~7 years prior to Von's departure~

"Concentrate now, Von. Feel the breath of Equestria flow through your body. Let it course through you and strengthen you so that you can withstand any obstacle that comes at you." Von's elder instructed. It had been 5 years since Von had lost his memory after seeing the Sonic Rainboom. Since then, Von has had to relearn all that the elder taught him. How to fly, how to properly hunt for gems and learn which gems can make a dragon sick and how to unleash his inner dragon. But in light of that event, Von was able to better blend in to dragon society...at the cost of his true self.

"Ok...I think I can feel it. Alright. Hit me." Von demanded. The elder chuckled and did as Von asked. He punched him as hard as he could and sent the young drake into the side of the mountain.

"Oh my..." The elder said in surprise. In reality, he wasn't all that surprised that Von would have failed that. Von groaned in agony as he rubbed the spot his elder hit him and got up.

"Why didn't it work? I could feel the breath of Equestria like you said!" Von whined. The elder smiled and gave him a questioning look.

"It was about to work. But were you CONCENTRATING?" The elder asked, emphasizing the last word. Von blushed a bit and looked away. It was written all over his face and the elder chuckled. "Are you thinking about that griffin companion of yours? What was her name? Guldo?"

"It's Gildy!" Von yelled. Immediately, Von's face lit up and he looked away. "I-I mean, Gilda." The elder smiled and patted Von on the back.

"You miss her, huh?" He asked. Von's wings drooped in sadness and he looked at the ground.

"She said she was going back to her family and I haven't seen her since. Do you think she doesn't wanna be friends with me anymore?" The young drake asked. The elder could only shake his head as he did not know as to what reason Gilda had for not coming back. But his focus shifted as the topic changed as well. "Do you think i'll ever meet my parents?"

"Of course." The elder said. "I am quite certain they will appear before you one day. Just have hope. I taught you never to give up hope, remember?" Von smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Right. I won't give up. I promise!" Von declared to the heavens. The elder laughed at his confidence but suddenly, he froze. He appeared as though he were seeing the entire universe as he stared towards the sky. Von followed his gaze, but there was nothing there except clouds. "Is something the matter, Elder?" He asked in a worried tone. The elder shook his head and broke his trance upon hearing Von's voice.

"Yes. Now come. Let us continue your training." He ordered as he got back into his original position. Von beamed with confidence and got into a fighting stance.

"Ok!" Von shouted. The elder stared at him as Von did as he instructed earlier.

Chapter 25: Preparations

Von awoke from his slumber in a cold sweat. Though he experienced a night of bliss, he could not escape his worry. He looked towards the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

"I still haven't forgotten what you taught me, elder. But channeling powers like that for my use is rather difficult. But I will try. I have to. Otherwise, Nova will win and that will be the end of everything." Von said to himself. He looked to his left and noticed his griffin lover sleeping, a smile on her face and she had one of his hooves in a vice grip. He smiled a bit and looked back towards the ceiling as he went deep in thought. The way the elder looked then....it was as though he saw something horrible. Could it be that he had a vision? If so, I wonder if he saw these turn of events coming into play...., he thought. He thought back to his time with the elder and closed his eyes. What was it he taught me again? ...Oh right. Move swift like the wind, have a mind as serene as the water, feel the breath of Equestria and be as durable as its mountains.....and have a fighting spirit fierce like fire. Von opened his eyes and continued to stare at the ceiling. But his train of thought was broken when he heard Gilda mumbling in her sleep.

"Von......don't die....." She said. Von chuckled and pet the feathers on her head with his free hoof.

"I'm not gonna die. Count on it." He whispered to her. However, the moment he stopped stroking her head, Gilda smiled and her eyes opened.

"You better not." She told him. She tightened her grip on his hoof and stared at him. "If you do, I'll drag you up from Tartarus and kick your ass." Von laughed and smiled.

"And how long have we been up?" He asked in a teasing voice.

"Since you woke up all scared." She answered. She released her grip and laid her head on his lap. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"....." Von stayed silent for a moment before he thought about how to answer her. "We prepare for battle. Celestia is going to mobilize the royal guard, and Luna will her personal guard. They probably informed the girls already, so I know they're gonna get prepared. And then there's us. .....I'm going to resume the training my elder put me through." Von said. "It's going to be rough, but we have to persevere. If we lose, Nova will take over and I can't let that happen. He'll kill everypony. Even you and I don't want that to ever happen. I'll protect you, Gildy. No matter what." He declared. However, his moment of bravery subsided when the sound of his lover snoring filled the air. Von couldn't help but laugh, but he stopped himself and laid back on the bed. "I've learned how to have a serene mind and I remembered how to feel the breath of Equestria. ....Swift like the wind and a fierce and fiery spirit are next. I'll get to it in the morning." He whispered to himself and he drifted back to sleep to prepare for his inevitable battle.........

Not too long after he woke up again, Von went out into the Royal Canterlot Training Grounds. As the name implied, he went there in order to train himself. Though some of the guards were around and getting prepared themselves, the area was pretty open so he could train as hard as he could without worry of any casualties....to an extent.

"Even though I learned it, I need to practice it again. Ok. Just take in the breath of Equestria..." He mumbled to himself. He closed his eyes and took slow breaths. In and out. In and out. Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation seep into his hooves. No. More like it flowed through every fiber of his being. He felt like he could withstand anything, like he was as sturdy as a mountain. "This is it. This is just what the elder was talking--"

"Hi!" Said a familiar bubbly voice. The instant that voice startled him, he lost all concentration and the feeling of power that he took in backfired and he sunk into the floor like a 10-ton weight. He lifted his head and looked back to find Twilight, Rarity and the source of the voice that forced him to lose his concentration, Pinkie Pie.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked in an annoyed tone. This was a first for him. He always greeted them with smiles, but this time he was actually annoyed with the fact they were there.

"You don't have to act so coldly, darling. We just came here to see you." Rarity said with a frown. Von grunted and looked away from them as he got back onto his hooves.

"Sorry", He started. "It's not you. It's just--"

"Nova has gone too far this time?" Twilight finished for him. He smiled a bit in response.

"Yeah. I don't want to fight, but it seems I have no choice. One way or another, I WILL stop him!" Von proclaimed. Pinkie smiled and patted his back.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll beat that big meanie. We believe in you." She declared. She flashed him a wide grin and he returned a smile of his own. His ears twitched and he turned towards the door behind the girls and saw his precious lover standing there.

"My, you seem to be quite the player." Gilda teased.

"It's not like that, Gildy! You know--" Von was cut off as Gilda came over to him and planted a kiss on his lips.

"It really is too easy to mess with you." She said with a giggle. Von sighed and looked towards Twilight.

"Where are the others?" He asked. Twilight smiled at him.

"Rainbow Dash and Kamen went back to Cloudsdale together, Applejack went back to Sweet Apple Acres and Fluttershy...." Twilight trailed off and scratched the back of her head with her hoof. "Well, she's--"

"Probably cowering like the little dweeb she is." Gilda interrupted. The girls looked at her in anger and she just shrugged it off.

And just WHAT was it that made Von choose her?, they thought. Gilda gave them a smug grin when suddenly, she felt an invisible force smack her in the back of the head. She rubbed the spot of impact and looked around and saw that neither Twilight nor Rarity had made a single movement. Her mind then n slowly focused on one certain halfling. When she looked back towards Von, who went back to training, she noticed that his horn was glowing with a distinctive aura that made her anger boil.

"Did you just HIT ME?!" She screeched. Von chuckled and glanced back at her.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked. Gilda stomped up to him and stood in front of him.

"You hit me, didn't you?!" She asked again.

"Ooooh. Nooo." Von said playfully.

"Yes you did!"

"Nooo. I didn't...."

"Don't lie to me! I can see your horn glowing!"

"Nooo."

"Yes you did! You hit me just now!!!"

"Nooo. I don't remember thaaat." Von said with a chuckle. Gilda growled at him and turned her head away in anger. The girls laughed and Twilight smiled at him.

"Well, we'll leave you two alone. And remember, Von. We will help in any way we can. We believe in you." And with those words, the three of them departed. Left alone was an angry Gilda and a highly concerned Von.

I know. That's what makes my decision even harder...., he thought. He shook his head and looked towards Gilda, who was starting to calm down.

"That wasn't funny, you know." She deadpanned.

"Hehe. It was a little funny, right?" Von asked.

"No. No, it wasn't." She responded.

"Aww. Party pooper." Von said with a frown. "Anyway, I told you not to make fun of my friends. We're supposed to show them that you can change, remember?" Gilda sighed and nodded her head. "I'll let you off easy for now. Right now, I need to train."

"Alright. I'll see you later then." Gilda said as she flew away. From there, Von trained for hours on his own until finally....

"Alright. I've gotten the hang of harnessing the power of Equestria itself. Next up, swift like the wind." Von was about to get back to training when he stopped to think. "They're all counting on me. They all believe in me. I want to protect them......and that's why I'll have to go through with it....even if they hate me in the end."

Out in Ponyville, Celestia's royal guard were making their rounds, restricting everypony from going out into the streets or drafting any stallion or mare they found suitable to aid them in the fight against Nova. In the midst of this Luna was preparing her personal guard for the battle ahead as well. It saddened both princesses to bring in civilians, but they needed all the fighters they could get. Lastly, Celestia was able to enlist the aid of her nephew in-law Shining Armor, Captain of the royal guard.

"We've enlisted as many ponies as we could, your majesty." Shining reported in. "But we are still few in numbers."

"You've done well, Shining Armor. We may not have enough soldiers, but we should be able to push them back if we can. In the meantime, I would like to ask that you place your protection spell around Canterlot." Celestia ordered.

"Yes" Luna started. "It is most likely the main target of their assault."

"As you wish, princess." Shining Armor nodded and bowed in respect as he left the castle.

"Do you think that this is a battle we can win, sister?" Luna asked, turning her attention to Celestia. The solar princess sighed and looked at her sister with an expression of grief.

"I fear that we will not be able to win this battle, sister." Celestia stated. "Nova has indeed grown powerful. And if he is leading the changelings, including their queen, then we may have already lost."

"Don't say that!" A voice called out. The two princesses looked towards the door and saw Von walking towards them. "We can't give in. If we do, he wins and we'll all be killed!!!"

"The number of soldiers we have to fight them is not enough, Von." Luna said.

"I know. I know how many changelings there are and I know how powerful they can be. And I certainly know the level of Nova's strength." Von said. Von had a look of grimace on his face as he looked back to the wound Nova left. Celestia giggled a bit and looked at him.

"Do you miss your wings?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Perhaps Chrysalis should have taught you more about changelings than she has."

"What do you mean?" He asked in confusion. Celestia used her magic and unwrapped the bandages he had on and when he looked back, he saw two stubs where his wings were. But there was something odd about them.

"Changelings are capable of regenerating their lost wings." Celestia pointed out. "You are no exception. You just need to concentrate." Von's eyes widened with joy upon hearing this. If this was true, then he could finally be whole again. He would be able to fly once more, feeling the breeze and being at one with the skies like the wind dragon he was inside. So without any further instruction, he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. Suddenly, the stubs on his back began to twitch and ache. It was painful, but he knew he had to pull through it to get back what he had lost. He strained a bit and the stubs throbbed more.

"I-it hurts!" Von cried out.

I know it must hurt. But you must endure the pain, whispered a male voice in his head. Von's eyes widened when heard the voice. He didn't recognize it, but it was soft and commanding. Like the voice of a true leader.

".....Alright." he muttered. Von nodded and mustered up his strength and concentrated more. The stubs continued to throb more violently until suddenly in a burst of blood, a pair of new wings sprouted from his back. But they were not the wings of a changeling.

"My wings...They're...."

"Yes" Celestia said, interrupting. "Your new wings are that of a dragon due to the draconic blood you carry." She gave him a warm smile and he returned one to her.

"Anyway....we're in need of some extra help, right?" Von asked.

"Yes. But where do we find such aid?" Luna asked, turning to her sister. Celestia tapped her muzzle and went deep in thought until a pegasus came flying into the castle. It was a female pegasus with a gray coat and blonde mane and apparently had wall-eyes....at least, that's how it seemed from Von's perspective. She flew rather clumsily until she landed in front of Von and gave him a big smile.

"I brought you a letter." She said cheerfully. She reached into the mailbag that she was carrying and pulled out an envelope and gave it to him.

"Uh...thanks?" Von said. He smiled nervously and the pegasus smiled back before she flew away. What a strange looking mare. ....Kinda cute though, he thought. After she departed, Von looked at the letter in question and opened it with his magic and levitated it in front of him. "....What the...."

Meanwhile in the new Changeling castle, the Changeling army was being prepared for the war to come. Though she now had less influence, Chrysalis was placed in charge of the army.

"I'm growing tired of this!" She said to herself. "Why am I taking orders from HIM?! Am I scared? Have I gone soft? Is it out of love or out of hate?!" She sighed and walked down the hall. "I already know the obvious answer. I'm doing this to protect myself. I've tried to stop him time and time again but to no avail. He has grown too powerful and is too far gone to listen to me. I have no choice but to obey...out of fear for the lives of my changelings.....and my son. Oh Ignus. You must think me a horrible parent." She looked to the clouds outside, hoping to find any sign that her beloved would forgive her for what she was doing. But she saw nothing. Not a beacon of light. Not a whisper. Nothing. All she heard was the buzzing of her changelings in the skies above.

"~Oh Chryssy~" Nova called out to her. She looked down the hall and groaned in annoyance. She began to proceed down the hall when a small gust of wind blew past her face and her eyes widened.

"Ignus...." She said to herself. She managed to smile for she got the answer she desired, but that smile faded as Nova continually called for her. "I'm coming!!!"

"Damn right, you were! Ha!" Nova said when she reached her destination. He had a book levitating in front of him, but it was not his spell book.

"What is that?" Chrysalis asked, pointing to the object in question.

"Ah, Chryssy. I was getting bored, so I found this book. It's rather funny, actually. It's about some colt who's trying to get laid by everypony around, but he keeps screwing up. Seems some nurse by the name of Redheart is not very fond of him. I'd certainly like to meet the creator." He said with a laugh. He put the book down and looked at her and smiled. "How goes the preparations?"

"The changelings are growing stronger thanks to your.....training....but they are growing restless as well. We need more love. How long do you intend to make them wait?" She asked. Nova growled and looked towards her. No matter how much he 'aided' her, she continued to question his judgement. And he had finally had enough of it.

"Don't question me, Chrysalis! Don't forget..." Nova got up from his resting spot and slammed Chrysalis on the ground and placed a hoof on her head. "I have the power to take your life away! I am your master now! And I will have my way!!!"

No. It is I who will have his way.

BGM 3

"W-what?!" Nova shouted to the voice in his head. He took his hoof off Chrysalis against his will and backed away from her. He lowered to the ground and started to writhe in pain. "What is this?! Stop!"

You have done your part and served your purpose. You no longer have any need for that fragile, mortal mind. I will corrupt it with my influence, the voice said. At that moment, a torrent of dark power flowed out of Nova and began to wrap around his body. He cried out in agony as the darkness began to take him over. It felt like his eyes were about to pop out of his head.

"S-stop!!!" Nova cried.

The time of Nova the dragon lord has come to an end. The time of Nova the dark prince is now. You will do as I say without question. Is that understood? Nova opened his eyes and they flashed with red as he looked past Chrysalis.

"Yes, master." Nova said with a deep demonic voice. Chrysalis stared at him in awe and horror, unaware of what was really going on. But deciding not to question him, she went along with it.

Von....you have to win. Please!

"Where are you going, Von?" Celestia inquired. Von opened the doors with his magic and began to spread his new wings.

"Going to get more help." Von answered.

"But from where exactly?" Luna asked. Von smiled and stepped outside and the princesses followed behind him.

"Like that letter said...'sometimes the best allies are those you'd never expect'. And there is one batch of friends that I have that I would never expect to come to our aid. Especially after they learn what I really am." He said. And whoever sent that letter knows of our predicament. I want to learn who, but I don't have time.

"And who are these allies, Von?" Celestia asked with a worried tone. Von flapped his wings and hovered in the air and turned back to Celestia and flashed a confident grin.