Chapter 32

Draco 1st POV

I watched Lock’s crew anxiously prepare for the battle that was about to start in just under an hour as we neared the Crystal Empire. I looked over to Alpha Squad to see them wearing their own gear and armed with weapons. Swift was armed with a broadsword, Big B had a claymore strapped to his back, Cloud and Ace both had rifles with bayonets, and Shadow had two straps with daggers crossing over her chest. Flash, Zephyr, and Maud were talking among themselves, probably talking about how to use their powers or something, and Lock was examining his swords. I looked down at my hand and opened and closed my palm. This was gonna be my first real fight, and against Sombra of all ponies, and I knew that I had to be prepared for whatever he was gonna throw at me.

“Nervous?”

I looked up to see Lock walk over to me as he sheathed his red sword.

“It’s a foreboding feeling, isn't it? Fighting a war, risking your life, taking lives? War does that to people, that's why it never changes.”

“I’m not scared if that’s what you’re worried about. Hell I’m not even scared of dying.” I looked out as the ship flew across the sky. “It’s losing and the ponies having to suffer any more of this.”

“We won’t lose,” he said reassuringly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll liberate Equestria, and the rest of the world. You and I know better than anyone just how important this world is to us. Dainn may have the Sins backing him, even Sombra, but that won’t stop us from keeping us from victory.”

I took a moment to breathe in then out before nodding. “Yeah, you’re right.” I glanced out and could see we were approaching our destination. “You better get going man, you need to be behind the city before we make our move.”

“Got it,” He nodded and checked his pistols, swords, and spear to make sure they were secure. He stepped up on the railing and pulled over his jacket’s hood. It was a little creepy how his face became hidden in shadow, but I’d rather not question it. “If we both make it out of this, you and I are having a beer together,” Lock said confidently as he unfurled his wings and back flipped off the railing and I soon saw him fly away and out of sight.

“I don’t drink but okay,” I chuckled as he took off before I could protest. I turned to ponies and put the mask he lent me on and prepared for the battle ahead. “Alright everypony, the time is now I hope you’re prepared.”

“Hey Draco, you and the boss seem to know what Sombra is like, and I heard about him from my sister once a while ago. Is he as bad as everypony says he is?” Zephyr asked.

I took a moment to think about that. “He’s definitely not a pony you should underestimate. But it doesn’t matter, he’s going down one way or another.”

“You know, you sound sexy when you talk seriously,” Shadow winked at me. “You just promise me that you won’t get killed. I'd hate for my first relationship to end as soon as it began.”

I could feel my cheeks burn as I gulped nervously. “Umm…trust me, I don’t plan on dying this day.” I tried my best to remain stoic and was thankful that the mask was hiding my blush.

“You’re blushing behind that mask, aren’t you?” Flash teased, making me slug his shoulder.

“Shut up or I swear to Celestia and Luna you will need an ice pack on your crotch for years to come.” I growled.

“CRYSTAL EMPIRE, DEAD AHEAD!” We all heard the pony from the crow’s nest call out.

We all looked in front of us as I raised my hand to signal The Prometheus to stop in mid air along with the rest of the fleet. The sight of the Empire was a bittersweet display as it looked like a literal shadow of its former self. I clenched my fist at the thought of who knows what kind of atrocities were going on in there, and Lust was just lounging in the main tower like the smug bastard he no doubt was. Worst of all, it was much colder here and the winds were shrouding the city, making it lose its shine and look all gloomy and dank.

“Holy hay…what happened to the Empire?” Rainbow shuttered.

“It wasn’t this bad when Shining Armor evacuated his family and some of the citizens he could,” Flash said. “It looks so…dark.”

I could sense that most ponies were starting to feel fear as they stared at the once beautiful kingdom. I had to boost morale. “A shadow of a cruel creature cast its darkness across the once beautiful kingdom.” I started before looking at all those around me. “But that’s why we are here. We are the light that will chase the darkness back to whatever hole it crawled out of. This day will end with the Crystal Empire rescued and our enemies licking their wounds as they run in fear of us.”

That seemed to boost their spirits as they all got into battle positions. I looked over the railing and managed to spot Lock in the far distance as he was circling around the city. I could swear I saw smoke trailing behind him, which meant he was already very pissed at the sight of the Empire.

Good luck, man, you’ll sure as hell need it.

“Hey Draco, want me to whip up some fog to hide the fleet? We can catch them more off guard that way,” Zephyr offered. I remembered Lock telling me that he had the power to control the weather on his own, which reminded me of that one Marvel hero. Guess that explains why he wanted to change his name to Zephyr Storm.

“That would be a smart decision. I want you to keep the fleet hidden until after phase one,” I turned to Maud and a few ponies with sniper rifles. “Maud how good are you with your new powers?”

“I can move large boulders the size of a house and even use large rocks to hover with,” she said in her monotone voice.

“Can you make walls strong enough to block bullets and make small holes from the snipers to look through and shoot?” I asked.

“I can do that, how big and how wide?”

“Big enough for the snipers to see through and enough for them to aim their rifles. One last thing, can you move the walls?”

“Yes, I can manipulate and shape any form of rock as I see fit,” Maud said. “It’s fitting since I want to bury them all in stone and crush them alive and watch the blood seep out of their eyes and ears.”

......okay, gonna need to get her a therapist after the battle. I gulped nervously as I tried to pretend that one of my favorite ponies didn’t say that.

“I need you to keep the wall behind me and moving as we start with phase one.”

Maud blinked and tilted her head as if she didn't understand what I meant. “Why would you want it to follow you? Shouldn’t you be behind the wall?”

“I need to get the enemy’s attention, and if I’m hiding behind a wall they will think I’m not the real Devil’s Hand.”

“I see, then I can do that,” Maud nodded.

“Uh sir? You might wanna look at this…” a pony stallion said sounding nervous, handing me a spyglass.

As Zephyr was waving his arms around, keeping the fog around the fleet, I took the spyglass and looked towards the Empire. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until I spotted someone standing on the balcony where the throne room was. My blood ran a little cold as I saw a Caribou stag, wearing dark red armor and had large antlers. I could see that his eyes were a bloody red and he had a few mares crawling behind him, acting like dogs. He didn’t seem to notice us as he looked down towards the city, but I already knew who it was I was looking at.

“So that is one of the Sins?” I could tell that the ponies around me were starting to get nervous yet again, and who could blame them. But I knew that this was inevitable. “Well I’m more than sure that Lock will have no problems taking him out.” I spoke in a confident tone.

“Lemme look,” Rainbow said, snatching the eyeglass. Only when she looked through, she gasped and started trembling and fell to her knees.

“Dash?!” Sorin said as he knelt down to her and she hugged herself.

“H-How can anypony…look so frightening…?!”

I was starting to get worried now, Dash is no coward and if only the sight of Lust alone can cause her to tremble in fear, then I can only wonder how they would act if he was standing before us?

“Draco…” I turned to see Shadow now looking through the eyeglass and she looked to me with fear in her eye. “You mean to tell us…there’s six others like him? And we have to fight against them?"

I let out a deep sigh. “No we aren’t going to fight them.”

“We aren’t?”

“After all that pep talk we’re headed back already?” Swift asked.

“But what about Captain Lock? We can’t just leave him in there!” Berry snapped.

I held up my hand to silence them all. “We aren’t going to fight them…we’re going to slaughter them.”

That seemed to snap them out of their anxiety as the fog now completely surrounded the ship and the fleet. Fleetfoot walked up to me with the radio to speak with the other ships and I held it up to speak with the other helmsponies.

“To all who hear me, know that fear is something we all experience. But ask yourself this, what do you fear more on this day? Death? Or the suffering that all those we love will have to suffer should we lose this day?”

I could hear their cries of courage as I then prepared myself to begin the battle and give the order. “When I give you the signal, I want every last one of you to unleash a roar that even the heavens can hear. Let it strike fear into the hearts of those who stand in your way, for it will be the last sound they hear before they are sent to hell!!”

The ships carrying our land troops descended to the ground, The Prometheus included, as our gun ships stayed in the air. Once we landed, all the troops got in formation as the fog still kept us hidden. Everyone was on edge as they awaited my signal and I could feel my adrenaline screaming at me to make the call for hell to break loose. I slowly raised my hand as I held the radio and took a deep breath.

With everything set and ready I asked for a flare gun and slipped it onto my belt and prepared myself for the fight ahead. I drew the replica sword that was made to look like Lock's. It may not hold the same power but it’s both real and looks the part. Moving my hand to my throat I adjusted my voice and did a few test quotes before walking straight for the Crystal Empire. The wall moved behind me as I continued my slow trek. I could see on the crystal walls a few stags on guard and they seemed to notice me. Thanks to my keen hearing, I could hear what they were saying in the distance and past the wind.

“By the gods, it’s the Devil of The Caribou!”

“He dares to attack the empire on his own?!”

“All rifles! Take aim and open fire!”

Beneath my disguise I empowered myself with the armor of an Ankylosaurus. When the bullets came flying all they did was bounce off my body like balls of rubber against steel.

“What the buck?!"”

“How is he taking the bullets?! These weapons were supposed to be instant kill!”

“Keep firing! He can’t keep this up! Bring more rifles!”

I smiled as they continued to waste their bullets, all the while I raised my hand and snapped my fingers to signal my snipers to do their job. A flurry of the rifles then fired from the wall and hit the stags, killing them one by one. They all seemed to be in a panic and tried firing back but to no avail.

“How is he doing this?!”

“Buck this! Send out the armies and the War Beasts! He can’t take on an entire army by himself!”

I saw the large gate open and hundreds, if not thousands, of enemy soldiers charge out. I stopped my walking briefly to taunt them to keep charging blindly in my direction. As they charged with their weapons drawn and War Beast attack dogs, I took this as the opportunity to spring the trap. I pulled the flare gun from my belt and aimed it into the sky firing it, sending a bright red flame shooting into the sky. I looked over my shoulder to see the fog dissipate and reveal the ships and our army. The Caribou stopped in their tracks at the sudden reveal and Maud lowered the wall and walked up next to me. Flash and Zephyr then joined us when they flew down next to me, then Alpha Squad as Shadow teleported the squad, and lastly the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash. We all stared the enemy down as I smiled evilly at their shocked faces.

“Helmspony,” I said through the radio. “Drop my needle.” As soon as I gave the order, a song played through the loudspeakers that echoed throughout the battlefield.

“Let them hear you roar!!” I called out holding my sword up in the air.

“WWWWOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

The army and I then charged all at once at the enemy. Flash sped off and began mowing them down with his speed, Zephyr conjured up mini tornadoes and sent them flying, and Maud hurdled large boulders she kicked up and demolished all in her way. Alpha Squad started working in tandem at any enemy they came across as Shadow kept up a shield to protect them from enemy fire. The Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash soared through the skies and kept swooping down to strike their foes as a team. A few stags came charging at me, armed with swords and spears as I readied myself to dispatch them.

Due to a lack of training with guns I didn't bother to draw out the ones on my belt, however I did have some skills when it came to sword combat. I charged my enemies parrying their attacks before slicing them in half or decapitating their heads from their shoulders.

“Now the real fun begins.”

3rd POV

Flash came whizzing by the enemy army in an orange streak and struck multiple enemies at once. He then made his hands blurry and skewered two stag's chests and rip their hearts out. A stag tried to stab him form behind but Flash dodged him with ease and delivered a high speed roundhouse kick that tore his head clean off.

“I learned that one from the boss!” Flash said confidently.

Zephyr was high in the air as his bright silver eyes stared down at the enemy forces. He whipped his arms around and flared his wings as he whipped up powerful mini storms. He bombarded them with huge chunks of hail, he cast small lighting bolts from black clouds, and he even swooped down to fight them face to face Thanks to his constant training, he was able to fight toe-to-toe with some of the stags and even use his powers to blow many of them away.

“No more nightmares! I’ll summon any kind of storm to blow you all to smithereens!”

Maud was demolishing all in her wake without remorse. She kept her monotone expression as she kicked up boulders and smashed them into the bodies of the Caribou. Some traitor stallions tried to flank her, but she twisted her ankle and made them tip. She looked coldly at the stallions before waving her hand to make a hole in the ground. Once they fell in, she clenched her hand and made the hole close up, crushing them from the inside.

“That was for my father…you motherbuckers.”

Alpha Squad worked together and scored the most kills out of the individual troops. Ace and Cloud were up in the air and took shots through their rifles at any who got too close to Shadow’s barrier. Meanwhile Big B and Swift were back to back and took on any enemy that tried to get the drop on them. A stag went for a side strike on Berry but he managed to block him as Swift leaped over his shoulders and came down on the stag and stabbed him through his eye. When a traitor stallion tried to shoot him, Cloud shot him first and swooped down to slash another with his bayonet.

“Shadow! Behind you!” Ace shouted.

A stag snuck up behind Shadow and was about to stab her back. before he could, a creature of unknown origin tackled the stag to the ground. When he looked up, he was met with bloody razor sharp fangs and a pair of bright yellow eyes.

“Th-The Beast…” he muttered.

Draco in his raptor form snapped his jaws on the Caribou’s throat and began to violently shake it, causing the stag to scream out in bloody terrors before his neck was ripped off blood gushing everywhere.

“IT’S THE BEAST!”

“KILL IT! STAB IT WITH YOUR BLADES! FIRE WITH YOUR RIFLES!”

“BRING THAT MONSTROSITY DOWN!”

Draco roared at the group of stags and charged forward, shifting from a raptor to triceratops. Every bullet fired at him did little to hinder his charge as he crashed through the enemy and even skewered some of them on his two massive horns.

“WAR BEASTS! FIRE AT THAT MONSTER!”

A group of War Beasts lined up and opened their maws to fire fireballs at Draco as he charged through in his triceratops form. Draco narrowly dodged the fireballs before darting forward shifting his form into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. He ducked to one side before bringing his jaws down to clamp down around the neck of one, biting down till the neck snapped. Lifting the now dead War Beast it into the air and swinging it to slam into the others.

The War Beasts roared in anger at the Rex as they tried to charge at Draco with their horns pointed at his legs. Seeing the attack coming a mile away, Draco swung the lifeless body at one then quickly moved out of the way of another to slam his jaws down on it's back and bite down to the bone. The War Beast cried out in agony as a huge chunk of its flesh was ripped of and Draco swallowed it whole. The remaining War Beasts stopped their charge and started to cower away. Draco let out a loud roar that made them run away in the other direction and Draco let out a mocking grunt.

"They're too strong!"

"Retreat! Retreat back to the gates! Seal it off until reinforcements get here!"

As the enemy ran back the the city, Draco used the snow that was kicked up as an opportunity to change back into a human without them noticing.

“Boss!”

Flash ran up to Draco with Zephyr, Maud, and Alpha Squad joining him.

“We have them on the run. Keep moving forward but remember to not go for the castle. We want to keep their focus on us and lure them out.” Draco ordered as the song came to an end.

Draco 1st POV

We all made for the gate and saw the dead enemy soldiers that littered the battlefield. I noticed some of our own troops, which made me frown but we knew that this was inevitable.

“Hey Draco, should we unleash the fleet’s cannons yet when we get inside?” Berry wondered.

Took note of our surroundings before nodding to him. “Yes but aim it farther ahead of our own troops. I don’t want any friendly fire while I'm leading.”

We made it to the gate where our troops were banging on the door. We all pushed them aside and I was face to face with a double door made of crystal. “It’s rude to just barge in, babe,” Shadow smirked. “Why don’t you give it a knock to see if anypony’s home?”

I smiled before shifting into a T-rex and crashing my head through the double doors knocking them off their hinges. Turning back I smile at my work.

“Knock knock is any pony home?!”

The enemy were stunned at the sudden entrance as our troops poured in and continued to cut down the enemy before us. As we made it further in the city, I noticed that some of the residents were slaves. There were crystal mares wearing collars and even crystal stallions wearing rags for clothes. I remembered that Lock told me that the brainwashing didn't work on the crystal ponies for some reason, which was beneficial for us in the long run.

“What should we do about the crystal ponies sir?” Cloud asked.

“They’re all freaked from the fighting,” Swift said.

I took a moment to consider what I should do. In war every decision can mean life and death. I turned to Flash and Zephyr.

“I want you two to chase off any enemies you see with an eight block radius.” I turned to Dash and pointed to one of our ships. “Dash, I need you to fly up and get one of the ships to come down for a pick up. We’re gonna get these ponies to safety as fast as we can.” I looked to Maud next. “Maud when the ships come down I want you to make some walls to shield the ponies as they head for the ship.”

They all nodded and went to work as the rest of us headed more into the city as the fighting raged on. We all then spotted a fully armored stallion and behind him were rows of other stags behind him. Each of them were wearing special looking armor, which probably meant they were the elite guards, as the lead stag stepped forward while tugging on a leash with a crystal mare hooked to it

“HAND! STEP FORWARD AND FACE ME! BY ORDER OF THE WAR CHIEF, I SHALL SLAY YOU MYSELF!”

I glared at the stallion as he pulled a mare by her leash, it sickened me to no end. But I knew better than to charge in and risk getting her harmed. What’s worse is that I sent Flash off who could have swooped in and picked her up so I wouldn’t have to hold back. Which left me with no other choice but to try and play along. I stepped forward and held my arms out. “I’m right here, let the mare go and I will happily fight you all on my own. Harm a single hair of her mane and you will face my army all at once.” I spoke out in Lock’s voice.

“HAH! We don’t take orders from a traitor male like you! Tell me something, Hand, why waste your strength on sluts like these anyway?!” The stallion mocked, yanking the leash. “With your power, you could have heaps of sluts tending to your every sexual desire you please!”

I needed to buy time, just long enough till Flash or the others got here. My power makes me strong and fast, but not fast enough to not risk the mare’s life. “Your offer sounds pretty interesting, but what about sexual diseases, like AIDS? I don’t know about you guys but I don't want to catch that if I can help it.”

“You talk real funny, Hand,” the stallion chortled as he leaned in to grab the mare’s breast, making her shudder in disgust. “This is my personal cunt among many, I have plans to force her to sire me a foal and you’re getting in the way of that. So why don’t you just get on your knees and let my men hack you to bits so I can spend the rest of the day bucking her until she passes out?”

“How about I make you a better deal?” I called out trying to buy just a bit more time. “You guys are surrounded now, and I will spare your lives and hand you over to the angel Phillip. He will help you redeem yourself and spare you a trip to Hell.”

“The Angel? You mean that bastard who took most of the stallions with him? You’re his allies?!” The stallion spat angrily.

“He’s everyone’s ally to those who seek redemption. Consider my offer, because if you don’t let the mare go or worse harm her, you will die before you can even beg for mercy.”

“You insignificant! I’ll-!”

WHOOSH!

A orange blur whizzed passed him and the mare was gone from the leash. He looked around frantically for the mare and looked back at me with a glare.

“HOW IN THE?!”

I didn't care to answer as I slowly began to turn into my Indominus Rex form towering over the stags as I snarled at them. Before he could turn to retreat, a wall of crystal shot up around us as his elite guards were cut off and Zephyr began taking them on.

“Th-The Beast?! H-How did you-?! W-Wait…let’s talk about this!”

I slowly made my way towards the armored stag licking my lips as each step I took made the ground shake the ground.

“WHAT ARE YOU?!?”

I lunged forward and bit down on his upper body and shook his body around in my jaws before biting him in half.

I chewed the torso before swallowing and the walls lowered. I reverted back to my human form and saw a massive wave of elite guards and War Beasts charging our way.

“Sir! We managed to evacuate half of the population,” Ace said as he flew up to me.

“What about the area where all those elite guards are coming from?” I asked.

“None in that direction.”

I smirked as I pulled out the radio to order the fleet.

“All war ships rain hell upon the bastards, make these roaches come out of their hiding spots.”

Suddenly, a volley of cannons firing from outside the city was heard. Shadow and the rest of the unicorn soldiers put up a massive barrier around us as the shells exploded all in front of us. The ground shook as multiple explosions obliterated the Caribou forces as we heard their screams of agony. The bombardment continued for about another minute or two before finally stopping along with most of the screams. As the smoke cleared, the area where the cannons fired destroyed over half the buildings and the enemy was in shambles. As they tried to collect themselves, Shadow and the unicorns lowered the shield and the troops moved in to finish them off. I noticed one stag trying to crawl away, but I had a few questions in mind. I marched over to him and stepped on his armor’s cloak, making him flinch and look up at me with fear in his eyes.

“Hello there. You look like you know a thing or two.” I changed my hand into black claws and brought them down to scrap along his neck. “What don't you spill the beans?”

“I-I have nothing to say to you!” He spat in his foolish attempt to act tough

“Okay that works for me I was getting hungry.” I smiled as I removed the mask as I showed a mouth full of razor sharp teeth readying to have myself a mid battle snack.

“N-NO! I’LL TALK! DON'T EAT ME!” He pleaded, dropping the tough guy act all together.

“Why waste your time with him?” Maud asked, levitating a crystal chunk over him. “Just let me crush him and be done with it.”

I glared at Maud. “Because he has information I want, and it’s better to know stuff then run around like a chicken with its head cut off.”

Maud scoffed and backed off as I turned back to the stag who was cowering at my very gaze.

“Wh-What do y-you want from me?!”

“You’re gonna tell me where you are keeping the other slaves.” I said in a threatening tone.

“The slaves are kept in the underground dungeons, near the castle!” The stag panicked, pointing towards the palace.

“But you’ll never get in, we locked it up tight when you and your rebels attacked!”

“Mmm sure you did.” I tossed the stag to Maud and signaled her to kill him. “Now you can kill him.”

“WH-WHAT?! BUT I TOLD YOU WHERE THEY ARE! DON'T YOU WISH TO KNOW HOW TO UNLOCK THE DOORS?!” He pleaded as Maud raised the chunk in the air.

“Oh so you know how to open the door?” I asked with a cocky smirk. “Why didn’t you say that before?" I held my hand up for Maud to stop.

“We have it sealed under special runes so that no slave can escape! Here! Use this to undo the enchantment!” He said, fumbling in his cloak and held out a talisman with a strange looking rune on it.

Taking the rune I examined it and nodded. “Maud cage him, he earned his life for now.”

Maud huffed as she stomped her hoof and moved her hands around to make a cage for him so the rest of the troops could haul him away. As our troops continued to finish off the rest of the enemy, we made our way to the building the stag was talking about. On the way, I glanced up at the castle and where the throne room balcony was. Thanks to my keen hearing, I could swear I heard the sounds of metal clashing which meant Lock’s fight against Lust was just starting.

“Send him back to Hell, Lock, and I’ll take care of the rest down here.” I said to no one as I put the mask back on and headed off to where the slaves were being held.

We soon arrived at a large crystal building that had chains in front of the door. I held out the talisman and the chains glowed and fell off the door. “Great, now we can go in and save the slaves,” Zephyr stated but I held up my hand to the group to stop them.

“You guys stay out here, I’m not sure if that stag's info is truly good.” I turned back to give them a serious look as I lifted my mask up. “Wait out here in case something goes south.”

“You’re going in by yourself?” Ace asked.

“Come on, man, you’ll probably need help getting those crystal ponies out of there,” Swift said but I shook my head.

“Look just stay here until I scope it out, if it’s safe then I will call you down. Since I’m leading this time for this fight I will not have a single one of you die on my watch.”

Shadow walked up to me and hugged me tight and kissed me on the lips. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?” She said with worry in her eyes and voice.

I smiled and kissed her back. “No promises babe.” With that I turned back to the door and made my way inside, on full alert.

As I walked inside, I could feel a sense of dread within that made my skin crawl a little. I walked down the stairs to be met with dozens of cells. The cells everywhere and in each one had a crystal pony or two. The stallions looked like they were barely fed and the mares all had collars on, each ranging from black, red, or purple. I just needed to find the keys to free them but I couldn't help but feel as though I was being watched by some sort of dark force.

I sniffed the air and stopped dead in my tracks. “You can come out now. I know you’re hiding in here.” I called out when I picked up the scent of cologne, a scent no prisoners would have.

“Hmmhmmhmmhmm…” A voice echoed throughout the the halls. “You made quite the mess, Hand of the Devil.” I knew that voice, I could recognize that pompous tone anywhere.

“Ahh well what can I say, I’m a messy guy. Not like you ever cleaned up your own messes…Blueblood.”

Suddenly, shadows swirled around the room and flickered right in front of me. I almost thought it was Sombra, but what came from the shadows made my eyes widen in shock. It was Blueblood himself, dressed in Sombra’s armor, but he was…different. His horn was red and curved, his mane and tail were black and flickered like fire, his eyes were red with a purple trail seeping out from the sides, but his fur was just as white as Celestia's. It was like I was staring at some weird fusion of Blueblood and Sombra as the stallion gazed at me with a sadistic grin.

“That’s King Blueblood to you, whelp.”

As I stared at the stallion before me there was only one thing I could do. “Prffff hahahahaha!! Ohohoh hahahaha!!!” I clutched my sides as I couldn't keep myself from laughing.

“You insolent cur! How dare you laugh at me!” Blueblood seethed.

“Oh dear God this is too good.” I laughed as I was crying from laughing too hard. “They sent your sorry ass? What, was Iron Will too busy?”

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with, you wretch!” Blueblood seethed as the purple trails on his eyes flared.

I tried my best to calm down, this was a battle I wanted to savor more than anything .”Okay okay, sorry it just surprised me that you’re the king that we heard about is all. But by means please say what you have to say.”

“Why would it surprise you? Were you expecting somepony else?” Blueblood crossed his arms.

“Yeah, somepony more competent." I muttered under my breath, before clearing my throat. “I mean I just wasn’t expecting you of all ponies to be on the front lines is all.”

“If you were expecting that fool Sombra…” He trailed off, his grin widening more. “He’s dead.”

“Oh no not sombra, how did he die?” I said in a less than eager tone. Honestly I wanted to let him talk as much as he wanted before I had my fun.
Blueblood snapped his fingers and I heard what sounded like chains rattling. All of a sudden, chains shot out from the shadows and clamped on to my wrists and ankles. They then pulled my limbs and I was forced on my knees as I tried to break them.

“Whoa there buddy I don’t swing that way, and I’m not into this whole kinky tying up stuff either.” I joked knowing full well these chains will do jackshit to keep me down, but for the fun I will play along.

Blueblood said nothing as he walked up to me. I was smirking under the mask until he raised his fist and slugged my gut. I wheezed as pain shot through my whole body from the sudden impact of his fist. He then raised his other fist and slammed it in my face and kicked me hard in the chest. I grunted as my body went limp a little but Blueblood’s horn then started to glow. I then felt like my whole body was on fire as my body glowed along with his horn and I clenched my teeth to bear the pain.

“Lord Lust knows all about your abilities,” Blueblood began. “These chains are made of a special material that dampens your power, leaving you as helpless as you are now.”

That bit surprised me. A material that can dampen Lock’s powers? I needed to learn more, because if this blood shit has it than do the other sins have it too? "Is that why I'm not roasting your ass over an open fire right now." I clutched and unclutched my hands to simulate how Lock would some his flames.

“Hmph, you catch on quick, it is called Seastone,” he explained while pacing in front of me. “It is a rare element that harnesses the properties of the sea itself. Little known fact, a user of the Devil’s fruit cannot swim in the sea ever again. The Sins provided this stone for their forces in case anypony like you appeared. So you could say they knew you would one day come for them. You were a fool to come in here and underestimate me, and once I’ve dealt with you I’ll carve my way through each city you and that accursed Saint have liberated and claim them for my own.”

“Not that this isn’t interesting and I would love to hear you ramble on about how you’re gonna win, but what happened to Sombra?”

“Oh, I’ll tell you all about that but first,” Blueblood lit his horn and a projection like screen appeared in the air. I could then see the outside and the group and our forces stop what they were doing. When they looked in our direction, they all gasped and I saw Shadow go wide-eyed and tears forming in her eyes. “Let’s show them how easily I’ve bested you.” Blueblood then proceeded to wail on me by punching, kicking, and blasting me with dark magic. I could bear most pain, but this all hurt like hell and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep up the ruse before making my move.

God, I don’t know what’s worse, having to let this dumbass wail on me like he’s the top dog, or holding back from ripping the number one character in my top five mlp characters to shreds.

Blood seeped down my face and dripped off my mask as I just sat on my knees with my arms hanging out. I glanced up at the screen to see Shadow being held back by Swift and Berry.

She's definitely gonna let me have it after this…

“Ah, that felt good. Now as for Sombra, his very life force and power was drained by Dainn Stonehoof and transferred to me by forcing that fool Discord when he freed him from the void and trapped him with his magic. It was proper payment for helping take the Crystal Empire so easily.”

The fact that this little bastard helped take control of the Crystal Empire and by extension played a role in Shining Armor’s death made my blood boil. I was going to enjoy myself today. “So you’re gonna kill me when I’m weak and tied down by this seastone?”

“No, not just yet,” Blueblood hummed as he glanced at the screen. Shadow looked like she was hysterical with worry and Blueblood looked back at me. When he glanced back at Shadow, his sickening grin returned. “She’s quite beautiful, that mare, a top quality looking slave.”

Any other given time I would be furious and would just slaughter this prick, but I was going to have my fun first and get some information out of him. “You can try but even if you kill me, what’s your plan for the Beast of Chaos, and the Saint? They don’t have devil powers like me, so these stones won’t affect them.”

“True, but I doubt the Beast and the Saint would be much of a threat to the Sins,” Blueblood mocked. “After all, look at you. You’re bound by the chains and are at my mercy. Once I mount your head on a pike, I shall set my sights on that accursed hick down Ponyville and make that wannabe Alicorn my personal broodmare. Not only that, but I shall also sever the horns off those degenerate aunts of mine and throw them to the legions of Caribou so that they will spend the rest of their lives as nothing but a couple of common whores. I believe I shall start my campaign by making you beg for death, by rutting that mare who seems to be the most worried for you.”

“And times up.” I said in a calm tone.

“What are you blabbering about?” He scoffed. “I only just got started torturing you.”

I chuckled a bit. “Don’t get me wrong, you have done some decent damage compared to all the soldiers I’ve killed today.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Blueblood, while I would love to stand here and listen to you talk till the heat death of the universe, I quite literally have a million better things to do. So here’s the deal, I want you to hit me as hard you can.”

“Oh? Is that right?”

“Now hold on there, you may have misheard me,” I cut him off before he got the wrong idea. “Not half as hard, not some arbitrary percentage. I want you to hit me, as hard as you can.”

“And if I don’t play along? Honestly, it would be better if I just blast you to smithereens right now,” Blueblood rolled his red eyes.

“Well I guess you’re as weak of a pony as you were from the beginning,” I said with an honest to God smile on my face, not that he could see it of course. Blueblood seethed at me and coated his fist in dark shadowy magic. He then raised it in the air and brought it down and slammed it across my face. But he didn’t stop with just one, he then proceeded to coat his other hand in dark magic and began wailing on me. After about a minute or so of him punching me, which hurt each time, he wheezed and smiled sadistically at me.

“You got what you wanted, had enough?”

I chuckled a bit. “Yeah, I said I’ve had my fill, thanks for making this meal all the more tasty.” With that I stood up and easily snapped my chains off. “Honestly, I was starting to forget what pain felt like.”

“Wh-what is the meaning of this?!” Blueblood snapped. “Those chains should have weakened you!”

I raised my hand to my neck as I popped a few bones. “Mmm, man, I was getting real stiff there.” I rolled my right shoulder for a minute before quickly slamming my fist straight into Blueblood’s face, sending him back a few feet.

“Gah! How dare you!” Blueblood charged at me with his hands coated in dark magic again. He then tried to land blows on me, but I could see now he was all talk and no game since I effortlessly dodged his attacks or blocked them. “You dare strike me?! I am the new King of Darkness! I have the power of Sombra! You are nothing to me!”

“Please, you’re nothing compared to Sombra, at least he would have been worthy of my time.” I retorted before slapping him across the face.

“Did…did you just slap me?” He muttered in shock.

I swung my hand again, the impact echoing within the room. “Does that answer your question?”

“I WILL END YOU!!”

Blueblood’s horn glowed and a large blast of magic shot towards me. I jumped out of the way just in time, but a second blast hit me, sending me tumbling backwards. I coughed as my body felt a stinging pain but Blueblood didn’t seem to relent. His horn glowed again and shadowy wisps surrounded me. Before I could react, the wisps enveloped me and my body soon felt like it was on fire.

“Heh.” Before I knew it I found myself smiling. “Heheheh, oh yes, that’s more like it!!” I looked at the shit stain of a pony with a sadistic smile behind the mask. “Keep fighting, give me more. I want you to put up a fight before I have my fun!!”

“YOU BUCKING MAD STALLION!” Blueblood yelled as he blasted me with an even bigger shot that slammed me into the wall. “I will kill all of your precious rebel forces, they will all die, and I will force those sluts under my hoof where they belong”

“Kek, you’ll die failing.” Time for the big reveal. I moved my hand to my mask and slipped it off, showing Blueblood my smiling face. “If you can’t beat me, you don’t stand a snowball’s chance in Hell against Lock.”

“Lock?! Wait…you’re not the Hand! Who in Tartarus are you?!”

“Guess I haven’t done a face reveal to go guys huh? Well that’s rude of me, allow me to fix that.” I bowed my head with a hand over my chest. “I am Draco Saurian, but you all know me as the Beast of Chaos.”

“The Beast?!” Blueblood cried, until I leaped forward and clamped my raptor hand around his neck.

“In the flesh.” I gave his neck a squeeze before tossing him across the room. Most of the slaves who were watching from their cells started to cheer a bit.

“So…” Blueblood sneered, wiping his muzzle. “You must be the monster responsible terrorizing Equestira.”

“Sup,” I said casually.

“Aside from the Hand, I heard quite a lot about you.”

“Oh really.” I asked slightly interested.

“The Devourer of The Caribou, who feasts upon the flesh of his victims. A monster, whose power radiates with a darkness that casts a shadow on any unsuspecting poor bastard.”

“Oh you dirty bitch work the shaft,” I spoke in an almost satisfying tone.

“Excuse you?!”

“Oh I’m sorry, I like to dirty talk when somepony is SUCKING MY DICK.”

That got some of the slaves to laugh a little. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you here!” he snapped.

“Oh so am I, and I’m failing. And I’m sorry for that. It’s just I’m so agitated, because instead of fighting King Sombra, I instead get this blond little shit who’s trying to impress me like I’m his drunk alcoholic father.”

Blueblood glared at me as he lunged forward with shadow tendrils behind him and pointed them at my head. Meanwhile I raised my raptor claws and held them in front of his face and neck.

“Be a sport and grab daddy another beer.”

Blueblood screamed as he swung the tendrils at me and they smacked me across my face and hit me in the side. He then charged up his horn again, but I wasn’t about to get blasted again by that damn horn of his.

I swung my clawed fist into his nose sending him flying across the room. I quickly darted for him as I performed a jump kick to his stomach. Blueblood created a shield made of shadow, blocking my kick, and tried to strike my gut with his fist but I managed to block his attack too. We both then grappled each other and tried to push against each other.

“This world belongs to Dainn Stonehoof! You and that Hand are fighting a losing battle and you cannot see it!”

“You’re right I can’t see it!!” I pulled my head back before slamming it into his head while using the skull of Pachycephalosaurus. “Because the fight you’re talking about doesn’t exist, we are going to free this world from scum like you!”

“Gah! It has already been freed! Celestia and Luna, even that slut Cadence, have been in control for too long! The mares outnumber the stallions, but the Caribou were able to bring balance by putting the females in their place!” He shot back, pushing his head against me.

My rage doubled and before I knew it I grabbed him by the throat and tossed him into a nearby wall.

“Just what do you believe in, monster?!” Blueblood sneered as he launched shadow tendrils at me.

“A world better than this!!” I charged forward slicing the tendrils as they came for me.

“What could be better than ruling all who stand before you and taking whatever and whomever you please?!” He argued as he hurled orbs of dark magic at me.

“You scumbag!!” I bobbed and weaved as the orbs came flying trying to get closer to finally slit this fucker's throat once and for all. “You’re just a spoiled colt who cried like a bitch because you didn’t get what you want. Even with all this power that’s all you are!”

“SHUT UP!” He roared as he forced me back by blasting me with magic again. “IT WAS MY BIRTHRIGHT TO BECOME AN ALICORN! NOT SOME CUNT FROM A HICK TOWN! I WAS THE ONE DESTINED TO BE GREAT AND IT WAS STOLEN FROM ME! BUT NOW I AM EVEN GREATER THAN ANYPONY! I AM THE TRUE KING OF EQUESTRIA!”

I clutched my chest where the magic blasted me and started to laugh. “King? You’re not a king, you’re a puppet working like a damn dog. The sins rule while you get their sloppy seconds.”

“Just look at you, barely holding on and on your knees where you belong!” Blueblood scoffed. “My power rivals, nay, dwarfs your own! In comparison to you, I am a demigod!”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

“Wannabiebitchwhosegonnadie says what?”

“What?”

With him confused I swung my claw at his leg slicing it clean off, before swinging my other hand to cut off his horn.

“GGGAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” He cried in pain as he fell to the ground.

“You know they say that violence isn't a good way to release tensions. That therapy is better,” I grinned before grabbing my sword and slicing off his other legs and kicking him across the room where the stairs are.

“AAARRRRGGHH!! Ugh, have to get up the stairs…must get up the stairs! If I can just get up the stairs I-!” He looked up to see the long staircase back up to the open and his face went pale. “Oh buck…”

“But I’ll be honest with you Blueballs,” I said darkly causing him to turn slowly to face me. “I honestly feel like kicking your ass and slaughtering you like the pig you are is feeling really therapeutic right now.”

“You monster! I cannot die! I am a King!”

“Oh I thought you were a demigod.” I smiled as I held up his severed leg in my claws. “Well come on demigod, you were talking that good shit a second ago. Right before I cut your fucking legs and horn off.” With little ease I crushed the leg in my hand, breaking the bone and blood spilling everywhere.

“WH-WHAT THE BUCK ARE YOU?!?”

“What’s wrong demigod? Just grow back your legs, summon up your stolen dark magic. HIT ME! FIGHT ME.” I smiled as I stood over him. “Give me a hug.”

“…R-Really?”

I couldn’t help but smile as my teeth grew sharp as I opened them and lounged at my next meal.

3rd POV
Outside the Dungeon Building

The ponies and caribou who were watching the events inside the dungeon had both horror and astonishment at what they were seeing. “Hey we’re here on epic meal time on sauce boss!!” Draco jaws were ripping out the intestine of Blueblood as he screamed in pain and agony begging for him to stop. “And today we’re eating this blond little wannabe demigod.” Caribou and traitor stallions fell to their knees puking as they watched Draco pull out the stallion’s heart, tossing it into the air before swallowing whole. The screams and please coming from Blue Blood started to fade as he gurgled on his own blood.

As Draco feasted on the dying former traitor prince, the prisoners all turned away and covered their ears so as to not watch or hear his gruesome meal. Outside, the remaining Caribou watched the display all up and surrendered without a second thought. As for the traitor stallions, they took the opportunity to abandon their posts and run out of the city with piss stained pants. As Draco was tearing out more of Blueblood’s organs, Alpha Squad and the apprentices were also having a little trouble watching the screen.

“Sweet merciful Celestia…” Flash said quietly.

“Oh gods, I'm gonna be sick!” Zephyr gagged.

“That’s who you chose to be your coltfreind Shadow?” Berry asked.

“Yep, but I guess I underestimated how intense he could be,” Shadow gulped.

Draco sliced the head of the now dead Blueblood and held it up. The tongue hanging out of the severed head and eyes rolled back. “This battle is ours, and the Devil’s Hand will win the war next!!”

The feed cut and the enemy had all surrendered at this point. The rebel army cheered as they gathered up the enemy into groups and forced them to sit together. From the dungeon building doors, Alpha Squad and the apprentices waited for Draco to return. After a few minutes of waiting, the doors opened to reveal the hundreds of crystal ponies trapped inside. As the rebels helped them settle down, Draco walked out, holding his side and covered in blood, as he held Blueblood's head by a rope over his shoulder. He staggered a bit from the damage he had received but approached the ponies with a smile.

“Glad I told you guys to wait out here.” He pulled the mask that Lock had lent him and tossed to Flash, who nearly dropped it. “Make sure that gets back to Lock, I won’t be needing it anymore.”

Shadow shook her head and used her magic to quickly clean the blood off Draco and even out of his mouth. She then jumped at Draco and peppered kisses on his face, making him drop the head.

“Gahh S-Shadow!” Draco’s face soon turned red, not from blood of the battle, but from blushing a storm. “Everypony is watching.”

“I don’t care, you big dummy!” Shadow snapped as she continued to pepper his face. “How could you let him hurt you like that?! I thought he was gonna kill you! Didn’t I tell you not to do anything stupid?!”

“Hey I said no promises,” Draxo argued before wrapping his arms around her. “Besides I always wanted to kill that guy, I thought it was only fair to let him think he could win.”

“You dummy…” Shadow whimpered, lightly beating her fists on his chest. “You big, stupid, brave dummy!”

“Well I’m your dummy now,” Draco chuckled before moving in and kissing her on the lips.

KA-BOOM!!!

The ground shook and startled everyone as they all looked up and gasped. The top of the main tower of the castle was blown off and it looked like it was replaced by roaring flames.

“Sweet stars above!” Flash yelped.

“What the buck is that?!” Ace shouted.

“What’s going on up there?!” Swift wondered.

“Lock’s battle with Lust,” Draco deduced. “Everypony get back on the ships, things might get out of control,” he ordered.

They all nodded and went to spread the word to evacuate the city. Before Draco joined the others, he glanced once more at the pillar of flames and could hear Lock screaming, along with someone else which he could only assume was Lust.

“You better make it out of that alive, Lock. I sure don’t wanna tell Twilight she lost her coltfriend to a sick pervert,” was all he said before picking up Blueblood’s head and running off to catch up with the others.

Meanwhile
The top of the Castle

“GEAR…2ND!!!”

Author's Note

Draco, The Beast, has finished his part of the fight. Now all that’s left is for Dimitri to bring down the first sin. Next chapter and final part of the arc, we turn the clock back and see the battle between The Hand of The Devil and the Sin of Lust unfold.

Side Note: I’m back! And while I was away, I decided to make this arc with three parts instead of two. Surprise!

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…