"Are you ever gonna put that helmet down, Scarlet?" I asked later that evening at dinner as we ate. The dining table was set, and Gemini, Mica, Scarlet, Zecora and I were all seated, together. Gemini, Mica and I had barbecued ribs with some of Zecora's Jollhoof rice, while the two herbivores ate just the rice itself. Zecora was so happy for her gift that she made my favorite meal of hers for everyone.

Scarlet, who was still admiring the ancient Pony armor, shook her head. "It's amazing…I'm holding something in my hooves that's from long before Equestria. You have to wonder…what civilization made this? I was always taught that we weren't as civilized as we are until after Equestria was founded." She set it down on the table and turned to me. "You think that Dragon library of Twilight's could have a book on that?"

"I'm pretty sure the Aelyssian Dragons stored many ancient books in those treasure rooms," I said, "ones that you can't find anywhere else. If there is something in that library, Twilight will be able to find it. I'm pretty curious, myself," I admitted.

"Do you think there was some other Pony civilization before Equestria?" Zecora asked.

"It's possible," I said. "Civilizations on Earth rise and fall. Once upon a time, the Roman Empire controlled all land surrounding one of the biggest inland seas in the world. Now? All we have to remember them by are ruins and ancient records from two thousand years ago. We know even less about the ancient civilizations in the Americas before Europeans came and colonized. Who knows what happened?"

Scarlet looked over at me, put her hoof to her lips, and blew a kiss at me. "I can't wait to try it out tomorrow."

"Just be sure to do it before that afternoon rain shower they scheduled," I said. "We're probably gonna need to learn how to take care of the armor, too. I thought I heard somewhere that there's special oil you need to use to polish it and maintain armor."

"Not quite," Mica said. "We do have to wax our armor, but we don't use oil on it."

"I'll have to order some, then," I said, then turned to Zecora. "Sweetie, I have to say, the rice you made is so much better than it normally is. Did you make it in the new cauldron?"

She smiled happily at me and nodded. "Normally, I'm a patient mare, but I just had to see how it would fare. And it works like a dream." She leaned in and took my hand in her hoof. "I can't thank you enough."

"You deserve it. I can't wait to see what you can do with the property I hope I can buy for you."

Just then, Gemini quickly stood up from the table, pushing her untouched steak away quickly. "Excuse me, I don't have an appetite right now." With that, she grabbed her untouched food, put it in the trash, placed her dishes in the sink, and walked towards the stairs to her room. "I'll clean it up tomorrow," she muttered as she trudged up towards the second floor, her ears and tail drooping slightly. Silence reigned as we all listened to her go, then we jumped as the door was slammed and locked.

We all remained silent, just looking at each other, before a voice from the other room called out, "She doesn't do a very good job of hiding her jealousy, does she?"

As Hestia and Eve both flew into the dining room and landed on the backs of one of the empty chairs, I put my fork down and sighed. "Yeah…maybe it wasn't such a good idea to announce it with her here," I said.

"No, that would only make things worse," Hestia replied.

"She's right," Mica said, looking over at me. "In our culture, speaking about relationships like this aloud is expected, even if it can cause jealousy. It's better to be open about these things. And before you say anything about the Empress, she's not as clever as she likes to believe she is in hiding her true intentions. Even I knew that the letter she sent you wasn't the whole story. We wear our emotions out for all to see most of the time."

I nodded. "How long has she been holding in these emotions?" I asked.

"I don't know the exact date," he said, "but it's been a few months at least, sometime after you began to be trained by her."

"Is there something she's afraid of?" I asked.

"You should speak to her about that, my love," Zecora said. "She and I had a talk about it, but she wasn't quite as forthcoming as I believe she'll be with you."

"Yeah, I'm with Zeke on this one," Scarlet said. "You really should clear the air with her before things go to shit."

"I know I should," I began, "but I'm not even sure where to begin? It's not like we're all friendly like how I started out with Zecora and you. She's always at my throat, berating me and insulting me. Not that I can't take it, but it clearly sends the wrong message."

"That's just how she is," Mica said, "she's always had to be the strong one in the family ever since our parents passed. Becoming a part of the Empress' royal guard meant everything to her. When she made Captain, she barely reacted, but I knew she was happy when I heard her later that night wagging her tail in bed."

I groaned, but nodded. "Yeah…best to nip this in the bud, isn't it?"

"That is probably a good idea," Hestia said. "And best to do it very soon. And you should also speak to the Dragon Princess and the Fae Queen. Their hearts are troubled as well."

"I have less of an idea of what to say to them, especially Chrysalis," I said. "With the way she reacted to that old High Fae relic, you'd think I gave her some powerful magical artifact."

"In a sense, you did give her an artifact of her kind," Hestia said. "Perhaps one she hasn't seen in many years. She is just as old, if not older, than the Pony Princesses."

"She's been acting a bit less…confrontational," Scarlet said. "More subdued, if you take my meaning."

"You really have been reading Lord of the Rings," I muttered before I continued, "I can't begin to try and help her if she won't let me in."

"Then take your time with her," Hestia said. "And also don't reject any advice she might give on ruling. She might have been a horrible ruler, but she held her species together for many years on her own. There's something to be said about that."

"Are you going to be okay, father?" Eve asked hesitantly, nuzzling my face gently.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," I said to Eve, "and I'll keep what you've said in mind, Hestia. I'll go talk to them."

"Can't we at least finish dinner first?" Scarlet asked. "I've got more things to say to Mister Casanova here. And all of them dirty." She winked and blew a kiss at me, and thus the mood instantly lifted.

"Seriously, how much in heat is she?" I heard Eve muttering as she preened herself.

"Yeah, let's finish eating," I said as I grabbed the barbecued ribs I'd made for myself. "And I suppose I can stomach a few more jabs directed my way."

"Can I lick your face?" Scarlet asked.

I nearly choked on my food in surprise. "SCARLET!"

Thirty minutes after we'd all finished our dinner, I was standing outside of Ember's bedroom. Somehow, I felt that the conversation with her would be the easiest, so I decided to start with her. Zecora and Scarlet had already headed to bed and had promised they'd be waiting for me in our bedroom when I was done. I firmly knocked on the door. "Ember, it's Jethro. Are you still awake?"

There was a stirring from the other side. "Yeah, what do you want?" she asked.

"I wanted to talk to you, if that's okay. About the Dragon Lord stuff."

There was silence on the other side, then the lock was undone and the door slowly opened. Ember stood there, not wearing anything as she preferred. The real Bloodstone Scepter stood in a corner of the room. We both stared at each other, my own face a mask and hers one of uncertainty. Finally, she stepped aside. "Come on in, I guess," she said.

I walked in and strode over to the two chairs in front of the dim fire. I put a few more logs on it, then used magic to blow on it. The fire brightened and the new logs began to catch. I took a seat, then motioned for her to join me. She walked over and sat down. Somehow, she made the action look graceful. I turned around and stared into the fire for a while, gathering some of my thoughts.

However, it was Ember who spoke first. "Why me?" she asked. I turned towards her, only for her to be staring at me with all of her attention. "Why are you choosing me? And don't use the excuse that it happened in that hatchling entertainment."

I nodded and smiled. "Would you want me to lie?" I held up a hand to silence her inevitable rebuttal. "Just…hear me out for a bit, okay?" She shut her mouth and waited for me to continue. "That's only part of the reason why I think you'd make a good leader. Ever since we met, you've displayed several qualities I associate with a good leader. You have a solid head on your shoulders, you care for other Dragons around you, you're slow to warmongering, and while your loyalty to your father may have been misguided, the fact that you can feel such loyalty shows your strength of character. You also have managed to see life from the bottom of the pit. Your father never did. That was plainly obvious in the way he lived in that fortress. You know what it's like to struggle and living day to day. You've lived a harsh life, yes, but you've never given into despair. You fought back. Am I wrong with anything so far?"

"Why would they follow me? I didn't earn it," Ember asked.

"I think about a hundred years of suffering qualifies you as more than having earned it," I replied. "Besides, if you choose to accept my offer, I will issue an imperial decree, naming you as the Dragon Lord. Your kind might not be happy with me as the Emperor, but it seems like they are very obedient when it comes to those named as leaders. Am I right?"

Ember slowly nodded. "Yeah…they do."

"And since I'm not their emperor, anything I say is, for better or worse, absolute." I sighed. "Which in and of itself is very terrifying, even for me."

Ember turned away from me, staring into the fire. I turned to face it as well, but would occasionally steal glances at her. She looked very deep in thought, her brow furled with worry. After a while, she said, "If I do this…what do you want me to do?"

"As I understand it, the Dragon Lord title is something like a regent…or more like the Hand of the King," I said, "which is basically second in command to me. You have experience with your kind that I don't. All I know about any kind of dragons are the stereotypes on them from my world. Greedy, guard hoards, kidnap princesses and are meant to be foils to heroic human knights. But I know here there's so much more to your kind. You and Spike are prime examples of this."

"Why do you think I'm so amazing?!" she shouted suddenly, looking at me once more with wide eyes. "I'm not!"

"That's not you talking," I said, "that's years of emotional and physical abuse from your own father. You might not be big, but you are strong, and that definitely counts for more than your father ever thought." I hated quoting the show's version of Torch, but I believed it to be true for the real version of Ember.

She clenched the armrests of the chair so hard that I heard the wood underneath began to crack. "What if I make a mistake?"

"Then you acknowledge it, apologize for it, do what you can to make it right, and keep moving," I said. "I've made mistakes since coming here. I know how you're feeling. Probably more so than you are. You have a choice. I don't. I'm not trying to guilt trip you. I'm just saying I can think of no other Dragon more perfect for the job."

She didn't respond for a bit, keeping her thoughts to herself. "What if I need help?" she asked.

"I'll talk to some of our magical experts," I replied. "Maybe there's a way to craft some sort of portal door between my house and Aelyssia. I know I'm the Emperor, but I also don't want to leave my home. I like it here. I also can begin practicing my magical teleportation abilities. I know I can since I did it before, but I need more practice. And there's also my access to Earth technology that allows for instant communication. See? There's plenty of viable and possible solutions." I stood and walked over to her. Kneeling before her, I looked her in the eyes. "I will respect your decision, but just know that I think you would make an excellent leader."

She looked down for a bit, then after a few seconds, she inhaled deeply and sighed. "I…will have an answer for you by sometime tomorrow."

"Take as much time as you need," I said, "and don't stay up too late stressing." I stood, then headed to the door. Putting my hand on the handle, I paused, then turned back to her. "For the record, in the show, that version of you is one of my favorite characters." So saying, I opened her door and quietly left.

Mere moments later, I was standing in front of Gemini's bedroom door, facing it with no small amount of trepidation. Now, I might have had access to strange and powerful magic, but even so, I was nervous as all hell as I held up my hand and finally knocked on the door. "Gemini, are you awake? It's me." I didn't hear anything from the other side, so I added, "I want to talk to you. It's important."

Finally, I heard rustling, then a pair of trudging footsteps approached the door. The lock was unlatched and the door creaked open. A pair of teal eyes looked out at me, and the white coated and gray striped Lycan's voice said, "What do you want?"

I put my hand on the door, holding it open. "We need to talk," I said in a serious tone. "We need to talk about what happened in Aelyssia between us."

A glint of anger flashed across her eyes, but she slowly pulled the door open. "Fine…let's just get this over with…"

When I entered the room, I was stunned to see just what a mess it had become. All of her belongings were strewn about, her bed was a mess, and the curtains to the window closed. I closed the door behind me, then looked at her. "Now, I know I said you could do whatever you wanted with your room, but this just seems unhealthy."

She whirled around on me and snapped, "And just why the fuck should you care?!"

"I'm worried about you," I replied as calmly as I could. "You've not been saying much since we got back from Aelyssia. And then…there was that weird confession of yours. I wanted to talk to you about it."

Her ears flattened and she walked over to her bed. Taking a seat, she looked down at the ground. "Yeah…you can just forget that…I don't know what I was thinking anyway."

I slowly approached her. I had to keep reminding myself that she wasn't quite like a human woman. She was fierce and proud. Like a wolf. I reached her right side and sat next to her on the comfortable bed. "I can't forget it, and I won't forget it," I said softly. "Gemini, those were your true feelings back there, weren't they?" She clenched her claws into fists, but said nothing. I sighed. "I get that this must be difficult for you, but-"

"No! You don't get it!" she said, quickly turning and jumping on me. Caught off guard, she pinned me to the bed, hovering over me with a fire in her eyes. "You really don't!"

I didn't move, but I gave her a glare of my own. "Then explain it to me! Explain to me what the problem is!"

She got closer to me, teeth bared and a low growl escaping her throat. We stared at each other, not blinking. Two predators, each sizing the other up. Finally, after a minute, she said, "Do you know what it was like for me growing up in the Lycan Empire? Hearing over and over just how superior females were to males and living by that universally accepted truth!? Then meeting you!? This apparently weak-willed male of an alien species who somehow managed to defeat me in single combat?!" She sat up, finally releasing me and sitting on my lap, glowering down at me with ears flattened. "And then you wanted me to teach you to fight?! Secretly teaching my brother was one thing, but teaching you? How humiliating! I decided to try and break you, but you keep on getting back up, ready for more!"

"Look, I didn't beat you," I said quickly, "I won on a technicality-"

"Shut up and let me finish!" she screeched, shutting me up. "You took everything I threw at you, EVERYTHING! And you actually got better! You began using what you learned and improving! You…" and she suddenly stopped, her anger slowly morphing into despair. "And then… AND THEN I STARTED WANTING YOU FOR A MATE!" she bellowed loudly. "But then you became a knight, just like that! And now you're an Emperor! I had to work hard to get where I was in Empress Amber's guard! And here you are, getting higher than I ever got without any effort! You keep on getting farther from me!"

I quickly grabbed her wrists and flipped her onto her back, looming over her now instead. "I never wanted any of this, you know that, right?! I never wanted to fight you, I never wanted to make you into a slave, and I certainly never wanted to become a knight or even an emperor! Ever since I got to Equestria, I've not had much time to do anything I liked! It might have started out slow in the beginning, but I've become more ingrained into this world than even back in my old one! You saw what just happened out there at dinner! I just got engaged to a Zebra! A common citizen! Do you think I care about status or rank when it comes to that sort of thing!?"

Her eyes were wide with astonishment as we both stared at each other. Tensions were running high, I could feel it. Finally, she looked away. "You…I can't offer you much," she finally said, sounding ashamed. "The Zebra is a shamaness. She can concoct all kinds of brews for you. And the Pegasus is a lot smarter than I am, even if she doesn't show it."

"That's not how a relationship works!" I shouted, startling her. She turned back to me and I continued, "Besides, you have your own strengths! You're a warrior! And you were a captain of the royal guards in your nation! They don't just give that position away! You're very smart! You have a talent for fighting along with directing and deploying soldiers!" Grabbing her collar, I pulled her up so we were nose to nose. "You want to know something? At first, I didn't like you! You were quick to get angry, would constantly yell and berate me, but I admit, you grew on me! You taught me a lot, and if it weren't for you, I'd be dead! I respect you as a great warrior and an amazing teacher, even if your motives were out of spite! You've helped me so much, and honestly, I can't imagine this house without you and your brother in it!"

Her eyes went wide in astonishment. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She did this a couple more times then finally asked me a simple, yet loaded question: "Why…?"

"Because despite everything, I've gotten accustomed to your snide attitude and those angry remarks you make when you think nobody can hear you," I said. "And I do think we can at least be civil to each other. Do you know how much your brother worries about you?"

"And do you know how hard it is to undo years of experience?" she retorted. "Years of being told that males should be subservient to their female betters, years of seeing others look down on a male. And then seeing you and how you've become so strong in so short a time?" She looked down. "Why did I have to find a suitable mate in you…? This would be so much easier if…" and here she trailed off.

"Go on a date with me," I stated plainly.

She looked up sharply. "A date?!"

"Yes, a date." I leveled my gaze at her, not looking away.

"You know nothing, whelp," she said, "Lycans don't do dates."

"What do Lycans do?" I asked.

"Males work to impress the females, and then we mark the one we're interested in," Gemini explained. She pointed to my neck. "Like I did with you."

"I'm not a Lycan," I said.

"I know! I acted on instinct and raw emotions!" Gemini shouted bitterly. "But the strange part is…I don't regret it. As much as I want to, I don't. I'd do it again if I could!"

I nodded. "Well humans go on dates to get to know a partner better," I explained. "So far, I don't know that much about you. Your likes and dislikes, what makes you laugh, stuff like that. You claimed me, and that's all well and good, but as attractive as you are, I want to know you better."

She looked about ready to explode, but finally just seemed to deflate. "Don't expect much from the start," she said.

"I plan on going at your pace," I said, finally getting off of the bed and standing before her. "I will set the day when I manage to get some free time. I'll come up with some activities we can do together."

"Yeah…good luck with that," she said, but as I turned away to leave, I thought I saw a glimmer of hope in her teal eyes.

Thirty seconds later, I was standing in front of Chrysalis' door. She was the only one I really didn't want to face. Ever since she'd become more Elflike in appearance, she had been definitely more subdued, less antagonistic, and surprisingly introspective. She'd become a woman of few words. And when I'd given her the crown Hestia mentioned, she'd become even more reclusive. She's been locked up in her room for hours, and even I was getting worried. I finally found the courage to rap on the door. "Chrysalis, it's Jethro. We need to talk." Just like before with Gemini, there was silence. I knocked a few more times, but nothing happened for a while.

Finally, the door swung open fast, and I found myself staring into the emerald green orbs that now belonged to the changed High Fae. Green eyes that glared at me. She was still wearing some of my clothes, since Rarity hadn't yet had the time to craft a wardrobe for her that I intended to fund. She wore a pair of gray slacks and a dark red t-shirt with the Flash logo on it. In her hands, she was clutching the crown I'd given to her. "What do you want?" she asked in what I assumed she meant to be a harsh tone, but instead came out in a softer whisper.

"I need to talk to you about your living arrangements here, and a few other things," I said plainly.

She stared at me for a bit, then sighed and said, "Yeah, sure…"

As I had with Ember earlier, I walked over to the fireplace. Instead of two chairs, this room had a large comfortable couch. I sat at the left end and motioned for her to join. "Come on."

She closed the door, walked over, and sat on the opposite side of the couch. She stroked the crown in her hand almost reverently, and I saw a look of resignation come over her. "I guess here's where you tell me that since I look more like you, it's time to become your sex slave."

"Okay, first of all, eew. Second of all, fuck no! Why was THAT your first go-to reaction?!" I asked. "I don't…" I stopped myself, then took a deep breath to clam down. "Listen up, Chrysalis, because I'm only going to say this once. I'm going to be giving you the same terms of service to me as I've given to Gemini and Mica." With that, I told her the same thing I'd told to Gemini on her first day in my house. Her pay, the benefits, everything. She listened with suspicion which slowly morphed into confusion.

And then, I threw her a curve ball.

"Could you…repeat that?" she asked.

"I said I was only going to say it once," I replied.

"You expect me…to train you…on how to use Fae magic?!" Chrysalis asked in utter astonishment. "And you're paying me and giving me days off? Do you even know what a fucking slave is?!"

"Funny, Gemini asked me a similar question when I was done telling her what I just told you," I said, remembering her own words: 'You…do know what a slave is, don't you?'

"Why are you being so nice to me?!" she demanded to know. "You claim me as a slave, but you treat me better than a slave! You give me a room this nice without me needing to pay for it! And you even gave me the Haze Crown?" She held up the crown I'd given her. "Do you know…just how important this relic is to the High Fae?! TO MY MOTHER!?"

"No, I didn't," I said honestly.

"You just…I don't…" She stood and paced in front of the fire, looking more and more frustrated. "Why did you do this to me?! You…"

"You needed the nourishment," I said quickly. "Did you expect me to let you die?"

"Why let me live?! I'm an enemy of Equestria and Aelyssia!"

"Why? Because I'm not a monster," I said. "I've only ever killed once, and that was because I lost control and my opponent was too far gone to be saved as it was. But you? You aren't." I walked over and put my finger on her chest, pointing at where her heart was. "Look deep down inside yourself, High Fae Chrysalis. Are you so short sighted that you would willingly sacrifice your entire race just for revenge?"

"Yes! Yes I…I was…" she stammered out. "They killed my race! My parents! They needed to pay!" To my surprise, a single tear fell from her eye. "But now…now I'm just…so tired. All that anger…I want it back. I can't bear to feel this way!" Closing her eyes, she clenched her teeth and held back whimpering sobs.

I stayed where I was, letting her get at least this small part of her grief out of her system. When she began to calm down, I spoke. "I lost my family and my first love, too," I said. "They're dead. I can't get them back. They weren't killed deliberately, like in a war, but I know the pain of loss. Chrysalis, it's time you faced your grief. Mourn for them. Grieve their passing."

"I hate this feeling so much…" she repeated, slowly hugging the crown to her chest and lowering her head. "I want it to go away! I want to be angry again! But…I can't!"

"Let me guess, you were using it as a crutch," I said. "Yeah, been there. Take my advice, Chrysalis. Hatred is corrosive and will only lead to more sorrow. You would eventually die alone, unloved, and forgotten. Give your parents the sendoff they deserve."

She remained silent for a bit. Finally, she said, "Leave…leave me alone…please…"

Nodding, I stood and headed to the door. I left in silence. However, the moment I closed the door, my enhanced hearing picked up a louder sob from behind the door. As I headed to my room, a final thought passed through my head regarding Chrysalis: Now her healing could begin.

I hope…