A Roegadyn in Equestria.

Chapter 36: Face, Please Meet My Shield.

*Point of view: Brex Mith*
*Location: Dreamscape*
*Time: Real world, unknown. Dream world, 800 years ago*

A blinding white light, was now blanketing all that could be seen after a powerful explosion had occurred. Even with there being such an event, it was still being dwarfed by the screams of a man who was dying, as his voice echoed on the wind.

His clothing was being ripped apart by both the concussive force and the heat that was comparable to that which could flash burn the flesh right off of bones within the time it took a person to blink. Only patches of his clothing remained while the exposed skin was turning black.

Behind him, was a small Earth pony, clad in white and gold armor. She was currently holding her arms up in defense while staring straight ahead at the one acting as her shield. Even with the bright lights, her eyes were still wide enough to show that she was showing fear. Fear not for herself, but for the one she was gazing at.

As the wall of white came ever so closer. Time itself seem to be slowing to a crawl. This progressed until everything had come to a complete standstill and the world turned into a shade of Gray. What should have taken no less than a split second to accomplish, was now being held back.

The figure who is standing with his one arm remaining outstretched, had his mouth wide open and eyes shut tight, while showing an expression of extreme pain. Any sound has ceased and all that remained was a slow almost imperceivable hum that echoed through the scene.

From out of nowhere, the sound of chimes began to grow until it became a chorus made of crystals colliding with one another and a melodious fashion. A set of words echoed among the strange sound and repeated a number of times, with but a small gap in between. Each time, it was said, the voice came out as though it were from an angel. These words were, “Hear... Feel... Think...”

Without hardly any warning at all to be given, Brex had quite literally fell forward and began to stumble on his feet. In an attempt to stay upright, he flailed both of his arms until he found himself pretty much standing on only one leg, with his other legs sticking out behind him and both arms reached out to the side in a comical fashion.

When he noticed his position, his eyes went wide as he turned to the right and saw that he now had his arm returned and began to pull it to himself. Only to begin kissing it in the same way that one would when meeting a long-lost love.

After he was finished, he noted that the world around him had become completely dark and not even the ground was visible. Turning on the spot, Brex tried to gauge what was happening but found nothing at all. Nothing besides seeing the image of himself from only moments ago and still in the same pose with his face still contorted in a scream.

There were then the light crystal chimes coming from behind and when he turned on the spot, he found himself staring straight at a large crystal that was easily twice his size. That was comprised primarily of light blue and white colors as it slowly rotated in the air.

He was just now opening his mouth, but found that the words were stuck in his throat. He couldn't quite place what it was, but something about this crystal seemed oddly familiar to him. A certain name was right on the tip of his tongue, yet for the life of him, he could not go any further than the thought itself.

The same voice from before rang out as it said the following words in the same broken sentence. “Here… Feel… Think.” He soon found himself walking towards the crystal and reaching for it. When is hand's fingertips finally made the slightest of touches, the Roegadyn begin to hear the voice once again, although this time, it sounded far more clear to him.

It came out motherly as it said, “My voice has finally reached thou. For so long has it gone unanswered.” Brex found himself deeply confused and began to ask, “Who are you?” There was then a long stretch of silence that caused him to feel that he had somehow caused the situation to become rather awkward in a way.

The voice soon came back and said, “The passage of time has worked its magic. Does thou not remember my voice?” There was yet another stretch of silence before she spoke again and said, “Not much time remains. I have but a gift for thou. What it will be used for is not my choice.”

When she had finished that last line, a small fragment of the crystal broke away and was now floating mear inches away from his face and was giving off a faint, green and bluish-white glow. While staring up at it, Brex felt the urge to want to hold on to it but decided not too. He then asked, “Can't you tell me your name, who are you? And why are you doing this?”

The large crystal then began to move away at a snail’s pace. During this the voice came again and said, “Thou art the only one on this world who knows my true name. My strength grows weak. As for the last question, it is one that I cannot answer.”

The crystal was now easily over fifty meters away as it was gaining speed during its words. Just before it went out of range to disappear into the darkness, Brex heard it say one last thing as its voice was beginning to echo into the darkness.

“Thou hast a choice. The gift is but a fragment of the past. Time is required to attune to the gift. Forego it's use and make it thine own, or use it now. But in risk losing the power...”

Brex tried to call out, but no matter what he did, he got no further response. Trying to wrap-around what was said, Brex began to pace back and forth on the non-existent ground while still keeping an eye on the shard that remained in place. The way it just hovered there and only moving a few centimeters as it bobbed, gave him the impression that it was waiting for his answer.

After stopping in front of it, he began to say to himself, “OK, so from what I gathered you are some form of power that I can use?” Out of curiosity he was about to poke it but pulled his hand away out of fear of inadvertently tapping into what it had to offer from what the voice said.

He then went on to continue saying, “So, if I don't use you, then you're mine for good later. But if I try to use you right now, then there's a chance that it'll go away?” His eyes shifted between the object and his past form. What had happened only moments before he ended up here began to flood his mind and his eyes went wide with understanding.

Slowly he turned back towards the shard and began to mumble, “Does that voice mean that if I use this now, I can save Shadow Lily?” The image of the young mare’s face flashed into his head for but an instant. The fear she displayed was able to edge itself into his mind permanently and he found himself clutching both of his fists tightly.

While turning his gaze towards the ground, his eyes became hardened as he began to let out a hate filled growl. After, he threw his head back and started to scream at the top of his lungs into the void.

As he did this, the void was instantly blown away to reveal the world again. It was still frozen and tinted blue, but he was able to see everything. Well, everything aside from the girl that was wearing a set of clothing made up of black and red colors, who is standing a short distance away, while looking at him with interest.

He then yelled out, “A CHOICE?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??!! THERE IS NO CHOICE! DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT I AM NOT GOING TO USE THIS TO HELP HER??!! I DON’T KNOW WHO THE FUCK YOU ARE, HELL I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHO I EVEN AM! BUT IF YOU THINK I’M JUST GOING TO STAND HERE AND NOT TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE ONE CHANCE TO SAVE EVEN ONE SINGLE LIFE! THEN YOU GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!!!!”

He quickly ran over and snatched up the glowing jewel in his right hand. When he increased his grip, the Roegadyn could feel that it shattered, and those pieces broke down into even small parts until it was like sand within the grasp of his fingers. When his hand opened up, he found that the tiny fragments were flowing through his exposed skin and was entering his body.

This was followed with the Roegadyn dashing to his frozen form and taking a long leaping jump at it. This caused himself to quite literally, be pulled into the image and his vision suddenly went black.

An instant later, his eyes snapped open when the world began to move again. He was apparently still in the middle of his screen, but now, instead of it being out of anguish, it was more out of a blood curdling roar as he stared straight at the oncoming wave of power.

From within his very soul, there was a large elaborately decorated wheel that was color coated to represent all of the different Soul Stones. Most of which, were grayed out to the point that one could barely determine its colors. However, two were brightly lit up and at the very end of the color wheel. These were the images of either the Paladin or the Ninja Soul Stones. It was the latter that was at the very top and being pointed towards by a large gold and red colored arrow.

While the Paladin Soul Stone was near the four o'clock position. At first the wheel was completely still. Then it began to jerk in place. It appeared that there were multiple clamps holding the wheel in place and they happen to me evenly spaced around the edges and holding fast.

Soon, there was a stream of blue that was comprised primarily of the crushed crystals from earlier and they were flying toward the stone representing the shield for the Paladin. As the amount of the crystals flew in and were absorbed, the light that it was giving off was getting stronger in direct response.

When it seemed that it was all being deposited within, did the stone begin to show signs of pulsing. A few seconds later, there was the sound of creaking metal and a large wheel began to rock, almost vibrating at a reckless degree. Immediately, cracks began to form on the clamps as blue light shined through the gaps.

One after another, they shattered with a loud boom. With each new one being destroyed; it took less time for the next. When the last one was destroyed, the wheel attempted to turn clockwise but was stopped when the Ninja Stone that was at the very top was caught between the arrow and the wheel, seeing as it was currently equipped and he was technically in the middle of a fight.

The sounds of twisting metal began to fill the air as the wheel contorted as the center tried to spin. This kept going until the straight lines that led to each stone was now curving into a slight spiral. The Ninja Soul Stone wasn't faring any better as the grinding was causing it to splinter. The light that it was emitting before was fading, and when it had completely vanished, the stone shatter and sent pieces of itself into the black void with an all-encompassing sound of glass shattering.

With the wheel now fully free, it rotated quickly until the Paladin Soul Stone was at the very top. Once it was fully situated in place, everything become blanketed with a sudden flood of blue vibrant flames that poured out in all directions.

“Point of view: Third Person*

Outside of Brex. His body was enveloped in the same form of energy that resembled blue flames. It started with them traveling from his chest, out to the rest of his limbs until everything was covered. Once that was done, his eyes began to shine and turn pure white as if showing that he was containing something within his own body that just begged to be let loose.

The tattered and burnt remains of his clothing, were now being replaced by shining threads of light that expanded until they became something different that was hovering just above his form. The objects then clamped themselves down before they started to reveal that it was a form of armor. It was a mix of white, blue and silver in color.

Some sections had solid plating, while others were a mix of chain male and scale male. There were even some bits and pieces in areas that were primarily covered with cloth. No doubt it was meant for decoration purposes more than defense. The more pronounced areas that were covered with mostly plate, where the shoulders, forearms and leggings. There was even a form of head gear that resembled that of a small gold crown going across his forehead.

((((This is a picture of his current gear just without his right arm and sword.)))

Brex was already wielding in his left hand, a shining silver shield that was giving off an aura that made it appear as though there was an overlaying layer that caused the shield to project a few inches more going out from the edge.

The next notable change, was how the color scheme of his hair had reversed. Instead of mostly black, with silver highlights on the ends. It was now a ghostly white that gave off a faint, ghostly glow and the ends were now black instead.

His brows were knitted firmly together as he stared straight ahead. In one motion, he shifted his right leg and slid it till it was just behind him now and brought up his shield to bear.

Within an instant, Brex started using a number of abilities one right after the other, with hardly any time in between. The first set were currently targeted at Shadow Lily. Who was still directly behind him. She was instantly wrapped in what appeared to be a translucent shield that curved along her form. Next, a bubble of green light was encompassing her in a dome that was just a few feet in diameter and a green tether was going straight back to Brex.

The next thing to happen, was his form being surrounded by a ring comprised of hexagon shaped, reflective panels that spun around his body before quickly enclosing and going into him.

This was proceeded with what appeared to be a set of sliding barriers that were slightly curved, coming up from the ground as they were facing through. As soon as the set of five were slid into place, they began to fade away and enter his body in the same way the other ability did.

A golden emblem that took on the shape of an elaborate shield appeared in the air before him, before dispersing.

What Brex had just been using, were a series of protection spells that focus around damage mitigation and the transference of additional damage towards himself, An added measure to assure Shadow Lily's safety.

As for the ones that were directed towards himself. They primarily focused on lowering incoming damage, increasing his blocking chance and the golden symbol was to assure that he was gaining the full attention of his opponent.

Shadow Lily who was watching all of this in disbelief. Seeing Brex suddenly dawning on a set of armor out of nowhere, along with there being so many types of spells suddenly being casted upon herself. This did not end as she bared witness to the one in front of her having a series done to him that was obviously different. What happened next, nearly caused her jaw to drop as she saw that something else was happening.

Brex, while raising up his left arm that held a shield. Suddenly erupted with more lights coming from his back. From this, shot out six blades of light, which then condensed into a solid form that strangely resembled wings. At the same time, the shield was emitting a cone that ran across not only himself, but along the new appendages, creating a barrier that prevented nearly all of the heat from getting past.

The ground that was just outside of this, was being torn apart and turned to black ash, while within they appeared to be perfectly safe.

Back up in the sky, Princess Celestia still had her hand pointed down, with her palm wide open as the left-over energy escaped her grasp that did not get fully funneled into the spell that was just launched.

She had a cold, indifferent expression as she watched as her spell ran its course. Within, she was thankful that she was able to launch such an attack and contain its blast radius to that of within the courtyard. Otherwise, her old home would have been completely destroyed.

As soon as the spell had reached its peak, it stayed that way for a good several seconds before it started to shrink out of existence. Princess Celestia was about to fly down to check on the damages. However, she stopped when she noticed something odd about the ground.

From where she was high up in the sky, there was meant to be a perfect, black circle. But there was a section that was in the shape of a triangle that caused what she saw to resemble that of a pie with a single slice missing. With her face scrunched in confusion, she narrowed her gaze.

It was hard for her to make it out, but there was something there that was giving off a strange light just within the clouds of debris that was kicked up. The next few seconds felt like hours while her vision was being cleared.

As soon as she was able to get a direct line of sight, her eyes went wide, along with her wings flaring out. There was a lump in her throat as she gripped on to her spear more tightly. There was something down there that was fully capable of withstanding her attack. This very notion caused her to start sweating.

Princess Celestia, while not making a move. Thought to herself, “H-How can this be possible? There should be no pony that could take on such a blast. None other than myself or my sister. Also, could my eyes be deceiving me... Are, are those wings I see? There is even this power. It was not there before, I’m sure of it. This is far worse than what I was told. Could it be possible that this truly is a leftover from my sister that I have missed. No, I cannot allow this… This thing to remain to harm my little ponies.”

To have both wings and magic like this. My sister must have attempted in making another Alicorn before her banishment! I must put an end to it now, or it will find some way to bring Nightmare Moon back!”

Back down on the ground, the skill that Brex had been using to shield them with, had run its course. The pulsing aura that was coming off of his shield had dissipated and he had stood straight up again while looking up at the sky.

Nevertheless, the wings that were meant to disappear, were still there. Instead of fully going away, they shrank till they were about two meters each in length. The six wings had condensed themselves even further and began to overlap until they created two solid ones with the swirling pattern in place of feathers.

In a way, it gave off a feeling that they were both incorporeal and crystal like in nature. Visible pulses of light were even traveling along it. Starting from the back and along the wings to the very tips.

From Brex's point of view. His heads-up display that he was always able to see, was fading in-and-out. This included his chat window, mini map, all of the icons that he could select through his mind, were all fading in-and-out.

Without any warning at all, two large pictures appeared side-by-side, right in front of his vision. They were the icons that represented two of his skills. One being the shield bash. This was depicted by a single, round shield. The other was the, Passage of Arms. That one was the same thing that he had just used not a moment ago, which depicted a man with a set of wings jetting out behind.

The pair of symbols began to rotate in place and proceeded to run into one another until they were fully overlapping. There was another bright light that was being produced by this and was nearly strong enough to cause him to close his eyes, but he managed to keep them open so we could witness what was happening.

When the brightness had subsided, he saw that there was a new icon being displayed in the center of his vision. It depicted a man slamming into the ground so fast that he was making a cone of wind. Brex could also barely make out that the figure was holding in front of itself a shield.

Right above it, was a set of words being displayed and text calling it, Holy Shield Crash. Underneath, was a row of texts that were being created. Brex began to read them as quickly as they were made and fully understood how this technique operates within seconds.

Custom class ability list: Holy Shield Crash, Deals Light damage with the potency of 1,500 plus any Damage taken by the User of this skill has accumulated within the last one minute. User launches themselves skyward above their target and with the use of both fused skills, Passage of Arms and Shield Bash. The target is then hit from above and is slammed into the ground with the Users full body weight with the aid of both light magic and non-elemental base damage.

The Roegadyn slowly looked over his shoulder to check on Shadow Lily. When it was apparent that she was just fine and had no injuries, Brex had to sigh in relief within his head. He then returned his attention to the attacker high above. With a voice that seemed to resonate as if going through a chamber of sorts. He spoke to Shadow Lily in the most calming voice that he had ever spoken with while around her. “Take… care.”

Brex took a crouching position while holding his shield ready. He then selected the new skill and felt the sensation of a new set of limbs stretching as they lifted him high into the air. The sound of pulsing energy and the low hum that was being given off by the wings, began to fill the air.

(Play this music, repeat as many times as you feel it's needed."

Inside, Brex thought, “Ouch! These things burn! I can feel the energy inside of them. They're ready to burst, they want to let it out.” The ground itself began to rumble as some of the loose gravel near his feet was tumbling around. The wind itself began to swirl as if being pulled into an unknown source.

Brex was sure that he could have heard something being said by Shadow Lily, but couldn't make it out over the sound of the wind as he shot off into the sky.

Princess Celestia was still lost in her thoughts when she saw Brex coming at her at an astounding speed that she thought was impossible to obtain. In a panic, she swung her spear until it was pointing straight at him and sent a burst of magic with her horn and into the weapon and shot a narrow beam of magic.

Just as the beam was about to strike him head on. Brex maneuver his form with little effort to essentially sidestep the oncoming spell. This created a momentary after image after he did so. While at the same time, not losing any momentum as he was still coming for the Princess.

Taking on a more serious posture, Princess Celestia prepared her weapon and fired yet another volley of spells. It began to seem as if the princess herself was literally raining down small shooting stars to the planet with her being the source with hardly any pause between shots.

Brex was dodging to whatever direction he could, while minimizing how much movement he was adding to each one of his evasions. A number of times he even had to do a barrel roll or a corkscrew to avoid one of her attacks. Only a few managed to strike him, but his shield was easily able to deflect them safely.

When he had gotten a fair amount closer, Princess Celestia began to panic and resorted to unleashing a large amount of magic into one more attack and fired it at nearly point-blank range. Brex knew if he dodged that, it would strike the castle below. He had no idea as to what would have happened to Shadow Lily who is still down there.

Taking the attack head, on Brex brought up his shield once more and braced for impact. When the spell had made contact with a shield, the Roegadyn felt there being a pressure trying to push him back. But it was so minuscule, that it had little effect on his accelerated speed. So, we ended up pushing right through the spell with his body.

On Celestia side, she could not understand how this creature, that was created by her sister, was able to dodge her attacks almost effortlessly. Not even Nightmare Moon could have done such a feat. She had resulted to using something with a little more power behind it, hoping that it would be big enough that it would be impossible to avoid.

She began to feel a smirk coming to her lips when she had finally struck with her powerful spell that had a fair amount more magic than the last blast she had used. But that quickly fell within a few seconds.

One would have thought that it would have been impossible, but Princess Celestia's face, somehow managed to turn paler, as her pupils shrink. Her spell had done absolutely nothing and had been forced to pop like some flimsy bubble.

She was still channeling magic into her beam, but Brex was traveling within it and showing no signs of stopping, much less slowing down. In a desperate attempt to defend herself, she had cut her magic and turned her spear to be held with both hands to guard against what was to come.

When Princess Celestia had stopped using her spell, Brex suddenly felt a burst of speed coming from his wings that propelled him even further than he had expected. Within a split second, he thought to himself, “Did she just power me up even more?” This was just before he slammed his shield into her spear.

When they had collided, it was made evident that the age-old question of which was stronger, The Spear or the Shield, was answered Immediately. The shield of Brex had, hardly felt a thing aside from a small thud. While Princess Celestia’s spear ended up snapping into two bits without showing any signs that had an effect on Brex and the collision had produced defining boom, that rang across the land.

While on the side of Brex, he knew that he suffered no damage, but he definitely heard something that resembled glass beginning to crack that quickly echoed in his head before going away as fast as it came.

Now, back to the fight. The two were now skyrocketing higher and higher into the sky after Princess Celestia was tackled with the shield. Her entire body was pressed up against some type of large, flat surface and the right side of her face was currently pressed rather painfully against it. She was barely able to keep her left eye open as she gazed off in the distance at how the ground was getting further away and a number of clouds were being passed by.

She attempted to move, unfortunately, she found that the pressure that was being pushed on her due to their acceleration, was keeping her pin in place. Her bones were screaming that they were about to be crushed and she had to fight from letting out a pain scream. She didn’t want to give this thing the satisfaction. Even her wings were useless as she couldn't even move them an inch.

Her horn tried to light up, but whenever any type of magic was gathered, it was pushed away and left her body as it was dragged away by the G-force. Similar to watching a candle that's trying to be lit, only to have it being blown away by a gust of wind and snuffed out completely. Inside her head, she was screaming, “JUST HOW FAST ARE WE MOVING??!!”

That was quickly answered when she saw how the blue sky was beginning to turn a little dark. Her left eye went comically wide as she realized that they were not in the shade of some cloud. They were so very high above them. Even though it was meant to be daytime, some stars were beginning to become visible.

From an outsider's point of view, they would have said that Brex had somehow managed to make the shield grow by creating a larger version of itself through magic that was just big enough for the Princess to be laid sprawled against. They had even been traveling so fast up, that they were beginning to enter one of the lower layers of their atmosphere and the sky was beginning to turn dark.

There was even a small trail of light being left behind in the wake of his flight has they glittered and faded after a while. Within just several seconds of colliding with the Princess, the pair of them had already gone beyond 100 Kilometers above sea level. This would be the limit to how far up an aircraft on Earth could travel before its systems failed.

Without any warning, Brex started a long arc until he was now turned back towards the planet. Princess Celestia, who was currently incapacitated, no differently than a bug stuck on a windshield, could do nothing but watch as her vision began to rotate until it was showing the opposite and they were now returning to the world that she thought they were about to leave.

If this was not some type of life-or-death fight in her eyes, then Princess Celestia would have been able to appreciate being able to see the entire world from where they were right then and there. But the thought of her eminent demise was on the forefront of her mind and she was internally screaming.

The wind was screaming past as they went through a cloud. The force of which they did so, caused it to explode so violently that it created a large open space in the sky from its shockwave that ended up clearing all the others out of the way for miles around.

Princess Celestia could just barely make out of the corner of her eye, that they were not heading straight back to the castle. Instead, they were going towards the South. Just outside of the Everfree Forest. As soon as they had cleared it, there was nothing but a rocky land that stretched as far as the eye could see.

They were currently coming at a steep angle and when they collided with the ground, they immediately began to dig a large trench as a slowly got deeper. It was easily close to two miles until they came to a sudden stop and were hundreds of feet under the ground. The force in which that they were crashing, had made a wide ravine that was filled with clouds of debris and rocks.

The shield like projection vanished and when Brex pulled his arm away. He found that the Princess was nowhere to be seen, all that remained, was the perfect shape of his enlarged shield and a slight impression of a person in the stone. A sudden flash of light resounded with a pop from behind him. There was then a golden aura that began to shine brightly.

Princess Celestia had endured crashing through solid Earth and as soon as they had stopped, she quickly used a teleportation spell to disappear and pop up just behind Brex.

Her armor had pretty much been ripped to pieces and a large portion of her form was exposed, with only a few pieces of her golden protection remaining. Her left eye was closed after apparently receiving one too many blows to her head. There was even a little bit of blood that could be seen coming from underneath her mane and running down the side of her head. What was left of her armor, was pretty much bent in odd angles and some jagged ends from where it was torn apart.

One wing seemed to have been messed up to the point that it was somewhat limping and dragging a little on the ground. Both arms were outstretched while she was giving him a death glare. She then funneled pretty much all of her remaining magic through her horn and into her hands. This was something that she hadn't done out of fear of causing collateral damage. But seeing as she had just gone through what she did, she didn't feel that holding back would do any good.

So, as soon as she had appeared behind him, she charged up all of her remaining magic into her hands and released it in one powerful, continuous blast. She had managed to hit him pretty much point blank on the back, right in between the wings.

His form became ingulfed in the light. The rock surface that was on the other side of him was blown apart and she can feel how her magic was borrowing through the ground until it finally erupted on the other end. That was nearly another mile or so away as it shot to the sky until dissipating in the distance.

The blast itself lasted a good ten seconds until she had finally exhausted her entire supply of magic. The very instant the last trickle had left her fingertips, she began to stagger and had to try everything she could to keep from falling onto her knees. She was panting heavily as her vision was becoming more difficult to keep straight. She had even released a few coughs from all of the dust in the air.

She stared directly ahead and saw the destruction her spell it caused. Clouds of dirt were currently kicked up in the air and were slowly dissipating. Within moments, she heard nothing and began to lightly laugh to herself that she had defeated something that her sister had no doubt had a hand in creating to harm her ponies.

She had taken on a more relaxed posture with her shoulders beginning to lower. But her eye went wide when she saw some figure slowly showing itself in the smoke. Her heart began to thump in her chest as the seconds went by.

Soon, it was revealed that it was Brex who was still standing in place and appeared to have not moved an inch, almost as if nothing had even happened. There was a slight golden sheen that shined off his body just before he became fully visible as the last of the clouds of dirt were dispersed.

Brex was quick enough and had used the skill for the Paladin class called, Sanctuary. This skill gives the user the status of being pretty much untouchable for a short amount of time. Only a few attacks would be able to bypass this ability and do damage. Thankfully, Princess Celestia's all-out attack was not one of them.

He began to slowly turn to his left. Before his face could be fully brought in the view, he thrusted it out his shield arm and swung it at such speed, that it caught Princess Celestia unawares as the shield was thrown straight into her gut.

She released a scream of pain as she was struck and some blood came out of her mouth. Her body lurched back with the force and was tossed several feet back, while the shield that was used to attack her, had mysteriously returned back to its user and was now being held in its grasp once again.

Princess Celestia could not bring herself to open her eyes due to the pain that she had just been given. She had used so much magic that her own body's physical limits were no longer being bolstered. So, all she had left was her unusual amount of strength and stamina that was afforded to those of the Alicorn race.

Brex watched as Princess Celestia was slowly trying to get to her hoofs after he had just thrown his shield at her. That was when he heard another series of small tiny cracking sounds emanating within his head. In fact, in his own vision, he began to see a tiny hairline fracture that seemed to follow wherever he turned his head. It was situated in the upper right half of his sight and it was giving off a faint white glow.

He then looked down to his good arm and saw that there were a few cracks that were similar to what was in his vision we're beginning to form on the armor itself. That was when he quickly thought to himself, “Shit! Am I going to self-destruct or something? Gagh!.. T-That... really hurts!”

He was referring to a sudden twinge of pain that started from just within his chest. It took pretty much all his willpower not to show it on the outside that he was beginning to feel as if his body was trying to rip itself apart.

Princess Celestia reached down with her left arm and grabbed on to something that was apparently hidden underneath a section of armor plates on her outer thigh. When she pulled her arm up again, she produced a dagger that was at least half a foot long that seemed to be created using a type of diamond. It glistened in the light and it was easily something that one could see through.

And apparently, a last-ditch effort, she rushed at Brex and while holding onto the dagger's handle with both hands. She tried to plunge it straight at the center of his body while lunging in with her whole body weight.

Not wanting to take any chances, Brex brought his shield up again and easily stopped the blade as it made contact with the center of his shield. This was then followed up with him using the shield bash move and quite literally, bashed his shield into Princess Celestia's body. There was enough strength behind it that it sent her flying yet again until she landed a good eight meters away and had skidded to a stop while on her right side.

The dagger that she was attempting to use to attack with, had shattered into small pieces and were scattered about. Some of which, were so small that they couldn't be distinguished among the rocks as soon as they got nestled in among them.

Princess Celestia got up onto her elbows and looked at him with clear shock evident in her eyes. She began to stutter in such a low volume that it was hard to make out what she was saying. But he did catch a few bits here and there. About how it was not possible to break that blade.

Over with Princess Celestia, she was having a near panic attack. The dagger that she used, had been around for so long that no pony even knew its origins and it was proven to be indestructible. In the past, both she and her sister at tried their hand in doing so, but hardly made even a single scratch. It was apparently created long ago by a race that no longer exists and the material used in its construction could not be found anywhere else.

If that wasn't bad enough, when she needed it most, it was useless and was easily destroyed by a simple shield. A shield that looked the same as either iron or silver, which made it even more unbelievable. She began to think to herself in a rushed thought, “Just who is this? Did Nightmare Moon really create such a beast? How did I not know of its existence? Is it possible it has been growing in strength this whole time and it was hiding? No, I can't allow it to survive! I have to do everything I can for my ponies!”

Seeing that she didn't have much of a choice, Princess Celestia gathered what strength she had in her body and was able to cast just one more spell. This one would allow her body to push past its limits. The only problem was, with her own magic supply nearly depleted, all she could do was draw upon her own life force.

With a sudden burst of speed, she got right up to Brex and threw back her right fist before thrusting it forward to strike him in the chest. She was so focused on her attack that she paid no mind to what the creature's appearance was and solely went on the offensive and added a near endless series of punches to the same area.

Princess Celestia’s arms nearly became a blur as she swung them repeatedly. Each impact caused a noticeable shockwave to appear that was visible to the naked eye. When she had landed at least a good forty to fifty blows, did she finally pause to catch her breath.

The Alicorn simply stood there in shock while breathing heavily. The being that she was attacking had not made any motions at all to defend themselves. In fact, the armor itself seemed to have suffered no apparent scuff marks at all from her relentless assault.

Wanting to go at it again, she channeled a little bit more of the spell and went right back in. Her first punch was obviously the strongest with there seeming to be some sparks covering her arm, but instead of faltering or slowing down, she went at him at a greater pace than previously done.

With Brex, he was actually beginning to enjoy the scene as he felt that the Princess was unable to even do any harm. Instead of retaliating, he just stood there and took the barrage. To the Roegadyn, each of her fists felt no different than getting a slight tap on his body and it hardly even registered. Apparently, whatever was being done to him from within, had strengthened his body to the point that he wondered if not even both of the Princesses would have been able to cause him any pain right now.

What the Princess did next, had pretty much pushed the last of his buttons when she screamed during her second wave of punches. Clearly in a panic induced state, Princess Celestia screamed that the top of her lungs while having eyes that just demanded that she wanted him dead. “JUST DIE! WE DON’T WANT YOU HERE! I WON’T LET YOU HURT MY PONIES! YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED TO BE BORN!”

There was something about her using the words, die and shouldn't have been born, that ended up causing Brex to figuratively see red when looking straight at the princess.

He then lunged forward with the use of his wings and caught Princess Celestia on the other side of the shield as he threw it out Infront of himself. Their momentum had not slowed down and the wings on Brex's back had flared up once more. This time, they shot along the bottom of their dig site and were now heading straight back into the Everfree Forest.

Within the course of a minute, Brex had used Princess Celestia's body as a makeshift plow and was rushing through all of the trees and rocks that were in their path close to the ground. Whenever they had gone through either a large boulder or any of the trees, Brex would hear the princess letting out a pained scream after a loud thud was made.

They had even crossed a river and Brex dived down just below the surface. When they had gone to the other side, the princess was used again to grind along the floor and became covered in its mud. Fortunately for her, a number of trees and other rocks were more than willing to help with scraping some of that mud off as Brex continued on ahead.

Soon, they found themselves exiting the tree line and the castle of the two sisters was within view once more. The pair had bashed their way through a set of castle walls and nearly caused that section to collapse.

By the time Brex stopped, he threw Princess Celestia from his shield and onto the ground. He found them both sitting in the middle of the large crater that was made from Princess Celestia's first, all-out attack.

Seemingly to have lost control and clearly had enough of the princesses talking, the Roegadyn brought his shield up above his head and threw his arm down. Just as he did this, the voice of Shadow Lily came calling out from the edge of the deep hole they were in.

Brex, after hearing her voice, instantly stopped his arm that was in motion. If the girl had waited for even a fraction of a second longer, than it would have been too late. Brex had the shield at an angle where the bottom of it was poised to take off the Princess Celestia's head at the neck. In fact, if the Princess was to move her head by even an inch at that very moment, then the sharpness of the shield would have un-doubtedly cut into her skin with how it was already touching her short fur.

Shadow Lily had managed to yell out, “Please don't go any further! I know what she did is wrong and you have no reason to trust us, but she isn't a bad pony. I'm sure that this is just one big misunderstanding. I know that my Princess would never hurt another innocent being. I know we have hurt you, could you forgive her and let us start over?!”

Over with Princess Celestia. She was in unspeakable pain as every part of her body desperately screamed for medical attention, even her horn felt as though it was about to snap off. She was quite literally used to make a path from the edge of the Everfree Forest to her old home. She was sure one point, a short river was even made.

There were bits of bark embedded into her left-over pieces of armor and some had even gone into her flesh. Rocks, mud and other things from the forest where caked all over her form and her mane was a complete mess. It had even lost its ethereal sheen and was on the ground, motionless at this point.

She was without a doubt, utterly terrified that she was at the mercy of this creature. And when she heard another pony's voice and she looked over, her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was one of her guards.

Princess Celestia was about to call out to her to run as she started to outstretch her weak hand towards the mare. Her voice was seemingly gone with the amount of pain that she was enduring. However, what she heard from this one mare, had caused her thoughts to come to a sudden stop.

She didn't quite understand why was she being made out to be the one in the wrong. This thought was clearly plastered on her face as she looked dumbfoundedly towards the other mare that was sticking up for her.

Shadow Lily had approached them both and was within a few feet away before she reached out a hand and gently placed it on top of the shield. Her fingers then gripped onto it and began to lightly tug upwards and away from the Princess.

Celestia was even more confused when she felt the item being pulled from her neck. She then thought to herself, “How did she stop it? ... And what is this about hurting another innocent being... Does she truly mean myself? But... But that can't be. If what this mare says is true, then I… I... Oh no… W-What have I done?”

That was when her eyes roamed to the left and saw how there was a small stub where its right arm should have been. On closer inspection, it was noticed that there were some charred, black bits that could just barely be seen.

With Princess Celestia putting it all together, she came to the quick conclusion that she was really the instigator and what she was told about the two guards being taken away was false. She had attacked an innocent creature and not only that, she was responsible for it losing an arm. When this ran through her head, Princess Celestia began to swell up with tears in her eyes. Even the pain she was feeling had been dwarfed by the growing gilt.

Before her thoughts could go any further, she ended up convulsing and coughed up some blood from her mouth. Shadow Lily saw this and immediately crouched down and began to look over the Princess.

Princess Celestia could hear how the mare was mumbling about her condition, but was unable to pay much attention. Her eyes were currently fixated on the being that was standing proudly over her with the sun just above his head. Due to the way that sun was angled, Princess Celestia was unable to get a good look at his face with how it was covered in the shadow of her sun.

However, their eyes were glowing brightly. With the way they appeared, she couldn't help but to think that she was being looked down upon with judgmental eyes. Eyes not filled with anger like how she had expected. But instead, she had this feeling of deep disappointment radiating from them.

To Princess Celestia, having such a look directed directly at her, was worse than anything she could have ever felt, aside from what happened with her sister. She had hurt another living creature that did not deserve it. What had happened to her was simply a course of retaliation and defending themselves. She was the one that attacked without warning.

This revelation was interrupted with another coughing fit that was accompanied by even more blood splattering onto the ground and along her chin. Her once pristine white fur was not only ruined by the fight, but was also stained with her life-giving blood.

Her vision was beginning to get a little blurry at this point. However, just as she felt that she was about to pass out, did her body begin to warm up with a pleasant feeling of warmth. She had blinked a few more times and when her vision was fully restored, she found that her whole body had been miraculously healed as if the fight had never even occurred.

Princess Celestia tried to find the source that would have caused such a thing to happen and found that the one that she was fighting had their shield nowhere to be seen and their left hand was opened towards her. In the center of its hand, was some fading golden specks of light.

She was about to say something, but there was a large number of cracking sounds that began to fill the air. Her ears swiveled as she tried to hold herself up with her elbows. It didn't take long before she zeroed in on its origins and realize that they were coming from the one in front of her.

Visible, white cracks began to spring up all along its form. Some were giving off a pale, white glow. While others were shining like a beacon. She watched as it raised one of its arms up to be brought closer to their face to examine the cracks that were forming on the palm.

Back with Brex, he was not doing so well right now. His body, quite literally felt on the verge of exploding with the amount of pressure building up. Even the aura around his form began to flare erratically now and then. This had even caused Shadow Lily to take a step back in caution.

Shadow Lily then asked, while looking extremely worried, “What's happening, what's wrong with your body?” She was about to reach out and touch one of the spots that was emitting some light. However, Brex quickly took a step back to gain some distance. The mare was taken aback by what he had just done and appeared to be on the verge of crying.

The Roegadyn merely shook his head slowly. While doing this, there was the sounds of even more cracking coming from him as a number of new ones appeared. He then turned around and proceeded to take several more steps away. Once he was far enough, the wings on his back flared up again and he took flight.

Unlike the previous time, there was no sudden acceleration. Instead, it was a gradual rise in speed until he was just high enough to be considered above the clouds.

Princess Celestia, who is still recovering and trying to come to terms with what just happened. Watched in confusion as the apparent winner of their fight was leaving without saying a word. She began to squint her eyes so that she can keep track of it, but all she could see were these apparent chunks of white light that were breaking away from its body.

Suddenly, she felt a powerful surge of magic that was far more than previously given off during their whole fight. The sky began to glow from a single spot. Then, a large ray of light had suddenly expanded. It was comprised of white and blue, which filled everything within sight with its glow. This was soon followed with an ear-splitting boom as it was to signal the start of a rain of white, stars shooting that crossed into the four corners of her vision.

It was apparent that not any of them were going to make it to the ground, as they quickly vanished after a short time. That was when the dream suddenly went white and both Celestia and Brex were released from there forced recruitment of playing out the scene of past events.

Over back in the waking world. Princess Celestia shot up from her bed while letting out a loud scream. Both of her hands were clutching at the bed sheets for all they were worth. Her face was dripping with sweat in her eyes were looking straight ahead and threatening to release the water works. She was breathing heavily with her mouth half open.

Not even a second later, the sounds of knocking echoed into her bedchambers as a guard was half yelling through the door. “My Princess! Are you OK in there?! I heard a scream!”

As she steadied herself, she quickly called out by using her typical, motherly voice. “All is well. It was merely a bad dream, please return to your post.” This earned her a respectful, “As you say my Princess.” Before he went back to guarding her door just on the other side.

After a small amount of silence ran through the room. Princess Celestia found herself cupping her hands over her face as she silently began to weep into them. Through her quiet sobbing she managed to say, “What could the reason be for having such a horrible dream… After all this time? … I-I’m so sorry…”

*Point of view: Brex Mith*

After the dream came to an... explosive end. Brex found himself opening his eyes and standing in the main room of his dreamscape house once again. But instead of wearing his dark gear from back then, he was instead back in his boxer's, just like he was before the whole incident had started.

While staring off in a distance with a bewildered look on his face. The Roegadyn had his jaw almost hitting the floor. It appeared that he wanted to say something, anything really. But it was Rory who was the first to speak as she ran in front of him with an excited look on her face as she screamed, “MASTER! YOU REALLY FUCKED THAT BITCH UP!”

Rory was pretty much dancing in place with the way she was so excited about seeing the match. She then went on to describe what he was doing to the Princess and what a thrill it was to watch him plowing the her into the ground.

It would seem that even with the change in location, Rory was still able to keep up and watched everything play out till the very end.

It took a little while, but Brex managed to regain enough of his senses to finally speak up. While arching his right eyebrow, he said out loud. “So, that explains what they meant when they said they had to put me back together again. Geez… I wonder if that would have happened to me if I came to this world in the beginning with all of my Soul Stones? Daddy did say that I was unable to hold any more power back then.”

Still, seeing that Rory was still going on about what she had witnessed. Brex could feel his eyes getting droopy and a sudden wave of fatigue had suddenly come out of nowhere, which made him nearly stumble. Fortunately, Rory picked up on this immediately as soon as he had started to move oddly and rushed over to lend her aid keeping him up right as she got under one of his arms.

While now clutching at his head with his left hand, he was holding on to Rory with the right one while saying. I… I think it's safe to say that dream really took a lot out of me. I really need to get some rest before getting up in the morning...”

Without saying so much as a word, Rory assisted Brex in ascending the steps and into their room. Almost immediately the pair had climbed into bed with Rory snuggling up against Brex as he quickly dozed off into a deeper level of sleep.

When he came to again sometime later, he opened his eyes and found that Rory was still clinging to his form. However, much to his delight she had apparently removed her clothing and was completely in the nude while she was essentially straddling him with how she was laying on top of him from under the covers.

Feeling her chest pressing on to his bear one was beginning to get Brex rather excited. In fact, he could have sworn that Rory was touching him down there with her hands, but from where he laid, Brex could plainly see that they were currently being used to wrap-around his waist.

As he furrowed his brows, he took on an Intense thinking Expression. He then said to himself, “Okay.... If she's not doing that... Then, who? ... ... ... ... OH SHIT!!”

Without so much as a warning for the girl that was laying on top of him. Brex tossed Rory off so that she was landing near the edge of the bed. This earned him a startled welp from the girl as she quickly sat up with propping herself with her arms and gave him an annoyed face that screamed what was that for.

But her expression suddenly changed to that of confusion when she saw Brex jumping out of bed and leaping over the railing onto the floor below and rushing to open the front door. As soon as he had opened it, did his vision go white and he found himself blinking awake out in the real world immediately.

When he had finally gotten his bearings, he glanced down by lifting his head and found that both of the maids that we're sharing his bed were out cold. They were pretty much sleeping in the same way that they were last time. But they both had a hand on his crotch and were absent mindedly stroking his now growing member from just outside of the fabric of his pants.

The site caused him to completely go rigid and with his eyes going comically wide from behind his mask. A bead of sweat began to form on his brow. That was when Rory spoke up in a rather sleepy tone and said, “You know… If this turns out to be a reoccurring thing, we may have to look into training them.”

When Rory had finished saying the words, training them. What was going on below was showing a reaction and he had to try really hard to hold in an annoyed groan at what Rory had just done. He then thought quickly to himself, “I wonder if it's possible for a Roegadyn to end up having blue balls because of all this holding back...?”

This only got him an amused chuckle from the girl as she replied with, “And I keep saying that Master needs to fuck them~.”

After a little bit of back-and-forth banter between himself and the girl in his head. Brex finally got around to using his shadow movement ability to get out of yet, another compromising position. Although, the pair had made a small set of pitiful whimpers once he was away from their touch.

The rest of the morning pretty much went routine as usual, with all of those in the house doing their normal chores. That was until it got closer to lunch time and Brex was back in the library reading another one of the books that was apparently outlawed by the Princess. Brex had even gotten a little bored and began to scribble out a few notes on a blank piece of parchment with a quill he saw on the table.

Seemingly interested in spells that were deemed too dangerous, he was making some subtle corrections and a few changes to the formula to allowed to become more accessible and less volatile to the caster.

Just as he was in the middle of writing something else down, he felt a presence approaching the room and looked over his shoulder to witness Fleur De Lis coming through the door. Within, Brex was mentally cheering that he managed to get something through his own senses, instead of fully relying on Rory's.

He had fully expected her to be saying something along the lines of lunch nearly being ready and that she was coming to get him. However, what she really said next, had stumped the Roegadyn. As she approached, the Unicorn asked, “It’s been on my mind this whole time and I just can't hold it back anymore. But I really want to know what you really look like under there. Do you think I could see what you have hidden behind your mask?”

Brex was currently leaning over the office table within the library while Rory was sitting in one of the chairs when the question was asked. Honestly, he knew that question was gonna come up, but after all this time and not hearing it, it just came crashing down on him like a ton of bricks when he finally heard it.

For as long as he knew, all the females around him had only ever looked at him in terms of being a male. Not once had any of them requested to see his face or even know what his race was. In fact, it was apparently Blaze Caster that showed the most interest in wanting to know what his species is.

So, hearing Fleur De Lis asking, had caused his mind to come to a screeching halt. He really had no idea where this came from all of a sudden, but remained facing the desk while the mare was approaching and was now leaning her tail onto the very same desk at the opposite corner while giving him a look that just begged for an answer.

Brex always found it odd that he wasn't outed as some type of dangerous character with how he didn't show his face. However, he didn't exactly know how to answer the question in his current mental state.

After a few moments of silence, Fleur De Lis then went on to ask, I know it must be something important for you to keep it hidden. We just didn't want to intrude too much on your privacy. But when I heard about you're living conditions with Blaze Caster, along with him saying that he had no idea of what you look like, even with the two of you living together, it got me wondering.”

Just what race do you belong too and what do you look like under that mask? Also, what could the reasons be for not showing those close to you. I had originally thought that it had to do with the herd cults that have been trying to round up stallions. But from our discussion back in the park, you don't seem to have any fear towards them, so I ruled that out.”

“There are also those times that I have noticed you flinching whenever the princess is brought up in any discussions. But with you going to the palace, I doubt that you are in any trouble with her. Otherwise, why would you go to the very place that she resides.”

Inside, Brex was beginning to sweat bullets as he listened to Fleur De Lis checking off reasons one after another for his need to protect his identity. Out of all the mare’s that could have asked him this. It had to be the one that seems to know him the best, aside from Rory to an extent.

Brex then lowered his head slightly, while placing both of his palms onto the table after putting away the quill. He then closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them up again and turning his mask towards Fleur De Lis.

He then said in a low volume, as to keep their conversation to them, and only them. “Allow me to tell you a small story. There was a time when there was this one... Female, that was unlike any others. Her appearance would cause them to question who or what she was. At times, others would just assume it was some type of the deformity. However, it was her true face and among her own kind it was not that uncommon.

“You see, she was of a very rare race that was not normally seen. So, when it came to interacting with others, she would wear a veil to cover up most of her face. Now, tell me. Even if her appearance was already known to the public. What do you believe would have be the point of her wearing a veil now?”

The Unicorn merely looked a little confused while listening to the story. When it was finished, she had a look of concentration as she tapped her chin with her right index finger as her eyes looked up to the ceiling.

After a pause, she tilted her head slightly in his direction. While still facing the ceiling, she began to speak in a cautious tone. As if she was afraid of getting the answer incorrect. “Could it be that she is self-conscious about her looks? Maybe she's tired of being judged?”

Brex then Released a small sigh as he turned around and began to lean against the desk a little himself. While not turning in her direction, he said, “Those are some good answers. Most would assume those would be the right ones. However, in her case, it has to do with wanting acceptance. She doesn't really care about how she looks. But what she focuses on is how others feel uncomfortable around her. Thus is the reason for the veil. She merely wants to be accepted and not trouble others. In a way, it’s for them more so than for herself.”

“Now, as for myself. It would have a great deal to do with how this society reacts to those that they are unaccustomed. So, in a sense, you could say that I wear a mask to be accepted. Just like that woman in a story. He then released another, long sigh before adding, “There may be a day that I feel comfortable enough with removing it. But as of right now, I do not feel comfortable with doing so.”

That was when Brex began to let out a low chuckle as his shoulders began to shake just a little bit before he began to speak again in a rather jovial tone. “Do you know that you're the only mare who has ever asked me that for as long as I can remember? I swear, all the mare’s out there only care about, is whether or not I have a package down there. That says quite a bit about the current culture when it comes to males, now doesn't it?”

This got Fleur De Lis to look down as she turned partly away. He could see how she was holding on to her left elbow. She then spoke nearly in a whisper as she said, “I understand what you mean. With there being a substantial lacking of males, we mare’s tend to take things for granted and only focus on the gender.”

She then released a chuckle of her own as she began to speak in a more, lighter tone. “You really should have seen my reaction to Fancy Pants mentioning that he was in the guard once. I really thought in the beginning that he was like the other males and only thought of keeping themselves out of danger. But here was one that was willing to do the opposite. although he had the wealth to not do so from the beginning.”

Before the conversation could go any further, one of the other maids came in just then and informed them that lunch was ready. They then went and joined the rest.

When the meal was finished and Brex noticed what time it was, he informed everyone that they should all go out to the front lawn because something was about to happen and they would not want to miss it.

Earlier that morning, Brex had created another one of his body doubles and sent it in the direction of the School for Gifted Unicorns. There, it caught sight of Twilight Sparkle in one of the classrooms during the entrance exams. If everything was to follow what happened in the story, then what was about to occur within moments, was going to be quite the spectacle.

When the three Unicorns and the rest of the Changelings were out on the lawn, Brex turned to them and said, “Keep your eye on the skies towards the Northwest. Fancy Pants, while taking out a handkerchief to clean his monocle asked, “Just what is it we're looking out for?” To that, Brex replied with, “Oh, you're going to know it when you see it.”

Within his mind, Brex had linked himself to the body double to gauge when things were going to occur. At this point, Twilight had just come up and stood in front of the judges as a plant pot was placed on a table nearby.

At first, it seemed that things were going exactly the same as the show with how Twilight was having trouble trying to cast a spell while apparently being way too nervous. While with Brex, he was happy to see that she was there at all and taking the test. Considering the state that she was in when they last parted ways.

It had gotten to the point where she was apparently giving up and had gotten close to the window. As if on cue, a Sonic Rainboom was produced and coming from all the way over at Cloudsdale.

When she saw this, it surprised Brex that she wasn't startled like she was meant too, but instead, whirled on the spot and focused on the pot before channeling an explosive amount of magic. In fact, it was so powerful that it caused his body double that was waiting in the shadow realm to disperse when the wave of magic hit it.

Within the span of a few seconds, the following occurred that could be seen by all of those from the Fancy Pants Manor. The sky was filled with the colors of the rainbow caused by Rainbow Dash. The side of one of the buildings not too far away that could be seen just over the rooftops had suddenly erupted. This created a shower of debris as a large purple dragon with green spines could be seen standing just outside of the structure.

However, what was really surprising, was there was this magical wave that washed over pretty much most of Canterlot. This caused all of the outdoor plants to spontaneously bloom as their colors became more vibrant than ever. Even the air itself was riddled with these floating three-dimensional images of flowers and star patterns that were virtually identical to that of Twilight’s cutie mark. In a sense, the capital had become a wonderland of sorts with the lights and flowers blooming all around.

All of those around him were owing at the spectacle. With eyes wide as dinner plates behind his mask, Brex couldn't help but to wonder to himself as he thought, “Well, I sure didn't expect her to do this much. Just what got into that mare?! I know she's supposed to be powerful, but I didn't think she was this strong. And wasn't it supposed to be limited to the classroom?!”

Brex was a little more than worried over how powerful the spell was and if things inside the classroom were somehow escalated. He was about to create a body double while everyone was distracted, but stopped when he saw a figure in white coming out of the castle and making their way quickly over to the school.

He then thought to himself, “Well she's already on her way. Best not send one over now. Besides, she can handle what Twilight did. But still... I wonder what it was that got her to pump out this much juice. I suppose it's just another example as to why this Equestria is different.

After that, everyone pretty much stayed outside for a good twenty minutes and enjoyed the show. The only reason that they didn't stay longer, was how everything began to fade as the spell lost its strength over time.

During this period, the large dragon that had appeared was suddenly gone in a small flash of light. When it seemed that everything was over, everyone, including Brex went inside the manor once again.

No matter what he did for the rest of the day, he would constantly hear one or more of the Changelings commenting on the event. There was even one among them that posed the question as to how he even knew that something like that was even about to happen.

Fancy Pants had even inquired as to how he had predicted It and Brex replied by saying that he had something along the lines of inside knowledge of sorts thanks to a tip. This then got the Unicorn to laugh a little as he went on to mention that it would be nice to have that sort of knowledge when it came to business.

When night came along and they were currently sitting to another dinner. Brex made the announcement that he was going to be leaving in the morning and that Blaze Caster was to remain while he went to go and meet his potential business partner.

Of course, the kid protested saying that he wanted to tag along, but Brex was pretty firm in taking a stance that it would be better for him to socialize more while he was away for a day or two.

When they had gotten to that point. Fancy Pants asked, “Just where is it that you are going? If you're only going to be gone for that long, I suppose it's quite close by am I correct? If that is the case, then I am more than willing to come along as well and meet your friend. I do have an open window of availability right now.”

To this, Brex simply shook his head before saying, “Where I'm going needs to be kept a secret. I do hope that you can understand, but this is a very sensitive subject when it comes to his privacy. Also, I do have means of traveling long distances in a short amount of time. So, attempting to locate him through other means judging by my time frame of absence would not serve any use.”

That was when Blaze Caster jumped in while still having half a mouthful of food. “Yeah! Big bro can get anywhere, anytime he wants.” Internally, Brex scowled at the kid after realizing that he had not told him to keep that little bit a secret. This was obviously something that Brex was going to have to talk to him about later on.

Just then, he snapped his fingers and went into his item box. After reaching into his coat pocket as usual, Brex produced a red version of his link pearl. He then tossed it to Blaze Caster, who caught it with his magical grasp. After the kid brought the item closer to examine, Brex explained to them that it was a communication device that was directly linked to an identical one he had in his possession.

Right after, he then informed Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis, that it would be a good idea to be able to meet up at the desired location to show off where the build site would be. This suggestion got Fancy Pants to recommend staying the night over in the small town called Ponyville that was close by. This way, they can take the train tracks over there when it was time.

Brex was a little skeptical about whether or not a train could just stop in the middle of nowhere, but Fancy Pants had told him that there was a friend of his that was in charge of the railways in that area and borrowing a train would not be a problem.

It was then decided that instead of all of them going, it would simply be the three Unicorns, along with eight Changelings in total. While the meeting would take place, Blaze Caster would remain with a pair of Changelings to keep him safe, while he waited in ponyville for them to return.

Of course, for the task of protecting the kid, Brex had asked for Rin and Lin to be the ones to do so. Which got him some extremely, enthusiastic nods in return. It wasn't until then that Brex began to wonder about their attitudes towards him during that day.

He had this odd feeling that they were far more attentive than normal. Even going so far as being the only ones to even got near him from time to time. He had briefly considered that it may had something to do with them sharing their love, but dismissed it as them taking the rolls as his personal attendance very seriously.

When it was time to take a bath after having dinner. Brex was pretty much accustomed to what was going to happen next and waited a few minutes while in the tub. Then, just as he had predicted, both Rin and Lin came into the bathroom while wearing the same outfits that they did previously. As well as the blind folds. With being ready, the Roegadyn wasn't nearly as flustered as they began to wash his back thanks to there being a towel in reach.

However, there was still this blush on his cheeks as he tried to not look over his shoulder at them. Knowing full well that it would only cause him to have his emotions flare up due to such revealing attire.

It really didn't help him at all with how Rory was egging him into taking them as they were right then and there during the whole bathing scene. Of course, this ended up the same way as last time, with him leaving them behind and ordering them to not remove the blindfolds until he had left the bathroom.

When he had returned to his bedroom, he decided to just jump in the bed and head into the dreamscape right away to have a few words with Rory in private. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

*Point of view: Brex Mith*
*Location: The Dreamscape*

When he opened his eyes again, there was the familiar sight of Rory standing just inside of the door of his mentally constructed house. She was currently standing there with her hands tucked behind her back, while giving him one of her trademarked amused looks.

She then spoke up while giving him a wide smile. “I think you're getting along pretty well with those maids. Not even a hint of freaking out this time around when you were in the bath. I dare say things are progressing quite well. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Before she could go any further, “Brex reached over behind the girl and grabbed on to a piece of her clothing before he started to lift her into the air. She then had a rather shocked expression as she had unintentionally released a “Mew” sound, like one would get when suddenly picking up a small kitten.

She was then brought close to his face after dismissing his usual mask and clothing for more relaxed ones, which consisted of house shoes, blue jeans and a white muscle shirt.

While giving her a flat look, he said, “Rory, we've talked about this. However, I want to discuss something else.” This got Rory to nod quietly as her feet were slowly dangling a few feet off the ground and her arms were pulled in at the front like a set of paws.

He then continued with, “It has something to do with what we saw last night. I have no idea of what I saw was real, or some distorted version.” On that last bit, he had lowered Rory and adopted a worried expression.

After fixing her outfit a little bit and pushing down on the wrinkles. Rory looked up to him and gave him a questioning look as she replied with, “I'm not quite sure what you mean by that.”

As Rory asked that question, Brex had taken in a few more steps within the entry room and conjured up a sofa that could seat up to four people on it. It was decorated with a dark brown type of wood for the framework and the plushy sections and arm rests, were blood red color. Brex then proceeded to plop down on the center, with his arms laying across the top on either side.

Brex then laid the back of his head along the top of the couch and released a long sigh while closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he said, “I'm saying that I can't fully trust the dream, due to the nature of them when you're not in control.”

“A dream is usually made from whatever available information is stored in both the conscious and subconscious mind. Of course, this results in a distorted version that may or may not line completely up with events that one remembers.”

“That means that the things we saw may not have been entirely true. Hell, maybe more than half of that didn't even happen. Besides, I seriously doubt that I did that much to her.”

By this point, Rory had already came over and had skillfully climbed into his lap and snuggled into his chest. Because of this, Brex lifted his head to look down as he asked Rory, “Is there any way you can tell whether or not that dream was altered in any way?”

This earned him a response of the girl shaking her head while speaking in a gentle tone. “Master, I'm afraid I can't say for sure. It was all pretty much out of my control and I was as much of a spectator as you. I have no way of verifying if what was seen was the truth or some elaborate fabrication.”

This got the Roegadyn to release a small groan of annoyance before he said, “Then it's fully possible that I was fully prepared to kill Princess Celestia back then... I was seriously about to use my shield as an improvised guillotine to chop her head off. By the twelve... If it wasn't for Shadow Lily stepping in, then I would have done the deed.”

“Maybe I really was a monster in my old life. It's just that, in a dream… What she said to me during that fight, it just made me snap. Something inside of me just demanded retribution of some sort.”

That was when Rory spoke up as she looked up into his eyes. “Master, you are no monster. Yes, you needed some outside help to regain control. But it was your choice to save the princess from what she had done to herself.”

“She obviously had no magic left and she was tapping into her own life force to strengthen her body in order to fight you. If you hadn't used your Paladin's healing ability on her, then she would have died within a few minutes.”

Brex then reached up to his head with his left hand and place it over his eyes. While letting out what sounded to be another pathetic chuckle, he said, “Back when, this was just a game. I must have killed so many monsters and enemies on the other side. Let's not forget all the bandits.”

“I know I killed more than ten thousand alone because there was that achievement that I had for doing such a thing. Even after you converted my memories of the game to make it seem like it was real for me. It's hard to think that I'll have to do that eventually. Now that I have the strength. There's gonna be a time that I'll have to kill another while I'm in Equestria. Honestly, I don't know if I can really do it.”

Afterwards, Rory spoke up while cupping his face in both of her hands to get his attention. This also ended up getting him to uncover his face. “Master, this isn't like you're old world. This one follows the rules of both the show and the game that you got your body from. There are going to be really bad individuals that are not going to give you a chance.”

“Take that one mare who led the cult that we came across. You got to see first-hand what she was capable of. She was too far gone and would have tried to do it all again if she ever got the chance if we were to allow her to be imprisoned or even tortured to get her to change her ways. Someone like that has no chance of changing.”

“I'm really sorry to say it master. But I feel that you need to grow accustomed to the act of taking another’s life. Otherwise, it is going to only cause more suffering when the time comes and you're not ready to act.”

Brex had just opened his mouth and was about to say something, but Rory took her right hand and placed her index finger over his lips. That was when she continued on with saying, “Now I know that you're worried about losing control of yourself again. Just know that I'm here and I'll do everything I can to help you.”

“Also, please don't worry about me so much. Remember, I'm the one that’s here for you. I know that you are scared of the princess, yes but you are way more scared of the fact that she might do something to me and you need to not think about it.”

“I'm a strong girl and I can handle myself. Remember, you have a way of reviving. So even if she does kill you, you will just come right back. This means I will come back with you.”

“So, how about we talk about something else for now? Like I don't know... How you're gonna ask for Ryu for his help. Along with your apparent fear of that dark elf of his?”

The very mentioning of that woman had caused Brex to involuntarily pull his knees together and adopt a terrified expression that was also laced with a bit of premeditated pain. This led to them discussing a few small other topics before finally retiring to sleep.

*Point of view: Third Person*
*Location: Everfree Forest, Southwest corner*
*Time: Three in the morning*

A lone figure could be seen from the back while sitting on an overturned log just before a roaring fire. They were at the moment, hunched over while apparently reading a scroll that was unfurled in front of them.

As the roaring flames filled the air with the crackling of embers, the individual could be seen as a pony with short, cut hair that resemble the buzz cut. Unfortunately, it was hard to make out their fur color and tail due to the poor lighting.

But it was plain to see that they are wearing sections of armor on their form that was nearly the color of black obsidian with how it shined from both the light of the flames and the moon above.

A short distance away, laid a crate made of a black material that was partially obscured by some branches laying on the top of it, while pushed up against a very large tree.

After a minute or so of reading this scroll. The pony then threw it into the bonfire. As it quickly burned to ash, the pony then reached down between their legs and grabbed something that was on the floor. When they pulled an arm up, it revealed a shoulder strap bag and open the flap and pulled out a square object wrapped in a black cloth.

After admiring it for a few seconds, the pony proceeded to carefully unwind the wrappings. Once the covering was discarded, it was thrown into the fire as well. The item in question was held up a little more and it revealed it to be a tome of some sort.

It was easily a three, maybe four inches in thickness. There was even a clasp that helped it shut. But what made it so unusual, was the decorations on the bindings and the coverer itself.

Instead of it being a type of fabric, or even leather. Instead, it was decorated with some very extravagant feathers. They were mostly white with some hints of green as it went further along. There was even what appeared to be a face on the front cover that resembled a Human woman. But the eyes were completely pitch black. There were neither an Iris or pupils to be seen, just a solid gaze that was similar to looking at a black pearl.

That was when the pony got up while holding on to both the book and the bag and proceeded to drawing a line on the ground that encircled the flames. While at the same time, placing a large chunk of what appeared to be a bluish crystal at equal intervals as they did so.

*Point of view: Brex Mith*
*Location: Fancy Pants Manor*
*Time: Eight in the morning*

When Brex woke up, he found that his usual cuddle bugs were already in bed with him. Apparently, they took it upon themselves to sneak in and crawl under the sheets as he slept. Now, he was pretty much into the practice of immediately escaping their grasp by using the same old trick with going into a shadow.

After having some breakfast with all of them and saying his goodbyes, Brex found himself leaving the manor and heading out of the front gate while wearing his white robes with the blue hood.

(Here's a picture of his current gear. Just add the mask.)

He had already had a short discussion with Blaze Caster about keeping a few things to himself and that was the reason he didn't go straight into the shadows after giving his good byes as the members of the Manor were waving him goodbye.

As he was walking through the city of Canterlot, he began to ask Rory, “So what do you think I should do to pass the time before I head on over with that key that Ryu gave me? I need to eat up at least a day or so before that.”

Brex could hear Rory humming to herself while inside of his head and after a few seconds, he got a reply from her as she said. “Well, I remember you mentioning at one point that you wanted to install a basement in our cottage in the hills.”

There was a sudden gasp that came from her as her voice became more excited as she continued to say, “Oh! We should so turn that into a Sex Dungeon... Oh, I, uh mean, torture dungeon. You know, for whenever we need to, uh... interrogate someone Hehe~.”

Brex really had to resist the urge to hold a couple fingers up to his forehead and slowly shake it after hearing Rory's pathetic attempt at covering up her slip up.

While looking around, he caught sight of only a few stallions out on the streets and they were being escorted by at least two mare's. There were even a few that had up to six, maybe even seven.

Brex was a little taken aback from seeing this, even though he had been around for a while. But this site was still getting to him. It didn't help at all with the random gazes he was getting from some of the other females around as he walked.

He was pretty sure that if it wasn't for his intimidating size being a factor, then he probably would have been tackled by the first one that caught sight of him without a partner.

Finally, having enough with the looks that he was getting, the Roegadyn turned on a street that seemed a little less populated. After about fifty paces or so, it was apparent that this was one of the less traveled areas with how the residents were keeping their distance from one another.

After seeing this, he began to furrow his brow in confusion and took a better look at his surroundings. The street didn't really seem all that different from the others, aside from being less colorful. There were the houses, along with a few shops here and there. But it was one in particular that caught his eye almost immediately as his eyes were about to pass over it.

There was a faint, pink glow from some colored crystals that were lighting up a display window. Just on the other side of the glass, were a couple of mannequins that were wearing some rather provocative outfits that made it quite difficult to pull his sight from.

The one that was currently in the center and right before him, was wearing a tight corset and some fishnet stockings. There were even some decorative black cuffs and a collar that had some shiny stones that seemed to be embedded into the is material. The collar itself even had a small flat piece of metal in the shape of a heart that was dangling from a hoop.

The whole thing was in the colors of black and red. Brex couldn't help but to envision Rory wearing such an outfit almost immediately. That was when Rory immediately spoke up in an excited tone as she screamed. “Oh! Now that I really like. Although, it would need some minor alterations and let in a little, seeing as it's a size or two too big for me.”

Right as he was about to say something to Rory, did the shopkeeper in the store turn In his direction. Not wanting to be spotted by the mare inside, Brex quickly ran towards one of the gaps between the buildings. As soon as he was sure that no one was going to be able to see him, he jumped and fell into the ground as a whole formed.

As soon as he went in, BBrex could feel the sudden change in gravity as he was shot back out again. When his feet felt solid ground again, he blinked a few times and saw that he was now standing within his house that was located on the mountain top.

Rory then asked with a rather annoyed tone, “Master? Why did we have to leave?” This got him to reply by saying, “I don't feel too comfortable in that area. I guess you could say it's sort of like a guy walking into the lingerie section of a store and feeling way out of place. It was just, a little embarrassing...”

Brex could hear the exasperated sighing of the girl in his head as he explained why they left in such a hurry. Brex then went on to say, “I just didn't want to be seen standing in front of that store. It just felt incredibly awkward. Just think about it, a guy all by himself in a place like that? I didn’t want to be seen as some weardo.”

After hearing this, Rory then said, “Master, you really need to do something about your low self-esteem. Honestly, you sound like a teenager. I am sure that you'll gain your self-confidence once you've gone to bed with one of these mare's.” That last bit sounded extremely nonchalant.

Brex ended up letting out a loud groan of annoyance. While practically screaming, he held out both of his arms and said, “Rory! Could you please stop trying to get me to sleep with anything that looks in my direction! Do you know how incredibly frustrating this is? Of course, I find them all attractive. I may not know anything about my current body's physiology without any type of textbooks to read on it. But I'm still a guy!”

“You have no idea what length I would be willing to go through just to be able to hold you in my real arms?” That was when he reached up for his mask and roughly pulled it off and threw it to the far side of his house, where it slammed into the wall before clattering onto the ground.

While holding both of his arms close in front of him, he curled his fingers in a way that showed that he was about to claw at something if he had the long nails to do so. They were then thrown down out of frustration and Brex screamed while looking at a corner of the house that had no furniture. “I need to do something to take my mind off of it!”

This of course, started with him rushing over and tearing out a few of the floorboards with his bare hands to expose the ground underneath the house. This was then followed with Brex spending the next day and a half working on that basement that was mentioned earlier. If one were to be watching, they would say he was excessively going at it with a lot of anger.

Whenever he had started using either one of his sledgehammers or mining picks, it would be paired with a loud war cry whenever he struck at the Earth.

Not once had he exited the hole and threw whatever he didn't need down there into his item box to be disposed of later on. Brex didn't even stop for a break do have anything to eat, or to sleep during this whole time.

Whenever there was some solid rock in the way, he would easily pulverize it into dust. This would of course cause a small tremor that could have been felt on the surface. All the while, he would randomly say lines from some song that he was singing from time to time, although it was with an angry voice.

(Here is the song that he was getting the lyrics from.)

It wasn't until the next day that he had finally climbed out of that hole within his house. The Roegadyn was completely covered and dirt to the point that that he could have been confused for a rock Golem with the way his once white robes, were completely brown and his entire face was caked in mud thanks to the sweat he was building up whenever the dust landed on his skin.

After letting out a few coughs to clear out his lungs, Brex lumbered over to the front door and opened it and quickly slammed it shut the moment he was through the doorway. There was then the sound of something large making a splash as it went into the nearby pond.

This was Brex trying to get washed off after discarding all of his clothing that was apparently useless at the moment. Nearly an hour passed by the time he had gotten out after washing both his body and hair thoroughly of the many types of dirt and rocks.

As soon as he had put on his mysterious Butler attire, Rory began to speak up for the first time since their little discussion the day before. There was a weak chuckle before she began to speak in a cautious tone. “M-Master, I'm really sorry... But... Did you happen to get it out of your system?”

Brex began to slowly breathe in deeply threw his nose and released it through his mouth in a very, drawn out way. This was then followed with him giving a slow nod as he closed his eyes for a few seconds.

While speaking in a flat tone, Brex said, “I would rather not talk about that right now. How about we just put that aside and head over to Ryu's Place.”

Without even waiting for a response, he began to make his way over to the front door of his house and stood in front of it. His hand was held out in front with the palm pointing straight up. After a few seconds, a golden key had appeared and landed in the middle of said palm.

The key was gripped and placed into the keyhole and then turned. Once that was done, Brex took the key out and placed it back into his item box and slowly began to open the door. Instead of his house being on the other side, there was a dark room lit with some torches that could be seen from where he stood.

Right when he was taking his first step inside, did he mumbled to himself, “Let's just hope that things will go easy and I can take a breather. If not, then odds are I am going to need to beat up something to release this excess frustration...”

Right as those words were being spoken, the door was slowly closed behind him and gave off a gentle click when the door handle was released.

Author's Note

I do hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be another crossover with Ryu.