Chapter 20

“And that’s pretty much what I’ve been dealing with up until now.” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Mmm, I see.” Nightmare said.

Two days, two Hell damn days since Zephyr ate the fruit and more reports of the mystery monster attacking slave transports have come in, yet I have no leads whatsoever as to who or what this monster is, and Zephyr is still unconscious. After Zephyr ate the fruit, Fluttershy had not spoken to me ever since and I think I ended up on Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s shit list again. Not to mention, they also have been avoiding Twilight a little which didn’t help, despite me and even Cadence trying to comfort her. I tried to make amends with the mares by letting them use the radio on my ship to try and communicate with anyone from Cloudsdale or Canterlot but that didn’t really do much, save for Pinkie. She’s been using the radio to keep in contact with her family at their Rock Farm who, turns out, have been hiding in the Rock Farm Mines since the Fall began. Thanks to their knowledge of how to navigate the mines, they were all able to avoid the Caribou who tried to go after them. Hearing that Igneous Rock was not brainwashed, similarly to Bow and Posey, made me more curious as to how he was unaffected by the Caribou’s power. I made a mental note to myself to go to the Rock Farm and grab Pinkie’s family as soon as I’m able.

Rarity had approached me to see if I had found any news about the young drake Spike. Even I had been trying to personally find out what happened to him, yet there had been no reports or signs of Spike which worried me greatly. Especially since the last anyone saw him was when he was on his way to the Crystal Empire before the shit hit the fan. I have a few guesses as to where he might be, like maybe he escaped to the Dragon Lands or, Hell forbid, was being held captive in the Crystal Empire and Lust was doing who knows what to the poor kid.

Now I’m back at the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters to visit Nightmare as I promised I would. When I arrived I didn’t see her for a while which had me worried for some reason until she appeared behind me with a long black rapier sword pointed in the back of my neck. Turns out she didn’t recognize me due my face being covered by my mask and hood. Though once I explained to her that it was me, she relaxed and admired my new armor with great interest. I originally wanted to just check in on her to see how she was doing but it ended up with me going on a full blown rant as to what’s been happening of late. All the while, Nightmare has just been standing beside me and listening as I went on and on about how shitty things have gotten ever since Zephyr.

“To make matters even more of a nuisance, the Saint has been uncharacteristically non active. I don’t know if he’s planning something or deciding what the next city he’ll attack.” I said.

“And your liberation plans for Las Pegasus?” Nightmare asked.

“I have a plan, but it’s quite risky.” I said, leaning more into the wall. “One wrong move, and the wrong blood will be spilled.”

“Do you know what young Zephyr’s power is?” Nightmare wonders.

“No, I would wake him up but Fluttershy insisted that he wake up on his own and I’d rather not pour any more salt on the wound than there already is.” I said.

“It seems you have a lot of burdens to shoulder, Dimitri.” Nightmare said.

“You don’t know the half of it.” I sighed again. “This is what I get for being the leader of an entire revolution. Oh, and did I mention that they upped my bounty again?”

“How much is it now?” Nightmare wonders.

“Last I checked.” I said as I reached into my coat and pulled out my wanted poster and handed it to Nightmare. “It’s now 50,000,000 bits.”

“My my, Dimitri.” Nightmare said as she grinned at my wanted poster. “You’re halfway to 100,000,000 bits, did you know that the largest recorded bounty in Equestria was 300,000,000 bits?”

“Holy shit, 300,000,000? That’s a lot of money.” I said, genially surprised. “I’ll have to try harder to beat that record.”

“I’m sure you will.” Nightmare giggled. “You seem to have a knack for attracting trouble.

Huh, that’s a cute giggle she’s got. I think but quickly shake my head a little. Hold up, where’d that come from? I’m with Twilight, I shouldn’t be thinking of Nightmare that way.

“Anyway, you shouldn’t worry yourself too much Dimitri.” Nightmare said. “You cannot expect to handle all of these complications at once. This is war after all, and war cannot be rushed for mistakes will surely be made.”

“I guess you’re right.” I said, running my hand through my hair. “As a former military man, I should be able to handle shit like this. After all, war never changes.”

“Indeed.” Nightmare agreed.

“You know, my offer still stands.” I said, changing the subject. “You’re more than welcome to accompany me back to my ship. There’s plenty of room there and I’m on the damn thing most of the time anyway so you wouldn’t be lonely.”

“Did you tell anypony about me still living?”

“Well I did tell Twilight.” I admit. “It was a bit of a rough start but I convinced her you weren’t a threat.”

“And the others? Such as the rest of the Element bearers and the Princesses?” Nightmare questioned.

“Not yet, but it’s on my to do list.” I said.

“What if they do not accept me?”

“I’m sure they will, besides you abandoned your original goal anyway so it shouldn’t be an issue to convince them you’re no longer dangerous.” I said.

“Perhaps, or perhaps not.” Nightmare said sadly. “Old wounds tend to run deep, and my crimes have seeped their way into the hearts and minds of the ponies of this world. You may say all the comforting words you desire but somepony like me, who has attempted the same crime not once but twice, I doubt they would allow me a second chance.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance, Nightmare.”

“Even me?” Nightmare questions as she gazes into my eyes. The way her cat-like eyes seemed to twinkle in the moonlight made my heart skip a beat but I chose to ignore that.

“Especially you, I mean look at me.” I said. “There’s a large scar on my back that looks like it should’ve cut me in two but I survived, barely. I got it during my last tour in the military before being discharged.”

“How did you acquire such a wound?” Nightmare wondered.

“To make a long, dreadful, and painful story short, I fought a losing battle to save a dear friend but I ended up being the cause of his demise. And this scar is a constant reminder of my failure to keep my promise not only to myself but to him as well.” I solemnly explain.

“Who was this friend of yours?”

“His name was Joshua Clay, and he was the third closest thing to a brother I’ve ever known, next to my other two siblings from my family.” I said somberly. “The point is, many people blamed me for his death and I even blamed myself for quite some time. But I didn’t stop putting one foot in front of the other because that’s not what Joshua would’ve wanted for me. The same applies to you, Nightmare, you realized your mistake and you wish to make amends. However staying here all by yourself isn’t gonna make things any better, you need to confront your self-doubt so you can find a sense of closure for yourself.”

“You make it sound so simple.” Nightmare said with tears starting to form in her eyes. “I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had actually succeeded. After what you told me, how the ponies appreciate my night sky just as they do the day, I realized that I would have made things far worse for the world. I even slipped into the dream realm to see what the ponies were dreaming of and I saw mostly nightmares. However I did see some dreams where they were actually dreaming of the stars and the moon. They all seemed so happy, and I even looked into their minds to see that what you said was true. If I had succeeded in plunging the world in eternal night, all the appreciation for my night sky would have crumbled away. So who out there would see me any differently after what I had done?”

Poor girl, she’s beating herself up for what happened like…I used to.

“You’re wrong about one thing, Nightmare.” I said. “There is someone who’d look past your mistakes.”

“And who is that?”

I then did something I did not expect to do, I stood up from leaning on the wall and stepped towards Nightmare. I raised my arms and gently wrapped her in a hug, making her flinch on contact but I kept my embrace.

“I would.” I said. “You’d have my support, always.”

“You’re just saying that.” Nightmare said as her arms slowly wrapped around my torso.

“I’m not, I’m the Devil’s Hand so it’s not in my nature to lie.” I said.

“I almost killed your beloved and her friends and I almost killed my own sister.” Nightmare said.

“They’ll forgive you.” I said as I unfurl my wings and wrap them around Nightmare. “Just as I have.”

“You would forgive a former usurper like me?” Nightmare whimpered in my shoulder.

“Yes, I would.” I said. “You need to have more faith in yourself. And the fact that you care enough to want to make amends says a lot.”

“And why is that?”

“Because unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.” Nightmare pulls away and looks up at me with tears streaming down her muzzle. “It’s not.”

I give her a comforting smile and reach up to pat her head and scratch behind her ears. She smiles and leans into my hand as she goes back to nuzzling my chest.

“Thank you Dimitri, I really appreciate your kindness.” Nightmare said.

“So does that mean you’ll come back with me?” I ask.

“Maybe, I still need to think about it.” Nightmare said as she pulled away from my arms and wings. “But I promise to give you my response the next time you come visit me.”

“Very well, I need to return to Ponyville now anyway. The liberation of Las Pegasus shall soon commence.” I said as I turned away and spread my wings out for take off.

“Farewell Dimitri, and may the stars guide you.” Nightmare said as I gave her a two finger salute over my shoulder before taking to the skies. As I fly through the air, I think back to how I hugged Nightmare which made me place a hand over my heart. Why did I do that? I know I only wanted to comfort her in her time of distress, but why would I go so far as to hug her? And more importantly…

“Damn heart, you’re not supposed to be beating this way.” I grumble to myself. “There’s nothing between us, nor should there be.”

I touchdown in front of the castle with my hand still on my chest. My heart has annoyingly been beating as fast as it was after I left Nightmare and it’s starting to get on my nerves. I walk up to the doors and raise my hand to open them, only for them to open on their own and I almost run face first into Cadence.

“Oh! Apologies Dimitri, you seem to have come out of nowhere.” She said.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” I said plainly as I walked past her.

“Are you ok?” She asked as she turned around to catch up to me.

“I’m fine.” I said.

“Are you sure? Your face seems to be a tad flushed.“ She said as she looked up at me.

Are you shitting me?! I think as I pull my hood over my head. Why the fuck am I fucking blushing?!

“Hell damn it…” I whisper.

“Dimitri.” Cadence said as she grabbed my hand, stopping our walk. “What’s wrong?” I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.

“It’s complicated.” I said.

“Does it have something to do with your heart?” Cadence asked.

"How could you tell?" I wonder.

"I am the Princess of Love, I can always tell when somepony's heart is conflicted or in need of mending." Cadence explains.

“I see, well I don’t know.” I said. "It's probably nothing to worry about."

“Come with me.” Cadence said as she pulled me along. “I think I can help with whatever you are feeling.”

“What about Flurry Heart?”

“I already put her to bed, but thank you for asking.” She said. I shrugged as I pulled my hood off and she leads me to the library. There’s a sofa and a few chairs around it and she takes the chair off to the side. “Now then, take a seat and tell me what it is that afflicts your heart.” Cadence said.

“Is this really necessary?” I sigh. “I’ve got more important things to worry about than taking therapy.”

“I’m afraid I must insist, Dimitri. Now please take a seat.”

“Fine...”

I unclipped my swords and staff and laid them on the side of the sofa and unholstered my six-shooters and placed them on the table. I then reached around and took off my coat and draped it over one of the other chairs and placed my mask next to my six-shooters. I unraveled the leather bindings on my wrists and pulled off my gloves and bracer and placed them on the chair where my coat was. Once everything was settled, I leaned back and sat on the sofa with my arms crossed.

“Thank you, now please tell me what it is you’re feeling.” Cadence said.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said dismissively.

“Really? Then why are you still blushing?” She accuses me. I instinctively reached up to touch my face which made her smirk seeing that I played right into her trap. “It seems I was correct.”

“About what exactly?” I scoff, looking away.

“You’re in love.”

“Well you’d be right about that, seeing as Twilight is the one I’m in love with.”

“I mean with somepony else.”

“Bullshit!” I snap, turning my head back to her. “There ain’t no way I’m in love with anyone else besides Twilight!”

“Why are you so upset, Dimitri?”

“Cause I don’t wanna feel like a scumbag cheater.” I counter. “I love Twilight dearly and there’s no way I’d do something so bastardly like fall for someone else behind her back.”

“I’m not sure if this would help, but it wouldn’t technically be a bad thing if you are.”

“What are you implying?”

“Do you not know?”

“Wouldn’t be asking if I did, whatever it is.” I said, crossing my arms.

“Fair enough. Well you see Dimitri, the birth rates on Eques, in a sense, are a little unbalanced.” Cadence explains. “There are three to five fillies for every colt that is born.”

“So in other words, there’s more mares than there are stallions in this world?” I ask, both interested and surprised and she nods. “Well I feel a bit awkward, seeing as how I’m probably worsening the gender ratio.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much Dimitri. Before the Fall, Equestria has been fairing just fine despite the gender ratio difference.” Cadence reassures me.

“So what does this have to do with how I’m feeling at the moment?”

“You see, Dimitri, there are some ponies who partake of a practice called herding. It means that a stallion may choose to be in a relationship with more than one mare or the mare takes more than one stallion in vice versa. It is so that healthy relationships can flourish with those who share the same feelings with one another without anypony else’s feelings getting hurt.” Cadence explains.

“I see, and I’m involved in this how?”

“If, and only if.” Cadence corrects while holding up a finger. “You have feelings for somepony else, you may choose to include her in your relationship with Twilight and form a herd.”

To say I was shocked would be a bit of an understatement. Stallions can have more than one marefriend? And they’re ironically called herds? It’s like something straight out of every man’s fantasy of having more than one romantic relationship and now it’s actually an option. Only I had no intention of involving myself in this so-called practice whatsoever.

“So, who is the other lucky mare who’s-”

“Cadenza.” I said, abruptly interrupting her. “This conversation stays in this room.” I stood up and gathered my belongings.

“But Dimitri-”

“It stays. In. This. Room.” I repeat, giving her a mock glare. “And I will hear nothing more of it.” I said as I walked out of the room with all my belongings back on my person. I make my way through the halls with a scowl plastered on my face. True, it may be common practice to be with more than one mare around here, but that doesn’t mean I gotta partake in it. Twilight is enough for me and whatever this feeling in my heart is, I’ll just bury it deep down so it would never come to light again.

But why does it always seem to resurface whenever she comes to mind? Seems like this world is rubbing off on me in more ways than one.

The Next Day

Not bothering to wait for Twilight to wake up, I krept out of our room and made my way to Zephyr’s room. This is the third day in a row he’s been asleep and that’s already been long enough. The day we plan to make a move on Las Pegasus is approaching and I don’t wanna waste any more time than I already have to wait for Zephyr to come too. I turn the corner and walk down the hall where Zephyr’s room is and I see Rainbow walking from the other side. We both eventually make it to the door and we take a moment to just stand there next to each other.

“Good morning.” I said but got no reply. “Still giving me the cold shoulder, huh?” Still no response. I sighed as I reached for the doorknob but Rainbow grabbed my hand.

“Why…?” She muttered.

“Why what?” I ask.

“Why did you give him one of those damn fruit things instead of just refusing him?”

“It was his decision.”

“You still could’ve said no.” She said as she let go of my hand.

“I know.” I said as I gripped the doorknob.

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because this is war.” I said as I opened the door. “And war never changes.”

As I pushed the door open, I saw Zephyr still unconscious with his family still around his bed. I took in Zephyr’s new appearance again, how his mane looked like a silvery white shade that reminded me of storm clouds and his physique seemed to increase as well. I looked at his arms that were atop the blanket covering his lower body and gazed at the all too familiar tribal brands that went from his shoulders all the way down to his wrists. Fluttershy glanced up at me but turned away with a sad frown and her parents just smiled sadly at me.

“Good morning everyone, I need to wake Zephyr up.” I said as I approached his bed.

“Oh…could you maybe let him sleep for a little longer?” Posey asked.

“I’m afraid not, I need to begin his training as soon as possible.”

“But he’s still unconscious.” Gentle pleaded.

“I’ll wake him up without hurting him.” I reassured them. Fluttershy stood up and boldly stepped in front of me, trembling a little.

“Please…don’t take my brother.”

“Fluttershy.” I said while gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry about all that has transpired with your brother, but I’ll remind you that he made his choice in partaking of the fruit of the Devil. You also must understand, he may be your brother, but he is also now my apprentice. And like Flash, I need to properly prepare him for the war that has only just begun.”

Just as Fluttershy looked like she was about to protest again, a low groaning was heard from Zephyr making all in the room turn their attention to the sleeping stallion. Zephyr sluggishly opened his eyes and winced as he sat up while rubbing his eyes.

“Ugh…my head hurts.” Zephyr groaned.

“Glad you’re finally awake, Zephyr.” I said with a comforting smile. Guess I don’t need to zap him awake after all.

“Oh man, I had the craziest dream.” Zephyr said. “I dreamt that I was in pain, like my arms were on fire and…wait, why is my mane a different color?” He asked as he glanced up to notice a few strands hanging down. When he reached up to grab them, he noticed the brands on his arm and went wide eyed as he noticed his other arm was also branded. It took a few minutes for him to process the situation, but eventually it looked like it all came back to him which made him sigh and look up to me with conflicting emotions.

“It wasn’t a dream, was it?”

“Nope, you’re like me and Flash now.”

“Does that mean I now have magic like you guys?”

“It’s not magic, but yes you do. And now you need to get dressed and meet me on my ship. Your training begins today and you need to be ready for when we take back Las Pegasus.”

“Oh, right.” Zephyr said as he slowly got out of bed.

As he stood, I noticed his height seemed to increase as well. He looked like he grew a few inches, right about up to my chin. When he stepped forward, he almost fell but Fluttershy was quick to catch him to which he just smiled sheepishly and stood up straight again.

“Sorry, my legs must still be asleep.”

“Not surprising since you’ve been unconscious for three days.”

“Three days?!”

“Yep, now get dressed, we have a lot of work to do.” I said as I turned away and walked out the door.

Zephyr 1st POV

I watched Mr. Lockdrom leave the room, still trying to process that I was asleep for three freakin’ days. As soon as he closed the door, Mom and Dad walked up to me with concerned looks.

“Sweetheart, are you ok?” Mom asked.

“I’m fine, Ma.”

“At least those, er…markings didn’t cover your cutie mark.” Dad said. I glanced to my right shoulder and saw that even though the brands covered most of my arm, they didn’t touch my cutie mark so that was a relief at least.

“Welp, guess I better get ready.” I said as I picked up my shirt.

“Zephyr, you don’t have to do this.” Fluttershy pleaded. “Maybe we can go to Princess Celestia and have her reverse this.”

“Flutter Butter, you know that’s not an option.” I sigh. “I remember what Mr. Lockdrom said before I ate that fruit, that once I eat it there’s no turning back.”

“But that doesn’t mean you still have to fight.” Rainbow said.

“Well Dash, why didn’t you eat one of them fruits?”

“Because I didn’t want to be cursed or have those creepy brands on my arms.” She said. “Being part of Lock’s crew is enough for me, I don’t need some fancy fruit power thing.”

“I agree, you were plenty tough before and still are. I’ve always admired that about you. But me? I could never be what you are, I want to be different for better or for worse.”

“Come on Zeph, you were awesome at plenty of other things.”

“Yeah? Name one.” I said. She was about to answer but the words would come out and she began to dart her eyes from side to side which only made me sigh. “That’s what I thought.”

“But Dimitri seems a bit…forceful.” Fluttershy said. “He should never have given you that fruit, at least that’s what I think.”

“Well I for one am glad he did so if you all don’t mind, I’ve got some much needed training to do.” I said and pulled over my shirt and headed out the door.

“Please be careful Zephyr.” Dad called out.

“I will!” I called back with a wave over my shoulder.

I walked through the halls of the castle and out the doors to see Mr. Lockdrom’s ship off to the side. The damn thing was huge as I stared at it in complete awe but I regained my focus and unfurled my wings to fly up to the deck. Though as I spread my wings out, I noticed that they grew a foot or two wider than before. Must be something due to my transformation which was a pretty cool sight to behold as I flew up to the deck of the ship. Once I made it to the deck, I saw ponies everywhere doing their own thing such as either tasks around the ship or training with other ponies. I glanced to my right to see Mr. Lockdrom talking to a group of ponies and Flash. They must be that Alpha Squad group I’ve heard Dash mention from time to time. Mr. Lockdrom looked over his shoulder to see me which made him whistle loudly, gaining everypony else’s attention.

“Attention all crew members!” Mr. Lockdrom announced. “The daily workout routine will begin shortly so follow Alpha Squad off the ship and towards the lake, understood?”

“YES CAPTAIN LOCK!” They all salute and follow the group Mr. Lockdrom was talking with until eventually it was just him and me on the deck.

“So.” He said as he approached me. “Shall we get started?”

“Yup, ready as I’ll ever be.” I said.

One Week Later

“Come on, Zephyr! Just a few more laps!” Lock called out in front of me.

“gasp wheeze gasp wheeze You said that two hours ago!” I complained.

“And it’ll be another three if you keep bitching, now keep flapping!” Lock shot back.

This week’s been absolute bucking torture! No sooner when I first set foot on The Prometheus did Lock get me to start exercising nonstop! He made me do an assortment of training routines; like lifting absurdly heavy weights, endless wing-ups that made my wings feel like they were gonna fall off, three hour jogs to the point I was on the brink of passing out, and meditation by the lake for some reason which was boring as Tartarus.

Now we’re flying above Ponyville after going back and forth from Canterlot for the past five hours! My whole body feels like it’s about to break apart at any moment and my wings feel like I wouldn’t be able to fly for much longer without plummeting to the ground. Lock’s damn lucky he’s got those behemoth-like wings of his, they look like he can fly for days on end without ever getting tired. What’s more frustrating is that I still don’t know what my new powers are and Lock won’t tell me! He said I need to figure this out on my own but no matter how hard I try, it never comes out whenever I want it too. Flash told me he figured out his powers after searching within his soul and releasing the power within, whatever the hay that means. I just hope I can get these stupid powers to work soon because I’m almost at my wits end! Lock glanced over his shoulder to see me still struggling to keep up with him which made him roll his eyes.

“I guess we can take a breather, follow me back to the lake.” He said as we changed directions.

Thank Celestia!

We glide towards the lake and he touches down all graceful-like while just face plant on the ground. I roll on my back as sweat soaks my fur and clothes with my arms, wings, and legs spread out.

“I…can’t…go on…” I wheeze.

“Did you ever even try to exercise before?” Lock deadpans as he sits beside me.

“No…I just fly wherever I need to. I saw no reason to work out.”

“I can see that.” He mocks.

“Are you sure you can’t just show me how to use these unknown powers of mine?”

“Positive, nothing’s ever as easy as you may want it to be, Zephyr, you need to learn how to do it yourself without having to lean on anyone’s shoulder all the time.”

“I know, but it’s just so frustrating. Flash was able to discover his powers so easily yet I’m still struggling to do a simple exercise with you. I just wish I could do something cool like control the wind or turn into smoke or something.” I said as I waved my hand in the air.

As my hand waved, I noticed some of the clouds moving along with my hand but I just brushed It off as a coincidence. However, when I waved my hand the other direction, the clouds followed my hand once again. Normally I'd just think it was another coincidence but the more I waved my hand, the more the clouds followed my movements which made me curious. I sat up from laying on the ground with my hand still held in the air and began to focus a little on the clouds in the air.

“What are you up to Zephyr?” Lock asks me.

“I’m...not really sure.”

I stood up from sitting as I just kept waving my hand along with the clouds and they followed along with my movements. It felt like I was holding on to the cloud without even touching it, which was weird considering I can do that on my own anyway as Pegasus. I instinctively closed my hand into a fist and the clouds all bunched up together and formed a big cloud, which Lock finally seemed to notice.

“Are you doing that?” He asks as I hear him stand up as well.

“I think so.” I shrugged. “It feels weird.”

“Keep going, I’d like to see what else you can do.” Lock instructs.

“How? I’m just going through the motions.”

“Then go through them more.” He insists. “Experiment, use your imagination. I have a working theory going on here as to what your powers might be so don't stop.”

“If you say so.” I shrugged again.

I focused more on the cloud and soon almost all the nearby clouds were added to the one I had in my invisible grasp. Soon there was a giant cloud hovering in mid air, almost the size of the whole lake, yet I didn't know what to do with it.

“Well, that’s something.” Lock said.

“So I made a huge cloud, is that my power? To control clouds?” I ask in a disappointed tone.

“Not necessarily. you’re probably gonna wanna keep experimenting though.”

“But I don’t know what else to do with this.” I said. “Can’t you please just tell me what I’m supposed to do here?”

“I can’t help you if I don’t fully know what I’m working with here.” He said, making me huff turn my head to him with a bit of a glare.

“And just what the hay is that supposed to mean?!”

“Zephyr, calm down.”

“No! I’m sick of it! What was the point in eating that bucking fruit if I don't know what my bucking powers are?!”

“You can’t force this Zephyr.”

“Not force it?! NOT FORCE IT?! HOW THE BUCK ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?!”

“Uh, Zephyr?”

“NO! I’VE HAD IT WITH YOU! AND I’VE HAD IT WITH THIS BUCKING RIDICULOUS WORK OUT SCHEDULE!”

“Zephyr?”

“ALL I WANTED WAS TO BECOME POWERFUL AND HELP YOU FIGHT THE CARIBO, YET ALL WE’VE BEEN DOING IS WASTING TIME!”

“Zephyr.”

“YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER?! THAT ALL THIS’LL ACTUALLY HELP UNLOCK MY SO-CALLED POWER?!”

“Zephyr!”

“MAYBE THIS WHOLE THING WAS NOTHING BUT A FRAUD! MAYBE-”

“ZEPHYR BREEZE!”

“WHAT?!”

He pointed behind me and I turned to see a very surprising sight. The huge cloud I created had darkened and looked like one of those heavy storm clouds, I even heard some lighting going off from the inside. I turned back to Lock who was tapping his smartphone and turned it to show me my reflection. I was shocked to see that my eyes had changed color from their usual light amethyst to a pure silvery white. Lock smiled as he tucked his smartphone back into his pocket as I looked back to the huge storm cloud.

“Did…I do that?” I asked.

“Yup.” Lock replied.

“But I didn’t even touch it.”

“Yes you did, in a way, guess we now know what your power is. And I gotta say, it’s a powerful one.”

“And that is?”

“You still haven’t figured it out? You can manipulate the weather.” Lock said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“The weather?” I repeat. “But pegasi can already control the weather.”

“True, but you can control it on your own, maybe even be able to summon mighty storms on a whim.”

“Seriously? There has to be at least multiple pegasi to whip up storms like that and stuff.”

“Well now you can do it all on your own. And if I’m right, you can also modify the temperature of the environment, control all forms of precipitation, humidity and moisture at a molecular level, generate lightning, and other electromagnetic atmospheric phenomena, and have control over atmospheric pressure.” Lock explains.

“Uh…” I mumble, unable to retain the flank load of science stuff he just said.

“The point is, we now know what your power is. So here’s where things get serious. Your physical training is progressing slowly but surely, however that’s not necessarily a bad thing regarding the nature of your power. We’ll still be training to increase your physical ability, but we’ll also be focusing on getting a better handle on your powers. You may not know it now, but I have a feeling this ability will be a huge benefactor in the war efforts.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so, but you need to be willing to put in the effort to do so. Which means no more whining, no more half-assing your workouts, and no more making excuses for your attitude. From here on out, you need to be a totally different stallion. Cast aside the old you and be reborn as a proud warrior who always holds his head up high.”

I was silent as I looked at my hands, I knew he was right. I’ve been making excuses all my life, even now when the answer was right in front of me and all I had to do was reach out for it. Well no more, that all changes right here and now.

“I’m ready.” I said as I clenched my fists and looked up to Lock. “No more sitting around.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Lock said with a proud smile. “Now let’s finish our laps.” He said as he unfurled his wings and took to the skies. “The liberation of Las Pegasus shall soon commence.”

“Yes boss!” I said as I followed after him. I’ll make him proud. I thought to myself. I’ll make them all proud.

Three Weeks Later
Dimitri 1st POV

Everything was set, the plan, the distraction, and the infiltration. All that’s left is to fly to the city itself and begin its liberation. Zephyr’s training had completely turned in our favor, his power control turned out to be even more fruitful than expected since he received the pep talk he needed and can now summon small storms at will. Not only that, but ever since we discovered the nature of his power, he’s been acting like a totally different stallion. He no longer makes mistakes, doesn’t give excuses, and has a much more serious attitude than he did before.

Flash was also impressed with how much he had changed and even decided to help Zephyr with his combat training, which, as expected, turned out to be just as fruitful as his power training. As I told Celestia and Luna, he was a prodigy in the making and picked up the basics in over a week. I had even set Zephyr against Flash once and even though Flash won, Zephyr still managed to land a few blows here and there. Even though Zephyr is a much more serious stallion now, he still has his comedic laid back attitude from time to time. He even made everyone on the Prometheus laugh when he one day said he wanted to change his name to Zephyr Storm, to which Rainbow spent the better part of 15 minutes laughing her ass off. I just wished Zephyr luck in trying to convince everyone to call him by his new self-proclaimed name.

It was early in the morning and the sun had just risen about an hour ago. After making sure my armor and weapons were accounted for, I walked over to Rarity’s boutique to pick up my outfit for my infiltration. The boutique looked just as vibrant as ever, even in these dark times, which made me smile a little but still kept the task at hand. I stepped up to the door and opened it causing the bell to ring.

“Coming~!” Rarity called out from the other room. I waited for a few minutes until the fashionista walked in and smiled as soon as she saw me. “Dimitri! Always a pleasure, darling.”

“Likewise, Rarity, is it ready?” Rarity pauses her pace towards me and looks at me with a serious expression.

“So, today is the day?”

“Yes, Las Pegasus will be liberated by the end of this day.” I proclaim.

“I certainly hope so.” Rarity agrees. “And…if possible, could you please try and see if he is there?” I frown a little and sigh knowing who it is she’s referring to.

“I’ll certainly try, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up. It’s a big if, Rarity.” I remind her.

“I understand.” Rarity said sadly as her ears drooped. “I’ll go and get your attire.”

Rarity walked off with her head lowered and I just sighed to myself. There was high doubt that Spike would be in Las Pegasus, of all places, but at this point it was anyone’s guess where he was. I waited for Rarity to return with my outfit until my earpiece rang from The Prometheus.

“This is Captain Lock, what’s up Soarin?” I ask.

“Captain, we just got another report of that monster from our scouts.” He said.

“Another one? How long ago was it?” I ask.

“It just came in.” Soarin said.

“It did?!” I gasp.

“Yeah, reports say it just attacked a small fleet of ships just off the Highland Reservoir.” Soarin said.

“Prep the ship for launch immediately! We just might be able to catch up with it if we leave now!” I order.

“Yes sir!” He said as he hung up.

“Here you are darling.” Rarity said as she brought a clothing bag with hangers sticking out of it. I quickly grabbed the bag and headed for the door. “Goodness Dimitri, whatever is the matter?”

“That monster that’s been showing up everywhere just got reported in again. I need to get going right now so tell Twilight I’m sorry she couldn’t see me off in advance and I’ll make it up to her once I return.” I called back to her.

“O-Oh of course, I wish you luck!” Rarity said.

I didn’t expect to set out this early, not for at least an hour or two later, but this was probably a chance to hopefully catch that damn monster red handed.

“Boss?”

I glanced over to see Zephyr walk up to me but I returned my gaze out forward.

“Something on your mind Zephyr?”

“What’s this monster I’ve been hearing about?”

“Something or someone that’s been going on a bloody rampage for over a month. Every time our scouts go investigate they always come back the same, bloody messes and sometimes survivors but they’re mostly brainwashed and slaves.” I explain.

“Jeez, and it just kills without mercy?” Zephyr questions nervously.

“Besides any slaves being mysteriously spared? I’d say it does. But enough of that, we’re here.”

In the foggy distance I could see the large body of water that is the Highland Reservoir and already I saw multiple smoke trails in the sky. My eyes narrowed as I waved to Soarin to land the ship about a mile from the reservoir. Once we landed I walked to the edge of the ship and glanced over my shoulder to address the crew.

“Stay here and watch the ship, I’ll go myself for this one.” I said as I unfurled my wings.

“You sure sir?” Flash asks.

“I’ll be fine.” I said as I took to the skies. The weather became more foggy as I approached but not too foggy that I couldn’t see where I was going.

A little while later, I eventually touched down in front of the reservoir and I was already met with a grim sight. Multiple wrecked ships that littered the surface of the water and bodies, some torn to complete shreds and reddened the sand and water with their blood and innards, were spread along the shore. I pulled my hood over my head and put my mask on as I drew Ymir and unholstered one of my six-shooters on my chest and walked along the shore, keeping my eyes for any sign of movement. As I paced along the shore, I could still smell the stench of death all around me. This monster seemed to have had a field day tearing all these ships and Caribou apart. If it was still here, I need to be ready to corner it so it wouldn’t get away. Suddenly, I hear the sound of multiple footsteps headed towards me and I turn around to surprisingly see a unicorn stallion, a earth pony mare, and two earth pony fillies run towards me.

As they ran closer they saw me and started to scream, and quickly skid to a stop and ran the other way. “It’s the monster, girls hurry and run back!” The stallion screamed.

“Wait!” I called out as I holstered my six-shooter and held out my hand. “I’m not an enemy! I’ve come to help!” Before they could run any further, I unfurled my wings and gave them a sharp flap. The fog around me instantly blew away and I could get a clear view of the fleeing ponies. “Look at me! I’m not a Caribou, please come back!”

One of the fillies looked back and stopped. Her eyes were wide in awe as she stared at my wings. “Mommy, Daddy, big sis, he’s not a Caribou!”

The filly’s family turned around to see me and go wide eyed and immediately stopped in their tracks. I sighed satisfied and sheathed my sword and furled my wings as I carefully approached them.

“Easy now.” I said as I raised my hands in front of me. “As you can see, and like I said, I’m not an enemy. I’m here to help.”

The group visibly relaxed while the youngest filly slowly walked towards me. “Are you friends with the creature who saved us?” She asked while tilting her head to the side while looking me over.

“Well…not exactly.” I said as I looked to the stallion. “What happened here?”

Both parents and the other filly walked up to me with their youngest still looking up at me. “Well sir, I’ll be honest, we’re not really sure ourselves.” The other three ponies nodded their heads slightly. “But we can tell you what we saw in the hope it helps.”

“Sure.” I said as I pulled off my hood and took off my mask. Once I did, the ponies looked at me curiously and the fillies both gazed at me in awe. “What?”

“Oh n-nothing sir, it’s just well…” The mother stuttered a bit.

"We expected another pony." The father added. "What are you exactly?"

“I’m a human.” I said plainly. “But don’t let the wings fool you, I’m Dimitri by the way.” I said as I reached out for a shake.

Before the stallion could shake my hand, two little fillies quickly jumped up and latched onto my arm, swinging around and giggling. “I’m Sandy Shores.” The oldest one said while smiling up at me.

“And I’m Misty Breeze!” The youngest laughed as she and her sister used my arm to swing side to side.

“My name is Ocean Breeze.” The mare answered and lightly placed her hand onto the stallion’s shoulder. “And this is my husband Rocky Shores.”

“It’s nice to meet you all.” I said as I scooped the two fillies in my arms. “And you two are quite the rambunctious ones, aren’t ya?” I tease with a comforting smile.

The youngest, Misty Breeze, playfully booped my nose repeatedly. “Boop boop.” She and her sister giggled.

“So umm…” The father grabbed my attention. “Was the creature that attacked those ships one of yours?”

“No, I actually just arrived here when one of my scouts from my crew reported all this.” I said as I tickled Misty Breeze and unfurled one of my wings and wrapped it around Sandy Shores to which she ran her hand along the feathers. “Let’s walk and talk back to my ship.”

Both parents nodded their heads as we made our way back to the Prometheus. “Well you see sir, my family and I live off the bounty of the reservoir here. We would make money by selling fish to dragons and griffins, while also selling necklaces made from shells for anypony else. But that all ended when the Caribou showed up to our town across the water.” Both Rocky and Ocean looked a bit saddened when they mentioned the Caribou. “They raided our home and took almost everypony. I was lucky enough to not be affected by whatever possessed the other stallions, and made it my mission to get my family out of danger. So we made our way to our boat before the sun could rise and the fog was thick in order to escape.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t get very far when you tried to make your escape?” I questioned as Misty Breeze climbed up my arm and sat on my shoulders and nuzzled the top of my head.

“Afraid not.” Rocky admitted with a glum tone. “Our timing had unfortunately been the exact same time a small fleet of the Caribou’s ships were pulling into the port to take any slaves that were caught. They had spotlights and spotted our little ship.”

“So what did all this?” I ask, gesturing to the death and destruction.

The four looked at each other for a moment before looking back at me. “As we mentioned we don’t know for sure. You see we were trying to escape from the fleets. Our little boat was barely able to keep ahead of them, but they started firing at us.” Rocky added.

"But that’s about the time it showed up.” Ocean Breeze said, sounding a bit scared.

“The so-called monster?” I guess and they nod. “Perfect, as if it’s not enough trouble on land, now it’s somehow in the water?” I said sarcastically.

“It wasn’t just in the water.” Rocky corrected as he looked a bit nervous. “It ruled over it.”

“Ruled over it?” I repeat, confused. “How?”

The two adult ponies looked at each before looking back at me. “We remember that we were trying to get away from the fleets. They were quickly gaining on us as our little boat only had two sails.” Ocean Breeze said.

Rocky Shores was next to step in. “That’s when my daughter Sandy pointed to something ahead. About a few feet away from the boat, we saw these big bright yellow eyes glowing under the water’s surface.” Then everypony but Misty shook with fear at the description. “And then there was this unnerving ghostly sound that vibrated the water.”

“Misty?” I said, looking up to the filly on my shoulders. “You think you can describe what you saw?”

She slowly nodded her head as she tried to think back to what she saw. “I remember seeing the eyes moving under our boat, but it was still dark and foggy that I didn’t see what was underneath the water.”

“Judging by how much death and destruction there was back there, it was probably something huge, right?” I ask and Ocean and Rocky both nod while Sandy clung to my arm as I carried her.

“I think there was more than one creature actually.” Misty added getting me to look back up to her. “Well…even though it was super scary, I could hear the roars of different creatures.”

Now that confused the hell out of me. All the reports I’ve gotten said that the destruction caused all over were supposedly from one monster only. Could there be more than one monster out there? Was I searching for this creature or creatures the wrong way? It’s like every time I think I’m getting close to find out who or what this thing is I end up taking a step or two backwards.

“So what happened after the monster swam under your boat?” I asked, only for the two fillies to start to tremble in fear.

Rocky seeing that his daughters were too scared to describe the next part, took it upon himself to continue. “All we remember was seeing the spot lights go out and the screams of the Caribou, along with the sound of cannon fire and the roars my daughter mentioned.”

“I see.” I said. “But why didn’t it attack you? Not to jinx anything, but If this beast is carnivorous it probably would’ve targeted you next, right?”

Everypony looked to Misty who seemed to have calmed down a bit as I reached up and handed her over to her mother. “Well that’s the thing. It did come for us.” Ocean Breeze said while hugging her daughter before putting her down on the ground.

“Did it now?”

Rocky nodded as he continued the story. “While we were trying to get away, one stray cannonball landed near our boat causing it to rock violently and to flip over.” He placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. “We all had fallen out, but Misty here couldn’t swim. It was at that moment I was terrified because I couldn’t see her. See, she had sunk below the water’s surface before I could find her.”

Sandy adjusted herself in my arm so that I could carry her with both my arms and she looked straight at me with a sad expression.

“You were scared for your sister, weren’t you sweetie?” I ask as I reach up to pat her head.

She nodded her head. “I thought I was going to lose my little sister.” She wept a bit as her eyes began to water. Her mother gently picked her up from my arms and hugged her as she tried to comfort her.

Rocky continued with the story. “Just as I was going to try and dive under the water, Misty’s head popped over the water. But...that wasn’t the only thing.”

“It appeared.”

He nodded his head. “As I was swimming toward her, the rest of her body slowly rose out of the water until I saw that she was sitting on top of something large.” Misty’s mood seemed to change a bit from scared to a curious calm feeling. “From behind, something long came out of the water, its neck was as long as a giraffe and had a small head. When it turned its eyes to us, and we could see it looking down at us, I was afraid that it was the end for us as it leaned its head down to us.”

I was completely silent as I gave my full attention, eager to hear the rest of this story. I knew how it would obviously end with them being alive, just not how.

“It opened its jaws and clamped them down on our ship and lifted it up, and then in a fluid motion flipped it over so it was floating again.” Rocky finished.

“Excuse me?” I said, completely caught off guard. “It flipped over your ship?”

Rocky and Ocean nodded their heads making me go a bit slack-jawed. That’s when Misty tugged on my coat to get my attention. “It helped me back onto the boat along with my mamma, papa and sister.” She giggled a bit which confused me. “When I was looking up at it I moved my head to the side, and it copied me. It was still too hard to see it, but I could tell by its silhouette. I then held out my hand to it and saw it lower itself down to push its nose into my hand. It was really smooth and cold.”

“So this creature was intelligent enough to not only flip your boat back up, but also interact with your daughter?” I ask Rocky.

Rocky shrugged his shoulders. “I honestly couldn’t really say. After my daughter had pet it, it dove back into the water and that was the last we saw of it.”

I’d go back and take a dip in the reservoir but I didn’t want to waste time since it would probably already be gone by now.

“Well I guess that’s all over and done with now.” I said. “Speaking of which, we’ve finally arrived. This is my ship, The Prometheus.”

The four ponies jaw’s when completely slacked as they all stared up at my massive ship.

“Careful you four, you’ll catch flies like that.” I chuckle.

The fillies were the first to snap out of their trance as they giggled to themselves as they ran up the gangplank to board my ship. As I watched the parents quickly follow I had this unnerving feeling, as though I was being watched. I turned around to see only the reservoir in the distance but I swore to Hell I could see the faint silhouette of a figure through the fog. It looked like it was standing upright but it soon disappeared as quickly it appeared.

“One day, I’ll catch up with you. One day, your days of hiding will come to an end.” I said as I walked up the gangplank.

I was in the Captain’s quarters with Flash, Zephyr, and Alpha Squad. They were all lined up in front of me as I stood in front of them with my arms crossed. I let Rocky and his family stay in the crew’s quarters so they could rest and stay out of the way. Las Pegasus was just ahead of us, and the time has come to put our plan into action.

“Now then.” I begin. “Let’s go over the plan. The Prometheus will stay airborne high in the sky and hidden by clouds so that no one will spot it. Zephyr will conjure a thick fog to envelop the ship so that we won’t be compromised during infiltration. Las Pegasus is a big city resort and also one of the King Pony’s main sources of income for his contraband and slave trade. We take this city, and we’re one more step closer to taking back Equestria. Not only that, but I’m even confident enough to say that we would be gaining a proper foothold against the Caribou.”

“So how do we infiltrate Las Pegasus?” Big B asks.

“Flash and I are going in alone.” I said, surprising them all.

“Sir, are you sure that’s a good idea? This isn’t Appleloosa or Cloudsdale.” Flash commented.

“I’m sure, I thought about it and I’m not comfortable with bringing along more than just the two of us in this infiltration. Especially since they’re now on high alert thanks to our recent exploits throughout Equestria. I’ve still got a pretty hefty bounty on my head, no doubt it’ll grow the more cities we free, and it’s only a matter of time before someone gets sick of waiting for me to come to them so they could come to me.”

“But what about me?” Zephyr asks.

“You have just as much of an important job, Zephyr. You’re now one of our heavy hitters, in training, and I need you to make sure the ship stays hidden and safe. I know you’re still new when it comes to the field of battle, but just remember all you’ve learned these past weeks.” I said.

“Yes sir, boss.”

“So how exactly are you gonna infiltrate Las Pegasus?” Shadow Star asks.

I turn and walk around my desk and grab the bags I picked up from Rarity. I handed one of them to Flash and I placed mine on the desk and pulled out the clothes I had her make for me.

“Flash and I will wear these and pose as slavers who want to participate in the auctions they have going on in there.” I said as I showed them my disguise. “You’ll find similar clothing in your bag, Flash.”

“You’re posing as slavers?” Swift Snow asked, a little disgusted.

“Captain, why pretend to be one of those bastards?” Wild Ace wonders.

“It’s the only way we can get in. The Caribou have made it so that only certain individuals can enter Las Pegasus.” I explain. “You’d either have to be of nobility, have a lot of slaves to auction, be incredibly rich, or a loyal Caribou baron. And that’s where I come in.”

“You’re gonna transform into your Caribou appearance, right?” Cloud Skipper asks.

“Yup, I know it’s always unsettling to see me as a Caribou but let me reassure you lot that it’s still me on the inside.”

“Heh, remember when Shadow Star walked in on you when you were a Caribou and she freaked the buck out?” Big B snickered.

“Don’t you bring that up again, B! I was embarrassed enough as it is!” Shadow Star snapped, making everyone chuckle.

“So why am I coming with you? I’m not rich or a noble.” Flash said, changing the subject.

“You’re coming with me because two pairs of eyes are better than one in order to get a proper layout of the city. You’ll pose as a rich stallion who is accompanying me to purchase more slaves. We need to be on the lookout for any weaknesses in their security, get a proper headcount of who’s brainwashed and who’s not, where the slaves are being held, and most importantly find out where Gladmane is creeping around. No doubt he’s got those three pop star mares under his thumb and he’s also one of the alpha targets of this mission.”

“And once all is said and done?” Wild Ace asks.

“Once we have the proper intel we need, Flash and I will return to The Prometheus to plan our attack in the night when it’s less active. That’s where Alpha Squad will come in to help me clean house. This will be a turning point in the war, should we succeed everyone. So let’s make sure it goes off without a hitch.” I said.

“Yes sir!” They all said with a salute.

“Flash, go get dressed. We leave in 15.” I order.

“Yes sir.” He said and all the ponies left the room.

“Time to go to work.” I said.

It was almost noon as Flash and I flew down just on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. I was dressed in a black tuxedo with red trimming, a white dress shirt underneath, and a silver bow tie tied around my neck. Flash was also dressed in a sharp tuxedo, all courtesy of Rarity and her skill does her reputation wonders.

We landed a little ways away from the city and I could already hear the commotion from the city resort. The whole place had Dainn’s banners hanging almost everywhere and we could see Caribou and stallions coming in and out of the city, along with mares on leashes or cages being pulled along. I turned to Flash who nodded and I hid behind a tree and closed my eyes and began to transform. Once again my wings retracted into my back, reddish-brown fur grew along my body, my hair changed into an ashy-grey colored mane, my face stretched out into a muzzle, my legs changed, and a pair of antlers grew out of my head. I opened my eyes and looked at my hands to see I was once again a Caribou.

“How do I look?” I asked Flash.

“Like a scumbag Caribou, sir.” Flash said.

“Then the disguise is perfect, let’s get going.” I said as we walked towards the city.

As expected my disguise worked like a charm, every Caribou or stallion we passed by nodded or even bowed to us. Probably because we look so damn fancy that they think we’re some big time aristocrats or something. We approached the security gate and saw a few Caribou guards armed with M1 Garands and eyed each guest that passed them by. Flash looked a little nervous but I gave him a reassuring glance as we neared the gate.

“Hold it there, sirs.” One of the guards said.

“Is there a problem, gentleman?” I ask in a fake annoyed tone.

“We noticed you have no slaves at your side, we’d like to ask what your business is here.” The other guard said.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re here to claim a slave or two to add to our collection.” I said. “High class slaves are somewhat hard to come by nowadays, especially with that bastardly demon running around and keeping those slut Princesses to himself. My associate and I figured we’d come here to purchase a fine group of sluts so that we may entertain ourselves until we require the next batch.”

“I see, and you have payment to accommodate for yourselves?” The guard questions.

“A foolish question.” I said, rolling my eyes as I reached into my jacket pocket. “I suppose these will do?” I said as I pulled out a small pouch.

The guard quirks a brow and takes the pouch and looks inside. The look on his face was priceless at how shocked he looked, I even had to stifle a laugh when he showed his buddy and looked like he was about to pass out.

“Where…did you get these?” He asked, completely bewildered.

“That’s none of your business.” I snapped as I snatched away my pouch. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a few auctions to participate in and you’ve both wasted more than enough of our time.”

“O-of course, my lord, please go on ahead. Praise Lord Dainn.” He said as he and the other guard stepped to the side.

“Long may he rule.” I answered as we walked past him, resisting the urge to vomit.

As we made our way further into the city resort, I looked around to see a variety of attractions the city had to offer, which were probably the most deplorable sights I’d ever seen. There were slave auctions in one area where I saw young mares looking no older than 16 or 20 years of age and all wearing rags or basically nothing at all. We passed by a few signs that said something about a coliseum and an event involving War Beasts, some plant with tentacles, and a bunch of unfortunate mares. Flash pointed out an area where there was some sort of theater for entertainment, which just ended up being a play of how Dainn took over the world which was something I’d rather not see. But what did catch my eye was a large hall that looked like a casino hall, which consisted of roulette tables, slot machines, and poker tables with dealers playing card and dice games.

“Huh, I feel like I’m in a twisted version of Vegas.” I said to myself.

“Where?” Flash asked.

“Nothing, just a place from my world.” I waved it off.

“Ok, so now what? We’re in the city and right in the middle of enemy territory.” Flash said.

Just when I was about to think of a plan, everyone stopped what they were doing and began to applaud for some reason. They all looked towards a large fancy balcony with a pair of glass double doors behind it. The doors opened to reveal the one stallion we came here to terminate: Gladmane, in all his pompous glory, wearing a glittery suit and his hair slicked back came walking out with a few leashes in his hand. Attached to the leashes were Sapphire Shores, Coloratura, and Songbird Serenade; all black collard, nude, and looking completely miserable. As Gladmane waved to the crowd below, both Flash and I had to resist the urge to not fly straight up there and kill the fat bastard in front of everyone. Unfortunately, we were still undercover and had to look the part so we reluctantly clapped along with the crowd, but at a slow pace.

“Thank ya, thank ya very much.” Gladmane said, sounding like the cheap Elvis knock-off that he is. “I’m so glad y’all came out here today, another day of freedom from them whores that call themselves Princesses.“

“Here here!” A stallion said.

“Buck those cunts!” A Caribou called out.

Oh these fuckers have no idea what’s coming… I growl internally.

“Now, now everypony, this is Las Pegasus, y’all! A place you can buck a cunt, play some cards, and watch the coliseum’s entertainment to yer hearts content! And be prepared for tonight’s main event, cause it’ll be one doozy of a tournament!” Gladmane called out.

The crowd once again applauded as Gladmane waved them goodbye and returned to his office. Meanwhile Flash and I were absolutely seething but did our damndest to keep ourselves calm. We walked over to an area that had an open bar and we sat down to order drinks. I held my hand up with two fingers to signal that we needed two of the good stuff and the bartender nodded and prepared our drinks. He approached us with two glasses and a bottle of hard cider and poured it in both our glasses. He was about to walk away with the bottle but I shook my head, telling him to leave it behind to which he did.

“Son of a bitch…” Flash groveled under his breath as he downed his drink.

“I know Flash, I wanna rip his throat out as much as you but we need to be smart.” I said as I downed my own drink, it tastes a bit strong like scotch but with an apple flavor to it.

“This place is pretty big, I’d be able to get a proper layout if I ran around it but I think that’d just bring unnecessary attention.” Flash said as he poured another drink.

“Agreed, I’m sure there’s a map around here somewhere.”

“Ha! Those brothers are quite the pair!”

I glanced to my left to see a few stallions walk up to the bar and sit down, each one with a red collared slave as they crawled on all fours next to them.

“Not sure where Mr. Gladmane picked them up, but they sure know how to make a crowd laugh.” One stallion said.

“You said it, I heard they were just a couple of cons before the Caribou came and they once swindled a small town out of their bits from some tonic they cooked up to fool everypony into thinking it could cure any ailment.”

Don’t tell me.

“Still doesn’t really make sense why they’re as much in charge as Mr. Gladmane, there’s plenty of other ponies or Caribou who’d be better for the position.”

“But remember, the King Pony himself said they’d fit right in here at Las Pegasus.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“Not sure, heard he has some kind of personal history with them or something.”

“But they have a history with almost everypony they conned.”

“Doesn’t matter, point is they know how to rake in the bits and sluts so that’s all that matters.”

“You wanna go back and see their next show?”

“Maybe later, I need to get high and my bitch has been a good slave so I’m gonna bust a few off. Maybe even make her bear a brat or two.”

“You mean it master?” His slave swooned.

“Shut it!” He snapped as he raised his hand to slap her, making her cringe. “I said maybe you stupid slut! All you’re really good for is sucking me off!”

“Forgive me master! This worthless slut is sorry!” The mare begs.

“Hmph, whatever. I’m going back to my room, I’ll see you all later.”

As the stallion walked away with his slave, I had to cover my left hand to hide it from everyone since my fingers had morphed into blades. Nothing would have made me feel better than to plunge my hand through his chest and crush his heart for everyone to see. I managed to distract myself by thinking about their conversation earlier, those brothers they mentioned. There’s not a doubt in my mind it was Flim and Flam, and it sounded like they were in that theater area. A perfect opportunity.

“Flash, I need you to walk around and try to get as much of a layout as you can.” I said.

“Yes sir, but what are you gonna do?” He asks as I finished my second glass.

“To visit some old friends.” I said as I pulled out a handful of bits and placed them on the bar and made for the theater.

I walked towards the theater while remaining undeterred from all the Caribou and stallions committing blasphemous acts against the mares around me. There were a few close calls where someone would offer to let me fuck their slave or pass them off to me because they didn’t want them anymore but I just declined and kept my trek. I eventually found the theater which was packed with Caribou and stallions. I scanned the stage to see the curtain still down which meant they were probably still preparing their next act. I walked to the side of the theater and made my way to the curtain. No one seemed to stop me from walking up the small steps since they probably thought I was part of the cast or something, which was convenient for me since I could just walk past the curtain. There was a hallway to the side that led to a series of doors, each one with a name on it which meant they were dressing rooms for the actors and actresses. I was about to make my way down the hall when a hand grabbed my shoulder.

“Can I help you sir?”

I turned around to see yet another stallion I didn’t expect to see but wasn’t surprised he was a traitor. Svengallop, Rara’s former manager, stood beside me with an annoyed look in his eye.

“Apologies sir, but I was wondering if maybe I could speak with Mr. Flim and Flam?” I said, keeping up the act.

“You and everypony else.” Svengallop shot back. “You may be a Caribou, but this area is for cast members only. If you want to meet Mr. Flim and Mr. Flam, you’ll have to make an appointment.”

“Very well.” I said to throw him off. “But before I go, may I ask something?”

“Make it quick, I have a schedule to keep.” He sighs.

“You were once Coloratura’s manager, yes?”

“That slut? Once upon a time, I was. But when you all came along, I realized I was wasting my time with her. Personally, I wanted to keep her as my slave to spare her from the others, maybe use her from time to time to please me, but Gladmane had other plans. Oh well, maybe I’ll ask him to loan her to me one day. Though between you and I, she should’ve at least still been able to sing.” Svengallop said as he took off his glasses to wipe them with a handkerchief.

“Hmm, I see. Do you mind if I ask you one more thing?” I request.

“Fine, but make it-”

SHUNK!

“-quick…?”

Svengallop slowly looks down to see one of my feather blades sticking out of his chest. I gently take his glasses and out of his hand and put them on so he can get a better look and he goes wide eyed, but doesn’t say anything as he’s still trying to process the situation. I swiftly pull the blade out and tuck it in my pocket as he raises his hand to see his blood.

“Is that…blood?” He muttered.

“Yes it is.” I said. “It’s filling up your lungs right now. In less than a minute, you’re gonna asphyxiate, and pass out. But you shouldn’t be feeling any pain right now, ok?”

Svengallop gasps as he falls to his knees but I caught him in time and dragged him to a door I spotted that said Wardrobe Closet.

“Close your eyes.” I said as I opened the door and dragged him in. “Close your eyes.” I repeat as I closed the door and laid him down to look into his fading eyes. “Don’t make this face be the last thing you see. Porque...el infierno puede tenerlo en tu contra.”

“Am I…really dying?” He slurred.

“Yes Svengallop, but you should be grateful that your end is much less painless than most others. You only have yourself to blame for betraying Equestria.” I said coldly.

Svengallop only wheezes a few more times before his eyes trail off the side and he takes his last breath. I sigh as I reach up and close his eyes with my hand and stand back up and straighten my tux out. I turn to open the door but glance over my shoulder to Svengallop’s body and sigh as I turn back around.

“I don’t know why, but I would’ve at least expected you to not be one of them, despite your history.” I said as I quickly snapped my fingers and a few small cinders fly from my hand and on his body. I close the door so as to not draw attention to the burning corpse inside and make my way back down the hall. I soon arrived at a door that had the con ponies’ names and knocked on it.

“Be right with you!” I hear one of the brothers call out.

A few minutes later, the doorknob turns and I straighten my bow tie and look side to side to see if anyone else is nearby. As soon as the door creaks open, and the coast is clear, I raise my hoof and kick it open, knocking whoever was on the other side back.

“What in the hay?!”

I march in and slam the door behind me. Flam is on his back holding his muzzle as Flim is standing next to a table with a glass in his hand. I scowl as I grab Flam off the floor by his neck and throw him towards Flim, sending him crashing into his brother against the wall. I stomp over to the two groaning brothers and grab them both by the neck and raise them high and slam them against the wall.

“Flim and Flam.” I hiss. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see you in a place like this.”

“Gak! What are…you doing?!” Flim shouts.

“Are you mad?!” Flam grunts as they both try to pry my hands loose.

“Oh I’m quite sane, but as for you two.” I said as I transformed and dropped my disguise. I turn back into a human and my wings reappear on my back, making both brothers’ eyes widen in disbelief. “You’re both gonna die real soon, and I’m gonna make sure it’s very painful.”

“I-I-It’s you!” Flim gasps. “The Hand!”

“The, gak! The HAND?!” Flam said.

“So you’ve heard of me? Good, then you can burn the image of my face in your minds as I send both your screaming souls to the inferno. That way, you can join all the others I’ve sent to eternal damnation.” I said as I begin to tighten my grip.

“Gak! Wait! We’re…not…trai…tors!” Flim chokes, pausing my grip.

“What?” I ask.

“Ah…ahh…gak!” Flam struggled to breathe in my grip.

With curiosity getting the better of me, I release my grip, making them fall to the ground and gasp for air. I morphed my feathers into blades and immediately held them up to each of their necks.

“Talk, or you continue gasping for air. Only this time, it’ll be in your blood.” I warn coldly.

“We…wheeze, we’re not traitors. Honest to stars…we’re not.” Flim said as he looked up at me in pure fear.

“Lying only makes your deaths more painful.” I warn as I press my bladed feathers more into their necks.

“No wait! We’re not lying! We would never betray Equestria!” Flam pleads.

“And why should I believe you? Lying is like breathing for you two conmen, always spinning a false truth and scamming ponies out of their bits. I even know what you put Applejacks family through with their cider business, especially how you convinced Applejack to lie about that damn tonic.”

“How do you-”

“SHUT UP!” I snap. “You say you’re not traitors, yet here you both are; working with Gladmane and in charge alongside him. You say you’re not traitors, but how can you prove it?”

“Because the King Pony sought us out in the first place!” Flam said.

The mention of the King Pony made me pull back my feathers a bit from their necks.

“You’ve met the King Pony?” I ask and they nod. “Who is he?”

“We…do not know.” Flim said. I glared down at them and press my feathers back into their neck. “We honestly do not know! My brother and I were traveling Equestria for more business opportunities.”

“You mean your next scam?”

“Well…I would not call it a scam.” Flim said, only for me to break the skin under their fur. “Ok ok! We were looking for the next scamming opportunity!”

“Embellish your words again, and you start bleeding more.”

“When the Fall happened, we hit a wall in our busi- I mean, scams. Especially when stallions began to go crazy and started pillaging towns and abducting mares. No pony gave us the time of day to buy in to our offers and the Caribou made it even harder. My brother and I thought it was the end for us, that is…until he sent somepony for us.” Flam said.

“Next thing we know, we’re on an airship to Manehattan.” Flim said.

So he’s in Manehattan, huh?

“When we arrived, it was like we were in an entirely different city that looked nothing like the Manehattan everypony knew. The whole place was crawling with Caribou and there’s not a place you can look without seeing a brothel, slave auction, those re-education centers, War Beast pens, you name it. To be honest, the whole city is one big nightmare.” Flam said.

“And the King Pony?”

“We were taken to this big fancy mansion in the rich district of the city; four stories, lots of room, some parts made of gold, there was even a swimming pool out front, and-”

“Get to the point.”

“W-we were led inside and walked up the stairs to these big office doors. After waiting a few minutes, we were led inside. That’s where we saw him, but not really.” Flam said.

“What do you mean?”

“We remember he was sitting in the darkness without any lights on. All we could see was a sort of silhouette of a large stallion sitting at a desk. Before you, I do not believe my brother and I have ever met somepony so intimidating in our lives.” Flim said with a shudder.

“What did he tell you?”

“He did something strange with his voice so it sounded all distorted, but he told us that he knew all about us. And that our skills could be put to good use for his new businesses and authority. It was strange, it’s almost like he spoke to us as if he knew us personally.” Flam said.

A sort of voice modifier, damn…would’ve been nice if they at least recognized his voice.

“We wanted to refuse, but we had heard what happens to those who are not loyal to the Caribou’s rule. That they execute any who dare defy them.” Flim said.

“You think that justifies all you’ve done? You may or may or may not be traitors, but you probably only signed up to save your own hides rather than grow a pair and resist the Caribou on your own. Your arguments are therefore invalid, and you will now meet your end here.”

“No please! We’re begging you! We told you such valuable information!” Flam pleads.

“Brother…it’s ok.” Flim mutters.

“Dear brother, whatever do you mean?!” Flam asks in shock.

“Face it brother, we knew one day our shenanigans would come back to bite us in the flank. And now all the scams and dupings we’ve caused over the years are now to be paid in full.” Flim said.

“But brother…” Flam whimpers.

“Dearest brother of mine we had fun, did we not?” Flim asks.

“…Yes, the best.” Flam said.

“Then that is all that matters.” Flim said as he looks back up to me. “We are ready for the end, Mr. Hand. My one request is that you do not make it as painful as you claim it shall be.”

I gazed down at the Flim Flam brothers as they closed their eyes, ready for me to take their lives. Even though they were a couple of scam artists, I couldn’t bring myself to not believe their words. I would’ve expected them to at least retaliate against me some way but I didn’t sense any resistance in their voices.

“Just one question before you die.” I ask in a more calm manner. “Applejack, if given the chance, what would you say to her and her family?” Both brothers look at each other for a moment before looking back at me.

“We would apologize for all the grief we put her family through. We much more greedy back then and failed to realize the repercussions of our actions.” Flim said.

“Indeed, we would very much like to repent for all we have done to the other ponies we conned.” Flam said.

“You two really aren’t traitors.” I said as I slowly lifted my feathers from their necks and furled them back. “Heh, guess you gotta expect the unexpected.”

“You’re…sparing us?” Flim asks as he rubs his neck.

“Don’t misunderstand.” I said as I stepped back from them. “Your crimes are still fresh on my mind, you deserve to at least face proper judgment rather than just dying for them.”

“Oh thank you so very much good sir!” Flam beams as he and Flim stand up and grab each of my hands and shake them. “We promise to make it up to you in any way we can!”

“Ok, ok, paws off!” I snap as I pull my hands away. “I may have spared you, but that doesn’t mean you’re forgiven. Nor does it mean I trust you because you’re not traitors.”

“Well then how’s about we remedy at least one of those issues?” Flim said as he reaches into his vest pocket and pulls out an envelope and hands it to me.

“What’s this?”

“That, good sir, is our sponsorship!” Flam said.

“Sponsorship? What for?”

“Why for the Casino Royale Tournament that is being held tonight of course!” Flim said.

“Ok, and why do I need this? I’ve got better things to do besides play poker.”

“Ah, but you see Mr. Hand, this tournament shall be very beneficial to you. You see, if you win the tournament, you get to play against Gladmane in a special once in a lifetime match! And this sponsorship of ours will guarantee a spot in said tournament!” Flam explains.

“And again, why would I do that?”

“Because, in the game against Gladmane, you can wager whatever you desire! And when we say anything, we truly mean anything.” Flim said.

“Is that right? So, say if I were to win, I can have Gladmane surrender all the slaves and even the brainwashed stallions in Las Pegasus?”

“Correct! But you must be aware that Gladmane can wager whatever he desires as well.” Flam said.

Could it truly be that easy? Would I actually be able to liberate Las Pegasus without any fighting over a poker game? I scratched my chin and gave it some thought. No one’s discovered me yet, I doubt they’d recognize Flash, the ship’s still hidden, and this just might be a golden opportunity.

“What the hell, I’ll give it a shot.” I said as I tucked the envelope back in my jacket pocket.

“Marvelous! Trust us sir, you won’t regret it!” Flim said.

“Trust you? Not likely until further notice. Regret it? That remains to be seen. If what you say is true, then this would be a good opportunity. So with that being said, I guess I need to go prepare for the tournament.” I said as I turned to walk away.

“We wish you good luck, Mr. Hand!” The brothers both say to me.

“Oh and just so we’re clear, if this backfires and I get caught or you two were lying to me, you two are first on my list of gruesome punishments. Are we clear?” I said as I looked over my shoulder with a cold gaze.

“C-Crystal…” Flim said.

“O-of course sir…” Flam said.

I smiled and nodded as I opened the door and turned back into a Caribou and retracted my wings.

“Poker, huh? It’s been quite a while, not since Josh.” I said to myself.

After a rather interesting encounter with the Flim Flam frontiers, I walked away from the theater and back to the main area to meet up with Flash. When I arrived there seemed to be a bit of a commotion going on near the bar and as I walked towards it, I heard someone cry out in pain.

“Ow! Damnit, that bucking hurts!” A stallion cried out.

“Mr. Sentry wins again!” Another announced earning a round of applause.

I made my way through the crowd and saw Flash sitting at a table with a large smirk stretched across his face and quite the hefty pile of bits on the floor beside him. On the other side of the table was a very pissed off stallion and he was reluctantly fishing out all the bits he had on his person with one hand as his other hand was bleeding from a stab wound. There was blood smeared everywhere with knife marks all over and a large bloody knife sitting on the table. I walked over to Flash and nudged his shoulder making him look up to me and he smiled confidently.

“Care to tell me what’s going on?”

“Well after I finished my reco- I mean tour, I came back here to wait for you and order more drinks. Then I heard these stallions were playing a game called Five Finger Fillet. It sounded fun so I thought I’d join, and you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to win! Look at all the bits I won!” Flash said.

Five Finger Fillet? Boy, that takes me back.

“Who’s next?! Who’s next to try and beat our newest champion?!” The announcer asks.

“I will!” A Caribou said stomping up. “I could buy me a whole herd of top quality slaves with those bits! You’re just some lucky punk with fast hands, but not as fast as mine!”

“Very well sir, the buy-in is the same. 100 bits.” The announcer said.

“Fine!” The Caribou boasted as he reached into his pocket and slammed his money in the middle of the table as Flash calmly placed his money in a more calm manner.

Flash was up first as he readied his hand flat on the table as he picked up the knife with his other hand. He held the blade so it was upside down and readied it next to his thumb.

“Ready…go!” The announcer said with a wave of his hand.

Flash then made his loop by tapping the blade in between his fingers. Thumb, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie while tapping back to the start and finished with ease. The time he completed it was about 3 seconds but to Flash, it probably was in slow motion for him. His opponent snorted as he grabbed the knife and readied himself. The announcer waved his hand and the Caribou began his loop; thumb, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie then stabbed the knife on the table with a confident smirk. Flash nodded in respect to the Caribou and grabbed the knife. Before he began his loop, he grabbed more bits and placed them in the middle of the table.

“I’d like to raise the pot to 500 bits.” He said, earning whispers from all around.

“Ha! You call that a bet? This is a bet, I raise as well! Make it 2,000 bits!” The Caribou said as he grabbed a large pouch and dropped it in the middle of the table.

Flash smiled as he readied himself. From what I remember, now he has to make two loops of stabs around his hand without even slicing his fingers. The announcer waved his hand and Flash began; thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinkie, thumb again, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie and Flash stabbed the table with his signature nod, earning a round of applause. The time he finished was now about 5 seconds, however his opponent was still unimpressed as he snatched the knife away and readied himself. With a wave of the hand, the Caribou started and began his loops; thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinkie, thumb again, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie and slammed the knife with a loud snort of confidence. I just rolled my eyes as Flash once again grabbed more bits to raise his bet.

“You want a real bet? Fine, I raise it to 7,000 bits.” Flash said as he placed his bits in the middle of the table.

“Now we’re getting somewhere! But not good enough, boy! I raise it to 12,000 bits!” The Caribou said as he snapped his fingers and a stallion walked over and placed a larger sack of bits in the middle of the table.

Flash simply smiled and grabbed the knife. Now he had to make three loops without stabbing himself. The announcer waved his hand and he was off. No one said a word as Flash stabbed between his fingers so skillfully. 7 seconds later, he finished without so much as a scar on his digits.

“Incredible! The colt’s got skill!”

“How has he not stabbed himself yet?”

“Not sure, but his opponent doesn’t look too happy.”

“Damnit! I’ll show you!” The Caribou sneered as he grabbed the knife. He readied himself and the announcer waved his hand for him to begin. The Caribou began his three loops while trying to concentrate as hard as he could and even stabbing the table with so much force, it shook the table. He was then on his third loop when I saw he almost stabbed his ring finger off but managed to clear the loop, barely.

“Alright you little shit, I’m all in! I raise the pot to 100,000 bits!” The Caribou snapped as his lackey dropped what looked like all the bits he brought with him on the table.

“100,000?! For a measly knife game?!”

“He’s crazy, this colt is a prodigy! He’ll lose all his bits!”

“You sure? Well alright, then I’m all in too. I raise the pot to 200,000 bits.” Flash said as he pushed all his winnings under the table.

“200,000?!”

“That’s crazy!”

“This should be interesting, my bits are on the colt.”

“Yeah? Well mine’s on Lord Runolf.”

“And you know what else?” Runolf said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper and some kind of key. “This is the deed to my airships and the key to my slaves. I’ve got five airships under my command and each one is filled with high quality slaves. I’m putting them in the pot as well.”

“Sir, I don’t think you can do that.” The announcer said.

“No, please, give him a chance to win his money back.” Flash said confidently.

The announcer shrugged as Flash then grabbed the knife and readied himself to make four loops. All were silent, the announcer waved his hand, and Flash started to stab. Thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinkie. Thumb again, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie. Thumb again, pointer, middle, ring, pinkie. Thumb once more, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie; all within 9 seconds.

“Done.” Flash said with a smirk.

“Outstanding!” A stallion cheered along with the others.

“Grr, you damn lucky ass brat! Those bits are mine! You hear me?! MINE!” Runolf shouted as he snatched the knife. He didactic bother to wait for the announcer and began his loops. Despite his rage, he was surprisingly doing pretty well until…

SHUNK!

“AAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHH!!!”

On his third loop, he went too fast and ended up stabbing himself. Only he didn’t just stab himself, he cut off his middle finger and was bleeding profusely.

“Runolf has fallen to the knife, the winner is once again Mr. Flash Sentry!” The announcer said.

“Well done, very well done!” A stallion called out.

“Gotta admit, that was very entertaining.”

“Can somepony get Lord Runolf to the medical ward to get patched up?”

As Runolf was escorted away with his finger, he looked over his shoulder and glared at Flash who just shrugged at him innocently and the crowd dispersed.

“Nice job Flash.” I said as a few stallions helped gather his winnings.

“That was fun, never thought I’d get all these bits. Let alone those five ships.” Flash said.

“He was a fool to raise the stakes against him. But this is quite beneficial to us, now we have five ships under our control and those slaves are a generous bonus.” I said.

“Here are your winnings sir.” One of the stallions said as he pushed a cart filled with his winnings towards Flash and left.

“So now what? I did as you asked and got some intel, so maybe we can-”

“There’s been a change of plans, Flash.” I said as I hauled the large bag of bits over my shoulder and folded the deed and put it and the key in my pocket.

“Change of plans? What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain back at the ship, let’s regroup with the others.” I said as we made our way through the crowd and out of the city.

“And the ships I just won?”

“They’ll still be here when we come back, don’t worry about it.”

As we exited the city gates, I pulled out the envelope and thought about what Flim and Flam said and the Poker Tournament. I glanced over my shoulder one last time towards the city as I tucked the envelope back in my pocket.

“This day seems to have gotten more interesting than expected.”

Author's Note

A change of plans that could either benefit The Hand and his crew without worry, or end in violence and bloodshed. The battle of wits and bluffs, next chapter in Part 2.

Hey everybody! Little side note as to why this took so long, it’s a bit of a long story. To make it short; work and school played a BIG factor in it, I wanted to cram all of what I wrote into one huge chapter but realized it was better off being a two parter, and I tragically lost a quarter of my work due to internet difficulties. So on behalf of this story and my to loyal followers, I apologize for the wait. The good news is, you won’t have to wait as long for part 2 since I still have most of what I wrote down before I lost it. So bare with me, and as always, I hope you all enjoyed part 1!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…