Chapters The day of Saturday, March twenty sixth, brought with it crisp air and a heated atmosphere. Ponyville was rather quiet this day, since everyone was exhausted from their daily routines and decided they should remain at home (That and the heat was getting close to ninety degrees!)
Derpibra and his friends stayed within the castle of Twilight Sparkle since they’ve nothing better to occupy their time at the moment.
Twilight and he stayed in the same room, Twilight studying her records as usual, while Derpibra sat staring blankly from a nearby window.
“I’m so bored!” He cried.
“You’ve said that for the tenth time already. I’m trying to focus-”
“Then give me something to do! I’m dieing here!”
“I swear, you're just like Rainbow Dash. Wouldn't you care to read some books?”
“I already told you I’m not a bookworm.” He rocked in the stool he sat on while his eyes glued themselves to the ceiling above. “You sure you don't have any magical monsters or something I could take out?”
“Not every part of life is an adventure you know.”
“I know, and it sucks!” He finally decided to look at her. “Hey, speaking of adventures, you think what Däischtert said was true? That Magnus was manipulating me with light or something?”
“It's hard to say. All he gave you was an ancient mark. Not much to work with.”
“Will Dragon Isle survive without a king there to rule?”
“I wouldn't cross my hooves on it too much. They aren't the most organized bunch I’ve seen.”
“Ooh! What’s that?”
“Huh?”
He pointed to a rather out-of-place snowflake floating astray in the air. “That’s nonsense! It’s too hot for that!” He dashed through the window.
“Too hot for what-? Hey! Where are you going?”
He crawled back through the window moments later and revealed to her a delicate snowflake. “This is some hot snow! Is the weather alright?”
“That isn’t a flake- erm, a real one. Let me see it.” She opened the mysterious flake, uncovering an invitation to an event. “The Crystalling…?” She gasped. “Cadence and Shining armor is having a Crystalling for their baby!”
“Is that some kind of special baby shower or something?”
“Eh… Sort of.” She proceeded to explain what the Crystalling was.
“Oh, I get it now. Welp, we finally got something to do!”
“An exciting thing nonetheless. Let’s gather everypony in the throne room and-”
“Twilight?” A mare's voice rang from the other side of the door.
“Come in Starlight!”
Starlight Glimmer trotted in, taking care to close the door behind her. “Hey Twilight. Who’s this?”
“Ah yes, you must’ve just gotten here. I forgot to introduce you two. Derpibra, Starlight, Starlight, Derpibra.”
“Hi!” He greeted with emotion.
“Hello. You look… different compared to her other friends.”
“Is it ‘cause of my eyes?”
“That’s one thing at least. Say, Twilight?”
“Hm?”
“When did you meet Derpibra?”
“Sometime late last year. The month slips me. He came here on a train from Los Pegasus.”
“Seriously? Hm, Derpibra, how’s it like out there?”
He was playing around with a dust bunny he found in the corner of the room. “Lively, full of celebrities and things. I haven't been there in a while, so I don't know what’s happening there right now.”
“Interesting.”
Twilight closed a nearby book and fixed her eyes on them. “We should get going to the throne room. I’ll explain why once we get there.”
“Throne room?” A voice rang once again, this time a male’s.
“Yes Spike! Can you grab everypony for us?”
“Yeah! Meet you down there!”
“Thanks! Well, let's go.”
The hallways had an assortment of endless identical doors.
“Twilight? How do you even get through this place at all?” Derpibra asked.
“I guess I just know my way around.”
He turned over to his violet friend. “Starlight, where were you born?”
“In a village.”
“That’s… a simple answer.”
“Not a lot to it really.”
“Ok… so, how did you meet Twilight?”
“I rather wouldn't-”
“She tried to steal everypony’s cutie marks and got defeated then came back for revenge by trying to use time travel to make it so Twilight wasn’t friends with any of her friends she knows now then got into a duel with Twilight and almost won if Twilight didn't convince her to stop what she was doing.” Spike gasped for air. “And, that’s how they met.”
“Spike…!” Starlight looked disapprovingly at him.
“That… is awesome!” Derpibra announced.
“Wait, what?”
“You’re a unicorn, and you challenged a alicorn princess and practically won! That's epic!”
“Uhh… thanks, I guess?”
“We gotta have a magic duel later!”
“But you're a pegasus…”
“I know.” He replied with a smirk.
Starlight, confused, decided not to question him further.
The group of friends stepped into the large throne room, decorated with a sizable circular table surrounded by six thrones, and their other mates having been there early.
“Aw, what? That’s sick!” Derpibra chirped. “You girls get thrones? I guess everyone’s a princess around here.”
“Including me.” Spike said. “Princess Spike. You know, that kinda has a ring to it.”
“So who’s the king, princess?” He snickered.
“Come to think of it, King Spike sounds better…”
Everypony shared a laugh.
“Ok everyone, settle down, settle down.” Twilight announced. “I have received an invitation from the Crystal Empire about the Crystalling.”
“Erm, what’s a Crystalling?” Starlight asked.
Spike summoned a blue urn from under the table and proceeded to explain the process.
“I see.”
“So… can we go to it now?” Derpibra asked.
“We should leave when we’re ready.” Replied Twilight. “Any thoughts anyone?”
They all shook their heads… except for the only stallion in the room.
“Something on your mind?”
“I need new armor. That fight with the black dragon destroyed all of my gear-”
“My Derpibra! Don’t be so rash!” Rarity called.
“Huh? What’re you talking about Rarity?”
“You mustn’t go to such a lovely event dressed as a barbarian! You must look fashionable darling!”
“Rarity, I’m sure I’m okay with- ow! Hey, watch it!”
“Time for a makeover dear. I’ll take you upstairs. I have spare materials and instruments of beauty for you to use!” She pushed him up the stairs outside of the main hall doors.
“Ok! Ok! I’m going!”
Their voices faded as they went deeper into the castle.
Twilight turned nervously to her friends. “Uh… let’s get ready before she comes to get us too.”
“Agreed.” They all said.
Derpibra displayed a blank expression as Rarity scrubbed his mane to make combing it easier. But after a while, he began kicking his hoof much like a dog. “Oh, yes. Right there…”
“You are the most peculiar one aren’t you?”
His mane was full of bubbles. “Why are your hooves so soft?”
“A lady must always have the assets of true class darling.”
“A little bit more to my ear please~”
Rarity chuckled.
Thirty minutes later, Derpibra emerged from the wash room wearing a brown duster coat with a sparkling chocolate brown cape. His only accessory was a matching western hat that he had slightly tilted. “Wow Rarity, you really got the ‘Suspicious Drifter’ look going on here.”
“It is what you wanted yes?”
“Definitely!” As he turned around, he saw Applejack with the most beautiful western dress composed of dark leathers hard and durable enough to double as a form of light armor. Shined metal studs, and western embroidery further augmented its country look.
“‘Ow do I look? Rarity wouldn't stop bothering me about wearing this dress…” “Her mane was let down from its usual ponytail and was combed thoroughly.
Derpibra’s jaw dropped. “Wow, you're…wow.”
“I will leave you two lovebirds together here. I will go check on the others.” Rarity trotted off down the hall.
After waving goodbye, Derpibra turned back to his favorite mare of them all. “You look… different.”
“I know. Feel just a tad weird right now.”
“Why? You look amazing like this! ...I mean, you already look amazing without it, but you know what I mean.”
Applejack chuckled. “It’s just… I ain’t used to wearing these fancy getups, you know?”
“Ah, it’s fine. Rarity got to just about everypony. You aren't the only one.” He smiled. “I mean, she’s no stranger to fashion. At least she didn't make us look crazy.”
“Alright, you got a point sugarcube.”
The noise of hooves clopping the floor was heard as many more dazzling mares grouped together. They were all wearing dresses respective to their tastes and colors.
“Am I the only one that looks kinda out of place?” Derpibra asked.
Rarity nodded. “We could get you another outfit-”
“No no, it’s fine. You have a… collection of outfits. It would take forever… and besides, I like this duster coat.”
“Suit yourself. Well, to the train station then! We have a Crystalling to attend.”
The train chugged quickly down the tracks as it made its way towards the Crystal Empire. So far, only twenty minutes passed before Derpibra started feeling bored once again. He sat next to Applejack, and she giggled every time he groaned.
“Buck up sugarcube. We’ll be there before you know it.”
“But we’ve been here for an hour already.”
“It’s only been twenty minutes.” Twilight said from the seat across the row.
“Oh my Celestia.”
“Hey.” Rainbow Dash called. “You bored? Let’s hoof wrestle then! Bet ten bits you won't win.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Must we really do this?” Gaffold said from the corner of the train cart.
“Yeah! C’mon Gaffold, don’t be a stick in the mud.”
“Leave me out of this. I’d rather not get dirty.” He laughed.
“Don't be so rough you two.” Rarity waved her hoof disapprovingly. “I didn’t dress you two up for these activities.”
“Oh, fine.” They both grunted.
“Rock paper scissors?” Derpibra suggested.
“Alright, lets go-”
“WAIT!” Pinkie Pie shouted. Everypony jumped.
“What, what!?” Twilight got up from her seat. “Something wrong?”
“How are we going to play rock paper scissors with our hooves?”
Derpibra and Rainbow Dash slumped in their seats.
“Whoopsie… bad time to say that huh?”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Dash said.
“I’m going to the top of the train. It’s stuffy in here.” Derpibra said.
Twilight cocked her brow. “That’s not very safe you know…”
Without second guessing it, he
After some minutes, Applejack appeared from the door. “You alright Derpi?”
“Yeah, just needed some fresh air. Those windows weren’t working out for me.”
“You sure there ain’t another reason why you're up here?”
“Bored.”
“You get bored way too easily.” She took a seat next to him.
“Yeah, I hate it.” He smiled towards her. “At least I can't be bored when I’m around you though.”
“Aw shucks.” She blushed. “I still never quite understood why you love me so much. I ain’t that special, am I?”
“You are. You're honest, tough, hardworking, and you have no need for dresses and makeup. All you need is just yourself and those cute little freckles on your cheeks.”
“Well, gee, I…” Her eyes strayed from him. “You sure do know how to make a mare feel good about herself.”
“It’s only what you deserve.”
She couldn't conjure a response without second guessing.
Derpibra combed through her luxurious golden mane with his hoof, and scooted closer to her. She swore she could feel his body heat.
“Hey lover boy, you seem a bit excited…” She said through a darkening blush.
He responded by kissing her neck. Applejack closed her eyes and bit her lip slightly.
“Is this… the place to be… doing this? On top of a train?”
“Yeah, you’ll like it.” He laid down and extended his sizable wing, offering her a comfortable place to lie in. She laid down, facing him.
“Never had the chance to feel how soft your wings are… or how strong.”
He smiled before planting another kiss, this time on her firm, natural lips. He caressed her cheeks as the couple intimately touched each other.
“You taste like apples.”
“You ain't even gotten to the fun part yet.”
“Oh? You are a bad mare~” He said through a familiar feeling in his spine.
For the rest of the train ride, they held each other in their hooves. For that time, Derpibra wasn't bored. Maybe the train ride would be shorter than expected.
The train pulled into the station and sounded a tooting noise. A small chime over a nearby intercom came into play, and shortly after a mare's voice began speaking. “All passengers, this destination is the Crystal Empire. The next destination will be Appleloosa. Thank you for choosing the Equestrian Transport Services. Have a nice day.”
Everypony exited the cart. Optix, with her shining new MK 47 Rifle strapped around her chest, and looking more like a mercenary, sighed in wonder. “This place is shinier than I remember.”
“I never even been here before.” Derpibra said. “I’m surprised at how clean this place is.”
Rarity gasped. “You’re surprised? The wonderful Crystal Ponies keep everything spic and span around the clock darling! They exercise no shortage of cleanliness, most certainly!”
“You seem pretty pent up.”
“Indeed, we all are! We have not been here for some time, and on our return, we are allowed a chance to see the royal baby! How magnificent!”
He regarded her excitement with a smile, and as soon as he turned to his front, he spotted a white unicorn stallion who looked rather fatigued.
Derpibra nudged his head in the stallion's direction. “Hey Twilight, look at that guy over there. Is he alright?”
“That’s my older brother, Shining Armor.”
“Oh, the guy that had his name on the invitation?”
“Yes.”
He walked up to the stumbling stallion. “Hey big guy. You alright?”
“Huh…?” Shining stammered. “H-hey… you’re with, Twilight huh…? Hey sis…”
Twilight held him in place, fearing he would stumble over. “Hey Shining. Are you doing okay? You look terrible.”
“Just… being a father is tough…” He began to snore audibly.
“Wow, he must really have been on the field for too long.” Optix said.
“No kidding.” Gaffold said. “Oi, wake yourself up.” He poked him in the chest.
Shining snorted. “Huh!? Oh, sorry.”
Derpibra shook him erratically to keep him awake. “Can you tell us where to see the baby?”
“Castle… top floor… royal bedroom…” He drifted off to sleep again.
“Well, at least we know where to go.” Derpibra said. “Twi? What do we do with him?”
“We can’t let him stay out here, or else he might get himself hurt. We might have to carry him.”
“Since he can’t carry himself?” Optix remarked. “Guess I’ll be takin’ him, since none of you lightweights can.” She propped him up then tossed him over her back. Without letting a breath loose, she said, “Alright, let’s go.”
“Wait, lightweights!?” Derpibra said.
The party trotted into the room where Princess Celestia and Luna stood, waiting. Cadence was also in the room, but she seemed only marginally more energy ridden than Shining Armor was.
“You're kidding right?” Derpibra said as he breathed in, a grin forming from ear to ear. “I get to meet all of Equestria’s princesses!? This is awesome!”
Celestia and Luna chuckled.
He kneeled before them. “Oh my goodness, I’ve waited for this day, oh yes I have! I’m totally a fan colt of both you! You too Cadence, and Twilight!”
“I see you met a new friend,” Celestia said through another cackle. “Twilight. Is this the Derpibra stallion you were so inclined to send me so many letters about?”
She nodded. “Yes, Princess. He’s… well, different than most. But he has quite the arsenal of abilities you wouldn’t find in any normal pegasus.”
“The fact that he looks like a zebra is interesting enough.” Luna replied. “I see he’s… quite a fan.”
“I have! Ever since my early days as a colt! I still have a plushie of you Celestia!” He retracted a dated plushie of Celestia. “I still have it, even after all of these years!”
“I’ve never met such a… erm, ‘dedicated’ stallion. I’m flattered by your support.”
His eyes gleamed at her with sparkles.
“Shall we begin the Crystalling then?”
“Do we not have to discover the race and gender of the baby first, my fair sister?”
“Ah, yes of course. I’ve almost forgotten, what with the sidetracking.”
“I’ll do the honors!” Derpibra announced as he dashed over to the fidgety pink baby. It played with his spiky mane and giggled cutely. “Aww, aren't you just the cutest puffball ever!” He loosened the wrap from around her and watched in awe as her horn was revealed, as well as her seemingly oversized wings. “Wow! Her wings are bigger than mines when I was just a kid! And she’s an alicorn… I’m jealous!”
“She’s a what!?” Everyone stumbled over each other to see for themselves, and their jaws dropped.
“What’s the big deal? She’s just an alicorn right?”
“Alicorns have never been seen born in Equestria. She may be the first one.” Celestia explained. “What an interesting and rare sight.”
“You mean, you nor your sister… or Cadence were born like this?”
“We were all unicorns once.”
“Now my theories are forfeit. Oh well! Hey, can we do the Crystalling now-” His ears perked as the baby began to sniffle, readying a sneeze. “Aw, she looks so cute-”
When she sneezed, a torrent of magic slammed him through a door, quite harshly so. He shouted from the other room, “That baby is overpowered!” His voice faded as he rolled down the staircase below. Applejack chased after him, and minutes later, they crawled through the hole in the door, and he spat out some stone and wood chips. “And I got owned by a baby… great…”
Applejack sweeped the rubble from his mane. “You okay, sugarcube?”
“I only fell down two flights of stairs…”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get ya fixed up.”
Celestia took a look back at the newborn. “We should get her magic situated before we begin the Crystalling. We will be ready in about an hour, due to other preparations that must be made.”
Twilight nodded. “Yes. That should give Starlight some time to complete her friendship lesson in the meantime. Hopefully she doesn’t miss out.”
“She won’t. Well now, shall we be off?”
An hour has passed, and everyone seemed to be ready for the event. Derpibra was done with his warm up training, Starlight was reunited with her old friend, Sun Burst- everything was set. The only thing left was the Crystalling.
Sun Burst took the stage and announced, “Welcome everypony to the royal Crystalling! I, with the honor of being here with the four different princesses of Equestria, and the baby of Cadence and her Shining Armor, would like to welcome our newest member of Her empire! Please, give us all of your love energy, so that we may bring the Crystal Heart back to full strength!”
All of the attendants bowed, and began to fill the ground with blue magic. Once the process was complete, Sun Burst retrieved the finest blue crystal shard from a case Rarity presented to him, and it soon charged with the magic of love from the empire.
But, a tall, hooded figure swiped the shard and flew into the air, promptly absorbing the magnificent energy of the empire. Once finished, the cloaked hood came off, and revealed a black mare with a crude horn and holed hooves. “It’s time…”
“Hey!” Derpibra shouted. “What did you do!?”
“I’ll make you heroic zealots pay for my defeats!”
“Chrysalis…!” Celestia called out. “What have you done?”
“I absorbed the very essence of the Empire. Hahahaha! It’s all mines now!”
(She may be even more powerful than Twilight now…) Celestia thought. “Whatever do you hope to accomplish?”
“I will attack Equestria… at its heart.”
“No!”
Before Celestia could retaliate, Chrysalis disappeared. “She’s headed for the heart! Follow her!”
Teleporting to the room where the heart sat, Chrysalis held the baby in her Levitation spell, and shot a magical bolt at the heart, shattering it.
Celestia and the group weren't too far behind, but too late they were.
“Oh snap! There goes the heart!” Optix shouted.
“Give me my baby back!” Cried Cadence.
“Oh, I’ve gotten too far to stop now… maybe I should test my power on my little pigs?”
Cadence charged directly for her, and launched a destructive beam, but to no effect. Chrysalis knocked her away into a wall, causing her to scream in pain before falling silent.
“Cadence!” Shining Armor trotted to her frantically and tried to shake her awake, but to no avail. “Cadence…? Cadence!” He attempted to assault Chrysalis, but Twilight held him back.
“Shining! Stop! She’s too strong!”
“I need to save our baby!”
“I said stop!”
“This has gone on for too long!” Derpibra shouted. “We were supposed to have a good day today… but now you ruined it!” He let out a devastating battle cry as he transformed into a Super Saiyan. “I’ll put an end to this… quickly.”
“Hmph. Celestia, destroy this imbecile.” She shot black magic at Celestia, causing her eyes to glow green as her body tremored. She screamed from the sudden migraine. Her coat turned gray, her eyes a green afterglow, and a hostile look aimed at Derpibra.
“What have you done to my sister!?” Luna exclaimed.
Chrysalis responded by sending a beam from her horn, casting Luna out of a nearby window, crashing on the stage below.
“C’mon! We have to hold back the clouds before the North Winter covers the Empire!” Twilight said. “Gaffold, stay with Derpibra!”
“Understood.”
“Luna!” Derpibra shouted below, but the blue alicorn said nothing in response. “You witch… I’ll kill you!” Before he could reach her, Celestia, influenced by Chrysalis’ magic, kicked him from the same window.
“You will perish…” Celestia said.
“What's gotten into you!?” He looked to his left and spotted Gaffold at his side. He transformed as well.
The tag team took on Celestia together, but she was far too formidable even for two fighters. She fought them both in a clash, throwing multiple kicks and punches in rapid succession at each other. She then engulfed herself in an overwhelming aura and blew them backwards.
Derpibra struggled for air. “Gah! Geez…”
“She’s corrupted by the witch’s magic.” Gaffold said. “The only way we can get her out of the spell is by giving her a good pair of fisticuffs mate.”
“But I don’t want to hurt her. She’s my role model!”
Celestia vanished from sight, and reappeared in front of him. She landed a deafening blow to his stomach, causing him to revert his form and cough blood. She then did a sledgehammer attack over his head, sending him plummeting towards the ground.
“Derpibra!” Gaffold exclaimed. “You fiend! Princess or not, you will be stopped!” He held his claws in a circular stance, forming a blue ball of energy. Once fully charged, he shouted, “Kamehameha!” A beam sailed after Celestia, in the hopes of hitting her with devastating force. Once the beam hit, the area was covered in smoke. “Seems she finally went down.” As the cloud cleared, he winced.
“Was that all? I can’t believe I protect such weaklings… why are you even my subjects?”
“...! This is not like you, not at all!”
She dashed forward at blinding speeds and gave a swift but deadly kick. He recovered, but was soon assaulted by a salvo of black magic blasts. He attempted to dodge them, but was unsuccessful. She then began to devastate him with physical attacks, rapidly landing combos of hundreds of hits. Launching a beam at point-blank range, she put him out of commission.
“Now, finish them off!” Chrysalis cheered. “Show them that they will no longer take advantage of your kindness!”
Celestia dropped down to Derpibra, who laid shivering in pain and fear. Readying a green energy in her horn, she was ready to execute him. But she seemed hesitant.
Derpibra looked up, and spotted the window she previously knocked him through. He saw something- a white object with a familiar shape falling from it- his plushie of Celestia. It landed next to him. He then focused on the white executor, who was ready to dispose of him. Tears ran down his bloodied cheeks, as he never expected to be threatened for death from his role model. “I never thought you’d-”
“S-silence!”
“Finish him damn it!” Chrysalis shouted angrily.
Derpibra reached out to her, and his hoof grazed her chest. Noticing his plushie beside him, he reached for it, grabbed it, then presented it to her with a tremoring hoof. “You… are… my most favorite… princess…” He fell silent, and the plushie rolled over to the white alicorn.
Celestia dispelled her magic, and stared at the plushie. “...What have I done…?” She grasped her stuffed replica and clenched it tightly. Tears filled her eyes. “No… I... I… I’m so sorry…!”
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you annihilating him!?”
“You made me hurt my subjects... I vowed since the first day I’ve become a princess that I would never harm anyone... “ The clouds surrounding the Empire were being pushed back. The sun beamed its light down with much more intensity than usual. “You can harm me all you like, but my subjects will not suffer because of it!” Her mane turned to fire, and her iris’ turned orange. “Now, I will deal with you accordingly.” She crouched down to Derpibra, and placed the plushie in his hooves. “Hold to this, I fear I may burn it.” Getting up, she faced Chrysalis in a torrent of flame.
“Why are the clouds disappearing? This isn't how it's supposed to work…!”
“Now tell me…” Celestia began. “Why… why are you doing this?”
“The defeats, the humiliation! You ponies have caused me much pain! Oh how I will enjoy bathing in your tears once I force you unto the same fate I’ve suffered!”
“And you do not think that perhaps it would just happen again?”
“No! I have a superior magic, I am flawless! My power is impeccable!”
“Everything is flawed, even I. But how big those flaws are, and how you let it affect you, all determines the outcome.”
“Enough with your foolish philosophy! The fight between two royalties starts now!” She vanished, and reappeared behind Celestia, kicking her into the air, then attempted a flurry of hits in her direction, but Celestia dodged them almost effortlessly.
While the two were battling with all their resolve, Derpibra’s eyes were cracking open. He felt the enormous magics zipping around in the air, occasionally colliding. “C-Celestia…?” He muttered as he, with his slightly battered duster coat and hat, stood rather feebly. “Her power… she’s free of the spell…!”
Chrysalis was shot back by a fireball, and chuckled, rather devilishly so. “I will not fable here… your strength increased exponentially. However, your efforts are futile.”
“Your foolish bluffing has no effect on me!”
“It’s no bluff Princess. You have never exerted so much power before- I know from experience. You aren’t used to this change, are you?”
She merely scowled at Chrysalis.
“Your power is fading quickly. For now, your resistance remains strong… hmph, how amusing. A princess, falling to her own inability.”
The two clashed again, as lightning bolts surged every time a punch was landed.
Derpibra observed in awe as the opponents fought to no end. (She might have a point. I don't know if Celestia ever transformed like this before, but what I do know is that her power is fading little by little…)
Before long, Celestia’s defenses became easier to shatter, her movement speed paled in comparison, and her attack strength seemed to be lessening. No matter how hard her attempts were made, she began to miss hits, and fail dodges.
“What’s wrong? Losing your grip on the situation?” Chrysalis taunted.
“N-no!” She fought with every drop of resolve she had left, but before long her solar powers faded to a bleak nothingness. She was augmented no more.
Chrysalis, seeing this as an opportunity, sweeped Celestia’s hoof, sending her into a spin, then smashed her into the ground next to Derpibra. “Oh! I see the gray zebra is still alive!”
“...! Oh no.” He looked below his hooves to see Celestia gasping as she cried.
“I thought I was strong enough… I’m sorry I hurt you… please forgive me…”
“No...! Celestia…!” He exclaimed. Taking off his hat, he transformed, this time with more power. “This is gonna be the second time my friends were defeated because I wasn't strong enough…! If only I can defend you all on my own!”
The baby, from the tower, began to cry. Her sorrow could be heard for miles.
Through the midst of her tears, Derpibra began to remember himself as a child- a baby. He reminisced the days when he was helpless, when he would fall over due to his eyes, always needing his parents’ help. This memory, he applied to the baby. He thought of how he could not protect Cadence, Shining Armor, or his role model. What of Gaffold and his other friends?
“It is all up to you now…” Celestia said. “Don’t let your limits hold you… just… let it go.” Celestia said weakly.
The excessive crying of the baby assaulted Derpibra’s mind. How could he let evil get to a newborn? “I can do it… on my own… I have to…!” His mane raised in response to a charge. “I feel it slipping…!”
In a prolonged flash of lightning, his power surged beyond astronomical levels. He screamed as his body transformed into something stronger, nimbler, and reactive.
“What in blazes…!?” Chrysalis shielded her eyes from the light.
Across the Empire, the Mane Six felt the energy as if it were adjacent to them.
“What is that?” Twilight asked.
Rarity fell back from the quakes. “I do not know darling! Hopefully everything is alright!”
As Derpibra took a normal stance, his mane was far spikier than before. His body, engulfed in a enhanced golden aura, and his physique enlarged.
“W-what!? What is this?”
“This is me as an Ascended Super Saiyan, but you can just call me Super Derpibra.”
“Hmph,” Chrysalis scoffed. “What makes you think that this mane change means anything? It’s simply a difference in aesthetics.”
“You villains are all the same. Always underestimating your opponents.”
“Did you mean overestimate? Calling you weak is just me being courteous. You are far worse than that, I’d say.”
“Seems you can’t sense my kind of magic. I guess I will have to show you then.” His magic increased in intensity as he grew progressively more angry. “You ruined a baby’s special day… you hurt her Mom and Dad… then the princesses… well no more!” He readied magical yellow sphere in his forehoof. “Super Derpi Beam!”
Chrysalis leaped ahead to dodge the attack, and she closed in. They began throwing combos at one another, before finally managing to hit each other in the face simultaneously.
She was staggered by the shear force of his attack, and Derpibra remained unaffected by hers.
She grunted before exclaiming, “Die!” She propelled a series of green crystallized spears in his direction.
He simply stood there, knocking away any spears that attempted to hit him with an equally as trivial swipe of the hoof.
(What is this? Why is nothing affecting him all-of-a-sudden?) She thought as she continued her assault.
Soon, Derpibra became annoyed by her tricks, and exploded with magic, cancelling her spells almost immediately. “You’re finally at your wits end.”
“Huh?”
“You aren’t used to your power either. You’re slowly getting weaker every second.”
“N-nonsense!”
He chuckled.
“Laugh at me will you!?” She materialized a blade of magical crystal, and slashed at him with reckless abandon, but he again dodged with minimal effort. “Stay still!”
(Calling a bluff is working. She’s using up all of her power so quickly, I could easily win this one. But then again, I’m losing power too. I need to end this now.) He decided it was time to end this skirmish, uppercutting her into the air, and performing the Meteor Crash technique. After his combo was finished, he did the Sledgehammer, plummeting her to the Crystal Mountains not too far away from the Empire. He then threw his hooves to either side of him, and began charging a massive amount of energy to which bright sun yellow lightning bolts surged.
He brought down one of the mountainous regions, leaving in the beam’s wake a pile of rubble and tree bark that caused somewhat of an avalanche.
A blue magic was absorbed into his body, and he felt insanely more formidable, but the power seemed uncontrollable from it’s sheer amount.
“It’s the power of the Crystal Heart!” A voice chirped from his left. “Get the power to the heart, then we can repair it!”
“Huh?” He gazed down and spotted an orange unicorn stallion. “Who’re you?”
“Nevermind that! I’ll explain everything later!” He motioned for him to follow inside of the castle.
Concluding on a New Adventure
“Quickly, put the power in the shard!” Sunburst held out another blue shard, and Derpibra charged it completely. Sunburst then place the shard in place while the heart was being held together by four different spells, all being casted by Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight.
The heart flashed, and appeared in flawless condition.
Derpibra, still in his Super state, trotted over to the baby, who still bellowed in everlasting fear. He held her in his hooves, and the baby, comforted by his Light, quieted down and rested. He smiled as her cute, annular eyes closed while biting his muzzle softly. “I hope you grow up to be an awesome warrior.” He whispered. “Someone who can’t be beat by anyone.”
“Derpibra?” Cadence called.
He turned around slowly, so he wouldn't disturb his young friend. “Hey princess.”
“I wanted to thank you for saving us and the baby. We were so worried she… she…”
“Don’t stress yourself. I did this because I care about my friends.” He took care to give her the child with great temperament. “What are going to call her?”
Shining Armor came into the room. “I’m sure Cadence had an idea…?”
“Yes.” She smiled as her eyes beholded her little joy. “We were thinking… Flurry Heart.”
“That sounds awesome!” Derpibra said.
Everypony else nodded.
“Good. Then it’s official.” Shining Armor motioned for everypony to follow him into the royal dining room. “Should we have a royal dinner to end the day?”
Derpibra’s stomach growled, yearning for sustenance. “Yeah, I’m starving.” He reverted to his base form.
The table was lined with cakes, salads, hay- everything to keep a gray stallion satisfied. He happened to have a hayburger on his plate, ketchup and all. He ate with a slight disregard to manners, but he wasn’t outrageous. “Wow Shining, you’re lucky to have a princess that can cook like this.”
“You must learn to cook when you have kids.” Cadence chuckled with a touch of timidness.
“Hey Applejack, I have a question for you.” Derpibra said, Applejack seated adjacent to him.
“Yeah Derpi?”
“Do you think we can have kids later on?”
Everyone looked at him, including Applejack who’s cheeks glowed from the sudden inquiry. “Maybe we can.” She answered feebly.
“You two are… involved together?” Cadence asked.
Derpibra took a bite of his hayburger before answering, “Yeah. She’s the true definition of beauty and toughness wrapped into one orange mare.” His face full of glee as he continued to eat away his food. “Wouldn't you agree?”
Cadence chipped away at her salad. She was never a fast digester of food. “Yes, of course.”
“Princess!” A stallion cried from the other side of the double doors. “We have information for you!”
“Come in.”
A white unicorn wearing pearl white and balloon pink heavy armor trotted into the room. “Scouts have reported sights of ruins in a nearby Crystal Mountain that was destroyed by an overwhelming source of magic, witnesses confirmed.”
Derpibra sat just slightly lower in his seat.
“I see. We will look into the matter once we are done here. Thank you for the information, you may now return to post.”
“Right away princess.” He left the room and shut the doors behind him.
“Derpibra, are you okay?” Shining asked.
He sprung up, and spoke erratically. “What? No, no, everything's fine. Hey princess, can we go look into those ruins?”
“Why not? Well, you all must rest for now. Once you're done eating, the royal guest rooms are upstairs, first door to your left. There will be plenty of rooms if you all sleep separately.”
“Sweet.” He stretched. “I’m kinda beat anyway.”
“Before you go, let's discuss something first.”
“Yeah?”
“Since you saved the empire, how would you like to be my personal guard?”
“Woah, personal guard? What do they do?”
“They are like my normal guards, except they get more privileges, and more… challenging assignments. You won’t be standing around guarding the place like everyone else.”
“That sounds cool, but I’ll do it under one condition.”
“Condition?”
“Yup. Gaffold needs something too, since he was helping me fight Chrysalis.”
“Oh, I see. Gaffold will get the same thing then too, if that is what he desires.”
“Fine by me.” He replied. “I need an income of bits.”
“Then it’s settled. Well, if you need anything, just tell me. I’m in your debt.”
“You don’t owe me anything. You shouldn't have to pay to get your baby saved. That’s crazy!”
She smiled warmly.
Just as Derpibra left the room, the white alicorn appeared behind him, standing at the door. “Hello…”
He whirled around at the sudden voice. “Celestia?”
“I observed your power. I never knew it was possible for a pegasus to cast magic. I’m truly impressed.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“You’re being modest. How did you do it? Did Twilight experiment on you?”
“What? No. I learned it from a dragon.”
“A dragon…? How is that possible? Well, I’m sure you can tell me the tale when you’re good and rested. Until the morrow?”
“Yup, Hey, are you still going to be here tomorrow?”
“Yes. I must return to my castle in Canterlot in a few days. I would be delighted if you were to visit. Maybe we can exchange magical spells and incantations.”
“I’d love that. Alright Celestia, you’ve been put through the wringer yourself, so you should rest.”
“Perhaps. But I have some things to wrap up before I should retire for the afternoon. But, until then.” She walked off, going outside to consult Cadence’s guards.
“Guess it’s time for me to go.” He climbed up the tower to the bedrooms, and took off his duster coat and hat, slightly damaged from the battle that transpired only hours ago. The room itself had a capacious fountain in its center. He dived in, and rinsed himself off. The water was fresh and free of any odor.
After cleaning himself up, he dried off and lied in bed. Before falling asleep, he thought, to himself. “That fight taught me something. Fights like that don’t last too long. If you let your guard down, you can get destroyed pretty quickly. I gotta remember that. That, and… what’s in those ruins I wonder…”