During the latter part of the trip, I learned that Wallflower had brought a few bags with her as well, all disguised as supplies. However, she reassured me that she hadn't taken any of the other supplies given to me and had simply added herself and her bags. She tried to explain why she had come, but I cut her off, telling her that she could explain herself when we got to her destination.

Sunset seemed to recognize Wallflower after a while and said that Wallflower reminded her of a very shy college student at Camelot Community College named Abigail. For the rest of the trip to Aelyssia, she spoke to Wallflower, although in fairness it was mostly Sunset doing the talking. Zecora and Scarlet joined the two after a while, and after a half hour, it seemed as if Wallflower was slowly starting to open up.

The Sirens all seemed anxious to see Aelyssia once again. For a while, Sonata talked my ear off. She might have had a smile on her face, but I could see she was just as nervous as the other two. When I felt she was on the verge of a breakdown, I stopped her and directed the conversation towards Aelyssia. She admitted that she was scared to see her old homeland again. She felt like she'd failed it by running away with the other two. I reassured her and the other two who were eavesdropping in that their actions at the time were understandable.

To my complete surprise, Chrysalis and Ember spoke to each other after the Sleeping Beauty movie. I couldn't hear what they were discussing, but from where I stood, it looked as if they were at least being cordial. I kept an eye on them just in case, however.

Gemini and Mica never left my side as I steered the helm. It took a while, but I did manage to strike up some kind of conversation with them. Mica was the more talkative one and informed me that he had been speaking more and more often with the waitress who had visited my house during the unfortunate Rich family visit. I could see his feelings for Strawberry had only developed more. Gemini told me while Mica was in the ship's head that she wasn't too enthused about the potential couple, but I encouraged her to lighten up and let things progress.

Some time before sunset, we reached the shores of Aelyssia. It might have only been a short time since I'd seen this barren land, but it felt like an eternity. We passed over the once capital city, where Sunset informed me that whatever magical barrier had once surrounded it and had been repelling Dragons had now vanished. It looked the same as it had before, including the recently demolished tower. The Sirens all looked over the side as we passed over, and I could see them talking to each other, pointing and appearing to reminisce, although it was actually Sonata doing most of the reminiscing. Chrysalis and Ember both watched it pass in silence while Zecora, Scarlet, Wallflower and Sunset all looked over the side at it with varying degrees of wonder, the latter having never seen it before.

We reached our first destination right as the sun was reaching the western horizon. Duzoroth Tower hadn't changed much since I'd first found myself there after my fight with the former Dragon Lord. When I landed the Resplendent just off of the coast of Duzoroth Island, I was greeted by the four guards who had traveled with me to the council, Lahar, Strato, Scoria and Silica. They led us to our rooms in the tower where we would stay for the night. Zecora, Scarlet and I would be staying in the main suite where Torch had once slept and the others were each given rooms of their own. Even though I hadn't planned on Wallflower being with us, Lahar informed me that there was one room for her, which I ordered the guards to make up for her. After that, I ordered them, along with Gemini and Mica, to begin unloading the supplies and place them in the tower for the time being where they could be guarded until I could distribute them the following day as I had planned.

Once more, we were treated to a magnificent feast in the tower's dining hall. It was a quiet affair, with most of the participants remaining silent. After one of the most uncomfortable dinners I'd ever had, everyone went to their rooms to rest up. However, I asked Wallflower to remain.

The two of us walked out into the cool night air. Due to Aelyssia being closer to Equestria's equator, the temperature outside was a number of degrees warmer than back in Ponyville. The night sky was clear and the stars shone brilliantly above us. I saw the constellation Orion hanging prominently in the southern portion of the sky. Beside me, Wallflower looked down at the sand nervously.

Casting a Candlelight spell directly over the two of us, I took a seat in the sand and motioned for her to sit as well after I removed my cloak and set it down for her. When she did so, I crossed my legs and looked directly at her. "Wallflower Blush, look at me."

Slowly, she looked up, her bright brown eyes looking scared as she faced me. "Y-Yes?" she finally stammered out.

"I want to know the truth. Why did you come following me?" I asked sternly, arms crossed. "To be honest, this could very well be considered a crime. Stalking is a crime, you know."

Wallflower winced and lowered her head, but I gently used my magic to make her look back up at me. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, however, so I gently released her and softened my tone. "Wallflower, please tell me what your plan was," I requested instead. "Why did you sneak on board my ship?"

After a few false starts, Wallflower sighed. Looking up at me, she said, "I…ever since you talked to me that day, I've…been watching you. You're one of the first in a long time who's ever seemed to notice me aside from my family. Nopony in Ponyville really knows me. Sure, they stop by my shop for plants, but I…I have nopony to talk to. You were the first who actually noticed me."

I internally winced. Just like her Equestria Girls counterpart in the show, she was a loner who wasn't noticed by anyone. And now it turned out one positive interaction from me was enough to put me on her radar. I thought back to the few times lately that I had felt or heard something nearby and wondered whether or not it was her. She continued as she said, "I know I've been watching you, and I know how wrong it is, but I just wanted to try and help you in any way that I can. When I heard you were going back to Aelyssia, I figured I could volunteer and help with plant growing, but I never got a chance to get close to you. I was desperate!"

Whoo boy, this mare has issues, I thought with an internal sigh as I uncrossed my arms and looked at her closely. On the one hand, I couldn't just send her home, but on the other she needed some kind of counseling. This was a worrying development. However, something she said stuck with me. I looked back at her. "Wallflower, what's your cutie mark mean? What's your special skill?"

She looked at her flank, then back at me. "Well…I'm skilled in magic related to plants," she replied. "I know several spells that can make plants grow even in the harshest of environments and can brew up potions that do the same."

"Potions, huh…?" I muttered to myself. Looking up at her, I saw a pleading look in her tear-stained eyes. A part of me felt badly for her, but at the same time I knew she needed help. If only being acknowledged once was enough for her to go full stalker on me, she needed looking after while she was here. Still, while she was here, perhaps she could be of some use to my new empire. I had not seen many plants around Aelyssia, although I did know of some that had to have been somewhere on the continent, especially the forests where the Phoenixes lived and the place where the Kirin's lived. Still, having a stable source of food would eventually help in the long run.

I sighed and looked up at her. "Honestly, I really should send you back home-"

"Please don't!" Wallflower begged. "I want to thank you somehow! I know what I did was wrong, but I was hoping that if I watched you enough, I could find a way to repay you!" She poked at the ground with her hoof, digging up the sand. "I'm not very good at being social," she admitted. "So please, let me stay?" She gave me her best cute Pony pout, one that others had used on me a few times.

I frowned at her, thinking. Here was yet another test of my leadership abilities. If I just let her off the hook, it might encourage more behavior like this from her. However, I realized that one of the major things we would need in creating a functioning nation would be crops, and if she was as skilled as she claimed and was offering her services to me freely, I'd be a fool to refuse. Still, she was an Equestrian citizen. I finally sighed. "You realize you'd be aiding a foreign nation on your own. I'm not entirely sure how the Princesses will react when I tell them you stowed away. And I'll have to tell them, you know?"

Wallflower froze, but nodded after a while. "I-I understand," she said. "I'm really sorry…"

"I'm sure you are," I replied, slowly standing. She stood as well, floating my cloak over towards me with her light brown-ish magic. I took it, shook off the sand, and put it back on. "You better come back with me. I'm about to make my nightly report back to my friends, and I'll need to tell them about you. And one of them has direct access to Princess Celestia."

"Really, Celestia? Are you sure about?" I asked about a half hour later.

"Yes, I'm sure, Jethro," Celestia said on my laptop screen. Thanks to my loaning Celestia and Luna the laptop I'd bought in Pendragon on my first visit, we were able to have conference calls on, ironically enough, the Discord app. It seemed to me that Discord was a better app to use than Skype, so I'd loaned my laptop to the Princesses until I could go back to Earth and purchase one on their behalf. She and Luna were both sitting in what appeared to be Celestia's bedroom. "I don't mind if young Wallflower assists you. It was her own decision, after all. Although you did go about it in a worrying way, my little Pony," she added, looking over at the now embarrassed Wallflower who was sitting next to me at the desk that was now in my temporary bedroom.

Beside me, Wallflower looked at the screen. "I-I know, Princess," she said, "b-but I wanted to help him to repay his kindness."

"There were many other ways you could have done so," Celestia replied. "Did you ever think of asking?"

"But what if he'd said no?" Wallflower asked.

"What if I'd said yes?" I asked back, looking down at her. "Wallflower, the Princess just told me about your time at her school for gifted Unicorns and I have assurances from Zecora that your potions are top notch. I knew one of my biggest problems in this country would be growing our own food so we wouldn't have to completely rely on foreign exports. If you'd asked me, I'd have seriously considered your help. I was only a banker and a manager back on Earth and my knowledge of plants is rudimentary at best. I don't know if any Dragons here are plant experts either."

"My little Pony, sometimes the simplest solutions are the correct ones," Celestia added. She gave Wallflower a smile, staring directly at the camera instead of the laptop screen. "I remember you from my school quite well, Wallflower Blush. You greatly surpassed your peers in the study of plants and herbs. If anypony could help in the revitalization of the land of our new Aelyssian allies, it would be you. However, when you inevitably return to Equestria, I would like you to come speak with a counselor once a week. It would be a good outlet for you."

Wallflower nodded. "I understand, your Highness."

Luna spoke up. "I recommend the counselor I have been seeing lately, Doctor Diagnosis. She is quite the excellent listener and has helped me to better adjust to this new modern world."

Wallflower nodded once again. "Thank you for the suggestion, your Highness."

"Anytime, young Pony," Luna replied. "And now, Miss Wallflower, if you wouldn't mind leaving the room now, there are things we need to talk with the Emperor about alone."

She stood and bowed to the laptop before giving me a grateful smile and heading out of the room. Once she'd closed the door behind her, I locked it temporarily before turning back to the laptop screen. "Okay, she's out of the room. What do you need to talk about?" I asked.

"We wanted to help give you some advice," Celestia said. "My sister and I are well aware that this will be a new test for you, and we wanted to give you as much help as we could."

"What are your plans for your time in Aelyssia?" Luna asked.

"Well, for one, I'm going to be leading the Dragons back to Virynth Atheos," I said. "The city's shield is down, so we should be able to begin the reconstruction process without that issue. We'll also be searching for sites we can use as quarries to help shape new stones. Ember tells me that the city itself is capable of holding many Dragons within its walls. From what I remember, it's held up remarkably well, but we'll be double checking everything just to be sure of that. Second, we'll begin not only putting the supplies that Ponyville gave me to good use, but we'll probably be scouting for more food. With Wallflower here, she may be able to help with our agricultural problems. Ember and I will also be scouting the Dragons for talents that can be utilized in the restructuring and rebirth of our empire. She knows many of the Dragons here as well as their talents. I'll be giving a speech tomorrow before we leave based off of something used by a Chinese leader back in the third century."

"What kind of speech?" Celestia asked.

"I'll be issuing an edict calling for those with talents to help out the empire and issuing a reward to anyone who can prove they have a skill needed to aid in our reconstruction," I replied. I figured that whoever wrote How A Realist Rebuilt The Kingdom wouldn't mind if I borrowed the speech, especially since it was based off of something in real life China anyway. "We'll need all the help we can get, and you know just how stubborn Dragons can be when accepting help."

Luna nodded. "An excellent idea," she said.

"I agree," Celestia added. "A good leader knows when to pass on responsibilities for certain tasks."

"Yeah, delegating is something I'll be getting used to," I replied, "but I'll basically be pushing a lot of responsibility onto Ember. Sure, she's about seventy years older than I am, but I know she has what it takes to be a great leader. Not only because of what I saw in the show, but because of what I've been seeing lately. She's come up with ideas I wouldn't have been able to think of since she's lived in Old Aelyssia her entire life. She's still young by Dragon standards, but she has a maturity of someone twice her age. Sure, neither of us have the experience and years you have, Celestia, or even what you have, Luna, but I hope as time goes on and the rebuilding continues, we'll grow as leaders."

Celestia and Luna both gave me a warm smile, before the former smirked. "My dear Emperor, are you calling us old?"

I smirked back. "I prefer the term more experienced." Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. "Oh my…"

"It looks as if you've come up with a new idea," Celestia said.

"I just had a thought about Twilight Sparkle," I replied.

"What about her?" Celestia asked, sounding intrigued.

"Well, she's still a bit on the fence about ascension to becoming an Alicorn, right?" I began. "See, the problem I had with how it was portrayed in the show wasn't just that she didn't get a choice, no offense, but that she didn't have quite the experience you two have. You two were there at the beginnings of Equestria. You helped build up a nation, just like I'm about to do-"

"And you feel like having Twilight spending some of her time helping would give her some experience in this matter? Along, perhaps, with Sunset Shimmer?" Celestia finished.

"Exactly," I replied. "If I can figure out how to open up a doorway portal between Virynth Atheos and Ponyville, she can come spend a bit of time here in an advisory position. She's very well read, so she could perhaps come up with ideas that someone like me or Ember might not be able to think of right away. Of course, it wouldn't be much time on her part, since she's still learning about friendship in Ponyville, but there's no better way to experience leadership than in helping to build up something from the ground up. Sure, it won't exactly be the same as building up a nation based around friendship and harmony, but the experience she gains from being an advisor would be greatly helpful."

Celestia took on a thoughtful look, while Luna seemed to be nodding in approval. Celestia finally slowly nodded. "I can see your point, Your Grace," she said, slipping into her Princess persona. As I slipped into my Emperor persona, she continued. "Twilight would benefit greatly at being an advisor and learning how to properly rule. However, regardless of whether or not she decides she wishes to ascend, I believe that Twilight Sparkle is not quite the right fit for advising the Aelyssian Empire." She placed particular emphasis on her final word. Before I could say anything, however, she raised a hoof. "Please let me explain my reasons. Twilight is young and while she might be knowledgeable about many different leaders and their histories thanks to her love of books and your access to the staticnet, she does not quite have as much real world experience as would befit becoming an advisor. She needs to be eased into a ruler role if she chooses the path of ascension. Now my student Sunset Shimmer, on the other hand, has ten years of real world experience. She is stronger, more independent, and closer to becoming an Alicorn than she was ten years ago. Plus, she has always had a fascination with Dragons. If she, too, decides she wants to attempt the ascension, I believe she would be a good counterpoint to Twilight. The two are similar in many ways, but different in the ways that count. Now unlike what you say happens to me in the show, I have no intention of retiring from my Princess duties anytime soon, but having two other princesses would certainly ease the pressures on me and my sister. Yes, I know that sounds lazy, but I know they are capable of growing in this manner. Your thoughts?"

I leaned back, thinking about all that she had just laid on me. I couldn't deny that Sunset had most definitely gained more experience than she ever could have gotten back in Canterlot. The twenty-six year old mare had to figure out how to live in a foreign world, for God's sake! And in the end, she had a place of her own, had sold everything she came to Earth with and had earned a solid chunk of change to live off of among other things. She'd even managed to create identification for herself, which I intended to put to good use somewhere down the line so I could get products from Earth more easily as well as a car. Twilight had plenty of talents and in certain areas could potentially be a good leader. Of Ponies. But Sunset? She'd seen the best and worst of what humanity had to offer, and Dragons were more similar to humans than humans were to Ponies. I stroked my chin thoughtfully, making a mental note to shave sometime. Finally, I nodded. "Yes, I agree. I see your point. Alright, I'll talk to Sunset about becoming a part time advisor to me and Ember. She might thrive here doing that as well as researching any archives we dig up in Virynth Atheos."

Celestia smiled. "She was always more of a hooves on student than Twilight. She would always head out into the field and get her hooves dirty, as she put it."

"I remember seeing that in an Equestria Girls short," I said, "but I can definitely talk to her about this at some point."

"Could you also tell her that I'm going to miss her?" Celestia asked with a slightly worried expression on her face.

I nodded. "I will, I promise. And thank you for this talk. I know you're tired, Celestia, and I know you need to be in the dream world now, Luna, but it means a lot that you set time aside for this call."

The two smiled at me. "It is always a pleasure to speak with you," Luna replied.

"Well, I shouldn't keep you," I said as I moved to end the call.

"Wait one moment," Celestia said, extending her hoof. "We wanted to give you a special farewell sendoff since we won't be available for the next few nights to talk except in an emergency."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What kind of sendoff?"

Luna began casting some sort of spell and I heard the sound of a mouse clicking off screen, but I noticed that she looked embarrassed. She looked up at Celestia. "Sister, do we really have to? It's embarrassing…"

"You were the one who came up with it, Lu," Celestia smiled as she nudged her sister.

"I said it in jest after we watched that series on YouTube," Luna moaned.

"Still, it's a fun little thing. Come on!"

Luna pursed her lips and groaned. "Fine. Let's get this over with."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Just wait and see," Celestia said, and I saw a brief smirk pass over her lips as Luna, clearly the more tech savvy of the two, stopped clicking and typed out something using her magic. When she finished, she clicked on something.

After a few seconds, a second screen appeared and Twilight Sparkle appeared. She was sitting at her desk and her eyes widened happily when she looked at her screen. "Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Jethro! I'm so glad to see you all!"

"Dad's there!?" a familiar voice called out from nearby, and soon Spike pushed himself onto the screen as well, looking at it. "Wow, I still can't get over how this computer can send messages without magic or even show everypony in real time! Not even I can do that!"

"There's some magic involved in how the staticnet works, but yes," I replied as I chuckled. "And there are those crystals, but that's neither here nor there."

"My faithful student," Celestia said, smiling warmly at Twilight, "Are you ready for that thing we discussed earlier? The one with my sister?"

Twilight looked confused for a bit, then understanding crept onto her face as she nodded. "I'm ready!"

Spike reached over and tapped something on the keyboard before Twilight could say anything, but Twilight didn't seem to notice. Celestia looked at Luna and grinned. "Take it away, Princess of the night."

There was something in the way she said it that sent off alarm bells in my head. "No…you didn't…" I muttered.

Celestia tapped a key on the laptop's keyboard. As a piece of familiar music came out of the speakers, Luna's face looked more embarrassed. However, a few moments later, she took a deep breath. "I'm the princess of the night, so of course they run in fright! They feel threatened and unsure!"

Twilight suddenly broke in and sang, with a smile, "So let's heighten your allure."

Luna frowned as she stared at, presumably, Twilight on the screen. "I don't think you understand I bring darkness to their land-"

Twilight butted in again as she sang, "-but what causes them to flee-"

"Must be my supremacy," Luna added.

"Make it so they can't resist-"

"So that we can coexist-"

"You'll be welcome in their clique."

"TALKING LOUD SHOULD DO THE TRICK!" Luna had used a small portion of her Royal Canterlot Voice for that, judging by how the mic cut out.

"Turn your social life around, ditch those boots and homely crown. I can help with one small fee. Give your princesshood to me!"

Luna then began speaking, but she was clearly embarrassed. "But how can I become more sexy?"

"I'll show you! Come on, Princess Luna, we have work to do!" Twilight finished.

Celestia tapped a key on the keyboard with her magic and the music paused. Luna had her hooves over her face in complete embarrassment. Her horn lit up and she vanished. Celestia giggled behind her own bare hoof. "Isn't she adorable when she's embarrassed?"

"You guys watched Friendship is Witchcraft? Even I haven't watched that yet," I said. "I know that song and a few others, but that's it."

Celestia smirked. "Luna has been fascinated with this laptop you've loaned us ever since we got it," she said, "and she was curious about human fan works about our world. She found Princess of the Night and showed it to me. She then mentioned it would be hilarious if she sang it with Twilight as a joke, but I decided it would be fun to do for real."

"And I agreed, too," Twilight said.

"I bet you did," I muttered with a smirk of my own. "You're not going to start singing Spike to sleep by asking Rarity to come over and sing 'I am not messing up the covers. Sliding in, so as not to wrinkle all the sheets; making sure the quilt stays nice and clean. Have you ever seen a bed so neat? I'm getting into beeed.'"

Spike blushed as Twilight and Celestia both laughed at that. "Twilight showed me that clip, actually," Spike admitted after everyone had calmed down.

"And this is where I must say goodnight to you all," Celestia said. "There are many things I need to take care of in the morning and I need to be at my best. Sleep well, and good luck Jethro."

"Good night, Celestia," I said.

"Good night, Princess!" Twilight said as she waved at the camera.

When Celestia waved back and disconnected the call on her end, I focused on Twilight, who was now looking at Spike. "Hey, Spike? Can I talk with Jethro here alone for a little bit? When I'm done, you can have an hour playing before bed." Spike gave a thumbs up, waved at me, then walked out of frame. As the offscreen door closed behind him, Twilight relaxed a bit then looked over at the webcam instead of the screen. "How are you doing over there?"

"Things are already off to an interesting start, actually," I said as I repeated the story of how Wallflower had snuck onto the Resplendent.

When I was finished, I saw a hint of jealousy pass over Twilight's face, but she quickly repressed it. "What are you going to do with her? Send her back to Ponyville if we figure out how to use the portal door you mentioned?"

"No. She could actually be useful to me," I said. "However, if we do manage to get that portal door open I'm going to insist she at least go home to sleep. The less Ponies around here, the better. I hope that makes sense."

She nodded. "I know Dragons don't really like Ponies, and right now the feeling's mutual. Spike is an exception since he's still a child."

"In human terms he's reaching his teenage years, so good luck with explaining the birds and the bees to him," I said.

Twilight winced. "I wish I knew the first thing about that, but I don't know enough about Dragon biology yet. I've been looking through that library you gave me, but I can't find anything yet."

"Well, if nothing else, I can ask Phlogiston to talk with him," I said. "She's a caretaker and knows how to take care of infant Dragons, so I'd assume she knows a thing or two."

"I like her. She's been nice to me," Twilight said. However, after a few seconds, her features twisted once more into worry. "Are you sure you don't want more help? I can pack fast and-"

"Twi, relax," I said, smiling at her. "I know you're worried. I know you all are. But you're needed there."

She bit her lower lip but didn't say anything for a while. Finally, she whispered, "I…I love you, Jethro. I've never felt this way about any other stallion before. I…"

"I know, Twilight, I know," I said calmly. "I promised that I would be taking you out on a date when I got back. We'll go to Pendragon and a local history museum Sunset told me about. Then we can go to the Pendragon Public Library, and-"

"I want to do things you like doing, too," she interrupted me, giving me pleading purple eyes. "What do you like doing? Sunset told me there's a lot to do there even during winter. There's an indoor arcade, a pool, and maybe we could, well…ride horses?"

I raised an eyebrow. "A Pony riding a horse? That's new. But are you sure?"

"I've done a lot of research on what to do on a date," Twilight said with a little bit of an air of authority, "and a lot of them say that a first date should be fun for both stallion and mare. It should help the two get to know one another." She looked at me with a sincere look in her eyes. "I know you want to take me to a museum and library, and I'd love to see them, but I want to spend time doing things you like doing. I want to get to know you even more than I do now."

I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness at her words. I thought back to my dates with Trixie back on my Earth and more recently with dates I had with Zecora. Sure, we'd do things she liked, but we also did things I liked. I felt myself smiling widely. "You're right, Twi. You're right. Well, there is something I've always wanted to try."

"What is it?" she asked, eager to know.

"There's something called indoor skydiving," I grinned as I proceeded to explain…

"Are you ready for this speech?" Sunset asked me as we both stood on the massive throne that had once been the Dragon Lord's. The two of us weren't alone, however. The Sirens, Chrysalis and Ember were all there as well. Zecora and Scarlet, along with Wallflower Blush, were both standing on the beach watching. The latter wanted to see the speech but was too scared to show her face, and I didn't blame her, so Scarlet and Zecora offered to stay with her.

"I spent two whole hours last night perfecting what I want to say and how I want to say it," I replied as I pulled out a small stack of notecards attached by a keychain. "I woke up an hour before breakfast to refresh my memory as well."

After spending time talking to Twilight about our future first date, and watching her take plenty of notes, I spent time writing a speech to give to the population I'd be speaking to before our move to Virynth Atheos. I wrote it on my laptop, rewrote certain parts, tightened up other parts, and writing down highlights on the cards. When I was sure I had the speech memorized, I purposely stopped and went to bed, joined by Zecora and Scarlet who snuggled close to me. After waking up, I practiced the speech again, only this time in front of Zecora and Scarlet. Both of them helped me add in or take out some things to help the speech.

After breakfast, I went back to my room and put on the royal outfit I had selected for the speech, which was actually the set of clothes that Rarity had sewn for me and given to me for Christmas. I grabbed the Staff of Ignu and strapped Eclipse to my side as well before heading to the throne room with my apparently self-appointed honor guard, which consisted of the four Dragon guards that had met me upon my arrival and the two Lycans. The entire entourage that had come with me was also there, but I had them sitting out of sight, or as out of sight as was possible. Down below, Dragons were responding to the Call of the Emperor as they flew in from everywhere. Unlike before, the number of Dragons coming seemed only to have increased. Lahar told me that news of the Dragon Lord's death at my hands had spread across the microcontinent to Dragons who hadn't been able to make it to the fight.

"I was up half the night," Sunset admitted with a sigh, and she looked tired. "And before you ask, I slept poorly. I really did try."

"We slept pretty badly too," Adagio said. The three were still wearing some of my spare clothes. Adagio sighed and looked down at herself. "God, I guess one thing I miss about Earth is the fact that they have hair products that can deal with my damned hair." She pulled on her simple ponytail in frustration.

"Well, for the work you'll be doing, having curly hair as large as yours was wouldn't be recommended," Sunset said.

"Yeah, I know…still, I liked my hair," she admitted. "I didn't have any as a Siren, and there's something about it that I like. I don't know how to explain it."

"Eh, mine always gets in my mouth when I sleep," Aria complained.

"I like mine! It's really fun to play with!" Sonata giggled as the three continued talking about their hair.

"Those three are really nervous," Chrysalis said as she walked over to me, arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black," I retorted, which caused Chrysalis to start sputtering. Smirking, I put a hand on her shoulder. "Just relax, alright? I'll be assigning a couple of guards to keep you company and protect you from any kind of vigilantism."

Chrysalis reached up and touched the magical suppression ring around her new horn with her hand. It gave her a gentle but memorable shock as it always did. "As a former ruler, I get why you put this on me, but I think I'd be more useful with it. That's what you're hoping for, right? Usefulness from your new subjects? I know you think I was a horrible ruler, but I do have a lot of experience."

I looked over at her. In truth, I had considered asking for her advise off the records, and was still considering it. However, I had to take the Dragon's feelings into account as I sighed and said, "You know why I can't. Not officially," I added the last two words in a whisper.

"I'm technically an enemy of the state and a slave, so I get it," Chrysalis said.

I nodded. "I see your nightly talks with Luna have gone well."

"Believe me, they have," Chrysalis said before she gave me a curious look. "By the way, what exactly is Halo: Combat Evolved anyway? That Pony have been showing me some strange landscapes and contraptions recently. And they seem…fun."

I internally facepalmed. Welp, I've inadvertently created gamer Luna, I thought. "I'll explain later," I said as I caught a glimpse of a very familiar red scaled and yellow eyed Dragon landing near the shore. "For now, it's time for Ember and I to prepare to speak."

She nodded and walked away. I headed over to Ember, who was now wearing her armor without her helmet. In one hand she held the Bloodstone Scepter and in the other was a piece of parchment paper with hastily written scribbles on it. She was looking it over, mouthing words and looking nervous. "No…that sounds wrong now," I heard her muttering as I approached. Not only did she look nervous, but she looked tired as well. "By the gods, I can't do this…Why did I agree to this?!"

"Didn't get any sleep last night?" I asked with concern.

"Gah!" She jumped, spreading her wings wide and looking back at me. I could see some bags under her eyes as she calmed herself down. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry, I was just coming to check on you." I looked at my phone and saw it was nearly noon, the time when the speeches would begin. "You look about as nervous as I feel."

"What do you expect?! I've never given a speech in my life!" Ember hissed, holding up her paper. "I don't have anything!"

"From what you've told me about Dragon culture, these Dragons are more interested in deeds than words," I replied, putting a reassuring hand on her armor-clad shoulder. "While this speech is necessary for the rebuilding of our Empire, it's the deeds afterwards that they'll be more interested in."

Ember nodded. "Yes, but that doesn't mean words mean nothing to us," she replied.

"Of course. Words and deeds go hand in hand," I replied as I released her. "They'll be more looking at me anyway, that is, until I announce you as my Right Hand."

"Is it bad that I'm having second thoughts about this?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No. I understand, but I really do believe you're the right person for the job. You've got more experience than I do in matters of modern Dragons, and you're technically one of the last blood relatives of Ignu. Yes, you're from the Dragon Lord bloodline, but by ancient law you have a claim to the Dragon Lord's position, or rather the Hand's position. And you know many Dragons here who might be able to help in rebuilding our Empire. Which is one part of the speech today."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Ember said.

So do I, I thought as my noon alarm went off on my phone. So do I…

I approached the edge of the throne and looked down at the crowd. There seemed to be at least three times the number of Dragons. Some were massive and others were more my size. Many were talking among themselves. I raised the Staff of Ignu and slammed it down three solid times. The noise echoed around the surrounding area, causing everyone to stop and stare up at me. Once the noise stopped completely, I cast a spell to amplify my voice. Taking a deep breath, I began.

"Dragons young and old-no, let me rephrase. My fellow Aelyssians!" My voice boomed over the landscape below me as I started by addressing them as Dragons first before 'correcting' myself and switching to their national name. "I am pleased that you have answered my summons today! Some of you know me by my face, while others here know me by reputation only. So let me introduce myself fully. I am your new Emperor, Jethro Bethridge. I am a human who was brought here from another world. I have summoned you here today for two major reasons." I held up my hand and brought up one finger for each point I made. "One: to inform you of the plans I have for Aelyssia, and two, to make a request of you, my subjects!"

The second point seemed to cause the Dragons below to look more confused than anything, but before anyone could ask anything I held up a hand. "Hold off on any questions until the very end!" I stood straighter, raised the Staff of Ignu and thrust it into the throne, digging it deep enough into the ground that it remained standing. This caught their attention as the gem within only began to glow even more. In response, so did the Dragons, but none showed any sign of discomfort. I stepped forward and behind me a smaller patch of the throne began to ascend, forming a stone chair that faced the crowd. I took a seat as carefully as I could after I removed Eclipse and leaned it against one side of the smaller throne. "Firstly, as of this moment, the Aelyssian Empire has been acknowledged as its own independent nation," I began with a smile. "We are back as a sovereign state!"

This led to cheers from most of the Dragons, but some seemed a bit skeptical. I sat up straighter as I continued. "I won't lie: our nation as of now is not what it once was. Yes, I know I'm stating the obvious, but what you won't know is that it won't be exactly the same as it once was. Understand, I fully intend to rebuild this nation into a prosperous and powerful one, but we can never go back truly to the days of yore. Things have changed too much since the Fall of Old Aelyssia for us to go back. We have more neighboring nations now, and we must keep that in mind! Now, for my plans for this nation. I intend to reach out to the lost tribes who were once a part of Old Aelyssia and invite them back into the fold if they are still around! The Loongs, Sirens, Sea Serpents, and even the Wyverns!"

The mention of the last race caused the crowd to erupt into an angry uproar. It seemed as if the hatred of the Wyvern race was not lost despite the centuries. I allowed myself to adopt an angry expression as I stood and drew in a deep breath. "BE SILENT!" I ordered, letting my voice send out a shockwave that caused many dragons to fall back on their behinds. I glared at them, wings spread. I let them burst into Phoenix flame as I surveyed them. "I am well aware of your distrust of Wyverns, but I will have you know I have knighted a Wyvern already! If any of you harm my first Royal Knight of Aelyssia, those responsible shall be summarily punished severely! Their history of betrayal was long ago! I will not punish a race for the sins of their ancestors! They were instrumental in the growth of Old Aelyssia, and if they are still around, I would ask them to return!"

"And what about us!?" an older sounding female voice called out from below. "What about what we suffered?"

I looked for the source of the voice, and found that it belonged to a dark gray Loong female. She had the appearance of an Eastern Dragon from images I'd seen online. She had ancient but passionate and angry red eyes. She was curled up on a large stone near the shore. I pointed at her. "You there! What is your name?"

"Qinglong!" she called back up.

"Miss Qinglong, I will give my vow here and now that for as long as I rule, each race who lives within these borders will be all equal!" I replied to her. "No race shall be superior to another, and I don't just mean the races of the Dragonkin! If other races wish to come and live in our nation, they will be granted the same rights as any other Dragonkin. Now, I have one more thing to say before I reach my second main point."

As I sat down, I saw that the Dragons were all on the edge of their seats, looking up at me more with curiosity now. I motioned for those hidden to step forward. I heard murmurs as each of the people stepped forward. I looked at each of those who had stepped forward, then faced the crowd. "My plan for the coming days is for all Dragonkin to make a return to the ancient Aelyssian city of Virynth Atheos. You all know it as the Ruins of Dormog, but the barrier keeping any Dragon out has been dispelled. The city was once a symbol of Aelyssia. It still stands tall, waiting for us to return and inhabit it once more. These people standing beside me will be helpful in the rebirth of our nation's old capital city. Now, I shall introduce them all."

Nobody seemed to react when I introduced Sunset Shimmer, which didn't surprise me. I heard a few murmurs of surprise when I introduced Ember and even more when I introduced the Dazzlings. However, as I did anticipate, when I introduced Chrysalis, the crowd went wild with rage. A few Dragons even made sudden runs towards her, hatred burning in their eyes, but I grabbed the Staff of Ignu and thrust it out at the oncoming Dragons, sending them flying. Even Ember held out her Bloodstone Scepter at the oncoming Dragons. I looked down at the angry faces below. Raising my staff, I struck the ground three times, and on the last one a crack appeared on the beach, splitting the crowd in two. That caused everyone to go silent in awe and fear. "BE SILENT, I SAY!" I bellowed. Once I had everyone else's attention, I sat back down. "I know of your hatred for Chrysalis, and I don't blame you for it! However, right now, she is serving me. She was given to me as part of the reparations from Equestria for the Eris matter, and as such she will be working to rebuild Virynth Atheos. It's only fitting since she attempted to start a war that would have ended in bloodshed both here and in Equestria. She will have no magic, no political power, and will only be used as labor. However, she is also under my protection! Her punishment is mine to deliver and mine alone! If any of you attempt harm on her, your punishments will be severe! We are not savages! Is that understood?!"

I could hear the grumbling of acceptance from the crowd. "Now, I know many of you know Princess Ember here. She's the daughter of the late Dragon Lord Torch. She is also going to be assigned to become the Hand of the Emperor." When the murmurs in the crowd turned to confusion, I continued. "In the days of old, the Dragon Lord acted as a regent for the crown. The Hand of the Emperor will fulfill a similar task. However, it won't be exactly the same. And this leads me into my second point." I stood and grabbed the Staff of Ignu once again. It glowed brighter. "If any of you possess an aptitude or a skill, then the imperial crown can make use of it!"

This elicited even more confusion. I looked down at them. "My fellow Aelyssians, rebuilding a nation is more than just rebuilding an ancient capital city! We must rebuild everything! I'll be honest, as we are now, we are barely scraping by! Under your previous leader, this nation has fallen into squalor and decay. You even lost your name. You may be Dragonkin, but at your core you are all Aelyssians, descendants of a great Empire! If we want to ascend from the ashes, we must work hard to rebuild! But nobody is an island! That is why I am seeking help from among you! I don't care about your social status or anything like that! If you possess a skill you can safely say will surpass those of others and will help the Empire, the imperial crown can put it to good use in rebuilding our great nation! And before you begin thinking to yourself that your skill won't be useful, that is not for you to decide! It's up for ME to decide! If you possess a talent that is useful in helping to rebuild our Empire, you will be afforded the courtesy as befitting an advisor to the throne!" I spread my arms wide as I continued. "If any of you hearing this are still unsure of this, then let me provide some more incentive to come forward! If your skills and talents are deemed essential, not only will I personally grant those of you a special place in the Palace to live, but a large monetary reward will be granted to you!"

I knew that I was blatantly imitating the realistic hero anime, but it was a good strategy. The Dragons below were looking a bit more excited now as they talked among themselves for a bit. I continued, regaining their attention. "I am well aware of just how your kind have suffered under the rule of the previous Dragon Lord, but with all of your help in the reconstruction of our capital city and our Empire, but I swear to you I will work to ensure that this generation and those to come will live life in peace! Everyone will have a means to support their families! Everyone will be secure and free here! Long live Aelyssia! Long live the Empire!"

As the crowd responded with the same words along with the chant of 'Long live the Emperor', I looked over at everyone else. Sunset was giving me a look of approval, the Sirens looked a bit unsure, Chrysalis had no expression on her face, and Ember's face was rigid. I walked over and put a hand on Ember's shoulders, giving her a reassuring smile. I turned to the crowd and once more struck the ground with the Staff of Ignu three times. The cheers slowly died down. "Before I end this speech and we begin our preparations for travel to Virynth Atheos, Princess Ember, Hand of the Emperor, has a few words she wants to say to you!"

Ember gave me the stink eye briefly before turning to the crowd. She saw that all eyes were on her and she froze briefly. I watched as the small piece of parchment in her hand slipped out and began falling. I caught it surreptitiously in my magic and floated it slowly back to her hand, but she shoved it aside. Taking a deep breath, Ember stepped forward. "Alright, I'm not good at speeches, so unlike our Emperor, mine's gonna be short!" This got a laugh out of the crowd, and even I allowed myself a chuckle. This seemed to put Ember at her ease and she continued. "A lot of you know who I am, and you know I don't go around lying or bullshit you. I know a lot of you are probably thinking that this human here isn't up to the task, but I've worked with him when he was preparing to come back. I know he really does care about this Empire and the Dragons here! If you all trust me, then let me say he isn't lying! He really does want to help our Empire! I will be doing my best to help him so you can rest easy knowing he won't do anything stupid because he doesn't know how things work here right now!" Another laugh, and I smirked at her, nudging her playfully which earned another laugh. She swiped at me with a frown before resuming. "I know we've all gotten used to life here, but I also know we're all pretty sick of it! You know I saw my da-no, the Dragon Lord's old hoard room, and it's full of wealth beyond anything I've seen in even our biggest hoard! And I'm sure you all know what else it was full of." She looked around and spotted someone below. Following her gaze, I saw Fumerole sitting on the soft sand with Garble and Smolder sitting protectively close to her. "The old Dragon Lord was a sick and twisted bastard, but I know this human more than any of you. He's got his flaws, but his determination isn't one of them! Just listen to what he said and we can make our Empire as great as it was once again!"

I internally winced at her last words as they reminded me of a certain orange man's own slogan. Still, despite their similarities, I really did want to make Aelyssia a prosperous nation and a major player in the political field. I might have had this job thrust upon me, but I wasn't about to let that stop me from doing what I needed to do.

Aelyssia would rise again. I would make sure of it!