Equestria's Sword

Chapters

Resurrection and a New Adventure
Queen Umbra makes her move
The War has Begun and the Hero is Ready
Thoughts on the Situation
Tempest
Fighting To Get New Members
Night Discussion
Shadow Assassin

Resurrection and a New Adventure

Queen Umbra.

It was a name feared throughout the Empire of the North. The Crystal Ponies still shivered in terror when it was uttered. They would never forget the dreaded tyrant and what she did to them. Unspeakable nightmares still plagued the citizens. The only thing keeping them sane was knowing she was dead. The Elements had finished her. The Crystal Heart would keep them safe. She was gone.

However, deep within a dark cave in the northern frontier. Away from the prying eyes of Crystal Ponies or Yaks. In a place every creature kept away from, vile energies swirled around. Inside of this dark, vile cave were a group of black cloaked individuals. Their cloaks sometimes moved to showcase dark armor underneath. The sigil of a Red Horn engraved into their chest pieces.

Words of black magic escaped their lips as they huddled around a sigil in the ground. In the middle was a single piece of silver armor. A piece that once belonged to none other than Queen Umbra, the lord of these spiteful sorcerers. It was hard to find. Most of their master had been utterly destroyed but some fractions of her had survived the fatal blow done to her all those years ago.

They had found one large enough to hold the energy required for the spell. Hope filled the dark hearts of the sorcerers. They spewed their words of power into the spell before them. They poured as much as they could. They had to make this work. Otherwise, they were done for. Their master's work destroyed. That couldn't happen. They would push through and make sure everything went smoothly.

The energy started to build up as the spell activated. The runes glowed. Everything was falling into place. Their voices grew louder as the chanting increased in pace. They would summon their master and all would be right in the world. The Crystal Empire. Equestria. No, the world would be under their dominion. Nothing could stop them.

With a flash, their spell came to a crescendo. The sorcerors closed their eyes for a moment before looking at what they had done. Before them was a beautiful and curvy woman. She wore silver armor that covered her front while had slimmer black armor cover most of the rest of her body. Her upper torsos top portion was uncovered showcasing much of her smooth, silky skin and large breasts. Her arms only had armor around the forearm near her wrists. A red cape billowed out behind her. A silver crown was upon her head with two spikes on either side of it with a two small curved red horns at the front around a silver circle. A small piece of black armor went down between her eyes and a larger red horn lifted upwards from the middle.

Long black hair cascaded down from the crown, framing her beautiful face. Even after being dead, her hair was luxurious and well taken cared of. Her lips were enticing and had red lip gloss to them that begged to be kissed. Her eyes though were horrifying. The iris was pure blood red with black snake slits. A sickly green color filled the rest and purple smoke leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She was a threatening individual. Beautiful and powerful.

She smiled as she looked at her hands. The being looked herself over, as if checking if everything was there. She even slid a hand over her breasts enticingly, chuckling deeply as she did so. Yes, everything was in order.

One of the sorcerers stepped forward and fell on his knees. Bowing his head, he spoke. "Your Majesty, it is an honor to see you in the flesh once more."

"Of course it is," her voice was bombastic and haughty, yet pleasant to listen to. "I am Queen Umbra, the greatest Queen to ever live! You should feel grateful I have heard your summoning. Each of you shall be given the rank of general in my new kingdom and given lordship over a city after I rule once again."

"Your Majesty is most generous," the sorcerer said, keeping his head down.

'True, so very true." Umbra thrust out her hand, throwing her cape behind her dramatically. "Today starts a new day. A grand day. A day that will be remembered forever."

"All hail Queen Umbra!" The sorcerers chanted.

"All hail me!" Umbra lifted her hand to point to the ceiling of the cave. "The reign of a new queen is at hand." Her cruel laughter filled the area.

Celestia's eyes widened as she shivered. She sat up on her bed. The low light of the moon reflected wonderfully off her sweat, light skin. Her loose sleeping robe slipping past her shoulders, showing off some of her large bust. Her citizens sometimes associated her with a fertility goddess in name because of her large size and shapely form. She was honestly flattered by the comparison. Her sister Luna liked to call her a cow. She was most certainly less flattered by that comparison. Her gorgeous purple eyes worriedly looked around as her rainbow mane billowed out around her.

Something was wrong. So very wrong. It was as though her whole body had noticed something was off. Like a dark presence had returned. She wasn't sure if her sister had felt the same way. Of course, they both had with Tirek but her sister wasn't as attuned with the overall world as her. At least, not yet. Being a way for a thousand years stunted her growth in some ways.

No, she was on her own for at least a while. Her sister was busy dealing with the dreams of Equestria and beyond. She would not burden her with her feelings. She idly thought of calling a guard to aid her, but threw that idea aside. She was no longer a princess. She sighed. She no longer had a purpose. She didn't even have to raise and lower the sun anymore and that thought… made her feel small and worthless. She'd get over it. She knew that much, but still. It did still sting a bit. She hoped she could find a way to be useful other than a confidant to Dusk.

She didn't want him to rely on her guidance forever. Dusk Shine deserved to rule with his own hands. With his own friends. The days of the Sun and Moon duo were over. A sobering fact. Now though, she had a lot of time on her hands. She laid back down. In the morning, she would look into it. She needed to be of some use. The villains in the past few years had shown her enough that she had grown weak in the centuries of peace. She needed to regain some of her past strength and usefulness.

She closed her eyes. The morning would bring upon a new day. Perhaps… Perhaps she would find her purpose in this world. She chuckled at the thought. Now that was just something a princess in a fable would think. Someone who would have a prince in shining armor swoop in and save her. To show her a new and exciting journey. Now wouldn't that be something?

In another world of magic, a young Japanese boy whistled as he walked through a lone field. His name was none other then Hiraga Saito, the famous Gandaflr. The famous left hand of God, as the title said. He had a number of titles due to his deeds. He honestly didn't care for most of them. They brought on too much attention, which usually put him in more situations that almost killed him. He died once. He didn't fancy dying again.

"So partner," Derflinger, his talking sword, spoke up from his back. "What do you plan to do today? I can't 'handle' waiting."

Saito rolled his eyes. He was used to his sword using bad sword puns, or just bad puns in general. He had to get used to it because he was his main sword. Of course, given he was the Gandalfr he could literally use any weapon. The magic gave him the knowledge and power to do that. He even used a world war 2 fighter plane because of it. However, Derflinger was a magic sword. He had helped him in many battles before. He couldn't imagine fighting without him and to be honest, he was a friend of sorts. He wouldn't say that out loud however.

"I wanted some time to myself," Saito said. "To get some fresh air."

"You sure it's because you don't want to get blown up?"

Saito chuckled nervously, "Noooo." This morning, he had kissed Siesta. Accidentally, but it happened. It would appear his life was like a manga that way. Oh he cared about Siesta but… it was strange. A part of him knew he loved Louis, but the other girls also had a special place in his heart. He really needed to think about this in the future or else he might just die from explosions.

"You're going to get it one day," Derflinger chuckled, "Unless you get them all together. You're a sly guy after all."

Saito scoffed, "Like that's going to happen. That's not how it works."

"Little boy," Derflinger spoke. "You were dragged from another world. Have access to a magical ability gifted from myth. You've been able to fight an entire army with said power and your master is another being of myth when it comes to power. I could go on. Your life aint simple or something that's basically happened before. A few girls that love you together? AInt that far fetched."

Saito sighed, "As much as I'd like to try, Louise would kill me."

"Well then do a better job of it."

Saito snorted, "Yeah, yeah. I get it." He knew the sword was right. He just needed to think of how to do it in a way that wouldn't get him killed.

Oh well, at least he'll have a day to himself to relax and not think about all of that. Perhaps he'd pop into town to get a drink. That would be nice. He had enough money to buy a few things. Maybe he'd buy Louise something to calm her down. Well that and see her smile. She had a really nice one.

Author's Note

Hello everyone. Glad to have another story down. This is part of a contest for Alex-keller. Check him out. He's a great artist. For this one, gender bending was the key component. So with that in mind, a few MLP characters have been genderbent. Twilight, Sombra, Flash Sentry, Shining Armor, Cadance, and Flurry Heart will be genderbent. Everyone else will be the same. (And yes, this is a humanized Equestria.) With that being said, I was hoping to play with Familiar of Zero for some time because I do like the anime. So expect Saito to gain a few more girls for his harem~ Until next time, hope you all have a great day and can't wait to read your feedback.

Queen Umbra makes her move

Gleaming Shield didn't want to wake up today. Asleep in her royal bed, with her loving husband by her side, Gleaming just felt content. Content with her life and family. When she had joined the guard, she never thought she'd get to where she is now. She would have been content with a simple Captain's position and some action now and again. Now she was a hero. A wife. A Princess and a mother. She couldn't ask for a better fate for herself.

Prince Bolero. Her husband. The prince of the Crystal Empire. The man who gave her such a beautiful baby boy. To think, it all started as a high school crush. Of course, she wasn't from a nobody family. Her mother and father were both from well standing families and well off but that was nothing compared to a prince. An alicorn. She thought he'd never notice her. Yet he did. He chose her and now she got to spend the rest of her life with him. She felt truly blessed.

"Dear," Bolero whispered into her ear, causing her to shiver. "I think it's time to wake up."

Gleaming held onto his arm, "Five more minutes. Please."

He nibbled on her elvish ear, causing her to moan. "We've got to get up. We've got a meeting with the nobles, remember?"

Gleaming groaned. Dealing with nobles was never her favorite thing to do. There were some really nice nobles and the nobles of the Crystal Empire were usually much easier to deal with then Equestrian ones. However, that didn't mean they never got on her bad side. That and she just wanted to sleep in today. She groaned and stood up, wearing only her red nightgown that covered just enough to not be too lewd but still showing off her curves and muscles from training.

"You really do make it hard to get out of bed," Bolero smirked at his wife.

Gleaming giggled, "I'm glad I make you so hard, my love~"

Before anything more could be said, a small cry rang out in the room. Gleaming quickly made her way over to the crib to look down at her son. As with all mothers, she couldn't imagine a cuter child. Of course, his wings were larger than your average baby as were his ears. That didn't diminish his cuteness though. It made him a whole lot harder to push out however. She was so grateful for pain killer spells. Her son stopped crying as he saw her. He sniffed and reached up to her with his little hands.

"It's okay," she reached down and picked him up. She stroked his cheek, "Are you hungry?"

As she unbuttoned her nightgown, Bolero was getting his clothes on. As he was doing that, he couldn't help but glance over at his wife. His child was eagerly suckling from her bosom. A content smile on her face as she cooed down at him. He honestly couldn't ask for a better picture. Sure, their baby drove them up a wall sometimes with his wayward magic. Even almost killed them once shortly after his birth but they'd never trade him for anything. Like he'd never ask for a better wife then Gleaming. That and he felt jealous of his son at that moment, suckling from her tit like that.

It seemed like today would be a good day from how it all started.

That's the moment that someone decided to knock on the door. Bolero sighed and walked over to it. His wife was busy after all so it was up to him to see who it was. He opened it up to see a winged, young woman in typical crystal empire armor. He could see some of her blue hair from underneath her helm. She was a regular soldier, sent from Equestria to bolster the limited numbers of Crystal Empire soldiers they had when the empire reemerged. Flare Warden was her name. She went to attention and saluted him.

"Prince Bolero, I come bearing urgent news."

Prince Bolero frowned. His pink wings fluttered slightly behind him in agitation. He just wanted to spend some time with his family a bit more before dealing with the worries of the Empire. Of course a soldier telling him it was 'urgent' made him curious, but still.

"Go on ahead," Gleaming kissed his cheek, still nursing their baby boy. "I'll catch up in a few minutes."

Bolero sighed, "I'll send a wet nurse to help you with him." He turned to Flare Warden, "Lead on."

In the private room of Canterlot Castle, surrounded by thousands of books on massive shelves, stood a rather handsome man. His elvish ears and purplish wings on his back was indicative of his royal status. He was an alicorn and he would live up to that kind of status.

Dusk Shine honestly couldn't believe how nervous he once was when it came to being the new Prince of sure, his job wasn't easy. He had to take into account the wishes of a nation. Deal with other nations and all the necessary paperwork and meetings that entailed. However, his years of preparing schedules paid off. He was effectively doing his job. In some cases, he had increased efficiency in the Equestrian government. He wouldn't brag about it of course. He would never admit to being better than Celestia. That would be a terrible thought.

He just knew he was doing her proud with his efforts. He was going to take Equestria into the future. A place everyone would be happy and get along. Not just with different types of ponies, but other species as well. His school was doing well and so far, his reign was going well all things accounted for. Luna was also a help as she had left the country to deal with Saddle Arabia and some other far off nations. Building relations with them would be crucial for better trade routes and getting them up to speed on the magic of friendship.

Looking over his papers, he was pleased to see Dragon Lord Ember was doing well with reforming the dragons. It may take centuries, but it appeared that the dragons were on their way to forming a real kingdom in their own right. She was a pleasant change of pace when it came to rulers. Direct and to the point. He valued that kind of honesty. It wasn't always like that, but hanging around a woman like Applejack tends to rub off on someone in ways. He also hoped Smoulder was doing well. Perhaps he would check up on them at the school later.

For now, he would focus on the taxes of Manehatten's tea. It seemed to have dropped slightly. He'd have to look into that further and see if that was a good thing or not. If there was ever anything that could spell ruin for his young reign, it was messing up the economy. Oh boy, that would get ponies to hate him.

"Hey Dusk?" Spike's voice spoke up.

Dusk Shine turned his head to see Spike standing before him. Spike was still young but he was starting to show the signs of puberty. His voice was getting a bit deeper and he was getting a bit taller. Spike had always been a bit different given he was a dragon. Of course, he was in his 'human' form. In which he had slightly pointed ears, green snake eyes, jagged teeth and a snake-like tongue. All in all though, Dusk Shine couldn't think of a more competent aid. He was like a little brother and to be honest, if it wasn't for him, he'd not know what to do half the time.

"Don't you think you've worked enough for today?" Spike said.

Dusk Shine blinked in confusion at that, "Enough? Spike, I don't think so. It's not-"

"It's 2AM in the morning," Spike deadpanned.

Dusk looked over at the clock before blinking. Then he scratched the back of his head, "Well… maybe it is a bit late. After I finish this, I'll go to bed." He turned to look over and write a few notes.

Spike sighed, not noticing a dark tendril sneaking up behind him. "You have a meeting with the buffalo tomorrow morning. Being half awake during it is kind of insulting. They might think you don't take them seriously enough."

"I do take them seriously," Dusk Shine said with irritation. "The buffalo are valued members of Equestria. I will do my best to show that I respect their culture and people the best that I can, understand?"

There was no response.

Dusk Shine frowned. Usually Spike would say something or counter her statement. Silence was… he could hear some struggling and muttering. He turned and gasped. Standing before him was the beautiful and terrifying figure he thought dead, "Queen Umbra?"

The queen's dark laughter filled the air. To her right was Spike, who was wrapped up in a dark magical tendril with part of it over his mouth, lifting him up into the air. He was panicking, kicking his feet in a futile attempt to free himself.

"Let him go," magic surged around his hands as Dusk Shine prepared to fight his old foe once more.

"Awww," Queen Umbra pouted and tapped her pouty lips, "Is that the kind of greeting I get when I just come by to say hello? Pity. I expected better from the prince of Equestria and I came all this way from the land of the dead to meet you again."

"I would have prefered it if you stayed there," Dusk Shine growled, "Now let him go."

"No," Queen Umbra sneered, "I don't think I will. Stay your magic or I will strangle the life right out of him." The tendril tightened causing Spike to let out a panicked squeal.

Dusk flinched at that before powering down his magic. He didn't have to worry about continuing if this thing turned into a fight. He could cast magic on the fly without much build up if he needed to, "Why are you here?"

"Why, to take back what is rightfully mine." Umbra grinned, showing off her fangs. "To rule unimpeded as I was rightfully owed and that your people took from me. How selfish. You and those pathetic princesses of old wanted all of the power to yourselves."

"You're confusing the princesses with yourself," Dusk Shine said, "Now leave before I beat you once more."

"You can't do that without the other element bearers at your side," Umbra waved her hand around the room. "And besides this dragon, I see no one here. You're alone. How lucky for me."

"And what do you want from me?" Dusk had a few guesses as to what she wanted. None of them were good.

Umbra slapped her hands together and smiled, "Right to the point. Yes, I want you to come quietly and if you don't, he will die." She pointed to Spike, "You could fight me. Push on and avenge your friend but I don't think you will."

Prince Dusk Shine, ruler of Equestria, had a choice. He could fight and most likely force Queen Umbra out of the castle but lose Spike. He could save Spike, but then he'd put his nation at risk. He knew what the logical decision was. The nation came first. Yet whenever he looked at Spike, what amounted to his little brother, his heart wouldn't let him make that choice. He sighed and lowered his head, "You win."

"Excellent," Umbra clenched her fist and tendrils of dark magic wrapped around Prince Dusk Shine. He glowered at her but she laughed it off, "Don't worry. I won't hurt either of you. I'll make sure you're both safe in my new Empire."

Queen Umbra laughed. She was finally going to win. She would stomp upon the people who put her down. Who cast her out and hurt her. She was going to show them fear the likes that they've never seen and there was no one alive who was going to stop her.

Saito sneezed. He rubbed his nose to clear the itching away.

"Seems someone's been thinking about your or something, partner." Derflinger said from his back. "I bet it's those curvy girls waiting in your bed~"

"First of all, that's not how it works." Saito rolled his eyes, "Secondly, Louise doesn't have any curves."

"Saying stuff like that out loud is why you keep getting blown up," Derflinger deadpanned. "You really need to work on how you talk and act around her."

Saito chuckled nervously, "Maybe."

Truth be told, he knew that. It was just sometimes, he wanted to get under her skin when she annoyed him. That and the other girls around him were just so sexy, he couldn't help himself. Yeah, a part of himself felt bad about doing it to Louise, but, you know, she wasn't a saint in this either. He sighed. His relationship was really complicated.

That's when he felt it. A surge of magic around him. He stopped and looked around, trying to find the source. It felt so… familiar.

"I feel it too, partner." Derflinger said, "Better get ready for anything."

Saito reached up to pull his sword out from its sheath when he noticed a strange symbol form around his feet. His eyes widened, "This is a summoning circle!" He fell through it, internally screaming 'not again!'.

The fall didn't last long as he found himself being thrown into something. He heard a feminine oof and felt his face in something so incredibly soft. Looking up, he found himself in some girl's large bosom. Not that strange for him. However, the girl he was looking at was so beautiful that no girl could begin to compare. He jumped back in shock. She was certainly curvy. More so than even Kirche yet she was built really well. Her hair was like a rainbow, flowing around her. Her elvish ears first made him think she was some kind of elf. It would make sense since elves were always good looking, better than most humans in fact. However, her large, white wings told him she was more than that. Her silky white skin was so perfect and she wore a golden dress that did show off some of her bountiful cleavage and smooth legs.

"My, my, my~" The woman's voice was so calming and sexy, he almost passed out from hearing it. "To think my hero would be so forward. Perhaps when this is over, you could touch them again~"

Well… it seemed that life was going to throw him curveballs regardless of where he went.

The War has Begun and the Hero is Ready

Prince Bolero knew he wasn't going to like what they showed him. As he was led to his destination, he could see Crystal Empire citizens rushing away from the outskirts of the Empire. They were panicking. Several soldiers were rushing forward, either to try and calm down the civilians or to get to what was causing them so much distress. Given how everything seemed so chaotic, whatever was causing this hadn't started that long ago. He could be thankful for that. The earlier they could respond to something, the easier they could deal with it.

He hoped.

It grew quieter as he got closer. There were less ponies around. Even the animals had fled. It felt colder as well. A dark tingle ran through his spine. He had felt this way before but he didn't want to admit the reason as to why. That monster was dead. She had died. Of course, she had died before and came back. Bolero doubted Discord was stupid enough to bring her back another time, so how she came back this time was worrying. It didn't help that Discord had apparently taken a vacation away with Fluttershy so they didn't know when he'd return so he couldn't ask him to find out quick and easy like. Princess Luna was in another continent and the other princess and prince of the country were far away. He was on his own. Well besides his badass wife and small army of course.

He made it to the edge of the magical barrier the Crystal Heart had. Outside the Empire capital was a hazy black cloud that stretched around the city. He frowned as he spied people in cloaks at the edge of the cloud. He could hazard a guess that they were creating the haze to cut off the empire from the rest of the country. He didn't want to think about their plans but he had to prepare for the worst.

He turned to Flare Warden, "Have they made any movements toward the shield?"

Flare shook her head, "They've done nothing since putting up the shroud around the empire. We've been setting up fortifications in case they try and penetrate the shield."

Bolero crossed his arms, "They shouldn't be able to do that. Unless they were Discord themselves, this shield will hold. However…" He narrowed his eyes, "I don't think we have the necessary supplies to last a long siege."

It was the unfortunate part of being a small kingdom city in the frozen north. Not enough time was there to cultivate the lands outside its magical border and the space inside was limited. They could hold out for a while but he didn't know how long the enemy was planning to keep this up.

Before he could say anything, a figure marched forth from the smoke. Bolero's eyes widened and all of the crystal soldiers gasped. It was none other than Queen Umbra herself. She should have been dead yet that wasn't what made his heart stop. His brother in law, Prince Dusk Shine, was hovering behind her. A tendril of black coiled around him as he was kept in the air.

Queen Umbra stopped before the barrier and put a hand on her cheek, "Oh my, did you do all of this for me? I'm flattered that you take me so seriously as a threat."

Bolero scowled as magic flared up around his hands, "Let him go, Umbra."

"That is Queen Umbra to you," Umbra huffed and looked annoyed, "Really? Is that the first thing you're going to say to your rival? This is why we villains prefer to fight Dusk. He's much better at this."

"I will not repeat myself," Bolero stated, "If you do not release him, you will die just like you've died before."

"And then come back again and again," Queen Umbra smiled, showing her vicious jagged teeth. "Just face it, it is my destiny to take over this Empire. You only stall my ascension."

"You are a cruel monster," Bolero shot back at her, "You aren't fit to rule anything."

Umbra scowled, "That mouth of yours will be the death of you. I'm surprised you were able to charm someone like Gleaming into being your wife. She at least knew how to treat an opponent. Where is she by the way? I'd like to speak to her."

"Leave her out of this."

"Is she with the baby," Umbra smiled, "He was so cute. Perhaps I will make him a lord when I conquer this place. I will do my best-" Bolero shot a bolt of magic at her which she moved her head out of the way, "How rude~"

If looks could kill, Umbra and her goons would be on the ground dead already.

"My son will never be within your grasp," Bolero growled.

"Well I already have your brother," Umbra moved her hand to her captive, "So your son and wife won't be a problem."

"What do you want?"

"Now we're getting the the juicy part," Umbra chuckled, "I want your kingdom. Give it to me and I will release Dusk Shine."

"I will never hand you the Crystal Empire," Bolero shouted.

"And that's why I was prepared for you to say that," Umbra smiled. "I can wait you out and then take over the rest of the country. Discord can't save you. He's in another dimension and I've done a good job at making sure he can't return. Luna is on the other side of the planet and Dusk is within my grasp."

"Princess Celestia-"

"I've sent some people to deal with her," Umbra waved off his concern. "Soon there will be no one that can oppose me. Surrender now and I will be merciful."

"We will never surrender!" Flare Warden took out her sword and pointed it right at her. The other crystal empire soldiers shouted in unison, agreeing with Flare.

"Flare… come with me." Bolero said, causing Flare to look at him in confusion. "Queen Umbra, I will think on your offer. Give me time to do so."

"Prince Bolero!" Flare Warden shouted in surprise.

Umbra inclined her head, "Very well. I'm a patient woman. I can wait."

Bolero grabbed Flare's shoulder and pushed him along. Once they moved several steps away and out of sight, he pushed him into an alleyway. "You are the fastest flier in the empire, correct?"

Flare nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Then I want you to get a message to the princess," Bolero put a hand on her shoulder, "Tell her about what's happening to the Empire and about Queen Umbra. She might know already but we can't chance that. As well, do your best to protect her. She may be an alicorn but we can still fall just as easily. We can't afford to lose her."

Flare Warden nodded once more, determined as ever. She put a fist over her chest, "I shall do as you ask."

"Good," Bolero gave a sad smile, "I will give you an opportunity to escape but it will be a short one. I don't know how long me and the army can hold her before we have to retreat back into the protective barrier. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Your Majesty."

"That's what I want to hear," Bolero said before he remembered something. It was drastic and he honestly didn't want to do it, but he remembered stumbling across a certain scroll of Starswirl's. It could help but he wasn't sure. "I do have one thing for you. You'll receive it in the hour before you make a break for it. You must get it to Celestia at any cost."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Flare Warden would not disappoint him.

Celestia hummed as she trimmed a small Bonsai. The tiny tree was a gift from Neighpon for her farewell celebration. She was most grateful for it. It was a thoughtful gift and helped keep her mind off of everything around her. She could be at peace for a while as she focused everything on a small tree.

It seemed as though nothing could go wrong today. Perhaps she didn't have to contact her sister. There was nothing to really talk to her about. Just some bad dreams is all. She was no master of dreams so they were pretty much nothing to her. She just needed to focus on enjoying her new vacation.

That was the exact moment that her ear perked at a sound. Was that… screaming? She blinked in confusion before turning to the door. Just as she moved to open it, something crashed through the door. She sighed. It seemed her short lived peace was at an end. Oh well. She would deal with this problem. It was probably just Ditzy Doo crashing about like usual. She shouldn't be worried. So she turned around to talk to her.

The being that crashed through her wall wasn't a friendly mailman. This was a warrior decked out in black, spikey armor. Everything about him screamed 'evil'. He was huffing and no doubt grinning under his helmet with how those huffs turned into chuckles.

"I've found you, you wretched alicorn."

Celestia frowned, "And who might you be?"

"I am the man who is going to go down in history as the slayer of Celestia," the black knight hefted his large battle axe.

"My, my, my." Celestia huffed as she looked him up and down. He was certainly big and strong but she had faced much worse in the past. "You certainly are confident in your own skills. I hope you didn't hurt anyone on the way in here."

The villainous knight shrugged, "Maybe one or two but who cares. As long as I-"

He never got to finish his sentence. Celestia fired a beam of pure yellow magic as hot as the son into his upper torso, burning it away completely in a second. Her eyes burned with hatred at that very moment. If there was one thing she despised, it was hurting the innocent. Normally she would refrain from killing. Redemption was usually the answer but there were always those that could not be redeemed. They were usually sent to Tartarus but when she used to fight in wars in her youth, some needed more permanent means of stopping them. She marched out from the hole and into the hallway. It was trashed and there were a couple of bodies there.

She bawled up her hands into fists as they shook lightly. Death wasn't something she was foreign to. People died all the time but this? It had been so long since she'd seen this. She had done everything in her power to keep Equestria safe and secure. It had worked. It had worked so well, yet this? She would make them pay for doing this to her people.

Two more black knights came around the corner.

"Die, Cele-"

She blasted his head off. The other paused before she fired a bolt of magic that created a fist sized hole in his chest. Both bodies hit the ground. A pang of guilt ran through her heart. She hated killing with every fiber of her being, but seeing those bodies…

She would strengthen her resolve. She would make sure that they paid for their misdeeds. So she kept walking, ready to take on whatever these villainous curs had in store for her. She was thankful that only a few staff were present in their large home. Her citizens loved her and wanted to support her even after all of this started to happen. She was flattered but she was hoping to get them to leave her alone. They deserved to live their own lives instead of just taking care of her.

She heard someone trembling in a closet and opened it up. She sighed in relief. Inside was a pretty elvish looking woman in her early twenties. She had black hair tied up in a bun and lightish brown eyes. Her dress, which was a normally tidy secretary outfit, was a bit messy at the moment. Celestia knew enough why that was.

"Raven," Celestia addressed her beloved secretary, Raven Inkwell. "Are you well?"

"I'm fine," Raven sighed in relief, "I'm glad you're alright, Lady Celestia. I meant to try and find you but they were so close. I had to hide. I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize," Celestia put a hand on her shoulder, "You did the right thing. Now, let's get-"

"Die!" A voice shouted to her right as a knight started to bring his sword down on her head. Her eyes widened and for a moment she thought the surprise attack would end her. However it was blocked by another sword.

She turned to see it was none other than Flare Warden. The Crystal Empire soldier was bruised, battered, and bloodied. Her armor was in shambles in places and there were numerous cuts that were still bleeding.

"You will not touch the princess," Flare snarled as she pushed her opponent away. She stumbled as she grit her teeth. The pain getting to her.

The knight laughed, "You will die-"

His head was blown off with a bolt of magic.

Celestia huffed, "Next time, mind your opponents." She turned to Flare, readying some healing spells. "Hold still. I'll heal you."

"No," Flare spoke, "Save your energy. I have something for you." She pulled out a scroll from her rucksack and handed it over to her, "This is the key to our victory. Prince Bolero said to give it to you since he can't make it."

Celestia bit her lip. If that was the case, Equestria was out of options except one. The Elements could-

"Prince Dusk Shine has been captured," Flare said and she seemed on the verge of tears. It was no secret to anyone, except Dusk, that Flare had feelings for him. "I… I saw him myself. I… I wanted to save him."

"Shhh," Celestia put a finger to her lips, "Don't fret now. We need to get you to safety and figure out a plan to win against these foes."

"It's Umbra," Flare said with bothered breath, "It's Queen Umbra. She's returned."

Celestia's eyes widened and she tightened her grip on the scroll. Umbra was a powerful sorcerer. On her own, any battle would be a toss of a coin for a victor. She may need what is on this scroll after all. She opened it up and gazed over it. She sucked in a breath, "This is…"

"A summoning scroll," Flare nodded, "It will summon a hero to save us."

Celestia knew about this. Summoning someone took a lot of energy. On her own, which it seemed she would have to do, it would drain her quite a bit. However, they needed to do this. Without the Elements, they were at a loss to do much of anything outside of a full blown war. She wouldn't let that happen to her country.

Saito stared at the beautiful woman before him. He had been able to calm down after that whole debacle and pay attention to her story. He was just thankful that she wasn't the type to beat him for touching her breasts. Thankfully, most of the girls back home weren't like that either but he spent most of his time with Louise. That meant he was always a bit wary of girls. Then again, he disregarded that because he was a pervert more so than a coward. It brought a lot of pain, but he would enjoy some nice TnA as much as possible.

"Now that you know of our story," Celestia said before bowing, "Will you help us?"

Saito looked over at the other girls present. One of them was injured and being taken cared of by the other. Just seeing a woman in that condition brought a sense of pure anger to him. He hated seeing girls getting hurt. He knew that helping them could lead to his death but… well this wasn't the first time something like this happened. He had to fight for unknown lands and new people all the time.

On the bright side, perhaps a girl or two would get interested~ Of course, he was saving himself for Louise first but a harem wasn't out of the question. So he nodded.

"I'll help you," Saito said. He would help even if he didn't get a harem. The thought of innocent people being hurt while he could help was a terrible thing. He would make sure the people of this country were safe and then return home.

Celestia smiled, "Thank you." She pulled him into a hug, where his face was caught up in her large cleavage. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," was his muffled reply. His face was blushing and a perverted grin was spread over it. Oh yes, he was going to love this adventure.

Thoughts on the Situation

Queen Umbra tapped the armchair of her throne in impatience. For the past several hours, she had been sitting there in agitation. Said agitation was due to the Prince's failed attack to break through her lines. While she may be a vile sorcerer, killing wasn't exactly something she enjoyed. Breaking bones and the like, sure. That was fun but killing? No. That wasn't her forte and yet both sides had lost a number of people. Umbra won but she knew Prince Bolero was up to something.

That was why she was agitated. She had dirtied her hands in something she didn't care for and now her enemy no doubt had done something that would prove to be a thorn in her side. It always happened. These no good, goodie two shoes were like that. They would fight for their precious 'friendship' and all that sort of nonsense. She would have liked them to be at least honest with themselves. It was all obviously a lie. Queen Umbra knew the truth of people. They were all selfish and vile people beneath their surface. She would bring that to light and watch them break.

Just as they watched her break.

Still, she was not going to fail this time. No. She was going to win and tear down the Crystal Empire. Then she would tear down Equestria and then the rest of the world. She would bring darkness to the hearts of all. That was her wish. That was her destiny. No matter how many times they 'killed' her, she would be back. Queen Umbra was eternal. Death was not the final journey for her and never would be.

"You seem agitated, my Queen." A cloaked female voice spoke up beside her.

Queen Umbra didn't even turn an eye to her as she spoke in turn, "It's just slight frustration. I'm not a mind reader so I can't know what the 'heroes' of Equestria are up to. Perhaps I should have taken the other Element bearers as well."

"We need only one," the servant replied. "The rest cannot function without their leader. The same goes for their country. We have them right where we want them."

"Perhaps," Queen Umbra said, "I just wish to be a tad bit more cautious in this life compared to my previous ones."

"We have taken precautions to ensure your victory," the servant said. "Our forces are great in numbers and we have a number of beasts at our command that will destroy any hero that dares to challenge us."

"I will take your word for it," Queen Umbra said before standing up. She walked down her small flight of stairs that led to her throne and exited her throne room.

"Do you wish for me to accompany you, Your Majesty?" the servant asked as they walked beside her.

Umbra waved her off, "No need. I just wish to be left alone is all."

The servant nodded and walked away.

Umbra huffed, satisfied that she was alone. She quickly opened and closed the door behind her. While she did love having servants to fawn over her, there were times she liked to have some privacy. That went especially for who she had to converse with on occasion.

Her room was luxurious and dark. An erotic, gothic state of affairs if one had to say. There wasn't too much in the room; just some closests, a desk and mirror, and then the bed. Yet it all had an allure of darkness to it. She sat down in front of her desk and gaze into the mirror. She sighed, feeling her agitation starting to boil over.

"What ails you, my child?" A wickedly sweet woman's voice seemed to reverberate around the room.

Queen Umbra didn't even flinch as she responded, "There is nothing that ails me, mother. I'm just sighing. Can't a ruler sigh after dealing with lesser folk? They drain my resolve just listening to their insipid words."

Her mother. A being of immense age and power. Being a creature of darkness, her mother was queen of the Umbran. A fierce creature that even locked away in a prison she could not escape from, her mere voice made Umbra's skin crawl and shiver in fear. She would tell no one of this, which is why she prefered to talk to her mother by herself.

"I would hope they would be rather helpful," her mother spoke again, the voice chilling to the bone. "I did create them to serve you after all."

Queen Umbra sighed, "I know."

This was all true. Her servants were not at all regular mortals. They were created using dark magic and blood to craft a small army of dark followers. They would not question her. They would only obey. This suited Umbra just fine, but that didn't mean she found them particularly engaging.

"But that's not what really bothers you," her mother hissed. "You are displeased with taking the lives of your enemies."

"I wouldn't simplify that matter like that," Umbra brushed off the comment, narrowing her eyes as she did so. "It was simply irritating to have to kill my future subjects is all."

"Now that is a good reason to be irritated," her mother said. "I just worry about you sometimes. A mother has the right to fear her child losing her way. After all, you almost lost it once before with the help of that Radiant-"

"Leave her out of this!" Umbra shouted and smashed a fist into the desk, denting it. The desk was thankfully made of incredibly sturdy wood and magically enhanced to boot. Yet she still made a big dent in it. She honestly didn't care right now as she was pissed off, "She's long since dead and she no longer influences me."

"Like how you're losing your temper at her mere name?" Her mother said, which made Umbra growl in anger. A sinister chuckle came from the mirror, "I know, my child. I know. Stop being so fussy when your mother worries, alright?"

"I'll stop being so fussy the day you get off my back," Queen Umbra snarled, "I am queen of the shadows. The greatest ruler of these lands. I am the most beautiful being to have ever existed. I deserve more respect."

"You are all those things," her mother said, "But above all else, you are still my child. Second to me in everything. So please, do not forget who gave you perfection nor forget to tear your heart away from others. It will fail you if you don't."

As the voice departed, Umbra's breathing slowed as she patted her chest, "Easy, Easy. She's gone now." She told herself as a manner of calming down. It was never easy dealing with her mother.

It didn't help that she brought up Radiant Hope. Umbra couldn't help but remember her once friend's smile. How they used to play together. They would cuddle, talk, and grew up as one. They were so rarely apart that they were basically family. If… if things had been different… If she hadn't been an Umbran….

No. Now wasn't the time to think of the past and regret. She had an empire to conquer and a new nation to form. Her enemies could use her weakness to get at her. No. She wouldn't allow it. She was Queen Umbra. She was unstoppable and she would show the world the might she possessed. She grinned wickedly. Oh she couldn't wait to crush them under her feet.

Suddenly the doors opened up and a servant rushed in. He dropped to his knees, "Your Majesty!"

Queen Umbra quirked an eyebrow, "What is it? I would hope it is something important or you will experience misery beyond comparison."

"Our force sent to take out Celestia has fallen," the minion stated.

"What?" Queen Umbra scowled, "Are you telling me that you have failed me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The minion said with a bowed head, "I take full responsibility. I sent out that force so it is my fault they failed."

Queen Umbra waved him off, "You can make it up by leading the next batch of soldiers in person. This time bring me the former princess and don't fail me. If you do, don't ever think to return."

"Your Majesty is truly kind," with that, the minion departed.

Umbra was left in silence once more. It was truly agitating to know that the former sun princess was still at large. She was a powerful and intelligent opponent, but the queen of shadows was not truly worried. Celestia had been beaten a few times before and now Umbra had an army. True, she had fallen to Celestia once before, but this time would be different. She had everything under her control. Nothing would be left to chance. Celestia would be bound and at her feet soon enough. The image made her chuckle. Yes, this would be absolutely delightful.

Now that Saito had time to calm down and think about his situation, he really didn't like his odds. Unlike in his own world, he couldn't even rely on having a number of allies and an army to help him. Of course, that was something he had dealt with before. Taking on an entire army by himself was a trying experience and he pulled it off. He died, but he was able to give everyone time to escape while he did so. This time, he was not looking to die again. He wasn't sure he could be resurrected this time. So no experimenting with death or anything of the sort.

So that meant he had to be cautious. Said caution made him want to run away. A powerful dark lord honestly sounded more terrifying than any of his other foes. At least most of them were human, at least in abilities. He wasn't sure what a 'dark lord' could even do in this world. He could basically just be walking into the slaughter here. What's worst about this situation, he could very well never see Louise or any of the others again. He could be stuck here even if he won. He didn't know how to feel about that.

"Got something on your mind, partner?" Derflinger spoke up. The pair were sitting by the building as they waited for Celestia to finish a few things. The others were a bit away so Saito and his sword could talk in peace.

"I've just got a lot on my mind is all," Saito sighed, "What if we can't return to our world, Derflinger?"

"Knowing Louise," Derflinger said in response, "She'll blow a hole in space and time big enough to drag your sorry butt back to her room."

Saito snorted, but a small grin spread across his face. "I know she would, but… this is a lot to take in. We're not fighting just any foe. It's a dark lord. This 'Queen Umbra'. I don't know how powerful she is and how this is all going to go down."

"You never knew how everything was going to go down before," Derflinger pointed out, "And you survived everything thrown your way so far."

"Yeah, so far." Saito huffed. "Who knows if my luck will hold out here. Besides, it's not like I know the people or this place."

"So are you going to just let them deal with the problem then?"

Saito frowned, "Of course not. What kind of hero would I be if I just let the bad guy just go around beating innocent people?"

"Then what's the issue?" Derflinger said, "If you ask me, we'll beat this bad guy in a week and be home with enough time to spare."

"You're really confident in our chances of victory?"

Derflinger chuckled, "Of course I am. Who do you think we are? Chopped liver or something? So chin up and stop moping, kid. We've got a country to save."

Saito sighed before he started to chuckle, "Fine, but its your butt on the line too."

"I don't have a butt to worry about," Derflinger said, "Although, I could Ass-k you a question on why you said that." When Saito groaned, Derflinger started to laugh.

Saito stood up and made his way to the carriage they were using. They had loaded it with all the supplies they needed for this journey so he didn't have to worry about getting any more. He saw Raven and Flare Warden inside. Raven was going over the items, occasionally lifting one with magic. It was so weird to see magicians use just their hands instead of wands. It was like the magic of this land was much more natural to these people. Did that make them stronger too?

Guess he'd find out when he fought Umbra.

He peered over to her ears and wondered if that had anything to do with it. Her ears were pointed. Was she an elf? It was strange to see an elf so carefree outside of elflands but he guessed they didn't feel the prejudice here as they did in Louise's world. Then again, their ruler was a giant winged elf and a winged person was there as well. He guessed the humans here just were more accepting.

"What are you staring at?" Flare spoke up. She had a slight glare to her expression. Her arm was on her sides and she still was in wrapped up bandages.

"I'm just curious," Saito said, "Are elves not persecuted here?"

"Elf?" Raven quirked an eyebrow, "No, I'm a human. I'm just magically gifted is all. A Mage."

"But your ears…"

"I'm guessing in your world, these 'elves' differ from humans with their ears?"

"Mostly, but there are a few other things to them." Saito said. He idly remembered Tiffania. Even if they weren't technically elves, Tiffania would love it here. Here she wouldn't have to fear going out and exposing her elvish traits, "But that's not important really. Anything I could do to help?"

"I'm recounting our supplies," Raven said, "We shouldn't worry about anything going too wrong on our expedition but I just want to be safe. You can help me."

"Sure."

Celestia peered down at the body of the deceased warrior she killed. There were a few others that she and Flare had dispatched. Not enough to pose too much of a threat, which told her this attack might have been hastily made. If that was true, then this was the early days of the war. It also meant that Umbra might have let these soldiers do the planning for this raid. Queen Umbra was much more meticulous about her plans. There would have been little room for error if she had led the attack herself. She was grateful for that. She could exploit this weakness.

As well, she noticed that these soldiers leaked purple ooze like blood. She could easily tell that this meant they were artificial, which made her breath a sigh of relief. No wonder it had been so easy to kill them. These were constructs meant only to serve their mistress and kill all those that get in their way. While it meant that she could go all out without fear, it also meant they wouldn't know much about mercy. She feared for her ponies even more so.

She walked back to the cart. As she passed, they spied the small graves they had dug for her people. She frowned but kept moving on. They had paid their respects. There was nothing more they could do for them. She had lost many people before. It always stung but she had gotten used to it. As well, this was no time to mourn. Queen Umbra needed to be stopped as soon as possible or else more people would die.

The ox they had on hand was munching on some hay. The rest of their entourage was inside it. She idly wondered if their summoned hero would be up to the task. With her power depleted by the summoning, she would certainly hope he could pull his weight. He looked a bit young but he had an aura of a hero. So she could trust him. It also helped he was pretty cute~ Perhaps she could start teasing him to pass the time.

She opened the flap of the cart and walked inside.

"Princess," Raven stood up. Flare started to but grunted in pain.

Celestia held up a hand, "Sit." She frowned as she looked at Flare, "I'm sorry, Miss Warden. If I had more magic on hand, I would heal those injuries for you."

"It's no problem," Flare grinned and gave her a thumbs up to let her know she was okay, "I've had worse during training. I'll pull through."

"Still," Celestia said, "When my magic returns, I will do my best to heal you."

"And when will it return?" Saito asked.

"I should be up to strength in about a week's time," Celestia said, "Perhaps more, perhaps less. It depends on how much magic I use in the interim. Hopefully a strong warrior like you can defend a princess in her time of need."

Saito puffed out his chest and smirked, "I've got some experience defending princesses so you can count on me."

Celestia giggled, "I feel safer already."

Flare huffed, "You better keep that promise, hero. I've got my eyes on you if you screw up and get our princess-"

"Former princess," Celestia corrected.

"-Hurt," Flare finished.

Saito nodded, "I promise nothing bad will happen to her on my watch. This I swear."

Celestia knew he was honest about that. Perhaps she had chosen the right hero for this adventure. She inwardly squealed. An adventure. She was going on an adventure. She hadn't gone on one in over a thousand years and now she got to go on one with a cute guy. Oh she couldn't help but feel a tad bit overjoyed. Oh she still was mad at Umbra and wished this never happened, but it was always good to look on the bright side of things. That's how she kept herself sane in her long lifespan. She would do so now as she always had done.

She sat by him, pushing her shapely form into his. "I'll keep you to that promise~" She whispered into his ear and he blushed. So adorable. Yes, this would be fun.

Tempest

The calm summer air was broken by the sound of thunder. Lightning could be see a few times arcing into the air, yet there were no clouds or signs of any storms about. As well, said lightning was coming from the ground, not the air. The reason was simple: Magic. The laws of reality were bent and misshapen when magic came into play. Allowing things that wouldn’t normally happen in nature.

Of course, the reason behind this was easy. Magicians of this land could wield powers outside of nature. They used it to make their lives simpler and easier. Less dangerous in some respects. Like, for example, scaring away a pack of wolves. The animals let out frightened howls as they sped back into the wilderness.

The shooter huffed as she sat back down in the carriage. She was rather fit and beautiful in a warrior kind of way. Her rose colored hair was styled into a mohawk and she had a scar over her right eye. Her dark armor covered all of her body up to her neck but left her head free. She crossed her arms, looking around with her opal eyes for any other signs of danger.

The woman beside her on the ox driven carriage was another story. She was not a fighter. She was beautiful in the model/fashion sort of way. She was curvy and wore a dark purple flowery dress with yellow highlights that left much of her arms and shapely legs exposed. A pink set of high heels were on her feet. Her orange and yellow striped hair was done up luxuriously in a wavy fashion.

“Must you be so loud,” the fashionista woman spoke up with a huff. “That hurt my ears.”

“I am sorry, Miss Saddles.” The warrior woman snorted, “Would you rather have been dog chow just now?”

Sassy Saddles, one of Miss Rarity’s greatest aids in the fashion world, huffed once more. “Fine. I see your point, Tempest Shadow.”

Tempest Shadow nodded and went back to her vigilance. She was an ex-villain turned warrior for Equestria. It was a strange turn of events for her, but she wasn’t complaining. At least she could help others and be accepted despite having… lost a part of herself. Her mechanical hands scrunched up. She had lost them as a child. Hands were the way you conducted magic and to lose them… made everything so hard. She was thankful she had come across a magician who could construct magical items, such as limbs, but they were a poor substitute and even to this day, she could do nothing more than basic spells.

She would of course make due. It was what she always did. It was how she survived after being reformed. Oh sure, she could have gotten an easy job by staying with Dusk or asking for something. She wouldn’t have that. No, Tempest Shadow would find something for her own self. Which is why she ended up in a lot of odd jobs. A bodyguard was one of them, like she was now. While Equestria was a safe place with very little crime, there were always the odd set of monsters roaming the land now and again. You couldn’t be too careful so she had been hired by Rarity’s assistant, Sassy Saddles. Truefully, Sassy’s type irritated her but she could live with it.

She was fine with protecting her. Battles were her highlight. Where she belonged. Peace time just… never suited her, to be honest. So she could at least hope for a little action during this bodyguard ride. However, aside from that brief wolf encounter, everything had gone smoothly. She sighed. So it would be another boring mission. Fantastic.

The soft whistle in the air was her only warning. Her metal arm snatched the arrow out of the air without waver before it hit her head. She moved it in front of her and quirked an eyebrow.

“Seems it won’t be so boring after all.”

Sassy Saddles blinked a few times as she looked at the arrow then gasped, “W-We’re under attack?”

Tempest smirked and crushed the arrow, “Seems like it, unless it was a lousy hunter.” She pulled on the reigns to get the ox to stop.

“Why did you stop?” Sassy Saddles said in a worried, hushed manner. “Shouldn’t we be running full straight ahead?”

“If these guys are worth their salt,” Tempest said, “Then they’ll just ambush us up ahead. Might as well get it over with.”

A loud booming laugh filled the area, “You’re as vibrant as I had hoped you were, Tempest Shadow.”

“Come out where I can see you,” Tempest Shadow narrowed her eyes, readying another lightning spell in her hand.

“Of course,” several knights and mages wearing black came out of the woods. The leader was a particular large knight, “I had hoped to meet you. My lord is in need of powerful servants and you are one of our greatest candidates. Your roll in the fall of Canterlot was marvelous.”

Tempest tensed. She didn’t like to be reminded of that, “So why did you try to shoot me in the head if you needed me alive.”

He waved it off, “I knew you’d catch it. You can call it a test if you will. Now then, would you kindly come with us? My lord would be happy to see you. We can use your strength.”

“I’m already on a mission,” Tempest huffed. She wouldn’t have gone with these guys anyways. They gave her the creeps, “So come ask me when I’m done with it.”

“We are low on time,” the knight leader said, “We need every able and willing partner in the coming war. So it would be best for you to come with us now.”

“And what of my charge?”

“We can leave her here or bring her along,” the knight shrugged, “We could always use another labororer.”

“Not interested,” Tempest said. “You can leave now.”

“Are you sure that’s your answer?” The knight asked, “You are surrounded and we did come in peace. Please reconsider.”

“Listen bub,” Tempest’s fists charged up electricity for her coming attacks, “I served under one dark lord before. It didn’t end well for me. So why do you think I’m going to just serve under another one, huh? They’ll throw me to the side like last time and besides, I fight for the good guys now.”

The knight sighed, “A pity. I had hoped you would see reason.” He held up his hand and brought it down, “Kill them.”

_________________________________________________________________________

In another location, our intrepid group of adventurers sallied forth to Canterlot. Celestia couldn’t help but peer on over to him. Getting a better look, she could tell he had some fine muscles underneath his clothes. No doubt all that came from rigorous training yet he didn’t really hold himself like a warrior. If she was to be honest, he seemed like your everyday average civilian at first glance. She wouldn’t judge him like that though. The world had taught her to never judge by just appearances after all. She just hoped he knew what he was doing when the chips were on the table, so to speak.

“So,” Raven spoke up, “What’s it like in your world?”

“Hmmm?” Saito looked over to her.

“What’s it like over there where you live? You’re the first otherworlder I’ve ever met, so I’m curious about a lot of things.” She took out a notepad and pencil and scooched on next to him.

Celestia pouted and sat a little closer to him. She was curious about his tale as well but if anyone was going to sit next to a cute hero, it would be her. It was the best way to tease them after all.

Saito meanwhile was panicking and hoping this didn’t end up like some other times he was surrounded by hot women. It was a curse and a blessing, really. He would endure it as he always had. He would of course not resist the sensations of women pressing their bosoms against him, especially Celestia. He was a pervert at heart after all. Siesta and the other girls could attest to that.

“Well,” Saito scratched his cheek for a second as he thought about it, “There’s not much to tell really. It was a small country with a lot of mages and non-mages. It was usually pretty peaceful.” Except for the wars, but he kept that to himself.

Raven huffed, “That’s not descriptive at all. I need a bit more detail to picture this land of yours.”

Saito shrugged, “I had a lot of stuff going on at the time. I spent more time thinking about people than the country. To be honest, it seemed like a typical fantasy kind of world to me. Those Middle Ages kind. I’m guessing this world is kind of the same.”

“Apart from these ‘elves’?” Raven questioned.

“Yeah,” Saito nodded, “But they live far away from the humans so I’ve only met two.”

“Now what do you mean by ‘typical fantasy kind of world’?” Celestia quirked an eyebrow. “You make it sound like it’s a fantasy world of sorts.”

“Well…” Saito sighed and shrugged, “Let’s just say, you weren’t the first to summon me to a world of magic.”

Celestia’s eyes widened, “You were summoned before?”

“Impossible,” Raven frowned, “The odds of being summoned to two different worlds is astronomically low.”

“Well that seems to be my luck in a nutshell,” Saito chuckled, “My world doesn’t have any magic so all I had to go off beforehand on how my other world and this one works is stories.”

“A world without magic…” Celestia had been to such worlds before. When Starswirl had taken her to many worlds when he created his ‘portals’. Some of which held no magic but were still incredibly fascinating. Unfortunately, most of the portals were destroyed or lost with time. She didn’t fear about the lost ones becoming a problem however. Starswirl had deactivated them and made sure only he could open them. The only active one was in the Crystal Empire. “Yes, that is interesting.”

Maybe that world was his. If that was so, then it would be easier to send him home once they reclaim the Empire and defeat Umbra. She decided to not tell him of it. She didn’t want to get his hopes up if she was wrong. They could find out once this was all over.

“Yes,” Saito nodded, “It’s been a real blast honestly. It’s like one of my manga. I got summoned to a world of magic and had to help beat off bad guys and armies. So yeah, this isn’t anything new for me.”

Celestia smiled, “Then our luck is truly marvelous if you are our chosen hero.”

“Eh maybe not the best luck,” Saito muttered, “But the first time it happened led me to meet some people I really care about. So I think this could end up just as well.”

“As long as you kick that shadow butt of Umbra’s,” Flare spoke, reminding the others she was still present. She had taken up the job of directing the oxen up front. Apparently, these people were much hardier than his own and quicker to heal. “I don’t care how well it goes. Just save Prince Dusk Shine, alright.”

Saito gave her a thumbs up, “You can count on me.”

Before the conversation could continue, the sound of thunder split the air. They all took a moment to listen. The sound happened again. Then again. Then again. Saito thought it could possibly be a storm then thought better of it. It was a pretty day. No storm clouds in the sky. Which meant this was unnatural, which also meant it was probably a magic user.

Celestia was eyeing him at that moment and smiled, “I see you came to the same conclusion as I did.”

“Huh?” Saito asked.

“It is indeed a magic user,” Celestia nodded, “From the sounds of it, either she’s doing a show or she is fighting someone. I would put my bits on the latter. Unfortunately, I lack the magic required to check on them at the moment and Flare is still too hurt to fight.”

“I will give my life for you, Princess Celestia!” Flare cried out.

Celestia sighed, “Not a princess anymore…” She muttered under her breath.

“Then I’ll go,” Saito said with conviction. “If someone’s really in danger, it’s the least I could do.”

“Wow, throwing yourself into danger so readily for someone you haven’t met yet.” Raven smiled, “You really are a hero.”

“Then if that’s the case,” Celestia moved forward and kissed his forehead.

Saito blushed as he felt those soft lips on his skin. He looked up to see her glowing, beautiful face smiling down at him, “Uhhhh.”

“That was for good luck,” Celestia said, “Come back to me, my hero.”

Saito blushed harder and nodded rapidly, before he got up and jumped out of the cart. She saw him draw his sword and rush off towards the danger at breakneck speed. It was rather impressive.

“‘My Hero’?” Raven quirked an eyebrow.

Celestia tittered behind a raised hand, “I wanted to raise his spirits. Besides, he is our hero now and it’s best to hope he can live up to that.” She could only hope he would. She wished he would be their hero. Let him fight and survive this upcoming battle. She wished that with all her heart.

Fighting To Get New Members

If you had asked him over a year ago if he would be charging off to fight a bunch of magical knights by himself, Saito would have laughed. That sounded like something the protagonist of a light novel would do. He was content with his normal life. Well not exactly but every teenager wishes for some adventure. He just never thought it would happen to him.

Yet here he was. Charging into the unknown to fight people he didn’t understand. All the while protecting people he doesn’t really even know in a country he just appeared in. This really was his kind of luck. At the very least the women were beautiful. Oh he’d still help people even if they were guys, old or whatever. It was just a nice bonus to have such pretty ladies with him. He just hoped none of them tried to blow him up.

“Ready to rip and tear, partner?” Derflinger spoke up from his hilt.

“Always,” he took out the sword. He could hear people close by. They were definitely fighting something. He just hoped he was right and it was those dark goons. He didn’t want to hurt anyone innocent. He never had to kill anyone before and he didn’t want to start now. He was just glad that Celestia had told him that they weren’t actually people. Just magical constructs. Golems. That made it easier. He didn’t have to hold back.

He could see the first bad guy coming up. It was a couple of mages if the robes were anything to go by. Their backs were to him. That was good. It made things easier. He kept his breathing even. They weren’t alive. This was like the video games he played back home. He’d do them in and move on. Easy and concise. They would kill him if they had the chance. He had to keep up that mantra.

So when he got within a dozen feet of them, he sped up and slashed at one of their midsections. The blow bisected the mage, spewing purple ooze like blood everywhere. The second mage didn’t have time to process the act before he cut off its head. Saito looked down at his kills and let out a sigh of relief. This was like the golems he fought to save Siesta. Except, this was more disgusting.

Derflinger was gagging, “Gah, these things taste terrible. It’s going to take ages to get this gunk off of me.”

“Oh shush,” Saito said before three dark knights came into the picture. “We still have some bad guys to take care of.”

“Just make this quick,” Derflinger sighed, “Hopefully these guys aren’t as gross to cut open.”

The first one came at him with its sword raised. Saito blocked the downward blow and pushed the blade to the side. He moved his arm back up and cut off one of the knight golem’s arms. He spun around another blow from the second knight. They traded blows for a few seconds before Saito jumped to the side and jabbed his sword forward, cutting into the construct’s neck. It went down. The third one had a spear and made a charging motion to stab him with it.

Saito jumped back. Spears tended to give one a distance advantage. Given the strength and speed of these knights, most normal people would be dead within a moment. He wasn’t normal. He was the Gandalfr. The Left Hand of God. That meant he was a master with any weapon you put in his hand. As the spear jutted forward, he knocked it to the side. Saito rushed around, not giving his opponent the time to bring its spear around to stab him. He ducked under its arms and stabbed right under the breastplate. The golem gurgled for a second before dying. Satisfied, he pulled back.

Only to block a sword. He looked up to see the one armed knight golem still alive. Guess he should have realized a lost arm wasn’t going to slow it down. Still. He jumped back and the golem stabbed forward. Saito spun around the blow and cut into the golem’s neck, severing the head from its shoulders.

Saito looked at his handiwork and nodded. They weren’t alive. They were golems. Constructs. The purple ooze kept any bile from spilling from his lips. He had to focus. There were lives at stake. So he rushed forward to where the fighting was. He just hoped he got there in time.

________________________________________________________________

Tempest smashed her fist into the chest of another knight. He was sent flying, lightning sparking around his armor. She wasn’t holding back. Given how some of the knights were lying in broken poses, she knew some of them were dead. That was fine. They were enemies. Unlike a lot of people in Equestria, she didn’t have any qualms with killing. She had to survive by herself for years. She had to get good at it to live to see another day. The Storm King had picked up on that and her training under him made her better at it. It was sick, but it led her to where she was now. She would make use of that training well today.

A knight roared as he charged. Tempest moved her fist and shot a lightning bolt into his face, killing it instantly. She moved her fist again and shot another bolt, sending a knight tumbling back into two more. Something sizzled in the air. Tempest knew what it was and jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a purple blast of energy. She dodged two more before spotting a couple of dark mages.

Electricity sparked around her form. She needed to take them out. She knew the knights would get in the way if she blasted from this range or the mages would use a shield spell or something. There was one way she could get past all of that. She focused her power into her legs and rushed forward.

She easily raced around the knights, spinning around their blows. She couldn’t waste her power. Not on them. The mages saw this and she could hear them shouting orders to the knights. They went in front of them, forming a wall of steel and flesh. No matter. She would make it.

Just as she got in range of them, she used some of her power to jump over. Rolling in the air, she focused a good chunk of her power into her right foot. The mage saw and tried to summon a shield above him. It wouldn’t work. Her foot came down. The shield shattered, so did his skull. Not a moment passed from when she hit the ground did she smash her fist into the other mage’s head, cracking open the skull and killing him.

The knights turned around and made to attack her. She grinned and focused her power into her fist and then punched the ground. The knights were sent flying in different directions. This fight was one she yearned for. Tempest missed this and she was going to make them pay for every moment of her joy.

Off a bit, Sassy Saddles was cowering in the wagon. Ever since the fight started, she had done her best to stay quiet while Tempest fought. She was sure the warrior woman would take them easily enough but she was still scared. Battles were no place for a woman of fashion. She didn’t know how Miss Rarity dealt with all of these adventures. She had heard her talking about it, but she never imagined it would be this bad. She just hoped they wouldn’t find her.

A large hand broke through the wagon side and grabbed her, “Got you.”

Sassy let out a scream of fear as she was thrown out of the wagon. The large knight talking to them earlier loomed over her, “Please, please don’t hurt me.”

He laughed, “We only needed Tempest alive.” He hefted his sword, “We don’t need you.” With that said, he moved his sword down to split her chest open.

Sassy closed her eyes. This was how it was going to end. Who would know about her fate? Who would care?

The sound of metal clanging against each other filled the air. Sassy opened her eyes to see a young, handsome man standing above her. His sword was blocking the evil knight’s own.

The larger knight pulled back and snarled, “Who are you?”

“I’m the guy who’s going to take you down,” the stranger said as he got into a battle stance, “Stay safe.” He said to her before he moved towards his opponent.

Sassy just idly nodded, “Yes.” Her cheeks were pinched with pink as she gazed at him. His moves were graceful as he fought against the much larger and stronger foe. It was like a dance. He was a master of it as he had no trouble keeping up with his opponent. Her heart started to beat faster as she watched her new hero fight on. “Please win.”

They clashed again. Neither side was giving up. The large knight’s strange and endurance was matched against a much more lithe and dodgy foe. His blows were diverted or dodged entirely. He was getting frustrated.

“Stand and take it, coward!”

“I’m not an idiot,” the stranger said as he smacked aside another jab at him. His sword moved forward and cut the back of the knight’s hand.

His foe jerked back and got into a defensive stance. It seemed the cut was only superficial, “You’ll have to do better than that to kill me.”

“So you want me to take this seriously then?” The hero smirked.

The knight’s snarls grew up a notch, “Why you young punk! I’ll teach you to make light of me.” The large villainous knight charged.

The hero met his charge with his own. His speed was equal to the knights and Sassy thought it would end in a violent and loud clash. That didn’t happen. Instead, just as the large knight was going to stab him, her hero sidestepped his opponent and let the momentum carry his sword through the knight’s hip. The knight let out a scream of pain as he stumbled. The hero didn’t let up. He spun around and as the knight struggled to stand, stabbed into his chest. She was impressed by that. Perhaps it was a magic sword to so easily cut through armor that thick.

Either way, the knight gurgled and moved his arms in vain. “Impossible… How can someone so young… be so skilled…”

“Magic,” the hero said as he pulled his sword back. The knight fell to the ground. Dead. The hero looked at the purple ooze colored sword and scowled, “I really hope this isn’t that hard to wash out.”

“You and me both, partner.” The sword seemed to say.

Sassy blinked in confusion, “It can talk?”

“I can sing too,” the sword chuckled, “‘Course no one’s asked me in ages. I can start now, if’n ya want me to.”

“None of that,” her hero said before smiling at her and her heart beat faster. He leaned down and helped her up, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Sassy grinned, “Thanks to you.”

He smiled, “Name’s Saito. You?”

“Sassy Saddles,” she leaned down and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush bright red. She giggled. Oh he was nervous around pretty women? She could work with that. Not every day a cute hero fell into your lap.

“Retreat!” The rest of the knights and mages ran back into the woods.

“Good riddance,” Tempest scowled as she walked back over to the group. “Who’s this guy?”

“Saito,” Sassy pulled him into her well developed chest, “My hero~”

“Thought I was,” Tempest spat onto the ground and glared at him, “Seems I killed way more than this pipsqueak.”

“Just because you killed more doesn’t make him any less a hero,” Sassy harrumphed, causing Tempest to narrow her eyes.

“Errr,” Saito gulped and smiled nervously at her, “You did a great job back there.”

Tempest’s grin was fierce, “Of course I did. It’s good to unwind now and again,” then her frown came back, “But seriously, who are you and who do you work for?”

“He works for me,” a heavenly voice spoke up. Both Tempest and Sassy were shocked to see three forms come their way on another wagon. The speaker was a large woman who they recognized immediately.

“Princess Celestia,” they both said in unison before bowing.

“No need for that,” Celestia waved them off and smiled. The wagon stopped and she stepped out. She walked up in front of them and placed a hand on their shoulders, “Do not bow to me now. I’m no longer your princess.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Tempest said automatically and stood up and into the position of a soldier at rest.

Sassy nodded and stood up as well, “Of course. Anything for you.”

Celestia sighed but nodded, “That will do for now.” She turned to the wagon of theirs, “I see you are in need of transport in these trying times.”

“Our ox ran away during the fight,” Tempest said with a scowl, “Cowardly beasts but I was able to fight off our attackers long enough for you to arrive.”

“More so until our hero arrives you mean,” Sassy smiled, glancing at Saito. Tempest just snorted.

Celestia’s smile was warm and glowing, “I see. I’m glad my hero was able to save you.” She patted his head, which made him blush up a storm. “He is quite the exceptional warrior.”

“Who is he?” Tempest asked, giving him a once over. She didn’t look impressed.

“I will tell you on the way,” Celestia gestured to their wagon, “In the meantime, get comfy. It will be a long trip.”

Night Discussion

If he was being honest with himself, Saito would have to say he was never going to get used to beautiful girls fawning over him. Granted, this girl’s reason for fawning over him was understandable but still. While Kirche was really sexy, he really didn’t like being used in her feud with Louise. It didn’t help that it usually ended with him tied up and/or in pain. At least with Sassy it was because he saved her and she was just snuggling him. He was safe from harm.

Of course at this point, he wasn’t sure if he thought that was a good thing or not. Don’t let it be said Saito was an idiot. Well he could be at times, but he knew Louise’s temper. Flirting with Siesta was a dangerous game. Oh he hoped for a harem ending with her but still. It meant that Louise would blow him up. Again. It was worth it each time and a small part of him liked how much Louise cared about him. He was thankful that the explosions weren’t permanent.

“Oooh,” Sassy cuddled up against him as the lot of them sat before a fire. The night sky was bright with the moon overhead. They had travelled for a good few hours before deciding to make camp, “My hero. What strong muscles you have~”

“Oh stop smothering him,” Tempest snorted as she sank her teeth into the flesh of a rabbit they caught and cooked, “He doesn’t need you to gush over him at every second, you know.”

Sassy huffed, “I’m just showing him some appreciation. Don’t you like it?”

He honestly did since he got to feel her bosom against him. Not on Kirche’s level but about Siesta which was a good size. However he couldn’t form any words right now. His eyes were currently on Celestia who seemed a bit tuckered out with how she was hunched over. Who could blame her. She had moved the freaking sun and moon for crying out loud. He still couldn’t fathom anyone being that strong. Not even in Louise’s world and he had seen some pretty strong magic users over there.

So yeah, he was speechless right now. She was currently snacking on a smore to his left. The princess, no she had to be a goddess, was leaning against him and that didn’t help him one bit. She was beautiful beyond measure. No one could compare to her. Still, she was tired so he just let her do it without complaint. Well he had no complaints but it was sometimes better to not drool or ogle a pretty lady. He had learnt that the hard way… even though he kept doing it.

Maybe he was a masochist.

She was obviously tired. The previous action of moving the sun and moon had taken up some of her energy. He could see her large chest heaving as she kept herself awake. He was very much sure she wasn’t wearing a bra. He thanked whatever gods existed in this world, including her, that this was the case.

“I’m sorry for using you in this way, my hero.” Celestia said as she leaned in further into him for support, “I believe that took more out of me then I realized.”

“I-It’s no problem,” Saito laughed nervously, “I don’t mind you leaning on me at all.”

“I do,” Sassy muttered under her breath as she noticed where her hero was staring. She pulled him a bit closer and nuzzled her cheek against his and spoke louder, “Awww, my hero is so kind and adorable. Whatever did I do to deserve someone like him.”

Saito could hear two girls groaning at hearing that. He couldn’t see that since his gaze was precoppied but if he had to guess, it was Tempest Shadow and Flare Warden. They seemed like the uptight sort of girls, kind of like Agnès Chevalier de Milan. She was hot but tough as nails and kind of scared him. While he did love the idea of a harem, he was glad she wasn’t into him. He wouldn’t survive if that was the case. Hopefully the same would be of those two. Then again, he didn’t have to worry about Flare liking him since Celestia had spoke of her crush on the captured prince.

“I’m sure you did something splendid,” Celestia chuckled and pulled away a bit, “I have heard great things about you, Miss Saddles. Rarity speaks very highly of you.”

“But of course,” Sassy put a hand on her chest which was puffed up due to pride. It wasn’t every day you got praised by a princess. Well an ex-princess but still, “I have done quite a bit to boost Rarity’s business. It’s only fitting that the greatest fashion designer in Equestria has someone like me to aid her.”

“And I appreciate your aid,” Celestia bowed her head in gratitude, “She is a good friend of mine and my pupil.”

“She is also a very good friend of mine,” Sassy Saddles smiled. It seemed the tension in the air had evaporated as quickly as it came.

Saito had to hand it to Celestia for that. Maybe she could help him deal with his own lovers back home.

“Okay enough of that,” Tempest stood up, throwing the scraps of her meal to the side. “What are we planning to do now?”

“Huh?” Saito said.

“You’re planning to take down this Umbra, correct?” Tempest crossed her arms, “Then we need to strategize. She’s not going to go down easily and unless she’s too arrogant for her own good, she’s not going to roll out a red carpet for us. We’re going to have to play this smart.”

“She’s right,” Celestia said, “I have faced Umbra before. She is a clever mare with enough power to back up her intelligence. It’s how she was able to fight off both me and Luna at the same time. She will not fall easily nor will any traps work. Umbra will see them coming a mile away.”

“Then we need to strike at a weapoint,” Tempest slammed a fist into an open hand, “Every defense, no matter how good, has one.”

“Doubt it,” Flare snorted as she looked over her bandages, “I barely made it here through her forces in one piece. I didn’t see much of a weakness.”

“There is always a way,” Celestia said firmly, “But I believe it’s best we save that for tomorrow. Until then, we should get some rest. We can’t take down an evil overlord on little sleep after all.”

Tempest nodded, “Agreed.”

“My hero shall sleep with me~” Sassy giggled and stood up with Saito in her arms. He yelped slightly as she did so.

“Actually,” Celestia stood up. Saito thought she would save him but there was a mischievous gleam in her eyes, “He shall sleep next to me. I need a hero to watch over myself in case of an attack after all. Umbra is targeting me and if I fall then Equestria may well be doomed.”

She wanted to hog him… he should have known. Curse his harem charisma.

… Wait, he got to spend the night with a big tiddy goddess. Bless his harem charisma.

Sassy narrowed her eyes, “Why don’t you contact Luna then, hmm? She can help you and no one’s going to try anything here.”

“Not on my watch,” Tempest snorted.

“I cannot,” Celestia said, “Umbra is no fool. She will have created spells to make sure that Luna would not know of the invasion for a time. Knowing her, she may be able to trick Luna for about a week.”

“Then she can teleport over quickly right?” Sassy Saddles looked rather nervous about hearing that sort of news.

“No,” Raven finally spoke up. She had been silent for most of the trip as she spent most of it attending either Flare’s injuries or Celestia, “While powerful, Luna is in another far off country. She cannot teleport to Equestria and if she could, it would wipe her out. She would be unable to fight for some time.”

Celestia nodded, “The trip back, once she figures out what is happening, may take weeks if not months.”

“Oh…” Sassy deflated before sighing, “Well if it means saving the realm…”

“You know what?” Celestia smiled brightly, “Why don’t we share him?”

Saito cringed and started to sweat nervously. ‘Sharing’ never worked. The girls back home would squabble. Which meant he’d get hurt and then he’d be exploded… At least he’d get some sexy views before he died.

“Hmmm, well if you’re offering.” Sassy giggled before grabbing his arm. “I accept.”

“Wonderful~” Celestia pulled him along with his other arm.

Huh… he was still alive.

He wondered how long that would be.

________________________________________________________________

The last remaining mage hesitated as he hovered over the orb. It was floating slightly over the ground, magic keeping it up where it was. He had been doing so for an hour. He wasn’t sure why he was hesitating. He was a being of darkness. Created to serve Umbra and her ‘mother’. To create a world where Umbrum could be free and do as they wish. Yet he hesitated.

He didn’t want to tell his mistress that he and his compatriots had failed. That was a shame that would never wash away. He was meant to give her victory after victory. It is the only thing his master deserved. If she was in a bad move, this would mean the end for him. Still he had to give her his progress report. So he cast magic into it, steeling himself to talk with his master.

Purple mist swirled inside the orb before it cleared. It revealed the beautiful face of Queen Umbra herself. She was sitting on her throne, seemingly bored.

“What is it?”

The created dark mage gulped, “Well you see, Your Grace. Tempest Shadow has… eluded us.”

“I am not surprised,” Umbra snorted, “A man like the Storm King would not have hired someone weak. No matter. Try again or kill her. I don’t care which. She’s insignificant in the grand scheme of things. My new world order can survive without her aid.”

“Well… she wasn’t the only one present.”

Umbra frowned, “What are you talking about?”

“There was another,” the mage said, “A young man or a boy. It was hard to tell given how fast he was. He swooped in and killed half of our forces. I was the only one that survived.”

“He was that good?” Umbra quirked an eyebrow.

“Yes,” the mage nodded, “He bested our greatest knight by himself. He was so skilled it was like he was a master of the blade.”

Umbra rubbed her chin, “Interesting. I could use someone like that.”

“He was with Princess Celestia, Your Grace.”

Umbra went still for a moment. Then her furious gaze made him want to die on the spot, “What?” Her tone was icy and promised death.

“Well you see-”

“If what you are saying is true,” Umbra snarled, “Then the princess has found a hero. A young hero with a mastery of weapons? Under her command? No. I won’t allow that. I will give you whatever means to kill this ‘hero’ and take Celestia for my own. If you fail me again however, I will not be so lenient.” The image disappeared.

The mage sighed. At the very least he wasn’t going to die. At least not right now. He just wondered how he was going to do it. His created life depended on it. He grinned. At the very least he could get creative. He couldn’t wait to spill their blood.

Shadow Assassin

Celestia wasn’t a woman to get jealous so easy. Truth be told, she still wasn’t jealous. Not even as she watched another woman throw themselves at her hero. She of course knew she didn’t have many feelings for him yet. He was cute and nice. A little bit of a pervert but honestly, she liked men who were honest about that. Right now she only felt slight annoyance. She guessed she wouldn’t have any knight in shining armor for herself. Oh well. Perhaps that would change but for now, she was content with teasing him. All she cared about at the end of the day was Equestria’s safety. As long as that happened, she’d be happy.

The teasing team mom wasn’t a bad position all things considered. His blushing and anxious face was oh so enjoyable to witness. As was Sassy’s slight look of agitation. She was enjoying this too much. The three of them were in the same tent, preparing to sleep. Both of the women were on each side of the hero, trapping an arm in their bosoms. Suffice it to say, Celestia was sure her arm was much ‘deeper’ inside her own breasts then her opponent.

“Are you comfortable?” Celestia asked.

Saito shyly nodded, “U-Um, y-yes.” He stuttered, gulping as his blush raged across his face. This earned him a giggle from Celestia and a slight frown from Sassy.

“Of course he is,” Sassy pulled herself closer to him. “He’s with his maiden after all.”

“I hope you two have a wonderful night’s rest,” Celestia said, smiling eagerly at them before shutting her eyes.

Sassy could be heard grumbling to herself before she too fell asleep. As it turns out, Celestia actually found Saito to be a very comfortable pillow. A hero was a grand thing. She just hoped he enjoyed his pillows as well~

_____________________________________________________________________

The mage rubbed his hands nervously. Before him was a ball of throbbing black magic. He had been throwing more and more energy into it, twisting and contorting the image. He was surrounded by a number of knights. Only about ten of them but it was nice to have some meat shields in case something bad happened. He didn’t want to die, even if it was in the service of his majesty. He may be a creation of dark magic, but he wanted to serve for a real long time.

So he had concocted a plan to create a being that could solve his problem for him. If all things went well, he would be handing Celestia over to Queen Umbra. Then she would reward him handsomely. She may even make him her right hand man. Now that would be something. He couldn’t help but cackle in delight at the thought. He would live forever as her warrior. Using his magic, he would impress and delight his queen. She would never think to get rid of him after his success here tonight.

Yes, he was going to be victorious. The black magic he was feeding to the ball before him was several different types of spells. He knew what they would create. An offshoot of himself. One of no mind but of a singular purpose: to obey him. Yes, the creature he was crafting would be his ticket to success. A shadow warrior. A being of darkness, more so than anyone present. The perfect assassin.

He felt it was ready. Now he just needed the last ingredient. He eyed his warriors, sensing their energy. He raised his hand and pointed to one of them, “Come here.”

The warrior obeyed. He walked right up to the ball and turned his head. It seemed the warrior was confused by what he had to do. The mage’s eye twitched. Truly he was surrounded by idiots. So he walked behind the warrior and pushed him into the ball of darkness. The warrior screamed in pain as the ball twisted his form and became one with him. The dark mage cackled in vile delight as he watched the process unfold. It lasted for a couple of minutes before the form stopped shifting.

Before him was not an armored knight. Now it was a ‘man’ shaped creature of darkness. Nothing but pure energy with glowing purple eyes. The creature opened its maw which seemed like it was ripping apart its dark ‘skin’ to do so and let out a horrifying wail that scared away anything close by with its wrongness.

The mage cackled, “Yes. You will do. You will do nicely.” He played his fingers against each other in delight, “Soon I shall have the princess and that hero will be dead. Our queen will love me for my hard work. Everything is coming along perfectly.”

____________________________________________________________________

Saito couldn’t sleep. Not one little bit. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t just fall asleep as he was now. Why? Why was it so hard for a hero like him to sleep? He had fought against entire armies and battle hardened mages. Even elves. Nothing should be too hard for someone like him. Yet there was one thing Saito could never conquer. That would best him every time until the end of his days.

Boobies. Saito’s cheeks were blushing as he looked between the two lovely ladies nestled beside him. Each side. Each arm. They were pushed up against their generous bosoms. It was even worse with Celestia. Her breasts put everyone he knew to shame with how perfect they were. Their size. Their shape. The way they bounced when she walked. They were sublime. Better yet, he knew she wasn’t wearing a bra. Given his time around so many lovelies, he had grown to tell about such things. So he had to keep on a brave face.

He failed of course. Saito couldn’t win against perfection. The other girl, Sassy, was nice, but she wasn’t too big. Not small but not even on Kirche’s level of bustiness. Still great to feel however. All boobs were splendid, even tiny ones. He would never say it out loud since Louise was conscious about it, but he found her small size sexy. He could pick her up and carry her easily and, well, he liked holding her against himself. He just had a bad way of showing it and he liked teasing her too much.

Granted it usually backfired, but he was sure it would work out well in the end. Louise did love him, in her own strange way. As well as the other girls. Now he had another girl with Sassy, if her crush stayed. Some girls fell off the ‘Saito train’ and he wouldn’t lament it. He had enough girl troubles as is but it seemed life wanted to throw more his way. He inwardly sighed. Being a harem protagonist was a tough job.

Still, being up allowed him to think on his own. There wasn’t anything new to ponder over. He had thus far concluded he wasn’t going anywhere until he beat this Queen Umbra. If that was the case, it was simple. The knights and mages here were certainly powerful. They didn’t seem to use wands or other such tools to channel their magic which meant he couldn’t disarm them so easily. However, he could ‘kill’ them. They weren’t human. They were just monsters. While it made him a bit queasy to do it, he wasn’t going to complain. He had a job to do and he was going to complete it.

As he inwardly mumbled over some of those thoughts, he looked down and his breath hitched slightly. He didn’t move. He didn’t want to move. Everything started to feel a bit colder. The reason why he was so anxious was right there at their feet. Growing larger was a swirling bundle of darkness. Given how pure it was, the only reason he could see any of its shape was due to some moonlight and the fire raging outside. Even then, it was still hard to make out. The shape finally stopped moving and then had an eyeful of a man sized shadow with glowing purple eyes.

A part of him pondered if this was a dream. That was instantly shut down. He couldn’t go to sleep. This was real and they were in danger. He was thankful he hadn’t moved his head. The creature may have attacked him already if it saw him moving. It walked right up to his feet and looked down at him. It was a tense silence. Dragging on for a whole minute. He refused to gulp in fear. He shouldn’t make a sound. Then the shadow raised its arm which started to form into a saber like shape. Okay, so it definitely wanted to kill him. Joy.

“Huh,” Derflinger spoke up, “Can’t believe I was woken up from a good nap by a stupid shadow. I’d throw shade at this situation but I’d be a shadow of my former self for stooping so low.”

The shadow creature turned its gaze towards his sword. The girls started to groan as Derflinger wasn’t exactly being quiet. Then the creature turned back to them and struck. Luckily for them, it had targeted Saito. In the few seconds the shadow creature had looked at Derflinger, Saito had moved himself so as to get some space in between the two beauties. So when it struck, he had an easier time rolling over Sassy and grabbing his sword.

Saito stood his ground as he glared at the shadow creature, “Leave or-”

He had to block as it struck, trying to cleave off his head with its shadow arm sword. He broke through the thin layer of the tent’s wall as the shadow kept pressing him. As he was outside, the shadow kept going at it. This time it had shifted its second arm into another sword-like protrusion and was using both to try and stab or cut him to pieces. It was only thanks to his Gandaflr powers that he was able to survive the level of tenacity this opponent had. It may seem like a monster but there was a mind in there. He would have to be smart about this. He couldn’t just smash it to pieces.

Derflinger caught a purchase on one of the sword arms and cut it off.

Well, maybe he could smash it to pieces.

Saito grinned, “Not so cocky now are you?”

The creature had taken a step back to look at the damage. It tilted its head before the shadow arm thrust itself forward, easily replacing the lost limb.

Saito frowned, “Damn it. Not playing fair, are you?” He rushed to strike it.

The creature blocked his sword and again, the two parried and struck at each other. Neither having the strength to break the other completely. He couldn’t believe it. Not even the shadow knights before had this much finesse or might. Not even that big lug.

A bolt of electricity hit the shadow creature dead on, sending it flying away. Saito blinked a few times before he turned his head to see Tempest Shadow angrily stomping her way through the camp. Lightning played around her as she powered up her spells.

“Can’t a girl get a night’s sleep around here?” She scowled.

“Glad to see you,” Saito grinned, “I could use a little help.”

“You-” Her eyes widened before she pulled him back. The creature had formed itself from Saito’s shadow behind him and made to stab him. Tempest forced him back and made to punch the creature. The shadow beast stabbed into her first. She didn’t relent. She glared at the shadow and blasted it with a load of electricity, sending it back with a horrifying screech.

“Are you okay?” Saito came to her side, gazing at her hand in worry.

“It’s fine,” Tempest said with only a hint of annoyance. Two of her fingers had been cut off and much of her hand had been shredded. Yet it didn’t seem to curb her anger. In fact, Saito wasn’t sure if it was the night obscuring it, but he didn’t see any hint of blood from all that damage. “Let’s kick this guy’s ass and get some shut eye. You can worry about me later, hero.”

“Right,” Saito nodded as the creature stood back up. It tilted its head before seemingly turning into liquid and falling to the ground. “Shit, really?”

“Guess this guy can pop up wherever he wants,” Tempest tried to follow the shadow creature’s strail, but the living shadow seemed to vanish. “Watch the shadows.”

“As if I’m not already doing that,” Saito shot back before he blocked a strike from the shadow as it had popped up from a shadow cast by a rock. He struck and tried to stab it before it disappeared again. “It won’t stand still.”

“Because it’s not stupid,” Tempest quickly ducked and kicked the creature as it made to stab her after jumping out of a shadow. It disappeared once more. “Makes for a harder foe but I’m up for a challenge.”

“Well I’d prefer-” Saito spun around and slammed his blade into the shadow’s own. It howled in fury as it wailed on him, furious that it had not killed its targets yet. Saito saw an opening and slashed through the creature’s left arm.

It howled and jumped back before giving a cry of defiance. Its arm grew back and it slammed it into the fire, cutting out the light. The other pointed to the sky and shot up a wad of darkness. It covered the night’s sky, blotting out the stars and moon. They were in complete and utter darkness. It’s territory. Saito really was feeling out of his element here. This was nothing like in Halkeginia. He just hoped he could make it back there alive and in one piece.

“Well me boyo,” Derflinger spoke up, “Seems we’ve been blindsided by the enemy.”

Saito really didn’t have time for his puns, “Derflinger, can you see in the dark?”

“About as well as you,” Derflinger said, “But I can feel some energy moving-Behind you!”

Saito moved forward and turned, deflecting a blow meant to end him. “Thanks.”

“It’s not perfect,” Derflinger explained, “I can only vaguely sense this guy and it’s giving me the creeps. Glad I can’t sweat or the ground would be wet by now.”

“Then I’ll let you guide me,” Saito turned as he heard and saw lightning being thrown around. The electricity allowed small glimmers of light to flash. Each time, the creature would howl.

“Hero, if you’re worth anything,” Tempest Shadow shouted, “Kill this beast now. It’s going to just get more clever.”

“On-”

“Right,” Derflinger called out.

Saito turned and blocked a strike, but the second arm must have gotten through because he felt it slashing through his upper arm. He let out a small cry of pain before hopping backwards. He touched the wound. It wasn’t too deep. He could still move his arm fine but it hurt like hell.

“Left.”

Saito blocked again. As he did the shadow cut into his other arm. This one was a bit deeper but his arm could still move. He was thankful for that and hoped it wasn’t just because the shadow being was toying with him. That would suck.

Another bolt of lightning. This time, he caught a glimpse of it. He charged and cut into its stomach. It howled and slammed the side of a blade into his head. It hurt and dazed him slightly but he blocked the next strike and moved.

This game of cat and mouse couldn’t go on forever. He didn’t even know if stabbing it in the heart or head would kill it for good. They needed something to stop it. Permanently.

“Got any plans?” Saito called out as he heard Tempest fighting.

“Get a lucky hit and hope it dies,” was her answer.

“Not very helpful,” Saito muttered before he awaited the creature trying to strike him once more.

“Behind you!” Derflinger shouted.

Saito turned. The shadow blade cut across his brow, causing blood to spurt and seep down. He pulled back and wiped away the blood.

“Left.”

He blocked a blow but it cut into the back of his hand. Then the creature left him be like it did before. It didn’t want either to get a sense of what it's strategy was and keeping them away from one another. This wasn’t going to last. They were being whittled down. Saito could only guess he didn’t hear Tempest’s cries of pain was because of her training. Must have been really good. She was a tough woman.

“THAT IS ENOUGH!” A powerful voice boomed into the air. It sounded like Princess Celestia but Saito could never imagine a sweet woman like her sounding so fierce and loud, “LET THERE BE LIGHT!”

With that said, a magical light as fierce as the sun itself shone about the area. Nothing was left uncovered. This included the creature. It cried out in pain. The light seemed to hurt it as its form seemed to quiver and shake, having a hard time keeping its control. That’s why it seemed to try and go into its liquid shadow form. They needed to act fast as it was right between him and Tempest.

“No you don’t,” Tempest cried out.

She was closer so she got the fight strike. She smashed a fight into its face, pushing back the creature. It screamed in her face, causing her to flinch. It used that opportunity to stab her. Fortunately, she crossed her arms in front of her. Unfortunately, the blade cut through both arms and almost hit her face. It didn’t cut all the way through.

Tempest smirked as it tried to pull away, “You’re not going anywhere.”

With that, she used her magic to electrocute it. It screamed in pain, unable to shift while being attacked so. Whether this was her plan to trap its blade in her arms or not, it was working.

“Stab it now,” Tempest called out to him.

“On it,” Saito raced forward and without further ado, stabbed it where its heart should be.

The creature let out a cry of agony before Saito slashed upwards, cleaving its chest in two. For added measure, he cut off the head. The shadow creature convulsed and then seemed to dissipate. The night sky returned to normal. It was done. The creature was dead.

Saito let out a sigh of relief before looking at Tempest’s arms. A large hole was in them, almost enough to cleave them both in pieces. “Your arms.” He made to grab them.

Tempest snarled and pulled away, “Don’t touch them.”

“But you’re hurt,” Saito said, “You need to get them fixed.”

“I’ll fix my arms on my own damn time,” Tempest growled, glaring down at him. “I don’t need a punk ass hero to do it.”

“Tempest Shadow,” Celestia walked up to them, “That is no way to talk to a hero as well as one who helped save our lives.”

Tempest snorted but relented, “Fine. I’m sorry, hero. These guys are just getting on my nerves is all.”

“Celestia,” Saito moved forward, “Can you fix Tempest’s arms? She could die.”

“I can’t die from this,” Tempest’s scowled, “I’m not bleeding you idiot. They’re fake.” She turned her head away, clearly ashamed by it.

Saito blinked in confusion, “Fake? Those are… robo arms?”

“Metal constructs,” Tempest moved her arms, “I know. I know. It’s freaky to have something like-”

“That’s so cool,” Saito’s grin went from ear to ear. He had heard about stuff like that in sci-fi manga. Those kind of characters with cyborg parts were always so awesome. “I’ve always wanted to know what they were like ever since I was a kid.”

Tempest blinked in shock, “You… you think they are cool?”

Saito nodded, “Of course,” he punched the air a few times, “If anything, I’m jealous. I love my arms and wouldn’t trade anything for them, but if I had to lose them, I’d really want some epic metal arms like yours. Helps you’re such a good fighter. You must be one of Equestria’s best.”

Tempest quickly turned away, not letting him see how red her face was at that moment, “I-I see. Well… I’m going to bed now.” She almost ran off back to her tent, past Raven and Flare.

“Well, well,” Celestia chuckled, “You have a way with words.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Saito asked.

“Yes,” Celestia nodded, “She always keeps enough spare parts to fix her arms. It’s what Dusk wrote to me a few times before. Now though, she might ask you to help change them… privately~”

Saito blinked a couple of times before blushing, “Okay, it’s nothing like that. I was just being nice and-”

“My hero~” Sassy glomped him and kissed his cheek a few times, “I was so worried about you but you pulled through. You truly are Equestria’s greatest hope of victory.” She pulled back and gasped, “You’re bleeding!”

“Nothing serious-”

“I must heal you,” Sassy pulled him back to their tent, “Don’t worry. I just need you to strip and I’ll make you feel better.”

“Ooooh~” Celestia’s grin grew at that. Raven and Flare decided it was a good idea not to get involved and went back inside their tents. “I can certainly help with that~”

Saito sighed. This was his life with women it seemed.

___________________________________________________________________

The area around the dark mage was floored. The trees around him had been cut down. He hadn’t been stupid enough to kill his remaining knights in his tantrum, but he felt like it. He was so close to killing something. So close to his goal yet it had been snatched out of his hands.

“Damn it,” he stomped a foot onto the ground, “Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.”

“Boss,” one of the knights spoke up. “What is the plan now?”

“Let me think,” the dark mage glared at the knight into silence. “My loyal shadow assassin is dead. Impossible I say but those blasted heroes pulled a win out of their butts. They got lucky but next time they won’t be. I’ve got a few plans to kill them. Yes, they will die and Celestia will be in my hands. Our Queen’s victory is still assured…”

He rubbed his chin before thinking of the local wildlife. There were a number of beasts about. If he could possess them, they could whittle down the heroes. He grinned. Yes, that sounded perfect. He chuckled. He could turn this around easily enough. The night was still young after all.