The Demon's Angel

by Radiant Dawn

Chapter 15: Demon's Song

Chapter 15: Demon's Song

Another week passed, and just another long day for me.

As I woke from sleep, I couldn't help but smile at the sight next to me: Dash and Scootaloo, cuddled up next to each other as they slept against my right arm. It was a sight that I would probably never get sick of, as it always put a smile on my face.

As I rose out of bed and took a shower, the events of the last month were on my mind the whole time. Talk had been floating around town that I was many things, ranging from a spy of some evil being, all the way to being a hero from another dimension (which I guess wasn't far from the truth). Thankfully, Lulu put a stop to these quickly, letting the ponies of Ponyville and Canterlot know that I was in her direct employ. This caused a massive shift in the way the two cities looked upon me.

And since I was with Dash, not in a good way.

It was now not uncommon for me to have multiple mares following me from afar as I did my daily work (mostly pegasi, for obvious reasons). While I guess I should have been flattered, it just bothered me. I was in love with Dash, but for whatever reason, mares just don't take no for an answer. I guess this had something to do with that 3:1 or 4:1 ratio of mares to stallions...whatever it was. No matter the reason, I was constantly being followed by the single mares wherever I would go. The good news is that none of them could cruise as high as I could, so more often than not I would fly some fifty-thousand feet up whenever I'd go somewhere, so as to avoid the stalkers.

Dash didn't seem bothered by this, which I was utterly surprised by. I don't know why, but I figured her more of the jealous type. I guess with her confidence and arrogance came a security in knowing that she was the only mare for me...and it was completely true. Besides, most of them wanted me simply because of what they heard or seen. There were all sorts of rumors going around ranging from dragons being more well-endowed than Big Macintosh (I wouldn't know), all the way to dragons being able to do all sorts of things with their tongues. By Celestia, is that all the mares think about? I mean I know stallions are in short supply, but damn.

---

Back to the matter at hand, however, I needed to go into town to stock up the pantry and fridge, as well as get some more AJD. Thankfully for me, today was scheduled to be a day for rain, which meant the town would be relatively clear of traffic. I checked the clock as I walked out of the shower, seeing it was 09:58; the storm was set to begin at 10:00. This gave me just enough time to hang up my towel, grab my coinpurse, and head out to my front step before I had to start the storm. As the first few drops of rain hit my scales, I sighed and smiled with my eyes closed for a moment before taking to the skies.

As I expected, most of the ponies of Ponyville were indeed inside, save for a few choice mares and stallions. AJ, Big Macintosh, and Fluttershy were all out on their front porch of the Sweet Apple Acres house, watching as the soft rain fell with occasional strike of lightning. The Doctor, odd fellow, was looking around curiously as he trudged through the rain towards his house. Pinkie Pie was dressed in a bright yellow raincoat with Wellies, playing in the rain with her pet, Gummy. Lastly, Spike was rushing back to the library, Sweetie Belle in tow.

I landed a few minutes later outside of a small area of different food stands and hole-in-the-wall buildings that were my stop for groceries. Some of the ponies I knew, some I didn't...but they were all fair and kind enough. I quickly gathered what groceries I needed before taking flight again with my filled bag, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres.

The two earth ponies and pegasus were still sitting on the front porch of the farm house – Big Macintosh chewing on a piece of hay as he watched the rain while Applejack and Fluttershy snuggled together on a bench swing.

Big Mac noticed me first and smiled warmly. "Well howdy, Rider. Whatcha doin' out here in this weather?"

I shrugged and smiled back at him. "Just picking up some things from town. Besides, I make the weather, remember?"

The crimson stallion chuckled deeply and nodded. "Tha's raht, Ah fergot. Guess yer wantin' som'more drink?"

"That's right, Big Macintosh. Thanks." I responded as I set my bags down.

He stood up and nodded. "Wait here with mah sis then and Ah'll go'n get it fer ya."

I nodded and sat down in a chair next to the two mares. "So girls, how have you two been?"

The earth pony and pegasus looked away from each other and back at me, apparently just realizing that I was there. Fluttershy floated away from her marefriend and hugged me tightly. "Oh Koa, I missed you!"

I chuckled lightly and wrapped an arm around her, hugging back. "Heh, I missed ya too, 'Shy."

I heard the clopping of hooves as AJ sauntered over, so I snatched her up into the hug too, causing her to let out a really un-Applejack squeak of surprise. She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Y'all better not tell RD Ah did that or Ah'll buck ya."

"A ponypile, hmm? Why didn't anypony invite me?" Rainbow Dash's voice carried through the rain.

I looked up to see her floating through the soft rain. She landed on the covered porch and shook herself dry, then smiled. I grinned back as I released the two mares and let them get back to their lovey-dovey snuggling.

With a snap of my fingers a bolt of lightning streaked through the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder. This startled the hell out of Dash, who leapt into my open arms. She looked up at me in annoyance and I just smiled back. "How about we have our own ponypile later on?"

"Shh, Koa! Not in public..." she whispered, a blush finding its way to her face. I grinned mischievously and ran my hand over her cutie mark, causing her to have to stifle a moan. I then moved my mouth to her exposed ear and breathed warmly on the back of it, causing her to shiver. She looked up at me with glazed eyes, breathing heavily. "Koa please...this isn't fair."

I raised my hand in the air and allowed a bit of lightning to arc around my fingers with a grin. "Then stop me." Dash looked at me with pleading eyes and I sighed. "Fine...you're no fun."

She then leaned in and ran her tongue along my "ear" ridge and whispered, "Later I'll show you just how not-fun I can be."

I growled low and sighed again. "See, it's things like this that make it hard to not just take you in the middle of town right now. Hopefully I've got my instincts under enough control this time so that you don't have to go away when your next heat rolls around."

The cyan pegasus giggled and nodded as her two friends were blushing in embarrassment. "Yeah, let's hope so. Anyway, are you almost done? Scoots is awake and wondering where you are."

"Wait a minute, Scootaloo's been stayin' with you?" AJ asked, now utterly surprised.

I looked over at the couple and nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Fluttershy then looked very embarrassed and blushed. "Oh my...so that's why that rumor was going around."

I began to get a little annoyed so I snorted, causing a small cloud of electricity to flow out. "What rumor?"

I must have let out a little more anger in my voice than I meant to, because even AJ looked at me with apprehension. "W-well sugarcube, there's talk 'a you bein' a foal-fiddler..."

"What's a 'foal-fiddler'?" I asked, now utterly confused.

Dash wriggled out of my grasp and sighed as she eyed both me and her friends. "A 'foal-fiddler' is what Equestria calls pedophiles, Koa."

I jumped off of the chair and the sheer anger that was radiating off of me because of this accusation was causing lighting to bolt through the sky in large amounts. "WHAT?! Who the hell started that lie? Tell me now so I don't have to tear through the entire town looking for them!"

The next thing I know my face was burning from the hoof I caught across my face, and Dash was floating in front of me with a concerned look on her face. "Koa...calm down. Get a hold of yourself." I nodded and took a few deep breaths. "Better?" I nodded again. Dash then turned to the two mares and slowly fluttered over, sitting next to her two friends. "Girls...who started this?"

Surprisingly, Fluttershy was the one who spoke up first, albeit in a near-whisper. "W-we d-d-don't really k-know, Rainbow D-Dash. I'm s-s-sorry..."

Dash sighed and turned back to me. "Sorry Koa...guess for the time being we're just going to have to put up with them."

I growled and shook my head. "I don't know if I can do that, Dash. It was one thing when they were saying things like I had a big dick or something, but this is different." I looked over at Applejack and Fluttershy with pleading eyes. "Sorry if I've said anything in the last few minutes that's offended or scared either of you." I then closed my eyes and sighed. "For the record, I am not nor have I ever been intimate with Scootaloo. She's a close friend and I care a lot about her, but that's as far as it goes. Yes, she sleeps in my house most days, but I care about her as an older brother cares about a little sister. I stay out all night with the princess of the night and no pony bats an eye, but I let an orphan filly stay with me and all the sudden I'm a pedophile. That's just great. Glad to know that gossip is the same no matter where I go."

"Oh my...we don't think you're a foal-fiddler, Koa." Fluttershy said as she stood up off of the swing and floated in front of me. She motioned to her two friends and smiled. "All of us know that you're a good dragon, Koa. We all know you'd never do something like that."

I nodded and sighed, realizing what a fool I'd acted like. "I know, 'Shy. Sorry if I scared you."

She shook her head and embraced me in a soft hug for a moment, her smell of summer flowers and a fresh stream wafting into my nose. "It's okay Koa...I know you didn't mean it."

I released her and smiled. "Thanks 'Shy."

"Ya lucky dragon, you." said a deep voice from behind me.

I turned around to see the large crimson stallion with a grin on his face. I grinned back and shook my head. "Yep. You got Twi though, so I'm sure you got your hooves full too."

He chuckled and shook his head as he pushed the crate of sweet alcohol over to me. "Nah, she's a good mare. Gotta admit, it's a li'l intimidatin' bein' with Princess Celestia's studen', but she don't treat me different fer it."

I reached into my coinpurse and and pulled out two twenty-five bit coins, placing them in the small coinpurse that Big Mac had for himself. "Well it's good to hear that everything seems to be going well so far. Anyway, thanks a lot for the talk and the drink, all of you. If any of you need me, you know where I'll be."

The three ponies all nodded and waved goodbye as Dash and I took flight again into the rainy day.

---

We arrived back at my place a little after 14:00. After I finished putting all the groceries away, I fixed up a lunch for myself and my two guests. Luckily for me, Scootaloo and Dash had gotten over the fact that I ate meat, so I fixed myself a large steak with potato wedges, then I made a salad each for the girls. As we ate, drank, and laughed, I couldn't help but feel extremely nervous about tonight.

After all, it's not every day a father meets his daughter.

A few days ago, I had asked Lulu about our daughter. I mean, what father wouldn't want to know his daughter, right? The reason I was nervous was because I had expected her to be dead...or at the very least unreachable. No...Diz told me that not only was she alive, she knew about me. She didn't know I was her father, but she knew what I was.

"Koa, yoohoo? You okay?" Scootaloo called as she waved a hoof in my face.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and smiled. "Yeah. I'm okay, little one." 'Little one? Since when do I talk like that? Ugh...this multiple lives thing is getting to me.'

The filly giggled and patted my leg softly. "You sound old when you talk like that."

"Scoots is right, old man. You might want to 'young that up' a little." Dash added with a grin.

I rolled my eyes with a soft growl. "I'm older than both of you already, but I've got more moxie than both of you combined. Age isn't everything, girls."

Dash snorted. "Yeah...like that's not something an old pony would say." I pointed a finger at her rump and let a small jolt of lightning hit her, causing the cyan mare to jump into the air in shock. "Ow! What was that for?"

I shrugged and smirked. "You get to make fun of me for being old, I get to shock you. I mean, there are better ways I can use this power...you know that."

Dash blushed, but Scootaloo looked really confused. "What do you mean, Koa?"

The mischievous side of me decided to rear its head again, so I calmly walked over to Dash with a light charge in my hand and ran my hand along the base of her wings, causing her to let out a very loud moan. I then turned to Scootaloo with a smirk, noticing the blush that had made itself known on her face. "Well, there's one example." Dash then composed herself and flashed a glare at me. "What? I can be a spontaneous young person too, you know."

The cyan pegasus shook her head and sighed. "That's not it, Koa. Scootaloo's just a little filly. I'd rather not scar her for life, thanks."

I raised an eyeridge and looked at the orange filly. "You didn't tell her?"

"Tell me what?" Dash asked loudly.

I motioned to the cyan mare while looking at the filly. "Go ahead Scoots, tell her."

Scootaloo nodded and sighed, looking at her idol. "W-well Rainbow Dash, I have dreams about Zi-er, Koa."

Dash stared at her charge for a moment before furrowing her brow. "I'm not sure I get what you're trying to say."

"I have special dreams about him, Rainbow Dash..." Scootaloo elaborated.

At this, Dash's mouth dropped open in shock, and I just continued smirking as I drained my bottle of whiskey. After a minute or so Dash slowly looked over at me and stuttered out, "I-i-is that t-true?"

I nodded as I drank down the last of the sweet liquor, throwing the bottle away. "Yep, it is. As a matter of fact, she told me about it the first day I met her after I came back from Earth."

Dash quickly looked back and forth between me and Scootaloo. "Am I the only pony here that feels really awkward all of the sudden?"

I nodded. "Yep. We worked all this out a long time ago. I explained to Scoots that I'm with you and am completely faithful, and she said she was fine with it. We're friends, Dash. You're the only mare on my mind...and frankly, one of the only ones that can handle me."

This seemed to calm her, as she nodded and grinned. "Yeah, you're right about that. I don't think anypony else besides maybe Luna could keep you in line."

"You all make it sound like I'm some wild animal that needs to be wrangled." I said with a huff.

Dash "booped" me on my nose and giggled. "You can be. Did you forget why Princess Celestia had to come to Ponyville last time?"

I sighed in exasperation. "That was one time that happened and I already apologized to her, and you. Are you ever going to let that go?"

She shook her head with a smirk. "Not until it stops being funny."

I looked over at Scootaloo who was also laughing, though she stopped as she met my eyes. She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Koa, that was funny!"

"Yeah, and also incredibly embarrassing." I retorted.

"Hey, you weren't the one who was passed out in front of the princess." Dash added with a look of annoyance.

I nodded a few times and grinned. "This is true."

Dash then seemed to come to some sort of realization, as she looked at the pegasus filly inquisitively. "You know squirt, you seem really cool with all of this, considering how you've dreamed about Koa."

The filly shrugged and smiled. "Well being an orphan grew me up a lot. I mean don't get me wrong, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are still my best friends, but I relate better to older ponies. Point is that I understand that Koa is your dragon, and he's faithful. I don't think I could anyway, but I wouldn't try and steal him from you or anything. I care about the two of you too much." She then glared at both of us. "If you tell Applebloom I got sappy, I'll pay both of you back with interest." She then sighed and closed her eyes as she lowered her head. "I mean, I can't say that I don't still think about it as a kind of fantasy, but you both are my friends...and the closest thing I have to family along with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. I don't want to mess that up by trying to be greedy." The filly then smiled again. "Besides, it would probably be better if I found someone around my age, right?"

I just stared at her in utter surprise. I mean, I knew she was more mature than most her age, but this was pushing it. She was talking like someone my age should talk.

"Scoots, how old are you again?" Dash asked the filly, apparently reading my mind.

The orange pegasus giggled and stood up from the table, taking a seat on the cloud couch instead. "Nine. Why, is that too young to be grown up?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it is. Fillies your age are normally playing with their friends, or having little get-togethers with signs that read 'no colts allowed' or something like that."

"Well Sweetie Belle is with Spike. No one says anything about that." she remarked.

I nodded and sighed. "True, but she still acts like a filly is all. I see older stallions in your future."

We all had a good laugh about this before splitting up for the day. Dash had some late-day work to do, and Scootaloo was meeting up with her friends at Sweet Apple Acres. This left me to meet up with the princesses as my last event of the day, so I quickly took flight and headed for the palace.

---

I arrived a little over twenty minutes later to find that I had indeed been followed, but luckily I lost my procession at the palace gates, thanks to the guards. I merely nodded at the two royal guards as I passed and they shut the golden gates behind me.

I walked through the winding halls and corridors of the palace until I came upon the large doors that lead to the throne room, where Celestia would be having court at the moment. I checked the sun's position and estimated that court would be over within the next few minutes, so I took a seat a ways away from the many ponies that were gathered outside and went about munching on some beef jerky.

I couldn't help but notice a young unicorn mare watching me as she sat next to who I assumed was her mother or sister. The mare was a dark blue – almost as dark as Lulu – with a stark white mane and tail, which seemed to glimmer in the rays of the sun. Her eyes were also an oddity, being gray with an inner ring of blue in them. Like me, she was sitting apart from the rest of the group...but she didn't take her eyes off of me the entire time. I looked away and continued absentmindedly chewing on the dried meat, just trying to pass the time as quickly as possible.

When I looked back, however, the mare was standing right in front of me with a wide grin.

"Umm...can I help you?" I said as I swallowed my mouthful and put away the rest of the meat.

She shrugged and sat down next to me. "I don't know, can you?"

I sighed and closed my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Listen ma'am, I don't mean to be rude but I get enough attention back in Ponyville. If you're interested, I'll just tell you right away that I'm with Rainbow Dash and I'm completely faithful."

She giggled and shook her head. "Look, I know being the new skylord might have gone to your head a bit, but I'm not here for that. I just want to talk and you look interesting."

I shrugged. "Well, I've got some time to kill before I meet with the princesses. What are you here for?"

She shook her head and grinned. "Uh uh, not telling. That's a secret."

"Well that's no fun." I retorted. "What do you want to talk about then, hm?"

She giggled and smiled at me. "Well how about what you're doing here?"

I raised my eyeridge at her. "So you don't want to tell me what you're doing here, but you're going to ask me?" She nodded vigorously. I sighed and shrugged. "I guess it couldn't hurt to tell you. I'm here to see my daughter."

The mare's eyes widened and she smiled. "Wow, you're a father?" I nodded. "How long has it been since you've seen her?"

I couldn't help when my head drooped a bit. "I can't remember the last time I saw her."

The mare was silent for a moment before placing her forehoof on my shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be okay." I looked at her and she smiled gently. "I never knew my father, so I can tell you that just the fact that you want to make sure you know her is a lot more than some fillies get."

I nodded. "I know. I can't help but think that she's going to hate me for not seeking her out sooner though."

She nodded slowly a few times. "She might...for a little while. It's your job to make sure she knows that you love her though, and that she'll never have to be alone again. I kinda wish my father would do that, actually."

"Wouldn't you be angry at him?" I asked, now interested in her story.

She snorted a laugh and nodded. "Of course I'd be angry with him." She then looked down at her hooves and smiled softly. "But I'd rather have a father to be mad at than none at all." I noticed that when she looked up at me again, there was a stray tear on her cheek. "Don't make the same mistake mine did. Make sure your little filly knows how much you care about her, from now until the end of life."

I placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded. "I swear. I've already screwed up this much, I'm not going to do it again."

She smiled and nodded as the large doors opened, revealing one of Celestia's personal guards. He looked around the room for a moment before spotting the mare at my side, then nodded. "Fillies and gentlecolts, day court is closed for today. Night court will begin promptly at 10:30. Thank you all, and have a good day." He then turned to us again and motioned for one of us to come forward, so the mare got up and walked over.

She looked back at me once more and smiled. "Good luck."

I nodded with a soft smile. "You too."

---

The next few minutes were pretty quiet, as I was now the only one in the foyer. Without any ponies around, I pulled out my bag of dried meat and continued snacking on it.

"Enjoying yourself, Koa?" whispered a voice from my side.

I turned to see the dark blue alicorn standing there, so I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Not really. This dragon metabolism is getting to me lately. It's like I have to eat every other hour or I get mad hunger pangs."

She giggled and shook her head. "Most dragons aren't anywhere near as active as you are, Koa. Dragons tend to spend a lot of their time napping or lounging when they're not fighting."

I shrugged. "It's always something, isn't it."

She smiled that warm smile I loved and gestured for me to follow. "Come. It's time, Koa."

I stood and put my snack away, zipping the bag closed and hoisting the knapsack onto my shoulder. As I followed her, I actually started to sweat with nervousness...which was a first for me. Out of all the things to make me uneasy, it had to be meeting my daughter.

"Nervous, Koa?" Luna quipped.

I nodded and readjusted the bag on my shoulder. "More than I've ever been before."

She frowned and eyed me with concern. "Why?"

I sighed and dropped my gaze to the ground as we walked. "What if she hates me?"

"Why in Equestria would she hate you?" my companion asked softly.

"Because I haven't been there for her entire life up to this point, Diz." I responded. I looked towards the large doors in front of us and stopped. "I've wanted to be a father for as long as I can remember – which isn't much, but still. I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if my own flesh and blood despises me." I then pressed my hand to the door and let another pained breath out. "But it has to be done. I also couldn't live with myself knowing that I passed up this opportunity."

She nodded and pressed her own hoof to the door. "Are you ready?"

I shrugged. "As I'll ever be."

We both pushed the door open and entered the throne room, and standing in front of us was none other than Celestia herself.

The sun princess smiled at me and inclined her head towards me. "Good evening, Koa. I hope you have not been waiting long."

I shook my head. "Maybe twenty minutes or so. No big deal."

She nodded back and then looked at her sister. "Luna, go and fetch her please." With that, Luna nodded back and went down the corridors of the palace to go and get who I assumed was my daughter.

I walked up to the brilliant white alicorn and smiled warmly. "So Lily, how was work?"

She rolled her eyes as she sat back onto her throne. "Boring, as always." She then jumped up in shock. "Oh, I'd nearly forgotten. I have another mission for you in six days. Are you interested?"

"Always, Lil. What's up?" I responded cordially.

She shook her head as she stepped next to me. "I don't have all the details just yet, but I can tell you that it will have you away for at least two or three weeks."

I sat down on the steps in front of the throne and shrugged. "Well in all honesty, I've been getting a bit antsy. I'll tell Dash and Scootaloo when I get home today what's going on. I'd prefer not to leave them out of the loop."

Celestia was about to respond when the sound of a door closing down the hallway could be heard, so we both turned towards it...and what I saw caused my mouth to drop open in shock.

Standing before us was the same mare I had met in outside the throne room...and she looked every bit as surprised as me. Emotions and thoughts swam through my head so fast that it became too much, and I fainted.

---

I woke up to a numb feeling in both of my wings, only to realize I'd slept on them while they were folded. I sat up and stretched them out, quickly restoring the blood flow and feeling. I opened my eyes and looked around the room to find that I was completely alone, and was in the room that was "reserved" for me in the palace. It seemed that Luna must have decided to check on me, because she opened the door and popped her head in.

When she saw that I was awake, she leaned back out and opened the door fully...revealing herself and the mare...my daughter.

"H-hey..." I stuttered.

The mare just stared at me for a moment before looking at Luna. The night princess nodded. "It's alright, dear."

The mare nodded and tentatively stepped forward before stopping a few feet in front of me, sitting down on her haunches with an inquisitive look. It was dead silence for the longest time, and yet again, I started sweating in nervousness. This was made worse by the fact that try as I might, I couldn't read any discernible thoughts emanating from her, which meant I had no idea what was on her mind.

"Where have you been..." she nearly whispered.

I was glad she'd finally spoken, but the answer I had in store wasn't a good one. "I...I'm not sure. Away...that's all I know." I shifted uncomfortably and attempted a smile. "Could I know your name?"

"Moonbeam." she responded quickly. "My name is Moonbeam now."

I nodded. "So you don't go by Janice anymore?"

She shook her head and motioned to Luna. "No one except mother and auntie Tia calls me that."

I nodded and then shook my head in realization. "Wait a minute, why couldn't I find a gravestone for you in the old royal cemetery?"

She looked to Luna and the blue alicorn sighed. "Half-breeds like her were not officially recognized in Equestria until the Second Age...the age that took place after Tia and I returned to Terra after twenty millennia. Her kind were not considered naturally occurring before then."

"So instead, ponies simply denounced her existence? That doesn't make sense. I mean, I saw the engraving on your stone, Diz." I responded.

Luna stared at me in surprise. "You could read that?"

I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Because," she started, "that was written I the ancient language of dragons...a language only taught to and known by royalty." She then smiled. "If you ever wanted proof that you were who we say you are, then that is it."

I furrowed my brow in thought for a moment before responding. "What about Lily's headstone? I couldn't read that for some reason."

Luna shrugged. "Neither can we. It was meant only for your eyes. She said once that it was a code only you would be able to break."

I tapped my chin for a moment and then grinned. "Ooh...she's a sneaky one, she is." I then looked back to Moonbeam and nodded. "Back to the matter at hand though," I took a step towards her and eyed her suspiciously, "she's a half-breed, right?" Luna nodded. "Okay, then why does she only look like a pony?"

At this the unicorn stepped away from me and closed her eyes. As I watched, deep blue fire engulfed her hooves and started to travel up her body. The fire burned brighter and brighter until I had to shut my eyes to keep from being blinded. Once I saw from behind my lids that the fire had died down, I opened them and gasped at what I saw.

Before me stood a blue dragoness, shorter than me and different in form. Unlike me she held a more bestial form, with large hind legs made for running on all fours and a long serpent-like neck. Her eyes burned with blue fire and her scales shined in the afternoon sun. The wings were large – larger than mine. Lastly, atop her head sat a single horn – a unicorn's horn.

I pursed my lips and nodded. "Okay, that's a bit more like it. So you can change form?"

"Technically so can you, Koa." Luna responded.

"What do you mean?" I asked, now utterly confused.

"Well," she started with a smile, "do you remember how you changed your form in the past?"

I shrugged. "Kinda. That's one of those memories that's pretty hazy."

Luna nodded and smiled. "Well, it's all about your will. You must simply will the change to happen, and it will happen." Before I could do anything however, she stomped her foot to get my attention. "Not here, Koa. In the gardens."

---

We all arrived outside a few minutes later in the middle of the royal gardens, which were mercifully empty.

Luna turned to me as we stopped and smiled. "Okay, now you may will your change."

I nodded and did as she asked, focusing on my body changing. I figured it worked the same way with the rest of my abilities, so I put my full focus in to the intent of my body changing forms. Thankfully, I apparently didn't have to know what the form looked like, as I started to feel my body crackle with energy as the change began. I could feel clouds gathering overhead as my magic flowed through my body, and I felt the soft pitter-patter of rain on my scales. I could feel my body's bones elongating, changing, or shortening accordingly.

It didn't hurt, but damn did it feel weird.

After a few minutes or so, the energy stopped flowing, so I opened my eyes. For the third time today, I was shocked. I now towered over both Luna and Moonbeam by a lot. I was able to look over trees and even the palace roof, and I noticed that my neck was long and serpentine, like Moonbeam's. My tail was much longer with multiple fins on it, no doubt for flying. My rear and front limbs had shifted their place and lengths and were now suited for quadrupedal movement instead of bipedal. Lastly, I felt on top of my head to feel seven large horns as opposed to my normal two.

"Whoa." I breathed out, and noticed my voice was now much deeper, and held more of a growl-like quality to it.

Luna giggled and shook her head. "Such is the power of the Great Draconian. I assume this will help you on your missions, yes?"

I nodded and flexed my large claws. "Oh yeah, this will help."

I felt a tap on my knee and I looked down to see Moonbeam doing so. I craned my neck down to meet her and she smiled for the first time since learning who I was to her. "Now you look how I remember you." She then slapped me with a clawed hand and frowned. "Don't think this is over..." She then caressed my cheek with the same clawed hand. "I'm happy you're back though." She then turned to Luna and nodded. "We should go, mother." Before leaving however, Moonbeam looked back at me with a smile as she shifted back into her pony form. "Come have lunch with me tomorrow. There's a lot for us to catch up on."

As the two mares walked back towards the palace, I allowed myself a large smile as I turned towards Ponyville and took flight.

---

I decided to get a feel for my new body, so I didn't change back into my "normal" form until I arrived back in Ponyville. The storm was still going on, so the gray stratus clouds covered my approach, which meant that I didn't have to change back until I had literally arrived at the doorstep of my house. I thought I'd experiment a little and attempted to change forms while flying. Much to my surprise, it worked perfectly and although I was a little tired now, there didn't seem to be any noticeable negative effects.

I opened the door and walked into my house to find Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo already waiting for me...with a nice meal already cooked. I looked to Dash and smirked. "Keep things up like this and I'll think you love me or something."

"Oh, we wouldn't want that. Don't worry, I'll beat you up or something before we go to bed." she remarked with a sadistic grin.

I chuckled and sat down at the dining table. "You're on, speedy." I then took a bite of the mushroom salad and looked to the orange filly to my left. "So, how was your day, Scoots?"

She shrugged. "Eh, it was alright I guess." She then huffed and blew her mane out of her eyes. "I'm telling you, we're so close to getting our cutie marks it hurts."

"You'll get it soon, little one. I can feel it." I responded with a smile. I then rolled my eyes and growled. "There I go again with the 'little one' thing. As if I need to sound any older or more goofy."

This prompted the orange pegasus to nuzzle against my arm and smile lovingly. "That's okay, Koa. We like you that way."

I raised an eyeridge at her. "You like me to be goofy and weird?"

Dash nodded as she finished off the last of her salad. "Yep. Makes us feel better about ourselves."

I rolled my eyes as I took my last bite as well, then got up to gather both my bowl and Scootaloo's. "You know, you all should be nicer to me. After all, I'm a big scary dragon."

"Pfft, you're not scary." Dash remarked as she poked me in the side. I then turned towards her with my wings extended and roared menacingly. She simply stood there with a stoic expression and smiled when it was over. "Nope...nothing. I guess it's because I know you'd never hurt me."

I sighed and flopped down on the cloud couch. "Well that's no fun." Both pegasi joined me and gathered on either side as I wrapped my arms around the two of them. "Oh by the way, Celestia told me that I've got another job coming up in about six days. It's gonna keep me away for about two or three weeks though."

"THREE WEEKS?!" they both yelled at the same time.

I sighed and nodded. "Yes...three weeks."

"B-but...that's such a long time, Koa." Dash responded, her voice cracking halfway through.

I felt as Scootaloo held my side tight. "Koa...please don't leave us."

I closed my eyes and sighed again. "I'm sorry girls...I have to do this. So long as Equestria is safe, so are the two of you. I swear I'll be fine and I swear I'll be back as soon as I can be."

"But three weeks? I mean..." Dash mumbled.

I grabbed the cyan mares face and forced her to look at me. "Dash listen to me, okay?" She nodded. "If anyone else could do this, I would gladly pass the baton to them. However, I'm the only one who is capable and available to take care of these threats safely. The princesses are certainly strong enough, but they're needed here. If something were to happen to me, Equestria would keep on going strong. If one of the princesses were lost, all of Equestria and perhaps even reality would come to a screeching halt." I sighed and pulled her into a hug. "I love the both of you...and if that means leaving for such long periods of time so that you'll be protected, then so be it. I may not be a king anymore, but I still have a duty to Equestria."

"What do you mean 'anymore'? You've never been a king, Koa." Dash remarked. I slapped my hand on my mouth in shock of what I just let slip, but Dash wasn't letting it go. "What do you mean, Koa? Don't lie to me."

I dropped my hand and looked down at my lap. "It's not for me to say, Dash. You need to ask Luna. If she thinks it's safe to tell you, she'll do so. She made me swear not to say anything about it."

"About what?" the cyan mare nearly growled out.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry Dash, but I can't tell you. I swore to Luna and Celestia that I wouldn't. Ask Luna tonight about it if you want. I'm sure if you ask she'll trust you enough to tell you."

Dash eyed me suspiciously for a moment before nodding. "Fine. I'll go and ask her tonight then. Guess that means I won't be staying the night after all."

"Are you angry with me or something?" I asked as she trotted towards the front door.

She rolled her eyes as the door was pushed open. "What ever would make you think that finding out you're keeping secrets from me would make me mad?" She then sighed and her wings drooped a little. "I thought you trusted me, Koa." Before I could respond, she slammed the door and took flight towards Canterlot.

Without another word I turned off the lights and headed to my bedroom, Scootaloo at my heels.

---

As the two of us lay in bed, I couldn't help but feel like a shithead. I should have been the one to ask Luna if I could tell Dash about everything...about my past and her past...about Equestria. Instead I put it off, and now the mare I loved was pissed off at me. The fact that I had told her I would be away for almost an entire month probably didn't help, so now I felt afraid of what was going to happen. I mean, what if she left me? A part of me kept telling me that she wouldn't be so petty over one little speed bump like this...but because of how much I cared about her, it was a very real fear for me. Luna had told me that both her and Scootaloo were part of my past and likely my future...but as bad as it sounded, I just wanted Dash right now.

"Koa? Are you going to be okay?" a soft filly's voice asked from beside me.

I unconsciously hugged her small frame tighter against me as I shook my head. "Not if I have to be without Dash." I sighed painfully. "I screwed up bad, Scoots. I should have asked Luna a long time ago about this. What if..." I was cut off as I was forced to choke down a sob. "What if she leaves me?"

I felt the filly hug me tighter as well and also felt her head shaking. "I don't think she'd do that, Koa. Dash is fiery, passionate, and hot-headed. She gets mad easily but doesn't stay mad for long. Once she cools off, she'll realize how unfair she was to you."

I smiled and kissed the filly on her forehead. "Like I always say, you're too mature for your own good."

"If it helps my friends, I'm okay with that." she remarked. She then nuzzled her head into the crook of my neck and smiled. "Goodnight Koa."

I smiled as I used my hand to slowly pet her back. "Goodnight, Scoots."

Even though I didn't need sleep at the moment, I figured that some sleep would do me good right now, so I closed my eyes and let myself slip off into the darkness.

Comments

[Radiant Dawn]

1981235 Check again.

[dannycastle]

1981242 I withdraw my previous comment it appears that i was to hasty in my replay

[Radiant Dawn]

1981264 You're welcome.

[dannycastle]

1981270 Aye thank you for posting some more chapter

[Dusty Sage]

1980907
Oh, I believed it. I just underestimated the twistyness of it all by about one standard deviation.

[Radiant Dawn]

1981384 I'm versatile like that.

[Radiant Dawn]

1981399 Of course. I do that for all of my characters.

[DerpyDash2131]

Ermagerd! Sooo many chapters!! Love thisfanfic!!!

[Jshway]

Question.

If Koa gets reincarnated after he dies, then where is the current Equestria Timelines Koa? Because the first Koa is in the current timeline, and then has to go back to his original timeline to die and then become reincarnated as Xin or whatever his next reincarnations name is, but once Xin dies where does he go?

Because Xins the father of MoonBeam right? Or was her father the original Koa just in the future after Earths apocalypse?

My brain is full of fuck

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Damn...

[Buda Knight]

3190454
That was the Skylord Dragon who sacrificed his remaining years to bring Koa forward in time. When its time for the Koa in the past to become the first dragon again the Skylord version of him will go back in time, withba little help from Doctor Whoves.

From what I've gathered from the story, there are eight different versions or pieces of himself in different realites and time lines. The Koa we meet in the beginning is Alpha Koa who would become the first dragon after the magic meteor. Who then became king of Equestria and eventually the skylord. When an version of himself dies, it reincarnates. Except in this version of the time line because Rainbow Dash dies early and is resurrected. The Skylord version of Koa sacrifices himself to bring Alpha Koa and Rainbow Dash to the current timeline. And when the first dragon needs to appear, Doctor Whoves will help send Skylord Koa back in tome while Alpha Koa will continue living in this timeline.