Chapter 25

I held Mac in my grip along with my sword. No one said a word as we all just stood there. I then grit my teeth and readied to slit his throat…but I hesitated. Killing him would be justice, but it would also be a cruel fate if he didn’t properly pay for it. With a heavy sigh, I slowly but surely loosened my grip and let the one-armed stallion fall to the ground. I clenched my first through my glove so hard I thought I was gonna snap my sword’s handle in two. I then reached up to my ear and pressed my finger on the earpiece.

“…Captain Lock to The Prometheus, over.” I said.

“This is Soarin, how goes the search Captain? Over.” Soarin said in the earpiece.

“…Target secured, send Alpha Squad to begin extraction, over.” I said.

“Seriously? Roger that, Captain, we’ll send Alpha Squad right away, over.” Soarin said.

“…Good, over and out.” I said as I narrowed my eyes at Draco. “Get him out of my fucking sight before I change my mind.”

Moving down, Draco pulled the traitor filth up to his hooves. He placed Mac’s arm behind him with his free hand on his shoulder. “Move, and if you try anything, I’ll take your other arm.” With that said he led the traitor out of the room. Mac grunted and limped away while being pushed by Draco, I didn’t move until their footsteps were out of earshot.

“Lock…” Phill said but I held up my hand not bothering to face him.

“Not a word, McHaggard, not a damn word.” I said as I walked by him. “Do yourself a favor and get the fuck out of my sight.”

Phill said nothing as I heard him sigh and walk in the other direction away from the room. Flash and Zephyr followed after me and I noticed Babbs had cried herself to sleep in Zephyr’s arms. We eventually made it out of the mansion where I saw Big B and Alpha Squad load Mac on the airboat. Mac looked like he’d been through hell after the beating we gave him; cuts and bruises, bloody lacerations all over his clothes, and his cauterized stump of an arm had a few flies around it as he was shoved on the deck of the small airboat. Zephyr said something to Shadow Star as he handed her little Babs Seed and she frowned at the poor filly before joining the others on the airboat. Draco was off to the side, leaning on a light post with his arms crossed, and I could tell there was great sadness and anger aimed towards Mac. I walked over to him with Flash and Zephyr, but he only glanced at me before turning his attention back to the airboat as it flew into the sky.

“Uh, hey Draco.” Zephyr said.

“We wanna thank you for helping out today.” Flash said but Draco just looked back at us with a blank expression.

For a while he didn’t say anything, he just had this blank expression on his face. He pushed himself off the light post and made his way down the street. “Well now that the job here is over and done with, it’s time I get movin’.” He never looked back as he raised his hand to wave goodbye.

“Wait!” Zephyr called out, making Draco pause. “Why do you have to leave?”

Draco looked back, seeming almost confused by the question. "Why do you care?" He asked in a stern voice. Clearly, he was still angry about what happened with Big Macintosh.

“Well, it’s just I, we…” Zephyr tried to find the words but couldn’t say them out loud.

“He’s asking if you’d wanna come with us.” I said bluntly. For some reason, Draco scowled at us and turned his whole body to face us as he crossed his arms again.

“And why the ever-loving hell would I want to do that?” Draco deadpans.

“Hey come on man, there’s no need to be like that.” Flash said. “There’s plenty of room back in Ponyville and I think Princess Twilight would find it interesting to see another human in Equestria.”

“Yeah, besides when Babbs here wakes up, I’m sure she’ll wanna meet her other savior.” Zephyr said.

“Also do you even have anywhere to go? Seems to me Discord just plopped you here out of the blue and you’ve been letting fate decide your path until now.” I added.

Draco held up one finger. “Firstly, I’m no one’s savior, I’m a fucking monster.” He stated with a darker tone before holding up another finger. “Second, I doubt that Babbs wants to see the creature that ripped off her once beloved cousin’s arm off and swallowed it.” He then held up three fingers. “Third, I go where these fucking Caribou and traitor stallions go, so no I don’t have a place to live. But that doesn’t really matter to me.”

“But Draco-”

“Zephyr, Flash, go follow the airboat and fly back to The Prometheus.” I ordered.

“Lock?” Flash asked.

“That’s an order.” I add.

“…Yes sir.” Flash said.

“You’re the boss.” Zephyr shrugged as they both left.

“Draco, please walk with me.” I said as I walked towards him and passed him. He was hesitant at first, but I heard him sigh and walk up from behind me and next to me. “So, you’re the one who caused that mess at Salt Lick and saved that family from their pursuers in the Highland Reservoir, aren’t you? Not to mention that was you back in Las Pegasus?”

“Oh no that was some other guy. His name was Shit Sherlock, first name No.” He said in a sarcastic tone.

“Alright smartass, no need to talk like that, I’m just trying to make conversation. There were a few mares asking about you, despite the fact you scared them shitless. A couple of them were Tree Hugger and Carrot Top.” I said, making his head perk up.

“Oh yeah, and what about them?” He asked, sounding slightly curious now.

“They said they were really thankful that the unknown creature freed them. Fluttershy was especially happy to see her friend again and told me she wishes to meet the one who saved her.” I explained.

Draco looked away as we continued to walk down the empty street. “Yeah well just tell them it wasn't a big deal. I just couldn’t let them stay caged up like that.” His voice sounded less aggressive this time.

“And that family you saved from the boat chase? One of the little fillies said she wanted to go back to the reservoir and give you a hug for being a nice creature for saving him and his family.” I add.

Draco didn’t respond immediately, but I did see him raise his hand to gently scratch his cheek with one finger. “Look I know what you’re trying to pull here, and it ain't gonna work, okay?”

Oh wow, he’s a total tsundere.

“Hey, I’m just relaying all the good you accomplished for the ponies you saved. Seems to me that you’re only a monster, as you call yourself, when facing the true enemy that plagues this world. And don’t forget that mare you gently nudged away back downtown, a monster would’ve eaten her along with the others. And if you think you’ve done some terrible shit since arriving here? Well if what you said is true about knowing about all I did because of Discord, then you’d understand that I’m the one who’s the bigger monster out of the two of us.” I said.

Draco didn’t say much but he sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Sorry, I’m still getting over what just happened. Needless to say, I was shaken to my core.” For the second time I saw that blank expression on his face as he looked onwards.

“Trust me, I know the feeling all too well.” I said as I looked towards the city of Manehattan. “It’s still kinda hard to believe that this world has gone from a peaceful and harmonious land to…this.” I sighed. “I fought one war back home in the military, and now I’m fighting another as the freaking leader of a rebellion. Fate sure has a funny way of working, that’s for damn sure, especially since I of all people was even able to find the love of my life.” I said, earning a curious look from Draco.

“What do you mean?” He asked and waited for a moment.

“Heh.” I chuckled while rubbing the back of my head. “Believe it or not, Twilight Sparkle is my girlfriend.” I said making Draco’s jaw go slack. “Or in this case my marefriend.”

“…Holy shit.” He breathed out still looking stunned as hell. For a moment he stopped walking before shaking his head. “Uh w-wow, I didn’t see that one coming.” He picked up the pace to catch up with me.

“Like I said, life’s funny that way.” I shrugged. “And get this.” I said, pausing for dramatic affect. “Nightmare freaking Moon still exists in this world.” I said, making Draco trip over and fall flat on his face.

“What?!” He shouted, and for a moment his serious almost bad boy demeanor disappeared. It was actually comical how fast his personality changed. “What do you mean she still exists?!”

“Turns out the Elements didn’t destroy her, they just separated her from Luna when they got blasted. Moon’s been holding out in the Castle of the Two Sisters. I even go visit her from time to time.” I explained.

Gotta remember to go visit her once we get back to Ponyville.

Draco remained silent for a while, as he moved his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “And I thought Big Mac being a traitor would be the only shocking news I would hear today.”

“Between you and me, I think Moon likes my wings a little too much.” I whispered. “Don’t know what it is with mares and their fascination with a male’s wingspan but apparently it’s enough to get Nightmare Moon flustered.” I chuckle.

I noticed that Draco’s cheeks flushed a bit as he rubbed the back of his head. “Well…in some brony communities back home, they made this joke that a stallion’s wingspan can either represent his, cough ahem, package, or the length in stamina while in bed.”

“Pfft, hahahaha!” I bust out laughing. “No wonder Moon always wants to fly around with me! She’s been getting off by gawking at my wings?! Oh, I’m totally gonna mess with her about this.”

Draco seemed to have found some amusement in my enlightenment, and soon he too was laughing. “Oh man I can’t believe you didn’t know, didn’t Flash or Zephyr bother to tell you any of this?”

“Not really, well I think I heard Spitfire mention it once or twice since she’s Flash’s marefriend, but I just thought it was the wingspan alone. Guess that explains why Twilight always uses my wings instead of the comforter.” I said.

Draco had suddenly lost it and started to laugh so hard that he was clutching his sides. “Pfft Hahaha oh man that is just too funny!”

“Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but would a monster laugh so comically and smile like that?” I questioned, making Draco pause and look at me. “Draco, I understand what happened this day must’ve shocked and angered you to the nth degree but you gotta remember that this is war. In war you must expect the unexpected, no matter how terrible and heartbreaking it may be.”

For a moment he didn’t say anything, as he looked up to the sky for a good while. “I looked up to him you know. I mean before this shit happened, back when this was just an innocent TV show.”

“You mean Mac, huh?” I asked and he just nodded his head and we stopped walking again.

“Despite his character not having much screen time on the show, I still found him as someone to model myself after. He was a dude who was of few words, yet he still managed to say the right thing. And he might have been silly on some occasions, but when he did talk, he always sounded so wise, you know?” Draco said.

“How do you think I felt when Shining Armor died?” I asked, making him flinch. “I probably could’ve used my Hellfire to heal him, but he had used his own life force to protect everyone. I also looked up to how he was always strong and did everything a brother, husband, and father could for his family. It tore my soul apart to watch the honorable stallion pass away right in front of me.”

I could see that Draco was starting to get how things worked around here. This wasn’t the world that we saw on television. This was a totally different world, one where dark shit happens to good ponies. “Y-you’re right. Sorry man.”

“This is your first lesson in warfare so for your own sake, I’d remember it.” I said. “And I’d like to offer to invite you to come with me back to Ponyville.”

“Uh…” He seemed hesitant of the idea and rubbed the back of his head for a moment. “Y-you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Why not? And besides.” I said with a grin. “When you arrived in this world, how much did you wanna meet the Main Six and Princesses?”

And just like that Draco’s cheeks flushed red. “Well ummm…I eh…” He looked away to mask his embarrassment. “Maybe since I got here.”

“Well now you can.” I said, patting his shoulder. “Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie are all at the castle. Even Princess Cadence and Flurry Heart.”

He didn’t say much but I could tell he was definitely interested. “Fine okay, you win, I’ll tag along for a bit.”

“Great.” I said as I pressed the button on my earpiece. “Captain Lock to The Prometheus, over.”

“This is Spitfire, what’s up Captain? Over.” Spitfire said.

“How goes the evacuation? Over.” I ask.

“We did two full sweeps, all clear now Captain, over.” Spitfire said.

“Good, fly the Prometheus to my coordinates, we have a new guy coming along with us, over.” I said.

“Another one? Well ok, if you say so, over.” Spitfire said.

“Thanks, over and out.” I said and pressed the button to hang up. “My ship will be here in a few minutes. In the meantime, why don’t you tell me a little about who you were before you became a brutal Caribou devouring predator.”

“Well where should I start?” He walked over to a nearby bench and took a seat. “I’m 24 years old, I was actually studying to be a paleontologist before I was brought here.”

“Ain’t that ironic?” I chuckle. “You were studying to be a paleontologist and now you can become the creatures you were learning about.”

“Huh…that is funny.” He admitted as he chuckled as well. “But yeah, besides my vast knowledge of prehistoric creatures, I’m well versed in sailing, rock climbing, and a few other skills any good paleontologists would need.”

“How did you meet Discord?” I wondered.

“I think I’ll tell that story once we get to Ponyville, I feel like everypony is gonna wanna hear it.” Draco said.

“Everypony? You know you can still say everyone, right? I mean it’s not like anyone’s gonna not understand you.” I chortle.

“Hey, I’m a hardcore brony, it comes with the territory.” He paused for a moment as he moved his hand to tap his chin. “Holy shit, now that I’m here, I could find out about everything we bronies have been speculating!” And just like that he went from a Jurassic badass to nerdy brony.

“Uh…like what?”

“Well for starters, what makes Celestia and Luna’s hair flow like there is an ethereal wind blowing?” Draco wonders.

“Oh that’s easy, they told me it’s their magic. It’s sort of like an automatic flow of magic through their manes which is why it gives off that ethereal look. Luna even tried showing off this new hairstyle to me by tying it in a braid.” I said.

“Huh…well that’s one thing off my list.” He said, sounding a bit disappointed. “I was hoping for something more epic, but meh what are you gonna do?” He shrugged as he leaned back onto the bench.

“There anything else you wanna know? I’ve been here a good long while so if there’s anything a little more personal you wanna ask, just shoot.” I said as I upholstered one of my six-shooters and examined it.

“Hmm.” He hummed to himself as he looked up at the passing clouds. “Is it true that wings are very sensitive? Most bronies speculate that they can be considered erogenous zones.”

“Don’t tell Twilight I told you this, but let’s just say whenever I give her a shoulder massage or a back rub, the effects are instantaneous.” I smirked. “Never really been a problem for me since I do wing lifts with my wings, so they aren’t as sensitive as most others’ wings.”

“Hmm question, can you feel pain if one of them was to take a blow?” He asked rather curiously.

“Well of course I can, I remember I once got shot out of the sky by a sniper. Damn bullet hurt like eight bitches on a bitch boat, but I managed to heal my wing before any permanent damage settled in.” I explain.

“Hmm maybe your wings aren’t as sensitive in the ways of most ponies.” He shrugged his shoulders and jumped to his feet. “So any idea on when your ship will get here?”

As if on cue, my ship flew over us casting a shadow and I smiled as I stood up. I glanced over at Draco and he had a pretty amusing bewildered expression at the massive air vessel that hovered above us.

“Right about now.” I said. “Say hello to The Prometheus.”

“Wow…are you uh, compensating for something man?” He asked in a teasing tone while wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh you wish.” I countered. The gangplank then lowered to the ground and I stepped to the side and held my arm out. “After you.” I welcomed him.

“Thanks but I don't need it.” He lightly patted my shoulder as he walked past me. “I have my own means of flight.” With that I watched as his body started to morph, his limbs grew in length sprouting a thick membrane between his arms. His neck grew longer and his mouth morphed into a long beak. Soon he was staring down at me in a form of some species of flying reptile.

“Uh…ok that works too. Guess you’ll just follow us back to town, huh?” I asked.

He didn’t say anything as he started to flap his wings allowing him to hover in the air a bit. Without warning his feet carefully latched onto my shoulders and the next thing I knew I was being lifted into the air towards my ship.

“Hey put me down! I have my own wings, thank you!” I shouted.

Draco just ignored me as we flew up to the deck of the ship. We soon made it over the deck and Draco descended to the floor, surprising all the crew. My feet touched the floor and Draco landed next to me and I don’t know how, but I got a sense he was giving me a shit eating grin. “Ya could’ve just walked up the gangplank with me.” I sighed.

“Captain!”

We both turn to see Flash, Zephyr, and Alpha Squad along with the rest of the crew approaching us. Flash and Zephyr weren’t surprised to see Draco, but the rest were on high alert as most had their weapons drawn and pointing at Draco.

“Whoa, whoa, at ease everyone.” I said, stepping in front of Draco with my hands raised. “He’s friendly, not hostile.”

“Friendly?! What even is that thing?!” Cloud Skipper shouts.

“It looks like a mutant deformed bird!” Shadow Star adds.

That bit of an insult might have touched a nerve, as I watched Draco move toward Shadow Star. Funny enough he was walking on both his legs and hands.

“Stay back!” Shadow Star yelped as Draco leaned in towards her. Before I could stop him, he moved his beak over her head and lightly tapped on it.

“Ow! Hey! Cut that out!” Shadow Star snapped while rubbing her head.

“No one messes with our teammate!” Big B barked as he marched over to Draco.

Draco cocked his head as he stared at the approaching stallion with mild curiosity before swiping his beak low knocking Big B flat on his belly. Before he could get up Draco moved over and gently sat on him, while making a squawk like laugh.

“Get off me, damnit!” Big B snapped.

“What’s with this thing? It’s like it’s just messing with them.” Cloud Skipper said.

“It looks weird but it’s kinda funny.” Swift Snow chuckled.

“Never thought Big B would be taken down so easily.” Wild Ace said.

“Alright Draco, that’s enough messing around. Better turn back before one of my crew accidentally shoots you for real.” I chuckle.

“I honestly wish he keeps going.” Zephyr said.

Draco, taking my advice, got off Big B, and brought his historical beak down to bite on the back of his shirt and lift him back onto his hooves. He used his wing to brush off any dirt in his body and lightly pat his head before turning back into his human form. “Well that was fun.” He said with a toothy grin.

Everyone seemed to be in total shock as they stared at Draco. They all looked at me and then to Draco and back at me again.

“What the, another human?” Wild Ace said.

“But I thought Captain Lock and The Saint were the only humans in Equestria.” Swift Snow said.

“Told you there was another human with us.” Zephyr said.

“But how did a mutant bird thing turn into a little colt like him?” Shadow Star wondered.

Uh oh.

Draco turned towards the mare and walked right up to her with a wicked smile. “What did you just call me…?”

“Now Draco, calm down.” I tried to say.

“Um…I just asked how you turned into a creature like that?” Shadow Star said, now sounding nervous. “Since you’re just a colt and all.”

Draco glared at her for a few seconds before taking a calming breath and walking away. “Eh, I’ll let it slide this one time. But if you guys ever call me a small, miniscule kid again, you’ll regret it.” Draco warns.

But she didn’t say minuscule. We all thought.

“Ok everyone.” I said, clapping my hands and gaining all of my crew’s attention as I walked beside Draco. “I’d like you all to give a warm welcome to our guest, Draco Saurian.” I introduced him.

“Sup.” He said while giving a slight wave of his hand. “Nice to be here with the rest of you.”

“In case it wasn’t obvious, yes he’s a human just like me and Phil, with powers as crazy as mine.” I said. “So I ask you to treat him with the utmost respect like you would me, alright?”

The crew all looked at each other but nodded in agreement which made me smile.

“Good, SOARIN!” I shout.

“Y-Yes Captain?” He stumbled out from the helm.

“Prep the ship for departure, we’re heading back to Ponyville!” I order.

“Yes Captain!” He salutes and he and the crew begin preparations for departure. Shadow Star then walks up to Draco with a guilty expression while rubbing her arm.

“Um…Mr. Saurian, was it?” Shadow Star asks.

Draco eyes the mare for a moment before rolling his eyes. “Look it’s cool, you don’t need to apologize. I forgive you…can’t stay mad at a mare anyway.” He mumbled that last bit under his breath.

“That was pretty cool how you transformed like that though.” Wild Ace said as he and the rest of the team walked up to us.

“I agree, what the hay kind of a creature was that?” Cloud Skipper wondered.

“Still can’t believe you actually sat on me.” Big B grumbled.

“Oh lighten up B, it was funny and you know it.” Swift Snow chuckled.

Draco smiled a bit before sitting himself on the ledge of this ship. “What you saw was a species of flying reptile known as Quetzalcoatlus.” He lectured like a teacher educating a classroom. “They were the largest of the flying creatures to date.”

“Queta wha?” Swift Snow wondered.

“Was that even English?” Cloud Skipper asked.

“Dude, that sounds like a made-up word.” Wild Ace said.

“Heh yeah it took me a while to get used to saying that myself, but no it’s a real word. But trust me when I say it isn’t the weirdest name out there.” Draco agreed.

“What exactly is this creature you turned into?” Shadow Star asked, genuinely curious.

“It was a species of flying reptiles that existed alongside the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago.” Draco answers, stunning Alpha Squad..

“Dinosaurs?” Shadow Star repeats.

“What’s a dinosaur?” Big B asked.

Suddenly, the engines of the ship roar to life once again and we begin to lift in the air.

“You lot have fun with your little history lesson.” I said as I turned away. “If you need me, I’ll be in my chambers.”

While Draco was giving his history lesson, I walked back to my quarters. I passed by any crew member who saluted me and I just nodded to them. Once I made it to my quarters and shut the door, I forwend and walked to my liquor cabinet. I pulled out a bottle of apple schnapps and pulled the cork off the bottle and downed at least a quarter of it. I coughed and wiped my mouth and slumped in a chair as I rubbed my temple.

“What the fuck was that…?” I sighed. “Mac, why you, of all stallions?”

“Quite unfortunate, is it not?” I looked up to see Lucifer sitting on the other chair beside me and tapping his fingers together. “Seeing the good ones die is one thing, but witnessing the fact that they are traitors must be more difficult.”

“Why do you think I had Rainbow Dash stay in Ponyville?” I scoffed as I took another drink.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Lucifer accused.

I paused from my drinking and frowned as I looked away. “I…had my suspicions. But I didn’t want to believe they were right.”

“So why allow him to live?” Lucifer questioned.

“I couldn’t kill him, it just didn’t seem right.”

“Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t?”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, eyeing him a little irritated.

“What was that you said once? That you would, and I quote, smite all the sinners in my name?”

“That’s…that’s different.” I said, turning my head away again.

“How exactly?”

“I just couldn’t kill him, alright?” I snapped as I drank another shot.

“It appears to me that the words of the Saint are having an affect on you more that you care to admit.”

I glared at Lucifer as I gripped the bottle in my hand. “I don’t like what you’re insinuating, Lucifer. Since when do you care who I do or don’t kill?”

“Admit it, you’re going soft, no thanks to the Saint and the words of that new boy.”

SMASH!

I crushed the bottle in my hand, spilling the contents all over as I stood up and seethed down at the Devil. “You don’t have the fucking right to call me soft. Need I remind you that it was you who came to me to do your dirty work and clean up your mess!”

“My mess?” Lucifer growled as he stood up to face me. “Careful with your words, boy, you still serve me as your master.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck!” I shot back. “You have never once questioned my actions, regarding the blood I’ve spilled. Why now of all times do you decide to bring it up?! Because I need to remind you, it was your demons of Sin who came here and fucked over this world!”

“You dare blame me for what has become of this world?! I am not the one who bargained with the Sins and warped its way of life!” Lucifer hissed as he stood up to get in my face.

“But it was your responsibility to keep them in check! Now two great stallions are dead, one’s a traitor, and I can’t even begin to imagine what else will happen around here! How many more have to needlessly die?! The peace of this world is fucked! Yet for some reason, you have time to bitch at me for sparring someone who, deep down, I didn’t even want to kill in the first place!”

“Peace? Bah! Peace is just a fool’s dream in warfare! You have Dainn to thank for that, and the only way to ensure that this travesty never occurs again, there must be examples made! You should have killed him, Dimitri, a sinner’s blood will always run black! There was no point in sparring that stallion!” Lucifer lectures, making my blood boil.

“FUCK YOU! HE WAS A GOOD STALLION, ONE OF THE BEST! DON’T YOU DARE SAY SHIT LIKE THAT ABOUT HIM!” I shouted in his face.

Lucifer scoffed as he snapped his fingers. The brands on my arms began to heat up, making me grunt in pain as I backed away.

“Aaarhhh! You can inflict all the pain you want on me, but I won’t let you talk me down what I’m compassionate about!” I said as as my arms burned.

“You are just like him…” Lucifer growled. “Always spouting nonsense about compassion for those who do not deserve it. I will not allow what happened to him happen to you, Dimitri!”

“Ngh! Who are you talking about? End up like who?” I wondered.

Lucifer turned away and waved his hand as the pain in my arms faded away. He walked over to my liquor cabinet and pulled out a fresh bottle of gin and poured himself a glass.

“...Ronsihr.” Lucifer whispered in a somewhat sad tone as he took a sip of his drink. “You are starting to speak like him.”

“Ronsihr? Wait…isn’t he that demon you once told me about who married an angel?” I asked curiously.

“Indeed, Alga was the angel’s name. He was a dear old friend of mine who believed I would punish him for running away with an Angel and starting his own kingdom with her in the mortal realm. When in fact I would have supported him wholeheartedly.” He said as he reminisced. “Before he met her, Ronsihr and I would quarrel with each other over the most ridiculous things. He always argued with me as to how I should rule Hell. That I should treat everyone equally and compassionately instead of subjecting the damned to the most hellish tortures. He also went on about showing compassion to those who are undeserving of it, just as you did with that stallion, but reserved proper judgment as a proper King should when needed.” Lucifer said somberly before taking another sip and looking out the window. “He was…a good man. His son’s set of mind is just as his in many ways, especially since he inherited his appearance, excluding his mother’s eyes. My only regret with Ronsihr was not being able to tell him how much I appreciated him as a friend. He ended up doing what I could not for his kingdom and subjects before its fall.” Lucifer sighed as he stared at the contents of his drink. “I miss him dearly.”

“Sounds like someone I’d’ve like to meet.” I said.

“Well you can’t, because he is dead.” Lucifer stated coldly. “He and his beloved. They lost their lives during the destruction of their kingdom. I used to blame him for not being the demon he was meant to be once he had ascended. Even though I would have supported his relationship, he wasted his potential through his newfound compassionate lifestyle. But I knew better, because that wasn’t the kind of man Ronsihr was. He was strong as he was wise, and he most definitely fought to the bitter end. The same applies to you, Dimitri, you cannot show mercy to those who are undeserving of it.”

“But what if you’re wrong?” I argued. “I’m not saying the Caribou will ever change since they are an exception to face whatever happens, but what about the stallions? For that matter, any male from the other races. Brainwashed aside, what if there were those who only joined out of pure emotion? What if those who turned traitor only did so because they were fed up with how things were run around here? If Phill is right, then perhaps…I should maybe look into doing the same instead of bringing death wherever I go.”

“Could you honestly still say that after what just transpired in Manehattan? Even what had happened to you and Joshua Clay?” Lucifer reminds me.

“Josh has been dead for over 2 years, and the perpetrator responsible for his death is also dead. As for Mac…I’m not quite sure. However killing him wouldn’t have changed what he had done. Also, I made a promise to Applejack to bring him back home.” I said.

“She and her family will be devastated.”

“Not as devastated as they would’ve been had I killed him. There’s a balance to keep, Satanael, up until now I was just too angry to see it.” I said as I turned to leave. “Mac will face judgement, but this time, properly.”

“You are not the God of Balance, Dimitri.” Lucifer proclaimed, making me pause and look over my shoulder.

“You’re right, I’m not, whoever that is. But I am human, and that’s more than enough than any God.”

I returned to the deck of the ship in a foul mood after my argument with Lucifer and I tried to keep it to myself in front of my crew. I don’t even know why Lucifer was on my case about not killing Mac and it irritated me to no end. I looked over to the side of the deck and saw Alpha Squad still gathered around Draco as I overheard him talking about the history of the dinosaurs.

“And so sixty-five million years ago a meteorite struck the planet, whipping out almost all life on earth and causing the extinction of the dinosaurs.” He ended by slamming his fist into the palm of his hand.

“Holy Celestia, they seriously were all wiped out by a meteorite?” Wild Ace asked in awe.

“That sounds terrible.” Shadow Star frowned.

“So there’s no more dinosaurs in your world?” Swift Snow asked.

“Unfortunately, that’s the case. The only thing remotely close to them are the birds and a few reptile species.” Draco shrugged his shoulders. “But that’s life for you. One second you’re the top of the food chain, and then BOOM! You're dead.”

I smiled a little and walked by them and to the bow of the ship. I leaned over the railing and looked down to collect my thoughts. Nothing really made sense anymore since Mac is stooling in his own filth in the brig and I have to tell his family what’s become of them.

“Such a fucking mess…” I sighed aloud.

Draco swung his legs around the railing so he could sit on and look out to the blue skies. “That’s life I guess, it really knows how to hit you where it really hurts.” Glancing at him, I could see he had that somber look again. “But what’s done is done, and there noti-” Draco suddenly cut himself off.

I noticed he was sniffing the air which made me arch a brow. “Before you ask, no, it wasn’t me.” I said.

Draco jumped onto his feet showing incredible balance. He sniffed around before his attention turned to the other side of the ship. Jumping off the railing he ran to the other side and looked around before pointing his hand out. “We got company.” He said.

“Wha-”

“CAPTAIN!” I heard the lookout from the crow’s nest shout. “STARBOARD BOUND, ENEMY AIRSHIPS COMING STRAIGHT FOR US!”

I looked at the starboard and sure enough there were a few airships headed straight for us. They were all war ships which meant they were filled with nothing but the enemy.

“Fuckers must be wanting to get Mac back.” I growled as I unfurled my wings. “Flash! Zephyr! With me! We’re gonna-”

I’m cut off when Draco raises his hand in front of me and looks over his shoulder with a smirk.“They’re mine.” He said sternly before jumping off the ship. He quickly changed into his Quetzalcoatlus form and flew straight for the ships.

“Lock, we should go after him for backup!” Flash said but I waved it off.

“Actually Flash, I’m rather curious as to see what this kid can do.” I said as I furled my wings back.

3rd POV

Draco soared towards the closest ship from below, keeping his presence hidden. His wings latched onto the haul of the ship and stealthy as he climbed his way up. As he climbed, he heard the voices of the enemy crew.

“There they are. The Hand and his band of rebels.” A traitor said.

“They’ve got the King Pony on board, so we need to get him back as soon as possible.”

“Especially a bunch of sluts to buck, ever since that Hand has been running around, I’ve got a bad case of blue balls.”

“Can we even stand a chance against the Hand? He’s already taken so much of the country, there’s nowhere really left to hold out.”

“I’ve heard he slaughters his targets with those wings of his and that’s why they’re red, they’re stained with the blood of his enemies.”

“Everyone shut up!” A voice that sounded rough on the ears. Draco peered over to see a muscular Caribou dressed in a captain’s coat and hat. Beside him were a couple of mares he recognized as Suri Polomare and Coco Pommel. “The War Chief in the Crystal Empire sent us personally to deal with that blasted Hand! Once we do, it’ll be easy pickings for the rest of Equestria! We’ll finally put the sluts back in their places where they belong!” He shouted as he yanked on Coco’s leash towards him, making her whimper.

Draco had his sights set, and stealthy climbed to the left towards the back of the ship. Once he was towards the back, he looked over the edge to see on guard facing away from him. With little hesitation he snapped his beak along the Caribou’s side and tossed him off the ship. His screams as he began to fall to his death went unheard, leaving Draco no trouble to board the ship. Once he was on the ship his body morphed into his Indoraptor form. He slowly and silently made his way along the ship, all the while Lock and his crew watched from afar with their spy glasses.

“That’s the form he took back in Manehattan.” Lock said as he looked at Draco.

“You think he’ll be ok?” Zephyr wondered.

As soon as he asked that, Lock watched as Draco jumped on another guard and ripped his throat out as the stag choked on his blood. Draco then grabbed another guard and ripped off his head and spat it out as he moved on.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine.” Lock said with a smirk.

Draco crept around the corner to see the two mares being held hostage and took a moment to survey their deck. There were at least a good 30 to 40 Caribou armed with guns. The leader of the ship was at the center holding the leashes to the mares. Not wanting to jeopardize their wellbeing, Draco decided to use a familiar tactic. His body slowly shrank down to the form of a Compsognathus, he darted out from his hiding place and easily snuck his way behind the Commander. He glanced around to see that most of the Caribou had their attentions fixated on Lock’s ship. His body slowly grew back to his human form and his hand quickly covered the Caribou leader’s mouth as his free hand turned into a set of claws to slit his throat. Coco and Suri stared up at Draco in shock that he had come out of nowhere as the Caribou leader fell out of Draco’s grip and the rest of the enemy crew finally took notice of their leader choking on his blood.

“What the buck?!”

“Who’s that?!”

“By the gods, he got the Captain!”

“Fire at the bastard!”

“We can’t! We’ll risk hitting the slaves!”

“Forget them! We can always hunt for more!”

Before they could fire their weapons, Draco jumped in front of the mares to shield them. The sounds of rapid gun fire went off and the sounds of the mares’ screams could be heard. For a few minutes the sound of guns firing could be heard until the Caribou’s clips had run out of bullets. Both mares looked around and saw that they were both unharmed but then looked to Draco and saw that he was still standing. What’s more is that his body looked like it was covered in thick scales and each one had spikes on them. On the ground were small metallic looking pellets and upon closer inspection they were the very bullets that they shot at Draco.

“What the buck?!”

“How’d he do that?!”

“He’s a freak!”

“Reload and fire at him again!”

“It’s time for the real massacre to begin.” Draco breathed out before turning his attention to the Caribou. He charged the Caribou as they were still loading their guns. He slammed his armor-plated body into two Caribou closest to the edge knocking them off screaming. He swung his arm around to crush the skull of another as his fist collided with his victim’s face.

“You are all mine!” He scouted as he grabbed two Caribou in hand and lifted their body’s up. The Caribou within his grasp kicked and flailed their arms around trying to free themselves. But Draco quickly put an end to their squirming as he slammed their heads together with enough force to crack their skull open like eggs. Draco then spun around and charged at the rest of the crew, butchering and crushing all in his path.

“Jeezus, he’s already going crazy.” Lock said as he lowered his spyglass.

“Coco and Suri are in the middle of that fight, we gotta get them out of there.” Flash said.

“Agreed, Zephyr, bring in some fog to blind the enemy.” Lock ordered.

“But what about Draco?” Zephyr asked.

“He’ll be fine, we gotta get those mares.” Lock dismissed.

Zephyr nods and raises his hands as his eyes turn white. Fog clouds soon rolled in completely covering the sky and the three warriors leapt off the The Prometheus and flew towards the enemy ship. Meanwhile the enemies were having an even worse time since Draco was using the fog to his advantage.

“Where the buck did this fog come from?!”

“I can’t see anything?! Where the buck is he?!”

“Wait…did you hear-AARRRHH!”

The sound of flesh being ripped apart, and bones cracking can be heard from within the fog, along with the sound of monstrous roars. Coco and Suri were seen coming out of the fog in Draco’s clutches while in his flying reptile form. The mares were screaming with fright afraid that this new creature may do them harm. Draco made a pass around the Prometheus and set the mares down on the deck of the ship before making his way back to the enemy’s ship.

Dimitri 1st POV

My apprentices and I flew through the fog, towards the enemy airships as I pulled my hood over my head and put my mask on. We then noticed a large winged creature fly near us which meant it was Draco.

“Draco!”

Draco turned his head through the fog and saw us fly towards him and he met us halfway. “Nice work getting their attention, Coco and Suri are safe and sound back at the ship. I have an idea how to end this and…” I said, looking at the large ships again making me smirk behind my mask. “Why don’t we add these ships to the fleet?”

“You sure about that Captain?” Flash asks.

“Why not? More ships mean more power for us. So if you don’t mind, Draco, try not to bloody the decks too much.” I said. He stared at me for a few moments, our eyes locked, before nodding his head and splitting off from my group and made his way to the next ship. We followed him until we were flying above the deck and we heard the panicked cries of the enemy.

“The Captain’s dead! His throat was split open!”

“Where the buck’s the enemy! I can’t see shit in the fog!”

“Someone call for reinforcements!”

“Hey Draco.” I said, making him turn to me. “Make it rain.”

Without hesitation, Draco dived straight down into the fog and out of view. What followed was the sound of a loud thud and a monstrous roar. I could hear the Caribou screaming in fright. We followed suit and were met with Draco in his T-Rex form and he was literally tearing his way through the enemy crew. I drew two of my pistols and began firing at multiple Caribou. I twirled my six-shooters and snapped my arms as I fired which made the bullets curve. They flew off to the sides and pierced multiple Caribou skulls. I continued to spin my body and twirl my arms as I fired, leaving bodies falling in my wake. When I fired the last shots in all four of my six shooters, I quickly reloaded and glanced over to see Flash running around at top speed mowing down the enemy crew and Zephyr was conjuring mini tornadoes to blow them off the deck and fall to the ground. Draco was chomping down on a few Caribou as they tried to get to the escape boats. He would shift between his T-Rex form to his Indoraptor form to get at any Caribou who tried to hide below deck. I fired at two more Caribou until there were only a handful remaining and huddled in a group. Draco growled and stalked towards the group and licked his chops as the Caribou cowered in fear.

“Draco.” I said as I holstered my pistols. “Keep them sucking air for a little bit. I’ve got a proposition for them.” He merely grunted as he turned his attention to the Caribou corpse and bit down into the leg, tearing it off. The sound of bones crunching as he chewed sent waves of fear to the remaining Caribou. I then calmly walked over to the group of survivors as they all cowered before me. I stared at them with a cold glare behind my mask and placed a hand on Surtr’s grip.

“So, you fools thought you could take my ship? With me, my apprentices, and my new companion over there still on board?” I asked mockingly. Draco had the intestines of a Caribou dangling from his jaws. He gave the group a loud snarl, making them huddle closers together as he gulped the hanging meat down.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen.” I said as I leaned down. “One of you is gonna go to the comms room and radio the remaining ship to surrender. You will tell them all that had transpired, in full detail. Meanwhile the rest of you will keep my new companion company. And if you keep up the good behavior, I might just let you all live. Despite the fact that I’d much rather let him eat you lot. Am I clear?” To make sure my point was driven hard, Draco ripped the head of a Caribou corpse off and held it in his jaws for all to see before crunching down on it like back in Manehattan. Some of the Caribou fainted while others vomited and one managed to find the feeling in his legs and run off to the comms room. I glanced over at Draco and smirked as I turned and walked past him. “Make sure they’re good little bucks, or they’ll get a very bad punishment, ok?” I said.

He nodded his head and advanced toward the Caribou. Once he was close enough, he sat down and kept his eyes fixated in the group, occasionally snarling at them making some flinch and a few more pass out. For the next five minutes I spent cleaning up the deck with Flash and Zephyr until the other ships came into view. I whistled through my mask and Flash and Zephyr nodded as we made our way back to Draco and the group of survivors. Draco still had his cold gaze on the group and I noticed one had a gash across his arm which made me quirk a brow.

“What’d he do?” I asked Draco. Draco didn't say a word, it then dawned on me that while he is in dino mode he can’t speak. I watched as his claws slide over a gun that had been shattered to my feet.

“Tsk tsk.” I said, wagging my finger. “Seems like the little buck tried to harm the nanny. I think he deserves a harsher punishment, wouldn’t you agree Draco?”

“No…no please!” The stag begged. “It was an accident, I swear!”

Draco let out a menacing chuckle like hiss as he slowly stalked his way towards the Caribou. His toe claws would tap against the wood of the deck, making a clicking sound. What added more of a fear factor was how he walked on all four in his Indoraptor form.

“Please…” The Caribou begged as he started to piss himself.

“Show them what happens to naughty little bucks who don’t follow the rules of the game.” I said darkly. Draco pounced on top the Caribou, pinning his body with a clawed hand as he slowly lowered his open jaws down toward his head.

“PLEASE! DON’T KILL ME!!” The Caribou screamed.

“You gonna be a good little buck?” I asked as Draco’s fangs pressed down on his head.

“YES, YES I SWEAR!!”

“You’re not gonna pull any more stupid shit like try and grab a gun are you?” I added.

“YES, I PROMISE!! PLEASE GET IT OFF ME!!”

“Draco?” I called out to the Indoraptor.

Seeing that my point was made, Draco decided to spare the idiot his life and pulled back. He did of course use his tail to smack the Caribou in the crotch. The Caribou yelped and cupped his crotch making me and the others chuckle. The remaining ship soon flies beside us, and we all stand to attention. Their boarding platform extends and links with the ship we’re on and out walks a young-looking Caribou. Draco growls but I pat him on the shoulder to calm him down. The stag looks around and sees nothing but ash and damage from our raid which makes him gulp nervously as he slowly approaches us.

“You know who I am and who we are?” I asked and he nods. “You know what we did?” I ask and he nods again. “I’ve got some questions for you. But before that, did you hear anything interesting from anyone before you went on a feeding frenzy Draco?” I wondered.

Draco slowly turned to his human form and whipped the blood off his lips before speaking. “I heard something about a War Chief.” He said.

“War Chief, huh?” I repeat. “And what is this War Chief?” I asked the stag. He remained silent which made me grip Surtr and start to unsheathe it. “Speak…” I demand.

“He…he’s in charge of all Overlord Lust’s armies.” The stag answers nervously.

“Do you know who he is?” I asked.

“Only by title from the superiors since he spends most of the time within the Crystal Empire’s palace, something about…the former king?” The stag said.

Both Draco and I quickly look at each other with wide eyes but I clear my throat to regain my composure.

“Gather the remaining crew and take a sailboat back to the surface.” I ordered. “Do it now before I change my mind.”

The stag quickly nods and goes to gather the remaining enemies on the ship. He and the rest of his ilk soon gather and board a sailboat before taking off. Meanwhile both Draco and I are still scowling since the War Chief in question is someone we both knew.

“Of all the fucking ponies…” I sighed, taking off my mask and hood and pinching the bridge of my nose again.

“I know, he’s supposed to be dead right now. But I have an idea on how he might be around.” Draco added.

“How do you figure?” I ask.

“Well if the show is anything to go by, he could have been pulled from the void. And given his current position it’s like that Discord was tricked into bringing him back to life. Maybe Dainn made a bargain with Discord to get him to do so.” Draco theorized.

“Well one thing’s for damn sure.” I said. “The liberation of the Crystal Empire just got a whole lot more of a pain in the ass if someone like him is back. I hate to admit it, but it seems Dainn managed to pull a fast one on us.”

Draco sighed as he stretched his neck to one side and made a popping sound. “Well it’s a good thing you’re not the only one trying to free Equestria.”

“Yeah that’s true, and hey at least Dainn didn’t bring back a certain centaur, am I right?” I joked.

Draco quickly slapped the back of my head. “Did you really fucking just say that? Did you forget what world we’re in?”

“Oi, relax.” I said, rubbing the back of my head. “I doubt Dainn is foolish enough to allow someone like him to go running around. If anything, we should be lucky he’s still imprisoned where he belongs.”

Draco rolled his eyes and walked away. “Whatever, let’s hurry up and get the rest of your crew over here so we can get these ships going.”

I nod and press the button on my ear.

“Captain Lock to The Prometheus, over.” I said.

“This is Shadow Star, go ahead Captain, over.” Shadow Star said.

“All ships are clear, tell Soarin to bring The Prometheus around so we can have some of the crew board and properly commandeer these ships, over.” I said.

“Roger that, we’re coming to you now, over and out.” Shadow Star said and hung up.

The Prometheus soon arrived, and the crew started boarding the captured ships and began to prep them to follow my ship. Draco, Flash, Zephyr, and I returned to The Prometheus as we continued our trip back to Ponyville. I’m standing on the bow of the ship with Draco and my thoughts trail back to our prisoner which made me frown.

“We’re gonna have to make a stop at Ponyville to pick up Applejack and Apple Bloom before we head to Canterlot to imprison the traitor, no doubt this is gonna be very rough.” I said.

“Do we really need to bring them?” Draco asked in a worried tone. “It’s one thing for them to hear the bad news, it’s another thing for them to see him like this.”

“He’s their brother.” I countered. “They at least need to get one last look at him before they never see them again, even if he’s a wounded mess. Mac is now a prisoner of war, but his family deserves at least a little bit of closure.”

Draco sighed and looked away. “If it’s okay with you I’d rather not be there. I can’t bear to see their faces.”

“No problem, this is my responsibility anyway.” I said as I looked on. For the rest of the trip we said nothing, as I was mentally preparing for the heartbroken faces of the Apple Sisters.

Author's Note

Nothing but heartbreak for the poor Apples. Tears shall surely be shed.

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…