Chapter 35

Dimitri 1st POV

It’s only been a week and a half since our victory. Thanks to the combined efforts of my crew, Canterlot’s troops who helped support us, and the crystal ponies who were able to resettle back to the Crystal Empire, most of the city was all cleaned up and undergoing repairs. Chrysalis and her surviving Changelings have spent most of their time in the medical ward of the castle. The Heart was looking as powerful as it was once before, but seemed to have more of a gleam to it ever since I restored it with that strange white flame. Sunburst approached us and said he’d look into it by studying the Heart. Speaking of Sunburst, after a nice long bath, haircut, trim of his beard, new clothes and glasses, the young wizard was looking more like himself, despite the slight PTSD.

I, meanwhile, have been enjoying my new experience of having a herd with Twilight and Moon. Ever since our herd was formed, I always wake up with the two mares whom I’ve shared my heart with in bed. They always wake me up with nuzzles on both my cheeks and Twilight told me that they were setting something up for me. What that is, only I can imagine.

Today, Draco and I had decided to make our rounds throughout the castle to aid the ponies wherever and however we could and to also take a slight tour throughout the halls of the grand structure. I’m not sure why, but Twilight had chosen to chew me out for blasting the roof of the throne room during my fight with Lust, but Cadenza managed to calm her down and said that she might turn the roof into a sort of skylight or something.

“So, you still recovering from an earful from Twilight?” Draco teased as we went from room to room to see who needed help.

“Ugh, did she have to yap in my ear that loud?” I grumbled as we moved along. “I was in a literal bind during my fight, not my fault my power blew the roof off.”

“Yeah well, you choose her as your mare man,” He sighed as he patted my back. “I’m sure she’ll get over it. If you want to make her feel better, get her a good book to read, maybe make her a nice dinner. Just whatever you do, don’t make a quesadilla.”

“And why’s that?”

Draco stopped dead in his tracks. “Dude, do you not know your mare? She hates them, she is scared to death of them, along with ladybugs.”

“Okay, the ladybugs I remember, but quesadillas?” I questioned.

“Too cheesy. She will say that and shudder. I bet you five hundred bits she will.”

“On second thought, I’ll just take your word for it,” I shook my head as I walked along. “I’d rather not risk another earful.”

Draco chuckled as he walked alongside me and the crystal ponies who had returned to staff all bowed to us and saluted us as we passed them by.

“Well they sure seem to be happy?” I smiled as I waved at a few crystal pony maid mares, who giggled as they scurried away.

“Wouldn’t you after being freed from some power hungry rapist?” Draco added. “Hopefully we can save this world and set things…right.” Draco’s voice trailed off as he started to move away.

“What’s up?” I wondered as Draco walked away from me. “Something catch your eye?”

Draco was walking down a dead end corridor where at the very end of the wall were two crystal columns. He knelt down and ran his finger where the floor meets the wall. “Yeah. It didn’t seem like anything at the time, but with the eyes of the tyrannosaur I can see more clearly.”

He tapped on the wall a few times before pulling his arm back. I could see his fist being encased in armored skin before he slammed his fist into the wall, smashing it to pieces.

“Dude, I already caused enough destruction in the throne room, was that really necessary?” I deadpanned as his arm returned to normal.

“Yeah, otherwise we wouldn’t find this.” He pointed to the now destroyed wall, only now after the dust settled I could see a pair of black doors. “There was a seam here that indicated this wall wasn’t here before.”

“The hell?” I walked up to the doors and placed my hand on it. It was faint, but I could feel a little dark energy emanating from the doors themselves. “This looks like the work of Sombra. Whatever’s behind those doors, he went through a lot of trouble so no one would find it.”

“Yeah but why?” Draco moved bus hands to push open the door, which made a loud creaking sound as he did.

We both entered the room behind the double doors and it was lit by a lone light gem. The whole place was dusty as hell and Draco sneezed and wiped his nose.

“Gesundheit,” I chuckled as we looked around.

He sniffled again before whipping his nose. “Thanks…fuck, this place is gonna kick up my allergies.”

“What even is this place?” I wondered. “That gem ain’t lighting up shit.”

I snapped my fingers and my hand lit up in flames. The room was now much brighter and we finally saw what was inside. Just a bunch of old furniture that was rotted away by time, but in the center was what caught our eyes. It looked like a crystal statue of a unicorn mare, but the crystals were black and she looked like she was in shock. She had some kind of a tiara and wore a dress. Her arms were held out which meant she looked like she was being attacked.

“Huh, interesting,” I hummed.

Draco cocked his head to the side beside circling the statue staring at it intently. “Something about this statue seems awfully familiar.”

“You think so?” I wondered. “It’s just a weird looking statue.”

“No, something about this statue is really calling to me.” Stared intently at the face of the mare before his eyes widened. “It couldn't be…?” He turned to me. “I have a hunch on who this might be, but I won't know for sure until we free her.”

“Free her? How?”

“Oh I don’t know, how about with all the tricks and skills you can pull out of your ass?” He asked with a deadpan expression.

“Alright, alright, I’ll give it a shot,” I rolled my eyes.

I approached the mare and gazed into its shocked eyes. It was strange, it was as if she was staring back at me as if she was still alive in there. I raised my other hand and grabbed her arm and ignited it in hellfire. I concentrated and began focusing on the black crystal so I could break her out of it. I then began to feel some kind of presence from the statue as it started to glow. Cracks began forming along the statue and I kept up my power and even grunted a little from the strain. All of a sudden, the black crystal crumbled off and underneath was an actual living unicorn mare. Her coat was a pale vermilion, her eyes were a brilliant amber, and her long mane and tail that went from a brilliant raspberry color to a moderate cobalt blue on the ends. She wore a pale blue and white gown with light blue linings and wore jewelry that had little topaz hearts encrusted into them. Her eyes soon closed shut as she fell but I managed to catch her in my arms as she lost consciousness completely.

“Jeezus…there really was someone in there!” I gasped. “And you know, I think she kinda does look familiar in a way.” I looked up to Draco who stood there with arguably the most shocked expression I’ve ever seen him make. “Uh…you good dude?”

“…Princess Amore…” Draco breathed out before falling to his knees with a shocked expression. “It’s fucking princess Amore!!”

“Who?” I tilted my head, making him grab my shoulders.

“PRINCESS AMORE!!” He shouted looking somewhat pissed. “The previous ruler of the Crystal Empire! From the IDW comic :My Little Pony Fiendship is Magic, Sombra~Rex.”

“Hold up…you mean the first ruler that was mentioned at the beginning of season 3?” I asked, starting to understand.

“YES!!”

“But…holy shit,” I said, looking down at the unconscious mare in my arms.

“Hang on, I think I recall an old buddy of mine talking about her. Isn’t…she supposed to be dead or something?”

Draco calmed down for a moment before cupping his hand under his chin. “Well from what I remember from the comic, Sombra should’ve smashed her to pieces and sent her remains to the wind.” He crossed his arms and closed his eyes thinking, he hummed while tapping his foot. “Maybe in this reality he didn’t do that, and kept her as a reminder.”

“Sadistic bastard…” I cursed. “Didn’t he have some kinda friend?”

“Her name was Hope. But I’m not sure where she could be.”

“Jeezus, this world just keeps getting crazier and crazier. So what do we do now?”

Draco moves a hand to touch the mare’s head to I assume make sure she is well. “Well I think we should bring her to the other princesses, this is something they need to know about now.”

“I agree.”

“…mmm, Sombra…no.”

We both looked down to see her with a pained expression which made me feel bad for her.

“Do you recall what her relationship with Sombra was?” I wondered as I stood up with her still in my arms.

“Well I’m pretty sure she knew him ever since he was but a little colt. She even knew about what he was despite the fact he was made from something evil. She kept the truth about why the crystal heart caused him so much pain. That’s when he turned her into a statue and well, you know the rest.”

“Poor mare, I wonder what’ll happen when we tell her that he’s dead?”

Draco said nothing as we kept moving. “I’m not sure honestly. But let’s wait to tell her until she is fully recovered and can handle the news.”

I nodded as we headed back up the long flight of stairs. The mare in my arms was whimpering to herself as she instinctively huddled close to me.

“Sombra…in the end you were still a misguided fool.”

We walked quickly out of the room and through the halls to the council room where everyone else was still before we went off on our own. As we walked through the halls, every crystal pony went slack jawed at the mare in my arms and Draco couldn’t take his eyes off Amore.

“You think we should, I don’t know, wake her? No offense, but I kinda feel awkward carrying the former ruler of the Crystal Empire,” I said as I glanced down at her unconscious expression.

“I’d say we wait till she wakes up on her own, or until we hear out the princesses,” Draco added as we soon were approaching the council room.

We stopped at the double doors and Draco opened the door for me but I just stuck my head through the crack. I saw my friends, apprentices, Alpha Squad, the Princesses, and my herd mates all sitting together and talking amongst themselves.

“Uh, everyone?” I called out, making them turn to me.

“Dimitri? Why are you peeking through the door like that?” Twilight wondered.

“I sort of have a new guest in my arms, at the moment.”

“Then why not simply bring them in?” Moon added.

“It’s, uh…a bit of a shocker.”

“Babe, what’s Captain Lock on about?” Shadow questioned.

“It’s better if you guys see for yourself.” Draco opened the door all the way revealing the sleeping mare in my arms.

There was a dead silence that filled the air as I walked in. For my apprentices, they all had confused looks but also slight shock. Alpha Squad couldn’t make heads or tails as to who the mare was carrying. Most of the main six couldn’t take their eyes off her as some went a little slack jawed. As for the Princesses, Twilight and Cadence more so, pure and utter disbelief.

“That’s…that’s not possible,” Celestia muttered slowly as she rose from her chair.

“B-But she! But you! But when?!” Twilight sputtered.

“D-Draco…Dimitri, is that…?” Cadence tried to say.

“Who’s that?” Berry wondered.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you all, Princess Amore. The former ruler of The Crystal Empire,” I said to them all.

“WHAAAAAT?!?” They all shouted.

“B-B-But how?!” Luna yelped.

“Y-yeah we aren’t so sure ourselves.” Draco was scratching the back of his head as he tried to think. “We were walking down the halls trying to see if anypony needed help, when we discovered the room.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!” Rainbow spoke up, flapping her wings to the air. “Are you telling us that mare is the former ruler?!”

“This is unprecedented!” Twilight shrieked.

“She looks so…extravagant,” Rarity said. “And her dress is quite divine.”

“She’s also very pretty,” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Dimitri, do you have any sort of guess as to how she is still alive?” Celestia asked me.

“We might, it just depends,” I replied.

“Depends on what?” Cadence wondered.

“On how she came to be in the castle,” Draco jumped in. “We know that Sombra took over the Crystal Empire in the past, but we never knew what happened to the previous ruler. By the looks of it, he froze her in stone and has been keeping her here all this time.”

“So that is why…” Celestia muttered. “So Sombra was responsible for her disappearance.”

“You knew?” I asked.

“We had our suspicions, all those years ago, but I suppose even we hadn’t considered the possibility that Sombra was the one responsible,” Luna said.

“I see,” I said as I looked down to Amore’s sleeping face. “She’s been asleep for a long time. I’m just wondering how we’d be able to wake her up.”

“I could look into her mind to see what she’s dreaming,” Luna suggested as she walked over to me.

“You sure that’s a good idea?” I asked. “Her mind could be a little fragile after being frozen for so long.”

“Well, do you two have any alternatives?”

I looked to Draco to see if he had any input on the matter. Draco smiled before glancing at me. “Maybe you should try and kiss her awake, Lock.” He teased as he nudged me with his elbow.

I glanced at Twilight and Moon who gave me the stink eye so I unfurled my wing and slapped him upside the head. “Once was enough, smartass,” I grumbled.

Draco shrugged before looking around. “Any other volunteers?”

“I will!” Ace raised his hand.

“Screw you! I wanna kiss a princess!” Zephyr snapped.

“Why do you get to?! I wanna try!” Cloud protested.

“I should be the one to do it!” Berry argued.

“Stallions…” Shadow rolled her eyes along with the other mares.

“See what you did?” I deadpanned at Draco.

“Hey, not my fault the lead protagonist can’t handle being chewed out by his mares,” Draco chuckled.

“Silence!” Luna shouted, making everyone shut up. “I will look into her mind right now, just so I can end this foolish farce.” I nodded as Luna raised her hand and placed it on Amore’s head. Luna’s horn glowed and her eyes opened to reveal them to be glowing a bright light. We waited for her for about a minute or so, until she stopped using her power and her eyes returned to normal. Only once she did, she had a sad frown and her ears drooped. “It appears she has been dreaming of the times when Sombra was still a colt, before he became the dark ruler of the Crystal Empire. She has been regretting never telling Sombra that she knew of his fate.”

“Poor mare,” Cadenza said sadly.

“Indeed, but there seemed to be another young pony who had spent time with Sombra. Sister, do you recall that young filly we took in to study with us when she helped aid Sombra?”

“I do, I believe her name was Radiant Hope?” Celestia pondered.

“You two know her?” I asked.

“She had a special talent for helping heal the ill, according to her cutie mark. We foresaw a bright future for her, so we offered to teach her more in Canterlot,” Celestia explained.

“What happened to her?” Twilight wondered.

“She was too distracted from worrying about Sombra so she left unannounced,” Celestia sighed. “The poor mare had no idea what Sombra would become, and we felt as though she was in denial that he was walking down a dark path.”

“We never saw her again, which is a shame considering she was meant to be a Princess herself,” Luna added.

“I wonder if she’s still out there?” Draco wondered.

“No offense, Draco, but wasn’t this like a thousand years ago?” Applejack questioned.

“Yeah! She’d be a wrinkled old mare by now! Like Granny Smith but older!” Rainbow said, earning the stink eye from Applejack.

“Not to mention I doubt she’s even still alive,” Flash added.

“It could be a possibility,” He shrugged.

“Well regardless, I think we should get her to a more comfortable environment,” I said. “Amore would most definitely want to-”

“Mmm…”

I paused and looked down to see Amore moving her head slightly. Luna stepped back as Amore’s eyes struggled to open until they did but ever so slightly. Her vision seemed to be returning to her as her pupils became more dilated and she blinked a few times. We all stood silent as Amore opened her eyes more and raised her head a little and looked around. She seemed confused at first but then saw Celestia and Luna.

“Ce…lestia? Lu…na?” She said slowly. She then looked up at me and glanced at Draco. “Who…who are you two? Why am I being carried?”

“Er…sorry, your majesty,” I said as I set her down. She almost lost her balance but I offered her my arm to which she accepted to lean on. “My name is Dimitri.”

“Di…mitri.” She repeated then looked to Draco.

“I’m Draco, it’s nice to meet you,” Draco smiled before bowing his head.

“Draco…” she repeated again.

“Princess Amore,” Celestia spoke and stood up straight as the others stood as well. “Welcome back, my old friend.” She and the others all bowed their heads in respect.

“I…feel as though I have been asleep for a long time,” Amore frowned as she held her head. “The last thing I remember was…Sombra.” She looked up at me with worry in her eyes. “Where is Sombra? I must tell him something important.”

“I’m sorry, Princess, but Sombra isn’t around anymore,” I sighed.

“What do you mean?” She asked, confused.

“He’s dead,” Draco added.

“D-Dead?” Amore gasped. I nodded somberly as she took a moment to process the information. “Oh Sombra…I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Princess,” I tried to say but she shook her head.

“But it is, I knew of his dark fate as a Shadow Pony, yet I chose to keep it to myself. I believed he was sensible enough to see on his own that he would be able to prevent what the Heart showed him from happening.”

“Well fate had other things in store for him. Along with the rest of the world.”

“The rest of the world?”

As I sat Amore down on a chair, Draco and I spent the next hour explaining all that has been happening the past six months or so. To say she was mortified was an understatement, considering the fact that she was now hyperventilating.

“N-No! This can’t be happening! Equestria, the world, how could it all fall so fast?!” Amore panicked.

“Princess Amore, please calm yourself!” Celestia tried to say.

“Sombra! He didn’t deserve to die in such a brutal way! How could this have happened?! How long was I asleep?!” As she was panicking, Draco stepped forward and placed a hand on her back to calm her down from her panic attack.

“Princess Amore, I understand that what we told you is hard to accept, but I’m afraid that it is true. Trust me when I say that everypony here feels the same way. Many of us lost loved ones, and some are still under the Caribou’s rule.” He knelt down to stare her in the eyes. “But we are going to do our damn best to liberate the world.”

Amore took several deep breaths as she looked at Draco. As soon as she was able to calm down enough, Celestia lit her horn up and a few maids and guards walked in. When they saw Amore, they all gasped as they murmured to each other.

“Attention, please escort Princess Amore to the royal bedchamber. She will require round the clock services by any means necessary. Am I understood?” Celestia commanded.

“Y-Yes, your highness,” a maid said as a couple of them helped her to her hooves and escorted her out of the room. Before the doors closed behind her, she glanced back at us with sad eyes before continuing on her way and the doors shut.

“Jeezus, she looked like she’d crack under the sudden pressure at any moment,” I sighed.

“She has been away for a thousand years, it is understandable that she would be in shock after hearing such a tale that the two of you had shared,” Luna said.

“You know, I just thought of something,” Moon said. “Princess Cadenza is the ruler of the Crystal Empire, but if Princess Amore has returned, what does that say about her?”

“That is a good question, and somewhat convenient for me,” Cadenza admitted.

“How so, Cadence?” Celestia wondered.

“Auntie Celestia…I’ve been meaning to talk with you for some time about something,” Cadenza spoke as she approached her. She then daintily reached up and took off her crown from her head. “I feel as though I should step down as ruler of the Crystal Empire.”

“Cadence, what?! Step down?!” Twilight gasped.

“Because she doesn’t believe she is mentally stable enough to continue her role,” Draco was the one to answer.

“Come on, Draco, you can’t honestly believe that, no offense Cadence,” Rainbow dismissed.

“Actually, Cadenza might have a logical point for stepping down,” I said, crossing my arms.

“You too, Captain?” Flash said.

“Flash, the mare lost her husband and is now a widow, had to witness the fall of this kingdom, and…well, she also would want to focus more on being a mother for Flurry.”

“If we are lucky, maybe Princess Amore may want to retake the throne. Assuming she can calm down by then,” Draco added.

“I am unsure about this,” Luna said. “How do we even know that she would want the throne back?”

“Well Draco and I saw how the crystal ponies reacted when I carried her here. Some were shocked, sure, but I could tell that some of them were kinda happy to see her again.”

“Should I try and talk to her?”

We all looked at Draco when he made the offer. “You sure, man?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “If any of you think you can help her then by all means be my guest.”

“I’ll go with you,” Cadenza said. “As the soon to be former ruler, I believe it is only appropriate that I formally pass on the throne.”

“Dimitri, I think you should go with them as well,” Twilight suggested.

“If that’s what is required of me, then I’ll also tag along,” I nodded. “However, for now, let’s just allow the mare to rest.”

“Agreed, and besides, there is something we wish to inform you two about,” Celestia said with a smile. She nodded to her sister and both their horns glowed. In a flash of light, Discord appeared in the air and plopped down on the floor.

“Ow! What in the name of chaos did you do that for?!” Discord demanded as he picked himself up. “I was in the middle of an important meditation session! My chaos magic isn’t going to recharge itself you know!”

“Discord, it is time,” Luna said, making his eyes widen.

“Already? Huh, very well.”

“What’s all this about?” I wondered.

“Luna, Discord, and I have been discussing something as to how we could properly repay you for all your efforts thus far in this war,” Celestia said.

“While I appreciate that, it’s not necessary Celestia,” I said, waving my hand dismissively.

“Yeah we don’t need anything to help Equestria,” Draco agreed.

“Be that as it may, we believe to give you both something that would be equivalent to all you’ve done,” Celestia protested. She snapped her fingers and two golden cross shaped medals appeared. Each one was adorned with a red ribbon and had the symbol of the sun on each one. She used her magic to levitate them over to us as we raised our hands for them to be placed on our hands.

“What’re these?” I wondered.

“Th-Th-The Celestial Cross…” Twilight gasped.

“No way…” Flash said with wide eyes, along with the others’ shocked faces.

Draco examined his for a moment. “Celestial Crosses? What are they to ward off vampires?”

“Are you mad?!” Rarity shrieked. “Only the most decorated and accomplished knights receive that!”

“Hold up, knights?” I said, picking up what was being said. “Us?”

“Dimitri Lockdrom, Draco Saurian, we would be honored to present you these medals and officially name you knights of Equestria,” Celestia announced.

“I don’t know what to say.” Draco held the medal with more care knowing its meaning.

“We shall hold a Knighting ceremony in your honor later today. In the meantime, you two should look the part for such an occasion,” Luna informed.

“I’m honored, Celestia, we both are,” I nodded.

“I say a congratulations are in order, my boy!” Discord said with glee as he wrapped his lion arm around Draco. “And guess what? I shall be the one to Knight you!”

Draco’s smile slowly dropped. “Oh goodie…” He said in a low groan.

“Now what’s with that face?!” Discord huffed. “It’s only natural that I be the one to Knight you. You’re my champion after all!”

“Just please, Discord, don’t do anything ridiculous.”

“No promises!” He chirped.

“May I request something?” I spoke up.

“By all means,” Celestia nodded.

“I want Twilight to Knight me.”

“M-Me?” Twilight blushed.

“Why not? You’re a princess, you have the authority, and there’s no one else I’d rather have Knight me. No offense, Moon.”

“Oh none taken, love, I completely understand,” Moon smiled.

Twilight smiled lovingly at me and flew up to hug me. She then kissed me on the lips as we held each other and we gazed at each other’s eyes.

“I would be honored to Knight you, Dimitri,” she said happily.

“So what’re you gonna wear, boss?” Zephyr wondered.

“Probably just my armor, so I’m covered.”

“Oh my stars! Draco! We need to get you measured pronto!” Rarity said as she pulled out some measuring tape and stalked over to Draco.

“Not gonna lie, I kinda wished I had my own armor. Not like Lock’s though, it was a bit more constricting in, ahem, certain places,” Draco cleared his throat.

“I’ll choose to ignore that,” I grumbled. “But what’s your preference with armor and weaponry anyway?” I asked as Rarity already went to work measuring Draco’s arms and legs.

Draco, while keeping his arms out for Rarity to measure him, he hummed to himself to think. “Something light yet durable. I’d like to have maximum mobility without it constraining my movements. As for weapons, I’m pretty good with a sword, actually. While I was studying to be a paleontologist, I went on a trip to Japan for five years.”

“You went to Japan?” I asked as Rarity turned him around. “I was stationed there once in the military.”

“Yeah, I was helping a professor study some fossils. In my free time, I went to this one village where a man taught the villagers swordplay.” Draco blushed when he felt Rarity’s hand around his inner thighs.

“Draco, please spread your legs a bit more,” Rarity asked politely. “I must be as thorough as possible.”

“U-uh s-sure,” He stuttered as he did so, a deeper blush from before.

“Do her hands feel nice, babe?” Shadow teased, making the other ponies laugh to themselves.

“Quiet you,” Draco snapped trying not to blush anymore than he already was. “A-anyway. The man who taught at the dojo was apparently descended from a famous figure in Japan.”

“What style did he teach?” Rarity finished measuring he’s thighs and moved around again to measure his back.

“Excuse me,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him and measured the tape on his torso, causing her chest to press into his back.

“Pfft!” Zephyr chortled.

“H-he taught the Taisha style, it was a mixture of swordplay and martial arts when he didn’t have a weapon. This was used by his ancestor Shimazu Toyohisa.”

“How intriguing.” In a puff of flames, Satanael appeared beside us as he scratched his chin under his hood. The only ones who subtly reacted to him were my apprentices and I, including Draco. “I recall a human of that name during the Sengoku Period. He would decapitate his foes in the name of honor, such a brutal display. If you would like, dear Draco, I may be able to procure a small gift as I have done for Dimitri.”

“A gift? Really?” Draco said while folding his arms, staring down Satanel. “No strings attached?"

“Indeed.”

“Pardon, Draco, who’re you talking to?” Rarity asked, involuntarily standing up right in front of his face.

“The literal devil. Don’t mind us.”

They all looked to me in confusion and I sighed, dragging my hand down my face. “Long story short, my master is in the room. You can’t see him, except those of us who’ve eaten the Devil’s Fruit.”

“Th-The Devil is here?” Swift gulped.

“Wh-Where is he?” Cloud asked.

“He’s standing right there,” I said, pointing to Satanael.

“Eek!” Rarity shrieked as she jumped on Draco. “Save me!”

“Mppph R-rarity, I cant…breath!!” Draco screamed and Rarity hugged his head making her breast smother his face.

“Relax, everyone,” I tried to say as everyone began to cower. “He can’t really do anything in this world, no thanks to Dainn and the Sins.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight wondered.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Dimitri, how can you be so nonchalant about this?” Celestia questioned sternly. “If what you say is true, then we would be in great danger.”

“Great danger is a bit of a stretch, Celestia,” I said dismissively. “It’s like I said, he can’t do anything to anyone who can’t see or hear him. Think of him as a sort of ghost you can’t see.”

“G-g-ghost?!” Fluttershy yelped.

“Easily there, Fluttershy, he means like on another plane of existence that only a select few can see,” Draco explained, trying to keep the butter mare calm.

“Well then how can you see him too?” Rainbow questioned.

“I’d also like to know,” Shadow said.

“I’d like to believe it’s my primal instincts. Perhaps they enhance my awareness. Like how they say dogs can sense ghosts.”

“Is that why Winona sometimes barks at nothin’?” Applejack asked, arching a brow.

Draco shrugged his shoulders. “Possibly, sometimes it’s something, other times it could be nothing.”

“We can see him too,” Flash said with Zephyr and Maud nodding.

“Guy creeps me out, but we try not to pay too much attention to him when he’s around,” Zephyr said with a nervous smile.

“He’s just all broody,” Maud said.

“Back to the matter at hand,” Satanael sighed, pinching his nose under his hood. “I have a special armor I would like to procure you, young Draco. And it is as I have informed, this will cost you nothing. Consider it a sort of…good intention for aiding my Hand in this war.”

Draco crossed his arms while he continued to stare down my boss. He let out a sign before lowering his arms. “I guess it would be rude to refuse a gift.”

“What did he say?” Luna wondered.

“Satanael is gonna give Draco some armor, so I’d suggest stepping away from Draco, Rarity,” I said.

“But I had a grand idea for Draco!” Rarity complained. “I just took his measurements for Celestia’s sake!”

Gently placing a hand on the unicorn mare’s shoulder, Draco smiled. “Tell you what Rarity, after this is over, I’ll let you design a whole wardrobe for me.”

“Mmm, oh very well,” Rarity sighed. “I’ll hold you to that, darling.”

Rarity backed away to join the others as I watched Satanael step towards Draco. He then raised his hand and snapped his fingers, causing Draco to be enveloped in flames.

“Draco!” Shadow panicked, but he didn’t yell out in pain as we watched his clothes change.

We all waited for about a minute or so, until Satanael snapped his fingers to extinguish the flames. As soon as they were snuffed out, Draco stood there wearing his new armor. It looked like he wore a type of samurai armor from feudal Japan. He wore a red karuta sashinuki style kote with red lacquered steel han kote style forearm guards along with red lacquered steel suneate and haidate. Under the armor, he wore a black shitagi, yugake and hakama tied with a white himo where I saw a katana blade strapped to his side. On his back was what looked like a matchlock rifle gun holstered in a leather strap. Finishing the armor, he wore a pair of cotton waraji over white tabi.

“Ooooh…” everyone said as he looked down at his new armor.

Draco took a moment to examine his new gear, taking a few steps and stretches. “Hmmm not bad, not bad at all,” he smiled, throwing a few punches and kicks through the air.

“Not bad, he says,” Satanael grumbled. “You do realize that is Sir Toyohisa’s actual armor?”

Draco paused for a moment before looking at his new outfit. “Are you saying I’m wearing some guy’s outfit that he died in!?”

“You should consider it an honor,” Satanael said. “He was considered one of the most ruthless and skilled samurai of his time. I am sure even he would be content in knowing someone like you dons his armor, and wields his sword.”

“Please tell me you had this thing disinfected before you put it on my body?”

“Honestly, does he lack all filters?” Satanael deadpanned.

“What is he saying, Lock?” Cadence asked.

“They’re just having a conversation about his armor. Apparently it’s the armor a famous samurai once wore,” I explained.

“What’s a samurai?” Rainbow wondered, making Draco’s ears perk up.

“What’s a samurai? A samurai is one of the most well known warriors of the past.” Draco finally took a moment to forget about his new attire. “They were warriors of honor, and served diligently under their lords. You couldn’t find a more loyal warrior throughout history.”

“Except maybe the Spartans,” I said under my breath.

“I heard that,” Draco snarled.

“Well then allow me to speak up,” I said walking towards him. “The Spartans were more hardcore than the Samurai. You do realize they sometimes went into battle with just a cloak on their backs? They would charge the enemy without fear of injury. Meanwhile, your precious Samurai are all geared up in heavy armor and fancy ass outfits from head to toe.”

Draco quirked a brow before meeting me halfway. “Yeah well samurai are more fearless, they will charge into battle even if they know they will die, all to protect their homes. And need I remind you about seppuku.”

“Um, guys?” Flash called out.

“Sure they had seppuku, but the Spartans preferred to die on the battlefield. They held their own against the Persians and even their own countrymen during the Peloponnesian War.”

“Do you even know what seppuku means dumbass? It meant they would disembowel themselves before allowing the enemy to capture them or to restore their honor. Samurai would charge head first into spears with nothing but a katana in hand.”

“Guys,” Zephyr called out.

“That ain’t nothing compared to what the Spartans have been through,” I shot back. “The Battle of Thermopylae, only 300 Spartans held off an entire Persian army for seven days straight. There any noteworthy battles you can name?”

“Oh let’s see the battle of Sekigahara, Ichi-no-Tani, Dan-no-Ura, the third Battle of Uji. Or how about The Siege of Odawara. Just give off more than eleven great wars.”

“Guys!” Twilight said.

“The Conquering of Messina, the wars with Thebes, Samian War, the Phyle Campaign, I can do this all day-”

“WOULD YOU TWO STOP ARGUING ALREADY?!”

We both flinched at the sudden shrieking to see Fluttershy, of all mares standing up with a glare. She soon immediately calmed down and blushed up a storm while hiding behind her mane.

“Um…sorry.”

“Uh, yeah our bad.”

“Jeez, you two, since when are you so compassionate about that stuff?” Ace wondered.

“What can I say, I enjoyed learning about Spartan history when I was stationed in a country called Greece,” I said, scratching the back of my head.

“And I’ve been a huge fan of samurai while spending five years in Japan,” Draco admitted while examining his armor.

“Remind me to ask you two about these races of warriors later,” Twilight grinned.

“Well then, if everything is in order, I shall take my leave,” Satanael said. “Treat that armor with great care, young Draco, especially the sword and firearm I procured for you.” He then disappeared in a puff of flames as Draco eyed his katana. He then grasped the handle and slowly unsheathed it, revealing a beautifully crafted blade as he held it with both hands.

“Now that’s a sword!” Discord grinned. “I dare say I haven’t witnessed something so chaotically deadly!”

“It’s known as an Ōdachi. Shimazu Toyohisa was known to use this sword to decapitate the heads of his foes.” Draco gave the blade a few test swings while admiring the craftsmanship.

“What’s that other thing on your back?” Shadow pointed out as Draco sheathed his sword and reached for his rifle.

Pulling it out Draco held out an old Japanese musket. “Looks like a musket, these are an old version of the first set of guns the Japanese started to use way back when. Though I feel like he gave me a difficult gun. These things take forever to load and shoot one bullet at a time.”

“Did I forget to mention that I have used my power to allow the weapon to reload itself automatically? Consider that my last assistance to you,” Satanael said as he popped in real quick and disappeared again.

We all stood in dead silence before shrugging our shoulders. “I doubt I’ll use this often though. I’m not much of a gun person really.” Draco placed the musket behind his back.

“I believe now is the time to prepare for the ceremony,” Celestia said. “Come along, everypony, we have work to do.”

As the group left the room, Draco and I took the opportunity to slump in the chairs and exhaled deeply.

“How am I already this emotionally exhausted?” I wondered.

“Probably because we just got done finding a lost princess, being knighted, and had a fun argument about why samurais are better than spartans.”

“Hmph, I’d rather not get into it again with you about that,” I chuckled as I leaned back in my chair. “Knights, huh? Who’d have thought we’d become knights of Equestria.”

“Ironic since we were just talking about Spartans and Samurai.”

“Think we’re cut out for it?” I wondered. “We’ll probably become bigger names than we already are, not to mention we just received probably the highest medal of knighthood.”

Draco leaned back against an open windowsill and sighed. “It’s just a title. It doesn’t matter what they call us, so long as we don’t let it change us. Like that dumbass Blue Balls.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I smirked. “I never did like that little piss ant, ever since he was a total dick to Rarity at the Gala.”

Draco chuckled darkly as he stared up at the ceiling. “It was so satisfying hearing him scream as I ripped his innards from his living body.”

“Pfft, you’re crazy, you know that?”

As we sat there, the doors opened again to reveal Swift Snow. It was strange that I sometimes almost mistaken him as a mare, what with that svelte appearance of his, but I guess it’s just because he had told me he was trans and wanted to try making his body look more feminine.

“Um…Captain Lock? Lieutenant Draco? May I talk with you two in private?” He asked politely.

“Sure, Swift, and you don’t have to call us so formally. We’re friends after all,” I smiled.

“Yeah just our normal names will do. We’re not some stuffy nobles.”

“Okay, I wanted to talk to you two about something important,” Swift said with a small blush. “I…I’ve decided to confess my feelings to Berry, but I’m afraid that he’ll reject me. I was just wondering if you had any advice?”

“Well first off, do you know if Berry’s into stallions?” I asked.

“Actually, Cloud and Ace told me something interesting about Berry: he likes mares and stallions.”

“Oh ho, so he’s bicurious.” Draco had a thoughtful look as he stroked his chin. “I guess that’s a thing here too, interesting.” Draco hummed for a moment before snapping his fingers. “Hey Swift, could you give me and Lock a second alone? I want to ask a question that may help you win Big B’s heart.”

“Okay.” Swift walked back out the doors as Draco approached me and sat down beside me.

“Okay so you must have something in that bag of tricks you constantly pull out of your ass. Got anything that can help improve her odds?”

“Would you quit it with that gag? I may have many abilities, but how would I be able to help in this specific situation?” I questioned.

“Dude, you could literally do anything. Don’t you have an ability that could, I don’t know, change her gender or something?”

“How the-”

“Actually, you can.”

We both turned to see Lucifer appear once again and I just stared at him with a deadpan expression.

“…You’re kidding, right?”

“On the contrary, I never tell a lie.”

“Called it,” Draco smiled with a smug look.

“And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“Because I fucking called it.” Draco added smugly.

“So how exactly do I do it?” I wondered, ignoring Draco’s smugness.

“The power to alter the hormones of one’s body,” Satanael explained. “You can alter the recipient’s body in any way you desire, effectively allowing you to, in a manner of speaking, remodel a being from the inside. With this power, you can freely alter any of the recipient’s physical aspects, including: gender, growth, skin pigment, stamina, emotions, and many other things.”

Before I could elaborate, Draco jumped him by knocking me aside and practically into a wall. “Wait, are you saying he could use that same power to make me taller?”

“Ow!” I said, pushing myself off the wall. “The hell dude?!”

“So can he really make me taller?” Draco asked Satanael. “Like, so I won’t be called a pipsqueak anymore?”

“Since when does one’s height matter?” Satanael wondered. “You shouldn’t care about how short or tall you are, your friends and comrades respect you enough to not allow such a trivial matter to sway them.”

“Yeah, that’s easy for you guys to say since neither of you are on the short side!” Draco argued while pointing to me and Satanael. “You guys never were made fun of for being pint size or small for your age.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t have the best childhood growing up because of your height?” I guessed and he nodded bitterly.

“Despite my age, my growth rate was stunted when I turned fifteen. It was fine back when I was starting in high school, but as far semesters went on, everyone but me grew.” Draco fell down on all fours looking as white as a ghost with dread. “They literally gave me the nickname Señor Short Stack.”

“Oof, that sounds rough,” I sighed. “But I’ve never exactly used this power, what if I mess up somehow and make you shorter than you already are…oh shit.”

“…” Draco went silent for a moment and I half expected him to try and maul me. “Then better to mess up on me than Swift.”

“He has a point,” Satanael pointed out. “Besides, what better way to test it out?”

“Draco, are you sure you wanna do this?” I asked. “This might do something to you that not even I can redo.”

He nodded slowly. “We need to make sure you can do this right so that if it does work, Swift can finally have her chance at romance with the stallion she wants.”

I wanted to protest, but the look on Draco’s face told me that he made up his mind.

“…Okay,” I nodded. “So how tall you wanna be?”

“Maybe around your height.”

“Now then, focus on your hand and imagine the tips of your fingers morphing into syringes,” Satanael instructed. I nodded as I raised my hand and concentrated. I narrowed my eyes as my fingers flexed and sharp needles grew on the tips of my fingers.

“Creepy…so now what?”

“Simple, inject him with the growth hormones.”

“Inject?” Draco asked, his voice sounding nervous.

“But of course, how else would the hormones enter your body?” Satanael mocked.

“I’m guessing you’re not a fan of needles?” I asked.

“W-what you kidding.” I could see his body visibly shaking as his face turned pale. “I-I’m not scared at all.”

“Best get it over with while he’s distracted,” Satanael advised and I nodded.

“Don’t hate me for this, bro,” I said, raising my arm.

“Emperio Growth Hormone!”

I thrusted my hand forward and stabbed Draco’s side, feeling the injection pump into his body.

“AAAAHHHHH!!”

I retracted my hand and my fingers turned back to normal. Draco cringed as he raised his finger to yell at me, but then he grunted and buckled over. I watched as his body began to change. His arms and legs grew longer, his body grew a little thicker, and even his head grew a little bit. About a minute or two later, Draco was breathing heavily as he sat on his hands and knees.

“Hey man, you okay?” I wondered.

Draco was coughing and gasping before he jumped onto his feet and got up in my face. “The hell man!? A warning would have been nice instead of stabbing me when I wasn’t mentally prepared!!”

“Whoa…dude! Look at you!” I grinned.

“Huh?” Draco blinked before taking a step back. He stared at me and I could see that he was now at my own height. And it didn’t take long before he noticed it too, as he moved his hand to the top of his head and turned it out to see it matched around my own.

“Welcome to the world of tallness,” I said, placing a hand on my hip. “How’s it feel?”

Draco could only bask at his own height as tears of what I guess to be joy streamed down his face. “Señor Short Stack is no more!”

“Well I’m happy you’re tall now-oof!” I grunted as Draco jumped at me and gave me a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!”

“Gak! No…problem!” I wheezed.

“Lock? Draco?”

We both turned to see Swift peek through the doors. When she saw Draco, she gasped and walked over to him.

“Draco? Is that you?” She asked, looking up at him for a change.

“Swift good news, you’re gonna become a mare!!” Draco said with a cheerful smile.

“I-I am?!” Swift yelped. After giving her a rough explanation, she stood in shock as Satanael took this opportunity to leave. “But how? And how did you get taller?”

“We’ll tell you soon. First we will need to get a few things after the knighting ceremony,” Draco added.

“Um…is this some kind of weird spell that’ll turn me into a mare?” Swift asked. “Cause I already considered that and there’s a lot of risks when casting the spell.”

“How many times must I say that what I do ain’t magic?!” I deadpanned.

“Wait, how many times have you said?” Draco asked curiously.

“Twilight, Celestia, Cadence, Flash, and Shadow so far,” I listed off with my fingers. “It gets old after a while.”

“That is life for you my friend. Now quit your bitching and let's get ready for this whole ceremony thing.”

“Sure. Swift, go join the others and get ready for the big night. Draco and I have something to do beforehand.”

“Okay, see you two later!” Swift smiled as she left.

“Care to join me to the medical ward? There’s a certain Changeling Queen I’d like to check up on.”

“Sure, I can’t imagine the pain she’s going through.” Draco’s smile faded slowly. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this to happen. Makes me wonder what else will change.”

“All we can do is keep moving forward,” I said as we made our way to the medical wing.

To say the gloomy atmosphere had gotten to us when we arrived at the medical wing of the castle would be a bit of an understatement. Every single room we passed by had at least 3 or 4 Changelings in them, all being treated by the staff. Most of them still had bandages on their bodies and looked the worse for wear. I had asked some of them how many were left, and I learned that only a couple hundred had survived their imprisonment.

“Poor souls…” I said solemnly as a nurse tried to help a couple Changelings who were still crying.

“This is horrible. Especially since the changelings were meant for something greater.” A cryptic way of mentioning the show’s version of these one noble creatures.

“You think they’ll be able to bounce back?” I asked.

Draco didn’t say anything at first, as he stared into one room where a changing pair were holding each, crying their hearts out. “Not without help they won’t.”

We soon arrived at the room where we were told Chrysalis was staying. In front were a couple of Crystal pony guards who saluted us.

“At ease, we’re here to see the Queen,” I said.

“Of course sir, the prisoner is right in-” The guard didn’t get to finish his sentence as Draco grabbed his throat and glared daggers at him. I fared no better as embers began flickering off my body.

“You wanna run that by me again, soldier?” I hissed as his friend began to sweat bullets.

“Drop whatever bias you have with the changelings. They aren’t our enemies anymore.” Draco tossed the guard aside as he made his way in.

I followed him inside as the guards scrambled back to attention. I closed the door behind me and we were met with Chrysalis herself sitting upright as she gazed out the window. There was an IV hooked to her arm and she was wearing a hospital gown as she gazed out the window.

“I wasn’t expecting guests,” she said as she closed her eyes. “A week of freedom, and not one guest besides my own surviving drones.” She looked at us with a blank expression. “Care to get your insults out of the way now?”

“Actually, we came to check up on you,” I said, trying to warm up to her.

“Oh? And why is that? In case you forgot, everypony else hates Changelings.”

“Well in case you forgot, we ain’t ponies,” Draco smiled as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Besides, us shapeshifters gotta stick together.”

“You shapeshift?” Chrysalis inquired.

“We both do, though I’m not so much of a show and tell kind of guy. Draco, on the other hand…” I said, gesturing to Draco.

Nodding his head, Draco stood back up and performed a backflip onto the bed. Chrysalis flinched only to feel a light thud on the edge of the bed. Draco was in his compy form and let out a few squeaks in his miniature dinosaur form.

“How…intriguing,” Chrysalis said as Draco walked up to her open palm and picked him up. “And what of you?”

I scratched my chin in thought at the question. What other creature could I transform into besides a dragon? Shrugging my shoulders, I squatted down on the ground and pictured the animal in question I wanted to change into. I closed my eyes and focused as my body began to change. I felt my skin grow fur and my hands morph into paws. I felt my nose stretch into a snout as my teeth became sharp fangs. From behind, I felt a long bushy tail grow from behind and soon my transformation was complete. I opened my eyes to see that I was now on all fours as a large wolf. My fur was reddish brown and my underbelly had a lighter tannish color.

“Huh, didn’t think I had it in me,” I said to myself as I examined my new wolf body.

“Oh my, you sure are full of surprises,” Chrysalis grinned as Draco hopped off her hand and turned back into a human.

“Yeah, you’re gonna wanna get used to that with this guy.” Draco smiled as he nudged me. “He literally pulls a new ability out of his ass every week.”

“I’ll have you know that this ain’t new, jackass,” I barked.

“No, but you being able to morph someone’s body is.” He had a smug look on his face as he just proved himself right.

“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes. “Well anyway, I’m just glad you’re-ooooohhhh aaarrrrgg…” I was interrupted when Draco suddenly started to scratch behind my ears, making me lightheaded and my right hind leg to start twitching.

“Aww who’s a good body, who’s a good boy?”

“Stop! I…” I couldn’t speak properly as he scratched more and more. “I swear…I’ll bite you!” Chrysalis, meanwhile, was giggling up a storm.

“D’aaaww, does the nice doggy want a treat, or do you wanna go out for walkies?”

“Hehehe, he sure does like being scratched,” Chrysalis giggled.

“Draco…if you know…what’s good for you…you’ll stop right this second!” I tried to warn him but lost my footing and plopped on the floor.

“Aww, doggy fell off the bed.” With a little of ease Draco picked me up and carried me over to Chrysalis’ lap. “Maybe he needs pets from a beautiful mare.”

“She may be beautiful, but that don’t mean she-!” Once again I was interrupted when Chrysalis softly stroked my pelt and all the anger I felt had washed away.

“I always wanted a strong and majestic beast at my side,” Chrysalis said as I looked back at her. “And I thank you for this, I feel like I’m in a brighter mood now.”

I sighed as I could only let her do as she pleased with me. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Chrysalis, truly I am.”

“If only things weren’t as grim these days,” she said sadly as she kept petting me. “I now wish I had not committed the crimes I had before the invasion.”

Both myself and Draco went quiet for a moment, this was a touchy subject that needed great care. “Chrysalis, I think you’ve suffered enough. That’s all in the past, and if I learned anything about these ponies, they are willing to give others a second chance. But that requires effort on your part too.”

“I agree,” I nodded. “Times are different, much different, you can’t live in the past anymore. Draco and I will personally make sure that no one else will treat you or your Changelings any differently.”

“But what of Princess Cadence?” Chrysalis asked, her petting started to slow down. “I…overheard what had happened to Shining Armor.”

“I’m not sure, I’ll try and talk to her and see if I can’t smooth things out with her,” Draco added. “But right now, we need to help you get better, because your subjects need you to lead them to a better tomorrow.”

“Maybe I’ll give you two some alone time.” Before I could stop him, Draco was already out the door. I was gonna call out to him before he popped his head in. “You be a good boy, and don’t be a horny hound.”

“Hey!” I snapped before he shut the door. I exhaled and looked back at Chrysalis who was still smiling at me.

“Your companion is truly an interesting one,” she giggled.

“That’s one word for it,” I rolled my eyes as she continued to pet me.

“Sir Dimitri-”

“Just Lock is fine.”

“Very well, Lock, there is something rather, shall we say, personal I need to speak with you about.”

“Of course, what is it?” I wondered.

“It is in regards to my hive, I believe I may be in need of your assistance.”

Draco 1st POV

I laughed to myself as I left Lock with Chrysalis. Messing with him is always a fun little gimmick since his reactions are always on point. Since there was a little while before the ceremony, I figured I’d go see if anypony needed any help setting stuff up. I turned the corner and almost ran into the one pony I didn’t really expect to see wandering the medical ward, Princess Cadence.

“Oh! Apologies, Sir Lock, I didn’t mean to-” Her words were cut short when she looked up and saw that it was me and not the other human in Equestria. “Sir Draco? Is…that you?”

“Good afternoon Princess Cadence. I do apologize for bumping into you. I was lost in my own thoughts.”

“You…” Cadence circled around me and tilted her head. “How…are you taller? You were much shorter just a moment ago-oops! My apologies…!”

I couldn't help but laugh, I had a feeling this was going to be something everypony was going to have to get used to. “It’s, fine your highness, I take no offense now. But to answer your question, Lock used his power to cause my body to grow. Now I stand at the same height as him.”

“Oh, I see,” Cadence nodded. “That man, he’s one of many capabilities, isn’t he?” I could almost sense a touch of sadness in her voice for some reason, but chose to brush it off as my imagination.

“Yeah well, there are no limits to the amount of tricks he can pull out of his ass hahahaha!”

Cadence giggled at my bad joke, which I mentally smacked myself silly for cussing in front of Princess freaking Cadence, and laughed along with her to hide my awkwardness.

“You’re quite the spirited one, Sir Draco,” Cadence smiled. “So you are to become a Knight this day, are you prepared to don such a prestigious title?”

“To be honest with you, princess, I could care less if I get a title or not,” I sighed and leaned up against a wall, thinking hard on what I would say next. “I never needed a title to do what I’m doing now, it’s just a fancy label. I’m only accepting it because I don’t want to come off as rude.”

“Oh not at all, you actually have said the same thing as…” Cadence frowned as she glanced down at her left ring finger, where she still wore her wedding band. “As…Shining.”

A wave of guilt washed over me, I didn’t mean to bring up such memories. “P-princess, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Oh please!” Cadence looked up at me. “Do not be sorry, I mean it. It’s actually a good thing that you resemble him so!”

I was caught a bit off guard, but tried my best to keep my composure. “It is?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “Shining was a prime example of what it means for a pony to fight for what matters and and others before himself and his own desires. I still remember the day he too was knighted, he didn’t even want the title in the first place. But since we liked each other at the time, and he wanted to court me, the only way was for him to rise in the ranks and become an accomplished knight.” Cadence then gently took my hands with hers and continued to smile up at me. “You’re a very noble human, Draco, I am truly grateful that I know a being who shares the same beliefs as Shining Armor. If anything, I would like to imagine that he would have been proud to know you if he were still here.”

I could feel my cheeks burning red as she held my hands and showered me with such praise. “T-thank you, I’m honored you think so highly of me.”

“Oh? Is there something the matter?” She said with a now coy smile and purposely tightened her grip on my hands. “Your cheeks are turning a tad red.”

“I-I-I!” I could feel myself sweating bullets as she stared at me with that coy playful smile. “Oh, would you look at the time! I think I need to go do the thing, with the this, and the buttons,” I said trying to find a way out of this situation.

“Not so fast, mister,” she said, grabbing the back of my collar before I could escape. “I would like your assistance in something. You do recall how you would be there with me when I speak with Princess Amore about stepping down, yes?”

My body stopped dead in its tracks, as I looked back at Cadence. “You plan on doing that right now?” I asked, now curious.

“Yes,” she said more seriously. “I would like to speak with her before the ceremony. It would also be a good opportunity to reveal her to the empire that she has returned.” She sighed as she let go of my collar. “I honestly don’t want to step down, but Flurry Heart needs me as her mother. I feel as though I cannot rule a country and be a parent at the same time. Does…does that make me selfish?”

I shook my head. “Not at all, princess. Honestly I think it takes a lot of courage and heart to let go of such a position, and to raise your own daughter no less. I can’t see a hint of selfishness in that at all.”

“Really?”

I smiled and nodded. “Absolutely. Besides, I think it’s better that you and Flurry Heart stay with us in Ponyville. You two will be safer with both Lock and myself.”

Cadence smiled brightly, but caught me off guard when she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me close.

“Thank you, Draco, your words truly mean a lot to me.”

I tried my best to remain calm and hug her gently, patting her back. “Y-you’re welcome, princess. I’m glad I could help you feel better.”

“Now Draco,” she said as she smiled coyly at me again. “Since I no longer am going to be a princess, you can forgo the formalities. From now on, please call me just Cadence.”

I was a bit caught off by that, but also confused. “Are you sure? You’re just giving up ruling the Crystal Empire, not your title.” Then I got a cheeky idea. “Or maybe somepony is trying to get out of doing her princess duties, hmmm?”

“Oh, of course not,” Cadence giggled nervously as she released me. “It’s just…I would like to be more comfortable around you. So there’s no need to call me Princess.”

I still had a cheeky smile on as she tried to play innocent. “Whatever you say, Cadence.”

Cadence’s cheeks tinted a little as she cleared her throat. “Shall we be off?”

She walked past me and I rolled my eyes with a smirk. We exited the medical ward and walked down the halls until we arrived at the room where we were told Amore was staying in. The guards standing by opened the doors for us and we entered a fancy looking room with the former ruler of the Crystal Empire laying upright on the bed with a frown.

“Princess Amore?” Cadence said.

“Oh, hello dear child,” Amore said with a sad smile. “And good day to you, sir…apologies, I seemed to have forgotten your name.”

Not wanting to be rude I got down on one knee and bowed to her. “Greetings Princess Amore, my name is Draco Saurian. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Oh please, young one, there’s no need to kneel,” Amore smiled.

“Actually, that is why we have come here,” Cadence said before taking a breath. “I…I wish to relinquish my title as ruler of the Crystal Empire and return it to you.”

“I beg your pardon? You don’t wish to be the ruler anymore?”

“No, I do not, not any more.”

“May I ask why?”

Cadence told her everything that she had been through and what we talked about earlier. Amore sat there on the bed as she listened.

“Hmm, you’ve gone through many hardships, child. I can only imagine what you must be going through, especially since you are a mother.”

“So would you grant my request and take back the throne?”

“Hmm…” Amore hummed in thought. “I am unsure, I have only just awoken after so long and things are much different now. Not to mention a war now rages against a terrible enemy.”

“You wouldn’t have to worry about the war yourself,” I said, getting the attention of the two mares. “All we ask is that you help lead your subjects once more. You can leave the fighting to me and Lock. The crystal ponies won’t accept anypony else but you to lead in Cadance’s place.”

“I had heard some…troubling things since I was brought here,” Amore spoke to me. “Tell me, what transpired between you and this Blueblood? What did he do that he was able to kill Sombra?”

“Sombra was killed by the leader of the Caribou, and his powers were put into Blueblood.” The battle quickly played in my mind before I continued. “Blueblood was a royal of Equestria, and the adopted nephew of Celestia. But he betrayed us and well, the rest is history.”

“I see,” Amore said. “I regret not telling him, of what he was and of his fate. I foolishly believed he could handle it on his own.”

“You mean Sombra?” Cadence asked and Amore nodded.

“Not only that, but I also wonder whatever happened to Hope. She was his only friend, and I miss her dearly.”

I couldn’t say anything because I didn’t want to tell them that I may know, or for the fact this world may not have her here.

“Sir Draco,” Amore looked at me. “Please give me your honest opinion. To my knowledge from what others have told me, it has been over a thousand years since I disappeared and the Crystal Empire was sealed away by Sombra. Do you believe that I would be accepted once again as the ruler of this kingdom?”

For a moment I wasn’t sure how to respond. Would the crystal ponies accept her? It was a good question. But then I remembered something important. In the show it was stated that when the Crystal Empire was sealed away, everypony inside was put into a somewhat state of sleep. For them it hadn't been a thousand years.

In all honesty, from their point of view, their princess has been missing since they reawakened. Meaning that she was still fresh in their minds. With a confident look I turned to Princess Amore. “Your highness, I can say with the utmost certainty that they will.”

Amore soon smiled admirably at me and nodded. “Well then, if you believe so, then I too shall believe it.” She removed the covers off her body and brought her legs over to stand up. I had to give the mare credit where credit was due, she was as beautiful as the Princesses and her smile set me at ease when she looked up at me. “I shall retake the Crystal Empire throne.” She held her hand out to me. “Thank you, thank you both, for allowing me to return to what I once was.”

With a smile of my own I gently took her hand in mind and bowed. “And please know should you ever need it, both myself and Lock shall come to aid you.”

“I am truly appreciative for your acceptance, Princess Amore,” Cadence beamed. “I must go tell auntie Celestia.” Cadence soon left us and I smiled at her as she exited the room.

“You can’t keep this charade for long you know.”

“…I beg your pardon, Princess?” I asked, turning to her. “What charade?” Amore placed a hand on her hip and arched a brow. Feeling as though she may say something else, I quickly made my way to the door. “Welp I got to go, I need to get ready for the knighting ceremony.”

“A wise pony once said, honesty is the best policy, Sir Draco!” Amore playfully called out to me.

Later
Dimitri 1st POV

It had taken the whole day, all the way to when the moon was risen to the sky, for Celestia and the others to get everything set up. Since we couldn’t use the throne room, on account that it had no roof, we were going to have the ceremony outside and in front of the crystal palace. Each Princess, excluding Amore who was hidden off to the side, were all dressed up in beautifully crafted dresses, courtesy of Rarity.

Fluttershy had managed to gather local singing birds and put together a small ensemble for the ceremony and she was kneeling down in front of her little friends and talking to them, probably going over some last minute tune ups.

Applejack was with her sister and Granny Smith, who I had sent a ship for to join us, and they were selling some of their signature apple dishes to the crystal ponies who ate them happily. Seeing their smiling faces made it seem like they had forgotten all that they had been through, even if it was just for a moment.

It took a lot of convincing from Maud, according to her, but she managed to convince Pinkie to come out of her room so she could help with the party decorations. When we saw her after being held up in her room for so long, her mane and tail were still flat and she had bags under her red eyes. It saddened me that she was in such a state, but it filled my heart with hope that she was still able to spruce the streets up with her flair. I even caught her smiling on occasion, which was a promising start to her recovery.

Rainbow Dash was seen flying in the air with the Wonderbolts, probably going over some routine for when we’re knighted. I recall it was her dream to fly with Spitfire and the others, so in a way she was living it despite the circumstances.

The rest of my crew were sitting on each side as a red carpet was laid out that split down the middle and up to where the Princesses stood. My apprentices and Alpha Squad were up front as Draco and I were standing behind a wall where we were told to wait. I was dressed in my armor, keeping my hood off and my mask tucked away, and Draco also had his new armor on. I glanced at Draco and he was looking down at himself, probably still admiring his new height.

“Nervous?” I asked, causing him to look at me. “You’re lucky Shadow and the others didn’t question why you decided to stay in your little green dino form all day. I was able to convince them that it was just another one of your little training exercises. No one has seen you with your new height yet, so it’ll be quite the shocker.”

He had a smirk on his face as he playfully nudged my shoulder with his elbow. “Oh, don’t I know it. But hey, don’t go getting jealous when all the mares start throwing themselves at the new me, okay?”

“Like I have to worry about that,” I shook my head with a smirk. “I don’t think Twilight and Moon would ever let another mare get the drop on me. Although since you mentioned it, you should start keeping your head on a swivel once the winter ends.” Draco seemed confused by my remark. “Oh? Shadow didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” He asked, sounding a bit nervous.

“When I first got to this world, it was the beginning of Fall,” I explained. “Apparently, every Fall and Spring season, mares go into this crazed sex drive that makes them wanna mate with any stallion they can get their hands on. Now, at first I was pissed that they’d ever do such a thing in the first place, and admittedly I’m still kinda wary, but Celestia and Luna agreed to take the necessary precautions in order for something like that to not happen again. Although, as for the males who are already in a relationship, like you and me, your mare could very well want to get it on with you once Spring rolls around.”

“Wait…so the heat thing is a part of this universe after all?” I could see that he was visibly going pale. I guess this was something he saw in the fanfiction back on earth.

“Apparently, I clearly remember Flash and I getting chased by dozens of mares from the castle, the Princesses and mane six included.”

“…” I could see a bullet of sweat running down his face as it was now dawning on him what he was in for. “Maybe I’ll go out of town for a while,” He gulped nervously.

“Ah, come on,” I said, patting his shoulder. “It’s like I said, I made sure Celestia and Luna would take the necessary precautions so that any mare would leave the males who are unwilling alone. And besides, you already have a marefriend so you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

He looked to loosen up a bit. “Let’s just hope one mare is all I have to deal with.”

I chuckled as he groaned and soon we heard trumpets being played.

“Well, this is it,” I said, adjusting my coat. “Ready?”

He gave a quick nod and rolled his shoulders as he bounced on the balls of his heels. “As ready as you, man.”

“Mares and gentlestalions!” We heard Celestia say to the crowd. “It is with great honor that we celebrate this day, for our glorious Crystal Empire has been liberated from the dastardly Caribou!” The crowd cheered and clapped as Celestia raised her hand for their silence. “This feat would not have been possible many moons ago, if it had not been for the valiant sacrifice of those who laid down their lives for the sake of reclaiming our lost peace. Today, we also celebrate and honor two noble warriors from a distant land who bled for us, who fought for us, and have vowed to continue to fight for us until all of Equestria is free!” More applauding from the crowd as we made our way out from behind the wall. “Citizens of the Crystal Empire and my little ponies of Equestria, I present to you the two warriors! Dimitri Lockdrom and Draco Saurian!”

We slowly walked down the red carpet as the guards drew their swords and made an arch for us. The choir was singing in our praise and the ponies were all watching us make our way to the Princesses. I could tell my crew was looking at Draco, mostly due to his new height, and I kept my back up straight. I then caught Phill in front of the crowd and he gave me a thumbs up, probably a sign of apology for coming in late, and his other arm held little Merida. We soon made it to the front and the Princesses smiled at us and we smiled back. Discord then made his appearance known by managing to poof himself beside us.

“And where have you been?” Luna questioned.

“Minding my own business,” Discord stuck his tongue out. “You look dashing in that new armor, my boy.”

Draco nodded his head in thanks to Discord. “Thanks. And thank you Discord for helping me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing here trying to liberate Equestria.”

“Of course,” Discord smiled.

“Dimitri Lockdrom, Draco Saurian, please kneel,” Celestia said. We nodded and both bent down on one knee. A servant then procured a sword for Twilight and Discord conjured up a sword of his own, which looked suspiciously normal.

“Dimitri, it is with great honor that I, Twilight, the Princess of Friendship, hereby Knight you as a protector of Equestria,” Twilight said with a proud smile as she tapped my right and left shoulders.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Draco, it is also my greatest honor to Knight you as well. May you continue to fight the good fight as chaotically as possible!” Discord said as he tapped Draco’s shoulders.

HONK! HONK!

“What the?” Draco said, looking up to see Discord holding a rubber chicken.

“Hehehe, got you!” Discord said with a grin. I could hear most of the crowd trying not to laugh.

“You and your insufferable pranks…” Luna sighed, pinching the bridge of her muzzle.

Draco sighed as he smiled. “You got me good Discord. Put it there.” Draco held out his hand.

Discord arched a brow and reached for his hand.

ZAP!

“YEOUCH!”

Draco held up his hand revealing a joybuzzer. “And predictable, I forgot to mention predictable.”

“Oh you!” Draco laughed.

“Back to the matter at hand,” Celestia cleared her throat, also stifling a laugh. She took out our medals from earlier and put them around our necks. “Arise, new knights of Equestria.” We both stood up and turned to face the crowd.

“Three cheers for the Knight of Liberation!” Twilight called out.

“And an equal cheer for the Knight of Chaos!” Discord added.

I gave a sharp flap of my wings and spread them out wide. Draco morphed his hands into claws and struck a fearsome pose.

“HUZZAH!! HUZZAH!! HUZZAH!!” The crowd cheered and clapped

“Knight of Liberation,” I said aloud. “Not bad, has a nice ring to it.”

Draco smiled as he looked at the medal around his neck. “And a Knight of Chaos, sounds pretty kickass.”

“That is not all,” Celestia announced. “Flash Sentry, Zephyr Breeze, Maud Pie, and members of Alpha Squad. Step forth.” The group of ponies looked at each other before walking up to Celestia and bowed. “Your efforts are also to be accounted for. As such, it is only fair that you are also rewarded. So it is with great pleasure that I gift you all with the titles of Grand Officers!”

“Huh?! Grand Officer?!” Zephyr yelped as more servant ponies came out with silver medals that looked similar to ours.

“This is…unexpected,” Maud said.

“It is only right,” Luna said as she and Celestia were given swords of their own. “Now, kneel please.”

My apprentices and Alpha Squad did as they were told and kneeled on one knee. Celestia and Luna took turns and tapped their swords on their shoulders until they were all honored and rose to their hooves.

“Once more, three cheers for the new Grand Officers!”

“HUZZAH!! HUZZAH!! HUZZAH!!”

“I…I feel like I’m dreaming,” Berry said.

“I never would’ve guessed I’d become a Grand Officer,” Ace said.

“Draco, punch me in the face,” Cloud said.

“Okay.” Without hesitation Draco punched Cloud in the face.

“Ouch!” Cloud yelped. “Ugh, yeah…not dreaming.”

“Draco?” Shadow said to him. “Is this…really real?”

“Yep babe, you’re a Grand Officer.”

Phill walked up to me and slapped me hard on my back as he carried Merida.

“Now look at this, mate! Who’d’ve thought you’d be a knight! And Draco! What the bloody hell happened to ya? You ain’t a midget no more!”

“NO PHILL!” All of Alpha Squad panicked, but Draco just stood there smiling.

“Let’s just say I had a sudden growth spurt.” He smiled before leaning over to Shadow and whispered something in her ear that made her face flush red.

“Damn dude, I thought I was just seeing things,” Zephyr said as he looked up at Draco. “And you didn’t get mad when Mr. Phill called you a midget!”

“No need, hahaha.” Both he and Alpha Squad laughed before Draco grabbed Zephyr’s head ruffled his mane. “Now I’m the one calling your guys short.”

“This is gonna take some getting used to,” Flash said.

“Now for my own announcement,” Cadence said as she stepped forward. “Hello, citizens of the Crystal Empire, it is good to see you all again.” The crowd cheered for her as she raised her hand for their silence. “Though I am pleased to be back in the Crystal Empire, my time here is not long.” This made everyone murmur to each other as Cadence reached up and took off her crown again. “I have decided to step down as Princess of the Crystal Empire.” The crowd gasped as she continued. “Please understand, it is not easy to make this decision. I have recently been through many hardships since this war began, most notably…the passing of my husband, Shining Armor.”

I glanced at Draco as he tensed up a little.

“I accepted my role as a Princess, and I was more than willing to rule if it meant I could have my family beside me. But now, with Shining gone, all I can think about is the well-being of my daughter. As a mother, my child’s happiness comes first above anything else. So I shall be spending the rest of my days raising Flurry Heart as best I can.”

“But who will lead us?!” A crystal pony cried out.

“I’m glad you asked.” Cadence nodded to the side as we soon saw Princess Amore walk out, wearing her cleaned up dress, which left everyone gobsmacked. “Mares and gentlecolts, who was once thought to be lost, now returns to you all! Princess Amore has returned!”

There was a brief silence amongst the crowd, until they all began shouting and crying with pure joy from seeing their former ruler once again.

“Thank you,” Amore said softly as she waved to them. “Thank you all, it is so good to be back home.”

“Sir Lockdrom!” An earth pony stallion came forward with a quill pen and notepad. “Top Scoop here, I’m writing with the newly formed Canterlot Times! How is it that her majesty, Princess Amore herself, thought to be deceased for over a thousand years, stands before us today?!”

“My Lieutenant and I managed to find her within a hidden room left behind by Sombra himself,” I explained to the press stallion. “Draco here was actually the one who spotted the room in the first place, I just used my power to free her majesty from her prison.”

“Sir Saurian! Front Page, with the Crystal Profit!” A crystal pony spoke out. “You and Sir Lockdrom claim she is the Princess Amore, but with all due respect, how can you prove it?!”

Draco looked at me and I gave him a nod to answer. He turned to the Crystal pony. “When we found Princess Amore, she was petrified in stone. Thanks to Lock she was freed. In the same hidden room where we found her, we also found a book belonging to King Sombra himself. It was a journal, and written inside was how he decided to keep the former princess of the Crystal Empire as a trophy of his victory. That is how we know she is the real Princess Amore.”

“It is as they have said,” Amore said. “I have been away for many, many moons. Things are much different than when I was still in charge. I must thank my successor, Mi Amore Cadenza, for doing such a splendid job in ruling in my stead.” Cadence smiled with a small blush as Amore continued. “Since she has decided to step down and return the throne to me, I shall do just that in her honor. My only question is, among many, would you all still accept me as your Princess?”

The crowd didn’t take long to respond as they all kneeled to the Princess in respect. Feeling it would be appropriate, I too bent down on one knee to Amore, as Draco and everyone else followed in kind and bowed to her. Amore stood there as she had small tears of happiness in her eyes that her subjects had accepted her once more. I glanced over at Cadence and she was looking at Flurry Heart in a stroller that sat between two guards in front of the crowd. Seeing how things turned out for the better, it was safe to say that the Crystal Empire was in good hands once more. Nothing could ruin this moment.

“Now wait just a damn moment!”

Me and my big mouth…

I sighed as I looked to the crowd and saw a unicorn stallion shoving his way through and saw it was Sergeant Onyx Shine of all ponies.

“Onyx? What’re you doing here?” Flash asked as he and the rest of us decided to stand back up.

“Objecting this unjustified knighting!” Onyx snapped

“Do you know this guy?” Draco asked as Onyx Shine approached us.

“Just some annoying ass I almost forgot about,” I sighed as Onyx was blocked by Alpha Squad.

“Out of my way! I’m your commanding officer!” Onyx snapped.

“In case you’re deaf, we now outrank you since we’re Grand Officers,” Shadow said sternly.

“Shut up, you stupid cow! A mare has no right to have such a title!”

Before I could say anything, Draco had quickly stepped in front of the stallion. His hand morphed like his indorapor clutching onto Onyx’s face and lifting him up. “I wonder, if I squeeze your head hard enough, will it go crack or pop?!” I could hear his hand squeezing Onyx's face.

“Draco, stand down,” I ordered. Draco looked at me but huffed as he threw Onyx on the ground.

“Gah! What the buck is wrong with you?!” Onyx yelled.

“That’s my question?!” Shadow shrieked. “How dare you call me a cow?!”

“Shadow please,” I said. “Now then, Onyx, it’s been some time since we last spoke.”

“I would’ve preferred it that way, freak! One minute you’re out terrorizing who knows how many poor ponies, and now you’re being knighted?! This is outrageous!”

“We more than earned our titles, Onyx,” I said.

“Well I say you don’t deserve them! None of you do! You’re all just a bunch of fakers!”

“Kinda funny that somepony who didn’t take part in taking back the Crystal Empire, is calling us fakers,” Draco said as he kept his hands in the shape of claws.

“I don’t need to be part of any brutality you all strive for, I earned my rank through my family’s name!

“Pfft, and he calls us fakers,” Zephyr chuckled, earning some laughs here and there.

“Shut it, you low-class plebeian!”

“Alright that’s enough!” I barked as I got in his face. “I don’t give seven shades of shit what you think about me, but I’ll be damned if I let you badmouth my friends any longer! I’m the one calling the shots around here, and I say that you are out of line in the faces of everyone here, the Princesses included. So as your commanding officer, I order you to return to Canterlot and stay there until further notice.”

“Do you honestly think I’ll listen to you?” Onyx smirked.

“Actually yes,” Celestia finally spoke up. “He is now an official knight and is the commander of the resistance, he has every right to give you any order he pleases. Sir Draco included.”

“Oh really?” Draco said with a wicked grin. “So if I were to order him to crawl all the way back to Canterlot, he would have no choice but to do so?” He looked to Celestia and winked.

“If that is what you wish of him,” Celestia nodded.

“Princess Celestia, you cannot be serious?!” Onyx said. “Not only would you allow them to don the titles of knights, but allow them to give me orders?!”

“They have more than earned their new titles, Sergeant Onyx Shine, and your outburst is not only incredibly rude but uncalled for. Perhaps Sir Draco should give the order to crawl back to Canterlot?”

“How could you say that?!”

“Times have changed, Onyx Shine, and so have my sister and I,” Celestia said strictly.

“Hmmm, you know what? Having you crawl back to Canterlot would mean you’d have to crawl through snow,” Draco said with a toothy smile. “And quite possibly encounter a hungry yeti, and are probably outside and in front of the kingdom’s walls.”

“What on Eques is a yeti? Another brainless ape like you?” Onyx snorted. “And you wouldn’t dare order me to do something so deplorable.”

“This little turd needs a whoopin’,” Phill sneered as Merida whimpered a little,

“On second thought, I have a better idea. I’ll just have you clean the stallion's bathroom for a week.” Draco added nonchalantly.

“What?!”

“With your tongue,” Draco added.

I snorted to myself as most of the crew laughed and some ponies in the crowd chuckled at Onyx’s expense.

“How dare you?! I’m not doing anything as disgusting as that!”

Without warning Draco turned into his Carnotaurus form, and held his open jaws in front of Onyx’s face.

“See Onyx? This is the difference between you and us, we actually care enough to have each other’s backs and fight on the front lines instead of using our names as an excuse,” I said as I pat the side of Draco’s large head. “You may have your rank, but you sure as hell didn’t deserve it. So if I were you, I’d keep your muzzle where it belongs and stay out of our way.”

“Y-You’ll regret this!” Onyx said as he backed away. “All of you! You’ll all regret this day! Mark my words!” And with that, he ran off to the nearest transport back to Canterlot as Draco turned back into a human.

“Sheesh, why’re those types of blokes always high off their own pride?” Phill shook his head as Merida sucked her thumb.

Draco who shifted back to his normal form grunted. “He reminds me too much of Blueblood. You should have let me eat him.”

“Naw, I think you’d get a stomach ache. Ain’t that right, lassie?” Phill said to his daughter as he tickled her tummy. “The big mean Dino would get a tummy ache.”

Draco huffed before going to comfort Shadow. With a peck on her cheek he held her close. “Don’t listen to that twat, Shadow, he’s just jealous no mare as beautiful as you will give him the time of day.”

“Aww!” Shadow said as she jumped on Draco and nuzzled his cheek. “What’d I do to get such a great coltfriend like you?”

Draco, who had no issues holding up his mare, nuzzled her back. “Just by being yourself.”

“Well ain’t you two cute together?” Phill smiled. Merida giggled as she unfurled her little wings and flew up to Draco and hugged his face again.

“Um, babe? You got a cute little something on your face,” Shadow giggled.

“Well isn’t that precious?” Amore cooed.

“Foals are truly a treasure,” Cadenza said.

Draco spoke in a muffled voice as he turned his head side to side, making Merida giggle as though she was on a ride.

“Merida McHaggard, you get off your uncle’s face!” Phill scolded.

“Aw, let her be Mr. Phill,” Shadow waved him off as she had Draco set her down. “She’s having fun with her uncle.”

Draco gently held the little foal by her side and started to blow raspberries on her belly, causing Merida to giggle uncontrollably.

“What’s say we finally get this celebration going huh?” I smirked. I flapped my wings and eyed a stallion who had a guitar in his hand from within the orchestra band and landed beside him.

“Excuse me, may I borrow this?”

“E-Erm, yes sir?” He stammered as he handed it to me.

“Thank you,” I nodded. I pulled out my smartphone and scrolled through my playlist to pick a song. Once everything was set up, I stepped in front of the orchestra band and smiled at the crowd. “Alright everyone, let’s get this party started!” I glanced back at the musicians. “Just follow my lead.” I pressed play on my smartphone and strummed the guitar and began to play and sing.

I bobbed my head as I sang and the ponies were getting into it and started dancing. The band surprisingly caught on to the rhythm of the song which was satisfying to me. I flapped my wings to fly over the crowd as they cheered for me. When the guitar solo was next, I spun around in a circle and used my electric power to give my performance a more flashy spectacle. I finished my song off by flying up high and landing in front of the royals with a smirk as I held my fist up to the night sky with a smile. The crowd roared with applause as I bowed to them and my friends and the royals also applauded for me. I then walked over to Draco, who was still holding Merida, and held out the guitar to him.

“Trade ya?”

Draco smiled as he handed me Merida, and took the guitar. He took a seat on a nearby chair and tuned the instrument before starting.

The song was a classic as we all swayed side-to-side and some danced to the song. Draco glanced at Shadow and winked at her, making her cheeks tint red as he continued to play. Draco finished the song off by standing up and bobbed his head to the finishing notes and striking a cool pose. The crowd cheered for Draco and Shadow ran up and jumped on him while peppering his cheek with kisses. Draco’s cheeks flushed before kissing her back and lightly dipping her as he held her by the small of her back. The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and more singing and dancing. One could only wonder how much better it could get.

After the ceremony and a small after party later, Draco and I told everyone to wait in the council room as we stood outside with Swift. Swift knew what was gonna happen next, only she was very anxious as to how the others might react. Especially since I had her parents be flown out here from Cloudsdale.

“A-Are you sure about this?” Swift asked us hesitantly. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

“Don’t you wanna be a mare?” I asked.

“Yeah, but I was sort of expecting some kind of foreign magic, not an actual transformation from your powers.” Swift then looked to Draco. “Did it hurt?”

Draco giving a look of displeasure nodded his head grimly. “Yeah I won’t lie, it was incredibly painful.”

“Way to give her confidence,” I deadpanned.

“I’m not gonna lie to her, better she mentally be prepared then go in and regret her decision,” Draco argued, before turning to Swift who looked like a shaking leaf. “Look I know you’re scared, but tell me something, is your love for Big B stronger than your fear?”

“Yes, I…I love him a lot,” Swift admitted with a blush.

“This is the only way that guarantees you a shot at the mare you wanna be. It’s going to hurt, but I promise that when it’s all done, you’ll see it as pain worth the reward,” Draco added sincerely.

Swift nodded and we all turned to the doors. Draco and I opened them as we saw everyone plus two other ponies. Both were pegasus ponies, a middle aged stallion with light purple fur and grey mane and tail wearing casual clothes and a middle aged mare with dark blue fur and peach pink mane and tail and also wore standard clothing for a mare. The two approached Draco and I as the stallion smiled at me and reached his hand out.

“Hello, sir,” I said to him as I shook his hand.

“Greetings, I am Swift Flake, and this is my wife, Windy Snow. We’ve been told about what you’re about to do for our daughter, can you truly turn her into a mare like she’s always dreamed?”

“Yes sir, I certainly can,” I nodded.

“And…she’ll be safe, right?” Windy turned to Draco.

“Her life isn’t at risk, not with Lock here,” Draco added as he bowed to the two.

They nodded and stepped back.

“So it’s finally time, huh?” Flash said.

“This is so exiting!” Twilight said as she held her paper and quill pen. “To witness a stallion turn into a mare by no magical means is truly a memorable occasion!”

“You ready?” I asked Swift, making the tips of my fingers turn into syringes. She gulped and began to tremble a little before Draco put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I promise you’ll be safe.” He moved his hand to hold hers so she could squeeze it if needed.

Swift nodded and faced me. I readied my hand at her side and focused my power.

“Emporio Female Hormone.”

I pushed into her skin and injected her with my power. She winced as she squeezed Draco’s hand and I soon pulled my hand away. The transformation began with Swift’s body beginning to morph into a more slender figure than she had. Her face also looked less rugged and her muzzle shrunk a little along with her ears. She gasped as she cupped her crotch area, probably because her male genitalia were shrinking and transforming into her new female lady parts, along with any internal organs. Lastly, her chest expanded from her shirt and grew out to a generous D cup, which caused her shirt to rip a little. Soon the transformations were complete, and Swift’s new slender legs gave way but Draco caught her.

“Ooohhh…” She groaned, her voice sounding more higher pitched.

Swift held her head as strands of her mane fell over her left eye. When she opened them and looked at us, I had to admit that she looked very pretty. Her new body had all the right assets as she looked down to examine her frame.

“Am…am I a mare now?” Swift asked.

“Congratulations, yes you are,” I smiled.

“Wow…I’m a mare,” she said then cupped her generous bust, making some of the males gawk. “I guess I got mom’s boobs.”

Draco, who had a towel on hand, threw it over Swift’s shoulders to hide her newly exposed bust. “Ahem, maybe we should have Rarity make you some new clothes.”

“I’d be delighted to!” Rarity beamed.

“Thank you,” Swift said, then turned to me with tears of joy. “And thank you, Captain, thank you so much for making my dream come true.”

“Glad I could help, ma’am,” I winked.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” Windy asked.

“I’m fine mom, look! I got your breasts after all!” Swift said, flashing everyone again.

“Swift! Put those away, young lady!”

“Hot damn!” Zephyr said.

Draco turned away blushing, while Shadow laughed at him for it.

“She’s got some nice knockers, huh babe?”

“Ugh, shouldn’t you be getting mad that I looked, not teasing me about it?” Draco deadpanned.

“Eh, some light rubbernecking never really did anypony harm. I sometimes steal glances Captain’s way when he’s working out.”

“Excuse me?!” I snapped.

“What? Not my fault you’re hot, but not as hot as Draco.”

“Thanks…I think?” Draco added, sounded confused.

“Now there’s one more thing I wanna do,” Swift said as she approached Berry Mustang. “Berry, there’s something I wanna tell you now that I’m a mare.”

“Um, okay what is it?”

“I love you.” Berry gasped as she stepped forward with a confident smile. “I’ve loved you for some time now, but I didn’t have the confidence to tell you as a stallion. I wanted to be what I was on the inside so that I could convey my feelings for you more clearly. I know that this might seem strange, considering I was a stallion only a minute ago, but I wanted you to know how I feel about you.”

Berry was silent as he stared at the shorter new mare until he reached out and hugged her close.

“I…I love you too, Swift,” Berry said softly.

“You do…?”

“Yeah, I kinda also liked you when you were a stallion. But now that you’re a mare, I guess my feelings grew exponentially,” Berry said as he faced her, still holding on to her.

“So…does that mean you’ll go out with me?” Swift asked.

Berry smiled as he leaned down and kissed Swift, making the new mare gasp but close her eyes. “Of course, Swift, I’d be honored to be your coltfriend.”

“Oh Berry!” Swift beamed with happy tears as she jumped on him. “I love you so much!”

Both Draco and myself smiled as we watched the new happy couple embrace each, while everyone else clapped their hands.

“Congrats, you two,” Ace said.

“Knew you could do it, buddy,” Cloud said.

“Yes, indeed, this is a joyous occasion,” Celestia said.

“Man, all this excitement has got me bushed,” Zephyr said.

“Same, I could sleep for days,” Flash said.

“That’s all you ever do whenever you’re not fighting, babe,” Spitfire smirked as she bumped him with her hip. He smiled as he scooped her up out of no where and walked out of the room. “Put me down!”

“Nope, I don’t feel like it!”

“I guess we should all call it a night,” Maud said as she stood by Pinkie.

“Yeah, I’m glad the day is over…” Pinkie said as she left with her sister.

The rest of the group left to sleep for the night as I caught Moon and Twilight glancing back at me before leaving. There was only Phill, Draco, and I as we all sat down together and Phill placed Merida on the table.

“Not bad, boys,” Phill said as Merida played with his fingers. “Ya sure turned this place around well and good.”

“We try,” I smiled.

“While I’d like to accept the praise, we still aren’t done yet.” Draco, who was sounding serious walked to a nearby window and looked out. “There are still some cities in Equestria that need to be liberated. When dawn comes Tomorrow, I’ll be heading out to liberate them.”

“Ya won’t be alone, lad,” Phill said. “I thought about what ya said some time ago. Perhaps you’re right in a way, I have been on me arse for too long. So starting tomorrow, I’m gonna be startin’ to be more active. And don’t you worry about us being at each other’s throats. So long as you take one side of a city and I take the other, we’ll both do as we please, deal?”

Draco remained quiet for a moment. “Or we can use the same tactics we used for the Crystal Empire.” Turning to face us both he gestures to Phill. “You will go to a city before either me or Lock shows up, and act as both a savior of those who wish to repent their sins, and a warning. You will offer those who wish it salvation, or face both me and Lock. Those who leave shall be spared and under your care, but those who stay shall be ours.”

“Actually, that works better,” I said. “No reason why we should change any tactics. Also, I wanted to do something in honor of our shared partnership.” I reached into my jacket and pulled out three shot glasses and a bottle of foreign liquor I discovered among the other bottles from my private stock in the Captain’s quarters. “Hey Draco, get a load of what I found on my ship.” I showed him the label on the bottle.

Draco examined the bottle and smiled. “Huh, I had no idea this world would have Sake, guess there is a Japanese like country in this world.”

“I think Twilight said it’s a place called Neighpan, ironic, am I right?” I chuckled as I poured the liquor in the glasses.

“I’ve only heard of that name in a fanfic once, guess they nailed the name without realizing it.” Pulling up some seats Draco set one up for me and Phil, as well for himself.

“So we’re really doing this?” Phill asked as I gave him a glass.

“Of course, we’re all friends here,” I said as I handed one to Draco. We all raised our glasses. “To a prosperous friendship as brothers-in-arms.”

“Slainté,” Phill said.

“I’ve heard of this once before. When men share a glass of sake together, it makes them brothers, but not by blood, but in spirit.” Draco smiled as he picked up his glass and held it up. “Heh, I’ve always wanted brothers, and I don’t think I could have chosen two better than you guys.”

“Me either,” I smiled.

Clink!

We all drank our shots and Phill and I coughed a little from the burning sensation that passed our throats.

“Oof, hot damn that burns!” I laughed.

“The hell is this stuff made of?! See, this is why I stick with good ol’ whiskey!” Phill complained.

As me and Phill coughed our lungs out, Draco titled his head to the side. “I don’t feel anything? I mean the drink tastes good, but I’m not sure where you guys get the burning from?”

“Damn dino tongue,” Phill grumbled.

“Guess you’ve got a higher tolerance thanks to those dino powers of yours or something,” I surmised.

“Not sure what you mean, this is honestly my first glass of liquor. Is there supposed to be something that happens to me?” He asked curiously.

“Dude, it’s sake, one of the most potent types of booze out there,” I explained as I collected myself. “How are you not affected by it? Or at least give a little grunt of displeasure or something?”

Draco shrugged his shoulders and reached for the bottle. “Maybe I need another glass.” Pouring himself another shot, he quickly shotgunned the whole thing and still didn’t look like anything happened.

“You’re a mad lad,” Phill deadpanned.

“Your dad is a bit of a whiner, huh Merida?” I chuckled to the filly who looked at me then Phill.

“Got something to say to daddy, lassie?” Phill smirked.

“D…” We all froze as Merida pointed at Phill. “Da…Da.”

“Oh, I think she’s gonna say her first word,” Draco said in amazement.

“Merida honey, are ya really-?”

“Dada!” Merida chirped, holding out her little arms. The dam broke for Phill as tears spilled from his eyes.

“L-Look at that!” Phill cried as he scooped her up in a big hug. “She called me dada! Me sweet little angel called me dada!” Both me and Draco could only smile as we bore witness to a happy moment. “Draco! Lock! Did ya hear?!”

“We did, man, congrats,” I nodded.

“Dada! Dada!” Merida said as she nuzzled Phill.

“Well I think I might have just gotten diabetes, because that is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” Draco smiled.

After about a couple minutes of happy cheers, Merida let out a small yawn as her eyes closed and fell asleep.

“Aw, little thing is tuckered out,” I said.

“I best get her to bed,” Phill said as he kissed her forehead. “Be seeing you two.” We waved goodbye as he left the room.

“Welp, I’m also kinda tired so I’m gonna hit the hay too,” I said as I stretched my arms out.

Letting out a yawn of his own, Draco nodded. “Yeah me too. I need to get some sleep if we are gonna take back the rest of Equestria.”

We both went our separate ways as I went back to the room I shared with Twilight and Moon. Once I arrived, the girls weren’t there for some reason waiting for me, so they must be out getting a late night snack or something. I undressed my armor by snapping my fingers and it disappeared in a puff of flames, leaving me wearing my street clothes again. Now that I think about it, I never really questioned how I could summon my armor and weapons with a snap of my fingers and they appear on me from my flames. Must be some special ability as the Devil’s Hand, so I’d rather not dwell on it.

I took off my street clothes and hung them over a chair in the room before making my way to the bathroom. The bathroom was pretty spacious and the tub looked like it could fit three or four people. I turned the knob and waited for the water to heat up as I looked in the mirror. The black markings around my eyes, the red streak in my slightly longer dark brown hair, the tribal brands that covered both my arms, and the large crimson red wings. It was as if I was looking at a complete stranger as opposed to the man I was nearly half a year ago. But it’s a good thing that my eyes are still as grey as the day I was born. The room began to steam up which meant the water was just the right temperature. I slipped out of my boxers and stopped the water running and dipped my foot in. I sighed in content as I submerged myself in the relaxing hot water of the tub and leaned back. As my thoughts were distracted by the blissful feeling of the water, I failed to notice the door opening behind me and someone walking in. I then felt the water rise and someone joined me, so thinking it was Twilight, I opened my eye slightly to greet her. Only, it wasn’t Twilight, it was Moon who was sitting on the other side of the tub. I blinked as the gears in my kind began turning and Moon was blushing so hard that it spread to her neck.

“U-Um…hello, Dimitri,” Moon said nervously.

“Um…hi?” I said, then finally snapped out of my trance. “Moon? What are you doing here?”

“I…wanted to join you,” Moon said as she turned away. “Was I not allowed?”

“No, no, it’s okay. I was just caught off guard is all,” I said as I scooted a little to the side. “Would you like to join me?”

Moon hesitated for a moment but nodded as she stood up slightly and made her way to me. As expected of Moon, she had a bombshell body that most men could only dream of. I summoned every ounce of willpower to not stare, but that only seemed to make things more difficult when she finally sat next to me. Now I could get a nice view of her very generous F cup breasts. I gulped as Moon then leaned on my shoulder and hummed in content.

“This is nice,” she spoke. “I cannot recall personally sharing the bath with another. There was always staff to help wash me.”

“Must be nice,” I said, still not looking down.

“Do you believe we will be able to enjoy moments like these more often?” Moon asked.

“We’ll certainly make sure to do so,” I said calmly.

“Dimitri, what’s wrong?” Moon wondered. “How come you won’t look at me?”

“Um, well it’s just…” I felt like I was backed into a corner as Moon awaited my response. “I’m sorry Moon, I just don’t want to stare too much.”

“Stare?” She tilted her head. When she noticed the small blush I was trying to hide, she looked down and seemed to catch on and blushed herself. “Oh, I see.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be,” Moon protested. “In fact…I would not be displeased if you stared.”

I gulped as I looked down at Moon. “You wouldn’t?”

“Of course not.” She surprised me by sitting up slightly and made her way in between my legs. A nervous, yet mischievous smile crept on her face as I continued to stay silent. “If we are to be lovers, then…don’t you think it would be appropriate if we…consummate our love for each other?”

“You…want to mate with me?” I asked, only for her nod ever so slightly and brought her hands up to cup my cheeks

“Yes, I wish for you to make love to me as you have with Twilight. I just love you so very much, that I wish to convey my feelings accordingly. You guided me on the right path and I hopefully one day wish to address my newfound self to the rest of Equestria. And this would not have been possible, if not for you.”

I was a little blown away by Moon’s words as she leaned in close to me. She then pressed her lips against mine, kissing me as I placed a hand on the small of her back. She flinched slightly as she wrapped her arms around the back of my neck and kissed me more deeply, before finally stopping and looking into my grey eyes.

“Are you sure you want this?” I asked for reassurance.

“More than anything,” Moon nodded.

“Very well.”

FIRST CLOP OF CHAPTER!!!

We kissed each other once more and we held each other close. I could feel her trembling a little, which could only mean that this was probably her first time. I made a mental note to myself to be sure to go at a reasonable pace for her so she doesn’t feel rushed. I felt something poke my lips, which I quickly realized was her tongue asking for permission to enter my mouth. I accepted by parting my lips and I met her tongue with mine. Moon moaned into our heated make out session as she leaned more into me, making her breasts press more into my chest. I reached up with my right hand to scratch her behind her ears, which made her gasp and moan more.

“Th-That feels nice…” Moon sighed, leaning into my hand. The way her mane no longer flowed on its own and just hung off her head made her arguably more beautiful than before.

“You’re so beautiful…” I muttered out loud, making her blush and turn away.

“You’re just saying that.”

“No, I’m not,” I said as I cupped her cheek and made her turn to me. “You’re one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, Nightmare Moon.”

Moon smiled happily at me and went in for another kiss. I guided my hands down her body until they made contact with her breasts, causing her to yelp a little and I pulled back.

“Do it again…” she breathed into my ear. “Touch me more.”

I obliged by gently grasping her breasts and began lightly kneading them, to her growing delight. She moaned and whimpered at my touch as I was careful not to overstep in my ministrations by causing her any discomfort. I glanced down at her two perfect orbs and noticed her dark blue nipples were erect and winking at me. Allowing my carnal desires to take hold for a moment, I leaned in and gave her right nipple a small lick.

“Ah!”

“Oh, sorry,” I apologized.

“D-Do not apologize,” she said to me. “Do not feel the need to apologize, my love, for tonight you may do with my body as you please.”

I nodded as I went back in but decided to up the ante by wrapping my lips around her nipple and gave it a light suckle. Moon gasped and moaned again as she hugged my head more into her breast and began grinding on my leg. As my right hand kneaded her breast, my left hand snaked down and clasped her right butt cheek where her cutie mark was. The response was more moaning as Moon’s tongue hung out from her mouth from her arousal.

“Your hands…your mouth…so good~.”

Feeling like we should move on, I wrapped my arms around her and gently picked her up so that she was sitting on the edge of the tub and I was looming over her.

“The night is still young, my dear, and you haven’t even begun to feel as good as you think,” I said with a smile.

I leaned in and began kissing her neck and slowly made my way down. She giggled a little when I reached her ticklish parts until I eventually made it to my mark between her legs, only she was covering herself with her hands. I looked up at my dark lunar marefriend to see her blushing profusely again. She looked away from me since she seemed too embarrassed to talk.

“Moon, if it’s too much,” I said. Moon, however, shook her head and took a deep breath. She slowly removed her hands from her crotch, giving me a good view of her aroused marehood. It looked smooth and the folds were still intact as I could smell a sort of sweet scent from it.

“P-Please do not stare too much, Dimitri,” Moon whispered.

“My apologies, I’m just admiring you,” I said. “May I?”

She glanced my way and nodded slightly while spreading her legs a little more as I brought myself close. The sweet smell filled my nostrils as I stuck my tongue out and gave her a gentle lick. The contact my tongue made with her folds caused her body to tense up. Not wanting to drag it on, I licked her again, and again, and again until I started to get used to it. Her juices that fell on my taste buds had the distinct taste of blackberries. As I ate out my herdmate, her moans filled the room as her body flinched and squirmed around.

“Y-Your tongue is so, ahn~, so good~!” Moon cried out. I smirked as I then latched my whole mouth onto her marehood and assaulted it with my tongue. Moon screeched out loud as she grabbed my head and involuntarily pushed my head into her crotch. My tongue poked into her pussy’s hole, flicked her clit, and lapped up any juices that were secreted into my mouth. “D-DIMITRI! SWEET STARS! OH MY STARS! I-I’M GOING TO-AAAHHHHH~!” Her climax caused her pussy to convulse as a full spray of her love nectar peppered the inside of my mouth. I drank every drop that hit my tongue until she came down from her high and I sat up. Moon’s face was completely flushed as she breathed heavily and I watched her breasts move up and down with her breathing. “Th-That w-was…by the moon~.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I said as I licked my lips. Moon looked at me and quickly grabbed my head to bring me in for a sloppy kiss. Our tongues wrestled for dominance as she pulled me to the side until we were back in the positions we were before. Moon then broke the kiss as she kneeled down in between my legs and was face first with my very prominent erection.

“This is yours?” She asked, eyeing it like a piece of meat. “It’s so…different, yet also big.”

“You can touch it, if you want?” I said. She glanced up at me and slowly brought her hand up to grasp it. The feeling of her soft hand on my dick was a very pleasant feeling as she began to jerk it slowly.

“Does it feel good?” Moon asked.

“Yes, you can also do the same thing I did for you.”

“You mean taste it?” Moon guessed and I nodded. “I…shall try.”

Moon stuck her tongue out and gave the tip of my dick a gentle lick. She paused for a moment until she started to lick it some more and soon moved all around, giving my dick licks all over. Her tongue felt very nice as she soon opened her mouth wide and took my dick in her mouth. I groaned as she started to slowly suck and bob her head on my dick as she even continued to lick my shaft during her sucking. I was impressed as to how well she was doing with her blowjob, and she even smiled up at me with my dick still in her mouth.

“You taste…as good as I had hoped~,” Moon purred as she jerked me off.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” I said.

Moon went back to sucking me off but with a little more effort into it. I watched as my dick disappeared and reappeared from those luscious lips of hers and her eyes gazed at me like a hungry predator. I soon felt a familiar tension build up within my groin as I grunted and gripped the edge of the tub.

“Moon…I’m gonna cum soon,” I warned her.

Instead of pulling out, Moon just sucked even harder and even went as far as to try and shove my dick down her throat. The action alone was enough to bring me over the edge as I grunted loudly and climbed. My seed erupted into her mouth and down her throat as she drank every spurt that came out of my dick. I soon stopped cumming and Moon slowly pulled my dick from her mouth and out with an audible pop. Moon looked up at me with glazed eyes as she opened her mouth to show me my own release before closing her mouth and swallowing it.

“Your essence is as thick as honey, but might just be even tastier~.”

“Holy shit, that was so hot…” I sighed.

Moon giggled as she noticed that my erection was still standing tall which got her curious as to why. After a brief explanation of human anatomy, which only seemed to fuel her arousal, she stood up and positioned herself so that my dick and her pussy were mere inches from each other.

“This is it, Moon,” I told her. “Are you ready?”

“I am,” she nodded and smiled at me. “I want to be yours, Dimitri, I want you to hold me and love me. I want to be your mare, just like Twilight. I love you so very much.”

“I love you too,” I nodded.

Moon slowly lowered her hips until the tip of my dick made contact with her marehood’s lips. She flinched slightly but kept going as she penetrated herself upon my shaft. She stopped once I felt a sort of thin barrier from within, which caused her to look anxious until I cupped her cheek for reassurance. Moon nodded and in one fell swoop, she lowered her hips the rest of the way. The barrier was broken as my dick slid completely inside her and Moon cried out loud in both pain and arousal; her wings sprung out like wooden boards. I glanced down to see a thin trickle of blood drip out from her pussy and into the bath water and we stayed there, connected.

“Are you alright, Moon?” I asked her as she winced.

“I-I am fine, y-yes, just give me a moment…” Moon responded. After about a minute, Moon leaned her hands on my shoulders for support as she raised her hips up a little and came back down. As expected, her tight walls clamped down all around my dick each time Moon came up and down. After a while, Moon became more accustomed to it and started to bounce on my lap at a slow pace. Each time she came down, her voice yelped and her tongue flopped out of her mouth. Her breasts were jumping in my face as I grasped both cheeks of her flank. “Yes! Oh~! So good! More! Buck me more~!”

Seeing as how she’s now used to it, I decided to meet her bouncing with my hips as I thrusted upwards. Moon only cried out more as the bath water rippled and splashed around from our love making.

“Dimitri! Dimitri, more~! Please buck me more! Claim me as yours!” Moon bleated out.

I soon thrusted more up into her as she leaned her head down and mashed her lips on mine. Our moaning and the slaps of our bodies echoed around the bathroom and I squeezed her flank cheeks. Our love making lasted for a while until I once again felt tension in my groin. At this point, I was back on top of her as I thrusted into her and she had both her arms and legs locked around me and her wings were spread out wide.

“Moon, I’m close!”

“INSIDE!” Moon shrieked, glaring at me with a wide, toothy grin. “RELEASE INSIDE ME! MARK ME! MAKE ME YOURS, MY LOVE, MAKE ME YOURS FOREVER TO COME!”

“MOON!” I called out as I gave one last hard thrust. “AW FUCK!”

“I LOVE YOU!! I’M CUUUMMMIIINNNGGG!!”

Our climaxes happened at the same time, her juices spraying my crotch and my seed flooding her insides. We both stayed like that for who knows how long until we eventually came down from our euphoric release. Moon’s arms and legs released me as I pulled out and I watched my load spill out from her marehood.

“By…the moon and stars…” Moon said, out of breath. “That was…so wonderful~.”

“I’ll say…” I said as she rubbed her lower belly.

“I can still feel you…” Moon smiled at me. “We have become one, and are now officially marked as mates.”

FIRST CLOP OF CHAPTER END!!!

We both managed to clean each other off after our steamy session together and Moon seemed to be glowing with joy and affection for me. After we got done, we exited the bathroom with me carrying Moon bridal style as she nuzzled the crook of my neck. Waiting for us was Twilight as she sat in a chair and read a book while dressed in her pajamas. She looked up from her book and smiled as she closed it and set it aside.

“So I take it you enjoyed yourself, Moon?” Twilight asked.

“Oh yes, he was absolutely wonderful,” Moon sighed happily.

“So you were in on this?” I said to Twilight.

“Well we did say we were preparing something for you, so this is what we had in mind,” Twilight smiled as she walked up to me and pecked me on the lips. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Very much so, yes,” I nodded. “I just hope we weren’t too loud.”

“Not to worry, Dimitri, I cast a noise canceling spell on the bathroom before you two got busy,” Twilight reassured me. “No pony heard a thing, not even me.”

“Well that’s reassuring.” We all then climbed into bed as I laid on my back. Moon laid on my right and Twilight on my left as they both used my wings as comforters and nuzzled into my chest. “I love you both, very much.”

“We love you too, Dimitri,” Twilight said.

“Indeed, our love will last for eternity,” Moon said. I gave them each one last kiss before waiting for my eyes to close. Although as I fell asleep, I pondered what the future would have in store for me after so much has happened. One thing’s for sure though, I will do everything in my power to win this war and bring back the world’s lost peace.

Some Time Before
Draco 1st POV

I arched my back and felt some satisfying pops here and there as I arrived at the guest room I stayed at and stepped inside. I took off my armor piece by piece and set it aside before flopping on the bed and was about to pass out.

Knock! Knock!

I groaned as I dragged myself out of bed and trudged back towards the door thinking it was Zephyr or somepony.

I grabbed the door knob and turned it, pulling the door open. “I swear, this had better be go-”

To my surprise, Shadow stood before me with a smile that turned into a mischievous smirk when she eyed my exposed torso.

“So you sleep topless too, huh?”

My face turned crimson as I stared at my marefriend. “W-what are you doing here so late, Shadow?”

“Well…” she said a bit more bashfully. “Can we…sleep together?”

Feeling a bit flustered I move aside to let her in. “Sure, you can come on in.”

As she walked in and I closed the door, she sat on the bed and sat beside her for me to sit next to her. I did so as we sat together and she leaned on my shoulder.

“We’ve certainly been through a lot already, haven’t we?” She said.

“Yeah, sure have. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting us to take back the Crystal Empire and defeat a deadly sin this soon.” I looked to the ceiling, thinking about how there were still six sins left.

“It’s gonna get tougher, isn’t it?” She said a bit sadly. I responded by wrapping my arm around her and held her close.

“Yeah.” I groaned as I lay back on the bed. “With Lust gone, I’m sure the other sins will take notice. We’ve become a real threat now.”

“Draco…” Shadow said as she slowly crawled on top of me. Her breasts were pressing against my chest as she stared at me with those beautiful brown eyes and her light blue mane dangled in front of her eyes.

“U-uh S-Shadow, what are you doing?” I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I stared up at her.

“Do you love me?”

“O-Of course I do. Why would you ask me such a thing?”

“Tell me then,” she whispered, leaning closer to me. I could smell her fruity scented breath. “Tell me you love me.”

Gulping nervously, I steeled my nerves and moved my hands to hold the small of her back. “Shadow, though I never expected to find love when I came here, I’m so glad that I met you. I love you so much.”

Shadow smiled as she leaned down to kiss me. We kissed for about a minute until we separated and she stared back down at me with a smile.

“I…I want to give you something,” she said as she sat up. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head and tossed it aside. Her double C cup breasts were on display behind her bra. “Draco, please take me as your mare. I want you to have my first time.”

My face started to burn with such intensity that my head started to steam up. “A-Are you sure?”

“Draco…” Shadow gently grabbed my hands and placed them on her breasts. “I love you too, and there’s no other stallion in Equestria I’d rather give myself to. I was almost claimed by a war beast, and I want to forget those dark times. So…please, claim me.”

For a moment I didn't say anything, but in my mind I knew what to say. “No…not claim.” I moved one hand to gently stroke her cheek. “Let us come together to be as one.” I leaned in and kissed her lips. “This will be my first too, and I’m happy you’re the mare I’d give my virginity to.”

SECOND CLOP OF CHAPTER!!!

As Shadow and I kissed, I had to make sure that I was gonna do this correctly and not mess up, which was easier said than done since the day I’ve been dreaming about since I was sixteen has finally arrived. I’m about to lose my freaking virginity and it’s with a girl I’ve come to care for a great deal.

“You seem tense, Draco,” Shadow said as she pulled away.

“S-Sorry, I’m just a little nervous is all,” I admitted.

“Would you like me to take the lead?” Shadow offered and I nodded. “Very well.” We adjusted ourselves so that we were sitting in front of each other and Shadow reached behind and unclipped her bra. She smiled at me as she pulled off each strap and her breasts came into full view, making me gulp. “You like them?”

“Y-Yes, they’re quite nice,” I replied.

“Well don’t just sit there,” Shadow said as she grabbed my hands and they found themselves on her breasts again. “Touch them.”

I was a little at loss for words from the feeling of my hands making contact with actual bare breasts. I felt like I was on autopilot as my hands moved on their own and kneaded her breasts gently.

“Th-They’re really soft…” I said.

“Thanks, I always made sure that they were pretty squeezable,” Shadow giggled. I seemed to have gotten lost in my ministrations as I started to squeeze her breasts more, making her moan out loud. “E-Easy there tiger, my girls aren’t going anywhere.”

“Oh! S-Sorry!” I panicked as I pulled my hands back.

“Don’t be, it actually felt nice,” Shadow smiled. “Now then…” Her eyes trailed down to my groin and licked her lips. “Why don’t you take those off for me?”

I looked down to see my obvious erection, which caused me to blush profusely. Not wanting to make her wait, I grabbed the hem of my boxers and pulled them off. Now my dick was on display as I laid on my back. Before I was an average size for a healthy male, but now my dick was standing at a generous seven inches. Probably due to whatever Lock did to me when he used his power to make me taller.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you told me that your height wasn’t the only thing that grew~,” Shadow purred as she crawled up between my legs.

“Is that bad?” I wondered. Shadow smiled seductively as she reached out and gently grasped my dick.

“Oh no, babe, you certainly got something quite special here~,” Shadow said as she leaned in. She gave it a sniff before licking her lips again and stuck her tongue out. Her tongue dragged from the base to the tip, making me go cross eyed from the sensation, and repeated the process a few times. I was in a bit of a trance since this feeling was very surreal to me. It only intensified when Shadow opened her jaw and took my dick in her mouth and began sucking.

“Oh jeez!” I gasped.

My first experience with getting a blowjob would be etched into my mind for years to come. Shadow bobbed her head up and down and sucked each time and all I could do was watch. I saw one of her hands snake down in between her legs and she began playing with herself, which was a pretty sexy sight to see.

“Shadow…” I sighed. She looked up at me and winked as she continued giving me the pleasure of a lifetime. I groaned and continued to watch until I felt a tension build up in my groin. “Sh-Shadow, I’m gonna blow!” I thought my warning would make her stop, only she did the complete opposite and sucked even harder. I couldn’t hold on as I came, flooding her mouth with my seed and she gulped down every drop. Once my dick finished its climax, Shadow pulled my dick out of her mouth with an audible pop and licked her lips.

“Delicious~,” Shadow purred.

“H-Holy fuck…”

Shadow giggled as my dick still stood tall, making her tilt her head. “Isn’t it supposed to go down?”

“What do you mean?” I wondered, coming down from my high.

“Stallions don’t remain erect after blowing once,” Shadow explained. “They’re usually done after one or two times.”

“I see, well we humans are different. We can last many rounds if we can, I can go at least one or two more times.”

“Is that so?”

Shadow then gave me a show by laying on her back and lifting her legs up. She then grabbed her shorts and slowly pulled them off her legs and tossed them aside. The lonely piece of clothing she was wearing her panites and I noticed a wet spot where her special place is. Shadow peeked at me and winked as she again slowly took off her panites, giving me a full view of her crotch. To finish off her little show, she spread her legs out wide and was looking at me like a predator stalking its prey. Meanwhile, my eyes couldn’t tear away from her exposed snatch.

“Like what you see?” Shadow teased.

“U-um…y-yes?” I managed to speak out.

“Well what are you waiting for? Come over here,” Shadow beckoned me over with her finger.

I gulped a huge lump in my throat as I crawled over to her and positioned myself between her legs. I was now much closer to her pussy and I could smell her arousal very clearly thanks to my heightened senses; I could detect a rather sweet scent from her.

“Are you gonna stare at it or are you gonna lick it?” Shadow wondered.

“Lick?” I questioned.

“Oh it’s easy, you just lick it like a lollipop, and you keep licking until something happens.”

“What will happen?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions during sex, you know that?” Shadow teased.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be, just relax and do as I told you.”

I nodded and inched closer to her pussy. I could see that it was a little wet as I stuck my tongue out and proceeded to give it a little lick. Shadow moaned a little as I did so, so I did it again. I kept doing it, earning more squeaks of pleasure and sighs from Shadow, and I could taste more of her love juices on my tongue, which tasted like sweet candy.

“That’s it, mmm~, just like that~,” Shadow moaned.

Not wanting to disappoint her, I pressed my tongue more into her pussy and licked more fervently. The results were instantaneous as Shadow moaned more loudly and put her hand behind my head and pressed my face more into her crotch. I had no idea what I was doing, but it seemed like I was doing something right since I was getting such a reaction like this from her. I continued to eat my marefriend out for a couple more minutes until I heard her breathing get more heavy. I paid it no mind, until she shoved my face more into her crotch as her back arched and she cried out loud. A spray of liquid erupted from her pussy and into my mouth but I just kept on licking until it stopped. I managed to pull away and Shadow’s face looked very flushed and had a wide grin on her face.

“Wow…” was all she said.

“Did I do that right?” I wondered.

“Better, I don’t think I ever came that hard before,” Shadow said as she calmed down. “I believe we’re now both ready for the main event.”

“Main event?” I tilted my head but mentally slapped myself for asking another stupid question. “Oh, right.”

“You’re so cute,” Shadow giggled as she sat up and crawled over me so I was on my back again. As she lined herself up, my heart was beating a million miles per minute. This was it, tonight was the night I would officially become a man.

“Um, Shadow? Don’t we need a condom or something?” I asked.

“If you’re worried about getting me pregnant, don’t be. I’d only get pregnant if I was in heat and thankfully I’m not. Besides, I’m not quite ready to be a mom just yet. Maybe one day, but not today.”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure I wanna be a dad yet either,” I admitted.

“Glad we’re in an agreement,” Shadow smiled. “You ready?”

“Y-Yeah, let’s become one, Shadow,” I said with a happy smile.

Shadow smiled back as she lowered her hips. Inch by inch, my dick penetrated her soaked pussy until I felt some kind of thin barrier from within her. Shadow took a deep breath until she lowered her hips all the way and my dick was fully inside her. I had done it, I finally lost my virginity. My attention was then brought to Shadow and she seemed to be wincing in pain a little, which concerned me.

“Are you okay, Shadow?” I asked.

“I-I’m fine, just need to adjust,” Shadow breathed out. “I’m also very happy.” She smiled down at me with tears forming in her eyes. “I’m actually doing it with the stallion I love and it’s the best painful feeling in the world.”

I smiled up at her and upped her cheek and leaned up to kiss her. She kissed me back as our tongues coiled around each other and she began to lift her hips up and bring them back down. The feeling of having sex was almost indescribable. It was like my whole body was enveloped in a warmth that I didn’t want to get rid of. Shadow moaned as she pulled back and leaned back as she slowly bounced on my dick. Her breasts were swaying up and down a little and she looked to be in pure bliss. I glanced down at our combined privates, how my dick would appear and disappear within her pussy and how her flanks jiggled every time she came back down. Feeling bold, I reached over with both hands and clasped her flanks where her cutie marks were.

“Ah~! Naughty colt~,” Shadow gasped as she started bouncing more.

The whole room was filled with the scent and sounds of our love making. I was in pure bliss as I watched my unicorn lover bounce up and down on my crotch.

“So good! So full!” Shadow bleated out. “Buck me, Draco, I love you!”

“I love you too, Shadow!” I replied as I grabbed her breasts.

Both our bodies were completely drenched in sweat as our love making continued. We were in the middle of yet another sloppy make out session when I began feeling tension building up in my groin and the walls of her pussy started to tighten up.

“Shadow, I’m gonna blow again!” I warned her.

“I’m close too, let’s cum together!” Shadow said as we held each other’s hands.

With one last thrust upwards, we both climaxed as my load filled her pussy up and her juices sprayed all over my crotch. We both cried out together, basking in the afterglow of our climaxes, and Shadow’s eyes fluttered shut as she collapsed on top of me.

SECOND CLOP OF CHAPTER END!!!

Both Shadow and I slowly but surely came down from how high as we laid there. No matter how many times I played it back, the fact remained that I actually had sex and I was laying with a beautiful mare whom I did it with to boot.

“That was so good…” Shadow said as she nuzzled my chest.

“Yeah, best experience of my life,” I agreed as I held her close.

“Draco?” Shadow looked up at me with a smile. “I love you, promise me we’ll be together forever?”

I smiled as I pecked her on the lips. “I promise, and I love you very much as well.”

Shadow smiled contently as she rested her head back on my chest and fell asleep. Tonight was probably the best night of my life, knowing that I found something I didn’t expect to have.

“I’ll save this world,” I said to myself as I began to fall asleep. “I’ll save it if it’s the last thing I ever do.”

Author's Note

A night to remember.

Side Note: It is good to be back! Also, Ta da! I give you Draco Saurian!

Courtesy of Nastya_Tan!

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…