Chapter 5

“How?” Was all the therapist could manage to gasp, “How can you get back to Equestria and start a war?”

Odio groaned as he rubbed his neck, “War is imminent on so many levels at the moment” He smiled as the therapist continued to take notes “Some might be unexpected, some… small situations could yield large consequences”

“So you are going back to get more hate energy” The therapist nervously gulped down some water before continuing his notes “But it has supposedly been almost four months, how can you be sure you are travelling in the right direction?”

Odio smirked “Because I am already on Equestria… I’m just waiting to be released” His grin extended as more flashing lights appeared outside the house “Finally, the show is here”

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Strong Shield bickered with Nurse Redheart as he attempted to get up. The nurse refused until the unicorn groaned in defeat. The white mare shook her head before trotting over to Celestia

“So Princess Celestia, when are you going to feed your baby?” The nurse smiled as Celestia cradled Nox “You do remember how I said you should do it?”

Celestia nodded “Yes, I am just a bit weary from the birth” Her smile grew as Dave returned from Strong Shield’s bed and sat next to her. She sighed before moving Nox down to allow him to feed

Dave’s reassuring smile disappeared as he watched Nox feed on Celestia’s milk “Wow… Is it wrong that I am slightly jealous?” His cocked head was slapped up by an agitated Nurse Redheart “I mean… it’s a beautiful thing”

The white earth pony shook her head “Between the princess and that stubborn unicorn, I have completely worn myself out” she rubbed her tired eyes “Nopony minds if I have a few hours sleep do they?”

“Of course not” Luna smiled “We know where to find you if we need you” The princess of the night waited until the nurse left before turning to Celestia “So would you like me to take over royal duties for a few days?”

Celestia shook her head “No, just give me a day to recover then everything should return to normal” She turned to look at Dave “You can look after Nox can’t you?”

Dave smirked “Sure, I can take care of him during busy days” He looked over at Strong Shield across the room “But I won’t let granddad make him a guard yet!”

The black unicorn groaned, “Don’t call me granddad!” He rolled his eye “You make me sound old!”

Dave chuckled as Nox finished feeding and jumped into Celestia’s mane. Celestia giggled as his head pooped out with a yawn, his head rested on Celestia’s horn. Celestia carefully leaned down to give Dave a kiss on his cheek as the grey alicorn in her mane slept

Luna smiled before quietly leaving, her face dropped as she reached the door. Strong Shield shook his head as he looked at the happy family “Can you go talk to Luna?” He glared at Dave

Dave looked bewildered before rubbing his head “Is she still… you know?” his gaze moved back to Celestia who simply shrugged

“She has kept her emotions under better control than I have” Celestia sighed “If she does still have any feelings towards you then I suggest you make you position clear” She carefully sat up as she looked at her human “I will be back in my quarters with Nox when you are finished”

Dave gasped “Clear?” He began walking to the door “I told her a million times that it was over” he mumbled a few curses to himself before chasing after the other princess “See you in a bit”

His quick pace allowed him to easily catch up with Luna. Her ears pricked up as she heard Dave’s feet running across the marble floor “Hello Dave” She said in a happy tone

“Hey Luna” Dave caught his breath before continuing “umm… I was wondering, are we cool?”

Luna turned to face Dave with a stare “How do you mean?” Her eyes were completely neutral, tipping towards happy or distraught depending on what Dave said next

“I mean, do you still have a crush on me or?” Dave could not speak again as Luna lunged forwards with her horn lowered. He lunged backwards avoiding the dark point

“Crush?” Luna snarled with her eyes full of pain “I loved you! It was no silly fillies’ game” her breathing shuddered as she stood upright again “You have some nerve showing up again”

“Excuse me?” Dave responded with mild anger “I come back and you think it was a bad thing?” He glared at Luna as she shook her head

“You weren’t there when Celestia spent those nights crying herself to sleep” Luna turned away “You weren’t there when I cried myself to sleep either”

Dave rolled his eyes “I chose Celestia because you gave me up, you can’t blame me for something you did”

“I fought to get you back, Celestia didn’t!” Luna took a few breaths to calm herself before looking back at Dave “I don’t hate you or my sister, but I hate myself for letting you go and I will spend the rest of my life trying to win you back”

Dave shrugged “Well good luck with the self pity, let me know when you can talk to me without thinking about how you can steal me from Celestia” He turned on his heel before walking back down the corridor to reach the steps that would take him to Celestia’s quarters

As Dave reached the golden doors that were accompanied by two unicorn guards, he nodded before walking in. As he closed the door behind him he scratched his head

“Did they ever consider I may be a trick?” He looked around for Celestia as he scratched his head “Where are you anyway?”

Before Dave could listen for a response he heard a loud splash coming from the bathroom. As he stepped in he was instantly greeted by a wave of water hitting his face. Celestia held back a laugh whilst Nox swam around the shallower waters of the small pool

Dave shook his head before opening his eyes “Well that was one way to say hello” He smiled as water continued to drip off his chin “So what are the plans for this week?”

Celestia swam over to the waterfall that flowed from the ceiling and began to bathe her wings “Well I suppose you would like to meet the residents of Ponyville again wouldn’t you?”

Dave chuckled as he felt the scales of his coat scratch against his back “Yeah I could buy some more clothes from Rarity while I am there” He looked back at Nox who was blowing raspberries into the water “And I am sure they would love to see this guy”

“I’m sure they would” Celestia sighed “And Twilight could study how Alicorns grow” She thought to herself before looking back at Dave’s troubled face “What’s wrong?”

Dave looked back to the princess before shrugging “I am just a bit shook up about how things have turned out” He plucked Nox out of the water before playfully rubbing his chest “I mean we have this little one, Strong Shield is on the mend and everything else is… alright”

“Don’t worry I’m sure that you will get into trouble soon” Celestia playfully winked at Dave before washing her mane “You can go see Strong Shield for bit if you like”

Dave put Nox back into the water before stepping for the door “See you later then?”

“Yes and don’t be too late” She sent him another, more seductive wink “You don’t want to miss the treat I have for you”

“Oh, well then I shall be but a moment” Dave smiled before reluctantly leaving

Meanwhile…

Strong Shield rested his eye while he attempted to sleep, the dull pain in his side was the only reminder that he was in the hospital wing rather than his bunk in the guard barracks. His breathing was slow and calm as he listened to the silence in the room

Groaning he opened his eye, scanning the room. The places where there should be a faint noise or a figment of his imagination were replaced with silence. The lack of noise made Strong Shield look around with greater care, glaring at beds or corners of the room

“Well I must say this is a surprise,” A soft female voice whispered next to Strong Shield’s ear. The unicorn froze as his eye rolled over to look at the mare sitting next to him. A short dark mane with a grey streak accompanied her dark lavender fur

Strong Shield looked past her gentle purple eyes at a freakishly large earth pony that rested against a wall, his front hooves were crossed while his eyes stared at Shield, daring him to make a move. His navy body helped conceal his shaved head leaving only stubble where his mane should be

“Why aren’t you both dead?” Strong Shield’s eye focused on the mare next to him while his mind searched the room. A small tray of surgical equipment rested next to the machinery that once supported Strong Shield’s life

“You should have checked for bodies rather than dispose of a bad guy” The Pegasus smirked “And don’t think about using that scalpel” She smirked as Strong Shield suppressed a flinch “Don’t forget we are better than you”

As her smug smirk grew until Strong Shield smirked in response “Don’t forget I beat you both thirty years ago” he responded before lifting his head and using his magic to launch his pillow at the pegasi. In one sweeping motion, the Pegasus used an armoured wing to slice the pillow and rise into the air

Strong Shield looked through the sudden cloud of feathers to see the earth pony kick one of his hooves into a bed, causing it to hurtle towards the black unicorn. Strong Shield groaned as he dived out of the way and onto his wounded side

“We aren’t as young as we once were” The Pegasus mocked “And you aren’t in the best of health,” her smile snapped to a snarl as she put a hoof on Shield’s throat “Now you have something that belongs to us”

Strong Shield managed to spit before a large hoof pushed down on his wound. The earth pony twisted his hoof slowly before looking in Strong Shield’s bloodshot eye

“The key” He whispered, “We know where Puppetmaster’s vault is but you have hidden the key very well” His smile lessened as Strong Shield struggled against the hoof on his throat

“What the fuck is going on here?” Dave gasped as he stepped in to see a Pegasus and earth pony pinning down Strong shield, a bed smashed through machinery and feathers falling through the air

Strong Shield looked over at Dave before yelling the few words he could manage “Dave RUN!”

Before Dave could react, the Pegasus rolled towards him before applying her rear hooves to Dave’s chin, sending him up to allow the earth pony to follow through with an elbow drop that slammed Dave into the ground

Dave coughed and wheezed as he climbed to his feet, using the wall to support himself “Ok… Dad who the fuck are these two?” He asked as the intruders did some stretches

Strong Shield climbed to his hooves and started his own stretches “The hag is called Flux and the product of cross breeding is called Battering Ram” He looked at the wound in his side before continuing to stretch “They used to work with me during my undercover days”

“Great so we have two evil versions of you?” Dave shrugged as the Pegasus moved so she was opposite Shield whilst Ram stood opposite Dave. His head would have allowed him to stare Celestia in the eye without any difficulty “Hello big guy”

“One of my grandfathers was a buffalo while the other was an ox” He chuckled “Let’s just say that I am complete strength in pony form” His smile grew as Dave braced himself “Just a friendly warning, I am going to break you”

Strong Shield glanced at Dave “Just keep alive until I can help” He shook hiss body before taking a few breaths “seriously though, he WILL break you”

“Can I call him RAAM? Or Bane?” Dave smirked “Just for my benefit?”

Flux shook her wings, the metal that ran along the front sprouted blades at each end “So Shield opened his heart a little? Hard to believe” she sighed

Battering Ram smirked “Yeah, he always was the more detached in our unit” He took a few deep breaths before his body went still and his eyes glared at Dave’s chest. Strong Shield and Flux also did similar things as the room took an eerie silence and left Dave as the only one making a sound

“Ok I am slightly scared” Dave gulped as the tower of muscle smirked at him