"Jethy, are you sure you can't stay for the New Years Bash?" Pinkie asked the next afternoon as Zecora, Scarlet and were packing enough for an extended journey. The living room was a mess, one which Twilight was frantically trying to organize with her magic. "It's one of the biggest, most funnest super duper parties in Ponyville!"

"She's right, yah know," Applejack added as I threw a pair of jeans into one of my suitcases, only for it to be surrounded by a blue magical aura as Rarity folded and placed it neatly on top of the other clothes. "Pinkie here pulls out all the stops. Ah even hear she's invitin' the Princesses this year."

"I really wish I could, believe me," I replied as I grabbed another shirt and tossed it in, with Rarity immediately folding it in a huff. "But I swore that I'd return to the Dragons by the first of the year. I need to be there. Besides, if I manage it, I can use those instant doors to create a shortcut between Aelyssia and Equestria, meaning I can rule from here."

"You sure you can't let us come along?" Rainbow asked. She might not have shown it, but I could tell she was worried. She wore her emotions on her sleeve.

"I'll need to do this without official help from Equestria," I replied as I heard someone walking down the stairs. I saw a bipedal blue Dragoness walking into the living room with a suitcase full of whatever she'd thrown in. "Dragons are rather independent. They might be willing to accept some help in the future, but as long as I am their Emperor, I'll respect their feelings on the matter. Right, Lady Hand?"

Ember turned and faced the Ponies in the room. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Dragons don't like accepting help from others. We have a certain pride to maintain."

"What pride?" Adagio asked as she and the other two Sirens came downstairs, also carrying suitcases. "From what I've been told, the Dragon Lands went to shit with your father."

Ember whirled on the Dazzling leader. "We still have some pride left, bitch!"

"Knock it off, you two," I said with a warning tone as my front door opened and Sunset, who was carrying a few bags of her own, walked in. "Hey, Sunset. You could have just waited at the docks for us, you know?"

"And miss being warm for a little while longer?" she retorted with a smirk. "Nah, I'm good."

I smirked and shook my head. From the staircase, someone else began walking down. I turned and saw Chrysalis, wearing a pair of black sweatpants which only seemed to hug her curves and a gray hoodie with a depiction of the original U.S.S. Enterprise from Star Trek on the chest. She pulled down on the hoodie and grimaced. "I was once a leader of a great nation," she muttered as she put her bags down and stretched, showing off her cleavage. "Now? Now I'm reduced to this freaky form and wearing these constricting clothes."

"Do be careful!" Rarity shouted, looking at Chrysalis with narrowed eyes, "I altered those clothes for Jethro, and I won't have you tearing them!"

"Ladies, no fighting in my house," I warned.

"At least wait until we make the mud pit for you to wrestle in," Scarlet joked with a grin.

I smacked her upside the head. "Not the time, babe," I warned.

"Sorry, force of habit," she said as she went back to her packing.

I sighed and turned to the group of women who would be joining me. "Sunset, Chrysalis, Adagio, Aria, Sonata, Gemini, Mica and Ember, please have a seat," I said, gesturing to the couches. They all did so, focusing their attention on me. I stood in front of my lounge chair then turned to the Mane Six and Spike. "Girls, Spike, could I have the living room for a bit? I need to say something to everyone else here."

Twilight was about to say something, but stopped, then nodded. She grabbed the suitcases with her magic and headed down the hall towards the sunroom with the others. Spike was the last to leave, looking almost reluctant to do so. However, Rarity put a hoof on his back, gave him a reassuring look, and headed out.

When they were gone, I turned back to the mismatched assortment. Zecora stood to my right and Scarlet to my left as moral support as I began. "Right. As of now, I'm talking to you as the Emperor of Aelyssia." I stood taller and looked at them all. Ember had a look of stoic obedience, Sunset looked at me curiously, Adagio and Aria had a somewhat resigned look on their faces, Sonata was more curious than the other two, and Chrysalis just looked bored; the physical embodiment of 'Let's get this over with'. I continued. "Today, we head back to Aelyssia and begin the first steps of its reconstruction and eventual return to greatness as it was all those years ago. Everyone here will have a part in the reconstruction of Virynth Atheos. Some of you are heading there to pay a penance back to those you have wronged in the form of community service, but be forewarned: This will not be an easy task. Some of you may have had it easy in the past, but there may come a time when you beg to be thrown in the dungeons. I won't let you. The city of Virynth Atheos was once a beautiful city. It housed many Dragons from each part of the old Empire, and the lands surrounding it were once fertile and green. Aelyssia will rise from the ashes once more and become a respected nation. I am well aware of the stereotypes that follow modern Dragons around like a curse: how they attack and eat other sentient creatures or how they hoard treasure. I have it on good authority that Dragons didn't always have that stereotype. The old Emperors were once stewards of the rising of the sun and moon before the Ponies formed Equestria. Five Dragon races once lived in, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, but they lived in harmony with each other. Yes, I know it sounds corny, but it's true. It was only due to their fear of the Wyvern race of Dragon that things fell. There is only one Wyvern in existence as far as I'm aware, and I have knighted him. He is the Hero of Aelyssia because he saved my life from certain death, and for that he has received the gift of a new body and the gifts of the Phoenix."

I took a deep breath and looked at the gathered group of various creatures. Everyone was looking at me now, and even Chrysalis now looked at me with a somewhat more serious look than before. "Allow me to clarify what everyone here will be doing for the beginning of this reconstruction." I gestured for Ember to stand and join me. Confused, she did just that. I put my hand on her shoulder and felt her tense up a bit at the unbidden contact. "This, as you all know, is Princess Ember. She is the daughter of former Dragon Lord Torch. Torch was a member of the family who served as the Emperor's regent of sorts for the duration of the Empire's history. As such, now that he is dead the task of Dragon Lord goes to her by blood. However, the title Dragon Lord has been outdated for centuries. Now, she is the Hand of the Emperor. She will rule over Aelyssia in my absence. She is a capable leader and I trust that those here who will be spending time rebuilding will listen to her as if she is me."

I turned next to Gemini. "Gemini, you were once the general of the Lycan military. This isn't an order yet, but would you at some point in the future willing to start training some willing Dragons how to properly fight? Right now, there is no standing army, only guards. and I would like to have one in place just in case. Mica, too if possible."

Gemini looked thoughtful at the thought, then said, "Not sure how I can do that. I can't fly."

"I know, but you can at least teach them some of the fighting styles you've been teaching me," I replied. "And besides, you can introduce some order into their ranks. If anyone can keep an army in line, it's you."

"I suppose I can teach them a few things," Gemini said.

"Mica could be your partner in showing them," I replied.

"I'll…think about that one," she said.

"I'd be okay with it if it means they'll learn something," Mica said.

Gemini looked at her brother and a look of sisterly worry passed over her face. Finally, however, she sighed and nodded. "Alright, that's fine. What should we do in the meantime?"

"There are Dragon guards," I explained. "I'd like you to talk to my guard Lahar about how they are trained and observe them to see how well they can work and if they need more training."

Gemini nodded. "I can do that."

Next, I turned to Chrysalis and the Dazzlings. "Adagio Dazzling, Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk and Chrysalis. You four will be working to help rebuild the capital. I will personally see to it, however, that none of you are harassed by any of the Dragons. Especially you, Chrysalis." I turned to her. "The Dragons will not be pleased to see you."

"That's an understatement," Ember said, glowering at Chrysalis. "A lot of them will call for your head on a pike."

"Jesus Christ…isn't that a bit harsh?" Sunset asked.

"Stop right there," I said before Ember could say anything. Chrysalis had a look of worry on her face now as I turned to the Dragon. "Ember, I get it. You're angry at her for what she did. She's no saint, I know, but I believe she deserves another chance. She needs to know what it's like at the bottom. She's never been humbled before. Not in the way that you have. You've lived in a cave for a hundred years, taking care of yourself. It matured you. She needs to learn that type of maturity. Besides, nominally, she's my slave. Even so, I want you to ensure that she is protected."

Ember glared at me, but after a few seconds of me not looking away and matching her stare, she nodded. "I understand, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"I know," I replied before turning to the Dazzlings. "You three are also guilty of crimes against Equestria, but thanks to a deal worked out between me and Princesses Celestia and Luna, you will be working out your punishment the same way Chrysalis will be. That, and I will be asking for your help at some point down the line to search for other Sirens. I want to know if they're still around and if so I want to extend a hand to them and help. Especially if they're still dwindling in number. Having an all-female race can't be easy."

"You've no idea," Adagio grumbled.

Sonata smacked her lightly upside the head, then she straightened ant looked at me. "I know we've committed crimes on Earth and on Equestria," she said, "so just…we'll gladly help. Right girls? Riiiight?" She looked at the other two with a warning glare.

Adagio sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know…"

"Good." I turned to Sunset. "Sunset Shimmer, you're coming with me on orders from Princess Celestia to make up for your crimes against Equestria and the world. You will be helping organizing the ancient library underneath the city. And you will be sworn to secrecy about the contents," I quickly added when I saw the look of worry on Ember's face. "Even from the Princesses of Equestria."

Sunset looked at me with a frown. "A secret from Equestria?"

"Yes. I don't know what Aelyssian secrets might be in that library, but even if Aelyssia and Equestria are allies currently, national security is still a thing I take seriously," I said. "Don't worry, Celestia and Luna both know about this and approve. They want a friendly relationship with Aelyssia and don't want to break their trust."

"I'll be surprised if there's anything down there," Ember said. "Probably all rotten."

"That's what we'll be checking out when we get there," I replied. "I know most of you aren't happy with what's going to happen, but since you're all my responsibility, I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"We aren't children," Adagio grumbled, before turning to Sonata. "Well, I know I'm not…"

"Hey!" Sonata said with a pout.

"Are there any questions?" I asked, looking around the room.

"Are we working dawn till dusk?" Aria asked, a hint of worry in her tone.

I shook my head. "I've worked it so that the reconstruction of the capital city will be in shifts," I said. "If you want to work longer, that's your call. Any other questions?" When there was nothing else, I nodded. "Okay, I assume you're all packed up and ready to go. We'll be leaving the house in half an hour." I turned to the stairs. "I need to change…"

About fifteen minutes later, I came back downstairs. The Mane Six and Spike had since rejoined the others in the living room. I came down wearing the royal clothes that Rarity had touched up, both the Phoenix Resplendent's sword and Eclipse strapped to me, and a large overcoat covering everything to keep the royal clothes clean while we were flying. I looked around at the many faces looking my way. Taking a deep breath, I turned to the gathered crowd. "Okay…time to go. I can store all of our luggage in here." I touched the necklace around my neck, and all the luggage on the floor began hovering before vanishing in a small pop, entering whatever micro-dimension the Phoenix hoard had been transported in.

And speaking of Phoenixes, Eve and Hestia had appeared and were now standing on my shoulders. "You didn't think you'd be leaving without us, did you?" Hestia asked, smacking me a bit on the head with her wing.

"We go you go," Eve said in her broken English before switching to Phoenix. "We aren't leaving you."

I smiled. "Who else can keep the Dazzlings in line?" I smirked.

"Hey! I resent that!" Adagio shouted.

Ignoring them, I walked to the door, grabbed the Staff of Ignu which had been leaning against the door, and headed out into the crisp clear sunny winter day. The others followed, each carrying their bags. Ember had the Bloodstone Scepter in one claw while her bags were in the other claw. Like she had been doing lately, she was wearing clothes, some thick ancient Dragon style clothes I'd discovered in her size in the Phoenix Hoard around my neck. She looked like someone who was about to go LARPing, thick boots, light beige pants, a dark leather jerkin, a black long sleeved shirt and a dark green cloak around her. Her royal clothes were packed away because she didn't want them to get ruined before she needed to start wearing them.

Gemini and Mica were dressed for travel, both armed as well. Each wore thick leather pants and boots, a matching dark red shirt and a black hooded cloak with the head of a wolf sewn onto the back. Chrysalis was now wearing one of my long leather overcoats over her other clothes, wrapping it and a thick purple scarf around her neck. The Dazzlings were wearing their newly redone Earth clothes, which Rarity had generously altered for them after I'd asked. Aurora was bundled up warmly with some children's clothing I'd bought for her back on Earth. Phlogiston was dressed similarly to Ember.

I was a bit confused when we began walking down the street only to see no Pony in sight. Although it didn't take me long to realize something was afoot when I turned to Twilight with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Where's everybody?" Her reaction, which was to smile nervously, told me all I needed to know. "Aaand, they're waiting for me at the docks, aren't they?"

"Ah, um…yeah," she finally admitted after a few moments.

I smiled, reached down and ran a hand through her mane. "You didn't have to organize that, you know?"

"Actually, I didn't," Twilight admitted, looking over at the town's party Pony who was bouncing up and down nearby.

"Whaaaat?" Pinkie asked as I looked over at her. "I didn't have time to organize a Good Luck on Rebuilding a City and Empire party!"

I laughed and ruffled her fluffy mane. "You're too much, sometimes. How many Ponies did you invite?"

"You'll just have to wait and seeee!" she giggled as she bounded ahead.

I smirked and continued walking, staff in hand as we walked through the snow. I turned to Phlogiston. "How's Aurora holding up? I know Dragons absolutely hate the cold."

"She's all bundled up and warm," the nurse said, smiling down at the young dragon hatchling, who was being a bit fussy today, making complaining noises and growls. "How long until this ship reaches Aelyssia?"

"We're heading to Duzoroth," I said, "so it will take most of the day. Hopefully we can reach the old fortress by sundown. I just hope she won't get seasick."

"I have a remedy for that for foals," Zecora said from beside me, "but I don't know if it will work on a Dragon hatchling."

"Dragons don't get seasick," Phlogiston explained, "but thanks for your concern, Your Grace, and thank you for your offer…um…do I call you Your Grace too?" she asked, looking unsure at Zecora.

She quickly shook her head. "I'm not Empress. I only wish to be with my husband for moral support. Just call me Zecora."

"If you marry me, can I become Empress?" Scarlet asked teasingly.

I rolled my eyes and smacked her lightly upside the head. "Behave," I sighed.

"Heh, sorry," she said.

We turned the corner, and we all stopped, but me especially. My jaw dropped at what I saw. I was expecting a farewell at the docks when I boarded the ship with the others. What I wasn't expecting, however, was for the entire town, along with both Princesses, to be there waiting for me. I was blown away by the amount of Ponies standing there. And when they all turned my way and began cheering for me, I was further blown away and touched by the gesture.

I paused as Celestia and Luna stepped forward and spread both their wings majestically. The cheering took a while to die down, but eventually it did. The two Princesses took positions up on either side of me and faced the crowd. "My little Ponies," Celestia said, "I am heartened that you have all come here to see Jethro Bethridge off on his journey to Aelyssia. As many of you are aware, he became the Emperor of the Dragons through an ancient Dragon trial by combat. He has decided to leave us for a time to tend to matters in Aelyssia. As to when he'll be back in town, that is hard to say, but if it's a while, I can tell just by the crowd gathered that he will be missed greatly."

"Three cheers for our knight and the Emperor of Aelyssia!" Luna shouted with a raised hoof. "Huzzah on three! One, two, three-!"

The cheers that followed dwarfed the cheers from before. My smile threatened to split my face in half as emotions washed over me. Ones of gratitude and love for the Ponies in town, even those I had hardly spoken to, filled me almost to bursting. Then again, I remembered that they had been at the wedding just the day before, so I really shouldn't have been surprised. Still, it was heartwarming. I looked at Celestia and Luna, both of whom were looking at me with the warmest smiles. They both gently nudged me forward towards the crowd. As the cheers began to die down, I spread my wings and cleared my throat. "Citizens of Ponyville…my friends…I'm overwhelmed by this departing gift you've given me. Just seeing all of your smiling faces here will keep me going for as long as I need to be over there. And I more than look forward to coming back home. To my hometown."

As the town all cheered, I saw a particular gray wall-eyed Pegasus walking forward, a covered basket in her mouth. She placed it down, looked up at me, and said in the most adorable voice I'd heard from her, "Muffin?"

It was too much. I rushed over and wrapped Derpy up in a hug, letting happy tears fall down my cheeks. She wrapped her own hooves around me, stroking my head gently as she said, "We'll miss you, Jethro. Even if you're only gone for a day, we'll miss you."

I tightened my grip on her, and she replied in kind. We were interrupted a few moments later by someone tapping my shoulder. I slowly pulled away and looked up to find myself staring into a pair of grayish mulberry eyes. Octavia was standing close to me, with Vinyl standing next to her. Coming up, I saw Lyra and Bon Bon coming up as well, all of them smiling warmly at me. Octavia held out a hoof. "Here, let me lend you a hoof," she said with the same English accent I'd come to know her for. In fact, it almost precisely matched the voice she had in the fan video Epic Wub Time.

I reached up and took her hoof. She helped me to my feet with surprising strength. Then again, I quickly remembered that she was an Earth Pony. I smiled down at her. "Thank you, Octavia."

Take care of yourself, dude, Vinyl signed at me with her signature smile.

"Be sure to come home in one peace," Bon Bon said, "and with those hands intact. Lyra would be distraught otherwise," she added with a grin.

"That's not me!" Lyra groaned at her friend before she turned to me. "Be safe out there, okay?"

I reached down and ran my hands through their manes, smiling. "I will." I picked up Derpy's basket then turned to the crowd of Ponies who were watching me with varying smiles. "I wish I knew what to say right now, but all I can think of to say is thank you. Thank you for this wonderful sendoff. Thank you for welcoming me into your community. Thank you for everything you've done for me ever since I moved here. I'll find a way to make it up to you somehow!"

Twilight stepped forward, smiling up at me before she flung her hooves around me, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back and soon found myself surrounded by the other five Elements of Harmony along with Spike. They all hugged me close as best they could. Twilight slowly pulled away, looking into my eyes as she said aloud, "Just be the best friend and neighbor you can be, just like you've been doing. That's enough for anypony here, right?"

"Darn tootin', sugarcube," Applejack said.

"Got that right!" Rainbow Dash added.

"She's right, darling," Rarity smiled.

"That's all anypony can ask of you," Fluttershy said kindly.

"Just be your good old sexy self!" Pinkie giggled.

I smiled and put Twilight down. "Thank you everyone. Thank you all. Well, I should now be going. Time waits for no man, after all." I looked around for the others, only to see the majority of them already on the Resplendent.

All except for Phlogiston who was standing by the gangplank with Aurora, the latter of whom was looking out at the Ponies with wide eyes and a bright smile. Zecora and Scarlet were there as well. I also saw that Sunset Shimmer was talking with Celestia a ways off. The two were hugging, both looking saddened to part ways. However, Sunset straightened, grabbed her bags again, and trotted over to me while Celestia watched her go, a proud look in her eyes. She stopped in front of me. "I'm ready to go, now."

I nodded, then turned to the gangplank. As I walked towards it, the crowd parted to let me and Sunset pass. I saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing near the gangplank, waving at me with wide smiles. They all shouted, "Cutie Mark Crusaders forever!" as I passed, earning them some amused laughs from the crowd.

"Yeah, they made me an honorary Crusader," I told the crowd as I reached down and petted each of them. "Keep up the search, cuties, but just remember not to force it, okay? Try things but don't go destroying the town, okay? When I get back, we can go crusading."

The three looked extra excited. It made me happy to see Scootaloo smiling again. She'd been smiling more and more often, especially now that she had some actual stable adults around in her life. I'd heard through the grapevine that Lofty had gotten a job making bedding quilts at a small bedding store in town. Holiday had yet to find a job, or so he'd last heard.

I turned to Aurora and reached out a finger. She grabbed onto it and began playing with it as I turned, reached into my pocket with my other hand, fished out my house spare key and tossed it towards Twilight, who caught it in midair with her magic. "Would you and the others look after my houses for me?" I asked.

She nodded eagerly. "You bet!"

"Try not to break my stuff while I'm gone from overstudying it all," I called out, eliciting laughter from the crowd. Even Celestia stifled a giggle at the blushing and sputtering Twilight. I looked at the crowd, raised the Staff of Ignu I held in my hand, and shouted, "My friends, I bid you a farewell! Until I return!"

As the crowd cheered, I turned, only for Twilight to teleport in front of me once more. "Before you go," she shouted over the cheers, "everypony put together some supplies for the Dragons!" She pointed to a large and empty cart that was attached to Big Mac who was walking away from the ship. "They just finished loading it! There's plenty of food, water and toiletries in there to help keep the Dragons going for a while!"

I smiled widely and put my hand on her head. "Thank you! That should be a great gesture for future friendly relations between Dragons and Ponies!"

She beamed happily. "Think this would make me a good future Princess of Friendship?"

"You've got potential!" I shouted back, smiling as I walked past her. "I'll see you later! Hopefully soon if I can figure out the portal trick with the doors!"

"It should work fine!" Twilight replied. "You have the fibers, right?"

I chuckled and patted my chest. "Put them in a small sack around my neck!"

"That should work then!" she called back. "See you soon, Jethro! I love you!"

I waved back. "See you soon too, Twilight!"

I boarded the ship and after putting all my luggage in the hold next to the many different bags and boxes that had already been loaded on, I headed to the helm. Zecora and Scarlet were there waiting while the others were just standing on the main deck, holding onto the railing in anticipation. I looked over and saw Sunset coming up from below decks. She turned to face me and gave me a salute. "Engines ur at full power, keptin!" she said in her best Scottish accent, "Ah cannae gitcha any mair!"

"Nerd!" I shouted as I looked down at the five dials. "Here we go!" I placed my hand on the middle dial and began turning it. The ship came to life and we began to rise slowly out of the water. "Can someone hoist anchor?" I shouted down.

Gemini and Mica were immediately on it, pulling the anchor up. When it was up, we moved up faster. Drawing the cutlass, I saw that it was glowing green as it had the first time I saw it. I raised it up and the sails unfurled. Thrusting it forward, we shot forward, Ponyville falling behind us fast. And with that, we were on our way.

I set a direct course for Duzoroth, and with that there was really not much to do. Zecora seemed to have developed a mild case of airsickness with her new body since about a half hour after we left, she was hurling up her breakfast. She made a seasickness remedy, but to her dismay, it only lasted for half the trip before she had to take another.

There wasn't much to do, so we kept ourselves entertained. I brought out a large pack of Uno and we played that for a while before Chrysalis and Ember got into an argument. I decided to next pull out my spare laptop and play a movie. I put up the ship's shields and put on Sleeping Beauty. The Dazzlings, Sunset, Zecora and Scarlet had seen it already, but the others hadn't. Phlogiston soon came to realize why I had chosen the name Aurora for the young Dragon hatchling. To my surprise, Chrysalis had a bit of a fascination with Maleficent, even at one point trying to create a realistic version of the character until I showed her the Angelina Jolie version which she emulated perfectly, including the staff. Aurora seemed to really enjoy it. She laughed at the scene where Flora and Merryweather were having their magic duel and hid a bit in Phlogiston's arms when Maleficent was on the screen.

After that, I realized it was just about time to eat lunch. I went down to the lower decks where I'd placed a cooler. Zecora and I had made plenty of different types of sandwiches for everyone for lunch, along with small bags of chips and some water or sodas to drink.

As I was heading up, the ship lurched ever so slightly, but it was enough for me to stumble and trip over a large burlap bag. A bag which yelped.

"What the…?" I muttered to myself as I turned to the bag. The bag looked just like any other, but the rope tying the top off seemed looser than the others. Plus, the bag itself was about a foot distant from the other bags and wooden boxes. And it was gray instead of the brown that the other bags were. A sneaking suspicion grew in me as I slowly approached, right hand out as I charged up some magic. I slowly undid the ropes, and in an instant pulled the bag open, only to see a very familiar turtleneck wearing green maned Unicorn curled up, looking at me with two light coffee brown eyes.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "If I had a bit for every time someone snuck into a bag to follow me, I'd have two bits. Which isn't much, but it's weird that it's happened twice." I crossed my arms and gave the stowaway a disapproving look. "What are you doing here, Wallflower?"