Chapter 37

The council room within the Crystal Empire was dead silent, excluding the footsteps of Draco’s pacing back and forth. The Princesses, apprentices of Lock, Alpha Squad, the rest of the mane six, and Phill were sitting at the table waiting for him to say something. It had been a full hour since Dimitri disappeared, and tensions were already at an all time high.

“Draco?” Zephyr called out but Draco kept pacing back and forth.

“Bloody hell…” Phill muttered. “What a bloody mess. The hell was he thinkin’?”

“I believe he figured that if someone had gone through the portal, it would close,” Draco said, still pacing, not taking his eyes off the floor, thinking hard.

“But why him?” Phill grumbled. “That bloody eejit coulda handled it better. And he goes and tossin’ himself to god knows where?”

“Because he wanted to protect us,” Draco added, looking up at both Twilight and Moon.

The two mares, who were part of his herd, were still drying their tears at the loss of their stallion.

“I’m so sorry…” Twilight whimpered.

“Twilight, please don’t blame yourself,” Moon tried to say.

“If anyone is to blame here, it’s me and Lock,” Draco added, getting everyone’s attention. “We knew what that mirror could do, but made no effort to properly hide it.”

“How would you know?” Celestia wondered. “That mirror has been dormant for over millennia.”

“Lad,” Phill warned but Draco raised his hand.

“I know Lock said not to, but under these circumstances they need to know in order to be at peace,” Draco said calmly, and Phill, while looking reluctant, had nothing to add.

“What are you two talking about?” Luna asked.

“Well lass…ya could say them boys knew about the lot of you from the start,” Phill sighed, earning more confusion.

“It’s about time you all know the whole truth.” Draco looked around to make sure that only those he requested were in the room. He walked to the door and opened it, telling the guards to patrol the hall, before closing the door and turning to the ponies. “As you all may already know, Lock, Phill, and myself are from another world.”

“We are aware,” Cadence nodded.

“Some planet called Earth?” Flash said.

Nodding, Draco continued. “Yes, that is correct, however there is something we had kept a secret from all of you. Something Lock feared could cause a problem should any of you found out.”

“Wait a moment,” Twilight spoke up. “When we first met Dimitri, he somehow knew all of our names.” She gestured to her friends and the Princesses. “But…all he said is that he had his ways, even though no pony had ever met him before.”

“This is gonna take a while,” Draco sighed.

He began by telling the Equestrians about his world and the many forms of entertainment they had. This of course led to the discussion of the show known as My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. And the means in which Lock and the other humans knew so much about Equestria and its denizens. Once he had explained all that he thought was necessary, he paused to allow the information to sink in.

Silence…nothing but sheer silence from every pony in the room. The amount of information dropped on them was like a ton of boulders and no one could really speak or think clearly.

“So…w-wait,” Rainbow said. “You…y-you’re telling us that our world is based on some TV show? Whatever that is?”

“No, actually.” Draco took a moment to think before speaking. “Twilight, could you be so kind as to conjure me up a blackboard?”

“E-Erm…sure,” Twilight managed to say, using her magic to make a blackboard materialize beside the table. “H-Here’s some chalk…” She said, levitating a stick of chalk to Draco.

Taking the chalk Draco bowed. “Thank you. Now then, I’ll try and keep this very simple, so as to not bore you guys.”

Taking the chalk Draco drew two circles. In one he wrote Earth, and in the other Equestria. “These two circles represent our worlds. Now in our world,” he said, tapping the circle labeled Earth. “We have a show called My Little Pony, but we say MLP for short. In that version, the ponies are four legged, and the world they live in is nowhere near as violent or dark as this one.” Taking a moment to look to his audience to make sure they were still with him. “Now before you go thinking we made you guys, let me clear and state that is not the case. We just happen to make a show that almost mirrors this one.”

“But…this show you speak of, you knew about Equestria’s history?” Luna asked.

“Well the people who made the show guessed it. We as the audience are the observers,” Draco clarified.

“How much do you know?” Cadence wondered.

“Well I can’t say because I’m not sure if it’s completely accurate.” Draco turned to Nightmare Moon. “Take Moon here for an example. In the show from our world, she was the first villain Twilight and her friends fought. And when she was defeated, she was ever seen again, except for some brief flashbacks. But here she is now, standing beside us as an ally.”

“Are you saying…I was a mistaken existence?” Nightmare frowned with her ears drooping.

“Not at all,” Draco said calmly with a smile.. “What I’m saying is, that not everything that happens here is 100% accurate to the show. Which brings me to a theory me and Lock have. A theory well known as Multiverse theory.”

“Oh! You mean the theory that there are multiple realities that exist in different planes of existence and some differ to the others?” Twilight raised her hand like a student at a teacher’s lecture.

“Egghead…” Rainbow snickered, with some other ponies laughing.

“Exactly. For example, Rainbow Dash.” Draco turned his attention to the rainbow maned pony. “Do you remember when you used to read the Daring Doo books, thinking that they were just works of fiction?”

“Totally, they were the best books I’ve ever read,” Rainbow said, with some other ponies nodding in agreement.”

“Darin’ Doo?” Phill muttered to Draco.

“I’ll tell you later,” Draco added before going back to Dash. “But eventually you found out that Daring Doo wasn’t a fictional character but actually existed, right?”

“Right! Wait…oh no! That reminds me! We gotta find Daring Doo!” Rainbow panicked.

“Easy Dash, this is a little more important. No offense,” Zephyr said.

“I couldn’t agree more. Besides, do you honestly think she’d let herself be bested by the caribou,” Draco smiled to Dash, using what he knows to ease her nerves.

“Buck no! In fact, Daring Doo’s probably out there kicking sorry caribou flank!” Rainbow cheered.

“Gosh, I hope she’s okay…” Fluttershy said.

“I’ve read a few of those books, she’s seriously a real pony?” Shadow looked at Draco.

“Again, I’ll tell you later hon.” Clearing his throat, Draco continued. “Now everypony imagine that every fictional book you’ve ever read and the characters inside were actually real. That they exist in their own world, living their own lives.”

“Kinda like our world and that show?” Maud said.

“Yes.”

“And what about you, Sir Phill?” Celestia asked the Saint. “Did you watch this program based on our world?”

“Naw, Lock just mentioned it from time to time. Told him he was a right loon for watchin’ a show meant for wee lassies still sucklin’ on their mum’s bosom. I used them exact words, by the way,” Phill chortled.

Draco turned and glared at Phill menacingly, before continuing. “Anyway, back to what I was saying. The reason Lock wanted to keep this a secret from you all, is because he was worried some of you may start to panic, thinking that your lives were lies, or predetermined. However, that’s obviously not the case.”

“Did the guy not trust us or something?” Berry huffed.

“We’re his friends, aren’t we? We’re your friends too, right Draco?” Cloud asked.

“Of course we are, and like I said, Lock was just worried that some of you may freak out. He was just protecting you guys, just as he’s been doing all this time,” Draco tried to reassure the ponies.

“Why tell us all this now behind Lock’s back?” Swift wondered.

“Because in order for me to reassure those who may be panicking about whether or not he will come back.” He glanced at Twilight and Moon for a moment. “I needed for you all to know how I was so sure. You see in the show, the mirror would take a pony to an alternate Equestria where there are human versions of the ponies here.”

“Truly? Not even my sister and I knew of its power,” Celestia said, sounding surprised.

“Not many do.” Draco took a moment to think before he continued. “However, due to what we’ve seen, I can say that isn’t where Lock has been taken to.”

“But where would he have gone?” Twilight wondered.

“Unfortunately, I have no idea. You see, there are two reasons why I know Lock hasn’t gone to the human version of Equestria.” He held up a finger. “One, the portal in the show never sucked people in against their will and closed after someone went through. It is meant to be a portal one could simply walk through freely so long as the time in which it is open. Which brings me to my second reason.” He helped out another finger. “If it had been like the show, Lock could have just walked back through to tell us he was fine. I believe he has been taken to a world that we may not know of.”

“But how long will he be gone?” Moon wondered. “And can’t we go after him?”

“No offense, Nightmare Moon, but that is ill-advised,” Amore shook her head.

“But he’s our mate! What if something happens to him?”

“This is the boss we’re talking about,” Zephyr pointed out. “I doubt there’s anything that’d even faze the guy.”

“Zephyr is right. Besides, I don’t think the portal is even open anymore. As for when he’ll be back, only time will tell,” Draco sighed.

“So…now what’ll y’all do?” Applejack asked. “Just wait for Lock to come back?”

The apprentices and Alpha Squad looked amongst each other, not knowing how to respond.

“The resistance needs someone to step up,” Phill spoke up, glancing at Draco. “And I recall Lock makin’ you Second Head, so that means you’re in charge.”

“Me?” Draco looked around as all the ponies and Phill stared at him. “You can’t be serious, isn’t there anypony more qualified than me? He only made me second-in-command because he wanted me on his team.”

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason,” Flash said. “You did lead the armies through the gates and took down Blueblood.”

“Not to mention that highly motivating speech before the battle?” Berry said.

“Honestly, lad, who more qualified?” Phill questioned.

“I agree,” Twilight nodded. “And Dimitri did say before he vanished that he believed in your leadership. So do the rest of us.”

Draco fell silent as he looked around trying to poke a hole in their logic. However, due to the circumstances and confidence the others had for him, he was left defeated. “Oh alright. I guess I’ll be taking charge for the time being.”

“That’s all we can ask, Draco,” Cadence smiled.

With another sigh Draco was now forced to come up with a plan. “Okay, before we start planning anything we need to cover up the fact that Lock isn’t around.”

“How come?” Shadow wondered.

“Because if word were to get out that the Devil’s Hand is gone, who knows if that information will get to the enemy? If it does, they’ll think they can send in their whole army to take back Equestria.”

“So what alternative do you have in mind?” Celestia asked.

“I’ll need to reuse my plan to disguise myself as Lock from time to time, so as to not arouse suspicions. And when I’m not in my disguise we’ll say he’s over at Phill’s Sanctuary, to see if the Caribou and traitor ponies are really reforming.”

“Oh! That reminds me!” Phill spoke up. “And it’s rather inconvenient too! I was meanin’ to take you lot with me to me humble abode!”

“…excuse me?” Draco asked, turning to Phill.

“I had spoken to Lock before he got knicked. After the whole mess with the Crystal Heart and whatnot, I wanted to bring you lot to Sanctuary in the Appaloosan Mountains.”

“Appaloosan Mountains? You’re hold up all the way over there?” Applejack asked.

“Aye, discovered the place about a couple months after I made meself known ‘round this world.”

“Okay, better question, why should any of us go?” Draco asked while sounding less than pleased.

“Many reasons, one bein’ that some of them ponies from that Ponyville town are hold up there. I’d imagine there’d be those of ya who’d like to see them again. I also would like to show you lot what I’ve been doin’ with the blokes I rounded up and rescued. It’s a sight to see, I assure ya.”

“Sounds rather intriguing,” Celestia hummed.

“I remember you saying Gilda is with you, it would be cool if I saw her again,” Rainbow admitted.

“Welp, you guys have fun, I’m gonna go jump in some acid, you know since that’s a way better idea than me going with Phill's idea,” Draco snarkly added.

“Why not come along, lad?” Phill wondered.

“Why? Why?” Draco glared over to the man. “Because despite the fact I allowed you to take in those who wished to repent for their sins, that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven them for what they’ve done.”

“Look lad, I understand where ya’re comin’ from,” Phill sighed. “But can ya please humor me and just tag along?”

“Please Draco?” Shadow whimpered with a quivering lip and big eyes. “It’ll only be a quick visit…”

“I’m surprised that any of you want to go. You do realize these are the sick fucks who raped and killed innocents right?”

“We are aware,” Luna said calmly. “But we are curious as to how Sir Phillip aided their repentance.”

“Don’t get us wrong, Draco, the Caribou and traitors are all unforgivable. But what if there’s a chance that there are some stallions who actually do want to seek forgiveness? Wouldn’t that mean a step in the right direction?” Ace said.

“I ain’t ever gonna forgive ‘em for what they done to…him,” Applejack huffed. “But that don’t mean I gotta be bitter and hold a grudge for the rest of mah life.”

“All I care about is seeing where their loyalties lie now,” Rainbow stated.

“Indeed, perhaps through Sir Phill’s guidance, some are no longer brutes?” Rarity surmised.

Once again his hands were tied, and Draco groaned. “FINE! We’ll go to your Sanctuary. But only after we take care of the next order of business.”

“What’d you have in mind, new boss?” Zephyr smirked.

Not bothering to pay attention to Zephyr’s joke, Draco cleared his throat. “We need to take back the remaining cities and towns. With Lock, gone this is the most important thing we can do. I wanted to bring this up to him today, but now that he’s away it will have to be on us.” Taking a moment to draw an A, B and C on the chalkboard, Draco turned to the ponies. “The longer there are caribou roaming the country, the higher the risk they could notice Lock is missing. So we need to split up into teams and hit them all at once. Flash, how many cities and towns need to be liberated?”

“Just eight so far,” Flash said.

“Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do.” Pointing to the chalkboard Draco began to explain his plan. “I’m gonna divide the Devil Fruit users and Alpha Squad into groups of three.”

“Who’s going where?” Maud wondered.

“There will be one Devil Fruit user in each group as well as two members from Alpha Squad. As well as a group of airships with guards for back up.” He drew up the teams on the chalkboard. “You’ll all start with the small towns first and make your way to the next after finishing.”

“Won’t we be too split up?” Flash wondered. “The towns are one thing, but the major cities each span across large areas.”

“As long as you all work as a team and don’t deter yourselves, you’ll be fine,” Draco said sharply. “I’ll be going as both myself and Lock, they’ll probably radio for help, which is what I want. If they keep making it sound like Lock is still around, we’ll have to worry less about them catching on.”

“Don’t think ya’re doin’ that alone, boy,” Phill stated. “They’re shakin’ in their trousers from the Hand and the Beast, but I too got a rep. If all three revolutionaries start muckin’ things up, it’ll surely cause a stir.”

“Actually, I have a plan set up for you,” Draco smiled before turning to the princesses. “Blueblood used a spell to broadcast our fight in the Crystal Empire. Any chance you guys can do the same on a larger scale?”

“Indeed, we can even use Cloudsdale’s broadcast center to transmit it throughout Equestria,” Celestia nodded.

“Okay here is the plan,” Draco said firmly as a look of determination overtook his face. “I need you guys to broadcast Phill as he is preaching and warning the enemy.” He quickly turned his attention to Phill. “This is where you come in. I need you to really lay it on thick. I want you to preach like you’ve never done before. Your words need to touch every heart that is willing to listen. And warn them that a purge is coming.”

“Purge? What ya on about?” Phill wondered.

“You are gonna warn them that the Devil’s Hand, and Beast of Chaos, are going to go on a rampage. They will kill all those who have sinned, and that no caribou or traitor stallion will be able to escape their wrath. Really play up the dramatics, make them feel fear, before offering them a ray of hope to those who want to repent. This is gonna be like our original plan where you go from city to city to warn them before me and Lock show up. But with Lock gone and not wanting to risk the caribou catching on, we need to do it all in one go,” Draco explained.

“I see, they need a reminder that we’re still going strong and won’t back down?” Flash said.

“Exactly. Plus if they were smart they would either go with Phill or flee,” Draco added. “Once we have this country free of caribou, we can focus on more important things, like farms and factories. With all that established we can proceed to trying to liberate the other parts of the world.”

“What? Like…outside of Equestria?” Zephyr asked.

“Well of course, Dimitri did say that all of Eques was under their control,” Twilight said. “It’s likely their influence stretches as far as the Dragon Lands or maybe across the sea to Zebrafrica and Saddle Arabia.”

“Shit, we got our work cut out for us,” Berry groaned.

“Yes, but this does mean that the other creatures of Equestria will not hesitate to join our cause.” Draco smiled with absolute confidence.

The group all nodded in agreement and Amore clasped her hands together. “Well it seems you all have your plans. Just know, you’ll have the support of the Crystal Empire.”

“Thank you, your highness,” Flash bowed.

“I believe I shall stay here in the Crystal Empire until you all return,” Cadence said. “I also wish to speak with Chrysalis, now that she is on our side, I believe she deserves as much closure as I do for our possible friendship.”

“Draco, may you have one of the ships from Lock’s fleet bring my sister and I back to Canterlot?” Celestia asked. “Though we are at war, we still have a country to rule.”

“But of course your majesty,” Draco bowed. “Besides, we’ll need to head there anyway to prepare for the first phase of our plan.” Draco turned his attention to Cadance. “If you ever need help don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be here faster than Pinkie Pie can say surprise go protect you and Flurry Heart.”

“Thank you Draco, once everything is situated here, I’ll return to Ponyville to meet with you and the others,” Cadence nodded.

“I’ll be waiting,” Draco smiled.

“That sounded like a confession,” Ace chuckled.

“You trying to tell us something, Draco?” Swift smirked.

“I’m also interested…babe,” Shadow grinned as she crossed her arms under her bust.

Draco’s smile faded as he looked around at the many faces now smirking at him. His cheeks flushed crimson as he began to sweat bullets. He held his hands out in front of him and shook them vigorously. “What!? No no, that wasn’t what I meant, honestly!!”

“Gettin’ awful defensive there, boyo,” Phill chuckled. “And here I thought ya already got a mot by your side.”

“I’m telling you guys that’s not what I meant!!” Draco roared now, seeming to be more upset.

“Draco?” Draco flinched as he glanced at Cadence. “Why are you upset? Did I say something wrong?”

The color nearly drained from his face as he felt he had offended her. “N-no not at all your majesty! You’ve done nothing wrong at all.”

“I see,” Cadence stood up. “I shall go check on Chrysalis now, excuse me.” And with that she left, leaving an awkward silence in the room.

“Think we may have pushed too far?” Cloud whispered to Ace.

“Not sure, but maybe,” Ace whispered back.

“I’m giving you all a five minute head start,” Draco growled as he turned to the ones who mocked him, his eyes slitted as his body began to morph. “Your time starts now.”

“Oh shit!” Ace, Cloud, and Berry all scrambled up from the table and out the door.

“Babe?” Shadow called out to the pissed off human.

“No sex for a week,” Draco said as he slowly walked out of the room, slowly turning into a raptor as he prepared for his chase.

“Aw! No fair!” Shadow pouted.

“Two weeks!” He called out.

Later
Cloudsdale Broadcast Center

Ever since Cloudsdale was liberated from the Caribou, the former residents have all worked together to return the city of clouds into its former glory. All the contraband had been disposed of, the buildings restored, and the local guard had decided to keep some of the weaponry and technology that was left behind in order to make use of it.

Within the broadcasting center of Cloudsdale, Draco, Phill and the others were standing in the main camera room as the ponies were preparing the equipment. Phill stood in the center as he adjusted his coat and tie and Draco stood off to the side with Merida in his arms since she didn’t want her dad to leave her alone.

“Dada?” Merida looked up at Draco and pointed at Phill.

“That’s right sweetie, daddy is gonna be on TV soon,” Draco cooed as he gently rocked the little filly in his arms.

“You’re Draco, yes?”

Draco looked up to meet Rainbow Dash’s dad, Bow Hothoof, as he walked up to him.

“Rainbow Dash told me about you and all her endeavors with Dimitri.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Draco carefully moved a hand out to shake Bow’s hand. “What brings you here?”

“Oh you know, helping rebuild Cloudsdale and making sure the old lady doesn’t worry too much for our daughter,” Bow chuckled. “It’s been a while since I last saw Dimitri, where is he anyway?”

“He’s scouting out the other Sins. He figured with Lust gone and almost all of Equestria caribou free, he could do some reconnocence,” Draco said, doing his best to keep Lock’s disappearance a secret.

“Ah, I see, it’s a shame,” Bow sighed. “I’ve yet to repay the debt to him for saving my family and my friends, Posy Shy and Gentle Breeze. We were held out in my home and desperately hid our wives from those sick bucks. Just when we were about to be discovered, he came with Flash Sentry and dispatched the whole city.”

“Yeah Dash told me. If all goes well, this country will be caribou free in a day or two,” Draco smiled, patting the stallion’s shoulder.

“Here’s hoping,” Bow nodded.

“Alright, ya boys ready to go?” Phill called out.

“Just about, Mr. Phill,” A stallion said as he adjusted the camera.

“Remember Phill, play up their fears before becoming their beacon of hope. You really need to touch whatever hearts you can,” Draco instructed.

“Aye,” Phill gave a thumbs up.

“We’re live in 5…4…3…2…,” the camera pony said and pointed to Phill.

All over Equestria, the screens on the televisions changed to a man wearing a trench coat, white button up shirt, and a loose tie around his neck. On his back was a pair of pure white wings as he stared at the camera with a stern gaze. The onlookers were confused at the sight of the man, until he began to speak.

“Equestria…stallions, mares, young and old,” the stranger said softly. “Wherever ya are. I wish I had words of comfort to give ya. Like the warm winds that the Caribou King sent down from above. But from me…y’all will not get comfort. Only the cold…agonizin’…truth.” He paused for a moment as the viewers didn’t dare tear their gaze from the screens.

“And the truth is this great nation has been raped and pillaged by the greatest enemy of all time. They forcibly take away your liberty to kneel to the new order, to submit, to the winds of change! But they’re all are bloody wrong!” The stranger’s wings unfurled with a sharp flap, his white wings on full display.

“They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind. See, where I’m from, men fought the kings of old and broke them. They gave their lives for the simplest and most essential truths of all.” Phill paused as he reached for his sword to unsheathe it and held it in front of him.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” A stir began to form within the enslaved mares and former brainwashed stallions spread across the nation.

“Don’t allow the sinful actions of the Caribou scourge to deter you from what you all deserve. So today, I send this message to those who still believe in hope, who still believe in a better tomorrow, who still desire to live another day and the days to come!” The mares all stood up from the ground and turned to the stags and traitor stallions, the former brainwashed gripped their weapons in hand.

“Brandish your guns, your knives, your fists! Seek out your oppressors wherever they are and tell them!” The stranger’s words echoed through the streets as mares grabbed blunt objects, sharp tools, and whatever else they could find.

“We don’t want nothin’, not a thing from ya! Today we show those that sow the wind that we are the whirlwind! And to the sorry sods who still hold control of those that remain in the cities untouched! Prepare yarselves, cause the Devil’s Hand and the Beast of Chaos are comin’ for the lot of ya.”

The stranger’s tone soon turned dark as he glared at the screen.

“There shall be no quarter given, no warning sent, and no second chances given to those who are loyal to the bastard king. I wield my sword, as does the Hand and the Beast who bears his fangs, so that I shall slay all who dare harm the innocent!” Phill’s eyes flared with light that struck fear into some of the onlookers, even in the broadcasting room.

“Ya believe ya’re untouchable? Ya believe to be the masters of the world? None of ya could be farther from the bloody fockn’ truth! So I give ya this final warnin’, drop your own arms, flee, and live to see another day to repent! Or stay and definitely fight…and face your destiny at the hands of fate.”

With that, the signal cut and Phill took a deep sigh to calm himself.

“Let’s hope that gets the message across.” Draco smiled as he walked over to Phill as he walked out and handed the little filly back.

Phill looked down at his daughter and tickled her tummy.

“Daddy was cool, wasn’t he?” Phill said.

“Dada!” Merida chirped.

“Kids, they’re the wonders of the world, eh?” Before Draco could respond, Merida looked up at him and flew out of Phill’s hands and latched onto his face. “Oh, bloody hell.”

Draco crossed his arms and tapped his foot, and though Phill couldn’t see it he could tell that he was getting a death glare.

“Hehehehe!” Merida giggled.

“Y’know, I’ll never understand why she likes Draco’s face so much,” Ace said.

“You and me both, bro,” Zephyr said.

“Need some help, Draco?” Swift asked.

“Wwhhuugt ooohuuu tinmtk.” Draco’s muffled voice called out which tickled the little filly’s belly, causing her to giggle.

Draco then reached up and gently managed to pull Merida off his face and held her in front of him. All Merida could do was giggle and clap her little hands together which waned on Draco’s resolve to stay annoyed.

“Why do you have to be so cute?” Draco smiled as he leaned in and nuzzled his nose against Merida’s.

“It’s ‘cause she is,” Phill said as he put his hand on Merida’s head. “Ya like your Uncle Draco’s face, don’t ya lassie?”

“D…Dwaco!” Merida chirped.

“Aaaaawwww!!” All the mares swooned.

Draco, despite his best efforts, couldn’t keep a few tears running down his cheeks as he brought filly closer to hug.

“Well how about that, now I know for a fact she really loves ya as much as I,” Phill smiled.

“I guess she does.” Draco smiled warmly. As he stared down at the little filly, his drive to make sure that Equestria would be set free only burned brighter. “I promise that you will grow up without having to worry about these horrible creatures,” Draco said as he cradled her.

“Dwaco,” Merida said again as she nuzzled into him.

“Aye, we both will,” Phill said. “Now then, what’s say we crack on with it already?”

“Right.” Draco with some reluctance handed the small infant back and looked around. “Has anypony seen Rarity? I asked her if she could make me a replica of Lock’s outfit and mask.”

“Already done, darling!”

The doors opened to reveal the main six, excluding Twilight, as Rarity strode in with a wardrobe bag. “I had a feeling you might need something like this, so I had it made for just such an occasion!” Rarity handed Draco the bag. “Well go on, take a look!”

Draco opened the bag and examined the contents within, even pulling out a replica of Lock’s mask. “These look great Rarity, I wouldn’t expect anything less from Equestria's best fashion pony.”

“But of course, I’m a professional,” Rarity said.

“Draco, we should head out as soon as ya’re changed,” Phill said. “Trottingham awaits us.”

“Right.” Draco moved to a nearby table and slowly pulled his shirt off to put on the first of his new wardrobe, when he noticed a sensation of being watched. He turned to see the mares all gawking at him, including the broadcasting staff mares. Draco’s body was just as sculpted as Lock’s and some of the mares began to drool at the sight of him.

“Damn…who’d’ve thought he’d be as cut as Dimitri?” Rainbow smirked.

“My word…” Rarity said, fanning herself.

“Abs…”Fluttershy whispered.

“Uhhh…right…forgot you were here.” He blushed bright red before grabbing the bag and running down the hall to a nearby bathroom.

Draco and Phill stood on the bow of the Prometheus as the ship and seven other ships from the fleet sailed through the air and followed them to Trottingham. Draco had instructed the apprentices to take their own ships, as well as some members of Alpha Squad for each, and fly them to the smaller towns and cities left to liberate.

“I sure hope the message gets through, lad,” Phill said as he examined his sword.

“If not that’s more bodies to mow down.” Draco adjusted his new mask as he finished putting on his disguise. “If they didn’t want to die they would have left or would have surrendered without putting up a fuss.”

Phill could only sigh and soon the city of Trottingham was within their line of sight. There was a large black cloud looking over the city and multiple smoke stacks that billowed in the air.

“Bloody hell, what’s up with all that smoke?” Phill asked.

“After looking at the notes from our scouts, I figured out that Trottingham is where they manufacture weapons and vehicles.” There was a pause as he growled. “And where they breed their War Beasts.”

“War Beast? Them ugly fucks with the horns?” Phill asked and Draco nodded. “I’m afraid to know how they breed ‘em.”

“They use mares Phill,” Draco said coldly as he drew his sword. “These sick fucks use mares as their way to make more of these things.”

“Mary and Joseph, these sick bastards are the lowest,” Phill spat.

“Lieutenant! Look!” Soarin called out, pointing in front of the ship.

Both Draco and Phill saw a fairly large group of males all running from the city. Phill pulled out a spyglass and looked through it.

“What the, there’s stallions in that lot. Even some caribou,” Phill said.

“Then go to them and lead them away.” Draco ordered.

“Are ya sure?” Phill asked.

“I made you a promise that any who would repent and come to you, would be spared.” Draco looked over to Phill lifting his mask. “And I am someone who keeps his word.”

“Aye, thanks lad,” Phill said as he unfurled his wings. “Give the rest of those bastards hell.”

“That’s the plan. Though I wonder who will greet them with the devil away.” Draco smiled before putting his mask on and morphing his arms to webbed wings.

Both warriors took to the skies as a ship followed Phill towards the group of fleeing males. Draco led the other ships, who kept their course, to Trottingham and could already tell that there was chaos ensuing in the city.

“What’s the plan, sir?” Draco heard Soarin ask in his earpiece.

“We attack all at once. They can’t call for reinforcement when they are dealing with their own problems. If we cut their numbers down fast enough they’ll retreat. If you see them fleeing, don’t pursue right away.” Draco explained as he glided through the air. “Focus on helping the civilians first, then we’ll move onto the next city.”

“Roger that, all troops! Prepare to engage!”

The ships and Draco soon hovered at the edge of the city as the citizens noticed them. The hatches from each ship opened up and hundreds of pony soldiers, all armed with blades or firearms, stood at the ready as the ships landed.

“All troops! Engage! Charge into the city!” Soarin ordered.

All the soldiers rushed out of the ships and charged into the city. The enemy was still in disarray from Phill’s message, due to some of the males rebelling and even the slaves, as the soldiers began cutting down and firing upon any stag or traitor male in their path.

“All those with me, break off into two teams. I want four of the ships to help mow down the Caribou and rescue civilians, and the rest to hit that weapon and vehicle factory,” Draco ordered as he landed atop a building staring down at his target.

“What’ll you do, Lieutenant?!” A mare asked as she sniped with her rifle.

“Nothing special.” Staring down at a large gathering of War Beasts, Draco jumped down landing on the ground. “Just making sure the war beast becomes an extinct species.”

“There he is! It’s the Hand! War Beasts, set that bucker ablaze!” A stallion ordered as multiple War Beasts blasted fire balls at Draco.

“Talk to you guys later, I got a welcome party.” Draco smiled as he ducked out of the way of three fireballs and used the smoke from the impact to shapeshift into a dinosaur with razor sharp claws, elongated mouth, and massive spin like a sail. With an ear piercing roar, he charged.

“What?! The Beast?!” A stag cried as Draco lunged at the War Beasts.

He sunk his fangs into one’s hide, making the War Beast cry out in pain. With his teeth firmly in the War Beasts back, he brought his claws down to rip at its throat. The other War Beasts roared in anger as they charged at Draco all at once.

“Grenadiers! Blow that bucker to smithereens!”

Draco glanced to the corner of his eye to see a group of enemy soldiers toss grenades at him. Without missing a beat, Draco pulled his horns out of the War Beast and quickly morphed into a compy before scurrying away from the grenades as they detonated. Explosions rattled the streets as rubble flew everywhere and civilians ran for their lives.

“Where is he?! Find that little shit!” A stag ordered. “We will not lose this city!”

“GAH!”

The caribou turned around just in time to see one of their own in the jaws of the king of all dinosaurs, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. His powerful jaws easily bite the caribou in half, before tossing the remains aside and diving his head in to bite down on a War Beast’s neck.

“Somepony take that monster down!” A stag yelled into his radio.

The sounds of an engine revving caught Draco’s ear as he looked to see a surprising sight. A few armored trucks with MG’s strapped on the truck beds came barreling down the street. They aimed at Draco and began firing heavy artillery at the dinosaur.

The power of the MG was strong enough to pierce the Rex’s hide, forcing Draco to shape shift again into a heavily armored Ankylosaurus. The bullets now ricochet off his armored body, leaving him to charge in before spinning his body around to slam his heavy clubbed tail into the side of the first vehicle. As the first truck went flying, the other two desperately tried to aim their MG’s at the beast and fire. Giving his enemy little time to retaliate, Draco swung his club tail at the second car, sending it flying.

“Damnit! We’re getting brutalized!” A stag cursed as he held up his radio. “We need air support!”

Hearing this, Draco looked up to see some more airships making their way to his position.

“Arrow of Light!”

Suddenly, a beam of light shot towards and pierced the ships all at once. Multiple explosions erupted simultaneously from the ships as they fell from the sky.

“Ya didn’t think you’d get all the fun, did ya?”

Everyone looked to see Phill flying in and landing next to Draco with a confident smile. Before the enemy could react, Phill held his hand up and flashed a bright light. Seeing the opportunity, Draco transformed back into his human form and pulled his hood over and put the mask back on.

“G’day, lad, havin’ fun?”

“Ooh yeah so much it should be a sin,” Draco joked as he pulled out his musket and fired it through the window of the last vehicle with an MG. Blood splattered inside telling him that he hit his mark.

“Managed to send the ship ya lent me to Sanctuary,” Phill said as a stag rushed at him with an axe. Phill parried the stag and punched his throat, leaving him to suffocate from his crushed windpipe.

“Glad to know. Listen, I’ll deal with the stags out here while you go in and save the mares. I don’t have the best track record when saving them as a dinosaur.” Draco smiled before jumping on top of the nearest car and killing the caribou inside, pulling their bodies out and getting behind the MG.

“Ya got it bud,” Phill saluted and flew off.

“Now then…how do I use one of these things?” Draco examined the heavy weaponry in front of him before getting an idea of the mechanics. “I swear, I need to learn how to use guns more.”

“It’s the Hand! He’s on that gun!”

“Everyone kill the bastard!”

“All troops, fire at the hand!”

“Ah, here we go.” Pulling on the reload lever Draco spun the gun around and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the caribou. His teeth gritted as he felt the gun buck after every shot fired. “Holy shit, this thing has some power to it!!”

“Take cover!” A stag cried as many of his brethren were mowed down.

“Oh, I’m so getting me one of these after I’m done!!” Draco laughed before turning his new weapon towards the remaining war beast, easily piercing their hides. Draco continued his killing spree until there were only a few remaining enemy foot soldiers left. The street was littered with destruction and bullet holes and Draco eventually stopped firing the MG.

“You…bastard.”

Draco hopped off the MG and saw a caribou stag with a few bullet holes in his chest.

“Why…? You are…a male,” he growled. “Why fight…for the female sluts…?”

“You for someone who claims that females are inferior, you sure do act like a bitch.” In one swift move Draco drew his sword out, slicing the stag’s head clean off his shoulders.

“Flash to Lieutenant Draco, come in!” Flash said in Draco’s earpiece.

“Draco here, what’s up Flash?”

“We’ve successfully liberated Detrot! Moving on to the city of Bitsburgh!”

“Good work Flash, remember to be careful out there, we win by both liberating the cities and losing as few soldiers as possible,” Draco instructed.

“Yes sir! Flash out!”

“Maud to Draco, over,” Maud said.

“Go ahead, Maud.”

“Bostrot’s free, moving on to Baltimare.”

“Well done, make sure to keep a leveled head, and keep rocking the house.” Draco smiled at his bad joke.

“…Boulder liked your joke.”

“Well I’m glad he didn’t take my joke for…granite.”

Before Maud hung, up he could have sword he heard her giggle ever so faintly.

“DRACO! DRACO COME IN!” Zephyr shouted, sounding frantic as explosions were heard in the background.

“Zephyr are you alright, do you need backup?” Draco asked, sounding worried.

“WE’RE IN VANHOOVER! I’M FIGHTING SOMEPONY!” More explosions were heard and sounds of ponies shouting and gunfire. “WE GOT A BIG PROBLEM! THIS STAG HAS AN ABILITY!”

“Explain, what do you mean he has an ability?” Draco asked while turning the coms on so everyone could hear.

“THEY HAVE DEVIL FRUIT ABILITIES! I CAN SEE THIS GUY’S ARMS! HE’S GOT THE SAME BRANDS WE DO! IT’S SOME EXPLOSION POWER!”

“What?! That’s impossible!” Flash said.

“Only Lock could give others Devil Fruit,” Maud said sternly.

Draco was deeply perplexed by this sudden development, and took a moment to consider what this meant. Through a few deductions he came to one conclusion. “Given the fact the Devil and the Sins both come from Hell, I’m willing to bet that they now have access to Devil Fruit too.” Reaching into his pocket, Draco pulled out five metal pellets, and examined them closely. “Time to see if these will do the trick.” He moved his hand to his earpiece to speak. “Zephyr, I’m on my way, keep everypony safe ‘till I arrive, that’s an order.”

“I-I’ll try my best-HOLY SHIT! ACE! CLOUD! GET OUT OF THERE!” Zephyr shouted before the line went dead.

“Fuck, I need to get moving. Phill, I’m leaving you to take care of the rest here!!” He called out before taking off into the air.

“Aye! Ya can count on me to clean house ‘round here!” Phill said on Draco’s earpiece.

The Knight of Chaos flew as fast as he could towards Vanhoover. He didn’t stop and could only fly faster with each passing moment. Draco eventually arrived at the city of Vanhoover but was unprepared for what he saw. Most of the ships Zephyr brought with him were either destroyed or had to do a crash landing on the ground. Most of the city was covered in smoke and he could see explosions coming from the center of town. What’s more is that as he flew over the city, he saw dozens upon dozens of either dead or injured ponies and caribou; friend and foe alike.

“Damn it, please be okay guys,” Draco gritted his teeth and flapped his wings as hard as he could.

Draco made it to the center of town and was met with a grim sight. Many of the resistance fighters were sprawled out, dead or barely hanging on, and the whole place looked like a gas explosion destroyed everything in its path. Draco landed on the ground and looked around frantically for his friends.

“Draco!”

Draco snapped his head to see Ace and Cloud hobbling over to him. Cloud was leaning on Ace and his leg had a bad puncture wound. Both ponies were covered in blood and wounds.

“You guys!” Draco sprinted towards them as he moved in to help hold up Cloud. “Where is the caribou, and what happened to Zephyr?”

“He’s-!”

Ka-Boom!

The three were startled when an explosion erupted and from the smoke and fire, Zephyr flew high in the air as he conjured huge thunder clouds. He swung his arms forward, firing bolts of lightning when a chunk of rock hurdled straight towards him. Acting fast, Zephyr whipped up a powerful gust of wind to dodge out of the way as the rock exploded in mid air.

“Hah! You’re getting desperate, little colt!”

The smoke from the explosion from earlier cleared and out came a stag with a sick grin on his face. He wore a sleeveless jacket, black cargo pants, and his fur was dark brown. His arms were the first thing Draco noticed as they had similar brands that Zephyr and the others had.

“You best be careful, ‘cause when I get my hands on you, I’ll blow you to chunky pegasus bits!” The stag boasted. “This power is incredible! It’s a shame Lord Lust is no more, I’d’ve thanked him for granting me this ability!”

“You two find cover.” Draco ordered as his voice changed to match Lock’s. “I’ll deal with him.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled one of the metal pellets, and placed it inside his musket before moving towards the fight.

“I’m not afraid of you!” Zephyr snapped as his eyes became white.

He took a deep breath and blew as hard as he could, creating a frigid gust of wind that made ice form along the ground. The gust of wind hit the stag as his body became cold, but the stag just smiled.

“Is that all?!” The stag beat his chest and exploded himself without warning. It was a baffling sight that he’d do such a thing, but was more baffling that he came out of the dust cloud running and unharmed.

“What?! But you blew yourself up!” Zephyr said.

“Stupid! My own explosions don’t harm me!” He jumped on a large piece of rubble and leaped straight towards Zephyr. “Now get over here!”

Just as the caribou was about to grab Zephyr, Draco launched him forward slamming into the caribou, knocking him out of the way. “Zephyr, get back and take care of the injured!”

“Dra-I mean, Captain!” Zephyr said happily. “I’m glad you’re here, but this is my fight! I can take him!”

“THAT’S AN ORDER!!” Draco’s voice boomed before the caribou blasted him with an explosion point blank.

“Well lookie here!” The stag grinned as the smoke cleared. “The Devil’s Hand graces me with his presence!” Zephyr wanted to protest, but had to force himself to obey and flew off to help the injured. “Now why’d you go and interrupt? Things were just getting fun!”

“Well I honestly couldn’t wait to get my own turn. Besides, no one hurts my friends.” Draco smiled under the mask before pushing off a wall towards the dtag to land a right hook across his jaw. The stag skidded back on the ground and wiped his chin.

“Not bad,” the stag nodded.

He raised his hands behind him and explosions went off from his hands. He came at Draco at high speeds and kneed him in his gut, sending crashing into a building.

“Fucker is definitely a lot stronger than I gave him credit for…” Draco groaned, his voice slowly turning back into his own. He shook his head and cleared his throat before jumping out of the rumble. “Not bad yourself, though after fighting and killing Lust, that felt more like a love tap.”

“Since I know who you are, it’s only fair I tell you who I am.” The stag gave a mock bow. “I am Gilli the Destructor, and like the peasants who litter the ground around us, I’ll blow you oblivion!”

It took all of Draco’s willpower to not morph and devour the arrogant stag before him. He knew he had to maintain his current appearance, he couldn’t risk a caribou that may be hidden to leak information of Lock’s disappearance. “You are really cocky to boast about those who aren’t as powerful as you are. Even more so with me, after all, I single handedly killed Lust. A Sin no less, do you honestly think you’ll be even a match for me?”

“A valid argument, but no offense to Lord Lust, he was a more arrogant fool than the other Lord Sins gave him credit for. I heard even Lord Pride told him not to underestimate you, but did he listen? Apparently not, and that was coming from the Sin of Pride himself!”

“Still, his punches were better than your little exploding fist.” Draco said, unsure. He could only lie to pass himself off as Lock in the hopes to maintain the façade. “Killing you wouldn’t be even hard for my second-in-command.”

“Is that a fact?!” Gilli reached down and grabbed some rocks. He grinned as he winded up his arm and threw it at Draco. Draco’s instincts blared as his body ducked out of the way and the rock exploded like a hand grenade.

“Let’s see how much longer than Lord Lust I can last!”

Despite not being able to fully transform, he was still able to use his ability to make his skin as hard and armored as his Ankylosaurus form. Gilli kept throwing rocks at Draco and he ran out of the way as the rocks detonated. Despite this, he knew he couldn’t let the fight drag on. Then he had an idea, it was a gambit but if he wanted to end this quickly with minimum casualties it was his only option. “Alright, I’ll give you credit, you have some decent power, but nothing I can’t take.” Turning to face his opponent Draco patted his chest before holding his arms out in a mocking gesture. “Hit me with your best shot and we’ll see how you measure up to Lust. I won’t even dodge.”

“How foolish!” Gilli laughed as he chucked all the rocks at Draco. The rocks all exploded on impact and Gilli rushed and planted his hands on Draco.

“BIG BANG WRECKER!”

KA-BOOM!!

A massive explosion shook the area, fire and smoke flew everywhere. Minutes passed and Gilli saw Draco far away and on the ground. He lay on his back as his armor was blown away. A wide grin spread across Gilli’s face and laughed out loud.

“Hahahahaha! What did I tell you?! Now it is you who was the arrogant one! You think you’re all powerful after beating one Sin?! We shall reclaim what was taken and remain the true masters of this world!”

BANG!!

Gilli froze and went silent as a searing pain was felt in his chest. He slowly looked down to see blood pooling out and a bullet wound.

“Wh…what?!” He coughed, blood spilling out of his mouth.

“Well, it seems it worked.” Draco smiled under his broken mask, as he got to his feet. “I take it you can’t feel your powers, can you?”

“My power?!” Gilli panicked as he picked up a rock through his pain and threw it at Draco, but it just bounced off him. “H-How?! More so…how are you alive?! That blast…was enough to eviscerate your whole body!”

“Take another look, dipshit.” Draco smiled as he used his thumb to point at his body. While his clothes were torn and blown away, his skin had not a single scratch on it. “As for your powers, well since you are about to die, I suppose I could tell you.” Draco leaned his head so his lips were right next to the caribou’s ear. “That bullet in your chest is made of Sea Prison.”

“S-Sea Prison?! The priceless ore?!” Gillie coughed again and fell to his knees. “How do you have the priceless ore…?!”

“Heh, you can thank Blueblood for that. I took those chains he used on me and had them foraged into bullets for my gun.” Draco leaned back, lifting his mask to reveal his face.

“Wait a minute…” Gilli said as life left his eyes. “You’re…not the Hand.”

“Yeah sorry, Lock’s too busy to deal with a loser like you.” Draco grabbed his blade and in one fluid motion, sliced the head off the caribou’s body before sheathing it again.

As Draco took a moment to relax from his victory, he felt a bittersweet taste in his mouth as he looked around. The whole city of Vanhoover looked like it was blown to hell and there were bodies all around. Draco surmised that Gilli didn’t care who got caught in the crossfire when he was fighting Zephyr, which only made him hate the stag even more.

He placed his hands together before saying a prayer for those whose lives were taken too soon, and for the comrades who fought the good fight. “May you rest in peace.”

In the corner of Draco’s eye, something manifested on Gilli’s body. It looked like a strange apple with a long stem and it somehow resembled a bomb of some sort.

Leaning down, Draco took the strange fruit in his hand and examined it. He glanced down at the decapitated body of Gilli to see the marks on his arms were gone. “So I was right, they have the power of Devil Fruit.”

“Captain!”

Looking up, Draco saw Zephyr, Ace, and Cloud flew over to him and landed near him.

“I’m glad to see you guys are alright.” Draco smiled as he removed the mask.

“You too, Lieutenant,” Ace said.

“Draco, I…” Zephyr frowned. “I’m so sorry…I wasn’t strong enough.”

Draco smiled before moving his hand onto Zephyr’s shoulder and patted it. “You did your best. Some Devil Fruit users have advantages over others. I’m afraid that was the case here today.”

“But I could’ve done more!” Zephyr protested as he looked at the death and destruction. “I should’ve done more…”

“Listen Zephyr, there are gonna be fights we won’t win without casualties, we aren’t gonna be able to save everypony. I hate to say that, but it’s true,” Draco said with a calm tone. “Take that rage you’re feeling and use it to push yourself to become stronger and fight the caribou before they can do any more harm.”

“Yeah…I guess,” Zephyr sighed.

“Uh, Lieutenant? What’s that?” Cloud asked, pointing at the fruit.

“This is the Devil Fruit that Gilli ate,” Draco said while holding the fruit in his hand.

“That’s a Devil Fruit?” Ace asked.

“Woah, creepy,” Cloud said, then pondered something. “Can…I eat it?” This only made Draco snarl angrily at the pegasus.

“Do you want to be doomed to live in Hell for all of eternity?!” He roared, getting up in Cloud’s face. “Because that’s what happens when you eat one of these and die!!”

“But…we could use their own power against them!” Cloud said. Draco grabbed Cloud’s shirt collar and held him close while also burning a hole through his eyes.

“Your soul would be damned to live in hell, you’d never see your family and loved ones in heaven ever. Is that what you want!?”

“I-I just-!”

Draco shoved Cloud to the ground and scoffed in irritation.

“You think that having power is that important? Then go ahead.” Draco tossed the fruit to Cloud who barely caught it. “Eat it and sell your soul.”

“Cloud, don’t do it,” Zephyr said. “It ain’t worth it.”

“But you ate it!” Cloud said.

“Yeah, and I don’t regret it, but trust me when I say that, this?” Zephyr rolled up his jacket sleeve to show his brands. “This ain’t for everypony, not even you.”

Cloud looked down at the fruit with a frown. It was as if the fruit dared him to take a bite, but the pegasus didn’t and stood up. He looked at Draco and nodded sadly as he handed it back to him.

“Sorry, sir,” Cloud said.

“Believe me when I say, I know how you feel.” Draco tucked the fruit away as he spoke. “The desire for power can be wanted for the best intentions. But some of history’s best intentions lead to many things going wrong. I speak from experience, and know that your soul is worth more than a hundred Devil Fruit.”

“So what now?” Ace asked, looking around. “We lost three ships thanks to that bastard. We managed to evacuate most of the civilians, but I’m afraid to say that Vanhoover is lost.”

Draco said nothing as he took the time to think. “We proceed with our plan. Have more ships be sent to the next town, but send only those who are able and willing. But first see the wounded and get them treated. Join back in the battle when you can.”

“What about you?” Zephyr asked.

“I will continue to the next town.” Draco said, turning his arms to wings and took off.

Draco flew through the air and made his way back to Trottingham. Along the way, that bittersweet taste returned when he remembered the lost casualties in Vanhoover. Nothing could be done for them now, all he could do is just move on. After a while of flying, Draco made it back to the city of Trottingham where he saw the ships he brought, the Prometheus included, all lined up outside the city. He landed near the Prometheus as he saw Phill giving orders to the troops. He saw civilians being escorted on the ships, troops carrying crates into the cargo hold, and even some of the vehicles being driven into the Prometheus’ loading bay.

“Get that lad some medical attention! Everyone enter the ships in an orderly fashion! Watch them guns! They’re more dangerous than they look!” Phill said.

“Sorry that I had to leave this up to you, Phill,” Draco called out as he approached the Saint.

“Naw, it’s cool, it was a breeze takn’ the city back. I even put up a holy barrier around the place,” Phill said. “The civi’s are mostly right as rain, but some of them mares are…worse for ware.” Phill frowned pityingly and pointed to a group of mares and they were all huddled close together and most of them were crying. Draco then noticed their bellies were a bit bloated. “Just so ya know…most of them babes ain’t ponies or stags. This lot came from the breeding pens of the War Beasts. So…yeah.”

“Can’t you do anything for them?” Draco asked, a sense of worry in his tone. “Like some holy magic to get them out of there and spare the mares the trouble?”

“What, like…abort the babes?”

“Kinda, but don’t kill them.”

“I…I ain’t never done somethin’ like that,” Phill said. “Lock mentioned that he once was able to absorb the souls of the War Beasts still in a mare’s womb, thus makin’ them die inside, but I doubt I’d be able to do somethin’ as you wish.”

“What about reincarnation? Take their body and souls out and make them something else out here and out of the mares?”

Phill pondered in thought as he scratched his beard. Just then, a flash of light appeared beside him and the Archangel, Michael, showed up. Everyone around didn’t seem to notice his arrival.

“It is possible, Phillip,” Michael said.

“It is?” Phill said.

“Indeed, though it is not something we regularly condone, there are exceptions if need be.”

“So…them War Beasts would become somethin’ else if I use me power to take them out?”

“Indeed.”

“What would they become?”

“Something other than what they are. A random animal, a sentient creature, whatever we choose the soul to be reincarnated as.”

“Umm, excuse me,” Draco said, raising his hand up like a student in class. “Sorry to butt in, but may I make a suggestion?”

Both holy beings looked at Draco in surprise.

“Hold up, ya can see Saint Michael?” Phill asked.

“How unexpected,” Michael said.

“Well, considering I could see the Devil, I don’t think it should be all that surprising that I can see an Angel as well.”

“How intriguing,” Michael hummed as he scratched his chin. “Well then, it is a pleasure to meet you, young Draco.”

“Oh, uh yeah, nice to meet you too, sir,” Draco said as he bowed his head.

“Oh come now, child, there is no need to be formal,” Michael smiled. “Now then, what is your alternative?”

Raising his head Draco looked to the angel and Phill. “If you could, I’d like for you to reincarnate them as velociraptors.”

“Raptors? Ya mean them old dinosaurs?” Phill asked

“Whatever for?” Michael wondered.

“I’d like to raise them to help us against this war. The caribou used these innocent mares to breed their abominations, I think it would be poetic to turn them to our sides.”

“Hmm, I suppose it is doable,” Michael hummed. “But we will need the aid of Ariel for this.”

“Ariel?” Draco tilted his head as an image of a mermaid with red hair and green tail popped into his mind. “Uhhhh…”

Another flash of light appeared and another angel stood before them. This angel was a woman with long black hair, fierce brown eyes, and was wearing a helmet with feathers on top. She wore a black tunic with a red sash that went from her shoulder to her waist. She held a double bladed axe in her hand that she slung over her shoulder. Perched on her other shoulder was a white dove that was looking around curiously and cooed every so often.

“Michael, a pleasure, and you too Mr. McHaggard,” the angel said in a soft tone.

“You as well, Saint Ariel,” Phill bowed.

“And who is this?” The angel asked as she looked at Draco.

“This is Draco Saurian, an acquaintance of the Hand,” Michael said. “Draco, this is Ariel, the Angel of Nature and Animals.”

“Oh, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma’am.” Draco, like with Michael, bowed his head to the new arrival.

“Well isn’t he a polite boy,” Ariel smiled and reached up to pat his head. “The pleasure is all mine, dear.”

Draco couldn’t help but blush. “Uh, thanks.” Draco looked up to Ariel. “So Phill and Michael said you could help us?”

Michael and Phill explained the situation and Ariel nodded in understanding.

“It can be done, shall we begin?” Ariel said.

The other angels nodded and walked over to the pregnant mares. Because Michael and Ariel could not be seen by others, only Phill and Draco were seen approaching the group of pregnant mares. The mares looked up at Phill as he smiled down at them.

“Hey there, lass’, how’re ya holdin’ up?”

“Terrible…” a mare said, looking down at her pregnant belly. “I wish you hadn’t woken me up from my broken mind, I don’t wanna be a mother to a monster!”

Draco knelt down in front of the mares, giving them all a calm look. “Please remain calm. My friend here is about to work a miracle, and it would help if you relaxed.”

“What kind of miracle?” A mare demanded. “I got a stag’s bastard in me! How do you fix that?!”

Draco moved his hand to her shoulder and smiled. “By turning those within you into new life, ones who will aid us in this war. You will help bring these new allies to this world to fight the monsters.”

The mares all looked at each other but all stood up anyway. Phill and the two Archangels stood side-by-side, Phill being the only one they could see, and they all raised their hands towards the mares. Phill unfurled his wings out wide as his hands began to glow a bright light. Michael and Ariel started chanting in an unknown language and their hands glowed and faced towards the mares. One by one, each mares’ stomachs glowed, which surprised them as a strange feeling washed over them. The light became so much brighter that it lit up the area and most of those nearby had to shield their eyes, Draco included. Once the light died down, the mares ended up collapsing together, unconscious, on the ground from having their strength sapped from them. Twelve soul orbs of light hovered in mid air as eight of them floated over to Draco and four over to Phill. Once again, Michael and Ariel chanted in an unknown language as the orbs began manifesting and took form. The eight soul orbs that hovered in front of Draco morphed into little baby velociraptors, each with different colored scales, and were set on the ground by his feet as they slept. The other four soul orbs manifested and took the forms of ponies, two unicorn fillies, a pegasus colt, and an earth pony colt, and were also fast asleep as they lay on the ground. The light had finally died down entirely as the three angels took a deep breath.

“It is done,” Ariel said.

“Indeed, good work, Phillip,” Michael said.

“That sure was difficult, I’ll tell ya that much,” Phill sighed as he wiped his brow.

Meanwhile, Draco had his eyes locked at the eight little baby dinosaurs that lay by his feet. Draco slowly knelt down and moved his hand to stroke the nearest infant, a raptor with gravel gray scales and a blue streak that stretched from head to tail.

“Well I’ll admit, they’re pretty adorable,” Phill said, but Draco was too entranced but the little dino’s. “You okay, lad?”

Draco didn’t respond with words, instead his voice mimicked that of his raptor voice. Slowly but surely, the infants opened their little eyes and stretched their little bodies. They all picked themselves up and looked around until their eyes set on Draco. Each one chirped curiously at him. Draco smiled as he moved his hand to stroke the head of one while making the same chirping noise as them. They chirped back, and the blue one stepped forward and pressed its little head against Draco’s palm.

“What’s all that about?” Phill wondered.

“I made sure to imprint myself onto them. Dinosaurs, like modern day birds and reptiles, will imprint on the first creature they see. If I want to properly raise these little guys, I need them to trust me.” Draco stood up and walked over to a nearby caribou carcass and sliced it open before cutting out some of the major organs. He walked back and placed the chunks of flesh and organs in front of the infant raptors. Wasting no time, the infants pounced on the meat and began devouring it.

“Okay, that’s nasty,” Phill grimaced.

“Well they are carnivores.” Draco, unlike Phill, stared in awe and wonder as he watched the little raptors dart their heads to tear flesh off and gulp it down. “They’re so cute.”

“And it’s nature,” Ariel said. “I hope you raise them well, young Draco.”

“Thank you, Ms. Ariel. I promise to watch out for them.” Draco smiled up at the angel.

“Now I must warn you, young Draco, these animals have a faster growth rate than most animals, courtesy of my own power. If I were to hypothesize, these little creatures will be full grown in a month’s time.”

Draco looked up in surprise. “Really?” He looked down at the raptors as they fed. “I guess I have my work cut out for me if I want to tame them before they are fully grown.”

“Indeed, we shall now take our leave,” Michael said. “Best of luck on your future endeavors.” In a flash, the Archangels disappeared. Phill noticed every pony staring at them and scoffed.

“Oi! Quit lazin’ about! Back to it! And get these mares on board! They’re goin’ back with me to Sanctuary!” The ponies did as they were told and went back to work. Phill then knelt down and scooped up the new foals in his arms. “These little ones are also comin’ home with me. I’ll put them up for adoption so they can be raised by some loving folks.”

“And I’ll load these guys onto the ship with some food.” He turned to some stallions. “Hey, you three,” he called out. The stallions approached Draco and saluted him.

“Grab two or three caribou bodies and toss them in a room. I’ll need those to feed the newest members to our army,” Draco said as he looked down at the raptors as they all huddled around his legs.

“Uh…sir? What exactly are they?” A stallion asked.

“These are velociraptors. They will be the Caribou’s doom when they get bigger,” Draco said fondly like they were his own.

The stallions all looked at each other with puzzled expressions as they nodded and found a few bodies lying around. They each slung the bodies over their shoulders and carried them aboard the Prometheus. The blue raptor chirped up at Draco and tilted its little head. Draco gave out a few raptor chirps and all the little raptors soon lined up behind him as he led them to the ship.

“Oi Draco!” Phill called out. “When you’re done with your business, meet me in Sanctuary in a couple o’ weeks!”

“You got it, after we finished liberating this country!” Draco called out and waved.

“Oh! And tell them ships that went with your mates to send them to Sanctuary! I know each of the other cities and towns had those who wished to repent, so they’re my responsibility! Got it?”

“You got it, bro!”

Phill nodded and took flight away from the fleet with the foals. Draco nodded as he and the rest of the soldiers loaded up the ships and were about to take off to their next city.

“Draco! This is Flash, come in!” Flash said as Draco came aboard the Prometheus.

“Go on Flash, I’m here.” Draco said, cupping his ear as he listened in.

“Maud and I successfully liberated our second targets! We’re joining Zephyr to take back Tall Tale! By my calculations, Equestria will be completely free once you’re done on your end!”

“Amen to that brother. Let’s not slow down, give them hell!!” Draco ordered as he and his new pack boarded the ship.

“By the way,” Maud said. “Some of the ships we brought are filled with ponies who used to be brainwashed and traitors, even a few stags here and there. Can I crush the traitors and caribou with a huge rock?”

“No Maud, I promised Phill they would be spared. Please don’t crush them, okay?” Draco groaned.

“What should we do with them then?” Flash wondered.

“Lock them up until we are done, then we’ll turn them over to Phill to take care of them.”

“Roger that, Flash out!”

Draco made his way to the helm of the ship with his new little raptors as the ships from the fleet warmed up their engines, including some new ones the troops commandeered.

“Where to next, Lieutenant Draco?” Soarin asked.

“Fillydelphia,” Draco said sternly as he watched the ponies prep the ship.

“Roger that!”

Draco watched as the Prometheus and the rest of the ships lifted in the air. As they sailed to their next destination and the baby dinosaurs played with each other, Draco thought of his friend who sacrificed himself through the mirror and wondered how he was faring.

“Lock…you better come back to us soon, man.”

Author's Note

The Beast steps up in the Hand’s place. Now, thanks to their combined efforts, Equestria is now the first kingdom to be completely liberated.

Side Note:
Sorry this took so long, there was a lot of planning done with this chapter. Also, the new cover image of Draco Saurian will be a temporary replacement until Dimitri Lockdrom returns to the story.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…