The Devil of The Caribou

by WurkyWilk358 0w0

Rating: mature
Tags: Other, Nightmare Moon, Romance, Original Character, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Crossover, Sex, Human, Narcotics, Twilight Sparkle, Anthro, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe
Length: 432795

I am the Devil who punishes the sinners. I will tear my way through those who dare cross my path and create a brighter future for those suffering. Sometimes in order to fight evil, one must become evil in order to do good for others.

Co-written with The Saiyan Brony.

Cover art drawn by the extremely talented Nastya_Tan. Check out her page and her other amazing artwork.

I used to always admire MLP, its colorful art and wonderful pony characters. Until one day I was offered a chance by a hooded stranger to actually go and see Equestria itself. Curious, I accepted…but was unprepared for what I was witnessing. Fire and smoke, anthro pony mares in slave shackles getting mercilessly raped or beaten senseless by corrupted stallions or caribou. What’s worse, it’s all because of the Caribou who turned this once beautiful kingdom into a cesspool of filth and corruption. Thankfully the hooded figure gave me a gift to have the power necessary to help free the females and break any corruption over the males of this world, even at the cost of my very soul. I’m gonna kill every last Caribou in this world and save everyone in it before they fall victim to these sick tyrants. I’ll wipe them all from existence and rebuild this world to its former peaceful glory. The Caribou will become an extinct race by my hand, this I swear…

03/12/2020: Did…did this get featured…? Holy sweet Jeezus thank you all so much! Only three chapters and this happened! I feel so humbled and honored so I hope, possibly one day, I’ll get featured again! Thanks for reading!

03/23/2020: :rainbowderp: Featured again…:pinkiehappy::pinkiehappy::pinkiehappy: THANK YOU ALL!!!

07/15/20: Woohoo!

08/23/20:👍🏼

10/23/20:👌🏼

10/28/20:🤟🏼

10/30/20:🤙🏼

12/30/20:✌🏼

8/10/21:🤘🏼

10/30/21:🖖🏼

3/11/22:🙌🏼

9/6/22:👏🏼

8/1/23:🫶🏼

Published 2020-03-10 17:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2023-08-01 17:47:13 UTC

The Devil’s Deal

Chapter 2

“Boy, boy wake up…”

“Hmmm…”

“DIMITRI LOCKDROM WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!

“FUCK!!!”

I’m awoken by a loud fucking voice in my god damn ear and shoot up only to bash my head against something hard.

“Ouch, motherfucker…!” I groan as I rub my forehead.

“Took you long enough, boy…”

I open my eyes and see that we’re in an open grassy field of some sort. I look up to my right and see the hooded man and I see him holding something in his right hand that makes my blood run cold. It was a long, three pronged red pitchfork that had serrated spikes on the tips. I start to tremble in fear since my suspicions about who this guy is became confirmed.

“You’re…the Devil…” I mutter in fear.

“Hmph, took you long enough to realize. But if it helps I prefer my actual name, Lucifer MorningStar,” he said.

“It doesn’t…” I said as I pick myself up.

“Oh? Having second thoughts are we?” he mocks.

“What do you think?” I snap, “If I’d’ve known I was talking to the god damn Devil himself I would never have given you any thought and continued back to my home! I can’t believe I got tricked into coming straight to Hell…”

“Now, now Mr. Lockdrom there’s no need to be bitter. I told you I’d bring you to Equestria and I meant it. Speaking of which, welcome to Equestria, Dimitri Lockdrom,” Lucifer said with a slight bow.

I look around and see that even though we’re outside, the clouds are almost completely covering the sky despite it looking like it’s a little in the evening and sun was about to set. I get a very gloomy and uneasy feeling and there’s a potent musk in the air that makes me a little queasy.

“I thought you said you’d never lie,” I accuse making him tilt his head.

“I did and I haven’t,” he defends.

“Really? If we’re in Equestria then shouldn’t things be a bit more, I don’t know, brighter? And what’s that weird smell I’m sniffing? It’s making my stomach churn…” I said trying not to breath too much in.

“I see why you’re unconvinced. Very well, I will prove it but I must warn you. What you are about to see shall be quite unsettling,” Lucifer warns.

“Please, I doubt there’s anything unsettling abo-“ I’m cut off when Lucifer grabs my head with his left hand and it begins to glow a dark aura.

“Hey! What the hell are you-“

BA-BUMP

GASP

A flood of shocking images fills my mind and most of them make me instantly sick to my stomach. Anthro ponies, who look very similar to the ones from the show only they’re standing on two legs, and a bunch of other anthro creatures fill my vision such as zebras, griffins, diamond dogs, minotaurs, yaks, hippogriffs, and even dragons and centaurs were almost all in chains and disturbingly revealing attire, mostly the females. I saw them being raped, beaten, and saw how they were treated like dirt and how some of the males had a sickly green glow in the eye while oddly other males did not. I then saw creatures that resembled Caribou with most having thicker fur and large antlers. I saw how they were continuously raping females left and right and destroying almost everything in their path. As I’m seeing all this I’m screaming bloody murder since it feels like my mind is being torn apart.

Lucifer eventually lets my head go and I fall back down clutching my head still screaming as the images won’t stop. What in the ever loving fuck am I seeing?! This is nothing like it is in the show! How did this happen? How could they do this?

“What…the fuck…was that…?” I ask between breaths as look back up at Lucifer. He only stares at me as I growl and throw myself at him gripping his jacket and looking at the red glowing eyes under his hood.

“TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK THAT WAS RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!” I scream in his face.

Lucifer puts his hand on my chest and proceeds to give me a simple nudge, only to cause me to go flying backwards tumbling across the grassy field. I groan and try to pick myself up but he appears in front of me and holds me down with the end of his pitchfork pressed on my chest.

“Not many can grab me like that and speak to me in such a way and live, so I suppose I’ll give you that,” he says mockingly, “As for what just happened I shared you some of my insight so you could briefly see the state this world is currently in.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Is all that really happening here?” I ask.

“Indeed, now I’m about to release you so you may stand again so I’d advise you refrain from attacking me again.” he said. I hesitantly nod slowly since I can’t really do anything else to him since he’s the legit Devil and I stand back up after he lifts his pitchfork. Lucifer gestures me to follow him and I do but I hang back slightly.

“If you recall the one called Twilight Sparkle, this all happened a few months after she was named Princess of Friendship. The enemy who threatens the balance of this world are called the Caribou. They are quite literally sexist tyrants who believe the male gender is the superior sex while females should be nothing but slaves to satisfy their sexual desires.” Lucifer explains.

“Fucking sick…” I growl as more images flash in my mind.

“Indeed, the Caribou invaded from the North without warning and used their foul magic to completely overwhelm Equestria’s forces by either corrupting some of males or convincing the others to join their cause, as you’ve seen through the images. While most of the planet is under the control of the Caribou’s magic, there are some places where it has not yet reached, thankfully. For example, Equestria’s capital, Canterlot, is one of the few last known cities in Equestria not yet claimed by the Caribou. However, it’s only a matter of time before it falls as well.” Lucifer said.

“Which means the Princesses are still safe for now? How?” I ask.

“The Princesses and the Elements of Harmony. They have their former captain of the royal guard Shining Armor, also former prince of the Crystal Empire, to thank because of his strong shield spells and he managed to evacuate the town of Ponyville before the Caribou arrived. Right now, Shining Armor is desperately trying to keep up a shield around Canterlot to keep the Caribou out. From what I recall he’s using whatever energy he can spare to keep the shield up for as long as possible,” Lucifer said.

“Wait, what happened to the Crystal Empire?” I ask.

“What do you think?” He asks as he turns his head and looks at me from the corner of his eye, “It fell to the Caribou almost as quick as the rest of the lands. Shining Armor was able to get his wife, Princess Cadence, and his daughter, Princess Flurry Heart, out before they were captured. Along with a small group of crystal ponies while the rest, unfortunately, were left behind and almost all the males were imprisoned while the females were subjugated to slavery,” He said.

“Why did the Caribou attack the Crystal Empire first?” I ask in an angered tone.

“It’s because of the Crystal Heart,” he says while facing forward, “As you know, the Crystal Heart has the power to lift the Crystal Ponies and any other creatures spirits, and the light within them powers the Crystal Heart to protect the empire from evil. However the Caribou corrupted the Heart and used their magic to turn it into something foul and used it to spread their brainwashing magic further across the land. To put it bluntly, it is now called the Crystal Cock…” Lucifer said with a sneer, “But for some odd reason, the corrupted magic didn’t affect the crystal pony males as the Caribou would’ve thought so they weren’t brainwashed. Even so, they were no match and the Empire fell within a day. Now it is one of the main strongholds and future capital of the Caribou empire since it holds such an item of great importance.”

My anger was at its boiling point, these sick motherfuckers took something that was supposed to be filled with the happiness of others only to be turned into something disgusting and perverted. Lucifer notices my anger and reaches into his coat and hands me the bottle of liquor I purchased back on Earth. I arch a brow at how he had this since I just noticed I didn’t have it with me and he just shrugs.

“Figured you could use some since this is already a lot to take in. You almost dropped it and waisted this good liquor when we arrived here so be grateful I saved it for you,” he said while handing me the bottle.

I glance up at him and raise the bottle and nodded to him as thanks. I uncapped the bottle again and took a few swigs since I needed something to douse the anger in my soul. The satisfying burning sensation of the scotch travels down my throat and in my stomach and I sigh heavily since I’m now feeling a little better but I’m still very pissed. I offer the bottle to Lucifer, since I didn’t wanna be rude, but he just shakes his head and continues explaining the state of this world.

“The one who is responsible for all of this goes by the name Dainn Stonehoof, King of the Caribou, and the one who’s soul eludes me,” Lucifer said.

“What’d he do to get on your shit list?” I ask while taking another swig.

“All life, as you know, has its end. Some end by natural causes, others end abruptly without warning by accidents, and some end due to violence and war, such as the one currently happening right now and believe me there’s been a lot of lives ending because of it,” he said making me frown.

“However Dainn decided that he was too good for death and got the idea to prolong his life. He used dark forbidden magic to steal the life force of living things and add it to his own lifespan. Before this blasphemous ritual of his, his soul had already been doomed to fall to me so he could live out the rest of his existence in Hell for all the atrocities he had committed. But due to his dark magic, he has eluded death and his soul remains out of my reach. To make matters even more infuriating, he somehow was able to create some kind of barrier around himself. The last time I saw him I thought I could collect his soul myself but he anticipated my arrival and drove me away with his dark magic,” he says while gripping his pitchfork tightly. He stops walking and I do the same and he turns to me while reaching in his coat pocket for something.

“And that, Dimitri Lockdrom, is where you come in,” he says while pulling something out. In his hand was a very strange looking fruit. It was shaped like a strawberry but it was way bigger than any strawberry I’ve ever seen. What’s even stranger is that it had these swirling tribal markings all around it and it had a sort of dark aura around it making me nervous. He holds it out to me and my hand acts on its own as I take hold of it. As I’m holding the strange fruit, the aura seems to intensify making me more nervous I look back at Lucifer for answers and he raises his hand to point at me.

“I want you to become my hand.” he says.

“What…?!”

A million thoughts were going through my mind, one minute I’m on my way home wanting to drink myself to sleep and the next thing I know I’m pulled from my world from the actual Devil himself, to Equestria of all places that’s being threatened to be overrun by power hungry sickos, and now he’s asking me to be his hand.

“What do you mean become your hand?” I ask.

“Simple really, if you become my hand you gain my special abilities. This fruit is made from my own dark soul giving your soul and mine a permanent link.” Lucifer explains.

“Wait, you’re saying this is a Devil Fruit?” I ask. He nods and I look back down at the fruit in shock.

Wait a minute, where have I heard “Devil Fruit” before? I think.

“So you’re saying I’ll get your powers if I eat this?” I ask.

“Correct, but I should warn you about the price for such a gift,” Lucifer said with a dark smile, from what I could tell in the shadow of his hood. “Think of this fruit as a sort of contract between you and I. If you choose to eat it, the contract is sealed and, as I said, you shall gain powers that matches my own so you may be able to begin your conquest against the Caribou scourge. However once you do, not only does your soul become linked to mine but you will forever be damning yourself on a one way ticket to Hell once you perish.” Lucifer warns.

“What?! You’re saying if I eat this I’m going straight to Hell when I die?! That’s fucked up! I’m not eating this then!” I say while trying to give it back to him. Lucifer only stands there without even attempting to take it back and just stares at me.

“I suppose I can understand your panic, Dimitri, but you have nothing to worry about. Going to Hell once you die doesn’t sound as bad as you may think. Besides it’s not like you’re going to die as soon as you eat it,” Lucifer informs me.

“Still doesn’t change the fact I’m gonna go to Hell when I die!” I retort.

“Did I forget to mention that there’s a special perk that comes with having my abilities once you eat the fruit?” he asks while holding up a finger.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” I deadpan.

“You’ll become ageless,” he bluntly tells me.

“Say what?!” I ask in shock, “You mean this thing will turn me immortal?”

“Not necessarily, you can still get hurt, get sick, and still die of natural causes but you just won’t age anymore. Think of this as a bit of a personal goal of yours. Once you’ve defeated the Caribou and drive them back to whence they came or whatever you choose to do with them you may choose to live the rest of your ageless days as much as you want however you please, so long as you don’t get killed that is.” Lucifer explains.

“But what does that have to do with me going to Hell anyway once, and if, I do die? Besides being ageless sounds lonely if you ask me. I wouldn’t wanna not be able to grow old as those around me age and die…” I said with a sad tone.

“Another part of this contract is you can contact me whenever you please. Think of me has a dark voice in the back of your mind ready to answer any questions you have whenever you feel the need. If, and when, in the future of your ageless life you’ve had enough of the mortal world, just say the word and I shall come to collect your soul.” Lucifer said.

“Still doesn’t sound too convincing,” I retort “It’s still Hell so I doubt there’s anything to look forward to even if I decide to leave this life behind.”

“On the contrary, being the Hand of the Devil has many perks in Hell. You’ve only been told what Hell does to evil souls and that is only for the sinners who thought they could do as they please without a second thought, much like Dainn. But as the Devil’s Hand, you’ll quite literally be seated right next to me and receive a champion’s welcome with luxuries and praise. You’ll be hailed as a dark agent of justice that punishes those who would dare defy me.” Lucifer says in a dark giddy tone.

“I-I don’t know…” I say skeptically, “You make it sound like Hell is a paradise when it’s supposed to be a place of torture and death.”

“Only to those who deserve it,” he counters, “To us higher tier beings, myself included, it can be a paradise since we deserve it. You’ll be able to earn that right too once you have done what I asked and collect Dainn’s soul for me.”

“I’m guessing when you say I collect his soul I’m supposed to kill him?” I ask he nods and I smirk a little. “Good, after what you’ve shown me death will be the least of his concerns once I’m through with him. Along with any other fucking Caribou and traitor males who turned on their own who get in my way,” I growl. Lucifer smiles under his hood and was about to speak when I raise my hand.

“Although this all seems too sudden for me. You think I can have more time to think on this?” I ask. Lucifer frowns and shakes his head.

“I wish I could tell you that you can think on it later but unfortunately you don’t seem to have as much time as you’d like,”

“What do you mean?” I ask. Lucifer simply turns around and points off in the distance. I squint my eyes and spot a city of some sort and it looks to be covered in a purple sphere of some kind.

“Is that…?”

“Yes, that is Canterlot. And the sphere surrounding it is Shining Armor’s shield. Though you cannot see from here, I can tell you that the shield is on the brink of collapsing.”

I look at Lucifer in shock as he looks over his shoulder to me. I look back at Canterlot and notice that there’s multiple smoke trails in the sky which means there’s a large stockade of Caribou ready and waiting to storm the city.

“The city will fall almost immediately if the shield breaks!” I shout in a panic, “Can’t you do something?” Lucifer shakes his head as he turns to me.

“It is as I’ve said, not only has Dainn prevented me from going after him personally but I myself cannot interact with anything or anyone in the mortal plain. I’m only able to speak and briefly interact with you like this because this is my astral projection,” he explains while briefly becoming transparent.

“So you’re saying it’s up to me and me alone?” I ask.

“It being up to you, yes. You doing this alone, it is your choice if you choose to do so. However the terms of the contract, my conditions, the title of my hand still remain true. Remember, as the Devil I refuse to tell a lie so you can guarantee that all I have told you is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” He said.

Damnit, of all the shitty times to make a quick decision why’d it have to be now? I think.

I look back down at the fruit and look up at Canterlot in the distance. For a moment I thought I saw the shield flicker a bit meaning Shining Armor was using whatever strength he had left to keep the shield up. I was wondering where the Princesses were but they probably too busy looking after the citizens who were most likely panicking right now. I look at Lucifer who was patiently waiting for my answer and I look back down at the fruit in my hand and grit my teeth in anger.

I wasn’t angry at the fact that I had to make a decision right now, a little disappointed but not angry, I was angry at the images continuing to appear in my mind. It’s as if I could sense the suffering and corruption all throughout this world and it’s all Dainn and his fucking Caribou’s doing. He turned this beautiful world in something filthy, and he was gonna suffer a fate worse than death by the time I’m done with him. So with my decision now made, I glance at Lucifer and nod.

“…Alright, I’ll do it,” I answer as I slowly bring the fruit up to my mouth. Lucifer smiles as he waits me to take my first bite. As I open my mouth, I start to think about what’s gonna happen to me once I eat this thing. Is it worth it? Damning my soul to the Devil for the sake of this world and it’s inhabitants? Probably not but if I leave now I’ll have this overwhelming sense of guilt looming over me like a shadow. I’ll probably still have it even after he erases my memories of ever meeting him and coming here which would drive me crazy since I wouldn’t know why I feel guilty in the first place. Besides if I’m being honest even if I didn’t come here I’d probably end up in Hell anyway after what I did during one of my tours, but that’s a story for another time. One I never enjoy telling nor do I enjoy remembering…

The fruit is now in between my jaw and so without wanting to drag it out, I quickly take a bite and chew it down expecting it to taste bad. Surprisingly, it tasted rather sweet like an actual strawberry so I chewed it normally and swallowed. I looked up at Lucifer and he was starring at me expecting me to eat all of it so I did just that, even the stem since it felt like it was necessary. Once I was done I washed it down with another swig of my scotch and prepared for something to happen.

“So, what now?” I ask.

“Now you will get to work, as soon as you wake up.” Lucifer responds.

“Wake up? What do yo-GUH!“

BA-BUMP

It’s as if my whole body pulsated and it hurt like hell. Each pulse felt like I was briefly set on fire and put out again making me fall to my knees as I started to hyperventilate and grip my chest in agony. I look up at Lucifer who just stares down at me and again has my bottle of scotch in his left hand. As the pulses get more frequent, I start to scream my fucking lungs out since I’m in indescribable pain. I look at my hands and see tribal markings, similar to the makings on the fruit, run up from my hands all the way up my arms and it feels like it’s tearing my flesh apart making me scream louder as I fall on my back. As I’m screaming Lucifer continues to watch my suffering as he glances at the bottle of scotch. Bastard had the nerve to curiously take a drink of my scotch as I feel like I’m dying in the worst way possible.

“Mmm, you know this is actually pretty good. I’ll be sure to save the rest for you once your transformation is complete and after you’ve saved Canterlot.” he says innocently.

“AAAAAAHHHH!!!”

“YOU…BASTARD!!!” I scream.

“Yes, yes, I suppose I should’ve mentioned that this wouldn’t be pleasant and I could’ve warned you about the immeasurable pain you’re now experiencing but that would only make you even more hesitant than you already were. Don’t worry though, it’ll all be over soon,” he says has he starts to fade away.

“Make sure you contact me once you’re done saving Canterlot. We have much to do in this world and as the saying goes, great things start from small beginnings,” he says with a tune in his voice.

I continue screaming until my voice starts to give out and the pain becomes too much for me to stay conscious. The last thing I see was Lucifer waving to me as he fades completely away before my vision once again becomes dark and I pass out. What awaits me once I wake up, I can only guess…

Rise of The Devil’s Hand

Chapter 3

“Uuuuuuhhhhhh”

I groan in pain since my whole body feels like I was stuffed in a punching bag and used as practice for hours. I sluggishly opened my eyes and saw it was night time so I must’ve been out for a couple hours. For a moment, I thought everything that happened to me was nothing but a dream and I’m now awake after successfully drinking myself to sleep and I’m suffering from a massive hangover.

I slowly sit myself up and rub my eyes with my hands, only for some reason they feel a little warmer than usual. I look at my hands and see strange tribal like markings on the top and bottom of my hands making me raise my eyebrows. As I roll up my right sleeve I see the markings run up my arm and when I roll up my other sleeve I’m met with the same results.

In a panic I toss off my jacket and my shirt so I can get a proper look at both my arms, but I am not liking what I see. Both my arms were completely covered in tribal tattoo like markings. To be honest I’ve kinda always wanted a tattoo but not an entire fucking sleeve, on both my arms no less!

“What the fuck?! I don’t remember getting tattoos! I must’ve been more hammered than I thought…” I grumble.

“Actually you didn’t drink as much as you thought, but it’s a good thing I prevented you from drinking anymore.”

“THE FUCK?!” I shout. I look around for the voice I heard but I see nothing around me.

“If you’re going to act like this for the duration of your mission then you’ll make me second guess myself for choosing you as my Hand,” the voice said making me instantly realize who it was.

“L-Lucifer…?” I mutter.

“I suppose I’ll have to get used to the fact that you’re one of the slow ones…” Lucifer sighs.

“How?” I ask while looking around.

“Seriously? You already forgot what happened after you ate the fruit?” he asks. I think about what happened before I passed out and I go wide eyed as it all starts to come back to me.

“Oh jeez,” I said clutching my head, “it wasn’t a dream after all…”

“Well of course it wasn’t, Dimitri. Everything up to this point was real and everything you’ve been told was the truth. I’m the Devil, remember? I never lie to anyone and can’t even if I tried.” Lucifer reminds me, “Now would you be so kind as to pick yourself up already? I don’t wish to continue seeing my Hand sit in the middle of the road like a fool…” I stand up and gaze upon my arms again and trace my fingers along the tribal markings. They don’t feel like tattoos, more like they feel like deep burn scars. Though once I think that I’m reminded on how I got them making me growl in frustration.

“That fucking hurt like a motherfucker, you asshole!” I shout, “What’s with these markings on my arms? I didn’t ask for tattoos!”

“You do realize that if you weren’t my Hand I’d kill you right here and now? I let it slide when you grabbed me before but if you keep mouthing off you’ll be punished for speaking against your new master and lord…” Lucifer warns making me nervous and shut up instantly.

“Now as for the markings along your arms, they’re what proves that you’re my personal agent of Hell. To put it simply, they’re The Brands of The Devil’s Hand.” He explains.

“Brands? Explains why it hurt like my arms were on fire…” I grumble while rubbing my arms.

“Yes well anyway, as my Hand you have complete access to all of my abilities so you may face Dainn and any of his followers properly. However even though you can use my power, it is up to you to hone them and make yourself stronger.”

“Wait, you’re saying I have to train myself or something?” I ask.

“Obviously, did you honestly think I’d give you all of my power from the get go and be done with it? That’s not how this works, Dimitri, and you should keep that in mind. Just because you’re my Hand doesn’t mean I’m going to hold your hand every step of the way, even if our souls are permanently linked. You have to earn special privileges like that because the title is just a name if you don’t have any worthy deeds to back it up.” Lucifer lectures me.

“I guess that makes sense, but I don’t even know how to use your powers.” I counter. Lucifer is silent for a moment and then sighs.

“I suppose that’s correct, I didn’t exactly leave an instruction manual on how to properly use my power. One moment please.”

I wait patiently for a few minutes and decide to put my shirt and jacket back on since they were still on the ground. As soon as I put my jacket on I get the same pulse of energy throughout my body as before but it’s less painful this time. Suddenly, waves of images flow through my mind and stop almost instantly making my head throb a bit.

“There we are, now you’re more than prepared. FYI, this will be the last I personally assist you with anything else from here on,” Lucifer said.

“You know, you really gotta stop doing that or at least warn me the next time you do something like it,” I grumble while rubbing my head, “What’d you do to me anyway”

“Well if you must know, I gave you a bit more of my insight so you can have the knowledge necessary to use my power properly. I even took the liberty of including some advanced hand to hand combat techniques on top of the ones you already know so I’d be grateful if I were you, boy,” He sternly tells me.

“Gee thanks…” I said while rolling my eyes, “so how exactly do we start training-“

BOOM

I’m abruptly brought out of my thoughts when I hear a large explosion in the distance. I snap my head towards the noise and see a large purple sphere fade in and out of sight and a large city its covering.

“Oh dear, it appears we may have let the little fact that Canterlot is still in danger slip our minds. And by the looks of it, it appears Shining Armor’s shield is on the brink of total collapse,” Lucifer tells me.

“Oh shit, what the hell do we do?! We’ll never make it in time!” I panic.

“Calm down, Dimitri. If you focus on your newfound knowledge I provided for you, you’ll find a very useful skill and power that will get you to Canterlot just before the shield collapses,” Lucifer said.

“Wait, I thought you said I should contact you until after I saved the city?” I said.

“Does it really matter? You were taking your sweet ass time in dream land and didn’t know what was up or down. If anything it’s on you for making me speak up before when I I told you to speak to me. Besides, you’d still be in the dark on how to use my power anyway so I’m still not at fault. Now hop to it! Canterlot won’t hold out for much longer!” Lucifer orders.

I roll my eyes in annoyance but I again panic a little more after I hear another explosion in the distance but quickly calm myself and focus on Lucifer’s insight. An image of me flying through the air completely engulfed in flames fills my mind and I start to focus more on that power. The brands on my arms start to glow through my jacket in a bright red color. Flames start to seep out of my sleeves and pants and soon my entire body is on fire, yet I don’t feel any pain. It’s as if I’m made of fire myself and the flames are one with me.

I then start to feel a very dark emotion run through my mind and soul, like I’m angry and itching to unleash it on my enemies. I smile darkly and the flames only intensify as the ground beneath me starts to get singed. The images of the Caribou and their sick deeds come flashing back though my mind which only makes my thirst for blood grow and I lower my flame covered body. I exhale causing black smoke to escape my mouth and the flames start to affect my hair making it look completely on fire. Wanting to do this in style I pull out my ear buds I brought with me along with my phone and they both were also surprisingly on fire but still were in working condition despite being in flames. I put my ear buds in and scroll through my playlist for a song to be prepared to play once I arrive at Canterlot and put my phone back in my pocket.

Once all preparations are completed, I jump into the air and blast my flames behind me shooting me across the air at high speeds towards the city. As I’m flying through the air, I start to chuckle, which turns into a laugh, and then turns into manic bellows of laughter as I near my destination.

“READY OR NOT, CARIBOU!!! THE DEVIL’S HAND COMES FOR YOUR SOULS!!!” I shout through my laughter.

I don’t know what’s gotten into me but I could care less. I feel great! I thirst for blood and carnage and I’ll be sure to give them a welcoming they’ll never forget!

Meanwhile in the Canterlot Throne Room 3rd POV

The Princess of Equestria, Princess of the Sun, Celestia, Princess of the Moon, Luna, and Princess of Love and former Princess of the Crystal Empire, Cadence and her daughter Flurry Heart who she was carrying in her arms and sleeping, along with the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and the Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle were all standing in the throne room surrounding their friend and sworn protector, Shining Armor. Shining was breathing very heavily due to the magic strain in his horn and was on his knees with his arms raised up as he was trying so desperately to keep the shield from collapsing and allowing the Caribou to storm Canterlot.

Before the Caribou arrived at Canterlot, Celestia and Luna had all the citizens escape to many underground bunkers throughout the city to hide away in case the Caribou broke through. The last thing they needed was was to watch what sick deeds they had already done to the rest of the worlds female population with their own eyes to their own citizens.

“Shiny please,” Cadence begs, “let me add more of my magic to yours so the shield can stay up! You can’t continue like this any longer! Your horn will break!”

“No…Cadence…!” Shining grunts, “You already…gave enough…of your magic…already to me, all of you did. There’s no time…and I can…still take…a few more of…their cannon fire. So please…use the…secret tunnel…in the throne room…and escape!”

“Absolutely not, Shining Armor!” Twilight yells through her tears as she hugs her brother, “There’s no way in Tartarus we’re going to leave you or anypony behind!”

“But Twilight…think of what…those damn Caribou…will do to you…and the others…if they get…their hands on you…!”

Twilight and the others flinch as they’re reminded what they had seen past the shield just outside of Canterlot. Caribou, traitor stallions, and other brainwashed males were mercilessly raping mares and other females for all of Canterlot to see. All the females had different colored collars on and while some had defiant expressions others unfortunately were in pure ecstasy of pleasure and some looked as if they couldn’t even think straight due to them being endlessly raped.

However that wasn’t even the worst part, the worst part is what they had done to the pegasi mares, or other winged creatures, and unicorn mares. Those with wings had their wings incased in boxes so they couldn’t fly away and the unicorns had their horns cut off to a stump on their foreheads. To make matters even more atrocious, the Caribou even branded their own mark on each females flanks. The brand was a pair of chains that over lapped each other signifying that each female was nothing but a slave for pleasure. Not only did the Caribou take away their freedom, they took away what made them special for their talents…

Twilight shakes her head as more tears stream down her face. Before she could protest anything else, Celestia placed a hand on her shoulder making her turn to her. Celestia can only frown sadly at her daughter like student and sighs.

“As much as it pains me to tell you this Twilight, Shining Armor is right.” she said making her and even Cadance gasp.

“What?! But Celestia how could you say that?! There must be something we can do we must-“
Twilight is cut off when Celestia embraces her in a hug.

“Please Twilight, I would give myself up if it meant to save what’s left of my kingdom but they want all of us as their trophies. I couldn’t bare the thought of losing you to them, not after what happened to Spike…” she whispers.

Twilight almost immediately breaks down crying after she heard her little dragon assistants name. Spike had gone the the Crystal Empire to deliver a package to Cadence and Shining Armor for Flurry Heart but the Caribou had invaded and no pony knew what happened to him. Shining said that he never saw Spike before or after they escaped which means he could be anywhere and it has plagued her mind ever since. Cadence then walks up to Shining who was now on one knee trying to keep up his magic and kneels in front of him.

“Shiny…I-“

She’s cut off when Shining lifts his head up and kisses her on the lips. She sighs in the kiss as tears of her own start to fall and he breaks away. Shining looks down at his daughter who’s still asleep since her mother casted a sleeping spell so she wouldn’t have to see the state of the city and her fathers strain.

“I know Cady…I know. Just make sure…she knows…what her daddy did tonight. I want her…to grow up happy…because I know…one day…this nightmare will end…and she’ll be…the proudest filly…of her daddy…in the world…” Shining says between breaths as he slowly reaches down and caresses his daughters mane.

Cadence’s tears start to flow uncontrollably as she uses one arm to hug her husband as tight she could. She so desperately wanted to stay by his side but knew they couldn’t stay. As she broke away and stood back up another large explosion rung throughout the throne room from outside causing Shining to scream in pain as sparks start to fly out from his horn. Outside, the shield flickered in and out of faze as smoke from a cannon ball hung in the air against the shield.

“I can’t…hold on…much longer…!” Shining yelled, “Go! All of you…now!”

Twilight wanted to give her brother one last hug but Applejack and Rainbow Dash grabbed her and followed Celestia and Luna while she screamed in protest. Just before they all left the throne room, a strange sound coming from outside the shield grasped their attention. It oddly sounded like laughter, but not just any normal sounding laughter. It sounded insane and dark and as it grew louder and closer, the feeling of dread and fear enveloped everypony in the room.

They all looked towards the open balcony window and saw what was making this laughter come flying through the sky. It looked like a large fire ball but if one would look closely, they could see a silhouette of somepony or something completely covered in flames. The laughter only got more manic and louder and it seemed to grab the Caribou stockade’s attention as they stopped to look at what was flying towards the city. Only the fire ball wasn’t just flying to the city, it was headed straight for them. They only realized too late as the fire ball came crashing down in between the shield and the stockade with a thundering boom as flames shot into the sky like a large geyser from a crater the fire ball made on impact.

The mares back on the balcony watched as the geyser of flames continued to shoot up to the darkened sky and the laughter stopped. No pony said a word, the only noise heard was the sound of the seemingly endless geyser of flames. Back with the stockade, the Caribou dared not say a word as they watched the whole site in shock and fear. What seemed like agonizing minutes later, they hear the sound of foot steps crunching through the flames out of the crater.

A figure, looking like a demon completely covered in flames steps out of the pillar of fire and out in the open. Its face is barely shown because of the flames and its clothes are strange but also on fire. The figure looks around the stockade as the pillar of flames starts to dissipate behind it so the only thing that’s seen by all is it and it alone. The figure then starts to tremble, but not in fear. Soon everyone hears the figure chuckling and it breaks out into the same manic laughter everyone heard before which makes everyone around uneasy and a bit more fearful of whoever or whatever this stranger is.

All the mares back on the throne room balcony are all at a loss for words. None of them could even speak because of the shock and overwhelming fear coursing through them. It was bad enough that the Caribou were about to breach the shield but now a monster comes flying in out of no where with who knows what intentions. Soon the laughter stops again and the figure lowers its body a bit and lets out a low growl that all could hear and speaks in a dark and twisted tone for all to listen.

“You have all committed abominable sins against Equestria and the rest of these lands. Your sins shall not go unpunished for as long as my hatred towards you Caribou burns like the raging inferno enveloping my very being. My hatred burns also for the accursed King Dainn who has committed the worst sins imaginable, especially against my Dark Master. Brand these words in your minds and for those who wish to flee, do so now and send this message to your King.” The figure announces.

The figure raises his arms and flames shoot out from his palms as the flames start to form a large demonic like face. The face then speaks in a voice that would torment all who hear it.

I am here to punish the sinners.
I am here to save the weak.
I have come from the pits of Hell as a Dark Agent of Vengeance and Justice.

I AM THE DEVIL’S HAND!!!

Dimitri 1st POV

I wave my arms downward after my proclamation and the flames blow to each side of me. I gaze upon my soon to be prey as I can see that most of the Caribou and traitor stallions are trembling in fear. I smirk as I take a step forward, but as I do so some of the males drop their weapons and flee for their lives with their tails literally between their legs. A couple of the Caribou in front manage to grow a pair and charge at me with their weapons. I stop walking and hold my hands out and make them look like hand guns.

“Hellfire gun”

Two embers fire from my fingers and straight through the Caribou’s chest right where their hearts were. All that was left were smoldering flesh holes and both Caribou fall down dead. The rest of the Caribou finally gain some nerve and decide to avenge their fallen comrades and I just smile manically as I quickly reach in my pocket an press the play button on my phone for the song I had prepared.

“LET THE CARNAGE BEGIN!!!” I bellow.

I sprint towards the Caribou and engulf my hands and feet in flames. Three Caribou try to stab me with their spears but I jump over their attack and kick all their heads clean off causing blood to erupt from their headless bodies. I run through the horde of Caribou and traitor stallions and rip and tear through them all by punching holes through their guts or sending them flying through the air like broken rag dolls with powerful kicks. A group of Caribou take aim at me with bow and arrows and I grab a stallion and use him as a meat shielded as soon as the arrows are let loose. Once the arrows hit the stallion, he gurgles as an arrow seems to pierce his throat and he chokes on his blood. I lift his body above me and tear him in two as blood and guts shower me, only the blood just evaporates as it lands on me and his guts become chard chunks of flesh and crumble away.

More Caribou charge and attempt to slash me from in front and behind but I jump high in the air a reel my fists back and take a deep breath.

“GUM-GUM HELLFIRE GATLING!”

Like an ignited machine gun, I rain rapid fire punches down on my foes as my arms also stretch at retract after each rapid strike. My flame coated fists beat dozens of Caribou and traitor stallions into submission until there’s nothing but a huge pile of battered flesh and bone. I continue my onslaught and twist my body around so my attack can crush more enemies. Once I’m satisfied with my blood count, I retract my arms and land on the ground, until I feel something go through my stomach. I look down and see a sword piercing me from behind but I don’t really feel pain since my body is still mostly made of fire but I still feel the blade causing me to grunt a bit. I turn around and look over my shoulder and see a brainwashed stallion look at me with absolute fear and I see there’s a few more brainwashed males behind him with equally fearful looks.

“You have nerve for attacking me from behind, but I suppose I can’t blame you since you can’t help but follow their orders,” I tell him. I cancel the fire in my hand and quickly spin around and back hand him and strike the others in the head knocking them out. I hope I’m making the right decision by sparing them. I may be in the middle of my bloodlust but I have enough of my reason to spare those under the Caribou’s control.

I turn around and see more of the stockade charge at me and I see behind them some Caribou prepare the cannons the brought with them aim at me. Just as the song hits the ending chorus, I raise my right fist behind me and my left opened hand in front of me and take one last minute glance to make sure there aren’t any brainwashed males in front of me so I don’t kill any of them. Thankfully they all seem to have stayed away from the main fight and I smile as my fist charges up and I thrust my fist forward.

“HELLFIRE FIST!!!”

A massive blast of fire erupts from my arm and incinerates all in front of me. The blast cuts right through the large group of enemies and destroys the cannons along with the Caribou manning them. The blast lasts a few more seconds and slowly dissipates and there’s nothing left but a large trail of death and burnt Caribou and traitor stallion corpses. I stand back up and exhale and smoke leaves my mouth as the flames on my body shrink into small candle like flames.

I look behind me and see that all that’s left are the brainwashed stallions along with the enslaved mares. Guess they were in charge of guarding them while the rest were left to fight me. There seems to be a few dozen of them left and there’s only a few Caribou left alive. I smirk and sprint over to the group of brainwashed males and twist my body while raising my right leg.

“Gum-Gum Hell Whip!”

My leg stretches and my foot connects with each and every one of their heads knocking them to the ground as I spin around and plant my foot on the ground and the song comes to an end. Like the others, they’re just knocked unconscious and I hope I can help break their brainwashing. The mares are all too stunned in both fear and shock and there’s even some who managed to faint due to my overwhelming presence. I pay them no mind since they’re not the main priority right now. All that’s left now are the few Caribou who are huddling together and trembling in horror at the mere sight of me.

With the small flames still covering my body, I calmly walk over to the few stallions who can’t seem to move due to the fear on their faces and bodies. I stop just a few inches from them and I look down at them with a glare that could crack glass.

“Do you know why you lot are still sucking air?” I ask in a cold tone. They shake their heads slowly without ever breaking eye contact with me.

“You lot are still alive because you still need to join the others who were smart enough to flee and send Dainn my message. You will tell him everything I have said and describe to him in explicit detail what I have done to your comrades. You will also tell him and any other male you come across what has happened here along with my message,” I instruct them. I then lean down until I’m staring inches away from them.

“You will also tell Dainn a personal message from me. Tell him The Devil’s Hand comes personally for his soul. There is no crack or crevice where he can hide where I won’t find him. He sealed his fate when he decided to play God and has doomed him and his race to a lifetime of death and destruction. You will tell him this word for word, understand?” I ask. They both nod vigorously and I lean back up and they scramble to their feet and walk away, but I don’t want them to just walk.

“RUN!!!”I scream at them.

They immediately start sprinting as fast as they could away from me to who knows where, but if they know any better they’ll deliver my message if they know what’s good for them. I sigh and relax and the flames dissipate from my body. I turn back around and see that the rest of the mares have all passed out from overexposure along with the rest of the unconscious stallions I knocked out.

“Lucifer?” I ask out loud, no response.

“Lucifer are you there?” I ask again, still no response. I get the feeling he’s listening to me but won’t answer unless I address him properly making me groan and pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Boss…are you there?” I ask with a sigh.

“Ah Dimitri, I see you have finished up?” he asks satisfied.

“Yes, I’m done…” I sigh, “So what now?”

“Hmm, well I suppose now you can either choose to introduce yourself to the Princess and Elements or you can wait until tomorrow. After all it’s now quite late at night and I’m guessing you’re a bit worn down from your battle? By the way, an excellent performance if I do say so myself.” Lucifer praises.

“Uh, thanks I guess,” I mumble while rubbing the back of my head.

I look back at the unconscious group of ponies and frown at their current state. I was about to ask Lucifer something else when I hear loud cracks from the shield. Almost all at once the shield breaks apart and fades away, leaving the city now completely defenseless. I look up at one of the tallest towers and see a group of familiar ponies I didn’t expect to see so soon.

The Princesses and Mane Six were all standing on the balcony and even though they were far away I could tell they were looking at me with wide eyes. I could also tell they were very fearful of me since I was starring back a them. I mean I couldn’t really blame them for being scared of me, especially after what they saw and probably heard from me.

“Boss, what do I do about Canterlot? If I leave the Caribou will probably come back with a greater force than before and I don’t think I can fight any more. Well I can, but I prefer to conserve my energy,” I ask Lucifer.

“A wise decision to choose to rest. And as for the city I have a solution, you’re already in a good position away from the city so simply place your left hand on the ground.” Lucifer instructs me.

I arch a brow at his request but oblige anyway. I kneel down and place my left hand on the ground and wait. A moment later, my hand glows red from underneath and lines with tribal like patterns appear and run across both sides of my hand on the ground. I watch as each side starts to circle around the city and a few moments later the glowing stops and I lift my hand. Right where my hand was is a red handprint with the same tribal pattern on my palm.

“Ok, what just happened?” I ask.

“Oh nothing really, I just used my own power to create an invisible barrier around Canterlot,” Lucifer answers.

“You can do that?” I ask.

“But of course. Besides it’d be a waste to have all your hard work be for not if the Caribou came and attacked again while you’re not here. Now they can’t get past my barrier without burning themselves alive when they step past the branded line,” he explains.

“But what about the others?”

“This barrier only affects those following Dainn. And if you’re worried about the brainwashed males there’s nothing we can do for them if they try to pass over as well since they’ll also be burnt to a crisp. You also needn’t worry about the stallions already inside the barrier. From what I can tell you knocked them out well enough that they’ll be out cold for a good long while and they won’t burst into flames since they’re already inside. The only thing you can do now is wait. At least now Canterlot is safe so you can rest easy,” Lucifer said.

“What about them?” I ask gesturing to the pile of sleeping ponies.

“Nothing we can do, I’m afraid. At least not at the moment since you still need to recover. Just write a note or something so the others can gather them up and we can return tomorrow to aid them properly,” Lucifer suggests.

I shrug my shoulders and walk to one of the unconscious stallions and reach into his pockets. Thankfully he had a small notebook and quill pen so I could write my note down. I didn’t have much to say so all I wrote was for them to help the mares with any medical aid and place the stallions in holding cells since it’s likely they’ll still be brainwashed when they wake up.

Satisfied, I stuck the note under the stallions hand so it wouldn’t fly away and stood up. I glanced back at the balcony and saw that the Princesses and Mane Six were no longer there. They were probably checking on Shining Armor since it looks like he used the last of his strength before assumedly passing out.

“You did good Shining, rest well,” I said with a smile. I turn and ignite my flames on my hands and feet and fly in the air away from Canterlot. I figured I’d go and sleep under a tree or something in the forest until morning so I flew towards what looked like Everfree Forest.

“Guess it’s like you said, Boss. Greatness from small beginnings,” I said as I flew.

“Indeed,” he agrees.

Author's Note

Took me all day and night to write this chapter. AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Hope you all continue to enjoy new story!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

A Knight Laid to Rest and The Devil’s Hunt

Chapter 5

All the ponies in Canterlot seemed to have gathered in the throne room and each one was wearing black attire. The Princesses and Elements were in the front of the throne room and I was just off to the side leaning on a pillar with my arms crossed and a solemn expression. It’s been two weeks since I arrived in this world and one week since, Shining Armor passed away…

I’ve seen my share of people crying but the amount of tears shed from his family was almost as painful to watch as witnessing Shining taking his last breath after hearing his daughter speak her first word before he passed. Twilight and her parents must have spent almost every day crying since I could see their eyes were red and puffy, despite Rarity helping them, as best she could, look presentable for the funeral. But the one pony who seemed to take it the worst was Cadence.

I glanced over to the thrones to where the Princesses were standing. Celestia was still giving her eulogy in honor of Shining after the others spoke their words of praise about him, but Cadence was silent the whole time. For the entire funeral she kept staring at the open casket Shining was laying in, as if she was expecting him to magically wake up or she believed this was all a nightmare and she’d wake up in her husband’s arms.

Shining was dressed in his formal knight captain attire that was decorated with medals of honor and valor. The casket he was in was porcelain white with gold handles and he had is hands crossed over his torso. His eyes were still closed but he surprisingly still had a bit of his smile as he passed. He looked like he was having a pleasant dream, and he didn’t want anyone to wake him up.

As Celestia was about to finish her eulogy, I stood myself up from leaning on the pillar and was about to leave to clear my head. I felt a tug on my jacket and turned around to see Twilight. I was a bit put off since I believed she and the others were still afraid of me. Ever since I came to Canterlot, Celestia had given me one of the guest rooms to stay in. I told her it wasn’t necessary but she insisted since Shining didn’t let me be turned away back in the medical wing. She even went as far as to remove my shackles since she now believed I wouldn’t hurt her or anyone else, not after the conversation I had with Shining.

Even though I was thankful for her trusting me, I couldn’t really say the same about the others. For the past week, every time I even looked at someone they always turn away like I was still a scary stranger. Guess word of my brutality against the last stockade got around because I can’t go anywhere around the damn castle without feeling a pair or two of eyes from the guards constantly cautiously watching every move I make. I didn’t really care though, if they don’t trust me yet then that’s their decision.

Anyway, I turned around to face Twilight and I noticed the others were coming up behind her. They had a mix of expressions such as sadness, wariness, and of course fear but still kept by Twilight’s side. Not wanting to be rude, since this was still Shining’s memorial service, I sighed and bowed my head slightly to the Princess of Friendship.

“You have my sincerest condolences for your loss, Princess Twilight. Your brother was a great stallion and you should be forever proud for all he’s done,” I said in a respectful tone.

“Oh…thank you,” she said sadly, “you can just call me Twilight if you want. I’m still not exactly used to being called a Princess yet, despite my new appearance,” she said while gesturing to her wings and body. I glanced up and noticed her body was a bit more well developed than the others. Along with her wings that were bigger than the other pegasus wings and looked like they were a little smaller than Cadences’.

“Very well, Twilight,” I said while lifting my head, “the rest of you also have my condolences since Shining was a dear friend to the rest of you,” I said while looking at the other Elements. All of their expressions seems to soften at my kind words and they all smile sadly and nod.

“Um, Mr. Lockdrom, was it?” Twilight nervously asks.

“If you would allow me to just address you by your name, then it’s only fair you call me something less formal as well,” I said with a small chuckle. “So please, call me Lock,” I said while extending my hand for a handshake.

Twilight was a bit hesitant at first but could immediately tell I meant no harm. She slowly took my hand into hers and I gently shook it and she smiled more. After releasing her hand, she looked up at me with a bit of a serious expression.

“Um, Lock, I was wondering if maybe you could say a few words for Shining?” She asks. I raised my eyebrows at her sudden request.

“You want me to say something?” I repeat, “I’m…not sure,”

“Please, only a few words is all. I’m sure Shining would greatly appreciate it,” she said with pleading eyes.

Those eyes are gonna be troublesome in the near future, I can already tell, I think.

I glanced over to where the other Princesses were standing and I see Celestia and Luna looking over to me as if they were also expecting me to come and say something.

“Very well,” I sigh, “I suppose I can say a few words.” Twilight smiles and she and her friends lead me towards the podium where Celestia was standing.

Are you sure you have time for this? We still have a mission you know, I hear Lucifer in my head.

Boss, please shut up, I tell him.

I hear him “hmph” as I feel his presence leave my mind and I walk over to the podium behind the open casket. As I walk over, I see the rest of the ponies gathered in the room look at me with the same expressions I’ve been seeing for the past week. Again it didn’t bother me and I just ignored them as I continued towards the podium.

“And now,” Celestia said, “I would like to allow this individual to say a few more final words in honor of Sir Shining Armor. Please welcome Mr. Dimitri Lockdrom, my personal guest,” she introduces.

Personal guest? That’s a bit much, I think.

I nod at Celestia as she steps back next to Luna and I step up in front of the podium. They’re all staring at me waiting for me to say something so I clear my throat. But just as I was about to speak I look down at Shining and see he’s still got that peaceful expression on his face. I frown and sigh since I doubt anything I say would do any good to lighten the mood.

“Back in my world, I too was a soldier like Sir Shining Armor,” I said earning everyone’s attention, “my comrades and I would always have each other’s backs even if the world around us was nothing but conflict. We fought to protect our home from the enemy and trained ourselves for the betterment of others. There were times in our lives of battle when we thought we wouldn’t make it out alive and the enemy would end us without a second thought,” I said. I looked back at Shining and smiled.

“But Shining reminds me of an old friend, a comrade in arms I used to know during my days as a soldier,” I said. “As soldiers of war, our lives were discipline, duty, battle, and death. Life during those times of conflict and war was grim, and we greeted it grimly. But my friend was unlike the rest of us, his name was Joshua and he wore a smile even in the worst of times. He was…happy,” I said sadly as my scars started to throb.

“Joshua inspired us to hope, that though we were soldiers of war…yet there was still humanity in us, goodness,” I said as a tear escaped my eye. “When the day came for him to lay down his life in battle, his sacrifice saved countless others and turned the tide in our favor. My fellow soldiers and I personally carried him to his home and we made sure he was buried with all the honors and praise he deserved for all he had done for us and his country. His memory was a comfort in dark times…” I said. All the ponies in the room were to shocked or too in awe of my story to say anything. I smiled and took a breath to compose myself so I could finish my thoughts.

“Shining Armor gave his life to protect this city and those he loved because it was not only his duty, but his right. He was a dear friend to most, a loving father and husband, but he was probably one of the most honorable stallions I’ll have ever met, even if our interaction was brief. So do not feel sad that he is gone, be proud and happy that he was alive and continued to protect you all to the end. Like my friend Joshua, let his memory be a ray of light in these dark times,” I said as I look down at Shining one last time.

“Rest well, Sir Shining Armor, your actions shall inspire many to rise above just as you had,” I said. And with that, I stepped down the podium and back towards the pillar I was leaning on. A few more ponies stepped up and said their own words of praise and condolences for Shining, even Flash Sentry said a few words. He talked about how he was inspired by Shining to become a guard and how he worked as hard as he could to become a personal guard to Cadence. Shining Armor even mentored him personally and he promised to continue protecting Cadence and Flurry Heart in his stead.

Celestia steps forward with Luna and they both use their magic to lift the curtain off a window mural on the wall. It was a mural of Shining and he was on the bottom with his arms held out and his eyes were closed and he had a stoic expression. Above his head was a halo and in the middle of the mural was Canterlot and it was surrounded by Shining’s shield while there were black silhouettes of Caribou trying to break it but to no avail.

What surprised me about this mural was in the top right corner in the darkened sky. To most it just looked like a shooting star, but I could tell it was me flying towards the city covered in my flames. Why Celestia included me in the mural, I can only guess she did it as a gesture of thanks for helping Shining keep the city safe. All the ponies bowed their heads in a moment of silence and I took this opportunity to make my exit.

I walked out to the courtyard and looked to the dark starry sky. Not even a week when I first got here and someone as important as Shining Armor dies. It’s all because of the fucking Caribou and their sick and twisted way of life. I look down at my hand and flames start to appear on my palm. I focus on my fingers and thumb and concentrate. Slowly my fingers and thumb morph into razor sharp blades that reflect the light from my flames. I open and close my bladed hand and listen to the edges rub against each other. I look back up to the sky with my anger now at its max and prepare my flames on my hands and feet.

“So,” Lucifer said, “What are you going to do now?” he asks.

“To split some heads…” I said in a blood hungry growl.

I ignite my flames and shoot to the air and fly towards Ponyville. If the Caribou haven’t heard of me yet by now , I’ll make sure they’ll never forget my name…

I touchdown on the outskirts of Ponyville on a small hill overlooking the town and gaze upon the state of the once peaceful and happy town, but my anger only rises even more at its current state. Caribou were walking around fully clothed while most of them had mares on leashes and they were on all fours and treated like mere objects.

On one side of the town I saw what looked like an auction stage and there was a Caribou selling one mare after another to the highest bidder for their own sick pleasure. On another side were cages with mares inside and just nothing but Caribou literally raping them out in the open like it was a normal thing to do. I can only guess what other kind of atrocities are happening within the buildings, personally I don’t want to know.

I cancel my flames and put my hood on and crept down the hill. I hid behind the nearest building and peeked around the corner. As soon as I did I saw a Caribou literally dragging a unicorn mare by her mane towards my position so he could have his way with her by himself. Luckily he didn’t turn the corner and forced the mare to put her hands on the wall as he undid his trousers. Not wanting to let this continue, I rounded the corner and sneaked behind the Caribou. I tapped his shoulder halting himself from undoing his zipper and turns around.

“Hey buddy, wait until I’m done with this bitch. You can have her all you want until I-“

I cut him off by thrusting my razor hand through his heart and I skewer it through the other side of his body. He slowly looks down and sees my arm through his chest and looks back up at me and I lift him up and toss him aside and he dies.

I use my flames to evaporate the blood off my arm and crush the heart under my shoe and spit on his corpse. I hear whimpering and turn around and see the mare on the ground hugging her knees as she’s starring at me with absolute fear and horror. I sigh and step towards her and kneel down making her flinch and press against the wall trying to get away. I get a proper look at her and again she looks familiar, when it hits me.

“Lyra? Lyra Heartstrings?” I ask. She stops trembling a bit and looks at me in shock.

“H-How do y-you know m-my name?” She asks shakily.

“I just know these kind of things,” I said dodging the question, “right now I’m getting you and the other females out of here,” I said while reaching over and snapping off her collar.

“Y-You are?” She asks while rubbing her neck.

“Yes, but I should warn you it’s going to get very messy here. You need to find a way to hide,” I tell her. Lyra seems to sense I won’t hurt her and relaxes a bit more but she then becomes sad.

“How exactly can I hide, my horn’s been cut off and I can’t do magic…” she says gesturing to her stump. I growl silently at the sight and try to think of a way to help her.

Boss, I think.

“Present,” he said appearing next to me.

I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while, but is there any possible way to help any of the unicorns who’ve lost their horns? I ask.

“Hmm, well it’s not exactly ethical, but you could use your flames,” he suggests.

My flames? How would they help? I ask.

“You should know by now they aren’t just regular flames. They’re literally the Flames of Hell, more specifically my Flames of Hell. I choose how they work wether I want them to be used to burn all in its wake or they could used for a more practical like healing. Take this mares stump as an example, simply place your inflamed finger on her horn and watch the magic happen,” he instructs.

I shrug and reach for her stump with my finger that has a small flame on the tip. Lyra flinches and I stop and I smile under my hood.

“It’s ok, I’m going to heal you. It’s going to sting a bit but it’s necessary,” I said. Lyra is hesitant at first but nods slightly and I reach for her stump. I lightly tap her stump and the small flame on my finger is left behind. The flame spreads around her stump and she winces at the hot feeling.

All of a sudden, the stump starts to grow within the flame and the horn regains it’s lost form as the flame disappears almost immediately after it’s done growing. Lyra looks up at her newly grown horn and attempts to use her magic, to which her horn glows like normal and she tears up with happiness. Before I could say anything Lyra lunges at me and hugs me tightly while silently whimpering.

“Thank you, thank you so much…I thought there weren’t any nice males left,” she cries in my chest.

I couldn’t help but blush a bit since all she was basically stark nude and her breasts were pressing against me. I gently push her away and cough while gesturing to her naked form and she eeps and covers herself. I sigh and stand up and turn around towards the rest of town.

“Wait!” She calls out making me turn to her, “What exactly are you gonna do? There’s a whole town full of those guys,” she tells me.

“Don’t worry,” I said while engulfing my body in flames and turning my hands into blades again, “I’m gonna free this town so no matter what you hear, don’t leave this spot. If anything I suggest you seriously go hide somewhere and don’t come out until I’m done,” I tell her in a different voice. She nods slowly and runs off to hide somewhere and I turn around in my inflamed form and walk out in the open.

I pull out my ear buds and scroll through my phone as my flames grow more intense and I leave scorched footprints in my wake. I’m now standing in the middle of the road and I see Caribou walking around not noticing me yet. I begin my slow walk towards the town and soon Caribou notice me and go a bit wide eyed. One of them walks up to me and I glance up to him.

“Dude, are you alright? You’re on fi-gak!”

I swipe my hand across his neck and a large gash appears and blood spurts from his wound as he collapses to his knees choking on his blood. The other Caribou and traitor males are now in an uproar and brandish their weapons and charge at me. I smile darkly and continue my slow walk and hit play on my phone.

“Let the hunt begin…”

Two Caribou run at me and attempt to swing at me with their swords but I raise both my arms while morphing them into blades and their swords clash with my arms. In their confused fazes I push their swords out of their grips and slice them both I half as I walk past them.

More Caribou traitor males charge at me and I hack and slash though each one, while also making sure I hit any brainwashed males in their heads with my elbow or I headbutt them knocking them out. I cut some down the middle in front of me and their blood drenches me only to evaporate instantly from my flames. I even punch my bladed hands through some of their chests and grab their hearts and crush them making them vomit blood and die with their eyes rolled in the back of their heads. Some Caribou try to attack me from both sides but I extend my arms and small half circle blades appear along my arms and start spinning like a saw blade.

“SPIRAL HOLLOW!”

I twist my body around and my blades cut each attacking male into literal ribbons and their blood and guts shower the ground as their bloody remains fall. I stop spinning and the blades retract and I continue my pace as bloody chunks of Caribou and traitor males litter the ground behind me.

A large group of Caribou and traitor males try to outnumber me but I resume my calm and slow pace and cross my arms and lower my body a bit. I take a deep breath as they get closer and plant my foot on the ground and lunge towards them.

“DEMON SLASH!”

I pass through them all with a strong lunge and swipe both my arms out wide. A few seconds later, each and every Caribou and traitor male has blood erupting from vital areas on their bodies as they one by one fall to the ground dead. I stand up straight and resume my calm pace.

“What the buck is this freak?!” I hear a Caribou shout.

“Who the buck cares?! Somepony kill him already!” I hear a traitor stallion scream.

As the song paused for a moment, I finally stop my pace and I’m now surrounded by pretty much the rest of the town. I look around me and again try to sense any brainwashed stallions or mares around me so I know they’re out of range. Thankfully, like last time, most of the brainwashed males had gathered the females to a safe location. Sick fucks probably wanted to hide away their “merchandise”. I relax my stance and lower my body as the Caribou inch closer to me with their weapons in hand.

“You slaughtered a lot of our brothers, you sick bastard!”

“Yeah, you’re suppose to be on our side like the fellow male you are!”

“Me…sick?” I said as my flames grow. “Me…one of YOU?! I shout. I glare at the Caribou around me as my legs start to morph into large blades.

“You all turned this place into a cesspool of filth and misery. You treat females as if they’re mere objects which makes me sick to my fucking stomach. I made a vow when I arrived in this world and I aim to keep it.” I said as my legs finished morphing.

I lower my body more and my flames cover my bladed legs and the Caribou and traitor males start to get fearful as I place a hand on the ground.

“I VOWED I WOULD DESTROY AND SLAUGHTER ALL THE CARIBOU OF THIS WORLD! THAT INCLUDES ANY FOOLISH TRAITOR MALES WHO BETRAYED THEIR OWN KIND AND DISGRACE HONORABLE STALLIONS LIKE SHINING ARMOR!”

“YOU WILL ALL NOT LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE!!!”

As the ending chorus of the song begins, I spin by body upwards and around creating a vortex of fire. The vortex grows higher and higher as I spin faster and faster and my blades create flame covered sonic slices. Once I’m spinning as fast as I can the vortex looks like a never ending tornado of flames and blades.

“GREAT HELLFIRE WHIRLWIND!!!”

The vortex of flames and blades goes flying from my position and starts eviscerating all in its path like a raging tornado of death and destruction. I slow my spinning and spin flip up on my feet as I watch my attack cut and burn all in its path as the Caribou and traitor males make a pathetic excuse to try and get away.

“IT’S NOT STOPPING!!!”

“IT’S A WHIRLWIND OF RAZOR-SHARP DEATH AND FLAMES!!!”

“HOW LONG WILL IT KEEP CHASING US?!?”

“To the ends of Hell!” I call out as they all continue to scream.

As the song reaches its end, I wave both my arms and the tornado lifts into the air and blows Away all the clouds surrounding the town and even further on so I can clearly see the night sky. I exhale deeply as I gaze upon the destruction I had just caused. Many buildings were reduced to rubble and there’s blood, charred guts, severed limbs and heads, and half bodies far as I could see around me. It looks like I obliterated over a quarter of Ponyville and there were no signs of life whatsoever. The only life I could sense was coming from the middle of town so I walked over to where it was coming from.

I eventually made it to the center of town and I see the Town Hall still in tact and I sense life coming from inside. I make my way up to the door and kick it down causing it to go flying. Brainwashed stallions come charging around me from all directions but I grab one of their legs and swing him around knocking my attackers to the ground. As they were all about to recover, I quickly jumped to each of them on the ground and punched and kicked each of them in the head knocking them out.

I stood up and looked around the room and saw bounded, shackled, and leashed mares starring at me in horror.

“Excuse me, but-“

I didn’t even get a chance to finish my sentence since they all collectively passed out together. I sighed and rolled my eyes since this was the second time this happened. I heard something up the stairs and made my way upwards and stop in front of the main office door. I reach for the doorknob and turn it slightly and swing open the door knocking whoever was on the other side on the ground. A Caribou wearing formal attire was clutching his muzzle and groaning when he saw me he goes wide eyed and grabs his sword he dropped and points it at me with his hand shaking.

“S-S-Stay back, monter!” He cries.

I growl and stomp on his knee crushing it and he screams as he drops his sword. I raise my bladed hand and prepare to impale his brain through his head.

“Dimitri wait…”

I pause my actions and glance to my left where Lucifer was standing.

“Knock him out,” he tells me. I raise my eyebrows in confusion but he just stares at me expecting me to comply.

“Do it,” he orders. I sigh and close my hand and punch the Caribou hard in the temple knocking him out instantly.

“There better be a damn good reason why you messed up my kill count, Boss,” I said.

“Don’t you worry about your blood spillings, Dimitri, there’s plenty more enemies to slay so sparing one won’t make any distance,” He said.

“So why ask me to knock him out?” I ask.

“As you can tell, this Caribou was in charge around here and he may also have information that could be useful to us,” he said.

“What do you mean? What could he tell us?” I ask. Lucifer looks out the window and he oddly looks worried about something which is a bit unlike him.

“You remember when I said I sensed a familiar power outside of Canterlot?” he asks. I nod and he sighs and turns back to me.

“Well I can sense that power here as well and as much I wish it were, it’s not a coincidence. This Caribou might have the answers I seek so I can confirm my suspicions,” he said.

“What exactly kind of power are you sensing?” I ask.

“Allow me to put this as delicately as possible. I just hope I am wrong about what I’m sensing, for not only your sake, but for even my own sake as well…” he warns.

“That’s putting it delicately?” I deadpan.

“You asked,” he retorts.

“Fine…” I grumble, “so what do we do with him?”

“Take him back with you to the castle. We’ll question him there,” Lucifer said. I nod and grab the Caribou and sling him over my shoulder. I make my way down the stairs and outside and gaze upon the destruction and blood and gore.

“Wish I could at least clean up the blood and guts,” I sigh.

“Just set them on fire and the flames will burn them away,” Lucifer answers.

I glance at Lucifer and he nods so I oblige by walking to the edge of the blood and snap my fingers. A spark falls to the ground and fire burns on the blood and spreads all around. The fire burns away all the blood and reduces the bodies, severed limbs, and guts to dust. Ten minutes of cleaning later, all that was left was the brainwashed stallions still on the ground unconscious and the buildings reduced to ruble because of my attack.

I nod satisfied and get an idea how to handle the brainwashed stallions. I make my way over to where I first arrived and turn the corner.

“Lyra, Lyra you near?” I call out.

A few minutes later, Lyra comes walking out wearing a T-shirt and pants she must’ve grabbed from one of the still intact buildings. She walks up to me and her body is trembling as she looks at me with a very fearful expression.

“Wh-What the buck was that?!” She shrieks. “What was that tornado I saw?! I heard a lot of screaming and loud noises, what did you do?!” Why do you have one of the Caribou with you?!” She questions.

“Calm down Lyra,” I said making her go silent, “I can’t go into detail what I did because you’ll most likely throw up and not look at me the same way as you are now. As for this Caribou, I’m bringing him with me to question him about something. Before I leave though, I need your help with something.”

“What is it…?” She asks hesitantly.

“I need you to look after the other mares who are unconscious in the Town Hall and lock up all the brainwashed stallions,” I tell her.

“Lock then up? What good will that do? We’re just mares, we can’t do much against them,” she sighs sadly.

“Don’t underestimate yourself, Lyra. If you lock them up and keep the keys with you at all times you’ll be fine. You also won’t have to worry about staying here by yourself because I’m gonna be heading back to Canterlot and I’ll tell the Princesses that Ponyville is safe and has been taken back from the Caribou. They’ll send a transport to get you and the others to the city,”

“Canterlot is still safe?” She asks hopefully.

I sigh sadly but smile and nod, “Yes, but at great cost…” I answer. She frowns and tilts her head in confusion but I shake my head.

“It doesn’t matter, just do as I ask and you’ll be taken to safety as soon as possible,” I said.

Lyra nods and walks past me to begin doing what I requested of her. I sigh and walk back up the hill I first touch-downed on and turn around to see the state of Ponyville. Honestly, it probably could’ve been worse than I thought but there were still a lot of damage left over.

“I look forward to witnessing you spread death and destruction, my faithful Hand,” Lucifer said.

“Yeah, yeah, just set up the barrier already,” I groan as I kneel down and place my hand on the ground. Lucifer uses his power and imprint my handprint on the ground and the same tribal markings spread around the town and the invisible barrier raises up.

Satisfied knowing Ponyville will now be safe, I turn around a focus on a different power to to fly with since I can’t fly with my flames due to my new “passenger”. I focus on my back and and think of new appendages to appear. Almost immediately, a pair of large crimson red feathered wings sprout from by back and I give them a few test flaps.

“I’m surprised you made them feathered and not webbed,” Lucifer said while examining my new wings.

“Just because I’m the Devil’s Hand, doesn’t mean I gotta look entirely the part,” I said.

He shrugs and fades from view and I flap my wings and take to the skies. As I fly back to Canterlot, I’m thinking about what I had done tonight. All those lives I took and have taken since I got here. Part of me said I did it in Shining’s name but I start to wonder if he would agree with the level of brutality I inflicted on them.

I shake my head of these doubts and convince myself that I’m already in this for keeps so I might as well see it through the end. For the rest of the flight I think about what has Lucifer so paranoid and what kind of enemy I might face. All I can hope is it’s nothing that even I can’t handle, since I’m still kinda getting used to my powers.

Author's Note

Oof, THIS WAS YET ANOTHER EPIC CHAPTER! Took some doing but I managed to do it! Also to those of you who are reading my other story, I ask that you be a little more patient since it’s my 25th chapter and I want it to be a very special chapter. But in the mean time, I’ll keep working on this story as well! Hope you all enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil Demands Answers and The Hand’s Revelation

Chapter 6

After demolishing a quarter of Ponyville and slaughtering all the Caribou and traitor males, I managed to capture the Caribou in charge of Ponyville since Lucifer insisted we take him back to the castle for interrogation. I’m flying back to Canterlot with my new crimson red wings and carrying an unconscious Caribou over my shoulder. Makes me sick to my stomach that this guy is on my person but I can’t just drop him, literally, regardless how much I want to see how much his body would splatter all over the ground.

I eventually make it back to Canterlot and touch down outside the gate. I was a little worried, only slightly worried more like, that the Caribou I was carrying would burst into flames once he passed the barrier but apparently he was just fine. Guess as long as they’re close to me they won’t be affected, gotta keep that in mind and be careful.

I pull over my hood and was about to retract my wings but I kinda liked how they looked so I decided to keep them. I walk past the gates through the streets of the city and as I’m walking through town, the ponies are starring at me with mixed expressions ranging from utter confusion to total shock. I ignore them as I make my way to the castle and I glance to my right and see my reflection again in the window.

Again, my face is completely covered in the shadow of my hood but my large crimson red wings make me look badass. I decided to get a little creative and activated my flames a little so there were small cinders running along my feathers. My wings had a little smoke trailing behind me and little embers floated in the air. I smirked at how even more badass my wings looked and made a mental note to use the appearance the next time I want to intimidate my enemies or when I want to make an important declaration. Although I probably could’ve waited to get creative since the ponies around me back away as I walk past them but again, I didn’t really care.

I make it to the castle and deactivate my flames and I see Flash and the other pony guard, if I remember his name was Onyx Shine, standing at he entrance and they spot me and go wide eyed. Onyx Shine grips his spear but Flash walks up to meet me halfway and he stares at me in awe and his eyes widen when he spots my wings.

“How’s it going, kid?,” I greet.

“Lock…you have wings!” He said.

“That I do, like them?” I ask as I spread my wings. They’re both over 8ft wide when at full length and Flash bobs his jaw up and down like a fish as he’s completely speechless at my wings.

“Careful kid, you’ll catch flies like that,” I chuckle.

“Oh man,” he said still starring at my wings, “those wings looks so awesome. How did you get them?” He asks.

“Eh, it’s part of my power so I decided to keep them,” I said

“Cool, by the way who’s that you’re carrying?” He asks gesturing to my passenger. Guess he couldn’t see who my hostage was since I was carrying him with his lower body facing Flash.

“I’ll show you, but try not to freak out,” I warn while also looking at Onyx. I turn my body to show them the Caribou’s face and the both gasp and Onyx glares at me.

“With all due respect, Mr. Lockdrom, but why the buck would you bring a Caribou into the walls of this city?!” He demands.

“Look I know what you’re thinking but there’s nothing to be worried about. As you can see he’s completely unconscious and the reason I brought him with me is because I need to ask him some questions,” I respond.

“Oh yeah? And what “questions” are those?” Onyx asks.

“That’s my business, bub, so do yourself a favor and mind your own,” I snort. Onyx gets annoyed and was about to say something else but Flash raises his hand and glances over his shoulder to him.

“Sergeant Onyx Shine stand down right now, that’s an order,” Flash demands. Onyx stares at Flash in shock but nods reluctantly and steps back.

“Mr. Lockdrom, I must also ask why you have brought a Caribou with you within the walls of Canterlot. I don’t mean to pester you about your business since it is your own, but this is merely a matter of security since everypony is on edge as of late,” Flash said.

Acting like a proper guard huh? Alright, I’ll play along, I think as I smirk under my hood.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, Lieutenant Flash Sentry, but I too must insist I keep what I do to myself. All I can tell you is there’s a looming question I’ve recently had and I believe this Caribou can provide the answers I seek. I request that you escort me to the dungeons so I can interrogate him properly,” I said in a respectful manner. Flash stares at me for a moment but smiles and nods at my respectful tone.

“Very well, Mr. Lockdrom, please follow me,” he said as he turns and gestures me to follow him.

“But sir, he has a Caribou with him! We can’t trust he’ll keep his word!” Onyx protests.

“You should know I just came back from liberating Ponyville from the Caribou just recently. It’s now nothing but empty streets and there’s free mares and shackled brainwashed stallions waiting to be picked up and brought here. I’d also like to report this to the Princesses so can you send a transport to go and pick them all up?,” I said as I look at him from the corner of my eye.

“I don’t take orders from you, demon…” he sneers.

“Sergeant, consider that your first warning. You may not like it but Mr. Lockdrom is right and he’s done more than enough to earn our trust. The sooner you realize that the better,” Flash snaps making Onyx shut up, “now go make sure a transport is sent to Ponyville as soon as possible. I don’t want those mares to be waiting any more than they already have.”

“Bu-I-he,” Onyx stutters but sighs and nods and walks in the other direction towards the train station and starts rallying guards along the way.

“Sorry about that,” Flash said, “Onyx means well, it’s just this whole invasion has got him on edge.”

“No harm, no foul,” I said as I follow Flash, “and he’s not the only one on edge so I can understand where he’s coming from.”

“Thanks, so where in the dungeons do you wanna interrogate that guy?” He asks.

“Take me to the deepest part of the dungeons, Flash, I’m gonna make him scream the answers I’m looking for,” I said with a dark smile under my hood.

“Uh, sure not problem,” he said nervously.

“Ooh, this is going to be very interesting,” Lucifer said as he appears and walks beside us.

I’m sitting on a chair with my arms crossed in front of a table and the Caribou I brought is shackled to a chair he’s sitting on across from me and is blindfolded. He’s still unconscious and is slumped over with his head hanging out and the only movement is his shallow breathing. So many ways I wanna torture this guy yet so little time to do it. I could rip out his antlers and gouge his eyes out with them, or I could boil his blood from the inside out and make it hotter the more he resists and watch him bloat up and explode drenching the room in blood and guts. There’s also the option of cutting off one chunk of flesh every minute that passes by and I’d purposely drag the interrogation on so I can keep cutting off chunks of flesh. So many ways, yet so little time…

“If you’re done fantasizing how you’d like to make this buck suffer, perhaps you would actually begin?” Lucifer said breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Sure, let’s get started,” I said and I reach over and place a hand on the Caribou’s chest. I concentrate on my hand and little sparks of electricity jump around my hand as I charge the electricity.

“Clear”

I pulse the electricity through his body and he jolts in his seat and takes a deep sharp breath. I lean back in my seat and cross my arms as he looks around frantically in a panic.

“What the? Where the buck am I? Why am I chained up?!” He shouts.

“Shut up…”

He snaps his head in the direction of my voice and immediately starts trembling. He tried to back away but the chair and chains prevent him from doing so.

“Wh-Wh-Who are y-y-you…?” He mutters.

“Someone you don’t want to piss off more than he already is. So if you want to keep those antlers of yours on your head and not somewhere less pleasant you’ll listen and only speak when told,” I order as my flames start to flicker from my body.

He notices the change in temperature and trembles more and nods slowly. I then lean up and grab his head and make a small incision on his shoulder making him yelp. I use my other hand to lift my finger over over the incision and a purple slimy substance oozes from my finger and a single drop drips into the small wound. The Caribou winces and I let go of him and lean back.

“What did you do to me?” He asks.

“I’ve given you a limited time to live, depending how well you cooperate. What I just did was infect you with a poison that will force you to tell the truth. Any time you lie or refuse to tell the truth, even in the slightest, the poison will eat away at your flesh and bone causing extreme pain and suffering. However if you do tell the truth, it will remain dormant in your system. So my advice, make sure you tell the truth,” I explain.

“You-you’re bluffing, there’s no poison like that! I’ll never talk!” He said with a new found confidence.

Though as soon as he says that the veins around his wounded shoulder start to show a sickly purple color and the Caribou starts to shake violently and scream in agony. A few minutes later, he stops screaming and the veins on his shoulder return to normal but he’s sweating profusely and there’s a little blood dripping from his mouth.

“Still think I’m bluffing?” I mock. “Now then first question, what is your name?” I ask. He tilts his head slightly but clears his throat to answer.

“K-Kol…” he wheezes. Kol flinches thinking he was gonna feel pain again but nothing happens.

“Ok, Kol, second question, where is King Dainn?” I ask.

“I-I don’t know…” Kol answers. I was expecting the pain to start but for some reason nothing happened.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Didn’t he come here with all his forces when he invaded?” I ask.

“Y-yes he did. When we invaded, he sent his battalions to the different corners of these lands to conquer. One massive army for each kingdom such as the Griffon, Diamond Dog, Minotaur, Dragon, Yak, Changeling, and Zebra kingdoms. Even the long thought hidden kingdom of the Hippogriffs,” he explains.

They found the Hippogriff kingdom? If I remember correctly back home, that kingdom shouldn’t have made an appearance by now or even be known until the movie, I think.

“It appears the Caribou are more resourceful than we expected,” Lucifer said as he appears beside me again. “Keep going.”

“Continue,” I said.

“A-after we invaded and Lord Dainn dispatched his armies, he set off on his own personal quest somewhere. I-I swear I don’t know what and he didn’t even join the army I was apart of when we went to conquer the Crystal Empire and Canterlot and any neighboring cities. When we took the Crystal Empire and changed the Crystal Heart to the glorious Crystal Cock, conquering the rest of the lands was easy since all the other males became cleansed from the tyranny of the slut Princesses,” Kol said.

I curled my hand in a fist and punched him hard across his muzzle as he fell on the floor. A few teeth flew out of mouth and there was a burn mark of my fist on the side of his muzzle since my hand was coated with flames.

“Just because you’re forced to tell the truth, bastard, does mean you can’t watch what you say. So unless you want to keep using that tongue and keep what’s left of your teeth, you’ll refrain from ever addressing the Princesses like that…” I sneer with enough venom to poison the very air he breaths. He whimpers and nods as I grab his chair and sit him up and sit back down.

“Dimitri, as much as I enjoy watching this wretch squirm, I believe it’s time we get to the point of this questioning,” Lucifer reminds me. I nod and face Kol as I try to calm myself.

“Now then, you say you don’t know where Dainn is, fine. But what I truly want to know is how?” I ask.

“H-how…?” He repeats.

“Yes, even for Dainn, the Dragon, Minotaur, and even the Yak kingdoms would have put up more of a fight against his forces. The Crystal Cock aside, I know they wouldn’t have been taken so easily. I’m even inclined to believe not even the Crystal Empire fell as easily as you claim, since I also know the Crystal Ponies weren’t affected by it the same way as you hoped.” I hypothesize. Kol starts to fidget nervously which means I’m right on the money.

“So, Kol, again I ask…” I said as I lean forward, “How did Dainn gain the power necessary to take Equestria and the other kingdoms?”

“I-I-I,” he stutters as the wound begins to grow purple veins again. He starts to panic as the the pain sets in and hyperventilates. “I-I don’t really know that either…” he answers.

Unfortunately for him he was lying and the veins spread along his shoulder and the rest of his body up to his face and he screams and convulses again. Blood starts to seep through his blindfold and down his face and he starts bleeding heavily from his nose and more from his mouth. Meanwhile I simply sit and watch his suffering with a blank expression as he continues to scream in utter agony.

“HIS OVERLORDS!!!” He cries and he starts to calm down.

“Overlords?” I repeat.

“He, cough wheeze L-Lord Dainn…had acquired…the assistance…of new overlords…who he bestowed…strange power to each. I don’t know…what he did…but it…was thanks to them…that we…were victorious…in our endeavors…” Kol said between bloody wheezes.

“Strange power? What do you mean?” I ask.

“I don’t know…much myself, since I’m merely…a stockade chief. It was…my task…to capture both Ponyville…and Canterlot…as was my…Overlords orders…” Kol said.

“Who is your Overlord?” I ask.

“I only…saw him once, right before…he left for…the Crystal Empire. He…along with…the others…was a Caribou. But, he was turned…into something…far more sinister…I could tell. The only name…I heard he went by…was Overlord Lust…”

Suddenly, three serrated spikes burst from his chest and he gasps for air only to choke and vomit blood and I stand up in shock. From behind him Lucifer appears and he looks beyond angry as he forcefully pulls his pitchfork out of his body and he falls to the floor.

“So, even here they dare challenge me…” Lucifer said with a dark echo in a haunting voice.

“What the hell, boss?! I had more questions to ask him!” I snap.

Lucifer looks at me as his red eyes glow brighter from the shadow of his hood and walks up to me until his face is mere inches from mine. I couldn’t help but tremble a little at how menacing he’s being right now, more so than usual. After a minute of him basically starring into my soul, he sighs and steps away and glances to the Caribou he just skewered.

“Clean this mess up and meet me outside the cell. We have much to discuss…” he said as he fades through the door.

I sigh and shake my head as I snap my fingers and sparks fall on the blood and Kol’s body and they all burn away. I turn towards the door and was about to open it but I glance behind me to the now ashy remains of Caribou named Kol.

“I almost was tempted to let you go, almost…” I sigh as I open the door and leave.

I was walking through the halls of the castle following Lucifer and we haven’t said anything since my interrogation with Kol. After Lucifer killed him, he said something about some people challenging him again and I’ve been wondering who it could be. I mean I kinda figured he’d have plenty of enemies since he’s the Devil and all but I guess whoever these people are, Lucifer has quite the vendetta against them.

”Um, boss?” I think so I don’t talk out loud. Lucifer says nothing and keeps walking.

“Boss, you haven’t said anything since we left the dungeon,” I think. He still says nothing as we round the corner and I see we’re walking towards the throne room. I stop walking since I can’t stand being in the dark.

“Lucifer”

He stops and pauses for a moment and turns his head to glance over his shoulder at me. He still looks very pissed but I keep my composure.

“Tell me something, Dimitri, before I brought you here, did you ever make any personal enemies out of your comrades?” Lucifer asks. I look around to see if there were any guards or servants around and thankfully there weren’t any so I could speak out loud.

“Uh sure I guess, I mean there were plenty of people on my platoon who didn’t like me but-“

“No, Dimitri, I mean did you ever make enemies who personally wanted to kill you?” he asks.

“If you know my past as well as you say, Lucifer, then you would already know the answer to that,” I said as I crossed my arms.

“I want to hear you say it,” he insists.

“Yes…yes I have…” I said while placing a hand over my eye and my scars start to throb.

“Then you know what it feels like to be betrayed and take responsibility for yourself against said enemies,” he said as he continues his trek to the throne room.

“Is there a point to this?” I ask as I follow him.

“Indeed, I shall explain everything soon and I would like you to request to speak with Celestia, Luna, and Cadence privately.” Lucifer instructs.

“Why just those three?” I ask.

“Just do as I ask, Dimitri,” He said as he gestures me to open the throne room doors.

I sigh and nod and step towards the doors and push them open. As usual, I see Celestia, Luna, Cadence with Flurry Heart in her lap, and even Twilight and her friends who were off to the side. Guess Celestia wanted to keep an eye on them at all times so she keeps them in the throne room. Celestia and the others notice me walk in and some of them gasp since they seem to notice my wings. Twilight and her friends walk over to me to meet me half way but a certain rainbow maned pegasus beats them to it and flys up to me and behind me.

“Whoa, when the hay did you have wings?” She asks as she examines them.

Rainbow placed a hand on my right wing and I move it away from her and she flys in front of me with a pouty face. I smirk and cross my arms and give my wings a sharp flap and spread them as wide as I could. Everyone goes slack jawed and wide eyed and I could see some of them were blushing at the size and length of my wings, even Celestia and Luna were blushing a bit.

“I take it you all like my new wings?” I tease as I remove my hood revealing my face.

“Oh my…y-your wingspan is amazing…” Luna said.

I feel something brush along my left wing and I turn to see Pinkie Pie running her hand along my feathers. She then smiles widely and buries her face in my wing feathers and hums contently.

“They not look super amazing, but they’re so warm and fluffy…” she sighs. No sooner than I could try to shake her off, one by one each of the mares take turns examining my wings up close.

“My word, these feathers are indeed lovely,” Rarity coos as she runs her hand along my wing, “the way the crimson red glows slightly is positively breathtaking.”

“Pinkie is right, they are very warm…” Fluttershy mutters as she also hugs a bunch of feathers.

“Gotta admit, partner, them wings of yers look and feel mighty powerful,” Applejack compliments as she gives the wrists of my right wing a squeeze.

“Oh yeah I agree, these beasts look like they would whip up one heck of a tailwind,” Rainbow said squeezing my left wing wrist.

“This is amazing, Lock! You must tell me how you got these wings! You didn’t have them when you arrived here!” Twilight shrieks as she furiously writes something down on a piece of paper jumping around me.

I can only stand there with a blank expression as these mares are caressing, poking, and hugging my wings to their hearts content. I glance up at Celestia and see she’s giggling up a storm and Luna seems to be in a bit of trance since she’s still starring at my wings. Meanwhile I notice Cadence was actually smiling a bit seeing her sister-in-law as energetic as she usually is whenever she sees something new.

“Uh, not that I don’t appreciate you all admiring my wings, but do you mind?” I said making them all stop.

They all look at me and to each other and all smile sheepishly and all back away from me, or at least most of them do. Pinkie Pie was still burying her face in my feathers. I sigh and retract my wings and Pinkie is now hugging nothing but herself. She opens her eyes and looks around and looks at me and I arch a brow at her. She just smiles happily and bounces back to the others.

Celestia calms herself from her giggling and stands from her throne along with Luna and Cadence and walks towards me.

“Where have you been, Mr. Lockdrom?” She asks calmly.

“Liberating Ponyville,” I said bluntly.

“WHAT?!?” The Mane Six shout.

“Subtle…” I grumble rubbing my ear, “but yeah Ponyville is now Caribou and traitor male free. All that’s left are former enslaved mares and unconscious brainwashed males who should be shackled and restrained. Your Sergeant, Onyx Shine, is probably almost there with a transport of soldiers to collect them. I even took the liberty of placing another barrier around the town so it won’t be taken again.”

All mares in the room are completely speechless. Twilight walks up to me with tears in her eyes.

“Um, did you see a young dragon boy there?” She asks.

“If you’re referring to your assistant, Spike, no I did not. I didn’t see him anywhere nor did I sense his presence, not even in your former castle. I’m sorry Twilight…” I said.

Twilight frowns and looks down as tears drip from eyes. I feel bad since it’s obvious now that Spike has gone missing. She must be at the brink of losing herself since she just lost her older brother and she now has no idea where her little brother is. I sigh and step forward and and bring her into a gentle hug. She flinches a bit but I also wrap my wings around her. She relaxes and sighs in my embrace and looks up to me.

“I know times are not easy for you or anyone else right now, Twilight, but I know Spike is out there somewhere. Along with freeing this kingdom and the others from the Caribou I swear I’ll find Spike. You’ll soon have your number one assistant by your side just like the old days,” I said with a smile.

Twilight whimpers a bit and wraps her arms around me and cries into my chest. I hold her close to me and stroke her mane to console her so she can let her emotions out. I look up and see the others are smiling sadly at their distraught friend but they’re now satisfied knowing I mean them no harm. Celestia and Cadence step forward and I unwrap my wings and release Twilight and step back.

“Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Lockdrom. And thank you so very much for freeing Ponyville. Knowing that little town is now free of the Caribou brings me hope that we may one day be actually free of this nightmare we fine ourselves in,” Celestia said as she places a hand on Twilight’s shoulder.

“Yes,” Cadence said, “my husband seemed to see something in you before he passed. You may be a violent warrior on the battlefield but you have a gentle heart and that speaks volumes.”

“I admit, I was unsure about you due to your appearance and actions. But I see now you mean us no harm and are serious when you say you will free us,” Luna said.

“Thank you for your kind words everyone, and since we’re now on good terms you may all call me Lock if you wish,” I said but then gain a serious expression. “Also, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to ask to speak privately about something to you Princesses. It is something I must discuss with you and you alone.”

Celestia tilts her head curiously but nods and gestures the Mane Six to wait outside.

“I think you should hear what I have to say as well, Twilight,” I said making her stop. The others stop as well but Twilight gestures them to go on and they nod and leave the room. I wait until the door is completely closed and it’s just me and the four alicorns.

“So what is it you wished to speak to us about?” Celestia asks.

I sigh and begin pacing back and forth with my hands on my hips trying to figure out how to tell them what I have planned. They’re not gonna like what I have to say but it’s the only way I can focus more on my mission.

Lucifer, I think.

“Yes?” He said appearing beside me.

I’m going to tell them what I am, I think.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” He questions.

This is war, Lucifer, war is won more effectively with trust and I need them to trust me, I think.

“Very well, just be sure you choose your words carefully,” he warns.

“Lock?”

I stop pacing and look to see a Twilight with a worried expression.

“Is everything ok?” She asks.

“What I’m about to tell you may seem a bit shocking but I must reassure you that I am still your ally in this war,” I said.

“Why are you saying this, Lock?” Cadence asks.

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, even you Twilight and Princess Cadenza, have all faced your share of dangers for the sake of Equestria. But now you find yourselves facing an enemy that is undoubtedly the worst threat that Equestria has ever faced. You asked who I am, more specifically what I am, when we first met but I was interrupted before I could say anything. But before I tell you, just remember I made a promise to Shining Armor on his deathbed that I would bring this world’s happiness back so Flurry Heart can smile again,” I said.

Celestia and the others look at each other with worried expressions but they nod in understanding making me sigh.

Well, here goes everything, I think.

“I should start by saying I’m not originally from this world. I am what’s known as a human, or at least I am visually speaking,” I said.

“You’re a human?” Twilight asks in shock.

“Yes, but I am now something much more…dark on the inside,” I said.

“Dark?” Celestia asks now cautiously.

“My power was bestowed upon me by a unholy being who brought me here to enact judgement upon Dainn because he committed unforgivable sins against him. My now dark master gave me a choice to either simply turn away from you all and continue my life back on my world or become his servant to help you even at the cost of my soul. After seeing the state this world is in, the lives that we’re lost, and the peaceful days that were snuffed out by Dainn I chose the latter,” I said.

I stepped back and extended my wings again and activated my flames like before making the cinders flicker off my wings and smoke to trail off. Small embers start to appear on my body and the mares begin to grow a little fearful but this is necessary since I need them to understand what I am.

“Sometimes in order to fight evil, you must become a necessary evil to counter it. If I was given another chance to choose wether or not I would come here to free you all, I would choose to help again in a heartbeat. The unholy being who brought me here…was the Devil himself,” I said making them gasp.

“S-So,” Twilight said, “wh-what are you?”

“My name, is Dimitri Lockdrom. I am…The Devil’s Hand,” I said in my demonic voice.

Author's Note

Thank you all so very much for your patience for the next chapter. Things have been crazy with me irl with all that’s going but I still am trying my best to write these stories of mine. I’ll continue to try to post as many chapters as I can since I’m starting to make a schedule which story gets posted on what day. Thanks again for reading and I hope you all enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Test of Trust and The Devil’s 7 Sins

Chapter 7

Silence, nothing but silence was spoken or even uttered for what seemed like hours. After my shocking revelation to the Princesses about who and what I am, they all just stare at me with frozen expressions. I sighed as I deactivated my flames and furled my wings and looked down. I knew they would be spooked but I didn’t expect them to be so scared they’d be stuck in place.

“I guess this was to be expected,” I said, “I took a gamble when deciding to reveal my status to you all and it appears I lost. If you all wish for me to leave so I won’t be a threat to your subjects, then I shall do so now…”

I turned around while pulling over my hood again and put my hands in my jacket pockets. I began to walk away with a heavy sigh since they’re now to fearful of me for words. I guess not even The Devil’s Hand is worthy of be trusted by the rulers of Equestria, even in these times of war. I was about to push open the doors of the throne room when I heard something appear behind me and grab my arm. I turned my head to look over my shoulder and I saw Twilight look up with me with a sad frown.

“Why are you leaving, Lock?” She asks.

“Why shouldn’t I?” I counter, “You and the others are obviously scared of me and want nothing to do with me so I’ll just set up camp somewhere else. I’ll still fight to continue freeing your world but I think it’s best for everyone if I stay far away from you and anyone else.”

“Why would you think we would be afraid of you?” She asks. I turn around to face her and remove my hands from my pockets. I again spread my wings again and stare into her eyes as she was startled by them.

“Twilight,” I said, “you have only been a Princess for what, a few months? Even before your ascension, you and your friends have faced your fair share of dangers such as Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, and even your most recent enemy Tirek. Each of these enemies you probably felt fear while facing them but you did so anyway and came out victorious. You did so because you believed in the power of friendship and prevailed.”

“But them,” I said while gesturing to the other Princesses who were still looking at me cautiously, “they have been around longer than you and have faced the same dangers. Only they faced these dangers alone and depended on themselves without anyone else to aid them.”

“But what does that have to do with you?” She asks.

“It has everything to do with me. Even before I came here, I was not a kind man. I have committed sins probably just as bad as Dainn during my days as a soldier before I became The Devil’s Hand. I knew there was a special spot in the pits of Hell for a tortured soul like mine. I thought that if I saved this world I would be redeemed for my transgressions and be spared, only all I’m doing now is drenching my hands more in blood than they already were. So like them, it’s best if I too face these dangers on my own while you and the others remain safe,” I said.

“But you’re only doing these things to help us aren’t you? Besides you can’t let your past haunt you forever,” Twilight defends.

“Can you really say that honestly? When you barely know a thing about me?” I ask a while leaning forward to look deeper in her eyes. I remove my hood again so she can see mine and she stares back at me.

“Look at my eyes, Twilight, can you notice something?” I ask.

“What?” She asks.

“One of them is a fake, I lost it during one of my tours. I’d tell you how I lost it but it’d just be waste of breath over bad memories that should stay buried. The point is, ever since I lost my eye, I’ve been seeing my past in one eye and, and the present in the other. I believed what I saw was not all of reality…” I said.

“How can you tell me this when you just said I don’t know anything about you?” Twilight asks.

“I’m telling you this because I don’t want you or anyone else to get tied up in the cluster of mistakes and sins that is my past, I’m a lost soul, Twilight. You aren’t, they aren’t, your friends aren’t, and I doubt even your brother was. This world is literally going through hell and will continue to go through hell as long as the Caribou are around. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

“No! No I don’t understand!” She shouts while stepping away from me, “Everything was so peaceful and fun, I worked so hard under Celestia’s guidance and shared so many lessons of friendship I had with my friends, only for it to all burn away when these stupid Caribou came and took everything!” She yells while starting to cry, “I thought I was going to be tortured, raped, and live like a slave for the rest of my life just like most of all the other females are along with my friends. Then you came along and saved us and you even helped free my home, Ponyville. Now all of a sudden, just because you’re some evil being who serves the Devil as his Hand you’re just gonna say goodbye and be on your own from now on?! Because you believe you’re beyond redemption?!” She shouts.

“It’s because I am-“

SLAP

I’m cut off by Twilight slapping me across the face causing the Princesses to gasp a bit. I turn my head slowly back to Twilight and she’s glaring at me as tears stream down her face.

“Then why did you come here?” She asks, “If you believe you’re so evil, that nothing you do will ever make up for what you’ve done, why did you even come here in the first place?! Why did you save us from the Caribou that night?! Why did you even give a damn about us to even bother?! WHY DID YOU PROMISE MY BROTHER BEFORE HE DIED THAT YOU WOULD FIGHT TO RECLAIM THIS WORLDS HAPPINESS SO MY NIECE COULD SMILE AGAIN?!?” She screams.

I was at a loss for words, nothing I could possibly say would make sense after what I’ve been told. Sure I was angry at what the Caribou did and are still doing, but I came here just to assess the situation but just acted out of hatred and anger without any other thought. All the claims I made as The Devil’s Hand honestly felt unreal to me. Is it because of the new darkness within my soul that caused me to say these things? Perhaps it’s because my soul is linked to Lucifer’s that I’m becoming more demonic than I thought. But still, am I here to free this world? Or am I just venting out my frustrations I’ve been bottling up?

“I…I don’t know…” I mutter.

“Well I do,” Twilight said, “you came to help because you new you had to help. You saved us because you knew it was the right thing to do. It’s as you said, Dainn and his Caribou committed unforgivable sins against the one you serve and that means you’re going to enact judgement on all of them right?”

“Do you even know what I’m referring to when I say that?” I ask and she shakes her head. “Well then allow me to be brutality honest with you, it means I will most likely wipe out the Caribou race. The same fate is shared with any other males who betrayed they’re kingdoms for their own selfish desires. Do you get it Twilight?” I said as I step towards her, “I’m going to drench my hands in more blood than I ever thought possible. Does that sound like something someone who’s trying to redeem himself would do? Do you still think I’m not evil?”

Twilight stands her ground and she now spreads her own wings wide to stop my advance. She and I stare at each other meanwhile the others can only stare at our confrontation.

“If you truly believe that you are what you say, that you don’t believe there’s any light left in your soul, then you may leave right now. But know this, Dimitri Lockdrom, if you leave this castle, even this very throne room, then you must never return to Canterot. You will not even be allowed to stay in Ponyville since my castle is still there. You may continue your conquest of justice against the Caribou, but it will have nothing to do with us if you’re so sure you’ll corrupt our souls with your presence,” Twilight proclaims.

I then slowly raise my hands in front of her as I activate my flames on my wings covering them the same cinders as before.

“You would go so far as to risk making an enemy out of me by forcing me out of the city and even Ponyville just to prove a point? So you could what, be my friend?” I ask demonically.

Twilight’s body shudders at my intimidating tone but takes a breath to compose herself. Very slowly and with trembling hands, she takes both my hands with hers and steps towards me.

“It’s my duty as the Princess of Friendship to spread the magic of friendship as much as I can. But sometimes even the magic of friendship isn’t enough to stop something like the Caribou. You say you will drench your hands in blood? Fine then, just know that I won’t think of you any differently than I do now,” she said.

“You would also take the hands of a soulless mass murderer? Your hands will also becomes stained with their blood if you still choose to accept me,” I warn.

“I still believe in friendship, that will never change even now or after all this is over. But I’m a Princess now, along with my teacher and sister-in-law, so I’m willing to become friends with even the Devil himself if it means putting an end to this nightmare. If the price is to stain my hands in blood as well, then so be it. You don’t have to be alone in this fight, Lock, you’ll have my support whatever you do from here on,” Twilight said.

“You and anyone else who stands by you may soon regret those words,” I said.

“Maybe, but at this point I’d say it’s worth it if it means my niece can smile again,” she said while glancing behind her to the sleeping foal.

Realizing how much the invasion and Shining’s passing as changed Twilight surprised me. She was ready to accept the fact that I was willing to commit mass genocide against the Caribou if it meant freeing the world from their tyranny.

“And what say the rest of you?” I ask as I glance up to the other Princesses, “Your fellow Princess is willing to cross a line to ensure peace once again across Equestria. But what say you all?”

Celestia and the others look at each other with worried looks but they walk towards us and Twilight releases my hands and turns to face them and I cancel my flames and furled my wings again.

“Twilight, you do realize what you’re doing don’t you? He’s somepony who serves the darkest being known in existence,” Celestia said.

“I agree, Twilight, he even confessed to attempting to commit genocide,” Luna said.

“So what?” Twilight said, “We’ve all seen what the Caribou have done, they don’t care about us or anypony else but themselves. Shinning gave his life to keep us all safe. Even before he passed he could also see that Lock is not a threat to anypony who didn’t deserve it. But do you honestly think we would have made it as far as we thought we would if we escaped? You all think Lock is evil for what he is and who he serves but he hasn’t done anything to any of us since he arrived. He even spared the stallions who were brainwashed because he believed they could be redeemed and freed from the Caribou’s control. The only ones he’s gone against are the Caribou and the Caribou alone. Besides, I would like to believe he is a necessary evil.”

Celestia and Luna both look at each other with worry but Cadence walks up to me with a stern frown. We both stare at each other for a moment and she looks down at her sleeping daughter.

“Her first word was “dada”,” she said sadly, “that’s the last thing my husband heard before he passed. Flurry will grow up without a father and will only know him through the stories told about him.” She looks up to me with tears in her eyes. “Can you truly keep your promise to Shinning and free this world?” She asks.

“Even if it means accepting the amount of violence I shall inflict on them? There may be a slim chance I won’t have to kill all the Caribou even if I continue to take their lives but it’s for the sake of you and everyone else understanding the gravity of things,” I answer.

“The Caribou took my husband from me and my daughter, but it is your mission to fight the Caribou. Wether you choose to kill them all or spare some in then end means little to me. So long as you keep your promise to Shinning then that is enough for me,” Cadence said.

“I aim to,” I answer.

“Good, then you also have my support, Lock,” Cadence said as she stands beside me.

Celestia and Luna both walk up to me with their arms crossed under her chests and stare at me nervously.

“Has this ever happened to you before? Fighting a battle against an enemy who aims to take all that is precious to you?” Celestia asks.

“More than I’d like to admit…” I said.

“How did you cope?” Luna asks.

“To be honest I didn’t, I’m still at war with myself,” I said, “but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop fighting for what’s right.”

“Very well, Lock, your words were harsh and highly concerning but they were also true and needed to be heard. So I too shall choose to support you, especially since there might be a possibility some of the Caribou can be spared without resorting to genocide,” Celestia said.

“If sister will support you then so shall I,” Luna said, “personally I wish to see the Caribou suffer as much as possible, Dainn especially, but I also hope not all of them should be wiped out.”

“No promises, but I thank you all for your support,” I nod, “I also should thank you, Twilight.”

“Me?” She asks while turning to face me.

“Yes, you are first willing to accept the gravity of the situation that affects you and the rest of the world. In doing so you were able to accept me and convince me that I shouldn’t discourage myself so soon for doing what needs to be done in this war. I thank you for giving me confidence in myself and reassuring me that I’m not as lost of a soul as I thought,” I said with a smile.

Twilight blushes at my kind words and smiles warmly at me and nods.

“I believe in you, Lock, you will always be my friend now and always,” she said. I nod and glance at the window and see it’s almost time to turn in for the day.

“If you would all excuse me, I will return to my quarters for the night,” I said with a curt nod. They nod back and I glance at Twilight as I turn around and I give her a playful wink while smirking. I hear her wings twitch a bit as I face the door and I chuckle and open it, only for all of Twilights friends to come tumbling through on top of each other.

“It seems you have some explaining to do since this conversation wasn’t as private as we hoped,” I said as I walked away from the group.

Boss, I think.

“Yes?” he appears next to me.

We need to talk.

“Indeed,” he agrees as we head to my guest room.

I enter my guest room and take off my jacket and shirt and toss it on the nightstand next to my bed. I enter the bathroom and look in the mirror to look at myself. My hair tossed around yet still styled normally and I even started growing a beard due to the peach fuzz along my jaw and cheeks. I stare into my soulless looking eyes and I try to find the light Twilight had seen but I couldn’t see anything which made me sigh.

I look down at my bare torso and the tribal brands that covered both my arms. I run my hand along the marks and I can still feel the warmth from them like I had just been branded yesterday. Thanks to my years in the army, I had very well developed muscles since they put me through a daily workout routine. I sigh again and take off my pants and toss of my shoes to step in the shower. As I step in I look back at the mirror and see the one scar that was the cause of my discharge.

A large 5 inch wide scar that went down from the back of my right shoulder all the way to the left of my hip. It’s as if someone took a slice at my back with a huge blade almost cutting me in half, it even showed no matter how I tried to cover it with my wings. I glared at the grotesque scar and stepped in the shower to wash myself and scrub my wings. As I stand in the falling hot water of the shower, I start to think about the things Twilight said to me. She seemed to be the less fazed about what I am more than the other ponies even before I revealed myself. I even remember after Shinning passed away she would always smile and wave to me whenever I saw her throughout the castle and I simply nodded to her in response. Perhaps it was as she said that Shinning could see through my violent nature and saw something bright within the dark.

Her words were so genuine and kind despite her broken tone. It’s as if she truly cared for me as she does for her friends despite not even knowing me for a month. I’ve never experienced anyone care for me that much with that level of compassion in a while. Not since…Joshua…

“She’s an interesting one, that’s for sure,” I said to myself.

“Indeed, truly an interesting one.”

I open my eyes and see the silhouette of Lucifer from the other side of the curtain.

“Something you wanna say?” I ask.

“Maybe, depends on how your heart feels,” He said.

“My heart? What, you mean Twilight?” I ask.

“She’s a sweet mare, even you already know this,” Lucifer said.

“Stop…just don’t. I don’t deserve any of that,” I sigh as I turn off the water.

“I’m just saying if you’d like you-“

“I said drop it…” I sneer.

“Very well, I shall be outside,” Lucifer said and disappears.

“I don’t deserve it at all…” I mutter sadly.

I step out of the shower and use my flames to dry myself and my wings since they can conveniently be used to do so but now the room is filled with steam. I reach over to put back on my boxers and and pants and step out of the bathroom when I open the door. I comb my hair with my fingers as I walk out and the steam escapes out the room with me. I hear a gasp making me stop in my tracks and I open my eyes.

To my unexpected surprise, there sitting on the side of the bed was Rarity of all ponies. She was starring at me wide eyed as I stared back at her while my exposed chest was on display for her to see. She was blushing so much her fur seemed to turn almost as pink as Pinkie Pie. I chuckle and shake my head as I cross my arms and use my wings to cover my body.

“I take it you aren’t familiar with the act of knocking?” I ask.

“Oh my…um I mean-!” She stammers.

“Relax, I was in the shower so it makes sense why I didn’t hear even if you did knock so you’re ok,” I said waving my hand dismissively.

I walk over to the nightstand and grab my undershirt and put it on and uncovered myself from my wings. I raised my arms and stretched getting a few satisfying pops here and there after having a nice relaxing shower. I then feel eyes on me and look over my shoulder and see Rarity still stare at me with a dazed look.

“You gonna gawk at me all night or are you gonna tell me why you’re here?” I deadpan crossing my arms.

“Oh! I’m so terribly sorry, Mr. Lockdrom,” she said while standing up and fixing her mane, “it’s just, well, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind if I measured you…?”

“Measure me? Like for what, clothes or something?” I wonder while turning around.

“Yes, I noticed while you were staying here you seemed to have been wearing the same attire every day. Do you not have any other clothes with you?” She asks. I glance over to my jacket and notice it’s a little rugged looking due to the battle damage it took during my fights.

“Guess I didn’t, I suppose you can but do you mind if you please make it quick? I’m a bit tired after today’s events,” I said.

“Oh of course, please step forward,” she said as she pulls out a measuring tape.

I nod and I step forward and hold my arms out and she begins measuring my torso. As she was measuring me, I noticed she was still blushing but she was glancing at my arms more often than usual.

“Something on your mind, Miss Rarity?” I ask.

“Oh, well I was just admiring your…interesting cutie marks. I didn’t know they could go beyond from just the shoulder for you humans,” she said as she measures my right arm.

“Hate to break it to you, Miss Rarity, but these ain’t cutie marks,” I said making her look up at me surprised.

“Really?” She asks.

“Nope, fun fact about us humans, we don’t get them,” I said.

“Then, what are these?” She asks.

“They’re brands,” I said making her gasp and drop her measuring tape.

“Brands?! You mean to say these are burns?!” She shrieks gesturing to my arms.

“I’m afraid so, they’re not just any brands, they’re also what signify my title,” I said.

“You’re referring to…The Devil’s Hand?” Rarity asks nervously as she picks back up her tape.

“I take it Twilight told you about our conversation?” I ask she nods and sighs as she finishes up.

“She didn’t say much about what specifically you and the Princesses spoke about but she gave my friends and I a rough explanation,” she said as she finishes measuring my other arm.

“And?” I ask and she looks up.

“Pardon?”

“What do you think of me now? Are you afraid of me?” I ask hesitantly.

“I will admit, the thought of you…killing in mass amounts makes me a tad nervous,” Rarity said as she rolls up her tape.

A “tad” she says, I chuckle to myself.

“But Twilight reassured us you shall bring no harm to us whatsoever so I choose to believe her. Besides you do seem like a proper gentlestalion,” Rarity said with a warm smile.

“I try to be,” I shrug, “so have you gotten all the proper measurements?” I ask.

“Yes of course, thank you for allowing me to measure you. I’ll have some proper clothes made for you as soon as I’m able,” she said as she walked to the door, “Oh and Mr. Lockdrom?” She said before walking out the door.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“Thank you again for freeing Ponyville, I look forward to being back in my boutique as soon as this whole fiasco ends,” Rarity said with a curt nod.

“It’s not a problem, Miss Rarity, and you can just call me Lock if you wish,” I said.

“Very well, Lock, and you may just call me Rarity,” she said as she waved goodbye and shut the door. I chuckled and sat on the end of my bead sighed in content.

“It’s about time she left, I was almost ready to cause a poltergeist so she could run out screeching,” Lucifer said as he appeared in front of me.

“Then why didn’t you?” I ask.

“I suppose it was so you could add another one of them to your list,” He said with a sly grin under his hood.

“List? What’re you-Oh would you shut up! It’s not like that and it won’t be any time soon!” I snap.

“Very well, no need to get snippy all of a sudden,” He chuckles while waving his hand.

“So…” I said.

“So?” Lucifer repeats.

“Are you gonna start explaining or what?” I said.

“I suppose I should,” he sighs, “do you want the full detailed version or just the important parts?”

“How long is the the full detailed version?” I ask.

“You won’t get any sleep tonight,” Lucifer answers.

“Then the important parts please,” I said as I leaned back.

“You want a drink for the story?” Lucifer offers as he pulls out a familiar bottle from his coat.

“You kept it all this time?” I ask as he hands it to me.

“I told you I would keep it for you, remember who you’re taking to Dimitri,” Lucifer said.

“Yeah, yeah, so about what Kol said before you shish kebabed him. He mentioned the Overlords name, Lust was it? As in one of the 7 sins Lust?” I said as I took a swig from my scotch.

“I’m afraid what he said was the truth, as much as I wish it wasn’t,” Lucifer sneers.

“Wait, you mean Lust actually a real living thing?” I said.

“Him and the rest of the Sins, yes. They’re demons who used to serve me in Hell. Back on Earth, your history has a great many well known names who have either done great things and hailed in history books or there were some who were tyrants and conquerers. Such examples include Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Genghis and Kublai Khan, Adolf Hitler, and Louis XVI along with a great many other names I can list,” Lucifer explains.

“So what, are you saying they were all possessed by the Sins?” I ask.

“More like they took the forms as humans and posed as either their close advisors, relatives, or loyal soldiers. In these forms, they whispered their dark sinful thoughts causing them to do the things people read about back on Earth. It also just wasn’t great rulers or conquerors as I’ve listed, even men and women of great minds fell victim to their whispers,” Lucifer said.

“Are you serious? Are you telling me, for example, Da Vinci didn’t draw the Mona Lisa for Giocondo?” I ask.

“Oh he did, Sloth just had him procrastinate a bunch. Why do you think it took Da Vinci so long to finish the thing until shortly before his death? A man like Da Vinci could have easily finished it for Giocondo before he went to a France. Sloth was the one who whispered in Salaì’s ear to distract Da Vinci,”

“But that wasn’t mentioned in any book I’ve read, how is that possible?” I ask.

“Need I remind you that Da Vinci destroyed most of his works and personal journals. He may have had his own reasons for doing so but it was because of Sloth why he always took so long on any project he worked on,” Lucifer said.

“And the other Sins have been doing stuff like this throughout history?” I ask and he nods, “Why would you allow them to do such things?” I accuse.

“I didn’t, the Sins simply gave them all a little push. You humans were the ones who are to blame for your own desires and actions. Another example is that woman Helen of Troy, why do you think those fools King Menelaus and Prince Paris went to war over the poor girl? It was all Envy’s idea which he found to be quite amusing,” Lucifer said.

“You’re saying they’re also responsible for starting wars?!” I shout in shock.

“Yes, which brings us to the main point of their betrayal against me. I had allowed them to have free roam of the human race since all the humans did was indulge in their own sins. However there were two times when the Sins went too far against the human race, The World Wars,” Lucifer said.

“No fucking way…they also caused The World Wars?” I ask in disbelief.

“A revolution here and a small war there are one thing, influencing a single human or group of humans with their power is another, but when they decided to get foolish and involve the entire Earth that is when they crossed a line. I personally took matters into my own hands and used my own influence to thwart their plans in the First World War. I was about to enact punishment on the lot of them but they remained in the human world and hid there. It wasn’t until the Second World War that I had enough of their destructive tendencies and possessed a few humans here and there so I could find them
and drag each and every one of them back to Hell,” Lucifer said.

“What would’ve happened if you didn’t stop them?” I ask as I take another swig.

“They would’ve destroyed the world,” he said making me choke on my drink.

“cough cough cough What?! They could do that?!” I ask between breaths.

“Indeed, you don’t really want to know how close the world was to being destroyed due to all those bombs those fools were dropping everywhere. If given enough of a push to the right humans, they wouldn’t have stopped until all of the very air you breath would be poisoned. Perhaps not even that but maybe another assassination of an important world leader like those Black Hand assassins did with that Ferdinand fellow. Not just millions would have died but perhaps billons,” Lucifer said.

“Jeezus…” I mutter before taking a bigger swig.

“After rounding up the Sins, I sentenced them to the 7 Rings of Hell so they could monitor any dead souls who sinned enough to enter their domain. However they seemed to have escaped and found their way here,” Lucifer said.

“Wait, how could they be here if they were running around on my world? This is a different world after all,” I question.

“It’s because all worlds are tied to the same Hell. As for how they’re here I’m starting to wonder that as well. All I can think of is Dainn is the culprit,” Lucifer guesses.

“Dainn? Why would the Sins go to him?” I wonder.

“Perhaps it wasn’t they who went to him but Dainn who went to the Sins. He must’ve somehow been in contact with them without my knowledge which explains why he was able to avoid me for so long. The Sins passed on some of their knowledge to him and he was able to uses forbidden rituals to sap the life out of others to lengthen his own. It also explains how he was able to conquer these lands so easily in the first place. One ritual, one blasphemous and unholy ritual that allowed Dainn to pay who knows what price to the Sins so they could physically possess 7 of his followers allowing them to become his Overlords,” Lucifer said.

“I can only imagine what price that fucker payed to get the sins to align with him…” I growl, “Although I’m not sure if I want to know.”

“Whatever it was you can be sure not even the 7 Sins will be enough to prevent my wrath upon him,” Lucifer said in a dark tone.

“So we know how he was able to take these lands so easily and it’s obvious what I have to do to truly free everyone but there’s one thing I don’t get,” I said.

“What might that be?” Lucifer asks.

“Why? Why go through all this trouble, risk going against you, aligning with the 7 Sins of all beings, just to prove that males are superior? It’s just stupid if you think about it,” I complain.

“Since when do tyrants need a valid reason to conquer all they see?” Lucifer asks.

I remain silent since I had no answer to give so I just downed another big gulp of my scotch. Lucifer sighs and walks to the window and gazed up at the night sky.

“The Sins may have aligned with Dainn but I know them all too well. They’re here for an ulterior motive and are using Dainn to do it. So I suppose you have a busy schedule to keep, my faithful Hand,” Lucifer said.

“Yeah, guess the only questions now is when do I begin and where?” I ask while cracking my neck and standing up.

“As soon as you are able, Dimitri. For now you must rest since today has been quite the eventful and insightful for you,” Lucifer suggests.

“Yeah I guess,” I sigh and lay back down on my bed.

“I am glad I chose you as my Hand, Dimitri. You and I are going to do great things together,” Lucifer said as he fades away.

“Here’s hoping, Boss, here’s hoping…” I said as my eyes droop and I let sleep take over.

Author's Note

Oh jeez, Lock’s got his work cut out for him. Also, do I detect a blooming relationship somewhere? Thanks for reading as always!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Working Off the Rust and The Devil’s Apprentice

Chapter 8

I wake up with a slight throb in my head which means I’ve got a bit of a hangover from last nights drinking and conversation with Lucifer. I start to recall everything he told me about the Sins and how they’re spread throughout the planet wreaking havoc on all the other kingdoms and one of them is basically right next door housing in the Crystal Empire. I sigh and lift myself up from my bed and stretch my limbs and wings getting a few pops here and there. After stepping into the bathroom and doing my morning rituals I put my clothes and jacket on and step out of my room. I’m met with a couple guards standing outside and they both look at me nervously but I ignore them and walk down the hall.

“As your were, gentlemen,” I said as I walked away.

As I was walking through the hallway I noticed the staff and other guards had a sort of different vibe whenever they were in my presence. Although they were still a little nervous of me they seemed to be a little more welcoming towards me which was a bit unexpected given my appearance and everything they no doubt heard I did.

“It seems they have been told by the Princesses about your endeavors and how you are not a threat to them,” Lucifer said as he appears next to me.

Either that or they’re just acting friendly towards me because they’re still probably scared of me, which is understandable, I shrug in my head.

“You seem to be, beating yourself up more than you think you deserve, Dimitri. Remember what I told you when I brought you here, you must become a necessary evil in order to fight against the true evil,” Lucifer said.

That may be but sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it, I think as I rub my shoulder.

“Something wrong with your shoulder?” Lucifer asks noticing my slight discomfort.

Just a little stiff is all, haven’t exactly stretched properly whenever I went on a killing spree, I think. I just need somewhere to shake the rust off.

With that in mind I walk over to a maid who was dusting a few vases and she notices me and stops dusting.

“Um, can I help you sir?” The maid asks.

“Yes ma’am, I was wondering if there was anywhere around here I could stretch my legs and wings?” I ask in a polite tone.

“Do you mean somewhere to exercise? I believe the barracks has an outdoor training area. It’s down the hall and you make a couple right turns and it’s straight ahead ” the maid directs me.

“Thank you,” I said with a curt nod but I recognize the maid and I smile as I walk away, “and keep up the good work, Feather Duster.”

I left Feather Duster a little shocked at how I knew her name and walked towards the barracks. After finding my way to the barracks, I saw many soldiers practicing their own techniques such as sword skills, archery, magic conjuring, and other forms of practice which reminded me of by days during boot camp. My gaze then leads me to the center of the open training area and saw a shrine of some sort. It was a mannequin with Shinning Armor’s armor and his sword and shield leaning against it. Around the mannequin we’re flowers and some photos of Shinning with other soldiers all smiling with him, there was even a photo of Shinning and Flash which made me smile. I walked over to the shrine and saw in the center of the shrine was a photo of Shinning in his armor with his helmet in one hand and he was saluting in another which meant this was a portrait of him.

“It’s a shame isn’t it?”

I look over my shoulder and see a pegasus mare with yellow fur and a fiery mane and tail wearing a blue jumpsuit and lighting detailed trim and I immediately recognized her as Spitfire herself.

“I didn’t really know him personally but from what Rainbow Dash told me he was a great stallion and an honorable soldier,” Spitfire sighs.

“He was, he was taken too soon for this world if you ask me,” I said.

“It’s Mr. Dimitri Lockdrom right?” Spitfire asks

“Yep and you’re Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts,” I said as I turn back to Shinnings shrine.

“So the rumor was true,” Spitfire said.

“What rumor?” I ask.

“Ponies have said you seem to know all about us and everything in this world, does this mean you knew about the Caribou as well?” Spitfire wonders.

“No, the Caribou are something even I didn’t know about. As for how I know about everyone and everything, it’s my business how I do,” I said.

“Alright I can respect you wanting to keep your business to yourself, you did save Canterlot and liberate Ponyville after all,” Spitfire said dismissively.

“Thanks, anywhere I can change into work out clothes?” I ask.

“Stallions quarters, just through those doors. You’ll find the proper clothes there,” Spitfire said as she walked away.

I look to where she pointed and see some stallion soldiers entering and exiting the doors in question. I walk over to the doors and walk inside and see rows of lockers and some stallions here and there. In the corner of the locker room, I see a pile of clean tank tops and shorts so I grabbed a pair of each and chose a random empty locker. I start to change out of my normal clothes and place them in the locker when I feel eyes on me again. I glance over my shoulder and see some stallions stare at me in either awe or fear of my brands. One of them walks up to me and I again recognize him as Soarin.

“Woah dude, those are some cool cutie marks you’ve got,” Soarin said.

“Hate to disappoint you, Soarin, but these aren’t cutie marks,” I said as I put on my shorts.

“How do you know my name?” Soarin asks in shock.

Is everyone gonna ask me that? Maybe it’s best I actually allow them to introduce themselves, I groan in my head.

“It’s one of the many things I know about this world,” I said as I put on my tank top.

“Oh ok, so if these aren’t cutie marks, what are they?” Soarin asks. I turn to look at him and I cross my arms putting my brands on display.

“They’re brands,” I said bluntly.

“Brands? As in like the kind that’s…burned on your skin?” Soarin asks as he starts to go pale.

“That’s right, they’re what signify my title,” I said as I walked passed him.

“What’s your title?” He calls out.

“Just something I prefer to call a dark protector,” I answer vaguely.

“I see…so uh, what’s your name?” Soarin asks.

“Dimitri Lockdrom but you’re welcome to call me Lock if you want,” I said as I exit the locker room.

I walk back out in the open area and begin to stretch my arms, legs, and wings. Since I have wings now, I suppose I can try to do some workout routines to make them stronger and I can learn to fight with them. With everything nice and stretched out, I pull out my phone and ear buds and scroll through my playlist for some workout music. Once I find the right set of songs I put in my ear buds, hit play on my phone, and begin my workout.

I fall forward to the ground and catch myself with my hands and start doing rapid fire push-ups. After about 50 push-ups done I flip on my back and start doing another 50 sit ups. I repeat the process a few times and I stand up and walk over to a pull-up bar and begin doing about 20 pull-ups. Now that my upper body feels nice and warmed up I unfurl my wings and grab the bar with each wing and cross my arms as I begin to do pull-ups again with my wings. I started slow at first so I could get used to the feeling of exercising with them but I quickly got the hang of it and did 20 more pull-ups with my wings. I drop to the floor and squat down and place my hands on the ground and do a handstand and begin lowering and lifting myself doing a few sets of standing push-ups.

After that I plant my feet back on the ground and walk over to a weight rack and pick up two 40 pound weights and was about to begin my curls but I got an idea. I used my wings to pick up two 25 pound weights with my feathers and tested to see if they would keep holding on to them which they did. Satisfied, I began doing 5 sets of 20 curls with both my arms and wings. With each curl, my biceps bulged and I could feel the same satisfying burn in the muscles in my wings as I continued to lift. After my sets of arm and wing curls I placed the weights back on the rack and walked over to a bar bell station.

I placed two 25 pound weights on each side and stepped under the bar so it rested on my shoulders. I breathed in and lifted the bar off the rack and stepped back and began to do five sets of 10 squats. My legs also flex with each lift while I keep my back straight and my legs balanced so I don’t make a mistake and drop it on my head. I then finish my squats and place the bar back on the rack and repeat the same process of exercises for 4 more rounds.

After I finish my rounds I walk to another area where the pegasi were exercising their wing strength. They seem to be flying in mid air in their own lanes around a small track as they tried to pull a large weighted cart while strapped in a harness around their shoulders and wastes. I spot an open harness and walked over and strapped myself in. A pony guard offered to weigh my cart and I nodded as he began to put weights in the cart.

“Tell me when to stop weighing it,” he said.

I just stand there as he continues to add more weight and he starts to get a little nervous. He was about to stop but I glanced to him indicating I wanted more he continues. Once the cart is carrying as much as it could carry, I look over at the scale and see it’s about 500 pounds.

“Uh, are you sure you want it this heavy?” The stallion asks. I just nod and he backs away.

At this point almost every pony in the training area are watching me as I give my wings a few test flaps. I lean down in a running position and spread my wings out wide and raise them up. I wait for the song to drop the bass and I close my eyes and my wings start to shiver with anticipation as they’re ready to show off their power. As soon as the bass drops I flap my wings as hard I could and shoot into the air until I stop because of the harness but I keep flapping my wings. The weight of the cart starts to show since I haven’t moved from my position in the air but I still continue to flap my wings.

Come on, Lock, I think, pull this stupid cart. Show them what it means to be strong so they can strive to have the strength to keep fighting.

I grunt as I put more force in my flaps and I feel the cart start to jolt a little meaning I was making progress. The brands on my arms start to glow white as I feel my wings start to strain from the weight of the cart but I do not falter.

“Come on, come on, Come On, COME ON, COME ON! COME ON!!!” I shout.

With a few flaps of all the power I could muster, a powerful gale kicks up behind me as I finally begin to pull the cart. Inch by inch, I pull all 500 pounds of this cart with me all around the track without ever losing momentum in my wings. As the final song of the playlist begins to end, I make it to the home stretch of the track and keep pulling the cart. I’m breathing very heavily and sweat is pouring from my body and the brands on my arms are still glowing white. Right when I pass the finish line on the track I drop to the ground on both my feet with a lout thud. My wings were still spread out wide as vapors seep from them and my body as I stand up straight. I look at both my wings and reach up to feel them and they’re both steaming hot from the intense workout I put them through. I slowly furl and unfurl them to stretch them out so I don’t get any cramps and I unhook myself from the harness and the song ends.

“That knocked some of my rust off…,” I said to myself.

3rd POV

Everyone in the training area were speechless at what they just witnessed. The strange human warrior with large crimson red wings just showed off the power of arguably the strongest wing strength anyone had ever seen. The stallions watched Lock walk back to the stallions quarters in awe and admiration that he was able to pull off something such as pulling 500 pounds all around the track by himself. Even before he strapped himself in the harness of the cart pulling, they had witnessed his many workout routines as he exercised and lifted weights, even with his wings. What seemed to inspire them even more is how he was able to just walk off with no strain on his body and he was simply out of breath. This spectacle seemed to ignite a fire in them as they continued their own workout routines but with more effort.

Meanwhile the mares in the open barracks had a different view on Lock. While it may be true that they were very impressed how strong he is due to what they had witnessed, they were all mostly just gawking at all the muscles bulging from his arms and legs. They especially enjoyed the spectacle of the power of his wings and how he was able to pull such a heavy weighted cart on his own. Some of the pegasi mares starred at Lock’s wings as they both steamed in the cool air of the outdoor training area and shuddered each time he furled and unfurled his wings as he walked away. It was safe to say that Lock caused every mare in the area to become in a very aroused state, even though Lock didn’t intend to.

Spitfire and her fellow Wonderbolt Fleetfoot were arguably the most turned on with Lock’s display of power and wing strength. As they watched Lock ether the stallions quarters to shower, Spitfire and Fleetfoot looked at each other with seductive knowing smiles.

“You know something, Fleets, I’ve seen my share of strong flyers before the Fall but that guy doesn’t even compare,” Spitfire said.

“I hear ya, Spits, his wings just…so big and strong. I can only imagine what he’s packing under those shorts of his,” Fleetfoot said while licking her lips.

“You know, I’ve heard Lockdrom is gonna help free Equestria from the Caribou all by himself and he hasn’t asked for anything in return,” Spitfire said.

“Really?” Fleetfoot said.

“Yup, it’d be a shame if nopony did anything for the poor guy while he’s busy fighting wouldn’t you say?” Spitfire asks.

“Oh I totally agree with you in that, Spits, only question is what could we do for him?” Fleetfoot wonders.

“I think I have an idea, you wanna join me on this plan?” Spitfire offers.

“What did you have in mind?” Fleetfoot asks.

As the two stunt flying mares got to planning how they would surprise Lock, the rest of the mares pretended to continue exercising when they were actually fantasizing about Lock and his large wings. Meanwhile Lock was just showering in the stallions quarters, oblivious to the can of worms he had opened for himself.

Dimitri 1st POV

After a hot shower and dressing back into my normal clothes, I left the training area so I could explore the rest of the castle. It was exactly the same as it was in the show and I smiled a little thinking I was basically living every bronies dream, apart from the fact that this world is in the shitter at the moment. As I was exploring the castle a thought occurred to me, I’ve met pretty much almost all the main characters but there was someone missing from the group. I look out the window I was passing by and see the garden and it had many statues and hedge trimmings here and there. As I starred at the garden, I figure out who was missing from this crisis.

“Discord…” I said aloud.

I immediately start heading over to the throne room so I could ask Celestia and the others what happened to him since he hasn’t shown himself once since I arrived which was strange, even for The Lord of Chaos himself. As I make my way to the throne room, I start to think about what could possibly have happened to him. With someone as powerful as Discord I would like to imagine, even for the Sins, he’d never allow Equestria to Fall. Personally, Discord turned out to be one of my favorite characters after Fluttershy reformed him. I start to worry about what happened to him and hope wherever he is, he’s alright.

“Lock! Hey wait Lock!”

I look over my shoulder and see Flash run up to me but I turn around and keep my pace.

“This isn’t a very good time, Flash, I have something important to discuss with the Princesses,” I said.

“But I also have something important to talk to you about!” Flash said as he caught up to me.

“Can it wait?” I ask

“No Lock, I…I’d like you to train me,” Flash said.

I stop in my tracks and turn around to look at Flash. He’s a bit out of breath and is starring into my eyes with conviction and determination.

“You want me to what?” I ask.

“Train me,” Flash repeats, “I saw how you pulled that cart all by yourself and you managed to walk off without a strain or anything. Not to mention I heard about what you did for Ponyville, I knew you were powerful but I didn’t think you’d be this strong,” he said.

“Thanks for the words of praise but I don’t see how this has anything to do with me training you,” I said as I crossed my arms.

“Actually it has everything to do with it, because I want to be able to fight the Caribou just as you do,” Flash said.

My eyes widen at his declaration and I look around to see if there was any guards or maids around. Thankfully there wasn’t but that didn’t stop me from giving Flash a serious expression.

“Follow me,” I said as I change my destination to my guest room.

Flash follows me and we make to my guest room door and the guards from before were still there. One of them was a unicorn guard which was perfect if he knew the spell I had in mind for him to cast.

“Excuse me,” I said gaining his attention, “do you perhaps know a silencing spell that would cancel any noise from within my room?” I ask.

“You want me to cast a noise canceling spell on your room? How come?” The guard asks.

“I have something very important to discuss with Lieutenant Flash Sentry and I wish this conversation to be as private as possible,” I said. The guard looks at Flash for confirmation and Flash nods.

“Very well, I’ll cast it now,” he said and his horn glows as he casts the spell.

Satisfied, I lead Flash in my room and close the door and knock on it testing the spell to see if they hear me. There was no response so the spell was effective. I turn around grab two chairs from the side of the room and place them in front of each other facing each other.

“Please sit,” I said and Flash sits on the chair and I sit on the other.

“Flash, why do you really want me to train you?” I ask. Flash sighs and looks away with a sad expression and closes his eyes.

“Princess Cadence told me I’m being promoted to Captain…” Flash said solemnly.

“You’re being promoted? Congrats, you should be proud of yourself,” I said with a smile.

“But I was thinking of turning down the offer,” Flash said as he looks back to me and I lose my smile.

“Why would you not want to be Captain? Wasn’t it one of your goals to succeed Shinning Armor?” I question.

“Yes, but I didn’t want to succeed him this way. Before the Fall, Shinning Armor was my mentor during my days as a recruit back in the Crystal Empire. It was actually Shinning himself who urged me to sign up and he trained me all the way to the rank I have now, even Princess Cadence recognized my skill and loyalty which is why she made me one of her personal guards. When the Caribou invaded, I followed Shinning’s orders to the letter and helped evacuate some of the crystal ponies and his wife and daughter. He once told me I was well on my way to succeed him and I told him I’d honor his rank as Captain and earn it by putting in my best effort whenever I could,” Flash explains.

“Have you?” I ask.

“Of course, but now that Shining is…gone, I feel like I didn’t do enough to earn enough to honor his memory,” Flash sighed.

“And you wanting to be trained by me?” I ask.

“Can I be honest with you?” He asked and I nod, “I want to be strong like Shinning was when it comes to leading others and I want to be strong like you when I fight against the Caribou. Ponies don’t take me seriously as they did with Shinning and if I accept this promotion they would probably think I’m dishonoring his memory because I’m not strong enough,” Flash said.

“You shouldn’t care what others say about you, Flash. If you believe you’re ready, if even Princess Cadenza believes you’re ready, then you more than deserve his rank as Captain. If anything I believe you’re also ready to accept the role of Captain,” I tell Flash.

“Thank you, it means a lot hearing that from you,” Flash said, “but my request for you to train me still stands.”

“Dimitri,” Lucifer said as he appears beside me, “I believe you should accept his request.”

You too, boss? No offense to Flash but I don’t think he could handle any training I’d give him, I think.

“What if he had the necessary potential?” Lucifer asks.

Potential? What are you…no, No, NO WAY! I AM NOT PUTTING HIM THROUGH THAT, LUCIFER! I REFUSE! I shout at him in my head.

“You may refuse, but what would he have to say about it?” Lucifer asks calmly.

“Is everything ok, Lock? You look a little agitated,” Flash said.

I was about to say something but I remind myself that he can’t see Lucifer. What Lucifer suggested was completely out of line and too crazy for words. But on the other hand if Flash is as determined as he said he is, I would hate to disappoint him and leave him thinking he doesn’t deserve something he obviously does.

“Flash,” I said with no emotion, “do you know what exactly you’re asking of me when you say you want me to train you?” I ask.

“Won’t you just reach me new fighting techniques and help me become a stronger flyer like you?” Flash asks.

“It’s not that simple Flash,” I sigh, “you know of my title as The Devil’s Hand, right?” I ask and Flash nods nervously. “My boss, The Devil himself, bestowed these powers to me so I could fight the Caribou and save Equestria. It’s because of these powers of mine I’m able to do the things I do.”

“But it’s thanks to these powers you can win any battle you fight, right?” Flash said.

“Again, it’s not that simple. Recently, my boss and I discovered something about Dainn and his followers that I was going to discuss with the Princesses, along with something else of equal importance. The point is what I discovered is something that is quite unsettling, even for me. You’ve also only seen a mere glimpse of what I can do the night I came to Canterlot when I drove back the stockade. In Ponyville, it’s not an exaggeration when I say I slaughtered every last Caribou and traitor male in Ponyville with my power. After I was done I even went as far as to burn away their remains so that Ponyville wouldn’t be stained with their foul blood,” I explain.

“Wh-Why are you telling me all this?” Flash asks me.

“You want me to train you? Well this is what I train for, Flash, I train to kill. So my question to you is,” I said as I lean forward to look deeper into his eyes, “are you willing to train to kill?” I ask.

Flash’s eyes widen and he starts to tremble in fear. Although his body showed signs of fear, the determination in his eyes was still there, if only slightly. Flash opens his mouth trying to say something but no words come out but he still stares at my eyes.

“Are you afraid, Flash?” I ask. He says nothing as I lean back up.

“You know, it’s ok to be afraid,” I tell him.

“It…is?” Flash asks hesitantly.

“Of course, in fact, do you want to know a secret?” I said earning a nod, “I too am afraid.”

“How can you be afraid after all you can do?” Flash wonders.

“On the battlefield, though I don’t show it on the outside, I’m always afraid for my life. I don’t know wether a sword will pierce my heart, an arrow will go through my head, or something would destroy my body leaving nothing but a pile of ash. Even before I came to this world, during my days as a soldier, I was always scared out of my mind that a stray bullet or a random explosion would end my life. But it is as I said, Flash, it’s alright to be afraid because one of my oldest friends used to tell me something that helped me keep fighting even if the odds were against me,” I said.

“What was it?” Flash asks,

“Admitting you’re afraid is the bravest thing you can do,” I said, “so I ask again, are you afraid Flash?”

Flash looks away for a moment stunned at my words and tried to process what he’s been told. I would like to imagine even Shinning Armor was afraid when fighting for those he loved. Joshua’s words have stuck by me for as long as I can remember and I was proud to pass them on to someone like Flash.

“Yes…”

“Pardon?” I said. Flash looks up at me with a large fire of determination in his eyes.

“Yes, I am afraid. I’m afraid of dying or crossing a line that most others won’t but that won’t stop me from doing what I must to help save Equestria. If that means I have to take lives, then sign me up,” Flash proclaims.

“Well there you have it, Dimitri. Young Flash has made his decision so I believe it’s time to respond to his conviction in kind,” Lucifer said as he holds out his hand. In it, was a familiar looking fruit but it was shaped like an apple instead of a strawberry, demonic tribal markings all around it and a disfigured stem and leaves on top and all.

I hope you know what you’re making me do, I think as I hold out my hand.

“I am not making you do anything, it is his decision and his decision alone,” Lucifer said as he hands me the fruit.

Will he be the same as me? I ask.

“No, unlike you, he shall only have a single ability. You and he shall soon find out what it is as soon as he consumes it,” Lucifer explains.

As the fruit touches my hand, it becomes inflamed for a moment and the flames snuff out almost immediately. Flash seemed to notice the fruit and looks at it curiously.

“What’s this weird apple? Where did it come from?” Flash asks.

“This, Flash, is your contract,” I said.

“Contract?” Flash repeats.

“It was the same for me when Lucifer, the Devil, my boss, gave me a fruit of my own. With this, you will gain an ability similar to one of mine but you should know the price for gaining such a power. You’ll be forever damning your soul to Hell if and when you die,” I explain.

“R-Really?” Flash said nervously.

“I’m told it isn’t as bad as it sounds, since I’m the Devil’s Hand I will be welcomed to Hell with praise and honors when I one day arrive in Hell. If you choose to eat this, I will be able to train you properly which means you will officially become my apprentice. I will teach you how to use your ability and you will also receive the same treatment in Hell as me. But you should keep in mind that it’s still Hell, even after Lucifer assured me what I would expect I’m still skeptical about it all,” I explain.

“I-I see,” Flash said, “but I’ll have a power like yours?” Flash asks.

“Yes but as I said, your soul is the price,” I said as I hold the devil fruit to him. Flash hesitantly takes the fruit and stares at the it as the he glances up at me and the fruit.

“For Shinning,” he said and starts eating the fruit as quick as he could. Very soon the fruit was gone from sight and Flash tenses up expecting something to happen but nothing does.

“Is…that it?” Flash asks.

“It should be…oh shit! I forgot to mention that when you eat the fruit you’ll also-“

“GUH!” Grunts Flash as he clutches he’s chest and he buckles over.

“-receive the same brands as I do by having them burned on your arms…” I said as Flash starts to scream.

“AAAAAAHHHHHH, IT HURTS!!!” Flash screams as I watch the same brands on my arms burn onto his arms, “IT HURTS SO BUCKING MUCH!!! MAKE IT STOP, LOCK! MAKE IT STOP!!!” Flash cries as the brands continue to burn their way up along his arms.

“Bare with it a little while longer, Flash, you’re almost there!” I call out trying to ease him through it.

The brands were about to end their burns and Flash was still screaming bloody murder. My attention is brought to his wings that seem to grow a bit in size. What were once wings that were about 4 and a half feet in length soon grew to 5 and a half feet. His body also begins to change and it looks like he grew a few inches even though he was on the floor and still in pain. Eventually the brands finish burning into his arms and Flash passes out from exhaustion. I sigh and pick the young pegasus soldier up and lay him on my bed.

“He’s gonna have a serious hangover when he wakes up,” I said as I gaze at the brands that mirror mine along his arms.

“True, but now you no longer have to fight this war by yourself since he will be there fighting along side you,” Lucifer said.

I sigh and sit on the sofa chair in the corner of the room and wait patiently for Flash to wake up. What Lucifer said was true, now that Flash is Devil Fruit user like me he’ll be able to fight along side me against the Caribou, maybe even against the Sins. For now I just sit on the chair and wait for my new apprentice to wake so his training can begin.

Author's Note

So, Flash Sentry has chosen the same fate as Lock. The only question now is what kind of ability will he gain once he wakes? Care to take a guess? What kind of ability do you all think Flash will have? Find out in the next chapter and thank you for your patience!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Learning the Basics and The Devil vs. The Heat

Chapter 9

Flash Sentry, my new apprentice, was still unconscious after eating the Devil Fruit I gave him that Lucifer bestowed to me. It’s been a few hours since the brands burned on his arms and he passed out from the pain, almost as long as I did when I got my brands. As I waited for Flash to wake, I started to wonder what kind of ability he’d have. Someone like Flash, being a pegasus and all, would probably benefit if he had an ability he could use while flying. Perhaps he would have the ability to control the wind or maybe even become wind, maybe he’d be able to manipulate lighting and conjure thunder bolts to rain down on his enemies. There’s also a chance he’d have an ability that would benefit him on land like he’d be able to morph his body into a weapon like I do when I turn my limbs into blades. So many possible abilities he could have but he would only have one.

“Uurrrrggghhh…”

I’m brought out of my thoughts when I hear Flash start to groan and stir which means he’s now conscious again. I stand up from my chair and walk over to my bed and see him moving slightly.

“Flash, Flash wake up,” I said.

“Mmmm, not now mom…I’ve got drills in the morning…” he mumbles in his sleep as he turns his body.

“Alright Flash, you asked for it,” I said.

I unfurled my wings and gave them a sharp flap creating a small but powerful gust of wind to push Flash off the bed. The gust flings Flash off successfully and he falls to the floor with a loud thud.

“Ouch! What the hay?!” He shouts.

“Good afternoon to you too, sleepy ass,” I snort while walking over to the other side of the bed to meet him.

“Lock…?” He mumbles as he rubs his head.

“You expecting anyone else?” I said.

Flash opens his eyes and looks up at me with a groggy expression. He looks at his surroundings and arches a brow.

“What the, how did I end up in your room?” He asks confused.

“You don’t remember? Check your arms,” I said.

Flash looks down at his arms and sees the brands that run up his arms to his shoulders. He then goes wide eyed and starts to remember all that happened and he holds his head with his hands.

“Oh Sweet Celestia, it wasn’t a dream after all…” Flash said.

“You regretting your choice?” I question crossing my arms.

“What? No, not at all. It’s just I didn’t expect these to hurt so much. It felt like my arms were on fire…” Flash said as he rubs his branded arms.

“Well, wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration since they kinda literally are burned on your arms,” I said as I held out a hand to help him up.

Flash takes my hand and I lift him up so he’s standing in front of me and I step back to give him some room. Flash looks up at me and tilts his head as he looks at me.

“Uh Lock? Am I still asleep or did you get a little shorter?” Flash asks.

“Well I wouldn’t say I got shorter since I’ve been as tall as I am since I was 18 but you definitely got taller,” I chuckle while gesturing to Flash’s new hight.

Flash looks down and notices what I pointed out. He indeed grew a few inches to the point where his head was just under my chin. He looked behind him and also noticed the growth of his wings and I even noticed he gained a little more muscle than than he already had.

“Whoa, what happened to me? I mean I knew I was already kinda taller than most ponies but now I feel like I’m almost as tall as Princess Luna,” Flash said as he unfurled his wings.

“Honestly, he’s like a small child who has gotten a new toy and won’t shut up about it,” Lucifer groans as he appears next to me.

“GAH! WHO THE BUCK IS THAT?!” Flash yells pointing at Lucifer.

“Wait, you can see him?” I ask surprised.

“You can see me?” Lucifer repeats equally surprised.

“Yes I can see you! Now how the hay are you?!” Flash demands.

“Interesting, it seems the Devil Fruit not only gave him an ability but also connected his soul with mine,” Lucifer said as he rubs his chin under his hood.

“How is that possible?” I asked, “you said the fruit I ate was the only one that would be connected to your soul.”

“You forget, Dimitri, anything I create and bestow to you is connected to my soul, your powers included, as did the fruit young Flash consumed, which is why he able to see me,” Lucifer said.

“Will one of you please explain who the hay is this guy?! How the hay did he appear out of no where?!” Flash demands.

“My, my, you certainly are a loud one,” Lucifer said as he approached Flash, “perhaps you need an education when not to raise your voice when addressing your new master.”

“Easy, Boss,” I said while grabbing his shoulder, “I’ll be sure to show him the ropes, besides he’s my apprentice.”

“Wait Boss? You mean he’s…” Flash trails off.

“Indeed, young Flash Sentry, I am Lucifer MorningStar, or The Devil Himself, but in your case your new master,” Lucifer said with a curt nod.

“Y-You’re the one who brought Lock here and gave him his powers?” Flash asked.

“That I am, and I’d love to stay and get to know my new servant but I’m a busy Devil and must attend to some business. Have fun training your apprentice, Dimitri. Ta ta!” Lucifer said as he disappears.

“Don’t worry,” I said as I pat Flash’s back, “you’ll get used to it.”

“Ok…so what happens now?” Flash asks.

“Now,” I said as I lead him to the door, “you’re training begins.”

Flash and I were walking through the hallways of the castle towards the training grounds to begin his training. As we were walking I noticed we had eyes on us from the ponies we passed by. At first I thought they were starring at me again but I then realized they were all starring at Flash in total shock. What’s more is I even noticed any mares we passed by were blushing at Flash making Flash blush nervously himself.

“Not used to being the center of attention, huh?” I tease.

“Why are they all starring at me?” Flash asks.

“I can think of a few reasons,” I said as I gestured to his body, wings, and his arms especially.

“I don’t think they’re interested in just my appearance,” Flash said nervously.

“What makes you say that?” I wonder.

“I don’t know, but I feel like I’m forgetting something about this month. Something very important but I can’t place it,” Flash said.

“Well whatever it is, it can wait because we have more important matters to attend to. Such as discovering what kind of ability you have,” I said as I ignore any stares at me.

We eventually make it to the training grounds and conveniently there aren’t any ponies around which was a perfect opportunity.

“Now then,” I said turning to Flash, “how do you feel?”

“Huh?” Flash asks.

“How do you feel?” I repeat.

“Uh, well I feel stronger I guess?” Flash guesses.

“I see,” I nod, “describe your strength.”

“I don’t understand,” Flash said.

“Alright look,” I sigh, “I can understand why you’re in a bit of a stump on activating your powers. I kinda skipped these steps because Lucifer gave me the knowledge necessary to use my powers.”

“Why would he do that?” Flash asks.

“I didn’t exactly have any time to really practice on my own because Canterot was on the verge of being raided,” I counter.

“Oh…” Flash said.

“Anyway, try closing your eyes and concentrate,” I advise and Flash does so, “you say you feel stronger so I want you to try to find the source of your new found strength. Search deep within your soul and once you find that strength, grasp it and release it.”

Flash breathes in deeply as he focuses on bring out his power. He scrunches his muzzle a bit but calms down as his breathing becomes more soft and relaxed which means he was focusing more.

“Whenever I use my powers, my soul responds to what my mind wants what power I use. It also affects my body like whenever I use my flames it’s as if my whole body is made of fire, whenever I stretch my limbs to strike someone far away my body feels like it’s made of rubber, and as for my wings it feels like they’re the wings of an animal of some kind and I sometimes imagine what other kind of creatures I can morph my body into. The point is you must search within your soul with your mind to find the power you feel so you can unleash your ability,” I explain.

Flash concentrates more as he tries to look further into his soul for his ability. After a few minutes of no results I get a little worried it may not have worked. Suddenly, I hear what sounds like a crackle of electricity. I look up and see even though it’s late in the afternoon the sky had only a few clouds in the air with no signs of rain clouds. I hear the same crackle of electricity and look down and see Flash’s body faintly glow as small sparks of electricity start to spark from his body and wings. More and more sparks of electricity jump from Flash’s body and his eyes and wings shoot open.

I blink and Flash is not in front of me anymore and I look to my right and see him standing there for a split second and he appears right next to me. Soon he’s up in the air, to the left, behind me, on my right again, in front, until finally he stops whatever he was doing and falls to the ground on his hands and knees. I quickly walk over to him and he’s starring at his hands as electricity dances around his arms and legs.

“Whatishappeningtome?!” Flash asks so quick I barely understood him.

“Flash calm down, your power is fluctuating you need to breathe and calm down!” I said.

Flash nods his head so quickly it looked like a blur and he breathes just as fast. Eventually his breathing slows and the electricity on his arms and legs subside. Flash’s breathing then returns to normal and the electricity dissipates and he leans back and sits normally off his knees.

“What…was…that…?” Flash said between breathes.

I look around and see the whole area was covered in smoking steaks of black almost everywhere. Upon closer inspection I noticed what looked like hoof prints along the black streaks. After putting two and two together I managed to figure out what happened.

“Speed…” I said.

“Wha…?” Flash said still out of breath.

“Your power, it’s super speed,” I said as I helped Flash to his hooves.

“My power…is super speed?” Flash repeats.

“Yup, the lighting sparks, the black streaks of hoofsteps around us, the fact that every time I blink you’re already in another spot in the room, it’s all there. You’ve got super speed which means you can either run and fly at incredibly high speeds, which is kind of ironic given your name,” I joke.

“What about my name?” Flash questions.

“Nothing, just an inside joke,” I dismiss.

“Well now we know what my power is let’s get to training so we can take back Equestria!” Flash said as a few sparks jump from his body.

“Whoa there speedy, we can’t just jump into these kind of things off the get go. If we’re gonna do this we need to properly prepare and you just discovered your powers,” I said.

“But the Caribou will probably be planning their next attack on Canterlot! Not to mention there are still ponies and other creatures still suffering out there!” Flash argues.

“Need I remind you it’s been almost two weeks since my arrival I saved Canterot and liberated Ponyville yet the Caribou haven’t made any moves on us. Also if I’m being honest, let them come because my barrier that I put up around Canterot will stay standing for as long as there’s blood flowing through this heart of mine. I know you want to rid the world of those sick bastards as much as I do but we need to play this smart. Think of this also as your first responsible decision as a Captain, would you want to just jump into a fight with no plan and just go crazy wherever you go?” I explain.

“I-but-the…no,” Flash sighs in defeat, “Shinning wouldn’t do that either. You’re right that I need to train so I can get a better handle on these powers.”

“I’m glad you agree, and if it makes you feel any better if you focus and try hard enough, with your new super speed, we’ll hopefully be able to get you battle ready as quick as possible.” I said as I back up to give him some room.

“You’ve got a point, and having super speed does feel pretty cool,” Flash said as he opened and closed his hand.

“The first step is always the easiest,” I said, “now let’s start over so you can bring out your power again only this time let it flow more naturally.”

“You got it sir, let’s get to training!” Flash said.

Sir? This should be interesting, I think as I smirk.

Two weeks has passed since Flash became my apprentice and discovered his new abilities and I gotta say I’m impressed how well he’s adapted to his new power. True to my word, Flash has shown great progress in his training and is able to move at high speeds on his own without any more fluctuations. Throughout these couple of weeks I’ve also made sure to keep an eye out for any Caribou who might try and attack Canterot or take back Ponyville but they still haven’t made any moves yet. Regardless, if they have any sense in those thick skulls of theirs then word of my actions must have been past on to any witnesses so they would know to stay way unless they wish to taste my flames again.

I’ve also noticed that the Princesses have been even more busy of late with their duties despite being cooped up in the throne room all the time. When they heard about what happened to Flash, Cadance wanted to ring my ears off demanding why I would do such a thing to Flash but Flash reassured her it was his choice despite the many warnings I gave him. I wanted to speak with the Princesses about what the next move was for me in taking back Equestria, including the whereabouts of a certain Lord of Chaos, but for some reason they weren’t available even after they had done their duties.

Speaking of which, it would seem the whole city is acting strange since almost all the stallions, seem to be missing. Any stallion I did come across always hurried to to wherever they were going with oddly fearful expressions. Since the Princesses were still unavailable during these strange couple of weeks, I thought I’d pay a visit to Twilight and her friends after today’s training with Flash.

Flash and I were in the training grounds, which was again empty with barely anyone around, and Flash and I were in the air flying.

“Ok Flash, again,” I said.

Flash nods and he prepares himself as sparks of electricity fly off his wings. Flash soon bursts from his position with great speed and I watch a yellow streak trailed by lighting sparks speed off into the air. I try my best to watch Flash fly at incredible speeds through the clouds as he flies from one cloud to the next striking them out of the sky. Flash then appears in front of me a little out of breath and looks up at me with a smirk.

“This time I got them all,” Flash proclaims.

“You sure about that?” I said pointing behind him.

Flash turns around and in the distance were two clouds still floating in air and Flash groans as he lowers to the ground and I follow him.

“Damn, I thought I got them all…” Flash complains.

“Even though you’re flying at great speed you need to remember to pace yourself,” I said.

“Remind me why I need to pace myself when we’re fighting Caribou who don’t even have the same powers as us?” Flash asks.

“I would tell you but this conversation is best to be brought up with the Princesses, who seem to be constantly preoccupied which is starting to become annoying,” I grumble.

“They do have responsibilities, Lock, they can’t just drop what they’re doing to speak with you,” Flash said.

“What I have to tell them is very important Flash, so important I’m tempted to just barge in on any “important duty” they’re in the middle of and demand I be heard,” I said.

“Yeah well, I’m gonna go hit the showers,” Flash said as he walked away when a thought crossed my mind.

“Hey Flash,” I called out.

“Yes Lock?” Flash said as he turned back around.

“You ever get the feeling there’s something odd that’s been happening lately?” I ask.

“What do you mean?” Flash wonders.

“Well this is the third time this week, not to mention the many other times last week, that we’ve had the training grounds to ourselves,” I said looking around.

“Now that you mention it, there should be other soldiers here training but I haven’t seen any stallions except…” Flash trails off.

“Except mares,” I finish his sentence making him go wide eyed.

“Lock, what day is it?” Flash asks nervously. I checked my watch and saw it was the beginning of September, according to Earth standards.

“Well it’s Tuesday and it looks like just about the end of summer. We’ll be getting into Fall pretty soon.” I answered.

“Oh no…”

Before I could react, Flash grabs my arm and pulls me towards the stallions quarters as quick as he could. Once we were inside Flash peeks out the door and looks around and gently closes it before locking the door and even propping a chair onto it.

“You mind telling me why you barricaded us in the stallions quarters,” I question crossing my arms.

“Ok ok, uh, I know what’s going on with everything and why we always have the training grounds to ourselves. No wonder my buddies were acting so weird, how could I have missed it?” Flash said as he starts pacing back and forth.

“Flash,” I call out.

“It’s also the reason why I was always starred at by the mares, it had nothing to do with my height.”

“Flash.”

“Maybe we still have time, with our powers we can avoid any mare we come across.”

“Flash!”

“Although…there’s also the Princesses and the Elements which means it’ll probably be difficult to avoid them so we gotta-“

“FLASH SENTRY, WOULD YOU STOP RAMBLING TO YOURSELF AND TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!” I shout.

“Ssssshhh, they’ll hear you!” Flash whispered.

“Who the hell is they?!” I whisper back.

“The mares! Who else?!” Flash counters.

“The mares? Why are we avoiding the mares?” I question.

“Wait, you don’t know?” Flash asks.

“Uh hello? Human? New to this world? Not really familiar with all that goes on around here yet?” I said sarcastically.

“Right, well to put it simply it’s very crucial we avoid any mare that may be lurking around the castle,” Flash said.

“Why’s that?” I wonder.

“Because…the Heat will soon be upon us,” Flash said.

“I’m sorry, what? The hell is “the Heat”?” I deadpan.

“Every season, mares go into Heat and become very sexually frustrated so they go around and try to catch any stallion they see to help ease their estrus cycles. Right now is the fall heat! But it’s too early!” Flash explains.

“Wait, sexually frustrated? You serious? That sounds dumb,” I deadpan.

“But Lock it’s true,” Flash defends, “those mares go crazy whenever the heat kicks in and when they catch you they always try to force you to mate with them. I’ve heard it’s pure agony for stallions since there’s always a risk of their pelvises being crushed,” Flash said with a shiver.

“Ok I’ve heard enough,” I said while walking to the door.

“Wait Lock, where’re you going?! You can’t go out there with all those mares running around!” Flash said trying to stop me.

“No offense Flash, but everything you just said about whatever the hell this “Heat” is, is probably the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” I said as I remove the chair.

“But what if those mares catch you? You’ll be forced to mate with them!” Flash warns me again.

“Again, it’s all very stupid sounding and even if what you said is true I doubt I can’t handle any sex crazed mares that come after me. You’re more than welcome to sneak back to your room or wherever else the stallions have chosen to hide but I’m going to see the Princesses,” I said as I unlocked the door.

“The Princesses?!” Flash yelps.

“You seriously need to relax, Flash, and I’ll hear not another word about it,” I said as I opened the door.

As soon as I opened the door, I’m met with multiple eyes starring at me and Flash. There must’ve been at least over a dozen mares consisting of soldiers, maids, and even some noble mares standing outside the door with deep blushes spread across their muzzles. They all look at me and Flash with lidded eyes and some even lick their lips seductively as I just stand there with a blank expression. I then slowly close the door, lock it again and place the chair back against the door.

“Ok,” I said, “maybe it’s not as stupid as I thought…”

BANG BANG BANG

“Oh no! They found us!” Flash panics.

“No shit, Sherlock! Quick, is there a back door here?!” I quickly ask.

“Yes, this way!” Flash said gesturing me to follow him.

BANG BANG BANG

“Oh boys~” I heard one of the mares call out, “why did you lock yourselves in here~?”

“Don’t you want to spend some fun time with us mares~?” Another calls out.

“We promise to treat you very well and make you feel very good~” A mare coos.

“You must admit, this all does sound tempting,” Lucifer said as he appears next to us.

“Not now, Boss/Sir!” We both yell at Lucifer as we make our way to the back door.

We both run to the other side of the quarters and see a back door leading out the other way of the training grounds. Flash was about to reach out and open it but I stop him by grabbing his shoulder. I step in front of him gesturing him to wait, despite the door still constantly banging, and slowly open the door a crack. I peek outside and with the coast clear I nod back to Flash and he walks out with me and I close the door.

CRASH

“Where are they?! Those stallions are here somewhere!”

“We must find Dimitri Lockdrom and Flash Sentry and have them ease our heat! I can already feel those wings of theirs wrapping around me~!”

“I honestly wouldn’t mind raising a foal or two if they came from Lockdrom, I’d be able to boost my noble status exponentially if he were to become my mate.”

“Are they fucking serious right now?!” I deadpan as we start to run.

“We gotta get out of here!” Flash said running behind me.

I then start to feel multiple presences around us meaning more mares heard all the commotion. I try and think of places to hide but nowhere comes to mind except one place they’d never expect.

“Flash,” I said as we ran, “there may be a place we can hide but it’s not exactly an ideal place.”

“Wherever it is, it’s better than here! Where is it?!” Flash asks.

“The liberated town,” I answered making him arch a brow but soon goes wide eyed at what I mean.

“Are you sure, Lock? It’s not really an appropriate place to hide,” Flash said.

Suddenly a couple shadows loom over us and we look up and see two pegasus mares try to dive bomb us but we managed to dodge them just in time but they’re now chasing us along with some other mares who have joined them. I look over my shoulder and see each and every one of them have predatory lustful gazes and I even see some of them wearing nothing but underwear which made me blush.

“You got a better idea?!” I snap as I look back at Flash.

“But what if they follow us?!” Flash yells

“I’ll deal with it! You just get to the town and wait for me there!” I said.

“But Lock-“

“GO NOW FLASH, THAT’S AN ORDER!” I command.

Flash was hesitant at first but nodded and activated his power and rushed out an open window with great speed and flew towards Ponyville.

“What the buck was that?!” A mare behind me shouted.

“Flash Sentry disappeared!”

“It matters little! Dimitri Lockdrom is still here and he’ll be more than enough to ease our heat!”

“I ain’t ready to be a dad now and I sure as hell won’t be anytime soon, ladies!” I yelled back as I pulled out my ear buds and phone. I put my ear buds in and scrolled through my playlist and hit play on the song before tucking my phone back in my pocket.

I continue my sprint through the hallways of the castle while jumping, dodging, and somersaulting past any mare who tried to tackle me to the ground. I turn the corner and am met with another group of mares and both sides try to box me in. I quickly unfurl my wings and give a sharp flap while jumping on the wall on my right and run along it while avoiding the group of mares in front of me. Once I clear the group I jump off the wall with a front flip and land on my feet and look over my shoulder with a shit eating grin.

“You gotta do better than that, ladies!” I mock as I continue my sprint.

I eventually make it outside in the middle of the courtyard but I bring myself to a grinding halt. Before I knew it I was completely surrounded by what seemed like every mare in the castle or the city alone for that matter. As usual I see each and every one of them with deep blushes, lustful gazes, and some wearing little to no clothing as I try my best to avoid looking at them. I relax my body a bit so I could try and talk them down to buy myself time to catch my breath and I pause my music.

“Do you all seriously have nothing better to do than trying to get laid? Considering the state Equestria is in?” I said giving them all a stern deadpan.

“Well it’s not our fault this happens to us mares every season,” A mare said while fiddling with her dress strap.

“We always require the aid of a stallion when we get like this, besides why resist when this would be a great chance to rut us all to your hearts content~”

“Hate to break it to you all but I already said I don’t intend to become a father anytime soon. Besides I prefer to keep my pelvis in working condition” I said as I spread my wings to take off.

“Ooh, I just love it when when he spreads his wings like that~” I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

I turn around and see, to my shock, both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walk from the crowd out in the open with blushes and lustful gazes of their own. Although I feel a slight uneasy feeling in my gut when I look at Celestia because she seems to look more dangerous than the others. Her mane and tail went from her usual multicolored style to a grayish pink and Luna’s mane and tail seemed to twinkle a lot more than usual.

“I’m surprised you and your sister decided to get in on the action,” I said.

“We may be the rulers of Equestria but we’re still mares, Lock,” Celestia said as she licked her lips.

“Indeed, personally I would very much like to wrap myself in those wonderful wings of yours. I regret I was not able to jump at the opportunity to feel them the other day,” Luna said as she stares at my wings.

“Forgive my blunt tone, your majesties, but what you want you surely won’t get and that’s a damn promise I intend to keep,” I said as I lower my body and raise my wings.

I was about to press play on my phone when in the corner of my eye I see Twilight and her friends had come out as well. Unlike her friends, Twilight also had a blush on her muzzle but she looked to be in pain which made me hesitate a bit.

Does the Heat cause some kind of discomfort? I wonder.

I’m brought out of my thoughts when a blast of magic comes hurdling towards me and I just barely dodge it and flap my wings as hard as I could and shoot into the air while pressing play on my phone. As the song was nearing its end I continue to fly higher into the air and any pegasi mares, even Rainbow Dash, couldn’t keep up with me due to the high altitude. The song ends and I’m many miles in the sky and I look down at the city and watch the group of mares reluctantly scatter so they could search for any other stallions to sink their horny claws into.

“Man, that was a chore,” I grumble.

I was about to fly over to Ponyville and meet Flash when I get a thirsty feeling in my throat. I may have just escaped a rather precarious situation but right now I could really use a drink. I quickly, but quietly, glide back down towards the castle and find the window that lead to my guest room. After checking around once more to see if I was followed or spotted, I opened the window and hopped inside once the coast was clear. I tiptoed towards the nightstand and saw my bottle of scotch sitting there right where I left it.

“Geez, the lengths I went through to come back for you…” I said.

“You came back here for us? Gotta say we must pretty lucky if you did that~.”

I flinch at the sudden, yet familiar voice, behind me and I slowly turn my head to look over my shoulder. Standing in front of the door was Spitfire and even Fleetfoot with both their hands on their hips and giving me their own shit eating grins.

“Hey there, sexy~,” Spitfire winks.

“Love your wings, handsome~,” Fleetfoot said.

“Aw fuck me…” I groan.

Author's Note

This is why alcohol is never good for you, it always leads to trouble. Also I thought it’d be fitting for Flash to get super speed, for obvious reasons, so I hope you all approve. Next chapter…clop? Who knows! You’ll have to wait and see! Thanks for reading!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil’s Disposition and A Princess’s Feelings

Chapter 10

It was bad enough I was chased all around the castle by a group of horny mares who wanted to literally manhandle me into mating with them, now I’m in the presence of two equally horny mares who no doubt wanted the same thing. Spitfire and Fleetfoot begin to walk towards me with a sway in their step but I turn my body around and give them a harsh glare making them stop in their tracks.

“What’s wrong, Lock, why are you looking at us like that?” Spitfire asks.

“Yeah, don’t you want to spend some quality time with us? It’s not often you get an opportunity to mate with two sexy mares like us,” Fleetfoot said as she winks at me.

“Well let me be crystal clear to the both of you,” I snap, “I’m not in the mood to mate with anyone right now, especially neither of you.”

“Are you sure you wanna turn us down?” Spitfire said as she starts to unfurl her wings. Fleetfoot does the same and they look like they were about to lunge at me but I grit my teeth and activate my flames. Embers flicker off my body as I continue to glare at them and they then start to back down and look fearful of me.

“Stand aside…” I growl.

They both look at each other and step to the side and I walk past them to the door while tucking my bottle of scotch in my jacket pocket. Before I open the door I look over my shoulder and see Spitfire and Fleetfoot still looking at me fearfully.

“Don’t be here if I come back,” I command and I walk out the door.

I was pissed, beyond pissed that something so stupid that this Heat would cause mares to act so incomprehensible that they’d resort to attacking stallions just to satiate their own needs. As I was marching through the halls of the castle my flames were still burning due to my rage and I was leaving burning footprints in my wake. I ignored any mare who spotted me and I glared daggers at any who dared try to approach me which made them tremble in fear as they backed off. If I wasn’t in the mood to mate before I sure as hell am not now and someone is going to answer for this inexcusable behavior.

“Dimitri, I believe you should calm down,” Lucifer said as he appears next to me.

Not now, Lucifer, I’m not in the mood for your banter, I snap in my head.

“Do you think getting angry over something so trivial is worth the consequences that may follow?” He asks.

I honestly could give a shit because all this is so fucking stupid. So do yourself a favor and get lost because they’re going to answer for this wether they want to or not, I sneer.

“Very well, I suppose you have the right to be displeased so I’ll leave you to it,” Lucifer sighs as he disappears.

I continue my enraged march to the throne room where Molestia and the others are no doubt discussing how to capture me or Flash so they could satisfy themselves which made me even more enraged at the mere thought. I turn the last corner and spot the throne room doors and almost break into a run towards them. As I near the doors I lift one of my legs and kick the doors open causing them slam and almost break off their hinges. As expected, Celestia, Luna, and the Mane Six were startled at my abrupt entrance and look at me in shock. My flames seem to flicker more violently when I notice they have a couple stallion guards actually tied up and their trousers were about to be undone.

“Lock? Is that you?” Celestia asks.

“Let…them…go…now…“ I growl with venom in my voice. All the mares start to tremble in fear as Celestia immediately unties the stallions and they redo their pants and run past me and out the door.

“What the ever living fuck were you all about to do to them…” I ask. They say nothing and look at each other which makes me lose my patience.

“TELL ME!!!” I scream as a wave of flames burst from by body.

My wings unfurl instinctively and each of the feathers are coated with flames. If I could see myself now I’d probably look like a demon straight out of Hell but I’m too pissed to care.

“We…” Celestia stutters, “W-We just n-needed somepony t-to help ease our h-heat…”

“So you thought it was a good idea to hogtie a couple guards and rape them?” I accuse.

“Rape?” Luna asks, “this isn’t rape, they were just-“

“THEN WHAT THE FUCK ELSE IS IT SUPPOSED TO BE?!?” I scream again making some of them cower in fear.

“I thought Flash was just over exaggerating, that you mares literally hunt down males to satisfy your own sick sexual desires. I wanted to train my apprentice without any distractions so that I could properly prepare him to join me in taking back more of Equestria and the rest of this planet,” I lecture as I pace back and forth keeping my glare, “only I find myself being chased all around the castle without warning, I sent Flash away so I could save his ass putting his training to an abrupt halt, and I come back to my guest room to find two more mares attempting to tackle me to the ground and have their way with me, without my consent no less. I pity any male who had to deal with this bullshit before the Fall because I imagine they were the ones who were living in fear as they always dreaded the time the Heat began.”

“How else are we supposed to ease ourselves then?!” Rainbow Dash bravely argues, “It’s not our fault we get like this every season!”

“THAT’S NO EXCUSE TO FORCE THOSE TO MATE WITH YOU AGAINST THEIR WILL!” I yell, “If anything you’re all a bunch hypocrites…” I accuse making them gasp.

“What did you say?” Celestia asks a bit agitated.

“You heard me, Sun Butt, what you mares are doing to males are no different than what the Caribou are doing,” I sneer.

Celestia’s mane and tail then bursts into flames as she screams in fury and flies at me with her fist raised. I stand my ground as she reels back and attempts to punch me but I grab her fist and force her to the ground pinning her.

“Celestia/Sister!” The others cry as they run towards us.

“STAY THE FUCK BACK!!!” I roar as I use my wing to create a line of flames to separate us. Celestia struggles to free herself as I keep my grip on her and I look down at her.

“YOU DARE COMPARE THE SEASON OF HEAT TO WHAT THOSE MONSTERS ARE DOING TO MY LITTLE PONIES ACROSS EQUESTRIA?!?” Celestia yells while glaring at me with some tears in her eyes.

“I honestly don’t give a fuck what I compare it to,” I sneer, “it’s still rape regardless who the guilty party is and your Heat is just a lame excuse for you to just get off. If anything you all should be ashamed of yourselves for not even thinking about how the males feel. And you know something…” I said as I lean down to speak in her ear, “I can somewhat understand why the Caribou call you and your sister the slut Princesses…”

Celestia goes wide eyed as she screams in anger and struggles to release herself from my grip but I still hold strong. I grew tired of her screaming and I reach down with my other hand and position it in front of her muzzle. My hand releases a gas like substance that Celestia breathes in making her struggles slowly weaken. Her mane and tail return to normal and Celestia goes limp as she falls into unconsciousness. I release her and stand up as she lays their motionless while steadily breathing and I sigh as I cancel the line of flames separating us from the others.

“I expected more from you, Celestia,” I said disappointed, “I expected more from all of you,” I said as I looked up to the others.

“Do not follow me,” I said as I turned around, “do not try to contact me, and do not even think about going against me. You have yourselves to blame for what happened this day. Make sure she realizes she may have just lost a valuable ally in this war,” I said.

Without another word I turned around and walked out of the throne room. I could feel the heavy atmosphere behind me as my words started to ring true since they now realize what I said was the truth. I knew I wasn’t going to be welcomed here in Canterlot anymore so as soon as I was outside the castle I took to the skies. For the rest of the flight I said nothing, there was nothing to say anyway after what happened. Here I thought the Caribou were the only ones guilty of sin, only it turns out even the rulers of Equestria aren’t as innocent as I thought.

A little while later I land on top of the hill near Ponyville where I landed last time. I look around the town and see that it looks almost completely abandoned from the lack of ponies since they’re all in Canterot now. I was about to walk down the hill when I hear a teleportation spell behind me go off making me sigh annoyed.

“I thought I made it perfectly clear not to follow-“ I stop speaking as I turn around to see Twilight.

“Twilight? What are you doing here?” I ask.

Twilight’s eyes are red and her face is stained with tears and she’s whimpering as she looks up at me. Before I could say anything else, Twilight rushes to me and hugs me as tight as she could and sobs into my chest. I stand there shocked at her actions as she cries and begins to sink to the ground. I follow her down and we’re both on our knees and she still clings to me as she continues to cry. I’m at a loss what to do and I can think of nothing else but gently wrap my arms around her and stroke her mane to try and calm her down.

“I’m *sniff* I’m so sorry!” Twilight cries.

“What?” I ask.

Twilight looks up at me with more tears streaming down her face as she sniffles and her arms tremble uncontrollably around me.

“You *sniff* you were right…” she said, “how could we be so stupid?! Just because of this dumb estrus cycle, mares never considered how the stallions felt! I only *sniff* went along with Celestia and the others because they said you would help us, I didn’t know they were going to try and force you! I’m so sorry they did that to you! Please don’t leave us!” Twilight cries.

“Twilight I-“

“Please don’t leave me!” Twilight said out of nowhere.

She gasps and breaks her hold on me and backs away with a mortified expression. I too am shocked at what she said and I look at her with an equally surprised look.

“What…what do you mean?” I hesitancy ask.

“I-I…” Twilight struggles to speak.

“Twilight,” I said repositioning myself so I sit crisscrossed, “what do you mean don’t leave you?” I ask again.

Twilight panics and looks around thinking she wanted to fly away but her body doesn’t move. I sigh and unfurl my right wing and gesture her to sit next to me.

“Please sit here, Twilight,” I said.

Twilight takes a deep breath and hesitantly nods and slowly walks over to me and sits next to me. I slowly wrap my wing around her and Twilight flinches a little but sighs in my wing’s embrace as she nuzzles my wing’s feathers a little.

“Feel better?” I ask.

“Yes…” she said sadly.

“Look, Twilight, I’m sorry I pinned Celestia like that but she forced my hand when she attacked me,” I said.

“Even though it was frightening seeing my teacher like that, especially what you did to her, she had no right to attack you like that,” Twilight said.

“Well I did say something that was a little uncalled for, plus I basically insulted her and Luna to her face,” I said.

“What you said was cruel, Lock, so cruel I should be mad at you and demand you return to Canterlot and apologize to Celestia and the others,” Twilight said as she grips my wing.

“Then why don’t you?” I ask.

“Because I know you didn’t mean it, you were just lashing out because you were angry,” Twilight said.

“I guess my temper got the better of me when I insulted her but what I said about the mares forcing stallions to mate with them is wrong, I won’t take it back,” I stated.

“I know, and you’re right to feel that way, whenever my estrus cycle starts I always hold myself up in my room and use magic to suppress it. Even before I came here I used the same spell to suppress my Heat as much as I could so I could talk to you,” Twilight said.

“I see, well thanks for being so considerate, It’d be a shame if you hated me for what happened,” I said.

“Of course, I don’t want you to hate me either…” Twilight said as she looks up at me.

“So what did you mean when you said, “don’t leave me”?” I ask. Twilight blushes and looks away while fiddling with a few feathers from my wing.

“W-well, it’s just, I was just…” Twilight said nervously.

“Twilight,” I said making her look up at me, “ you can be honest with me. You’re not at fault for what happened and I want to apologize for yelling at you and your friends. I lashed out because I was angry and I didn’t think about what I was saying. Just know that no matter what you say I won’t think any differently of you,” I said.

Twilight blushes again and looks down briefly before looking up into my eyes with new tears forming.

“I…I like…you…“

“Excuse me?” I said.

“I said,” Twilight said as she slowly leans up to me, “I like you…” she said as she closes her eyes and presses her lips on mine.

My eyes go wide as I’m at a loss for both actions and words as Twilight kisses me. I was about to pull away and end the kiss as quick as it happened but Twilight grips my wing and pulls it closer to her as she leans more into the kiss. My heart must’ve been beating faster than I thought it ever could and my eyes began to grow heavy. Soon my eyes also close and I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close. I soon felt what can only be described as fireworks going off in my mind as Twilight continued to kiss me and she released my wing and wrapped her arms around my neck. A while later, our kiss ends and I open my eyes as Twilight opens hers and her muzzle is a bright pink. Twilight’s Horn glows and I notice her stomach area shines and her blush lowers a bit.

“Sorry, my estrus kicked in a bit so I had to uses magic to keep it down,” Twilight said with a smile.

“You…like me?” I ask. Twilight nods and rests her head in my chest.

“Yes, I do like you, Lock…” Twilight confesses.

“But I don’t understand, how could you like someone like me?” I ask.

“It’s because you remind me of Shining,” Twilight said.

“Shining?” I said.

“Yes, Shining was always there for me and protected me as a big brother should. He also told me how proud of he was of me when I got good grades in magic school or saved Equestria from being taken over. He also was very happy for me when I became a Princess, so happy he kept sobbing tears of joy,” Twilight giggled.

“Yeah,” I said remembering the very episode she was talking about, “he does sound like the emotional type.”

“When he passed away, I thought I wouldn’t have anypony else to tell me that they would protect me or tell me how proud they are of me. I know I always hear it from Celestia, Cadence, and my parents but it was different when it came from Shining. But when you promised Shining you would fight for us and for Flurry Heart I new you were a good human. When you helped liberate my home,” she said as she looked at Ponyville, “you kept your promise to Shinning which made me very happy.”

“I only freed one town, Twilight, it’s not exactly the push I intended against the Caribou,” I said.

“But you will free the rest of Equestria, won’t you?” Twilight asks.

“Of course, I intend to free all of this world from Dainn’s tyranny, me and Flash both,” I said.

“That’s another thing I like most about you,” Twilight said as she nuzzles my chest, “your conviction to fight for us. Shinning was the same way as a soldier, he fought for his city and kept it safe all the way until his end.”

“But what about what I am?” I ask, “I’m still a dark being and you’ve seen what I become when enraged. What you saw is what my enemies will see whenever I go into battle.”

“I don’t care, Lock,” Twilight said as she looks up to me with a warm smile, “I told you before I would support you no mater what you do. When you left the castle I was so afraid you would leave us for good, I was afraid…you would leave me for good,” She said with a blush.

“You would share your feelings with a dark soul like mine?” I ask.

Twilight leans up ad kisses me again but this time I don’t hesitate as I wrap my other wing around the Princess of Friendship and she sighs into the kiss. She pulls back and I stare into her beautiful eyes and I see the love and affection she has for me which means her feelings were as true as the words she spoke.

“I would, Lock, because I love you for who you are and not what you are,” Twilight said.

I feel something wet fall from my face which makes me wipe my cheek with my left hand. When I look at my palm I see a drop of liquid on it and I feel more wet drops fall from my face. It soon dawned on me that these were tears and they were coming from my eyes which meant I was crying.

“What…? What is this…?” I said as I tried to wipe away my tears, “Why am I crying of all things…?”

“It’s ok to let your emotions out, Lock, I’ll be here for you whenever you cry,” Twilight said.

“Damn, when you say stuff like that I can’t help but feel something I almost forgot about…” I said as my voice broke a little.

“What’s that?” Twilight asks.

This time it was my turn to kiss Twilight as I wrap both my arms around her and hold her close as I move both my wings to envelope the two of us. As I kiss her my tears flow from my eyes and Twilight holds me closer as her own tears begin to fall. This feeling…so long have I gone through most of my life without truly experiencing it and I thought I’d never get the chance to especially after I was discharged. I break my kiss with Twilight and smile warmly at her as I cup her cheek.

“Happiness, Twilight, I’m feeling more happy then I ever have in my life and it’s thanks to you,” I said.

“So does this mean…you like me to?” Twilight asks shyly with a blush.

“Yes, yes I do,” I said hugging her close, “I love you, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“And I love you too, Dimitri Lockdrom,” Twilight sighed.

Shining Armor, I think, I will protect her. I will protect Twilight with all of my soul and keep my promise to you. I will free this world, even if it takes the rest of my ageless life.

After confessing our feelings to each other and sitting on the hill a little while longer, I lead Twilight through the abandoned town of Ponyville while holding her hand. This feeling of happiness still beats within my soul since I’m holding hands with the one mare I personally liked more than any of the other ponies. What made me even more happier is she loves me, me of all people who serves The Dark Lord of Hell as his Hand.

“This place feels so empty with no pony around…” Twilight said sadly, “how could the Caribou destroy part of this once peaceful town?” She said while gesturing to some of the destroyed buildings.

“Oh, that was actually me…” I said sheepishly.

“Wait, you did that?” Twilight asks arching a brow.

“I may have gone a bit overboard when I liberated Ponyville, I was mostly blowing off steam after Shining’s funeral,” I admit to her.

“Hmm, well as long as it was for a good cause then I suppose I can forgive you,” Twilight said as she hugs my arm, “it’s nice to know my coltfriend is so passionate about showing those Caribou not to anger him or this is the result.”

“Yeah…wait coltfriend? Don’t you mean boyfriend?” I ask.

“Is that how you said it back on Earth?” Twilight asks and I nod, “Well here we say coltfriend and marefriend but it’s interesting how differently you say it,” Twilight said as she summoned a paper and quill pen and started writing things down.

“Well it’s also nice to know my cute marefriend is a bookworm who likes to learn new things,” I chuckle.

“You think I’m cute?” Twilight asks while blushing a little as she looks up at me.

“Of course, wouldn’t be much of a coltfriend if I didn’t,” I said.

“Thank you, Lock, that means a lot,” she said before kissing me on the cheek.

“By the way, how’re you feeling right now? Is your Heat acting up?” I wonder.

“Well the spell I casted does help and I only feel a little uncomfortable but I can manage,” Twilight said.

“Must be quite the spell to keep your Heat suppressed, I noticed you were a little in pain before I made my escape from the group of mares back in Canterlot,” I said.

“Well I admit it was difficult at first but I managed to build up the spell over the years so now I can cast it no problem, even though it doesn’t get rid of the feeling completely. You just saw me before I cast the spell,”

“I see, well so long as you’re not in pain that’s all that matters to me,” I said.

“Aw, I knew you were a softy on the inside,” Twilight teases poking my cheek.

“Careful, Twilight, I’m still The Devil’s Hand so you should tread carefully on what you say next,” I chuckle.

“Well I personally think it’s worth it,” Twilight said with a smile as she nuzzles my arm.

“Lock!”

We’re brought out of our thoughts and look up to see Flash flying over to us with a hopeful smile. He lands on the ground and walks over to us but when he sees Twilight he gets a little nervous.

“Relax, Flash, Twilight has her heat under control, she’s fine,” I reassure him.

“Ok…but why are you two holding hands?” Flash asks. Twilight blushes and holds my arm and tried to hide her face with it which makes me chuckle.

“It’s a long story but to make it short I had a bit of a “disagreement” with Celestia and the others so I decided to stay here in Ponyville until further notice,” I inform Flash making his eyes go wide a bit, “and as for why I’m holding Twilight’s hand it’s because she’s my marefriend now,” I bluntly making him go slack jawed.

“Wh-Wh-Wha…? You and Princess Twilight?” Flash asks dumbly.

“Yup,” I answer.

“How…?”

“Again, it’s a long story and I’ll tell you about it later. Right now I just need to find a place to sleep and call my new place,” I said looking around.

“You mean we need to find a place to sleep,” Twilight said as she lead me with her, “and I know just the place.”

“Wait, you’re not going back to Canterot?” I ask.

“And you aren’t as well, Lock?” Flash asks me.

“You and I are together now, Lock, and I want to spend as much time with you as possible. Besides even though your barrier is protecting us from any more Caribou from attacking us, I was growing tired of being cooped up in the castle,” Twilight said.

“Ok but what about your family and friends?” I ask.

“Well I can’t call them with my P-Phone since the signal from Cloudsdale is down, so I’ll still write to them and send them letters so they know I’m safe and sound. The place where we will stay, if the Caribou haven’t desecrated it yet, is also a safe place since it’s somewhere I know we can rest easy,” Twilight said.

“Where’re we gonna stay then?” I ask.

“The Castle of Friendship, of course,” Twilight said with a smile.

Soon enough we arrive at the crystal made structure in question and it stands as proudly as the episode when it raised from the ground. I was expecting it to be damaged and broken into from the Caribou but the doors remained closed and it looked like all the windows were sealed shut along with the any other openings.

“That’s odd, looks like the castle didn’t fall like the rest of the town,” Flash said.

“I wonder,” Twilight muttered as she approached the door.

When she walked up the steps the castle began to glow a little and I heard what sounded like a huge lock unbuckling and the door began to open on its own. Twilight gasps and places a hand on one of the crystal pillars and smiles as she rests her head on it.

“You kept them out all this time,” Twilight whispered happily, “thank you.”

“It seems the castle was waiting for your return,” I said as I walked up and placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder.

“Yes, let’s head inside,” Twilight said.

“What about you Flash?” I ask my apprentice.

“What?” He asks.

“Are you gonna stay or are you gonna head back to Canterot?” I question.

“Um, well since I came here to hide from the mares I think I’ll stick with you and Princess Twilight,” Flash said

“Fair enough,” I shrug, “come on inside.”

Flash nods and follows us in through the doors. As we were walking through the halls I take in my surroundings as I gaze upon the interior of the castle. It all looked very much like it did in the show and as I stare at the beautiful crystal walls and windows of the castle, even though it all looked like it could use a serious dusting. Twilight leads us through another set of doors and I’m met with a familiar sight, Twilight’s Cutie Map even though it was deactivated.

“It’s still here, after all this time,” Twilight said as she runs her hand along her throne.

I look around and see all the other thrones for Twilight’s friends. Each one of them also had as much dust as the others which makes me frown a bit.

“This will not do,” I said gaining their attention, “this will not do at all.”

“What will not do?” Flash said.

“Twilight, would you be a dear and open the front doors again? And Flash you open the other doors as well and keep them open,” I said to both of them.

“Uh, ok sure Lock,” Flash said as he reopened the doors. Twilight nods with a smile and runs off down the hall to open the front doors.

I walk to the other side of the room and look down the two open doors and see the outside. Nodding, I unfurl my wings and raise them high above my shoulders.

“I’d stand behind the doors if I were you two!” I call out to them.

They both follow my advice and hid behind one of the doors and I smirk. I then flap my wings sharply and a gale of wind spins around the room picking up all the dust. I give my wings one more sharp flap and send the gale of winds out both the doors while picking up all the dust throughout the hallway and out the door. Once all the dust is carried out I take another look around and see that everything is now spotless without a speck of dust to be seen.

“Perfect,” I said with a smile, “you two can come out and shut the doors now!” I call out to Twilight and Flash again.

Flash pokes his head out from behind the door and looks around starring at the now clean hallways. I see Twilight at the end of the hallway close the doors and teleports in front of me. She the jumps on me while wrapping her arms around my neck and I catch her by hugging her as she kisses me. After she breaks away she stares up at me with a happy smile and nuzzles me under my chin.

“Thank you for cleaning, Lock, I should have you do that every time I clean the castle,” Twilight said.

“Don’t get too used to it, Twilight, you also gotta pull your weight around here sometimes,” I tease.

“Man,” Flash said as he walks out from behind the door, “those wings of yours are just full of surprises, aren’t they Lock?” Flash said.

“That and other things,” I joke as I put Twilight down.

Suddenly, the Cutie Map shines a bright light and the entire map of Equestria and the other Kingdoms. Twilight, Flash, and I walk towards the map and stare at it as we gaze upon the holographic image of the lands. It may look like how it did in the show but I know that each of these kingdoms are suffering.

“Whoa,” Flash said, “is this that map you and the other Elements used for those quests of yours, Princess Twilight?”

“Yes,” Twilight said sadly, “we only used it for a short while before the Caribou invaded. Now it only shows what Equestria used to be before the Fall.”

“Don’t worry, Twilight,” I said placing a hand on he back, “we will work together so Equestria can return to its former glory.” Twilight smiles at me but then gains a bit of a painful expression which made me worried. Her horn glows again and her lower stomach shines which means she casted the suppression spell again. Twilight begins to fall but I catch her and scoop her up carry her bridal style.

“We can plan for taking back Equestria after the Heat has passed,” I said as Twilight looks up at me, “for now I think you should rest until it passes. Flash, there should be some guest rooms down the west halls so take one for yourself.”

“You got it, Lock,” Flash salutes and walks away to the guest rooms.

“So,” I said looking down at my marefriend, “shall we put you to bed?”

“Yes please…” Twilight sighs as she nuzzles into my chest.

I chuckle and walk out of the map room towards where I hope I remember where her room was. After a few minutes of walking I opened the door at the end of the east hall into Twilight’s room. I walk inside and close the door behind me and lay Twilight on the bed as she looks up at me with sleepy eyes.

“Sleep well, Twilight, we’ve got a busy schedule after this week,” I said as I kissed her forehead.

“Lock,” Twilight said grabbing my hand, “you’ll still be here when I wake up right?”

“Always, Twilight, I promise,” I said with a smile.

“I love you, Lock,” Twilight said as she falls asleep.

“I love you too, Twilight,” I said as I left for the door.

I turn around before closing the door and see Twilight sleeping with a smile and I smile back as I quietly close the door. I make my way to the west halls and I pick out a random guest room to sleep in, which was conveniently next to Flash’s room and I could hear him snoring which made me chuckle as I walked inside. I kicked off my shoes while placing my bottle of scotch on the dresser and tossed off my clothes on the nearby chair and sat on the bed and sighed.

“Well today certainly could’ve gone better,” I mumble as I comb my hair with my hand.

“I’m not one to say I told you so, but I agree that all could have indeed gone much smoother had you kept your temper in check,” Lucifer said as he appears off to the side.

“What’s done is done,” I dismiss, “I’ll just have to lay low here for a while until they all calm down.”

“So, you and Twilight I see,” Lucifer teases and smiles a shit eating grin under his hood.

“You seriously gonna tease me over who I choose to have a relationship with?” I deadpan.

“Not at all, in fact I’m glad you were able to open your heart to someone, you deserve it Dimitri,” Lucifer said.

“If you say so,” I shrug and lay down on the bed, “it all finally begins next week. We’ll have to be ready to properly make our move.”

“Indeed, the Sins have no idea who they are crossing but they soon will,” Lucifer said as he disappeared.

I nod as I stare up at the ceiling and think about all that’s happened today. I now have someone in my life who I will protect and I will return her home to what it once was for her, she deserves that much. I yawn and slowly close my eyes as I drift off to sleep.

Author's Note

The Devil’s Hand and his loyal apprentice are finally preparing to make their move. Which Sin will Lock go after first? All will be revealed in the next chapter! Thanks for reading!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Second Chances and The Devil’s Battle Plans

Chapter 11

It’s been a week since Heat Season and my falling out with Celestia and the others. Ever since that day I’ve been wondering how I’d play out the rest of my stay here in Equestria while I’m fighting the Caribou. I have absolutely no intention of apologizing what I said to her and Luna and I don’t regret it in the slightest. If anything they are the ones who owe me and the rest of the unbrainwashed stallions an apology for being hypocrites, especially during these times. During the week I had Flash do a bit of reconnaissance on the nearby cities so we could plan our next move properly. According to Flash each major city is filled with Caribou and traitor stallions, along with any poor souls who are under the influence of the Crystal Cock and the slaves who’re still being tortured. Fortunately, from what Flash has told me, there doesn’t seem to as much defense around the cities as I thought. Guess Dainn and the Sins figured they wouldn’t need it since Equestria had fallen so quickly, boy will they soon regret not taking precautions.

I slowly open my eyes and look up at the ceiling and yawn. I rub my eyes with my left hand and was about to get up when I feel something on my right. I lift my head up and look down to find Twilight in her pj’s sleeping with my wing draped over her and she’s hugging my arm while resting her head on my chest. True to Twilight’s word, she held herself up in her room during Heat Week and only came out whenever she casted the suppression spell on herself to eat. Guess she snuck in here as soon as her heat ended so she could be with me so I couldn’t really blame her, especially since she’s now my marefriend. I smiled and gently stroked her mane making her hum contently and nuzzle more into my chest as she pulled my wing closer to her. I’ve always found her to be a little more cuter than Fluttershy, while others might disagree, and having her here with me is almost too good to be true since she’s just as adorable in person. Twilight stirs from her sleep and lazily looks up at me as I continue to smile down at her.

“Well good morning, beautiful,” I said to her.

Twilight’s eyes widen a she blushes deeply and buries her face in my chest and pulls my wing over her more to cover her.

“G-Good morning…” I hear her say through my chest.

“Oh come now,” I said using my left hand to cup her cheek and make her look at me, “you don’t need to feel embarrassed for waking up next to me or me calling you beautiful because you are. Besides the Heat is over and that means you’re feeling better now, right?” I asks.

“Yes, I’m feeling much better thank you,” she said while leaning up to kiss my cheek, “and thank you for calling me beautiful, no pony has ever complimented me like that.”

I lean my head forward and kiss her on her lips catching her off guard. She gasps a bit but sighs into my kiss and brings her arms up to wrap them around my neck as I wrap mine around her lower back. She brings her head up and looks down at me with eyes filled with affection and I smile more warmly at her as I stroke her mane again making her hum again.

“I really like it when you stroke my mane,” she said as she nuzzles into my neck.

“You know if you want, now that the Heat is over, you’re more than welcome to share my bed,” I offer.

“Are you sure?” Twilight asks while gripping some feathers on my wing, “I was actually going to ask you if it was ok, now that we’re a couple and all.”

“I want to be able to have you by my side as much as possible, Twilight,” I said as I looked down to meet her eyes with mine, “if you’re ever by me I’ll make sure you will stay safe because you’re very precious to me. I swear upon my title as the Devil’s Hand I won’t let anything happen to you because I love you and I always will.”

Twilight tears up and kisses again as she moves her body in top of mine and hugs me close. I hug her back and unfurl my wings from under my back and wrap them over Twilight.

“I love you to, Lock,” Twilight said as breaks away and looks down at me with a loving smile, “when your strong wings are wrapped around me I feel so safe and protected. I know you will bring peace to this world and I’ll be right by your side when you seize the victory we have all dreamed about.”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Excuse me Lock?” I hear Flash say from behind the door.

“Ahem, yes Flash?” I call out a little annoyed our moment was interrupted.

“I just got back from another reconnaissance so whenever you’re ready to hear it I’ll be in the map room with the others,” Flash said.

“Ok, I’ll see you there…wait, others?” I ask tilting my head along with Twilight.

“Oh yeah, Princess Twilight has some guests for her and they insisted they wait in the map room. I tried to tell them to wait but they said they won’t take no for an answer since they wish to know their friend was alright,” Flash explained.

Twilight’s eyes widen and jumps off of me and grabs her clothes and runs into the bathroom to change. Meanwhile I just groan in annoyance because I already know which group of ponies are here despite my outburst back in Canterlot. How they managed to make it here without being caught by the Caribou? Well that’s what I’d like to fucking know…

“Tell them I’ll be with them shortly, and make sure they don’t go snooping around the castle for us until we’re ready,” I sighed as I got up and stretched my limbs and wings.

“Sure ok, also do you know where Princess Twilight is? I knocked on her door but she seems to be out,” Flash asks.

“She’ll join us in a moment Flash, just go do I as,” I said as I cracked my neck.

“Got it,” he said as he left.

“Oy vey, what the fuck could they be here for?” I grumble as I wait for Twilight.

Soon after Twilight and I took our turns in the bathroom we headed out and are now walking through the hallways towards the map room. Twilight couldn’t help but be a bit nervous or excited that her friends had come to see her but I had an annoyed look plastered on my face and Twilight noticed making her worried.

“Lock, why do you look like that? Are you worried about me meeting my friends?” She asks.

“I’m not worried Twi, I’m a little annoyed,” I bluntly admitted.

“Annoyed? Why?” Twilight wonders.

“You saw how I acted last week in front of your friends and the Princesses, right? By now I imagine they think I’m a monster since they saw a glimpse of my darker side and I can already tell what’ll happen if the second they even feel me walking up to the doors,” I sighed.

“Lock, you shouldn’t be so quick to judge,” Twilight said, “even I thought what you did and said was a bit scary but you only reacted that way out of anger.”

“Still doesn’t excuse the fact that I pinned one of the Princesses of Equestria to the ground,” I said.

Twilight walks in front of me and stops my pace. She then looks up at me as I stare down at her and we stare at each other for a while. Out of nowhere she raises her hand and flicks my nose making me wince a bit.

“Ok, ow? Mind telling me what that was for?” I ask while rubbing my nose.

“Because you need to learn to stop making excuses,” Twilight lectures, “what’s done is done and though your actions were extreme, your words were true. Before I left to come after you I even said my own words against my friends that were similar to yours, how we never considered how the stallions felt, how you felt, being chased around just to satisfy ourselves. Now that the horseshoe is on the other hoof, given the circumstances, you’ve opened my eyes to wanting to create a better Equestria than before the Fall. They are all still my friends and we’ve supported each other throughout almost everything we’ve been through. You also need to have a little more faith in my friends because none of them are ones to hold grudges forever.”

“Heh, well look at you, acting like a proper princess,” I teases patting her head making her blush.

“Lock, I’m serious! I-”

I cut her off as I pull her into a hug and I stroke her mane. She sighs and hugs me back as looks up to me as I smile down at her.

“Alright, if you’re so sure that they won’t cause trouble for me and you, I’ll give them a second chance. But they have to mind themselves from now on otherwise there won’t be a third,” I said

“That’s all I ask of you, Lock,” Twilight said with a warm smile of her own, “thank you.”

“You think they’d still support you when you tell them you’re now dating The Devil’s Hand?” I tease.

“As Rarity once told me, love comes in all shapes and sizes. If they can’t see what I see in you then I’ll just have to show them myself,” Twilight said before giving me a light kiss.

I chuckle and we continue our walk to the map room and arrive at the set of double doors. I glance at Twilight and she gives me a reassuring nod and I push open the doors for the both of us. Before any of us could speak, a pink blur speeds in out of nowhere and tackles Twilight to the ground.

“TWILIGHT! YAY, YOU’RE OK!”

I look down and see my marefriend on the ground being hugged to death by a familiar pink party mare. Twilight uses her magic to teleport out of Pinkie’s grip and appear behind me while trying to catch her breath.

“Guh…it’s…it’s good to…see you too…Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said between breaths.

I hear a collection of gasps and turn around to see the rest of the Mane Six stare at me with either fear or caution. I simply cross my arms and smirk at the lot of them and tilt my head at them.

“Sup,” I said.

“What the hay are YOU doing here?!” Rainbow Dash demands.

“Living here, what’s it look like?” I said.

“Living here?! Oh Tartarus no, you’re getting out of here and you’re gonna stay out!” She states as she flies over to me attempting to push me out. I simply stand my ground as Rainbow tries to push me backwards but my body doesn’t budge. She then tries to take one of my arms and pull me but again I don’t move. Her final attempt was to try to kick the back of my legs so she could make me buckle over but she only ended up hurting her own legs as she rolls on he ground gripping her legs in pain.

“You done?” I ask looking over my shoulder.

I then feel something wrap around me and tighten around my arms and turn my head to see Applejack had lassoed me with a rope she had with her and she was giving me the stink eye.

“That’s quite enough from you, partner,” Applejack said.

“Did you just lasso, me?” I said arching a brow, “That’s cute.”

I briefly activated my flames and the rope burnt away into ash as Applejack stared at me a bit surprised.

“What? You forget I can control fire?” I asked.

Applejack shakes her head and huffs over to me as I deactivate my flames but Twilight steps in front of her with her arms raised.

“Twilight please move aside so Ah can teach this varmint not to mess with mah friends. Especially after what he did last week,” Applejack said as she gave me an even bigger stink eye.

“No Applejack, I won’t let you hurt him,” Twilight said.

“Why the hay not?” Applejack asks, “Y’all saw what he did to the Princess and look what he did ta Rainbow.”

“If you did see what happened last week then you would know Celestia was the one who attacked Lock and provoked him. He was only acting out of self defense and you know it. Plus Rainbow did that to herself for trying to forcefully move Lock,” Twilight defends.

“Sugar cube, you’re mah friend and all, but Ah’m gonna have to ask ya to move aside,” Applejack said.

“I won’t,” Twilight said keeping her ground.

“Please move, Twi,” Applejack said advancing towards us.

“I said I won’t, Applejack!” Twilight shouts.

“Well why the hay not?!” Applejack shouts.

“It’s because she loves him.”

All parties, myself included, turn to the source of the voice and see the other door open. From the door Cadence walks in holding Flurrry Heart who was looking around the room curiously. She calmly walks over to us as the rest of the mares were all in a shocked state at what had just been said. “Erm, excuse me Cadence, but what was that you just said?” Rarity asks.

“It, um, it sounded like you said…” Fluttershy whispers while hiding behind her throne. “Twilight loves him, I did indeed say this,” Cadence said.

“Y’all said…she loves him?” Applejack dumbly asks. They all turn to Twilight and then to me and back to Twilight as they gasp again.

“Guess the cat’s out of the bag, huh Twi?” I tease. Twilight gulps and moves to my side and takes a deep breath before hugging my arm.

“It’s true everypony, I’ve fallen in love with Dimitri Lockdrom and he’s my coltfriend now,” Twilight announces. For a moment it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop until a collection of squeals fill the room and Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and even Fluttershy all run up to us with bright smiles.

“Oh my stars, darling, is it true? You have found your true love?” Rarity asks happily.

“YAY, TWILIGHT HAS A COLTFRIEND!” Pinkie cries.

“I’m so happy for you Twilight,” Fluttershy said.

“Wait, you’re all not mad I’m with Lock? After what happened last week?” Twilight wonders. They all relax from their excitement and glance at me with sorrowful expressions.

“Well it was quite the shock, as it were, with what happened in the throne room and all but what Lock had told us was the ugly truth,” Rarity said, “we allowed ourselves to become so engrossed with our Heat we do not take into any consideration how the stallions feel. As a lady, I feel ashamed I let my Heat get the better of me all this time…” she sighs guiltily.

“I always wanna make ponies smile, but I guess not everypony smiles during the Heat,” Pinkie said with a sheepish smile.

“I, um, never try to go out during the Heat anyway, even if it’s a little uncomfortable…” Fluttershy whispers.

“And if somepony like you could fall for somepony like Lock then who are we to judge?” Rarity said. “Though his methods last week were ahem brutish, his words still rang true especially during these times. Besides, he still seems like a proper gentlestallion under all those flames and brooding nature.”

“Yeah! Locky was just a little mad but now he’s happy since he’s with Twilight,” Pinkie chirps.

“I thought he was really scary before,” Fluttershy admits. “But then I realized he was just upset with how we were all treating him which made me a little sad.”

“Well I’m glad to know at least some ponies realize their faults,” I said with a curt nod and smile.

“I agree, Lock,” Cadence said as she walks towards me, “when I heard you had left the castle, I thought you had left to liberate more of Equestria. But when I had heard what happened and how Twilight left I knew she’d come after you because I could tell she had started to develop feelings for you. So I followed her here and I heard everything you said to each other when she confessed.”

“You heard all that?” I asked and she nods in response.

“I’m sure Shinning would have been proud of Twilight to have found a noble soul like yours to be with. When I heard what you said about how we mares never considered how the stallions felt during the Heat it made me sad how right you were. We may not be able to control our cycles enough to show restraint but that’s no excuse to not consider the others feelings,” Cadence explained.

“And Celestia and Luna,” I wonder, “they still pissed at me?”

“My Aunts are indeed still a little displeased you would say such things like compare our Heat to what the Caribou have done but I reassured them you did not say it out of spite. You were letting your emotions run rampant and lashed out, correct?” Cadence asks.

“Well I won’t lie, Princess Cadenza, but I’d have to say yes and no to that question,” I said.

“Yes and no?” She repeats.

“Yes I meant it but no not entirely. I’ve seen, as you have, first hand what these Caribou are doing and when I saw what the mares were trying to do it just reminded me of what I saw out there. You need to realize that just because you’re safe behind my barrier you can’t continue to do as you please, which includes the dumb thing the mares do which is literally hunt down males,” I bluntly tell her. “One day, when the war is won and everything is back to normal, you must work with Celesta and Luna to try to get a better handle on how to properly control the Heat so that no one suffers. I’m sure there will be some disagreements on both sides but that sounds like just politics but it must be done so something like this,” I said gesturing to all of the Fall, “doesn’t happen again. Let’s just say I’m gonna be around for a good long while and that means you gotta think of a method for the better of both your kingdoms.” Cadence smiles and nods in agreement.

“Never more well spoken before, Lock,” Cadence said, “I’m glad Twilight found a proper stallion who knows what’s right and wrong.”

“I try,” I shrug a Twilight hugs my arm and smiles proudly at me. “And what of you two?” I ask Applejack and Rainbow Dash, “you still wanna beat me up after all that’s been said and done?” Rainbow Dash stands up and brushes herself off while frowning and looking away from me while occasionally glancing. She sighs and rubs the back of her head and looks up at me.

“Look, I guess I can get a bit carried away whenever the Heat starts and I should at least try not be more considerate,” she said crossing her arms. “I guess you had a point that we need better self control.”

“As much as Ah don’t wanna admit it, Ah gotta agree as well. Tha Heat ain’t fun and never was but that don’t mean we can’t be civil about it,” Applejack sighs.

“So you all apologize for what happened?” I ask.

“We’re all sorry we chased you,” they all said.

“You should also apologize to Flash since he’s the only the other stallion in the room,” I said gesturing to Flash who was standing by the doorway.

“We’re sorry to you to Flash,” they all said again.

“Uh, no…no, um, no problem,” he said a bit nervously.

“Good, then so long as you all learned your lesson, then I forgive you,” I said walking towards the map.

“Just like that, you’re forgiving us?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

“Yep, but I still don’t really trust you,” I said as I leaned over the table.

“But Ah thought you said you forgave us?” Applejack said.

“Forgiving someone and trusting someone are two different things, I forgive you all for acknowledging the fact that the Heat season is wrong but I don’t trust you two because you both attacked me as soon as I walked in the door,” I said glancing over my shoulder.

“Aw come on,” Rainbow Dash complained, “we didn’t mean it. We were just trying to protect Twilight.”

“While your intentions were just, your actions said otherwise. You want to earn my trust again? Then you simply have to earn it,” I said.

“How do we do that?” Applejack asks.

“That’s for you to find out,” I said when a thought crossed my mind. “By the way, how did you all get here in the first place? The train is unavailable and I doubt you all just walked here without risking getting captured.”

“Oh that was actually me,” Cadence said. “I used a mass teleportation spell to send us all here. It wasn’t easy but we all wanted to see how Twilight was doing.”

“Um, Princess Cadence?” Flash said as he nervously walks over to Cadence. “I’m terribly sorry I left your side and came here, if you wish to strip me of my title as your personal gaurd then I won’t blame you,” Flash said with an apologetic bow.

“It’s ok, Flash, you were just following Lock’s orders so you have nothing to apologize for. I’m just glad you’re safe and sound,” Cadence said with a smile.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Flash said.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, it’s time we finally make our move against the Caribou,” I said earning everyone’s attention. They all take seat in their thrones and Flash pulls up a chair for Cadence and stands by her as I stand by Twilight’s throne.

“Now then,” I begin, “Flash has been doing recon for me on the major cities of Equestria. Cloudsdale, Appleloosa, Manehattan, these are some of the many examples of the main targets for Flash and I, along with any neighboring small towns. From what Flash has told me, my actions on Canterlot and Ponyville have only been mere whispers which means that my existence in this world is only but a rumor but I intend to make myself, along with my apprentice Flash, known to all the Caribou and traitor stallions. My plan is this, start with the neighboring towns of each major city in Equestia then take on the city itself by clearing out any Caribou and traitor stallions. As for those who are brainwashed we will subdue them and render them unconscious,” I explain.

“Why render them unconscious?” Cadence asks, “We once tried to undue the magic binding ourselves but it’s as if they’re plagued with the darkest magic I’ve ever felt. Not even the four of us combined were able to counter such magic.”

“I may have a way to personally undue it thanks to my power, but as to why you weren’t able to undue it is because it’s not really magic at all. It’s a curse,” I said making some of the mares gasp.

“A curse?” Twilight repeats, “What do you mean?” Flash looks at me with a worried expression since he already knows so I sigh as I look around the room.

“What I have to say might be a little unsettling but I know the source of Dainn’s victory over his take over of this planet,” I said earning more gasps.

“You do?” Twilight asks fearfully.

“Yes, my boss Lucifer told me. They’re demons who’re actually from my world and used to run amok amongst humans from my worlds history, they’re called the Seven Deadly Sins,” I said making them all shiver in fear, even Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

“S-Seven Deadly S-Sins…?” Fluttershy whispers already scared out of her mind.

“Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Wrath, Greed, and Sloth. These are the Seven Sins of my world of man who are responsible for many different kinds of conflict and dark influences of my world. Lucifer told me that Dainn somehow was in contact with them and he used some dark ritual to summon them in this world to help easily take over Eques and it’s Kingdoms. Now, with his possessed Caribou Overlords, the Sins have taken control of each kingdom and are just as vile as they were in my world. In fact, one of the Sins responsible for taking control of Equestria is residing in the Crystal Empire as its Overlord,” I explain.

“Which Overlord is it?” Cadence asks while trying to console Flurry Heart who was on the verge of crying.

“I interrogated the Caribou who was in charge of Ponyville and he said the name was Overlord Lust,” I said.

“Lust? As in desire Lust?” Rarity asks.

“Lust, desire, pleasure, call it whatever you want the name speaks for itself. As for Lust he’s the one who’s supposed to be in charge of Equestria. The other Sins are spread throughout the Griffin, Dragon, Minotaur, Yak, and even the Changeling kingdoms.”

“Changelings? You mean Chrysalis was also targeted?” Twilight asks.

“Yup, Dainn spared no expense making sure he had control over all of Eques. I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to be so well connected he’d seek out any hidden kingdoms,” I vaguely guess as I think about the Hippogriffs even though they don’t know about them yet.

“Even Chrysalis…” Cadence said in disbelief. “Those Sins are truly frightening.”

“But they’re not unstoppable which is why I’m here,” I said. “It’ll be a slow process at first but once we fight our way through Equestria and break the curse on the controlled stallions, we’ll have grown our own rebellion strong enough to push the Caribou back. But for now we just need to take things one step at a time, which brings us to the first part of the plan: taking back Cloudsdale.”

“You’re going after Cloudsdale first?” Rainbow Dash asked with hope in her voice.

“First thing we gotta do is take away their eyes in the sky. Flash has reported they turned the entire city into a flying fortress where they transport slaves and other supplies all around Equestria. It’s also where they dock their flying ships so if we take all of that away they’ll be forced to stick to moving around on land for a while. Once we’ve gained control of any other cities and cloud towns in the sky we’ll bring them all back here for safe keeping,” I said.

“Wait you’re gonna try to bring Cloudsdale, and other cloud towns, all the way here?” Rainbow Dash asks.

“That’s the plan,” I said, “among other things. Anyway once we have control of Cloudsdale we’ll move on to the next cities and towns on the ground. We’ll keep working our way through Equestria, taking back little by little until we make our final assault against the Crystal Empire.”

“We’re also gonna take back the Crystal Empire?” Flash asks.

“I realize there are many options other than the empire but if we manage to somehow fix the Crystal Heart and expel the dark magic it’s cursed with then the brainwashing will be broken and there will be riots all around the world. It’ll also make our job a little more easier once we’ll hopefully be able to make more allies who will fight along with us once they’re free from the Caribou control,” I said.

“Lock, I’ve been meaning to ask, when you say you mean to clear out the Caribou and traitor stallions, do you mean all the traitor stallions?” Twilight asks.

“If you’re asking if I’m gonna kill them along with the Caribou then the answer is yes, they’re all gonna die by mine or Flash’s hand,” I stated clearly making her gulp.

“B-but, um, what if they come back to our side?” Fluttershy hesitantly asks.

“Afraid I still can’t let it slide, they made their choice and they didn’t even need the Crystal Cock to make their decision. I’m willing to bet that they wanted some excuse to rise up against the Princesses but didn’t have the strength to do it. The Caribou were their only excuse and now they’re running around doing whatever they want to whoever they want. Any stallion who’s brainwashed had a choice, turn their backs like the others or stay loyal to the crown and thankfully they chose the latter. There are many crimes that happen in war, I should know because I’ve fought in a couple, but betrayal is an unforgivable crime. Even in the history of my world betrayal was something punishable by death and besides, I already swore to myself I’d take the lives of those who’d dare go against their own. Those traitorous bastards are no exception regardless if they wish to reconsider who they’re loyal to,” I said.

I fell Twilight place a hand on my shoulder and I turn around to see her giving me a sad smile. “As much as I wish there was another way, Lock is right,” she said earning looks of shock from the others. “If those stallions wish to treat us like slaves and betray the crown then that’s their decision and they’ll pay for it with their lives. We finally have a chance to take back our home and we can’t risk it by attempting to reform every traitor we come across. Lock and Flash will be on the front lines and we will be here to support them whenever we can so we won’t have to watch what they do in pony,” Twilight said try to reassure everyone. As they all glanced at each other they soon realized she was right and all nodded in agreement as to what needed to be done.

“So now that we’re all content on what’s to be done, it’s time we begin our attack,” I said I turned around to leave with Flash. Twilight gives me a kiss on the cheek for luck and I smile as I exit the room and castle. Both Flash and I take to the skies and I activate my flames leaving a trail of cinders and smoke behind me.

Lust, you’re time is limited and you shall soon bathe in my flames as you beg for death. You will rue the day you decided to slink your way here along with the others in this world and taint it with your dark whispers, I think.

Author's Note

The first Sin, Lust. Next chapter, the battle for Equestria officially commences.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Feel The Devil’s Thunder and The Devil’s Declaration (Updated)

Chapter 12

Flash and I have been flying for about an hour with me following Flash to Cloudsdale. Flash had informed me during some of his recons that the city of clouds has become a shadow of its former self. Soon we come up a little away from the city and we hide behind a nearby cloud to see what Flash was talking about which makes my blood already begin to boil. Instead of white fluffy clouds the entire city seemed to be nothing but black and grey rain clouds. I didn’t even see any rainbows which only meant they shut down the factory and probably turned it into something else which explains the many trails of smoke coming from certain areas. I look near the bottom of the city and see big docking bay doors and large air ships were flying to and from each hanger. Each ship that comes flying in and out has Dainn’s sigil on the sails, no doubt they all are carrying a variety of supplies and slaves.

“It’s a damn shame what they did to this place,” I grumble as I clench my fists. “How are there even Caribou standing on the clouds in the first place?”

“It’s probably due to any unicorns casting the cloud walking spell or they used their own magic, I think,” Flash guesses.

“Figures, even they would even defile the clouds with their disgusting footsteps,” I sneer.

“So what’s the plan?” Flash asks. “Are gonna go in and tear them all apart?” He asks while bits of. electricity spark off his shoulders.

“As much as I would love to go on a manic killing spree again, there’s still the matter of the slaves and the brainwashed stallions,” I said making Flash calm down a bit. I look towards the bigger buildings of the city and noticed one looks like a late antenna. “What’s that large antenna looking structure?” I ask pointing to it.

“Oh that’s the broadcasting center, it connects all forms of communication such as T.V.’s, radio’s, and it’s also is what is used to connect our telephones and keep a look out for any dangers on the surface,” Flash said

“So that’s their eyes and ears in the sky, huh?” I said making me smile. “Perfect, that means we’ve got an new task while we’re here,” I said.

“New task? What’s that?” Flash wonders.

“First off, we should wait until nightfall so we can evacuate all the slaves and brainwashed stallions out of the city. Second, after we’re done with that we can start our path of destruction upon the Caribou and traitors as much as we want but also try not to destroy Cloudsdale. Lastly, once everything is said and done, we need to make our way to the broadcasting center after we’re done,” I explain.

“Why there?” Flash asks.

“Because not only are we gonna give Equestria a light show they’ll never forget, we’re gonna send a message to all of Eques, mostly to Dainn and his Overlords since it’ll be a bit personal,” I answer.

“Ok so how exactly are we gonna evacuate the slaves and brainwashed stallions? It’s a big city and I don’t think we can carry all of them ourselves, even if you’re as strong as you say you are,” Flash said.

“Nah you’re right, I could probably transform into a large creature to carry them all but that’s a bit of a waste of energy,” I agree.

I continue looking around the city as more airships fit in and out. Flash and I could probably hijack a couple of them but it would be a bit of a drag trying to keep track of both ships. Just then the sound of a huge engine fills the air and we turn to see a massive shape come from the clouds. A massive airship, at lease twice the size of the other ships, appears from the clouds and flies towards Cloudsdale. It slowly flies to the main docking bay at the base of the city and its sails furl up as the gangplank and side doors opens up and even more Caribou, traitor and brainwashed stallions, and slaves walk out of the ship. I then spy a middle aged pegasus stallion wearing an admiral’s uniform with a leash in his hand and a middle aged pegasus mare standing on all fours with a black collar on her neck. It takes a minute to name them but then it hits me making my eyes widen a bit and my fists clench again.

“Wind Rider…” I growl.

“Wind Rider? As in the Wonderbolts legend?” Flash asks.

“He’s not a legend anymore, just another traitor like the rest of them. I figured he was sore after being exposed for his treachery against Rainbow Dash but to hold so much of a grudge he’d betray everyone is inexcusable,” I said.

“Wait, that mare he has with him, she looks a little familiar,” Flash said rubbing his chin.

“Well she should, that’s Stormy Flare, Spitfire’s mom,” I answer making him gasp.

“He took Captain Spitfire’s mom…?” Flash asks as sparks fly again from his shoulders. “Lock, do not touch that bastard. I want to personally make him suffer for what he’s done,” Flash growls making me a bit surprised at his tone of voice.

“Heh, by all means Flash, fucker’s all yours,” I grin patting his shoulder. “Now let’s lay low and wait until nightfall, we’ll take his ship and use it to evacuate the city,” I said making Flash nod.

For the rest of the day, Flash and I sneak all around the outskirts of the city getting a layout and pinpoint where they hold the most slaves and store their supplies. Meanwhile I start to plan what message I want to deliver since the whole world we soon know my very existence. If someone like Stormy Flare is here as a slave then I can only imagine who else is trapped here. I just hope they aren’t suffering too much of a worse fate but that’ll all soon come to an end.

Several hours later, the sun had set and the sky turned to night. Most of the activity within the city had subsided and now there looked to be mere night patrols walking around. Flash and I took this opportunity to make our move as we glided towards the city. I was about to touch down on the cloud ground with Flash when a thought occurred. I’m not technically a being of magic so would I fall through if I touch down? Though on the other hand I was able to hide behind the cloud so maybe it should be ok. I slowly descend to the ground and plant my feet expecting to fall through. To my surprise I landed as though I’m standing on the surface below and I give a few test steps to make sure.

“Huh, go figure,” I mumbled.

Flash and I slowly and quietly made our way to where the flagship was while avoiding any guards around. As we were making our way to the main hanger I couldn’t help but hear the sounds of moans and crying as we passed by some buildings which meant the Caribou or stallions were having their way with the mares. It took every fiber of my being not to burst through the walls and skewer the bastards but we were still on a mission and there’ll be time for that later. We make it to the main hanger and hide behind a building and see a couple Caribou guards at the entrance.

“Now what?” Flash asks.

“Now,” I said placing a hand on Flash’s shoulder, “you taste your first blood.”

Flash was confused for a moment but then realized what I meant making his eyes widen. At first he was hesitant but then nodded knowing what had to be done. Gaining his resolve he stepped out from the shadows and walked towards the two guards with his hands behind his back.

“Hold it there, what’re you doing here stallion?” one of the guards asks.

“Oh nothing, just out for a stroll, looking for a dumb bitch to buck,” Flash said attempting to deceive them.

“Well then just go to the re education center and pick out a bitch or two to claim. There’s plenty of them to go around, I’ve even got my own bitch back at my place,” the other guard said.

“Nice, hey I’m sort of new around here, what’s with this awesome flagship? It belong to anypony important?” Flash asks.

“It belongs to Admiral Wind Rider,” the guard answers, “he’s in charge of all the air ships and is also the mayor of Cloudsdale,” the guard said.

“Wow, an admiral and the mayor? Guy must be be pretty busy, am I right?” Flash asks. Behind his back I watch has his hands start to vibrate and pick up speed until his hands are nothing but blurs.

“I guess, why do you ask?” The guard questions.

“Because if he’s so busy…” Flash said before bringing his hands out and thrusting them in both the guards chests.

“Wh…at…?” The guard mutters.

“…then he won’t notice me destroying your hearts from the inside out,” Flash said as he twitches his arms to the side.

Both guards then vomit up blood as their eyes pop out of their sockets as they fall to the ground. I walk up to Flash as he stares at the two corpses and I place a hand on his back.

“Good work my apprentice, there’s more blood to be spilled tonight,” I said earning a nod.

I snapped my fingers and my flames burned away the bodies and blood as we both stepped through the doors. The hanger was an outdoor hanger with crates and different docking machines here and there and the flagship was docked in the middle being carried by chains and ropes while suspended in air.

“Jeez this thing is bigger up close,” I said a bit amazed.

“How are we supposed to pilot this thing?” Flash asks.

“I’m sure one of the brainwashed males around here can do it for us once we free them,” I said. “For now lets make sure this hanger is secured for later.”

Flash gives a small salute as he uses his speed to run around the hanger to check around for guards and returns to my side.

“There’s no one else here and there isn’t anypony on the ship, guess they weren’t expecting us,” Flash said.

“No, they weren’t expecting us at all and that’s the point. It’s always easier when none of them expect much from who they conquer. But keep in mind that will all soon change the more we make ourselves known,” I said as we step back out of the hanger. I placed my hand on the ground and a barrier circles around the main hanger and I nod satisfied.

“Now comes the hard part,” I said as I look towards the main tower. “First things first, we gotta make sure none of them escape so I’m going to destroy the rest of the ships still docked. Once that happens everyone’s gonna start freaking out so you need to start flying and running around gathering all the slaves and brainwashed stallions to the main hanger,” I instruct him.

“Yes sir,” Flash nods and walks off to get in position.

“And try not to kill the brainwashed stallions, only knock them out!” I quietly call out to him.

Once he’s out of sight I fly into the air and pull out my phone and ear buds and put them in my ears. As I’m flying up I scroll through my playlist for a song to play for such an occasion.

“No…no…too upbeat…too family friendly…too much bass…ah, here we go,” I said after tapping the song.

I put my phone in my pocket and slammed my fists together causing small sparks to fly off my hands. I channeled my energy across my body cause more sparks of electricity to fly off my body as I began to glow. My wings also became affected as the electricity covers my wings making them look like they’re made of lighting and each feather is a bright red lighting bolt. I can also feel my hair start to spark up and shine and my whole body feels like it’s made of electricity. I take a deep breath as I raise my hands in the air and focus my power above me as the clouds start to turn black. Thunder begins boom within the clouds as I pour more of my energy into them and I hear some emergency alarms go off through my music throughout the city. The thunder that built up within the clouds all strike me with massive thunder bolts but I absorb each one that hits me and I feel more power with each bolt. Satisfied with how much power I’ve accumulated, I thrust both my arms towards the docking bays.

“60,000,000 VOLT, THUNDERBIRD!!!”

A massive blast of thunder erupts from my arms and shoots towards the docks. The blast then morphs into a giant eagle like creature that illuminates the night sky with a bright light. My attack swoops down and begins obliterating all the hangers and the ships docked within them. Along the docks I see an orange streak moving at top speeds running in different directions along the docks which meant Flash was doing his job of saving any nearby slaves or brainwashed stallions and bringing them to the main hanger where the flagship was. My attack continues it’s path of destruction all along the city limits obliterating all the ships still docked and any unlucky bastards who were caught in its wake. I see in the corner of my eye multiple airships that were still in the air fly towards me in a attempt to try and shoot me down. I focus my attack in my left arm and raise my right and point it at the ships and focus more electricity in my arm.

“Love the thunder,” I said.

“HAMMER OF THOR!!!”

Huge bolts of lightning fire from my hand as they all blast against the ships. Each of the them are completely covered in lighting and small explosions blow up around them as they fall to the ground with the many Caribou still left on it. I turn my attention to my main attack and see it still destroying all the remaining ships and docking bays except the main hanger. I catch small glimpses of Flash still running around the city so I decide to join him. I break the link from my attack so it could fade away on its own while still rampaging and fly back towards the city while pulling my hood over my head. However before I am able to rejoin him I see small groups of pegasi traitors fly at me with their weapons raised as if they are trying to cut me down from the air. I snort in amusement at their feeble yet stupid attempt and prepare for their assault. As some of them charge at me with their weapons while the others fire crossbow bolts at me, I flick my wings sending electrically charged feathers hurdling towards them. Some of feathers pierce their targets flesh electrocuting them making them convulse in pain as they plummet to the ground and the others hit the bolts fired at me shocking the snipers. Out of fear some try to flee while the rest stay behind and attempt to reload making me shake my head in disappointment.

“No traitor spared…” I said to myself as I flick my wings and fire more feathers hitting them making them plummet to the ground along with their fellow traitors. Satisfied with my extra kills, I glide towards the panicked city and touchdown to be met with dozens of Caribou and stallions running around in a panic but when they see me they all go frozen and I just smirk under my hood.

“You all run and around like the scared little mice you all are. Is this the best Dainn and his mighty Caribou have to offer?” I mock.

Some of them grow some backbone and brandish their weapons and charge at me. Just as they were about to attack me, an orange blur sprints around the whole group and I hear a variety of snaps and cracks. Flash then appears next to me as sparks of electricity flicker along his arms and legs as I look at his work. All the Caribou and traitor stallions heads were snapped and and twisted in different directions and they all stand stunned for a moment until they all fall to the ground dead or dying with their necks completely destroyed by Flash. Meanwhile any brainwashed stallions in the area stand in complete fear and I quickly fire small bolts of lighting to tase each of them as they fall to the ground unconscious and the song ends. As soon as it does I then hear all the different alarms going off and my attack starting to dwindle it’s rampage as it fades away.

“How many?” I ask Flash.

“Including these ones, I’d say I rounded up multiple dozens of slaves and brainwashed stallions,” Flash answers.

“Would you say you got them all on the ship?” I ask.

“I can’t be sure, the rest probably retreated to the the main stronghold in the middle of town. That’s also probably where Wind Rider is held up along with the remaining slaves,” he said.

“Good,” I answer. I look at the unconscious stallions and caught a glimpse at their clothes. A few of them look to be wearing pilot uniforms which gave me an idea. I walk over to them and drag them to a nearby wall and line them up against the wall as I kneel down in front of them.

“What’re you doing?” Flash asks.

“Testing a theory. Boss,” I said.

“Quite the light show, you two,” Lucifer said as he appears beside us. “I can practically taste the fear the remaining Caribou have towards the both of you.”

“Yeah well it’s not over yet, the survivors are gathering in the center of the city but that’s not important right now. I want to know if the flames will work,” I said.

“I don’t see why it can’t, simply do as you did with Miss Heartstring’s horn and the brainwashing will burn away,” Lucifer said.

“Well,” I said as I glanced at Flash over my shoulder. “Here’s hoping.”

I turn back to the stallions and reach out with both my hands as I coat them with my Hellfire. The fire gently flickers around my hands as I place each one on a stallion and then the other. I was expecting the flames to burn their skulls but they gently cover their heads. The flame burns like a lit candle and then briefly turns a sickly green until it turns normal again leaving a green smoke trail rising up in the air which meant it was a success. I wave my hand and cancel the flames on their heads as they all seem to breathe more calmly.

“I believe that did the trick,” I said as I stood up.

“You broke the brainwashing? I thought it was impossible to break their magic,” Flash said a bit stunned.

“Hmph, not even the Sins curse is enough to combat my Flames of Hell. But I’m also pleased it was a success in the end,” Lucifer said.

“Ok, get these three and the others to the ship and have them prep it for departure when they wake up. As soon as you’re done, meet me just outside the center of town. Wind Rider is still your kill and I intend to have you be the one to carry out his judgement,” I said.

“Alright, that traitor’s time is limited. I’ll meet you there,” Flash said.

I nod and walked towards the center of the city. As I walk I look around me to see the state this city has turn into. The buildings looked the same on the outside but I could tell most of them had been turned into brothels or those re education centers I had heard about. As I was making my way through the streets I came across a strangely familiar set of houses. For a moment I thought it wasn’t likely I would recognize them until I came across a couple houses a few streets apart I recognized immediately. They were the houses of Rainbow Dash’s and Fluttershy’s parents. I knew I had a mission to finish but I could at least find out what happened to them, although as I turned towards the houses I prayed that they weren’t taken by the Caribou or brainwashed like the rest of the stallions. I walked over to Rainbow Dash’s house and reached for the door, only for it to open and I was face to face with a crossbow bolt.

“Not another step, you bucker, or you’ll get one in between the eyes,” I hear a familiar voice threaten me.

I look up from the crossbow bolt and see the one stallion I didn’t expect to see, Rainbow Dash’s father Bow Hothoof. He glares at me with his finger on the trigger ready fire and I slowly back up with my hands raised.

“Easy there, Bow Hothoof, I’m not your enemy,” I said making him arch a brow.

“How the hay do you know my name, hooded stranger?” He demands.

“It’s a long story but please believe me I’m not here to hurt you,” I said again.

“Oh yeah? And why should I believe you? I don’t even know you, let alone know what you look like. For all I know you’re just another Caribou or traitor to the crown,” Bow said still aiming the crossbow at me.

“Because,” I said as I slowly removed my hood revealing my face. “I’ve come with my apprentice to liberate Cloudsdale, just I have with Ponyville and Canterlot,” I tell him making his eyes widen and lower his crossbow a little.

“Ponyville…is liberated? You liberated Ponyville?” He asks.

“That I did, and you’ll be very pleased to know your daughter, Rainbow Dash, is safe and sound in the Castle of Friendship with the other elements,” I said hearing some gasps from behind him and more hoofsteps. From behind Bow another stallion emerges and again it’s another pony I know, Fluttershy’s father Posey Shy.

“Is…is that true? Our daughters are safe in Ponyville? And you freed Ponyville?” He asks.

“It’s true sir, all of it. Rainbow Dash has been wanting to get back at the Caribou for a while and Fluttershy still speaks in a calming voice to help ease her friends nerves. Rainbow Dash even went as far to challenge me after a misunderstanding,” I said.

“What kind of misunderstanding?” Bow asks.

“She once got in my face when I said I could out fly her when she proclaimed to be the fastest flyer in Equestria,” I said hearing another gasp.

The door suddenly swings open and two figures push their way past both stallions and are revealed to be Gentle Breeze, Fluttershy’s mother, and Windy Whistles, Rainbow Dash’s mother.

“There’s no other mare I know who would argue with somepony about flying and tell everypony she sees she’s the fasted flyer in Equestria, my little Dashie is safe!” Windy said with happy tears.

“Oh my poor little Flutters, I’m so glad she’s also safe at Princess Twilight’s castle,” Gentle said.

“How in the…you both aren’t collard, and you two,” I said looking back at the two stallions, “I just realized you aren’t brainwashed or traitors. How is this possible?” I ask surprised. They were about to respond when we all heard a commotion from the center of town reminding me what my main objective.

“Bow Hothoof,” I said making him turn to me. “I don’t know how you and the others are here not brainwashed and I’d very much like to know but I don’t have time to listen. I need you to lead your wife and the others to the main hanger where the flagship is docked,” I request.

“The main hanger? But there’s a monster attacking Cloudsdale, why the hay would you want us to go there?” Bow accuses.

“It’s not there anymore and I was the one who destroyed most of the ports. Look please trust me that the flagship is secured but I need you to lead your group there as soon as possible,” I said.

“But, um, what about you, sir?” Gentle asks.

“I’ve still got some unfinished business with the Admiral. I’ll meet you all at the main hanger as soon as I’m done so please leave and stick to the shadows,” I said as I turned around and put my hood back on.

“Wait!” I heard Bow call out making me look to him over my shoulder. “Who are you?” He asks.

“Dimitri Lockdrom, a friend,” I said while smiling under my hood and continue on to the center of town.

I now stand on top of a roof just outside the main building in the center of the city. The whole place looks like a huge mansion made of clouds and I can hear tons of commotion from inside. Flash quickly appears next to me as we both stare at the place.

“So that’s it, huh?” I ask.

“Yup, before I came here I did a quick sweep of the whole city. There were a few stray slaves here and there who I brought to the main hanger and a few other Caribou stragglers but I dispatched them before they even knew what hit them,” Flash said.

“Well done, we’re almost finished here anyway,” I said as I jumped down from the building with Flash following me.

We both walk up to the massive structure’s double doors and can hear the Caribou and stallions inside in a state of absolute panic.

“What the buck are we gonna do?! Those monsters are tearing the docks and streets apart and there’s no ships to get us out of here!”

“We tried to enter the main hanger where the flagship is but some of our guys burst into flames!”

“What the buck do you mean burst into flames?! It’s the only bucking ship left and we can’t even get to it?!”

“Where the buck is Admiral Wind Rider?! It’s complete chaos and we can’t call for reinforcements because the comms have been destroyed!”

That last part made me glance at Flash for confirmation and he smiled at me. “Figured it’d be a little more difficult to take the city back if they called for backup so I stopped by the comms tower and busted it all good enough so they wouldn’t be able to fix it in time.”

“Spoken like a true strategist,” I said while smiling under my hood. “So you think we should knock first before entering?” I ask.

“It would be rude not to,” Flash said as he charges up his power.

I nod and quickly pull out my phone and scroll through my playlist and select a song. Before I pressed play I thought I’d allow Flash to give it a listen to I handed him my left ear bud making him arch a brow.

“Place it in your left ear, trust me you’ll like the song I chose,” I said. Flash shrugs his shoulders and places the ear bud in his left ear and I hit play.

The music starts to play and Flash smiles wickedly and I raise my leg and kick both doors open with as much force as I could muster. Both doors fly off their hinges and across the room crashing into a couple Caribou. Everyone is silent as they stare at Flash and I as we walk in. I see Caribou, traitors, brainwashed, and a few slaves here and there. I activate my electricity as my body starts to spark as does Flash’s body and we both unfurl our wings making them electrify our feathers.

“Cut them down…” I order Flash as I begin to walk forward.

Some Caribou pull out their weapons and some point their crossbows at me, I even spot some of them aim what looked like rifles at me which I made a mental note how they were able to acquire such weaponry. Almost instantly Flash runs past me and strikes each Caribou knocking their weapons to the ground and he impales them with his fazed hand and pulls each of their hearts out and crushes them leaving a bloody mess on their chests. More Caribou and traitor stallions charge at me as I calmly continue my slow walk through the hallways but none of their attacks reach me since Flash dispatches them by rapidly snapping their necks or catching the arrows or bullets. A few brainwashed stallions make it past Flash’s onslaught and attempt to slash me but I flick my wings and small feathers fly off my wing and they hit either their arms or legs bringing them to the ground paralyzed. Some Caribou also try to get the drop on me but I flick my wings again firing my larger feathers at them sending them flying and impaled them on the wall as the electricity shocks them from the inside causing bloody foam to leak out of their mouths, ears, and eyes. The halls are filled with either screams of pain, charging enemies, and panicked slaves as I walk through the halls and keep my gaze forward. Every so often I’d see Flash appear in front of me in a blur has he kills more enemies at nearly blinding speed. We eventually make it to a hallway with a gilded door at the end which means it’s the main office of the building. I snapped my fingers and pointed at the door to signal Flash to finish off the remaining guards and knock out the others as the song was starting to end. As Flash dispatches the last traitor stallion he runs up next to me as we both face the door.

“Shall we?” I ask.

“After you, boss,” Flash answers.

I nod and real back my wings as I morph the feathers into sharp blades. I then thrust both my wings into the door as I cut it and the interior down leaving nothing but a pile of ruble. Once the dust settles I furl my wings back behind my back and see Wind Rider and a few more Caribou on the other side of the room. Both Flash and I calmly walk in the main office as Wind Rider and his underlinings stare at us in both utter fear and total shock. Wind Rider goes to grab something in the desk he was standing behind but I flick my wing and fire a feather in his shoulder making him scream in pain as he staggers back.

“What the buck are you idiots standing there for?! Kill them and rip off their wings!” He screams as his guards obeyed his command and came charging at is with their weapons.

As they charge I slightly unfurl my wings and jump forward past them with quick reflexes. As I stood back up straight I slowly furled my wings and once they were folded back up, each Caribou guard fell to the ground along with their heads rolling off their shoulders and the song ends. Wind Rider stares at my shadowed face in horror as Flash walks up next to me again and hands me my ear bud and I out both of them in my pocket.

“Wh-What the buck have to done?!” Wind Rider yells as he grips his bleeding wound. “You destroyed my entire fleet and killed my stallions and Caribou! Who the buck do you think you are?!”

“Pathetic…” I hiss making him flinch. “You were once the symbol of the Wonderbolts before all this, pegasi from all over dreamed of being as good of a flyer as you. Until you let your pride blind you into resorting to almost destroying Rainbow Dash’s career. Now you align yourself with these tyrants because you still hold the same grudge over something so meaningless.”

“Meaningless?! What the buck would you understand!? That bitch had it coming to her when she threatened to take away the one thing I was most proud of! I would’ve enjoyed watching her squirm as her dreams of ever becoming a Wonderbolt were taken away from her if that stuck up cunt didn’t stick her muzzle where it didn’t belong!” Wind Rider shouts angrily at me. Flash then runs in front of him and grabs him by the throat and lifts him in the air.

“I’m willing to bet Rainbow Dash wasn’t the first pegasus to threaten your record with their skills and speed which can only mean your sinful pride destroyed many other talented flyers who were just as good enough to beat that dumb record. Something so trivial caused you turn your back on those who you called comrades,” Flash sneered with malice as he choked Wind Rider.

“Gak! B-Buck you!…I would’ve…done it again…and made sure…she and…anypony else…would never fly again…so my record…would stay under…my name forever!” Wind Rider said between breaths.

“Is that right?” I question as I walk up and behind him. “Then maybe you should get a taste of your own medicine,” I said as I grabbed both his wings making his eyes widen.

“N-No wait…please…d-don’t!” Wind Rider begs as I grip his wings tighter.

“Let’s see you keep your precious record without these,” I said with a dark smile as I began to pull.

“PLEASE! I BEG YOU PLEASE DON’T!” He cries as I pull harder. I lean my head forward to whisper I his ear.

“Punishment is justice for the unjust,” I tell him.

With great force I start yanking his wings making him to scream in pain. The joints in his wings snap and crack making him scream more as his flesh tears but I continue to pull. Blood begins to spray off his back as the flesh tears from his wings. At this point Wind Rider screams so much his voice gives out and can barely breathe due to Flash still choking him and Flash keeps giving him a blank glare. Not wanting to bother to drag this out I place my foot on his back and pull as hard as I could tearing his wings off. Flash then drops Wind Rider as he screams in utter agony as he desperately reaches for his back as blood leaks from the bloody stumps that once held his wings.

“Now you know what you and the rest of the traitors put those slaves through,” I said with no regret as I dropped his bloody wings on the floor. As Wind Rider screams he looks at his bloody wings and reaches out to them as if wanting to put them back where they belong. I slowly raise my hand and snap my fingers as small embers float on them setting them on fire.

“NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” Wind Rider screams as his wings burn away. As his wings burn Wind Rider couldn’t handle the mental and physical pain and passed completely out cold.

“We should put him out of his misery,” Flash said as he was about to impale his chest.

“You sure you wanna do that?” He’s now going through a fate worse than death,” I said but Flash just stares at me.

“He’ll carry this feeling with him on his trip to Hell,” Flash said. “You said it yourself, these buckers deserve to die for all the shit they’re doing to Equestria.”

I starred back at Flash for a moment until I sighed and turned away. “Do as you will, just make it quick,” I tell him. Before I left I spot something behind a sort of weapons cabinet making me a little curious. I walk over to the cabinet and open the door to see a very unexpected sight, two swords crossed with their scabbards behind them stand before me as I marvel at their craft. I take both swords and give them a few practice swings making me smirk as I twirl them in my hands. Deciding to keep them, I then use my power to morph them to my liking. The sword in my right hand glows red as flames shoot from the hilt and cover the blade in fire. After a few minutes the flame dies out and the sword morphed into a different shape as the blade turned into a hellish red. The blade in my left glows a cold blue as ice climbs along the sword and covers the blade. Soon the ice crumbles and the blade morphed similarly like the one in my right as the sword is now a deep blue.

“Surtr and Ymir,” I said with pride. I grabbed their scabbards and hooked them on my belt and sheathed Surtr and Ymir and walk out of the room and close the door to leave Flash to his business.

I step out of the room and lean against the wall as I’m left to my own thoughts. As I was about to think about all that had happened tonight, I hear something fall on the floor in a room off to the side making my hands spark a little as I prepare myself. I slowly walk over to the door and then place a hand on the doorknob and raise my other hand preparing to blast whoever was in the other side. I then quickly open the door to look inside and gasp at the sight I see. Stormy Flare was chained up with her legs spread out and arms behind her back wearing nothing but the black collar around her neck, a leather strap covering her eyes, a ball gag, and boxes encasing her wings. Beside her in the corner was a stallion wearing nothing but rags who looked very lethargic and malnourished who was also chained up but looked a little familiar. After closer inspection I gasped again as I recognized the young stallion to be the none other than Zephyr Breeze, Fluttershy’s younger brother.

“Sweet Jeezus!” I gasp as I quickly cancel my electricity and run over to Stormy Flare first. I morph my hands into blades and destroy her chain restraints along with tearing off her collar, blindfold, ball gag, and the boxes on her wings. She slumps to the ground and I was about to wake her when I realize she was still naked. I quickly looked around and saw a small door on the other side of the room that was opened and noticed it was a closet. I walked over and opened it to find and assortment of jackets and grabbed a random one from a hanger. I walk back over to Stormy Flare and drape the jacket over her.

“Stormy? Stormy Flare, are you with me?” I said shaking her. She begins to stir and slowly opens her eyes. They’re a bit glazed and unfocused but it’s a good sign since she’s responsive.

“Please…” she said quietly. “Please no more…”

“Stormy Flare, please listen carefully, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to get you and young Zephyr out of here, Cloudsdale is liberated and you’re safe now,” I said.

“Liberated…?” She repeats.

“Yes, not only here but in case you haven’t heard I also liberated Ponyville and Canterlot,” I said and then smiled knowing something might snap her out of her daze. “Your daughter, Spitfire, is at Canterlot right now safe and sound.”

“Spitfire…SPITFIRE?!” She shrieks and lunges at me and grips my jacket. “Spitfire is ok?! She truly is ok in Canterlot?!” I smile and nod as I gently take her hands off my jacket. “Oh sweet Celestia…thank the stars she’s ok…” she cries into my chest.

“Ma’am I’m glad you’re back to your senses, but I need you to calm down so I can get you out of here so you can see your daughter again,” I said.

Stormy Flare takes a breath and nods and looks down to see the jacket I draped over her and she blushes a bit and puts on the jacket properly.

“I don’t suppose you could find any pants or anything of the sort in that closet?” Stormy wonders.

“Oh of course,” I said as I stood back up and walked back to the closet and remembered Zephyr. I walked over to him and undid his restraints and as he too slumped over. I placed a hand on his back to feel a heartbeat, luckily he was still alive but barely breathing.

“Whenever Wind Rider abused me, he always made that poor colt watch. He said something about keeping him until the Caribou find his sister and Rainbow Dash so he could add them to all he’s done to me,” Stormy said making me a bit angered but I quickly calm myself. I then use my flames to at least transfer some of my energy to him so he could stay somewhat alive.

“Well he won’t get the chance to for a couple of reasons,” I said.

“What do you mean?” Stormy asks.

“Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and the other Elements are safe and sound back in Ponyville. As for Wind Rider, my apprentice is probably finishing him off right now,” I said making her gasp.

“You mean…he’s dead?” Stormy asks.

“By now I’m pretty sure he is, yes. For your sake I’d rather not go into detail,” I said and then Zephyr startles me as he gasps as takes deep breaths but remains unconscious. “Whoa easy there kid, it’s ok you’re safe now,” I said as I take a look at his condition. He now seems to be a little less malnourished and is still skinny, but at least he’s now breathing normally. “Jeez, did that prick even feed the poor kid?” I wonder.

“The poor colt barely ate anything as he was kept here and Wind Rider sometimes purposefully didn’t feed him,” Stormy said.

“I just don’t understand, how could he be kept as a prisoner?” I said as I didn’t even feel any brainwashing within his mind, much like his parents.

“Is he going to be ok?” Stormy asks concerned.

“He’ll live, he just needs proper rest and sustenance,” I said. Just then the door opens and Flash walks in with a solemn expression. “You ok Flash?” I ask.

“He’s dead,” Flash said.

“Well at least you got your kill,” I said as I picked Zephyr up.

“No, he died from blood loss and shock. I hesitated too long after what you said and didn’t even get a chance to deliver the finishing blow,” he said with a sigh.

“I see,” I sad a bit surprised. “What stayed your hand? You did say how much you wanted to kill him for all he’s done,” I question as I walk to the closet to grab a pair of pants for Stormy.

“I…I don’t know,” Flash said. “I guess after what we did to him I figured he suffered enough. I was about to put him out of his misery but his heart had stopped beating before I did anything.”

“Well at least he’s dead, nothing you can really do about it now,” I said as I handed a pair of pants to Stormy.

“So what happens now?” Stormy said as she put the pants I gave her on.

“Now we need to get you and Zephyr to the main hanger where everyone else is. Once we do, Flash and I have one more thing to take care of before we move Cloudsdale back towards Canterlot,” I said.

“I’ll do a quick sweep at the broadcasting center to see if there’s anyone else left,” Flash said and he leaves the room and runs off.

“How is he able to move so fast?” Stormy asks.

“It’s a long story,” I said. “Now let’s get you to the flagship so you can rest properly,” I said.

“Thank you, I wish my wings weren’t so stiff after being encased in those boxes for so long,” Stormy said rubbing her wings.

“I may be able to remedy that,” I said as I stepped behind her and placed a hand on her back. She flinches but I activate my flames to heal her wings and she sighs as her wings unfurl and furl normally.

“That feels much better,” Stormy said as she gives her wings a few test flaps. “Thank you Mr…”

“Oh apologies, in all the excitement I forgot to introduce myself,” I joke. “My name is Dimitri Lockdrom,” I introduce as I pulled off my hood.

“You aren’t a pony?” She asks a bit shocked.

“I’ll tell you what I am and where I come from on the way to the hanger, shall we?” I said opening the door for her. She nods and we both walk out the door and make our way through the carnage Flash and I left behind making Stormy a little queasy.

After successfully clearing out the stronghold of enemies, Flash gathered a bunch of nearby clouds to create a sort of platform to gather all the unconscious brainwashed stallions and slaves. Flash, Stormy Flare, and I are all walking through the empty streets with me carrying Zephyr and Flash pulling the large cloud of survivors. I feel Zephyr move around a bit in my arms and I look down to see he has a bit of a pained expression.

“Hard to believe he was kept as a prisoner,” I said.

“What do you mean?” Flash asks.

“Well it’s just before I regrouped with you I ran into his and Rainbow Dash’s parents. Both the fathers weren’t brainwashed and they didn’t seem like they were traitors. Which begs the question, how were they were able to resist the Caribou magic? And how did they keep their wives hidden all this time?” I wonder.

“Hmm, I’m not exactly sure myself but maybe they could explain it once we arrive at the main hanger,” Flash said. I look over to Stormy Flare and see she’s looking a little tired but stares up towards the stars with a hopeful expression.

“Something on your mind, Ms. Flare?” I ask gaining her attention.

“Well it’s just I wish to see my daughter again so much. I’m tempted to fly to Canterlot right now as fast as I can to see her,” Stormy said.

“Well as much as you wish to see her I’m afraid it wouldn’t be wise to fly at the moment, I mean who knows what else could be hiding in the clouds?” I warn making her sigh.

“I know, it’s just I miss her so much,” Stormy said. “She may be the Captain of Equestria’s strongest flyers, but she’s still my little filly. It’s habit as a mother to worry about her.”

“I understand, we’ll get you home as soon as we can,” I said making her smile at me.

After about 10 minutes of walking later we finally were able to make it to the main hanger. Outside the hanger were the group of survivors Flash had collected and the stallions were all slumped against the wall unconscious.

“You didn’t bring them in the hanger?” I asked Flash.

“Wasn’t sure how your barrier would affect the stallions so I just kept them outside,” he said.

I nodded and placed Zephyr near the doorway and walked back to Flash to help him unload the rest of the survivors from the cloud and slumped each of them along the wall with the rest, while some were laying on the ground.

“That’s a lot of stallions,” Stormy said.

“And they’ll all be free in a moment,” I said walking to one end of the group.

I coated my hands in Hellfire and began to make my way through the group of unconscious stallions. One by one, I gently place my hands on each of their heads and the flames enveloped their heads like a lit candle, similar like before. Each of the flames all turned the same sickly green until they returned to normal and flickered gently on their heads. Once I had finally reached the other side of the group, I turned around to see all of the stallions had flames on their heads but they weren’t hurting them, much to my contentment. I snapped my fingers and all the flames snuffed out leaving a green smoke trail that rose up in the air. I sighed and saw the stallions had more calm expressions as they slept but I knew they couldn’t stay unconscious for long.

“Incredible,” Stormy said as she watched the spectacle. “It was like I was watching a bunch of lit candles flickering in the night. What exactly did you do?”

“I burned away their brainwashing,” I said. “Now they’re free from Dainn’s control and have returned to the proper side.”

“What about the mares?” Stormy asked?

I walked over to the group of mares still on the large cloud. Most were pegasus mares with the occasional unicorn and earth ponies but they too were unconscious, probably either from fear or Flash knocked them out somehow. I noticed most of them were wearing little to no clothing which made me frown. “You think you can find some blankets or something to help cover them up?” I ask. Flash nods and runs off to gather them and soon returns with a mound full of blankets in his arms. I nodded and and I began to gently carry each mare off the cloud and wrap them in blankets before setting them down. Once all the mares were off, Flash and I walked around and began to remove their restraints on their wings and necks. Some mares had black collars, others had red collars, while a few poor mares had purple collars. From what I know about this sick system of theirs if the collar is black that means they haven’t broken them yet, if the collar is red then they’re obedient, but if they’re purple then that means they’re minds are broken and are just used as literal tools.

I coated my hands in Hellfire again as I gently place an hand on the pegasus mares backs to eases them of any discomfort. As for the mares who’s collars were either red or purple I put my hands on their heads to repair any mental damage they had from the physical and psychological torture. Any unicorn mares I came across I touched their stumps with my finger and watched as their horns slowly grew back. Once I was finished I snapped my fingers again and the flames all snuffed out.

“Still amazing you’re able to do that,” Flash said.

“Yeah…” I said a little tired as I wiped my forehead.

“Are you ok?” Flash asks.

“I’m fine, I used a lot of power tonight, especially just now with the healing. Are the other mares you saved inside?” I ask.

“Oh yes, I didn’t want to leave them outside with the stallions and I knew they’d be safe in the hanger since it’s surrounded by your barrier,” Flash said.

“Very well, wait here and I’ll be right back,” I said. I walked over to Zephyr and picked him up and opened the door. As expected, the ship was still attached to its dock and I smiled knowing it was still in tact and undisturbed. I look off to the side and saw a familiar group of ponies sitting around talking amongst themselves and they were tending to the rest of the mares who some seem to have woken up.

“Evening, everyone,” I said gaining their attention. Once Zephyr’s parents saw him in my arms they both go wide eyed and ran toward me with tears in their eyes.

“Oh my sweet little Zephyr!” Gentle cried.

“Where did you find him?! Is he ok?! Please tell me he’s ok!” Posey asks.

“He’s ok,” I said while handing Zephyr to his parents. “A little malnourished, but I managed to keep his energy up by giving him some of mine. He just needs proper rest and sustenance and he should be fine.”

Gentle looks up at me with tears streaming down her face and walks up to me. She the wraps her arms around my torso and sobs into my chest. “Th-Thank you…thank you so much. Our little colt was taken by Wind Rider and we’ve been worried about him ever since. You saved our whole family, Mr. Lockdrom, we couldn’t thank you enough.”

“It’s my pleasure, ma’am, I’m glad Zephyr is safe,” I said as she stepped back to be with Zephyr.

“I gotta admit,” Bow said walking up to me. “I wasn’t sure about you when I first saw you but the fact that you brought their colt back to them is all the proof I need to know you are what you say you are.”

“And what’s that?” I ask.

“A friend,” he responds with a smile as he raises his hand for a shake. I smile back and take his hand and shake it satisfied I’ve earned his trust.

“By the way Bow, I’ve been meaning to ask you something I’ve had on my mind,” I said making him tilt his head.

“What might that be?” He asks.

“How exactly are you not brainwashed?” I ask. “I can see that you wouldn’t do something as low as betray Equestria, along with Posey Shy, but from what I’ve been told you didn’t succumb to the affects of the Caribou’s brainwashing.” Bow crosses his arms and scratches his chin for a moment as he ponders my question.

“Honestly, I haven’t the faintest idea,” he answers. “When the Caribou invaded there was a massive wave of corruption magic that enveloped the lands and skies. Once the wave ended we saw many stallions fall under the affect of the brainwashing and went mad. I and Posey thought we would also succumb but we didn’t, but I do remember there was this strange glow that enveloped us for a brief moment but we didn’t have time to think on it since the world was going to Tartarus.”

“How did you survive and keep your wives a secret for so long?” I ask.

“Posy brought his wife to my house and begged for sanctuary which I accepted. We hid them in my house’s basement and tried as best we could to keep out of any prying eyes. Whenever somepony got suspicious I had to show them I was one of them by…beating some mares and defiling them by touching their bodies,” Bow said in shame as he looked away. Feeling bad for what he’s gone through I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled sympathetically at him.

“I don’t blame you, Bow,” I said. “You did what you had to do to keep your wife and friends safe.” Bow smiles and nods as I look to the group of ponies all huddled together.

“Are they ok?” I ask gesturing to the mares who were covered in their own blankets.

“Most of them are still unconscious but the ones that are awake are pretty shaken up. Can’t say I blame them after what they’ve been through and all the destruction we saw you had done,” Bow said.

“Well at least I can help ease their anxiety,” I said as I walked over to them. The mares see me and become a little nervous but I ignore them as I begin to gently remove each other their restraints and wing boxes surprising them a little. As I’m doing so, I repeat the process from the mares outside by healing any injuries or using my Hellfire on their minds. Once I was done, each of them were all healed and purified and the conscious mares all looked up at me astonished. “You’re all free now,” I said as I walked towards the door. I step back outside and see Flash and Stormy waiting for me. “I believe it’s time I wake up our guests,” I said as I turned to both groups of unconscious ponies. I take a deep breath and blow out a gas I made to smell like the chemical used in smelling salts. The gas circles around each group and they all soon begin to regain consciousness as they sit up rubbing their heads and I reach up to put my hood on.

“Ugh what happened?” A stallion asks.

“I don’t know…it feels like I just woke up from a nightmare.”

“Yeah me too, I dreamt I was…raping mares and I was enjoying it, it was sickening.”

“Hey I had the same dream too. You don’t think…”

“…Oh sweet Celestia,” another said clutching his head. “It wasn’t a dream, it actually happened.”

I turned my attention to the mares who were surprised to either see their wings free or horns repaired.

“How did my wings get free?” A mare asks.

“My horn…my horn is back! I can use magic again!”

“The collars are gone, and we’re wearing blankets? How did we even get here?”

“I don’t know but I have a horrible taste in my mouth and I don’t know why…”

“Everyone,” I said gaining all their attention.

“Who’re you?” A stallion asks.

“Someone who freed you all from the corruption of the Caribou. Most of you wish that everything that had happened these past months was nothing but a bad nightmare. Unfortunately it wasn’t, everything you have experienced was real, all of it,” I said making them gasp. “I understand this is all a horrible shock to you all but rest assured, Cloudsdale is liberated and the traitor Wind Rider along with his followers are no more. Dainn no longer has a hold on your lives and I aim to share this fate to the rest of Equestria so everyone else can be free.” I explain making some of them smile.

“But what about Cloudsdale?” A stallion asks.

“This ship will take you to Canterlot where it is also safe and Caribou free. I still have something to do here with my apprentice but I promise I’ll bring Cloudsdale to Canterlot since it’s still your home,” I said.

All the ponies look at each other until one of the mares walks up to me who I recognized as Lighting Dust.

“Is what you said really true?” She asks. “You’re really gonna end this nightmare?”

“Yes, I made an oath to do so,” I said.

She and the rest of the ponies smile like they haven’t smiled in a while and some come up to me and thank me for saving them. Flash walks in with the rest of the ponies and the ones I picked out to help with the ship walk along side him. Now that everyone is called for we can finally begin preparations to depart for Canterlot, or so I thought. I now realize that after all the mess I’ve made in Cloudsdale there’s no way it wouldn’t go unnoticed by anyone on the surface. I imagine there’ll be other ships on the way to investigate and I gotta get this ship airborne. What’s more is it’ll need someone to look out for it in case it does run into any trouble in the air.

“Hey Lock, are we ready to get the ship in the air?” Flash asks.

“Not we Flash, you,” I said confusing him.

“What do you mean?” He wonders.

“I’m staying behind to deliver our little message myself. Meanwhile you have to escort the ship back to Canterlot,” I said.

“You’re staying behind?” Flash repeats a little surprised. “But Lock is that a good idea? You said yourself you’ve used a lot of your power, what if more Caribou come up here?”

“Exactly why you need to get the ship in the air and out of here as soon as possible,” I said. “And don’t worry about me, I’ll be sure to send the message from the broadcast center and bring Cloudsdale to Canterlot as quick as possible. The main priority is getting these ponies to safety and you’re the only one capable enough to do so,” I said.

“I’m not sure,” Flash said concerned. “I won’t feel right just leaving you by yourself.”

“Come on, I just destroyed this city’s entire fleet, ransacked their stronghold, and we saved dozens upon dozens of enslaved and brainwashed stallions. Plus I got my new swords, Surtr and Ymir, with me so I’m quite prepared in case more of them do show up,” I said gesturing to the swords on my belt. “All you gotta do is make sure this ship gets to Canterlot safe and sound. I’ll send my message and as soon as I’m done I’ll bring Cloudsdale with me and be right behind you,” I said.

“Well…” Flash said looking back at the massive group still boarding the ship. “Alright, if you say you’ll be ok then I’ll take your word for it. Just please be quick and come back safe and sound.”

“I plan to,” I said patting his shoulder. “You just make sure you complete your task which is arguably the most important one.”

Flash chuckles and nods as he flies up to the ship to make sure all the ponies are safely on board as the stallions I chose to help him begin to prep the ship for launch. I look up at the massive sails and see Dainn’s sigil on them making me frown slightly.

Maybe I should change it to something more suited to my tastes, I think.

I quickly fly up to the sails and ponder about what I should change it to. Once I decided what I what should it should be I place my hand on the sail and my hands flicker with flames as the sigil burns away and morphs. The ponies down below watch in awe as I use my power to morph the old sigil into my new sigil for my new ship.

There we go, I think. I kinda like the look of this ship, I might just keep it for myself.

I nod and touchdown back on the ground to leave the hanger until I feel someone tap my shoulder and see it was Stormy Flare.

“Will you truly be ok by yourself?” She asks concerned.

“You needn’t worry about me, Ms. Flare,” I said with a comforting smile. “I’m more than capable enough to handle myself, you just focus on getting back to your daughter.”

Stormy pauses but then sighs as she nods and walks back to the ship. I look back at the ship and make one last little detail before I leave to the broadcast center. I fly up to the bow of the ship and rub my chin as I think but then snap my fingers. I then coat my hands in Hellfire flame and begin to write letters on it. After I was finished I fly back down and smirk at my new ship's name.

“Your name is The Prometheus, and you are the Devil’s Vessel,” I said. With that I walk to the door and wave Flash goodbye and begin my trek to the broadcast center.

I touchdown in front of the broadcast center and look up to see the large antenna stretching to the sky satellite dishes poking out here and there. Pretty impressive a structure like this is here on Cloudsdale and could even function as a communications center. I glance behind me and see in the distance The Prometheus fly away with Flash and everyone else. I’m confident in his power to keep it and everyone on board safe so I nod and walk in through the doors while putting my hood back on. The entire place looks abandoned with everything turned upside down and tossed around like a tornado hit. I ignore the state of the building and made my way through the hallways. I eventually came across a room that looked like the main coms center since it had a bunch of camera’s and microphones inside. I opened the door and stepped inside but then I heard a gasp making me snap my head towards a closed door that looks to lead to a closet.

I draw Surtr and cover it in Hellfire as I cautiously made my way towards the door. I sense someone’s presence behind it and I could practically feel the fear coming from whoever was inside as I slowly reach for the door. I quickly open it expecting someone to tackle me but I pause at the unexpected sight I see, a young Caribou who looked no older than about 17 or 18 scrunched up and starring up at me with absolute fear and trembles at the very sight of my shadow hidden face. I now find myself at a bit of an impasse, this buck was a Caribou, the enemy I swore to wipe out for the sake of Equestria. But at the same time he was just a kid, or buck in this case, and he looked like he was about ready to piss himself. I starred at the terrified buck for a good while and realized I still had Surtr raised ready to strike him down as the Hellfire flickered violently. Unsure if this was a good idea or not, I sighed as I snuffed the Hellfire and sheathed Surtr back in its scabbard and stepped back.

“Stand…” I demand coldly.

The buck doesn’t move but after giving him a harsh glare he slowly scrambles out of the closet and stands up looking at the floor still trembling. I cross my arms looking down at the buck, my instincts tell me to just put him out of his misery and end him right now since he’d probably just run off and torment some poor mare. But my conscience said otherwise since he was just young stag who wasn’t even armed in the slightest.

“What are you called?” I question making him flinch.

“W-W-Waltheof…” He barely manages to mutter under his breath.

“Do you know what I am?” I question again. He slowly shakes his head still looking to the ground. “Look at me…” I hiss. He flinches again and slowly looks up at me as I see tears start to form in his eyes. “I am your end should you do anything stupid like run away like the sniveling coward you are now,” I warn making his legs shake. “I have already slaughtered hundreds of your kin this night, along with the traitor stallions. Do not think that your life is any different because you are still standing before me. I can already smell the disgusting stench of sin from your soul so don’t try to deny you have not defiled any unfortunate mares.”

Waltheof whimpers as the tears from his eyes leak and attempts to back away but I flick one of my wings sending a bladed feather sailing past his head and impaling itself on the wall and a cut appears in his cheek as it bleeds.

“I did not say you could leave my presence so consider that your one and only warning, whelp,” I growled with venom. “Do you have knowledge on how to operate these systems?” I ask. Waltheof seemed to go ridged from the sudden wound I gave him but still manages to give me a slight nod. “Good, then you shall set up that camera over there to be broadcasted to all of Equestria,” I said as I turned and walked over to the front of the set. “I have a message for your precious Overlord and King.”

Waltheof scrambles around the room and prepares the camera and systems but then pauses as he looks like he is about to say something but is too afraid to speak. “Something you wish to say?” I ask.

“Th-gulp the systems are s-slightly damaged a-and will not f-function properly…” he tells me.

Oh yeah that’s right, Flash did say he stopped by here so that they couldn’t call in reinforcements, I think.

“Do you know how to repair it?” I ask and he nods slightly. “Then go and do so, just remember I can still sense your soul so do not try to make the foolish attempt of trying to escape,” I warn with malice. He flinches but nods and leaves the room to begin his repairs.

“Quite unexpected of you to spare one of them,” Lucifer said appearing next to me.

“He should count himself lucky that he’s useful to me at the moment,” I said dismissively.

“Do you think Flash shall be alright on his own?” Lucifer asks.

“He’ll be fine, we’ve been able to handle most of what came against us so far so he shouldn’t have a problem with anything that comes his way,” I said.

“You must realize that all may change once you make your declaration to the world,” Lucifer warns.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“You saw some of the modern weapons you recognized from your world, did you not?” Lucifer asks but I didn’t respond. “if the Caribou have weaponry like that there is much to be concerned about since it’s obvious the Sins provided them with the knowledge to craft such weapons. It may not be of any concern to you at the moment but one thing about the Sins is that they’re resourceful, they are also not as foolish as I make them. I wouldn’t be surprised if they already knew about you already due to the recent battles you had fought and they may have something to help they’re allies to, how you say, level the playing fell field with you.”

I didn’t respond as I thought about what Lucifer said, and he was right. Things have been easy going for me and Flash, too easy going but that’s only because no one knew about us yet. Their weapons are also a little concerning since the rifles I saw were weapons I’d recognize anywhere, they were M1 Garands. If the Sins provided such powerful weaponry like that I can only guess what else they introduced them to, not to mention if they even to have something to work against me and Flash. I’m brought out of my thoughts as I see the many little lights flicker on the cameras, microphones, and the other tech in the room. Soon Waltheof returns a little out of breath since it looked like he ran all the way here.

“I-I did it,” he said. “I-It took some doing, but I managed to fix the main frequency array. You should b-be able to send your message now.”

“Then get behind the camera and let me know when to start,” I order. He nods and walks out to the camera to make sure it was on. After making sure everything was functioning properly, Waltheof looks at me and signals with his hand the countdown.

“Time to officially declare the new war,” Lucifer said with dark glee.

3rd POV

All across Equestria the Caribou and traitors were going about their ways, some still celebrating their recent victory over the ponies and the fact that their influence had spread throughout the country by raping as many mares as they could. Although there were some enough couldn’t help be fell a little uneasy with the rumors that had been floating around as of late. The rumors were that Canterlot had yet to be taken and the slut Princess were still added to the many other mares who were out in their place as mere tools of pleasure. Other rumors were said that an unknown force of darkness had appeared and had started to push back their forces but none truly believed it since there wasn’t really a strong enough force to combat them.

However that all soon changed when those nearby the flying fortress known as Cloudsdale saw it light up the night sky with unusually large thunderstorms. Once it died down there was an uneasy silence in the air as the radios, televisions, and communications systems were mysteriously shut down out of nowhere. The last thing anyone heard or saw from their devices was the distant screams of panic as the reporter tried to calm everyone down before it went dark. Soon the electrical devices flickered to life and everyone thought all was back to normal, how wrong they were when on all the televisions they saw not a Caribou but a strange figure with a hood over its head and large crimson red wings on its back, armed with two swords attached to each side of his waist. The figure said nothing for a moment as the spectators watched his shadow hidden face with growing anxiety. The figure on the screen began to chuckle darkly sending chills down why spectators or listeners who had radios.

“You all must be a tad confused right now, no?” The figure mocked in a dark tone. “Why is there a strange creature on your screen addressing Equestria instead of your usual anchorman? Well the answer is quite simple, he’s dead and ripped to shreds by my hand.” Any who watched gasped at the confession but the creature was far from done. “He is not the only one, I have killed a great many others since my arrival in this world. Hundreds of your fellow Caribou kin, along with any stallion who dared betray the crown, have been slayed by my hand as their souls now burn forever in the pits of the Inferno. The city of Cloudsdale, along with the town of Ponyville and the capital Canterlot, have been freed from the tyrannical rule of your pathetic King Dainn and more shall follow along with the rest of this planet. So I send this declaration to Dainn and especially to his Overlords.” the figure unfurls his wings slightly as flaming embers ignite and flicker along his body and wings as the seed of fear plants itself within the very hearts of all who were still witnessing.

“You, Dainn Stonehoof, have made the grave mistake of invading this once peaceful country, along with the rest of this world. Your sick and twisted ideals spread like a plague but I am the one who shall cleanse it all by snuffing out the black hole of a soul you call your life. There is not a stone I will leave unturned for my hunt for your soul and any who stand in my way will burn and I will have their blood bathe the very ground they walk on. My Dark Master calls for your soul and I aim to give him what he desires for all the abominable crimes you have committed against him.” The creature pauses for a moment as the flames along his body and wings flicker more violently as he points to the camera with his enflamed hand. “To the Overlords who rule over the many kingdoms across the land in Dainn’s name, I know who you are. More specifically I know what you are and if any of you have any sense you’d know what I am as well and who it is I serve. You made a grave mistake thinking you could spread your influence when your efforts were thwarted once, and an even more foolish one thinking you could attempt it a second time here in this world. Heed this declaration, for I shall not stop my campaign against the Caribou scourge until this world is rid of all who dare oppose true peace.” The creature unfurls his wings out wide as the flames envelope them making them look as if they were made of pure fire. From under the creatures hood, a demonic looking red eye shines and glares are the camera with a soul chilling gaze.

“I will slaughter the Caribou
I will execute the foolish traitors
I will hunt the tyrant King
I will punish The Seven Sins
I am The Devil’s Hand and I declare this oath in the name of The Devil Himself
Cower in fear, for I come for your very souls…”

With that the creature’s hand fires a ball of flames at the camera, destroying it. All who watched any screen or listened to any radio stood there for a moment in silence, none could truly comprehend what they had either just witnessed or heard. One thing however was certain, though some didn’t realize it at the time, the rein of the Caribou scourge would soon come to a burning end.

Author's Note

The world now knows of the looming death hovering over his enemies. More cities shall soon be freed, under the dark gaze of The Devil’s Hand.

Also deepest apologies for making you all wait so long for this chapter. I had been so damn preoccupied with finals and this oh so annoying writers block I haven’t had a moments rest with my stories but that will soon change since I now have more free time a little less of a writers block now. Huge shoutout to Katsu for creating this boss drawing of Dimitri Lockdrom! Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Princesses Apology and The Devil’s Opposite

Chapter 13

Dimitri 1st POV

It’s a good thing the whole city is made of clouds, otherwise I would have a little trouble moving the whole damn thing in the sky. After I relayed my message to the world, I sent Waltheof to the surface by tearing off a cloud and making it descend to the ground. I could’ve just killed him and be done with it but judging by how terrified he was after my declaration I doubt he’d do anything else along the lines of raping any more mares and stuff. After my broadcast I went back to the destroyed docks and found a bunch of chains and wrapped them around my arms. I’m now flying back to Canterlot with Cloudsdale being dragged behind me and it is a bitch and a half job to do. For a city made of clouds this place is so heavy it reminds me of the workout I did for my wings back in Canterlot but much heavier which makes my damn wings feel like they’re about to fall off. I look over my shoulder to make sure everything is as it should be and Cloudsdale still looks abandoned. Soon that will change once I get this place within Canterlot’s borders.

I turn my head and see Canterlot in the distance and I even see The Prometheus hovering in the air near the castle. I smirk satisfied that Flash did his job right for protecting the ship and everyone on board. After about another half hour of pulling the city of clouds, I stop my flight and see that it’s about 5 miles away from the city. I fly back to the docks and unhook the chains from my arms and stretch my limbs and wings.

“Whew, guess that’s my workout for the day…” I said wiping my forehead. I then see a light upon the horizon and see that sun was beginning to rise. “Jeez, did this seriously take all night? Guess the adrenaline kept me awake…Twilight’s gonna ring my ear off when I get back,” I groan.

I pick up my jacket and shirts since I took them off before pulling Cloudsdale and sling them over my shoulder and grab Surtr and Ymir and hook them to each side of my belt. After one more stretch I unfurl my wings and jump off the edge of the dock and glide down to Canterlot. As I approached the royal capitol, I remember what happened between me and Celestia a little over a week ago. Not that I regret my actions and words but I still assaulted their exalted ruler so I wouldn’t be surprised if she and everyone in the city still held a grudge against me. Pushing these thoughts aside for the moment, I touch down in front of the entrance to the city and walk through. As I walk along the city streets, the ponies who were still waking up catch a glimpse at me and surprisingly all smile and wave at me. I pay them no mind since I still need to meet up with Flash so I continue my trek to where The Prometheus is docked. I eventually make it to where the ship is and take a good look at it. No damage, strong haul, large sails, and the cannons all look like they could do some damage. With the proper crew managing this vessel it could be a force to be reckoned with. I fly up to the deck of the ship and see Flash leaning against one of the main masts sleeping which makes me chuckle. I walk over to him and gently push him causing him to lean over and fall to the ground waking him up.

“Huh! Wha the? What happened?!” He slurred awake.

“Morning Flash,” I greet.

“Lock…? Lock!” He yelps happily and lunges at me for a bro hug. “You’re ok!”

“Of course I am,” I said as I pat his back. “I told you I’d be ok and I meant it. I see you took good care of The Prometheus.”

“Yeah, I kept a close watch on everything during the trip back to the city. Although when we neared Canterlot we were almost shot out of the sky. I managed to fly to the city and tell everypony, the Princesses included, what happened and that we commandeered this ship from the Caribou. They were quite surprised but agreed to let The Prometheus dock in the city and they even helped us unload all the ponies on board,” Flash explains.

“Wish I could’ve been here to see the look on their faces when they saw the ship,” I snickered. “But, all in all, tonight was a complete success. We can now chalk up Cloudsdale as yet another liberated city. Though now, thanks to my declaration, things are only gonna get more difficult from here on.”

“How? We have these awesome powers, I doubt we can’t handle anything the Caribou throw at us,” Flash said confidently.

“Mind your arrogance, Flash, it’s gonna get you killed,” I said sternly shutting him up. “The reason why I say this is because now the world knows about me, the Sins included, and especially Dainn wherever he is. They will prepare for us, find ways to either outsmart us or overpower us which they just might do. You forget that it’s only us two against a whole world, this war isn’t gonna end overnight and the more diligent we remain the more victories will come. However that still doesn’t mean we can’t keep our guard up at all times.”

“Ok Lock, you’re right, I was just happy that we got Cloudsdale back,” Flash said.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said patting his shoulder. “It’s nice to always celebrate a victory or two every once and a while.”

“Oh by the way I wanted to give you a message from the Princesses,” Flash said making me quirk a brow. “They told me that they wish to speak with you about something.”

“Oh? And what do they want from me?” I ask crossing my arms.

“I’m not sure,” Flash shrugged. “But they requested to meet with them as soon as you’re able.”

“Hmph, well this should be interesting,” I scoff. “I’ll go and meet with them in a bit, first I gotta take a shower. Does the ship have one?”

“Oh yeah, it’s on the lower deck,” Flash said. I nod and walk to the door and make my way to the lower deck of the ship.

“I wonder what they would like to speak with us about?” Lucifer wonders as he appears next to me.

“Not sure, but if it’s anything that’s not an apology I doubt I’d pay too much attention to what they have to say,” I said dismissively.

After the guards allowed me through the gates, I walk through the hallways of the castle towards the throne room. The staff all give small smiles and wave sheepishly at me and I just give them all curt nods as I pass them by. I expected them to be at least a little afraid of me after my little display of anger from before but something seems to have changed them while I was away. I round the corner and see the doors leading to the throne room and spot one of the guards who I recognized as Sergeant Onyx Shine.

“Good morning, Sergeant,” I said giving him a curt nod.

“Hmph, so you actually showed,” he scoffed.

“Excuse me?” I said crossing my arms.

“If it were up to me I’d send you to the dungeons for what you did to Princess Celestia without hesitation, but instead she insisted we not apprehend you despite your assault against her,” Onyx said giving me the stink eye.

“Well excuse me for defending myself and speaking my mind,” I counter. “Not my fault your precious Princess becomes a horny freak every time the Heat starts.”

“Keep talking like that and I’ll make you show the respect the Princess deserves,” Onyx sneers.

“As much as I would love to put you in your place where you belong, which is under my boot, I have a meeting with Celestia and Luna. So if you would be so kind, please fuck right off and get out of my way?” I said with an innocent smile.

Onyx growls at me but reluctantly steps to the side and I nod at him. The doors open and I’m met with both the sun and moon Princesses sitting on their thrones. When they see me I noticed that they immediately had looks of regret and guilt which made me arch a brow. Celestia dismisses the guards in the room and soon it is just them and me. After a few moments of awkward silence, I decide to break the ice.

“So,” I said crossing my arms. “We meet again, and hopefully under calmer and more civilized circumstances.”

Celestia winced a little at my cold words and sighs as she stands up along with Luna and walks down the steps. When they stand before me I was about to question them again but they instead bow their heads at me catching me off guard.

“Sir Dimitri Lockdrom, we would like to offer our upmost deepest apologies for how we treated you,” Celestia said.

“Er…what?” I ask still a little surprised.

“You were right,” Luna said still bowing. “It has come to our attention that the Heat has blinded us how we have treated the stallions of our kingdom, not showing any regard or respect and only satisfying ourselves without their consent.”

“When you said we were…hypocrites, I did not wish to believe it because I was too arrogant to see past my own desires,” Celestia said. “Though your words were harsh and actions were a bit painful, they were nothing but the truth. I lashed out at you because I didn’t wish to face the harsh reality that…those who betrayed us did so because of such reasons like our Heat,” she said in shame.

I was a bit speechless at their sudden apology, to think I was expecting them to demand an apology from me but they ended up learning something from my harsh lesson. I rubbed the back of my head feeling a little awkward since they were still bowing to me.

“Well first of all, the two of you can stop bowing to me,” I said making them raise their heads. “Second of all I appreciate you being able to learn your lesson, however if you were expecting an apology from me I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I had to get the message through to you that what you do every Heat is inexcusable behavior. When you attacked me it sure as hell proved my point for me, so I had to defend myself.”

“We know, it was unprofessional behavior of me as a Princess,” Celestia said.

“But I will forgive you for your actions,” I said surprising them.

“You forgive us?” Luna repeats.

“Yes but as for trusting you, don’t get your hopes too high up,” I said crossing my arms. “You both have apologized for your actions which is a start, but I’ll still be keeping my distance from the two of you for the time being.”

“How can you be so forgiving after I tried to harm you?” Celestia asks.

“Call it my conscience telling me to do the right thing,” I said. “Now if that’s all you have for me I’ll be on my way, there’s still a whole kingdom to free after all,” I said turning away from them.

“Sir Lock please wait!” Luna calls out making me look over my shoulder. “I must insist you not let us off so easy with just your words. I remember what you said about us losing a valuable ally in this war and we need all the help we can get. I know you still wish to reprimand us and we are truly sorry for our actions.”

“There’s honestly nothing else I can say to you that hasn’t already been said,” I said dismissively. “All we can do now is let bygones be bygones and move on, meanwhile the two of you will be quite busy trying to earn back my trust.” Luna looked a little depressed as did Celestia which told me they truly wish to repent. With a heavy sigh I turn around to face them. “But if you insist then I do have some requests to start you off.”

“Please name them,” Celestia said.

“First,” I said holding up a finger. “The two of you will create a new law stating that mares will no longer chase after any stallions who do not give consent to mating during the Heat. If they wish to satiate their heat the males must give consent or the mares must either drink a Heat suppression potion or cast a spell on themselves.”

“Of course,” Celestia said.

“Second, now that Ponyville and Cloudsdale are liberated ponies who were former residents there can move back into their homes. As they do, you must make sure they they are well compensated should they need any,” I said.

“Understood,” Luna said.

“And finally,” I said walking up to them. I raised my hand and they both closed their eyes thinking I was about to hit them. Instead, I simply bonked their heads with a light hand chop making them wince and rub their heads. “That was for attempting to rape me so consider us even,” I said with a shit eating grin. Celestia and Luna look at each other with puzzled expressions but sigh and smile as they look back to me.

“Very well Sir Lock, and if I may be so bold to ask, would you be willing to accept our friendship now that most of our differences are behind us?” Celestia asks.

“Mmm…I’ll think about it,” I said making them frown a little. “Hey it’s you who must earn my trust back, once you do I’ll happily accept your friendship when the time comes,” I said as I turn away. “Oh and Luna,” I said looking over my shoulder as I walk away. “Keep up the good work on the night sky,” I said with a playful wink. I then heard a small gasp come from her making me chuckle as I closed the doors behind me. Onyx was standing there still giving me the stink eye but I just flipped him the bird as I passed by him. Once I made it outside I was about to unfurl my wings and fly to the deck of The Prometheus when I saw a large group of ponies approach me.

“Um…can I help you?” I ask.

“You’re the one who saved some us back in Cloudsdale right?” A stallion asks.

“And some of us in Ponyville?” A mare asks.

“That’s right,” I said. “I recognize some of you from the other night.”

“We all just wanted to thank you for saving us from that nightmare, if it wasn’t for you we would’ve continued being slaves or our minds would have still been broken,” a mare said.

“It’s no problem, the rest of Equestria will also be freed,” I said with a kind smile.

“Well that’s just it, we’ve been talking while on the way back to Canterlot and we feel like we should repay you for your heroism,” a stallion said.

“That’s kind of you but not necessary, your safety is all that matters,” I said.

“Well…what about your ship?” A stallion said pointing at The Prometheus.

“My ship?” I repeat.

“Yeah, you can’t really operate such a large vessel by yourself can you?” The stallion asks.

“Hmm, well I suppose not,” I admit.

“Well we can, we pegasi work the sales and steer the ship.”

“And we earth ponies know a thing or two how to man the weapons on board.”

“Yeah, and we unicorns can make sure the ship operates in top top shape.”

“How do you all know this?” I ask a little amazed.

“Some of us were originally part of the crew and we could teach any ponies here who wish to join. We know it’s very dangerous out there but maybe you can help teach us how to defend ourselves?” A stallion asks.

“Dimitri,” Lucifer said. “I suggest you take them up on their offer. This vessel is nothing without a proper crew and it’s always nice to have a little backup just in case. Besides, with such a fine vessel like this it will make traveling around this world much easier.”

I pondered these words for a moment and looked back up at The Prometheus. I hadn’t thought about it at the moment but what Lucifer and these ponies said were true. I couldn’t possibly pilot and care for it on my own, even with Flash’s help. Plus I’ve kinda always wanted to captain a crew of my own.

“Well…if you’re all willing to take the risk and face a whole other level of danger by being The Prometheus’s crew, then I welcome you all as your new Captain,” I said making them all smile. “But,” I said holding up my hand. “What I said was no exaggeration, the dangers my apprentice and I face will mean death for any who are not cautious and are not prepared. I am willing to train you all so that you can aid me in this war against the Caribou, but I want to know your resolve,” I said as I unfurled my wings and spread them wide. “Are you all willing to risk your lives for the sake of Equestria? Are you willing to take a life if absolutely necessary? Are you willing to follow me to the depths of Hell?” I ask.

They were all silent for a moment until a mare steps forward who I saw was Spitfire. I arched a brow at her and crossed my arms and she could tell I still remembered our last encounter. She rubs her arm and looks away in shame and sighs.

“I…feel really bad about what I almost did with Fleetfoot. When you left I wanted to run after you and apologize but then I heard what you said to the Princesses. I felt so embarrassed that I let my Heat take control of my actions so I locked myself in my quarters until the Heat calmed down. And…” Spitfire trailed off as she started to tear up as she looked back at me. “…you saved my mom. I didn’t think I’d see her again and I’m so happy she’s back by my side. You’ve done so much and I want to make it up to you so let me, let us, join you as your crew.” I look behind her and see Fleetfoot and Soarin, along with a couple other Wonderbolts like High Winds and Fire Streak, walk up behind her with looks of conviction along with the other ponies behind them. They all seemed to be driven to follow me and nothing would convince them otherwise.

“Very well,” I said as I whistle and look up to see Flash peer over the deck. “Flash! Lower the gang plank, we’ve got a new crew joining us!”

“Really? Ok hold on!” He calls out. Soon the gang plank lowers and I smile at the large group of ponies.

”Well what are you lot waiting for, an invitation? Get your asses on board and prep The Prometheus for departure! That’s an order as your new Captain!” I said.

“Yes Captain!” They all said and all walk up the plank.

“Not bad, Dimitri, not bad at all,” Lucifer said. I smirk and I fly up to the crows nest of the ship and watch as my new crew prep the ship.

“This a little unexpected,” Flash said as he flew up and landed next to me. “You sure this is a good idea letting all these ponies on board?”

“They’ll be fine, with the proper training I’m confident they’ll be a force to be reckoned with,” I said. “By the way, what happened to Bow Hothoof and his group?” I ask.

“Well when we passed by Ponyville they insisted they fly down to the town to be with their daughters. I tried to convince them to wait for you but they didn’t want to,” Flash said.

“Well as long as they’re back in the Castle of Friendship then that’s fine, we’ll regroup with them once the ship is prepped,” I said.

A little while later the ship is finally prepped and I signal Soarin, who I named my Helmsman, to set The Prometheus loose into the air. The ship then comes to life as the sails unfurl and picks up the wind and lifts into the air. I glance back at the castle and see Celestia and Luna watch us leave and I give a mock salute as we go. They both wave us goodbye and I then start to think about what next town or major city is next to take back from the Caribou.

3rd POV Back on Earth

For a little over a month, the disappearance of Dimitri Lockdrom hadn’t go unnoticed by the residents of the small town Dimitri lived in, especially his good friend Phill McHaggard. Phill was the first person to notice Dimitri had gone missing since it was unlike him to not show up to his small liquor store in quite some time. When Phill went to check on Dimitri he found that his door was locked yet Dimitri was not inside. Concerned, Phill contacted the authorities which ended up becoming a whole investigation as to his whereabouts. The police had questioned Phill many times and he always said the same thing every time.

“Guy just came to my shop, bought some booze, and left. Thought he’d turn in after tossing a few and I’d see him pass by the next day. Only I didn’t and I assumed he had one too many and was sleeping it off. But that’s when I realized it had been a couple days since I’d heard from him so I thought I’d go and see if he was alright. Lo and behold his place was locked up yet he wasn’t there which was unlike him not to be home and I know he would just wander off like that. I haven’t seen him since and it worries me much not being able to know where he is. Lock was always a bit distant to most, me especially even after I found out how he was let go from the army. All I can hope is that he’s alright, wherever he is,” he said sadly.

It was now late at night and Phill was behind the counter of his shop as per usual with no one around. Phill sighed as he occasionally glanced out the glass door to see if his friend would stumble in for another drink yet he never showed. Out of the corner of his eye the light that always flickered due to the broken bulb flashed every so often. After about a few minutes of the bulb flashing, Phill slammed his hand on the counter in annoyance and glared at the flickering bulb.

“Alright already, ya fock! I’ll fix the damn light, Jaysus!” He snapped as he stood up to to walk to the back room. “Where’re the fockn’ things, coulda swore I bought some last week…oh wait I was hammered last week. Ah HA, found ya!” Phill said holding up the box of bulbs.

As Phill walked back to the counter to grab the little stool he always sat on, the door opened making the door chime.

“I’ll be with ya in a minute, bud. Just gotta fix the-”

CLICK

Phill stops talking as he slowly looks up to be face to face with a masked stranger and the face of a gun pointed at him making him drop the box of bulbs in his hand.

“Oh shite…” he said as he raised his hands.

“Money…” the burglar said. “Now, fat fuck.”

Phill nodded his head and slowly went to the register and pulled out a small plastic bag and opened the register.

“You don’t have to do this, bro,” Phill said trying to talk the masked burglar down. “I don’t know why you had to resort to this but it’s not the best option you got, let me tell you,” he said as he filled the bag with money.

“Shut up,” the burglar hissed. “You don’t know jack shite about me, besides I want money and this is the easiest way.

“I may not know shite about you, dude,” Phill said as he packed up the last of the money and handed it to the burglar. “But that cop might who’s walking past us.”

The burglar snapped his head to the door and Phill took this chance to lunge over the counter, tackling him to the ground causing him to drop his gun. It all soon turned into a wrestling match and fist fight as both men tossed each other around the small liquor store, bottles were broken, isles were tipped over, and both men suffered heavy damage ranging from punched out teeth, cuts, bruises, and the occasional strike to the balls. This lasted for a good 10 minutes and the whole store looked like an earthquake hit and both men were panting trying to stare each other down, each of them bleeding in some areas. Phill glanced down as saw the grip of the burglars gun under a pile of some of the mess they made but much to Phill’s poor luck, the burglar noticed it to. Both Phill and the burglar lunged at the gun but the burglar was faster and grabbed it and aimed it at Phill making hims raise his hands again.

“Please…don’t do this,” Phill pleaded.

“Should’ve given me the fucking money, arsehole…”

BANG

The bullet pierced through Phill’s head as he fell backwards. As Phill McHaggard’s life slipped away with each passing second, he watched as the burglar hobbled away attempting to escape only for sirens to light the dimly lit light and the cops put down the armed robber. Phill then closed his eyes and waited to be carried to the afterlife.

Lock, if you’re on the other side, let’s share a pint so that we no longer gotta deal with the shite life gave us, He thought as he took his last breath. The last thing he saw was a bright light he presumed was the warm welcome of the Silver City.

Phill 1st POV

I slowly opened my eyes to a god forsaken headache that could split my head in two should I not be careful. I’m oddly met with a night sky and what’s even stranger is that it felt like I was outside laying in the grass. I slowly brought myself upwards, slightly wincing at the pounding head of mine, and looked around. It looked like I was in the middle of some kind of clearing in the middle of the woods which didn’t make a lick of sense since I expected to see clouds and shiny buildings all around like my mum always told me Heaven was supposed to look like. I then slowly got on my knees and on my feet, only stumbling a tad, as I took in my surroundings, hoping to maybe see my nana somewhere.

“Huh, it’s…a lot darker than I imagined,” I said to myself scratching my head. I was about to walk and take in my new afterlife when a bright ass light shines out of no where blinding me. “The hell? Turn the damn light off! It’s too damn late for this kind of light!”

“Oh apologies,” a voice said which sounded like gold. “I seemed to have forgotten the sun had set some time ago.”

As the light died down I saw someone who shocked me to my very core. A man with long curly golden brown hair, beautifully clean skin, brown eyes, and seemed to be wearing some kind of blue tunic with red scarf like cloak wrapped around his arms and a golden helmet on his head adorned with feathers. But his clothes weren’t what shocked me, on his back were a pair of large golden white wings that must’ve spread at least 8ft wife despite being furled. On his hip was what looked like some kind of sword that had a golden handle but I was to shocked to care what he was armed with.

“Wh-What in the…holy…” I muttered in disbelief.

“My presence is a bit of a shock to you, is it not Mr. McHaggard?” The winged man asked with a warm smile.

“How…do ya know my name?” I ask.

“I suppose you could say I know all the names of those who have departed from the mortal plain. It is quite unfortunate how your life was taken from you, Mr. McHaggard, although I did hear your prayer as you took your final breath,” the man said.

“Heard my prayer?” I repeat. “Who even are you?”

“Oh dear, despite everything I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Michael, or Saint Michael if you will,” the man said with a curt nod.

“Michael? What, as in Archangel Michael?” I wonder. Michael just smiles and nods making my eyes damn near pop out of their sockets. “A-Are you for real?!” I yelp immediately dropping to my knees. “I-I-I am so sorry, your holiness, I meant no disrespect!”

“Mr. McHaggard please rise, there is no reason to bow to me in such a manner,” Michael said. I was hesitant at first but seeing how Michael continued to smile at me set me at ease so I did just as he asked but was still breaking out in a cold sweat.

“So uh…are you hear to show me around Heaven?” I wonder.

“This may come as a bit of a shock to you, Mr. McHaggard, but you are still among the living,” Michael said making me tilt my head in confusion. “Thanks to me of course,” he adds.

“I’m still alive?” I ask and he nods. “But…that shouldn’t be possible. I mean I got shot in the bloody head for Christ’s sake!”

“While it may surprise to hear this it is quite true, before the connection with your soul to your body was completely severed I healed you and returned your body to your soul. All the while answering your last prayer before you completely succumbed,” Michael explains.

“Right…so what was my last prayer?” I ask scratching the back of my head.

“To see your friend one last time,” Michael answers. At first I didn’t know what he was talking about but soon I realized making my eyes widen again.

“You mean…Lock is here? Lock is really here?!” I asked happily.

“Indeed, your friend Dimitri Lockdrom is here in this world,” Michael said.

“Oh thank the Lord above!” I said with glee. “He’s alive! The stupid bastard is still alive! Where is he Saint Michael? I wanna give that arse a big hug and then punch him across his stupid face for worrying me so damn much!”

“As much as I am pleased to see you are in higher spirits, Mr. McHaggard, unfortunately your friend is in a bit of trouble,” Michael said making me tilt my head.

“Trouble? Lock? What do you mean?” I wonder.

“I cannot go into full detail just yet, but let’s just say he has aligned himself with certain acquaintance of mine and is running amok in this world making his soul more dark and twisted with each day that passes by,” Michael said.

“You keep saying this world,” I said still confused. “You make it sound like this isn’t Heaven nor Earth yet another world entirely.”

“Well that is because we are on another world, that is what happened to Dimitri Lockdrom after all. He was brought here over a month ago and has been residing here ever since,” Michael said.

“So…where exactly are we?” I ask.

“We are on the planet Eques, within the borders of Equestria,” Michael answers.

“Equestria, why do I feel I know that name somewhere?” I wonder but then shake my head. “Never mind, just please tell me what he’s been doing.”

“Very well but I warn you, what you are about to see will be quite unsettling,” Michael said as he drew his sword.

The blade must’ve shined like the sun as Michael thrusted the sword forward and moved it down crating a tear in mid air. I soon saw images of Lock speaking with a tall figure wearing a trench coat with embers covering him. Then I saw what looked like weird anthro horses wearing clothes and such but the next image was what shocked my heart and mind. Anthro caribou creatures raping the anthro female horses and treating them like slaves, the mere sight made me sick to my stomach. I then saw Lock again but with large crimson red wings on his back and he was…killing massive groups of the caribou and some of the male horses in the most horrific ways possible. His face looked nothing like the Lock I knew, because all I saw was the image of a monster hunting down it’s next victim. The last image was Lock saying something about killing all of the caribou along with any traitors and Michael chose this opportunity to close the hole as I fell to my knees.

“Sweet Christ on a pony…” I muttered. “Just what the bloody hell was all that?”

“That, Mr. McHaggard, is why I brought you here. As you can see, this world has been overrun by these power mad tyrants called the Caribou. Here they see the female gender as nothing but an inferior sex and that their only place is under the rule of all males,” Michael explains. “Your friend, Mr. Lockdrom, has taken up a contract with Lucifer to have him enact proper punishment on their leader, King Dainn Stonehoof, and the demons he’s allied with.”

“Jaysus, I figured these sick pricks would get their just deserves but to go this far? It sounds like Lock is willing to commit genocide or something,” I said picking myself back up.

“You would be correct in that case, Mr. McHaggard, Lucifer has convinced Mr. Lockdrom that the only way to ensure this worlds safety is by killing all the caribou in existence. My fellow Archangels and I, while we agree that the Caribou’s crimes are quite unjust, believe otherwise since one shouldn’t be the sole reason of an entire species extinction,” Michael said.

“But why would Lock even sign up with the bloody Devil anyway?” I ask. “I mean I knew Lock was a broody fellow but to go this far?” I wonder.

“Lucifer was always quite the convincing type with that silver tongue of his,” Michael sighed. “Though I suspect Mr. Lockdrom agreed willingly to Lucifer’s offer and is acting of his own accord.”

“With all due respect, Saint Michael, but I find that hard to believe,” I said crossing my arms. “True, I’d imagine anyone would be pissed at what’s been going on in this world and what the bloody Caribou are doing to the folks around here. But Lock, it’s hard to believe even someone like him, with a past like his, would stoop to working under the Devil himself.”

“Believe what you will, Mr. McHaggard, just know that Mr. Lockdrom’s soul becomes more black with each life he claims,” Michael shrugs.

“So what does that gotta do with me?” I ask.

Michael smiles as he holds up his sword to me making me quirk a brow. “Phillip McHaggard, I, Archangel Saint Michael, and my fellow Archangels wish to see this world saved as well but not the way the Devil wished it to be. He only uses Dimitri Lockdrom for his own gains and we cannot look past something like this. So we have decided that if the Devil may take on a champion then so shall we. Phillip McHaggard, will you accept this holy contract and become our champion?” Michael offers making my eyes widen again.

“Wha…?” I whisper.

“Will you become The Angel’s Saint?” Michael asks.

Author's Note

A new holy champion has arrived. Will he be an ally to the Devil’s Hand’s campaign, or will he be a liability who tries to thwart his mission?

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil’s Words of Comfort and The Search for The Missing Apple

Chapter 14

As The Prometheus neared Ponyville, I had been pondering which town Flash and I would liberate next. I would like to go for a big target like Manehatten but I’d rather not attack such a large target with possibly thousands of slaves or brainwashed males. So for now we would only focus on the small towns and free them one by one. Ponyville was now in sight and I could already feel Twilight being worried for me despite me telling her I’d be fine. She’s a worrisome mare, that one, but that’s just what I love about her. As The Prometheus landed beside the Castle of Friendship the crew all lined up in front of me waiting for me and Flash to address them. We both flew down from the crows nest and landed in front of the crew as they stood up straight.

“Alright you lot I’m gonna go and meet with Princess Twilight, meanwhile you all stay aboard and await further instructions understood?” I command.

“Yes Captain Lock!” They all salute.

Captain Lock…I like the sound of that, I think while smirking.

Flash and I lower the gang plank and walk off the ship. As we walk up to the entrance and I was about to open the doors, they are covered in a magenta colored magic aura and swing open. Next thing I know I’m tackled by a lavender blur a few feet from where I stand and onto the ground. I groaned as I looked down and see Twilight look up at me with tears streaming down her face with a very happy yet very upset expression.

“OH SWEET CELESTA THANK GOODNESS YOU’RE OK!” she shrieks and proceeds to pepper my face with kisses. I was about to say something until she captures my lips with her own and kisses me hard while hugging me close. I gently grasp her shoulders and pull her away much to her reluctance.

“Well good morning to you too, honey,” I said, making her puff her cheeks and glare at me with a cute pouty face.

“Where the hay have you been?! I’ve been up all night constantly worrying about you and all you have to say is good morning?!” She yelps.

I sigh and pick myself up sitting cross legged so Twilight is sitting in my lap as I wrap my arms and wings around her. I then rub the back of her head along her mane and she immediately relaxes in my embrace. “You’re right, I’m sorry for worrying you,” I said softly. “The liberation of Cloudsdale took longer than expected, I’m back now and safe and sound.” Twilight wraps her arms around me and nuzzles into my chest as she whimpers but is still happy I’m back by her side.

“Please don’t scare me like that again…” Twilight said into my chest as I continued to stroke her mane.

“I won’t, I promise,” I said, making her look up at me while cupping her chin. She smiled through her tears and leaned up as I met her half way and our lips meet. I can still feel the tears streaming down her face as I kiss her as she melts in the embrace of my wings. Eventually we break apart and she stares into my eyes lovingly as she cups my cheek.

“I love you Lock, so much I always worry for you…” Twilight said, making me smile.

“I love you to Twilight, I’ll try not to be such a worrisome man for you,” I said.

I pick myself up as I furl my wings behind my back, though as I was about to stand Twilight keeps her arms wrapped around me. I chuckled as I put one arm under her legs and the other behind her back and stand up while carrying her bridal style. Twilight nuzzles into my chest as she holds onto my neck and I walk back to the entrance of the castle. Flash stands at the doorway with a small smile and I roll my eyes and we both walk inside.

“So,” I said looking down at Twilight. “Did you notice my new ship?”

“Yes, can you give me a tour later? I’ve always wanted to examine one of those large airships up close, even if they were used for such atrocious things,” she said still nuzzling in my chest.

“Come on Twi, I said I was sorry, do I really gotta keep carrying you?” I ask.

“Yes, I want to be carried by you for the rest of the day. You owe that much for worrying me sick last night,” Twilight said sternly.

“Very well,” I chuckled as I held her close. “Since when did you become so clingy?”

“You’re my coltfriend, Lock. It’s only natural I want to stay close to you and besides,” she said looking up at me. “I always love it when you wrap your wings around me, it makes me feel so safe.”

“Heh, you’re adorable you know that?” I said leaning down to kiss her on the lips.

We eventually make it to the throne room and Twilight opens the doors with her magic and we’re met with the rest of the Elements including Bow and his wife which makes me smile seeing how he made it back here safely.

“Hey Bow,” I called out, gaining his attention.

“Lock! It’s good to see you son,” he said as he walked over along with Windy and Rainbow Dash. “I see what my daughter said was true, you and Princess Twilight sure do look happy together.”

“That we are, Bow, I’d shake your hand but they’re both a little preoccupied at the moment,” I joke.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bow said waving his hand. “A stallion must always make sure his mare is happy, take it from a married stallion like me. Now then,” he said looking over to Rainbow Dash. “I believe you have something you’d like to say, young lady?” Rainbow winces and looks away and Windy pushes her towards me.

“Rainbow Dash, you give Mr. Lockdrom a proper apology this instant,” Windy scolds.

“But Mom, I already did!” Rainbow defends.

“Well you gotta say it again since we’re here now and we wish to hear it in pony,” Bow said. Rainbow sighs and looks up at me and Twilight with a guilty expression.

“Um…Mr. Lockdrom?” She said.

“Just Dimitri is fine,” I said.

“Right…well Dimitri, I just want to say again how sorry I am. I acted like a stupid mare and lashed out at you because I was too mad how you talked to us and treated Princess Celestia. I know you don’t trust me for what I did before you left but I just want you to know I’m willing to do whatever it takes to earn your trust back, especially since you saved my parents and liberated Cloudsdale. You’ve done so much yet I feel like I won’t be able to repay you for all you have done but I’m willing to try if you’ll give me a chance,” Rainbow explains. I stare at Rainbow as her ears droop and she looks down to her hooves. I then put Twilight down, much to her reluctance, and rest my left hand on Ymir’s hilt.

“Seems like your folks managed to properly set you straight,” I said, earning a confident nod from her parents. “You really wanna do whatever you can to earn my trust back?” I ask.

“Yeah, whatever it is I’m willing to do it,” she said with conviction. I smirked and reached out with my other hand for a shake.

“Then join my crew,” I said, earning looks of shock from her and her parents.

“Your crew?” She repeats.

“You lack discipline, order, and responsibility. You think with your fists and gut instead of your mind and soul. If you join my crew I’ll show you what it truly means to both earn and give trust. The ponies aboard my ship are also willing to do the same and they too are gonna be put through the ringer with my training and guidance. You want to be a better mare? You want to have your chance to take back what the Caribou have stolen? You want to earn my full trust? Then join The Prometheus and join the fight against the Caribou,” I said.

“Lock are you sure that’s a good idea?” Flash asked. “You’d be putting her on the front lines with us as we travel around Equestria. Not to mention she’s still The Element of Loyalty.”

“That’s exactly why, Flash,” I said. “The ponies need to see that even someone who’s one of the Elements can take up the fight in this war. When the day comes we make our move against Lust at the Crystal Empire, and we finally break their brainwashing, they’ll see that the Princesses along with the Elements are still standing and will never give up hope.” I look back at Rainbow who was staring at me in awe. “So what say you, Rainbow Dash, will you join the fight for Equestria?” Rainbow looks back at her parents expecting them to protest her from going along with me but they just both smile and nod, giving her more confidence. She then looks back at me with a proud smile and nods.

“Sign me up, Dimitri! I’ll be sure to kick their sorry flanks and prove to you I’m a worthy pony of your trust!” Rainbow said confidently.

“Then welcome aboard,” I said as I shook her hand. “And for the record, whenever we’re on The Prometheus, it’s Captain Lock to you.” She nods and I look to Bow who was still smiling at Rainbow. “Bow, are you sure you’re ok with your daughter joining my crew?”

“As a father I’ll always worry for her whenever she’s out there fighting but since I know she’ll be under your watch I’m confident she’ll be in proper hands,” he said. “You will look after her, won’t you?”

“I promise nothing bad will happen to your daughter,” I said. “By the way, where’s Posey Shy and his family?” I ask, realizing he and Fluttershy weren’t in the room.

“He and his family are in one of the guest rooms that colt, Zephyr Breeze, is staying in. When their daughter saw them she burst into tears and didn’t let go of any of them and they her. If you want to check in on them they’re down that hallway on the second room to the right,” Bow said pointing in the direction of the room.

“Ok thanks,” I said and looked back at Flash. “I’m gonna go check in on them, when I get back we’re gonna discuss which town we’re gonna hit next.”

“Yes sir,” he said with a salute.

“Twilight,” I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Can you please prepare the map for me? I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Well…ok, but as soon as you come back you’re gonna keep carrying me for the rest of the day like you promised,” she said wagging her finger at me.

“Yes ma’am,” I teased after kissing her cheek. She smiles and walks off to the map room as I walk in the other direction towards Zephyr’s room.

After a few minutes of walking down the hall I make it to the room where Posey and his family were in and I knocked on the door.

“It’s open,” I hear Posey call out. I open the door and see him and his family all gathered around the bed and Zephyr awake, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

“Good morning, everyone,” I greeted them.

“Mr. Lockdrom!” Posey said happily. “I’m so glad you made it back safe and sound. We were just filling Zephyr in on all that you’ve done for us and Cloudsdale.

“Glad to see you in higher spirits,” I said as I stood at the foot of the bed. “Hey kid, you ok?” I ask Zephyr.

“Yeah…I’m fine I guess,” he said, a little depressed.

“Poor Zephyr has told us what that awful stallion, Wind Rider, did while he was kept as his prisoner. If it wasn’t for you we would have never seen our little colt again…” Gentle said, trying to fight back the tears.

“C’mon Ma,” Zephyr said trying to smile. “This guy saved us and we’re ok now, I’m ok now,” he said trying to reassure his mother.

“You look a little more healthy, Zephyr,” I said, noticing he looked less malnourished. “And you look like you’ve gotten a decent night's sleep, I’m glad to see it.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Mr. Lockdrom,” Zephyr said with a kind smile. “If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be back with my family and besides poor Flutter Butter here.” Fluttershy looks up at me with a few tears streaming down her face as she stands up from her chair and walks over to me. She smiles and wraps her arms around me and sobs into my chest.

“Th-Thank you…you s-saved my family…thank y-you so much…” she said repeatedly. I smiled and patted her head as she cried in my chest. Gentle and Posey also had tears of joy and Zephyr looked happy as well, though when I glanced at Zephyr I noticed he had a bit of a guilty look in his eye which made me quirk a brow.

“Uh hey Ma, Pop, sis, can I speak to Mr. Lockdrom for a quick sec?” Zephyr asks. Posey, Gentle, and Fluttershy look at Zephyr and each other but nod as they all exit the room. Fluttershy glances once more to Zephyr and he smiles and waves making her nod and close the door.

“Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?” I ask.

“I heard you did a lot for my folks and sis,” Zephyr said. “No doubt more than I ever could for them,” Zephyr sighed sadly.

“Don’t beat yourself up too hard, kid,” I said as I sat down on the chair beside him. “It’s not your fault this happened.”

“No, but I wish I coulda done more for my folks,” Zephyr said. “Before this whole Fall, I was nothing but a freeloader. I never really took things seriously and leaned on my parents whenever I could. Flutter Butter always scolded me for taking advantage of my folks but I just brushed it off as some dumb big sister routine,” he explains. “I was actually thinking of doing mane therapy since my square cloud idea was a bust,” Zephyr jokes. “But then this all happened…”

“I see,” I said now remembering the episode he was talking about from back home. “Look even though things are bad now you shouldn’t give up on your goals.”

“But you don’t understand, Mr. Lockdrom, I could’ve done something for my family before I was taken,” Zephyr said.

“But Zephyr-”

“I should’ve done something!” He cries. “But instead I just gave myself up!”

“Wait, you gave yourself up?” I repeat a little shocked.

“When the Caribou invaded Cloudsdale I saw them rounding up the mares all over town. I even saw them and some other stallions start attacking mares and rape them in broad daylight which scared the buck outta me. When I ran home my Pop said to hide with my Ma but they came and almost found us. I managed to step out from hiding before they discovered my folks and when they saw I wasn’t one of them stallions who went crazy or one of them who joined they captured me and took me to Wind Rider. That bastard of a stallion figured if I watched him rape and torture mares right in front of me I’d join him as well,” Zephyr explains.

Well it’s a good thing the bastard is burning for his sins, I thought to myself.

“But you stayed strong Zephyr,” I said. “Despite all you’ve been through you kept your mind straight and didn’t give in.”

“Maybe, but that’s not all he did,” he said, confusing me.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Wind Rider, he sometimes brought other mares, mares who had one of them red collars on, and he…made them do stuff,” Zephyr said, shocking me.

“Zephyr…did they?” I wonder. Zephyr looks away with a small blush and frowns as he nods.

“I didn’t enjoy it…not one bit,” Zephyr said now in tears. “Wind Rider said that if I joined I could mate with as many mares as I want,” he looks back at me with a pained expression. “But he took away the one thing I wanted to save for my special somepony I would one day find! And when that didn’t work he beat me, starved me, and kept making me watch as he defiled Ms. Flare! So you’re wrong, I wasn’t strong! I was weak! And I’m still the loser I was before this nightmare!”

I was silent at Zephyr’s confession, all the while I was trying to keep my rage at bay. To think that Zephyr was forced to mate with mares by Wind Riders command, at least the Heat had some justification to it but this was just plain cruel. Zephyr buries his face in his hands and sobs at the painful memories of his torture.

Poor kid, I think.

“The boy has been through a lot,” Lucifer said appearing next to me. “It seems he has lost his confidence, I doubt your power would set him at ease.”

Sometimes using my power isn’t always the answer, Lucifer. Words can have more of an impact, I tell him.

“Zephyr,” I said, making him look at me. “May I tell you a little about me and my family?”

“Your family?” He asks.

“You see back where I’m from I was a military man, I fought for peace and served for my home against my enemies so that the people could rest more easily. However the army wasn’t my first option,” I said.

“It wasn’t?” Zephyr wonders.

“No, to be completely honest my old dream was to open a pastry shop,” I said making his eyes widen a bit.

“You? A badass warrior who cuts down Caribou like it’s nothing?” Zephyr asks.

“As hard as it is to believe, it’s true,” I said. “I spent hours in the kitchen with my mother making all kinds of pastries. Though she was all for the idea of me following something I was good at, my father wasn’t too keen on the idea,” I explained. “He always told me I should do something more masculine instead of wasting time in the kitchen. So I put away the oven mitts and pursued other things to do, which I wasn’t able to find any. All I could do was finish school without a single degree to my name. I was disappointed that I couldn’t do what I loved because of my dad, in fact I was mad at him for making me quit baking. So mad I moved out and enlisted just to prove I could do anything and not need his approval. But despite how well I had done during my service it didn’t wipe away the guilt I felt. It was only after I was discharged I realized I shouldn’t have cared what he thought about my culinary pursuit and stuck with baking. Before I came here I had lost touch with my family and friends because I tried to shut them out and barely contacted them.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Zephyr asks.

“Because if there’s anyone here who’s the weak one it’s me,” I said. “I gave up on my passion and let someone else dictate what I should or shouldn’t do. I took the cowards way out and acted of my own accord to rebel. I sometimes wonder what I would’ve been like had I kept baking with my mother. Now I’m a hardened veteran, sent here to liberate an entire planet, yet I still think back to what I would’ve been like. But you, Zephyr, you kept yourself from turning on everything and everyone you love. They tortured you, starved you, and had mares rape you but you still held on to your mind. If anything most would either go mad or give in to the temptation but you didn’t, which makes you stronger than you realize. And I bet your family is proud of you that you managed to stay strong all this time, I know I am.”

“You’re…proud of me?” Zephyr asks.

“Yes, and if you still wish to pursue mane therapy after all this then by all means go for it. Don’t let others, and even yourself, cause you to have doubts. You are your own stallion and you are who you choose to be. Take it from someone who hasn’t really had a choice most times in his life,” I said as I stood up. “So ask yourself this, Zephyr, who are you? And what do you wanna be?” I asked before I closed the door.

I made my way back to the throne room and saw the others talk with each other. I was about to join them when I heard a knock on the front doors. I walked over and opened them to see Spitfire and Soarin and they saluted me.

“At ease,” I said. “What do you need?”

“We found these three in the cargo hold of The Prometheus,” Soarin said, stepping to the side. To my surprise it was a trio of fillies who I recognized as the CMC, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. They looked up at me in awe, more so from Scootaloo as she was gawking at my wings which made me chuckle. “What should we do with them, Captain?” Soarin asks.

“I’ll take them from here, thanks for bringing them to me,” I said. They salute once more and walk off leaving me and the CMC.

“So,” I said kneeling down to meet them face to face. “Care to explain why the three of you are stowaways on my ship?”

“Well…” Applebloom trailed off looking a little guilty. “We just wanted ta see our sisters. When we heard they were back in Ponyville we snuck on yer ship when no pony was lookin’.”

“You’re the human guy who freed this town, right?” Sweetie Belle asks.

“That I am,” I said. “Though if you three wanted to come along to meet your sisters again all you had to do was ask. I would’ve been happy to reunite you with them.”

“You would?” Scootaloo asks, surprised.

“Well to be honest I think you should’ve stayed in Canterlot where it’s more safe but since you three went so far as to sneak aboard my ship I suppose I can oblige by letting you stay,” I said. All at once the three fillies lept forward and wrapped me in a hug leaving me a bit surprised at the sudden gesture.

“Thank you so much!” They all said together. I smiled at their cuteness, since I kinda always had a soft spot for them from the show, and responded in kind by gently wrapping my arms and wings around them.

“Your wings are so warm, mister,” Apple Apple Bloom said.

“And they look super awesome!” Scootaloo chirped feeling the muscles of my wing.

“And they have very pretty feathers,” Sweetie Belle said admiring the crimson red color.

“I’m glad you three admire my wings,” I said. “Let’s continue this inside, shall we?”

They nod as I stand up and furl my wings back and we head inside. We make it back to the throne room and once they notice us, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity gasp and quickly walk over to the fillies.

“What in tarnation are y’all doin’ here?” Applejack snaps.

“Hey sis,” Apple Bloom said sheepishly.

“My crew found these three stowaways in the cargo hold of my ship,” I said, making Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash give each of them the stink eye.

“Sweetie Belle, how could you?!” Rarity shrieks. “Do you have any idea the amount of danger you put yourself in?!”

“But Rarity, we all just wanted to see you again!” Sweetie Belle pleads.

“Yeah, we didn’t wanna be cooped up in Canterlot anymore. When we heard Ponyville was free again and you all came back we hitched a ride on Mr. Lockdrom’s ship,” Scootaloo said.

“You know, even though I may not have a say in this, they did do it out of care for the three of you,” I said, making them all look at me. “They’re your sisters after all, family should always look after each other and stick together. True, they could’ve at least come to me but there’s not much to be done now that they’re here.” They were all silent for a moment until they each gave their defeated sigh and hugged their little sisters.

“Ya coulda just sent a letter, sugarcube,” Applejack said. “But Ah’d be lyin’ if Ah said Ah wasn’t glad you’re here.”

“Next time please ask for permission like a proper lady, Sweetie,” Rarity said.

“Thanks for going through all that trouble, squirt,” Rainbow said. I smiled at the warm reunion until I noticed something, or someone, was missing.

“Hey Applejack,” I said, gaining her and Applebloom’s attention. “Where's Big Mac?”

Both of the Apple sisters frowned making me arch a brow as I noticed Apple Bloom art to tear up.

“We’ve been askin’ that ever since the start of the Fall,” Applejack said, placing a hand on Apple Bloom’s shoulder.

“He’s not in Canterlot?” I question and she shakes her head.

“Before all this, Big Mac went to Appleloosa ta visit some family. But when tha Caribou came we heard that Appleloosa was one of the first towns to be taken. Me, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith have been worried sick about what could’ve happened to him,” Applejack said.

“He’s been missing for almost 4 months now,” Apple Bloom said on the verge of tears. “What could’ve happened to mah big brother?”

I glanced at Flash and he had his own frown of pity, if Mac was still in Appleloosa and hopefully not brainwashed like Bow and the others then he must be going through Hell at the moment. Not bothering to ponder on the matter I walked up to Applejack and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“So he’s in Appleloosa, right?” I repeat and she nods. “Flash! Inform the crew that we’ll be resting here for a few days but will be leaving soon after, we have our next destination.”

“Yes sir!” He said and ran out of the room.

“You’re goin’ ta Appleloosa?” Applejack asks.

“I am, and not only will we bring back Big Mac I’ll also bring home the rest of your Apple family members,” I said with a comforting smile. Apple Bloom whimpers happily and hugs my legs as I pat her head.

“Please…bring him home,” she said.

“I aim to,” I said.

“Y’all are doin’ me this kindness yes Ah still need ta do somethin’ ta make ya trust me again,” Applejack said, wiping her eye for any tears.

“We’ll discuss that at a later date,” I said as I stepped back. “For now my crew and I have our new destination.” Twilight walks up to me and hugs me and I hug her back.

“I don’t like the idea of you leaving so soon since you just came back from Cloudsdale, but since it’s for Applejack I couldn’t possibly complain,” she said with worry.

“I know, hopefully this won’t take too long as Cloudsdale,” I said, stroking her mane. “In the meantime would you like a tour of my ship?” Twilight smiles widely up at me and nods as she kisses me on the lips. I then scoop her up and carry her bridal style again as I glance over to Rainbow.

“Rainbow, it’s time to show me that loyalty of yours,” I said as we walked out of the room. She pumps her fist and runs up next to me as we exit the castle and walk up the gang plank of The Prometheus. When she saw Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts were part of my crew she freaked out like a fan girl and looked more eager to prove her worth. When Twilight stepped on my ship she was running all over the place asking a variety of questions as to how such a large vessel like this could fly in the air. I even gave her a tour of the inside and showed her around the different quarters. As I showed her around my mind trailed off to what could be happening to Big Mac. If he wasn’t brainwashed like Bow and his group then hopefully he’s hiding out somewhere but if he is brainwashed, God forbid, then I would save him and bring him home.

Hang in there, Big Mac, I thought. You’ll be back home before you know it.

3 Days Later

After a few hours of flying I look through a spyglass I found in the Captain’s quarters. I saw the town of Appleoosa in sight and I could already tell it looked like a shadow of its former self. I just hope Mac is doing alright despite everything. If Bow and the others weren’t brainwashed then maybe Mac will be the same. I motion for the crew to have the pegasus ponies gather a bunch of clouds to hide The Prometheus. As they do, I walk over to Flash who was gazing at the town in the distance.

“I’ve heard some very troubling things about this town,” Flash said. “You think Big Macintosh is ok?”

“There’s only one way to find out,” I said as I unfurled my wings. “Spitfire, Soarin, keep the ship hidden and don’t move until Flash and I return, I don’t want there to be any unnecessary casualties,” I order as I look over my shoulder to them.

“Yes, Captain Lock,” they both salute.

“Can’t I come?” Rainbow asks.

“Unfortunately I’d advise against it, Rainbow,” I said. “I know you wanna help but this is something that takes time and patience and you’d be a bit of a liability.” Rainbow looked a little disappointed after I said this. “Tell you what though, once we know what need to properly take this town back, you can help Flash and I free the slaves.” She perked up a bit and smiled to which I nod and Flash and I jump in the air and fly towards Appleoosa.

As we fly closer I can already sense the feeling of misery from any slaves from the town making me frown but keep my resolve to help free them. We soon land on the far side of town and we hide behind a building and peer around the corner and I do not like what I see. As usual there were Caribou and stallions walking around, some with mares on leashes, but there were some Caribou riding these strange looking massive doglike beasts. They had grey fur and dark hair going along its back, these things stood on four hooves and had a pair of horns on the side of its head. I heard Flash gasp and I saw some electricity spark from his shoulders as I could sense his anger spike.

“War Beasts…” Flash hissed.

“War Beasts?” I repeat. “What’s a War Beast?”

"War Beasts are fire breathing creatures with the strength of twenty earth ponies and are immune to magic blasts. I heard these things are some of the Caribou's main source of strength since no attack spells could harm them, not to mention their hide is especially tough, which is why towns like Appleoosa fell so quickly. And…” he trailed off clenching his fists. “I also heard that these buckers allow them to rape slaves, sometimes for entertainment or to breed them for more War Beasts.”

That last part made my eyes widen and clench my teeth at the sick fact I was just told. These fucking sick bastards let these disgusting hulking monsters rape mares for sport? Even having the audacity to force them to breed with them? All I wanted to do was march out in the open and go on another wild killing spree like before, until my eye caught something hanging on the wall beside us. I reached over to take it off the wall and I saw something that surprised me but smirk a little. It was a wanted poster of me and the image was when I sent out the broadcast and I had my flames covering my body but my face was covered by my hood, despite my eye glowing red.

“Well that was quick for them to take me seriously,” I said. “Only 30,000,000 bits? Can’t help but feel a little bummed that it’s not higher.”

“Holy buck that’s a lot of money,” Flash said in awe of the poster.

“What, you gonna turn me in for the bounty?” I tease.

“What?! No of course not!” He said.

“Relax Flash, it’s just a joke,” I chuckled while tucking the poster in my pocket. “However it does make things a tad more difficult.”

“What do you mean?” Flash wonders.

“I wanted to do this without drawing any attention but since those posters are already plastered all over town, and probably soon the rest of Equestria, I can’t walk around as a human,” I explain.

“So what do we do?” Flash wonders. I scratched my chin in thought trying to think of something until I got an idea. It was a long shot but if I can somehow disguise myself I can walk through town no problem.

“Flash, I’m gonna change my appearance right now so please do me a favor and don’t attack me,” I said as I took a step back.

“Uh ok, why?” Flash wonders with a quirked brow.

I didn’t answer as I closed my eyes and began to focus. I felt my wings retract into my body and my physique begin to change. I felt fur grow along my skin and my face stretch into a muzzle. My height shrunk a few inches as I felt something grow from my head and my hair grow out longer than it was. When I opened my eyes I saw Flash look at me in total shock. I glanced over at a window and saw my reflection making me raise my eyebrows. No longer did I see my human form, but me as a Caribou with reddish brown fur with darker brown nose and a pair of amber eyes. On my head was a pair of large antlers and my hair had grown into a dark grey mane, along with a small tail that poked out from under my jacket.

“Well now,” I said, examining my new appearance. “I expected it to work but not this well.”

“Holy buck, how did you do that?” Flash asks. “You look just like them.”

“Quite impressive, Dimitri,” Lucifer said appearing next to us. “It pleases me your Zoan abilities work just as well as your other powers.”

“Zoan?” Flash repeats.

“I’ll explain later,” I said waving my hand. “Now that I look like them I can blend with the crowd.”

“What about me?” Flash asks.

“There’s no wanted poster for you so I think you should be ok. Right now we need to work on freeing this place and finding Big Mac so I need you to do some recon while I gather information,” I said.

“Got it, but how’re you gonna do that?” Flash wonders.

“I have my ways,” I respond vaguely. “Now get to it.”

Flash nods and runs off in another direction while I take a breath and walk out of my hiding spot. As I walked through town the Caribou and stallions didn’t pay me any mind since I was a Caribou myself. Some nodded to me and I nodded back, much to my reluctance, but I had to play the part since I wanted to at least try and be more subtle about this. Though as I walked I noticed some Caribou and stallions had holsters on their belts and could see a six shooter in each one. I reminded myself of the rifles back in Cloudsdale which only confirmed my suspicions that the Sins introduced weapons from my world to the Caribou. Only question is, how long were they manufacturing this weaponry before the Fall and what other weapons do they have at their disposal?

I then came across a familiar building I recognized as the Salt Block so I decided to try my hand there. Only as I was about to enter the saloon I saw a bunch of mares sitting in front of the saloon all wearing collars and little to no clothing. I clenched my fist as small embers sparked from my hand but I took a deep breath to calm myself down as I approached the doors. Some of the mares who had black collars looked at me in fear while the ones with red collars gave me very lustful looks and opened their mouths as if they wanted me to do something to them. I ignored them, despite my anger starting to boil and walking through the doors. There were Caribou and stallions, even some brainwashed stallions here and there, all drinking and laughing as if there wasn’t a care in the world. I scoffed and walked over to the bar and sat myself down. The bartender walked up to me and I looked up to see someone I didn’t expect. It was Applejack’s cousin Braeburn and I noticed his eyes were glowing a sickly green which meant he was brainwashed.

“Howdy partner, what can Ah get ya? A drink, some food, or a bitch to buck?” He asks while pointing over to the corner. I looked over and saw more mares sitting in a group as one of them was grabbed by a Caribou and forced upstairs. I almost got up to stop him but I reminded myself I needed to play the part, for now…

“Disgusting…” Lucifer growled, good thing no one else can see him.

“Just a drink is fine, scotch if you’ve got it,’ I said. Braeburn nods and reaches under the table and pulls out a bottle and a glass and pours it for me. “So tell me, I’m new around these parts, is there anyone here in charge?” I ask.

“That’d be old Grind up in the mayor’s manor,” Braeburn said pointing out the window and I saw a large house in the outskirts. “He runs the breeding pens and manages the War Beasts. That stag always makes sure the War Beasts breed with the dumb bitches so he can add more of them to the pack.”

“I see, “ I said taking a shot. “I noticed there was a bunch of wanted posters around town, was that for that guy who appeared in the screens around Equestria?“

“Oh yeah, quite tha scary sight, he was. Ah heard some of the other Caribou talkin’ and they said Overlord Lust had sent out an order to hunt down that feller. Ah even heard ever since he took over Cloudsdale, ponies and Caribou have been running around all over trying to find the bucker for that sweet bounty he’s got on his head,” Braeburn explains.

“I suppose one would be pretty set if they got that much bits on them,” I shrugged, taking another shot. “By the way, you seem like a pony who knows a lot of folks, does the name Big Macintosh mean anything to you?” I ask.

“Ya know my cousin, partner?” He asks.

“In a way,” I said vaguely. “I heard he was the bitch of honesty’s brother,” I said while cursing myself in my head for calling Applejack that.

“Ah see ya also know mah stupid bitch cousin, well if yer wonderin’ if he’s here he ain’t. I do recall him headed off to Manehatten some time ago but Ah haven’t seen him since,” Braeburn said.

“Manehatten, huh?” I repeat taking another shot of scotch. Damn, of all places for him to be, I think.

“At least we know of his location, Dimitri. Now you can focus on freeing this town.” Lucifer said.

“Well it was nice talking to you, Braeburn,” I said pulling out a sack of bits from my pocket. “Thanks for the drink,” I said standing up. I was about to leave when a drunk Caribou hobbled over and brushed passed me hitting my shoulder but I just continued to the door.

“Oi you!” He slurred making me look over my shoulder. “Wha kinda mannerz you have? You bumped inta me an thass all ya do? Juss walk away an not say sorry~?”

“You bumped into me, pal,” I shot back. “Not my fault you’re too piss drunk to even pick your nose.”

“You buckn’ buck!” He snapped, slamming his hand on the bar. “You cannot talk ta me liek tha! An juss for tha, I’m callin’ you out!” Soon the whole room got quiet at this drunk asshat’s challenge. I then turned my body around and crossed my arms.

“Buddy, you really don’t wanna do that,” I warn.

“Buck ya I do!” He said, slamming his hand again. “And those fancy swords of yours ain’t gonna cut it!” He said pointing at Surtr and Ymir. “Unless yer too scared ta get shot by me!”

“It seems stupidity is an expected trait for these Caribou,” Lucifer sighs.

“Even if I did accept your stupid challenge, I’ve got no firearms to use,” I said.

“Hey mister,” Braeburn called out and tossed me something. I caught it and looked down to see a well crafted six shooter with a black handle tucked in a black leather holster. “Y’all can use mine, Ah don’t really know how ta use it anyway.”

“Much obliged, Braeburn,” I nod as I hook the holster on the right side of my belt beside Surtr.

“Great! Ya got a piece, now get yer flank out here so I can kill ya!” The Caribou slurred as he hobbled out.

“Well this should be entertaining,” Lucifer chuckled darkly.

I stood in the middle of the road about a dozen feet away from the drunkard who looked at me with a smug smile. I glanced at the clock tower and saw it was about two minutes until noon. I also noticed that we had drawn a bit of a crowd as the residents gathered around to watch us duel. I saw Flash on one of the buildings hiding behind a chimney but I ever so so shook my head signaling him not to do anything and tilted my head a little to tell him to keep doing recon. He nods and runs off while I direct my attention to the drunk Caribou.

So much for keeping a low profile, I groan in my head.

“Ya got any last words, bucker?!” He slurred.

“Yeah, last words are for fools who haven’t said enough,” I said as I readied my hand over my six shooter.

Everyone was silent as the two of us waited for the bell to chime, no one said a word as I kept my gaze on my target. Despite him being drunk he had a bit of a sharp eye, which meant I shouldn’t take him lightly. All that could be heard was the distant breeze through the town and the snorts from the War Beasts every so often. I drowned all them out and focused on my heartbeat and waited for the bell to chime. My senses were dialed to eleven as my hand kept still over my gun, my fingers twitching every so often as I continued to wait. I breathed in slowly and exhaled to try and slow my heart rate and the hairs on my back stood up a bit. Silence, nothing but silence and my heart was all I heard as time seemed to slow down with each passing second.

…

…

…

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

As soon as the last bell rang I grabbed my gun and pulled it out as time still seemed to be in slow motion. I aimed my gun and brought my other hand over the safety hammer and picked out where I’d shoot.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Six shots echoed through the town as the mouth of my gun smoked a little. Everyone turned their heads to my opponent and saw that he had a shocked expression on his face since he was still aiming his gun but had yet to pull the trigger. There were 6 holes all over his body, two in chest, two in his crotch, and two in his head. I twirled the gun in my hand a few times and holstered it as he leaned backwards and fell to the ground dead.

“Dead center,” was all I said as I walked away and through the crowd. I ignored any whispers I heard as I passed by them and continued walking until I was on the other side of town. I turned the corner and leaned back and sighed after I had just killed in front of the whole town.

“You truly know how to wow an audience, Dimitri,” Lucifer said.

“Hope they’re not too sore for me killing one of their own, since I am one of them on the outside,” I said.

“Oh I’m sure they’ll get over it, it sure seems like this isn’t the first time this has happened around here. Otherwise you’d be chased all around the town,” Lucifer said.

“Perhaps,” I shrug. I hear someone run up to me and I see Flash stare at me all wide eyed. “Hey Flash.”

“Holy Celestia, Lock! That was insane!” Flash said as he glanced at my six shooter. “What even is that thing?”

“This is a six shooter,” I answered, pulling it out. “A weapon from my world.”

“Your world?” Flash repeats.

“Yup, there were similar weapons like this back in Cloudsdale if you recall. Which makes things a little more worrisome,” I said as I reloaded my six shooter with the bullets Braeburn also gave me.

“How do you figure?” Flash asks.

“The Sins no doubt outfitted Dainn and his army with these kinds of weapons, which is why he was able to take control so quickly. If he has weapons like these in his arsenal I can only imagine what else he’s got tucked under his belt,” I said as I holstered my six shooter.

“That is very worrisome,” Flash agrees. “Well you’ll be happy to know I finished my recon and I think this town should be an easy one to take. The slaves seem to be all kept in the War Beast pens at night while the males sleep in the buildings through town. I was thinking that maybe if we can get all the mares out first, we can focus on getting any brainwashed stallions out and clear out the rest.”

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll handle the mares while you clear the town. Once we’re done we’ll take care of the bastard mayor Grinder and place a barrier around town before we leave,” I said.

“Got it, by the way, any news on Big Mac? Is he in Appleoosa?” Flash asks.

“Sadly no, I heard from Braeburn that he headed to Manehatten some time ago which is inconvenient since Manehatten is one of the places I plan for us to take back last,” I said.

“Can’t we just go and take it back as soon as we’re done here?” Flash wonders.

“I know you wanna take back Equestria all at once, but we need to be smart in our liberation,” I said. “To be honest I wanted to wait a little before coming here but I suppose I jumped the gun when I heard that Mac was missing. Manehatten isn’t going anywhere and I doubt Mac will too, for now let’s focus on the mission at hand.”

“Yes sir,” Flash agrees. I nod as I transform back into a human and make my wings reappear on my back, never thought I’d miss having wings since I’ve had them out for so long. We both flew back to The Prometheus so that we could wait until nightfall to begin our liberation.

The sun had just set over the horizon and I watched from the crow’s nest as the last light from the town went out. I glanced over to a Flash who was standing next to me and even Rainbow since I promised her she could help free the slaves. We all jumped in the air and flew back to the town but made sure to be extra quiet. Once we landed in the same spot as before I motioned Flash to start clearing the brainwashed stallions out before all hell broke loose. He parted ways with Rainbow and I as we made our way to the pens while sticking to the shadows of the buildings. Every so often there’d be a patrol walking through town but we made sure not to draw his attention and pressed on. Soon we came up to what looked like a barn and we climbed the fence and walked up to the building. When I crept up to the window and peered inside. In each stall was a War Beast fast asleep and I even saw a mare or two in each one with one of the War Beasts legs wrapped around them as some whimpered in their sleep. I scowled at the sight and quietly climbed in with a Rainbow following. She gasped at the sight of the War Beasts but I motioned her to keep quiet since she looked like she wanted to scream and kill these monsters. I walked up to one of the stalls and slowly opened the door, careful not to wake anyone up. I looked down at the hairy beast and the mare beside him but I couldn’t help but let my flames flicker a little at the sight of the poor mare. It wasn’t the fact that her horn was cut off, or the many scars she had on her back, but the obvious protruding belly of hers which meant this fucking beast had impregnated her and there was a baby War Beast growing inside her.

“Fucking sickening…” I whisper.

There was nothing I’d like to do more than to slice this thing up but I didn’t want to risk alerting anyone nearby. After pondering it for a bit I for an idea and moved my hand towards its open mouth. Fucking thing’s breath made me gag a bit but I pointed my finger down and my hand became all liquidity as a purple slime like substance dripped down and on the War Beast’s tongue. After a few minutes of waiting I watched as the breaths of the Beast slowed and soon it came to a stop which meant the poison had done its work and ended its life. I pulled over my hood as I reached down to gently shake the mare awake. Once she opened her eyes she looked at me and was about to scream but I covered her mouth.

“Don’t scream,” I whispered. “I’m here to get you and the others out of here, I’m the one who was on the broadcast and declared war against Dainn.” Her eyes widened and nodded as I removed my hand but she immediately started crying as she looked down at her pregnant belly.

“That thing did this to me…” she whispered. “I always wanted to be a mother but not to some disgusting War Beast, I’d rather die than give birth to this monster…”

I frowned at the whimpering mare as I looked at her stomach. There had to be something I could do but there weren’t a lot of options, unless…

Boss… I think.

“There is a way, but it is not a pleasant one,” Lucifer said.

What can be done? I ask.

“The power to manipulate souls, you must extract the infant War Beast’s soul from her womb and it will die and fade away,” he replied.

…Very well, I thought.

“I can fix this, but it won’t be pleasant,” I whisper.

“Please, I don’t want to be a mother to a monster. I want to find a special somepony and hold my own foal,” the mare pleads. I nod and place a hand on her stomach. My hand faintly glows as I can sense the young soul within as I begin to extract its soul.

You were never meant to be conceived in the first place, I think darkly. Consider this a mercy than what happened to your father. The bulge in her stomach started to slowly shrink as I continued to absorb the soul. Soon there was nothing left as her stomach become flat and I removed my hand.

“It is done,” I said. But before she could thank me I blew a type of knockout gas from my mouth and into her face. Her eyes glazed over as she fell to her side, completely unconscious. “Rainbow,” I call out from the stall and she sticks her head in. “You’re going to gather each mare and bring them outside,” I order plainly. She as I stand up and walk past her. I repeat the same process with all the other War Beasts and any pregnant mares, despite the somewhat guilty feeling I had. About an hour later, we had successfully cleared out the barn and it was filled with nothing but poisoned and dead War Beasts. When I walked outside I saw Rainbow pull the last mare with the others and see dozens of them all slumped under a tree.

“So what now?” She whispers.

“Now you stay out of sight and wait for Flash and I,” I said as I walked away.

“But I want to help with freeing the town,” Rainbow said, trying to follow me.

“Rainbow,” I said sternly, looking over my shoulder making her stop in her tracks. “I said you could help free the mares and you did just that. You already have another important job by keeping these mares safe, and to make sure that you do,” I said as I leaned down and placed a hand on the grass. My hand glows red as tribal markings circle the tree and Rainbow and I stand back up. “No matter what you see or hear, stay behind this barrier no matter what. Under no circumstances are you to leave this area, am I clear?” I ask. Rainbow is silent for a moment but nods and walks back to the group of unconscious mares. Without another word I walk back to the town and stand in the middle of the road.

I wanted to keep it all at bay, but after seeing the state of the mares and what they had gone through with the War Beasts was the breaking point. My fists clenched as my breathing became heavy and the flames started to flicker along my body. It’s been a while since I’ve been this pissed, more so than the Heat week. I wanted them to suffer, I wanted to make them rue the day they let those monsters have their way with the mares and even let them carry their young. The broadcast wasn’t enough, killing them wasn’t enough, I wanted to tear them limb from limb and burn their very souls. I saw Flash run up to me but then went pale as soon as he saw how angry I was.

“Um, L-Lock…? I got…t-the brainwashed stallions out…” he stuttered.

I didn’t have to say anything since he got the message to get the fuck out before things got messy. He nods and runs out to the outskirts of town.

“You shall all burn…” I hissed as my body began to change again.

Rainbow Dash 1st POV

“Man this stinks…” I said out loud. I looked over at all the unconscious mares and couldn’t help but feel like I could be doing more instead of foalsitting over them. I was glad Dimitri let me help him out with the liberation but I wanted to do more than just sitting around. Although at the same time I guess I couldn’t really complain since I still had to work on regaining his trust, Goddess above was I dumb to try and attack him. Suddenly, the ground began to shake and I heard a roar coming from the town which made me jump in the air. It spooked me so bad. I snapped my head in the town’s direction as I flew up into the air to get a better view and saw something that made my wings shiver.

A dragon, unlike any I’ve ever seen, flew up into the air and around the town while roaring as loud as it could. I’ve never felt so scared in my life as I watched it swoop down into the streets. I then heard screams coming from the town and loud noises that sounded like fireworks as the dragon rose up with something in its claws. It had handfuls of Caribou and flew up into the air and dropped them and the dragon breathed in and unleashed a torrent of flames, burning them to a crisp in mid air. I couldn’t look away from the destruction as it continued to fly around and tear its way through the streets while also destroying a few buildings. I could see the residents of the town all run around in a panic and I even saw a strange orange blur zip around at high speeds, even faster than me and that’s coming from me.

After about another hour of its rampage it stopped and looked over to a large house on the outskirts of town. The dragon flew over to the house and I slowly but surely followed behind as I saw some more Caribou run out of the house, some of them mounting those War Beasts I heard about. One of them was a fat Caribou and he was wearing fancy clothes and was yelling at the other Caribou, something I couldn’t hear. The dragon then rose its head up and unleashed a huge torrent of flames from its mouth, bigger than the one before and completely obliterating the house and the Caribou in front of it. Once it stopped its breath of flames it landed on the ground and raised its head to look to the sky. I thought it was over until it roared an ear splitting roar that blew me back a few feet in the air. Once I steadied myself I watched as the dragon started to shrink. I didn’t dare take my eyes off as it continued to shrink in size until I saw it turn into something, or somepony, I recognized immediately. It was Dimitri, and he was staring at the destroyed remains of the house not moving an inch. He then slowly turned around and walked back towards the town while I still stared at him in total shock. He seemed to notice me as he looked up in the air and I flinched as he did so. Instead of getting mad at me for leaving the group of mares, he just smiled and waved at me like there was nothing wrong as he continued walking away from the destruction.

“Holy buck,” I said to myself. “He’s…so powerful.”

I then flew back down to where the mares were and waited for Lock to finish whatever else had to be done in Appleloosa. All the while I couldn’t help myself from trembling at what I had just seen tonight. One thing’s for sure though, if there’s anypony who can end this nightmare, it’s Dimitri Lockdrom.

Author's Note

Careful you anger the Devil’s Hand, or your soul shall burn forever.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil and His Princess

Chapter 15

Dimitri 1st POV
1 Week Later

I slowly opened my eyes and yawned as the sun began to peer into my room. I felt something move on my chest and saw Twilight laying her head on me with her arms wrapped around my torso. I smiled and reached down to stroke her mane and she smiled as she slept and snuggled into me more. It’s been a week since we liberated Appleoosa and I had kept to myself for a couple days ever since we returned. Because of what I saw what those War Beasts had done, I turned into a dragon and almost destroyed the once cozy town. Even after I blew off my anger by obliterating the stag in charge I was still in a sensitive mood so I kept myself preoccupied by focusing on finding out all I could about where in Manehatten Big Mac was being kept and slept in the Captain’s Quarters. Unfortunately Flash had no luck whenever he tried to do recon in the city, no thanks to me since now that the Caribou are on high alert after my little episode in Appleloosa. However he has heard that Manehatten, along with other major cities such as Las Pegasus and Vanhoover, were all under the control of someone named The King Pony. An obvious traitor trying to hide under an alias with a fancy title but once we find out who he is, his days are numbered.

The King Pony was reported to answer to Lust himself so in a way he’s his second in command. Despite just being a normal pony he was given such an important title and runs the slave trade and commands the major city Caribou forces in Equestria in Lusts name. The list of crimes he’s committed is a mile long but he is a slippery bastard if Flash can’t seem to pinpoint who he is but we’ll worry about that when the time comes. Twilight opens her eyes and yawns cutely as she looks up at me. She smiles and nuzzles into the crook of my neck as I wrap my arms around her and hold her close.

“Good morning, Lock,” she said.

“Morning, sleep well?” I ask.

“Yes, in fact I’ve been sleeping a lot better ever since I started sleeping with you,” Twilight said with a faint blush.

“Always happy to keep my girl in high spirits,” I said. She smiles again and leans up to kiss me. I meet her half way and our lips meet and she adjusts herself so she’s laying on top of me. She pulls back and looks lovingly into my eyes as I reach up to cup her cheek. “There something wrong, Twi?” I ask.

“You could already tell?” She said, leaning into my hand.

“It’s about my solitude I took for a couple of days, isn’t it?” I ask.

“Yes, I asked Flash what happened and he gave me a rough explanation, I’m so sorry you had to witness something so awful,” Twilight said sadly.

“Well I did expect to see some pretty messed up things in this war but that was just unprecedented, even back in my world I’ve seen and experienced bad shit during my service in the military however that was just as bad,” I said.

“Was one of those bad things you experienced why you lost your eye?” Twilight asks as she cups my face.

“Oh yeah, I forgot I told you one of them’s a fake, but yes it was,” I said as the scar on my back twitched in pain at the memories of that day. “You could say I gave it up for the sake of others but in the end it wasn’t enough.”

“Would you like to tell me about it? I’m a very good listener,” Twilight asks.

“I appreciate the thought Twi, really I do, but today isn’t the day I share that story just yet,” I said, patting her head.

“Well ok, it’s just…” Twilight leans down and kisses me again and looks in my eyes again. “I don’t like it when you’re sad and suffering. You say you have Flash and your crew with you and fight alongside you but sometimes I wonder if you’re trying to carry the weight of this war on your shoulders alone. You shouldn’t have to bare such a huge responsibility on your own, Dimitri, that’s why you have your crew, your friends, Flash, and especially me. We all want to help end this war and nightmare so please don’t try to do it all on your own, ok?”

I was silent as I thought about what she said. Have I been trying to do everything on my own? For that matter can I even do this all on my own? I liberated a city here and there and broadcasting to the entire planet is one thing but I mostly did those things on my own with Flash assisting me. I have a ship and my own crew yet they have only looked after the ship and brought me to where I need to go. Perhaps Twilight is right, I do need to start leaning on someone’s shoulders every now and then. I’m only one man after all, even if I’m The Devil’s Hand.

“Ok, Twi, I promise to have others help me when I need it most,” I said, making her smile. “In fact you just gave me an idea I had for my crew.”

“Really? What is it?” Twilight wonders.

“That, little mare, is a secret,” I said, booping her nose. She gives me a cute pouty look and I chuckle as I pat her head, “You know, you’re cute when you pout like that.”

“Don’t tease me, Lock,” Twilight said as she sat up and crossed her arms then looked away. “And it’s no fair when you call me cute, I can never stay mad at you.”

“Oh?” I smirked. “Are you saying you don’t want me to call you cute anymore?” Twilight looks back at me with an even more cute pouty face and red cheeks and looks like she’s about to blow her top. I chuckle as I sit up and she stays on my lap as I wrap my arms and wings around her, completely covering her in my embrace. “You know I only tease you because I love you so much, right? You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time and I always want to make you smile.”

Twilight smiles as she nuzzles into my chest and I start to rub the back of her head like I always do. She looks up at me and leans up and kisses me on the lips again. She then wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me as I lean back and she’s laying on top of me. I was about to pull away when I felt her tongue start to prod my lips which surprised me a bit but I obliged by parting my lips and letting her tongue explore my mouth. She moans as she meets my tongue with hers and I let hers brush against mine and she runs along my teeth. After about a minute more of kissing, she breaks away and a thin strand of saliva trails behind leaving her with a very blushing face.

“Well that was unexpected,” I said, a little aroused. “Not unwelcome, but still unexpected.”

“Think of it as showing how much I love you too, Lock,” Twilight said, pecking me on the lips once more. “Now come on, it’s time you get ready go do what you do best.”

I nod as I roll my eyes and scoot out of the bed with Twilight. I stretch my arms and wings out, getting a few satisfying pops here and there, and I glance over and see Twilight sitting on the edge of the bed still and gawking at my upper body. I always slept with no shirt on so she had gotten a full view of my well toned military upper body. I smirked as I rolled my eyes and made for the door so I could find another bathroom but felt a tug on my arm. I look over my shoulder and see Twilight gripping my wrist and fidgeting in place with an even deeper blush making me arch a brow.

“Something the matter Twi?” ask.

“U-um, well I-I was wondering if m-maybe you’d like to…bathe with me…?” She mutters. Now both my eyebrows were raised at her sudden request which, admittedly, made me blush just a tad. I pondered about her request, thinking of all the outcomes that could happen but I also reminded myself that she’s still pure and doesn’t look like she’s quite ready for that level in our relationship. So, since it is just simple bathing, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.

“Erm…sure alright,” I responded.

She smiles widely and pulls me towards the direction of the bathroom. Before I shut the door behind us, I stretch my arm out to the main door and lock it before I retract my arm so that we’re not disturbed. I slowly shut the bathroom door behind me and turn to see Twilight already starting to undress from her pajamas. She takes off her buttoned top and places it on the counter and pulls down her bottoms as she bends down, giving me a full view of her ass. For a young mare like her, I never noticed how much of a nice body she’s got. Her hourglass figure with her bust, waist, and legs made me truly admire her for taking care of herself so well, especially her wings which looked so soft and the feathers looked well kept. Twilight looks back at me as I continue to gaze at her and she blushes while crossing her arms over her chest.

“Please don’t stare too much, Lock, it’s a bit embarrassing,” she said.

I shake my head a little to snap myself out of my daze and I smile as I walk over to her. She looks up at me as I cup her cheek which makes her smile as well.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Twi, I was just admiring your gorgeous figure,” I said, making her swoon at my soft words.

“You…really think I’m that pretty?” She asks.

“Of course, but you should know I don’t just love you for your looks,” I said as I placed a hand above her chest making her gasp. “I love you for what’s in here as well, your kind and caring heart for those around you and how you always believe in the power of friendship.”

Twilight smiles widely as she jumps up and kisses me deep, to which I respond in kind by holding her close. She pulls away and I rest my forehead on hers as I look into her beautiful deep purple eyes and she looks into my grey ones.

“I love you so much,” Twilight said.

“I love you too, and I’ll always be there for you to keep you safe,” I said. She smiles as she turns around and begins to fill the tub. I take this opportunity to turn around and take my own bottoms off and place them on the counter. I hear a small gasp and look to see Twilight with a shocked expression and realize she’s seen the large scar on my back which makes me frown and try to cover it with my wings.

“Sorry,” I said looking away. “You weren’t really supposed to see that.”

I feel a pair of arms wrap around me and her head rests on my back. I place a hand on her arms as we just stand there for a moment.

“It’s as you said, Lock, I won’t force you to tell me everything now. Just know I’ll be here should you ever need somepony to listen,” Twilight said.

I nod and she approaches the tub and turns off the water. The bathroom is now a bit steamy and I can hear her take off the last of her clothing and place it on the counter. As a gentleman, I gave her the privacy she needed to do so and waited until she was completely in the tub before I went and joined her.

“Ok Lock, it’s your turn,” Twilight said. I look over my shoulder and see she’s now in the water and smiling at me. “If you want I can cover my eyes so you can take your boxers off,” she said as she covers her eyes with her hands.

I chuckle and proceed to remove my boxers and place them on the counter with my bottoms. I approach the tub and she scoots over to make room. I climb inside and relax at the warm sensation of the water touching my skin and sit myself in the tub and lean back and sighed with content. Twilight takes this opportunity to scoot close to me and lay her head on my chest as I wrap my arm around her.

“Gotta say, this is very nice,” I said with a smile. “Makes me almost forget about the war.” Twilight nods and she looks at the tribal brands on my arms and she runs her hand along them.

“You said these were burned onto your skin,” she said and I nod with a hum. “Did it hurt?”

“Yup,” I said. “Arguably the most painful experience I’ve never had. But they’re what signify what I am so it was a necessity. To be honest I blacked out because of the pain but I managed to pull myself together.” Twilight nuzzles into my chest more and brings my hand close and hugs it between her chest making me blush a tad.

“I don’t like the image of you in pain,” she said sadly.

“Come on, Twi, they don’t hurt anymore so it’s fine,” I said to reassure her. “Now let’s get cleaned up and ready for the day, shall we?” Twilight nods and we both take turns washing each other. Whenever I washed her I was careful not to get too grabby with her body, especially when she insisted I wash her front. I was hesitant at first but she had already guided my hands to her breasts so I ended up getting a good feel of her D-cup breasts which were incredible, to say the least. For the rest of the bath we just enjoyed each other’s company as we took turns washing each other. Not another word was said, just us together in the bath.

Eventually we finished our bath and got dressed and made our way to the map room, hand in hand. Twilight had her usual attire on and I was wearing my hooded leather jacket, as usual, along with my boots and a fresh pair of black jeans with my swords and six-shooter clipped on my belt and a white V-neck with a tribal pattern on the side, courtesy of Rarity. When we made it to the dining room I saw the rest of the girls and Cadence with Flurry, minus Fluttershy, and Flash and all sitting at the table eating breakfast. When they noticed us they all smiled and said good morning as I sat next to Twilight at the head of the table.

“So Lock,” Flash said, gaining my attention as I served myself some pancakes Pinkie made. “What’s the next city we’re gonna liberate?”

“I vote to liberate Las Pegasus or Manehatten,” Rainbow said. “We gotta figure out where Big Mac is being kept and who this King Pony bastard is hiding.”

“No liberation or recon today you two,” I said as I ate my breakfast. “Today, and for the days to come, we’re gonna do something a little different as we continue our campaign.”

“What’s that?” Flash wonders.

“Today I’m gonna train the crew of The Prometheus so they’re a proper fighting force to be reckoned with. It’s come to my attention that Flash and I have been doing most of the heavy lifting yet most of others in the crew have little to no combat experience whatsoever. Well I think it’s time we fix that, because I had recently discovered the weapons stash on the ship and it’s filled with swords, spears, shields, and even firearms from my world,” I explained.

“Firearms?” Flash repeats. “Like your six-shooter thing?” He asks.

“Yup, them and a bunch of rifles. With the proper training and guidance I’m confident they’ll be able to handle themselves when in a fight, especially the mares since they wouldn’t wanna return to being a slave,” I said.

“But will they be able to handle such weaponry?” Twilight wonders. “No pony has ever seen such advanced technology before.”

“Not to pour salt on the wound, but this is why the Caribou were able to conquer Eques is such a short amount of time. The Sins had outfitted Dainn and his followers with my worlds weaponry and combined with his own advances, along with their own magic, they’re more troublesome than I care to admit. However I plan to level the playing field by using their own weapons against them, which should be easy to show how they’re used.”

“Do you think I can get one of my own rifle things?” Rainbow asks.

“Sorry, Dash, but for the first month or so you and the rest of the crew are gonna be training to improve your combat and physical strengths, same goes for you Flash,” I said, making him turn to me.

“I have to train too?” Flash asks.

“Just because you have super speed doesn’t mean you can shirk your training,” I said, glancing at him. “You may have power but you still have much to learn. In fact, to make things fair, while we’re training I forbid you from using your power.”

“No power?” Flash whines.

“Don’t complain,” I snap. “There will come a time when we can’t solely rely on our powers during the fight against the Caribou. We need to be ready at all times for any possible situation that comes our way. That includes not using our power all the time.”

Flash was about to protest but I just gave a look like I was expecting him to say something back. He sighs and nods, accepting the truth.

“Once again, you make a valid point Lock. If I’m gonna show everypony I deserve the position of Captain then I gotta prove it,” Flash said.

“Couldn’t agree more,” I said with a proud nod.

“You’re always so serious, Sir Dimitri,” Cadence said as she fed Flurry with a bottle. “It’s admirable but perhaps maybe you should relax once in a while?”

“In warfare, relaxing means death,” I said bluntly, making everyone pause from their eating. “…Sorry, it’s just how I was taught back in my world as a soldier. But I appreciate the concern, Cadenza. Perhaps if things go well with the training I’ll take a breather for a couple of days.”

Cadence smiles and goes back to feeding Flurry. I then finish the last of my breakfast and down the last of my water and stand up with Flash and Rainbow following suit.

“Oh by the way, Applejack,” I said as she looked up at me. “How’s Braeburn and the rest of your family?”

“He and the others are fine, thank ya kindly,” Applejack smiles. “They’re all at the Acres buildin’ small houses around the farm out of old Apple trees. He told me to tell ya he and the rest of the Apples ya saved in Appleloosa to say thank ya with all their hearts.”

“Heh, must’ve heard that at least a million times when I released him from the brainwashing but I’m glad he and the others are doing well,” I nod. I then lean down and give Twilight a kiss on the cheek making her blush and smile up at me. “I’ll see you later.”

“Promise?” She said cutely.

“Always,” I respond and walk away with Flash and Rainbow.

3rd POV

As Lock and the others left, Twilight stared at him dreamily as she sighed and rested her head in her hand as she watched her coltfriend leave the dining room. The others noticed Twilight’s enamored state and giggled at how love struck she was over Lock.

“My my, Twilight,” Rarity coos. “I knew you were in love with Sir Dimitri but I didn’t expect you to be this head over hooves for him.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie chirps. “You must have the biggest smile I’ve ever seen you make!” Twilight turns to her friends and blushes and smiles shyly.

“What can I say? Lock is very special to me and I’m so very happy that he found his way into my life, despite the circumstances,” Twilight said. “Under all those brands on his arms, and that serious war ego of his, he’s a sweetheart who always makes sure to tell me how much he loves me.”

“Aaaaaaawwwww~” the others swoon.

“Oh Twilight, I’m so very happy for you,” Cadence said with a warm smile. “Sir Dimitri is the perfect stallion who’s found the perfect mare, and he reminds me so much like…” Cadence frowns and looks down at her daughter who looks up at her mother and reaches up to her. “…like Shining.”

Now all the mares in the room went silent and frowned at the mention of the fallen Captain’s name. Things have never been quite the same since his passing, especially for Cadence and Flurry. Cadence has Flurry in her arms and next to her almost at all times and Flurry hasn’t smiled once since the funeral, even Pinkie couldn’t get the poor filly to smile. Sometimes at night, if one were to pass by Cadence’s room, they’d hear her weeping herself and calling out to Shining Armor despite him not being there. It was apparent that everyone missed Shining greatly, but more so from his family.

“I know Cadence,” Twilight said as she stood up and walked over to the Princess of Love to embrace her. “I miss him too, but we must stay strong for him. He’d want us to keep living for his sake.” Cadence nods and wipes her eyes as she stands up and walks to the library to read Flurry, a children’s book. Twilight then returns to her seat and she and her friends continue eating.

“Hey Twilight,” Pinkie said. “How come you and Locky were late to breakfast?”

Twilight paused from drinking her juice and began to blush heavily as she set her glass down. She wanted to come up with a logical excuse but unfortunately Applejack, the honest mare, was sitting at the table which left her with little options besides being honest.

“Um…well the reason is because we were…bathing together…” Twilight muttered, twiddling her thumbs.

“Y’all bathed together?” Applejack repeated with a light blush.

“Oh my stars how sweet,” Rarity swoons. “I’m surprised you didn’t stay longer in the bath with him.”

“Why would we?” Twilight questions. “We just bathed together and washed each other.”

“Ooh, you washed each other, hun?” Pinkie teases with a wide grin.

“Yes…I mean no! I mean…oh pony feathers,” Twilight groaned.

“Relax Twilight dear,” Rarity reassures. “We don’t believe you did anything else besides clean each other, we know you’re not that kind of mare nor he that kind of stallion. While we may now live in troubled times, we can always be reassured that Sir Dimitri wouldn’t dare act the same way as those heathen Caribou.”

“I know, he even told me he loves me for who I am on the inside and not the outside,” Twilight said with a smile. “He’s done so much for Equestria already and I can’t help but love him even more. Sometimes I wish I could do more for him and prove just how much he means to me.” Rarity then gains a coy smile and leans in towards Twilight.

“You know darling, I may know of a way you can do just that,” she said as she beckons Twilight closer. Twilight leans in and Rarity covers her mouth over Twilight’s ear to whisper something. As Rarity whispered into Twilight’s ear, Twilight’s face went from her normal purple shade to an almost crimson red as Lock’s wings and her own wings sprung out stiff.

“Y-y-y-you can’t b-b-be serious?!” Twilight yelped, tripping on her words.

“On the contrary darling,” Rarity said as she stood up and grabbed Twilight by her wrist. “I’m as serious as a hydra. Now come along, I must insist you come with me back to the boutique. Now that we’re back in Ponyville I’ve taken the liberty of redesigning some clothes I’ve kept on record. And I have an idea what you could wear for your stallion.”

As the two mares walked away, Fluttershy had arrived wearing her pajamas and yawned cutely as she walked into the dining room. She then saw Rarity and Twilight leave the room with Rarity smiling excitedly and Twilight blushing up a storm which left the timid mare rather confused.

“Um, what did I miss?” Fluttershy wondered.

Dimitri 1st POV

“ATTENTION!!!”

Flash announced as we walked up the gangplank and on the deck of The Prometheus. All crew members scrambled together and lined up in rows in front of me. Some were in the middle of their own business and others were somewhat being productive while on deck of the ship. Soon they were all standing in front of me and Flash with their backs straight and their arms behind their backs. I paced back and forth in front of them as they kept as still as statues, until I came across a skinny looking pegasus stallion who looked the most nervous of the bunch.

“You are a very strange looking individual, if you don’t mind me saying so, private,” I said as I approached him and looked him in the eye. “Name?”

“Cloud Skipper,” the stallion responds.

“How long you been dead, son?” I ask, earning a confused look from him.

“Sir?” He asks.

“I am not sir!” I snap, making him flinch. “I am Captain Lock or Captain! Sir you say for useless people!” I pause for a moment and he starts to sweat bullets. “The name is Ghoul, you say?”

“Cloud Skipper…C-Captain!” He repeats.

“Ghoul it is!” I said.

“Yes Captain!” He said.

I walk away and continue pacing in front of the crew and come across a couple ponies, one unicorn mare and the other an earth pony stallion. The earth pony stallion is completely stark naked and is covering himself but is still keeping his back straight and at attention as the unicorn mare is grunting every so often in pain. I sigh and back up my pace to face the mare who seems to be sweating more than Ghoul.

“There’s something off in your presentation, private,” I said, unamused. “Can’t place it, is it your mane? Is it the wrinkle in your trousers?”

“I have a knife in my hoof, Captain,” the mare winces. I looked down and saw a small knife was indeed sticking out of her hoof but the wound looked clean despite the small trickle of blood pooling out.

“Ah yes, of course,” I scoff. “That’s it, the knife. What is your name, soldier?”

“Shadow Star,” she responds.

“No, your name is Private Idiot!” I snap harshly. “Do you know why?” I question.

“Because I have a knife in my hoof,” she grunts again.

“Who placed the knife there, private?” I question.

“It was an accident, Captain, we were just messing around,” she said.

“I’m heartened by the knowledge you did not place it there with intention. Who threw the knife?” I order.

“I did, Captain!”

I looked to my right and down the way to see another unicorn pony stallion who raised his hand as he kept looking forward. His fur had small streaks of gray in the white of his fur and his mane was styled in a small mohawk.

“Private Swift Snow,” he introduced himself.

“You look part Zebra,” I said walking over to him. “To what tribe do you belong, son?”

“I’m…an earth pony,” he said nervously.

“Wrong,” I said cutting him off and standing right in front of him. “I believe you have some Zebra blood in you.”

“No sir-“

“ARE YOU CONTRADICTING ME?! YOU CARRIAGE BURNING SON OF A BITCH!” I shout in his face.

“NO CAPTAIN!” He shouts back.

“LET ME SEE YOUR ZEBRA WAR CRY, SON!” I order.

“I don’t-“

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!” I scream while bobbing my hand above my mouth.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!” He screams back while doing the same.

“What is your animal spirit?!” I question but he just looks confused. “Are your a garden snake?!”

“No Captain!”

“Are you a chipmunk?!”

“No Captain!”

“ARE YOU A DANCING REINDEER?!”

“NO CAPTAIN!”

“ARE YOU CONTRADICTING ME PRIVATE?!”

“NO CAPTAIN!”

“Good!” I said, taking a breath. “Then I shall henceforth call you Chief, as a sign of great respect to your people.”

“…Thank you Captain!” He said. I then hear chuckling to my left and I see a young pegasus colt smirking my way.

“Are you grinning at me boy or is that your natural state?” I question as I approach him and stand before him.

“No Captain!” He said.

“Name, private!” I demand.

“Wild Ace!” He responds.

“I have seen stalks of corn with better physiques, makes me want to pull an ear off private!” I bark in his face. “Can you carry your weight?”

“Yes Captain!” He responds.

“Should be easy for you then!” I said. “Sentry!”

“Captain?” Flash said.

“Make sure you keep this colt away from strong winds,” I ordered.

“Yes Captain!” Flash nods. I turn to private Idiot and approach her.

“Private Idiot!” I said.

“Yes Captain?” She said, still wincing in pain.

“Raise your hoof!” I order. She does but only a little. “Higher!” She raises it higher and I grab the knife and yank it out making her yelp in pain and I snap my fingers so cinders of Hellfire land on the wound to heal it.

“Listen up, greenhorns!” I shout to my crew. “Starting today and the days to come I will be putting you and your bodies through hell! Every step you take will be the an even bigger challenge than the last, your wings will feel like they will fall off, your horns will be so strained they will feel like cracking, and your muscles will feel like they’re constantly on fire! You have all had it easy going so far, but that ends today! I’m going to mold each and every one of you into proper soldiers so that you can help end the tyrannical rule of the Caribou! Do I make myself clear!”

“Yes Captain!” They all shout.

“I CAN’T HEAR YOU! AM I CLEAR?!” I yell.

“YES CAPTAIN!” They all shout louder.

“SPEAK THE FUCK UP CAUSE I CAN’T HEAR SHIT!” I scream.

“YES CAPTAIN LOCK!” They scream back.

“Everyone off deck, now!” I order and they all scramble to the gangplank. “Move it!” I noticed the naked stallion was trying to put back on his clothes he had taken off and I approached him with a stern glare. “I said movie it!”

“Just getting my uniform, Captain,” he said as he tried to put on his pants.

“Did I ask him to, Sentry?” I ask Flash.

“No memory of it, Captain,” Flash said.

“I believe any stallion who takes such pride in his natural naked state would surly enjoy the brisk of the outdoors as you are currently doing so right now. Now move your privates, private Parts!” I order. He sighs and drops his pants and runs to the gangplank while covering his package.

“Move it!” I yell after him. “You son of an exhibitionist!”

2 Weeks Later

The past couple of weeks have been a grueling time for my crew. Every day, from dawn to dusk, they’ve all been doing nothing but physical and combat training and if I were to rate their progress I’d give them a 4 out of 10. While most of them may be green as grass, the only exceptions were Spitfire and her fellow Wonderbolts, Rainbow, Flash, and a few soldier ponies who joined up from Canterlot. Though their progress is slow their conviction makes up for it since none of them have given up from my training regiment. During these weeks we’ve also been liberating a couple more towns such as Dodge City, Detrot, and Chicoltgo. I allowed some of my more combat ready crew members to join the fight during those times and thanks to them the liberations took shorter than usual, despite a few close calls here and there where someone almost got killed or a mare was recaptured and taken away. More towns will soon follow the liberation as the next city I’ve decided to go to next was Las Pegasus.

From what I’ve been told by Flash’s recon, the once city resort has been turned into one giant trade center. Females sold into slavery to the highest bidder, weaponry of different variety purchased, and to make matters worse is that I heard from Flash over the coms of some kind of narcotic being sold around Equestria. They call it Unicorn Dust, a highly addictive drug that comes in the form of powder and they snort it like it’s cocaine. When I asked why they call it Unicorn Dust, I wished I hadn’t because of how enraged it made me so damn much. Apparently Unicorn Dust is crushed unicorn horns mixed with other chemicals to give the user a high and make his libido last longer when raping slaves. No doubt the sick fucks are using the horns they cut off from the unicorn mares or any male who weren’t affected by the brainwashing for their product. Flash told me Las Pegasus was one of the many manufacturing plants for Unicorn Dust so I made a mental note to destroy it when we go free the city.

As for the ponies who we freed from slavery and brainwashing, some have either decided to join my crew or move in to Ponyville. Thanks to the growing numbers, Ponyville is starting to expand as more buildings are being built to accommodate the ones we brought back. Even though I placed my barrier around the freed towns I believed it would be safer if they stuck around so they wouldn’t risk capture again, only after Equestria is taken back can they return to their rightful homes.

My crew and I are now in the training hall of The Prometheus and they all look exhausted and some are still rubbing their sore joints. I’m dressed in a black tank top, a pair of red athletic shorts with a tribal pattern running down the side, and white and red runners for shoes. I clear my throat making the crew snap to attention.

“Alright you lot, these past few weeks have been…adequate in regards to your progress. So today I’m going to introduce you all to a new exercise we’re gonna do at the end of every week,” I said as I walk over and grab a stand with a bell hanging off it. I placed the bell on the other side of the room and I walked back to the group. “See that bell?” I ask, pointing behind me. “Your task is to ring it so that you may call yourselves proper soldiers of freedom. But before you do, I want you lot to get into groups of five,” I ordered. They all looked at each other but obeyed and were about to get into groups. “With ponies you do not know,” I add. They pause and look at me but I just cross my arms and wait. They then resume their actions and soon they’re all in groups of five and I can tell they know next to nothing about the ponies they’re partnered with, especially Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts since they usually are always together. “Take note of your group that you’re now with, as of today the groups you’re in now are gonna be your platoon. You’ll train together, eat together, sleep together, hell you’ll even bathe together. I expect you to be the best of friends by next month and to pass this test together. Speaking of which, this bell will remain here and I will be guarding it. Your task is to try and get past me to ring the bell, simple right?” I said.

“WRONG!” I snap, startling some of them. “This bell is your graduation and I aim to keep it from ever being rung. As long as I’m still standing between you and this bell,” I said as I spread my wings wide. “You can bet your asses this bell ain’t getting fucking rung any time soon. So line your groups up and get ready!”

They all soon line up in their groups and the first group is ironically Spitfire’s group. The other members of her group were a couple stallions and mares and she smiles confidently.

“Been wanting to test myself against you, Captain,” Spitfire said, cracking her knuckles. I scoff and furl my wings.

The other ponies also get ready to charge but Spitfire just charges at me with her fists raised. I just stand there as she charges with her group trailing behind. As soon as she was about to strike me with her fist I unfurled one of my wings and blocked her punch, surprising her. She shakes her head and tries to roundhouse kick me but I raise my arm and block her again. I grab her leg and spin her around and throw her against her group causing her to crash into a couple of them. The other two try to tackle me but I duck down and swipe their legs with my wings making them tumble to the ground. I stand back up and brush my shoulders and furl my wings as the group picks themselves back up.

“Hmph, so much for teamwork, huh Spitz?” I mock. She grumbles as she stands up and her group follows her. “Now then, you better fix up that teamwork of yours if you wanna get this bell. So who’s next?” The next group walks up and I see Flash with his group. “Let’s begin,” I said, crossing my arms again.

I later walked off The Prometheus stretching my arms out, leaving my crew battered and bruised since none of the groups got even close to ringing the bell. The moon has already risen as I open the doors and walk to the map room to see if the others are there. I arrive to see Fluttershy and Rarity talking to each other and Cadence with Flurry in her lap sleeping. They see me and smile and blush a little since I’m still wearing my tank top and shorts.

“Evening ladies,” I said with a nod.

“Good evening Sir Dimitri,” Cadence said. “How did the training go?”

“Well they’re all completely sore and can barely move, some are unconscious, I think I cracked a couple ponies’ ribs, and Rainbow is pissed at me because I tossed the Wonderbolts around like rag dolls. So I’d say it went better than expected,” I shrugged nonchalantly.

“They certainly have their work cut out for them,” Rarity giggles.

“I hope they’re not hurt too bad,” Fluttershy said.

“Nah they’re fine, just some rest and a few light stretches and they’ll be as right as rain,” I said. “By the way, where’s Twilight?” Rarity smiles widely and giggles making me quirk a brow.

“She’s already gone to her room for the night and is waiting for you,” Rarity said. “And she told me to inform you to knock on the door before you enter.”

“Uh, ok?” I shrugged. I walk away and notice that Fluttershy and Cadence have brighter blushes but are giggling to one another. I walk down the halls until I reach me and Twilight’s room and as instructed and knocked on the door.

“Twi, you there?” I ask.

“Eep!” I hear through the door. “U-um, yes I am,” She said, sounding nervous.

“You feeling ok? You sound a little off,” I said, about to open the door.

“Wait!” She cries, halting my movements. “Just…give me a moment to prepare.”

“Prepare for what?” I wonder. She didn’t answer for a moment until I heard her take a deep breath.

“Ok Lock, you can come in now,” Twilight said. I shrugged and opened the door and closed it.

“So you mind telling me why you’re so-” I didn’t finish my sentence as I turned around due to the shocking sight before me that made my wings twitch. Twilight was standing at the foot of the bed wearing a lacy black bra and panties that seemed to be too sexy for her own good. Not to mention the fact that the bra was hugging her breasts and had just the right amount of cleavage and her panties wrapped around her hips giving her ass more shape. Twilight was looking at me with her arms behind her back and smiling shyly with the biggest blush I’ve ever seen as I continued to gawk at her.

“Uh…Twi?” I mutter.

“Do you…like what you see?” She asks slowly walking over to me.

“Yeah…I mean I do, yes, but what brought this on?” I ask as she stands before me.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long while now,” she said as she holds my hands with hers. “You’ve been so good to me, you tell me you love me whenever you can, you fight to free my home, you’re as honorable as Shining, and I always feel so safe whenever you’re next to me. You have been risking your life to help free everypony yet you ask for nothing in return, which is another thing I love about you. I have been wanting to show you how much you mean to me and how I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done so…” she pauses as she takes another breath and looks deep in my eyes. “Will you…make love to me as your lover?”

My heart was beating so fast I could barely think straight. Twilight is asking me to mate with her and it’s out of genuine feelings for me. I noticed she was trembling a bit and I reached up to place my hands on her shoulders.

“Twilight, you have no idea how happy it makes me that you feel so strongly about me,” I said. “But before I answer, are you sure you want this?”

Twilight smiles and leans up to kiss me. I lean into the kiss and she wraps her arms around my neck and I hug her close as she separates.

“Yes Dimitri, I want this, more than anything,” Twilight said.

“Very well,” I said as I kissed her again.

CLOP!
SKIP AHEAD IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ!

I sit on the edge of the bed and Twilight sits on my lap, straddling me. She leans her head down and kisses me deep and our tongues dance with one another as she hugs me close and I snake my hands down to grab her flanks. Twilight moans in my mouth as I gently start to massage her cutie marks and her wings begin to twitch. Eventually she pulls back and we’re both breathing heavy breaths already. We both look down to her chest and I notice I’m still wearing my clothes so I reach down and I start to pull my tank top off but Twilight stops me.

“Let me,” she said.

I nod and she grabs the bottom of my shirt and pulls it up as I raise my arms. Once the shirt is completely off she tosses it aside and gazes upon my muscled torso. She runs her hands up and down my abdominals and pectorals, her hands are so soft to the touch.

“I’ve always admired your strong body, and seeing it up close and knowing I get to feel you all I want makes me want this even more,” Twilight said. “You can…touch me too, Lock,” she said.

I nod and slowly move my hands along her body and up to her breasts. My hands make contact with her bra and brush up against her breasts and she gasps a bit but sighs as my hands bargain to massage them. Twilight’s horn glows and her bra comes undone and her breasts bounce free and her dark purple nipples are bare before me.

“Touch me for real, Lock, they’re yours and yours alone,” Twilight said.

I smile as I continue to massage her now bare breasts making her moan. I lean back and lie back on the bed, with her still on top of me, and continue to massage her breasts and I stick out my tongue and start to lick her nipples. She moans more as I lick her and hugs my head more and pushes me into her breasts. I smile as I open my mouth and start suckling on her nipple making her moan more.

“That, ah, feels good, mmn, keep playing with them…” Twilight moans. I oblige by continuing to suck on her nipple and eventually switch to the other. I continue playing with her breasts and glance down and see a thin trail of her juices start to run down her leg. I grab her waist and spin us around so I’m on top of her. I smile down at her as her mane is spread out from underneath her and her wings are also spread out. She looks like an angel in the moonlight, my lover is so beautiful.

“You’re perfect,” I said softly, making her smile and tear up. “A beauty like you deserves the best.” I lean down and kiss her lips and kiss under them and continue down.

I leave a trail of kisses all the way down, making her giggle and squirm until I reach my target. Despite her panties being black, I noticed a very obvious stain on her damp panties and I reached up to grab the hem to pull them down. Before I continue, I look up at Twilight to silently ask for permission and she nods slowly. I pull her panties down and she raises her legs to help me and as soon as they're off I place my hands on her inner thighs and spread them out making her blush more. Her marehood is now in plain view, the scent of her arousal filling the air and turning me on more as I continue to breathe more of it in. I lean my head down until I’m up close to her nethers and take in a deep breath. She smells like grapes, freshly picked, and there’s a few glistening trails of her fluids pooling out. I stick out my tongue and give it a small lick, making Twilight jump but shutter at the feeling as I go in for another lick. I keep licking her and she moans louder as I taste more of her juices on my tongue, like her scent her taste is just as sweet as grapes.

“Oh my, ah!, stars!” Twilight cries. “P-please more! It feels, ah, mmn, so good! Lick me more, Lock!”

I continue to pleasure her as she starts to rub her breasts. I dig my tongue deeper in her snatch and taste more of her as her fluids as they start to pour into my mouth and I drink it all. Soon her walls begin to convulse as she’s nearing her climax and I up my antics by wriggling my tongue even more into her and brought my hand around and rubbed her clit. That was the last straw as she screamed loud and her juices sprayed the inside of my mouth and I continued to drink her fluids. After about a minute of her climax, I pull away and look up at her and she’s breathing heavily as her body trembles every so often and her wings are spread out stiff as boards.

“Wow…that was,” she sighed.

“Better that you could imagine?” I finish for her.

“Yes,” she said.

Twilight then leans up and grabs my shoulders and we spin around again and she’s on top of me. She grabs my head and kisses me deep and her tongue starts to assault mine and we sloppily make out with each other. I reach down and pull off my shorts and toss them aside, leaving me with only my boxers and the oh so obvious tent. Twilight pulls away and looks down and goes wide eyes as she scoots down and is face to face with my tent. She repeats the same process I did with her panties and pulls my boxers down and my 7in member springs free, surprising her. I kick my boxers aside and she slowly takes hold of my dick making my body and wings twitch at her soft touch.

“It’s so big,” Twilight said in awe. “And thick too. The shape is much different than the stallions I’ve seen in books. Do I…do the same thing you did to me?”

“Only if you want to,” I reassure her.

Twilight smiles and nods as she leans her head down to the tip of my dick. She sticks her tongue out and licks the tip, sending a pleasurable jolt through my body as she licks it again. She keeps licking until she opens her mouth and proceeds to put the whole head in her mouth and start sucking. Twilight continues to blow me while also stroking the base of my manhood and I grip the sheets and groan with arousal. Twilight decides to up her game and takes more of my dick in her mouth and sucks more of my shaft and even begins to fondle my balls, surprising me.

“Jeez, Twilight,” I groan, “How do you know how to do that if this is your first time?” Twilight stops blowing me and smiles as she continues to stroke my shaft.

“Rarity loaned me some of her erotic novels and I read them while you were training your crew and freeing more towns. I wanted to be prepared for this so I studied a lot,” she said and went back to sucking me.

Twilight bobbed her head up and down and strands of saliva leaked out her mouth from her sloppy sucking on my dick. She even reached down with her free hand and started to masturbate while sucking me off which was much more of a turn on. I groaned as I eventually felt a tension start to build up in my groin and Twilight could tell I was close as she started to suck harder and bob her head faster and fondle my balls more and rub herself even more. I couldn’t take the pleasure and grunted as I released my first orgasm of my seed into Twilight’s mouth and down her throat. Twilight tried her best to drink my cum but couldn’t hold it all in as she pulled out and a few spurts of cum landed on her face and breasts. I breathed heavily and looked down to see Twilight wipe the strands of cum off her breasts and face and look at her hands.

“Your cum tastes bitter,” she said and liked her hands. “But it was surprisingly good.” Twilight eyes my dick as it’s still standing at attention which makes her tilt her head curiously. “It’s not calmed down, how come?”

“Well we humans have a quicker recovery than stallions so I can keep going for another round or two in a row,” I said.

“I see, I would write that down but I think that could wait,” Twilight said as she stood up on her knees and hovered her marehood over my still throbbing dick.

“Twilight,” I said. “Since this is your first time you can go as slow as you like. I won’t move without you saying so.”

Twilight nods and lowers herself down. The tip of my dick begins to spread her folds and enters her, causing her to moan and she puts more of it inside. She whimpers as I feel the walls getting tighter and eventually I feel a barrier of some kind which I can only assume is her hymen. Twilight takes a few breaths and raises herself a tad before lowering herself as quick as possible, breaking her hymen and bestowing me her first time and virginity. Twilight shoots her head up with wide eyes and mouth open in a silent scream. Her wings are as stiff as possible as we stay there for a moment. I look down and see a thin trail of blood leak out which is proof of what we did this night.

“Twi, you ok?” I asked, concerned.

“I-I-I’m fine,” she said slowly. “I think…I’m ok now.” Twilight looks down at me with tears streaming down her face and sniffles as she tries to wipe her tears away.

“If it’s too much we can stop,” I said.

“No it’s not the pain,” Twilight said. “It’s just I'm so happy right now. I’m doing it with the stallion I love and he loves me back. Dimitri, I love you,” Twilight said, smiling at me. “I love you so much so please, make me yours, now and forever.”

I nod with a warm smile as she lifts herself up a bit and comes back down. She soon starts to bounce on me and she moans every time as she bounces more. I place my hands on her flanks and cutie marks and give them a squeeze making her bounce more and I start to meet her with my own thrusts upwards.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, yes! Oh stars! Oh my stars! Oh sweet Celestia! B-buck me, Dimitri, buck me more!” Twilight moans.

I oblige by thrusting more up into her and her breasts sway in front of me. I bring one of my hands up to breasts and grasp one of them and pinch her nipple. She cries out in bliss as I keep thrusting upwards and she leans down to kiss me deep again. I stare into her eyes as we make out with one another and I can see the amount of love in her eyes as she does mine. I feel a familiar tension around my dick which means she came again and moans into my mouth.

“I love you Twilight,” I said as I pulled away. “More than anything.”

“Me too Lock,” Twilight said with a happy smile. “I love you very much.”

I thrust more up into her and she cries out again with pure bliss and pleasure. My climax nears and I was about to push her off but she continues to bounce on me.

“Twilight…I’m gonna…”

“INSIDE! PLEASE INSIDE! MARK ME, CLAIM ME, MAKE ME YOUR MARE, LOCK, MAKE ME YOURS AND YOURS ALONE!” Twilight screams.

I couldn’t handle it anymore as I began to release my load deep within her as she slammed down one last time. She also cums with me and screams as my crotch is now drenched with her juices and I continue to climax within her. We eventually both calm down and she collapses on my chest as we’re both now drenched in sweat and breathing more heavily than before. She raises her lower body so I slip out of her and I can feel my load drip out of her and onto the bed sheets.

CLOP END!

“That…was…so good,” Twilight sighs.

“Yeah,” I said. “It sure was, but I came inside you. Won’t you get pregnant?” I wonder.

“No, I’m not in heat so I won’t get pregnant,” Twilight explains. “Um, Lock?”

“Yes Twilight?” I said.

“Can we do this again? On another night?” Twilight asks, looking up at me with pleading eyes. I smile as I lean down and kiss her once more.

“Of course Twilight, we’re lovers now and I’d be willing to do it with you as many times as you wish,” I said. Twilight grins happily and nuzzles into my chest.

“I love you…” she whispers, hugging me close.

“I love you too,” I said, hugging her back. “Now and always.”

Twilight soon falls asleep and I start to slowly follow her in slumber. I keep my smile as I hold my marefriend close and my eyes begin to close. There will be many more dangers I will face in the near future, but so long as I have Twilight here with me I’m sure I can face anything that comes my way.

Guess you were right after all, Josh, I think. I hope you’re resting well, wherever you are.

And with that my eyes close and I drift off to sleep with my lover laying on top of me.

Author's Note

A wholesome and passionate chapter for The Devil’s Hand and his precious Princess. Even the damned deserve happiness.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil and The Nightmare

Chapter 16

My eyes open slowly and I feel a sense of bliss as I awake. I then feel something laying on top of me and I look down to see my lover sleeping soundly with a smile as she instinctively nuzzles into my chest with her arms wrapped around me. The events that happened last night between me and Twilight came back to me which made me smile more and plant a light kiss on her forehead. True, I was surprised when she told me she wanted to mate with me but I couldn’t be happier when she told me how much she wanted to because of how much she loves me. I didn’t really expect to find love when I came to this world, especially considering what I am. But this mare, this wonderful and beautiful mare, accepted me for who and what I am with open arms and gave me her heart. I then reminded myself of my oath to Shining and the promise I made him to myself the day Twilight confessed to me which made me gently wrap my arms around her. Twilight means the world to me now and I’ll do whatever’s necessary to keep her safe, I’ll tear anyone apart who dares try to lay a hand on her. I’m brought out of my dark thoughts when I feel Twilight stir in my embrace and yawn cutely as she opens her eyes. She looks up at me with those beautiful purple eyes of hers and I smile lovingly at her and she smiles back. She glances down at our naked bodies and blushes but continues to smile and buries her face into the crook of my neck.

“It wasn’t a dream, was it?” Twilight whispers.

“No, my dear, it wasn’t.” I said, still hugging her.

“Oh Lock, last night was so…magical.” Twilight sighs. “We actually…did it.”

“That we did.” I chuckled. “And it was probably the best night of my life.”

Twilight smiles up at me and leans up to kiss me on the lips. I got a little playful and snaked my hands down to her flanks and gave her cheeks a light squeeze which made her moan in my mouth and look down at me with a coy smirk.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself, mister.” Twilight said.

“You complaining?” I ask.

“Mmm, not really, since it’s my mate who’s touching me, why should I?” Twilight said.

“I’m glad you think so.” I said as I leaned up to her ear. “Cause your flank is quite squeezable, my lovely little lavender mare,” I whispered, making her shutter.

“You’re very bold for saying such things to me, Lock.” Twilight said as she leaned in close, pressing her breasts on my chest more. “I might have to give you a lesson in humility.”

“You gonna wear a sexy professor outfit and give me a lecture?” I tease, squeezing her flanks more.

“Maybe, I do like giving lectures after all.” Twilight said. “Now come, we must get ready for the day so we’ll be bathing together again,” she said as she released herself from my grasp and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Aw, can’t we stay in bed just a little longer?” I ask while leaning on my side and resting my head on my hand.

“We both know that’s not an option, Dimitri.” Twilight said, looking over her shoulder. “Unless you don’t wish to bathe with me?”

I chuckled as I jumped out of bed and scooped her up bridal style earning a surprised squee and giggle from Twilight. “Now what gave you the impression I wouldn’t want to bathe with my marefriend?” I accuse. She giggles again as she wraps her arms around my neck and nuzzles into me as we make our way to the bathroom.

After a much needed bath and cleaning the room and bedsheets from our activities, Twilight and I made our way to the dining room and Twilight was leaning on my shoulder with a happy smile as we walked hand in hand. We then make it to the dining room where we everyone, even Fluttershy this time, and they all see us and smile.

“Good morning you two.” Cadence said, feeding Flurry with a bottle.

“Morning, Pinkie make her famous pancakes?” I ask.

“Yepperoonie!” Pinkie chirped waking in with two huge stacks of pancakes.

“Great, cause I’m a little starved.” I said as I sat down with Twilight.

However instead of her sitting in the chair beside me, she sat on my lap and leaned into me still smiling. The others noticed this and she even had me feed her which the others found adorable.

“Geez Twilight, get any more affectionate with Lock?” Applejack said.

“A mare must always stay close to her stallion and make sure he treats her like a princess.” Twilight states as she nuzzles into my neck. “And I’m the luckiest mare in the world to have a stallion like Lock.”

“I assume he’s more to you than just your coltfriend?” Rarity asks with a knowing smirk.

Twilight blushes but smiles and nods slightly earning a squee from her and a giddy smile from Cadence. The rest of the mares look at Twilight, then to me, and to Twilight again and all go wide eyed and slack jawed.

“Hold on, don’t tell me, did you two…?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s sorta obvious if you think about it.” I said as I ate and fed Twilight.

“Holy horseshoes! Y’all actually mated?!” Applejack said.

“Yes, as of today we’re officially mates.” Twilight said with a happy blush.

“Oh my, I’m so happy for you Twilight.” Fluttershy whispered with a faint blush.

“Well I’ll be, Captain, didn’t think you would take your relationship with Twilight to that level.” Rainbow teased. “So Twilight, how was he? Did it feel good? Did he-”

“Keep it up and you’re getting triple the exercise routine,” I warn, making her shut up immediately. “So Flash, anything new from your recon at Las Pegasus? Any faults in their defenses?”

“Sadly no.” Flash sighed. “Whole place is well guarded and very populated. Not to mention the Unicorn Dust is being used by almost everypony there. I heard the only way you can get in is if you have an invitation and are a slave owner like most of the stallions and Caribou are.”

“Tch, figures they’d be keeping that city under tight watch.” I grumble.

“Any ideas how to infiltrate without any unnecessary casualties?” Flash asks.

“I have a couple ideas but neither of them are good ones.” I said as I took a bite from my breakfast. “Just keep on the lookout and let me know if you learn anything new.” I then noticed he looked a bit nervous which he thought I didn’t notice. “Was there something you actually wanted to tell me?” I ask.

“Well…I did find out something about the ones running the city.” Flash said. “One of the leaders is a Caribou who goes by the name of Boe Ivarsson Stonehoof, a relative of Dainn’s.”

“So one of Dainn’s blood resides there.” I growl. “That’s good to know, anything else?”

“Yeah, he also runs the city with a few traitor stallions. The Flim Flam brothers and Gladmane.” Flash said, making Applejack narrow her eyes.

“Ah always new them Flim Flam brothers were nothin’ but trouble, Ah guess Ah shouldn’t be surprised they turned on Equestria.” Applejack sneered.

“Agreed, same goes for Gladmane, the fat bastard.” I said, remembering the episode and what he did.

“That’s not all.” Flash said. “I heard a few celebrity mares are being kept as their personal slaves. They were Sapphire Shores, Countess Coloratura, and Songbird Serenade.”

“WHAT?!?” Everyone shouted.

“They have Miss Shores?! Those heathens!” Rarity yelped.

“Rara too?!” Applejack banged her hand on the table.

“Even Songbird Serenade.” Pinkie gasped.

My fist clenched and small embers flickered off my hand at the mention of those names. Each of those mares were well known in their own right and there was no doubt they were being kept as trophies for those damn bastards. I wanted nothing more than to storm the city and unleash my rage but I had to be smart about this, even if I was now so pissed.

“Nothing we can do about that for now, I’m afraid.” I said.

“But Lock, didn’t you hear Flash?” Rainbow asked.

“Loud and clear, Rainbow, but we can’t just storm the place without a plan. This is Las Pegasus, it was popular and heavily populated before and it still is now, despite the circumstances. Liberating towns and small cities like we’ve done are one thing but this is somewhere that’s more of a risk since it’s also a place where they’re supplying Unicorn Dust and transporting many slaves. It’s also a place where the King Pony gets most of his income and merchandise, right Flash?” I said.

“I interrogated a few Caribou, they confirmed that Las Pegasus is in the King Pony’s pocket, along with the other major cities of Equestria.” Flash said.

“As expected of a crime lord and Lust’s second in command, whoever he is.” I said. “As much as it pains me to admit it, we need more time and information before we can make our move on Las Pegasus.”

“What of those two ideas you said you had?” Rarity wonders.

“Again, they’re bad ideas and are quite risky, but just might work if done properly.” I said. “One of them being I pose as a slaver.”

“HUH?!” Everyone gasps.

“You’ve seen me transform into a Caribou, right?” I ask and they all nod hesitantly. “I would use that appearance to infiltrate Las Pegasus and be able to gain more intel on how to bring down their operations, subdue the brainwashed, free the slaves, and the celebrity mares, and take down the enemy including the ones in charge. However, there’s a catch.”

“What’s the catch?” Applejack asks.

“I…probably need to bring a mare or two that’s recognized as worthy slaves to be allowed entry.” I admit, earning gasps from all around.

“Lock, now could you even think of such a horrible plan?” Cadence asks, mortified at the very idea.

“My thoughts exactly, which is why I want to avoid doing it, let alone ever bringing it up again.” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Flash still has to do some more recon before we decide on anything but hopefully it won’t come to that, I hate the idea of involving mares and anyone else for that matter.”

“And…what was the other idea you had?” Twilight asks.

“A coordinated assault on Las Pegasus.” I said. “The Prometheus would bombard the city in specific areas where there wouldn’t be any unnecessary casualties so Flash and I, along with a large platoon of my crew, would ransack the place and rip the place up. But doing so there’s higher risks.” I explain. “The slavers and traitors would get desperate of losing their merchandise and would resort in doing whatever they can to keep their property from being taken, such as killing slaves rather than let them have their freedom back or trying to escape with what little they have. I want to make sure that the siege on Las People goes without a hitch, meaning everyone there comes back home, no one we save or who joins the attack dies, and their merchandise such as the weapons or drugs gets destroyed. There’s always a few ways to win a battle and that’s being loud and stupid or being smart and quiet and I’d rather choose the latter, we just need to think of a different way.”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something else, Lock.” Flash said. “You always know what to do in difficult situations, like how you handled that situation in Detrot.” Flash reminds me.

In Detrot there was an auction for a few mares who were obviously abused to the point of them turning into purple collared slaves and the look on every Caribou and Stallion’s face said they wanted nothing more than to toss them around like rag dolls. I thought I’d try and be more discrete and bid in them due to the large sum funds we found on The Prometheus, no doubt acquired from Wind Riders’ little escapades. Little by little we managed to outbid all the slaves in town and none of the males were happy with me but I didn’t care. The next night, I poisoned the water and all the Caribou died in their sleep and we finished off the rest of the traitors but subdued the brainwashed. I purposefully left the stallion in charge of Detrot for last and he was met with a gruesome sight the next morning. Bodies of his men all strung up in front of his manor, all twisted and ripped apart to spell the word Devil. I tore out his heart and let the buzzards feed on his corpse before I left and healed the slaves and brainwashed.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, Flash, but this is Las Pegasus. Which means bigger city, bigger population, bigger risks.“ I said. “This is one mission we can’t fuck up on, not in the slightest.” Twilight cups my cheek and makes me look down to her with a reassuring smile.

“We know how much you wish to free everypony, Lock. We just don’t want you to do anything unnecessary.” Twilight said.

“I know.” I said as I placed my hand on top of hers. “I just have to remember there’ll always be high risk when at war. I’m just trying to keep too many ponies who don’t deserve it from dying.”

“You aren’t alone in this war, Dimitri, remember that.” Cadence reassures.

“Yeah! Plus you’ve got the fastest flyer in Equestria to back you up!” Rainbow said, pumping her fist.

“Y’all just need ta learn ta lean on somepony once in a while.” Applejack said.

“Indeed, though there are some of us who do not fight with you by your side, you’ll always have support when you need it.” Rarity said.

“Heh, such good friends I have,” I chuckled. “I think it’s about time we head to the ship and resume training.”

“What?” Rainbow complained. “My winds are still sore from yesterday.”

“And they’ll continue to get more sore if you keep up that attitude.” I snorted as I stood up and Twilight got off me. She gives me a kiss on the lips, to which I return, as Flash, Rainbow, and I exit the castle. As we head up the gangplank of the ship, my senses spike a little making me pause and turn my head. I end up looking in the direction of the Everfree Forest which makes me arch a brow as to why I’m sensing something from there.

“Something wrong, Captain?” Flash wonders.

“…It’s nothing,” I respond as we continue our walk up. Hopefully, I think.

1 Week Later

“Alright, next,” I said.

The next group of 5 ponies line up as the last group pick themselves up and hobble out of the way. I cross my arms as I stand in front of the bell and they all begin to charge. One pegasus colt flies high while another pegasus stallion tries to go low and fake me out. I spread my wings as the other three hang back and the two pegasi dive in for the attack. I raise my arms and block their strikes and begin to take turns trying to hit me. This group of ponies have been working well as a group the past few weeks ever since we began this weekly test. Cloud Skipper and Wild Ace were in sync with their attacks and have progressed nicely in increasing their wing power since I can feel myself be pushed back a little. I look past the attacking duo and see Shadow Star power her horn and begin blasting me with spells to which I flap my wings to dodge and the pegasi duo follow me. Shadow Star too has improved since she’s been diligently powering up her spells and can hold a beam for more than two minutes which was impressive. Swift Snow, one of the earth pony stallions, takes aim with his practice bow and tries to shoot me down by aiming for my wings, as I taught him to against the enemy. I backflip in the air and dodge the stubbed arrows which gives my attackers a chance and deliver a double roundhouse kick to my chest. I grunt as I stagger in the air until I feel something wrap around my wings making me start to fall to the ground. I look over my shoulder and see the stallion who I met when he was wearing nothing and introduced himself as Berry Mustang, or Big B to his friends. He was a much more taller and muscular stallion who had my wings in a death grip and I struggled to set them free. I was about to reach around and get him to release me until I briefly forgot about Cloud and Ace following close in front of me. I crossed my arms to block them but we soon landed on the ground with a loud thud, causing me to break my guard a bit. Using this opportunity, Cloud and Ace slammed their fists in my chest and gut, knocking the wind out of me and Swift Snow ran up and slid into my legs to grapple them in a tight hold. I was now completely immobilized as Shadow Star took this opportunity to run up to the bell as I struggled to free myself but it was too late.

DING

Everyone was silent, completely speechless and in awe at what just happened. For over a month, everyone had been through the most grueling training of their lives and had to face a seemingly impossible challenge that ended up with them having huge bruises or cracked bones. Yet this day, this momentous day, this group of ponies managed to do the impossible. I smiled wide with my heart beating with pride as my graduates let me go and I stood up. The ones holding me down slowly rose to their hooves as all five soon walked in front of me still in disbelief that they were the first ones to pass. I smiled down at them as I then looked to the crowd of the other crew members.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” I said as I turned the group of five to face the crew. “Meet Team Alpha.”

The crew all burst into cheers and applause for the newly appointed Team Alpha and swarmed them with words of praise. Cloud and Ace bro hugged each other and were smiling ear to ear, Swift Snow and Big B fist bumped, and Shadow Star had tears in her eyes since she was so happy and I walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and wrapped me in a hug and cried into my chest and I just held her in an embrace. She was probably more insistent on improving herself and training to her absolute limit since she wanted to pass so bad. That and I had heard from Swift Snow that her parents were still missing which is why she wanted to join my crew so she could find them.

“Captain Lock…thank you.” Shadow said happily through her tears.

“Congrats, Shadow.” I said as I pat her head.

“So what happens now, Captain?” Ace asks as I release Shadow.

“Now you lot get to be trained directly under me.” I said, earning surprised looks. “From here on out I’m gonna teach you how to fight and survive on the front lines. You’ll be accompanying Flash and I on missions and battling alongside us against the Caribou using the new weapons I told you about. Your Team Alpha and you’ll be acting as such, understood?”

“Yes, Captain Lock!” They all salute.

“And as for the rest of you.” I said retaking my position in the middle of the room and in front of the bell. “Next group line up.”

Team Alpha sat on the sidelines as the next group lined up. This group had Rainbow Dash and she looked at me with an obvious overconfident smirk.

Oh this will be fun, as usual. I think.

I was standing now standing on the deck of The Prometheus and leaning over the railing looking over Ponyville as the late afternoon breeze blew in my face. With more ponies now residing here, the town has expanded with more buildings to house the refugees from the ones we liberated. I’ve had to extend my barrier a bit so they could be within its vicinity and I was in a pretty happy mood since the first group of my crew managed to pass the bell test. I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard hoofsteps walk behind me and a pair of arms wrap around my torso, making me smile and place a hand on my marefriends arms.

“Afternoon, my lovely little lavender mare.” I said as I turned to see Twilight smile up at me. She leans up and kisses me on the lips and hugs me close as I hug and kiss her back.

“And how’s my favorite stallion today?” Twilight asks sweetly as we both lean over the railing and she rests her head on my shoulder.

“Enjoying the moment.” I said. “A group from my crew just passed the bell test.” I said, earning an excited gasp from Twilight.

“I’m so happy for you!” Twilight said, hugging my arm. “Does this mean they’ll join you in your missions like you said?”

“Yup, I just hope they’re up to the task. From this point on it’ll get even tougher for them.” I said. I watched with Twilight as the ponies continued to work on the new houses and I sighed, wondering if there was even a war to fight since things seem so peaceful at the moment.

“Something on your mind?” Twilight asks.

“It’s just it’s hard to believe that the world is as it is now when looking at how the ponies are trying to cope.” I said. “It’s a big world and I’m only just getting started in this rebellion.”

“Well if there’s anypony who can do the impossible it’s you Lock.” Twilight said, nuzzling my arm. “At least your world isn’t like this one is now, right?”

“Hate to break it to you, sweetie, but there was a point in my world's history when we humans used to enslave each other.” I admit making Twilight shocked.

“For real?” Twilight gasps. “That’s both interesting and horrifying.”

“Yeah, humanity has a lot of dark chapters in its history. Slavery being the darkest, in my opinion. Truth be told there’s still some sick bastards who practice slavery despite it being abolished hundreds of years ago.”

“How awful…” Twilight said.

“Yup, though I tend not to dwell on stuff like that. Sometimes I like to think about a few stories from my youth whenever I feel the need.” I said.

“What kind of stories?” Twilight asked.

“Well let’s see.” I hummed, turning around and leaning back on my elbows on the railing and looking up to the sky. “I remember when I was about 12, or so, my family took a vacation to a wooded town to enjoy the scenery. It was my uncle’s place and I always loved to hike there every so often with my old man. One day he offered to take me hunting but I refused since I didn’t like the idea of killing animals.”

“Humans hunt animals?” Twilight asked.

“We do, some for sport and others for food. Some humans kill just to kill, just don’t tell Fluttershy that.” I said. “Anyway my old man accepted my wishes and we just continued our vacation. During the last days there was this local hunter everyone in town knew who was gonna go for a hunt for his family. Only he came back empty handed, scared out of his wits, threw away all his hunting gear, and swore never to hunt again.”

“Just like that?” Twilight wondered. “How come?”

“According to him he encountered a family of wolves, two adults and five pups, and killed them all.” I explained earning a small gasp. “Don’t know if it was either on accident or on purpose but he came back with a wound on his head, a small cut on his neck, and eyes filled with fear. And get this, he said a young boy did it to him.”

“A human boy?” Twilight repeats and I nod.

“Guy said he looked like he was about ready to end his life right then and there but spared him and warned him never to return. When the rangers went to investigate they didn’t find the boy. All they found was a cave and some graves inside. The wolves must’ve meant something to him if he buried them like that.” I said.

“How sad.” Twilight said. “Did they ever find the boy?”

“Nope, kid must’ve either wandered off deeper into the woods or gotten killed by the elements.” I guessed. “It’s unfortunate about the wolves though. If I’m being honest, if I was the kid, I’d slice the bastards neck without hesitation.”

“But why?” Twilight wondered in slight shock.

“Well considering how whoever the kid was went as far as to bury the wolves in graves says a lot, like maybe they meant the world to him and they were taken away without warning. I don’t think I would’ve had the will to spare the hunter after losing something as precious to him as that. I just hope the kid is still alive and doing well.“ I said.

“Me too.” Twilight agreed. “Are there any other stories?“

“Yeah, there is one that tends to work its way through my memories, despite the fact I’d rather forget about it.” I said solemnly. “Some years later when I was about 17, I was walking through the town I lived in with my mother. All of a sudden there were these fire trucks, they’re large vehicles that are used to put out fires, racing down the street. Curious, we followed the trucks and were met with a horrendous sight. The local supermarket was in flames and the firefighters were trying their best to put it out. I had heard from the group of people witnessing the spectacle that some crazy kid had jumped in the inferno to save another kid who was trapped inside. I remember seeing a firefighter being pushed back from a window and a huge explosion erupting from inside. Next thing I knew I could hear screams of pain from inside which made me and my mother turn and walk away, unable to bear the sound of someone dying.”

“He…died?” Twilight said on the verge of tears.

“I assumed that he did.” I sighed. “A life for a life, such is an equal trade.”

“I can’t imagine the pain he went through, burning to death, such an awful way to go.” Twilight whimpered.

“And another one young too.” I said, holding her close. “I heard that he was no older than 12 or 13. However there was one other story that I will never forget. Many years later I was living in a new home after moving out and I was still on active duty and was visiting some friends. We were all watching a show and the news had interrupted it to report something. In another city the authorities had busted a major slave ring on the outskirts of town in some abandoned scrap yard, clever to hide in plain sight.“

“Slave ring?” Twilight repeats.

“Basically a place where people force slaves to fight against each other and other wild beasts for entertainment, much like the Romans did centuries ago.” I explained.

“How barbaric!” Twilight gasped. “They really forced others to fight just for entertainment?”

“Humans can sometimes be a cruel bunch.” I sighed. “They said a lot of the people from the slave ring were wanted criminals and slavers who they arrested and most of the other people were former slaves. I don’t really remember the name of the one who they said was running the whole shit show but I think it was…something Viper?” I said. “Anyway, as a military man I thought of nothing but to beg my superiors to send my team after him and hunt the sick bastard down but he had already become a ghost after he slithered away from the scene. However despite all the drama we were witnessing, there was one image that stuck with me. A young man, looking no older than his late teens, was being pestered by the media. It wasn’t the fact that his clothes were covered in blood, nor did he look injured here and there due to the scars I could notice, but the very look in his eyes. I’ve seen eyes like that many times, eyes that are filled with anger, sadness, pain, and most of all loss.”

“What do you think happened to him?” Twilight wondered.

“My guess, someone died whom he cared for with all his heart.” I said. “Whatever happened in that slave ring probably had broken him beyond repair since he disappeared from the whole fiasco. I’ve witnessed and experienced some terrible shit during my service in the military, but seeing how soulless that kid’s eyes were made me hate the bastard who did it to him all the more.” I said with a voice filled with hate.

“Did they ever catch the one responsible?” Twilight wondered.

“Better, I had heard from a buddy of mine that someone had managed to find and off him.” I said, smiling a little. “Don’t know the full details since there were always different speculations as to who did the deed, but the authorities did confirm his body which was enough for me. The point is the look on that kid’s face, not to mention the other stories I heard about from those other kids, pushed me to become who I am now. The fact that there’s a bastard like Dainn living like he is, all high and mighty on his throne of skulls, only makes me want to end all this as soon as possible. But I can’t be too brash, war isn’t won overnight after all.”

“You seem to hold these stories close to you.” Twilight said.

“Would you believe me if I told you they help me sleep at night?” I ask.

“I suppose I could, after all you can be a strange one sometimes.” Twilight giggles.

“And you love me for it.” I tease, nuzzling her nose with mine. “You know, I used to often wonder whatever happened to those people.” I said looking back to Ponyville. “The boy from the woods, the kid who sacrificed himself, the other who was rescued, and the person who delivered justice to the slaver. I like to imagine the boy from the woods found a new family and is living happily, the kid who sacrificed himself is resting peacefully without pain, the one who was rescued was able to move past his anguish and dark experience, and the one who got the slaver is continuing to deliver proper justice to those who deserve it. I sometimes told myself if I ever on the off chance met one of those people, I’d shake their hand.”

“They all sound like very inspiring individuals.” Twilight said. “Do you often miss your home world?”

“Sometimes.” I admit. “But I wasn’t really doing much after I was discharged. Besides if I didn’t come here I wouldn’t have met and fallen in love with you.” Twilight smiles and kisses me on the cheek and nuzzles into my arm. We were just enjoying each other’s company when we heard someone running up from behind us. I turned around and saw it was one of the pegasus recruits, Jade Trail, and he looked panicked in out of breath. “Private Jade Trail, what’s the matter?” I question.

“C-Captain Lock!” He salutes. “Scouts report…in the Everfree Forest…Caribou!” He said between breaths.

“Caribou?!” Twilight yelped in fear. “Why are they in Everfree Forest?!”

“I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out.” I said as I stepped away and unfurled my wings. “Private, inform Flash Sentry to put the crew on high alert. No one steps in or out of this town under any circumstances, am I clear?”

“Yes sir!” Jade said and flew off to inform Flash.

“Please be safe.” Twilight said, hugging me once more.

“Always.” I said. She stepped back and I jumped in the air and flew towards the Everfree Forest. I reached down and grasped Surtr’s grip and clenched my hand around it as my gaze narrowed upon the dark forest.

Just what the hell are you lot planning? I think.

I touch down in the middle of the woods and look around. The Forest is just as creepy as I remember and there is no doubt a pack of Timberwolves or Manticore stalking around so I kept my hand on Surtr’s grip as I walked and pulled my hood over my head. Every so often I’d see a pair of predator eyes or her growling in the distance but I kept my senses sharp and glared in the direction of the predators stalking me making them cower away in fear. As I made my way through the forest I remembered about a certain zebra shaman who’s hut should be nearby. I quickly made my way through the forest and managed to find the hut but was met with an unfortunate sight. Zecora’s hut looked abandoned and the decorations that adorned the tree were either ripped off or covered in webs. The huts door was kicked in and busted off its hinges and when I looked inside the whole place looked to be turned upside down. I tried to find any traces of where she might be but whoever kidnapped her must’ve wanted her bad enough to destroy her home. I scowled at the thought and made a mental note to try to find who took her and to keep a look out for her the next time we liberated a town. It’s unfortunate too since Zecora was one of my favorite characters. With no other choice I reluctantly stepped back out of the hut to continue my mission, but not before placing a small barrier around the hut so that it wouldn’t be ransacked anymore.

“Damn, I hate this place.” I muttered as I continued on. “Why they chose to set up camp here is beyond me.”

“Indeed.” I turned to see Lucifer, who I haven’t seen a while, appear next to me in a puff of flames. “Bold of them to hide here, yet also quite foolish.”

“You mind telling me where you’ve been?” I ask.

“Tending to some personal business.” Lucifer responded. There was a long pause between the two of us which was unlike Lucifer since he’s the type who usually likes to hear himself speak.

“Lucifer, you’re being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal.” I inquired.

“Hmph, you seem to know me so well.” Lucifer scoffed. “If you must know, there’s been an attack on the city of Seaddle and other nearby towns.”

“Excuse me? We haven’t attacked Seaddle yet.” I said, surprised to hear what I was just told.

“I thought not, I went to investigate and was met with a rather infuriating sight. The whole city looked like quite a large battle had taken place there. Yet all that remained were abandoned buildings and dead Caribou corpses.” Lucifer explains.

“Wait, just Caribou?” I asked.

“Indeed, though I’m also willing to suspect that not all of them were even killed and all the ponies were taken. Traitor, brainwashed, and slaves alike. But that wasn’t the infuriating part. What was most troublesome is the barrier that surrounds the city.” Lucifer growled as his flames flickered a little off his shoulders.

“What kind of barrier?” I wonder. He looks to me as we stop walking and he reaches up to pinch his nose under his hood.

“A holy barrier.” He answered, shocking me.

“Holy? You mean…” I said.

“It is as you guess, those meddlesome fools from that blasted City of Silver have come to foil our efforts.” Lucifer said.

“Angels.” I said aloud. “But how’s that possible?”

“It would appear they have done the same thing as I, seek a human from your world and make them their champion.” Lucifer explains as he turns away. “This is not the first time they have done this, yet of all times, of all places, they had to send their champion here and meddle. That pompous Michael was always too proud, now he does something like this yet again?”

“What do you mean they’ve done this before?” I ask.

“You remember what I told you about how the Sins caused the World Wars, don’t you?” Lucifer asks and I nod. “Well you’ll be interested to know that you are not my first Hand.”

“I’m not?” I asked, a bit surprised.

“No, in fact there have been many humans who I’ve made similar deals with back on Earth and some of them being my Hand. How else would I have hunted down the Sins during the Wars? I sought someone out who would help aid me send them back to Hell.”

“Who was the previous Hand?” I wonder.

“Someone who I enjoyed seeing work, much like you.” Lucifer answered vaguely. “Anyway this champion seems to be liberating towns and cities just as you are. Yet instead of going on a massive killing spree he’s sparring as many lives as possible, Caribou and traitors included.”

“Why the hell would he do that?” I ask. “The brainwashed and slaves I can understand, but the traitors and even the Caribou? I thought even the Angel’s would know better than that.”

“I couldn't agree more, Michael was always the annoyingly righteous one. Always believed in second chances even though there are those who don’t deserve it. Now he and the rest of those pompous fools have gone and dragged someone here to try and show these fools the error of their ways.” Lucifer sighs.

“Who even is he?” I ask.

“I am unsure.” Lucifer said. “Just be on the lookout from here on, Dimitri. You can expect a very untimely visit from The Angel’s Saint sooner than you think.” He warns. “Oh and after you are finished with your business here, I took the liberty to leave you a little something on your ship. I’m sure you will be pleased with what I have procured for you.” Lucifer said and disappears in a puff of flames. I look up to the sky and narrow my eyes.

“I don’t know why you sent someone here, but whoever he is you can bet your ass he’s not gonna get in my way. I made an oath and I intend to keep it.” I sneered as I continued my trek, leaving burned footprints behind me.

2 Hours Later

It was now night time as the moon had just risen as I kept my trek through the forest, looking for where the Caribou were hiding until I came across a strangely familiar area. I followed the path until I came across a sight I half expected to see. The ruins of the castle of the two sisters, sitting there across the gorge between the rickety bridge. I smiled a little at the memory of the first couple of episodes I watched from the show since this is where it all began for my admiration of the wonderful program I enjoyed. I flew across the gorge and noticed a faint light from within the ruins that looked like a campfire. I sunk low and crept up to the ruins and peered inside a window. Sure enough, a large group of Caribou and traitors were all huddled together and some had slaves next to them. I saw the black collared mares were being forced to service them while a few with red collars did so willingly which made my blood boil but I stuck to the shadows.

“Boss, when are we gonna go and take back Ponyville?” One traitor asked.

I looked to see a rather well armored stag who was sitting on a stool, armed with a sword and a rifle on his back. Next to him was a Pegasus mare who was on her knees with her wings in boxes and had her head hung low. At first I didn’t recognize her but when she raised her head a bit my eyes widened and I grit my teeth. It was Daring Doo, the famous author/adventurer all tied up and stark naked looking as miserable as possible. My flames flickered along my fist and I tried my damndest to calm myself down at the state Doo was in. I wanted to rush in and save her but I had to be smart so I kept my hand.

“Soon.” The leader said. “Once the sun sets we’ll sneak in at the dead of night and take all the sluts there and slit the throats of anyone who gets in our way.”

“But sir, what about The Devil’s Hand?”

“Bring that up again, and I put one in between your eyes.” The leader hissed, making the other stag cower. “Listen up! There is no Hand of the Devil in Ponyville! Just some crazy rebel stallion who dabbled in black magic and dares to defy what our glorious Lord Dainn has given us! This world is ours and we have cleansed this kingdom from the tyrannical rule of the whore Princesses. Just because we have yet to take them as well does not mean we won’t one day soon! It is as Lord Lust said, we can do as we please and we needn’t worry about some overzealous stallion who’s only taken back a few towns here and there.”

“But what about Seaddle?” A stag questioned. “The King Pony was pissed when he heard it was taken, along with our brothers and most of the city’s population.”

“Yet another overconfident fool, it matters little! For now we rest, for tonight we take back what is ours. So buck these bitches to your heart's content! Get one off so you can enjoy more of them tomorrow!” The leader said as the stags and stallions were about to have their way with the slaves, Doo included since the leader started to pull down his pants and even take out a small baggie of Unicorn Dust and snort it. I growled and looked to the campfire and got an idea. I flew quietly up on a pillar overlooking the group and flapped my wings sharply, snuffing out the campfire with the gust of wind causing everyone to pause.

“What the hay? What happened to the fire?”

“Who cares, someone light it again. I can’t see my bitch suck me off.”

I stood up straight and spread my wings wide, causing my shadow to loom over the whole group in the moonlight, making them turn up to look at me. I glared down at them with as much malice as I could muster under my hood as my flames flickered along my body.

“So…” I hissed, causing some to already start trembling. “You’re going to take back what was never yours, hmm? A bold claim, considering you seem to have forgotten what I am capable of.”

“Who the buck are you?!” The leader barked. “Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?! You’re nothing but a-”

BANG

I didn’t let him finish his sentence as I drew my six-shooter and shot him in the head, right between the eyes. His eye twitched a little as he fell on his back dead and the rest of the group looked up to me in fear after my merciless kill.

“Couldn’t stand another goddamn word out of that annoying prick.“ I scoffed as I holster my gun. “To be honest he got off easy, but the same could not be said for the rest of you if you continue to remain here. Only warning to the lot of you, begone and never come back, leave the mares behind since they’re no longer your property to do as you please.”

Some of the younger stags and stallions dropped their weapons and ran out of the castle with their tails between their legs. The rest still had some backbone in them and brandished their weapons and aimed their rifles at me. I rolled my eyes under the shadow of my hood as I lept in the air as they opened fire. I swerved and twirled around in the air, avoiding any bullets fired at me as I morphed some of my feathers into blades. I skillfully flicked my wings while in mid air and the feather blades came hurtling down at them as they tried to take cover. The mares were all in a panic as my enemies still tried to shoot me down but I kept on evading them and firing my feather blades. I managed to hit my marks by hitting the snipers in the head or chest causing them to fall back dead and the group began to lose its edge. I smirked and descended to the ground on top of a stag, crushing him as the sickening crunch of his spine could be heard and he vomited blood and died. I raised my fists and my hands became cold as ice ran along my arms. A few Caribou charged at me and I readied myself for their assault. One Caribou came at me and I stabbed him in his chest with my hand and crushed his organ. I pulled my hand out, using the blood and freezing it to make a spear of blood ice, and thrusted it in his eye as he flew backwards and fell. Another tried to swing at me with his sword but I swayed my body to the right and roundhouse kicked him in his chest. He cried out as he stumbled back and his comrade tried to thrust his spear at me, trying to catch me off guard. I grabbed his spear as the point was an inch from impaling me and I twisted it out of his grip and lunged forward and struck his chest with my palm. He cried out as a layer of ice grew in his chest and I reeled back and slammed my fist into his chest, causing frozen chunks of flesh to be blasted away leaving his spine for all to see. I reached in and grabbed his spine, split it in two, and lifted my prey in the air and tore him apart. The stag who I kicked looked at me in horror and tried to pick up his weapon but I slammed my foot in the ground making a bed if spiked ice shards form in the ground behind him. I kicked him on the spiked bed and jumped on top of him, causing the shards to pierce his body and windpipe as he gurgled on his own blood. I then pressed my weight onto him more and his eye ripped out of his socket and he died with his body still twitching every so often. A stallion traitor came up from behind me and tried to cut me down and I quickly reached behind me and grabbed his throat. I slowly looked over to him as he gasped for air and I could now see the fear in his eyes.

“Pay for your traitorous deeds in blood.” I said as I snapped his neck. His body went limp as I dropped him to the ground and I looked back up to the now terrified remaining Caribou and stallions. “Who’s next?”

“YOU KILLED MY BROTHERS, YOU DEMON!” One stag roared as he picked up a rifle and aimed it at me and fired. I drew Ymir and flapped my wings and tackled him across the room as I stabbed him in the shoulder, making him scream out in pain as I pinned him to the wall.

“I may be a demon, but it is you Caribou who are the monsters.” I hissed as the ice from my sword started to spread along his body.

The stag’s eyes widened as the ice spread throughout the rest of his body and was soon encased in ice, leaving him as a frozen corpse embedded in the wall. I pulled Ymir out of his shoulder and looked over my shoulder to see the rest of the group had fled the area leaving just me and the mares. I sheathe Ymir back in its scabbard and walk over to the group of mares who were all cowering together. Doo was in front of the mares and had her arms out as if she was trying to protect them, glaring at me with a defiant look. I slowly rose my hands, making her flinch, and reached up to take my hood off as the ice melted off my arms. Once they all saw my face their expressions softened a little but were still fearful of me.

“I apologize for the brutal display, and you needn’t be so cautious of me.” I tried to reassure them. “I won’t harm any of you.”

“Yeah? Tell that to the Caribou you literally tore in half.” Doo accused, giving me a defiant glare.

“Fair enough, but ask yourself this Miss Doo.” I inquired. “If I were an enemy or one of them, would we be having this conversation?” Doo was about to speak but couldn’t find the words. She looked around at the corpses surrounding us and then back at me looking still unconvinced. “Very well, how’s this then.” I said as I walked behind her. I placed my hands in the boxes and crushed them enough for them to fall on the floor. Doo flinched and sighed as she spread her wings and gave them a few test flaps and turned to look up at me. “Would I do something like this if I were your enemy?”

“Ok, you made your point.” Doo said. “But that still doesn’t excuse the whole display. Damn near came close to losing my lunch.”

“Eh, call me theatrical.” I shrugged. “Also you might wanna cover yourself.” I said as I walked away. I heard her gasp and cover herself which made me chuckle as I slowly but surely began to heal the mares. As I did I felt another twitch in my senses making me look around the opened room but saw nothing. I paid it no mind again as I reached in my pocket and pulled out an ear piece and put it in my ear and pressed the button.

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

“This is Flash Sentry, over.” I heard Flash answer. “Everything alright Captain? I heard from Jade that there are Caribou in Everfree, over.”

“Was Caribou in Everfree. I dispatched the lot and now I’ve got a group of former slaves with me and are in need of immediate escort back to Ponyville, over.” I order.

“Roger that, I’ll be there real soon, over and out.” Flash said then hung up.

I took the earpiece out of my ear and in my pocket as I continued to cleanse and heal the mares. In the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes in the shadow on the far side of the room before it retreated back into the darkness. I couldn’t help but smirk since I recognized those eyes anywhere and waited until I was alone with my little stalker.

This night just keeps getting more interesting. I think.

Flash later showed up as quick as he said, startling the group of now healed and cleansed mares. He even took the liberty of bringing a large bag of cloaks so that the mares could cover themselves as Flash led them out of the ruined castle. Flash asked if I wanted to come along but I told him I had some more last minute business to take care of. He was curious at first but decided not to pry since getting the mares back to Ponyville was the main priority at the moment. Once I made sure the group was out of sight, I took the liberty to clean the mess I made up and waited for my stalker to show herself. As I cleaned the corpses I could feel her eyes on me but she did not show herself which made me smirk since I imagined she was still wary of me after tonight's little display of brutality. I then burned away the last corpse and turned around to face where I last felt the eyes coming from.

“You know, call me old fashioned, but I believe it’s a little rude to stare and not introduce yourself.” I said, crossing my arms.

There was silence at first but I soon heard hoofsteps slowly walk forward and reveal the mare who I kinda figured would be here. Counterpart of Princess Luna, who once attempted to usurp the Equestrian throne, Nightmare Moon herself in all her midnight glory. Her jet black coat of fur, wild billowing mane and tail that looked like a cold winter night sky, and eyes that were admittedly an alluring cyan color with black reptilian pupils that made them even more alluring and gave a mysterious feel to it was all in front of me as the moon shined down on her. She was also decked out from head to hoof in light blue armour and her muzzle was filled with sharp teeth. If I was honest with myself, Nightmare looked almost as gorgeous as Luna or even Celestia combined since she had the body that all men would crave. Bust, hips, and rear alike but I’ll keep that to myself.

“Well I’ll be damned again.” I smirked. “Nightmare Moon herself graces me with her presence.”

“You know of me?” Nightmare asked in a curious yet cautious tone. “Yet I know not of you. Who or what exactly are you?”

“Dimitri Lockdrom.” I answer with a curt nod. “I’m a human and The Devil’s Hand.” I said making her gasp.

“The Devil’s Hand?” She repeats, starting to back away. “Yet…you saved my subjects.”

“And?” I ask. “Just because I work for the Devil doesn’t mean I’m not heartless. I’m trying to liberate all of Equestria after all.”

“How…unexpected.” Nightmare said. “But why should I believe you since you have such a dark power and even more gruesome styles of conflict.”

“You mean when I literally ripped that Caribou in two?” I asked, making her nod and seemed unfazed by what she had just witnessed. “To put it bluntly, fucker deserved it. He and the rest of his ilk.”

“You would have them share the same fate?” Nightmare asked.

“Them and the traitors included. They brought their sick and twisted ideals to these lands and now the world is suffering because of it. I don’t give two shits what anyone says about how I operate. If anyone, they should blame their so-called King for making them meet such a painful end. You can judge me all you wish, Nightmare, but my ideals are my own.” I said coldly. Nightmare was silent from my words and actually smiles so I can see her fanged teeth.

“On the contrary, while your words are cold, yet they also ring true.” Nightmare said.

“This is war, Nightmare, war makes people cold since war never changes.” I said.

“To be quite honest I’m surprised you allowed the others to escape with their lives.” Nightmare said, looking in the direction where they fled.

“Let them keep their lives.” I scoffed. “Or what’s left of them. Dumb bastards ran straight in the Forest with nothing to protect themselves so I doubt they’d get far.”

“You’re quite the ruthless one.” Nightmare said.

“Perhaps, but what about you?” I ask.

“What about me?” Nightmare wonders.

“I know what you did to Luna and Celestia.” I accuse, making her wince. “It was because of you, Luna fought Celestia and was sent to the moon. Not to mention you came back and attempted to take the throne a second time despite it being a thousand years later. Which begs the question whether or not you still wish to engulf the world in eternal night. And just so you know, depending on your answer.” I said as I rested my hand on Surtr’s grip. “I’d advise you choose your words wisely.”

“Are you threatening me?” Nightmare asks as her horn lit up a bit.

“Maybe.” I said, starting to grip my sword’s handle. “Maybe not.” I said as I loosened my grip.

“Well I admit, I did indeed wish to take the throne and send Celestia to the moon as she did me, even after I attempted it a second time.” She confessed as she powered down her horn. “But now that the world is in utter turmoil, I do not see a reason to do so. But I still wish for revenge against Celestia for banishing me.” Nightmare hissed. “After all it was her fault that the ponies prefer the day than the night.” I frowned and walked over to Nightmare and stood over her, seeing that I was half a head taller than her, excluding her horn.

“Are you still so ignorant that you fail to realize that the ponies actually did and still do appreciate the night just as much as they do the day?” I snap, pointing in her face.

“Excuse me?!” Nightmare shot back. “Of course they prefer the day over the night! No pony is even awake to admire the stars that Luna and I worked so tirelessly to create!”

“Wrong again, Nightmare.” I said, shaking my head. “There are many ponies who enjoy the night sky, you and Luna just didn’t see it because you were so caught up in usurping Celestia.”

“That…that has to be a lie!” Nightmare said, pointing back at me.

“Like the Devil, I also make it an obligation to not lie.” I said. “I can name plenty of ponies who prefer the night over the day. True, they’re more active during the day but at night they get to relax and admire the stars. Not only that, they also are appreciative of the fact that they can sleep soundly without any nightmares to plague them since Luna always walked the dream realm and watched over her subjects. I can understand why you’re skeptical, considering the circumstances, but I swear that it’s the honest to good truth. The ponies appreciated you and Luna just as much as they appreciated Celestia.” Nightmare was taken back by my words as she looked down to stare at her hands.

“If what you say is true, then did I make a mistake corrupting Luna?” Nightmare asked.

“It’s not the fact that you made a mistake, just that you made poor judgment.” I reassured Nightmare as she looked back up at me. “Even now, Luna is respected by her subjects and they all still thank her for all she’s done for the night sky and dream realm.“ Again Nightmare was silent as she contemplated my words. She then looked up at the night sky and she closed her eyes as I noticed a single tear escape her right eye.

“It seems…I have misled myself longer than I care to admit.” Nightmare sighed with a frown and her ears folded on her head.

“It’s like I said, you made a misjudgment and you now see the error of your ways, correct?” I ask.

“I suppose but I doubt I would be accepted due to the amount of trouble I caused for everypony, Celestia and Luna included.” Nightmare said, rubbing her arm.

“Well I’m sure if you explained they’d understand, or maybe not.” I shrugged. “Besides, I doubt Celestia is the type to hold a grudge. Luna I’m not quite sure.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Nightmare said, smiling a little.

“You know if you want.” I said, gaining an idea. “There’s plenty of room on my ship, perhaps you’d like to bunk there instead of being stuck here?”

“That’s quite kind of you to offer, however I believe I should stay here. This was my home after all.” Nightmare said as she backed away.

“Fair enough.” I shrugged. “But at least take this with you.” I said handing her my extra earpiece.

“What is this?” Nightmare wondered, examining the device.

“It’s a type of communication device.” I explain. “You just put it in your ear and press the little button so I can contact you whenever I please and you the same. There are still Caribou lurking around where you least expect it and before you say you can handle yourself I’ll remind you what they did to those mares, more specifically what most of the Caribou have on them at all times.” I said as I pulled out a ring from my jacket pocket.

“What is that?” Nightmare asks, eyeing the ring.

“Magic suppressor ring.” I said, shocking her. “And a very powerful one at that, so powerful it was designed to prevent any spell from ever being cast regardless if it’s a unicorn or alicorn.” I explained as I stuffed the ring back in my pocket. “So take this device and keep it close. If you see any more Caribou coming your way, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“Very well.” Nightmare said as she held the earpiece close to her. “But you will come should I contact you, correct?”

“That’s the idea.” I said, smiling a little. “And just as a precaution.” I said as I clicked my heel in the ground. Tribal markings appeared and circled around the area and glowed slightly before dimming. “I placed my barrier around this place to keep you more safe. You may stick to the shadows but there’s only so much that can do and I’d rather not risk it.”

“I see, well then I thank you for the gesture.” Nightmare said with a curt nod.

“But now it’s getting late and I must return to Ponyville so take care of yourself.” I said as I turned to walk away.

“Farewell, Sir Dimitri, until we meet again.” Nightmare called out.

I waved my hand over my shoulder and spread my wings out to take off. I glanced once more over my shoulder and saw a blush spread across Nightmare’s muzzle but she quickly looked away, trying to look unimpressed at my wings which made me chuckle since she was doing such a poor job at it as I took to the skies.

Just how am I gonna explain this one to the others? I think. Celestia and Luna especially.

Author's Note

Many things have happened. A plan must be made, a new team of soldiers is formed, stories were told, The Angel’s Saint makes himself known, and an unexpected individual reveals herself. What’s next for The Devil’s Hand, only time will tell.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Angel’s Saint

Chapter 17

3rd POV

The day was like any other day for the citizens of San Pranciscolt, the Caribou and stallions were all going about their daily routine of either raping slaves, snorting Unicorn Dust, or waiting for orders from the higher ups. One such higher up was the mayor of the city, a Caribou by the name of Orest Van Stonehoof, another relative to Dainn Stonehoof. For the past month, ever since the broadcast of The Devil’s Hand, he had all his men in the city be on high alert for any day could be the day the Hand would show up and take what he and the rest of his kind deemed to be rightfully theirs. Orest was now in his office with a few of his slaves, a couple red collard mares and one black collared mare. The black collared mare was a familiar cellist pony by the name of Octavia Melody. Before the Fall, she had been traveling to the major cities of Equestria as a soloist and performing shows to further her career as a musician. Unfortunately for her, now she is a lowly slave who is still a defiant one to her new master. Orest glanced at his two red collared slaves and they were both bent over with their flanks in the air, ready to serve him as proper slaves like the sluts they were, but then his eyes trailed to Octavia. She was in front of his desk, sitting on her knees, eyes closed, and was waiting patiently to be abused again. Orest was a member of the Stonehoof bloodline, naturally he believed he deserved all he received and he couldn’t help but admire how beautiful Octavia was. Her light amethyst eyes, her hourglass figure, double D-cup breasts, and especially her squeezable flank he enjoyed smacking every time he raped her. Orest smirked as he rose from his chair and walked around the desk and right in front of Octavia, who still had her eyes closed since she didn’t want to even look at Orest.

“Still defiant as ever, eh cunt?” Orest mocks. Octavia didn’t answer. “You know, I heard a little slut told me you used to be some kind of musician?” Octavia’s ear twitched a bit as she opened an eye to glance up at the Caribou mayor. “Oh yeah, that little unicorn slut with the glasses told me. I think her name was Vinyl?” Octavia’s hands clenched into fists at the mention of her dear friend's name. She knew Vinyl was also somewhere in the city since she was also traveling to play gigs and they met in San Pranciscolt by chance but were then taken.

“What is it to you…master?” Octavia asked forcefully.

“How about we make a little wager?” He offers as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a vial of unknown substance. “This is a little something our research team has been developing. To make a long story short, it puts cunts like you in heat and ready to conceive.” Orest explains making Octavia’s eyes widen.

“Oh master, please let me bear your foal!” One of the red collared begs.

“No me! This slut wants to bear your foals!” The other said.

“Shut it sluts!” Orest barks. “You both are just cock sleeves to me. However you on the other hand.” Orest said as he reached down and lifted Octavia’s face up by her chin. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find you the least bit attractive, even if you’re just my slave. But the Stonehoof bloodline must carry on and I have chosen you to bear my offspring, so you should be honored.”

“And what madness made you believe I would even think of bringing any foal into this broken world?!” Octavia snaps defiantly. “Let alone you foolishly think that I would bear any foal of yours?!”

“Because I’m in charge around here.” Orest spat. “And I can give you that which we took from you, your music.”

For a moment Octavia paused for a moment at Orest’s offer. Her music? Does he mean he would allow her to play the cello again? It’s been so long, she’s missed the feeling of her instrument’s touch but for such a price of giving birth to his foal?

“Nice try, heathen, but I would rather suffer the consequences than bear any ilk of yours. In fact, I would rather perish than do anything of the sort.” Octavia huffed, pulling her head back and glaring up at Orest.

“Hmm, such a pity.” Orest said as he abruptly grabbed Octavia’s head and uncorked the vial. “It’s a bit amusing when you think you have a choice, cunt. I’m still of the Stonehoof bloodline, I always get what I want.” He sneered as he forced Octavia’s mouth open and began to tip the contents of the vial which made Octavia squirm in protest but in vain. “And I want a healthy child to raise for my King, so you better hope I get a buck.”

Suddenly, there was a series of explosions in the distance outside of Orest’s office, making him stumble backwards and snap his head up. The phone on his desk rang, which made him growl in annoyance and stomp over to the phone as he corked the vial and picked up the phone.

“This better be good! What the buck were those explosions?!” Orest demanded.

“MAYOR OREST, HE’S HERE!” The Caribou on the other line cried.

“He? Who’s he?!” Orest demanded.

“THE WINGED MONSTER! HE JUST DESTROYED ONE OF THE FACTORIES AND IS HEADED THIS WAY! I-”

CRASH

“No…no please…DON’T COME ANY CLOSER! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

“Soldier?! Soldier! What the buck is going on?!” Orest shouted. Over the phone he could hear the sound of footsteps and someone picking up the phone and holding it up to its ear. “Who…is this?” Orest asks.

“…Righteousness.” Was all that was said as the line went dead.

Orest began to panic and ran outside to the balcony of his office building as a strange light filled the sky. Orest witnessed all around the city were multiple smoke trails in the air, due to the explosions from before, and at the far end of the street was a tall figure he had not seen before. It was bipedal, it was wearing a long grey hooded coat with silver pauldrons, white undershirt with a black tie hanging loosely around its neck, black pants with silver knee guards, and black silver toed boots. The white hood was over its head and Orest could somewhat make out its face since it wasn’t really covered by the hood but could tell it was definitely not a pony. He was also armed with what looked like a straight sword that seemed to shine brighter in the sunlight, its golden cross guard looked like a pair of feathered wings, and the handle was pure white. However the most shocking part of this creature was not its appearance, not its weapon, but the pair of large white feathered wings, the end of the feather tips shining a bright golden color, on its back that stretched out wide to a width of 8ft. He watched as many of his men charged at the figure but it just effortlessly dodged or parried their attacks. Some Caribou and stallions the creature cut down while others were knocked unconscious as it made its way through the city. It then raised its left hand and pointed it to a building Orest recognized as one of his main warehouses for storing weapons and drugs. It pointed its finger at the building and a bright light shined on its fingertip and a beam of light fired into the building, causing a massive explosion to obliterate everything inside which rocked the area around it and also managed to blow off its hood. Orest then got a better look at its face. As he thought this creature was not a pony, it’s ears were small and on the side of its head, its hair was dark brown and was long enough to reach its shoulders, it had a goatee that covered its mouth and chin, and when the creature turned its head to look up at Orest, which made him flinch, he saw that his eyes were pale blue that seemed to pierce his very soul. The creature unfurled its wings and flew into the sky and towards Orest making him panic and run back into his office. Orest then grabbed a revolver from his desk and loaded the bullets when the doors of the balcony smashed open, causing the mares and Octavia to scream and cower in the corner. Orest looked up and saw the winged creature stare down at him with a cold gaze with its hand gripping its sword tightly.

“What…the buck are you?!” Orest demanded.

“Who am I?” The creature said in a soft voice that seemed to have an accent similar to Octavia. “I’m the guy who’s gonna free this city and its people. I’m here to spread The Lord’s light wherever I can so that those who’ve sinned may have a chance at redemption. Though I can’t say the same for those who’ve cast away their innocence, there are still those who still wish to repent. I can see the sins literally dripping off your soul and you are beyond redemption.” The creature said.

“Buck you! Do you bucking know who I am?! I am Orest Van Stonehoof and I share my King’s blood in my veins! You dare threaten me and destroy all we’ve built?! Well I got your redemption right here!” Orest shouted as he aimed his revolver. The creature swung its sword with such quick motions that one would miss it should they blink. The barrel of Orest’s revolver slowly slid off and onto the ground, along with his entire hand which caused Orest to scream and grip his stump as he fell to his knees.

“Your sentence is death.” The creature said as she raised his sword.

“In the name of The Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Ghost,
I, Phillip McHaggard, The Angel’s Saint,
Sentence you to die.
May God have mercy on your soul.
Amen.”

With a single swing of his sword, The Angel’s Saint cut Orest’s head clean off as his body fell to the floor. Phill then sheathed his sword and brought his hands together and said a silent prayer to himself, leaving Octavia completely flabbergasted at what she had just witnessed.

Phill 1st POV

After executing my target, my eyes wandered to the three frightened mares in the room all huddled together. I walked toward the mares and bent down to look at them straight in the eye.

“Morning, wee lassies.” I said with a curt nod and smile. I then quickly reached out and placed both my hands on the ones with red collars causing them to yelp and my hands began to glow a soft light. The mares’ eyes began to grow heavy as they leaned back and fell to the ground completely conked out. “That oughta do it.” I said as I stood up and looked to the grey furred mare. “Wish I could stick around, luv, but I got a city to liberate.” I said as I turned around and walked to the balcony.

“W-wait!”

I glanced over my shoulder to see the mare with eyes of both curiosity and slight fear.

“Who…or what are you?” She asks.

“Call me Saint Phillip.” I said, smirking at her as I unfurl my wings out wide. “Or The Angel’s Saint, whichever you prefer, luv.”

Without another word I jumped into the air and flew down to the streets. A large group of Caribou and stallions had all gathered in front of the former mayor’s home, all armed to the bloody teeth. I landed in front of the group and they all tensed you at the mere sight of me.

“You all better bloody listen!” I shout. “Your precious mayor has been officially executed by yours truly for he was beyond repentance and has paid for his crimes with his life! But the same fate does not wish to befall those of you who still wish to repent! Drop your arms and leave this city! Join me and I’ll show you all the Light of The Lord!” I shout to them all.

They all look at each other and have the bloody nerve to laugh their arses’ off. A couple Caribou charge at me and I sigh as I duck just in time before their blades could wound me and I swipe my wings under their legs, making them tumble to the ground. I then aim both my fists above them and slam them down on their necks, crushing their windpipes. I stood back up and smirked as they then shut their gobs at the brutal killing of their mates.

“Still wanna go, mates?” I challenge the lot of them.

Some of the younger lads drop their arms and fall to their knees but the others growl in annoyance and all charge at me. I sigh as I pull out my earbuds that Michael was kind enough to grab for me before I was brought here and place them in my ears as I scroll through my smartphone he also nabbed for me. I scroll through the playlist as I dodge their attacks and select a song and hit play as I grab a sword in between my fingers.

“Are ya startin’ now?” I mock as I hit play.

I twist the sword in my hand and pull it towards me and slam my fist in the stallion's face, knocking him out cold. More try to swarm me as I draw my sword and beckon them with my hand. Two Caribou try to come at me from both sides and I jump in the air, avoiding their spears, and spilt kick both of them. The rest come at me from all sides as I counter each of their strikes and bash the bottom of my sword in some of their heads, knocking them out. One Caribou tried to shoot me from behind with his rifle and I spun around and fired a beam of light from my finger at his hand, making a small explosion and blowing his hand off. He screamed in pain and I lunged forward and slashed his chest, causing blood to spray out as he fell to the ground in his blood. I look around me and see that I’m about to be surrounded which would be a bloody shite situation for me.

“Give me strength, Lord.” I prayed as I thrust my hands forward.

“Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven!”

A beam of light shines in front of me and forms a long sword out of light and solidifies allowing me to grasp the handle. I then draw my other sword and twirl my blades in my hands and spread my wings out wide, ready to take on the whole lot of these bastards. More Caribou and stallions charge as I meet them head on with my blades and spin my body and slash my sword of light through multiple Caribou, cutting them in half. The rest I block and dodge their attacks and even deflect any stray bullets fired at me as I run through the crowd, either cutting down or knocking out all in my way. I saw a row of enemies prepare to fire so I quickly flapped my wings to avoid their shots. I front flipped over the row and landed behind them as I spun around and delivered a wide horizontal slash with both my swords, cutting them to ribbons. A few brainwashed stallions then worked in tandem as they skillfully met their swords with mine. One managed to punch me across my face while another clipped my arm and leg which made me grunt in pain. The stallion in front of me managed to kick my hands, making me drop my swords, and tried to impale me but I kneed him in the gut before he could land his blow. The stallion buckled over as the other two jumped up behind me so I unfurled my wings and swatted them away making them fall to the ground. I kicked the downed stallion in front of me in the head and backflipped behind the two I knocked down and grabbed their heads. I slammed their heads together, rendering them out cold as I cartwheeled over to my swords and picked them up again. I noticed some were starting to lose their nerve which meant I was almost done so I made my sword of light disappear and fly high above the crowd.

“Heavenly Rain!”

I crossed my arms in front of me and used both hands to fire a torrent of deadly light particles upon my enemies. The beams rained down upon them as they were all helpless in my attack. Some tried to run away so I fired beams at their legs so they wouldn’t get far as they tumbled to the ground with holes in their legs. Soon my attack started to die down and I gently descended to the ground and stood up straight as the song came to an end. I took note of the damage I had done and even though there were some casualties, most of the attacking group just had deep flesh wounds while the ones who surrendered witnessed the whole fight in both awe and fear. I sheathed my Holy Sword and made my sword of light disappear as I walked up to the nearest brainwashed stallion and knelt down.

“Sorry for beatin’ you and your mates around the bush there, lad.” I said as I placed a hand on his head. “Don’t fret though, you’ll be right as rain soon enough.” My hand glowed as his eyes grew heavy and he slumped to the ground. I then made my way through the whole crowd and repeated the same process to any brainwashed stallions. As for the traitors and Caribou, I healed their wounds with my Holy Light and created shackles of light to bind them so they wouldn’t cause trouble. I continued these series of actions the whole way for about twenty minutes until all the brainwashed were cleansed, traitors and Caribou were successfully bound, and everyone’s injuries were healed.

“Whew! Well that was all fair play, if I do say so me self.” I said proudly, whipping my brow. I winced and looked down to see the few wounds I had received which made me frown and sigh as I healed myself. “Michael will surely have my arse for getting clipped.” I groan.

I looked to the sky and placed two fingers in my mouth and blew out a loud whistle. After a little waiting, a shadow appeared in the clouds and a large airship I filched back in Seaddle hovered over me and landed in a large clearing between the buildings.

“Ah, The Icarus, right on time.” I said as the gangplank lowered. From the deck a female griffin, if I remember that’s what they’re called, runs up to me and bows in respect. She was wearing navy blue overalls and a black shirt underneath, her feathers and fur were a bluish grey and she had white feathers under her beak and face which looked like freckles, her eyes were a light teal, and she had styled the feathers on her head like a small ponytail. Her name was Gabby, and I had freed her from Seaddle during my attack when she was about to be auctioned off as a slave.

“Saint Phillip! I brought The Icarus just like you told me!” She said excitedly.

“Job well done, lass.” I said as I pat her head. “Did you do the other task I gave you?”

“Uh-huh! I managed to rally the mares on the ship while you fought the Caribou and stallions! There were a few close calls, but she managed to fight them off!” Gabby said looking back on the deck. I looked to see another female griffin look down to us with her usual proud scowl. She had brown fur for her lion half and had the upper half of a bald eagle with golden eyes. She wore a black denim jacket, torn dark blue jeans, and was armed with double sickles I gave her to defend herself after a wee bit of personal training. She too was a former slave and was about to be sent to the breeding pens for the War Beasts but I managed to put a stop to that, right quick.

“Gilda, I hope there wasn’t too much trouble, eh lass?” I asked.

“Hmph, you may have saved me but that don’t mean you get to call me that.” Gilda scoffed. “And no, they weren't any trouble at all, thanks to these babies.” She said holding her sickles up.

“Gilda! Stop being so rude to Saint Phillip!” Gabby squawks.

“Whatever, I assume they are coming with us as well?” Gilda snorts pointing at the downed enemies.

“That be right, it’s all for their own sake, lass. It’ll all be worth it in the end, I promise.” I reassure her. “Now load them all up in the brig, I have one last thing to take care of.” I said.

“If you say so.” She shrugs. “Gabby! Help me drag these sorry ponies and Caribou on the ship and in the brig!”

“Ok!” Gabby chirps and begins helping Gilda.

I smile and unfurl my wings and take to the skies. As I fly through the air I make sure I did enough damage to the city and that King Pony bloke’s operations. It took me weeks to scout the city and I managed to place the explosives I found in the cargo hold from The Icarus in most of the warehouses during the dead of night for this timed assault. It’s a good thing the residents were not expecting something like this since all that donk Lock did was rampage first and ask questions later. My mind thought of Lock for a moment as I wondered how he was doing since he probably heard about me from Lucifer by now and I wondered if it was time to pay him a visit. I shook my head slightly since I had more important things to do at the moment as I returned to the former mayor’s building and landed back in the balcony. I walked inside and found the lass from before sitting in the ground and she had covered herself with a blanket. She looked up to me and stood up but still kept a stern gaze in her eye.

“Something the matter, luv?” I ask.

“Don’t call me that.” She snapped. “I have a name and it’s Octavia Melody.”

“Apologies, Miss Melody.” I said with a curt nod. “We best get you and these lassies out of here, there’s right to be trouble if we stick around.”

“Why should I trust you, sir?” Octavia questions. “Aren’t all stallions against Equestria now?” I arched a brow at her statement and crossed my arms.

“Shall we go over the facts then? I just saved your sorry arse, offed the bloke who would rather spend the day tossing you around and forcefully knock you up, destroyed their contraband of drugs and weapons, and I’m even offering to take you and everyone else somewhere safe. Now if I was your enemy, would we be talkin’ like a couple of old fish wives?” I ask. Octavia opened her mouth to protest but couldn’t find the words since she knew I was right, damn right I am.

“I suppose you have a point.” Octavia sighed. “Then I thank you deeply for saving us and freeing this city but I need to find my friend, she’s somewhere in this city and I need to find her.”

“What she look like?” I ask.

“Well she has white fur, a blue two toned mane and tail…” Octavia explains.

“Got a pair of snazzy sunglasses and ruby red magenta eyes?” I add.

“Yes…yes! Yes she does!” Octavia gasped. “Do you know where she is?!”

“Easy there, lass.” I said, raising my hands. “I managed to get her and the rest of the mares on me ship when I first started to attack the city. If you come with me now you’ll be reunited with her.” Octavia stares at me for a moment but then nods as I walk past her and pick up the other two unconscious mares. “Now then, shall we be off?” I ask.

“Yes, I no longer wish to remain here.” Octavia said.

And with that we walked out of the building and back to The Icarus where Gilda and Gabby were still loading the ship with prisoners. Some managed to awaken from their slumber and almost made a ruckus but I managed to quell the situation. When we boarded the ship, Octavia looked around the deck in awe of its craft but also for her friend. When she found Vinyl they both embraced each other in tearful joy which made me smile. Before we were set to depart for home I took to the skies once more to see if there were any stragglers within the city. My plan worked better than expected, cleared the enemy out of all buildings and caused them to scatter due to the explosions, cut off their means of retreat by killing their War Beast pens and destroying any airships docked, be the distraction while Gabby and Gilda rescued the mares, and finished the rest off after dealing with their leader. After one last swoop of the city I am satisfied to see that there were no more stragglers and I even destroyed any remaining slave pens or warehouses along the way. I look in the distance to see a large bridge stretching from the mainland over the sea to the other side of the land. I believe the bridge was called The Golden Gallop Bridge and I spotted a group of Caribou trying to escape with some slaves and other supplies they managed to snag. I roll my eyes as I quickly make my way to the other side of the bridge before they could escape. I reach into my pocket and pull out an earpiece that connects to The Icarus’ radio.

“Gabby? You there lass?” I ask while pressing the button.

“Saint Phillip! Is everything ok?! You’re not in trouble are you?!” Gabby said frantically.

“No I’m quite alright, I just need you and Gilda to meet me at the Golden Galloping Bridge in about five minutes. Can you do that lass?” I ask.

“Of course! We’ll be there in exactly five minutes!” Gabby chirps.

“Cheers lass, see you soon.” I said and hung up.

I make it to the bridge and see the group all riding War Beasts and they’re galloping as fast as they can away from the city. The beasts were all pulling wagons filled with weapons, drugs, and other god awful items. The one in front was pulling a cage filled with mares who all looked scared out of their wits which made me furrow my brows as I flew just in front of them. I furled my wings and fell to the ground and landed in front of the lot with a loud thud, making them all stop in their tracks as I slowly stood back up.

“Mornin’ lads, goin’ somewhere?” I ask.

“It’s the freak!” One of the stags cried.

“Damnit! How the buck did he get here so fast?! We were so close!”

“Who the buck cares! Blast the bucker!” The one in the middle orders as he kicks his War Beast in the side. The monsters all growl as they open their mouths and large fireballs erupt from each of them and come hurtling towards me. I smirk as I unfurl my wings and give them a sharp flap, creating a powerful gust of wind that sends the fireballs flying in different directions.

“Cute.” I mock. “Now then lads, only warning, drop all you’re carrying and come quietly.” I said.

“Buck you! We don’t have to listen to you! Right boys?!” The middle Caribou shouted, only to be met with silence.

“I…I give up.” One said, throwing down his weapon and stepping off his War Beast and getting on his knees.

“Me too…” another said and stepped off his War Beast. The others did the same until it was only the leader in the middle.

“Mate.” I called out to him. “Your boys are doing quite the wise thing here by surrendering. If you know what’s good for you, I’d do the same.”

The leader glared at me and was about to kick his War Beast again to make it fire another shot at me. I placed a hand on my Holy sword’s handle, ready to cut him down, but he sighs reluctantly and nods while getting off his War Beast and joining the others.

“You think you’ve won?” He mocks. “This city will fall again and your little rebellion will be crushed! You may work with that accursed Devil’s Hand, but it’s only a matter of time before Lord Dainn finds a way to put you in your place! Along with those whore Princesses who believe they’re untouchable!”

I walk up to the brave idiot for flapping his lips and stand over him. I place a hand on his head and grip it tightly making him wince as I bend down to look him dead on the eye.

“Boyo, I don’t work with the bloody Hand. You should be thankful I ain’t the Hand right now cause if I were, you’d be fed your own insides right about now.” I warn, making him shiver in sight fear.

I then walk behind him and shackle his hands along with the others as I look up and see The Icarus fly above us. As it lands I destroy the wagons lugging the supplies and free the mares from the cages who were thankfully all black collars. As we load our new passengers onto the ship, I look back and see the War Beasts all standing together, unsure what to do since they probably lived their lives as just tools of war.

“You lot are free now, live your lives as Mother Nature intended.” I said as I walked back up to my ship. The Icarus lifts into the air and I take the helm and point the ship towards the city. I raise my hand and point it to the city and my hand glows. A large dome of light begins to envelop the city and soon covers the whole area, protecting the city like Seaddle in The Lord’s Light.

“Now then.” I said as I turned the wheel. “Let’s head back, shall we?” And we begin to make our way back to Sanctuary.

Author's Note

Phillip McHaggard, The Angel’s Saint, has made his appearance known. Next chapter, getting to know how Phill and Michael are operating in Equestria.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Angel’s Path

Chapter 18

After the successful liberation of San Pranciscolt, I was at the helm of The Icarus steering our way back to the Smoky Mountains. I watched as Gabby and the few ponies I brought along with me went about their duties on the deck of the ship. I smiled a little but soon lost it as the memory of Lock poked my mind.

I wondered what he was doing right about now, how he was doing, and if one day we do cross paths in this world, would we still be mates like back on Earth? I reached into my coat and pulled out a piece of paper I kept to myself and unfolded it. It was Lock’s wanted poster I found in Seaddle and they had apparently upped the reward for his head to 50,000,000 bits. I sighed as I gazed at the picture they used to identify him, how the flames covering his body and that red eye of his under his hood made him look like a demon straight out of hell. I knew he was always a troubled soul, considering that tale he told me about his old mate Joshua and how he got that scar on his back, but I never imagined he’d go so far as to align himself with the bloody Devil himself.

“Lock, just what are you trying to prove, mate?” I ask solemnly. “Is all this bloodshed worth the cost of what little humanity you have left?”

“You seem troubled, Phillip.”

I glance to my right and see Michael appear from a flash of light. One of the stallions who volunteered to help on The Icarus walked by Michael as if he were never there. Guess it makes sense since I’m the only one who can because I’m the Saint.

“Aye, I guess you could say that.” I said as I tucked the poster in my pocket.

“You’re wondering about Mr. Lockdrom, aren’t you?” Michael asks. I only nod in response. “You still have faith that he would change his ways if you show him what you have done?”

“Of course I do.” I said. “I’ve known Lock long enough to know he’s a stubborn bastard, but if given a proper argument and the right set of words shared between us he’ll see there’s no need to slaughter all his enemies without mercy.”

“Normally I would agree with having faith in those who do not deserve it, but how can you be so sure it is not too late?” Michael questions. “After all Mr. Lockdrom has already said and done, perhaps he will always be intent on wiping out all who stand in his way.”

“I can’t believe that Michael.” I said dismissively. “In fact I won’t, Lock is still me mate and I’m confident he’ll come around and not have to continue going on mass killing sprees.”

“Azrael and Chamuel would disagree with you.” Michael said.

“With all do respect, Saint Michael, but I could give a bloody shite and a rats arse what those two think. I had a bad enough experience with them the first time.” I scowled.

“I agree, your meeting with the Archangels could have been a more…pleasant one.” Michael said as my mind drifted back to the day I met The 7 Archangels.

Flashback

I stared at Saint Michael for what seemed like hours as he held his sword out to me and waited for my answer to his offer. Me, of all the bloody fat bastards, I was the lucky or unlucky fat Irish bastard who got picked by fockin’ Archangel Saint Michael.

“I…but…why?” I stuttered like a donk.

“Ask yourself this, Mr. McHaggard, if you were given a chance to help those in need, would you?” Michael asks.

“What, you mean like one of them superheroes or something?” I ask.

“I prefer the term Holy Champion, but yes. You see Mr. McHaggard, this world is indeed on the brink of total collapse and they deserve proper judgement. However your friend, Mr. Lockdrom, says and does otherwise. He believes that there is no redemption left for the Caribou and traitor stallions, that they should all be wiped from the face of this planet as you’ve seen him do in the vision I showed you.” Michael explains.

“But…that can't be.” I said, unable to accept it. “There’s no way Lock would commit mass genocide!”

“Would you attempt to convince him otherwise?” Michael asks.

“Aye!” I said.

“Would you still try at the risk of your own life?” Michael warns.

This made me freeze on the spot, my own life? I looked up to the moon as it shined down on me and pondered Michael’s question. I’ve never really lived my life to the fullest, never really pursued anything that was worth any kind of future. Now I’ve been shot, my soul saved by Saint Michael himself, I’m in a world that’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and now I’m being offered to be some kind of champion of Heaven with the risk of my own life. I’m not even violent by nature, and now I have to fight in a bloody war?

“I…I’m not sure.” I admit. “I’m still trying to wrap me head around this whole thing, it all feels like I’m in a dream.”

“Then do you wish to return to your home?” Michael offers, making me look back at him. “I do not wish to be dishonest with you Mr. McHaggard, what I am asking you will be very dangerous work. Some of my fellow Archangels were skeptical when I chose you of all humans, but I prefer to see the better part in one's soul. You care for Mr. Lockdrom, you cared so much that I heard your prayers after he disappeared, especially after your life was slipping away you prayed to see him once again. The fact that you hesitated when I offered you to become The Angel’s Saint is more than enough proof that you have a gentle heart. That is why if you still do not wish to fight for both this world and Mr. Lockdrom, then I shall return you to your home and seek a different champion.”

“But what about Lock?” I ask.

“We will just have to see what will happen, though I suspect it won’t be the same as what you may have had in mind.” Michael said.

Again I was silent, if I wanna go home I can just say the word and I’ll be back before I know it. But if I do then some other bloke will come and try to handle things differently against Lock, for better or for worse. The images of him killing in mass amounts were fresh in my mind but also all the times he and I hung out together. Michael said it’s too late for Lock, but is it? True, he’s working with the Devil, but has he really lost himself already?

“No…” I said as I clenched my fist. “I don’t want some random donk coming here and mucking things up. You chose me, right? Because I’m Lock’s friend, right?”

“Indeed, if anyone I believed you would be the best choice for this task. So does that mean you will accept my offer?” Michael asks as he holds up the handle of his sword.

“Couple of questions.” I said, holding up my hand. “If I accept, would that make Lock and me enemies, or could we still work together to achieve a hybrid of the two outcomes? You know, kill the bad ones, convert the better ones, it's not genocide but the bad ones are still dead? Or is this a You are the Light, He is the Dark, only one can survive kind of deal?“ I question.

“That, Mr. McHaggard, is up to you to decide.” Michael said.

“Then aye.” I said as I placed a hand on his sword's handle. “I accept your offer.”

“Splendid, then we must be off to make it official.” Michael said as he raised his other hand.

“Off? Off to where?” I ask as a bright light surrounds us.

“Why to The Silver City itself, of course.” Michael said.

“Wha?!” Was all I said before my whole vision became too bright for words.

“Here we are.”

"Ah! bloody 'ell, dat's bright! You cooehld've warned me!" I yelled, letting my accent take over my words as I rubbed my eyes.

“Apologizes, however you’ll soon have to get accustomed to the brightness sooner or later.” Michael said.

“What do you…mean…?” I trailed off as my eyesight returned and what I saw made me almost pass out. A massive city that seemed to shine a silver glow, basked in the sunlight atop the clouds. I then noticed that we were standing on white clouds that felt solid under my feet and we were standing in front of a large gate that towered above me.

“Holy Sweet Mother Mary and Joseph…” I said aloud.

“Phillip Christopher McHaggard, I welcome you…to the city of Heaven.” Michael said as he raised his arm out to the gate.

As if on command, the gates opened slowly and Michael began to walk through. As he did I saw that a halo had appeared over his head and his wings seemed to glow a brighter golden glow, as if he became more divine the moment he stepped through. I gulped a huge breath of air and followed him while trying to comb my messy hair and straighten out my clothes, trying to look at least somewhat presentable. As we walked I saw a variety of different people pass by us, all of whom bowed to Michael in respect and he just gave them all curt nods. The Silver City had such a welcoming warmth to it I felt like I could feel at peace for all my life. I also noticed that the people I passed by all had halo’s above their heads which meant these were people who had passed on.

“You know, I kinda figured I’d end up here one day but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.” I said as we walked.

“A thing of beauty, is it not?” Michael asks.

“I’m speechless.” I said, making him chuckle. “Just how big is this place?”

“Would you like me to give you a tour of the whole city? It would take a long while, about 100 years, give or take, but I would be more than happy to show you all that Heaven has to offer.” Michael said.

“100?! No thank you!“ I yelped.

“Peace, Mr. McHaggard, I was only jesting.” Michael chuckled.

Saint Michael has a sense of humor? Now I’ve seen it all… I think to myself.

As we walked I noticed how the city had a bit of a mix of buildings all in one place, some buildings I’ve seen back home in Ireland, some from the Middle East, some from the west in the States, even small huts and tents which I found a bit odd to see in Heaven.

“Curious?” Michael asked.

“A bit, not exactly what I was expecting in Heaven.” I said.

“And what exactly were you expecting?” Michael wonders.

“I don’t know…large buildings made of gold, people constantly praying everywhere, yet here it feels like I’m back on Earth.” I said.

“All beings have their own image of Heaven, even the beings of the Eques I brought you to have their own image of what this city looks like.” Michael explains.

“What do you mean the Eques you brought me to?” I repeat. “You saying there’s more than one reality or something? Like that multiverse shite I heard about?”

“Quite right, the multiverse is vast and filled with many different realities of many different planets. Earth and Eques included. I know of a special individual who has taken residence on a different Eques, he once stayed here for a time before having to return.” Michael said, looking like he was reminiscing.

“Who was he?” I ask.

“It’s not important, he has his responsibilities and you soon will too.” Michael said.

“Saint Michael! I thought that was you!”

We both stopped our walk and turned to see a white skinned man in his mid forties wearing brown khaki pants and a green buttoned up shirt and had a small halo over his head. He had short cut brown hair and a small beard, he also had hazel colored eyes. Michael smiled as the man approached and even shook his hand like they were old buddies.

“Alex, wonderful to see you as always.” Michael said.

“Likewise, how’s our mutual friend? Heard he had a bit of a scuffle with some of the top dogs.” Alex said.

“You’ll be pleased to know he was victorious, Alex, as expected for someone of his skill.” Michael said.

“Heh, not a doubt in my mind he’d come out on top.” Alex said with a proud smirk. He then looks at me and smiles and offers his hand. “How’s it going dude, name’s Alex.“

“Uh yeah, Phillip.” I said shaking his hand.

“First time in heaven?” Alex asks and I nod. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it once you get settled in.”

“Settled in? I’m not dead though.” I defend. He quirked a brow and looked up above my head and smiled sheepishly since I don’t have a halo.

“So you aren’t.” He said. “My bad, I’ve been dead for a while now so it’s kinda hard to tell the living and the dead.”

“How did you die? If you don’t mind me asking that is.” I ask. Alex smiles and places a hand over his heart.

“I gave my life for another, which turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made.” Alex said with pride.

“As much as I would like to continue this conversation, Alex, I’m afraid we must be on our way.” Michael said.

“Of course, it was nice meeting you Phillip, maybe we’ll meet again sometime.” Alex said as he waved goodbye and left.

“Wow, he really gave his life for someone?” I ask.

“Indeed he did, which earned him a place here in Heaven and is respected by most for his actions.” Michael said. “Let us continue our trek, shall we?”

For the next hour or so we continue our walk through the streets of the Silver City, and good Lord was the place filled with departed souls. Along the way I actually was able to meet my Nana and Grandad which was quite the tearful reunion, despite Nana scolding me to lose weight. We soon arrived at our destination which was a large temple-like structure with pillars of marble surrounding the place. Along the pathway were statues of different Angel’s that were posing in different ways and I was awestruck at their craftsmanship. At the end of the pathway was a statue of a lady angel, yet unlike the others she had not one but five pairs of wings stretched out wide. She was just standing up straight, her hands over one another, and smiling like she was welcoming anyone who passed her by. Whoever made the statue must’ve spent quite the good amount of time on it since I couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful she was.

“Majestic, isn’t she?” Michael asks.

“Aye…that’s one word for it.” I said before Michael nudged me towards the temple. “So what’s this place?”

“You remember that large castle you saw in the distance on the way here, yes?” Michael asks and I nod. “That is The Court of the Gods, it is where the leading gods from every culture come together for meetings. This is The Archangel Temple, a place where my fellow Archangels and I discuss our own personal matters with each other. And this is where you shall become our champion.”

“Are the rest of the Archangels in there?” I ask nervously.

“Do not fret, Phillip, you will soon be in the presence of some of the most influential holy beings in Heaven. Just make sure you speak when spoken to and everything shall be alright.” Michael reassures me.

I nod as we stand in front of a set of large double doors, each with the holy cross and decorated with symbols and even a few passages from the Bible here and there. The doors open and we both walk inside as the halls can only be described as simply divine and nothing more. The halls are filled with a variety of different art work depicting the 7 Archangels and their great deeds. As we walked through the halls I looked down to see I was still in the clothes I was in when I first arrived on Eques making me flustered as I tried to desperately fix my hair and straighten out my clothes.

“Is there something the matter Phillip?” Michael asks.

“Course there’s something the matter, I’m about to meet your fellow Archangels and I look like I just crawled out of a dumpster.” I groaned.

“Oh there’s no need to fret over something so trivial.” Michael said dismissively, waving his hand. “If it’s any consolation this all did just happen out of the blue so there was no way for you to prepare anyway.”

“Still don’t mean I won’t look like the ugly duckling in the presence of swans.” I said.

We turn one last corner and are faced with another set of double doors. I gulp and do one last comb of my hair with my fingers and make sure my shirt is as neatly tucked in as possible, despite my fat beer belly. With a wave of his hand, the doors open and I’m once again almost blinded by the light. I’m met with a wide circular room that looks like I’m in some cathedral in Rome. In the center of the room were large chars all in a semi circle and each one had an Angel sitting on them. All their eyes were upon me as I walked in with Michael and I felt like I was about to pass out from the amount of anxiety I was feeling. When we make it to the middle of the group, Michael looks over his shoulder and motions me to stay and stand as he walks up to a vacant chair I assumed was his and sits down.

“My brethren, I welcome you all. Here standing before us, is our newest champion, Phillip Christopher McHaggard.” They all stand and begin to introduce themselves.

“I am Raphael, the Healing Angel.” A man to my right said. He had long dark brown hair with green eyes. He wore beige robes with a black sash around his waist and he was holding a long bronze staff in his right hand.

“My name is Gabriel, the Messenger Angel.” The man next to Raphael said. He was a lean fellow with long blond hair and brown eyes. He wore a golden robe with blue sleeves and a white trim along with a dark green robe that covered his legs. On his waist was a type of golden horn with a long neck.

“My name is Jophiel, The Angel of Beauty.” A pretty woman said softly with a smile. She had light brown eyes and beautifully long flowing brown hair that seemed to reach the middle of her back. Her hair had small pink flowers along it and she was wearing a forest green dress robe.

“I am Ariel, The Angel of Nature and Animals.” Another woman said. Her appearance seemed to not go with her title since she had long black hair, fierce brown eyes, and was wearing some kind of helmet with feathers on top. She wore a black tunic with a red sash that went from her shoulder to her waist. The strangest thing is that she had a double bladed axe in her hand that she sling over her shoulder but I’d rather not question it. Perched her other shoulder was a white dove that was looking at me curiously and cooed every so often.

“Azrael, Angel of Death.” The man next to her said emotionlessly. All he wore was a single pale maroon robe with a hood over his head and was armed with a very uneasy looking scythe. His hair was dusty grey and his eyes looked as soulless as his very appearance.

“I’m Chamuel, The Angel of Peaceful Relationships.” The last man said. His face was a bit on the feminine side but his sky blue eyes were stern with a hint of kindness. His light brown hair was curly and long and wore a type of headband with a small ruby gem in the middle of his forehead. His robes were light pink and had a gold sash around his waist and in his hand was a type of chalice with handles on both sides that made it look like some kind of trophy.

Each of them had large wings on their backs, each pair looking different from the other, yet still had a divine look to them. Not knowing what else to do, I cleared my throat and lowered to the ground on my knee and bowed in respect to the holy beings surrounding me.

“It…ahem, it is a grand honor to be in all your presence, my Lords and Lady’s.” I said as calmly as possible, being careful not to shit myself.

“Michael.” Raphael said, glancing at the Warrior Angel. “I must ask once more, you are positive he is capable of becoming our champion?”

“Yes, Raphael.” Michael nods. “I am confident he will be just as righteous as his predecessors.”

“Erm, predecessors?” I repeat out loud as I raise my head.

“Indeed, Mr. McHaggard.” Gabriel said. “This may come as a little surprising, but we have chosen other humans throughout your world's history as The Angel’s Saint. Just as Satanael has for his Hand.”

“Satanael?” I repeat again. “You mean Lucifer?” As soon as I mentioned that name, the whole atmosphere seemed to become heavy and I felt a very unpleasant chill run up and down my body. I turned to see Azrael, though his face was straight and emotionless, I could feel his rage through my very soul.

“Azrael, please calm down. He doesn’t know so it’s unnecessary to become upset.” Jophiel said. Azrael glanced over to Jophiel and nodded slightly and proceeded to take long and slow breaths. “Forgive him, the name of our fallen brother is a touchy subject.”

“Touchy, is an understatement, sister.” Chamuel said. “And to answer your question, McHaggard, Lucifer and Satanael are different beings.” I was confused and looked to Michael for an explanation.

“You recall the story of how Lucifer was cast out of Heaven by God, yes?” Michael asks and I nod, thinking about all the times I heard that tale from church. “Well there is more to the story than just that, Lucifer was indeed one of us before the rebellion but was cast out for another reason. You see, Mr. McHaggard, there exists a reality of Eques that holds a tragic story of a once proud kingdom. Its name was Aephoceria, the kingdom of the Demonic Angels.”

“Demonic Angels?” I repeat.

“The kingdom was ruled by an Angel and a Demon alongside their dear friend Queen Faust. They had even procured a child together which was unheard of for an Angel and Demon.” Michael continues, but his expression then turned sour. “The child’s birth had reached the ears of both worlds from above and below, so Lucifer went to investigate. However when he returned he looked like he had been in a fight and seemed enraged about something. When he reported about the Angel had wed the Demon and the child they had together, it surprised myself and all of Heaven. Ever since we had known about Aephoceria’s existence, there had been times when fellow angels and even demons from below would join the kingdom in order to be with one another. One would think that God and Satanael would be opposed to the very idea of two completely different worlds coexisting with each other but in fact they were very supportive of it, especially since the natural birth of the King and Queens child which spelled hope for peace between Heaven and Hell. But Lucifer, being the arrogant fool he was, proclaimed that Aephoceria was a heretical kingdom filled with blasphemers and had vowed to destroy it and all its subjects. No one saw it coming, no one knew of Lucifer’s schemings behind everyone’s back, and yet he managed to forge an alliance with the demoness Lilith and built an army to destroy Aephoceria. The Kingdom was lost, the child disappeared, and for his actions to destroy Aephoceria and even try to usurp God resulted in his banishment and any who followed him. My brethren and I were enraged at what Lucifer had done, but also saddened he would go so far to commit such a crime.”

“What happened to the kid?” I ask.

“Lucifer wanted nothing more to finish his self proclaimed quest to end the Demonic Angel existence and spent most of his time on Earth to search for the child. Most believed that the child perished and the race of the Demonic Angels had died with him, but I had a feeling that the child would one day return and claim his right to the throne of the fallen kingdom but I also kept watch on Lucifer’s actions. Then finally, some years ago after several ages later, the energy from the child’s power became known and I and a few of the Pantheon Gods were quick to react. We had managed to subdue Lucifer and Lilith and even had the privilege to meet the child face to face. The boy had a few choice words for me which was justified but meeting him was more than enough besides seeing him alive and well, proof that the Demonic Angels still existed.“

I was just sitting there dead silent while listening to Michael’s tale and in complete awe. To think there existed a world where Angels like these guys and bloody demons from Hell could live together, if Lucifer hadn’t gone and mucked things up royally.

“So why does The Devil call himself Lucifer?” I wonder.

“We were told he believes it is a way to mock our fallen brother.” Azrael spoke up.

“Satanael, being the silver tongued being that he is, deemed imprisoning Lucifer in Hell was a fate fit for the fallen angel. He even went as far as to take Lucifer’s name for his own, which Lucifer was not happy about since his name would be tarnished by such an unholy being as Satanael.” Michael said.

“I see, and you still call him Lucifer?” I ask.

“Our fallen brother Lucifer is dead to us.” Gabriel said coldly. “We have long since accepted that, and if Satanael wishes to call himself by Lucifer’s name then so be it, it matters little to us.”

“That statue.” I said as a thought occurred to me. “That’s her, isn’t it? The Queen?”

“Yes, her name is Alga, and she was as beautiful as the statue that stands in front of this temple in her honor.” Jophiel said.

“If we’re finally done with the history lesson, may we please return to the matter at hand as to how we may deal with Satanael’s Hand?” Chamuel said.

“Ah yes, of course.” Michael said. “Now then Phillip, you know the reason why we have brought you here but you must understand what it is you must do as The Angel’s Saint. As we mentioned before you are not the first Saint to fight for us, nor is your friend, Mr. Lockdrom, the first Hand.”

“How many others were there?” I ask.

“Throughout the course of Earth’s history, you have the privilege of being our fifth Saint.” Gabriel said. “Satanael has made a great many dealings with humans, some of which he dubbed as his Hand which in turn made us seek a champion of our own. And now it seems he has his eyes set on Equestria to recall the seven demons of The Sins of Man.”

“The one called Dainn.” Azrael said. “He reeks of death and sin, forced others in a ritual, gained years of life at the cost of others, even formed a bargain with the Sins to do his bidding.”

“Because of this, Satanael brought over a human, your friend, to collect what he is owed.” Michael said.

“But his Hand’s methods, to kill and show no mercy to any, not even we can look past this for it has happened once before on Earth.” Jophiel said. “Especially when there are some who deserve a second chance.”

“Proper judgement is indeed called for, but genocide is not the answer.” Chamuel said.

“If the Hand continues this path of destruction, his soul will be almost as blackened as Dainn’s.” Azrael said. “Perhaps it is too late already.”

“And just what do you mean by that?” I question.

“McHaggard, let us be honest with one another, you were shown what Lockdrom has done already, yes? It seems to me that he has made his choice. He is set on slaughtering all who oppose him without remorse, just because he saved a group of equines here and there does not mean he is not absolved. If anything he should be dealt with and let you enact the proper judgement those Caribou deserve.” Chamuel said dismissively, making me very agitated at his allegations.

“You dahn’t know shite!” I blurted out, pointing at the Angel of Peaceful Relationships. “Lock is naht sahme mad keller bent ahn destroehction! It was all de foehckin Devil’s faoehlt fahr rahpin ‘im into doin ‘is dirty wahrk! I’ve known Lock fahr years so dahn’t you dare talk abooeht ‘im like you know ‘im, because you dahn’t!”

“Mr. McHaggard, please be calm.” Ariel said, trying to calm me down.

“I dahn’t gahtta do shet! You all brooehght me oehp ‘ere to what, be sahme kend o’ equalizer and set me mate straight?! Well you know what?! Screw de laht o’ you! Dat wahrld ‘is goin throoehgh absahlute ‘ell and all you laht care abooeht is me stahppin what Lock is doin! ‘e may wahrk fahr de Devil, boeht ‘e’s stell ‘uman like me! And I stell believe ‘e too can be redeemed!” I proclaim.

“You’re quite bold to speak to my brother like that.” Azrael said, gripping the handle of his scythe. “All for The Devil’s own Hand.”

“Dahn’t lecture me abooeht who’s wrahng and who’s right.” I sneer. “What matters is me ‘elpin me friend! In fact, naht ahnly’ll I ‘elp show ‘im a better way to save de planet, boeht I’ll even ‘elp redeem de traitahrs and Caribou!”

“You would even go so far as to redeem those who might be beyond redemption?” Raphael asks.

“You’re damn right I will, even if it takes de rest o’ me life.” I said.

“You’re a fool.” Chamuel scoffed.

“You are but a naïve human with the mindset of a child.” Azrael said.

“And you two are a couple of stuck up arses.” I shot back. Ariel stands from her chair and approaches me. She stands before me and looks deep in my eyes as if she is searching for something.

“You seem quite passionate to prove us wrong, Mr. McHaggard, you truly believe you can do what most believe would be impossible?” Ariel asks.

“With all due respect, my Lady, you can bet your sweet arse.” I said, not caring about my rude tone. Ariel giggles and nods as she turns to face her fellow Archangels.

“I shall choose to have faith in this one. He has a passionate soul who genuinely cares about his dear friend. The Devil’s Hand aside, Mr. Lockdrom is still human and could still be redeemed.” Ariel said.

“It has been quite some time since there has been anyone to speak to us in such a manner.” Gabriel said. “You’ve quite the spirit, I admire that so I too shall believe in you.”

“Same here.” Raphael said. “I suppose even the worst sinners who still have just a shred of their innocence left deserve a second chance.”

“Do you truly believe you can redeem your friend?“ Jophiel asks.

“Aye, I’m even willing to bet me life.” I said.

“Then I too shall believe in you.” Jophiel said.

“Death is the fate of all life at some point, just ask the Hand of the Reaper.” Azrael said.

“That may be, but life is precious to those who still wish to live.” I said.

“This will not end as you may want it to, McHaggard.” Chamuel warned. “Your friendship with Lockdrom shall be put to the ultimate test should you not see eye to eye, which is an inevitable fate and tends to always end in devastation.”

“Then I’ll just have to change fate, now won’t I?” I scoffed.

All the Angels stand in front of their chairs and approach me in the middle of the room. They all unfurl their wings and I’m now standing in a circle completely surrounded as they begin whatever they’re gonna do.

“Do you swear to shield the innocent and tend to the weak?” Raphael asks.

“I…I swear.” I said, clearing my throat and standing to attention.

“Do you swear to spread the Lord’s light during your holy quest?” Gabriel asks.

“I swear.”

“Do you swear to maintain the beauty in life?” Jophiel asks.

“I swear.”

“Do you swear to protect nature and the environment around you?” Ariel asks.

“I swear.”

“Do you swear to judge the souls of your enemies accordingly and smite the irredeemable?” Azrael asks.

“…I swear.” I said.

“Do you swear to bring peace to the world, to always have strength and courage to face adversity when it seems that there is none left?” Chamuel asks.

“I swear.”

“Phillip Christopher McHaggard do you swear to serve us, The 7 Archangels, as our holy champion, The Angel’s Saint?” Michael asks.

“I…swear.” As soon as I make my final oath, all the Archangels’ wings begin to glow and a light shines above me and they begin to chant all together.

“The Angel’s Saint is sworn to Valor.
His Heart knows only Virtue.
His blade Defends the helpless.
His Might upholds the weak.
His Words speak only Truth.
His Wrath undoes the wicked.
His Knowledge will defeat the ignorance.
His Skills will be taught to the willing.
His Temper shall be held by patience.
He will give aid to those who seek it.
He will ask for aid when needed.
The Lord’s Light shall shine upon him and allow him to arise anew.
Amen.”

Suddenly, the light from above shined down on me and I felt a very warm and tingly feeling in my gut. I suddenly felt myself floating in mid air as I felt my whole body begin to change. My beer belly began to deflate and my body started to become more lean and muscular. My hair became less greasy looking and more soft and wavy as it grew out long enough to reach my shoulders. I looked to my right forearm and saw a strange symbol appear in a flash of light as I continued my new transformation.

I then felt something on my back and when I turned to look over my shoulder, I saw that I had sprouted a pair of large white feathered wings and the end of the feather tips were shining a bright golden color. The light surrounding me began to die down and I slowly descended to the ground and I landed on my feet but soon fell to my knees. The Archangels waited for me to collect my thoughts as I stared off into space still processing what had just happened. I took note of my body again and saw that I no longer had a pudgy physique but with a much more muscular torso and well shaped arms and legs. I slowly rose to my feet, putting one foot at a time on the ground, and stood up straight. I looked around and noticed I was either about the same height or slightly taller than the Archangels circling me and Michael walked up to me with a proud smile.

“How do you feel, Phillip?” Michael asks. I look around and glance once more at myself.

“…Taller.” Was all I could say.

“Now you are officially our champion.” Raphael said.

“We welcome you, Saint of the Angels.” Gabriel said.

“So…what happens now?” I wonder as I paced around, trying to get a feel of my newly formed body.

“Now we must get you properly dressed and ready to train you to make you combat ready.” Michael said.

“Training? Me? But I ain’t never fought anyone or have any sort of combat experience.” I said. “Not to mention I shouldn’t waste time here when Lock is still on Eques reeking who knows what kind of havoc.”

“Not to worry, we have a chamber that is used for just such an occasion. You’ll be able to acquire years worth of training and honing your skills in just a few days time.” Michael explains.

“But what kind of training will I receive?” I question.

“I shall teach you the ways of the sword and even show you the new abilities that we have bestowed upon you. I shall personally make sure that you are more than prepared to face the enemy when the time comes for you to return to Equestria.” Michael said.

“I have powers now?” I ask.

“Indeed, take a look at your hands.” Michael said. When I looked down at my hands I saw that they had a faint glow to them and I felt a pleasant warm feeling. I sensed something about the glow and when I focused a little more my hands glowed brighter as if they were made of light itself.

“This is…so bloody weird.” I said, a little stupefied. “And what’s this tattoo thing on me arm?” I ask, pointing to the mark on my forearm.

“That is the Sigil of the Saint, it is physical proof of your role to any who sees it.” Gabriel said.

“And the wings?” I ask, gesturing to the new appendages on my back.

“What good is the Angel’s champion without a pair of holy wings?” Chamuel scoffed. Before I could ask any more questions, Jophiel grabs my arm and begins pulling me away from the group.

“That is enough questions for now, Phillip, let us get you fitted in a more appropriate looking attire.” Jophiel said happily.

3rd POV

As Phill and Jophiel walked away, Azrael walked up to Michael and crossed his arms.

“You have a knack for choosing the most unlikely candidates for being our champion, you know that?” Azrael said.

“True, but since when have I ever made the wrong choice?” Michael said.

“Not yet you haven’t, but he still has the mindset of a child. You recall that this is not the first time one of our champions has proclaimed or try and make peace and work alongside Satanael’s champion?” Azrael questions.

“I am fully aware of that, but I am confident that Phillip is different than the others. Perhaps he will achieve where others have failed.” Michael said. There was a brief silence before Azrael turned away from Michael.

“We cannot guarantee his safety.” Azrael said.

“Understood.” Michael said.

“Nor will we be responsible for his fate.” Azrael adds as he walks away.

End of Flashback
Phill 1st POV

“A lot has happened since that day.” I said as the memory ended. “Hard to believe I was in that chamber for a year when it had only been a day.”

“It is how we trained your predecessors and have worked quite effectively, I am still quite pleased at how far you have come. Despite the few injuries you sustained in San Pranciscolt.” Michael said, making me wince.

“Yeah well, I guess I still need to train more.” I sighed.

“Quite right, for now just focus on the task at hand. I also have your next assignment for which city you must liberate.” Michael said.

“Really? Where am I going next?” I ask.

“Las Pegasus, it is one of that crime lord’s main bases of operations. Perhaps you will find a clue as to who he is.” Michael said.

“Maybe, the sooner I get it done the sooner I can go see Lock. I wanna prove just how wrong Azrael and Chamuel are and show them that there’s still hope for Lock.” I said with conviction.

“Hmm, very well Phillip, I just pray that you know what you are doing.”Michael sighed as he turned away. “I shall return to you once Las Pegasus is free, until then I bid you good day.” He said and disappeared in a flash of light.

“I pray I know what I’m doing too Michael, I just gotta have faith in what I do from here on out.” I said to myself.

“Saint Phillip!”

I look to my left to see Gabby fly up to me with a bright smile as she lands.

“We’re almost to Sanctuary and…um, are you ok?” She asks, tilting her head.

“I’m just dandy lass, why do you ask?” I wonder.

“Well, you seem a bit sad about something.” Gabby said.

“Ah, well I’m quite swell Gabby. I’m just thinking about an old friend who I’ve yet to meet again.” I said, smiling at her. “But I’m not sure if he’d still wanna see me.”

“Ooh, is he like your best friend?” Gabby asks.

“Best friend?” I repeat. “Well I mean, aye, we’re pretty good pals but best friends seems like a bit of a stretch.”

“But he’s still your friend, right?” She asks again.

“…Aye lass.” I sighed. “He and I are bloody good friends.“

“Then there’s nothing to worry about!” Gabby chirps. “If you’re friends then I think he’d be very happy to see you again! I mean, why wouldn’t he be?”

“Heh, you’re a sweet lass.” I chuckled, ruffling her feathers on her head. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“I know I am!” Gabby said.

“Hey Gabby! Get your tail feathers down here and help me with calming these cluckers down!” Gilda squawks.

“Watch your language! I’ll be right there!” Gabby snapped as she flew towards the rowdy griffin.

I chuckled again and noticed we were indeed closing in on the Smokey Mountains which meant we were almost home. I looked to the sky and thought about Lock and what Gabby said.

“He’ll come around.” I said confidently. “I’ll show him, I’ll show them all.”

Elsewhere
3rd POV

The clouds covered the sky over the snowy landscape of the north. The mood was gloomy and miserable as the sun was blocked and did not shine along the gem made structures that spread around the city. The Crystal Empire was a shadow of its former self since the Caribou turned it into a fortress of war and their capital of the conquered Equestria. The Caribou and traitors were all doing as they pleased, raping the crystal pony mares, abusing the stallions who wouldn’t submit to the new world order and had them put in shackles, and the once glorious Crystal Heart, now warped and sickeningly shaped as the Crystal Cock, sat on a pedestal in highly impenetrable magic shield. In the throne room sat a Caribou with large antlers, dark grey fur and charcoal hair, and wore black spike covered armor that showed off his status to the nation. His eyes were a sickening red as he was surrounded by dozens of mares, most of which were on their hands and knees with their flanks pointed in the air towards their master, waiting to serve him like the slaves they were always meant to be. Lust, the Overlord of Equestria, rested his head on his fist as he gazed upon his slaves.

His mind then drifted off to the broadcast from the Devil’s Hand and his proclamation of war, which irked him that once again Lucifer had sent another one of his attack dogs after him and his fellow Sins. He then slowly rose from his throne and walked down the small staircase as the mares kissed the ground wherever he stepped and approached the balcony overlooking his kingdom. He gazed upon his subjects, watched them go on about their day, and then looked up over the horizon. His eyes narrowed as a black aura surrounded his body, making the mares behind him cower in fear since their master was displeased.

“This…is our world, Hand.” Lust hissed. “And we shall hold claim to it.” He then returned to his throne and snapped his fingers as a group of mares began servicing him.

Meanwhile, in the crystal gardens, a statue of a creature with a deer antler on the right, a goat horn on the left, one long fang, different-sized pupils, a goat beard, and white bushy eyebrows. It has the right arm of a lion, the left claw of an eagle, the right leg of a lizard, and the left leg of a goat. In addition, he has a bat's right wing, a Pegasus’ left wing, a horse's mane, and a dragon-like snake's tail with a tail tuft. Petrified in a prison of stone, Discord, the spirit of chaos, stood alone with a shocked expression and was unable to move an inch. However, despite his body’s predicament, his mind was still conscious of his surroundings.

…Such a travesty. Discord sighed in his head. To think I would allow myself to be fooled by that dreadful Dainn. Such an unfortunate circumstance I find myself in. I just hope dear Fluttershy is well.

Discord then thought about what he had heard from a few guard speak about earlier. Hmm, this Devil’s Hand fellow seems to be quite set on liberating Eques. But Eques is a big place and he is just one creature, well aside from the new being who had just recently made himself known. I wonder who or what those two are?

Discord mulled over his thoughts for a moment until he hatched his own plan. Discord then focused his mind and began to force his lion paw to move. After a few minutes of straining, he finally managed to slowly inch his finger and thumb close to one another until they were pressed against each other.

Whew! I dare say that was even harder than I expected it to be. Discord thought. If these Caribou think that they can hold claim to Equestria for as long as they wish, then they are sorely mistaken. I believe it’s time I play my own hand in this endeavor.

With pure concentration and the last of what is left of Discord’s magic, his stone paw snapped its fingers and Discord’s eyes began to glow faintly. A small ghostly wisp floated out of Discord’s chest and hovered in front of the statue for a moment before flying off into the sky.

That…should do it. Discord sighed, now having exhausted all of what remained of his magic. I am unsure if it will work, but if I am to see Fluttershy once more then I believe this is absolutely necessary. Discord proclaimed to himself. Let us see how they enjoy player 3.

Author's Note

Phill’s promises are quite bold and some do not believe in his ideals. Now both the Saint and the Hand have their eyes set on Las Pegasus. Just what will happen if they meet each other? And more importantly…what is Discord planning?

I must’ve revised this chapter dozens of times so I hope you all enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil Takes Another

Chapter 19

Dimitri 1st POV

Something soft and warm is felt lying on top of me and I slowly open my eyes to see what it is. To my delight, my lovely little lavender lover is splayed entirely on my body and her muzzle is inches away from my lips and I can smell her breath. I inhale and get a whiff of it, a little sweet and minty which made sense since Twilight likes to brush her teeth very often. I tilt my head slightly to look down and see we’re both completely stark which reminded me we had made love again last night which made me smile but only briefly since last week’s report came to mind. Another city was liberated, San Pranciscolt, by this Angel’s Saint. What’s more is that it’s the same as Seaddle where most of the residents were taken and brought to who knows where the Saint was hiding. I could understand why he would be saving the slaves and brainwashed, but why would he waste his time taking the traitors, even the Caribou for that matter? Whoever he is, he’s been making a bit of name for himself since he’s taken two major cities already.

Twilight hums in her sleep and nuzzles into my chest and I smile again as I bring my hand up to pet her mane. I look to my right and see that the sun is about to rise so I slowly but surely scoot my way from under Twilight and replace my body with a pillow, to which she hugs closely and mumbles my name, making me stifle a chuckle. I climb out of bed and stretch my limbs and wings, getting multiple satisfying pops here and there, put my boxers back on, and walk towards the window. I open it to air out the room and take in a deep breath of the fresh air. The cold early Fall wind blows against my skin as I look at the growing town of Ponyville. Thanks to all the former slaves and brainwashed we freed, the town has had more houses built in order to keep up with the growing population. I’ve even got requests from some of the original townsfolk who escaped to Canterlot to come back to Ponyville, to which I was able to meet Mayor Mare who expressed her gratitude to me and was glad to be back in her office. I even reconnected with Lyra who introduced me to her marefriend Bon Bon, who I already knew anyway, and she bragged to Bon Bon that she had always known humans existed to which I just smiled amused at the couple. But once again my thoughts were brought back to the Saint and how he was operating which made me frown and look up to the sky with an annoyed look.

“They had their chance to repent but they squandered it.” I said aloud. “And now you send someone to try and prove me wrong by having him take in even the enemy? Either he’s the misguided one or you are, Michael.”

My words seemed to have awoken a certain mare in the room, making glance over my shoulder and see Twilight raise her head and rub her eyes with her hand. I looked back to the town to resume my thoughts as I heard her yawn cutely.

“Mmm, Lock…?” Twilight muttered.

“Morning, sleeping beauty. Sleep well?” I ask.

Twilight climbs off the bed and I hear her walk up to me and stand next to me with her undergarments back on.

“You kinda surprised me last night, any reason why you wanted to do it again?” I ask. I didn’t have to look at her to see that she was blushing.

“Well…it’s just I’ve been helping Mayor Mare with rebuilding Ponyville and expanding it, not to mention rehabilitating the former slaves and brainwashed you brought back, so I just needed a little stress relief.” Twilight admitted.

“So that’s what I am to you now?” I accuse, arching a brow while glancing at Twilight. “All I offered was to give you a massage and the next thing I know, you’re straddling me.”

“I-No! I mean, yes? No wait, no!” Twilight stutters as her wings twitch. I chuckle and wrap my wing around her and bring her close.

“You’re adorkable, you know that?” I tease. Twilight crosses her arms under her bust and huffs trying to look unaffected by my wing’s embrace.

“You’re mean.” Twilight pouts.

“And?” I question while poking her cheek.

“…You’re not making this easy.” Twilight huffs.

“Now what gave that away?” I ask innocently.

Twilight sighs and leans her head on my chest as I bring my other wing around and hug her close. She then looks up at me and smiles as I lean down and peck her on the lips.

“You’re impossible to stay mad at.” Twilight said.

“And you love me for it.” I counter.

“So which city are you going to liberate next?” Twilight asks.

“I’ve gotten reports that the Caribou are gonna move a shipment of slaves and contraband out of Salt Lick City. It’ll arrive later today so we’ll make our move during the night while the enemy slumbers and is not on guard. For now I’ve got a few errands to do around here plus I need to make a stop at Canterlot.” I explain.

“Canterlot? What for?” Twilight wonders.

“Believe it or not, Celestia and Luna wanna talk with me about something.” I answer.

“Do you…still not trust them?” Twilight asks.

I paused at this question and thought to myself. It’s been a while since I confronted them about the Heat Season and they apologized to me, they even agreed to make those new laws I wanted them to establish. I’ve heard there was some protest from the nobles but I guess they passed the laws anyway just to prove they wanted to be trusted again. Granted I thought that they only did that to get on my good side, but when I took Twilight back to Canterlot so she could check in with her parents they were coincidentally visiting them to see how they’re fairing after Shining’s passing. Meeting Twilight’s parents was a bit unnerving because I thought they’d reject the idea of someone like me dating their daughter, Celestia especially since Twilight is like a daughter to her. But surprisingly they were all very supportive of our relationship and Night Light even welcomed me into the family.

When Celestia told me that she too has supported me being with Twilight, I could tell that she has changed for the better ever since my little rant towards her and Luna. She even told me that Luna was taking care of any unruly nobles who were still against the laws preventing them from hunting down any stallion they wanted to mate with just to satiate their heat. Hearing this made me smile and tell her that she and Luna had come a long way and I was proud of them for it.

“Hmm, to be honest, I guess they deserve a second chance. I might even accept their friendship since they have done so much to regain my trust.” I said.

“You really mean that?” Twilight asks.

“So long as they keep their promise and don’t try to jump me when the next Heat comes along then I don’t think there should be a problem.” I said.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Twilight said. “By the way, you seemed a little lost in thought for a while after you returned from the Everfree Forest last week, didn’t you take care of the Caribou who were hiding out in there?”

My hand twitches and I get a little nervous as to what I could possibly tell her. I didn’t want to lie, but at the same time I didn’t want to risk causing problems for my secret acquaintance hiding out in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Twilight looked up at me with curiosity which made it harder for me to keep it to myself. So with no other option, I decided to tell her the truth and hopefully she wouldn’t freak out. I sigh and unwrap my wings from Twilight and furl them as I walk back to the bed and sit on the edge.

“Twilight, can you make me a pinkie promise that you keep what I’m about to tell you to yourself?” I request.

“A pinkie promise? But why?” Twilight wonders as she walks up and sits next to me.

“I can’t tell you unless you pinkie promise me.” I repeat. Twilight tilts her head but nods.

“I promise I won’t tell anypony. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Twilight said while doing the gesture.

“Thank you.” I said and then took a deep breath. “Last week, I found the stockade hiding out in the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters.”

“They were hiding out in such a sacred place?” Twilight asks in an irritated tone.

“Yes, naturally I dispatched the lot and sent the few survivors packing. But after I did I sensed something there, or rather someone, hiding in the shadows.” I said.

“Who was it?” Twilight asked, now sounding nervous.

“Twilight.” I start, looking her in the eye. “She lives, your old foe, Nightmare Moon is still alive.”

Twilight’s eyes slowly widened as she covered her mouth. She then stood up and backed away from me which made me a little worried.

“Nightmare Moon…is still alive?” Twilight asks shakily.

“Yeah, she’s in the castle ruins as we speak.” I confirm.

“What did she do when you met her?” Twilight wonders.

“Well not much, actually.” I said. “We just talked and she didn’t really seem threatening, despite her reputation.”

“You’re lying.” Twilight whispered.

“Huh?” I reply.

“I said you’re lying!” Twilight snaps. “There’s no way she didn’t threaten you! Did she cast a spell on you? Did she manipulate you into getting on your good side? Maybe she’s possessed you and she’s posing as the stallion I love!”

“Hey now, that’s going a little too far.” I said, standing up to face her. “She didn’t cast any spell or try to manipulate me in any way. Besides, why accuse me of lying when you know who I work for?”

“What does that have to do with anything?!” She accuses me.

“Because like The Devil himself, I too make it an obligation not to lie. So please believe me when I say that Nightmare Moon is not a threat.” I said.

“But how can you be so sure about that?” Twilight accuses. “She tried to plunge the world in eternal night not once but twice. How is she even still alive in the first place?”

“I’m well aware of what she did, Twilight. Believe me I was a bit hesitant myself to trust her, I’m still kinda on the fence to be honest.” I reply. “But after everything that’s happened of late she told me she no longer wishes to see through to her original plan. I even convinced her that she made a poor judgment call which is why she and Luna were banished to the moon in the first place. It’s like how I’ve given Celestia and Luna a second chance, Nightmare also deserves one and I’ve given her just that.”

Twilight was about to retort but she knew I made a valid point. Despite what she and her friends had been through, Nightmare is still a split personality of Luna. I figured Twilight would be the easiest one to break the news to and despite the rocky start, I’d have to say she’s taking it better than I expected.

“Dimitri, can you please tell me that this won’t end in a disaster? And that you have everything with Nightmare Moon under control?” Twilight sighs while pinching the bridge of her muzzle.

“You have my word, Twilight, Nightmare is my responsibility and I will make sure she won’t complicate things more than they already are.” I reassure her. She steps towards me and leans up to kiss me on the lips to which I return.

“I just worry about you Dimitri, if somepony like Nightmare Moon is still around I can’t help but be worried for you.” Twilight said.

“You’re sweet for worrying about me Twilight. I promise, everything is gonna be fi-”

“NO! NO! NO! A THOUSAND TIMES NO, ZEPHYR BREEZE!!!” We hear Fluttershy screech at the top of her lungs, scaring the daylights out of us.

“Ugh…it’s too fricken early for this shit.” I grumble.

After getting dressed, I walk down the halls with Twilight and we’re met with more of Fluttershy’s screams, making Twilight curiously worried and me just plain annoyed. We eventually make it to the source of the screaming, which was Zephyr’s room, and I knock on the door.

“Come in!” Fluttershy called out, still sounding agitated.

“Oh this should be interesting.” I grumble as I open the door.

I open the door and am met with an extremely agitated looking Fluttershy, a nervous yet also a little angered Zephyr, and their parents off to the side looking nervous and unsure how to respond.

“So…mind telling me why you two are going at it this early in the morning?” I question while crossing my arms.

“Lock! Thank goodness you’re here!” Zephyr said.

“Don’t you dare, Zephyr!” Fluttershy snapped as they both approached me.

“I told you, sis, I made my decision!” Zephyr counter.

“We just got you back and you wanna do something so stupid?!”

“It’s not stupid! It’s completely justified!”

“How is risking your life justified?!”

I couldn’t take the shouting and the constant ringing in my ear so I reach out and grab both their mouths.

“Now I’m gonna let go of your lips, and when I do, you both will tell me what it is you need to tell me, understood?” I demand in a calm tone. They both nod and I slowly release my grip.

“I/HE WANT/S TO BE YOUR APPRENTICE!” They both shout in my face.

Twilight gasped and I stood there completely blown away. Surely I must’ve misheard, right? I mean there’s no way I heard what I thought I did.

“What…?” I muttered, looking at Zephyr. “You want to join my crew?” I ask, hoping I just misunderstood.

“What’s all the yelling about?”

We all turn to see Flash walk in wearing pajama bottoms and a tank top, showing off the tribal brands on his arms.

“That!” Zephyr said, pointing at Flash. “I want what he has!”

I looked back at Zephyr and back at Flash who arched a brow at me. I wish Zephyr was just misunderstanding something but I unfortunately knew what he meant.

Well now. I hear Lucifer in my head. I know one must expect the unexpected, but this was quite unforeseen.

“Uh Lock, what’s he talking about?” Flash wonders.

I didn’t answer since I too was still trying to process what Zephyr asked of me. Flash is one thing, but now Zephyr? Did I influence him somehow? No, I only gave him words of encouragement to help him feel better. But why ask something like this?

“Zephyr.” I said. “Please tell me this is just some joke, that you were just trying to make us all laugh or something.”

“I’m not.” Zephyr said sternly. “I don’t wanna sit around any more, I wanna help, I wanna be like you and Flash.”

It was then Flash understood what Zephyr meant which made him go wide eyed. He then scowled at Zephyr and marched over to him and grabbed his shirt and pulled him close.

“Flash!” Twilight said but I raised my hand to stop her.

“Zephyr Breeze, was it?” Flash said and Zephyr nods. “Why in Tartarus would you ask something so foolish and downright stupid?”

“It’s not stupid!” Zephyr snaps, pulling away from Flash’s grip. “You both risk your life and are making a difference, so why can’t I?”

“You see these?” Flash asks while holding up his arm to present his brands. “You know what these signify, don’t you?”

“They’re just tattoos, so what?” Zephyr said.

“They are not tattoos!” Flash barks. “They’re brands! You know, the kind that’s burned into your flesh?! The kind that hurts like a motherbucker and will stay there for the rest of your life?!”

“Brands?” Zephyr said, now shocked. “But why did you get branded?”

“I got these brands after I ate the Devil’s fruit and got my power.” Flash explained. “It was quite possibly the most painful experience I’ve ever had, and they’re a reminder of what I sacrificed in order to bring peace back to this world.”

“What could have possibly sacrificed? You’re a soldier, aren’t ya? You always risk your life for Equestria.” Zephyr said.

“I gave up my soul to the Devil.” Flash answered. “So did Lock, we’re both branded and damned to end up in the Inferno on the day we die. Which is why we fight and sacrifice our souls for the sake of others.”

“But…you’re a soldier with honors and respect and stuff.” Zephyr said. “Why sacrifice your soul?”

“Because I felt it was the only way to prove to be a worthy successor to Shining Armor.” Flash answered. “Ponies doubted me ever since Princess Cadence appointed me as the new Captain and I started to lose my confidence. I wanted to prove them wrong and show everypony that I could be just as great a stallion as Shining Armor was, even if that meant damning my very soul. I ate the Devil’s fruit, despite knowing the price and risk, and I’m now honoring the late Captain’s memory by fighting for my home. So why would you of all ponies want to risk your soul to fight when you don’t even look like you can make a fist?”

“I can so make a fist!” Zephyr countered.

“Yeah? But can you throw a punch?” Flash challenged.

Zephyr growled and actually raised his fist to try to punch Flash but it just looked like he was flailing his arm. Flash barely tilted his head to dodge the punch and stuck his hoof out to trip Zephyr, causing him to fall to the ground

“If you can’t even throw a punch properly, what makes you so sure you’d last in an actual fight? Let alone risk your soul?” Flash mocks.

“You don’t know how I feel.” Zephyr said as he sat on the floor. “None of you know how I feel!”

“Then tell us.” I finally spoke up. “What are you feeling?”

“I feel useless!” Zephyr cried. “I feel like my whole life was one big waste and I never amounted to anything! I wasted my days flying around doing whatever I thought would be easy to make a living but I always ended up either quitting or making excuses to quit! I always mooched off my own parents and disappointed my sis and I always laughed it off and made excuses for my shenanigans! My folks always had my back, no matter how much I took advantage of them, and I stupidly kept flying back home a failure but kept joking about it! Now the world’s gone to shit, I’ve been foalnapped, raped, abused, and I still feel like a failure! Well I don’t want to be a failure anymore! I don’t want to keep disappointing my family! I wanna help! No, I wanna fight!”

Fluttershy and her family were quite shocked to say the least at Zephyr’s confession, even I was a little surprised he had been keeping all this to himself for so long. I guess the invasion and his capture and torture were the final nails that struck a newfound resolve. However despite his conviction, I still was unconvinced he could handle such a thing as giving up his own soul just to fight alongside Flash and I.

“Zephyr sweetie.” Gentle Breeze said. “We had no idea you felt this way.”

“You’re not a disappointment to us, son.” Posey Shy added. “We love you, and we always will.”

“And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t risk your life, your soul for that matter, just to prove you’re not useless.” Fluttershy said on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry if I was too harsh on you, but I only wanted to motivate you.”

“And yet I never listened.” Zephyr sighed. “Well I don’t wanna be that kind of stallion any more. I wanna be a new stallion who ponies can look to for inspiration and hope, like how they look at Flash and Lock. I wanna be able to be proud of myself for once for doing something great and making you, Ma, and Pop proud of me for once.”

“It’s one thing to prove yourself.” Flash said. “But it’s another to risk your very soul. Just because we have power doesn’t mean we’re not in danger. We’re not looking for any recognition or words of praise wherever we go, we’re just doing what we must on the front lines. And you still want to fight with us despite the constant danger?”

“Yeah I do.” Zephyr said.

“What about risking your life?” Flash adds.

“Doesn’t everypony do that on that ship you fly around on?” Zephyr asks.

“Yes, but what about your soul?” Flash counters.

“Well…” Zephyr pauses as he glanced at Flash’s brands again and I caught him wincing and rubbing his arms.

“Power isn’t for everyone Zephyr.” I said. “You don’t need to sacrifice your soul for something like this.”

“I know, but maybe I’ll feel better about myself if I actually do something for myself.” Zephyr said as he stood back up. “Besides you can train me to fight, can’t you? And if I’m like you guys I can be just as helpful in liberating Equestria.”

“Flawless logic.” I said. “Except if that were the case then you’d see my entire crew lining up to ask for powers from me. But they don’t because they believe in their own strength and would rather not risk ending up in Hell. Which is why you should really reconsider your decision.”

“Well too bad, cause I won’t.” Zephyr snapped. “Sacrificing my soul, risking my life, getting those painful looking brands burned on my arms? You both tell me all of this to try and scare me out of it, and I’ll admit I’m terrified out of my mind.” He said as he began to tremble. “But that won’t make me change my mind, I’ll show you all just how wrong you are about me.”

I looked back at Flash who just shrugged since he couldn’t think of anything to say and Twilight was silent the whole time. Fluttershy steps up to Zephyr and holds her hands with his and frowns.

“Zephyr, are you sure there’s nothing I or Mom or Dad can say to change your mind?” Fluttershy pleads.

“I’m sorry sis, but there isn’t.” Flash said then turned to me. “So what do you say Lock, will you let me fight alongside you?” Instead of answering, I just turned away and walked towards the door.

“I need to think about this.” I sighed and Twilight was about to follow me but I glanced over my shoulder, stopping her approach. “Alone.” I added and left the room.

I returned to my ship and entered the Captain’s quarters after sending my crew off for their daily 5k run. It was a large office looking room with a few doors here and there. In the middle of the room was a large mahogany wood desk with gold engravings etched on the sides and a red cushioned chair. On the desk were a variety of documents, a sextant, binoculars, and a few pens. On each side were four drawers used to store different items and to file more documents but in the bottom drawer on the right was a hidden compartment to hide anything valuable. The room had a fancy look to it with portraits of sceneries hanging on the walls and windows in the back to see the outside. There were a pair of metal doors that led to the balcony of the outside to which I sometimes liked to stand out there and clear my thoughts. To the right of the room was a bed where I would rest whenever I wanted to spend the night on The Prometheus. Next to the bed, on the wall, was a door to a closet that had some of my clothes in it. At the foot of the bed was a large chest I had not been able to open yet since it held whatever Lucifer mentioned he had left for me back in Everfree. To the left of the room was just a sitting area with a couple of chairs, a couch, and a wooden coffee table in the middle all standing on a fancy rug. Off to the side was another door that led to the bathroom which had a shower and toilet in case I needed to clean up.

I glanced over to the chest and walked over to it and knelt down in front of it. I can only imagine what Lucifer left for me, a new weapon, a chest filled with Devil fruits, maybe it’s a prison of some demon Lucifer dragged from Hell to assist me. I sighed as I reached up and unlatched the chest and opened the lid. To my surprise it was nothing I was expecting, but armor that consisted of a hooded slightly tattered coat that reached to my ankles, leather straps that seem to serve as bindings for my arms and legs, belts that had four holsters, two that went across my chest and two that went on both sides of my hips, a single steel bracer that would attach on my right arm, steel knee guards, and a pair of steel toed boots to finish the armor off. On top of the whole outfit was what looked like some kind of faceless knights mask with no eyeholes or visor which made me arch a brow. I picked up the mask and curiously strapped the mask on which fit on my face like a glove. The mask seemed to work like some kind of two way mirror since I could still see all around me, like I wasn’t wearing the mask at all despite still feeling it on my face. I took the mask off and placed it to the side and grabbed the coat and lifted it up in front of me.

“Not bad.” I said aloud. “A little rough around the edges, but not bad at all.”

I then laid the coat and the rest of the armor on the bed I saw in the corner of my eye another box. It was a long box that looked like it held a sword of some kind. Which seemed like an odd addition to my arsenal since I already had Surtr and Ymir. I picked up the box and opened it to find a short staff with long sharp looking blades on each side. The handle looked to be wrapped in some kind of red bindings and felt like it weighed just as much as my swords. I examined the weapon curiously until I noticed a small leaver in the grip. As soon as I pressed on the lever, the staff immediately extended out as long as my body which startled me a bit. I then examined the weapon more thoroughly and gave it a few test swings and twirls in my hands. The blades on each end of the staff sounded like they were cutting the air itself and it felt light to the touch.

“Hmm, a curious weapon of choice, but still a nice looking weapon.” I said. “Feels like it can carve up a large number of Caribou.” I added.

I glanced back at the box it came from and saw it had some kind of leather strap which looked like it was supposed to fit on my back. I set the staff aside, along with my other weapons, and began to put on my new armor. The gear felt smooth on my skin and the leather straps and belts felt durable and well made. Once I fastened the last belt around my waist and attached the steel bracer over my right forearm, I reattached my swords and placed my six-shooter in its new holster. I then got an idea for the three other empty holsters across my chest to the other side of my hip and walked over to my desk. I opened one of the drawers and pulled out three new six-shooters I swiped from Appleloosa and placed each of them in the three holsters. I walked back to the bed and put on my new staff’s strap over my back and put on my mask. I picked up my staff and walked to the door of my closet and opened it to see myself in the mirror on the other side of the door.

To add to the affect of my new look, I unfurled my wings and spread them out wide as I backed up to get a full view. I couldn’t help but smirk behind my mask since I honestly looked pretty badass. I can only imagine what the others will think once they see me, especially my enemies.

“Heh, nice.” I said.

Suddenly, the room became dark and the lights in the room dimmed which made me furl my wings and ready my staff in my hands. I looked around and felt a presence but it felt like it was all around me. I paced around my room, trying to find the source of the presence but couldn’t pinpoint it which agitated me a little towards the unknown intruder.

“Show yourself.” I call out. “Not many can sneak in here without me knowing, so come out right now.”

“Who said I snuck in here just now?” A voice answered that sounded all around me. “I’ve actually been waiting for you to arrive all morning.”

“Who’s there?!” I demand.

“So impatient.” The voice sighed. “Honestly, I wonder why Satanael chose you if you’re this quick to anger.”

“I won’t ask again.” I hiss as embers flicker off my body.

“Very well, if you insist.” The voice said.

Wisps of shadow soon appeared all around me and then in front of me in mid air. I kept my glare behind my mask and my staff at the ready as the wisps twirled around each other and began to form into a body. Soon the wisps retreated and in their place was another human looking creature with short brown hair, wearing a brown coat, blue-grey pants and black boots. But what really caught my eye were his own eyes, they had no pupils and seemed to be completely blackened like there was only the endless void behind them.

“Who the hell are you?” I demand, gripping my staff.

“A bit rude don’t you think, Dimitri?” The stranger said, crossing his arms.

“You come onto my ship, sneak into my quarters, and you call me rude?” I accuse. “Not to mention you somehow know my name yet I don’t know yours, so excuse me if I come off as rude.”

“Hmm, well I suppose you have a point.” The stranger agrees. “If you wish to call me something, I am The Outsider.”

“Outsider?” I repeat.

“Indeed, now would you be so kind as to lower your weapon? Satanael allowed me to speak with you and I am a busy fellow.” Outsider said.

“How do I know you’re not a threat?” I wonder.

“You’re still standing, aren’t you?” Outsider pointed out. I was a little annoyed by his response but I strangely didn’t feel threatened by him, despite his shadowy entrance.

“Hmph, fine.” I scoffed as I relaxed my stance and lowered my staff. “Now tell me why you’re here.” I said as I shortened my staff and sheathed it on my back and took off my hood and mask.

“So demanding, if you must know, I am here because I have recently taken an interest in you.” Outsider said.

“Sorry buddy, but I don’t swing that way.” I said.

“Amusing.” Outsider huffed sarcastically. “No Dimitri, the reason why I have taken an interest in you is because your future has recently been getting more and more clouded from me. It is something I have only experienced with a couple of other individuals whose future have also eluded me.”

“So what, you can see into someone’s future without them knowing? Isn’t that kind of, I don’t know, a violation of their privacy?” I said, crossing my arms.

“Since when is one’s future supposed to be private?” Outsider asks. “I was able to see your future just fine, that is until you struck up a deal with Satanael and it started to fade from my sight. At first I thought it was unlikely that there would be yet another individual who’s future I could not fully see, yet here you are standing before me and I still cannot entirely foresee what is to become of you.”

“Why should you even care about what happens to me?” I snap. “My future is my own and whatever happens to me or comes my way, I’ll deal with it.”

“Hmm, you remind me of someone who has the same mindset as you.” Outsider said. “Perhaps great things are in store for you, or perhaps not. You may not agree with me observing you but honestly, I don’t really care. All I wished to do this day is to meet The Devil’s new Hand in person. And I must say, I am somewhat impressed.”

“Glad I didn’t disappoint, now kindly fuck off.” I said.

“Very well.” Outsider said. “But know this, Dimitri, I’m always watching.” He said and disappeared.

“Dick…” I grumbled.

“I agree.” I heard Lucifer said as he appeared beside me. “That Outsider is a meddlesome pest.”

“Who or what even is he?” I ask.

“Believe it or not, he was once a human being who lived in an unnamed city over 4,000 years ago on Earth. Due to being unwillingly subjected to a ritual by an occult group known as the Envisioned, he was sacrificed to become the soul divine resident of an alternate dimension called The Void. The Envisioned vowed to keep him in the Void for eternity as to fill the eternal emptiness of the Void with a god who would contact selected few and grant them purpose.” Lucifer explains.

“Huh, didn’t seem like he had that much of a history.” I said. “But why contact me? I already know my purpose, and that’s to free Equestria and the rest of the world.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps that is not your only purpose. Which is why Outsider chose to contact you.” Lucifer guesses.

“How does that make sense?” I deadpan. “You’re the one who brought me here to help this world and settle a score by collecting Dainn’s soul. What else could I possibly be here for?”

“The Outsider always had a knack for being annoyingly vague, even in front of me.” Lucifer sighed. “If you wish for my personal opinion, I say you just ignore him and pretend you never met him. You already have enough on your plate as it is and The Outsider is just a meaningless distraction from your current mission.”

“Whatever, just as long as he doesn’t show up again that’s enough for me.” I said. “I still need to stop by Canterlot anyway.”

“Will you take young Zephyr as your new apprentice?” Lucifer wonders.

“…I don’t know.” I said as I turned to exit my quarters. “He’s got his mind clouded by self judgement but his heart seems to be in the right place. He just doesn’t seem like the type of kid to handle the face of war.” Lucifer was silent as I approached the door and waited for his response but still said nothing. “Isn’t this the part where you tell me to go through with it?”

“On the contrary, I believe you should make this decision on your own.” Lucifer said.

“Do you now?” I said looking over my shoulder. “Not gonna try to convince me to give him a fruit or maybe find someone else to eat one just to spite him?”

“This is your quest, Dimitri, what you choose to do should be your decision alone. True I would bestow some insight but I believe you to make the proper decision.” Lucifer said. “Just because you are my Hand, doesn’t mean I must constantly include myself in your personal business.”

“If you say so.” I shrug. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” I said and left my quarters.

I made it to the deck of the ship and jumped in the air and took flight towards the royal capital as I pulled over my hood and put my mask back on. As I flew I thought about what Zephyr told me and why he wanted to be a DF user, what Outsider told me about my clouded future, and the fact that Lucifer was actually letting me make a decision on my own for a change.

“Ugh, I need a stiff drink as soon as I get back.” I grumble as I continue to fly.

About an hour later I finally made it to Canterlot and touchdown just put the barrier still surrounding the city. The tribal markings along the ground are still etched in the earth and I noticed some ash blowing along the dirt. This can only mean that someone probably forgot about my barrier and was met with a very burning end.

I ignore the ash covered ground and make my way to the main gate of Canterlot. As I pass by the gate and make my way to the castle, the residents all stare at me, some in slight fear or shock. I again ignore their stares since most of them are just a bunch of entitled nobles who probably got nothing better to do than judge anyone or anything out of the ordinary around here. However there were a select few of nobles who actually gave me curt nods and small waves to which I returned, guess not everyone’s an entitled prick. I arrive at the entrance of the castle and I see a familiar arrogant sergeant standing beside a fellow guard. Onyx Shine scowls at me and readies his weapon along with the other guard.

“State your business, creature.” Onyx orders.

“Tch, you know you’d think after all I’ve done I’d be recognized due to all the wanted posters flying around.” I scoff as I cross my arms.

“Wait, that voice…Lockdrom?” Onyx asks.

“No, it’s Napoleon Dynamite.” I mocked. “Of course it’s me.”

“That’s an…interesting set of armor you have on.” Onyx comments.

“Eh, what can I say, it gives me a mysterious look, don’t you think?” I ask.

“I suppose, what are you doing here anyway?” He wonders.

“I’m here to see the Princesses, they wanted to speak with me about something so here I am.” I said.

“Why would they want to meet you? They probably have more important matters to attend to.” Onyx said.

“Oh for fucks Onyx.” I snap. “I have done more for this country than you have by just standing around guarding the gate of a castle. You think just because you’re a faithful guard of Canterlot you can walk all over everyone else as you please?”

“You will show me respect, human.” Onyx growls. “I can have you arrested for harassing a guard.”

“Oh I fuckn’ dare you to try and bring me in, cause let me tell you something buddy.” I said as I reached for my six-shooter on my hip. “You won’t be so lucky.”

“What is going on here?”

I stop my reach for my gun and look past Onyx to see Celestia walk up behind Onyx. Onyx turns around and gasps as he immediately salutes along with the other guard.

“Princess Celestia! Good day!” Onyx said.

“You as well sergeant, who is this?” Celestia said.

“Really? You don’t recognize the wings?” I chuckle.

“Wait a moment, Sir Dimitri?” Celesta said.

“That’s me.” I said as I pulled off my hood and took off my mask. “Like my new armor?”

“Oh, why yes of course.” Celestia said. “It gives you a bit of a mysterious look.”

“Heh, that’s exactly what I was going for.” I said, earning a small giggle from her.

“Show some respect, human!” Onyx barked. “You must address Princess Celestia properly!”

“That will do, Sergeant Onyx Shine.” Celestia said sternly. “Sir Dimitri is my guest.”

“Your guest?” Onyx repeated.

“Told you.” I smirked.

“Now if you will excuse us, we have important matters to discuss.” Celestia said as she turned to walk back inside.

I followed her and gave Onyx a shit eating grin. “Next time maybe think before you speak.” I said.

I tucked my mask in my coat and walked up beside Celestia who smiled at me. “I am pleased you were able to come today.” She said.

“Well I figured I shouldn’t turn you down since you’re trying to earn back my trust. Besides it’s already been a bit of a stressful morning.” I said.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Celestia said. “Would you like to share what troubles you?”

“Maybe, where’s Luna?” I ask.

“She is awaiting us in the throne room.” Celestia said. “I believe she has something to show you.”

“What is it?” I wonder.

“Oh you’ll see.” Celestia giggles.

We continue our walk and the staff all stare at me, the guards in awe of my attire and some maids I catch blushing or staring at me with that dreamy look. I smirk and shake my head since it’s a little amusing at how much attention I’m getting now compared to last time. We then arrive at the double doors leading to the throne room and Celestia opens it with her magic. Once inside I see a small table with a few chairs around it and Luna sitting in one of them. She doesn’t seem to notice us walk in since she’s fiddling with her hair which seems to be styled differently. She’s tied in in a long braid that reaches down to her lower back and is held together by a hair band that has a little crescent moon pin on it. I arched a brow at her new look and glance at Celestia who’s just giggling with a hand over her mouth. I shrug and clear my throat in my fist to get her attention which ended up startling her.

“Eep!” Luna squeaked as her wings shot out. She turned to face us and went wide eyed when she saw me and stood up from her chair. “S-Sir Dimitri! Good day to you!” She stuttered.

“Uh yeah, good morning to you too.” I said. “What’s with the table and chairs?”

“We were hoping you would join us for some morning tea.” Celestia said.

“Tea? That’s it?” I ask.

“Are you unhappy with our invitation?” Luna asks, sounding worried. “Oh sister, I knew he wouldn’t like this! I tried to tell you that Sir Dimitri is a busy stallion and has no time for such pointlessness!”

“Whoa whoa, slow down.” I said, raising my hands. “I never said I wouldn’t like this, it’s just a bit unexpected is all.”

“I must apologize, Sir Dimitri.” Celestia said. “It is just that Luna and I still feel guilty for your mistrust in us and we wanted to think of a way to make it up to you besides the new laws we passed.”

“We wish to simply spend time with you and get to know you so that you may trust us again.” Luna added.

“Well…” I said scratching the back of my head. “Look, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, I actually decided to give you two another chance before I came here.”

“Really?” Luna said, sounding happy.

“Why not? You both kept your promise by realizing the fault of your endeavors from Heat season and you learned from it. I’d say that’s good enough for me to trust you again.” I said.

Luna smiles widely and actually skips towards me and wraps her arms around my torso and hugs me close. “Oh thank you so very much, Sir Dimitri! We promise to never break your trust in us again!” Luna squeals as she nuzzles into my chest.

I was a little surprised at the sudden gesture as the alicorn of the moon was actually hugging and nuzzling me and I just stood there unable to react properly. I glance over at Celestia and she’s just smiling at her sister which made me crack a small grin myself.

“Not that I don’t welcome a hug every so often, but do you mind releasing me now?” I ask. Luna looked up at me and noticed she was still hugging me and her muzzle changes color from a midnight blue to a deep read as she quickly releases me and fidgets away all flustered.

“I-I am so sorry, Sir Dimitri! I did not mean to embrace you like that! I know you are with Twilight Sparkle and I would never come between the two of you!” Luna stammers.

“Luna, chill out.” I chuckled. “It was just a hug, no harm no foul.” Luna takes a breath to calm herself but still looks embarrassed by her actions. I sigh as I step towards her and place a hand on her shoulder. “That’s quite a new look, how you styled your mane, you do that yourself?”

“Um, yes…I thought I’d try something different besides letting it flow on it’s own.” Luna said.

“Well it suits you.” I said with a smile. “In fact, it’s pretty cute, if I’m honest.”

Luna goes wide eyed and blushes again at my compliment and begins to twiddle her thumbs. “You think…I’m cute?”

“Of course, now why don’t we get this little tea party started, shall we?” I said as I looked back at Celestia.

“By all means, Sir Dimitri, take a seat.” Celestia said as she walked over to the table. Luna and I join her and I sit at the table as does Luna. Though as I sit down, Luna scoots her chair a little closer to mine and smiles warmly at me with a still faint blush. “So tell us, Sir Dimitri, where exactly did you acquire such armor as yours?” She asks as she pours herself some tea.

“It is rather dashing on you, Sir Dimitri.” Luna said with a sigh.

“Thanks, it’s actually a gift from Lucifer.” I said, making Celestia pause her pouring.

“The Devil gave this armor to you?” Celestia asks.

“Yep, he may be an unholy being but at least he’s got good taste. Can’t exactly go around liberating Equestria in my street clothes.” I joke as Celestia levitated the teapot to me and I poured myself a cup.

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.” Celestia said. “How have you and my student been fairing lately? You seemed to have made quite an impression with her parents the last time you were here.”

“We’re doing quite well, thank you. I came here after having to get away from some drama back in Ponyville.” I said before I took a sip of my tea.

Mmm, lavender with a hint of honey. I think.

“Drama? What happened?” Luna wondered.

“It’s…sort of complicated.” I admit. “Do you recall how I told you Flash Sentry approached me to gain power similar to mine?”

“Indeed, you explained he wished to properly succeed the late Sir Shining Armor.” Celestia said after she took a sip of her own tea.

“Well now there’s another who wants me to give them power.” I said.

“Truly, Sir Dimitri?” Luna asks, surprised. “Who?”

“Fluttershy’s younger brother, Zephyr Breeze.” I answer.

“Zephyr Breeze, but he is but a colt with no combat experience.” Celestia said. “Why on Eques would he want to do something so dangerous?”

“I wondered that as well, apparently he said he always felt useless towards his family and himself. He said that before the Fall he was a freeloader who leaned on his parents despite his sister constantly trying to steer him on the proper path. Now ever since he came back from being saved in Cloudsdale, he wanted to find a way to be a better stallion than he is now.”

“And he believes partaking of the Devil’s fruit is the answer?” Luna asks and I nod.

“You didn’t give him one already, did you?” Celestia asks.

“To be completely honest, I’m on the fence for this one.” I said. “Zephyr’s heart is in the right place and his goals are just, but I get the feeling that maybe he’s not thinking this through. I tried to explain to him that if he ate a fruit of the Devil he’d be damning his soul and would never be the same again. Yet, despite mine and even Flash’s words of warning, he still insisted on wanting power and joining us in the fight. It is as you said Celestia, he’s young and has no combat experience. If one wrong move is made he’d lose his life before having a chance to throw a proper punch. But on the other hand he does have some potential.”

“What do you mean?” Luna wonders.

“Back at the Castle of Friendship, Zephyr and Flash got into an argument and Zephyr tried to punch Flash. Though his form was sloppy as hell, he did have some force behind his strike. I believe he’s somewhat of a combat prodigy and he doesn’t even know it. With the proper training and guidance, I think he’d make a valuable asset to the resistance.” I said.

“Does that mean you plan to bestow him a fruit after all?” Celestia questions.

“Flash and I, along with my crew, have been doing pretty well so far regarding the process of liberating Equestria. More ponies join my crew almost every day and I make sure to give them proper training every time so they can protect themselves when in the face of danger. I kinda expected someone else to approach me to ask to give them power but I didn’t expect it to be Zephyr. If he still wants to eat a Devil fruit by the time I get back, then maybe I will give him one so he can join us.” I said.

“Are you sure that’s wise, Sir Dimitri?” Luna asks. “Would you truly be willing to risk his life?”

“I won’t let him run blindly into danger without being properly prepared, especially during these times of war. Back in my world there have been people who joined up to enlist for reasons either foolish or honorable, sometimes both, yet they still fight on for their home, me especially during my own service in the military. So if Zephyr is still willing to risk his life for the sake of his home, to prove himself and to his family, then I’d be sure to make him into a proper soldier.” I said. Celestia and Luna look at each other after my explanation and back at me.

“He’s still a colt.” Celestia said.

“A colt who wants to be a stallion.” I counter.

“He’d be cursing his soul.” Luna adds.

“He said it’s worth it.” I said.

“And you would train him?” Celestia asks.

“Like a proper mentor would his apprentice.” I said. Both are silent for a moment before Celestia sighs and pinches the bridge of her muzzle.

“You sound as if you have already made your decision.” Celestia said.

“Perhaps I have.” I shrug.

“I do not like the idea of my little ponies bearing the curse of the Devil, but I suppose I cannot stop you from going through with this.” Celestia said.

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t plan on just offering power to all who I see. Flash and Zephyr are just a couple of special cases.” I said.

“Very well Sir Dimitri, we shall leave the matter of Zephyr Breeze to you.” Celestia said. “I just hope that you are aware of your actions and the outcomes that will come of them.”

“You and me both, Celestia, and thank you. I promise to prepare him properly.” I said. “So let us for the time being enjoy our tea.”

“Of course.” Celestia said.

I spent the rest of the day enjoying tea with Celestia and Luna and just having one nice conversation after another until it was time for Celestia to lower the sun and Luna to raise the moon. I’m now flying back to Ponyville as the sun set and the moon rose with a decision in mind that might be either quite foolish or very beneficial. I still could not believe that out of all the ponies to approach me for a Devil fruit, Zephyr was the one out of all of them. I thought of just turning him down but that probably would just cause a rift that I didn’t want on my conscience. An hour later, Ponyville eventually comes into view and I fly over to the castle and land in front of the entrance. I glance over to The Prometheus and hear Alpha Squad still training with the rest of the crew which made me smirk as I walked up to the castle doors. I opened them and walked inside to find Zephyr so I could see if he still wanted to go through with this. I eventually made it to the dining room where I found the main six, Flash, Posey Shy, Gentle Breeze, and Zephyr Breeze all at the table about to have dinner. Zephyr notices me and stands up with Twilight, Fluttershy, and Flash lingering behind Zephyr as he walks up to me. I didn’t see Cadence which meant she was probably already asleep with Flurry Heart, which was for the best since I don’t think she should be here anyway for what’s about to happen.

“Did you think about it yet?” Flash asks.

“I have.” I said.

“Have you made a decision?” Twilight wonders.

“I did.” I said.

“So what do you say?” Zephyr asks. Instead of answering again I just reach into my coat pocket and pull out a fruit with tribal markings all around. It looks like a melon of some kind and is a tannish gold color.

“Zephyr, I’m warning you once again.” I said as I handed Zephyr the fruit. “Are you positive you want this? There’s no going back and you’ll never be the same again.” Zephyr looks down at the fruit in his hands, completely dumbfounded, and looks back up at me with the same shocked expression. “You have to be willing to kill and risk it all for our victory, can you do that?”

“…Yes…I can.” Zephyr said and opened his mouth out wide. Not bothering to wait for any more or protests, Zephyr bit down on the fruit with two massive bites. Zephyr quickly chewed the fruit and kept his eyes closed tight as he chewed. Eventually he swallowed the fruit in his mouth and tensed his body up. A few seconds later, he opens an eye and looks down at his hands. “Well that was…GUH!”

Zephyr buckled over and fell to his knees as he tore off his shirt. He shakily looked at his arms and saw a little steam coming from them as the brands started to burn on his flesh. Zephyr immediately screams in pain as the tribal markings slowly trailed up from his wrists to his shoulders. Fluttershy and his parents rushed to his side and tried to comfort him in his time of pain as the others could only watch the horrific scene unfold. As the brands crawled up his arms, I noticed his mane and tail began to change color as well. It started to become shorter and it changed from its dirty blond color to a pure white, like fresh snow. His eyes also changed as they seemed to glaze over in a white color leaving only his pupils which were shrunk down to pinpricks. After an unbearable minute, the brands finally stopped burning into his flesh and Zephyr fell limp on the floor. He looked like a different pony since his physical appearance had changed so much and one would not be able recognize him at first glance. He also seemed to have grown a few inches like Flash, along with his wingspan and muscles. Zephyr Breeze was now my new apprentice, and it was anyone’s guess what his powers were.

“It is done.” I said, just before the doors flew open and Soarin came running in with a panicked expression. “Soarin? What’s wrong?”

“Captain! We just got word over the comms chatter from our scouts, Salt Lick City was attacked!“ Soarin cried, making everyone gasp in shock.

“What?! Was it the Saint?!” I asked.

“That’s the thing, I don’t think it was! The reports are unlike anything I’ve heard of!” Soarin said.

“Shit, of all times, and Salt Lick of all cities.” I grumble. “Go prep The Prometheus for immediate departure!” I order and Soarin salutes and flies back out of the castle. I turn back to the others as Flash walks up beside me. “Make sure Zephyr is properly looked after and is mentally prepared upon my return. His training will begin as soon as I am done seeing what the hell happened to Salt Lick City.” I said as we both turned to walk out the door.

“Be careful Lock!” Twilight calls out to me as I pull over my hood and put my mask on.

This day just keeps getting better and better. I think sarcastically in my head.

It took a few hours to arrive at Salt Lick City and I sent Flash and Alpha Squad to do recon before we advanced on the city. It was now in the dead of night and I was sitting in the Captain’s quarters of my ship looking at the map of Equestria and waiting for Flash and Alpha Team to return from their recon on Salt Lick City. The scouts reports of a strange creature over the comms had me both curious and worried that there was a new threat looming in the shadows. As if the Saint, whoever he is, running around wasn’t enough, now I gotta deal with this? It’s just one mess after another in this war.

“Captain?” I hear Shadow Star from the door.

“What is it?” I reply.

“We’re back with Flash from our recon.” Shadow Star said.

“I see.” I said.

“With all the mares and brainwashed from Salt Lick City.” She adds making me perc my head up.

I turn and walk towards the door and open it to see my Alpha Squad member standing on the other side. I walked past her and headed to the main fourier. Once we arrive, I see Flash and the rest of Alpha Squad standing with dozens of mares and unconscious stallions all huddling together on the floor and wearing blankets. Each one of them looked like they’d seen a ghost and would flinch at the slightest movement.

“Flash.” I said, approaching my apprentice. “What’s happened to them? What about Salt Lick?”

“It’s…complicated.” Flash said.

“When we got there the whole place looked like something or someone tore eveypony limb from limb! There were bodies everywhere, all except for these ponies.” Wild Ace said.

I arched a brow behind my mask and slowly walked up to the closest mare. She flinched as she looked up at me as I leaned down on my knee to look at her at eye level.

“You alright?” I ask. She nods slightly. “You’re not hurt anywhere are you?” She shakes her head. “Got a name?”

“Honey Drizzle, sir.” The mare said in a nervous tone. She had cream fur and amber gold mane.

“It’s nice to meet you, Honey Drizzle.” I said as I took off my hood and mask. She blushes when she sees my face as I smile. “My name is Dimitri. Would you like a glass of water?” I offer.

She stared at me for a few moments with a blush still on her cheeks as she weakly nods. “Please.”

I glance over to Flash and tip my head and he nods and runs off. He quickly returns and hands me a glass of water and I hand it to Honey. She drinks a few gulps before taking a break as I then sit criss crossed in front of her.

“Feel better?” I ask.

She nodded weakly as she as well as the rest of the mares started to calm down, Flash was even kind enough to fetch more waters for the other mares of the group.

“Must’ve been rough, being abused by those villains.” I said as I placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re safe now, so you don’t have to suffer anymore.”

“W-well we were actually saved before they could abuse us any further.” She admitted, sounding slightly relieved and at the same time shaken up.

“By them?” I ask, pointing to Flash and Alpha Squad.

She nervously shook her head. “No, by…it.” The other mares all looked equally nervous as soon as she said that which pondered my curiosity even more.

“Honey, I know you’re a bit shaken up right now, but for the sake of this investigation I need you to be as descriptive as possible, ok?” I ask. She looks at me but nods anyway. “Start from the beginning.”

“B-But that’s the thing, none of us knows what saved us, or if it was trying to help us.” Honey said and other mares were quick to nod in agreement. “See, it started when me and a group of the mares here were being taken to Salt Lick City. We had just been rounded up from Vanhoover and the Caribou had us in a wagon inside cages. The Caribou were taking a shortcut through a field of long grass, that’s when it happened…”

“You were attacked?” I guessed.

Honey shook her head again. “Not us but the Caribou.” Some of the mares started to quiver as they huddled up together. “There were maybe twenty Caribou at first. We were all sitting in our cages when we heard one of the Caribou scream. The group stopped and looked around. One of the Caribou in the back had suddenly disappeared along with his screams.” Honey started to hug herself as she rocked back and forth a bit. “It was quiet for a few minutes, then we heard something that sounded like a snarl and heard two more Caribou screaming and disappearing.”

I started to think about the different predators of this world that could do something like this but none of them seemed to fit the description.

“And this went on until there were none left?” I ask.

Honey nodded her head. “All we heard were the screams of the Caribou, along with this scream like roar. I barely saw anything besides a long tail quickly dipping back into the grass. I watched as one Caribou tried to crawl to the wagon only for whatever was attacking to drag him back and his screams died.” Most of the mares were covering their ears as Honey went on. “Then I saw something that made a chill run down my spine. A pair of glowing eyes staring right at me from the grass. I was so petrified that I couldn’t look away as it moved close. That’s when I got a real shock.”

Honey looked like she was about to pass out from fear. So acting on instinct I reached up and wrapped her in a one armed hug in an attempt to calm her down.

“Take your time, Honey, just breathe.” I said soothingly.

She took some deep breaths before finally continuing her story. “As I watched the eyes move close I saw something reaching out of the grass. It was three black claws dripping with blood, and hanging from those claws were the keys to our cages.” She took a few more deep breaths before continuing. “It just hid there waiting as the keys dangled from its claws. I wasn’t sure why I did, but I was desperate and reached out and grabbed the keys as fast as I could. When I pulled my hand back with the keys, I looked back up and it was gone.”

I again pondered her words about the monster that attacked the group. I then remembered what Flash told me as another question popped in my head.

“What happened to the city?” I ask.

“W-When we were trying to find another place to hide, we met up with the other mares.” She looked back to the group and two earth ponies who seemed more shaken then the rest. “All we got from them and the others from the city was something about some huge monster going around killing the Caribou and traitor stallions.”

I looked to the two earth mares who were hugging each other and seemed to be trembling more than the other ponies. I scooted towards them as they looked at me with nothing but fear in their eyes. It was then I recognized the two mares based on their fur and manes.

“You’re Carrot Top and Tree Hugger, aren’t you?” I ask, surprising them.

Carrot Top had yellow fur and an orange curly mane as she looked at me with mild curiosity. “H-how do you know our names?”

“I have my ways.” I said vaguely. “Can you two tell me what happened in Salt Lick? If it’s too much to share, I understand.”

That seemed to cause her and Tree Hugger, a mare with lime green fur and Light amaranth dreadlocks, to hug one another closer. “It was Tartarus there, we heard roars that sounded like dragons and the screams of Caribou and stallions being ripped apart.” Carrot Top answered while tears started to trail down her muzzle. “Not to mention the loud noises from their weapons and some explosions every so often.”

I placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “Breathe, nice and slow.” I instructed her.

Tree Hugger did her best to also help Carrot calm down by patting her back. “It was crazy man, we were all locked up in our cages in one of the warehouses when the ground started to shake. Then we heard this loud roar that shook the building, along with the sounds of the Caribou screaming about some kind of monster.”

“Did you manage to see what kind of monster attacked the city?” I ask.

Both mares shook their heads. “It attacked in the middle of the night and we didn’t see anything. Whatever it was, it threw the keys through the window and that's how we managed to escape.” Carrot said.

“Hold up, again with the keys being thrown?” I question but they just nod. “Alright, so I’m guessing after you freed yourselves and regrouped with the other mares my apprentice and rescue team arrived?”

All the mares nodded their heads. “And the weirdest part was that none of the brainwashed stallions were killed. They were either unconscious, or trapped under some rubble.” Carrot Top added.

“Hmm.” I pondered.

Suddenly I heard one of the stallions groan as he started to wake up making all the mares gasp and scoot away. I was quick on my feet and marched over to the stallion as I grabbed his shirt collar and hoisted him up. His eyes still had the sickly green glow as he looked up at me in confusion and shock.

“I have questions, you have answers. Do the math, and everyone wins, understand?” I instruct.

The stallion continued to groan and cough as he tried to speak. “…many…of them…so many monsters.” He coughed again clutching his head. “Such big fangs and claws, never heard them coming…”

“Hey.” I said snapping my fingers in his face. “Focus pal, what attacked you? I need more info.”

“I-I don’t know…so fast didn’t see what hit me.” He coughed and wheezed as he was starting to fade out of consciousness.

“Shit…” I sighed as I ignited my hand in Hellfire and grabbed his head. There was no pain as I cleared his mind and the sickly green glow from his eyes faded away and he finally lost consciousness and fell backwards.

“Flash, Wild Ace.” I called out. “Get these mares whatever they need, I need to see the damage for myself.” I said as I cleared the other stallions’ minds.

I looked at the mares as they stared at me healing the stallions and I smiled as I finished the last stallion.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, so get some rest and don’t hesitate to ask for anything from my crew.” I tell them all.

They all nodded and followed Flash and Alpha Squad to the med bay to be treated and taken care of. I walk back up to the deck and look out in the distance to see Salt Lick City and I could already see it was worse for wear. I pulled my hood over my head and put my mask back on as I unfurled my wings and took off towards the city. It only took a few minutes to arrive and I was met with a grim sight. Everywhere I looked there were dead bodies and partially destroyed buildings, as well as lots of blood and gore. I saw half a Caribou’s body with only his legs remaining and it looked like he was literally torn in two and few more bodies that looked like that were completely crushed which left a very bloody mess. There were destroyed airships crashed into the ground, some that even crashed into the buildings along with claw-like marks that ran up the walls of the buildings of the city and along the ground. The strangest part is that there were these huge unfamiliar looking footprints that looked like a three clawed foot which made me arch a brow. The whole city reeked of death and destruction and I couldn’t sense a single soul throughout the whole city.

“Just what the hell happened here?” I wonder as I gazed upon the mutilated bodies of Caribou and stallions. “What sort of creature would be capable of such destruction?”

Unable to deduce what could have caused all this, I reluctantly decided to just pin this investigation for another day since I still had to get back to Zephyr. I turned away and unfurled my wings and looked back at the destruction once more before flying away. I would’ve put up a barrier around the city, but something told me that wouldn’t be necessary after the carnage that just happened this night. I jumped into the air and slowly flew back to my ship with nothing but more questions than answers swirling around in my head. What could’ve caused such mayhem? Could a creature exist to slaughter and destroy a city of that magnitude? It couldn’t have been the Saint since there was nothing here that matched how he operates. So I suppose the only conclusion I can think of is that there’s a new player in this world, whether it be sentient or a mindless killing machine I couldn’t be sure. Just from now on I had to keep my guard up in case something like this happens again.

“Whatever it is, I have a feeling this won’t be the only time it will make its presence known.” I said aloud as I continued to fly back to my ship.

Author's Note

Zephyr Breeze, the new apprentice of The Devil’s Hand. Things just got more interesting, especially since there’s a possible new threat lurking around.

Let me be the first to say that I AM SO INCREDIBLY SORRY! I was just typing my chapter like I usually do and the next thing I know, MY FREAKING FINGER SLIPPED ON THE PUBLISH BUTTON! Regardless, I finally managed to ACTUALLY FINISH the chapter so I hope you all enjoyed. And again, I am sorry for the clickbait and I promise it won’t happen again.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil’s Gamble Part 1

Chapter 20

“And that’s pretty much what I’ve been dealing with up until now.” I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Mmm, I see.” Nightmare said.

Two days, two Hell damn days since Zephyr ate the fruit and more reports of the mystery monster attacking slave transports have come in, yet I have no leads whatsoever as to who or what this monster is, and Zephyr is still unconscious. After Zephyr ate the fruit, Fluttershy had not spoken to me ever since and I think I ended up on Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s shit list again. Not to mention, they also have been avoiding Twilight a little which didn’t help, despite me and even Cadence trying to comfort her. I tried to make amends with the mares by letting them use the radio on my ship to try and communicate with anyone from Cloudsdale or Canterlot but that didn’t really do much, save for Pinkie. She’s been using the radio to keep in contact with her family at their Rock Farm who, turns out, have been hiding in the Rock Farm Mines since the Fall began. Thanks to their knowledge of how to navigate the mines, they were all able to avoid the Caribou who tried to go after them. Hearing that Igneous Rock was not brainwashed, similarly to Bow and Posey, made me more curious as to how he was unaffected by the Caribou’s power. I made a mental note to myself to go to the Rock Farm and grab Pinkie’s family as soon as I’m able.

Rarity had approached me to see if I had found any news about the young drake Spike. Even I had been trying to personally find out what happened to him, yet there had been no reports or signs of Spike which worried me greatly. Especially since the last anyone saw him was when he was on his way to the Crystal Empire before the shit hit the fan. I have a few guesses as to where he might be, like maybe he escaped to the Dragon Lands or, Hell forbid, was being held captive in the Crystal Empire and Lust was doing who knows what to the poor kid.

Now I’m back at the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters to visit Nightmare as I promised I would. When I arrived I didn’t see her for a while which had me worried for some reason until she appeared behind me with a long black rapier sword pointed in the back of my neck. Turns out she didn’t recognize me due my face being covered by my mask and hood. Though once I explained to her that it was me, she relaxed and admired my new armor with great interest. I originally wanted to just check in on her to see how she was doing but it ended up with me going on a full blown rant as to what’s been happening of late. All the while, Nightmare has just been standing beside me and listening as I went on and on about how shitty things have gotten ever since Zephyr.

“To make matters even more of a nuisance, the Saint has been uncharacteristically non active. I don’t know if he’s planning something or deciding what the next city he’ll attack.” I said.

“And your liberation plans for Las Pegasus?” Nightmare asked.

“I have a plan, but it’s quite risky.” I said, leaning more into the wall. “One wrong move, and the wrong blood will be spilled.”

“Do you know what young Zephyr’s power is?” Nightmare wonders.

“No, I would wake him up but Fluttershy insisted that he wake up on his own and I’d rather not pour any more salt on the wound than there already is.” I said.

“It seems you have a lot of burdens to shoulder, Dimitri.” Nightmare said.

“You don’t know the half of it.” I sighed again. “This is what I get for being the leader of an entire revolution. Oh, and did I mention that they upped my bounty again?”

“How much is it now?” Nightmare wonders.

“Last I checked.” I said as I reached into my coat and pulled out my wanted poster and handed it to Nightmare. “It’s now 50,000,000 bits.”

“My my, Dimitri.” Nightmare said as she grinned at my wanted poster. “You’re halfway to 100,000,000 bits, did you know that the largest recorded bounty in Equestria was 300,000,000 bits?”

“Holy shit, 300,000,000? That’s a lot of money.” I said, genially surprised. “I’ll have to try harder to beat that record.”

“I’m sure you will.” Nightmare giggled. “You seem to have a knack for attracting trouble.

Huh, that’s a cute giggle she’s got. I think but quickly shake my head a little. Hold up, where’d that come from? I’m with Twilight, I shouldn’t be thinking of Nightmare that way.

“Anyway, you shouldn’t worry yourself too much Dimitri.” Nightmare said. “You cannot expect to handle all of these complications at once. This is war after all, and war cannot be rushed for mistakes will surely be made.”

“I guess you’re right.” I said, running my hand through my hair. “As a former military man, I should be able to handle shit like this. After all, war never changes.”

“Indeed.” Nightmare agreed.

“You know, my offer still stands.” I said, changing the subject. “You’re more than welcome to accompany me back to my ship. There’s plenty of room there and I’m on the damn thing most of the time anyway so you wouldn’t be lonely.”

“Did you tell anypony about me still living?”

“Well I did tell Twilight.” I admit. “It was a bit of a rough start but I convinced her you weren’t a threat.”

“And the others? Such as the rest of the Element bearers and the Princesses?” Nightmare questioned.

“Not yet, but it’s on my to do list.” I said.

“What if they do not accept me?”

“I’m sure they will, besides you abandoned your original goal anyway so it shouldn’t be an issue to convince them you’re no longer dangerous.” I said.

“Perhaps, or perhaps not.” Nightmare said sadly. “Old wounds tend to run deep, and my crimes have seeped their way into the hearts and minds of the ponies of this world. You may say all the comforting words you desire but somepony like me, who has attempted the same crime not once but twice, I doubt they would allow me a second chance.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance, Nightmare.”

“Even me?” Nightmare questions as she gazes into my eyes. The way her cat-like eyes seemed to twinkle in the moonlight made my heart skip a beat but I chose to ignore that.

“Especially you, I mean look at me.” I said. “There’s a large scar on my back that looks like it should’ve cut me in two but I survived, barely. I got it during my last tour in the military before being discharged.”

“How did you acquire such a wound?” Nightmare wondered.

“To make a long, dreadful, and painful story short, I fought a losing battle to save a dear friend but I ended up being the cause of his demise. And this scar is a constant reminder of my failure to keep my promise not only to myself but to him as well.” I solemnly explain.

“Who was this friend of yours?”

“His name was Joshua Clay, and he was the third closest thing to a brother I’ve ever known, next to my other two siblings from my family.” I said somberly. “The point is, many people blamed me for his death and I even blamed myself for quite some time. But I didn’t stop putting one foot in front of the other because that’s not what Joshua would’ve wanted for me. The same applies to you, Nightmare, you realized your mistake and you wish to make amends. However staying here all by yourself isn’t gonna make things any better, you need to confront your self-doubt so you can find a sense of closure for yourself.”

“You make it sound so simple.” Nightmare said with tears starting to form in her eyes. “I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had actually succeeded. After what you told me, how the ponies appreciate my night sky just as they do the day, I realized that I would have made things far worse for the world. I even slipped into the dream realm to see what the ponies were dreaming of and I saw mostly nightmares. However I did see some dreams where they were actually dreaming of the stars and the moon. They all seemed so happy, and I even looked into their minds to see that what you said was true. If I had succeeded in plunging the world in eternal night, all the appreciation for my night sky would have crumbled away. So who out there would see me any differently after what I had done?”

Poor girl, she’s beating herself up for what happened like…I used to.

“You’re wrong about one thing, Nightmare.” I said. “There is someone who’d look past your mistakes.”

“And who is that?”

I then did something I did not expect to do, I stood up from leaning on the wall and stepped towards Nightmare. I raised my arms and gently wrapped her in a hug, making her flinch on contact but I kept my embrace.

“I would.” I said. “You’d have my support, always.”

“You’re just saying that.” Nightmare said as her arms slowly wrapped around my torso.

“I’m not, I’m the Devil’s Hand so it’s not in my nature to lie.” I said.

“I almost killed your beloved and her friends and I almost killed my own sister.” Nightmare said.

“They’ll forgive you.” I said as I unfurl my wings and wrap them around Nightmare. “Just as I have.”

“You would forgive a former usurper like me?” Nightmare whimpered in my shoulder.

“Yes, I would.” I said. “You need to have more faith in yourself. And the fact that you care enough to want to make amends says a lot.”

“And why is that?”

“Because unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.” Nightmare pulls away and looks up at me with tears streaming down her muzzle. “It’s not.”

I give her a comforting smile and reach up to pat her head and scratch behind her ears. She smiles and leans into my hand as she goes back to nuzzling my chest.

“Thank you Dimitri, I really appreciate your kindness.” Nightmare said.

“So does that mean you’ll come back with me?” I ask.

“Maybe, I still need to think about it.” Nightmare said as she pulled away from my arms and wings. “But I promise to give you my response the next time you come visit me.”

“Very well, I need to return to Ponyville now anyway. The liberation of Las Pegasus shall soon commence.” I said as I turned away and spread my wings out for take off.

“Farewell Dimitri, and may the stars guide you.” Nightmare said as I gave her a two finger salute over my shoulder before taking to the skies. As I fly through the air, I think back to how I hugged Nightmare which made me place a hand over my heart. Why did I do that? I know I only wanted to comfort her in her time of distress, but why would I go so far as to hug her? And more importantly…

“Damn heart, you’re not supposed to be beating this way.” I grumble to myself. “There’s nothing between us, nor should there be.”

I touchdown in front of the castle with my hand still on my chest. My heart has annoyingly been beating as fast as it was after I left Nightmare and it’s starting to get on my nerves. I walk up to the doors and raise my hand to open them, only for them to open on their own and I almost run face first into Cadence.

“Oh! Apologies Dimitri, you seem to have come out of nowhere.” She said.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” I said plainly as I walked past her.

“Are you ok?” She asked as she turned around to catch up to me.

“I’m fine.” I said.

“Are you sure? Your face seems to be a tad flushed.“ She said as she looked up at me.

Are you shitting me?! I think as I pull my hood over my head. Why the fuck am I fucking blushing?!

“Hell damn it…” I whisper.

“Dimitri.” Cadence said as she grabbed my hand, stopping our walk. “What’s wrong?” I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.

“It’s complicated.” I said.

“Does it have something to do with your heart?” Cadence asked.

"How could you tell?" I wonder.

"I am the Princess of Love, I can always tell when somepony's heart is conflicted or in need of mending." Cadence explains.

“I see, well I don’t know.” I said. "It's probably nothing to worry about."

“Come with me.” Cadence said as she pulled me along. “I think I can help with whatever you are feeling.”

“What about Flurry Heart?”

“I already put her to bed, but thank you for asking.” She said. I shrugged as I pulled my hood off and she leads me to the library. There’s a sofa and a few chairs around it and she takes the chair off to the side. “Now then, take a seat and tell me what it is that afflicts your heart.” Cadence said.

“Is this really necessary?” I sigh. “I’ve got more important things to worry about than taking therapy.”

“I’m afraid I must insist, Dimitri. Now please take a seat.”

“Fine...”

I unclipped my swords and staff and laid them on the side of the sofa and unholstered my six-shooters and placed them on the table. I then reached around and took off my coat and draped it over one of the other chairs and placed my mask next to my six-shooters. I unraveled the leather bindings on my wrists and pulled off my gloves and bracer and placed them on the chair where my coat was. Once everything was settled, I leaned back and sat on the sofa with my arms crossed.

“Thank you, now please tell me what it is you’re feeling.” Cadence said.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said dismissively.

“Really? Then why are you still blushing?” She accuses me. I instinctively reached up to touch my face which made her smirk seeing that I played right into her trap. “It seems I was correct.”

“About what exactly?” I scoff, looking away.

“You’re in love.”

“Well you’d be right about that, seeing as Twilight is the one I’m in love with.”

“I mean with somepony else.”

“Bullshit!” I snap, turning my head back to her. “There ain’t no way I’m in love with anyone else besides Twilight!”

“Why are you so upset, Dimitri?”

“Cause I don’t wanna feel like a scumbag cheater.” I counter. “I love Twilight dearly and there’s no way I’d do something so bastardly like fall for someone else behind her back.”

“I’m not sure if this would help, but it wouldn’t technically be a bad thing if you are.”

“What are you implying?”

“Do you not know?”

“Wouldn’t be asking if I did, whatever it is.” I said, crossing my arms.

“Fair enough. Well you see Dimitri, the birth rates on Eques, in a sense, are a little unbalanced.” Cadence explains. “There are three to five fillies for every colt that is born.”

“So in other words, there’s more mares than there are stallions in this world?” I ask, both interested and surprised and she nods. “Well I feel a bit awkward, seeing as how I’m probably worsening the gender ratio.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much Dimitri. Before the Fall, Equestria has been fairing just fine despite the gender ratio difference.” Cadence reassures me.

“So what does this have to do with how I’m feeling at the moment?”

“You see, Dimitri, there are some ponies who partake of a practice called herding. It means that a stallion may choose to be in a relationship with more than one mare or the mare takes more than one stallion in vice versa. It is so that healthy relationships can flourish with those who share the same feelings with one another without anypony else’s feelings getting hurt.” Cadence explains.

“I see, and I’m involved in this how?”

“If, and only if.” Cadence corrects while holding up a finger. “You have feelings for somepony else, you may choose to include her in your relationship with Twilight and form a herd.”

To say I was shocked would be a bit of an understatement. Stallions can have more than one marefriend? And they’re ironically called herds? It’s like something straight out of every man’s fantasy of having more than one romantic relationship and now it’s actually an option. Only I had no intention of involving myself in this so-called practice whatsoever.

“So, who is the other lucky mare who’s-”

“Cadenza.” I said, abruptly interrupting her. “This conversation stays in this room.” I stood up and gathered my belongings.

“But Dimitri-”

“It stays. In. This. Room.” I repeat, giving her a mock glare. “And I will hear nothing more of it.” I said as I walked out of the room with all my belongings back on my person. I make my way through the halls with a scowl plastered on my face. True, it may be common practice to be with more than one mare around here, but that doesn’t mean I gotta partake in it. Twilight is enough for me and whatever this feeling in my heart is, I’ll just bury it deep down so it would never come to light again.

But why does it always seem to resurface whenever she comes to mind? Seems like this world is rubbing off on me in more ways than one.

The Next Day

Not bothering to wait for Twilight to wake up, I krept out of our room and made my way to Zephyr’s room. This is the third day in a row he’s been asleep and that’s already been long enough. The day we plan to make a move on Las Pegasus is approaching and I don’t wanna waste any more time than I already have to wait for Zephyr to come too. I turn the corner and walk down the hall where Zephyr’s room is and I see Rainbow walking from the other side. We both eventually make it to the door and we take a moment to just stand there next to each other.

“Good morning.” I said but got no reply. “Still giving me the cold shoulder, huh?” Still no response. I sighed as I reached for the doorknob but Rainbow grabbed my hand.

“Why…?” She muttered.

“Why what?” I ask.

“Why did you give him one of those damn fruit things instead of just refusing him?”

“It was his decision.”

“You still could’ve said no.” She said as she let go of my hand.

“I know.” I said as I gripped the doorknob.

“Then why didn’t you?”

“Because this is war.” I said as I opened the door. “And war never changes.”

As I pushed the door open, I saw Zephyr still unconscious with his family still around his bed. I took in Zephyr’s new appearance again, how his mane looked like a silvery white shade that reminded me of storm clouds and his physique seemed to increase as well. I looked at his arms that were atop the blanket covering his lower body and gazed at the all too familiar tribal brands that went from his shoulders all the way down to his wrists. Fluttershy glanced up at me but turned away with a sad frown and her parents just smiled sadly at me.

“Good morning everyone, I need to wake Zephyr up.” I said as I approached his bed.

“Oh…could you maybe let him sleep for a little longer?” Posey asked.

“I’m afraid not, I need to begin his training as soon as possible.”

“But he’s still unconscious.” Gentle pleaded.

“I’ll wake him up without hurting him.” I reassured them. Fluttershy stood up and boldly stepped in front of me, trembling a little.

“Please…don’t take my brother.”

“Fluttershy.” I said while gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry about all that has transpired with your brother, but I’ll remind you that he made his choice in partaking of the fruit of the Devil. You also must understand, he may be your brother, but he is also now my apprentice. And like Flash, I need to properly prepare him for the war that has only just begun.”

Just as Fluttershy looked like she was about to protest again, a low groaning was heard from Zephyr making all in the room turn their attention to the sleeping stallion. Zephyr sluggishly opened his eyes and winced as he sat up while rubbing his eyes.

“Ugh…my head hurts.” Zephyr groaned.

“Glad you’re finally awake, Zephyr.” I said with a comforting smile. Guess I don’t need to zap him awake after all.

“Oh man, I had the craziest dream.” Zephyr said. “I dreamt that I was in pain, like my arms were on fire and…wait, why is my mane a different color?” He asked as he glanced up to notice a few strands hanging down. When he reached up to grab them, he noticed the brands on his arm and went wide eyed as he noticed his other arm was also branded. It took a few minutes for him to process the situation, but eventually it looked like it all came back to him which made him sigh and look up to me with conflicting emotions.

“It wasn’t a dream, was it?”

“Nope, you’re like me and Flash now.”

“Does that mean I now have magic like you guys?”

“It’s not magic, but yes you do. And now you need to get dressed and meet me on my ship. Your training begins today and you need to be ready for when we take back Las Pegasus.”

“Oh, right.” Zephyr said as he slowly got out of bed.

As he stood, I noticed his height seemed to increase as well. He looked like he grew a few inches, right about up to my chin. When he stepped forward, he almost fell but Fluttershy was quick to catch him to which he just smiled sheepishly and stood up straight again.

“Sorry, my legs must still be asleep.”

“Not surprising since you’ve been unconscious for three days.”

“Three days?!”

“Yep, now get dressed, we have a lot of work to do.” I said as I turned away and walked out the door.

Zephyr 1st POV

I watched Mr. Lockdrom leave the room, still trying to process that I was asleep for three freakin’ days. As soon as he closed the door, Mom and Dad walked up to me with concerned looks.

“Sweetheart, are you ok?” Mom asked.

“I’m fine, Ma.”

“At least those, er…markings didn’t cover your cutie mark.” Dad said. I glanced to my right shoulder and saw that even though the brands covered most of my arm, they didn’t touch my cutie mark so that was a relief at least.

“Welp, guess I better get ready.” I said as I picked up my shirt.

“Zephyr, you don’t have to do this.” Fluttershy pleaded. “Maybe we can go to Princess Celestia and have her reverse this.”

“Flutter Butter, you know that’s not an option.” I sigh. “I remember what Mr. Lockdrom said before I ate that fruit, that once I eat it there’s no turning back.”

“But that doesn’t mean you still have to fight.” Rainbow said.

“Well Dash, why didn’t you eat one of them fruits?”

“Because I didn’t want to be cursed or have those creepy brands on my arms.” She said. “Being part of Lock’s crew is enough for me, I don’t need some fancy fruit power thing.”

“I agree, you were plenty tough before and still are. I’ve always admired that about you. But me? I could never be what you are, I want to be different for better or for worse.”

“Come on Zeph, you were awesome at plenty of other things.”

“Yeah? Name one.” I said. She was about to answer but the words would come out and she began to dart her eyes from side to side which only made me sigh. “That’s what I thought.”

“But Dimitri seems a bit…forceful.” Fluttershy said. “He should never have given you that fruit, at least that’s what I think.”

“Well I for one am glad he did so if you all don’t mind, I’ve got some much needed training to do.” I said and pulled over my shirt and headed out the door.

“Please be careful Zephyr.” Dad called out.

“I will!” I called back with a wave over my shoulder.

I walked through the halls of the castle and out the doors to see Mr. Lockdrom’s ship off to the side. The damn thing was huge as I stared at it in complete awe but I regained my focus and unfurled my wings to fly up to the deck. Though as I spread my wings out, I noticed that they grew a foot or two wider than before. Must be something due to my transformation which was a pretty cool sight to behold as I flew up to the deck of the ship. Once I made it to the deck, I saw ponies everywhere doing their own thing such as either tasks around the ship or training with other ponies. I glanced to my right to see Mr. Lockdrom talking to a group of ponies and Flash. They must be that Alpha Squad group I’ve heard Dash mention from time to time. Mr. Lockdrom looked over his shoulder to see me which made him whistle loudly, gaining everypony else’s attention.

“Attention all crew members!” Mr. Lockdrom announced. “The daily workout routine will begin shortly so follow Alpha Squad off the ship and towards the lake, understood?”

“YES CAPTAIN LOCK!” They all salute and follow the group Mr. Lockdrom was talking with until eventually it was just him and me on the deck.

“So.” He said as he approached me. “Shall we get started?”

“Yup, ready as I’ll ever be.” I said.

One Week Later

“Come on, Zephyr! Just a few more laps!” Lock called out in front of me.

“gasp wheeze gasp wheeze You said that two hours ago!” I complained.

“And it’ll be another three if you keep bitching, now keep flapping!” Lock shot back.

This week’s been absolute bucking torture! No sooner when I first set foot on The Prometheus did Lock get me to start exercising nonstop! He made me do an assortment of training routines; like lifting absurdly heavy weights, endless wing-ups that made my wings feel like they were gonna fall off, three hour jogs to the point I was on the brink of passing out, and meditation by the lake for some reason which was boring as Tartarus.

Now we’re flying above Ponyville after going back and forth from Canterlot for the past five hours! My whole body feels like it’s about to break apart at any moment and my wings feel like I wouldn’t be able to fly for much longer without plummeting to the ground. Lock’s damn lucky he’s got those behemoth-like wings of his, they look like he can fly for days on end without ever getting tired. What’s more frustrating is that I still don’t know what my new powers are and Lock won’t tell me! He said I need to figure this out on my own but no matter how hard I try, it never comes out whenever I want it too. Flash told me he figured out his powers after searching within his soul and releasing the power within, whatever the hay that means. I just hope I can get these stupid powers to work soon because I’m almost at my wits end! Lock glanced over his shoulder to see me still struggling to keep up with him which made him roll his eyes.

“I guess we can take a breather, follow me back to the lake.” He said as we changed directions.

Thank Celestia!

We glide towards the lake and he touches down all graceful-like while just face plant on the ground. I roll on my back as sweat soaks my fur and clothes with my arms, wings, and legs spread out.

“I…can’t…go on…” I wheeze.

“Did you ever even try to exercise before?” Lock deadpans as he sits beside me.

“No…I just fly wherever I need to. I saw no reason to work out.”

“I can see that.” He mocks.

“Are you sure you can’t just show me how to use these unknown powers of mine?”

“Positive, nothing’s ever as easy as you may want it to be, Zephyr, you need to learn how to do it yourself without having to lean on anyone’s shoulder all the time.”

“I know, but it’s just so frustrating. Flash was able to discover his powers so easily yet I’m still struggling to do a simple exercise with you. I just wish I could do something cool like control the wind or turn into smoke or something.” I said as I waved my hand in the air.

As my hand waved, I noticed some of the clouds moving along with my hand but I just brushed It off as a coincidence. However, when I waved my hand the other direction, the clouds followed my hand once again. Normally I'd just think it was another coincidence but the more I waved my hand, the more the clouds followed my movements which made me curious. I sat up from laying on the ground with my hand still held in the air and began to focus a little on the clouds in the air.

“What are you up to Zephyr?” Lock asks me.

“I’m...not really sure.”

I stood up from sitting as I just kept waving my hand along with the clouds and they followed along with my movements. It felt like I was holding on to the cloud without even touching it, which was weird considering I can do that on my own anyway as Pegasus. I instinctively closed my hand into a fist and the clouds all bunched up together and formed a big cloud, which Lock finally seemed to notice.

“Are you doing that?” He asks as I hear him stand up as well.

“I think so.” I shrugged. “It feels weird.”

“Keep going, I’d like to see what else you can do.” Lock instructs.

“How? I’m just going through the motions.”

“Then go through them more.” He insists. “Experiment, use your imagination. I have a working theory going on here as to what your powers might be so don't stop.”

“If you say so.” I shrugged again.

I focused more on the cloud and soon almost all the nearby clouds were added to the one I had in my invisible grasp. Soon there was a giant cloud hovering in mid air, almost the size of the whole lake, yet I didn't know what to do with it.

“Well, that’s something.” Lock said.

“So I made a huge cloud, is that my power? To control clouds?” I ask in a disappointed tone.

“Not necessarily. you’re probably gonna wanna keep experimenting though.”

“But I don’t know what else to do with this.” I said. “Can’t you please just tell me what I’m supposed to do here?”

“I can’t help you if I don’t fully know what I’m working with here.” He said, making me huff turn my head to him with a bit of a glare.

“And just what the hay is that supposed to mean?!”

“Zephyr, calm down.”

“No! I’m sick of it! What was the point in eating that bucking fruit if I don't know what my bucking powers are?!”

“You can’t force this Zephyr.”

“Not force it?! NOT FORCE IT?! HOW THE BUCK ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THIS?!”

“Uh, Zephyr?”

“NO! I’VE HAD IT WITH YOU! AND I’VE HAD IT WITH THIS BUCKING RIDICULOUS WORK OUT SCHEDULE!”

“Zephyr?”

“ALL I WANTED WAS TO BECOME POWERFUL AND HELP YOU FIGHT THE CARIBO, YET ALL WE’VE BEEN DOING IS WASTING TIME!”

“Zephyr.”

“YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER?! THAT ALL THIS’LL ACTUALLY HELP UNLOCK MY SO-CALLED POWER?!”

“Zephyr!”

“MAYBE THIS WHOLE THING WAS NOTHING BUT A FRAUD! MAYBE-”

“ZEPHYR BREEZE!”

“WHAT?!”

He pointed behind me and I turned to see a very surprising sight. The huge cloud I created had darkened and looked like one of those heavy storm clouds, I even heard some lighting going off from the inside. I turned back to Lock who was tapping his smartphone and turned it to show me my reflection. I was shocked to see that my eyes had changed color from their usual light amethyst to a pure silvery white. Lock smiled as he tucked his smartphone back into his pocket as I looked back to the huge storm cloud.

“Did…I do that?” I asked.

“Yup.” Lock replied.

“But I didn’t even touch it.”

“Yes you did, in a way, guess we now know what your power is. And I gotta say, it’s a powerful one.”

“And that is?”

“You still haven’t figured it out? You can manipulate the weather.” Lock said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“The weather?” I repeat. “But pegasi can already control the weather.”

“True, but you can control it on your own, maybe even be able to summon mighty storms on a whim.”

“Seriously? There has to be at least multiple pegasi to whip up storms like that and stuff.”

“Well now you can do it all on your own. And if I’m right, you can also modify the temperature of the environment, control all forms of precipitation, humidity and moisture at a molecular level, generate lightning, and other electromagnetic atmospheric phenomena, and have control over atmospheric pressure.” Lock explains.

“Uh…” I mumble, unable to retain the flank load of science stuff he just said.

“The point is, we now know what your power is. So here’s where things get serious. Your physical training is progressing slowly but surely, however that’s not necessarily a bad thing regarding the nature of your power. We’ll still be training to increase your physical ability, but we’ll also be focusing on getting a better handle on your powers. You may not know it now, but I have a feeling this ability will be a huge benefactor in the war efforts.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so, but you need to be willing to put in the effort to do so. Which means no more whining, no more half-assing your workouts, and no more making excuses for your attitude. From here on out, you need to be a totally different stallion. Cast aside the old you and be reborn as a proud warrior who always holds his head up high.”

I was silent as I looked at my hands, I knew he was right. I’ve been making excuses all my life, even now when the answer was right in front of me and all I had to do was reach out for it. Well no more, that all changes right here and now.

“I’m ready.” I said as I clenched my fists and looked up to Lock. “No more sitting around.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Lock said with a proud smile. “Now let’s finish our laps.” He said as he unfurled his wings and took to the skies. “The liberation of Las Pegasus shall soon commence.”

“Yes boss!” I said as I followed after him. I’ll make him proud. I thought to myself. I’ll make them all proud.

Three Weeks Later
Dimitri 1st POV

Everything was set, the plan, the distraction, and the infiltration. All that’s left is to fly to the city itself and begin its liberation. Zephyr’s training had completely turned in our favor, his power control turned out to be even more fruitful than expected since he received the pep talk he needed and can now summon small storms at will. Not only that, but ever since we discovered the nature of his power, he’s been acting like a totally different stallion. He no longer makes mistakes, doesn’t give excuses, and has a much more serious attitude than he did before.

Flash was also impressed with how much he had changed and even decided to help Zephyr with his combat training, which, as expected, turned out to be just as fruitful as his power training. As I told Celestia and Luna, he was a prodigy in the making and picked up the basics in over a week. I had even set Zephyr against Flash once and even though Flash won, Zephyr still managed to land a few blows here and there. Even though Zephyr is a much more serious stallion now, he still has his comedic laid back attitude from time to time. He even made everyone on the Prometheus laugh when he one day said he wanted to change his name to Zephyr Storm, to which Rainbow spent the better part of 15 minutes laughing her ass off. I just wished Zephyr luck in trying to convince everyone to call him by his new self-proclaimed name.

It was early in the morning and the sun had just risen about an hour ago. After making sure my armor and weapons were accounted for, I walked over to Rarity’s boutique to pick up my outfit for my infiltration. The boutique looked just as vibrant as ever, even in these dark times, which made me smile a little but still kept the task at hand. I stepped up to the door and opened it causing the bell to ring.

“Coming~!” Rarity called out from the other room. I waited for a few minutes until the fashionista walked in and smiled as soon as she saw me. “Dimitri! Always a pleasure, darling.”

“Likewise, Rarity, is it ready?” Rarity pauses her pace towards me and looks at me with a serious expression.

“So, today is the day?”

“Yes, Las Pegasus will be liberated by the end of this day.” I proclaim.

“I certainly hope so.” Rarity agrees. “And…if possible, could you please try and see if he is there?” I frown a little and sigh knowing who it is she’s referring to.

“I’ll certainly try, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up. It’s a big if, Rarity.” I remind her.

“I understand.” Rarity said sadly as her ears drooped. “I’ll go and get your attire.”

Rarity walked off with her head lowered and I just sighed to myself. There was high doubt that Spike would be in Las Pegasus, of all places, but at this point it was anyone’s guess where he was. I waited for Rarity to return with my outfit until my earpiece rang from The Prometheus.

“This is Captain Lock, what’s up Soarin?” I ask.

“Captain, we just got another report of that monster from our scouts.” He said.

“Another one? How long ago was it?” I ask.

“It just came in.” Soarin said.

“It did?!” I gasp.

“Yeah, reports say it just attacked a small fleet of ships just off the Highland Reservoir.” Soarin said.

“Prep the ship for launch immediately! We just might be able to catch up with it if we leave now!” I order.

“Yes sir!” He said as he hung up.

“Here you are darling.” Rarity said as she brought a clothing bag with hangers sticking out of it. I quickly grabbed the bag and headed for the door. “Goodness Dimitri, whatever is the matter?”

“That monster that’s been showing up everywhere just got reported in again. I need to get going right now so tell Twilight I’m sorry she couldn’t see me off in advance and I’ll make it up to her once I return.” I called back to her.

“O-Oh of course, I wish you luck!” Rarity said.

I didn’t expect to set out this early, not for at least an hour or two later, but this was probably a chance to hopefully catch that damn monster red handed.

“Boss?”

I glanced over to see Zephyr walk up to me but I returned my gaze out forward.

“Something on your mind Zephyr?”

“What’s this monster I’ve been hearing about?”

“Something or someone that’s been going on a bloody rampage for over a month. Every time our scouts go investigate they always come back the same, bloody messes and sometimes survivors but they’re mostly brainwashed and slaves.” I explain.

“Jeez, and it just kills without mercy?” Zephyr questions nervously.

“Besides any slaves being mysteriously spared? I’d say it does. But enough of that, we’re here.”

In the foggy distance I could see the large body of water that is the Highland Reservoir and already I saw multiple smoke trails in the sky. My eyes narrowed as I waved to Soarin to land the ship about a mile from the reservoir. Once we landed I walked to the edge of the ship and glanced over my shoulder to address the crew.

“Stay here and watch the ship, I’ll go myself for this one.” I said as I unfurled my wings.

“You sure sir?” Flash asks.

“I’ll be fine.” I said as I took to the skies. The weather became more foggy as I approached but not too foggy that I couldn’t see where I was going.

A little while later, I eventually touched down in front of the reservoir and I was already met with a grim sight. Multiple wrecked ships that littered the surface of the water and bodies, some torn to complete shreds and reddened the sand and water with their blood and innards, were spread along the shore. I pulled my hood over my head and put my mask on as I drew Ymir and unholstered one of my six-shooters on my chest and walked along the shore, keeping my eyes for any sign of movement. As I paced along the shore, I could still smell the stench of death all around me. This monster seemed to have had a field day tearing all these ships and Caribou apart. If it was still here, I need to be ready to corner it so it wouldn’t get away. Suddenly, I hear the sound of multiple footsteps headed towards me and I turn around to surprisingly see a unicorn stallion, a earth pony mare, and two earth pony fillies run towards me.

As they ran closer they saw me and started to scream, and quickly skid to a stop and ran the other way. “It’s the monster, girls hurry and run back!” The stallion screamed.

“Wait!” I called out as I holstered my six-shooter and held out my hand. “I’m not an enemy! I’ve come to help!” Before they could run any further, I unfurled my wings and gave them a sharp flap. The fog around me instantly blew away and I could get a clear view of the fleeing ponies. “Look at me! I’m not a Caribou, please come back!”

One of the fillies looked back and stopped. Her eyes were wide in awe as she stared at my wings. “Mommy, Daddy, big sis, he’s not a Caribou!”

The filly’s family turned around to see me and go wide eyed and immediately stopped in their tracks. I sighed satisfied and sheathed my sword and furled my wings as I carefully approached them.

“Easy now.” I said as I raised my hands in front of me. “As you can see, and like I said, I’m not an enemy. I’m here to help.”

The group visibly relaxed while the youngest filly slowly walked towards me. “Are you friends with the creature who saved us?” She asked while tilting her head to the side while looking me over.

“Well…not exactly.” I said as I looked to the stallion. “What happened here?”

Both parents and the other filly walked up to me with their youngest still looking up at me. “Well sir, I’ll be honest, we’re not really sure ourselves.” The other three ponies nodded their heads slightly. “But we can tell you what we saw in the hope it helps.”

“Sure.” I said as I pulled off my hood and took off my mask. Once I did, the ponies looked at me curiously and the fillies both gazed at me in awe. “What?”

“Oh n-nothing sir, it’s just well…” The mother stuttered a bit.

"We expected another pony." The father added. "What are you exactly?"

“I’m a human.” I said plainly. “But don’t let the wings fool you, I’m Dimitri by the way.” I said as I reached out for a shake.

Before the stallion could shake my hand, two little fillies quickly jumped up and latched onto my arm, swinging around and giggling. “I’m Sandy Shores.” The oldest one said while smiling up at me.

“And I’m Misty Breeze!” The youngest laughed as she and her sister used my arm to swing side to side.

“My name is Ocean Breeze.” The mare answered and lightly placed her hand onto the stallion’s shoulder. “And this is my husband Rocky Shores.”

“It’s nice to meet you all.” I said as I scooped the two fillies in my arms. “And you two are quite the rambunctious ones, aren’t ya?” I tease with a comforting smile.

The youngest, Misty Breeze, playfully booped my nose repeatedly. “Boop boop.” She and her sister giggled.

“So umm…” The father grabbed my attention. “Was the creature that attacked those ships one of yours?”

“No, I actually just arrived here when one of my scouts from my crew reported all this.” I said as I tickled Misty Breeze and unfurled one of my wings and wrapped it around Sandy Shores to which she ran her hand along the feathers. “Let’s walk and talk back to my ship.”

Both parents nodded their heads as we made our way back to the Prometheus. “Well you see sir, my family and I live off the bounty of the reservoir here. We would make money by selling fish to dragons and griffins, while also selling necklaces made from shells for anypony else. But that all ended when the Caribou showed up to our town across the water.” Both Rocky and Ocean looked a bit saddened when they mentioned the Caribou. “They raided our home and took almost everypony. I was lucky enough to not be affected by whatever possessed the other stallions, and made it my mission to get my family out of danger. So we made our way to our boat before the sun could rise and the fog was thick in order to escape.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t get very far when you tried to make your escape?” I questioned as Misty Breeze climbed up my arm and sat on my shoulders and nuzzled the top of my head.

“Afraid not.” Rocky admitted with a glum tone. “Our timing had unfortunately been the exact same time a small fleet of the Caribou’s ships were pulling into the port to take any slaves that were caught. They had spotlights and spotted our little ship.”

“So what did all this?” I ask, gesturing to the death and destruction.

The four looked at each other for a moment before looking back at me. “As we mentioned we don’t know for sure. You see we were trying to escape from the fleets. Our little boat was barely able to keep ahead of them, but they started firing at us.” Rocky added.

"But that’s about the time it showed up.” Ocean Breeze said, sounding a bit scared.

“The so-called monster?” I guess and they nod. “Perfect, as if it’s not enough trouble on land, now it’s somehow in the water?” I said sarcastically.

“It wasn’t just in the water.” Rocky corrected as he looked a bit nervous. “It ruled over it.”

“Ruled over it?” I repeat, confused. “How?”

The two adult ponies looked at each before looking back at me. “We remember that we were trying to get away from the fleets. They were quickly gaining on us as our little boat only had two sails.” Ocean Breeze said.

Rocky Shores was next to step in. “That’s when my daughter Sandy pointed to something ahead. About a few feet away from the boat, we saw these big bright yellow eyes glowing under the water’s surface.” Then everypony but Misty shook with fear at the description. “And then there was this unnerving ghostly sound that vibrated the water.”

“Misty?” I said, looking up to the filly on my shoulders. “You think you can describe what you saw?”

She slowly nodded her head as she tried to think back to what she saw. “I remember seeing the eyes moving under our boat, but it was still dark and foggy that I didn’t see what was underneath the water.”

“Judging by how much death and destruction there was back there, it was probably something huge, right?” I ask and Ocean and Rocky both nod while Sandy clung to my arm as I carried her.

“I think there was more than one creature actually.” Misty added getting me to look back up to her. “Well…even though it was super scary, I could hear the roars of different creatures.”

Now that confused the hell out of me. All the reports I’ve gotten said that the destruction caused all over were supposedly from one monster only. Could there be more than one monster out there? Was I searching for this creature or creatures the wrong way? It’s like every time I think I’m getting close to find out who or what this thing is I end up taking a step or two backwards.

“So what happened after the monster swam under your boat?” I asked, only for the two fillies to start to tremble in fear.

Rocky seeing that his daughters were too scared to describe the next part, took it upon himself to continue. “All we remember was seeing the spot lights go out and the screams of the Caribou, along with the sound of cannon fire and the roars my daughter mentioned.”

“I see.” I said. “But why didn’t it attack you? Not to jinx anything, but If this beast is carnivorous it probably would’ve targeted you next, right?”

Everypony looked to Misty who seemed to have calmed down a bit as I reached up and handed her over to her mother. “Well that’s the thing. It did come for us.” Ocean Breeze said while hugging her daughter before putting her down on the ground.

“Did it now?”

Rocky nodded as he continued the story. “While we were trying to get away, one stray cannonball landed near our boat causing it to rock violently and to flip over.” He placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. “We all had fallen out, but Misty here couldn’t swim. It was at that moment I was terrified because I couldn’t see her. See, she had sunk below the water’s surface before I could find her.”

Sandy adjusted herself in my arm so that I could carry her with both my arms and she looked straight at me with a sad expression.

“You were scared for your sister, weren’t you sweetie?” I ask as I reach up to pat her head.

She nodded her head. “I thought I was going to lose my little sister.” She wept a bit as her eyes began to water. Her mother gently picked her up from my arms and hugged her as she tried to comfort her.

Rocky continued with the story. “Just as I was going to try and dive under the water, Misty’s head popped over the water. But...that wasn’t the only thing.”

“It appeared.”

He nodded his head. “As I was swimming toward her, the rest of her body slowly rose out of the water until I saw that she was sitting on top of something large.” Misty’s mood seemed to change a bit from scared to a curious calm feeling. “From behind, something long came out of the water, its neck was as long as a giraffe and had a small head. When it turned its eyes to us, and we could see it looking down at us, I was afraid that it was the end for us as it leaned its head down to us.”

I was completely silent as I gave my full attention, eager to hear the rest of this story. I knew how it would obviously end with them being alive, just not how.

“It opened its jaws and clamped them down on our ship and lifted it up, and then in a fluid motion flipped it over so it was floating again.” Rocky finished.

“Excuse me?” I said, completely caught off guard. “It flipped over your ship?”

Rocky and Ocean nodded their heads making me go a bit slack-jawed. That’s when Misty tugged on my coat to get my attention. “It helped me back onto the boat along with my mamma, papa and sister.” She giggled a bit which confused me. “When I was looking up at it I moved my head to the side, and it copied me. It was still too hard to see it, but I could tell by its silhouette. I then held out my hand to it and saw it lower itself down to push its nose into my hand. It was really smooth and cold.”

“So this creature was intelligent enough to not only flip your boat back up, but also interact with your daughter?” I ask Rocky.

Rocky shrugged his shoulders. “I honestly couldn’t really say. After my daughter had pet it, it dove back into the water and that was the last we saw of it.”

I’d go back and take a dip in the reservoir but I didn’t want to waste time since it would probably already be gone by now.

“Well I guess that’s all over and done with now.” I said. “Speaking of which, we’ve finally arrived. This is my ship, The Prometheus.”

The four ponies jaw’s when completely slacked as they all stared up at my massive ship.

“Careful you four, you’ll catch flies like that.” I chuckle.

The fillies were the first to snap out of their trance as they giggled to themselves as they ran up the gangplank to board my ship. As I watched the parents quickly follow I had this unnerving feeling, as though I was being watched. I turned around to see only the reservoir in the distance but I swore to Hell I could see the faint silhouette of a figure through the fog. It looked like it was standing upright but it soon disappeared as quickly it appeared.

“One day, I’ll catch up with you. One day, your days of hiding will come to an end.” I said as I walked up the gangplank.

I was in the Captain’s quarters with Flash, Zephyr, and Alpha Squad. They were all lined up in front of me as I stood in front of them with my arms crossed. I let Rocky and his family stay in the crew’s quarters so they could rest and stay out of the way. Las Pegasus was just ahead of us, and the time has come to put our plan into action.

“Now then.” I begin. “Let’s go over the plan. The Prometheus will stay airborne high in the sky and hidden by clouds so that no one will spot it. Zephyr will conjure a thick fog to envelop the ship so that we won’t be compromised during infiltration. Las Pegasus is a big city resort and also one of the King Pony’s main sources of income for his contraband and slave trade. We take this city, and we’re one more step closer to taking back Equestria. Not only that, but I’m even confident enough to say that we would be gaining a proper foothold against the Caribou.”

“So how do we infiltrate Las Pegasus?” Big B asks.

“Flash and I are going in alone.” I said, surprising them all.

“Sir, are you sure that’s a good idea? This isn’t Appleloosa or Cloudsdale.” Flash commented.

“I’m sure, I thought about it and I’m not comfortable with bringing along more than just the two of us in this infiltration. Especially since they’re now on high alert thanks to our recent exploits throughout Equestria. I’ve still got a pretty hefty bounty on my head, no doubt it’ll grow the more cities we free, and it’s only a matter of time before someone gets sick of waiting for me to come to them so they could come to me.”

“But what about me?” Zephyr asks.

“You have just as much of an important job, Zephyr. You’re now one of our heavy hitters, in training, and I need you to make sure the ship stays hidden and safe. I know you’re still new when it comes to the field of battle, but just remember all you’ve learned these past weeks.” I said.

“Yes sir, boss.”

“So how exactly are you gonna infiltrate Las Pegasus?” Shadow Star asks.

I turn and walk around my desk and grab the bags I picked up from Rarity. I handed one of them to Flash and I placed mine on the desk and pulled out the clothes I had her make for me.

“Flash and I will wear these and pose as slavers who want to participate in the auctions they have going on in there.” I said as I showed them my disguise. “You’ll find similar clothing in your bag, Flash.”

“You’re posing as slavers?” Swift Snow asked, a little disgusted.

“Captain, why pretend to be one of those bastards?” Wild Ace wonders.

“It’s the only way we can get in. The Caribou have made it so that only certain individuals can enter Las Pegasus.” I explain. “You’d either have to be of nobility, have a lot of slaves to auction, be incredibly rich, or a loyal Caribou baron. And that’s where I come in.”

“You’re gonna transform into your Caribou appearance, right?” Cloud Skipper asks.

“Yup, I know it’s always unsettling to see me as a Caribou but let me reassure you lot that it’s still me on the inside.”

“Heh, remember when Shadow Star walked in on you when you were a Caribou and she freaked the buck out?” Big B snickered.

“Don’t you bring that up again, B! I was embarrassed enough as it is!” Shadow Star snapped, making everyone chuckle.

“So why am I coming with you? I’m not rich or a noble.” Flash said, changing the subject.

“You’re coming with me because two pairs of eyes are better than one in order to get a proper layout of the city. You’ll pose as a rich stallion who is accompanying me to purchase more slaves. We need to be on the lookout for any weaknesses in their security, get a proper headcount of who’s brainwashed and who’s not, where the slaves are being held, and most importantly find out where Gladmane is creeping around. No doubt he’s got those three pop star mares under his thumb and he’s also one of the alpha targets of this mission.”

“And once all is said and done?” Wild Ace asks.

“Once we have the proper intel we need, Flash and I will return to The Prometheus to plan our attack in the night when it’s less active. That’s where Alpha Squad will come in to help me clean house. This will be a turning point in the war, should we succeed everyone. So let’s make sure it goes off without a hitch.” I said.

“Yes sir!” They all said with a salute.

“Flash, go get dressed. We leave in 15.” I order.

“Yes sir.” He said and all the ponies left the room.

“Time to go to work.” I said.

It was almost noon as Flash and I flew down just on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. I was dressed in a black tuxedo with red trimming, a white dress shirt underneath, and a silver bow tie tied around my neck. Flash was also dressed in a sharp tuxedo, all courtesy of Rarity and her skill does her reputation wonders.

We landed a little ways away from the city and I could already hear the commotion from the city resort. The whole place had Dainn’s banners hanging almost everywhere and we could see Caribou and stallions coming in and out of the city, along with mares on leashes or cages being pulled along. I turned to Flash who nodded and I hid behind a tree and closed my eyes and began to transform. Once again my wings retracted into my back, reddish-brown fur grew along my body, my hair changed into an ashy-grey colored mane, my face stretched out into a muzzle, my legs changed, and a pair of antlers grew out of my head. I opened my eyes and looked at my hands to see I was once again a Caribou.

“How do I look?” I asked Flash.

“Like a scumbag Caribou, sir.” Flash said.

“Then the disguise is perfect, let’s get going.” I said as we walked towards the city.

As expected my disguise worked like a charm, every Caribou or stallion we passed by nodded or even bowed to us. Probably because we look so damn fancy that they think we’re some big time aristocrats or something. We approached the security gate and saw a few Caribou guards armed with M1 Garands and eyed each guest that passed them by. Flash looked a little nervous but I gave him a reassuring glance as we neared the gate.

“Hold it there, sirs.” One of the guards said.

“Is there a problem, gentleman?” I ask in a fake annoyed tone.

“We noticed you have no slaves at your side, we’d like to ask what your business is here.” The other guard said.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re here to claim a slave or two to add to our collection.” I said. “High class slaves are somewhat hard to come by nowadays, especially with that bastardly demon running around and keeping those slut Princesses to himself. My associate and I figured we’d come here to purchase a fine group of sluts so that we may entertain ourselves until we require the next batch.”

“I see, and you have payment to accommodate for yourselves?” The guard questions.

“A foolish question.” I said, rolling my eyes as I reached into my jacket pocket. “I suppose these will do?” I said as I pulled out a small pouch.

The guard quirks a brow and takes the pouch and looks inside. The look on his face was priceless at how shocked he looked, I even had to stifle a laugh when he showed his buddy and looked like he was about to pass out.

“Where…did you get these?” He asked, completely bewildered.

“That’s none of your business.” I snapped as I snatched away my pouch. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a few auctions to participate in and you’ve both wasted more than enough of our time.”

“O-of course, my lord, please go on ahead. Praise Lord Dainn.” He said as he and the other guard stepped to the side.

“Long may he rule.” I answered as we walked past him, resisting the urge to vomit.

As we made our way further into the city resort, I looked around to see a variety of attractions the city had to offer, which were probably the most deplorable sights I’d ever seen. There were slave auctions in one area where I saw young mares looking no older than 16 or 20 years of age and all wearing rags or basically nothing at all. We passed by a few signs that said something about a coliseum and an event involving War Beasts, some plant with tentacles, and a bunch of unfortunate mares. Flash pointed out an area where there was some sort of theater for entertainment, which just ended up being a play of how Dainn took over the world which was something I’d rather not see. But what did catch my eye was a large hall that looked like a casino hall, which consisted of roulette tables, slot machines, and poker tables with dealers playing card and dice games.

“Huh, I feel like I’m in a twisted version of Vegas.” I said to myself.

“Where?” Flash asked.

“Nothing, just a place from my world.” I waved it off.

“Ok, so now what? We’re in the city and right in the middle of enemy territory.” Flash said.

Just when I was about to think of a plan, everyone stopped what they were doing and began to applaud for some reason. They all looked towards a large fancy balcony with a pair of glass double doors behind it. The doors opened to reveal the one stallion we came here to terminate: Gladmane, in all his pompous glory, wearing a glittery suit and his hair slicked back came walking out with a few leashes in his hand. Attached to the leashes were Sapphire Shores, Coloratura, and Songbird Serenade; all black collard, nude, and looking completely miserable. As Gladmane waved to the crowd below, both Flash and I had to resist the urge to not fly straight up there and kill the fat bastard in front of everyone. Unfortunately, we were still undercover and had to look the part so we reluctantly clapped along with the crowd, but at a slow pace.

“Thank ya, thank ya very much.” Gladmane said, sounding like the cheap Elvis knock-off that he is. “I’m so glad y’all came out here today, another day of freedom from them whores that call themselves Princesses.“

“Here here!” A stallion said.

“Buck those cunts!” A Caribou called out.

Oh these fuckers have no idea what’s coming… I growl internally.

“Now, now everypony, this is Las Pegasus, y’all! A place you can buck a cunt, play some cards, and watch the coliseum’s entertainment to yer hearts content! And be prepared for tonight’s main event, cause it’ll be one doozy of a tournament!” Gladmane called out.

The crowd once again applauded as Gladmane waved them goodbye and returned to his office. Meanwhile Flash and I were absolutely seething but did our damndest to keep ourselves calm. We walked over to an area that had an open bar and we sat down to order drinks. I held my hand up with two fingers to signal that we needed two of the good stuff and the bartender nodded and prepared our drinks. He approached us with two glasses and a bottle of hard cider and poured it in both our glasses. He was about to walk away with the bottle but I shook my head, telling him to leave it behind to which he did.

“Son of a bitch…” Flash groveled under his breath as he downed his drink.

“I know Flash, I wanna rip his throat out as much as you but we need to be smart.” I said as I downed my own drink, it tastes a bit strong like scotch but with an apple flavor to it.

“This place is pretty big, I’d be able to get a proper layout if I ran around it but I think that’d just bring unnecessary attention.” Flash said as he poured another drink.

“Agreed, I’m sure there’s a map around here somewhere.”

“Ha! Those brothers are quite the pair!”

I glanced to my left to see a few stallions walk up to the bar and sit down, each one with a red collared slave as they crawled on all fours next to them.

“Not sure where Mr. Gladmane picked them up, but they sure know how to make a crowd laugh.” One stallion said.

“You said it, I heard they were just a couple of cons before the Caribou came and they once swindled a small town out of their bits from some tonic they cooked up to fool everypony into thinking it could cure any ailment.”

Don’t tell me.

“Still doesn’t really make sense why they’re as much in charge as Mr. Gladmane, there’s plenty of other ponies or Caribou who’d be better for the position.”

“But remember, the King Pony himself said they’d fit right in here at Las Pegasus.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“Not sure, heard he has some kind of personal history with them or something.”

“But they have a history with almost everypony they conned.”

“Doesn’t matter, point is they know how to rake in the bits and sluts so that’s all that matters.”

“You wanna go back and see their next show?”

“Maybe later, I need to get high and my bitch has been a good slave so I’m gonna bust a few off. Maybe even make her bear a brat or two.”

“You mean it master?” His slave swooned.

“Shut it!” He snapped as he raised his hand to slap her, making her cringe. “I said maybe you stupid slut! All you’re really good for is sucking me off!”

“Forgive me master! This worthless slut is sorry!” The mare begs.

“Hmph, whatever. I’m going back to my room, I’ll see you all later.”

As the stallion walked away with his slave, I had to cover my left hand to hide it from everyone since my fingers had morphed into blades. Nothing would have made me feel better than to plunge my hand through his chest and crush his heart for everyone to see. I managed to distract myself by thinking about their conversation earlier, those brothers they mentioned. There’s not a doubt in my mind it was Flim and Flam, and it sounded like they were in that theater area. A perfect opportunity.

“Flash, I need you to walk around and try to get as much of a layout as you can.” I said.

“Yes sir, but what are you gonna do?” He asks as I finished my second glass.

“To visit some old friends.” I said as I pulled out a handful of bits and placed them on the bar and made for the theater.

I walked towards the theater while remaining undeterred from all the Caribou and stallions committing blasphemous acts against the mares around me. There were a few close calls where someone would offer to let me fuck their slave or pass them off to me because they didn’t want them anymore but I just declined and kept my trek. I eventually found the theater which was packed with Caribou and stallions. I scanned the stage to see the curtain still down which meant they were probably still preparing their next act. I walked to the side of the theater and made my way to the curtain. No one seemed to stop me from walking up the small steps since they probably thought I was part of the cast or something, which was convenient for me since I could just walk past the curtain. There was a hallway to the side that led to a series of doors, each one with a name on it which meant they were dressing rooms for the actors and actresses. I was about to make my way down the hall when a hand grabbed my shoulder.

“Can I help you sir?”

I turned around to see yet another stallion I didn’t expect to see but wasn’t surprised he was a traitor. Svengallop, Rara’s former manager, stood beside me with an annoyed look in his eye.

“Apologies sir, but I was wondering if maybe I could speak with Mr. Flim and Flam?” I said, keeping up the act.

“You and everypony else.” Svengallop shot back. “You may be a Caribou, but this area is for cast members only. If you want to meet Mr. Flim and Mr. Flam, you’ll have to make an appointment.”

“Very well.” I said to throw him off. “But before I go, may I ask something?”

“Make it quick, I have a schedule to keep.” He sighs.

“You were once Coloratura’s manager, yes?”

“That slut? Once upon a time, I was. But when you all came along, I realized I was wasting my time with her. Personally, I wanted to keep her as my slave to spare her from the others, maybe use her from time to time to please me, but Gladmane had other plans. Oh well, maybe I’ll ask him to loan her to me one day. Though between you and I, she should’ve at least still been able to sing.” Svengallop said as he took off his glasses to wipe them with a handkerchief.

“Hmm, I see. Do you mind if I ask you one more thing?” I request.

“Fine, but make it-”

SHUNK!

“-quick…?”

Svengallop slowly looks down to see one of my feather blades sticking out of his chest. I gently take his glasses and out of his hand and put them on so he can get a better look and he goes wide eyed, but doesn’t say anything as he’s still trying to process the situation. I swiftly pull the blade out and tuck it in my pocket as he raises his hand to see his blood.

“Is that…blood?” He muttered.

“Yes it is.” I said. “It’s filling up your lungs right now. In less than a minute, you’re gonna asphyxiate, and pass out. But you shouldn’t be feeling any pain right now, ok?”

Svengallop gasps as he falls to his knees but I caught him in time and dragged him to a door I spotted that said Wardrobe Closet.

“Close your eyes.” I said as I opened the door and dragged him in. “Close your eyes.” I repeat as I closed the door and laid him down to look into his fading eyes. “Don’t make this face be the last thing you see. Porque...el infierno puede tenerlo en tu contra.”

“Am I…really dying?” He slurred.

“Yes Svengallop, but you should be grateful that your end is much less painless than most others. You only have yourself to blame for betraying Equestria.” I said coldly.

Svengallop only wheezes a few more times before his eyes trail off the side and he takes his last breath. I sigh as I reach up and close his eyes with my hand and stand back up and straighten my tux out. I turn to open the door but glance over my shoulder to Svengallop’s body and sigh as I turn back around.

“I don’t know why, but I would’ve at least expected you to not be one of them, despite your history.” I said as I quickly snapped my fingers and a few small cinders fly from my hand and on his body. I close the door so as to not draw attention to the burning corpse inside and make my way back down the hall. I soon arrived at a door that had the con ponies’ names and knocked on it.

“Be right with you!” I hear one of the brothers call out.

A few minutes later, the doorknob turns and I straighten my bow tie and look side to side to see if anyone else is nearby. As soon as the door creaks open, and the coast is clear, I raise my hoof and kick it open, knocking whoever was on the other side back.

“What in the hay?!”

I march in and slam the door behind me. Flam is on his back holding his muzzle as Flim is standing next to a table with a glass in his hand. I scowl as I grab Flam off the floor by his neck and throw him towards Flim, sending him crashing into his brother against the wall. I stomp over to the two groaning brothers and grab them both by the neck and raise them high and slam them against the wall.

“Flim and Flam.” I hiss. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see you in a place like this.”

“Gak! What are…you doing?!” Flim shouts.

“Are you mad?!” Flam grunts as they both try to pry my hands loose.

“Oh I’m quite sane, but as for you two.” I said as I transformed and dropped my disguise. I turn back into a human and my wings reappear on my back, making both brothers’ eyes widen in disbelief. “You’re both gonna die real soon, and I’m gonna make sure it’s very painful.”

“I-I-It’s you!” Flim gasps. “The Hand!”

“The, gak! The HAND?!” Flam said.

“So you’ve heard of me? Good, then you can burn the image of my face in your minds as I send both your screaming souls to the inferno. That way, you can join all the others I’ve sent to eternal damnation.” I said as I begin to tighten my grip.

“Gak! Wait! We’re…not…trai…tors!” Flim chokes, pausing my grip.

“What?” I ask.

“Ah…ahh…gak!” Flam struggled to breathe in my grip.

With curiosity getting the better of me, I release my grip, making them fall to the ground and gasp for air. I morphed my feathers into blades and immediately held them up to each of their necks.

“Talk, or you continue gasping for air. Only this time, it’ll be in your blood.” I warn coldly.

“We…wheeze, we’re not traitors. Honest to stars…we’re not.” Flim said as he looked up at me in pure fear.

“Lying only makes your deaths more painful.” I warn as I press my bladed feathers more into their necks.

“No wait! We’re not lying! We would never betray Equestria!” Flam pleads.

“And why should I believe you? Lying is like breathing for you two conmen, always spinning a false truth and scamming ponies out of their bits. I even know what you put Applejacks family through with their cider business, especially how you convinced Applejack to lie about that damn tonic.”

“How do you-”

“SHUT UP!” I snap. “You say you’re not traitors, yet here you both are; working with Gladmane and in charge alongside him. You say you’re not traitors, but how can you prove it?”

“Because the King Pony sought us out in the first place!” Flam said.

The mention of the King Pony made me pull back my feathers a bit from their necks.

“You’ve met the King Pony?” I ask and they nod. “Who is he?”

“We…do not know.” Flim said. I glared down at them and press my feathers back into their neck. “We honestly do not know! My brother and I were traveling Equestria for more business opportunities.”

“You mean your next scam?”

“Well…I would not call it a scam.” Flim said, only for me to break the skin under their fur. “Ok ok! We were looking for the next scamming opportunity!”

“Embellish your words again, and you start bleeding more.”

“When the Fall happened, we hit a wall in our busi- I mean, scams. Especially when stallions began to go crazy and started pillaging towns and abducting mares. No pony gave us the time of day to buy in to our offers and the Caribou made it even harder. My brother and I thought it was the end for us, that is…until he sent somepony for us.” Flam said.

“Next thing we know, we’re on an airship to Manehattan.” Flim said.

So he’s in Manehattan, huh?

“When we arrived, it was like we were in an entirely different city that looked nothing like the Manehattan everypony knew. The whole place was crawling with Caribou and there’s not a place you can look without seeing a brothel, slave auction, those re-education centers, War Beast pens, you name it. To be honest, the whole city is one big nightmare.” Flam said.

“And the King Pony?”

“We were taken to this big fancy mansion in the rich district of the city; four stories, lots of room, some parts made of gold, there was even a swimming pool out front, and-”

“Get to the point.”

“W-we were led inside and walked up the stairs to these big office doors. After waiting a few minutes, we were led inside. That’s where we saw him, but not really.” Flam said.

“What do you mean?”

“We remember he was sitting in the darkness without any lights on. All we could see was a sort of silhouette of a large stallion sitting at a desk. Before you, I do not believe my brother and I have ever met somepony so intimidating in our lives.” Flim said with a shudder.

“What did he tell you?”

“He did something strange with his voice so it sounded all distorted, but he told us that he knew all about us. And that our skills could be put to good use for his new businesses and authority. It was strange, it’s almost like he spoke to us as if he knew us personally.” Flam said.

A sort of voice modifier, damn…would’ve been nice if they at least recognized his voice.

“We wanted to refuse, but we had heard what happens to those who are not loyal to the Caribou’s rule. That they execute any who dare defy them.” Flim said.

“You think that justifies all you’ve done? You may or may or may not be traitors, but you probably only signed up to save your own hides rather than grow a pair and resist the Caribou on your own. Your arguments are therefore invalid, and you will now meet your end here.”

“No please! We’re begging you! We told you such valuable information!” Flam pleads.

“Brother…it’s ok.” Flim mutters.

“Dear brother, whatever do you mean?!” Flam asks in shock.

“Face it brother, we knew one day our shenanigans would come back to bite us in the flank. And now all the scams and dupings we’ve caused over the years are now to be paid in full.” Flim said.

“But brother…” Flam whimpers.

“Dearest brother of mine we had fun, did we not?” Flim asks.

“…Yes, the best.” Flam said.

“Then that is all that matters.” Flim said as he looks back up to me. “We are ready for the end, Mr. Hand. My one request is that you do not make it as painful as you claim it shall be.”

I gazed down at the Flim Flam brothers as they closed their eyes, ready for me to take their lives. Even though they were a couple of scam artists, I couldn’t bring myself to not believe their words. I would’ve expected them to at least retaliate against me some way but I didn’t sense any resistance in their voices.

“Just one question before you die.” I ask in a more calm manner. “Applejack, if given the chance, what would you say to her and her family?” Both brothers look at each other for a moment before looking back at me.

“We would apologize for all the grief we put her family through. We much more greedy back then and failed to realize the repercussions of our actions.” Flim said.

“Indeed, we would very much like to repent for all we have done to the other ponies we conned.” Flam said.

“You two really aren’t traitors.” I said as I slowly lifted my feathers from their necks and furled them back. “Heh, guess you gotta expect the unexpected.”

“You’re…sparing us?” Flim asks as he rubs his neck.

“Don’t misunderstand.” I said as I stepped back from them. “Your crimes are still fresh on my mind, you deserve to at least face proper judgment rather than just dying for them.”

“Oh thank you so very much good sir!” Flam beams as he and Flim stand up and grab each of my hands and shake them. “We promise to make it up to you in any way we can!”

“Ok, ok, paws off!” I snap as I pull my hands away. “I may have spared you, but that doesn’t mean you’re forgiven. Nor does it mean I trust you because you’re not traitors.”

“Well then how’s about we remedy at least one of those issues?” Flim said as he reaches into his vest pocket and pulls out an envelope and hands it to me.

“What’s this?”

“That, good sir, is our sponsorship!” Flam said.

“Sponsorship? What for?”

“Why for the Casino Royale Tournament that is being held tonight of course!” Flim said.

“Ok, and why do I need this? I’ve got better things to do besides play poker.”

“Ah, but you see Mr. Hand, this tournament shall be very beneficial to you. You see, if you win the tournament, you get to play against Gladmane in a special once in a lifetime match! And this sponsorship of ours will guarantee a spot in said tournament!” Flam explains.

“And again, why would I do that?”

“Because, in the game against Gladmane, you can wager whatever you desire! And when we say anything, we truly mean anything.” Flim said.

“Is that right? So, say if I were to win, I can have Gladmane surrender all the slaves and even the brainwashed stallions in Las Pegasus?”

“Correct! But you must be aware that Gladmane can wager whatever he desires as well.” Flam said.

Could it truly be that easy? Would I actually be able to liberate Las Pegasus without any fighting over a poker game? I scratched my chin and gave it some thought. No one’s discovered me yet, I doubt they’d recognize Flash, the ship’s still hidden, and this just might be a golden opportunity.

“What the hell, I’ll give it a shot.” I said as I tucked the envelope back in my jacket pocket.

“Marvelous! Trust us sir, you won’t regret it!” Flim said.

“Trust you? Not likely until further notice. Regret it? That remains to be seen. If what you say is true, then this would be a good opportunity. So with that being said, I guess I need to go prepare for the tournament.” I said as I turned to walk away.

“We wish you good luck, Mr. Hand!” The brothers both say to me.

“Oh and just so we’re clear, if this backfires and I get caught or you two were lying to me, you two are first on my list of gruesome punishments. Are we clear?” I said as I looked over my shoulder with a cold gaze.

“C-Crystal…” Flim said.

“O-of course sir…” Flam said.

I smiled and nodded as I opened the door and turned back into a Caribou and retracted my wings.

“Poker, huh? It’s been quite a while, not since Josh.” I said to myself.

After a rather interesting encounter with the Flim Flam frontiers, I walked away from the theater and back to the main area to meet up with Flash. When I arrived there seemed to be a bit of a commotion going on near the bar and as I walked towards it, I heard someone cry out in pain.

“Ow! Damnit, that bucking hurts!” A stallion cried out.

“Mr. Sentry wins again!” Another announced earning a round of applause.

I made my way through the crowd and saw Flash sitting at a table with a large smirk stretched across his face and quite the hefty pile of bits on the floor beside him. On the other side of the table was a very pissed off stallion and he was reluctantly fishing out all the bits he had on his person with one hand as his other hand was bleeding from a stab wound. There was blood smeared everywhere with knife marks all over and a large bloody knife sitting on the table. I walked over to Flash and nudged his shoulder making him look up to me and he smiled confidently.

“Care to tell me what’s going on?”

“Well after I finished my reco- I mean tour, I came back here to wait for you and order more drinks. Then I heard these stallions were playing a game called Five Finger Fillet. It sounded fun so I thought I’d join, and you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to win! Look at all the bits I won!” Flash said.

Five Finger Fillet? Boy, that takes me back.

“Who’s next?! Who’s next to try and beat our newest champion?!” The announcer asks.

“I will!” A Caribou said stomping up. “I could buy me a whole herd of top quality slaves with those bits! You’re just some lucky punk with fast hands, but not as fast as mine!”

“Very well sir, the buy-in is the same. 100 bits.” The announcer said.

“Fine!” The Caribou boasted as he reached into his pocket and slammed his money in the middle of the table as Flash calmly placed his money in a more calm manner.

Flash was up first as he readied his hand flat on the table as he picked up the knife with his other hand. He held the blade so it was upside down and readied it next to his thumb.

“Ready…go!” The announcer said with a wave of his hand.

Flash then made his loop by tapping the blade in between his fingers. Thumb, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie while tapping back to the start and finished with ease. The time he completed it was about 3 seconds but to Flash, it probably was in slow motion for him. His opponent snorted as he grabbed the knife and readied himself. The announcer waved his hand and the Caribou began his loop; thumb, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie then stabbed the knife on the table with a confident smirk. Flash nodded in respect to the Caribou and grabbed the knife. Before he began his loop, he grabbed more bits and placed them in the middle of the table.

“I’d like to raise the pot to 500 bits.” He said, earning whispers from all around.

“Ha! You call that a bet? This is a bet, I raise as well! Make it 2,000 bits!” The Caribou said as he grabbed a large pouch and dropped it in the middle of the table.

Flash smiled as he readied himself. From what I remember, now he has to make two loops of stabs around his hand without even slicing his fingers. The announcer waved his hand and Flash began; thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinkie, thumb again, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie and Flash stabbed the table with his signature nod, earning a round of applause. The time he finished was now about 5 seconds, however his opponent was still unimpressed as he snatched the knife away and readied himself. With a wave of the hand, the Caribou started and began his loops; thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinkie, thumb again, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie and slammed the knife with a loud snort of confidence. I just rolled my eyes as Flash once again grabbed more bits to raise his bet.

“You want a real bet? Fine, I raise it to 7,000 bits.” Flash said as he placed his bits in the middle of the table.

“Now we’re getting somewhere! But not good enough, boy! I raise it to 12,000 bits!” The Caribou said as he snapped his fingers and a stallion walked over and placed a larger sack of bits in the middle of the table.

Flash simply smiled and grabbed the knife. Now he had to make three loops without stabbing himself. The announcer waved his hand and he was off. No one said a word as Flash stabbed between his fingers so skillfully. 7 seconds later, he finished without so much as a scar on his digits.

“Incredible! The colt’s got skill!”

“How has he not stabbed himself yet?”

“Not sure, but his opponent doesn’t look too happy.”

“Damnit! I’ll show you!” The Caribou sneered as he grabbed the knife. He readied himself and the announcer waved his hand for him to begin. The Caribou began his three loops while trying to concentrate as hard as he could and even stabbing the table with so much force, it shook the table. He was then on his third loop when I saw he almost stabbed his ring finger off but managed to clear the loop, barely.

“Alright you little shit, I’m all in! I raise the pot to 100,000 bits!” The Caribou snapped as his lackey dropped what looked like all the bits he brought with him on the table.

“100,000?! For a measly knife game?!”

“He’s crazy, this colt is a prodigy! He’ll lose all his bits!”

“You sure? Well alright, then I’m all in too. I raise the pot to 200,000 bits.” Flash said as he pushed all his winnings under the table.

“200,000?!”

“That’s crazy!”

“This should be interesting, my bits are on the colt.”

“Yeah? Well mine’s on Lord Runolf.”

“And you know what else?” Runolf said as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper and some kind of key. “This is the deed to my airships and the key to my slaves. I’ve got five airships under my command and each one is filled with high quality slaves. I’m putting them in the pot as well.”

“Sir, I don’t think you can do that.” The announcer said.

“No, please, give him a chance to win his money back.” Flash said confidently.

The announcer shrugged as Flash then grabbed the knife and readied himself to make four loops. All were silent, the announcer waved his hand, and Flash started to stab. Thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinkie. Thumb again, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie. Thumb again, pointer, middle, ring, pinkie. Thumb once more, pointer, middle, ring, and pinkie; all within 9 seconds.

“Done.” Flash said with a smirk.

“Outstanding!” A stallion cheered along with the others.

“Grr, you damn lucky ass brat! Those bits are mine! You hear me?! MINE!” Runolf shouted as he snatched the knife. He didactic bother to wait for the announcer and began his loops. Despite his rage, he was surprisingly doing pretty well until…

SHUNK!

“AAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHH!!!”

On his third loop, he went too fast and ended up stabbing himself. Only he didn’t just stab himself, he cut off his middle finger and was bleeding profusely.

“Runolf has fallen to the knife, the winner is once again Mr. Flash Sentry!” The announcer said.

“Well done, very well done!” A stallion called out.

“Gotta admit, that was very entertaining.”

“Can somepony get Lord Runolf to the medical ward to get patched up?”

As Runolf was escorted away with his finger, he looked over his shoulder and glared at Flash who just shrugged at him innocently and the crowd dispersed.

“Nice job Flash.” I said as a few stallions helped gather his winnings.

“That was fun, never thought I’d get all these bits. Let alone those five ships.” Flash said.

“He was a fool to raise the stakes against him. But this is quite beneficial to us, now we have five ships under our control and those slaves are a generous bonus.” I said.

“Here are your winnings sir.” One of the stallions said as he pushed a cart filled with his winnings towards Flash and left.

“So now what? I did as you asked and got some intel, so maybe we can-”

“There’s been a change of plans, Flash.” I said as I hauled the large bag of bits over my shoulder and folded the deed and put it and the key in my pocket.

“Change of plans? What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain back at the ship, let’s regroup with the others.” I said as we made our way through the crowd and out of the city.

“And the ships I just won?”

“They’ll still be here when we come back, don’t worry about it.”

As we exited the city gates, I pulled out the envelope and thought about what Flim and Flam said and the Poker Tournament. I glanced over my shoulder one last time towards the city as I tucked the envelope back in my pocket.

“This day seems to have gotten more interesting than expected.”

Author's Note

A change of plans that could either benefit The Hand and his crew without worry, or end in violence and bloodshed. The battle of wits and bluffs, next chapter in Part 2.

Hey everybody! Little side note as to why this took so long, it’s a bit of a long story. To make it short; work and school played a BIG factor in it, I wanted to cram all of what I wrote into one huge chapter but realized it was better off being a two parter, and I tragically lost a quarter of my work due to internet difficulties. So on behalf of this story and my to loyal followers, I apologize for the wait. The good news is, you won’t have to wait as long for part 2 since I still have most of what I wrote down before I lost it. So bare with me, and as always, I hope you all enjoyed part 1!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil’s Gamble Part 2

Chapter 21

After making sure we were a safe distance from the city and away from any prying eyes, Flash and I flew back up to the ship after I transformed back into a winged human. When we arrived, everyone was surprised to see the amount of bits Flash won during his little game and Zephyr even tried to ask Flash to loan him a few bits. My apprentices, Alpha Squad, the Wonderbolts, even Rainbow Dash and I were all in the Captain’s quarters and I had just got done relaying all that had happened in Las Pegasus during our recon.

“Flim and Flam? The con ponies?” Zephyr asked.

“No way!” Rainbow butted in. “Those stallions are nothing but trouble! Do you have any idea what they did to AJ and her family during cider season?!”

“Yes I do.” I said, crossing my arms. “But it’s as I said, they’re not traitors. I had the chance to kill them both but they proved me otherwise, much to my admitted surprise. And if what they said about this tournament is true, then we can maybe forgo the plan to bombard the city with cannon fire. If I can win this tournament, I’ll be able to win back each and every slave that’s being held captive there. I’ll even be able to get close to Gladmane, it’s the perfect opportunity.”

“But what if it’s not? Gladmane sounds like he’ll cheat at the game of poker, even any of those other games you’ll play. Besides, Flash already knows where to attack in order to throw them off guard. Why do something completely different than what was originally planned?” Big B questions.

“Because the risk of hurting brainwashed and slaves would be decreased drastically if we can get the mares and brainwashed out of the city first. Personally, I could care less what happens to the city itself and I think this is our best bet.”

“What about Flim and Flam? With a rep like theirs, it’s highly doubtful that they’re good for their word.” Wild Ace asks. “What if they conned you as usual and this whole operation is a total bust?”

“They wouldn’t lie, not while I’m around.”

“And you’re sure this all is legit?” Swift Snow inquires. “I’ve been to Las Pegasus a few times. It’s known to have certain ponies who like to try and take advantage of the games being played and cheat.”

“An astute observation Swift, but you have nothing to worry about. I also was skeptical about participating because of that, but apparently they’ve taken this tournament very seriously. It’ll be on close watch so there won’t be any unnecessary complications like cheaters.”

“Do you even know how to play poker?” Spitfire asks.

“Once, a long time ago with a friend. I’m a bit rusty but once I get into it I’ll be playing circles around them.”

“You sound confident.” Soarin chuckles.

“It’s just poker, how hard could it be?” I shrug.

“So you’re really doing this?” Shadow Star asks.

“Yup, and just so you all don’t get too worried, I’ll hold on to this.” I said as I pulled out a small device from my pocket.

“What’s that?” Shadow wonders.

“It’s a small radio that’s connected to The Prometheus’ alarm system. If at any time I feel under threat or if my cover is compromised, I’ll just hit the button and we’ll go back to the original plan. That way, we can still liberate Las Pegasus with the help of the intel Flash got for us. Also, those 5 ships that Flash won? I’d like Soarin, Thunderlane, Wild Ace, Cloud Jumper, and Big B to enter on the other side of the city so you can pick them up and fly them up here where The Prometheus is hiding.”

“Do we have to?” Thunderlane whines.

“Yeah, I’m with Thunder. Even before the Fall, I always hated Las Pegasus.” Big B snorts.

“Yes you do, because we’ll need those ships in case things go south. And just to make things interesting, consider this an order from your Captain.”

“Knew you were gonna play that card…” Ace grumbles.

“Look, all I’m asking is for you all to trust me on this. Once Soarin and the others fly the other ships up here, the rest of the crew will help operate them properly.”

Everyone was still a little hesitant until Flash stepped forward.

“Let’s do it, this is as good a opportunity as any to get it done without things getting too violent. I’ll be with Captain Lock and making sure things go right.” Flash said.

“Well…ok. If the boss says it’s a sure thing.” Soarin said. “Then I’ll believe him too.”

“Oh what the hay, I’m for it as well.”

“Same.”

“Personally, I’d rather blow stuff up. But I guess being discreet is smarter.”

I smiled as my crew were all for the new plan as I tucked my little radio in my pocket. Rainbow and Zephyr, however, were still unconvinced.

“Boss, no offense, but you seem to be taking more of a risk than you’re asking for.” Zephyr said.

“Yeah! If you know what those two con ponies have done, then why trust them at all?! They’re a couple of swindlers! And they messed with one of the greatest things I enjoy in life!” Rainbow argued.

“I understand you two have your concerns but you need to trust me. Not as your Captain, but as your friend.”

Both of them look at each other for a moment and look back at me as I stare back at them. They both sigh and nod reluctantly which makes me smile and nod back.

“So now that we’re all in an agreement, let’s play some cards.”

Later that Evening

I spent the rest of the day practicing with my crew mates by playing poker and polishing off my skills. The sun was just starting to set and Flash and I were making our way back to the city with the sack of bits Flash won. Soarin and his group flew off in the other direction to enter the city from the other side so they could get the other ships after I gave him the deed and key. I hope they don’t do anything stupid to compromise their cover, we’ll need those ships if things go south. Once we landed in the same spot as before, I furled my wings and retracted them into my back as I transformed back into a Caribou and we walked the rest of the way.

“Are all those bits gonna be enough?” Flash wonders.

“Yes, I’ll only be playing with about 200,000 bits which is more than enough. Plus, I’m saving these for the finals.” I said as I pulled out the small pouch I showed the guard from before.

“What’s in that?” Flash asks as I handed him the pouch.

“Open it and find out.”

Flash opens the pouch and reaches inside. He then pulls out a small blue gem that’s about the size of a half-dollar coin but shimmered in the light.

“Whoa…what is this thing?”

“That, my friend, is a blue diamond.”

“Blue diamond? So it’s not just a regular diamond?”

“In a manner of speaking, it is, but these diamonds are very very special. I found them in the safe in the Captain’s quarters, probably from Wind Rider’s private funds. I was a little surprised to find them there and figured they’d come in handy one day so I decided to keep them.”

“And how special are they?”

“There’s about five of them in there, right? Last I checked those things are worth about…3.93 million per carat.” I said, making Flash almost trip and fall flat on his face.

“WHAT?!” Flash yelped but quickly caught himself from yelling any more. “Th-That’s so bucking insane! Why are they worth so much?!”

“Because it’s one of the rarest gemstones in the world. Not sure how or where he got them, but I did a little digging and found out that they’re only found deep in the core of large mountain ranges. Not only that, but top collectors always go in an all out bidding war for these things. Wind Rider must’ve paid a pretty bit to get his hands on these gems, but now they’re gonna be used to serve our purposes.” I said as I took back the pouch and tucked it back in my pocket.

“Are you sure you wanna wager those gems? You’d be set for life and the next life over if you sold them to the right pony.”

“Well it’s too bad I’m now ageless and have no interest in wealth. To me they’re just pretty rocks with an over exaggerated reputation and a good bargaining tool.”

Flash didn’t say anything more as we approached the entrance. This time, the guards didn’t stop us and actually welcomed us in. Most of the stallions and Caribou seemed to be making their way to the casino area, probably to witness the tournament. We came across two entrances, one for the audience and one for the participants, which meant this is where Flash and I must part ways.

“This is where we split, keep your head on a swivel and don’t draw attention to yourself.”

“Yes sir, good luck.” Flash said as he walked away.

I walked to the participant entrances and a guard approached me to meet me halfway.

“Good evening sir, are you a participant?” The stag asks.

“Indeed, I have my proof right here.” I said as I handed him the sponsorship. He takes the envelope and opens it to read the contents and arches an eyebrow and looks up at me.

“Mr. Flim and Mr. Flam sponsored you? You must be someone quite important to get something like this.” He said.

Oh buddy, if only you knew. “Let’s just say they owed me a favor and I decided that this was an appropriate way to settle things between us.”

“I see. Very well, your name please?”

“Bond. Orrin Bond.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bond, you may proceed. Here is your participant number and good luck to you.” The stag said as he handed me a small card.

I nodded to him and made my way towards the tournament area. I flipped the card over to see my number was 24 and I tucked it in my pocket. I arrived in a large ballroom with many different stags and ponies all around. In the center were 25 poker tables in rows of 5, all with 5 seats on each table. Surrounding the room were bleachers that seated the crowd and a large screen in the middle of the ceiling that acted as a sort of jumbotron to keep track of the players and how they were doing. Some of the participants looked all fancy, others looking like nobles, and most of them had a slave or two beside them walking on all fours which irked me but I suppressed my feelings for the moment. I looked over to a counter where the participants were exchanging their bits for poker chips so I walked over to exchange my bits.

“Hello sir, I’d like 200,000 worth of chips please.” I said as I handed him the large bag.

“Sure thing, be right back.” The stallion said as he took it walked off. As I waited I scanned the audience for Flash and found him at the edge of the bleachers to the east side of the room. He spotted me and gave a mock wave as I only nodded in response and the stallion returned with a tray of my poker chips.

“Here you are, sir, 200,000 in playing chips.” He said.

“Thank you.” I said as I took them and the sound of a microphone being turned on filled the room. Everyone turns to the balcony overlooking the poker arena and sees Gladmane holding a microphone with the pop star mares next to him. Beside him were the Flim Flam brothers and they were scanning the arena for me, while trying to not look suspicious.

“Good evening everypony, welcome to the Las Pegasus Casino Royale.” Gladmane announces, earning a round of applause. “Thank ya, thank ya very much. Now then, for those of you who aren’t familiar with how this shindig works, let me break it down for y’all. As y’all can see, there’s a total of 25 tables for our many participants ready to throw down, as it were. 5 participants per table, 1 dealer for each table, and 3 rounds in total. Each game is over when there is only one participant left on each table who had not been busted out of their currencies. Each row of 5 tables shall procure 5 winners in the first round until there’s only 25 players left, then comes the second round where those winners shall face each other until there are 5 players left, and in the third and final round those players shall battle it out to see who is the winner and shall face yours truly in an all or nothing game where they can bet anything they want, no questions asked. And as a stallion of my word, I promise to allow any wagers to be made.”

“Sounds simple enough.” I said to myself.

“So without further ado, let us begin the tournament! Direct your attention to the screen and find your given number and which table you will be playing at. Best of luck, enjoy the show, and may the best player win!” Gladmane said as he set aside the microphone and stepped back to sit on his chair. All eyes turned to the screen as the slots for each table began to spin numbers. After a minute of waiting, the slots stopped all at once and the numbers were on display. I quickly found my number and made my way to my designated table along with everyone else.

“Table number 17, row 4.” I thought aloud.

I made my way to my assigned table and took off my jacket and draped it over the chair and sat down with my playing chips. Two Caribou and two stallions later arrived and took their seats, each with a collared mare or two at their side. The dealer was a young looking stag wearing a neat looking vest and overalls as he shuffled the deck and we waited patiently for him to finish.

“Evening gentlemen, if you all are ready, we shall begin.” The stag said. “My name is Ludin and I shall be your dealer for the first part of the tournament.”

“I am Guthorm.” One of the stags says.

“My name is Engli.” The other stag said.

“Name’s Steel Mark.” The earth pony stallion said.

“I’m Dapper Crunch.” The unicorn stallion said.

“Bond.” I said. “Orrin Bond.”

“Good to meet you all, let’s start with the blinds, shall we?” Ludin said to me and Guthorm. We both nod and I place 4,000 in the pot while Guthorm places 8,000.

12,000 in the pot already.

Ludin then begins dealing two cards to each of us and we all discreetly check our cards. I have a queen of diamonds and an ace of spades, not a bad hand to start things off.

“I fold…” Engli said bitterly, pushing his cards away.

That was quick.

“I’ll raise, 14,000.” Steel said as he placed his chips in the pot.

“Yeah? Well I’ll call, 22,000.” Dapper said.

My hand’s already a pretty good one already, but maybe it’s best I play it safe.

“Call, 18,000.”

“I shall call as well, 14,000.” Guthorm said.

After our bets were made, Ludin starts dealing more cards and presents an eight of spades, queen of spades, and two of diamonds while another card is off to the side faced down.

“Hmm…check.” I said, tapping my fingers.

“Way to go out on a limb there, captain courageous.” Steel snorts sarcastically but I ignored him.

“Easy for you to say, I too shall check.” Guthorm said while also tapping his fingers.

“Sucks for you two, I’ll be betting, 24,000.” Steel said, putting in his chips.

“Well I ain’t risking it, I’m folding.” Dapper said as he pushed away his cards.

“Suit yourself, but I’m gonna call again, 24,000.” I said.

“Again? Hmm…” Guthorm hummed as he glanced at the cards displayed and checked his own. “Perhaps next time, I fold.”

Ludin drew more cards and put down a king of spades and another card face down on top of the other.

128,000 in the pot, and it’s only the first round.

“Check.”

“Me too, check.” Steel said.

Checking now, huh?

Ludin once again draws cards and puts down a three of hearts, for a change, and another card face down on the others.

Alright, let’s kick it up a notch.

“Bet, 87,000.” I said, surprising Steel.

“You sound confident, Mr. Fancy Pants.” Steel accuses.

“It’s Bond.” I correct.

“Hmph, let’s see how you like this then.” Steel proclaims as he pushes in all his chips. “I’m all in, 154,000, and I’ll even throw in my two sluts here as a bonus!”

“Pfft!” Engli snorts.

He’s that full of himself that he’d go all in? Big mistake.

“Not bad, not bad. Guess I’ll meet you halfway, I’m also all in, 67,000.”

“Damn…” Guthorm said.

“Who in the what now?!” Engli yelped.

“Nice bet.” Dapper said.

“Show your hands, gentlemen.” Ludin said.

Steel smirks and shows his cards, ten of spades and ten of diamonds which was a pair, but I just sighed and presented my hand.

“Next time, maybe don’t go all in on the first round, kid.”

“Mr. Bond has a pair of queens, and Mr. Steel Mark has a pair of tens. Mr. Bond wins the hand and the pot with the higher pair.” Ludin said.

“What?! You had a queen and an ace right off the bat?!” Steel shouts.

“Now, now, let’s not be a sore loser. You made your choice and lost, not my fault you suck at poker.” I said as I pulled in the pot.

Steel was about to say something else but noticed a few stags were keeping watch nearby, eyeing him. Steel scowled bitterly and threw the leashes of his slaves down and huffed off. The two mares crawled over to me and knelt beside me while giving me sultry gazes.

“This slut greets you, new master~.” The unicorn mare cooed with a bow.

“Would you like us to suck you off while you play?” The other pegasus mare offered while pushing up her breasts.

“No, just sit there and shut up.” I said plainly, to which they obliged and sat on their knees.

As Ludin prepared to deal more cards, I noticed Guthorm staring at me.

“That was quite a hand you played, I am glad I did not continue on like that fool had.”

“When you have the right hand, you can do a lot of things. But knowing when to call the appropriate bet is key in this game of wit and bluffs.”

“Agreed.”

After Guthorm and Engli threw in the blinds of 12,000, Ludin picked up more cards and began dealing them to the rest of the players. Once he tossed my cards to me, I peeked under them to see I received a king of diamonds and an ace of clubs.

Another good hand, I must be lucky.

“Call, 8,000.” Dapper said.

“Call, 8,000.” I followed up.

“I call, 4,000.” Guthorm said.

“Check.” Engli said, tapping his fingers.

At least he’s not folding this time.

Ludin begins putting down the cards on the table and presents a four of diamonds, six of clubs, and a five of spades while placing a card face down to the side.

“Hmm…I check.” Guthorm said.

“Me too, check again.” Engli said.

“So will I, check.” Dapper said.

All of them are checking?

“Well, if you can’t beat them…check.” I said.

Ludin nods and deals more cards. He draws a six of spades and places it next to the others and another card face down on the other.

“I shall bet, 28,000.” Guthorm said.

“One of these turns…I fold.” Engli sighed as he pushed away his cards.

“You know, I feel a tad lucky so I’ll raise, 46,000.” Dapper said.

Quite the change of pace.

I checked my hand again and pondered my next move. I would call bet but they probably have better hands and I don’t feel like bluffing, even if my hand’s pretty good.

“I fold.” I said as I pushed my cards away.

“Not so good a hand this time, eh?” Dapper mocked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” I shot back.

“Well if he’s folding, then so shall I.” Guthorm said.

“Then I believe Dapper Crunch takes the pot.” Ludin said.

“Well that was easy.” Dapper smirked as he pulled in the chips.

Hmph, the night is still young. And I plan to come out on top.

Half an Hour Later

To my admitted surprise, the game continued on until it was just me and Dapper Crunch left. I expected to be facing off against Guthorm since he seemed like he knew what he was doing, but Dapper managed to bust him out since he had a higher pair with a queen kicker. I busted Engli out when I had a pair of tens and he had an ace high. The cards presented on the table were a seven of spades, two of hearts, three of diamonds, jack of spades, and once the ten of diamonds was drawn, the game was over for Engli.

Thanks to my constant wins, I had a bit of an advantage over Dapper since I had 894,000 bits on my side while he only had 106,000 bits. Not only that, but I also managed to win Guthorm and Engli’s slaves who were sitting around me and giggling every time I won a hand. Some even tried to coax me into letting them service me but I always turned them down since I wanted to focus on the match. I got the feeling that this was going to be the last hand played as Ludin prepared to deal out the cards. Dapper’s confident attitude had been sent flying out the window. He looked nervous since I hadn’t faltered once during this match, nor did I bother to bluff any of my cards.

“The blinds are now raised to 8,000 and 16,000.” Ludin said.

I threw in my 8,000 while Dapper tossed in his 16,000 and Ludin dealt our cards. I now have a queen of spades and a four of diamonds, an average hand to say the least.

“I call 8,000.” I said, starting off small.

“Buck it! I’m all in, 90,000, including my sluts!” Dapper snapped as he shoved his chips in.

“Someone’s reckless.”

“Shut up! I know what I’m doing!”

“If you say so, but I’m afraid I’m gonna have to call you, 90,000.”

Dapper harrumphed and slapped his cards down, a nine and six of spades, while I calmly presented mine.

Ludin nods as he starts drawing cards as Dapper was on the edge of his seat, meanwhile I was just lounging on my chair. Ludin presents a five of spades, five of clubs, and ten of hearts.

“Come on…come on!” Dapper grumbled.

Ludin reaches over to the deck and draws another card and presents it, a ten of diamonds.

“Com on…!”

Ludin reaches for the final card, and presents an eight of hearts, making Dapper’s face go pale.

“Mr. Crust has two pair and Mr. Bond also has two pair. Mr. Bond wins with a queen kicker.”

“How’s that for an ironic twist.” I chuckle.

“Mr. Bond wins the first round and moves on to the second round, congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Dapper hangs his head and just walks off as his slaves crawl over to me. I then realize that I now have a million bits and a handful of slaves around me which wasn’t a bad take in the first match. As the rest of the first round was finishing up, I walked over to the side of the room where the other winners were awaiting the next round. Some eyed the slaves around me while others just ignored me as I found a small table to sit and wait patiently. The slaves around me sat on their knees and watched the rest of the matches while also giving me seductive looks by biting their lips, pushing their breasts together in front of me, and sticking their rears in my direction with their bits on display. Some even got frisky and rubbed my leg as a way to seduce me, but ignored all their advances.

This might be more difficult than I thought.

“My my, Dimitri, I knew you’d be popular with the mares sooner or later but I did not expect you to have your own group of slaves.”

Lucifer appears beside me in a puff of flames with a bit of an annoying looking grin under his hood.

You know as well as I that’s not the case, so don’t spout stupid shit like that.

“Are you sure? These mares are literally throwing themselves at you.”

They’re slaves, Lucifer, mentally tortured to serve these bastards. I may look like a Caribou, but that doesn’t mean I have to act like one so don’t you fucking forget it.

“I see, you’re quite the loyal to the one who you gave your heart to.”

You question my loyalty to the one I love?

“I heard about your little conversation with Princess Cadenza a while back. I must say you seem to have gotten upset over nothing.”

Don’t tell me you believe what she accused?

“Accused he says, Dimitri you seem to be taking this a tad too personally than you should. I may be the Devil, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in healthy relationships.”

I do not love anyone else besides Twilight. I thought sternly.

“And again, you are being overzealous about all this. Tell me, why do you believe it is so wrong to be with more than one woman? Especially in this world where the practice of having multiple lovers is a common norm?”

I’m not saying the ponies of this world should stop what they believe is normal, I’m just saying that I don’t have to be the one who has to indulge in it as well. Besides, me having multiple partners by myself? How would that even work? I would have to make sure they all get the same amount of attention as the others while also making sure no one else’s feelings get hurt. Twilight and I have something special, and I don’t want to risk ruining that. Not to mention I can’t help but feel like I’d be cheating on her if I was in love with anyone else.

“I’m sure she would understand, she’s a bright mare after all. I doubt something like this would sway her heart. I’m even confident enough to say that she would even welcome the idea if you explained to her properly.”

It’s a matter of principle, Lucifer, I just don’t see how it could work.

“Even if you are already in love with another mare?”

What are you on abou-

“What was that old saying back in your world again? Denial is not just a river in Egypt. You cannot fool me, Dimitri, I know who it is you have been secretly visiting from time to time. And I am also aware of how you subconsciously look forward to each and every visit.”

But I-

“I am not finished.” Lucifer said as he walked in front of me and stared into my eyes. “The heart and soul may work in tandem sometimes, but they each differ in many ways. You may deny these allegations all the livelong day, but the longer you do the more you hurt yourself. Not to mention you are doing the one thing you always proclaim to never do as my Hand: which is lie, and to yourself. You should not be ashamed of having these feelings, Dimitri, if anything you should feel content in knowing that there’s a high possibility that she feels the same towards you. I’m not insinuating that you run to her and sweep her off her hooves right now, but to just accept these feelings for what they are instead of burying them deep within your heart. You may not believe it, despite your military past, but you are a good man deep down.”

I was silent as I listened to his words. The image of Nightmare’s smiling face came to mind, her beautiful eyes gazing at me lovingly and Twilight standing next to her also smiling. It was a dream I didn’t think would be possible, two completely different mares who used to be enemies with one another. I barely managed to convince Twilight she wasn’t a threat, but would the others feel the same way? Not to mention that there’s also the matter of how I’d explain this to the Princesses. If anything they’d probably want to destroy her instead of hearing her out, no offense to Nightmare, I couldn’t really blame them. But the thought of Nightmare, Twilight, and I, all happy together as a group relationship, or herd as it is called, sounded too good to be true. However…it all honestly didn’t sound half bad.

I don’t know Lucifer, you and everyone else make it sound so simple.

“That is because it is simple. I meant what I said about you being a good man, because you are. Just because you are the Hand of the Devil, doesn’t mean you are an evil being. You are a necessary evil to combat the true evil of this world, never forget that. And if I were to be so bold, I’m sure your old comrade, Joshua Clay, would be saying the same thing to you.”

Heh, that kinda does sound like something he’d say.

“Exactly, think on my words, my faithful Hand, you deserve all that you receive even though you may think you don’t deserve it.”

Lucifer disappears in a puff of flames and I’m left to my thoughts. At first I wanted to keep denying all these feelings, but maybe Lucifer and even Cadence had a point.

“Attention, the first round has officially come to an end. Everyone please clear the center of the ballroom so we may adjust for the second round.”

I’ll have to think about this later. Right now, I still have a city to liberate.

One Hour Later

“YOU MOTHER BUCKING CHEATER!” The Caribou named Brusi roared as he slammed his fist on the table.

Meanwhile I had an unamused look plastered across my muzzle as the whole room fell silent at Brusi’s outburst. The second round was going by smoothly since there were only five tables with five players each. My table was the last to finish up before the tournament would enter the final round and I had just won the game and another million bits and handful of slaves. However my opponent Brusi wasn’t too happy about it since I managed to pull a higher pair than him.

I glanced down at the cards our dealer, Eskil, had played along with our own cards. A three of spades, ace of hearts, queen of diamonds, two of clubs, and an ace of clubs lay in front of Eskil. Brusi had played a two of diamonds and a four of hearts and I played a seven of hearts and a seven of diamonds.

“I don’t see how it is that I cheated.” I said calmly. “I obviously had the higher pair which means it’s my victory.”

“And I’m saying you cheated!”

“Sir, please calm down.” A Caribou guard said. “You lost the match.”

“How dare you?! Do you know who I am?! I am Brusi Alf Stonehoof! I share our great King’s blood and I refuse to be talked down to by some mere grunt! Especially this son of a bitch, all night he-, check check check! He trapped me!”

“Well you’re feeling satisfied now, Brusi? Cause I can go on busting you up all night.”

I noticed his personal thugs were about to move in on me but Brusi held up his hand.

“No! No…you have the nerve to speak to me in such a way. And your method of playing, how is it you never bluffed once?”

“I never was much of a bluffer, nor do I see myself as a liar. You just got overconfident in your plays, or maybe you thought no one would notice that you were counting?”

Brusi’s expression turned from anger to shock as all eyes fell on him.

“Sir, what is he talking about?” Eskil asked.

“You’re a pretty decent counter, Brusi, but I saw past your façade right at the start. That’s why I folded and checked most of the time, cause I would’ve been caught in your little spider web just like you did the others. All I had to do was bide my time and wait to trip you up.”

“H-How dare you?! You accuse me of counting?!”

“I do, but that doesn’t matter now, does it? I won, and I’ll be taking my winnings and slaves with me to the finals.”

“You think I’ll stand for this?! I will go to my King myself and demand for your head!”

“Honestly, what’s the great Lord Dainn gonna do? Clean up after you because you suck at poker?”

The last comment earned laughs from all around, making a vein on Brusi’s head pop. He was about to shout at me again but I held up my hand.

“Tell you what though, since I’m in a good mood from winning I’ll offer you one last game. That is of course.” I paused looking up to the balcony where Gladmane was gazing down at us. “You’ll allow it, Mr. Gladmane?”

“Hmm…” He hummed while scratching his chin. “Oh what the hay, tonight’s been a fun night so I’ll allow it.”

“Hah! I’ll make sure you regret those words! Play the cards, dealer!”

“Now who said we were going to play poker?” I ask as I reached into my jacket and pulled out one of my six shooters I brought with me. Everyone gasped but before anyone could make a move, I flipped open the cylinder and emptied the bullets on the table.

“What are you doing?” Brusi inquired.

“Upping the stakes. This is a little game I like to call Roulette of Risk. It’s quite simple.” I said as I picked up a single bullet and placed it back into the cylinder. “One shot, six chances. We each take a turn taking a shot. The one who hits the bullet, loses.”

“Are you mad?! You’re asking to play with our lives?!”

“Well how’s this to convince you?” I said as I pulled out the pouch I showed Flash. I reached in and pulled out one of the blue diamonds, making everyone go slack jawed.

“How…wh…those gems…”

“I’ll throw these little beauties in the pot, along with my slaves and ships I won earlier tonight. I’m putting everything on the line for this one game, so what do you say? Winner take all Brusi, so what do you wager?”

Brusi looked up to Gladmane to see if he would reject the idea, but he just smirked down at us and let things transpire.

“Grr…fine!” Brusi said as he snapped his fingers. One of his thugs walks over and hands him a document and a briefcase.

“Mr. Gladmane may run Las Pegasus, but I own the ports of this city. Docked there are a fleet of my own personal warships, all armed to the teeth with weaponry and my own personal trove of merchandise. This contract has my seal of approval and this case holds priceless gems that are worth millions of bits! I refuse to be outdone by the likes of a no name like you, so I shall even wager higher than you and those stupid gems of yours!”

“If that’s what you wager, then so be it.” I said as I flipped the cylinder back into place and swiped my hand on it. The cylinder spins for a brief moment before I slap my hand on it, halting its spin. I grin as I place the weapon on the table and slide it towards Brusi.

“You first, Lord Brusi Stonehoof.”

Brusi sneers at me and grabs the gun and holds it up to his head. He pulls back the hammer and loops his finger in the trigger guard, ready to pull the trigger itself. Everyone was silent as Brusi glared at me and his finger squeezed the trigger.

CLICK!

Everyone visibly relaxed since no shot came and the cylinder rotated to the next chamber. Brusi grinned as he pushed the weapon towards me and I picked up without breaking eye contact with him. I held it up to my head and pulled back the hammer.

CLICK!

Another blank, two down and four to go. The stakes were rising by the second as I pushed the weapon back to Brusi. Now he looked a little nervous as he picked up the gun. There was a 50/50 chance this one would be the one to kill him, but all I could do was watch and wait. Brusi picked up the weapon and held it up to his head. He pulled back the hammer as he hand trembled a bit.

CLICK!

A deep exhale escaped his lips as he pushed the gun back to me. I stared at the gun for a moment before slowly picking it up. Three empty shots, and only three remain. From what I know about this game, the fourth shot is usually the one that ends it all. As I lift the gun up to my head, I slowly close my eyes. This game was meant to end sooner than later, yet I somehow ended up putting my life on the line. I didn’t fear death since I’ve experienced it so many times during my service, even before that when I was very young, when I was with…that man and woman. Besides, why should I fear something that’s bound to happen sooner or later? Even if I’m ageless thanks to the Devil Fruit? When that happens you begin to lose your fear of death, and this moment was no different to me.

As I felt the cold sensation of the gun’s muzzle press against the side of my head, I started thinking about what would happen once I’m gone, the ponies I’d leave behind…and Twilight…even Nightmare. I opened my eyes slightly to see Flash stare at me with a few tears in his eyes and looked as if he was about to burst towards me but I shook my head ever so slightly, which he seemed to notice and obeyed my command. I never got to find out who or what that monster was, how things would turn out if I continued to liberate Equestria, maybe even…have some kind of a future with the mare I love. I couldn’t help but smile a little after a certain someone’s face came to mind.

Guess I’ll be seeing you sooner than I thought…Joshua.

…

…

…

…

…

…

CLICK!

It’s as if my heart had briefly stopped and started up again at the sound of the clicking of the empty chamber from the gun. I opened my eyes to see I was still in Las Pegasus, still a Caribou, and still alive. Brusi was silent at first, but then grinned manically as I remained silent and pushed the gun towards him.

“Haha…hahahaha…AHAHAHAHA…HAAAAAAAHAHAHA!! YOU UTTER FOOL! YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER PLAYED WITH YOUR LIFE! THIS GAME IS MINE! THE HONOR OF THE STONEHOOF NAME REMAINS UNSULLIED! NOW YOU GET WHAT YOU DESERVE BY PAYING WITH YOUR-”

BANG!

Brusi’s head jerks to the side as part of his head bursts open as blood and brain sprays out on the floor and anyone nearby. His eye twitches and both roll back as he falls backwards and on the floor. The whole room was silent as the Caribou twitched a little before going limp and dying. I slowly stand up and look to Eskil who had a horrified expression after seeing someone die in front of him.

“Excuse me.” I said, gaining his attention. “You see that stallion over there?” I said, pointing to Flash and he nods. “I want you to give this deed to him and tell him to go to the ports and prep my new ships. Also tell him to take my slaves with him as well.”

“Y-Yes of c-course.”

I nod as I walk around the table and take my six shooter from Brusi’s body and wipe the muzzle off his shirt. I then pick up the bullets I emptied and reload them in the cylinder and tuck the gun back into my jacket along with my little pouch of diamonds. With that, I turn and walk away to a private area and wait for the final poker match to begin, all the while ignoring the stares I felt pressed on my back. Once I was in a room by myself, I sat in a chair and leaned back as I thought about what had just transpired.

You never cease to make things interesting. Lucifer said gleefully in my head. Just when I think things cannot get anymore entertaining with you, you go and pull a spectacular performance such as that. I am so very proud I was able to choose you as my Hand, Dimitri, not many humans share your atypical sense of will. I can only begin to imagine what else you have in store for me as time goes on.

Ignoring Lucifer’s little cheer, I reached into my dress shirt and pulled out a small chain I kept around my neck. Hanging off the chain was my old military tags, along with two other pairs. One of the pairs I scowled at, but the other one I gazed at with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry Josh, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to wait just a little while longer. I’m not ready to see you yet, and I have a feeling that neither are you.”

Two Hours Later

It took quite a while for things to calm down for the crowd after Brusi lost his life after the game of Roulette, more so for the ones that had to clean up the mess he left behind. I made my way back to the main ballroom and saw that there was only one table in the center. Sitting at the table were four Caribou and one brainwashed unicorn stallion, the stallion being the dealer. As I made my way towards the table, the crowd all looked at me with a mix of expressions of uncertainty. Some looked at me with looks of slight fear, some unamused, some angry, some blank, some incredulous, and some who were actually kinda smirking at me. Once I made it to the table, I sat down while draping my jacket over my chair. I glanced at my opponents who all seem to occasionally give me the stink eye but also were slightly anxious of me. Not that I could blame them since they just witnessed one of Dainn’s blood shoot himself and I didn’t give a slightest but if a reaction. I sniffed the air a bit and could still smell the scent of iron in the air, no doubt the others could smell the blood still lingering and I could visibly see how uneasy it made them.

“Ahem, good evening gentlemen. Welcome to the finals of the Las Pegasus Casino Royale. My name is Spade Flush and I shall be your dealer for this round.” The stallion said.

“Bond, Orrin Bond.”

“I am Solvi.”

“Vifil.”

“I’m Eid.”

“Berg…”

As Spade starts to shuffle his cards, I look over to a waiter nearby and wave him over. He flinched at my response but walked over to me.

“May I help you sir?”

“Dry martini, please.”

“Of course.”

“Wait…three measures of gin, one of vodka, half a measure of wine, shake it over ice and add a thin slice of lemon peel.”

“Um…yes sir.”

“You know, I’ll have one of those.” Solvi said.

“So will I.” Eid said.

“Certainly, gentlemen.” The waiter said as he walked away.

“My friend, bring me one as well, keep the fruit.” Berg called out and the waiter nodded.

“That’s it, hm? Anyone want to play poker now?” Vifil asked.

“Relax, it’s just a drink. No need for hurry.” Berg said.

“Now then, we’ll start with the small and big blinds of 40,000 and 80,000. Unlike before, the buy-in is now 2,000,000 bits and you are all free to wager whatever else you desire. However, the rules are the same regarding elimination: once you have been busted out of your funds or have nothing else to wager, you are out of the match. Any questions?”

None of us say anything as Spade deals our cards and Eid and Berg pay the blinds into the pot. I check my cards to see I have a three of hearts and an ace of hearts. I glanced up at my opponents and Vifil seems to be flipping his chips in his hand, as if it’s something he does to help him focus.

“Call, 80,000.” I said.

“Me too, 80,000.” Solvi said.

“As will I, 80,000.” Vifil said.

“Same, 40,000.” Eid said.

“Not me, check.” Berg said, tapping his fingers.

Spade takes some cards and places three face up and one face down to the side. A nine of spades, seven of diamonds, and jack of spades are on display for all to see.

“So…you don’t seem bothered that one of the Stonehoof clan’s blood members took his own life, Mr. Bond.” Eid accused as he bet 380,000.

“I fold.” Berg said.

“It was a real shame, don’t get me wrong. I simply offered to play the game of risk and he was over-presumptuous and was blinded by his own pride.” I said as I folded.

“I suppose, but our great King will not take too kindly to the knowledge that now two of his kin are dead.” Solvi said as he folds.

“Two?”

“You didn’t hear? The red winged devil, also known as the Hand, attacked San Pranciscolt some time ago and made off with the slaves, ponies, even some of our brethren.” Vifil said as he folds and continues to flip around his chips in his hand.

“Mr. Eid takes the pot.” Spade said as Eid pulled in the chips.

Spade then took back the cards and dealt out new ones to each of us while Berg and I paid up the small and big blinds. I now have a king of clubs and a three of diamonds. The waiter returns with our drinks and hands them to each of us one by one. I take my glass and give my drink a little sip. It has a strong sweet aftertaste, and as I swallowed it burned in my throat a bit and boiled a little in my stomach, making me lick my upper lip.

Mmm, almost like melted gold. Not half bad, might have to think of a name for it.

“Indeed, Orest Van Stonehoof was his name, and he left the city a complete mess. When the armies were sent to clean up the mess, they could not step a single hoof within the borders. There was some kind of barrier left surrounding the whole city and no matter what they tried, they could not break through.” Solvi said as he called for 80,000.

“I fold.” Vifil said.

“I’ll call, 80,000.” Eid said.

“Call, 40,000.” Berg said.

“You sure it was the Devil? Cause I think differently.” I said as I checked.

Spade draws cards and plays a four of clubs, eight of hearts, and six of clubs while placing a card face down.

“What do you mean, Mr. Bond?” Berg inquired as he checked.

“Well the reports say that this attacker abducted ponies and Caribou? That sounds nothing like the Hand.” I dismissed it as I checked.

“Bet, 300,000.” Solvi said.

“Call, 300,000.” Eid said.

“Maybe he’s trying a different approach, to try and use whoever he’s taken as a sort of bargaining chip.” Berg guessed as he folds.

“Unlikely.” I dismissed as I folded and took another sip of my drink. “The Hand wouldn’t just change his entire approach on a whim.”

Spade draws two more cards, one he placed face up with the others which is a four of spades and another card face down.

“What makes you assume this?” Solvi asks as he bets 520,000.

“I’m not assuming anything, it’s just a fact.”

“You might want to be more specific, Mr. Bond.” Eid insists as he folds.

“Mr. Solvi takes the pot.” Spade said. The cards are dealt and I have a five of diamonds and a nine of clubs. Solvi and I throw in the small and big blinds.

“I fold.” Vifil said.

“I’ll call, 80,000.” Eid said.

“I as well, 80,000.” Berg said.

“Ever since the Hand has appeared in these lands, he has done nothing but slaughter our brethren and has shown no remorse whatsoever to any stallions who willingly joined our cause.” I explain as I raised 310,000 and took another sip. “I can only imagine what he’s done with those slaves he’s taken for himself and the stallions who were forced under our control. With that being said, it’s highly unlikely it was the Hand who attacked San Pranciscolt.”

“You make it sound like there’s more than just the Hand who dares stand against us.” Solvi said as he called 310,000.

“Not to mention the reports of some unknown creature reeking havoc on our transports.” Eid adds as he folds.

“It seems there have been a number of those who don’t abide by the new world order these days.” Berg sighed as he called 310,000.

Spade draws his cards and plays a seven of diamonds, seven of clubs, and eight of diamonds while placing a card face down.

“Why do you think I’m in this tournament? Why do you think I’m trying to win and become as wealthy as possible with ships and slaves under my belt? No offense to our great King Dainn, but these individuals who have been rebelling against us might be only just starting in their endeavors. We took this kingdom, no, this world, with ease and thought nothing of the consequences because we believed there wouldn’t be any. Yet here we are, living on edge because we are unsure of when and where the Hand and who or whatever else may attack. I once knew someone in that old desert town, Appleloosa. Next thing I know it’s almost completely destroyed because the Hand came and crushed everyone. And the King Pony? He’s probably quaking in his hooves trying to figure out how to deal with seemingly unstoppable forces that have arrived in this world, especially what Lord Lust will do once he finds out how poorly he’s dealing with the situation. I was confident that we’d all live privileged lives, bucking any slut we set our eyes on, gorging ourselves on the spoils we took, all this without a care in the world. But now I see…” I said as I gazed at my opponents with a piercing gaze. “Now I see it was all never meant to be, that we were all fools to think we would get away with all we had done to the ponies and other kingdoms of this world. In my opinion, we should have stayed in our homeland where we belonged. Which is why as soon as I win, I’m taking my slaves, wealth, and ships to somewhere no one will find me, not even the Overlords that are spread throughout the kingdoms. If any of you have any sense and value your lives, I highly suggest you do the same. I bet, 800,000.”

The whole table fell silent after my proclamation, all were stunned at my words and including the large bet I just threw down. Solvi and Berg both look at each other and back to me as I calmly take another sip of my drink.

“I, erm…I fold.” Solvi said with his head hanging low.

“I too fold…” Berg mumbled.

“Mr. Bond takes the pot.” Spade said.

I pulled in my chips as Spade deals the next batch of cards. All the while I feel eyes on me from all around which meant my words didn’t just affect my opponents but the others as well. I got a feeling in my gut that I might have said too much, given the fact that I’m still a Caribou and they all probably think I’m some kind of would be heretic. Solvi and Vifil pay the blinds while I take a look at my cards, a queen of clubs and a four of diamonds.

Lucifer.

Present.

Since Zephyr ate the fruit, he can interact and talk with you like Flash can, right?

Indeed, why do you ask?

I need you to tell him to inform the crew and the others to be in high alert. I soon might need some kind of diversion once this match is over, cause I think I may have blown my cover slightly without even revealing myself. Also, I need you to go tell Flash to inform Soarin and the others who are at the ports to fly the ships back to The Prometheus.

You simply voiced your opinion, Dimitri, I do not see why you would need to be so cautious.

Yeah? Well tell that to the multiple eyes burning holes all around me.

Hmm, I suppose I see your point. Very well, I shall inform them both. But do not fret, my Hand. Just continue to keep of this little act of yours and try not to say too much anymore.

“Hey, you dumb pony, what’s the deal with these shitty cards you’re giving me?” Eid snorts.

“You trying to sabotage us after his little rant?” Berg accuses.

“I apologize sirs, but I simply shuffled the deck. The cards you get are not by choice.”

“Humph, sure they aren’t.” Eid sneers as he folds.

“If the next hand sucks, I’ll be holding you accountable.” Berg warns as he too folds.

Keep calm and keep playing, Lock, keep calm and keep playing.

“Call, 80,000.”

One Hour Later

“Mr. Vifil has a flush, and Mr. Berg has three of a kind. Mr. Vifil wins the pot and Mr. Berg has been eliminated from the game.”

“Shit…”

As Berg left the table in a bitter mood, Vifil brings in his winnings as it’s now just me and him left in the game. Eid and Solvi were eliminated later on by me since I beat Solvi with a straight flush and Eid with a pair of kings. I had just witnessed Vifil eliminate Berg since he had the better hand. On my side of the table, I had 5,940,000 bits worth of chips along with a handful of mares at my side and Vifil has 4,060,000 bits worth of chips.

This is it, all or nothing.

“Gentlemen, we have now reached the final faze of the game which means no more buy-ins. The blinds shall now be raised to 120,000 and 240,000.” Spade announces. He deals the cards and we pay the blinds. I have a king of hearts and a four of hearts.

“Call, 120,000.” I said.

“Raise, 660,000.” Vifil said.

Hmph, show off.

“Fold.”

“Mr, Vifil steals the blinds.”

After we pay the blinds again, the cards are dealt and I’m given an ace of clubs and jack of clubs.

“Call, 120,000.” Vifil said.

“Check.”

Spade plays an ace of diamonds, nine of spades, and ten of diamonds while placing a card face down.

Play it safe, don’t rush.

“Check.”

“Check.”

Spade draws and plays a five of clubs and another card face down.

“Bet, 1,240,000.”

“Getting back at me, huh?” Vifil scoffs as he folds.

“Mr. Bond takes the pot.”

Blinds are payed and cards are dealt. I have a six of clubs and two of clubs.

Damn…

“Fold.”

“Mr. Vifil steals the blinds.”

“That’s twice, you feeling alright Mr. Bond? You seem to be losing your edge.”

“I’m quite fine, thanks.” Dick…

Next hand is a jack of diamonds and seven of hearts.

“Call, 120,000.” Vifil said.

“Check.”

The cards played are a king of diamonds, seven of clubs and four of spades.

“Check.” I said.

“I check as well.”

A two of hearts is played with the others.

“Check.”

“Check.”

Spade draws and plays a king of clubs.

Let’s try something a little different.

“Bet, 1,030,000.”

“Is he that confident?”

“There’s no way, that’s a pretty high bet.”

“Hmph he’s been lucky so far, maybe he’s actually bluffing this time.”

“You seem sure of yourself, Mr. Bond.” Vifil smirks. I say nothing and just look at him with a blank expression. “Call, 1,030,000.”

“Gentlemen, show your hands please.”

Vifil flips his cards over and reveals a ten of diamonds and an eight of diamonds. I flip mine over which causes him to frown and look up at me.

“Mr. Vifil has a pair of kings and Mr. Bond has two pair. Mr. Bond wins the hand.”

“You were saying, Vifil?” I said as I pulled in the pot.

“Grr…don’t get cocky, brat…” Vifil sneers.

“He wasn’t bluffing again?”

“I don’t understand it, how is it he’s not bluffed a single time throughout this entire night?”

“Every hand he’s played or folded were noting but the truth.”

“No one should be that fortunate, especially at this type of game.”

The rest of the game is like ping pong between the two of us, each of us betting, calling, and playing hand after hand, coming up with different ways to outbid the other. Vifil is a very skilled player, I’ll give him that, but he seems to always forget that I haven’t bluffed once and always thinks I am. It’s now down to probably the the last hand to be played since Vifil is now showing his anxiety, despite his efforts to keep a straight face. I now have 3,200,000 bits and Vifil has 1,400,000 bits and there’s 5,400,000 bits in the pot. No one in the room was able to say a word as Spade waited patiently for Vifil to make his move. I glanced at Vifil so see him pressing his finger against his temple as to try and suppress the supposed twitch he’s been trying to hide. I then looked down at the cards Spade presented, an ace of hearts, eight of spades, six of spades, and four of spades.

“Mr. Vifil?”

“Hm? Erm yes, check.”

“Mr. Bond?”

“Check.”

“Both check.” Spade said as he drew another card and placed an ace of spades on the table.

“Check.” I said.

Vifil then stacked a few large stacks of chips and pushed them into the pot, earning gasps and murmurs from all around.

“Raise, 1,200,000.” He said as he went back to flipping his chips in his hand.

“Is he mad? That’s almost all his bits.”

“Vifil must have a good hand.”

“But Bond still hasn’t done anything yet, he’s only checked so far.”

Vifil and I stared at each other as we ignored the whispers from all around, all the while he continues to flip around his chips in his hand. The look in his eye told me he was confident, but also a tad nervous. Neither of us blinked for over a minute, as if we were trying to see who’d crack first. I’ll admit, there’s a lot riding on this hand, the cards faced up are only good for a few good high hands. I adjusted my chips and fiddled with them a bit before making my move. Just when I was about to, a creepy smile dons Vifil’s muzzle and he chuckles to himself.

“Hmhmhmm…Mr. Bond, you truly are an interesting Caribou. First you seem to have come out of no where, you managed to slink your way in this tournament, and you made my brother kill himself in a foolish game of risk. Not that I’m complaining since I never liked that bucking fool, but as a matter of principle he was still my brother.”

“Your brother? You mean Brusi? But that makes you a Stonehoof.”

“Indeed, Vifil Alf Stonehoof, and unlike my late fool of a buck that was my brother, I am the more professional of the two of us. As my brother had flaunted before his untimely demise, we ran the ports together. That also means we’re in charge of the slaves that come in and out of the city.”

“What about Gladmane? I thought he ran things around here?”

“Gladmane…” Vifil said as he glanced up to the stallion who gulped at his gaze. “Is just the middlestallion of what goes on here. We Stonehoof’s are the true masterminds. All Gladmane is good for is keeping the guests entertained and keeping tabs for the King Pony, who I still do not understand why Lord Lust appointed him as his right hand stallion. Anyway, you’ve done well to make it this far, despite your questionable playing strategies and even more questionable view of our place here in these lands. Nevertheless, I’m still intrigued.”

“Well thank you, Mr. Vifil, I’m pleased that-”

“Even if you thought us for a bunch of fools you believed wouldn’t see past your farce.”

I paused for a moment and looked back at Vifil.

“What do you mean?”

“I know who you are. Mr. Bond. And I know what you are.”

No fucking way…

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“Playing coy? Very well, why don’t we ask your associate?”

From the crowd, Flash was shoved through and was held at gun point.

Shit…

“You always seem to favor conversing with this young stallion.”

“And? It’s as you said, he’s just an associate of mine, nothing more.”

“Come now Mr. Bond, if that is your real name, you cannot fool me.”

The Caribou raises his weapon to Flash’s head and pulls back the hammer.

How…how did they know? I thought as I reached in my pocket for the little radio.

“You…are a survivor of that extinct clan.” Vifil accuses.

Guess I have to- wait, what?

“Clan? What clan?”

“The rebels?”

“There was one survivor left?”

“That’s surprising, last I heard they were torn to shreds right at the beginning of our invasion.”

Vifil sighs and nods the the Caribou who then bashes Flash in the head with his gun, making me tense and clench my fists.

“You best not lie to me, Mr. Bond. Lord Dainn saw to it personally that those rebels be put down and the heretic that led them fall by Lord Dainn’s own hand. He wiped that clan out and left no survivors, or so he thought. Who would’ve guessed a lone survivor would be joining us tonight?”

I see, he thinks I’m someone else, not who I actually am. Whoever this “other clan” he’s talking about was must’ve been another group of Caribou who actually didn’t agree with Dainn’s regime. Surprising, and a bit of a shame since I’d’ve liked to meet them but I can’t dwell on that now. Let’s see if I can keep this charade going.

“…They deserved better than death.”

“So the truth comes out! And you’re wrong, they got what they all deserve and so shall you.”

“Are you saying you’re not a Caribou of your word?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is still an active game, is it not? You swore to play by the rules and honor the game, as will I. I meant what I said before, that I only wish to run and hide away after I win.”

“You don’t wish for revenge?”

“What’s the point? I’m a lone survivor in the face of an entire country of my enemy. I may have managed to cull a couple stallions here and there, but that’s only because I offered them a better future besides continuing to live here. My clan has been exterminated, I have only this game left, and that little private match against Gladmane? I don’t want it, cause after I win I’ll be more than set for whatever years are to come.”

“So you’ve abandoned your clan’s name, just how much more dishonorable can you get?”

“Who gives a shit about honor anymore? You bastards already threw it out the window the moment you signed up with those demons of sin and invaded these lands. So are we gonna finish this or not? It’s still my turn.”

Vifil’s goons were about to move in but Vifil held up his hand.

“If we were to continue, I wish to raise the stakes.”

“Sir, what are you saying?” One of his goons asks.

“Silence! If I win this hand, you must surrender all the winnings you have accumulated and give yourself up. You shall also be publicly executed for your blasphemy and heresy and I shall deliver your head to King Dainn himself.”

“Hmm, fine. But I want to raise the stakes as well.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Let’s be honest, given who and what I am my fate is sealed and I’m not walking out of here alive. But my fate does not have to be his fate.” I said gesturing to Flash. “My conditions are if I win this hand, you surrender all the slaves and even the stallions who are under the Crystal Cock’s influence in Las Pegasus to be loaded onto my ships and be sent away.”

“You’re honestly more mad than I thought. Why would I-”

“You will also take my head.”

“No!” Flash cried.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me: I win, all the slaves and brainwashed stallions, those mares up there on the balcony included, and even the Flim Flam brothers are free to go but you get my head. You win, you get all my winnings and my head. Either way, you still get to stick my head on a pike. So what do you say?”

“Why the Flim Flam brothers?”

“Does it matter?”

Vifil scratches his chin for a moment but chuckles as he leans back into his chair.

“Either you’re mad or just too smart for your own good.”

“Do you agree?”

“Hmm, why not?”

“N-now see here, Mr. Vifil!” Gladmane said as he leaned over the balcony. “Y’all honestly think I’ll allow this?! I’ll just tell the King Pony what you did and he’ll tell Lord Lust! This is my city, ya here?! And I ain’t about to let some stupid poker game take away all that I’ve built! So y’all can just forget about this bet since I declare this game be-”

BANG!

“…o…ver…?”

In Vifil’s hand was a smoking pistol that was aimed at Gladmane. Right in between Gladmane’s forehead was a bullet wound as blood leaked out of it. As Vifil placed his weapon back down on the table, Gladmane leans forward and falls off his balcony and hits the floor with a loud crash. Flim and Flam, who were standing beside Gladmane and the pop star mares, were frozen in complete shock.

“I honestly found that fat bastard to be quite insufferable. The King Pony will simply have to settle for his other two lapdogs.”

So much for getting close to Gladmane.

“So do you swear?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Say the words.”

“Hmph, fine. I swear to keep my end of the bargain so long as you keep yours. I swear on my name as a Stonehoof.”

Nodding my head, we both resume the game and I make my move.

“3,200,000, my slaves, ships, and my blue diamonds, all in.” I announced as I push in my chips and pull out my little pouch full of gems and place it in the middle.

“Holy Dainn! There must be at least hundreds of millions worth of bits in that pot!”

“And all those ships full of slaves and merchandise, you’d be set for life five time over.”

“There’s just no bucking way.”

“I agree, he has to have bluffed this time, no pony would make such a ridiculous bet.”

“I hope he loses, I’ve got too good a slaves to give them up!”

“Why can’t we just kill him now?”

“It is Lord Vifil’s word to keep this game going, we can’t interfere.”

Vifil smirks and looks at the cards presented and looks all around him as if my move was a joke. He then peeks to looks at his cards as he tried to suppress a laugh.”

“Ahem, well I think I will call you on that one. All in, plus a few extra million from my private funds.” Vifil said as he snapped his fingers.

A few Caribou come from the crowd and place large sacks of bits around the table. I took the opportunity to add up the funds so far. My bits, gems, his bits and whatever else he bet…

A little over 115,000,000 in the pot.

“Um…gentlemen, show your hands please.” Spade nervously said.

Vifil flips over his cards to reveal an ace of clubs and six of hearts.

“A high full house, aces full of sixes.”

“I’m afraid the game ends here, boy.” Vifil said.

“Mr. Bond?”

I said nothing as I slowly slide my cards out in front of me. I grasp both cards and flip them over to present them both, making everyone gasp and Vifil glare at them and me.

“Oh my…a five and seven of spades, a straight flush, four to the eight, a higher hand, Mr. Bond wins the tournament.”

Vifil slams his fist on the table and seethes at me as he stands straight up.

“You…mother…bucker.”

“I told you, and you don’t seem to listen or pay attention. I don’t bluff, nor do I lie.”

Multiple Caribou draw their weapons and aim at me but Vifil slams his fist again.

“NO!!!”

“No?! What do you mean no, sir?! Let’s just take him down already!”

“I SAID NO!” Vifil roared. “Do not touch that Caribou, not yet. He beat me, straight up. Pay him, pay that Caribou his money and load all his winnings on his ship.”

“May I say a few words to that stallion before I meet my end?”

“Make it quick…”

Flash stands up and walks over to me with a dejected expression.

“You…this is…”

I cut him off by hugging him and slip something in his pocket while not one was looking.

“Dum spiramus tuebimur.”

I step back and Flash looks at me confused until he notices what I slipped in his pocket. I winked at him which seemed to have gotten what I silently told him to do and he nods as he walks away.

The moon was still high in the sky and I was stripped of my gun as I stood on a wooden stage with a noose hanging in front of me. The crowd was filled with nothing but hateful glares and spiteful words were heard every now and then. They handcuffed me in metal shackles as Vifil approached me from the small steps. I glanced up to the sky to see the ships still flying away. Some of them were fairly average sized ships with broadside cannons on each side. They were the ones Flash won earlier on.

But most of the other ships were by far the most impressive, almost as big as The Prometheus and looked like they were a formidable force. Guess Brusi wasn’t kidding about these ships, even if he was a fool.

Vifil turns to face the crowd as he raises his hands to calm them down.

“Look at this.” He begins. “Look at what we have built together. The slaves we could buck anytime we wanted, the shows they put on for us with our War Beasts and monster plants, the endless supply of narcotics that made us feel more pleasure as we were serviced. All of it, gone…BECAUSE OF THIS BUCKING TRAITOR!”

WHACK!

I wince as Vifil spins around and backhands me across the face, earning cheers of detest and hate.

“Hang him by his entrails!”

“He deserves to be burned alive!”

“I had a good pack of whores with me, now they’re gone because of him!”

“Brothers! brothers, I know it is infuriating that this…blasphemer tricked us, tricked me, into surrendering all we took for ourselves. But-”

“Tricked you? Not my fault you suck balls at poker.”

WHACK!

“SILENCE YOU CUR!”

“Erf! Oh…I’m sorry, I meant to say you suck dick and balls at poker. You probably like it up the ass just as well.”

WHACK! SMACK!

“YOU WILL BITE YOUR TONGUE BEFORE I HEAR ANOTHER WORD OUT OF YOU!”

Blood trickles out of the corner of my mouth as Vifil glares at me. I smirk and spit on his hoof, making a vein pop on his head.

“I’ve got plans for you Vifil, big plans for when you get to Hell after I kill you.”

“Hmph! We’ll see about that.”

Oh we sure will, very very soon.

“My brothers! I must offer my most sincere apologies to you all! Had I known of this wretched traitors’ blood, I would have lynched him the moment he stepped through the gate! He abused my honor and used it against me, but fret not! Once this wretch is swinging and dead, I shall cut off his head and send it to the King Pony, Mr. M, and he shall reward us by compensating all we have lost! I am even confident that he might send over a batch of bitches from the Crystal Empire!”

Mr. M? That’s his other alias?

“The Crystal Empire?!”

“Aw sweet! Those bitches are top quality!”

“That means we’ll get to buck bitches that Lord Lust bucks!”

“I was tired of my old bitches anyway!”

Come on…any time now.

Vifil signals for a stag to come forward wearing a black hood. A traitor stallion walks up with him with a drum and begins to beat it at a rapid pace. The hooded stag grabs the noose and ties it around my neck arms walks over to the release lever. My eyes trail up to the sky and I see a huge cloud hovering over us making me smirk.

“BROTHERS! LET THIS BE A DAY NOT OF LOSS, BUT OF GAIN! LET THIS BE A REMINDER TO ANY WHO DARE CHALLENGE US, AND A MESSAGE TO THAT ACCURSED HAND OF THE DEVIL AND ANYONE ELSE, THAT WE SHALL NOT BE BROKEN!”

“YEAH!”

“WE SHALL NOT BE SILENCED!”

“YEAH!”

“AND WE ARE THE TRUE MASTERS OF-”

SHUNK!

THONK!

THONK!

All immediately went silent as three objects fell from the sky. Two of them were a pair of swords, one red that had embrs dancing off it and the other with ice shards sticking out from the blade. The third object was a duel bladed staff that had impaled itself through Vifil’s chest. The force of the weapon’s descent was strong enough to rip his organs out, which killed him instantly. While everyone was still in shock, I reached up and pulled the noose off my neck and gazed at Vifil’s body and nodded my head.

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but I’ll take it. Must’ve been Lucifer’s doing somehow.” I said as I pulled apart the chains and snapped them apart.

Indeed, I had Flash drop them from above. Quite nice, don’t you agree?

Very accurate, Lucifer.

I faced the crowd and activated my power. The flames danced around my body as I was completely enveloped in fire. My face returned to normal, my ears returned to the side of my head, and my antlers disappeared as my hair grew back to normal. My clothes also burned away as it was replaced with my new armor. As the flames began to dwindle, I reached into my coat and put my mask on along with pulling over my hood. To finish off my dramatic entrance, I summoned forth my wings, making flames fly out every which way around, giving my appearance a more frightening look. I ripped my staff from Vifil’s body and holstered it on my back as I then grabbed Surtr and Ymir.

“Look at you.” I said, making everyone start to tremble in fear. “A bunch of bucks and colts, about ready to piss themselves at the mere sight of me. This city was dirty before, but now it stinks so much I wanna vomit. You had no idea that I was sitting right next to the lot of you. And now, it’s time I do what I should’ve done earlier on this night.”

“Oh…oh no.”

“I-it’s…”

“IT’S THE DEVIL OF THE CARIBOU!”

“YES! AND NOW YOUR LIVES ARE FORFEIT!”

I raise Surtr in the air and fire a ball of flames through the sky. All of a sudden, loud horns from the sky blair from within the clouds. All the Caribou and stallions look up to see a few shadows, one being larger than the other two, fly through the cloud to reveal The Prometheus and a couple of the other ships. I smile darkly as I pull out my smartphone and scroll through my playlist and put in my earbuds.

“What the buck is that?!”

“YOUR GUIDES TO THE INFERNO!”

I flare open my wings and fly up in the air. Once I’m high enough, I fall back down and hold out my swords. I crash into the crowd of enemies, causing them to go flying everywhere and start tearing my way through the lot of them. A few Caribou come at me with swords and axes and try to box me in but I lean back to avoid their strikes. I plant a foot on the ground and use my other foot to spin my in place as I hack my attackers in two. More come at me from both sides but jump up and flick my wings out and fling feather blades at them, hitting them all, all over their bodies.

Sounds of guns firing are heard as bullets whizz by me. I look to see multiple enemies aim at me with their rifles and they’re all riding War Beasts. I cartwheel to the side and sprint away while hacking all in my way as the War Beasts fire balls of flames at me, a wasted effort since I just swat them away. A War Beast charges at me from in front and opens its jaws to try and bite down on me but I jump forward and flip onto its back while kicking its rider off in the face. I twirl my swords around and stab the beast through the head and pull backwards as blood sprays from its body and it collapses in heaps of blood and gore. I then hear a static sound come from my ear buds and I reach up to tap them.

“Captain! Are you there?!”

“Took you long enough, Flash! Now get your ass down here!”

“Yes sir!”

“Soarin! Are the guns ready?!”

“Soarin here! Locked and loaded Captain!”

“Then mount up, the lot of you!”

“Yes Captain!”

“Alpha Squad, your time to shine!”

“Bout time!” Big B said.

“I’ve been waiting for this!” Wild Ace said.

“Let’s do this!” Swift Show said.

“Time to buck some shit up!” Cloud Skipper said.

“I’ll make them all suffer!” Shadow Star said.

I unfurl my wings and fly forward to flip and twist my way through the crowd as I’m still being fired upon. Some bullets graze me, making me grunt, but keep my assault. Suddenly, an orange blur flies down from the sky and starts mowing throughout the army of enemies and right next to me to reveal Flash.

“Glad you could make it!”

“No offense sir, but you’re an absolute bucking moron!”

“I’ll take all the criticisms you and anyone else has for me later! Soarin, you ready?!”

“Yes Captain! Let’s drop some lead on these mother-!”

“FIRE!”

A volley of cannon fire fired and rained down upon the city. Fire and explosions erupted all around us along with the screams of pain and horror from the Caribou forces.

“WHERE THE BUCK DID THEY COME FROM?!”

“WE’RE BEING TORN TO PIECES!”

“WHERE’S THE LEADER?!”

“MY ARM! MY BUCKING ARM IS GONE!”

I smiled as I planted my feet on the ground and spun around to meet our pursuing enemies.

Never done this before, but let’s see how the skills of Lucifer plays out!

I then did something that was quite odd to me but at the same time felt natural due to my newfound knowledge. I planted Ymir on the ground and unsheathed my staff. The bottom half of my mask opened up to reveal my jaw and I placed my staff in between my teeth and bit down hard as I picked Ymir back up. As my enemies neared I crossed my arms to my sides and bent my legs and spread my wings out wide.

“THREE-SWORD STYLE, HELL DEMON SLASH!”

I shot forward like a missile and swung my swords to the side while swinging my staff to the left and right. The group of Caribou, stallions, and War Beasts were all butchered at once as I flew past them. When I reached the other end of the group, dozens of enemies fell to the ground in a bloody heap as more explosions echoed throughout the kingdom.

“Captain! What the buck was that?! Why do you have your staff in your mouth?!” Flash asked.

“Been saving this little trick for a while now, I figured now’s a good time as any to bust it out.”

“Captain! We got anti-air guns aiming at us!”

“Shit, get the ships out of there Soarin!”

“I got it!”

“What the…Zephyr?!”

Before I could order him to fall back, a huge gust of wind picked up and from the sky a large tornado spun around and impacted the outskirts of the city. The tornado blows towards the walls of Las Pegasus and sends everything in its way flying through the air, along with any unlucky enemies caught in that monster of winds. I looked up to the skies to see Zephyr himself with his arms held outward as he was actually controlling the tornado and made it continue to tear through all in its path.

Heh, that kid.

“Well let’s not give Zephyr all the glory! Soarin, reload the cannons for another volley!”

“Yes Captain!”

“Let’s do this Flash!”

“Right!”

Flash runs off as more enemies try to charge at me or fire their guns. I rush towards the group and lean toward the Caribou with my swords raised.

“THREE-SWORD STYLE, HELL BLADE WOLF STREAM!”

Using two of my swords, I block my opponents’ attacks while twisting my body around as I continuously move to approach and dodge other attacks while cutting through each of their stomachs with both sides of my staff. Blood and gore litter the ground behind me as Flash and I don’t relent, even Zephyr kept his tornado flowing which demolished everything in its wake. As I fought, I saw Alpha Squad and a large number of my crew all fighting together against the enemy forces. Wild Ace and Cloud Skipper flew through the air and were armed with rifles as they picked off any snipers. Big B and Swift Snow stuck to the ground as they worked in tandem with their swords and shields. Shadow Star had her horn lit up along with a few other unicorns as they kept a shield up and protected the troops from any stray that got past her while also blasting anyone with her magic.

“Captain! The second volley is ready to go!”

“Time to end this! Everyone, take cover! Zephyr, get out of the sky!”

“YES SIR!”

Zephyr, Flash, and I make our way towards the shield with Alpha Squad and the others and dive in.

“Shadow, full power on the shield!”

“Yes Captain!”

“BRING THE RAIN!!!”

Once again, another huge volley of explosions blast through the area, obliterating everything around us. Shadow and the others unicorns power the shield up as much as possible as the blasts go on. After about a minute of explosions, the smoke clears to reveal nothing but devastation as the song from my ear buds end. As Shadow drops the shield, we all take a moment to collect ourselves and look around. There was still fire burning and wounded enemy troops around us as they desperately tried to gather themselves. I sighed as I sheathed Ymir and took my staff out of my mouth and holstered it on my back while moving my jaw around.

“We’re not done yet.” I said as I walked forward. “No mercy for any of them, search and kill them all.”

For the next two hours, my crew, Alpha Squad, my apprentices and I took our time making our way through the area and picking off any stragglers we came across. During which, I kept rubbing my jaw since it ached a bit after pulling off the three-sword style.

“Still can’t believe you managed to actually use your staff and your swords boss.” Zephyr said.

“Yeah well I certainly can’t believe you were able to pull off summoning a freaking tornado.”

“Heh, what can I say? I know you said for me to hang back but I wanted to help more than that.”

“You do realize that tornado most likely killed anyone it tore through, right?”

Zephyr was silent for a moment as he frowned and looked away but he then shook his head and looked back at me with a stern gaze.

“I know, and I’m fine with that. I know what I signed up for, I have no regrets.”

“Atta kid.” I said, ruffling his mane.

“We seriously did a number on this place.” Shadow Star said as she walked a little ahead of the group.

“Good riddance, I always hated this city…” Cloud Skipper scoffed.

“Don’t stray too far Shadow, you never know what’ll jump out at you.” I warn.

“Oh please Captain, what’s the worst that can-”

Suddenly, an arm shoots out from the darkness of an alleyway and grabs Shadow in a headlock. A stray Caribou came out with a gun pointed at Shadow’s head. Blood dripped from his head since an antler was ripped off and his leg was twisted a bit since it looked broken.

“The fuck?!” I reached for my gun but he pulled back the hammer on his.

“Don’t move or I’ll blow her bucking brains out!” The Caribou moves the barrel of the gun to Shadow’s forehead. “Now all of you stay back!” He demanded as he backed away.

“You really don’t wanna do this buddy…” I hiss as we stayed put. “Look around you, you’re probably the only one left. Let her go, and I might just spare you to escape with whatever’s left of you.”

“You’re in no position to give demands! I barely got away with my life after your monster attacked my squad!” He growled back pulling Shadow with him so we couldn’t surround him. “I’m leaving this city alive, and unless you want a bullet through your friend here you’ll back off now!”

“You leave her the buck alone!” Wild Ace snaps.

Shadow’s horn was about to light up but the Caribou smacked her on the head.

“You bastard!” Zephyr snarls.

“Wait, monster? You mean the one that’s been popping up everywhere?”

“Don’t act coy with me!” He shouted as he continued to walk back with Shadow. “You sent that damn thing after us when we tried to flee the city!”

“We didn’t send a fucking anything after you!”

“Captain?” Shadow yelped with tears in her eyes.

“Keep your eyes on me, Shadow.”

The Caribou glanced down at Shadow and smiled a sickening smirk as his hand began to trail downwards.

“YOU MOTHER BUCKER! KEEP YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF SHADOW STAR!” Big B roars.

Just as they were going to walk back into a pitch black alley there was a sound. It sounded like a rattle snake and there was a low growl with it. The Caribou’s eyes shrunk to pin pricks as the color left his body. He suddenly turned around and threw Shadow to the floor before pointing his gun towards the alleyway. There was another sound, a wet smacking sound followed by a loud sizzling.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” The Caribou screamed as he fell onto his back clutching his eyes. He was writhing in agony as he tried to wipe a black tar off his eyes that was smoking. As I was about to aim my gun toward him, a large black clawed appendage slowly crept out from the darkened alleyway and grabbed the Caribou’s leg.

“No…NO NO NO!!!” The Caribou panicked as he tried to kick the claws off with his free leg. But his efforts were in vain as he was slowly dragged away. He tried to dig his fingers into the concrete floor to keep himself from being pulled in but to no avail.

The sick sounds of flesh being ripped apart along with the Caribou’s screams could be heard from the alleyway. All we could do was stand completely still as we listened to the grotesque noises from the darkness. Soon the screams and tearing of flesh stopped which snapped me out of my daze. I drew Surtr and ran past Shadow in the darkness to try and brighten my surroundings, but soon regretted it at the sickening sight. On the ground laid the Caribou’s body and only one thing was missing, his head.

I looked around for anything else but all I saw was lots of blood and strange claw marks on the walls. It was staggering to think something so large could do this and just disappear. I had no choice but to slowly back away and rejoin the others.

“C-Captain?”

I looked up to see Shadow trembling and the others with very uneasy looks in their faces.

“W-Was…was that?” Zephyr muttered.

“Yeah…that was him. The monster, he was right in front of us.”

“Look!” Swift shouted, pointing in the distance up on a still standing building.

Perched atop the edge was a darker figure. It was too dark to properly make out anything and I could barely make out it's outline. The only thing I did see were it’s red glowing eyes staring down at us.

“What…the Tartarus is that?”

“It’s like it’s…stalking us.”

“I’ve never seen any creature like that before.”

The creature stared at us for a few moments before moving away and out of sight.

I was about to go after it but Flash grabbed my shoulder.

“Wait, I don’t think we should pursue it.”

“Why the hell not, Flash?! That’s obviously the monster we’ve been looking for so why not now?!”

“Captain, with all due respect, but we’ve all done enough tonight. We succeeded in what we came here to do, we liberated Las Pegasus. Going after that thing now is just too much trouble. Please Lock, if not for me, for your crew.”

I gazed at my crew and noticed Shadow was still shaken up after all that had happened. I knew Flash was right, but I also knew this would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

“Fine…” I sighed. “There’s no one left in the city anyway. Gather the troops and fly back to the ships. I’m gonna take a look in one of the main buildings, see if there're any survivors.”

“Need any help?”

“Nah, I got it.”

As the others returned to the ships, I was left to my thoughts after tonight’s events and entered one of the main buildings of the city. It was the town hall and the whole place looked turned upside down and completely abandoned. I know I said I wanted to look for survivors, but mainly I wanted to be alone to think about what I had just witnessed. That monster, it was right in front of me, and I just stood there. I pulled off my hood and took off my mask and pinched the bridge of my nose. This was probably the craziest night I’ve ever experienced that led from one thing to another.

“What a mess…”

I resumed walking through the town hall when I noticed one of the doors was still shut while the others seemed to be wide open. With curiosity getting the better of me, I reached to open it only to find that it was locked.

“Now why are you locked while the others are wide open?”

I decided to investigate so I gripped the handle while also placing a hand on Ymir’s grip and yanked the door open off its hinges. When I stepped inside, I was met with a putrid stench of rot. I then held up my hand and snapped my finger to hold a small flame on my thumb to see better. Inside was a sort of cell with a barred door and inside I could make out a figure laying on its side. He looked like a stallion and there were wounds that littered his extremely lethargic body, it’s as if they hadn’t fed him for several months. His white fur had blotches off dirt and grime and I could barely make out what color his mane and tail was.

CRACK!

When I stepped through and stepped on something made of glass. I looked down to see I had stepped on some kind of eyewear. When I bent down to pick it up…my heart stopped. It was a monocle…which made me gasp and look up to the unmoving stallion.

“Fancy…Pants?”

The stallion weakly grunts and slowly turns over so I can see his face. Sure enough, Fancy Pants stared back at me with glazed eyes.

“FANCY PANTS!”

I grabbed the bars and ripped the door off its hinges and stepped over to the kind noble. He coughed and was about to say something but I bent down to pick him up.

“Stay with me Fancy, you’re ok, you’re going home!”

I draped the cloth he was laying on over his waist and tucked my hands under him and picked him up. I left the room and straight out of the building so I could get a proper look at him. He’s in worse shape than I thought and his breathing was laboring.

“Hang on Fancy, I’ll save you!”

I laid him down on a nearby bench and clapped my hands together. Hellfire ignites my hands and I place them on Fancy’s chest. His breathing seems to be stabilizing, but something’s wrong.

“The hell?”

I put more energy in my healing which seems to close his wounds but I can feel his heartbeat laboring with each passing moment.

“What the hell?! Hey come the fuck on! Heal him damnit!”

I grunted as I put more energy into my Hellfire, making the flames flow brighter but it’s doing little to help him.

“COME ON! COME ON FANCY! NOT YOU! NOT YOU TOO HELL DAMNIT!”

“Mortal.”

I looked up to see Lucifer stare down at Fancy with eyes of pity.

“His condition…is mortal.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?! I can regenerate the horns of unicorns and heal any wound but I can’t heal Fancy?! Zephyr was the same way and I managed to heal him just fine!”

“That is because he was fed and nourished more than this stallion. He looks like he was never even fed a single crumb of sustenance. The healing flames of Hell can do many things such as heal any wound and repair what is broken. Such as mend bones, heal blade wounds, and even grow horns back. But afflictions such as direct damage to major organs such as the heart and brain, or prolonged starvation, especially when using one’s own life force to keep a shield up for months on end without rest, that…that is mortal.”

“Those…sick…fucks!” I growled. “Fancy? Fancy! Fancy look at me!”

Fancy opens his eyes but barely as he looks to me.

“There is not much you can do, Dimitri.”

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!”

“Very well…”

“Y…you…”

“I’m here Fancy. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Dimitri.”

“Di…mi…tri…”

“That’s right, just hang in there, ok? I’ll have you right as rain in no time.”

“M…ma…ne.”

“What?”

“M…my…m…mane.” He croaks as he points to his head.

I looked to his mane and turf to find whatever it was he wanted. I then noticed something tangled deep within his dirty hair. I gently reached over with my left hand and untangled it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring with a rose gold band. He weakly placed his hand on mine as he stared at the ring.

“Fl…eur…”

“This is hers?”

“Pro…p…prop…”

“Propose? You were gonna propose to her.”

“F…find…her.”

“I’ll find her, I promise I will. We’ll find her together.”

“Th…thank…”

“It’s ok, don’t talk. I’ll have you better in-”

SLUMP

I froze as Fancy’s hand slipped off mine. I turned to see his face had a weak smile and his eyes were closed. The flames from my Hellfire slowly snuffed out as I continued to stare at Fancy.

“Fancy…?”

He gave no response. Fancy Pants, the most kind noble ever known…passed away in my arms. I grit my teeth and hung my head as I kneeled on the ground. Twice, twice I had to see this happen, where a noble pony had passed on and I couldn’t do a thing to stop it.

“UuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRHHHHHH!!!”

As I roared in pure distress in the shadow of the night, a bright light appeared behind me but I was too distraught to care. When I finished screaming, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It felt comforting and warm, which made me stop screaming for a moment to see who it was.

I slowly looked up to see a human man wearing a long grey hooded coat with silver pauldrons, white undershirt with a black tie hanging loosely around his neck, black pants with silver knee guards, and black silver toed boots. On his back was a pair of large white feathered wings, the end of the feather tips shining a golden color. His face was a face I didn’t think I’d see in this world, how his hair was dark brown and was long enough to reach his shoulders, he had a goatee that covered his mouth and chin. But the eyes, those pale blue eyes and that voice were all I needed to know who he was.

“Hello Lock, it’s been some time…” He said with a sad frown.

“…Phill?”

Author's Note

Another city freed, but another noble soul lost…
The Devil meets the Angel at last.

Side note, I must’ve watched multiple poker movies and irl card games to get the poker games right. I hope I did well and if there’s anything you’d all like to comment about it, let me know!

Hope you all enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil’s and The Angel’s Impasse

Chapter 22

3rd POV

“Hello Lock, it’s been some time…”

“…Phill?”

Lock desperately wanted to believe who he was seeing was just an illusion. That because of his distress after Fancy Pants’ passing, his distraught mind was causing him to hallucinate. But this man, this white winged man who was standing over him as he knelt in front of the kind noble’s cold form, was as real as the world he was waging war in. To make things more unexplainable, it was none other than his old friend from Earth he’d left behind, Phillip Christopher McHaggard. Lock slowly stood up and turned to face his friend, still in shock at the very sight of him and still in mourning over the recent loss of life.

“Phill…but, this can’t be.” Lock said. “How? You can’t be Phill.”

“That any way to greet a friend, mate? Cause I still remember the time when ya picked a fight with that bloke who mocked you for being an American.” Phill said with a small smirk.

“Hey, that asshole deserved it! He kept spouting stupid shit like I didn’t belong in-”

This only confirmed it for Lock, because the memory of that night played out in his mind. It was at the local bar when Lock and Phill were out drinking and minding their own business. Out of nowhere, a drunkard called Lock out for being a foreigner and to go back to his country where he belonged. Normally this wouldn’t have bothered Lock, but when Phill tried to defend his friend by telling the drunkard that he was a military vet for the U.K., the drunkard went as far to insult his honor and said he probably killed his own platoon. That set Lock off as he proceeded to beat the daylights out of the drunkard. Some say if the barkeep didn’t call the cops that night, Lock wouldn’t have stopped and could’ve easily beat him to death. Luckily, no charges were filed against Lock since he was provoked and Phill had a couple of friends on the force that would put in a good word for Lock. However both he and Phill weren’t welcome in the bar again so they just drank by themselves from then on.

“Phill…it’s really you.” Lock said in disbelief.

“That it is mate, that it-oof!”

Phill was caught off guard when Lock pulled him in for a bro hug. Phill stood there frozen for a moment but relaxed and smiled as he returned the embrace of his friend. “How the bloody hell are you here, you fat bastard?” Lock asked.

“Oi!” Phill snorts as he shoves Lock away. “I told ya so many times that I ain’t fat! I’m slightly pudgy!”

“That’s still fat, bro.”

“Ya little shite, I LOOK fat to ya?!”

Lock glanced at Phill and took notice that he indeed no longer was as thick as he was before. Lock also took notice that Phill was slightly taller now, almost as tall as Lock. But the most distinguishable feature about his friend was not his height, nor his clothes, but the pair of large wings on his back.

“Well…you certainly have leaned up quite a bit, not to mention you have freaking wings.”

“I could say the same about ya, given ya also have bloody wings as well. They’re not red cause that’s actual blood, right?”

“No of course not, they’re just red cause they are.”

Lock turned around and was reminded of the late noble who laid on the bench he was placed on. Lock frowned and faced the noble as Phill stepped up beside him.

“Jaysus…look at the poor sod.”

“They did this…” Lock growled as his hand clenched into a fist. “They starved him for months, not even bothering to give him a single morsel of food. He…he was one of the good ones, probably the best.”

“I’m mighty sorry for ya loss, mate.” Phill said as he placed his hand on Lock’s shoulder. “The Lord will make sure he’s well accommodated.”

It was then Lock realized something else once Phill said that last sentence. He turned to face his friend with an expression of mixed emotions; ranging from anger, sadness, confusion, disbelief, uncertainty, and caution.

“What’s the matter?”

“You, those wings…Phill, are you…the Saint?”

Phill sighed and rubbed the back of his head with one hand and placed the other on his hip. He then took a step back and slowly unfurled his wings and gazed at Lock with a serious expression. “Yes Lock, I, Phillip C. McHaggard, am the Angel’s Saint. I was chosen as their holy champion just as the Devil, Satanael, chose you as his unholy champion.”

As Phill furled his wings back, Lock became more angry than confused at his friend. He knew he would run into the Saint eventually, but didn’t think it’d be this soon, let alone be his friend from Earth.

“Phill…why the hell are you here?” Lock demands.

“Pardon?”

“Don’t play dumb! Why the bloody hell are you here?! Why did Michael choose you out of all people?! Did you pray to him and he somehow answered your prayer and here you are?! What’s more, the Saint?! What do you mean you’re the Saint?! What gave Michael the right to drag you here and play lapdog for the Angels?!”

“Now wait just a bloody fockn’ minute, mate! I don’t wanna hear any of that bullshite from someone who threw his soul away to sign up with the fockn’ bloody Devil! I mean seriously, the fock were ya thinkin’ man?! The Devil?!”

“Don’t change the subject, McHaggard! I want answers! I want to know why and how you’re here!”

“Because Saint Michael saved me life! That’s why!”

Lock stopped at Phill’s answer and took a moment to calm down. “What do you mean he saved you?”

“sigh…After ya disappeared, I fell into a rut. I was drinkin’ more than usual and no one knew where the hell ya were. It was just another late night at the shop when a bloke came in armed with a piece. I tried to yank the thing away from the arsehole but he got the drop on me and shot me.”

“How are you alive if he shot you?” Lock wondered.

“Glancin’ shot, not direct but enough to threaten me life. Anyway, before I checked out, I prayed to see you again and blacked out. I believed I died but the next thing I know, I’m standing in a grassy field with the leader of the Archangels himself. Saint Michael offered me to become the Saint after he showed me all ya’ve been doin’ since ya got here and I gotta say, ya’ve been very brutal as of late. I also came here to save ya too.”

“What’re you implying?”

“Have ya not seen the state of this city?” Phill said as he gestured to the destroyed remains of Las Pegasus. “Not to mention that ya slaughtered everyone here. I’m here to help get yourself back to reality, mate. Ya’re becoming a senseless killer as the days go by and ya don’t even see it yet.”

“Hey, I saved the mares and brainwashed stallions. As for the rest of them, they got what they fucking deserved. I could give a shit how many of them fall by my blade!” Lock protested.

“Yeah, but why?”

“You damn well know why!”

“No, I don’t actually! Is all this even necessary mate?! All this senseless death and destruction?! It’s not right what ya’re doin’!”

“Don’t you dare lecture me about what’s right and what isn’t!” Lock snapped as he pointed at Phill. “These Caribou brought all this on themselves when they turned this whole world upside down!”

“That still don’t give ya the right to kill whoever ya please! Especially the stallions!” Phill argued.

“I have the only right!” Lock shot back. “Look around you, Phill, have you not seen the state of what this world has become?! I’ve also heard about your exploits, how you’ve been liberating cities and towns as well. So you tell me if these fuckers don’t deserve to be punished! I dare you!”

“Ya’re right, they do deserve punishment, but that don’t mean they all deserve death.” Phill said.

“After what they did to Fancy Pants?!” Lock shouted, pointing at Fancy’s corpse. “After what they did to Equestria?! After what they did to Shining Armor and whoever else’s lives they destroyed?! How can you say that?!”

“Because it’s not your place to decide who lives and who dies! No matter who they are and what they did! The Caribou, I admit, most are beyond redemption, but there’s still those who shouldn’t have to pay with their very lives! They deserve proper judgement! Including the stallions who threw in with them!”

“Judgement?! JUDGEMENT?! They deserve to be torn to pieces and left to rot for all I care! They deserve to burn in the deepest pits of Hell, all of them! None deserve any of this judgement you’re going in about!”

“Do ya really mean that? That ya’ll kill all the Caribou?”

“If it means reclaiming this world’s lost peace, then I’ll do just that!”

“So…does that include the ones who are but women and children?” Lock paused at Phill’s question as he continued. “Genocide, Lock, that’s what ya’re implying ya’d do. When ya say they all deserve death, I’m hearin’ that ya’ll even kill the young and women. Are ya saying after ya’re done here, ya’ll travel to their homeland and wipe the rest out?!”

“That’s…that’s not the point!”

“Isn’t it?! Have ya seen yourself?! Have ya looked back at all the lives ya’ve taken so far?!”

“I’ve never harmed anyone who didn’t deserve it!”

“That ain’t the point I’m making! I get it, alright?! These bastards are the scum of the world, but that don’t mean they’re all bad!”

“Of course they fucking are! They enslaved all the mares and any other female, killed any who tried to resist, forced others to do their bidding, and took away this world’s freedom! I wouldn’t even be here if that weren’t the case! And just so you haven’t noticed, I haven’t seen a single doe or buck or fawn or anything of the sort! Nothing but shitty Caribou stags doing shitty deeds under the rule of their bastard King! Who knows what happened to the women and children?!”

“But what about ponies, hmm?! Ya plan to kill them all as well?! That’s no different from what ya’re doing to the Caribou!”

“So the fuck what?! They made their choice and spat in Equestria’s face! They chose to sign up with Dainn, they chose to turn their backs on their homeland, they chose to indulge in the sick desires the Caribou do, and they CHOSE to not give a flying fuck about what they’ve done!” Lock proclaimed.

“That’s bullshite!” Phill snapped. “Did ya even stop and consider that maybe there’s some who might wish to repent?!”

“There is no justice for those who betray others! I will never give any shred of mercy to those who turned their backs on everything and everyone they lived for!”

“WHAT KIND OF POOR EXCUSE IS THAT, LOCKDROM?! THEY DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE!!”

“NO THEY DON’T, MCHAGGARD, NO MERCY FOR TRAITORS!!”

Both warriors drew their swords and pointed them at each other as their wings flared outward. They glared at each other as the air around them grew thick and tense. Neither of them made a move as they stood their ground, daring the other to make a move. Small embers flickered off Lock’s blade, Surtr, and along his arm as Phill’s sword glowed and illuminated the area around him.

“Ya’ve changed, Lock, ya never would’ve lost your cool like this.”

“You know how I feel about traitors, Phill, you of all people should know.”

“So that’s what this is about? To satisfy your own desire for vengeance?”

“This was never about me, it’s about doing what must be done for the sake of others, no matter the cost.”

“Even your soul?”

“Especially my soul, and anything else if need be.”

Phill gazed at Lock for a moment, then sighed as he relaxed his stance and sheathed his sword. “Lock, what’s this really about?”

“I already told you, it’s about doing what’s right.” Lock said as he sheathed his own blade.

“Is it? ‘Cause I’m thinkin’ it might be about somethin’ else.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Ya sure? Cause it sounds to me ya really are makin’ all this about you.”

“Why would I do that? This is war, Phill, I’ve never put myself behind others.”

“Do ya wanna know why I’ve been savin’ ponies and Caribou? It’s because I’m trying to preserve the balance. I have a place called Sanctuary I’m hold up in, it’s a ways from here hidden in the Appaloosan Mountains. There, I give ponies a chance to hope again, much like ya’re doing with that little growing town of Ponyville. But it’s also a place I bring those who’ve turned on their own for a chance to repent. The Caribou? They’re a right foul race, but that don’t mean they all have to die. Just kept locked up in a box until all this war shite is over and done with. As for any stallions who’ve thrown in with them, I offered them repentance because I know deep down that there’s a chance that they can be redeemed. You’d be surprised how many stallions have begged for forgiveness already and wish to fight back.”

“And what exactly do you want me to do, follow your example? It doesn’t change the fact that they betrayed everyone. And you’re just wasting whatever resources you have by keeping them alive.”

“Well…what about that old mate of yours, Clay?”

Lock froze and looked away at the mention of his old friend’s name. He clenched his fists and glared back at Phill who wasn’t fazed by his gaze.

“Just what the hell has he got to do with any of this?” Lock hissed.

“Probably everything, considering that ya’re so passionate about smiting the traitors.” Phill said as he crossed his arms. “I still remember that story ya told me about what happened.”

“Well if you still remember then you have no right to judge me for my actions! What happened to Joshua was my fault! I made it the rest of my service’s purpose to track down the one responsible for betraying my platoon and I made him suffer for it! If it weren’t for that piece of rat shit, Joshua would still be alive right now! But all I have to settle for is the satisfaction that I sent the piece of shit traitor to Hell where he’s no doubt burning where he belongs. That’s why McHaggard, that’s why I won’t spare any traitor, because they’re all the same no matter what!”

“So that’s it, ya still blame yourself.” Phill sighed. “Even though it was never your fault.”

“Yes it was.”

“No, Lock, it wasn’t.”

“How would you know?!”

“Because according to you, you weren’t the only one with a trigger!”

“HE’S DEAD BECAUSE OF ME!”

“IT WEREN’T YOUR FAULT LOCK!”

“YES IT WAS! I GOT JOSHUA CLAY KILLED BECAUSE I WENT AWOL AGAINST HIS ORDERS!”

Saying it out loud only caused the scar on his back to throb more and more. That day, the last of Lock’s military service, was a dark day for him. Joshua Clay was the Commanding Officer of Lock’s platoon. They soon discovered that there was a traitor amongst the platoon who sold intel to the enemy in exchange for funds and any other contraband they offered. One day, Lock found out who it was and prepared to expose him, but it was too late. Thanks to the info leaked, many men died because of a few pin pointed attacks on U.K. military bases. Including Joshua Clay’s cousin who was stationed at one of the bases. The traitor managed to slip out of the military’s radar during all the commotion and the trail had gone cold. Joshua and Lock wanted to track the traitor down, but the higher ups had ordered Joshua’s platoon to stand down and let someone else handle the traitor. But Lock, he was the type to never let something like this get swept under the rug and handled later.

For three years, Lock spent his spare time secretly gathering information on the traitor’s whereabouts. That is until Joshua found out about his search and appreciated the gesture but gave him a direct order to abandon his hunt. However, Lock had other plans. When the next time they were stationed it was in an area coincidentally near where the traitor’s last known whereabouts were reported. Against Joshua’s orders and behind his back, Lock went to hunt down the traitor to see if he could find him. To Lock’s fortune, he found the traitor but was surrounded by enemies. Lock, on the other hand, was undeterred and proceeded to take them all on himself. One bloody firefight and a bunch of dead bodies later, he had the traitor in his clutches but was discovered by Joshua. The memory of that day painfully played out in Lock’s mind once again.

Flashback

“You stinking pile of traitor shit, for three years I’ve waited to make you pay.” Lock growled as he trudged over to the cowering man.

“Fuck you! You’re a goddamn psycho! You killed everyone!”

“Those the final words you really wanna utter?” Lock said as he raised his weapon to aim at his prey. “Cause I gotta say, they’re pretty shit for a dead man.”

SLAM!

The door swung open to reveal Joshua who was appalled at the sight of the numerous dead terrorists that were slain by his subordinate.

“Lock! Lock, what’ve you done?!”

“I killed them, the fuck’s it look like?”

“You slaughtered them all, Lock! This isn’t what we were sent here to do!”

“Hmph, maybe not what you were sent here to do but it sure as hell is what I came here to do. This piece of shit betrayed all of us, got your cousin killed, and had the fucking balls to laugh about it!”

“Fuck you asshole! I’d’ve done it again if it meant killing a psycho like you!” The traitor mocked.

Lock glared back at the traitor and pulled out his Ka-Bar combat knife. “I’ll fucking rip your balls off…”

“Lock, I don’t even recognize you…” Joshua said.

“Well that’s your fucking problem, Josh. Get the fuck over it and help me kill this bastard!”

“Don’t you dare turn away from me, Lock! You will answer for this! There are better ways than senseless slaughter!”

“Tell that to your cousin, Clay.”

CHA-CHUNK!

Lock paused as he looked over his shoulder to see Joshua aiming his weapon at him.

“You wanna use that gun, Josh? Use it right the fuck now…”

“I’m ordering you to drop your weapons right fucking now!”

Lock growled and turned to aim his own weapon at Josh. “You first, asshole!”

“DON’T DO IT!”

BANG!

That gunshot came from neither soldier as both were yet to pull the trigger. Blood dripped out of Joshua’s mouth as he looked down to see a bullet wound where his heart was. His eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to say something but fell backwards and to the ground. When Lock turned around, he saw in the Traitor’s hand a gun he had hidden in his clothes. Lock said nothing as he cocked his rifle and unloaded the whole clip into the traitor and didn’t stop firing, even when the magazine was empty and the traitor was a bullet riddled mess. Lock dropped his weapon and spun around to kneel by his dying friend as Joshua’s breathing labored.

“Josh…?” Lock muttered.

“You…cough…you…were always…the best of us. Never…forget…yourself. And…don’t…blam…e…”

Joshua’s eyes closed as he took his last breath and died in Lock’s arms. A flurry of emotions surged through Lock’s soul as he stared blankly at his fallen friend. Suddenly the door had burst open to reveal more enemies who were aiming their weapons at Lock and even came at him with large blades. Lock grabbed his fallen friend’s rifle and seethed at his attackers as he charged at them with his Ka-Bar and rifle.

“RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!!!”

The fight lasted for several hours and it had turned to night. When the reinforcements of the U.K. military showed up, all they saw were lots of blood and countless dead bodies. From the carnage, a single man stood, covered in blood, bare chested, and armed with a broken Ka-Bar and a still smoking AK-47. It was Lock, with an eye heavily damaged from a bullet’s shrapnel being lodged inside and a large slash wound on his back that stretched from the back of his shoulder down to the other side of his waist. Officials dubbed it as a mission gone wrong and Lock was the only survivor. They deemed him a war hero who foiled the enemy’s plans and killed them all with the help and sacrifice of his C.O. As for Lock, he knew the truth of what transpired between him and Joshua. In spite of that, no matter how many times he’d tell them what really happened, they would just brush it off and tell him that what’s done is done. They even told him that even though his actions would’ve earned him a court-martial and dishonorable discharge, they deemed that he had suffered enough.

Lock spent almost a year in recovery, both mentally and physically. When Lock had recovered from the hospital, with a new eye, and honorably discharged, the first thing he did was to share what happened to Josh to the rest of his platoon and Joshua’s family. He knew they’d resent him for what he did, and they did indeed blame him for Joshua’s death. Ever since then, Lock had been internally beating himself up over what had happened. He felt it was his fault that Joshua Clay was dead because he refused to follow orders, even though the cause was because the traitor pulled the trigger.

Flashback End

“He was a great man…” Lock muttered. “Too great a man…I saw him as another brother of mine. I should’ve listened to him. I swore I’d make anyone who betrayed anyone suffer, so that no one would feel the pain I feel. So yeah, maybe this whole thing is a little bit about me, maybe I am walking my own path for redemption. If I can help win this war, maybe I’ll have honored Joshua’s memory properly in some way.”

“But Lock, your own soul? Ya’d go that far for something that happened years ago?” Phill sighed.

“It’s all I have left, Phill. People may call me a stupid or naïve for why I’m doing this but I don’t care. My past is my past and it should stay dead and buried along with Josh.”

“So where does this leave us?” Phill wondered.

“Since we’re both fighting for somewhat similar reasons, I’ll let you continue liberating the rest of Equestria as you see fit. Just make sure we’re not in the same place. You can go on about trying to help those who wish to repent. I’ll even let you keep hauling in and imprisoning Caribou, in honor of our friendship. Just make sure you keep this in mind: I was the one sent here first to save this world, not you. You’re only here because Michael and his precious Archangels are too righteous for their own good and can’t seem to see the bigger picture.” Lock explained.

“Ya saying I don’t belong here?” Phill snorts.

“It’s no longer about whether or not you belong. You’re here now and that’s just how things are. So you stay on your side of the playing field and I’ll stay on mine, agreed?” Lock said as he held out his hand.

Phill frowned and sighed as he grasped Lock’s hand and gave him a firm shake. “Sure, bro, whatever you say.”

Lock nodded and turned around to pick up Fancy’s corpse. “If it’s any consolation, despite the circumstances, it’s…honestly good to see you again.”

“Same, bro, maybe share a drink sometime?” Phill offered.

“Of course.” Lock agreed as he unfurled his wings. “Be seeing you.” With that, Lock flapped his wings and took to the skies as Phill watched him fly away.

Phill 1st POV

I sighed once again as I tucked my hands in my coat’s pockets and strode through the abandoned streets of the ruined city of Las Pegasus. If I was honest with myself, this wasn’t the reunion I was hoping for with my old friend. The conversation had changed so quickly from a heartwarming reunion to the point where we actually drew our swords on one another. I always knew that Lock had kept his pain deep within his heart, even back on Earth when he sometimes drank more than usual to which he ended up getting almost too piss drunk to walk straight. I gazed up at the late starry sky with a melancholy expression and watched Lock’s ships sail away.

“I hope ya know what ya’re doin’ to yourself, mate. I’d hate if we one day were forced to cross blades against each other.” I said aloud solemnly.

Just as I was about to take my own flight away from this God forsaken place, I heard a sound in the distance that made me pause. It sounded like someone was weeping, and it sounded young, too young. Against my better judgment, I went to investigate the sound and kept my hand on my sword’s grip just in case. The weeping grew louder as I neared a building that was still intact and was spared from the cannon fire from Lock’s ships. I scowled at the thought and hoped to the Lord what I was hearing wasn’t what I thought it was.

The door was kicked off its hinges as I stepped inside to see an unfortunate sight. A Caribou stag and black collared pony mare lay dead next to each other. The poor mare had a knife in her chest and the stag had a bullet wound in his head. In the mare’s hand was a pistol with one of the bullet’s shells on the ground. If I were to guess what happened, the stag must’ve killed the mare before she shot him and the looks of it, it seemed she was protecting something. The sounds of weeping returned and they were much louder this time. It sounded like it was coming from one of the closed doors. I reached over to open it and found something that made me gasp.

A wee pegasus foal, no older than maybe over a few months, lay on the floor, wrapped in a blanket, and crying her little eyes out. The poor thing was reaching out for someone to hold her, but she would never get the chance to feel her mother’s embrace again. I frowned as I knelt in front of the filly as she sniffled and whimpered and opened her eyes to look at me. Her eyes were a pretty hazel color, her mane and tail were frizzy and a ginger orange color, and her fur was a sort of brownish red shade. Her bottom lip quivered and she began to cry again, which broke my heart at the sight of her weeping. I reached over and gently picked her up while making sure she was still wrapped in the blanket and stood up straight as I cradled her.

“Shhh shhh shhh, it’s ok, wee lass.” I said soothingly as I rocked her back and forth. “It’s ok, ya’re safe now, I got you.” The filly stopped crying for a moment again as she looked up at me with tears still in her eyes. As she sniffled and whimpered, I unfurled my right wing and brought its feathers up to her. She eyed the feathers and reached out to touch them which seemed to calm her down more. I held her with one arm and caressed her cheek with my finger. The filly then grasped my finger and held it close as she smiled a little and nuzzled my finger.

“A wee little thing like you, caught in all this mess?” I asked myself as I glanced back at her late mother. “I suppose even a mother’s love can protect the smallest of miracles.”

The filly mumbles small baby babble, making me look down at her. She looks back at me and smiles which makes me smile as well. I bring my finger to scratch behind her little ears which makes her giggle and nuzzle into my chest. The filly then yawned with a small squeak and closed her eyes and fell asleep.

“Poor lass…”

I turned away from the door and walked towards the exit of the building. Before I walked out, I glanced over my shoulder to look at the late mare.

“I don’t know who ya were, but I swear to ya: your little foal is in good hands. I’ll watch over her as if she were me own. May the Lord welcome ya in His loving embrace, where you shall find peace within His holy virtue.”

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
Amen.”

Once I finished my prayer I walked out the door and flapped my wings to take to the skies. As I flew, the filly shivered a little from the wind so I wrapped the blanket around her more to keep her warm. Her frizzy hair reminds me of some of the girls from my hometown, even my late mum who had hair like hers. Just then, a thought popped in my head which made me smile and lean down to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Merida, your name is now Merida. And I’ll protect you and raise you to the best of me power.”

With that I resume my flight back to Sanctuary, with my new little miracle snuggled safely in my arms.

Author's Note

Whose path is the right one? The way of the Devil, or the Angel’s vision?

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil’s Conflictions

Chapter 23

3rd POV
Manehattan

A week has passed since the liberation of Las Pegasus and the mood of the Caribou forces had dwindled to an uneasy anxiousness. No one expected this, how could they? Things were going so well for them since they took over the world and they were basically doing whatever they pleased without a thought to second guess themselves. But now things have begun to change at a rapid pace ever since the Devil of the Caribou had shown up, along with the white winged warrior and the unknown monster that's been running amok. According to the reports, Equestria was now half way liberated from the Caribou’s control. There were still a few cities and towns left not yet touched by any of the rebels and Manehattan was the only major city left standing. No one had heard any orders on how to properly deal with the Hand and his band of rebels from the King Pony, not even from Overlord Lust. However, ever since Las Pegasus was liberated, Lust’s second in command had been beside himself with rage that his forces were so incompetant to properly deal with the repetitive defeats that were happening as of late.

The residents of the city of Manehattan were going on about their usual routine of doing what they pleased; which usually consisted of either raping mares, doing drugs, or whatever else that came to mind. In the Rich District, where nobles of high society or high ranking Caribou lived, sat a large manor on the edge of the neighborhood. It was three stories high and stretched at least an acre or two wide. This large building was none other than the King Pony’s personal mansion that Lust gifted him for his loyalty and information he procured for him during the early stages of the Fall. Outside the large double doors of the mansion stood two stag guards, dressed in heavy combat gear and armed with advanced rifles. They simply stood there at attention, not really saying much, until they heard a large crash from inside and incoherent verbal shouts which made the stags glance at each other nervously.

“Boss seems pretty pissed.” The stag on the right said.

“Can you honestly blame him? Things are getting more bucked than I care to admit. I mean, we were supposed to be in constant control by putting those royal cunts in their rightful place. I had heard a while back that we almost did, if that demon hadn’t shown up in a pillar of fire.” The stag on the left sighed.

“I honestly can’t believe that it’s an actual demon who’s fighting back.”

“A buddy of mine was stationed in Detrott. When it was taken over, he was one of the few survivors and kept screaming how a red winged demon tore everyone apart. He kept going on about how the demon has powers unlike anything he’d seen before, how he watched a group of Caribou get burned away in a massive blast of flames.”

“Shit, have you ever heard of magic like that?”

“I couldn’t tell you, and don’t get me started about what happened in Appleloosa.”

“Oh yeah...that dragon. But I thought all the dragons were dealt with and conquered by Overlord Pride?”

“I thought so too, but apparently this dragon was unlike any other.”

“Maybe one managed to slip away?”

“Who knows, Overlord Pride has his own more important duties to attend to such as ruling the Dragon Lands and assisting King Dainn.”

“What kind of duties?”

“I had heard once, before I left the Crystal Empire, that King Dainn is looking for something.”

“Really? Any idea what it is?”

“How the hay should I know?”

“I’m just asking, dude, no need to snap at me.”

“Whatever, I’m just on edge is all.”

“We all are, man.”

CRASH!

The two guards jumped when they heard another loud noise coming from the inside of the mansion. They looked at each other and the doors behind them as an uneasy feeling washed over them.

“You may throw all the childish tantrums you wish, but our word is final.”

Within the mansion, in the King Pony’s main office, a transparent display of Overlord Lust himself stood in front of the King Pony via holo crystal. Along with the other Overlords whose images remained darkened as they listened silently to their fellow Sin talk his underling down. The King Pony had contacted them on a number of occasions to request reinforcements from the Crystal Empire, possibly from any of the other Overlords, but his requests were repeatedly denied which agitated the King Pony to no end. The King Pony could do nothing but stand there with his fists clenched as Lust stared blankly at him.

“You seem to forget that I do not care in the slightest if the Hand takes Manehattan next. I am the one who is in control, not you. If you are killed we shall simply have someone else take your place, such as my War Chief. I gave you your position because I saw how your hatred for Equestira burned more than any other stallion around. But that doesn’t mean you deserve any special treatment you wish for. Remember, you are my pawn, a nobody who is doing all the grunt work for me while I am where I belong: on my throne by my King’s grace. Besides, I personally want the Hand and those other rebels to continue liberating Equestria. Because once they come to the Crystal Empire, I shall make them and the rest of the ponies experience the true passion of lust.”

“But I-”

“I shall hear nothing more.” Lust huffed with his hand raised. “You should at least have the dignity to admit you are out of your league. Enjoy your spoils with whatever time the Hand provides you, Mr. M, before he comes to take Manehattan back. This shall be the last we speak with each other, Mr. M, Goodbye.”

Before the King Pony could protest further, the holo crystal deactivated and the room was left quiet. The King Pony trembled with rage at the crystal before raising his hoof and smashing it to pieces. He felt disgraced, cheated, and abandoned by the one he believed had his back when he was found by Lust when the Fall first began. The hatred for the ponies around him, even his own family, burned for many years. He always had felt left out, hiding in the shadow of someone who always got the glory for saving the day, which made his hatred for Equestria blacken his heart more and more over the years. When Lust discovered him when the attack commenced upon Manehattan, the Overlord could sense his hatred deep within his heart and offered to have the stallion serve him. The stallion wasted no time accepting his offer and quickly showed his worth to the takeover of Equestria. But now, he felt as if he was back to where he started: a nobody, in the shadow of that which he used to call family, nothing to show for himself.

The King Pony stomped over to the doors leading out of his office and kicked them open, knocking a brainwashed messenger pony on the ground as he looked up at his boss in fear. “The buck do you want?!” The King Pony hissed as he seethed down at the trembling colt.

“I…um, gulp, I g-got those new…wanted posters p-printed for you, s-sir…” The trembling colt cowered as he held them up. The King Pony snatched the posters away and gazed at each one of them.

Devil of The Caribou: 100,000,000 bits. Dead or Alive.

Stallion Devil of Speed: 70,000,000 bits. Dead or Alive.

Stallion Devil of Storms: 30,000,000 bits. Dead or Alive.

“Double them.” The King Pony ordered.

“But we already-”

WHACK!

“I SAID BUCKIN’ DOUBLE THEM!!” The King Pony roared as he punched the colt.

The messenger nodded frantically and scurried away as the King Pony marched his way through the halls of his manner. Any Caribou or stallions in his path backed away as he stormed past them. One in particular was one of his top officers whom he pointed at to walk with him.

“Is there something you need sir?” His officer asked.

“Get yourself a large ship full of warriors and sail to Ponyville, take as many as you need with ya.”

“But sir, what about the strange barrier?” The officer inquired.

“I DON’T GIVE A FLYIN’ BUCK!! TAKE SOME SLUTS WITH YA AS LEVERAGE!! I WANT THAT DEVIL’S HEAD!!”

“Oh course sir, it shall be done.” The officer nodded as he left.

“And one more thing!” The King Pony called out. “If you manage to get that Apple cunt, bring her to me personally.”

“May I ask why?”

“If ya must know, I have some personal ties with that bitch. Now get to it!”

“Yes sir.”

With that, the King Pony continued his trek to a certain room. Whenever he was in this mood, there was only one slave he owned out of the many who could help satiate his nerves. He came across a metal door with a large lock. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a key and unlocked it. The door opened to reveal room filled with various sexual torture devices and tools and a table in the middle. The room reeked of bodily fluids and aphrodisiacs as he walked in and took off his jacket. Strapped to the table, with a ball gag in her mouth, whip wounds that littered her body, piercings in her breast’s nipples, and abnormally shaped dildos shoved into her vagina and anus, and wearing a purple collar was the zebra mare shaman known as Zecora. Zecora laid there, constantly moaning and drooling and climaxing as the King Pony gazed at her with malicious intent.

“I’m in a buckin’ bad mood.” He hissed as he unzipped his trousers and licked his lips. “And you’re gonna make me feel better, stupid zebra cunt.”

Meanwhile

The liberation of Las Pegasus had left a bittersweet atmosphere with Lock’s crew. When Lock returned to his ship with Fancy Pants, everyone was devastated to see the humble noble had passed. Lock’s first order was to sail back to Canterlot so he could inform Celestia and Luna what transpired in the city and to arrange a funeral for Fancy Pants. Lock made sure to pick Twilight and her friends up before they went to Canterlot and the sight of Fancy Pants was a very disheartening sight for them. Especially poor Rarity since she was good friends with Fancy Pants, which made her weep the whole ride to Canterlot.

Once they arrived, Lock personally carried Fancy’s body through the streets of Canterlot. The residents all gasped, cried, or looked away for they could not believe such a soul like Fancy Pants was taken. Celestia and Luna were arguably the ones who took his death the worst out of anyone. Seeing their dear friend dead and being carried by the rebel leader caused them to immediately break down in tears. Celestia begged Fancy to open his eyes but received no response which only made her cry out more. Lock just stood there, unable to cope, unable to process, and unable to show any reaction at all that had transpired.

While Celestia and Luna were reluctantly preparing the funeral arrangements, Lock was having an internal war of emotions running through his mind. The appearance of his old friend, finding out he was the Saint, remembering the tragic loss of Joshua Clay, and questioning his role in this world as the Hand swirled within his mind which made him feel like he was going mad.

Lock knew what his purpose on Eques was: to free everyone from the Caribou tyranny and bring peace. Most of all, settling the debt of Dainn’s soul to Satanael and sending the Seven Sins back to Hell to receive due punishment. Ever since he arrived in this world, all he’s been accomplishing was liberating the cities and towns, freeing slaves, breaking the stallion’s brainwashing, and giving hope to those who believed they lost it. Despite all this, the one part about his campaign was all the lives he had taken. Hundreds, if not, thousands of Caribou and stallions had brutally lost their lives to the Hand. Lock knew what he was doing, he knew why he had to kill: because they deserved it, all of them. However now, after his encounter with Phill, he was beginning to second guess his motives.

Did they all deserve to die? Did they all not deserve a second chance? The Caribou were an exception, but the stallions on the other hand, they were different. Out of the many abilities Lock possess, and the some he had displayed so far, one of which was the power to sense one’s soul. If Phill was correct in his declaration, that there were ponies that weren’t affected by the brainwashing, who only joined Dainn out of their personal emotions, then it would mean he was wrong about his endeavors and his beliefs.

The funeral for Fancy Pants was an honorable one for him as many ponies paid their respects. Fancy Pants was dressed in clothes of nobility after his body was cleaned of any muck and grime from his imprisonment. He was laid in a pearl white coffin and carried by the royal guard to the Canterlot cemetery. Celestia, Luna, the main six, Lock’s crew, and the rest of the nobles and citizens of Canterlot all gathered to lay Sir Fancy Pants properly to rest. Well, almost all.

Lock couldn’t be bothered to attend the funeral. Not because he wanted to be disrespectful, but because he couldn’t bear to see the stallion he admired greatly back in his world buried within the ground. This was the second time an honorable stallion had died before his eyes. Even though Lock was no stranger to death in times of war, it always still pained him to see the good ones die so soon. Lock returned to his ship during the funeral and held himself up in the Captain’s quarters. Before he shut the doors to his crew and friends, Lock ordered Soarin to depart back to Ponyville once the funeral was over. Ever since then, the Hand has been in his quarters for an entire week.

The midday sun shined down on the ever growing town of Ponyville. As always, the rescued slaves and brainwashed stallions settled into their new temporary or permanent home and helped it grow. Some say soon the town will become a city if more ponies settle in and help the town continue to grow. The crew, by Flash’s order, were going through the rest of the newly acquired ships that now made the newly formed fleet. However, Flash, Zephyr, Alpha Squad, and anyone else who noticed couldn’t help but wonder when their leader would return to them.

Twilight was the most worried mare out of anyone, for more reasons than one. She knew Lock was suffering more than the others, and she knew it also pained her to see her beloved stallion at war with himself. Twilight didn’t just love Lock, she cherished him with all her heart. Twilight wanted to see his smiling face again, to see him whisk her off her hooves every time he saw her. She missed that, all of it, and she knew what she had to do for her precious stallion. Twilight opened the doors of the Castle of Friendship and took in a deep breath of the fresh air. She looked to her right to see The Prometheus and the rest of the fleet docked all around on the ground in the open field, waiting for their next target to attack. With her resolve motivating her, she made her way to The Prometheus. The Princess of Friendship walked up the gangplank and onto the deck where she saw the many ponies either training or going about their usual duties. As she made her way to the Captain’s quarters, the ponies all bowed in respect to the young Princess. A couple stallions opened the doors for her so she could enter the ship’s hull and traversed through the halls while she passed by more crew members along the way. When she rounded the corner, she was met with Flash and Zephyr who were just coming from the Captain’s quarters and were surprised to see Twilight.

“Princess Twilight.” Flash greeted as he bowed, with Zephyr following suit.

“At ease Flash, how are you two?” Twilight said.

“I am well Princess, thank you.” Flash said.

“Yeah same.” Zephyr said.

“I assume you two had just come from his room?” Twilight inquired. Both stallions frowned and sighed as they both nodded.

“He’s…still struggling, Twilight. We tried everything to get the boss back on his hooves.” Zephyr said.

“Yes, no matter what we told him, nothing seemed to work.” Flash added.

“Not to mention he’s been hittin’ the sauce pretty hard, ever since Mr. Fancy Pants’ funeral.”

“He’s been drinking?” Twilight asked, now a little more worried.

“Worse, he’s been on a bender. We attempted to take away his personal stash of liquor but he gave us a direct order to leave both the liquor and him alone until further notice.” Flash explained.

“I see.” Twilight said, chewing her thumb nail. “Then I also have an order for you two. I want you both to inform the rest of the crew and anypony else that we are not to be disturbed by anything or anypony.”

“We?” Flash repeats.

“You’re gonna go talk to him?” Zephyr asked.

“Of course, I’m his marefriend and mate after all, it’s my duty as such to ensure he’s in higher spirits. So do you two think you can ensure our privacy?”

“You can count on us, Princess.” Flash saluted.

“Yeah, bring back the boss to his old self.” Zephyr cheered.

Twilight nodded and walked past the stallions. She then came across a large door that led to Lock’s private chambers. Even if the doors were shut, she could still smell a hint of liquor emanating from the other side which made her scrunch her muzzle a little. Nonetheless, Twilight steadied herself and reached out to open the doors. She turned the handle and opened the door a little to peek inside and was met with a sight that made her heart wain from sadness. Slumped forward in his chair, his right arm over his head and his left hand on a bottle of hard cider, wearing only his pants, was Lock and his face was planted on the hard surface of his desk. Surrounding his desk were a few large bottles of liquor and his wings were splayed out. The feathers looked like they hadn’t been tended to in days as they looked unkempt and in poor condition. Twilight even noticed some crimson red feathers scattered around the room as she slowly walked inside. Lock was unresponsive at her entrance, probably still passed out from drinking so much.

“Dimitri…?” Twilight muttered as she reached out to nudge his shoulder.

“Mmf…”

“Dimitri please, it’s me, Twilight.”

Dimitri 1st POV

The gentle sensation of someone’s hand on my shoulder brought me out of my drunken daze, if only slightly. The world was still spinning as I sluggishly pulled myself backwards and off my desk while keeping my grip on the bottle of apple scotch in my hand. My hair had also grown out a little due to the fact that I never really had time to cut it recently. Once I was leaning back in my chair, I opened my eyes to see a blurry object beside me which soon cleared up to reveal my beautiful marefriend. Twilight’s sad eyes gazed down at me with a frown, a frown I always did my damndest never to allow to appear. I frowned back and shakily rose to my feet and turned away from Twilight.

“…Of all htre timers for you to asee me at my bworst.” I slurred as I trudged over to a window while dragging my wings behind me. I raised my free hand to my head and slicked back my hair to get the strands off my forehead.

“Dimitri…”

“How long’z it been?” I asked as I leaned against the window frame and gazed outside. “A day? Two dayz? Three?”

“It’s…been over a week.” Twilight answered.

“Hah! A week!” I chortled. I raised my bottle and snorted as I downed another shot of the burning liquid down my throat. “Heh, muzt be gettin’ zloppy…Ma lazt bender lazted longer’n that, and I ain’t even half way near as plaztered as I wanna be. Muzt be a Devil thing or somethin’.”

“Dimitri.” Twilight walked up behind me and placed a hand on my bare back.

“It still throbz, ya know, now more’n usual.”

“Your scar?” Twilight asked and I nodded.

“No thankz ta Phill and his incessant ramblingz of whaz right and whaz wrong. Not ta mention ma damn pazt creeping up on me after over 2 yearz of not thinking about it.”

“You mean your time as a soldier?”

“Yep, if only Joshua could see me now.”

“Dimitri, please, I can’t stand seeing you like this. Tell me what’s wrong, I want to help you.” Twilight pleaded.

“There’z nothing really to help me with.” I sighed as I took another swig. “Ya wanna know something interezting about me?” I cleared my throat to speak properly as I glanced over my shoulder to Twilight. “I ain’t afraid to die.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight wonders.

“It’s not just because of my military days, no. See, I lost the feeling of fear of death way before I enlisted. Believe it or not, it began on the day of my birth.” I looked back out the window and up to the sky. “When I was born, according to what I was told, my infant heart was failing and was about to stop. Something had gone wrong with the delivery and I was dying, just as I was about to meet the world. No one really knew why this occurred, and the doctors were doing everything they could to keep my heart pumping. Just when they were about to get a handle on my condition, my heart stopped…and I supposedly died.”

“How awful…” Twilight muttered as she leaned on me.

“Yep, but then something miraculous happened: my heart had begun to start up again. Doctors called it a miracle, others called it unexplainable, and some were just happy I was still alive and well. When I was old enough to actually grasp the gravity of that day, I convinced myself that if my own birth couldn’t kill me then nothing could. There were times, even in my early childhood, where I believed I was gonna die because of two certain…individuals, but I wasn’t afraid.”

“How could you not be afraid of dying?” Twilight wondered.

“Why should I be afraid of something that’s inevitable? Even if I’m now ageless, that I’m the Hand, I’m still only human. There’s still a copious amount of possibilities that could mean my end. At this point, after all I’ve been through, Death’s become an old friend who keeps knocking at my door. I always tell him that I’m not ready just yet, and I’m not ready to face my sins until I’ve done right by others. To this day, I sometimes wonder how I survived my first encounter of death. It feels as if, somehow, my soul was pulled back into my body by an unknown force. Whatever the reason, it’s why I’m still alive today and stood before everyone I’ve met in my life.”

As I raised the bottle to my lips, it shined a purple glow and was pulled away from my grasp. I looked over to Twilight to see her place the bottle on my desk with her magic and grab my hand with hers.

“Where’re we going?” I wondered.

“To clean you up.” She said as she pulled me to my private bathing room.

She opened the door off to the side of my quarters to reveal a large bathroom. It had a large mirror in the center on the wall, a shower on one side, and a tub on the other that could fit at least two or three people. I stood in the middle of the room as Twilight closed the door and locked it. She then walked past me to turn on the water and allowed it to flow as it heated up. Before I could say anything more, Twilight undid her blouse and took it off, revealing her dark blue bra and upper torso. She then pulled down her skirt, took off her leggings, and folded each piece of clothing and placed them on the countertop. Twilight then turned around, only in her bra and panties, and stood before me. She smiled up at me as she cupped my cheeks with her hands and brought her lips to mine and kissed me. My hands responded automatically as they moved upwards and around Twilight’s frame to bring her in for a hug. I kissed her back, not with any passion or anything serious, but just a simple kiss of our lips. We stayed like that for a moment longer before separating and she smiled up at me still.

CLOP!

“Unhook my bra, please.” She requested. I nodded and reached up to grasp the clip and pulled them apart. Twilight’s bra came undone as I pulled off the straps and took her bra off. Her beautiful breasts were on display in front of me, but Twilight didn’t shy away from my gaze.

“Now my panties, please take them off as well.”

“You sure?”

“Please, Dimitri.”

I simply nodded my head and kneeled down to come face to face with her white panties. They were a frilly pair with a small pink bow below the waistband, which I found to be kinda cute. I glanced up to Twilight for confirmation, to which she nodded with her warm smile still stretched across her lips. I gently grabbed her panties and pulled them down slowly, all the way down to her hooves as she lifted one hoof after the other as I took her panties off. I was now face to face with her uncovered marehood which winked at me a little. I even saw it had moistened a bit from her growing arousal and I could smell the sweet scent of her juices. My marefriend was now completely naked in front of me as I rose to my feet, yet Twilight still did not shy away nor even bothered to cover herself.

“Now it’s your turn, Dimitri.” Twilight said as she reached for my belt.

“Twilight…I don’t-”

“Shh, the water is almost ready.” She cooed as she undid my belt.

Once the belt was undone, she zipped down the fly of my pants and pulled my jeans down like I did with her panties. I copied her movements from before by lifting my feet away so she could take them and fold them up to put with the rest of her clothes. I was left with only wearing my boxers as my growing erection poked through the fabric, which Twilight seemed to notice as she kneeled back down to take my boxers off. Once she did, my shaft hung right in front of her, fully erect and stood at attention for her. Twilight licked her lips as she grasped my shaft and started to massage it up and down, making me groan slightly at her touch.

“Come, the water is ready.” She said, snapping me out of my trance.

Twilight stood back up straight and grabbed my hand again and led me to the tub. The room became quite steamy and the tub was now filled with hot water as Twilight turned the knob to cease the flow. We both slowly but surely climbed into the water, the bliss sensation of the hot water on my bare skin felt very soothing as we sunk into its depths. Twilight turned around and wrapped her arms around my neck as she straddled me. She kissed me again, but this time her tongue poked at my lips to ask for permission to enter. I accepted her request and opened my mouth and her tongue met mine. Our tongues danced with one another as Twilight pulled me in closer so she could kiss me more. I trailed my hands along her body until they found themselves upon her cutie marks, to which I gave them a gentle squeeze. She cooed and moaned in my mouth as we made out in the tub until she pulled back to catch her breath. Twilight’s gorgeous purple eyes stared deeply into my grey eyes, both filled with nothing but adoring affection and want.

“I love you.” She whispered.

“I…love you too.” I said back.

“But do you know why I love you?” She asked as she kissed my cheek and kissed my neck.

“Why?”

“Because.” She began as her kisses slowly trailed down. “You are the reason why I keep my head up high. When my brother passed, I didn’t think I would be able to go on. He was my BBBFF, my big brother best friend forever, and I thought the world of him.” Her kisses trailed down to my chest as she massaged my abdominals. “He was strong, kind, loving, and always put everything on the line for his family and friends, just like you.” She stopped her kisses to look up at me. “He also made difficult decisions as a soldier, decisions that made him almost believe that everypony wouldn’t look at him the same way.” Twilight smiled as she continued to kiss my body downwards. “But that couldn’t be farther from the truth, because Shining Armor was and always will be Shining Armor, and there was nothing in creation that could ever change that.” When Twilight reached my crotch, she paused to look up at me again. “And that’s why I love you so much, because you are Dimitri Lockdrom, and you’ll always be Dimitri Lockdrom. The stallion, no the human, I fell in love with and will always love no matter what. So please remember this, Dimitri, it won’t ever matter what you do or what you say. So long as you stay true to yourself, then that’s more than enough for me.”

I smiled as I reached up to cup her face and rubbed my thumb along her cheek. “I…guess I owe you an apology then. I’m sorry for worrying you, and thank you for helping me through my grief.”

Twilight smiled and looked down at my dick and smirked coyly. She then licked her lips and stuck out her tongue and gave it a long lick from the base to the tip, making me groan again. She swirled her tongue around the head of my dick and opened her mouth more to take it all in her mouth.

“Oh shit…” I sighed as I leaned back.

Twilight started to bob her head up and down as she sucked me off. I could feel her tongue coiling around my shaft as she cupped my balls in the process. Her moans made her throat vibrate around my dick as she took it in deeper and deeper every time she sucked back down. Twilight reached her free hand down between her legs and began to finger herself, making her moan more. I reached up to scratch her behind her ears as she opened her eyes to give me a sultry look. She winked at me and resumed sucking, only to take my cock all the way down to the base. I groaned as my back arched from her ministrations and felt a familiar pressure build up in my crotch and precum leaked out of my dick, to which she happily licked away. Twilight could see that I was nearing the edge as she bobbed her head up and down a little faster. The water around us was rippling at our movements and my panting was getting heavier and heavier by the minute. I couldn’t hold it anymore, so I bucked my hips up as the first of many ropes of my seed shot down Twilight’s throat. Twilight didn’t back away from my climax and gulped down each batch of seed that came shooting out of my dick. As she drank my seed, her body tensed up and trembled as her wings flared, meaning that she climaxed as well. After a few more shots later, Twilight slowly moved her head up and released my dick with an audible pop.

“Mmm, delicious as always.” Twilight sighed and licked her lips again.

“Holy hell, where’d you learn to do all that?”

“A mare must always be prepared to properly satisfy her beloved stallion, Dimitri, and speaking of which.” She leaned back on the other side of the tub and spread her legs. “Come and rut me, Dimitri, I want you so bad.” She cooed as she spread her pussy lips and played with her breast.

My dick was still hard and ready to please as I stood up and hovered over my lover. I balanced one hand on the side of the tub as I grasped my dick and prepared it to penetrate her. Twilight wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist as I pushed into her folds, making her gasp and coo in delight.

“Yes…oh Celestia yes~.”

I continued to push into her until the head of my dick was mere inches from the entrance of her womb. I pulled back and in again and started a tempo of thrusts, making the water splash and ripple around us.

“Ahn! Yes~! Oh please rut me more! Rut me!” Twilight cried as her wings fluttered with each thrust.

I leaned my head down as I thrusted into her and latched my lips around her erect nipple. I suckled on it as I played with her other breast, earning more cries and moans of pleasure. As I suckled on her breast, I felt some kind of liquid in my mouth that tastes like milk with a hint of cherries. I surmised that it was her breast milk so I happily suckled more so I could drink more of my tasty beverage. Once her right breasts were empty, I switched to the left one and latched on to it as well.

“That’s it, my sweet stallion! Mmm~! Keep drinking! My breasts! Ah! My pussy! Oh gods~! My whole everything is yours!” Twilight cried.

I finished drinking her milk and brought my face up to stare at her. “You’re my little Princess.”

“Yes!”

“You’re mine as I am yours.”

“Always!”

“I love you.”

“I love you too!”

“Stay with me?”

“I’ll never leave you!”

“Then…” I whispered in her ear. “Cum for me, my lovely little lavender lover.”

Twilight’s eyes shot open as I pinched her nipple and squeezed her breasts. I felt the walls of her pussy clench around me as she climaxed a second time. I slowed my thrusts to give her a moment to rest. My lover leaned back against her side of the tub with a dopey smile on her face and her wings were stretched out stiff. I smirked as I pulled out, earning moans of protest and turned her around so her flank was facing me. I kneeled down to bring my lips to her still sensitive pussy and gave her folds a flick with my tongue. As soon as I made contact, Twilight yelped at the feeling of my tongue already beginning to coil around her drenched walls.

“Dimitri, wait! I-ahn~! You didn’t cum yet!”

“I know.” I said as I paused for a moment. “But I still want a taste of you before we finish.”

I continued to eat Twilight out, my tongue making sure to lick every inch of her velvety folds. I then got an idea as I stuck my tongue out straight. Using my power, I stretched my tongue into her pussy and wriggled it around, making her cry out out loud.

“OH MY CELESTIA! IS THAT, AH! YOUR TONGUE?!”

I didn’t answer as I continued my technique. My tongue stretched and wriggled around as I clasped both cheeks of her flank and squeezed them together. Twilight’s wings flapped and twitched as I assaulted her pussy with my stretched out tongue until I found a sort of bump along my tongue. Realizing I found her G-spot, I poked and prodded the bump earning a squeal of delight as more of her sweet juices coated my mouth and chin.

“OOOOHHH MMMYYYYY CELESTIAAAAA!!”

Twilight then came for a third time as she screamed out loud. I retracted my tongue and pulled back, leaving Twilight a quivering mess. I sighed as I leaned back on my side of the tub and noticed my dick was still quite hard after only cumming once. Twilight picked herself up and crawled over to me and positioned herself over my dick. She wasted no time to spear herself on me as my dick pressed against the entrance of her womb.

“So full~, so good~.” She cooed as she rode me.

Twilight bounced on my dick, making the tub’s water splash all around. She grabbed my head and latched her lips onto mine and assaulted my tongue with hers. As we sloppily made out, I met her bounces with my own thrusts as I bucked my hips up into her. The wet slaps of our bodies, the splashing of the water, and our passion filled moans echoed throughout the room. If anyone passed by my quarters, it’d be funny to think about how awkward they’d feel since they heard me having sex with Twilight.

“Twilight, I’m close.” I warned as the tension in my crotch built up again.

“Inside!”

“You sure?”

“PLEASE INSIDE! FILL ME! MARK ME! CLAIM ME! I WANT YOUR WONDERFUL SEED IN ME!!”

With no further hesitation, I bucked up into her faster as the tension grew and grew until my dick twitched and erupted into Twilight’s insides.

“AW FUCK ME!”

“YES!!”

Once again, rope after rope of my cum shot up into Twilight’s womb. All the while I could feel her pussy convulse around my shaft as I filled her. Moments passed until Twilight slowly raised her hips and off my dick as she nuzzled into my chest.

CLOP END!

“That…was wonderful.” Twilight sighed.

“I agree.” I said. “How’d you know this would help me feel better?”

“The love of your mare and a few comforting words always does the trick. My mom taught me that whenever she wanted to cheer up my dad.”

“I see, well I’m glad you came to help me feel better.”

Twilight giggled as she reached over and grabbed a bar of soap and handed it to me. I smiled and lathered the bar in my hands and began to wash her body. She giggled when I washed her ticklish spots and moaned when I rubbed against areas like her breasts or flanks. Once her body was nice and clean, I stretched my arm out to grab a bottle of shampoo to wash her mane.

“It still fascinates me how you’re able to do things like that, are you sure it isn’t magic?” Twilight asked as I squeezed a dollop of shampoo in my hand.

“If it was magic, I think you’d be able to tell. Given how smart you are.”

Twilight sighed as I washed her mane and scratched behind her ears which made her coo and sigh more, making her lean into my hands.

“You sure like it when I scratch behind your ears.”

“I can’t help it, it’s such a strange yet pleasant feeling that I always want to feel more.”

“You’re adorable, you know that?”

“Yes, yes, I know I am. Now turn around, it’s time for me to wash you.” She ordered as I rinsed her mane with the bath water.

“Yes ma’am.” I chuckled as I turned around. I could feel Twilight’s eyes gazing at my wings as she slowly caressed the feathers and ran her fingers along my wing’s muscles.

“Dimitri, why didn’t you tell me you hadn’t preened your wings after all this time?” Twilight wondered.

“Preen? That’s a thing? I thought only birds did that.”

“Pegasi, even Alicorns, must always preen their wings, Dimitri. I learned that from Cadence when I first became an Alicorn.” Twilight explained.

“I see, I guess I didn’t really feel the need to.” I shrugged.

“Well, to be fair, it also isn’t exactly something you can ask anypony to do for you. It’s a sort of personal action only lovers or family members do for each other. It’s why only Cadence helped me with preening since she’s my sister-in-law. I even had help from Rainbow and Fluttershy since they’re my friends.”

“Is that right?” I wonder who felt the most awkward after that?

“Would you like me to show you how to preen?”

“Sure, knock yourself out.” I said as I extended my wings to their full 8ft length. Twilight nodded and placed her mouth on a feather which caused me to let out a small gasp. It felt as if a bolt of lightning shot through my wing which made Twilight giggle. “Jeezus, that felt so weird.”

“Would you like me to stop?”

“I’m good, keep going.”

Twilight went back to work as she tested the feather with her tongue before she held it in her teeth and gave it a yank. It hurt a bit but the pain soon gave way to a sense of relief that the pain was gone. Twilight rubbed her hands gently across my wing to help me relax. I memorized the feeling of what everything Twilight was doing with my wings as she one by one removed all the crooked feathers. She then went onto my other wing and got every other crooked feather and repeated the same process. There was a little blood, but it couldn’t be helped. I let out a sigh as Twilight pulled out the last feather.

“I think that’s all of them.” Twilight said as she used her magic and placed the picked feathers off to the side.

I furled and unfurled my wings and noticed the difference before Twilight preened them. It was strange, I had never known how much getting preened mattered but now I know why. It felt like I had gotten the best massage in a while and it was all because of a few crooked feathers being pulled.

“Well I’ll be damned again, never knew getting preened felt so good.” I sighed.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Twilight said proudly.

“Just a shot in the dark, you want me to preen you too?” I offered.

“Thank you Dimitri, but my wings are so well kept there’s no need. I rarely fly around at all anyway.”

“I see.” I said, feeling a little disappointed.

“Don’t worry, if the next time I am in need of preening, you’ll be the first I go to.” Twilight reassures me.

“I’ll hold you to that. In the meantime, let’s just enjoy the rest of our soak.”

“I’d like that.” Twilight said with a smile.

After our bath, I reemerged with Twilight feeling better about myself. As we got dressed, a thought passed my mind that made me glance over to Twilight. I remembered Lucifer’s words that were spoken to me back in Las Pegasus, about sharing my feelings with more than just Twilight. I was about to just push them away again but this time they seemed to stick around the more I stared at Twilight. What Lucifer said was true, Twilight was indeed a bright mare who would probably understand if she knew I was in love with another mare. I guess the only thing holding me back is how she’d react when I’d tell her who the mare was.

“Is everything alright, Dimitri?” I blinked out of my daze to see Twilight looking over to me as she clipped her bra on.

“Uh, well it’s just…” I struggled with my words. “Sigh, alright look, I’ll be honest with you. What if, hypothetically, I began to have feelings for another mare besides you?”

My question caught Twilight off guard as she stared at me curiously. “Do you?”

Shit…

“Well…recently, kinda yeah.” I admit, bracing myself for the backlash. I expected to hear her screaming and calling me a scumbag, but instead Twilight just smiled at me.

“You surprise me, Dimitri, I thought you were set on keeping me as your one true mare?”

“I thought so too, but due to, shall we say unforeseen, circumstances, I find myself growing more attached to this other mare as the days go by.”

“Hmm, is it anypony I know?” Twilight guesses.

“That, I can’t tell you, at least not yet. But rest assured, once I sort these feelings of mine out, I’ll be sure to introduce you to her.”

“Keeping another mare’s name who has caught your eye from your first mare, Dimitri? For shame, sir.” Twilight teased.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up while you can. Just promise me if, and only if, I choose to go actually through with this and we end up forming this…herd thing together, you continue to love me as I you, along with this other mare. Jeez…it sounds weird saying it out loud.” I grumbled.

“Oh stop being so dramatic, Dimitri, I’m certainly not complaining since I guessed something like this would happen eventually.” Twilight reassures me as she puts the last of her clothing on.

“How do you figure?” I wondered.

“You may be a human, but you’re also in Equestria now. Your old way of thinking of how relationships work back in your world has begun to no longer apply to you. You obviously have heard of the practice of herding which explains why these other feelings of yours for this other mare have grown ever since. A part of you still thinks that it is wrong to love more than one mare but you should honestly not let it prevent you from following your heart’s desire.” Twilight explains. “So let me ask you something, do you love this mare?” I hesitated as I opened my mouth, but all I could do was nod my head. “Do you love me?” I nodded again. “If you were to form a herd, do you believe you are capable enough to love the both of us?” Without realizing it, I nodded again as if I already knew what I was gonna say. “Then there you have it. I have to go and help Fluttershy with something at her cottage, so you should return to Flash and Zephyr.” Twilight walked up to me and kissed me on the lips before opening up the door from my quarters. “I’ll be waiting for your response for what you wish to do with this mystery mare. Just so you know, I fully support the idea of you forming a herd.” With that, Twilight left me by myself to my thoughts.

“Well…that just happened.” I said in slight shock.

With nothing else to do, I put my clothes back on and grabbed my leather jacket. I then strapped my boots on and clipped Surtr and Ymir on my belt and finally emerged from my quarters. As I made my way back to the top deck of the ship, any crewmember I passed by saluted me with happy smiles to which I nodded back in response. Once I made it to the deck, my crew were still going on about their usual business which brought a smile to my face. I then spotted Flash talking with Spitfire and I made my way over to them. As I walked over, Spitfire told Flash something and kissed him on the cheek which made me go wide eyed as she flew away from my apprentice. I snickered as I crept up from behind Flash and crossed my arms as I stood just behind him.

“So I’m gone for over a week and you’re already going steady with the Captain of the Wonderbolts, huh?” I said, making Flash yelp and spin around.

“C-Captain?! When did-, how did-, you’re back!”

“That I am, but that still doesn’t answer my question.”

Flash blushes and rubs the back of his head as he looks away bashfully. “Well, she and I found out we have a lot in common. We actually have been hanging out together when we had free time, one thing led to another, and now we’re together.”

I smiled as I slugged Flash in the arm playfully. “I’m happy for you Flash, both of you, I’m sure you’ll continue to make her a happy mare.”

“Thanks Captain. Oh by the way, Princess Cadence wants to speak with you about something. She’s waiting for you in the Castle of Friendship.”

“Huh, well alright.” I said. “Gather Alpha Squad and Zephyr back to the ship, it’s time we plan for the liberation of Manehattan.”

“Got it.” Flash saluted.

I jumped off the ship and glided down to the ground. As I made my way to the castle, I was met with the smiling faces of the residents of Ponyville who waved at me to which I waved back. I then started to think about what Twilight told me which made me smile and feel better about the feelings I’ve been trying to keep suppressed up until now. Maybe this herd thing wouldn’t be as bad as I think if things manage to work out. I looked in the direction of Everfree Forest and thought about Nightmare which made me smile more.

I’ll go visit her after I finish my business with Cadence.

I opened the doors to the Castle and walked through the halls towards the library, since that’s usually where Cadence is with Flurry Heart. I made it to the library and saw Cadence with Flurry who was playing with some toys but wasn’t really smiling.

“Cadenza?” I said, making her look up at me.

“Sir Dimitri! I’m so glad you came!” She said as she rose from her seat.

“Uh, ok? What is it you-” I’m cut off when she walked over to me and hugged me tight, which caught me off guard at the sudden gesture. “You alright, Cadenza?”

“I’m more than alright, Sir Dimitri. After much consideration, I believe I am able to move on with my life and try to fall in love again.” Cadence said happily as she gazed up at me while still hugging me.

“Well, I mean I’m happy you were able to come to this conclusion, but are you sure? Doesn’t it seem a little soon?” I wondered.

“I am well aware that my feelings for Shining will never change, he was my husband and gave me the greatest joy I’ve ever known which was the chance to be a mother. However, if I know Shining, he would have wanted me to be happy since he always made me smile when he was still alive. So I feel as though I should honor his final wishes and find somepony new for both mine and Flurry’s sake.”

I smiled a little at seeing how far Cadance had come since Shining’s passing. I imagine he’d also be proud of her and I agree he would’ve wanted her to be happy instead of constantly mourning him. “I’m proud of you, Cadenza, whoever else you wish to love will be very lucky to have you.”

“You think so?” Cadence asked, batting her eyes.

“Um, sure I guess.”

“Good, because I’m hoping that special somepony…is you.”

Almost as quickly as I could blink, I broke Cadence’s embrace and stepped back with a flabbergasted expression.

“Excuse me…?” I muttered.

“Isn’t it obvious, Sir Dimitri, I’m saying that I have fallen in love with you, and I would like to be your-”

“No…”

I didn’t give her a chance to finish her sentence as I continued to back away.

“No? But…but I love you, Dimitri.” Cadence said as her voice cracked a little.

“I can’t.” I protested.

“But why?! I said I was ready to move on and I want to be with you! I love you Dimitri! Why won’t you accept me?!” Cadence demanded.

“Because, I…don’t love you.” I said as I turned away. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that to Shining.”

I didn’t bother to stick around as I left the library in a hurry. Cadence confessed to me, me, of all people. Part of me was happy that she did but I knew better than to accept her feelings. She was a nice mare and was as beautiful as any other, but I felt that I would be going behind Shining’s back if I accepted her. I could hear Cadence’s cries of distress as I exited the Castle which strained my heart. It felt really shitty to reject her like that, but she wasn’t the other mare I wanted in my life. I can only imagine what is to come when next I see her, nothing good I imagine.

“Captain!” I look up to see Wild Ace and Cloud Skipper fly towards me with frantic expressions

“Ace, Cloud, what’s the matter?”

“Scouts have reported a large ship of enemy Caribou headed this way from the East! They’ll be here within an hour!” Ace said.

Fuck, of all times…

“Send word to Flash and Zephyr, tell them to follow after me through the air! As for you and the rest of Alpha Squad, remain here and keep Ponyville safe!” I ordered as I unfurled my wings.

“Yes sir!”

I flapped my wings and soared through the air towards the East. I was in a bad mood and this ship was the perfect opportunity to blow off some steam. Sorry Nightmare, you’re gonna have to wait just a little longer.

I flew through the air and saw the Caribou ship. The thing was pretty big and I could tell it was filled with armed Caribou. I looked over my shoulder to see Flash and Zephyr fly up next to me.

“So just one ship?” Flash asked.

“Yup.”

“Why just one?” Zephyr wondered.

“Who knows and who cares, I just wanna get this over with so we can plan our attack on Manehattan.”

“Is everything ok, boss? You seem on edge. Well, more on edge than usual.” Zephyr asked.

“I’m fine.”

“Maybe Zephyr and I can handle this ourselves?” Flash offered.

“I said I’m fine.” I said sternly. “Now leave it alone and focus up. Zephyr, bring in the fog.” Zephyr nodded and raised his hand towards the ship. His eyes then turned silver as the clouds soon enveloped the ship until we couldn’t see it. “Flash, break the situation down.” Flash nodded and shot through the air and towards the fog, leaving an orange streak behind him. After a few minutes of waiting, Flash returned with a scowl.

“They have slaves held up in cages on the sides of the ship. They’re dangling them in mid air on the sides and look like they’re about to cut them loose and let them fall if we do anything drastic.” Flash explained.

I growled as my hands clenched into fists. “So they wanna play dirty? Fine, Let’s show them what happens when they don’t follow the rules.”

My apprentices and I flew within the clouds and could hear the Caribou on board shouting orders at each other. Instead of giving them a surprise attack, or just jumping in out of the blue, we simply hovered over their ship and waited until they noticed us. As we waited, I pulled over my hood so that my face would be hidden in its shadow. I then noticed that the entire crew was nothing but Caribou as a stag looked up and went wide eyed when he spotted us.

“Sir! Up there!”

All the ship’s crew stopped and looked up as we gently descended to the deck. They aimed their weapons at us and kept them raised as we landed. I could tell they were all on edge at the mere sight of us and Flash and Zephyr wanted nothing more but to wipe them all out right then and there. From the crowd, a tall Caribou, wearing a sort of Captain’s uniform, emerged from the crowd and stepped towards us.

“So…The Devil of The Caribou actually willingly came to us himself, along with his precious comrades.” The Caribou mocked. “I am Gellir, and by order of the King Pony, lay down your weapons and we shall take you to him unscathed, along with the Apple cunt that is held up in Ponyville. Resist, and the sluts you see dangling off the side of this ship will meet a very unfortunate end.”

Apple? As in Applejack?

I glanced over to each side of the ship to see the terrified mares as they clung to each other. Their cages were tied by ropes and there were stags by each one and ready to cut them if we made a move. I then looked back at Gellir and chuckled darkly, my voice sounding like a distorted echo which put the other Caribou more on edge.

“You use the lives of mares just to get what you want.” I said with venom in my tone. “You treat them as if they are mere objects, that they are expendable to do with as you please. It’s scum like you that makes me wanna vomit constantly at the mere sight of you.”

“Say all the harsh words you please.” Gellir said, trying to keep his resolve. “We know you value the lives of these sluts, and if you do as you’re told they shall not be harmed.”

“Liar!” Flash snapped, his voice also sounding distorted. “Liars, all of you!”

“As if we’d believe a single word of a buckin’ Caribou!” Zephyr hissed.

“You see Gellir, none of you seem to fully understand despite all my apprentices and I have accomplished so far.” I said as Flash and Zephyr prepared themselves. “You think you’ve won by holding these mares hostage. But in reality…” I raised my hand above my head and grinned devilishly. “You lost the minute we landed on your ship.”

SNAP!

I snapped my fingers and Flash and Zephyr reacted instantly. Flash used his high speed to run to each cage and free the mares one by one and brought them behind us. Zephyr raised his hands and clenched his fists; he swiped his arms downward, causing small lighting bolts to come crashing down individually on each and every Caribou killing them instantly. Soon all the captured mares were out of their cages and standing behind us. Gellir blinked and looked around as he was unable to fully process what just happened. I slowly walked over to him as he fell to his knees and trembled like a leaf in the wind.

“Now you see.” I said as I glared down at him. “Now you see just how you and your pathetic race are no match for us. We hold the power to wipe your kind off the face of the planet. However, due to recent events, I am inclined to somewhat change my approach, if only slightly.”

“Wh-What do y-you mean…?” Gellir asked.

“I am sparing you, that’s what I mean. You will be brought to the surface and run throughout all of Eques and warn all you see to flee back from whence you came. You will tell everyone what happened this day and you will tell them that this is their fate should they remain and continue to torture the poor souls you all enslaved. If you Caribou choose to heed my warning and slink back to whatever cesspool you all crawled out of, I will allow you to continue sucking air for however long your pathetic lives are left.” I grabbed the collar of Gellir’s shirt and hoisted him up to give him death glare from the shadow of my hood. “Do I make myself clear, worm?”

“Y-Y-Yes, Lord Hand…” He trembled in my grasp. I scoffed and threw him towards Zephyr and nodded to him. Zephyr nodded back and grabbed the Caribou by the back of his shirt and lifted him up in the air.

“Before you go.” I said. “Tell me, why did the King Pony want the Element of Honesty?”

“H-He said to bring her to him p-personally. S-Said something about having personal t-ties with her.” Gellir said.

“I see, that will be all.” I said as I waved my hand. As Zephyr carried Gellir off the ship and Flash tended to the slaves, I made my way to the Captain’s quarters of the ship to see if I could find any useful information. Though as I made my way there, I passed by the comms room and heard some kind of commotion over the line. I entered the room and heard what sounded like screams from over the radio.

“IT’S HERE! THE MONSTER IS HERE!”

“ALL TROOPS FIRE AT WILL ON THAT BUCKING THING!”

“IT’S TEARING US ALL APART! WHERE ARE OUR REINFORCEMENTS?!”

“THIS IS MANEHATTAN TO ANY NEARBY SHIPS, WE NEED IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE ASAP!”

“LOOK OUT! IT’S COMING RIGHT FOR US!”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

“The monster is in Manehattan?!” I said as I quickly pulled out my earpiece to call The Prometheus. “This is Captain Lock to The Prometheus, over!”

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

“Get everyone prepped and the ship in the air, double time! The monster is in Manehattan and we need to be there yesterday! I’m activating a beacon to our location in the sky from the ship that was on its way so get your asses here now! Over!” I ordered.

“You got it sir! Over! GET YOUR FLANKS IN LINE EVERYPONY! IT’S GAME TIME!”

I hung up the earpiece and activated the beacon on the radio set. I then walked back out to the deck where Flash was dumping the last of the charred bodies overboard after he helped settle the slaves in the crew’s quarters. “Heads up Flash, we’re headed to Manehattan right now.”

“Already? Why?” Flash wondered.

“The monster is attacking the city as we speak and we’re gonna get there before it has a chance to make a break for it.”

“Oh damn, I’ll go get Zephyr.” Flash said as he flew off towards the surface.

I looked off in the distance towards the direction of Manehattan. “Too many times you’ve slipped from my grasp, but now I will see you for who or what you really are. As for you, King Pony…” My fist clenched as embers flickered off my body. “Your days of torturing ponies are at an end. By the time I’m done with you, I’ll make you beg for your end for all the atrocities you committed against Eqesitria.”

Author's Note

The Hand and The Beast, their fated encounter at last.

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil Meets The Beast and The King Pony’s Reckoning

Chapter 24

My crew, apprentices, and I were all on edge as we neared the great city of Manehattan as I was now dressed in my armor. I had waited to liberate this city for a reason but as I traveled to the large city, I had heard reports of the monster attacking it and going on a massive killing spree over the radio from the other ship. I worried about the residents of the city, mostly the brainwashed stallions and slaves since there was no doubt, they’d probably be victims of circumstance. But most of all I was worried about whether Big Mac was safe or not. When Applejack told me he had gone to Manehatten before the Fall to visit their little cousin Babs Seed, it worried me that he either was brainwashed, being held prisoner if he was unaffected by the Caribou magic like Bow and his group, or…

I shook my head at the last thought since someone like Big Mac would never stoop to such a low level. As soon as we secure this city, we can finally make our move to take back the Crystal Empire and put Lust in his place.

“Hey boss?” I looked over to Zephyr to see he’s got an uneasy expression. “Them reports we’ve been hearing from the scouts; you don’t think they’re true, do you?”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” I said as the city came into view. Sure enough the city already had many smoke trails come from around the area, which made me narrow my eyes. I raised my hand to signal Soarin to stop the ship and the crew to furl the sails so that me, Flash, and Zephyr could go on ahead. “Keep the engines warm, Soarin, I wanna be in and out of here as soon as possible.” I said as I reached back and pulled out Skadi from my holster.

“Yes Captain!” Soarin said.

“You lot be careful, you hear?” Spitfire said as she hugged Flash.

“We’ll be fine, Spitz, don’t you worry.” Flash said hugging Spitfire back.

“When it comes to you, babe, I always worry.” She snickered as she pecked him on the lips. Flash smiled as the three of us took to the skies and flew towards the city.

“I know I said if before, I’m glad you and Spitfire are going steady, Flash.” I said, smirking at my apprentice.

“Yeah, you and Spitfire make a nice couple, dude.” Zephyr agreed.

“Still can’t believe I was the lucky one to even get with Captain Spitfire, but I too am glad and wouldn’t have it any other way.” Flash said.

We eventually touched down on the outskirts of the city as I drew Surtr and pulled out one of my pistols and were met with a grim sight. Bodies, or parts of bodies, everywhere and a whole lot of blood and guts spattering the walls and ground. I saw both Caribou and stallions dead as we walked through the streets but no signs of life. What was more unsettling is the huge claw marks along the walls and large bloody reptile-like footprints that went everywhere I looked. There were also crushed cannons, broken swords and blades, even some bullet holes and cartridge shells on the ground. The strangest thing was the footprints and claw marks all ranged in different sizes and shapes as we continued our trek which didn’t make much sense since the reports said it was just one monster instead of many.

“Sweet Celestia…” Flash said. “What in the Tartarus happened here? These guys look like they barely stood a chance.”

“Well whatever it was, it sure was hungry…” Zephyr said, trying not to puke as we passed by half a Caribou missing its upper torso.

“Keep those nerves of yours steady boys.” I said, keeping a firm grip on Surtr and my finger on the trigger. I reached into my coat and pulled out my mask and put it on then pulled my hood over my head. As we continued our way into the city the sounds of a trash can slamming to the ground came from a nearby alleyway.

I immediately pointed my pistol in the alleyway as Flash had sparks fly off his shoulders and Zephyr made whipped up gusts of wind. I signaled them to take point as we both slowly walked down the alleyway. We slowly made our way inside and the sound of something kicking around a bottle could be heard behind a trash can.

“Alright, whoever’s back there comes out slow and steady.” I ordered, pulling back the hammer of my pistol as I aimed.

The sound of some rustling became louder and louder until something left from behind the trash can and landed on the lid. No bigger than a chicken was a lizard that stood on its hind legs and had a long tail. It let out a high pitch squeaky noise.

“What the…?” I muttered, lowering my pistol a bit.

“Well, this is unexpected.” Flash said.

“Aw you don’t wanna hurt us, do ya little guy?” Zephyr teased. The little lizard shook its head before turning around in a circle before letting out another squeak. “Oh, you’re so cute like a little dog~.” Zephyr cooed, making me roll my eyes.

“Come on, let’s keep searching the city for survivors.” I said, turning away.

“But Boss, look at him. Hey, do you do tricks little guy?” Zephyr said squatting down in front of the strange lizard. The lizard squealed again as it nodded its head.

“Alright, sit!” Zephyr commands. The little lizard did so rather quickly.

“Good boy!” Zephyr praised. “Roll over!” He said, spinning his finger. The lizard laid in its side before twirling around to land on the other side before standing back up.

“Now speak!” Zephyr commanded. The little lizard let out a few squeak-like roars.

“Zephyr!” I snapped after getting annoyed by his antics. “We do not have time for this! Say goodbye to your little friend and let’s go! We still need to search the city for survivors.”

“I’m afraid Lock’s right, Zephyr.” Flash said. “We still have a mission to complete.”

“Aw just one more?” Zephyr pleaded. “Ok little guy, now play dead!”

The little reptile looked around the alley before moving to a small rock that it took into its mouth. He hopped back on the trash can before tossing the rock up into the air. The little rock came down and tapped the green lizard on the head and it let off a fake gasp clutching its chest before falling to the ground with its tongue out.

“Hahahaha!” Zephyr laughed. “Man, this little guy is great! Can we keep him, boss?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Zephyr, get your ass over here right now! That’s an order!” I snapped harshly.

The little lizard hopped onto Zephyr’s shoulder before getting into a sitting position like a bird.

“Hey what do ya know, he likes me!” Zephyr chuckled as he scratched the little lizards chin.

“Oh joy, another stray…” I grumbled. The reptile let out a few squeaks in response to my comments. “Yeah well screw you too, you little shit.” I grumbled walking out of the alleyway.

“So what will you call him, Zephyr?” Flash said as the two of them followed behind me.

“Hmm, I dunno, maybe Greenie?” Zephyr said. A few squeaks came out of the little lizard as its tail wagged side to side. “Then Greenie it is!” Zephyr said, scratching Greenie’s chin.

Ignoring the fact that Zephyr made a new strange friend, we continued our trek through the ruined city as we saw more carnage before us. What started to worry me more was that we had yet to see any form of life and it was all still very quiet except for our footsteps.

“Do you think whatever did this wiped everypony out?” Flash asks.

“I sure hope not, but let’s not give up hope.” I said, still keeping my guard up. We then heard another noise coming from a pile of rubble making us stop in our tracks. I gestured for Zephyr to follow me as we rounded the pile. Sitting against the pile was a Caribou trembling up a storm and he was in a mess of his own shit and pissed filled pants. The look on his face told me he was terrified with everything around him and when he saw me he barely said anything and just kept trembling. I walked up to him and pointed my pistol while keeping a finger in the trigger.

“What happened here?” I ask.

“…big…sharp…teeth…” He said while looking around flinching from the slightest sound. “…s-so many…came out of n-nowhere.” He was holding himself as he rocked back and forth.

“Big sharp teeth?” Zephyr repeats.

“The survivors.” I questioned sternly. “Where are they?”

The Caribou was still shaking like a leaf, but he slowly crawled on the ground looking around the pile of rubble for this mysterious creature before pointing off in one direction.

“Get out of this city and do not return…” I said coldly.

The Caribou rapidly nodded his head as he tried to scurry away tripping over himself as he tried his best to run away from the city.

“Jeez, whatever’s got to him must be scarier than your boss.” Zephyr said.

“Doubt it.” I said dismissively. “Let’s just get to where the survivors are and get the hell out of here.”

We continued to walk through the streets in the direction where the Caribou pointed and noticed we were headed more into downtown. We eventually would make it to the town hall, so that’s probably where the survivors are being kept. As we rounded the corner, I heard a noise that sounded like footsteps making me stop in our tracks.

“What’s wrong, Lock?” Flash asks.

“Get ready, we got company.” I said.

Very soon a group of over a dozen Caribou emerged from the alleyways and piles of rubble, some covered in bandages and others with weapons consisting of blades and various firearms. But what really made my blood begin to boil was the fact that they each had a mare in front of them as if they were using them as shields.

“Well looky here boys, the mighty Devil’s Hand and his apprentices come all the way here to finish the job their pet monster did.” One of the Caribou mocks.

“Pet monster?” Zephyr repeats. “You think we’re the ones who sent whatever did this?”

“Don’t play dumb!” One of them snaps. “Look around, that monster tore everything and everyone limb from limb! Nothing we threw at it did anything, so we were helpless in its rampage. Even our leaders didn’t know what to do!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Another said. “What matters now is that we got you all surrounded, and we know about your little abilities so if we even see a little twitch of flames, sparks, or even a little wind blow abnormally, we’ll slice these sluts’ throats.” He threatened, holding a blade to the whimpering mare’s neck.

I didn’t want to admit it, but it seemed we were backed into a bit of a corner. On the one hand we could bank on Flash's speed to disarm them enough for me to take them out, but these fuckers were already spooked that if any if moved they would start killing the mares.

"AAAHHH what the buck?!” A Caribou screamed. Looking over to him I saw that he was the only one without a hostage. At his hoof was the little green lizard creature that Zephyr brought with us. It had just pissed on the Caribou’s legs and gave it a bite before scurrying away making hissing noise at him.

“You little shit!” He shouted and fired a crossbow bolt at him.

“Greenie!” Zephyr cried.

The little reptile managed to dodge the arrow and ran around the corner of one of the buildings. “Get back here you little shit!” The Caribou screamed in rage as he gave chance after the little lizard, rounding the same corner as it.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!” We heard the Caribou scream for a second before falling silent followed by a sickening crunching sound.

For a few moments no one made a sound, not the Caribou and the mares, nor myself and my apprentices. Suddenly, something was sent flying through the air slamming into a building wall with a splat. It was the lower body of the Caribou. Then the ground started to vibrate as we heard what sounded like heavy footsteps. As they got louder, the ground would vibrate harder. As the heavy footsteps grew closer, I noticed the Caribou started to tremble in fear, as did the mares. Soon from the alleyway walked out a creature I never expected to see in real life, a living breathing Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The thing was massive as it towered over us and I could see in its sharp jaws was the upper half of the caribou. It looked down at us and growled in a low bone chilling tone. It opened and closed its jaws as it chewed on the upper half of the caribou, making a loud crunching noise before tilting its head back to swallow it.

“What in the holy fuck…?” I muttered in disbelief.

It opened its massive jaws and roared, making the glass in the nearby building shatter. The sound was ear piercing like a cry from some other forgotten world. The Caribou saw the massive creature and were visibly shaken. I’ve never seen them look this scared before, even during the times I thought I was at my most threatening.

“THE MONSTER IS BACK!” One of the Caribou cries as he releases the mare he was holding and runs off.

“I DON’T WANNA DIE!” Another sprints off.

“YOU COWARDS! SOMEONE SHOOT THIS BUCKING THING!” One shouted as he and the others shove the slaves they held and aimed their weapons at the towering prehistoric king of predators.

The Tyrannosaur charged forward making the ground shake beneath its claws as it took the shots from the Caribou's weapons like they were nothing. The Rex lunged forward towards the nearest Caribou who screamed bloody murder as he was picked up in the Rex’s jaws and tossed into the air. His body came down and the dinosaur snapped its jaws on his body causing blood to gush out everywhere as we heard his bones crunching.

“Zephyr, Flash! Get the mares out of here and back to the ship, PRONTO!” I ordered. Both of them snap out of their trance and nod as Flash picks up a few of the mares and runs off while Zephyr uses his winds to carry the other mares and fly away. Meanwhile I flapped my wings and hovered in the air while aiming my pistol at the beast as it continued its rampage at the remaining Caribou.

As I took aim at the beast, I saw that a mare was down between its legs. I couldn’t fire my weapon without risking the chance that I might hit her. I was about to go in and take on the beast by hand, when I saw something that made my body freeze. The T-rex lowered its head to the mare and with great care gently nudged the mare away. Said mare ran screaming into a nearby building, but the beast didn’t give chase. Instead it turned its sights on a small group of caribou who continued to unleash a barge of gunshots.

“Is…this thing intelligent or something?” I wondered.

“YOU MONSTER!” A brave yet foolish Caribou screamed. “I’LL KILL YOU!”

The remaining Caribou all followed behind with their weapons and rifles raised and the Rex just spun around and swung its tail, either crushing or flinging the lead Caribou’s followers leaving only him.

“Y-Y-Y-You…” He stuttered in absolute fear.

Before soon the Rex’s body slowly shifted in size and form. Standing at half its original high was a dinosaur with two protruding horns at its head. A Carnotaurus, if I remember correctly.

To say I was surprised to see it transform into a different dinosaur would be the bloody understatement of the year. I wasn’t sure how it managed to change its shape or why, but it slowly stalked its way to the last Caribou.

“WAIT!” I shouted, testing my theory if it was intelligent. To my surprise it turned around to look at me. “Do not kill him, I need him alive to extract intel.”

For a moment I watched as the massive carnivore stared at me. Even I found this creature a bit frightening, despite my powers. And my theory was proven true as the massive beast bowed its head and took some steps back away from the Caribou. I descended to the ground and furled my wings as I slowly walked past the beast. It just stood there, staring at me as I passed by it as I glanced up at it. “I…don’t know what you are, or where you came from. But after I’m done with him you can do as you please.” I tell it.

It nodded its head and moved away. I watched it for a moment to make sure it wasn’t going to try anything before I turned my back to it. I watched as it moved its head down to a dead Caribou corpse. It pressed its right leg on the upper body while it moved its jaws to grip the legs and ripped them off. I could hear the loud crunch of bones as it ate the leg.

“Ugh.” I retched. “Well…it is a carnivore, from what I remember reading back home.” I approached the terrified Caribou as he was frozen in fear. I glared at him and he flinched at my gaze.

“You know who I am?” I questioned and he nodded. “You have information I want. Tell me, where is the King Pony?” He was about to speak but no words came out. It’s as if the last shred of his will was trying to keep himself from telling me anything which I found somewhat admirable, but quite foolish. “I’d start talking if I were you.” I said, crossing my arms. “He seems to be almost done with his meal, and you look like a nice little appetizer to him.”

The Carnotaurus must’ve heard me as it turned its head around with the head of a dead caribou in its jaws. To emphasize my point, he crushed the head by snapping its jaws, one of its razor sharp fangs pierced an eyeball in its socket, while some of its brain trickled from between its teeth.

“He…” the Caribou gulped. “He…is in…his manner. I-in the…R-Rich District of town.”

“And you’re positive he’s still there?” I question.

“Y-yes…” He whispered. “He retreated back…t-to his manner…and is still there.”

I lean in and glare into his soul. “If he’s not there, I’m letting the creature tear your limb from limb. Just like he did your comrades.” I warn with malice. “And to prove my point.” I said taking a step back and glancing over my shoulder. “I’ll let you do the honors.” Taking that as its que, the mighty beast stomped its way towards us. Its head lowered as it snarled a menacing growl.

“I-I swear! I swear he’s still there!” I pleaded.

“Good, now fuck off.” I said. The Caribou sprinted off and didn’t bother to look back, making me chuckle.

“Now then.” I said turning to look up at the Carnotaurus. I sheathed Surtr and holstered my pistol so I could speak to the beast properly. “You’re obviously intelligent enough to understand me, but I get the feeling there’s more to you than meets the eye. So tell me, what or who are you?”

The beast stared at me for a few moments, it was a bit unnerving as it stared at me. Then abruptly, its body slowly began to shrink down. The skin turned a light shade of green and it was no bigger than a chicken.

“Well that’s…something.” I said as I kneeled down at the familiar lizard creature from before. “How’s this evening possible?” I then noticed a tiny gem-like object in its chest which made me quirk a brow that I hadn’t noticed before. “What’s that gem?” I ask, pointing at the strange object. The little green dinosaur squeaked a bit before suddenly growing again. Except this was different, for as it grew its claws grew into fingers and its tail slowly shrunk away. The body stood in an upright position until it took the form of a young human with short black hair, and lightly tan skin.

“What the…” I said as I gazed at the young boy before me. The kid was only a foot shorter than me as he looked up at me with a grin. “How the hell did a little kid like you turn from a creature like that?”

Before I knew it, his hands gripped the collar of my coat as he pushed his legs up against my chest and slammed his head into my own. “Who are you calling a little micro shrimp!?”

“Uh…I didn’t say micro shrimp.” I deadpanned.

The kid growled for a few seconds before pushing off my body in a backflip. He landed gracefully on the ground and slipped his hands into his pockets. He wore a plain red T-shirt, black cargo shorts, and black tennis shoes. “Well don’t, less you plan to forfeit your life.”

“Sure.” I said, rolling my eyes behind my mask. “So, got a name?”

“Isn’t it considered rude to ask for someone’s name before giving your own? I get you work for the Devil, but I didn't realize that meant your manners as a human had disappeared.” He snorts.

“Well for your information I-” I stop mid speech after realizing what was just said. “Hold on, how did you know I work for the Devil?”

“Because Discord told me before I came here.” He stated in a matter of fact tone.

“What?! Discord?!” I gasped as I frantically grabbed his arms. “I’ve been searching all of Equestria for Discord! Where is he?! What happened to him?! Please tell me!” I begged.

He stared at me for a few moments. I didn’t care if I was showing weakness by begging, I just had to know. He sighed and swiped my hands off him. “He’s in the Crystal Empire, but he’s a statue and used the last of his magic to both bring me here, and to give me the powers you just saw.”

“The Crystal Empire?” I repeat. “Shit, of course he’d be there. Damn you Lust, using him as a trophy? I’ll make you suffer.” I hissed but soon calmed myself down. “A friend of mine has been worried sick about him. He’s been on my search list for quite some time now and I’ve yet to find out where he was. But knowing he’s in the Empire sets me at ease a little, but that still doesn’t explain why Discord sent you.” I questioned.

“Well to answer your question, he sent me here to help you clear out these vermin.” He kicked a Caribou corpse to make his point. “He felt guilty he couldn’t put a stop to their plans when he had the chance. With what little strength he had left he made this for me.” He pulled the collar of his shirt down to show an amber colored gem embedded into his chest.

“Is he…still alive?” I asked hesitantly.

“In a sense, yes, but by using the last of his strength he can only watch what happens in his petrified body. I’m sorry. I’m sure Fluttershy must be worried sick about him.” He said sympathetically.

“I see.” I sighed. I reached up and pulled off my hood and took off my mask and smiled at the boy. “Well thanks for telling me, name’s Dimitri Lockdrom but something tells me you already knew that.” I said, reaching out for a shake.

He stared at my hand for a few seconds with a look of indifference. He moved his hand out to firmly grip my own. “Draco. Draco Saurian.”

“Captain!”

I turned around and saw Flash and Zephyr fly up to me. “We got all the mares back on board The Prometheus and…” Flash trailed off when he saw the kid in front of me. “Who’s this? Another human?”

“Wait a sec, where’s Greenie?!” Zephyr asks looking around.

“I’d prefer you’d call me by my actual name. I only let you call me Greenie since I couldn’t speak in that form.” Draco said while glancing over to them. “Hmm, so both Zephyr Breeze and Flash Sentry have Devil powers too huh?”

“I just realized.” I said. “Discord, Fluttershy, Flash, and Zephyr. You already knew those names as if you know them already. How’s that possible? Unless…”

“Yeah, I used to watch the show before I came here.” Draco finished my thought. “Keep it on the DL, okay dude?”

“Jeezus.” I said under my breath so the other two couldn’t hear. “And here I thought I was the only one. I’m assuming you know everything there is to know about this world and its characters?” I whisper.

He nodded and kept his voice low. “Yeah, Discord showed me everything. From the Fall of Equestria to your work in liberating. I’ve seen it all.”

“Wha? You? You’re Greenie?” Zephyr questioned.

“I find that hard to believe, considering you’re just a little human.” Flash said.

“Oh boy…” I said. I watched a visible vein pop on Draco’s head as he slowly turned to face Flash with a manic smile. Before I had a chance to apologize for his actions, Draco’s body was already growing and morphing. Towering over Flash was Draco in his T-Rex form, glaring down at the speed Pegasus while snarling at him.

“Uh…” Flash gawked.

“Holy buck…” Zephyr gasped.

“Draco, calm down. He didn’t mean it so please don’t eat him.” I said.

The massive dinosaur’s head slowly moved down towards Flash, until his muzzle was barely an inch away from the stunned stallion’s body. It’s snorting breath blew against the pegasi’s feathers. “Uh…I’m sorry?” Flash said fearfully with a very sheepish smile.

Draco snorted through his nose blowing some wind against Flash’s face once more. He glared at him for a few more seconds before returning back to normal.

“Holy buck!” Zephyr yelped as Draco turned back.

“How is this possible?” Flash said, also shocked. “Who or what are you?”

“I'm your worst nightmare if you ever call me a little midget again.” Draco said threateningly.

But he/I didn’t say midget. We all thought in unison.

“Back to the matter at hand, what exactly is that gem?” I ask while pointing to Draco’s chest.

“Is that…melded in your chest?” Flash asked, looking weary.

“Oh man I’m gonna be sick…” Zephyr groans.

“This gem was given to me by Discord. With it, I’m able to transform into any prehistoric creature that existed on Earth.” He said while tapping on the amber colored gem.

“Well you sure have a hell of a way of taking care of things.” I said looking around us.

“I’ll say.” Zephyr said. “This whole place looks like it was thrown into Tartarus and back.”

“Did you at least spare any survivors? Like enslaved mares and brainwashed stallions?” Flash asked.

“Of course I did, I’m not a total monster you know.” He said while folding his arms across his chest. “When I could, I locked up the brainwash stallions. The mares I let go and told them to find someplace safe till all the Caribou were gone.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Zephyr said under his breath.

“Well regardless I’m surprised Discord managed to pull something like this off.” I said, placing a hand on my hip. “First me and Lucifer, then Phill and Michael, now you and Discord? Does every deity want a piece of Dainn and his Overlords? What’s next, someone from both Heaven and Hell shows up?”

“I could care less; all I want is to rid Equestria of those filthy Caribou.” Draco snarled while cracking his knuckles. “I'll eat every last one of them.”

“Eat?” Flash repeats.

“You eat them?” Zephyr asks, looking nauseous.

“Yeah well despite being a bunch of filthy perverted wastes of life, they taste fairly good.” I could see Draco moving his hand to his mouth picking at his teeth, before spitting out something white. “Eh, but their bones get stuck between my teeth sometimes.”

Zephyr then took this opportunity to run towards a nearby trash can and vomit out his lunch making me chuckle and Flash facepalm. “Did you have to show that to us?” Flash groaned, rubbing his hand down his face.

“Pfft like I care.” He deadpanned while scratching the inside of his ear. “If you guys are this squeamish over something like that, then maybe you should stay out of my way.” He pulled his finger out of his ear and blew off a speck of dust that was on it.

"What’s the matter Flash, can’t handle a bit of gore?” I teased. "I mean after all the bloody shit you have seen I can do, right?"

“That’s diff-”

“BLLLLAAARRRGGHHH!!”

Draco couldn’t help but laugh a bit as he watched the teal colored Pegasus vomit. “What a lightweight. Glad he didn’t see me bite the head of that Caribou earlier…you know maybe that bone was part of his skull?” He said while looking at the white curved piece of bone on the floor.

“At least…hermpf!” Zephyr hiccupped as he wiped his mouth and walked back over to us. “At least Lock…doesn’t buckin’ eat Caribou…”

"Well he should. If you boil them long enough and then grill them up, the meat just slides off the bone with ease." Draco compliments.

“Huh, that does actually sound tasty.” I thought, rubbing my chin.

“Please don’t!” Both Flash and Zephyr snap. I chuckled with delight but then remembered our other mission making me go back into serious mode.

“Draco, as much as I’d like to continue this conversation, my apprentices and I still have an urgent mission to finish. You seem to have already done the hard part by clearing out the city, by any chance did you happen to see a stallion named Big Mac?” I questioned. “And did you also hear anything about a crime lord who goes by the alias The King Pony? He’s Lust’s second in command and was in charge of the Unicorn Dust, weapons, and slave trades in the major cities like this one.”

“Big Mac?” He asked, sounding confused even though I knew he knows who I’m talking about. But for my apprentice’s sake, he acted like he didn't. “Unfortunately I haven’t, but I have heard some rumors about this King guy. I would hear his name brought up on rare occasions while I snuck into the Caribou’s camps. But nothing much that is important. Sorry man.”

“So, what’s the play boss?” Zephyr asked.

“First thing’s first.” I said. “Where are the mares and brainwashed stallions?”

“I told the mares to hide out in a hotel near an area I cleared out. The brainwashed stallions can be found in some of the police stations near the East side of town.” Draco explained.

“Ok here’s what we’ll do.” I said as I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a map of Manehattan and a pen. “Mark the locations of the police stations and the hotel. Flash, as soon as Draco is done, radio The Prometheus and tell them to fly over and extract the survivors. Zephyr, I need you to do one more sweep of the city to find any more signs of life. Once all is said and done, we’ll meet in the Rich District and end that bastard King Pony once and for all, am I clear?”

“Yes sir!” Flash salutes.

“You got it boss.” Zephyr nods.

Draco shrugged his shoulders and took the pen in his hand and got to work marking the map. He looked to Zephyr. “Fair warning, I left a bit of a mess around the hotel to ward off any Caribou from going near it.”

“Gee thanks.” Zephyr groaned and flew off.

As planned, all the mares and brainwashed stallions were loaded onto The Prometheus with ease, despite Zephyr emptying his guts again after the gruesome display Draco warned him about. We all met up in the rich district and made our way down the street past abandoned mansions. As we walked, I couldn’t help get this unexplainable feeling of dread out of my head. What was I expecting to find? Big Mac not brainwashed like the others but kept as a prisoner? Or was he brainwashed, and I’d just cleanse his mind? Or…would I find something I’d soon wish I never would even want to imagine. I once interrogated a stag for more information about the King Pony to see if I could get his name. The stag said The King Pony left his building only a few times a day to buck slaves or purchase Unicorn Dust and weapons. Does that mean I was too late? Did Big Mac fall as the others and is another traitor? All these questions made me quicken my pace and the others seemed to notice my unease.

“I hope we find Big Mac.” Flash said. “All this speculation on the mysterious King Pony we’ve heard about running things in Manehattan has me very worried.”

“I know what you mean, man.” Zephyr said. “You don’t think…the King Pony is Mac himself, do you?”

“Annnnnd you might have just jinxed it.” Draco said, sounding a little peeved. “Why would you fucking tempt the universe like that?”

“Zephyr, for your own sake, keep that muzzle zipped and don’t ever say shit like that again.” I hissed with malice.

“What? There’s honestly no way, right?” Zephyr said.

We eventually walked up to a house that’s easily larger than the rest. It was three stories and the whole place looked like where a crime lord would live. I nod to my group and we walk across the large patio and make our way to the double doors of the house. Not wasting time, I kicked the door open off its hinges and raised my pistols as the others also got combat ready, only we were met with no resistance. The inside was completely empty and turned upside down. Seems like whoever was here left in a hurry, but I had a feeling the King Pony was still here.

“Stick close, sharp eyes everyone.” I said.

As we walked inside, I noticed that Draco was sniffing the air and quickly moved down one hall that we had almost pasted. He crouched down low to the ground and sniffed the carpet moving in a S shaped pattern.

“You smell anything?” I ask.

Draco nodded his head and made his way over to a thick metal door.

“Ooh, I got a bad feeling about this.” Zephyr said.

I grabbed the handle and pulled with all my might and ripped off the lock. When we opened the door, we all gasped, and flames instinctively flickered off my wings. The one mare I didn’t expect to see, Zecora, all chained up on a table, completely naked, with a ball gag in her mouth lay before us. What’s worse…is that she had a purple collar around her neck.

“Zecora…” I whispered.

“Sweet Celestia!” Flash cried.

“Get her out of the restraints, now!” I ordered.

Draco growled and morphed his hands into claws and ripped off the chains. Zecora fell off the table but Draco caught her just in time as he also took off the ball gag. I grabbed a large blanket and covered her, but I knew, due to the collar, her mind was broken.

“She has a purple collar…” I said aloud, making Draco look up at me confused and enraged.

“Isn’t there anything you can do for her?” Draco asked, trying what I imagine was his hardest to suppress his rage.

“Yes, I can heal her mind and body with my Hellfire but…” I said looking away. “The scars in her mind will remain, purple collard mares always have lingering memories of their torture. She’ll be sane again, but not the same.”

“The King Pony did this…” Flash hissed, sparks crackling off his shoulders.

“Bastard’s here somewhere.” Zephyr growled as he clenched his fists.

“Draco.” I said but he was staring at Zecora with a frown. “Draco, I know it’s not fair, but we need to get Zecora out of here. More than that, we need to find the King Pony and make him answer for his crimes.” I leaned down and placed a hand on Zecora’s head, and I engulfed my hand in Hellfire. I grunted a bit since her corruption was more prominent than others, but her expression soon relaxed and so did her body. “That should do it. Draco?” He still didn’t look at me as he stared at Zecora. “Can you carry her at least?” Without a word he stood straight up and made no indication that he was struggling at all to carry her. He was definitely strong even in his human form.

“Draco…” he looked at me with a blank expression, but I could tell he had an unbridled rage in his eye. “I’m…sorry you had to see this.” I said as I reached for my earpiece to radio The Prometheus.

He stood there looking at the zebra mare in his arms and gently moved a hand to move some hair out of her face. “I’m going to make them all pay.” He growled.

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

“This is Soarin, everything alright Captain? Over.” Soarin asked.

“We got another one here in the Rich District. Send one of the smaller boats to my location for pickup, over.” I said.

“Roger that, we’ll send one now, over and out.” Soarin said as he hung up.

“Draco, just wait outside with Zecora. My crew will take it from there.” I said. He nodded and exited the building as the rest of us searched the house. We searched all the floors and rooms but found nothing except the drugs and bits The King Pony had hoarded which made me sick to my stomach. Draco soon returned with the same blank expression and I walked up to him, but he didn’t look at me as he hung his head low.

“We still have the basement to search. We think there’s a bunker down there.” I tell him.

“They will not be able to hide.” Draco's eyes changed and were slitted as he fell to the ground screaming in what I imagine to be pain. At first, I was worried that something was very wrong until I saw his skin start to be covered in black thick scales. His neck grew and sharp fangs grew out of his mouth. His screams took on a more feral tone as his body continued to morph. Soon he grew a tail and his hands turned into long black claws. His roar was ear piercing and hard to listen to. Eventually his transformation was over and standing two feet taller than me and my crew. His scales were black with a yellow streak going along his body from head to tail.

“Draco?” I asked hesitantly.

“Holy shit…” Zephyr gasped.

He ignored us as he moved his head down to the ground and started to sniff the ground, his toe claws would tap and click across the floor. His head perked up and he roared before bolting down the halls. We quickly followed him, and I holstered my guns and drew Surtr from its scabbard. He made a sharp turn and down a flight of stairs that led to a hallway. We all ran to the end of the hallway and were met with another metal door but this one seemed to have more locks on it. There was silence at first, until we heard a high pitched scream making us all tense up. Not wanting to wait I pull over my hood, hiding my face in shadow, and step in front of the door.

“Help me knock it down!” I shouted as I raised my boot. I slammed my boot into the door and the metal dented and waned from my kick. Draco roared as he slammed his whole body into the door, knocking the whole thing over. We walked in…to find the most unexpected and gut-wrenching sight, making us all gasp.

There, standing over a filly pony who I recognized as Babs Seed, was Big Macintosh himself. He stared at us in shock and my eyes trailed down to his hands making my very being shutter in utter rage. He had his belt off and was about to whip Babs since her shirt was torn off and she was only wearing her pants. What’s worse…is that it looked like he was about to defile her, making flames burst from my body as I breathed heavily at the disgusting sight. But what most heartbreaking about this whole thing, was that his eyes showed no signs of brainwashing since they didn’t glow a sickly green which could only mean one thing. Big Macintosh…was a traitor.

“No…sweet Celestia no…” Flash muttered.

“Big…Mac?” Zephyr whispered.

What happened next was a blur as I saw something black rush forward and tackled Big Mac and pushed him down to the ground. With a blink of an eye, I saw that Draco had the large stallion with his back pressed against the wall while flat on his flank. His jaws started to open as one of his toe claws came down and stabbed Big Mac’s leg, causing him to scream out in pain. I stomped over to Mac as Babs Seed ran past me and into Zephyr’s arms and cried her eyes out. I raised my sword and jammed it in his shoulder, making him scream louder in pain as Draco stopped tearing more into his leg with his tow claw.

“You…?” I hissed. “YOU?!” I repeated as I twisted the blade. “YOU ARE THE KING PONY?!?” I screamed as flames flicker violently off my body.

“Argh!” He grunts in pain and glares at me. “The buck do you think?”

“WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU NOT BRAINWASHED?! WHAT WERE YOU ABOUT TO DO TO BABS?! HOW COULD YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER KNOWN AND DARE TRY TO RAISE A HAND ON YOUR OWN COUSIN?!”

Draco growled and dug his claw into Mac again as blood started to pool out. “Answer me…” I sneered with enough venom to poison the very air. “Why are you a traitor?” I demanded slowly. He grunts and looks away, but I grab his skull and force him to look at me.

“FUCKING ANSWER ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!”

“Ngh! Ya wanna know buckn’ why?!” He snaps. “Cause Ah’ve been on tha sidelines fer years, livin’ in Applejack’s shadow while she got all the glory! Ah worked mah flank of, day and night, and what do Ah get? Nothin’ but a sore back and ungrateful buckers who gave me nothin’ but a sideways glance! Ah always wanted ta show them just how much Ah wanted to help than just tha farm but they didn’t do jack! But then tha Caribou took over and things got A LOT better! Boss Lust saw somethin’ in me that made me feel important, so he made me his second boss! Ah lived the life Ah was meant to and y’all buckers ruined it!”

“So you let your jealousy cloud your judgement and betray us?!” Flash accused. “YOU KILLED SO MANY OF US AND RUINED SO MANY LIVES!! ALL FOR YOUR OWN DESIRES!!”

“What about your family, Mac?!” Zephyr said angrily as he held Babs close. “Do you have any idea how AJ is gonna react when she sees you like this?! Especially the rest of your family!”

“BUCK THAT STUPID CUNT!!!”

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, because before I knew it Draco snapped his jaws down on Big Mac’s right arm. The stallion screamed in pain as Draco dragged his head up lifting the traitor off the ground, making me pull my sword back. Big Mac’s legs flailed around as he screamed until Draco grabbed both legs in his clawed hands. His jaws snapped completely shut, severing the appendage off the stallion’s body causing him to fall to the ground.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

He bellowed in pain as blood sprayed from his open wound. I acted quickly and placed an inflamed hand on the wound and cauterized it, making him scream more.

“That was a warning, motherfucker.” I growled. “You had two loving sisters and a grandmother.” I said darkly. “You had the respect of almost every pony in Ponyville, you were well known for your kind yet quiet nature, yet you threw it all away.” I said as I held up Surtr and engulfed it in Hellfire. “I’d rather put you down and spare Applejack the sight of what you’ve become.” I said as I raised my sword. “Hold him steady, Draco, his execution happens today.” Draco, who still had Big Mac's arm hanging from his jaws, threw his head back and swallowed the whole thing in one gulp. He slammed his foot against the filthy traitor’s chest pinning him to the wall.

“WAIT, DON’T KILL ME!! AH DON’T DESERVE TA DIE NOW!!” Mac pleaded.

“LOCK STOP!!!”

Just as I was about to bring my sword down, a bright light appears behind us, making me turn my head. Of all the people to show up, The Angel’s Saint walks in with his sword drawn and his wings spread and gives me a harsh glare.

“Don’t fucking bother stopping me Phill, this bastard deserves it.” I said.

“If ya kill that colt, ya’ll be making a huge mistake!” Phill warns. “And who or what the hell is that thing next to ya?!” Draco snarled at Phill’s presence; he turned his attention to the man. “I know this is not your true form, beast. Reveal yourself!” He demands, pointing his sword at Draco.

Draco snarled for a moment before slowly changing back into his human form. He glared at Phill in what I can only imagine as pure hate. “And why the hell should we spare this shit stain?”

“Because he deserves proper judgement.” Phill answered.

“You see what he was about to do Phill?” I said gesturing to Babs as she was still crying in Zephyr’s chest. “You see what he has become?! DO YOU SEE WHAT HE HAS DONE TO THIS CITY?!” I screamed. “WHY SHOULD THIS PIECE OF TRAITOR SHIT BE ALLOWED TO LIVE AFTER ALL HE’S DONE?!? YET YOU SAY HE DESERVES JUDGEMENT?!?”

“Ya may be right, Lock.” Phill said. “I won’t deny that he has sinned. But that does not give ya, nor that boy, the right to take his life. He deserves proper punishment but killing him will just make things worse.”

“Spare me the fucking lecture, Phill!” I spat. “If anything, I have the only right to claim his life. You know what he did to this city and the rest of Equestria, he let these scumbags run wild and abuse any mare they saw no matter what age they were, especially with the drug manufacturers and weapon running! I can only imagine how many poor souls he already defiled here before we or even Draco showed up. Michael is too soft, Phill, but Satanael knows how to properly punish the sinners!”

“What’s he worth to you?” Draco asked out of nowhere, in an almost shockingly calm tone and stepped towards Phill. A moment ago, he was like something that crawled out of the deepest part of Hell. But now his expression is cool and collected.

“He’s worth every soul he’s taken.” Phill said. “Look at him, he’s been maimed, is scared out of his wits, and is staring death in the bloody face. Is this not enough of a judgement for his sins? What else can ya do to him before the both of ya are satisfied? What more do ya want?”

“Make us an offer.” Draco said with a smile which got both Phill’s attention and my own. “As it stands, he is our prey. We found him first, so we have a claim on his tainted soul.” He turned around and walked back to me as his fingers turned it long black claws. “But we aren’t without some sense of reason.” He placed a clawed hand on what was left of Big Mac’s right shoulder. “Make us an offer to save this poor soul, and if we like it, we'll let him live.”

“Draco, the hell are you doing?” I demand. “You saw what he did to Zecora, right? And now you’re bargaining for this sorry bastard’s life?”

Draco glanced at me for a moment before turning back to Phill. “Like, what will you give us in order to spare his life?”

Phill glared at Draco like he had insulted him and gripped the hilt of his sword. “Ya think ya can just demand something of me and expect to just walk away with his life?” Phill demands.

Draco just smiled as he moved his hand to Big Mac’s throat. “Ah ah Phill, wouldn’t want my hand to slip, now would you?” I saw his claw lightly crazy the stallion’s throat getting a small amount of blood to trickle down.

“ENOUGH!!” Phill snapped. “Ya’re a conniving boy, ya know that? Just spare the lad’s life and I’ll offer ya my services whenever ya please! Happy?!”

With his free hand Draco tapped his chin. “Mmm well that is a fair deal. But before I agree I'm sure there are limits on your offer?”

“Careful boy…” Phill hissed, pointing his sword at Draco again. “If ya want me to do anything that goes against my vows, ya’re sorely mistaken.”

“Hmmm I see.” Draco tapped his fingers against his chin for a bit more. “Alright we will let him live, however we will still be taking him to Canterlot to face judgment.” He glanced at me for a moment before looking back to Phill. “That seems fair right?”

“You both are fucking delusional.” I growled, making them turn to me. I stomped on Mac’s leg, causing him to cry out in pain. “It’s pieces of shit like him that deserve to fucking burn for all he’s done! LOOK AT ALL THAT HE’S WROUGHT!!” I roared with pain in my voice. “THIS WAS ONCE A PLACE OF BEAUTY AND PEACE, AND NOW IT’S ALL ONE BIG DUMPSTER FIRE OF A MESS!!! WHY SPARE SOMEONE WHO TURNED AGAINST EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE HE STOOD FOR?!?”

Phill was about to move in, but Draco quickly held his hand out to stop him. He turned to be with a stern look. “Look anyway you shake a stick at it, he’s going to go to Hell. No amount of repenting is gonna save him from that.” His eyes glance down at the stallion for a few seconds. “And he knows it. So I think letting him live with that knowledge for the rest of his life, is a fitting bonus.” Draco looked back to me and moved his hand onto my shoulder. “Killing him now isn’t gonna change anything that he has done. Let him rot away in the castle dungeon knowing that when he dies, he will suffer for all eternity.”

“Lock.” Zephyr said, making me glance at him. “Maybe…we should at least do as Phill and Draco says.”

“Are you bucking kidding me, Zephyr?!” Flash snaps. “Look at what he’s become! Look at what he’s done and was even about to do!” He said pointing at Babs. “This bastard deserves to burn for all he’s done!”

“Ya’ve seen too much violence in one lifetime, young Flash.” Phill said. “I too fight for the sake of Equestria, but I do not just kill anyone out of spite. I only take the lives of those who’re beyond redemption. And I can tell ya, all of ya, that this stallion is not one of those lives.” He then looks to Draco. “As for ya, as I’ve said…I offer ya my services. Should ya need them, I shall do anything you ask of me.”

Draco nodded his head and moved his claw away from Mac’s throat. “Lock, I get you’re angry, trust me, there’s nothing that would make me happier than to slit this fucker’s throat right now. But think about Applejack and Apple Bloom. Do you really want to be the one who tells them that not only did he betray then, but you killed him too?”

“You’re just a dumb kid.” I spat and shoved Draco aside. I grabbed Mac and held him close as I pressed Surtr’s blade into his neck drawing blood. “I’ve seen war back on Earth. I’ve encountered his kind before, the kind that only deserves death for his crimes. I’ve seen war criminals treat human beings like dirt and torture the weak for their own sick pleasures! This fucker’s no different!”

“Are ya saying that because ya truly believe he deserves to die? Or are ya just lashing out because of the anger ya feel towards him?!” Phill demands. “Lock please, as your friend, I beseech ya to spare his life. I know ya’ve been through hell before, what you went through with that old lad of yours, Joshua. But it doesn’t have to be like that again. Ya’re a good man, Lock, better than any man I’ve known back on Earth. Please…spare him.”

“Don’t listen to him, Lock!” Flash said. “It’s bastards like him that are the reason Shining lost his life!”

“Lock, he should be tried and thrown in prison, not killed.” Zephyr pleads. “And it’s like Draco said, if you kill him, what are you gonna say to AJ and her family?”

Draco moved back into my field of vision. “Killing him won’t bring back anyone, or undo what has been done. You are a better person than him.” He moved his hand to gently grab my blade; I saw a small trickle of blood trip from his hand. “Kill him now and he won’t be able to regret what he has done. Once in Hell he won’t be able to weasel his way out.”

I was silent the entire time, not knowing what to do. I held on to Surtr and gripped the handle as the flames continued to flicker along the blade. Mac stared at me in fear as I glared at him with a soulless gaze. I had killed plenty of traitors before him, some more deserving than others. But then I thought about AJ and her family, how they would feel if I killed him without hearing it from him in person. Do I spare him and let him live the rest of his days in solitude? Or do I just cast aside what humanity I have left and end his miserable existence?

Author's Note

Judgement. Death…or Life?

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil and The Beast of Chaos

Chapter 25

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Uh, hey Draco.” Zephyr said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“But Draco-”

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

“Lock?” Flash asked.

“That’s an order.” I add.

“…Yes sir.” Flash said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh wow, he’s a total tsundere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How did you meet Discord?” I wondered.

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

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

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

“Uh…like what?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Captain!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Get off me, damnit!” Big B snapped.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Uh oh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Good, SOARIN!” I shout.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Queta wha?” Swift Snow wondered.

“Was that even English?” Cloud Skipper asked.

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

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

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

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

“Dinosaurs?” Shadow Star repeats.

“What’s a dinosaur?” Big B asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t?”

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

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

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

“How exactly?”

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

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

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

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

SMASH!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“She and her family will be devastated.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That sounds terrible.” Shadow Star frowned.

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

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

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

“Such a fucking mess…” I sighed aloud.

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

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

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

“Wha-”

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

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

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

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

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

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

3rd POV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What the buck?!”

“Who’s that?!”

“By the gods, he got the Captain!”

“Fire at the bastard!”

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

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

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

“What the buck?!”

“How’d he do that?!”

“He’s a freak!”

“Reload and fire at him again!”

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

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

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

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

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

“But what about Draco?” Zephyr asked.

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

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

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

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

“Wait…did you hear-AARRRHH!”

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

Dimitri 1st POV

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

“Draco!”

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

“You sure about that Captain?” Flash asks.

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

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

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

“Someone call for reinforcements!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“YES, YES I SWEAR!!”

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

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

“Draco?” I called out to the Indoraptor.

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

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

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

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

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

“Do you know who he is?” I asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“How do you figure?” I ask.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I nod and press the button on my ear.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Author's Note

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

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Beast and Alpha Squad

Chapter 26

The trip back to Ponyville was not a joyful one, not in the slightest. Once again, we were all met with the bittersweet atmosphere as we neared home. Flash, Zephyr, Draco, and Alpha Squad stood by me, all of us frowning as we thought about our prisoner in the brig. I still didn’t want to believe the stallion who was locked up, beat to shit, and his arm torn off was the quiet stallion, Big Macintosh. This world, this enemy, this war, all of it was all still so unreal to me despite being here for over four months.

I also couldn’t help but think about my old life back on Earth, how I was just a former vet and working a simple office job for the U.K. military and now I’m right back on the battlefield. No normal human could’ve ever expected something like this to happen: waging war in a world that was supposed to be just fantasy, working for the Devil himself, getting crazy super powers, and I somehow I get the feeling that this whole thing is gonna get even harder once I defeat Lust and take back the Crystal Empire.

I then heard Draco clear his throat which made me turn to him. He looked a little uneasy which reminded me he didn’t want to be around until the matter with Mac is over and done with.

“You sure you don’t wanna tag along for this? It’ll be a hard pill to swallow but it has to be done.” I said.

“Considering I ripped off Big Mac’s arm off and swallowed it, then maybe a pill I’d rather not have to deal with as well.” He added.

“I guess you have a point.” I said with a fake laugh. “Where should we leave you off in the meantime?”

He hummed to himself as he gave the idea of some thought. “How about I wait for you guys by the lake? I wanted to get work out in, and a good swim may help ease my nerves for later.”

“Sounds good, you hear that Soarin?” I asked one of my helmsponies.

“Got it, Captain.” Soarin said as he turned the wheel.

“Hey Captain?” Shadow Star said. “Is it alright if we go with him?”

“You lot wanna go with him? How come?”

“We kinda wanna get to know the newest member of the resistance and, if we’re being honest, we don’t really wanna be around either when you break the news to everypony.” Swift Snow said, earning nods of agreement from the rest of Alpha Squad.

“Well I don’t see why not, if that’s ok with you?” I asked Draco.

Draco looked over at the group of ponies and shrugged his shoulders. “They’re free to do whatever they want.”

“Cool.”

After a few minutes, we arrived at the lake and I had just The Prometheus hover just above the shore of the lake. As the gangplank was being lowered, I walked over to Draco and held out an earpiece to him.

“I’ll radio you and the others once I’m done. I was planning to give one to you anyway so might as well do it now.”

“Hmm thanks I guess.” He took the little earpiece and stuck it into his ear. “I’ll see you when you get back.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and lightly patted it. “Good luck man, you’re braver than me at this point."

“At any other point in time I’d believe you, now...I’m not so sure.” I sighed. He walked down the gangplank to the ground below, with the rest of Alpha Squad following behind him. Draco looked back up to me with a sympathetic look before waving goodbye.

3rd POV

As Lock’s ship sailed away through the air with his other ships, Draco and Alpha Squad walked along the edge of the water. Draco sighed as he squatted down on his feet as the others walked up beside him.

“Hey man, you doing ok?” Wild Ace asked.

Draco let out a groan as he scooped some water from the lake, to splash on his face. “Not exactly, but then again it’s been awhile since I had to deal with something this heavy.”

“I still can’t believe it was Mac all along.” Big B growled. “He tossed everything to the side like garbage, all for his own selfish wants.”

“I hope he rots.” Swift Snow adds. “More so, I think Captain should’ve killed him right then and there.”

Draco sighed as he kicked off his socks and shoes, sitting down to dip them into the water. “It may sound simple, but can anyone of you be able to go tell Applejack, her family, and friends what he became or that you were the ones who had killed him?”

“Why wouldn’t it be simple?” Big B asked. “He was a traitor, and if they can’t handle it then tough.”

“B! How can you be so insensitive?!” Shadow snaps.

“Hey, I can say whatever I damn well please. I should’ve been the one to go with Captain, maybe then we wouldn’t have to deal with the drama he’s about to go through.”

“I’ve heard just about enough from you!” Wild Ace snarled as he unfurled his wings. “If you don’t shut up, I’ll make you regret it, you big bucking brute!”

“Come at me then, little bitch!” B challenged.

“Guys stop! Fighting won’t get anypony anywhere!” Cloud Skipper pleads.

“RRAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Draco let out a massive roar that caused everyone to cover their ears and look to him. “ENOUGH!!!” His eyes were red with slitted eyes and teeth as sharp as a wild beast.

“What’s your problem?!” B barked only for Draco to stomp towards him and grab his shirt collar. He pulled the stallion down and seethed as his slitted eyes glared daggers into B.

“My problem is you cannot fathom the pain and suffering me and Lock are going through right now! Yet you claim it is easy, and you’d be willing to pick a fight with your own team?!” He lifted the stallion off the ground his glare never wavering. “This is hard on all of us, but it’s not Big Mac’s fault entirely. He was turned by the damn Sins who used his feeling of being less important, or not feeling like he makes a difference, corrupt him.”

“What kind of lame excuse is that?!” Swift asked, making Draco snap his head to the other earth pony. “If he was so unhappy with his life, then why did he have to be such a coward and keep it to himself?! If anything, it’s his own damn fault for turning against Equestria!”

Dropping Big B Draco walked over to the other earth pony. “So you think it’s easy to admit you faults? Then go ahead, tell us you’re weakness your ashamed of.”

Swift Snow opened his mouth and was about to speak, but no words came out. He glanced at his teammates who stared at him, waiting for his reply, but no words came out. “I...I’m...” Swift stuttered but his ears drooped as he hung his head in shame.

“Well? Why are you hesitating? You’re not a coward like Big Mac like you claim he is, right? So spill it, let us all know.” Draco persisted as he glared at the stallion.

Without warning, Swift grabbed Draco by the arm and pulled him away from the group. Once they were out of earshot, Swift released Draco and glared at him as tears started to form in his eyes.

“Got something you want to say?” Draco asked in a calm tone.

“I...I’m...gay...”

Draco blinked his eyes for a moment and looked around. “And?” He asked, expecting more.

“But...I feel more than that. Like I’m a mare trapped in a stallion’s body. Do you have any idea how frightening it is to be this way in a world like this? The only other ponies who know are my parents, so I actually have a right to be afraid!”

Draco, seeing Swift’s concern, moved his hand to gently pat his head. “I bet that was hard to admit? Like if you did, others would think less of you right?” Draco asked while gently bringing the pony into a hug rubbing his back. “Now imagine if the Sins found away to exploit those emotions and fears to turn you against your friends and family.”

“I hate feeling this way sometimes.” Swift admits. “Especially when I’m constantly around somepony I’ve had a crush on since I became part of Alpha Squad.”

Draco continued to pet the stallion’s back as he tried to sooth him. He lead Swift back to the group who were waiting with confused expressions. “I’m not justifying Big Mac’s actions, but I am trying to show you guys that he wasn’t the only one at fault here.” He looked to the sky feeling a bit depressed. "Me and Lock knew the life that he was meant to have at one point, but now that future is gone. He could have been something better, but now it’s too late.”

“Is it gonna always be like this?” Shadow asked with her ears drooped. “Finding more ponies who have betrayed us like Mac?”

Draco let out a long sigh as he looked to all the members of Alpha Squad. “I’d be lying if I said that we wouldn’t. The sad fact is the Sins can use one’s feeling and emotions to twist another’s mind, like Big Mac. That’s what sucks about war, you’re going to see and hear a lot more depressing shit then you are any good stuff.”

Alpha Squad took a moment to think about Draco’s words, because he was right. Their Captain had been on the front lines longer than they have and he was most likely shouldering the burden of seeing most of the ugliness of this war.

“Hey...sorry for snapping like that.” B said as he rubbed the back of his head. “It’s just I got a sister who we saved back in Detrot. She was in bad shape since she was almost turned into a red collar and it just set me off.”

Draco waved it hand to show there was no hard feelings. “It’s fine dude. I can understand your anger, because in all honesty I feel just as much as the rest of you, if not more.” He looked to each of the individual members and let out a sign. “Look, we shouldn’t let this moment of peace go to waste. Who knows how long it will last. Let’s all just take the time to relax and take a mental recharge, alright?”

“I agree.” Shadow said. “So Draco, what did you have in mind for us to do?”

Draco smirked as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off. Thanks to the strange gem embedded in his chest and his time on Eques, Draco had just as much muscle mass as Lock. His abdominals, pectorals, traps, and biceps bulged as he stretched. Shadow’s face immediately reddened as she gawked at Draco’s body, even Swift couldn’t help but blush a little.

“Damn, Draco, you’re almost as cut as the Captain!” Ace commented.

“How’re you so freaking buff?!” B yelped.

He shrugged his shoulders and popped a few joints as he stretched. “Well when you’ve been fighting nonstop, you tend to build a body suited for it. Plus when I’m not hunting down Caribou and traitor stallions, I’m working out.” He smiled as he pointed to the lake. “You guys should try swimming, it helps work all the mucles in your body at once.”

The members of Alpha Squad looked at each other but then shrugged as they stripped out of their main clothing to swim. Shadow was still in a daze as she stared at Draco but was pulled along by Ace so they could swim. As Swift was about to join the others, Draco waved his hand over to Swift so he could talk to him.

“Was there something else you needed?” Swift asked.

Making sure that no pony was within earshot. “About what you told me, it will be our little secret. And if you want I can tell you a secret of my own.”

“Um, ok sure.” Swift said.

“You see there is somepony I have a crush on, but know I don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell with.” He gently pulled Swift in to whisper who.

When Draco whispered in his ear, his eyes widened and did a double take at the young human. “Are you for real? Her?!”

Draco nodded his head. “Yeah, you may have a chance, but me.” He shook his head. “Not even a glimmer of hope.”

“Well hey, look at it this way, love works in mysterious ways. I mean if Captain can end up together with Princess Twilight, why can’t you with your special somepony?” Swift questioned.

Again Draco shrugged his shoulders. “Because I know her heart could never be mine, that her heart is set on somepony else.” He folded his hands behind his head and sighed. “But it’s fine. That’s life for you.” He made his way over to the edge of the water. “But enough about that, let’s get a good work out in. What do you say?”

“You bet!” Swift chirped as he joined Draco.

While Swift joined the other stallions in a swimming race, Shadow swam over to Draco with a thankful smile. “Hey Draco, thanks for helping set the boys straight. It’s hard being the only mare on the team sometimes.”

Draco smiled as he noticed how cute this unicorn mare was. Her ash grey coat and wavy light blue mane and tail glistened in the afternoon sun and her eyes were a pretty deep brown. Not to mention she had quite the slender yet muscular body which she showed off pretty well since she was only wearing yoga pants and a sports bra as she swam.

“It’s no big deal. Honestly I’m surprised they actually were willing to listen to me, seeing as I’m not even a member of the team.” He leaned back against the water’s edge, staring up at the sky.

“True, you sounded more like a leader.” Shadow said as she leaned with Draco.

“Hah! Me a leader? Pfft, as if. They wouldn’t let me lead my troop back when I was the oldest member in boy scouts. I just told them the truth, and I’m not even sure if I’m right or not.” Draco’s smile faded for a moment as he thought back to Big Macintosh. He looked up to the stallion, and when he came to this world he wanted to meet him so bad. He was excited to meet his idol, only for that dream to be shattered.

“Well...” Shadow said as she scooted a bit closer. “I think you’d make a great leader, since you were so cool earlier.”

“If you say so.” Draco was still staring up at the sky deep in his own thoughts to notice Shadow moving in closer.

“Well, what if you were to become leader of Alpha Squad?” Shadow asked as she moved closer to the point she was almost leaning on him, but he still didn’t seem to notice.

“The day I become the leader of this squad is the day I will wear a pink tutu and eat a hat while riding on a unicycle.” Draco laughed just thinking of the idea.

“You sure Draco?” Shadow said as she leaned up close to his face. It was then Draco finally turned his head and was met with Shadow’s eyes right in front of him, making his eyes widen and face flush red. “Boo!”

“Gaahhh!” Draco yelped as he tried to move away from the mare, only to fall backwards into the water.

“Hahahahaha!” Shadow laughed, clutching her sides. “You should see your face!”

“Good one Shadow!” One of the stallions called out.

“She really got you there Draco!”

“Serves you right, you little runt!”

Shadow’s eyes widened as Draco grinned a menacing smile and slowly turned to the stallions who were desperately covering Big B’s muzzle.

“Um...Draco?” Shadow muttered nervously.

Draco’s head slowly lowered into the water until he was completely out of sight. For a good while no pony dared move a muscle as they waited for him to reappear. Just then, a massive fin poked up from the water and swam towards the stallions who began to panic.

“SWIM FOR YOUR LIVES!! HE’S GONNA DEVOUR US!!”

Soon the head of a massive shark emerged from the water, jaws open with rows if teeth the size of butcher knives.

“TAKE HIM! HE SAID IT!” Ace yelped as he and the others abandoned Big B and swam for their dear lives.

“Mommy!” B squeaked as he stared at the large sets of teeth.

Just as the the teeth were about to come down on the stallion, the large shark head shrank back to Draco’s original head. “Call me a minuscule pipsqueak runt again, and you will be shark bait.” Draco threatened.

“But...I didn’t... say...” Draco growled as Big B shrunk into the water. “Never mind...”

“Good.” He turned his sights into Shadow before slowly dunking his head underwater and moving out of sight.

Shadow looked around for Draco since she could not see him in the water until she felt a tingling sensation on her hooves.

“What the-HAAHhahhaahAHHAHA! Stop! What’s tickling my hooves?!” Shadow cried as she tried to pull her legs out of the water.

Try as she might though she could only laugh out, as her hooves were tickled relentlessly. Draco poked his head out from the water with a shit eating grin on his face. “Do you surrender?” He asked with a cocky smile as he kept at it.

“HAHAHhahaa! OK OK, I surre-woah!” Shadow yelped as she fell forward and onto Draco. Shadow shook her head and looked down to see Draco was face first in her chest and his hands had accidentally found their way on her flanks. She yelped and swam away, leaving Draco a blushing mess. “I-I-I’m sorry Draco!”

Draco said nothing as he fell backwards into the water, leaving a small amount of bubbles in the spot he sunk down into.

“OH NO!” Shadow dived in and swam towards Draco and grabbed him by his arms. She then pulled him towards shore and laid him down on his back and placed her head on his chest. “Don’t worry Draco, I’ll save you!” Shadow said as she opened his jaw and proceed to give Draco CPR.

Draco’s eyes slowly started to flutter open, only for them to widen as he saw Shadow in such close proximity, he could feel her lips on his own. His face turned a bright crimson before his eyes rolled into his head.

“DRACO!”

SLAP! SLAP!

“WAKE UP OR I’LL...I’LL...I’LL KISS YOU FOR REAL!”

Draco’s face was now red from the slaps that Shadow had given him. His eyes still rolled into his head and a slightly bloody nose.

“Uh, Shadow? I think you’re doing more damage than good.” Cloud said as he and the other stallions walked up from the water.

“But how else do we wake him up?! Captain will be pissed if he finds him like this!”

“Let me try something.” Swift said as he leaned in to whisper in Draco’s ear.

Draco’s eyes rolled back and he quickly sat straight up. “Do that, and I swear to…” Draco looked around and noticed the smug smile on Swift’s face. “Well played…”

“Thank you.” Swift said.

Just as the group was about to return to having fun, one of the small airboats flew over and landed just a ways from Draco and Alpha Squad. From the boat, Flash and Zephyr walked out from the gangplank with Spitfire and Soarin, each with sad frowns on their faces.

Draco jumped to his feet and walked over to the group of ponies as they walked off the gangplank. “Where’s Lock?”

Flash looked up to Draco and looked away as he hung his head. Zephyr walked up to Draco as Spitfire went to console her coltfriend.

“It’s...not good, Draco. Not good at all.” Zephyr said.

Letting out a sigh Draco could sense the unease in everyone’s voice. “Where is Lock?”

“In Canterlot.” Flash replied with a sad tone. “With...Applejack and her family. Along with a near beaten to death Macintosh...”

Author's Note

What could have possibly happened in Ponyville? Next chapter, the clock winds back to recount the events.

Side note, apologies for the short chapter. My studies have been a little, shall we say, preoccupying.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building...

The Devil's Flame of Hatred

Chapter 27

Lock 1st POV
A couple of hours earlier

I frowned as I left Draco and Alpha Squad off at the lake as my ship made its way to Ponyville. I didn't want to do this, not to Applejack and especially not poor Apple Bloom. A part of my mind told me to just not tell them about The King Pony and let him rot in the brig, but that wouldn't bold well for my conscience. I walked over to the bow of the ship and stood up on the railing as the growing town came more and more into view. Draco was wrong about one thing before I left him: I wasn't brave, at all, because right now I'm more afraid of what I'll do if Mac says or does something that will set me off.

Once The Prometheus and the other ships hovered over Ponyville, I looked down to see Twilight and her friends, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and even Granny Smith, all waiting patiently for the ship to land. Not bothering to wait, I jumped off the railing and fell to the ground. Once I was a few meters away from the earth, I spread my wings to parachute my fall so I could land gracefully on my feet. I gently landed in front of the group, but I hung my head forward as my bangs covered my eyes a little.

"Dimitri?" I heard Twilight say.

I didn't answer as I stared at the ground until I saw the hooves of the Apple Family.

"Lock, we heard ya went straight to Manehattan, what did ya find?" Applejack asked.

I kept silent as the ships landed near the rest of the fleet as I grit my teeth and looked away.

"Hey, you don't get to clam up after telling me to stay behind while you went on to kick some flank!" Rainbow accused as she marched up to me. "Now tell us what the hay happened!"

"Rainbow Dash! Dimitri obviously doesn't wish to share with us just yet, so please refrain yourself!" Rarity lectured.

"Why should I?! I'm a loyal member of the resistance and a member of his crew just like everypony else on that ship, I should be able to have the right to know what happened somewhere I'm not included!" Rainbow snapped.

"Lock." Applejack said as she stepped forward. "Where's mah brother?"

I flinched at the mention of Mac and slowly looked back at her. Her eyes were full of worry, along with her sister and grandmother. My heart waned from the pressure of not being able to bear to tell them what happened, but I relented as I exhaled a long breath.

"We...found Manehatten...in ruins." I said slowly.

"Ruins? Was it that Saint guy?" Rainbow asked a little worried but I shook my head slightly.

"The monster attacked it...bodies everywhere..." I said slowly again. "We found the brainwashed and slaves...the rest were torn to shreds."

"Did you find out what the monster was?" Twilight wondered and I nodded slightly.

"He's a human, like me..." I said, making all the mare's eyes widen. "Brought here by Discord."

"DISCORD?!"

Fluttershy immediately flew up to me and placed her hands on my chest as she looked up to me with pleading eyes. "Where is he?! Where is Discord?!"

"The Crystal Empire...trapped in stone as a statue..." I said, making the timid mare step backwards as tears rolled out of her eyes. "Used the last of his power to bring Draco here." Fluttershy collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands as she sobbed and Rarity tried to console her.

"Draco?" Twilight said.

"That's his name, he's at the lake with Alpha Squad right now."

"Why would he be there? We can't throw a party for him if he's at the lake." Pinkie said innocently.

"Now's not the time for parties, Pinkie." I dismissed.

"But-"

"There's. No. Time." I said, slightly glaring at the party mare, making her cower away.

"Dimitri, what's going on?" Twilight asked. "You left once again without telling me, Cadence has locked herself in her room and won't come out, and now you're acting cold to us."

"With all due respect, Lock, but Twilight is right." Applejack said in a more stern tone. "Ah wanna know if mah brother is safe, so tell us what happened in Manehattan."

I narrowed my eyes at the fam mare and took a step forward. "You wanna know what happened?" I seethed as she and the others backed away. "I saw a near destroyed city, that was once called The Big Apple of Equestria, littered with the bloody and butchered remains of the enemy. I smelled the stench of death everywhere I went with my apprentices since there wasn't a single place that didn't have blood or guts stain the streets and walls. I went there to liberate the city and subdue the King Pony, only to find out I was once again too late. And to make matters more complete and utter bullshit, we managed to succeed in capturing the King Pony. But not before discovering that he had Zecora locked away in a torture chamber, wearing a Hell damn purple collar."

"Ya found Zecora?!" Apple Bloom yelped.

"She was wearing a purple collar?!" Fluttershy gasped.

"That's not all we found." I said as he walked past the mares and towards my ship as the group followed me. "We found Babs Seed about ready to be raped by the King Pony in the bunker of his mansion, but we managed to stop him just in time."

"BABS?!" Applejack yelled with anger. "Where is he?! Where's that bucker so Ah can kill him?!"

"You may come to regret those words once you see who he is." I said as we neared the gangplank. I stopped right at the plank and looked over my shoulder. "Stay here, I'll go bring the prisoner right now."

"Can't we come with you?" Rainbow asked.

"Wait. Here." I said with a small growl. There were no more protests after that as I walked up. Flash and Zephyr were waiting form me on the deck as I passed by them and to the door leading below deck. "Make sure that they do not get on this ship, they all need to see this together."

"Yes sir."

"Sure boss."

I approached the doors leading to the brig and saw a couple members of my crew standing guard. They saluted me and stepped to the side and opened the doors for me. Before I stepped through the doors, I motioned one of them to follow me, to which the young earth pony nodded and walked after me. The brig consisted of many large cages that would harbor any prisoners kept on board. Each one I passed were empty since we never really kept any prisoners, until now. I eventually made it to the back corner of the brig to see a couple of the ship's doctors walk out of one of the cells, each with large medical bags. One was a unicorn mare with light yellow fur and a violet mane and tail, both done up in a bun. She wore a pair of glasses and had a small mole on the side of her chin and her eyes were a plum purple color. The other doctor was an earth pony stallion. His fur was light grey and his mane and tail were a plain black. His eyes were a steel blue and the end of his muzzle was a darker shade of his fur. When they saw me approach the cell, they straightened themselves up to look presentable.

"At ease." I said as me and the guard stood before them and they relaxed a little. "How's the prisoner? Dr. Warm Heart? Dr. Surgical Steel?"

Both ponies looked at each other with a frown until Dr. Warm Heart cleared her throat. "With all due respect, Captain, Dr. Surgical Steel and I are somewhat amazed how he is still alive with all that you had done to him." Dr. Warm Heart said as she adjusted her glasses.

"I agree." Dr. Surgical steel said as he pulled off his bloody gloves and stuffed them in his medical bags. "Shattered kneecap, dislocated arm, severed arm that looks like it was torn off, multiple contusions that litter over half his body, 2nd to 3rd degree burns, a great many lacerations, and that's not even the beginning of his many injuries."

"We were barely able to keep him stable with the blood transfusions and I had to cast a great many heavy sleeping spells in order for him to stop thrashing about so we could properly treat him." Warm Heart said.

"All I want to know is if he's still alive." I sighed.

"Yes." Surgical Steel said with a disapproving frown. "Alive and awake, but barely."

"I need him standing." I said as I took a step forward, only to be blocked by Warm Heart.

"Sir, please, the prisoner can't be moved. It would strain his bandages and his wounds will open." She said with Surgical Steel nodding in agreement.

"Now it's my turn to say with all due respect, Warm Heart, because there is no reason for the both of you to waste your concern on a stallion like him." I said as I crossed my arms. "He is my P.O.W. and what I do with him is none of your concern. I appreciate all you have done so far, but I must order the both of you to vacate the premises and tend to the brainwashed and slaves still recovering. That includes the new shipment we just brought in from Manehattan."

Both doctors wanted to protest but nodded reluctantly as they walked away and out of the room.

"He's going to kill him, if hasn't already."

"I know what he did was unforgivable, but to go so far?"

I ignored their whispers as I opened the call door. Inside was the prisoner staring blankly up at the ceiling, covered in almost head to hoof with bandages, laying on a small bed on the side of the room. The floor had blood droplets all around and his bandages were stained red. I heard the guard I brought with me gulp as we stepped forward, making Mac lazily look over to us with the same blank expression.

"Got nothing to say?" I growled. "Nothing at all?"

"If...yer gonna kill me...ya should've done it by now..." Mac croaked.

"No, you don't get to decide when you die." I said as I loomed over his bloody form. "I do, you live when I say you live and you die when I say you die."

"So...why am I alive?" He asked.

"Because you are going to face them, all of them." I said as I raised my hand and ignited it with Hellfire. "I promised her to bring you home."

"This ain't mah home no more." Mac said as he narrowed his eyes a little.

"You're right, it's not." I said as I placed my hand on his chest. "But it was once, and now you need to show them what you've become."

"Why bother?" Mac dismissed.

"Because they're your family, or at least, was your family." I said as I slowly healed him.

"They ain't mah family." Mac hissed.

"Again, you're right." I said with a frown. "But you will face them nonetheless."

Once I healed Mac enough to get him to stand, I grabbed his shirt and hoisted him up, making him grunt in pain in the process. He looks up at me as he reached over to grab where his other arm was, only to hold nothing which makes him gaze up at me disapprovingly.

"Be grateful I let you keep both arms." I sneered as I pulled out a small brown sack and placed it over his head. I motioned the guard to help escort him and he nodded and moved behind Mac. The guard grabbed Mac's arm with one hand and placed the other on his shoulder and pushed him forward. I followed the two of them as we walked out of the brig and up towards the deck as we passed by more crewmembers. When we made it outside, I heard that there was a bit of a commotion from outside the ship. I waved my hand for the guard holding Mac to wait and walked over to the edge of the ship to see Rainbow and Applejack glaring daggers at Flash and Zephyr.

"Ah won't tell ya again! Move!" Applejack demanded.

"I can't." Flash said.

"But mah big brother might be in there!" Apple Bloom said.

"Ya better move right now, sonny, else you'll get a whoopin'!" Granny Smith warned.

"Yeah! If the King Pony is on that ship, I wanna set him straight by kicking the shit outta him!" Rainbow said.

"Dash, please, we just need you all to wait out here a little longer." Zephyr said.

"Well I'm tired of waiting! We all are! You haven't told us a damn thing since you got back and we want to know right now!" Rainbow snapped. She then noticed me walk down the gangplank after I waved my hand over for the guard and glared at me. "You! What the buck is going on here?! I don't care if you're the Captain, I wanna give that bucker a piece of my-"

Rainbow stopped immediately as soon as she saw who was walking up behind me. The others backed away with uneasy faces as we walked off and the guard shoved the prisoner to his knees. I glanced at the group and noticed that some of them were trembling, most especially Applejack and her family, as if they knew already but didn't to admit it.

"Who is..." Twilight muttered.

"The King Pony himself." I said.

"But...his arm." Rarity said, on the verge of fainting.

"Torn off by Draco after what he was about to do to Babs and what he said about Applejack." I said.

"Who is he?" Applejack wondered, making him flinch at the sound of her voice.

"He is someone who used to live here." I said as I stepped next to him. "Someone who was respected by all and smiled on the outside, but had an unbridled hate on the inside. As I was doing my research as for the King Pony's actions and when and how he turned up, I realized that it was all a big coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Apple Bloom wondered.

"The disappearance of Mac, the rise of the King Pony, what Braeburn said back in Appleloosa, what that leader said about him having personal ties with Applejack, his alias Mr. M, and finding Zecora...it all connected in one sickening discovery."

"Dimitri, you make it sound like Applejack knows this pony somehow." Twilight said.

I sighed heavily as I placed my hand on the bag covering his head. I hesitated, part of my inner voice screaming at me to not show them and save them the heartbreak while the other part demanded me to do the right thing even though is was so wrong.

"We all do." I said as I yanked the bag off, revealing to them who the King Pony was.

The chilled breeze of the late fall wind blew past us as the mere image of Mac on his knees sunk in to the mares. Dead silence, no one said a word, no one even breathed. The first mare to react was Fluttershy as her eyes rolled back and fell to the ground, Rarity couldn't be bothered to catch her as her tears began pooling out. Rainbow fell to her knees as she grit her teeth and clenched the dirt in her hands. She glared at Mac with a look of pure anguish and subtly muttered to herself how she wanted to kill him. Pinkie's mane and tail deflated almost instantly as her body trembled and started crying. Twilight looked at me in disbelief, like she wanted me to tell her that this wasn't real, but I just stated blankly at her. The few ponies that were taking this the hardest out of everyone were Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith. Apple Bloom screamed as she hugged Granny Smith, she shook her head violently as she sobbed uncontrollably and screamed more and more into Granny Smith's shoulder. Granny Smith was in a sort of catatonic state, her grandson was a criminal and a tyrant, and she was in complete shock.

"You liar..."

I looked at Applejack who was glaring daggers at me. She then marched over and raised her fist and punched me across the face. I didn't move, I just stood there as I looked back at her, only to get punched again. "YOU LIAR! YOU BUCKING LIAR!! BUCK YOU!! BUCK YOU AND YOUR LYING FLANK!!!" Applejack screamed after every punch. "THAT BUCKER AIN'T MAH BROTHER!! WHERE IS HE?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!? WHERE'S BIG MACENTOSH?!?"

"Ya buckin' stupid cunt..."

Applejack stopped punching me and slowly looked down to Mac who was smirking sickeningly at her. "Always the high and mighty one, it's one of the many things I hate most about you."

"What...?" Applejack said, her tears now starting to form in her eyes.

"He ain't wrong, and what yer seein' ain't a lie." Mac chuckled as he scoffed at Applejack. "I'm the King Pony, loyal servant to Lord Lust and follower of King Dainn."

"But...that can't be..." Applejack said shakily as she backed away, Apple Bloom screamed more and more after that and Granny Smith did her console her but was still in shock. "You...are supposed to be mah brother."

"WELL I AIN'T YER BOTHER NO MORE!" Mac snapped. "I KILLED PONIES, I RAPED PONIES, I SOLD PONIES, AND I DID EVERYTHIN' AND ANYTHIN' I WANTED BECAUSE IT'S WHAT AH DESERVED!"

"DESERVERD?! WHAT THE BUCK DO YA MEAN?! YA HAD US, MAC! YA HAD YER FAMILY AND FRIENDS! WHY WOULD YA TURN ON EVERYTHIN' LIKE THAT?! YOU WERE MAH BIG BROTHER!"

"AND YOU WERE JUST A DUMB CUNT!!" Mac roared, not knowing my anger was rising and flames were beginning to flicker along by body. "Ah hate you..." He said as he seethed at Applejack, making her gasp. "AH HATE YOU AND EVERYONE IN THIS BUCKIN' TOWN!! YOU AND IT CALL ALL GO TO TARTARUS FER ALL AH CARE!! AH WISH LORD LUST WOULD CRUSH YOU SO YOU CAN ALL GET WHAT YOU DESERVE!!"

"Burn him..."

"IF AH WAS STILL FREE, I'D MARCH INTO HERE AND MAKE YA'LL THE OBIEDIANT CUNTS YA'LL ARE!!"

"Burn him."

"MAH ONLY REGRET WAS NOT BEIN' ABLE TO DRAG YA'LL TO KING DAINN SO HE COULD RAPE THE SHIT OUT OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!

"Burn him!"

"MAC STOP!! YOU'RE TALKIN' CRAZY!! WE WERE FAMILY!!" Applejack cried.

"THAT AIN'T MAH NAME, STUPID CUNT!! AH'M THE KING PONY!! AND YOU SHOULD CALL ME MASTER!!"

"BURN HIM!!"

"YOU MONSTER!! AH LOOKED UP TO YOU!!" Apple Bloom screamed.

"AND YOU WERE AN ANNOYING LITTLE SHIT!! AH SHOULD'VE GRABBED YOU AND ADDED YOU TO MAH COLLECTION ALONG WITH YER STUPID COUSIN!! MAYBE THEN YOU'D KNOW WHO THE REAL MASTERS OF EQUESTRIA ARE!!"

"BURN HIM LIKE THE FILTH HE IS!!!"

3rd POV
Hell

Deep within the Inferno where the Devil himself, Satanael, ruled over, the lord of Hell was lounging on his throne as he watched the souls of the damned scream and moan in agony. He then arose from his throne so he could go and check on his Hand and see how he was faring after their little argument. Truth be told, Lucifer did not like to argue with Dimitri, but the foolish human was beginning to become naïve and would most likely forget his true mission in Equestria.

"Stubborn child, why can you not see the truth?" Lucifer sighed as he stepped away from his throne and summoned a Looking Glass to see what Dimitri was doing. "You sound as if you know everything, and I suppose I must remind you that-"

Lucifer stopped talking as his eyes widened in disbelief. He saw that Dimitri was enraged and was covered in his flames after a supposed argument between the Apple siblings, but there was something different about the flames surrounding Dimitri.

"That's impossible!" The Devil spoke out of disbelief. "Those flames..."

Heaven
Court of The Archangels

"Brother!" Gabriel said as he stormed in. "What is this feeling?! What is the meaning of those flames?!"

"How am I to know?! I am at a loss as are you!" Raphael snapped as he and the other Archangel's gazed at their Looking Glass.

"He is but a human, those flames should not be possible to wield for a mere mortal such as he!" Ariel said.

"Phillip, you must get there before it is too late!" Michael ordered their champion through his mind.

"I'm already on me way! That crazy son of bitch! What kind of shite has he gone and done now?!" Phillip cried out as he flew at top speed towards Ponyville.

"This can't be possible, those flames are..."

Elsewhere
In Another Reality

Within the palace walls sat a King who ruled over his kingdom with his family and friends. He was a wise king who is respected by all, despite his world also being at war. Suddenly, his senses twitched ever so slightly, making his head perk up and look around. He arched a brow and looked at his hand to see a tiny black flame in his palm.

"Is there something wrong?" His Queen asked. As soon as she asked that, the tiny ember snuffed out.

"...No, nothing really." The King shrugged. "Must be my imagination."

Back in Ponyville

The mares, Flash, and Zephyr had backed away all together and huddled closely as they trembled in fear. Flames enveloped the area around Big Mac and Dimitri as Mac tried to back away with his one arm. His body shook fervently up at the monster who gazed down at him with a glare that would crack the earth they stood on. While the ring of fire burned with normal flames, which prevented the mares from getting close, the embers that flickered off of Dimitri's body and wings were completely different. They were not orange or red like normal flames, they were pitch black and flickered violently as if they mirrored Dimitri's burning rage. As for Dimitri's eyes, they changed from their usual grey color to a bright amber as his pupils shrunk down to pinpricks. Dimitri's jaw was clenched together as his lips were parted so his teeth could be seen, which were all morphed into razor sharp fangs that looked like they could tear the flesh off of anything they sank into. Dimitri then took a step forward and his boot singed the dirt he stepped in.

"I will burn you..." Dimitri hissed venomously, his voice sounding distorted and as if there were multiple people talking. "You are a worm, groveling beneath me." Mac couldn't speak as he tried desperately to crawl away. "A sinner, whose blood runs sickeningly black. You have a total disregard for all you have harmed and tossed aside like mere trash, when you yourself are the true piece of garbage." Dimitri reached down and grabbed Mac by his throat as he began to strangle him. "A degenerate blasphemer such as yourself should not be allowed to live, regardless what that blasted Saint says. Your mere existence is a poison and an insult to the stallion everyone once knew." Dimitri then raised his other hand and ignited it with the black flames and held it close to Mac's face, causing his face to burn and seer, making him scream through his gagging. "I should burn your very soul, so that your existence can become a forgotten memory and no one would have to suffer any longer knowing you still live with your crimes." Just as his hand was about to make contact, Dimitri stopped and Mac's face now had a very prominent burn mark that looked like a hand and stretched across the side of his face. "But...in the end, it is against my vows." Dimitri sighed as he dropped Mac to the ground as he gasped for air and held his burned face. The black flames extinguished from his hands and feet so that only his wings and upper torso had small embers. "The brand on your face will serve as a reminder of your crimes, but that does not mean you are absolved of the deplorable statements you just said."

Before Mac or anyone could react, Dimitri reared his boot back and kicked Mac right in the muzzle. Teeth and blood flew from his mouth as Dimitri then grabbed his shirt collar and punched him in the stomach. Mac lurched as he gasped again for air but Dimitri grabbed his mane and hoisted him up. He was then punched again in the ribcage, making the stallion cry out in pain each time. The mares outside the ring of fire couldn't bear to watch as they huddled more closely to one another. They knew what was happening was cruel, they new that Dimitri was going to far by beating Mac senseless, they wanted to call out to him and beg him to stop, but they also knew that this is what was expected to happen when allowing someone like the Hand of the Devil to deal the proper punishment. Applejack was heartbroken, angry, confused, and at a loss for words, along with her little sister and grandmother. Her former big brother was getting beaten to near death, and she allowed it to happen, because deep down...she wanted it to happen to a traitor who hurt her family. Dimitri then dropped Mac again who was barely breathing but somehow made sure to keep him well enough to survive. With a swipe of his hand, the ring of fire extinguished around him and the beaten stallion, along with the black flames that snuffed themselves out and his eyes returned to normal. Scowling, he grabbed Mac's leg and dragged him to The Prometheus.

"Wait!" Dimitri looked over his shoulder to see Applejack and a still sniffling Apple Bloom, along with their still in shock Granny Smith, walk up to me despite the fear in their eyes. "What are you gonna do to him?" Applejack asked.

"Why do you care?" Dimitri wondered. "I'm gonna take him before Celesita and Luna where he will stand trial for his crimes. It's most likely that he'll be thrown in prison for the rest of his life and I'm going to make sure they do so and throw away the key."

"Well, we...wanna come with you."

"After what you just saw me do to him?" Dimitri questioned.

"He ain't mah brother anymore." Applejack said a little spitefully. "The things he said and done, he's no longer the Mac Ah once knew. But Ah at least wanna see him off before he gets hauled off to prison, Ah feel like Ah owe him that much at least."

Dimitri stared at Applejack for a moment but he knew she wouldn't stay even he told her so. "Do what you will, it's none of my concern anyway." He said as he stepped to the side to let them board. She nodded thankfully as she and her family walked passed Dimitri. He then looked over to his apprentices who flinched a little at his gaze. "Go take an airboat and pick up Alpha Squad and Draco at the lake. Bring them back here for debriefing while I take this worm to Canterlot."

The two stallions didn't argue as they did what they were told and went to ask Spitfire and Soarin to join them. Dimitri looked over his shoulder once more to see most of the mares crying after the display, then to his merfriend who looked as sad as she did when Shining Armor passed away. Twilight knew what Dimitri did was something she knew he was capable of, but she never imagined he would unleash such a brutal display on her best friend's brother. Twilight looked to Dimitri, whose eyes were back to their normal and sad grey color, and frowned, but her feelings for her stallion did not waver in the slightest. Dimitri turned around and dragged Mac up the gangplank and along the deck, ignoring the concerned looks from his crew and made his way back to the brig. Once he arrived, he opened Mac's cage again and tossed him in and walked up beside the groaning stallion.

"You were the best of many, Mac." Dimitri said as he reached down with his Hellfire and healed him again but only slightly, "I'm very disappointed in you."

After healing Mac slightly again, Dimitri turned around and shut the cell's door. He marched out of the brig and back up to the helm so he could address the crew. "This is Captain Lock!" He called out. "All hands on deck, we're heading to Canterlot!"

The crew did as they were told and prepared for the engines for takeoff. As The Prometheus lifted in the air, Phillip was standing atop of a cloud high above Ponyville. The Saint was trying to figure out what he had jus witnessed, the fear he felt when he gazed into Lock's eyes was jarring since he had never seen Lock act so brutally before, even in Manehattan. What's worse is those strange black flames that flickered off of Lock's body. Phillip had never seen black flames before nd they looked like they weren't any normal flames, not in the slightest.

"Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph, what in the bloody hell was that...?" Phill muttered to himself. Knowing that Mac was still alive, Phill flapped his wings and flew back to Sanctuary.

Dimitri 1st POV

I perched myself in the crow's nest so that I could be alone. I gazed at my hands and noticed that there was still small blotches of blood that stained my gloves, which made me furrow my brows as I used my flames to burn them away.

"Dimitri."

I looked over to see Lucifer beside me with his arms crossed and staring at me with a stern glare. "Not now, Lucifer, I'm not in the-"

"Explain yourself." Lucifer demanded.

"Explain what?"

"You know what, that black flame, how were you able to conjure it?"

"Black flame? What are you talking about?"

"I would highly advise you not play coy with me, brat, I demand you tell me how you were able to summon that black flame this instant."

"I have no idea what the hell you're on about and I don't care. I just want to get this damn day over and done with so I can plan for the attack on The Crystal Empire." I sighed. Lucifer stepped towards me, making me turn to him and he was close to my face. His red eyes glowed brightly under the shadow of his hood, as if he was staring into my very soul.

"Do you mean to tell me you did not notice the black flames that enveloped your body? Not even when you held your inflamed hand up to that stallion's face?" Lucifer questioned.

"Black, blue, pink, who gives a shit?" I scoffed. "I still wouldn't know what the hell you're talking about. Maybe I just didn't notice because I was too busy forcing myself to not rip off Mac's head and mount it on a pike. Lucifer stared at me for a few more moments until he sighed and turned away.

"If you truly do not know, then I suppose I have no choice but to leave it as it is." Lucifer said as he shook his head. "Just heed this warning, Dimitri, never allow that flame to return. You will do more harm than good, even if you are my Hand and do not recall ever conjuring it up."

Before I could question him, Lucifer disappeared in a puff of flames, leaving me to my self. I tried to think about whatver black flames he was talking about but whenever I did I only saw my regular flames. What could he have possibly meant? Were these apparent black flames so dangerous that even Lucifer had to warn me about them? Whatever the case, I didn't really care since I had to do one more thing before continuing my campaign against Lust. Once I return and Mac is sent off to prison for the rest of his life, I will be making plans to end the corruption and Lust himself.

3rd POV
Heaven

The Archangels were at a loss on what to do. While his siblings were bickering amongst themselves, Michael was pacing back and forth trying to access the situation on his own.

"This can't be possible, he just a human inside and out." Michael mumbled to himself. "But that black flame, there's no mistaking it." Michael paused as he looked out the window where the many statues stood. His eyes wondered to the five winged angel who kept her graceful smile. "Alga, how can this be? There is another who is able to wield Death Fire?"

Hell

Lucifer glared at a portrait of himself in his inner sanctum. The portrait of him and a young looking demon and they were both in formal attire and smiling, like they were the best of friends.

"Ronsihr, only your boy is able to conjure Death Fire, there were no other survivors from that day. So why is my Hand able to do so as well?" The Devil wondered aloud as he gazed at the image of his fallen friend.

Author's Note

A dark and unstable power looms within his soul. But for Satanael and the Archangels to give great concern over it, just what could it possibly be?

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building...

The Devil’s Power Unknown and The Beast’s Origin

Chapter 29

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

“Draco? Hey Draco, wake up.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“No way!” Cloud snapped.

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

“He’d tear us apart!” Shadow said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Begin!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Uh…should we help?” Berry asked.

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

“D-Draco no~!” Shadow moaned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ace! Let’s go for a double whammy!”

“Got it, Cloud!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Uhhh…no?”

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

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

“That…was for earlier.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes sir.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Whew! Good run...” I breathed out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hi Dimitri~.” One of the mares said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I-“

RING RING RING

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

How is this ringing here?

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

“Phill’s calling me…”

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

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

“Phill?”

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

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

“Oi! Watch the language!”

“Uh why?”

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

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

“DAD?!” We both shouted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Mornin’.”

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

“Shh, you’ll scare her.”

“Scare who?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I suppose.” I said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“By killin’ them senselessly?” Phill accused.

“Phill, watch it.” I warned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Stop…” Phill sneered as his wings twitched.

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

“I said stop!” Phill demanded.

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

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

“Shut your bloody fockin’ mouth…”

“Phill enough! You’re scaring Merida!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“WAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

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

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

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

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

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

“What about my eyes?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Death Fire?”

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

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

“I…”

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

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

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

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

WHACK!

I stumbled back after getting punched by Draco.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Draco? You alright?” I asked.

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

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

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

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

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

“He’s the Saint?” Flash said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Rainbow Dash, right?”

“The one and only!”

“Then, Gilda and Gabby say hello.”

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

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

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

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

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

I nodded back as Applejack and Cadence approached me.

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

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

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

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

“That’s quite surprising.” Cadence added.

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

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

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

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

“Is there somethin’ wrong?” Applejack wondered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Flashback
Draco 1st POV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ah…Ah…AH CHOO!”

“Bless you.”

“Thank you, young man.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…um what?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SNAP!

End of Flashback
Dimitri 1st POV

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

“Holy buck…” Soarin said.

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

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

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

“Did it hurt?” Fluttershy asked, concerned.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I see.” Twilight nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“PINKIE PIE!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“WHAT?!” Everyone yelled.

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

“Yes sir!”

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

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

“No, we can handle this.” I said.

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

“Draco!” I called out.

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

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

Author's Note

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

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

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Beast Unleashed

Chapter 30

The wind was blowing against my face as Draco and I flew at top speed. Time after time, it seems that there’s always one big fucking mess that pops up and I gotta clean it up. I glanced over at Draco as we flew and he had the eyes of someone who wanted to rip the head off of anyone who stood in his way, not that I could blame him. I couldn’t help but feel that this could’ve been avoided had I just sent one of my other ships to the Rock Farm to go and pick up Pinkie’s family. But then the King Pony fiasco and me trying to find Draco got in the way, I was just too preoccupied to do anything.

In the distance, we saw the Rock Farm come into view but not just the farm. A few air ships from the Caribou had already landed and the whole area looked as though multiple explosions hit the dirt. There was only one explanation, they tried to carpet bomb the place trying to flush the Pie family out of hiding. We soon landed on the outskirts of the mine and hid behind a large boulder. We both peered out to see many Caribou and traitor stallions standing guard while some others were heading inside the mine. I heard Draco growl and was about to jump in head first, but I managed to grab his shoulder and pull him back before any of the guards saw us.

“Draco, not yet.” I whispered. “We need to be smart about this.”

He pulled his shoulder out of my grasp. “Fuck being smart, we need to act now.” Before I knew it he transformed into his compy form and made his way towards the caribou, ducking and weaving behind rocks that were big enough to hide his body.

“Fucking hell, that kid’s gonna get himself killed.” I grumbled as I stealthy followed him.

One perk from my days in the military is that Joshua always made sure we knew how to stay quiet when stalking enemy forces. I followed Draco behind every rock he hid behind and crawled by as we neared the entrance. One of Draco’s claws clicked against a rock making a noise near where a stag was standing. The stag turned his head and arched a brow as he approached where Draco was hiding. I quickly snuck up behind the stag and grabbed his neck and covered his mouth. With one swift jerk, I snapped his neck as his body went limp. I then dragged his body to where Draco was hiding, then glared at Draco.

“The hell is wrong with you?!” I whispered harshly. “You won’t be able to save Igneous Rock and his family if you recklessly jump head first while being neck deep behind enemy lines!”

Draco snarled as he started to bury his face into the corpse of the Caribou I killed, and started eating. I grabbed him by the neck, interrupting his little meal, and ignited my hand in front of his face with Hellfire.

“You better calm the fuck down, you little pissed off maniac.” I warned venomously.

Draco bit my hand, forcing me to let go and hold back a grunt. He changed back and glared at me. “You should calm down, dumbass, Thanks to your stupid exercise drill, I burned too many calories.” He warned me, leaving me confused.

“The fuck does your diet have to do with anything?” I deadpanned, still trying to keep quiet as I extinguished the flames.

“Everything.” He snarled again before turning his hand into claws and slicing off some of the Caribou’s flesh off and shoving it into his mouth. “In order for me to transform into my different forms, I need to burn a large amount of energy and calories. Why do you think I eat these bastards during my fights?”

“Uh…cause they taste good?” I shrugged.

Now it was his turn to give me a deadpanned look. “Are you fucking slow?”

“No, I get it, but do they not?” I asked.

“Dude, I don't have time for this.” He quickly started tearing into the Caribou, scarfing down hunks of flesh. “You start coming up with a plan while I carbo load.”

“Sure.” I glanced over at the entrance and saw a few more guards standing at the ready and armed with rifles. “Hey Draco.” He paused from his meal to look at me. “Do me a favor? Don’t eat me.” He was about to ask what I meant until I closed my eyes and transformed into my Caribou form. I opened my eyes, only to be met with a very pissed off looking human. “Hey, still me, I said don’t eat me.”

Draco scoffed and went back to his meal, transforming his jaws so he could eat even the bone. I glanced over to the guards once more, still at the entrance and began to brainstorm. I could try to convince them to leave their post, but I didn’t take into account that I was still in my street clothes. I would’ve used the dead Caribou’s uniform, but it was all torn up and bloody, not to mention Draco was still feasting on the poor sod. I then got an idea, which is a gross one, but it might work.

“Draco, help me take off his uniform.” I said as I began to remove his shirt.

Draco glanced at me with a confused look, but after looking at the dead Caribou, then to me, it looked like he got the idea. With no time to waste he started taking off the ravished Caribou’s body.

Once all his clothing was off, I took off my street clothes and put his on. I cringed at the feeling of the blood stained clothes against my skin but it was necessary for my plan.

“Ok, when I give the signal, give me your loudest roar.” I instructed, and he gave me a thumbs up.

After one last check on myself, I exited our hiding place and pretended to limp towards the guards and any other soldier nearby.

“HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!” I cried in fake agony.

“Brother what happened?!” One of the stags asked.

“IT’S HERE! THEY’RE HERE! WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!” I screamed as I collapsed to my knees.

“Who’s here?!” A traitor stallion demanded.

“THE DEVIL OF THE CARIBOU AND THE BEAST!”

“ROOOOOAAAAARRR!!” Right on cue, Draco burst out from his hiding place in his T-rex form and began to charge toward us.

“BY THE GODS!” The stag cried.

“RUN FOR IT!” A stallion panicked.

“IT’S GONNA EAT US!” Another stag yelled.

All the soldiers scattered as Draco chased them away. He managed to bite down on one and shake his head, making his limbs tear off before he swallowed him whole. I reverted back to my human form and snapped my fingers. My Hellfire enveloped me as the bloody clothes burned away and I was now dressed in my armor and my weapons. I shot to the sky and raised my ignited hand and blasted a torrent of flames between Draco and the retreating enemies. I made a ring of fire so that they wouldn’t be able to get through as I landed next to Draco.

“Those flames won’t last long.” I said. “Let’s head into the mines and get those ponies out.”

He snorted before grabbing the remains of the Caribou he caught and scarfed it down. Once he swallowed it he ran over to me slowly changing back into his human form. “Let’s hurry up then.”

I nodded as we quickly ran for the entrance of the mines and I pulled my hood over and put my mask on. Though when I did, Draco eyed my mask curiously as I held my flames up to light the way through the mines.

“Something on your mind?” I asked.

“Yeah, why the hell are you wearing a mask?” He asked, as we moved on. “The world knows who you are, so I doubt you’re really hiding your identity.”

“Correction.” I smirked as we walked. “They know who I am, but they don’t know what I am. They think that I’m a literal demon sent from the pits of Hell to smite all who I go after, which is technically true. I let them imagine what I look like behind the mask and under the hood. Besides, it came with the armor and it’s like a one sided mirror. Not to mention it sorta gives me a mysterious look, don’t you think?”

Draco shook his head and started to pick up the pace. “And you guys say I’m a kid. Look just quit messing around and hurry the hell up, we need to find Pinkie’s family before something happens.”

I shrugged as we walked. About fifteen minutes later, we still hadn’t found the Pie family. There were some patrols along the way, but we dispatched them with no trouble. I was starting to get worried until something caught my eye. A boulder that looked a little out of place made me stop walking and examine it. It looked different from the rest of the interior as I placed a hand on it.

“Hey you find something?” Draco asked and he stopped next to me. I pointed toward the rock and he moved in sniffing it. “You think they’re behind this rock? I can smell something that’s not Caribou.”

I looked down to see the drag marks which meant something or someone had moved it. I nodded and walked beside it and pushed. Damn thing was heavy but I managed to move it out of the way a bit. I then squeezed my way through with Draco following and saw that we were in some kind of secret chamber.

“Foul beast!”

I ducked just in time before something hit my head. When I looked up, I saw it was none other than Igneous Rock and he looked like he was about to try and hit me in the head with the rock he had in his hands.

I was going to try and tell him we aren’t the enemy, but Draco quickly moved in the way and took the hit for me. However rather than Draco’s head being split open like an egg, the rock Igneous was holding shattered.

“How?!” The rock farmer shouted before Draco moved his arms around him and held onto him.

“Unhand me!” Igneous demanded.

“Igneous Rock Pie!” I said, making him freeze. “Please stop, we’re not here to hurt you!”

“How is it you know of my name?!” He demanded. “You come to take my family and spit in my face?!”

Draco slowly released his grip on the rock farmer, and gently patted his shoulders. “No we are not, we are here to help. We're friends of your daughter Pinkie Pie.”

He gasped at the mention of Pinkie and grabbed Draco by the shoulders. “Pinkamena?! Truly?! My daughter is safe and sound?!”

Nodding his head Draco calmly spoke. “Yes we promise you that she is. And we came here to make sure the same is said for all the Pie family.”

As soon as Draco said that, hoofsteps from around the corner were heard and out came Cloudy Quartz, Marble Pie, Limestone Pie, and Maud Pie. Each mare looked at us in either shock or confusion, but were more focused on what was just said.

“I see you’re all still well and accounted for.” I said as I pulled off my hood and took my mask off. “It’s a pleasure to meet the lot of you, I am Dimitri Lockdrom.”

Carefully removing Igneous hands from his shoulders, Draco smiled and gave the rest of the Pie family a bow. “And I’m Draco Saurian, it’s nice to meet you all.”

Limestone scowled at me and marched up to me. She stood just about to the middle of my chest and about half a head taller than Draco.

“So you’re the one Pinkie wouldn’t shut up about on the radio? Just what the buck are you?”

“Limestone! Language!” Cloudy Quartz lectured as Marble hid behind her mother.

“Well I’m what’s known as a human.” I said. “Same with Draco here, it’s a bit of a long story.”

“I’m a tad surprised you be still standing by that strike upon your head, lad.” Igneous said to Draco. “How be that possible?”

Draco smiled as he moved his hand to knock on his shoulder. “I used the skull of a Pachycephalosaurus to shield my head. Those guys have quite literally thick skulls that can take a hit.”

“What’s a Pachycephalosaurus?” Maud asked in her trademark monotone voice.

“It sounds scary…” Marble said quietly.

“Trust me, it’s easier to explain once you see him in action.” I said.

“Mr. Lockdrom, was it?” Maud said and I nodded. “Can we please leave now? Boulder is getting antsy.” She pulled out her pet rock from her pocket.

“Sure, let’s get-”

KA-BOOM!

The room around us shook at the sudden explosion. The walls began to crack and the Pie family started to panic. After another explosion, I gasped as I turned around and smashed the boulder in front of the entrance to pieces.

“WE NEED TO MOVE, NOW! THEY’RE TRYING TO BURY US ALIVE IN THE MINES!” I shouted.

Everyone nodded frantically and we all made a break for it. The walls were coming down around us and I did my best to swat any falling debris away. Maud even helped by smashing any falling rocks to shield her family as we ran.

“Those crazy motherfuckers!” I snapped. “Don’t they realize there’s still some of their own in here?!”

“Doesn’t seem like it!” Draco looked around before turning to the Pie family. “Hey, long shot, but do either you know which would be the safest way to dig a tunnel through?”

“At the rate that this is all collapsing, we would only be sealing our fates!” Igneous said.

“Ah!”

I turned around to see Limestone had tripped. Suddenly, a huge crack formed from the ceiling which meant it was about to collapse on her.

“LIMESTONE!” I shouted as I was about to stretch my arm out to get her. Igneous was faster to act as he dashed back for her and grabbed her arm and tossed her out of the way. Before I knew it, the ceiling caved in and right on top of Igneous.

“NO!!!”

I ran back to the debris and began digging for him.

“Come on, COME ON! IGNEOUS! SPEAK TO ME!”

Draco came rushing over and turned into a Triceratops, he shoved his horns into the rocks and began lifting them up and tossing them aside.

“Wh-what the…?”

I glanced back to see the mares all with horrified looks and Limestone seemed the worst for ware. I turned back to digging until I saw his hand. Draco then scooped up a large pile of rocks…only we were met with a very disheartening sight. Half of Igneous’ body was completely crushed under the debris and he was in a pool of his own blood. His breathing was laboring and he barely looked at us.

“No…” I said as I fell to my knees. “No…NO! FUCKING DAMNIT!” I smashed my fist into the ground.

“Sir…Dimitri…” Igneous wheezed.

Draco’ eyes had shrunk to pin pricks as he turned back into his human form. Tears started to well up in his eyes as he fell to his knees. “No…please no.”

“DADDY!” Marble cried as she ran over. “DADDY NO! PLEASE NO!”

“D-Dad…come on.” Limestone stuttered as tears poured from her eyes. “G-Get up…p-please get up.”

“Igneous! Oh sweet merciful Celestia!” Cloudy shouted as she ran over to her dying husband. Meanwhile Maud just stood there, unable to process the situation as her own tears dripped from her eyes.

“My…dearest family…” Igneous croaked. “Apologies…I wasn’t…quick enough.”

“Hey don’t give up!” Draco shouted as he moved in to hold onto his hand. “We’ll get you patched up, just hang in there!” Draco turned to me with a look of desperation. “Well can’t you heal him or something!? Don’t you have that kind of power!?"

“…Mortal.” I looked away, gritting my teeth. “His injuries are mortal. Half his body is completely crushed. Even if we somehow managed to get him out, he wouldn’t last long even with my Hellfire.” All of the mares started crying hysterically. “I had to learn that the hard way with Fancy Pants…”

“It’s…alright.” Igneous wheezed. “I cannot…feel my other half…”

Draco was practically shaking as he held the stallion’s hand. “Please…let me grant you peace, ask anything of me and it shall be done.”

“All I ask…please…take care of…my family.”

“NO DADDY!” Marble cried out. “WE DON’T WANNA LOSE YOU!”

“WHY DID YOU SAVE ME?!” Limestone demanded. “IT WAS MY FAULT! I TRIPPED!”

“My darling husband…” Cloudy whimpered. “Don’t leave me…”

“Dad…” Maud finally spoke. “I love you…so much.

“And I love you too…all of you…my beautiful family…” Igneous muttered and looked to Draco and I. “Look after them…and tell Pinkie…her daddy loves her…very much.”

“…You have my word.” I nodded.

The interior began to crumble more and Cloudy had to grab Marble as she and her other daughters backed away. I stood up and Draco was still holding Igneous’ hand and I placed mine on his shoulder.

“We need to go.” I said sadly, but he didn’t move. “Draco…there’s nothing we can do.”

For a moment Draco said nothing. His body unmoving as the room around us shook.

“Lock.” He spoke, but his voice didn't sound like it did before. “I want you to take the girls and escape.” He stood up and turned to face the way we came in.

He paused and looked back at me, which sent a chill down my spine. His eyes were blood red and his pupils were slitted.

“Draco?”

“These lands will be painted red with their blood.” He spoke in a voice that sounded more of a feral monster than as a human. He walked out and I just stood there and watched him go.

I shook my head and looked back down at Igneous. The stallion had already passed away and I looked away as I approached his family.

“We need to leave.” I said.

They nodded and quickly followed me out of the mines. I glanced over my shoulder to see Igneous once more, but the room had already collapsed. As we ran, we heard loud screaming and hard stomping from outside. We managed to make it out before the mines totally collapsed but were unprepared for the carnage we saw and the new dinosaur going on a rampage.

“What the fuck…!” I gasped.

With eyes as red as blood, scales as pale as snow, stood a massive beast.

“RRRRROOOOAAAAAHHHH!!!”

The roar was so powerful that my ears started to ring as the earth beneath our feet rumbled. I’ve never seen or heard of any kind of dinosaur of this caliber. It looked like some kind of T-Rex but it also had other distinct features along its body from other dinosaurs. The Caribou and traitor stallions were trying to foolishly fire at it with their weapons but the massive beast charged head first into the group. It squashed its victims to a bloody pulp and began ripping and tearing everything and everyone in its way. Their screams seemed to echo throughout the area as the monster either devoured or brutalized its prey.

“What in the name of Celestia’s sun…” Cloudy said as Limestone and Marble clung to her.

“I…what…is that?” Maud asked slowly.

“That…is my comrade. But…I think he’s lost his reason.” I answered.

The beast charged through entire battalions of Caribou and traitor stallions. It took their gunshots on as if they were nothing as he snapped his jaws around fleeing caribou, and slashed traitor stallions in half with his massive claws. One of the airships was preparing to take off as some of the enemy tried to climb aboard, to save themselves from the vicious beast. The monster saw this and quickly darted toward the ship's anchor and took hold of it with its teeth and started to drag the airship back down.

We all watched as the large dinosaur pulled with all this might as the ship tried to fly away. Using all the strength in its legs, the beast pulled and actually started to walk backwards. I saw that some of the crew were going haywire and trying desperately to shoot at it but nothing seemed to work. I heard the engines wane from the pressure and the beast refused to let go. The beast seemed to have enough of the game of tug of war and jerked its head down to the ground. The momentum made the ship dip downwards and plummet to the ground in a huge crash. The dinosaur released the anchor and let out another loud roar, making the mares and I cover our ears. We all then heard more screaming and saw some survivors run to the last two ships. I noticed that most of them were brainwashed stallions but the beast didn’t seem to care as it went charging at them again.

“Shit! Stay here!” I told the mares and flew after the beast. I managed to fly right in front of him and held my arms out. “Draco! Please stop! They’re brainwashed! Don’t give in to rage!”

But my pleads fell on deaf ears as he knocked me out of the way, he charged in a blind rage towards the ship. He slammed his head into the side of the ship, roaring loudly, as he dug his claws into the haul of the ship.

“Damnit, he’s completely lost it!” I looked down to the cowering brainwashed stallions.

While Draco was busy demolishing the enemy ship, I flew down and bashed each of the stallions in the head to knock them out. I then heard a loud crash and looked to see Draco had completely destroyed the ship and killed more Caribou and traitors and was already moving on to the last remaining ships and survivors.

“Will he ever snap out of it?” I asked myself. I frowned as I reached back to grab my spear. “Damnit, Draco, don’t make me do something I might regret.”

“Captain!”

I spun around to see my apprentices and Alpha Squad running towards me, my ship was hovering in the air nearby. My crew looked around at the carnage and their faces grew pale. When they saw the rampaging dinosaur, they all went wide eyed.

“Holy Buck! What the hay is that thing?!” Zephyr shouted.

“That’s Draco.” I said.

“What?! Draco?!” Flash said and I nodded. “Why is he going all crazy like that?!”

“Something happened in the mines.” I said as I pointed to the Pie mares. “We went in to get them out. The Caribou caused explosions to try and bury us in. We almost made it out but…Igneous Rock gave his life to save LImestone’s.”

“You mean…?” Ace said with a frown and I nodded somberly.

“He’s still in there, buried and dead.”

“Shit…!” Big B cursed, clenching his fists.

Another ear splitting roar echoed throughout the area and we looked to see Draco surrounded by wreckage and bloody bodies. He just kept roaring and smashing into anything he could, which was a painful sight to see.

“Draco turned into that and is now out of control. We need to evacuate the survivors and the Pie mares before-”

“Wait Shadow! Come back!” Swift cried out.

I looked to see Shadow running frantically towards Draco.

“Shadow Star! Get back here! That’s an order!” I demanded but she ignored me.

“Draco!” She cried as she ran to him. “Please stop! This isn’t you! It’s me, Shadow Star!”

Draco at the time had impaled a Caribou through the chest as he was trying to crawl away. The moment that he saw Shadow he let out a menacing roar at her.

“He’s gonna eat her!” Ace cried.

I was about to fly straight at Draco but Shadow glanced over her shoulder and held out her hand to stop me. I paused at her request as she turned back to look at Draco.

“Draco! I’m your friend! Please listen to me!” She called out as she held her arms out.

Draco roared again moving closer to the mare, his eyes now locked onto her as he approached. However Shadow remained still as Draco trudged towards her, his jaws dripping with blood and gore. Shadow then lowered her arms and turned away. Just as Draco was looming over her, she slowly raised her hand and held it up to the towering dinosaur.

“I trust you, Draco, you’re not a monster.” She said while looking away.

Draco’s jaws were about to come down on her, but at the last second his nostrils flared and his body came to a halt. For a moment he stood there with his jaw wide open, the sense of malice had slowly faded away. His pupils had dilated and he closed his jaws and gently brought the tip of his muzzle to her hand. We all soon relaxed as Draco slowly but surely reverted back to his human form. We all approached the two of them and were met with him hugging Shadow close and burying his face in her shoulder as she tried to console him. They both were on their knees and I knew Draco was crying, but he never dared let us see his tears.

“It’s ok, Draco, I’m here.” Shadow said sadly as she rubbed his back.

Draco just sat there unmoved with his hands around Shadow. I couldn’t blame him though, for this was the many things war could do to a man. Even worse for someone who was never properly trained for this kind of outcome.

I glanced over at the rest of my crew and gestured them to go and get the Pie mares and bring them to the Prometheus. They nodded and left to tend to them as I stood by with Draco and Shadow.

“War.” I said as I looked to the sky. “War never changes. Death is apparent, and always takes those who are unprepared for it.”

“Lock, I think he’s out cold.” Shadow said.

She moved Draco to the side and I saw that his eyes were glazed over and there were dry stains from his tears. I sighed as I unsheathed my spear and made it disappear in a puff of flames. I reached down and picked Draco up and over my back. With him properly secured, I nodded to Shadow and she nodded back with a frown and teleported back to the ship. I just slowly walked through the debris of carnage, not saying a word. A little while later, I felt Draco begin to stir slightly. He looked around at all that was done and as I carried him.

“It’s not your fault.” I said.

“How do you figure?” He asked in a horse voice.

“This isn’t my first rodeo, and I’m not talking about my exploits in this world. I’ve done this kind of thing before a few times during my service in the military. This pain you feel, the pain of seeing someone die, it hurts.” I said as I continued my slow pace. “But you should also use that pain to keep driving to end the suffering of others. Igneous, Fancy…Shining Armor.” I looked to the sky. “They died still holding on to hope, hope that this war will come to an end.”

Draco remained silent as we walked onwards. I couldn’t tell what was going through his mind at the moment, but I knew he needed some time to think. I stopped my walk when we passed by the entrance of the mine. We both stared at it for a moment and I felt Draco’s arms tense up.

“…I’ve had to tell the family of my good friend, Joshua Clay, that he had died in the field. They say that there are many things that a person finds hard to say. But telling someone that their loved one is no longer with them? I’d rather take a bullet to the head and then some rather than tell someone like Pinkie Pie that her father is gone.”

“We failed her.” Was all Draco could say as he looked at the mine entrance.

“I know…” I said as my heart waned. “But we can make up for it by honoring him.”

“I’ll do what I can…and sorry about losing control, man.” He said solemnly.

“It’s fine.” I said as I unfurled my wings. “How’s your body feeling? That form must be pretty taxing if you passed out because of it.” I flapped my wings and flew towards The Prometheus still hovering in the air.

“Yeah it is. That is a form that combines two different dinosaurs, which in of itself is hard to do at that size.” He groaned as he held on. “The black dinosaur you saw back in Manehattan was somewhat similar to it, only on a smaller scale.”

“I see.” I said as we neared the ship. “You also seemed pretty lost in rage, what did it feel like? If you don’t mind me asking.”

He stayed silent for a moment, I honestly felt like I said something wrong. “It felt like I was lost in a sea of blood and rage. As if no matter how much pain I was in, my body only wanted one thing…revenge.”

“And Shadow?” I wondered.

“I…ugh…I’m not sure really. I remember the sea of rage, but then I heard her voice and felt like I could think properly again.”

“She seems to trust you enough not to eat her.” I half joked. “And it looks like we both now have something inside us we need to watch out for. You with that rampaging beast and me with the unknown black flame.”

“Yeah well mine’s a quick fix to solve, yours will kill before we have a chance to put a stop to it. So don’t push your luck buddy.” Draco commented.

“Sure, sure.” I half laughed.

We finally made it to the ship and I touched down on the deck. My crew were busy with their tasks and we saw Alpha Squad with the Pie mares sitting around an open table. Marble was sitting with her mother still crying her eyes out, Limestone was huddled in a corner not looking at anyone, Cloudy was trying her best to soothe Marble with a frown, and Maud just sat in her chair staring at her hands.

“I should have been fast enough to save him.” Draco said. “If I just pushed him out of the way and used my armor plating he would still be here.”

“He made his choice, Draco.” I said as we made our way to the Pie mares. “He saved his daughter from death. I also would have saved him by stretching out to grab him, but it seems fate had other plans.”

“I fucking hate it.” He hopped off my back and tried to stand on his own.

He stumbled a bit but caught himself and hobbled to the table. I snapped my fingers for some of my crew to grab us some chairs. They nodded and placed two at the table and we both sat down. The Pie mares glanced at me but went back to their thoughts.

“Mrs. Pie?” I said, she looked up at me. “My deepest condolences, he was a good stallion.”

Draco didn’t bother saying anything as he sat at the table with his head hung low.

“We thank you both for doing what you could for us.” Mrs. pie said. “My husband was indeed a noble stallion, and I am glad that my daughters are all safe.”

“If there’s anything any of you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.” I said.

“Can…I have a cup of water?” Marble whimpered.

“Of course, kid.” I said as I gestured to someone to do so.

“Mr. Lockdrom.” Maud said. I looked at her and she was standing right beside me. She had a look in her eye where she wanted to tell me something critical. “You say that you will provide anything for us, right?”

“To the best of my ability, yes.” I nodded.

“Then I want one.” Maud said, holding her hand out.

“Er…one what?”

“A fruit.”

I looked to everyone still unclear what she meant and looked back to Maud.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand. Are you hungry or-”

“Pinkie told me.” She said. “That you give something to ponies to make them strong.” I flinched, already not liking where this was going. “Over the radio, she told me about Flash Sentry and Zephyr Breeze over there. Even you, with all your power, Pinkie told us about. I believe she called it Devil Fruit.”

Draco slammed his hand against the table and tried to stand up, but almost fell over in the process. “Absolutely not!”

“Maud are you crazy?!” Limestone added, jumping up from her corner.

“Oh shit…” Zephyr said nervously.

“Why are you so mad, Mr. Saurian?” Maud wondered.

“Because I’m against the idea!” He shouted, slamming one of his fists. “If you eat one of those damn things, your soul will end up in Hell! I won’t let another pony be damned to that place, even if they will be seen as a hero there!”

“Another pony?” I questioned.

Before I knew it, I felt Draco slam his fist into my head force my face onto the table. “Are you fucking stupid?!” He pointed over to Zephyr and Flash. “What do you call those two, you dumbass?!”

“Hey, lay off the Captain!” Ace snapped.

“Get off him!” Big B growled.

“Stay out of this!” I barked, halting them in their tracks. “Draco, they’re my apprentices. More than that, they’re my precious comrades in arms, my friends.”

“And because of you, when they die, they will go to Hell!” He snarled. “I get that this war is going to be hard, and we can use all the power houses we can get, but not at the cost of them never seeing their families after death!”

“But Draco, we came to him!” Flash protested. “We knew the risks, but we still ate the fruit regardless!”

“Yeah! I’m now a better stallion than what I was before.” Zephyr said. “I don’t care where I end up when I bite it, so long as I can help those who need it!”

“And I can’t change what you already did, but I won’t let another suffer that fate!” Draco turned to Maud. “I promise that your father’s death won’t be in vain, but if you do this you’ll never see him again. Do you think that’s what he would want?”

“You can’t speak for my father, you don’t have the right.” Maud said sternly. “I also want justice for my father’s death. If it means my soul, then so be it. And frankly, Mr. Saurian.” She stepped forward to look straight into his eyes. “It’s not up to you what I choose to do for myself, same with Flash and Zephyr since they also made their choice.”

“Draco.” I said, still being pinned to the table. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy giving them the fruit. But it’s as they said, it’s their choice.”

Draco kept his grip firmly on my head for a few more moments before letting go. He turned away and started to hobble away from the group. “Do what you want.”

“I’m sorry Draco.” I said as I straightened out my jacket. He kept walking until he was out of sight.

I sighed as I turned to Maud who was waiting patiently. I then looked at my apprentices who just stared back at me.

…Lucifer.

“She’s a bold one.” Lucifer said as he appeared in a puff of flames beside me, making Flash and Zephyr flinch but kept to themselves. “But regardless, she’s made her choice.”

Just give me the damn fruit. I snapped in my head as I held out my hand.

“Very well.”

Lucifer then held out his own hand and ball of flames appeared. From the ball, an orange looking fruit that reminded me of a grapefruit appeared. The same demonic tribal patterns covered it as he placed it in my hand and it appeared in its own flames.

“I look forward to what she can do.” Lucifer chucked as he disappeared.

“Is that it?” Maud asked.

“Yeah, this is it.” I said as I handed her the fruit.

“Maud don’t!” Limestone pleaded.

“Please don’t Maud!” Marble said.

“Maud…I must ask that you rethink this.” Cloudy requested.

“I already thought about it mom.” Maud said.

Wasting no more time, Maud began eating the fruit in front of all of us. She ate every last morsel of the fruit until there was nothing left. Once she finished she looked up at me.

“Now what?” Maud asked.

“Just prepare for pain.” I said.

She was confused at first but then gasped and cringed and looked at her arms. The tribal brands began burning their way up her arm. Unlike Flash or Zephyr, Maud just stood their and watched the brands burn on her flesh. She winced and yelped a few times but she remained standing. As the brands burned their way up, her body seemed to grow a little and she was a few inches taller now. Soon the brands were finished burning into her arms and the pain along with it. She exhaled and slumped into her chair and panted from the exertion of her transformation.

“Maud Pie.” I said, she looked up at me. “I welcome you to the Prometheus crew, and as my new apprentice.” I held out my hand to her. She took a deep breath to relax herself and stood up. She then grasped my hand and shook it.

“I’m glad to be part of the resistance, Captain.” She said.

3rd POV

In the crew’s quarters, Draco sat by himself at a table, scowling to himself with his arms crossed. Of all the ponies, Maud ate the fruit despite his protests. He already was in a cold mood after the passing of Igneous Rock, now that feeling just made him even more cold and sour at the moment.

“Excuse me.”

Draco looked up to see two ponies walk up to him. One was a unicorn mare with light yellow fur and a violet mane and tail, both done up in a bun. She wore a pair of glasses and had a small mole on the side of her chin and her eyes were a plum purple color. The other doctor was an earth pony stallion. His fur was light grey and his mane and tail were plain black. His eyes were a steel blue and the end of his muzzle was a darker shade of his fur. Both wore white medical coats as they approached Draco.

“Are you perhaps Mr. Saurian?” The mare asked.

“I am. Why do you want to know?” Draco asked with an annoyed tone, still bitter about what happened with Maud.

“Apologies for interrupting your brooding, but we heard from Captain Lock that you were suffering from strained body muscles?” The stallion asked. “I am Dr. Surgical Steel.”

“And I am Dr. Warm Heart, we are the ship’s head medical doctors.”

“Well good for you two.” Draco turned away getting comfortable in his seat.

Dr. Warm Heart stepped behind Draco while Dr. Surgical Steel stepped to his side and put on his stethoscope.

“Deep breathes please.” Surgical Steel said and Draco did so. “So, are there any other ailments you are feeling?”

“Such as fatigue, loss of balance, perhaps feeling faint?” Dr. Warm Heart added as she examined his arms and shoulders.

Draco gently swiped the stethoscope from his body. “Look docs, I’m just exhausted from my fight against the Caribou. I’m fine and just need to rest first is all.”

“But we were only trying to help.” Dr. Surgical Steel said.

“Mr. Saurian…no, Draco.” Dr. Warm Heart sat next to Draco and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I may have skills in the medical field, but I also am a licensed therapist. You are showing all signs of grief and mourning. I just want you to know that I always lend an ear to any who wish to talk.”

Draco signed and looked away for a moment. “Look I’d rather not talk about it. If I let you guys do what you need to, will you then leave me alone?”

“On the contrary, your body is just as you say: exhaustion from battle.” Dr. Surgical Steel said as he pulled out a small potion vial. “Just drink this and you will feel better in no time.”

“My offer still stands, Draco, remember that.” Dr. Warm Heart said as they both walked away.

Draco sighed as he examined the vial the doctor gave him. He pulled the cork off the top and brought the vial to his lips to drink its contents. The potion soon went to work treating his strained body which made him relax much more, but that still didn’t help his mood. He didn’t want to hate Lock, but allowing Maud to eat the fruit was something he couldn’t let go.

“Draco?”

Shadow came into view and saw Draco still scowling which made her frown.

“How’re you feeling?” She asked.

“How do you think I’m feeling?” He ask in a sarcastic tone. “Nothing’s changed and there’s no way it can.”

“Draco…I know it’s hard, seeing somepony die.” Shadow said as she sat beside him. “Before I joined Alpha Squad, before this very crew, I was held up in Appleloosa. I was one of the unfortunate mares who was about to be bred by War Beasts. I once had a friend who stuck with me during my imprisonment, and she always took my place whenever they wanted to…use us. Then Lock came and freed me and I thought my friend and I would be free again. But my friend…was killed during all the commotion. It was the hardest reality to accept, that our once peaceful times were over and are at war with these sick tyrants. It was only after she died that I accepted the different times we lived in.”

Draco’s scowl disappeared for a moment as he looked over to Shadow. “I’m…sorry for your loss, I had no idea.”

“I know, I owe her so much.” Shadow smiled. “And now I fight to honor her memory, for all she had suffered for me. So Draco, you’re wrong when you say nothing has changed. Things are changing, we’ll take back the Crystal Empire and free Equestria.” Shadow placed her hand on Draco’s. “You’ll see, we’ll take it all back and Equestria will be reformed.”

Draco sighed as he felt his mood slowly calming down. “Y-yeah I guess you’re right.” He shook his head and chuckled a bit. “Heh, you must have a cutie mark for calming down others, because this is the second time you’ve helped me out today.”

Shadow smiled as she stood up and turned around. Draco was confused at first but Shadow smirked a shit eating grin and grabbed her waistband and pulled her pants down halfway, making Draco go slack jawed. On her flank was a mark of a grey star with magic sparkles around it. The star looked like it had a bit of a shade which made her name seem to make more sense.

“It’s not, but thanks for the kind words.” She giggled, shaking her tush a little.

“Glrk!” Draco coughed up some blood as he fell over with his face a scarlet red. “What the fuck!”

“Hahahaha!” Shadow laughed as she pulled her pants up. “There’s the Draco I know. Glad you’re feeling better.”

“Seriously what the fuck?!” Draco shouted as he tried to pick himself off the floor to lean against the table. “Have you no shame?! I mean seriously who goes and does that without hesitation?!”

“Eh, who knows?” Shadow shrugged. She then leaned in and got very close to Draco’s face. “Maybe I did it for a reason, maybe not?” Her eyes lidded and she leaned more in to the point her muzzle pressed against his nose. “Would you like to find out?”

"I-I-I uh…” Draco's blush started to deepen as he was frozen stiff under Shadow’s gaze. “I don’t know…do I?”

Shadow giggled and stood back up straight. “That, my flustered friend, is for you to find out.” She turned and walked away with a slight sway in her step. “Come find me when you have your answer.” She called out as she left.

Each sway of Shadow’s hips had the young human gazing, causing him to let out an audible gulp. “That mare’s gonna be the death of me.”

Dimitri 1st POV

It didn’t take long for us to return to Ponyville. I was at the bow of the ship as the castle came closer and closer into view. I heard someone come up from behind me and saw Draco lean on the railing with me.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” He said back, and I noticed that he wasn’t as pissed from when I last saw him.

“You still pissed at me?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, I figured.” I sighed. “You know, she took the brands like a champ and even stood standing. Flash and Zephyr both passed out when they got theirs.”

“Good for her. I’m sure she can brag about that in Hell.” Draco sarcastically replied. “You better not let her die while under your command.”

“Trust me, I don’t plan to. If she can remain standing and barely make a noise as brands burn into her arms, then whatever power she’s got must be a good one.” Draco scoffed as we were just within the outskirts of Ponyville. “You just gotta have faith in me, man, same with the rest of the resistance.”

He rolled his eyes and hopped off the ship landing down on the ground. “For your sake, I hope you’re right Lock.”

I followed him down as the ship landed by the castle. The doors opened and the first of all ponies was Pinkie as she ran up to us.

“Locky! Draky! You’re back!” She said happily. “Did you bring them back? Where’s my mama? My sisters? My papa?”

Draco winced and turned his head away as he tried to not make eye contact with Pinkie Pie.

“What’s wrong Draky?” Pinkie asked and looked at me.

The gangplank lowered behind us. My apprentices and the Pie mares walked down and Pinkie gasped and ran over to hug them.

“Mama! Marble! Limestone! Maud! You’re here! Yay!” She cheered. Her family hugged her back as she pulled away but noticed Maud’s arms. “Hang on, Maud what happened to your arms?”

“I ate a Devil Fruit, Pinkie.” Maud said, making her gasp.

“What?! But…why? Don’t you know those are bad for you?”

“I had to, Pinkie.”

Soon the rest of the mares from the castle walked out and I smiled at the sight of Twilight and Moon, but frowned as Pinkie looked around. I noticed Draco’s hands clenched into fists and was trembling.

“Wait.” Pinkie said, still looking around. “Where’s Daddy?”

“Pinkie Pie…he didn’t make it.” Draco said, walking over to her while moving his hand onto her shoulder. “He sacrificed himself to save Limestone from a falling rock. We tried but we couldn’t save him.”

Everyone from the castle gasped as Pinkie slowly turned to face Draco. Her eyes were wide and she began trembling.

“Th-That’s n-not funny…” Pinkie mumbled. “C-Come on…where’s my Daddy?”

I walked over to Pinkie and frowned as she looked up at me.

“I’m so sorry Pinkie.” I said as I reached into my coat and pulled out something I managed to grab. Igneous’ hat, which was all torn up in places as I gave it to her. “He…he’s gone.”

That was the last nail in the coffin as Pinkie’s mane and tail flattened instantly. She hugged the hat closely as she fell to her knees. She then threw her head up and cried her very eyes out as tears streamed down her face.

“WAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! DADDY!!! DADDY COME HOME!!! WHERE ARE YOU DADDY?!? DON’T LEAVE ME!!!”

Draco kneeled down to hold onto the pink mare as she cried her heart out. “I’m sorry Pinkie, I’m so sorry.”

Pinkie continued to cry as she wrapped her arms around Draco, her tears never ceasing from pouring out. Her sisters and Mother were also crying and they joined Pinkie in the hug. I looked to the ponies from the castle and saw that they were also shedding tears and Applejack took off her hat.

“Lock…?” Twilight said.

“I tried…” I said. “We both did, but we weren’t fast enough.”

I looked down to see Draco had removed himself from the group hug as Pinkie kept on crying.

“Draco?” Cadence said as she walked up to him. Draco had a few small tears dripping from his eyes. “Oh Draco…”

Draco held out his hand and shook his head. “I-I’m fine your majesty, I just need a minute is all.”

Cadence immediately stepped forward and hugged Draco and held him close. “It’s not your fault.” I herd her whisper as tears formed in her eyes. “You did everything you could.”

Draco didn’t move, I could see his hand shaking as he kept his gaze to the sky, tears rolling down his cheeks along with everyone else.

I shook my head a little and started to walk towards the Castle.

“Flash!” He flew up next to me and walked with me. “Send a message to Princess Celestia in Canterlot.”

“What should I tell her?”

“The time has come.” I said clenching my fist, igniting it with Hellfire. “The Crystal Empire is next to liberate. This ends right now.”

“Yes sir!”

3 Hours Later
3rd POV

After Lock’s declaration to take back the Crystal Empire, he ordered that everyone take some time to rest and gather themselves. Pinkie’s family took up residence at Sugarcube Corner and the mares were given sleeping bags or stayed in any guest rooms. It was late at night and all were focused on the first real turning point of the war. The battle against Lust was not going to be an easy one, and everyone knew it.

Meanwhile, Draco was on the deck of the Prometheus and sitting on the railing, looking up at the moon. Cadence managed to console his emotions before returning to the castle and now he was left to his thoughts. He then thought about what Shadow said, about finding his answer.

After asking around Draco found the cabin that Shadow was staying in and knocked on the door. “Shadow it’s me Draco.”

He then heard shuffling from the other side and the door opened, making Draco’s face burn bright red. Shadow seemed to have just gotten out of the shower and was wearing only a towel covering her slight hourglass figure as water dripped a little off her mane.

“Oh hey Draco.” She said nonchalantly.

“Uh…h-hey S-Shadow.” He turned his gaze away while sporting a deep blush. “I’m so-sorry, do you want me to come back later?”

“Oh no, please come in.” Shadow said, stepping to the side. “I’ll just go get some clothes on.”

Nodding his head Draco stepped inside and sat on her bed and waited for the mare to get dressed. He kept his eyes glued to the floor as she did. A little while later, Shadow returned wearing loose fitting clothes, which didn’t help Draco, and she sat down beside him.

“So what’s up?” She asked with a kind smile.

“So, um, r-remember how you said I could find out why you did what you did earlier today back on the ship?” He asked with a blush and kept his eyes averted from her.

“Sure do.” Shadow said, laying on her back and crossing her legs. “And?”

“S-so why did you do that? I mean I get that I was depressed and everything. But wasn’t something like that a bit…much?” The young human asked trying to remain calm around the mare.

“Draco, why do you put up walls?” Shadow asked.

“Begging your pardon?” Draco asked, sounding nervously confused.

“You put up walls.” Shadow said again. “You act tough and talk the talk, but you seem to always shy away and dismiss whenever somepony wants to care for you. Like how I teased you and flirted with you, you got mad at me when it was just a joke.”

“I would hardly call that a joke you know. I mean somepony could have gotten a mixed message from that. I mean, what if I had gotten the wrong idea?”

“Who’s to say it was the wrong idea?” Shadow leaned up to sit up straight. “After all I’ve been through, and seeing your powers in action, I’m guessing you were the one who saved me in Las Pegasus, right?”

Draco started to sweat bullets as he turned his gaze away while gently scratching the back of his head. “Uh you figured out that was me huh?”

“Duh? Who else can turn into a giant monster and literally rip the heads off Caribou? Besides Captain Lock.”

“…Maybe Rarity if one of them got her dress stained.” Draco joked while shrugging his shoulders.

“Ha ha.” Shadow laughed sarcastically. “My point is, I did those things because I wanted to. Call it a way of showing both my thanks and affection for saving me. But I gotta wonder, why not accept them? Or at the very least, acknowledge them? Am I not attractive?”

“N-no you’re very attractive…I mean…shit.” Draco’s blush was in full bloom as he facepalmed. “ahem…What I mean is that yes you are an attractive mare.”

“So…?” Shadow questioned, arching a brow.

Letting out a deep sigh Draco fell back laying on the bed while looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t know anymore. I truly believed that pursuing a relationship here in Equestria was a bad idea. I believed it would be a distraction and that odds are I wouldn’t have to worry about it since I thought no mare would be interested, ya know?”

“How could you think no pony would be interested?” Shadow wondered. “I mean, I think you’re pretty cute.”

“Y-you’re just saying that because I saved your life…right?”

“No, I really mean it. Draco, sometimes a mare just knows. Captain Lock was able to form a relationship with Princess Twilight, and there’s rumors going around that he might have the hots for Nightmare Moon as well. So why, if he can do it, you can’t? What’s stopping you?”

That question threw him for a loop as he stared back at the ceiling. What was stopping him from trying to pursue a relationship? “Maybe it’s my lack of experience with the opposite sex? I spent so much time studying and working to get into my field of study back on Earth, that I never had the chance to try and find a relationship.”

“Hmm, well you do seem kinda nerdy about those dinosaurs you keep going on about.”

“Hey! It’s not nerdy, it’s called being well informed!” Draco argued half seriously.

“I’m joking! I’m joking!” Shadow laughed. She then jumped on Draco and hovered over him. “Draco, what if a mare, like me for example, confessed to you right here and now? How would you react?”

With a face as red as crimson, Draco found himself almost without words to speak of. “Uhh…well I-I-I don’t know. I’d see where it would go, I guess.”

“See? And that’s all a mare could ask of her stallion.” Shadow smiled. “You are the kindest and genuine human I’ve ever met, next to the Captain. If anypony deserves a chance at sharing their heart, it’s you, Draco. So do me a favor ok? Don’t let that little demeaning voice in your head tell you otherwise. If you like a mare, then go for it and see where it takes you. If it doesn’t work out, then just keep on trying.”

Letting her words sink in Draco swallowed and nodded his head. “Alright I can do that. And you said if I see any mare I like that I should go for it?”

“Of course.” Shadow nodded.

Draco took a moment to think to himself as he hummed out loud. “But Mrs. Cake is already married to Mr. Cake, and they have kids too. I mean, I don’t mind kids and I do remember that herding is a thing here.”

“What?!” Shadow yelped. “You’re…into older mares?”

Without warning Draco quickly rolled to his side placing Shadow underneath him as he leaned down to her face. “Just messing with you.” With that he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

Shadow yelped at the kiss but her eyes slowly closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Draco then lifted his head leaving Shadow in a dazed state.

“Wow…that was…something.” Shadow said dreamily. “So, what does this make us?”

“Hmm, not sure yet, but like I said before we’ll just have to see where this goes.” He leaned back in and pressed his lips to her own for another kiss.

Shadow pulled him close as they kissed and he leaned back and stood up from the bed and walked to the door.

“Draco?” Shadow said, making him look over his shoulder. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, okay?”

Draco smirked and nodded as he exited her room. He returned to the castle for the night and went to sleep. Now all that was left to do for him and the rest of the resistance is to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Author's Note

The time has come, Lust’s defeat is eminent.

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Battle of The Crystal Empire Part 1: The Devil Prepares For War

Chapter 31

I opened my eyes and was met with the ceiling of my room. I didn’t bother smiling, because I knew what today was and so did the rest of my crew. I’ve been in this world for months, I’ve fought and carved my way though the onslaught of this war, and it all led up to this day. Twilight clung to my side as she slept, she had her head on my chest and I stroked her head. I started to think about the lives we lost during this war. Shining, Fancy, Igneous, and whoever else met their end in battle. Meanwhile Lust was lounging in the Crystal Empire thinking he’s hot shit but that’s all gonna end. His soul will be mine, and I’ll tear it out of his body.

CRASH!

I jumped out of bed, making Twilight yelp and fall off the bed as I threw my clothes on.

“What the hay?! What is that?!” Twilight shrieked.

“I don’t know! Stay here!” I said as I burst out the door. Draco then calmly walked out of his room and looked at me with tired eyes. “Quite the wake up call, wouldn’t you say?! They can’t be attacking us so soon! We haven’t even made our move yet!”

“Something tells me it’s not the Caribou,” He yawned looking half asleep still. “Last I checked we’re still within your barrier, right?” He let out a long yawn while leaning against the crystal wall.

CRASH! BANG!

“Yeah, well, then what the hell is all that noise?” I deadpanned. “Come on, get your lazy ass dressed and let’s go see.”

I felt a swift kick to my ass making me jump a bit. “Don’t forget that I’m not one of your subordinates you can boss around.” He smacked his lips as he tried to no doubt get the morning taste of his mouth. He peeked in and saw Twilight and waved, still looking half asleep. “Morning princess.”

“Draco! What is all that noise?!” Twilight snapped.

As I started to calm down, Draco’s face turned beet red which made me turn to Twilight. She had on only a loose shirt I gave her and her panties. She looked down and yelped as she retreated back in the room and slammed the door.

“Oh right, she’s been sleeping like that since we got together,” I chuckled.

Draco, who was still blushing up a storm, began to walk outside no doubt trying to forget what he just saw. “Meet you downstairs.” Despite wearing only his boxers and a white tank top, he still proceeded to investigate the commotion.

I chuckled as another door beside me opened to reveal Moon. Now it was my turn to blush as she walked out rubbing her eyes wearing only her bra and panties.

“Dimitri…what’s all that dreadful commotion?” Moon whined. “I was having a pleasant dream.”

“Uh…Draco and I are about to go find out. Meanwhile, you should get dressed into something more appropriate.”

“But I always wear my undergarments when I sleep,” Moon said. “Why? Does my attire not suit me?”

“No no, it does, it fits you quite nicely actually,” I said with a smile. She smiled back as the door behind me opened to reveal Twilight now wearing normal clothes.

“Good morning Twilight,” Moon said.

“Oh, good morning Nightmare,” Twilight responded. “Lock, you go on ahead and join Draco. I still need to get ready and speak with Nightmare about something.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later,” I said as I kissed her on the lips and ran after Draco. I eventually made it out of the castle, wearing a pair of pants, shirt, and my boots and found Draco standing completely still and slack jawed.

“Hey man, so where’s the fire?” I asked.

He held out his finger to point, still looking surprised. “More like where’s the rock.”

I looked to where he was pointing and went wide eyed. Floating in the air was a large bolder and spinning around it were smaller rocks. The rocks then launched from the bolder and smashed into the ground on the outskirts of town. We both looked at each other and went to investigate. Once we reached the outskirts, we saw Maud with her back facing us. She also looked different than before. She had cut her mane shorter to the point where it was above her shoulders and she was wearing a grey tank top, black cargo pants, and black boots. She had both her exposed tribal marked arms held high as she swung one of them down and another smaller rock flew from the air and down to the ground.

“Well…I think we now know what her powers are,” I said.

Draco slowly nodded before patting my shoulder, before turning back and heading to the castle. “Well I’m awake now. I’m gonna get prepared for today.” He gave me a serious look. “Today is a big day, and we should probably get Alpha Squad together to make a battle plan.”

Before he could walk away, a large wall of earth shot up in front of him. We both turned to see Maud facing us with a stern expression as she had her hand held out and lowered the bolder to the ground.

“Hey Maud, I see you’ve discovered your powers,” I said.

“It was quite simple to figure out,” Maud said as she approached us. “Bolder helped a little and I just followed his instructions.”

“Well I’m glad you found out your power and all, but do you mind not blocking my path?” He said while tapping on the stone wall in front of him. Draco sounded like he was still bitter about the whole, Maud eating a devil fruit, thing.

“Not until I talk to you two about something,” Maud said, crossing her arms.

“Okay, what is it?” I asked.

“When we get to the Crystal Empire, you let me kill Lust,” Maud said.

“EXCUSE ME?!” I snapped. “FUCK THAT!”

Surprisingly, Draco maintained a calm demeanor as he walked over to Maud. “You do realize that you’re being reckless right now, right?” He also folded his arms and stared into her eyes. “You just discovered your powers and you already think you’re gonna be able to go toe-to-toe with a deadly Sin?”

“It’s no business of yours,” Maud said with a hint of aggression in her voice. “My father is dead and buried in a mine and it’s all Lust’s fault. I will be willing to demolish the whole Crystal Empire, that’s literally made of rock, just to get justice for my father.”

“Maud, do you hear yourself? You’d be putting the crystal ponies and any other prisoner still trapped there at risk,” I said.

“Isn’t there always casualties in war? Their deaths will be for the greater good.”

“Huh,” Draco sounded slightly impressed. “Okay, let’s do it.”

“What?! Draco?!” I barked.

“I’m glad one of you sees reason,” Maud said.

“Yeah fuck everypony else. Forget all those poor crystal ponies were are abused as sex slaves. Or the soldiers who are risking their lives to fight this battle. I’m sure their families are willing to sacrifice themselves so you can have your vendetta.” Draco moved his arm around Maud and proceeded to move her to the castle. “We will use our soldiers as cannon fodder, so you, me and Lock can take on Lust.”

Maud glanced at Draco before pushing him away. “I didn’t say use anypony as cannon fodder.”

“Really? Because that’s the only way I see it. I mean to out your own desire over the lives of others seems about it. I’m sure that’s exactly what your father wanted from you. To risk both your life, and the lives of others to avenge him.”

Maud then glared at Draco and stomped her hoof. Large chunks of earth rose in the air and hovered over Draco. “Don’t you dare speak for my father…”

“Aww what’s the matter, did I hit a soft spot?” Draco looked at the mare with a wicked smile. “Go ahead and kill me, I’m sure that will bring him back. While you’re at it, sacrifice everypony’s life just so you can feel better about yourself.”

Maud clenched her fists as the earth around Draco started crawling up his body.

“Maud, that’s enough! Release Draco!” I ordered.

“I’m warning you…” Maud growled as the earth covered his waist. “My father died because of those bastards!”

“Maud! That’s an order!”

Draco held out his hand, stopping me for a moment. He folded his arms and looked back at Maud as if his life wasn’t in danger. “And? Do you think you’re the only one who’s lost someone?” He held out his hand and stuck out fingers. “Fleur, Princess Cadence and Flurry Heart, Shadow. Do you know these names and what they have in common?”

“I know who they are, what about them?” Maud said as the earth covered his upper torso.

“They each lost somepony they cared about. A lover, a friend, a father,” Draco maintained his cool despite his predicament. “Each one feeling the same pain as you.”

“But…!” Maud tried to say as the earth stopped covering his body. “But…he died right in front of me.”

“So did Shining Armor,” Draco quickly shot back. “He died right in front of his wife and daughter, who had finally spoken her first words.”

Maud hung her head as she deactivated her powers and the earth crumbled away from his body and the chunks fell out of the air to the side. Tears formed in the mare’s eyes and soon buried her face in her hands.

“Daddy…I’m so sorry,” she whimpered.

Draco dusted himself off and walked over to the mare and knelt down. He wrapped his arms around the crying mare. “I’m sorry for you lost, but you shouldn’t let your hate and rage control you.”

“I hate them…” Maud mumbled. “I hate them so much I wanna scream.”

Draco moved one hand to gently stroke her back while holding her closer to him. I moved to Maud’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“The pain of losing someone precious to you never goes away,” I said with a sigh. “I’ve lost people close to me as well, back in our world. But we must never forget that if we allow ourselves to be consumed by emotion, we’ll become something worse and others will suffer because of it. Your father was an honorable stallion who gave his life to save your sister. If it had been you or any of your other sisters or your mother, I’m sure he’d make the same choice. You must also remember that just because you have power, doesn’t mean you can whatever you want.”

“Then how am I supposed to use them?” Maud wondered.

“The right way,” I answered as she looked up at me. “Because with great power, comes great responsibility.”

Draco snorted as a smile crept onto his face. “Okay Spider-Man, she has earth bending powers, she ain't crawling on walls and shooting webs.”

“Who’s Spider-Man?” Maud wondered as they stood up.

“It’s not important, let’s get back to the castle,” I said. Maud nodded and walked ahead of us and Draco elbowed my side. “What? It worked, didn’t it?”

“Dude, you’re lucky she didn’t get the reference. Otherwise she’d think you were making a joke.”

“Eh, beggars can’t be choosers,” I chuckled as we made our way back to the castle.

I stood in the map room, dressed in my armor, with everyone else. Draco, my apprentices, Alpha Squad, a few members of the Wonderbolts, Moon, and most of the main six stood with me. Pinkie Pie wasn’t here because she stayed in her room and wouldn’t come out. We all pitied the poor mourning mare, so we left her to herself. We waited a few more minutes until the doors opened again to reveal Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I smiled a little at their arrival and cleared my throat.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s get to work,” I said. Twilight used her magic. To move the map to show the Crystal Empire. “We’ve come a long way, since the beginning of this war. There have been many hardships and more struggles than anyone would care to admit. I for one will not allow any more innocent lives to suffer or be lost by the hands of these tyrants. Lust is one of Dainn’s Overlords and one of the Seven Deadly Sins, which means this will be our toughest battle yet. However, once we are successful in this battle, the real war will begin since I doubt the other Sins will just sit back and wait for us to come to them. Celestia, Luna, I called you both here today because I have something important to ask you.”

“What is it, Sir Lock?” Celestia asked.

“I would like for you to send some of your troops with us to fight alongside us. I have many ships under my command, along with many more ponies who are able to operate them, but we need all the numbers we can get,” I explained. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but-”

“Say no more, Sir Lock,” Luna said, raising her hand. “We shall provide you with as many troops we can. I am sure they would also be willing to join the fight.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it,” I nodded. “Now then, we still need a plan how to properly attack Lust’s forces so I can get to Lust and deal with him.”

“Why not try what we did in Las Pegasus?” Swift asked.

“No, they’ll be expecting that now,” I shook my head. “Plus I wouldn’t doubt if they had some kind of anti air artillery waiting for us.”

“What if I dig into the ground so we can catch them by surprise?” Maud suggested.

“That would take too long, we need a plan to hit them from both sides,” I said. Everyone soon tried to voice their ideas until Draco cleared his throat.

“I may have an idea. I have been planning something since Lock mentioned that we will be going to liberate the Crystal Empire.”

“Oh? What did you have in mind?” I asked.

With all eyes on him, Draco moved towards the map and placed his hands on the table. “Lock won't be leading the attack on the Crystal Empire. I will.”

“You?” Big B said.

“But Lock is our Captain!” Rainbow said.

“No offense, Draco, but why you?” Flash wondered.

“I’m also curious, it’s quite unexpected for you to step up to the home plate in my place,” I said.

“Keep in mind, this isn’t permanent. It’s just a way for Lock to get to Lust without wasting any of his strength,” Draco explained. Draco tapped on the part of the map that showed the front of the kingdom. “It’s like Lock said, they are going to expect us to come, so why disappoint them?”

“A frontal assault?” Cloud guessed.

“You want us to butt heads at the get go?” Zephyr said.

Draco nodded. “Yes, because anyway you shake a stick at it, no matter where we attack the results are the same. We could divide our forces, but that wouldn’t work for the plan I have in mind.”

“So what exactly do you have planned?” Luna asked.

Taking a deep breath Draco collected his thoughts before continuing. “Okay here is the deal. What Lock said was right, we need to hit them on two fronts. However, the only difference is how big those fronts are.” Draco looked over to Twilight. “Do you have some kind of item that would let me draw a temporary plan on the map?”

Twilight nodded and reached under the table and gave Draco a quill pen.

“It’s magic so you can mark whatever you want on the map,” Twilight said.

“Thanks.” He took the writing tool and moved the tip to draw some triangles in front of the Crystal empire. “The reason we should do a frontal assault is simple. If we are to attack in one place first where do you think our enemies will go?”

“Straight towards the fighting?” Flash guessed.

“That’s correct, and they will especially come when they find out that Lock and myself are leading the charge.”

“Hold on, you said that Lock wouldn’t be leading the charge?” Shadow asked.

“And he isn’t. While we’re attacking the front, he’ll sneak through the back of the empire as soon as we dwindle their numbers down till all but Lust are on the battlefield.”

“I’m still kinda confused, dude,” Zephyr said, scratching his head. “If the boss is there, how will he be with us as well?”

“Watch.” Draco turned to me and held out his hand. “Can I borrow that mask you showed me the other day?”

“Uh, sure.” I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out my mask and handed it to him.

He took the mask and placed it on his face. He then titled his head up and grabbed his throat. “Test…test…testing.” We all listened as we could hear Draco's voice suddenly start to change. From a high pitch, to a deep low tone. “Testing, testing one, two, three. Ah there we go, I think this is a perfect imitation.” To everyone’s surprise, including my own, his voice now sounded exactly like mine.

“What the hay?!” Rainbow said.

“How are you able to replicate Lock’s voice like that?” Moon asked.

“It’s rather simple really. There are some prehistoric creatures that have the ability to mimic and perfectly copy the calls and cries of other animals. This is often used to either trick other animals either into traps, or into fleeing,” Draco said with my voice, a rather odd scene really.

“Astonishing,” Celestia said.

“Dude, you’re kinda tripping me out with that voice changer trick,” Zephyr said.

Draco took off my mask before rubbing his throat. “Sorry about that, but if you found it believable then our enemies will too.” He passed me back my mask before continuing with his plan. “I’ll wear the mask as we approach the Crystal Empire pretending to be Lock, while also switching into my dinosaur forms to make it seem like both the Devil’s Hand, and the Beast of Chaos are attacking. Because none of the clothes I wear rip or tear when I transform, I can fight on the battlefield looking like Lock.”

“Lust is a conniving bastard, Draco,” I said, crossing my arms. “Though I’ve only done it a couple times before, the only thing I’ve transformed into is a dragon. Not to mention that I can do more than just transform. How would you be able to throw them off knowing that?”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Look, on a battlefield, things will get hectic. Meaning no one is going to be paying attention to where you or I are. When I transform it will be out of the enemy’s sight. Giving the illusion that we are both there.”

“Hmm, I guess you have a point,” I nodded.

“Is that all there is to worry about then?” Luna asked.

“This plan seems full proof,” Flash commented. “It also sounds like the only heavy hitter is Lust himself while we all deal with his troops.”

“That’s the point. Knowing Lust, he won’t enter the fray from the get go. He’ll probably wait till Lock and I are worn out before taking to the scene.” Draco explained.

“Not that I wouldn’t need it, but why am I soloing my fight with Lust?” I asked.

“For a few reasons actually. One, despite my own power as well as the other devil fruit users, we can’t really do much damage to a Sin. Two, if neither of us are there to get in your way, then you're free to go all out without having to worry about us getting involved.”

“I can actually agree to that,” I said with a grin. “Lust won’t know what hit him.”

“Um…will you all also get Discord out safe?” Fluttershy whispered.

“You can count on us, Fluttershy,” I nodded.

“Trust us when we say he’s on our top priorities list. Now then, are there any other questions?” Draco asked.

“Oh shit, that reminds me,” I said. “We almost forgot about the War Chief.”

“War Chief?” Celestia said. “What War Chief?”

I sighed as I leaned on the table with my hands. “Dainn didn’t just appoint one of the Sins as his Overlord, he wanted some insurance to go with it. And he forced Discord to help.”

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked. “What did Dainn force Discord to do?”

“We believe that Discord brought back King Sombra.”

“WHAT?!” Everyone shouted. “KING SOMBRA?!”

“But that’s impossible!” Twilight yelped. “Discord would know better than to free somepony like that from the void!”

“I hate to break it to you, sweetie, but the evidence is all there,” I sighed. “Draco and I heard it from a ship captain a while back, even called him the former king.”

“Draco, please tell me this isn’t true!” Fluttershy cried, clasping her hands.

Letting out a sigh Draco looked to Fluttershy with a solemn look. “I’m afraid it is Fluttershy, he’s the one being who can do it.”

“Damn that Dainn!” Luna growled. “Does he not realize the evil he unleashed?!”

“But I don’t get it, isn’t Sombra a lone villain type of pony?” Rainbow wondered.

“Bastard sure doesn’t seem like the type to strike a deal with anypony, even Dainn,” Applejack thought.

“He must’ve offered him something that’s worth his services,” Shadow guessed.

“If you think about it, the Crystal Empire seems to be a good bargaining tool,” Flash said.

“But Lust runs the Empire, how could Sombra agree to just being a War Chief?” Swift commented.

“It doesn’t really matter.” Draco added. "No matter the circumstances he’s going down. We should be prepared for anything anyways.”

“Hold on, if I’m gonna be flanking the empire, that means you’re going against Sombra,” I said. “You up for taking on the former king?”

“Well if I’m not, then I’m gonna be in trouble. But I think I’ll be able to handle myself out there. The only thing we need to really worry about is getting the army of ponies to listen to me.”

“Draco…” Shadow said as she walked up to him. “Are you sure you can fight Sombra? I’ve heard that he even gave Celestia and Luna together a run for their bits. What if…what if he kills you?”

Smiling at Shadow, Draco moved his arm around her waist and pulled her into him before, to our surprise, planting a kiss on her lips. Shadow gasped for a moment but slowly closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. They stayed like that for a moment until Draco separated and cupped Shadow’s cheek.

“And leave you behind? Heh, not in a thousand moons. Just make sure that you stay alive out there, and I promise to come back to you.”

“Does…does that mean we…?”

Draco gave her a toothy smile before kissing her once more. “Only if you’re up to it, Shadow?”

Shadow squealed and jumped on Draco, making him catch her in his arms, as she peppered his cheek with kisses.

“Holy crap! Draco asked Shadow out!” Big B said.

“And she said yes!” Cloud added.

“Wow, so when did this happen?” I asked.

Draco who was still holding up Shadow had a flustered smile. “Eh well yesterday. And now it's kinda official.”

“Reminds me of how we got together, Lock,” Twilight teased, leaning into me.

“To be fair, you started it,” I shot back, nuzzling her cheek with mine. “Anyway, I’m happy for you two. So you be sure to treat her right, okay?”

Holding his new marefriend close to him Draco, gave a confident nod. “That was the plan. And speaking of which, the plan won’t work until after I convince the ponies to follow my lead.”

“I think I have an idea,” I said. “We’ll discuss it once Celestia sends the reinforcements.”

“And we shall do just that,” Celestia nodded. “Come Luna.”

Two Hours Later

I was standing on the edge of the ship with my apprentices, Alpha Squad, and the Wonderbolts behind me. Down below were my crew, ranging to a little over a thousand armed ponies, and the reinforcements Celestia sent, which ranged to about three to four thousand. They all looked up to me as they waited for me to speak.

“Today is a day we all knew was coming!” I said to them all. “Today, we sail for the Crystal Empire that waits for us, along with Overlord Lust and his followers! This battle will define the war and any future battles we may fight in the future! As such, we have recently devised a plan to face the Crystal Empire, and that includes my new associate, Draco Saurian, to step in and take command!”

The ponies all murmured to themselves as if they found it hard to believe that I wouldn’t be the one leading them.

“Draco,” I said, turning to him. “Go speak to them, they need to see you’re more than capable to lead as I am.”

Draco nodded and stepped up to where I stood and cleared his throat.

“Hello, my name is Draco Saurian, and I understand your reservations about somepony like me taking command. I haven’t been with you long enough to show my worth to all of you like Lock has.” I could hear the troops speaking amongst themselves as they didn’t seem that interested in what Draco was saying. “But know this!” He shouted loud enough to snap everyone’s attention back to him. “I understand the pain and suffering that these damn Caribou have brought upon you, and the rage that you feel towards them.” The crowd slowly started to settle down as he went on. “Many of you, if not all of you, have suffered by the very actions of these bastards. Some of you may have known somepony who was a victim of these sick creatures or somepony who is still being tortured by them as we speak.” He looked out at the army of ponies. “You stand here today because you’ve either lost somepony closest to you or were betrayed by somepony you once called a friend, only for them to side with the enemy who would bring such misery and pain.” I could see the serious looks that the troops were giving him, he now had their full attention. “Or you’re here to save and free your fellow ponies and stick it to these antlered bastards!” Some of the soldiers started to cheer as he started get them hyped up. “You are to take back the peace and prosperity that these greedy fucks have stolen from your world and go around parading it around like its some kind of sex object!”

“Buck Yeah!”

“We’ve suffered enough from those bastards!”

“I stand here before you brave mares and stallions, because I too wish to make these Caribou pay for their sick actions!” I could see the soldiers getting hyped even more the more Draco spoke, even I was starting to feel it. “No longer will these antlered fucks continue to desecrate these once peaceful lands with their presence!! I am willing to lay down my life so that future generations can look back on this day as nothing more than an awful memory in history!

“WE’RE IN IT UNTIL THE END!”

“THIS IS OUR HOME!”

“WE’LL FOLLOW YOU AS WELL, SIR DRACO!”

As the crowd cheers began to get louder, they started to stomp their hooves making the ground shake. Draco threw his arms in the air turning them into his black claws, he aimed them upwards before continuing.

“I will carve a path to a brighter future with my own claws, I will charge into a barrage of their bullets to slice their heads from their shoulders! Will you?!” Without even a second a second thought the soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs.

“YEAH!!”

Seeing that he had their attention Draco pumped his fist into the air before folding his arm across his chest.

“THEN I WILL LEAD YOU TO VICTORY!!!”

The ponies started to chant and stomp their hooves as they got excited.

“IF RIGHT AND WRONG IS SAID TO EXIST, THEN THIS IS RIGHT!!!”

“FOR EQUESTRIA!!”

“FOR OUR HOME!!”

“We will march into their stronghold and slaughter them all! And if they strike you dead, you look at your friends and family who died at their hands in the eyes and tell them you died fighting for their honor!” The ground beneath my feet rumbled like there was an earthquake.

“REDEEM YOUR FRIENDS!!! REDEEM YOUR FAMILY!!! FREE THEM FROM THEIR SHACKLES!!! RECLAIM YOUR HOME!!! RECLAIM YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS!!! RECLAIM YOUR SOULS!!!”

“WWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

Draco stepped back and turned to face us with a proud smile and we smiled back. Shadow, on the other hand, was biting her lip and fidgeting in place as she bit her lip.

“I’m so horny for you right now~,” she cooed with lidded eyes.

Draco’s cheeks flushed a bright red that steam began billowing out of his ears. “Er…I er…ugh.”

“Alright you two, save if until after we win the fight,” I chuckled.

Twilight, Moon, the Princesses, and most of the main six walked up the gang plank to say their last goodbyes. Twilight hugged me close and kissed me on the lips.

“Promise me to come back safe?” Twilight said as she held me close.

“I swear I will,” I spoke softly as I stroked her mane.

Moon even joined in on the hug and wrapped her arms around my other side.

“You have been so kind to me, Lock, I would not have been able to stand out on my own if not for you. I…wish to share something with you upon your return.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” I said. Moon smiled up at me and surprised me by pecking me on the lips.

“For luck,” Moon winked as she stepped back.

Meanwhile, Draco was approached by Cadence as Shadow was leaning into Draco and purposely pressing her breasts on his side.

“I wish you luck on your battle, Draco, I should warn you that Sombra is a very dangerous adversary.”

With his cheeks still burning red, Draco let out a cough before continuing. “W-we will do our best to reclaim your kingdom, your highness.” Draco glanced over to me before slowly slipping out of Shadow’s grasp and turned to me. “There is just one last thing we need to do before we go.”

Draco and I had flown a little outside of Ponyville. I had recently made a phone call to a certain friend of mine as we waited for his arrival.

“You sure you wanna do this? It’s not too late to reconsider,” I said.

“I’m sure. If this work we can waste less time in battles, and won’t get our ears talked off as much.”

I nodded as we continued to wait. Soon the man in question, Phill McHaggard, flew towards us from the clouds above and landed in front of us. He was dressed in the same outfit as he did when he met me in Las Pegasus and had his sword strapped to his side.

“So, today’s the day, eh?” Phill asked.

Draco stepped up and gave a polite bow to Phill. “Good to see you Phill, I had Lock call you to make you a procession.”

“Yeah? Well it better be good, cause ya interrupted me rocking Merida to sleep for her nap.”

“Oh it is, and if this works out we may use this method more often. Tell me something Phill, what is it you hate about us most? Besides that fact that we don't fight for God.”

“Well for starters you both kill without remorse, have no regard for the lives you take, think that slaughtering all in your wake is the only way to bring peace, and don’t believe that there are those who can in fact be redeemed,” Phill listed with his fingers.

“Says the pompous ass who wastes his time playing house and babysitting a bunch of traitors,” I scoffed.

“You best watch what you say, Lock, I still hold a grudge against ya for what ya did to Mac.”

“Oh bite me, Phill, he had it coming.”

“Like fockn’ hell he did!”

“You wanna go, asshole?!”

“ENOUGH!!” Draco’s voice boomed causing both Phill and myself to cover our ears. “I didn't have you come here to start fighting.” He turned to me and glared. “Keep quiet and let me do the talking.”

“We’re wasting time, he won’t help,” I said bitterly.

“He might but only if you bite your tongue for a moment,” Draco snarled.

“What the bloody hell do you even want?” Phill spat.

Taking a calming breath Draco turned to face Phill. “Let’s not beat around the bush here, Phill, you and I don’t like each other, that much is obvious.”

“I wouldn’t say hate, but ya do get along with me daughter so you’re alright to a degree. However, ya do get on me bloody nerves.”

“Yeah the feeling’s mutual. Which is why I plan to make you a deal here and now, and if it works it may be used more often in the future.” Moving to lean against one of the nearby buildings Draco stared up at the skies. “Tell me something, Phill, and I want the honest answer, that means no second guessing or you listening to what you want to believe. Do you truly believe with all your heart and faith, that every single Caribou and traitor stallion are redeemable and willing to seek it?”

Phill paused as he took in Draco’s question. “Honestly…I ain’t so sure no more,” Phill sighed. “I haven’t been in this world long, none of us have. I never in me life ever would’ve expected to fight in a war like Lock did back when he fought for the military, let alone be the bloody Angel’s Saint. I wanted to at least try to redeem any I could, but there seem to be those who are hell bent on destroying everything we’ve tried to preserve. Now it’s the middle of winter, you two are gonna head off into battle, and are probably gonna kill many. Some lives are more deserving than others, and I just might have to accept that.”

“Well I’m glad that you’re willing to admit that, this makes my offer more beneficial to both sides.”

“What kind of offer?” Phill wondered.

Stepping away from the wall. Draco moved over to stand in front of Phill. “I will give you the chance to go and save however many Caribou and traitor stallions that are willing. Any that stay behind and refuse to repent for their sins are ours to do with as we see fit.”

“Ya’re willing to let me take in some of the enemy back to Sanctuary?” Phill asked.

“Why so lenient all of a sudden?” I also questioned.

“Let’s face it, some of the Caribou may actually be good, and want no part in this war. Plus if we let Phill take them, not only do we have less to kill and worry about, but he gets to save some souls. It’s a win win,” Draco explained.

Phill pondered Draco’s offer and this whole plan seemed to be a bit too good to work. However, Phill looked like he agreed and nodded to Draco.

“Very well, if ya allow me to offer them a better chance to live, I shall accept those terms,” Phill nodded.

With a satisfied smile Draco extended his hand out to Phill. “Then we have a deal?”

“Yes,” Phill said as he reached out and shook his hand. “Also, ya still owe me that play date with Merida.”

Rolling his eyes Draco let out a soft chuckle. “Tell you what, once we’ve taken back the Crystal Empire, you and Merida can swing by and we’ll have that play date. But for now I need you to fly off to the Crystal Empire and do your part. Oh and don't make it seem like you know we are coming. If you do they will try and prepare. Act like you are there on your own accord.”

“I can do that,” Phill said as he unfurled his wings. “Give me a few hours before you come and raise hell.”

Phill flapped his wings and took to the skies and flew off. We both watched as he flew away and we then made our way back to the ships.

“You think the enemy will listen to him?” I asked.

He simply shrugged his shoulders. “If it doesn’t, we get to kill them all guilt free, meaning Phill won't try and fight us and potentially ruin future plans.”

“I guess,” I said as I unfurled my wings and Draco grew his pterodactyl wings. We both flew up into the air and above the clouds. Waiting for us was my ship and the whole fleet of ships we commandeered and we landed on the deck. Though as soon as we did, Shadow teleported in front of us and pounced on Draco, mashing her lips on his.

“Mmmmfff!” He blushed as he was taken by surprise by the mare in his arms.

Shadow kept the kiss going until Draco had to pull her away to catch his breath.

“Hey babe~,” Shadow giggled.

“H-Hey Shadow. Why the sudden make out session, not that I am complaining,” He said with a deep blush.

“Cause you’re my coltfriend, that’s why,” Shadow winked as she leaned in. “Unless…you wanna do something more before the big fight~?”

I could easily see a shiver run up Draco’s spine as me as well as the rest of the crew began to snicker. “B-babe, save your energy for the fight…but after this is over, maybe…”

“You promise~?” Shadow whispered, licking his cheek.

He shivered before biting his lips. “Oh trust me, I promise Shadow.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Shadow winked as she walked away with a sway in her step.

“You got a keeper there, dude,” I chuckled.

He gently tugged on the collar of his shirt as he gave a nervous gulp. “Boy do I know it. But we should focus on preparing for the battle ahead. We aren’t sure if Phill will be able to sway some of the enemy away. So we should go in like we are facing two armies.”

“I agree,” I nodded as I headed to the Captain’s quarters with Draco. “I’ll have the fleet set out once the given time has passed. Also…there’s something I gotta do first, and I’d like you to be with me.”

“What would that be?”

I didn’t answer as we entered the ship and walked through the corridors. Draco admired the décor and the interior of the ship as we made it my personal chambers. Once inside, I went over to the liquor cabinet and poured myself a drink.

“Want one?” I offered.

He shook his head and politely passed on the offer. “Sorry man, but I’m not a fan of alcohol.”

“Fair enough,” I shrugged as I took a sip.

I walked over to my desk and pulled out my smartphone. I scrolled through the photos until I found the one I was looking for. I sighed as I leaned my phone standing up against the lamp and stepped back next to Draco. The photo was of my younger self when I was promoted to Lieutenant and I was shaking hands with another man. He was an older man with dark brown skin and was bald. He had a proud smile on his face as he was handing me my medal and I just had a small smirk. We were both dressed in our formal U.K. military attire and I just stared at the photo as I held my drink.

“Draco…this is Joshua Clay,” I said solemnly. “My Commanding Officer.”

“So this is the guy I’ve heard much about?” Draco asked while looking at the photo.

“Yeah,” I replied, taking another sip. “He’s dead.”

He nodded solemnly. “I’m well aware, I’m sorry for your loss man.”

“What you don’t know is that I was the one that got him killed.”

Draco looked at me with a look of surprise, before that if understanding and moving his hand to pat my back.

“I was a young, thick headed kid when I enlisted,” I began. “My biological father was a dishonorable discharge from the army and wasted away as a bitter alcoholic. He took it out on my mother and I by giving me shit like telling me I’d never amount to anything. He’d always waste all his funds in booze and hookers, always piss drunk almost every day. My mother was a doormat who always defended his actions, and never stood up for herself. She always had some damn excuse for why he acted the way he did, and I honestly hated her for her cowardice. I was later taken from my parents when I was six and was adopted by another family, but I had single goal in mind throughout the rest of my life.”

I reached into my shirt and pulled out a chain with three sets of tags hooked on them. One pair was my own tags, the other was of Joshua’s, and the third pair was my father’s.

“I was the ripe old age of 21, fresh out of college. I was hell bent on doing what my father couldn’t and make a name for myself by joining the military. I moved to the U.K. to do it since the U.S. didn’t seem right for me, after what happened to my father. First few weeks, I was already a mess and on my way to getting kicked out. But that’s when I met him.” I smiled for a moment but soon frowned. “He was the second closest thing to a father I’ve ever known, after my adopted father. I remember meeting him while in the sergeant’s office, waiting to get kicked out of the military, but Josh had other plans for me. Joshua had always pissed me the hell off when I first met him. He always had a smile and told me encouraging shit, even though he knew I never liked it when he did. He apparently saw potential in me, and requested the higher ups that I join his platoon. Next thing I know, I’m in a room with six other kids: Dom, George, Patty, Zoey, Bobby, and Travis. We all had the same goals in mind, to make a name for ourselves. As time went by, we began to grow fond of each other, despite the many, many arguments we’d always have. Most others would give up on us and send us to the dogs to let us suffer, but Josh didn’t. He trained us, conditioned us, taught us, and we always stuck together in and out of the front lines. One day, there was a code red at a nearby base that an explosion had gone off and the enemy were flanking our allies. We weren’t able to make it in time though, and everyone at the base died. Including Josh’s cousin who was stationed there. Turns out someone on the inside was bought out by the enemy and planted a bomb behind our lines.”

“This doesn’t explain how his death is on your hands?”

“Believe me, it does,” I said as I continued. “I wanted to hunt the bastard down and make him suffer. Me and my platoon all wanted to spill blood for blood, but Joshua had told us that we were ordered to go elsewhere while someone else handled the incident. The whole thing was bullshit, that we were to just hang back and let someone else do the hunting while we were more than qualified to do the job. The rest of my platoon had no choice but to obey the order, but I had other plans. For the next three years, I spent digging into who betrayed us and where he was in secret. I had leads, but all were cold in the end. Then, as if some kind of act of fate, I got a tip from an anonymous informant that the traitor was near the area where we were to be stationed next. I took the opportunity to go and deal with what we should have, against Joshua’s orders. I fought my way through countless enemies, who all died by my hand, until I had the traitor in my sights. I was about to finish him off, until Josh showed up out of the blue since he had followed me. To say he was mortified at what I did that day would be considered an understatement. I was too pissed and covered in blood and wounds to care about what he had to say, but was also too blinded by rage to see what the traitor did next. He…pulled out a weapon and killed Josh, right in front of me.” I frowned as I lowered my glass to my side. “I was at a loss for words…literally. I only remember seeing red as I butchered the traitor and any reinforcements from the enemy that came to check on all the noise I made. I woke up a couple days later in bandages and seeing through only one eye.”

Draco took a moment to take in what I confessed to him. He had a pensive look on his face before finally voicing his opinion. “I don’t honestly believe that you are to blame. Despite what you told me, I doubt that your friend would ever blame you for what had happened to him.”

“I know,” I sighed as I downed the rest of my drink. “I’ve moved on, mostly, but the past sometimes haunts me. Talking about it helps, and I sometimes wonder what Josh would say to me if he were still around.”

“I’m sure he would tell you to keep fighting for what you believe is right.”

“Maybe,” I said and gazed at Josh in the photo. “Hey Josh, I know it’s been a while since we last spoke, I would’ve come to visit your resting place but I’m out of town at the moment. You always told me I should live for the future and not in the past. How ironic when I had fought in one war and am now fighting in another? It’s funny, but it seems you were also right about another thing. I managed to follow my heart and am sharing it with a mare that’s now the love of my life.” I smiled sadly as I felt my eyes moisten a little. “I’m…so sorry about what happened that day, Josh, you were the best of us and I kinda ruined it for you. I hope one day we can meet again and share a drink. I’ll have a lot to tell you when we do.”

I rubbed my eyes a little and set my glass aside. I looked at Draco who was smiling at me and I smiled back.

“You wanna talk to him? He’s a great listener, just speak what’s on your mind and what troubles you and he’ll always listen.”

“I’m sure he will, but for now we have some work to do.”

“Right,” I said as I took my phone and tucked it in my pocket. I pulled out my mask and handed it to Draco. “You also wanna wear my armor?”

He nodded as placed the mask on. “It would help to look the part,” he said in my own voice.

I nodded back and went off to the side, out of sight, and took off my armor and switched into my black hooded leather jacket, jeans, and black boots. The only thing I had on me were my weapons as I walked back out and handed Draco the pile of my armor pieces.

“Make sure not to tear it up too much, the whole thing was a gift from Lucifer,” I said.

“Mmm, perhaps he should wear something a bit more fitting for him,” Lucifer said as he appeared in a puff of flames.

“This fits just fine. I can reduce my mass to fit it. Thanks for the concern, Lucifer.”

We both paused and slowly looked at Draco who was looking at Lucifer with a smirk.

“Uh…Draco? Did…you just speak to Satanael?” I asked hesitantly.

“No, I was speaking to Big Bird,” he added sarcastically.

“You can see him?!” I asked in shock.

“You can see me?” Lucifer repeated, equally shocked. “How can that be? You did not partake of my fruit, or at least not yet.”

He let out a brief chuckle. “I believe it has to do with my animal instincts, or perhaps Discord made it so I can.”

“How intriguing,” Lucifer hummed as he scanned Draco. “It seems that Spirit of Chaos is more cunning than I give him credit for. I must say, young Draco, your bloodlust is almost on par with my own Hand. I wonder what would have happened had I chosen you instead of Dimitri?”

“Not sure, but I honestly wouldn’t have taken the same deal as him,” he said in a spiteful tone. “I would have come to Equestria without accepting your power, nor would I let others share the fate that Lock is doomed for.”

“Doomed, you say? When it was their choice to begin with?”

“A choice that they could have easily been talked out of,” he shot back. “Maud will never see her father again in the afterlife because she will be sent to Hell when she dies. None of them will see their families again, for I know they are too good to wind up in Hell.”

“Dimitri and the others are bound to receive praise and a heroic welcome as my personal champions. Though they are bound to Hell, they will not suffer as other tormented souls have. And if it will make you feel better, I would even allow the souls of their loved ones to visit from time to time should they one day perish.”

“Oh yeah, because who wouldn’t want to live or visit hell?" He said with an even more sarcastic tone. “Yeah, I mean the first I would love to see are the burning pits of fire, and sip on coconut water while listening to the screams of the damned. Hey, does anyone know where I can find a travel agent to book a trip there?!”

“You best mind your tone, brat,” Lucifer hissed as his eyes glowed red from under his hood. “I can easily smite you where you stand and not lose any sleep over it.”

“Oh my all means, smite me, oh hot headed one. I’ll be sure to scream in your ears for all of eternity wherever I end up,” Draco snarled, getting in the Devil’s face his eyes turning into reptile slits.

Suddenly, Lucifer backhanded Draco, sending him flying and his body crashing into the wall and leaving an indent. He slumped on the ground and groaned as blood leaked from his head.

“WHAT THE FUCK, LUCIFER?!” I shouted as I ran over to Draco and tried to heal him.

“I will kill him if he mouths off to me once more,” Lucifer snarled. “You should tell him to learn his place when in my presence.”

Lucifer disappeared in a puff of flames as I healed Draco with my Hellfire. Once he was fully healed, he shook his head and cracked his neck.

“Are you alright? You scared me shitless that I thought you were dead.”

Draco chuckled as he wiped the blood from his face. “He held back because he knew I would hold up on my threat. I’m fine, guess the Devil does act like a bitch sometimes.”

“Fucking hell, don’t ever do that again!” I scolded as I helped him up. “Look, I get you’re pissed about the whole fruit thing, but risking your life by telling my boss off isn’t gonna change anything.”

“Do you honestly think I fear him?” Draco grabbed a hold of my arm and squeezed it tightly forcing me to let go. “I don't fear him or the other guy.”

“Draco, if not for me…then for Shadow,” I said, using his marefriend against him.

“…Ugh fine, you win this time.”

“Thank you, now go get dressed, I’ll meet you upstairs,” I said and left him.

I made it to the top of the deck where the rest of my crew were waiting for me. I walked up to the bow and saw the rest of the ships still hovering in the air, waiting for my signal. My apprentices, Alpha Squad, and Wonderbolts, and Rainbow, all stood behind me with confident looks. Draco soon appeared on the deck and was dressed in my armor as he held my mask in his hand.

“Wow, you almost do that armor justice, babe~” Shadow said, leaning on him as he walked up next to her.

“Thanks, but it’s not really my style. Though with any luck, the enemy will think I really am the Devil’s Hand." He slipped on the mask and pulled over the hood and moved his hand to rub his throat. “You guys ready?” He asked in my voice.

We all nodded as I turned to the fleet and breathed in deep.

“UNFURL ALL!!! CATCH THE WIND!!! WE SET SAIL FOR THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE!!!”

I spread my wings out wide as my crew unfurled the sails and began moving. The rest of my ships followed us and I kept my eyes straight ahead as the cold winter winds blew against me.

“Get ready, Lust, your day of reckoning has arrived,” I proclaimed as a embers flickered off my body.

Author's Note

Next Part, The Devil’s Hand faces off against the Sin of Lust.

Hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Battle of The Crystal Empire Part 2: The Beast vs. The False King

Chapter 32

Draco 1st POV

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

“Nervous?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We aren’t?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“All rifles! Take aim and open fire!”

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

“What the buck?!"”

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

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

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

“How is he doing this?!”

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

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

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

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

“WWWWOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

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

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

“Now the real fun begins.”

3rd POV

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

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

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

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

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

“That was for my father…you motherbuckers.”

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

“Shadow! Behind you!” Ace shouted.

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

“Th-The Beast…” he muttered.

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

“IT’S THE BEAST!”

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

“BRING THAT MONSTROSITY DOWN!”

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

“WAR BEASTS! FIRE AT THAT MONSTER!”

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

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

"They're too strong!"

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

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

“Boss!”

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

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

Draco 1st POV

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

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

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

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

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

“Knock knock is any pony home?!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You insignificant! I’ll-!”

WHOOSH!

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

“HOW IN THE?!”

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

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

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

“WHAT ARE YOU?!?”

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

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

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

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

“None in that direction.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wh-What do y-you want from me?!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I sniffed the air and stopped dead in my tracks. “You can come out now. I know you’re hiding in here.” I called out when I picked up the scent of cologne, a scent no prisoners would have.

“Hmmhmmhmmhmm…” A voice echoed throughout the the halls. “You made quite the mess, Hand of the Devil.” I knew that voice, I could recognize that pompous tone anywhere.

“Ahh well what can I say, I’m a messy guy. Not like you ever cleaned up your own messes…Blueblood.”

Suddenly, shadows swirled around the room and flickered right in front of me. I almost thought it was Sombra, but what came from the shadows made my eyes widen in shock. It was Blueblood himself, dressed in Sombra’s armor, but he was…different. His horn was red and curved, his mane and tail were black and flickered like fire, his eyes were red with a purple trail seeping out from the sides, but his fur was just as white as Celestia's. It was like I was staring at some weird fusion of Blueblood and Sombra as the stallion gazed at me with a sadistic grin.

“That’s King Blueblood to you, whelp.”

As I stared at the stallion before me there was only one thing I could do. “Prffff hahahahaha!! Ohohoh hahahaha!!!” I clutched my sides as I couldn't keep myself from laughing.

“You insolent cur! How dare you laugh at me!” Blueblood seethed.

“Oh dear God this is too good.” I laughed as I was crying from laughing too hard. “They sent your sorry ass? What, was Iron Will too busy?”

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with, you wretch!” Blueblood seethed as the purple trails on his eyes flared.

I tried my best to calm down, this was a battle I wanted to savor more than anything .”Okay okay, sorry it just surprised me that you’re the king that we heard about is all. But by means please say what you have to say.”

“Why would it surprise you? Were you expecting somepony else?” Blueblood crossed his arms.

“Yeah, somepony more competent." I muttered under my breath, before clearing my throat. “I mean I just wasn’t expecting you of all ponies to be on the front lines is all.”

“If you were expecting that fool Sombra…” He trailed off, his grin widening more. “He’s dead.”

“Oh no not sombra, how did he die?” I said in a less than eager tone. Honestly I wanted to let him talk as much as he wanted before I had my fun.
Blueblood snapped his fingers and I heard what sounded like chains rattling. All of a sudden, chains shot out from the shadows and clamped on to my wrists and ankles. They then pulled my limbs and I was forced on my knees as I tried to break them.

“Whoa there buddy I don’t swing that way, and I’m not into this whole kinky tying up stuff either.” I joked knowing full well these chains will do jackshit to keep me down, but for the fun I will play along.

Blueblood said nothing as he walked up to me. I was smirking under the mask until he raised his fist and slugged my gut. I wheezed as pain shot through my whole body from the sudden impact of his fist. He then raised his other fist and slammed it in my face and kicked me hard in the chest. I grunted as my body went limp a little but Blueblood’s horn then started to glow. I then felt like my whole body was on fire as my body glowed along with his horn and I clenched my teeth to bear the pain.

“Lord Lust knows all about your abilities,” Blueblood began. “These chains are made of a special material that dampens your power, leaving you as helpless as you are now.”

That bit surprised me. A material that can dampen Lock’s powers? I needed to learn more, because if this blood shit has it than do the other sins have it too? "Is that why I'm not roasting your ass over an open fire right now." I clutched and unclutched my hands to simulate how Lock would some his flames.

“Hmph, you catch on quick, it is called Seastone,” he explained while pacing in front of me. “It is a rare element that harnesses the properties of the sea itself. Little known fact, a user of the Devil’s fruit cannot swim in the sea ever again. The Sins provided this stone for their forces in case anypony like you appeared. So you could say they knew you would one day come for them. You were a fool to come in here and underestimate me, and once I’ve dealt with you I’ll carve my way through each city you and that accursed Saint have liberated and claim them for my own.”

“Not that this isn’t interesting and I would love to hear you ramble on about how you’re gonna win, but what happened to Sombra?”

“Oh, I’ll tell you all about that but first,” Blueblood lit his horn and a projection like screen appeared in the air. I could then see the outside and the group and our forces stop what they were doing. When they looked in our direction, they all gasped and I saw Shadow go wide-eyed and tears forming in her eyes. “Let’s show them how easily I’ve bested you.” Blueblood then proceeded to wail on me by punching, kicking, and blasting me with dark magic. I could bear most pain, but this all hurt like hell and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep up the ruse before making my move.

God, I don’t know what’s worse, having to let this dumbass wail on me like he’s the top dog, or holding back from ripping the number one character in my top five mlp characters to shreds.

Blood seeped down my face and dripped off my mask as I just sat on my knees with my arms hanging out. I glanced up at the screen to see Shadow being held back by Swift and Berry.

She's definitely gonna let me have it after this…

“Ah, that felt good. Now as for Sombra, his very life force and power was drained by Dainn Stonehoof and transferred to me by forcing that fool Discord when he freed him from the void and trapped him with his magic. It was proper payment for helping take the Crystal Empire so easily.”

The fact that this little bastard helped take control of the Crystal Empire and by extension played a role in Shining Armor’s death made my blood boil. I was going to enjoy myself today. “So you’re gonna kill me when I’m weak and tied down by this seastone?”

“No, not just yet,” Blueblood hummed as he glanced at the screen. Shadow looked like she was hysterical with worry and Blueblood looked back at me. When he glanced back at Shadow, his sickening grin returned. “She’s quite beautiful, that mare, a top quality looking slave.”

Any other given time I would be furious and would just slaughter this prick, but I was going to have my fun first and get some information out of him. “You can try but even if you kill me, what’s your plan for the Beast of Chaos, and the Saint? They don’t have devil powers like me, so these stones won’t affect them.”

“True, but I doubt the Beast and the Saint would be much of a threat to the Sins,” Blueblood mocked. “After all, look at you. You’re bound by the chains and are at my mercy. Once I mount your head on a pike, I shall set my sights on that accursed hick down Ponyville and make that wannabe Alicorn my personal broodmare. Not only that, but I shall also sever the horns off those degenerate aunts of mine and throw them to the legions of Caribou so that they will spend the rest of their lives as nothing but a couple of common whores. I believe I shall start my campaign by making you beg for death, by rutting that mare who seems to be the most worried for you.”

“And times up.” I said in a calm tone.

“What are you blabbering about?” He scoffed. “I only just got started torturing you.”

I chuckled a bit. “Don’t get me wrong, you have done some decent damage compared to all the soldiers I’ve killed today.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Blueblood, while I would love to stand here and listen to you talk till the heat death of the universe, I quite literally have a million better things to do. So here’s the deal, I want you to hit me as hard you can.”

“Oh? Is that right?”

“Now hold on there, you may have misheard me,” I cut him off before he got the wrong idea. “Not half as hard, not some arbitrary percentage. I want you to hit me, as hard as you can.”

“And if I don’t play along? Honestly, it would be better if I just blast you to smithereens right now,” Blueblood rolled his red eyes.

“Well I guess you’re as weak of a pony as you were from the beginning,” I said with an honest to God smile on my face, not that he could see it of course. Blueblood seethed at me and coated his fist in dark shadowy magic. He then raised it in the air and brought it down and slammed it across my face. But he didn’t stop with just one, he then proceeded to coat his other hand in dark magic and began wailing on me. After about a minute or so of him punching me, which hurt each time, he wheezed and smiled sadistically at me.

“You got what you wanted, had enough?”

I chuckled a bit. “Yeah, I said I’ve had my fill, thanks for making this meal all the more tasty.” With that I stood up and easily snapped my chains off. “Honestly, I was starting to forget what pain felt like.”

“Wh-what is the meaning of this?!” Blueblood snapped. “Those chains should have weakened you!”

I raised my hand to my neck as I popped a few bones. “Mmm, man, I was getting real stiff there.” I rolled my right shoulder for a minute before quickly slamming my fist straight into Blueblood’s face, sending him back a few feet.

“Gah! How dare you!” Blueblood charged at me with his hands coated in dark magic again. He then tried to land blows on me, but I could see now he was all talk and no game since I effortlessly dodged his attacks or blocked them. “You dare strike me?! I am the new King of Darkness! I have the power of Sombra! You are nothing to me!”

“Please, you’re nothing compared to Sombra, at least he would have been worthy of my time.” I retorted before slapping him across the face.

“Did…did you just slap me?” He muttered in shock.

I swung my hand again, the impact echoing within the room. “Does that answer your question?”

“I WILL END YOU!!”

Blueblood’s horn glowed and a large blast of magic shot towards me. I jumped out of the way just in time, but a second blast hit me, sending me tumbling backwards. I coughed as my body felt a stinging pain but Blueblood didn’t seem to relent. His horn glowed again and shadowy wisps surrounded me. Before I could react, the wisps enveloped me and my body soon felt like it was on fire.

“Heh.” Before I knew it I found myself smiling. “Heheheh, oh yes, that’s more like it!!” I looked at the shit stain of a pony with a sadistic smile behind the mask. “Keep fighting, give me more. I want you to put up a fight before I have my fun!!”

“YOU BUCKING MAD STALLION!” Blueblood yelled as he blasted me with an even bigger shot that slammed me into the wall. “I will kill all of your precious rebel forces, they will all die, and I will force those sluts under my hoof where they belong”

“Kek, you’ll die failing.” Time for the big reveal. I moved my hand to my mask and slipped it off, showing Blueblood my smiling face. “If you can’t beat me, you don’t stand a snowball’s chance in Hell against Lock.”

“Lock?! Wait…you’re not the Hand! Who in Tartarus are you?!”

“Guess I haven’t done a face reveal to go guys huh? Well that’s rude of me, allow me to fix that.” I bowed my head with a hand over my chest. “I am Draco Saurian, but you all know me as the Beast of Chaos.”

“The Beast?!” Blueblood cried, until I leaped forward and clamped my raptor hand around his neck.

“In the flesh.” I gave his neck a squeeze before tossing him across the room. Most of the slaves who were watching from their cells started to cheer a bit.

“So…” Blueblood sneered, wiping his muzzle. “You must be the monster responsible terrorizing Equestira.”

“Sup,” I said casually.

“Aside from the Hand, I heard quite a lot about you.”

“Oh really.” I asked slightly interested.

“The Devourer of The Caribou, who feasts upon the flesh of his victims. A monster, whose power radiates with a darkness that casts a shadow on any unsuspecting poor bastard.”

“Oh you dirty bitch work the shaft,” I spoke in an almost satisfying tone.

“Excuse you?!”

“Oh I’m sorry, I like to dirty talk when somepony is SUCKING MY DICK.”

That got some of the slaves to laugh a little. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you here!” he snapped.

“Oh so am I, and I’m failing. And I’m sorry for that. It’s just I’m so agitated, because instead of fighting King Sombra, I instead get this blond little shit who’s trying to impress me like I’m his drunk alcoholic father.”

Blueblood glared at me as he lunged forward with shadow tendrils behind him and pointed them at my head. Meanwhile I raised my raptor claws and held them in front of his face and neck.

“Be a sport and grab daddy another beer.”

Blueblood screamed as he swung the tendrils at me and they smacked me across my face and hit me in the side. He then charged up his horn again, but I wasn’t about to get blasted again by that damn horn of his.

I swung my clawed fist into his nose sending him flying across the room. I quickly darted for him as I performed a jump kick to his stomach. Blueblood created a shield made of shadow, blocking my kick, and tried to strike my gut with his fist but I managed to block his attack too. We both then grappled each other and tried to push against each other.

“This world belongs to Dainn Stonehoof! You and that Hand are fighting a losing battle and you cannot see it!”

“You’re right I can’t see it!!” I pulled my head back before slamming it into his head while using the skull of Pachycephalosaurus. “Because the fight you’re talking about doesn’t exist, we are going to free this world from scum like you!”

“Gah! It has already been freed! Celestia and Luna, even that slut Cadence, have been in control for too long! The mares outnumber the stallions, but the Caribou were able to bring balance by putting the females in their place!” He shot back, pushing his head against me.

My rage doubled and before I knew it I grabbed him by the throat and tossed him into a nearby wall.

“Just what do you believe in, monster?!” Blueblood sneered as he launched shadow tendrils at me.

“A world better than this!!” I charged forward slicing the tendrils as they came for me.

“What could be better than ruling all who stand before you and taking whatever and whomever you please?!” He argued as he hurled orbs of dark magic at me.

“You scumbag!!” I bobbed and weaved as the orbs came flying trying to get closer to finally slit this fucker's throat once and for all. “You’re just a spoiled colt who cried like a bitch because you didn’t get what you want. Even with all this power that’s all you are!”

“SHUT UP!” He roared as he forced me back by blasting me with magic again. “IT WAS MY BIRTHRIGHT TO BECOME AN ALICORN! NOT SOME CUNT FROM A HICK TOWN! I WAS THE ONE DESTINED TO BE GREAT AND IT WAS STOLEN FROM ME! BUT NOW I AM EVEN GREATER THAN ANYPONY! I AM THE TRUE KING OF EQUESTRIA!”

I clutched my chest where the magic blasted me and started to laugh. “King? You’re not a king, you’re a puppet working like a damn dog. The sins rule while you get their sloppy seconds.”

“Just look at you, barely holding on and on your knees where you belong!” Blueblood scoffed. “My power rivals, nay, dwarfs your own! In comparison to you, I am a demigod!”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

“Wannabiebitchwhosegonnadie says what?”

“What?”

With him confused I swung my claw at his leg slicing it clean off, before swinging my other hand to cut off his horn.

“GGGAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!” He cried in pain as he fell to the ground.

“You know they say that violence isn't a good way to release tensions. That therapy is better,” I grinned before grabbing my sword and slicing off his other legs and kicking him across the room where the stairs are.

“AAARRRRGGHH!! Ugh, have to get up the stairs…must get up the stairs! If I can just get up the stairs I-!” He looked up to see the long staircase back up to the open and his face went pale. “Oh buck…”

“But I’ll be honest with you Blueballs,” I said darkly causing him to turn slowly to face me. “I honestly feel like kicking your ass and slaughtering you like the pig you are is feeling really therapeutic right now.”

“You monster! I cannot die! I am a King!”

“Oh I thought you were a demigod.” I smiled as I held up his severed leg in my claws. “Well come on demigod, you were talking that good shit a second ago. Right before I cut your fucking legs and horn off.” With little ease I crushed the leg in my hand, breaking the bone and blood spilling everywhere.

“WH-WHAT THE BUCK ARE YOU?!?”

“What’s wrong demigod? Just grow back your legs, summon up your stolen dark magic. HIT ME! FIGHT ME.” I smiled as I stood over him. “Give me a hug.”

“…R-Really?”

I couldn’t help but smile as my teeth grew sharp as I opened them and lounged at my next meal.

3rd POV
Outside the Dungeon Building

The ponies and caribou who were watching the events inside the dungeon had both horror and astonishment at what they were seeing. “Hey we’re here on epic meal time on sauce boss!!” Draco jaws were ripping out the intestine of Blueblood as he screamed in pain and agony begging for him to stop. “And today we’re eating this blond little wannabe demigod.” Caribou and traitor stallions fell to their knees puking as they watched Draco pull out the stallion’s heart, tossing it into the air before swallowing whole. The screams and please coming from Blue Blood started to fade as he gurgled on his own blood.

As Draco feasted on the dying former traitor prince, the prisoners all turned away and covered their ears so as to not watch or hear his gruesome meal. Outside, the remaining Caribou watched the display all up and surrendered without a second thought. As for the traitor stallions, they took the opportunity to abandon their posts and run out of the city with piss stained pants. As Draco was tearing out more of Blueblood’s organs, Alpha Squad and the apprentices were also having a little trouble watching the screen.

“Sweet merciful Celestia…” Flash said quietly.

“Oh gods, I'm gonna be sick!” Zephyr gagged.

“That’s who you chose to be your coltfreind Shadow?” Berry asked.

“Yep, but I guess I underestimated how intense he could be,” Shadow gulped.

Draco sliced the head of the now dead Blueblood and held it up. The tongue hanging out of the severed head and eyes rolled back. “This battle is ours, and the Devil’s Hand will win the war next!!”

The feed cut and the enemy had all surrendered at this point. The rebel army cheered as they gathered up the enemy into groups and forced them to sit together. From the dungeon building doors, Alpha Squad and the apprentices waited for Draco to return. After a few minutes of waiting, the doors opened to reveal the hundreds of crystal ponies trapped inside. As the rebels helped them settle down, Draco walked out, holding his side and covered in blood, as he held Blueblood's head by a rope over his shoulder. He staggered a bit from the damage he had received but approached the ponies with a smile.

“Glad I told you guys to wait out here.” He pulled the mask that Lock had lent him and tossed to Flash, who nearly dropped it. “Make sure that gets back to Lock, I won’t be needing it anymore.”

Shadow shook her head and used her magic to quickly clean the blood off Draco and even out of his mouth. She then jumped at Draco and peppered kisses on his face, making him drop the head.

“Gahh S-Shadow!” Draco’s face soon turned red, not from blood of the battle, but from blushing a storm. “Everypony is watching.”

“I don’t care, you big dummy!” Shadow snapped as she continued to pepper his face. “How could you let him hurt you like that?! I thought he was gonna kill you! Didn’t I tell you not to do anything stupid?!”

“Hey I said no promises,” Draxo argued before wrapping his arms around her. “Besides I always wanted to kill that guy, I thought it was only fair to let him think he could win.”

“You dummy…” Shadow whimpered, lightly beating her fists on his chest. “You big, stupid, brave dummy!”

“Well I’m your dummy now,” Draco chuckled before moving in and kissing her on the lips.

KA-BOOM!!!

The ground shook and startled everyone as they all looked up and gasped. The top of the main tower of the castle was blown off and it looked like it was replaced by roaring flames.

“Sweet stars above!” Flash yelped.

“What the buck is that?!” Ace shouted.

“What’s going on up there?!” Swift wondered.

“Lock’s battle with Lust,” Draco deduced. “Everypony get back on the ships, things might get out of control,” he ordered.

They all nodded and went to spread the word to evacuate the city. Before Draco joined the others, he glanced once more at the pillar of flames and could hear Lock screaming, along with someone else which he could only assume was Lust.

“You better make it out of that alive, Lock. I sure don’t wanna tell Twilight she lost her coltfriend to a sick pervert,” was all he said before picking up Blueblood’s head and running off to catch up with the others.

Meanwhile
The top of the Castle

“GEAR…2ND!!!”

Author's Note

Draco, The Beast, has finished his part of the fight. Now all that’s left is for Dimitri to bring down the first sin. Next chapter and final part of the arc, we turn the clock back and see the battle between The Hand of The Devil and the Sin of Lust unfold.

Side Note: I’m back! And while I was away, I decided to make this arc with three parts instead of two. Surprise!

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Battle of The Crystal Empire Part 3: The Hand of The Devil vs. The Sin of Lust

Chapter 33

A Few Hours Earlier
Dimitri 1st POV

“If we both make it out of this, you and I are having a beer together,” I said with a confident smirk under my hood and backflipped off the railing.

I unfurled my wings and flapped them to center myself in the air. I flew through the cold winds and kept myself hidden in the clouds so as to not draw any unwanted attention. I was, admittedly, a little skeptical about Draco’s plan, but he seemed so sure that it would work without me having to be there. I guess I was used to always calling the shots up until now that I never expected to not fight alongside my crew and apprentices. Another thing that worried me a little is Maud’s already growing ferocity. Her face may not have shown it, but I could sense her blood lust a mile or two away. The death of her father must’ve triggered something in her and the fruit only amplified it. Igneous Rock’s death was just another thing that Lust was going to answer for, so I had to keep my head clear for the task ahead of me. Soon I made it past the clouds to see the Empire, but I already didn’t like what I was seeing. Instead of it being a shining beauty of a city as I remembered it to be, it was all gloomy and the winter winds surrounded the city like a plague. I grit my teeth as small embers flickered off my body and I glared at the main tower of the castle. It was then I saw someone standing at the balcony, to which I noticed a menacing looking Caribou with dark red armor and large antlers.

“Lust…” I hissed with a mouthful of venom. “You just wait right there, you sick bastard, I’m on my way to tear your soul apart.”

I continued my flight and circled the city as I made my way behind to the south side of the city. I glanced back to where the fleet were flying in from and I could almost make out the noise of The Prometheus in one of the clouds, which meant they were all getting into position. I looked down within the walls behind the castle to see some kind of crystal garden of some sorts. It had a few plants made of crystal here and here, but most of the shrubbery were cut to resemble male genitalia. I scowled at the gross display of masculinity these assholes were displaying and made my way to the ground. Touching down .behind a mound of snow and crouched down behind it. I peered over the mound to see some guards patrolling on the walls and armed with M1 Garands. My military training kicked in as I used the surrounding fog from the weather, probably caused by Zephyr, and krept over to the wall. My eyes were locked on the guards up above as one was about to turn around to my direction. I ducked down and scooped snow over myself with my arms and wings to hide as soon as he looked in my direction. I stayed under the snow until he finally turned away and spoke with the other guard so I used that chance to come out of the snow and continue on. I finally made it to the wall and leaned against it and looked up. Thankfully, none of them had noticed me and I could now hear what they were saying.

“I just don’t understand it,” one of the stags sighed. “How could just one guy manage to convince over a quarter of our forces to just up and leave with him?”

“I too am having a hard time believing it, brother,” the other stag agreed. “One minute we’re all just going about our business, and the next thing we know some bright light shines out of nowhere and that white winged bastard shows up. How did he even manage to break our fellow stallion male’s brainwashing? I thought the glorious Crystal Cock’s influence was unbreakable?”

White wing? I thought to myself but then smirked, realizing who they were talking about. Phill, so you actually managed to pull it off somehow. Guess I owe you that drink.

“It’s also more of a pain since the War Chief ordered everyone to be on high alert for any more of the rebels to show up.”

“Hey…you don’t think the stories we’ve been hearing are true, do you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean about the Devil of The Caribou and the Beast. I once had a couple of friends in Salt Lick and Manehattan. Only one managed to escape with an arm torn off but my other buddy never came back. The Beast is as merciless as the Hand and he devours all whom he sees.”

“I’m…sure that’s all just pure exaggeration. Besides, the Beast is probably on the other side of the country, terrorizing some other poor town.”

“You can’t seriously be that naïve! Need I remind you about that transmission the Hand sent out a while back over the radio and screens? Did you see those wings of his? They’re probably red from the blood of the countless victims that fell by his blades or are made of fire, ready to burn his prey.”

“Shut up! Just shut your damn mouth! It doesn’t matter what he can do and how many he’s killed, the Beast included! They’ll fall, they all will, just like that rebellious clan who Lord Dainn slaughtered when we first came ashore to these lands.”

“But they were not backed by a demon from the underworld and a rampaging monster.” The other stag fell silent after that statement and gripped his rifle tight. “Personally, if I had known we would encounter such enemies like this, I would have never signed up to come here.”

“Careful with your words, they are the words of heresy,” the other stag warned. “You, as well as any other of our brothers-in-arms, know why we set out to take control of this world. The oppression of those whores on their thrones had to be put to rest so that we could show them just were all females belong. I say it won’t be long until this little rebellion is dealt with and we’re back to how it used to be. I just hope that I one day get to plow that Sun Slut’s sweet flank into next week, if Lord Dainn would allow me.”

After hearing enough of their deluded conversation, I stepped away from the wall and unfurled my wings a bit. I then gave them a sharp flap, launching in the air and above the stags who looked up to see me. Before they could react, I swiped both my wings as a few feather blades from each wing shot towards them, hitting them in the head, gut, or neck and they fell to the ground dead and I landed on the walkway.

“Hey! What’s going on over there?!”

I looked to my right to see a guard making his way towards me and had his rifle ready. As soon as he saw me, his eyes widened and aimed his weapon at me.

“Freeze!”

SHUNK!

I didn’t bother letting him try to fire at me or try to call for backup, so I just flung another feather blade at him and hit his head, killing him.

“Employee of the month, ladies and gentlemen,” I scoffed sarcastically.

I dumped the bodies over the wall so they wouldn’t draw anymore attention. I then realized that there should at least be a lot more guards around, even if it was behind the city, but there were only these three and probably others around patrolling this area. I scratched my chin, wondering why the security was so low, until I noticed a radio from one of the guards I killed dropped on the floor. I picked it up and turned it on, only to hear there was already a commotion happening.

“Red alert! I repeat, red alert! The Devil’s Hand is here and is approaching the main gate on his own! We need backup! Our weapons aren’t doing a bucking thing! Wait…what did he just fire in the air?!” I waited to hear what else could be happening until I started hearing some kind of music in the background. “Oh gods above…IT’S A TRAP! THERE’S THOUSANDS OF ENEMY TROOPS THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE! WHERE DID THOSE SHIPS COME FROM?!”

“Well, well,” I smiled, tossing away the radio. “Guess Draco’s little distraction is working perfectly. I better get a move on while the excitement is just getting started.”

I hopped down the inner wall and quickly made my way through the crystal garden. I watched as I stealthily made my way through how any nearby guards had left their post to go join the fight that was happening in front of the city. It would only be a matter of time before Draco breaches the gates and they still had Sombra to deal with. The thought of Sobra crossing my mind made me question again if Draco would be able to handle him. Why Dainn would bargain would him, of all ponies, was beyond me. Let alone, why Sombra would even consider allying himself when he was more of a lone wolf kind of villain.

“…Di…mitri.”

I stopped my trek in the middle of the garden and looked around after hearing a faint voice in my head call out to me. I gripped Surtr’s handle, ready to draw as I looked around.

“Here…look.”

When I heard it again, I looked to see at the far end of the garden there was some kind of statue. At first I didn’t recognize it due to the light fog surrounding the area, but as I drew closer to it my heart almost stopped. Before I knew it, I broke out in a full sprint towards the statue, not caring about any form of subtlety or stealth. The statue grew more clear until I was standing right before it and I dare not take my eyes off the undeniable piece of stone before me.

“D…Discord?”

There was no doubt about it, the mismatch of body parts, the feathered and webbed wing, and the serpentine-like body. It was the Lord of Chaos himself, Discord, trapped in stone and he had his arms held out along with a shocked expression. The poor guy had chips and cracks all over him, almost like someone was pelting away at his body just for fun. There were also disrespectful words and phrases of disgust either drawn or chiseled on his body. The mere sight made me reach up to remove my hood so I could look at him properly.

“Discord…what have they done to you?” I said pityingly.

“So…we finally…meet,” I could hear him say into my mind, which surprised me a little.

“You sound weak,” I deduced. “I wish we could’ve met under different circumstances.”

“Dainn…imprisoned me,” he said faintly. “Deceived me. Used…the remainder of…my power-”

“To bring Draco here,” I finished for him.

“Draco…he is well?”

“Very, he’s got a marefriend now,” I smiled.

“Ah…I am glad,” I heard him say a little more enthusiastically. “And…dear Fluttershy, she is…safe?”

“Yes, Discord, your first friend is safe.”

“So…happy to…hear that,” he chuckled weakly.

“Just hang in there, Discord,” I said as I stepped forward with my hand coated in Hellfire. “I’ll have you out of there in no time.”

“No…”

“No? What do you mean-”

“Lust…your task…is Lust.”

I looked behind me to the castle and back to Discord with my eyes narrowed.

“I can’t just leave you here like this.”

“I…shall be fine,” he argued. “I have waited…many months…for this day. I assure you, I…can spare a few more…moments.”

“I can sense your power,” I said sternly. “If…you’re not freed soon…”

“Sir Lockdrom,” Discord said a bit more clearly in my head. “You came here for one purpose. If you aid me now, I would become a liability to your goal. Do not waste your precious time and energy on a misjudged fool like me.”

I grit my teeth and was forced to pull my hand back. I knew he was right, if I did free him from his stone prison I’d have to worry about him and he wouldn’t be able to do much with his power nearly drained. I hated myself for the thought, but I knew what had to be done for the greater good.

“I’ll come back for you,” I said as I stepped backwards. “I will defeat him, and I swear I’ll come back.”

“I do not doubt it,” Discord said.

“You will see her again, you hear me?” I pointed at him as I pulled my hood back over. “You will see Fluttershy again, I swear it.”

“Thank you…Sir Lock…drom.”

I turned around and ran back towards the castle as his voice faded from my head. Seeing Discord in a state like that was only more fuel to the fire. Lust wasn’t gonna get away from this, that’s for damn sure. I finally made it to the back entrance of the castle and hid behind a small pillar. I peered around the corner to see that there were a group of guards standing at attention, about 8 of them armed with swords or rifles. I would use my disguise, but I had no time to waste since Draco was probably about to breach the front gates soon. I decided that since there was already a lot of noise being made that I should start making my own noise to level the playing field. So I casually came out from behind the pillar while drawing two of my six-shooters and paced towards the group.

“Halt! Who goes there?!” One of the stags ordeed.

“Who do you think, wretch?” I hissed as I fanned open my wings and aimed my pistols.

“I-It’s the Devil’s Hand! Kill him!” Another stag said as they came at me with their weapons drawn and rifles aimed at me.

I jumped as I gave my wings a sharp flap and flipped over the attacking stags while twisting my body in mid air. As I spun, I fired my pistols at the group, hitting a few in the arm or leg a couple straight through the head, killing them instantly. As I landed on the other side, one of the stags armed with a rifle shot at me. I managed to duck out of the way by somersaulting to the side and aimed my gun at him and fired. As he fell to the floor with a bullet hole in his chest, a few armed with swords charged at me so I decided to meet them head on. I holstered my pistols back on my hip strap and dashed forward. The first attacker came at me and swung his sword to slash me as I swayed my body to the side and drove my elbow in his ribs. He cried out in pain as he tried to swing at me again, but I grabbed his sword and shoved it into his neck. The next attacker came at me while roaring out in anger as he watched his comrade choke on his blood and sword. As he made a swipe at me, I jumped in the air and raised my boot to the sky. As I came down, I swung my boot downwards and onto his shoulder, crushing the bone and making his body slam into the ground. The few remaining stags who were shot in the leg or arm all staggered back as I rose up and stood straight. I glanced over my shoulder and glared daggers at them, making them shudder in fear as they gripped their bloody wounds. One was foolish enough to try and pull out a pistol of his own, but I was the quicker draw and shot him in the head before he could make a grab for his weapon.

“Anyone else wanna be a brave idiot?” I challenged.

The two stags attempted to limp away before I stretched my hand out and grabbed one of them by his shirt collar and yanked him backwards. He fell on his back with a grunt as the other made his escape and I planted my boot on my captive’s chest.

“Gak! Wh-Why?!” He groaned. “If you’re here, then who’s-”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” I chortled as I pressed my boot more onto him. “Where’s Lust?” He didn’t answer for a moment so I decided to convince him by pressing the muzzle of my gun into his eye, making him yell out in pain as I pulled back the hammer. “Where. Is. Lust?”

“Gyaaaaahh! Th-Throne Room! He’s in the Throne Room!” He yelped.

“Thank you,” I nodded as I pulled the trigger.

BANG!

Blood and brains sprayed out from his eye socket as his body went limp with the occasional final twitch. I wiped off the grime on my gun and holstered it and turned to the entrance. I didn’t bother being subtle so I raised my boot and kicked the door off its hinges. The door went flying inside and I stepped through and took in my surroundings. The halls were decorated with banners of the Stonehoof’s and murals of males rapeing females, as if some kind of commemorative way to show off their conquest of Equestria. I snarled to myself as I marched down the halls, killing any remaining guards that stayed behind to protect the castle. After slicing the head off a few stags who tried to ambush me with Ymir, I spied a peculiar door that was locked by thick chains. I realized that I had an obligation at the moment, but seeing as how they used chains to lock up a door piqued my curiosity. I glanced down the hall to see if there were any more guards heading in my direction, but the trail of dead bodies I left in my wake told me I would be clear of them for now.

I walked over to the door and grabbed the chains and gave them a light tug. They were pretty locked down and looked like they wouldn’t budge. I stepped back and raised both Surtr and Ymir in the air and swung them diagonally as fast as I could at the door. There was a brief pause until the chains and door fell apart to pieces in a heap of rubble. As I sheathed my swords, I stepped in the room but got a whiff of something foul in the air. I grimaced and looked around, seeing that the room was lit by a lone glowing crystal and the whole room was a complete mess. Books upon books stacked in every corner of the room, papers depicting charts and strings hung in every direction wherever I looked. The whole place smelled like someone took a dump and didn’t bother to flush, letting it fester in the heat. One of the stacks of books fell over, making me snap my head to the noise to see a stallion hunched over in a trembling fetal position. He was skinny and malnourished, his mane and tail were caked with grime and dirt, but the one recognizable feature about him was his glasses and the tattered cloak he wore. Under his cloak, he wore a wrinkled button up shirt and slacks that both had blood stains here and there. One of his legs had some sort of makeshift splint wrapped around it and was made out of pieces of plywood and cloth.

“P-P-Please…” he begged in a raspy voice. “D-D-D-Don’t hurt me!”

“Easy there, kid,” I said calmly, raising my hands. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

The stallion sniffled as he slowly looked up at me and my suspicions as to who he was came true. Sunburst gazed up at me with eyes full of nothing but fear and the sight of him made me frown under the shadow of my hood. He looked like he hadn’t eaten properly or was let to bathe himself for months on end. His goatee was longer, along with his mane and tail, and were tangled beyond repair. His glasses had cracks in both of the lenses and were barely holding together from the amount of tape that covered the entire frame. Poor kid also had a black eye and blood stains on his clothes and fur. When I stepped towards him, he flinched and tried to crawl away from me.

“Sunburst,” I said, making his ears perk up. “Please relax, I swear I won’t hurt you.”

“H-H-How do you know m-m-my name?” He asked shakily.

“Er…the papers,” I lied, pointing to the many parchments that littered the ground and walls. “I saw you had written your name on some of them.”

“Oh…I see,” he nodded but still kept away. “Who are you?”

“My name is Dimitri,” I said, taking off my hood. With my hood off, he finally got a good look at me and raised his head more. After adjusting his crumbling glasses, he noticed my wings and gasped.

“Hold on, crimson red wings, not a pony, armed with swords and those weird gun things…Are you the Hand?!”

“So you know about me?”

“H-How could I not?” Sunburst said. “The guards wouldn’t stop talking about you, especially since that broadcast you sent out from Cloudsdale. But there’s a lot of fighting going on outside, and they said that you’re out there with the rebels. How are you here if you’re supposed to be out there?”

“It’s a long story, Sunburst, but rest assured we’ve come to free this kingdom. I think it’s time I get you out of this place.”

“N-NO!” Sunburst yelped before I could step towards him again. “I-I-I can’t leave…”

“Sunburst, you can’t stay here. I’m sure I can find you a more suitable place to hide than this dump.”

“B-B-But…I’ll d-d-die if I do…” Sunburst whimpered.

“What?”

Sunburst raised his head for me to see his neck and I noticed he was wearing a black slave collar. “Overlord Lust put this on me, he cursed it so if I were to ever leave this room it would tighten around my neck until my head falls off…”

Lust, you fucking sick bastard…

“I see…” I nodded, barely managing to quell my growing rage. “Why trap you here anyway?”

“All of this,” Sunburst said, pointing to the stacks of books and charts. “And that.”

His finger pointed to a wall that had a larger map of the world. The whole map was scribbled with coordinates, question marks, and pages from books with ancient looking texts of some kind.

“What is all this?” I wondered.

“I…I don’t know,” Sunburst shook his head. “They locked me in here when they took over the Empire. All they said was to find something them or they’ll make each check-in more brutal than the last. I haven’t eaten anything proper for months and they never even let me bathe myself or even sleep.”

“What were they forcing you to look for?”

“All they said was, find the Castles.”

“Castles? That’s a bit broad.”

“It is!” Sunburst cried, tears spilling from his eyes. “I tried telling them that, but I just got beat up every time! And whenever I discovered an ancient structure, ones that not even I thought I’d be able to find with just books and charts, it was the wrong one! The result was them beating me more and more, no matter how tirelessly I worked! They even broke my leg, for Celestia’s sake! I…I just wanted to die and not have to suffer anymore!”

I grinded my teeth in anger at the treatment they were giving this poor stallion. Sunburst was the brightest and one of the most likeable ponies I’d come to know as a character. He always spoke how he took pride in being an accomplished scholar, now he talks as if he now despises what he used to love.

“But…recently, their beatings became less frequent after I finally managed to come up with something,” he said as he reached into his robe and held out a small tattered piece of paper. I took the paper and saw it was written in symbols I couldn’t make out. They looked like a mix of some strange Equestrian version of ancient Egyptian script mixed with Ancient Greek text.

“I can’t even make sense of what this is,” I said, handing him back the parchment.

“Not surprising, since it’s the first dead language of Eques,” Sunburst sighed. “This was given to me by Lust after hitting one dead end after another. I suppose even he had to admit I wouldn’t get anywhere unless I had some sort of clue. It took me three months alone just to transcribe what that reads.”

“What does it say?”

“It sounds like some kind of name, somepony called The Wise One.”

I couldn’t explain it, but hearing that name sent some kind of chill down my spine. It was as if the name itself had an ominous aura to it that made even me swallow a small lump in my throat. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and glanced out the door to remind myself why I’m originally here.

“I wish I could move you to a more secure location, Sunburst, but I unfortunately don’t have the time or energy to help get that collar off of you,” I said as I turned away and walked towards the door. “You’ll just have to stay put until I finish my business.”

“You’re leaving me here?” Sunburst said fearfully.

“I don’t have much of a choice, I came here for one task and one task only.”

“What’s that?”

Before I stepped out, I turned back around and walked over to Sunburst. He flinched at my approach as I kneeled down and placed my hand on his leg. I coated it in Hellfire, making him gasp in surprise, but he soon relaxed as he felt his leg being repaired.

“To kill the Sin of Lust,” I proclaimed as I pulled my hood back over my head and left the room after healing him.

I lost count how many times I had delayed myself when more of those persistent guards tried to get in my way and slow me down. I had my spear in one hand and a smoking pistol in the other as I trudged through the hall leading to the throne room. Bodies of Caribou and traitor stallions littered the floor and blood was splattered across the walls. The last line of defence proved to be more taxing than anticipated. I was met with a small battalion of at least 30-50 of them standing in my way, along with a few War Beasts they managed to bring inside to join them. I glanced over to my right to see the body of a War Beast I sliced in half with its eyes rolled back into its head and its tongue hanging out. Beside it was the other War Beasts I that I shot each of their eyes out and the charred them to a crisp with my flames. I returned my sights to the large double doors in front of me as I holstered my gun but kept a firm grip on my spear. More bodies passed my peripheral vision, bodies that I carved to pieces, burnt to a crisp, froze and smashed with my ice, and riddled with bullets and feather blades. I had used the last of my ammunition for my pistols to deal with this lot, but that didn’t really matter to me. Nothing was going to stand in my way of what I came here to do, not them, not anything. As I passed by a window that showed the outside, I saw that Draco and the rebel army had breached the front gates and were rampaging through the streets.

“Wait for me, my friends,” I said as I saw my reflection on the crystal wall. My eyes were glowing a bright amber under the shadow on my hood as blood and gore dripped off my body and spear. “Just you wall wait…”

I stood in front of the doors and gripped my spear. I snarled as I rose my boot, engulfing it in flames, and kicked them down with as much force as I could muster.

CRASH!!

The doors forced themselves open and one tore off the hinges and fell to the ground. I slowly stepped inside and took in my surroundings. Much like the rest of the castle, the throne room was no exception of being a shadow of its former self. The whole room reeked of sick desire as I looked around and saw how the pillars were decorated with perverted banners and decorations. My vision soon set upon the throne, making me glare at it, more specifically what was sitting right on top of the throne itself. What was once the symbol of the Crystal Empire, a relic of love and affection, a piece of history that everyone smiled upon, The Crystal Heart, now morphed into the grotesque and unsightly form that was the Crystal Cock.

“Quite beautiful, is it not?”

A voice called out from behind one of the curtains next to the throne. Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the room and soon a figure came out from behind it. A Caribou stag, with dark brown fur and large pointed antlers came walking out to greet me. He wore dark red armor that covered his torso, legs and arms and had spikes pointing out from the shoulders. Attached to both sides of his waste were what looked like two whips that had blades along the wire and on the ends. His eyes were blood red as he smirked sickeningly at me and stood just beside the throne.

“Lust…”

“Greetings, attack dog of the Devil,” Lust mocked with a curt nod. “I must commend you, Hand, you had me nearly fooled that was you down there who was going on a rampage and slaughtering my forces.”

“You and the other Sins should’ve stayed in Hell where you belong,” I snarled, pointing my spear at the Overlord. “You had no right to come here and dictate all who didn’t deserve it.”

“Us? Dictate?” Lust asked in a fake shocked tone. “I believe Dainn informed us that these lands were already led by a few dictator whores.”

“Diann’s a fucking loud mouthed tyrant whose delusions of male superiority corrupted this once peaceful world,” I spat. “That…thing on the throne is supposed to be a symbol of happiness and prosperity.”

“But it is, don’t you see? The Crystal Cock is of my own design, which is why I shaped it so. To show the world’s male population that they are free to do as their dark desires tell them to anything they wish,” Lust said with a grin.

“Ponies…are not…objects!” I barked, making flames flicker off my body. “They’re living beings who don’t need manipulative scumbags like you and Dainn telling them what to do and how to live! And don’t you dare call that relic that deplorable name! It’s the Crystal Heart! It always will be!”

“Hmm, it seems you have misunderstood me,” Lust sighed as he snapped his fingers. Two nude crystal mares crawled out from behind the throne and in front of Lust. They leaned down and raised their flanks in the air toward him, making me glare at the stag as the flames flickered more violently off my body. “Hand, do you know what the true meaning of Lust is?”

“Why should I care?” I spat.

“It’s not solely the feeling you get from physical contact. Sex, rape, torture, it’s all the same with these Caribou, despite the fact that I am possessing the body of one. You see, true lust does not come from what you feel physically, it is how you see others view you.”

“What are you on about?” I asked.

“Observe,” Lust smiled wickedly as she glared down at the mares, making them shiver in fear. “Lick my hooves, or I will skin you alive and use your fur as clothing.”

The mares both whimpered and nodded as they immediately turned around and began licking his hooves right in front of me. My whole body trembled in rage as my eyes burned at the scum making these poor mares do such a thing for him.

“You see, Hand? This is the true feeling of lust, the feeling of being feared,” Lust huffed as if he was getting off from this. “The feeling of being feared is quite possibly the most pleasurable experience one could ever dream of experiencing. These mares, who grovel at my hooves, do whatever I demand of them just so they can live longer. The look in their eye when I tell them I could end their lives whenever I desire, it’s just so…intoxicating.”

“You fucking sadistic bastard!” I snarled with enough venom to poison the very air. “How could you possibly get off from being feared?! That’s not lustful thinking! That’s just a sick and demented mindset!”

“Oh come now, Hand,” Lust rolled his eyes. “Are you telling me that you have not sought out for these Caribou and pony stallions, who turned against their own, to fear you?”

“That’s different!” I shot back. “They fear me because I am their reckoning! They dared to taint these lands with their deluded ideals and sinful totalitarianism without any second thought! As for the traitors, they sealed their fate the minute they decided to turn their backs on their countrymen!”

“So naïve…” Lust sighed. “You believe it is just your enemies who fear you. When you have more than likely instilled fear within the hearts of your comrades and you don’t even realize it.”

“I would never harm my friends and comrades-in-arms!”

“You are the Hand of the Devil himself,” Lust argued, pointing at me. “You represent the very incarnate of evil and the damned. You think yourself a hero? A valued benefactor of peace? An agent of vengeance? Bah! No, in the end you are nothing but a foolish boy, playing with little embers and has yet to comprehend the situation before him. Not only that, with every life you take, you will fall deeper and deeper in the hole you continue to dig yourself in. And soon, you will be seen as nothing…but a monster.”

I was silent for a moment as the embers dwindled along my body. I shook my head, trying to push his words out, but something was preventing me from doing so. It was like something was corrupting my thoughts and it made my head spin.

“That’s…that’s not true!”

“Isn’t it? I am honestly wondering why you do not take my words to heart. Why squander your power over a meaningless war like the one you are trying to wage when you could be using it to feel what I and the rest of my forces feel? Think about it, Hand, to be able to spread your own kind of fear and force anyone and anything to do your bidding. You could even label yourself as a god among these peons, just as I and my fellow Sins have.”

I shook my head again and tried looking around the room. Before I knew it, I saw more mares, equestrian and crystal, crawling out from different hiding places in the throne room. Each of them were looking at me with lidded eyes and some even giggled at me as my arm holding my spear up began to grow heavy. As I lowered my arm, the mares started to coil around me and rub against me as I just stood there. One mare turned around and pressed her flank on my crotch as another pressed her bare breasts against my arm and pulled my hood aside to whisper in my ear.

“You can do anything your heart wishes to us, master~,” she cooed before giving my cheek a small lick.

“You see? All these loyal slaves worship you,” Lust pointed out. “Not because of the treatment I have given them, but because they too know what it is you, we, are capable of. You would be able to burn them all to cinders or tear them limb from limb. To avoid that, here they all are presenting themselves to you. That, dear Hand, is the true meaning of lust.”

My vision grew hazy and my breathing was growing more heavy with each passing moment. Something was wrong, I shouldn’t feel this fatigued even after fighting my way up to the throne room. Before any of these mares got too frisky with me, my eyes caught the sight of the Crystal Cock. It was glowing a bit more than usual and it’s as if the glow was making me think things I’d never imagine. Then it hit me, this bastard was trying to brainwash me! And he thought I’d be an easy target since I was in close proximity with the damn thing. I had to do something before it was too late. Without hesitating, I fanned open my wings, causing the mares to yelp as they fell backwards, and raised my hand at the obscene object. I then engulfed my hand in fire and shot a blast of flames at the grotesque object, knocking it off the throne, and making it go flying and hitting the wall it flew at. There was a loud clang and the relic, surprisingly, didn’t shatter on impact but it lost its glow. I immediately felt more clear headed and I looked around to see that all the mares were rubbing their heads and looking confused. Seems like me disturbing the Crystal Cock disrupted Lust’s manipulation tactic, which, by the looks of it, he did not appreciate me finding out his little ruse.

“You almost had me there,” I smirked under my hood. “But I wanna make one thing clear. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever make me betray what I believe in. Yes, you’re right in a way, I am somewhat like a demon straight out of Hell. I kill, I destroy, and I burn all who come against me. But that doesn’t mean I’m heartless, because unlike you and the rest of your fellow Sins, I steel have a heart. So long as it’s still beating, I’ll always stay true to myself and what I stand for.” I twirled my spear in my hand and took a frontal stance. “And by the way, I’m no hero. I’m just the messenger.”

Lust glared at me as the mares all took the opportunity to quickly evacuate out of the throne room while he wasn’t paying attention to them. Suddenly, he grabbed one of the whips attached to his hip and swung it around and straight at me. I raised my spear to try and block it but it ended up wrapping around my spear and he pulled me forward. Lust then shot his other arm out and grabbed my head and slammed me into the ground, making me grunt on impact.

“If you will not instill fear, then I will just make you experience it!”

His hand on my face glowed a dark red aura and I managed to raise my boot and kick his chest, forcing him off me. I quickly got to my feet and got into position again to fight my demonic foe.

“Well look at the little piss ant.”

My body froze at the all too familiar voice that I had intended to keep buried and forgotten that spoke behind me. I slowly looked over my shoulder to see a sloppily dressed man with dark brown hair and a scruffy beard on his face. He looked at me with such disdain and I felt like I was 6 years old all over again.

“You really look like shit, you know that?” The man chortled.

“No…” I shook my head. “You can’t be here, you’re rotting in a cell where you belong!”

“Oh shut your fucking mouth!” The man barked as he marched up to me. “You’re so fucking pathetic.”

“Stay away from me!” I yelled as I slashed at him with my spear, only for it to faze right through him.

“Oh? Are you being a little bitch again right now? Just like your stupid slut of a mother?” He mocked as he approached me.

“You made her grovel to you!” I said, trying to back away.

“You’re such a little whiny bitch!” He spat, getting up in my face. “You can’t even look your old man in the eye. All you have to show for it is that fake family you cozied up to when I was hauled away and you managed to end up just like me!”

“I’M NOTHING LIKE YOU, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!” I roared as I swung at him again with my spear but to no avail. “YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A DISHONORABLE SON OF A BITCH!”

“And you…are a little piss ant, cowering in the corner. The only real son of a bitch around here is you.”

I shook my head as my biological father laughed at me and I could hear Lust laughing as well. Of all the scumbags to pop into my head, why did it have to be him? I thought I was free of him, that I didn’t have to be afraid anymore. Just what was I trying to prove after all I had done?

“There it is,” Lust said with a sadistic grin. “The look of fear that makes me so excited with pleasurable thoughts. It is as I said, you’re nothing but a foolish boy, still obviously clinging to the past. And now, I shall put you out of your misery.”

I was so discombobulated at what was happening, but after looking at the apparition that was my biological father before me, I realized that this was another ploy to throw me off. Seeing this man again after all these years almost made me revert back to what I once was. A frightened little kid who didn’t know how to fully comprehend the world around him, all because of the life he was born into. Images of my friends, my comrades, even my adoptive family and the love of my life flashed in my mind as my resolve soon returned to me.

“Fuck you…” I muttered as I stood firm. I raised my fist and slammed it into my forehead. I staggered backwards from the impact but that managed to break whatever hallucination trick Lust cast on me. The apparition of my father faded away, him still having that sick grin in the end. “I’ll never be like you.” I turned to Lust and glared daggers at him as he looked caught off guard. “You crossed a line, Lust, now you’re gonna suffer even more for what you’ve done.”

“Grr, spare me the bravado!” Lust snapped as he swung his whip around again. Only this time I was ready as I twirled my spear and swung it diagonally and blocked the incoming weapon.

“I told you,” I growled as I raised my spear up to my mouth and clenched my teeth on the handle. I reached into my pocket and put my earbuds in and scrolled through my smartphone’s playlist for a song. As the song began to play, I drew both Surtr and Ymir and got into position. “You’ll never break me.”

We both circled each other in the room as Lust pulled out his other whip. The two of us stared each other down and we both didn’t dare to take our eyes off each other. My hands gripped my swords tight as embers danced along Surtr’s blade. The right half of my body flickered with flames and my left side had ice patches on my left arm and leg. Small ice shards formed along Ymir and my left hand was coated in a sheet of ice. I clenched my jaw on the handle of my spear as Lust started to twirl one of his whips around. He had this look like he wanted to make me scream in pain for his sick pleasure. I glanced out a window to see the fleet in the sky and they had begun firing their cannons towards the city. I watched as the shells neared their targets and they looked like falling stars of death.

KA-BOOM!!

As soon as the shells made impact and exploded across the city, Lust and I lunged at each other with both our weapons raised. Lust swung both whips at me as I raised my swords in front of me and slashed them in opposite directions. I deflected the whips and Lust flicked his left arm to make the whip come back around and try to make a hit on me again. I stomped my boot to the ground and jumped to the side to narrowly dodge the weapon as it struck the crystal floor. The blades on the weapon made the floor crack as small pieces of crystal went flying. Lust then swung both his whips around and began cracking them in my direction. I blocked, dodged, and jumped out of the whips way and flapped my wings to take to the air. I ran along the walls as Lust cracked his whips at me as I tried to search for an opening. I jumped off the wall and flicked my wing to fire a few feather blades at Lust. He deflected the feathers by swinging his whip and swatted them to the side. I took the opportunity to jump off the other side of the wall and straight at Lust as I clenched my jaw tight around my spear. I managed to evade his whip he tried to crack at me and I flew right by him as the blade of my spear slashed his chest armor. He grunted in pain and I spun my body around to deliver a fierce roundhouse kick to his side and drove him backwards. I refused to let up on my assault and held Surtr in front of me and Ymir behind me.

“Three-Sword Style: Fox Hunt!”

I charged at Lust and spun around him while flipping and slashing at my opponent with my baldes looking like a blur. Lust did his best to parry or block my attacks as I managed to cut him many times in my onslaught. Lust roared in anger as he swung his elbow to the side, catching me off a little as he nailed me right in the side. I staggered a bit as Lust swung his whip and it wrapped around my arm and the blades along the whip dug into my flesh. I grit my teeth on my handle of my spear before Lust pulled me forward and slammed me into the wall. The whip wrapped around my right arm tightened more and I yelled in pain as Lust pulled me forward again towards him. He raised his fist and slammed it into my chest, causing me to cough out blood and the wind got knocked out of me. I turned my head to glare at Lust and spun my sword around to stab his hoof. Lust yelled at me and I managed to unravel the whip on my arm and jumped away. I felt my whole arm was wet and looked to see it drenched in blood but I kept my grip on my sword. Ignoring the pain, I raised Surtr and Ymir in front of me and took a deep breath.

“Three-Sword Style: Burning Ogre Cutter!”

Surtr’s blade was engulfed in flames as Ymir’s blade covered itself in a sheet of freezing ice, the same the same thing happened on the two blades on the ends of my spear. I lunged at Lust as I crossed my arms and flapped my wings to pick up speed. I slashed my swords and spear at my opponent, causing a loud clang to echo throughout the room and I landed on the other side behind Lust. Lust cried out in agony as a slash would appear on his chest armor as it was covered in both ice and fire.

“ARGH! YOU LITTLE WRETCH!” Lust bellowed as he tore off his armor and I could see my handiwork on his chest, a large X-shaped wound.

“That all you got?” I mocked.

“DON’T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE ME! I AM THE SIN OF LUST!”

Lust then began spinning his whips around and didn’t stop spinning until they were both a spinning blur. I was about to put up my defense when I felt something cut me on my leg, making me grunt out loud and look down. My leg had a slash wound and blood seeped out as another would cut me on my left arm.

“WHIP WING BARRAGE!!”

A flurry of cracks from his whips berated me as I raised my swords and tried to deflect them all. The momentum of his spinning made the whips almost too fast to read and I received many cuts all over my body. Some of the marks made deep cuts and forced me to take steps back. Lust’s attacks were relentless and nearly backed me into the wall until the attacks stopped. I breathed heavily as nearly my whole body stinged and ached from the many cuts he inflicted. Lust smirked as he readied himself for another barrage but I was gonna be damned if I would fall victim like that again. Gripping my swords again, I held Surtr in front of me and Ymir behind me and spun my body around like a top.

“THREE SWORD STYLE: DRAGON TORNADO!!”

“WHIP WING BARRAGE!!”

A twister I kicked up from my spinning blades and Lust’s high speed whips met head on and a series of metal clashing against each other rang throughout the area. Both of us roared at each other as we tried to push each other back, each side receiving more cuts along our bodies until we eventually blew each other back from a small shockwave. I slammed in the wall behind me as Lust tumbled across the ground and the whole room was littered with slash marks and destroyed chunks of crystal, along with a few splatters of our blood. The song playing in my earbuds seemed to have ended as my breathing became heavy and blood leaked out of my mouth and dripped on the floor along with my wounds. Lust picked himself up, also breathing heavily and spat a wad of blood and glared daggers at me.

“You annoying little fly,” Lust hissed. “You just don’t seem to know when to quit.”

“Not my style,” I huffed, staggering a little.

“You have put up a descent battle, Hand, almost as decent as your predecessor who foiled our plans back in the human world.”

“My predecessor?” I repeated. “You mean the one who stopped you from instigating the World Wars any further?”

“Indeed, an insufferable little shit, he was. If only we had more time, we could have fulfilled our greatest achievement.”

“Achievement my ass!” I barked. “You were trying to destroy everything and make the humans continue to kill each other!”

“Do you think we stopped pursuing that goal?” Lust said, making me pause. “We know that there is a relic in this world that leads back to the human world. Once we attain it, and as soon as Dainn finds what he searches this world for, we will continue to spread our influence as we did all those years ago! There shall be a new World War! A war between Eques and Earth, and it shall be glorious! The only wall that stands in our way is you, I intend to make sure you and that old fool of a Devil you serve do not disrupt our goal!”

“You sick, twisted, demented son of a bitch…” I opened my jaw and let my spear drop of out my mouth and fall to the floor. “So that’s why you came here, that’s why you answered Dainn’s summons. You knew that Satanael wouldn’t let you run wild again like you did before and you knew he’d go find someone to fight for him as his Hand.” I dropped Surtr on the ground, followed by Ymir as I stood up straight. “You Sins figured that since this world was filled with magic and other possible building blocks to strengthen your chances, you allied yourselves with the Caribou so you would have an army of your own and lead them to try and start another war when the time came.” I raised my right hand in the air as flames began to swirl above me. “I thought you were all just scumbag tyrants, but now I see you lot are more than that: you’re all bat shit crazy, and I don’t doubt that Dainn is any exception.” The flames above me formed a ball of fire that kept growing more and more, making the room more hot with each passing moment. “I now have a new purpose while in this world, it’s not only to send you and the others back to Hell, it’s to keep you away from my old home and from your clutches again!” The ball of flames grew to the point where it was the size of a huge boulder, its heat radiated throughout the room.

“What are you doing?!” Lust demanded.

“Fulfilling my obligations, I’m gonna burn you to a crisp!”

Lust glared at me as he raised his arms and a dark aura surrounded him as he tried to put up some kind of dark shield to protect him. I reeled my arm back and threw it forward at Lust, making the ball of flames fly towards my opponent.

“GREAT HELLFIRE COMMANDMENT: ENTEI!!!”

KA-BOOM!!!

A massive explosion erupted upon impact and blasted the very roof of the throne room sky high. Fire surged through the air and crystal rubble fell from the sky as the smoke was blown around the area from the outside winds to the now exposed throne room. As the smoke cleared, Lust was on his knees with his dark shield still up but just barely holding on. He breathed heavily as he dropped his shield and I noticed that his body was singed and burnt all around his body.

“You…you crazy fool! You blew the whole roof off!” Lust spat. “How can you have this power?! It’s unlike anything from the previous Hand!”

“When you’re fighting against one of the Seven Sins, you should always at least try to go out with a bang.”

“I’m still not done, you persistent wretch!” Lust hissed as he grabbed his whips again. He used his dark power to coat them in a black aura. “It doesn’t matter how much power you have hidden within you! I REFUSE TO FALL AGAIN TO THE ATTACK DOG OF THE DEVIL!”

“Well then…” I said as I unzipped my torn leather jacket, took off my gun belts, and tossed them aside. I also took off my bloody shirt, exposing my torso, and lowered my body and spread my legs. I placed my left hand on my knee and my right fist on the ground and bent my knees. “It looks like I’ll just have to go ahead and finish this, right now.”

I focused my power and took several deep breaths. I then made my legs act like a pump to circulate my blood flow and speed it up at a rapid pace. My body soon produced steam that billowed off my body as I pumped my legs again, making more steel billow off me. As I stood there, staring at Lust with unwavering determination, my smartphone had begun to play the next song on my playlist, making me smirk inwardly since this was one of my favorites.

“GEAR…2ND!!!”

3rd POV

Both combatants stood before each other as Lock’s body produced a massive amount of steam from his body. The cold winds blew around them as Lock raised his left hand in front of him and turned it to the side while reeling his right fist back.

“From this point on, your attacks won’t reach me,” Lock proclaimed. He soon engulfed both his hands and teeth in flames, giving his appearance a more fierce look.

“Grr, you think a bluff like that would deter me?!” Lust scoffed as he twirled his whips. “I’ll tear you limb from limb!”

Lust swung his dark aura coated whip at Lock and it shot towards him at blinding speed. As it was about to meet its mark, Lock seemingly disappeared and the whip hit the crystal floor, making the crystal floor smash apart into pieces. The evil stag looked around for the Hand until he saw him off to the side in the same position from before.

“Gum Gum Hellfire Jet Pistol!”

Lock thrusted his inflamed fist forward and struck Lust in the chest, making the Sin grunt loudly as he was forced backwards. He gripped his chest and looked down to see a signed first mark and he coughed up a little blood.

“That was for Igneous Rock!”

“How did you-?!” Lust didn’t get a chance to ask as he was struck again but this time across his muzzle. Lock was disappearing and reappearing and landing punches upon Lust and the Sin was helpless and confused as to how he was able to perform such a feat.

“Gum Gum Hellfire Jet Whip!”

Lock then raised his boot and swung his stretched leg and slammed it across Lust’s rib cage. The force of the attack made Lust go flying and crash into a fallen crystal debris. He coughed again and felt his ribs cracking and seethed at the human fighter.

“That was for Fancy Pants!”

“YOU INSUFFERABLE MONGREL!!” Lust shouted in anger. The dark aura enveloping his whips spread up and along his arms. He spun the whips once more and began cracking them in every direction he could.

“SINFUL WHIP STORM!!!”

The area around Lust was a blur of dark aura and whip cracks. His whips struck everything in their path and created a maelstrom of deadly attacks. Lock, however, was using his newfound speed and endurance to dodge each of the whip cracks that flung his way. Lust roared and kept his attack going, not caring that his body ached all over from the wounds he received. Lock soon had enough of dodging and went back on the offensive. Searching for an opening, he flicked his wing and shot feather blades. The increase in strength affected the rate of fire of the feathers as they pierced right through Lust’s arm and leg, causing Lust to lose his momentum. Lock reacted by reeling back both his fists and appeared right in front of Lust, and swung his fists forward at top speeds.

“Gum Gum Hellfire Bazooka!”

Both fists collide with Lust’s stomach, ceasing the Sin’s sporadic attack, and sending him flying towards a wall and crashing into it. Lust was forced to drop his whips and fell to his knees, wheezing and coughing up blood as he looked up at the still steaming human.

“That was for every poor sod who’s suffered because of you and the rest of you fucking Sins!”

“Gah! How?!” Lust wheezed. “This cannot be possible! You should not have this much power!”

“That sounds like someone on the brink of losing,” Lock said with a straight face.

“NO!” The wounded Overlord slammed his fist on the ground and rose to his hooves. “I REJECT THIS! I WILL NOT FALL!” Lust’s dark aura flared as he then charged at Lock with unbridled rage.

“I WILL RIP THE FLESH OF YOUR BONES!! I WILL KILL ALL YOU HOLD DEAR AND DRENCH THE LANDS IN THEIR BLOOD!!”

“Not before I beat you to a bloody fucking pulp…” Lock growled and spread his legs. He reared his fists back and took a deep breath.

“Gum Gum…!!”

All at once, Lust suddenly felt multiple inflamed fists colliding with him, forcing him to stop and start to be pushed back. Lock sped up his high speed attack until his arms looked like a blur as he unleashed a barrage of punches.

“JET HELLFIRE GATLING!!!”

The attack ravaged Lust as Lock refused to relent and only strived to increase the speed of his volley of punches. Lust screamed in agony and kept being pelted by fire coated fists and pushed more and more backwards. Lust was eventually pushed against the crystal wall but Lock still did not relent and kept on punching away at the battered demonic stag.

“AND THIS IS FOR SHINING ARMOR!!!”

With one last hard punch, Lock managed to break through the wall and Lust went flying through along with it. The Sin was still screaming as his bloody and broken body fell to the ground. Lock stood there, breathing heavily and blood dripping from his wounds, as the steam from his body subsided and the flames on his hands and feet extinguished themselves. As the song that played in his earbuds came to an end, Lock straightened himself out and clutched his more wounded arm and walked over to the edge where Lust fell. He saw through the howling winds of snow that Lust impacted the ground and made a small crater but wasn’t moving.

Unfurling his wings, Lock jumped off the edge of the roof and glided down to the ground. It was a shaky descent since his wounds were still fresh but he managed to touch down with ease. He slowly walked over to the crater where Lust lay and came to its edge to see the fallen Sin. Lust’s body was in the process of disintegrating into dust as he glanced up at Lock with hateful eyes.

“You defeated me…” Lust croaked. “I hate losing, but there are worse ways to lose than at the hands of a man like you.” Lock said nothing as he gazed at the fading Sin. “I admire how cold and focused your eyes are. I look forward…to the day when those eyes will be wide with agony.” Lust’s body soon was only his head as he grinned and closed his eyes. “It’s coming…it’s coming…”

The Sin faded away until there was nothing but a pile of ash and dust. From the ash a strange small white orb with a wispy tail hovered over the ashes. Lock stepped towards a large chunk of crystal debris and sat down on it while still holding on to his bleeding arm. Lock then fished in his back pocket and pulled out a small box that he had kept with him for some time. It was a box of cigarettes he had only opened a few times before since purchasing them back on earth. He flipped the box open and pulled out a cigarette with his lips. He snapped his fingers and a small ember lit on the tip of his thumb and inhaled the burning tobacco. He exhaled as he looked up at the clouds and saw the sun piercing through a little as he slowly smoked the cigarette. Unbeknownst to him, a mark on the back of his right shoulder appeared as soon as Lust faded away into dust. A symbol of proof of his defeat against the Sin. He had done it, he won, the Devil’s Hand had defeated the Sin of Lust.

“One down…six to go,” Lock said.

Author's Note

The Sin of Lust, slain.

Side Note: My GOODNESS this took longer to cook up than expected! Hope it was worth the wait and I hope you all enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Devil’s Aftermath

Chapter 34

The winter winds were blowing through the cold air as the fleet hovered in the clouds, high in the sky. Draco and the rest of the army had managed to evacuate all the crystal ponies in the city before the fight between Dimitri and Lust got too out of hand. Draco, Lock’s apprentices, Alpha Squad, and the Wonderbolts were all staring at the city in anticipation. Their eyes never left the flaming tower and could only imagine what was happening up there.

“Sir?”

Draco looked over to one of the crew members as he saluted him.

“I’m here to report our losses. About 120 of our forces were cut down during the fighting and over 500 were wounded and are in the medical bay,” the stallion reported.

Draco tapped on his arms as they were folded across his chest. He glanced at the pillar of fire to assess the situation before giving his next order. “Have those who are able and willing to help bring in the injured to the medics. Once they are all accounted for, send them to collect our fallen so we may give them a proper burial.”

The stallion nodded and went to relay his report. Shadow cuddled on Draco’s arm and frowned. “So many dead…” she muttered. “They didn’t deserve to die, not like this.”

Draco moved his arm around her shoulder and tried to comfort her. “I know, none of this should have happened in the first place.” He leaned down to kiss her head and try and calm her down. “But their sacrifice was not in vain, they can rest knowing they are aiding in retaking the Crystal Empire.”

Shadow smiled sadly as Flash, Zephyr, and Maud continued to stare at the inflamed tower and Flash could not stand to watch any longer.

“He’s been up there too long, I’m going up there to help him. Flash, Maud, let’s go.” The apprentices were about to fly off the deck, as Zephyr carried Maud, but Draco raised his arm in front of them.

“Don’t bother, the fight is as good as ours. Just give him time to sort him out. This is but one of seven battles to be won.”

“But Draco, you saw what that crazy stag looked like through the spyglass, didn’t you?” Zephyr protested. “He looked like he could tear anypony up without a care in the world.”

“I agree, and I still owe that bastard for my father,” Maud added.

“First, you guys froze like deers in headlights just looking at him,” He said while glancing at Zephyr and Flash, before turning his attention to Maud Pie. “And if you keep using that excuse I’m gonna let you go, but don’t come crying to us if you get yourself or somepony else killed.” Before they could protest any further, the radio flipped on in Draco’s ear.

“Oi, Draco, ya there mate? It’s Phill.”

Draco moved his hand to cup his ear as he listened in. “Hey Phill, you just missed all the fun.”

“Missed it? Jaysus lad, I could feel all the craziness from here! Where’s Lock, the mad bastard, he still butting heads with that Lust bloke?”

Draco looked back to the pillar before shaking his head. “Nah I think it’s as good as over, he’s just sorting things out with himself.”

“Well shite, guess we better head over there and-”

“Dimitri to The Prometheus, over,” Lock’s voice cut in, startling Phill.

“Lock?! You’re alive!”

“So I take it the deed is done?” Draco asked, sounding less than surprised.

“It was tough, tougher than anticipated, but I did what I said I would and beat him to a bloody pulp. I’m staring at his soul right now, strange as it sounds. Draco, can you radio one of the other ships to go back to Ponyville to pick up the Princesses and the other mares? I want them to be here when we restore the Heart.”

Nodded his head Draco prepared to do as he was asked. “Sure thing Lock, I’ll get right on that.”

“And Draco…thanks.”

“For what?” He asked, a bit confused.

“For being right, get here soon. Discord is waiting,” was all he said before hanging up.

“…son of a bitch.” Without wasting time Draco took off to find Lock.

The ponies called out for Draco to come back but he didn’t bother looking back after he instructed the others to follow Lock’s directions. He flew through the cold winds towards the city and didn’t stop after hearing Discord’s name. He knew this moment would come, he had been waiting for it for months and it was finally here.

“Oi, lad!”

Draco glanced to his right to see Phill fly up alongside him. “Ya hung up outta nowhere lad, what’s on your mind?”

“They found Discord, I’m hoping he’s still alive. How the heck did you get here so damn fast?”

“Me ship is also flying around nearby, I got a whole bunch of former traitors on board, plus a few caribou. I couldn’t stay away since I wanted to see how you’d do. Speaking of which, did ya have to put on such a brutal display with that War Chief character?” Phill questioned.

Draco didn’t bother hiding his smirk as he flapped his webbed pterodactyl wings. “Honestly, I thought I could have gotten some more fun out of it. Hell, I’m wondering if I can get a recording of it. Gonna mount his head over a fireplace when we get back.”

“Bruh, just how are ya gonna explain that to his aunt?” Phill asked, making Draco look to him curiously how he knew. “I asked around back in Sanctuary, some of them ponies were nobles back in Canterlot.”

“Oh like this.” Draco cleared his throat before speaking. “Hey there princesses, I killed your douchebag of a nephew. I’m gonna mount his head over my fireplace and sip tea while I stare at his face. Maybe I’ll make him into one of those singing busts.”

“Dude, you got issues, I swear,” Phill sighed.

“I do, I’m not sure what song I want it to sing.” He chuckled as he flew. “Think I can get a whole soundtrack?”

Phill rolled his eyes as they neared the city and landed on the outskirts. They looked around at the ruble around them as they walked and Phill frowned at the once beautiful city.

“Bloody hell, this place is a mess, I’m surprised it’s still standing after all that destruction.”

Draco looked to the fallen ponies and bowed his head while offering a silent prayer. “I may not be a seasoned veteran like Lock, but even I know this is the ugly side of war.”

“Ya did all ya could, mate,” Phill said, placing a hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Ya can’t save them all, not even during war.”

Draco patted the Phill’s hand and nodded. “I know, and a part of me wishes that I could have saved more. Seeing as I was the one who led them.”

The two smiled sadly at each other and soon saw someone sitting on some rubble with his back turned. They approached the stranger and saw it was Lock as he was cleaning his swords and spear. The first thing they noticed was the many slash wounds all over his body, most noticeably his arm since it looked more cut up than his body. Lock paused his cleaning and looked over his shoulder to see his friends and they saw a cigarette in his mouth.

“Hey,” he said as he took a puff and went back to cleaning.

“Seems like you had a fun time." Draco joked as he found a seat on another pile of rubble.

“Fun…” Lock winced as his arm throbbed a little. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“Ya look like hammered shite,” Phill said as he took his own seat.

“You should see the other guy,” Lock said, nodding his head to the crater. Draco and Phill looked to see the lone white orb with a thin wispy tail. “That’s Lust’s soul. I was about to send it off to Hell.”

Draco nodded his head as he glanced at the ominous orb. “One down six more to go.”

“That’s what I said,” Lock chuckled as he took another puff from his cigarette.

“Oi, I thought ya quit smoking?” Phill inquired.

“Eh, I never said that, just sometimes.”

“Got another?”

Lock nodded and pulled out his pack and handed one to Phill and lit it for him with his thumb, allowing Phill to take a puff as Draco just stared at them.

“Pfft, I will never understand people and smoking.”

A small pillar of flames appeared out of nowhere to reveal Satanael himself as he slowly clapped to Dimitri.

“Bravo, my Hand, bravo indeed. I expected nothing less from my agent of darkness.”

“I aim to impress,” Lock shrugged.

“And my compliments to you as well, young Draco, your brutality is most admired.”

“Yeah wasn’t trying to impress you,” Draco said in a less than pleased tone as he stared at the devil.

Satanael chuckled as his eyes fell on Phill.

“That meddlesome fool Michael really doesn’t know how to stay out of one’s business, does he?”

“Say what ya want, fiend, I’m here for me friend and the poor sods mixed up in this mess,” Phill sneered as he pointed his cigarette at the devil.

“So you say, a wasted effort if you ask me.” Satanael then walked towards the orb and glared at the soul. “I warned you, my foolish servant. You seem to have forgotten what that young maiden said long ago to her fellow humans: Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us, but we can't strike them all by ourselves. Not once did you disobey me, but twice? It would appear you are in need of a more proper punishment.” He reached down and grabbed the soul and set it aflame. “For your crime, you shall be smothered in fire and brimstone for the rest of your miserable existence. Not kisses.” The soul burned away in his hand and he looked to the three warriors. “Heed this warning, Lust’s defeat is a trigger. The other Sins will not ignore that one of their own has been smited. Never let your guards down from this point onward.” With that, he disappeared in a puff of flames.

“Finally, I was getting tired of looking after that damn soul,” Lock said as he stood up, only to stumble a little and Phill caught him.

“Ya should take it easy, bro, your wounds are still a tad fresh,” Phill said.

“I’m fine, I just need a minute to recharge and I’ll be able to heal myself,” Lock protested as he grunted in pain. “We need to get to the gardens, he’s waiting for us.”

“Before that.” Draco slipped his hand into his pocket before, pulling it out and tossing part of a metal chain onto the ground. “This is gonna cause you and the others some problems.”

“What’s that?” Phil wondered.

“I’m getting some bad vibes, whatever that is,” Lock narrowed his eyes at the chain.

“That there is a chain made from a material that, according to Blue Balls, is said to weaken those who use devil fruit powers.”

“You serious?” Lock said as he reached down to grab it.

“Wait, don’t-!”

As soon as he grabbed the chain, Lock fell to his knees as he felt like something was sapping all his strength away. The wounds on his body began to bleed again as he grunted loudly in agony from the chain.

“Bloody hell! Get it away from him!” Phill yelped as he tried to stop his wounds from bleeding anymore.

Draco was already one step ahead of Phill, as he snatched the piece of metal away. “Next time, listen.”

“Gah! What the fuck!” Lock gasped as Phill used his Light to stop the bleeding. “It felt like my body was getting dried up! The fuck even is that thing made of?!”

Draco slipped the metal away in his pocket to make sure nothing happened. “It’s a material that Blue Balls had. He was planning on using this on you, and he had enough to make chains to bind my body. I get the feeling the other Sins have more of this stuff.”

“Fuck…” Lock growled as he straightened himself up. He walked over to a wall and smashed his fist against it, making it crumble to the ground. “They were ready for me, how could I not have seen it?”

“Bro, calm down, ya won the battle.”

“THE FUCK DOES THAT MATTER?!” Lock snarled as he stomped on his cigarette. “They were ready for me before I even got here. If Draco wasn’t here, I would’ve been the one bound by those chains. I would’ve been helpless, and that shit stain Blueblood would’ve gotten the drop on me!”

Draco let out a sigh and moved over to place a hand on Lock’s shoulder. “That’s why we need to be careful moving forward in this war. You’ve made yourself known, so expect for them to take you more seriously now.”

Lock didn’t respond as he leaned on the crumbled wall and tried to collect himself. He felt his power was recharged enough to heal his injuries as small embers flickered off his body. As he slowly healed, Phill noticed a strange symbol on the back of his right shoulder. It looked like a ram with long curved horns and had the same sinister appearance as the brands covering his arms.

“Oi, Lock, what’s that on your shoulder?”

Lock and Draco looked to Phill then to the back of his shoulder and gazed at the mark.

“The hell? When did this get there?” Lock wondered.

“Ram’s Sin of Lust,” Draco added as he examined the new marking.

“The what?” Both Lock and Phill asked.

“There’re legends about each of the seven sins of man, and how they can be represented by certain animals.” He stepped back to think to himself. “Like a lion, the king of beasts and leader of their own, could represent pride.”

“Interesting, I recall me pap mentioning something like that when I was a lad,” Phill said, stroking his beard. “I think it went something like a boar is the sin of gluttony, a bear is the sin of sloth, a fox is the sin of greed, a snake is the sin of envy, a lion is the sin of pride, and a dragon is the sin of wrath. Have I got it?”

“More or less, the legend can be different depending on where and who you’re asking. But that seems like the best one so far.”

“Great, so I’m gonna get a mark of a beast on my back for every Sin I beat? I’m not even a fan of tattoos, the freaking brands on my arms were enough as it is,” Lock grumbled.

“At least they look badass,” Phill chuckled.

“Irrelevant.”

“Well now that we have gotten all that settled, let’s go see about freeing Discord.”

The men nodded and were about to set off to the gardens. Lock grabbed his weapons and strapped them on his belt and back and slung his tattered leather jacket over his shoulder. As soon as they were about to go to the gardens, a shadow loomed over them as they looked up to see The Prometheus and the fleet hovering over the city. One of the smaller ships descended to the ground and landed in an open area as the gangplank was lowered. From the ship, Alpha Squad, the apprentices, and finally the Princesses and most of the main six walked down to the ground. As soon as the group saw Lock, they all were shocked to see him and his injuries. None of them really expected to see their human friend to be so badly wounded, Draco especially since he had bandage wrappings tied around his arm and a few bruises on his face.

“Oh damn, are you okay Captain?” Flash asked.

“Been worse,” Lock chuckled.

“You’re littered with cuts and injuries,” Celestia stated.

“I’ll live.”

Cadence stepped forward with a sleeping Flurry wrapped in blankets and looked around to her once beautiful empire. She and the other princesses took notice of the still dead bodies still littering the area and frowned at the state it was in.

“So much…destruction,” Cadence frowned. “If only Shiny was here…”

“I’m sure he would have fought valiantly to help reclaim the kingdom,” Draco added. “He can rest a bit easier knowing his home is under the ponies control once more.”

From the group, Twilight and Nightmare Moon set their eyes on Dimitri. Twilight covered her mouth as tears spilled from her eyes almost immediately as Nightmare Moon tried to hold back her own tears. Twilight reached out for Lock as he responded by taking her hand as the small embers continued to slowly heal him.

“You’re hurt…” Twilight whimpered.

“Not too bad,” Lock smiled comfortingly.

“Your arm is all bloody.”

“It’ll heal, given time.”

“I was…so worried about you,” Twilight sniffled as her body trembled.

“I know, I’m still here though.”

Twilight took another step forward and leaned into Lock's chest. She whimpered and cried as she held her lover as Lock draped one of his wings around to comfort her. Nightmare Moon also decided to speak as she stepped closer to Dimitri.

“I have witnessed much conflict, but this is something even I was not prepared for,” Nightmare frowned as she reached for his other hand and grasped it. “You still standing here sets my mind at ease. I too…was worried about your well-being.”

“I appreciate your concern, Moon, truly I do.”

The rest of the main six, excluding Pinkie Pie, went to check on Draco.

“How’re ya doing partner?” Applejack wondered.

“I saw what that bastard did, he was a spineless coward in the end,” Rainbow spat.

“I always knew that brute was no good,” Rarity said bitterly. “When Rainbow Dash told us about Blueblood, we could hardly believe it.”

Draco’s cheeks flushed a bit as he tried to keep himself composed. “I-I’m okay, I may have gotten a bit punch drunk, but nothing I wasn’t prepared for, you know?”

“Draco,” Celestia spoke up with a serious look. “I was told about your…brutal method to kill my nephew. But I was also told of all he had done before and during this war. I wished, from the bottom of my heart, that there was still some good in him. What a fool I was to believe in such delusions. It was my fault he ended up as the stallion he came to be, and perhaps he did deserve his fate. I only hope that you can forgive me for being the cause of your brief torment by my late nephew’s hands.” She bowed her head a little with remorse.

“Hmmm,” Draco hummed as he considered the idea. “I’ll accept your apology under two conditions, ones that will test your resolve and your ability to be a ruler fit to serve Equestria in these harsh times.”

“Name them, please,” Celestia said as Luna stepped up beside her.

Draco held up one finger. “First, you’re gonna let me keep his head as a prize. Then, once it’s preserved properly, you will show it to the kingdom. You’ve played the role of a nurturing mother so long, that you failed to see the monsters you’ve created amongst your own kind.”

“Y-You want me to present his head?” Celestia asked unnervingly.

“That seems a tad barbaric, Sir Draco,” Luna commented.

“Not to mention, bloody mad,” Phill added.

“But effective,” Draco stated. “You need to show your ponies that no one is allowed to betray Equestria and get away with it. This goes double for members of royalty. You can’t point to danger and rely on Twilight, and her friends, to defeat the enemy for you anymore.”

“We never meant for any of this to happen though,” Luna argued. “They invaded us, we were a peaceful kingdom and wanted to spread friendship.”

“With all due respect, Luna, but Draco’s right," Lock spoke up. “I don’t mean to reopen old wounds, but think about what happened with Mac. Do you really want more ponies like him and your nephew popping up? Who’s to say that if and when this is all over, it won’t happen again? Things need to change, that includes the two of you growing a spine.”

“Dimitri, I believe that’s a tad excessive,” Cadence said.

“Is it, Cadenza?”

“No, it isn’t,” Draco chimed in as he walked up to the princesses. “You two control celestial bodies, yet I’ve yet to see either of you lift a finger in the time I’ve been around. Why is that?”

“We have witnessed and fought for our kingdom plenty of times,” Celestia retorted.

“Indeed, we always made sure to stand and fight when necessary,” Luna agreed.

“If that were true, then how come neither of you picked up a sword and joined us in battle?” Lock challenged, making them go silent.

“You talk high and mighty, but I’m willing to bet my life if Lock decides to get serious, he could put you two through the ringer. Hell, even I could give you two a run for your money. Yet all you do is sit comfortably on your thrones, moaning and groaning, but haven’t lifted a finger.”

The group looked at Lock and Draco as if they had a screw loose and back to the princesses. Luna had narrowed her eyes and Celestia was faring no better as she glared at them. It was then both Draco and Lock saw a strange glint in Celestia's eye that made them arch a brow slightly. For a moment, it was as if her eye was red and her pupils were orange and slit like a reptile. Although as soon as they blinked, the glint was gone as Celestia and Luna took a breath to calm down.

“Perhaps…you both are right,” Celestia sighed. “We have been doing next to nothing since this war began. Even before the war we did not do much against the threats that had returned to destroy all that we had looked out for. I supposed it was one of the many reasons why the Caribou invaded us, it was because we were overconfident in ourselves.”

“I’m glad you’re starting to get it,” Lock nodded.

“Which is why we would like to request to join your crew, Sir Lock,” Luna said, making everyone do a double take at them.

“Uh…excuse me?”

“Oh no, you two,” Draco jumped in. “You’re not gonna do that just yet. You two may be strong, but strength matters little to someone who can’t use it when it counts.” Draco who seemed unfazed by the idea as he paced around the princesses. “You two are the leaders of your country, if you decide to just follow someone else’s orders, it will make you look worse to your ponies as you already are now.”

“Yeah…I’m also not on board with this little stunt of yours,” Lock said, crossing his arms.

“May we know why?” Celestia questioned.

“Well for one it would be, shall we say, inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate?" Luna repeated. “How?”

“Because you’re both princesses,” Draco was quick to answer. “You have to understand every action you make reflects upon your character. For the princesses to become simple crew members of the Devil’s Hand, you’re showing how you can’t act on your own without someone to tell you what to do.”

“Not to mention, I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving you orders,” Lock added. “I mean, I respect the enthusiasm, but there are other ways to help in this war.”

“How, exactly?” Celestia wondered.

“To put it bluntly, show the world and your citizens you won’t take shit from anyone any longer.”

“Hence why I require you to follow my first condition. It will break the image ponies have of you. They think you’re just a pretty face that no matter how bad they act, you’ll easily forgive them,” Draco said.

“But the ponies might lose faith in us,” Luna argued.

“Then that’s their problem," Lock scoffed. “If they can’t pull their own heads out from their asses and not have the balls to accept the necessary change, especially during a war, well tough shit.”

“You’re asking us to change our nature,” Celestia stated.

“Well then if you can’t do what we ask, then take off the crown,” Lock said, earning gasps from the group.

“Dimitri! You can’t say that!” Twilight yelped.

“Twilight, please stay out of this.”

Both princesses and humans stared at each other for a moment. Celestia looked around the many crumbling buildings of the Crystal Empire as Luna looked to be deep in thought. To act more ruthless and to change who they were would be considered a dramatic step. However, Lock and Draco did have a point, this war had been the cause of hundreds, if not thousands, of lives ruined or lost. It honestly angered the two sisters from what has happened so far and they knew that things needed to change for the better.

“Draco, how soon would you like me to present my late nephew’s head to Canterlot?” Celestia asked, not looking in his direction.

“As soon as we return and tell everypony of the victory of retaking the Crystal Empire.”

“Very well…” Celestia said before taking a deep breath. “Then we shall do as you ask and prove that we are not the pushovers they think we are. From this point onward, we will be leading Equestria a bit more forcefully.”

“I am with my sister, things need to change,” Luna said with a determined look.

“Glad you two saw reason,” Lock nodded.

“And what was your second request, Draco?” Celestia wondered as she looked back to him to see him smirking.

“This second condition is a punishment you will inflict upon yourself. One that will tear you up inside till the day it will be over.”

“Bruh…” Phill deadpanned.

The group began to become anxious at his description. Just what kind of punishment could it be? Both Celestia and Luna swallowed a lump in their throats as they awaited his response.

“And…that would be?” Celestia asked hesitantly.

“For two months you shall…” Draco paused as he looked around to see everyone lean in. “Not eat a single bite of cake.”

There was a brief pause as the wind blew past them. For everyone else, they couldn’t help but let out a few chuckles here and there, Luna included, but for Celestia, she had a face that looked like one would have if they lost that which is most precious to them.

“Draco…can’t you think of anything else?” Celestia requested, trying not to sound desperate.

“Yeah, you're right.” Draco moved his hand to rub his chin.

Oh, thank the makers. I can still taste that new recipe Gustave had prepared, Celestia thought as her face relaxed.

“That isn’t nearly enough time to repent for Blue Balls sins. Better make it four months to be extra sure.”

“FOUR MONTHS?!” Celestia shrieked and clasped her hands together. “Draco please! You have no idea what awaits me back in Canterlot! There’s a new recipe of cake that has just been made! I cannot miss out on it!”

“Oh, well then it will taste four times as good after waiting four months for it.” Draco flashed an evil smirk at the beginning princess.

“B-But I can’t go four months without cake!” Celestia protested. “What else is there to eat for desert?!”

“There’s always fruit,” Lock suggested, making everyone start to laugh.

“And honestly, sister, you have been a little overzealous with your cake eating,” Luna pointed out.

“I have not!” Celestia argued. The rest of the group soon all began to laugh at Celestia as she became all flustered. “Cease this laughing! I demand it!”

“I guess we know where the name Sun Butt came from,” Lock said, which only caused them all to laugh harder.

“Hahahahahaa! Oh man, that’s too funny!” Zephyr laughed.

“Sun Butt, why have I not thought of that?!” Moon giggled.

“Alright, alright already,” Lock waved his hand. “We’ve had enough talking and roasting Celestia for one day. I think it’s time we finally get a move on.”

“To where?” Twilight wondered as she and the others started to calm down.

“To see an old friend.”

The group hastily made their way to the gardens after being told of Discord. The group were all worried for the mad spirit, but none more worried than Fluttershy and Draco. For Fluttershy, she would be able to see her dear friend once again after being apart for so long. For Draco, he would finally meet the being who brought him to this world in the first place. Lock led the group to the more central part of the garden to which they saw the statue of Discord. Fluttershy gasped and ran for the figure and dropped to her knees and began sobbing at the poor condition Discord was in. The rest fared no better as it waned on their hearts to see the damages and obscene writings the Caribou had done to his body. Lock glanced at Draco who slowly walked up to the statue as his fist clenched to the point it was trembling.

“Sweet Jaysus,” Phill sighed. “They went and treated the poor sod like a garden gnome.”

“I wanted to free him, but he insisted I go take care of Lust first,” Lock said as Fluttershy cried into her hands. “Can’t imagine what Draco’s feeling like, seeing Discord like this.”

“Discord…” Fluttershy whimpered. “Oh Discord…what have they done to my friend?!”

Draco stood before the statue staring at it for a while before moving his hand onto it. “I made it Discord, now let’s get you out of there.”

Draco… Discord whispered through his champion's mind. You…have made…me proud.

“I’m glad I could. Don’t worry, we’re gonna bust you out right now.” He gave a reassuring pat to the statue before turning to the others. “We can get him out right?”

“I’ll sure as hell try,” Lock said as he glanced at Phill. “I might need some help with this.”

“Way ahead of ya, bro,” Phill nodded as they both stepped towards the statue.

Draco helped Fluttershy up on her hooves as they moved out of the way. Lock and Phill raised their hands and placed them on the statue and focused their power. Lock’s hand was set aflame while Phill’s shined a bright light. The group never dared to take their eyes off the men as their hands glowed brighter. Suddenly, there were the sounds of cracks as the bottom of the statue creaked and cracked along Discord’s body. The cracks trailed up to his head as both men began to strain from the drawback.

“Almost there…” Lock said.

“Come on…” Phill huffed.

As the flames on Lock’s hand flickered more intensely and the light from Phill’s hand glowed more bright, the stone around Discord began to crumble away. First were his mismatched feet, his dragon claw twitched a little, then his upper body as the color had returned to him, then his eagle talon and lion paw, and finally his head. As the men stepped back, Discord stood there on the pedestal, free, and was littered with cuts and bruises from his torment as a statue. Before anyone could react, Discord fell limp and collapsed to the ground and in a coughing fit.

“Discord!” Fluttershy cried out as she came to his side.

Draco moves to the other side of the lord of chaos to see if he was Alright. “Hey man, you okay?”

“My friends…” Discord wheezed as he was rolled on his back. “You all are here.”

“Welcome back, Discord,” Celestia smiled.

“Oh Discord!” Fluttershy smiled happily. “I was so very worried about you!”

“Fluttershy…so good to see you again, my dear.” He turned to see Draco who had a wide and happy smile. “Young Draco, I just knew you were the right human for the role as my champion.”

Draco, though worried for the condition of his friend, tried to put on a good front and smiled. “Well I’m just glad I could live up to your expectations.”

“More than I ever thought,” Discord smiled. Draco offered a hand, which Discord accepted and was helped to stand. The mad spirit almost stumbled but Draco was there for him to lean on for support. He smiled weakly as he raised his lion paw and snapped his fingers, only for nothing to happen. “Oh dear, those brutes truly did a number on me.”

“You can’t use your magic?” Twilight asked.

“For the time being, it would appear not, which is a shame. I had hoped to retain some of my power to aid you but I’m afraid I shall be out of commission for some time.” He looked down at Draco as he leaned on his shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind, my boy, but I seem to have trouble standing at the moment.”

“No worries Discord, I’ll always help a friend in need.” Draco moved an arm Discord to help keep him up.

“Thank you,” Discord nodded.

With Discord revived, the group now began their trek up to the tower. Along the way, they passed by more dead bodies of the enemy, some more brutally slain than the others. One caribou corpse looked as though his antlers were used to shred his stomach open while another had both arms and legs broken and his head turned 160 degrees.

“Sweet Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph,” Phill grimaced. “Way to not hold back, ya mad bastard.”

“But I was holding back,” Lock said innocently. “At least I didn’t eat them, unlike Mr. Caribou Glutton over there. If he had been here, this whole place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting.”

“Not my fault they taste delicious. Their screams add a nice flavor of both fear and regret. Course it would taste better with some fava beans and a nice chianti,” Draco chuckled as he licked his lips

“Babe, you scare me sometimes,” Shadow muttered as some of the group tried their best not to vomit.

“How can you humans eat meat in the first place?” Twilight wondered.

“Humans are omnivores, Twilight, we can eat both veggies and meat,” Lock replied.

“Yep, but I been more of a greeny than a meaty meself,” Phill grinned, making Draco roll his eyes.

“I swear, you guys need to lighten up.” Draco smiled and he pulled his mare in for a kiss. “And babe trust me, you won’t be scared when I decide to eat you. If you know what I mean,” he said while wiggling his brows.

The stallions grinned and chuckled as the mares blushed from his boldness. Shadow, on the other hand, knew just how to push his buttons.

“Really?” She purred as she leaned up to whisper in his ear. “Before we came to regroup with you and the Captain, I took my bra off when no pony was looking~.” Draco’s eyes went wide as Shadow pulled her collar forward a little to give him a peek of her bare breasts. “Like what you see~?” Draco didn’t respond as he went as stiff as a board and fell to the ground, dead as a doornail.

“Aaaand he’s down!” Zephyr laughed as the others laughed as well.

“Draco! Find your sense, man!” Discord snapped. “This is no way to act as a Champion of Chaos!”

A small puddle of blood started to build under Draco’s face, as his nose bled. “Oh for God’s sake,” Phill rolled his eyes and grabbed Draco by his shoulders and hoisted him up. “Boy, wake the fock up! You’re a man, aren’t ya? Snap out of it!” Draco could only mumble incoherently as his eyes were spinning around in circles.

“Just drag him, Phill,” Lock sighed as Draco fell back down on his back. Phill grabbed Draco’s leg and literally dragged him along as he was still in a daze. A little while later, Lock spied the destroyed door from before he faced Lust and walked towards it.

“Where’re you going, Cap?” Big B wondered.

“Keeping another promise,” Lock replied. He entered the room and the group could hear him talking to someone inside. The group then heard footsteps as Lock slowly walked out with a skinny looking stallion wearing tattered clothes, a torn wizards cloak, and nearly crushed glasses.

“Oh stars! Sunburst?!” Cadence yelped.

“P-Princess Cadence? I-Is that you?” Sunburst stuttered.

“What happened to you?! You look like you were mauled by an Ursa Major!”

“The Caribou did this to him,” Lock frowned as he put a comforting hand on Sunburst’s shoulder. “They imprisoned him and made him do research for their sick plans. I found him in there and wanted to help him get out of the Castle, but Lust had trapped him with a cursed slave collar that would’ve killed him had he left the room.”

“And here I thought the Caribou wouldn’t get any more vile,” Ace spat.

“You look quite weak, Sunburst, would you like one of us to take you outside?” Celestia offered.

“N-No, your majesty, Mr. Dimitri used his strange magic to finish healing me and I feel strong enough to walk. B-But I would like to take a bath once the Heart is restored,” Sunburst said as he tried to fix his broken eye-wear. He looked down to see Draco, still with a dumb grin plastered on his face, and tilted his head. “Erm, who’s that?”

“Just some idiot who can’t take what he can dish out,” Lock stated as he patted his back. “Come on, the Heart awaits.”

The group continued their walk up the tower as they passed by more dead bodies. Draco, who was still being dragged, wasn't even fazed by the bits and pieces that dragged along his skin. The others were worried about his well-being, but Lock had insisted to them that he was just being over dramatic about it. Soon, they had finally made it to their destination and entered the throne room. Everyone looked around at the battle damage that littered the area and how there were still patches of fire burning here and there. Some looked up to see the roof completely blown away as the clouds passed by through the sky. They also saw blood stains splattered on the floor and the crumbled wall and looked to Lock as he examined his tattered jacket.

“You really put him through the ringer, didn’t ya mate?” Phill said.

“Yep, but I still came out on top,” Lock said. “Hey Shadow, do me a favor and wake up Draco.”

“You got it, Cap,” Shadow smirked and walked towards her coltfriend. she squatted down to whisper in his ear again, which made his eyes bug out and shot his body straight up.

“Ohayōgozaimasu!!” He shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, dude,” Flash teased.

“Who knew the almighty Beast of Chaos would be put in his place by his own marefriend?” Zephyr chortled.

“You want us to comfort you in your plight, little colt?” Big B mocked, causing the stallions to laugh.

Everyone took a step back as a blood vessel could be seen popping out on his forehead. “Nah, by the way how are you nuts holding up?”

“My wha-OOOOFF!!” The large stallion doubled over after Draco slammed his knee into his crotch.

“Oooooohhh,” the males cringed.

“Call me a micro midget that you need a microscope to see, and I’ll castrate you.”

“But…I didn’t…!” Big B tried to say as he cupped his crotch.

“You really gotta work on controlling your temper when it comes to your height, Draco,” Lock commented as he walked around the throne.

“Aye, it shouldn’t matter what others say about ya,” Phill added. “You’re more of a man than any bloke who mock ya just cause you’re on the wee side.” There was no warning as Draco slammed his fist into Phill’s crotch. However, Phill was able to block his kick with his hand as he backflipped and just stared at Draco, astonished. “Bugger, I was only trying to help!”

“Then keep your opinions to yourself, before I decide to do the Irish jig on your nuts!!”

“Found it!”

Everyone looked to see Lock come from behind the throne and they all gasped. In his hand was a grotesque looking object that looked like a male’s genitals made of crystal. Cadence looked away in disgust, Celestia and Luna grit their teeth, and the rest of the group all had their mixed feelings of disgust and disdain for the once proud symbol of the Crystal Empire.

“That be it?” Phill said with hate.

“Yeah…this is the Crystal Cock,” Lock said as she placed it on the seat of the throne. “I just hope we can restore it.”

“Can we stop calling it that now, please? I mean seriously, why are we still calling it that?” Draco asked in an annoyed tone.

“Not for long,” Lock said as Phill stood beside him. Lock tossed aside his tattered jacket that hung over his shoulder as both men unfurled their wings out wide. “You ready?”

“Let’s be done with it,” Phill nodded.

Both Lock and Phill raised both their hands up to the relic and activated their power. Both of Lock’s hands were set ablaze as both of Phill’s hands shined a glowing light. The relic on the throne responded to their power by hovering a few inches off the seat and glowed a sickening green. The men felt a resistance from the relic, as if it was trying to reject reverting back into its original form.

“Oh no you don’t!” Lock barked as his hands became more inflamed. “This nightmare has gone on far too long! I have fought my way up to this point, I witnessed the deaths of great and noble stallions, and my comrades all bled and died for this moment! You, Dainn Stonehoof, your curse on this relic will bind it no longer! The true war begins now! All those under the effect of this cursed object will now be set free! Let them come to their senses and rise up against you and your dark forces! I won’t let anyone else suffer under the Caribou! This I pledge…WITH MY VERY SOUL!!”

Suddenly, the flames covering Lock’s hands turned from a red/orange to a pure white fire. Phill glanced at his hands and went wide eyed at the spectacle as the green glow faded away. Slowly but surely, the relic’s shape changed and morphed back into its once proud form that was the Crystal Heart. With one last push of his strength, Lock’s white flame enveloped the relic as it completed its final transformation back to normal. A bright beam of light shot up into the sky and pierced the clouds, sending a massive wave of light across the sky. The group had to cover their eyes from the bright light and Draco was the first to lower his arm. As soon as he did, he saw a strange phenomenon from Lock. It looked as though Lock had two more pairs of wings on his back, including his own. The apparition of the wings were a mix of feathered and webbed wings, which was a strange sight to see before they faded from view completely.

“What in the hell?” Draco asked, trying to understand what he was seeing.

“What’s wrong, Draco?” Shadow asked as the light faded enough for her and the others to see.

“…um, I honestly have no idea.”

Lock relaxed his body as he noticed the white flame covering his hands and arched a brow. “Huh, this is new.”

“Life…Fire.”

Lock turned to his friend to see him gazing at the white flames in astonishment as the flames extinguished themselves.

“What? Life Fire?”

“Uhm…i-it’s nothing,” Phill shook his head.

“You did it,” Cadence said with a content smile as the men stepped to the side and the group gazed at the now reformed Crystal Heart. Something different that they noticed was that it no longer had it's light blue color but was now a pure white, similar to the mysterious white flame Lock had conjured up.

“Hey, how come it’s all white like that?” Rainbow pointed out.

“It looks so much brighter now!” Twilight said.

“Oh my, it looks so marvelous! And look at us! We’re all crystal now!” Rarity beamed as she and everyone else was indeed sparkling like crystal.

“This…feels weird,” Swift said.

“I know, I feel so…pretty,” Zephyr said.

“Psh, my mare is always that pretty,” Draco muttered under his breath.

“I heard that, stud,” Shadow smiled as she pecked him on his cheek.

“The Heart has been restored, and it seems to have gained more power thanks to its reformation,” Celestia said. “Dimitri, Draco, even you Saint Phillip, and the rest of you who fought so bravely. On behalf of all of Equestria, we thank you three from the bottom of our hearts.” The princesses, the main six, and Discord all bowed to the warriors in respect. Alpha Squad smiled and looked at each other with proud smiles, the apprentices chuckled bashfully and even Maud smiled a little, and the three humans had their own smiles of their victory.

“We did it, man,” Lock said to Draco.

“Yeah, we sure did,” Draco smiled proudly and looked to the skies above. “This was for you, Shining Armor.”

“Well go on, tell him!”

Both Lock and Draco looked to see Twilight push Nightmare Moon towards Lock. The midnight princess was all flustered as she tried to resist with a bright blush spread across her muzzle.

“What’s going on?” Lock wondered.

“Nightmare here would like to share something with you, Dimitri,” Twilight smiled.

“E-Erm…w-well,” Nightmare fidgeted in place. Draco arched a brow until he noticed the other mares all have wide smiles, even Celestia and Luna waited with glee at the words Nightmare tried to find.

“You can do it, Nightmare!” Shadow cheered.

Nightmare took a deep breath and composed herself, only to have her cheeks flush red again at the sight of Lock's bare chest since he forgot to put his jacket back on. “Ehem…Dimitri, do you recall when I said I had something to share with you after all the fighting was over and done with?”

“I remember,” Lock nodded. Nightmare then smiled as she reached up and took off her helmet. Lock’s breath hitched in his throat at the sight of the mare’s bare face, for her beauty left Lock in a bit of a dazed state. Her facial features were perfect, her lips were smooth and luscious, and her eyes seemed to twinkle like the night sky.

“Dimitri,” Nightmare said as she set her helmet aside with her magic and reached over and grabbed both his hands with hers. “You have been so very kind to me, kinder than even I thought possible. You helped me see that there was more to life than just seeking vengeance when there was none to search for in the first place. I know that there is still much I must repent for, but you setting me straight was the push in the right direction I needed. I find it very inspiring how you always kept your head held high, no matter what. And…before I knew it, I realized something when you went off to battle and risk your life.”

“And what's that?” Lock managed to ask.

Nightmare smiled as she reached up and cupped his cheek. She then leaned in as she slowly closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips on his. What could only be described as fireworks set off in Lock’s heart and soul as Nightmare kissed him. The group cheered for the display of affection as she pulled away, still smiling at the human man.

“It’s that I have fallen in love with you, Dimitri Lockdrom,” Nightmare said with a soft tone.

“Y-You love me too?” Lock asked and she nodded. “But what about-”

“I am fine with it, Dimitri,” Twilight said, approvingly. “She told me some time ago, we spoke about it, and I would be okay with forming a herd with her.”

“You’re serious?”

“Quite.”

Lock grinned as he pulled Nightmare into a hug and returned the kiss. Nightmare was surprised at first but soon wrapped her arms around his neck and soon separated. “Then I can finally say what’s been on my mind for a while. I love you too, Moon.”

“Really?!” Moon asked excitedly. “Oh Dimitri, I love you!”

“Congratulations,” Draco smiled as he and the rest began to clap their hands for the happy new herd.

“I have a herd,” Lock said with glee as he shot up in the air and began to do somersaults. “Woohoo! I have a herd! I’m in love with two beautiful mares and they love me!”

“Our stallion is quite the spirited one,” Moon giggled.

“You get used to it,” Twilight smiled with joy.

“Hey Draco,” Swift whispered and gestured to him to come over. Draco tilted his head and walked over to the svelte stallion so he could speak with him privately. “Are you gonna tell her?” Draco suddenly began sweating bullets as he moved his hand to his neck, making a cutting motion while shaking his head. “How come? I’m sure she’d feel the same, right?” Swift inquired quietly.

Draco grabbed the stallion by the arm and quickly pulled him away out of earshot. “Look, I told you it couldn’t happen, there are way too many things to consider. Besides I’m with Shadow now, I doubt she’ll be interested in forming a herd.”

“Hmm, well Draco, put it this way,” Swift said as he walked away and looked over his shoulder. “If Cap can do it, you can too. You also deserve the same amount of happiness, as does she.”

“Except you forget that there are still things that could cause her to reject my feelings. Much like you and Big B.”

“True, but you never know, the world is vast and full of unsuspecting surprises. All you need to do is have faith, Draco,” Swift smiled as he rejoined the others, leaving Draco to dwell on his thoughts.

“Yeah…maybe.”

Draco sighed as he too rejoined the group and Lock landed on the ground and hugged his two mares and kissed them on the cheeks. “Alright everyone, listen up. Today is a special day for a number of reasons, but for now we gotta pick up the remaining pieces of Equestria. Just because Lust is dealt with and the Heart is restored, there’s still probably enemy outposts out there that need to be flushed out. Once we’ve made sure that the kingdom is secure, we can focus on our next target: The Sin of Gluttony.”

“Gluttony? Like eating?” Shadow tilted her head.

“Doesn’t that just mean he eats a lot?” Maud wondered.

“I wouldn’t put it past it from meaning something far worse than how it sounds,” Lock shook his head. “Point is, he’s got the Diamond Dog kingdom under his thumb and we need to find it and take him down. Also, I have something else I wanna say. Draco, please step forward.”

“Uh sure.” Doing as he was asked, Draco stepped forward till he was in front of Lock. “Okay, now what?”

“Draco,” Lock said as he pulled his arms away from Twilight and Moon and stood in front of Draco. “When we met, you told me that you would only work with us for a short while before heading off on your own. But instead, you stuck around and proved time and time again that you are a valuable asset to this war and the resistance. Not to mention your exemplary skills in leading our forces against the enemy. So I would like to propose something to you: Draco Saurian, I offer the position as my Lieutenant, along with being the official leader of Alpha Squad.”

“What?!” Everyone cried.

“Holy hay!” Zephyr shouted.

“Draco’s gonna be our leader?!” Cloud asked.

“Excuse you? Did Lust hit you too many times on the head?” Draco joked, somewhat shocked by Lock’s proposal. “Why would I want to be Lieutenant, let alone the leader of Alpha Squad?”

“Because you fit all the necessities of being a great leader and I can personally say, if it came down to it, you’d be the man I could rely on if things ever go too tough. There will come times during this war when I can’t be in two places at once, but with you I wouldn’t have to be. Your speech back in Ponyville was what helped the ponies fight like their lives depended on it. They look to you for leadership as they do me. Besides, you and the members of Alpha Squad have been getting along pretty well as of late. They were in need of a leader anyway, so who else to fill the position? What do you say, be an official member of my crew and the resistance?” Lock offered his hand for a shake.

For a good while Draco stared at Lock’s outstretched hand. He was more than happy to work with the ponies to take back Equestria, but he hadn’t ever considered becoming a leader. He looked to the ponies around him to say what they all thought. “What do you guys think?”

“I think you should go for it,” Flash nodded. “I was the first pony to join the fight against the Caribou, but that’s only because I wanted to be a worthy successor to Shining Armor. You fit the better qualities as the second-in-command since I feel as though I still have a lot to learn.”

“I’m not much of a leader type anyway”" Zephyr chuckled. “But you sure as tartarus do.”

“You deserve to be second-in-command, boulder thinks so too,” Maud said.

“Honestly, it would be pretty awesome if you became our leader,” Big B said.

“Yeah! We always worked together pretty well, but could never really give orders to each other even if we wanted to,” Ace admitted.

“Who else to fill the role? I say,” Cloud said.

“Please be our leader, Draco?” Shadow pleaded.

Letting out a sigh Draco rubbed the back of his neck and considered the offer. “I guess I really have no choice but to accept.”

“YAY!” Shadow cheered as she tackled Draco to the ground and peppered his cheeks and face with kisses as her tail wagged back and forth.

“Shadow come on!!” He shouted in embarrassment as he was kissed by his marefriend. “Everyone is watching!”

“I know!” Shadow giggled as she grasped his cheeks and planted a deep kiss on his lips.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy blushed.

“How unladylike,” Rarity said.

“Is this what it’s gonna be like with our new leader?” Berry wondered.

“Probably…” Ace sighed.

All Draco could do was accept his fate and wrapped his arms around the small of Shadow’s back and return the kiss.

“Ah, young love,” Celestia sighed.

“Love?” Discord spoke up and tapped his chin. Then gasped as he began to look frantic. “LOVE?! OH BY ALL THAT IS CHAOS!! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!! DIMITRI!! DRACO!! SIR PHILLIP!! YOU THREE NEED TO GET TO THE DUNGEONS THIS MOMENT!!”

The three humans looked to each other, perplexed before tuning back to Discord to ask in unison. “Why?”

“BECAUSE!! IN THE INNER SANCTUM, CHRYSALIS AND HER SURVIVING CHANGELINGS HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THERE LONGER THAN I HAVE BEEN SEALED IN STONE!!”

“WHAT?!?”

“Bloody Hell!” Phill shouted.

“Draco! Phill! With me!” Lock ordered as the three humans sprinted to the edge of the throne room and jumped off as they quickly glided down. “I thought you said you got all the prisoners out?!”

“Well clearly they were being held some place other than the dungeon!” Draco argued

The three humans landed in front of the dungeon building and made a break for it inside. They ran through the prison halls and came across a flight of stairs that led downwards.

“I should’ve known, how could I have not seen it?!” Lock sneered as they ran down the stairs. “All this time, all this fighting, not ONCE did we run into a single Changeling!”

“I heard about them Changelings, but never met one. They’re supposed to be some of the bad ones, yeah?” Phill asked.

“Well bad is subjective. I don’t want to be that guy, but the changelings aren’t bad but don't go about their business good either. I thought the only reason we haven’t seen them is because they went into hiding,” Draco added.

“I don’t know myself,” Lock shook his head. “I had my own guesses as to what happened with them, but I didn’t expect them to be taken here of all places.”

“I can only imagine what we’ll find,” Phill said grimly. “What do the lot even look like?”
“Changelings have the ability to transform into any creature they like. But their base forms are kinda like the ponies but with more bug-like appearance,” Draco was quick to inform.

Before Phill could comment, they arrived at a door that had a very foreboding presence to it. It was a large door with a chain locking it closed and the three humans could feel the sense of death emanating from it.

“They’re in there,” Lock said as he drew both his swords. “STAND BACK!” Draco and Phill moved out of the way as Lock raised his swords in front of him.

“TWO SWORD STYLE: RHINO REVOLVE!!”

Lock spun towards the chain and slashed and hacked it with all his might. Sparks flew off the chain and soon fell to pieces and Lock sheathed his swords. “Help me pull this open, now!”

Draco enhanced his body with his dino strength and grabbed the door and pulled it open.

As soon as the door opened, they were met with a very grim sight. In the large room filled with darkness, husked and dried out corpses littered the floor as the light shined in. The three men slowly walked in, unable to tear their gaze from their surroundings. No matter where they looked, all they saw was death.

“Oh…sweet merciful lord above,” Phill gasped.

“Th-They’re all…” Lock tried to say.

“Dead,” Draco finished.

“H-help…”

A croaked voice echoed from the back of the room, gaining their attention. The men saw, to their relief, still alive Changelings but only a couple hundred or so. From the group, a lone Changeling limped out, his bones could be seen through his chitin. His red fin and dark purple irises were what allowed Lock and Draco to recognize the thin Changeling.

“Pharynx,” Lock said as they quickly made their way over to him.

“Please…help…”

Draco wasted no time as he quickly moved over to help keep the changeling stand. “Hey, hold on man, I got you.” Draco moved one of his arms to hold up the weak changeling.

Lock pondered if it could work, but he didn’t have any time to waste at the moment. He snapped his fingers and set his hand ablaze and placed it on Pharynx’s back. The Changeling gasped as his head shot up and his chitin became thicker and more healthy. The holes that littered his arms and legs also began to close up, which was a strange thing to behold for Lock and Draco, even Pharynx. After about a minute, Pharynx looked much more healthy than before as he was able to stand on his own and look at his hands.

“I’m…I’m all better,” he said. “I feel like I just had a full meal in just a minute.”

“Well that was…interesting to see,” Phill said.

“It’s effective, but it will take us too long to do that to the survivors,” Draco deduced before looking to Pharynx. “Is your queen still alive?”

“My Queen…” Pharynx said as he looked back at the survivors. “We knew what we had to do, as her loyal drones. Please follow me.”

Pharynx led the men further into the large cell as Lock and even Phill attempted to heal and restore any Changeling who looked near death.

“Blueblood locked us in here,” Pharynx hissed. “We were brought here after our hive fell, so many of us were killed. Blueblood deemed us as parasites that were not worthy to walk the new world. We’ve been here ever since.”

As Pharynx led the three, Draco gave him a pat on the shoulder to help ease him. “Well if it makes you feel any better I killed the bastard, and plan to mount his head over a fireplace.”

“That does make me feel a little better,” Pharynx half smiled but then frowned. “If only it weren’t for those bucking Caribou and their bucking advanced and unforeseen weaponry. We lost so many when the hive fell.”

“I’m sorry for your losses lad,” Phill said pityingly. “Especially all those ya lost here.”

“Not as sorry as I am…after what I lost personally,” the changeling said solemnly.

The group finally made it to the end of the room to be met with a very unfortunate sight. There, laying against the wall with more dead or near dead changelings around her, was Queen Chrysalis herself. She wore a very tattered green dress and her arms and legs had deep holes in them. Her chitin was dull and her very complexion was near death. The men couldn't believe what they were seeing as she weakly cradled a changeling corpse in her lap.

“Bugger me…” Phill exhaled.

“He gave the last of his energy to sustain her.” Pharynx grit his teeth as tears began to form in his eyes,

“Who?” Lock wondered.

“…my brother.”

“Thorax,” Draco spoke up.

Pharynx looked to Draco with a slight glare. “How the buck did you know his name?”

“You’d be surprised by a lot of things we know,” Draco answered as he placed his hands together and said a prayer for the fallen changelings.

“Whatever, it doesn’t even matter anymore.” Pharynx walked towards the weak Queen and knelt in front of her. “I don’t know what you did to help me get my energy back with that strange magic of yours, but I doubt it would work for my Queen.”

“Why’s that?” Phill wondered.

“She needs pure Love to restore her, at this point, no other source would be effective.”

“Love?” Phill asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Lock waved it off. “There has to be another way, she can’t die like this.”

Draco pondered for a moment to himself as he looked to Chrysalis and then to Lock before hatching a crazy idea.

“Lock, you need to kiss her.”

“Excuse me?!” Lock deadpanned.

“Well blimey that,” Phill said, also a little surprised.

“Look, she needs love to heal, so kiss her and give her some of yours, man,” Draco argued.

“But…why’s it gotta be a kiss?” Lock questioned, making Draco facepalm. “Can’t I just hug her or something?”

“Becuase a kiss will be more potent, and unless you plan to have sex with her this second, than you don’t have any better means of doing so,” Draco pointed out.

“While that might be more effective, I don't think that’s very appropriate," Pharynx growled.

“Alright! Fine!” Lock threw his hands up.

He slowly approached the changeling queen and knelt beside her as Pharynx moved out of the way. Chrysalis weakly looked up to Dimitri and tried to say something but could only whimper as she looked to be in pain. Lock frowned as he looked back around the room to see the many dead changelings that filled the area. He cursed to himself that this had happened to them and that they were maybe now an endangered species because of Dainn and his followers

“I’m sorry that we could not make it here in time, Chrysalis,” Lock muttered as he raised his hands to cup her cheeks and tilt her head upwards. Her chitin felt dry and rough as her hair looked unkempt and dirty. “You didn’t deserve this, none of you did.” He brushed aside a strand of hair as he leaned in. “I’m here to help you, I won’t let you die.”

Lock slowly and gently pressed his lips on Chrysalis’ as her heart skipped a slight beat at the gesture. She had no idea who this man was, yet he was kissing her with such passion. A familiar sensation entered through her as the color in her chitin and eyes were beginning to return to normal. Her body was filling out and its color began to return to its dark green shade. As she was being restored, the surviving changelings felt the love emanating off of Lock as they all reached out to him. Lock’s and Chrysalis’ body began to glow a pink hue as the love energy Lock was giving her shone brightly and lit the room up. One by one, the changelings were beginning to get their strength back.

The holes on their arms and legs had also begun to close up, something that had never happened to them before. Soon, Chrysalis had regained her figure, her E cup breasts were round and perky again along with the shape of her hourglass figure. The queen's vision had soon cleared up to see her savior pull back with a smile.

“What is this?” she asked calmly at first. “Who…are you? Where am I?”

Draco popped his head into view and milled. “This is your new husband, Lock, who has offered his body to you to help repopulate your kind, and you are currently in the dungeon of the Crystal Empire,” he said with an honest evil smile.

WHAM!

Lock slammed his fist into Draco's nose, sending him flying and into Phill, nearly knocking him over. “Shut the fuck up for a second,” Lock hissed as he turned back to Chrysalis, still looking confused.

“Jaysus bugger, Lock! You okay, lad?” Phill wondered.

Draco’s nose was bleeding and he had a slight smile on his face as he laughed a little. “W-worth it, eheheh.”

Chrysalis blinked as she looked around and began to panic. She then started to hyperventilate and Lock tried to calm her down.

“NO! NO! NO NO NO!!” She screamed. She then looked at the corpse that was in her lap and cradled it. “THORAX! THORAX WAKE UP! MY CHILDREN! WAKE UP PLEASE! WHY?! WHY?!? WHY?!?!?”

Lock’s heart broke as she wailed in distress and placed his hand on her back. She then spun around and wrapped her arms around him and cried her heart out into his chest and could only hug her back as they rocked back and forth.

“Why…?”

“I’m…so sorry, Chrysalis, I’m so sorry.”

Draco nudged Phill to get his attention. “Mind helping me give them a proper burial, and maybe say a prayer for them?”

“Of course…” Phill nodded as the changelings all began to cry themselves. Both men placed their hands together as Phill began to say a prayer.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
Amen.”

“Amen,” Draco copied. Once the prayer was over he moved down to pick up one corpse with the greatest of care. A lone tear traveling down his cheek.

“Death comes in many ways,” Phill sighed as he picked up a couple corpses. “Sometimes he can be quite cruel but at the same time fair. This…this is just unnatural, what they did.”

"They can rest easy knowing those who have survived are saved, and that those who did this to them now face damnation." Draco added.

Lock slid his arm under Chrysalis' legs and under her back as he lifted her up. She whimpered as he held her close and his head hung over a little. The bangs from his hair shadowed his eyes as he slowly walked forward. The surviving changelings copied Draco and Phill's actions by reluctantly carrying a corpse or two of their fallen changelings and followed the men out. The cell was soon cleared thanks to their efforts and made their way up the steps. The group eventually made it outside where the others were waiting and were surprised to see who was in Lock's arms.

“Chrysalis? Why are-?” Twilight tried to say but she and most of the others gasped in horror as the rest of the group exited the building.

“Oh sweet merciful sun…” Celestia muttered.

“I want…” Lock began to speak. “I want every available resource we can provide to help aid these changelings and get them proper medical attention. I want them to be taken care of by any available hands to give them a proper burial.”

“But, Lock she-” Ace tried to say, but Lock, Draco, and Phill shot him and the rest of the ponies a death glare.

“If any of you have a problem with my orders, then get the fuck out of here and never come back! I don’t need anyone who is insubordinate!”

Most of the ponies were frozen in place by his order and barely budged an inch. “That was an order!!” Draco roared snapping them out of their daze and began getting to work.

The crew helped gather the changeling corpses and helped the living to the medical ward in the castle, since it could be used now that it was under their control. Lock held Chrysalis close as she continued to whimper in his chest and tightened her grip around his neck.

“I’ve never seen my queen look so distraught,” Pharynx said. “This was such a disaster, we’re an endangered species.”

Draco could only pat the changelings back to trh and comfort him. “I promise things will only get better for you guys, you have my word. For now focus on helping those alive so they may see Tomorrow.”

“I just…wish I could make those buckers pay.” Pharynx’s wings twitched a bit as he grit his teeth. “They killed my brother!”

“I may have a suggestion then,” Draco said, raising a finger. “I’d like you to join my squad.”

“Your squad?”

“Uh, Draco? With all due respect, I don’t think-” Cloud tried to say, until Draco grabbed his shirt and made him look into his now slitted eyes.

“If the next words that come from your mouth involve anything prejudiced, you will be cleaning the castle toilet with your tongue.”

Cloud nodded frantically as Draco released his rip and looked back to Pharynx. “That’s your squad?” Draco nodded. “But I’m a Changeling, before all this, we had a rep for attacking the ponies and trying to take over.”

“Pharynx I’m gonna ask you a question, and I want you to answer truthfully.” Draco’s voice was calm and serious.

“Uh…okay?”

“The main reason changeling attacked the ponies was so they could feed themselves. Because before ponies wouldn’t have given their love freely to any creature that wasn't their own. Correct?”

“Yeah, not our proudest moment, to be honest,” Pharynx admitted.

“Or any moment,” Berry muttered under his breath.

“Berry, drop and give me two hundred push ups,” Draco ordered.

“Wha?”

“I SAID DROP!”

Berry yelped as he got down on the ground and began doing his push ups.

“So what’s your point?” Pharynx wondered.

“My point is that while it’s true your kind didn’t go about your actions the right way, neither did the ponies. I know how xenophobic they can be. Your kind was born to feed on love, something you had no control over. You were just trying to stay alive, and that meant by any means.”

“I…never thought of it that way.”

“He’s right.”

All heads turned to see Chrysalis, still in Lock’s arms, as the Queen spoke but didn’t look back at them. “Before all this conflict, we were barely surviving as it was. My methods to take control were forceful and merciless, but I was only acting out of desperation for my hive. I suppose all of what has happened to me and my precious changelings is karma for all I have done.”

“Chrysalis, you shouldn’t talk like that,” Lock tried to say.

“Why not?” She asked as she looked up at him. “It’s the truth.”

“And the truth does hurt.” All eyes returned to Draco. “But that is in the past. And as someone once said, the past can hurt but the way I see it you can either run from it, or learn from it.”

“Not only that, but you’re all victims of war,” Lock said solemnly. “In more ways than one.”

“So how does me joining your squad help?” Pharynx inquired.

“Well for starters you will be able to get revenge on all the caribou and traitor stallions.”

“I’m in.”

“That was quick,” Swift said.

“Welcome to the squad, I guess,” Ace shrugged.

“I can’t feel my arms!” Berry whined as he stood back up.

“Sirs? We prepared the pyre,” a soldier reported to us.

They all nodded as they followed him to the gardens and just outside the walls. There was a large funeral pyre they managed to make from some of the rubble and had laid all the dead changelings on it. Some of the surviving Changelings who were strong enough to attend were all weeping in sorrow at the loss of their fellow changelings. Chrysalis let Lock set her down as she walked over to the pyre and placed a hand on one of the changelings.

“Thank you, for your sacrifice,” She said sadly. “Rest now, my children.”

She stepped away and Lock took her place and raised his hand. He snapped his fingers and lit the pyre as the flames slowly consumed the whole thing. They all stood there, watching it burn and stood in silence. The victory was a proud one, but the cost might have been too great.

“Draco,” Lock said. “You’re with me till the end, right?”

“Like you really need to ask that.”

“Good.”

Far off from the city, on the edge of a mountain pass, the Devil himself gazed down at the city with an emotionless gaze. The ruler of Hell had witnessed something that was truly baffling that not even he had an answer as to why r how it came to be.

“You still have that foreboding atmosphere about you…Satanael.”

The Devil turned his head to look over his shoulder as a bright flash of light appeared just behind him. Archangel Michael, head of the Archangel Council and High Angel of Heaven, stood with his hands behind his back as the woods blew against his frame.

“And you are still the meddlesome oaf who cannot seem to keep those flashy wings of yours out of where they don’t belong,” Satanael shot back. “And I believe I once told you that I prefer the name Lucifer.”

“Just because you choose to don the name of my fallen brother, does not mean I shall call you as such. No matter how much you wish to besmirch his name,” Michael huffed as he stood side by side with The Devil. The two beings stood there for what seemed like countless minutes until the Archangel decided to speak again. “You saw it, did you not?”

“Saw it? No, I witnessed it,” Satanael corrected. “And before you ask, no, I do not have the slightest idea as to how it is possible.”

“That white flame, Life Fire, he had it covering both his hands when he restored the relic of crystal.”

“I am aware, as if the black flame of Death Fire wasn’t enough,” Satanael sighed.

“If I may, I would like to know why you chose that boy out of the many humans on Earth?” Michael inquired.

“To be perfectly honest, I am not sure myself,” Satanael replied vaguely. “Dimitri was not the only candidate for the role of my Hand.”

“He wasn’t?”

“No, there were others.” The Devil stepped away a little from Michael. “I had my eye on a handful of humans, Dimitri included, who I believed would best fill the role as my Hand. Each one with a troubled past but kept their strong resolve of justice, who would then unleash their inner darkness by fulfilling the task of facing Dainn and the Sins. However, my eye seemed to always return to Dimitri no matter how much I looked the other way. He is brash, somewhat naïve, headstrong, and seems to not treat me as his master but as a, shall we say, his employer. That night, when I was about to make myself known to him and bring him here, I had an opportunity to simply vanish from his presence and search for another. It was a strange occurrence, like a voice within my mind told me to choose him.”

“A sort of conscience of yours, perhaps?” Michael guessed. “Maybe you were compelled to choose him of your own volition?”

“Conscience, unlikely. Compelled, maybe. Unexplainable, most definitely.”

“What exactly do you mean to say?”

“I am saying that there might be more to this boy than even you or I ever anticipated.”

“But how could that be? He is merely a human who partook of your fruit,” Michael argued.

“You recall my previous Hand, do you not?” Satanael said as he turned to face Michael. “He too partook of my fruit but he had no such power as conjuring both Death and Life Fire, in fact, none of my Hands had. Yet somehow, Dimitri is.”

“So what are you implying?”

“You felt it too, did you not? The sensation from those flames? They nearly mirrored him.”

“Satanael, you know as well as I that Ash Blade is the last of his kind, excluding his own children. There is no inconceivable way that anyone had survived that tragic day when Aephoceria fell. Especially the great sacrifice Alga and Ronsihr had done for their child,” Michael reminded the Devil sadly.

“Then how is what I am hypothesizing possible?”

“I…am unsure,” Michael shook his head. “This is all very perplexing.”

“Indeed it is, so I say that we continue to be witnesses of Dimitri’s growth. Perhaps it is just our mistaken thoughts playing tricks on us, who knows?” Satanael and Michael gazed back at the Crystal Empire. “I suppose only time shall tell, and whatever the winds of fate have in store for the boy.”

Author's Note

Dimitri and his friends have done what they have set out to do. Now they set their sights on the second Sin: The Sin of Gluttony. However, what could Michael and Satanael be conversing about? Could there be more to Dimitri that even they are not seeing? As Satanael has said, only time and fate shall answer their perplexing questions.

Side Note: I couldn’t wait another week to post it, so I decided to tweak my schedule just this once!

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Crystal Palace Discoveries and Honoring The Devil And The Beast

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…

Two Hands and The Devil’s Disappearance

Chapter 36

I began to stir awake as the morning sun peered through the window. My eyes opened and I felt two bodies pressed against my frame. When I opened my eyes, I was met with both my lovers staring at me with warm smiles.

“Morning, my love,” Moon said as she kissed my left cheek.

“Good morning, Dimitri,” Twilight said as she kissed my right cheek.

“Morning you two,” I said as I kissed them both back on the lips.

“Last night was magical, Dimitri,” Moon said as she nuzzled my neck. “I don’t believe I’ve ever felt something so sensual in my life.”

“It was magical for me too, Moon,” I said back to her as I held her close.

“You truly are a human of many talents, Dimitri, I’m so glad I chose you as my mate,” Twilight said. “It almost seems unreal that I would consider love when I used to be a loner before all this.”

“Aw come on, I’m just glad we found each other. Although I admit, I never expected to have a herd of all things.”

“Are herds not common in your world?” Twilight asked.

“Not really, we humans usually have one lover at a time. More preferably, just one.”

“I see, well we hope you know that because we are now in a herd, we don’t plan to monopolize you,” Twilight said.

“Indeed, we have seen how you make others happy and have allowed yourself to open your heart to more than just one mare,” Moon added. “This world is still full of many possibilities and we feel as though you should be able to share your heart with any who you believe deserves it.”

“Wow…talk about being considerate,” I said, a little surprised. “I appreciate the sentiment, girls, but let’s hold off on all that for now. We still have much to do in Equestria, so let’s begin by getting out of bed.”

“But I don’t wanna,” Twilight said as she buried her muzzle in my neck and licked my skin.

“Come on, Twilight, or else I’ll tell Celestia you were the one who ate her last slice of cake.”

“It was an accident!” Twilight snapped.

“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes playfully, making her pout.

We all soon got out of bed and even bathed together in the bathroom. The girls insisted they wash my body, which was an entertaining experience to say the least. Afterwards, we all got dressed in our clothes for the day. Twilight was dressed in a dark purple skirt, light lavender button up blouse, and a small pink tie tied around her neck. Moon wore a beautiful regal looking dark blue dress with a picture of her cutie mark embroidered on the side as she wore her jewelry. Meanwhile, I was dressed in my street clothes which consisted of my black hooded leather jacket, white T-shirt, jeans, and my black boots. After we were ready, we exited the room with my lovers on both sides and made for the dining hall. Along the way, we happen to run into Draco and Shadow as they walked hand in hand with wide smiles.

“Morning you two,” I greeted them.

“Morning.” The two greeted in unison. “How was your night dude?” Draco smirked.

“Eventful,” I retorted until my eyes caught sight of a mark on his neck. “Nice hickey.”

His cheeks flushed red as he moved his hand to cover it. “Shut up,” he said bitterly as Shadow giggled and leaned in to nuzzle his cheek.

“So ya finally made it to second base, huh?” I teased as we walked together.

“You better believe it, now there’s a new meaning to the name The Beast,” Shadow purred.

“SHADOW!!” Draco shrieked his face now a deep scarlet.

“Oh hush!” Shadow scolded as she flicked his nose. “We’re all adults here, ain’t that right Captain?”

“That’s right, Moon and I made love last night, and it was a wonderful experience for her first time,” I said, earning a nuzzle of affection from Moon.

“Well excuse me if I’m not used to this kind of talk after my first time,” Draco huffed while looking away embarrassed.

“You’ll get used to it now that you’re part of the inner circle of non virgins dude,” I joked, earning a glare. “All joking aside, let me ask you, was it worth giving your V-card to a mare like Shadow?”

“As if that’s a question.” Draco smiled as he pulled his mare to him and nuzzled her before kissing her lips. “I’m glad she was the one I gave my first to.”

“I love you too, babe,” Shadow smiled as she hugged and kissed him back.

I smiled at the happy couple as we entered the dining hall. My apprentices, the Princesses, the rest of the main six, and Phill were sitting at the table and enjoying a bountiful looking breakfast. Phill was feeding Merida until the little filly saw us and giggled as her wings flapped vigorously. She hovered in the air and made a beeline towards Draco.

“Heads up!” I said before she once again latched herself on his face.

“Merida! How many times do I gotta tell ya not to latch yourself in your uncle’s face?!” Phill barked.

“MMMPPPFFFF!” Draco let out a muffled scream as Merida started to flap her wings causing her to pull him around the room.

“Holy crap! She’s that strong of a flyer already?!” I said.

“The kid’s got some strong wings,” Rainbow smirked as we watched Merida pull Draco.

“Draco! Need help there dude?” Zephyr called out in a teasing manner.

“Whassastrt yoouttrhk?!” Draco called out muffled by the little filly latched to his face.

“Hang on,” Phill said as he breathed in deep. “Merida McHaggard! Come here!”

The filly’s ears perked up as she let go of Draco, making him fall face first on the floor as she flew back to her father.

“Oof, you okay man?” Flash asked.

“Why me?” He groaned. “Why not Lock?”

“Watch this,” I smirked as I turned to Merida. “Hey there Merida! Come give your Uncle Lock a hug!” The filly giggled as she flew over to me and I caught her in my arms and hugged her close. “Aw, who’s a cute little filly?” I teased as I tickled her tummy. “Guess she likes to grab your face rather than give normal hugs. It’s just her way of showing her affection for you, man.”

Draco raised his head up and was about to curse me out, but quickly remembered that there was a filly in my arms. So instead he mouthed the words fuck you Before letting his head plop down back on the ground.

After managing to calm the situation back down, we all sat at the table and ate our breakfast. While the ponies ate veggies and fruits, I had told the staff of Draco and I’s specific diet. They were wary of such information, but after giving them a few examples of what we eat, they were able to provide us with a nutritious meal that consisted of eggs, sausages, and bacon.

“Uh, boss? Is that meat you’re eating?” Zephyr asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“How can you eat meat? Draco I get, but why you?”

“It’s cause some humans, like me and Draco, are omnivores,” I said as I ate some bacon.

“Omnivores?” Cloud tilted his head.

“Pretty sure I mentioned this before,” I stated.

“Basically we can eat meat, fruits, veggies, ect.” Draco added. “The human body requires protein, and while it’s true we can get that from nuts, it’s just not enough.”

“So does that mean you get plenty of protein when you eat caribou?” Berry asked.

“Yes but it’s immediately used up when I use my power. Essentially to transform into something that’s more than my mass and density, I need to burn a lot of energy. Hence why I eat my opponents. Or why I won’t go full dino in a fight, unless necessary.”

“What about you, Lock?” Flash asked.

“My power mostly comes from the soul,” I said. “Although I do still need proper sustenance from time to time.”

“Aye, does that also include booze?” Phill smirked.

“I should be asking you that, you Irish prick,” I scoffed.

“Hey watch it, there is a filly present!” Draco glared at me while pointing to the filly in Phil’s arms.

“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes.

“You three seem very close,” Amore said with a smile. “It’s uplifting to see such noble warriors together, fighting for our country.”

“We aim to regain peace, ma’am,” I nodded.

“Aye, mum, I’ll also lend me power when necessary,” Phill said.

Draco smiled and nodded his head, but at the same time seemed a bit uneasy around the returning princess.

“Oh, Sir Draco?” Amore said to him. “I must apologize for what I said to you the other day, it was inappropriate of me.”

I noticed that Draco was now sweating bullets and gave a somewhat stiff wave of his hand. “N-no p-problem, y-your m-majesty.”

“What did she say?” Rainbow wondered.

“Best not to dwell on it, since it sounds like it’s between them,” I waved her off. “Anyway, I think it’s time we discuss moving forward. Though the Crystal Empire is free, there are still cities out there that still need to be liberated.”

“Aye, if I may throw me three pence in, I say we go for Trottingham,” Phill suggested.

“Any particular reasons you wanna start there?” Draco, who now seems calmer, asked.

“It sounds like the city me nan stayed at when I was a lad, so ya could say it’s a tad personal,” Phill said as he fed Merida. “Plus, I hear they’ve been doin’ some downright nasty stuff to kids over there.”

There was a screeching sound as Draco’s hand turned into claws and scratched against a wall. “I need no other reason to say yes.” His voice oozed with malice.

“Easy there, Draco,” I said to calm him down. “By my count, there should be approximately 5 or 6 major cities left to liberate. Once the whole kingdom is finally secure, we’ll be able to focus our sights on the Diamond Dog kingdom.”

“That being the case, maybe we should split up our forces?” Draco added as he thought out loud. “I can lead Alpha Squad to one city. While Lock and his apprentices go to another at the same time. Their forces would be divided, and if they had to radio for backup, they would have a hard time deciding where to send them first.”

“That could work, I’ve also gotten reports of a larger War Beast breeding site. So I’ll take my group to Vanhoover.”

“Just make sure to watch your back,” Draco warned with a serious look. “Now that Lust is gone they might have started sending the enemy those anti devil fruit user weapons.”

“Of course, also-”

BA-BUMP!!

I grunted as my chest felt tight all of a sudden. My senses were going haywire, as if there was an extremely powerful presence in the air but I had no idea where it was coming from.

“What…the fuck?!” I grunted as the powerful presence grew.

“Lock, you okay man?!” Draco asked, running over to me and making sure I was okay.

“You don’t sense that?!” I said to him.

“I do…” We all turned to Phill who also looked like he was stressing out. “I’ve never felt such power before.”

“What the hell is this?!” I said as I snapped my head to the window. “It’s not Satanael, but something…so much more!”

“I can’t sense what you guys are sensing, but you make it sound like something big,” Draco said.

“It’s huge!” I corrected Draco. “This is the first time I’ve felt something like this. It’s power is so great, I can’t even fathom it!”

“I can sense it from the East of here,” Phill managed to say. “Not even Saint Michael or any of the other Archangels combined gave off a presence like this. And it ain’t even close to where we are!”

“Wait, the East?” I said as my senses continued to blare as I looked back to Draco. “What’s to the East that we know of?”

“I need a map!” Draco called out and one of the guards brought him one. Opening he placed his finger on the Crystal Empire and slowly began to drag it across the map in the East direction. After a minute his finger stopped and he looked up in shock. “Starlight’s village.”

“Starlight?” Twilight said, making us turn to the confused and concerned ponies in the room. “Who’s Starlight?”

“Uh…please give us a moment, sweetie,” I said with a fake smile as Phill gave Merida to Fluttershy and he, Draco, and I left the room to speak in private. I closed the door behind me and my senses were still blaring like the loudest damn alarm and made my body feel like electricity was coursing through my veins.

“This is bad…” I said as my eyes narrowed out the window. “This is very bad, and it’s too damn soon!”

“Are ya sure it ain’t one of the Sin’s?” Phill asked, also feeling what I felt.

“Positive, Satanael would’ve warned me by now. And thanks to Lust, I would know if it’s one of them.”

“Look, we don’t have much time to discuss what’s happening. Especially since I can’t sense what you guys are feeling. But we should book it to Starlight’s village asap before it's too late.” Draco added.

“You don’t think I know that?!” I snapped. “I’ve been here half a year and this is the first time I’ve ever felt something like this! The fact that whatever it is I’m sensing is far away from here and it still feels like a fucking boulder is crushing me is almost too much to contemplate! Maybe it could be one of the Sins! And if that’s the case…then…”

“Then what, mate?!” Phill barked.

“I’m not strong enough, okay?!” I admitted.

Draco sighed before slapping me across the face. “Will you get it together?! You’re panicking worse than the caribou I’ve eaten!” He grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me in as he looked me dead in the eyes. “I don’t know what’s out there, but I have no intention of just letting it do what it wants to that village. Now either you get your shit together, or stay your ass here sitting on your hands while I head out!”

I stared at Draco as he glared at me with a fury in his eyes. Though the overwhelming power I was sensing was sending my mind into a frenzy, I knew I couldn’t just throw in the towel.

“You’re right,” I said as he let me go. “I’m sorry, it’s just, this is something I’ve never experienced before. Though I’ve been here for a little over half a year, this experience with the powers and war and shit are still a little new to me.” I scratched the back of my head and sighed. “I shouldn’t have panicked like that, it’s not usually like me to do so.”

“You can feel sorry for yourself later. Right now we need to mobilize our troops and address whatever it is we are dealing with.” Draco took a deep breath and went silent for a moment. “If they ask, Starlight is a pony I met once while traveling alone in Equestria, or do you plan on telling them the truth yet?”

“No,” I said firmly. “In fact, none of you will say anything about what we know.”

“Wait, neither of ya have told them about the show?” Phill asked, making me glare at him.

“Shut your trap! It’s not something that can be easily explained, especially since this whole world turned out to be real in the first place! Everyone already has enough on their plate as it is, with the death, destruction, and constant threat of the actual Seven Deadly Sins.” I shook my head. “No, the less they know the better. I’m not sure that they would even be able to acknowledge it.”

“I’m sure Twilight would,” Draco suggested. “The concept of the multiverse may have already crossed her mind. After all, she accepted an alien species as her coltfriend.”

“That’s…” I hesitated at the thought of telling Twilight. “Look, just give me time to think on it. You may be right that she’ll accept it.” I pinched the bridge if my nose as the unknown force came back. “Now’s not the time. We need to head out.”

I walked passed the two of them and we entered the dining hall again.

“Flash! Mobilize a few ships from the fleet! Alpha Squad, we’re heading out!”

I stood at the bow of my ship with Draco and Phill as a few of my other ships followed. My eyes were narrowed as we were about to pass over the mountain range that led to Starlight’s village. Since we were in a rush, I didn’t bother dawning my armor, so I just kept my street clothes, but still had my weapons strapped on.

“Ya still seem on edge,” Phill said as he examined his sword. “Ya think we can take whatever’s going at it?”

“We have to try,” I said.

“Or die trying,” Draco snickered. “At least I can say I didn't die a virgin."” He joked as he looked out in the same direction as me.

“You’re lucky you can’t sense it,” I smirked. “Otherwise we-”

All of a sudden, the overwhelming power seemed to vanish all together.

“What the?! It’s gone!”

“What?” Draco asked, looking confused. “What’s gone?”

“That power,” Phill said, also looking anxious. “It just up and disappeared!”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“Soarin!” I called out to my helmspony. “Full speed, double time!”

“Yes sir!” He said as the crew made the secondary sails unfurl and the engines groaned louder.

The Prometheus sailed faster than before as we passed over the mountain range. The clouds obscured our vision as we lowered below them…only to find an unprecedented sight. Scattered around the village was a large stockade of enemy soldiers. Only the whole stockade had been completely annihilated as smoke trails rose into the sky. Death was scattered all around, yet the village seemed untouched.

“What in hellfire?” I muttered.

“Jaysus, Marry, and Joseph…” Phill said. “What the bloody hell happened?”

“I too have a catchphrase related to religion,” Draco joked and both me and Phill glared at him. “What? You guys have your own saying, I don’t.”

“Soarin, take us down,” I ordered and he nodded. We landed just outside the death and destruction and the gangplank was lowered for us. We all walked off the ship with some soldiers in tow and I instinctively gripped a hand on Surtr.

“Flash, you and others stay out and hold position. We’ll go check out the village ourselves,” I ordered.

“Are you sure, boss?” Zephyr asked.

“Positive, watch our six.”

“You better come back, Draco,” Shadow said. “This is…a little too much, even for me.”

“I will, I promise,” Draco smiled as he kissed her deeply before running ahead of us, morphing into a Raptor.

We quickly followed Draco as I put my mask on and pulled my hood over my head and Phill did the same with his hood. We ignored the bodies we ran past. I took note of the bodies, their injuries consisted of bullet wounds, slash wounds, and some even burned to death. Whatever it was that did this, they knew what they were doing, too good. As we were about to enter the village, a magic bolt shot out from nowhere, prompting us to stop in our tracks as it hit the ground in front of us.

“Stay where you are!”

We all looked up at one of the roofs of the houses to see a pony mare I didn’t expect. It was none other than Sunset Shimmer and she had her hand held out towards us with a glare in her eye.

“Don’t move! Or the next one will go for your balls!”

Draco, still in raptor form, continued his approach towards the mare.

“I said stay back!” Sunset threatened. Phill was about to intervene but I held him back with my hand on his shoulder. “I’m warning you!” Draco took another step forward, prompting Sunset to fire a powerful looking magical blast. It shot towards Draco and blasted him where he stood. “Serves your freakish pet right!” Once the dust settled, Draco was seen standing perfectly still, unfazed by the attack. “What?! But how?!”

“Miss?” I finally said. “Please do not be alarmed, we’re not a threat.”

“Yeah right! Then what’s with all those weapons you got on you! Not to mention that monster! For all I know, you’re just more of Dainn’s cronies come to finish the job! Well, look around you! Was the stranger who wiped them out not enough?!”

Suddenly Draco jumped into the air towards Sunset as she was caught off guard. We watched as he got closer and closer to the mare who was too slow to aim her magic. But just as Draco’s body was about a few feet away from the mare, his body morphed and landed in her arms as his kitten sabertooth tiger form.

“What the?! How did-”

She was cut off when Draco meowed and nuzzled into her. Although she tried to resist, her face flushed red as she ended up snuggling Draco.

“So cute!” She giggled.

“As you can see, my associate also backs my claim.”

Sunset stopped her cuddling and glared down at us. She used her magic to levitate herself off the roof and stood a few yards away from us.

“Just because you’ve got this cute little kitty, doesn’t mean you’re off the hook!” She proclaimed, still holding on to Draco with both arms.

“Well that’s because-”

“DIE YOU WHORE!”

Out from the pile of bodies came a survivor as he ran towards Sunset. Draco jumped out of her arms and his body grew to an adult saber tooth tiger and pounced on him. The caribou screamed in fright as Draco roared and proceeded to maul him in a gruesome manner. Sunset looked on in horror as Phill and I just stood there. Once he was done with his prey, he looked back at Sunset, making her flinch. He slowly approached the mare until he stood just before her for a moment, until he transformed back into his human form. Sunset was completely bewildered at the spectacle as Draco looked down at her with a smirk.

“What…are you?!”

“…well I'm half Mexican on my dad’s side, and half Japanese on my mother’s side,” Draco joked as he moved a hand to his chin. “I guess that would be Mexnese.” He said with a goofy smile.

“Wha?”

“Perhaps we should start off by introducing ourselves?” I said as I stepped forward with Phill. “My name is Dimitri, this is Phill, and that’s Draco.”

“Top o’ the mornin’,” Phill waved.

“You still haven’t answered my question!”

“Well…Phill here’s the Angel’s Saint, Draco is the Beast of Chaos and Knight of Chaos, and I’m the Devil’s Hand and Knight of Liberation.”

“Hold on, what?” Sunset said with wide eyes as she pointed at me. “You’re the Hand of the Devil?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Prove it!”

Draco and Phill looked at me and shrugged. I rolled up my sleeve and showed her my brands.

“This proof enough?”

“I don’t know! You dress so casually yet you’re armed to the teeth! How am I supposed to know if you’re the real Devil’s Hand when we tried summing you!”

“Hold up, summon me?” I asked.

“Yes! These bastards were about to storm the village but we managed to put up a shield! With no other options, my friends decided to call for help the only way we had! We heard about a warrior who went by The Devil’s Hand and was liberating Equestria! We figured it was black magic that brought him here, so we set up a ritual! Only the being that showed up looked nothing like you!”

“And just what exactly did show up?” Draco asked.

“Sunset?”

We all turned to see the mare we did expect to see, Starlight Glimmer, walk up with Sugar Belle following behind.

“Is everything okay, you need backup?”

“Get a load of this, Starlight! This guy claims to be the real Devil’s Hand!”

“The real one?” Sugar Belle said. “But…he doesn’t look anything like the one who saved us.”

“Pardon me miss.” Draco said while trying to seem polite. “But I think there may have been a mistake in identities. Whatever you summoned wasn’t my friend over there, but rather something completely different.”

“Yeah, no shit!” Sunset scoffed.

“Sunset please,” Starlight said then turned to me. “So you are the real Devil’s Hand?”

“Yes,” I nodded as I showed her my brands. “I don’t know who saved you, but it wasn’t me, nor was I the one you summoned.”

“Then show us your face,” Starlight said.

Feeling that it would be best to comply, I pulled my jacket’s hood back and took off my mask as Phill did the same and pulled off his hood. The mares stared at me for a moment until Starlight looked at her friends.

“I think he’s telling the truth.”

“Just like that?!” Sunset said.

“Why else would I lie?” I said. “We actually came here to help fight against the enemy. And besides, would we be having this conversation if we were trying to hurt you?”

“And let’s not forget I did save you from that caribou not three minutes ago,” Draco reminded her.

The mares looked at each other with uncertainty until Starlight walked up to me and looked me dead in the eye.

“So you’re the real Devil’s Hand?”

“Yes, I am,” I nodded.

“And you say your name is Dimitri?”

“Dimitri Lockdrom, yes,” I nodded again.

After about a minute of staring, Starlight managed to crack a smile and nod.

“He’s cool, girls.”

“Really?” Sunset said.

“Really, let’s show them what we tried to do.”

With their trust somewhat gained, the mares led us through the town. We noticed the residents of the town peering from their homes through the doors and windows as Starlight brought us towards the main building.

“Kinda surprising to see Sunset,” I whispered to Draco as I eyed the mare.

“I have my theories as to why she is here, but we can discuss that later,” Draco whispered back.

We soon arrived at the main building where a few other ponies were waiting for us. They gazed at us warily but my eyes were too focused on what we saw in the middle of the room. A large pentagram, drawn in red chalk, and surrounded by candles filled nearly the whole floor. Some of the candles were knocked to the floor as Starlight stood there with her friends.

“Well…this is it,” Starlight said.

“Wow…this is…just wow,” I managed to say but narrowed my eyes at them. “This was pretty damn stupid of you.”

“Aye, you dumb broads got no idea the kind of shite ya almost stepped into,” Phill huffed.

“Ignoring my companions’ rudeness, they have a point. You could have opened a whole new kind of can of worms with this.” Draco scolded.

“Well what the hay were we supposed to do?!” Sunset snapped. “We were desperate, alright?! I’d rather die than become a slave to those perverts!”

“I also agree with Sunset” Starlight frowned as she looked away. “It was our only option.”

“Whatever, so why don’t you tell us what happened?” I said, crossing my arms.

“I think it would be best if I showed you,” Starlight said as her horn glowed. The room changed until we saw apparitions of the ponies.

“What’s this?” I wondered.

“Memory spell.”

Flashback
Starlight 1st POV

There were loud explosions outside as I frantically drew the chalk on the floor. Sunset and Sugar Belle, along with a few other unicorns, desperately held the magic shield up for as long as they could.

“Starlight! The shield won’t hold anymore!” Sunset cried as her horn flared. I looked out the window to see the magic dome. Multiple cracks were seen everywhere and Sunset straining.

“I know! I know! Just give me a moment!” I snapped as I put the finishing touches on the circle. I then lit the candles after marking the last rune and flared my horn with magic. “Done! Okay, here goes!” I clapped my hands together and began to chant. “Oh Hand of the Devil himself, heed my call! I beseech thee, make your presence known and slay our attackers! Leave no quarter, I give my soul to you! Come forth! HAND OF THE DEVIL!”

At first nothing happened, despair began to fill the faces of the ponies in the room when suddenly wind began to emit from the pentagram that only grew until it snuffed out the candle flames. The pentagram began to glow an ominous purple before black and purple lightning ascended from the floor around where the candles stood. Soon, a black twister appeared in the center of the magic circle, making the winds harsher and nearly impossible to withstand.

Suddenly, the tornado burst like a balloon knocking us back. Upon recovering, we noticed the room was dark since the purple glow from before had also ceased at the same time as the tornado bursting but we could tell that we were no longer alone. Breathing was heard coming from where the pentagram was drawn. Suddenly, we heard the sound of fingers snapping and just like that, the extinguished candles were once again alight, illuminating the room with its gentle glow and also revealing a new occupant.

Standing in the centre of the pentagram was a figure of bipedal shape, dressed in fine clothes that one would not expect to see on a demon. Its legs were covered in black leather clasp boots that went halfway up to its knees and tucked into the boots were a pair of black coloured straight pants made of fine material. Moving to the torso, the figure appeared to be wearing a black button up long sleeve shirt and over the shirt was a long black coat that reached the figure’s legs and came equipped with a hood and was adorned with silver trimming and buttons. To finish the ensemble were white gloves upon the figure’s hands.

When I went to look at the figure’s face, I saw it was wearing the hood upon the coat but beneath it there was only darkness. As if there was a void where the figure’s face should be. The figure then proceeded to brush off dust that was on its shoulder before it turned to face us.

“Who summoned me?” The figure asked, leading me to deduce that the figure was definitely male and it sounded both gentle but imposing at the same time.

“W-We did…” I managed to speak with a shaky voice. The figure looked my way and tilted his head a little. “P-please…help us. We-”

“Argh!”

We both turned to see Sunset and the other unicorns grab their heads as their horns snuffed out. I gasped as I looked outside to see the shield beginning to fade away completely and the Caribou all ready to storm the village.

“Hand of the Devil!” I cried as I fell to my knees in front of him. “Please, Hand, please drive the enemy Caribou back! If nothing is done, the mares will all be turned into their personal playthings and the stallions will be killed! We heard of how you freed the Crystal Empire, and this was the only way we could think of contacting you! I beg of you, Devil’s Hand, protect our village! I’ll offer you my very soul!”

At first the figure said nothing and just stared at me before I heard it…sigh?

“I’m not the Hand of the Devil. Hell, I didn’t even realize Satanael even got a new one,” the figure said as he began to walk forward, causing the hopes on mine and everyone’s faces to shatter into despair. I then looked back at the new arrival and saw him stop beside me and place a hand on my head and give it a rub. “Also in future, don’t be so quick to gamble with your soul.”

“Wait, does that mean you’ll help us?” Sunset asked.

“I may not be the Devil’s Hand like you wanted, but I can assure you that I am not inferior to him. Stay put and watch the show. We can discuss the payment for the contract after I dispose of these vermin.”

As the figure stepped outside, the Caribou marched towards the houses as we all looked out the window to watch. The leader of the Caribou stockade was dressed in heavy armor and was riding one of those disgusting War Beasts. The figure stood in front of the group as the leader raised his hand to stop his army.

“What’s this? Either a fellow male to tell us where the fresh batch of slaves are? Or a foolish traitor who thinks he can go against Lord Dainn?” He mocked.

“Okay, I’ve decided…You’ll die last, right after I finish off the rest of you,” the figure said, causing the hoard of Caribou to laugh.

“You kill us?” The commander said with a laugh before turning back to his forces. “Seems we have someone here who thinks he’s the Devil’s Hand himself.” The commander turned back to the figure. “I don’t know who you are, but let me tell you this, fool, you’re gonna die real bad just for uttering such words to me.”

“Then what are you waiting for, an invitation? Come here and try before I die of boredom,” the figure said in a nonchalant manner that I couldn’t help but giggle at, but this just angered the caribou leader before he commanded his War Beast to charge forward.

As the beast charged forward, the figure just stood there until he moved aside a part of his coat to reveal a gun belt fully stocked with bullets. There were a couple of what looked like nails strapped to the figure’s thigh on another belt with some small knives and a dagger sat on the gun belt, a golden revolver holstered on his left hip and a silver one on his right. He then pulled out the silver weapon and aimed it at the charging monster. The gun was then surrounded in golden like flames that reminded me of sunlight. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a trail of golden embers was ejected from the gun. The next thing I know, the commander’s mount is reduced to the same golden embers causing the rider to impact the ground and skid towards the figure who simply used one of it’s feet to stop the commander’s slide.

Everyone could only stare in shock and awe at what we saw just transpire but what shocked me most was just how casually the figure drew the weapon and aimed it before firing. It was almost as if he was in this situation many times before, shooting a charging animal dead before it could even get close. I then refocused on the scene just in time to see the figure reeled back his leg and kicked the commander back towards his troops as if he were a ball and for some reason I could feel the distinct impression that the figure was smiling beneath that hood.

“Your move boys.”

“Gah! A fortune of gold and a batch of the finest sluts to the one who puts a bucking bullet in his head! I’ll even allow you to join me in taking back Canterlot so that we may indulge ourselves with that Sun Slut and the two Moon Bitches!”

Suddenly, a sword on some kind of dorsal scabbard appeared on the figure’s back and the blade appeared to be a one handed longsword, with a silver and wooden handle and a spiral going around the wood. The hilt was shaped to be that of a silver wolf’s head and a pair of wings making up the cross guard. They were a combination of white feathers and crimson bat wings where the feathers made up the top half of the wings and the lower half consisted of the bat wings. Meanwhile, the blade itself had a strange glow to it and there seemed to be runes engraved into the blade as well.

The figure then goes to draw the blade and I gave my eyes a quick rub to make sure I’m not hallucinating, but the blade of the sword seemed to have extended while becoming thinner in width, becoming an estoc sword and yet the blade had maintained its sharp edge. If I was looking at the blade correctly. Out of nowhere, the sound of music filled the air and that seemed to be what caused the caribou to charge at the figure.

The first to face our mysterious summon was another War Beast but before we knew it, the beast was sliced down the middle by a lightning quick flick of the wrist from the hooded being. I watched as the two halves went past the warrior while the figure dashed forward and into the hoard of caribou but it seemed the figure was not worried in the slightest. As I watched, I noticed that for every swing of the blade it left a beautiful and perfect curve of crimson in the air before it dissipated and splattered onto the ground. It was almost like watching a painter working on a canvas and with this painter his sword was the brush, their blood the paint, the canvas the ground, and the picture was something my mind could not fathom.

“Starlight.” Sunset spoke.

“Yes?” I asked as I looked at my friend.

“Just what exactly have we summoned?” Sunset asked as she looked at me with a worried expression.

“I-I honestly don’t know,”I responded.

There was a loud bang coming from the battle, making our gaze return to the fight and we saw the figure had somehow managed to get back and away from the caribou. He had set aside his blade in favor of a new weapon, it looked like one of those rifle things the Caribou used. The butt and foregrip of the weapon being made of polished mahogany wood while the rest was made with blackened metal and brass. Which had also been polished, giving the tool of death an elegant appearance. Attached to it, there seemed to be a scope on the gun along with an inscription in brass upon the barrel but I couldn't make it out at this distance.

“Don’t make this too easy boys, at least attempt to fight for your lives,” the figure said simply while he loaded a new round into the chamber.

The caribou seemed to be surprised by the repeater and began to scatter to take cover but the figure just started shooting. Each shot felling the enemy with a perfect headshot until finally a click alerted everyone that the gun was empty. Giving the caribou the chance they were waiting for, they started to shoot at the figure with their own firearms. But suddenly a wall of earth appeared before the figure, creating cover for him and blocking the bullets coming at him. I watched as he calmly holstered the rifle on his back before switching to his revolvers before stepping out of cover and started shooting the foul rapists.

The figure ducked and weaved through the hail of bullets while his own revolvers were spitting out rounds at the opponents. Each kick, each bang, each slam of the hammer is like a screaming shout against the caribou and the oppression they’ve brought upon us. With each fall of a body, is a little more freedom returned to us. I spotted a caribou on the roof of one of the houses opposite us and another caribou who had somehow gotten behind the figure.

Before I could utter a warning, the hooded warrior pulled out a knife and threw it towards the earth-made cover, completely missing his target before firing his revolver at the one on the roof, eliminating the threat. I then looked back at the second guard and saw the blade the figure threw was now sticking out of the caribou’s skull.

“What?! But it never went any-,” I started.

“It ricocheted,” Sunset said.

“What?” I asked, looking towards my friend again.

“He threw the knife at the wall which then bounced off and continued on towards the caribou, striking him in the head," Sunset said with eyes wide open in amazement at the once in a lifetime shot.

I then looked back at the figure just in time for him to swing out the cylinders of his revolvers and empty them and replace the bullets before snapping the cylinder back in place with the flick of a wrist, all at a speed only a professional could achieve. One of the caribou made a mad dash at the summoned one with a war cry. Before the caribou could get within range, the figure turned his head and a torrent of flames came flowing out of the hood, making many of us including me jump back in surprise. When I moved back to the window, I watched the caribou burn alive while screaming in pain as he tried in vain to smother the flames engulfing his body.

“Is he…a dragon?” One of the villagers asked.

“No who and whatever he is, he is not of this plain of existence, that’s for sure. He uses magic but has no horn and can breath fire apparently and he seems to be well equipped and experienced with many forms of combat,” I said

“Combat, Starlight, this is easily a one sided fight, no, a massacre. Whoever that is, he knows death. I bet you anything he is well versed with it as well as if he has lived his entire existence surrounded by it,” another villager said.

“Well whoever he is, I’m just happy he’s on our side,” a third said.

I looked back at the figure and saw him put away his revolvers and draw his sword again, which had returned to its natural state, to face the charging mass of caribou. The figure then amazed me again by placing both hands on the handle and pulling the blade in two directions, producing two blades both very alike to its original shape. However, both were missing the wolf head on the hilt, one blade had feathered wings for a cross guard while the blade gave off a soothing white glow while the other had bat wings for the cross guard and had a violent angry crimson glow.

This did not seem to impress or detour the caribou as they continued their charge. The figure stayed still as if waiting for something and once both sides were within striking distance, the hooded warrior vanished and for a brief moment I thought I saw multiple faded images of him. The figure appeared again and was walking backwards with both arms outstretched at his sides and aiming at the ground and the blades still in his grasp were also aimed downward at an angle.

Suddenly, spouts of blood erupted from the caribou like geysers. Upon a closer look, the caribou were covered in fresh wounds all over their body.

“Was that rapid teleportation?” a villager asked.

“Speed,” I said.

“What?” The same villager asked.

“He used nothing but pure speed to cut them down,” Sunset said.

“Okay, I’m getting a little spooked by this guy,” a villager said.

“It looks like he got them all,” I said as I decided to step outside to look around when the music playing came to an end.

The scent of blood was thick in the air as I made my way over to the individual that single handedly cut through the caribou force that came here.

“Is it over?” I asked.

“Not quite,” the figure said as he once again drew a revolver. He moved his arm in an arcing motion while firing a bullet down an alleyway before twirling the gun on his index finger before holstering it. At first all was quiet until a caribou body fell out of another alleyway three houses down; a new bullet hole in his head.

“Town should be clear. I shall head over to the camp and deal with the stragglers, after that I’m gone,” the figure said

“I see,” I said.

I was thinking of asking the figure to stay and help protect us, but before I could utter a word he had already begun to make his way towards the camp. So I turned to the others and began to explain what we were going to do. After getting everything in order, we made our way over to the former caribou camp to give our saviour his payment. We were coming up to the gates when one slowly opened revealing a terrified caribou soldier who appeared to be trying to flee something when suddenly, what looked like a metal spine with a blade on the end, burst out of the gates and impaled itself into the caribou’s shoulder.

“Get over here!”

The caribou was then yanked back into the camp and there was a loud squelch sound from within. I went to investigate and saw the caribou had been bisected with the figure standing over him. The metal spine was now retracting into the figure’s sleeve and behind the figure were several diced up caribou corpses along with several freed slaves who had all the collars removed. The ones with the boxes over their wings had been removed and shockingly the ones with their horns sliced off have been returned. There were even some stallions who had a look of shame on their faces, probably once brainwashed males and not too far away was the commander who appeared to be shitting in his pants in fear.

“Good timing, I was just finishing up,” the figure said before he began to make his way over to the commander. He was trying to crawl away, but the figure brought a leg down on one of the commander’s own legs resulting in a loud crunching sound. Meaning the bones that were inside the commander’s leg had been shattered by that stomp and the scream coming from the commander only solidified that fact.

“Remind me what you said? You’d give a fortune of gold and a batch of your victims to the one who put a bucking bullet in my head? While even allowing them to join you in taking back Canterlot so that you may indulge yourselves with the princess, am I right?” The figure said in a tone that made the very air become cold, if the fog of my breath was any indication. An aura seemed to surround the figure while inside the aura skeletons could be seen writhing about. Finally, something in a mirror caught my eye. It was an amber glow that was coming from the darkness of the hood. It was then I realized it was an eye.

Before anyone realized it, the figure had grabbed the commander by the antlers and dragged him over towards the mirror. He proceeded to smash his face against the mirror until the entire thing was cracked. The figure then pressed the caribou’s face against the shattered mirror before dragging the commander’s face across the shattered fragments. All the while, the commander was screaming for mercy but his screams fell on deaf ears. The sight made my skin crawl and I wanted to lose my last meal once the commander had reached the bottom of the mirror. He was tossed aside before a portal opened up near the figure.

“This is where we part!” the figure shouted over the howling winds of the portal, causing my eyes to widen.

“Wait, the payment…for the contract!” I shouted.

The figure turned to me before he left through the portal, making me and Sunset cower a little.

“I-I mean…you did what we summoned you to do so…” I stepped forward, against my friend’s protest, and looked away as my cheeks burned with embarrassment. “You said my soul wouldn’t suffice, so I could instead…o-offer you my body.”

“Starlight no!” Sunset called out.

“Don’t give yourself to him! Even if he did save us!” Sugar Bell added.

“What about Sunburst?!” A stallion cried out. “You wanted to see him again, didn’t you?!”

“Well what would you give to the one who saved our necks?!” I shouted while looking back at the rest of the villagers. I then looked back at the figure to speak only to stop and saw he had raised his hand giving me the universal sign for hold on.

“What I want is for you to deliver this to Dimitri Lockdrom,” The figure said as a compass appeared in his left hand before holding it out to me.

“Huh?” We all collectively asked.

“Who’s…Dimitri Lockdrom?” I asked. All the figure did was look off to the side, as if he was looking at something but when I turned my head to see what he was looking at I saw nothing.

“You’ll find out,” the figure said, causing me to look back at him. “So will you do this or would you prefer I take your soul?”

“No, no we’ll do it!” Sunset said before snatching the compass from the figure. “What’s it for anyway?”

“It’s to help him find someone I’m sure he’s looking for,” the figure said before he began to enter the portal.

“Wait! What’s your name?!” I cried out.

“Ask Satanael!” The figure shouted back before the portal swallowed him, leaving behind a mark on the ground a mark that showed a skeletal arm grasping a scythe.

Present Time
Dimitri 1st POV

I’ve been surprised many times in my life, shocked even, but this? This is the first time when words fail me. My jaw was slack and open, my eyes were wide as dinner plates, and my body was frozen stiff as the spell ended and we were back to the present. Nothing about what I just witnessed made a lick of sense, not a fucking thing. I managed to pry my eyes from the open area of the town and slowly look at Starlight and Sunset.

“What. The. Fuck…?!” I managed to speak out.

“But he…” Phill sputtered, pointing in random directions. “You and…how did…with the words…but how?”

“........I’m not sure what to say?” Draco said, sounding dumbfounded.

“Wait…just, WAIT!” I barked before they could say anything. “He knew…my name. How the ever loving FUCK…did that…GUY, KNOW MY NAME?!”

Draco examined the pentagram on the ground as I was losing my shit. “Shot in the dark but maybe you should ask your boss. Whoever this guy is, did say to ask Satanael.”

“I already know.” As if on cue, Satanael showed up in a puff of flames. “To think, he of all beings would make an appearance.”

“Who?” I demanded.

“The Hand of the Reaper.”

“Hand…of the Reaper?”

“You what?! The Reaper’s Hand was here?!” Phill yelped.

“Wait, you know who that was, Phill?” Draco asked.

“I…I can’t say, I ain’t ever met him,” Phill shook his head. “All I heard from Saint Michael, even Saint Azrael, was that he works for the legit Grim Reaper. His job is to hunt down those who’ve escaped Death’s clutches illegally. And let me tell ya, this guy is no joke, not in the damn slightest.”

“So the Reaper doesn’t work for heaven or hell?” Draco questioned.

“No, he is what you may refer to as the Champion of Limbo. The world between life and death,” Satanael said.

“Of all the fucking guys…now there’s a Reaper’s Hand?” I grumbled.

“I don’t think so,” Draco shook his head. “Something tells me this was just a one time thing, otherwise you would be still sensing him right now.”

“I…I guess so,” I sighed.

“He did say that this was where we parted,” Starlight said.

“It sounded like this would be the only time we’d ever see him,” Sunset said.

“I suppose, still, I doubt that was him going all out,” I said. “I sensed his power, that guy’s a fucking monster. So I’m glad he’s not coming back.”

“He may have been a monster, but he was a monster with a good sense of justice. He has my respect,” Draco smiled while looking out at all the dead corpses.

“You should be wary, Dimitri,” Satanael warned. “For if the Reaper’s Hand made himself known to you, I can only imagine what shall transpire for the unforeseeable future.” With that, Satanael disappeared in a puff of flames.

“What do ya suppose he meant by that?” Phill wondered.

“I have no idea. I’d still like to know how that guy knew my name.”

“Wouldn’t everyone know your name by now?”

“If it was just Devil’s Hand, maybe, but this was my actual name. Not only that, but didn’t you guys get the distinct feeling that he was coincidentally looking right at us before he left? Even though it was a memory spell?”

“…and now I’m creeped out. Thanks for that.”

“So what was that about a compass he gave you?” I asked Sunset.

“Oh yeah.” She reached behind to pull out a small compass that was in a little black box. “He said that this would lead to someone you’re looking for.”

“Someone I’m looking for?” I arched my brow as I watched the arrow point off to the side. “Who could that be?”

“Probably some other mare to add to your growing herd?” Draco joked.

“Another comment like that, and I’ll have you be Shadow’s personal assistant for a month.”

“…so she’ll be fucking her assistant…sounds hot, sign me up!”

“Who said anything like that?” I smirked. “I might have her order you to wear a frilly pink dress? Or maybe she’ll force you to take on a Dino form so she can ride you like a mount for the duration of the month? Or…maybe have her force you to reveal your deepest, personal secret?”

For a moment Draco didn’t say anything before a smirk crossed his lips. “Okay first Lock, I get it man, you’ve got the hots for me that you’d want to see in a frilly dress, but I just don’t swing that way.”

“Why you!” I lunged and tackled him and we ended up wrestling all over the floor, making the ponies in the room and Phill jump back. “I’ll show you how I swing! With my fist in your nose!”

“Whoa hey now, I’m not into this BDSM stuff,” He joked again and he looked down. “And geez dude, you must really have the hots for me if you wanna get this touchy feely.”

“Oh yeah?” I grabbed him and swung his body down until I reached behind and yanked his underwear as hard as I could. “How’s this for touchy feely?!”

“AAAIIIYYY!!”

“Oof, that looked like it hurt,” a stallion cringed.

“And how’s this?!” I wrapped my arms around his head, putting him in a headlock, and drove my knuckle into his scalp hard. “Still think I got the hots for ya, you little shit!”

“Well considering you can't keep your hands off me, yeah.,” Draco joked and I noticed his head suddenly felt different. “Also, good luck hurting my head when it’s as strong as a Pachycephalosaurus.”

“That’s enough!” Phill barked as he grabbed us both by the backs of our collars and hoisted us up. “You two are boys! And it seems I gotta set ya straight! No more roughin’ about, ya hear?!”

“Oh come on, we were just roughhousing,” I shrugged.

“Shut it! As your big brother, I’m tellin’ ya to keep that lip of yours zipped! And you!” Phill turned to Draco. “No more of your teasin’! We ain’t got the time nor it be the place to do so! Got it?!”

“Yeah, fine bro,” Draco groaned.

I noticed Draco’s head no longer had the scales on his scalp, which Phill seemed to take advantage of and proceeded to slam our heads together.

“Ow! The fuck, dude?!” I said as I rubbed my head.

“That’s for actin’ like an immature little shite, the both of ya!” Phill scoffed.

“You could have just smacked us with your own hands, instead of using our heads,” Draco groaned while rubbing his.

“Ya want a fresh one?” Phill said, raising his fist.

“No no, I’m good!”

“Uh, are you three always like this?” Starlight asked.

“Not really, but we manage,” I said. “Anyway, you and the other ponies here should come back with us. It’s not safe here since word will spread about the enemy’s losses.”

“Tch, fat chance we’re going anywhere with you,” Sunset scoffed, turning away from us.

“You know, Celestia probably misses you,” Draco said.

Sunset snapped her head to Draco. “How do you know about that?”

“You’d be surprised by what I know. Like how you regret leaving and now you feel as though you have no right to go back home.”

“That’s not true!” She snapped. “As you can see, I’m doing quite fine as it is! With my new friends in this village! We got along just fine before the Fall!”

“Oh yes, bottling up your pain and sadness with a distraction is a real way of living,” Draco rolled his eyes as he got closer to the mare. “But let me tell you something, keeping things bottled up is no way to live. You have regrets and you shouldn’t just forget them. I get you’re scared, but you don’t need to." He clasped his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Do you really think that Celestia wouldn’t want to see you again? To know that you’re okay?”

“But…she rejected me!” Sunset said. “I was her top student before Twilight Sparkle! I was supposed to be an alicorn! But I was sent away! Do you have any idea what that feels like?!”

“Sunset…” Starlight frowned.

“I had no idea,” Sugar Belle said.

“You were sent away because you wanted the power so bad. And she knew that kind of power can corrupt a pony, make them be something they are not. Being sent away was just a means of protecting you. But you don’t see it that way because you were denied that power. Tell me now, do you truly believe that becoming an alicorn is what you really need?”

“If it’s to prove I’m the best, then yes!” Sunset proclaimed. “It’ll show her she was wrong!”

“That’s a pretty selfish way of thinking,” I said.

“Aye, it ain’t all about you, lass,” Phill said.

“Why not?!”

“Cause you’re only thinking about yourself,” I said. “Sounds to me you didn’t really care about Celestia or any who you dragged through the dirt. If you came out on top, then that probably was enough for you.”

“But being at the top means you’re alone, no pony to share your victories with, no pony to share your pain, no pony to count on when you need help,” Draco said solemnly.

“Sunset, were we truly your friends?” Starlight questioned.

“O-Of course we are! Why wouldn’t we be?!”

“But you didn’t tell us that Princess Celestia sent you away,” Sugar Belle said.

“I…I just didn’t want you to pity me,” Sunset looked away.

“Friends don’t pity when it comes to that, Sunset. They console you, try to make you feel better, and make you feel loved.” Draco smiled as he continued. “Honestly a title means shit, it’s just a fancy name, it doesn’t define you. You are what defines you.”

“But…what about becoming an Alicorn?”

“Meh, it’s just another fancy title. I mean, all you get is a pair of wings to go with your horn,” I shrugged.

“Besides there is a princess who isn’t an Alicorn, and she’s not phased by it.”

“Who?”

“Her name is Princess Amore.”

“Amore? Wait, where I have I heard that name?” Starlight wondered, tapping her chin.

“She’s not an Alicorn?” Sunset said.

“Nope, but that’s besides the point,” I said. “Sunset, you can’t let your insecurities get the better of you over something menial as a title. You say Celestia sent you away because she rejected you, but you’re wrong. She sent you away to discover something for yourself, and it seems like you already found it but just didn’t realize it.”

“And just what is that?”

“Friendship,” I said, gesturing to Starlight and Sugar Belle, along with the other ponies.

“It’s the power of friendship that Twilight lacked growing up and Celestia’s student, much like yourself. Because friendship is magic,” Draco said.

Sunset looked at the other ponies who were smiling back at her. She then hung her head as her ears and tail drooped.

“Was I wrong…?” She muttered.

“Not wrong, just misguided,” Phill said.

“Sunset,” Starlight, said as she approached her. “You’re still somepony I consider a great friend. If it wasn’t for you, I probably would have done something that I would very much regret. I was about to give up on friendship, but you helped me realize that it’s not all gone when I thought Sunburst abandoned me.”

“She’s right,” Sugar Belle said. “We all need to stick together, especially during these hard times.

“I feel like I don’t deserve you though,” Sunset frowned.

“No pony is perfect, Sunset, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’ll always be friends,” Starlight said with a smile.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Sunset said with a halfhearted smile as she wiped her eyes. “But…what about Princess Celestia?”

Draco smiled as he placed a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “I’m willing to bet Lock’s left testicle she is missing you too, and awaits the day you come back.”

“Ya just HAD to go there,” I facepalmed as Phill cracked his knuckles.

“You what, brat?” Phill growled.

“Try anything and I’ll turn into a prehistoric skunk, and trust me when I say no amount of tomato juice will get the stick out,” Draco said darkly.

“Okay, now it’s my turn to break it up,” I said, getting in between them before returning my attention to Sunset. “So what’s it gonna be, Shimmer? Wanna come back with us or stay here?”

Sunset glanced away for a moment until she exhaled deeply. “Fine, but only because I don’t wanna stick around all this death.”

“Fair enough,” I nodded. “And would you two quit glaring at each other?! Sheesh, you both are worse than my step-siblings!”

“…I’m sorry what?” Draco turned to me. “You have step-siblings?”

“Well yeah, after I was adopted my step-parents had two other kids.” I pulled my smartphone out and scrolled through my pictures to show him. “Meet Franklin and Nick Lockdrom, my two younger step-brothers.” It was a picture of me with my hands on both my siblings’ heads as they both smiled toothy grins at the camera. It was back when I was a freshman in college and they were each 10 years younger than me. Frank had dirty blonde hair, Nick had light blonde hair, and both of them had blue/green eyes.

“Huh…I had no idea,” Draco said while examining the picture.

“So besides that, I think we should get going now,” I said as I tucked my phone in my pocket.

The mares nodded and went to tell the other ponies the news that they were leaving. Some were hesitant to leave but knew that they couldn’t stay here any more. As everyone was getting ready, I saw a group of stallions keeping their distance from everyone else. The three of us approached them to see what was wrong but they cowered away when we got close.

“Is there something wrong, lads?” Phill asked.

“We…we can’t come with you,” a stallion muttered. It was then I recognized them as the formerly brainwashed stallions who were part of the stockade that the Reaper’s Hand dispatched.

“And why’s that?” I wondered.

“We don’t deserve to,” the stallion frowned. “We did…awful things to the mares that were freed.”

“Hang on, I fixed the Crystal Heart before that guy came here to help,” I pointed out. “How were you all still affected?”

“Oh, well we did feel our minds becoming free from their control, but I guess it took a little longer than most. That stranger who killed the Caribou used his strange magic to finish breaking the brainwashing completely.”

“But that still doesn’t excuse the amount of terrible shit we did when we were under their control. I was a total scumbag!”

“Yeah, you and half of the other stallions in Equestria, did you want a medal for it?” Draco cut in before stepping up. “What happened was beyond your control, and at least you feel remorse. There were stallions who were willing to do worse and were fully aware of what they were doing.”

“Tell that to them then!” The stallion snapped, pointing at some of the mares who flinched at his words. “They can’t even look us in the eye without getting scared!”

“Can you blame them?” Draco said calmly. “Do you expect them to suddenly get over the harsh shit they’ve seen?” He asked seriously. “It’s not as simple as casting the memory aside, what happened to everypony has left scars on their hearts and memories. This is a part of war.”

“It still stings…” the stallion said.

“Then make it not sting any longer,” I said, crossing my arms. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

“Yeah, you’re the Crimson Winged Demon,” the stallion said.

“Okay, that’s a new one,” I rolled my eyes. “Point is, I’m the leader of the resistance against the Stonehoof regime. There’s a whole fleet under my command and we’re always open to accepting new recruits to fight. You want to redeem yourselves? Then join my crew.”

“Just like that?” The stallion said.

“Just like that,” I nodded. “So what say you?”

The stallions looked at each other for a moment until the stallion who I was speaking to raised his hand to me. I smiled as I shook his hand, knowing that I have more crew members to my fleet. I ordered them to go help the ponies pack to load on the ship as Draco and Phill stood by me.

“The road to redemption is a tough one, mate,” Phill said.

“Don’t I know it,” I sighed. “Come on, we might as well help.”

It took about an hour, but we managed to help all the ponies in the town get packed up and ready to leave. I radioed the nearby ships to land outside the town so the residents can come aboard. The stern of the Prometheus had a large door that opened up and all the ponies gathered inside with us following. Once they were all set up, we noticed Sugar Belle be the last one to board as she looked back to the town.

“Phill, you go on ahead,” I said.

“Aye,” he nodded and left to help the townsfolk.

Draco and I approached the mare as she carried a couple large bags with her. She gazed at the town with a sad frown.

“I wish I could stay, as crazy as it sounds,” Sugar Belle said. “This town is where my friends and I have so many memories together.”

“I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss,” I said. “But this town is now considered a hot zone for the enemy.”

“Besides I heard that the local bakers in Ponyville need some help,” Draco smiled knowing full well that Suger Belle loves to bake. “And they have the best apples in Equestria.”

“Really?” Sugar Belle asked, but then tilted her head. “How did you know I was a baker?”

“Well it’s faint, but I can smell that you use ingredients used for baking,” Draco said calmly.

“Um…thank you?” Sugar Belle said sheepishly.

“Dude, kinda weird that you’re smelling her,” I muttered.

“I’m not smelling her specially, after that one caribou pulled a fast one on us, I’ve kept all my senses at peak conditions,” he whispered back.

“Oh, my bad.”

“What are your name’s?” Sugar Belle asked. “I apologize, I seem to have forgotten them.”

“No need to apologize,” I said with a kind smile and offered her my hand to which she accepted with her own and I shook it gently. “My name is Dimitri, I’m the leader of the resistance and the recently appointed Knight of Liberation.”

“Wow, really? You’re a knight?”

“Yep, and so am I.” Draco moved his hand to shake hers next. “I’m Draco Saurian, lieutenant and second in command. I hold the title of Knight of Chaos.”

“You’re both knights?” She asked and we nodded. “I see…well, I just hope you both succeed in this war.” She glanced over her shoulder to the town again. “Why would they want to do this to us?”

“Since when do tyrants need a valid reason to conquer all they see?” I asked under my breath.

“We don’t know why they did this, but what we do know is that they are going to pay for all the pain and suffering they’ve caused,” Draco groaned, looking out at the town full of dead caribou corpses.

“In any case, I’m glad you both came to take us to safety.” Sugar Belle set her bags down and stepped forward to give me a quick hug and did the same to Draco. It was a little surprising, but I smiled at her, seeing this was just her way of showing thanks. As she joined the others, I noticed Draco had a pitiful frown as he watched her go.

“I know what you’re thinking,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. “I too wish things were different.”

“…You think she’ll find somepony in town? Big Mac was meant to be with her, but now…”

“Who can say?” I said. “I guess their paths were never meant to cross in this reality.”

Then Draco had a look on his face like he remembered something. “Speaking of reality, do you think that the mirror exists in this one?”

My eyes widened at the question as I looked back to see Sunset talking with some of my crew and Phill.

“Only one way to find out.”

The trip back to the Crystal Empire was uneventful but we managed to make it home without any trouble. The Princesses and main six were standing outside to greet us and welcomed the newcomers. As we were about to step off the ship, we noticed Sunset looking nervous as she fidgeted into place.

“Nervous?” I asked.

“Wouldn’t you if you were about to meet the pony who you basically turned your back on?” Sunset asked bitterly.

A hand gently cupped her shoulder as Draco gave off a warm smile. “Just relax, I promise everything will be alright.”

“But I-”

“Sunset?”

Sunset flinched as we both turned to see Celestia looking at us from beyond the crowd. She gulped hard as she walked up to the solar Princess and rubbed her arm.

“Um…h-hello, Princess Celestia,” she said nervously.

“You look well,” Celestia said calmly.

“I’ve…managed.”

“Why won’t you look at me, Sunset?”

“Because I…I can’t,” Sunset said. “I went behind your back and said all those awful things. You sent me away, and I thought it was because I failed as your student.” Tears began to form in her eyes. “I was a troubled pony who only cared about being on top. I was a misguided mare, and…I’m so sorry for what I did.”

Celestia was silent at her words but then reached out to her. Sunset closed her eyes until Celestia cupped her chin and made her look up to her, seeing her smile her trademark motherly smile.

“I’ve missed you, Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset held back a sob as they embraced each other. Though she did not let us see it, we could tell there were tears spilling from her eyes.

“Well, that’s a relief,” I said.

“Now that has been taken care of, let’s go see about that mirror,” Draco whispered.

“Excuse me, Sir Lock? Sir Draco?” As we walked towards the castle, Sunburst approached us with a few books in his arms.

“Sorry Sunburst, we’re in a bit of a hurry.”

“It will only take a moment, please?” Sunburst said.

“What’s up man?” Draco said.

“It’s about the Crystal Heart, whatever you did to it, it’s become much stronger than it ever was before!” Sunburst grinned. “It’s energy is off the charts! Almost as if it can self-sustain itself with that strange white flame of yours that you used to repair it. What’s more is that its new energy seems to be affecting everypony and everything! It’s all so very fascinating!”

“Well I’m glad to hear that,” I nodded.

“I don’t suppose you can use that white flame again? It could open up a whole new field of questions!”

“Oh, sorry Sunburst, but I can’t,” I shook my head.

“Why not?”

“To be honest, what happened back there was something not even I can explain,” I said. “I didn’t even know I could do something like that.”

“Basically it was a trick he shat out of his ass and didn’t know how,” Draco summarized.

“Wha?”

WHACK!

“As I was saying,” I grumbled after slapping Draco upside his head. “Though I don’t know why or how I was able to bring it forth, it’s an unknown power that I doubt I’ll be able to bring out again.”

“Maybe with some laxatives?” Draco joked.

“Hey Shadow!” I called out to her, making her turn to me. “Good news! Draco is your slave for the next month!”

“Really?! Aw yeah!” Shadow cheered and grinned maliciously at Draco. “I’ve got plans for you~.”

Draco rather than looking nervous walks over to his mare and kisses her. “I’ll be sure to fulfill your desires, my mistress,” he said in a surprisingly deep yet smooth tone.

“Ooh, now I’m definitely looking forward to it~,” she cooed.

“SUNBURST?!”

Starlight burst through the crowd as she stared at the young wizard. Sunburst adjusted his glasses before his eyes went wide.

“Starlight? Is that you?”

“SUNBURST!” Starlight cheered as she ran up to him and wrapped him in a big hug. “I never thought I’d see you again! I’m so happy you’re okay!”

“I-I’m happy to see you too!” Sunburst stammered. “I thought you were still in Sire’s Hollow?”

“A lot has happened since you left,” Starlight said. “We can catch up later, just let me hug you for now!”

“E-Em…okay,” Sunburst said as a blush spread across his face.

Draco whistled while wiggling his eyebrows. “And the Sunlight shippers rejoice!!”

“The what?” I asked as they blushed but still hugged each other.

“I’ll tell you later,” Draco joked while still hugging his mare. “But we should probably go take care of the thing we were talking about earlier.”

“Got it,” I nodded. “Phill! Come with us for a sec.”

“On me way!” Phill said as Fluttershy handed Merida to him and walked up to us.

“Where are you going, Dimitri?” Moon asked.

“Just to check on something real quick, do me a favor and help get these ponies settled.”

She nodded as we left for the castle and walked through the front gate.

“So what’re we lookin’ for?” Phill wondered.

“A magical mirror,” I said.

“Mirror? Why?”

“Because that mirror is a portal to a parallel world to this one. Where there are human versions of the ponies here,” Draco explained.

“Humans? Hold up, ya don’t think this thing…could lead to our world, could it?”

“Unlikely,” I shook my head.

“As I mentioned, it’s a parallel world to this one. Last I checked we didn’t have people with pastel colored skin walking around in our world.”

“Fair point,” Phill said as we walked along.

We walked through the halls to the best of our memory to find the room. It took a while, but we finally ended up finding the rooms that hopefully contained what we were looking for.

“So you think it’s still here?” I wondered.

“Well I have a theory or two. First, since Sunset is still here in Equestria it’s possible the mirror either A, doesn’t exist, or B that the mirror wasn’t active when she found it.” Draco said while checking other rooms.

“Well it’s a good thing it wasn’t, I’d hate to think that mirror would actually be able to lead back home,” I said as we approached the last door.

“This is the last room, think it’s inside?”

I only responded by opening the door. Inside was an object that had a large cloth draped over it. I then reached for it and pulled off the cloth. Just as we suspected, the mirror stood before as our reflections stood in the glass.

“Well I’ll be damned again, there it is.”

“Okay so we found it. Now to see if it's active.” I noticed Draco pulling out a rubber bouncy ball from his pocket. “Got this from Pinkie Pie earlier.” He gave the ball a light toss and we all watched as the ball slowly bounced it’s way towards the mirror.

We waited for it to reach its mark and pass through, only for it to bounce off the glass and back towards Draco.

“Guess that answers that question,” I sighed.

“So this thing really leads to alternate worlds and stuff?” Phill asked as Merida sucked her thumb.

“Ugh, how many times do you plan on asking the same question?” Draco groaned. “Yes, the mirror is a portal to an alternate world. And just in case you ask again, yes the mirror is a portal to an alternate world.”

“I was just makin’ sure,” Phill shrugged.

“Baba didi!” Merida squeaked.

“That’s right Merida, your uncle is a crab apple,” Phill chuckled down at the filly.

Draco scoffed before looking back to the mirror. “Now for the big question. What are we planning on doing with it?”

“Leave it,” I spoke up. “As far as anyone knows, it’s just another fancy mirror. So we’ll just leave it at that. The less they know the better, agreed?”

“Seems fair,” Phill nodded.

“I guess, let’s just hope nothing goes wrong with it.” I could sense that Draco was skeptical about the idea.

“It’s cool, let’s just leave for now.”

I draped the cloth back over the mirror and we left the room. I glanced over my shoulder and thought about if it really could lead back home but brushed the thought away.

There’s not really anything to go back to anyway.

The next day was a little slow but productive, to say the least. Starlight and Sunburst were happy to be together again and I could tell Sunburst was in a brighter mood. As for Sunset, I had heard talk that Celestia was considering letting her back in as her student again with Twilight’s help. Flash and Spitfire were out in the town on a date since they hadn’t been on a proper one since they got together, which they deserved. As for Zephyr, he had told me that he was starting to like someone from within the crew but wouldn’t tell me. I could only wish him luck in his endeavors, but worried about how he’d approach the whole thing. I was dressed in my casual clothes since Phill had invited me to grab a drink so I was on my way to grab Draco so he could join us. On the way, I passed by the castle archives and saw him sitting at a table and reading a book.

“Draco!” I called out to him. “Hey man, what’re you reading?”

“Just a book on creating artificial magic items, and Equestria’s history of technology.” He said calmly while not taking his eyes off the books.

“Really? What caused the sudden interest?” I wondered as I leaned on the table.

“Well I thought back to what Sunburst said the other day about how the Crystal Heart now had more power. Then it got me thinking about how this world is full of things that can supply power that surpasses what we have at home.” As he talked I noticed Draco started to sketch something on a piece of paper.

“What’s that you got there?” I asked as I picked it up. It looked like some kind of mech suit, like the ones my step-brothers used to watch on tv. “Looks pretty cool, what is it?”

“A mobile battle suit, or MBS for short. I’ve been drawing up schematics for a prototype all day,” Draco said while flipping through the pages of his books. I glanced back at the paper and noticed that it was just a sketch, but a detailed blueprint.

“Wow, you’ve got a pretty vivid imagination.” I was expecting a laugh from him, only there was none. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Of course, why wouldn't I be?” He asked, gently, taking the paper back as he started adding more to it.

“Uh…okay, either you watched one too many movies back home or your ambition is through the roof. How would you even get the materials necessary to make something like this? There may be weapons from our world here now, but I doubt the Sins are smart enough to make something like this.”

“Because back in our world it was considered impossible.” He turned in his seat to look at me. “Are you aware there is a life size Gundam in Japan that can move its arms and legs?”

“No? I mean, I wasn’t exactly big on that kind of stuff. Considering I was too busy with the military.”

He signed and shook his head. “You fail to see the big picture here. What would happen if something like that actually could move and work like it does in the show?”

“Well I guess it would be pretty useful in the field?” I shrugged.

“Now imagine something like that at our disposal against the caribou.”

“Huh, yeah, I can see that being pretty useful against the enemy.” I scratched my chin in thought. “But this sounds like pretty advanced shit, you honestly think you can make something like this?”

“Of course. Granted, I’m not making anything as massive as a gundam, what you see here is a basic prototype. It’s designed to enhance one’s physical strength and movement ability through the battlefield. Basically a colt can wear one of these and take down a whole squad of caribou. The reason we didn’t have anything like this back home was particularly due to a lack of a power source. All our mobile vehicles run on either gas or electricity, and in order to move a large object like a tank, you need a large enough fuel tank.”

“And you think magic is the fuel source that trumps the rest?”

“Of course. We could literally make a magic item that can store enough power to move a tank for ten days straight. And with spells we can make the suit practically weightless, and store ammunition in a little pocket dimension.”

“Sounds like a lot of work,” I said, feeling my head begin to ache. “It’s too bad I failed engineering back in college.”

“Yeah well luckily I didn’t. I’m gonna do a bit more studying before I can worry about making this thing a reality.” He turned back to his books.

“Huh, well I’ll leave you to it,” I said, patting his back. I glanced on the back of his neck and almost busted my gut for a moment. “I see Shadow added to the collection on your neck.”

“Yeah, but I’d be more worried about yourself." He turned with a grin. “I saw Shadow giving Moon a strap on, and I think she plans to use it tonight.”

“Over my dead body, is she doing anything along those lines,” I sneered. “Anyway, you wanna grab a drink with Phill and I?” He shook his head and waved his hand at me. “Well can you at least tell me if you’ve seen Twilight? I missed her at breakfast.”

“I think Shadow mentioned that she saw Twilight walking towards the west wing or something,” Draco said while flipping through his books.

“The west wing?” I said, then paused. “Weren’t we…investigating the west wing yesterday?”

“…” Draco immediately slammed his book closed as I could see him looking a bit pale. “She wouldn’t…would she? We didn’t tell anypony.”

“Unless…oh shit! She must’ve followed us somehow!”

Both me and Draco scrambled out of the library and started booking it to the west wing. “The mirror isn’t active, so maybe she doesn’t know how to use it!”

“That’s not gonna stop her from trying something stupid!” I snapped as we sprinted towards the west wing.

Along the way, we ran past many ponies but ignored their calls out to us. We skidded around the corner and ran towards the room with the mirror. We then burst through the door and sure enough, Twilight was standing there, with Moon even, as her horn was glowing with her magic.

“Twilight! The hell are you doing?!”

“Dimitri! This is…we were just…!” Twilight said as she tried to find the words. “It’s not what it looks like!”

“Get away from that thing right now!” Draco shouted.

Both she and Moon stepped away as Draco and I examined the mirror from top to bottom.

“Any damages? Any strange runes anywhere?” I asked.

He carefully examined the mirror and let out a sigh of relief. “No, no we’re good.”

We both turned to Twilight and Moon and I gave them the stink eye.

“You mind explaining what the hell you were planning to do?”

“Um…experimenting?” Twilight shrugged.

“With what, this?” I said, pointing at the mirror.

“Why? It’s just a mirror,” Twilight tried to play it off.

“Really? Moon?” I said to my other marefriend.

“I have no comment on the matter, I was simply dragged along.”

“Listen you two, and listen well.” Draco growled, making both mares tense up. “Under no circumstances are to ever set a single hoof in the same room as this mirror.”

“But why not?” Twilight asked.

“Twilight, we know you followed us yesterday,” I said.

“Oh…well, I was curious! A-And then I heard about how this mirror could lead to parallel dimensions. How could I not be enamored with the idea that the multiverse theory was true all along?!”

“Twilight Sparkle!” Draco’s voice boomed, making the whole room shake. “You are to stay away from this mirror and not so much as lay a finger on it, do I make myself clear!?”

“But-!”

“Twilight, I love you, but I am forbidding you from going anywhere near this mirror!” I barked.

“Dimitri, don’t you think that’s a little too far?” Moon asked.

“No I don’t, she has no idea what she could’ve-!”

Suddenly, the mirror flashed a strange light. We all tensed up as the mirror soon began to slowly spin like a vortex.

“Girls…please tell me you didn’t cast any spells before we got here?” Draco said with a tinge of fear in his voice.

“I-I only used a simple portal magic on it!” Twilight yelped.

The vortex began to spin faster and we soon felt ourselves being pulled in. We all reacted by grabbing anything that was attached to the floor as the vortex pulled on us even more.

“Shit! It’s outta control!” I yelled as I clung to the frame of the door.

“We need to block the frame!!” Draco shouted as he ripped the door off and aimed it long ways at the mirror before letting go.

The vortex sucked the door towards it and got caught blocking half of it. However the vortex was getting stronger and we could see the door cracking. “Everyone get out now because it can suck you in!!”

Just as we were about to make a break out the door, Twilight lost her grip on the table she hung on to and went flying towards the mirror. I stretched my arm out and managed to grab her in time but had trouble pulling her towards me. The vortex was getting stronger, and we had no time to figure out how to stop it. Draco and Moon were holding on to dear life, and I was worried that this thing would suck up the whole castle if it wasn’t stopped. I then got an idea, a stupid idea, but it might just save everyone.

“Draco!” I called out to him. “No matter what happens, I have faith in your leadership!”

“What are you talking about?!” He called out as he turned his right hand into claws and jammed into the ground while holding onto Moon so she wouldn’t get sucked in.

I looked down at Twilight as she looked up at me. I gave her a sad smile and her eyes widened.

“I love you!” I told her with genuine truth. I then hoisted her up so she could grab on to the door frame, and at the same time releasing my grip on the door frame and letting go.

“DIMITRI!!!” Both Twilight and Moon screamed.

I was flung towards the mirror and grabbed on to the door as half my body was sucked in. I strained to hang on as the door cracked from the pressure.

“I’LL FIND A WAY BACK!!” I shouted. “TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER!! WAIT FOR ME!!”

3rd POV

Before he could say anything else, the door cracked from the pressure of being held on to and Dimitri was sucked in and was heard screaming from within the vortex. As soon as he went in, the mirror ceased its pull and the three fell to the floor.

“DIMITRI!!” Twilight cried as she ran towards the mirror. “NO!! NO PLEASE!! BRING HIM BACK!! I’M SORRY!! DON’T TAKE HIM AWAY!!”

Draco quickly ran to intercept her and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back. “Don’t! We need to get away from it in case it becomes unstable again!”

“Get out of my way!” Twilight pleaded as she tried to break free. “I can fix it! Please! That’s my Dimitri that got pulled in!” Try as she might, Draco refused to let go. It wasn’t long until her struggles weakened and she fell to her knees with Draco following. “What have I done?! I…I just killed Dimitri!”

“Please let it not be so…” Moon whimpered as she bit her lip.

“He’s not dead." Draco said sternly. “He’s just been teleported.”

Leaning down to pick up a fragment of wood, Draco chucked it toward the window and watched as it bounced off the glass.

“The portal is closed.”

The sounds of frantic hoof steps were heard outside and soon all of Alpha Squad burst into the room.

“What the buck’s going on?!” Berry snapped.

“The whole castle started rumbling!” Pharynx said.

“Wait…” Shadow said as she looked at the three in the room and noticed Twilight crying her eyes out. “Draco, where’s the Captain? Where is Lock?”

For a few moments Draco didn’t say a thing. His brother was suddenly taken away to who knows where.

Standing, Draco helped both Twilight and Moon up to their hooves as they were still in tears. “We are going to have a meeting. Gather the princesses, the elements of harmony, and devil fruit users.”

Dimitri flew through the unknown void as his body spiraled out of control. He did not know where he was going, nor did he know how long he was flying for. After what seemed like an untold amount of time, Dimitri saw a light from the direction he was flying towards. But as he drew closer, a tightness was felt in his chest that only worsened. He screamed in pain as it felt like he was being split in two as he drew closer to the light. When the pain became too unbearable, he began to lose consciousness, but not before being flung through the light and hitting something hard.

Lock’s body began to stir as he regained consciousness. His chest felt tight as he coughed and began picking himself up, leaning forward on his elbow and knee.

“I…can’t breathe…” Lock wheezed as he clutched his chest.

“My chest…feels like it’ll burst…!”

“You alright pal?”

He soon heard voices as the ringing in his ears cleared up. When he looked to the source of the voice, he grit his teeth in anger as a caribou stag stood over him.

“Hey buddy you okay-ACK!”

The stag was suddenly pinned to the wall as Lock lunged at him and gripped his throat to the point of crushing it.

“What the fuck…are you doing here?!” Lock snarled venomously as his eyes flared bright amber. “I destroyed your Overlord, I slaughtered your brethren, and you have the fucking balls to walk around?! I’LL TEAR YOUR ANTLERS OFF! ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE SURVIVORS AND SEND THEM TO DAINN IN A CASKET!”

“Hey put him down!!” A unicorn guard shouted before managing to blast him down the hall with his magic.

“Use stunning magic, we need answers!”

“So the rest of you fuckers wanna play…” Lock chuckled maniacally as he wiped his mouth and stood up straight.

“Fine…I’ll tear you lot limb from bloody fucking limb!”

Lock used his power to morph the feathers on his wings into blades as flames flickered off his body. “What’s wrong?! Getting cold feet?! Don’t worry, by the time I send you all to Hell, you’ll warm up in no time!” Lock threatened as the flames along his body flickered violently and raised his fist.

“GET BACK!!” Cried out a guard as he put up a shield at the last second. While none of the other guards were hurt, the entire hall was scorched by the flames along with a few curtains.

That should’ve easily broken the shield! What happened to my powers?! Lock thought.

“Hah! Decent shield, but I-!”

His speech was cut short when he finally saw the Captain within the group. His eyes widened and his stance relaxed as the flames seemed to snuff out all at once. The feathers also returned to normal as the stranger furled his wings back as he continued to stare at the lead pony.

“What the…Shining Armor?”

Author's Note

A new journey in a new world for the Hand of the Devil. Now, the Beast of Chaos must step up in his absence.

Side Note:
I have something very special to share with you all. For over a year, I have been secretly working on a crossover with Valiant Charge, all under everyone’s noses! The world Lock has been flung to is in Valiant’s story, Game of Thrones: Equestria.

So here’s how things are going to work for both stories. In my story, the next five or so chapters will focus on Draco stepping up in Lock’s absence until his return. As for Lock, he’s already been quite busy in Valiant’s story but there’s still much to do before Lock returns. However, I must warn you all, there will be some things in Game of Thrones: Equestria that haven’t been mentioned yet in Devil of The Caribou. But I’ll be sure to cover it all accordingly so that there’s no confusion.

If you have any concerning questions, feel free to ask and I’ll try to answer them to the best of my ability without spoiling too much.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Beast Takes Command

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…

The Beast’s Victory Gala

Chapter 38

Smiling faces were all Draco saw as the Prometheus and its fleet sailed back to Canterlot. The liberation of Fillydelphia went off without a hitch. The enemy were completely overwhelmed, the prisoners and former brainwashed were rescued, and Draco couldn’t help but feel extremely proud of all that he and the resistance had done.

“I’ve gotten more reports from the radio link, Draco!” Soarin said proudly. “The major cities are liberated and the towns have been abandoned!”

“We did it…” Spitfire said and hugged Flash and kissed him. “We did it, babe!”

“Did…did we actually do it?” Flash said.

Draco was thinking the same thing. Did they finally liberate Equestria? He wanted to continue feeling proud about it, but he knew better. No, this was just the first of many battles left to fight. But for the moment at least, they had freed the pony nation.

“Draco?” Draco turned to see his marefriend and the rest of Alpha Squad. “We just wanted to say thank you. If it weren’t you and Lock, wherever he is, none of this would’ve been possible.”

Draco smiled as he turned to face his squad. “Don’t go selling yourselves short,” he said with a proud tone as he looked at each of them and the devil fruit users. “Each of you are just as responsible for all this.” He gestured to the crowds of ponies waving at them. “This victory is all of ours.”

“So what’s next on the list? Griffins? Yaks? Maybe go straight to the Dragon Lands?” Maud asked in a monotone voice, with a hint of assertiveness.

“Next is a simple task.” He smiled as he placed a hand on Maud’s shoulder. “We celebrate our victory.”

“Now?”

“But we have them on the run! Let’s keep hitting them where it hurts!” Rainbow Dash said, pounding her fists together.

“Dash, maybe you can keep flying until the sun burns out, us included if we wanted to, but I don’t think the rest of the crew shares your enthusiasm,” Zephyr said.

“In other words, I think it best if we take a breather,” Berry said.

“That’s correct,” Draco added as he walked around smiling at the ponies. “The future is still going to be filled with battles and losses. We will rarely be granted these brief moments of peace, so I think we should enjoy them while we can.”

“Can’t we kick a little bit of-?”

“CREATURES ON THE LOOSE!”

All heads turned to a stallion running after the group of baby raptors as they zigzagged around the deck, causing a panic.

“What the buck?! What’re these things?!”

“They’re so creepy! Get away, get away!”

“Look at those fangs! They deadly!”

“What the hay are these creatures?!” Ace yelped.

Draco sighed before cupping his hands over his mouth and making a call in the voice of a raptor. All the baby raptors perked up and immediately approached Draco and gazed up at him, chirping up at him. Draco made a few squawk-like growls and chattering chirps at the little raptors who seemed to under this as a means for them to behave.

“Uh…babe? What are these things?” Shadow asked.

“They kinda look like your Dino forms, except smaller,” Cloud said.

“They are baby raptors,” Draco said proudly as he knelt down to stroke some of their heads, getting chirps of happiness as he did.

“Baby raptors?” Swift tilted her head.

“Yes. They are baby raptors that have been reincarnated from war beasts.” Draco stood up and began to explain what had happened while most of his team were away when he went to Fillydelphia .

“So…these things are our new war pets?” Rainbow asked, causing Draco to facepalm.

“No they aren’t. At least not in the way the War Beasts were used by the Caribou.” Draco went back to petting the raptors to make sure they were given enough affection, to help solidify their bond as he mimicked his raptors voice. “These guys are gonna help us, sure, but I want them to be part of our team and not just some weapons.”

“Aw, look at this one!” Shadow cooed as the one with red scales chirped at her and rubbed against her legs. “It likes me!”

Draco chuckled a bit as he watched. “Probably because he thinks you’re his new mom.” He watched as Shadow looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Well if they see me as their father, then obviously the female with my scent attached would be…?” He grinned, waiting for everyone to make the connection.

“Ah, so your sent is all over me?” Shadow stuck her tongue out. “Gee thanks…daddy~.”

“Pfft!” The others chortled.

Draco laughed as he turned to the rest of the crew. “Everypony, these little guys are safe, they are new allies in our battle with the caribou.”

The crew all seemed to relax and went back to their duties. One raptor cooed up at Draco, it’s scales were blue and light blue.

Draco leaned down to examine this particular raptor. “Well you seem to be the boldest of the bunch.” He moved a hand to stroke along its chin. “I will do my best to see you guys grow up big and strong.”

“Have you thought of names for these little ones?” Flash asked.

“Yeah I have, but we can worry about that later. For now I need to find these guys a place to live till I can start their training.” Draco stood back up as the ship was just about to dock.

All the ships soon docked with the Prometheus at the Canterlot port. As the gangplanks were lowered, the rest of the main six and Princesses were there to greet them.

“Welcome back everypony,” Celestia said with a proud smile. “I trust your endeavors were successful?”

“And then some.” Draco smiled before turning his head back making another raptor call, and watched as the eight baby raptors scurried carefully along the gangpanks, before gathering around his legs. The little raptors staring up at the new mares, jerking their heads side to side.

“What…are these things?” Twilight asked.

“Rather peculiar-looking creatures,” Luna said.

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy squealed and rushed over to them. “What are these little cuties?!”

Draco chuckled as he had anticipated that this would be Fluttershy’s reaction. And to no surprise the little raptors had no issues with her gently stroking and petting them. “These are baby raptors, and they are the newest addition to our team. I’m gonna need to find a place to keep them until I can train them.”

“Raptors? Aw, they look more like baby dragons! Yes you are, yes you are~!” Fluttershy cooed at the little raptors.

“How is this possible? According to you, these creatures existed billions of years ago on your world, right?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, well about that.”

Once again Draco went on to explain what had happened during his mission. There were a few mixed feelings about the War Beasts being reincarnated into the now new baby raptors. But most of the ponies Fluttershy included, saw this as a good thing.

“Such power to perform a miracle, and Phillip’s superiors just left without a word?” Moon asked.

“Basically. I get the feeling they can’t stay for too long in this world. Otherwise I would have asked them questions,” Draco added before shrugging his shoulders.

Draco then noticed that a couple servant maids were holding bouquets of roses he’d not seen before. One of them had roses that had golden pedals that reminded him of the sun itself. The other had dark blue pedals and looked like little pieces of the night sky all bunched up together.

“What are those for?” He asked, nodding his head towards the flowers.

“Oh, a pony gave these beautiful flowers to us just recently.” Celestia pointed to the golden roses. “These are called Day Roses.”

“And these are called Night Roses,” Luna said pointing at the other bouquet.

“We used seeds to grow more and they have become quite popular. Also…we were on our way to the cemetery to pay our respects,” Twilight said sadly.

A cold silence filled the air as everyone looked down in either sadness or bowing their heads in respect. “Could I join you?” Draco asked, breaking the silence.

“Of course,” Luna said.

Draco gave Soarin and the rest of the crew from the fleet an order to report to the medical wing of the castle and unwind after all the fighting they did. The Princesses led Draco, the main six, Alpha Squad, and the DF users to the back of the castle where they found themselves in a wide area full of tombstones. It was a heavy atmosphere amongst them, but it only became heavier when they reached the center. Standing on a pedestal was a large statue of Shining Armor. He wore his traditional Captain’s guard armor and held a spear in one hand as he looked like he was standing at attention with a stern gaze. At the bottom of the pedestal was a plaque that made Draco’s breath hitch a bit.

In loving memory of Captain Shining Armor.
Father, husband, brother, soldier, friend.
May he continue to stand tall for those who cannot on their own.

“Hello, Captain Armor…” Flash said sadly as he sniffled. “I made you proud, just like I said I would…”

Draco made his way to stand before the statue before dropping down to one knee. One hand on his bent knee, while the other was in a fist on the ground as he bowed. “I hope that you are watching us from above sir. We are doing our best to not waste your efforts.”

“H-Hello…BBBFF,” Twilight whimpered as tears began to spill from her eyes. “I wish you were here…Dimitri and Draco have done so much for us. You…y-you would’ve loved him as much as I do.” As Twilight set her bouquet of flowers down near the pedestal, she sat on her knees and covered her face and cried.

Draco stood slowly back up and gently patted her back as he looked at the statue. “He’s in a better place now.” He looked out at all of the gravestones that lined the graveyard. “They all are.”

The group looked on to the tombstones with sad expressions. The cold winter wind blew against them. Shadow shivered a little and rubbed her arms together.

“I used to like the winter,” Shadow sighed. “The cold felt nice, but now I’m starting to have second thoughts.”

Draco stood there for a while not saying anything, not until he walked to the princesses. “Could I help pass these out.” He gestured to the flowers they held.

“Please,” Celestia said.

As Draco passed out the flowers, he noticed Cadence arriving with a few crewmen following her.

“Lieutenant Draco, sir, Princess Cadence is here from Ponyville after hearing your return,” a stallion saluted.

“At ease, soldier,” Draco nodded his head before looking to Cadance. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, I heard you returned, and I came here.” She looked at the statue and her crying sister-in-law and frowned. “I suppose I’ll never get used to the fact that my husband is…gone.” She looked down at her daughter she was carrying, sleeping and all wrapped up in blankets. “Her last gift to him was saying her first word.”

Draco’s eyes had a saddened look as a few tears streaked down his cheek. “I wish I could have come sooner. If I had just gotten here before Lock, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Draco…” Cadence tried to say, but Draco shook his head.

“I know, I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t wish it could have happened.” He said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“I wonder…if it was too soon for me,” Cadence said.

“What was that princess?” Draco asked, barely catching what Cadance said.

“It’s just…Dimitri is a lot like Shining Armor. Strong, passionate, and a genuine soul. Over time, the more I thought of him, the more I felt happy and content.” Cadence’s ears drooped. “Before I knew it…I developed feelings for him the same way Twilight did.”

Draco said nothing at first, but moved a hand to gently stroke her back. “It’s okay Cadence, I don’t think anypony here would fault you for that. The loss of somepony as precious and loved as Shining Armor, can cause a lot of problems in the form of grief and other negative emotions.”

“But that’s not the worst part.” She looked up at Draco with tears in her eyes. “When I told Dimitri, he…rejected me.”

“He didn’t do that because he hated you or anything.” Draco was quick to answer, having already been told by Lock about this. “He did it because he felt guilty or that he was betraying Shinning's memory.”

“But…what about me? I was ready to move on, but did I act too quickly? He said he didn’t want to betray Shining, does that mean I did?” Draco then wrapped his arm around the mare and held her close. “Am I…a bad mare?”

“No you’re not. You were just in shock and depressed. You wanted someone strong and brave like your husband, because you were used to having him around,” Draco said in a soothing tone. “You need someone who is like Shining, not because you are betraying him, but because you miss him so much.”

Cadence then broke down whimpering as Draco continued to console her. In the corner of his eye, Draco looked to see Phill fly down from the clouds and land beside them. After looking around, he could already tell everyone was in mourning.

“Evenin’,” he greeted with a curt nod.

“Evening,” Draco said back while still holding onto Cadence, hoping he could help her calm down by stroking her back.

“That him?” Phill asked, gesturing to the statue with the ponies all laying the flowers and consoling Twilight.

“Yes,” Draco said as he could hear Cadence’s whimpering slowly dying down. “That is Shining Armor.”

“Were he a good man?” Phill asked.

“Only the best,” Draco said proudly without hesitation.

Phill walked over to the statue with Draco and brought his hands together for a prayer.

“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest In Peace.
Amen.”

Draco nodded his head as he said. “Amen.”

“Come, everypony,” Celestia said to the group. “Let us continue this inside the throne room.”

The group nodded and went to follow Celestia. As they left, Draco looked over his shoulder and took one last look at the statue of Shining Armor.

“I promise with my life that your wife and daughter will be kept safe.”

“Come on, lad,” Phill called out.

Draco nodded and followed after him and the rest. They made their way to the throne room and there was a gloomy silence amongst them all.

“So,” Phill said, lighting a cigarette and taking a puff. “Equestria’s done and free, eh?”

“Just this country,” Draco said as he moved out of the way of the smoke that Phill puffed. “The rest of the world still needs us.”

“Aye, ya got me support,” Phill nodded. “I just hope I can show the light to those willing enough to accept it.”

“It would definitely put some ease on my conscience if you did. I won’t lie and say I don’t feel a tinge of pity for those I killed, even the Caribou,” Draco admitted.

“Aye, that brings up an interesting topic Lock once told me.” Phill took another puff of his cigarette. “Apparently there was a coup d’état against Dainn before the lot even started with Equestria.”

“I figured as much. No matter what species, there has to be a few good ones,” Draco said.

“I’d imagine the ones who wanted to repent were a part of the lot who rebelled. I’ll ask them once I return to Sanctuary,” Phill nodded. “Anyway, how’re your new little Jurassic friends be?”

“Pretty good, actually.” Draco’s mood suddenly improved thanks to the change in topic. “At first I was worried this could be like Jurassic World. But since I can at the very least speak their language and transform into one of them, this could end up working better than I had expected.”

“You talking about them movies back home?” Phill asked and Draco nodded. “Heh, Lock mentioned ya got an eye for this sorta thing.”

“Yeah, well, I loved the Jurassic Park franchise, despite its inaccuracy. The raptors I have aren’t Velociraptors, they’re Utahraptors, but people say the first one instead because it sounds cooler.”

Phill glanced over his shoulder to see the pack of baby raptors following close behind Draco.

“Well ya sure got your work cut out for ya,” Phill said. “I wasn’t sure Saint Michael and Saint Ariel and I would pull off something such as this.”

Draco chuckled as he watched some of the raptors play along the way. “Yeah, me neither. I’m hoping to train them as soon as possible, they already have imprinted on me as their parents. So they will hopefully listen to me even as they grow up.”

The group arrived at the throne room and Celestia and Luna directed them to a window that was covered in drapes.

“We had this made after the Crystal Empire was freed, we hope you like it,” Luna said as she and Celestia used their magic to show a mural.

The window showed Lock battling Lust. Lock wore his street clothes and was armed with his spear and held Lust by his neck as he looked like he was about to deliver the finishing blow with his crimson red wings spread wide. There were embers that looked like they were flickering along the wings and Lock’s body. In the background was the Crystal Palace and the now pure white Crystal Heart. Below Lock and Lust were two opposing armies, one pony and one Caribou. Leading the pony army was Draco, Alpha Squad, and the DF users. Draco wore Lock’s armor and looked like he was pointing towards the enemy with his claws and a fierce look in his eye. Above all the fighting were the fleet and Prometheus, all at the ready to take back the Crystal Empire.

“Woah…that’s us!” Zephyr said.

“Cool,” Maud said.

“Never thought I’d be on one of the windows in the throne room,” Flash said.

Draco was in awe as he stared up at the stained glass window. He had always seen these made to commemorate great moments in history and ponies, but never did he think he would be on one.

“Ya look fierce, lad,” Phill chuckled as he pointed at him in the window. “It suits ya.”

Draco’s cheeks flushed a bit as he looked away. “It was Lock who did all the hard work, honestly. I’m honored to be recognized by this.”

“As you deserve it, Draco,” Celestia said. “This country would be a shadow of its former self, if not for you and Dimitri, wherever he may be. This will serve as a reminder of what you and the rest of the resistance have succeeded.”

Draco smiled happily, he looked to his squad who were also wearing bright faces, with the exception of Maud of course. “Thank you, your majesties.”

“Now I believe you all deserve a celebration for your victories. For the first time since this war began, we shall hold the Grand Galloping Gala,” Celestia said.

“The Gala? But it’s not the right day,” Twilight said.

“Does it matter? It’s still the Gala,” Swift said. “I always wanted to go since I was a foal.”

“Meh, fancy parties weren’t really my style,” Berry said.

Draco smiled over at Princess Celestia, with a knowing look. “Something tells me this isn’t gonna be like the Galas of the past. Am I right, Celestia?”

“Quite, I personally was never a fan of the overly fancy party. Everypony from your fleet shall also be attending, regardless of their status.”

“The nobles won’t be happy,” Ace said.

“Who gives a buck? They’re just snobby nobles,” Cloud said.

“Do I have to wear a dress?” Shadow complained.

“You could wear nothing, but then I’d have to kill any stallion who would gaze at your beauty,” Draco said, moving in to kiss his mare on the neck playfully.

“Draco…not here~,” Shadow moaned.

“Oh? When did you become the shy one?” Draco teased give her ear a nip and holding her from behind in a hug.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy said, blushing behind her mane.

“How bold,” Rarity giggled.

“Ahem, if you don’t mind?” Luna arched her brow

Draco was in mid lick of Shadow’s neck before looking up at Luna. He pulled his tongue back in blushing before letting out a soft cough. “Sorry about that.”

“I’m so gonna get you for that,” Shadow smirked as she bumped his hip with her flank.

“Please do.” Draco smirked back, quickly spanking her flank when no pony was watching.

“My sister and I will see to the arrangements for the Gala. It shall commence in three days time, so take this moment to rest and enjoy yourselves,” Celestia said.

Draco along with the rest of the ponies all bowed their head and said in unison. “Yes, your majesties.”

Two Days Later

Ever since Dimitri liberated Ponyville and pony’s moved back in, the once small town had now doubled in size thanks to all the new buildings that were built. Some of the buildings stretched up to at least three to four stories. It was a thriving community with old and new faces alike, some say that Ponyville might grow to become a city if it kept up its growth rate. In the shopping district, Draco was with Shadow and both were dressed in casual clothing as they walked side-by-side. Shadow had a cheery and content look on her face, but Draco looked a little fatigued and groaned every so often.

“I told you I’d get you back,” Shadow said, sticking her tongue out.

“Ugh, I know, but I think you got me back more than you should.” She smiled weakly at her. “So what did you wanna do today?”

“Since the Gala is tomorrow, I figured I should get a new dress for the occasion,” Shadow shrugged. “I was thinking a one piece dress that shows off my girls and firm flank, what do you think?”

Draco smiled at this and leaned in to kiss his mare’s cheek. “Shadow, there is nothing you couldn’t wear, your beauty would make anything look like art.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet!” Shadow giggled as she pecked his cheek. “Y’know, I was wondering, have you ever thought about a herd?”

Draco stopped dead in his tracks with a look of surprise on his face. “A herd? Where did that come from?”

“I don’t know, you just seem like the kind of guy any mare would be lucky to have,” Shadow shrugged. “I love you, don’t get me wrong, but my mare’s intuition tells me you got something you’re trying to keep buried in your heart.”

Draco, trying to keep himself calm, walked back alongside his mare. “I won’t say you’re wrong, but there are matters of the heart that sometimes will always be out of reach. I love you, and I hope you never doubt that.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Shadow said, nuzzling him. “But you also shouldn’t keep these feelings of yours bottled up, it’s not healthy.”

“I know but I have other priorities right now besides trying to find another mare.” Draco sighed. “What with Lock being…” He looked around to see if anypony was listening in. “Off on a special mission.” He muttered the last part. “I need to step up my game and focus on this war.”

“Suit yourself,” Shadow shrugged.

Thump!

Draco stopped walking when he felt something his his leg and looked down. A little pegasus filly rubbed her head and looked up at the Lieutenant.

“Oh…sorry, mister,” the filly apologized. Draco could’ve sworn he knew this filly somewhere, but couldn’t place it.

“It’s quite alright, little one, are you okay?” Draco asked as he knelt down to make sure she wasn’t hurt, and to figure out why she looked so familiar.

“I’m okay,” the filly nodded.

“Sandy!”

Draco looked up to see more ponies approach them. A unicorn stallion, an earth pony mare, and another pegasus filly. It was then that it came to Draco who these ponies were. They were the family he saved a while back at the Highland Reservoir.

“Are you alright, Sandy?” The mare asked.

“I’m okay, mommy,” Sandy said.

“I’m so terribly sorry she ran into you, sir, she has a knack for running off when she’s not supposed to,” the stallion apologized.

Draco stood back up and smiled as he waved it off. “Please, there’s no need to worry, I’m glad to see you guys are well since we last met.”

“Last met?” the mare asked, confused.

Draco looked down to see a photo on the ground and reached to pick it up. When he looked at the photo, he saw that it was him in his aquatic Dino form.

“Um, can I please have that back, mister? It’s my most treasured possession,” Sandy said.

“Oh, but of course.” Draco handed it back and smiled. “That’s an interesting creature on there. Did you make that up all on your own?” Draco already knew the answer but wanted to have some fun.

“Nope! This nice creature saved us!” Sandy said.

“Still hard to believe that it would do such a thing like for us. I’m Rocky Shores, by the way,” the stallion said.

“My name is Ocean Breeze,” the mare said. “And these two are our daughters, Sandy Shores and Misty Breeze.”

Draco nodded as he shook the parent’s hands and gently petted the two fillies heads. He glanced back at Sandy and smiled. “So tell me more about this nice creature, I’m rather interested to hear about it.”

“Well, a while back, my family and I were almost taken prisoner by the caribou. We tried to escape with our own ship on the reservoir, but were about to be overrun,” Rocky said.

“But then out of nowhere, this creature showed up from the depths of the water and wiped out the whole group of ships chasing us,” Ocean said.

“Oh, that creature,” Draco said in a tone like he just made the connection. “I remember him, you know I can tell you where you can meet him if you want?”

“Really?!” Misty chirped.

“Oh, please please please take us to him!” Sandy chirped as she jumped up and down around Draco.

“How do you know this creature?” Ocean asked.

“It’s better if I were to show you, rather than tell you.” Draco smiled as he led the family and Shadow to the lake.

The trip only took ten minutes of walking to arrive.

“Okay, you guys stay on the side of the lake and just wait.” That was all Draco said before running along the lake till he reached the other side. He waved his hands to the ponies on the other side before calling out. “You ready?!”

“Yeah!” The fillies cheered.

Draco slowly backed up before going into a full sprint towards the lake. The moment he reached the edge he jumped high up and dived into the water. The ponies watched as they waited for him to resurfacing, and how this would show them the mysterious creature that saved them.

“Where’d he go?” Ocean asked. “Why’d he jump in the water?”

“Give it a minute,” Shadow smirked.

Both parents wondered what Shadow had meant, before something slowly broke the water’s surface. The head of a creature slowly popped out of the water, before rising up and up, revealing a rather long neck attached to the small head.

The creature’s neck was well over 23 feet long as it stared down at the ponies who were in awe.

“What the hay?!” Ocean yelped.

“Where did that come from?!” Rocky shouted.

“IT’S THE FRIENDLY CREATURE!” The fillies cheered.

The creature. also known as a plesiosaur, craned its neck down towards the fillies, carefully nudging them with its head.

“Hehehe! He remembers us!” Misty chirped as she pet its snout.

“Hi there! We’re so happy to see you again!” Sandy said as she also petted its snout.

The plesiosaur let out a humming-like growl as it pulled its head back up. Using its flippers, it turned its body around so the hump of its back was now next to the fillies. It nudged its head to indicate for the fillies to hop on.

The fillies giggled as they flapped their little wings and flew up on its belly and landed.

“He’s so silky smooth!” Sandy said as she rubbed its back.

“Mommy! Daddy! Look at us!” Misty called out.

“This is…incredible,” Rocky said.

“How is it so docile? I’ve never heard of a creature like this,” Ocean said.

“He’s a special case,” Shadow smirked as they watched the fillies play with their new friend.

The plesiosaur gently pushed off from the shore before slowly swimming in circles around the lake with the little fillies riding on its back.

“Whee! This is so fun!” Sandy cheered.

“Go faster!” Misty said.

In response to Misty’s call, Draco sped up and began to tread water. The wind blew through the fillies’ hair as Draco did figure eights in the water before slowly pulling back up along the shore where Shadow and the fillies’ parents stood.

“Woohoo! That was so much fun!” Misty said as she and her sister got off.

“Did you see us?!” Sandy asked her parents.

“We certainly did,” Rocky smiled and looked up at Draco. “Thank you, kind creature.”

“Hold on a moment, where is Mr. Draco?” Ocean asked, looking around.

“He’s right here,” Shadow said, confusing the group.

“Huh?” They all asked, and Shadow pointed to the aquatic dinosaur.

Seeing that as his cue, Draco slowly pulled himself onto the shore before beginning his transformation back. His flippers back his arms and legs, the round smooth body became his torso, finally his long neck shrank back to its normal size along with his head.

“What the?!” Rocky shouted.

“Mr. Draco?!” Ocean yelped.

Draco smiled as he waved his hand. “You asked when we had met before. I’m pretty sure you now know what I meant, right?”

“You were the nice creature?!” Misty asked.

“But how is this possible?” Ocean asked and Draco pointed to the gem in his chest.

“This gemstone allows me to change into any prehistoric creatures from my world. That goes for those of the land and the sea.”

“I’m astonished, I never would’ve expected you to be that creature who saved us,” Ocean said.

“Yep, this stallion of mine is full of surprises,” Shadow said as she kissed his cheek.

Draco kissed her cheek back before smiling at the family of ponies. “I’m just glad you guys are safe, and have been doing well since I last saw you.”

Rocky stepped up to Draco and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I always wanted to thank the creature who saved my family, and this just makes things better now that I know you and it are one in the same. Thank you so much for saving my family and I. If not for you, I shudder to think what would’ve happened.”

Draco smiled and patted the stallion's shoulder. “You’re very welcome. I’m glad I could help you all.”

“By the way, Mr. Draco, have you seen Sir Dimitri? His fleet and ship are here, but no pony has seen him for days,” Rocky asked.

Draco smiled nervously but did his best to keep himself from looking nervous. “He’s been out on a special assignment. With this country now liberated, he wants to see which country we should liberate next.”

“I see, well we best be heading back now,” Rocky said.

“Thanks for playing with us, Mr. Draco!” Misty said as they left and Draco and Shadow waved goodbye. Once they were gone, the two visibly relaxed as Shadow looked at Draco with concern.

“I know you can put on his armor any time you want in battle, but how long do you expect the special assignment excuse to work whenever we’re not fighting?” Shadow questioned.

“If I have to, I’ll say he’s resting or training in secret. We can’t afford for any creature to know the truth,” Draco whispered.

“It’s a shame you can’t be in two places at once,” Shadow shrugged.

“Unfortunately, I can’t,” Draco shrugged.

“Well I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Shadow shrugged. “So long as we keep anypony from digging too much.” Shadow then grabbed Draco’s arm and pulled him back towards Ponyville. “Now come on! Rarity’s gotta have our outfits for the Gala done by now.”

“Oh right, I almost forgot, hope she’s doing okay.” Draco followed behind Shadow as she led him towards the boutique.

The couple returned to Ponyville and approached the Carousel Boutique. Draco opened the door and let Shadow in first and walked inside.

“Be right with you,” Rarity called out. About a minute later, the fashionista appeared and smiled at the two. “Oh, hello Draco, Shadow.” Draco could tell that behind her smile, she seemed down for some reason.

“Rarity, what’s wrong?” Draco asked as he closed the door behind them.

“Oh, nothing darling!” Rarity said with a fake smile. “I’m as chipper as Pinkie Pie!”

Both Draco and Shadow gave Rarity a look that plainly told them they weren't convinced. “Rarity, come on. What's up?”

As much as Rarity tried to deny it, she couldn’t keep her fake smile up for long and it broke to a frown and her ears droop.

“Sweetie Belle has been out and about more often lately with her friends,” Rarity began as she looked around her empty boutique. “I believed that once we came back to Ponyville after Sir Dimitri liberated it, things would return to some normalcy. But…something is missing.” Rarity’s frown deepened as she glanced at a pin cushion on one of her sewing tables. “Or rather…somepony.”

Being an avid fan of the show, Draco knew exactly what Rarity meant, and just exactly who it was she was referring to. Taking a step closer to the fashion pony, Draco gently patted her back. “We’ll find him Rarity, I know we will.”

“But…what about the reports I heard from the scouts?!” Rarity cried.

Draco sighed before guiding Rarity and Shadow over to the living room to sit down. “Rarity, I don’t know how, but I have a feeling that Spike is still alive and well.”

“They found his scales…littered in the snow when they discovered that crevice,” Rarity whimpered. “Which can only mean Spikey is hurt!”

“Dragon scales are incredibly strong, and they didn’t find a lot of blood. Meaning worst case scenario is that he got a cut, but not killed,” Draco reasoned with her.

“But my poor little Spikey Wikey is alone and afraid. Can’t you go out and find him yourself?”

Draco sighed as he tried to think of what to say. “I wish it was that simple, but Equestria isn’t how it used to be. Every kingdom, every town, and city are under the rule of the Caribou. We can’t go in search of him without risking a fight with the Caribou anywhere we go.”

“I may be distraught about Spike, Draco, but the one mare who is taking it the worst out of all of us is poor Twilight. What with her brother’s passing, her stallion’s disappearance, and her other little brother missing? Twilight is a strong mare and princess, but not invincible. She needs some form of closure during these dark times.” Rarity looked at Draco with pleading eyes. “All I request is that you have the scouts expand their search for the poor dear. There just has to be some kind of clue for his whereabouts.”

Draco sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry Rarity, but I can't have the scouts do that.” He could see she looked sad, but Draco held a hand up to stop her from crying. “But I can.”

“How?” Rarity wondered.

“Once we have our defenses fortified, and I know I can leave the country without having to worry about the caribou trying to take it back, I can track Spike down. With my abilities, doing so won’t be too hard, I’ll do my best to find out what I can.”

“How will you fortify the country?” Rarity asked.

“There’s plenty of stolen weaponry we confiscated from the Caribou from the liberated towns and cities, not to mention we just got a major increase in troops we’re training and assigning to the rest of the airships to the fleet. Plus, I think Phill can use his holy power to put up barriers on the liberated cities,” Shadow explained.

“And I’ll work on having battle stations ready around the border, and in the center of Equestria. Even if those pricks get even an inch too close, they’ll have a fleet ready to blast them to Hell. Plus, I will leave the devil fruit users behind, I plan to search for Spike on my own.”

“Then I suppose I’ll leave you to it,” Rarity sighed. “I just hope he’s found soon.”

Gently taking Rarity’s hand in his own, Draco gave her a determined look. “I promise I’ll find him, this I swear.”

Rarity smiled up at Draco and hugged him, nuzzling the crook of his neck. “Thank you Draco, I truly appreciate your concern.”

Draco’s cheeks flushed and he glanced at Shadow thinking she’d be jealous. Much to his surprise, she smiled warmly and gestured for him to hug back. Which he did while gently patting Rarity’s back.

“Now then, I believe you two are here for your outfits for the Gala?” Rarity asked as she stepped away.

“Yeah, we wanted to see how they came out.” Draco nodded. “But given that you are the one making them, I know full well that they will be the best any pony at the Gala will ever see.”

“But of course,” Rarity winked and approached a large closet and opened the doors. “Now, where did I put those outfits?” Rarity leaned in and unintentionally made her skirt hike up, giving Draco an involuntary glimpse of her flank.

Draco’s cheeks turned red as he quickly averted his gaze looking very intently at the ceiling, as though it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“Nice view, huh?” Shadow teased, elbowing his side.

“Shut up…!” Draco growled. “Shouldn’t you be advising against this anyway?” He whispered.

“Why? As a mare who swings both ways, I can admit that I find her hot,” Shadow shrugged, making Draco stare at Shadow like she had a third head. “Oh? Did I not tell you I’m bi?”

“No you didn’t!” He said in shock and surprise.

“Is everything alright?” Rarity asked as she walked back towards the two.

“We’re cool, Draco didn’t know I’m bi so I just told him,” Shadow said nonchalantly.

“I see, I’m surprised he didn’t know until now,” Rarity said.

Draco’s jaw dropped as he stared back from Shadow to Rarity pointing his finger at the two. “You knew Rarity?”

“Of course, the signs were all there after all. What with her constant staring at my flank,” Rarity huffed at Shadow. “Like just now, I could feel her eyes on me.”

“Oh, that wasn’t me, that was-mmf!”

Draco had covered his mare’s mouth. “Shush, Shadow, you’ve been caught and you can’t deny it,” Draco said with a smile of revenge.

“Honestly, is my flank that eye-catching?” She turned around and pointed her flank at Draco while looking down at it. “Draco, darling, what do you think?”

THUD!

Rarity turned to see Draco on his back, face red, eyes wide open and his nose slightly bleeding.

“Oh geez…” Shadow sighed.

“Draco?!” Rarity yelped.

“These mares are going to be the death of me…” Draco groaned before passing out.

The Next Day
Night Of The Gala

The city of Canterlot was bustling with noble ponies and city residents as a crowd made their way to Canterlot Castle. This was an event most did not anticipate would be happening again, due to the war, but it would seem that Princess Celestia and Luna had insisted on it. As the group filed into the castle, a large air ship docked at the castle ports. The Prometheus’ gangplank lowered and out walked a group of ponies some recognized as the Grand Officers and the Night of Chaos.

The stallions of Alpha Squad were all dressed in sharp tuxedos that matched similarly to their fur and had their manes conbed and trimmed. Zephyr used his mane therapy skills to fix not only his mane but everypony else’s manes as well. Swift Snow and Maud wore presentable dresses, each showing off their fit, yet somewhat curvaceous bodies. Maud had insisted that she wear a dress that didn’t hide her arms, since Rarity was concerned about the brands, but Maud didn’t mind it and was rather proud they were on display.

Hooked to Draco’s arm was Shadow Star and she wore a beautiful black one piece dress. The dress had straps that went over her shoulders and had a wide opening in the back that showed off her whole back. On the side of the dress was an opening that went up above her knee for her leg to poke through and she had her makeup done by Rarity. To some of the other stallions, she was arguably one of the most beautiful mares they’d seen.

Draco wore a black tuxedo with a maroon red tie. Underneath his jacket was a dark grey vest and white dress shirt that hugged his body nicely. His slacks were hemmed and fit his legs snugly and he wore her black dress shoes. His hair was combed back with a few strands hanging over his forehead, making his appearance a little more dashing. Any mare who saw him couldn’t help but gaze at Draco longer than they expected. Some mares even had lidded eyes and giggled as Draco and his mare walked by.

“Somepony’s popular,” Zephyr teased as he walked beside Draco.

Draco gently elbowed Zephyr. “Don’t be hating,” Draco said in a teasing tone. “Just because of my good looks.”

“I’ll say,” Shadow cooed. “My stallion makes this tux look good.”

“And my lovely mare is making heads turn.” Draco smiled as he moved in to kiss her lips, in both an act of affection, but to all let others know that the two were together.

In response, the noble stallions huffed in irritation and the mares all groaned in disappointment. The group arrived in the throne room where the rest of the ponies were and Draco spotted the main six, all dressed in their signature Gala dresses.

“Well don’t you all look stunning.” Draco smiled as he glanced at each of the mares.

“You’re not so bad yerself, partner,” Applejack smirked.

“Indeed, you look dashing, darlings! Some of my best work!” Rarity beamed.

“Still feels weird to wear a dress,” Spitfire said.

“You look great, babe,” Flash said, earning a kiss from his mare.

“Thanks, sweetie.”

“Well lookie who got all dressed up and fancy!” The Angel’s Saint approached the group and he was dressed in a pure white tuxedo with a golden yellow tie tied around his neck. “Ya look a sharp as the sword on yer back.”

“Not bad yourself bro, nice outfit. I didn’t realize they made clothes for old fossils though,” Draco teased.

“Oi, like me Da always used to says, the older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune,” Phill pointed at Draco as he sipped his drink.

“Then you must be sweet enough to give diabetes the moment they see you.” Draco grinned.

Phill chortled and all heads turned to see the Princesses appear before the crowd as they applauded them, even Nightmare Moon was standing with them and Twilight went to stand by with them as well.

“Well look at that, Nightmare’s finally being recognized to the public with the Princesses,” Berry said.

“She’s come a long way, huh Draco?” Ace asked, but received no response. “Draco?”

Draco’s attention was on a different princess. His eyes were focused on Princess Cadence. Her dress was a beautifully made red wine dress that hugged her very curvaceous form. There was a deep V-cut that split down her chest and her fur seemed to be polished that made it shine. Her lips had ruby red lipstick and she had dark pink eyeshadow. Her mane and tail were more curly and she wore white gloves that went up to her elbows. To Draco, it felt like he was gazing at an angel.

“Draco?” Cloud called out, but still received no response.

Draco was snapped out of his daze as he glanced around the ponies around him. “Huh, what?” He asked, barely realizing he had zoned out.

“You were kinda out of it, dude,” Berry said.

“Everything alright, sir?” Swift asked.

Draco shook his head for a moment trying to collect himself. “Y-yeah, I just zoned out for someone.”

“Oh really?” Shadow teased. “Anypony I know?”

Draco tensed up before looking at Shadow. “Uh…well umm-you see uh...oh look! They’ve got snacks!” Draco quickly speed walked over to a long table with different kinds of hors d’oeuvres.

“Greetings everypony, and welcome to the return of the Grand Galloping Gala,” Celestia announced to the crowd. “Many moons ago, our country, nay, our very planet was under turmoil as the Caribou invaded our lands and threatened our way of life. However, thanks to the combined efforts of three individuals, we now have the fighting chance we hadn’t expected to have. So please allow me to introduce two of our saviors, Draco Saurian and Saint Phillip McHaggard.”

Phill heard a loud gulp as Draco swallowed, and caught his breath. “Sorry, just a tad nervous is all, what about you?”

“I’m fit as a fiddle,” Phill shrugged.

“These brave warriors faced the Caribou with great courage,” Luna said. “We owe them a tremendous debt, including those who fight alongside them. This Gala is dedicated to them, so please join us in giving them a round of applause.”

The room filled with both applause and cheers as Phill and Draco faced the crowd of ponies. “One hell of a reception, huh bro?”

“Pardon me,” a noble pony called out. “But there should be three of you…humans. Where is the red winged demon?”

The crowd began to speak among themselves, and the princess looked visibly concerned. “That is a rather simple question to answer.”

All eyes turned to Draco as he stepped forward and addressed the crowd. “Our fearless leader, Lock, is currently investigating the other Sins. He came to the conclusion that now that one Sin had been killed, the others would take note and act. Being the brilliant warrior he is, Lock wanted to act while the iron is hot.”

He looked at the crowd with a smile on his face. “He wanted to keep our winning streak going till every last caribou was purged from this beautiful world, so that all of you may sleep easier.” He picked up a glass of wine from a passing server and held it up. “To Lock and the future of Equestria.”

The ponies accepted this response and they too raised their glasses in honor of Lock.

“Sláinte!” Phill cheered and drank.

“Sláinte!” Some ponies said back.

The tension has all but faded and the Gala had finally started. Draco let out a sigh of relief as he glanced over to the princess and walked closer to them. “That should buy us a bit of time for the moment.”

“Well said with those choice words, Sir Draco,” Luna said.

“I’m sure Lock would be proud of you,” Moon smiled.

Draco’s smile faulted a bit as he sighed. “I sure hope so, I’m doing all I can to live up to his reputation.”

“Draco, you’ve more than lived up to Dimitri’s reputation,” Cadence said. “You were able to finish what he started by taking the first step to ending the Caribou regime by liberating our home. We may not know when Dimitri will return, but the only thing you can do now is just continue on with your efforts.”

“She be right, lad,” Phill nodded. “Besides, if I known Lock for as long as I have, he’s a tough bastard. Wherever he is, he’s probably kicking arse and taking names. You’re doing the same with your mates and that lady friend of yours.”

This amount of praise seemed to have eased Draco’s nerves as he took a sip of his wine. “Thanks, you guys.” He smiled before downing the entire glass in one go.

“If you will excuse us, my sister and I must now greet the nobles,” Celestia said.

“Joy…” Luna groaned and followed her sister away.

“Shall we rejoin your friends, Twilight?” Moon asked.

“Of course, see you later, Draco,” Twilight waved as they went in the other direction.

“I’m gonna go hit the bar, I’m in need of a topper,” Phill said, leaving Cadence and Draco. It was then that Draco realized it was just them standing together.

Oh, you sons of bitches!! Draco screamed internally as he began to sweat a little more than usual. He pulled the collar of his suit as he cleared his throat. “So…nice night?”

“Indeed it is, though I was never one to mingle at the Gala,” Candace said. “Too many nobles asking for permission to form a herd from Shiny just to be with me. Being an alicorn and a Princess always has its pros and cons.”

“Well, if you want I can stand guard for anypony like that. Maybe take them around the corner, threaten to eat them, you know small ways to get the message,” Draco smirked.

“Oh, you wouldn’t dare!” Cadence giggled. “They might threaten to sue you for attempted assault!”

“Psh, I’ll just roll into court as a T-Rex. Love to see them try and sue a 40ft dinosaur,” Draco wiggled his eyebrows.

Cadence covered her muzzle and tried her best not to laugh out loud. “Oh my, you’re just too much!” She took a breath to compose herself. “I haven’t laughed like that in some time.”

“You have such a cute laugh,” Draco smiled, seeing Cadence laughing again.

“Hm? Did you say something?” Cadence asked.

Draco’s head turned to point at a couple of ponies nearby. “I said, don’t those two look cute? Seems like a lot of ponies are at ease now.”

“Hmm, yes,” Cadence nodded and her eyes trailed to Twilight and Moon, laughing with the rest of the main six. “It still baffles me how Nightmare Moon, of all mares, is in a herd with my sister-in-law. Just how was Dimitri able to convince her to change her ways and reach out to her heart?”

Draco could only shrug his shoulders. “Who can say? The heart is a mysterious thing. One can spend decades studying it and its complicated nature, and never fully understand its ways. Yet that’s what makes it strong. It has the power to reach out to other hearts and form a connection, one that’s even more powerful than when it is alone. Maybe Lock’s heart is just that strong, or maybe Moon’s heart yearned for love.” Draco smiled as he watched the two mares smiling.

Cadence looked up at Draco as he spoke with admiration from the tone of his voice. She placed a hand on her chest and felt her heart skip a beat somewhat, which confused her, but also made her feel warm inside. “Yes, you’re right, you speak as if you truly know what the heart wants.” Cadence smiled at Draco, which made him scratch his cheek sheepishly.

“N-not really. I’m just saying random nonsense is all. Hell, I barely understand what I was saying just now, honestly.” He chuckled nervously.

“Draco,” Cadence said as she took hold of his hand with hers. “It is not nonsense, every word made perfect sense to me.”

With a face burning brighter than Rudolph’s nose, steam escaped Draco’s ears as he tried his best to look around for any support to help.

“Are you feeling well?” Cadence asked, concerned. “Your face seems to be bright red.”

“Y-yeah fine!” Draco said, a little louder than expected of him. “I-uh, wow you're gorgeous-eh! I mean! Your dress is nice!”

“Oh, why thank you,” Cadence said with a smile and slightly red cheeks. “And you look very handsome in that tuxedo. Miss Rarity knows just how to dress a stallion properly.”

“Yep!” Draco said again louder than needed as he sweated bullets. “So! So, uh, how is your week!?” Draco facepalmed as he could have thought of nothing better to say.

“Draco, do as I do, breathe in,” Cadence said, taking a deep breath. Feeling like he couldn’t do anything else to make himself look stupid, Draco did as instructed and took a deep breath. “And out,” Cadence exhaled. He breathed out and seemed to be a bit more at ease. “Once more, in and out,” Cadence instructed and Draco repeated the process. “Feel better?”

“Y-yeah. A lot actually…thanks.” He glanced down at Cadance’s hand still holding his own. “Um, princess?”

“Hm? Oh, excuse me,” Cadence said as she pulled her hand away. “Twilight always had a habit of hyperventilating whenever she felt her reports or homework for Auntie Celestia wasn’t good enough, so I helped her calm down by practicing breathing techniques. If you want, you can tell me whatever is bothering you. I’m a good listener after all.”

Draco smiled and nodded his head. “Thank you Princess, I really do appreciate it. And the same goes doe you. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here whenever you need me." He said honestly and sincerely.

“Of course, one more thing.” She reached up and lightly booped Draco’s nose. “I recall telling you that you may call me Cadence instead of Princess. Make sure to remember that next time, hm?” With that, she left to tend to the guests and involuntarily added a slight sway in her hips with each step.

Draco’s cheeks flushed once more as his eyes became mesmerized by the subtle sway of her hips as she walked. “Fuck, I need another drink,” Draco said, quickly averting his gaze and walking over to the table with food and drinks.

“Bit for your thoughts?” Zephyr asked as he came up to Draco as he filled his glass almost all the way.

“The heart is truly a mystery,” Draco sighed before downing his glass in one go, without showing any signs of effects.

“No, I’d rather not say,” he said as he looked around too. “Aren’t you gonna go out and enjoy yourself?”

“I always wondered what the Gala was like whenever my sis went, now I’m not sure why she always made a big deal about it. How far do you think these nobles got sticks up their keisters?”

“Hahaha, probably till they all have them coming out of their mouths.” Draco chortled.

“Haha! Then why can’t we see them yet?” Zephyr questioned.

Draco laughed before nudging Zephyr. “Because they haven’t gone all the way, clearly.”

Both boys laughed out loud, causing some nobles to stare at them.

“Hey, maybe we should have a doctor check down their throats and pull the stick out!” Zephyr said as Draco sipped his drink.

“Or at the very least put them in a puppet show. Dumbass nobles on a stick.” Draco smiled, feeling at ease from before.

“Ppfpfff, HAHAHAHA!” Zephyr laughed out loud as he slapped his knee. “Dude! They’d probably argue who’s got the fancier mustache or most money.”

Draco sensing that Zephyr may go overboard, pulls the stallion’s drink away and gives him water. “Yeah things that don’t honestly matter.”

“So…ya feel better from whatever funk you were in?” Zephyr asked.

Draco nodded and looked around, before spotting a familiar rainbow maned mare. He smiles and nudged his head towards her. “So, you still have a thing for Dash?”

“Oh yeah,” Zephyr nodded. “And I ain’t gonna act like I did before, let me tell ya, I was a total douche to her and my sis.”

“Glad to see you understand your mistake.” Draco smiled before pointing to her again. “Why don’t you go hang out with her? Just to get things rolling.”

Zephyr stared at Draco for a moment. “Right…right now?”

“Well this is a celebration, she’s on her own. Now is as good a time as any to try and start over,” Draco added.

Zephyr paused for a moment and looked at Rainbow Dash as she was talking with Spitfire and Fleetfoot. “Draco, slap me,” he said, leaning his face towards Draco.

Without hesitation, Draco backhanded Zephyr across the face, causing the stallion to fall back. “I’m a good friend.”

“Ugh! Thanks…” Zephyr groaned, rubbing his cheek. He cleared his throat and fixed his mane. “Welp, wish me luck.” He took a deep breath and approached Rainbow Dash.

“Good luck dude!” Draco called out.

He picked up another glass of wine, before walking around to mingle with the others. The rest of the night seemed to be going well. The ponies were content and everyone was having a nice time. Draco had later found himself talking with Princess Luna and they were discussing Draco’s home world.

“I beg your pardon? Humans have traveled to the moon?” Luna asked in shock.

“Yeah honestly not sure why though? I mean now we are trying to create colonies on other planets, but before I guess they wanted to do it for shits and giggles.” Draco shrugged and drank down his 40th glass of wine. “History that didn’t involve animals wasn’t something I cared about honestly.”

“Erm…how many glasses of wine have you had?” Luna wondered. “I swear I must’ve seen you with the same glass throughout the whole night.”

“Oh, maybe forty or fifty, not sure.” Draco downed the glass before placing it down on a table.

“How is your liver still functioning?!” Luna gasped and poked Draco’s gut. “Does it have some kind of mechanism that helps you dilute alcohol?”

Draco chuckled as he gently pushed her hand away. “No idea, honestly. Truth be told, nothing I’ve tried really affects me. Not sure if that’s because of my powers or not.” Draco smirked before gently poking Luna’s side a few times. “Poke poke.”

“S-Stop that!” Luna jumped away, stifling a laugh. “You shouldn’t touch a mare without permission, mister!”

Draco smirked as hw turned to Celestia who was having a conversation just a foot away. “Hey Tia, mind if I tickle your sister silly?!” He called out to her.

“By all means! She’s especially sensitive behind her ears!” Celestia replied with a smile

“Sister, you traitor!” Luna snapped and started backing away from Draco. “Draco Saurian, by order of the Princess of the moon and co-ruler of Equestria, I forbid you from tickling me!”

“Sorry but you started this war.” Draco smirked before rushing in and poking his fingers on both sides of Luna’s side.

“Ah! Hehehehehe! S-Stop! Cease this! Thou shalt pay for-hehehehehehahaha!” Luna laughed as Draco tickled her.

“What does that ingrate think he’s doing?! He’s assaulting the Princess!” A noble snapped.

“Should we call the guard? He should be thrown in prison!”

“Tickle tickle!” Draco laughed as he quickly moved his hands to tickle behind Luna’s ear next.

“AH! HAHAHAHA-SNORT!”

Luna gasped as she shoved Draco away and covered her mouth. Her eyes were the size of dinner plates and her cheeks burned bright red.

Draco’s mouth hung wide open before he eventually burst out laughing, clutching his sides as he laughed. “Oh my God, that was adorable!”

“Silence! How dare thee do this to us!” Luna barked, stomping her hoof.

Draco wiped his tears away. “Don’t be like that Luna, I thought it was really cute.” Draco smiled at her to show he was sincere.

Luna’s cheeks burned even more red as she turned away with a pouty face, ignoring the stares. “Thou is mean for teasing us…”

“No, I’m serious. I think when a girl snorts it cute as hell, it means that you’re having a really good time.” His smile never wavered as he looked at the lunar princess.

Luna glanced over her shoulder, her pouty face still apparent. “Thou words are sincere…?”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Draco said while doing the gesture that went along with the most powerful of promises in Equestria.

Luna then turned to face Draco all the way. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around Draco and hugged him close while burying her face into his chest.

“Thank you…” she mumbled.

Draco was caught off guard for a moment but slowly returned the gesture and hugged her back. “You’re very welcome Luna.”

SMASH!

“What do you mean I’m coeht ahff?! I can drenk as moehch as I damn well please!”

“Oh, sweet raptor babies no,” Draco whispered, breaking the hug with Luna as he looked around. “Oh, of all the stereotypes, please don’t,” Draco said as he followed the directions he had heard the crashing sound.

Draco made it to the bar and saw Phill standing on the bar table with a bottle of hard whiskey in his hand. The man was completely shirtless and his hair was messy and unkempt. There were a few stallions sprawled on the floor, red faced and unconscious. Probably Phill’s victims from trying to out drink the Saint.

“Comb ahn, lads! All tahgether now!”

A lahng time ago, way back in ‘istahry~.
When all dere was to drenk was nahthin boeht coehps o’ tea~.
Alahng came a man by de name o’ Charlie Mahps~.
And ‘e invented a wahnderfoehl drenk and ‘e made it ooeht o’ ‘ahps~!

Phill danced and sang along the bar table.

‘e moehst ‘ave been an admiral a soehltan ahr a king~.
And to ‘is praises we shall always sing~.
Look what ‘e ‘as dahne fahr oehs ‘e’s felled oehs oehp wit cheer~!
Lahrd bless Charlie Mahps, de man who invented beer beer beer~.
Teddly beer beer beer~.

“Oh for the love of…” Draco walked over to the bar and stared up at Phill with his arms crossed. “Phill, I think you’ve had too much to drink tonight.”

Phill ignored Draco as he took another swig and spun around, smashing the glasses on the bar. Phill began doing some form of river stomp on the bar and was hopping around like a fool, much to the noble’s distaste but the Princesses’ amusement.

De Coehrtis bar, de James’ Poehb, de ‘ahle in de Wall as well~.
One din you can be sure o’, its Charlie’s beer dey sell~.
So all ye lads a lasses at eleven O’clahck ye stahp~.
Fahr five shahrt secahnds, remember Charlie Mahps 1 2 3 4 5~.

Some guards tried to intervene, but ended up getting kicked in the face or Phill managed to evade their grabs as he danced and sang back and forth on the bar while taking another few shots of liquor.

‘e moehst ‘ave been an admiral a soehltan ahr a king~.
And to ‘is praises we shall always sing~.
Look what ‘e ‘as dahne fahr oehs ‘e’s felled oehs oehp wit cheer~!
Lahrd bless Charlie Mahps, de man who invented beer beer beer~.
Teddly beer beer beer~.

“Somepony stop that ingrate!” A noble shouted.

“This is a Gala, not a rodeo!” Another noble barked.

“WOOHOO! GO PHILLY!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“Take another shot!” Berry called out.

“Keep singing, bro!” Flash shouted with laughter. Phill spun around in circles, making alcohol fly around the area and the bartender was in a fetal position on the floor.

A barrel o’ malt, a boehshel o’ ‘ahps, you ster it arooehnd wit a steck~.
De kend o’ loehbrication to make yooehr engine teck~.
40 pents o’ wallahp a day’ll keep away de quacks~.
Its ahnly eight pence ‘apenny and one and sex in tax, 1 2 3 4 5~.

‘e moehst ‘ave been an admiral a soehltan ahr a king~.
And to ‘is praises we shall always sing~.
Look what ‘e ‘as dahne fahr oehs ‘e’s felled oehs oehp wit cheer~!
Lahrd bless Charlie Mahps, de man who invented beer beer beer~.
Teddly beer beer beer~.

De lahrd bless Charlie Mahps~!

Dragging his hand down his face, Draco knew he had no other choice but to deal with his brother. He pulled Phill down from atop the table and took his drink away before replacing it with water. “You’re supposed to be the responsible one.” Draco groaned as he pulled Phill along by the back of his collar.

“Foehck ahff, ya git!” Phill slurred as he shoved Draco towards the crowd.

Draco lost his footing and tripped over his feet and crashed into someone. When he collected his senses, he felt something soft on his lips, oddly, and opened his eyes to reveal a very shocking sight. Draco had found himself tackled on Rarity and his lips were pressed on hers. The mare in question had her eyes bulging out of her skull and wasn’t moving due to shock.

“Ha! Look at de yooehng lettle birds gettin’ it ahn!”

Draco’s eyes rolled back into his skull as he slowly pulled away, cheeks burning bright. He quickly turned towards Phill. In a swift motion he delivered a chop to the back of the drunk Saint’s neck, knocking him out. As Phill’s body collapsed to the ground, Draco got Big B and Flash to carry him away to be put to bed.

He slowly turned to look at Rarity before bowing his head. “I-I’m really sorry about that Rarity.”

“My…first kiss…” Rarity muttered as she sat there and touched her lips.

Draco had heard this and felt an overwhelming sense of dread dawn over him. “I-I’m s-sorry, I swear it was an accident!”

“I am willing to forgive you, darling,” Rarity said as she stood up and dusted herself off. “But you must now take responsibility.”

“Responsibility?” Draco asked, slightly confused. I kissed her, not to get her pregnant. He thought to himself.

“Oh Shadow!” Rarity called out to his girlfriend. Shadow approached Rarity and the two mares whispered to each other for a moment and both nodded. “Draco, after you have returned from Sir Phillip’s Sanctuary visit, you shall be taking me out.”

“.......wot?”

“That’s right, babe,” Shadow smirked. “You’re gonna take miss fashionista here on a date!”

“..............” Draco placed his hands together, took a deep breath before looking back at the two. “WHAT!?”

“I believe that concludes tonight’s Gala, everypony!” Celestia announced, trying her best not to laugh out loud. “Thank you all for coming, and my sister and I hope to see you at the next one!”

The throne room was soon later emptied and the main six, Alpha Squad, and DF users made their way back to the Prometheus with Cadence following them.

“Uh…Draco?” Flash said to the dazed human. “We dropped Phill off in a guest room.”

Draco groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose, before sighing. “Thanks guys, I’ll deal with him later.” They nodded to him in response.

He turned his attention to Rarity and again tugged on the collar of his shirt before speaking. “S-so Rarity, when would you like me to take you out?”

“As I said, darling, after we all return from Sir Phill’s Sanctuary in the Appaloosan Mountains,” Rarity smiled.

“And you said you weren’t a fan of herds,” Shadow teased.

“It…was…an…accident,” Draco growled through gritted teeth as he sighed. “Anyway, you’re gonna have to go back home without me, babe. Thanks to Phill being drunk, I can’t trust him to be on his own. I’d rather not risk him using his powers while still drunk.”

“Well not technically, I’ll be with Phill. I’m gonna head to bed in a room next to him and kick his ass when he wakes up.”

“Want some company?” Shadow wiggled her eyebrows and patted Rarity’s shoulder.

“Down girl.” Draco patted Shadow's head. “I need to be focused in case Phill does something stupid. Having a drop dead gorgeous mare wouldn’t help me.”

“D-Drop dead gorgeous?” Rarity sputtered. “Oh, you flatter me, darling!”

“Nice one, partner,” Applejack chuckled.

“I-I” Draco facepalmed and groaned. “Just be safe getting back home, girls.”

Draco saw everyone off before asking a servant pony to show him which room Phill was in before taking the room closest to it. He could already hear Phill’s snoring from his room, making Draco roll his eyes before he entered his guest room. He kicked off his shoes, threw off his tux, and plopped in the bed with an exasperated sigh. This night was one to remember for years to come, but at least he could sleep with a clear conscience. He was able to liberate an entire country, and he’d do the same for the rest of the world.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Oi, Draco, get yooehr arse oehp…”

Draco’s eyes opened and he growled as he got off the bed and marched to the door and pulled the door open, glaring at Phill.

Phill we still shirtless but had his pants on. “Comb wit me, I need you fahr sahmethin’.”

Draco groaned before following Phill.

The two walked through the halls and tried to find the stairs but there wasn’t any for some reason in their path. They soon came across a pair of double doors that automatically slid open for them like an elevator. Shrugging, they both entered the elevator and looked up to see some kind of crystal. When they looked for some kind of buttons on the walls, there were none.

“Where’s de boehttahns?” Phill slurred.

“‘Ow de foehck wooehld I know?” Draco scoffed.

“Could you please repeat that?” The crystal announced.

“De ‘ell?! It spahke!” Phill said.

Draco clapped a hand over his mouth and looked at Phill. “Da foehck? Why do I sooehnd like dis?”

“Who bloody cares?!” Phill barked and looked up at the crystal. “I wanna know what dis is.”

Draco looked over at the crystal before considering it. “Hmm, it seems to be sahme kend o’ voice-recahgnition crystal.”

“Voice-recahgnition crystal? In a lift?”

“Aye,” Draco nodded.

“You ever tried voice-recahgnition?” Phill asked and Draco shook his head. “It dahn’t do Iresh accents.”

Draco glanced over at the crystal and said in an accent. “Eleven.”

“Could you please repeat that?” The crystal said.

“Eleven,” Phill said.

“Eleven!”

“Eleven!”

“Could you please repeat that?”

“EL-EV-EN!” Draco annunciated.

“‘ooze idea was dis?” Phill scoffed. “You need to try an American accent.” Phill cleared his throat. “E-leven. E-leven!”

“Dat stell sooehnds Iresh, naht American, I shooehld know.” Draco rolled his eyes.

“No it doesn’t,” Phill retorted. “E-leven.”

“Where in America is dat-Doehblin?” Draco questioned, sarcastically.

“I’m sorry. Could you please repeat that?”

“I’ll try an Englesh accent, ahem.” Draco cleared his throat. “Eelvin. Eelvin.”

“You frahm de same part o’ England as Deck van Dyke?” Phill deadpanned.

“Let’s ‘ear yooehrs den, smartass,” Draco sneered at Phill.

“Please speak slowly and clearly.”

“SMARTASS!”

“Ee-le-ven!”

“I’m sorry, could you please repeat that?”

“Eleven, if you dahn’t oehnderstand de lengo, away back ‘ahme to yooehr own cooehntry!” Phill barked at the crystal.

“Ooh, is dat de talk now, is it, away back to yooehr own cooehntry?” Draco arched a brow at Phill, crossing his arms.

“Oh, dahn’t start Mr. bleedin ‘eart, ‘ow can you be racest to a left?” Phill said, sourly.

“Please speak slowly and clearly.”

“Eleven. Eleven. Eleven. Eleven!” Draco repeated at the crystal.

“You’re joehst sayin it de same way!” Phill snapped.

“I’m goin’ to keep sayin’ it oehntil it oehnderstands Iresh, alright?” Draco said, agitated. “Eleven. Eleven. Eleven. Eleven!”

“Ahh, joehst take oehs anywhere, ya cow! Joehst ahpen de doors!” Phill shouted, completely fed up with the whole situation.

“This is a voice-activated elevator. Please state which floor you would like to go to in a clear and calm manner.”

“Calm? Calm? Where’s dat combing frahm? Why is it tellin’ to be calm?” Phill wondered, still agitated.

“Because dey knew dey’d be sellin’ dis to Iresh people who’d be goin’-AHFF DEIR NOEHTS AT IT!!” Draco shouted, throwing his arms up in anger.

“You have not selected a floor.”

“Aye, we ‘ave! ELEVEN!” Draco barked at the crystal.

“If you would like to get out of the elevator without selecting a floor, simply say, ‘Open the doors, please’.”

“Please? Please? Soehck me wully…” Phill hissed.

“Maybe we shooehld joehst say please,” Draco groaned, feeling fed up.

“I’m naht beggin’ dat fahr nahthin’,” Phill shook his head.

“Ahpen de doors…please,” Draco whined.

“Please,” Phill mocked. “Pathetic.”

“Please, remain calm.”

“AHH! MAH! GAHD! You wait ‘til I get oehp dere!” Draco facepalmed then started climbing on top of Phill’s back to stare at the crystal up close. “Joehst wait fahr it to speak!”

…

“You have not selected a floor.”

“Oehp yooehrs, ya cow! If you dahn’t let oehs throoehgh dese doors, I’m goin’ to search Equestria, I’m gahnna fend whatever desperate actress gave you a voice, and I’m goin’ to de electric chair fahr ye!”

“Ireland, you bastard!” Phill added.

“Ireland!” Draco cheered.

“Ireland!” Phill cheered as well.

“IIIIIIIIRRRRREEEELLLAAAAAND!!” Draco roared.

“Freedahm!” Phill chanted.

“Freedahm!” Draco shouted.

“FRRREEEEEEEEEEEDDDAAAAAAAAAHHHHHMMM!!!”

They both shouted at the top of their lungs, until the doors finally opened to reveal Cadence and Twilight. Both mares were red faced and trying their damndest not to laugh as Cadence held a microphone in her hand, indicating she was the voice from the crystal.

“…fock me.”

Author's Note

One country now free from tyranny, the rest surely to follow. To the victor go the spoils of celebration of drinking and dancing!

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Angel’s Sanctuary

Chapter 39

“Ugh, how did this happen?” Draco groaned into his hand which was covering his face. The wind swept at his face as he stood on the deck of the ship.

Draco, along with Alpha Squad and the mane six, were now on a course for Sanctuary that Phill was in charge of.

“How did I let this happen?” Draco looked up to the sky as if someone would answer him back.

“Would ya quit your bawlin’?” Phill said as he fed Merida with a bottle. She wore a cute pink wool onesie and a furry white hat to keep her head warm. “I wanted you lot to come visit and see what I’ve built, and you said you’d do it. Are ya sayin’ ya ain’t a man of your word?”

Draco glared at Phill with a look that even he flinched at. “I’m talking about the sudden date with Rarity, you son of a-” He stopped himself when he heard Merida giggling as her hands grabbed into Phill's. “Female dog.” He growled.

“Nice save,” Phill smirked and handed his daughter to Draco with her bottle. “Here, the wee lass’ll make ya feel better. Try feedin’ her.”

“Aw, I wanna hold the little cutie after Draco,” Shadow cooed.

Draco’s rage did not dwindle as he glared daggers at Phill. “I should mention that this is all your fault.” However, despite his glaring, his arms carefully cradled the foal in his arms while making sure she is fed.

“Draco, darling, why are you still so upset?” Rarity frowned. She was dressed in a fancy winter coat. “Is it because you do not wish to take me out on a date?”

Draco’s attention quickly shifted to Rarity, his look of anger vanished. “N-no it’s not that. It’s just…ugh.” His cheeks flushed a bit as he tried to think of what to say. When it came to speeches he was like a poet at their finest. But place a beautiful mare before him and he is tripping over his own words. “I just wasn’t planning on making a move on anypony, and because of Phill here.” He gestured to the Saint with his head. “I ended up taking your first kiss. I’m sure that was something you were saving for somepony special.”

“Oh Draco.” Rarity stepped forward and placed her hands on his shoulders. “While I will admit, I did not expect my first to be with you, I am honestly not as disappointed as you may presume.”

Draco’s cheeks burned bright red for a moment as he slowly turned his head away, trying to hide his embarrassments. “I-I’m a little relieved at least.”

“Draco, look at me.” Draco slowly looked back at Rarity as she stared at him with a serious expression. “Am I throwing a pout right now?”

“Umm…no?” He asked nervously.

“Is my voice sounding upset or aggressive?”

“Not really, no.”

“And do you honestly believe I would hold it against you, and hate you for the rest of my days, all for something so trivial as a kiss?” Rarity arched a brow.

Draco’s eyes barely could focus on her as they tried to look at anything but her. “N-no, I guess that’s not something you would do.”

“Exactly.” She smiled at him. “You are every bit as honorable as Dimitri, wherever he may be, so please do not be upset anymore. Besides, I am looking forward to our date. It has been a few moons since my last one.”

Draco gulped nervously and looked to his marefriend. “And this doesn’t bother you, Shadow? I would imagine that you would have liked a heads up, before something like this would happen.”

“Meh, what’s done is done,” Shadow shrugged. “The circumstances were a little unexpected, but I’m not the uptight type.”

“But you better treat her right, or else!” Rainbow warned.

“That goes double for me, partner,” Applejack said, crossing her arms.

Draco suddenly found himself being glared at by both Applejack and Rainbow Dash. “O-of course I’ll treat her right! I always believe that women should be treated as queens.”

“City, dead ahead!” Soarin called out.

“Ah, here we be!” Phill grinned. The ship was passing over the Appaloosan Mountains and they soon saw what looked like a city. It was surrounded by other mountains and looked like it was built on the side of the peak. Snow covered the whole area and Phill looked back at the others with his arm held out towards the city. “Welcome to me humble abode, Sanctuary!”

Draco stared out to look at the see and marveled at it. “Wow, would you look at that.”

“It’s so pretty!” Fluttershy said.

“You built this city?” Ace asked.

“Well, yes and no,” Phill said. “I discovered the place and it was in ruins. Turns out it was once a city of the olden times of this world. So I took the liberty of sprucin’ it up, a little holy power there, some nails and wood here, and voilà!”

“Damn, this is pretty cool,” Zephyr said.

“It’s still pretty damn cold though,” Berry said as he tried to keep himself covered with his cloak.

“I like the cold,” Maud said.

Draco used his powers to grow fur on his arms as he did his best to keep the foal that was resting there, nice and warm. “Alright, everypony go grab some winter coats and bundle up, I don’t want none of you dropping from frostbite.”

“Dwaco!” Merida chirped as she held out her little arms.

“Bless you.” Draco along with the rest of the ponies made their way into the ship to grab some clothing to keep them warm, before entering the Sanctuary.

Phill guided the ship towards the docking area at the base of the city where his own ship, the Icarus, was docked along with a few other ships. The gangplank was lowered and the group walked down all bundled up to keep warm. Awaiting them were a group of armed soldiers with their swords and shields in hand.

“Blessed Saint of the Angels, we welcome you back!” The stallions all said as they bowed to Phill.

“At ease, lads,” Phill nodded.

Draco stared at the knights for a moment before nodding his head to them, before they continued forward. “Alright Phill, give us the grand tour.”

“But of course.” He turned to the knights. “Alright lads, we have guests but that don’t mean ya get to slack off. Back to your posts with ya.”

“Yes, Saint Phillip!” They all saluted and marched back into the city with the group following slowly behind.

“What’s up with those stallions?” Cloud asked.

“Those be me Paladins of Sanctuary,” Phill said. “I kinda figured that if I was gonna set up shop somewhere, I’d need a proper group of lads to watch the place while I’m out and about. So as I began bringin’ ponies here, I decided to give them a wee bit of me holy power and train them to become me own personal army.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool,” Flash said.

“I hope you have only been giving such powers to ponies only…right?” Draco asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

“You’d be right to be concerned, but rest assured, I only gave the power to select ponies whom I deemed worthy,” Phill said.

The tour went on as Phill showed the group the rest of the city. There were ponies all living in Sanctuary as normally as any other city. They all greeted the group with waves and friendly hellos, but they all bowed to Phill when they saw him. Draco noticed that not only were there ponies living here, but some griffins and even some zebra here and there. They passed by the marketplace and the shops were selling produce, clothing, and other miscellaneous items. The atmosphere was more peaceful than Draco would have thought.

“So where are the ones you are reforming at?” Draco made no effort to hide his attitude about the caribou and traitor stallions.

“Hold that thought,” Phill held up his hand. “What time be it?”

“I think it’s mid-morning.” Draco said as he looked up at the sky.

“Perfect, follow me.” Phill led the group and soon arrived at a building that seemed to stand out from the others. It had windows that looked like murals and a few statues engraved in the walls. On top of the building was a cross, which meant this was some kind of church.

“This be Saint Phillip Church, they named the place after me,” Phill smiled. “And it’s almost time.”

“Time for what?” Maud asked.

Phill gestured them to follow inside as he opened the large double doors for them. The inside was all beautifully crafted and was spacious enough to fit a large crowd of people. The murals all showed different images that looked like what he remembered from the churches back on earth. In the center of the church was a zebra mare wearing white robes with her arms held out wide. Surrounding her were other ponies as they all knelt together beside her with their hands clasped together. Sitting in front of the zebra mare were five stallions, all dressed in the same robes, and they were crying their eyes out like newborn foals.

“Who’re they?” Shadow whispered.

“Traitors,” Phill responded. “They’re about to be blessed.”

The zebra mare took a breath and began to sing a beautiful song.

The song echoed throughout the room and seemed to resonate with everyone in the group. A wave of emotions soon hit them out of nowhere that made their breath hitch. The zebra mare stepped towards the crying stallions and opened her eyes. She smiled as she sang and brushed her hand on their heads, which only made them cry harder. Phill just stood there with a smile as the group all continued to listen. The mares had some tears dripping from their eyes and couldn’t seem to stop themselves from crying. The stallions tried their best to stay strong, but couldn’t help but feel their eyes moisten. The zebra mare continued to walk in circles around the five stallions who cried and bowed to the mare. The zebra knelt down and gently wrapped her arms around two of the stallions for a brief hug before she stood back up and resumed her singing and walking around them.

“S-Such beauty…” Rarity whimpered as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.

“That mare can sing…” Flash said as he whipped his eyes.

Draco seemed to have been the only one unaffected by the song. He felt like the song was lovely, but he maintained a stoic attitude as he looked to Phill. “Now what?”

“Can’t ya hear it?” Phill asked. “Let the words reach ya, Draco.”

Draco sighed and gave it some thought. “I guess it does somehow bring up good memories, I’m just not sure why?”

“What are the memories you’re thinking about, lad?” Phill wondered.

Draco looked around as he saw all eyes were on him now, as they waited with baited breath. His cheeks flushed as he looked up to the sky. “It was about the day I found my first ever fossils. It was a raptor claw I found on a dig. Raptors were my favorite amongst all the dinosaurs, and for my first ever fossils to belong to one made me really happy.”

“I’m guessing it was a proud moment for ya? Maybe also for your folks too?” Phill asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, it was what made me really want to keep on learning about Paleontology.”

Phill smiled at Draco. “You’re a good man, Draco, never forget that. They’d be proud of the man you are now.”

Draco smiled and nodded. “Well, shall we continue on then?” He asked a little less on edge now.

The singing ended and the zebra mare looked down at the stallions.

“Rise,” she said, and they did. “The light has shined down on you young souls, your sins are absolved and you are now free. Blessed be the light.”

“Blessed be the light…” the stallions said back.

“Now go, share your reclaimed light with the others,” the zebra mare said.

The stallions nodded and left her side. As they exited the church, they kept their heads down as they walked past the group.

“Wow, they’re traitors?” Fluttershy asked. “But they don’t look like they are.”

“That be the point,” Phill said. “They were shown the light, and now they walk a brighter path.”

Draco looked around and noticed something. “And where be the caribou?”

“They’re around, in a separate part of the city,” Phill said.

“Saint Phillip, you old so and so,” the zebra mare said as she bowed to Phill. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Just showin’ these folks around, is all,” Phill said. “Lads, this be Euva. I picked her up during one of me first liberations back in Seaddle. She’s been the church’s Head Sister ever since.”

“A pleasure, dears,” Euva said with a kind smile.

“Nice to meet you as well, ma’am.” Draco bowed his head.

“You have a lovely singing voice,” Twilight said.

“Thank you, sweetie, I honestly didn’t think I would sing again if not for Saint Phillip. Those nasty Caribou had me muzzled for most of my enslavement. Here, Saint Phillip shows me how I can keep singing and help show others the light as he did for me.”

“And you even help the traitors?” Swift asked.

“They were led down a dark path, but now they see the light again,” Euva said. “Although, I cannot say the same for the stags that also reside in Sanctuary.”

“And there is the first red flag,” Draco sighed as he looked at Phill. “I think it’s about time you showed us how they are doing.”

“I suppose it’s time,” Phill nodded. He took Merida from Draco’s arms and handed her to Euva. “Make sure the lassie gets home safe.”

“Of course, come along, baby, daddy has some business to take care of,” Euva said and walked away.

“Bye bye dada! Bye bye Dwaco!” Merida called out to the two men.

Draco smiled and waved to the foal, smiling, before turning to look over at Phill. “Lead the way.”

Phill led the group out of the church and towards a more secluded part of the mountain, just outside the city limits. It took a while to walk, but the group managed to arrive at a group of buildings that stood on their own.

“Keep the mares close, don’t let them get in an arm’s reach,” Phill warned the group. “There’s a barrier around this part so they don’t wander out, but they’re still a right loony bunch of stags.”

“I’m only going to say this once, Phill.” Draco said darkly. “If I so much as see any of them take a step near the mares or my crew, I will not hesitate to end them.”

“Don’t worry none, they won’t do nothin’ as long I’m around,” Phill reassured Draco.

The group entered the area where the buildings stood. Draco wrapped an arm around Shadow as the rest of the stallions huddled close to the mares. The inhabitants of the area consisted of both stags and stallions. A stag’s eyes perked up as he was leaning against a wall when he saw the group.

“Holy shit…are those?”

“MARES!” A stallion shouted and charged at the group. Phill was quick to act and reeled back his fist and slammed it straight into the stallion’s jaw, sending him flying.

“Any more o’ you slags wanna try somethin’ like that, I’ll bash your brains in! Now get back inside, the lot of ya!” Phill warned as he cracked his knuckles. The stags and stallions all cowered away from the Saint as they retreated back inside the buildings.

“So much for that power of yours, seems to me like they aren’t any different then when they were the enemy.” Draco snarled, his hands were in the form of claws without anyone noticing.

“Sorry about that,” Phill said. “They never bothered me none are paid any attention since it was just me or one of me paladins who come to deliver food.”

“Saint Phillip?” All turned to see a lone stallion approach them. Draco recognized this stallion as none other than Filthy Rich.

“How’s it going, Rich? You attending them therapy sessions like I asked?” Phill said.

“Yes, it’s a work in progress,” Filthy said. “And…what about my request?”

“Rich, we talked about this,” Phill crossed his arms.

“I know, but you said you found them and brought them here,” Rich said.

“Aye, your wife and wee lass are here, but ya ain’t ready to see them yet. Not after the stunt ya pulled in Seaddle.”

“And what would that be?” Draco asked, his tone less than kind as he glanced at the pony.

“I…I was in charge of a slave ring,” Rich confessed, making some of the ponies gasp. “My job was to force mares to…mate with beasts and rape plants for entertainment for the masses.”

“You bastard!” Flash growled. “You deserve to rot!”

Draco’s eyes were fixed on the stallion, his eyes were now vertical slits as he began to growl.

“Easy, Draco,” Phill waved at the angered Knight of Chaos. “Rich has been here for a long time, going through therapy and mental health sessions and the like. He was much more defiant when I first brought him here.”

“Still doesn’t excuse what he did!” Zephyr said.

“Draco, can I crush this asshole?” Maud asked, using her power to levitate two large boulders towards Filthy.

There was a long pause as Draco considered the idea. He was almost about to allow Maud to have her way, when an image flashed in his mind of Diamond Tiara. That brief flash kept him from doing anything rash.

His body slowly reverted back to normal as he calmed down. “No…Phill will deal with him for now.”

“I’m sorry, I-” Filthy Rich tried to say.

“I think it best you return to your quarters, Rich,” Phill advised.

Filthy frowned and nodded as he departed and entered one of the buildings.

“Prick, never like that guy,” Rainbow said.

“Indeed, although I do feel bad for his wife and daughter,” Rarity said.

“Is this really what you wanted to show us, Phill?” Twilight asked.

“Naw, follow me.” The group made their way towards a two story building in the center of the area. Once inside, they were met with more stallions and they all wore white robes. “Mornin’, lads.”

“Saint Phillip!” A stallion said as he and the other stallions bowed to him. “An honor, Saint Phillip, to what do we owe your visit?”

“I came to check on a few of our special blokes. How are they, Holy Vow?”

“Just about ready, Saint Phillip,“ Vow said.

“Good, bring them here,” Phill said.

Vow and his attendants nodded and bowed and left to go upstairs.

“Who is he talking about?” Ace asked.

“Remember when I said there are stallions who have been reformed? Well most of the stallions you saw in town, including the bunch we saw back at the church, were all reformed stallions. But me rehabilitation efforts doesn’t just end with stallions.”

“I take it that you believe that you managed to change some of the caribou from their wicked ways?” Draco said sarcastically.

“Aye, you’d be right about that,” Phill grinned.

“You just had to ask,” Shadow muttered to Draco.

“Shut it,” Draco said, annoyed and glanced at her. “You and the girls stay close to me, okay?”

Rarity wasted no time and clung to Draco’s other arm and held it close as the mares stood beside the stallions, excluding Maud.

“You’ll protect me, won’t you Draco?” Rarity asked, batting her eyelashes.

Draco’s cheeks flushed a bit as he gulped and tried to maintain a stoic attitude. “Of course. I’d give my life to protect you all if I had to.”

Rarity giggled as they heard footsteps comping from the stairs. First came the ponies, then came three caribou stags. Each stag wore casual-looking attire and were all looking downwards with frowns. Draco noticed how nervous the mares already were and the stallions all glared at the Caribou.

“These be them?” Phill asked.

“Indeed,” Vow nodded. “This is Boe, Gils, and Njal.” The stags all bowed to Phill and he nodded.

“Charmed, so what have you lot learned since coming here?” Phill asked.

“We learned…that we were wrong,” Gils said. “No one deserves a fate like enslavement.”

“And what are your thoughts on mares?”

“Females are not objects built for pleasure, they are living beings,” Boe said.

“So does that mean you’re ready to accept the light?” Phill asked.

“We are not worthy of the light,” Njal said. “But all we ask is redemption for our sins.”

Draco stared at the caribou for a few moments. He stepped forward gently slipping out of the mares’ grasp. His body shape shifted into a large Carnatoris, nearly the size of the room. He snarled as he took three slowly menacing steps towards the caribou.

The three stags looked up at the large beast, a hint of fear flashed in their eyes.

“I suppose our fate is sealed, brothers,” Boe said.

“Indeed, the Beast of Chaos has chosen death instead of mercy,” Njal said.

“Then we shall meet our fate with dignity,” Gils said as they closed their eyes.

Draco’s jaws were mere inches away from the caribou before he unleashed a loud terrifying roar.

“RRRAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

The stags all flinched at the sudden roar while Vow and his attendants yelped in surprise. Instead of devouring them, Draco took a step back and slowly returned to normal.

“You…spare us?” Gils asked.

“I’ve seen how your kind acts when death is close at hand. I’m not sure how, but I can tell you three are different.” Draco turned and rejoined the group.

“Sir, if I may,” Boe called out to Draco. “During your travels, have you heard of the name Warborn?”

“Can’t say that I have.” Draco looked to the others seeing them shake their heads as well. “Care to explain?”

The stags looked at each other and with sad frowns until Boe spoke again.

“It happened during our preparations for invasion. Back in our homeland, which lies half a world away, we caribou once consisted of five clans. Two of the clans were said to be the greatest: the Warborn Clan and the Stonehoof Clan. However, the two clans had always resented one another, and the other clans favored the Warborns since they preferred peace while also remaining strong and prideful. The Stonehoofs were always violent and cruel, but had some sense of justice when it came to keeping our homeland safe.”

“But then came the generation when Dainn Stonehoof was born. They say he has lived through many other generations since he made a pact with the Seven Sins of Hell,” Gils said. “For countless years, Dainn had been accumulating power from the shadows, adding to his ranks and creating weaponry not of this world.” Gils frowned and covered his face. “The other clans never saw it coming…the Stonehoofs overwhelmed the three other clans. He had convinced a great many of them to join his régime and killed the rest who wouldn’t follow. He took the doe’s away for re-education so they could be molded into breeding doe’s for stags and beasts.”

“That mother bucker…” Berry growled.

“He attacked his own homeland?!” Flash said.

“Yes, and only the Warborns managed to remain in tact before Dainn set off to conquer Equestria and the rest of this world,” Njal said.

“So what’s your guys’ deal?” Draco cut in. “You had no choice but to follow and get corrupted, and did what they wanted you to do?”

“We three are each former members of separate clans,” Gils said. “Shameful as it is to admit it, we joined Dainn’s ranks voluntarily.”

Draco sneered at them. “So you can’t say you aren’t guilty of your own sins?”

“We are more than aware that we are guilty,” Boe sighed. “And nothing will ever wash the blood stained on both our hands and honor. The only thing we can do now, thanks to Saint Phillip, is try to move forward with what little honor we have left.”

For the longest time all Draco could do was glare at the stags, unmoving his anger bubbling in his chest. He let out a long deep sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I sure hope I come to regret sparing you three.”

“If only the Warborns were here…” Gils said under his breath.

“How exactly did they fall?” Draco asked, now a bit curious.

“As we said, the Warborn Clan were more favorable since they desired peace while maintaining proper authority,” Gils said. “If you could believe it, before Dainn took control, there was talk that the chieftains of the clans wished to visit Equestria for a treaty between our kingdoms. A treaty that would benefit us both.”

“And Dainn mucked it all up,” Phill said.

“Yes,” Njal said. “When Dainn took over, the young Chieftain of the Warnorn Clan rallied what remained of the four clans who resisted Dainn. They sailed across the northern sea in pursuit of Dainn and faced him on the northern shores of Equestria’s borders.”

“The Chieftain was young, but his heart was in the right place,” Boe said. “All he wanted was to help Equestria, stop Dainn from bringing the world to its knees, and avenge his father whom Dainn slayed right in front of him.”

“Woah, there were actually Caribou like that?” Shadow said.

“Sounds too good to be true,” Rainbow said. “So what happened to these oh so good-natured Caribou?”

“They were all slaughtered at the northern shores, just beyond the borders of the Crystal Empire,” Boe said, shushing Rainbow. “They never stood a chance, and Dainn struck the final blow by executing the young Chieftain. I’d imagine that their bodies still litter the sands and their blood has reddened the waters.”

“Besides you three, are there any others who may secretly wish things had turned out different?” Draco asked. Though he sounded calm, anyone who looked could see his eyes were slits, as his rage had changed then without him even knowing.

“If there were, then they are either following out of fear, abandoned the young chieftain’s ideals, or are being kept prisoner as to set an example of,” Njal responded.

“I would like to free any, if that were a thing, but right now I can’t do much without information.” Draco began to pace around in the room as he was deep in thought. “If I knew where I should strike next? Somewhere that will not only allow us to liberate innocent creatures, but also put a dent in the enemy’s ranks.”

“If I may?” Boe said again. “I advise you to make haste for the Northern Mountains.“

Draco turned his attention to stag with a neutral look. “Any particular reason why?”

The stag fidgeted in place for a moment, almost as though what he was going to say was forbidden. “Well…there in the mountains, near the border of the pony country, is the kingdom of the Diamond Dogs.”

Draco now seemed more interested in what the stag had to say. “I’m well aware where the Diamond Dogs live, but why would I need to make haste there first?”

He gulped nervously before continuing. “Because the Diamond Dogs are being used to forge a large portion of the weapons we caribou have been using.” Draco said nothing but turned his body showing his full attention. “I was stationed there for a while, and I learned that most of the army’s weapons supply came from the Diamond Dogs.”

“The Diamond Dogs…really?” Draco asked, confused.

“Yes Draco.” Twilight now spoke up. “We don’t know much about them, but what we do know is that Diamond Dogs are masters of the forge in their kingdom. Though they never created anything complicated or dangerous before the invasion.”

“Wait a sec, Lock mentioned something before he…went on his special mission,” Flash said. “He mentioned an overlord’s name, uh, what was he called?”

“You mean Gluttony?” Draco asked.

“Gluttony the Voracious,” Boe gulped. “He’s known to be quite the monster.”

“I can imagine. Still, we can’t afford to stand by while Lock is gathering information.” Draco looked at Phill. “You got a map around here?”

“Aye,” Phill nodded and pulled out a rolled up map from his coat pocket.

“Sir Draco.” Draco glanced over his shoulder at the stags. All three of them deeply bowed their heads at him and the group. “If it’s any sort of consolation…we are sorry for all we caribou have wrought.”

Draco stared for a moment and nodded. “Well, if you want to start making up for your mistakes, you can start by showing me where the forge is.”

Boe stood back up and nodded as Phill unrolled the map on a table. He approached the map and examined it.

“Here,” Boe said, pointing at the center of the Northern Mountains. “The forge is said to be deep beneath the mountain. They use the lava that flows from deep within the crust.”

“Then that's where our next move will take place.” Draco turned to Alpha Squad. “Now it’s our turn to be the ones who invade.”

“So soon?” Flash asked.

“Shouldn’t we do some recon first? Lock always had us do that before moving in to attack,” Swift said.

“We will, I don’t mean right at this moment you guys.” Draco corrected.

“Oh,” they all said.

“This all sounds so scary…” Fluttershy said.

“Don’t worry, flutter butter, this’ll be a cinch,” Zephyr smirked.

“Don’t jinx it, dude,” Berry said.

“For now let’s head back to Canterlot and prepare.” Draco turned his attention to Phill. “Keep up the work here, I’m hoping you’ll reach out to the rest.”

“Oh, ya didn’t think you were in this on your own, did ya?” Phill smirked. “It’s high time I put in more than me two pence in this fight. So I’ll be joinin’ the front lines along with ya.”

Draco smiled and shrugged. “Alright, I’ll let you know when we are ready for you, man.” Draco turned his attention now on Rarity. “But first, I promised a lovely mare a date, and I intend to keep that promise.”

Rarity giggled and blushed as she walked up to Draco and hugged his arm. “And I look forward to it, darling.” She leaned in and surprised Draco with a peck on his cheek.

“Ha! Smooth,” Shadow chuckled as Draco blushed.

“Oh! That reminds me,” Phill said as he led the group out of the building. “There be a couple of lassies who’ve been meaning to meet the lot of you.”

“Oh? And who might that be?” Draco wondered.

“Follow me,” Phill said.

The Saint led the group back into town. They arrived at a large two story building. It looked like some sort of hospital since there was a blue cross on the front with Phill’s Saint sigil on it. Inside were other ponies either bandaged up or they were talking to some of the staff members. The group walked through the halls and arrived in the east wing where Draco noticed there were foals walking around. They arrived at a set of double doors and inside were a large group of foals all sitting in the center. Two female griffins were reading them a story as they all listened intently. Draco recognized them as Gilda and Gabby.

“Then, Saint Phillip rushed into the castle, and saved the princess!” Gabby said. “And the kingdom was saved thanks to the brave efforts of Saint Phillip!”

The foals cheered as GIlda acted out the story.

“They like to entertain the little ones every other day,” Phill whispered to Draco.

“Yeah, with stories about you saving a princess?” Draco looked at him with a smirk. “I wonder who wrote that story?”

“Oi! Gilda! Gabby! Got some visitors!” Phill called out.

“Saint Phillip!” The foals cheered and all rushed his side.

“G’day, lads and lassies,” Phill smiled.

“Dash?!” Gilda gasped.

“Gilda!” The rainbow maned pegasus flew over to her friend and hugged her close. “I’m so happy you’re okay, G!”

“L-Likewise, Dash, you had me worried they got you!” Gilda said, hugging her back.

“Hi Princess Twilight!” Gabby chirped as the group approached the two female griffins.

“Gabby, so good to see you again,” Twilight smiled.

“Who’s your tall friend?” Gabby wondered as she looked up at Draco then gasped. “Are you Mr. Lockdrom who Saint Phillip always talks about?!” Gabby grabbed Draco’s hand and shook it wildly. “It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Gabby!”

“Uhh….no, my-name-is-Draco Saurian,” Draco stuttered as Gabby was practically shaking his whole body.

“Draco?” Gabby paused from her hand shake.

“Aye, lass, Lock be out and about,” Phill explained. “This be his right hand man.”

“Ooooh, I get it!” Gabby chirped again. “Well it’s still nice to meet you, Mr. Saurian! Hey! Have you seen Spike? I haven’t seen or heard from him in a while. Is he back in Ponyville?” Draco noticed Twilight flinch at the mention of Spike’s name.

“He’s…um, out on a secret mission, very top secret.” Draco lied, hoping to redirect the conversation. “So, um, what do you girls do here besides telling stories?”

“Kick caribou ass,” Gilda smirked. “Sometimes those stags in the rehab area get a little rowdy. So I sometimes go over there to rough them up and set them straight whenever Phill here is absent. And sometimes I get to tag along whenever the Icarus sets sail.”

“And I mostly tend to the little ones here!” Gabby said. “Saint Phillip sometimes asks me to keep things in order on his ship, but I prefer to stay behind.”

Draco leaned to one side to see the little foals all watching them curiously. “So are these the orphans who you guys take in?”

“Yeah, each has a story. Some either have both parents killed, their dads are missing or a traitor, or all their moms are probably enslaved or on the run,” Gabby sighed. She then gestured to the corner of the room as a lone colt sat on his bed, facing away from the group. Even though his back was turned, Draco recognized him as little Pipsqueak. “That little colt is probably the worst off of them all.”

Draco slowly made his way over to the lone colt until he was standing a few feet behind him. “Hey there, bud.”

Pipsqueak merely looked over his shoulder. It was as if Draco could feel all of his sadness in his eyes, but Pipsqueak looked away.

Draco sat down on the edge of the colts bed and moved a hand to gently rub his back. “I’m sorry for what has happened to you Pipsqueak, truly I am. But please don’t think for a second you’re all alone.”

“Where’s my mum?” Pipsqueak whimpered. “Where’s my dad? I…I miss them.”

“I heard the poor lad watched his folks die in front of him when we took back Trottingham,” Phill sadly said as he walked up beside the bed as the others visited the other foals. “They were killed as a sort of last resort by the Caribou rather than give us the satisfaction that we’d save everyone.”

Draco’s fist clenched with anger and hatred, but did his best to remain calm for Pipsqueak. “I…I’m sorry Pip, they’re in a better place now.”

“I want my mum…” Pipsqueak started to cry as tears dripped from his face. “I want my dad! Please bring my mummy and daddy back!”

Draco said nothing as he moved his arms to hold the colt in a caring hug. “I’m sorry, Pip, I wish I could. I know how you feel.”

All Pip could do was continue to cry as Draco sat with him. The poor colt continued to cry for a few minutes until he fell asleep in Draco’s arms.

“Didn’t wanna say it while he was awake, but I’ve been thinking of taking him in as me own. Same way as I did Merida,” Phill said.

Draco gently stroked the colt’s back as he carefully set him down onto the bed, and covered him with a blanket. “It wouldn’t be the same, Phill. Merida is but a baby, and probably doesn’t remember her mother well enough. But Pip isn’t so young. You can take him in under you, but you will never be able to fill the void in his heart. I should know.”

“Aye, I’m aware of that,” Phill nodded. “But the boy doesn’t deserve to be alone after what he’s been through.”

“He’ll never be alone, not when there are others who share his pain,” Draco added as he left the room.

The others saw Draco leave and followed after them as Rainbow and Gilda said their goodbyes along with Twilight and Gabby. Phill caught up to Draco and noticed he had sadness in his eyes.

“Wanna talk about it?” Draco glanced at Phill. “About your folks, I mean. It’s okay if ya don’t, if it’s too painful.”

“…” Draco stopped walking and turned to look at everyone as he considered the idea. He leaned up against a wall and sighed. “When I was young, my parents went down to a bank to deposit some money to buy a ticket to take us to the badlands in Montana. While they were at the bank, a guy with a gun came in to rob it.” Some tears began to flow down his cheeks as he stared up at the ceiling.

“When the cops got there, the robber freaked out and started to threaten to kill the hostages.” His hands changed to black claws that dug into the wall he was leaning against. “He panicked and fired his gun off. My parents along with 2 others were shot and killed.”

“Oh stars!” Rarity gasped.

“How awful…” Fluttershy said.

“Draco…I had no idea,” Shadow said.

“That’s heavy, man, I’m so sorry that happened,” Zephyr said.

Draco’s claws finally pulled out of the wall and he moved a hand over his eyes. “They wanted to go to Montana because of the dinosaur dig site there. They knew I wanted to go there because I loved dinosaurs.”

“What’re their names?” Phill wondered.

“Arthur and Gwen.” Draco sighed.

“If ya want, I can pop by Heaven and check in on them?” Phill offered. “Let them know how you’re holding up.”

Draco turned his head to Phill in surprise. “Y-you can do that?”

“Aye, as the Angel’s Saint, I have the right to travel to and fro from Heaven and this realm,” Phill explained. “One of the perks of being the Saint, I suppose, the Court sometimes calls me in from time to time.”

Draco was absolutely surprised, but his look of hope quickly vanished. “N-no, I don’t think you should.”

“But how come, Draco?” Swift asked.

“Don’t ya want yer parents to know how you’re doin’?” Applejack asked.

Draco stared back up at the ceiling again and allowed a few more tears to roll down his cheeks. “I’m scared to know what they think of me.” He said in a shaken voice. “You’ve all seen what I’ve done to the enemy. If they can see me from up there…what would they think of me?”

“They would understand,” Zephyr said. “I mean, look at me. I ate a fruit from the literal Devil himself, we all did.” Zephyr gestured to Flash and Maud.

“When I brought Spitfire to meet my parents in Cloudsdale when it was liberated, they freaked when they saw my arms. But then after I explained, they understood why I did what I did to stand by Lock’s side.”

“My mom sisters are worried about me since I’ve taken many lives since I ate my fruit,” Maud said. “But I always reassure them it’s for avenging my dad.”

“And we’re still proud of you, Maud!” Pinkie chirped as she hugged Maud.

“Ya may be singing a different tune these days, Draco, but I’d like to think that you’re still the good natured lad they knew as their son,” Phill said. “I doubt anything would change that.”

“And you’re still the same stallion I fell in love with,” Shadow said as she reached up to wipe his tears.

Draco had remained silent before breathing shallowly. “Maybe you guys are right.”

“O’ course we are,” Phill said. “So how’s about that message?”

“I’m still not sure. I mean, I’ve done some messed up things to the caribou. What makes you guys so sure that I’m so good natured that my parents won’t think otherwise?”

Before anyone could answer, the sounds of a child’s giggling was heard out a nearby window. The giggling was getting louder and louder until a familiar-looking pegasus filly came flying in. Her eyes spotted Draco and she squealed in delight as she zipped up to him and latched onto his face.

“Merida McHaggard! What in blazes are ya doing out of your crib?!” Phill snapped.

“Iss ishis gowng tuo ee ah fwing?” Draco’s muffled voice came from underneath the filly’s belly, making her giggle. Draco slowly and carefully pulled the little mare off his face, gasping for air.

“Dwaco!” Merida cheered, holding her little arms up at him.

Draco couldn’t help but smile as he slowly brought his nose down to nuzzle it against Meruda’s nose.

“Saint Phillip!” From down the hall, Euva came running in, dressed in winter clothing, and she looked quite frazzled. “I’m so sorry, Saint Phillip, the dear just up and flew out the window! I’ve been chasing her all the way here to the medical center.”

“It be alright, Euva, the lassie just wanted to see her uncle,” Phill waved it off.

Draco had cradled the little filly in one arm, gently rocking her, while he allowed her to hold his free hand.

“Wow, she’s so calm now,” Euva said. “You handle her better than me, and I’m her nanny for goodness sake.”

Draco’s cheeks flushed a bit as he made sure to keep up his rocking motion. “I honestly don’t know why. For some odd reason I’m good with kids, I used to babysit back on earth for friends.”

“Well I can see she loves you just as much she does her daddy,” Euva said.

Merida then yawned a cute yawn, making all the mares coo at the filly as her eyes slowly closed and she fell asleep in his arms.

“So tell me something, Draco,” Phill said as he walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Still think you ain’t good natured no more?”

Draco smiled a bit and carefully passed the little filly over to Euva, who carefully cradled her in her own arms. “I guess you guys have a point.”

“Hey, you know? Maybe this is good practice when you and Shadow have foals?” Berry said, making Shadow blush beet red.

“Berry! That’s too far!” Swift snapped.

Draco, who spotted Shadow’s blush, grinned. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” Draco walked next to his marefriend and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I’ve always wanted a family. Hey Shadow, how do you feel about twelve kids?”

“T-TWELVE?!” Shadow yelped. “I’m only 23, mister! I ain’t ready for foals just yet!”

He smiled and looked over at Rarity. “How about you Rares? Think you can help split the difference, you have six, Shadow has six?”

Rarity’s response was her placing her hand on her forehead and falling backwards with a bright red blush. Luckily, Applejack was there to catch her just in time.

“Smooth, Draco,” Twilight facepalmed.

“I didn’t hear a no.” Draco grinned playfully. “Besides, Lock told me he wanted twenty kids.”

“HE WHAT?!” Twilight shrieked, then also fell to the floor and passed out with a beet red blush.

“Quite the charmer, aren’t ya?” Phill sighed.

“Heh, sorry, but I couldn't resist,” Draco shrugged.

After about an hour, both Rarity and Twilight had awoken from their little naps, only to start slapping Draco for his teasing.

“I’m sorry, but you two were too easy to tease.” He laughed while covering his head with his arms, as the two mares slapped him.

“You mustn’t tease a lady like that!” Rarity shrieked as she slapped his arm.

“Lock and I have a stable relationship! Moon too! I know he’s too busy to start a family!” Twilight snapped.

“Okay okay, I get it, I get it!” Draco laughed as the mares stopped slapping him. Though he did jolt up when he felt a last slap on his ass and saw Rarit’'s cheeks flushed as she turned away.

“Treat me right, and we’ll see what happens,” she said under her breath. For a moment, Draco could swear her voice sounded different than usual but brushed it off as his imagination as he turned to Twilight.

“Hey Twi, real talk. When we get back to the castle, there’s something I need you for. You’re the only mare who can help me.” He heard someone clearing their throat and looked back to see Rarity giving him a look. “Er, after my date with Rarity, that is.”

“Really? What for?” Twilight wondered. Draco excused himself from the group and pulled Twilight aside to speak with her in private.

The Next Day

Draco stood in front of the Carousel Boutique. He held a bouquet of roses in his hand and reached up to knock on the door.

“Be right with you~!” A singsong voice called out.

Draco wore black jean pants, and a red button long sleeved shirt, with a black jacket over it. He checked his hair in the reflection in the glass before straightening up when he heard the doorknob jiggling. The door opened to reveal not the fashionista he was expecting, but he looked down to see the little sister of the two, Sweetie Belle.

“Hiya, Mr. Draco!” Sweetie chirped.

“Oh…hey Sweetie Belle.” He knelt down, careful not to ruin the flowers. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing great!” Sweetie smiled. “I’m just about to head out to meet my friends! We’re gonna get our snow pony making cutie marks!”

Draco smiled and then had an idea. Given that the timeline isn’t what he knew it to be, he figured he could lend a gentle nudge for the Crusaders. “You know, I had a question for you, Sweetie. Have you and the other Crusaders ever helped somepony figure out their cutie mark?”

Sweetie Belle tilted her head at his question and tapped her chin in thought. “Well sure we have. I can name a lot of ponies who we either helped see the value in their cutie marks or helped find what their special talent is. Why?”

Draco pretended to think about his words as he rubbed his chin with one finger. “Well, maybe you and the others should try and see about helping somepony learn about their own cutie mark. Who knows? Maybe you three will be good at it?”

“Good at helping others with their cutie marks?” Sweetie questioned. “But what about our cutie marks?”

“Well, isn’t it better to help others than yourselves? I know I feel better when I do.” Draco hinted, doing his best not to tell them exactly what he knows.

“Well…I don’t know. Doesn’t really sound like a special talent,” Sweetie said. “Are you sure it might lead to something?”

“Who can say? But I bet helping others find out their cutie marks’ purpose isn’t on your list, now is it?”

“I guess you’re right,” Sweetie shrugged. “Then I better go ask the girls what they think.” She walked past Draco and waved him goodbye. “Thanks for the advice, Mr. Draco!”

“No problem. Be safe out there!” Draco called out as he waved back.

“Yoo-hoo! Oh Draco!”

Draco turned around and went wide-eyed at the beautiful sight before him. Rarity wore a beautifully made white winter coat with black fur trimmings and snowflake patterns sewn on the side. She wore black leggings that went from her ankles all the way up, under her coat was a black turtleneck and wrapped around her neck was a red wool scarf. Finishing her outfit was a grey beret on top of her head. Draco noticed she had makeup, consisting of red lipstick, blue eyeliner, and she even had rosey pink shading on her cheeks.

“I better call Phill.” Draco smirked at Rarity as she moved closer. “Because I think heaven is missing one of its angels.”

“What, this old thing?” Rarity giggled as she spun around in a circle. “I just threw these on. You, darling, look fabulously handsome.”

“Well I needed to impress this gorgeous mare, so I thought I’d go all out.” Draco said casually as he presented the roses to Rarity. “These may pale in comparison to your beauty, but I hope you like them?”

“Oh my, they’re wonderful!” Rarity squealed as she took the roses. “You didn’t have to get me these, darling.”

“Well of course I do. I need to make sure I pull out all the stops for our date. If I didn’t give it my best, that wouldn’t be fair for you.” He gave her a little bow before offering his arm. “Shall we? I have the location for our date picked out.”

Rarity nodded and quickly used her magic to place the roses in a vase and hooked her arms around Draco’s. Draco could feel her chest pressing into him as she smiled giddily at him.

“Make sure you show me a grand time, handsome,” Rarity winked.

Cheeks turning slightly red, Draco gulped nervously and led Rarity out of her shop, and down to the port where a small airship would take them to Canterlot.

“Sir, your airship is ready to take you to Canterlot,” the driver pony said, holding his arm out to the gangplank.

“We’re going to Canterlot?” Rarity asked with glee.

“But of course, I know that you are a mare of fine taste, and it seems only fit to take you somewhere that you will enjoy.” Draco carefully led Rarity onto the ship.

Draco and Rarity sat in the cabin of the ship as it prepared to take off. The ship slowly rose to the air with the hum of the engine and took off towards Canterlot. The journey to the capital didn’t last long, thanks to the efficiency of the airship’s speed, and they arrived at the Canterlot ports without any issues. The ship then landed at one of the ports and the driver pony escorted the two off of the ship.

“I’ll wait for you two here until you’re ready to return,” the stallion said with a salute.

“Thank you, but feel free to go about your business in the meantime, we’ll be out late tonight.” Draco smiled as he led his date into the big city.

“I’ll never get tired of coming here,” Rarity said as she took in the sights. “You know, I’m looking to open a boutique in Canterlot soon.”

“Oh trust me, I know, and you will succeed, I can tell you that.” Draco smirked as they continued down the marble streets. “I know you'll go far, Rarity.”

“That’s so sweet of you to say, Draco.” She leaned up and pecked Draco on his cheek, leaving a small kiss mark.

His cheeks nearly turning a red as the lipstick mark on his cheek, Draco cleared his throat and smiled when he saw the shopping district. “Care to do a little window shopping?”

“Yes please!” Rarity beamed.

A Few Hours Later

After some time spent shopping, the two found themselves in Restaurant Row. They were sitting at an open seating café and had a few bags sitting beside them from their shopping run.

“So you mean to tell me, a strapping stallion like you, never wooed any human female in your world? That’s preposterous! You’re so charming and forward, any mare would love to have you,” Rarity said before she sipped her water.

Draco nervously scratched the back of his head as he was complemented. “Well, I mean, I was really busy with my studies. I wanted to make the dream I had set out for a reality.”

“I suppose, and now you have a wonderful mare like Shadow,” Rarity said. “I wish my love life was as successful as yours and Dimitri’s. But I seem to have some sort of bad luck in that department.”

“Oh come on now, I know you’re fishing for compliments.” Draco smirked as he leaned back in his seat. “You’re like one of Equestria’s most beautiful mares. There must be a line of stallions waiting to ask you out.”

Rarity blushed as she looked away bashfully and pulled a strand of her mane behind her ear.

“Thank you, Draco, but aren’t you just saying that to make me feel better because you accidentally kissed me?” Rarity wondered.

“No, not at all.” Draco said truthfully. “You are so beautiful. I’m not just saying that because I accidentally kissed you. Heck, if you had asked me before the kiss, I’d be telling you the same thing as I am now.”

“Really?” Rarity looked back at Draco with sparkles in her eyes. “Oh my…no pony has ever told me that before.”

Draco raised a brow. “Now who’s being a little dishonest? You seriously going to tell me no stallion has said what I’ve just said to you, ever?”

“They have, yes.” She placed her drink down and boldly moved her hand on top of Draco’s. “But their words weren’t as genuine as yours. You speak from the heart and soul, not with your mouth. They call me beautiful because they wish to get on my good side, but you tell me I am because it’s genuine. I truly appreciate your words, Draco, thank you.”

Deciding to be just as bold, Draco turned his hand gently and held her own hand. “Of course Rarity, anytime.”

Rarity smiled and scooted her seat closer to Draco’s and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you for taking me out on this marvelous date, Draco, I truly needed this,” Rarity sighed with a smile.

Draco moved his arm around her shoulders and moved his seat closer to her own. “Thank you too Rarity. I honestly really needed to take a break from this war, and I can’t imagine anything better than spending it on a date with a beautiful mare.”

Nothing more was said as the two enjoyed each other’s company. After all that Draco had been through, this was an experience the young warrior needed that he hadn’t realized he did. Regardless of what happens next, Draco will be ready for anything.

Author's Note

We have seen the Saint’s efforts in reforming those who most would say aren’t worth it. But is it worth it?

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Battle Under the Mountain

Chapter 40

In the span of the past month, since the disappearance of Dimitri Lockdrom, Draco has taken command in his absence for the war efforts against the Caribou scourge. Thanks to his leadership, and the assistance of the Angel’s Saint, Phillip McHaggard, the Knight of Chaos was successful in finishing Lock’s work by liberating all of Equestria from the oppression of the Stonehoofs. However, Draco knew that just because they were victorious in this battle, it only meant more conflicts would arise in the coming future.

Today, Draco had the resistance fleet stationed right by Canterlot and the army were all ordered to keep at their basic training and to look after the dozens of ships. Meanwhile, from inside the castle, Shadow Star and her fellow Alpha Squad members were traversing the halls in search of their leader since he had told them he needed to take care of something important.

“It still baffles me,” Berry said, leaning his hands behind his head as they walked. “Who’d’ve thought there were good caribou among those rapists.”

“It’s also a shame,” Swift said. “That chieftain those stags mentioned sounded nothing like Dainn.”

“And yet they were wiped out in the blink of an eye, supposedly,” Ace said. “I wonder what Lock would do if he were there at Sanctuary with us?”

“He’d probably kill those stags,” Cloud said. “Knowing him, Lock has a sort of personal vendetta against these sick pricks.”

“He and the rest of us,” Shadow reminded them. “But he isn’t here now. So, the only thing we can do is keep the fight going until he gets back.”

“Aren’t Flash and the other apprentices gonna join us meeting with Draco?” Ace asked.

“Flash is actually on a date with Spitfire, Maud is looking after the fleet, and Zephyr is helping Fluttershy consoling Pinkie with the death of her dad,” Shadow explained.

“What about Pharynx?” Berry said.

“He’s still recovering, Doc Steel said he’s going through some physical therapy before being approved for active duty.”

As they rounded they neared the workshop area when rounding the corner, where Draco told them he’d be, they noticed the door was open ajar a little. As they came closer, they heard some noises coming from inside the workshop.

“Draco, it’s too big.” They heard a female voice grunt as they got closer.

“Just hold still, I’ll push harder.” They heard Draco’s voice grunting next.

“Uh…what was that?” Ace said as the group stopped approaching the door and leaned in the listen.

“Draco, I’m telling you, it won’t fit inside there. Maybe you should try the other hole.” The female voice gasped and grunted.

“Twilight it has to go in this one, just because it’s tight doesn’t mean it won’t fit inside.” Draco’s voice replied.

“What the?! Draco and Twilight?!” Berry gasped.

“M-Maybe it's a misunderstanding?” Swift said sheepishly.

“Just pull out for a minute. Draco, I’m starting to feel sore,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, alright, give me two minutes and I’ll try and shove this big boy back in,” Draco’s voice responds.

“Why, that no good, dirty, rotten, cheater!” Shadow hissed. “He should’ve at least talked to me before rutting Lock’s bucking marefriend!”

“Hello, everypony, what are you all doing here?” Alpha Squad whipped their heads around to see Cadence approaching them, wearing casual clothing.

“P-Princess Cadence!” Ace yelped.

“Now, now, we’re all friends here, you may just call me Cadence.” Cadence heard Draco’s voice from inside the room. “Is that Draco I hear?”

“Okay Draco, I think I’m ready to go again,” the voice of Twilight came from the room.

“Yeah, me too, and hey I found a lubricant we can use. This should help slide the thing all the way,” Draco’s voice followed after.

“Wh-what in stars name?!” Cadence gasped. “How could Twilight cheat on Lock?!” Cadence was about to reach for the door when Cloud and Swift blocked her.

“You can’t just barge in there! There’s rules to this stuff!” Cloud said.

“I-I agree! They need their privacy!” Swift said.

“Babe, move! I’m gonna knock some sense into Draco!” Berry growled at his marefriend.

“Okay, one more push, Twi, and then we should be in business,” Draco grunted loudly.

“Thank Celestia, I’m so sore. Go ahead, Draco, slam it in!” Twilight called out.

Cadence and Shadow glared in irritation as they both used their magic to shove Cloud and Swift aside before Shadow kicked the door down.

“You have a lot of nerve, buster!” Shadow barked. “Explain yourself!”

“Twilight! I never took you for such a-!”

Both mares stopped mid sentence as they did not see Draco and Twilight going at it like a pair of horny teenagers. Rather, they saw the two on either side of a larger lab table. On said table, was a large great sword, with Twilight holding it with her hands from the dull side. While Draco had both his hands pressing down on a green glass ball, which he was pushing into a round hole slot.

Both Twilight and Draco were staring at the two mares with confused looks. “Uh…I was gonna explain when you guys got here, but I feel like I’m missing some content here?” Draco said.

“And you never took me for what, Cadence? Why do you and Shadow look upset, did something happen?” Twilight asked her sister-in-law.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Shadow said as the other members of Alpha Squad walked in. “Weren’t you two rutting like animals just a minute ago?”

Both Draco and Twilight’s face burned crimson. “WHAT?!” They shouted in unison.

“We heard weird noises!” Shadow said. “It won’t fit, Draco! One more push, Twi! I found some lube! Oh please, Draco, push it in! You sounded like you were giving it to Twilight good! Like you did to me!”

Twilight’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water making no sound. Draco’s face went five shades redder as steam came from his ears. “NO! We weren’t doing that! And for Christ’s sake, Shadow, did you have to announce that to everypony here?!”

“Well, it’s true!” Shadow huffed, crossing her arms and looking away.

Ace and Berry walked over to the large blade and looked at it curiously.

“So…what’s this thing supposed to be? New weapon for you, Draco?” Berry guessed as Draco tried to calm down and Twilight hid her face in her hands.

Draco, after massaging his temples, walked over to the table and picked up the sword. “I would’ve liked to tell you what this is for, without the drama.” He took a moment to glare at both Shadow and Cadence.

“You cannot blame us for reacting in such a way when we were misinformed, due to the obscene sounds and words being said between the both of you,” Cadence argued.

“And you thought I’d cheat on Lock?! What kind of mare do you take me for, Cadence?! Lock is my one and true only!” Twilight snapped. “No offense, Draco.”

“None taken.” Draco waved his hand before getting a devilish grin. “Although, if you two are down for a couples orgy with me and Shadow, we probably wouldn’t say no.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

“DRACO!” Twilight shrieked and the rest of the ponies laughed. “NOT! FUNNY!”

“Hehe sorry, Twilight, I couldn’t resist,” Draco chuckled before turning his attention back to the group. “As for the rest of you, I would think you guys would know better to just eavesdrop like that.” He turned to look at Shadow. “And I would think my marefriend would have more faith in me.”

“Well I-but you-but she-!” Draco raised his hand and shook his head.

“For that, no sex for a full month,” Draco added sternly.

Shadow’s jaw went slack and she tried to think of something quick. When she got an idea, she quickly stepped over to Draco and whispered in his ear.

“If you forgive me, I’ll let you take my back door’s first time~?” Shadow purred quietly.

Draco folded his arms and shook his head. “Nope, sorry, but you need to learn a lesson,” Draco said with a smile. “Be lucky it isn’t for longer than a month.”

“Aww!” Shadow pouted and crossed her arms. “Fine…”

“So, back to this thing, Draco?” Berry said again, pointing to the sword.

“Looks kind of big for even you. You trying to compensate for something?” Cloud teased.

“Psh, as if I need to. Ask Shadow, she’ll gladly tell you,” Draco shot back with a confident grin.

“So what is this?” Swift asked.

Draco picked up the sword with ease and held up to Berry. “I made this with you in mind.”

“Me?” Berry eyed the weapon. “Good thing I practice with a hammer and a sword sometimes, I guess.” The large stallion took the sword but was surprised how heavy it was. “Damn! This thing weighs a ton! What’s it made of?”

“Only the strongest steel available. Hang on, I forgot to add the other orb.” Draco walked around the counter and grabbed a purple orb from the counter. “This should reduce any weight, and this should slip in without problems.”

Walking back over to the struggling earth pony, before slipping the orb into the second hole which was empty.

As if in an instant, the sword became light as a feather and Berry could hold it with one hand. “Woah! It barely weighs anything!” Berry twirled the large sword, and Alpha Squad and Cadence watched in awe.

“I believe our prototype was a success, Draco,” Twilight said proudly.

“Prototype?” Cadence repeated.

“Oh, we will see if this next test works.” Draco rubbed his hands together with excitement. “Now Berry, just to clarify, you are an Earth pony, meaning you can’t cast offensive spells like a unicorn could?”

“Nope, just your average earth pony stallion with a gun show,” Berry joked, flexing his arms.

“So beefy~,” Swift sighed, batting her eyes.

“Well let’s change that.” Draco smirked. “You see that green orb right above the purple one I installed?” He said while pointing to said orb.

“What about it?” Berry wondered, eyeing the orb.

“Tap it,” Draco instructed.

Berry did as he was told and tapped the orb. Suddenly, the blade ignited in flames, startling Berry and the others.

“Holy crap! It’s on fire?!” Berry yelped.

“Good, it worked!” Draco pumped his fist in the air before high-fiving Twilight who looked equally pleased.

Moving to a nearby window and opening Draco pointed at the opening. “Okay, now aim at this open window and call out Fireball.”

“Uh…” Berry looked at his squadmates and they all just shrugged. “Fireball!” As Berry pointed the sword, the flames surrounding the blade swirled around to the tip as a ball of fire the size of a soccer ball took form and shot out the window. “What the buck?! How’d it do that?!”

“It works!” Twilight hugged Draco tight and shook him back and forth. “We did it, Draco, we did it!”

Draco gasped as Twilight’s alicorn strength squeezed him too tight. “Twilight, you’re gonna snap my spine!”

“Oh! Sorry…” Twilight let Draco go with a sheepish smile.

“Geez with all that strength I’m surprised you have broken Lock’s pelvis when you two-”

“ANYWAY!” Twilight interrupted Draco. “How do you like your new sword, Berry?”

“It’s awesome! How’d you even make this?” Berry wondered as he tapped the orb again and the flames snuffed out.

“Well I’m glad you asked.” Draco, who had stopped laughing, walked back to where he grabbed the purple orb and pulled out a large box.

Setting the box on the table, he opened it to reveal clear see-through orbs. Grabbing one, he lifted it up. “We did it with these.”

“How intriguing,” Cadence said as she examined the orbs with Alpha Squad. “What are these orbs?”

“They’re the latest and newest magical discovery! All thanks to Draco here!” Twilight chirped.

Draco cheeks blushed a bit before continuing. “You see, I wanted to up our arsenal, but I was having a hard time figuring out how. But then it hit me, Equestria has items that are magically enhanced right?”

“Correct,” Cadence said. “But how does this sword function?”

“Well, I figured if we can imbue magic in common day items, then why not weapons?” He looked at the clear orb in his hand. “Then after some studying with Twilight, we found a way for all the races to use this. All one needs is any form of magic. Earth ponies and pegasi have their own form of magic.”

“I imagine our type of magic has something to do with wind?” Ace asked, gesturing to himself and Cloud.

“In some cases, however, with these you won’t be limited to any type of magic,” Draco added as he reached into a box pulling out another green orb, before tossing it to Ace. “Catch.”

Ace caught the orb and held it in front of him. “Do I do the same thing Berry did?”

“Just focus on the orb, and hold out your hand towards the open window.” Draco instructed, while pointing to said window.

Ace nodded and held the orb out towards the window and focused on the orb. The orb began to glow and soon a torrent of water shot out and sprayed out the window.

“What the?! Water?!” Ace gasped.

“Incredible! How is there water within the orb?” Cadence wondered in awe as the water continued to spray out of the orb.

“It’s a bit complicated, but basically-”

“Ahhhh!” Before Draco could finish, they heard a scream come from out the window. “Where is all this water coming from?!”

“Uh oh…that sounded like-”

Before Shadow could finish, the sounds of stampeding hooves were heard rushing towards the lab and in burst Luna. Her hair and dress were sopping wet as she glanced around the room with an annoyed look.

“What is the meaning of drenching me with water?! Is this some kind of joke?! My mane and dress are ruined!” Luna snapped.

Everypony in the room was quiet, the only sound was the water still gushing from Ace’s palm. “Ummm, we were demonstrating a new development in magical weaponry.” Draco shrugged meekly.

“You call making a squirt gun weaponry?!” Luna marched over to Ace and swiped the orb away from him, causing the orb to stop gushing water. “What manner of magic even is this thing?!”

“Well, this was an idea that came from my world.” Draco, still shaken up, tried to explain. “These are called matria, and based on which kind you have, it can offer different means of helping the owner.”

“Oh really?” Luna placed a hand on her hip and leaned in to squint her eyes at Draco. “And pray tell, how do you use those oh so great orbs?” Unbeknownst to Luna, Draco could smell her perfume. She smelled like mint and roses.

“With any form of magic, really. You see, princess, we found a way for ponies other than unicorns to use magic.” He admitted while adjusting his shirt collar.

“Is that so?” Luna leaned back and used her magic to dry herself off before shoving the orb into Draco’s chest. “Just make sure you don’t spray somepony again like that.” With that, Luna marched off with a frustrated grunt.

“Sorry again, your majesty,” Draco called out. “Okay, we really need to be careful with these things.”

“You sure?” Shadow teased. “Princess Luna looked kinda sexy, all wet like that.”

“Shadow, come on, really?” Swift rolled her eyes.

“I’m a bi mare, and I’m proud.” Shadow crossed her arms.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t expect a princess to join us in the bedroom, babe.” Draco smirked. “That is, if Lock is up for that couples orgy, you can ask.” He wiggled his brow.

“Draco, I swear to Celestia, stop joking about my sex life with my coltfriend!” Twilight screeched, stamping her hoof. “If Moon were here, she’d rip you a new one!”

“Hey, who do you think gave me the idea?” Draco said in a serious tone.

“Wait…huh?” Twilight tilted her head.

“Yeah, I overheard her talking to Lock about it before he disappeared. She said she was curious about a couples orgy. She thought it was cute when she ate you out las-”

“MOON!” Twilight yelled as she ran out of the room with a crimson face.

“Wow…that’s hot,” Cloud snickered.

“Careful, bro, you don’t wanna be fantasizing about another stallion’s mares,” Berry warned.

“You weren’t serious about that, were you?” Shadow asked Draco.

“What? Are you telling me you never thought about me and Lock giving you the double-D?” Draco smirked at his marefriend.

Shadow blinked in surprise but then drooled a little bit. “Oh yeah…I can imagine that. You boys would probably wreck me~.”

“No shame, huh, Shadow?” Swift rolled her eyes.

“Haha yeah, well tell you what Shadow. When Lock gets back you can ask, and if he says yes we’ll make sure to give the pounding of a lifetime.” Draco smirked as he kissed his marefriend’s neck.

“Ahn~, I hope the Captain comes back soon,” Shadow moaned.

“Ugh, Draco, you mentioned you wanted to talk about our next move against Gluttony?” Berry said as Draco was about to fondle his marefriend.

“I recall that the demon is in charge of the Diamond Dog kingdom,” Cadence commented.

Draco and Shadow stopped suddenly and straightened themselves out. “Right, I wanted to show you guys the plan.”

Pulling a large scroll of paper from his jacket, Draco flattened onto the counter to show it's content. “So after talking with the Caribou at Sanctuary, I was able to find out more about the Diamond Dog kingdom, and where Gluttony is.”

“They mentioned it’s in some kind of mountain range?” Berry guessed.

“Ice Gem Mountain,” Cadence said, pointing on the map where it showed a picture of various mountains. One of which looked much taller than the others surrounding it. “From what I know, the Diamond Dog kingdom was founded deep within the mountain. They mine various gems and ore deep within the earth of the mountain. It is also said to be one of the highest peaks in all of Eques.”

“And as we all learned, it’s where the Caribou get their main supply of weapons here in Equestria. Now pop quiz, class.” Draco looked up at the ponies with a smile. “Say we liberate the Diamond Dogs, and destroy the forge. What do you think would happen?”

“They’d lose one of their main weapon suppliers?” Swift raised her hand.

“And what do you guys think that would do to the Caribou directly?” Draco said with a nod of his head.

“They’d be outgunned, should we perfect these new weapons you invented. Plus, adding any weaponry of theirs to our own ranks,” Cloud answered.

“Exactly. If we can get this done, we can reduce the frequency in their attacks. This should stall them until Lock gets back,” Draco summarized.

“I should hope so,” Ace said warily. “Your ruse of pretending to be Lock whenever we go fight is good and all, but the troops have begun to notice he’s not around when we’re not fighting. We always tell them he’s out on recon, but some are starting to not buy that excuse anymore.”

Draco nodded, he knew full well that the ponies wouldn’t be easy to fool for too long. “I know. That’s why this next mission will be only the members of Alpha Squad and the devil fruit users. If we follow my plan, we can be in and out with no casualties.”

“When do we move out?” Berry wondered.

“Tomorrow, we will strike when the sun has set. Take this time to rest and collect yourselves. We will strike swiftly and with precision.” Draco ordered.

“I just wonder if those dogs will be grateful to us,” Berry scoffed. “Ponies and dogs haven’t always got along in the past. I remember my pop got in a fight with one once.”

“We aren’t looking for gratitude,” Draco said flatly before stepping up to Berry. “If Lock had ended up arriving in the Diamond Dogs kingdom rather than here, wouldn’t you still want someone to come save you even if it’s with a race you formally consider an enemy?” He asked with a stern look on his face.

“I…I guess,” Berry sighed.

“Will it be alright with just us? We’d be stepping into enemy territory, severely outnumbered,” Shadow said.

“As long as we remain undetected, we should be good, right?” Cloud said.

“Yes. I chose night fall for a reason. I asked Rarity to make us some dark combat gear. If we stay quiet and follow my plan, we can catch the Caribou off guard.”

Draco tapped his finger on a part of the map, which was on the outside of the mountain. “According to the Caribou from the Sanctuary, both the outside and inside of the mountain have the least amount of patrol. It’s because it’s a part of the mountain that has nothing of value and it’s too thick for someone to blow their way in.”

With a smirk Draco rolled up the scroll of paper. “But we won’t be blowing our way in.”

“Why can’t we make a flashy entrance like we always do?” Swift wondered. “Since Maud can control the earth, maybe she can cause a fissure to bury those pricks in the ground?”

Draco delivers a swift chop to the top of Swift's head. “We run the risk of killing the Diamond Dogs we are trying to save.”

“Oh yeah…” Swift rubbed the top of her head.

“What about Gluttony?” Cadence wondered. “Where would he be?”

“The stags said he’s at the highest peak of the mountain,” Shadow said.

“According to the information, the Diamond Dog kingdom is broken into three parts.” Holding up three fingers, Draco began to list off the different sections. “At the bottom of the mountain is the mining and work district, where they mine for gemstones and make all their goods. After that, there is the town area where they live when they are not working and can have markets and trade goods. Finally, there is the top which is the main castle. Originally, this was where the king lived to handle diplomatic and royal affairs.”

“Our scouts recently came back with some info,” Shadow said. “They said that the king was killed when the kingdom fell, but no pony saw his body. What’s that tell you?”

“King Night Gem may still live?” Cadence said, surprised.

“Let’s not get our hopes up. However, assuming this may be true, I would guess that he is in the castle dungeon,” Draco theorized.

“And his family.” Draco and the rest turned to Cadence. “Auntie Celestia and Auntie Luna told me they once met the royal family. King Night Gem has a wife and two pups, a son and a daughter. Stars above know what dreadful things that might be happening to them.”

“You know what this means, guys?” Ace said. “This has now also become a rescue mission.”

This bit of information set an unease sense of despair in the air, some of the ponies who had no reason to help the Diamond Dogs, felt a sense of guilt now. “We will make saving them our next priority,” Draco snapped everyone’s attention back to reality. “If we cripple their weapons supply, they will need to use their weapons and ammunition sparingly. We can save them with a higher success rate if we do this.”

All the ponies nodded as they exited the room, except for Cadence.

“Do you truly believe we can be successful in this endeavor without Dimitri?” Cadence wondered.

There was a moment of hesitation in the back of his mind. Yet he knew that they could not sit idly by and hoped that Lock would return soon. “I am. So long as we stick by my plan, I am sure we can achieve this goal.”

“I surely hope so.” Cadence frowned and she looked at the floor. Draco pitied the mare, since he knew she was still in mourning. Building up his courage, Draco stepped towards Cadence and brought her in for a comforting hug.

“Everything will be okay, Cadence, I will do my best to make sure you and everypony is kept safe.” He patted her back gently.

Cadence stood there as Draco hugged her, and tried her best not to cry. She then wrapped her arms around Draco and buried her face in his chest.

“Don’t look at me…” Cadence said, her voice muffled. “I always look awful when I cry.”

Draco ignored this and held her close and continued to pat her back. “I know that you’re still suffering, princess. I don’t think anypony would blame you. You are surrounded by friends and family, so don’t think you need to hide your pain to maintain appearance,” he said in a soothing tone.

Cadence nodded as she sniffled and looked up at Draco. “Please come back safely, Draco, promise me.”

Draco found himself a loss for words unsure if he could make such a promise so easily. Yet he knew if he didn’t, he’d only make her sadder. So he began to perform a very familiar and special gesture. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Cadence giggled and completely caught Draco off guard when she leaned up and gently pecked him on the cheek. “Thank you.” Cadence broke their hug and quickly left the room.

For the remainder of that evening Draco had been stuck in place, his face redder than an apple.

The Next Dusk

The sun had yet to set as a small airship flew low to the ground and made its way East. Draco, Alpha Squad, and the Apprentices were all geared up and were ready to begin their mission. With the utmost stealth, the ship landed on the ground near the base of the mountain. Quickly and quietly, the team of Draco, Alpha Squad and the devil fruit users hopped out and ran to the mountain face.

“Alright Maud, first things first start opening a tunnel as quietly as possible,” Draco ordered while pointing to the mountain.

Maud nodded and raised her hands. The mare thrusted her arms forward and punched the stone wall of the mountain, making it crack open. It was a low rumbling sound, but Maud managed to create a tunnel as the group followed her.

“Ugh, it suddenly got hot in here,” Swift complained.

Draco noticed the rise in temperature as well, he placed his hand on the walls and felt the heat radiating off them. “We are getting close. The diamond dogs have access to this mountain’s lava flow, it’s what they use to help melt their metals and other items.”

“The stone in the walls feels more dense,” Maud said as she continued to dig.

“Probably from the heat, can you still tunnel through?” Draco asked, making sure that they maintain their element of surprise.

“No stone is a match for me,” Maud said as she stomped her hoof and the wall cracked open like it was nothing.

“Sheesh, remind me not to get on her bad side,” Zephyr muttered.

Draco pulled out a radio and adjusted the dial before speaking. “Razor Claw to Skittle Butt, do you copy Skittle Butt?”

“I thought I told you I didn’t want that to be my code name!” Rainbow snapped on the other line. “I wanted it to be Rainbow Bolt!”

“Does Rainbow Butt sound better?” Draco teased getting everypony to snicker. “By the way, did Zephyr ever get a chance to taste the rainbow?”

“WHAT?! ZEPHYR, I’M GONNA KILL YOU!” Rainbow shrieked.

“Geez, Dash, cool it!” Zephyr chuckled. “I didn’t say anything. Well, except now, Dash and I have started dating.”

“And I’m already starting to regret it!” Rainbow barked.

“Congrats, you two,” Shadow said. “Draco, stop teasing the kids and their new relationship.”

“Yes, dear.” He said in an old fashioned manner. “We are almost done with phase one Dash, how is phase two?”

“Half the bombs are already set and ready so far, but I almost got spotted twice now. These guys must be more on edge lately because of all we’ve done and those broadcasts Lock and Phill put out.”

“They are on high guard because of how important this place is. Just plant the rest of the explosive wherever is easiest, and fly back home. With any luck, we will be done within the hour.” Draco ordered as he and the rest of the group followed behind Maud.

Maud soon stopped her digging movements and punched her hands through the stone. She pulled them apart and the group were met with an amazing sight to behold. The kingdom of the Diamond Dogs.

“Great stars of Luna…” Ace gasped.

Across the way was a massive city built into the inner wall of the mountain. Its structure was exactly as Draco has described it, yet the beauty of it all could not be placed into words.

“That’s the Diamond Dog kingdom?!” Flash said in a hushed voice.

“It’s nothing like I thought it would be,” Cloud said. “And look, you can tell how the city is layered, just like how Draco described it.”

Draco pulled his radio out once more and spoke into it. “Rainbow, are you done yet?”

“Just about…done!” Rainbow said over the radio.

“Get out of here, babe, it’s gonna get loud,” Zephyr said over Draco’s shoulder.

“You all better come back in one piece!” Rainbow said before she hung up.

“How can the dogs stand this heat? Aren’t they covered in fur?” Shadow wondered as she wiped her brow.

“They probably have gotten used to it, or have some means of ventilation.” Pulling out binoculars, Draco scanned along the wall at the bottom of the kingdom. He could see a pair of caribou guards pacing back and forth, and noticed they were sweating as much as his group.

“Yeah the caribou are feeling it just as much as us.” Draco put his binoculars away, and smiled as he reached into his bag. “Luckily, I planned for this.”

He smiled as he pulled metal wrist bands, each with a small blue sphere in each one. “Put these on.”

The ponies each put the bands on their wrists. All of a sudden, a feeling similar to a cold breeze washed over them and they could not feel the strain of the heat from the mountain.

“Woah, I can no longer feel the heat,” Swift said. “Do these things resist heat?”

“Yes, but enough that it won’t bother you. They don’t make you fireproof.” Slipping one on his own band, Draco pulled out a detonator. “Alright listen up. The moment I press this button, the bombs will go off and all hell will brake loose. The caribou will send whatever forces they can spare to the outside. Our goal is simple, save the diamond dogs. Kill as many caribou you see, but don’t go out of your way to look for them. Once we gather the diamond dogs in the forge we will destroy the caribou stocks and the forge.”

“Let’s just hope these dogs will be thankful to us,” Berry said under his breath.

“Wouldn’t you?” Draco asked in a serious tone.

“Of course, but the dogs are known to be stubborn,” Berry shrugged.

“Save this argument for later, boys,” Shadow lectured. “Draco? Hit it.”

With a nod of his head, Draco flipped the lid on the detonator, and with a quick click of his thumb the mountain shook. The sound of thundering booms echoed around the cavern.

Ahead, they could hear the sound of Caribou shouting orders and lights migrating higher into the upper levels of the kingdom. “We wait two minutes then we move.” Draco commanded.

The group watched as the caribou scrambled around the city streets in a panic. They were completely unaware of how or why the explosions went off and they all rushed to see who was injured and who wasn’t. Draco soon noticed that most of the caribou were riding War Beasts.

“Ugh, those War Beasts are so huge, it’s unnatural,” Swift said with a shiver.

“There sure are a lot of them here, and most of the caribou are riding them,” Ace pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter, they end the same way.” Draco snarled as he led the group closer and closer. “Zephyr and Flash, on my command, I want you guys to take out the guard towers.”

Pointing with his finger, Draco gestured to the larger structures set up across the lower area, where they could see Caribou pacing around frantically, no doubt trying to find out the cause of the explosions.

Flash and Zephyr nodded and waited for Draco’s signal. Draco raised his hand and watched the guards very carefully. The three towers had three stags each and they looked in the direction of where the explosions were set off.

“Now!” He whispered as charged forward along with the rest of the ponies.

Zephyr’s eyes turned white as he whipped his arms forward. Large thick clouds formed out of thin air and enveloped the structures in a dense fog. The stags were confused and surprised from the sudden fog, but had little time to dwell on it. Flash flew with his super speed up each guard tower and snapped every guard’s neck. The stags didn’t even have time to think as their necks were broken and they all fell down dead.

Draco ran toward the front gate and shape shifted into a raging Triceratop. Letting out a roar as he smashed through the gate, causing the wood to splinter apart, and any behind the gate sent flying.

“Intruder! Intruder!” One stag cried. “Something just burst through the gate!”

Without hesitation or losing speed, Draco shifted his attention to the stags before him and charged. His horns pierced through armor and chainmail, as he skewered the caribou, and crushed others beneath his massive legs.

“What the buck is that thing?!”

“There’s ponies behind it! Kill them!”

Alpha Squad soon went to work at dispatching the stags. Ace and Cloud used their new rifles and worked as a duo by firing head shots. Berry used his new sword and charged at the stags and sliced them like butter. He then pointed his sword at a group of charging stags.

“Fireball!” The sword lit up and a large fireball shot forward and blasted the attacking stags. “Ha! I love this thing! I think I’ll call you Firecracker!”

The raging Triceratop stopped alongside Berry, caribou still screaming in pain as they were impaled on its horns. With a flick of his head, Draco sent the caribous on his horns off tossed aside like mere garbage, before changing back. “When you’re done kissing your own ass, we need to take out any communication towers we see.”

CRASH!

Both Berry and Draco jumped when they saw huge boulders smash into two other buildings. Maud soon hovered over to them on a floating rock.

“Comms array is dealt with, let’s keep moving.” Without another word, Maud went in another direction and continued pelting stags through their skulls with bits of rock from the one she floated on.

“Remind me not to buck with that mare,” Berry said nervously.

“If you do, you better make sure she is pleased dude before you get your own rocks off.” Draco joked before jumping in front of Berry using his own body as a shield as a group of caribou started firing at them. The bullets bounced off Draco’s skin, as he reinforced it with Ankylosaurus skin.

“It’s the Beast! Bucking shoot him!”

“Why isn’t he going down?!”

Suddenly, a magical light gray dome appeared around the stags. Shadow walked up next to Draco and Berry with her horn shining and her arms out. She then closed the dome and it began to shrink and crush the stags inside.

“How do you like your meat, babe? Pulverized or minced?” Shadow said.

Draco scratched his chin deep in thought. “Hmm, I like mine juiced, with no chunks.” Draco smirked.

Shadow nodded and in an instant, clapped her hands and crushed the stags in the dome to a bloody pulp. When Shadow released her magic, a pool of blood and gore washed along the dirt.

“Ugh, nasty,” Berry gagged.

“So, where’s the leader?” Swift said as she and the rest of Alpha Squad regrouped while the apprentices continued to run amok. “There should be a leader, right?”

“Well, from what I gathered, the leader is near the end of the work district. He guards the crossing from this district to the second one.” Draco explained. “Odds are he is waiting there to make sure no creature passes though.”

“Draco.” Flash came running back with a serious look on his face. “There’s something you should know, there’s a fruit user here.”

“Let me guess, he’s also the leader of this section of the diamond dog kingdom?” Already connecting the dots, Draco couldn’t afford to waste any time. “We’ll worry about him later, right now we need to free the prisoners. The Prometheus will be here along with some other ships, to take whoever we find out of here.”

“Should we hit the forge first?” Ace suggested. “Saw a big building due east of our position with large smoke stacks coming out of it.”

“Not yet. From what I’ve learned, the diamond dogs are on lockdown at night. The caribou didn’t want to risk them trying to escape at night when they would be tired, so they locked them up till dawn.”

Pointing ahead to the next section of the level, Draco started to lead the way. “We need to get to the third section where they keep the prisoners, it’s just past the guard house.”

“Right, I’m gonna go and rejoin Maud and Zephyr and keep these stags busy. Call us if you need backup.” Flash saluted and sped off with an electric trail behind him.

“Alright, Alpha Squad, next up is the guard house, that’s where a large majority of caribou will be. After that we move to free the slaves.” Draco marched on his team in tow.

The group marched through the streets as they dispatched any caribou that tried to attack them. Shadow used her magic to create a protective dome around the squad, in case any stag tried to get the drop on them. In the distance, thunder bolts could be heard echoing and large slabs of earth flew in all directions. Every once in a while, Flash would run past the group and speed through the air.

“Sheesh, they’re really going at it,” Berry said. “I wonder what it must feel like to use powers like that?”

“Why don’t you sell your soul to the devil and find out,” Draco snarled under his breath which started the group. “Just because they have power now, doesn’t mean they won’t regret it later.” There was the same bitter tone in Draco’s voice that always made itself present when talking about this topic.

“Guys, please don’t talk about fruit stuff,” Shadow said. “It’s okay, Draco, we’re fine with the way we are. None of us want to eat any devil fruit.”

“By the way, Draco, what did you do with the fruit we got from that exploding guy back in Vanhoover?” Ace asked.

Draco was currently crunching on an arm that he ripped off a caribou soldier that tried to run into the bubble, which ended faster than most would expect. “I had the princesses lock it up somewhere safe.”

“You don’t think anypony would be stupid enough to try and eat it without somepony’s permission, right?” Swift wondered as Cloud shot a stag off of a roof with his rifle.

“Only the princesses have access to where it’s locked up, meaning only an alicorn can open it,” Draco added as he tossed the remaining arm aside. “Plus if anyone does eat it who could be a threat, I have a secret weapon just in case.”

“Secret weapon?” Swift said, only for Draco to glance back at the colt turned mare with a grin.

“The less you know the better.” Draco added before marching on forward.

Ace flew high above in the air and looked around a bit. He then came back down and landed back by the group.

“They’re all headed to a larger building. Seems like it’s some sort of tactical retreat,” Ace said.

“It’s most likely the guard house. They have it in the middle of this district where the caribou sleep, they’ll probably want to barricade themselves till reinforcements come.” Draco pulled the map out. “We should destroy it while we’re here before going to the diamond dogs.”

“What about Flash and the others?” Berry wondered, gripping his sword. The group looked to see a large black thundercloud and thunderbolts raining down and echoing across the town.

“Let them do their own thing for now.” Draco turned to look at Berry. “Unless you’re too weak to take on some caribou, without devil fruit users as a safety net?”

“You kidding? I want them to stay away so Firecracker and I can kill more of those bastards,” Berry said.

“Dude, please don’t treat the sword like it’s a person…” Cloud groaned.

“You’re all just jealous,” Berry grinned.

“You did this,” Shadow deadpanned at Draco as they spotted the barracks. “You just had to give him a new toy.”

“Would it make you feel better if I told you, I got you guys some new weapons too?” Draco smirked as he drew his sword.

“Maybe,” Shadow said.

BANG!

The group stopped when a shot fired out and hit the ground just in front of them.

“That’s far enough, rebels!” A stag called out from the window. “Don’t you dare take another step! We got rifles pointed at you all around! Reinforcements are on their way, and we’ll skewer you bastards up and buck those bitches until they’ve conceived our young until they die!”

Draco smirked before moving forward, stepping out of the bubble and held his arms out. “Go ahead, you guys, fire when ready, I’m right here,” he said in a taunting tone.

“You bucking-TEAR HIM APART!”

All rifles sticking out of the windows began firing at Draco. Dust began kicking up as the stags kept firing until their magazines ran dry. After about five minutes of straight shooting, they eventually stopped and waited for the dust to settle. What emerged from the dust baffled the lot of them as Draco stood completely unharmed, minus his slightly damaged armor. At his feet were dozens upon dozens of bullets that seemingly had bounced off of Draco.

“What the buck?!” A stag cried.

Draco left out a yawn and scattered under his chin like nothing had happened. “Oh, was that it? Well that was anticlimactic. I guess it’s my turn then.”

Turning his head to look back at his group, Draco gestured for them to move back. “Guys, I’m gonna need you to run back a few yards, I’m gonna need the space.”

“Ooh! Are you gonna take my favorite form, babe?” Shadow asked excitedly as the Squad stepped back.

Draco smirked and shook his head. “Naw, I think I’ll try something a wee bit bigger today.”

Draco lowered his body a little and took a deep breath. He exhaled as his body began to morph. First his neck began to stretch, spines grew from the back of his head down his back. His body became significantly more bulky and his hands and feet morphed into large feet like elephants, but thick like tree trunks. From his back, a long, whip-like tail grew out as Draco grew in size. The stags in the building couldn’t bear to tear away their gaze as they looked up in fear at Draco’s new form.

“Sweet merciful Dainn, help us…” a stag gulped.

With a loud trumpet-like roar, the air vibrated as Draco transformed into a Diplodocidae. The sheer size of the dinosaur body nearly dwarfed the size of the Prometheus. Every step he took shook the ground, making the building shudder as he turned his body.

His massive tail swung and demolished the building’s tops as he turned. With little effort he crashed his tail into the caribou’s on the roof, breaking their bodies on impact.

“Holy bucking shit!” Berry cried out as Shadow held up her shield and debris flew everywhere.

The caribou stood in absolute terror as the massive sauropod moved closer. Once within distance, Draco pushed off his front legs above the guard house. And with the air of gravity, slammed his front legs down on the building and every creature inside.

“Woohoo! Go baby! Crush them all!” Shadow cheered as the guards inside were screaming at the top of their lungs as they were crushed to death.

Alpha Squad watched as Draco stomped the once well built guard house, into a pile of debris and pool of blood. One caribou could be seen crawling away, the very same who threatened the group.

“Oh buck…oh buck…” The stag tried crawling with a broken leg as Draco stared down at him. “Lord Gluttony…you fat bastard! Why aren’t you here helping us?! You sit on that throne…devouring anything brought to you…and let us get killed?! This wasn’t supposed to happen!”

Before the caribou could get away, he felt a massive leg pinning him to the ground. The foot of the sauropod practically covered the caribou’s body. Draco had yet to even apply full force, only enough to keep the caribou from moving.

“Gak! Shit…! To die like this?! Just get it over with!“ The stag barked.

Draco slowly began to bring his leg down. Everypony could hear the stag’s bones creaking as he yelled in agony. Before Draco pushed his foot completely down, splattering the stag’s guts and blood around the ground, like a bug squashed under a foot.

“Yeesh…that sounded awful,” Cloud cringed.

Draco stepped back and slowly turned back to normal. He then heard someone running up to him and turned around. Draco was tackled to the ground and something mashed against his lips. Shadow engaged in a heated lip lock with her stallion before pulling back with a strand of saliva dripping between them.

“That was so bucking hot, I don’t care if you banned sex for two weeks~,” Shadow purred, her tail wagging side-to-side.

Draco smirked before standing up and lifting his mare in his arms at the same time. “Thanks babe, but also nice try. I said one month, not two weeks.” He playfully booped her nose.

“Guys, turn around for a sec?” Shadow told her fellow squadmates. Once they did, Shadow grabbed the bottom hem of her armor-shirts and lifted them up, giving Draco a full view of her bosoms. “How about now?!”

Draco’s checks flushed a bit and he turned his head away. “Okay fine, one week.”

Shadow grinned and pulled her shirts down and pecked him on the cheek. “I can always count on my girls to help me out.”

“So where to next, Draco?” Swift wondered as the others cleared their throats bashfully.

Draco, who cleared his throat trying to compose himself, looked past the destroyed remains of the guard house. Pulling out his map, he saw the path that would need to take for the next phase of the plan. “We head this way now, the diamond dogs should be in some building ahead. Look for any that are locked from the outside.”

“Draco!” Flash, Zephyr, and Maud came to rejoin the group.

“Holy shit, dude! I could see you from all the way over there!” Zephyr said.

“You were pretty big, what was that?” Maud wondered.

“That was my Diplodocidae form. One of the biggest breeds of dinosaurs,” Draco said with a satisfied grin. He enjoyed teaching others about the many forms he could turn into. “Anyway, we are heading to free the diamond dogs next.”

“While we were wreaking our own havoc, we overheard some radio chatter,” Flash said as they made their way to the prison building. “The leader is wanting an audience with you, he wants to take your head then come for the rest of ours.”

“Tch, I figured as much. He can wait though, I want to check the condition of the diamond dogs.” Looking at his map Draco noticed some markings that looked like stables. “Seems they have stables for the War Beasts nearby. Once we check on the diamond dogs, we’ll take them out before dealing with the leader.”

The group nodded and went to approach the building where the diamond dogs were being held prisoner. When they got closer, an uneasy feeling hung over the group as they approached the doors.

“Uh…guys?” Zephyr spoke up. “I just realised. Did…did anypony see any slaves in this town?”

“We won’t find any pony slaves in this part of the kingdom,” Draco added as they walked on forward. “Any mares are held at the top where the castle is located, and where Gluttony watches from the comfort of the throne.”

“Why wouldn’t they at least keep any of the female dogs around for their own use?” Ace said. “As much as I hate to say it, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d be used to breed with War Beasts.”

“You’re right, I kinda do hate you for saying that,” Maud said in a cold tone.

“That’s not likely. They wouldn’ be stupid enough to use the female diamond dogs to breed War Beasts,” Draco said without hesitation as they marched onwards.

“What makes you say that?” Shadow wondered as they approached the doors to the building. “Don’t the caribou want to rape any female they can get their hands on?”

“While War Beasts are effective in certain battles, they require time to grow and raise to take part in battle. Weapons can be manufactured for instant use. If they took half of diamond dogs away to breed, that means that their weapons output would decrease by the same margin.” He explained as though it was common knowledge.

“Why do some areas still use War Beasts?” Swift wondered.

“Maybe before the resistance came to be, they figured all they’d need were the War Beasts. But now we’re proving to be more formidable than they anticipated,” Flash surmised.

“As a beast of burden, they have more uses besides war use. They probably use them to pull heavy cargo that ponies can’t.” Draco looked down at his map as he saw they were slowly approaching their destination.

The group arrived at the main building and Draco wasted no time. Draco approached the doors and kicked them down. The group was met with a horrendous odour of waste and rot, making some of the group members gag.

“Ack! Sweet Celestia! What’s that smell?!” Berry gagged.

When they were able to look inside, they saw several diamond dogs all cowering and huddling with one another. Most of them looked lethargic and malnourished, but there were other dogs that looked healthy enough with chains around their necks and wrists. The healthy ones bore their teeth and stood defensively in front of the weaker dogs. Draco took note of their physical appearances and noticed they resembled some dog breeds from back on earth.

“Stay away!” A male dog barked, he looked like an anthro german shepherd. “Don’t come any closer!”

Draco ignored the warning and walked forward. He took his sword’s sheath and all off his hips and handed them to Shadow. As he approached he kept his hands where the diamond dogs could see them. “We are not here to harm you. We are here to liberate you.” He spoke in a calm tone.

“And who the fuck are you to say that?!” A bulldog-looking diamond dog demanded.

Draco stopped a few feet away from the diamond dogs and sat on his knees. He bowed his head before speaking. “I am Draco Saurian, acting leader of the rebellion against the caribou. We have come to save you and take you away from this place, until Gluttony can be dealt with.”

“You…is that true?” Draco glanced up to see a female greyhound-looking female diamond dog speak.

“It is.” Draco slowly stood up and looked around. He could tell that this wasn't all of the diamond dogs. He turned back to his team. “The others must be in other cells. Track them down and free them, but be careful if they don’t want you to come closer than don’t approach and find me.”

“What will you do?” Shadow asked as Draco took back his sword and rifle.

“I will convince our friends here to trust us.” Draco smiled.

“Hey, you said your name’s Saurian?” Draco glanced over his shoulder to see a bulldog diamond dog step towards him. “That blade, where did you get it? I’ve never seen the like.”

Draco glanced down at his sword and held it out for the diamond dog. “Would you like to have a look?”

The team left the building and Draco behind. The bulldog took the sword and examined it. He then sniffed it all around before glancing at Draco. “I’ve crafted many swords in my life as head smith. Yet I’ve not seen or smelled anything like this. What is it, and how did you get it?”

“How I got it may be hard to believe, and I will tell you another time when we aren’t pressed for time. As for what kind of sword it is, it is known as a Katana. A type of Japanese sword.”

“Ka-whata?” All the dogs cocked their heads.

Draco could help but chuckle a bit. “As much as I would love to talk swords with you guys, I must remind you that we need to get you all out of here.”

“How can we trust you?” The bulldog questioned. “More importantly, how do you plan to get us out? My boys and I are the only ones able to walk around, and shit. Most of these poor pups can barely walk, let alone stand.”

Draco glanced around and saw that the bulldog was right, most if not all the prisoners didn't look like they could lift a finger, let alone escape. “I promise you that you can trust us. We have a ship on the way to get us out of here. But as for the last problem.”

“What do you suggest?” The german shepherd wondered.

Before Draco could respond, he heard the distinct sound of a gun’s hammer being pulled back. He turned around to see a stag aiming his rifle at one of the diamond dogs.

“At least let me take down one of those fleabags!” He heard the stag say.

Pushing the german shepherd diamond dog back, Draco put himself in the line of the Caribou’s fire.

BANG!

All the dogs yelped in surprise when Draco took the brunt of the shot. They expected him to fall down dead, but he kept standing as if he didn’t even feel the bullet.

“What the?! How aren’t you dead?!” The german shepherd said.

The stag panicked and made a break for it.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Draco turned on his heels, and before anyone could blink he covered the distance between himself, and the caribou stag. He held the stag by his face as he lifted him off the ground. “Eyes, lungs, pancreas. So many snacks, so little time.” The diamond dogs watched as Draco’s jaws grew before biting the head off the caribou.

Some of the dogs gaged at the gruesome display and Draco tossed the headless corpse aside.

“You sure don’t mess around, do you?” The bulldog said.

“I can’t afford to, when there are lives to save.” Draco kicked the headless corpse over to the diamond dog and pointed at it. “Eat that ‘till we can get you guys some actual food. They may be scumbags, but they have surprisingly tasty meat.”

“Uh…are you sure you want us to eat him?” The greyhound dog woman asked.

“In war you can’t be picky about what you eat.” Draco’s words echoed in each of the diamond dog’s heads. “You need your strength to help you escape this place. We will feed you a proper meal once we have gathered all the other prisoners. So for now, sate your hunger with that. How many of his kind murdered your own? Don’t tell me being slaves has domesticated you.”

Some of the weakened dogs looked at the corpse and sniffed the smell of blood leaking out. Some of them began to drool a little as they crawled over to it. As if their primal instincts took over, they began to eat the flesh off the corpse and became more violent about it by growling and sometimes at each other.

“Can you find us more corpses?” The bulldog asked.

“Over there!”

Draco turned to see five more caribou charging towards them, each brandishing guns and spears.

Draco gave a toothy smirk as he walked towards the oncoming squad. “Fresh meat, coming right up.”

After some coaxing, Draco and the rest of the ponies, managed to round up the diamond dogs in the center of the district.

“Man, there sure are a lot of them,” Ace said as he looked at all the diamond dogs.

“You mentioned that their faces are familiar, Draco?” Shadow asked and Draco nodded. “But how?”

“Yeah they look like breeds of dogs back on earth. Rather than the Diamond Dogs we would see on the show,” Draco summarized that was yet another instance of the universe being different from that of the show.

“Really? What kind of breeds?” Cloud asked. Draco scanned the area and looked at a few dogs.

“German Shepards, Bulldogs, Greyhounds et cetera.” He listed as he saw the different breeds.

“Wow, those are some breeds I’ve never heard of,” Swift said.

“You think maybe we should feed these dogs?” Berry said. “I think there’s a storehouse here somewhere.”

“That’s the plan. Most of them are too weak to move on their own, and have little strength.” Draco turned to the devil fruit users. “Flash and Zephyr, I want you guys to establish a perimeter, let me know if you see any activity. Maud you’re with me, we are gonna head to the storehouse.”

“On it.”

“You got it, Draco.”

“Sure.”

Flash and Zephyr flew off to set the perimeter while Draco and Maud set off for the storehouse.

“Is it weird that I don’t trust the diamond dogs?” Maud asked.

“Considering that neither of your species cared for each other. Not really, but why bring it up now?” Draco asked as they walked onward.

“Pinkie told me what happened to Rarity some years ago. Now that she’s my friend, I guess you could say I’m a little protective of her.”

“I’ve seen bad ponies. Does that mean all ponies are bad?” Draco asked with a serious tone.

“No, but that’s just my opinion,” Maud shrugged. “I suppose I just need to trust more.”

The two made it to a large two story building with steel metal double doors, locked by a chain . Draco then caught a scent in the air around it, making him instinctively lick his lips.

“Smells like we have just found our storehouse,” Draco said.

“Would you like to break the chain or should I?” Maud offered.

“Beauty before the beast.” Draco winked as he moved aside for the earth pony.

Maud merely blinked and stomped her hoof into the ground. A small column of earth shot out and crushed the lock, along with ripping the doors off their hinges. Inside was an assortment of food ranging from gemstones, various meats, assorted fruits and veggies, and even loafs of bread.

“Seems we found our feast,” Maud said.

Draco whistled with administration as Maud made easy work of the steel doors. “Damn Maud, whoever the lucky stallion you end up with better be careful, otherwise you’ll end up rocking his world.” He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

Maud, again, merely blinked her eyes.

“What, too cheesy? Geez you ponies really take these jokes for granite, eh?” Draco playfully wiggled his hands in a joking manner.

All of a sudden, Maud grabbed Draco’s collar and pulled him in to mash her lips onto his. The act sent Draco into a tizzy as Maud kept her lips planted firmly onto his, even moaning just a little before pulling back.

“You made my heart skip like a stone,” Maud whispered. “I hope you understand that you must take responsibility for this.”

Draco’s face was quite literally steaming as his mouth opened and closed like a fish. “Ugh, I…ugh, probably should…um, talk with…S-Shadow first.”

“You do that.” Maud sauntered away and stopped her hoof in the ground. Two flat pieces of earth hovered in the air as Maud began placing items on the slabs. “Are you gonna help, or just stand there?”

Draco snapped out of his daze and quickly moved to help Maud, still baffled on what just happened, and how he was going to explain this to Shadow. “Did you really just decide to kiss me, just because of a few rock puns?”

“Well for one, I think you’re cute.” Draco blushed a little. “Two, no pony really understands or can tell proper rock jokes, and three, you and Captain Lock are going out of your way to help ponies like me avenge those who we lost. Namely, my father. You managed to convince me not to go charging into the Crystal Empire and get myself killed.” Muad paused from loading supplies on the earth slabs. “Perhaps I should’ve shown my affection for you in a more subtle way, but since you were so clever with your words, it seemed right to me.”

Draco scratched the back of his head, thinking of his next words carefully. “Well…I won’t lie and say this will be easy. I’m already worried about adding Rarity to my herd, but now there’s you.” Draco sighed and shrugged his shoulders, accepting the situation. “Just fair warning, this might be a bit of a rocky relationship, but I doubt it will crumble apart.”

Maud looked at Draco and blinked, making him nervous and chuckle sheepishly.

“Uh…too many rock puns?”

“Put it this way.” Maud turned around and bent over, giving him a view of her flank being firmly pressed against his pants. “Are you a breast or a flank kind of stallion?”

Draco gulped nervously, his face turning crimson. “W-we should get back to the others.” He stammered.

“Agreed.”

“Pffft! Hahahahahahaha!” Shadow was tossing and turning on the ground right as Draco explained his and Maud’s interaction with each other.

Meanwhile, the rest of Alpha Squad were busy feeding the diamond dogs and tending to any injuries.

“Why are you laughing? Aren’t you bothered there is another mare to consider?” Draco asked, still surprised by Shadow’s reaction.

“I’m laughing because she’s more bold than I gave her credit for!” Shadow giggled. “She really caught you off guard, didn’t she?”

“No shit.” Draco buried his face in his hands groaning. “One second in making rock puns, the next thing I know I’m locking lips.”

“Aw, don’t be so uptight!” Shadow stood back up and tousled his head. “Maybe I am a little miffed at the mare for kissing my stallion, but at least she’s got good taste. Look, if it makes you feel better I’ll go talk to Maud and set the record straight. When we’re done here, I’ll let you at least take her out on a date so you confirm whether or not you feel comfortable adding her to your future herd. Does that sound good?”

Sighing, Draco knew that’s about all he could do, without causing any damage to anyone’s feelings. “I guess that’s the best we can do for now.”

“Great!” Shadow hugged her coltfriend. “Don’t worry, I’m not mad at you. I could never be mad at you. We mares just have a knack for seeking out a stallion worthy of our desires.”

A small blush and Draco turned away giving his cheek a scratch. “Geez, you sure know how to make a guy feel special.”

“Sir?” Berry and Swift approached the couple. “The dogs are eating everything we give them and are regaining strength. One of the dogs wants to talk to you though, something about a special project?”

Recomposing himself Draco nodded his head. “Bring them, I will hear what they need to say.”

The two nodded and Berry left to fetch the dog. About a minute later, the bulldog from before followed Berry back to Draco.

“I wasn’t sure you’d go this far to help us.” The bulldog stuck out his hand. “All I can say at this point is thank you.”

Draco smiled and took the dog’s hand on his own and shook it. “I told you I was here to save you, and that’s what I plan to do.” Draco released the dog’s hand and continued onto business. “You mentioned a project you wanted to tell us about?”

“Yeah, the caribou have been gearing up those War Beast monsters,” the bulldog said.

“Gearing up? Like putting armor on them?” Swift said.

“Yup, and with our own special ore we mine from deep within the mountain, no less!” The bulldog growled.

“What makes this ore so special if you don’t mind me asking?” Draco was now curious.

“According to the scriptures of the first diamond dog settlers, this mountain is said to have formed due to an enormous rock falling from the skies. The force, when it impacted the earth, was so great, it’s what rose up the mountain and the other mountain ranges surrounding it. That great rock is also what makes our ore special since it’s said the ore comes from the great rock itself,” the bulldog explained. “If forged correctly, it’s more durable than any metal. It can create weapons that will never dull, armor that would require a great deal of force to dent, and has its own special name.”

“What do you call it?” Berry wondered.

“We call it Star Metal.”

“Have you been using this metal to forge the caribou’s weapons since you were enslaved?” Draco asked curiously.

“Regrettably, we have,” the bulldog sighed, his ears drooping. “They’ve forced us to mine the ore without rest and help them manufacture weaponry. Some of the weapons they’ve forced us to create are nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“He must be talking about weapons from your world,” Ace muttered to Draco.

“I haven’t bothered to examine the weapons, maybe I should from now on.” Draco considered this and had an idea. “Can this metal be reused? Like melt the metal again and make it into something else?”

“What’s it to you?” The bulldog crossed his arms.

“If I’m being honest, a metal like this could be used to be made into armor. Or maybe a special project I’ve been working on.” Draco shook his head. “But that is neither here nor later. For now, I want to make sure you guys are safe. So this armor for the War Beasts, how many sets did you complete?”

“Not many, thankfully, only about six sets. They’ve had us focus more on their own personal weapons” the bulldog said.

“I guess we should be thankful it’s not that many,” Cloud said.

“However…there’s something else that concerns me more than the weaponry. It’s about that bastard who sits on our king’s throne.”

“You mean Gluttony? What about him?”

“Yeah him. Ever since he took over, he’s been having his own personal shipment of Star Metal be delivered to the throne room where he resides. Once in a while, I see a large wagon of Star Metal be pulled up to the throne room. The next day, it’s completely empty. It’s bizarre, and my gut has been gnawing at me that whatever he’s doing up there with it can’t be good.”

“Are you guys the only ones who know how to properly forge it? Or maybe the caribou figured it out too, and are working on some big secret projects?” Draco asked.

“Absolutely not,” the bulldog said firmly. “We diamond dogs are the one true masters of the forge. We literally work with our bare paws and douse them in liquid hot metal. It is our tradition in order to handle our craft, Star Metal especially.”

This confused Draco. If the diamond dogs are the only ones with the necessary skills and abilities to forge the metal, then for what reason would they send the ore to the castle? “Well, I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we probably should worry about those armored warbeast.”

Moving a hand to pull out his radio, Draco made a call. “Zephyr, Flash, any moments out there?”

“We got movement heading due East, looks like some huge animal pen,” Flash said over the radio.

“20 bits says that’s where their ‘pets’ are,” Zephyr said.

“Alright, fly back you guys, we are dealing with some new enemies. Reconvene here and help us prepare to protect the diamond dogs. Prometheus should be here soon,” Draco ordered.

“Roger that, we’re heading back-”

CRRSSZZZHHHHT!

“Hello? Is this the so-called Beast of Chaos?”

Draco didn’t recognize the voice on the comm, but he knew it wasn’t anypony he brought with him. “This is he, and who is speaking to me now?”

“Styr, I’m supposed to be in charge of the mutts you’re springing loose,” the voice said.

“Styr, you bastard!” The bulldog barked into the radio. “When I find you, I’ll tear your antlers off and shove them up your ass so far, you won’t be shitting for weeks!”

“Keep that mutt on a tighter leash, will ya?”

“What’s wrong, afraid to face the slaves you lorded over? I’m surprised, for someone who ate a devil fruit. Unless that devil fruit was the pussy-pussy fruit, and made you a bigger pussy than you already are,” Draco mocked.

“Ah, so you know I am also blessed with power. Lord Gluttony gave me and my fellow high-ranked officers his blessing because we proved ourselves worthy. Tell me, did the Hand deem you worthy and bless you?”

“No, but then again, I’m not weak enough that I need one. Sucks for you really, but hey those powers must help compensate for your micro penis,” Draco shot back.

The bulldog and some of the other diamond dogs laughed out loud, but Styr merely scoffed. “You speak like an immature buck going through puberty, I shall take great pleasure skinning you alive and mounting your head on a pike. Lord Gluttony will most likely bless me once more.”

“Sure you will. Tell you what, I’ll come after you once I’m done dealing with the armored War Beasts. So make sure to get yourself pumped up for your funeral.” With that, Draco turned off the radio.

“He sounds like a friendly stag,” Berry scoffed sarcastically.

“Oh yeah, a real dream boat.” Draco joked before turning to look around the area. “Alright guys, the caribou are likely gonna bring those armored War Beasts soon. Let’s get these guys somewhere safe and prepare to hold our ground here.”

“Should Alpha Squad lead them to the tunnel where we came in?” Shadow offered.

“No, the ship will come from the other side. Besides.” Draco looked at the diamond dogs and could tell they wouldn’t leave without some form of revenge. “I think our K-9 companions want some of the action.”

“You’re gods damn right we do,” the bulldog growled. “We ain’t going no where until we’ve paid back those horned bastards for all they’ve done to us!”

“I’m with him.” The german shepherd, greyhound, and another diamond dog that looked like a Rottweiler joined the group. “By the way, I suppose it’s only fair that we officially introduce ourselves. I’m Jasper,” the german shepherd said.

“I’m Violet,” the greyhound said.

“Name’s Bismuth,” the bulldog said.

“And I’m Gravel,” the rottweiler said. “I want to get back at them because…” He looked back at one of the dogs whose leg was in a thick cast. “They crippled my cousin.”

“When we get out of here, I’ll make sure we give him the best medical treatment we have.” Draco took a look around one last time and saw some tall buildings still remaining. “Maud, you and Berry go collect the guns from the caribou we killed. Shadow and the rest of you, help the diamond dogs who aren’t able to fight get to safe distance.” He then looked to diamond dogs who gave their names. “Do you guys think you can use the weapons you made for the caribou?”

“We studied how they were made and gave them each a field test before shipping them off,” Bismuth said. “We’re more than familiar with how to use them. I for one and privy with one of those large rifles.”

“Well, I’m gonna need you guys to grab some and take position on those roofs.” He pointed to the top of the remaining buildings. “You guys take out any caribou you see, while I’ll deal with the War Beasts.”

“How are you gonna do that?” Gravel asked, taking a rifle and loading it.

Draco smirked and motioned for the diamond dogs to move on. “You’ll see, just try not to shit yourself.” Moving a hand to radio Draco turned the dial to a more secure line. “Alright everyone get into position, and remember your roles.”

Shadow helped lead the diamond dogs away from the fighting while Bismuth, Violet, Gravel, and Jasper ran towards the buildings Draco pointed out and made for the roofs.

“Want me to whip up a dense fog again, Draco?” Zephyr offered.

“Nah, I want both our enemies, and our new allies to see what I can do.” Draco declined the offer and waited for his foes to show.

Zephyr nodded and flew off to leave Draco by himself. The rumblings of the war beast brigade drew closer until they began riding all around Draco in a circle. Draco had his arms folded as he watched the armored beast and riders circle around him. His eyes kept track of his enemies. One thing Draco noticed about the War Beasts was the armor they wore. It was thick metal that covered their hides and heads. Spikes poked out from the sides and there were even pointed covers on their tusks. The group soon stopped riding around in circles and one rider approached Draco. He rode a fairly large War Beast as it snarled and small flames escaped its mouth.

“So you’re the one who’s made a mess of things in Lord Gluttony’s territory?!” The leader spat.

“Oh no no, that was another guy. His name was Shit Sherlock, first name No.” Draco smiled as he stared at the leader of the riders.

“Cocky little shit!” One of the riders snarled, but the leader held up his hand.

“You got guts, kid, I’ll give you that, but not enough to spare your life. So I’ll make this easy. Tell us where our slaves are, and I’ll make it quick and painless. Old Dozer here wants a new mate, since he bucked the brains out of the last cunt I let him screw,” the leader said, gesturing to his drooling mount.

“Tell you what, I’ll let you know what you need to do.” Draco kept his cocky smirk as he talked down to the Caribou. “First you head to a supermarket, buy something called Viagra, and if will help you go fuck yourselves!”

“You really wanna die, don’t you?” The leader sneered as he held his hand up in the air. All riders aimed their rifles at Draco. “Too bad you aren’t the Hand, I’d’ve liked to take a crack at him.”

“Please, you wouldn’t be worth licking the blood of his boots. The blood of your pussy-ass race by the way.” Held up his arms in a mock gesture.

“Rifles ready!” All riders had their fingers on the triggers.

Draco flipped them the bird as he waited for the guns to fire.

“FIRE!”

A volley of rifles firing erupted from the group of riders as they unloaded everything they had on Draco.

“What the fuck is he thinking?!” Gravel yelped as he went to try to help, but Violet stopped him.

“No Gravel! He said to wait here!”

“Are you kidding?! There won’t be anything left of him!”

The riders kept firing and a large cloud of dust kicked up in the process. The leader smirked and held his hand up again for the group to cease firing. As the cloud began to rise higher and thin out, a menacing growl could be heard coming from within. Without warning, a white clawed hand popped out of the dust cloud, and grabbed the lead caribou before pulling him in.

The riders gasped when the next thing they heard the unsettling sounds of flesh ripping apart, followed by blood-curdling screams.

“What the Tartarus…?” Bismuth said, unable to look away from his scope.

As the dust settled, a massive two legged dinosaur with arms ending with blade length claws, and eyes redder than a ruby stood where Draco once did. In its jaw dangled the upper torso of the caribou leader, and his legs firmly grasped in one of its hands.

“Th-The Beast…?” A rider gulped.

“IT’S THE BEAST!” A rider shouted.

“What the fuck is that?!” Jasper yelped. “Where’s Draco?!”

“I…I think that is Draco!” Bismuth said.

“WAR BEASTS! FIRE FIREBALLS!”

The war beasts all opened their maws and fireballs shot out towards Draco. The massive white dinosaur quickly pushed its way out from the killing circle, and moved its jaws to bite down on one of the riders, before tossing it away.

With two of the six riders now killed, Draco moved to dig his claws into the exposed leg of one of the armored War Beasts. His massive claw sinking deep into the flesh of the beast. The beast roared in pain as the other riders fired at the dinosaur, along with the war beasts firing fireballs.

“KEEP SHOOTING!”

“OUR WEAPONS ARE USELESS!”

“DON’T LET UP!”

With another roar the red eyed dinosaur lunged forward, swinging his head into the side of a War Beast. The impact sent the beast skidding across the ground before being turned onto its side.

“Uh…should we do something?” Violet said as she watched the carnage.

“I wouldn’t bother.” Violet and Gravel looked up to see Flash flying above them with his arms crossed. “That’s just how Draco works.”

“Hold up, that’s Draco?!” Gravel gasped.

“Rrrrooaaaarrr!!”

Draco kicked the down war beast into its back, crushing the rider underneath as he stopped his scaly foot on the belly of the war beast.

“Buck this! I’m getting outta here!” One rider turned his beast around and made a break for it. Jasper saw the rider and took aim with his rifle. He took a deep breath before pulling the trigger and firing. The bullet hit the stag square in the head, causing him to fall off the beast and tumble across the ground.

“Not one of you bastards leaves alive,” Jasper growled.

Three riders remained, and Draco was swinging his claws at the armored War Beast. His claws only scraped or bounced off the armor. The three war beasts huddled together as they charged, slamming into Draco’s body, forcing him back.

“That’s it! Keep pushing it back!” One rider commanded.

“We’ll shoot it’s eyes out before-!”

BLAM!

Another rider fell as a gunshot wound pierced his head and he fell to the ground. Bismuth pulled back the hammer as he ejected the used bullet before replacing it with a new one in the chamber. Digging his toe claws into the ground, and using his tail to brace against one of the nearest buildings. Draco was able to halt the War Beast pushing, and snapped his jaws onto one of the remaining caribou riders, leaving one left, and four armored War Beasts remaining.

“Buck! Buck! BUCK!” The remaining rider cursed. “I WON’T DIE AS YOUR MEAL!” The rider dug into his pockets and pulled out two objects. Draco could make out what the stag held in his hands and saw he was holding a couple of frag grenades. The stag pulled the pins and held them up high.

“I’M TAKING YOU WITH ME!!”

Letting out a mock roar, Draco spun his body around and slammed his tail into the caribou. Sending him flying off his war beast and into the air. Before his body could slam into the rock face, the grenades went off, blowing the screaming stag to pieces.

“Damn! That was loud!” Jasper said.

“All that remains are the War Beasts. And is it me, or does Draco look kinda hungry?” Flash said.

From their vantage point the diamond dogs and ponies could see the white dinosaur drooling. He slowly circled around the four remaining War Beasts as they began to circle up. Unleashing fireballs that never met their mark.

Draco roared again, making the air quake and vibrate, before charging forward. Draco could see there were few spots in the armor that he could get his claws and fangs into.

With a slash of his claws, he jammed them into the eye sockets of the closest War Beast, driving them deep inside the creature’s skull.

The war beast roared in agony as Draco pulled and literally was tearing its skull apart. Blood sprayed like a fountain as Draco carved open its skull to reveal its brain. Draco leaned down and clamped his jaws on the beast’s head and ripped out a chunk of flesh and brain.

“Urp! I’m gonna be sick…” Zephyr gagged.

“Brutal as always,” Maud said.

Soon there were only three War Beasts remaining, and the fear of this new predator struck fear into them. After gulping down some ragged flesh from his recent kill, Draco turned his sights on the last three War beasts. In an act of desperation to survive, the remaining War Beasts began unleashing a barrage of fireballs at Draco to try and keep him away from them. Draco charged through fire and brimstone, enduring the pain before shoving both his clawed arms into the gaping maws of two of the War Beasts. His razor sharp claws cut their throats open as he pulled them back. The War Beasts had their throats and intestines ripped out front from their maws and they both plopped down dead as Draco helped himself to their innards. The one remaining War Beast whimpered in utter fear as it lowered its head to the ground, as if submitting to the apex predator. Draco stomped his way towards the remaining War Beast and growled at it. With fast swipes of his claws, he was able to cut the harnesses that kept the armor on the War Beast. He opened his jaws and unleashed a mighty roar.

“RRRRRRRRRAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The War Beast wasted no time and scrambled away and ran as fast as it could. The four diamond dogs on the roof were in complete shock at the brutal display of violence as Maud and Berry gathered the weapons on the ground. Draco took a deep breath and slowly but surely transformed back into his human form. He staggered a little, but caught himself as he began taking deep breaths to slow his heartbeat. As he was doing so, the four diamond dogs and Flash made their way to where Draco was standing.

“You good, Draco?” Flash asked.

Bracing his hands on his knees, Draco was still catching his breath. “Y-yeah. Just not used to using hybrids like that yet.” He was able to slowly stand back up and leaned against the closest wall for support.

“Excuse me.” Draco turned to be met in close proximity with a very pissed off-looking bulldog. “Explain. Now!”

“What do you mean? Did you guys watch the fight?” Draco curiously asked, cocking his head to the side.

“How did you do that?!” Violet asked, hiding behind Gravel. “What kind of monster are you?!”

“That’s a bit harsh,” Berry said as he arrived with Maud.

“Well I guess it has to do with this.” Draco adjusted his armor to pull the hem of his shirt down, to reveal the amber stone in his chest. “This stone allows me to take the form of creatures that were extinct in my world, millions of years ago which are now extinct.”

“Your world?” Jasper and the other dogs cocked their heads.

“Yep. I’m not from this planet. Myself and two others, who are leading the liberation of this planet from the caribou, come from another world.”

“Who’re the other two?” Bismuth wondered.

“The Angel’s Saint Philip, and the Devil’s Hand Dimitri.” Draco smiled. “If you think I’m strong, I’m only the third strongest amongst the three of us.”

“They’re stronger than you?” Bismuth snorted. “After what we saw?”

“Oh yeah. I can’t hold a candle to them.” Draco shrugged as he admitted his own weakness. “Anyway, now that we took care of the War Beasts, that just leaves one last loose end to take care of.”

“Want us to come with you?” Maud offered. “All that bravado he showed off over the radio may not have been all talk as we think.”

“If you want, but let me do the talking.” Draco pulled his radio out and adjusted the dial. “Draco to Prometheus, Draco to Prometheus. Do you copy? Over.”

“Soarin here, the Prometheus has arrived and is in position, what are your orders?” Soarin asked over the radio.

Draco looked over to the crowd of diamond dogs. “I’ll have Berry and Alpha Squad lead the diamond dogs to you. I’m gonna cause a distraction while you guys do so.”

“Copy that, we’ll await their arrival.” The radio shut off and Draco tucked his radio away.

“So, you’re really gonna face the leader of this area?” Shadow and the rest of Alpha Squad, along with Zephyr, came up to Draco.

“I need to send a message for my plan to work.” Draco, who had regained his breath, started to stretch. He walked over to one of the nearby War Beast. With a click of his hands, he transformed them into claws and ripped off some flesh. He grabbed the flesh and began to eat. “I’m gonna keep their attention on me while you guys get the diamond dogs to the ship.”

“Stay safe, okay?” Shadow hugged Draco. “Kick that stag’s flank.”

Draco smiled and hugged her back, giving her a kiss on the lips. “Count on it.”

“Let us tag along.” Bismuth and Violet stepped forward.

“Bis, Vi, are you both crazy?” Jasper said and Gravel nodded in agreement. “You’ve seen what these guys can do, we’d only get in their way.”

“I know, but I only wanna come along to watch that bastard bleed,” Bismuth said.

“The same goes for me, he’s killed too many of our kin,” Violet said.

“Don’t worry dude, we’ll keep a close watch over them,” Zephyr said as he gave a thumbs up.

Draco continued to eat the carcass of the War Beast as he tried to regain his strength. “If you two want to come then that’s fine. But at the first sign of trouble, I want you two to leave. I won’t tolerate a single loss today.”

“Fair enough,” Bismuth nodded.

“Okay, everyone, follow us!” Shadow called out to the crowds of diamond dogs. “We’ll lead you all to safety!”

Alpha Squad left the apprentices and Draco, Bismuth and Violet. The bulldog and greyhound watched Draco feast on the carcass while Maud and Flash kept watch.

“It don’t matter how many times I see that,” Zephyr gagged. “It’s still gross.”

“Oh, grow a pair,” Draco groaned before looking at the two diamond dogs. “You guys want some? There’s plenty to go around, you know?”

Bismuth and Violet looked at each other then approached the carcass. They both took a sniff before Bismuth instinctively opened his jaws and bit into the flesh and ripped some off.

“Mmm…hey, not bad,” Bismuth said as Violet took a bite.

“You know, for a mindless beast bred for war and destruction, it’s pretty tasty,” Violet said.

“I’m gonna hurl…” Zephyr lurched.

“I forgot diamond dogs were also carnivorous,” Flash said, also looking a little queasy.

Draco ripped the head off the beast and sunk his teeth into it. “Oh, don’t forget to eat the head, that’s where all the nutrients are.”

“Hey thanks, can I have the brain?” Violet asked.

“Sure thing.” Draco passed the severed head to Violet before looking over at Bismuth. “By the way, how good are you with the forge?”

“Before our kingdom fell, I was the forge master,” Bismuth said. “My family have been blacksmiths for over eight generations. Going back to my grandpa’s, grandpa’s, grandpa’s, grandpa.”

“It’s true,” Violet said as she munched away. “Had it not been for the caribou’s strange and dangerous new weapons, the diamond dog kingdom would have never fallen in the first place.”

Nodding, Draco pulled his second sword off his hip, along with a thick cloth sack from his jacket. “Listen, I don't have much time to explain, but can you melt the metal in this bag down and coat my second blade in it?” He passed the items to the master forger.

Bismuth stopped eating and took his sword and cloth sack. The bulldog peaked into the bag and arched a brow. “What is this stuff?”

“I’ll tell you later, all you need to know is it will kill the caribou leader.” Draco glanced over at the three apprentices, before looking back to Bismuth. “I need it fast. Can you, or can you not do it?”

“Violet, come with me.” Violet nodded and followed Bismuth towards one of the buildings with a large chimney. Draco and the apprentices waited for about 20 minutes until Bismuth and Violet came back with Draco’s sword. One thing Draco noticed about his sword was that it had a more pristine shine coming off the blade. The edge looked more razor sharp, and made it look like a new sword all together.

“Sorry it took so long, I’ve never seen such a metal like the kind in that sack,” Bismuth said, handing Draco’s sword back

“Dude, you were only gone for about twenty minutes, and you call that taking too long?” Zephyr said.

Draco examined the sword carefully and admired the craftsmanship. “Truly, you are master's of the forge. I’ve never seen such beauty such as this.”

“Of course, I wasn’t lying when I said there’s no one else who can do what we can,” Bismuth said.

“Are we ready to go, Draco?” Maud asked.

Sheathing the sword, Draco nodded. “Yep, I think we kept our lovely host waiting long enough.”

Draco ripped off a hunk of meat for the road and led the apprentices and two diamond dogs down the street. It felt like a ghost town, it was so quiet, since the remaining forces had fallen back to the main fort of the district. The group could already hear loud commotion in the distance as they spotted a much larger fortress near the city’s end, where the next level could be seen behind.

“Beyond that fortress is the next section of the city, is that right Bismuth?” Draco asked after taking a bite from the meat in his hand.

“That’s right,” Bismuth nodded. “This is the mining district, where we mine from within the mountain and forge weapons for the kingdom. The residential district is just beyond, where the stags go about their everyday lives. Which consists of fucking any poor female they drag along with them from other places.” Bismuth pointed near the top of the city. “The upper district is called the Alpha District. It used to be where renowned diamond dog mining families lived, since they had a history of discovering new types of ore or gemstones and their ancestors have been mining since the founding of our kingdom.” Bismuth narrowed his eyes. “I’ve also heard that…well, that’s where our king and his family are being held prisoner.”

“Do you believe them to still be alive?” Draco wondered if Gluttony would keep the royal family alive or not.

“When Gluttony took over, his first action was keeping the royal family in the throne room. No one really knows if they’re dead, being tortured…or worse,” Violet responded, her ears drooping.

“But what we do know is Styr answers to him directly. So he may know of their fate,” Bismuth growled.

Nodding his head Draco made sure to keep this in mind. “Gotcha, I’ll see if I can squeeze that bit of information out of him. Just make sure you don’t say anything to him, I don’t want him to know how desperate we are for any information.”

Bismuth and Violet nodded and the group found themselves standing just in front of the large fortress. The structure was four stories tall and almost all of the windows had stags peaking outside with their rifles.

“What are they waiting for?” Flash wondered.

“To get crushed?” Maud said, but Draco held up his hand to halt the mare.

“They’re sacred, let’s keep it that way. I’ll do all the talking.” Stepping forward, Draco glared around, his eyes catching caribou ducking down when his eyes came in their directions.

Smiling Draco sank his teeth into the hunk of flesh in his hands, and made a show of eating it. “So, how many of you are there? Because I’m not gonna lie, those War beasts aren’t enough to sate my hunger. And caribou meat tastes better than War Beast meat.”

The stags didn’t respond until the gates suddenly began to move and slowly open.

“Oh boy, here we go,” Zephyr said as he and the others stood their ground.

Draco smiled as he watched the gate slowly open, he took a few more bites of his snack. The sounds of heavy marching was heard and a dozen heavily armoured stags came out. They were armed with great-swords and axes and wore helmets with their visors opened. Leading the group was a sort of lanky-looking stag. He wore a black coat, grey cargo pants, but no undershirt. His torso looked a tad thin, but was still as muscular as any of the other stags. His fur was grey and his eyes were brownish-red. His antlers were fairly large and the tips looked pointed like a predator’s fangs.

“Oh, is this the first course?” Draco licked his lips as ate the rest of his meat. “Looks like it will be a heavy meal, but I’m sure I have room in my belly.”

The stags all stopped when the lead stag raised his hand. He looked at Draco, as if sizing him up, and stepped towards Draco. The two were at equal height and the stag scoffed.

“I thought you’d be bigger, Beast,” the stag mocked.

“I’m sure that’s what every female ever said about your dick, when you force them to have sex with you.” Draco shot back with a smile.

“You’d think, but I have only red collars and a few purples. They know how to please me whenever they kiss my hooves. I am Styr, Watchman of the lower district, and you have made a right mess of things.”

“Well, are you the text fucking book of classy.” Draco mocked, doing his best to maintain his cool. “But I’m afraid that this is just the first of many messes I plan to make.”

Styr arched a brow at Draco until a sly grin grew on his face. “Would you like me to share something interesting with you, Beast? Regarding a certain former royal family Lord Gluttony has so graciously taken in?” Bismuth and Violet growled at the stag.

“Is that right?” Styr grabbed his coat and tossed it off his body. “I wonder how Lord Gluttony shall reward me when I take your head?”

Draco smiled and began to coat his body in thick armored scales as he stared at the stag. “Please, like he would give a damn about what a low-rank, foot soldier could do.”

SLASH!!

Styr swiped his arm to the side, faster than anyone had time to blink. Something that sounded like droplets hitting the ground was heard as Draco’s eyes panned to Styr’s arm. Styr’s entire forearm looked like it was made out of a large blade. Dripping off the end of his hand was a thin trail of blood. Draco slowly looked down at his chest to see a shallow slash wound that, to his shock, managed to pierce past his scales.

“Surprised?” Styr chuckled. “Oh, I know all about your special abilities. Especially how you’re able to deflect bullets and any other type of physical attacks.” Draco grunted a bit as he dropped his snack. “However, you made one miscalculation.” Styr raised his other arm and it became a blade as well. “I am much more different than what you might’ve expected.”

Draco stared at the blade that had cut his flesh before smiling. “Well congratulations, you jumped from a lowly foot soldier, to a slightly less lowly foot soldier.” Flexing his muscles, Draco forced the wound closed. New thick armor began to replace the old one. “Never thought I’d meet someone who could force me to improve on my defenses.”

“Spare me the bravado.” Styr widened his stance. “You say you wish to devour me? Then by all means, try to do so.”

Draco smiled and held out his arms. “Tell you what, come at me. Let’s see whose power is stronger than who? I’ll let you have the first go.”

“Your funeral.” The bottom Styr’s hooves morphed into blades and he charged at Draco with surprisingly fast speeds. He looked like an ice skater on land as he reeled his arms back, ready to slash at Draco.

Draco with a confident smile kept his arms out and awaited the attack. “Try your best not to disappoint me.”

Styr swung his arms at Draco and slashed his chest. The stag sped past Draco, but there was no blood this time. The only thing anyone heard was a loud clang as Draco kept standing where he stood.

“What the-didn’t he get him?” Flash said.

“He definitely cut him, but there’s no blood,” Bismuth said.

Draco glanced down to notice a fairly noticeable scratch on his new scales. He gently scratched it before shrugging his shoulders. “Well you made me itchy, guess that’s a start.”

“Tch! Don’t get cocky, brat!” Styr skated back around and began spinning like a top while lifting his leg. His leg grew a massive blade and swung it at Draco’s chest.

CLANG!

Styr’s leg clashed with Draco, sending out a loud metallic clang. The force made Draco step back a few feet, but once again there was no blood. However, Draco couldn’t help but wince a little since that attack managed to cut deeper than the last one.

“That’s strike two, better make three a good one.” He smirked as he maintained his stance. “Otherwise you’ll regret it.”

Styr growled in annoyance when he was about to come back at Draco, but he paused. He narrowed his gaze and morphed his hooves and limbs back to normal.

“Are you trying to prove something?” Styr accused. “You think I won’t be able to cut you again because you toughened up your skin?”

Draco lowered his arms and smiled. “Actually, I’m using you really. As I mentioned before, I haven’t ever had a reason to try and improve my powers. In a way I respect your power, enough to better myself to fight it.”

“So why bother allowing me to attack you? Are you trying to put a stain on my honor?!” Draco arched a brow.

Shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head, Draco sighed. “Were you not listening to a word I said? Geez, I honestly try to give a compliment this one time, and you go and take it the wrong way.”

“I may be many things, Beast, but I am no fool. We Caribou are warriors at heart. You say you respect my power and wish to use me to become stronger, yet you just stand there. If that is how you will treat this battle, then you might as well just turn and leave!”

“Sheesh, talk about dramatic,” Zephyr rolled his eyes.

“Call me crazy, but he’s kinda got a point. What good is a fight if only one side is doing it?” Flash said.

This struck a chord with Draco. While the foe before him was a disgusting, unholy rapist, he did seem to pride himself as a warrior. “Alright fine, if that’s how you feel, I’ll fight back.” Draco slowly widened his stance and positioned his arms. One at his side, while the other hung out in front of him. “Come at me.”

“Now that’s more like it!” Styr crossed his arms and his fingers became blades. Smaller curved blades grew out from his forearms and he charged at Draco once more.

Pushing off his back leg, Draco darted forward faster than Styr or the spectators, the ones coated in armor, could move. Swinging his fist from before, Draco delivered a hard uppercut to Styr’s chest, sending him flying back.

Styr fell on his back but pushed off his hands and landed on his hooves again as he skidded backwards. Draco felt something drip from his cheek and reached up to feel and see blood on his fingers, which meant the stag cut his cheek.

“Hmm, well would you look at that.” Draco looked back at Styr and smiled. “I take it you see the weakness in my powers?”

“Indeed, these abilities of yours, you are able to wield them one at a time, yes?” Styr said, cracking his neck.

“Clever. Yes you’re right. In my human form I’m only allowed to change my body to match the aspects of one dinosaur at a time. Honestly, I thought I was able to drop my armor and reapply my armored scales fast enough that your blades wouldn’t cut me,” Draco explained. “Seems I got a bit cocky after all.”

“Warriors must always keep a level head and never overestimate themselves, some advice from one warrior to another,” Styr said as he morphed both his arms into large blades.

“Okay I’m gonna stop you there.” Draco sighed before cracking his own neck. “You are not a warrior, you’re a thug, a murderer, and a plague on life. A warrior is honorable, and fights accordingly. You are a barbarian, at best. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not a warrior myself.”

“I suppose we can only agree to disagree,” Styr said as he held his bladed arms out.

Draco charged forward swinging his arms forward, his armored fist clashing against Styr’s metal body, while maintaining his own defenses. Styr held his ground and swiped at Draco’s neck. Shifting his body, Draco moved his from the caribou’s blade, while thrusting his arm upward. Forcing Styr’s blade over his head. Pulling his fist and quickly launching it forward, Draco delivered a hard and powerful gut punch.

Styr launched backwards and skidded to a halt. He grunted a bit and managed to feel that strike, despite his iron body. When he saw Draco coming at him again, he leaned back and watched Draco’s fist fly just in front of his face. The stag leaned back more while morphing his hands back to normal and used the momentum to swing his bladed leg and cut Draco’s side.

While his flesh was unharmed, Draco could still feel the blades cutting into his armored scales. “So are you able to sharpen your blades the more you fight?”

“Indeed!” Styr backflipped and spun his body for a roundhouse kick that swiped Draco’s chest again. Draco felt a stinging sensation and looked to see the cut was even deeper. “Soon my blades will break through those scales!”

As Styr’s leg blade came up for another slash Draco smirked and moved his arm to block it. Thinking he could easily cut through the armor like before, Styr made no effort to stop.

As the blade inched ever closer both the caribou’s in the fortress and Draco’s allies turned to frightened to see what would happen next.

CLANG!!

Everyone gasped at the sight, Styr’s leg was locked on Draco’s arm and expected his arm to be sliced off, but the opposite. Styr’s blade barely made a dent in Draco’s scales, which only confused the stag to no end.

“How can this be…?” Styr muttered in shock.

Draco, who wore a confident smile, grabbed onto the leg and pushed it away, causing his opponent to stagger back as he regained his balance. “The thing I love about dinosaurs is their ability to evolve. The Ankylosaurus armor never started off as thick and as powerful as I made it seem. It took millions of years for their armor to become as strong as they were before their extinction.”

Dusting off his hands Draco rolled his shoulders while admiring his new scales. “So I thought to myself. Couldn’t I evolve just like they did? To further improve their abilities and traits? That’s why earlier I let you attack me without fighting back. I wanted to see if I could further my powers beyond my preconceived knowledge. And my experiment was a success, and I thank you for that, Styr, you have my gratitude.”

“Just…what are you?” Styr said, still in slight shock before turning his legs back to normal.

Draco smiled. “I’m the man that will cut you head clean off your shoulders.”

“I don’t think so.” Styr reached into his pocket and pulled out a baggie with a powder of some kind. Before Draco could question him, Styr smashed the baggie on his face, causing the white powder to burst out and scatter all over his face. Styr took a deep breath through his nostrils, causing him to groan as the pupils in his eyes dilated.

“Ooooohhh…YEAH!” Styr bellowed as he sniffed the air more.

Draco shook his head in disgust. “Some warrior, using enhancing drugs to try and win a fight. What little respect I had for you, just went out the window.”

Suddenly, Styr knelt down and sprung his legs from the ground. Draco had little time as Styr slammed his fist into Draco’s chest. Draco was sent flying and crashed through the wall to a nearby building.

“You think I give a buck how I win?!” Styr bellowed, the veins in his muscles pulsating. “I am a cheater of a warrior, true, but I’m the kind of warrior who likes to win! We all have our own view of honour, and it is as I said before. We agree to disagree!” Styr raised his arms and they became serrated blades. “Let’s see whose head shall roll off before the other’s!”

“You bastard! Using Unicorn Dust?!” Flash said bitterly. “You disgust me!”

“Sticks and stones, brat!” Styr shot back.

“Sticks and stones may not break your bones.” Styr caught a mere glimpse of Draco’s rage-filled eyes, before he felt a fist slamming into his jaw, returning the favor of sending him flying next. “But I sure as hell will.”

“Hahaha! Yes!” Styr sprung up and jumped in the air towards Draco. “Draw your sword! Let us clash metal against metal! My mind is racing! I’ll cleave you in two!”

Draco never inched his hands towards any of his swords. “I’d rather not stain my blades by letting them touch yours, you’re not worth them.” Draco adopted a more defensive stance and braced for impact.

Styr landed on Draco and Styr’s bladed arms clashed with his scales. Draco dug his boots into the ground as he skidded back and Styr began slashing sporadically at Draco, driving him back further.

“I can feel those scales! So hard! So dense and seemingly indestructible! But you must remember! The more I fight, the sharper my blades become! It’s only a matter of time before I slice something of yours off!”

Draco had already come to this conclusion himself, and knew his scales wouldn”t last too long. However he didn’t plan for this fight to go on long than needed.

When Draco moved to his arms to guard another slash from Styr’s blade, however, as the blade struck down, the blade’s sharp edges cut through and blood began to trickle down.

“Hahaha! Blood! The beautiful blood!” Styr’s eyes became bloodshot as chips of Draco’s scales were being ripped apart.

“We gotta help him!” Zephyr said, until the armed stags stood in their way.

“No one disturbs Sir Styr!” One stag said in a gruff voice.

“Get the buck out of our way…” Maud growled.

Draco kept his arms up trying to protect his neck and face as Styr slashed at him. His blades cut through with each strike. “Hahahaha! Where was all that bravado you had, welp?!” With a hard kick to the gut, Styr sent Draco flying back again.

Draco’s body lay crouched on the ground, his body shaking as he tried to get back up. “Look at you! On the ground like the lowly worm you are!” Styr gloated as he walked slowly toward Draco’s body. “You put up a good enough fight, but now I think I shall end this battle!”

Once he was within striking range Styr raised his bladed arm, and prepared to lop off Draco’s head. “SO LONG, BEAST OF CHAOS!” With a swing of his arm Styr’s blade aimed for Draco’s neck.

“Draco!” Maud screamed as the others gasped and were about to step in.

CLANG!!

The sound echoed throughout the mountain, leaving a dead silence afterwards. Styr, who had every intention to boast on how he killed the Beast of Chaps, died in his throat.

Holding the edge of his blade but mere inches from his neck with only his thumb and index finger, Draco smiled. “Hold on, let me get some sip.”

“W-what the Tartarus?!” Styr stuttered.

In a flash of movement, Draco placed his hand on the handle of his second blade and drew it out. Using the momentum of his draw, Draco aimed his blade to cut through his opponent’s neck.

Styr moved his free hand to block the blade with his own. “You fool! You think your blade can-!” His words died once more as he stared in horror. As Draco’s blade came in contact with Styr’s, the metal changed back to his normal flesh without his command. He watched as the blade cut through his arm and moved ever closer to his neck.

As if the world was put in slow motion, Styr watched the blade cut through his arm, and soon moved to his neck.

His vision spun around and felt a breeze. In a single second he caught a glimpse of a decapitated body, blood gushing out where ahead should be. Then the realization dawned on him, that was his body, his vision went to black shortly after this realization.

As the head of Styr spun around in the air, Draco’s hand reached up grabbing it by the antlers, before allowing blood gushing from the severed head to pour into his mouth. “I SAID LET ME GET SOME SSSSSIIIIIIPPPP!!”

“What the buck?!” An armoured stag panicked.

“Sir Styr…got beat?!” Another yelped.

Suddenly, two huge boulders came flying in and smashed them to a pulp. All eyes turned to Maud as she glared at the remaining armoured stags.

“Now it’s your turn…” Maud said with anger in her voice.

“Settle down, Maud.” Draco smiled as he helped up his hand. It was now that the members of his group could see that Draco wasn’t as injured as they would have guessed. “I think they get the message.”

“Dude, are you okay?” Zephyr wondered as he formed black stone clouds above the armoured stags.

“That stag cut you several times,” Flash said.

“That was the most intense fight I’ve seen, so far,” Bismuth said.

Before Draco could respond, Maud quickly walked over to him and began patting his body while circling him. She patted his shoulders, his legs, his back, his chest, even reached up to pat his cheeks and head.

“Aren’t you hurt?” Maud wondered.

Draco smiled and shook his head. “Nope. See, I let him think he was cutting me.” Draco pointed to his arm where a barely noticeable cut could be seen. “I reduced the strength of my scales where his blade was going to cut, but just enough that his blade could draw a bit of blood, but nothing fatal. He was so high on Unicorn Dust, that at the first glimpse he thought he was doing damage, he failed to pay attention to how deep his blade was cutting.”

Maud cupped his cheeks and brought him down to face her at eye level. “I’m telling Shadow you risked your head.”

Draco smiled and held Maud’s hands. “Maud, there wasn’t a second my life was in any danger. I made sure any vital areas were well protected.”

For the first time since meeting the mare, Maud seemed to frown a genuine sad frown at Draco as she stared into his eyes. “You…scared me.”

Draco, not sure on what to do, leaned in and nuzzled Maud and kissed her cheek. “They would need all seven Sins to kill me.”

Maud’s cheeks reddened a little as Draco stood back up straight and looked up at the windows of the fortress. Some of the stags were still watching and one leaned his head out a little.

“How…how did you do that?!” One stag demanded while his comrades tried to pull him back in. “Sir Styr’s whole body was made of steel! Like a sword! How did you cut off his head.”

Draco caught sight of something forming on Styr’s decapitated body. Shadowy wisps took form until a fruit in the shape of a pineapple appeared. The fruit looked like it was made up of razor blades and the leaves were mini daggers.

“Oh, well that’s an easy answer.” Draco walked over to the dead corpse and took the devil fruit. “Since he WAS a devil fruit user, that meant he had the exact same weakness as one.” Flashing his second sword Draco smiled. “This sword here is coated in sea prison and sharpened to the fullest. Courtesy of one of the beast forgemasters in this world.”

Bismuth nodded with a smirk and pounded his chest.

“Sea prison?! But we only use that stuff for handcuffs!” Another stag said.

“That’s right, you did.” Draco kept his confident smile proudly on his face. “However, I happened to keep some after Blueblood’s battle with me, back when he thought I was Lock and tried to shackle me down.”

The stags looked at each other in fear, but the armoured stags stood firm.

“You think just because Styr’s gone, we’ll back down?!”

“Your leader literally just got his head ripped off and was made into a protein shake for our boss here,” Zephyr said, pointing his thumb at Draco. “And you still wanna fight?”

“Styr was all talk!” One armoured stag barked. “He made a mockery with his for honor bullshit! He was nothing but a junkie!”

Draco sighed and rolled his neck as he got a few good cracks out. “Fine, guess I’ll kill you guys next. Oh, but before I do, I should warn you that I wasn’t even giving 50% of my true strength with your former boss. I never once fully transformed. But I guess you guys are stronger than him, meaning I don’t need to hold back.”

The armoured stags took position and readied their weapons.

“You want an assist?” Zephyr offered.

“You know what, sure.” Draco looked at Maud, he gently took her hand and kissed it gently. “Would the beautiful mare care to turn these armored shits into paste?”

Muad nodded and stopped her hoof as she brushed it to the side. The earth beneath the stags gave way, causing a knee-deep trench to open up. They all dropped into the small trench, some losing their balance, before Maud clasped her hands together.

CRUNCH!!

The trench closed up as Maud crushed their legs into the earth, some legs being torn off from the sheer force. The stags all screamed in agony as they crawled along the dirt, unable to stand.

“Eish, brutal,” Flash gulped.

Draco gave the mare a peck on the cheek before walking up to the fortress. “So, would you guys like to change your decision now? If not, I can have Maud here do the same with you lot, it wouldn’t be that hard you know?”

“If we surrender, are you going to slaughter us anyway?” Another stag called out.

“Lay your weapons at my feet, and you have nothing to fear. Do this and pass a message from me to Gluttony and all your lives will be spared this day,” Draco called back.

“Are you crazy?!” One stag snapped. “Lord Gluttony will eat us alive if he finds out this district was lost!”

“Is it weird that I think he meant that literally?” Zephyr said.

“Then I’ll give an alternative!” Draco called out once more. “Simply fire a letter on an arrow into the castle. I will give you a letter to attach to it. So long as no one knows you fired it, all you would need to do is blend in with the crowd. I doubt Gluttony gives enough of a damn to know your names, let alone where you were stationed.”

The stags all looked at each other until they stepped away from the windows. About fifteen minutes later, the gates opened again and the remaining stags all walked out with their weapons. There was a brief tense moment until the stags all dropped their guns and handheld weapons on the floor.

“We surrender,” the stag in front said.

“Cowards!” One of the crippled armoured stags hissed. “When I get my hands on you, I’ll rip your antlers off!”

Draco walked over to the crippled armored stag and grabbed him by his head. With little effort, Draco picked the stag up. “I think you must be mistaken.” Draco’s lips curled into a toothy grin show rows of sharp teeth. “You won’t be alive to make good on that threat.” Pulling the stag’s helmet off, Draco’s jaw opened wide.

“DAMN YOUU-!!”

CRUNCH!!

Everyone, aside from the diamond dogs, turned away as they heard the stag’s voice go silent, only the sound of loud crunching and blood gushing could be heard. After a while they turned to look back to see Draco licking some blood off the back of his hand. “Mmm, a bold finish of wild cherries, with just a hint of oak.” Draco let out a burp before kicking the remains aside.

The remaining crippled armoured stag all lost his nerve and made his best efforts to crawl away. Maud clenched her fists and raised it in the air as a large piece of earth tore out from the ground. She made it float over the escaping stag.

“Shall I?” Maud said.

“No.” Draco held up his hand. “He’s not worth it.” Draco turned to the stags who surrendered and crossed his arms. “Before you go, I have a question for you all.”

“Do you honestly think you guys will win this war?” Draco asked bluntly.

The stags all looked at each other again. “Lord Dainn seeks something, or so we’ve heard.”

“I didn’t ask what your boss wanted. I asked you a simple yes or no question.” Draco shot back.

“You don’t understand, we’ve heard rumours,” another said. “Before we invaded these lands, we’ve heard that after Lord Dainn struck a bargain with the Seven Sins, they offered to help him find something of great value. No one knows exactly what it is he seeks, but considering the lengths Lord Dainn went through? Well, to answer your question, as your resistance stands now, you have a fighting chance so long as none of the Sins, Lord Gluttony included, doesn’t manage to kill you. However, be warned, Beast, we assume that what Dainn seeks may turn the tide of this war back in his favour, should he discover it. And if that happens, all I can say is you’d better pray for a miracle.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. And to show my thanks, I’m gonna tell you something important.” Draco moved closer to the stags. “You guys will die.” Before the stag could say a word, Draco raised his hand. “I don’t mean right here, right now, but in the future. You guys are nothing more than foot soldiers. You are expendable. Ask yourselves something real quick. Will your superiors mourn your death? Will they take a second out of their day to remember your name, or pay you the respects you deserve?”

“Then what would you have us do if our fate is to die?” A stag asked.

“Maybe leave. After you pass along my message, sneak out and pray to the Saint, Phillip McHaggard. If you truly want to repent for your sins and live, he will hear your prayer and take you away to a safe place.”

Draco could see that some of the stags were looking skeptical. “Every time we lose a soldier, I say a prayer for them, and go to tell their families of their loss. I stay and comfort them till I move onto the next family. Do you think the Sins give a damn whether you live or die? So long as they get what they want, they won’t hesitate to sacrifice your lives.”

“Then I’ll write my message. I’ll make sure he thinks it was me. Once you fire it, burn the bow and run.” Draco pulled some parchment from his jacket and walked over to a place to write his message. After completing it, he walked back and handed the note to the stag. “One last thing. If you know any Caribou, you can trust and who feel the same way as you guys, you should escape together. I don’t like you guys, but I feel enough pity that I don’t think you need to die for nothing.”

“Had the Hand been here instead of you, I doubt we would even be standing here at all,” the stag pointed out as he readied the bow.

“Maybe, but lucky for you guys I still have my soul, and my compassion still exists.”

The stag nodded and aimed his bow up high. He took a few deep breaths until he let loose the arrow and it soared towards the top of the city where the palace stood. The stag then dropped the bow and smashed it in two before he ushered his fellow stags along and they made their escape out of the city.

“One more thing!” The stag called out as he left. “You should know that the royal family is still alive! Lord Gluttony has kept them untouched in the throne room for reasons unknown, but he has something public planned for them. So if you wish to save them, I would hurry!”

Draco simply nodded as they made their leave.

“Is it worth letting that many go free?” Flash said bitterly.

Draco considered this for a moment before speaking. “When this war first started they may have thought they were unstoppable. But now, me, as well as the other two champions arrived, their opinions changed. By letting them go free with the knowledge they would die; should they continue fighting, we ensure ourselves that we have fewer opponents to deal with.”

Crouching down Draco picked up one of the guns and examined it. “Some of them may have been forced into this war. I won’t defend their actions and say they are guilt free. But I think Phill may be rubbing off on me about this whole mercy thing.”

“Ever wonder about what those stags back at Sanctuary said?” Flash asked. “About that clan that fought back?”

Draco nodded. “I did. Maybe there’s some survivors, but they have to blend in with the others or die otherwise.”

With the lower district of the city claimed and the diamond enslaved diamond dogs freed, all that was left to do was to raid the armoury. Bismuth led the group into the fortress as they walked down a large staircase.

“The stags had us move all their weaponry and other specific items to the storeroom down below this fortress. We should find what we’re looking for there.”

“Good. Thankfully, the Prometheus is close and isn’t suffering any attacks. We can take what we find and leave.” Draco looked to Bismuth. “Once we get you back to the pony nation, I’ll make sure you and your fellow diamond dogs are taken care of.”

“Thank you.”

The group eventually arrived at a set of large metal doors. Bismuth fished out a key he swiped from one of the armoured stags and unlocked the door. When he pushed the doors open, they were met with a large store room full of various items. Weapons, schematics, treasures consisting of a variety of gemstones, and a large cart full of shiny-looking ore deposits.

“Jackpot, baby!” Zephyr cheered.

“That’s a lot of stuff,” Maud said.

“Is this the Star Ore you spoke of?” Draxo asked Bismuth as he examined some of the ore.

“Yes, our pride and joy in forging,” Bismuth nodded.

Draco put the piece back and turned to the diamond dog. “Then we’ll take it with us, better than letting Gluttony have it.”

“What about all the rest of this stuff?” Flash asked as he looked through some schematics. “Huh, hey Draco? What’s this…tank thing?” Draco looked at Flash with wide eyes.

Draco moved over to stare at the schematics with disgust and fear. “Something worse than a hundred War Beasts put together.” Draco turned to look at Bismuth. “Have any of these been made yet?”

“Not that I know of, but I have heard these same schematics were sent to the Yak kingdom,” Bismuth said. “Why? What is it?”

“Given the skills of the caribou themselves, what are the odds they could make these without the diamond dogs?”

“Hmm, not likely, but I suppose anything is possible if given time,” Bismuth shrugged.

Draco bit at his thumb as he considered what to do. “For now we take everything in here. Leave nothing that looks important behind.”

“What’s wrong Draco?” Maud asked, concerned for Draco’s sudden change of attitude.

“Tanks were powerful weapons in my world’s warfare. If they start producing these, we can expect them to become much more deadly,” Draco said while trying to keep calm.

“And…these other schematics that say fighter jets?” Flash asked hesitantly.

There was yet another brief pause, but everyone in the room could see Draco was slightly more agitated. “It would seem the Sins want to bring weapons and vehicles of mass destruction to this world. Our enemies are looking to upgrade themselves….perhaps we should try to do the same?”

“Let us continue this conversation elsewhere.” Bismuth walked over to the side of the room and picked up some large burlap bags and tossed them to Draco, Flash, and Zephyr. “Let’s take it all.”

After making sure nothing was left behind, the group exited a near empty storeroom and left the fortress. They made their way back from where they came as they heard more commotion coming from the main city. The group walked back out the tunnel Maud made and managed to make it back out to the open where they saw the Prometheus in the air above them. A couple smaller air ships came down to pick up the group and they brought them back up to the Prometheus. Once they were back on board the top deck, they were met with dozens upon dozens of diamond dogs. Every dog had a cloak draped over their shoulders and were being tended to by Doctors Warm Heart and Surgical Steel.

“Welcome back, Lieutenant!” A few of the crew saluted Draco.

Draco nodded and smiled. “At ease you guys, prepare to return to Canterlot. We need to get the survivors tended to and rested.”

Draco and the others set their takings down and Draco was met with a pair of arms wrapping around his neck from behind.

“Hey you.”

Draco glanced over his shoulders to see his marefriend. “Hey yourself.”

“Did you kick flank and take names as usual?” Shadow twirled her finger along his chest.

“To a degree.” Draco turned around and hugged his mare, nuzzling against her muzzle. “Sorry if you were worried about me.”

“I’m your marefriend, it’s my job to worry about you and love you,” Shadow said sweetly.

“Yeah, I know.” Draco kissed his mare lovingly as he nuzzled and hugged her.

It wasn’t until Draco noticed Maud staring at them with a blank expression and Shadow took notice as well.

“Hmm, might as well rip the bandaid off, tiger,” Shadow teased.

“I know. After this I’ll need to talk with Rarity next, but I think I’m ready.” Stepping away from Shadow, Draco walked over to Maud till he was standing right in front of her. “Maud.”

“She really loves you, huh?” Maud said.

“She does.” Draco leaned in, his arms moving to gently wrap around her waist before kissing her lips softly. “Would you like to join her and be a member of my herd?”

Maud’s eyes widened a bit. “Are you sure? I know I was a bit aggressive before, aren’t you mad?”

“Well, I will admit, I was caught off guard, but I wasn’t mad. And honestly, I’m kinda flattered you picked me.” Draco leaned in and gave Maud another kiss.

Maud moaned into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Draco’s neck before they pulled away. “I’d love to be in your herd.” For the first time since he’d met her, Maud smiled a little as they let go of each other.

“Oh! Let me get in on this!” Shadow jumped in and planted her lips on Maud’s making Draco and any other stallion go slack-jawed.

Draco, after snapping himself out of his daze, looked at the mares kissing. “Okay, I’m removing your punishment, Shadow. As soon as we get home, you me and Maud are fucking.”

“Woohoo!” Shadow cheered as Maud went red-faced.

“I…I look forward to it,” Maud said as she licked her lips at Draco.

“You better, Muad, because I’m rock hard, if you know what I mean.” Draco wiggled his eyebrows.

Draco looked over to Soarin and smiled. “Take us home, Soarin!”

Test of The Beast Part 1

Chapter 41

It had been a very taxing night for Draco and his fellow resistance fighters at the Diamond Dog kingdom. Despite the challenges that tried to thwart their efforts, their rescue mission for the diamond dog slaves in the lower district ended up a complete success. Draco was imagining the look on Gluttony’s face when he finds out he made off with his network of weapon creators.

Draco sat in the captain’s quarters as he went over the documents he found. Schematics drawn up to create weaponry from earth was something unexpected to find, and also quite concerning. Shadow sat on his lap for comfort and began poking his cheek repeatedly.

“So…?” Shadow grinned as she poked Draco’s arm. “Are you gonna officially ask her?”

Draco did his best to ignore the mare's teasing. “You aren't gonna stop bugging me are you babe?” He asked, knowing very well her answer.

“It’s exciting!” Shadow chirped. “This is the first herd I’ll be a part of!”

“Yeah, well, you’re not the only one who never had a herd,” Draco groaned as he looked over the papers. “Not sure how this will all turn out.”

“Don’t humans have herds?” Shadow asked as she rubbed her finger on his cheek.

Draco had to think for a moment before he spoke. “Not exactly. In some countries, there are marriages that involve more than two partners. And while there are things such as open relationships, the idea of a man or woman having multiple partners at the same time isn't exactly seen often, or even works out.”

“Hmm, so how come you’re open to the idea of a herd when your kind doesn’t exactly practice it?” Shadow wondered. “I’ve been meaning to ask Lock, but never got the chance to.”

Draco blushed a bit and felt a little uneasy. “While it’s practiced, that doesn’t mean us guys don’t fantasize about having multiple hot girls to love.”

“Is that so?” Shadow turned around and straddled Draco. “Tell me, who else do you fantasize about in that little head of yours besides me? I won’t get mad, promise~.”

Draco smiled and placed his hands on her hips and kissed her. “That’s for me to know and for you to never ever find out.”

“Tease.” Shadow nuzzled his cheek. “Just promise me you’ll love us equally and I’m good, okay?”

“That I can do.” Draco nuzzled back before easily picking the mare up as he stood up. “Come on, I want to go make sure the diamond dogs are okay.”

Shadow nodded and followed Draco hand in hand out of the captain’s quarters. They walked through the corridors of the ship and down some stairs until they arrived at the mess hall of the ship. The smell of fresh cooked food and the sounds of diamond dogs talking with each other filled the room as the cooks were helping fill their still needy bellies. Draco scanned the hall until he spotted Bismuth and his friends sitting at one of the tables.

Walking over to the diamond dogs, Draco sat down opposite of the group. “Hey guys, how is the food?” He smiled.

“Incredible!” Violet said as she scarfed down a steak. “I didn’t think these ponies would cook meat for us!”

“I’ve died and crossed the bridge to the land of master forgers!” Gravel drooled as he ate his meal with some pasta.

“We can’t thank you enough, Boss Draco,” Bismuth said.

“Boss Draco?” Draco chuckled. “Is that my new nickname around here?”

“Of course, you’re the alpha of the whole pack, after all,” Jasper said as he calmly ate his food.

“…excuse me?” Draco asked, now sounding surprised, surprised and confused. “What do you mean by, I’m the alpha?”

“Let me explain,” Bismuth said, pausing from eating. “We diamond dogs are a race who value strong pack leaders. Someone who is cunning, fierce, reliable, and, above all else, loyal. You have demonstrated these exact traits to us, and then some. Though we’ll always serve our king and queen, come the day we set them free, we now see you as our leader, our alpha, and we request you allow us into your personal fold to fight against those blasted Caribou.”

Draco was in shock and awe, and soon quickly noticed it became quiet. Looking around, he saw that all the diamond dogs had all stopped eating to look at him. “A-are you sure about this?”

“Praise our new Alpha!” A dog raised his glass. All at once, the dogs howled in unison.

The ship was filled with the howls and cheers of the diamond dogs causing most of the ponies to cover their ears. “Welp, I asked!” Draco said.

“What do you say, Draco, will you be our Alpha?” Bismuth raised his arm for a shake.

Draco looked around seeing everyone including the ponies waiting anxiously to hear his answer. Sighing, Draco smiled and shook Bismuth’s paw. “I’ll do it.”

“Praise the Alpha!” Bismuth said and the dogs cheered again before going back to eating. “Now, onto business, you mentioned you require our crafting capabilities?”

Draco smiled and took his seat once more. “Yes, you see I’m working on a secret project. We have the means to provide the power supply, but the problem now is creating a vessel that can handle it.”

“What exactly did you have in mind?” Jasper asked.

“A new type of heavy artillery. The caribou seem to be trying to improve their own arsenal, so it only makes sense we do the same. Since we took you guys out of the mix, we may have stunted their efforts for a while, but that won't stop them from trying,” Draco said.

“Indeed, more of our kin are still imprisoned in the upper districts of our kingdom,” Violet said.

“We should go back and save them!” Gravel said, banging his paw on the table.

“Calm yourselves in front of our Alpha, pups!” Bismuth growled.

Draco raised his hand to show that he was okay with their anger. “Believe me, my friends, that is part of the next phase of my plan. But first we must get you all situated and taken care of. I won’t allow any of my new comrades to drop on me.”

“You got that right!” Shadow chimed in. “In fact, you four can be our new Beta Squad!“

“Beta Squad?” Gravel tilted his head.

“I too wish to hear this idea of yours, Shadow, please elaborate for us,” Draco said.

“Well, think about it. These four worked pretty well with us, they’re pretty good shots with rifles, and they also don’t look like pushovers when it comes to hand to hand combat, right?”

“Our claws can cut through solid metal!” Gravel boasted.

“See? Plus, I can see just how useful they can be for us in the front lines while the rest help with that special project of yours. It would also be nice to expand our team a little for more complicated missions, right?”

Draco pondered this for a good moment. He tapped his fingers on his chin as he considered this idea. He turned his attention to the four diamond dogs. “Are you guys okay with this? I wouldn’t want you to think you’re obligated to agree.”

“We’d be honored to fight alongside you, Boss Draco,” Bismuth said as he pulled out a piece of paper and pencil from his pocket. “Can you perhaps give me a rough sketch as to what your invention looks like?”

Draco looked around and gestured for the group to follow him. “Come with me, I want only a select few to see this, let’s go to the captain’s quarters.”

Bismuth and the dogs nodded as they and Shadow followed Draco back to the captain’s quarters. Once they had returned, Draco opened the doors to find Maud sitting on the edge of Lock’s desk with her legs crossed.

“M-Maud? Um, what are you doing here?” Draco asked nervously as he saw the mare sitting on the desk.

“Waiting for you,” Maud said with a blank stare, uncrossing her legs and crossing them again.

“How bold,” Shadow giggled.

“Umm, maybe we should postpone the design ‘till we get home.” Draco blushed thinking it would be better to deal with the current situation.

“Agreed, until our arrival, Boss Draco,” Bismuth said as he and the dogs left.

“See ya, babe!” Shadow said suddenly as she skipped out of the room and slammed the doors closed, leaving Maud and Draco alone.

There was an awkward silence for a brief period of time. Draco rocking his body on the tip of his toes as he tried to think how he should go about this. “So…how are you Maud?”

“Come closer,” Maud beckoned.

Draco gulped nervously before slowly approaching the mare, leaving them but a foot away from each other.

“Why so tense?” Maud asked. “It’s just me, Draco.”

Tugging at his collar, Draco tried his best to calm himself. “It’s because it’s you, Maud.”

“Am I not attractive?” Maud challenged. “Did my actions back at the mountain put you off?”

Draco quickly shook his head. “No, Maud that’s not why, when I said it was because it was you, I meant because I think you’re hot is all.”

Maud blinked as she stood up from the desk. Her face was a few inches from Draco’s, despite being half a foot shorter.

“Draco, answer honestly.” She put a hand on his chest. “Do you like me?”

Draco had no words to say. He had figured that she knew this already. However, thinking back on his actions, Draco could see how his behavior may have sent the wrong signals. So setting his mind, Draco moved his hands to hold Maud by the waist before moving in to kiss her on the lips.

Maud didn’t pull back as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They stayed like that for about a minute before pulling away and gazing into each other’s eyes.

“Can I join your herd?” Maud boldly asked.

Draco smiled before nuzzling her. “If you’ll join, I’d gladly welcome you to my herd.”

For the first time in a while, Maud smiled as she leaned her head on Draco’s chest.

“There weren’t many stallions who found me attractive enough to want to go out with me. Maybe it’s because I’m not as enthusiastic as my sister,” Maud said as Draco held her.

“Honestly, it’s their loss.” Draco stroked his hand through her short mane as he held her close. “They were probably so intimidated by your beauty, that they didn’t have the stones to walk up to you.” Draco smirked at his own pun.

Maud looked up at Draco and blinked.

“What? Did that joke crumble? Was it not sedimentary enough?” He smiled.

Maud suddenly shoved Draco on the mattress in the quarters. She slowly sauntered towards him and her eyes lidded with desire.

“Shadow often tells the other mares in the crew about your sexual exploits.” She climbed on the mattress and stood on her knees over Draco as she traced a circle around his chest. “Before we arrive at home, I want to experience these…exploits of yours~.”

Draco gulped nervously but steeled his nerves and moved his hands to grab the mare by her flank. “Well, I guess I’m about to rock your world then.”

CLOP!

Maud stared down blankly at Draco as she then lifted up her shirt and vest, showing off her black sports bra. She then took off her pants and revealed her yoga pants that hugged her plump flank, including the outline of Maud’s cameltoe pussy. Pulling up her bra, she tossed it aside her clothes as her nice-sized tits popped free. Draco could only guess she was around a double C-cup. She placed her hands on Draco’s chest and slowly moved her hands down, getting a feel of his muscular and toned build. His chest was as hard as gems, yet they felt so smooth like silk. Maud then unbuckled his pants and quickly pulled down and reached down. Wrapping her soft hand around his shaft and whipping it out from its fabric prison. Staring down at his member, she slowly moved her hands up and down his shaft, leaning down and circling the tip of his cock with her warm and wet tongue.

“Holy shit…” Draco sighed as he groaned in pleasure. “That feels great, Maud.”

She’s a lot more assertive than I would’ve guessed, Draco thought as Maud stared at him with her usual blank gaze, with a hint of lust. I now understand why it’s always the quiet ones.

Maud said nothing, not so much as a moan or even a hum escaped her lips as she continued stroking his shaft and wrapping her tongue around the tip of his cock. She felt his member harden and grow more in the palm of her hand, pulling away a bit as she finally witnessed his true size and girth. For a split second her eyes widened, and her body tensed up. If Draco wasn’t paying attention, he most likely wouldn’t have even noticed. Maud wrapped one hand around the base of his cock and opened her mouth. In one smooth and quick movement she had taken his whole cock inside her mouth in one go. A bulge appeared in her throat as the tip of Draco’s cock hit the back of her throat. Maud looked up at Draco and the two locked eyes, Maud then started to bob her head up and down, her throat tightening around his shaft and loosening whenever she pulled out. Her other hand was playing and rubbing with his balls.

“Fuuuuuckk…” Draco moaned as he reached up and placed his hand on her head. “You’re so good, Maud, you sure you haven’t done this before?”

“Hm.” Maud hummed as she deepthroated his cock once more. Her tongue swirled around his shaft as if it were an ice cream cone. She pulled out with a loud, wet pop and buried her face against his balls and cock. Closing her eyes as she was lost in his intoxicating musk, it was the scent of a warrior. And she was drunk on it. Maud slowly pulled away and laid back and her hands held her up. She spread her legs and looked at him with lidded eyes.

“Your turn.” She simply said, exposing her damp black laced panties.

Draco was high off his own levels of pleasure that he barely noticed her not blowing him anymore. He managed to collect himself enough to crawl between her legs and take a deep inhale of her womanly musk. She smelled a lot like bubblegum, which was unexpected. Nevertheless, he pulled aside the fabric of her panties and saw her soaked puffy cameltoe pussy. Draco licked his lips and lightly began giving her soaked flower gentle licks.

Maud closed her eyes and leaned back, using one hand to grip his head and bury his face deeper into her cunt. Though she didn’t say it or show it, her dripping wet pussy was more than a clear indicator that she was enjoying every second of this.

Still no response, huh? Let’s see if I can change that, Draco thought to himself.

He clamped his lips around Maud's pussy and began assaulting her snatch with his tongue. He poked and prodded his way into her love tunnel and wiggled it around like a worm. Maud bit her lip and let out a small moan of pleasure as she used her free hand to pinch her nipple.

“More…” Maud moaned quietly. “Please more, Draco~.”

Maud reared her head and arched her back as her whole body shivered in pleasure at Draco’s hot and wet tongue invading her caverns. Her legs twitched and draped over his shoulders as a way to make him go deeper.

As you wish. Draco decided to finish her off by grinding his teeth along her clit while pressing his tongue on her g-spot.

“Ah~!” Maud let out a yelp from the sudden use of his teeth. The feeling sent a shiver throughout her body. She placed both hands on his head as her body quaked and shook against him. His long, wet, and hot tongue invading her walls and hitting right in her sweet spot made her moan more and more.

“B-Buck~, right there~,” Maud gasped.

Cum for me, Maud, let me bring you over edge! Draco pinched her clit again and jammed his thumb in her ass hole, which made Maud arch her back as she came all over his mouth.

“AAAH~!” Maud howled out in pure bliss as her body shook and tensed up, her eyes rolled back as she wrapped her legs around Draco’s head and her pussy flowed like a waterfall in his mouth. Maud fell back and panted, her chest rising up and down as her pussy still came a little.

“I…I…I never…came that hard before…” Maud said, having a bit, a little bit, more emotion this time.

Draco licked his lips and leaned up to kiss Maud again. The stoic mare wrapped her arms around Draco’s neck and two engaged in a passionate make out session before they broke for air. Draco could see the heated desire Maud had for Draco, which he too shared for Maud as well.

“I love you, Maud,” Draco said.

“I…I love you too,” Maud said, cracking a teary smile.

Draco lined his dick up with her pussy and pressed the tip against her pussy lips.

“Are you ready?” Draco asked his mare.

“Yes.” Maud said while keeping her arms around his neck, she shivered at the touch of his cock and gasped as she felt him enter her.

“Ah~.” Her walls tightened up around his hard shaft as Draco thrusts deeper with every inch. She gripped his shoulders and bit her bottom lip. “I-I…I’ve never…d-done this with anypony else before,” Maud confessed.

“Maud, look at me,” Draco said, and she gazed into his eyes. Like being out under a spell, Maud was lost in his eyes as he pushed more inside.

“I love you with all my heart and soul.” In that moment, Draco pushed all the way in, breaking past the thin barrier and claimed her virginity.

Maud felt her face heat up and felt a warm and calming sensation wash over her body as she yelped in shock, feeling completely filled by his hard and thick member. Tears swelled in her eyes as Draco took her virginity. Sure, she had used her fingers and toys before, but none of that could compare to the real thing. Maud held on to him tightly, Draco kissed her cheek and rubbed her back as he waited for her to get used to him. After two minutes, Maud whispered into his ear

“Take me~,” she said lustfully.

Draco pulled back and started thrusting into Maud. Maud’s breasts swayed back and forth with each thrust, and she moaned a little more as Draco penetrated her. All she could think about was how much she loved Draco and how happy she was that she was giving herself to him. Tears leaked from her eyes, which made Draco slow down a bit.

“Are you okay?” Draco asked, concerned that he was hurting her, but she shook her head as her tearful smile widened.

“I’m fine~,” Maud said as she leaned up and kissed him lovingly, slowly pulling away as she looked into his eyes. “I can take it. We Pies are a lot tougher than you think,” Maud said. Who knew she could crack a joke that didn’t involve rocks?

Draco smirked as he obliged her request and upped his pace. His hard thrusts sent waves of pleasure through Maud’s body as she moaned louder and louder. Maud’s mouth hung open a little as she then reached out for Draco with her hand. Draco took her hand by interlocking his fingers with hers as they held each other as lovers would.

“I love you, Maud!” Draco cried out, his dick rubbing against every sweet spot in her pussy. “I’ll never let you go! You’re my special mare!”

Maud’s eyes rolled back and arched her back, and she felt her whole body rock with Draco’s powerful thrusts, feeling the deepest parts of her love caverns getting railed by his cock. A small bulge kept poking out from Maud’s lower stomach area as the tip of Draco’s dick kissed the entrance to Maud’s womb.

“Yes~! Yes~! Please, Draco~! Make me you mare~! Claim me~!” Her tongue hung out the side of her mouth as she then leg-locked him.

Their passionate lovemaking went on for several minutes. Their bodies were drenched in sweat as the musk of sex filled the captain’s quarters. Maud was on top of Draco now and Draco had both her flank cheeks in his hands. Maud’s stoic nature had long since passed and all she could think about was making love to her new mate. Both lovers soon felt a familiar tension within their loins as Draco clenched his jaw.

“Maud! I’m gonna cum!” Draco warned as the stoic mare bounced more fervently on Draco’s dick.

Maud reared her head back again and screamed out in pure bliss, grinding her hips against his cock as she rode him. The bed creaked under them as Maud slammed her hips up and down on his shaft.

“Inside ~! Fill me to the brim with your love~!” Maud cupped and fondled her own swaying tits as he pussy clenched even tighter around his throbbing member.

Both lovers cried out in pure bliss as they came at the same time. Maud sprayed her love juices all over Draco’s crotch and Draco’s cock erupted into Maud’s pussy like a geyser. Load after load of thick cum filled Maud’s womb and she savored every drop. In the back of her mind, she wished she was in heat. The distant thought of her pregnant with Draco’s foals made her rub her belly affectionately. Draco would make a wonderful father, but she would wait until her new herd was ready for such a commitment.

After basking in the afterglow of their climaxes, Maud slowly lifted herself up off Draco and collapsed at his side. Cum oozed out of her twitching snatch and both lovers took a moment to catch their breath.

“Wow…that was…amazing,” Draco said. Maud moved closer to Draco and rested her head on his chest. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“I loved it,” Maud said, nuzzling his chest. “And I love you.”

“I love you too, that was the hardest smashing I ever had. You really made me harder than diamond,” Draco joked.

Maud giggled at Draco’s jokes, something quite rare for the stoic mare, and she leaned her head up to stare at Draco.

“Once I catch my breath, we’re doing it again,” Maud said, tracing her finger along Draco’s chest. “We still have time before we arrive at Canterlot.”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll be sure to rock your world one more time,” Draco said, nuzzling Maud and laid his head back down.

END OF CLOP!

The ship had finally arrived back in Canterlot and landed at the ports. Waiting for them were the three princesses and Moon as the gangplank lowered in front of them. The apprentices, excluding Maud, Alpha Squad and Rainbow Dash, and the newly formed Beta Squad walked down the blank to meet with the princesses.

“Welcome back esteemed Grand Officers,” Celestia said.

“Yes, indeed, welcome back,” Luna said.

“Good to be back,” Zephyr nodded.

Cadence looked around and tilted her head. “Where is Draco?”

“Over here.” Everyone turned to see Draco carrying Maud in his arms as she was sleeping peacefully. “Just need to grab sleeping beauty over here.” He smiled looking at Maud.

Everyone immediately noticed Draco’s hair messed up, along with Maud’s. Maud’s clothes were a bit wrinkled and there was purple lipstick on Draco’s neck. The most noticeable aspect about them was the potent odor they produced.

“Really?” Rainbow deadpanned, crossing her arms.

“What?” Draco shrugged, not aware of his appearance.

“Draco…you got a little, what looks like lipstick on your neck,” Cloud whispered. “And we can smell her all over you.”

Draco’s face began to glow bright red as he saw the looks everyone was giving him now. “Umm…well…uh, you see…Shadow, help me out here!” Draco turned to his first marefriend.

“They boned,” Shadow said out loud.

“Yes…I can see that,” Luna put her hands on her hips. “Beast.”

“Umm, yes princess?” Draco stood up straight when Luna addressed him.

“Can you please explain to me why you thought it was necessary to mate with the mare in your arms when you already have a special somepony? I thought you were taking your duties seriously,” Luna accused.

Draco was nervous but took a deep breath and exhaled. “I have feelings for Maud. I wasn’t aware of them at the time, but I now know that my feelings for her are strong. As for taking my job seriously, I still am. By adding Maud to my herd, I now have even more to protect. I plan to protect all those closest to me, even if it means giving up my own life. Having more doesn’t mean I will work less; it would mean I have more to work for.”

Luna stared at Draco as if trying to gauge his response. She clicked her tongue before turning her head away. “Very well, just don’t get distracted like that oaf, Lockdrom.”

Her comment struck a chord with some of the ponies. “With all due respect, princess, but what’s that supposed to mean?” Berry narrowed his eyes.

“Lockdrom has been gone for months now and has made no attempt to return. Am I wrong to assume it might take him longer than anticipated for his return when we need him most?” Luna said.

“Luna, that’s too much!” Celestia reprimanded.

Draco held up his hand. “Luna, you fail to understand that if it were a matter of Lock returning when he wants to, rather than when he can. Did it never occur to you that the moment he went through the mirror, he didn’t try to immediately go back?”

“I am aware, so why hasn’t he returned yet if he promised to return as soon as possible?” Luna asked.

“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation,” Cadence tried to say.

“There is. The mirror operates on a set of rules. It’s only open for a brief time. But there is also the factor on where Lock ended up. Normally the mirror opens after thirty moons. However, what if wherever Lock ended up time flows differently?”

“How do you figure, Draco?” Flash wondered.

“Well, one day for us here, could be twenty days wherever he’s at. Plus, we don’t know what one moon is considered.” Draco turned to look at Luna. “Luna, whenever someone uses the term moons, are they referring to a whole full moon cycle?”

“Naturally,” Luna nodded. “What is your point?”

“If I’m not mistaken it takes roughly twenty-nine days for a complete full moon cycle to occur. Times that by thirty and well…that would be around eight hundred and seventy days ‘till the mirror opens again.”

“We gotta wait that long for Lock to come back?” Zephyr complained.

“Stop whining!” Rainbow smacked Zephyr’s head. “Lock will be fine, he’s as tough as nails!”

“But now we must ask the real question.” Draco’s tone became serious, almost deadly serious.

“Which is?” Celestia asked.

“If he’ll come back with a new girl or not,” Draco added.

“Preposterous!” Moon snapped. “Lock has Twilight and me! He needs no pony else!”

“I honestly wouldn’t be surprised,” Cadence said.

“Nah, see, I’m with Moon. There is no way he would consider it. Sure, he’s a guy, but I mean his loyalty to his herd should matter more,” Draco countered.

“Is that so?” Cadence put a hand on her hip and smirked. “The heart works in mysterious ways, Draco, you can’t predict who it will beat for. And Lock, as I understand it, can be quite the compassionate human.”

Draco returned her smirk as he got closer to her. “Oh Cadence, how it must feel to think you know everything about love. Surely you can’t think his will is so weak that he would seek the comfort of another while he’s away. His burning passion to see his marefriends is all he needs.”

“Says the stallion carrying a second mare he made love with,” Cadence shot back.

“Yes, but I had the approval of my lead mare and as you should know, that’s what matters most." Draco fired back.

“True, then I propose a wager,” Cadence said. “If Dimitri returns with a new female around his arm, you must surrender to my beck and call for a month.”

“And I assume the reward would be the same should I win?” Draco asked now curious.

“Naturally.” Cadence held out her hand for a shake. Draco gestured to Berry to come over as he gently handed the sleeping Maud to carry for him.

“Then it’s a deal. I so look forward to seeing you proven wrong, princess.” He smirked as he shook her hand.

“Is it wrong for me to hope Lock comes back alone?” Flash asked Moon.

“No, it is perfectly natural,” Moon said.

Maud soon finally woke up and yawned as Berry set her down. She rubbed her eyes, and her legs almost gave out, but she caught herself.

“Wow, I just realized I made a new record,” Muad said.

“What kind?” Swift asked.

“How many times I climaxed in a row, my record is now six thanks to Draco,” Maud openly said.

“Nice! Mine’s seven!” Shadow laughed.

“HEY! TMI!” Draco flushed bright red like an apple.

“Wow, I’m impressed,” Zephyr said with a whistle. “Are all humans that skilled in bed? I should take notes from the boss when he gets back.”

Draco groaned as he dragged his hand down his face. “Can we please change the subject!?”

“I agree.” Bismuth cleared his throat. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, my name is Bismuth. It is an honor to meet you both in person.” He and the other dogs bowed in respect. “Had it not been for the valiant efforts of our newly appointed alpha, I shudder to think what might have happened to us.“

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well,” Celestia said with a curt nod. “If you wish to stay in Canterlot, may I arrange proper hospitality to accommodate you and your pack?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Bismuth said, holding his hand up. “We diamond dogs feel more comfortable underground. We could quite literally dig beneath the dirt where we stand and build a new colony.”

“Impressive,” Luna nodded.

“That might come in handy,” Draco admitted aloud before he remembered something important. “Forgive me princesses, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you a question.”

“May we please return to the throne room first?” Celestia requested.

“Of course.” Draco nodded as they all began to make their way to the throne room.

“Where’s Twilight?” Draco wondered.

“Twilight is visiting her parents again,” Moon said. “Poor Twilight Velvet has been wracked with grief since the loss of her son. Night Light is doing all he can, but there’s only so much he can do for her.”

Draco bowed his head in shame, before turning to the princess of love. “Cadence, maybe you should go too. I know it may be hard for you, but I think you should all be together.”

“But I wouldn’t want to miss anything important,” Cadence said.

“Niece, go to your family,” Luna said. “They need you now more than ever.” Cadence wanted to protest but knew better. So, she obliged and spread her wings before flying away.

“She’s a strong one,” Shadow said. “But not indestructible.”

“None of us are.” Draco sighed. “We can either be weakened by our losses, or they can drive us to become stronger so that we can protect those we love.”

“Never more truer words,” Bismuth said with a frown. “The Caribou took my brothers and sisters away to the middle district as to make an example. I haven’t seen or heard from them since…”

Draco moved a hand onto the diamond dog’s shoulder. “If they are still alive, we’ll do our best to save them.” Soon, the group made it to the throne room, where the guards opened the large double doors.

The two princesses took their seats on their respective thrones as the group stood in front of them.

“Now then, ask your question, Sir Draco,” Celestia said formally.

Draco nodded before stepping forward. “First, I wanted to know what became of most of the weapons and destroyed vehicles that the caribou used after we liberated the pony nation?”

“They were confiscated and gathered in each city,” Luna said. “We have them locked in specially crafted vaults located in each city’s center. Excluding Vanhouver since…it was too destroyed to rebuild.”

“I’m sorry about that.” Draco bowed his head, before turning to look at the Bismuth. “Do you think it’s possible to harvest the materials made from Shooting Star Ore from the weapons and vehicles?”

“I believe we can,” Bismuth and the other dogs nodded.

“What is this for, Draco?” Luna wondered as Maud took the opportunity to stand next to Draco.

“To better our own weapons and vehicles. The caribou are looking to take their war efforts to the next level. If we don’t act quickly, we will find ourselves in a bind.” Draco moved his hand to hold Maud’s. “But I think, with the diamond dog’s help as well as our top leading scientists in magic, we can create a new means to combat them.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Luna questioned, leaning back on her throne. Muad closed her eyes and leaned her head on Draco’s shoulder. “The ponies are still attempting to get used to using these firearms as it is, let alone operating the ships in Sir Dimitri’s still-growing armada.”

“If we are to maintain the peace and continue liberating this planet, we must be willing to evolve.” Draco stroked his new marefriend’s head as he spoke. “I understand that some more than others are having a hard time keeping up. But those who can will become valuable assets to our efforts. We need to be able to leave the Caribou in the dust so we can put them down once and for all.”

“Can you scratch my ears?” Maud said quietly. “Shadow says it feels good.”

Draco smirked, moving his hand to gently scratch behind Maud’s right ear.

“I suppose you have a point,” Luna said.

“Our concern is that we feel as though we’re being forced to evolve at a rapid pace. You cannot force somepony to learn to drink water if they do not want to, after all,” Celestia said.

If that was supposed to be a metaphor for, ‘you can lead or horse to water but can’t make it drink,’ I’m gonna laugh my ass off. Draco thought in his head before continuing. “Would you rather have them drinking their own blood as they are slaughtered when the caribou attack them with weapons and machines they could never hope to fight against?”

“A little harsh, don’t ya think?” Cloud muttered to Ace under his breath.

“Harsh, but true.” Draco’s eyes looked to Cloud, making him jump. “Or did you forget what it was like when the caribou first attacked you guys? When they showed up with these weapons of mass destruction, killing your friends and family?”

“Okay, okay, geez. No need to get so dramatic over it,” Cloud waved his hands.

“Our Alpha mentioned he had a device in mind to properly combat against the caribou weaponry,” Jasper said.

“That, I will go over later with you guys in private, along with Twilight when she gets back. But for now, it’s time we talk about the next phases of my plan,” Draco added, gently pulling his arm out of Maud’s grasp as he stepped forward. Maud crossed her arms and pouted cutely.

Draco smiled and leaned back to boop her nose. “Now that we’ve taken the diamond dogs from the forge, the caribou will now need to be more careful.”

“Why wouldn’t they be? We kicked their flanks!” Rainbow pumped her fist in the air.

“True, but now we are going to see fewer attacks or at the very least not too many big ones,” Draco said.

“You mean they’ll start leaving us alone?” Swift guessed.

“If only.” Draco sighed before shaking his head. “No, what I mean is, that now that the closest weapon factory near the pony nation is not producing as much, they will need to be careful with their stocks.” Draco began to pace around the room as he explained. “See, because they aren’t producing the weapons and ammunition as fast as they normally do, they can’t afford to blow through their stocks.”

“What about the other weapons factories outside our borders?” Violet asked. “The mountain forge wasn’t the only operational one.”

“True, however the key is distance.” Draco smiled before turning to the ponies. “Imagine there are two Hay-burger restaurants, one that is a block away from your house, while the other is on the other side of town. Which do you go to?”

“The one a block away,” Zephyr said. “Speaking of which, anypony hungry?” Rainbow elbowed him in the gut for interrupting.

“Okay but why?” Draco asked, keeping his smile.

“Shorter distance, shorter commute,” Berry said.

“And less time to get there,” Draco added. “Sure, they can order more weapons, but that means they need to wait for said weapons to arrive. That means they have to conserve as much ammunition and weaponry as possible, otherwise they’re sitting ducks.”

“Hey, if that’s the case, couldn’t we turn the tables on them?” Flash asked. “Maybe we could hit them like they hit us?”

Draco shook his head. “Without knowing where all their bases are, or how much weapons they have in stock, we could end up having more casualties than victories. Besides, I already know what we need to do next.”

“Pray tell, what did you have in mind?” Luna asked.

“We need to free the prisoners in the middle section of the diamond dog kingdom,” Draco answered bluntly.

“But how? I imagine Gluttony has the whole mountain on high alert,” Gravel said.

“Yes, that was part of my plan when we sent that letter.” Draco continued to pace around the room again. “In that letter, I threaten7 him saying that now he doesn’t have his slaves to make his arms, that we will swarm in with an army strong enough to level the mountain.”

“Pretty ballsy move, think he’ll take the letter seriously?” Zephyr asked.

“They can’t afford not to,” Draco said. “They know who took their slaves, and the disadvantage they are in. They will be on full alert for such an attack.” Draco stopped at one of the stained-glass windows and admired it. “Which is why they’ll never expect a one-man infiltration.”

Everyone tilted their heads in confusion until it hit them.

“Wait?! Alone?! You’re going alone?!” Shadow yelped.

“That’s suicidal!” Flash said.

“Dude, seriously, even you can’t do this on your own,” Zephyr said.

Draco raised his hand to silence them all. “That wasn’t a request. This was always part of the plan,” Draco spoke sternly.

Suddenly, a cloud of pink smoke popped in to reveal Discord. He laughed to himself a little as he landed beside Draco and coiled around him without touching him.

“Ah, it’s been some time, young Draco. Spreading your own fill of chaos as usual?” Discord grinned.

“Hello Discord, so nice to see you can use some of your old magic again,” Draco spoke in a not too amused tone.

“Indeed, I am! Though, I do wish I was back to full strength by now. You’ve no idea how dreadfully boring it is staying stuck in a room in order to accumulate your magic again,” Discord scoffed. “Nevertheless, it’s progress.”

“So why show up now, if you don’t mind me asking?” Draco asked curiously.

“Discord, perhaps you can convince your champion not to kill himself!” Luna barked irritably

“Kill himself?” Discord tilted his head before looking back down at Draco. “My boy, if you’re depressed, here’s my card.” Discord snapped his fingers and handed Draco a yellow card with no writing on it.

Draco flicked the card away before continuing. “I’m not suicidal, Discord. They just think my plan is.” He replied while shooting Luna a look.

“Care to elaborate?” Discord said as he poofed in a chair and sat down with his legs crossed. He snapped his fingers and was dressed in a sweater vest, holding a notepad and pen.

“Gluttony is expecting a large attack to hit next. So, they will be on high alert for such an attack. But a one-man team going in can easily slip through the cracks.” Draco turned to face the others as he explained. “I will sneak to where they are keeping the other prisoners, without drawing too much attention to myself. Once I have the prisoners safe to an extraction point, which will be made by the diamond dogs, I’ll lead the enemy out of the mountain and put them on a wild goose chase.”

“You’d also go as far as lead the entirety of the enemy away by yourself?” Jasper said.

“Draco, this is crazy!” Shadow stamped her hoof. “Can’t you at least take one of Beta Squad with you?”

“Beta Squad will be digging a secret tunnel under the kingdom. That’s their role. Besides, if it’s just me, the odds of being detected are 20-30%,” Draco said.

“I say let the boy go,” Discord said with a confident smile as he stood up.

“WHAT?!” Everyone yelled.

“Here me out.” Discord raised his lion paw. “Draco makes a sound argument as to why he should be the only one to shoulder this burden. True, there is much risk to this mission, but I doubt Draco is the kind of fool to allow himself to be captured or fall at the hands of those dastardly caribou. Right Draco?”

Draco nodded, almost surprised by how serious Discord answered. “That’s about right. I don’t mean to sound rude to the rest of you, but you guys aren’t all that stealthy when it counts.”

“Hey! We can be stealthy!” Rainbow shouted.

“Yeah…Draco may have a point,” Swift scratched the back of his head.

Maud walked towards Draco and leaned her head on his chest. “I only just gave myself to you. What if…you’re taken away from us?”

Draco smiled and nuzzled his marefriend. “I’d expect to rip open a way to hell to pull me out.”

“I have an idea!” Discord snapped his talon. “Why doesn’t Draco prove he can handle this on his own?”

“Prove it? How?” Shadow asked.

“A test!” Discord said.

Draco smiled; this was a good idea. “Good thinking Discord. In fact, come here for a second.” He motioned with his hand for the lord of chaos to lean in, which Discord did not ask questions. Draco began to whisper something into his ear.

“Ooh, I can do that,” Discord grinned before snapping his fingers.

The mad spirit glanced over his shoulder and chuckled as Draco turned to face the others while holding something behind his back.

“If any of you think you can stop me.” Draco with a deadly look revealed the item in his hand to be a gun and pointed it at Flash. “Think fast.” Were the only words he said before he fired his gun at the pegasus.

Flash was breathless as he slowly looked down to see a red stain on his shirt. His eyes teared up as he fell backwards on the ground.

“Draco?!” Rainbow screeched. “What the buck did you do?!”

“You…you just killed him…” Zephyr said in a low tone.

“Draco Saurian!” Luna bellowed. She stood from her throne as her eyes turned white. “Thou hast shown thine true evil colors after all!”

Draco turned to look at Luna with a sinister grin. “Oh, indeed I have, princess, and that color is red.” He began to laugh like a mad man before moving the gun to his forehead. “DEATH TO EQUESTRIA!” He shouted before pulling the trigger. His body fell to the floor shortly after.

“NOOOOOO!!” Shadow and Maud screamed as they ran to his body.

“DRACO!! YOU STUPID BUCKER!! WHY?!” Shadow screamed.

“Not you…” Maud clenched her fists as she buried her face in his chest. “Not you too…!”

As the ponies and dogs stood in complete disbelief at the actions that had transpired, Discord was covering his mouth and snorted a few times.

“Pfffftttftt…Hahahahahahahahahaha!” Discord began laughing and spinning in circles in midair.

“What the buck are you laughing at, you bucking freak?!” Berry growled.

Suddenly Draco’s body slowly began to shudder as his cheeks puffed up, before finally he began to laugh. “Pfft hahaha! Damnit Discord, I could have gone on longer if you hadn’t laughed!”

“Can you honestly blame me?! Hahahahaha!” Discord continued to laugh.

“What the bloody Tartarus is going on?!” Bismuth barked.

“Ow…” All heads snapped towards Flash as he slowly sat up, holding his chest. “Gods, that smarts.”

“Flash! You’re alive!” Zephyrs beamed as he bro-hugged Flash.

“Draco!” Shadow grabbed his collar as tears streamed down hers and Maud’s cheeks. “Bucking explain! Right bucking now!”

Draco, who was still fighting a fit of giggles, sat up while wiping his eyes of tears. “This isn’t a real gun, you dummies.” He held up the gun in his hand and pulled the magazine out, showing red pellets. “This is a paintball gun.”

“Paint…ball?” Luna said.

“Gun?” Celestia finished.

Finally calming down Draco stood up. “Back where I came from, we use guns that use air to fire these little balls filled with paint.” He pulled a little ball out of the magazine to show everyone. “While it’s commonly used for sport, militaries and law enforcement also use it to train rookies, who’ve never used a gun.” He squeezed the ball until it popped and red paint oozed onto his fingers. “As you guys mentioned, the ponies of your world are still having a hard time getting used to the weapons from my world. I was planning on introducing these to help advance our soldiers’ training.”

“You gave us all a heart attack!” Ace snapped.

“How could you shoot me?!” Flash angrily asked. “Me?! I thought we were friends?!”

“And for that very reason, I chose you Flash. You see, you all just failed two surprise tests that I had planned out,” Draco said.

“What bucking surprise tests?!” Shadow demanded. “How to gauge the level of insanity you are?! On a scale of 1-10, you’re a bucking 20!”

“How to react when someone is either turned traitor or being mindcontrolled,” Draco added coldly.

The atmosphere in the room shifted 360 degrees from Draco’s statement.

“Imagine it.” Draco circled the room. “Let’s say while on the battlefield someone found a way to take over my mind. To use me to kill my allies. Naturally none of you would know, even I wouldn’t know if it had been someone else.” Draco pointed the gun back at Flash but didn’t fire. “I had my gun aimed at you for five whole seconds. Why didn’t you move, Flash?”

“I…I didn’t expect you to pull a weapon on me,” Flash said.

“So, you froze and chose to stand still, despite having super speed?” Draco questioned.

“It caught me off guard!” Flash said. “Like, WAY off guard!” He blinked when he realized what he said. “And that’s why…”

“Had this been a real-life situation, you would be dead now.” The air grew colder, as even Flash’s bright yellow fur started to go pale. “Now for the test everyone else failed.”

“I don’t wanna know…” Zephyr mumbled.

“After shooting Flash you all stood there and watched as I moved the gun to my head. During which I not once felt any magic trying to pull the gun away from me. Had I actually been somehow mind controlled, I not only killed Flash, but myself just as the enemy wanted,” Draco lectured. Draco looked at Maud but she turned away from him.

“I’m sorry to have put you all through that, but it was to make a point.” Draco turned to his followers. “You’ve all displayed nothing but arrogance towards our foe. The reason being that because of Lock and Phill, and how their arrival shifted the tide of battle. But what would happen should the enemy find a way to do what I just demonstrated?”

“We wouldn’t stand a chance,” Flash said with his ears drooping. “Just what have we been doing all this time? Do the caribou still underestimate us? Even though we beat one of the Sins?”

“You all saw that already. During our invasion of the diamond dog kingdom, they spoke to us just like they did before Lust’s downfall. Obviously, it was because they knew about the idea of developing better weapons. Lock is strong, sure, but against an entire squadron of fully armed jets and tanks? Even he could have problems.”

“But he’s got all those crazy powers!” Zephyr said. “And so do we!”

“But they have those weird chains that dampen our powers,” Maud said. “Plus, I can only imagine what they would do if they ever knew Lock was missing.”

“You also forgot that if they ever figure out how to make weapons from that same material, then you guys will die just like the one I fought earlier,” Draco warned.

“Which brings us to our test!” Discord chirped. “This will be a new form of training to better prepare yourselves, should the occasion arise when Young Draco or Mr. Phill are unavailable.”

“Not only that, but to prove that I can handle this solo mission on my own.” Draco turned to the princesses. “Here is my proposal. We are going to be running a new drill. I will play the role of an assassin, and try to not only sneak into the castle, but kill both Celestia and Luna.”

“What do we do?” Berry asked.

“Stop him, or at least try to,” Discord said. “The guards of the castle and the resistance fighters will also partake in this drill.”

“Here is how it will go.” Draco paced once again. “The rules are simple; everyone will be given either a paintball gun or a non-lethal weapon. Your goal is to either capture me and render me immobile…or kill me.”

“Do we get to use our powers?” Flash asked.

“Use everything you can, because I’m sure as Hell will.” He started to walk up to the squad of ponies. “I will use everything and anything at my disposal, weapons, deception, your emotions. If I see you, I will kill you.” The look he shot them all was deadly.

“No pressure…” Zephyr gulped.

“And we must simply sit at our thrones?” Celestia said.

Draco turned to look back at the princesses. “Since this is a drill, I’m afraid so. Because if this wasn’t you’d be in here ‘till you heard about an assassin, right?”

“I suppose so,” Luna said.

“Splendid! I shall inform the crew on the Prometheus and the rest of the guards. In the meantime, why don’t you prepare yourselves?” Discord snapped his fingers and a large pile of paintball guns and ammunition poofed in a puff of pink smoke. “Phew! I must rejuvenate after today. Arrivederci!” Draco snapped his lion paw fingers and poofed out of the throne room.

Draco turned to look at the diamond dogs. “Will you be helping the ponies, or stay out of this? It’s your choice.”

“We shall sit this one out,” Bismuth said. “Better to see how you work in person.”

“So, what now?” Ace asked as he picked up a paintball sniper rifle.

“Now you all can start to plan out any idea you might want to use. Gather the guards and tell them what you want to do. I’m going to give you guys one day to make a plan. Afterwards, the drill will begin,” Draco instructed.

That Evening
Draco’s Quarters

Discord sat on a lawn chair, sipping some chocolate milk, as Draco did some stretches to prepare his infiltration. The two were inside Draco’s quarters on the ship.

“Be honest, Draco, how do you think they’ll do?” Discord wondered.

“Well…I feel like the guards will never give me much trouble.” Draco started to roll his shoulders in a circle. “Alpha Squad might put up a decent fight.” After rolling his shoulders, Draco began to bend his knees as he did squats. “And the devil fruit users may be the only ones to make me break a sweat.”

“I see.” Discord sipped his drink and paused. “Draco, may I ask you something?”

“You just did.” Draco looked back smirking.

“Ha ha. But seriously, do you not regret your choices this far? Becoming my champion, infusing the gemstone in your body, fighting this war? I’d imagine you would be more at peace, somewhat, back on earth. What with your school studies and such,” Discord wondered.

Draco stopped for a moment to consider this, before looking back to Discord. “I think you and I both know I never once knew peace.”

“That is exactly why I asked.” Discord set his cup down. “Draco…why didn’t you share anything about what else we discussed, the night we met, to the others when you were first introduced? Surely, they have the right to know, yes?”

Draco shook his head before turning away. “I’m not sure if I want to tell anyone about it. I haven’t even told Shadow. I want to leave that part buried in the past.”

“And what about Dimitri?” Discord challenged. “The man has put his full trust in you. Something he rarely does.”

There was a long and cold silence. “No one needs to know unless I say otherwise, are we clear on that?”

“But-.” Discord tried to say, but Draco snarled at Discord as his eyes turned reptilian.

“If you utter a word, I promise to make your life a living Hell.” Draco’s voice almost became demonic as he glared at Discord.

“Very well…” Discord sighed with a frown as he stood up. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Happy?” Discord said after performing the gesture.

With the promise made, Draco calmed down and relaxed. “I’m glad you saw it my way. As for your question, no, I have no regrets coming here. It’s not in my nature to turn those in need away. When you came to me that night, I took it as a sign to finally have a chance to do some good.”

“Are you going to see Miss Rarity before the test tomorrow?” Discord smirked.

Despite wanting to roll his eyes, Draco couldn’t hide a tinge of a blush on his cheeks, before turning away and going on his way. Draco had heard from Rainbow that Rarity was staying in one of the castle’s quarters for the time being before going back to Ponyville. Along the way, Draco felt a slight twinge of anxiety since he was about to expand his herd again by asking Rarity. She was undoubtedly a very beautiful mare in her own right, he could stare into her eyes for hours on end and not get bored. Upon arrival at one of the smaller towers, Draco steeled his nerves and knocked on the door.

“Come in~!” A singsong voice called out.

Mustering up every ounce of his will powers and making sure his balls were still attached, Draco turned the door handle and opened the door.

It was then he immediately regretted his decision when he saw a Rarity dressed in a single bath robe and was sitting in front of a mirror with her mane tied up in a towel.

“Ah, Draco!” Rarity beamed as she spun around in her chair after seeing him in the mirror. Draco got a full heads-up display of her very generous bust through the cleavage of her robe and her milky slick legs and thighs. “So wonderful to see you, darling!”

Feeling his heart beating in his throat, Draco closed the door behind him and cleared his throat. “R-Rarity, may I have a moment of your time?” Draco requested.

“Oh, but of course, dear! Have a seat!” Rarity said as she gestured to the bed.

Stiffly, Draco moved to take a seat on the bed next to her, his face burning bright red. Unlike Maud, Draco could tell how happy Rarity was to see him. It wasn’t that Draco thought less of Maud, not in the least. But for Draco to be the one making the move would be the problem.

“Rarity, there is something I would like to ask you,” Draco said, trying not to stare at the robed beauty before him.

“Ask away.” Rarity batted her eyelids as she leaned forward, almost tempting her breasts to slip out.

Draco, knowing that Rarity would have started to flirt, decided to turn the tables. Leaning in closer himself, Draco moved a hand to stroke Rarity’s cheeks.

“Oh my…” Rarity gasped; but smiled as she cupped her hand on Draco’s. “Darling, what’s the matter?” Draco seemed lost in her gorgeous eyes.

Not bothering to say anything else, Draco moved in to kiss the mare on the lips as he moved his free hand to slip around her back. Again, Rarity gasped with a squeak but melted into the kiss as she closed her eyes. Her body moved on her own as she stood from her seat and gently sat across Draco’s lap. The towel holding her mane up loosened, allowing her mane to fall down her back with a few strands covering her face. Rarity wrapped her arms around Draco’s neck as they kept kissing each other. When they separated for air, Rarity’s eyes were a bit glazed over as she looked up at Draco with love and affection.

“Wow…what was that for?” Rarity said dreamily.

“I would love nothing more if you would join my herd, Rarity.” Draco smiled before moving to gently nibble on her neck, his hands running up along her back.

“Y-Your herd?!” Rarity squealed and moaned as she held Draco close. “Who else is in your herd? A-And why me?”

Draco blushed before he spoke. “Maud just joined, and it’s thanks to her I realized that I wanted to form a herd.” Draco looked into Rarity’s eyes with a deep stare. “I’ve been alone for so long before coming here, that I had thought my heart never would have love for another. But thanks to Shadow and now Maud, I don’t think that’s the case anymore.”

“Oh Draco…” Rarity cupped his cheeks. “I do not know what exactly you have been through, but I’m so happy and proud that you have chosen to open your heart. If Dimitri were here, he would tell you the same thing.”

Draco smiled back before leaning in to nuzzle into her before carefully lifting her up and spinning the both of them around till she was lying on her back, and he was on top.

“Hehehe!” Rarity giggled as Draco took her in. Her mane was sprawled all over the mattress as her chest rose up and down slowly. It’s as if he was bearing witness to a goddess of pure beauty.

CLOP!

Noticing him staring, she undid the towel covering her, letting her pure white orbs free, and her glistening snatch hungry for attention.

“Don’t keep a lady waiting~,” Rarity cooed.

Draco gulped and placed his hands on her stomach. He glided them across her silky-smooth fur until they reached her double D-cup breasts. They felt like the perfect boobs in Draco’s hands. Round and soft, almost like kneading dough.

“They’re perfect, Rarity, just like you,” Draco said softly.

“Mmm, flatterer~,” Rarity began undressing Draco as well. “Come, darling. I shouldn’t be the only one flaunting my goods~.” Rarity moaned.

Draco paused from massaging her breasts and stood up from the bed. He took off all his clothing and Rarity was left to gawk at his boner hidden under his boxers. As soon as he took them off, Rarity drooled at the sight of his erect dick, twitching with anticipation.

“Oh my, quite the tool you have~.” Rarity grinned while batting her eyelashes as Draco resumed fondling her. “Mmm, yes darling, play with me all you like~.”

Rarity wrapped one of her hands around Draco’s cock and began jerking him off a little. Her dainty hand was rather pleasant to the man.

“Want to try something with my girls, dear Draco?” Rarity asked as she ushered him closer.

Draco shuffled forward and Rarity wrapped her perfect tits around his shaft. She bit her bottom lip and began giving him a boob-job.

“Soft and smooth, aren’t they?” She asked before kissing the tip as her soft mounds caressed every inch of his manhood.

“Oh fuck, this is bliss…” Draco sighed.

Rarity giggled flirtatiously and kissed and licked his tip. Draco eyed her semi-erect pink nipples and couldn’t help himself from grabbing each nipple and giving them a pinch.

“Eeee! Ooh, darling, so bold~,” Rarity squealed as she kept going and could feel his cock throbbing between her breasts. “Mmm, you look like you’re about to blow any minute. Ask me to let you do it and I’ll let you smear my pretty face~.”

“Oh please, Rarity, let me cum all over your gorgeous face,” Draco said as he thrusted his hips. “I want to add my own shade of white and paint you~!”

“Mmm, good boy~,” Rarity purred before suckling hard on the tip while rubbing her boobs a little faster.

“Now cum for mama~.” She grinned just before jets of Draco’s seed spewed onto her face and luxurious mane as she basked in the warmth and even managed to catch some in her mouth. “Ooh, you were pent up~.”

“Y-You have no idea,” Draco shuddered as Rarity let him ride out his climax. The fashionista took the time to lap up all the strands of cum that stuck to her fur. She crawled backwards onto the bed and on her back while spreading her legs and pussy lips.

“Come to momma, darling, she needs some loving from her big, strong stallion~,” Rarity beckoned Draco.

Draco was still hard despite the huge load he had just released and was entranced by her beauty. It was like staring into a living portrait and Draco didn’t even realize he was on top of her until she kissed him.

“Mmm, my Draco~,” Rarity purred while guiding him to her soaking pussy.

“Are you ready for me, my lady?” Draco asked as he rubbed his wet tip against her moist entrance.

“Take me, darling~,” Rarity said lustfully as they held hands and Draco began to slowly enter her.

Rarity’s pussy was as tight as Maud’s and Shadow’s, if not tighter. Rarity winced as he entered her, and Draco felt a familiar thin barrier that made her squeal a little.

“Rarity, are you a virgin?” Draco asked. Rarity simply looked up at Draco with a teary smile. Her eyes held so much affection for Draco that she knew she made the right decision to give a gentleman like Draco both her heart and her first time.

“I was saving myself for my Prince Charming,” Rarity said before kissing Draco who was still stunned. “And I found him.”

Draco could only smile as Rarity braced herself. Not wanting to prolong it, Draco thrusted forward and tore through her virgin barrier and claimed her innocence for his own. Rarity grimaced in pain and Draco held himself there as he let Rarity adjust to his size.

“Are you okay, my flower?” Draco asked affectionately.

“Mmm!” She whimpered while clinging to him.

“It’s okay,” Draco said softly. “I’m here. Just tell me when you’re ready.”

“K-kiss me…” Rarity painted while wrapping her arms and legs around her lover with tears in her eyes while her heart felt like it was about to explode.

Draco pressed his lips against hers and the two kissed each other. As they kissed, Draco pulled back and began to slowly thrust into Rarity. The mare squealed and moaned in Draco’s mouth, and she held him tighter. Rarity started to relax as their lovemaking continued and her moans turned pleasurable and wanted more. Draco instinctively picked up his pace and thrusted into his new mare with care and affection.

“You feel amazing, my lady,” Draco said into her ear.

“Ahh, ahh, ah! Draco!” Rarity cried out as she was claimed, and Draco’s body began pressing her into the bed with each thrust. “Oh yes! Buck me, Draco! Buck me for as long as you want!”

Draco increased his pace more and was now pounding Rarity. The mare bleated out loud and let her happy tears flow out of her eyes. Her body was being ravaged by her lover, but she couldn’t be happier since it was with the one, she loved. Draco watched her swaying breasts and clasped each one with his hands.

“I love you, Rarity!” Draco called out as he pounded her harder and groped her perfect breasts.

“Ahhh~! I love you too, darling!” Rarity moaned as he suckled on her left breast and her hands were held above her head as they made love. “Nnng~! I’m so happy, Draco~.”

“I’m close!” Draco said as he felt a familiar tension build up in his ground. “Where do you want it?” Rarity responded by keeping her legs wrapped around tight as she had little hearts in her eyes when she looked up at Draco.

“Inside me, darling, fill me with everything you have~!” Rarity cried out while keeping her gaze locked onto him. “I want to be yours and yours alone~!”

Draco kept thrusting into Rarity and her whole pussy was completely drenched. With a few last hard, wet slaps of their groins, Draco pushed into Rarity one last time before they both came. His sound flooded into her deepest depths and his crotch was soaked by her spraying fem cum. They basked in the afterglow and road out their orgasms and stayed still for a few minutes. Draco soon slowly pulled out and collapsed to the side on the bed. He stayed like that, catching his breath, and felt something crawl up to his side and lay her head on his heaving chest.

“Wow…that was…” Draco tried to say.

“Mmm, that was incredible~,” Rarity purred with her mane and tail completely frazzled as they snuggled up. “Is this how it was with Maud?”

“I can’t really compare,” Draco said as he wrapped his arm around his fashionista lover. “But you were definitely more compassionate. I love you so much, Rarity, I promise to always make you and the others happy.”

“I’m happy to hear that, darling,” Rarity said as his hand moved its way down to her flank, making her giggle. “Now you can look AND touch~,” she cooed as Draco felt her up.

“Another round?” Draco smirked.

“Yes please~,” Rarity said with lidded eyes.

END OF CLOP!

Author's Note

A test of wits and wills. Are they up to the challenge?

Side Note:
Thank you all for your contiuned patience. This ended up having to be two parts, becuase of how much my co-writer and I put into it. Next part will posted tomorrow!

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Test of The Beast Part 2

Chapter 42

The Next Morning

Draco slowly but surely opened his eyes as the morning sun peered in through the window. As his senses returned to him, he felt something laying on his chest and looked down to see a welcoming sight. Rarity slept on Draco with a content smile, which only made Draco smile back at the sleeping beauty. He slowly brushed her hair with his hand until she started to awake as well.

“Mmm…good morning, my darling Draco,” Rarity said as she looked up at him.

“Good morning, my sexy marshmallow,” Draco teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

“My goodness, you truly were a beast last night,” Rarity said as she nuzzled Draco’s chest. “Yet you treated me like a proper lady at the same time. Truly, you are the stallion of my dreams~.”

Draco smiled before nuzzling back and kissing her right at the base of her horn making her squeak. “And you are my ivory goddess,” he said in a rather charming tone.

“By the way, I forgot to answer your question.” Rarity scooched herself up, so she straddled Draco, showing off the body he claimed. “I would love to join your herd.”

“Gee, what made you say yes?” Draco smirked up at his mare. “Was it the sex I wonder?”

“Oh stop, you!” Rarity said playfully. “I’m serious! You’ve won my heart in more ways than I can imagine. I just know you’ll treat me as well as your other mares.”

Draco chuckled and hugged his new marefriend, happy to have her in his herd. “I promise you three will get only the best from me.”

“Now then…” Rarity shoved Draco back down as she traced a circle around his chest. “When was this test supposed to start again~?”

“I told them today, but I’m giving them time to get prepared.” Draco sighed before pulling his pants off the floor and grabbing a small notebook from his pocket. “By the way, I have a favor to ask of you, my love.”

“For you, my darling?” Rarity leaned in, pressing her chest against his. “Anything~.”

Draco blushed before calming himself down. “As you may have already heard, we now are hosting some diamond dogs, and they have made me their Alpha ‘till we can rescue their king and queen.”

“I have heard, and if you trust them then I shall also learn to cope,” Rarity replied.

Draco nuzzled her to help ease her worries. “They aren’t anything like the ones you met before, that much I can assure you.”

“What is it you want from me?” Rarity wondered.

Draco flipped open the notebook showing the content. “Think you and Bismuth can make this for me? I wrote down everything he’ll need to know about the more complex stuff. All you have to do is make the base.”

Rarity took the notebook and went into fashionista mode. “Hmm, this is quite an interesting sketch. The style is unique, and it’s quite the charming appearance.”

“I’m gonna need this if I’m going to achieve my goal within the diamond dog kingdom.” Draco leaned in to kiss his marefriend before getting up to get dressed.

As Draco put on his pants, he glanced over his shoulder to see Rairty leaning on her elbow and her staring at him with a predatory gaze. The blanket hung off her body and slipped off her breasts to give him a nip slip.

“I can get used to seeing this every morning, darling~,” Rarity cooed.

Draco’s cheeks flushed as he still wasn’t used to this mare’s flirting, nor did he ever think he would. “I’m gonna need to invest in a large bed if all four of us are going to be sleeping together.”

“Ooh, how exciting!” Rarity sat up and clapped her hands. “This is my first ever herd I will be a part of! What should I wear for the announcement of my addition? Something fancy? Maybe laidback? What about something casual?”

Draco chuckled as he moved to putting on his armor next. “We’ll have to think about that later, my sweet.” Draco’s smiling vanished as he adopted a more serious look. “I think I kept everyone waiting long enough. It’s time to see if they have what it takes to take me on for real.”

Draco turned and nodded his head. “Will do.” He opened the door and began to make his way outside of the castle to begin.

Outside The Castle Gates

A group of five pony guards stood at attention and paced around the iron gates. Each pony was armed with blades and kept their heads on swivels for any intruder.

“This is nuts…” a guard said. “How’re we supposed to put ourselves up against the Knight of Chaos?”

“Keep on your guard!” Another pony said. “The princess has explicitly told us to be on high alert! This is a test, after all.”

“What kind of test?” Another wondered.

“To see if we are strong enough to handle an invasion of and when it does happen. It’s not like Sir Draco, Sir Dimitri, or even that Saint guy will be around forever to save our flanks.”

“Are we sure Sir Draco will even come this way?”

“I’ve spotted the Knight of Chaos!” The voice of another pony from down the hall shouted. “We require aid!”

The guards quickly opened the gates and ran down the hall towards the voice.

“How the hay did he get inside?! We have all the entrances covered!” One of the guards said.

“Doesn’t matter! We gotta stop him before he reaches the throne room!” Another ordered.

“First rule of warfare.” The guards all halted as a voice came from behind them. Before they could turn, they felt swipes at their necks, causing them all to fall to the ground lifeless. “Make sure the person calling isn’t a fake.”

The guards fell to the ground thanks to the magic Discord placed around the castle. The spell made it so that should anyone inside take a hit from these training weapons, the effects would be as though they were real. Should a guard be shot in the leg, that limb would become numb and difficult to use. Should they receive a blow that would be deemed fatal, they would fall down in a fake death.

“You guys need to be more careful on how you should act. While it’s true you should be on high alert. You should always take the time to consider your opponent and their skills. Like my voice changing abilities.” Draco advised.

The guards, still being able to hear, could only beat themselves mentally for falling for such a simple trick. Draco moved in to take one of the walkie-talkies off a guard before moving on.

Down another corridor three guards were patrolling up and down, making sure they kept their ears open for any signs of Draco.

“Why did we agree to this?” A guard said as he fiddled with his paintball gun. “These things are a little unnerving to hold.”

“That kind of talk will get you killed, private!” the lead guard barked, causing the other guard to flinch. “This is a training exercise for when shit gets rough! And in case you need more of a reminder why we’re doing this, it’s because we’re at war! You heard what Sir Draco said, the caribou are the kind of creatures who would kill anypony in their way! I for one refuse to let our dear departed Captain Armor’s sacrifice be in vain! So, straighten yourselves up and keep your heads on swivels!”

“Sir, yes sir!” The guards saluted their superior.

CRAAASH!

The sound of something large breaking came from the end of the hallway where the guards were walking away from. Causing them to spin around and point towards the sound, guns at the ready.

The leader motioned his group to follow him as they aimed their guns. They walked down the corridor while watching each other’s backs, aiming at anything they saw twitch within their field of vision.

“Stay on your hooves, boys,” the leader said as he kept his breathing steady. “Sir Draco is quite the crafty one.”

Upon reaching the end, the group halted as the lead guard peeked around the corner to look down the hallway, he immediately saw one of the windows shattered to pieces with glass on the ground.

The leader arched a brow and motioned with his hand for the others to stay close and watch his back. They approached the broken window and the glass pieces on the floor.

“Strange, why would he break a window?” One guard asked.

“He’s already in the castle, right?” Another said. “Why would he break a window just to get out again?”

“How…the…buck?!” The leader groaned as he and his group collapsed to the ground.

In one of the towers both Ace and Cloud watched diligently as they waited for any sign of their target. Both are equipped with sniper paintball rifles, their fingers ready to pull the trigger to land their mark.

“This is Major Cloud, what’s the status? Over,” Cloud radioed the castle guards.

“There’s a situation, we found many of the guards dead in sector four. Over,” the two heard over the radio.

“Draco’s already quick to make moves, huh?” Ace said as he kept his aim towards the courtyards and windows.

“Alert!” One of the stallions on the radio shouted. “I just spotted Draco, he’s moving at high speed towards selector four! Get out of there!”

“Wasn’t he just there?” Swift asked Cloud. The two moved to the other side of the tower and aimed their rifles.

As they aimed their rifles, looking through their scopes they could see the group of guards huddled together keeping their eyes peeled for Draco. But after some time, there wasn’t any sign of him.

Suddenly the radio crackled. “We need support in sector seven, Draco is here and he’s tearing through our-aaahh!” The sound of a beast snarling came after the scream.

“He’s moving pretty damn fast! I’ll cover this side! You stay put!” Ace said as he repositioned himself again.

“Come on, Draco, where are you?” Cloud said to himself. “Sector seven! Report! Over!”

There was no response, only the sound of static. The radio buzzed as another voice of a guard came on. “We got him! Target has been neutralized! We won!”

At first Cloud and Ace just glanced at each other in shock. “You better not be lying, soldier! There’s no way Draco would let it all end that quickly!” Ace said as he kept his rifle aimed.

“We nailed him with a grenade sir! We have him here in sector eight. Arrogant bastard didn’t see it coming, haha!” The sound of other stallions’ voices agreeing came on shortly afterward.

For a moment, Cloud and Ace looked at each other again and dropped their guard and relaxed. Out of nowhere, something fell through the window and right between them. When they looked down, they saw a paintball grenade with the pin pulled.

“I hate this test,” Cloud deadpanned. “Really, I really do.”

KA-BOOM!!

The grenade exploded out, showering the entire room and both ponies in red thick paint.

Globs of paint dripped from the ponies, before Draco climbed into the window and held a walkie-talkie in his hand. “Yeah it’s over you guys, you never saw it coming.” Draco spoke in the stallion’s voice from before.

“Dude, I just bought these combat pants!” Ace complained.

Draco walked over to one of the sniper rifles and picked it up, checking the magazine before grabbing Ace’s radio. “This is Major Cloud, we just spotted Draco nearing sector five, advance forward with caution,” Draco spoke in Cloud’s voice.

“Just lay down, Ace, he got us already,” Cloud said as he lay down on the floor. Ace grumbled to himself and lied down on the floor with his partner.

Draco observed and he watched the group of stallions move into view, before firing the rifle. The sound of the stallion’s panicking as they were gunned down was all the two members of alpha squad could hear, before dead silence.

Tossing the gun aside Draco prepared to jump out the window. “I think I’m gonna use the voice change trick for a bit. Time to get up close and personal now.”

Draco swooped back down to the castle before crashing through a window. Several guards within the hallway fired their paintball guns at the sudden intruder, each missing their mark as Draco dove rolled behind a pillar.

Grabbing a grenade from his hip, he pulled the pin. “One Mississippi, two Mississippi.” Draco counted out loud as the guards carefully moved in. “Three Mississippi.” With a quick throw Draco tossed the grenade up into the air past his hiding spot.

BOOM!!

A loud explosion went off along with the sound of paint splurging into the room, and the cries of the guards as they were covered in paint.

Draco peaked around the pillar and saw all the ponies covered in paint and lying on the floor. He chuckled to himself as he left his hiding spot to revel in his handiwork.

“Fireball!”

Quickly doing so by a split second, Draco narrowly dodged a flaming ball aimed at his head. “Yeow! Hey, what part of no live ammunition did you not get, Berry!?” Draco shouted, turning to see both Swift and Berry down the hall.

“What? I wanted to test out my new sword,” Berry said with a shrug. “Not my fault this thing’s got a kick.”

Both he and Swift were decked out in heavy practice armor. Draco noticed Swift holding a war hammer and she twirled it with only one hand.

“You’ve already done quite a number on everypony, Lieutenant,” Swift said.

Draco smiled and shook his head. “You guys choose weapons that require you to fight in close combat and decked out in heavy practice armor.” Draco grabbed the last grenade from his hip. “What’s to stop me from pulling the pin in this and just letting you guys bite the dust now?”

“Hmm, why not just fight us fair and square?” Swift suggested. “You could just eliminate us from the test with that grenade, but that wouldn’t be very honorable of you, now, would it?”

Draco cocked a brow for a second before smiling and laughing. “Haha, well, you got me there I suppose.” Placing the grenade back on his hip, Draco folded his arms. “So how would you two like me to fight you exactly? consider it a reward for manipulating your opponent.”

Swift and Berry looked at each other and both smiled as they then both took stances at Draco.

“Hmm, so head on, I see. Very well. For this fight, I shall fight with no weapons.” Draco slowly adopted a fighting stance, before slowly advancing on the two ponies. “I’ll let you two make the first move.”

Swift and Berry charged at Draco. Draco expected them to attack at the same time, but they split apart and came at him from opposite sides.

“Ah, trying to divide my attention. Very smart indeed.” Draco shifted his stance as he watched both ponies quickly taking up positions on either side of him.

The three remained in their designated spots, before Swift and Berry slowly began to circle. This of course caused Draco to turn his body in order to maintain a decent awareness of his opponents. “So, which of you shall make the first strike? Better be careful with that sword, Berry, you throw a fireball, and I could dodge it, causing you to harm your marefriend.”

“I may have the sword you created, Draco, but it ain’t me you should keep your eye on,” Berry smirked.

Just as Berry said that, Swift twirled her war hammer and then cartwheeled behind Draco. She swung her hammer and aimed it to hit Draco’s side.

Draco smirked. In midair, he wouldn’t normally be able to move…if he was a normal man. Kicking off the nearest wall, Draco once again narrowly avoided the flames of Berry’s sword.

“Hot damn that was a good move!” Draco clapped his hands as his feet touched down on the ground. “I’ll give you both credit, that was an excellent combo move.”

“Watch your head, Draco,” Berry called out as he readied another swing.

Draco smiled before parting up close to Berry, pulling his right arm back. “Your left side is wide open.” The knuckles on Draco’s hand began to change, before he thrusted his fist forward.

The moment the punch connected the armor that Berry was wearing, began to dent inwards before the force sent the stallion flying back.

“Berry!” Swift yelled as Berry hit the wall fell slump onto the floor.

Swift knew that she had to stay focused and went to confront Draco again. She turned around but Draco was quicker and moved behind her. He grabbed her arm and head and put her in a hold. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Draco’s jaw open over her neck as if he was going to bite her. It was for a brief moment, but Swift could almost swear she saw an unusual pair of fangs in his mouth. Swift winced and looked away as she closed her eyes.

She felt a light pinch on her neck and yelped. “Gotcha,” Orion said in a playful tone. When Swift opened her eyes, she saw him smiling down at him, as he had his hand gently pinching her neck. “You okay? You look pale.”

“I-I…” Swift tried to say as Draco let her go. “It’s nothing…”

Draco shrugged before pulling out his hand gun and shooting her in the head, and quickly turning his gun to the downed Berry, and shooting him as well. “Glad to know you two are okay,” Draco said.

Draco made sure Swift laid down in order to play dead and continued on. He snuck through the halls, eliminating any guards he encountered along the way, then found his way into the royal kitchen. As soon as he entered the kitchen, all doors leading outside slammed shut.

“Target secured,” a familiar female voice called out from nowhere.

“I was wondering when you would show up.” Draco quickly moved his head to the side as he barely dodged a paintball. “That one almost got me.”

“I was kinda hoping you’d test us like this one day, Draco,” Shadow said as he dodged another bullet. “Gives me an excuse to test out my new magic skills my secret mentor taught me.”

“Ooh? A secret mentor?” Draco smiled, as he began to carefully circle around in the kitchen. “And who might that be?”

A magical afterimage appeared in front of Draco revealing Shadow with her arms behind her back. She smiled sweetly at Draco until multiple cupboard doors opened and paintball guns popped out and aimed at Draco.

“Nightmare Moon herself,” Shadow answered as she snapped her fingers and she disappeared.

Ratatatatat!

Quickly grabbing one of the wooden tables, Draco broke it in half, using the broken pieces to shield his body from the onslaught of paintball guns. “Very cheeky, love!”

“Like it?” Shadow giggled as more cupboard doors and drawers opened to reveal more guns. “Moon crammed a variety of spells into my cranium, and still is! It’s amazing what you can learn from an actual alicorn.”

Draco slowly backed himself into a corner as he used the now paint covered pieces of table to protect him. “Speaking of drilling, did you ever get around to seeing if she would let you peg her? You know, with that strap on with the two dragon shaped cocks,” Draco called out.

“I’m getting around to it, but she’s pretty stubborn and loyal to the Captain,” Shadow admitted bluntly, then got an idea. “Y’know, Draco, I’ve been thinking. Since you’ve got a herd now, why not make things more interesting when Spring season is here?” Draco was confused as he tried to focus on trying not to get hit from the onslaught of paintballs. “Let’s have a foal!”

“Not ‘till the war is over, love. I’d rather not have any kids of mine growing up having to fear another invasion. Also, I’m gonna want twenty kids from you.” He called her bluff with one of his own.

“T-Twenty?!” Shadow yelped, Draco caught her magic on the guns flickering a bit. “Ahem…you better have the stamina to back up such a bold promise!”

“Naturally. Plus I’ll take some viagra, so get ready for a night of nonstop sex. I’ll even use the saber-tooth tiger cock you love so much!” He shouted her most embarrassing secret.

All at once, the guns stopped firing and Draco caught a whiff of a certain mare’s musk in the corner of the kitchen.

“W-Will you let me play out that fantasy I told you about?” Shadow asked.

“You mean where you pretend to be a helpless mare running from the horny beast?” Draco smirked as he could smell not just one scent, but two.

“Oh Celestia~,” Shadow moaned as Draco drew closer to where the smell was coming from.

Aiming his gun, he shot Shadow in the chest and moved to the hidden pony. “So did I give you an idea for when Lock gets back? I’m pretty sure he can shape-shift too, if I remember correctly. Moon.”

The spell wore off and next to the refrigerator revealed both Shadow and Moon. Shadow’s face was flushed red as Moon was blushing up a storm, no doubt imagining all the naughty things she wanted to do with Lock.

“A-A valiant effort, my student, until next time. I must now go find my herd sister, Twilight!” Moon said and teleported out of the room.

Shadow grabbed the underside of her shirt and pulled it up to flash Draco.

“Pants. Off.” Shadow demanded.

Draco smiled before moving in to kiss her cheeks. “Maybe later, when I win this. For now, see if you can get in with Moon and Twilight, they may let you join them.”

“Can you at least give my girls some love before you go?~” Shadow beckoned by cupping her bare breasts.

“Sorry, but no. Consider that for the whole foal’s joke.” Draco kissed his marefriend’s head before quickly exiting the room.

“Tease!” Shadow yelled at the door.

Draco was laughing to himself as he pressed on. He knew he was getting closer to the throne room as he checked all the rooms in case there were any guards lying in wait. It wasn’t until he rounded another corner did he find himself being surrounded by a dense fog.

“Well, either I left the oven running, or you’re trying to blind me, Zephyr.” Draco smiled as he kept all his senses on full alert. Draco said nothing as the fog grew more dense to the point when he could barely see in front of him.

“I can smell it, you know?” Draco spoke in a chilling voice. “Your fear. I can smell your fear, Zephyr. And I must say, it really whets my appetite.” Draco slowly began to walk through the fog without a care in the world. “It reminds me of back when I was hunting before you guys met me. Whenever I raided a caribou camp.” His voice became more ominous. “My favorite part is when I let a caribou get away, and they tried to hide from me. I could smell their fear and even hear their heart race when I hunted them.”

On the far end of the corridor, Zephyr swallowed a lump in his throat. He then waved his hands and made the temperature drop to colder levels.

Draco could feel the sudden change in temperature and let out a deep and menacing laugh. “Haha! Oh, turning down the temperature, are you?! Do you think by doing so I’ll avoid using any of my dinosaur forms?” Draco smiled as he sniffed the air before turning his attention to where Zephyr’s scent was the strongest. “Good trick, but I’m afraid that worked against you.” Draco’s eyes became slits like a snake, and even his tongue changed into a forked tongue. “Back in the prehistoric world, there was a massive breed of serpents that could even take on a full grown T-Rex. Its name was Titanoboa.” Through Draco’s eyes, he could see with thermal vision, and in the cold corridor, seeing Zephyr’s body heat was as plain as day. “Like any other snakes, they hunted through smell, and could see body heat.” Draco slowly began to stalk his way towards Zephyr.

Zephyr began to tremble a little and his eyes became more white. He clenched his fists and the temperature dropped drastically. Icicles formed on the ceiling and ice flakes floated around in the air. Zephyrs kept lowering the temperature further and further until it almost reached negative levels. Every step Draco took, even he had a hard time moving through the freezing temperatures.

“Now, this is very cold, Zephyr. In my current state, this is even more than I can bear.” Draco fell to his knees hard.

Zephyr watched Draco shiver in the cold, but knew it couldn’t be that easy. He remembered something Lock taught him some time ago, to always confirm the enemy is down and stays down. Not taking any chances, Zephyr strained his power as he blew out a cold breath and the temperature lowered considerably even more.

The more the temperature dropped, the more snow filled the room. Soon the floor was covered in four feet of snow, and Draco’s body was slowly covered.

Zephyr gulped again and slowly made his way towards Draco. Thanks to his powers, the temperature didn’t bother him much as he reached back and pulled out a paintball pistol. He saw Draco’s head poking out from the snow and pointed his gun. However, his arm was shaking due to a sense of dread and he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger.

“Come on…just shoot!” Zephyr said quietly to himself.

Without warning, something gripped the stallion’s legs and yanked hard. Zephyr fell back onto his back, before a massive body quickly pounced on top of him. With a powerful paw pushing down on his chest, while the other paw pinned the hand holding his gun, Zephyr looked up to see a giant saber-tooth cat snarling at him.

“Oh buck…!” Zephyr trembled as fear gripped his heart like a vice. He quickly flexed his hands and a massive gale blew forward and managed to push the beast off Zephyr, allowing him to scramble to his hooves. “N-Now take it easy, Draco,” Zephyr tried to say.

The tiger snarled as it began to circle the pegasus. Its massive fangs bared as he eyed Zephyr with a look that screamed murderous intent.

“Come on, Zeph, think!” Zephyr said as he flapped his wings and whipped his arms around. Large icicles sharply formed in midair and Zephyr hurled them down at Draco.

The massive fanged cat slowly easily jumped to one side, avoiding the icicles, before letting out an ear piercing roar that made Zephyr’s chest vibrate.

“Damn!” Zephyr held up his arms. “Alright, how’s this?!” Zephyr began flying in circles around Draco, the cold wind and snow whipped up all around Draco as the big cat struggled to push back against the whirlwind.

In his haste to avoid a fight with Draco, Zephyr’s snow storm slowly obscured his sight on the big cat. There was nothing within the eye of the storm from which he had thought he had trapped the big cat in.

“Did I get him?” Zephyr thought out loud but kept the storm going. His white eyes narrowed as he tried to locate Draco.

Scanning the snow for any sign of movement, Zephyr failed to see anything bigger than the four feet of snow and ice that had accumulated within the hallway.

“Must’ve buried him.” Zephyr slowly made the storm die down until only the snow and ice remained in the corridor. He landed gracefully onto the snow covered floor and looked around.

“Hey, I did it!” Zephyr said with a proud smile. It wasn’t until a large shadow rose from the snow and towered behind Zephyr did his face turn white as the snow. “Aw…crap.”

Standing nearly three times his height, Zephyr turned to see a massive bear staring down at him. Before he could so much as flinch his wings, the bear swiped one of its paws into the stallion’s chest. Zephyr was sent flying into the wall, leaving a hole in said wall.

Zephyr coughed loudly after getting the wind knocked out of him. He shakily crawled out of the hole, but landed face first into the snow and couldn’t manage to pick himself up. The bear stood trudged over to Zephyr and stood over his winded prey.

“Alright…alright!” Zephyr held up his hand in defeat. “I give! You win!”

Draco’s body slowly reverted back to his original form, before pulling out a pistol and shooting the stallion in the chest. As he watched Zephyr fall to his side, Draco kneeled down to speak.

“I hope you never give up on the battlefield like you just did now.” He glared at the stallion as he spoke. “If I was in your shoes, I would have kept fighting even if it meant I was gonna die.”

“Look, man, I’m still kinda new to all this fighting shit-ow!” Zephyr was cut off when Draco slapped him. “Did you just slap me?!”

“Is that gonna be your excuse when the caribou somehow get their hands on Rainbow Dash, and you could have stopped them? What then asshole?!” Draco roared in Zephyr’s face.

“I…” Zephyr looked away in shame and nodded. “Buck, I’m still a pathetic loser.”

“Yes, you are.” Draco stood back up as he dusted some snow off his body. “Which is why you need to train harder than you ever have in your life. You stop when things get too tough for you. When the going gets rough, that’s when you should strive to become better so it never feels that way.”

Zephyr nodded and laid down on his back to play dead. Draco turned to leave as he holstered his gun.

“Draco?” Draco looked over his shoulder at Zephyr. “Thanks for the fight.”

Draco nodded his head before looking forward. “You have potential, Zephyr. Mother Nature is cruel, so be just as cruel as her.” He said before moving on to his next target.

Draco continued his trek to the throne room and could tell he was getting closer to the more frequent groups of guards he shot down with his paintball gun. Draco was impressed by how seriously the ship’s crew, the guards, and Alpha Squad were taking this test. After turning a few more corners, Draco entered a room that looked like the castle library. Shelves of books stood all around him as he scanned the area for any patrols.

As he made his way deeper in, he noticed a good amount of rock flecks on the ground. Knowing full well how the ponies in this castle liked to keep it as clean as possible, Draco knew exactly who was in the room with him.

Moving to hide behind a shelf, Draco cupped his hands near his mouth as he spoke. “I know you’re here, Maud.” His voice bounced gently off the walls as it echoed within the library.

Draco saw the rocks float in the air and hover around, as if they were patrolling the library for Draco.

Carefully climbing up the shelf he was hiding behind, Draco continued his idol conversation. “I’m sorry I’m putting you through this, especially shortly after becoming a member of the herd.” Again he was using the room walls to echo his voice.

Some of the rocks stopped in midair and suddenly shot in random directions. They crashed into the walls and some through the shelves, one of them went flying right past Draco and missed his boot by a hair.

“Careful, love. These books are important, you know? And plus, you wouldn’t want Twilight seeing the damage done to a library,” Draco spoke as though he wasn’t in any danger.

Draco peered up from his hiding place and spotted Maud standing on a bigger boulder, floating in midair. She had some of the smaller rocks swirling around her boulder as she scanned the library for Draco.

Shapeshifting into a Coelurosauravus, Draco silently climbed along the shelves with ease, before gliding past Maud undetected. Changing back, Draco cupped his hands again. “I’m afraid you won’t be winning this fight, hon. You have one major disadvantage as we speak.”

“You talk too much,” Maud said. She fired more rocks in random directions and missed Draco once more, this time almost hitting his head.

“Your weakness is your emotions,” Draco stated bluntly as he repositioned himself to a spot she already checked. “I understand that the pain of loss has caused you to become more aggressive. It’s that very reason you won’t win, and if you’re not careful, it will lead you to an early grave.”

“Is this really the time to be talking about this stuff?” Maud said as she twirled her fingers and made the rocks spin like tops.

“Do you want to make your sister and mother mourn the loss of another family member?” Draco asked bluntly.

Maud stopped hovering and stood up straight. “I won’t let them die.”

“I’m not talking about them dying,” Draco sighed. “You’ve been rushing recklessly into the enemy any chance you get. Your attitude has become more violent. Which you have every right to.” Draco changed again and took up another hiding spot. “But unchecked, that rage will put you in harm’s way, especially now that we know the caribou have the means to harm devil fruit users.”

Maud swiped her arms and multiple spinning rocks went flying everywhere. They crashed through the walls, shelves, and kicked many books over. Draco had to duck a few times from getting hit.

“This is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. If you use moves like this on the battlefield when you have allies with you, then you'll be endangering them as well.” Draco let his voice echo.

“Quiet!” Maud snapped.

Draco felt a rock drop into the pit of his stomach, and it wasn’t because of Maud. “This won’t bring him back. He’s gone, Maud, and no amount of caribou blood will bring him home.” Draco held back the tears in his eyes as he spoke on. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have been faster that day. If I had, then maybe you wouldn’t have to bear this pain. It’s my fault that you are part of this war now. I can’t do anything more than to make sure you stay safe and alive.”

Maud couldn’t keep her boulder floating in the air anymore as she slowly descended. When Draco peeked out from his hiding place, he saw the sad sight of his marefriend sitting on her knees and buried her face in her hands as she wept.

Draco, leaving his weapons on the ground, made his way to his marefriend. He knelt down as he moved his arms to wrap around her and held her close. “I promised him that I would look after you, your sisters, and mother. I plan to keep that promise till my dying breath.” His arms stroked her back as he kissed the top of her head. “I will never let you suffer that pain again.”

“I…miss him.” Maud cried quietly.

“I know.” Draco continued to stroke his marefriend. “I know the pain you are feeling, more than you can ever know.”

Maud sniffled as Draco kept holding her and sat there until she eventually calmed down.

“I guess I failed…” Maud said sadly.

“Yeah. But better to fail when your life isn’t on the line. That’s why I’m putting guys through all this.” He moved his hands to stroke her cheeks. “Now I know you understand your weakness, and I know you’ll do everything in your power to conquer it.” Gently, he tilted her head to look up at him. “Because I know you are stronger than any mineral this world can offer.”

“That’s so cheesy,” Maud said, stifling a laugh as she rubbed her eyes.

“Don’t be like that, you know how sedimentary I am about my rocktacular jokes,” he teased as he kissed her cheeks.

“Just go finish this before I pounce you,” Maud giggled as she playfully pushed Draco away.

“Don’t worry, when this is over you, me and the others will have a little foursome.” He winked before moving onto his last enemy.

Draco exited the library and continued moving towards the throne room. There weren’t many guards left the rest of the way, which made his path easier. Right as he turned a corner, he saw Flash Sentry patrolling the hallway on the far side.

“Hmmm, my last hurdle.” Draco took the time to consider his options. He soon remembered that his workshop was close to his position, along with something special he’s been working on. “Yeah, that could help.” Carefully going back and avoiding getting spotted by Flash, Draco made his way to his workshop.

Flash walked cautiously through the halls and kept looking around for any signs of Draco. He checked his radio periodically for any reports, since he had heard a lot of commotion earlier, but had heard little to nothing for a while now.

“It’s a little too quiet for comfort,” Flash said aloud. “Maybe I should make a quick run around the castle to see if I can help?”

“Don’t bother.” The radio spoke up, with Draco’s voice speaking. “You’re on your own, my fast little friend.” Draco spoke in a confident manner.

“Draco?” Flash unclipped his radio. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Because you knew the outcome before it started.” Draco spoke, and despite not being able to see himself, Flash knew his opponent was smirking. “You all fell as expected. With the exception of Maud, that one hurt me more than any bullet could.” This time his voice was sadder, and almost a whisper. “But enough about me, let’s kill you.”

“You do realize I can outrun anything you could possibly turn into, right?” Flash said, small sparks crackling along his shoulders.

“Oh, I know. But then again, I don’t need to morph to have you at my feet dead.” Draco's cocky tone was back. “In fact, if you’re as predictable as I imagine, I won’t need to hide from you. So how about you turn left and start walking down that hallway?”

“You really think I’d fall for such a cheap bait?” Flash asked.

“Yes, because unlike most of the others who just wanted to stop me from going solo, you are in this to prove yourself.” Draco’s words cut like the sharpest knife.

“So what if I am?” Flash said, walking in the direction Draco said to.

“Well then I’m afraid your fate was sealed the moment this challenge even started. Because unfortunately for you, I’ve been holding back the entirety of this test,” Draco taunted. As Flash walked through the hallway, he made sure to check every corner he could. “There’s a major gap between us, and you are the one lagging behind.”

“And what’s that?” Flash asked as he turned the corner. As soon as he did, he saw Draco standing on the far end sitting on a chair.

“I’ve killed more than your mind can even fathom.” Draco was sitting casually in his chair down the end of a rather long hallway. On the floor in front of him was his gun. “I wanna play a game, Flash, are you interested?”

Flash knelt down in a running position as electricity crackled more violently along his arms, legs, and unfurled wings.

“Ah, I see you are already. Well then, here are the rules. I’ll sit here for ten whole seconds without moving. If you can reach me and grab the gun before time runs out, you win.” Draco leaned back into his chair propping one foot over his leg.

In an instant, Flash burst forward in a full-on sprint right towards Draco. Flash smiled as he cleared over half the distance between himself and Draco. He saw Draco sitting calmly in his seat, eyes closed and smiling. Something was wrong, this was too easy. Before he had time to reconsider his charge, Flash felt something snag on his hooves, prompting him to lose his balance as he began to fall forward. Flash tumbled hard across the floor until he landed hard on his face before skidding to a halt right at Draco’s feet. Flash groaned as he managed to pick himself off the ground and sit up.

“Ow…that hurt,” Flash said, rubbing his head.

Before he could say another word, Flash felt the barrel of a gun on his head.

“Like I said, dead at my feet dead.” With no further warning Draco pulled the trigger killing off Flash and watching his body fall down. “I hope you liked my new invention.” Draco walked around Flash to where he tripped. Flash caught a glimpse of Draco looking like he was picking something up. When Draco came back in his line of sight, he saw that there was nothing in his hands.

“What is that?” Flash asked.

Draco smiled before holding his hand above Flash’s hand and opening it. Immediately. Flash felt as though a large thick rope was suddenly dropped on his body. Yet despite the feeling, he couldn’t see anything. “Invisible rope. Me and Twilight used illusion magic to make it. I hadn’t figured out a use for it, but it sure did come in handy just now.”

“Damnit…” Flash cursed.

Draco knelt down to look Flash in the face. “There is a lesson to be learned here. Power is meaningless, if it’s in the hands of someone who can’t utilize it to its full potential. You figured that your speed would be all you need to win. Even before I explained the game, you prepared to fight without even thinking. This can be fatal in the real line of battle.”

Flash said nothing and turned his eyes away, discouraged in himself.

“I want you to remember these words, because when I get back from my mission, I’m going to drill you guys into the ground ‘till all your imperfections can become your greatest strengths.” He patted Flash on the back before he stood up.

“Wait!” Flash called out, stopping Draco from moving on further. “I have one question, something that has been bugging me for a long while.”

Draco looked over his shoulder and stared at the stallion’s lying face down. “And that would be?”

Flash tried to adjust himself to look at Draco. “Who were you really before coming here?”

Draco’s brow raised a little as he seemed rather confused. “I’m not sure I understand your implication. Elaborate.”

Flash tried to think how to better phrase his words. “You seem just as skilled as Lock and Phill, yet you were claimed to be a normal citizen before coming here. That’s what you told us.”

“Your point?” Draco asked curiously.

“My point is that Phill and Lock had battle experiences and were given special training and skills by the angels and the devil, but you never mentioned anything of the like. So how are you this skilled if not your powers from Discord?” Flash asked curiously.

For a good while, there was a dead silence as Draco stared at Flash, before turning around. “I think I’ve wasted enough time. I’m off to kill the princesses.”

The throne room was filled with at least three dozen of the princesses’ elite royal guards. Each stallion was lined up in rows, each armed with either a paintball rifle or a handheld weapon. Some of the soldiers had their radios tuned in to listen to what was happening outside of the throne room. Suffice to say, the room was filled with unease and tension.

“Draco seems to be having a field day out there,” Celestia said.

“True, it appears we have underestimated him,” Luna said. “It must be because we have been so used to Sir Dimitri taking the lead and fighting on the front lines for us and him being the main powerhouse.”

“Indeed, sister, but the test is not over yet,” Celestia said. “Draco still needs to get past our elite royal guards. He may be a talented warrior in his own right, but these stallions have been our loyal protectors for years.”

CRASH!

Just then, the double doors were kicked open abruptly, almost coming off their hinges. All the guards aimed their weapons as Draco strolled in with his hands in his pockets.

“Hey fellas, how’s the health plan?” Draco smiled as he strolled in before having all the elite guards turn their guns towards him. “Apparently, it’s great!” Pushing off the ground, Draco leapt high into their air before narrowly dodging the first wave of paintballs.

The guards kept on firing as Draco jumped and weaved in around the room. Unfortunately for him, there weren't very many places he could take cover in such an open area such as the throne room. Try as he might, Draco could not avoid the hail of the paintball bullets that were fired his way. All it took was a single misstep for his undoing. It started with one paintball hitting his shoulder, then his arm, then his legs, and soon dozens of paintballs riddled his body. Various colors of paint stained his body as he was pelted nonstop.

“Cease fire!” the leader of the royal elite guards ordered. The guards stopped firing and waited. Draco slowly fell to his knees and collapsed face first on the marble floor.
“Did we get him?” One guard asked, only to see no response from the man.

“We…we did it!” The guards started cheering.

“Buck yea! We beat the Beast!”

“So much for the Knight of Chaos!”

“You got that right! Not even the ability users could beat him, but he fell to us so easily!”

“Hmph, it seems I was wrong once again,” Luna scoffed.

“Heh…hehehe.” The celebration was soon silenced as Draco began to chuckle while on the ground. “How easily you celebrate your own demise.” Draco, with his remaining breath, slowly slipped his hand out, which grasped his last hand grenade, the pin already pulled out. “A gift from the Caribou, curiosity of the Sins.” Closing his eyes, Draco loosened his grip on the grenade, and everyone watched as it rolled out of his hand.

“Clever human…” Luna said bitterly as everyone braced.

KA-BOOM!!

Paint exploded everywhere and covered the whole group of guards and all over Celestia and Luna. They all stood there, still trying to process the fact that they’d been duped by Draco in his metaphorical death.

“Well played, Sir Draco,” Celestia said as she wiped some pain out of her eyes. “Well played, indeed.”

The spell that Discord had placed on the castle and all those within was lifted, as Draco and the guard slowly got to their feet. “Well, this was all part of the plan,” Draco said confidently.

“So instead of embracing defeat, you decided to take us down with you?” Luna said as she used her magic to remove the pain from her dress and fur and hair. “Bold move, but also quite drastic and foolish. Why risk it?”

Draco whipped paint off his face as he tried to speak. “Well, it wasn’t how I wanted to win, but still, a win is a win regardless.”

“You call this a win?!” One of the guards said. The double doors opened again to reveal Alpha Squad and the DF users.

“Woah, he won!” Flash said.

“I knew he would,” Shadow grinned.

“How is blowing yourself up when caught in a situation like this considered a win in your eyes?” The guard asked again.

“Say what? Draco blew himself up?” Zephyr asked.

“Yes, because I achieved my goal.” Draco smiled while pulling a rag out of his pocket to wipe off all the paint on his face. “Tell me something, suppose this was the real deal. What do you think would happen to the country with not only the princesses gone, but the elite guards, DF users, and Alpha Squad?”

“It’d fall almost immediately,” Luna said, feeling uncomfortable. “And we would be forced to…service that monster Dainn.”

“Correct, because in the end, the caribou win. The assassins fulfilled his role and the caribou can lay siege once again,” Draco said with a sad look on his face.

“So, why blow yourself up?” Berry asked.

“Since I was playing the role of the assassin, I had a reputation to uphold. I took a job I knew might end with my death. So naturally, I was prepared to take my own life, if it meant I got my job done and you all ended up going out with me,” Draco explained.

“That’s pretty dark, man,” Ace said.

“No, I think I’d do the same if I were Draco,” Flash said.

“Seriously?” Cloud asked.

“Yeah, I mean, I’d rather die than be captured and tortured for my secretes. Plus, I’d never sell anyone out for the life of me. Information can be just as powerful as conflict,” Flash said.

“While I doubt an assassin would be as compassionate, I’m glad to know you have that resolve, Flash.” Draco smiled, as he turned to face the princesses. “I’d like to run more drills like this when I get back. Not as big as this but now that we have these practice weapons, it should be a good way to help our forces get the edge they need on our enemies.”

“So, then I suppose it’s all settled?” Discord’s voice said as he appeared in a puff of pink smoke. “Tell me, Princesses, does this test prove that the boy can handle himself?”

“Indeed, it does,” Celestia said. Alpha Squad and the DF users looked as though they still wanted to protest, but it wouldn't be necessary at this point. “Draco Saurian, you have our permission to act on your own accord for this mission. You have proven yourself capable of handling such dangers on your own. However, I have one condition. For you to properly lead the army properly, you are in need of a proper title. So, from this day forth, I hereby grant you the rank of General. Do you accept it?”

“WHAT!?” Draco as well as everyone else in the room shouted in unison.

“General?! Draco?!” Flash cried out.

“Holy shit! That’s a hell of a promotion!” Zephyr said.

“We believe it is only fair, since Dimitri is already the Captain-Commander of the whole resistance. The army needs a leader too, and we believe you are more than capable,” Luna chimed in.

Draco, while surprised and somewhat apprehensive about the idea, sighed. “You won’t let me go unless I accept, huh?”

“Yes, but we mostly wish to bestow this rank to you because you deserve it,” Celestia said.

The rest of the ponies stared at Draco and looked like they were on the edge of their seat for his response.

Feeling somewhat defeated despite his win, Draco nodded. “Alright, alright, you got yourself a new general,” Draco said with a small sheepish laugh.

“Splendid!” Celestia said, clapping her hands. The rest of the group applauded Draco, and some do the elite royal guard saluted him. “Now then, we shall go over the formalities at a later time. For now, you must prepare for your mission.”

“So, this is it, huh?” Flash said with a serious expression. “We’re making our move against Gluttony?”

“One of many moves, Flash. With any luck, we can weaken his forces before he has a chance to strike at us.” Draco nodded to Discord, and with a snap of his fingers all the paint within the castle disappeared. “If all goes well, we can shift the tide of this war in our favor.”

“Then we wish you luck, Draco Saurian,” Luna said.

“Come, come, my boy,” Discord ushered Draco away. “We have some planning to do.”

When everyone left the throne room, leaving Celestia and Luna alone, both sisters sat down and took a sigh. “Sister, did you by any chance happen to notice it too?” Luna asked as she twirled some of her ethereal mane along her finger.

Celestia nodded. “I did. Though I haven’t noticed up until now, I believe it was partly due to him not showing his true colors.”

Luna sighed and eased into her seat. “For a moment I saw the look on his face, the look of somepony who’s lived far longer than he leads on and has seen more battles than I dare say we’ve seen.”

Celestia rested her head on her chin as she hummed to herself. “How old do you suppose he really is; I wonder?”

Author's Note

Draco’s test comes to an explosive conclusion.

Side Note:
I would like to take a moment and address something that I’ve noticed in the comments recently. I have learned to listen to people if they are confused or unsatisfied with the chapter and, if and when, they have some constrictive criticism for me. As an author, I want to try to ensure my readers have a good experience when reading my stories and will try to adapt to what they would like to see in each chapter. However, I will not tolerate someone who goes out of their way to slam my story and say that it sucks just because they feel like it. That’s unacceptable and is downright rude. To anyone who feels the need to slam my stories and be mean about it, please refrain from posting shit like that in the comments. If you no longer want to read my story, or don’t have anything nice to say about it or me, then you can simply not read my story anymore and move on. I’m just writing these stories as a hobby, a hobby that I genuinely enjoy doing in my spare time. I don’t need any negativity.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed.

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Beast Among The Floating Islands

Chapter 44

The sound of cannon fire being fired and hitting not a thing filled the air. The thick fog Draco had Zephyr create was doing its job well, perhaps too well. Even with his enhanced sight, Draco couldn’t make heads or tails where he was. He barely knew up from down, and even then he was only half sure. But then he remembered the compass he grabbed from Lock’s quarters. Pulling it out he saw the needle spinning before pointing to what he believed to be true north. Flapping his wings Draco climbed, hoping to reach the top of the fog bank. Within a few minutes he poked out from the misty fog. He knew for a fact Canterlot was north of where he was of the diamond dog kingdom. Yet as he looked down at the compass he saw the needle pointing in the opposite direction.

“Draco, come in Draco,” a voice called out in his comm link. “This is Dr. Warm Heart, come in.”

“Hey doc, how bad is Fluer?” Draco knew all too well that Fluer could be in poor condition, and was almost afraid to know the answer.

“She…she gave birth,” Warm Heart said hesitantly.

“Is she still alive doc?” Draco asked, also hesitantly.

“Yes, she’s stable, barely, and her new daughters are healthy,” Warm Heart said, sounding somewhat happy. “They’re twin fawns.”

Draco wasn’t sure how to feel. He was happy that Fluer made it, but he feared for her mental health.

“Doc, keep the kids away from Fluer, we should have something they can eat. I’m worried for Fluer’s psychological health,” Draco instructed.

“You and I both, Draco, Dr. Surgical Steel reports that whatever they did to her really broke her mind. And I worry what the crew will say about the babies,” Warm Heart said.

“Listen, tell Shadow to get in contact with Phill, she’ll know how to. Hopefully he can do something about it.” Draco looked back at the compass and moved his hand in the opposite direction, the needle continued to point in one direction that was opposite of North. “I’d do it myself, but I think there is something that might require my attention.”

“With all due respect, this can’t be something more important than me delivering a couple of caribou fawns from a former high valued prisoner, is it?” Warm Heart questioned.

“Doc, between myself and Phill, he is the most qualified to perform miracles. Also what I’m looking into might just be as important, and it’s something I can handle,” Draco argued.

There was a pause on the other line before Warm Heart sighed audibly.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Draco, just get back as soon as you can. I doubt anypony is keen on letting this birth slide,” Warm Heart warned.

“Trust me, doc, that’s why it’s important to call Phill. I gotta go, over and out.” Draco began to flap his wings and flew in the direction of the needle. “Let’s see what you are pointing to.”

For what felt like several hours, Draco flew without rest. He would check the compass to make sure he hadn't flown off course. On the rare occasions when he remained stationary, he saw that needle was changing its direction on its own. Meaning whatever the needle was pointing to was moving. The needle was pointing to an unfamiliar set of mountains in the distance, ones that Draco didn’t quite recognize from the map. They weren’t that large, but they had a sort of mysterious look about them, yet the needle was still pointing towards them.

Draco started to fly closer, hoping that if he did he could look past the clouds that coveted the mountains. But as he got closer, he became shocked. The mountains he was flying to were floating. By magic or some other unknown means, the mountains were floating in the air, covered with great forests and waterfalls falling beneath it.

The closer Draco flew towards the mountains, the more he started to realize how massive they were. It caught Draco quite off guard just how big these mountains were. Draco glanced down at the compass, and it still pointed towards the floating mountain islands. Draco looked at the horizon behind him to see the sun was about to set. Thinking he was already this far, he may as well see it through to the end. Draco flew to the nearest floating mountain island and followed one of the waterfalls up to the ledge. Once he made it to the surface, he morphed his arms back to normal and touched down on the island with a heavy impact. He slowly rose to stand up straight and looked around. There were lush trees and plants everywhere, untouched by the war below which perplexed Draco.

“Were these always around?” He asked no one in particular as he looked around the field. Pulling out his compass, Draco saw the needle pointing in one direction, north-east. “Might as well follow it and see what it's leading me to.”

As Draco trekked across the mysterious floating island, he couldn’t help but admire the beauty and serenity of it all. It was probably the first time Draco had been to a place like this.

“To think a place like this existed.” He spun around as he walked, taking in the lush green grass, the clear clean air. Yet something was nagging him in the back of his mind. “I don’t remember reading anything about floating islands in the library, nor did I see anything like this aside from rainbow falls.”

Suddenly, Draco stopped dead in his tracks when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was being watched, which made him instinctively grab the handle of his sword and pop the blade out of its sheath with his thumb.

“And here I thought I was all on my own.” Draco smiled as he kept moving forward, his hand never leaving his sword. “Boy, this place sure is beautiful. It would be a real shame if some caribou decided to jump me!” He called out, keeping his senses on full alert.

There was no response, but something was telling him to keep his head on a swivel. He scanned around the area and he swallowed a small lump in his throat. Normally, he was the one praying on unsuspecting enemies but whoever or whatever was stalking him made him sweat a little.

“Geez so this is what it's like to be on the receiving end,” Draco chuckled nervously and kept walking. In the back of his mind he considered his next move.

He didn’t hear a sound beyond the forest ambiance, not even a twig snapping. Ahead he saw a clearing beyond the trees. Without giving whoever was stalking a chance to think, he quickly dashed forward running for the open clearing.

As if letting his instincts take control, Draco immediately spun around while drawing his sword.

CLANG!

Draco barely managed to draw half his sword out of his sheath as an unknown assailant charged at him with swords of his own. The unknown attacker swung both his feet forward and kicked off Draco’s chest and did a backflip in the air and landed. Draco shook his head and got a good look at his attacker. He was covered from head to toe in leather armor and clothing. He wore a leather face mask, a black bandanna over his head, and goggles with red lenses. Draco could tell this attacker was giving him a death glare. In both his hands were two katana blades that looked razor sharp to the touch.

“Wow, someone is going through their Shadow the Hedgehog emo phase,” Draco quipped as he drew his sword and took up a stance. He kept his stance firm and strong as he took a few steps backwards trying to reach the open field.

The attacker said nothing and slammed his foot in the ground and sprinted at Draco. Draco was quick to react and clashed swords with his attacker. The attacker twisted on his foot and delivered a fierce back roundhouse kick to Draco’s face. Draco staggered back and blocked another slash from the attacker’s swords and was pushing him back with each fierce flurry of attacks.

“What, no comeback? I can’t be the only one talking.” Draco kept joking as he began to reinforce his body with powerful scales. The unknown attacker was skilled, more so than any foe he fought before.

Draco dragged his feet along the ground before kicking it up, creating a dust cloud. Once the dust was in the air, he quickly sprinted out from the trees and out into the open field, turning to see if his attacker would follow.

Draco didn’t see the attacker follow him. Draco glanced around the area, trying to pinpoint where the attacker might be. His senses were still on high alert but he couldn’t pinpoint where the attacker would jump out of. It wasn’t until it clicked in Draco’s head did he quickly look up to see the attacker falling down towards him with both his swords aimed at his head.

“Damn, that dude can jump.” Orion jumped forward and rolled as he heard the ground behind get slammed, barely avoiding the attack from above.

Draco front flipped back on his feet as the attacker pulled his swords from the ground. The two combatants slowly circled each other, their eyes never leaving the other’s.

“I wasn’t expecting to fight someone so skilled, at least not this quick. Did Gluttony send you after me?” Draco kept his sword ready and his body prepared for an attack.

Again, Draco was met with silence. Instead, his attacker took a stance while crossing his swords. He lowered his hips and spread his feet apart.

“Very well.” Draco sheathed his sword and quickly stretched his hands out, before turning them into long sharp claws. “Claws of the Therizinosaurus,” he called out before taking an equally threatening pose.

The wind blew through the air as Draco and the attacker stood perfectly still. A leaf was carried in the wind and floated just between them. Time slowed down as the leaf floated just between their eyesight before they made their move. The attacker and Draco sprinted towards each other and both swung their swords and claws as they passed by, slicing the leaf in two. The wind whipped between them from the ferocity of their attacks as they stood with their backs facing each other. It wasn’t until Draco heard a faint grunt that he glanced over his shoulder to see the attacker clutching his arm. He smirked but then felt a draft in his chest armor. He looked down to see a large cut slicing through his armor and clothing down to his skin, which had a sizable scratch on his scales.

“Ah fuck, dude this outfit is new!” Draco shouted, changing his claws back to hands as he examined the tear. “Rarity is gonna kill me when I get back home,” he said with a hint of dread.

Draco noticed the attacker jolt and seemed to glare more intensely at Draco, as if he wanted to rip his eyes out.

“Ra…ri…ty…?” The attacker spoke, his voice sounded hoarse and rough.

Draco, who wasn’t paying any attention to his foe, tried to cover up the tear. “Maybe if I use this cap too....no she’ll definitely see that. Man, when she sees this she’ll have my balls on a pike.” Now there was an ounce of fear in his voice as he tried to find a way to cover up.

“Hey…! HEY!” The attacker yelled, gaining Draco’s attention. “You…said Rarity.”

“Yeah, she’s my marefriend. Or at this point she’s gonna be my executioner when she sees this,” Draco said pointing to the tear his attack made. “She worked really hard on this, you know?”

Draco heard a low growl from the attacker.

“You…you lie!” The attacker snarled. “Rarity…would never…be with…whatever the Tartarus you are!”

“Oh, and I should take this from a caribou?” Draco pointed a now clawed hand towards the warrior in black. “Your kind has raped and killed innocent ponies, don’t act like you know me or my marefriend!”

“DON’T YOU DARE CALL ME A CARIBOU!” The attacker roared. “I’M NOTHING LIKE THOSE MONSTERS! THEY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!”

This caught Draco by surprise. He could feel the pain and agony in his attacker’s voice. “If you’re not a caribou, then what are you?” He asked this time, sounding less agitated.

“Why do you care?!” The attacker snapped. “I can’t even call myself my own species. No thanks to them.” The attacker lowered his head. “If she saw me, she would be horrified…”

Part of Draco was now curious, this foe before him seemed to know of his marefriend very well. Against his better judgment he changed his claws back to a hand. “Are you another pony? Did you know her and get stuck here somehow?”

The attacker stared at Draco for the longest time until he looked away.

“…not only her, but Twilight and the others would cower in fear of me,” Draco heard him say under his breath.

Draco quickly approached the stranger. “Hey, how do you know Twilight too? Just who the heck are you, man?”

The attacker used his good arm to swipe his sword at Draco, halting his approach.

“Take one more step, and lose your head!” The attacker said. “I may have one arm, but it’ll be more than enough!”

“Just calm down man, I’m not your enemy.” Draco moved his hand to tilt the blade away. “My name is Draco Saurian, I am part of the equestrian army, we are fighting against the caribou. So if you aren’t one of their soldiers, then take it easy.”

This seemed to perk the attacker’s interest.

“The resistance…then you must know that Hand guy I’ve heard about, yeah?” The attacker asked.

“You must mean Lock, yeah, he’s known as the Devil’s hand.” Draco smiled as he spoke. “We have already liberated the whole pony nation.”

Draco saw the cut on the stranger’s arm and reached into his bag pulling out a green sphere. “Let me fix that, it’s my fault that you have it.”

“Wait!” The stranger said, stepping backwards. “Just because you work with the Hand, doesn’t mean I trust you!”

Draco rolled eyes and shook his head. “Listen dude if I wanted to kill you I would have done so. You’re lucky I held back when I did.” Draco moved in closer, keeping the sphere in his hand. “Now stop being a chicken and let me fix that arm, before you bleed out on me.”

The stranger stared at Draco for a moment until he finally relented and reluctantly showed his arm. Draco nodded and took his arm to examine the cut. Draco noticed the stranger’s skin under his armor and clothing was strange-looking. It was rough, very rough, and there were scabs all over his arm. To Draco, it looked like there was something ripped off his skin by force.

Not wanting to be rude, Draco raised the sphere to the cut and closed his eyes. Soon the orb began to glow, and the cut in the stranger’s arm began to heal rapidly. Within a minute it was closed and healed.

“How’re you doing that?” The stranger asked.

“Magic.” Draco smiled as he made sure the wound was completely closed. “Me and Twilight put a lot of effort to make sure this thing could heal almost any kind of wound. But trust me when I say the trial and error test was a pain.” Draco chuckled as he put the sphere away.

“How…how do you know Twilight?” The stranger asked.

“She’s my friend.” Draco said with a smile. “She and I are working on making magical items like the one you just saw. She’s also the marefriend of my bro Lock.”

“She’s got a coltfriend?” The stranger asked, sounding surprised. “She always was so buried in her books to care about finding a special somepony.”

“Haha yeah well Lock made a good impression on her!” Draco laughed thinking about it. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s still buried in them, but just enough that she can still kiss him,” he joked playfully.

“Yeah…” the stranger nodded. “Wait a sec, none of this matters right now. I wanna know how you found this place. These islands should be hidden from all forms of detection and magic tracing.”

Draco seemed perplexed by that, but he reached into his jacket to pull out the compass. “I found this place because of this. I figured these islands were powerful with magnetic energy.”

Draco and the stranger looked at the compass and noticed it was pointing at the stranger.

“That’s a weird-looking compass,” the stranger said and paced away. “Must be a special compass to find this place.”

Draco noticed the needle of the compass was following the stranger.

“Hey stop moving for a second,” Draco called out while holding out a hand to have the stranger stop.

Draco began to circle the stranger and as he did the needle continued to point at the stranger. “The compass is pointing at you.”

“Me? Why?” The stranger wondered.

It was then Draco remembered something Lock told him. That the compass would point to what the holder truly wants most.

“Okay I think it's about time you tell me who you are. You already know me, and it’s clearly obvious that we aren't enemies,” Draco asked with a determined look.

The stranger stood in front of Draco for several minutes. The stranger sighed deeply as he reached up and undid his bandanna. The first thing Draco noticed was the same scarring and scabs he saw on the stranger’s arms, only they were much more severe. There were deeper marks that went from the top of his head and down the back. Next was the face mask he wore, which looked horribly scarred and beaten in, like someone kicked his face in repeatedly, with a single protruding fang poking out of his mouth. When the stranger took off his goggles, the whites of his eyes were red while his pupils were slitted and black. Draco couldn’t exactly make heads or tails who or what this stranger was, but he strangely looked like some kind of reptilian creature.

Draco kept staring trying to figure out who it was he was looking at. Before a thought occurred to him, the being in front of him knew both Rarity and Twilight, and had reptile-like features.

“S…Spike?” Draco dared to guess his name.

“…yeah,” the stranger sighed. “I’m…I’m Spike…the former dragon.”

Draco’s jaw dropped and stayed that way for what felt like hours, before finally tears began to build up in his eyes. Faster than a blink of an eye, Draco dashed right up to Spike, hugged him around the waist and lifted him up and twirled him.

“SPIKE!! YOU’RE ALIVE!!” Draco cheered happily.

“GAH! GET OFF ME!” Spike barked, forcing Draco to let go of him and went back to glaring at Draco. “Now you know who I am, happy?!”

“Of course I’m happy! You’re alive, man!” Draco kept a smile on his face as he spoke. “Twilight has been missing you like crazy, she’s worried you've died or worse. But here you are alive!”

“Well, I’m glad she’s doing alright,” Spike said and put his face coverings back on. “And since you found me, you can leave now.”

“Leave?” Draco seemed confused but then smiled again. “Oh duh, now that I found you, you can come back home with me. Everyone is gonna be so excited to see you again.”

“I admire your optimism, Suarian,” Spike said and sheathed his swords. “But you still misunderstand. I’m not coming back with you.”

“Oh please don’t tell me you are gonna pull a Deadpool on me.” Draco said knowing full well what was happening.

“A what?” Spike said.

“A Deadpool moment. You have been horribly tortured, your body scared beyond the point of recognition, and now you think none of your friends or loved ones will want to see you. Is that it?” Draco asked, standing his ground.

“My physical appearance has nothing to do with why I’m here,” Draco said. “I’m here because I want to protect this place.” He held out his arms. “More specifically, these islands.”

“From what? Tourists? Last I checked they are a bunch of islands that you said no one could find. So why stay here?” Draco asked, looking around.

“Trust me, even you have to admit those caribou are more resourceful than anyone gave them credit for,” Spike pointed out.

“Sure fine, they are resourceful. But that still doesn’t explain why you have to stay up here to protect it.”

“You have no idea where we are, do you?” Spike said, sounding unimpressed.

This definitely stumped Draco. “Well this thing is a compass not a GPS, as far as I can tell we’re on a bunch of floating islands right?”

Spike only shook his head. “Look, it doesn’t matter. You only found me because of that compass, so I doubt the caribou has another one of those things.”

“Until the caribou actually do find a way here, even without a fancy compass.” Draco commented. “You haven’t been seeing what I have, but they are trying to improve their war machines. Given enough time, finding this place won’t be a problem.”

“What, how?” Spike wondered. “These islands are undetectable from any magical means.”

“Technology, my friend. Someone is teaching these fuckers about my world’s military weapons and vehicles.” Draco added as he paced around. “If they invent something that can detect the islands without magic, then you’re screwed.”

“What’s…technology?” Spike wondered. “Is that how they conquered the world so easily?”

“I’m not sure about that? All I know is the Sins teamed up with them, and now here we are.” Draco shrugged.

“Then I need to warn Ember,” Spike said and started to walk off. “Thanks for telling me Twilight and the others are doing well.”

“Whoa, hang on there, dude.” Draco sprinted to run past Spike and stop in front of him. “How about instead of ditching me you let me tag along?”

“Why?” Spike asked, crossing his arms. “You already found me, so there’s no need to stick around.”

“Uh, except I told Twilight that I’d bring you back if I found you. Besides, you and the rest of the dragons share a common enemy with us. We can work together,” Draco argued.

“Look, Saurian, I get Twilight wants to see me again, but I’ve got bigger things to worry about than a little family reunion,” Spike scoffed.

“So, did half of what I said go in one ear hole and out the other? I also told you that we can help each other out. We’ve got an entire nation on our side as well as the diamond dogs. The bigger our army gets the less likely the caribou can win.” Draco felt some sort of rift between himself and Spike.

“I don’t need help!” Spike growled. “And I don’t care what happens to the rest of this fucked up world! My allegiance lies with these islands and these islands alone!”

Draco stood quite for a while before placing his hands on his hips. “Really? Is that what you think?” Draco slowly advanced towards Spike. “You don’t care that the pony who raised you is back down there crying her heart out worrying about you, thinking you’re dead or hurt. The same pony who raised you and considered you as her little brother? Is that what I’m hearing?”

“That Spike she raised died long ago,” Spike said coldly.

Draco’s eyes widened before he glared. “I guess so, because the Spike I know wouldn’t turn his back on his family.”

“You have no idea what I’ve gone through, Saurian,” Spike said and turned his back to Draco. “Now, for the last time, leave this place.”

Draco stopped and took a deep breath. “Shining is dead.”

Spike stopped dead in his tracks. Draco could see Spike trembling a little as the drake contemplated the information.

“…what?” Spike said quietly.

“Shining Armor is dead, but I guess you don’t care right?” Draco turned away and began to walk.

Suddenly, Draco heard the sounds of running footsteps and turned around. Only to be tackled to the ground as Spike glared down at Draco with a fury of anger behind his goggles.

“LIAR!” Spike shouted and grabbed Draco's collar. “SHINING IS THE BRAVEST PONY I KNOW! THERE’S NO FUCKING WAY HE’S DEAD, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

Draco stared up at the angered dragon, his face never changing. “He died protecting everyone in Canterlot. He used his shield magic to hold up a barrier, so much so that it was killing him to keep it up.” Tears slowly built up in Draco's eyes. “By the time Lock got there it was too late. The capital was saved but at the cost of his own life.”

“That can’t be true!” Spike shouted. He pulled out a large dagger and held it to Draco’s neck. “I’ll kill you if you’re lying to me!”

Draco’s expression never changed. “Before he died he asked Lock to watch over the kingdom. In his final moments he got to hear Flurry Heart say dada, and then he died surrounded by his loved ones and friends. That is the unfortunate end that was Shining Armor.”

Spike’s fists trembled and he lowered his head.

“Please…please tell me it’s a lie…” Spike muttered.

“I wish it was. I’d give anything for it to be a lie or a bad dream,” Draco’s own voice cracked as he shed a few tears.

Spike let go of Draco and slowly stood up.

“Garble…” Spike hissed quietly.

“What about him?” Draco asked as he stood up shortly after.

Spike rolled his sleeve up to show Draco his mangled arm.

“He did this to me, and he enjoyed it. He…killed my innocence,” Spike said before rolling his sleeve back up. “I’m not only staying here to protect these islands, I’ve been going through brutal and hellish training to one day find Garble and rip his wings off.”

Draco said nothing for a moment, wanting to think of his next choice of words. He patted his clothes off any grass that clung to him. “Then convince those dragons here to side with us.”

Draco walked around so Spike could see him. "We’ve already liberated the pony nation, and we have rescued all the diamond dogs. Since joining us our own military might have jumped leaps and bounds. If you guys join us we can fend these antlered fucks off no problem.”

“How can you be so sure…?” Spike asked.

“I’m not,” Draco added without hesitation. “But I know sitting on our hands waiting for them to come to us isn’t gonna do anything good though.”

“But these islands are sacred,” Spike said. “They’re Torch’s last will.”

“Fine, stay up here and twiddle your thumbs. When the caribou come and start slaughtering you guys, don't come asking for our help,” Draco continued his walk slowly turning his arms into wings.

“Wait!” Spike said, halting Draco. “It’s not my say to leave, it’s the new dragon lord’s. Even if I wanted to come with you, I can’t. I’m under oath to stay here by order of Dragon Lord Ember.”

Draco turned to look at Spike. “Then take me with you to see her. I understand you are under oath, but that oath doesn’t prevent you from granting me an audience with the dragon lord, right?”

“I suppose not,” Spike sighed. “Just…please be mindful. Outsiders are not welcome here, and are looked down on.”

“Don’t worry I know how to act around royalty. Heck, I’m constantly in the princess’ presence,” Draco waved off Spike’s concerns as he had the dragon lead the way.

Spike led Draco through the lush trees and grassy plains. The moon had just begun to rise into the sky and the crickets were beginning to chirp. Spike remained silent as Draco followed him and the scarred drake didn't bother to say anything to Draco. One thing Draco noticed about Spike while following him was that he was missing something.

“So, is what Garble did to you why you are scarred but also…bigger?” Draco asked, not trying to remind Spike of a painful past.

“Yeah,” was all Spike said. “Any more personal questions you wanna ask before I tear out your still-beating heart?”

“Yeah, when did you suddenly become such a bitch?” Draco snarked, not the least bit terrified by Spike’s words.

Shing!

Draco blinked and Spike had already drawn one of his swords. He felt the blade press into his skin on his neck as Spike kept his head looking straight ahead. He surprised Draco how fast his reflexes were and how he managed to aim the blade so accurately without even turning his head.

“You said you were holding back during our little bout back there,” Spike said and turned his head slightly to look at Draco over his shoulder. “So was I, way back. You’d do well to remember that.”

Draco said nothing but smiled as he stepped forward, allowing the blade to make a cut around his neck, a slow trickle of blood began. “Oh, did I strike a nerve?” Draco never let his smile falter.

“You really have no common decency, do you?” Spike said.

“Oh, I did, up ‘till you decided to be a disrespectful little twat.” With of a flick of a finger, Draco pushed Spike’s blade away from his neck. “I would have thought being raised by Twilight, you of all creatures would have your own decency. I suppose I was wrong.”

“You have no idea what I've been through, asshole,” Spike growled. “Oh sure, I’m well aware there’s still creatures out there still suffering but they weren’t tortured with unrest. Garble…he fucking tore out my scales, my spines…and even my tail was chopped off. He forced me to fight day in and day out in fight pits. Every day was a battle of survival and staying alive. Have you any idea what that feels like? Do you?!”

Draco stood silent for a moment and shook his head. “No, I can’t say I have.” When Draco looked back at Spike, his look was almost dead. “Have you ever been forced to take bullets for your comrades, pretending like each bullet is nothing at all so you don’t make them worry? Have you ever had to watch a wife and her daughters cry as they watched their father die in front of their eyes, when you had the power to prevent it?”

“We all have our moments when we break,” Spike said and sheathed his sword. “It’s just something we have to live with now, no thanks to Dainn Stonehoof.” Spike turned back around and walked. “Let’s get going, Ember is waiting.”

Draco followed close behind, the wound on his neck had already begun to close. “Since you probably haven’t been down to the surface lately, you should know one of the Sins is dead.”

“That right?” Spike said. “That reminds me, where is that Hand guy?”

Draco wasn’t sure how to respond. On the one hand he could lie and keep the information classified. Yet on the other hand if he wanted their trust, honestly would have to be his best choice.

“He’s currently away, and I was left in charge of the army in his absence,” Draco replied.

“Pity, I’d rather he be here than you so I could meet the stallion dating Twilight,” Spike scoffed.

“Well, too bad for you, you’re stuck with me so sad.” The human rolled his eyes while shaking his head.

“How’s Celestia and Luna?” Spike asked while pushing past some branches.

“They’re okay. Thankfully, all the princesses are still alive and well. If they hadn’t been there, the whole kingdom would have fallen into madness.” Draco added, his eyes looking around the forest.

“Or worse, Dainn’s personal playthings,” Spike said.

Draco shuddered at the idea. “God forbid.”

“I never asked,” Spike said, just thinking of something. “What exactly are you?”

Taking a moment to think of a way to describe himself, Draco decided on the simplest answer.

“Um well I’m a human. I guess you can consider my species as a form of apes,” Draco answered.

“Human?” Spike said, glancing at Draco. “And here I thought you were a pony with a severe birth deficiency.”

One of Drac’'s blood vessels began to pulse in his forehead, as he did his best to stay calm. “Funny, I was just gonna say you look like an avocado had sex older more disgusting avocado, not gently like it was hate fucking. There was something wrong with the relationship, and that was the only catharsis that they could find without violence.”

“I’m not even gonna pretend that makes sense,” Spike rolled his eyes behind his goggles. “So how do you do that thing with your hands? You part dragon or something?”

“Oh, that's just the powers that came with this.” Draco pulled the collar of his shirt to reveal the Amber Gemstone embedded in his chest.

“Is…” Spike glanced at the stone in Draco’s chest. “Is that thing embedded in your skin?”

“Yeah, it melted right in after Discord gave it to me.” Talking about the gemstone made Draco’s chest inch, promoting him to scratch around it.

“That sounds like something crazy Discord would do,” Spike said, then eyed the gemstone again. “…can I eat it?”

“It’s not that kind of gemstone. It’s made of fossilized amber, tree sap that has been petrified over millions of years. It’s what also lets me change my form. What you saw was only me changing my body parts, not my whole body.” Draco moved his shirt back into place as they walked.

“I see,” Spike said and faced forward. The two stepped out of the forest tree line and began walking up a steep hill. “You and Rarity, huh? You some kind of Prince Charming that swept her off her hooves?”

“I’ll be honest, it was kind of an accident. My dumbass drunk brother pushed me into her and we kissed. And I guess my heroics impressed her.” Draco sighed, shaking his head. “Now I have to be strong for her, Shadow and Maud.”

“Color me surprised again,” Spike said as he and Draco stepped over some rocks. “The human has a herd.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t at first. Hell, I didn’t even want to find love.” Draco easily jumped over the rocks and looked around as they walked.

“And why’s that?” Spike wondered.

Draco looked at the starry sky and stared for a few moments. “When you have someone to love, be it a sibling, a partner, you feel as though you are the strongest in the world.” Letting out a deep sigh the young human kept walking. “However, when you make enemies in high places, those same loved ones can be used against you.”

Spike looked over his shoulder again.

“You speak like you’ve got some history,” Spike commented.

“I have, history that I refuse to allow to happen again.” Draco took some deep breaths before walking alongside Spike.

Spike said nothing and they reached the top of the hill. Draco was shocked to see a vast open area with ancient-looking buildings and moments everywhere. Within the ancient-looking city were hundreds of dragons all mingling with one another and torches burning as far as he could see.

“Welcome to Dragonvale,” Spike said. “One of the last dragon safe havens.”

“It may not mean much coming from me, but I find it kinda beautiful.” Draco smiled as he was astounded by the sight before him.

“It is,” Spike said, then turned to him. “Listen, I wasn’t kidding when I said this place is sacred. I may look out for these islands, but my position can hold only so much leverage. These dragons will wonder what an outsider like you is doing here. And don’t get me started on Ember. She…hasn’t been the same.”

“Hmm, then maybe I should try and blend in.” Draco took a few steps back before slowly shapeshifting his body. Soon he began to grow taller than Spike. His mouth turned into a blunt snout, and two horns grew out of his head. His hands shrunk to tiny numbs as he morphed into a Carnotaurus.

Spike looked at Draco with a look of shock behind his face coverings and goggles.

“Uh…damn, how’d you do that?” Spike wondered.

Draco could only grunt and snarl, making it obvious that in a full transformation he couldn’t speak.

“Right…well, follow me,” Spike said.

Spike and Draco walked towards the city and were catching eyes from every dragon from the ancient city. Draco noticed that many dragons bowed to Spike and lowered their heads in respect, which meant Spike wasn’t exaggerating about his position here.

“Are you curious why they respect me so much?” Spike muttered to Draco. “Two reasons. One, I proved myself in combat by beating every dragon you see. Two, I’m Ember’s mate.”

Despite looking intimidating, Draco looked almost comical as his jaw dropped as he followed close behind.

“What? I fought her too, and she and I grew close after I beat her. Things just led to one thing after the other,” Spike shrugged. “I learned to fight and survive while being imprisoned, which I’ll keep to myself how and why, but the point is I’m second-in-command around here.”

Draco nodded his head showing he understood, and made a roar that one would make when sounding impressed.

“Sir Spike?” A few dragons walked up to Spike and Draco. “What’s this thing?”

“Found him in the forest, he’s a little brain dead so I’m taking him to Ember to see what to do with him,” Spike answered.

That little insult didn’t go unnoticed by Draco. He began to twist and turn his body like a fool, and accidentally slapped Spike in the back with his tail, sending him falling forward.

“SIR SPIKE?!” The dragons yelped.

“Ugh, see what I mean?” Spike grunted and picked himself up. “Now then, I want you to fly to the other islands and tell the dragons to increase sentry shifts.”

“Of course, Sir Spike.” The dragons flew in the air and made for the other floating islands.

Spike shot Draco a glare as they made their way to the larger structure in the center of the city. Many dragons looked at Draco with curiosity and confusion but Draco just ignored them. There were two larger dragons with muscle-bound physiques, and even they bowed in respect to Draco. The structure’s walls were decayed and the ceiling had long since caved in, but it still held its majestic appearance. Once inside the building, Spike and Draco entered the center chamber where Ember was talking to a couple other dragons. Draco noticed the Bloodstone Scepter on her hand and she wore the armor she wore when she participated in the gauntlet. Ember’s physique was also quite muscled but also somewhat curvaceous. If Draco was honest with himself, he found the dragoness to be quite pretty.

“Ember? I’m home,” Spike said.

“Spike!” Ember said and dismissed the other dragons before quickly meeting Spike halfway and hugging him. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am,” Spike said. “You don’t have to keep asking me that.”

“I know…it’s just,” Ember said.

“Hey, I may be rough around the edges, but I’m still somewhat sane,” Spike said, tipping her chin up.

Ember smiled and her eyes landed on Draco.

“What’s this thing?” Embers asked.

Draco, not wanting to be rude, bowed his head while maintaining his current form.

“Wow, a creature with manners,” Ember said. “Where’d you find it?”

“On the edge of the island,” Spike said. “He’s actually more than meets the eye.”

“That a fact?” Ember said, then looked at Draco. “Sit!”

In the back of his mind Draco was debating on what he should do. To sit or not to sit, that was the question. After a few seconds he did so, moving his tail aside as he lowered his bottom to the ground.

“Heh, lie down!” Ember said.

Without hesitation, he did so without breaking eye contact with Ember.

“Roll over!” Ember said with a smile as Spike looked at Draco with a face that wondered what the hell he was doing.

With a smirk Draco rolled over onto Spike pinning him down underneath him, the prehistoric human making a grunting laugh sound.

“Get the fuck of me, man!” Spike barked.

“Ha! He likes you!” Ember laughed.

Draco laughed again thinking back to how he did the same thing, when he first met Lock and the others. Rolling off Spike, the massive Carnotaurus stood back up.

“Dude! Would you cut it the fuck out?! We have more important things to address!” Spike lectured after picking himself up.

“What are you on about, Spike? It’s just a random creature,” Ember said.

Seeing as Spike was spoiling the mood, Draco took this as his que to slowly change back. Ember watched as the massive creature slowly shrank down, until he was around the same height and shape as Spike. “Hey, consider that payback for calling me brain dead earlier.”

“What the?!” Ember shouted as her mood went a complete one-eighty and aimed the scepter at Draco. “Who are you?! What are you?! Spike! Explain yourself!”

“Gee and here I thought you liked me,” Draco chuckled before gently pushing the scepter away from him.

“The name is Draco Saurian, your highness.” Draco gave one more bow to show his respects. “And I assure you, that I mean no harm, you could say we are alike.”

“Draco?” Ember said but then went back to glaring at him. “I don’t care who you are! How dare you set foot on sacred dragon grounds!”

“Well, for one thing.” l Draco quickly stretched out his arms turning them into long webbed wings. ”I flew here.”

Again, Ember was shocked to see the transformation, however was undeterred.

“Spike, you have five seconds to explain why you brought an outsider with crazy transformation magic to Dragonvale! Now our last safe home is compromised!”

“Hey, I wanted him to get lost too, but he’s pretty damn insistent,” Spike said. “Besides, he’s part of that Hand guy’s resistance.”

“The Devil’s Hand?” Ember said, glancing at Spike. “If that’s true, where’s the Hand?”

“I’m afraid he’s elsewhere.” Drack chimed in. “He’s away while myself and the Saint are left with protecting the now liberated pony nation.”

“Equestria is liberated?” Ember said again, but shook her head. “No, that doesn’t matter right now. You need to leave, Mr. Draco, I can’t afford Dragonvale being discovered by anyone else!”

Draco raised his hands up and turned away. “Alright I’ll leave, but only because you called me Mr. Draco,” he said and began to walk away.

“Wait, that’s it?” Spike said.

“But of course, I’ll see myself out.” Soon, Draco had reached the doorway, but stopped as if he had forgotten. “Oh right, did I forget to mention that if someone like me could find this place with just a magic compass that the caribou might as easily find you?” He asked as he cracked the door open. “Ahh, you know what? You don’t need me to tell you, I already told Spike so that should be good enough. Bye.” He waved his hand and slowly stepped through the doorway.

“Hold it!” Ember said, walking up to Draco and grabbing his shoulder. “Magic compass? And how could they find us? It’s impossible to find these islands if you’re not the Dragon Lord.”

Draco turned around and pulled out the compass that he found. “This is the compass I was talking about. And about your second question, as I told Spike. The caribou are working towards advancing all their technology for anything military based. They already have flying airships, and all it will take is one lucky fleet to spot this place, and call for more help.” Draco pocketed the compass and stood waiting.

“But these islands have a special cloaking spell that our ancestors cast with their dragon magic,” Ember said. “I’m not sure how you were able to bypass the spell, but I doubt they would be able to, right?”

“Sorry to say this, Ember, but I think we’re still underestimating those bastards’ resourcefulness,” Spike said.

“I didn’t feel anything that kept me from touching down on this island,” Draco added. “But regardless, if you guys want to stay up here, and twiddle your thumbs and wait ‘till they find a way up here, then be my guest.”

“You make it sound like we’ve cowards,” Ember frowned. “But we have no choice; I have no choice. My father, half of my fellow dragons… they all died so that the rest of us could escape. Our home, far to the south of this continent, we had to leave everything behind. I wanted to fly back to our original homeland, the Dragon Continent, but I figured it would also have been taken.”

Draco shook his head. “I’m not calling you cowards, I just refuse to waste my time on those who rather wait for the end.”

Turning to face the dragon lord, he continued. “I’m not just gonna sit around and do nothing.”

“Their safety is my priority!” Ember argued. “You can’t just walk in here and accuse me of waiting for the end! I’m trying to honor my father’s last request by preserving what we have left. And it may seem like a lot, but it’s not at all much!”

Draco stared at Ember for a good while. “So, is that how it is now? The once fierce and mighty dragon race, reduced to hiding. Is that the legacy you all want to be remembered by during these dark times?”

“Hey, ease up man, her father gave his life for us,” Spike said.

“And so what?!” Draco’s voice boomed as he shouted at Spike. “You think she's the only one to lose a family member?!” A fire burned within Draco’s eyes. “Or did you forget about Shining Armor, or how about Pinkie’s dad who died too, and all the other ponies who lost a wife, a husband, a child!”

Both dragons were taken aback by his outburst and looked at each other before looking at Draco.

“I know the world is suffering…” Ember said with a guilty frown. “But what can we do? We can’t even go back to the Dragon Continent.”

“You can start by at least hearing me out,” Draco said, his voice lowering as he took deep breaths.

“Fine…” Ember sighed and led Draco back into the chamber. They sat down on a few stone boulders together. “Speak then.”

“Thank you.” Draco adjusted his posture. “I would like to offer you all to come back down to Equestria. You don’t need to fight with us, but you are more than welcome to live among us.”

“Go back down to the surface?” Ember said.

“That’s right. Equestria is free of the caribou, and we have magic and forces to keep the caribou away. It is the heart of our revolution and we will protect it with tooth and nail.” Draco spoke as his heart was full of pride.

“Ember,” Spike said, holding her hand. “The Hand killed a Sin.”

“Seriously?” Ember said.

“He speaks the truth.” Draco spoke up. “He was the one who killed Lust. And before coming here, I myself went in alone and rescued all the Diamond Dogs from Gluttony’s clutches, right in his own territory.”

Both Spike and Ember were shocked at how much progress the resistance had made in the time span since the caribou took over.

“It seems we lost hope too soon,” Ember said. “To think there were people like you and the Hand strong enough to do what even we dragons couldn’t.”

“You weren’t the only ones,” Draco sighed, folding his arms. “The ponies were treated as sex slaves and watched as many of their family members were either killed, or turned against them. When you’ve been through stuff like that, it’s hard not to lose hope.”

“So how exactly can the dragons help?” Spike asked. “As Ember said, we don’t have much and can offer little. Not to mention the death of Lord Torch really shook everyone to their core.”

Draco shook his head. “Nothing. I’m not offering you guys a place to stay in exchange for anything. You can help farm, build homes, whatever you want. I just want to make sure you are all safe, for when this is over you can go back to your homeland.”

“But what about Dragonvale?” Ember asked.

“What about it?” Draco asked without sounding like he cared. “Does it have some kind of super weapon, or does it have an endless food supply?”

“No, but it’s…it’s just very sacred to us,” Ember said. “Did you know that this world has five major continents?”

Draco nodded his head and held up five fingers. “Yeah there’s Equestria, Grifforia, Minotaura, Zebrica, and the Dragon Lands.”

“Bingo.” Ember nodded. “Before the caribou conquered the world, no one even knew they existed. Because it turns out there was actually a sixth continent that was hidden in an uncharted area of the world, according to my father.”

Draco found himself curious now. “And I take it that these islands are the sixth continent then?”

“No, the sixth continent was the Caribou Homeland. A place I’ve only heard the name once when I was…captured.” Spike tensed up.

“Spike tells me that it lies far, far near the frozen North Pole. A place called Eucora,” Ember said.

“So, what makes them so important? Besides the fact that hardly anyone can find it?” Draco asked.

“The Dragon Continent is said to be the oldest continent on the whole planet,” Spike explained. “I remember Twilight once told me years ago that geographical texts indicate that the other continents used to be two huge continents that sat next to each other. That is, until a massive earthquake broke apart the two continents into six separate parts.”

“And how do these islands tie into all of this?” Draco was beginning to seem impatient now.

“My father said that there’s an old dragon legend that the two major continents used to float high in the sky,” Ember said out of the blue. “And the first Dragon Lords settled there and dubbed it the first dragon kingdom: Dragonvale.”

“I see,” Draco nodded while listening.

“However, my father also mentioned that there’s a bit of bad history with these floating islands,” Ember continued. “That being the dragons of old used to be in a massive war against one another. The dragons in days gone by once embodied a variety of magical elements. Fire, Nature, Earth, Ice, Lightning, Water, Air, Metal, Light, and Dark dragon tribes. Over time, the tribes grew too prideful which led to the massive interspecies war. Hundreds upon thousands of dragons died during those years. The great Dragon Lords eventually grew tired of seeing dragons killing each other, since they weren’t even the ones who started it. The Dragon Lords then decided to punish the dragons of Dragonvale by bringing the giant floating continents to the surface. They combined their dragon magic together and dispelled the continents’ floating capability. That sheer act of divine dragon punishment shook the dragons to their core as the massive land masses crashed into the surface of the planet, which ceased all fighting indefinitely. The dragon tribes and Lords eventually went their separate ways across the globe, most never to be seen again. The Fire dragon tribes remained on the continent below that would become Equestria.”

Draco took a moment to process the history of the dragons. “So how did the dragons find these floating islands?” Draco wondered.

“Dragon Lord Torch did,” Spike said, sounding somber. “Torch was a descendent of the first Fire Dragon Lord. It was a secret passed down from Dragon Lord to Dragon Lord. When the first dragon lords sent the two massive continents down to the surface, there were smaller pieces of land that still remained floating in the sky. These islands are those last remnants. He was the only one who knew and he…sent the dragons of Equestria to these islands as a last act before the Caribou…killed him.”

Draco stepped towards Ember and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, for everything. I know that's not much, but it’s all I can say at the moment.”

Ember could only nod at Draco’s words. “These islands are what remains of the once great dragon empire of Dragonvale. The Dragon Lords hid them with their combined dragon magic so that no other creature would desecrate their grounds. If there were ever a time when dragons needed a place to go to be safe and secure, these islands would be it.” Ember wiped her eye to prevent a tear from escaping. “I always believed these islands were nothing but a myth, yet here we are. And just as we found it, you’re asking us to leave with you to live and be safer. I understand your intentions are well and good, but put yourself in our claws.”

“So, you’re telling me you’re willing to die here either of starvation, or when the caribou eventually show up, just because these floating clumps of dirt have sentimental value? Is that the excess I’m hearing?” Draco now sounded annoyed again.

“No need to be that harsh about it,” Spike said.

Draco shot a glare at Spike that could kill a lesser being. “I’m only harsh because apparently you are all a bunch of stupid lizards who have no survival instincts.” The fire in his eyes was now burning with a heat equal to his rage once more. “If you guys want to stay here and die, by all means go right ahead! But don’t expect pity from me, because I refuse to pity those who aren’t willing to save themselves!”

“Okay, okay!” Spike said, raising his hands. “You made your point, I get it. These islands are only sacred to us dragons.”

Ember thought long and hard about Draco’s words. She glanced out the window where the other dragons were mingling amongst themselves, but could see most of them were frowning. She only wanted to do what her father wished for her as a final request. True, these islands were a long lost dragon sanctuary, but if what Draco said is true and the caribou were getting more resourceful, it would only be a matter of time before they were discovered.

“If we come with you…” Ember said, still staring out the window. “Will we be safer down there than up here?”

“I believe so. The caribou can’t afford to launch enough forces to try and take back the country, let alone a city with the Hand, Saint and myself around.” Draco stood up and began to pace around. “Not to mention there are plenty of game to hunt as well as gem caves, so you won’t have to worry about food. But more importantly.” Draco turned his head and fixed Ember with a fierce look. “If any of them are stupid enough to approach, I will devour their flesh and soul in a heartbeat.”

Spike stood up and took off his face coverings.

“Didn’t think you’d be this passionate about relocating us for our sake,” Spike said. “Despite the fact that we’ve never even met.”

“While it's true we’ve only just now met, I intend to restore peace to this world. To do that I must save as many lives as I can, regardless of their species.” Draco turned to face Ember and Spike. “But something tells me that’s not enough is it? I need to prove my worth?”

“You could say that,” Ember said, tapping her scepter on the floor. “You’re aware that Spike is both our protector and my mate, right?”

“I am.” Draco turned to Spike and flipped him a thumbs up. “Way to go, man.”

“Thanks?” Spike shrugged.

“Duel him,” Ember said abruptly.

Draco looked at Ember somewhat surprised. “Come again?”

“Duel Spike, one on one, and no holding back. Use whatever you got in your bag of tricks to win,” Ember said and stood up. “If you beat him, I’ll take you at your word and order all dragons to follow you back to your base of operations. But if you lose, then you’d better find a way to move the islands themselves if you still want us to vacate somewhere else.”

There was a long pause as Draco had to think on the terms set before him. “Just to make sure, but this isn’t a death match, right?”

“Of course not,” Ember said. “And frankly, there’s been enough death already.”

“Well…” Draco didn't see many other options available to him, and he knew how stubborn dragons could be. “Very well, then I accept.”

Author's Note

Draco makes a shocking discovery and reunites with a thought-to-be lost friend. Will Draco be able to convince the dragons to join him and relocate somewhere safer?

Side Note:
So sorry this took so damn long. Life and constant procrastinations are a bitch and a half! Hopefully, this chapter and more posts from my other stories will make up for it.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

The Beast of Champions

Chapter 45

Ember had led Draco to the center of the ruins where the rest of the dragons had gathered. Word of an outsider in the midst of their sacred ruined city spread fast amongst the dragons. None of which were particularly happy about it. Dozens upon dozens of dragons had their eyes fixed on Draco as he was doing stretches on his side of the field. Meanwhile, Spike was sitting on his knees with both swords by his side. The mangled drake kept his eyes focused on Draco behind his goggles while Ember stood next to him.

“Never seen someone as committed as you for someone else’s sake,” Ember said to Draco as he leaned down to touch his toes.

“Is that because dragons don’t need friends?” Draco asked, knowing the personality of the dragons from the show. “You guys aren’t much for sentiment, right?”

“He’s got us there, dear,” Spike said as he stood up with his swords.

“I know what you’re gonna say, but I feel inclined to ask again anyway,” Ember said. “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

Draco bent down stretching one leg out as he bent the other. “To fight a strong opponent has more benefits than simply impressing others. Do you know the other reason?” Draco asked.

“What is it?” Spike wondered.

Draco switched legs and stretched a bit more before jumping onto his feet. “To grow. By facing a strong or even stronger opponent than yourself, you are forced to evolve and adapt, putting your skills to the test.”

“I guess I know how that feels…” Spike said as he slowly unsheathed his swords. “May the best warrior claim victory.”

Orion stood quiet for a moment before glancing back at Spike. “I know your mate said not to kill, and I have no intention of killing you. But…”

“But?” Ember said, walking in between the two fighters to address the crowd.

“I give you permission to try and really kill me,” Orion said in a cold tone.

Both Ember and Spike glanced at each other until Ember took flight and hovered about a meter above the field and the two combatants.

“Dragons! Hear me!” Ember announced. “I, Dragon Lord Ember, have called you all to bear witness to this duel! In case you aren’t aware, yes, who you see is from the surface below. An outsider.”

There were murmurings of disapproval and confusion from Ember’s announcement.

“This outsider has brought us news! The Sin of Lust, the evil stag that conquered most of Equestria, is dead! The rumored Hand of the Devil slayed him!”

There were looks of shock and surprise among the dragons as Ember continued.

“I am also told that the Sin of Gluttony is next on the Hand’s list of targets! But what matters right now is what this outsider offers. Much as I don’t want to admit it, but we unfortunately cannot remain in Dragonvale.”

There were a series of gasps amongst the crowd.

“The outsider spoke to me hours ago, and he brought up some admittedly valid points. We cannot stay here. I am aware of what my father and our fellow dragons did for us in order to escape that monster Dainn and his vicious subordinate, Pride, but if we stay here we’ll be bigger targets than ever before! However, we dragons are not one to just up and leave because an outsider says so just because he makes a good argument. So, I have requested that he prove we will be safer going back down to the surface with him! He will face your protector, Spike, in a duel! The rules are simple. The fight is over if either side yields or is unable to continue fighting.”

Draco turned to face Spike, both hands raised in a defensive stance. His legs widen apart as he prepares for the first attack. “I’m ready.”

“No sword?” Spike asked, holding his swords in front of him.

“Not at this moment, no.” Draco smiled, beneath his clothing, his skin hardened. Applying his strongest scaled armor as well as choosing one dinosaur with powerful muscle.

“Combatants ready?” Ember said and raised her hand and swung it down. “Begin!”

Spike dug his boot into the dirt and sprinted right at Draco. Draco stood his ground and watched Spike charge at him. What he expected to be a frontal attack turned into a fake-out when Spike sidestepped to the right and swiveled his body around. He lifted his leg and aimed a roundhouse kick right at Draco’s face.

Draco swung his arm to block the attack and halt its momentum. When the kick was slowed to a halt Draco twisted his wrist to grab Spike by the ankle and started to swing him around, before throwing him across the floor.

Spike back flipped and landed on his boots while digging into the dirt to stop himself from falling. Spike went in for another charge and jumped over Draco as he twisted his wrists to try and slice at Draco’s neck.

Draco swiveled his head and bit down on the blade, his teeth biting down hard before yanking the blade out of Spike’s hand. Draco spun his body to deliver his own roundhouse kick to his opponent’s gut.

Draco thought he landed a clean hit to Spike’s gut, but Spike managed to block his kick with his hand. Spike then decided to return the favor by twisting Draco’s leg so that he would lose balance. As Draco staggered a little from the unexpected brute strength from his opponent, he felt Spike’s fist collide with his cheek, making him let go of the sword in his teeth.

Quickly recovering from the punch to the face with a shake of his head, Draco took a more offensive stance. Smiling, his feet broke the earth beneath him as he pushed off. Darting faster than a bullet, Draco returned the punch from before with a swift uppercut to Spike’s jaw.

Spike grunted from the impact of the punch and growled at Draco. The two then engaged in close combat, and exchanged blows with each other. Spike went for a diagonal slash with both his swords, to which Draco managed to dodge and punch Spike’s ribs. Spike returned the favor by hitting Draco‘s jaw with the ends of his swords, causing a loud impact sound that made the dragons cringe. The impact made Draco discombobulated as Spike kicked Draco as hard as he could in his chest.

Draco let out a wheeze as the wind was knocked from his lungs, before tumbling back. He coughed hard for a moment before smiling.

“Now this is a battle that gets the blood pumping,” Draco said with a smirk.

“I agree,” Spike said as the crowd cheered for Spike. “Killing stags and traitors just don’t do it for me anymore.”

“They can attack the weak, but when the tables turn on them, they just cry and beg for mercy. Pathetic really.” Draco wiped some blood from his lips and switched his hands into claws.

“Tell me something,” Spike said as Draco noticed his aura became more intense. “Is the Hand stronger than you?”

Draco began to mimic in kind as he stared at the dragon. “It goes without saying that he is far stronger than I am,” Draco commented. “So if you can’t beat me, don't even try to ask him for a fight.”

“Noted.” Draco and Spike charged at each other and their blades and claws impacted with a loud clang. The crowd cheered louder as both fighters pushed against each other as hard as the could.

Each time Spike swung his swords towards Draco, the human blocked with his claws. And in return whenever Draco would try and get a slash at Spike, he'd block and counter.

Spike glanced down and predicted Draco stepping back with his right leg. He intercepted his leg with his left leg and made Draco trip backwards. Draco lost balance and Spike reeled back and punched Draco across his jaw. Spike then followed up with a headbutt right in Draco’s forehead.

However, Draco saw the headbutt coming and changed his head to that of a Pachycephalosaurus. The iron strong skull helped Draco not only absorb the impact but hurt Spike back.

Spike staggered backwards and held his head.

“Gah! The hell’s up with your head?!” Spike said.

Draco smiled as he knocked on his head with his knuckles. “Skull of the Pachycephalosaurus, one of the strongest skulls in the prehistoric world.”

Spike shook his head to regain his senses. “This makes me hate Garble just a little more now because I got no scales to protect me from that head of yours,” Spike grumbled as he took a stance again.

“Yeah, well, when Lock gets back, we’ll see if we can fix that.” Draco charged forward before suddenly shape-shifting into a Triceratops. The newly transformed Draco let out a roar as he lowered his head aiming his horns at Spike.

Instead of jumping out of the way, Spike flipped his swords and was holding them in reverse. Draco could sense his aura was even more intense than before as he crossed his swords together and bent his legs. Draco kept his charge going and rammed his head right into Spike. The impact of Draco’s horns and Spike’s blades made a very loud clanging noise as Draco drove Spike back, but didn’t send him flying. To Draco’s utter shock, Spike dug his feet deep into the ground as he made Draco slow down his charge. Spike gripped his swords as tight as he could as he pushed against Draco until they came to a stop. Draco could see Spike’s arm and legs bulging from underneath his thick leather armor. The red goggles were glowing bright as Spike let out a low growl from underneath his mask.

“Surprised…?” Spike hissed as if he was grinning under his mask. “A little something I discovered during my time in the pit.”

Draco snorted through his nostrils kicking up dirt, as he never stopped pushing. But the dragon wasn’t budging an inch, which told Draco it was time for a new strategy. Making sure Spike was still pushing against him, Draco quickly shifted back to human form, letting Spike dash past him, as he jumped over the dragon.

Spike immediately stopped on a dime and Draco spun around to get a good look at Spike. It looked like the dragon had grown an inch or two and his entire physique was more bulky than before. Spike slowly turned to face Draco with his red goggles still glowing.

“Just so you know,” Spike said, twirling his swords. “This is me trying only a little.”

Draco shrugged and considered his options. “Alright, since we are showing off, maybe I’ll show off too.”

Draco’s body began to crack and snap as his body began to grow, his jaw stretching and back grew spikes along the spine. Draco grew to 50ft and stared down at Spike before letting out an ear-piercing roar as he turned into a giganotosaurus.

“That’s more like it!” Spike grinned and sheathed his swords. “Let’s get wild!”

Spike jumped at Draco and tackled right into Draco’s chest. He managed to knock the giant beast back as he started wailing on Draco like a rabid beast.

Though small, Draco’s arms grabbed Spike by the back and dug his claws in, making the dragon grunt in pain. Once Draco had his claws latched onto Spike, he moved to slam Spike into the ground by using his own body weight. Draco raised his head up so it wouldn't hit the floor as he slammed Spike under him.

For a moment, Draco thought he had won when he didn’t feel anything underneath him. That is until he felt something move and he then began to lift up from the ground. However, Draco’s large dino body wasn’t lifting up on its own. Something was slowly but surely picking Draco up. Everyone soon spotted Spike starting to life Draco up with his arms. From the shadow underneath Draco, everyone could see a pair of bright glowing red eyes. They soon heard a low-sounding roar as Spike tossed Draco off of him and the dinosaur landed on the ground with a heavy thump. Draco shook his head and looked at Spike. The dragon was now even bulkier as his aura was flaring like crazy. Before Draco could blink, Spike stomped on the ground and rocketed right at Draco. Spike reeled his fist back and delivered a hard punch right into Draco’s dino cheek, jerking his head from the punch.

The sudden presence of a stronger opponent made something in the back of Draco’s mind click. He was having fun and wanted to really fight with all his might now. The punch to the jaw only spurred a fire in his heart as he turned to face Spike. Draco bellowed as he charged in and swung his jaws sideways grabbing Spike in his jaws. Draco lifted the dragon in his jaws and shook him around before throwing him away.

Spike managed to land on his feet and jumped at Draco again. With a mighty roar of his own, Spike grabbed Draco’s nostrils and swung him as hard as he could in midair. The dinosaur was sent crashing onto the ground, giving Spike ample time to jump on Draco’s gut and began furiously punching Draco as hard as he could.

Given the position he was forced into, Draco wasn’t going to be able to roll the dragon off his belly, and with every punch Draco winced. But the young human wasn't close to done.

As Spike reeled his arm back to deliver a strong punch, the scaly body underneath him changed. From a thick broad body, to a slender and long body. Draco had changed into a Titanaboa. A large black serpent twelve miles long.

The massive snake slithered from under the dragon before quickly wrapping its coils around Spike pinning his arms to his side. Draco’s grip began to constrict as he squeezed hard around Spike’s body.

“Grrrr…!” Spike tried to withstand the crushing tension from Spike’s coils, but was losing ground as the coils began to squeeze tighter and tighter. Spike’s muscles strained from the sheer pressure Draco was putting onto Spike and just kept trying to squeeze Spike tighter and tighter than before. Just as Spike was on the verge of losing this battle of brute strength, Draco’s danger senses began blaring like an alarm.

“RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!”

Spike screamed at the top of his lungs as he managed to somehow rip Draco’s coils off of him. The dragon’s entire aura now felt like nothing but pure rage and adrenaline. In his frenzied state, Spike grabbed Draco with both hands and began swinging him back and forth on the ground. All the while, Spike kept roaring like a monster as he repeatedly slammed Draco’s body on the ground from one side to the other like a rag doll.

Not wanting to allow himself to be a living rag doll, Draco dropped his transformation, but was sent flying across the dirt from the momentum. His body tumbled and rolled along the dirt ground till he skidded to a halt. Draco was now gasping and panting hard. He was performing too many back-to-back transformations, and felt his energy getting low.

Spike didn’t waste time to let Draco catch his breath as he jumped high in the air with his fists over his head. He was falling straight down at Draco, ready to crush him into the dirt. Draco quickly rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging the dragon’s attack, and becoming a blood stain on the ground.

“Damn, it’s like I’m fighting the hulk or something,” Draco panted as he saw that his opponent was nowhere near exhausted from his previous attacks. “Getting really hungry now, I probably only have one good transformation left in me.”

Spike wheezed angrily as he whipped his head towards Draco and snarled viciously. His goggles were glowing a deep bloody red hue.

“He may be bulkier but that doesn’t change he still doesn’t have any scales to protect him.” Draco sighed and stood up. “Guess I’ll use that form again, I’ll just let myself go feral for a bit.”

Draco closed his eyes as he focused on his next transformation. Immediately, he howled in pain as his body began to change, his eyes turning yellow with slit pupils. His fingers extended into long claws, as his jaw elongated itself and fangs poked out. His calm tone gave way to a more feral aura as he turned his evolved raptor form.

The two titan-like fighters circled each other as if they were stalking each other. Draco hissed at Spike as he flexed his razor sharp claws and Spike merely beat his chest hard with his fist. Before the spectating dragons could blink, Draco and Spike sprinted at each other with nearly matching speed.

The now feral Draco began to swing his clawed hands with rapid speed, each time cutting into Spike flesh, and drawing blood. Spike returned in kind by slamming his fists and boots right across Draco’s jaw and gut. He managed to grab hold of Draco’s tail and began swinging him around and slamming him into the ground again.

Despite the pain and being thrown around, the feral human wasn’t giving in. He slashed with the claws on his feet across Spike’s chest, making deep cuts that forced the dragon to let go as he grunted in pain. Landing on his feet the feral Draco charged forward and jumped onto Spike’s back. He slashed his claws into Spike’s back to grip on, before biting down on the dragon’s neck.

Spike let out another roar that sounded like a mix of pain and anger. He reached back and grabbed Draco’s jaw and snout and began to slowly pry Draco’s jaws off him. Despite how hard Draco tried to bite back, Spike’s grip made it difficult to keep his fangs sunk into Spike’s flesh. Once Spike managed to pry Draco completely off, Spike whirled around and kept his grip on Draco’s jaws. He started to force his mouth open more and more as he dug his boot into Draco’s neck. Draco tried to slash at Spike’s back, but every time he went for a slash, Spike kicked Draco’s neck again as he continued to force his jaw open.

The pain of having his jaw stretched was almost too much to bear, and if he didn’t act fast Draco was going to die. In a last ditch effort to escape, Draco summoned the last of his remaining strength to morph into a giganotosaurus again. The sudden change in size made Draco’s jaw expand wider than Spike to hold out his arm, making him lose his grip and freeing Draco from his grasp. However, once free, Draco’s body began to change back to a human, and he rolled and tumbled to the ground.

Spike ignored the pain from his wounds, and quickly stomped over to Draco. Draco weakly looked up at Spike but was met with a fist to his gut and another to his face. The pummeling kept going as Draco was helpless against Spike’s beating. The spectating audience was now cheering louder for Spike and Ember kept silent from the sidelines.

“It would seem this is it for you, Draco,” Ember sighed to herself.

“Like…hell.” Draco wheezed as he hacked up blood from his mouth. Weakly, he rolled out from a strike that would have crushed his chest. Draco stood up onto his feet, his body bloody and bruised. “I have an obligation to live, and free this world from the bastard Sins. So like hell I’m gonna die here!” Draco roared.

Spike drove his fist right up into Draco’s jaw, sending him flying. When he hit the ground, he still managed to somehow pick himself up. Spike kept pushing him back with a punch, a kick, and even slamming his head into his knee. Draco was a battered mess, his bones were most likely broken in several areas. Despite this, the human still somehow managed to stand back up. Spike didn’t move and glanced at Ember. Ember merely nodded her head as if giving him permission to put Draco down. Spike nodded back and reeled his fist back and drove it into Draco’s chest, right where his Amber Amulet was.

The impact sent Draco flying across the floor, bouncing and tumbling into a stone. After being knocked nearly ten feet away, Draco’s body hadn’t shown any signs of movement.

“It would seem that’s that,” Ember said.

Spike took a deep breath and slowly reverted back to normal. He staggered a bit but managed to stay standing as he cracked his neck.

“He was the first to make me go all out,” Spike said. “Well, halfway to say the least.”

“You fought well, Spike,” Ember said with a smile as she hugged him. “I’m so-”

Suddenly, a massive pillar of fire erupted from Draco’s body engulfing him. The tower blazed with purple and green flames and singed the earth around it.

“What the?!” Spike shouted as he and the dragons backed away from Draco.

“You little wall lizard.” A demonic voice spoke from within the flames, as a shadowy figure stood within it. “Don’t get cocky on me. If you think I’m dead, then you’re a bigger fool than I thought.” A strong and threatening aura suddenly filled the air as two red glowing eyes formed inside the pillar of fire.

“Draco?” Ember said, sounding a bit nervous.

The outline of a large figure began form within the flames, before slowly stepping out. Standing almost seven feet tall with red and black scales, stood a dragon-like creature. The creature had bright yellow eyes that burned with flames inside.

“Oh shit…” Spike said as he pushed Ember away while taking a stance with his fists. “Something tells me you’re pissed.”

The moment Spike blinked he felt a sudden gust of wind and was shocked to see Draco now standing in front of him, his piercing yellow eyes staring down at the drake. “Pissed? Oh no, my little dragon, I’m not pissed, quite the opposite really.” Draco flashed him a fanged grin as he quickly grabbed Spike by the throat and squeezed as he raised his body off the floor. “I’m ecstatic right now.”

“Gah! D-Draco! Ease up!” Spike gagged and tried kicking Draco’s chest but Draco didn’t seem phased in the slightest.

“This is me eased up. What, is the little wall lizard afraid now?” Draco’s voice remained almost demonic as he tilted his head to the side. “Didn’t you just say, mere moments ago, that I barely got you to go halfway?” Draco’s grip began to tighten as he stared up at the dragon.

“I…I can’t…breathe!” Spike wheezed.

“Draco! Stop!” Ember yelled. “You proved your point! You’re killing him!”

“Oh, I haven’t even started.” Draco quickly tossed Spike across the battlefield, letting him catch his breath. “Go on, little lizard, transform into your bulkier form, don’t even think about holding back this time.”

“Ugh…” Spike struggled again and stood up. “I…I can’t…”

“Do it, or I will rip out your heart.” Draco’s eyes glowed as his voice made the ground tremble.

“I can’t, damn you!” Spike snapped. “I can only use it once a day! If I use it without rest, I’ll be risking my lifespan!”

“You little piece of shit.” Draco’s voice grew darker as he quickly launched himself toward Spike. “You dare ignite this fire in me, and now tell me you’re done!?”

Draco grabbed Spike by the throat again before slamming his body into the ground, making a small crater from the impact. “You’re not down ‘till I say so, you little wall lizard!”

“Fuck…YOU!” Spike yelled and slammed his fist across Draco’s face.

The impact made Draco step back as Spike screamed at the top of his lungs. His body became bulkier and his voice grew more monstrous. Just when it seemed his body couldn’t get any bulkier, it suddenly slimmed down. Spike slowly walked out of the crater with an aura that made the air around him twist and turn. His red goggles shined even brighter than ever before and he stared at Draco with a look of death.

“No…Spike!” Ember cried out. “I told you never to use that! You idiot! I command this duel to cease at once!”

“Ignore her, come meet your death!” Draco roared, smiling as he got into a stance. “Let us see who shall claim the title of strongest dragon!”

Spike said nothing and took a single step forward. He then disappeared from Draco’s vision as soon as he blinked until he was met with Spike’s fist. Spike punched Draco with as much force as he could, making the transformed human jerk his head back. Spike followed it up with a heavy scissor kick right at Draco’s neck, and then punched him again in the gut.

Despite punching with such brute force, his fist never pushed into his stomach. Draco began to chuckle as he stared Spike in the face.

“That’s it, little lizard, strike me with all you have, it will make your humiliating defeat at my hands all the more sweeter,” Draco hissed maliciously.

Draco swung his elbow into Spike’s jaw and grabbed him by the wrist as he kept swinging his elbow into his face. Spike grunted as blood spurted from his nostrils with every strike to his nose. Spike acted quickly and forced his wrist out of Draco’s grip while almost dislocating it in the process. When Draco swung his elbow for another strike, Spike latched onto his arm and crossed his legs around Draco’s neck. With all the strength he could muster, Spike pulled on Draco’s arm and squeezed his legs around Draco’s neck. Draco could feel his windpipe being crushed a little from the vice grip-like strength that was twice as strong as his giant snake from before.

Draco roared in pain as he felt Spike pulling on his arms, giving the dragon the impression that he was going to win. Yet the roar of pain suddenly turned to laughter as Draco began to place his feet under him, and slowly stand up. Despite the massive and bulky dragon clinging onto him, he stood as though there was nothing on him.

“Good, I’m amused, little wall lizard,” Draco cackled.

The newly transformed Draco raised his arm with Spike still attached, and began to slam it along with opponent onto the ground. This caused Spike’s grip to loosen, however Draco made sure to hold onto him as he raised him back up and slammed him back into the ground repeatedly.

Spike was beginning to get dizzier and dizzier as Draco kept pounding him into the ground. Spike figured he had one last chance to come out victorious in this insane duel, but it would take drastic measures. When Draco raised his arm to slam Spike down once more, Spike quickly grabbed two of his fingers and pulled them apart as hard as he could.

CRACK!

The slamming stopped as Draco’s fingers broke. Yet the human didn’t show any signs of pain. Instead, he raised the dragon to his face. “Did you think breaking two fingers was going to make me stop?” Draco smiled as he grabbed Spike’s wrist and began to squeeze with a grip like no other. “You can break every bone in my body now, and it still still won’t stop me.”

He flashed Spike an evil smile while tilting his head. “But if breaking a few bones is all it will take to make you yield, then let’s see how this will fair.” Draco flexed his grip making it tighter and finally…

CRACK! POP!

Spike’s eyes wide at the sight of his wrist being snapped in two. Draco gently let go of Spike’s wrist as the dragon staggered backward a bit as he stared at his limp appendage.

“Oh no…” Ember said, looking horrified.

“Hmm, still not yielding? Guess a broken wrist isn’t enough.” With a single step, Draco appeared behind the dragon. With a fast swing of his leg, he delivered a strike to the side of Spike’s shin, making another loud cracking sound that echoed.

Spike continued to not make a sound as he fell on his back. His breathing was laboring, yet his eyes remained wide and focused. When he tried to lift himself up, Draco stomped on his chest to prevent him from doing so.

Draco stared down at the heaving dragon and snorted fire from his nostrils. “Now then, little wall lizard.” Draco leaned his head down so he was closer to Spike’s. “Do you yield, or must I break every other bone in your body?”

Spike remained silent and glanced at Ember through his cracked goggles. Ember didn’t hesitate but give Spike an ever so slight nod so that the other dragons wouldn’t notice. A silence hung in the air as all the spectating dragons had their eyes glued to the two combatants. It was a spectacle they didn’t think would be possible, that their champion would be on his back and at the mercy of an outsider. Spike looked back at Draco and nodded, signaling his acceptance of defeat.

Draco slowly removed his foot off Spike’s chest, allowing him to breathe easier. As he stood straight up, Draco turned his attention to the dragons surrounding him.

There was a tense silence amongst the dragons as Draco stared back at him. His eyes narrowed as he gave an assertive grunt through his nostrils, as if daring any of them to try anything. Instead, the dragons all lowered their heads and bowed with respect towards Draco. They knew he was victorious in this duel, and they acknowledged his strength. The newly transformed Draco turned his attention toward Ember, not a look of aggression but one of confirmation, as if asking if he had earned their trust.

Ember stared back at Draco for several minutes until she gave him an approving nod. She walked away from the crowd of dragons until she stood just in front of him.

“You’ve surprised me, this day,” Ember said. “Spike has been through countless hardships, killed countless caribou, yet he wasn’t able to claim victory in this duel. Here you stand, an outsider, now about to become our newly dubbed champion.”

Smiling Draco bowed his head to the blue dragoness. “I only fought as hard, because I knew it was the only way I could save you all,” Draco said.

“I realize that now,” Ember said, then looked at the dragons. “Dragons! Hear me! Today is a day that will be remembered! You all witnessed Spike, our fallen champion, fight valiantly but he has fallen in combat. Now we must welcome and honor our newest champion!” Ember pointed her Bloodstone Scepter at Draco. “I give you your new champion and protector! Draco Saurian!”

As the dragons cheered and roared in approval, Draco turned his head upwards and unleashed a blazing fire of purple and green.

Once the cheering died down, they both heard a subtle grunt and looked down to see Spike had just reverted back to normal and was straining from the pain.

“Are you alright, Spike?” Ember asked out of concern.

“I…hurt…everywhere…” Spike groaned.

“I can fix that.” Draco said as his body reverted back to his human form, along with his clothes returning. Slipping his hand into his coat pocket, Draco pulled out a vial with an emerald green liquid inside. “Drink this and don't ask me why.”

“Wh-mmf!” Spike wasn’t able to ask as Draco pulled up Spike’s mask and jammed the vial into Spike’s mouth before pulling it back down.

Spike drank the green liquid down to the last drop. Draco and Ember waited for about a minute until a green mist emanated from his mouth. Suddenly, Spike’s body began to contort and twitch violently, making the dragon yell out in pain. Ember panicked as to what Draco had given her mate, until she saw all of Spike’s wounds close up. Ember also noticed Spike’s twist back into place and snap straight. Spike kept convulsing a bit more until he laid still and was drenched in sweat. Spike’s body was now back in pristine condition, apart from his disfiguration, almost like he never fought Draco at all.

“His wounds…are all healed?” Ember said in amazement.

“I’m gonna hurl…” Spike groaned.

“Hurl? Doesn’t it taste like green apple?” Draco asked, confused and curious all at the same time. “Did we mess up the recipe?”

“What was that you just gave him?” Ember asked. “He doesn’t look hurt at all anymore.”

“It’s a potion me and my friend Twilight have been working on.” Draco held up the now empty vial. “We wanted to make some that can help heal wounded warriors who desperately needed it.”

“I see…” Ember then noticed the severity of Draco’s injuries, and his two fingers hanging loosely due to Spike breaking them. “What about you?”

“Huh? Oh, I only had the one potion,” Draco said with a smile as he shrugged his shoulders.

“You look like a dragon mauled you,” Spike joked, sitting himself up.

“More like an angry chihuahua with a small dick,” Draco shot back playfully.

“Any chance you can transform again?” Spike challenged while standing up.

“I could but I should warn you that next time I might not stop and end up killing you.” Draco looked at Spike with a sinister glare. “I’m so hungry I might end up eating you alive.”

“I was only joking, man,” Spike sighed.

“Yeah, there’s been enough fighting anyway,” Ember said. “And as per our agreement, we shall honor our word and follow you back to the surface.”

Draco smiled and nodded when suddenly he caught a whiff of something in the air.

“Seems my prediction came true after all,” Draco began to move west, his nose held up as he sniffed. “The caribou are coming.”

“What?!” Ember panicked. “B-But how?! These islands are supposed to be hidden!”

“I think Draco mentioned something about them having new detection tools that aren’t like any magic spells,” Spike growled.

“That, but something else.” Draco sniffed the air again and turned to the two dragons. “I smell other dragons with them.”

“Traitorous bastards…!” Spike snarled. He picked his swords back up and adjusted his mask and goggles. “I’ll rip them all to fucking shreds!”

Spike no!” Ember begged. “You remember those crazy weapons they have?! You’d be torn apart yourself!”

Suddenly a hand was placed on each dragon's shoulders. “You guys move the dragons to the farside of the island for now,” Draco said.

When they looked at Draco they felt a shiver run down their spines. Drool was pouring out of his mouth and his eyes looked like a feral animal on the hunt. “I’ll greet my dinner myself, thanks.”

“But…you’re hurt,” Ember tried to say.

“And fucking hungry, what’s your point?” Draco asked, flashing her look of someone starving to death.

Both Spike and Ember looked at each other before looking back at Draco.

“You sure you don’t want any backup?” Spike asked.

“I’m gonna be real with you both, after all that fighting I’m literally gonna eat everything in sight, so unless you want to become part of my dinner.” Draco turned to look at them one more time as his voice began dark and distorted. “Then stay the fuck out of my way.” Without warning he took off towards the east where the caribou were landing.

Draco ignored the sting of his injuries as he sprinted as fast as he could towards the edge of the island. His nose was constantly sniffing in the air and drool continuously leaked from his mouth. Draco stopped just at the very edge of the island where he saw the surface several hundred miles below. In the distance, beyond the thick clouds and dark of night, caught sight of a fleet of warships heading in his direction.

“That’s it, my yummy food, come to papa.” Draco wiped some drool from his mouth. “There’s room for all of you in my stomach.”

The ships that were making their way towards the islands were filled with dozens upon dozens of caribou, traitors, and even a few dragons. Among the dragons, one of them was part of the old group that used to mess with Spike. Blacktip was a pudgy dragon with dark orange scales and light purple spines. He stood with one of the leading caribou, a stag by the name of Skialg.

“Well, well,” Skialg said with a smirk as he caught sight of the floating islands. “Seems like you weren’t bullshitting me after all, Blacktip.”

“Course I weren’t!” Blacktip snorted. “I heard that stupid old fart Torch wouldn’t shut up about it before you guys did him in. Good thing Garble forced them scholars you got locked up to do some digging. Who knew it was the fabled Dragonvale.”

“I don’t care what it is,” Skialg scoffed. “My lord Dainn will be pleased with me once I bring him the daughter of Torch. I can already see him plowing that scaly cunt and putting strong heirs in her.”

Suddenly the lights of the ship were cut and everything went dark. Though the engines remained active only the lights were shut down. And not long after the lights went out, they heard one caribou scream for a few seconds before suddenly silenced abruptly.

“What the fuck was that?!” Skialg barked.

“Sir! There’s something here-AAAAAGGGHHHH!!”

The sound of something crunching and splattering soon filled the air. Caribou and dragons on the ship all began to scream, and shout as a menacing roar filled the air.

“Enough of this!” Skialg said and grabbed Blacktip. “Light the deck with your flames!”

Blacktip nodded and breathed in deep. He then unleashed a large breath of fire that illuminated the area. What they saw made them instantly regret wanting to see what was going on.

On the floor of the deck, limbs and entrails litter the floor, blood spilled over the side as it flowed from the remains of the crew. At the center of it all was a creature with red and black scales.

The figure had just pulled the heart of one of the dragons out of its chest before shoving it into its mouth and chewing the organ.

“What in blazes is that?!” Skialg asked.

“M-Monster!” Blackthorn yelped.

Skialg narrowed his eyes at the beast and pulled out his radio.

“All ships! Red alert! I have a monster intruder aboard my ship! Everyone circle around!” Skialg put his radio away and boldly stepped forward.

“Are you nuts?! Don’t go near that thing!” Blackthorn yelped.

“Silence!” Skialg hissed at the cowardly dragon before turning his attention back to the beast. “I know what you are, Beast of Chaos. How unexpected to see you all the way out here after the ruckus you caused at Lord Gluttony’s domain.”

The creature said nothing, instead it continued to gorge itself on the remains of the dragon. Ducking its head into the chest cavity as it sunk its teeth in, ripping off chunks of flesh before swallowing them, all while snarling.

“Hmph, ignoring me?” Skialg took off his coat and held out his arms. A thick, wax-like substance oozed from his body as he glared at the creature. “Let’s see how you fair when I tear out your own heart.”

The substance on Skialg’s body oozed even more until it enveloped him from the neck down. Suddenly, the substance morphed and took shape into thick armor. A round shield and longsword morphed in both his hands as he took a position.

“Ugh, can’t I enjoy my meal in peace?” The figure turned to face the wax-armored caribou with glowing eyes. “Burn.”

That was the only thing said as purple and green flames erupted from the beast mouth and engulfed the wax caribou.

“AAAAAAAARRRGGHHH!” Skialg yelled as he tossed and turned to snuff out the flames. The stag was barely able to put out the fire and his armor was already nearly melted. “H-How did you…?!”

“Shut up and die, your screams are aggravating my ears.” Draco spewed out another torrent of hot melting flames, setting the deck on fire.

“AAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!!” Skialg thrashed around as Draco kept spewing flames. Just when it seemed like he couldn’t take anymore, the stag collapsed in a pile of melted wax. Blackthorn was utterly helpless as he huddled in the corner. Within the flames, something swirled around atop the wax puddle until it took form.

Draco walked along the fire as he reached down and grabbed the devil fruit. “Poor bastard, didn’t even stand a chance.” He turned his attention towards Blackthorn and pointed a finger. “You, little wall lizard.”

“Y-Yes?!” Blackthorn said, standing up straight. By now, all the ships from the fleet had surrounded the lead ship they were on.

“Fly home and tell your traitor friends to stay where they are. Make sure that Garble knows that Spike is alive, and will come for him, in time.” He smiled before turning his head around and letting out a powerful blaze of fire from his mouth that engulfed the ships around them.

The sounds of screams and panicked enemies were heard from all the ships. From some of the ships, multiple dragons were able to withstand the flames and flew straight towards Draco.

“Well, looks like the rest of my meals have come to feed me.” He looked at Blackthorn and pointed again. “Unless you want to be part of my next main course, I suggest you get flying.”

Blackthorn nodded fervently and took off as fast as he could. Meanwhile, the attacking dragons all raised their claws, ready to slash at Draco with blinding fury.

“I give my humble thanks for this meal.” As the first dragon came within arm’s reach, his claws ready to slice the human’s skin, Draco lunged his head forward and bit down on the dragon’s head, breaking through the skull with little effort.

The other dragons were undeterred as they began trying to claw and slice Draco’s skin. However, Draco’s new scaled skin made his body ten times stronger than any of his previous transformations. Within seconds he slaughtered the dragons and feasted upon their bodies till none were left.

Draco sucked on each finger while glancing around and watched the fleet burn and explode while they fell to the surface.

“Well, I think that’s enough food for now.” Draco smiled as he jumped to his feet, his wounds and injuries healed completely. “I think it’s about time I make good on a promise.”

Draco lurched forward as a set of wings sprouted from his back, each one similar to the dragons. “Now I won’t need to turn my hands into wings anymore.” Jumping off the ship Draco flew off back to the dragons.

The moon had finally set and now the sun had begun to rise from the horizon. The fleet of the resistance had long since arrived back in the growing town of Ponyville and the members of Alpha and Beta Squads, and the DF users were still awaiting the arrival of Draco. No one knew where he went, or why he even left in the first place. All they knew was he went somewhere that was a high priority to him.

“We’ve been up all night…” Zephyr groaned and yawned. “Did we really have to not sleep?”

“Can it, Zephyr, we don’t rest until our leader is back with us,” Flash said as they gazed at the horizon.

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” Maud said.

“I do hope so,” Rarity said.

Shadow said nothing as she kept her eyes in the horizon. Just then, she caught sight of a large group of flying objects headed towards them. Shadow immediately knew who was flying towards them, which only made her smirk confidently.

“It’s about damn time,” Shadow said.

The flying object flew closer and closer until everyone saw them as a massive group of dragons. Hundreds upon hundreds of dragons neared Ponyville, and leading them was one with black and red scales and large wings while Ember flew beside him. The black and red dragon landed beside the Prometheus with the other Dragons as the ponies quickly approached. They all took on battle stances ready for a fight should it be what the dragons want. Meanwhile, Spike kept his head down as he adjusted his goggles, mask, and headgear to hide his face.

“What the Tartarus?!” Ace yelped.

“Who’s this guy?!” Cloud said, grabbing his rifle.

“He’s huge!” Swift said.

Ember then stepped forward, gaining everyone’s attention.

“Ember!” Rarity said happily as she ran up and hugged her. “Oh darling! It’s been far too long! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“Uh…yeah, you too, Rarity,” Ember said, gently patting her back.

“But who or what is this thing standing beside you?” Rarity wondered, gazing up at the towering creature. “Is…he friendly?”

“What, you don’t recognize your boyfriend, love?” Draco finally spoke, his voice telling all at attention who he really is.

Rarity blinked and everyone else’s jaw’s hit the floor, even Maud’s.

“DRACO?!” They all yelled.

“Is that you, Alpha?!” Bismuth asked.

Draco’s body was engulfed in flames before slowly changing back. When the flames disappeared his human form was revealed. “Who else do you know as badass as me?” He asked in a playful tone.

“Draco!” Rarity beamed as she tackled him to the ground. “You had me kiss worried smooch sick you smack brute!” Rarity said while peppering his face with kisses as Maud and Shadow stood over them.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Draco laughed as he returned the kisses and buzzed Rarity while slowly getting to his feet. “But I had to keep a promise that I made.”

“And what kind of promise makes you suddenly disappear and fly to who knows where?” Shadow asked, placing her hands on her hips.

“Where’s my kiss?” Maud asked plainly.

Draco leaned in to kiss Maud’s lips and hug her close. “A promise that I swore to keep, the kind that involves reuniting family.” Draco turned to look around and saw that the two ponies he needed to speak to weren’t present. “Where are Moon and Twilight?”

“Sleeping after a night of passion,” Zephyr said, earning a hard elbow to the gut, causing him to buckle over.

“I told you that in confidence, jackass! I was passing by their room by coincidence!” Flash barked.

Giving Shadow a kiss next, Draco nuzzled his marefriend. “Could you go and bring them here, tell them it's urgent.”

Flash nodded and flew towards the castle of friendship.

“Is this really Ponyville?” Ember asked, looking around to see the numerous buildings that surrounded them. “I remember it just being a small town, not a growing city.”

“Since our reclaiming of the pony nation from Lust, we’ve been expanding to take in refugees. As well as expanding our agriculture to help feed those in need.” Draco smiled as he then gestured to the diamond dogs. “With the diamond dogs we've also managed to fortify our defense and weapons.”

“Draco, I wanna show you something real quick,” Maud said. Draco cocked his head as his marefriend led him away from the group for a moment. Maud led Draco to the outskirts of town until they came across a hole in the ground. The ground was also shaped like it had a staircase. Something else Draco noticed was that there were other holes all around the ground, but were just holes that dropped straight down.

“Wanna know what’s down there?” Maid asked.

Draco nodded and gestured for the earth pony to lead the way. “After you, my lady.”

Maud nodded and let Draco down the stairs. It felt like they climbed down about two flights when they arrived at a large corridor. The sounds of voices of disdain were heard and Draco saw rows upon rows of rooms with bars made of earth. Inside each cell was a stag or a stallion, and hanging above them in each cell was a single light crystal.

This shocked the human as he saw the prisoners of war. “I’m surprised you started to keep prisoners, I’d figured you would have killed them on sight as per usual,” Draco said.

“Me too, but Phill kinda insisted on it,” Maud shrugged. “Lock kept most of these guys in the brig on the ships from the fleet, some even in the castle’s cells. But he figured if he was gonna keep taking in POWs, he wanted to find a way to make a place to keep as many as we wanted. So, since Lock’s not around, I solved it myself. There’s no need for keys since I made these cells out of earth.”

Draco walked along the cells. Looking at each prisoner one by one. “So, how long before Phill comes around to take them? I’m sure he wants to try and rehabilitate them or something.”

“Phill hasn’t seen this yet, but I imagine he’ll want to take a handful of them at a time,” Maud said.

“Hey cunt! I’m feeling kinda lonely!” A stag said and grabbed his crotch. “Why don’t ya come make us company?”

“Do you mind if I have this one? The in-flight meal was only peanuts, and didn’t exactly leave me full,” Draco asked as he stood in front of the cell.

“Sure,” Maud shrugged. “Another thing I had in mind. This can be your personal pantry.”

Maud stomped her hoof on the ground and made the bars to the cell open, and Draco stepped inside. “If you’re feeling lonely, then how about I let you join your friends in hell?” Draco’s body ignited as he transformed into his dragon form.

The stags and stallions immediately broke their cocky nature and the one Draco approached cowered away from Draco.

“H-Hey now, I-I was only joking! Let’s be reasonable here!”The stag tried to say, but fell on deaf ears.

“Oh so we're telling jokes? Fine, here’s one.” Draco smiled as he leaned in closer to the stag. “Knock knock,” he said in a menacing tone.

“Wh-Who’s there…?” The stag asked.

“Dead meat,” Draco said, smiling from ear to ear.

“D-Dead…m-meat…wh-who…?” the stag trembled.

Draco’s teeth turned to fangs and his hands into claws. “Dead meat, you.” Without warning Draco bit down on the stag’s head and ripped it off in a single go.

The other prisoners witnessing the series of events all panicked at the gruesome sight. Some prisoners vomited when Draco reached into the stump where the stag’s head used to be and pulled out his heart before chomping down on it.

“Enjoy your snack?” Maud asked with a slight smirk.

Cleaning the blood off his mouth, Draco nuzzled his marefriend’s nose before giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Delicious, a welcoming snack from my beloved.”

“Beast.” Draco’s ears perked up when he heard his name called. He turned around to see a stag sitting in the corner of his cell, looking directly at him. “I have words, if you would listen.”

Draco stared at the stag for a moment before turning to face him. “You may speak, but unless you want to end up as my next meal I suggest you choose your words carefully.”

“What compels you to devour my kind?” The stag asked, never breaking eye contact. "Are we merely food to you, and nothing more?”

There was an uneasy silence as the two stared each other down. “Let me answer your question with another question.” Draco leaned in closer to the stag. “What compelled you to rape and kill the innocent of this kingdom? Are they merely playthings for you to use?”

“Dainn is my king,” the stag said. “I do not question the word of my king. What I did was not out of spite or a sadistic vendetta, it was out of loyalty.” The stag leaned back against the wall of his cell. “Yes, I confess to killing ponies, some griffins, even a couple yaks. I did so because I was ordered to, and what am I without loyalty?”

“You say what you want, but no amount of noble words will erase your sins.” Draco’s hand shot forward grabbing the stags by the shirt, and quickly yanked him towards him, causing the stag to slam on the cell bars. “As for the answer to your question.” Draco flashed the stag a smile of fanged teeth and glowing red eyes. “You are mistaken if you think I only delight in eating your kind alone.”

Draco’s gaze could almost pierce the stag’s skull with the look he was giving. “I delight in devouring sinners like you, who believed they were invisible or were void of all consequences. I delight in the screams for mercy when those screaming never gave their victims any.” Soon Draco’s voice began to warp and become dark as his body grew, and he lifted the stag off his feet. “I love the way you act like you’re the noble one here, when in reality you’re nothing more than a sinner destined to go to hell.”

“Guh! You’re right…” the stag grunted, feeling the chill in his spine run up and down as if the fear was paralyzing him. “But I will still have my h-honor as a soldier!”

“You can die with that honor, but let me tell you something.” Draco leaned his mouth to the stag’s ear and whispered. “You are nothing more than a soldier with a number, a foot soldier that wouldn’t be missed or mourned by your superiors.”

Draco leaned back and stared at the stag’s eyes. “Unlike them, I mourn and weep for all those who die on our side. I offer them a proper burial and console their loved ones. Can you say with all your heart your leaders, your king would do the same?”

The stag opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated.

“News flash, you’re not a soldier. You’re a living puppet, a stepping stone to be walked on and left behind. That’s all you ever were, nothing more and nothing less.”

Draco dropped the stag, and let him fall to the floor. He turned around and took Maud’s hand and went to leave the underground prison.

“Draco?” Maud said out of concern.

“Yes, my love, is there something on your mind?” Draco asked calmly.

“Are…you okay?” Maud said. Draco stopped just at the staircase, and turned to look at Maud. “What that stag said. I didn’t think I’d hear such words from a caribou.”

He said nothing at first, she had a point. For all his hatred, for all his anger, Draco couldn’t lie, and say he didn’t sense the stag’s loyalty. “Maud, I have a questions for you now,” he said.

Maud took both of Draco’s hands and held onto them.

“Would you be willing to help me in an experiment?” Draco asked as he looked back at the cells.

“What kind?” Maud asked, rubbing her thumb on Draco’s hand.

“What that stag said, I can’t help but feel something, though I wish I didn’t.” He let her hands go and knelt down as he began to draw in the dirt. “I think I want to try my hand at my own rehabilitation method.”

“What brought this on?” Maud wondered.

“Call it boredom, or maybe hope that I can make a difference.” Draco sighed as he finished his drawing. Draco drew a new layout for the prison as well as extra features such as a field, and a place for the prisoners to walk. “Can you reshape the prison to look like this, and maybe expand upon it?”

“Hmm…might take about a week, what’s it for?” Maud asked while examining the drawing.

“I’m gonna put these guys to work, and see if there isn’t hope for at least a few of them,” Draco sighed.

Draco and Maud made their way back to where they had left the others. Draco could see some dragons flying around, and getting a lay of the land. Once they made it back to the others, Twilight and Moon were also with them and conversing with Ember. However, Spike was standing under a tree away from the group while keeping his head down and arms crossed.

“Hey, get over here now!” Draco called out to Spike without saying his name, as to keep the secret until the last minute.

Spike just looked away from Draco.

“Um…who is that, Draco?” Twilight asked.

“I’ll tell you in a minute, but first this is something I want to show you.” Draco smiled as he began to remove his shirt and reveal his bare chest to both Twilight and Moon.

Rarity purred at the sight of his broad chest and Shadow licked her lips.

“Erm…what exactly am I supposed to look at?” Twilight asked while blushing a little.

“Hmm, impressive abdominals and pectorals, not as much as Lock’s,” Moon said.

“Woohoo! Muscle flex!” Big B said, and tore off his shirt. “Check out these babies!” Big B flexed his arms and chest, making Swift blush like a fool.

Draco shook his head while chuckling. “Don’t you remember the mark I left on my chest? The one I made when I made you a promise?”

Twilight tilted her head and she found herself examining Draco’s chest.

“Wait…it’s not there?” Twilight said.

“That’s right it’s not.” Draco smiled as he moved to put his shirt back on. “And, do you remember why I said I would let that mark heal?”

“If you…found…” Twilight said, her eyes beginning to widen. Slowly but surely, the Princess of Friendship turned her head towards the stranger standing under the tree.

“What is the matter, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“Indeed, you look as though you’ve seen a ghost,” Moon said.

Slowly, Draco grasped Twilight’s hand and began to lead her to the stranger in black. When they were now standing in front of him, Draco moved to place an arm around the stranger.

“S…S-Spi…ke?” Twilight said, her voice beginning to tremble as tears flowed from her eyes.

The stranger tensed up, and was tempted to leave but Draco gave him a reassuring nudge. The stranger paused as he then reached up to take off his head gear. Once he took off his mask, goggles, and bandanna, Twilight gasped in utter shock. A flurry of emotions swirled around within Twilight when she saw Spike’s face. She felt great concern when she saw how disfigured he was, she felt tremendous sadness when she realized how hurt he was, she felt angry when she imagined who would dare do this to him, and she felt a wave of pure happiness when she realized that he was standing right in front of him.

“Hey…Twilight,” Spike said, almost cracking a smile. “I…I’m home.”

That was the final nail in the coffin for Twilight. She suddenly burst into tears as she wrapped her arms around Spike’s torso. Her wails of relief and happiness filled the air while she squeezed Spike as tight as she could. Spike didn’t know how to react at first until he felt something trickle down his cheek. More of this liquid started running down his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around Twilight and hugged her back. Meanwhile, most of the others from the group, who were also quite flabbergasted from overhearing who the stranger was, began shedding their own tears of joy at the sight. Rarity was worse for wear as she covered her mouth with her hands, and she was crying out loud as well.

“I…I’m home, Twilight…” Spike whimpered. “I’m home…”

Wiping his own tears, Draco smiled as he placed a hand on Spike’s shoulder. “Was I right, or was I right?”

Spike glanced at Draco through his tears. “Thank you…for bringing me home, and reuniting me with my family.”

Author's Note

Reunited at last.

Side Note:
I sound like a broken record at this point when I say I’m sorry for the constant delays with my stories. Not only is it because of school, but also due to a slight writer’s block. I think I’m over it now…hopefully.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…

Knight of Chaos, Beast or Monster?

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

The Devil’s Invitation

Chapter 1

“Wow, what a way to end it all…” I sigh in content.

Not sure why I should introduce myself but here goes. Name’s Dimitri Lockdrom, I moved to the UK after I graduated from college and I live alone. I had served in the army for about 8 years but had to be let go by honorable discharge since I got injured in my last tour. Now I’m 28, working a nice office job for the UK military and I can’t really complain about it since it’s a hell of a lot easier to deal with than getting shot at by terrorists.

During my discharge, I had one day gone to a convention with a couple of my non army friends who invited me. At the convention, one of them brought me to this Q&A thing about some show called “My Little Pony.” I remember what the show was since my little cousins used to watch it all the time whenever I used to babysit them. After the convention, my friends just went on and on about how the Q&A was the best part of the whole thing. The whole way home, one of my buddies kept pestering me to watch the show, despite it being specifically for little girls. I was highly reluctant at first, but a few weeks later of him ringing in my ear about how good the show was and how he wanted me to watch it I eventually gave in and gave it a watch.

I guess I can see why he was so passionate about it because honestly, this show was pretty damn good. Not in a way where I’d commit myself to being a full on brony where I’d collect merchandise and stuff, but just at the level of brony where I can just say I enjoyed the show for what it was and what it represented. The characters, the themes, the songs, the comedic jokes, each and every one of the episodes was as enjoyable as the last.

I’m now in my bed after just shotgunning through every season which took the entire weekend. I’m now exhausted and I’m starting to regret not taking breaks but it was well worth it all the way to the end. I look at the clock and see it’s just about 2 in the morning. I may be drop dead tired but for some reason I’m not tired enough to fall asleep. So with nothing better to do, I slowly pick myself up from my bed and throw whatever cloths within my reach on. I put on my jeans, socks, sneakers, black shirt, black long sleeve, and hooded leather jacket and grab my keys, wallet, ear buds, and phone while heading towards the door. I lock up the door and make sure it’s locked before leaving.

I live in a small town, just a simple place like any other. I sometimes like to walk around at night to clear my head whenever I remember how I injured myself during my last tour. I’m walking down the street towards the convenience store to grab a bottle of scotch to drink so I can fall asleep quicker. Not the most healthy method of falling asleep but hey, I fall asleep sooner with alcohol in me. I make it to the store and my eyes wince at the damn bright lights in the store, one of the lights flickers annoyingly making me groan in annoyance.

“Oi Phill, how many times do I gotta tell you to fix the damn light?” I ask the store clerk. Phill McHaggard was a pudgy man who I’ve gotten to know over the years since I’m a regular at the store. He and I became drinking buddies a few years after I moved here and we’ve been pals ever since. Phill walks out of the back room looking like he had just woken up and looks at me with a scowl.

“Why the bloody hell are you here so damn late, Lock? And why do I gotta fix the fockn’ thing when it’s just gonna be broke soon anyway?” He grumbles.

“Well maybe if you weren’t such a lazy shite, people would come here more often and not have to be bothered by the constant flickering in the corner of their eye,” I retort.

We both stare down at each other not blinking for a while until we both smirk and chuckle at each other.

“I’ll never understand why I can’t stay mad at you, bro,” Phill chuckles.

“It’s because I’ve got the Devil’s charm, Phill. You can’t help but not be mad at me,” I tease as I grab a bottle from the fridge.

“Careful Lock, keep saying stuff like that and the real Devil may come to collect your soul,” Phill warns me mockingly.

“Yeah, yeah, just ring me up for the bottle already,” I said rolling my eyes. Phill chortles and rings up my liquor and I thank him before heading out. Feeling the thirst for my booze hitting me I reach into my pocket and pull out my keychain since it has a bottle opener attached to it and uncapped the bottle. Just as I was about to take a swig, I hear footsteps behind me making me pause my hand making the bottle stop inches from my lips. I stop walking, as does the stranger behind me, and I sigh as I bring the bottle down.

“You got balls for thinking you can mug me at this time of the night buddy,” I growl. The stranger doesn’t say anything and I grip the bottle in my hand tightly getting ready to bash him over the head should he try anything.

“What?” I ask while turning to him, “got nothing to say assho-“

I’m cut off as I face the stranger and my eyes widen in confusion and a little fear at what I’m seeing. A hooded man, who’s face I couldn’t see even in the light of the street lamp was standing in front of me motionless. Though I couldn’t see his face, his eyes were glowing red under his hood and I thought I could see dark, shadow like vapors seeping from his hood. I was frozen in place, I wanted to say something but I couldn’t find the words. The man chuckles darkly making a jolt of fear run up and down my spine as I try to catch my breath.

“You seem to take joy into proclaiming yourself as me, boy,” the man says in a mocking tone.

It’s as if his very voice could make me piss myself so I thanked whatever gods were listening that I didn’t drink anything before what was happening here. The man steps towards me and I still can’t move due to the amount of confusion and fear coursing through my body.

“Dimitri Lockdrom, you should feel honored for you have caught my interest. I am here to offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity. Would you like to hear it?” He asks me. I still say nothing but he chuckles as he circles me. How he knows my name is a mystery to me…

“There is somewhere I’d like to take you, somewhere I think you’d be interested in accompanying me too. Do not fret for it is nowhere dangerous, well as dangerous as I make it sound, but could use someone like you,” He said.

“Wh-Where…?” was all I was able to say. I couldn’t tell but I got the feeling he was smiling under the darkness of his hood.

“Oh, it is somewhere I believe you’ll take great joy in going to. Does the name Equestria, mean anything to you?” He asks.

Equestria? Like from the show? I wonder.

“Indeed, only the place I’m referring to is quite real instead of it being a mere children’s fantasy,” he answers shocking me.

The fuck? Did this guy read my mind or something?

“Indeed I did boy, now pay attention and be silent for I find repeating myself to be an annoyance of mine,” he warns making me shiver, “As I have said, the world known as Equestria is real, well real to me that is since I’ve been there myself. Recently, that world seems to be in a spot of trouble and there’s someone who has angered me by cheating me out of his soul. I would go and collect his soul myself but it is not my place to interact with the living in the mortal plain.” he explains.

“What-*gulp* what kind of trouble is E-Equestria in?” I ask hesitantly. The man looks to the sky and chuckles again.

“The kind of trouble you’d have to see for yourself to understand,” he answers vaguely. He looks back down to me and holds out his hand upwards making me flinch.

“All I can tell you now is it and it’s people are in need of someone to help prevent any further irrevocable damage to happen. So I offer you this, Dimitri Lockdrom, would you like to accompany me to Equestria and see for yourself for what’s become of it?” he asks.

I’m at a loss for words and I’m mentally punching myself in the gut to desperately wake myself up from this supposed nightmare. A strange man who makes me want to shit myself with glowing eyes comes out of nowhere and offers me to go to the one place I didn’t expect to be offered to go to. What’s more is he says Equestria is in trouble which is highly unlikely since the last episode showed that all the characters were all grown up and everything was peaceful and happy. I was about to flat out refuse him when a thought crossed my mind. If this guy, whoever or whatever he is, was telling the truth this could be a great opportunity. I’d be able to meet the characters of the show who I’ve come to admire and I’d get to experience what it’s like to live in a world so peaceful without any drama. I was a bit hesitant for a moment when I started to think about my family and friends but ever since I left for the army we had sort of lost touch over the years. They all came to visit me when I was discharged but that was over a year ago and I only call my family every so often so they can check in on me. Besides if, this was a huge if, this guy was telling the truth it also means Equestria is in danger from a new threat so I suppose if anyone was gonna help it might as well be me. But I had to play it safe and not jump right into it so I took a breath to calm myself before speaking clearly.

“You say that you want to bring me to Equestria, but what I want to know is if there’s a catch to all of this,” I ask. The man tilts his head and seems to arch a brow at my request.

“You say Equestria is in trouble and I’m willing to help but I need to know what I’m signing up for. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t trust you for a goddamn second. I don’t know who or what you are and you come out of seemingly nowhere and offer me something completely out of the blue. So if you want my help, you need to explain things a little more clearly,” I said while pointing at him. The man is silent for a moment but then starts to laugh loud making my body shake. How he hasn’t woken up the rest of the damn neighborhood with his laugh boggles me.

“You truly are an interesting individual, boy. I’m pleased you were the one that caught my eye. Very well, if you wish to know who I am then my condition is simple, take my hand and come with me. I promise I’ll explain everything to you once we’ve arrived.” he said.

“How do I know if you’re not lying?” I questioned.

“If you knew who I am now, you’d know I’d never tell a lie,” he counters. Again I was hesitant, but by the tone of his voice he strangely wasn’t lying.

“Also how’s this to, how you say, sweeten the deal? If you do not like what you see, I shall simply return you back here and erase your memory. It will be as if our encounter will never happen and Equestria will be doomed to its fate. Or you can just refuse right now and I’ll be on my way in search of someone else to assist me,” he offers in a conniving tone.

“If you’re gonna do something like that, why offer me something like this anyway?” I question.

“Why indeed?” he retorts, “So what do you say?”

I look at his hand and ponder for any other options, only to come up with none. If this was gonna happen, I’d have to make a decision now.

Fuck it, let’s see how this goes, I think.

“Ok, I’ll go with you,” I answer while reaching for his hand. He doesn’t waste any time and grabs my hand and a light begins to shine within our grasp making me panic a bit.

“Splendid! Brace yourself boy, for you’re about to become something that most would consider a necessary evil,” he proclaims as the light shines brighter.

I was about to say something but the light seemed to drown out my voice and soon it got so bright my vision was blinded and I started to lose consciousness and everything faded to black.

The Devil’s Introduction and A Captain’s Final Words

Chapter 4

“Lock! Lock what have you done?!”

“I killed them, the fuck’s it look like?”

“You slaughtered them all, Lock! This isn’t what we were sent here to do!”

“Hmph, maybe not what you were sent here to do but it sure as hell is what I came here to do.”

“Lock, I don’t even recognize you…”

“Well that’s your fucking problem, get the fuck over it.”

“Don’t you dare walk away from me, Lock! You will answer for this!”

“You wanna use that gun, Josh? Use it right the fuck now…”

“I’m ordering you to drop your weapons right fucking now!”

“You first, asshole!”

“DON’T DO IT!”

BANG

“JOSH!!!”

I wake up in a cold sweat and was breathing heavily after having a nightmare I haven’t had in quite a while. I look around and see I was sleeping under a tree just on the border of the Everfree Forest. I glance at my watch and see it’s a little after 8 in the morning and I wipe the sweat from my forehead.

“Fucking dream, thought I grew out of it…” I grumble.

I pick myself up off the ground and stretch my limps getting multiple satisfying pops and cracks. I look around the open field and see the sun was just starting to rise but the clouds made it a bit difficult to enjoy the sunrise. Sleeping under a tree reminds me of when my platoon and I camped out during our patrols which makes me smile a bit. But I soon frown again since I had just woken up from a dream I wished I’d never have again.

“It’s just a dream,” I grumble while rubbing my head, “just bad fucking memories that should stay buried…” I said to myself.

“What should stay buried?”

Lucifer appears next to me in his astral projection making me jump slightly and I give him the stink eye and he only shrugs. I sigh in annoyance as I wave my hand dismissively.

“Nothing, just a dumb dream…” I said turning and walking away from him.

“You mean the dream about your failed mission that was covered up?” he asks. I stop and go wide eyed at his words. My fists clench and fire bursts from my hands as I slowly turn to Lucifer with a glare that could splinter wood but he’s unaffected.

“What did you say…?” I ask in a bloodthirsty tone.

“You know, I wonder what would’ve happened if you actually listened to Joshua instead of acting on your own. Maybe then you wouldn’t have gotten injured.” He said with a shrug.

I spin around and lunge at Lucifer with a cry of rage pure hatred. I tackle Lucifer to the ground and make a trench along the ground about a mile wide. I grab is coat collar and pull him towards me as the flames on my body burn uncontrollably.

“DON’T YOU DARE SAY HIS NAME!!! HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!?” I roar at his darkened hooded face. Lucifer looks down at my hands clenching his collar and stares at me with an unamused expression. He sighs and brings his hand up and snaps his fingers. Suddenly, the marks on my arms glow and I feel a searing pain erupt from my arms and the rest of my body making me scream in agony and let go as I clutch my body and fall backwards on the ground.

“Hmm, that’s the second time you’ve grasped me without my consent and spoken to me in such a disrespectful manor. I suppose you need to be taught when not to step out of line in front of your Master, boy,” he lectures me coldly as I continue to scream and he brushes himself off.

“AAAAAAHHHHH!!! FUCK YOU!!! YOU INVADED MY MIND AND READ MY THOUGHTS WITHOUT MY CONSENT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!” I scream.

“I see…” he says before snapping his fingers again. The pain stops and I lay on the ground panting as the pain subsides. “I suppose I can admit when I’m in the wrong. Although in my defense, I had already known about your past even before I came to you back on Earth. You could say it’s part of the reason why I sought you out in the first place.” he said.

“What…the fuck…are you talking about…?” I ask between breaths as I calm myself, “My past is my own business, even if you already knew you have no right to bring it up out of the fucking blue! Especially mock me about it, Lucifer! Even for you, that’s low…” I sneer while rubbing my arms.

“Again you are right, I apologize. But it is true what I say, your past is what caught my eye to see if you were worthy to become my Hand,” he said.

“Why’s that?” I ask with scowl. Lucifer gestures me to follow him away from the trees and I follow him. For about five minutes, he says nothing and we’ve been walking in complete silence. Lucifer then finally glances over his shoulder to me but looks forward again.

“You could say this mission of yours, saving Equestria from the Caribou, is a quest of redemption,” he finally said, “I could tell when I first encountered you, your past was eating away at your soul little by little. I predicted that sooner or later, your guilt would become too much and you would do something that would further damn yourself to Hell than it already was. So I decided to give you a chance when most others would probably let you rot and pay for your sins. You may still be going to Hell, now that you’re my Hand and all, but not the Hell most others go to as long as you don’t get yourself killed. All that matters now is what you do now and how you do it.” Lucifer explains.

I ponder Lucifer’s words for a moment since what he said caught me a bit off guard. Redemption? Me? After what I’ve done?

“You really think I can redeem myself by saving this world?” I ask.

“But of course, yo-“

“But do you believe I can redeem myself?” I ask cutting him off. He goes silent as we both stop walking and he turns to me.

“You say you chose me because of my past and you wanted to give me a chance by bringing me here and redeeming myself by saving this world. But when we talk about saving this world, doesn’t that just mean killing and slaughtering the Caribou, including any other traitor males who turned on their own? Sure they deserve it for all they’ve done but in case you haven’t noticed this is still a whole world we’re talking about. That means there’s a lot of enemies for me to kill which also means that’s a lot, and I mean a lot of blood to be spilled. You say this is a chance of redemption but isn’t this all just adding more salt on the wounds? I’ll admit it, I’m not proud but I’ll admit it, there was enough blood on my hands as it is back on Earth for what I did. But I did what I did to serve the people and fight for my home, even if most of the others viewed me as a monster…” I explain with a sigh while placing a hand on my stomach where the scars of my injury start to throb.

“You seem to be blaming yourself more than you give yourself credit where credit is due, Dimitri. From what I’ve seen, you did what you believed had to be done to save your comrades and country. Those men deserved what they got and I can personally assure you each and every one of them are in Hell right now paying for their sins. And you’ll still be praised as a Hero once you arrive in Hell after you’re victorious, as I’ve told you. You’re my Hand after all, you’ll soon deserve everything promised to you and more.” Lucifer said.

“Well that’s the thing, Boss,” I retort while walking past him, “my mind, body, and soul may now serve you as your Hand and will continue to enact judgment on all those who come against me.” I turn my head and look back at him from the corner of my eye, “But my heart will always be human, no magic or special contract you conjure up will ever change that, and I believe it’s best you keep that in mind.”

Without another word, I activate my flames on my body again and take to the skies back towards Canterlot. My mind was awry with emotions so I did what I always do and pushed them aside so I could focus on the task at hand. I came here to save this world and that’s what I’m gonna do, even if I have to drench my very soul in the blood of all my enemies I come across…

After twenty minutes of flying, I finally touch down in front of the area where I set up the barrier around Canterlot and cancel my flames. I look around as I walk past the markings on the ground and see more ash on the ground than usual, along with the battle damage from yesterday’s fight.

“It would seem your predictions were correct. The Caribou seemed to have returned with a greater force than before so they could take the city. The ash on the ground proves it since most of it is their burnt remains.” Lucifer says as he appears next to me.

“Fuckers just don’t know when to quit…” I grumble.

I look forward and see the group of unconscious ponies I left were no longer there. I nod satisfied knowing that someone must’ve come to check on them and hopefully saw my note I left. I eventually make it to the entrance of Canterlot but stop my approach and so does Lucifer making him turn to me.

“Something the matter?” he asks.

“It’s just, I never thought I’d step foot in Canterlot of all places. It’s a little childish but you could say I’m a bit nervous meeting the Princesses and the Elements,” I said.

“Hmph, you can eviscerate an entire stockade of Caribou yet you still get performance anxiety from just meeting a few ponies?” Lucifer teases.

“Whatever,” I said rolling my eyes and giving him the finger behind my back, “let’s just get this over with,” I said. I pull my hood over my head and pull it a bit over my face and take my ear buds out of my pocket and put them in. I walk past Lucifer but stop when I noticed he didn’t follow me. I look behind me and see he’s looking at the burnt and bloodied field which makes me arch a brow.

“Something on your mind, Boss?” I ask him. He turns his head and walks towards me.

“I thought I sensed a familiar power in the area, but it must be my imagination playing with me,” he said. I shrug my shoulders and walk with him past the gates of Canterlot and pull out my phone.

“That’s impossible, they couldn’t have escaped. I made sure of it…”

“What’d you say?” I ask.

“Nothing, let’s carry on shall we?” He said. I shrug and scroll through the songs and select a song and pressed play.

I walk slowly and silently nod my head to the beat of the music as I walk. The buildings are just as grand as there were in the show but it’s different since I’m now seeing them up close in person. As I’m walking, I see ponies in front of me but I don’t pay them any mind. When they see me, they all go wide eyed and back away from me and clear the road so they could stay out of my walk path.
Some ponies in the buildings shut the windows and peek outside but look at Lucifer and I with fear.

Guess we’ll have to get used to being looked at like this, huh boss? I tell Lucifer in my head.

“Actually, they can’t see me. I’m invisible to them so you’re the only one they see.” He said.

Seriously? I ask. I look around and watch as they cower from me or look away as I walk past them. I can’t be that intimidating.

“You want to see what you look like? Look at the window up ahead.” he said. I look ahead to my right and see a window. While still keeping my pace I look to my right and see my reflection making me raise my eyebrows a bit. I see only myself and not Lucifer, wearing my shoes, jeans, and leather hooded jacket but under my hood is the same shadow like darkness as Lucifer with his hood on. Only my eyes aren’t glowing and it looks like there’s nothing but darkness underneath.

Jeez, as if I hadn’t intimidated them enough from yesterday, I groan. About a little over a couple minutes later of walking through the city, I make it to the gates of the castle. Two guards were on duty and when they see me they immediately get nervous and attempt to ready their weapons and the song ends when I’m about to greet them.

So, any ideas how you wish to introduce yourself? Because I have a few suggestions that would really “brighten” their mood.” he said with a giddy tone.

I’m sure you do, Boss. But sometimes the best approach is the subtle approach, I said in my head.

“Wh-Who are you?” One of the guards asks nervously.

“State your business…whatever you are,” the other asks a bit more calmly.

“I am here to meet with the Princesses and the Elements of Harmony. It is of great importance I speak with them,” I request.

“Who is it that asks for an audience with the Princesses and the Elements?” The calm guard asks.

“The Devil’s Hand, that’s who,” I tell them.

They both look at each other with equally nervous expressions and the grip their weapons a bit tighter.

“Subtle, hmm?” Lucifer deadpans.

Trust me, I tell him in my head.

“If it helps, I’m the one who drove back the Caribou stockade from yesterday and put up the barrier that thwarted their second attack,” I tell them.

“Wait, you did all that?” The nervous guard asks.

“Yes, now please allow me to meet with them. You can escort me to the throne room if you wish,” I said. The calmer guard regains his composure and steps towards me while pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

“If what you say is true, then let us see what we can do. But you must wear these if you wish to step in the castle,” he said while opening the cuffs.

“Are those really necessary?” I ask.

“They are,” he retorts sternly, “I insist you wear them.”

“Insists he says. Dimitri, just shove him aside already and be done with it. We’re wasting precious time and Dainn could be sending another stockade here as we speak. Maybe he’ll send a small army this time and it’ll be filled with nothing but brainwashed males who will be burned from the barrier.” Lucifer informs me.

With all due respect, Boss, I need you to shut up for a bit, I tell him making him shake his head and step back.

“Very well,” I tell the guard as I put my arms forward. The guard nods places each cuff on my wrists and steps to my right as the other comes to my left. The guard on my right, who’s a unicorn, uses his magic to open the gates and we step inside. As we’re walking, the staff and guards inside stare at me in shock and fear. I just ignore them as we continue our trek through the halls of the castle. Eventually we come to a familiar pair of doors that lead to the throne room and the guards gesture me to stop.

“Wait here while I address the Princesses and the Elements,” the unicorn guard tells me. I nod and he opens the door and walks in while closing it behind him. As I’m waiting with the guard on my left, I noticed he looks familiar since he’s a pegasus guard. After a few minutes of guessing, I figured it out making me smile under my hood.

“You’re Flash Sentry, aren’t you?” I ask. He looks at me wide eyed as if I could read his mind.

“H-how do you know my name?” Flash asks.

“I have my ways,” I answer, “you’re one of Princess Cadenza’s personal guards, right?”

“Y-yeah, I had just been promoted a few months ago. That is until…” he trails off with a sad tone.

“Until the Caribou came,” I finish he frowns and nods and I raise my cuffed hands and place one on his shoulder making him look up at me.

“I’m sorry about what happened to the Crystal Empire, kid. But don’t worry, it’ll be taken back one day,” I reassure him.

“You think so?” He asks with a hopeful expression.

“I know so,” I said while smiling under my hood.

The doors open and I take my hand off Flash’s shoulder and stand up straight as the guard from earlier steps out.

“The Princesses and the Elements will see you now,” he said. I nod and step towards doors with Flash and take a deep breath.

Here we go Boss, I think.

“Indeed,” he says while walking next to me.

I walk in the throne room following the guards with head a bit tilted down. I glance up and lo and behold, all three Princesses and The Elements of Harmony are on the other side of the room looking at me. Flash and the other guard stop half way and bow but I just keep standing.

“Your majesties, we have brought the hooded stranger,” the unicorn guard said.

“Thank you Sergeant Onyx Shine, you and Lieutenant Flash Sentry may leave us,” Princess Celestia says.

Both guards nod and stand up and walk past me back to the doors. Flash glances back to me before he’s out of my sight and I nod to him making him smile a bit. As soon as the doors close, it’s now just me and the pony mares of royalty and element bearers. Celestia stands up from her throne, along with Luna and Cadence, and walks down the small staircase towards me with the others following close behind. I keep my neutral stance while Lucifer is still standing beside me with his arms crossed and yawns.

“And I thought I liked to make a dramatic introduction…” He grumbles but I ignore him. Celestia and the others stop over a few feet from me and most of them either have cautious expressions or looks of fear in their eyes.

“I’m told you are the one who pushed back the Caribou from invading Canterlot the other day?” Celestia asks.

“That I am, Princess Celestia,” I answer with a curt nod. Celestia arches a brow at my tone of voice but more so that I said her name before she could introduce herself.

“You know who I am?” She asks.

“I do, in fact, I know all of you,” I said making their others eyes widen, “Princess Celestia of the Sun, Princess Luna of the Moon, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of Love. Along with the Elements of Harmony, Pinkie Pie, Element it Laughter, Applejack, Element of Honesty, Fluttershy, Element of Kindness, Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, Rarity, Element of Generosity, and last but not least, the recently appointed Princess of Friendship and bearer of the Element of Magic, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” I said while gesturing to each and every mare in the room. They stare at me in total shock as I named them and their titles. Luna furrows her brows and marches up to me in a huff.

“How is you know so much about us?” She demands.

“I have my ways,” I repeat, “you could say it’s sort of a necessity of mine to know these things.”

“That’s not good enough, stranger,” she retorts, “I demand you tell us how you know us so well.”

“Hmph, you know you’re being awfully rude to someone who just saved you and your city from a stockade of Caribou yesterday. I even went as far as to allow myself to be restrained as a gesture of good faith,” I snort while holding up my bonded hands. Luna was about to say something but Celestia raises her hand to silence her.

“You may have indeed saved us, stranger, but you’ll forgive us for not trusting you right away. Especially since we don’t even know your name, let alone know what you look like under your hood,” Celestia said.

“Dimitri,” Lucifer said making me look at him. The others don’t notice where I’m looking thanks to my hoods shadow covering my face. “I advise not telling them your title yet. It’s better you gain their trust before they cast you out before you can help them at all. We should count ourselves lucky that those guards didn’t say anything to them before we came in.” Lucifer said.

“I guess you have a point, Princess, very well,” I said as I reach for my hood, “my name is Dimitri Lockdrom, and I-“

“Your Majesties!”

I’m interrupted when the doors behind me burst open and I turn around to see another familiar unicorn stallion come running in and bows to the Princesses. It’s none other than Dr. Greymare and he’s does not look happy at all.

“Forgive my interruption, but Sir Shining Armor. He’s…” he tails off looking grim making me frown. I hear a pair of gasps and frantic hoofsteps run up behind me as Cadence and Twilight pass me and through the doors. The others also follow quickly behind them and I too follow close behind.

“I believe this is a bit of a private affair, Dimitri. I’m sure whatever ales Shining Armor the doctors can handle it,” Lucifer says as he follows me.

“You may be the Devil, Boss, but you’re sometimes very naive. I’ve got a very bad feeling about this and I just hope I’m wrong…” I said as I follow the others.

We eventually make it to the medical wing of the castle and we walk towards a room where we were told Shining Armor was in. The mares walk inside and I stop at the doorway and see something that makes my heart twitch. Shining armor was laying on the bed with cords attached to his chest under his gown and had a oxygen mask on his muzzle, but that’s not what upset me. What caught my eye was his forehead, where his horn should be but wasn’t…

Instead there was just a jagged stump on his head and he looked to be in pain and barely had his eyes open as he was speaking to Cadence and Twilight who were both crying. On the other side of the bed was his daughter, Flurry Heart, and she was sitting in the lap of a mare who I saw was his mother Twilight Velvet and her husband, Shining’s father, Night Light and they had tears of their own. This whole scene makes me bite my lip a bit since I already know how this is gonna end. Dr. Greymare spots me and walks over to me with a curious look.

“What happened to him?” I ask. Dr. Greymare sighs as he looks back at Shining Armor.

“Sir Shining Armor used too much magic,” he explained, “when the Caribou invaded and the Crystal Empire fell, his first acts were to evacuate Ponyville and cast a shield around the Canterlot. That was over three months ago.”

“He’s been casting the same shield spell for over three months?” I ask surprised.

“Yes, and it especially didn’t help every time the Caribou attacked. They came almost every week and bombarded the shield with their weapons, magic, and cannon fire but the shield held strong thanks to him. But all that caused major strain on his part. The first sign of his strain was when everypony noticed a crack in his horn. We all tried to prevent him from casting the same spell for it would only worsen the damage but he insisted he keep casting it. Sir Shining even went as far as barely sleeping or eating in order to keep the shield at its full strength.

“He kept telling his family and friends it was his duty and he wouldn’t let this city fall like the Crystal Empire. All that strain and magic use had finally took its toll yesterday when the shield was finally on the brink of collapse. Even earlier this week, he was using the last of his strength to keep it up. We even just now discovered that in his last moments, he used his own life force to power the spell and well, this is the result…” he said while gesturing to his current state.

“And his horn?” I ask.

“It crumbled away as soon as we brought him here for treatment. It seems Sir Shining pushed himself over his magical limits,” he says with a sigh.

“I’m sorry sir, but this is a bit of a private affair. I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he says. I was about to turn around when I hear something behind me.

“No…wait…”

I turn around and see Shining Armor looking at me with tired eyes.

“He…can stay…I want…to talk to him…” he says weakly. The doctor was hesitant at first, since I saw the first thing he noticed about me was my shackles still being on, but nods since Shining requested it. I slowly walk over to Shining as the mares part away so I’m standing next to him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shining Armor, my name is Dimitri Lockdrom. I wish we could’ve met under different circumstances,” I said with a nod.

“Yeah…you too… Mr. Lockdrom, I saw you…yesterday…before I collapsed. You…took down…all those Caribou…like it was…nothing. I gotta say…I was impressed…” he says in a raspy voice between breaths.

“And you’ll be able to see much more once you’re back in your hooves, Armor. Because I’ve got plenty of neat tricks up my sleeve,” I said. Shining Armor frowns as he looks around to the others and closes his eyes and sighs.

“No…I’m afraid I’m not…” he weakly says.

“What do you mean? Of course you’re gonna-“

“Dimitri…” he cuts me off as he opens his eyes and looks at me sternly.

“I know…what’s gonna happen…and I think…you do too. So please…listen to my words…not as a…Captain or a soldier, but…as a husband, father and…friend…” he said. I nod slowly and take a deep breath to compose myself as I hear the others start to cry, more so from Cadence and Twilight. Shining takes a deep breath so he could talk properly.

“This world was so peaceful and full of beauty, before the Caribou came. I still had many things I wanted to do, especially ever since my daughter was born,” he said while glancing at Flurry Heart who was whimpering and reaching out to him.

“It was my job to protect the Crystal Empire, but I failed. And it was my job to protect Canterlot, but you stepped in and saved us but I still failed because the shield fell…” he said sadly.

“No, no you didn’t Armor. You saved your wife and daughter, you saved the ponies of Ponyville, and you kept this city safe from the Caribou for over three months,” I said as I reach up for my hood. I gently take it off so he can look at me in my eyes properly. He looks into my eyes and I can tell he sees my conviction.

“If anything, Shining, you’re a hero and a stallion among others. You should be proud of you accomplishments,” I tell him as I place a hand next to his. He smiles and tears up as he reaches for my hand and I take it.

“I’ve been wanting to hear that for so long, thank you…” he tells me weakly. I nod as I feel tears start to form in my eyes. His grip on my hand tightens as he leans a bit up to look at me square in the eye.

“Dimitri, please, promise me…you’ll look after…my family…and friends. Promise me…you’ll free us…from the Caribou…so my little filly…can grow up…happily…” he said between breaths.

I glance at Flurry Heart who was now crying and whimpering more and still trying to reach out to her father. I look back at Shining and tighten my own grip on his.

“I swear to you, this world will have its happiness once again. Your daughter will be smiling just as the day she was born,” I tell him. He smiles as all the sounds around me start to drown out and all I can hear is the heart monitor and it beats slower with ever beat. Shining leans back and his grip starts to loosen as his eyes begin to droop.

“Da…Da…”

Shining’s eyes open a bit from closing and my eyes widen as we both slowly turn to Flurry Heart.

“Da…Da,” she whimpers again

My tears finally escape my eyes and tears begin to fall from Shining’s.

“Dada loves you, Flurry. Dada…loves…you…”

Shining’s grip falls from my hand as the heart monitor flatlines and he closes his eyes and takes his last breath. The heart monitor was the only thing I was hearing as I stare at the Princesses protector. Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Gaurd, husband, Father, and dear friend to all, passed away with a smile on his face…

Author's Note

Legends never die, hope you all enjoyed…:fluttercry::raritycry:

The Devil’s Encouragement

Chapter 28

My eyes kept looking straight forward as Canterlot came more into view. Every time I thought about it, I always had to force myself from not marching down to the brig and tearing his fucking head off. The things he said, without the slightest hint of remorse, set my anger to a new all time high. I’m arguably more pissed than I’ve ever been in the 28 years of my life, and that’s saying something. I often wonder what kind of man I’d be if I allowed the bloodlust to consume me. If I hadn’t made that damn bargain with Phill, if Phill hadn’t even shown up in the first place, then I’d just continue going on a killing spree wherever I go. But I did not want to dwell on such thoughts at the moment, right now I just wanna get this piece of traitor filth off my ship and plan to rip Lust’s skull off his fucking neck.

We soon landed in an open area near the castle, and I looked over to see Celestia and Luna waiting for me with a few guards. I sighed as I signaled some of the crew to fetch the prisoner to which they saluted and ran off to the brig. I jumped off the crow’s nest and unfurled my wings and glided down to the ground. I gently landed on the ground and adjusted my coat and leather strappings as Celestia and Luna approached me.

“Sir Dimitri.” Celestia said, making me glance up at her. “We did not expect such a surprise visit.”

“Mmm…” I murmured.

“What is wrong Dimitri?” Luna wondered with a worried expression.

“What would you say is the hardest part of being a ruler of an entire nation?” I asked out of the blue as I looked at the both of them dead in the eye. Both royal mares looked at each other in confusion and looked back at me. “I’ll tell you: doing what’s right.”

“We are inclined to agree, but why tell us this?” Celestia wondered.

“I consider you two close friends.” I said with a frown. “You’ve supported my relationship with Twilight, you apologized for your wrongdoings, you allowed me to continue my operations despite my violent nature, and I always enjoy our time together whenever I come to visit.”

“We are glad to hear that, Dimitri.” Luna said with a smile.

“But there are times when true friends need to be told the hard truth so that they can reach an understanding.” I said with a stern gaze. “You two need a reality check.”

“Reality check?” Celestia repeats.

“This world…is broken beyond measure.” I said, raising my hand out. “The Caribou have taken everything you all know and love and crushed it with their totalitarian rule and fascist mindset against the female sex. With that being said, if you don’t change the way you’ve been running this nation soon, things won’t get any better any time soon and we’ll end up right back where we started. For the sake of your subjects, this kingdom, and this entire nation you rule over, you need to be more ruthless when condemning those who’ve done everyone and everything wrong.”

“Ruthless? But we could never-”

“THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP IS DEAD!!” I barked loud and harshly, startling the both of them. “IT DIED THE MOMENT THE FIRST CARIBOU STEPPED ONTO THE SHORES OF EQUESTRIA!! THEY KILLED, PILLAGED, RAPED, DESTROYED, AND CORRUPTED ALL IN THEIR PATH!! THERE’S NO ROOM FOR SEEKING REDEMPTION, THERE’S NO POINT IN EXPECTING CHANGE!! IF AND WHEN THIS WAR IS OVER, NOTHING WILL BE THE SAME!! YOU TWO NEED TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT FOR THE SAKE OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED!!”

I glanced over my shoulder to see some crew members push Mac down the gangplanks with the sac on his head. “This is your chance to prove that you’re not the pushovers that they accuse you to be.” Mac stands beside me and is forced to his knees. “This is the King Pony, the one who’s responsible for turning Equestria upside down with his criminal operations.” I grabbed the sac over his head and yanked it off, making both royal mares gasp in horror. “He’s also known as Big Macintosh, former brother of Applejack and a traitor to his home.”

Mac glanced up to me with his branded face and shuddered at the mere sight of me. The hand shaped scar that stretched across the side of his face was still fresh and it made him whimper in pain and fear. It probably wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Mac was looking at the Devil himself, which wouldn’t be too far off considering I’m the Hand. Luna was the first to react as she grit her teeth and her wings flared out as she seethed at the kneeling stallion. Celestia was still trying to come to terms with what she was seeing, but Luna wasted no time to stomp forward and slug Mac across his muzzle. The stallion grunted in pain as he skidded across the ground, the side of his muzzle looked a little caved in; Luna would’ve easily smashed his skull but held back as to not kill him.

“THEE DARETH COMMIT SUCH ATROCITIES ‘GAINST THY OWNETH HOME?! WE SHALT MAKETH THEE SUFF’R F’R ALL THEE HAS’T DONE TO OUR SUBJECTS!!” Luna bellows in her royal canterlot voice and old speech.

“Luna wait!” Celestia pleaded as she quickly grabbed Luna and held her back.

“Alloweth me wend, sist'r! We wisheth to did beat this mongrel within an inch of his pathetic life! What Sir Dimitri hast toldeth us during his visits, all the atrocities that gent hast committed, the only prop'r price to payeth is his owneth life!”

“We do not kill ponies!” Celestia struggled.

“But you can sentence them.” I spoke up, making them turn to me.

It was then that Applejack and her family came down from the gangplank to see what was going on. Applejack was still in a state of shock, Apple Bloom has been crying nonstop, and Granny Smith was still in a bit of dazed trance from the mere image of her grandson.

“Mac is a piece of fucking traitor shit…” I snarled as my fists clenched tight. “Not a second goes by right now where I don’t want to rip his still beating heart out of his fucking throat!” My body began feeling cold and patches of ice formed along my frame and wings as I gave Mac a death glare, who cowered at my gaze. “You are disgusting, a whelp who allowed his own insecurities mold him into the despicable state you are now.” I slowly reached for Ymir and unsheathed my sword and pointed the blue blade at Mac. Shards of ice formed along the blade and my hand and the ground beneath me froze and the air became more cold. “The winds of death surround you, Mac. Cold, foreboding, and will chill your soul as long as that brand on your face remains. It will sting and burn, serving as a constant reminder of who and what you are.”

I was about to say something else, but I took a deep breath instead to calm myself down. The ice around my body melted and I held the sword up to my face to look at my reflection. I saw that my eyes were no longer grey and were bright amber, what’s more is that it looked like my eyelids had dark rings around them and little marks on the sides, which made my gaze look all the more intimidating. As my eyes returned to their normal grey color, the dark rings around my eyelids remained but I just ignored it.

“It unfortunately is no longer my place to claim your life.” I sheath my sword and looked to the royal sisters. “Nor is theirs, but they do have the proper authority to handle this situation and act like proper rulers.” I walked over to Luna, who was still struggling in Celestia’s grip, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m the one who kills, not you, nor your sister. Your place is to sentence him to whatever punishment you so desire.”

“Death is m’re than a w’rthy punishment!” Luna argued.

“I won’t allow you or Celestia to dirty your hands in blood!” I snapped. I looked up to Celestia. “The days of being a motherly figure are at an end, Celestia, Dainn is not the kind of being who will listen to mere words. Your ponies are suffering, dying, and being sexually and mentally tortured. That stallion is one of the main epicenters of this calamity. I fight on the front lines with my crew and apprentices because it’s a necessity in these times of conflict. They need to see Celestia.” I gestured to my crew who were watching from my ship, the Apple family, and some other ponies who were gathering around to see the commotion. “They need to see the old days, when everyone could smile without a care, have to be put aside so everyone can see the bigger picture. So do it, both of you, act like the proper rulers that Equestria needs and show them what happens to those who betray their own.”

Celestia stared at me for a moment and frowned as my words dug their way into her mind. I knew full well the kind of mare she was, a kind and benevolent ruler who treated her ponies as if they were her own in a way. It was as if she was having an internal struggle over her own morality and she was now forced to make a change for not only herself but for her precious kingdom she has ruled for over a thousand years. Celestia looked past me and glared at Mac, for a brief moment, I saw a glint in her eye that was a little odd.

As Celestia glared at Mac, the whites of her eyes darkened slightly red and her cornea brightened a little yellowish. What’s more is that her pupils became almost slitted, but just before they could change any more, she clenched her eyes shut and tried to calm herself down. Celestia then released Luna and walked past me with her sister towards the downed stallion. Another strange feature about Celestia was that her mane and tail seemed to flicker small embers every now and then and the ground had slightly singed hoofprints where she walked. Both Princesses loomed over Mac as I walked over to the Apple family and stood by them.

“Witness this.” I said as I crossed my arms. “Witness and remember for the rest of your days.”

“Big Macintosh.” Celestia hissed. “You have committed abominable acts of treason and tyranny against the ponies of Equestria. You betrayed everypony for your own selfish desires and your mere presence is a stain of shame that shall be etched within the scribes of these dark times.”

“Death shouldst beest a suitable punishment f’r all thee has’t done. Coequal though tis not our lodging to sendeth thee to thy death, thy fate is seal’d and th’re is nothing yond can redeem thee.” Luna stated coldly.

“I, Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria, hereby sentence you to The Black Pit: a cell deep in the dungeons my sister and I swore would never use but will make an exception for you.”

“Th’re, thee shall remaineth f’r the rest of thy life. A prison’r who is’t shall beest did deprive of any friendship, kindness, and compassion. The Dark Pit shall nev’r alloweth thee to seeth a shr’d of lighteth so longeth as thee draweth breath. If ‘t be true th’re is aught thee wisheth to sayeth bef’re thou art lock’d hence f’rev’r, We suggesteth thee doth so anon.”

Mac gulped as he trembled in fear, still laying on the ground. He looked to his former family, who looked away in shame, then to me and I just spat on the ground. Mac knew this was it for him, he’d live as a disgraced one armed stallion in a hole; never to be seen or heard from again.

“Ain’t nothin’ left to say…fer a kingdom Ah no longer believe in…” Mac grumbled bitterly.

Celestia and Luna scowled at Mac as they turned away and gestured to the guards to take him away. Two armored stallions saluted and matched to the downed stallion and hoisted him to his hooves. As Mac was pushed away, he looked over his shoulder one last time to his family. All he did was scoff and look away, we didn’t stop staring at him until he was out of sight. I sighed and noticed that Applejack and her family looked visibly crushed. Mac may still live, but he might as well be dead wherever he’s headed. Celestia looked to me with a sad frown as Luna tried to calm herself down. Her eyes were back to normal and her mane and tail were also flowing on their own in their multicolored state. I nudged Applejack to go back to the ship, to which she nodded and led her sister and grandmother back to The Prometheus.

“To think, of all the stallions, it was Big Macintosh.” Celestia sighed as she and Luna walked up to me. “It must have been a harrowing experience for young Applejack and her family.”

“How are you faring, Dimitri?” Luna asked.

“I’m stable, somewhat.” I said as I looked away.

“Dimitri, what is wrong with your eyes?” Luna wondered. “Are you not getting enough sleep? They look like they have dark rings around them.”

“I’m fine.” I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. “Just a side effect from my powers. Look I gotta get back to Ponyville now so I’ll see you later.”

“May we perhaps come along with you?” Celestia requested. “I wish to check in on Twilight and Cadence.”

“I as well, mostly because I wish to see Ponyville again and I too wish to see Cadence.” Luna said.

“Sure, I don’t mind.” I shrugged. “Just follow me to the deck.”

“Thank you.” Celestia said as she turned to the guards. “My sister and I shall be back momentarily. Please inform the nobles to wait for our return.”

“Yes, your majesty.” The guards saluted and marched off.

I lead the Princesses up the gangplank and to the deck of the ship. Being the gentleman I am, I offered them a hand to step on the deck to which they both smiled and accepted my offer as they took it. The whole crew were completely shocked to see Celestia and Luna and offered to serve them anything they wanted. While the two princesses were looking around my ship, I pressed my earpiece to call Draco, I waited for a few seconds and he picked up. By now he and the others should be back in Ponyville from the lake. The ship lifted in the air and Luna peered over the deck with Celestia to watch the the ship fly, which they both found to be quite enjoyable.

“Draco, it’s Lock. I’m headed back to town now. Mac…is gone now, locked up forever. How’s it going with you?”

A moment passed before I heard the click of on the end. “This is Draco, everything is…well as good as it can be with how things turned out today.” It was easily noticeable in his voice how sad he was right now. “So…where are we off to now Lock?”

“Nowhere for now, I'm bringing Celestia and Luna back with me.” I said bluntly, until I heard him gasp and some kind of crash in the background.

It took a moment before he responded. “I-I’m sorry, d-did you say you were bringing the princesses with you?” He sounded a bit nervous.

“Uh, yeah? They want to see Twilight and Cadence. They’re looking around the deck of my ship as we speak.” I said, until I heard another gasp and him mumbling to himself.

“Draco are you okay man?” I asked only to hear something like someone fumbling around. I waited for a moment before someone else picked up the line. “Uh, boss is that you?”

“Swift? What’s up? What happened to Draco?” I wondered.

“Oh well when I came to find him, he was fumbling around looking nervous. Then he turned into some green lizard and hid behind some barrels.”

“Oh for the love of…put the earpiece on speaker.” I groaned. Swift did as I asked after I heard another click and I cleared my throat. “Draco, if you don’t come out of wherever you’re hiding, I’m putting Celestia on the phone.”

“…” There was no response until after a few more seconds. “Where on the ship are you at?”

“I’m on the deck of the ship, why?”

“Just whistle when you want me to come down. I'll be waiting for your signal.” He answered before hanging up.

“Draco? Draco!…Ugh, that little paranoid shit.” I grumbled as I walked to the bow of the ship. I leaned over the railing and saw Ponyville just on the horizon. Next to the town was the Everfree, which made my heart wain a little as another task of mine needed to be done. “No longer will I ignore it, I will face it head on and so will you.”

A little while later, we eventually made it to Ponyville and the Prometheus landed near the rest of the fleet. Celestia and Luna were surprised to see the rest of the ships we commandeered from the Caribou as I walked up to them.

“This is your fleet?” Celestia asked.

“Yep, and we get more crew members each day.” I nodded. “Most of the ships have crew members operating them, but we still need more troops before we can make a move on the Crystal Empire.”

“This is all quite impressive, Dimitri.” Luna said. “Do you truly believe you can take it back?”

“Yes, I swear it.” I nodded. I led the two of them off the deck and walked them and Applejack’s family down the gangplank.

“Ah’m…gonna take mah sister and granny back to the farm.” Applejack sighed as she walked away.

“Poor mare.” Celestia said and Luna nodded.

“It’ll be a hard pill to swallow, but for now there’s someone I’d like you two to meet.” I said as I put two fingers in my mouth. I blew out and whistled loudly and waited.

“Whatever was that for?” Luna asked.

“Give it a second.” I said.

Before we knew it a large shadow passed over us, prompting us to look up and see Draco gliding down in his Quetzalcoatlus form. He flapped his massive wings and landed in front of us.

“Sweet stars above and moon!” Luna yelped as she hid behind her sister. “What in the name of the starry sky is that creature?!”

“Well this is…surprising.” Celestia blinked.

“Princesses, this is the Beast of Equestria.” I smirked as I patted Draco’s side.

“The Beast? You mean the monster who has been terrorizing the lands? This monster?” Celestia said.

“Yep, but this ain’t his true form.” I said as I glanced up to the large bird Dino. “It’s now or never, man.”

Draco took a moment as he looked to me then to the princesses. After another minute, his body slowly began to shrink, and his prehistoric limbs began to morph back into his true appearance. Within seconds stood Draco in his true form.

He looked to the princesses, whose mouths were hung wide open. Draco moved one hand over his heart and slowly bowed his head. “It’s both a pleasure and an honor to make your acquaintance.”

Luna quickly walked around Celestia and right up to Draco. She narrowed her eyes and walked around Draco while examining him from every angle. She then walked in front of Draco again, to which we saw she was a full foot and a half taller than him, and she glanced at me.

“Explain to me right now why it is I can sense Discord’s chaotic magic from this little stallion.” She said.

Aw shit… I thought.

I was about to try and save Luna from Draco’s wrath, but to my surprise he didn’t look like he was about to do so. “Your majesty, to answer your question, it was Discord himself who both brought me here, and gave me my powers.”

He smiled before gently taking Luna’s hand into his own and looking her in the eyes. “Also keep in mind princess, big things tend to come from little packages.” He gave her a wink before gently kissing her hand.

Luna’s reaction was priceless as she blushed up a storm and scurried away to my side and hugged my arm like a child.

“Y-you have kind words, strange human, but they won’t work on me!” Luna said.

“Now now, that’s no way to speak to our new guest, Luna.” I chuckled as I patted her head.

Celestia smiled as she approached Draco and stood before him. She was just as tall as me and she even kneeled down to face him.

“So Discord sent you here, did he? I suppose this would be something he would pull. My name is Princess Celestia. You already met my sister Luna, so what is your name?” She asked with her trademark motherly tone.

Draco had a look that you would see when a fan meets his favorite celebrity. But he was quick to regain his composure as he cleared his throat. “It’s nice to meet you, your highness, my name is Draco Saurian, but please call me Draco if you like.”

Celestia then did something neither of us expected. She reached out and gently hugged him in a comforting embrace. “You seem to have been on your own for quite some time. I apologize that you had to see this world in its worst state, all alone. But you are amongst those who will welcome you with open arms, remember that.”

Draco froze for a moment with a light blush, but slowly he gave in and returned the gesture with a peaceful smile on his face. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

He pulled away and smiled at the two princesses. “And you can count on me to come to you and the citizens of Equestria’s aid whenever it’s needed.”

“We thank you, Draco.” Celestia said.

“You two can go to the castle, I need to talk with Draco about something.” I said. They both nodded and headed to the castle. Luna glanced over her shoulder with a wary gaze at Draco but continued walking with her sister.

“Draco, come with me.” I said as I turned away. “I need your help with something.”

“Something up Lock?” He asked as he moved to my side as we walked.

I glanced around and looked at Draco with a serious expression. “We’re going to Everfree Forest to get Nightmare Moon out of the old castle.” I said sternly.

Draco stopped dead in his tracks looking at me with a shocked expression. “Ummm…does everypony know about her, or is this the part where you reveal her to the others?”

“The only one who knows is Twilight, but I don’t care.” I said as I looked back at him. “She needs to get out of that castle, I don’t want her to be alone anymore. If anyone, the Princesses included, has a problem with her then they’ll answer to me.”

Draco sighed and scratched his head before moving back to my side. “Okay but why do you want me to come with you? Can’t you get her on your own? Not that I have a problem with meeting her or anything.”

“I just need you around in case there’s any trouble. Besides, it’s always good to have company if there isn’t.” I said. “Plus…there’s something else I’ve been thinking about for quite some time now, ever since I met her.”

“And that would be?” He asked.

I hesitated as I cleared my throat and pulled the collar of my shirt. “I…like her. More than that.” I sighed as I looked up to the sky and closed my eyes. “I love her, man.”

“Well…uh…good for you man.” He said while patting my back. “You plan on telling her that today?”

“No, not yet at least.” I said. “Heh, saying it out loud lifts the weight of my shoulders, of only a little.” I looked back at Draco. “But if I’m gonna confess to her, it won’t be in that damn castle. She deserves to make her own decisions instead of letting her paranoia dictate her life.”

“Hmm, I guess I understand what you mean. And I think that it’s nice of you to do this for her. Everypony deserves a second chance.” He said with a smile and gave my back a slap. “Well come on, Romeo, your mare awaits you.”

“She ain’t my mare, or anyone’s.” I shot back as we continued our walk. “But thanks anyway.

We soon made it to the forest and were walking through the dank woods. The sun was starting to set and as usual, none of the predators bothered to make a move on us since we gave off such intimidating presences.

“This place always gives me the fucking creeps.” I grumbled as I swiped away a tree branch.

Draco let out a little hum as he looked around the dark and creepy forest. “Hmmm, you know I thought it would have given me the same feeling. But for some weird reason it doesn’t, feels kind of nice actually.”

“Well woohoo for you.” I said sarcastically. “So, I may have begun my little process of forming a future herd, but do you have a special someone in mind?”

Draco’s cheeks turn a light shade of red before looking away. “Maybe, but right now I'm not sure I can worry about something like that.”

“Why’s that? I mean if I can find someone, why can’t you? You seemed to hit it off with Shadow pretty well.”

Draco’s cheeks deepened in color before clearing his throat. “L-look, all I want to do right now is save Equestria before these Caribou can ruin it any further.” His bashful disposition disappeared as one of sorrow replaced it. “If we don’t the chance that their evil may spread into the hearts of others, like they did with Big Macintosh.”

“I won’t let that happen, Draco, we won’t let it happen.” I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Once we take the Crystal Empire, defeat Lust, and repair the Crystal Heart, the whole world will be singing a different tune as soon as the brainwashing is broken.”

He sighed and looked up to the sky for a few moments. “Sure that may be true, but don’t forget that if we do beat Lust, there are six other sins to take care of. I just want to beat them as soon as possible so Equestria can return to normal.”

“You and me both, bro, I actually decided we will target Gluttony next. I heard he’s got the Diamond Dogs under heavy suppression.” I commented as we neared the bridge. “He’s supposedly a fat bastard, which is ironic.”

“Ummm isn't it though? He is Gluttony. I mean, don’t all the sins take on the form they’re based on?”

“Who knows? But what does have me a little on edge is why they’re still quiet after all the noise we’ve stirred up. Doesn’t really matter anyway, they won’t ignore us any longer once one of their fellow sins is dealt with.”

Draco took a moment to think about my question. We walked in silence as the ambience of the Everfree was all that could be heard. “It’s just a thought, but maybe Lust is the weakest of the seven. Maybe the other sins are actually gagging us by seeing how we fare against lust. Or maybe they split this world into different territories, and could care less about each other.”

“Well one thing’s for sure.” I growled as I cracked my knuckles and we arrived at the bridge. “I’m gonna enjoy ripping his fucking soul out and giving him a punishment fit for the sin of Lust.”

Draco nodded as his hands turned into claws and he quickly swiped it to his left, cutting a charging Timberwolf that was foolish enough to attack. “And I will enjoy carving up the other sin’s bodies.”

We both nodded with smirks as we crossed the bridge. Once we arrived at the castle, I noticed Draco taking it all in.

"Man this place sure does look more impressive in person. Hard to believe this used to be the original capital of Equestria."

“That, and this is where Twilight’s journey began.” I added.

We both then walked through the open area and I looked around for Nightmare. She usually would show up as soon as I arrived but for some reason she wasn’t. It wasn’t until a little after when we both heard what sounded like crying from down one of the halls. We both nodded and walked towards the noise until we came to a room with a crescent moon etched into the door. It was slightly ajar and I peered inside to see Nightmare sitting on the edge of a bed. She had her face buried into her hands and was sniffling every now and then. The whole image made my heart wane since I hated to see her so sad. I slowly moved the door open, making it creek, which startled her and she spun her body around and gasped.

“D-Dimitri?!” Nightmare yelped. “Wh-What are you doing in my room?!”

“Oh, this is your room? My bad, I heard you crying and I got a little worried. I’ll head out.” I said as I turned away.

“No wait!” Nightmare cried as she flew over to me and grabbed my hand. “Don’t leave me, please! I beg of you!” She immediately wrapped me in a big hug and buried her face in my chest. I was surprised to say the least but returned the gesture and hugged her back. Nightmare lifted her head to gaze at me and smiled until she noticed Draco in the doorway, making her tilt her head.

“Dimitri, who is this? Another human?” She asked after calming down a little.

Draco was also surprised to see Nightmare as well, possibly how she was actually as opposed to Luna’s TV counterpart. He gave a small wave with a smile. “Umm hi there it’s nice to meet you, I’m Draco Saurian.”

“He’s the Beast of Equestria, Nightmare, the one I’ve been pursuing.” I said as Nightmare released me.

“Truly?” Nightmare said as she approached Draco. “How Intriguing, a little colt like you giving Dimitri such trouble?”

Shit…

I could see Draco’s hand about to shift into a set of claws, but like what happened with Luna he refrained from doing anything brash. Instead he did something different. Rather than get a violently aggressive boy turning into something big and terrifying, he transformed into a baby sabertooth tiger cub and mewed.

“What the…” I murmured.

“EEEEEEEEE!!!” Nightmare screeched as she snatched up the saber tooth kitten and hugged it close.

“OH MY SWEET STARS ABOVE!!” Moon happily said as she bounced around her room. “YOU ARE JUST THE CUTEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!!” Draco just purred lightly as his little paws playfull batted some of Nightmare’s mane.

“But…I thought he could only turn into dinosaurs.” I said to myself as Nightmare held the kitten in front of her.

“Aaaawww, look at your little paws.” Moon cooed. “I could spoil you for moons on end!”

While Draco’s was getting his little belly rubbed, he glanced over at me with a playful smirk before sticking his tongue out at me. Finally seeing his game, I grit my teeth and glared at the kitten. Draco soon saw my eyes turn bright amber and I mouthed words to him.

“Off, or I turn you into a rug...”

Draco stuck his tongue out one last time before hopping out of Nightmare’s arms. He quickly turned back and grinned at me. “Never took you for the jealous type, Lock.” He teased.

“Ugh, you’re such a little shit.” I grumbled. “So Nightmare, how come you were crying?”

Nightmare soon went from smiling to frowning again and sighed sadly as she sat on the edge of her bed.

“I was thinking about my current situation. I have been residing here for quite some time and I always enjoy your visits, but what if I am to remain here?” Moon looked up at us as tears formed in her eyes. “I committed such a terrible act, not once but twice, and I already know that no pony would ever forgive a mare like me. They would rather I be sent back to the moon, which is probably what I deserve.”

“Nightmare don’t say that, don’t you remember what I told you? Everyone deserves a second chance.” I argued.

“But why me?! Why, of all ponies, me?!” Nightmare cried. “You are the only stallion who has shown me any kindness despite my past. You always ensure to visit me, you always say such meaningful words of comfort, but do I deserve such kindness?! Do I...do I even deserve to be by your side?”

I was about to answer when Draco stepped in. “If I may. From what I can tell, you are obviously feeling regrets about what you did, yes?” Nightmare nodded. “Then you’re not the same mare you used to be. I’m sure that the others will accept your apology, and will give you the benefit of the doubt. Besides they have and will give many once or soon to be villians a second chance at redemption. And if they don’t, both Lock and myself will stand by you to make sure you are given a chance.”

“And what of Celestia?” Nightmare questioned. “More so, what of Luna? I’m the cause of our banishment, if any pony, she most likely holds the most resentment towards me.”

“Luna is a bit more stubborn than Celestia, but I’m sure if she sees reason she’ll understand.” I said reassuringly.

“He’s right you know, it may take some time, but with enough effort you can earn back their trust.” Draco added.

“Nightmare, take it from me.” I said as I sat down next to her. “I’m still blaming myself for the death of my brother-in-arms, Joshua Clay. I punished myself back in my world by becoming a recluse and not really interacting with anyone.” I reached over and put my hand on hers. “I’m still trying to forgive myself for what happened to Clay, but that doesn’t mean you should end up the same way. You have to forgive yourself for what happened, otherwise you’ll end up like me; a broken soul who’s still trying to find his inner peace.”

Nightmare’s lip quivered and she lunged at me and wrapped her arms around me. She cried into my chest and I just held her, rubbing her back as she wept.

“Waaaaahhh! I don’t wanna be alone! I wanna live! I wanna be happy!” Moon wept.

“And you will.” I said with a smile as I held her close. “Right Draco?”

He nodded in agreement. “Yep, we will make sure of it. This I swear.”

Nightmare sniffled as she looked up at me with those beautiful cat like eyes of hers. The way they shimmered in the night made my heart skip a beat. This only confirmed it, this mare is the second woman who’s captured my heart, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Nightmare, I wish to offer you once again that you return with me to Ponyville.”

“I would love to.” Nightmare said happily. “But only on one condition.”

“And that is?”

“I would prefer it if you called me Moon from now on.” Nightmare said.

“Moon? As in just Moon?”

“Yes, I…cherish you a great deal, Dimitri.” Moon blushed a little. “I want us to be more well acquainted with each other from now on.”

“I see.” I said with a small blush of my own. “Then I’d prefer it if you called me Lock from now on, it’s only fair.”

“Very well, and one more thing.” Moon smiled as she leaned in and kissed my cheek. My eyes went wide and I heard Draco snicker a little as Moon leaned back. “Thank you.”

“Uh…y-yeah, no problem.” I stuttered a bit.

Draco cleared his throat a bit to make his presence known once more. “If you two want, I can give you some privacy. You know, since you two are making goo goo eyes at each other.” He said with a smirk.

I glared at Draco and Moon just giggled and stuck her tongue out playfully at Draco as we both stood up. “You know, Draco, you may try to not show it, but even I can tell you have a crush on a certain somepony.” Moon teased.

“Wait what?” I said, looking at Draco. “You told me you didn’t have time to have feelings for anyone. You like someone already?”

He cheeks flushed red before turning away. “What I said is true, I don’t have time for having feelings for anypony. And what I meant is that I also don’t have time to try and pressure said feelings.”

“But allow me to ask you this, Draco.” Moon said as she walked up to him to look at him straight in the eye. “This mare, whom ever she is, do you like her?”

Draco stared back for a moment before looking away and slipping his hands into his pockets. “Come you two, we need to get back to the castle before everypony starts to get worried.” He said as he walked away.

“But Draco-”

“It’s ok, Moon.” I said, grabbing her shoulder. “He’s just still adjusting and getting used to his first experience in warfare. If what you say is true, then I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“I suppose.” Moon sighed.

“Come on, it’s time to reintroduce you to the world.” I grabbed Moon’s hand and pulled her along. We reached the exit of the castle where Draco was waiting and Moon hesitated for a moment. I squeezed her hand reassuringly and she took a deep breath and stepped forward. She smiled at me and Draco as we began our trek back to Ponyville.

We eventually made it out of the forest and the moon was high in the sky. It was still early in the night and there were lights on in the growing town on Ponyville. As we were walking towards the castle, a few ponies were eyeing us curiously, mostly Moon.

“Is that Princess Luna?”

“Why does she look like Nightmare Moon?”

“We can’t celebrate Nightmare Night yet.”

“Perhaps this was a bad idea.” Moon said.

“Relax, Moon, it’ll be ok.” I said as the murmurs continued.

“What’s she doing with Sir Dimitri?”

“Not sure, but there seems to be another human here as well.”

“Uh, why’s he so short?”

Before I could say anything Draco turned into his Indoraptor form, and roared at the ponies causing them to scream and run away.

“Smooth, genius…” I grumbled.

“My word, that form is terrifying!” Moon said as she clung to me and Draco turned back with a scowl on his face.

“Yeah well that's what they get for calling me a small shrimp midget.” He grumbled as he marched off towards the castle.

But they didn’t say shrimp midget. Moon and I thought.

We finally arrived at the castle and stood in front of its doors. I gave Moon one last look of reassurance and I noticed Draco looking a tad nervous. Knowing what was going through his mind, I stepped away from Moon and pulled Draco off to the side.

“Nervous?” I asked and he nodded. “Come on, you handled meeting Celestia and Luna like a champ.”

“Yeah well, this might be a bit more than I can handle right off the bat.” He looked to the castle with a nervous glance before letting out an audible gulp. “I think it will be best if I remain in disguise.”

With that his body suddenly morphed into a small lizard-like creature. It almost looked like an iguana with wings.

“Seriously? I deadpanned.

Draco nodded his little lizard head and quickly climbed up my body till he hid in my hood.

“Whatever…” I sighed as I walked back to Moon.

We walked up the stairs and I opened the doors. We walked through the halls until I heard everyone’s voices in the throne room so we headed there first. Once we made it to the doors, I stopped and looked over to Moon.

“Wait here, I’ll signal you when it’s time.” I said and she nodded nervously.

I nodded back and opened the doors to see my friends, Alpha Squad, the Princesses, and my apprentices all waiting for me. As I closed the door, Twilight was the first to notice me and she immediately flew over to me and hugged me. She then leaned up and kissed me on the lips and I returned the kiss and she looked up at me with sad eyes.

“Are you ok?” She asked.

“Somewhat.” I said.

“And Applejack?”

“Back at the farm, did Celestia tell you what happened?”

“She said Big Mac is in the Black Pit, does that mean he’s gone forever?”

“We won’t be seeing him anytime soon, so yeah…he’s gone.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through something so terrible.”

Twilight’s friends walked up to me and they all had sad frowns of their own.

“You doing alright, Lock?” Rainbow asked. “That was a pretty freaky thing you did before you left.”

“That’s what happens when you piss me off.” I said in a half joking manner.

“How is Applejack doing?” Rarity asked.

“She and her family won’t be the same, that’s for sure.”

“Hey boss.” Zephyr spoke up from his chair. “You seen Draco around anywhere?”

“Draco?” Twilight said, tilting her head as she looked back up to me. “Who’s Draco?”

As soon as she asked that, Draco peeked his little head from my hood and over my shoulder, which everyone soon saw.

“This is Draco.” I said, pointing to him with my thumb.

“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy squealed as she jumped up and grabbed Draco from my shoulder and held him in front of her. “He’s so cute! Hello little friend, my name is Fluttershy! It’s so good to meet you!”

I could see his green cheeks turn a slight shade of red as he let out a small squeak.

“Aw, he’s adorable!” Fluttershy cooed. The rest of the mares surrounded the small lizard Dino.

“He kinda looks like Gummy!” Pinkie chirped. “But much more itty bitty!”

“He certainly is adorable.” Rarity said as she reached up to scratch Draco on his head.

“He’s weird looking.” Rainbow said bluntly.

“I’ve never seen a lizard like that before.” Twilight said. “What species is it?”

Draco looked at me with pleading eyes and I just chuckled. “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to be in disguise. Might as well rip the rest of the bandaid off, dude.”

Draco gave me a deadpanned look before sticking his tongue out at me. He gently wiggled himself out of Fluttershy’s grasp and glided to the other side of the room before returning to his normal form. The mares stared at Draco for a moment as he stared back with a blank expression. I smirked again as I walked up beside Draco and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Ladies, allow me to introduce the Beast of Equestria.”

“Wait, as in the monster you’ve been chasing? Him?!” Twilight said. “But…he’s a human too! Who even is he?!”

Draco gave a polite bow as usual before introducing himself. “It’s nice to meet you all, my name is Draco Saurian.”

Flash and Zephyr walked up to Draco and either fist bumped or bro hugged the young human.

“Sup, Draco.” Zephyr said.

“You done with your little panic attack after meeting the Princesses?” Flash teased.

“Laugh it up Sentry, but I’ll be sure to get you back for that latter.” Draco gave Flash a light punch to the arm, causing him to grab his arm and rub it while wincing.

“Hold on a second!” Rainbow said. “You’re telling me that this little shrimp is the monster of Equestria?!”

“RAINBOW DASH NO!!” All of Alpha Squad panicked as they swarmed Rainbow and covered her muzzled.

“Hey get off me!” Rainbow snapped as she flew up in the air. “I just wanna know if that little pipsqueak is the real deal! There’s no way a colt so small can cause us so much trouble!”

“Rainbow, you Hell damn idiot…” I facepalmed as I saw a visible vein pop on Draco’s head.

“Draco no!” Shadow yelped.

“Calm down dude!” Big B said.

“She didn’t mean it!” Ace said.

“Don’t eat her!” Swift pleaded.

“Eat me?” Rainbow wondered.

While Rainbow Dash looked visibly confused, she failed to notice Draco’s body beginning to morph and expand. His hands became small stubby arms, his head doubled in size as his teeth grew to massive fangs the size of butcher knives. When Rainbow Dash did turn around she was face to face with Draco in his T-rex form. All the mares and Princesses, excluding those of us who knew about Draco’s power, all stared up at the beast in shock as Rainbow was frozen in mid air with her wings being the only things flapping to keep her airborne. Draco leaned his large head towards the cyan pegasus and growled as he opened his jaw slightly to show off his large fangs.

“U-Uh…n-nice m-monster…” Rainbow trembled.

“Should we help?” Flash asked.

“Nope, she dug her own grave.” I sighed.

Draco took a deep inhale of air, before letting out an earth shattering roar right at Rainbow Dash. The roar sent Rainbow spiraling backwards and everyone covered their ears at the loud roar. When Rainbow descended to the ground and fell to her knees, still in total shock, as Draco slowly trudged over to her. The T-Rex loomed over Rainbow for a moment until Draco returned to his human form. He then grabbed Rainbow by her shoulders and stood her up and patted her down. Draco smiled warmly at Rainbow but kept his teeth morphed into fangs.

“If you ever call me a small flee size colt again, I won’t hold back with just a roar. You got that?”

Rainbow could do nothing but nod as Draco kept his passive aggressive smile. When he turned around, Twilight and the others were all completely shell shocked at the sudden transformation and couldn’t really speak.

“Well then.” I said, clapping my hands. “Now that we got that out of the way, there’s something else that Draco and I need to clear the air on.” I gestured for Draco to stand by me as we both walked over and stood by the doors of the throne room. “Celestia, Luna, everyone, do you all still believe everyone deserves redemption should they wish for it?” I asked in a serious tone.

“I…believe so.” Celestia said.

“Only if they mean it.” Luna added.

“Then there is somepony who would like to redeem herself to you all.” Draco said, gripping one door handle.

I gripped the other door handle and nodded to Draco. We both then pulled the doors open and revealed Nightmare Moon to them all. There was silence at first, dead silence, the image Moon in person was probably too shocking for words and actions. I was about to say something when both Luna and Celestia’s horns lit up as they glared daggers at Moon. Alpha Squad was next to react as they all got in formation and prepared to charge at Moon, Flash and Zephyr included. I was quicker than the lot of them and immediately stepped in front of Moon and spread my wings out wide. Alpha Squad paused in their movements but the Princesses fired beams of magic at me. I drew both Surtr and Ymir and deflected both beams of magic, sending them flying in opposite directions. Luna growled and flew towards Moon with a cry of fury as she summoned a dark blue sword in her hand. I met her attack by deflecting her swipe and pushed her away.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!!!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs.

“RECEIVETH OUT OF THE WAY!!!” Luna screamed back.

“I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!!! AND YOU ALL NEED TO CALM THE FUCK DOWN RIGHT FUCKING NOW, OR I WILL GO ON THE OFFENSIVE!!!”

I glared at each and every pony who wanted to come at me as I raised my swords and kept my wings out wide. Moon was cowering behind me and I kept her there until this whole situation was resolved.

“But Captain, that’s Nightmare Moon!” Flash said.

“Stand down, Sentry!”

“But boss-” Zephyr said.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STAND THE FUCK DOWN!!! ALL OF YOU!!! THAT’S A FUCKING DIRECT ORDER AS YOUR CAPTAIN!!!”

Everyone flinched at my screaming as my eyes turned bright amber. I knew this would happen, but I was also prepared for it. I sheathed both my swords and stood up straight and reached into my pocket for my smartphone. I quickly tapped the recording icon so I could keep this conversation for future reference.

“Listen, she is not what you think she is.” I tried to say. “Nightmare is not a threat.”

“How could you possibly defend her?!” Celesita demanded. “Do you realize what she did to my sister and I?! What she almost did not once but twice?!”

“I thought you said she was staying in the old castle?!” Twilight said.

“Twilight, you knew about this?” Celesita asked.

“Everyone calm down!” I snapped again. “Believe me when I say, I am fully aware of the things that Nightmare has done! But I can also tell you that she is no longer the mare you all once knew her as.”

“How can that be?!” Rarity said. “She threatened to plunge the world in eternal night!”

“She needs to be dealt with, Dimitri, stand aside this instant!” Luna said.

“TRY TO ATTACK ME AGAIN!! I FUCKING DARE ALL OF YOU!!” My threat was cold and unwavering, I kept my glare firm and harsh which made them all back off. “I can explain everything. Why she’s here, why she deserves a second chance, and how she’s not a threat.”

“Why did you bring her here?!” Celestia demanded again.

“She means you no harm.” I said again, but more calmly.

“No harm?! She’s the reason I was sent to the moon in the first place!” Luna accused, reading her sword again.

Moon walked around my wings and stood beside me with a pleading frown as she folded her hands in front of her. “Please…I only wish for redemption.”

“Redemption?! I spent a thousand years on the moon because of your dark whispers! True I was unhappy with how the ponies favored the day than the night, but to go so far as to threaten to plunge the world in eternal darkness?! Let alone, attack my own sister?! You should be the one banished for the rest of your life for the misery you caused me!” Luna shouted.

“You’d blame her for your own poor judgement?” I accused, making everyone turn to me. “In the past, you believed that since the ponies were awake and vibrant during the day, but asleep during the night, that no one would admire your work in the starry sky. Not only that, but you also convinced yourself that no one appreciated your efforts to ensure they all slept soundly while you banished nightmares in the dream realm. When in fact it was all the complete opposite. The ponies did in fact admire your night sky, how the stars always twinkled beautifully, and how the moon always shined down on the land in its glorious soft light, they still do to this day. And their dreams? I can name many ponies who always thank you for providing them with pleasant dreams without suffering any nightmares. You only came to the conclusion that they did not appreciate all you’ve done out of your own pride, which is why Nightmare here was created within your subconscious. It was only after she was purged from you by the Elements, how I showed her that she was created out of spite, and that everything had happened over a misunderstanding that she renounced her previous goal and wanted a fresh start. The same applies to the both of you.”

“What do you mean?” Celesita asked, still gazing at me warily.

“Here’s how I see it: when Luna tried to ask you to help the ponies admire her work more, you brushed it off and convinced yourself that they still did even though they didn’t. The jealousy and dark thoughts boiled inside Luna and as a result, Nightmare Moon was born. It was only after your battle with her that you realized the harsh reality: you neglected your sister without even realizing it, and I’m afraid that’s just as bad. Even now, I can see it in your eye. That you wish you could go back and assess the situation better so that maybe Luna would never have been banished.” I explained.

My words pierced their ears as everyone looked at me in disbelief. My assumption must’ve been on point since I saw small tears form in Celestia’s eyes and Luna looked back to her like she was told a deep secret she was never meant to hear. Moon then boldly walked up to Luna as her ears flattened on her head.

“It was my fault, I am to blame for your suffering. No amount of apologies can make up for what I put the both of you through. All I want is to prove that I am no longer the usurper that you and everypony else believes me to be. Lock has proved to me that everypony truly does admire our night sky and that we were wrong to blame Celestia.” Moon said sadly.

Luna looked down for a moment as if she was in deep thought. I could tell everyone expected Moon to try and pull something but that was the last thing on Moon’s mind. “If…what you say is true, why would you go so far to prove her innocence?” Luna asked me as she glanced at me.

“Because she’s my friend, and everyone deserves a second chance. Even you, Luna and Celestia, because you’re both my friends as well. And you shouldn’t blame each other any longer, take it from me who’s still living in the past through one of his still good eyes.” I said with a sad smile.

I reached in my pocket to push the side button and end the recording. Draco finally stepped forward and cleared his throat so that he could voice his opinion on this whole fiasco.

“With all that said, Moon here can be a great asset to Equestria. She is willing to help defend it and make amends with all of you. Shouldn’t she have the chance to prove it?”

Celestia and Luna seemed to be at an internal war with each other. Instead of saying any else, they walked past us and to the doors but stopped and looked at us over their shoulders.

“I hope you realize what you are doing, Dimitri, I will allow this since you seem so keen on defending Nightmare Moon. Since there are rather…personal matters I must discuss with my sister, we will depart for now and return to Canterlot.” Celestia said.

“You are either a stubborn fool or a courageous one, Dimitri, I suppose we shall have to see if your words hold true.” Luna said as they both left.

“Have an airboat take them back to Canterlot.” I said to Flash. He saluted and ran after the Princesses. I sighed as the rest of the mares and Alpha Squad were still silent and looking at both Moon and I. “If you have something to say, say it now.”

“Lock, are you absolutely sure Nightmare Moon can be trusted?” Shadow asked.

“Isn’t she supposed to be evil or something?” Zephyr said.

“Reformed is the correct word, Zeph.” I said.

“But…she’s Nightmare Moon!” Rainbow argued.

“And I’m the Devil’s Hand, what’s your point?” I shot back, crossing my arms.

“I understand you are all untrusting of me, but I swear by the moon and stars that I do not mean anypony harm.” Moon pleaded. “I was born out of spite and hatred, the darkness made me do horrible things, but all I wish for now is to make things right with you all.”

“Draco, please say something.” Swift said. “Do you also seriously believe she’s on our side?”

“Oh I already got my answer when I performed my test on her back at the ruins.” Draco said with a confident smile.

“Test? What test?” Twilight wondered.

“This one.” Draco said with a smirk as he transformed into his sabertooth kitten form and let out a few mews.

Once again, all mares in the room, Shadow and even Rainbow included, swarmed the kitten and began fawning over it like mad mares. Meanwhile, I just chuckled to myself at the display, that is until Fluttershy began squeezing Draco in between her breasts.

“Uh, Fluttershy, I think you’re smothering him.” I said.

Draco was flailing his paws around until his tail, which was fully extended, went stiff for one second, before dropping along with his paws. Fluttershy then set Draco down and he returned to his human form and had a dumb grin plastered on his face.

“You ok, dude?” Zephyr asked.

“S-so soft.” He said with his nose bleeding slightly.

“So does that answer your question?” I asked the group.

They all looked at Moon, who was smiling at them as kindly as she could, which eventually made most of them relent and nod their heads.

“After all that yelling and arguing, how can we say you’re still evil?” Shadow said and the other members of Alpha Squad nodded in agreement.

“I agree, if Boss says so, then I’m down to believe she’s alright.” Zephyr said.

“I still don’t trust you.” Rainbow huffed. “But I’ll let it slide for now. Just know I’ve got my eye on you.”

“You certainly have a way with words, Dimitri.” Rarity said to me. “I never knew you were so passionate.”

“Only when it matters.” I said. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was late in the night. “Since this day has been an emotional rollercoaster, I’m gonna turn in now.”

“But Lock, what about Draco?” Twilight said. “There’s still so much I wanna ask him.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to ask him tomorrow.” I said. “For now we must rest, sleep is important after all. Moon, you can sleep in the room next to ours, if you want.”

“Thank you, I shall do that.” Moon said.

“The rest of you return to the ship, we’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

“Yes sir.” Alpha Squad and Zephyr said as they left the throne room.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, Locky!” Pinkie chirped as she and the other mares left after saying their own goodbyes.

“Take it easy girls.” I waved goodbye. I looked down at Draco who was still in a daze. “They’re gone, dude, you can come back to Eques now.”

Draco’s eyes opened and he sat up, rubbing his nose clean. “Well that was something new.”

“I can tell.” I chuckled. “So Draco, take your pick. You wanna crash in the castle or bunk with the crew on the ship? There’s plenty of room so don’t think for a damn second I’ll let you spend the night outside. Especially since winter is almost here.”

Draco cupped his chin and hummed to himself to think. “ I’ll let you pick, I don’t really care where I stay.”

“The castle has plenty of guest rooms, Lock, I don’t mind.” Twilight said as she looked to Draco. “There’s a spare room down the hall and the third door on your left.”

Draco nodded and smiled. “Sure that works for me, thank you Princess Twilight.”

“Oh please.” Twilight said with a kind smile and reached out to shake his hand. “You can just call me Twilight.”

He smiled back and gently took her hand in his and gave it a good shake. “You got it, Twilight.”

Draco gave us one last wave and left for his new guest room. Twilight, Moon, and I then walked towards our rooms and Twilight held my hand and leaned her head on my shoulder. Once we arrived at our room, Moon opened the door next to us and smiled at me.

“Sweet dreams, Lock, you as well, Twilight Sparkle.” Moon said.

“Thanks, Moon, you sleep well too.” I said as she entered her room.

I followed Twilight in our room and removed my armor and unclipped my weapons and put them aside neatly in the corner. Once I was in my boxers, I climbed into bed and Twilight followed suit and rested her head on my chest wearing only her bra and panties.

“So, you brought her out?” Twilight asked.

“I did.” I said as I stroked her head.

“Can I ask you something then?”

“Of course.”

“Is she the one?” Twilight looked up to me and looked me in the eye. “The other mare who you like?”

“…Yeah, she is.” I admitted.

Twilight smiled and kissed me on the lips. “You truly are a mysterious human, Lock. Just make sure you tell her soon.”

“You’re not mad?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I’d always stay by your side no matter what.”

I smiled at my marefriend kissed her back and held her close. “I love you Twilight, thank you.”

“I love you too, Lock, always.” Twilight whispered as we fell asleep.

Author's Note

Lock’s words have begun to change the way Celestia and Luna will rule from now on. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Hand and the Beast, Nightmare has been accepted, if only by most.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building...

The Beast’s Infiltration

Chapter 43

Draco sat in the Captain’s nest on the ship as the sun shone over the growing town of Ponyville. After their business was concluded in Canterlot, Draco felt it necessary that he and the others return to Ponyville and continue preparations for the coming infiltration of the Diamond Dog kingdom.

Draco had a large piece of paper laid out on the desk as he drew up an idea he’d been pondering for the last couple of days. Alpha Squad had their own weapons and skills to use for combat, but he thought about how Beta Squad would fare better if they had weapons of their own. Since then, Draco had been hard at work by locking himself on the ship as he hypothesized and theorized his new idea for the dogs.

Knock, knock, knock!

“Draco?” Violet said on the other side of the door.

Draco looked up and saw the time. “Come in, Violet,” he called out.

The door opened and in walked the female greyhound. She approached the desk as Draco used a pencil to draw on the paper.

“No one’s seen you for two days, boss, what have you been doing?” Violet asked.

Draco had bags under his eyes as he rubbed them. “Working on my plans to improve our arsenal. With you and the other diamond dogs here, we may yet gain a lead against the caribou.”

Violet peered over at the paper to see what Draco was drawing.

“Staffs?” Violet said aloud, tilting her head.

“Magical staffs. Magic that can be used by any race will give us a rather large advantage. Even some that can help cure wounds and relieve fatigue. To have these on the battlefield is a must,” Draco added.

“I see,” Violet said. “Well, I’ve come to tell you that Ms. Rarity is asking for you.”

Nodding Draco stood up and stubbed a bit, before catching himself at the edge of the desk. “Whoa, guess I’ve been sitting too long. Thank you Violet, I’ll head over there now.”

“Don’t overwork yourself, boss!” Violet teased as he left.

“Sorry I guess I’m dog tired.” Draco looked back and smirked.

Draco made his way up to the top deck and down the gangplank of the ship. He walked past Twilight’s castle, but picked up a distant noise, thanks to his super sensitive hearing. He noticed one of the windows was open and could make out the sounds of someone…crying.

A compelling feeling drew him to the front door of the castle, where the guards looked at him, nodded and allowed him inside. He walked in the direction of where he thought he heard the crying coming from.

His trek was not a long one as he found himself making his way to where Spike’s old room was. The door was open ajar, and he peered in to see a sobbing Twilight. She held a small blanket in her arms as Moon sat next to her and tried to comfort her herd-sister.

“Oh Moon…” Twilight sniffled. “Where could he be? I lost my big brother; I can’t lose my little brother too!”

“I’m sure he’s out there somewhere, Twilight,” Moon said with a sad frown and rubbed her back. “You must have faith that young Spike will return to us.”

“The scouts said he could be hurt!” Twilight whimpered. “He’s just a baby dragon! In the middle of all this turmoil!”

Draco wasn’t sure if he had any right to be here, yet in his heart he could not just abandon Twilight. Clearing his throat, he made his presence known. “Pardon the intrusion ladies.”

“Oh, hello Draco,” Moon said with a brief smile, but Twilight looked up at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Draco…” Twilight shakily sat up as tears flowed from her eyes. “Maybe you can help! You’re good at finding stuff! All the scouts have found were mere traces! But you can find him! Please! Please find Spike for me!”

Draco felt a pain in his chest. This look of desperation, the begging tone in Twilight’s voice. It yanked at his heartstrings something fierce. Walking over to the two mares, Draco knelt down next to Twilight. “First, I need you to calm down a bit, Twilight, it won’t do it anypony good if you give yourself an anxiety attack,” he said while stroking her back carefully.

Twilight sat back down as Draco sat on the other side and took deep breaths.

“She’s been very stressed lately,” Moon said. “The loss of her brother, the disappearance of Lock, and young Spike missing are beginning to take their toll on Twilight. The visit with her parents didn’t help since Mr. Night Light has taken up drinking and Mrs. Twilight Velvet has become mostly mute.”

Draco hadn’t known this, and he could see how all this could snowball for the poor mare. “I’m sorry to hear that, truly I am.” Draco looked to Twilight and watched as he tried to calm herself, almost relapsing as she tried. “Twilight, tell me what the scouts have reported thus far. I know it may be hard, but I need as much information as possible.”

Twilight took more breaths and began to speak. “There have been sightings, before you and Lock showed up. A young dragon on the run towards the crystal empire, hiding in a cave beneath the snow, and barely making his escape from captors. The scouts found more camps outside Equrstria’s borders. The caribou had once been talking about a special prisoner one of the commanders took for his own sick desires. The reports say the prisoner was…a-a young dragon.”

Draco took this information and nodded. “Just to clarify. A body hasn’t been found, right?”

“N-No…” Twilight said.

Just then, Draco’s phone rang, and he saw it was Phill calling him.

Checking his phone Draco answered. “Well? Is he up there?”

“Nope, even asked Lord Azrael,” Phill answered over the phone. “He ain’t seen a soul like the one yer lookin’ for.”

Draco smiled and nodded. “And I highly doubt he’d be sent to Hell. Now, before I hang up, did you manage to give him the you know what, and asked him to write his you know what?”

“Aye, but he’s been quiet about it. Must still be comin’ to terms,” Phill said.

“I can understand that. I wish I could switch places with him. But for now, I hope this can help ease the pain of his absence. Anyway, I have to go. Thanks again, Phill, your timing is perfect.” Hanging up the phone Draco turned to Twilight with a smile on his face. “Twilight, he is alive.”

“B-But how can you know that?” Twilight asked.

Draco sat next to Twilight and kept his warm smile. “Before this, I had Phill run an errand that would take him to Heaven. I asked while he was there to see if one Spike the dragon had passed away and went there. And as fate would have it, he’s not there, and I would highly doubt he would go to Hell. So that can only mean?” Draco smiled.

“So…there’s still hope?” Twilight said, sounding happier.

“Indeed, there is,” Moon said with a smile of her own.

“I’m so relieved,” Twilight said. “I just…I just wish he were her with us. His birthday is soon.”

Draco wasn’t sure what else he could do to ease her worried mind. That is until a thought occurred. Standing up, Draco moved to remove his upper armor as well as his shirt.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked.

Draco raised his hand as it turned to claws before scraping it along his bare chest. He drew blood as making a long claw mark over his heart, wincing slightly from the pain.

“Draco?!” Both mares yelped.

Once his chest could easily bare his claw marks, enough that it could leave scarring, Draco looked to the mares.” This is my promise to you, Twilight. This wound and the scar made by it can easily be healed by me. However, until the day I bring Spike home, I won’t let this scar leave my body.” As he spoke the wound closed and left an easily visible scar on his skin. “Anytime I’m not spending to fight the caribou will now be dedicated to finding your little brother, this I swear to you.”

Twilight’s tears welled up again in her eyes, but they were happy tears. She stood up and wrapped her arms around his chest as she wept happily

“Thank you…please find him,” Twilight said quietly.

Cleaning the blood off his hands, Draco moved his hand to pat her back. “I will, this I swear to you.”

Twilight took a step back and smile gratefully at Draco. Just then, Draco heard the sounds of giggling outside the window. Curious, Draco opened the window only for something to latch onto his face.

“Merida!” The familiar voice of Phill snapped. “Ya gotta stop doin’ that!”

“For the love of-” Draco struggled to remove the little filly clamped onto his face, like some face hugger in an alien movie.

Merida giggled when she finally decided to let go and Draco held the filly in front of her. She wore a cute little sweater and snow pants and a beanie that barely held her frizzy red hair in place.

“Hi, Uncle Dwaco!” Merida chirped.

Draco eyes widened as he held the giggling filly in his hands. “Merida, did you just talk?”

“Daddy teach me!” Merida said gleefully.

“She’s a fast learner,” Phill said as he walked up to the window. Next to him was little Pipsqueak holding his hand. “Took me by surprise meself, Iemme tell ya.”

Draco spotted the little colt and smiled. He hopped out of the window and knelt down, so he was eye level with the colt and moved a hand to pat his head. “It’s good to see you again, my friend.”

Pip nodded and hid behind Phill’s leg.

“He’s still a shy one,” Phill said, smiling down at the colt. “But he accepted me proposal of adopting him.” Phill ruffled the colt’s head. “You’re lookin’ at the newest member of the McHaggard clan.”

Draco was surprised, but not all that shocked. “Well, I guess that means I’m your new uncle too then.”

“Are ya gonna tell me how ya got that shiner on your chest, boy?” Phill asked as he held Merida with one arm.

Draco looked down and smiled before slipping on his undershirt back on. “It’s the mark of a promise I made to Twilight before you came here.”

“And ya clawed yourself to do so?” Phill questioned. “Seems a tad excessive, no?”

Shaking his head Draco moved to put the upper layer of his armor on. “Nope. I can easily fix my skin so that the scar can go away. But I’m keeping it there so I can never forget the promise I made. As a reminder to myself that I am a man of my word.”

“If ya say so,” Phill shrugged. “How’re them dinos ya got stored away?”

“Well…” Draco trailed off.

Near the Everfree Forest a large padauk could be seen, and from within it snarls and growls could be heard.

“They have started growing faster than I would have expected,” Draco chuckled nervously.

“Draco…” Phill said, thanking God that he made the right decision to leave his kids back at the castle. “What the bloody hell is that sound?”

“Aww, well that’s the sound of my kids roughing around,” Draco said with a proud tone like a father watching his children.

Draco took a step forward and pulled out a remote and pressed it. The large metal doors began slowly opening.

“What the-! What’re you doin’?! Don’t let them out!” Phill panicked.

Draco made some raptor calls, and immediately in response a call cried back. The sound of stampeding footsteps could be heard. And in the blink of an eye, eight raptors nearing four feet tall sprinted out, towards the two.

The raptors had closed the gap between the groups, before Draco raised his hand up and made a roar-like cry that stopped the raptors in their feet, all lined up at attention.

“Sweet Jaysus, look at ‘em!” Phill said as he gazed at the dinosaurs in person. “They look just like they did in them picture books me Nan used to read me when I was a wee lad!”

“Aren’t they just the cutest?” Draco cooed as he walked over to one that had light orange skin and black tiger stripes. “My little babies have grown up so fast, yes you have,” he said, rubbing the head of the raptor.

“Ya really raised them up good, didn’t ya?” Phill said as Draco pet them. One of the raptors slowly approached Phill, making him nervous. “E-Easy now…”

The raptor was light gray, with long blue stripes along its body. “Don’t worry, they have been trained to discern good from bad. They know not to attack people and ponies. Raise your hand out and let her come to you.”

Phill gulped as he held his hand out to the raptor. It took another step towards him and sniffed his hand a few times. The raptor then gently tapped Phill’s hand with its snout and brushed its head under his palm.

“Blimey…” Phill breathed out.

“That’s Blue, she's the beta of the raptors,” Draco smiled and watched as the rest of the raptors soon moved in. Some circled Phill before moving closer to nudge against him making chirping noises.

“And who amongst them is the Alpha?” Phill asked as he let more of the raptors. Draco only crossed his arms and grinned. “Oh, right.”

“Har har.” Draco faked a laugh before making another raptor call, causing the group to march back to the enclosure. “Fluttershy helped me with their enclosure. She knew some ponies who could help build it in no time flat.”

“So why here?” Phill wondered, gesturing to area around them that sat close the forest.

“Well, the Everfree has some wildlife that they can eat, and we can practice hunting and combat. I’m getting them used to the idea of hunting select targets,” Draco added.

“When do ya think they’ll be ready for the field?” Phill asked as they made their way back to the castle.

Draco scratched his chin as he hummed to himself. “Well, I wanna wait ‘til they’re full grown. I was gonna see if Bismuth could give them some form of protection while out on the field.”

“I see,” Phill said and pulled out a cigarette. He put it in his mouth and used a light from his finger to ignite it. “So…ya really think you can pull it off on your own?” Phill asked as he took a puff.

“Aye, that’s the plan you cooked up,” Phill said, holding his cigarette between his fingers. “By the way, much as I wish to tag along, I got a favor to ask regarding my kids.”

“What kind of favor?” Draco asked, sounding curious and worried.

“I got some…personal business comin’ up. Think I can leave them with you for a few days?” Phill requested.

“Where are you going? And couldn’t you leave them in Sanctuary?” Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Much as my men are capable of protecting Sanctuary, I’d personally prefer they be with people I can trust to keep them as safe as possible,” Phill said, taking another drag. “Could ya look after them while I’m gone?”

“Okay, I get why not leave them with your men, but why me specifically? You see the things I do, right?” Draco nodded to the guards as they entered the castle. “You could have asked Cadence, Twilight or Moon.”

“Draco.” Phill looked at his friend with a serious expression. “Did you know that one of the Saint’s abilities is to be able to see a soul for what it truly is for every individual?”

This has the man somewhat perplexed. “Um…no? What does that mean exactly?”

Phill took another drag from his cigarette before looking away.

“…Your soul is black,” Phill said.

Draco’s heart sank, his face now sweating profoundly. “I-Is that a bad thing?” He asked, now nervous as hell.

“Normally, yes, if you’re a cold-hearted bastard who could kill for fock all,” Phill said. “But you’ve kept your morality and fought for what’s right. However,…it’s not the color of your soul that bothers me. It’s the fact that I can see how old it is too.”

Draco’s eyes widened before he grabbed the Saint and dragged him into the closet room, cupping a hand over his mouth. “You shut up about that and never repeat those words!”

“Oi! It’s clear that it ain’t my business, boy!” Phill said, pulling Draco’s hand away. “Plus, it ain’t even me who took notice in the first place. It was Lord Michael, and he told me to investigate you.”

“Well, you can tell him to keep his feathery ass away from my business!” Draco’s voice almost sounded warped as his eyes flared red.

“Draco, it’s me,” Phill tried to say. “Have I ever done you wrong?”

For a good while Draco took a deep breath and was fuming, before slowly calming down and leaning back against the wall. “No, you didn’t. I’m sorry Phill.”

“It’s fine.” The two stood in the closet for about another minute. “You know I won’t tell another soul about it, right? It ain’t my place nor my style to go behind another’s back.”

Draco lowered his head and sighed. “I know, I…just need time before I could tell anyone.”

“Wanna tell me? At least just one person who’d know could do you some good instead of shouldering the burden by yourself,” Phill offered. “Don’t tell me as the Saint.” He placed a comforting hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Tell me, Phill McHaggard, your friend.”

Draco said nothing for what felt like minutes before letting out a deep breath. “I’ll tell you my name, that alone should be enough.” Draco gestured for Phill to lean closer, which the Saint did. Once close enough Draco whispered something in his ear.

Phill’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. He looked back at Draco with his mouth hanging open and swallowed a massive lump in his throat. The Saint began to sweat bullets but managed to keep his cool.

“I-Impossible…” Phill muttered. “Blimey, that’s a total mind fock.”

“I imagine it is, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t act so scared around me. I buried that part of myself in the past, which is where I would like to keep it.” Draco could see the fear in his friend’s eyes.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still trust you, but…by god’s grace, this is just…” Phill tried to find the words, but none could make their way out of his mouth.

“Still sure you want to leave your kids with me then? I can understand if you don’t.” Despite his words, Draco’s tone sounded as though he wasn’t relieved.

“Draco…thank you,” Phill finally said.

“For what? Scaring the shit out of you?” Draco joked.

“No, ya did, but no. For trusting me with this,” Phill said. “I’m honored ya trust me with something like this. It just proves that you’re as good a man as I thought you were. Despite what your soul’s true nature is.”

“Believe me, I’m not happy about it either, you know? But do me a favor, even if Lock asks, please don’t tell him. I want to be the one who eventually tells him the truth,” Draco asked respectfully.

“Fine by me, it’s your business anyway,” Phill nodded, then looked around. “Why the fock are we still in the fockn’ closet?!”

Draco smiled and placed a hand on Phill’s shoulders. “Hey, I’m just waiting for you to finally come out of the closet, man. No judgments here.”

“Up yers, ya little shite!” Phill barked and burst out the door. “Don’t you got mares to check on?!”

“Hey, I’m proud of you, man! It takes a real man to come out of the closet!” Draco shouted for all to hear.

“FOCK EFF!” Phill shouted, flipping him the bird.

Draco laughed as he turned to walk away but was met with Pip and Merida. Merida was holding her adopted brother’s hand as the two looked up at him.

Fuuuuuuuck, Draco groaned internally, before kneeling down to the two foals. “Hey kids, do you want a tour of the castle?”

“Is Pop okay?” Pip asked.

Draco sighed and placed his hands on Pip’s shoulders. “Yes he is, he’s just coming to grips with the fact that he just came out of the closet is all. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“What’s that mean?” Pip tilted his head.

“Cwoset!” Merida said, pointing at Draco.

“It means your dad really likes coconuts and bananas, is all.” Draco was doing his best to not laugh his ass off.

“Oh, can we make him a smoothie or something?” Pip asked.

“Swoothie!” Merida chirped.

“Heh, sure kids, I’m sure he’ll love it. Just tell him it's a coming out of the closet shake, and I’m sure he’ll drink every last drop,” Draco said.

“Okay,” Pip said. Merida giggled as Draco noticed her unfurling her wings.

“No…no no no.” Draco slowly backed away as he saw her getting ready. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Even I don’t know why she does it, but you better run, Uncle Draco,” Pip warned as Merida’s wings buzzed.

Needing no second opinion, Draco quickly bolted away running at maximum speed, down as many corridors as he could.

“Why me?!” Draco complained as Merida chased after him.

Draco spent the better part of an hour avoiding his niece hugging his face and managed to make his escape from his adorable pursuer. Draco knew the little filly was too cute for her own good to stay mad at her, and he got the distinct feeling that she was aware of how cute she was. Draco was now finally making his way to Rarity’s boutique, where he expected his new outfit from Rarity and new invention he requested Bismuth to make. Upon arriving at the boutique, Draco knocked on the door.

“Come in~!” Rarity called out in her singsong voice.

Turning the doorknob Draco walked into the boutique. “Rarity?” He called out. “I’m here to see about my outfit for the mission.”

Draco found Rarity and Bismuth in the room, talking with each other. Standing by them was a mannequin with a large white drape over it and a table next to it with another white drape and something underneath it.

“Perfect timing, boss, we have your new equipment here,” Bismuth said.

“Sorry for the rush order, you guys, but this should help with the mission.” Draco walked over to Rarity and hugged her close before kissing her on the horn.

“Oh! Careful, darling, it’s sensitive!” Rarity giggled.

“Heh, oh, I know, Shadow likes it when I give it equal attention.” Nuzzling his marefriend, Draco kissed her cheeks next snd and turned to the cloaked object. “So, can I see the final product?”

Rarity nodded and grabbed the cloak that draped over the mannequin. A set of fancy robes with leather straps, boots, and a hooded coat stood in front of Draco as Rarity beamed with pride.

“Does this satisfy you, my dear Draco?” Rarity said while batting her eyelashes.

Draco smiled as he walked around the new attire, marveling in the craftsmanship. The leather was well-placed, to offer not only protection, but wouldn’t constrict his movements either. “

It’s fantastic, Rarity, I expected nothing less from you,” Draco said, proud of his marefriend.

“But of course!” Rarity said as she fluffed her mane with her hand.

“Very impressive,” Bismuth said with a nod. “And I believe you’ll be equally satisfied with these.”

Bismuth pulled the cloak off the table and revealed two wrist straps. On the underside of the straps was a small blade that looked to be attached to some kind of spring mechanism.

“The design you gave us was quite intricate, to say the least, but I believe we managed to craft them just as you wanted,” Bismuth said.

Draco lifted the gauntlet and examined it closely before slipping it on his right wrist. With a flex of his wrist the hidden blade sprang out and with another flex, back in. All while not damaging his hand. “I was worried I might have given you guys a tall order, but you truly are the master of the forge, and for that you have my utmost respect.”

“I aim to please,” Bismuth said as Draco slipped the second gauntlet on his left wrist. “If I may ask, where did you come up with such an interesting design?”

“I concur,” Rarity said. “I’ve never made such a roguish-looking attire.”

Draco wasn’t sure how to answer. Rarity already knew of how he hailed from another world where their lives were a TV show. Bismuth, on the other hand, didn’t, and it could cause problems should he accidentally spill the beans.

“A long time ago, there was a group of assassins. They fought a radical group known as the Templars who wanted to subjugate humanity. These are both their clothing that they wore, and the weapons they kept on them, hidden to the innocent, but revealed to their enemies,” Draco explained.

“My word, assassins?” Rarity said, sounding concerned.

“That means they killed people,” Bismuth surmised.

“More or less.” Draco scratched the back of his head. “You see, there were these items created by unknown beings, known as the Pieces of Eden. The Templars wanted them to subjugate humanity. The assassin killed only those who would try and send the world into chaos. So they weren’t the villains really.”

“That’s terrifying,” Rarity said.

“Sounds like they were a righteous bunch,” Bismuth said with an accepting nod. “Any well-known assassins throughout their history?”

“None that I would know. They pride themselves in secrecy.” Draco smiled as he grabbed his new wardrobe and slipped into a room to change.

“Draco? Bismuth and I are going to step out so I can measure his Beta Squad for their battle outfits,” Rarity said as Draco changed in the dressing room. “We’ll be back shortly.”

“Okay, babe!” Draco called out.

Rarity and Bismuth stepped out of the door and Draco out on the rest of his robes. After about another minute of putting them on and making sure everything was strapped on, Draco stepped out of the changing room. He walked over to a mirror and admired how his new robes looked on him. He couldn’t help but smirk as he spun around a bit and played with his long coat.

“Hmph, I thought they’d never leave,” a sudden voice came out of nowhere.

The room suddenly darkened and Draco senses spiked up, making his skin crawl.

“Who’s there?” Draco demanded. “Don’t you know it’s rude to peep on someone while they’re changing? Come out, you got balls sneaking into my marefriend’s place.”

“Bold of you to assume that I would be intimidated by such a threat,” the voice spoke again but came from the mirror.

When Draco looked, he saw a human with black eyes was in the mirror looking over his reflection’s shoulder. When Draco spun around to look, he saw no one was there, and when he looked back at the mirror the figure was still there.

“How in the-?! Okay, what the hell’s going on? Who the hell are you?” Draco growled, his eyes turning reptilian.

“Forgive my intrusion, and as for my name there are many for me. But the one I am most commonly known for is The Outsider,” the man said as he gave a brief bow.

“Sounds like something a goth teen with mommy issues would call himself,” Draco scoffed.

“You’re as smart with your words as Dimitri is,” the Outsider mocked, piquing Draco’s attention.

“How do you know Lock?” Draco questioned.

“That is my business, as it is to watch all creatures of interest to my specifics,” the Outsider said vaguely. “A curious thing, you are, chosen by a spirit of chaos to wreak havoc on all in your choosing with an undecided future. Much like Dimitri, the fate of this country rests on both yours and his choices with many outcomes being the end result. It makes me wonder what you will do now that you’ve heard me?”

“I swore to protect this land and liberate the world,” Draco proclaimed. “I don’t much care what my fate may be, so long as those whom I care for are safe.”

“So much like Dimitri, misguided, but determined,” the Outsider said with a blank expression. “Much like the other one I met.”

“Who?” Draco asked.

“That is my decision. But you should know, in your desire to save this country, you may just end up burning it first,” The Outsider said, making Draco stumble back at the word. “Either way, whatever the outcome, I’ll be expecting a good show.”

“Are we done? Because I have more important things to worry about than talking to a mirror,” Draco scoffed.

The Outsider only chuckled before vanishing and the dim, dark atmosphere became bright again in the boutique.

The door opened up again and Rarity and Bismuth walked back in.

“My mind is brimming with new ideas!” Rarity said. “I’ve never made clothing for diamond dogs before!”

“I’m glad the squad went along with their measurements,” Bismuth agreed and they noticed Draco staring at the mirror. “Boss? You okay?”

“Oh my stars!” Rarity gasped with wide, happy eyes. “You look so dashing, darling!”

Draco, forgetting that he had dawned his new suit, smiled, pushing the events prior aside in his mind. “Thanks, it kind of reminds me of something I wore back in London.”

“London? What’s that?” Rarity wondered.

“Oh, a place back on earth. Honestly, I think you would enjoy a place like that.” Draco kissed his marefriend’s cheek, before pulling a radio out of his pocket. “Draco to the Prometheus, do you copy?”

“Soarin here, what’s up General Draco?” Soarin said. Draco could detect a faint mocking tone in his voice.

“Well, I was going to tell you about how I just saw Fleetfoot buying some very naughty lingerie, and what she was gonna do to you tonight, but judging by that tone of yours, you seem to not be in the mood to talk,” Draco said.

“F-Fleets?!” Soarin yelped. “Wh-Why would she buy lingerie?!”

“Apparently, and this is what I heard, mind you. That she said something about seducing you and sucking you till you dryer than the Saddle Arabia desert,” Draco said without any filters.

There was a lot of incoherent mumbling before a crashing sound was heard. About a minute later, someone picked the radio back up.

“Um, sir? He passed out,” a recruit said.

“That’s fine, just splash some water on his face and kick him in the balls for good measure. That’s an order.” Draco hung up the radio and turned to Rarity. “Love, could you be so kind as to invite Fleetfoot here and make her some lingerie? I’ll pay.”

“But of course,” Rarity said and walked away to work, but turned around one more time. “Red or black?”

“Hmm, black. I think it will really stand out with her fur color. Also, if you could help me set a secret date up for these two, I’d very much appreciate it.” Draco winked at her.

“AAAIIIYYYY!!” The radio suddenly came on followed by a screech of pain from the other line.

“What the forge was that?!” Bismuth said in a startled tone.

“That, my good friend, is the sound of a stallion getting his balls kicked. God rest his seed.” Draco playfully lowered his head.

That Night

The cold winter night sky was quiet as a dense fog loomed over the trees near the mountains. The fog stretched for miles and miles as it continued to spread more and more. Deep within the fog was a huge airship that flew high above the ground and a couple of smaller airships following behind. Standing near the wheel on the bridge was Draco as Zephyr was waving his arms in and out. The stallion’s eyes were pure white as he kept the fog as dense as possible and they flew back to the mountain where the diamond dog kingdom resided. The crew were all dressed up in winter uniforms and Draco kept his eyes focused forward.

“Never made fog this dense before,” Zephyr said.

“I think you did a good job, now remember the plan.” Draco pulled out a map of the mountain, before taping on the lower left of the picture of said map. “You will be going here for the extraction while I go in and free the captors. I’ll be going radio silent so don’t freak out when you can’t hear from me.”

Draco checked to make sure he had the compass that he got from Lock’s quarters and slipped it back into his pocket. “The moment we start the extraction, I’ll lead the caribou away to keep their attention from you guys as you get the last of the prisoners out.”

“Are you sure at least one of us can’t come with you?” Flash asked.

“Unless one of you passed my test without me knowing, then yes I’m sure,” Draco shot back.

Bismuth and a few others from Beta Squad started sniffing the air.

“We’re nearly there, boss, just a few more miles,” Gravel said.

“Good. Did you prepare the other invention I asked for?” Draco started to check and make sure all his equipment was on him.

“We attached it below the bow of the ship, boss,” Jasper said.

“Good.” Soon the mountain's silhouette could be seen in the horizon. “Alright guys this should be far enough. I’ll jump off here. Hang back so the caribou don’t get suspicious.”

Shadow grabbed Draco and held him close. Maud got in as well as she hugged Draco too.

“Be safe,” Shadow said.

“Please,” Maud said.

“I’ll be alright, it’s the caribou you should be worried about…and Soarin’s balls,” Draco joked.

“They still hurt!” Soarin complained, making Fleetfoot giggled off to the side.

Catching the giggle from Fleetfoot, Draco had another twisted idea. “If it hurts that much, maybe Fleetfoot could kiss them better for you. Feel free to go to Lock’s quarters for some privacy.”

At this, Fleetfoot blushed profusely while Soarin looked away embarrassed.

“What did I say about bullying the kids, babe?” Shadow said.

“Who says I was joking?” Draco winked before jumping off to the side of the ship and flying off to the mountain.

Draco flew away from the hidden ships and eventually out of the fog. He stayed low enough to not be spotted by any patrols outside the mountain and made his way back to the hole Maud carved out. Remembering where it was, Draco managed to spot it easily. However, much to his inconvenience, there were already several guards outside the hole. They had supplies laying around and it looked like they were trying to reseal it.

“Well, now I’m glad I came alone. Trying to sneak a whole squad through all that would have been a pain,” Draco said silently to himself.

Draco slowly began to morph his body, and his physique began shrinking down. His body become black forming a hard shell, four buzzing wings forming on his back. His eyes becoming large and round with tiny squares for eyes. Soon, Draco was morphed into a dragonfly the size of a pigeon. His wings flapped at such high speed they were practically a blur, while his head swiveled side to side before flying forward.

The only sound he made was a faint buzzing noise, which was muffled by the grunts and groans of the caribou, who were hard at work covering the tunnel. Swift and precise, the large dragonfly flew past the caribou and through a narrow passage.

“Can’t bucking believe those mutts in the lower district got away. And they managed to kill Sir Styr!” A caribou grunt complained as Draco flew by.

“I hear ya, and it’s a shame too. I would’ve loved to try one of them bitches out,” another grunt chortled.

“Dude, seriously? That’s gross,” a traitor stallion said. “Lord Gluttony had plans to force the bitches into War Beast breeding camps, since he said that’s all they were good for. But now we’re left with what we got.”

Tempering his anger, Draco continued flying through the tunnel until he exited out on the other side. While remaining in his large insect form, Draco buzzed along the wall of the mountain to not attract attention to himself.

Within a few minutes he flew high enough to reach the second level. Finding a quiet alley, he shifted back and touched down on the ground.

“Alright now it’s time to see if this drill was worth the warm up,” Draco said.

Draco pulled over his hood and stuck to the shadows. He ducked and walked silently past the buildings as guards roamed the streets. Much to his discomfort, and despite it being the dead of night, he could hear the unsettling noises coming from some of the buildings. If Draco had to guess, caribou and traitor stallions were busy indulging themselves with their mare slaves.

Seeing as this was a rescue mission, Draco had no intention of leaving any mare behind. Carefully opening a window leading into one of the buildings, Draco silently slipped inside and snuck through the house. Looking for the source of the sound.

“Yeah, take it bitch!”

Draco heard a grunt laugh maniacally up the stairs. Candles lit the area as he silently made his way up.

“Yes! Master! Ahn~! Buck your slut!”

“You lowly cunt! I’ll stuff you with my seed and make you bear my child!”

“No please! Somepony help! I don’t wanna be a mom!”

“Quiet!”

Smack!

Draco peered around the corner and his eyes grew wide with rage as he saw who was inside.

Among the many mares in the room being raped by stags and stallions on the floor, and out of all the females to run into on this mission, the familiar, pink-feathered hippogriff Silverstream could be seen being raped from behind on the bed. Her clothes were torn to shreds, tears streamed down her eyes, and there were black boxes where her wings were supposed to be. A black collar was strapped around her throat as a caribou stag pulled her arms back and raped the young hippogriff mercilessly.

“Buck, you’re tight! I always like ‘em when they’re young!” The stag mocked as he slapped her beet red bottom.

“Please stop!” Silverstream begged. “It hurts so much!”

In the back of Draco’s mind, something snapped. His eyes turned black as mercy faded from his mind. Pulling out one of his throwing knives, Draco threw it towards the candle, snuffing out the only light.

“What the buck?! Who blew out the light again?!” A stallion barked.

“Don’t worry I got-hey, what’s that sound?” A stag said.

“🎵Peaceful young races with fires on their houses.🎵”

A cold chilling voice soon filled the room.

“🎵Millions of voices silenced like mouses.🎵”

The caribou scrambled around as they heard the voice getting louder.

“🎵Watching the cowards bow toward their new king.🎵”

“🎵These are the few of my favorite things.🎵”

“Wh-Who’s singing? Who-GAK!” A stallion tried to say when his throat was slashed.

“Hey! What just happ-GUH!” A stag was about to speak when two blades stuck through his windpipe.

“What the buck’s going on-ARCH!” A stallion panicked when a blade pierced through his heart. He slowly looked up to see a hooded figure in the darkness. “Wh-Who…?!”

The figure that was Draco moved a hand to light a match. Only instead of showing his face, the flickering light revealed the horrifying face of a snarling raptor, teeth bared and eyes cold and fixed on the last stallion.

“Dainn…help us!” The stallion whimpered.

The light went out and the only sound that could be heard was a high pitch screech and the sound of the caribou’s voice dying out.

Several tense minutes passed as all the females were huddled in the corner. They were all terrified of whatever was happening but couldn’t see due to the light being snuffed out. Just then, the sounds of footsteps slowly walked to another part of the room, followed by another match being lit and the candle shed light again. Unfortunately, their regained sight did little to calm their nerves. Dead bodies and oozing blood littered the floor as a lone hooded person stood right in the middle of it. He slowly turned to the frightened mares as they pushed against the wall, trying to keep as far away from him as possible.

Draco slowly stopped closer before crouching down. Slowly and without sudden movements, he flipped his hood off to look at the frightened females.

“Easy, I’m here to free you girls,” Draco said calmly.

“P-Please,” one of the red collars got on her hands and knees and bowed her head to the floor. “Spare this worthless cunt’s life, and I’ll offer my slutty body to you, master.”

Draco stared at the mare offering her body, while she was trying to save her fellow slaves. It was obvious that she was still under the influence inflicted by the caribou.

“If that’s how you feel, then I shall accept your body. Under one condition.” Slipping a hand into his coat, Draco pulled out a vial with a lightly glowing liquid inside. “Drink this and our time together will be all that more pleasurable.”

The mare nodded and quickly took the vial, uncorked it, and downed the contents. There was a brief moment when the mare held her head as if she was going through a massive headache until she slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times.

“Where…where am I?” She asked, looking around.

“Do you still desire pleasure?” Draco asked, a hint of fear in his tone, wondering if the experiment worked.

“What? No! Who are you?! Why am I naked?” The mare said, covering herself. Draco noticed among the slaves there were two more red collars.

“We don’t have much time.” Pulling a set of rags off the floor Draco passed them to the mare who had been cured, before moving to the other two mares and pulled out another set of vials. “Drink these, and you will know pleasure only gods can dream about.”

As the red collars drank their potions, and the black collars covered themselves, Draco saw Silverstream still huddled far in the corner as she covered her head with her arms.

Carefully and slowly, Draco approached her. “Hey there. I’m sorry I couldn't have come sooner, Silverstream, but please don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“S-Stay away!” Silverstream said, fear gripped her heart. “No more…n-no more!”

It was clear the poor girl was in absolute terror, and his words did little to sooth her. Leaving Draco with one last option. Slowly, once again, Draco began to morph his body, his arms and legs shrinking as he morphed into the sabertooth cub. Gently nudging the cowering Silverstream, Draco let out a few mews to see if she would react.

Silverstream slowly removed her head from under her arms and looked down. When she saw the cub, she sniffled and gently picked him up.

“Who…are you, little guy?” Silverstream said, already beginning to calm down.

While it felt somewhat underhanded, Draco used this form to better calm down the hippogriff. Letting out a few mews and purrs, Draco let his tail wag to see if the old cute charm would work.

“You’re so cute…” Silverstream said, until she began to weep and cry. “Why…why am I here? What did I do…?” The poor girl hugged Draco as she wept uncontrollably. “Why did they…why did they kill her?! I miss my mommy! I miss my home! Why?!”

Draco felt his heartstrings being tugged, he knew why she was crying and could do nothing. He nuzzled into her before slowly changing back. As he changed back his arms moved to hold her gently as he hugged her back, stroking her back slowly as he tried to calm her.

“I’m so sorry, there is nothing I can do about that,” Draco said softly.

“They killed her…!” Silverstream cried into his chest, then looked up at him with red teary eyes. “She was my mom! And they just killed her! They took me away after taking Mt. Aris! Why?!”

Feeling his heart and throat dry up, Draco could only hold the young hippogriff closer. He had no idea that the caribou found their way to the hidden kingdom of the Hippogriffs. Which meant that these monsters were more resourceful than he anticipated.

“I'm sorry, Silverstream, I really am. If I had the power to bring back the dead, I’d do so even if it cost my life. But she’s gone, and you’re still alive. And I know your mother would have wanted you to survive.”

Silverstream cried and cried, and the mares could only watch with pity. To kill a child’s mother, an unforgiveable crime.

“Um…sir?” One of the mares said. “Who exactly are you? We’ve never seen a male treat us so…well, respectfully.”

Turning to see the now clothed mares surrounding him, Draco helped Silverstream to her feet. His hand was still stroking her back as he tried to calm her. “My name is Draco Saurian, and I’m currently leading the revolution of the freedom fight against the caribou and the Sins.”

“Really? Wait…are you with the Hand?” One of the other mares asked.

“That I am. You may have heard of me by my other name, the Beast of Chaos,” Draco added as he draped a towel over Silverstream.

“You’re the Beast?!” All the mares gasped.

“But you don’t look like a monster,” one mare pointed out.

“Not now, but when I need to, I can be.” Draco slowly guided the females through the house until they reached the living room.

“Listen, I can’t afford to stay here for too long. I have more prisoners to liberate.” Draco could see the females were scared and didn't want him to leave. “Don’t worry, I have a crew ready to take you all out of here and back to Ponyville. But I can’t afford for you all to get caught again. I promise I’ll be back, and when I do return you will follow me to the extraction point so you can be taken away from here.”

“How can we trust you?” One of the former black collared mares said. “You may have saved us, but you’re a male. And males now ruthlessly dominate these lands and oppress us females. This could all be a ploy to get our hopes up.”

Draco turned to the female and pulled out one of his throwing knives. The females in question now looked shocked and frightened. Draco instead flipped the knife and caught the blade while holding it out to the mare.

“What’re you doing?” The mare wondered.

“Giving you an out. Take the blade and stab me through the heart.” He forced the knife into the mare’s hand.

“Y-You want me to stab you?!” The mare gasped.

“Naturally. It’s like you said, you can’t trust me. And I can’t convince you by just saying trust in me. So, kill me, then find a way to escape with the other girls out of this mountain while avoiding armed caribou and traitor stallions,” Draco said, staring holes into the mares.

“Wait!” Silverstream sprang up and stood in front of Draco. “He saved us! He’s not like the others!”

“And how do you know that, little hippogriff?” One of the other mares questioned.

“If he were bad, he would’ve killed us, taken us for himself, or just left us to these dead stags and stallions!” Silverstream said and glanced back at Draco. “Right mister?”

“That’s right. And not to add insult to injury, but I did cure you of your mental illness too,” Draco pointed out while holding his hands up.

“He’s got a point,” one of the former red collar mares said, rubbing her neck. “I’d rather not go through that again, and I’ll probably need some major therapy.”

“So, you’re saying you, the Hand, and the resistance fighters are here to liberate us?” The mare with the knife asked. “Like you did with the dogs in the lower district?”

Smiling and nodding his head, Draco moved from around Silverstream to the mare with the knife. “We’re here to stick it to the Sins. Lust is already dead, and Gluttony is next on the chopping block.”

The mares were now more visibly content after hearing Draco’s proclamation.

“Um…mister?” Silverstream said shyly.

“Yes Ms. Silverstream?” Draco asked, turning to face her.

“While I was being…well, tortured, I heard, um, a weird thing from the stags about that Gluttony guy,” Silverstream said.

“Listen, I understand that you might wanna help, but don’t force yourself. I know you went through a dark moment so please try and rest.” Draco wanted to know what she knew, but he wasn’t cruel enough to make her try and remember something from a painful moment.

Silverstream nodded and took a deep breath to calm herself.

“It’s just, I heard them say that Gluttony’s been eating a lot,” Silverstream said, confusing Draco.

“He’s been eating a lot? Do you maybe know what it is he’s eating? After all, he is Gluttony, it’s kinda his thing,” Draco said.

“But that’s just it!” Silverstream said. “The weird part is that I think…I think he’s eating rocks!”

This had Draco concerned. Rocks? Does she mean the Star Ore the diamond dogs had mined? Couldn’t be, he and the ponies stole the shipment that was meant to go to him before. Unless, he had more from before and hadn’t gone through it.

Gently patting her shoulder, Draco smiled at the young hippogriff. “Thanks kid, this might be useful information.”

Silverstream nodded with a small smile as Draco headed for the stairs.

“Good luck, mister!” Silverstream said.

Draco politely shushed her, to which she converted her beak and rushed back into hiding with the other females.

From then on, it was a matter of sneaking through the district, killing caribou and traitor stallions as he went. While also freeing mares and telling them the same thing he told the first batch.

One by one, death followed Draco’s wake with every building he infiltrated and liberated. His hidden blades were drenched with enemy blood as he slit the throats of any stag and traitor stallion. The last thing they heard before their brutal demise was the same tune Draco sang in the beginning. It would be a haunting tune for his victims on their way down to Hell. After clearing over a dozen buildings, and scaring the soul out of countless mares, and a few other female creature species, Draco spotted a building near the center of the district, much larger than the others. It stood at least four stories tall and had more guards surrounding the place than any other building or street he passed by. One stag stood out front wearing a sharp-looking suit. There was an eerie vibe coming off the stag until Draco noticed the familiar black markings that went around his eyes.

Draco knew it was another devil fruit user, yet despite this he prepared for this moment. However, he wasn’t sure what sort of powers he would possess.

It could be something flashy and loud that could alert the whole caribou army. Meaning he was left with one choice, to sneak around the foe until he could assure the safety of the prisoners.

Shapeshifting into a compy, Draco slowly and silently crept around some nearby buildings to get to the side of the large four-story building.

Draco scurried across the street and avoided any prying eyes. He made his way to the other side of the building where he spotted what looked like a manhole in the middle of the street.

In Draco’s mind he groaned knowing all too well what he had to do to get in. Shifting back long enough to lift the manhole cover, he changed into a spider the size of a large dog and climbed along the ceiling of the sewer, avoiding the scat and piss that ran on the floor of the sewer.

Draco had to take as little breaths as possible to avoid taking a deep whiff of the vile odor of the sewer. He navigated his way through the tunnels until he spotted a pipe that went upwards. According to his navigation, he should be directly below the building.

The pipe was thankfully large enough for him to crawl up, though this did mean his spider limbs did touch the walls that were sometimes coated in shit. If spiders could vomit, he would have done so. After what felt like an hour, he managed to reach the exit in a stall, where thankfully no one was in.

After double checking to make sure the coast was clear, Draco morphed back into his human form and cringed uncomfortably. He would soon take this infiltration method to the grave, if it meant not letting anyone else back home know what he did. Just as he was about to leave, he glanced at the sink that had a bottle of hand soap next to it. Draco shrugged as he quickly pulled off his gloves and quickly washed his hands with the soap before putting them back on.

“Oh, the literal shit I go through for justice,” Draco groaned as he exited the bathroom and slowly stalked his way through the prison.

Bismuth had told Draco that the middle level of the building was the most fortified, and if they were keeping any prisoners of war anywhere, it would be there.

He tiptoed his way through the halls, being as quiet as possible. He listened in on every door he passed by to see if there were distinctive sounds, but everything was unnaturally silent. Just then, the front doors opened, and Draco ducked behind a cabinet. He peered through to see the stag from before as a few other stags followed him.

“How is it that I’m surrounded by so many incompetent mongrels that they can’t seem to deal with that infernal Hand and his ragtag band of rebels?!” The stag sneered. “Lord Gluttony should have sent me to deal with them, not Styr!”

“There is a message for you from Lord Gluttony, Sir Klakkr,” one of his men said.

Draco slowly cupped a hand to his ear as he morphed it into that of a bat, improving his hearing.

“Not another one,” Klakkr grumbled. “Of all times to take a brief leave of absence to the Homeland, he chooses now? Fine, what did he say?”

“Lord Gluttony has received word from his majesty, King Dainn. All top-ranking officers must depart for Saddle Arabia within half a year,” the stag said.

“Saddle Arabia? Why the buck must we be summoned back to the capital?!” Klakkr demanded.

“I am just reporting to you as ordered, sir,” the stag said.

Saddle Arabia? Why would they be moving there? Draco thought to himself as he made a mental note of this and moved on as silently as possible.

“Saddle Arabia… Heh, you know, that takes me back a ways,“ Klakkr said with a sick grin. “It was the first continent we conquered when we began our regime. Those fools didn’t know what hit them, and I still remember how Dainn beheaded their king and claimed the queen and three princesses as his own personal whores.” A low and unsettling chuckle escaped the stag’s lips. “Ah, those mares are arguably more buckable than the ones around here. It was only a taste of what was to come for the other continents. That is, until these pathetic equestrian ponies began to rebel.“

Nothing would have pleased Draco more than to slit the stag’s throat. However, he wasn’t sure what his power was, nor did he want to jeopardize the mission. He moved away from the pair and made his way to the next floor.

Draco stealthily crept up the stairs, avoiding any more guards. He ducked behind a wall and peeked over to see two guards on patrol, headed his way.

Quick on his feet, Draco jumped straight up and shifted his hands to claws, digging them into the ceiling and holding himself up. Tucking his legs into himself, he waited till the two guards were just under him.

Just when the two stags were below him, Draco released his grip and extended his hidden blades. In one fluid motion, Draco plunged both blades into their backs as he fell on top of them. There was a loud grunt from both stags but they both couldn’t cry out loud enough before they died instantly, and Draco pulled back his blades.

Moving his hands across their bodies Draco found a set of keys. Grabbed the two guards’ body’s he headed for the door that would lead to the prison cells. Dropping the two bodies one the ground, Draco used the keys to open the door.

Inside were two floors of prison cells. There was a starcase that led to a catwalk to the cells on the second level and circled the whole room. In each cell, there were a mix of mares, female griffins, zebra mares, and the rest were female and male diamond dogs. They all flinched and backed away from Draco, fearful of what he might do to them.

Draco dragged the two corpses of the guard into the room, before shutting it behind him. “It’s alright, I’m here to help.” Draco removed his hood and looked at the prisoners. “I’m Draco Saurian, part of the liberation army.”

“The rebels?” One of the dogs said. “You’re the ones who freed the lower district.”

“The very same.” Draco pulled out the keys and one by one, opened each of the cell doors. “Listen we are all on a tight schedule, Bismuth and the rest of my allies will be here to get us all out soon.”

“Chief Bismuth sent you?” Another dog asked, sounding more hopeful.

“We are allies, he and I.” Draco raised his hand to show off his hidden blade. “He’s the one who made these.”

“But what about that stag with the creepy powers?” A griffin asked.

“Wait, you know his power?” Draco asked, turning to the griffin. “If you do, please tell me. If I know what I’m dealing with, fighting him wouldn’t be a problem.”

“It’s sand!” A unicorn mare said, her horn had been chopped off as she clamored out of the cell. “He can turn into sand and do other weird stuff.”

“That’s not all…” a diamond dog said sadly as he glanced over to the corner of one of the cells. Draco spotted a couple diamond dog corpses that looked like they were dried out husks. “He can absorb all the moisture in your body and make you look like that. He drained our friends dry after they talked back to him.”

Draco walked to the two dried corpses and fell to his knees. In his mind he wondered if he had been here sooner, could he have saved them?

“Hey!” A voice called out from the door. “What the buck are you all doing out of your cells?!” He pulled out a pistol from his holster. “Get back inside right now!”

In a swift movement, Draco dashed right in front of the stallion and changed his head into a Baryonyx. His massive jaws clamped down on the stag’s head. There was a brief scream before a sickening crunch, and the body went limp.

The body fell down with blood bursting from the stump as the whole crowd was shellshocked at what transpired.

“What was that?!” A voice from downstairs yelled.

“It came from the cells!”

“All units! Fall in to the holding cells!”

Draco shifted his voice. “False alarm, one of the prisoners had escaped but they are back in their cell,” he called out in the voice of the stallion he killed.

“Are you sure?” One of the other guards said. “We’re coming up anyway!”

“Hope all you carnivores are hungry because room service is about to swing by.” Draco hid behind the door, and waited for the guards to enter.

The prisoners quickly pretended to get back in their cells so they wouldn’t be in the way. About a dozen guards stormed in the room and were shocked to see the headless corpse of the pony Draco ate.

“What the buck?! What the Tartarus happened?!” A stag yelped.

“His head’s gone…completely ripped off!” A stallion gagged.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them, causing the group to turn around to see a long figure standing by the door. “Hello boys, so nice of you to join me for dinner.”

All the guards immediately aimed their guns.

“Hands in the air! We got you know, rebel scum!” A stag demanded.

“He doesn’t look like the Hand, who the buck are you?!”

Draco smiled as he raised his hands up into the air. But as he did, his hands slowly began to shift into massively long claws. His body grew larger, his neck and jaw elongated. His eyes became blank and white. His body looked similar to a raptor, yet there was a sinister aura coming off his striped body.

“Wh-what the b-buck-!”

“SCRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

A high-pitched roar echoed around the room and even shook the whole building.

“SHOOT IT!” One of the stags ordered as they prepared to fire.

The massive dinosaur lunged forward, slicing two guards clean in half, with a single swing of its claws. The guard howled in pain as their entrails spilled out of their body as they soon died on the ground.

One guard began to open fire at the beast, only to anger it to the point he jumped forward and bit the caribou’s arms off. Blood gushed out where his arms once were as he fell to the ground and writhed in pain.

“BUCKING KILL IT-GAAAH!!” A stallion screamed as the dinosaur jumped on him and began tearing away at his gut.

Blood and gore flew everywhere, organs were shredded to pieces as it jumped out of the way from another stag shooting at it. The beast sprinted at the stag and dug its claws straight through his skull. Pieces of brain stuck to its claws as the skull was caved in and it retracted its claws. The guards were ruthlessly slaughtered by this hunter of a dinosaur. Blood and entrails coated the walls and their screams were all that could be heard to anyone listening.

One stag who watched this all in the corner trembled in fear, as he watched every last one of his allies perish before him. Only when the last stag was a bit clean in half did the monster turn its sights on him. He helplessly watched as it slowly stalked its way forever, blood and entrails dripping from its jaws and claws. The stag pulled his gun to his head, and with a pull of his finger, blew his brains out and fell to the ground lifeless.

Draco snorted through his nostrils as he slowly began to transform back to a human. Similar to his Indominus form, this form also took a bit of a toll on Draco. He rolled his shoulders and groaned when he felt his legs ache, followed by a slight migraine coming on.

“Ugh, note to self, put that form on the back burner,” he groaned, rubbing his head and almost felt sick.

Clap…clap…clap…clap.

The sound of slow clapping was heard as Draco turned to see Klakkr standing in the doorway with an amused look on his face.

“Bravo, Beast, bravo indeed,” Klakkr said.

“Ugh, I guess I was a little too loud just now,” Draco grumbled as he pinched the bridge between his nose. “Well, no point worrying about it now.”

“You’ve gone and made quite a mess,” Klakkr said. “Why weren’t you this brutal back in Styr’s district?”

“To be fair, that form is something I only recently stumbled on, and let me tell you, it is a doozy.” A chunk of meat that was stuck to the ceiling soon plopped to the ground. “And second, I didn’t need to since my opponents were so weak. Overkill gets you so far, you know?”

“I suppose I must agree with you,” Klakkr said with a disappointed sigh. “Despite his overzealous prowess, Styr was nothing more than a junkie with devil fruit powers. Must’ve been quite disappointing when he doped himself during your squabble, hm?”

Draco nodded and sighed. “Yeah, I was having fun using him as a test subject for my new skills, but what can you do?” He shrugged his shoulders. “So, are you gonna try and pull that with me, Mr. Sandman?”

Klakkr flinched and glanced around the room. When his eyes landed on the mare and diamond dog who told Draco about him, they flinched instinctively.

“Damn big mouths.” Suddenly, Klakkr outstretched his hand towards them. His whole arm turned into sand and shot towards them through the bars. The sand enveloped their faces as the sand began to compress around them. “I have no tolerance for disobedience!”

“Stop! You’re crushing them!” The other prisoners begged as they tried to dig the sand away.

Before the two could be harmed further, a massive blast of fire blasted Klakkr’s outstretched hand.

“Gah!” Klakkr grunted as he retracted his hand. The sand caught in the blaze turned into glass shards and shattered on the ground. “What the buck?!”

The two prisoners who were engulfed in the sand were freed and gasped for air. “Oh, what? Never attended a science class before?” Klakkr turned to Draco whose hands were burning with fire. “When you superheat sand, it turns into glass.”

“Fire?! Wait, but you’re not the Hand!” Klakkr accused. “How do you have his abilities?!”

Draco allowed the flames in his right hand to go out, revealing a gemstone embedded into his gloves. “That’s the power of magic, baby. I’ve been working on some magical items, and this, here, is my second creation.”

Klakkr was surprised at this, but also relieved in a way.

“You little punk. You still think you have a chance just because you have a little magic rock?” Klakkr’s whole body began to morph into sand as he lowered his body. “You don’t have the slightest inkling of what I’m capable of.”

“I know well enough that you have limits.” Slamming his fist into the ground, a ring of fire surrounded the two, keeping the prisoners out of harm’s way. “I’m guessing you can only make sand equal to your body mass. I also know you can use your sand to try and absorb the water in someone’s body.”

“Grr, now this wouldn’t be considered fair, now would it?” Klakkr sneered, holding his arm up from the intensity of the flames.

“Fair?” Draco said coldly. “You think you deserve to be treated fair?” The flames around then began to grow hotter and bigger. “Was it fair how you enslaved these poor innocent creatures?” He slowly began to march towards the stag. “Was it fair for you to slaughter their families, and force them to be sex slaves?!”

“It’s just the new natural order of things, boy,” Klakkr said as he made his fists bigger with his sand. “By the will of our glorious king Dainn, we have made this world pure again for all male kind.”

“Then I guess I’m the invasive species who screws around with the order of things.” Clenching his fists, they soon became engulfed in flames. “Now then, come at me so I may bring your life to a crispy end.”

Not having to be told twice, Klakkr launched forward like a rocket made of sand at breakneck speeds. Draco quickly raised his arms as he slammed his sand infused fist into Draco. The Knight of Chaos clenched his teeth hard as it felt like he was being hit by a car and he skidded back several feet. Klakkr followed it up with a fierce uppercut that sent Draco flying and smashed into the ceiling before falling back down.

Before his body touched the ground, Draco extended his arms, they touched down on the floor first before he pushed them off and flipped to his feet. Not wasting any time, he shot a blaze of fire directly at the caribou’s body.

Klakkr jumped out of the way and placed his hand on the ground. The stone floor. Draco watched as the floor began to disintegrate and become sand at his touch. Klakkr then swiped his hand upwards as sand projectiles flew at Draco.

Draco tucked and rolled as he dogged the flying projectiles, knowing full well that if he turned them into glass, they would still be deadly. Draco had to put this fight to an end soon, less the prisoners he was trying to save were in danger.

Klakkr kept up the offence as he morphed his hands into large blades made of sand. He rushed at Draco and began skilfully slashing at Draco. Draco backed up and attempted to use his fire gem, but the stag seemed too quick and managed to cut Draco a few times.

Wincing in pain Draco set his body ablaze, causing Klakkr to back off. There wasn’t much time to waste Draco knew he was on a deadline, and their was the matter of all the other slaves he needed to gather to take to the extraction point. There was one way, but he barely had time to practice.

“No better time like now in the present,” Draco said and got into position.

Raising his hands Draco slowly began to spin his hands round and round in a circle. The flames surrounding them began to shrink slowly.

“As or if I’d let you!” Klakkr said as he slammed both hands on the ground.

A large mass of the stone floor turned into sand and soon Klakkr’s whole body turned into sand. The ground beneath him began to rise and a massive wave of sand rose up over Draco.

“I’ll bury you and the rest of the swine here!” Klakkr laughed maniacally as the wave of sand was about to envelope Draco.

“Glad you fell for it,” Draco smiled as he raised the cloak on his shoulder, another gemstone was there, and from it sparks of electricity danced down along his arm. “If you strike sand with a high enough voltage, it will also cause sand to turn into glass.”

“LET’S SEE WHO SURVIVES THEN!” Klakkr said as the wave of sand crashed down on Draco.

For a few brief moments, the sand settled, and no movement was made or seen. Then sparks of electricity sparked out, and fire began to blaze. As the fire and electricity spread, the sand began to harden and become clear, turning into glass.

“WH-WHAT?!” Klakkr’s voice was heard as a mass shot up from the sand and the slaves could see the stag’s body try and reform. “NO! IMPOSSIBLE! YOU WERE MEANT…TO…DIE…!”

Klakkr’s voice slowed down and died out when his body was enveloped by fire and electricity. His body began to harden and soon it turned into solid glass. The glass statue of Klakkr had his arms reaching out and his face had a panicked expression. The caribou DF user in charge of the middle district had been defeated and was now nothing but a glass sculpture.

From the thick glass, the body of Draco could be easily seen by the prisoners from the floor above the cells.

“Is…is he dead?” One prisoner asked.

“He got buried alive! No way he could survive that!” A griffin said.

“So, they killed each other?” A diamond dog deadpanned. “Great…”

Draco’s eyelids opened before the glass began to rumble, soon cracks formed and from the glass erupted Draco, gasping but alive.

“Holy shit! He lives!” A dog cheered.

“That crazy bastard did it!”

Dusting himself off glass shards, Draco climbed out and looked at the glass statue. “See, this is what happens when you neglect your studies.” Pulling one of his throwing knives out, he tossed it at the statue and watched as it shattered to pieces.

From the glass rubble, dust started to swirl around the chunks. Draco watched as a fruit appeared from the dust and sat in the middle of the remains of Klakkr.

“What’s that thing?” A prisoner wondered as Draco approached the fruit.

Picking the fruit up, Draco stowed it away in his pack. "” horrible thing, something you needn’t worry about."”

Jumping up to the second floor, Draco pointed to the bodies of the dead caribou. “Grab their weapons, I hope we won’t need to use them, but better safe than sorry.”

Once again, the slaves opened the doors and followed Draco’s orders. The remaining diamond dogs were the ones who armed themselves as the whole group stood in front of Draco.

“What do we do now, sir?” A diamond dog asked.

Pulling out the map Bismuth gave him; Draco laid it down on the ground. “The extraction point is here, so we will make our way there while collecting the slaves from the buildings that I marked here,” he said while tapping the building with marks on them. “We’ll head there and if all goes well, you’ll be free before sunrise.”

“Sir, a word?” A husky diamond dog requested to speak in private.

Draco nodded and walked over to him. “You don’t need to call me sir you know? Draco will suffice.”

“I must implore you to save our king and queen,” the husky said. “Gluttony plans to execute them as soon he returns.”

“They’re still alive?” Draco asked, surprised.

“Yes, they’ve been held captive in the throne room where Gluttony resides. I overheard that bastard Klakkr say so once as he boasted about it in front of us as to add insult to injury,” the husky said.

“You mean at the top district?” Draco asked, already knowing where the throne room is. “I can’t. There is no way for me to lead you all up there and save them and then bring you to the extraction point. We run the risk of you being captured again.”

The husky looked down at the map before turning back to Draco. “Then let me lead the slaves to the extraction point. We diamond dogs know this mountain like the back of our paws. We can guide them and gather the other slaves. If we do this, would you be able to try and rescue our king and queen?” He asked, sounding hopeful.

Draco looked down at the map. In it, he saw a good pathway he could take to get to the castle, but it could ruin the plan. But the promise he made to Bismuth echoed in his mind. “Alright, I’ll try. But you need to promise me that with or without me, you’ll leave this mountain. This would all be pointless if none of you got out.”

“We shall, I swear,” the husky said. “And whatever you do, don’t let Gluttony’s Elites see you.” The husky’s face went pale. “You thought Klakkr was bad…those stags are worse.”

Nodding his head, Draco led the group out of the building. From there they went their separate ways. Draco shapeshifted back into his dragonfly form, and buzzed up along the rooftops, making his way to the upper level.

Almost immediately as he flew upwards, a dense and foreboding atmosphere filled the entire upper district. It was as if there was a heavy weight crushing down on Draco’s insect body and he struggled to fly straight.

Buzzing down to an open area, Draco changed back to his human form gasping as the pressure was still strong.

Despite the pressure surrounding him, Draco knew he had to keep himself focused. He presumed this pressure he was feeling was the cause of the Elites that the husky mentioned. Which could only mean that they too were DF users, and quite the strong ones. Draco sharpened his mind. He wouldn’t let this get in the way of this critical rescue mission and had to press on.

Closing his eyes, he began to take deep breaths. He focused on every breath he took, until his mind was at ease. He reminded himself of the mission at hand and wouldn’t let this affect his own willpower to see it through to the end.

The pressure soon became less intense as his willpower regained its strength. Nodding his head, Draco transformed back into a dragonfly and continued towards the castle. The whole place was crawling with multiple heavily armed guards. If he were to launch an invasion on this place, there would be heavy casualties.

In his mind, Draco remembered that the throne room was in the highest tower, with a terrace that overlooked the kingdom.

Flying slowly up and along the wall, Draco soon found himself under the terrace. Changing into his human form, he carefully peaked inside.

The whole place was encrusted with marble and gemstones decorated the whole room. The throne sat in the middle against the back wall. The wall had some kind of mural with diamond dogs, shooting stars, and a vast mountain range. However, something was off, very off. He could see in the throne room, but there was nobody in it. After leaning in closer to see more in the room, he spotted something in each corner of the throne room. One corner had a large male wolf diamond dog with jet black fur, another corner had a slightly smaller female wolf diamond dog with snow white fur. On the other side, a young-looking wolf diamond pup, and in the last corner another wolf diamond dog pup. Each dog looked like they were chained up against their corners.

These must be the royals, Draco mentally deduced before slowly crawling along the wall and jumping onto the terrace. Carefully and silently, he walked into the throne room, his footsteps barely echoing along the walls.

Sweat dripped off the side of his head as he made his way to the large male wolf diamond dog. The dog was at least a few feet taller than Draco as he looked slumped over. Chains wrapped around his arms and legs and his breathing was low and subtle.

“Pst pst. Hey are you alive?” Draco whispered, making sure that no guards that could be near could hear him.

The dog snorted and slowly raised his head. A glare followed suit as he bore his fangs.

“Who the fuck are you…?” the dog said, his voice sounding hoarse.

Draco raised his finger to his lips and tried to shush him. “Shh. I’m here to get you and your family out of here.” Draco glanced at the shackles keeping the king’s arms over his head. “I really don’t have time to explain, can you just trust in me enough to get you out of the mountain?”

“He feasts…on our precious ore,” the king said bitterly. “Like the pig he is…”

Draco slowly picked the lock before finally a click was made, the shackles open and the king fell to his knees. “He eats them?” Draco asked, trying to carefully undo the shackles on the king’s legs next.

The king coughed and tried to stand, but his malnourished state made him collapse back on the ground.

“It is unlike anything I have ever seen,” the king said, trying to get a hold of himself. “Ever since he discovered the ore, he’s had shipments delivered to my throne room. I once watched as he picked an ore chunk the size of a watermelon and ate the whole damn thing. Not to mention the mountains of food he hoards from the entire city.”

Draco slowly and carefully picked the king up and moved him to the next royal, the queen was in no better condition. He began to work on her chains next.

“I can’t imagine why he would need to eat ore when he has real food.” Like before he started with the top lock, catching the queen before she could hit the ground, then proceeding to undo the ones at her legs.

“My love…!” The king picked her up and cradled her. “That monster…he raped my queen in front of me and my sons.” The king brushed a hair from the unconscious queen’s dirty face as he growled viciously. “I’ll have his innards roasted on a spit for what he’s done to my family!”

Draco moved to grab the king’s muzzle and shushed him. “Shhh! Are you trying to get us all killed?!” Draco glared at the king. “I get it you want revenge, join the club. But if you want it you’ll need to be patient, and not scream and alert the guards, do you understand?”

The king growled as he managed to regain the strength a little more and sat up while still cradling his wife.

“My sons are on the other corners, please get them. I’ll wait here with my beloved queen,” the king said.

Before Draco left, he reached into his back and pulled out some chunks of meat. One was handed to each of the diamond dog royals. “Eat this and try and regain your strength, you’ll need it for the escape. I have some for your kids too, so don't hold back.” Draco stood up and went to undo the other two’s locks.

He made his way to the other side of the throne room and to the corner where one of the sons was. The diamond dog wolf pup looked like he hadn’t been fed in days. His fur was black with white patches on his body and one ear was black furred while the other was white patched. The poor pup looked no older than ten years of age. He whimpered weakly and sniffled a little, as if he had no more tears to shed.

Draco made quick work of the locks and gently carried the pup over to the next, cradling him in his arms. “Don’t worry, I’m here to save you.”

Draco walked over to the last corner of the room and his heart broke at what he saw. An even younger pup that looked no older than five years old. His fur was grey like ash, and he was huddled in the corner. The diamond dog wolf pup looked as malnourished and skinny as his brother but seemed to be in worse condition since he was younger, and his body was frailer. Draco could hear his whimpering and could tell that he was suffering.

Like before he undid the locks and carried the pup in his arms. With both pups in each arm, Draco walked over to the king and set them down next to their parents. He pulled out two more chunks of meat. “Here, eat and try not to worry,” Draco said.

The king nodded and helped feed his sons and wife. After some coaxing, the three dogs managed to regain consciousness and ate the meat chunks.

“My family is whole again, thanks to you,” the king smiled as his wife and sons remained silent and ate. “This is a debt I can never repay, even with all the gems and gold that my people have mined for generations.”

Draco kneeled down next to the king and placed a hand on his shoulder. “If you really want to pay me back, then live. Live to see a day when these antler fucks are nothing more than a bad memory.”

“There is something else you should know,” the king said as Draco fed more pieces of meat to the royal family. “We are not alone. There is another, in Gluttony’s bedchambers. A former unicorn pony mare with white fur and pink hair.”

At the moment Draco had no idea who he could be referring to, but he did know what he had to do next. Emptying out all the food in his back along with a water sack, Draco looked to the king. “Can you tell me where the room is from here and what color was her collar?”

“She was a red collar, if I recall. Go out those doors,” the king said, pointing behind the throne to a gem encrusted door. “That’s where the royal bedchambers are. We could hear that pig violating the poor mare every night.” His face then looked grim. “I fear he may have sown his offspring.”

Draco nodded and pointed to the food. “Eat up, when I get back, we make our escape.”

Draco turned and quietly ran towards the door behind the throne. He didn’t hesitate and grabbed the handle, breaking it off. He knew something was off about the mare’s description, but he couldn’t place it. It was gnawing at him, like an itch that couldn’t be scratched. His trek down the fancy hall only made this feeling worse until he made it to the far end of the hall. He reached for the door, but hesitated. What would he see? Could he handle it? His conscience was screaming that something was very wrong, and it was behind this door. Shaking his head, Draco stole his nerves and opened the door seeing the horror inside.

Silence… Dead. Dreadful. Appalling. Silence. A very pungent and sickening stench filled his nostrils, making him gag. Draco tried to blink, but his eyes remained open. There was a naked mare inside, but she was tied up in leather straps. She hung suspended in midair with her arms and legs tied behind her. A bright red collar tied around her neck, almost too tight to make her suffocate. A ball gag strapped around her head and in her mouth, drool dripped from her maw. Her eyes were covered by a blindfold so she couldn’t see anything. An apparent stump on her forehead indicated that she indeed was once a unicorn. Bruises, cuts, handprints, scars littered her body. Her breasts had large handprints etched around them and were too large and very saggy, like something was pulling on them like a cow’s udder. Half her mane was shaved off and the other half was dirty and matted together from unknown fluids. But what caught Draco’s eyes the most was the heavily pregnant belly she sported. The mare could easily be carrying twins, maybe triplets, and looked as though she was about to pop. Draco immideatly recognized the mare, though he wished he hadn’t. This mare was none other than poor Fleur de Lis.

In the back of Draco’s mind was nothing but pure unadulterated rage, one that could even shake the heavens. Yet in his nearly blind rage, Draco knew he needed to be calm. He knew there was hope for her in the form of an angel’s saint. Draco walked over to the mare and undid tore off the binds and gag in her mouth, and in one swift movement poured the last of his cure into her mouth. He watched her drink it and carefully picked the mare up carried her back to the throne room as fast he could.

“Uuhhh…mmm…” the pregnant mare groaned in pain. Draco could feel kicks from within the mare’s belly.

“Shssh,” Draco said softly and quietly. Soon he entered the throne room again. “Listen up and listen carefully, I’m gonna fly us all down to the extraction point. Once we are there, you are to do as you are told by my crew no if, and, or butts.” Draco saw the king and queen and their children were standing and had them help hold Fleur up. “What’s about to happen may seem terrifying, but all you need to remember to hop on my back.”

“By the First Smith, look at her…” the king said as she eyed her stomach. “He really did sow his bastards in her.” The king shook his head and looked back at Draco as he and his family stepped back. “Whatever you are going to do, do it quickly. I fear those Elites of Gluttony’s will be here soon to check on us.”

Draco nodded and led the group out to the terrace. With the wide-open area, Draco soon began to change. His body grew massive, and his neck began to stretch. His mouth turned to an elongated beak and his arms stretched into massive wings. Draco had turned into his Quetzalcoatlus form. His body towering over the canines and mare.

“Smith ancestors, protect me…” the king gasped as he and his family hesitantly climbed on Draco’s back.

With the royals and mare on his back, Draco pushed off the terrace, gliding swiftly down from the castle. As he flew his massive body casted shadows on the building below and soon the sound of alarms filled the air.

“ALERT! INTRUDER! ALL GUNS OPEN FIRE!” Many of the guards shouted and began firing their rifles at Draco.

Bullets whizzed by Draco and the royal family. The king and queen ducked their heads as they desperately avoided any stray bullets.

“We’ll be shot out of the sky at this rate!” The queen panicked.

Draco squawked as his eyes were fixated on the area where he needed to go. He made sure that those on his back had good grips, before diving down faster.

“Hang on!” The king yelled as he and his family held on to Draco’s back for dear life.

Soon the group was right on top of the extraction point. Draco spiraled down slowly until his body touched the ground. Carefully sliding the diamond dogs and mare off his back, he transformed back into a human. Wasting no time, he pulled out his radio and made the call. “This is Draco to Prometheus, execute phase two now!”

“Roger that!” Soarin said.

Suddenly, the walls of the mountain began to shake. A loud rumbling sound filled the whole mountain that mixed with the gunfire from the enemy forces closing in. The rumbling grew louder and more intense, like an earthquake was shaking the whole mountain. All of a sudden, a large mass of the wall broke apart as a giant spinning drill bore into the rock and was attached to the Prometheus.

“Draco! Get on board! We’re outta here!” Soarin yelled as the troops returned fire from the deck.

Draco handed Fleur over to some stallions who were shouting for all the slaves to board the Prometheus. “You go on ahead, I’ll keep these fuckers busy.” He pointed to Fleur. “Call Phill the Saint and ask him to see if Michael will help her. Please!”

“Yes sir!” The stallions said and carried her away.

“Ah!” Fluer shot up and awake as a splashing noise was heard. “AAAAAAAHHH!!”

“Oh no! The mare’s water broke!” A stallion panicked.

“Get her on the ship! Now!” Another stallion demanded as they quickly carried her onto the ship.

“Fuck!” Draco knew it was too late. Now they had to deal with the newborns. “Get them out of here, and have doctors tend to her. Don’t harm the babies and still call Phill!” Draco ordered.

“Don’t let them escape!” A whole battalion of heavily armed stags kept firing and rushing towards the ship.

“You all get going now!” Draco looked up at Zephyr on the deck. “Keep the fog around this area as you leave, I’ll use it to slip away once you’re far away.” Draco changed into a Triceratops and rushed the battalion of caribou.

Draco charged forward, deflecting any bullet fired at him and bulldozed through the group of stags. The stags went flying but the ones who managed to evade his charge kept firing their weapons. A few even tried to meet Draco head on by jumping on his back and pulled out large knives and stabbed his scaly flesh.

He roared in pain and anger, before slamming his body into nearby walls, crushing the bodies like flies on a wall. He crashed into groups of stags, even crushing some beneath his feet as he rampaged through the enemy forces.

Draco saw that more stags and traitor stallions were pouring in from the upper and middle districts. Even if he could fight them all, these guys had the advantage in numbers and would probably overwhelm him. He looked back to where the Prometheus had left and couldn’t see it anymore through the fog.

Thinking he had given them enough time, Draco charged towards the open hole. Once he reached the edge he changed back to his human form and turned his arms into wings, flying in the opposite direction the Prometheus went.

“Come, you dumb fucks. Try and catch me if you can!” Draco called out, taunting them.

Try as they might, giving chase and firing their weapons, Draco was long gone and made his escape. Once again, the resistance claimed another victory over the caribou.

One Week Later

The throne room of the diamond dog kingdom sat empty, its prisoners escaped, and no one left in the room where the mare once hung. Just then, the front doors of the throne room opened. Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the room as a lone caribou walked in. From the look on his face, he was not happy in the slightest. Especially when he noticed a note hanging off a knife embedded in the wall. The caribou sneered at the note before pulling it off and reading its contents.

Dear fat fuck,

I wanted to send you this friendly little letter to inform you of your imminent demise. If you’re curious about the frequency of which I’ve sent these letters, it’s merely to instill as much fear as I can. As if basting a turkey. Which I will proceed to have sex with.

That’s right.

I’m going to fuck the fear turkey.

Follow me on Twitter @Beastofchaos69.

Sincerely,

Draco Saurian.

The stag growled venomously as he crumpled up the paper and grit his teeth. A dark aura surrounded the stag as the ground beneath him cracked from the pressure.

“I will devour you, filthy animal, and savor every. Last. Morsel…!”

Author's Note

Another victory aquired, but somewhat bittersweet.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…