Dominic stood on a platform that had been erected along main street, beside him stood Princess Luna, Chrysalis and Shining Armor. Overhead in the clear blue sky were several balloons, some were owned by News outlets while others were privately owned by foreign nobility. Along the sidewalks the citizens of New Liberty, as well has hundreds of tourists and thrill seekers, were watching the road from behind wooden barricades. The time until T-Day was less than two days, and it was finally time for Jen’s Globe Corps to graduate.

The customary speeches had already been given, and in the crowds Dominic could see Johnny’s crew was on the lookout for trouble makers. Meanwhile the Equestrian’s had several solar guards for ‘The Princess’ Protection’. Meanwhile an American band had started playing as the click of hooves and boots echoed through the town. The band was playing an old thestral marching tune, one that sounded oddly familiar to Dominic, and not in a necessarily good way.

Dominic saluted the soldiers that were marching by in their freshly cleaned uniforms, each of them looking towards Dominic and returning the salute. Leading the first company of soldiers was none other than Jen, it was clear she was a bit surprised by the choice of music as well, but continued marching nonetheless. Dominic knew the song wasn’t written by the Nazis, it was Prussian, but it was associated with the Nazis. It was a very grim reminder of just how much power Dominic held, the army of freedom marching past him could very easily be used for evil, and that was a weight he knew he would have to bare for the foreseeable future.

The pride in the faces of his citizens helped to put him at ease, he would catch glimpses of foals in the crowd sitting up on their parents heads and watching the diverse armed force march past with slight awe. Their boots and hooves continued to echo in Dominic’s ears well after they had passed, until it was replaced by the rumble of engines. Dominic turned on the platform and watched as the tanks came rolling by, their crews all poking their heads out and saluting as they drove past.

Luna and Chrysalis watched Dominic closely, both of them were very impressed with how he had progressed over the past six months. For Luna she was proud to see her student being hailed as a true leader, it was exciting for her to see the soldiers saluting Dominic as they marched and rode past to the sound of a military band. For Chrysalis, she was surprised at how much stronger the man’s emotions felt. They were much more sure, much more focused. She could sense in him that he had transitioned from a semi-undisciplined chaotic spirit to one that was measured and reserved, she could only wish for such emotional control from her own generals.

Shining Armor was absolutely scared out of his mind. Not just at the tanks that were rolling past, though they certainly were horrifying, but also at the sheer determination he saw on each soldier’s face. Compared to his Crystal Guard and even Equestria’s Solar Guard, the American’s made them look like uncertain recruits. Shining Armor trusted Dominic enough to know that this army would only be used for good purposes, but that didn’t dissuade the fears that had started to grow in his gut. Already the rest of the world was modernizing, mechanizing, advancing far faster than Equestria or his own nation.

Meanwhile across town a young man was sitting in the latest item of decor to enter his home. Johnny looked out the window silently, letting out a sigh as he enjoyed the feel of his new armchair, it was large and upholstered in leather. A throne fit for a king that he’d taken as payment from a pair of griffon’s that had had some trouble slipping past the Equestrian border. It was in this chair that he could hear the march of boots and hooves outside, every time he did he would stand up and walk to the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jen.

The woman that Johnny would kill for, that he would die for, the woman he hoped would be mother to his children. The recent weeks had forced him to face a difficult reality, that she may very well get hurt or worse on the other side of the portal and there would be nothing he could do. He couldn’t go with her, he had to stay and be sure she would never want for anything when she returned, but he would trade all his wealth and influence for the assurance that she would come home safely. That was what made him so sure of what he planned to do that very night, and he was thankful that Oregano had gotten the ring on time.

It was perfect, and he would be sure to send Two Tone a bonus in the coming months, in a way it reminded him of the rings his grandmother had shown him from before she’d immigrated to the United States from Italy. The ring was elegant enough to be offered to a Queen, engraved with small leaves and flowers in the rose gold, with vines that conjoined around a moderately sized Emerald. Johnny pulled the case from his pocket and looked it over nervous before he stood up and began to pace back and forth. There came a knock at his door, and his heart caught in his throat. He then realized that if it had been Jen she wouldn’t have knocked.

“Boss.” Ball Peen’s voice came through the wood, Johnny cleared his throat and adjusted his tie before he walked to the door and opened it. “We got a problem with that creep running the big show.” The man raised an eyebrow at his second in command and gestured for him to go on. “He’s got a lot of the workers pissed off, and he’s threatening to pull the plug on the whole thing if we don’t do what he wants.”

“Fucking Canterlot Creeps…” Johnny muttered, he shook his head and sighed. “Is he here now?” Ball Peen nodded his head down the steps. “Send him up with Oregano.”

“Alright.” Ball Peen responded, Johnny watched him go down the steps and closed the door before he returned to his seat and turned it to face the door, then relaxed into the soft leather and steepled his fingers. Several minutes later the door opened and Oregano stepped in, the stallion was adorned in his own suit and Johnny had to admit it made him look like a real made man.

Oregano stood near the door as another stallion walked in, he too wore a suit but it only made him look like something out of a comedy movie. The coke bottle glasses and fancy hair told Johnny this was a stallion that cared far too much about himself than anyone else. Johnny could understand that to an extent, being a capitalist himself, but there was a cut off where honor stepped in. There was no honor in this stallion’s appearance.

The trend continued as he watched the stallion look around and grimace at the appearance of his home, Oregano closed the door behind him with a rather loud thud. The stallion stopped looking around as he spotted Johnny, the look of disgust never left his face. Johnny’s expression remained neutral as he pulled a cigar from his pocket and bit off the cap, Oregano quickly walked over and lit it with a wood match.

“So, you’re the ‘big head honcho’ that’s in charge of setting up my stage?” The stallion asked in a snide tone, Oregano’s eyes widened but Johnny extended a hand that seemed to quell his rage.

“You could say that.” Johnny said as he puffed on his cigar, exhaling a cloud directly at the stallion’s muzzle. The man stood from his chair and walked forwards, extending his hand. “I am Don Giovanni.” The stallion stared at the extended hand for several moments before responding, never once lifting his hoof. “I’ve been told you’re having problems, what can I do to fix them?” Johnny lowered his hand quietly.

“Your workers aren’t listening to me.” The stallion said bluntly. “I’ve told them many times what I want them to do, but they won’t pay attention.” Johnny seemed genuinely surprised by this, something that got the stallion’s attention.

“Are they not building the stage?” He asked with honest curiousity.

“They’ve already built the stage, but now that they’re done-”

“They can go home.” Johnny finished for him, his smile fading from his face as he leaned down to look the stallion in the eyes. “They were hired to build a stage and tear down a stage, so far they’ve built the stage, their job is done until the show is over.” The stallion’s eyes went wide as Johnny spoke, he snorted and pounded his hooves on the floor like an impatient child, prompting Oregano to step forwards again, only for Johnny to wave him off.

“I want my premium oats, or-”

“Or what?!” Johnny suddenly yelled, causing the stallion to take a few steps back. “You’ll pull the show? Ruin your client’s image? Ruin your job?” Johnny walked forwards, never once breaking eye contact with the manager. “Do you have the balls to shoot your career in the head over a couple pounds of oats? If you do I don’t see ‘em.” After a few seconds the stallion looked at the floor. “That’s what I thought.” Johnny stood up straight and puffed on his cigar as the manager continued to look at the floor in defeat. “You’re not going to treat anyone else like garbage again, because I have ways of finding out, and you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry. Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-Yes, Don Giovanni.” The stallion said quietly, Johnny smiled faintly and offered his hand once again, this time the stallion was quick to shake it.

“Oregano, please escort our guest downstairs, first few drinks are on me.” Johnny said, Oregano nodded and walked to silently escort the stallion out of the room. The man meanwhile puffed once or twice more on his cigar before he walked to the window and watched another company march by. This time he caught a glimpse of that beautiful raven hair, those gleaming lovely eyes, all the anger seemed to fade in that moment as he laid his gaze upon the most beautiful woman god had ever seen fit to bestow upon Earth.

The man paused and shook his head, fearing his thoughts were getting a bit too sappy, but paying it no mind. He wished he could be out there watching for himself, but as his previous conversation had just proven, his work never seemed to be done.

The marching eventually tapered off after an hour or so, and eventually everyone was on their way to the stage that had been constructed on the large training grounds of New Liberty’s military installation. In the very field where they had been firing cannon balls the day before, there was now a large metal structure that left more than enough room for the entire town to come and see the show. Johnny knew that soon Jen would come home and try to convince him to go with her, that’s when he’d ask her.

His palms started to get sweaty as the minutes ticked by more and more, he momentarily reached into his pocket and withdrew the box, just to look at it one more time and build up his confidence. As he ran his fingers over the shined gold he smiled faintly and closed his eyes, nodding to himself as he started to slip the box back into his pocket. Momentarily he paused to set his cigar in an ashtray, but the distraction proved to be a problem as he dropped the case and sent the ring skittering across the floor.

“Shit…” Johnny muttered as he turned to face the direction it had gone, to his shock it had come to rest just by the door, and to his horror, Jen had just opened the door and was staring down at it with her head tilted to the side. Johnny quickly walked over and bent down to pick it up.

“That’s a beautiful ring…” Jen said as she watched the man that had frozen mid bend, the ring was held firmly between his fingers. “You okay? You hurt your back or something?” Johnny shook his head and just decided to go with the punches, he bent his knees as he kept the ring in his grasp. “Johnny…”

“Jen.” Johnny said as he looked up at her, smiling a slight smile. “I had a big romantic night planned out, but… I guess it wasn’t in the cards.” The man slowly raised the ring so that Jen could see it better. “I had this big speech about how you saved my ass more than I care to remember, and helped keep me safe, and sane, and gave me a reason to give a damn…” Jen’s eyes were starting to water as she brought a hand to her mouth. “And… How much I love you.” He looked her in the eyes, she could see that he was giving her the opportunity to say whatever she felt, even if it utterly destroyed him. “Jen… Will you do me the highest honor and privilege can think of… Will you marry me?”

“Y-You’re serious?” She asked in a choked voice, Johnny nodded slowly. “Yes! Yes, of course I will!” The man slipped the ring on her finger as he stood up and kissed her, wrapping his arms around her as he did so. The two of them stood their quietly, just enjoying each other’s embrace for what felt like an eternity before the woman pulled away and looked at her finger. “I… I never thought you’d… That I’d…”

“Are you kidding?” Johnny asked as he put his hands on her waist. “Where would I be without you, goofball?” She kissed him for several seconds after that.

“Probably dead in a ditch somewhere…” Both of them had tears in their eyes as once again the two held each other closely. After a few minutes Jen began crying openly into Johnny’s shoulder, the man grew a tad bit concerned at this. “I’m… I’m sorry… I just was thinking about my dad… He always wanted to give me away at the altar…”

“It’s alright, Jen…” Johnny said as he rubbed her up and down her back. “My mom would want to be there too… We’ll just leave them some seats at the ceremony, I’m sure they’ll drop in from up above…” The two of them began crying again, standing there in the doorway as they shared feelings of joy and sadness, a bittersweet moment that neither of them would trade for anything in the world.

Downstairs, Oregano kept the clients as quiet as possible, fully intending not to let anything interrupt his boss up stairs. After several minutes he saw Jen and Don Gio come down the steps, both of them looked like they’d been crying, and Oregano could see the ring on the woman’s finger. It wasn’t a surprise to the bar folk, that was what had kept them quiet in the first place, and when they saw the couple they started cheering loudly. Needless to say, the drinks were on the house that night.

[♦]

Dominic and Luna sat across from each other on the floor of the training room, the sun was beginning to set in the distance, and Dominic wore nothing but his boxers, his long hair hung freely to his shoulders. His head was bowed, as was Luna’s, it was time for his training to reach completion. Seated before him was a hair trimmer, a safety razor and shaving cream, and the wooden box Luna had kept from his sight for so many months.

“Dominic Occisor…” Luna said as she raised her head from her bow and looked upon her student. “Thou hath taken many steps during thine training, this shall be the last one, art thou ready to become a Warrior of the Night?” Her voice was hauntingly smooth, like that of the fathoms of space itself. Dominic nodded firmly.

“I am.” He said quietly.

“Will thou carry out thy duty with honor and courage, to protect the weak, shield the innocent, and destroy that which is evil?” Luna asked, Dominic nodded firmly again, the last rays of sunlight were beginning to disappear from the sky, and soon the large concert would begin. Dominic didn’t plan on attending though, he had much more serious matters to attend to.

“I will.”

“On thy honor and soul, doth thou swear that so long as thou draws breath, no foul darkness shall make our night impure and unclean? That thou shalt seek out evil in all its forms, physical or otherwise, and defend the sacred sanctuary of our realm.” Luna continued her haunting tone as she watched Dominic’s breath rise and fall.

“So help me god.” Dominic said with a conviction Luna had not heard from him before, the Princess smiled faintly as she sat up straight and closed her eyes.

“Then arise, Dominic, Son of the Night, as the warrior thou art destined to be.” Luna’s tone was soft and warm, something that Dominic had missed from her. The man slowly sat up straight as he exhaled a pent up breath. He reached out for the hair trimmer and flicked it on, Luna watched in silence as the man brought it to his head and began to shave off portions of his hair. When he’d finished he had left a strip down the center of his head longer than the rest, a mohawk if Luna recalled, a fashion of hair favored by many of the warriors on Dominic’s world. He shaved the sides of his head as close as possible, and then set the razor and trimmer aside. His hair was scattered around him on the floor, marking his transformation once and for all.

Luna’s horn glowed and the latches upon the case popped open before she slid the box forwards, Dominic reached out and ran his hand along the smooth red wood, hesitating slightly to see the blade he knew laid within. Finally he narrowed his eyes and pushed the wood open, revealing the sword within once and for all.

The blade was dark grey, though the edge gleamed like silver, the handle looked as if it could be used with one hand or both. It looked like a mixture between a Roman gladius and a Japanese katana, all along the length Dominic could see a pattern similar to a wave had been engraved. The pommel had an image of Luna’s cutie mark facing outwards, and the handle was wrapped expertly in black leather.

Dominic reached into the box and gripped the handle, squeezing it firmly before he stood to his full height and held the sword in his hand for the first time. The weight was well balanced, he could move it quickly, but it didn’t feel like it was made of tinfoil either. After testing swings he sat back on the floor and set the blade back in its box.

“Anoint thy blade, then thine training shall be complete.” Luna said, Dominic nodded and brought the tip of his finger to the point of the blade. With a bit of pressure and a slight wince he had broken the skin and a drop of blood formed, he removed his finger from the point and smeared his own blood down the blade. The crimson liquid filled the engravings as it passed over them, when Dominic had finished he put pressure on his finger and soon enough the bleeding stopped. “It is done.”

The two of them stood up and bowed to each other, Dominic picked up his sword once more and reached for a canteen that had been left out on the training room table. He opened it and poured it along the blade, just to cleanse it of visible blood, the water ran down onto the wooden floor and through the cracks into the sand below. Once he had finished he quickly dressed himself back into his uniform and fitted a scabbard that had been left in the box to his belt, he carefully slipped the blade into the scabbard and looked at Luna once more.

“We remember many months ago when thou thought that there was no hope for thee to become a better warrior.” Luna commented with a proud smile, Dominic did his best to return it, but his mind was fixated on other things. T-Day was closer than ever, and soon Dominic would return to the harsh wastelands of his homeworld, but after a moment or so he knuckled down and calmed his thoughts.

“Yeah… I did alright, I guess.” Dominic said quietly as he adjusted his sword on his belt, then put his peaked cap atop his head. “I… I’m worried, Insegnante.” Luna looked at him with a raised eyebrow, her expression becoming a serious one. “What if after all these years… Maria doesn’t recognize me?”

“Thy lack of confidence in thyself is unnecessary.” Luna brought her hoof up to him and touched it to his chest. “And if things have changed, thou shalt have us in thine corner.” The man looked her in the eyes, after several moments he leaned forwards and gave her a hug. After several moments the two of them broke the embrace and looked eachother in the eyes. Dominic’s smile faded somewhat, after a while he looked to the ground.

“The, uh… The show is starting soon.” Dominic said as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck and looked out a window towards the stage. “Did you want to go maybe?” Luna faintly smiled and nodded. “Honestly, it’s gonna be my first concert… So, I don’t know what to expect.”

“We’ll find out together then, it is our first concert as well.” Luna replied, Dominic nodded and the two of them turned to walk out of the training room. Luna would return later to clean up and gather the things that had been left behind, right now they were more concerned about getting to the concert. It wasn’t too far away, just a brisk walk and they’d reach the tail end of the crowd. It seemed like everyone in town was there.

[♦]

Scribs was annoyed, very annoyed. The reporter was sitting in the tank with Avos and Gear Grinder and looking over a letter he’d received from his editor, the mare had always been able to get under his skin. She’d rejected his previously sent story because it wasn’t ‘real news’, that was a new low, even for her. The Canterlot snob seemed to be more concerned about maintaining the status quo rather than anything else.

The stallion grunted and crumpled up the letter, then tossed it aside before picking one of his notepads and beginning to write some more. He’d held onto all his original notes, if he couldn’t get his editor to run his story he’d find someone else who would. Now that T-Day was so close though, he didn’t know if he would be able to find one in time. For now though, he just leaned back in the ‘Command’ seat that he’d been assigned. Outside he could hear ponies climbing on top of the vehicle, as it had been parked near the concert so the crew could get a good look.

Of course, a lot of ponies had also taken to climbing on the piece of hardware so they could get a better view of the stage. Avos was looking through the sight of the cannon at the stage where currently an opening act was going on, it was an odd sight for sure, an earth pony with a cello and a DJ unicorn. The sergeant couldn’t understand how such odd matches were made, but she didn’t really care either.

“Has it dawned on anyone just how easily we could destroy that structure?” She asked, not taking her eye away from the gunsight. Scribs and Gear looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Well, I mean, you have a point, but the question is why?” Scribs said as he began writing again, the griffon cleared her throat and leaned back in her own seat.

“‘Cause Eggy got dumped by some jerk DJ.” Gear Grinder said from his place in the driver’s seat, the light in the tank was being provided by a pair of small white light bulbs that illuminated the vehicle just enough to see. The griffon grunted at the mention of her nickname, as well as her love life. “Hey, that guy didn’t know what he was missing, you are just… Oodles of fun.”

“I do not appreciate your sarcasm…” Avos replied harshly, Gear Grinder opened his mouth to make a remark, but decided against it. “Besides, like you, that ‘Jerk DJ’ happened to be lacking in more than his character, I’m glad he’s gone.” Scribs was a bit shocked by the implication, he couldn’t help but smile and mouth the word ‘Wow!’ to himself as he continued writing.

“Yeesh, put the claws away, Sarge…” Gear Grinder said as he peeked out his driver’s hatch. Avos grunted again and put her eye back up to the gunsight. The tank became silent once again as the crew listened to the sound of ponies milling around them and the muffled music from outside. Scribs put his writing pad away and started going through the saddle bags he’d tucked behind his seat several days prior, at the advice of Gear Grinder. “Hey, Reporter, you like modern music?”

“Not really…” Scribs replied. “Honestly I like that stuff they play over that ‘radio’ thing around here.”

“Told you.” Avos said with a smirk as she extended her talon out towards Gear Grinder, the stallion groaned and pulled a couple bits from his pocket before handing them to her. “Turn that on instead.”

“We have a live concert with some of the most famous musicians in the world literally right outside, but you want to listen to the radio?” Gear Grinder asked with a bit of a raised eyebrow, Avos nodded. “Fuck that.” The stallion leaned forwards and pushed open his driver’s hatch, just enough so that the music was no longer muffled. “I’m enjoying myself.” There was a grunt from the sergeant, but aside from that she didn’t seem to say anything.

Scribs picked up his pad and pen once again, then began humming quietly as he started write some more notes. Tomorrow would be a very big day, he doubted he would have much time to write then. The show outside continued onward until around eleven at night, at that point the units that would be going through the portal were supposed to go to their beds and rest up, most of them did just that.

The rest of the ponies that had gone to the show were dispersed off the base, filling New Liberty with a brimming new night life. The three tank dwellers suddenly heard a knock on the hatch, out of curiosity Sergeant Avos opened the heavy piece of metal.

“What’s this tank still doing here?” Asked the familiar voice of Dominic, Sergeant Avos paused and opened her beak to speak. “Just… Get it back to motor pool, and get to bed.” They could tell the man had a headache, none of them wanted to question his choice of haircut either. Gear Grinder leaned forwards started the engine as Dominic closed the hatch and hopped off the side, as the tank began to back out of the field Scribs looked through the command window. He could see Dominic standing in the field with his hands clasped behind his back, beside him was Princess Luna, the two of them were looking up at the stars. Scribs decided to let it go, he was more focussed on the adventure that would come the next day.

T-Day.

Author's Notes:

Are you folks excited? I'm excited! Because after this is the last chapter, and then it's sequel time!

Anyway, here's the clip of the day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJGaYLhgWLs