//------------------------------// // Draconia's New Ruler // Story: The New Era for Equus // by Robert Emerald Fountain //------------------------------// Inside the palace, Koval said something to his guards that they didn’t expect. “Let them in, and don’t resist. I surrender.”, he said through tears. Jared was shocked, but he opened the doors and allowed Flurry Heart, the Squid Sisters, Ryder, and Mickey to enter. Chase was with Ryder and carrying handcuffs in his pup-pack. Callie and Marie stepped forward and asked Koval why he had attempted to invade. The answer they received was selfish. “Twenty-one years ago, I was in battle on the planet Soria. We were simply trying to form a colony there, but the Sorians did not care. My father, Soran, was killed during the battle. Ever since then, I have been trying to invade planets with intelligent life in hopes of forming an army large enough to fight back.”, explained Koval. At that point, Ryder and Chase stepped forward to arrest Koval. “Emperor Koval of Draconia, you are under arrest for invasion, kidnapping, and interruption of peace.”, said Chase intently as Ryder put the handcuffs on him. Koval lowered his head and was led to the dungeon in his own palace to be locked up. A new leader for Draconia would be chosen in the morning. The next day, it was time to select the new ruler. After getting up and having breakfast, the leaders met together to determine the new ruler of Draconia. They also met with Koval to explain a deeper reason why he was so dialed in on trying to avenge his father’s death. Flurry Heart quickly took the floor to tell him what was going on. “You let past memories of losing your dad get in the way of ruling your home world. One must not let their emotions run their life. In other words, you must learn how to control your feelings and not let them control you. I have met with the other leaders and we have settled on the conclusion that you will not be imprisoned for the rest of your life. However, you will be giving up your title as Emperor and passing it on to someone else who will start a new era of peace.”, she explained. “I understand, Queen Flurry Heart of Equus. I am deeply sorry for trying to find out where you lived in order to invade.”, he replied. “You should also tell that to us.”, said Callie with a strict voice. Koval nodded and turned to the Squid Sisters. “I am sorry for sending my troops to capture your parents and children and try to invade your home world.”, he said to both Callie and Marie. The Squid Sisters shook hands with Koval as a way of forgiving him and accepting his apology. Just then, Koval indicated something surprising. “The standard amount of time for an Emperor here is 18 years. I held on an additional 3 years because I was so hung up on avenging my father’s death.”, he explained. The decision was made to pass the torch to Leon and bring an end to Draconia’s fierce plans to invade all of the planets in the universe. Everyone was in favor of the idea and the ceremony was held the following week. Leon walked proudly to the front of the throne room where Koval stood ready with the Emeperor’s headdress. When Leon reached the dais, he knelt down and Koval walked to him. “All hail Emperor Leon!”, yelled Koval as Leon stood up when the headdress was placed on his head. Leon turned to face the audience and everyone clapped and cheered. “As my first decree, I declare that our era of invasion is now officially over. We will now enter a new era of peace and learn to respect other races.”, called out Leon. Everyone clapped even more, and then Leon announced that a trip would be made to Soria to apologize for attempting to colonize without permission. The decision was agreed on and a crew was formed. After the conflict with Soria was taken care of, everyone knew it was time to head home. Arriving back on Earth, Callie and Marie made a report that the war against the Draconians was over and peace had been achieved. They returned home and were reunited with their families, continuing their normal lives as if the crisis had never happened. However, they set out a plan in secret to visit Equus after several years once both of their kids had matured enough. The PAW Patrol and the Cat Pack returned to Adventure Bay where they continued their careers saving lives and the Disney Fleet retired completely. They continued their normal lives and other citizens took their places as space explorers. Flurry Heart and the Young Six returned home to Equus where they resumed their normal lives as well. They had no idea that Callie and Marie were planning a family trip to visit Equus. In the far reaches of space, some inhabited planets gave up on their strict policies, such as Merlin 5. When the Young Six had first mapped them, they did not want them to spread knowledge, but they eventually opened up and allowed explorers to come. In the end, the universe was made a better place.