I woke up early with the sunlight hitting me right on the face, the window was left open, it was nice and windy at least, I covered my eyes and blinked the last vestiges of sleepiness from my face, it seems the sun doesn't bother my little siblings, none of them were awake, I looked over at the wall where the Apple family had a simple circular clock that ticked away silently.

Its 7am a bit early but I didn't go to bed that late last night so it was fine, I felt fully rested.

I smiled to myself, watching my siblings sleeping around me, all of them had decided to use my tail as a pillow, probably enjoying the coolness emanating from it, I relaxed and closed my eyes, letting the sunlight warm my silver scales a bit. Early mornings are nice and cool out here near the wilderness.

I stayed like that for an hour, listening to their soft breathing and looking over their small forms, they really are adorable, must resist the urge to pet...
Maybe it's time to get up.

I got up slowly, trying to not disturb the seat and placing them gently on the couch without waking them up, good thing they were very deeply asleep it seems.

I walked to the window and closed the cloth blinders, making the room significantly darker. After that I walked outside and headed for the outdoor shower, turning it on all the way and stepped under it, where refreshing cold water started coming out, I showered there and got the grime from last night's battle out of my scales, i noticed I had some dried blood near my mouth. Healing does not remove stains obviously.

I made sure to wipe clean my entire body using my claws, then I took the shower kit out, levitating it in my telekinesis and applied a bit of soap to myself before scrubbing myself fully and washing off the soap off. Finally I brushed my teeth and then turned off the water.

After the shower I used a short cantrip to dry myself and walked off towards the exit of the farm and on the way I saw Big Mac loading the apple cart. "Hey dude, good morning, would you tell anyone who asks that I went to Ponyville for a walk? I feel like going over there for a few hours, don't worry because they can always contact me if they need me, my parents I mean."

"Eeyup, have fun partner!" He smiled and offered me a hoof bump, which I instantly bumper with my claw made into a fist.

After that we both went our ways, I headed out and he went back to work. Ahh... The joys of unregulated child labor, ponies started early, they could do anything they wanted really as long as they went to elementary school, highschool was optional.

I smiled to myself, a skip in my step as I followed the sign that pointed to Ponyville proper, the farm was large, there were apple orchards and fields with cows too, not far from the farm there is an old looking treehouse and then closer still to the town, there's a school, or so it looks like.

I pay that no mind and walk across the bridge over the small canal that surrounds the city. After it, the dirt path widens into a street, many houses around, most of them I don't know, but not far from here I see a bakery I recognize, a gingerbread house, decorated completely to look like it's made out of candy and other sweets.

Sugarcube Corner, the place where Pinkie works! I dont think I've seen pinkie here at all, but maybe getting some breakfast for once would be good, I luckily have bits left from the trip to Griffonstone.

A few ponies were walking around, some went in the bakery and others just passed by, some gave me scared looks, others seemed to recognize me, most were mares but I didn't know any of them just at a glance.

I shrugged and just waved at the ones who at least gave me friendly looks, giving them a smile of my own, I was glad not everypony here disliked me.

After gathering my courage I entered the store finally, a small bell ringed above and a few ponies turned to look at me, I just ignored them and went to the counter, looking at the various cakes, pastries and even milkshakes and fruit salads.

I licked my lips in anticipation, this looks delightful! They even had eclairs! Not a large selection of eclair flavors like they had back in my favorite Canterlot stores, but they had the classic, vanilla cream with chocolate dip eclairs.

Maybe not the best for breakfast, but who's going to stop me? I'm all by myself. I knew what I wanted.

I stepped up to the pony at the counter, seems there was no one in line at the moment, I blinked in confusion, this pony, I knew him! Wasn't this Pinkie's employer? Mr. Cake? I think.

"Hello there young one, want something for breakfast?" He asked in a gentle tone one would use for a foal, his voice was warm and kind, I could sense he had nothing against me, and considered me like any other foal.

I smiled at him and nodded eagerly. "Yes please mister, can I get a banana milkshake, two eclairs and a portion of carrot cake? And please, I want my milkshake with no extra sugar, just banana and milk. Please?"

He nodded with a friendly smile. "Sure, that will be 10 bits young dragon, you're the first dragon that ever visits my store! It's wonderful to see you like sweets too." He says with a cheerful and excited tone as I take out my pouch of coin, and open it, feeling around for one of the small coins.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Onyx, and yours mister?" I say while finally finding my ten bit coin and handing it to him, storing my coin purse back where it belongs, tied around my neck, at least until I was out of sight, using the inventory around others all the time would get suspicious.

"My name is Carrot Cake, nice to meet you!" I offered him a fistbump and he returned it, his smile widening at my little gesture.

"Good choice of snacks Onyx, go take a seat at one of the tables and I'll be there shortly with your food, thanks for buying at Sugarcube Corner!" With that he turned and went to prepare the milkshake. While I went to sit on one of the free tables, feeling happy after having one of the ponies I remembered from the show being so nice to me, I knew it was probably because I was a client, but it still felt nice.

While I wait, I look around the store, admiring the decor, it all really looks like it's made out of sweets, except of course the floor, it just looks like wood.

I look around trying to find any ponies I recognize from the show, there is about a dozen, but I only recognize two. Cheerilee and Bon Bon. I feel my tail wagging involuntarily in excitement at the thought of meeting more ponies, but I decide against trying anything.

I tap my claws on the table looking at them discretely, Cheerilee is the older of the two, I'd say she's around 20, and Bon Bon was around my age from what I could see, maybe, she's just a filly as far as I can tell.

Finally my breakfast arrived, I handed the stallion a 10 bit tip after he placed the food on the table. "Thank you Onyx!! That's very generous, are you sure? You didn't even taste anything yet..." He exclaims but stops himself and asks me in a slightly doubtful tone.

"Yeah, I'm sure, you made me feel welcomed that matters a lot to me, I've been to many stores who's employees gave me looks because of what I am, but you make me feel at home here, the food smells delicious too, so I'm sure it tastes just as good, I've got a very good nose." He looked me over with a confused frown.

"But why? You're just like anypony coming here for the first time, maybe even friendlier than most, I haven't seen you do anything wrong, well... I'm sorry those ponies gave you bad looks, you're always welcome here in my shop, and if anyone gives you trouble, just let me know okay? Now enjoy your food, please tell me when you're done if you have any complaints." I felt moved by his words, he made me feel more than welcomed, I nodded feeling a bit speechless.

"Thank you... I'll keep your words in mind and I'll let you know." After that he left and I started, first I took a sip of the milkshake, smiling at the delicious taste of banana, softened by the milk, it was barely sweet, almost neutral, perfect to accompany the other very sweet foods, I bit into an eclair, humming in delight as the vanilla pastry cream inside basically exploded all over the interior of my mouth, combined with the dark chocolate and the delicious freshly made choux pastry.

It's pure bliss, I eat it slowly, enjoying every bite, while closing my eyes. "A healthy and balanced breakfast..." I said to myself, grabbing the other one and taking a small bite, before sipping more milkshake. Maybe...

I grab my bag of snacking gems and sprinkle some into the milkshake, it adds a bit of crunchy fruity flavors, from each small gem variety, it's the equivalent of adding vitamin gummies to your cereal really, it's not good, but it's not horrible either, and it helps my scales and body grow stronger and healthier.

Finally I'm left with only the carrot cake, and I have to say, it smells delicious with all the spices on it, as well as the scent of baked carrots and the cheese cream frosting, it's the ideal combination. Using a fork, I take a decent piece and bite down on it, letting the flavour spread slowly over my tongue.

It's divine, the combination is just something that makes you want more, I quickly finish my slice before I can satisfy my desire for more, I'll need more of it...

I get up and go back to the counter to buy a few more slices, and no one can stop me.

The feeling of sleeping on straw beds was not something I was used to, but after last night, that was no issue, hopefully the Apples won't come here anytime soon because it was a bit of a mess.

I yawned and stretched, Sylf and Thunder beside me comfortably sleeping, I smirk at the memories from last night, the satisfied expression on their faces, and their adorable and sensual noises while we made love, over and over again, i truly was a lucky stallion, and looking them over, I wanted to go at it again now, but after last night I thought best to let them sleep.

I never expected to have a herd of my own, it was a dream come true for any young stallion.

Yesterday night, Thunder had proven herself in all ways possible, that she was willing to do anything and go any length she could to be part of the herd, and even after Onyx dealt her an extremely debilitating blow, she kept trying to fight. Had he gone overboard with that? Yes he had, but he also regretted it right away, I could see it on his face, but she passed the test, she persevered and even explained her plan for victory even if it meant risking herself, all to save the most vulnerable. She is far more brave than myself, she really is.

I knew then that I could trust her with our foals and all of our secrets, maybe I could give her foals of her own to watch over... Some nice thoughts for the future, her heat was over naturally the second day we spent together, I had managed to resist the allure of her needy winking marehood, we weren't ready for more foals, we just weren't, I knew that much, not until things got a bit easier, once I was back home I needed to reopen the ice cream parlor or ponies would think it was permanently closed, we don't really needed the money but it was my job, I enjoyed the joy of my clients when tasting my creations.

I felt joy helping ponies who were injured and sick too, even more so, but I didn't want to leave behind my special talent, it felt wrong, I enjoy making ice cream, I enjoy giving relief in a hot day with a cold sweet treat.

But I knew I was only limiting myself, maybe I could hire an employee and dedicate myself more to help ponies? I could still make ice cream and have my business on the weekends... Yes that made sense, but I still need to give the foals time, I could maybe have free hours for that.

Being a father is not easy at all, and all of this responsibilities... I was glad to have my vacations on Griffonstone, despite all the trouble it all was rather pleasant and different, a welcome reprieve from responsibility.

I even got myself a hot new marefriend who has an incredible rump, now I have two hotties who thirst after me just as much as I desire them, I was truly blessed by the goddess...

Maybe i should offer her a prayer of appreciation! I smiled, pulling out the Amulet and holding it in my hooves, closing my eyes and relaxing my mind, emptying it from all distractions, mainly the alluring scent of my two sexy lovers.

'Goddess Faust, I thank you for the good fortune of having sent this wonderful mare my way, you have made life for me and my wife very exciting and fun lately, and you have helped me be a really really happy stallion, so thank you! You're truly the best goddess there is, I will serve you for as long as I exist!' I prayed in silence, sending my thoughts into the amulet.

A few seconds later, I heard her beautiful voice in my mind. 'Oh you silly stallion, you know I don't control fate right? That's waaaay above my power, sure I can influence something but what happened to you was complete coincidence, if anything the one you should be thanking is yourself, and the one who helped make the plan, your son.
But you have my blessing either way, for you and your herd, from what I've seen, she's quite a beauty and clearly in love with you, not only you but also your wife, this... I'll be honest, love is not my domain or my field of expertise, but I know you helped her return to the path of harmony, even if it was in a very... unconventional way.' I could hear her melodious laugh in my mind at the end, it made be blush quite a lot, she knew, HUH?!

'Y-you saw that? Uhh... I-i didn't know you were watching me so closely, b-but you at least enjoy it?' I asked her trying to sound confident, while my face started to turn red, it was a big gamble because I was being far too personal by asking her something like that, but I felt... I knew in my heart she wouldn't be angry, at least she wouldn't do anything to hurt me just for being myself.

'Coconut, there's nothing quite as wonderful as watching ponies following their hearts to do good, it's harmonious to love each other, I'll be honest, yes I do... I enjoy seeing that smile of yours, those eyes full of love, warmth and kindness for those you love, I couldn't help myself. Please tell me, do you mind if I do watch you? I can stop if you want, I promise I will respect your wishes.' Her tone was reassuring and also oddly shy and pleading, as if she expected me to tell her to stop, but... I had no reason to complain, it was extra exciting to have someone who appreciated the show, specially such a lovely mare like her.

I like her... I always did, every since I laid eyes on her, I just couldn't bring myself to admit it for fear of upsetting my wife, who at the time I wasn't sure if she would be okay with this.

I smiled to myself, who was I to even tell her to stop? She's a goddess after all! And I wanted her to watch.

'Do you ever feel like doing more than just watching?' I dared to ask, with a hopeful tone. I knew that my question was way overly suggestive, but she admitted to peeping on my intimate moments, so why couldn't I have a bit of fun with her? Our bond had grown over time, but it always had been me doing her bidding, so I wondered, why not switch the roles and have her answer me?

'Yes... I do, you are my champion. Do you know the thrill of doing something that is normally forbidden or scandalous? Because that's exactly what I feel when I watch you making love to your mares, I can imagine what you think of me right now... And... I agree, those thoughts, they're getting to me too just by being linked to you... Maybe we can do more than imagine sometime, I will open my mind to you now, so you can feel my own emotions, just like I feel yours, my beautiful champion of harmony, you are strong, brave and kind~.' I was blushing but not out of embarrassment, instead it was from my lustful thoughts and desire I suddenly felt from her as well, here next to my two beautiful mares, and lusting after the one I worship as a goddess! The same goddess who just admitted to enjoy watching me make love to my herd, and the same goddess who confessed she... That she likes me back.

I was a bit speechless to be honest, I needed to make sure she means it, am I dreaming? No no, this is real. I gently bit my hoof, confirming with a since that I'm not dreaming.

'Goddess? Y-you really mean what you say? I remember my wife used to tease me about... Us, and I thought she was being silly, but I never expected you to... You knew from the start, didn't you?' I needed to know if she meant it, she could be playing a prank on me.

'Tis no prank, you're attractive, I like your personality, you... are sweet and a wonderful father, you're caring with others, no matter their race, and you have saved countless from an early and painful death, it's hard not to like you, and you may not realize but you have grown quite nicely since you started your adventures, you look as strong as a hard working earth pony, and you're probably about as strong as one, your horn has grown too, it looks far more elegant, why do you think Thunder was so smitten by your looks? It wasn't just because she was in heat when she met you, it's because you're extremely attractive! And you're also one of the most well endowed stallions I've seen...'

I could feel her warmth coming from the amulet, she even let me feel her emotions, she meant what she said, I struggled to form words, but I felt doubts, where did this put us? What should I even say?! I felt myself breathing faster, my heartbeat increased and I just had a sudden urge to get up and pace around the room nervously, however I was trapped between Sylf and Thunder.

I managed to come up with an answer after a few panicked seconds. 'I... I have no idea what to say, my goddess, you are incredibly beautiful , so... Yes you are allowed to keep watching me anytime, I am unsure what else I could do that will help you, i-i'm incredibly thankful that you said this to me, i-im nervous but I'm also giddy, if I was with you I would hug you so much right now!'

I could tell she was happy I accepted her checking up on me. 'Thank you! You really make me feel very much like young mare again, chasing after a stallion and trying to earn his interest, and even sneaking a peak at his very active sex life, one that I rarely ever have, to be honest.' Her tone was a bit frustrated at the end there.

I was confused at this, how could this be?! 'But you're the goddess! Don't you have lots of ponies living with you on your realm? My parents were there... They were happy and I was even able to say goodbye and get to meet my mom, remember? All thanks to you. I love you, my goddess, I really do.' I said in a honest tone, I was forever thankful for that moment.

She took a few seconds to gather her thoughts before speaking. 'You are right, but you're forgetting something, my dear champion... Ponies here don't have real physical bodies, they are given physical form by divine magic and their will to keep existing, they are ghosts, that same divine magic allows them to live and remain looking and feeling mostly real while in the afterlife, but it's complicated... They can have intimacy, they do, but, how do I put this? Have you ever tried using your own telekinesis to... Pleasure yourself?' I could only blush, looking shyly at the ground and nodding to her.

'I... I did try, its not bad, but you can't really feel with it, it's just differences In feedback, it works yes, but it's like tickling yourself... Ah! I think I understand!' So she doesn't get nearly as much out of them because they are all basically... Part of her.

'Exactly, now that magic that works as a vessel, it allows them to enjoy their afterlife here but like you say, it's like tickling yourself, it doesn't feel as real as someone else's magic, and specially not as good as someone's real living self... I would ask you to come, and show you goddess just how good of a choice she has made by making you her chosen~ But last time that happened my daughters were born...' Her tone shifted quickly from lustful to sad, then angry and then sad again, she was letting me feel her every emotion, she trusted me enough to do this.

'And I don't think I feel ready for having more daughters just yet.'

I was left unsure of what to think, who were this daughters she meant? Why was she sad to mention them? 'I don't mean to pry... My dear goddess, but I'm curious as to what happened, who are they? And who... Was the father?' I asked in a gentle mental tone, making it clear that she could refuse to answer if she so desired.

She was silent for a while, deep in thought from what I could sense.

'You know one of them, but she has a sister too, both of them have fallen so far from what they were... One specifically, the older of the two, a long time ago, around a thousand years, she decided only herself was worthy of glory and praise, she pushed her little sister down from equal and delegated her to less important tasks, she was jealous of her sister you see, of her beauty and her abilities, and she made up rumors to get the ponies on her side, she made them fear the night, she made her innocent, sweet and loving little sister be shunned and feared, blaming anything bad that happened at night or dusk on her.' Her tone was one of indignation, sadness and regret.

'I was not allowed to interfere, not directly, I tried in vain to dissuade her in dreams and with visions, but it backfired, and made my eldest daughter start to believe her own actions were justified, thinking the dreams were an act put on by her younger sister. And, regrettably, her plan worked perfectly, she made her sister out to be some monster that didn't deserve her place as princess, and, poor Luna... She fell into depression, she secluded herself for months and that only fed the common pony belief she was some sort of creature of darkness and evil, until one day, something took a hold of my dear daughter... Something truly evil and not from here.' The Nightmare... This was what Onyx was talking about!

'This pony, Luna, is who became Nightmare Moon? From the old legends? I... I'm so sorry you had to see your own daughter turn into such a being! I promise I'll help somehow, maybe she can be convinced to-' I wanted to reassure her and offer my help.

But she interrupted me. 'No, I'm sorry but... You can't! She's not a misguided mare like Thunder that you can simply convince to change for the better by simply seducing her, she is truly a corrupted and evil being who has taken over my dear Luna's mind and soul, there is only one thing that can maybe save her... And it's not your wonderful charm, please don't worry about this no more, we have deviated from the topic, I lost myself in old memories of my daughters, Luna and Celestia, my previous lover who sired them, you don't know him probably, but he is a deerfolk. His name is Eixær, my daughters both inherited from him the ability to control the moon and sun, and Lulu inherited his talent to enter and manipulate dreams, although she was much better than himself in that aspect.' I was left completely speechless, is Celestia her daughter?! Whaaat? I must have misheard.

'So... Celestia huh? She's your daughter? I'm sorry my goddess, I don't have a good impression of that mare, I used to, but... Yeah she hasn't been the nicest pony to my family and it changed my view of her.' I said in a soft, honest tone, I trusted my goddess enough now, I know she wouldn't hurt anyone for speaking their mind.

I felt a long and tired sigh coming through the Amulet into my mind. 'Oh my sweet Coconut, I know... Trust me when I say I have been very disappointed in that mare for a long long time, what she did to her sister, even if she regrets it every day now, it made even me... Furious, and not to mention her way of treating those who did not submit to her authority, her xenophobia, it makes me sick.' I could feel a pulse of anger, my goddess was angry at her daughter, yet I could also tell from the way she spoke that she still loved her.

'Yet somehow your son managed to soften her stone heart, by promising the only thing she really wants now, to have her sister back. Yes despite what she did and all the pain she put her through just for her own benefit, she feels empty and incomplete without Luna, they are after all, the only ones who can keep eachother company, the passing of time has had a great toll on Celestia's mind, she has no anchor, no permanency, not without her sister by her side, and she realized this after she was gone for a few centuries.' Her tone was sad and held a hint of pity for Celestia, I could see it now, she has been so alone... All those she meets eventually pass away and leave her even more alone than before.

'Still, I can't forgive her for what she did to him, not unless she truly apologizes, but from what Onyx told me, she is changing for the better, she is changing her policies, maybe... All she needs is to open up and make some friends, you know? I used to be often sad and feel lonely but my job as an ice cream maker, selling ice cream to families made me feel like I was part of something, it gave me joy and filled that empty spot that my father's passing left, I still... Of course I still missed him, but knowing i continued something he started, it made me feel like he was still with me in a way, maybe she needs a new job. Hah! Imagine, the princess gets a job at a Hay-Burger place!' I snorted and chuckled to myself, that would certainly make headlines.

"Mmhh? Sweetheart? What are you laughing about there, mm?" My beautiful wife says softly, blinking her eyes open and looking at me with a loving smile, then she sees I'm holding the Amulet, thankfully, after that serious talk with my goddess and all we talked about, my body had calmed down fully.

"Ah, talking to your goddess early, are you? Maybe I could join in, after all I said I would and maybe now it's a good time." She lets out a yawn and stretches her long wolf legs and back, before gently placing a paw on the amulet too.

"Good morning love~ yes indeed I am talking to her, and you're welcome to join in." I say with a smile and give her a small kiss on the snout, right on her soft lips, making her smile and give me bedroom eyes.

She is now also connected. 'H-hello? Can you hear me? Goddess Faust, right?' she asks shyly, surprising because she's usually very much assertive and not shy at all.

'Its good to finally talk to you, miss Sylf, I've come to appreciate you a lot every since I met your husband, you may call me Faust, no need for honorifics, it just brings me joy to be in contact with you, please be at ease, I'm just another mare, one who has a role to play and loves her work, but sometimes wishes she could have a tad bit more fun like she used to.' A warmth that feels like a hug emanates from the amulet, directed towards Sylf, who relaxes and smiles genuinely, like a weight as been lifted off her.

'You really mean that, don't you? Then you should call me Sylf, I want to get to know you, Faust, you have had my husband's rapt attention and he clearly likes you, I know him well enough to know when he has the hots for a mare~' she giggled cutely, making my face warm up, and from the amulet, a similar emotion came through, my goddess was blushing too at my wife's words, and she knew it.

'Sylf! Don't tease her like that, she's sensitive!' I complain half hearted, knowing she was right.

'Hah! I knew it, you two like each other, right? I told you she wanted you too! When I heard of you, didn't expect you to be such a sweet and shy mare, well Faust, you have my blessing for anything you want with us, if you perhaps didn't know... I'm very open to new and exciting experiences, and I think you may have more experience than me when it comes to this.' Sylf spoke in a seductive and confident tone, she was back in her element, after knowing goddess Faust was truly as kind and friendly as I told her.

'You knew all this time? I... Should have expected that, from what your husband tells me, you have a nose for details, I can't wait to meet you in person too, I... Oh gosh can tell what you're thinking about!'
A slightly embarrassed but very aroused burst of emotion came through the link, directed at my wife in particular, seems like she made quite the impression on her, whatever she had gotten off her mind, I could take a guess...

'Sorry to disappoint, but honestly I have little experience when it comes to love, I have officially taken one coltfriend before, the same one who was our companion when I was just a young, starry eyed adventurer, all the way until I ascended, and our relationship wasn't the most formal there is, because our entire group was more or less a herd, not the kind of herd you are thinking off, with one stallion and many mares... It was more the other way around.' She said with a slight hint of embarrassment, but also a deep sense of nostalgia and longing, she clearly still missed them, all of them.

'I think it's about time I let the past rest, I should not let my duties completely consume me, so yes you two, we can be friends, we can even meet! Coming to visit me is always an option, even Thunder is welcomed, I just hope she can be eased into it, and Sylf? Thank you for not treating me in an overly formal way, the way you speak to me, the way you tease me~
It all makes me feel so much like I'm a young mare again, I still remember those years, all the good times with my dear friends...' I could tell she was tearing up, my wife and i, we looked at each other and nodded, we knew she needed comfort and someone to be her friend, other than her subjects, not only someone who would worship her, but someone who would treat her as a friend.

'You wanted more friends, some who treated you like equals, isn't that true, my goddess?' I asked softly, my strong love towards her communicated through the Amulet.

'Coconut, please let us discard formalities for now, when you are in front of others outside of your family, please be formal and call me goddess Faust or just goddess, but when we are alone I want you to just call me Faust, there is no law that forbids having friends, mortal or not, as long as I don't let any of you take me away from my duty to the world, and that is to spread harmony, and making friends is the best form of harmony there is!' She said cheerfully, a sense of excitement coming from her.

'Then allow us to be your friends, what do you say my beloved wife? Now that you got to know her, at least her voice, would you like to be friends with her?'

'Heck yeah Im in! It's not everyday that I get to befriend a literal goddess, let alone one as friendly and adorable as you, Faust! You can be my goddess too, you know?~' Sylf excitedly answered, her eyes sparkling with both genuine happiness and playful mischief, she was a wolf through and through, her smirk had a predatory edge to it that was familiar to me, she wanted to "play" with her new friend, not necessarily in a sexual way, but she was very physical in her affection, similar to a pony but different.

'Thank you both! Your words make me feel a lot happier, I don't usually get to talk to others as friends, as equals and it's very refreshing to do so, Sylf? Would you help Coconut to convince your son to meet with me too? if he ever agrees and he has time, would you please all come to visit me though the Amulet? I need to thank him for what he did for my wayward daughter, I think he is the key to make her come back to the path of harmony, and I... Well I want to get to talk to him in general, he gave me hope for not only my daughter, but for the future of the world.'

'Consider him convinced, my dear silver knight always listens to his momma, he is a bit shy around those with power over him, but I think he got over it after meeting this Borealis guy, i think that was his name, inside another artifact.' At that, Faust giggled and i could fill her amusement from our connection to the Amulet.

'Hahah you must mean Boreas! That old griffon is definitively a bad influence, he loves to prank others, I wouldn't be surprised if he found a way to embarrass your son with something taken out of context he said, he's tricky like that, but he's a good guy, always ready to raise his sword for a good cause, he may be a bit overly ambitious sometimes but he always has a noble goal behind that ambition, in many ways he and your son are similar, aren't they? Onyx does have that air around him of someone with defined goals, some ambitious ones I can guess.' I looked over at Sylf and she looked to me, then we both shrugged and nodded.

She was right, no point in denying it, and also Onyx seemed happy when talking to this Boreas, so then there was no point in worrying, I bet they became friends too! 'You could say that, Onyx has some nice ambitions, he wants to become the best mage of the current age, he wants to learn and grow in both magical and physical power, and he wants to improve the world to make it a better place for everyone, and he has already made good on one of his goals, but most importantly, he wants to live happy with his family and friends, that's what he told us, isn't that right honey?' it was Sylf who answered me, she knew him far better than me.

'Yes, that's correct dear, and I believe he will be successful, there are a few obstacles but he will overcome them all and become the very best, I trust him fully, he already makes us both proud... Although, he struggles sometimes with ponies who don't seem to understand that dragons are intelligent just like them, and they treat him like he's a danger to everypony. Bullies tried pushing him around but they couldn't hurt him so they let him be, still it made me pissed off.' I let out an angry huff, but my loving wife approached and caressed my neck with her canine snout, helping me calm down, i have gotten a bit furious at the thought of my son being harassed by those ponies, even if they are just dumb fillies, but he himself told me to not interfere in any way, that he doesn't mind them, I sigh.

"Mmhn? Mornin' loves, what hour is it?" Seems like Thunder has finally woken up. "Mmhh, what's got you two looking so serious?" She asked after doing a fairly adorable stretch on the straw bed we were sharing, it was more a pile of straw but it was comfortable, not nearly as good as my bed though.

'Its time for me to let you go back to your day, my friends, farewell, it's wonderful to know that I get to call both of you friends now, next time, hopefully we will speak in person, and, you three should go take a nice long shower, the smell of sex is quite overpowering!' Then, with a fading feeling of amusement as the last thing that came through the link to the Amulet, our communication with Faust was lost, and the item went back to the inventory on its own, as if it was never here to begin with.

The three of us looked at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter together, while Thunder sniffed the air with curiosity, I could tell by her expression she knew it too, yep, we smell.

It was around noon by the time we went outside to shower.

Far away, in a conference room, a group of griffons and a few ponies were meeting, discussing the newly obtained Intel from the General of the army that was sent to conquer Griffonstone, and all what happened there.

Nobles, ministers and advisors as well as the Queen herself were discussing in raised voices.

The information brought back by the General was indeed alarming, an ultimatum to pay reparations was made by a dragon theorized to be no older than 13 years old, a strange, never seen before dragon, looking similar to silver in color, with magical powers rivaling those of unicorn mages and dangerous weapons. He assisted the Empire's efforts, the same creature was responsible for the recovery of the Idol of Boreas.

The dragon in question had a name, Onyx. She never heard of him before, but it was clear that they were Equestrian, from the pony that accompanied them to they way they spoke, they had an accent.

Queen Dahlia couldn't believe he threatened her directly, her and her family if they did not paid the sum of ten million bits. It was of course not very much for her nation, but it was unheard of from a nation that was clearly militarily inferior to themselves to demand payment, either as tribute or as some form of reparations for nothing, as her forces had not even hurt a single enemy combatant.

She could not tolerate this, her careful planning and spying for the perfect opportunity to conquer Griffonstone was wasted because of him.

The only wounded was Onyx, he was confirmed to have been hunted and almost put down but the Honor Guard, her special forces that she lent to protect to General. This was clearly what caused him to demand payment, supposedly in behalf of Griffonstone, but she wasn't stupid, the money was for himself.

What happened was hard to believe, it was a show of force by this creature, it was trying to tell them all that he could do anything he wanted, more so after he was made aware of the fact that getting back the Idol was a great achievement that would get him popularity with the common griffon, which regrettably it did, even within her nation he was being spoken about in a positive light for his feat.

"I want all of the information we can obtain on him! We need pony agents, specialized in espionage and infiltration, I want this dragon and his family found, i want to know everything: where he lives, who he knows, and even his schedule, this Onyx, he made a threat to our very existence as a nation! Liked by those who believe on Boreas or not, there are consequences for such actions." The red and white feathered griffon demanded in an angry tone, slamming her talon on the meeting table.

The intelligence specialist nodded right away and bowed his head before he started to speak. He was a middle aged gray and white griffon with dark eyes. "Yes your majesty! My team and I have already made a profile on him, he is an orphan clearly and adopted by both pony and unknown race of sapient wolf, we know his age is 11, by his own word.
We theorize that Onyx and his family hail from the Equestrian city of Canterlot, judging by their accent, at least the way his adoptive mother spoke to him, his accent is very weird, and odd mix between Canterlotian and something else entirely, like someone from another nation who had learned to speak a long time ago but still retained a smidge of their old accent, the stallion hardly spoke so we aren't sure, but we suspect he could be from Canterlot too." He concluded helpfully, making the queen smile.

"Excellent, please keep going, what else do we have on then?"

"We have narrowed down their city of origin to the Golden City, we know he is able to use magic, and most likely has helped in making the shield, but we cant be sure, the spell he used to teleport away it's a spell that very few ponies ever learn, not even trained equestrian war mages use it because it's too difficult to cast." He looked at the queen in the eyes as he said that.

"Specialist, what tier is this spell? Do you know more?" The Queen asked, a concerned look on her face too, she knew how magic worked, each tier of magic was a new world in terms of power and difficulty to cast, from what she was told, most unicorn ponies could cast tier 0 spells, like prestidigitation or a basic shield that would take a few hits to break, it wouldn't stop a crossbow but it would stop a stone thrown at them.

Tier 1 was where most of the average unicorns would stop learning, because there wasn't many reasons for the average pony to learn more advanced spells.

Tier 2 was used by some of the rare unicorn blacksmiths to heat the metal they were working with without the need of a forge, but unicorn blacksmiths were rare and their services were extremely expensive.

Tier 3 was where most cutie mark related spells would usually be, they were powerful but very specific, having advanced scanning spells and medical scanning spells as well as what was used in some tip of the line industrial processes.

Anything above tier 3 were only practiced by dedicated mages from a nations court, Trottingham had such a court, a mage's court that oversaw magical development and safekeeping of magical artifacts, and of course, Equestria had the most prestigious and largest institutions when it came to both magic r&d and military applications.

"Your majesty, the spell is of the sixth tier, there is no one outside of Equestria who can use such a spell, and the identify of the Equestrian Archimage who can is unknown, only the princess of the sun herself knows who this pony is." He spoke in a solemn tone, and the queen stared open mouthed, without saying a word, before she schooled her features.

"Very well, continue your profile."

"Yes your highness, we know he has some very dangerous weapons that he can hide very well, from the detailed report from the Honor Guard and General Falcon, they have the following properties." At this the griffon paused and read from a file.

"The weapons are small in size, something that would feel small for most griffons to hold or operate, its said to fire a red hot bolt-like projectile, causing intense pain and penetrating deep in the body of a griffon, it makes a horribly loud sound when it fires, unlike a crossbow or a bow, its a hundred times louder, causing pain to the ears of every griffon nearby, even of the dragon, as he was clearly seen wincing in pain and pressing his ears to his head after each of the loud bangs.
The weapons leave a strong scent on the area, as well a residue similar to smoke, our theory it's that it's a type of flammable powder that helps the weapon function, but we have no idea if it uses magic or not, but it's very likely that if does, as the user is a skilled mage." He took a minute to let all of that set in, before continuing.

"We can only theorize that the dragon, Onyx has more of this weapons, possibly invented by himself, or even deadlier ones that he can call upon with his magic, this weapon caused crippling pain to all the Honor Guard, and the General, enough to break their morale and accept his terms unconditionally. We can only theorize how painful the wounds would be, and we can't study them either because the unicorn stallion with the group used a few magic spells to heal everyone back to normal after, not even leaving a scar." Everyone looked in awe at the intelligence officer, interested in this pony who could heal anything so easily.

Queen Dahlia frowned, remembering the previous report about the words the dragon exchanged with the griffon. 'If you don't pay what we agreed upon, the next ones to suffer will be your ruler, and their nobles, until they decide to accept my request and pay what they owe, but their pain will be a lot worse than what you are felt today.'

Those were the words he used, before he and his family left. She wanted to have some leverage, if he dared threaten her and the other nobles, she needed to find a weakness, he may be one of the strongest mages she found, but his family, his friends, they were fair game, she needed to find him, and by extension those he cared about.

Yet something have her pause and something to consider, that stallion with them, the deeds attributed to him are amazing, from what some soldiers said, he was able to heal wounds easily, but what mostly everyone didn't know is that magic didn't work like that. There are no magic spells to heal someone, not ones that were in use at least, and if even Equestria preferred buying expensive alchemical ingredients from the zebras, that meant that the unicorn was unique or somehow had gotten his hooves in some very secret or lost magic, and while magic wasn't her speciality, one does not become a queen of a nation without learning a few things, she spent years learning all about other nations, magic being the most important factor when it came to why Equestria held dominion over most of the known world.

If he could be captured, he would be an incredible asset to her nation, she could justify her entire plan of action just by the fact that this unicorn would be a great boon to her nation.

"We need to get a hold of their location at once! What about the turncoat from your nation, minister Swift Scroll? She deserted to join their group, could she be convinced or bribed to return and provide us with valuable Intel? Can we use this mare's family as bargaining chip?" The queen asked the earth pony mare on the other side of the table, the representative for Trottingham's interests in the meeting.

"Your majesty, we can't exactly make use of them in any way unless we get into contact with her first, while it's true, miss Thunder Flash did desert her position, I believe we shouldn't do anything drastic until we at least know where she and this dragon are located, but i see your point, it can be of great benefit to us to have a way to negotiate her return to our ranks, if we promise her family's safety in exchange for her information... Maybe we will regain control of the whole situation, you want a way to keep this dragon from interfering with your plans, do you not?" She asked the larger griffon, who just nodded in thought.

"I want him to retract his words, I want him to be humiliated like he humiliated me, there is already rumors that he prevented the invasion singlehandedly, now there is a group of griffons who believe the Empire is back in charge!" She growled in anger and slammed both talons onto the table.

She couldn't take such disrespect, the Empire may have a king now, but they still are merely a shell of their former selves, all her work will not be crushed by a single hatchling, a cub, someone who probably didn't even experience puberty yet, she was to be the Queen of the griffons, all of them, not just the Isles.

But now she had to play the waiting game, Trottingham would provide the ponies who would travel to Canterlot and infiltrate the city. For now though, she realized the wisest course of action was paying the required amount per month, that way he would not grow suspicious, but only until they had the leverage over him that they needed.

"Swift Scroll, I will leave the intelligence gathering to your ponies, they will be far more discrete, but once you find his house and gather enough information, you must inform my intelligence specialist and we will form a plan together, now everyone, this meeting is concluded, you may go about your day." And with that, everyone bowed to her and left, after she did of course.

Soon, he will make him and his family regret the day they crossed her, the board was set and the pieces were begging to move, she thought as she walked off towards her royal bedchambers.

It didn't matter how magically capable he was, he was merely one being against an entire nation of very capable griffons and ponies, and both allied nations would work together as a team to make his life a living hell, like he did with hers.

"Soon, you orphan bastard, you'll find yourself miserable, I will take everything you hold dear from you." Queen Dahlia whispered to herself as she watched the setting sun out the balcony of her room.

Author's Note

Not much happened on this chapter, but the problems aren't over, interfering with a somewhat rich nation has consequences after all, specially when you demand money and threaten the royals and nobles from said nation.