My Son, My Soldier, My Hero

by That_Random_Pony

First published 29th of August, 2013

Sometimes, family isn't defined by blood. And it can come from the strangest of places.

One night, a strange object crashes in Equestria. After Celestia sends a patrol to investigate a strange creature breaks into the castle. It succumbs to its wounds, but before it does it passes on what may not only be Equestria's savior, but Celestia's future.

Join Draco as he grows up in a world of ponies, magic and fantasy. There are those who accept this new being, and others who do not. But in his future, he'll have to come to terms with a shocking, and daunting, revelation.

Alternate Story to To Call the Moon My Own (You don't have to read it to understand this one!)

Cover art by Panzertank. Big thanks to him!

Featured 7/12/15! Thank you all for my first feature!

Prologue

Drigont, Cruiser-Class Warship.

Cargo: VIP's

Status: Heavily Damaged; Engine 1 disabled; Currently Under Fire

A flash of red followed an enormous explosion. The void of space sucked in any objects not built into the starship. The halls had several emergency breach doors shut in and contain the breach. On the bridge, dozens of large men frantically ran around, delivering information while others manned the defense cannons on board.

The vessel was surrounded by four crude yet efficient attack shuttles. The cannons tore through the single ship's exterior and threatened to tear the ship in half. The cannons had been shot out of commission, leaving the ship utterly defenseless. A round blew through the bridge, forcing the occupants to put on their helmets. Their suits carried oxygen filters, allowing them to scramble as they planned what they would do next.

"Makti el urizz (Makti on deck!)"

The men bowed quickly to their leader and went back to trying to keep the ship going. "Ezek jre osholok düsh vrit zekva? (Can we displace from this region?)" he asked his second in command.

The man shook his head. "Nra. Ut vurt'ik evvo gorshev, grak jre gandala rak esugar (No. The core's been pierced, and our cannons are offline)" the man sighed. "Ut Doshu'um zek'et unafta uro huzoek (The Doshu'um can't remain any longer)"

Their leader sighed, turning back to his spouse and children. Five of which were grown, but they did not matter except for the sixth. He was asleep, unaware of the hopeless battle raging around them. His brothers each waited for orders from their father, but they only got one.

"Apo. Jre'av nigash ut sobalka huzo nugara erit jro fer et divago (Go. We'll distract the soldiers long enough for you all to escape)" His sons gasped and walked closer to him.

"Nra! Jre'ak burat et iska grak polto! (No. We're going to stay and fight!)" the third eldest protested.

"Jro zek'et iska! Ut Drigont gav'et venshok nofit huzoek! (You can't stay! The Drigont won't survive much longer!)" the second youngest added. "Jre'ak ket yunishi, Herod (We're not leaving, Father)"

The man embraced each of them, then held his wife closely. He gazed to his youngest son, who snored lightly as they each sobbed. The mother and her children ran to the deepest part of the ship, bearing through small explosions and structural collapses within the warship. They entered seperate pods, then placed a hand on a panel beside the door.

The side of the hull blew off, and seven small pods rocketed off to different coordinates. The seventh, holding the mother and her newborn, fled away from the ship. She closed her eyes and held her breath when the starship exploded, causing the single light to flicker. She gasped when she felt a splitting pain in her chest. After placing her hand over the hurting area, she looked at her fingers and saw blood.

"Nra… ekuzaak, nra (No… please, no)"

Her pod entered faster than light travel for several seconds, then stopped as she reached the orbit of a small planet. She could sense many life forms, some stronger than the rest. Her tiny shuttle flew to the dark side of it, coming crashing down in a ball of fire. Holding her son close, she braced for a rough impact.

Nearly 20 years before NMM's return

Celestia gazed at the night sky, a smile adorning her usually somber face. A millenia was nearly passing, and she would finally see her sister again. She was glad to know her sister was coming, but without her connection to the Elements, she would need to find worthy replacements. Still, she had about 20 years, so there was more than enough time to seek the new Elements.

She was ready to retire to her chambers, when something in the sky caught her attention. The object passed in front of the moon, a trail of smoke following it. Celestia watched with curiosity as the unidentified object soared over the land, disappearing in the Everfree Forest.

Celestia trotted into the guard barracks, and all the guards saluted. "Captain Silver," she called. The Captain of the Royal Guard came front and center with his armor. "I need you to gather a small group of guards to enter the Everfree."

The Captain gulped and stood tall. "Your Majesty, am I at liberty to ask why?" he hesitantly asked.

"I may have seen an asteroid hit the forest, and a wildfire would be too close to Ponyville," she explained. "Accompany a sqaudron and report back to me."

Captain Silver nodded and went to go find some of his stallions. In just an hour, the small squad had awoken, geared up, and were flying to the cursed forest.

"Sir, don't you think it's a little odd the Princess sent guards instead of firefighters to deal with a potential fire?" Corporal Dasher asked.

"I did," Silver replied, "but sometimes answers lie ahead."

"Yes, sir," Dasher nodded.

"How's that foal of yours, Dasher?" Seargant Bush questioned. "She alright?"

"Yup. She'll be flying just like every other pegasus mare," he chuckled. "Her name's Rainbow Dash."

"Took after you in the looks department, from what Marebell told me," Corporal Ragged added. "She a fighter like you, too?"

"Might be," Dasher smiled. "Might be."

Their chariot landed in the field between Ponyville and the Everfree. The low grass was flattened by their heavy hoof guards as they cautiously entered the forest. Thankfully, all that came was noise; no manticores or timberwolves were around. They were mainly day hunters, and they wouldn't bother a squad of Solar Guards.

"Captain," Ragged whispered. "Smoke comin' from the south."

"Understood," Silver nodded. He led the group towards the cloud of smoke, and as they got closer, more fallen trees and some burning branches blocked their way. "Put out those fires. Don't want a bigger one heating up."

The guards kicked dirt on any fires to put them out. As they came to the clearing, they each stared in amazement. A crater path ended at a strange hunk of metal. The ponies drew their spears as they inched closer to the debris. Captain Silver looked at the front (he assumed) of the strange object. He could see a chair for a pony bigger than Celestia inside, and it looked pretty cramped.

"Captain, there's a door back here," Dasher called. Silver came around the side and looked at the sealed door. "Permission to do some recon, sir?"

"Granted." Dasher carefully pushed open the door and entered the small object, leaving their sight.

"Who do you think built it?" Ragged asked.

"Probably the griffons," Bush shrugged. "They've always been up on the scale of electricity."

"Yeah, but that was just lights," Private Red informed them. "I think it's aliens."

The group groaned. "Don't start, Red," Ragged groaned.

"We had enough of your conspiracy theories last week," Silver sighed. "The one about Celestia using bananas for dark magic just killed it."

"Why do you think she gets so many?!" Red exclaimed.

"Well, she probably eats them," Ragged said. "I mean, what else could she do with it?"

They each shrugged. "Would explain why she's getting a bit thicker in the haunches," Bush chuckled.

"Sir!" Silver galloped over to the pod to meet with Dashed. "There was an occupant in here."

"How do you know?" Silver questioned. Dasher showed him a piece of cloth, stained with blood.

"There's a lot more blood inside. Whatever was in here must have been badly wounded," Dasher said.

"Any idea where it might lead?" Red asked. Dasher pointed towards the door, and since the smoke had cleared they could see into it.

Actually, through it. The wall opposite of the door had been busted open, and pieces of bloodied fabric trailed towards a separation of bushes. The path cleared was surprisingly long, long enough to leave his sight. Silver gasped as he realized where it was leading.

"Everypony get back to the chariots!" he ordered. They galloped full speed to the waiting extraction team.

"What's going on, sir?" Dasher questioned.

"Whatever was in there is heading straight for Canterlot Castle!" Silver told them as they kept sprinting.

"But you'd need to go there by chariot!" Red called up.

"I'm not taking any chances," Silver grunted.

They bursted through the foliage and got back into the waiting chariots. After yelling at the pegasi to fly them back, Silver waited impatiently as they flew back up to the mountain. As they flew over Canterlot, Bush shook him and pointed over the side of the chariot.

"There! Do you see it?!" Silver squinted his eyes as he caught a glimpse of something jumping across the rooftops. He could only make out that it was on two legs but nothing else.

"What is that thing?" Silver asked aloud.

"Beats the hell out of me, sir," Bush said. "It's pretty damn fast though! And looks like you were right! It's just a street away from the castle!"

"Take us down now!" Silver ordered. The pegasi nodded and landed just outside the walls.

Two guards shouted as they hit the ground, grunting in pain. "It's already over the wall!" Dasher yelled.

"You two go straight to Celestia's throne and make sure she's safe!" Silver ordered. They saluted and took off into the castle. "Come on! We have to make sure that thing doesn't get near the Princess!"

Canterlot Castle, Throne Room

Celestia sipped some coffee from a teacup and settled it on the hoof rest of her seat. She waited eagerly for Captain Silver's return, since she was very curious as to what it was that fell out of the sky. To her shock, the golden doors to her throne room were knocked off their hinges and two pegasi guards were tossed inside. Celestia stood up and charged her horn, ready for an attack.

She gasped as a strange creature stepped into the room. It was bipedal, with two legs and two arms wrapped around a bundle of cloth. But what really had her attention was the blood on it. It wasn't from the pegasi, and from how fresh it looked and how much was dripping from its body she knew it was hurt. The creature stumbled towards her, it's face covered by some sort of plant-like mask. She could see its body was also covered in the vegetative cloths.

"What are you doing in my throne room?" she asked with a powerful voice.

The biped looked at her, then to the bundle of cloth. As if ignoring her, it stumbled forward, approaching the steps leading up to her throne. The guards that had recovered from the initial shock charged forward, but their weapons were snatched by an invisible force and pointed at them.

"Stop," Celestia ordered. "Our medical staff can help you, but please, stand down."

The biped didn't stop. Soon it reached the steps and began to climb going slower and slower as she got closer.

"This is your final warning," Celestia warned. Her horn charged up, ready in case she needed to defend herself.

The creature collapsed at the base of the steps. She could see the wound in its torso clearly, the hole weeping blood at an alarming rate. Celestia gasped as she realized one of its hands were reaching up to her, slowly and forcefully.

"Princess!" she heard Silver's voice yell.

"I got it!" Seargant Bush said. He aimed his spear, then threw it as hard as he could.

"Seargant, no!" Celestia shouted. But it was too late.

Celestia's bolt missed the spear, and it sailed over the marble floor and into the creatures back. It let out a sharp gasp, but it kept crawling up the steps. Celestia came to help it, but she gasped when she saw the mask breaking apart.

"Get a doctor now, Silver," Celestia ordered. He nodded and galloped out of the room. "Please, stay with us. We're going to help you."

The biped quickly separated its hand from the cloth and placed it on Celestia's head. A small headache passed over her, but it vanished when the creature dropped its appendage.

"You… you… must…" she croaked, trying her hardest to keep awake.

"My guards will have a doctor here in just a minute," Celestia told it. "Just hold on."

"No." Celestia looked incredulously as the vegetation vanished, revealing a long maned biped with a small nose, eyes and mouth. "You must… you must… take… him… please."

She turned the bundle over and showed the face of a tiny newborn. Celestia stared at the child with amazement, curiosity, and realization. The woman grunted softly, her eyes drooping weakly. She nuzzled the child briefly, tears dropping onto the boy's face. The creature forced itself up, the spear still in her back, and stretched her arms out to Celestia. She looked at the solar princess and whispered, "Please… take… take him. Take… good care of… of him…" She coughed and spasmed harshly, tears streaming down her face as she held the bundle tightly. "They'll come… and he… he'll protect… you all… he'll… protect… you…" Her smile turned blank as her arms slipped away.

"No. Please, stay with us!" Celestia pleaded as she casted a small healing spell. The mother laid on the floor, her eyes staring endlessly. "Where's the doctor?!"

Silver ran back in with two doctors in tow. "Damn it, Bush!" he yelled. "I didn't order you to attack it!"

"I thought-"

As the guards bickered, Celestia watched the two doctors check over the female for any signs of life. She then glanced to the child, who was now squirming in the cloths. Celestia used her magic to raise the boy, then settled him into her hooves. It's eyes opened and it started fussing quietly.

Celestia looked to the doctors, who shook their heads with disappointment. She ordered them to get a gurney over to carry it out, and when they left she stared at the body of the mother.

"I promise," she whispered. "I'll take care of him… you have nothing to worry about."

The only witnesses of the mysterious creature were sworn to secrecy, lest there be a public panic. The body was buried in the Canterlot Castle Morgue, with a fake identity to make it blend in. Celestia refused to allow the scientists to examine it. She resided in her chambers, the child now out of the blankets and crawling over her bed. It used its little appendages to grab one of her pillows and teeth on it.

"What might you be doing?" she giggled as the boy babbled something into the pillow.

It giggled as it climbed onto the large pillow and rolled off. Celestia laughed softly and laid beside it on her bed. The child looked at her with wonder, as if it was staring at a butterfly, then yawned quietly as its eyes drooped. The solar princess wrapped her wing around it, which the child made no protest to, and pulled him closer.

Celestia watched it play with the feathers between it's fingers, gurgling excitedly but it was definitely about to fall asleep. Though the mother never did speak of his name, she remembered she still hadn't named him. She looked over his features for some sort of inspiration, and her gaze lingered over its small palm.

What looked like a scar was actually an image. She leaned closer and squinted her eyes to try and figure out what it was. It looked… almost, actually, very much like… a dragon?

"Are you related to dragons?" she asked out loud. The boy gurgled softly and put a hand on her snout. "Hmm. What might be a good dragon name?"

"Eaaahh!" he laughed as he grabbed her flowing mane. "Bbbbbbb!"

Celestia giggled with amusement at his gibberish. As she thought harder, she came up with the perfect name. "Draco. I'm sure the dragon king won't mind, isn't that right, Draco?"

The boy giggled, another yawn overpowering his eyes. He snuggled into her coat, his breathing already beginning to slow. Celestia smiled warmly, then rested her head on a pillow. The mother's face flashed through her mind momentarily. She then glanced to the boy who was beginning to snore, and she nuzzled his cheek gently.

"You have nothing to worry about…"

Author's Notes:

Just a heads up: This is an alternate story line to my main story. To any of you interested, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day!

Celestia the Mother

The day ended just like any other, with whining, high-class ponies complaining about her new laws forcing more taxes on them and less on the "commoners." She even had some thrown out of the castle for arguing over property rights.

Still, even with her splitting headache, she trotted to the kitchen with a very happy smile. Cleaning some of the used pots was her favorite chef, Pan Cake.

"Madam Celestia!" he chimed. "Here for anozer dessert?"

Celestia shook her head, giggling at his Prench accent. "Not today, Pan," she smiled. "There's a very important event coming, and I can't be taking so many treats."

Pan chuckled as he set the pan on the dish rack. "Nonsense, Celestia! You are az fit az zat mare I met twenty yearz ago!" he nodded. "Zo what bringz you to my kitchen?"

Celestia walked over to the fruit bowl, sneaking some bananas into her mane. She went to the refridgerator and took a bottle of milk out of the rack. She kept it away from Pan's eyesight as she looked over the large cake on the table.

"Did I forget your birthday again?" Celestia asked, a bit worried. Pan laughed and waved a hoof.

"Oh no! Zat cake iz for my cousin!" he assured her. "You won't mind if I am gone for a day, no?"

"Of course not," Celestia smiled. "Give your cousin my regards."

"Yes, ma'am! Have a wonderful sleep, Celestia!" he called to her as she exited.

Celestia's smile lasted all the way to her chambers, where a confused glance replaced it. The door to her chambers was open, and neither of her usual guards were there. She galloped into her room and looked for the child. He was giggling as usual on her bed, trying to stand up.

"Ma'am." Celestia spun around to see her Captain. "Would you like to explain that?"

Celestia levitated the bottle over to Draco, who grabbed it and stuck the nipple in his mouth. "Captain Silver, would you like to explain why you are in my bedroom?" she countered.

"There was a noise coming from your chambers, and after I followed standard procedure I came in to check," he said calmly. "You kept that thing here?"

"His name is Draco," she said sternly. "And I'd like you to address him as such."

"You're naming it?" Silver asked in disbelief. "It's bad enough you're keeping it as a pet, but what could-"

"Draco, is not my pet," she said above his tone. "As of today… he is my heir."

Silver's eyes widened. "What? Princess, with all due respect, that thing is dangerous!" he protested. "You saw what the other one could do, and it was probably older!"

"She was," Celestia enunciated. "Your Seargant not only attacked her without yours or my permission, but he killed Draco's mother. I promise her I would take care of him."

"A debt? That's why you insist on keeping tha-Draco?" he questioned. Celestia nodded, and Silver shook his head with a sigh. "Why Draco?"

Celestia grinned in victory as she went over to her son. "There is a marking of a dragon on his… strange hoof," Celestia said. "So, I'm certain he must be related to them in some way. Draco was the best suited."

"You mean it came to your mind first," Silver pointed out. "If he's got something to do with dragons, why not let them care for him?"

"I gave my word, Captain," she smiled. "I don't go back on my promises at the flip of my mane."

"What will everypony think about Draco?" he asked. "How do you think they will react?"

Celestia thought it over as Draco grabbed onto her snout again. "Captain, if you're not willing to help me, I suggest you find somepony else to watch him while I do my duties," Celestia told him. "I'll deal with Equestria's reaction in time, but for now I'd like to keep this private. Understood?"

Silver sighed, but saluted as always. "Yes, Princess," he nodded. "I'm sorry."

He left the room, then bucked the wall opposite the door. He hard served for twelve years under her. Followed every order, helped keep the guards operational, and not once did he question her. Now though, she was using her power to keep that… thing a secret. He had seen what the larger one had done, and if it grew older and went berserk, there was no telling what could happen.

But he wasn't some traitorous scum. Celestia told him to find a replacement, so that's what he would do.

Celestia nuzzled Draco, who gurgled and started nibbling on her snout. "Herr… Herr-ah!" he shouted. She picked him up in her hooves and lifted him in the air.

"You're nothing close to dangerous, are you?" she cooed. "Don't worry, Mommy will make him listen. Just you wait."

Draco laughed and reached out to her. Celestia hugged him gently, then chuckled when she heard him burp next to her ear. "Herr-ah," he mumbled into her coat.

"You've worn those clothes for some days now," Celestia muttered to herself. "They don't look very comfortable."

Celestia took off the silk-smooth garnments he wore, but she realized why he had them on in the first place. She quickly put them back on him, but it looked like he preferred not to where them. She watched in amusement as he tried pulling the top cloth off, but he wasn't well coordinated yet.

"You have to keep these on, okay, Draco?" she smiled. Draco kept pulling on his shirt, starting to fuss over how tedious it was becoming. "I guess you only need the bottom half anyway."

She teleported his shirt off and stored it one of her cabinets. Draco smiled gleefully, then started to climb onto her once again. Celestia was intrigued how he used his limbs to climb pretty quickly onto her head. He started grinding her ear between his gums, cooing at the tickling feeling of her fur.

Knock-Knock

Celestia raised a brow, wondering who could possibly be knocking. "Wait here, Draco," she told him as her magic set him down on the bed.

She went over to her bedroom door and opened it, surprised to see Corporal Dasher. "I'm sorry to bother ma'am, but Captain Silver said you have a proposition, ma'am," he saluted.

So he did find somepony else. You've disappointed me, Captain Silver

"Yes," Celestia said with a slightly stern face. "I do. Give me one moment."

She closed the door and trotted to her bed, covering Draco in a number of pillows. His muffled giggles could be heard from under the pile, but it kept him hidden for the moment. Celestia opened the door and motioned for Dasher to step inside. He did so, eyeing the suspicious pile of pillows.

"Corporal, do you remember the other day, when that biped broke into the throne room?" Dasher nodded, glancing to the now moving pillows.

"Yes. It was Bush that killed it, Princess, if that's what this is about," he quickly said.

Celestia nodded. "As it turns out, the biped was a mother," she began. "And before she died, she passed something on to me. I promised her I would do everything in my power to keep it safe. And now, I'm asking you to help me."

Draco finally tossed one of the pillows off, still laughing as he tried pushing the others off. Dasher's eyes went wide as he looked to the infant. "You mean, you kept that?" he asked, bewildered.

"Corporal, his name is Draco, and as I've told Silver, he is my son," she told him, ignoring his jaw dropping. "He's refused to help me, and I won't force him to. But you have a foal, yes?"

"Y-Yes, Princess," he nodded. "Just a week old filly."

"Good. Then you must know parenting by now," she smiled. "Since I can't be with Draco all day, I need somepony trustworthy to keep an eye on him."

Dasher put the pieces together in his head. "But, what about my unit?" he asked.

Celestia smiled, sensing he was coming around to it. "I could post them in these halls, until the day ends of course," she smiled. "Consider this, a promotion. A few more bits for keeping him safe."

Dasher leaned to the side and watched Draco toss himself onto the pillows, then roll of laughing. He chuckled softly, remembering his filly doing the same thing in the hospital. Except she was trying to take off.

"Keep the extra bits, ma'am," he smiled. "It'd be my honor to watch your son. But, I still clock out around the same time?"

"9 o' clock, on the dot as always," Celestia smiled just a bit bigger. "Thank you, Seargant Dasher."

Dasher smiled at his early promotion. "Just doing my job, Princess," he nodded.

Dasher left her chambers, and Celestia trotted happily over to her bed. Draco was panting from his playing, but he still kept trying to stand up. She giggled as he finally laid on his back, his chubby belly rising and falling. She brought her wings around to tickle him briefly, then snuggled up to his side.

"Herrrr… Herrrrr," he constantly gurgled.

"Herrrrrr?" Celestia repeated. "What are you saying?"

Draco patted her snout roughly and cooed. "Herrrr-ah!" he laughed. "Herrrr-aj!"

"Heraj?" Celestia questioned, tilting her head slightly. "What does that mean? Hmm?"

He only repeated the word, tapping her snout and grabbing it as usual. Celestia picked him up and held him above her, smiling as she watched him reach out to her.

He really must believe I'm his mother.

She had lived for thousands of years, and by her mother's flank did she have many relationships - with both gender's and several other species. But she never thought she'd actually become a mother. Mostly because she always casted an anti-pregnancy spell with the male ponies. Even so, seeing Draco reach out for her - starting to fuss because he couldn't reach her - brought forth an unfamiliar warmth in her chest.

She lowered him and planted a small kiss on his forehead, then let him lay down on her chest. He kept still for a change and repeated his earlier word as he pulled lightly on her coat. Another hour later, he was snoring softly, his fingers still holding her fur. She set him down beside her gently and covered him with her wing.

"Sweet dreams, my son."

Author's Notes:

Update. Hope you're enjoying this so far! As always, like, fav, comment, and have a great day or night! Peaces!

(Shout out to all moms!)

Importance of Honesty

Celestia's daily routine went the same as always, but Seargant Dasher and his squadron had different posts. Because of how loud Draco was when Dasher took care of him, Celestia put a mute spell around the room. Though he was small, the strange colt wailed whenever his mother left.

Dasher tried nearly everything to calm him down. Playing peek-a-boo with him, feeding him his milk, trying to get him to stand didn't even work. He was at his wits end with Celestia's son, but he was a Solar Guard. He'd gone through way worse than a small headeache.

"Let's see, let's see," he sighed, looking through some of the books Celestia bought for Draco.

All the while, Draco cried on his mother's bed, his nose starting to run. Dasher was so caught up with finding something to distract him, he didn't notice the silence. Perched on the window sill was a fiery red and orange bird. It cocked it's head interestedly at the creature sitting on her owner's bed. Draco crawled to the window and used the ledge to support himself.

"Brrrr," he hummed. Philomena cautiously moved back as its small appendage reached out to her.

He giggled much as he kept walking to the side, trying to grab the pretty bird. Philomena spread her wings and let a puff of fire flare from her wings. Draco laughed in amazement at the phoenix's attempt at intimidating him. When Dasher heard the sound of her caw, he turned back to the toddler.

"What are you doing out of your cage?" he asked out loud. Philomena glanced at the unarmored stallion, giving Draco his opening.

She screeched in surprise as Draco's hands grabbed hold of her, making him lose his balance and fall onto the bed. He laughed as he snuggled Philomena, her struggles pointless against his strangely strong grip. Dasher chuckled awkwardly as Celestia's pet kept squirming, hoping in the back of his mind she didn't burn him.

"So, little guy," Dasher said softly. "Ready for a story?"

"Ah!" he shouted, squeezing Philomena against his side. She huffed in defeat and did her best to stay comfortable in his iron grip.

Dasher opened the small book, an image of the sun popping up. "Once upon a time, there was a small filly named Celestia," he began. "She was just like every other pony, but different. She was very nice, just like all the other ponies, and loved making friends. But, she wasn't a unicorn, or a pegasus pony. She was an alicorn!"

Draco pointed in delight at a picture of his mother when she was a filly. Philomena sighed and preened a few feathers while she waited for the story to be over.

"Her mommy and daddy weren't around a lot to be with her," he continued. "So she had to take care of herself. Sometimes, her mommy would visit her, and they would play and laugh. But she wasn't alone."

A picture of an indigo colored mare with a starry mane sprouted, Draco gurgling in wonder.

"Her name was Luna. She lived with her big sister Celestia, and thuy always played together," Dasher read. "They also liked to prank each other."

A double-pop-up picture showed Luna tossing a pie into Celestia face, the second being the former smacking whipped cream into her face while the latter laughed with a feather in hoof. Draco giggled at their funny faces.

.

Celestia trotted back to her chambers, glad to be done with day court. Today wasn't as bad as most others, and it was only going to get better once she saw her son. She dismissed the patrol around her chambers before entering.

She raised a brow in amusement when she saw Dasher covering his head under the pillows. "Ready or not, here I…" he paused when he saw Celestia. "…"

"Having fun, Dasher?" she giggled. The Seargant quickly leaped off her bed, messily fixed it, and stood at attention. "I'm teasing. Where is Draco?"

Dasher nodded towards her desk, where she could see her son's little feet. She smiled softly, taking off her hoof shoes to silently sneak closer. She could hear his stifled giggles as her shadow covered his toes. Celestia dropped onto her knees and cooed,"Where's Draco?"

"Herr-aj!" Draco laughed happily as he hugged his mother's snout, and let Philomena free. Celestia giggled as he climbed over to slide down her neck and sit on her back.

Dasher smiled at the sight of Draco's love, reminding him he had his own foal to play with. "Princess, if you don't mind I'd-"

"You don't have to ask, Seargant," she smiled. He nodded happily and waved goodbye to Draco.

Dasher exited, and Celestia properly jumped onto her bed, tossing Draco in front of her. He laughed as she tickled him with her wings, right under his chin. After a few seconds of squirming and giggles, she brought him his bottle and levitated her own late-night snack from her hiding place. She broke a piece of her banana off and brought it to her mouth while Draco hummed as he played with her flowing mane.

"You've worn those clothes for a while," she smiled. "Maybe Mommy can buy you something to wear, hmm?"

Draco gurgled at her baby-talk, then pulled the empty bottle away from his mouth and belched. Celestia giggled at the small burp, but stopped when she realized something. His body wasn't like a pony's, and since ponies rarely wore clothes, there was no way he would have anything to wear. To get some new clothes, she would have to let yet another pony know of Draco's existence. Her son climbed onto her side, laying his head on her chest and smiling sleepily. She tried brushing his ruffled hair, but the more she tried, the more ragged it looked.

With a small sigh, she put her hooves under his arms and raised him above her. "What am I going to do?" she sighed. "I can't keep you a secret forever."

Draco cooed before rubbing his gums against his fingers. For a second, she envied his reliance on somepony else, knowing he didn't have to worry about anything. Though he didn't know anything at that point, she still thought how lucky he was. He put his hand on her snout and gurgled,"Herr-aj."

Celestia shook her head softly, then lowered him close to her. "Mo-mmy," she cooed. "Mo-mmy."

"Herr-aj!"

"No, Mo-mmy," she repeated. "Mo-mmy."

"Heraj!" Celestia giggled, planting a kiss on his forehead before laying him beside her. "Heraj."

"You'll learn in time," she giggled. "C'mere." She snuggled him closer, just like they always slept.

Her pet phoenix cawed from her cage, which she was glad to be in. Celestia shook her head when Draco giggled, reaching out to her. When she inched away, he started fussing and bent his tiny fingers. Celestia gave Philomena a small gesture to come over, which she shook her head at.

"Philomena, I'll bring you those Saddle Arabian seeds you like so much," she called. The phoenix stood taller at the offer, then flew out of her cage to nestle beside Draco.

Now that he was drained of energy, he cuddled her more gently than before. She was still hoping she could wriggle herself out, come morning. As Draco's snores came, Celestia stared at the midnight-blue crown sitting on her night stand.

It's times like these I wish you could help, Luna. I don't know the first thing about mothering, nor do you, but still. You know how these ponies react, and I'm just not sure they would take kindly to Draco. He's nothing like we've ever seen, but I can't get help if I'm hiring an entire staff sworn to secrecy.

The crown reflected the moon's beams, the light directing itself to her public balcony. Celestia was certain it wasn't just coincidence. A tear and a smile formed on her face, the former falling down her cheek and onto Draco's cheek.

"I know," she whispered. "Trust in our subjects. Just like mother taught us. Thank you, Luna. I'll see you soon, little sister."

Draco snores were accompanied by Celestia's gentle breaths. In the meantime, Philomena wiggled her way out of his grasp and flew back into her cage, wiping a wing over her eyes.

Author's Notes:

Another update! Hope you're all enjoying this so far! Like, comment, favorite (if you haven't already) and have an awesome day or night!

~That_Random_Pony

Facing the Crowd

Celestia sat at the head of the massive table, waiting for the members of her senate and representatives to finish their debate on the new tax law. Once they were all done, they turned to the princess and waited for an answer.

"My decision still stands," she announced. Some of her staff sighed in frustration, while others grinned in victory.

"Princess," a guard saluted. "They're waiting for you."

Senator Cherry Tune raised a brow, along with the others. "Princess, who's ready?" she asked.

A smile formed on her usually neutral face. "Why, all of Equestria of course," she said nonchalantly.

"Then why have you called us here?" Representative of Fillidelphia Blue Feather asked.

Celestia stood from her seat as Seargant Dasher entered the room. With a warm smile, she peered at his back. A cloth wrap concealed her son as he napped. She turned back to the members of her government and waved for them to follow.

As they made their way to the public balcony, Celestia brought them up to speed. "I'm sure you've all heard about an incident that happened not too long ago," she said. "There was a creature from the stars, I presume, that came into the castle. She bypassed each of our guards and made it to the throne room without causing them much harm."

"You mean it got through dozens of armed stallions, and it was female?" Senator Lucky Package questioned.

"Yes, she was. And that wasn't all I learned," Celestia continued. Seargant Dasher remained at her side as the unicorn guards magickly opened the doors.

The streets below were flooded with ponies from across Equestria. Upon seeing their princess, the ponies cheered for her as she took her place on the ledge. Celestia glanced at the members of her Council, then to Dasher. He nodded with a smile and pulled the bundle off of his back. Celestia cleared her throat and waited for them to quiet down, which they did quickly.

"Citizens of Equestria," she voiced her gentle tone. "I'm sure you all have questions to this announcement. I want to tell you all about the rumors I've heard of the castle being invaded."

Unsettled murmurs raced through the crowd. She glanced toward her Seargant, who nodded for her to continue. Celestia took the bundle of cloth from him, and held it up for them to see.

"This, is what I want you all to see," she announced. She uncovered Draco, letting the wraps fall.

A unanimous gasp sounded from all around her. The Council gasped, even some of the guards got out of their stoic stances to look at the weird creature in shock. A mare went so far as to faint.

"The castle was not invaded," she explained. "We were visited. This child's mother came to me, gravely wounded and desperate. I do not know who or what either of them are, but I know that neither of them meant any harm."

Her loud voice caused Draco to stir awake, rubbing his eyes softly and yawning. When he saw the crowd of colorful ponies below, he giggled at their funny faces. He teethed on Celestia's horseshoe, making her smile at his innocence in her current situation.

"Could something like this ever pose a threat to us?" she asked. "Could it ever deliberately want to harm an innocent pony?"

"It could grow up!" a stallion shouted down below. "Who knows what that thing could do!"

Ponies murmured and voiced their agreement, making Celestia's smile vanish.

"Think of what he could do under my guidance," she said, another round of gasps going through the crowd. "We know nothing about him, but imagine how he could help Equestria, as my son. Regardless of what my advisors or what anypony may think of him, I see a boy without family thinking I am his mother. Take a good look, and tell me what you see."

She held him high for all to look upon, some reporters getting pictures. Draco still giggled as the strangers eyed him cautiously, another yawn interrupting his laughs. The Council came around to glance at him, to which he babbled and reached out, just like any other foal would.

"He is no different inside than us," she softly said. "He is like any other foal. And with the right ponies helping him, he could undoubtedly benefit us. Whether or not you accept him, I want to be honest with each and every one of you."

She levitated Draco onto her back, where he hugged the back of her neck and laughed as her hair flowed into his face. Celestia waited for any reaction, and everything except somepony stomping their hooves was what she expected. Until an unnamed pony in the crowd started, then more joined. A prideful smile, and a tear or two, appeared as the entire crowd started stomping their hooves and cheered.

"What's his name?" a mare reporter below asked.

"His name is Draco. Prince Draco," she smiled. Draco pointed and shouted gibberish at the mare, who giggled slightly. She pointed her camera and snapped a picture of the mother and son.

"Thank you," Celestia carried her voice across the district. "Thank you all."

"Anything for the princess, right guys?" a Manehatten stallion called.

Voices of agreement called out above the cheers, making Celestia's eyes water that much more. She nuzzled Draco lovingly, then turned to her advisors. Most of them were smiling, the only one not being Senator Brunt. She disregarded his neutral expression and started her way in, signalling the end of her announcement.

She levitated Draco in front of her as she walked with Dasher to her chambers. "There's no need to worry now, Draco." She nuzzled him again, and he cooed as her fur tickled him. "Mommy and her ponies will make sure you'll always be okay."

"Maaa… moooom-my!" he shouted, grabbing a fistful of her coat. "Moommy!"

Celestia giggled and kissed his forehead, letting her tears actually fall in the joy she was feeling. "I love you, too, Draco," she smiled.

Author's Notes:

I'm really getting into this. Sorry for the short chapters, not much to really go on about. That is, until the next chapter! So, as always, like, fav, comment, and have a wonderful day or night!

Meet the Rainbow

15 Years Before NMM's Return

"Mo-Mommy! Mommy!"

Celestia's eyes shot open and she looked to her son, who was sobbing hard as he held her hoof tightly. She scooped him up and let him cry into her shoulder. It was quite a while before he was lowered to sniffles and small shudders.

"Another nightmare?" Celestia asked softly. Draco nodded, rubbing some of his tears from his eyes.

"I saw a monster, Mommy," he sniffled. "It was black, and it had big claws, and there was lots of them and it tried to-"

"Shh," Celestia hushed. "It's alright, sweetie. Nothing's going to hurt you. It was just a bad dream."

"But… But it was so real, Mommy," he whispered. "I'm scared."

Celestia nuzzled him gently, then glanced to the clock above her door. It was almost time to raise the sun, and she had some hard work ahead of her. Thankfully, Philomena perched herself on her head and squacked.

"Would it be better if Philomena slept with you until Dasher comes?" Celestia asked. Draco looked at the phoenix, then nodded hesitantly.

"Why do you have to work so early, Mama?" he questioned. Celestia smiled, happy to know his curiosity wasn't tampered by the nightmare.

"I've told you," she smiled. "Every day I wake up very early so that I can raise the sun, so everypony knows to wake up. And at night, I lower the sun and raise the moon so everypony knows to get ready for bed."

"But how come you can't bring it up later?" he persisted. Celestia kissed his forehead and slipped on her royal regalia.

"Because, Draco," she smiled. "A lot of ponies do things as soon as the sun comes up. We wouldn't want them missing something important, right?"

He sighed, adjusting his head on the pillows. "Right, Mommy," he mumbled.

Celestia giggled, sitting down beside him. "I heard Dasher saying he would bring his daughter today," she said while nudging his side. "Maybe you two can sneak into the kitchen and have Chef Pan get you two some ice cream."

Draco giggled at his mothers nudges, then sat up and hugged her. "Thanks, Mama," he smiled. "What's her name?"

"Rainbow Dash, I think," Celestia said. "Remember, introduce yourself and be nice."

"I will," Draco saluted, like one of her guards. "Bye, Mommy."

Celestia hugged him one last time and left the room. Draco snuggled up with Philomena. His mother taught him how to properly hold her, so he wasn't crushing her like usual. It wasn't long before he fell asleep again.

Two hours later…

"Wow! This place is huge, Dad!" a small, spectrum colored filly exclaimed.

"I know," Dasher chuckled. "Come on, there's somepony I want you to meet."

She nodded and flew after her dad, marveling at the castle and its guards. They were almost as cool as the Wonderbolts, but nopony was cooler than them. She moved to the side with her dad and watched excitedly as a squad of guards marched by. Though she was excited to see them, Dasher sighed sadly. They were the newest addition to the task force in the Griffon Empire.

As they neared his new "workplace," Dasher turned to his daughter. "Okay, before we go in, I want to tell you something," he warned. "Most of the time when I'm working, I stand around like them. But a couple years ago, I got a new job."

"What is it?" Rainbow asked. Dasher stopped them in front of Princess Celestia's chambers.

"I was hired to keep an eye on the Princess' son," he explained. "She told me it was okay to bring you along."

"Whoa, cool! Can I meet him? What's his name?" she giddily asked. "Can he fly?"

"No, nothing like that," Dasher chuckled. "And, yes you can meet him."

Dasher pushed open one of the large doors, and ushered Rainbow inside. While she did marvel at the high-class room, she stared at the creature standing on the bed. It looked extremely weird, especially since it had clothes on. She stepped back slowly, but her father's legs blocked her subconscious retreat.

"Well?" Dasher asked the two of them. Draco was in the middle of throwing his pillow at Philomena, who was hiding somewhere behind her cage.

Draco dropped onto the bed and slowly came closer, noticing how he stood taller than the filly. "Um, my name's… Draco," he praxtically murmured. "It's… nice to meet you."

Rainbow turned to her father, who only nudged her forward. "Uh, hi. I'm Rainbow Dash," she mumbled, rubbing a forehoof.

Philomena perched herself on Draco's shoulder, drawing her attention away from him. "There you are," Draco smirked.

"Wow, I never saw a bird like that," Rainbow gasped. "What is it?"

"Her name's Philomena," Draco said. "And she's a phoenix. She's really mean sometimes, too."

Philomena preened a few of her feathers and tilted her head innocently. "So, Draco, did your mother tell you about anything?" Dasher asked.

Draco looked to the clock, a wide smile coming across it. "Oh yeah! My mom said we could go down and get some ice cream!" Draco exclaimed. "Come on, it's this way!"

Rainbow Dash flew behind Draco, with her dad galloping after them, as they headed for the kitchen. Since Celestia was doing work, it left the kitchen open for a little while. Draco ran in and went over to where Chef Pan was mixing ingredients.

"Hey, Pan!" Draco greeted.

"Ah, ze little prince!" Pan chuckled. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Rainbow Dash," he said, extending an arm towards her. "Rainbow, this is my mom's favorite chef, Pan Cake."

"Like pancakes for breakfast?" she giggled.

"Yes, it eez," Pan sighed, laughing right after. "But what brings you here? Does your mother know?"

"Yes, Chef," Draco said. "She said you'd get us some ice cream!"

"Alright, what flavors would you like?" he asked, using his magic to open a cabinet and levitate two cones down.

"Vanilla!"

"Vanilla!"

They gasped, then at the same time exclaimed,"That's my favorite, too!"

"Okay, you two," Dasher chuckled. "Don't let it keep going."

"What's wrong, monsieur Dasher? Need some ice cream as well?" Pan chuckled. Dasher shook his head and waited for their ice cream to be served.

The two children waited eagerly as Pan took a bucket of ice cream out and scooped two chunks out. He levitated it to them, but not before putting a cherry on each.

"Bon appetit!" he snickered.

"Thanks, Pan!" Draco smiled.

"Yeah, thanks!" Rainbow added. They made their way back to Draco's room, Dasher lingering behind.

"You heard about what happened in ze Badlands?" Chef asked.

Dasher sighed, sitting down on a large pot. "Yeah," he said. "Only ten of them made it back."

"Ze rest were… put to rest?" Dasher nodded again. "So that means–"

"I might be sent to the Badlands along with my squad," Dasher finished. "I don't know if Celestia even sees those kinds of papers, but I just have to hope I don't get sent there."

"I'm sure Madam Celestia won't let her babysitter leave," he assured him. "Have faith, compadre."

Dasher chuckled. "Neighican coming from a Prench pony," he smiled. "Never thought I'd see that."

Ahead of them, Draco and Rainbow were still eating their ice cream outside his mom's room. "How fast can you go?" Draco asked her.

"Eh, pretty fast," she smiled confidently. "Next year I'm gonna start my pegasus school in Cloudsdale, and I'll be the fastest ever!"

"I wish I had wings!" Draco laughed. His smile made her notice something odd.

"You don't have all your teeth yet?" she asked.

Draco hid his smile, and tried speaking with his lips sealed partially. "Yeah, Mommy says they'll grow but I only have a little," he mumbled. "I look silly."

Rainbow realized she had probably put him down a little. "Hey, don't feel so bad," she smiled. "I bet you don't even need 'em!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I bet you have like… super strong teeth! Or hundreds of teeth!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, yeah! I bet… wait, where would all those teeth fit?" he wondered.

"Dunno, but maybe we can see!" she laughed.

Draco laughed, taking another lick of his ice cream, and nearly dropped it when he looked down the hall. "Cadence!" he shouted.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, galloping to meet him halfway. He stumbled, and ended up slamming the ice cream into her muzzle.

"Oh boy," Draco mumbled. "I'm sorry! I-It was by mistake!"

Cadence giggled and took the cone of her snout. "It's fine, little cousin," she smiled. "Besides, vanilla's pretty good."

"Is Blueblood here?" Draco excitedly asked. The teen mare nodded, then rolled her eyes when she heard him trot up behind them. "Blueblood!"

Draco threw his arms around his older cousin, smearing some ice cream on his white coat. "Draco! You're getting vanilla in my coat!" he shouted angrily, pushing Draco off.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "Rainbow, did you get a napkin?"

Rainbow shook her head, then quickly lapped up some melting ice cream before it fell. "Nope. Sorry," she sheepishly smiled.

"Relax, Blueblood," Cadence groaned. She used her magic to clean the miniscule smear. "There, happy?"

"Watch what you're doing next time," Blueblood sneered to Draco. He hung his head low, his cousin walking away with his head high.

Cadence and Rainbow came over. "Don't worry, he always yells when something touches his coat," Cadence smiled. "Who's this?"

"Oh," Draco perked up, extending an arm to his new friend. "This is Rainbow Dash. Rainbow, this is my cousin, Cadence, and the stallion was Blueblood."

"It's nice to meet you," Cadence nodded happily. "Did Tia put you in school?"

Draco shook his head. "No. Dasher is Rainbow's dad, and she came with him today," Draco explained.

"Oh. Your dad's a guard?" Cadence asked Rainbow.

She nodded quickly. "Yup! He says he loves wearing his armor and standing still all day!" Cadence giggled, both at her misunderstanding and her enthusiasm.

"Well, I'll see you later, Draco," she smiled. She gave him one last hug before heading down to her room.

"She's nice," Rainbow commented. "But your colt cousin seems like a jerk."

"He's not a jerk," Draco said sternly.

"Sorry," Rainbow shrugged.

"It's fine. Aw, haystacks," he grumbled. "I dropped my ice cream on Cadence."

Rainbow glanced at her own ice cream and sighed sadly. "Here," she said reluctantly.

Draco looked at the melting mound of ice cream. "But… that's yours," he said. "Don't you want it?"

"Yeah," Rainbow muttered. "But you can have it… if you want."

Draco smiled and took it from her. "We can share," Draco laughed. Rainbow facehoofed for not thinking of it earlier.

"Let's go see Philomena!" Rainbow suggested. Draco followed after, a few drops falling onto his mom's carpet.

Dasher had searched through the entire castle, looking for the two foals. When he didn't see them waiting for him outside the room, he looked all around. He even peaked into the throne room, but didn't find a trace of them. When the thought occured to actually check the room, he groaned and trotted slowly to Celestia's chambers. Before he opened the door he heard them yelling.

"No! I'll never give you the golden brick!" Draco's voice shouted. "NEVERRRR!"

"Then I'll use my lightning sword and take it!" his daughter's voice yelled back. "Prepare for the end, Mr. Amazing!"

"Not if Philomena helps!" Draco shouted. "Philomena! Philomena? Philomena! You were supposed to fly over her!"

Dasher walked in, chuckling at the sight of his daughter holding a rolled up newspaper above her with an ice cream cone taped to her head. Draco was clutching a pillow for dear life while Philomena just watched from her perch.

"C'mon, Philomena," Draco insisted. "Just this last time."

The phoenix rolled her fiery eyes, then ascended above Rainbow. The two got back into their roles, Rainbow readying to strike while Draco held tighter. He pointed his fingers and started making "pshew" noises, while his daughter thrust her "sword" at him. She gasped and clutched her chest, using her wings to slowly lower herself to the ground.

"Equestria is safe!" Draco cried. "Violet the Dark Alicorn is dead!"

As soon as he said that, they all broke up laughing. Dasher cleaned the ice cream off his daughters head and threw away the ice cream cone. "Alright, c'mon you two," he chuckled. "We have to clean up before Celestia gets here."

Rainbow gasped loudly. "Wait, am I gonna meet her, Dad?!" she asked, fluttering up high.

"Maybe," he smiled. "But we don't want her to see we made a mess of the room."

"Aw come on! We still have a little bit before she gets back!" Draco reminded them. "Let's play something else!"

"Like what?" Rainbow asked. The two of them sat in thought, an idea coming to him quickly. He didn't say it out loud however, since Rainbow was a mare.

"Think of something?" Rainbow rubbed her chin softly, then smirked.

"Wrestle fight!" she shouted, tackling him.

Draco thought she wouldn't want to play it, but as soon as she jumped on him he grabbed on. The two rolled around on the bed, laughing as they tried getting the upper hand. Dasher grabbed them both and dropped them onto the pillows, chuckling as the two teamed up on him. Rainbow latched onto his head while Draco tried weighing down one of his legs.

Canterlot Castle Throne Room

Celestia's horn glowed as the sun dipped over the horizon, and the moon rose just above it. With a nod to her guards for the end of their shift, she descended the steps and made her way into the halls. Since her son's caretaker brought his daughter, she expected to hear them playing by now. When she heard nothing, she decided to check on what they were doing.

She smiled warmly and giggled at what she saw. Dasher was slumped against her bed, snoring away. But what really made her laugh was Draco and Rainbow, the latter keeping the former in a headlock. She shook her head softly, untangling the two and laying them side by side. Rainbow held his arm tightly, mumbling when Celestia tried prying her loose. In the end she stayed there, and Dasher was placed next to her daughter.

She didn't mind sleeping in one of the guest beds. Sometimes they even seemed more comfortable than hers. She wanted to talk to her son, or play with him even. But her damned duties kept her from seeing him often. With a sigh, she planted a kiss on his forehead and quietly walked to the door.

"Mommy." Her ears perked, and she turned back around.

"What are you doing up still?" Celestia smiled. "Did you have fun with her?"

"Yeah. We had lots of fun," he sleepily nodded. "We got ice cream, played a game, and we wrestled, then read stories… then we wrestled… some more." He yawned a third time and smacked his lips together.

"That sounds really fun," Celestia whispered.

"Yeah… Mommy," he continued. "Will I go to school?"

Celestia smile faded. "You want to go to school, Draco?" she asked. He nodded, making her sigh unsurely. "Are you sure? I could hire tutors for you."

"No. I wanna go to… school when I'm older," he yawned. "Rainbow said it's supposed… to be a lot of fun."

"I'll think about it, and tell you before you turn six," she smiled. "Okay?"

"Okay," he nodded. "Night, Mama."

"Goodnight."

In Cadence and Blueblood's room

"Can you believe Tia adopted… whatever he is?" Blueblood asked, for the third time.

"Yes, Blueblood, I can," Cadence groaned. "What's the matter with him, anyways? He's still adorable. And he even gets happy to see you."

Blueblood glared at her, but she just smirked. "He's still like an annoying monkey," he groaned. "It's like I can't go two steps without him jumping on me!"

"He was giving you hugs. Ever heard of them?" Cadence questioned as she brushed her mane. "You're just mad because now that she has a son, he's going to rule instead of you."

"And why should he?" Blueblood exclaimed. "I'm blood related, and he's just some dirty biped she probably found in a trash can."

Cadence started to put on some makeup. "I don't think somepony would throw out somepony like him," she remarked. "Especially at birth. Wouldn't his mom be somewhere somewhere in Canterlot?"

"She probably left him," Blueblood shrugged. "I mean, who would want to look at something like him?"

"Alright, that's it!" Cadence shouted. "If you don't shut up right now, I'll tell Tia you drank some of the wine in the cellar."

Blueblood gulped. "How did you-"

"You suck at not acting drunk," she smirked. "Now, shut up and I won't say anything. Draco's really nice to you. You should try returning the favor."

Blueblood grumbled as he got into his bed. "Oh I will," he muttered.

Author's Notes:

In case any of you are wondering, I am trying to put a coverart, but my device is all janked up. Anywho, sorry for not posting yesterday! So remember, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night.

Birthday Prince

Celestia woke up, glad to know her son hadn't had any nightmares. She sighed as her regalia floated over to her, which was because she had to leave him once again. Still, there was one thing she was looking forward to.

"Mama," Draco mumbled.

Celestia turned to him with a smile. "Good morning, dear," she softly spoke. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yeah," he yawned. "I was dreaming about me and Rainbow playing like we did last week."

Celestia giggled and nuzzled him softly. "Well she's coming again today," she told him. "Do you remember what today is?"

Draco's eyes drooped as he thought, but they shot open when he remembered. "It's my birthday!" he shouted as he jumped up.

"Your sixth birthday," she giggled. She didn't know exactly when he was born, so she chose to celebrate his birth the day she… the day he was given to her. "And don't worry. I'll be getting out early."

Draco hugged his mother tightly. "Thank you, Mama," he giggled. "When is Rainbow coming?"

"Later, of course," she smiled. "Just sleep until she gets here."

"Okay," Draco murmured.

Celestia slipped out of her room and walked to her throne room. As she reached the formal room, a guard joined her side. "Princess. Captain Silver asks if he can see you," he informed her.

"Send him in," Celestia answered. Her horn tinkled as it lit up, a morning shine coming from the horizon.

She sat in her seat, just as the Captain walked in. "Beautiful morning as always, Princess," he nodded.

"Thank you, Captain," she replied. "What did you need me for?"

"Do you remember the night you fo- I mean… you were given Draco?" Celestia nodded, and the Captain shifted uneasily. "And do you remember earlier that night, when you sent us to recon the Everfree?"

"What is it, Silver?" she asked. The Captain knew she was done waiting.

"There was some object in the crater from the Everfree," he explained. "From the look of it, the mother broke out and ran all the way to the castle. We had a squad of unicorn guards make a covert pickup, and bring the pod here."

"You brought it here without my consent?" Celestia questioned, doing her best to keep level-headed.

"Yes, because we thought by studying it we could learn something," Silver continued. "The war with Gryphos has to come to an end. And with this object, we might be able to advance ourselves."

"You're talking about weapons of mass destruction, Captain," Celestia sternly spoke. "We're not trying to win or lose. We're trying to end this peacefully."

Silver sighed at talks of peace, but he continued further. "That's not why I called you here, ma'am," he said. "Last night, the pod started… beeping."

"Beeping?" Silver nodded. "What significance could that have?"

"I'm not sure, but most of the scientists are coming up with theories and whatnot," he sighed. "They say it might be some kind of advanced location spell, or a warning, but they're not completely sure."

Celestia leaned to one side, giving her the look of some dictator debating something. "If anything else happens, inform me first," she ordered. "And, I don't want to see you or any scientists anywhere near that device."

Silver bit the inside of his cheek, but nodded anyways. "Yes, Princess," he said through gritted teeth.

Celestia stood up from her throne and made her way down to the science lab. She passed a number of brewing stands, couldrons, and beakers as she looked for the main facility. The lab guards saluted to her as she stepped inside, the scientists immediately bowing in respect.

"Princess Celestia!" one of the scientists exclaimed. "It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm-"

"I want every scientist out of this area, now," she commanded. The science ponies each turned to her with shocked expressions.

"B-But, Princess!" the stallion protested. "This device has so much information we could obtain and use-"

"Against the griffons?" she questioned harshly. "Against Equestria's enemies? That would be just as harmful as it would be hurtful."

"But, Your Majesty!" The guards crossed their spears as the stallion tried getting closer to protest. "You can't do this! There's so much we could learn!"

"Yes, we could," Celestia told him. "But a foal that knows how to fire a crossbow could become a dangerous pony. We are nowhere near this level of technology. Nopony is ready for something like this."

The guards hauled the research team out of the lab, leaving Celestia alone with the strange pod. She turned off every light, making sure no pony was still around. Outside, she ordered the guards to notify her if the beeping stops, or changes. They saluted, allowing her some relief.

Until Silver came stompind down the hall.

"Celestia!" he shouted. "Why-"

"I'n stripping you of your rank, Commander," she said, tearing off the emblem from his chest plate. "For acting behind my back, and endangering the lives of not only Equestria, but each of the five nations in the land."

The former-Captain stared slackjawed at the princess as she walked past him. His anger broiled as he tossed his armor to the side and stomped off to the barracks.

"Tag!"

Rainbow zoomed down the hall, the bipedal-prince trailing right behind her. Draco loved playing tag with her, since he was almost as fast. Still, her maneuvers and height advantage made it hard for him to catch up.

"Don't go… so high, Rainbow!" Draco panted. The pegasus lowered just a little, which was just enough for Draco to grab her by the tail.

"Tag!" he called.

"No fair! You don't have a tail!" she laughed.

"And I don't have wings!" he argued back, grinning madly as he came to a flight of stairs.

Rainbow was surprised at how fast he was leaping up the stairs, maybe five or six at a time. She did her best to keep flying after him, but the higher they went, the darker it got.

"Draco?" she called. Her wings had tired out, so she landed and climbed by hoof. "Where are you?"

The higher altitude let wind howl through the staircase, making Rainbow stop and look around quickly. She kept going, the darkness seeming to go on forever.

"Draco," she called. "Come out." The wind howled throughout the spire once again. "Draco, stop it already! This isn't funny!"

She reached the top, just in time to smack into Draco. They screamed as the boy ran into the wall, and Rainbow zoomed into the opposite one. They rubbed their heads, then glanced to the doors. The carvings of ancient ponies charging into battle made them scream even louder. The two rushed back to the stairs and screamed all the way down.

At the bottom of the staircase, they finally exhausted themselves and tumbled to the carpet, heaving heavily. Draco watched his hand shake for a moment, before he sat up and wrapped his arms around his knees.

"A-A-Are you okay?" Draco managed through chattering teeth.

Rainbow sat up, her own shuddering visible. "Y-Yeah," she mumbled. "I mean, yeah, I'm fine. Why'd you scream so loud?"

"Because… hey, you were screaming, too!" Draco argued.

"Nuh-uh!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I… I was just… glad I found you!"

"Yeah, right," Draco chuckled.

"Hey, I ain't scared o' nothin'!" she smirked, puffing her chest out.

"You should be." The children turned to Draco's cousin.

"Oh. Hey, Blueblood!" Draco smiled, not hugging him just in case he had grime on his hands. Blueblood said they were always on him.

"Good afternoon, Draco," Blueblood snorted. "What were you two doing?"

"Draco ran up those stairs, and I went to go get him before he got too scared," Rainbow snickered.

"Did not!" Draco whined. "You were scared too!"

"No I-!"

"You two went after the treasure?" Blueblood gasped.

The two halted their bickering and looked at him. "There's… there's treasure up there?" Draco asked.

"Whoa. So that's why the monster was up there?" Rainbow questioned.

"Oh, yes," Blueblood smirked. "Legend tells, that there were monsters so scary guarding the gold, Tia blocked it off so that no pony could get hurt."

Draco gulped. "S-s-so… th-there's m-monsters up th-there?" he chattered.

"Yeah," Blueblood said. "But… if you wear a special kind of cape, you can sneak past them and get the treasure."

"Really?!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Where can we get it?!"

"Rainbow, there's scary monsters in there!" Draco reminded her.

"Yeah. But Blueblood said the cape protects you, right?" she asked. The other prince nodded.

"Yes. And," he leaned closer, then motioned for them to do so as well. "Me and Cadence found it a while ago… but she won't give it up."

"Why not?" Draco questioned.

"She says it's too dangerous," Blueblood sighed with fake disappointment. "I mean, if you sneak in at night and take it while she's asleep you could… oops."

Rainbow's smile couldn't have been bigger. "That's it! You could sneak into her room and get it so you can go get the treasure!" Draco reared his head back, too shocked to say anything.

"B-b-but I can't steal from my cousin! And… I can't go up there," he mumbled the last part.

"We're not stealing it! We're borrowing it!" she said, tapping his noggin. "And you don't have to worry. I'll get the treasure! Then you give it back and say you found it!"

Draco rubbed his shoulder anxiously. "I don't know."

"Don't worry. I'll tell you when she falls asleep," Blueblood told them. "Just tell me when you're ready."

"Alrighty!" Rainbow saluted with a huge smile.

"Yeah… alright," Draco nodded hesitantly. He didn't want to make Rainbow think he was scared, but a bunch of monsters did sound terrifying.

Blueblood nodded and walked past them, smirking as he made his way down the hall. He'd have more than enough time to tell the "monsters" about their imminent visitors.

Celestia wrapped up her duties and trotted happily to find her son. She had invited Dasher and his wife, who had seen Draco a couple of times, to be there. Chef Pan was also free to come, since he was the one making the cake the whole day. She entered the room to find Rainbow flying circles around Draco while he playfully roared and threw pillows at her.

As soon as he spotted her, he jumped over and hugged her neck. "Mommy!" he shouted excitedly. "Me and Rainbow were playing giant gorilla monster!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow smiled.

"Draco!" The boy looked behind Celestia and saw his pink cousin.

"Cadence!" he shouted as he ran over to hug her. "I'm so glad you came!"

"Of course I came!" she giggled. "You're my cousin, remember?"

Draco smiled, looking behind Cadence for her little brother. "Where's Blueblood?"

Her smile became a bit forced after he asked. "Oh, he just has some mare problems," she shrugged. "He told me to tell you happy birthday, by the way!"

My flank he'd even say that to Draco. Flankhole.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked. Cadence shook her head and smiled nervously.

"Oh, nothing," she laughed. "Hi Rainbow Dash!"

"Hey princess!" she laughed. "Wait, where's my dad? And my mom?"

"Right here, Pumpkin," Pale Streak sung. "Did you have fun with Draco?" She peppered Rainbow with kisses, the filly in return squirming.

"Mom! Not in front of Draco!" she whined.

"She never stops talking about him when we get home," Dasher chuckled, nudging his daughter's side. "Isn't that right?"

Rainbow's cheeks tinted redder than the streak in her mane. "Dad!" she shouted.

Everypony laughed while Draco tried to figure out why her cheeks were so red. "Okay everypony, I think it's time for the birthday colt to get his treat," Celestia smiled.

"Make way for ze grand cake of cakes!" Pan called from outside. His magic opened the doors as he carted the cake in.

"Whoooooaaa," Draco and Rainbow gasped.

The cake was huge! It was almost as long as him, and it was his favorite frosting! His name and the words "Happy Birthday" were written with chocolate syrup between six candles. Chef Pan placed a couple of chairs for the filly and colt to climb onto.

"Everypony ready?" Chef Pan asked. They all nodded, especially Draco. "One, Two, Zree!"

"Happy Birthday, to you!

Happy Birthday, to you!

Happy Birthday, dear Draco!

Haaaaaa-ppy Birthdaaaaaaaay, toooooooo yoooouuuu!"

The adults stomped their hooves lightly as Draco and Rainbow blew out the candles. "Happy Birthday, Draco," Celestia said as she nuzzled him.

"Happy Birthday, little cousin!" Cadence giggled as her wings tickled him.

"Happy Birthday, buddy!" Rainbow smiled as she bumped her hoof against his fist.

"Thanks everypony," he smiled widely.

"Zen vat are ve waiting for? Let's dig in!" Chef announced. He swiftly and skillfully sliced everypony a piece of the large cake.

"I think we might need more ponies," Rainbow giggled.

"Hey Mommy, what about the guards?" he suggested. "Maybe they want some."

"Here you go," Chef said as he handed a platter to the boy, topped with six slices. "Tell zem it's on ze house."

Draco nodded and carefully brought the cake into the hall. "Want some cake?" he asked the two, pushing the plate forward.

The two glanced at each other, then shrugged and took a piece. They thanked him, as did the other four positioned in the hall. Draco came back in with the empty plate, setting it next to his cake and eating his own slice.

"Amazing as always Pan," Celestia smiled.

"But of course!" he chuckled. "Ze colt deserves ze best!"

"Thanks, Chef Pan!" Draco laughed.

"Hey, Dracooo," Cadence called with a grin. He smiled even bigger when he saw the bow-topped box.

His mother and Dasher had similar boxes, only different colors. "Wow!" he exclaimed, taking the box and shaking it lightly. "What is it?"

"Open it and find out, silly," she giggled.

Draco did just that as he carefully tore the wrapping paper off, then opened the cardboard box. He gasped wordlessly as he pulled out a huge Wonderbolts blanket. Along with it came a pair of Wonderbolts goggles.

"Awesome!" Rainbow smiled.

"I know!" Draco laughed as he opened it up and looked at it from top to bottom. "Thanks, Cadence!"

She hugged him happily, as did he. "And, a little something for Rainbow," Cadence said.

Rainbow's eyes widened as a Spitfire plushie teleported in front of her. "How'd you know?" Rainbow gasped.

"Draco told me about it," Cadence nodded to her cousin.

Rainbow turned to him, smiling widely, just like him. "Rainbow, don't you have a present for him?" her mother asked.

"Oh yeah," she chuckled nervously. She took the gift from her father and hoofed it over to Draco. "I picked it out, by the way."

Her parents rolled their eyes at their daughter, chuckling softly. Draco carefully undid the wrappings, then opened the box. Inside of it, was a toy replica of Star Swirled the Bearded's arcane staff.

"To fight the monsters," she whispered. Draco nodded, marveling at the detailed staff.

"Thanks, Rainbow," he laughed. She bumped her hoof against his fist.

"Now, it's my present," Celestia said. Draco looked at the small box, sure that whatever it is his mom got him he would love it.

He took the wraps off, and slowly took the lid off the final box. They were all left in awe as the shining gem lit the whole room. The beautiful sapphire gem was attached to a silver chain, big enough to be worn by him until he was an adult. To his surprise, the gem opened up to show a picture of the two. He remembered… they were at the park, and some reporters wanted to take a picture.

"Now look underneath it," she told him. Draco did so, smiling even more as he looked at the second present.

He picked up the Royal Guard plushie and laughed. He hugged his mother, and she nuzzled him lovingly. "Thank you, Mama," he giggled. "They're awesome."

Celestia giggled also, then kissed his forehead. "Anything for my little Draco," she smiled.

"Best. Birthday. Ever!"

Author's Notes:

There we go, another update! You know the drill! Like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!

First Day

"Pencils?"

"Yup."

"Crayons?"

"Yup."

"Folders?"

"Yup."

"Notebooks?"

"Yep."

"Bookbag."

Draco giggled. "Yes, Mama," he smiled.

"Good," Celestia nodded. "So, are you ready for your first day of school?"

"Yes!" Draco exclaimed. "Where is it?"

"It's just a few blocks away from Cadence's school," Celestia smiled. "You'll be going with her and Blueblood, okay?"

"Okay!" he laughed. "Where are they?"

"Right here!" Cadence called. She trotted up to him, giving him a hug then smiling. "Ready for school?"

"Ready!" Behind her, Blueblood turned the corner, then groaned as he noticed his cousin wearing a bookbag.

"Do we have to take him to school?" he groaned. Celestia glared venomously, forcing him to gulp and back away.

"We can do it, right, Blueblood?" Cadence hissed. He grunted, but nodded anyways.

"Come on! We're gonna be late!" he laughed, running down the hall.

Celestia watched the three until they turned a corner, and was then approached by a guard. "Would you like an escort for Draco, Your Majesty?"

"No, Cadence can handle anything dangerous for him," she smiled. "Return to your post."

"Ma'am."

Outside, Draco was jumping all around his cousins as they walked him to his school. Since he wasn't a unicorn or pegasus, and since it was obvious he didn't have a strong connection to the earth, Celestia had to put him in a multi-race school. It was for the few griffons living in Canterlot, and there was even arrangements for a dragon scholar to learn there.

Just in case anything were to happen, she had a few Solar Guards posing as security guards. "So what's school like? Do you guys play a lot? Are there games you can play?" Cadence giggled at his stream of questions, her brother choosing to ignore him.

"Trust me, Draco," she sighed. "School's not all that fun."

"It's increasingly tedious and difficult," Blueblood groaned. "It's pointless since I'll have the throne one day."

"If you live long enough," Cadence whispered to him. He sneered at her, then looked off to the side. "Look! There's your school!"

Draco awed as they walked closer to the building. It wasn't a remarkable thing to look at, but it was for his first time. His school was a two story, brick red and white building with a sizable yard. He could see a few ponies, some griffons, and a minotaur in the yard. The ringing bell sounded off, a bright yellow maned pink mare ushering them in.

"You're gonna be late!" Cadence said, giving him a quick hug. "I'll see you after school, okay little cousin?"

"Okay, Cadence," he chuckled. "Bye, Blueblood!"

"Goodbye," the prince snorted.

Draco ran into the yard, getting a strange glance from the teacher. He ran after the other children, who all filed into one class. Just before he caught up, he skidded to a halt.

He had no idea where he was going.

"You're the new student?" Draco turned around to face his teacher, who he stood about as tall as.

Draco nodded, a bit nervous without his mother. "Y-Yes," he stammered.

"I'm Ms. Dawn," she smiled. "You're Prince Draco, yes?"

"Just Draco's fine," he mumbled. She nodded with a smile and guided him into the class.

The mixture of species were chatting idly while their teacher entered the class with their newest classmate. A griffon student alerted the others, and they all faced the board silently.

"Class, this is Draco," she announced. "He's our newest student, so help him around the school."

Draco looked around the class, examining the griffons, minotaur, ponies, and dragon in the room. They eyed him curiously as well, especially the green dragon.

"Just take a seat over next to Ember," Ms. Dawn directed. Draco nodded, then walked between the aisles until he was sitting beside the dragon. "Class, I'll be a minute. Don't get too loud."

"Yes, Ms. Dawn," they called. She left the room, and all eyes were on him.

"What are you supposed to be?" a black and white griffon with red-tipped crown feathers asked.

The minotaur beside him had a brown torso and a black lower body. "He looks like half of me," he commented.

"He kinda has your body, right, Ember?" an orange coated, red maned colt asked. Ember growled lightly, turning back to Draco.

His mother had told him stories about some dragons, but he'd never seen one in person. Ember loomed over him even sitting down. He noticed blue ripples on Ember's scales, and her wings looked a bit stranger than the ones he'd seen in books.

"I-I'm… Draco," he gulped.

"We know." Draco gasped when he heard the female voice. "Your Princess named you after the dragon king?"

"Maybe that's what you look like without scales," a tan griffon with brown belly feathers suggested.

"I wonder how you'd look," a mare, maroon with a curled purple mane, questioned.

"A dragon can't survive without scales," Ember huffed. "It's not armor."

Though she kept staring hard at him, she wasn't really interested in his look. For some reason, she felt… honored, to be in his presence. It was strange, because for one thing, her father had told her the ponies were all weak, even their princess. But he was different. She just couldn't put her claw on it.

"Is… something wrong?" he asked, a bit hesitantly.

"You've been staring at him for a while, Ember," another pegasus mare, her coat being white and her mane red. "Find your love in a colt?"

Ember growled louder, making them back off instantly. "Love is for foals," she snorted. "You and I will speak later."

Draco cowered shyly, but something about her made that fear just vanish. "Al-Alright," Draco stuttered.

"Okay, good morning, class!" Ms. Dawn chirped.

"Good morning," the class, minus Draco, answered.

"Since it's Draco's first day, let's all tell him who we are," she said. "Shadow, you go first."

The black griffon, Shadow, turned in his seat in front of Draco. "Shadow Beak," he nodded.

The white pegasus beside him turned and smiled. "I'm Lily Bud!" she laughed.

The minotaur behind her, and next to him went next. "Heavy Load," he saluted.

"Quick Peck," the tan griffon nodded.

"Neon Light!" she smiled. "I'll tell you later."

"Dune Trekker." Draco turned in his seat, surprised by the dusty beige unicorn with a ragged brown mane.

"My name's Draco," he laughed nervously. "N-Nice meeting you all."

"Don't worry, the griffons aren't bullies, and Heavy isn't much into fighting," Lily assured him.

"Now that that's out of the way, I want you all to turn to page 8 of your textbooks;" she said, levitating the books to their desks.

Draco cracked open the book, and something strange happened. He hadn't read the first line when the symbols started flashing through his mind. The whole page spoke about-

"We're going to learn about how the Griffon Empire began," Ms. Dawn carried her voice as she wrote on the board. "It all started-"

"In 1807 when the Griffon clans were under attack by the Diamond Dog Union," Draco interrupted. "The griffins united to fight them back, and win the war after two years, scattering the Diamond Dogs and establishing their seat with the Royal Five Rulers."

The class stared blankly at him, even he was surprised by all the information.

"Yes… that," Ms. Dawn said slowly. "Draco, did your mother teach you this?"

"No," he said in a low tone. "I… I didn't even read too much."

He flipped the page over, and the same thing happened. Symbols and images and names and all the like flashed through his mind before he actually read them. The class watxhed a bit shocked as he started flipping through pages madly, as if the end of the book held some lost treasure map. When he reached the end, he could barely make out the students behind the wall of text flooding his vision. The symbols faded, leaving the confused, and incredulous looks of his classmates and teacher.

"I'm done," he mumbled.

Celestia's Throne Room

"Your Highness," a guard called. She looked up from her papers and nodded in question. "King Draco and Emperor Grypho are here."

Celestia's expression went slightly bitter at the news. "Send them in," she ordered.

He nodded, leaving the throne room and soon the two leaders, accompanied by their own bodyguards, entered. "Celestia," King Draco bowed.

"Good morning, Your Highness," the griffon emperor bowed less formally. "How's the paperwork."

"What are you doing here?" she asked immediately. "The next meeting of the nations-"

"Is in another three years," King Draco interjected. "We are aware. But it appears the bird brain and I have come for the same reason."

"And what would that be?" Celestia questioned, a hint of anger in her voice.

"That little thing you call your son," Grypho announced. "Naught princess, disobeying your own laws."

Celestia stood from her throne and stomped down the stairs. "I haven't disobeyed any of the laws I set for us three, the minotaur ruler, or the Diamond Dog Overlord," she fumed. "So enlighten me, which one have I crossed?"

Grypho smirked, holding his claw out to a servant griffon, who placed a scroll in his grasp. "Ahem. Section 8, paragraph 4," he began. "Any and all scientific discoveries that could benefit each of the five nations must be reported to the five rulers upon discovery."

Celestia snatched the scroll with her magic and read over the law. It was indeed her hoofwriting, which she had used all those years ago. With a small growl, she levitated it back to the servant.

"My son is not some scientific object to study or anything of the sort," she nearly snarled. "He is just like any other colt his age."

"But he is a new creature," Grypho pointed out. "You know what this means."

"You're not taking him!" she stomped her hoof resolutely. "He's just a colt!"

"I'm not taking him," Grypho smirked. "I just want him to visit some of my empire, while I have a few researchers observe him."

"He. Is. Not. A. Thing," Celestia snorted. "Don't you lie to me, Grypho. Everypony and griffon knows you'd do more than try and study him."

"If you don't allow me to show him Gryphos," he sighed. "I am allowed to rally the other nations."

"I'd like to see you try," she hissed. Grypho shrugged, then turned for the door.

"Remember who's winning this war, Princess," he said before departing.

Celestia felt like slamming him against the castle wall and letting him drop a couple thousand feet. "Ahem," King Draco coughed.

"Is that why you're here?" she sneered.

"If this is about the war some hundred years ago, I suggest you leave it in the past," he sighed.

"Your dragons killed thousands, and you suffered two losses," Celestia reminded him. "Not to mention you tried to take Canterlot."

The king chuckled. "Yes, I remember. The longest fight of my life with a pony," he smiled. "Just remember, it's only you, now that Princess Luna is… absent."

"She won't be for long." King Draco nodded, walking over to one of the stained-glass windows. "Why are you here?"

"Mainly to visit my daughter," he chuckled. "But when I saw the young prince, I became curious. Join that with the fact the Emperor was in Canterlot, and I figured I'd see what he was planning."

Celestia joined him by the images. "He only wants to take my son away," she whispered.

The king laughed softly. "And you named him after myself?"

"He resembles a dragons form, just without the snout," she said. "Your name is ancient, but it has a better meaning for him than most dragons do these days."

"Well, I'm not looking to steal your son," he informed her. "In truth, I want to help."

Celestia straightened up a bit. "Why?" she questioned.

She knew the dragon king to be clever, strategic, and committed. But it was a strange sight to see him shrug. "I can't really say," he chuckled. "I would say out of the good of my heart, but that would be a lie. I want to help you, for reasons beyond me."

Celestia raised a brow suspiciously. "And what would you expect in return?" she asked.

"To let your son visit the capital." Before Celestia could protest, he raised a claw to calm her. "I intend to do nothing else but be his guide around my kingdom. There's a certain feeling I had when I looked at him, as did my fighters."

The two dragons nodded to confirm their king's words. "What sort of feeling?"

"Celestia, I cannot say why, I cannot say how, but I just need to have him visit the Dragon Kingdom," his voice elevated, but with control. "If I had a reason, I'd tell you, but I don't know. I just want him to see the kingdom, and in return, we'll deal with these pestering, overgrown birds."

Celestia had more than enough reasons to say no. "No."

King Draco sighed deeply, but nodded. "Very well. I promise not to pester you about it, and should Grypho ever try to expel you from the Five Nations, I'll support you. But don't expect help on the battlefield," he warned.

"Please, leave me Draco," she ordered. He nodded one last time before being on his way.

Celestia sighed irratibly. She had just told the ruler of the largest army in the land that not only did she not want his help, but she wouldn't give him her son in exchange for help. The dragon army could have had the war over in days, but her son was her main priority.

"Alright ladies!" Coach Slugger shouted. "Today, we got ourselves a fitness schedule."

"Is he always loud?" Draco whispered to Ember.

"Most of the time," she chuckled.

"You're all gonna run to the end of the gym, climb that there obstacle, run all the way back to this end, climb the rope, climb down, and meet me right here," he directed. "That clear?"

"Yes, Coach Slugger," the replied.

"Wait, how many times?" Shadow questioned.

"3 laps like always," he said.

"Alright."

"Ready… set… go!" The griffons took flight, as did Lily, but Slugger used his magic to bring them back to the start. "No flying! Go!"

Draco, Ember, and Heavy were leading the race, losing the minotaur after they quickly climbed the wall. Ember was impressed that he could keep up with her, and even more surprised when he gained the lead when climbing the rope. He didn't even climb down, he practically dropped with a hand around the rope.

Draco looked behind him to see Ember and his other classmates trailing behind him. As he came up on the hurdle, a sudden urge came over him. He planted his feet in one spot, then somersaulted over the obstacle. Ember's eyes widened at the sight of him jumping it. It was almost twice as big as her, and she was pretty tall!

The boy felt… natural, just running, climbing, and leaping. It was instinct, like he was born to do it. On his last lap, he dropped from the rope and rolled forward, skidding to a halt in front of the Coach. Slugger had his jaw dropped since the second lap.

"Do I win?" Draco panted. Ember came up next, panting heavily but staring at the boy.

The others came soon after: Shadow, Lily, Peck, Heavy, Dune, and Neon. "Whoa," Shadow huffed, out of breath. "You… that… was… pretty awesome… what you did."

"Yeah!" Neon laughed hoarsely. "You… were like a monkey or… something!"

"Left Ember in the dust, too!" Heavy chuckled. Ember didn't growl, to their surprise, and instead kept staring at Draco.

"Alright, since we got through fitness early, you got free play until class is over," Slugger told them. "Hoofballs are in the cage, nets are in the closet. Don't do anything dumb while I'm gone."

They nodded, then the gym teacher left the gymnasium and went upstairs to speak with the only other teacher. She was busy grading a test, in which most of her students got remarkably high scores.

"Good afternoon, Slugger," she smiled. "What-"

"There's something about that colt," he interjected. "He ain't normal."

"Of course he's not normal," Dawn giggled. "I'm not even sure what he is."

"Not that kind of abnormal," he groaned. "Today I gave 'em a fitness course, and that colt finished it faster than I ever could. Not to mention he beat Ember."

"And he scored higher grades than her as well," Dawn giggled as she showed him Draco's test.

For an open-ended question, Draco had used the entire paper and an extra to answer. "There isn't a single pony, griffon, minotaur, or dragon that can do this," he muttered. "So why can he?"

Dawn rolled her eyes and put the test back in its pile. "There are still things we don't know about, Coach," she said. "He's a sweet boy. Just try not to let his 'abilities' scare you."

Slugger rolled his eyes and headed for the door. "I'll do that," he chuckled. "35 seconds exactly. I'll be damned."

The bell rang, and soon enough her class was filing back in to grab their bookbags. "Class, remember. Tomorrow is show and tell, so bring something new and amazing," she smiled.

"Yes, Ms. Dawn," they answered.

The rest of the class left, except for Draco. "Ms. Dawn?"

"Yes, Draco?"

"What's 'show and tell'?" he asked.

"Well, you bring something you think is amazing or important, and then you tell us why you think it's important or amazing," she explained happily.

"Oh, so if I bring my blankie I could say it's important because it keeps me warm at night?" Ms. Dawn nodded, glad to see he understood. "Oh, okay!"

He ran out the room, then down the hall. He stopped when a claw caught him, turning out to be Ember.

"H-Hey, Ember," he shakily smiled. "Is… do you need something?"

Ember shook her head softly. "I just want to tell you something," she said. She held her claw out to him, confusing him momentarily. "You're supposed to shake it."

"Oh." He carefully put his hand in her claw, shaking softly. "How come?"

"Because, this means I will be your… companion," she chuckled. "Should you ever have any problems, come speak to me."

"Oh. So, you're my friend?" Draco asked with a smile.

"If that's what you'd like to call it, yes. I am your 'friend'" she smiled.

Draco smiled happily to her, then glanced towards the door. "I gotta go," he said. "But, I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Of course," Ember nodded. "See you then."

Draco waved as he ran out of the building, running to his waiting cousin. "How was school?" Cadence asked with a smile.

"It was awesome!" Draco exclaimed. "I learned a lot about hostory, and math, and we had fun at gym, and I won the race!"

"Okay," Cadence giggled. "Slow down! Tell me all about it when we get home."

Draco just couldn't stop talking about all the fun he had with Ember and his classmates. Though the griffons and minotaur were a bit intimidating, they were really funny and respectful, but they did joke around a lot. He told her all about their hoofball matches, which Ember refereed.

He couldn't wait to go back the next day, and maybe he could see Rainbow Dash after school.

Author's Notes:

There we are! Sorry if the OC's are a bit poorly made, not really good with side characters. Anyway, remember to like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!

Goodbye… and Hello

Draco flumped onto the bed, sweating beside Rainbow from their race through the halls. "I wish… I was fast… like you," he panted.

"In your dreams," Rainbow laughed.

"Wanna… wanna play castle fort tomorrow? After school?" he asked.

Rainbow frowned slightly, then sat up. "I… I can't," she said.

Draco sat up as well. "Why not?" he questioned.

Rainbow sighed, then turned to him with sad eyes. "My Dad said tomorrow we're gonna move to Cloudsdale," she told him.

"So… I'm not gonna see you anymore?" Draco asked hesitantly. She nodded in response. "But what about the treasure? I need you to get it."

Rainbow smiled. "It's okay. You can still get it," she chuckled. "Just be brave, like me!"

He sighed sadly, looking at the toy staff she'd gotten him. "So, this is goodbye, then?"

"Don't be sad," she said. "When I'm older, I promise I'll come play with you. But you have to promise to be brave and get the treasure."

"I promise," he nodded.

The door creaked open, and Dasher poked his head in. "Rainbow, come on," he called. "We have to go. Say bye to Draco."

He went to wait in the hall, and Rainbow dropped down from the bed. "Bye, Draco," she smiled half-heartedly.

Draco showed his sadness more openly, frowning as he stood up. "Goodbye, Rainbow," he mumbled.

Rainbow stood there for another second, then quickly kissed his cheek. Draco gasped softly, staring dumbfounded at his friend, who had a slight tint of red in her cheeks. She galloped out of the room, leaving him alone. He gingerly placed his hand over the smooched cheek, still trying to process what happened.

The next day, Draco went to school with Cadence. Blueblood had gone ahead, leaving her to take him. "Why so glum?" she asked.

Draco sighed and adjusted his bookbag. "Rainbow said she had to leave to Cloudsdale today," he said in a low tone. "She said it's too far to come and play with me."

Cadence smiled and stopped to put a hoof around his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure you could visit once in a while," she assured him. "And you have lots of friends in school. Maybe they could come play?"

"Nah, their older," he said. "And Rainbow wasn't like them. I don't think they want to play with kid stuff."

Cadence sighed, then smiled when she remembered what her aunt told her. "Well, Tia said she's taking a new apprentice to the castle," she said. "She's a unicorn filly. I'm sure she'e be happy to play with you!"

Draco shrugged, hoping she was right. "Maybe." His school came jnto sight, cheering him up just a bit. "There's the school. Bye, Cadence."

"Bye!" she called as he ran into the yard.

Inside, Draco met up with Ember and sat down in his seat. The rest of the class had already assembled, and they were waiting on Ms. Dawn. "So what's castle life like, Draco?" Lily asked. "I bet it's full of servants and ponies that get you whatever you want."

"Not really," he said. "My Mommy says that even though we're royal, we still have to be nice to them."

"So, no special treatment or nothing?" Neon questioned. "That sucks."

"It's nice," Draco chuckled. "You just have to have somepony to play with you, or something to do. Sometimes, the chef lets me get some ice cream or even some cake!"

His classmates rolled their eyes at his young-minded interests. "Couldn't you request some service, Draco?" Ember chuckled. "Maybe a few new toys or the like?"

"My Mommy says only ask her about new toys, because asking everypony else is rude," he recited. "And I love all my toys!"

"A prince that doesn't abuse his status," Shadow chuckled. "You're way better than that nephew of Celestia's."

"You mean Blueblood?" Draco asked. "He's my cousin! He's really nice and smart and he even-"

"Nice?" Peck laughed. "Smart?! That pony's stupider than a timberwolf!"

"And he's so full of himself you'd think he actually fell in love with his reflection!" Shadow chuckled with her. "He's the reason Dune got sent here."

Draco turned to the silent stallion. "Really?"

Dune nodded. "We were both working on a project, a subtle paralyzing potion," he began. "Idiot knocked over a beaker and accidentally made a flash-freeze poison. The professor was put in the hospital for a few weeks and he blamed it on me."

"Are you sure you didn't, maybe, mix the wrong one?" Draco asked. "Blueblood is really careful. Maybe you did it by mistake."

Dune slammed his front hooves on his desk, standing up in his seat and pushing his face into Draco's. "Yes, I'm sure I mixed every potion right," he said in a low tone. "I don't care if he's your cousin. Don't defend him if you weren't there."

"Then don't blame Blueblood!" Draco exclaimed. "Maybe it was you that made an accident!"

Dune was ready to beat the tar out of him, but as soon as he heard Ember growl, he backed off. "You'll see. Your cousin is nothing but a self-loving, whining, brat that gets what he wants too easy," Dune huffed. "And he doesn't make it a secret he hates you."

"He loves me, since I'm his cousin," Draco grumbled sitting back down.

"Sorry class, I had a hard time finding today's lessons!" Ms. Dawn explained. "Now, everypony turn to page 18."

Draco waited for a book to levitate over, but when one never came, he raised his hand. "Ms. Dawn, what about me?"

"Draco, come with me," Ms. Dawn waved a hoof. Draco stood from his desk, getting shrugs from his classmates as he walked by.

He followed her into the hallway, where his curiosity reached it's limit. "Did I do something bad?" he asked.

"Of course not!" Ms. Dawn assured him. "You've been nothing but good in my class. But, after what you showed me a few days ago, I asked your mother if it would be okay if I taught you away from the other kids."

"Am I doing bad on tests?" Ms. Dawn giggled and wrapped her hoof around his shoulder.

"Draco, you're a very smart colt," she smiled. "I only want to teach you more advanced lessons."

"Ohhh, I get it," Draco laughed. "What are the lessons like?"

She motioned for him to follow her into another class. "This room used to be for gifted ponies, minotaurs, griffons, and dragons, but since most of them are in their own lands, this is just used to keep supplies in," she explained.

At the flick of a switch, the light above turned on. Near the back of the class was piles of boxes labeled as supplies. He sat down in a random desk at the front, and a large math textbook flopped down in front of him.

"I want you to read this as fast as you can," she directed him.

Draco nodded, then opened up the book. As soon as he got to the first page, the symbols went through his mind before he had the chance of reading. Just like the other day, he started flipping through pages as fast as he could. The words and knowledge were stored in his mind, and even as he read, he remembered every last line. Ms. Dawn was startled by the rate at which he was reading. It looked like he wasn't even reading at all!

Draco was on autopilot as he passed the two-hundredth page. It felt like he was going faster, and the text just kept coming and coming, and he just kept processing it. With one last flip of the page he shut the textbook and panted hoarsely, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. He looked up to Ms. Dawn, who looked unsure of what just occured.

"Did you-"

"-understand it?" Draco asked. "Yep."

"What's two times-"

"…ten," he answered. She looked bewildered at him, then continued.

"The square root of 225 is-"

"-15."

"The circumference of a circle with a diamater of 2.5 is-"

"-7.85"

She went on with questions that got more advanced and more difficult for most students. Asking Draco was like asking a living answer sheet. He was even able to answer before she even finished. The students in the other room were barely halfway through the book, but he finished it in five minutes.

"Is it almost lunch time?" Draco asked.

Ms. Dawn shook from her thougts and giggled. "Almost. C'mon, I'll give you another book."

For the next twent minutes, she gave him textbooks of every subject, and he breezed through each. She wanted to see if it was only learning books that he memorized. As soon as he finished the four novels of the school year, she had her answer.

"Ms. Dawn?"

"Yes, Draco?" she smiled.

"Since I'm… ahead of the class, will I still go to school?" he questioned. Ms. Dawn nodded.

"Until the year ends you'll still have to come," she said. "But they'll be very busy until June."

Draco nodded in understanding. "So, about lunch?"

The bell rang, signalling their lunch period about to start.

"Go on, I think they'll be waiting for you," Ms. Dawn smiled.

For some reason, Draco felt like walking home alone. He really missed Rainbow, and without her it felt like the castle wasn't gonna be any fun really. His head was a bit spinny from all the volumes he'd read, some of the symbols lingering in his vision. It not only made him smarter, but it expanded his vocabulary quite a bit. Big words were simplified into easier words, like he knew it all along.

"Draco!" The boy stopped to turn around, seeing the dragoness run up to him. "Are you heading home now?"

"Yep," he nodded. "Don't you live somewhere else?"

"Yes, but I wanted to know of you were alright," she said.

"Not really," he sighed. "My friend, Rainbow Dash, left this morning because she had to move to Cloudsdale. Now I won't be seeing her as often."

Ember was surprised with his new grammar. "A few days in school and your speech has matured?" she chuckled with a raised eye crest. "You must enjoy it."

"It's alright," he sighed. "I just wish Rainbow didn't have to leave."

"Don't fret. You're very kind, I'm sure you'll make new friends," she assured him. Draco sighed and pulled his bookbag straps.

"Yeah, I guess," he sighed. "Well, bye then."

Ember nodded and turned to walk to her own home. The guards let him in, and he climbed slowly up the stairs. He could remember all the times Rainbow and him would run around the castle. His birthday was coming up again, meaning it would have been a year since they became friends.

He grunted when he bumped into the door. Opening the large wooden door, he noticed his mother wasn't sitting in her throne. Curious, he went to his mother's room to see if she was resting early. His mother was indeed there, but she was talking to somepony. Draco leaned to the side to get a better view of whoever she was talking to.

He saw a small, purple unicorn filly listening intently to his mother's words. She had a violet mane with a pink streak, as well as her tail. Her cutie mark looked like a six pointed star, with little sparkles around it.

"…and it is very important you do your absolute best," his mother concluded. "Remember, you can tell me if this becomes too hard at any time."

"Yes, Princess," the filly smiled. "When will I-"

"Mommy." Celestia turned around to her son, revealing him to the filly.

"Draco," she said with a smile. "I'd like you to meet somepony. This, is Twilight Sparkle. She is my newest apprentice and she'll be staying here in the castle for some time. Twilight, this is Draco. He's my son."

Twilight stared incredulously at the strange creature. Draco was used to the look, so he just waited for her to get over the initial shock. "Hi," he said.

Twilight glanced to Celestia, who only nodded. "H-Hi there," she stammered.

He looked at the textbooks sliding out of her small saddlebag, recognizing the first as a mathematics book and the other for magic. "Mommy, is Pan still in the kitchen?" he asked.

"He'll be leaving soon, so you should go catch him before he leaves," she smiled. "Maybe you could show Twilight around the castle."

He nodded softly, turning to the unicorn. "Come on. The kitchen's this way," he waved.

"Just follow him, okay Twilight?" Celestia said. "I just need to finish a few things before we start your lessons."

"Okay," Twilight nodded. She walked beside him into the halls, marveling at the architecture and stained glass pictures. "It's so nice here!"

"It get's old," Draco chuckled.

He held the door open for her, then looked around the kitchen for the chef. "Pan? Pan, where are you?" Draco called.

"In ze back little prince," he heard the Chef call.

"He sounds funny," Twilight giggled. Draco laughed and worked his way over to the chef.

"Welcome, Draco!" the chef smiled. "Another friend of yours?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. Princess Celestia's newest student," she happily greeted him.

"Chef Pan, at your service," he bowed, using his magic to take off his hat.

Twilight giggled, as well as the young prince. "Hey Chef, could I get a lettuce and tomato sandwich?" he asked. "Do you want anything, Twilight?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't-"

"Come now, young filly!" Pan chuckled. "I am here to serve ze princess, her son, and any of their friends!"

"But I'm not really-"

"Twilight, he loves cooking," Draco laughed. "He wants to make you something."

She stammered before nodding. "Can I get a daffodil sandwich?" she giggled.

"Zere we go! Coming right up!" Pan went to the back to get some daffodils.

Draco crossed his arms on the table and rested his chin on them. Twilight sat down next to him, put off a bit by his sulken mood.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Draco kept quiet, but tilted his head away from her.

"Nothing," he mumbled.

"Huh?"

"I said,'nothing'" he repeated, his tone neutral.

"Then why are you so sad?" Draco groaned and sat up straight.

"My friend left to Cloudsdale yesterday," he said, hoping she would just leave it alone. "She's the only friend that can come to the castle, since her dad worked here."

Twilight frowned sympathetically, then smiled softly. "I can be your friend, if you want," she smiled.

He nodded, not entirely sure about that. "Okay," he sighed. He wasn't sure if he should tell her about the treasure, so he decided to keep it a secret for now.

"Here zey are!" Pan announced. "Lettuce and tomato, and daffodil for ze pretty filly!"

Twilight blushed a bit but smiled anyway. "Thank you, Chef Pan."

"Please, only Pan!" he saluted. "Make sure not to stay too long! Your mother'll keel me!"

"Bye, Chef," Draco called.

"Nice meeting you!" Twilight said.

He gave another bow before leaving the kitchen. "So how did my Mom pick you?"

Twilight told him about her "magic overload" and how Celestia said she had much potential. As soon as they finished eating, the two walked over to where she would be staying in the castle. On the way, they passed the staircase that led to the treasure.

"Where does that go?" she questioned.

"Somewhere scary," he warned. "My cousin said monsters live up there."

"M-M-Monsters?" she stammered.

"Yeah," Draco said. "I almost opened the door, but my friend and I got too scared."

"Wow," Twilight gasped. "Did they chase you?"

"No," he sighed. "We got away before they saw us."

They continued on to her room. "So, you'll be staying here then?"

"Yep," she smiled. "I'll see you later?"

Draco smiled softly and nodded. "Okay. Bye."

Author's Notes:

You know what to do! Like, fav, comment, and have a wonderful day or night!

Nightmares

"And if you divide the number of magic per second by the distance-"

"Oh, I get it," Twilight said. "I thought you didn't go to unicorn school?"

"I don't," Draco laughed. "I read it somewhere."

Twilight scribbled the last of her answers down and hopped down from the bed. "Wanna play book fort again?" she asked with a smile.

"Nah," he said. "We did that yesterday."

"So, what do you want to play?"

Draco scratched his chin, then fiddled with his newly-growing teeth. They felt a bit pointier than his other eight. "Maybe… wanna play tag?"

She shrugged. "Not it."

"Not it."

They giggled, then he counted down with his finger.

"Not it!" they shouted in unison. "Not it! Not it! Not it! Not it!"

"Come on, one of us has to be it!" Draco laughed.

"Not it! Not it! Not it!"

Twilight grinned, then quickly tapped him. "You're it!" she giggled as she galloped out of the room.

"Hey, no fair!" he shouted as he ran after her.

He dashed into the hall, his feet sliding down the carpet as he turned a corner. Twilight got a head start, but he was much faster than her. He caught up quickly, reaching out to either grab her tail or tap her back. She glanced back, seeing Draco stretching his arm as he came closer. Her horn glowed faintly, and in a flash she was heading the opposite direction.

Draco halted and looked the other way, just in time to see Twilight blow him a raspberry.

When did she learn that?

He snapped out of his thoughts and bolted after her. Chasing her through the castle, Twilight kept using her magic to teleport behind or away from him. She would run to give her horn a rest, and vice versa. He chased her for over half an hour, up and down the different floors and various wings. He dropped to his knees, panting and sweaty.

When Twilight didn't hear Draco behind her, she peered over her shoulder, surprised he still wasn't after her. She panted lightly as she trotted back the way she came. The young prince was on his back, his chest heaving quickly. She giggled and walked closer, standing over him with a victorious smile.

"Give up?" she smirked.

Draco panted, covering his face with his elbow then laughing. Twilight understood why when she felt his hand tap her shoulder. "Tag."

Twilight giggled and sat next to him. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Where'd you… learn that spell?" he asked.

"Cadence taught me it," she replied. "Last week."

"I'm still… faster than you," he chuckled.

"And I'm still better at magic," she countered. Draco sat up and rested his chin on his knees.

"But you have a horn!" he laughed. "And I can't use magic anyway!"

After catching their breaths, they went to their seperate rooms in the castle. Draco brushed his teeth, changed into some pajamas and waited eagerly for his mother. He looked at the clock, gasping when it read 10:33. Just as he went for the door, a unicorn guard entered the room.

"Your mother will be working later than usual, Prince Draco," he said. "She says to sleep for now."

"But… but she promised to read me a book…" he trailed off. "Okay. Goodnight, mister."

The guard nodded, leaving the prince to himself. Draco went to sleep without his mother's wing draped over him. The blankets didn't feel the same as her soft coat, and their smell reminded him of nothing. He tried hard to fall asleep, but the more he tried, the more he tossed and turned. He groaned loudly, throwing himself onto the pillows.

Draco stared at the ceiling, focusing on nothing in particular. He imagined looking up at his mother, seeing that warm, gentle smile. She would sing him a lullaby, or read him a book, or simply just lay next to him. With his mother in mind, his mind slowly slowed, and his eyelids weighed heavily.

"Jro terekto! Igalo dosh nokar pojinet!"

"Galt, galt! Makti!"

"Unegt Doshu'um!"

"YAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Dush, dush, dush! Erega jrem sobalka firow!"

"Jra elska nega-AH!"

"Indonug! GRAAAAA!"

A large figure broke through the metallic wall, carrying a furry and bloody creature over it's shoulder. It tossed the body to the side and came over to the crying child. When it came closer, a terrifying metal mask was visible. Blood trickled out of an opening. Beside it, a smaller figure with vines and vegetative armor covering it's form grabbed him.

"Demila, acketol tur gont utamen norago."

The smaller figure shook it's head. "Gra. Endo itroen konako poqut nimif, Gonak."

A loud roar made them turn towards the hole in the wall. A massive horde of black creatures, snarling and drooling saliva mixed with blood, came sprinting for them. The larger figure put one hand forward. It glowed with a ball of energy that blinded his vision.

The entire horde vanished, as well as most of the burning trees behind it. He pulled him under his arm, just as five other men landed in front. They charged into the outside, where burning forests and bodies of two kinds layed about. Most were mauled and half eaten, others burning.

"Draco! Draco wake up!"

They fought through thousands of black monsters, yelling and roaring as their weapons cleared a path.

"Draco! Draco!"

More people were waiting for them, but they were all killed as the eight of them ran into a cave.

"Princess, is everything-"

"Bring me a doctor!"

An enormous tree in the distance, burning the brightest in the vast forest, tipped to one side. The grand tree toppled over, creating a shockwave that knocked others over. Then, they rocketed into the stars.

Celestia cried as her spells did nothing to stop her son's shouting. He spoke words that were incomprehensible to her, and all she could do was let the doctors wheel him away while he thrashed violently. She waited for two hours, waiting for any news on how he was. She saw him have nightmares. He would always cry for her whenever he had them.

But she never heard him scream. He never shouted senseless words. She had to admit, he'd been acting strange as of late. He constantly leaped up and down the steps, he ran through the streets of Canterlot often, and she even saw him jumping across rooftops. He promised not to do it again, but she could see the need in his eyes when he looked up high.

Even with his abnormal behavior, nothing could have hinted to something like th-

"Princess."

Celestia shook from her floor-bound stare and stood up quickly. "How is he?"

"He's fine. Calmer than before, but his brain activity is a bit strange," Dr. Injection sighed.

"What does it mean?" she questioned further. "May I see him?"

The doctor chuckled softly. "You're the princess. You don't have to ask me," he smiled. "But, there's something I need to tell you."

"What? What is it?" she nervously asked.

"When we were checking on him, we noticed something about his teeth," he began. "Most ponies have around 24-28 teeth."

"How does this relate?" she deadpanned.

"We had a dentist pony come in and check. She moved her hoof wrong, and three of his teeth sunk into her hoof." Celestia's eyes widened. "She's fine now, but from what it looks like, he has more canines than a manticore, which is at least 26-34"

"You're not saying-"

"Meat, is a part of his diet," he concluded. "And by the number of teeth, it's his main and maybe favorite food."

Celestia kept silent in shock, then trotted into the emergence room to see her son. He layed on his side with his back to her, his breathing making it obvious he was awake. She sat down next to him on the bed, nuzzling his cheek softly.

"Mommy, my teeth hurt," he mumbled. He shifted onto his back, a sad frown on his face.

Celestia used her hoof to gesture for him to open up. She stifled a gasp when she saw twelve sharpened teeth next to his flatter ones. "Are okay, besides your teeth?"

He nodded softly, hugging her just like any other time he was scared. She rubbed his back softly, rubbing her cheek on his. "I don't wanna go to sleep," he whispered. "I saw more monsters."

She sighed, giving him a kiss on the top of his head. "Don't worry. You won't be seeing anymore," she whispered softly.

She rocked him gently, humming to him his favorite lullaby.

"Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,

Smiles await you when you rise.

Sleep,

Pretty baby,

Do not cry,

And I will sing a lullaby.

Cares you know not,

Therefore sleep,

While over you a watch I'll keep.

Sleep,

Pretty darling,

Do not cry,

And I will sing a lullabyyyy."

She could hear his soft snores, and she held him closer. "I promised not to let anything happen to you," she whispered. "You'll be okay, Draco."

"You'll be okay."

Commander Silver grunted as he threw his uniform beside his bunk. "Did ya hear about the Princess' colt?" he heard a guard ask.

"Yeah, my marefriend told me about it," he heard Lieutenant Shining Armor say. "She said she's never seen the princess so upset."

"Well, her colt did wake up screaming and kicking around, not to mention going on about crazy stuff," the guard said.

"Which is why I expect you both to be ready for Contingency Delta," Commander Silver called. "That colt's been acting up lately, and I want the two of you ready for anything."

The other stallion saluted, but Shining Armor shrugged. "I don't see how much harm one colt can do," he said. "Do you think that's necessary?"

Silver walked over to the Lieutenant, towering by a good head. "Yes. We have no idea what he is, and since the princess is so blind to see the potential danger, we have to make sure he doesn't hurt anypony, should he totally lose it," he said in a calm, but intimidating tone. "Is that clear, Lieutenant?"

Shining stood straight and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Author's Notes:

If you've read my other fic - the one this comes from - you'll understand the dream. If not… read ahead and find out! So, as always, another update, and remember to like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!

Violence

Draco sighed as two Solar Guards marched ahead to check the streets adjacent to his. On the signal, he was motioned to walk, another two at his side and a fifth behind. He reached the school just in time, the bell and teacher usbering the students in. Ember waited for him, even if it meant she would be late.

"What are those guards here for?" she questioned.

"My Mom," he sighed. "Come on. Ms. Dawn's waiting for us."

They walked in and sat down in their usual seats. As usual, the rest of the class was instructed to turn to a textbook page while Draco sat in his seat. He stared out the window, a small sense of longing gnawing in his mind. He wanted so badly to jump out the window, land on the roof of the home next to their school, then climb the others. But his Mother said she didn't want him to do that, so he decided against it.

He felt a tap on his thigh, and looking down he saw a green tail holding a small note. Draco took it and uncrumpled it.

"There's more to what you're telling me, Draco. If it's bothering you that much, you must tell somepony."

Grabbing his quil, he scribbled down a response, then dropped it on the floor. They devised the note passing the first month of school. She would use her tail to pass him notes, and when he wanted to give her one, he'd drop it on the floor. Her tail slithered under his desk, taking the note and bringing it up to her desk. She sighed, then continued solving her literature problems.

The boredom made it impossible to think about anything but running, jumping, climbing and multiple other things. He opened a folder and took out a blank sheet of paper. Dipping his quil in the inkwell, he sketched quickly across the sheet. First a frazzled mand, then borders for the multiple colors, the face, a small body, wings, a cloud with multi-colored lightning.

He stared at the image of Rainbow Dash he drew. It was almost a year since she moved, but he still remembered all the times they played together. Speaking of which urged him to grab another piece of paper. He drew a horn, then a thoroughly brushed mane with three tones, another small body, her tail, and the sparkle-like cutie mark.

Twilight was really smart, and she was really nice. She was the exact opposite of Rainbow, but they still got along. She even taught him bookfort and secret passwords. And he almost never found her in hide and seek. That is, until he started smelling her. Her and every other pony he was within a block of. He still hadn't told his mother, because he thought she would only get more worried.

It did help him when Twilight was trying to sneak up on him though!

"Alright class, lunch time!" Ms. Dawn chirped. The students closed their books and made way to the school yard.

Draco grabbed his lunch bag and went to wait for Ember by their usual lunch table. He dug into his veggie sandwich, and as usual, he didn't like it. Chef Pan was an amazing cook, hooves down. But ever since he grew his canines he just… hated eating lettuce and tomato every single day. He just couldn't understand what he wanted to eat.

"Somethin' wrong?" Draco looked up, where Peck was gazing down at him.

"Not really," he sighed. "Do you need anything?"

She chuckled and sat down opposite him. "You suck at lying, little dude," she said. "Come on, what's up?"

Ember sat down beside him, opening her metal lunchbox and pulling out a large hunk of raw meat. Peck ogled the steak, but Draco started sniffing immediately. The smell was that of raw flesh: a bit smelly, not too enticing. But there was a small interest he had in it. It smelled very much like something… something… he couldn't say what, but it was familiar.

"Something wrong, Draco?" Ember asked. The two females recognized his staring, but they were just making sure before drawing conclusions.

Draco shook his head. "Oh… nothing, it just-"

"You've never looked at either of our lunches like that before," Peck smirked. He struggled to respond, and it gave them both a glimpse of his chompers.

"When did those come in?" Ember quickly asked.

Draco snapped his mouth shut. "It was a few days ago," he mumbled.

"You know what they mean, right?" Peck asked. Draco shook his head, and she put her lunch box on the table. She pulled out a much darker piece of meat, and the smell made him drool. "I knew it!"

"Draco, those teeth mean you have a love for meat," Ember explained.

Peck ripped her steak in half and handed him a half. "Try it."

Draco hesitantly took it, bringing it close to his mouth. Right under his nose, his instincts kicked in, and he snapped his jaw around as much of it as he could. His teeth sliced straight through it, and he chewed some before swallowing. It wasn't long before he downed the entire thing, his appetite being sated.

"I guess you really like meat," Peck laughed. "Don't worry, squirt. I'll bring you another piece tomorrow."

"Sure!" Draco smiled.

"But still, why did the Royal Guard escort you?" Ember asked.

"Oh, a few days ago-"

The entire yard silenced when the door slammed open. Dune stomped out of the building and threw his lunch onto the table. Heavy and Shadow glanced towards the three of them, then to the ponies near the swings. The groups shrugged, but Draco got up.

"Draco," Ember said. "Leave him."

"If he's mad, maybe he'll want to talk about it," he told her. "I'm just gonna try."

She held onto his wrist, then sighed as she released him. Draco went over, raising his eyebrow at Dune's angry mumbling. He sat down next to him, keeping silent when he noticed the boy.

"You okay?" Draco asked. Dune picked his head up, and Draco leaned back a bit when he saw the anger in his eyes.

"No, I'm not," he sneered. "Your goddamn cousin is the biggest prick I can think of."

"Blueblood?" Draco questioned. "He's not-"

"Your cousin, Draco, is the biggest douche slash flankhole I've ever met," he exclaimed. "I swear, even Neon's less annoying than him!"

"I take offense to that!" Neon shouted, giggling after.

"Stop calling my cousin names, for one," Draco said. "And two, what did he do?"

Dune stood up, and Ember sat so she was ready to charge at him. "Your cousin got two of the toughest unicorns to send my cousin to the hospital, and he hasn't even gotten caught!" he shouted in his face.

"It could have been-"

"Your damn cousin helped them!" he yelled. "My cousin has a magic concussion, a dislocated shoulder, and a cracked horn! You tell him I'm gonna kick his flank and see how he likes a broken horn!"

Draco stood up as well, getting angered by his threats. "You're not hurting my cousin!" he screamed.

"And who's gonna stop me?!" he shouted, pushing Draco back.

Ember started to run over, and Dune set up a magic field around them. The rest of their classmates ran over, sensing what was about to go down. Draco stomped back over and pushed Dune as hard as he could. Dune grunted and ran straight at him, his horn pointed straight for him. Draco's vision changed for a split second. He grabbed the unicorn's horn, using his other hand to grab hold of his leg. Every one of his classmates dropped their jaws when Draco tossed the biggest pony in their school across the yard.

Dune smacked his back into a red table, shouting in pain and writhing on the floor. The onlookers expected Draco to stand there, but then he started moving forward. Dune got onto his hooves, grunting from the soreness in his back. Draco uppercut him, making them all gasp as the unicorn was lifted off his hooves. Dune was on his back again, and Draco squatted over him to start punching his face.

Ember put Draco into a masterlock and pinned him on the ground, struggling to keep him down. "Draco… enough already!" she grunted.

"You engol about my tikado jro nagutsko!" he screamed. Shadow and Heavy checked to make sure Dune was alright, worrying when they realized he was unconscious.

"Peck, get Ms. Dawn!" Lily shouted. The griffoness nodded and flew into the building.

Draco still struggled to break free. He wanted nothing more than to beat Dune senseless, but Ember and Heavy's weight was the only thing stopping him.

"A fight?!" Draco winced as he heard his mother shout. "You get into a fight, and give your classmate a concussion?! Draco, who has taught you anything like that?!"

"But he was making fun of Blueblood!" Draco yelled back. "He said he was gonna hurt him because Blueblood hurt his cousin!"

"He what?!" Celestia exclaimed. She sighed, putting a hoof to her forehead. "That doesn't mean you try and beat a classmate! Throwing him was enough!"

"I was only-!"

"You're not going to school anymore," she said sternly. "I'll hire tutors, but you'll be staying here."

"But-!"

"ENOUGH, DRACO!" Celestia's voice boomed. "YOU'RE GROUNDED FOR THE NEXT MONTH!"

Draco whimpered softly, a tear trailing down his seething face. "I hate you," he mumbled.

"Excuse-"

"I HATE YOU!" Draco screamed. He ran out of his mother's room, leaving her stunned.

He ran to the one place he knew she would never look. He curled up and cried as hard as possible, sitting on the old hay of the Canterlot dungeon. He'd never see Ember. No Peck, no Neon, or Heavy, and Lily, and Shadow. He'd only ever see-

"Draco?"

He gasped, wiping the tears away and looking towards the entrance. "How did you find me?" he asked.

Twilight smiled lightly, coming over to sit in front of him. "This is your favorite hiding place, remember?" He would have hit himself, but he was too busy sniffling harshly.

"I hate my Mother," he sobbed. "I hate her."

"No you don't," she smiled. "Did she yell at you?"

He nodded, sniffling hard. "She said I can't go to school anymore, and that I'm in trouble for a month," he sniffled. "I-"

"Draco," Twilight said softly. "My Mommy says that when adults yell at you, it's because you did something wrong."

"But he was making fun of my cousin," Draco defended. "He said he would hurt Blueblood."

"But you have to tell the teacher," she insisted.

Draco stared at her for a moment, then buried his head into his arms sitting on his knees. Twilight frowned sadly, then shuffled next to him and hugged him hard. He couldn't see the slight tint of pink in her cheeks, but he let it all out while she nuzzled him gently.

Upstairs, Blueblood was groaning over his magic homwork when his aunt came barging in. "Tia, I'm studying!" he whined.

Celestia stood above him, obviously angry with him. "Did you hurt a colt at your school?" she asked calmly, which frightened him.

"W-Why would I-" He shut his mouth when Celestia's eyes narrowed harshly.

"Draco told me that you and two other stallions hospitalized a unicorn," she said with less serenity. "Is that true?!"

He gulped, beads of sweat forming around his forehead. "W-Well…" It was all Celestia needed to lose her head.

"YOU'D BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON FOR THIS!" she shouted. "THERE COULDN'T BE ANY REASON FOR YOU TO NEARLY PUT HIM IN CRITICAL CONDITION. YOUR BEATING ALMOST HAD YOU BEAT YOURSELF! DRACO FOUGHT JUST TO KEEP YOU SAFE!"

Blueblood winced with every shout, but gasped upon hearing his cousin's deed. Behind his aunt, Cadence watched and waited until her aunt was done. Celestia calmed down just enough so that she wasn't screaming.

"I'm grounding you just as long as him," she said. "No if, and's, or but's. And if I so much as hear you speaking down to him, you won't leave this castle until you're eighteen."

Blueblood lowered his head in shame. "Yes, Tia," he grumbled.

She huffed and marched out, giving her other niece an unsure look. Cadence walked in shortly after, smirking a bit. "And you hated him," she scoffed with a shake of her head.

"Look what's he's gotten me into," Blueblood grumbled.

Cadence used a blowback spell to throw him onto his back. Using her magic, she levitated him over, her own rage surfacing. "He not only stopped somepony from hurting you, but he always tells me how smart you are, how nice you are, but everypony - even Tia - knows you're the biggest flankhole in Equestria!" she shouted. "You have to be the luckiest stallion alive to have a cousin that loves you like him. And you're still the stuck up, bratty, filly you've always been."

She dropped him onto the floor, stomping out of the room to try and find her little cousin.

Author's Notes:

Here we are, just a little something for you guys! As always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peace!

The Other Guy

Draco watched and waited for Twilight to finish her magic equations. She had her tongue stuck out as she carefully and hesitantly finished the question. She moved it over to Draco, who went over the answers in his mind then looked at hers. He smiled widely and turned to the unicorn.

"You did it!" he exclaimed.

She jumped up squeeing, then hugged him hard. "I thought I'd never get it!" she laughed.

Draco helped her stuff the homwork into her bag, then went for his Guard plushie. "Okay, so I'll hide and you try to find me, but you can't look in the east wing."

"And don't hide there like last time!" she pointed her hoof. "That was cheating!"

Draco laughed and nodded. "Okay, go!"

He ran as fast as he could down the hall, made a sharp turn to run past the barracks, then ran into the utility closet. The maids used it to keep usual cleaning things: mops, brooms, buckets, soap, sponges and other stuff. He placed the brooms over him to act as cover while he squatted beneath them.

He stifled his giggles when he heard small hoofsteps running around outside his hiding place. The door opened slowly, and he was ready to jump out since she found him.

"Where's Draco?" he heard his cousin's voice.

"Oh, he's hiding somewhere," Twilight chimed. "He's a really good hider, but I'll find him!"

"I need to speak with him," Blueblood insisted. Draco quietly moved the mops around to look out the opening Twilight had left. "When you find him, tell him I want to talk."

Whatever it was, it sounded important. "Alright!" Twilight said with a smile. "I'll tell him after I win!"

She galloped off, forgetting where she was checking in the first place. When he was sure Twilight was gone, and Blueblood was heading the opposite way, Draco left the closet and ran after his cousin. "Blueblood!"

The blonde prince turned, and Draco stopped just a few feet from him. Blueblood sighed with annoyance, since he'd been hoping he could just tell Cadence he at least tried.

"Yes, I was," he sighed.

"What is it?" He'd never heard Blueblood looking for him, so he knew it had to be important.

Blueblood lowered his head and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Hmm?" Blueblood snorted and glared at his cousin.

"I'm… sorry," he emphasized each syllable.

Draco stared at his cousin for a minute. "For what?" Blueblood narrowed his eyes, and his brows furrowed.

"What do you mean 'for what'?" he nearly screamed. "I apologize for mistreating you."

"But you've been so nice," Draco laughed. "My hands are always dirty, so I know now I can't dirty your nice. And since you're always so busy, you can't play with me or come see me. It's not your fault!"

Blueblood was either staring very hard, or glaring just as much. His cousin had to be the most idiotic, ignorant, autistic creature alive. He was going to tell him, but then he looked at that smile. Whenever he intended to put him down, it did the exact opposite. Draco actually thought he was looking out for him, when he wanted nothing to do with him. Why was this colt so blind to his intentions, even when his other friend, Raining Crash or whatever, said it herself? Was he just that stupid?

Or…

…did he really believe him? Did he take every insult as advice, because he was just trying to ignore him, or mock him? Or did he really admire him, and listen because he looked up to him?

"Blueblood?" The prince snapped back to reality and looked at his cousin.

He motioned for Draco to come closer, then whispered in his ear. "Just, this once," he warned. Draco smiled happily, wiping his hands on his shirt and pants to clear off any grime.

He wrapped his arms around Blueblood and squeezed gently, trying not to get overexcited. The prince put a hoof around him, letting the boy have it his way for once. When seconds turned to minutes, he cleared his throat, signalling Draco to move back.

"Right, so, I'll see you some other time, Draco," he said formally. Draco smiled widely while his cousin walked down the hall and rounded the corner.

"Found ya!" Draco jumped up, then spun around and saw Twilight giggling. "I knew you were in the closet!"

Draco laughed. "Okay, your turn!"

"Actually," Celestia said as she came closer. "It's bed time, Draco. Say goodnight to Twilight."

Draco's smile vanished completely, his mother's entrance reminding him of his punishment. "G'night, Twilight," he sighed, giving her a hug.

"We'll play tomorrow, right, Princess?" she asked. Celestia glanced to her son, who was looking away from her.

"Maybe," she said. "Now head to bed. You have your first exam tomorrow morning."

Twilight nodded, galloping to her room while Draco started for his own. "Goodnight, Mom."

No "Mama" or "Mommy" or even "Ma." Ever since he was grounded, it was simply "Mom" or "Mother." She preferred neither. He still had that bit of anger, and he never wanted to have anything to do with her. His nightmares still came, but he preferred crying alone or trying to stay awake. Whenever she tried to console him, he'd shuffle away or even leave to sleep in one of the empty guest rooms. She wanted to see the son that loved seeing her, that would go to her for anything.

She'd do anything to have him back, but she was only drifting farther and farther apart from him. Celestia sighed softly as she made her way to their chambers, where Draco had already taken his position at the far side. She settled in gently, so as not to disturb him, but the weight shift made that harder. Even with his back turned to her, she could tell he was awake and looking out the window.

She nuzzled his head, but he shrugged her off. "Goodnight, Draco," she whispered. "I love you."

He curled up tighter, refusing to look at her. Hours passed, and he turned back to see his mother sleeping with a sad frown. His own guilt surfaced briefly, but she had him grounded for a month, so it left quickly. He huffed and went back to staring at the window, until he glanced at the toy staff.

"Just be brave, like me!"

Taking a cautionary glance to his mother, he slowly got off the bed and grabbed the Star Swirled the Bearded staff. He put some socks on, then quietly snuck into the hallway. Creeping through the mostly empty corridors, and hiding from the few guards still awake, he reached his cousins quarters. He left the staff outside, and snuck in. Cadence was snoring away on her bed, a textbook underneat her head. Blueblood slept more regally, with his breaths even and calm. Draco went over to his mare-cousin's dresser and started quickly looking through them.

He found all sorts of fashionable dresses and capes, and a few weird-looking socks, but nothing amazing like Blueblood said. The next drawer had some of her school supplies in it, and a few mirrors and makeup bags. He sighed silently as he reached the third drawer. He moved the clothes aside, then gasped when he saw it.

A sparkley golden cape embroidered with silver near the borders, and a velvety-red silk inner layer. It had to be it. This had to be the cape that would keep him safe.

Draco slung it around his neck, tying the threads tightly near the base of his neck. He snuck back out into the hall, picking up his staff and sneaking towards the guard barracks. He had to stifle his giggles from their ears, since their snoring was louder than Cadence's. Draco wondered how they didn't wake each other up. After taking a guards helmet and getting out, he stood in front of the abandoned tower entrance.

He adjusted the over-sized helmet on his head, and nervously gripped his staff. "Be brave," he told himself. "Just be brave, like Rainbow Dash."

With an audible gulp, Draco started up the stairs cautiously. The howling winds were even worse on a windy night like this one. And without a light, things got pretty dark fast. The golden cape offered some illumination, but he could only see a few inches in front. He yelped when his foot missed the landing, and he jumped up pointing his staff all around.

With a sigh of relief, he looked at the terrifying door carvings. His shaky hand pushed opened the metal door. A plume of ancient dust blew into his face, making him cough and wheeze for a moment. He put a foot in, then the other, and slowly entered the forbidden room. It looked almost like his mother's but everything was black and what looked like a dark-blue.

His foot pressed down on a rope, and he heard a bunch of screeching sounds. His heart beat rapidly, and he looked around for the source. The frantic spinning made him run right into the skeleton of a unicorn, it's eyes glowing red. Draco screamed as he struggled to throw it away from him, just as another skeleton draped in dark wizard robes fell on him. He thrashed around, falling into the floor and seeing another skull.

A draped ghost-pony swooped above him screeching, making him use his staff to try and hit something. He screamed all the way, from when he finally got up, to when he started stumbling over to the balcony. The skeleton's robes covered him, and put the skull right in front of his face. His scream cut off as he felt himself trip over the ledge.

A new terror surfaced when he finally threw the skeleton off, and he saw the castle below him. He screamed as loud as he could, crying as well while he fell. The beating in his chest worsened as he saw the castle coming closer. He'd be another stain on the roof, or he'd crash through and splatter on the carpet or marble of the halls.

No.

Draco gasped, then screamed as a massive migraine shot through his head. A strange tingling passed over his body, just before he smashed through the roof. He crashed through marble and wood into a heaping mess on the ground. Every bone in his body was broken, but he was still breathing, even if his rib was jammed through one of his lungs. The helmet was dented and crushing his skull.

He cried in pain, hoping somepony would come soon to help. Or if the pain would just go away.

I can help.

He whimpered silently as the migraine pounded his head even more, and parts of his pajamas felt wet. The side of his head also felt bloody, but he couldn't tell either way.

Be well, child. We still have the one responsible to end.

Draco tried yelling, but all that came out was bloody gurgles and grunts. His legs began to crack and slither under his skin, the same for his broken arms. The rib puncturing his lung pulled out, realigning itself with the rest of his rib cage. Though he didn't know it, his nose cracked back into place along with an ear and his limbs. The gored wounds from the structure closed painfully, but otherwise he was fine.

Now. Let me show you what you should have done long ago.

Draco screamed loudly as the migraine reached maximum pain, then his mind went berserk. All the times Blueblood gave him helpful advice, his mind seethed with rage and hatred. His mother yelling at him and grounding him made his mind get even angrier. And the fight with Dune was what peaked his blood-boiling rage.

His eyes turned completely dark, and his other canines came in. His nails sharpened slightly, and he roared as demonically as possible.

"BLUEBLOOOOOOD!"

Author's Notes:

You all know what to do.

Check out the parent story of this alternate dimension right here: To Call the Moon My Own. It's a drastic change, but I hope you all like it! It's my main fic (which I should start the next chapter for) and first story. So as always, like, fav, comment, check out my fic, and have an awesome day or night!

Unleashed

Blueblood's ears perked up when he heard howling. He shrugged it off as the wind, then snuggled back under his covers. But he couldn't close his eyes when the door to his room opened. He groaned and sat up, his blurry vision trying to make out who it was. The figure climbed onto his bed, and Blueblood flicked on the lamp beside his bed. He yelped when he saw his little cousin bloodied and glaring right at him.

"Draco, what-?!"

"Jro util ot pikol jra." Blueblood shuffled backwards when he noticed the black in his eyes. "Jram unjia eket jro!"

He roared demonically in his face, waking up Cadence abruptly. "Blueblood, what's-"

"GRAAAAAHHHHH!" Blueblood ducked under Draco's fist, which broke through the marble wall.

"Cadence, help!" he shouted as he tossed Draco off the bed with a spell.

Cadence fully realized what was happening and jumped out of bed. She watched in horror as Draco stood up, baring his sharp teeth, and growled. He roared again as he leaped straight at his cousin. Cadence teleported Blueblood out of the room, and into the guard barracks.

Some of the guards woke up from the bright flash, including Shining Armor and Silver. "What are you doing here?" Shining groaned.

"Draco's trying to kill me!" Blueblood exclaimed. "He came into my room and tried to kill me!"

"Blueblood, I know you don't like the colt," Silver grunted. "But Draco's not that kind of… whatever he is."

Blueblood went to insist, but the ceiling exploded, and Draco dropped in. The rest of the guards woke and looked at the young prince, snarling at Blueblood. He lunged again, but the colt teleported into the hall and started galloping. Draco broke down the wall and gave chase on all fours. The guards each got their hooves and turned to their commander.

"Contingency Plan Delta is in effect," Silver ordered. "The colt is out of control. Everypony gear up!"

They all reached for their armor, except for one. "Where's my helmet?"

Shining Armor was ready first, and he galloped full speed to find Cadence. Blueblood shared the room with her, and if Draco tried killing him then she could be hurt. He saw the carpet was blackened and disintegrating from the prince's footsteps. He bumped into his marefriend, and he sighed with relief.

"Where's Draco?!" she exclaimed. "We need to find him!"

"The guards are going," Shining assured her. "What happened?"

"I was asleep, and then I heard this awful scream, and I woke up and saw Draco try to kill him!" she babbled quickly. "Something's wrong with him!"

"Don't worry, we'll get him." He stood to join the squad passing, but Cadence stopped him.

"Don't hurt him," she said sternly.

Shining nodded, then galloped after his unit. Cadence took flight to her aunt's chambers, while Draco chased after Blueblood near the throne room. The teenage colt ran up the steps, but his cousin leaped over his head and blocked his path. Blueblood tried running back down the stairs, but Draco grabbed his tail and tossed him onto the throne. His stomps cracked the marble through the deteriorating carpet.

"HRRRRRRRRRAAAAA!" he roared as he jabbed his right arm forward. Blueblood yelled and fired a bolt into his face, making him fall down the stairs.

Blueblood waited for him to get up, but when he just laid there, the prince climbed down cautiously. He poked Draco, getting no response. The platoon marched into the room, Shining and Silver leading them. They both gasped at the seen, then galloped over.

"You shot him?!" Shining shouted.

"He was trying to kill me!" he shouted panickedly. "I almost-"

Draco grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him up high, shocking the ponies. "Draco, stop!" Shining shouted.

"Draco juv nokat!" the boy's guttural voice yelled. "Jrall efek Blueblood!"

Silver teleported Blueblood beside him, then tossed him back with a knockback spell. "Take Celestia's nephew somewhere safe," Silver told Shining.

The two galloped away with two other guards, while the rest surrounded Draco. A twisted grin spread across his face, then he bared his teeth. With another blood-curdling scream he lunged forward. He sent two guards flying back, just as two unicorn guards fired magic bolts. Draco's small torso and face took the hits, but he endured and punched one then kicked the other. They too were sent backwards, into more behind them. More unicorns tried blasting him, but he took the bolts like nothing and pummeled more of them. He tossed more and more to the side as he fought his way through to the door he saw Blueblood leave through.

A significantly stronger blast hit him, making him eat the carpet. Growling loudly, he stood up and turned to the Commander. Silver stood with a dozen other guards, each of their horns charged and their spears pointed. Draco roared again as he charged, the guards doing the same. He took one's spear and stabbed him in the head, then used the blunt edge to knock out another. He locked spears with the other ten, his advanced strength forcing them back.

He pushed them back, grabbing three of their weapons and swinging them around. The guards were thrown into the wall, and collapsed with broken limbs. The last of them tried blasting him again, but this time he put his hands in front. The mark glowed, and their magic bolts froze mid-air. Their different colors turned black, and Draco charged his arm back. He thrusted his arms forward, sending the bolts in one massive ball. Some were able to throw themselves out of the way, except for four unlucky souls.

The sphere didn't stop until it blew up the far door, leading to the main entrance of the castle. Seeing the tall buildings urged his primal instincts, and he ran for the outside, but a continuous beam distracted him. Silver kept up the magic beam as he slowly gained ground on the berserk prince. Draco roared loudly, his arms burning viciously. He cut the beam quickly, and used a levitation spell to toss him across the room. The boy recovered immediately, then charged the Commander.

Silver fired his magic again, but Draco endured as he got a hold of the Commander. He kept running even as he held the large unicorn up, smashing through the opposite door. Wall after wall was smashed as he kept going, Silver going limp after the sixth marble obstacle. Draco pummeled all the way through to the other side of the castle. He stopped and tossed Silver into the courtyard.

He coughed up blood and grunted as his armor kept his chest crushed, his helmet already having been torn off. Draco came over, then started punching through the armor and into him. Silver was long gone before the fifth hit, leaving Draco to beat the dead pony and bloody his arms and torn pajamas. More guards surrounded him, shocked to see their Commander being stabbed by the boy's arms.

Celestia, along with Cadence, pushed ahead of the stallions and gasped. "Draco!" The boy turned to his mother, but she could see this wasn't her son.

"Jro… jro iaga ut Heraj ot hem nok," she heard him growl. But it wasn't her son's voice. Draco kicked Silver's body off to the side, and slowly made his way over to Celestia.

"Draco please, stop it!" Cadence exclaimed. "You're hurting these ponies!"

"I not Draco!" His family gasped. "I am Doshu'um! Signa! Ashla! I… I'm… GRAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Draco gripped his head in pain, and roared to the skies. His eyes regained their white, and his hazel irises returned.

"Dra! I won't… gaft ent!" His nails dug into his scalp, and he stumbled around. Celestia galloped over and kept him still.

She charged a spell, and at the tap of her horn, she entered his mind. The feelings of hate and anger encompassed her, something she had felt once before.

Leave this place!

Her mind searched through his until she came upon a giant door. It was partially open, and a glowing black eye locked gazes with her.

Leave my son alone!

Your son?

The creature chuckled throatily, then growled and used a massive paw to pull her closer.

This child is the offspring of beings greater than you, Ichima. You and your ponies have given him much to make him angry, and thanks to you…

His chuckle only fueled her own growing anger.

…his body will… will be… Grah!

She saw the beast thrashing around behind the door.

Draco. This… this… no… no not again. I'm not losing somepony else!

She regained control of her own body, and her son was still thrashing around in his own. Celestia wrapped her hooves around him tightly, and hugged him with all the love she could give.

"Please, Draco," she whispered. "Don't give in. I love you, Draco. Mommy loves you very much."

Cadence did the same and held him tightly, grunting as he kept fidgeting violently. "We all love you, Draco," she soothed him. "We're right here for you, little cousin."

Blueblood pushed past the rest of the crowd, having seen the broken fake skeleton in Draco's landing spot. His guilt, for once, got the better of him. He trotted over, and much to Cadence's surprise, hugged Draco as well.

"Relax, Draco," he said. "This is all my fault, and I'm truly sorry."

Draco heard each of his family's voices, and the darkness receded. Their hopes were high when he stopped thrashing, and his body returned to normal. A tear fell from Celestia's chin when Draco looked up to her, his body still soaked with blood. He pushed them away and ran into the castle, passing Twilight who was being kept back by the guards.

He ran into his mother's room and went to the farthest corner, where he huddled up and sobbed quietly. The blood on his arms wiped off some on his bloodied pajamas. The door opened, and his mother sat next to him and hugged him. He buried his face in her coat as he sobbed uncontrollably, holding her as hard as he could. She did the same, never letting go of him.

She rocked back and forth while trying to keep her composure, humming a small lullaby to him. His sobs slowly faded after some time, but he kept his head against her. She nuzzled him gingerly, at the same time rubbing his back soothingly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. She opened her hooves and let him look up at her. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I didn't want to hurt them. The monster made me-"

"Shh," she hushed as she put a hoof to his mouth. "I know."

He leaned back into her, a few sniffles being forced. "What am I, Mama?" he sniffled. "Am I a monster?"

"Of course not, Draco," she whispered.

"But I hurt them… lots of them," he sobbed. "I was just so mad… but I didn't want to hurt them, Mommy. And it wanted to make me hurt you… but I didn't want to."

"I know you didn't," she soothed him. "It's alright now, Draco. The monster's gone."

"It's inside of me," he sobbed. "I'm a monster, Mama."

She struggled to keep from crying as he sobbed softly. "It's okay," she whispered. "Mommy's here. Mommy's here."

They hugged as hard as they could, and Celestia nuzzled him continuously. Cadence and Blueblood watched from the door, along with the rest of the Solar Guard.

"Mommy's here."

Author's Notes:

Yep. If you'd like to know more about Draco, or you want to see the original story, check out To Call the Moon My Own. As always, like, fav, comment, be sure to check out the link, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

What's Best

"I can guess why you called me back here." Celestia rubbed the sides of her head while the dragon king waited at the bottom of the steps.

She sighed, still shaken by her son's roars the other day. "I thought he was just being like other colts," she said in a low tone. "Just angry by the punishment. But… he wasn't my son a few days ago. He killed my best guard… my friend, as if he were nothing."

The king glanced over to the broken wall, and crumbling spots on the far wall.

"I don't know what he is, what he's capable of, or if I can keep him safe from that… monster," she said, her voice beginning to crack. "I'm not asking. I'm begging you, to take him."

"Had enough of him?" Celestia glared venemously. "I kid. But in all honesty, why now?"

"I have no idea what to do," she admitted. "This… thing inside of him… It didn't seem to be able to have full control. And it said it used his anger. Dragons are the most self-controlled."

"We need to be, or else we would destroy our own mountains," King Draco said.

"Which is why I need you to help him control himself," Celestia continued. "I've taught him kindness, and love, and everything else I know, but I can't teach him that kind of discipline."

King Draco nodded, pacing around for some time. "Are you sure?" he asked. "If you do this, I can't guarantee when he can return. It could take years, decades even."

Celestia nodded sadly. "If it means he is safe, I'm willing to wait," she said. "But please, this war has to stop before then."

King Draco nodded again. "Of course," he smiled. "You have my word he won't be harmed. Would you like a moment to say goodbye?"

Celestia nodded, and the dragon king walked into the halls outside the throne room. She walked slowly to her niece and nephew's room, having them follow her as she went to Draco's room. Twilight was playing checkers with him on the bed, and when he saw them come in he got off the bed.

"What's going on, Mama?" he asked. She sighed softly, then kneeled to be eye-level with him.

"Draco," she began. "You're getting big now, and you're starting to grow up. You'll be going with the dragon king for a while, so he can help you."

Draco gasped. "But, the dragon kingdom's all the way across the world!" he exclaimed. "You're coming with me, right?"

Celestia shook her head softly. "I can't. The ponies need me here," she smiled half-heartedly. "Don't worry. I'll send you a letter everyday, and I promise you'll be fine."

Draco looked at his cousins, then to Twilight. He had to leave, and not only lose more friends, but he could never see his family again.

"Why?" Celestia dreaded that question. "I don't wanna go. I wanna stay here with you and Twilight!"

"You can't, Draco!" she sobbed. "I can't… I can't help you with all these duties. Please, I'm only doing this because I want to know you're safe."

"But you have all these guards!" Draco cried. "And you and Cadence are strong! Please, I don't wanna leave!"

Celestia pulled her son close, and her niece and nephew joined in on the embrace. Draco cried into his mother's mane, Twilight wriggling past his cousins to hug him as well.

"I promise, it won't be long," Celestia whispered. "We'll be together again, Draco. I promise."

Draco sniffled, wiping his nose and turning to Cadence. "I'm gonna miss you, little cousin," she smiled with a few tears falling. He hugged her tight, then looked at Blueblood.

This time, Blueblood hugged him close with a small smile. "Remember, always wash your hooves, head high, and be good," he said sincerely. "I'll miss you as well."

"Thanks, Blueblood," he sniffled. The only goodbye he could say now, was with Twilight.

"Does he really have to go?" she asked her mentor. Celestia nodded. She hugged Draco, and he held her tightly. He hated saying goodbye to a friend.

"Goodbye, Twilight," he sniffled. She sniffled as well, but smiled.

"Maybe you'll learn more about dragons than any Equestrian," she giggled. "And you can tell me all about them."

Draco chuckled and nodded. "Yeah," he whispered. "When am I leaving, Mommy?"

"In a few minutes," she reluctantly said. "Get your bag, and your plushie."

He nodded, and he packed his drawing book, some quils and inkwells, and finally his Solar Guard stuffed toy. His family escorted him out, while Twilight stayed behind. An idea came to her, and she galloped as fast as she could to her room.

Draco glanced at some of the guards, noticing their weary expressions. "Mama?"

"Yes, dear."

"Can I say bye to Chef Pan?" she nodded, alternating their route to the kitchen.

The famous cook was mixing together a dish for the Senators and Representatives. "Alo zere, Draco," he nodded, knowing what was happening. "Come to zay au revóir?"

Draco laughed lightly, then hugged Pan. "I'll miss your food, Chef," he whispered.

"And I'll mizz your smile when you ask for more," Pan chuckled.

"Are you ready to go?" Cadence asked. Draco kept silent for another second, but nodded reluctantly.

They escorted him back to the throne room, where two large, blue dragons stood beside a much taller, green one. "Hello, Draco," he bowed formally. "I am King Draco, of the Dragon Kingdom."

"Hello," he bowed. "We have the same name."

The king glanced at Celestia, who nodded softly. She turned her son and gave him one last hug. "Mommy loves you. Never forget that, Draco," she whispered.

"I wont, Mama," he said just as quietly. "I love you, too."

He seperated from his mother and approached the dauntingly tall king. "Are you ready?"

"WAIT!" They all turned to see Twilight galloping in with a small doll in her magic aura. She halted in front of Draco and levitated it in front of him. "Here."

"But, that's your Smarty Pants plushie," Draco pointed. "You said it's your favorite."

Twilight nodded. "I want you to have it," she smiled. "So you don't forget me."

Draco held the plushie a bit stunned, but it gave him his own reminder present. "Then take mine," he said, holding out his guard toy. "So you don't forget."

Twilight took it and nodded. Draco looked to the king knowingly, and he gestured for the boy to follow. He kept up with the king's long strides, and as they reached the door, he turned back to wave at his family and friend. He didn't notice the last tear that fell from his mother's cheek.

The crowd outside murmured and pointed as he followed the dragons to the courtyard. An enormous dragon was laying on the grass with a large platform strapped to it's back. It looked like the chariots his mother's guards used. The king reached down and picked him up, placing him beside the straps to climb on. Draco sat down, then gasped as he looked across.

"Hey, Draco," Ember chuckled.

"Ember? So, you're-"

"My daughter," King Draco chuckled, sitting down beside Ember. "She's spoken highly of you, and your strength."

Draco could've sworn he saw her green scales tint slightly red. "Father, please," she mumbled.

King Draco chuckled slightly. "It's my honor to have you staying with us, Draco," he grinned. "I can have my fastest messengers personally send your letters to your mother."

"Thank you," Draco nodded. "How come you never said your dad was the dragon king?"

Ember shrugged with a smile. "I assumed you knew," she chuckled. "And you never asked."

Draco shook his head with a laugh, then glanced one last time to the castle. King Draco nodded to the gigantic dragon, and they shook slightly as they took off. With a low roar they took off, stabilizing as they reached a higher altitude. Draco turned in his seat and stared at the Canterlot Castle shrinking as they flew. He watched even when the clouds obscured his home, and even when they passed over the Equestrian border.

"Bye, Mama."

4.2 Trillion Miles from Equestria

"Agner, Derekosh, Fermot, Jaqeluu!"

Four giant men equipped with armor leaped down from their perches on the unknown world and came to their eldest. "Hruuk dit dot, Jerosh?" Jaqeluu questioned.

Jerosh swiftly pressed different holographic buttons and brought up a map of the galaxy. A circle naming each area scanned around the spiral nebula until it stopped on a particular solar system. They zoomed in, showing a scan of the world.

"Geft drot, igato lok, nagsha," Jerosh listed. "It jrem yuroshmo, Reku'un'et grak Heraj'et utoon ungafid verk-"

"Jrem jijak ot ungt dinaf," Derekosh finished. "Hraak'et heytop jrem?"

"Ut vigad dot dimagi, jrem volk ungo jrem retaka," Jerosh said. "Grak-"

Snarling nearby made each of the brothers draw their weapons. Jerosh equipped his bright green sword, Fermot taking his stance with his twin daggers, Derekosh dropping his hammer head onto the dirt, Jaqeluu pulling out his staff, and Agner swinging his spear to the ready. Furry, black, animals started appearing from the foliage, wielding their own weapons and armor. The brothers made a defensive circle, their bodies changing into different elements.

"Sobalka," Jerosh muttered.

"Jrem ting Reku'un grak Heraj bakev, dro?" Jaqeluu chuckled.

"Dro. Hüg jrem vekevol hrem drek trarg'et," Derekosh snarled.

"HIYAAAAA!"

Author's Notes:

There we go, another update! As always, like, fav, comment, and get ready to start learning about Draco's heritage. Peaces!

PS: Check out To Call the Moon My Own. It'll give you a heads up if you go far enough, but it's also the original universe. So yeah, peaces!

New Home

The dragon mountains were beautiful. The snow covered peaks were the exact opposite of the grassy plains beneath them. Draco could see volcanoes even farther off, but even their sheer intimidation added to the beauty of pure nature. There was only one thing he wasn't okay with.

It was freezing.

"Does anyp-pony have a sweater?" he shivered.

"Anyone, Draco," the king chuckled. "That terminology refers to ponies."

"S-So, no sweater?" he asked again.

"I'm afraid not," King Draco chuckled. "Dragons have internal fires that warm our bodies."

"But aren't dragons cold-blooded?" The two royal dragons, and and their guards, laughed.

"Did you read that in a fairy tale?" Ember asked. "Every other species compare us to reptiles just because of our scales and tongues."

"We're warm blooded, like you," King Draco said. "Though our predecessors' bodies have adapted to severely hot conditions."

"Oh," Draco said. "So where's your castle?"

"We don't live in castles or buildings, Draco," Ember chuckled. "The mountains themselves are our homes."

He realized what they meant as they started flying upwards. Draco held onto his seat, while the dragons simply sat with amused grins. They made a sharp turn into a large cave with several other dragons of varying sizes waiting. The massive carrier-dragon landed beside others of it's kind. A squadron of dragon fighters awaited their king, getting a grip on their weapons when they saw the strange creature. They calmed themselves when their king raised a claw.

"He is the Equestrian Prince," he explained. "Prince Draco."

They could see his enthusiasm with the same name, but they only nodded. "Sire, I've readied the fighters," an orange dragon said. "When do we march onto Gryphos?"

"What's he talking about?" Draco questioned. Ember and her father exchanged glances, deciding unanimously.

"The dragons are at war with the griffons," King Draco lied. "We're sending a group of fighters to begin our assault."

Draco's eyes widened. "S-So it's not safe?" he stammered.

"We're fine here, Draco," Ember assured him, putting a claw on his shoulder. "They can't climb this high. Only a dragon can fly this high."

Draco nodded. "So… where am I gonna sleep?" King Draco gestured to his daughter.

"I need to coordinate the sqaudrons," King Draco told Ember. "I'll see you both in time."

The two nuzzled briefly before the dragon king walked off with several armored fighters. "Come on, your room's this way," Ember waved.

Draco followed close to his one friend in the new kingdom. There weren't dragon guards in the tunnels, only torches and lots of other intersections. He noticed how much warmer it was in the mountain than it was outside.

"Why's it so warm here?" he asked.

"Does it bother you?" Ember smirked. "I'm kidding. We built this cavern system above a dormant volcano."

Draco slowly halted, Ember doing the same a few steps ahead. "We're… on top of a volcano?" he asked fearfully.

"A dormant volcano," she reminded him. "We dragons aren't reckless like those minotaurs. We take decades or centuries to determine whether or not a mountain is suitable."

Draco sighed with relief, catching up with Ember. "Did they have guest rooms, or is it for me?"

"For you," Ember grinned. "My father is very… calculating. He knew you'd one day come to stay with us."

"How did he know?" Ember shrugged in response.

"I wasn't sure either, but he had a strong belief you would," Ember chuckled. "He's not like most of our past rulers. They were always looking for a war to fight, or a meadow to set ablaze. My father wanted to make it peaceful for us, but he's never turned down the opportunity for war."

Draco could see the mix of sadness and disappointment in her eyes. "You don't like fighting?" Ember raised her head and gave him a stern but friendly smile.

"I've learned for two years how to fight," she said. "I would fight if I could, and I'm happy my father is looking out for our kind. It's just…" She shook her head and sighed. "Just-"

"You don't see him a lot," Draco finished. "It was like that with my Mama. She has to work a lot, and she gets really tired from all her hard work. I played with her sometimes… and she used to read me stories… and… sing to me…"

Ember frowned when she saw his attitude sullen from his memories. It had only been a day's journey to get back to her home, but she could see how homesick he was. She moved closer and wrapped an arm around him, he in return looking up to smile at her.

"My father would show me how to make shapes and pictures out of my flames," she said with a smile.

"That sounds cool," Draco laughed. "Maybe you could show me later?"

"I'm not so sure," Ember stammered. "I haven't practiced, and I've only done it for a year."

"Still, could you show me?" he asked. Ember sighed, then nodded reluctantly. "Awesome!"

They turned down a smaller corridor, which had two final turns. She opened the thin, stone door to the left and motioned him in. Draco gasped as he gazed around the room. His bed was not only bigger than his mother's, the entire room was furnished and decorated with gems. His dresser was made completely of silver, the bed was supported by emerald instead of wood, there was a small desk made of ruby, and his nightstand was carved from sapphire. He plopped down on his bed, sighing contentedly as he sank into the mattress a bit. Ember chuckled at his actions.

"So you like it?" she chuckled, glancing at the usual furniture.

"It's amazing!" Draco laughed. "Does your place look like this, too?"

Ember nodded. "Although, my room is mostly ruby and pearl," she smiled. "I'll give you some time to settle in. And Draco…" He turned back to her. "…it's nice having you here."

Draco nodded softly. "At least we'll be closer friends, right?" he laughed.

Ember nodded, amused by his still-innocent mindset. "Right," she nodded back. "My father will have a messenger dragon outside your door at all times. Whenever you want to send a message, hand it to him and he'll bring you any letters in response."

Draco nodded again. "Got it." Ember smiled one last time before closing his door and going to her own.

Draco reached into his bookbag and pulled out his only belongings. His blanket, sone parchment, quils, inkwells, and the Smarty Pants plushie. He sighed softly, thinking back to the day before. Grabbing a slip of parchment and his writing tools, Draco sat down on the chair and put the paper on the desk. He wrote out a small letter for his mother, making sure not to smudge his writings. Once the letter was written, and he was sure it was dry, he rolled it up and went to the door. Stone doors proved to be much heavier, but he was able to get it open just enough to slip through. A tall, winged dragon stood at attention and turned to him.

"Um, can you take this to my Mommy, please?" The messenger nodded, putting the scroll in a small case and sprinting down the tunnel.

The speed the messenger was running at astonished him. The only time he'd ever seen somepony go that fast was when he and… Rainbow Dash… raced in… Canterlot. Draco sighed and went back into his room, shutting the stone door for the last time that evening.

Griffon/Equestrian Border

"Hey Tails, come check this out," Talon called.

The scout partners regrouped and the older griffon took the telescope. "What am I looking at exactly?" he asked. Talon sighed and adjusted the angle.

"All those posts are empty, beak for brains," he groaned. "Are they giving up?"

"Equestria's never given up a war," Tails muttered. "Always diplomacy or fancy magick's. So what could it be this-"

"Uh, Tails," Talon stammered. "When's the next dragon migration?"

"Four years from now. Why?" Talon smacked the scope away and pointed to the sky.

Thousands of dragons flew through the skies, some descending quickly on them. Dozens of wingless dragon fighters were dropped in lower heights on the ground, overrunning other outposts along the griffon border. Two giant dragons hopped onto the platform and pointed their spears in the griffons' faces. The two dropped their weapons and raised their claws.

"Guess we lost," Tails chuckled.

Author's Notes:

Remember, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day! Or night. Whatever. Peaces!

Different Lessons

Dear Mommy,

We got to the dragon kingdom today. It's really nice, but it's really cold too. My room's made out of gems, and it's really cool. Did you know dragons are warm-blooded? Ember said they're ancestors grew scales because they used to live in really hot places.

I really miss everypony. Make sure Twilight isn't given a lot of homework, because she needs help sometimes. And tell Cadence and Blueblood and Twilight that I said hi. And Chef Pan, too! I love you, Mama. And I'm sorry for saying I hate you a long time ago.

--Love, Draco

Draco's stone door rumbled as it slid open. The torch light in his face was as bright as the sun, so he opened his eyes slowly. "Wake up, Draco."

Draco sat up, rubbing his eyes then focusing them on the king's face. "Is it morning already?" he yawned.

The king chuckled, placing a pile of clothes sent from Celestia on his bed. "Change into one of these and come to me outside," he said. "Quickly."

King Draco left the young prince to change, which he did sluggishly. He put the rest of his clothes in the gem-crafted dresser and went into the stone hall. The king gestured for him to follow, and they were soon walking through a very narrow tunnel.

"What are we doing up so early?" Draco yawned.

"Your mother told me about what happened several days ago," King Draco said, making the boy remember. "I'm very surprised that you alone put an entire squadron in the emergency room."

Draco looked to the ground, but gasped when the king stopped him and knelt down. "I didn't mean to," Draco whispered.

"I'm certain you didn't intentionally hurt them," the king clarifed. "The whole reason you are here is to make sure that never happens again. I need to teach you discipline, self-control, and serenity."

"How do we do that?" Draco questioned. The king guided him back down the small tunnel, where a single room was.

King Draco opened the steel door with his claws, pushing the two ton door to the side. Draco followed in after, taking a glance over the room. There was a sort of wrestling mat in the center, stone weights in the corner, and a sparring ring to the far left. The king grabbed a slab of rock from the side and put it on the mat. He took a smaller chunk and placed it like a seat beside the first one. He motioned for Draco to sit, then placed parchment and writing tools on the table.

"Write or draw." Draco shrugged, dipped the quil into the ink, then thought of what to draw.

He started drawing a set of hooves, then connected them to a large body. Next came the neck and head, which was longer than most ponies. He gave the tall pony a set of wings and a horn. The crown and collar piece came next, which had amethyst gems melded into each-

Smack!

The drawing was ruined, and Draco's quil was sent across the slab. He turned to the king with annoyance and anger. "What was that for?!" he exclaimed. The king put another piece of paper and cleaned the ink.

"Again." Draco grumbled under his breath, but thought of something else to draw.

He made a tall spire with smaller turrets and towers that connected to a castle. The gates and outer walls were massive, and two Solar Guards were posted on each side. The door that led to the inside of the castle was also enormous. More vast stained-glass lined the castle walls, the pictures only visible from the inside. Banners with the Equestrian flag flapped from their poles high above the-

Smack!

Draco clenched his fist and growled as the quil fell to the floor. King Draco cleaned the mess again, and put another piece of paper in front of him.

"Again."

Draco's eyes flashed darkly, and he spun in his seat and swung at the king. The dragon king leaned back to avoid it, then grabbed the boy's arm and pulled it behind his back. Using his other claw to grab his leg, he picked up the boy and pinned his free arm down with his leg. Draco struggled for a moment, snarling and writhing beneath him before coming to terms with his futile attempts.

King Draco let go and resumed his stand next to Draco's seat. "Again."

"What's the point of this?" Draco asked. "This is stupid if you tell me to draw and then you ruin it!"

The king could see the anger, but not the rage that showed a moment ago. "Self-control," he explained. "Your job is to keep drawing or writing while I decide from time to time to ruin it. I'll move your hand, burn your paper, or tear it to shreds, but you can't lose your temper. I'll also try to anger you whenever I decide, and you must bear through it."

Draco crossed his arms and sighed. "That's really tedious."

The king chuckled. "You're eight, and you know the meaning of that word?" he asked with interest.

"My teacher taught me high school stuff before I left," he explained. "I was reading at the skill of a twelfth grader."

King Draco raised a curious brow-crest. "Really?" Draco nodded. "Perhaps I can get you some books."

Draco shook his head and went back to drawing. He tried drawing simple things like flowers and trees, but King Draco noticed how indifferent he was when he was interrupted. He instructed him to draw something he did with his mother or with his friends. Draco started drawing the cake Chef Pan had made for him. The king waited a bit as Draco started putting lots of detail into the cake. He then drew his mother, Cadence, and Rainbow Dash smiling in front of him. King Draco spat a glob of magma onto the paper, incinerating it almost instantly.

Draco growled before turning to glare at the king. King Draco saw the black spreading from the outside edges of his eyeballs and slowly consuming the white. It only got so far before Draco took deep breaths and went back to his original position

If he didn't come to learn self-control, he could have destroyed the castle with that rage.

It reminded him of a dragon going into the "boiling" phase of their maturity. They were very prone to random rampages, which was the main cause of town attacks for most carrier-dragons. Smaller dragons such as himself and his fighters would just get short-tempers and want to destroy whoever and whatever bothered them. From what he heard from Celestia, the boy's rage increased his strength and primal instinct.

It went on for hours, just pissing off the boy and seeing to what extent did his anger need to go before he "changed." He only attacked two other times, each being when he drew pictures of either his family or a friend. His anger seemed to come from a protective instinct over his loved ones, but that wasn't the case in the castle. As he continued to annoy the boy, he formulated different scenarios akin to what happened the very first time.

If he was going to truly help him, he would need to understand what could draw out his other side. He promised not to hurt the boy, so it would be increasingly difficult to think of a way. It wasn't impossible, but it would be hard to think of it.

"So this is all we'll be doing?" he asked. "It sounds like I'm going home in a few months."

The king set his newest drawing aflame, making him clench his fist as hard as he could. "No. There are different stages for each phase. Right now, you'll only have this. Then, I'll have other dragons flicking you, tripping you, bumping into you, hiding your clothing, and many other things." He raked his claws across the drawing before he could finish the hooves.

The result was Draco losing it again and roaring as he tried kicking him. King Draco grabbed his leg and held him upside down, though he still kept swinging to try and lay a hit on him.

"Deep breaths, Draco," the king chuckled. "Calm down."

Draco snarled, but closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and slowly breathed. He still wrinkled his nose in anger, but showed that he was calm enough.

This will be interesting enough.

Draco downed the charred meat, then drank the water before asking for another serving. Ember watched with her jaw dropped as Draco was on his eigth slab of cow of the night. That too was devoured and another serving was requested.

"Did you eat this much in Canterlot?" Ember asked, watching the water drain into his mouth.

He burped in his mouth and sighed contentedly. "Kind of. Mama said I can't bother Chef Pan too much," he explained. "And they never had anything this good!"

Ember stared as he swallowed the last of his tenth beef steak. "It looks as if you've never eaten," she chuckled.

Draco burped again, laughing with the dragoness. "Hey Ember, how old are you anyway?" She frowned slightly, then turned her head to the side and sighed.

"Eight," she murmered.

"Huh?"

"I said eight," she said louder. "I just turned a month ago."

Draco's eyes widened a bit. "Really? You talk and look like your a teenager," he said. "Hey… that means… I'm older than you!"

Ember rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Dragons learn to talk by the time they're two, and we start being taught discipline when we turn six," she told him. "I've talked like this ever since my father begun teaching me."

"What about your mom?" Draco asked. "Is she somewhere else?"

Ember's mood changed instantly, and she lowered her gaze to her empty plate. Draco noticed this, and gasped silently as he put two and two together.

"Ember, I'm so-"

"Don't be," she sighed. "I've never told you. It wasn't your fault."

Draco was upset by her sadness, and he got up to walk around to her side. He tugged on her arm, surprising her. "C'mon," he smiled.

She followed him slowly, unsure of what he was doing. He brought her back to his room, then jumped onto his bed and layed down. "Mama says when you're feeling sad, just lay down and think of everything good," he laughed. "Everything funny, happy, silly, or even dumb works."

She raised a brow-crest and layed beside him. Her mind was solely focused on her mother's blue scales and green eyes. It was where she got the blue ripples and green eyes from. She got the green from her father, but she was much lighter than him. Following Draco's instructions, she thought back to when she was just four years old. Her father was off working, and her mother was crafting from lava.

Being a hatchling, Ember went to the pool of lava and scooped some onto an empty piece of stone. She had her tongue sticking out as she tried molding a cup for her Mommy, but the mush just wouldn't stay in place long enough. Growling angrily, she kept trying to hold the lava cup in place, but it just wouldn't stay. Just as she was about to throw a fit, her mother sat behind her and guided her claws over the lava. She breathed a long, cool breath over the lava-sculpture, making it cool and harden as she turned it on the rock.

Another memory came from when she was five. Her father was always reminding her that soon she would be taught her discipline, but her mother wanted her to enjoy what freedom she still had. They flew to a remote plain that had been recovering from a century-old war. There, a family of prairie-dogs were popping up from burrows in the ground. It wasn't hunting, just a little game. Since the dogs were terrified of them, they would hide quickly, but always popped up when they looked to make sure it was safe.

Her mother showed her that swiping at them when they popped up was tricky. They were by no means quicker than the small mammals, but it proved to be both fun and frustrating. Ember tried grabbing them, but they kept ducking down into their holes. At one point she was ready to shoot fire into the hole, which her mother then told her not to do. In the end though, she was tired from throwing herself around to try and get one. Neither of them hit any, though it was one of the things they would do regularly. It was the funnest thing she could remember about her mother.

Ember gasped when she felt Draco's finger wipe away a tear on her cheek. "It's alright," he smiled. "You have to remember she watches you and still loves you."

Ember gritted her teeth as she refrained from crying, but even her strong will didn't stop her from doing so. She was by no means a softie, but she silently cried, letting the steaming tears fall. She sat up and tried covering her face with her claws, which was useless since Draco already saw her. He sat up and went over the bed to hug her gently. She wrapped her wing around his back, trying to return the gesture.

"Maybe showing me those fire shapes'll take your mind off it," he said. She chuckled lightly, practically hearing the smile in his tone.

"I'm still rusty, so don't expect a mountain to show up," she warned playfully.

Draco sat back and watched as she steadied her breathing and adjusted her lips strangely. She puffed a breath of fire, which came out as a star. Moving her lips again, she let out another flame that formed a circle. Draco awed at the different polygons she was creating.

"Make a castle!" he exclaimed.

"I'll try," she said.

Ember took a deep breath, then quickly puffed five times to connect three towers and two main buildings. It was decent, but she was surprised she had even pulled it off. She made dozens more shapes, and even made a crude image of the mountain Canterlot was on. When she was out of breath, she layed back down beside Draco.

"You're really good at that!" Draco laughed. "And you said you weren't that good."

Ember's green scales tinted just a bit red. "Thank you," she forced herself to say. "I haven't done it for some time, actually."

"I bet if you keep practicing, maybe you could make a picture of me," he thought aloud. "Or your dad, or-!"

He giggled slightly as Ember's snores interrupted his ideas. She looked pretty tired, which was mostly his fault, so he let her sleep there. Snuggling up next to her, he blew out his candle and smiled at her one last time.

"Night, Ember."

Thousands of dark, furry bodies layed strewn about, black blood spread out like puddles. The five brothers panted heavily as their second day of fighting ended. Agner sat down beside an odd tree with only five giant leaves, while Fermot sat cross-legged to pray. Derekosh went about making sure the horde was eliminated, while Jaqeluu and Jerosh went over the plan.

"Ji Reku'un grak Heraj oft butiyago un dest ganko? (So Reku'un and Mother are somewhere on this planet?)" he asked.

Jerosh nodded. "Jrav vivitinak ut wetor oraz vot. Et Heraj grak jrem nugisham off yukil, jrill ev dreft (I've pinpointed the signal days ago. If mother and our youngest are alive, they'll be there)"

Derekosh joined them after placing the enormous hammer on his back. "Grak et dot'et u cavek? (And if it's a trap?)" he questioned.

Jerosh glared sternly at his younger brother. "They are Arthanian, Derekosh," he said out of his usual language. "They don't lay traps or plan ahead. They attack, kill, and move on. Mother and Reku'un are still alive. I know it."

"If it's this important you speak this language," Agner said. "What's the plan?"

"First, our ship must be repaired," Jerosh began. "Once that is done, we travel to the homeworld to assemble a fleet to retrieve the Doshu'um, and we bring him back to begin his training."

"And if the horde gets there before we do?" Jaqeluu asked. "They will get the transmission sooner or later. We must hurry if we want to get him in time."

"Yutak (Right)" Fermot called from behind them. "Grak uvigad brutek Neric. Dot'et hegaskimaq unt it uvakek midigat (And please speak Neric. It's disrespectful not to among family)"

"Refk. Jaqeluu, Jerosh, Derekosh, fugop ut bicanom. Et besfo novo nikat'ot ungoa jraf okki at wepot (Fine. Jaqeluu, Jerosh, Derekosh, guard the perimeter. If that horde wasn't alone I'd like time to repair)" Agner ordered.

The three eldest nodded, leaping off to find vantage points of the area. Agner went to the ship's engines with Fermot and examined the damage.

"Dot'et vort nukaz hunuk jrem'ek vigai Reku'un. Hruuk ed jro finka esh joork en gao (It's been years since we've seen Reku'un. How do you think he looks by now?)" Agner asked his older brother.

Fermot sighed, remembering the last time he saw their youngest. "Begantop driik Herod (Probably like Father)" Fermot smiled.

Author's Notes:

Hint hint. Hey guys! Another update, only several hours late! Remember, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peace!

Diffficult Task

"GRAAAH!"

Draco swung at the king again, but he simply ducked, put the boy's arm behind his back, and used his weight to pin him on the stone. As usual, his anger only persisted for so long. With a sigh, Draco relaxed his body, and the king got off of him.

"A year of this and I'm still drawing?" Draco growled.

King Draco slapped the back of his head with his tail. "Yes. Now keep going," he ordered.

As usual, Draco drew drawings of whatever he wanted. King Draco pulled his hair, put a bit of magma-like spit on his claw and poked the boy's side, then set the paper on fire. Nowadays, it wasn't true anger, just overdone annoyance that got him there. A whole year he'd spent trying to figure out ways to draw out that rage without hurting him, but it was apparent he'd need to do something soon.

Even as he thought, he bothered Draco by smacking his tail against him, or pushing his hand to ruin the picture. With a growl, Draco crumbled up the paper and tossed it away. He went on to draw again, but the paper burned before he started. He was ready to lose it before the king put a hand on his chest.

"Come with me," he ordered. Draco grumbled and followed the king into a different room.

The platform room was devised of several steam-powered pistons that pushed the blocks of stone from the floor, testing a fighter's ability to adapt. However, for young carrier-dragons there was also the dead weight in the ceiling. King Draco guided the young boy over to the center and had him stay there. He walked to the control levers and pulled several.

Five pillars of stone fell all around him, putting him on alert. "What are you doing?!" he shouted, a bit scared.

Please let this work

Pulling the largest lever halfway, a massive slab of stone came crashing down from the ceiling. Draco instinctively raised his hands to try and catch it, despite it's massive size. King Draco raised the lever just enough to make the block weigh him down, but not crush him. Draco grunted as his arms strained to keep him from being crushed.

"It's… too heavy!" Draco yelled, fearful of his life. "Stop it! Pull it back up!"

He did the exact opposite and pushed the lever down. The weight increased on Draco, forcing him to bend his knees. King Draco put on more weight, making the prince kneel and lean back with his arms parallel with his chest. He grunted in pain as his arms began to tire, and the thoughts of being crushed entered his mind.

A challenge?

That same voice.

This pebble will crush you boy? Disgraceful.

Draco's arms flexed with renewed vigor, and he curled his face up into a snarl. King Draco was just about to pull it back up, but his eyes widened when he saw the hundred ton weight going up. Draco yelled as he stood firmly on his own two feet, holding the stone above his head. With another deafening roar he threw it up. The lever pushed into it's original position, and King Draco turned to the boy.

His eyes were completely black, and his arms were spread out in a feral position. The boy's teeth showed, sharpened and threatening for blood. Roaring demonically, Draco sprinted on all fours towards the dragon king. Pushing off with his strong legs, King Draco leaped just above the raging boy, making him stumble and roll on his side. He ran over before Draco could get up, and put him in a masterlock.

But it wasn't enough to keep him down. Draco growled as he pulled his arms forward, making the king pull harder. Even with his added strength, Draco got his legs under him and started to stand.

"Draco! Calm down!" he shouted. "I never meant to harm you! I promised your mother I wouldn't, so calm down! Self-control!" King Draco reminded him. "Deep breaths, clear your mind! Deep breaths, clear your mind!"

Draco stopped struggling slowly, curling his legs and getting on his knees. His growls died down and his arms softened their protest.

"Deep breaths, clear your mind," he whispered. "Deep breaths, clear your mind."

Draco's silence broke into a sniffle. The king let go and let the boy cry alone, holding himself and thinking back to his mother. "I can't do it," he whispered.

"Draco-"

"I can't do it!" he screamed, turning to the king with teary eyes. "I'm just a monster! You can't control a monster!"

The king pulled him closer, sternly locking gazes with him. "It's only been a year," he growled. "You've made more progress than you think. It's taken me hours to get a fit out of you, and now I know what it is that can make you do this."

"I don't care!" he sobbed. "I just wanna go home! I'm tired of feeling this thing make me want to hurt everyone and everypony I see!"

"And what happens if you go back, and gods above forbid, you go into another rampage?" he asked loudly. "What if you kill more guards? What if you kill your cousins? What if you kill your mother?"

Draco gasped silently, processing his consequences at last. "I don't-"

"I know, Draco," the king said. "You don't ever want to hurt them. If so, then you have to keep going. No matter what you feel, no matter how many times you change, remember why you're doing this."

King Draco let go and stood back up. Draco wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up as well.

"Go on, I've kept you here long enough," he said softly. Draco went to the door and stepped out into the hall.

It's not just anger. Something's protecting him but using his rage to blind him. Why?

Draco went to his room, throwing himself onto his bed and laying face down in his pillow. The stone door slid open, and the creaking of springs - aside from her scent - told that Ember had come into the room.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Over the past year they'd done everything together. Played some dragon training games, like chasing each other and wrestling.

There were many other dragon children and teens, but he preferred to stay with Ember. "Not really," he sighed. He sat up and looked directly at her. "I can't go through with this Ember. I hate feeling… so angry. I wanted to kill your father. Then I wanted to get out and… and…"

He shook his head and buried his face into his hands. "And what?" she asked softly.

A small shudder rocked him as his previous thoughts returned. "I wanted to hurt you," he said as his voice cracked. "I wanted to kill you, then go to my mother and kill her, then Blueblood, then Cadence, then Twilight, then Rainbow, then-"

Ember put a claw on his lips, shaking her head. "Did you want to hurt them?"

"No," he sighed. "I love my family, and my friends, and you. I'd never want to hurt any of you. But that… thing keeps making me think like that and… I don't want to feel that again."

Ember's cheeks tinted redder than usual. "You… love me?"

Draco nodded. "You're really tough, and you're real nice, and my only friend here," he said softly. "Just like Rainbow Dash. I love all my friends."

Her cheeks returned to their green, and her tail stopped nervously swaying. She thought she was stupid for thinking he understood that kind of love. He was still a child, and right now he was facing something neither of them knew about. Still, he was her friend, and she was there to comfort him.

"It'll be fine, Draco," she assured him. A low ringing coming from her quarters reached her ears. "Please, just be strong. This will help you. Just have faith in my father. He'd never hurt you intentionally."

Draco nodded, then watched as she slipped out of the room before giving him one last smile. He sighed and laid back on his bed, remembering his old races with his colorful filly-friend. Ember was a much better wrestler, since her limbs were just like his. And she was really strong too, so there was always that unpredictable chance of winning or losing.

"Prince Draco." He sat back up, smiling with excitement when he saw the messenger, Flicker, lower a box carefully and hold out a scroll. "From your mother."

"Thank you," he nodded. He opened the scroll and quickly read over it.

Dear Draco,

I'm sorry I couldn't be there for your ninth birthday. Twilight is doing better than ever with her studies. She's very skilled with hooves-on magic learning. She reminds me of you when you'd stay in the library and flip through each book.

I wanted to send you a gift, even though I can't see you open it. I hope everything is going along just fine in the dragon kingdom. We miss you, and we love you.

--Love, Mommy

Draco smiled and went to his package, opening it carefully so as to not ruin the present. He gasped softly as he pulled out a high-powered telescope he'd seen in the observatory near the Canterlot library. And that wasn't all. Underneath the box carrying it, was a trinket from Blueblood and a wrist band made of gold and diamond from Cadence. A small note on it caught his eye.

Don't lose them! -Blueblood and Cadence

He chuckled and put on the two gifts. He recognized Blueblood's old neck trinket. It was a silver chain with a diamond-shaped sapphire gem with gold outlining it. The telescope was a T-14, with sensitive lenses and a zoom feature to get close-ups of stars and planets. Maybe Ember or King Draco could take him to one of the cliffs so he could stargaze for some time.

He put the box on top of his gem-carved dresser and then ran to his desk. Scribbling his thanks and a bit about his current situation with his "discipline training," though he left out the details.

Handing it to the messenger and watching him run off, Draco went back to bed. Maybe he'd finish here before the next year. He'd miss Ember, but maybe he could ask King Draco to let her go back to school with him. Then he could see Twilight, his Mama, Cadence, and Blueblood again.

"WHAT?!"

The griffon warriors cringed as the griffon king threw the messenger down the steps, breaking most of his hollow bones. Two of the armored griffons dragged the messenger off to the cellar while the griffon king fumed atop his throne.

"Sir, the dragons have pushed us towards the Grainz farms," one of his officers reported. "They can't hold out against an entire regime of dragon fighters."

"I don't care about those worthless feather brains!" he retorted. "The one chance to have Celestia at my talons and that damn scaled bastard takes him?!"

He rammed his fist into the arm rest of the throne, bending the golden piece. "We've had a few infiltration units cross dragon territory. A few of our spotters have seen him around the capital mountain."

Emperor Grypho rested his chin on his talon, thrumming his other on the opposite arm rest. As he murmured in thought, a small smirk crossed his beak. He stood up and gestured for one of his personal guards to come forward.

"Order each regime to focus on the Grainz mills," he said. "They'll try taking out our main food supply, so the bulk of their forces will be there. I want our entire army there, understand?"

The guard stared shocked at his emperor, but didn't want to anger him. "Yes, sir," he forcefully saluted.

The griffon guard flew out the room, and Grypho turned to his other guard. "Assemble the Black Beak battalion. I want an army over that dragon border," he hissed. "Go!"

Author's Notes:

Sorry again for the delay! As always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day! Or night!

Personal Satisfaction

10 years before NMM's return

King Draco sat atop his throne, listening to the newest news of the concentration of griffons. His best fighters were explaining the situation when a fighter crashed into the throne room. They rushed over to him, examining his mortal wounds. Arrows were embedded in his torso, and half of a spear was sticking out of his upper back. King Draco pulled out the spear, tossing it aside and picking him up.

"What happened?" he asked. The fighter gurgled his blood, but managed to spit it off to the side.

"They're… over the… southern m-mountains," the fighter forced. "They…"

The fighters lowered their heads at the loss of a comrade, but King Draco looked to the spear. Turning it over, he growled at the inscribing of a talon. He snapped it in half then burned the splinters.

"Sire," his top officer said. "The Black Beaks are in our territory."

King Draco sighed, resting the young fighter on the stone floor. "Let him rest in the eastern volcanoes. It was his homeland," he said.

"Sire." The body was carried out of the room, and King Draco slowly stepped to his throne.

The remaining officer followed closely. "Sire, what about the Black Beaks?" he questioned. "They are in our lands. You know why they're here."

The king sat down on his throne, sighing to himself. "That imbecile Grypho wants the boy to be in his favor," Draco said. "If he can't have that, he'll have the boy as a hostage."

"Then we must-"

"I can handle this situation fine," King Draco said calmly. "Have the boy pack his things. He'll stay in the north mountains until we wipe them out."

The officer nodded, running to the nearest tunnel.

"And…" King Draco called, making the fighter skid to a halt. "…my daughter. The Black Beaks are formidable. If they make it here I don't want my daughter caught in the crossfire."

"Yes, Sire," he nodded.

Draco was in the middle of meditating when the stone door was pushed aside. "Prince Draco," he panted.

The boy stood up and turned to the fighter, raising a brow when Ember came as well with a bag. "What's going on?" he asked.

"We're leaving," Ember said. "Come."

Draco followed behind them as they ran through the tunnels. "Where are we going?"

"Far from here!" Ember called. He was brought to the landing cave from his first day. "Get on."

"What about my stuff?"

"I took some of your things, they're in your bag on the carrier!" Ember said as she tossed her bag up then climbed on.

Draco sat down, two fighters sitting down beside them. "Can soneone tell me what's going on?!" he exclaimed.

"Griffon battalions are approaching," a fighter said. "You and Princess Ember will be taken to the mountains in the northeast until they are repelled."

He whistled once, and the carrier-dragon beneath them growled lowly as it's wings stretched out. It ran forward and jumped from the cliff, flapping once to gain stability. It glided down, then made a sharp left and flew forward.

"How did the griffons get this far?" Draco asked. "They'd have to go through Equestria."

"Or go around," Ember said. "It would take years to go around Equestria, but going over the southern mountains would keep them hidden until they struck."

"And they have," a fighter growled. "They wiped out a division and are near the King's mountain."

"But my father is back there!" Ember shouted, recently believing he would join them soon. "We have to go back!"

"We can't," the fighter beside her said.

"I'm the Princess and I am ordering you to go back!" she yelled.

"We are under strict orders by your father to disregard any orders by you or Prince Draco," the one beside Draco said. "Regarding going back, at least."

"We can't leave my father! He-"

"Ember," Draco said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure your dad can fight them off if he needs to."

Ember snarled lightly, but knew her father was more than a match in a fight. He was king for a reason. With a sigh she slumped back in her seat. "Please Father, just be okay," she whispered.

"Even the Black Beaks couldn't scratch a scale on him," the one beside her assured her.

"Who are the Black Beaks?" Draco asked.

"They are supposed to be the emperor's best warriors," the one beside him explained. "Not to mention his best lap dog's."

"They fought in each of the Equestrian wars, always wanting to gain more land," the fighter next to Ember said. "They are skilled ranged and close-combat fighters. They're also very cunning. They're the reason the Equestrian wars weren't ended sooner."

"But aren't dragon platoons in the Empire's borders?" Draco asked.

"The last two years have been difficult since the entire griffon army is holding out at their grain mills," the one beside him said. "It would be easier to send a carrier-dragon, but King Draco doesn't want to risk one to 'boil'"

Draco nodded, slumping on his seat and crossing his arms to keep warm. "We'll be fine, Draco," Ember said. "My father knows what he's doing."

"I know," he smiled softly. "I'm just a little tired."

"We'll keep watch," the fighter beside him said. "Rest until we reach the mountains."

It was all he needed to hear to nod off. His nap lasted for several hours before he was shaken awake. The dragon fighters were gone, and the carrier-dragon was groaning in pain. Draco looked over the side and gasped at the hundreds of arrows in the carrier. He heard thousands of little whizzing noises, and he saw a barrage of arrows heading straight for them. Ducking down onto the floor, the arrows flew like a swarm around and into the enormous dragon. It gave off another loud shriek of anguish.

"Ember! Ember wake up! Ember!" he screamed.

She jumped up, readying for a fight. "Draco?! What is it?!" she growled grunpily.

A bloodied arrow tearing through the floor answered her. They tilted towards its head, then the plummeted to the ground. Draco and Ember grabbed onto the huge saddle and screamed as they fell. Ember's scales kept her stiff in place, but the sweat on Draco's hands caused him to slip. The dragoness grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.

"Hold on!" Ember shouted, bracing herself.

They slammed into the floor, Ember being rendered unconscious and thrown into Draco. He wrapped his arm around her waist and grunted as the carrier-dragon tumbled through trees and boulder, some hitting Draco and nicking Ember. His left shoulder dislocated, forcing him to let go. He was thrown with the dragoness into a tree, where he was finally forced to let go as his spin fractured.

He could hear the massive dragon tumbling further through the small forest. Draco winced as he tried moving his arm, then let out a choked cry as he tried sitting up. It wasn't only his arm and spine: his ankle was twisted, a shin bone was popping out of his leg, and his left arm was bent inward. Though the agony was unbearable, he forced his head to turn to the side so he could look at Ember. She wasn't moving at all, and it didn't look like she was breathing either.

"Ember…" he groaned. She kept still on the ground, her left wing looking torn near the joint. "Ember… please… wake up."

A loud stomping of metal made him turn his eyes to the far bushes. A platoon of griffons in black armor came closer, one getting close to him and examining him. "He's still alive," he chuckled. "Tough freak. Emperor Grypho did say he wanted the thing alive."

"Captain," a griffon called. "This dragoness is still alive."

Draco eagerly looked back over to her, a flicker of hope entering his mind. "The king's daughter," another said.

The captain of the notorious military group smirked. "It's been over five-hundred years since King Draco cut our nation's land in half," he chuckled darkly. "Kill her."

Draco's eyes widened, and he tried clenching his fists. "No…"

The captain, and some of the griffon warriors, looked back at him. "And it can still talk! I thought your voice might have been-"

"Shut up," Draco growled. "Don't… hurt… her."

The captain glared furiously at him, then raked his claws across Draco's face. "Don't you dare tell me to shut up!" he yelled. "And don't interrupt me you abomination!"

Draco's eyes let tears fall as his arms failed to clutch the three bleeding claw marks. "Don't you… go… near… her," he forced himself to say. "I'll… I'll-"

"You'll what?" the captain asked, his followers luaghing a bit. The captain went over to Ember, dragged her body closer to him, then pulled out his sword. "Watch your little friend die, freak."

"No!" Draco yelled, ignoring the pain in his chest. "Leave her alone!"

The captain pulled apart two of her scales, revealing the soft flesh beneath them.

"I said… stop it!"

The captain put his sword above Ember, then yelled as he drove it down.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Everything froze, save for Draco. His arm bent back to it's right position and his shoulder relocated. The bone popping up from his leg realigned into place and his ankle turned into it's original position. The open flesh above his wounds sealed, and his spine cracked as it reattached itself together.

You don't want her to die, do you boy?

No. No! Why do you keep doing this?! You're not hurting her!

I won't hurt her, child. I'd like to make a deal. I control you-

No!

-for a moment, and once these fools are pieces of meat, you can help your little friend.

Draco looked to the Captain, almost stabbing Ember. She would die if he didn't do something, but if he let the thing loose he could hurt Ember himself.

How can I trust you?!

Because I am you, and you are me.

I'm not you! I don't want to hurt my Mother or my family or friends!

I don't want to either.

You're lying.

I can resume the world around you and let her die, or you can let me power you and protect her! Understand?!

He didn't have a choice.

Do it

The captain yelled as he rammed his sword down, but it never touched the dragon princess. The boy was holding his closed talons, keeping the sword from doing it's job. The captain struggled to pull his arm away, then shouted in pain as his talons were crushed.

"Jro yuvakef hyurt pof iit," Draco growled.

The warriors gasped in unison as their leader's head rolled towards them, Draco's fist hovering above the bleeding neck. He twirled the sword and stomped his right foot forward, roaring at the hundreds of griffons.

"COME ON!"

The Black Beak army charged forward, and Draco went to meet them. He slashed through four, stabbed a fifth then used his leg to kick another two behind him. Pulling the sword out, he chopped a griffon's head off then sliced another's in half. He caught an arrow before it could hit his face, and stabbed it into one's head. His sword broke off in a griffon's gut, making Draco growl and throw him into a group.

He raised his arms to block two spears, the heads digging into his forearms. Draco's mind ignored the pain, and he pulled them forward to heabutt one and ram his fist through the other's head. He pulled the two spears out of his arms and swung them around to cut the faces of ten more warriors. After tossing one away he parried and stabbed the warriors that were pushing him back.

He was pushed into a tree, seven other swords and spears pushing against his weapon. Growling loudly, he tossed them all back with a powerful shove. He punched his arm into the tree, swung his arm around, and uprooted it. The warriors were helpless as the log tumbled through their lines, crushing many of them. Draco roared at them, finally getting the message through their heads.

They were all gonna die.

Everything was fogged for a moment, and a splitting pain was in her left wing. Ember managed to open her eyes enough to see the ground, and the back of Draco's legs. The heavy scent of blood wafted through her nostrils. She groaned as she tried to move her arm.

"Don't," she heard Draco warn. His voice sounded… broken.

"What… ugh, what happened?" she groaned.

Draco walked to a nearby tree and carefully set her down. Ember gasped and shuffled against the tree. Draco's clothes were torn to shreds. Blood soaked shreds. His face was covered in the red liquid, and dozens of cuts covered her body. His hair was stiff from the dried blood, giving him an even more psychopathic look.

"Draco, agh!"

"Don't move," Draco warned softly, gently pushing her back against the tree. "How's your wing and your arm?"

She tried flexing both limbs, but she only grunted and muffled a yell. "I can't move them," she grunted.

"Just stay still," he told her. "We'll move in the morning."

He gathered sticks and soon had a fire going. He brought back hunks of meat that were seasoned and salted for preservation. She preferred plain raw meat, but it was all he could do. He helped feed her the flavorful dinner, at the same time helping himself to eight other ones he found. As the night fully descended upon them, they stared blankly into the fire, Draco just a foot away. Ember stared at the blood, and the slash marks over his body.

"What happened?" she finally asked. Draco kept silent, cupping his hands over the fire. "Draco. Draco. Draco!"

"I killed them!" he yelled. "I slaughtered those bastards, every last one of them!"

She could see that same rage, but it wasn't making hin go berserk. "Draco, you were probably-"

"No, Ember," he yelled. "I killed them. I stabbed them, ripped them apart, took of their legs and beat them with it! I know I was the one who did it! I wasn't going to let you die!"

Ember stared silently, then put the pieces together in her mind. The blood, the rips, the seasoned meat. "And how did you fix me?"

"I took bandage wrappings from their bodies," he said coldly. "And the meat, too. Your wing was broken, your arm was dislocated, and I patched up a breach in your scales on your back."

Ember reached around her side and felt the large bandages over a throbbing part of her body. She looked at her wing, but turned back to Draco when she heard him crying. He didn't hide his face this time. He was too tired to hide it, and his arms were sore from the beatings he took. Ember sat beside him and tried comforting him by nuzzling him gently. He'd never seen or felt her do that to anyone except her father, so his sniffles ceased quickly.

"Thank you," she whispered. Draco put his arm around her, careful to not touch her broken wing.

"You're welcome," he whispered back. They stared into the fire together, until the void of sleep overcame them.

Author's Notes:

Hey guys! Man, my updates are getting later and later. Sorry about that! Anyway, I just wanna introduce one more MAIN OC character before I take a small break. Don't worry, it'll probably be a few weeks or a month. Just need to refocus on my main fic, which I know some viewers are waiting eagerly for. So, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!

Helping… Paws

"Sire."

"What is it?" King Draco asked.

"We've received word from the mountains you sent the children to," his top officer said. "They haven't reached it."

King Draco stood up quickly. "What do you mean?!" he exclaimed.

"Their chariot never arrived, sire. And the Black Beaks haven't set talon near the mountain," he reported. King Draco's blood boiled over.

"Thos bastards!" he roared, smashing the arm rest of his throne. "They planned for this! Send every dragon not guarding the border to search the land between here and the northeast!"

"Sire, that could take months, even with all of our fighters," his officer warned. "The fighters have burned the griffon mills. I can have a platoon scan from the skies but a ground search will have to wait."

King Draco paced around angrily, growling lowly as he thought about sending the entire nation. His officer was right, there was a gap the size of Equestria to search. And since most of it was re-grown forest, it'd be even longer. If he pulled out the armies to help, he would draw attention from Celestia. Gods above knew he didn't want to tell her she had lost her son. With a growl, he sat down in his throne.

"Have a single platoon scan from above," he ordered. "Send three more to aid those in the Empire's borders."

"Yes, sire," the fighter nodded.

With Ember's body thrashed, Draco helped her limp at a snails' pace through the lightly wooded area. She needed to rest every few minutes or so, since she was still hurting from the day before. Her scales were looking dull and she only coughed up flickers of her true flame. Whether or not her wounds were infected was his main concern. He couldn't help that, and if they didn't find dragon mountains soon she would… she'd…

…They just had to hurry.

"Draco, slow down," Ember grunted. He set her down against a tree, letting her clutch her chest in pain. "I'm… sorry."

"Don't be," he said with a half-smile. "Just rest for a bit. We'll leave later."

He gathered more twigs and fallen branches to make another fire. They were running out of the griffon rations he looted, so he saved a portion for Ember. Cooking the dry, flavorful pieces of meat on a rock, he watched her laying with her eyes closed. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, some coughs coming out forcefully. She still couldn't use her own claws to eat, and now it seemed like she didn't want to eat. The more and more ill she looked, the more worried he was.

He wouldn't lose her. No way, no how. He'd lost Rainbow, but he wasn't going to let her die. After an hour of waiting for her to wake up, he kicked some dirt on the fire and helped her up. She winced after each step her left leg took. He made a mental note to bandage the leg whenever they got the chance.

The smell of wolves nearby made him bare his teeth and glance around. The pack wasn't too subtle with their movements, but they weren't too agressive. He made sure to keep any eye on them as he walked with Ember. They made several more stops for her rest, and the wolves still didn't attack.

What are they waiting for?

Cautious as ever, he got Ember back up and kept on down the path. Now that a few hours had gone by, Ember broke the silence. "Do you even know where you're going?"

Draco stopped, sighing lowly, then groaning loudly. "No," he grumbled. "Can you tell?"

"We should be between the northeast and central mountains," she said. "But the woods are too light. I think the carrier-dragon took us farther west."

He sighed with annoyance. "So we have no way of knowing?"

"Just about ri-AGH!" she screamed, clutching her sides. Draco quickly put her down and looked to see if an arrow or spear hit her.

She was fine on the outside, but she was still writhing painfully. "What's wrong?!" he shouted panickedly.

Ember panted hoarsely, the pain subsiding temporarily. "My… my legs… won't move," she grunted. "Draco… just leave me."

"Let me take a look." He uncovered the bandages from her back and gasped.

The scales were devoid of all color, and the flesh looked pale-yellow. Almost like it was rotting. The colorless sclaes were the same for her arm and wing. She was sick. Gravely sick.

The night was descending upon them, and he assumed the wolves would attack. He reattached the bandages and picked her up, making her groan in pain. He did his best to keep her comfortable, putting her head on his arm so it was supported. She wrinkled her snout and grunted a few times, making him lose more and more hope. She was in no condition to travel, even if he did carry her.

As the sun vanished over the horizon, Draco looked around for some sort of shelter. He spotted a cave under a cliff just off the path. Deeming it the only available cover, he carried her inside. It was quite humid and dark, but Draco could see enough to know where he was going. It wasn't deep, which was perfect for a day's rest.

"Just stay here, Ember. I'll be right back," he said to her, trying to get a response.

"Where else will I… go?" she chuckled weakly, lying unconscious again.

Draco sighed and leaned closer. "Just hang on," he whispered.

He went to go find more wood as fast as he could. The odors of various wolves reached his nostrils, and he looked around for any of them. They hid behind the brush, but he could spot all six of them. He was in a clear opening, surrounded and outnumbered. So why wouldn't they attack? Even they had to think they had a sort of advantage.

Carefully pulling a few low lying branches from their trunks, Draco carried the pile in one arm, just in case the wolves finally did attack. He made his way back to the cave, raising a brow when a scent different than the wolves and Ember reached him. The new scent made him speed into the cave, dropping the wood as soon as he saw it.

A large wolf… he thought. It had paws like one, ears like one, a snout and tail like one, but it was about as big as a normal pony. This one was too close to Ember for his liking, and it's bared fangs were showing it's readiness for a fight.

Draco stomped his foot forward and roared, although not as demonically as his previous ones. The wolf-pony hybrid snarled as it charged him, and Draco dashed forward as well. Instead of a well-placed snap of it's jaw, the hybrid spun around and kicked him. Draco stumbled back, then fell when it tackled him to the ground. He grabbed it's throat, putting his other arm under it and tossing it towards the mouth of the cave.

Before it could fully recover, Draco picked it up mid-charge and slammed it into a tree. The hybrid gave off a yelp, but used its hind-leg claws to stab his sides. Screaming, he headbutted the creature and tossed it above the entrance. It landed in a heap on the floor, a few large rocks falling beside it. Sidestepping a particularly large one, it pounced towards him with great speed. Draco grunted as his opponent knocked the wind out of him. He tumbled back, hitting the tree from before and stopping.

The hybrid growled lowly at him, glancing towards the cave. Draco stood up, jumped in front of the cave, and roared again. The two collided again, it's jaws snapping while Draco held it's front legs so it couldn't claw at him. He fell back, rocked on his back, and pistoned his legs out to send the wolf crashing into a rock that had fallen. It spat some blood off to the side, Draco doing the same and wincing as his breathing stretched the claw marks slightly. They opened some from the griffon fight, but he was depending on the thing to heal him.

"Just get out of here!" Draco snarled. The hybrid reared it's head back in shock, and Draco realized the action.

"You can talk?" it asked. The voice was definitely male, and intelligent.

"You can talk, too?" Draco asked.

"Of course," he growled. "Now get out of here."

"I was going to say the same thing," Draco growled back. "You stay away from her and me, you hear?"

"Wait… you're with the dragon?" he asked.

"Yeah. Now go before I have second-thoughts!" Draco yelled.

The hybrid sighed, getting out of its alert stance and into a more calm one. "I wasn't going to hurt her," he said. "She was injured, and I wanted to help until you came roaring."

"Well if you saw some weird-wolf next to your friend, wouldn't you assume the situation?" Draco sneered.

The creature calmly walked towards Draco, who lowered his arms and glared at the animal. He raised his paw up, offering a paw-to-hand shake. "Midnight Moon."

Draco looked at the paw suspiciously, but eventually took it with his hand. "Draco," he sighed.

"Just Draco?" Moon asked. Draco nodded. "Strange."

"You said you could help her," Draco said, much less aggressively than before. "Please, she's very sick and I don't know what to do."

Moon nodded, walking past the fallen rock with Draco close behind. Ember was still unconscious, but her breathing was steady for now. Moon used a single claw to carefully pull the bandages off of her back. He examined the infected area, then her wing joint and the sling. His eyes traveled over her swollen leg, meaning she needed bandaging.

"I did the best I could," Draco whispered. "Her leg might need some wrap, but I can't help with her infection."

Moon nodded, then howled loudly. The pack that had been following Draco came inside, eyeing him cautiously. Moon only barked and whimpered, but his pack understood and rushed outside. When they came back, they had brought different types of herb leaves and some flowers.

"Here," Moon said as he pushed a wood bucket towards Draco. "Fill this with water and bring it back. There's a stream just west of here."

"Got it." He ran to the small water supply, leaving the bucket to block the path and fill up a bit.

Before going back, he wiped the blood from his face and washed it out of his hair. His clothes were another issue, and since he lost his shoes during the fight, he was going around barefoot. It didn't bother, for some reason, but he preferred not wearing them. He ran back to the cave without another second to spare. Moon had set up the fire and a very thing rock pot. The flame seemed to be darker than the ones he made.

"Dump it in there," Moon instructed. The water soon boiled and Moon dropped the herbs and petals into it.

The perfume-like scent made his nose wrinkle and sting some. Moon's nose did the same, but he kept his under control as he dipped the bandages in them. Wrapping them and attaching them back onto Ember, Moon kicked dirt onto the fire and put the stone pot somewhere in the back.

"The infection's spread a bit, but she'll be fine in a few days," Moon said. "What are you, anyways?"

Draco sighed as he sat down next to the dragoness, happy to see she wasn't wincing anymore. "I don't know," Draco shrugged. "My Mother is a pony, but I've always been different. What are you?"

Moon laid down and crossed his front legs to rest his head. "I'm not completely sure… but my mother would tell me I am a wolf-pony," he said. "Half pony, half wolf."

"Then where's your cutie mark?" Moon shuffled his hind end to the side to show his cresent moon with a dark cloud in front. "Oh."

"Would the blood on you before explain her condition?" Moon asked. Draco sighed, hoping to not remember the feeling.

"She's the dragon princess," Draco told him. "There was a group of griffons called the Black Beaks. Her dad, King Draco, sent us both to the northeast mountains."

"I'm guessing you had a detour?" Draco nodded.

"I took a nap, and when I woke up our guards were gone, the carrier-dragon was badly hurt, then another storm of arrows killed it and knocked us out of the sky." Draco shuddered as he remembered the feeling of falling from that height. "My body was broken, but I made sure Ember wasn't hurt too bad."

"Wait, you broke bones?" Moon asked.

Draco nodded, ignoring his initial question. "There had to be a hundred griffons," Draco whispered. "They were going to kill her, then take me to Gryphos. I… I killed them."

Moon raised his head from shock and interest. "You killed them?"

"All of them," he growled. "Those bastards wanted to hurt Ember and I made them all gutesk inafig lokut!"

He did his best to calm down, crossing his arms and trying to forget. "And how long have you been traveling with her in this condition. More importantly, how are you still standing?" Moon questioned.

Draco looked away, doing his best to formulate an answer. "My bones heal really fast," he lied. "Just cuts and stuff don't heal too fast. And we've been traveling for a day."

"It's a miracle the infection didn't spread," Moon chuckled. "Your friend could have died."

"I know," Draco sighed. "I just didn't know what to do."

Moon shook his head softly. "I didn't mean it thay way," he assured him. "It's just good fortune you found me."

Draco nodded, then turned back to the black furred hybrid. "So how did you end up in dragon territory?" Draco asked, wrapping his arms around his legs.

The wolf-pony looked off to the side for a while, unsure of what to really say. "I was… I was um… I used to live in Canterlot."

Draco raised a brow. "Really? When?"

The question bothered Moon even more. "A thousand years ago," he finally answered.

Draco's jaw dropped. "B-But how? No pony besides my mother and Cadence can live that long," Draco stammered.

The hybrid simply shrugged. "Who's your mother?"

"Everypony calls her Princess Celestia," he said. "Cadence is my cousin. But how have you lived so long?"

Grtting over his original shock, Moon answered, "I don't know. I've lived thise long but I don't know if my time will come."

The sentence made Draco think back to some of the scary books Blueblood had showed him. "Like a curse?"

"Excuse me?"

"Y'know, a curse," Draco said. "Did somepony curse you? Did you do something really bad?"

"Of course not," Moon chuckled. "I've just stayed here for a thousand years. The wolves treat me as their alpha, so they're reliable when I can't do everything myself."

Draco nodded, then winced as he felt more blood trickle out of his side. "Ngh."

Moon looked closer and recognized the spots where he had stabbed Draco. "Sorry, again," he said as he went towards the back of the cave. He had herbal bandages, sewn from the various medicinal herbs and flowers and some leaves. Dipping them into the mixture, he wrapped it firmly around Draco's body. "It'll stop the bleeding, and it'll kill any bacteria that might've gotten in."

The boy nodded painfully, making Moon chuckle. "Shut up. You're lucky you have claws," he strained. "I still won."

Moon shook his head. "As if. I wasn't fighting at my fullest," he said with a smirk.

"Neither was I," he said half-serious, half-darkly. Moon looked at him with a rivaling fire in his eyes.

"Maybe once we get you back home, you and I can settle this," Moon smirked.

"You mean, you'll help us?"

"I'd do anything for a friend," Moon nodded resolutely. "We'll leave in the morning. With luck, we'll be at the main mountain region within a month."

A month seemed longer than he would've hoped, but if it meant getting back to the mountains, it would have to be done. Nodding softly, Draco nestled against Ember, shivering as her scales gave off more heat than before. She was doing fine, thanks to Moon. And as a bonus, he made a new friend.

They would be seeing King Draco sooner than they thought. And now, Draco had somepony else to wrestle with.

Author's Notes:

Midnight Moon is an OC by midnightshadow1! Thanks bro!

Anyways, here you all are, and expect one or two chapters before I refocus my attention where it is needed! As I said, I'll try not to deny you viewers what you crave! So in the meantime, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!

Old Friend

It had been weeks since Draco's last letter reached her, and no matter how many times she sent her own, there was no reply. With reports of griffons near the southern borders, Celestia was becoming increasingly worried. She had summoned the Dragon King several days ago, and per his messenger's word, he was making his way. If something was wrong, she would need answers, and she'd know if Draco wasn't with him.

"Princess," Lieutenant Shining saluted. "King Draco just arrived. He's in the courtyard."

Celestia teleported the stack of papers into her chambers and nodded. "Send him in."

Shining saluted and went to get their guest. A few minutes went by, and the dragon supreme with his personal guards came in. Shining waited near the door with a few of his own Solar ponies. Celestia stood up and walked down the steps until she was face to face with King Draco.

"Leave us," she ordered. Shining hesitated for a moment, but ultimately saluted and ushered his squadron out. "All of you."

The fighters turned to King Draco, who nodded without looking at them. They followed after the pony guards, leaving the rulers alone. Celestia inched her muzzle closer, a stern look over her features.

"Where. Is. Draco?" she asked.

The king stared at her for some time before sighing and lowering his head. "He went missing some time ago," King Draco admitted.

Celestia's eyes sharpened into a glare and her horn flashed brightly, slamming the dragon king into the far wall. "What do you mean missing?!" she yelled.

"It was an ambush! The Black Beaks tricked us into sending them to the northeast mountains!" King Draco grunted.

"They took him?!" she shouted. "You said you could keep him safe! If that griffon bastard so much as lays a claw on him-"

"They took my daughter!" he shouted. Celestia's glare softened slightly, and she let him back onto the marble.

"They took Ember?" Celestia asked in a low tone.

The king growled as his claws scratched the marble floor. "I wanted to keep them safe. But I walked right into their trap," he snarled. "To think, that I wanted to keep her safe… and instead she could be dead… or worse."

"What do you think I'm thinking about Draco?" she asked, half snarky, half sincerely.

The king glared up at her. "You haven't seen what I've seem," he sneered. "You're son killed hundreds of them."

Celestia's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

King Draco stood to his full height. "Near the carrier-dragon I sent them on, we found a clearing filled with Black Beak warriors," he explained. "It was… grisly. They were missing limbs, some their heads, and many of the trees looked as if they were thrown."

Celestia looked away in shock, then mashed her face into his. "You said you would teach him to control his anger!" she exclaimed.

"I have!" he retorted, pushing back. "He wasn't berserk! I've seen him lose it! He doesn't use his enviornment, or weapons! If he killed them, he knew what he was doing!"

The thought of that… animal working with her son was much to swallow. "I'm sending a regime of Solar Guards to search for him and Ember," she said. "You'd better hope they find them."

He nodded, then went to the door but stopped. "I've never once told my daughter how much I love her," he said across the room. "I've done my best to show it, but I know she needs to hear it. Please, give me that chance, Celestia."

She understood his pain, and she nodded softly. "Just end these griffons," she resolutely said.

Gryphos, Griffon Empire

A Black Beak warrior trudged through the emperor's halls. He knocked the door open, startling Grypho and his two female slaves. "What is it?" he asked agitatedly. "Where's Captain Pierce?"

"Dead," he panted. "We only have a dozen survivors in dragon territory. We're still searching for the boy, but the dragons overhead are making it difficult to track him."

Grypho stood up with rage in his eyes. "You lost the boy, and you're Captain was killed?!" he yelled.

"He's stronger… than we thought," he grunted. "He… did this."

He turned to the side, showing his bandaged stump of a hind leg. The wraps were leaking blood, and he showed immense discomfort. "A child, did this?!" Grypho screamed. "You disgraceful… just go back and look for the damn boy! Shove a spear through his stomach if you have to!"

Grunting in pain, the Black Beak member walked out of the throne room.

"Just three days' journey from here," Moon said. "How is your wing, Ember?"

"Much better," the dragoness nodded. "Thank you, again."

Draco felt a feeling he hadn't experienced before, and it felt… weird. "So, where are we exactly?" Draco asked.

"Just north of the main mountain. Don't worry, it won't be long now," Moon assured them.

They passed over a stream, and Draco helped Ember through the tide. "How's your leg, by the way?"

"The water is nice," she laughed softly. "I don't mean to bother you with this."

"It's fine, Ember," he smiled. "We're almost back to your home. I'm sure I can do this for another couple of days."

Ember smiled, then winced slightly as he pulled her out of the water. Moon was waiting at the other end, his ears perked up in alert. A wolf came limping from their front, whimpering and barking lowly to Moon. He returned his own gestures, and the wolf went to rest by a tree.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"He said there are pony guards up ahead," Moon said.

"Solar Guards?!" Draco asked, a bit excitedly. "My Mother must've found out, they can help us!"

"Let's go," Ember smiled. Draco nodded and helped her walk quickly.

But Draco didn't hear Moon following. He turned around and saw Moon watching from a distance, his ears drooping lowly. "Moon, come on! There's help up ahead!"

The wolf-pony didn't move. "Moon. What's wrong?" Ember questioned.

"Ponies aren't really… used to me," he muttered. "Much less Solar Guards. If you're going with them, this is goodbye."

Draco and Ember glanced at one another, then walked back over to Moon. "Don't be afraid," Draco laughed softly. "As long as you're with me, they won't hurt us."

"It's not that," Moon growled, then sighed deeply. "They're the reason I had to leave Canterlot."

"Are you saying you were a criminal?" Ember asked.

"No no no, nothing like that," Moon chuckled. "My mother kept me a secret from pony-kind, and when I first left my room, the guards attacked me."

"But that was a long time ago," Draco reminded him. "And like I said, they have to listen to me!"

Moon hesitated some, but Ember put a reassuring claw on his shoulder. "Trust him," she nodded.

Her action made that same feeling in Draco emerge, but it subside when she removed her claw. "Alright," Moon exhaled. "But please, stay in front."

Draco chuckled. "Sure thing!" They continued on, but the wolf behind them howled to Moon.

His ears perked up and he stopped, but Draco and Ember kept going. Shorter howls came next, and Moon's eyes dialed to the size of needles. His friends had already gone up the path, and he galloped as fast as his legs could carry him. He saw them speaking to the guards.

"Draco?" one in particular asked.

Even with the armor and enchantment, Draco recognized the voice. "Dasher!"

He helped Ember sit down before running over and giving him a backbreaking hug. "Buck, kid, what has your mother been feeding you?" he strained.

Draco chuckled and let go. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Dasher smirked. "When I heard you went missing I went to Celestia and asked if I could lead the search party," he explained. "What happened to you two?"

Draco's smiled faded as he thought back about a month ago. "We were ambushed by griffons and knocked out of the sky," he said. "Ember got hurt bad and… hey, where's Moon?"

"DRACO! EMBER!" The guards looked towards a strange wolf-like pony galloping right for them, and they readied their spears.

"Wait wait wait!" Draco shouted, standing in their way. "This is a friend! His name's-"

"The griffons are nearby!" Moon interrupted. "They'll be here any-"

"AGH!" They looked to a guard who was piked on a griffon's spear.

"Form up!" Dasher yelled.

The griffons jumped from their brush covers and shot a small barrage of arrows. Draco covered Ember, while Moon leaped behind a low lying rock. Some of the guards' armor protected them, but eight of the twenty took some to the neck and face. Dasher cried out as an arrow embedded itself in his leg, causing him to fall on his side. Draco turned around, just in time to catch an arrow before it joined the other six in his back.

The pain was nonexistent as he carried Ember behind a tree. "Draco, you're-!"

"Just hang on!" he exclaimed. "Moon!"

The wolf-pony hybrid leaped out and joined him into the fray. Moon tackled a griffon to the ground while Draco picked up a spear and fought his way through to Dasher. Solar Guards weren't as highly trained as the Black Beaks, but they were holding their ground. Draco stabbed a griffon in the leg, took his dagger and plunging it into his neck. He heard some screams, meaning the guards were getting wiped out.

Moon spun around and kicked an incoming griffon, then jumped back as a spear dug into the dirt in front of him. He tackled the spear-thrower and rolled around in a wrestling match with him. Draco threw his spear at a griffon, but he ducked under it and slashed Draco's chest. Roaring in pain, he punched him in the beak and pounced on him. After a minute of struggling, he snapped the griffon's neck. Dasher was back up and locking spearheads with a Black Beak. He parried the swing to the ground and used the butt of it to smack him across the face.

Before he could end it, a dagger sunk into his chest. The griffon he made stumble back buried it's spear halfway into him. Draco looked over to the three, and his mind snapped.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

RIP THEM TO SHREDS!

Moon bit the griffons neck and shook his head violently, dislocating his head and shredding his jugular. Draco's scream made him look over, but he wished he hadn't. He watched as Draco tore a griffons arm off then jammed it clean through his own chest. A Black Beak behind him was about to stab him when his foot came up and broke his arm. Draco roared as he punched through the griffon's throat and used his other arm to rip his head off.

After picking up both their spears, he stabbed them into the one stabbing Dasher from behind. Draco took Dasher's own spear and piked the griffon head in front of him. The last griffon was about to drive his sword into him when a spear rocked into his side and made him cry out in pain. Ember grunted as she got back onto her rump and rubbed her fractured shin.

The black receding out of his eyes, Draco kneeled down next to Dasher and pulled out the dagger. "Dasher… Dasher, come on. Come on, get up," he whispered.

Blood gushed from his chest and trickled out of his mouth. He raised his head just enough to look at Draco fully. "Damn… you're getting… pretty, ngh, big."

Draco whimpered as he saw his eyes trembling. "Dasher. No, don't do this," he whispered. "Come on. Rainbow's waiting for you to come home. You have to get up and come with us so you can see her again."

Dasher grunted in pain as he lowered his head. "Listen… just… just go," he forced. "I'm not… gonna make it."

"Yes you are," Draco said loudly, his voice cracking. "You have to get up and tell Rainbow that I'm okay! Please! Come on!"

Dasher shook his head, trying his best to ignore Draco's tears that were falling on him. "I… never wanted to… get caught… in the war," he grunted. "I… wanted… to… make sure you… you, ngh, grew up… Draco…"

"Please, Dasher," he sobbed. "Don't go."

A smile came over the dying pony's lips. "Good… seeing you… kid…"

Dasher's breath came in sharply, and his eyes gazed endlessly at the grass in front of him. Draco sobbed quietly, putting his arms over Dasher and remembering all the days they'd spent with and without Rainbow. He was always like a father to him, and now he was gone. When he heard the griffon straining and groaning in pain, the black not only changed his eyes, but his mind fully changed.

Stomping over to the helpless griffon, and recongizing the torn limb, Draco roared, worse than ever before. "JRO IFEK UTANK!!"

He ripped the griffon's tail off, throwing it off to the side then grabbing hold of the griffon's good hind leg. "No! NO!"

"DRA!"

Draco ripped the other leg off, making the griffon scream in agony. Moon turned green at the sight, staring in shock as his normally docile and friendly friend tearing the rest of his arms off. Draco shot his arm into the griffon's chest, then pulled out his rib cage and heart in a bloody mess. He roared as he started beating what remained in blind fury.

Ember and Moon watched in horror as he mashed the organs and armor into a steaming mess. "Draco! That's enough!" Ember shouted. "Draco!"

"Draco! He's dead! Calm down!" Moon shouted as well. Whether Draco heard them or not wasn't his concern.

He kept beating the body until his fist started punching into dirt, mingling the two. "Draco!" Ember yelled. She went over to him and put a claw on his shoulder.

Moon did the same, but cautiously. "Draco!" he shouted, shaking Draco lightly.

Ember pulled her recovering arm out of it's sling and wrapped her arms around him, bracing through the pains his movements made. "It's okay, Draco," she whispered, hugging him tighter. "We're here."

Moon wrapped his paw awkwardly around Draco's neck, on top of Ember's arm. "We're not going anywhere, Draco," he said softly. "We're staying with you, my friend."

Draco's arms slowed down until he was just slapping his knuckles on the corpse. Blood was sprayed all over his face and arms, his already tattered clothes getting even bloodier. He sobbed uncontrollably, sniffling and whimpering as he buried his face in his hands. Ember nuzzled him as soothingly as possible, and Moon hugged tigher.

"I… I couldn't… save him," he sobbed. "Damn it… I'm… I'm so… useless!"

"Everypony is useful in their own way," Moon chuckled. "No pony is useless."

Draco sniffled, continuing to sob until the sun vanished over the far mountains. The Solar guards bodies were buried, their spears holding their helmets proudly. Draco planted his old friend's spear, then place the helmet on top. He could imagine Dasher's fatherly smile whenever he came to babysit him. The times the three of them wrestled and tired each other out.

"He's in a better place now," Ember whispered to him. He nodded softly, adjusting her arm so he could assist her better.

"There's a cave over this next hill," Moon said.

Draco took another moment to collect himself, then turned with Ember and slowly followed Moon. He went slow to be by his side, but Draco didn't seem to care.

"Tomorrow we're stopping until we get there," he said coldly. "I wanna talk to Draco."

Author's Notes:

Read Dasher's last line, and to those who have read my main fic, I hope you understand. As always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night.

New Goal

Climbing up the mountain was proving to be difficult for the gang. Ember's leg condition forced Draco to carry her, while Moon was trying to climb a bit below them.

"Moon, hurry up," Draco called back, his smell of the hybrid waivering.

"Y'know it isn't easy, being on four legs and all?" Moon shouted up at him.

"We could just wait for another patrol," Ember said. "They have to be looking for us."

He shook his head, pulling himself onto the ledge. "They go every hour. We're almost there," he insisted. "The next one'll leave in another half hour."

They waited for Moon to climb up, the boy and him panting as they tried catching their breath. After a five minute break, Draco started climbing again. It looked as though the higher they went, the steeper it became, making it even harder for them to climb. Even with the possibility of death from a single slip, neither of them looked down or hesitated to keep going.

"Draco," Ember whispered. "I know you're angry about your friend."

"I'm not angry," Draco said in a low tone. "I'm pissed off."

"Listen," she hissed. "Don't be mad at my father for lying to you about Equestria's involvement in the war."

"You mean both of you?" he growled. "Now I see why my mother sent me away."

"Draco, don't you dare blame your own mother," she growled loudly. "My father-"

"Your father what?" he grunted, pulling them both higher. "My mother sent me here, not him! What, was I so out of control she sent me here in exchange for an army?!"

Moon's ears perked up and he glanced up worriedly.

"My father wanted to help you!" she argued. "Your mother just wanted to make sure you wouldn't hurt anypony or yourself!"

"Oh sure," he scoffed. "Then why couldn't I stay in Canterlot and let her teach me?"

"No pony--not even your mother--has the discipline of a dragon," Ember reminded him. "You still need to learn how to control yourself."

Draco grunted in annoyance at her argument, his hand reaching a flatter surface than the rest of the mountain. He pulled him and Ember up, Moon coming up soon after. The fighters stopped rushing around to prepare for another scout to go when they saw the two. The fighters helped Ember to her room, while they watched the wolf-pony with interest and question. Sticking close to Draco, they made their way through the main tunnel. Draco ignored their shocked faces as he marched on, reaching the stone door to King Draco's throne room. Shoving it open with one hand, he could see the king busily ordering the search leaders their assigned locations.

King Draco stared with his jaw dropped as Draco and Moon walked in, both bloodied and covered in dirt. "Draco!" the king shouted, pushing past his fighters and running to him. "Where's Ember?!"

"The dragons took her to get her injuries treated," Moon said, surprising the dragon king.

"What are you?"

"He helped keep Ember healthy while she was down," Draco explained. "And he helped us fight the griffons."

The king shook his paw gratefully. "Thank you," he smiled. "Draco, the Black Beaks-"

"Why didn't you tell me who was really fighting the griffons?" Draco questioned suddenly.

King Draco's eyes widened in shock. "What do you-"

"Why didn't you tell me my mother traded me for an army?" Draco growled, getting closer to the king.

"She never-"

"Because of you, and her, I lost a friend!" Draco shouted, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles were turning white. "I watched him die, knowing I couldn't save him!"

The king's expression softened as he saw the tears on Draco's eyes fall. "I'm sorry, Draco," he sighed sadly. "I never meant-"

"I'm gonna kill the griffon emperor," Draco interrupted. "You're going to teach me how to keep myself in check and train me to fight."

"Draco, I promised your mother-"

"I don't care what you promised!" he shouted angrily. "Tell her you haven't found me, or I'm dead! I don't care! I'm gonna rip that damn griffon's head off, and you can teach me how to do it, or I'll go in there myself!"

The king stared at Draco as he cried and pantsd in front of him, his anger showing as his own. "I told your mother I'd have this war over by the month."

"Then tell her it's over and keep the griffons in their cities until I'm old enough," Draco snorted. "This war will end when I kill that damn emperor."

"You can't do that." Both Draco's and Moon turned to the entrance, Ember being assisted by a fighter. "Not without me."

"Count me in," Moon nodded.

Ember's father walked over to her quickly, hugging her carefully. "I'm fine, Father," she said.

"I thought I lost you," King Draco whispered. "I'm not throwing you out at the griffons."

"Father, you and mother always told me to do what I feel I want to do," she said. "And right now, it's being there for my friends."

King Draco looked at her with uncertainty and concern.

"Please, Father," she whispered. "This is what we want."

"We've got each other's back," Moon called. "Every step of the way. Right, Draco?"

The boy nodded, a determined glare lingering. "We'll end this war and all go home," he said. "I can control myself, this war ends, and Ember comes back. Everyone and everypony's happy."

King Draco looked to each of them, unable to ignore the fire in their eyes. They'd train themselves if need be, and fight with or without his permission. The bond they shared was unlike anything he'd ever seen. They'd all go through Tartarus and back if it meant sticking together. It only gave him one choice.

"I'll have a room carved for your friend."

Canterlot Castle, Late Afternoon

Celestia lowered the sun just like always and raised the moon. As she passed an open window, she spotted a platoon of Solar Guards returning. Given how early they were, she had to assume they had some news. She trotted hastily to the throne room, awaiting their return. It was several minutes before her top lieutenant, Shining Armor, came in quietly. She could see the sad frown, and as he reached the bottom of the steps, he removed his helmet.

Celestia had seen those eyes before. The eyes of a father telling his wife they're son wouldn't be coming home. The sadness of a brother seeing his elder lowered into a grave. The pity of a stallion seeing a mother cry over her husband's casket. It was the face she dreaded seeing from one of her guard's.

The Lieutenant climbed the stairs, farther than any stallion would ever, and held out a scroll with his hoof. The lump in her throat only worsened as she saw the seal of the Drago King. Nodding to him, and watching him leave, she opened the seal slowly, then unfurled the parchment.

As her eyes traveled farther and farther down the letter, the lump was replaced by a cracking sound. Her heart shattered in her chest, and her mouth slowly opened. She only needed to read half of it before her magic dropped it to the floor. The clunking of it as it fell down the stairs was blocked out by the eternal silence of her mind. She tried so hard to just imagine she never had a son, that this was a very long dream she would just wake up from.

But no pony can feel pain from a dream. She slumped back in her seat, clenching her teeth so as to not sob. It was all in vain as she buried her face in her hooves and sobbed, whispering her son's name.

Shining Armor didn't wait around to see the princess crying. He needed to tell Cadence while he could. He wasn't aware of a certain purple filly moving from cover to cover behind him. She was planning on scaring him, but the frown he had looked serious. Like when their grandcolt Shooting Star passed away. She decided to tail him and see what was bothering him.

The lieutenant knocked twice on his marefriend's door. It was Blueblood who opened the door, yawning slightly before greeting him. "I'm guessing you're here for Cadence?" Blueblood sleepily asked.

"Actually, I think you both need to hear this," Shining said softly, getting the tired prince's attention.

"Shining!" Cadence exclaimed, calming herself when she saw his glum expression. "Shining, what's wrong?"

He hesitated, looking at his own hooves as he thought about what he could possibly say. There was no way to lighten the blow, but he couldn't just spit it out like a flankhole. Sighing softly, and rubbing his head anxiously, he looked at them both and took a deep breath.

"They found Draco." Cadence's demeanor uplifted drastically, and a smile came to Blueblood and Twilight's face. When they noticed his frown was still present they rose their brows. "Draco… didn't make it."

Twilight's mind went blank as she stared at her brother. This… this couldn't be happening. No… Draco… Draco was… he couldn't be. The same reaction went for Cadence, whose shocked eyes filled with denial.

"No. No, he's not dead!" she shouted. "He wouldn't just die!"

"Cadence, they were Black Beak!" he said. "Even we can't take them head on!"

Cadence stomped out of her room and pushed past her coltfriend to the throne room. Shining galloped to her, doing his best to keep up beside her. "Cadence! Cadence!" he shouted desperately. "CADENCE!"

"HE CAN'T BE DEAD! HE CAN'T BE!" she yelled, crying softly as she did her best to glare at him. "Those… flankholes couldn't've… I'll show them-"

"Cadence," Shining said softly. She collapsed onto the rug and sobbed as quietly as she could manage.

Shining knelt beside her and comforted her as best he could. She hugged him tightly, sobbing into his mane and wetting some of his coat. Blueblood sat on his bed, still processing the news at his own pace. He wasn't alone. Twilight watched her brother comfort Cadence as she cried desperately. She finally allowed it to sink in, and she galloped out from her cover. Her big brother spotted her as she ran down the hall.

"Twily, wait!" he called after her.

But she didn't stop, she didn't slow down, she galloped. Her tears fell behind her as she went straight into her room and locked it behind her. The weakness in her hooves finally made her buckle. She curled up as tightly as she could, then cried.

Draco wouldn't be there to hug her whenever she was said. He'd never run around the halls, or study with her, or even say hi to her ever again. He was gone, and that fact tore her heart up. She kicked her leg out to the nightstand, then gasped as something soft dropped onto her side. She grasped it with her hoof, bringing it up to see.

It was Draco's guard plushie.

Sobbing lightly, she climbed into bed and hugged the toy tightly. She'd never let go, even as the night persisted. It was all she had left.

All she had left of Draco.

Author's Notes:

Remember guys, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night.

Mixed Feelings

5 years before NMM's return

"Oh shit!" Moon grunted as he landed on his back, after being flung across the mat.

Draco waited for him to get up, which Moon did sluggishly. "Come on… Moon," he panted. "We still… have… a few minutes."

The hybrid groaned as he rubbed his head with a paw. "We're still tied," Moon smirked. "What was it… again?"

The two circled each other on the mat. "572-572. Ready for a tie breaksr?"

The two charged at each other, and just as they neared each other, Moon got on his hind legs and grappled Draco. They strained for an advantage, their hour long match starting to catch up. Draco slipped under him, got a hold of his hind leg and head, then threw himself back. Moon yelped as Draco's weight pinned him down immediately after. His hind leg and neck were pulled towards each other in a grapple move.

"Say it," Draco laughed. "Say it!"

Moon wrapped his other leg around Draco then rolled over, freeing himself and getting hold of Draco's arm. "What were you saying?"

The stone wall moved aside as another pair of dragon teens entered. "Our turn," the blue one said.

Moon let go of Draco, who chuckled as they left for the training area. "So 573-573?" Moon asked.

"Yup," Draco laughed. "But don't expect it to stay that way."

Moon looked up to Draco and smirked. They had both grown over the years, which was strange for him. He had always been about as big as an average wolf, but after meeting Draco he'd gotten to about a paw shorter than his mother. The ten year old he'd met had also changed to a towering teen. They were both strong, but he had to admit that Draco may have been stronger. It was just the matter of whether or not he was holding back in their weekly wrestling matches.

"Going for 250 or 260 today?" Moon asked. Draco shrugged, pushing the door open with ease.

"Let's try 300," he answered.

"You sure?" Moon questioned. "You've never lifted that much before."

Draco rolled his eyes with a chuckle at his friend's careful nature. "Well, now's the time to start," he smiled.

There were dozens of other dragon adolescents in the training area. It was more public than the multi-mat, which was in it's own room because of it's size. The two preferred doing it without anyone watching. They passed the wrestling mats and field course, heading straight to the stone weights. He could see some other teens conversing while their friends lifted a couple dozen pounds. Draco went to a free bench and loaded the metal bar. The dragons used stone weights, saying it was easier to measure the weight of them. He loaded 150 on each side, then nervously laid down.

"Just say something if it's too much," Moon said. He got on his hind legs and lightly placed his paws on the bar.

Draco nodded, firmly grasping the middle grips and pushing it off of it's rack. Steadily holding it in place, he pulled it down then pushed it back up.

"1." Moon could see the strain in his muscles, but it was always something that didn't matter to him.

"Not too fast," Moon warned. Draco nodded, breathing rapidly and grunting as he pulled it down again.

On the far side of the room, Ember watched with amusement as Draco uneasily lifted the hundreds of pounds. It was typical of him to "test his limits" at anything. She could see the anxiety in Moon's face as he spotted him.

"He certainly is strong." Ember turned to the red dragoness beside her. "Don't tell me you weren't thinking that."

Ember chuckled, flipping from her handstand and gracefully landing on her two feet. "He has gotten… stronger," she smiled. "I'm surprised he doesn't have a dragoness."

Flare, one of Ember's other friends, raised an eye crest. "Yuu're surprised?" she laughed. "You have every fertile idiot staring at you in every level of the mountain. Don't tell me you haven't seen it."

"Seen what?" Ember asked. She pointed to Draco, both of them seeing him quickly refocus on his lifting.

"He likes you," Flare teased, flicking Ember's spines with her tail.

"We've been friends since he was in his first grade," Ember argued, a small patch of discolored red on her cheeks. "That's all we are."

Flare giggled, turning back to the display Draco was showing. Ember turned as well, her eyes widening as she watched Moon put another set of fifty pounds on each end. Draco was pumping away, switching between arms while Moon was waiting for the bar to break. He kept going, and going, and going even as some of the other dragoness' watched.

Draco didn't understand where the strength was coming from, but every time he had Moon put more weight on, his body felt like it just recharged instantly. Even as the bar wobbled dangerously, Draco kept lifting with either arm. He glanced to the others watching him, his gaze focusing on Ember watching him. He felt his cheeks warm up, and he started lifting even faster.

"Draco, the bar's gonna-!"

Crack!

The metal bar bent in half, and Draco grunted as he held each half a foot from his face. Carefully placing the broken bar beside the bench and panting.

"Damn. Benched more than Rough Spot," he heard a teenage dragon murmur.

"He still looks ready to go," he heard a feminine giggle.

Blushing a bit at the crowd, he rushed past the dragons, some dragonesses giving him slightly disturbing looks. Moon shrugged, spotting Ember. He passed the other teens and smiled softly.

"Draco's getting better, huh?" he chuckled sheepishly. Ember nodded, and Flare nudged her.

"Very," she finally said. "We'll be leaving next year for Gryphos."

Moon sighed, sitting down and stretching his back. "It's all he ever thinks about," Moon said. "Dasher's death really changed him."

Ember nodded, remembering the day she saw him experience loss. "He's blinded by his anger," she spoke softly. "Maybe I can talk him out of… out of… AH-CHOO!"

Moon ducked under the flames quickly, his fur getting singed at the tips. "Ember, are you sick?"

"Of course not," she sniffled. "It was ju-" She went into a violent coughing fit, some flames escaping as she did.

"Ember!" Flare exclaimed. "You're maturing and you didn't tell anyone?!"

Ember shivered, even in the warm room. "I thought… it wasn't c-coming yet," she managed to say before sneezing and shooting another flame.

"Come on, we'd better get you to your bed," Moon offered. She nodded, leaning against him as he escorted her out.

Meanwhile, in Draco's room, he continued his earlier exercise with push-ups. A block of stone was strapped to his back as he lifted himself up and lowered back down. His mind was wandering from the focus of his breathing to when he saw Ember before. The few years that had passed by went quick, but he remembered every detail.

King Draco started training them apart, meaning he saw Ember less and less. It came to the point where the only time he saw her was when she was up next for her turn. And with the fact that he couldn't sleep most nights, Moon was his only companion that was awake. The other dragon teens were rough and nice in their own ways, but the boys were just interested in lighting stuff up. With Moon's long life-span, he had plenty of stories to share with him.

The one thing that he didn't understand, however, was his mother. Moon said she never told him her name, only that he was to call her Mother. She was supposed to have an dark blue coat with a flowing mane and a horn. He would have thought she was a unicorn, but he recalled flying and his imagination led him to an alicorn. Maybe before his mother was ruling? Or she was hiding somewhere?

Though the company was nice, his recent maturing brought him some unwanted attention. Some dragoness' would tease him, give him alluring looks, and many dragons were looking for a good wrestling match. He wrestled through all of them, bruises coming and going. The only real competition he had was Moon. Since they had met, he got stronger and bigger, just as Draco did. Their hundreds of wrestling matches was meant to prove who was stronger, but they all ended up the same.

Ties.

It was funny, how neither of them would give in, but it made their rivalry all the more interesting. However, he was doing his best to keep in touch with Ember. Before either of them left to train, they would leave their door's open slightly so as to slip a letter in. He was always excited for the end of his rigorous training, which meant he could hear from Ember. They talked about mundane things, but it wasn't to say they didn't mess around. But she would also ask him about Canterlot, and how he was since…

…since Dasher left.

Seeing her a few moments ago, and her slender figure, it made something… flutter, in his stomach. He'd never had a good look at her, but her maturing body almost drew his eyes in. It was disrespectful in every way, and he'd expect it to come from the other dragons. But he just had to stare.

"AH-CHOO!"

"Whoa!" Draco pushed significantly harder with his left to stop his fall. Untying the weight and letting it drop, he pushed open his door and saw Moon patting his singed muzzle while Ember put out a fire on his back.

"Sorry!" Ember sheepishly chuckled.

"Sometimes I think you're trying to turn me into roast-wolf," Moon whimpered as the flame on his paw relit.

Hearing her laugh from Moon's joke made the same weird feeling from other instances return. "Did you try setting him on fire?" Draco chuckled.

Ember stopped to stare at him. He stepped out into the tunnel and leaned against the wall. Moon was saying something, but she was too focused on his toned upper body. A normal dragon had to count on thick arms, tough scales, and personal demonstrations to show off their strength. All Draco had to do was take off his shirt. Along with his toned torso, the scars of his first fights with the griffons marred him. She could imagine him looking in a mirror to remind himself of his goal.

"-and I had to duck twice," Moon laughed. "Sure you'll be alright, Ember?"

She snapped out of her stare, a small blush evident, and cleared her throat. "Y-Yes," she nodded. "I just need some rest."

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, uncrossing his arms.

"It's no… no… nAH-CHOO!" Draco jumped to the side, his spot being scorched red.

He glanced back and forth between the burn mark and Ember. "Nothing is it?" he smirked.

"You're lucky it didn't hit you," Moon countered with a laugh.

Ember wiped her nostrils, shakily standing back up. "It'll be fine," she insisted. "Every dragoness goes through this phase of her adolescence. I'll just be in bed for a few days."

"Sure you shouldn't tell your father about this?" Draco questioned.

"It would be wise to have a fighter right outside," Moon nodded. "In case something happens."

Ember growled with a bit of annoyance. "I can take care of myself," she said loudly. The two of them glanced at each other, then shrugged.

"Still, a little help wouldn't hurt," Moon shrugged. "Draco, want to go up on the cliff?"

Draco shook his head. "I'm gonna turn in early," he said, ignoring Ember's small glare. "Tomorrow, though. I promise."

He pushed the stone door closed, pushed the weight off to the side and jumped onto his bed. Sleep came slowly, but he was going to wish it never came at all.

The enormous forest. He was… high in the trees. Something was holding him, something with an intimidating face. Was he… laughing? And was the figure… tickling him?

"Elsh huga butork," a deep voice laughed.

"Elsh huv jrom okoro," a softer, sweeter voice giggled.

Mother?

The figures face tore away, and he found himself falling through a black void. His body grew out, just slightly, and he saw them.

The monsters.

Hundreds of them coming from the burning forests. The figure again… and others… protecting him. A huge flying machine… they flew through the stars, away from the fires. Everything was shaking, and he heard more voices. An enormous figure looked at him with teary eyes, then kissed his forehead before the other took him away with five other giants. They got into little, tiny, rooms.

They went off into the stars again, but a loud noise rang through his ears, and a light grunt reached him. More rumbling, then a hard shake. The monsters… they were following. They were snarling at him, trying to claw at him. The figure set them aflame, a pile of dirt swallowing them right after. Then… then…

What happened next?! What happened?!

The forests came back. Creatures so malicious, so evil… and there were so many of them. They were coming…

…coming for him.

"Draco! Draco, wake up! Draco! DRACO!"

He jumped out of his bed, pinning Moon to the floor. "Moon?! What the-?!"

"Ember's in the medical caverns!" Moon shouted over him. "She's in critical condition!"

Draco's eyes widened, and he bolted after Moon. They practically jumped down the stone stairs, pushing past the various fighters and teens that had heard about it. The royal fighters stepped aside as Draco and Moon ran into the room. King Draco was at his daughters side, holding her claw and worrying even more as her temperature dropped.

"What happened?" Draco gasped, coming over to Ember's side.

"She didn't tell me her Illness had begun," King Draco sighed.

"Illness?" Moon asked. "What is that?"

"When a dragoness reaches a certain age, she'll get incredibly sick," he explained. "We often quarantine them, as they're sickness can be deadly to others. It's a maturing phase. Once she's over it, she'll only have one year before she's an adult."

"So why can we be here now?" Draco asked.

"We've given her some stabilizing medicines," King Draco said. "She'll have to stay here until the Illness subsides."

"We can't just leave her alone," Moon said. "She needs someone to keep an eye on her."

Draco agreed completely. "I'm afraid not," King Draco said.

"But she needs someone! Anyone!" Moon shouted.

"The disease can kill ponies and dragons alike!" King Draco growled. "We've made these mistakes before and I won't-"

"Then I'll take care of her," Draco interrupted. "You said the disease only affects ponies and dragons. Maybe I can take care of her without getting sick."

"No," King Draco said. "It's too risky. Your mother already thinks you're dead, I don't want to tell her you really are dead."

Draco ignored that and looked to Ember. She shivered, even wrapped in the thermal emitters. "She needs someone to be with her," Draco said softly. "None of you can do it without getting killed. But we don't know if it could hurt me. Please, just let me help."

The king looked to his medical staff, who shrugged with honest uncertainty. He looked to Draco, to his daughter, then sighed deeply. "There are some antibiotics she can take to ease her symptoms," he said at last. "Her body temperature will keep lowering, so make sure she stays in bed. I have to warn you, you can't get out of the room until she's better."

"How will I know if she's better?" Draco asked.

"Simple. Her scales will change color, and her body will grow slightly," he said.

"Change color?"

"Every dragon adapts their scale color from a bright layer to a darker layer," one of the doctor's said. "Brighter colors often mean immaturity, and darker colors are the opposite."

Draco nodded. "I'll take care of her," Draco smiled.

"I'll have her brought to her room. For now, you need to leave," the doctor said. "The antibiotics are going to wear off any minute now."

They exited the medical wing, but King Draco stopped him just outside. "You'd better make sure she doesn't worsen," he growled. "You're there to take care of her. Nothing more."

Draco rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Yes, sire."

Author's Notes:

Yes. I. Did. Remember, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peace off!

Sickness and Love

"Ah…ah… AH-CHOO!"

Draco ducked under the flames, his hair getting seared at the tips. "Geez, Ember," he chuckled.

She sniffled and sat up in her bed. "I don't need a babysitter," she said funny. Her nose was running again, and the poor dragoness was stuffed.

"Hey, without me you'd be talking to yourself for who knows how long," he sarcastically scolded. "Just take the medicine and get it over with."

"No-" She switched to a violent cough fit, prompting Draco to lower her back down. "I'd sooner break my arm than drink thah… ah… AH-"

Draco stuffed the stone spoon in her mouth and triumphantly whooped. "Sorry," he chuckled.

Ember swallowed it reluctantly, shivering as the vile taste lingered on her tongue. "You're a flankhole," Ember laughed with a glare. Her tail shot out from under her covers and pulled his legs forward.

He shouted in surprise, grunting as soon as he hit the floor. "Yeah, yeah," he groaned. "Take a nap, already."

Ember turned in her bed with a victorious smirk. He sighed as he plopped down against her bed, as there were no other places to sit. It was a while before she finally starting snoring softly, and Draco chanced to take a glance at her. Just like the past few days she was facing him and sleeping. She tossed and turned a lot when she slept, but he could have sworn she was looking at him. But why?

He shrugged with a sigh and thought back to his dreams. Every night he'd wake up in a cold sweat because of the… monsters. Whenever he saw them, whenever heard them, they were always coming for him. The same figures always came to protect him, but they still fled. And his mother's voice spoke a strange dialect… but…

…he understood it.

He'd try to repeat the words, but they'd come out garbled. It was the same language he'd spoken when he… when It, took over. Maybe… maybe It was just messing with him? Mixing up words only he could understand? It was starting to bother him greatly, but he couldn't make them reoccur. His mother always told him that dreams can be whatever he wanted them to be. So why couldn't he just replay it?

The thought of his mother made a small anger rise… and sadness… and a slight pang. She gave him up… just so Equestria could win a war. She just hoofed him over like something in the market. Of course Ember and King Draco lied. He wanted nothing more than to go to Celestia and tell her off about sending him away just because of a damn tantrum and-

…

…and…

…

…he missed her.

His eyes welled as his memory vividly replayed all of her loving acts. Every birthday, she was there for him. She'd come to their shared room tired and want nothing more than to fall asleep. But he'd keep her up, and they would play before she read him a story, sang him a song, and laid beside him with her wing over him. She always told him she loved him, that she would never let anypony hurt her. That he was the most important thing in the world to her.

Draco gasped as a small tear fell from his nose. Wiping away the trail it left, he got onto his stomach and planted his hands beside him. This was the only thing that got his mind off anything. It was starting to become a bad habit, because even though he lifted and toned his body, it didn't grow out. He felt weak, even when he lifted the 550 pounds. Well… weak wasn't the right word. He just… didn't feel much stronger.

87, 88, 89, 90

His mind wandered again, just like always. Ember watched him go at it again. She'd fake her nap and just watch him work out beside her bed. It wasn't always like that though. Sometimes he'd wander around her room or sit around and think. It wasn't hard to see him thinking about something. She learned to pick up the signs. Lowered gaze, small frown, arms crossed, and silent breaths.

Now though, she just watched him go. At least, until her body temperature started lowering again. Her teeth chattered loudly, and she sneezed another stream of flames. The loss of heat made her shudder loudly. Draco jumped up to check on her.

"You alright?" he asked. She shuddered vigorously, trying to nod. "Here… put this on."

He pulled off his shirt and sweater and handed it to her. She put on the clothes, but it did little to help her warm up. Draco kept worrying, seeing her cough and tremble from the cold.

All dragoness' go through this?

It looked like she'd freeze to death if she didn't warm up soon. He'd given her his clothes, but his pants weren't really as warm, and he didn't like going without them. He gave her his socks, which she tore holes in with her claws. Her violent shaking was getting to him, but there wasn't anything else he could do. King Draco said he couldn't leave the room, so he couldn't get more of his clothes or even his covers to help.

But… there was one thing he could do.

Ember didn't register the shift in the bed, but she did feel two arms wrap around her. Blushing madly, she looked up to Draco, who did his best to smile, chuckle weakly, and pray to whoever that he could just get through this without that awkward feeling. Ember, on the other claw, kept staring at him out of shock and pure embarrasment.

Thisisn'thappeningthisisn'thappeningthisisn'thappeningthisisn'thappening

Draco restricted his gaze to the wall and nothing more. He could see Ember staring up at him, with her sharp cyan eyes that just engulfed him with a warm…

…

…wat…

He's just trying to help, nothing more. He's just helping.

She could feel his abnormally high body temperature through his own clothes. Her claws bumped against his large triceps as she placed them on his back. He inhaled sharply, out of both surprise and from the fact of her temperature.

"Ember, you're freezing!" he said. She nodded, her shivers having left.

"It's not that bad," she managed to whisper.

STUPID! YOU'RE-

Draco moved his arms, making her tense up instantly. He was trying to warm her entire body, his legs intertwining with hers to help. His fingers passed over the healed bump she'd gotten a long time ago. A frown crossed his lips as he remembered that day.

Ember took notice of his bothered mood. "W-What's wrong?" she stammered, doing her best to keep her tail from swaying.

He looked at her sadly, then leaned his head into hers. Her tail flicked up suddenly, but she used her leg to pin it down. "I'm sorry."

Ember's mood changed as he closed his eyes. "I could have ended up a lot worse, Draco," she assured him. "Don't blame this on yourself."

He sighed, her lips trembling at the warm breath. "Do you… not like me?"

She raised an eye crest. "Why do you ask that?" she questioned.

"I offered to get help, and you say no," he said. "I told you about me being here, and you got mad. Am I still your friend?"

"Of course," she quickly said, more eager than she intended. "I was a bit annoyed-"

"Why?" he asked, a hint of venom in it. "Does me watching out for you piss you off?"

Her eyes narrowed and she glared harshly. "I never said that," she growled. "You just… I…"

She fumbled for words, unwilling to tell him. "I what?" he asked. "Ember, tell me right now if I'm we're even friends or-"

"I CAN'T DEPEND ON YOU!" she exclaimed. "When we first met, I thought I'd be dragging you around, helping you, teaching you. But then you changed in one day. You comforted me, you protected me from the griffons, and now this. It just…"

Draco was still confused. "I just want to be a good friend," he said softly. "What's wrong with that?"

She sighed, unconsciously leaning into him. Draco blushed bright red at the movement, but kept himself composed. "I hate being called a princess. It makes me sound weak. Fragile. And the way you've treated me… I appreciate it, but please, don't always fret about me."

"I lost Dasher because I was so carefree," he whispered. "We're going to fight griffons through eight major cities before we even get to the emperor. I want to make sure you and Moon are ready when that time comes."

His grip tightened on her, pulling her closer than either would have been comfortable with, had they realized it. "We'll be with you, Draco," she smiled. "Every step of the way. Moon, me, and anyone my father sends."

She completed the embrace; resting her head on his shoulder. It was a friendly gesture, but the longer they held it, the more nervous they were. He'd hugged Ember a number of times, but never with his shirt off. Her scales were actually very smooth, soft even. She didn't smell like smoke or something burning, like he expected dragons to smell. She had a slightly sweet smell, which confused him to high Tartarus since she never wore perfume.

Draco's earlier exercising left his musky aroma to tease her nostrils. Her tail wriggled under her leg, and her wings twitched every few seconds. Her chest pressed against his muscular body, but it was soft instead of rough. She cleared her throat, pulling her head back and smiling weakly at him. He did the same, but gulped audibly. Ember noticed the blush in his cheeks, her tail beginning to sway out from under her leg.

He… he couldn't… no… Could he?

She can't be… no way… I mean… maybe?

Taking the initiative, Draco slowly leaned forward, closer than she would have expected. His lips parted just slightly, making her eyes widen, her face redden, and her tail freely swung out from under the covers. She wasn't aware of her own advance, slowly closing the distance. He could feel her breath blowing over his lips, and vice versa. So close… she was ready to-

"Ngh."

Draco's eyes shot open; his arm felt like it was burning. Ember kept moving forward, but when his arm started heating up she stopped. They moved back, and Draco clutched his arm in slight pain.

"What's wrong?!" Ember asked.

He pulled his arm out, then gasped. The mark on his hand was glowing. Glowing. Four bright lines parted at his wrist and ran halfway up and around his forearm. The four lines were each an equal distance away from each other, on the top, bottom, and sides. The light died down, leaving the normally tan skin with black markings. He glanced to Ember, who was watching in shock.

"What. Was. That?"

Draco stared at the mark, his eyes dialing down to the size of pinheads.

He'd seen that mark before.

…

…the dreams…

…the figures…

…the plant creature…

Author's Notes:

What were you expecting? We'll have more of that later on… maybe. Anyways, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!

Training Complete

Draco, Ember, and Moon all stood at attention in front of the dragon king. "I've done my best to train each and every one of you," he said. "Your six years are over, and by tomorrow's sun you'll be headed to the city of Minite. You'll only have eight fighters platoons to help. I can't risk sending more because of… Equestrian spotters."

"We'll be fine, Father," Ember said.

King Draco stood from his throne, walking to them slowly. "We've had our scouts make reports of rebel griffon bands," he said. "Before Draco had us stop, they've gathered intelligence and reported any attacks to us. If you find them, be sure to have them join you."

"Will do," Draco nodded. The king stomped his foot, and three fighters entered the room, carrying three large crates.

The fighters placed them in front of each of the new warriors. "I've spent the past month having these for each of you. They're made of the rarest minerals in the Dragon Kingdom."

They nodded to him and carried their own. "When do we leave?" Moon asked.

"At five in the morning," King Draco said. "Be careful, watch each other's back… and may we all meet again."

They nodded again, then left as the next squadron of fighters entered for their speech. "So, this is it," Moon sighed. "Out of all my years I never thought I'd go to war."

"Neither did I," Ember chuckled. "I always expected to end up beside my father."

"What about you Draco?" He didn't respond, but his mood wasn't anger or sadness like the last times they spoke about this.

Draco couldn't put his finger on it, but instead of anxiety or fear, he felt… excited. Eager… energetic. "Draco." He shook from his thoughts, glancing to Ember who had her claw on his shoulder.

"Um… what?" he chuckled. The two laughed, pushing aside the door and going out into the afternoon air.

It was the only place just the three of them could go to hang out or talk or whatever. Draco leaned against his usual spot, Moon nestled himself near the ledge, and Ember flew onto a slightly higher cliff. Moon smirked as he saw Draco staring at their dragoness friend. Ever since her Illness, they seemed to be looking at each other more and more often. Her new dark orange scales drew his eye even more, and her curved figure kept his gaze glued.

Moon looked towards the moon, a sense of reminiscince filling his mind. He sighed as he rested his head on his forepaws. "You alright, Moon?"

He rubbed the side of his face, then turned to Draco. "Not really," he chuckled. "I've lived for a thousand years, but not once did I expect fighting a war I'm not a part of."

Draco nodded, coming over to sit with his legs hanging over the ledge. "I get it," Draco said, gazing out to the moon. The stars were dimly lit, but he enjoyed their presence anyway. "Are you… afraid or anything?"

Moon shifted uncomfortably. "I've seen wars, read of wars, and watched a war," he whispered. "Many die, and few live to mourn others."

Draco frowned, somewhat happy from the sound of dying in battle.

"And you?" Moon asked.

Draco sighed, shivering as the autumn breeze chilled his ears. "Call me crazy… but I'm, actually pretty excited," he chuckled sheepishly.

"You're excited about going to war and possibly never coming back," Moon deadpanned. "Tell me this doesn't have to do with… you know."

His smile vanished as the subject was remembered. Though ripping the griffon emperor's throat out seemed enjoyable, a greater sense of pride was what really surfaced.

"I don't know why… but it just feels right," he shrugged. "Fighting sword and hand, somewhere I've never been, making it peaceful for other countries. I'm not sure… but we'll all be together at least."

Moon chanced a glance to Ember, who was watching the two out of the corner of her eye. "I just hope we all make it out."

"Don't say that," Draco stated sternly. "We're all coming out the same way we came in. Every hair, scale, and nail is coming out in one piece."

"This is war, Draco. Ponies, dragons, griffons, minotaurs, diamond dogs… they all lose friends," Moon practically muttered. "I've lost many packs to territorial fights. I'm no leader, I just watched for them."

"I'm no leader either," Draco said, patting Moon's back.

"Pft, that's very much modesty," Moon scoffed. "You were ten, and I could tell that Ember trusted you beyond your years. You were my first friend in a long time, but I realized that you not only wanted a friend, you wanted to be a friend. I'm much older, but I trust and have faith in you."

The teens looked knowingly at each other, then held hand-to-paw and shook strongly. "Whatever happens, Moon," Draco began, "I'm glad as Tartarus I met you."

"And I, you," Moon grinned. "Just leave some for us, will you?"

Draco laughed and gave his brother a hug. "Gladly."

Ember watched as Draco stood up and went back into the tunnels, snapping back towards the valleys when he turned to her. When she heard the rock door roll to the side, she let her breath go. She could see Moon looking at her, a small grin on his snout. He nodded for her to come, and she glided down gently.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Moon broke that silence. "Did you two mate?"

Her orange scales burned red in her face. "No!" she exclaimed. "We didn't have intercourse! We were fifteen! Why would you even ask that?!"

Moon shrugged. "When I was born, ponies were marrying at thirteen," he explained. "And my mother was always direct. Rubbed off, as they say. So if you didn't mate, what has you two so flustered?"

Ember's blush died down, but not completely. "Nothing," she mumbled. "Hormones, I guess."

Moon lifted his head and sat up. "He likes you."

Ember groaned as she heard that. "Did Flare tell you this?"

He shook his head with a laugh. "My mother taught me to gauge a ponies' emotions just by looking at them," Moon grinned. "Dragons aren't so different, just a bit harder. I've had six years to get it from you and four to see it from him."

Four years? Four years he's been interested in me?

Ember shook her head and shuffled in her seat. "You can't be certain about that," she countered.

"No, I can't," Moon shrugged. "Though I can put two and two together. He likes you, you like him. I don't see what the problem is."

"There is no problem," she emphasised. "And we don't like each other like that. Draco's a very good friend… nothing more."

It was clear she was denying it, being a princess and all. He remembered when he used to hear his mother tease somepony about a stallion she liked. She would say that just because she was a princess, didn't mean she couldn't love like others. Ember didn't have anything to keep her from pairing with Draco, and it was clear as day that he was very interested in her.

"Nothing more," Moon repeated. "Just think about what I said. Don't be afraid of your own emotions."

She rolled her eyes, Moon standing up and making his way towards the entrance. "Dragons aren't afraid of anything," she called.

Moon pushed open the door, turning his head to the side. "Or you're just afraid of being afraid," he replied.

The rock pushed back into place, leaving Ember alone. She exhaled deeply, growling lowly before shooting off a stream of fire. It dispersed through the air, fading away in the breeze. She was wearing the same sweater Draco had given her almost a year ago. She has to admit, wearing clothes during the cold seasons had benefits. Though she burned his socks during the eigth day of her Illness. He wasn't mad or anything, just amused.

It would only be a few hours now, before they went to the Griffon Empire and would start their campaign. She was afraid, confident, terrified, and excited. This was her chance to show those idiotic dragon teens that she wasn't some delicate flower. That she didn't need someone to watch over her. She was going to show them that she could handle herself. She was strong, maybe even stronger. This was her chance to show them. The fertile morons, Flare, her father…

…and Draco.

He was so fearless, so eager to fight. If she had been the same eight year old, and somepony or someone told her that he was one day going to be a powerful fighter, she would have laughed. But now, all she could do was stare. His toned upper body, the handsome face, his strong arms, and his chiseled legs (she'd sneaked a peek once) were all the signs of a strong warrior. Eveything about him made him a dangerous foe. He was smart, cunning, powerful, skilled, and caring.

They had done all different kind of training exercises with other teens. Whoever Draco was assigned with, they would have the least casualties and the most wins. He was getting attention from dragoness' and dragon teens looking to settle a score. He would wrestle them like they were a griffon warrior, with no mercy. The closest he got to injuring one was with Rough Spine. The biggest dragon teen in the Kingdom. Draco was a head shorter, but his swift grapples and dodges made him nearly break the dragon's arm.

She had to tell him now, before it was too late.

Multi-Mat Arena

Draco cracked his neck, rolled his shoulder, and raised his arms. "799-799," he shouted. "Last time we'll get to do this. Ready?"

Moon cracked his knees, then his back and smirked as he lowered his body. "If you're ready to lose," he taunted. Draco smiled, then charged forward.

Moon did the same, closing the distance quickly. He slid under Draco, using his paws to take his legs right out from under him. Draco grunted as his face hit the mat, and did so again as Moon grabbed hold of his leg and twisted his arm behind his back. He pulled with all his might, slowly getting his arm back onto the mat. He flipped over, crushing Moon, then rolled right off as the wolf-pony yelped and let go in pain.

It was his cue to get back on his feet, then jump back as Moon tried tripping him up again. Draco grabbed hold of one of his hind legs, pulled him up, and used his entire body weight to body slam him. Moon shouted in pain, but wriggled out from underneath him and grabbed his neck and two legs. Draco's arms couldn't reach behind him in his awkward position, but he could still move his body. He rocked onto his side again, making Moon get off before he was crushed again.

Still on his knees, Draco locked into a battle of strength and endurance with Moon. They pushed and pulled their arms and paws for an advantage, but the more one got, the harder the other tried. Draco suddenly twisted to the side, flipping Moon onto his back. Draco jumped over and used his legs to pin Moon's hind ones down while his arms pulled the wolf's shoulders together. Moon grunted and growled as his muscles were strained, but he kept trying to break free.

Moon pulled his leg free then pushed Draco's out from under him. His massive weight came down on him again, but this time he was ready. Rolling over, he pulled Draco's elbow in the opposite direction, trapped his leg under his neck, and pulled his head with his other paw. Draco got a hold of his free hind leg, then under his front legs to put pressure on his back. They grunted and pulled to their limits, yet neither backed down. For several minutes, they stayed in that complex lock, but fatigue passed over each like a blanket.

Moon's collapsed on top of Draco, who panted hoarsely while his friend's tongue hung out as usual. They laid with their bodies opposite one another, laughing as they shook their paw and hand again.

"Truce?"

"Truce."

Draco and Moon lazily walked over to the far wall, then carved their score onto the wall. Eight-hundred little lines spread across the entire wall, their names in the center.

"Guess I should turn in early," Moon panted. "Get ready for tomorrow and everything."

Draco nodded, his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. Moon left him, and after he felt he was ready he looked around the room one last time.

Gonna miss this place

He pulled of his sweaty shirt and sweater, leaving the multi-mat area and heading to his room for the last time. When he got to the intersection to his friends' rooms, he saw Ember waiting. Her body drew his eyes in again, but he focused on the small smile she had on. Ember ogled his chiseled torso again, her eyes widening when she breathed in his musk. It was enough to get a twitch from her tail, but she controlled herself. They stared awkwardly at each other, unsure of what to say now that they were alone again.

Tell him. Just tell him.

C'mon, c'mon. You can do this. Come on. Tell her.

Ember cleared her throat, but her words refused to leave her throat. The same went for Draco, whose mouth opened but all that came out was a syllable. They laughed sheepishly, then stared at one another silently.

Damn it.

Damn it.

Ember wrapped her claws around him, and he did the same a bit slowly. Neither of them needed to know how red their faces were. She inhaled his thick and masculine odor while he savored the multiplied smell of sweet lilac coming from her. Her claws wandered up his back, and his hands roamed across her scales. They pulled back, gazing at each other once again.

"Whatever happens," Ember began. "I'm glad I met you, Draco."

He smiled nervously. "We're getting through this," he said. "We'll be back soon. You, me, and Moon."

She wanted so badly to just close the distance, just go for it. And he wanted nothing more than to just take her now. But…

…her claws slipped away.

"Good night, Prince Draco," she smiled.

He sighed softly, but gave her a small grin. "Good night, Princess Ember."

I sense him

The five brothers cheered as they patted the Nera'ak's scaled back.

Where is he?

Far. Extremely far. But he's alive.

The link worked, Jaqeluu! Reku'un is a Signa!

Jaqeluu laughed as Agner noogied him.

When will I meet my partner?

In time, Nyla. For now, we need to assemble Loki'ir's survivors.

And then we find Reku'un so we can finish off the war.

AHOO!

Author's Notes:

Yep. Remember when I said something about a small break? It starts now. Just a few days or weeks to work on some other fics. Especially my main fic. Check out To Call the Moon My Own if you want something to keep your mind off this. But for now, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peace off (for now)!

Fall of an Empire (I of VIII)

"The city of Minite," Draco said, leaning over the table with his plans laid across it. Joining him were five dragon generals, all of which ordered to follow him. "The outskirts have constant griffons patrolling, and from scouts knowledge they may have close to 5,000 griffons somewhere in each building."

"Shouldn't be too hard," General Inferno chuckled. "We can storm them with the 10,000 and suffer minimal casualties."

Draco glared harshly at the dragon. "Those buildings act as a barricade, and those streets are kill zones," he growled. "We can send 50,000 on foot and still not be able to get across it."

"Then what do you suggest?" General Blunt asked.

Draco layed out another schematic, this one about the sewer system. "Each griffon home has a seweage pipe, in case their water happens to stop running. Dragon tactics are mainly frontal attacks, with carrier dragons dropping some overhead. As such, we can sneak underneath their beaks and get the jump on them," he said, pointing towards the other side of the city. "And have our other bulk on the other side. Once we flush them into retreat, they'll have nowhere to run."

General Charred chuckled softly. "We'll suffer little to no casualties," he said. "It's perfect."

"We'll need as many fighters as we can to take Gryphos," Draco snorted. "Remember: We meet up with Commander Moon and Commander Ember at the town of Windawn. From there we'll head to Gryphos and take it in force."

"I'll give the order," General Blaze nodded.

As the massive numbers of fighters hauled scale to Minite's northern entry, the sewers below the city were filled with the dragons, each armed to the scale with armor and weapons. Draco led the coalition, adorned with King Draco's gifts. Gleaming indigo armor gave him a daunting appearance, small spikes and curves of the protection allowing for lethal close combat. His helmet covered the entirety of his face, a one-way glass allowing him to see and no one to know. Strapped to his back was a menacing sword made of the rarest dragon minerals, and some of the strongest. The blade itself was black with a dark violet edge on a blood-red handle. It was sheathed in a regular brown leathered scabbard, with a gemstone tip.

On his front were assortments of dragon made powder explosives, and strapped to his sides were a pair of gold colored daggers. The weight of the set would have been heavy, even for a fully developed dragon fighter. But to Draco, he felt fine… maybe a bit more stronger than he usually did. Refocusing on his goal, he grunted as he pulled himself through the rotten waste and trash. The waste sloshing around in his setup was disgusting and uncomfortable, as it was for the rest of the fighters.

He was chest-high in seweage, but it was a relief when they finally reached the first of many intersections. The army split up into hundreds of other small squads. Draco waved for the four fighters to hang onto the walls of the pipe leading into the griffon home. As soon as he opened the wooden grate, the dragons silently crawled in, waiting on all fours to pounce. Draco climbed in just as carefully, grabbing his daggers and taking position next to the door. The wooden block opened ever so slowly, allowing the fighters to slink into the living room of the home. Draco pointed to the three griffons aiming crossbows at the streets, gesturing for the fourth to follow him.

They climbed up the steps, their metal boots sinking into the furred carpets. Stone was the primary building material, meaning there weren't any creaks on the way up. Draco nodded towards one of the bedrooms, then went to a different one overlooking the outside. Draco snuck up behind the two griffons, waiting for any signs of activity. His daggers split the backs of their skulls in half, their gasps muffled into the rug. Pulling his blades out and sheathing them, he drew his sword and regrouped with his squadron.

"Now what?"

"Head to the roof. By now the others had to have reached their assigned homes. We'll draw their attention to give the others some time and a distraction," Draco said. "Each of you, give me a bomb."

They each gave him a pouch of explosive powder before heading upstairs. Draco wrapped the fuses together, then lit them with sparks from sulfur and stone. Running out into the streets, he beamed it at the nearest barricade, getting behind cover as the explosion shook the area.

"EVERYDRAGON ATTACK!"

The roars of thousands of fighters rang as they jumped out from the houses and some onto the roofs. The griffons were caught off guard by the sheer number of their force, some beginning their retreat early. Those who held their ground were slashed by claws and blades as they charged with no intention of stopping. Draco led the swarm, slashing past the griffons and dodging some arrows and spears from the barricade up ahead. Leaping over the crude blockade, he stabbed bis sword into one then kicked the spear out of another's grip and uppercut him in the beak. A fighter set a griffon behind him on fire while another slashed a fourth's throat.

"Chariot reinforcements!"

Draco looked up ahead, watching as armored war-carriages barreled through their own barricades and some dragons. Right on their six were dozens of griffons. Draco pulled a pouch from his chest, lighting it and throwing it directly under the wheels. The bag tore open, just as he planned, and the fuse set of a wider explosion that over-turned the chariot and set a good few on fire.

Charging forward, the two sides slammed into one another. The chariots ran over many of the dragons before they were blown up, burned, or overtaken. At the front, they faired better with their height and strength advantage. Their expert weapon skills, combined with their skilled tails and claws, made tearing through their lines easier and easier as more lost morale. Draco slashed a gash into ones chest, then stabbed it through another and throwing his spear at a chariot wheel. The vehicle flipped wildly, sending sharpened wood pikes in every direction.

Overhead, the dragon archers were sending storms of firey arrows, setting unchecked houses ablaze. "Don't kill them! Let the bastards burn!"

Draco had made sure earlier that no civilians would be in the city. Most were in war bunkers and settlements away from the major towns and cities. All of this meant he could let the warriors die slowly and painfully as they pressed forward. The chariots that hadn't been destroyed were being used against the griffons. Fighters rode on it and slashed on the flanks at any unlucky feathebrain. Draco grabbed onto General Flicker's arm, getting pulled on for the ride.

"The town square is up the next few streets!" Draco shouted over the constant clanging of swords and arrows. "Send the firebreathers to light them up from above!"

General Flicker spread his wings, roaring loudly for his platoon to follow. A good number abandoned the ground fighters, but it only meant more for them to kill. Draco leaned over the side and picked up a fallen bow, then took aim across the battlefield. Just as it did in practice, his mind set up equations and variables that were quickly solved. Aiming a bit higher, he let go a constant stream of arrows that met their marks behind enemy lines. They crossed through Minite Square, which was ablaze by the time they reached it. The dragon-drawn chariot burst through the flames quickly, continuing their assault without end.

Just as he'd planned, the griffons were in full retreat, the dragon army right on their ass. Draco lit another pouch, this one bright red unlike the rest. He held his arm still for a few seconds, then launched it high in the sky.

Across the city, Generals Inferno and Blaze saw the flashes of red, no sooner being followed by the sight of fleeing griffons. "CHAAAAARGE!" The brothers roared with their dragons as they flew straight into the griffons.

With the hundreds of griffons sandwiched between two unrelenting forces, it was only a matter of time before they were forced to hold their ground. Draco slashed and hacked his way through griffon after griffon, his arse being kept safe by General Blunt, Charred, and Flicker. Several arrows bounced off of his armor, and the archers were quickly eliminated by a bullet-speeding spear. Only a few dozen remained, and they tossed their weapons on the ground and raised their talons.

"Do we take them prisoner?" Flicker questioned. "They'd only slow us down."

"It would be easier to dispose of them," Blunt added.

Draco looked at each of the terrified griffons. Some of which were mumbling quiet prayers to their families. "They've suffered enough by watching their comrades die," Draco said. "This would be murder. Tie them, leave them, and let's rendezvou with the others."

The griffons were hog-tied and left on the outskirts of the city, which was now burning. Draco ordered the dragons to put out the fires, but to burn the armors in the streets. Any weapons they could carry were taken and the chariots as well. In the end, 4,917 griffons littered the streets of the city, while only 27 dragons were buried in the fields away from the town. Draco pressed on with the rest of his group, heading to the city of Gearhead for another attack.

Author's Notes:

Yep, it's me! I couldn't stay away from a story like this, so get ready for some more updates! As always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Fall of an Empire (II of VIII)

Commander Ember looked towards the small town of Graphite, the griffon's main weapon production cities. Draco's force was significantly larger, as he was aiming to distract the griffons while they snuck around from the north as he drove east. Moon was on his own mission with the ground-bound dragons. His hunter skills would make him a perfect leader for his ambush on the Empire's griffon garrions. She shook her head, focusing on the task at hand.

"Is everything alright, Princess?" General Ace asked.

She nodded, pulling out the map of the town. "I-I'm fine. And please, Ace, you're a family friend," Ember said.

"Of course," he nodded. "Have you decided yet?"

She glanced over to the town afar, mapping out attack formations and outcomes. "Yes. We'll drive our carrier dragons above the factories to drop our winged-flame brigades," Ember began. "Tell those morons to watch their aim. There are civilians working those machines, and warriors are only patrols. Evacuate the innocent, set the rest ablaze. These factories must be burning by sun down."

Ace saluted, running off to alert the others. Ember tugged at the straps of her equipment, feeling a bit of discomfort. The armor her father had given her was a bit too much. The helmet was very tightly woven and made her snout strained. And her firey red spines itched near the bases, so she decided to forget it. The torso plating was very well fitted to her body, and the gauntlets and leg armors fit well enough. Her father had given her a set of daggers and various knives for long distance throwing. The blades were diamond while the edges were pure steel. She had a smaller sword than the others, but it was meant for quick and powerful swings rather than combat.

Her wings were also given armor platings. Somehow, her father had gotten them made to be extremely light. On an ambush that left three of her dragons wounded, the armor proved to be just as durable. She chuckled as she remembered the griffon's face when his sword bent against her wing armor. But underneath all of it, she wore the same sweater she wore some years ago. It fit her better, but it still came out below her armor a bit. She had to wear it, for good luck… and for hope she would see Draco again. And Moon, of course.

"Princess Ember." Ember turned to General Aero, who was saluting with Generals Ace, Whiplash, Charcoal, and Ash. "Orders?"

"Send the Terra squadrons in first. General Whiplash and Charcoal will lead them. NOT A SINGLE CIVILIAN CASUALTY. Keep those idiots in check." The Generals nodded with a few laughs and went off to gather the dragons. "General Aero and Ace, take the fliers over the factories and pick off any patrols or archers. Ash, I will accompany the Terra groups into the factories. Once we are clear of civilians, I will send a flame into the sky. Be ready to move out."

General Ash snorted a small flame with a smile. "With pleasure." It was no secret that Ash was a pyromaniac, which made him the perfect leader in pyro-squads.

The Terra squads charged forward, Ember leading the large group. "CLEAR THE CIVILIANS FIRST!"

"YES MA'AM!"

General Whiplash and Charcoal split up through the streets, avoiding falling bodies of archers. They burst into the factories, grabbing the griffons workers and slashing the chains keeping them there. They dodged arrows and a few thrown clubs as they carried the weak and skinny slaves outside. Those farther in, were being protected by groups of fliers and Terra squads. They fought their way to the edge of the city, where they rounded it and brought the females and children to the waiting fighters. Ember wrapped her body around a trio of children, just as a barrage of arrows rained down on them.

Her scales and armor kept them out, but the ones she could not protect perished. With rage at the sight of murdered children, she slashed their chains, then ordered them to run to the hills. She turned around, brought her daggers to claw, and roared as she rushed forward. The arrow heads bent and bounced off of her armor as she charged like a fuming bull. She uppercut the daggers into two of the archers, then swung her tail around and slashed another's throat with the axe like end. A fourth had his neck broken when she clamped her jaws over his neck and jerked it out of place. Dodging more arrows, and slashing at more griffons, she climbed the stairs and glanced out the factory sized windows.

The streets were filled with dragon fighters pushing back against the griffon army, which was being mowed down faster than she could register. Satisfied with their progress, she punched open the window and shot a plume of fire into the sky.

Waiting on the hills, Ash smiled maniacally as the fire dissipated. "SET FIRE TO THESE FACTORIES! NONE SHALL LIVE!"

The dragons shot off small burst of fire, then ran on all fours with their inner flames sparodically firing off. As soon as they reached the first factories, they let loose. The pyro-squads shot randomly in any and every direction, setting the wooden beams ablaze and melting the metals. Oil canisters blew up, but none of it affected any of the dragons still fighting. Ember began using her own flames to make the bastards suffer. Grabbing one by his tail, she lit his body and pitched him into some of his comrades, setting them on fire as well. She quickly pulled the throwing knives out of their sockets, grabbing eight in total.

Going into the streets, she threw the miniature daggers to the roofs. Seven of the eight met their marks, the eigth hitting the target for a second time. She ducked under a spear swung from behind, slammed her tail down on the griffon, then sank her daggers into the back of his head. Ember grunted as a griffon smacked her in the face from the side. Just as she reached for a knife, a lance exited from the griffons chest, just as he screamed over the battle. General Ace kicked him off, then offered Ember a claw. She jumped up herself, pushing him to the side and grabbing the handle of a spear. Ember roared as her flames set the griffon's face on fire, then slapped him to the ground with her tail.

"We still have the rest of the town to take!" Ace shouted, running beside Ember.

"Then let us get started!" Ember smirked. Ace took flight, as did she.

The fliers rained hell from above, some being able to drop payloads of dragon bombs and setting buildings on fire. The town of Graphite was only factories, and because of that fact the structures exploded various times before collapsing. The carrier dragons above bellowed as they landed, shaking the ground beneath them. The griffons did their best to fight them off, but their massive size allowed them to knock down the metal buildings and swipe at them. They weren't slow in battle, as most thought. They fought just as their smaller counterparts, with much skill, grace, and strength. Each of their fires were hotter than any other dragon. The flames melted the griffons armors and punched holes into any factory walls still standing. Some were so cruel they body slammed groups of them, but it cost one his life when the group fired arrows into his exposed belly.

Unlike fighters, their bellies were much more sleek and thin, so as to not cause as much drag in flight. At the sight of a fallen brother, the dragons redoubled their efforts, efficiently slaughtering any who remained.

Ember regrouped with the generals as they converged on the last griffon squadron. She flew ahead and cut one's head open with her tail, then swiftly slashed dragon symbols into two others backs, bit down on one's neck, and finally used her open claws to stab the last two in the eyes with knives. She clenched her mouth shut, causing the griffon's throat to seperate and the body to fall to the ground. Ember spat the esophagus off to the side and sheathed her daggers. The fighters gawked as she walked towards the generals, who were amused by her little slaughter-fest.

"All done?" Aero panted hoarsely. "Where to now?"

Ember spat a glob of griffon blood to the side and thought. "Our next targets are the plains near Bostogne."

"A plain? We're attacking farms?" General Ash asked.

"No. We're attack the griffons last supply line of food for his army," she growled. "Should we fail in taking the capitol, they can at least starve to death."

"And will we be setting the agriculture ablaze?" General Charcoal inquired.

"We shall."

"Princess, you can't-"

"I, am aware of the food crisis the new ruler and society will face," Ember interrupted General Ace. "But the burned crops will fertilize the soil, and we will not be killing any cattle, pigs, or chickens. Once this war is over, we'll be able to help them rebuild Graphite, plant their farms and they will have enough food for their new beginning."

Ace smiled, her intentions reminding him of her father. "Yes, Ember," he bowed.

"Tell the army to rest," Ember ordered. "We leave by tomorrow's dusk. No sooner than the setting sun. Ace, please tend to the surviving griffons. Provide escorts to the Minotaur border. President Steam should already be waiting for the refugees."

The generals nodded, going off to their own platoons. Ember sighed as she rolled her shoulders, then fiddled with the end of the sweater. She sat herself beside a very ancient looking oak tree. The fact that a tree survived the bloodshed and fires amazed her, but the great tree served as a nice place to rest. She watched the sun descending over the far mountains, which was where their target layed beneath. She, Draco, and Moon would regroup at the city of Windawn, then finally attack Gryphos and find the Griffon Emperor.

If they survive… No, don't think like that. Moon will survive. Draco will survive… he has to… and so do I. We'll make it out… and maybe… Draco will finally see the strength I have.

She was woken from her thoughts as she felt something tugging on her sweater. Beside her was a small griffon cub, who was covered in smoked coal and dirt. "Y-You're… you're Princess Ember?"

Ember glanced off to the side, where Ace was smiling deviously. "Yes," she nodded. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, stepping closer. "Y-You saved my Mama," she shakily said. "Thank you."

Ember nodded, her frown easing into a smile. "It was my pleasure," she said softly. "What is your name?"

"Little Beak, miss." The cub smiled sweetly at her. "Are we coming with you?"

There was something about this griffon that seemed… familiar. The black feathers, and her eyes seemed just like someone she'd met. "It's too dangerous, little one. We'll make it safe for you, and we're going to help when this is over." The cub's tail sagged sadly, and she frowned with a quivering lip. Ember smiled and picked her up, setting the surprised cub onto her lap. "I promise, I'm going to make everything better."

The cub nodded, wiping the dirt from her feathers. "If you find my Papa, can you save him?" Beak asked. "He fought the Emperor's griffons. Maybe he's still okay."

Ember looked uncertain, but the pouting lip was something one could ignore. "I'll do my best to find him," she nodded.

The griffon held out her smallest talon. "Promise?" Ember stared at the little claw with much hesitance, unsure of whether or not the father could be alive.

With a sigh, she wrapped her smallest digit around the cub's and smiled. "On my code as a dragon," Ember chuckled. "I promise to bring your father back."

The cub smiled, her tail wagging excitedly behind her. "Okay. Bye, Princess."

"Just Ember, young one." The cub nodded, then ran back over to her mother, who smiled at Ember and to Ace.

Ember looked over to the horizon, the stars beginning their ascent. "Good luck, Draco."

Author's Notes:

Update! Hope you're all enjoying it so far! As always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

Fall of an Empire (III of VIII)

A howl drew the attention of several wolf packs in the area. They met with their eldest, who had assembled a vast majority of the surrounding wolf packs. Joining them were fliers and terra dragons. The army crept through the forests leading to their objective. Commander Moon sniffed the air, smelling hundreds of griffons some miles up ahead. He gave off another loud howl, causing the wolves to disperse around the area as scouts. Once each of them were positioned, he turned to his five generals, who saluted at his attention.

"Tell the dragons to ready themselves," Moon ordered. "We move out in two hours."

"You have a plan, yes?" General Tomb asked.

Moon nodded, grabbing a stick and drawing the layout of the camp/garrison. "The griffons have an entire army set up here," he said, pointing to the main building. "If we attack head on, we'll undoubtedly sustain heavy losses."

"Our dragons can handle it," General Rook snorted.

"This isn't about what they can handle," Moon said. "We need as many dragons as we can to take Gryphos. So instead of sending our forces on a suicide run, we'll head to the prison cells."

"Now we're rescuing POW's?" General Hack chuckled.

"King Draco told Commander Ember and Draco of griffons rebels. If they are still alive, they'll definitely be held here," Moon explained, pointing to the southern side of the base. "We send a small infiltration unit, led by myself, to free the griffons while our main force drives in from the east and north sides."

General Chuck nodded, a smile coming to his snout. "We can pincer their forces," Chuck chuckled. "I think the boys will be ready for this."

Moon nodded. "We'll move out when the moon is at its peak," Moon announced. "Make sure they're ready for a fight."

"Yes, sir!"

Moon crawled through the grass, his armor sliding along the ground. The dragon king spared no detail in allowing his stealth skills to be used through his armaments. The metal over his muzzle protected him from enemy arrows, and the metal fangs allowed for an addition kick in his bites. The armor around his body was tightly fitted, and the leather padding made it comfortable. His hind legs were only covered on the sides and frot, while his front legs were covered with foreleg gauntlets and joint protectors. The armor on his back curved past the sides of his head, making him a set of installed spears.

Beside him were four of his best dragon scouts. They crawled through the tall grass, coming up on the large wall. Moon gestured to the archers on the platforms, then went to the wall. He dug faster than a dog, quickly forming a pile of dirt behind him and a burrow leading to the other side. The slams of bodies hitting the earth reached his sensitive ears, and the scouts followed him under the hole. Sticking close to the wall, Moon and his team avoided the patrols of griffons, making their way to the fenced areas. Moon extended his front claws, slashing through the fences with ease.

"Spotlights!"

Moon laid flat on the ground, along with the scouts. The wailing of a siren across the base rang in Moon's developed ears, forcing a whimper from his throat as he clawed at his helmet. The sounds of battle reached him, signaling their distraction coming into play.

"Come." Moon galloped and bounded towards the nearest building, scratching the wall in several places. "Place the charges here."

The dragon scouts placed the bombs into the dents, waiting for the all clear from their Commander. He nodded, and the fuses were set. Leaping back a distance, Moon covered his ears as the blast rocked the ground, sending debris all around.

They sprang into action, slashing down the dazed griffons. Moon tackled a warrior and clamped his jaws around his neck, thrashing his jugular out of place quickly. He let go, looking up to the imprisoned griffons giving him weird stares. Their feathers were painted red at the tips, matching King Draco's descriptions.

"Where is your commanding officer?" Moon questioned.

"A better question is, what are you?" A black and red griffon stepped forward, his large stature giving it away.

"I am a wolf-pony. I can answer questions later, but for now, will you help us?" Moon asked.

The rebel leader nodded with a smirk. "So you're the ones who's giving these assholes hell," he chuckled. "As long as I've got that emperor's head on a pike, I'm in."

"You'll have to wait your turn," Moon laughed. He put his claw in the lock, slashing it in half and opening the cells. "Commander Moon."

"Shadow Beak," the griffon said, shaking his paw. "Peck? Peck!"

"Comin'!" A griffoness pushed through the warriors and smiled. "We bustin' free?"

"Yep. This is Quick Peck, my best Lieutenant," Shadow said. Peck nodded, giving Moon a once over. "What's the plan of attack?"

"Our forces are attacking from the east and west, while we drive up the south," Moon said. "We'll trap them, and slaughter them."

Shadow nodded with a content smirk, but Peck thought it over. "What about the north end? No squads?"

Moon smiled slyly, moving towards the window and smashing it open.

AHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The wolf packs perked their ears up, growling to one another as they leaped out from the woods and towards the burning base.

"Grab anything you can from the armories and let's go!" Moon ordered, a chant eminating from the rebel group.

The warriors strapped their stolen armors on, which were made of leather instead of the irons of the empire. Shadow formed up with Moon, and as they opened the prison doors, all hell was shown to them. Chariots were crashing through dragon lines, wolves were pouncing on the unlucky griffons, the griffons were being set ablaze by dragons and everything in between. Moon howled as he charged forward, a pair of alpha wolves forming up beside him.

"CHAAAAARGE!" Shadow cried, flying ahead and tackling a griffon warrior.

The Empire's griffon warriors were trapped between dragons, wolves, and their own kind. Their sloppy and frantic lines were cut down as the well organized army closed the space between them. Dragons tore through their ranks, wolves pounced, and the griffons landed in the middle of them all. Moon slashed a griffon's throat, dodged an axe that was meant to cut his back open, then pounced on the wielder. After breaking his neck with a sharp twist with his jaws, he whimpered as arrows knicked his exposed front legs.

Dodging arrow after arrow from the archers, Moon bounded between the clashing griffons and dragons to get closer. He climbed the side of the building, his claws acting as climbing gear that dug into the stone. Moon pulled himself onto the roof, rolling out of the way of a trio of arrows. The griffon yelled as he swung his bow, then pulled out a dagger and slashed at him. Moon's ears laid flat as a piece of his fur fell. They circled each other, just like Moon had in so many territorial bouts with the other alpha males. He'd learned the trick to these sorts of encounters, they even worked on Draco.

The griffon charged first, and Moon bounded forward. As soon as he reached his talon back, Moon spun around and bucked as hard as he could. He felt his claws slash through flesh, then hooked onto the griffon's jaw. Slamming his hind paws down, the griffon's skull dislocated and he slumped to the ground. Moon went back to the edge of the roof and looked over the battlefield.

"Let none of them live!" General Chuck roared.

Moon realized that some of the warriors were surrendering, and the generals were continuing the fighting. "STOP!"

The dragons continued slaughtering the griffon army, while the rebels did their best to pull them away.

"I SAID STOOOOOP!" His blood-curdling roar ceased the violence, and the griffons threw their weapons down and laid flat on their bellies.

Moon leaped from the building and landed on General Chuck. "What-?!"

"THEY WERE SURRENDERING!" Moon snarled. "WHY DID YOU CONTINUE?!"

"They-"

"He's right," General Tomb said.

"These bastards must pay!" Chuck growled. Moon snarled louder, silencing the General.

"These bastards have paid. With their lives," Moon growled. "We're trying to free this place of its tyranny. Do not stoop to the Empire's level. From now on, any surrendering griffon is to be left alone. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Yes, sir." Moon nodded to the other four General's, placing a claw on Chuck's head to emphasise his point.

"Yes… sir," he forced. Moon nodded, stepping off of the dragon and walking to the rebel leader.

"My griffons are still trapped in the garrison at-"

"Dubley," Moon finished. "We were planning to free your griffons and take the capitol."

"You guys are taking Gryphos?" Peck asked. "You'll need more than this to take the captiol city!"

"We know," Moon said. "I'm here to gather your group. Commander Draco is leading the distraction, and Commander Ember is taking out their supply lines."

Shadow and Peck's eyes widened. "Draco and Ember?!" they asked in unison. "They're leading the attack?!"

Moon stepped back, a bit confused that the two knew who they were. "Yes. Ember will be hitting Graphite and the Bostogne farmlands. Draco should have hit Minite, and when he hits Gearhead the Empire will be lacking in weaponry. After each of us destroy our targets, we rendezvou at Windawn and launch an assault on Gryphos."

"And Ember came up with this?" Shadow chuckled.

Moon shook his head. "No. Draco, actually." The two laughing griffons ceased when he clarified.

"Draco? The little colt that was the quietest?" Peck asked. Moon shrugged.

"You went to school with him?" Moon inquired.

"We both did," Shadow said. "But… I didn't think he'd join a war."

"Me neither," Peck agreed.

Moon looked off to the side, remembering his first weeks with Draco. "Time changes us," he said in a low tone. "And many of us change with it, for better and worse. But you'll see how he's changed since then."

"Let's get to it then."

Moon shook his head. "We will camp here for the night," he said. "The dragons aren't nocturnal, and they are tired. We'll leave at dawn; no sooner, no later."

Shadow mulled it over silently, glancing to Peck. "We still need time to feed the rookies and find enough weapons," Peck sighed. "We can haul ass tomorrow."

Shadow nodded, turning back to Moon. "Fine. Crack of dawn, this place needs to be deserted," he grumbled.

"It will. Do what you must to prepare." Moon let loose another howl, signalling the wolves to form a perimeter once again, and the dragon army to settle onto the worn earth.

Moon walked out into the woods, deciding it would be best to patrol with his true brethren. His mind, however, was not focused on his original goal. He wondered what life would be like after the war. Would he go back to the forests in the Kingdom? Would Draco leave them and go back to his mother in Equestria? Would Ember take his departure lightly?

The thing that bothered him most was the fact that Draco would no longer need him, or Ember for that matter. He could control his temper, he was strong, handsome (as most dragonesses had giggled) and self-dependent. He was much older than Draco, but growing up with him gave Moon a sense of adolescence he had never experienced. And he never grew without his mother, but the growth spurt he'd had was confusing.

He wasn't jealous of Draco. His mother had always taught him that jealousy can destroy a pony. So he looked at it as if they were brothers. Draco was becoming something he had never seen before, aside from his looks. He was kind, thoughtful, caring, but he was strong, determined, and brave. They were all the traits of a great leader, which he would undoubtedly become. The only reason he had decided to show the griffons mercy was because Draco would have done the same. Draco was vicious and relentless when it came to a fight, but he knew when his opponent couldn't handle any more.

Moon looked up to the full moon. The formations of craters and dunes made the apparition of a unicorn mare. It was strange how it had always been there for the past 999 years. It reminded him of his mother, how she would raise the moon and lower it, falling asleep with him cuddled up beside her. She had a beautiful, starry mane that flowed as if a gentle breeze wafted through it. When he learned of the concieving process, he had always asked who his father was. His mother had always said he didn't have one, but he still held hope there was some way he had a dad.

It was a bit amusing how he and Draco had a loving mother but no father. And they both grew up to become strong, tactful, and caring. Draco wasn't one to pick up on feelings unless he saw the signs, but that was Moon's specialty. Every little detail he picked up from Ember and Draco didn't go ignored. He did everything in his vast amounts of knowledge to make them smile… and even get them closer.

Taking one last glance at the moon above, he sighed softly. "Goodnight, Mother."

Author's Notes:

I got out of class early, so here we are! Like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!

Fall of an Empire (IV of VIII)

Ember jogged through the burning fields, along with her battalion of fighters. The carrier dragons overhead were pushing towards Bostogne, which laid atop the rocky hills. She grunted in annoyance as several hundred arrows clinked against her armor and scaled snout. Her generals had gone ahead to start the attack while she hung back with the firebreathers. Now that the crops were ablaze, the hundreds of dragons were climbing up with her. She pulled herself onto the ledge, smacking a griffons bow away and using her tail to toss him behind her.

The rural city was a mess of spears and arrows flying all over. The archers on the roofs were locked in short skirmishes with flier squads. She jabbed her arm to the side, knocking out a griffon attempting to stab her. The firebreathers were in need of time to gather their internal flame, which meant the city wouldn't burn today. She disliked the idea of fighting in such close quarters, but she had to regroup with Draco and Moon at Windawn. Letting loose an ear splitting roar, Ember took flight over the battlefield, knives between her claws. She flew ahead of the main forces and started to pick off any archers firing at her dragons.

General Ace joined her with a squad of his best, firing arrows at the forces below. "Tell the carriers to knock down the buildings near the northern side!" Ember called over the fighting.

Ace nodded, then flew high above to the massive dragons. General Ash swung his massive axe into a warrior's side, then used the pointed end to stab another and smack him into another pair. He coughed up a few embers, and soon he was breathing a cloud of smoke again. Turning back to the other dragons, they all puffed small clouds of smoke. A smirk came to his face, just before a spearhead pierced his skull. General Charcoal saw his brother fall to the ground, and his rage filled roar frightened the griffon who did it. Beaming his own spear into the warrior's face, Charcoal ripped his head from his neck and set the pieces of meat on fire.

"Set this city on fire!"

The firebreathers combined their flames into a massive blue fire. With each pass of the blazing hot wall, the griffons were burned to the bone and the buildings were toppled. Ember turned mid air to avoid a spear, and she tackled a warrior charging at her. She tore her dagger through his chest and kicked him to the fires below.

"Don't burn the city!" Ember roared. "Cease fire!"

The firebreathers halted their flames and instead rushed the remaining griffon forces. Angered by the loss of their general, the battalion did everything in their power to make sure the griffons didn't survive. Ember wasn't as gruesome with her punishments, but she was severe. Any griffons who threw their weapons on the ground were executed, most being set on fire and being left to burn. Ember placed eight knives between her claws and slashed at the forces from above. She landed feet first on one and continually stabbed him until she was forced to dodge a sword lunge. Using her tail to trip him up, she plunged his own sword into him before slashing his throat.

The buildings to the north were knocked over as the carrier dragons threw themselves into them. Any warriors inside were crushed under rubble and hundreds of pounds of dragon weight. The city was in ruin, and the remaining griffons fled swiftly, forgetting their dying comrades in fear of joining them.

Or so Ember thought.

The fires died down as the fighters surrouned General Ash's corpse. Charcoal kneeled beside him and growled in frustration and sadness. He took the armors adorning his older brother and placed them beside his body. Ember placed her claw on his shoulder, looking down at the fallen fighter. A carrier dragon buried its claws into the ground, then pulled a mound of dirt out of the ground. Ember gently placed the body inside, flapping her wings twice to land on the edge. The fighters kept silent in a moment of respect, and the generals ordered them to set up camps for the night.

Ember sat alone on the far side of the city. She had seen many of the younger dragons fall to the warriors talons, but she never thought one of her generals would join them. Was she unfit to lead? Should they have attacked the city first and then set fire to the fields? Could Ash have been saved if she thought differently?

Ember rubbed her spines anxiously, wishing she could get the thoughts out of her head. "It wasn't your fault."

She turned away as Ace sat down beside her. "He was under my orders. I have full responsibility for his death and thirty-two others," Ember said with a neutral tone.

Her uncle (thrice removed) chuckled as he draped a wing over her. "Yes, but it wasn't at your claws," Ace reminded her. "Ash was a good dragon, and an even better fighter. But his death was something he was well aware of when he volunteered. Don't let this stop you from leading us. We've never lost this many, especially with a female leader."

Ember growled lightly, but it turned into a bitter chuckle. "Maybe if it were you or my father, they would all be alive," she said. "Ace, I want you to-"

"Ember." She glared at him, but he kept his stern gaze fixed back at her. "You are going to lead us to Windawn, and from there we take Gryphos. Don't do this for me, or for your father. Do this for yourself. And to show Draco you can lead."

Her orange scales tinted slightly as extended her wings in anger. "Uncle!" She roared. Ace hissed as he covered his face from her flames. "I don't think of him as a mate!"

"Oh you don't, do you?" Ace snickered. "I've seen the way you look at him. Even if his skin is easily breachable, I must admit you chose a strong partner."

"UNCLE!"

"Fine! Fine!" Ace laughed. "Do you feel better?"

Ember snorted, her scales returning to their orange. "Not much," she sighed. "But I appreciate the effort. It's two day's to Windawn from here. We're almost through with this. Please, Uncle, make sure you return home with me."

General Ace nodded, hugging his niece. "I'll be there for you, Ember," he whispered. "Don't you fret. I'll be with you and your father when we come home. And perhaps I'll be best fighter at your reception."

She snarled loudly, but she slapped him in the back of the head and laughed. "If it brings you back alive, keep thinking that way," Ember chuckled. "Get some rest. I'll need everydragon ready to march at dawn."

Prison of War Criminals, Dubley

Moon pounced on a warrior and stabbed his mounted spears into his neck and chest. Jumping back from a sword, Moon kicked the blade out of the griffon's talons then swiped his claws through his throat. He bounded towards the prisoner cells, dodging multiple arrows from the archers above. Quick Peck zoomed through the towers and dropped bombs into the nests, blowing up the archers and drawing the attention away from Moon. Shadow flew above the wolf-pony and slashed at any bogeys closing in from their flanks. Moon slashed the chains sealing the iron door then shouldered it open.

Shadow flew in first and smiled at the sight of his griffon comrades. "Boys, who's up for a little payback?"

"WE ARE, SIR!"

Moon nodded, quickly tearing the locks apart and opening the armory. The griffons suited up, bearing the iron armors and grabbing short swords and crossbows. Shadow charged with Moon into the fray of the city. The rural homes were skewered with arrows and decorated with bodies; griffon, wolf, and dragon alike.

Shadow took flight with Peck right beside him, and Moon howled to his alphas to join his side as he ran to the streets. Two pounced on a warrior while the other three kept up with him. Moon slashed the legs of the griffons to give his dragons an advantage, while also letting his wolves take them down much easier. He rammed a griffon, then tossed him aside and bit down on the back of a griffons neck. The sound of metal bending against his armor made him yelp in pain and he jumped to the side. A griffon with a bent spear looked at his weapon incredulously, but he was tackle by three of Moon's brethren.

"Commander!" General Tomb was fighting off three griffons with a bleeding arm. "Chuck and Hack have fallen!"

Moon rushed over, ramming one and using his momentum to knock over the other two. "Follow me, now!"

General Tomb nodded painfully as he ran behind Moon, who lashed out at any in front of him. A squad of fighters joined them, and soon they reached a small shop.

"Keep low and protect him," Moon ordered. "I'm ending this fight."

Stepping back out into the street, Moon roared into the skies, alerting the rest of the packs. The wolves charged in from the east, catching the griffoms off guard from the rear. Seeing the faltering lines, the fighters redouble their efforts and rushed through the griffon ranks. The archers above were set on fire from below while those on the streets were slashed. Moon tackled a griffon, puncturing his chest in two places, and rolled off to headbutt another. Beside him, General Rook slammed his hammer onto a warrior.

"They're falling back!" He called as a griffon beneath him had its head smashed by his foot.

Moon looked up as hundreds of griffons took flight towards Windawn, which lay off in the distance. When they were completely out of sight, Moon galloped to the shop he had left Tomb in. As he got to the street corner, he could see the faces of the fighters. His fears were confirmed when he stepped into the building, and saw the peaceful face of General Tomb. His scent was faint, and the smell of death was settling in. Moon sat down shakily, taking off his helmet and sighing.

"Three of our generals are dead." Moon nodded to the fighter, doing his best to not shed a tear. He had to be strong… like Draco and Ember.

He carried Tomb on his back, while Rook and Scythe carried Chuck and Hack. They were taken to the outskirts of the city, where they were buried side by side. Moon said a small prayer for them, then ordered the others to set up in the city for the night. Shadow sat beside him and looked to the graves.

"First time losing a lieutenant?" He asked.

Moon nodded. "I've never lost anypony-dragon-griffon or friend," he sighed. "I never thought leading was this hard."

Shadow nodded, taking off his helmet and pushing his feathers back. "We all do in a war," he said softly. "Don't let this stop you. They'll be pointless deaths if you don't help take Gryphos."

"I'm not stopping, Shadow," Moon growled. "When we reach Gryphos I'm going to watch Draco tear that coward limb from limb."

"What did the Emperor do that got the kid so pissed?" Shadow asked with a chuckle.

"He killed and old friend of his... Dasher," Moon said. "They were very close… and he often played with his daughter who was of the same age. Draco held him as he passed… and he didn't take it too well."

Shadow nodded, looking to the moon above. "I'm gonna get some rest," he said. "Don't stay up too long."

Moon chuckled and closed his eyes. "I'm nocturnal," he grinned. "Why else have we been moving at night?"

Shadow shook his head and laughed before taking flight towards the camps. Left to himself, Moon shifted uncomfortably as he laid on his belly. Looking up to the moon, he felt a chill run down his back. Whether it was an omen or some sort of sign, he was worried. It was… strange. He felt as if something bad was going to happen. It wasn't doubt, as he had once felt. But it did feel like something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

Author's Notes:

Cliffhanger? I think so. Remember guys: Like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!