." Drake explained as Cadence took notice of them there.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't see you there. Well thank you for bringing her here but I'll take it from here ." Cadence apologized as she grabbed a hold of Gleaming but she leaned in to whisper in Drake's ear before they went their separate ways for now.

"Just for you information Drake, I'm Bi and so is Cadence." Gleaming pulled back with a big grin.

"Well I'll keep that in mind then Gleaming, well I guess I'll see you later, and goodbye to you too Princess Cadence." Drake said with an equally big grin and started to walk off back towards the room Gleaming had shown him.

"Well it looks like this world holds a lot of surprises for me. Should be fun to hang around here if there are more ponies as interesting as Celestia and Gleaming." Drake thought as he laid down in his bed before going into his own slumber.

Getting to Know the Newcomer

Drake awoke to someone lightly poking his side and he swung an arm around to try and shoo the unwanted guest away. The poking turned into jabs as he refused to get up which he met with the same response as before. Whoever was trying to wake him up had grown tired of his refusal to get out of bed as Drake felt himself get lifted into the air and dropped onto the floor. He just lied there grumbling about electrocuting someone before he got up and untangled himself from his blanket cocoon. He heard laughter coming from behind him to find that it was Princess Celestia that had given him his rude awakening. She was still laughing as he put on his tattered shirt and put the top of his armor on his shoulders as he didn't feel like putting it on at the moment. Celestia told him that she was here to take him to the dining hall so he get something in his belly but yelped when Drake shot a small bolt at her ass.

Celestia glared at Drake who acted as though nothing happened and went on walking. She kept her eyes on Drake as they walked side by side and make sure he didn't do anything but looked away as her niece called out to her. Her and Gleaming were also headed to dinner and Drake and Gleaming smiled to each other as Celestia and Cadence exchanged pleasantries. Cadence spotted Drake and couldn't help but frown as she made her way over to him. He saw her expression and was thinking about what she could have been mad about before she slapped him with a magically charged hand.

"Ow, what was that for?" Drake asked he held the cheek she slapped.

"That was for trying to hit on my marefriend without me being there." Drake raised his eyebrow as he looked over to Gleaming to see her rubbing the back of her neck. "If you hit on one you have to go after the other too. We're a packaged deal so no stallion can bed us without both of our approval." Cadence continued as Drake's look of confusion intensified.

"Mind telling me what's up here Gleam because I'm a little lost." Drake asked Gleaming as what Cadence was saying was becoming lost on him.

Gleaming Shield sighed before she explained it to him. "I was telling Cadence here about what happened that led to us fighting and I told her about what you said before the fight. Apparently she likes you already even though you two just met and actually wants to give a relationship between the three of us a shot." Drake's eyes widen at hearing this and looked between her and Cadence to make sure that this wasn't some kind of joke. The sincere smile on Cadence's face and the blush on Gleaming's was more than enough confirmation.

"Wow, I'm honored but I don't think that can work right now." Drake said as Cadence looked disappointed.

"Aaaaawwww, why not? I can tell that you would be a great addition to our relationship and Gleaming already seems to really like you. Which is more than I can say for just about any other stallion that has tried to court us." Cadence asked as she made how disappointed she was very clear.

"Well it's not that I don't want to try out a relationship with you two, it's just that I would like to get to know you both a little more before we try anything so we don't do anything that you may regret later. I am a strange person after all and I wouldn't want to put either in a situation where you start to regret your decision without knowing all of my quirks." Cadence's expression changed after hearing Drake say that as she understood where he was coming from with this.

"You think you can handle us and our weirdness little guy?" Gleaming asked with a shit-eating grin.

"Oh please Gleam, I've been to a lot of planets where they had rulers that tried to make arranged marriages with me and their daughters, and let me tell you some of them were straight up bat shit crazy. I know there's still much I have to learn about you two and your lives but so you're definitely the most sane girls I've ever met that has wanted to form a relationship with me."

"Assuming that we do." Gleaming corrected

"Heh, yeah, assuming you do when you learn more about me." Drake said in a slightly sadden tone before turning around and walking away. The mare looked at him with worry and Gleam had instantly come to regret saying what she did. They went to catch up to Drake but when they were within earshot he disappeared in a crimson flash as he converted his body into pure energy. Doing so is an exhausting technique for Drake but he figured since Purgatory was nowhere to be found then he could give himself a little leeway to try and build up his experience using it so that it isn't. Drake traveled through the castle looking for the dining room as he whizzed ponies who saw nothing but a crimson lightning bolt zooming pass them.

After ten minutes of looking he found it and saw the mares from the throne all conversating as they waited for the others to show up. The mares took note of the lightning bolt just floating in the air and watched it curiously. They jumped when the bolt shot down towards the ground but there eyes widen as the flash that it emitted upon contact had vanished to reveal Drake. He went to sit at the far end on the opposite side of the table away from the mares as kicked his feet up onto the table. Rocking his seat back and forth, his hands clenched up in his lap, and expression neutral, Drake allowed his mind to wonder to past that remains his guide to making things better for the future. He thought back to his childhood where he grew up on the streets with no family or friends. He knew that he could have gone to an orphanage had be cared for there but he never liked being around others, human or not. He only knew of his real name because he had a dna test ran on him when he went to a hospital after getting badly hurt.

One day though he was traversing the streets of the Earth's capital city, Diversity City, and had come across a rather cruel scene. There were two teenagers picking on a little Meancepan which didn't sit well with Drake. He chucked a rock at the head of the one in the kid's face and both turned to him, angry and ready to beat the shit out of him. Drake held his own until the police showed up and arrested the teens. Drake tried to leave after they were arrested but the other boy stopped him and asked what his name was. Drake told him and the boy had said that he was named Tonoe and asked Drake if he wanted to be friends. Drake smiled at this boy and said that he would like that but that he had to be going at the moment but promised to go visit Tonoe at the orphanage.

Drake smiled as the memory played out and was so lost in his memories that he didn't hear the princesses and Gleaming Shield walk into the room. The mares present smiled and waved at them and they all returned the gesture. The smiles were wiped off when they spotted Drake and the mares saw this as they turned towards him as well. "He's been here for the last twenty minutes and hasn't moved since." Twilight said as she looked to her mentor.

"Why haven't you tried to say hello?"

"Because it seemed like he wanted to be left alone when he showed up so we haven't bothered him." The orange earth pony said.

"Really!? I figured that at least Pinkie would have tried to cheer him up when he came in." Luna said surprised that not even the infamous party pony hasn't tried anything.

"I would have if it was a different kind of serious but this looks like it might be something personal and I wasn't going to be rude." The pink earth pony named Pinkie said with sadness in her eyes.

"Was he like this when you woke him up princess?" Twilight asked.

"No, he wasn't. We were talking about getting to know each other better before starting a relationship with him and I said something that was meant to be a joke but I guess it brought some things up from his past that seem to pain him. I was going to apologize but he vanished before I had the chance and I'm not sure if he is in the mood to hear anything from me right now." Gleaming Shield informed them. The mares nodded as the others took their seats. A few seconds later an unicorn stallion came out to get down what everypony wanted for dinner but when they saw that he went over to Drake they tried to warn him not to but were too late as he tapped him on the shoulder. They prepared for the worst but were surprised when Drake just looked at the stallion and adjusted himself before telling him his order. The mares were left wondering what he had asked for though as the pegasus left with an uncomfortable look.

To stave off the boredom of waiting for his food Drake decided to fall back on an old pastime of his, MiniWar. He creates to miniature armies made of pure lightning, one side has a little crystal in their chest and the other doesn't, and they duke it out. Usually he'll have someone else around and they place bets on which side is going to win, but there are the occasions when he's alone and he just watches them fight which is still just as fun. He could hear the mares talking at the other side of the table talking but didn't care all that much on the topic seeing how he was still sore about what Gleaming had said earlier. He knows that she didn't mean anything by it except maybe as a joke but he couldn't help it.

The mini battles were coming to an end when the food came out but none of them with Drake's food he didn't dissipate the energy that sustained the figures and continued watching. A few minutes later the rest of the battles end and the side with the crystals has won and a griffon carrying a silver dome covered plate walks out of the kitchen. The six friends were curious to what he could have ordered that took longer than their own but the princesses and guard captain knew what the griffon chef was carrying. The chef set the plate down and removed the dome to reveal a nice juicy steak under it and the five of the mares gasped while the cream colored pegasus fainted. The mares started to feel sick and quickly turned away to see how their unconscious friend was doing.

Drake dug in unaware of what just happened as he looked at something that was considered a luxury to him. What he told Luna was true as any gifts he had gotten he had given away to those less fortunate than himself and worked hard as a civilian to get everything he had back home. Only things he really kept was a set of spare parts for Blackstreak whenever it needed anything fixed. He worked hard for sure and it allowed him to enjoy the little things instead of taking them for granted like the big shots that gave him these gifts had for so many years. The princesses and captain seemed to understand that as he savored every bite he took from something that they thought every meateater enjoyed.

Gleaming saw how quickly his mood was becoming happier and happier and decided to see if she would be able to talk to him. She got up and went over to sit next to Drake with Cadence following right behind her. They sat on either side of him and smiled as Drake had his eyes closed with a blissful smile until he opened his eyes and saw them sitting next to him. He looked around to see if the others had moved seats as well but instead noticed that the six mares he didn't know were looking a little green and that one of them also seems to have fainted.

"So what's going on over there?" Drake asked as he swallowed the bit of food he had in his mouth.

"Well as you already know we ponies are herbivores so seeing meat makes most of us squeamish whenever any meat eating races like griffins or dragons eat the stuff. With us princesses having to deal with nobles from their kingdoms we're pretty used to it and Gleaming here is usually at those meetings to make everything goes well so she's used to it as well." Cadence said as they watched the mares try to wake up there friend.

"Well lucky for them we humans are omnivores so they won't have to worry about me eating them and if they still are then that's their problem because I'm going to enjoy this like it's my last meal." Drake went about eating again but was interrupted by Gleaming Shield.
"Hey, Drake, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have said that and-" Gleam went on before he silenced her by putting a finger to her mouth.
"It's alright Gleam, I know you didn't mean anything by it. It's just that when you said it it brought back some memories that I've buried away. It's not like you could've known without reading my mind and even so you wouldn't be able to tell if it was a touchy subject for me." He said as he gave her a smile that she returned.
"I take it you don't want to talk about."
"Nope."
"Alright then I understand. We all have something that we rather not talk about." With that they continued on with the two went back to eating, conversing amongst themselves. Celestia and Luna moved from their spots to sit with the group, though Luna was hesitated a bit as she still didn't like Drake. Drake was the first one done and sat around as he waited to others to finish. Twilight and her friends kept their distance from Drake because they were wary of him now that they knew that he ate meat. Celestia tried to coax them over to join in on their conversation but refused to budge despite their princess's reassurance that Drake wasn't going to hurt them.

"Alright, I'm bored. I'm going to go get a bit more practice in with my energy form. Damn thing has a tendency to leave me feeling drained whenever I use it but I never tried to change that because I didn't want to risk Purgatory attacking while I was down and out." Drake said as he had grown bored of just sitting around.

"You know you've mentioned this Purgatory and the battles between you two an awful lot. Has your whole life been nothing but fighting him?" Cadence asked.
"Well my orphan years are pretty depressing to most so that's why I don't mention them and my civilian life wasn't all that different from them except it's not depressing thanks to my buddy Tonoe, plus I'm still not used to talking without having to withhold any details other than with him considering he was the only one who knew that I was the Lighting Master......."Drake stopped for a moment as he tapped his chin as he thought of something.
"What are you thinking about Drake?" Celestia asked, suspicious of his intent as Drake's thinking face turned to a smiling one, borderlining mischievous.
"Oh nothing I was thinking that perhaps I could show you the galactic war to you get a better understanding of not myself but Purgatory and why the two of us are feared."
"I think that actually would be helpful but how do you plan on doing that. I'm pretty sure a book won't cut it in showing us all that without interruption." Cadence asked. Drake just took off one of his gauntlets and put it on the wall in front of them. He turned back to them with a smirk as all the mares stared at him with confusion.

"Okay, so what is that thing and how does it help?" Gleam asked. Drake shot a small bolt at the wall mounted gauntlet and a whirling sound filled the room. A short while later a holographic displayed appeared with a dragon surrounded by lightning on it.

"Thanks to our advancements in technology at the time we are able to get video recordings of our own history without a film crew. The drones that make these recordings and nearly indestructible and it's data backed up so we don't have to worry about a drone going down. I've obtained all of the recordings of the war before my intervention so that I was ready when I went to stop him. I was hoping for a little more time before I made my move but it seemed Purgatory had gotten impatient. Since then I've kept it and edited it to show the most important parts of the war that shouldn't leave too much out of it so you should be able to understand what happened without having to know all that much about the Forge or my dimension. Though before I start this up I will tell you that it is horrifying if you've never seen how Purgatory fights so I would brace yourself for that if you want to stay and watch." Drake said as he selected the record and asked one of the servants to get a couple tubs of popcorn.

In the beginning, they were eagerly watching as Purgatory and the Rippers launched the first strike that started the war though Purgatory himself wasn't in the front lines so they didn't see him. Then it got to the battles and the times in between and some of the mares were starting to get frighten but forced themselves to stay. Even Fluttershy was staying even though she was hiding behind Rainbow Dash who didn't seemed fazed by what they were watching. The battles got more brutal as the movie progressed and then it happened, Purgatory had finally shown up when it appeared that his troops were losing and brought a legion of undead with him. As he killed the soldiers in the most brutal ways possible the mares had all grown rather fearful of the character and clung to each other, clung to Drake, or were hiding behind him. Drake felt a great deal of respect for them as they stayed despite their fear and threw an arm around Gleaming Shield and Cadence as they clung to his sides, giving them assurance that they were alright.

The mares hadn't moved much after seeing Purgatory in action for the first time as their fear was being replaced by curiosity as they had yet to see Drake make an appearance in the war. They were still scared but thanks to his bragging of changing the tides and winning the war they could push that fear aside to see if he was telling the truth. It was nearing the end and they were all beginning to grow extremely skeptical of the man they were crowded around. Drake saw this but just kept watching as his appearance was about to be displayed.

The final moments of the war and Purgatory watched as the rest of the Forge's troops were giving up. He asked if that was they had and no one answered, no one expect for a lone man, dressed in a familiar suit of armor, with a serious expression. The mares watched as the the troops shook their heads or telling him to give up while the Rippers and Purgatory laughed at him. They watched as Purgatory said that he would allow the man a duel and then obtain multiple jabs from him before getting annoyed and swatting him back. This went for a few moments before Purgatory got angry and used his unholy flames on the man, who dodged them with ease, and the troops on both sides watched as a seemingly ordinary man held his own against the madman; the troops of the Forge starting to get their fire back as they cheered him on. The mares gasped when Purgatory pinned the man with a couple of his undead soldiers by his legs and cheered when Purgatory was blasted by the man with a powerful lightning bolt.

Everypony in the room leaned towards to screen as Drake and Purgatory went at it, with their allied armies fighting in the background when the Forge's troops gained new confidence in themselves. The true end was nearing as the fighters grew tired, both looking horribly mangled from the fight. The ponies, including the guards and servants that had heard the commotions inside, got even closer and Drake laughed at their anticipation. The fighters prepared for their final strikes and moved at blinding speeds towards each other once they were. Everything was silent besides the breeze that could be heard in the film as those watching, those in the film and those watching it, waited to see who would fall and who was left standing. The ponies gasped, louder this time, as they both fell to the ground.

The screen went black after the Rippers had been pushed back by the troops, and citizens, of the Forge and they took Purgatory with them.

"So what do you think?"Drake asked after a moment of silence.

"That was possibly the most horrifying thing I've ever seen." Cadence said still getting over the shock of what she had just seen.

"I did warn you that it would be and there's the fact that things haven't changed much from that day other than the fact that it's on a much smaller scale and less frequent. Purgatory is one tough bastard and I'm the only one strong enough to stop him, it's the reason I freaked out when I woke up in the hospital after the fight that got me here. I'm still not sure where he ended up with that portal on the fritz but I hope that he isn't here."

Rarity snapped to Drake as he said this and yelled, "YOU MEAN THAT THAT MONSTER COULD BE HERE IN EQUESTRIA!!?"

"Oh calm down, even without having the systems that help me track him down and I be there when he shows up. My odds are even better considering the search wouldn't be on a galactic scale like back home Miss, um..." Drake left it open so that she could get the hint.

"Oh yes, I forgot that we never formally introduced ourselves. Well I'm Rarity." The Rarity said as they shook hands.

"Hello there, my name is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight said from beside Celestia, reaching a hand over to shake.

"I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in Equestria." Rainbow boasted which everyone, including Drake, rolled their eyes at. She hovered arms length from Drake as she stuck out her own hand while thrusting her chest out in pride.

"I would love to see how long you can cling to that after going against Blackstreak. Sure she's merely a vehicle but she can haul ass when I need her to." Drake said in a challenging tone.

Rainbow Dash was about to give a response when Applejack pushed her aside. "Hey there Drake, I'ma Applejack." They shook hands but after they let go Drake felt the sudden urge to move from his seat, quickly. As Drake dove over the table his chair was tackled by a pink blur but then his vision was turned towards the ceiling as he fell onto his back. Within moments Pinkie Pie was standing over him with her signature grin.

She helped Drake up before introducing herself, "I'm Pinkie Pie and I would like to plan you a Welcome To Equestria party tomorrow here at the castle but I need to know what your favorite flavor of cake and colors."
"Well I'm not sure, I've never actually had cake before, as for my favorite color, hmm, I would have to say it's the same red-violet color as the streaks in my hair." Drake answered as he was looking towards the ceiling. He was met by Pinkie with her jaw dropped to the ground as was wondering how she managed to accomplish that. He looked towards the others for some answers and they only shrugged which led him to do the same thing. He was going to go talk to the butter cream colored pegasus but was stopped as he felt someone, somepony, grab his arms and turn him around to face a wide-eyed Pinkie Pie.
"What do you mean you've never had cake, what did you eat at your birthday parties?" Pinkie asked as she shook him.

Drake grabbed her arms and pulled them off to get her to stop before answering. "Well I never really had a birthday party, as I said before I was an orphan. I grew up on the streets and have lived that way even after becoming the Lightning Master. I didn't make much money as a civilian and donated everything I got as a hero to help those in need. I couldn't afford the luxury that everyone else had and I wasn't going to exploit my other identity to get hand outs, and why am I getting a sense of deja vu?" Drake asked out of the blue.

"Maybe because you've told me something almost exactly similar on the train ride here." Princess Celestia answered.

"Oh yeah, well anyway as I was saying Pinks I- What's wrong?" Drake asked as he saw a teary eyed Pinkie Pie.

"I'm going to make sure that this party is great and your first birthday party even greater when it comes around, promise." Pinkie said as she pulled Drake into a tight hug. He froze when she did as he was not used to getting them and wasn't sure what to do. Pinkie bounced away, muttering to herself about making a party to remember for Drake but he still stood there frozen.

"Hey are you alright?" Rainbow asked. "What's up with him?" She poked Drake to see if he would do something but he continued to stand there, unblinking but breathing.

"I don't think he's used ta getting hugs either." Applejacked answered as she was trying to help Rainbow Dash get Drake out if his shock.

"Move aside you two I know how to fix him." Gleaming Shield said with an evil smile. The others saw what she was planning but did nothing to stop her as they knew that it wouldn't do Drake much harm. Gleaming cocked her arm back and slugged Drake right in the face and caused him to fall to the ground. He blinked up at Gleaming before shaking his head to get his head back together.

"Thanks Gleam I guess I really froze up after that hug didn't I?" Drake said as she helped him up.

"No problem, but are you really not used to stuff like that I mean it's pretty bad when you freeze up like that just from a friendly hug. Though that leaves me curious at what would happen if you actually got into bed with a mare." Gleam giggled a bit but covered her mouth as soon as it left her lips, hoping he didn't hear it. She turned around to see if he did and saw that he had a big, toothy grin and she started blushing.

"I didn't think that you were capable of making such cute sounds there Gleam. Now that has me wondering what other sounds you'll make in bed with Cadence." Drake said as his grin and Gleam's blush grew in size.
"S-shut up Drake." She said in a higher pitched voice.
"Aw, would you look at that, she's embarrassed." Drake mocked Gleam.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Drake, my sister doesn't really take well to be teased." Twilight said as Gleam tried to hide her face with her mane.

"Oh you can't give me that, look at her. Sure she's all shy and embarrassed now but in a minute she'll get over it and do the same thing to me. I think it's going to be part of our dynamic from now on, right Gleam?" Drake asked as he looked over to Gleam to find that she wasn't there. He turned around when heard the door behind him slam shut and knew he fucked up. "Oh crap," was all he said before turning into pure energy and going after her.

Cadence was ready to say something to Drake before he left but he had left before she had the chance. "I think he's right about their dynamic."
"How so Cadence?" Luna asked.
"It seems that those two will mock each other in good humor until they say something that unintentionally hurts the other. Gleaming got him this morning and Drake just got her back." Cadence explained.
"Are you worried that something will happen if it goes on?" Rarity asked.
"Not really, though they'll hurt each other it will go a long way towards making them grow closer to each other." Cadence said as she smiled fondly at the door they left through.

"Though I see what you're saying, what about you?" Twilight asked.
"What about me?"
"Well aren't you worried that they're bonding without you?"
"Hhmmm, not particularly. As much as I would love to be there right now helping I think right now they should be alone. They both come from the same world when it comes to what they choose to do in live and can understand each other better that I could. Besides they wouldn't leave me out, I'm the fun one." Cadence said as she stuck out her tongue, earning a laugh from everypony.

Drake was trailing behind Gleam as she ran to her and Cadence's room. When she ran in she had locked the door and Drake materialized in front of it instead of just going in. He put his ear to the door and could faintly make out the sound of sobbing.

"Go Away!" Was the response she got when he knocked on the door.
"Gleam it's me, could you let me in I wanted to say sorry for what I did in the dining room but I don't want to do it through a door." Drake said as he awaited her response. He heard nothing but sobbing after and decided to just leave for the time being until he heard the lock's click from the door. He turned the knob and opened the door just enough to poke his head, ready just in case she decided to blast him. He spotted her on the bed and closed the door as he walked in and moved towards her.

Drake sat on the bed next to Gleaming Shield and rubbed her back. After a while of this, she finally started to calm down as her sobbing began to fade. Drake continued to rub her back when she did nothing but sniffle every so often as she kept her face turned away from him.

"Hey Gleam,"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry about embarrassing you back there. I really thought that we were doing all in good fun but if an apology isn't enough then I promise to do anything to make it up to you." Drake said with sincerity.
"Really, anything?" Gleam asked as she turned her so that she was staring at him with one eye.
Drake nodded, "Anything, name it and I'll do it, no matter how cruel or embarrassing, I'll do it without complaint." he said as he smiled down at her. Gleaming Shield scooted closer to Drake and laid her head on his lap and he did nothing but let her do what she wanted.
"Well in that case would you be willing to go on a date with me and Cadence with a full body massage at the end?" Gleam asked as she looked up at Drake, expecting to see him shocked or embarrassed, but instead he was perfectly calm as he smiled down at her.
"Sure, but I assume that neither of you will be getting too drunk when we do? I think it would be more enjoyable if you didn't though I'm not going to stop you from drinking at all." Drake said with an amused smiled.

"I wouldn't worry about that, neither of us are that heavy of drinkers but if you think that we are getting to that point then feel free to cut is off." The two heard Cadence say from the doorway but did nothing to change the position they were currently in. "Hello sweets, I came by to check on you when neither of you came back and it seems that I was right to do so. I would have missed out on the date planning if you two decided to stay in here." Cadence said as she gave Gleaming Shield a kiss and took a spot on Drake's other leg.
"I take it I'm your pillow now?" Drake only only got content hums from the two mares laying on his legs. "Well if that's the case could you two get up for a minute so I could laid down on the bed. As I said earlier, changing into my energy form is very tiring and doing it twice in one day has taken it out of me." The mares did as he asked, albeit reluctantly, and Drake made himself comfortable before signaling the mares that it was alright.

Cadence and Gleaming Shield made themselves comfortable as they placed their heads on his chest. Drake put his arms around them and pulled them closer. From there the three allowed the heat from each others body and their heartbeats to lull them to sleep, but not before Drake blasted the bedroom door shut with a weak bolt and inadvertently zap Princess Luna who had been eavesdropping on their conversations.

Life is Weird

Drake awoke the next day feeling revitalized as his energy had been restored from turning into pure energy. He tried to get up as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes but a weight on his chest stopped him. He looked down to see what could be holding him down as spotted Cadence and Gleaming Shield still sleeping peacefully as they remained attached to his arms. He smiled at the wonderful visage but blushed when he noticed that they were nothing but their panties and bras.

"Didn't we fall asleep with our clothes on last night?" Drake thought as he didn't want to wake up the mares. He was relieved to find that nothing but his shirt had been taken off and presumed that the mares probably woke up and got themselves comfortable. Despite the slight embarrassment he was feeling Drake looked down at the mares to see examine their choice of underwear. He saw that Cadence was wearing a bright red lacy bra and panties and that Gleaming, to his shock, was wearing a black, lacy set of bra and panties as well. Each set complimented the mares' bodies extremely well and found that he couldn't keep from letting his eyes roam across their forms but lingered whenever he landed on their shapely flanks. He felt the urge to want to grab them but told himself not to but it seemed that his body wasn't going to listen as he felt his hands move down their backs and getting closer.

Drake's hands were so close by the time he stopped resisting and just his body take over. His hands didn't move any faster as he just wanted to enjoy the journey before reaching the destination. Just centimeters away now and he hesitated for a second to make sure that both mares were still asleep. Satisfied that they were he went for it and groped their soft, .......firm, ...........heavenly rears. "Okay I'm enjoying this more than I thought I would, or should......I think." Drake thought as he massaged one of their ass cheeks in one hand and their soft moans only helped to drive him to continue, despite the fear of possibly facing death.

Drake went on squeezing and pinching their butts for some time when he felt them start shifting around. He felt them moving but their movements didn't quite register in his head as he went on. Gleaming Shield and Cadence had woken up to the wonderful feeling of having their flanks played with by the man that they let him continue. They decided to stop him as their breathing turned into panting so that they wouldn't just Drake.

"So how do they feel big guy?" Gleaming Shield asked in a sultry voice. Drake's eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice and looked down to see that both of the mares were wide awake and he still had his hands on their flanks. He started to panic a little when he noticed this and struggled to try to get free. The mares saw that he was freaking out and grabbed his shoulders to place him flat on the bed. "Hey it's alright. Me and Cadence aren't going to pummel you into the ground if that's what you're worried about." Gleam said as Drake started to calm his nerves.

When he felt his heart stop beating at a rapid pace he looked to the mares, "Sorry about groping you two while you were sleeping." Drake apologized, feeling shameful about his actions. He was shocked when the mares each gave him a kiss on cheek but quickly got over it when he saw their smiling faces. "So you really aren't mad?" He asked cautiously.

"Of course not Drake. We know that we have just met you and you and Gleam didn't meet on the best of terms, but we can tell that you're a caring pon, um, person, and we know that you wouldn't take advantage of us. Though I think I speak for both of us when I say that we would like to be awake when you decide to get frisky." Cadence winked at him and he couldn't help the small blush that appeared on his cheeks.

"But what happened to getting to know me before deciding on something like that?" Drake asked as he rubbed the back of neck.

"Oh trust me big guy we still intend to honor your wish but I think at this point it's more of you getting to know us. You've already told us so much about you and showed us that...... you called it a movie right?" Drake nodded. "Okay, so after that seeing that movie and watching you fight against a monster like Purgatory we feel like you're fine coltfriend material and coming after me knowing full well that I could have blasted you only sealed the deal. That's part of the reason why I wanted to go on a date when you offered to do what I wanted." Gleaming Shield explained.

"Well I don't really care about why you wanted the date, but why the massage?" Drake asked.

"Oh, that's just because I've been tensed and needed one, and the same could be said of Cadence, and after feeling the way you massaged my flank I think I might want you to become our personal masseuse." Gleam said dreamily while Drake and Cadence chuckled at her antics.

"You know I wouldn't mind that but I have to ask, are you two planning to form a herd or am I just one lucky motherfucker?" Drake asked shit eating grin.
"Well yes and no. Yes you are a lucky stallion considering you're the only one to win over both of us, within only a day I may add. That has to make you feel proud huh Drake?" Cadence teased as she wiggled her eyebrows, which looked hilarious by the way.
"Do you really think that I would be proud of something like that Cadence. It makes me sound like that 'cool kid' who gets all the girls just because he can and most of the times those guys are fucking bastardized assholes you need to burn in hell." Drake growled out as one such individual he knew came to mind.
"Well you can be an asshole sometimes and-"
"Shut up Gleam." Drake said with a neutral expression which she responded to with laughter.

"Anyway, yes you're a lucky stallion but to be honest I think we would be happier with a harem. It may or may not be my title as the princess of love that is coming out here,
"Which it is."
"Shut up Gleam, I feel that keeping you to ourselves would be unfair to any other mares that take an interest in you. We aren't opposed to you dating other mares while you're dating us as well but please tell us before going into anything too serious with them as we would like to make sure that we all get along so there's no infighting, that is all we ask if you do decide to come into a relationship with, right Gleam." Cadence asked as she turned to the mare next to her.
"That's right Angelo, because if we find out that you're having an affair I'll hunt you down and tear off your balls." Gleaming Shield threaten as she stuck a finger in his face. Drake just rolled his eyes before grabbing Gleam by her arms and flipping them over so that he was on top of her.
"Trust me Gleam when I say that neither of you have to worry about that. I'm extremely loyal to my friends and won't ever turn my back on them, how do you think I'm going to act while in an actual relationship?"

"It sounds like you already have your mind made up about being our coltfriend." Gleam observed.
"Well it doesn't help when I have two mares talking like I already am." Drake said as he dropped on top of Gleam with his face buried into her cleavage.
"So does that mean you are?" Cadence asked.
"Well...might as well. ............Is it normally this easy to have these kinds of things decided so quickly because I honestly have no idea." Drake said as looked up at Gleam.
"I think it depends on the pony, or person in your case. Some like take love hard and fast while others like to go in slow and steady." Cadence answered.
"You know I'm talking about dating, not sex, right?" Drake said as he looked to Cadence.

"This coming from the one that has made his place laying on my boobs." Gleam retorted.

"Well sorry if I find your tits to be more comfortable than the pillows."

"Well do you think you could get up? I'm pretty sure we're supposed to be somewhere and are probably late. Goddess forbid that Twilight starts freaking out about none of us going back to the dining room to assure them that everything is alright." Gleam said as she tried to push Drake off of her.

"What are you talking about? Everything didn't turn out alright, everything turned out better than alright. Despite the problems that I've caused you I still managed to get two marefriends out of it and I promise to do what I can to make sure that this works out, no matter the cost." Drake said as he nuzzled into Gleam's chest as the two mares pulled him into a warm hug for his little speech.

"Well what do you say we all head into the shower and tackle the day huh?" Cadence asked as they pulled away from the embrace. The other two agreed as they got up and walked towards the bathroom. The mares couldn't help but feel worried as they saw all of the scars that adorned Drake's body as he undressed. They know full well where he had gotten them from after watching the recording of the war that his galaxy had been through but that didn't change the fact that they were worried about his well being. They know they'll do anything to support Drake as he lives in Equestria but only so much could be done concerning what he went through fighting the monster that was Purgatory.

As they showered three talked about the details of the date they were going to have tonight and the mares had to beg him to get some of the tailors at the castle to make him a formal suit for it. He finally relented after Gleaming Shield decided to mention that he promised to do anything she asked without complaint and he was cornered. The mares cheered over their victory over the stubborn man as he got out of the shower, grumbling to himself as he dried himself and got dressed. We headed out of the room and to the dining where the others were waiting for him and his mares to show up. He greeted them as he decided to join this time and noticed Luna giving him a dirtier look than.

"So why are you so pissy this morning Luna?" Drake asked with a tilt of his head. "And how did you get burn mark on your face, considering that it looks like the pattern that shows up on anyone I blast I'm curious because I know I haven't zapped you recently." Drake said as he noticed the spiral pattern burn mark on her cheek.

"Oh like you don't know." Luna chidded.

"I don't, otherwise I wouldn't be asking." He stated calming as a plate stacked high with pancakes was placed before him.

"Well for your information you did zap me. I was going to check on Gleaming Shield and Cadence when you just so happened to blast the door as I grabbed the handle. Your bolt seemed to have past through the door and hit right in the face so that's why I have this." Luna explained as pointed to the burn mark.

"My bad, if I had known I wouldn't have blasted the door shut but I didn't feel like waking up Cadence and Gleam after they fell asleep on me." Drake heard somepony at the table spit out their drink and saw Twilight looking at him with wide-eyes. "What's up with you?"

"You slept with my sister!? Did you sleep with Cadence too?" Twilight shouted.

"Well if you mean that I slept in the same bed, then yes, but if you're asking if we had sex then the answer is no. Though-" Drake was interrupted by Cadence as she and Gleam walked into the room.

"Though he didn't sleep with us he has agreed to be our coltfriend." She said as she and Gleam gave him a kiss on the cheek before sitting next to him. The rest of the ponies were staring and him with shock or happiness adorning their features though Celestia seemed to have the biggest smile out of all of them, and Luna just glared at him but he didn't care about her.

"Well that's great news to hear you two so I guess there isn't a need to discuss Drake's living arrangements." Celestia said as Drake had realized that he had forgotten about his current living situation.

"Okay, well we know where I'll be living but what about a job. I do intend to make myself useful though I don't think I want to join your guard. I've had enough fighting for a while and would love to relax. I would ask if you had anything that involves racing but considering there are no vehicles of any sort I believe that's out of the question."

"Well actually we have something in the field of racing but that's only a show for the Wonderbolts, who are an elite team of pegasi, so I don't think that'll work." Celestia said as Drake snapped his fingers, saying "Damn" after she mentioned the Wonderbolts were pegasi. "Is there anything else that you might be interested in? What about something similar to what you did back home?"

"I was a waiter at a restaurant, though that was only because I didn't have the necessary credentials to showcase my education so it was the only place I can get." Drake said exasperatingly.

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"You can't get far in the Forge without education, or anything to show that you had the education to do something. From what Princess Celestia has told me of cutie marks, they basically define not only who you are but also what you're meant to do for the rest of your life. We don't have anything like that and so we're free to pursue whatever field of work we want, trying to find that place where we belong. In fact your cutie marks represent a saying back home."

"And that would be?"

"If you fun with what you're doing then you never have work another day in your life." Drake repeated the old saying that he heard from a random old man that he met when he was younger.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense, so I take it that you never considered that protecting innocents from Purgatory was fun?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"You're kidding right. Dash you saw that recording like the rest of us. There is no way that fighting like that could be considered fun." Applejack looked as her friend incredulously.

"Oh yeah that reminds me," Drake shot a bolt at the wall where his gauntlet/ movie projector, was still residing and it responded by launching itself back to his arm. "Well anyway, how about you six tell me what your cutie marks mean since I already know Celestia and Luna's, and figuring these two won't be a problem." Drake pointed to Gleam and Cadence as he asked.

"Well my cutie mark represents my expertise in magic and its properties." Twilight said as she pointed to the six pointed star that resided on her hand. "I had gotten it when I was taking the exam to get into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I almost failed but then I heard this loud explosion and lost control of my magic."

"I got mine when I threw a party for my family after seeing this big rainbow that made me smile," Pinkie went next. "I used to live on a rock farm with my family. We never smiled and it was always so dull but when I saw that rainbow I knew what it felt like to be happy and wanted to help other ponies smile too." Pinkie was hopping up and down before jumping high into the air and exploding into confetti. She then appeared right behind Drake who was unfazed by her weirdness. "So are you ready for your party today?"

"Wait, you were planning on having that today!?" Drake asked as he didn't know how to decline Pinkie's kindness without feeling bad.

"Yeah, why, do you not want to have the party?" Pinkie asked sadly.

"Nononono, I do, it's just that I thought it would take a little longer to prepare, and the three of us were planning on going out on a date." Pinkie looked downtrodden and sad and Drake thought he could see her eyes start to get watery. Not wanting to see the pink mare cry he pulled her into a hug. "You know what, we can have the party today and me, Cadence, and Gleam will just reschedule for tomorrow." Drake said as he held the party mare.

"Really? Are you sure because I wouldn't want to get in the way of you three spending time with each other." Pinkie asked as she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"Really, I got to get a damn suit made for the date anyway so you're helping me anyway." Drake said as Pinkie's smile came back in full force as she squeezed him and bounced back to her seat. He turned towards Cadence and Gleam and gave them an apologetic look which they waved off. Apparently they were proud of him for wanting to cheer Pinkie up and giggled to each other as they reminded him that he was getting his suit made today. He groaned loudly and Fluttershy asked what was wrong and they told everypony about the hassle this morning about getting him to agree to getting a suit for their date. Rarity jumped at the opportunity to ask to make him one and they agreed, which caused Drake to groan again even louder.

Everypony at the table just laughed at his plight as they continued with breakfast with idle chatter filling the room. The rest of the girls told Drake about their cutie marks represented and what they do but still couldn't figure out what he wanted to do besides laze about the castle though his thoughts were more towards the subject of what Pinkie's party for him would be like. From what he was heard from the others was that everypony loved a Pinkie party and were always eager to attend. As he thought of this though his mind suddenly reminded him of the possibility of Purgatory being out there somewhere but shoved it aside for later. He wasn't going to allow him the satisfaction of taking away his ability to have fun and would deal with it when he crossed that bridge.

"Would you hold still?" Rarity asked irritably as she was taking Drake's measurements.

"I've been standing here for hours plus I don't like standing still anyway. I never stay on one spot unless I'm doing something productive." Drake complained.
"Well then think of it this way. With you standing here you're allowing me to get this done faster so that I can have more time to make your suit, which will make your mares happy once it's ready and you're wearing it for what is sure to be a spectacular night for the three of you." Rarity suggested which caused Drake to groan, again.

"They should be happy enough with what the night itself will bring. A free meal and a massage at the end, what more could they want?"

"You really don't like to wear suits do you?" Gleaming Shield asked from behind him wearing her guard uniform.

"No, no I don't, *sigh* but as much as I don't like it, and that's a lot right now, it is for you and Cadence. Plus at this point now I believe that it's revenge for taunting you isn't it?" Drake asked as Gleam grinned at him.

"Eeyup, but don't worry. I'm sure that you'll handsome in it either way, though I gotta say I'm contemplating on whether I should make you wear a shirt at all tomorrow." Gleam said as her fingers drew circles on his chest.

"Good luck with that babe, I know what the deal was but it was enough of a struggle accepting to wear a damnable suit, I'm not about to go around shirtless. You, Cadence, and now Rarity have seen the scars that I have and if they scare you then what's it say about the other ponies." Drake said seriously.

"What are you talking about I'm not-" Gleam went on nervously but saw how serious Drake was about this. "You saw the way we looked at you in the shower, didn't you?" To which he nodded. "Sorry, it's just....... we didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable talking about them."

"It's alright Gleam I understand."He said as he pulled her a hug and rested his chin atop her head. "I know how hard it can be to see someone you care about with scars like mine. It tells you how much they've been through and the trauma they faced with the experience and you just want to do everything in your power to make sure they never have to suffer like that again."

"It sounds like you have experience with this kind of thing."

"Tonoe acted the same way after the war ended. He had actually tried to convince to let Purgatory takeover but you saw how much I took that suggestion into consideration." Drake reminisced.

"I wish I could meet him he sounds like a great friend."

"He was, I just wish I had a way to talk to him to at least let him know that I'm okay. He has to be worried sick by now." He responded sadly.

"Well maybe you'll get lucky and a random portal will open up and dump him here along with you." Gleam tried to cheer him and was met with a kiss to to forehead.

"Thanks for the optimism Gleam, I could really use it when stuff like this comes up." Drake said before pulling her into a passionate kiss.

"Awwwwwww, that's so sweet and romantic, I hope my stallion treats me like that once I find him." Rarity cooed as the two blushed having forgotten that the fashionista was there. Gleam gave Drake another kiss on the cheek before saying that she needed to get back to her duties and left the room with a noticeable sway in her movements.

"See darling, you can't protest wearing a nice suit when you have mares that love." Rarity said as she went back to measuring him.

"Sure I can, I need something to keep me occupied after all. Seriously though, I'm a guy, we don't care all that much about our appearance as you girls do, plus every suit I've ever worn chafes like a bitch around my legs and I end up walking funny trying to scratch the itch without being rude." Drake went back to complaining.

"Just hold still for a little longer and you'll be free to move around." Rarity informed him.

"Fiiine." Drake groaned once again.

The next few hours after his session with Rarity were tedious as he tried to find something around the castle to occupy his time until Pinkie's party. He had decided after some time to find Rarity and Pinkie's other friends and get to know them a little more. Although some were able to keep him more occupied than others, in the end he often went to find something else to do as he grew bored rather quickly. Fluttershy had seemed to warm up to him after seeing the kind soul that he after seeing that he was willing to risk his life to save his home. They talked about the different creatures from each other worlds. He was enjoying talking to her but it seemed that his mind kept wandering and decided to excuse himself so as to come off as rude should he zone out when she's speaking. Next was Twilight and Drake wanted to bail as soon as they were alone in a room. She was a questionnaire as she asked him to tell him about everything in his world he made an excuse that he heard one of his mares calling him when he couldn't take it anymore and bailed out.
Spending time with Applejack and Rainbow Dash was a little at first as the two were extremely competitive and using the castle grounds to see who was the better. They asked if he wanted to join as they were about to start a race to which a answered with a shrug and took his position. When it started they were neck to neck but the mares changed that as they pulled ahead, taunting Drake as they did. They turned around and concentrated on each other, not taking Drake into mind as he fell behind. If they had bothered to look back they would have seen his smirk and might have been able to prevent his sudden acceleration. Alas they didn't and were utterly shocked when Drake zoomed past them at the last moment and won, they didn't too well especially after he won every single match against them after that, his competitive spirit not allowing him to tone it back.
They decided they had enough and quit while Drake was standing there, pondering on what he should do next as he had grown bored in the middle of the contest. He then spotted some guards and thought to pay Gleam a visit and find out if they have anywhere he could train. He not only found her but Cadence and the other princesses as well. They all greeted him, except Luna, and asked what he was doing. He told them the reason of his visit and offered the unicorn's training area as it was the only place safe enough to practice with his lightning. Suffice to say they regretted that decision just moments later as Drake at managed to destroy it with just a few bolts. He gave them a sheepish smile when he saw them but that did nothing to quell their anger. Deciding that the castle has had enough of his antics he was kicked out until somepony sent for him.
So here he was, alone, bored, and the populace avoiding him. "I think I'll go explore the mountains and forest for the rest of the day." Drake decided after trying to figure how to stave of his boredom, after deciding that breaking back into the castle just to screw with everypony was a bad idea. He traversed to city from the rooftops till he got to the forest that surrounded the mountain and traveled through it. He encountered much of the wildlife that lived within but none with ill purpose. When he finally got to the base he didn't hesitate to start climbing it and made it up to a ledge about 50 yards up. He spotted a path from there and went to explore it, after about an hour of walking he found an amazing sight. The path he followed led to a natural spring in the middle of the cluster of mountains that laid behind Canterlot mountain.
The area was around it was plentiful with animal and plant life and they appeared to be having fun. He spotted an unoccupied cave a ways away from them and decided to head there to get some rest from his walk. He looked at his watch to see that it was already four in the afternoon and decided that he would be able to sleep for a few hours before heading back. He propped himself against the wall and closed his eyes only took a couple minutes before passing out. The animals that took note of him as he walked down to the cave had came up to him and noticed that he had fallen asleep. They saw him shiver from the breeze that blew through the valley and, tired themselves, decided to lay with him. Soon enough Drake was completely covered by bunnies, deers, beavers, and, oddly enough, even a few snakes and lizards.

The party that was meant for Drake was supposed to start at eight and go well into the night but it was nine now and everypony was waiting for the guards to bring him back after being kicked out of the castle. "Okay where is this guy?" One of the guest asked as they were all getting impatient. Before anypony could answer the doors swung open to reveal the a pegasus guard but there was nopony with him. Gleaming Shield walked up to the mare and asked, "Where's Drake?"

"That's what I came to inform of ma'am. We've scoured the whole city but there is no sign of him." The mare informed.

"Well have you asked anypony if they've seen him?" Gleam asked coolly though inside she was growing angrier that Drake hadn't shown up yet.

"Yes we have but all we get is that they had seen him walking on the roofs of buildings but couldn't tell where he was heading."

"What's up and where's Drake?" Twilight asked as she and the rest of their friends walked up.

"Apparently Drake is nowhere to be found though there are reports of him walking atop ponies houses." The others adapted unamused faces at hearing this.

"Well I think that we should start the party. If he's not going to bother showing up or leave a note of some kind of what he's doing then we shouldn't have to wait." Rainbow Dash said to which the others agreed. Pinkie was saddened that Drake was missing it but she also didn't want to have all her hard work go to waste.
The party finally started, much to everypony's delight and was indeed a lot of fun. It didn't stop until about one in the morning and everypony headed home, having had the time of their lives. As the guest departed Cadence and Gleaming Shield grew worried as they hadn't seen Drake at all during the party. They figured that he would have shown up if only to show his face but threw it down as they thought they maybe he was back in their bedroom.
They headed there after the cleanup was done but didn't spot Drake no indication that Drake was there when they opened the doors." Gleam, you don't think something happened to him do you?" Cadence asked as she did a quick sweep of the room.
"That big lug, are you kidding me. The idiot just probably got himself lost exploring the city. He'll be here in the morning just you wait and see." Gleam reassured Cadence as she ushered her to the bed. They stripped down to their underwear before hopping into bed and getting under the covers. Gleam held Cadence as they spooned in the bed and were quickly being claimed by sleep's embrace. "You better be here tomorrow." Gleam said under her breath before slipping into slumber.

Date Night

Author's Note

So here's what I decided to go with instead of what was originally here but I must warn you so as to avoid disappointment once you get there but there is NO clop in this chapter. Thought I should warn you since at the end it seems to lead up to it but I repeat, there is NO clop, I believe it's too early to add it in.

Date Night

Drake awoke the next morning, still surrounded by the various animals that had covered his form after he had fallen asleep, awoke and noticed the situation he was in. 'Well this is weird but I can't say that I mind it.' Drake thought as he carefully shifted about as he tried to not disturb the animals' slumber. It was all for naught though as the moment he moved they started to awaken. He stayed still as they moved off of him and stretched themselves out as they became aware of their surroundings. After a minute or so, it seemed they remembered where they had fallen at and turned to Drake, who smiled and waved at them. After having been so close to the man, the animals had become comfortable with him and some had even approached him. Drake hadn't really moved after waving at them and didn't really react when they came closer to him, that is until a young fawn had out herself under hand, seeking attention from the man. Drake was glad to provide such attention and was swarmed not to long afterwards by the group.

He was having a blast as he was laughing and enjoying playing with the group but had taken a gander at the time and had seen that not only was he asleep for a few hours but that he had slept through the rest of the day and into the next. "Oh shit, sorry little guys," A few growls and hisses were thrown his way, "and gals, but I gotta get going. My friends are probably worried about me." Getting a few licks and such as good-byes, Drake backed away from his furry friends and transformed into his energy and made his way back to the castle. He was there in less than a minute as he changed back as he made his way through the front door and went looking for everybody.

He didn't have to look far as he ran into the Throne Room to see a pacing Cadance, Gleam impatiently tapping her hoof on the ground, and the others were in similar states of impatience and worry, all except for Luna who looked she didn't give a damn about what may have happened to the man. The sound of someone running into the room, as well as the opening of the doors into the room, had alerted them all to his presence as they turned to look at him. No one had said or done anything for about a minute or so before Drake found himself on the floor once by a pink blur,but instead of the hyper active party pony, it was the Princess of Love. She seemed to be squeezing the life out of him as he just laid there and let her do so. The others, except Luna, rushed on over as Cadance kept him restrained with her bear hug.

"Alright Cadance, let go of the poor guy before you squeeze the air out of him." Gleam said as she tried to pry her marefriend off of their colt, er boyfriend. After Cadance was of of him and allowed to stand up he was engulfed in yet another hug by Gleaming Shield that was just as bone crushing as Cadance's was. "Where were you Drake, you had us worried." Gleaming asked as she loosened her grip on the man and letting his poor ribs, back, and spine recover.

"Why were you so worried, I was only gone one night, even though it was by complete accident." Drake asked, bewildered.
"Well you did say that Purgatory may be in Equestria so some of us thought that you may have been kidnapped, ......or worse." Cadance answered as her ears laid flat upon her head, as well as some of the others, except for Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Gleaming Shield.
"Well it's obvious who thought what so I gotta ask what you three were thinking?"

"Oh nothing besides the usual. Got lost, fell asleep somewhere and didn't wake up until the next day, or you simply lost track of time while you were out exploring." Rainbow answered with a shrug.

"I knew better than to think that something bad may have happened but somepony didn't want to listen to me." Gleaming said as she looked over at Cadance with the 'I told you so' look. Cadance's response was to cross her arms under her supple breasts and pout.

"But didn't you just say that we were worried when you were crushing my ribs?" Drake jabbed at Gleaming who looked at him rather sheepishly.

"Yeah, well what pony doesn't worry about their special somepony?" Gleaming turned her back to him which got a chuckle and a hug from behind which caused her to let a 'eek' in surprise.

"No matter the reason, I appreciate that you all care about me so but I do have to say sorry, Pinkie, for missing out on that party." Drake said from over Gleams shoulder.

"Oh that's okay, though I wish you were there, it was for you after all." Pinkie replied with a smile, though it was noticeably smaller than her usual ones. Everybody else thought that she was, in fact, a bit upset about it but not too much so. The fact was that she was a bit mad at herself for having had the party anyway when it was supposed to be Drake's first party. 'It was his first party ever and I went ahead and had it without him. Everypony there had a blast except for the one that the party was for. I'll make it up to him, I Pinkie Promise!' She thought to herself as the others were asking Drake where he had been.

"Well after I was kicked out of the castle I tried to explore the city but quickly grew bored of that so I headed off into the nearby mountains to look for a place to train away from everybody else since nothing in either the castle or Canterlot seemed to be strong enough to withstand my power. As I was checking out locations for a potential spot I found a path that lead to a natural spring that was filled with various sorts of animals and decided to hang around there for a bit. The place was so peaceful and beautiful that I thought that resting in a nearby cave would be grant me the perfect spot to watch nature at work from afar. I guess my idea of resting for a hour or so obviously didn't work out to well." Drake said as he rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed look that was pointed towards the ground.

"So essentially you overslept and that was why you missed the party." Rainbow Dash said condescendingly with her arms crossed as she floated above everyone.
"Essentially, yeah, I overslept. Wonder if the stress from everything over the past month finally got to me?" Drake said that last part more to himself than actually asking a question.
"Month? Haven't you only been here for less than a week?" Rarity asked the man as he was getting looks of suspicion from Luna.
"Yeah, doesn't mean that I can't feel the stress of events from my universe now does it?" Drake's statement got agreements from everybody, including a disgruntled Luna. "Well now that, that is resolved," Drake started before turning to Gleaming Shield, who was still in arms, and Cadance, who got dragged into the embrace as well, "I believe the three of us have a date to prepare for." He stated with a grin on his face while the two mares beamed up at him before going wide-eyed and escaping from his grasp. They ran out of the room, leaving behind a confused Drake and a giggling bunch of mares.
It took him a second to realize that they had left to go get ready and so decided to go get ready himself and so turned to Rarity and asks, "So is my suit done Miss Rarity?" That brought the giggling mares to a halt as Rarity stared at him for a second before appearing before him and teleporting them to her room. When they got there she rushed behind one of those paper dividers before pulling it aside and revealing Drake's freshly made suit.

The suit composed of a pair of dress pants that were a dark crimson color, that was a step away from looking like blood. Rarity had seen it fit to add in a couple of two-tone lightning bolts on each leg that were black and a lighter shade of red than his pants. They were located on the outside of the legs where they were displayed proudly. Next was the dress shirt, it didn't seem all that special, it was a grayish white, it was a good choice seeing as though a pure white shirt would have made it stand out too much and didn't really seem to fit to color scheme Rarity had went with. It was made out of a very fine, and durable material by the looks of it, in fact the entire seemed to be made to function as formal wear and seemed to be capable of withstanding much more punishment then most. Drake wanted to voice his thoughts but thought that he should finish his examination before asking her anything about the outfit. Taking a look at the coat that helped complete the outfit, it had the same coloration as the pants but it didn't have the bolts on it, in its stead were Gleaming and Cadance's cutiemarks sewn on the left side of coat, right where his heart would lay when he put it on.

"It's a way ponies expression their love for their herdmates, among other things, but I would say that this is perhaps one of the more........ proud way to declare that love. I believe it shows a stallions willingness to saying that he belongs to these lucky mares and sure isn't afraid to admit it." Rarity explained when she saw his eyes land the marks of the two mares that he had won over, and had won him over as well.
"Thanks Rarity," Drake said as looked over the entire outfit. "I know I was against this in the first place, still am actually, but I really am thankful that you put this together for me." He didn't receive a verbal response and was instead hugged tightly by Rarity. He smiled at the mare and returned it. She backed out of his hold and smiled at him before saying, "I don't need your thanks, but I do appreciate it all the same. All that I ask is wear them proudly on your date, and maybe mention that you had gotten from me if anypony asks." She said that last part quickly as she didn't really want Drake to hear it and think that she was using this as a way to get more publicity for her and her shop.
He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder which got her to look at him. "Don't worry Rarity, I would have said you made it anyway and I don't think you're trying to use my date to build up more of your reputation." He responded with a kind smile before asking another question that was on his mind. "Why is it though that it seems that these clothes are a lot tougher than what they should be?"
"Well that is rather darling. When I got done done taking your measurements and got started on the design, I couldn't help but think about what we all saw in that movie of yours about that dreadful war as well as that terrifying fellow, Purgatory and how you said there's a chance that he's here, I figured that I would my more resilient materials to craft this masterpiece you see before you!" Rarity explained with enthusiasm as she waved her hand over Drake's suit. He patted her head with a smile on his face as he said, "Thanks Rarity, you really do know how to cater to the needs of your customers. That's why I believe you'll accomplish your dream of becoming a renowned fashionista."
"Y-y-you really believe in me?" Rarity asked softly after Drake had said this. Now normally Rarity is beaming with confidence, especially when it revolves around her dream of becoming a world renowned fashionista with boutiques all over the world, but she's hit a bit of a dry spell lately and some of her works hadn't come out as glamorous as she had hoped and wound up disappointing a few clients. When Drake, Gleaming, and Cadance had made mention of their date, as well as Drake not having any formal wear, she jumped at the chance to get back her flare. Drake's heartfelt, and sincere, statement seemed to have brought the spark back and she couldn't have been any happier. Which is why it will come as no surprise to see that Drake was once again tackled by yet another mare, though this time he managed to keep himself standing.
They separated moments later after a series of 'Thanks you's' from the mare. Drake had gone into the bathroom with his new suit as she recomposed herself. "So how do I look?" Drake asked as he walked out the bathroom. Rarity gave him an appraising look as she looked him, and the suit, over for any touch ups it may need. After taking note of the adjustments that needed to be made she directed him over to the pedestal she had him on last time, and he went along without a fuss. Getting him to lift his arms and spread his legs apart a bit she began the task of making the suit fit perfectly on his form. Not taking more than a few minutes or so, Rarity had finished up and was now doing a recheck. "Well it seems you're set Drake,I must say you look rather smashing in that ensemble. I'm sure that you'll be wooing Princess Cadance and Gleaming Shield in no time at all."
"Pretty sure I've already 'wooed' them Rarity but thanks for the sentiment. I do have to say though, I'm not hating this suit as much as I thought I would." Drake said as he was looking himself over in a full body mirror.
"Well that's nice to hear, I guess, and I take it you're convinced to come to me in case of a fashion emergency?" Rarity asked as she playfully pointed a finger at his face.
"Hehehe, yeah I'll come to you in case I happen to run into a fashion emergency."

"Good, now how about you take that suit off and go get washed up. I don't seem to recall you ever washing up after you got back from your trip in the mountains and I refuse to have one of my friends ruin their own date by smelling like an outhouse." She stated as she was pushing him back into the bathroom.
"What, I don't stink that bad. . . .do I?" Taking a quick whiff he recoiled as the stench that hit him was far from pleasant. "Okay I see your point but you sure you're okay with me using yours, I could always use the bathroom in one of the other rooms."

"It's quite alright darling, I don't mind, really. Besides it's almost time for lunch so I won't be here anyway if that's what you're worried about dear."

"Alright, if say so, just don't blame if I somehow manage to walk out naked right as you walk into the door." Drake joked as they finally made it to the bathroom door.

"You' don't have to worry about Drake. I am a lady after all, and as a lady I pride myself on having excellent manners." Drake just rolled his eyes at that as he opened the door and took a step inside. "Though I don't believe I don't have anything to worry about since your suit will be sitting in the closet over there." Rarity said as she went to go fetch a garment bag to keep his suit in. "That if you would be so kind as to get undressed and hand me your suit from the door so that I may put it up properly."

Drake went in to do just that and waited there as she stuffed it into the garment bag and handed it back to him to hang up before going into the shower. Rarity left Drake to his own devices after she gave him his garment and left the room to go search for her friends who were most likely with Gleaming and Cadance. Drake turned on the shower and proceeded to wash the stink that laid upon his body that he theorized probably came from the animals that had decided to use him as a pillow yesterday. It didn't take long and he was out and ready to go on his date, but that wouldn't be for a few more hours so he decided to mess around a bit with his look , or at least he would have if he hadn't looked towards his scars and realized that it was about time to re-cover them up. They may have been old but they still tend to act up, another one of the perks of being the only force standing in between the freedom of an entire galaxy and a madman bent on domination. Drake went over to the cloak that was a part of his armor and grabbed some packages of bandages from an interior pocket that laid about waist level. Wrapping himself up was a time consuming task but it got done nonetheless. He checked the time and saw that there was a bit of time before his date so he decided to take a nap and make sure he set his 'special' alarm clock to make sure that not only did he wake up, but wake up with enough time to get himself dressed and make sure he had everything he would need.

~ 4 Hours Later ~

Drake is sleeping peacefully on the couch in Rarity's room without a care in the world and pleasant dreams, *Vvvvrrrrrrr* though that was to end soon.
*Crash*
*Bang*
*Boooom*

That is what could have been heard from anybody that was near the room as Drake's 'special' alarm went off. "Ah damn, I don't remember it doing that." Drake groaned as he got out of the him shaped dent in the wall. He went over to his gauntlets that was the controls for it all and checked the settings to his alarm. His eyes grew wide as he let out a growl, with an evil smirk planted of his face. "Even across dimensions and you're still this crap on me eh Tonoe?" Drake said as he was looking at the settings for his alarms that had been set to prank mode, something he had set up for occasions like this, though it was meant for other people.

Drake snapped out of his revenge scheming as he remembered why he had set the alarm. It was six thirty, so he had thirty minutes before his date with Gleaming and Cadance which was enough time for him to get presentable again and get his new suit now.

~Thirty Minutes Later~

We now find Drake waiting outside the castle entrance for his dates as a carriage is already there and waiting for its noble passengers. Drake was leaning against one of the pillars by the entrance with his arms crossed as he listened to some of the music he had stored within his arraignment of functions within his armor. (Which also had a convenient cloaking function in the gauntlets for such an occasion when he found himself in need of it but didn't want to blow the cover of his dual personas.)

He was so into it that he hadn't noticed that somebody was approaching him until he felt a tap of his shoulder. Turning to look at whoever was trying to get his attention. When he spotted who it was that was bugging him his jaw dropped as the sight before him rendered him speechless.

"I take it you like the way we look Drrrrrake." Cadance said as she and Gleaming stood in front of their boyfriend in their dresses. Cadance was wearing a honey yellow dress that hugged her curves in just the right way to accentuate her features. It hung down to just above her ankles and fluttered in the gentle breeze as she stood there and let Drake drink it all in. The dress was held up by two straps that crossed each other in the back and ended on the opposite ends. She made sure that she was showing enough cleavage to entice the man to stare down at her supple breasts in hopes of having a bit more with him during the date.

"Of course he does Cadance, I mean just look at this sexy mare, though you're not too bad yourself sweetie." Gleaming said with a smirk directed at Cadance as she struck a pose for Drake. Cadance pouted as Drake took in Gleaming's form that was clad in a sky blue wrap around dress that did plenty to show off her own chest and went down to mid thigh with a slit down the side that stopped before it could reveal even a glimpse of her undergarments, assuming she was wearing any. Drake also happened to notice that neither seemed to have put on make-up, except for a bit of lipstick that drew his attention a bit as he felt like kissing those lips passionately. Cadance had also done her mane up into a ponytail much like how she used to wear it back when she babysat, and it seems Gleaming went for the same look though hers was up higher and she had a couple of strands hanging off to the side of her face.

"I have to say Cadance, we certainly do have a stud here before us, don't we?" Gleaming purred as she walked up to Drake and leaned against him as she ran a finger across his chest.
"My, my, Gleaming, I believe you are most certainly right." Cadance said in much the same tone as she and Gleaming pressed their breasts against his chest, all the while they didn't seem to notice the evil grin Drake had as they were trying to tease him. "What's wrong Mister Angelo, cat got your ton- YOOOWW!" She and Cadance jumped back holding their boobs as they heard Drake chuckling.
"Don't get too naughty girls. If we're going to do something like that I'd rather not give the carriage driver a show." He said as he gestured to the driver that was now redder than a tomato with a nosebleed. The girls smiled sheepishly before apologizing to the poor (lucky) driver before hopping in as Drake held the door open for them, giving both a nice slap to the ass as they passed by him.

"You know we're going to get you back for zapping us as well as those smacks to our ass, don't you?" Cadance said as she was already devising a plan.

"I know but I don't really care." He said as he sat down in between the mares with his arms wrapped around them. "Though how about we save it for after the date, I want to see what you two got planned and I'd rather not have one of us do something stupid with our little war." They nodded to this and leaned on him as they enjoyed the ride. After about ten minutes they felt the carriage stop and they got up as the driver opened up the door. Again Drake let the mares go first before getting out himself. Many of the ponies there were of nobles and so had looked upon him disgust and a few murmurs were heard about why he was in the presence of the Princess of Love and the captain of the royal guard. Few of the comments that were heard a bit more clearly gave suggestions of him being a pet, others a servant. All in all it served as a reminder to Drake just why he lived the way he did in The Forge as he flashed a few of them a glare that promised misery as his eyes flashed red as he allowed a spark to run through him that was strong enough to be visible but not alarming so.

He felt a nudge and looked towards Cadance who gave him a comforting smile before grabbing a hold of his right hand with Gleaming grabbing a hold of the other as they dragged him towards the building in front of them. Drake took a quick scan of the place to get a feel for the atmosphere and found it to be a bit more pleasant than he thought it was going to be. The outside was simple enough with it's lilac colored walls and marble columns that bordered the windows that allowed a view inside and out of the restaurant which also included a sign above the main entrance in elegant lettering that simply read La International. As they got to the front Gleaming made her voice known, "It's up-scale but not too much so that it stops them from serving not only decent sized meals but also cater to other species' needs as well, like carnivores, or omnivore as your case maybe. We wanted to make sure you could actually eat something that you enjoyed as well since you can't eat hay or flowers, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to be stuck eating sweets for your dinner," Drake nodded at that, though he really didn't need to. "And to be quite frank, too uppity places blow so much it's not even funny and you won't have to worry too much about prejudice nobles either." Gleaming got done explaining as they made it into the doors and he got a look inside.

As he looked around he saw that she was right as he saw that were ponies, minotaurs, and griffins, all dressed up and chatting merrily. They got glances from the other patrons but only a few looked at him with scorn while others seemed to be curious of him. The interior was actually modest for the dress code as red carpet cover the ground, wooden chairs with intricate cravings and padded with velvet, and silk table clothes covered the tables. Other things such as the window curtains that were tied up and the various white columns didn't hold any interesting features as well.

"Ah, Princess Cadance, Captain Shield, it's nice to see you again." Said the waiter that stood post at the podium that laid beside the front door. A pegasus stallion with a sage coat, well kept and trimmed canary yellow tail, and a swept back mane of the same color. He had average build that wasn't too muscular but not to thin either. He was clad the standard black and white tux. He came around and gave both mares a hug before turning to face Drake. "And who might you be good sir?" He said as he looked at Drake after he pulled away from Gleams embrace.

"Name's Drake Angelo, the first human in Equestria, though many back home knew me by my alias, Lightning Master." Drake answered as he let an arc appear in his hand that he had extended in greeting. "I also happen to have managed to become the boyfriend of these lovely goddesses as well." He looked back at them from the edge of his vision with a teasing smirk as he spotted to two blushing mares.

The stallion laughed at the situation before accepting Drake's friendly gesture and shook his hand firmly. "Well then I must say that, you sir, are one lucky bastard. The name is Sage Platter and I'm glad to see these two have found a stallion to share their lives with. Now how about I take you three to your table since I've already seen a reservation under Cadance had been added to the list." Not waiting for an answer Sage grabbed three menus and motioned from them to follow.

Gleam walked up next to Drake and whispered in his ear, "I thought you said no more teasing until after the date."

"Yeah I did but last I check that wasn't meant to be teasing, rather it was me merely complimenting my mares, the grin was more for the ways I do plan on teasing you tomorrow." Drake said casually as he never lost his smile. Gleaming sighed at his answer before dropping back a bit to walk side by side with Cadance. Seeing this, Drake slowed himself down as well as he got in between them and wrapped an arm around each of them. He gave them both a light squeeze in a sort of half hug that was accompanied by a kiss to their cheeks that got them blushing lightly but they returned his affections none the less. "We love you," was what Drake heard before feeling their lips on his cheeks that got to him as well as his did to them. He smiled warmly to both mares as they had finally gotten to the table. Drake went to the table first as he pulled out the seats for both mares. They each took their seats with a smile and 'thank-you' as they were pushed in.

"So what can I get you three to drink?" Sage asked after three were settled. "We got a fine selection of-"

"Sorry to interrupt but I wouldn't bother saying anything about your wine selection, well to me at least, I don't drink any kind of alcoholic beverage." Drake interrupted as the pegasus was about to list off the specials and the like that just about restaurants have their employees do.

"Ah, very well then, what about the ladies?" He asked, looking to Gleam and Cadance.

"I think we're in the boat tonight and would say that some tea would do us just fine tonight." Cadance said as she ordered drinks for the table. The other two simply nodded their consent and went to looking over the menu choices. Sage dismissed himself as he went to go get their drinks the three sat in silence as they decided what they wanted to eat. By the time Sage came back with their drinks they had it figured out, so they ordered before they were once again left alone. Drake sat there as he stared at the mares who appeared to be pondering something and taking glances at each other before they did to same thing to him as it seemed they were having a silent conversation with their eyes.

"What's up you two?" Drake asked after five or minutes and they were still at it.

"Oh nothing, just wondering something." Gleam casually remarked as they locked eyes.

"Well would you mind sharing with the rest of the class?" He asked as gesture towards himself.

"Might as well since it's something only you would have answer to." Cadance replied this time.

"Well then?"

"It's nothing too serious, we were just if you had ever tried being in a relationship with that friend of yours, Tonoe was it?" Gleaming asked as she and Cadance looked at him with curious expressions.

"Why are you asking?" Drake asked back with a just as curious expression.

"Meh, just something that kinda just popped into our heads?"

"Well I know he loves me in that sense, as he had made clear already but I turned him down as him being a guy did make things in that regard. I tried to give something between us a shot but he saw how awkward and forced some of the things we did as a couple was for me. I felt like such an ass when he had brought it up but he was fine with it, in fact he appreciated the fact that I had tried so hard without asking him to change anything about himself that I think he's fallen for me more. Of course we still managed to stay the best of friends without any of the awkwardness that usually follows when two friends get together and break up." Drake smiled as he thought about some of the things he and Tonoe did all throughout their entire as friends. "Of course I did have to admit that if he had been female then things would have worked out better but again I wasn't about to have him change himself to make me happy." He added in as he was still going down memory lane.

"Wow, didn't think that you guys were actually that close but what kept him from finding a way to do just that if he loves you that much?" Gleaming asked.

"Well I think there's actually a part of him that actually feels more like a her because he had expressed that not only did he want a family, but that he wanted to be the one give birth to them. He's thought about changing his sex but despite all our advancements in technology we have yet been able to turn a man into a woman with all the working bits. Tonoe is strange, there's no denying that but I can't blame when it comes down to stuff like that. I've tried finding a way too so I can help make his dream true if for nothing more then to see him smile once it's over and done." Drake sighed at this as his eyes found the table cloth.

"Too bad he's not here." Cadance said as she rested her right elbow on the table as she rested her cheek onto her hand.

"Yeah, I think you three would have hit it off spectacularly."

"That's what I mean, though me and Gleaming would love to meet him. No, what I'm talking about is that there is a spell out there that can turn a stallion into a mare that develops everything we do. All of their bits would work as if they've been born a mare, from menstrual cycles and heat, to lactating and giving birth. While an expensive operation since only a few highly skilled unicorns that practice medicine can do it I'm sure that if you asked my aunts- scratch that, Aunt Celestia would be happy to do it if you asked. I would but I'm afraid I don't really have a talent for healing spells let alone spells that alters somepony's DNA structure." Cadance pouted at the end there as she thought how good Twilight was at casting some of the spells that she still seemed to struggle with. Gleaming just laughed at her marefriend's expression as she could guess what she was thinking.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're actually telling that you can actually use magic like that?" He got a nod from both mares which had him releasing a slightly depressed sigh. "I wished I had a way of getting a hold of him. I miss him terribly so and I can't imagine what he must be going through with my disappearance, and now I've found a way of fulling his dreams for the future." He said as his face expressed the sadness he was feeling. Gleam and Cadance reached out to comfort him but before they could touch him though the look in his eyes changed as a fire can be seen within them as a look of determination replaced his sad one. "No, I can't think like that. I've been through too much to simply give up on seeing my best friend again. I don't care how, or don't what I got to do I will find a way to him." Hearing his words Gleam and Cadance smiled at the goal he set for himself and made a decision right then and there.

"Well then count us in because we're not letting you do this alone Drake." Gleaming said on both their behalf.

"Thanks Gleam, Cadance, any help I can get would be very much appreciated."

"Yes, yes, but if we're done with all this seriousness can we please get back to enjoying our date?" Cadance said to both them and had Drake chuckling sheepishly. After Cadance waved off his apology they went to enjoying the rest of the night. Once they had gotten their food they went about conversating about lighter subjects. They had dessert at a local ice cream parlor after their dinner was done and the bill paid. They had decided to walk through the city to get back to the castle instead of going in their carriage. They enjoyed the night that Luna had created as they walked with their arms entwined with each other. Once they had gotten back they headed up to their bedroom and once inside, Gleaming and Cadance went into bathroom to get changed out of their dresses while Drake did the same with his suit and set in the closet so as not to mess it up. He laid in bed in nothing but a pair of pajama pants waiting for the mares to come out. He once again decided to pass the time with music though a lot quieter than earlier so he could hear the door open. After about ten minutes they came out once more clad in nothing more than their bra and panties as they made their way into bed. Cadance claimed the spot left of him as Gleam claimed his right. The mares made themselves comfortable against him as they nuzzled into his chest and let out happy sighs.

"I had fun on our date." Drake stated as he wrapped an arm around both of them. He leaned towards Gleam and gave her a peck on the cheek then turning over to Cadance to do the same to her.

"I had fun too, never thought you could be the romantic type Drake." Cadance said with her eyes closed as she was tried from the excitement the day had brought.

"Hehe, yeah, who would have thought that this big, handsome, lug could've have thought of something like that." Gleam added in a similar state. Soon after she got done saying that her breathing became even and shallow, indicating that she had fallen asleep with Cadance following not too far behind.

I'm so glad I got you two. You really are going to be a big help to me during this time. Good night, Gleaming Shield and Princess Cadance....and to you as well Tonoe Drake thought as he let sleep claim him though not before he heard a 'I'll see you soon' by a certain reptile.

Reunions Part 1

Author's Note

Sorry this chapter is sooooo late but life, it has a way of getting in the way when you don't want it too. Anyway I hope you like and I'll see you all later :derpytongue2:

Reunions Part 1

~Back in the Forge One Week Later~

"Come on there has to be a clue here somewhere. All I need is something that can tell me where he went and I could trace him." Tonoe said to himself as he shifted through the rubble that once made up the prominent Nanocell Experimenting Lab. It's been about two weeks since Drake's disappearance but the Meancepan hadn't given up on trying to find his best friend unlike all those that had counted on him so much, believing him and Purgatory to be dead. Right now he was looking for something that Drake may have had on him before he had been sucked into the inter-dimensional rift.

Something that was unknown to all but Drake was that the Meancepan was a genius in all rights, and so was able to not only steal the plans for the prototype that was destroyed here in the labs, but recreate it as well. He also managed to add a few things to it, such as the ability to track anything that was in another dimension as long as he had something to track them with, something that may have had residue from the same rift that they had gone through. Though instead of using the machine to track down Drake and bring him back, Tonoe was planning on going to wherever Drake was as he wanted to be with him but didn't want Drake to have to feel obligated to have to retake the role of the hero. Tonoe had had enough of Drake having to protect those that had never appreciated him in the first but never said anything as he knew that Drake would keep doing it anyway, even now when Purge no longer is a threat to their home if he should come back.

"Aha, found it!" Tonoe yelled out excitedly as he found a piece of Black Streak's front end that seemed to be radiating with a strange energy. With it in hand Tonoe raced back to his transport and headed off to his and Drake's former hideout.

~Twelve hours later~

"Okay, just need to adjust this. . . . . input the coordinates. . . and presto!" Tonoe muttered to himself as he finished up the tracker and activated it. "Just a little bit longer and we'll be back together again." He said skittishly as he waited for the tracker to pinpoint Drake's location across the multiverse. He had already long since packed for the journey and was only waiting on the device to do it's job. After a few minutes, Tonoe was daydreaming of being married to Drake and such before a noise had knocked him out of it. When he looked towards the noise he smiled wider that what should be physically possible as the screen showed 'DRAKE ANGELO FOUND'. "I found you." He said in a low voice as he gathered up his things and gathered them in front of the portal machine. He shut down everything and activated the self destruct sequence so that none would be able to steal any of the tech they had used to pull of some the things that they have down. After it was set and down, Tonoe activated the machine and threw everything he had into it before jumping through himself. The portal itself was still unstable so as he went through, the pressure it put on him knocked him unconscious but he didn't care as could be seen by the smile on his face as he allowed himself to be taken to Drake.

~In Equestria a couple minutes later~

"Aaawwww, what a cute little stuffed dragon." Cadance squealed as she spotted red dragon toy with feathery wings that hung in one of the various game booths that was spread throughout the festival that they were attending in Ponyville. Drake, Cadance, and Gleaming were here on a date and were later planning on heading over to Twilight's and Spike's tree home for a sleepover with them and the rest of the Elements. In the week since their first date there has been plenty of controversy about the princess of love and captain of the royal guard dating the alien from another dimension and as you would expect, the nobles were in an uproar about it but a few words of 'encouragement' from Princess Celestia and a not so subtle threat from the two mare had silenced them almost immediately. Of course that didn't stop from making their displeasure about it known about the situation. Drake has received numerous kinds of threats ranging from blackmail to death threats, all of which were meant with a light chuckle from the elemental.

"Drake, can you get for me pleeeeeease?" Cadance asked with her puppy eyes. Gleaming just rolled her eyes at her antics as Drake simply said, "Hehehe, you know you don't got to use those eyes Cady, I would have done it for the asking." He looked to the game and saw that it was one of those ones where you got to knock down some stacked up bottles. He smirked at this and walked up to the booth's operator, "How much to play?"

"Five bits for three balls, you knock one down you can get one of the small prizes, two gets you a medium, and all three will get you a large one." The mare running the game said cheerfully. Drake handed the mare ten bits in exchange for six balls and looked back to his mares, smiling at them as they returned the gesture. With that he took three of the balls and stepped back a bit from the counter before throwing all there at once and all of them hit their targets. The mare's jaw dropped at what she just witnessed, and remained that way as she handed a happy Cadance her prize of one oversized stuffed dragon.

"So got anyway to make things a bit more interesting?" Drake asked as he picked up the other three balls that he had paid for.

"You can just go ahead and pick your second prize." The mare said after she regained her composure.

"Alright then, how about-"

"I would like that one as well." Gleaming butted in before Drake could finish. He looked at her somewhat amused, which caused her to blush. "What? It reminds me of you Drake." Gleam said as she held her own dragon against her body, much like what Cadance was doing.

"Oh, and how do you figure that?"

"Well, your name is Drake Angelo and you use red lightning, and this is a red toy dragon with feathered wings instead of scaly ones." Gleaming explained as they walked through the festival.

"Hahaha, I was expecting an answer like that. Don't worry about it Gleam, I was only teasing, though seeing you blush is a nice bonus too." He said as he winked at her as her blush got darker before slugging him in the arm.

"Shut up Drake." The captain said in a shy manner. Drake and Cadance smile at seeing this side of the normally tough Guard Captain, something they always loved seeing as it meant that she trusted them with this side of her, like she does her family, it especially meant a lot to Drake considering how long they had actually known each other.

Drake brought both mares into his arms and they looked at each other with loving eyes. The three of them had closed their eyes and leaning in for the kiss, when a tremendous *Boom* was heard throughout Ponyville and the shockwave knocked over most ponies along with various carts that were thankfully empty and some of the big tents that had been set up. Everybody looked towards the sky to see a swirling, violet vortex had appeared in the sky and is steadily growing bigger.

Drake, being the only one to have actually been in one though he was unconscious, had recognized it as a interdimensional portal and watched it with a keen eye, ready to attack whatever came out if necessary. After a few minutes with nothing of interest happening everybody went back to what they were doing but ready to act when necessary. Drake, Gleaming, Cadance, the Elements of Harmony, Spike, along with three fillies about the same age as Spike, had all gathered around the spot where the center of the portal seemed to be.

"What the hay is that?" Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered above the group.

"It's an interdimensional portal, like the one that brought me here but that shouldn't be since the machine that had created that one was destroyed." Drake answered though there was an idea running through his head.

"You look like you may have a clue of how it's here despite that fact." Gleaming said as she looked at him for answers.

"I do but if that's the case then that means-" Drake grew wide-eyed and looked towards the vortex right as a ball of light came out of it and hurtling straight towards the ground. Many of the ponies that had been watching the anomaly gasped at the sight but it was Drake who acted before anything could be said or done as he turned into energy form and traveled at incredible speeds to intercept said object. He released it when he came into contact with it and grabbed a hold of the creature, as well as everything else with him, and smiled at it as he looked upon it's his face. "Tonoe, you crazy bastard." Drake chuckled a bit as he was free falling with his best friend, and his luggage, towards the ground where anxious ponies, and dragon, were waiting for them. When he was approximately five hundred feet from the ground, Drake turned once again and sped towards the ground with his passenger in tow.

"Drake are you alright?" Twilight asked as she and the others came running towards him and Tonoe.

"Yeah I'm fine but we should probably get Tonoe here to the hospital to make sure he didn't suffer any ill effects from traveling through dimensions." Drake answered back though his gaze never left Tonoe, nor did his smile leave his face. "I can't believe you risked so much just to find me but I knew if anyone could do it, it would be you."

"Drake?" Cadance called out to get his attention but he didn't seem to have acknowledged her presence. In fact it didn't seem he really remember that they were there. It wasn't until she laid a hand on his shoulder to he snap out of his revere.

"Hm, what?" Drake turned towards the hand that had snapped out of his thoughts and looked to Cadance who wore a curious expression. Drake gave her a smile before he looked at everyone else. "Hey everybody, it seems I'll be able to introduce you to my best friend after all." Drake said happily as the medics that had somehow been contacted arrived on the scene and loaded the Meancepan up into a cart before taking off towards Ponyville General with the two friends abroad. Everybody looked to each other before making their way to the hospital as well.

~Two Hours Later~

Drake sits next to the bed that they set Tonoe, not leaving his side since he's been taken in, waiting for his friend to wake up. The doctors said that nothing was wrong with but wanted to keep him overnight for observations, though Drake was going to get him checked out of here as soon as possible if Tonoe said nothing was wrong with him as he didn't trust the pony having seen a dangerous glint in his eyes. Cadance and Gleaming were here, as well as the rest of the gang, and sitting next to their boyfriend as they saw the gentle, caring smile he directed at the reptile, thinking that it looked a lot like the smile he would show to them when they would cuddle and hold each other. The silence in the room was awkward as no one knew what to say in this situation though Drake seemed oblivious of it.

"*Ahem* So Drake, do you have any idea how your friend got here?" Cadance asked as a way to break the silence, which everybody was thankful for.

"That would be something I think we all would like to know since you said that the device that brought you, and possibly Purgatory, here had been destroyed." Twilight said getting nods of agreement from around the room.

"Hehehehe, well I guess it's only natural that you're curious about that since none of you exactly know Tonoe here." He said gesturing towards his sleeping friend. "Tonoe here is something of a closet genius."

"A what?" Rainbow asked with a confused look that served to make her look cute.

"A closet genius, he's probably as smart as Twilight here but he doesn't really show it. It was something he's done since I've known him so others would have lower standards of him." Drake explained as he started petting his friend's head.

"And why would he do something like that?" Fluttershy asked with concern.

"There's less of chance of getting hurt, less of a chance of being used by those who care for nothing but themselves. The Forge may have been a peaceful place before and after the war, beside when Purge made an appearance, but as I've told you before there are still plenty of people out there that could care less about those 'below' them. It's a survival instinct born from orphans, or kids in general, who've either grown up with such people or seen it happened. Of course he got his chance to show it off without anyone knowing after I ended the war and became the Lightning Master. In fact he's the one that made most of my gear with me only really contributing my powers to the making of them so that they could remain strong and withstand my might." Drake said proudly, never once taking his eyes away from his best friend. The same best friend that smiled widely after hearing all of the praise that Drake gave him.

"Sounds, and looks, like the two of you have been through a lot together even before he became known as a hero." Applejack commented as looked at Drake, trying to take a glimpse into his eyes to see what they hold within them.

Chuckling bit Drake replies, "You have no idea AJ but I think I've said enough from my view but I'm sure Tonoe would be happy to fill you in a bit more, right buddy?" Drake smirked as Tonoe stiffened up a bit before letting out a sigh and blinking his eyes open.

"Hehe, should have known nothing could get past you Drake." Tonoe said as everybody else gasped in surprise.

Drake pulled him into a hug, feeling tears prickling at the edge of his eyes. "It's good to have you back buddy."

"Yeah, same here. After all I got a promise to live up to." Tonoe said as an evil gleam was seen in his eyes.

"What prom-" *Whack* Before he could finish he was on the ground with pain coming from the top of his head.

"I told you I was gonna hunt you down and make you if you didn't come back to me alright!" Tonoe yelled at the floored man. "Just be luck that you're alright otherwise I would fully live up to that promise."

"Sorry about that Tonoe, if I had a way of getting a hold of you I would have let you know that I was fine but you're here now and despite the punch to the head I'm glad you're here." Drake said as he got up off the floor, still smiling a wide smile at the Meancepan.

*Ahem* A light cough was heard interrupting whatever Tonoe was about to say and caused the two to turn towards the others in the room. The two smiled sheepishly as the amused faces of the room's other occupants can be seen. "So are you going to introduce us to your boyfriend Drake or should we leave the room to give you two some... private time?" Gleaming said with a shit-eating grin, none missing the dreamy look on Tonoe's face.

"Right, girls, and Spike, this is my best friend in the entirety of the multiverse, Tonoe." Drake said with an overly dramatic flare which earned strange looks from them.

"*Sigh* Never change Drake, never change." Tonoe shook his head at Drake's antics but knew better than to question it as it was a part of who he was and something that he wouldn't to change within him. It was this eccentricity that had allowed him to go through everything he has been throughout his campaign as the Lightning Master, and will continue to help him throughout his rather hectic life. "Okay, and. . . ." Tonoe left his statement open, hoping to remind Drake that he was supposed to be introducing them to each other.
"Oh right," Drake replied which had Tonoe, Cadance, and Gleaming face palming. "Tonoe these some of the friends I've made since I got here. This is Applejack," Drake said, gesturing to the golden-maned farmer.

"Howdy there Tonoe, nice to meet ya." She replied with a tip of her stetson.

"Nice to meet you as well."

"Rainbow Dash," Drake pointed towards the prismatic mare.

"Hi, were you the one to make this BlackStreak that Drake here says could beat me in a race?" Rainbow asked which got eye rolls from everyone who knew her.

"I designed it but Drake was the one to gather the parts and actually make it the way it was though now that you mention it, Drake where is BlackStreak?" Tonoe asked, hoping that the craft was alright.

"I honestly have no idea, she knocked me out when I got sucked into the portal and there was no sightings of anything else having came out with me, including Purge." Drake sadly explained as he missed his other partner. Alive or not BlackStreak has been through just as much as the two have since Purgatory's appearance. "But I believe she's out there somewhere, it's just the matter of where to look to find her, and now that you're here we may actually be able to track her down."

"Yeah, if we work together I'm sure we can find her and the gang will really be back together." Tonoe said excitedly at the prospect of being useful to his friend, and crush, once again.

"Seems we've found a way to keep ourselves busy for a bit but I should finish introducing to everyone and help you get settled in before we do that. So let me see, who was next. . . . ah yes. I'm sure you two will get along just fine considering you got one thing in common." Drake said as he stood in front of Rarity.

"Oh, and is that Drake?" Tonoe asked as he tried to see who was behind him.

"Well I'll let her tell you that, but none the less say hello to Rarity." Drake slid to the right as she presented the mare behind him. Rarity walked up to the reptile with an extended hand.

"Hello darling, I'm Rarity, Ponyville's resident Fashionista." An excited gleam appeared in Tonoe's eyes upon hearing this and he eagerly took her hand and shook it.

"Really, you too?" Tonoe asked as Rarity's smile grew as well.

"Why yes I am, so you delve into the fashion world as well darling?" Rarity replied enthusiastically.

"Oh man, not another one." Rainbow Dash groaned before promptly being zapped by Drake none too discretely as crimson energy could still be seen coming off of his finger, which of course earned a glare from the speedster.

"Tonoe," Drake interrupted before the two could get into their. . . .fashion talk. "Sorry to interrupt bud but I would like you to meet Pinkie Pie." Before Tonoe could say anything, said mare appeared in his face shooting off questions that were incomprehensible to any tongue. It didn't go on for long though as Twilight used her magic to seal Pinkie's mouth shut and save Tonoe's ears, if he had any.

"Oh cool, you can use magic here?" Tonoe asked as he saw the same glow that surrounded Pinkie's mouth surround Twilight's horn.

"Only unicorns and alicorns, with a few exceptions, can buddy so you can't become a wizard." Drake said jokingly as the Meancepan pouted. "Now as for the mare that saved your eardrums, that would Twilight Sparkle."

"Hi there Twilight, and thank you for, calming down, your friend there." Tonoe as he gave a slight bow in thanks.

"Nice to meet you too Tonoe, and sorry about Pinkie, she gets excited whenever she meets anypony new. I also look forward to hearing about the Forge from your point of view." Twilight said as she smiled at the reptile as Tonoe grew a sudden sense of dread.

"Good luck buddy." Drake whispered in his ear, or at least where his ear would be if he had any. "Now let me introduce to Fluttershy," Drake said interrupting whatever his best friend was about to say. "Come on Flutters, come say hi." He pulls her over to stand in front of Tonoe as the mare tries to hide behind her long pink mane. "Go on, he won't bite."

"Come on Drake, it's alright if she doesn't want to, I am another being from a different dimension. I'm sure someone here is going to be scared of me." Tonoe was trying to help get the poor mare out of his friend's grasp only to get a good-natured chuckle.

"I would agree if it wasn't for the fact that this mare jumps at damn near everything, but get her talking and you'll be friends in no time." Drake said as he gently pushed Fluttershy towards him a bit. The animal care taker fiddled with her hands a bit and looking everywhere but at him. "Though don't be surprised if things get a bit awkward at first." Drake patted Fluttershy on the back as the mare blushed a bit. "So how about you introduce yourself Flutters?"

"H-h-h-h-hi I-I-I'm F-F-Flut-t-tershy." Fluttershy muttered softly as she stayed behind her mane. Tonoe smiled at her, having heard her despite how softly it was said.

"Well hi Fluttershy, my name is Tonoe and I got to say your mane looks lovely, you must take very good care of it." Tonoe said, hoping to break the ice between them.

"T-t-thank you." Fluttershy spoke normally, with only a small stutter and a small blush, but she was smiling as well which had him smiling.

"Your welcome, so Drake who are the two mares sitting over there?" Tonoe asked as he turned his gaze over to Gleaming Shield and Princess Cadance who were standing just behind Drake.

"They are Gleaming Shield, captain of the royal guard, and her marefriend Princess Cadance, also known as the princess of love but they are more than just that to me." Drake had put his arms around them as he brought them forward and they waved happily at Tonoe.
"What do you mean? Did they become your best friends since you've been here?" Tonoe asked, which got a nervous chuckle from the elemental as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Well if I tell you do you promise not to get mad?" Drake asked knowing the effect that this knowledge could have had on his friend.
"Oh come on Drake have some faith in me." Tonoe said as he gave him a jokingly serious face.

"Hahah, yeah, okay. Well then Tonoe, these two lovely mares are my marefriends, or girlfriends as we would normally say." Drake said nervously as Tonoe's expression saddened.

"Your girlfriends huh, how long have you three been together?"

"About two days after I disappeared from the Forge and came here." Drake told him as he took note of his best friend's slowly souring mood and moved closer to him.

"So you only knew them for two days before deciding to start dating, then I take it you've had sex by now?" Tonoe asked, his voice sounding broken to everyone else while Drake could hear the underlying anger.

"No, not yet, we all agreed that it was too early but Tonoe listen to me bud. I-" Drake began before taking a punch to the gut from the angry reptile. Having suspecting this reaction Drake decided the best of course was to stand there and take it which made Tonoe angrier seeing as he hadn't caused him enough physical harm to match his emotional pain and so he lashed out as he repeatedly punched Drake with all his might thrown into each punch, slap, and kick aimed at his best friend and crush. Everyone but the mares and dragon wanted to intervene but a hand from Drake stopped them from doing so. They watched as the man stood there, taking each and every strike from Tonoe as tears started streaming down his face and they understood why he was so angry. This lasted, to the surprise of many, a good 15 or so minutes before the intensity of the Meancepan's hit's started growing weaker and weaker until he brought both fist down in an overhead strike to Drake's chest and collapsing upon him crying softly as Drake held him close.

"Why? Why can't we be together Drake? I love you so much that it hurts and I'm not sure I have the strength to just sit by watching those live out my dream." Tonoe clung to Drake's chest as he could feel his heartache at what he thought were his only two options, continue to be Drake's friend as he tries to accept the fact that the man he loves is in a relationship, or leave and find his own way in this strange new world full of magic and many other unknowns. "Can't you give me, us, another chance, please. I don't care if I gotta share but please just one more chance." Tonoe pleaded as he buried his face into Drake's chest as the man wrapped his arms around him.

"I'm sorry Tonoe but you already know as well as I do that it'll end the same way." Drake said apologetically as he rested his chin upon the top of Tonoe's head.

"Why won't it work Drake, cause from I've seen you two almost like a marry couple anyway. Plus that look you're giving is the same one you give us whenever we're feeling down. It's the same look I see mine and Twilight's parents give to each other whenever one of them have had a bad day. A look filled with so much love, the love given to your special somepony, that has helped both of us so much after going through our stressful jobs that I've come to rely on so much. So I ask again, why won't things between you two work out?" Gleaming Shield asked sternly as she couldn't bare the sight in front of her. Drake sighed as he looked at Gleaming.

"Because of my homophobia." Drake replied tiredly. "While it isn't so bad as to make me want to avoid homosexuals in the slightest, it most certainly does prevent anything more than friendship form between Tonoe and I and I really do hate it so. As you've just heard, we've already tried once before but I could never so much as kiss Tonoe, let alone think about going any further. I know being intimate isn't a key component in any relationship it still ate at me that I couldn't show him any kind of affection other than for that of a friend." Drake pulled Tonoe closer as the Meancepan snuggled into him, drawn in from the warmth that Drake radiated.

"Have you tried looking into other options?" Cadance asked as she had a few ideas brewing around in her head as she gather the information from her boyfriend.

"I've tried seeing a psychiatrist and we've looked into the possibility of Tonoe getting a sex change when that didn't work but. . ." Drake went silent as his cheeks turned red, something that caused Tonoe to laugh a bit as he felt his body heat increase.

"But what?" Cadance inquired as her curiosity grew at seeing Drake blush.

"But I didn't want to go through with it unless it was possible that I could bare him children one day." Tonoe said from his position, shocking everyone in the room, well everyone except for Cadance who had a smile and an excited gleam in her eyes.

"Well if that's all then fret no longer Tonoe because I believe I can help with just that!" Cadance said excitedly with a wide grin and causing all eye's to turn to her.

"Really, how!" Tonoe said as he disappeared from Drake's embrace and appeared in front Cadance, confusing the hell out of the Lightning Master.

"There is a spell I created when I was younger and while I've only used it once I know it'll work."

"Really, what kind of spell?" Drake asked as he walked up next to his excitedly, and hopeful friend.

"It's a spell that can completely change somepony's gender, including a fully functional reproductive system." Tonoe started happily jumping around the room shouting 'yes' after hearing this though Drake wasn't as up for celebrating just yet.

"There's a 'but' in there Cadance, was is it?" Drake asked, causing Tonoe to stop at hearing this since he, just now, thought that it did sound a bit too convenient.

"Well in order for the spell to work, both ponies must truly love each other as it uses that love to make such a thing happen since while their are transformation spells that can change a pony's gender, none of the lower bits work in that sense. Great for a mare in the middle of heat who doesn't want to risk getting pregnant, but not so much so for those who do." Cadance explained a bit but Drake had a feeling she was withholding some more information but thought that there was a reason for that and so didn't say anything and soon was smiling just as Tonoe was as he scooped him up and start spinning around with him in his grasp, much to the delight of Tonoe.

Everybody was happy for the two, especially Gleaming Shield and Princess Cadance as they saw how happy their boyfriend was with the news, without any jealously in their hearts surprisingly. Their little celebration lasted only a minute or so before Drake put Tonoe down and kept his friend, soon to be girlfriend, from falling over until his dizzy spell subsided. They made their way to the front desk to have him checked out before going over to Twilight and Spike's home, everybody chatting adamantly amongst themselves as Drake and Tonoe spent some time catching up with each other since Drake's disappearance. As the tree house/ Library came into view a strange sound could be heard coming a device on Drake's left arm.

"Drake, is that?"

"It is but I thought it was too damaged to pick up the beacon." Drake said as he looked at the device on his arm that appeared to be flashing a red light.

"What are you two talking about?" Spike asked as the group gathered around them.

"This thing is my communicator. We used it whenever Tonoe had something to tell me, I was looking for any kind of distress signals, or should I somehow manage to lose Blackstreak and it's locator beacon was activated, but as I just said I thought this thing took a beating from my landing when I first came to Equestria and have doing what repairs I can to get it working. It shouldn't be anywhere near ready and yet it seems to be getting Blackstreak's signal." Drake said as the day seemed to be getting better with this new development.

"Guess the gang will be back together soon." Tonoe chirped as he too stared intensely at the light.

Reunions Part 2

Manehatten Train Station 5 hours later

"Really, it's back here of all places?" Drake asked as he looked around for any signs that anybody had seen BlackStreak around but all seemed calm. As it had turned out, Tonoe had actually brought a device that would have helped him tracked down BlackStreak just in case he wasn't brought anywhere near Drake. After all, Drake and BlackStreak were never too far from each other so if he found her, he also found him.

"What? Did something happen here?" Tonoe asked as he was right behind Drake, taking in the sights of the sprawling city.

"Not particularly, just the place I landed in the middle of when I was brought here." Drake said as he made it sound as though it was no big deal as he was looking towards the tracker. He was still a little baffled at the fact that the device managed to get an map layout of Equestria without having satellites or anything of the sorts to get a readout of the country and transmitting it to the small machine, but he knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth and didn't worry about it too much. . . . .for now.

"Well it seems you didn't cause too much damage if they aren't freaking out at seeing you back here." Cadance remarked as she too observed the ponies around the group.

"That or they see a royal guard captain, one of the princesses of Equestria, and all the bearers of the Elements of Harmony nearby, and we can't about Spike as well Tonoe, who everypony probably thinks is another dragon. So yeah, I don't think that they're going to be too scared of him." Gleaming shot towards her marefriend who glared at her, to which the effect was ruined by the cute pouting lip.

"Gleaming be nice, it's not like Drake meant of any of thing that has happened, happen." Twilight admonished her older sister.

"I'm just saying that could very well could be a possibility, I'm not saying that, that is what is going through their heads." Gleaming shot back at her with her tongue sticking out. Drake threw his hand up before anybody else could say anything and garnered their attention towards the tracking device in his hands.

"So I managed to get this thing to pinpoint BlackStreak's location from here and before we set out to find it I felt like I should ask is this place," He shows everyone the forest that was displayed on the trackers screen where the final member of Drake's team was. "Has anything special about it that may prevent us, mainly me and Tonoe, from getting BlackStreak?" Everybody looked at the map before them as they spotted where, they thought, they were located and looked towards the direction it was telling them they would need to go, then looked away from the map and towards said direction and spotted nothing more than one of Manehatten's huge parks going towards that way.

"Sooo,"

"Either ponies here are blind or just don't care because it's literally sitting in the middle of that park." Spike said as expressed what everybody was thinking, sans Drake and Tonoe, the former of the two having developed a twitchy eye. He then walked towards a metal pole with everyone's eyes on him, and when he reached it he grabbed ahold of it with both hands and proceeded to. . . .bang his head against it. The action had gotten reactions out of all who saw the site, they were either amused by the man, or had raised eyebrows as confusion took over their thoughts, with Tonoe, Gleaming Shield, and Cadance being a part of the first group as the others bore confused looks. Drake stopped after a good ten minutes and walked off towards the park to get a hold of BlackStreak and heading back to Ponyville without bothering to wait for the others, who all ran after him when they realized he wasn't going to wait for them.

"Feel any better?" Gleaming asked with a shit eating grin, that is before yelping as she got her answer in the form of a small crimson bolt to the ass.

"Now I do." He stated with his own grin as Gleaming glared at him. He chuckled before moving behind her as she yelped with a blush lighting up her cheeks as Drake decided to alleviate some of the pain by massaging her ass in front of everypony. "No hard feelings, right Gleam?" Drake asked as she tried to hold back a moan.

"Ahem," Drake's ministrations stopped as soon as he heard the noise and looked behind him to find seven blushing mares and two reptiles staring at him with 'Really!' looks pointed towards, though Tonoe and Cadance also had a bit of wanting mixed in there. Drake shrugged before he grabbed Cadance and got her on his back, who understood the gesture and wrapped her arms and legs around him, before wrapping his arm around Tonoe and grabbing Gleaming's hand before continuing on to the park. The others quickly got over their embarrassment and followed behind the three as they opted to having a pleasant stroll through the park since it seemed that Drake nor Tonoe were in much of a hurry.

"Sorry Tonoe, I know this probably isn't what you wanted but I wasn't going to leave you out." Drake said to his best friend, soon to be girlfriend, as weird as that still sounds to him, as he held onto him tighter.

"Don't worry about it Drake, I'm perfectly fine with this," Tonoe placed his hand atop of Drake's as he moved in closer to his side. "In fact it's perfect." He smiled lovingly up towards the man that had long since captured his heart and couldn't wait till Cadance was able to use her spell on him so that he and Drake could be together like he had wanted them to be for so long, with the two additions to their little family.

"Sigh, if you say so. So what kind of condition do you expect BlackStreak to be when we find her?" Drake asked for curiosity's sake.

"Mostly likely in better condition than we think. In fact I pretty she's mostly with just a couple things actually being busted. Unfortunately I suspect those things are also what kept her from letting you know where she was initially and that the auto repair function just now fixed her up to be able to do so." Tonoe stated which caused Drake to face palm, briefly letting go of Gleaming's hand before she greedily snatched it back. "You forgot again, didn't you?" Tonoe asked, knowing why Drake performed such an action and got a nod which solidify his thoughts.

"Even after all this time with the ridiculous shit we've been through that I would remember something so fucking important." Drake berated himself.

"What are you two talking about?" Cadance asked from over his shoulder.

"We implemented a self repair function into BlackStreak so that in a case like this where her communication systems is damaged, she is able to repair automatically and send out a distress signal letting us know where she is." Drake explained, giving her and Gleaming a more general explanation on another one of BlackStreak's functions.

"So why only fix the communication systems?" Twilight asked from behind the group.

"Well she actually is programmed to fix herself the best she can but communications takes priority since she is all around tough to damage period. The kind of impact that she must have taken when we came through that portal would have been enough to destroy just about all of our smaller craft while the bigger ones most likely would have had whatever compartment it landed on be demolished as well." Tonoe answered her before Drake took over.

"BlackStreak was made to be tougher than most of the ships that you would see around the Forge that more often than not that I would use her as a battering ram to punch hole through any of the Rippers ships whenever I had to go out and put a stop to their shenanigans and she would come out of the whole ordeal still all nice and shiny. Can't say the same about their ships though." Drake threw an evil smirk over his shoulders towards the girls and Spike that made them shiver. Before Gleaming could smack him upside the head for that they all heard the tracker go off.

The signal from the tracking device was getting stronger as was made evident by the beeping noise it made becoming faster. While the everybody else seemed to have their attention on the device that was now in Tonoe's claws, Drake was more focused on the sight up ahead as a big grin stretched across his face. Up ahead he spotted the red-tinted golden glow that he had known to only come from one source. It was with this in mind when he decided to change into his energy form and go towards said glow, unaware that he had dragged everyone with him in the process (not that knew and thought he could do that in the first place). When they all appeared just a short distance away from where they were, they were disoriented and unaware as Drake spotted the missing member of his family.

There before him laid BlackStreak in a shallow crater in the middle of what was once an area that was once covered in lush plant life. BlackStreak's condition wasn't all that bad like Tonoe had said as it only had a few pieces that were out of place or barely hanging from some loose wiring. "Huh, I guess you were right after all Tonoe." Drake said as he and Tonoe made their way down to it. "Hey girl, how you doing?" Drake asked as he got there first and laid a hand upon BlackStreak's control panel. Just then the sound and sensation of the engine being revved up coursed through as though BlackStreak was actually was answering him, something that stunned Gleaming and Cadance. "Yeah I know, sorry about leaving you alone for so long, especially in this state but don't worry one little bit. Me and Tonoe are here for you now so
you worry about a thing, we'll have you fixed up and looking good as new in no time at all." And once again BlackStreak seemed to have responded with a series of revs and other such noises.

"Hey, that was totally uncalled Black!" Tonoe shouted as he jumped up from him crouched position and pointed an angry claw at her. The two mares that were standing off to the sidelines heard what sounded like mechanical laughter come from the machine at Tonoe.

"I was expecting it to be bigger." Came the response from Pinkie Pie as the others had finally caught up with them after Drake took off.

"Wow, I can't wait to study it." Twilight said excitedly as a quill and notepad materialized out of nowhere.

"I can't wait to race it and show Drake that nothing in Equestria is faster than me." Rainbow stated as her competitie streak took over.

"Hmmm, well it does look rather fascinating though I'm not so sure about the color." said Rarity as she looked over the still mostly intact BlackStreak.

"I-I don't know Rarity, it looks pretty s-scary to me." Flutter stuttered as she hid behind AppleJack.

"Scary or not but the fact that that thing is this in that good of shape after ah fall like that says alot of how that there machine of theirs is." AJ replied.

While the girls were all looking over BlackStreak, Drake and Tonoe were assessing the damage that she had sustained. "That must have been a pretty hard fall for the girl to have taken this damage Drake, I'm surprised that you aren't still in the hospital if you both fell from the same height." Tonoe stated as he went to the back of BlackStreak and opened up a compartment that contained a swirling mass of swirling energy that almost resembled a black hole. He reached into it and pulled out some tools and spare parts and went over to Drake to hand him some so that they could begin on repairs.

"May not have really needed to have been hospitalized but fucking eh was I sore when I woke up not too long after the fall." Drake began on his own set of repairs, the two completely ignoring the others as they worked together to get their friend back up and running.

They diligently worked for a few hours getting Black Streak operational while the ponies and drake watched the two work on this piece of otherworldly technology with precision and concentration with the only brake being taken after Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack had gotten lunch for everyone. Now we find the group huddled closer to the three as it appeared that Drake and Tonoe were almost done with the repairs.

"Aaaand done!" Drake yelled out excitedly as he inputted the last part that needed to outfitted to Black Streak which caused a shockwave of energy to be felt, and seen, spreading through the crater and a bit beyond as Black Streak started up with a dull roar from her engine and hovering slightly above the ground. Drake reached out to touch her and placed his hand on the front of Black Streak, whom seemingly responded to said touch with a bright sapphire light appearing from the tail end and converging to his hand. "I missed you too girl." Drake said with a fond smile directed towards the vehicle.

"It's good to see her up and running again eh Drake?" Tonoe commented as he stroked Black Streak's side tenderly.

"Yeah, what do you say we take her for a spin?" Drake smirked as he already knew the answer.

"Do you even need to ask?" Tonoe replied as he reached into Black Streak's storage compartment and pulled out a helmet.

"Hey! What about us?" Rainbow shouted out as Drake took his position at the controls.

"You'll all get your chance so calm your tits Rainbow." Drake said nonchalantly with Tonoe hopped in behind him and wrapped his arms around Drake's waist, making sure to hold on tightly knowing how fast Black Streak can move. "And I suggest you be ready for the ride of your life when we get back Gleaming and Cadance." Drake added in with a smirk as he revved up Black Streak, the sound that was made from doing startling everything within a five mile radius. Drake shot them one more look before pointing Black Streak up at a ninety degree angle and punching it, taking off at faster than the speed of sound as a sonic boom blew the group back.

Drake and Tonoe are in the sky's of Manehattan grinning like maniacs as they zoomed through the air at speeds that pegasi like Rainbow Dash could only dream of reaching. "Ready bud!?" Drake shouted back at Tonoe."

"Ready Drake!!" Tonoe shouted back. The others watched as the two zoomed through the skies., performing various stunts and dangerous looking maneuvers before they suddenly shot straight up going higher than any of them thought to be possible.

"Where are they going?" Rarity asked the question that was on all of their minds.

"Well Drake did say that Black Streak was capable of interplanetary travel so I think he may be wanting to see what it's like beyond our world." Twilight concluded, which seemed to be proven as they watched the three pick up even more speed; so much in fact that it left a black streak in the sky that lead straight towards them as they disappeared out of visual range.

~With Drake and Tonoe~

"So Drake?" Drake turned to look back at the reptile as they were now just simply cruising after having broken through Equus' atmosphere and into the space beyond.

"What's up Tonoe?"

"Well I was wondering if you've really just accepted living here for the rest of your days?" Tonoe asked as he looked towards the star that made up the sun that lit up Equus everyday, oblivious to the fact that Princess Celestia is said to control its movements.

"To be honest. . . .Yes, yes I was." Tonoe was about to say something but had closed his mouth when Drake put a hand up. "The only thing that would have done before you showed up was to find a way to either bring you here or find a way to help you find a way to me which it seems I still did." Drake smiled at his oldest friend warmly who returned that smile with the same warmness.

"Hehe, yeah I guess you did. . . . .could I ask you something else Drake?" Tonoe asked timidly.

"You just did but sure." Tonoe punched Drake in the arm as he merely laughed before Tonoe returned to being timid and shy.

"Did you really mean what you said about us being able to finally be together?" Drake turned away from the control sand smiled softly at his long time friend and future lover.

"Of course I did Tonoe." He started as he spoke softly towards the Meancepan. "If anyone deserves to be loved it's you for everything you've sacrificed to be by my side through all of this, especially after I basically abandoned you during the war and I feel honored that you choose me of all people to love."

Tonoe laughed lightheartedly as he stared into Drake's eyes. "You know I should be the one saying that."

"Why, just because I'm the 'Lightning Master' or 'The Hero of The Forge', bleh. Tonoe those are just titles and you know, and if you're referring to everything I've done since then those are nothing compared to you. I may have my crimson lightning but without you I wouldn't have been able to control it as well as I do, shit I wouldn't be as beloved in The Forge as I am today without your help seeing as you've stopped me from making stupid decisions or made some kind of gadget to help me out in one way or another, one of them we're currently on right now." Tonoe blushed at the praise and compliments he was receiving but Drake wasn't done. "Tonoe you're amazing in your own right and the fact that no one else seemed to notice is a damn shame, for them that is. There are so many thing that I love about you that I don't ever want to lose, that it made me want to give a relationship between us a try even though anyone else I would have rejected in a heartbeat and why I was just as heartbroken about breaking off as you were when I wasn't willing to go any further than just simply holding hands when we were dating." Drake gently took Tonoe's face into his hands and brought it closer to his as he pressed his forehead up against Tonoe's. "I love you Tonoe and I always will and when Cadance is able to perform her spell I'll be sure to make up for lost time when everything is said and done, I just wish that it didn't have to take you changing yourself so much in order for me to show it to you and for that I'm sorry." Drake tearfully confessed as he held Tonoe closed to him, he also having some tears pooled into the corner of his eyes, though these were that of happiness rather than sadness.

"Don't you worry about that Drake, after all it was my choice to go through with this and to be frank I've always kind of felt like a woman in a man's body anyway." He joked as he hugged Drake harder. "But in all seriousness though you really shouldn't beat yourself up for it. I know you tried your hardest to overcome those boundaries to make me happy and I appreciate the effort but I wasn't going to force you to go through that which is why I suggested we break it off." Tonoe told him as he cuddled into Drake's embrace. He spoke up again before Drake could put in his say, "And I don't want to hear anymore about it from you. I've chosen to do this and you no longer have say in the matter, got it?" Tonoe said sternly which caused Drake to sigh and nod. That was how they stayed for awhile longer as they drifted through the vast void of space.

Getting Acquainted

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

The Gang is Back Together Again

Author's Note

Another chapter done, and the everyone finally reunited, unfortunately. This and the next chapter or two have been ones I've been looking forward to writing the most which is why it took so long, because I wanted to make them the best I could and keep you guys coming back for more though it's still not quite there it might be best for me to try writing out the next chapter(s) for this particular confrontation before I go trying to change it so without further a due, hope you guys like the next installment of Lightning Master.

The Gang is Back Together Again

The light didn't get much of a chance to die down before it came back in full force as Drake reappeared and darted back into the train car holding BlackStreak before the others could get the spots out of their eyes. They heard the rumbling from BlackStreak's engine as Drake revved her up and shot out of the train just as everyone recovered. They all run towards the window and look out just in time to see Drake unleash a powerful bolt of crimson lightning slam into a blockade that was set up in front of them by the Rippers. He then looped around and pulled up right beside the train as he was face to face with them.

"Tonoe, when you all get there I want you all to get to townhall and fortify it while you help as many ponies along the way. You are the only one here besides me that know how the Rippers operate so help Gleaming setup something that will hold until I take care of them and Purge!" He ordered loudly, shouting over the high winds that had kicked up the closer they got to Ponyville.

"Sure thing Drake just make sure you're car-" Tonoe was saying before they all saw flashes of light coming from Ponyville. When they looked over they could see the telltale light of Purge's unholy flames but along with that was a golden and midnight blue light right next to it.

"Oh my, looks like the princesses beat you there Drake." Rarity said with a happy smile that was mirrored by her friends, but Drake and Tonoe's expressions soured more.

"They did and they may have forfeited their lives because of it." They all gasped and turned towards Tonoe after what he just said.

"How could you say that Tonoe?" Fluttershy asked, sounding a bit appalled at the Meancepan's lack of faith in their princesses.

"Because if they weren't able to prevent Drake's lightning from touching them then what can they do against Purge's unholy flames?" Tonoe bit back a little harshly at the timid pegasus who proceed to imitate a turtle as she tried to hide herself into her shirt with the others shooting glares at him. He just shrugs as he turns his attention back to Drake. "You better get over there, you're the only chance those two have of surviving against him."

"Yeah, I know, just be careful when you all get their. I don't know how big of a force he has helping him or why he decided to attack Ponyville but I don't know what'd I do if you, Gleaming, or Cadance got hurt, or worse." The three in question smiled at him loving before answering "We will," in unison. With that, Drake gave them a nod before taking off towards Ponyville once more. "You just never learn do you Purge? Oh well, I was wondering what'd I'd do without all my free time without being able to kick your ass, looks like I don't have to worry about that now." Drake said with a toothy grin and bared his fangs for all to see.

Back on the train the others were discussing how to go about enacting Drake's order.

"Gleaming, you said you were good with shield spells right?" Tonoe asked Gleaming Shield after which said mare puffed out her chest and slammed a fist over her heart.

"Good? I'm perhaps one of the shield casters there is, if not the best." She declared as Twilight and Cadance rolled their eyes at the mare's antics.

"Good, then I think I know how we should go about moving to Town Hall without much issue."

"Oh? How are we going to do that?" Pinkie asked

"Well I was thinking of having you, Pinkie, be at the front of the group to guide us through the fastest path to Town Hall from the train station. With your rather, unique, skills and pinkie sense you can help us avoid danger all together if not then at the very least keep anyone from getting seriously hurt." Tonoe explained to her to which she saluted.

"Sir yes sir, I will do my absolute best to keep my friends from being hurt."

"Alright, next up will be Rarity, with your keen eye for details you can help Pinkie spot traps and other such oddities to keep us from getting ambushed. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, you two will obviously be in the air looking for any dangers from a fair distance away or that may be in our path and guide us to any ponies that need our help." Rainbow nodded in agreement as she gave him a confident smirk while Fluttershy "eep'ed" and covered her face with her mane but agreed as well with Rarity giving a slight grimace at the possibility of ruining her clothes but went with it none the less. "Good, AppleJack, me and you will take up the rear and make sure no one jumps us from behind and finally Gleaming and Cadance. You two are are going to be in the middle of the group and I want you two ready to throw up a shield when necessary but otherwise keep an eye out where the others aren't and help them when you can." The last three mares nodded their consent. Tonoe then turned towards Spike who seemed to be eagerly awaiting his own assignment. "Spike, you can breath fire right?"

"Sure can, see," Spike said as he blew out a very small stream of fire from his mouth so as not to accidentally set the train on fire.

Tonoe nodded before saying, "good, I want you to hang near Gleaming and Cadance, the Ripper are able to communicate among each other over a vast distance with their gear and once they know Gleaming is able the erect strong barriers then they will aim for her."

"So you want me to protect her?"

"Yes, I may be able to set us up to not run into as many ambushes as we would if we went in unprepared but we're still going to run into them and I know Gleaming is going to play a big part in keeping us all out of harms way and I want her to be able to do that without having to worry about a getting taken down before she has one up."

"No problem dude, I will protect her with my life." Spike said with a fire in his eyes. Tonoe couldn't help but smile as he had seen that same flame within Drake's own eyes back when Purge had first emerged and started terrorizing The Forge.

'And history was set to repeat itself had we not already had been here. Drake won't let Purge have much of a foothold here as long as he can help it, and I'm not about to stand by and watch either, not this time.' Thought the Meancepan as he nodded towards the young drake before moving back into the other train car that Black Streak had been in previously and found a crate hiding in the corner of the car on the right side. He opens it and smiles before dragging it back into the room with the others and opens it's contents for them to see. "Now that we all know what we're have to do it's time to gear up."

15 Minutes Later

"You all remember the plan right?" Tonoe asked as they were coming up on the outskirts of Ponyville. It was then that they saw the chaos and destruction that had been wrought upon their home. They hadn't even gotten off the train yet and they could see some bodies lying on the ground with homes and businesses set ablaze and townsfolk being chased by the Rippers. They could all only look on in horror at what they were seeing. "If you girls are going to help them you need to get used to this sight quickly cause they will pounce they moment they see the chance to." Tonoe warned them as they were pulling into the station with a large group of Rippers waiting for them already. The ponies and dragon could see the manic grins and bloodlust in their visage as they slowed to a stop and had them gulping out of fear as these.... things looked ready to tear them apart piece by piece. Once the train came to a complete stop, those grins grew even wider as they made sure to brandish their weapons, all of which seemed to have some blood splattered on them which did nothing to help the group's nerves.

"Alright, this is it you guys, hope you're ready cause we're gonna have to fight our way out of here." Tonoe said as he got his own weapon ready, a sword made similarly to Drake's but it wasn't all that conductive and was serrated to deliver a rather nasty cut no matter how small. Though right before the doors could open, a blue beam of magic shot across the platform and into the group who were promptly vaporized by the attack. Tonoe and the others stood there in surprise as they blinked away the spots in their vision.

"Young Twilight, are you and your friends alright?" A voice asked from the direction of the blast and they all looked to see a bruised and injured Luna standing there in her armor and a claymore resting in her hands. Next to her was her sister, Princess Celestia, who looked worst for wear than Luna did as she leaning against a light post several inches away from her. Seeing their two rulers in this state kicked everyone into action as they all rushed over to help them.

"Princess Celestia, what happened to you two?" Fluttershy asked as she and Twilight tended to her wounds with Cadance hovering over them nearby.

"That foul creature that goes by Purgatory is what happened to us!" Came the response from Luna.

"She is indeed correct, whatever that creature is, it isn't anything that I've ever seen. He is as cruel as some of the more sadistic demons roaming Tartarus and his lack of restraint very much makes him a dangerous threat after we saw him incinerate his own subordinates just to try to get to us only to bring them back of undead monstrosities and sick them on the townsponies. Drake really has had his work cut out for him if this is what he has to deal with on a regular basis and I'm- why are you laughing?" Celestia asks as they all look at Tonoe who had started laughing softly and got louder and louder as the seconds ticked on before calming himself down, wiping a tear from his eye with a claw when he's down.

"I'm sorry princess but that's what Drake deals with on an easy day." Tonoe informed them and had them dropping their jaws on the ground as they looked at him in disbelief. "Don't give me those looks, none of you have seen what he's fully capable of. Yes, I know he's shown you the video of him ending the war but let me tell you, seeing it as compared to actually being there, well there's a reason no one interfered in that fight." Tonoe explained as he looked around the area, searching for any dangers while the others merely gulped in fear as they all looked at each other before looking back to Tonoe.

"If that's the case, then what about my fight with him when he first arrived in Canterlot?" Gleaming asked, already dreading the answer.

"He was more than likely holding back, he tends to when faced against anyone other than Purge." Tonoe answered casually before getting serious again. "Look, as much as I would like show you all why Drake is not someone to fuck with, we have a mission to do and ponies to save so we better get to it." This got him nods from the group as they righted themselves and psyched themselves up for the task ahead. When Tonoe saw that they were all ready he decided to go over the plan one more time as he got them moving.

~10 Minutes Later~

"Come on! Over here!" Rainbow Dash shouted down towards a group of ponies that she and Twilight were leading back towards Town Hall where Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were waiting with some other Ponyville residents that decided to help stand guard outside of their safe haven.

"This way darling, we're almost there!" Came Rarity's voice from another path as she lead her own group to safety with Luna taking up the rear.

"Girls, our section is clear of all citizens!" Twilight came next with Cadance on her tail though they didn't have anypony with them.

"The three of us found a bunch of fillies and colts over in our part of town but other than that there wasn't really much else." Gleaming said as she walked up to the group while Celestia and Spike were seen pulling a wagon filled with said foals who all looked scared out of their minds but seemed to be calming down as they got closer to Town Hall.

"What about you girls? Everything clear on your end?" Twilight asked Rainbow, AppleJack, Rarity, and Luna after they guided everypony inside.

"Yeah, we just brought back the last group that were hiding out in the southwest section of Ponyville." Rainbow answered.

"Same for us on the south east side." Came Luna's response.

"Oh thank goodness, then it seems most everypony is relatively fine, besides a few." Pinkie Pie said that last part sadly as the everyone else took on their own sad and forlorn looks. They stayed like that for a bit before AppleJack suddenly shot up and asked, "Wait a minute, where's Tonoe?" This made them all look around and realize that their new scaly friend hadn't gotten back yet.

"Has anypony seen him recently, or know what he was doing last?" Celestia asked as was growing more and more worried.

They all stood there for a moment when Pinkie Pie perked up, "Oh yeah, I remember seeing him heading towards the Everfree Forest."

Celestia and Luna's eyes widen at that as they grew worried faces upon their visage. "Pinkie Pie, are you certain you saw him head that direction?" Celestia asked as a sense of dread came over her.

"Absolutely princess. Why?"

"Girls, we have to go after him, NOW!!!" Luna shouted as she and Celestia took off with the girls following behind and leaving Spike behind to guard the townsfolk.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, what's wrong, is Tonoe in danger?" Twilight asked as she was trying to stay in front of the group with Celestia.

"Yes Twilight, very much so. That is where Drake took that monster so they wouldn't do anymore damage to Ponyville or it's residents." The rest of the girls grew more worried and began running faster to try and catch to the Meancepan and keep him from getting hurt. They made it to the entrance of the Everfree Forest in no time at all and ran inside without any hesitation. Wasn't too far in that they saw Tonoe running through the forest himself and called out to him, "Tonoe!"

He stopped, and nearly stumbled on a tree root in the process, when he heard someone calling out to him. "What are all of you doing here?" He asked as though genuinely confused on why they had followed him here.

"What do you mean what are we doing here? What are you doing here? You do know that Drake is fighting that, that beast, Purge up ahead don't you?" came Rarity's response.

"Yeah, I know, why do you think I'm going over there? I know Drake can handle himself but the sooner he's taken down to sooner we can get rid of the Rippers and stop anymore damage from being done to Ponyville." Tonoe stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well yeah but-" She started but was interrupted by a loud explosion and a wave of static and heat passed over them, making them all stop in their tracks.

"Th- this energy, this is coming from those two!?" Gleaming shouted out to Tonoe who was staring up ahead with a viscous glare pointed towards that direction.

"Yes." Came the curt response as he took off, faster than before, towards the epicenter of the blast with the others following closely behind him. After a minute or two of running full sprint they made it to the edge of a huge crater with two figures standing near the center, facing each with their weapons out and ready to strike as well as their respective elements swirling around them.

"Drake..." Came the whispered call from Cadance as she, Gleaming, and Tonoe stared down at their lover and, as if that was a trigger, Drake shot towards Purge faster than their eyes could see because in less than a second later he is standing where Purge once was, with a foot extended in the air and Purge now buried part way into the ground at the edge of the crater. It wasn't but moments later that they see Purge darting out of the man sized hole and towards Drake, with his own hellish claymore ready to decapitate him. Drake dodged the strike with ease and threw a lightning coated fist at him. Purge jumped back before the strike could connect and once again put them both on opposite ends of the crater.

"Seem to be losing your touch over there Lightning, has this new, little peaceful life you're trying to live soften you up that much already." Purge taunted as he still stood tall and proud as if he didn't just get kicked into the ground.

"You say that as if I'm actually trying." Lightning threw back with a smirk that infuriated Purge.

"Silence whelp! You know you are nothing but a pest under my foot, but I can fix that if you agree to my terms and join me."

"We both know that isn't going to happen you piece of shit. I will kill you and make sure you're sent somewhere worse than the hell you crawled out of."

At this statement Purge a feral smirk that put the spectators on edge, "I wish you luck with that Lightning." Hell flames started to blaze around him before he took off across the crater again but, much to his confusion, didn't head towards Drake and instead had seen him heading towards their audience instead. When Drake spotted them and seen Purge towards them his eyes grew wide before disappearing in a flash of light and reappearing in between Purge and the group of ponies and Meancepan, their blades locked in a fierce struggle as their wielders drove their will into their weapons. One, seeking nothing more than death and destruction of all that is living, and the other fighting for those same lives, fighting for their future, their freedom, and all that stood for good. These were the same ideals that flowed through them when they first met on the battlefield all those years ago and have manifested once again now in this new world that could very well be their new homes for the rest of their days. Their struggle grew more and more intense as the seconds ticked by and with it the amount of power they were releasing.

Behind Drake, Tonoe was smiling as he watched the man he had came to love with all his heart once again stand up to this evil creature that all others could not and show the world exactly why he deserved these powers of his.

"So this is a part of the true power Drake possesses, isn't it?" Princess Celestia asked Tonoe as they all watched the spectacle before them, the clashing of Drake's legendary Crimson Lightning, and Purge's Infamous Hellish Flames, and start to truly understand Drake a bit more than before.

"Yes, it is Princess. These two haven't bother going all out as they both know doing so on any planet would no doubt result in it's destruction." Tonoe answered in as serious as a tone he could muster to make them understand just how strong these two actually are, and judging by the wide-eyed, fearful, expressions they now had, they understood.

"Yes Meancepan, tell them just how little they actually stand a chance of defeating me! Tell them more so their terror rises as I kill Lightning here right in front of all of you!" Purge shouted out to him while laughing manically as he pushed against Drake even more and was starting to gain some ground.

"Shut it dickhead, you aren't beating me now, or ever! I will kill you and make sure your existence is erased from any and all plains of existence!" Drake shouted back as he push back against Purge, gaining back the ground he had lost and then kept going as both started grunting from the effort both had to exert in their little competition of power. "You are a piece of shit that fights for nothing other than yourself and it will be your downfall, where I fight for all those that can't fight for themselves and draw my strength from their hopes and dreams to stand against you each and every single time we meet!" Drake declared as his strength flared and pushed back Purge before firing crimson bolt at him and sending him into the forest.

"Woah, that so coooool!" Said Rainbow and Pinkie Pie as they and the others were about to approach Drake when Tonoe stuck his arm out and halting their progress.

"It's not over yet." Tonoe said in a low tone which made them look at Drake and realize that he was still on guard. They made sure to get their guard up and watch for anything out the ordinary when they all heard laughter, deranged laughter, like that of a madpony.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" It came from the direction that Purge had been sent before a huge column of Hellish Flames rose to touch the skies. It was only there for a second before dispersing and revealing Purge hovering in the air with two sprouts of his flames coming from the bottom of his feet. "Oh Lightning, you disappoint me, here I was thinking that you were different from the stereotypical hero that most children finds themselves wanting to be but it would seem I was wrong." Purge said in a condescending tone as he looked down at Drake as if he himself was one of said children while Drake just met his gaze with an intense glare. "Oh don't look at me like that Lightning, you and I both know that what you just said was corny as fuck and you said be ashamed of yourself for spouting such nonsense." Purge said, his voice full of mirth as he seemed to take the situation as nothing more than a joke.

Drake's response was to summon his crimson lightning once again and it surrounded him as he tightened the grip on the handle of his blade. Drake shifted his legs and tensed the muscles within them as he looked prepared to take off at any second now as the lightning around seemed to intensify. Seeing the stance he took, Purge himself lost all the mirthful smugness he had and grew completely serious as he too positioned himself in a way that made it looked like he was ready to take off straight towards Drake. The others watching from the sideline knew that things were about to get much more serious as well as much more dangerous and wisely turned around and ran back towards Ponyville.

Seeing this, Purge smirked, which Drake noticed, and once again launched himself towards the group with Drake being close behind though this time he was a bit too slow as Purge had managed to reach them without any interference and was ready to cut them down. He swung down to cleave poor Pinkie Pie, who was frozen in fear, in half when he met some unexpected resistance from Gleaming Shield who managed to erect a barrier strong to stop him in his tracks though not without straining herself as the others could see the sweat already coming down from her brow.

Purge growled in irritation before going for a new target, which was Princess Celestia, but was once again by Gleaming Shield. After that is was too late for him to go after someone else as he was forced to block Drake's sword once again to prevent himself from being beheaded. He growled at having been stopped twice by this pathetic pony and wanted to make her pay and quickly thought of a plan. He feinted a punch towards Drake, which he tried to block. and threw viscous kick into his side instead and launched him away before turning around and throwing his sword at Rarity. Gleaming threw up another barrier in front of Rarity, which the blade bounced off of, but was left unaware and vulnerable when Purge showed up in front of her and backhanded her, very hard, into the forest and away from the group.

"GLEAMING!!" They all shouted out, ready to run to her aid when Purge turned his sights towards them and made them stop in their tracks. They backed up slowly away from the mad man even if they knew that there wasn't much point in trying to get away.

"Now, which one of you is next to die?" He asked much too gleefully for their taste. He started gathering his flames into his free hand as he eyed each of them like a piece of meat, ready to be roasted. Wasn't long after this that they all felt a rise of electricity in the air and heard the fierce and wild cackling of electricity and turned towards the source, Drake, who looked absolutely livid. Purge's manic grin never left his face as he stared at his arch-nemesis, in fact it grew wider, seeing him in the state that he was in. He opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance to even utter a sound as he was blasted away by a bigger and more powerful crimson bolt than they had seen before. Also seems that Drake decided to adorn full armor, mask and all, which slightly unnerved the group of mares.

"Go." They suddenly heard come from Drake though he wasn't looking at them, instead was focused on the direction he had sent Purge.

"What?" Applejack asked, still stunned from Drake's display of power.

"Go find Gleaming, she's still alive but very much hurt from that attack so go find and help her before something else does." Drake said calmly but Cadance and Tonoe could hear the fury that he was holding back as well. "All of you go back to Ponyville, I understand you all came to help but I'm sure you all know now that you're not gonna be much help here, and yes Tonoe, that includes you too." He said, getting the Meancepan to close his mouth before opening it again to say something.

"Ok Drake, I'll go with them, just don't do anything too stupid alright?" Tonoe asked, worry evident in his tone.

Drake turned to look over at his best friend/soon to be lover and took off his before saying, "I make no promises but I will certainly try." Drake replied with a smile that seemed to make Tonoe relax a little as he sighed before looking at Drake with his own.

"That's all I can really ask, now go kick his!"

"Heh, don't need to tell me twice." His smile disappeared as he gained a hard look as he put his mask back on. "Now hurry up and go. Sooner you all are out of the area the sooner I can get to mopping the floor with that ugly mug of his."

Tonoe nodded at him before turning towards the girls. "Alright girls, lets get going, we have a mare to rescue and heal and we ain't gonna be able to do that standing around here!" He shouted out as the mares all stood straight in a line and saluted him, including Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, before blinking their eyes when they realized what they just did with Tonoe just smirking at their actions. "I will never get tried of that."

Drake could only sigh in exasperation at his friend's actions before Tonoe went on. "Alright ladies, let's move out!" And with that they all started to leave, but not before Cadance had ran up to Drake and pulled him into a tight hug and a kiss, after removing she removed his mask with her magic, and then leaned towards his ear to say, "Make him pay for hurting Gleaming," With a fury in her voice that very few get to see or hear.

"I will Cadance, even if I don't kill him he won't be leaving here unscathed." And with that they left the warm embrace and parted ways, Cadance running to catch up with the group, with Drake walking towards where he had sent Purge flying. "Time to end this fight!" He growled before vanishing in a crimson light, the ground scorched from the intensity of his lightning, and in the center laid a single, white, scale.

End of a Disastrous Reunion

Author's Note

Finally finished, let me know what you all think

End of a Disastrous Reunion

~Unknown Location Outside the Everfree Forest~

Purgatory comes flying out of the Everfree Forest, though not before going through a couple more trees, before skidding across the ground and leaving a deep trench in the ground. A flash of crimson appears just outside the forest and reveals the still enraged Drake, with sword in hand and the aura of death surrounding him. Gripping his weapon tightly within his grasp, Drake made his way to a smoking, yet recovering Purgatory with heavy footsteps that left intents in the ground.

"Hahahaha, yes, there's the man that has made himself my rival, the cold warrior that battled me tooth and nail the first time we met on the battle. The same man that has managed to fend off my assault single handedly for year afterwards. The man that didn't care abou-" Purgatory's rant was cut off as Drake blasted him with another powerful bolt of crimson lightning.

"I'm not here to indulge you in a trip down memory lane Purgatory, I'm here to wipe you out of existence as I shmear your innards all over the land and toss those shmears deep into the farthest corners of the universe, preferably into a blackhole!" Snarled Drake as he continued his advance towards Purgatory when he was forced to jump back as a bout of hellish-green flames incinerated the spot he was just standing.

"Quite a threat you're making there Lightning but question is, can you actually follow through with it this time?" Purgatory has asked with an evil smirk, which was answered with an intensely hateful glare from Drake though that did cause a stray thought to form in the back of his head.

As much as I hate the bastard, he's right. I've made similar threats before but I haven't been able to deliver thanks to the fact that we're somehow so evenly matched and no amount of training seems to be enough to push me pass that threshold that I need to finally kill this fucking thing that stands before me! Drake thought inwardly as outwardly he was getting into a battle stance as Purgatory did the same, all signs of playfulness gone as he was finally getting serious.

Any and all creatures for miles could feel the shift in the very air as if became stifling with the power and aura coming of these two powerful warriors stood across from each other, neither one of them taking their eyes of the other, nor making any movements to close the distance between them. The area around them was rife with the energy being released between them with the land in the same vicinity tearing itself apart as earth rose into the air. Up above, dark clouds gathering to engulf the sky and blot out the sun as they begin to spark, normal lightning mixed with Drake's crimson bolts could be seen traveling in between them.

Throughout all of this a single leaf manages to find itself gentle floating down between them, seemingly undisturbed by the chaos around it. As is neared the ground, the world itself seemed to freeze and yet many found themselves unknowingly looking towards the horizon, something unknown compelling them to do so. Only one group found themselves looking the same way and knowing why.

With this unknown audience watching, it was then that this one, single leaf was able to touch the ground for not even a single second before incinerated as both Drake and Purgatory had launched their attacks, Drake's Crimson lightning blast, and Purgatory's Hell fire inferno, meeting in the middle and further destroying the land around them with the shockwave that came from the impact of two powerful attacks colliding with each other. An explosion soon followed the stalemate that threw the both of them back a little, but had not deterred them for very long as they collided once again, this time in the air, their weapons interlocked in yet another stalemate as the two bared their teeth at each other while snarling. This stalemate however didn't last long as Purgatory makes the first move and throws a high kick towards Drakes head and showing off an impressive amount of flexibility. Drake, seeing the kick coming, breaks off their engagement before ducking under the kick and sending a lightning coated punch towards Purgatory's stomach. Purgatory manages to use the momentum from his high kick to move himself out of the way and avoiding the punch itself but still got skimmed by Drake's lightning which makes him grunt with discomfort before jumping away.

"Seems we're still as evenly matched as before eh old friend." Purgatory stated mockingly as stood across from Drake, who was glaring intensely at him. "Oh, cat still seems to have your tongue I see, well let's see if I can't help you with that!" Purgatory shouted as he sped off towards, disappearing from view as he was moving than the eye could see, Drake doing the same without a word.

From there, all that could be seen was sparks with the occasional burst of hellfire and crimson lightning from wherever their attacks made contact before they moved away from each other before doing so again and again with a booming noise accompany each and every single exchange happening on the ground and in the air though some with longer intervals between them than others. As these two titans' battle was becoming airborne, rising well above the tallest trees in the Everfree Forest and continuing to climb still, the noise and flashes attracting the attention of many, Including the groups of mares and reptiles running through the very same forest, managing to hear and see it all despite the various animals of the forest stirring up a racket and the sun blotting canopy of leave blocking most of their view, and or course the residents of Ponyville along with what's left of Purgatory's army.

With Tonoe and the Others

"Those two are really going at it aren't they? I can't even keep up with them." Rainbow Dash said as she and her friends, the princesses, Spike, and Tonoe along with Gleaming Shield, who was being carried on Celestia's back, were rushing through the forest to get back to Ponyville and get Gleaming Shield some help for her wounds.

"Seems Drake really has been holding back his strength this whole time hasn't he?" Cadance asked before looking towards Gleaming and Luna, "Aren't you glad neither one of you made an enemy out of him from your first encounters doesn't it?" She added in with a sly smile.

"What's there for me to worry about? Drake barely took our fight seriously, even if he told that he did I knew the whole time he wasn't and I know it was because he didn't me as an actual enemy standing in the way. He saw me as a soldier following the orders of my higher ups, the one giving said order already forming a vendetta against him. Now Princess Luna on the other hand I'm not so sure of." Gleaming remarked from her spot upon Celestia's back.

"I would have tried to argue that point beforehand but after seeing how powerless me and my sister were against that monstrosity I'm inclined to agree with you." Luna said as she reflected upon her behavior she has displayed towards Drake so far.

"So how long do ya reckon those two will be goin' at it sugarcube?" Applejack asked Tonoe who was running beside her.

"Not for much longer but not before it gets really intense."

"What do ya mean?"

"Whenever they fight this seriously, it always seems to end in a draw, much like their first bout. Rather strange, I know, but it's exactly what's happens and I have the feeling this time won't be any different." Tonoe explained in an exasperated tone.

"What do you mean like in their first fight? He told us he won and even showed us the recording of the fight and saw that he won, so how is it that it can be considered a draw?" Rarity asked as the others looked towards him.

"From a general point of view, yes he won, but if you look at it from another angle it ended in a draw."

"Another angle, what do you mean by that?" The ever curious Twilight asked.

"What I mean is that in all reality, the war was won because the Rippers became demoralized and choose to take Purge and retreat with their tail between their legs and the people of The Forge got their spirits back. Had it all depended solely on the battle between Drake and Purge then it could be seen as a draw," Tonoe sighs as he turns his head just enough to look as Twilight from the corner of his eye. "At least that's how Drake sees it and it frustrates him to no end and no matter how many times I try to tell him that he did in fact turn out victorious in that fight he insist otherwise." A look of frustration and sadness comes across his face as he recalls such conversations.

"And I take it with every fight that ends the same way has only added onto his frustrations?" Rarity chimed in.

"Yes and I'm afraid of how he'll be once this is over if there's no definitive winner this time either. Leaves him feeling his training is inadequate and he'll try pushing himself more and more and wind up hurting himself in the process." This time everyone became worried from this statement.

"You're joking right, he couldn't truly be that reckless could he?" Spike asked, finally finding his own voice.

"He could and would be that reckless and takes a lot of convincing to stop him, or at least make him tone it down. Then again that was back when I was the only who knew of his identity as the Lighting Master but this time all of you are here and he's managed to find himself a couple lovely mares to fall in love with, stubborn ones at that, so hopefully he won't fall too deep this time." Cadance and Gleaming blushed at the compliment while the rest smiled as Tonoe's tone became more hopeful.

"Well we will have to wait and see how this fight turns out and hope for the best and prepare for the worst. For now though lets worry more about right now, and right now we have to get somewhere safe and get Gleaming Shield some medical attention. Her injuries may not be as bad as we thought they would be but as the saying goes, 'better safe than sorry'. Celestia spoke up with the others nodding their head before running faster through the forest, the exit quickly coming into view.

"Sweet, looks like we're almost out of the fore-EEEESSSSTT!!!" Rainbow Dash's excitement was cut off as she was pulled back just before a bout of hellfire came across their path, followed by a blast of crimson lightning. "T-thanks Tonoe," came Rainbow's shaky response from her spot on the ground.

"No problem Dash, next time though you may want to look before you leap." Tonoe pointed towards the tree line that marked their exit only to now see that it's been widened as the trees that were one there had been destroyed.

Pinkie helped Rainbow stand up as they slowly made their way out of the Everfree forest and were once again hit with the sight of a ravaged Ponyville. Their attention was soon directed elsewhere by a flash of green from up above where they could see Drake moving out of the way of a giant green fireball before flashing towards Purge and landing a solid uppercut to his chin and launching him higher into the sky.

Back to Drake and Purge

"Nice shot Lightning, but it's nowhere near enough to take me down!" Purge shouted at Drake after righting himself from Drake's last attack before he starts laughing maniacally. "Oh this is so much fun even if this will end up like every other time we've battled!" Drake growled at this, missing Purge's hidden smirk, before appearing in front of him with another flash, sword already coming down towards his head. Purge only moves his head enough to allow the blade to become embedded in his shoulder, then grabbing it with one hand to prevent Drake from removing it even with the lightning coursing through it, and pointing the other towards Drake's stomach, his hell flames already building up in his palm. "Or perhaps, this will end very differently," And with that he blasted Drake point blank in the gut, the flames being seen shooting out of his back by those watching from below, some in horror and others in a sick glee though those faces soon changed as Purge's back was crackling with the Crimson lighting shot from Drake's palm which had shot up to deliver the same strike that he knew was coming while Purge was distracted.

All was silent afterwards, both combatants and spectators remained silent and still, something that broken when Drake grabbed Purge by his shredded and charred shirt and pulled him closer so that he was able to speak into his ear. "You will never win bastard, that's a fucking promise!" Drake growled out before using his remaining strength to yank his sword from Purge's grip and shoulder, cutting up both in the process before the two starting falling towards the ground from over 400 feet.

"Damn him, that meddlesome Lighting just keeps getting in my way. I had sincerely hoped that the I had been dumped in another universe that I could take over and reshape in my image without his interference, but no instead I get dumped in this incredibly sickenly sweet world of fucking sunshine, rainbows, and cotton candy clouds!" Purge ranted on his own mind as he plummeted towards the ground in a giant green fireball, his last statement causing a twinkle to shine in the eyes of a statue of a strange, mismatched creature all the way in Canterlot.

"He almost had me with that last shot.... I can't believe I've allowed myself to lose my cool so easily, first with Gleaming and then his comment about our previous duels. Maybe Tonoe is right, I need to let it go and just make sure I'm prepared for next time. An opportunity will eventually present itself, I just need to be patient and make sure I'm alive long enough to see it and take advantage of it." Were Drake's surprisingly calm thoughts as he too plummeted to the ground much that same way he had when he first arrived.

"DRAKE/LORD PURGATORY!!!" Tonoe was the first to rush towards where the two would land, being followed be the Princesses, and The Elements, The Rippers making their way in the same direction as well, Spike staying behind to help Gleaming into Townhall to get seen by a doctor and help keep an eye on the place while the others went to help Drake. Didn't take long for both groups to make it to the area where the two of them would crash, being sure to stay, what they hoped at least, a safe distance from the blasts of the two impacts.

When the two finally did make impact, they were partially right when green flames and crimson lighting engulfed the area and made decent sized craters that had come up a few inches short of hitting either group though many of them were just about blown away from the shockwave their entrance had caused but were able to stand their ground before looking into the crater where a both battered and beaten powerhouses laid about fifteen feet apart from each other, unconscious.

Without a word Tonoe had already jumped down into the crater and rushed to Drake's aid, sliding onto his knees when he reaches him before the others even made it down into the crater. The Rippers made their way to Purgatory, the few medics among them already checking him over and seeing the extent of his injuries. The Princesses and the Elements making it to Drake's side around the same time, Tonoe already having already taken off Drake's armor and shirt to check over causing the others to gasp as they saw the intense burn on Drake's stomach, some places looked charred while others looked to be still smoldering with lingering embers.

"Dear me, how is he still alive?" Celestia asked as she slowly reached her hand out towards his stomach, the golden aura of her magic shrouding her hand. When her hand made contact with the charred skinned, the golden aura spread itself around the effected area and after a second Celestia opened her eyes in shock and looked at Tonoe, "his body is made of lightning as well?"

"Not entirely but yes, it's how he's able to turn into his lightning form but it uses up a lot of energy so he's never been able to stay that way for very long but I have known him to use it to avoid some serious hits, which I'm guessing is what he did to avoid having his insides charred and blown out his back but came at the cost of a lot of the energy he had left, that he then used to land his final strike." Tonoe explained as some of his worry was alleviated.

"So that means the burns on his stomach are the worst of his injuries?" Cadance asked.

"It would appear so, everything else seems to be bruising and lacerations but those are things Drake can recover from quite easily on his own and even faster with a little help." This statement caused the others to sigh in relief, though it was short lived with Luna's next statement.

"It would appear the Rippers and that monster Purgatory have already retreated." The rest of the group, besides Tonoe and Princess Celestia, snapped their head towards the direction where Purge and the Ripper were, only to find the crater empty and the Rippers and Purge gone, nowhere to be seen, though there was tracks leading back into the Everfree Forest. "Shall we pursue them sister?"

"No, we have our subjects to worry about and must assess the damage that was done to Ponyville so that we can request the proper aid and supplies need to help rebuild the town and help her citizens recover from what I'm sure was a rather terrifying ordeal. Those monsters can be dealt with later, especially once Drake recovers as he and Tonoe can us better prepare for when they will next appear and be alerted sooner to their presence." Luna was about to argue but seeing the look on her face as she healed Drake made her think secondly and instead nod.

"Very well sister, then shall we transport young Drake to Townhall as well?" Luna asked as she knelt by her sister, who nodded as she continued her task. She was so focused on what she was doing that she was startled when another hand grabbed ahold of hers.

"T-try not to.... b-be so down Celestia." Came Drake's weak voice, which held a bit of mirth in it.

"DRAKE!!" Came the shocked responses from them all before Cadance and Tonoe rushed in to hug the downed man, who let out a hiss as they happened to press themselves into a couple of still healing bruises and made them back up a bit.

"Oh shit, sorry about that Drake." Tonoe apologized as he got back up.

"You just had us all worried there for a bit." Cadance piped in next as she got a bit teary eye as she stayed knelt down by Drake's head. Those unshed tears were wiped away by shaky hands as Drake gave her a just as shaky smile.

"It's fine you two, I don't mind too much, just try not to do it too often, I'm already gonna be put out of commission for a bit thanks to the nasty burn Purge decided to part me with." Drake grimaced at that moment as the burn decided to act up though it stopped soon after as Princess Celestia put some more magic into her healing spell. "Thanks."

"Should be me thanking you Drake, you saved not only Ponyville and her citizens but also me and my sister as well." Celestia told him with a motherly smile.

"Don't mention it Princess, you two are my friends after all, and hopefully we become family one day as well once I tie the knot with Gleaming, Cadance, and Tonoe, though I guess that means I'll end up being part of your family too, huh Twilight." Came Drake's pained response.

Twilight could only giggle at the absurdness of the turn to conversation took, "Yeah, I guess you would be. How about we have that conversation later though, you look like you could use a rest right now."

"Yeah, you're right there, I think I'll do just that." With that, he let Cadance, who had slid in behind him, put his head into her lap before closing his eyes and going to sleep. All around him, the others now feeling a little lighter as one of their burdens was lifted off their shoulders.

"Alright everypony, lets get back to Townhall to let everypony know the good news and get started on repairing Ponyville." Celestia announced to the rest of the group.

"Right!" Came to collective reply by almost all present as Princess Celestia picked up Drake with her magic.