Chapter 29

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Draco? Hey Draco, wake up.”

It was early in the morning and I managed to sneak out of Twilight’s snuggle grip and get changed into running attire. As I heard some shuffling from the other side of the door, I glanced down at my clothes. I was wearing a dark blue tank top and white athletic shorts, each with a different styled tribal pattern on the sides. I also wore a pair of black runners and pulled up my socks to make sure they were not loose. The door soon slowly opened to reveal Draco, his hair was ruffled and unravelled and his eyes were red and puffy. The look on his face looked like he wanted to murder me.

“You better have a good reason for waking me up this early.” He growled in a low dark tone while bearing razor sharp teeth.

“I do.” I said as I held out similar clothes to him. “Get dressed, you’re joining the crew and I for some morning exercise.”

He quickly slammed the door in my face, leaving me dumbfounded and surprised. “I ain’t joining your crew, Lock.” He called out from the other side of the door. I blinked and sighed as I opened the door to see him face down on his bed.

“Come on, what’s the harm in some healthy exercise? The crew and Alpha Squad are waiting for us.”

He raised his hand up and flipped out his middle finger. “I get plenty of exercise everyday, but never this damn early in the morning.”

“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person, healthy, wealthy, and wise.” I said, unfazed by his bird flipping. “My C.O. said that all the time to my platoon. The same applies to you so get your ass out of bed. I wanna see what you can do and you can help whip the greens into proper shape.”

Draco groaned and tucked and rolled for a moment before finally sitting up. “Ugh…fucking great, now I'm awake!” He turned to look at me with reptilian-like eyes. “Fine, I'll join your exercise group.” He hopped off his bed and grabbed the clothes I offered.

“Cool and trust me, it’s more fun to drill the greens, you’ll see.” I said as I walked out of the room to let him change. I heard him grumble to himself as I shut the door. A few minutes later, he opened the door and was dressed in a simple shirt, athletic shorts, and shoes. He gave me the stink eye as we both walked for the doors. “Those clothes suit you, courtesy of Rarity.”

“Yeah yeah, fuck off. I swear this better be worth waking me up this early.” He growled as we made our way to the training grounds.

I chuckled as we walked towards the open area near The Prometheus. Most of the crew were already awake…mostly, and some were still walking down the gangplank from the ship. Alpha Squad were leading them in stretches and Rainbow Dash and Flash were right in front of them. Once Swift Snow and Wild Ace noticed me, they and the rest of them turned to face me and saluted.

“At ease.” I said and they relaxed. “Where’s Zephyr?”

“He’s on his way.” Flash sighed. As if on cue, Zephyr flew towards us from the ship and had a cup of coffee in his hand as he yawned. “Glad you dragged your lazy ass out of bed, you’re late.”

“Whatever, I hate mornings…” Zephyr sighed as he took a sip of his coffee.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Zephyr over here.” Draco admitted with a look of disgust. “So what are we doing today that you would have us up this early?”

“Hmm.” I scratched my chin. I looked between Draco, the crew, and Alpha Squad and then got an idea. “Clear the area, we’re gonna have a little sparring match.”

“Really? Well alright.” Big B shrugged as he and Alpha Squad walked to one side of the field.

“Oh no, Berry, not against me.” I said holding up a finger and then pointing to Draco. “Against him.”

Draco,who was currently munching on a donut while drinking coffee, looked up, then looked around before pointing to himself. “Eh what?”

“No way!” Cloud snapped.

“Against the Beast?! Are you nuts?!” B said.

“He’d tear us apart!” Shadow said.

“Are you trying to get us killed, Captain?!” Swift deadpanned.

“We don’t stand a chance against that sho- er, never mind…” Ace quickly caught himself.

Draco tossed the last of his donut into the air, catching it in his mouth. He gulped down the last of his coffee and stretched his limbs. “Well this does sound interesting. Tell you guys what, I won’t transform into my dinosaur forms for this.”

“Dude, do you even have any hand to hand combat experience?” Flash wondered as Draco walked to the other side and stretched.

He cracked his knuckles as he bent his knees to stretch them. “I have some, and I’m sure that should be a big enough handicap for these guys.”

As the crew watched both sides with anticipation, I stood in between them. “Alright, the rules are simple. First side to be rendered incapacitated loses.” I raised my hand and Alpha Squad all got into fighting positions and Draco just pivoted his body to the side and stared at the group of ponies.

“Begin!”

Wild Ace and Cloud Skipper flew into the air and Swift Snow and Big B both charged at Draco. Shadow hung back as she powered up her horn but Draco stood there, still waiting for the perfect moment.

“Why’s he just standing there?” Zephyr wondered.

“He’s not doing anything, they’re gonna wreck him!” Flash said.

“He is doing something.” I said with a smirk. “Look at his eyes.”

Draco had a confident smile on his face as he moved his hands behind his back and started to bounce on the tips of his toes. “Alright, let’s see what you ponies got to offer.”

Swift and Berry lunged forward to tackle Draco in a double pin. Draco quickly dashed forward and just before his body could collide his opponents, he quickly performed a front flip over them. The two ponies were shocked as Draco jumped over them with ease. As he reached the peak of his jump, he quickly brought both feet down, slamming them into Swift’s and B’s shoulders. The stallions both cried out in pain as they staggered forward. Cloud and Ace attempted to seize the opportunity while he was distracted. Both pegasi flew at Draco from opposite directions and raised their legs to deliver mid air double roundhouse kicks. Draco didn’t respond by dodging the incoming attacks. Instead he jumped a bit into the air and raised both his knees to block the two pegasi kicks.

“Argh!” Cloud yelped as he and Ace flew back and rubbed their legs.

“What the tartarus?! What’s your skin made of?!” Ace snapped.

“Hehe, I told you guys I wouldn’t transform into my dino forms, I said nothing about body modification.” Draco performed a series of kicks to both pegasi’s abdomens, sending them flying before turning his sights on Shadow. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten you, my dear.” Shadow seemed to panic and fired her charged up spell beam at Draco. Draco ducked down as low as his body would allow, just narrowly dodging Shadow’s blast. “Good try, but you panicked and that will cost you.”

Pushing off his back legs, Draco started running on all fours like a wild beast toward Shadow. Shadow backed away and fired more beams at Draco but he dodged each one. Before Shadow could fire another beam, Draco was already right in front of the combat mare with a cheeky smile.

“I already know a weakness you unicorns have, and I have full intention for getting back at you for what you did the other day at the lake.” He said in a menacing tone as he glared at the mare. Shadow then attempted to throw a punch, which Draco managed to catch her fist. I made sure to train her physically so she wouldn’t rely on her magic, and it seemed to pay off since Draco jolted back a bit.

Draco smiled as he pulled her into his arms. “And now for the killing move.” Draco leaned his head in and without warning started to lick Shadow’s horn from the base to the tip.

“AH~!” Shadow yelped as her cheeks flushed red and she struggled to squirm free. “NO! NOT THERE!”

Draco held his grip as he started to gently suck and nibble on her horn.

“No…!” Shadow moaned as she began to pant and become weak.

“Uh…should we help?” Berry asked.

“I am at a loss at what to do…” Swift said.

“D-Draco no~!” Shadow moaned.

Draco slid her horn out of his mouth before giving her neck a gentle bite. “And gotcha.”

Shadow yelped again as her knees became weak and she collapsed to the ground. She sat on her knees, red cheeked and glazed eyes, as Draco wiped his mouth and smiled a shit eating grin.

“You…big…meanie…” Shadow said between breaths.

Draco smiled before leaning down to her ear. “All’s fare in love and war my dear. Don’t tease unless you can’t take it yourself.” He whispered in a smooth tone before gently blowing in her ear. Shadow leaned backwards and fell on her back, unable to move as Draco turned to face the other stallions.

“And that, my friends, is how to get a unicorn to fall to their knees.” He smirked as he tucked his hands in his pockets. “Any questions?”

“Damn you!” B barked as he charged at Draco.

“Berry wait! He’s baiting you!” Swift called out.

Draco smirked before spinning his body around to deliver a roundhouse kick into Big B’s body. The large stallion was sent tumbling across the ground and struggled to stand as he clutched his side from Draco’s kick. Ace and Cloud both nodded to each other and Cloud dove after Draco. Draco put his hands behind his back again as the two began exchange blows. Cloud was one of the more experienced hand to hand fighters and almost managed to land a blow on Draco sometimes. While the two were going at it, Ace flew up beside Draco to try and catch him off guard while he was preoccupied with Cloud. Draco used his knees to block each of Cloud’s punches, while returning the attack with light kicks to the side. When Cloud was about to land an attack on the preoccupied human, Draco quickly performed a split just barely dodging the attack.

“NOW!” Both stallions yelled as they reached up and grabbed both of Draco’s legs. Swift reacted instantly and rushed towards Draco and jumped forward and kicked Draco in his chest.

I was sure that the attack was going to be the deciding blow, and that it would have been enough to take out Draco. But to both myself and Alpha Squad’s surprise, Draco didn’t look affected, he still wore a cocky smile on his face. “Not bad you guys, had I been a normal human you would’ve won. However…”

Planting his hands on the ground, Draco quickly spun his lower body around like a street dancer doing the windmill. This caused both stallions who were hanging onto his legs to fly off as he delivered a power kick to Swift’s chest. Swift went flying as he landed on the ground and skidded across the dirt. Cloud and Ace were now the only two left as they decided to forgo any fake out tactics and charged at Draco head on together.

“Come on you two, you’re the only ones left, and I haven’t even bothered to use my hands yet.” Draco mocked.

The stallions ignored his taunts and began working in tandem in their fight. Ace and Cloud took turns throwing a variety of kicks and punches at Draco, who either dodged or blocked with his legs. Draco yawned as he soon started to pick up on the stallion's fighting pattern. Soon enough he was able to dodge every one of their attacks.

“Ace! Let’s go for a double whammy!”

“Got it, Cloud!”

Both stallions then ducked down and bucked their legs forward at the same time, making Draco jump high in the air in order to dodge. Seizing the opportunity, the duo spread their wings and flew straight at Draco with their fists raised to trounce their opponent since Draco couldn’t move in mid air. Draco smirked before his arms grew webbed wings. With a single flap of his arms, he quickly moved out of the pegasi's way.

“What the?!” Ace yelped as they missed Draco.

“Hey, you said you wouldn’t use your powers!” Cloud accused as they hovered in the air.

“I never said that. I said I wouldn’t turn into my dino forms.” Draco said with a cocky smile before diving down and striking Cloud in the back of the head with his foot. Cloud fell to the ground with a crash and Ace watched in total shock. When he looked back to Draco, he saw he was nowhere to be found and looked around frantically for the young human.

“Boo.” Draco said in last pegasus’ ear before delivering a swift chop to his neck. As his vision faded, Draco hooked his arm around Ace as his body went limp and gently descended to the ground. He then laid Ace on the grass as his arms returned to normal and crossed his arms with a triumphant smirk at me.

“Well that was a good warm up.” Draco said while stretching his arms over his head.

“Ah, ah.” I said, holding up a finger. “Missed one.”

“Oh? And who would that be?” Draco asked rather surprisedly.

Just then, a flash of light appeared behind Draco and he was tackled to the ground. When he opened his eyes, he saw Shadow looming over him with a devilish smirk as she pinned his arms to the ground.

“You wanna see real teasing…?” Shadow hissed, making Draco gulp.

“Uhhh…no?”

“Too bad.” Shadow said as she forcefully grabbed his cheeks.

Without warning, Shadow planted her lips on Draco’s and kissed him roughly, making everyone gasp and me covering my mouth, trying not to laugh out loud. Draco’s face burned red, I even saw a little steam come out from his ears, as Shadow pulled back and licked her lips.

“That…was for earlier.”

Draco’s eyes rolled into his head before plopping his head on the ground unconscious.

“Well, since Shadow is the only remaining member of Alpha Squad left standing, it’s their win.” I chuckled.

As Shadow giggled and went to help her teammates, I walked over to Draco who was still red faced and unconscious. I shook my head with a smile as I raised my hand and made it very cold by covering it with ice. I then lifted Draco’s shirt a little and readied my hand over his stomach.

“Wakey wakey, Draco!” I said as I pressed my ice hand against his bear skin.

“GAAAAHHH!! FUCKING COLD!!” He shouted while quickly jumping onto his feet.

Draco rubbed his stomach as I laughed out loud, making him turn to me and glare at me. “So, that sure was an interesting little spar.” I teased. Draco turned away and flipped me off as he made his way under a tree while one hand was on his mouth. “Flash, have the crew and Alpha Squad start their morning workout and training.” I told Flash.

“Yes sir.”

As Flash had the crew started their routine, I walked over to Draco who was still lightly touching his mouth and pacing back and forth under the tree.

“Hey man.” Draco glared at me and I held up my hands. “Easy, I come in peace.”

He glared for a bit longer before looking away, with his cheeks still a shade of red.

“Hmm, shot in the dark, was that…your first kiss?” I guessed. His whole head turned red as he lightly nodded.

“Oh, sorry man.” I said. “If you want, I can get Shadow to apologize? She’s always been kinda rambunctious and over the top with these kinds of things.”

He was silent for a few moments before shaking his head. “It’s f-fine, as I said before to her, all’s fair in love and war. She did what she had to do to win.”

“If you say so. Wanna go for a 20km run with me to clear your head?”

“Yeah sure I guess.” He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

After our run, we made it back to the ship and were both panting heavily as the sun had now risen to the sky. We both had our shirts tied around our heads as sweat dripped off our bodies. I had my hands above my head to keep my oxygen flow steady and Draco was hunched over also trying to catch his breath.

“Whew! Good run...” I breathed out.

He took a deep breath of air and mimicked what I was doing with my arms. “Fuck, this would have been easier with a different set of lungs.” He gasped while breathing.

“Well I do this at least once a week.” I said, making him arch a brow at me. “Come on, let’s head to Sugarcube Corner to get some crushed ice or something.”

Draco smiled a bit with excitement. “Oh that sounds good right about now. And I’ve always wanted to go to Sugarcube Corner.”

I smiled as we headed into town. As our breathing became more stable and we walked through the expanding town of Ponyville, the ponies all waved to us as we passed by. Although, since we were walking around shirtless, any mare we saw stared at us with tinted cheeks and lidded eyes. I ignored them as some even bit their lips and waved at us flirtatiously; Draco sheepishly waved back making them giggle.

“Not used to the attention, eh?” I joked.

“Not at all.” He admitted while looking down at the ground. “I wasn’t this physically fit back on Earth. Not to say I was fat either, but ever since I started fighting against the Caribou and traitor stallions, I’ve started to get a bit more fit.”

“Gotta stay fit no matter what, I always say.” I said. “I never could let myself go. Especially during my time in the military.” As we neared Sugarcube Corner, a few mares walked up to us and were gawking at Draco and I. I always run into this little group at times and they like to rubberneck at me constantly. “Morning ladies.”

“Hi Dimitri~.” One of the mares said.

“Looking good as always, stud.” Another said.

“Who’s your sexy friend? Don’t you know it’s not safe to walk around showing your goods off like that?”

“This is Draco, he’s new in town and we’re gonna get some crushed ice.” I said, patting Draco’s shoulder. Draco tried his best to remain calm as he gave the mares a simple nod of his head.

“What’s wrong, cutie?” One of the mares asked as she batted her eyes.

“Damn, he’s just as cut as Dimitri here.”

“You wanna take us to the gun show with those arms, sweetheart?”

Draco somehow managed to regain his composure as he stood tall. “Maybe, but I can’t guarantee your safety once the show starts.” He said as he shot them a wink.

All the mares gasped and giggled with flushed cheeks as they scurried away.

“Heh, smooth.” I smirked as I playfully slugged Draco’s arm and walked past him.

“Honestly I wasn’t sure that was gonna work.” Draco quickly picked up pace so he was walking alongside me. “So any word from the Apple family?”

I frowned as we neared the front door of the sweet shop. “No, as soon as we returned from Canterlot, Applejack took Apple Bloom and Granny Smith back to the farm. I heard from Braeburn that no one else from the Apple family has heard from them since they locked themselves in their rooms.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’d have offered to go see them, but well.” He turned his head away with a look of shame. “After what I did to Mac, I’m not sure how they would act around me.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when the time comes.” I said consolingly.

I opened the doors to the sweet shop and saw there were a couple of tables with ponies sitting at them enjoying some pastries. From behind the corner I saw the bakery ponies, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, baking as usual. Mr. Cake looked up to see me walk in and smiled.

“Well if it isn’t Mr. Lockdrom!” He said cheerfully.

“Hello dearie.” Mrs. Cake greeted. “Wonderful to see you as always.”

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cake.” I said with a wave as I approached the counter. “I thought I said that it was okay if you just called me Lock?”

“Oh you know us, old habits die hard.” Mr. Cake chuckled. Mrs. Cake looked passed me to see Draco.

“And who’s this little colt?” She asked, making me eye Draco nervously.

“Hi there, I’m Draco Saurian, it’s nice to meet you two.” Draco said with a pleasant smile as he reached out to shake the Cakes hands. “Lock brought me here because he wanted to treat me to all the snacks I could eat.” He turned his head around and looked at me with a smirk. “Isn’t that right Lock?”

“Yeah…sure.” I said with a roll of my eyes.

Mrs. Cake smiled as she did something she was prone to do. She walked around the counter and scooped up Draco in a big hug.

“You’re just the most polite and cutest little colt I’ve met!” Mrs. Cake squealed, not caring that Draco was still shirtless and a little sweaty.

Draco’s cheeks flushed a bit as he lightly hugged her back. “Well thanks, I try to be when I can. Also I’d like to order three of everything on your menu.” He said while shooting me a shit eating grin again.

“Ugh, I hope you get fat.” I grumbled as I snapped my fingers. A large pouch of bits appeared in a puff of flames in my hand and I set it on the table. “Just let us know when it’s all packed and bagged.”

“Coming right up!” Mr. Cake said. “Come on, dear, you can hug Mr. Saurian later.”

“Very well.” Mrs. Cake giggled as she set Draco down. “Save me a hug for later, sweetie?”

“Sure thing.” Draco called out as we walked over to an empty table to have a seat. “Man they sure are nice, and I’m glad that Mr. Cake wasn’t affected by Lust.” Draxo then had a puzzled look on his face. “Did you ever find out why that is? Like why some stallions became mind controlled while others remained unaffected?”

I scratched my chin as I sat down beside him. “I’m not quite sure, to be honest. From what I recall, the brainwashing was supposed to affect all the males who wouldn’t join up with the Caribou. Perhaps there were a select few males who were able to withstand the spell? Speaking of which, get this.” I leaned in with a smirk. “Flim and Flam aren’t traitors.”

Draco cocked his brow. “And that surprises you?”

“Well, kinda yeah.” I shrugged as I held my hand up over my mouth. “If you recall, they were a couple of dick head con ponies. Remember the cider fiasco and the tonic scam?”

“Dude you’re talking to a brony, of course I remember those incidents. I’m not surprised that they weren’t traitors. Honestly, I highly doubt they were on any pony’s side. They most likely kept their options open, until they knew which side would have a higher chance of winning.”

“Not until I showed up.” I snorted as I held up my hand and held my finger and thumb an inch apart. “This close to ripping their throats out and watching them choke on their blood. I will not tolerate any kind of traitor, regardless who they are.” I then frowned again and looked away. “Although, after my little run-ins with Phill, I’m starting to think that maybe going on mindless slaughters isn’t the best option.”

“And what makes you think that? Hasn’t that been how you fought all this time?”

“Let me ask you something. Do you think all the traitors should die? Granted, there will be those that have completely turned against Equestria, but what if there are those who might still be on the fence?”

“You mean stallions who think by being traitors they will live longer?” He asked with a quirked brow.

“That, or they were coaxed into joining Dainn through his and the Sin’s fancy words. And, this might be hard to believe, I’m inclined to say that there might possibly be a Caribou or two who don’t believe in Dainn as well.”

Draco hummed to himself as he leaned back in his seat and stared at the sealing. “It’s a possibility, but without any means to figure out if your theory is correct, we can’t risk taking in anyone who says that they aren’t bad.” He moved forward to rest his arm on the table as he gave me a serious look. “I get that Phill is getting to you and all, but unless you have some way to guarantee that such a thing is possible, we have to continue taking out every traitor stallion and Caribou we see.”

“I-“

RING RING RING

Draco and I flinched as I looked down and pulled my phone out and arched a brow.

How is this ringing here?

When I looked at the screen, my eyes widened and I showed it to Draco.

“Phill’s calling me…”

"Well aren’t you going to answer it?" Draco asked with a shrug.

I nodded and hit the answer button while putting it on speaker.

“Phill?”

“Oi, we gotta talk. Is the boy with ya?”

“First off, fuck you I’m not a boy, asshole. Second yeah I'm here dipshit.” He said while flipping off the phone.

“Oi! Watch the language!”

“Uh why?”

He was about to respond until something that sounded like a baby crying was heard, making me and Draco look at each other with puzzled expressions.

“Oh shite…there there, wee lass, daddy’s here.”

“DAD?!” We both shouted.

“Shut yer gobs! Meet me at the lake!” Was all he said before he hung up.

“Uh…” I mumbled. “You as confused as me? Or is it just me?”

Draco helped up his hands in defense. “Dude, I’m as confused as you are.” He glanced over at the Cakes as they were working on his ridiculous order, that I was paying for. “Can you two send my order to The Prometheus and tell them it’s from me, thanks.”

“Of course!” Mrs. Cake said as she continued to work.

“Let’s go see what he wants.” I said as we stood up and left.

Draco and I had pirt our shirts back on and flew over to the lake and sure enough, Phill was there waiting for us with his back turned. He was wearing casual clothes that consisted of jeans, brown boots, a plaid button up shirt, and attached to his belt was his sword. Once we touched down, Phill looked over his shoulder and smirked.

“Mornin’.”

“Morning yourself, what’s this all about?” I asked.

“Shh, you’ll scare her.”

“Scare who?”

Phill sighed as he turned around and revealed what he was holding. In his arms was a little Pegasus foal, staring back at us curiously. Her eyes were a pretty hazel color, her mane and tail were frizzy and a ginger orange color, and her fur was a sort of brownish red shade.

“Lock, Draco, this be Merida. My wee little girl I adopted.” Phill said with a smile.

Draco and I looked at each before looking at the little filly. “She’s cute.”

“That she is.” Phill said as he looked down at Merida. “Merida, these be your uncles. Say hi.” Phill walked over to me and held her out for me to hold her. I carefully took her in my arms and she gazed up at me and giggled. I couldn’t help but smile as I held out a finger to her.

“Where’d you find her?” I asked as I handed her to Draco.

“Las Pegasus, her mum was killed trying to protect her. I found her in a closet with the door locked.”

Draco looked down at the filly a bit surprised, with a sympathetic look as well. He gently patted her head making sure she was comfortable in his arms. Merida giggled as she held her little arms out to Draco. Draco smiled and held out his hand, to which Merida grabbed it and held it close.

“She’s a wee thing, wouldn’t have lasted the night had I not heard her cries. I don’t know much about parenting, but I’m doing me best for her sake.”

Draco playfully tickled Merida’s belly, making her giggle uncontrollably. “Well if you ever do need a babysitter, I’d protect her with my life.”

“I appreciate that, I really do.” Phill said.

“So aside from your new daughter, why the sudden visit?” I wondered.

“Right, it’s for a couple of reasons. The first is I’d also like to hear how Draco here ended up in Equestria. So I’d like to accompany ya back to that there castle ya’re holding up in to hear said tale.”

“Hold on, you wanna come with us? But that means you’ll be meeting everyone else.”

“Exactly, it’s about time anyway, wouldn’t ya agree?”

I looked to Draco who was still having fun with Merida and he paused to give Phill’s request some thought.

“It was bound to happen. Besides better to do so now, then later when unannounced. I have some questions for him anyway.” Draco added while gently rocking Merida in his arms.

“I suppose.” I said.

Phill noticed how comfortable Merida was with Draco and smiled again.

“She likes ya.” Phill looked at me. “Both of ya, she’s lucky to have uncles like ya.”

“And she’s lucky to have you as a dad, old friend.” I said with a comforting smile.

“So before we go, Phill, I’d like to ask you a question for you.” Draco asked, making sure to keep Merida happy.

“What be that?” He wondered as Draco handed Merida to me. I smiled down at the filly and let her play with my fingers.

“So Lock here has been thinking about sparing some traitor stallions and even some Caribou. He thinks they can be saved, but I have my reservations. Which brings me to my question, do you have any kind of items that can force the truth out of someone?” Draco asked, moving closer to Phill.

Phill stared at Draco with a stern look. “No, I do not. The Lord doesn’t work like that and neither do I. I simply take all who I can and bring them back to Sanctuary for confession. There, those who have sinned are bathed in the Lord’s light and I help them see the error of their ways. The Lord is all forgiving to those who pray for it, I provided them that forgiveness. As for the Caribou, they shall remain imprisoned until further notice. No one should have the right to commit mass slaughter and risk exterminatin’ their entire race. You’d even be surprised how many of them even wished for forgiveness themselves after some talkin’ to.”

Draco signed and rolled his eyes. “Well that’s a pity, I was banking on something like that. Heck if you did, we could have helped you out. But I guess I’ll stick to my usual method for dealing with the sinners.”

“By killin’ them senselessly?” Phill accused.

“Phill, watch it.” I warned.

“No, both of ya gotta see that there’s more to it all then takin’ lives ya think are worth takin’. Not everyone has to die, neither of ya have the right to decide that.”

Draco looked rather pissed. “Okay holy boy, I’ve had it up to here with your bull-” Draco stopped himself as he looked over to the filly in my arms. “Crap. You can preach all you want and say how my soul is doomed to hell. But guess what, I could care less, wanna know why?”

“Oh this should be good.” Phill mocked as he rolled his eyes this time.

“Tell me something Phill, why is Merida an orphan again?” Draco asked while advancing in on the Saint.

“I told ya, her mum died protecting her.” Phill said, crossing his arms.

“Protecting her from who again?” Draco further pressed on.

“I…found her next to a stag who was shot in the head.” Phill admitted.

“Hmmm interesting. Now let’s see how good your imagination is. Pray tell, what do you think would have happened to Merida should the Caribou have found her?” He asked while circling Phill.

“I try not to think about it.” Phill dismissed.

“Well I’m not giving you an option. I want you to imagine that poor little filly in the clutches of those perverted, vile Caribou.” He said while pointing to the little filly. “Imagine her crying her heart out as she is forced into servitude and being sexually violated at any given point and cries for help.”

“Stop…” Phill sneered as his wings twitched.

“What’s wrong, starting to feel sick? afraid?” Draco pressed on, shoving the Saint. “Now imagine this happening right this second to multiple fillies and mares who were ripped away from their families. Imagine their cries and sorrows as they are violated for the sick pleasure of those traitor stallions and Caribou you wish to protect.”

“I said stop!” Phill demanded.

Draco continued to push Phill around, each time being more forceful. “What’s the matter, golden boy, are you scared now? Does the idea that those you wish to spare are causing so much grief and pain? Come on, speak your mind.”

Phill glared at Draco and drew his sword. He grabbed Draco by the neck and held his sword up to his eye.

“Shut your bloody fockin’ mouth…”

“Phill enough! You’re scaring Merida!”

Phill looked over to me and saw that his daughter was whimpering and reaching out for him. Draco grabbed Phill’s sword and brought it to his forehead. “Go ahead, kill me. You know that I’m right.” He pushed himself onto the blade casing the tip to stab his head making some blood trickle down his face.

“Dahn’t you dare bring me daoehghter into dis! Dere’s no way I’d ever allow anythin to ‘appen to ‘er!” Phill growled, letting his accent slip out.

“She isn’t your daughter, she’s the daughter of that poor mare who died because of them!” Draco shot back as he grabbed the blade and pulled it away, even though his hand started to bleed. “But maybe that’s why you can put yourself on such a high pedestal. You haven’t lost anyone to them have you? You just show up and talk all this crap about peace, while me and Lock are the ones on the battlefield to see the horrors!”

“I saved ‘er! I took ‘er in when when she ‘ad no one! And I ‘ave so seen plenty o’ de shite dahse bastards ‘ave dahne! Lock ‘as an excuse as to why ‘e lashes ooeht in dis war! Boeht you?! You’re joehst a bahy! A foehckin bahy who is allowin ‘is emahtions to roehn rampant wit no descretion!” Phill yelled as he flared his wings outward.

“Ha! You really haven’t been paying attention, have you?” Draco shot back as he slammed his head up against Phill, glaring him in his eyes. “You say with no discretion, but I’ve been killing only those Caribou and traitor stallions. I saved the mares and spared the brainwashed stallions!”

“YOU’RE STELL KELLIN DAHSE WHO CAN STELL BE SAVED!!” Phill screamed as he pressed his head against Draco.

“I’m killing anyone who would harm the innocent! If you got a problem with that, boy scout, then maybe you should work faster!” Draco started pushing back. The two look like they were about ready to kill each other at any second.

“WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

We all looked to see poor Merida who was balling her eyes out and I tried my best to soothe her by rocking her back and forth.

“Shite…” Phill cursed as he left Draco and took Merida from me. “Shh, shh, it’s ok. Daddy’s here, don’t cry wee lass.”

Draco soon came over talking on the form of his kitten sabertooth tiger form, and hopped onto Phill's head. He started to dance around and waving his paws playfully at the crying filly. Merida sniffled and looked up to see Draco and began to calm down. She then smiled a little and reached out to the kitten as if she wanted to hold him. Carefully, Draco climbed down from Phill’s head, down his shoulders, and into the arms of the waiting filly. He gently brushed up against her while purring lightly to calm her down. Merida giggled and hugged the kitten and I sighed contently, knowing the tension had dwindled.

“Phill, you and Draco may not see eye-to-eye, but you have to know that what we’re doing is as righteous as what you’re doing.”

“Not if it risks ya’re very soul, Lock, have you seen your eyes?”

“What about my eyes?”

“Those dark rings around your eyes aren’t from not getting enough sleep, are they?” Phill accused.

“It’s…just a side effect.” I dismissed. Draco let out an annoyed meow while shaking his head as he looked at me. “What? They’re just black rings on my eyes, what of it?”

“Maybe, or maybe it has something to do with that black flame you conjured up the other day.”

I went silent and looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh? You don’t know anything about the fact that you had bloody Death Fire flickering all over your body? And the fact that you almost burned Mac from existence?” Phill questioned.

I looked back at Phill and Draco looked up at him in shock. Draco then reluctantly jumped out of Phill’s arms and turned back into a human, leaving Merida pouting cutely.

“Death Fire?”

“Indeed, Michael told me about it. Death Fire ain’t no ordinary fire.” Phill explained. “If ya so much as touch it, ya die instantly but there’s more. Death Fire actually ends a soul’s very existence by destroying it; there’s no afterlife after that, just darkness. And you held your bloody hand up to Mac’s face and almost fockin’ ended his very existence.”

Draco looked at me with a look of shock and somewhat fear. “Did you know you could do that?” He asked, trying to keep his calm.

“I…”

Draco marched up to me and grabbed my shirt and pulled me in close.

“Did you know you could do that?!” He asked, looking pissed off.

“No! I don’t even remember doing it! I was too pissed off at Mac!”

“Be that as it may, Mac’s damn lucky you didn’t touch him with that black flame. Cause we would’ve never seen Mac again…ever.” Phill said.

WHACK!

I stumbled back after getting punched by Draco.

I looked at him in utter shock while clutching where he had punched me. “There are some things I would never wish on even my most hated enemies, and that had to be one of them.” He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and held me up with a fire in his eyes. “What if you had touched someone else with those flames?!”

“Draco, I swear, I had no knowledge prior that I could even summon black flames besides my normal Hellfire. I didn’t even know what Death Fire was! How could I have known?!”

“Lock, there’s only one being in existence who is able to conjure such flames: The God of Balance.” Phill stated and Draco raised his fist to punch me again.

He stopped to look over to Phill. “The God of who now?”

“Micheal spoke about him from time to time.” Phill dismissed. “I never met him, but he spoke of him fondly. Point is, this all ties to you, Lock. You may not realize it, but you’re becoming something that I doubt even Satanael would even comprehend.”

“That’s bullshit!” I snapped. “I am nothing but human! I ate the Devil’s fruit, but so the fuck what?! I've been human for the past 28 years of my life since the day I was born!”

Draco, who had his hands currently covering Merida’s ears as I yelled, stepped in. “Okay so let’s say I understand half of what you said, how should we deal with this new power? Because if Lock didn’t realize he used it before now, that could mean he could do it again without intending to later.”

“I don’t believe we have to worry about it.” Phill said. “If Lock has no idea as to why and how the Death Fire was summoned in the first place, then he won’t be able to bring it out anytime soon.”

“I just remember getting severely angry, and there was some kind of dark voice in my head telling me to punish Mac.” I said as I looked at my hands. “I guess I managed to remain calm enough to stay my hand, if only barely.”

“Still, we should really consider talking to someone about this. Either the Devil, God, or this God of Balance guy. Because if this Death Fire is triggered through rage, then we need to consider taking Lock to some anger management classes.” Draco suggested.

“Really? Anger management classes?” I deadpanned. “I already went to enough group therapy after I was discharged, thank you.”

“Clearly not enough.” Draco added as he moved his hand to gently stroke Merida’s head. “But all joking aside, we do need to find a way to deal with this, should it ever come back up.” Merida giggled and unfurled her little wings and flew up and latched on to Draco’s face, making Phill and I chuckle.

“Ahhh help!” He said with fake panic. “It’s the world’s cutest facehugger!”

“Come on, wee lass, let go of yer uncle’s face.” Phill said as he took Merida back. “Tell ya what, I’ll ask around when next I get called to Heaven. You should also ask Satanael when next he speaks to ya.”

“I doubt he’d wanna talk about it, considering he had warned me to never allow it to bring it back.” I said. “Rest assured, I will be more mindful from now on.”

Draco sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. “Well I guess we’ll have to put a pin in this conversation for another time.” He clapped his hands together before rubbing them against each other. “Well how about we head back to the castle, so I can tell you and everypony else about Discord?”

“Of course, it’s about time I make meself known anyway.” Phill said as he rocked Merida.

“Sure, plus I still need to shower since we have just come from a long run.” I said as Draco sniffed under his arm and grimaced.

“Last one back to the castle is a rotten apple!” He shouted as he sprinted towards the castle.

“Hey, you got a head start!” I shouted as I ran after him.

“Both of ya are children! Merida and I want no part of this!” Phill called out.

“HA! BY A HAIR’S BREADTH, I WIN!” I triumphantly shouted as I stood at the top of the stairs. Meanwhile, Draco was on his hands and knees trying to climb up the stairs and giving me the stink eye.

“Only because I decided to pant stay in my gasp human form.” He panted and took deep breaths. “Had I been a raptor, I would have won by more than a hair.”

“Sure you would.” I smirked. After a little while of waiting, Phill eventually flew up to us and landed next to the staircase.

“So.” He said as he examined the castle up close. “This is where ya’re living?” I nodded. “And those be your ships?” I nodded again with a proud smile. He looked down at Draco who was still breathing heavily. “Ya need a minute laddie?”

Draco slowly managed to get himself back on his feet while clutching his chest. “Nah, I’m…fine.”

“Guess we need to improve your cardio more than your physical strength, huh Draco?” I teased. “That means we gotta wake up extra early and run for 40km.”

“Wake me up that early again, and I’ll take a crap in your room…while in my Brachiosaurus form.” He said with a stern look that showed he wasn’t playing around.

“Alright jeez, I was kidding.” I chuckled.

I turned around and opened the doors with the guys following. We walked through the halls until we came to the doors of the throne room. I didn’t bother with waiting to introduce Phill, so I opened the doors to see Twilight, her friends, my apprentices, some of the Wonderbolts, and Moon all sitting together. It wasn’t until we walked more that I noticed Draco freeze in place. At the far end of the table was Cadence and she was sitting with Flurry Heart. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed and her mane was a little messy. I even noticed that Applejack had come out and the CMC were here. Everyone was eating a variety of sweets and pastries that I had bought from Sugarcube Corner. I glanced over to Draco to see that he was still completely stiff.

“Draco? You alright?” I asked.

Draco quickly snapped out of his daze as he looked around for a moment. “Uh…y-yeah I-I’m fine…I guess.”

“Breathe, dude, in and out.” I instructed. I then cleared my throat and everyone turned to see me. When they saw Phill, Alpha Squad and my apprentices were about to get battle ready.

Draco quickly and surprisingly jumped in front of Phill and held his hands out. “Whoa cool your engines you guys, he comes in peace.”

“Stand down.” I ordered, halting their movements. Cadence looked up to me but frowned and turned away. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you all to Phillip McHaggard, The Angel’s Saint.”

“Top o’ the mornin’ to ya.” Phill said.

“He’s the Saint?” Flash said.

“Not what I was expecting, that’s for sure.” Zephyr said.

“Lock, why did you invite him here?” Ace asked.

“He actually contacted me and Draco.” I explained. “We talked at the lake and he wanted to make himself known.”

“I see.” Twilight said. “And you’re both sure he means us no harm?”

“If he meant any harm, why does he have a filly in his arms?” I asked, pointing at Merida with my thumb. As soon as all the ponies caught sight of the foal, the mares all cooed and Fluttershy, Rarity, Moon, and Twilight walked over to Phill.

“Aww, she’s so cute.” Fluttershy swooned.

“She’s adorable!” Rarity added as she held out her finger.

“Look at her cute mane, her eyes are quite pretty as well.” Moon said with a happy smile.

“What’s her name? Where did you find her?” Twilight asked Phill.

“Her name be Merida, I rescued her from Las Pegasus after I found her mum was killed.” Everyone stopped and looked at Phill in shock.

“Oh you poor thing…” Fluttershy said. “Um, may I hold her?”

“By all means.” Phill said as he handed her the filly. While the mares were fawning over Merida, Rainbow flew up to Phill.

“So you’re the one who keeps getting on Lock’s case? Why come out in the open in the first place? Come to give us a hard time too?”

“Rainbow Dash, right?”

“The one and only!”

“Then, Gilda and Gabby say hello.”

Rainbow gasped and stepped back a bit. “How do you…?”

“I picked the both of them up a while back, they’re both back at Sanctuary and helping me out in me crew on me ship.”

“Gilda is safe…” Rainbow said with a smile. “I’m so glad.”

“Wow.” I leaned over to Draco. “I was wondering what happened to those griffins. I was worried they were stuck with Greed in Griffinstone.”

He nodded in agreement. “I’m glad they’re safe too, maybe we should see if they would want to come down here to Ponyville and make a home here.”

I nodded back as Applejack and Cadence approached me.

“Hey Lock…” Applejack said in a monotone voice. “Who’s this?”

“I haven’t seen him around here, is he new to town?” Cadence asked, trying not to make eye contact with me as she held Flurry Heart.

“Hello ladies, this is Draco Saurian. He was sent here by Discord.” I said, making their heads perk up and look to the young man.

“Ya’ll were sent by ol’ Discord?” Applejack asked.

“That’s quite surprising.” Cadence added.

I was expecting Draco to act bashful or even stutter like before. But instead he took a step back and made no eye contact with the two mares and filly.

“Umm, yes well, it’s nice to meet you all.” He said quietly.

“Draco.” I said with a sad smile. “It’s okay.”

“Umm.” He looked at the mares with a solemn look before gently bowing his head. “It’s nice to meet you both, I’m Draco.” His voice sounded almost disheartened, like he was sad for them both.

“Is there somethin’ wrong?” Applejack wondered.

“Why do you look so sad?” Cadence wondered.

“Uh n-no reason.” He kept to himself as he took another step back.

I unfurled my wing and he ended up backing into it. He looked at me and I nodded to him. He sighed and stepped forward and gave them mares a gentle smile, though I could tell it was a forced one.

“I heard from Zephyr and mah friends that you can turn into monsters.” Applejack said, making Draco flinch. “Mah bro-…Mac was misssin’ an arm.” Applejack looked at Draco dead in the eye. “They said you and Lock were responsible for that, but who did the deed?”

Draco’s head lowered as he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “That would be me, Ms. Applejack. I was the one who did that to him.” He closed his eyes and waited for her response.

“Just answer me this, if you could go back, would you still have taken his arm or let him keep it?”

Draco kept his head down as he took a moment to think. “I’m not sure really. After what I caught him about to do, and what he said about you and the others…I just don’t know.”

“Look at me.” Draco slowly raised his head to look at the mare. “Ah forgive ya.” Applejack said with a kind smile.

Draco’s eyes widened a bit as he looked at her in surprise. “Y-you do?”

“What happened wasn’t yer fault.” Applejack put a hand on his shoulder. “He made his choice, as did you. What’s done is done, there’s no changin’ that so mah sister and Ah hold nothin’ against ya.”

Apple Bloom then came running up to Draco and hugged his legs.

“Don’t be sad, Mr. Draco.” She looked up at him with sad eyes. “Ah don’t hate ya neither.”

From his eye, a lone tear fell as Draco kneeled down and hugged Apple Bloom close.

“Thank you.” He said with a warm smile as he hugged the young filly. He looked up to Applejack and cleared his throat. “But I feel as though I still owe you something. So if you would let me, I’d like to help you girls around the farm. You’re short a set of hands now, and I know how hard it was for you to take care of the orchard all on your own.”

“Oh, ya’ll don’t have to do that.” Applejack said.

“No I insist.” Draco quickly shot back. “I couldn’t stand idly by knowing there is somepony who could use my help. And before you ask, I won’t expect payment either.” He spoke in a stern tone as he folded his arms across his chest.

“Come on, sis, let him work on the farm.” Apple Bloom begged. “Besides, I wanna introduce him to our new friends, Sandy Shores and Misty Breeze.”

“Wait a second.” Draco turned to me with a surprised look. “They’re here too?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about them.” I said. “Rocky Shores and his family moved in and actually became good friends with the Apple family. They even have a new house built near the farm.”

“Huh, wow.” He said slightly surprised before looking back to Applejack. “I’m a hard worker and I promise to give you nothing but my best effort.”

Applejack mulled it over a bit but noticed how serious Draco was about his offer. “Well…shoot, why not.” Applejack held out her hand. “I’d be happy to welcome ya to the farm.”

With a content smile Draco took her hand and shook it. “I promise I won’t let you down Applejack.”

“You seem like a very kind fellow, Mr. Saurian.” Cadence said with a small smile. “I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Draco seemed to be a bit more at ease than he was a minute ago, he turned to face Cadence and gave her a small bow. “It’s an honor to meet you princess.” Draco looked down to Cadence’s daughter and smiled as he leaned down to face her. “And hello to you Flurry Heart, aren’t you just the cutest little filly.” He said as he moved a hand to gently tickle under her little chin.

For the first time since my arrival in this world, Flurry smiled. Cadence’s eyes widened as her daughter was praised and went as far as to let Draco hold her. Once the filly was in his arms, Flurry smiled more.

“That’s…the first I’ve ever seen Flurry smile in such a long time.” Cadence said with a tearful smile.

Draco gently cradled the little baby alicorn in his arms as he moved his fingers to gently tickle her tummy.

“Well now, I think the time has finally come.” I said, gaining everyone’s attention then looking to Draco. “Draco, if you would.”

Draco, who was making a funny face at Flurry Heart, looked up with his tongue still sticking out. He looked around and noticed all eyes were currently on him. He slipped his tongue back into his mouth and carefully handed Flurry back to her mom before clearing his throat. “Ahem, right my bad. So a lot of you may be wondering how I got here, or where my powers came from.” Everyone in the room nodded their heads. “Well the answer is that I was brought here by none other than Discord himself.”

Flashback
Draco 1st POV

“I swear to God, I never realized how many inaccurate depictions of dinosaurs were made in that movie.” It was 12am as I walked from my last class of the day back to my dorm room. The class I was just leaving was paleontology 101, a class I needed to take if I was required to be one step closer to getting my degree in said subject. Unfortunately today our professor came down with a cold, and had to send in a substitute to fill in. Rather than teach us anything, he decided that we would watch the movie Jurassic Park. A movie that I enjoyed watching as a kid, and was partly the reason I became so intrigued by dinosaurs. However, now that I’m older and have done my own research, I now realized how inaccurate the movie was really.

“Vision based on movement? Pfft.” I scoffed while shaking my head. “The Tyrannosaurus had one of the best eyesight in the prehistoric world.” I said aloud as I started to walk through the local park. I of course didn’t really hate the movie, as I realized it was purely for entertainment purposes only, not educational.

While I was walking I noticed how clear the sky was and how full the moon was. It was a truly beautiful night out. I had decided to take a brake and sit on one of the empty benches and stared up at the night sky. “What should I do when I get home?” I asked no one in particular, I had a tendency to do so when I wanted to think about what I was going to do next. “Oh I could go and binge watch the new season of MLP.”

Yes I was a brony, and I wasn’t ashamed of it. Truth of the matter is that I found the show when I was in a dark mindset. I had lost my parents to a car crash and had no other relatives to speak of. I honestly felt lost and alone with them gone, and I let those feelings send me into a spiraling depression.

I had few friends to help me through my depression, but the ones I did have suggested I try and watch something bright and uplifting to help cheer me up. I honestly wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but I had little to lose. So one night I was surfing through the channels of my television when I noticed my batteries for my controller had just died. I was about to change them until one show popped on the screen, My Little Pony Friendship is Magic.

At first I wanted to really change the channel and not watch a show aimed for little girls. But my controller’s batteries were dead and I had no spares in the whole house, so I was left with no other choice but to watch the show.

And as I watched this show, I found myself enjoying it, and even laughing at certain parts. Soon enough I was drawn in by this show of pastel colored ponies and other creatures of fiction. It was then that I became a brony.

“Heh, that show really did save my life.” I smiled as I hopped off the bench and stretched my arms. “Well I have tomorrow off so I can stay up all I want.” I was about to leave for home when something caught my eyes. Something was sticking out from under the bench. Letting my curiosity get the better of me I kneeled down to see what it was. Only to be completely surprised by what I saw.

Reaching my hand down below the bench, I pulled out a statue of a character I was most familiar with. It was a statue of Discord, from the MLP series. “Who in the world would leave this behind?”

I inspected the little statue and marveled at the fine details, it looked almost life like. I saw there was a bit of dirt on the nose and blew on it to get rid of it.

“Ah…Ah…AH CHOO!”

“Bless you.”

“Thank you, young man.”

I blinked as my thought process started churning in my head. It took longer than I cared to admit to realize that the freaking statue had sneezed and was looking up at me.

“Why hello there!” It said with a wave of it’s lion paw, making me gasp.

“AAAAAHHH!!” I screamed as I fumbled the talking statue in my hands nearly dropping it.

“Whoa! Easy there, young lad! Don’t drop me!” I had to steady myself as I placed the statue on the bench and it brushed itself off. “Whew! Well that was certainly a close one.”

“How are you talking right now?” I asked cutting to the point. “Is this some kind of prank?”

“Prank? What prank?” The statue asked. “I may be the Lord of Chaos, and I enjoy my fair share of pranks, however I fail to see if anypony has pulled one at the moment.”

I had to meantly reset my brain as I took a seat next to the talking statue. I took a moment to gather my thoughts before asking my next set of questions. “How in the world are you talking, and why do you look and sound like Discord from MLP?”

“Why…because I am Discord!” The statue beamed with a mock bow. “A pleasure to meet you, my good lad.”

I stared at the little statue for a moment before pinching the bridge of my nose. “Okay this can’t be happening, there’s no way this is happening.”

“Would you like me to prove it?” Discord asked and I nodded.

He then snapped his clawed hand and a few flowers beside me started to sing. He then snapped his fingers again and he was wearing an outfit that looked like he had just jumped out of the circus. After a final snap of his fingers, Discord then turned back to normal and the flowers stopped singing. “Shall I go on?”

“No…no…please don’t, my brain is having a hard time processing this as it is.” I started to massage the temples of my forehead as I took a few deep breaths. “Okay, let’s say I believe you’re the real deal, why are you here?”

“Because…” Discord’s ears flattened and pinned to his head and frowned. “I am in dire need of your help, and I don't have much time left in this form.”

Something about the way he said that caught my interest. “What do you mean by that?” I carefully picked the statue up and brought it closer to me. “What could the Lord of Chaos need from someone like me?”

“I shall be brutally honest with you, Mr. Saurian.” Discord said. “Equestria…has fallen…”

I felt my heart sink for a moment and I nearly dropped the statue again. I took a second to really register what he just said. “W-what do you mean, Equestria has fallen?”

“It happened a few months after Twilight was named Princess of Friendship.” Discord explained. “They came from the northern seas. No pony saw them coming, nor did we expect their brutality and vicious mindsets.” Discord shuddered in my hands as he held his arms together. “So many lives lost…so many still suffering…”

I felt my hands shaking a bit as I tried to stay calm. “Who…who came from the north?”

“The Caribou.” He answered bitterly. “It’s not just Equestria that has fallen, they are responsible for conquering all of Eques. They are all quite literally crazed tyrants who view the male sex as the superior gender. While they view all the females as nothing but objects they can use for their sick pleasures. Their leader, King Dainn Stonehoof, tricked me into using my power to aid him. I was left imprisoned in stone again and left to watch as the world fell to ruin under their totalitarian rule.”

I carefully set Discord down before falling down to my knees. I was clutching my chest as I tried to keep myself from imagining the horrors he told me about. “How…how could you let this happen? What in the hell were you thinking to help someone like him?”

“He threatened poor Fluttershy, that’s why!” Discord snapped. “He told me he would hunt her down and use her as a broodmare for all his troops and any stallion who joined him and his regime! I was only trying to protect my dearest friend! What would you have done?!”

“Snap that fucker out of existence!” I shouted as I got in his face. “Drop a mountain on him! Make his skull explod! You are the ruler of chaos, how could you not have done anything?!”

“I PANICKED!” Discord cried. “I PANICKED AND I PAID THE PRICE!”

“No you didn’t, Equestria paid for your mistake!” I grabbed him in my hand and held him up. “Now because of you, there is no one who can stop those bastards!”

Discord took a moment to calm down and smiled a little for some reason. “Actually, there is. As we speak, another human is in Equestria fighting back and waging a one man war against the Caribou. He wields powers I haven’t seen before, but he has done quite a remarkable job so far. I only wish he was able to arrive sooner before the tragic loss…”

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I willed myself to ask my next question. “W-what tragic loss…”

“I’m sorry to tell you this, Mr. Saurian, but…Shining Armor is no longer with us.” My whole body froze. “He died protecting his family and friends.”

“No…no that can't be.” I could feel some tears welling up as I grit my teeth and felt an uncontrollable rage overwhelm me. “Why are you telling me this?” I asked, trying not to break down. “Why did you have to tell me any of this?”

“Because I want Equestria, my home I’ve come to appreciate thanks to my new friends, to be saved and the world to be freed. Shining Armor was able to evacuate Ponyville and bring them to Canerlot. There, he had put up his strongest shield spell and held it for months on end. Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Flurry, and Twilight and her friends were all kept within the walls of Canterlot and saved by the other human warrior. Shining went as far as to use his own life force to the bitter end.”

“BUT WHY TELL ME?!” I screamed, not giving a damn who heard. “Why are you telling me all of this, what does any of this have to do with me?!”

“If you were given the chance.” Discord said, still remaining calm. “Would you go to Equestria and join the fight against the Caribou?”

“Fuck yes!” I answered without even the slightest hesitation.

“Even if it meant risking your very life? For Dainn has accumulated very dark forces to ensure his rein that the other human can only imagine what they are. I wouldn’t put it past that he just might be in over his head. So if you were to take this chance, would you be willing to put your life on the line? Why?”

“First off yes I would. And that bastard Dainn could have a million armies, and I could only be armed with a butter knife, but I would still fight. As for the why.” I took a moment to calm myself down as I thought long and hard about it. “The My Little Pony show helped me out when I was at my weakest. A point where I had lost my family and even considered suicide. I owe it to them to help save their lives, like they did with my own.”

Discord stared at me for a moment and then smiled and nodded his head. “Such determination, just as I presumed you to be. Very well, Draco Saurian, please kneel.”

“Uh, okay?” I did as he asked and kneeled down. “Now what?”

“Do you swear to fight with all your soul and to always stand by your morals?”

“Uh…yes?” I answered, still confused on where he was going with this.

“Do you swear to never let anything undermine you or your efforts to regain the peace stolen?”

“Yes.” I said, feeling a bit annoyed by how long it’s taking him to get to the point.

“Then I, Discord, Lord of Chaos, hereby name you the Champion of Chaos!” He cheered, snapping his fingers and confetti flew around everywhere.

“…um what?”

“Just a little title for you since the other human calls himself the Hand of The Devil.” Discord shrugged. “What do you think?”

“Ummm it’s uhhh nice…I’m sorry, but what the heck is the point in this, and how does this help Equestria?”

“It doesn’t!” He cheerfully said. “But as for how you are to go to Equestria, you can’t exactly go into a war zone defenseless, correct?”

“Wait…I’m going to Equestria?” I asked a bit dumbfounded. “B-but how? I thought you said your power was stolen?”

“I never said that, however I am severely weakened and am using the last of my power to contact you and bring you to Equestria with a little incentive to aid you. Still interested?”

I nodded my head now spurred on by curiosity. “Yeah I'm still in, but what do you mean by incentive?”

Discord snapped his fingers and a flash of light appeared between us. A strange stone, the size of a half dollar coin, sat on the bench and Discord picked it up. “This is a little something I like to call the Fossilized Amulet. With it, you shall have the power to take the forms of those prehistoric creatures you have been learning about in those classes of yours. What were they called again?”

My eyes widened a bit as I quickly caught onto what he meant. “DINOSAURS?!”

“Ah yes, dinosaurs.” He nodded. “Along with them, any other prehistoric creature that existed in this world’s ancient past. You see, the way the amulet works is that you can transform certain parts of your body into different aspects of dinosaurs such as wings of a pterodactyl, the tail of a stegosaurus, the head of a parasaur, the legs of a velociraptor, and so on and so forth. Not to mention that the scales will be as hard as gemstones.”

I picked up the small jem stone and admired it. It was perfectly smooth, and was practically see through in the moon’s light. “This is incredible, but uh, how do I use it exactly?”

“Just press it against your chest. Fair warning, it will be quite the, ahem, unpleasant experience as the stone is embedded into your flesh and bone.” Discord said hesitantly.

I gulped feeling a bit nervous now. “So once I put this thing on, we can head to Equestria?”

“Correct, and you shall no longer be a normal human, but an agent of chaos!” Discord said cheerfully. “But heed this warning as well, this will be the last we will speak to each other until you rescue me from my stone prison. I also suggest you spend some time honing your newly acquired abilities and attempting to contact the Hand. He’ll be the one with the large crimson red wings, residing in Ponyville.”

I stared at the gem in my hand with great intensity. “Just one last question before I go. Where are you in Equestria?”

“I am being used as a garden ornament in the Crystal Empire.” He said with a scowl.

With my questions answered I tossed the gem into the air. “Well then, I’ll be sure to free you, along with helping this Hand you mentioned.” As the gem came back down I snatched out of the air and quickly pressed it into the center of my chest.

When I lifted my hand, the gem stayed on my chest and began pressing against me. I grunted as it pressed through my shirt and felt a warm tingling sensation that seemed to rise in temperature. I hunched over as the burning intensified and I felt my flesh burn as the gem continued to dig its way through my body.

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” I screamed in pure agony as I felt waves of pain surge through my whole body, until I felt myself blacking out.

“I wish you luck on your journey! I look forward to shaking your hand!” Discord called out as I saw him raise his lion paw in the air.

SNAP!

End of Flashback
Dimitri 1st POV

As Draco ended his story, we were all completely blown away. Draco made sure to keep the parts about Equestria being part of a television show out of the story for obvious reasons, but it was still shocking to hear all that Discord had told him and done for him.

“Holy buck…” Soarin said.

“That’s all so…incredible.” Twilight said.

Draco smirked as he moved his hand to gently pull down the collar of his shirt, revealing to us all the gem that Discord had given him.

“Holy hay.” Rainbow gasped. “It really is melted in your chest…that’s awesome.”

“Did it hurt?” Fluttershy asked, concerned.

“I don’t want to scare anypony, but yes it really did. The pain caused me to pass out.” Draco admitted.

“Damn dude, you’re hard core.” Zephyr said.

“What happened after you were brought here by Discord?” Cadence wondered.

“When I woke up I found myself on some mountain near Salt Lick City. It was there where I started to practice using my new powers.” Draco let go of his shirt as he continued. “I spent maybe a month or so practicing, it was pretty hard to get used to but eventually it got the point where it felt natural.”

“What does it feel like when you transform?” Twilight inquired as she was already scribbling on a piece of paper.

Draco tapped his chin for a moment as he gave the idea some thought. “Hmm, well it’s hard to explain really. At times it can be painful to morph, other times it feels like a good stretch.” He looked back to Twilight. “Remember how weird it felt to suddenly have wings?”

“Don’t remind me…” Twilight said then tilted her head. “Wait, how did you know I grew wings and that it was weird for me?”

“Oh, well before I got here Discord mentioned how you became a princess. Also I think when the gem was melded into me I saw a flash of Equestria’s history. A large portion seemed to revolve around you and your friends, as well as Lock and his fight against the Caribou.”

“I see.” Twilight nodded.

“Does that mean you saw everything before the Caribou came?” Rainbow asked hesitantly.

“I certainly hope you did not see any embarrassing events.” Rarity accused.

“Umm.” Draco turned his head while lightly scratching his cheek with one finger. “M-maybe.”

“Ya know what, Ah’d rather not know.” Applejack said.

“Hey Draky!” Pinkie chirped, appearing out of nowhere beside Draco. “Do you like parties?”

Draco folded his arms and stared at the pink mare. “No, I don’t like parties.”

“Wh-what...?” Pinkie whimpered as her mane started to deflate.

Draco smirked and chuckled. “I don’t like…I love them.”

Pinkie’s mane immediately sprung up and she hugged him in a warm embrace.

“That’s so great! I’m gonna throw you a-”

“PINKIE PIE!”

All heads snapped to the doors of the throne room to see one of my crew members, who Draco and I both recognized as Pokey Pierce, run in completely out of breath. He and Pinkie had become good friends but the look on his face told me something was very wrong.

“Pokey? What’s wrong?” Pinkie wondered.

“Radio…distress…Rock Farm…!” Pokey wheezed.

Before anything else could be said Draco pulled out of Pinkie’s embrace and bolted out of the room.

“Draco wait!” I called out but he was already out of the room. I turned to Pokey with a stern gaze. “Pokey! Report now!”

“Pinkie told me…” Pokey said, catching his breath. “To keep an eye on the radio for her family’s reply. I just got a call from her dad, the Caribou arrived at the Rock Farm and they’re trapped in the mines!”

“WHAT?!” Everyone yelled.

“Prep the ship for launch ASAP!” I ordered. “I’m headed after Draco!”

“Yes sir!”

I looked back to Pinkie who was trembling a little. “Don’t worry, we’ll get your family back home safe.”

“Ya want me to come with ya?” Phill asked.

“No, we can handle this.” I said.

While my crew ran out the door with me and towards the ship, I jumped in the air and flapped my wings and rocketed through the skies. After a few minutes of high speed flying, I managed to catch off to Draco and he was flying at top speed with pterodactyl wings for arms.

“Draco!” I called out.

He didn’t respond as he flapped his wings harder and faster. The speed he was going at was something I didn’t think he could pull off. I took the opportunity to relay all I was told to him, which only made him more angry.

“Please…” I growled as embers flickered in the wind off my body. “Please let us make it this time.”

Author's Note

What could this dark power of Lock’s be? Discord gave so much for the sake of his friends, hopefully he’ll be saved soon. As for the Rock Farm…one can only hope they make it it in time.

Side note: The character Draco Saurian is an OC my co-writer, The Saiyan Brony, came up with when I asked him to write this story with me. What are your thoughts on Draco so far? Any feedback is appreciated.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…