As I ate the food that Saki made me eat, seeing how really she only needed my love to go on, I heard the pages of the book being flipped through. The food was bland, not that much to it, but it did keep me going. And besides, not like they were giving me choices of what to eat. To me, it kinda looked like oatmeal, sure didn’t taste like oatmeal I’ll say that much. I soon heard the sound of paper being torn from the book, looking up, I watched as Saki placed the pages in the pile of when I wrote about our first sexual encounter. “Forgot to rip that one out Light,” she told me as I sighed, I knew I forgot something.

“Thanks Saki,” I said as she chuckled softly. Sitting on the bed, she then asked.

“Was Doctor Love always like that?” when I turned back to her, she went on. “I mean…the way he acts…was he always-?”

“Oh yeah,” I answered swallowing my food. “Doc always been like that for as long as I can remember.”

“Why did you deal with him, and consider him your friend?” she asked as I chuckled and shook my head.

“When I first was brought into the care of Black Light, I was a wrack, not physically, but emotionally and mentally wrack. He was about the same age as me, and well, he helped me get through it. Not enough for me to forget the pain, but enough to get through everyday without trying to kill myself.”

“You…tried to kill yourself?” she asked me as I sighed, reminded of my weakness.

“Yeah, three times, but he was always there to help me, to bring me back to reason. Sure he got on my nerves loads of time; some times he tried to get me to sleep with him.”

“You didn’t though, did you?”

“Yeah right…though he did give me a good scare one time.”

“How so?” I chuckled as I remembered.

“He got me really drunk one time, and when I woke up, he was in bed next to me…boy did I scream because he went on saying that we DID have sex, but in the end, he admitted; it was only a jest.”

Saki and I laughed a bit more before I sighed. “I owe a lot to him Saki, I hope after we get out of this mess, I can go back home and thank him. If it wasn’t for that crazed sex zebra unicorn…I might have been dead before I went into my adult years.”
“And if that happened, we never would’ve met,”
“So true,” I answered as I smiled. “Well, I’m done, mind passing me that book then?” she nodded and slide it along the floor, opening the book to a new page; I started to write once more.

**********

As Doctor Love said, a few days ago, my father gave out a speech, speaking of which on the plan to stop this fighting once; and for all. The eagerness of the stallions and mares that were going to fight, felt heavy in the air; almost a crushing feeling; in those few short days, my father and I spoke as much as we could. Mostly this was done when we were alone, or when Doctor Love or Saki was in the room and he could be in his Changeling form. It felt…weird, I know I said this before, but seeing my father, a Changeling mind you, before me. Now, the Changeling part didn’t bug me one bit. This would explain why I was unaffected by the Changelings magic, but still…a feeling, deep down…I don’t know, it’s hard to explain truly.

My father and Saki would speak as well at times, Saki, still wanting a foal of our own, spoke much of this with my father. They thought that I could easily have Saki bare my foal because I was half Changeling. But like any other pony, Changelings also went into a heat cycle; so we would have to wait and see for this to happen. Thinking about this now, me…being a father? It seemed rather crazy at the time when I was think back on this, would I be a good father, seeing how mine own, (With a good reason) wasn’t there for me while growing up. Ether way, I would have to talk to Saki about this.

At last though, the time had come, the day we would stop this civil war. Beside me, Saki, Doctor Love and my father Shade; nopony knew that the king was, and still is, under the control of a Changeling. That all of this was her doing, as to why? That I do not know. All I truly cared for at the moment was her tasting the steel of my blade. “So as you can see,” I was brought back into the world as my father, still in his Changeling form in the comfort of his room. Doctor Love, as well as Saki were there, for this plan, involved only us; spoke of our part. “As the ponies attack all around the castle to keep them worried on them, we shall sneak into this tunnel here.” He pointed on the map to where nothing was there, save for a red dot.

“Is that tunnel still stable,” I asked, worried that the tunnel, seeing how it wasn’t used before.

“Yes,” my father spoke. “It should be,”

“Should?” Saki spoke raising an eyebrow. “So there’s a chance we are gonna get crushed!” my father shook his head slightly, before answering her question.

“The tunnel is fine Saki,” he spoke to calm her down. “I’ve been through it last night just to be sure, it is wide enough for two in front, two in back. And it is sound, so we shall not be crushed.”

“Better not,” she muttered as I softly chuckled.

“Saki, it is a good plan,” I ensured her. “The only thing we truly need to worry about, is dealing with Cocoon and the king,”

I thought back again to the fight with Cocoon, the Changelings that fought for her were easy enough to stop, it was her…she would prove a rather strong fight. And if she had a king, a king that was also an Alicorn, this would be a rather hard fight, for just a sex crazed unicorn, two changelings, and a Halfling like me. “Bright Star is right,” I heard my father Shade answer for me. He was the only one that I allowed, (seeing how Saki even though she knew my name, she stilled called me Light) to call me that name. “These two are the only ones we must worry about…but there is a catch.”

“Catch?” Doctor Love asked as he slurped from his drink, it was white, so I thought of it as milk.

“Doc, do you really need to drink milk now?” I asked as he turned to me, his cheek round with the milk. He blinked once then spit some in the middle of my forehead. “Ugh! Gross man!” he spat another at me as I spatter. “Will you stop shooting me with your milk?!” again another shot. “What the point of you drinking it if you’re just gonna spit it at me?!” again he spat a longer strand at me. “Will you knock it off?!” he paused the spitting, me slightly fuming as I waited, thinking he was done I let out a sigh before he spat another round; this one going into my mouth. “Ugh! It went down my throat!”

“Alright that’s enough you two,” I heard my father sigh and shook his head slightly. “Doctor Love, go and ready the others, you know where the tunnel is right?”

“Yup,” he answered before burping as he placed the glass down. “It by the thing where that other thing is by the tingling!”

“Uh…yes?”

“Alrighty, see you there!” he turned and bolted out the room as I sighed.

“You sure he knows?’

“I sure hope so…”

“What was this catch you spoke of anyway Shade?” Saki asked, the red Changeling looked over before nodding, no doubt remembering what he was going to say before what happened between me and the Doctor.

“Well,” he sated as he sighed. “It’s gonna be hard, but we have to make sure the king does not die.” This caught me by surprised. “Bright Star, I know what you’re thinking, but remember, he has no control right now to what’s going on, Cocoon is controlling him. He is not at fault here.”

“I know this place should have a new ruler though,” I answered as he nodded.

“I’m sure you do, but you must think. What would yours’ and Saki’s life be like, if you were labeled as a King Killer?” I said nothing, he did have a point. “And beside, if we free the king, then he can order the guards to stop fighting, thus, the only way to truly stop this fight.”

“I sure your right…” I muttered under my breath.

After a half a hour run, we were outside the city, father took me and Saki to what seemed to be a rock head, to anypony it looked normal, but father brought his hoof to something, a loud click was heard as a piece of the rock slide open. We waited, and waited, and then at last, Doctor Love showed up. “What took you?” I asked him as he panted from running.

“Took a wrong turn, anyway, the ponies just started the attack when I left.”

“Good,” my father spoke up as he stood from where he was sitting. “Bright Star, you and I will take the front; Saki and Doctor Love, you two take the rear. After we agreed, we made our way into the tunnel, father shutting it, and myself, as well as Doctor Love; used our horns as a light source.

“I…am sorry,” I turned to my father after we walked for no more then a few minuets. Saki and Doc were behind us speaking to each other about something that I could not catch.

“What for?” I asked as kept going.

“For everything,” he answered as I watched him with my right eye. “It I had just gone with Cocoon…none of this would’ve happened.”

“If you went with Cocoon, I wouldn’t haven been born,” I reminded him as he nodded slightly. “Father listen to me, no matter what, this wasn’t your fault.”

“But if I went with her…”

“She, no doubt still would’ve taken over this place.” I answered him after cutting him off. “Look…I understand why you’re feeling this way; Cocoon caused all this, took over the king and turned the guards on his own people. Killed…mother, but no mater what,” I placed a hoof on his shoulder. “This was not your fault, these were HER choices, HER actions,” I then looked ahead, slightly glaring at the nothingness before me. “And she WILL pay for her crimes.” My father spoke nothing for a while, so to break the silence I then asked. “Why didn’t you leave after I did?” I asked looking to him as he looked to me. “There was nothing here keeping you back, sure, mother’s grave, but still. What complied you to stay?”

“As I said,” he answered me as he sighed. “I felt that all of this was my fault somehow, I couldn’t leave until everything was right.” Again he stopped speaking, and then he spoke once more. “Maybe…maybe I should’ve gone with Cocoon…”

I turned to him as he went on. “After you were born, she came to me alone, spoke to me and asking once more for me to be hers’…if I did not agree, she would do everything in her power to make sure I would regret it…” he hung his head down a bit. “It may have taken her years…but she did it…because of me…your mother is dead.”

“Father,” I stopped, making him as well as the other two stop as I spoke to him. “Maybe mother would still be alive if you chose to go with Cocoon, but I have a feeling that would’ve hurt mother much more then anything. Yes, she is dead because of what that bitch did, but know this.” I made my father look at me. “Mother died, knowing that you stayed with her, you were loyal to your wife and son. That is something Cocoon will never take from you, as I said before. Everything that happened is not because she is doing this because she wants you, no, she is going this because she thinks she can, and she thinks she has the power to do whatever she wants. Well that stops today; today we stop Cocoon and bring peace back to this land!”

“Damn right we will!” Doctor Love spoke up as he held his hoof up. “Shade listen, after you took over as Sir, a lot of ponies have lived, because you care for their lives! Without you, no doubt we’ve lost by now!”

“You may blame yourself for you’re mate’s death,” Saki spoke standing next to me. “But I have a feeling she would not want you to be like this, blaming yourself on forces far beyond what you control.”

He just turned and watched each of us for a moment, before bowing his head slightly and nodded. “Thank you,” he muttered slightly as I patted his back. He looked back up to me as I smiled. “Let’s go stop Cocoon then,”

After making our way into the castle, I noticed that…there were no guards. Sure I knew that many were outside fighting the rebels, but still, wouldn’t they have guards on the insides just in case? I didn’t like this at all…it felt too easy, I had a feeling it was a trap, but I didn’t want to speak of it. I turned to my father, who was still walking beside me. I could see his look; he no doubt had the same feeling as me. Looking down at him, I noticed that he held a small hatchet for his weapon, while Doctor Love; who was busy speaking to Saki about something, bore small knives all around his hind legs. “I don’t like this one bit,” I spoke at last as I stopped. “This seems…too easy,”

“You think the Queen is waiting for us?” Doc asked as I nodded.

“No doubt,” my father answered as he stopped as well. “Cocoon likes to make ponies think she has no idea what they are doing, and then-”

“She gets them by surprised,” I heard Saki answer as we all looked back at her. “What, it’s what I would do.”

“You are right about that though,” Father answered as he seemed to look at nothing, his face blank as if trying to think. “She’ll try to get others to fight, and then take the last blow; it’s what she did when she took over from the last Queen of this area.”

“Well, at least none of us can be affected by the spell right?” I thought I could lighten that up. “But…well, no doubt she will have Changelings that will copy me and Doc here…hrm…”

“Idea!” I jerked as I watched as Doctor Love walked over to me, he pulled out a red cloth and wrapped it around my hoof with his magic and he did the same with his own. “From what I understand, Changelings can’t copy clothing right?”

“With enough skill they can,” Saki answered. “I mean, my mother did make everyone think she was Shining Armor’s wife, and she did have a crown and such.”

“Or you would need something as a base,” my father answered as he nodded. “But a good idea none the least.”

At last, we came to a set of large metal doors, the edges incased in gold a bit, with imprints of past queens and kings. This was it, no doubt like father spoke of before, Cocoon, the one who brought this war to this land, and also the murderer of the mothers and fathers...; as well as my own. I was about to open the door, when I felt a hoof on my shoulder, I turned to see my father looking at me; Saki seemed to stop to watch as well as Doctor Love. (At this part, listen it Id (Sorrow) from the new Fire Emblem game, to me it kinda set the mood) “Son,” he spoke softly while looking at me dead in the eye. “Before we walk in there, I need to ask something of you.”

“Anything,” I answered as he nodded.

“No matter what happens, if…is somehow she has me, and threatens for you to stop, or my life will end…then I want you to reject it.”

“F…father…?” he looked away from me as he closed his eyes.

“If I die…I don’t want to look your mother in the face, knowing that I allowed you to gamble the lives of many…just for me.”

“Don’t talk like this!” I hissed as he looked back at me. I held him in a hug; he seemed to freeze up for a moment, before he too hugged me. “I…I just got you back, and I will not allow you to be taken from me once more.” I tightened my grip on him as I went on. “I will make this never happens, we stop this now; as father and son.” I pulled away so he could look at me, I could see his eyes soften as he gazed onto me.

“You’ve…grown so much Bright Star,” he whispered softly as he bowed his head. “If only I was stronger…maybe…maybe your mother would still be here, to have seen you grown into the stallion you have become.” (Now listen to Id (Purpose)

Just then, a brown muzzle came between us, Doctor Love bringing an foreleg around both of our necks. “Hey now, none of this sorrow last words here!” he grinned at each of us before going on. “No pony is gonna die here today, alright, the Doctor of Love forbid it!” he nudged us both as he let out and jumped back. “But you are right Light, this here, today it all ends, we stop Cocoon and bring peace back to our home!”

“A Changeling Queen is strong yes, but we have something she lacks.” She then came over to me and nuzzled my cheek softly. “You Lighting, you give both me and your father love unlike what she could never hope to have. A love of a son, and a love of a lover, I’m not saying we are unstoppable; but we have a far better chance then her!” I watched as my father looked at each of us, smiling softly before bowing his head. I brought my hoof to his shoulder once more before speaking.

“Let’s stop this bitch,” I told him with a smug look on my face. “For mother,”

“Yes…” he brought a hoof on top of my own before nodding sharply. “For Nora,”

We each turned to the door; our horns engulfed in a light blue, green, red, and lastly brown. We pushed the doors inward. The echoing booms of the doors hitting walls were easily heard. Slowly, we made our way into the throne room, with my magic, I slowly drew my blade out of it sheath, and Saki would flick her Hoof-blade out at times to make sure it was good and ready. Doctor Love would at times bounce in place, something he always did to ready himself, my father; his stern glare always forward, and I knew why.

At the far end of the throne room, high on the throne, she laid. A huge pillow making her seat comfy, one hoof dangling along the end. She only smiled coyly when her eyes locked to my father’s. But when she turned to me, that smug look was replaced with a flash of anger; I could see it, even from here, the faint line of a cut along her chest where I slashed her. She stood and hovered in the air, her forelegs and hind legs outstretched as she then bellowed out her words. “Welcome!” she cried out. “Welcome to my dear home, and what; do I owe this visit for?”