Split (1)

train · 456k rows

book stringlengths 2 250	chapter stringlengths 1 255	text stringlengths 1 4.64M
Integration	Chapter 6	Eight years before Integration... "Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up!" "Let's finish our holiday cheer!" sang a group of brown-vested colts and fillies as they trotted past, pulling along little carts of twigs and straw for the animals to make their nests. Caramel watched them go for a little while before resuming his trot towards Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was already clearing the horizon, but it was still obscured by a heavy cover of clouds and its muted light painted everything with a light blue hue. Ponies were purposefully trotting towards their team's assigned posts. Blue-vested pegasi were doing laps up in the sky above Ponyville, warming up for the strenuous work ahead. Some of them were already angling off south, no doubt to fetch the birds back for spring. He shivered a little as a stiff breeze swept through the town; it easily bit through the green vest that marked him as a member of the plant team for Winter Wrap Up. "Morning, Caramel!" He looked up just as Sash zipped overhead and landed on top of a lamppost. He stopped and waved at her. "Morning." "Trying out for the plant team this year?" she asked. "Yeah." She beamed and swooped down to his side. "Well, so am I!" "That's ni--" Caramel stopped when he realised that she was wearing a green vest just like his. That was odd. She'd been in the weather team for the past two years. He cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Why the change? I heard that you were doing a pretty good job with clearing the clouds." Her enthusiasm wavered a little. "Well, you know... after the little incident last year..." Oh, right. Caramel didn't need her to finish the sentence. He winced at the memory of the 'little' incident. He had been assigned to the team of earth ponies skating over the lake to make the ice easier to melt, and things had gone rather well at first. But when the ice had cracked unexpectedly beneath him, he had panicked and clammed up right in the middle of the lake. Unaware of his predicament, Sash and her team had already been busy clearing the clouds, and it hadn't taken long for the sun to do the rest of the work. Just then, another gust of chilly wind blew over, and he shivered at the memory of plunging into the icy lake. Luckily for him, the frigid water had shocked him back into action, and he was able to swim partway to the shore before a couple of ponies dove in to help haul his frozen flank to safety. Sash had been particularly mortified, apparently because she had failed to notice or to help him out of the lake because she was still kind of afraid of deep water. She still only swam if she had water wings. "You're not beating yourself up over that, are you?" he asked. "It was just an accident." She shrugged. "I guess. But I thought it would be a nice change of pace, anyhow. Berry Punch thinks I'm not strong enough to push a snow plough." Her mouth curled into a sporting smile. "I intend to show her otherwise." Caramel chuckled. He couldn't complain. It would be great to have somepony familiar to work with. They fell in step together as they made their way towards the Apple family farm, which was to be the headquarters for this year's plant team. Snow crunched underhoof as he accelerated into a brisk trot to warm himself up. The pegasi had stopped all snowfall for the day, but between all of the snow already on the ground and the sun being hidden by the heavy clouds it was a little colder than he would have liked. "Besides," Sash playfully thumped him on the shoulder, "Plant team has it really simple. No ice skating, no messing around with animals--just shovelling snow, digging holes and planting seeds. There's no way we can muck it up." "Ssshhh, don't jinx it!" Caramel hissed, shortly before they both burst out laughing as they carried on to Sweet Apple Acres. The pony in charge of the plant team was an orange-maned, red-coated guy named Big Macintosh. As they neared the hilltop on which the crowd of green-vested ponies were standing, he could hear the huge stallion barking out instructions for everypony. Caramel and Sash broke into a canter to catch up, and by the time they got there, the stallion's last words were, "--so work in teams. Don't bite off more than you can chew." Ponies began to break off from the main group to work the snow ploughs lined up by the edges of the snowy fields. Caramel turned to Sash, and at her nod, they both followed suit. There was no shortage of more experienced ponies willing to show them how things were done, and every now and then a member of the Apple family would trot over to bark out instructions and encouragement for everypony. It was a strenuous day of clearing snow, ploughing the ground, planting seeds and watering the fields. By sunset, Caramel was sweaty, covered in dirt, and thoroughly worn out--his legs were a little shaky, and the cart of farming tools and empty seed bags he was pulling felt like it was growing heavier by the minute. For some reason, Sash had fared better than him, though he suspected that she was using her wings to help with propulsion. But only slightly. She was also panting and puffing like a pair of bellows and her tongue was lolling out rather comically. The crickets were out and chirping when they crested the final hill to the barn. Lamps were posted about the fences far below, and Caramel could see the last ponies making a straight line for it from all over the orchard. The stars were out in the purple twilight, and the orange glow of the west horizon was already fading away. It was a breath-taking view from the hilltop--and he couldn't give a single hoot about how pretty it was. "Ugh, kill me now," Caramel groaned as he removed his harness and flopped onto his back, right next to the cart. The ground was a little damp from the melted snow, but he really couldn't care less about hygiene at the moment. He simply lay there, content to watch the moon rise into the sky as he waited for the aching in his muscles to fade away. They were already late--a few more minutes of dawdling wouldn't hurt. Sash had also removed her harness and was lying on the ground next to him. "Wow, I think I'm not going to be able to walk tomorrow." She winced as she stretched her limbs. "Or the day after, for that matter." "Yeah. They really should put some oil on these things." Caramel thumped his hoof on the nearest wheel on his cart in emphasis. It creaked rather loudly in protest. And then creaked some more as it started to move. Caramel's eyes widened. Oh, hayseed, I'm a stupid pony. He'd parked his cart too close to the slope! He sprang up and gasped as his muscles cramped, but just managed to grab onto the edge of the cart's compartment. He dug his hind hooves in, but the cart was too heavy, and most of its weight was already off the trail and on the steep grassy slope, past the point of no return. "Caramel, just let it go!" Sash cried from behind him. He ground his teeth as his hooves slid and dug furrows in the ground. There was no way he was ending this Winter Wrap Up with another embarrassing blunder! It turned out that sheer stubbornness wasn't enough to stop the cart, though. He was forced to let go when it threatened to drag him down with it. But barely a second after he had released, somepony crashed into his back, and the world became a blurry tumble of sky, dirt, grass and stars. He crashed into a large, thick bush at the bottom of the hill, shortly before somepony tumbled in and landed right on top of him. "Oof!" It took him a moment to get his eyes to stop spinning in their sockets. When he was finally able to focus, he found a rather dizzy Sash lying on his chest. "Uh, what happened?" he slurred. She shook her head and squinted at him in confusion, then blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Thought you were going down with the cart--I wanted to pull you back but didn't expect you to let go of that thing." They stared at each other for a moment, and then started giggling. "You're a mess," Caramel said, reaching out to brush off a smudge of dirt and crushed grass from her cheek. "Pfft, as if you look any better," she retorted with a grin. "Hey, are you guys okay?" a stallion's voice called out. Hoof steps became audible, and then the branches of the bush above them were suddenly parted. "I saw the runaway cart and--" the stallion's words trailed off. An awkward silence ensued. They simply stared at the newcomer, who was suddenly extremely fidgety. The fact that they were panting from near-exhaustion and the unexpected tumble down the hill didn't help matters at all. The stallion allowed the branches to spring back into place, blocking them from view. "Umm, never mind," he said. "I'll just... find somepony else to... help move the carts. Yep. Don't mind me." "Did he just think we were doing... something?" Sash asked when the hoof steps had faded away. Caramel's face and ears were burning. "Err, I'm not sure we can blame him. Could you, uh, get off me, please?" "Oh, right." Sash chuckled nervously as she clambered off of him. She's really cute when she does that... The branches of the bush rustled as Sash barged through them and out into the open. "Come on," she said, "let's go get your runaway cart. Hope it didn't get too busted up." For some reason, Caramel found himself thinking that even if it was, it was would be totally worth it. * * * * * Two months before Integration... The ravine was narrow and very deep. It was also cold and dark. Even with his altered eyes, it was difficult to see anything clearly. The only light came from the cracks above, a dreary sort of orange-purple that did little more than outline the black silhouettes of the vegetation growing above. It was uncomfortably damp where he lay, but he didn't want to move. There was something out there. He could hear it... whispering and slithering on the surface, searching for him. He cowered in the darkness, fearing that his pounding heart might give him away any second. A swirling mass of black mist peeked over the edge of the ravine, vaguely shaped like a pony head. Though it had no visible eyes, he could tell that it was searching the darkness, turning this way and that, slowly and patiently. He held his breath as its gaze swept over him. It lingered over him for some time, but it eventually turned away and started looking in a different direction. Lungs burning, he sighed in relief. That was when his back started to itch. He ignored it at first, but it steadily grew in intensity as the seconds ticked by. Even more inconveniently, the mist refused to leave, so he dared not scratch. He ground his teeth. What had started as a little scratching tickle in his back had now grown into a burning itch that clamoured for his attention. He arched his back and bent here and there in an attempt to relieve it, but to no avail. It was unbearable! Groaning inwardly, he decided to take a risk and tried to scratch it with a hoof, but was foiled when he found that he couldn't reach it. Then the itch started spreading. Throwing caution to the winds, he got up and pressed his back against the rough wall of the ravine, scouring it up and down. Oh, sweet relief! He sighed contentedly and looked up--and realised that the black mist was looking directly at him. His heart jumped in his chest as the black mass poured over the edge and into the ravine like a torrent of water. It was going to devour him! He yelped and scrambled away just before it struck, and he broke into an all-out gallop down the ravine. Gravel and forest litter crunched beneath his hooves as he bolted in the darkness, with only the occasional shaft of orange-purple light to illuminate his way. It was a miracle that he hadn't tripped yet. When he could no longer keep up the breakneck pace, he slowed to a brisk trot and risked a glance back. He moaned when he saw the mist still trailing him. It didn't seem to be trying particularly hard to catch him--it was just matching his pace, keeping a ten-foot distance between them. He sped up to a canter, and so did the mist. But his burning lungs were already giving out, and he was soon forced to stagger to a slow crawl. "Leave... me... alone," he rasped between laboured breaths. The mist stopped. "Wait..." it whispered. He blinked. Did it just speak? No. He knew better than to trust it. With a groan he hauled himself up and stumbled away. There was absolutely no chance he was sticking around to find out what the thing wanted with him. Nothing good, that was for sure. "Stop," it whispered again. This time its tone was almost pleading. He shook his head and carried on, keeping a close eye on it. He knew it was just waiting to pounce on him when he turned his back. Well, he wasn't going to let that happen! The distance between them grew. A swirling tendril extended from the cloud and waved frantically, like somepony's mad gesturing when somepony else was about to do something incredibly stupid. Then came the ghostly whisper again; "Wait... don't!" Yeah, righ-- His hoof descended into empty air. He whipped his head around and gasped at the sight of the chasm gaping before him, just as the rest of his body followed his misplaced hoof. The rush of air grew into a roar as he plummeted into complete darkness, the spot of light above shrinking until it was a tiny, purple speck. He tensed up, awaiting the inevitable part where he was dashed to pieces... "Hrrkk!" Caramel awoke with a gasp. A couple of the changelings hanging from the ceiling directly above him had their eyes slightly open in sleepy curiosity. He mouthed a word of apology for waking them, and they soon went back to sleep. He couldn't, though. The nightmare was still too fresh in his mind. The dream was recurring with unnerving regularity, usually in the second or third eight-hour cycle of the day, and it was always some variation of being chased by that nameless creature. Today was unusual, though, in that some parts of it had mimicked pony shapes and that it had actually spoken to him... He really hoped that it wasn't a side-effect of his daily dose of royal jelly. Chitin still brought him a bowl of it every day, although the amount was steadily decreasing as time went along. He had enough to deal with without-- Oh, ponyfeathers... His suddenly realised that his back was itching, and that it was the same infernal itch that had plagued him in his dream! He reached with a hoof to scratch his back, but found that it was also in exactly the spot where he couldn't properly reach. The itch was inside his wing buds. Now that it had his full attention, the itch was steadily growing in intensity, burning like wildfire under his skin. Oh, no you don't! Gritting his teeth, Caramel rolled onto his back and writhed around, feeling like a dog rolling in the grass. The floor was decent at roughing up his back, but not nearly good enough at reaching the deep itch. He needed more force. Grunting in frustration at the burning itch, he got up and leaned with his back against the rocky wall, pushing himself up with his hind legs and letting himself slide down again, scouring his back across the rocky surface. He sighed in relief. Finally, some results! He continued grinding his back against the wall, ignoring the little stabs of pain elsewhere that meant that he was probably losing some of his coat in the process. The feeling of destroying that horrible itch was simply too good for him to stop. At least, that was until something burst on his back with a wet splat, and the sweet relief was replaced by jarring pain. He gasped and quickly righted himself, inspecting his back for any sign of injury. He'd lost a bit of coat, all right, but he had also busted his wing buds. The formerly hard and bulging lumps were now gashed and weeping a clear fluid, and he could see bluish, floppy things underneath the chitinous shreds. It was uncomfortable to the point of distraction, like having something in his eye. He really needed to free his wings. Oh, this is just great. This really wasn't the time and place! Glancing around, he could see that his dorm mates were all asleep, and he didn't want to bother them with a problem like this. He tried to peel off the strips of hard skin with a hoof, but encountered the same problem of having them in a very awkward position for reaching with his hooves. After much twisting, turning and mental ranting, he managed to pull off a strip, and found himself glaring the pair of busted wing buds in frustration. The itch was coming back. Oh, come on! And then they did. A couple of strips suddenly glowed green and tore themselves away, causing him to yelp in surprise. He glanced around, looking for the culprit, but saw no one but the sleeping changelings. At the same time, he realised that there was a faint glow above his field of vision; he looked up, but it wasn't coming from the changelings hanging directly over him. It was coming from-- My horn. Caramel felt it with a hoof; it had grown significantly longer in the days since he'd started working, and was now six inches of hard, curved and jagged chitin. There had been times when he thought he could feel a sort of involuntary twitching inside it, but this was the first time he had actually done anything with it other than sense the magic of others. He closed his eyes and focused again, taking his time to explore the new sensation, much like how he had learnt how to walk on walls. There was this little feeling of pressure inside his horn, like a tense muscle that was just waiting to relax. He couldn't get it to ease up, though. He was stumped for a moment, and grew a little worried when the pressure didn't let up--until it occurred to him that he hadn't given it an outlet to begin with. He opened his eyes and focused on his back once more, willing the shreds of skin to come loose. He smiled a little when he felt the pressure in his horn shift, and the strips glowed and moved. It was nowhere near as forceful as before, and manipulating them felt rather awkward and clumsy, but he eventually managed to peel off the remnants of his wing buds with little discomfort. The itching finally stopped. Once they were free, his crumpled, blue-hued, semi-transparent wings began to pulsate. He could actually feel his blood pumping through their veins, straightening them out. It was slow going, but as the minutes ticked by, they eventually became properly erect and stiffened out. His wings were shaped like daggers and had notches and holes along their edges, almost exactly like other changelings', except that they were small. He noted with a twinge of disappointment that they were more suited to a filly or colt--there was no way that those things would be able to lift him. He sighed, and his wings buzzed for a second, seemingly in response to his emotions. Maybe they just needed some time to grow. Feeling a little worn out, he leaned against the rocky column - carefully, after figuring out how to fold his wings flat on his back - and waited for Sash to come by. It would soon be time for his speaking lessons. Sure enough, a sharp click announced Sash's presence, and he got up and trotted after her to a secluded tunnel where they could have some privacy. "Morning," he greeted, once they were out of earshot of his sleeping dorm mates. "Yeah, morning." Sash was busy inspecting his wings. "Can you move them?" He took a moment to find the right muscles, then he made them flutter for a second. Sash smiled. "Give them a few months to grow, and I'll be giving you flying lessons!" "I used magic, too," he announced. Sash blinked in surprise. She scrounged around for a bit and picked up a pebble from a dark corner and offered it to him, saying, "Show me." His second attempt at manipulating something with magic was wasn't any less awkward as the first. The pebble wobbled around furiously like a drunken housefly, but at least he was able to lift it completely off her hoof. "Not bad. I think it may be time for you to move on," she announced, after tossing away the pebble. "You're developing all the necessary qualities for the next task Mother has in store for you. Come on--let's see those legs of yours." Caramel complied. His legs already had a few holes that went clean through them, and a few others that were close to reaching that state. The skin on the lower parts of his legs had grown hard, with a slight sheen around the edges of the holes. They no longer hurt like the open wounds they had once been, and although he had almost lost all feeling on the surface of his forelegs, his hooves had become remarkably sensitive to compensate. There were times when he thought he could almost taste something just by touching it. He had also grown skinnier. Any fat that he'd retained from his previous lifestyle had long since been burned away; his waist was narrower than before and his ribs were clearly visible. His meals in the hive consisted mostly of royal jelly, plus the occasional portion of fungus that Overseer Anther saw fit to distribute. Even though they'd harvested a huge amount of it, the next harvest was a long time off, and rationing was pretty tight. Strangely enough, he didn't seem to be losing weight. He never felt weak--in fact, with all the work they'd made him do in the past week, he was developing the dense, wiry kind of strength that changelings seemed to have. Most of his front teeth had already fallen out, and in their place had erupted fangs, two of which were always poking out. As for his tail, he'd lost half of the hair on it. The base was still covered in brown hair, but its end was thick, stiff and grey, like a fish fin. Sash fiddled with it playfully and chuckled. "You're turning into quite the changeling," she said. "A few more weeks and you could probably learn to shape-change." Caramel patted his mane--he was thankful that it was still relatively intact, dirty though it was. "Not completely, I hope. Never thought I would go bald before having grandkids. It's crazy." Sash raised an eyebrow. "You got a problem with bald ponies?" He opened his mouth, thought about it for a second, then snapped it shut. Uh oh. Save for the queen, all changelings were bald. Sash was tapping a hoof. "Well?" "Umm... oops?" He grinned sheepishly. "That's it, no more hugs for a week," she growled. "Oh come on," he pleaded. He scooted closer to her, but she simply scoffed and turned away in mock disdain. A thought occurred to him then, and he grinned. "Technically, you guys still have manes, right?" He stroked the fin-like crest that ran down the back of her neck all the way to her shoulders. "And yours is smoother and curvier than the others I've seen." He gave her his best smile. "I like it." Sash snorted. "Hmph. B for effort, I suppose." She turned around and grinned, spreading both forelegs wide. "C'mere, you." It felt good to be with Sash. She visited him regularly to teach him Vespid, and sometimes even managed to take time away from her regular duties to spend extra time with him. Whenever she did, she always left him feeling revitalised, somehow. "Okay, class is in session." She released him from her tight hug and pointed at his wings. "Now that you've got those, let's see how much control you have over them--you should finally be able to speak the full range of our language." * * * * * "You're vibrating your wings a little too long, there. Your tone sounds sarcastic," Sash commented. Caramel produced a chirp with his mouth and buzzed his wings for a split second. Small though they were, and pretty easy to manipulate, they had muscles of their own that could get tired. And after almost an hour of Vespid lessons, they were starting to get a little numb. It didn't help that it was rather difficult for him to differentiate between the non-verbal 'words' of Vespid. Sassaflash cringed a little. "Umm, that's better, but now you sound like you're tipsy. "Tchaak," he muttered. She frowned and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm pretty sure I didn't teach you that. Thorax has been showing you how to swear, hasn't he?" He shrugged. "First words everypony learns for a new language, right?" Sash rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, that makes it perfectly excusable." Then, her expression softened. "Oh well, you've made progress--we can pick this up again later." Hoof steps announced the presence of others in their secluded spot. Caramel turned and saw Queen Chrysalis stalking towards them, with Thorax in tow not far behind. He gave them a sharp chirp in greeting, which the newcomers returned, almost lazily. Chrysalis turned her eyes to Sash and said, "Report." Sash quickly launched into a summary of his recent changes and what they had covered in his latest lesson. Chrysalis seemed only mildly interested throughout, even when she mentioned his newly acquired wings. But when Sash spoke of his budding proficiency in magic, the queen smiled. "Is that so?" Chysalis asked. "Come here." He obeyed and trotted up to her, feeling his heart flutter with a little apprehension. "Hold still, and tell me if you can feel this." She inclined her horn towards his. Green magic flared on her jagged appendage, and he felt the spell as a steady sort of hum in his mind. He closed his eyes and tried to filter out his other senses. There was something odd about her magic. The spell seemed to have a will of its own, seeking his presence, and when it did he recoiled in surprise. It felt eerily similar to the feeling of being hunted by the shadow in his dreams. He opened his eyes and realised that he had shrunk away from the queen. "It's good that you can feel it, but don't run from my magic," Chrysalis chided. "Just accept the connection." Caramel approached her once more, ignoring the curious gazes of Sash and Thorax from behind the queen. The hunted feeling came again, but this time, he allowed the tendril of magic to connect with him instead of fleeing from it. And with it came an unexpected surge of power. He gasped in surprise. It was sheer potential--the ability to do anything he wanted, on whatever he wanted; and it was all in his own. It didn't last for very long, though. After a few seconds, the magical link was severed. But it did leave something behind. If the power he had sensed earlier had been an avalanche, then the charge it had given him was like a snowdrift. And it alerted him to a new sense of being--where he had once only felt emotional willpower and physical strength, he now could clearly feel magical reserves. "Feels good, doesn't it?" Chrysalis asked with a toothy grin. Caramel nodded. Just like how happiness could give energy to somepony who was otherwise tired, the concentration of magic in his horn was making him a little giddy. "Good. Now give it back. That portion came from a mix of love and hope, and it's too good to waste on you." "How do I do that?" "Figure it out," she replied. "I'm here just in case you hurt yourself." Gee, that makes me feel so much better. He tried to channel the power in his horn back into a form that he could transfer--with little result. Closing his eyes and feeling a little self-conscious about how he probably looked constipated, he tried to push the magic out of his horn once more. "Give it an outlet," Sash advised. "You can try pretending to give your horn instructions--it's harder to do anything if you don't think of details." Easier said than done. He took a deep, calming breath and focused again. I want to give power back to Chrysalis, he thought to himself, willing his horn to do something, anything. Still, nothing happened. He could feel pressure building in his horn as his frustration grew. "Focus on her horn, Genius," Thorax suddenly chittered in exasperation. "Try picturing--" "I'm trying--shush!" Caramel snapped, picturing himself throwing a book or something at the changeling. He really didn't need the distraction! He suddenly saw a flash of light through his closed eyelids and felt a concussive force erupt from his horn, throwing him off balance. A split-second later, he heard something crash into the tunnel wall. He shook his head to clear the sudden onset of double vision, and saw Thorax crumpled up against the wall, upside down. There was an outline of his body plastered on the grey rock, surrounded by black soot. The changeling himself looked a little dazed, and steam was coming off of his carapace. Chrysalis and Sash had backed off a little, apparently just as surprised as he was by the little explosion. "Oh, hayseed." Caramel rushed to Thorax and helped him back onto his hooves. "Sorry about that. I didn't know that was going to happen." Thorax grunted and pushed him away. "Hmph. That's the last time I'm giving you tips on magic," he growled as he dusted himself off. Chrysalis was cackling. "Hah! You're getting there. The concept of transferring energy is very similar--only gentler. Try again, but on me this time. Amusing as it is, blasting Thorax is a waste of magic." Gentleness, he thought as he shut his eyes once more. I need to give. Not throw a tantrum. An idea occurred to him, and he pictured himself holding out a bowl like the one they used to feed him royal jelly. He filled it with magical power, felt the energy flow into the space in his mind that was not really his own, and imagined offering it with both fore hooves to Chrysalis. This time, he felt a tendril of magic extend from his horn, like a second, prehensile tail. His heart pounded in excitement as he sent it towards Chrysalis' horn, and he felt that vast reservoir of power once more as they connected. Only this time, he was giving away what little he had. At the last moment, he remembered to break off and severed the connection. Chrysalis was smiling in satisfaction when he opened his eyes. "Much better." She then turned to Sash and said, "Attend to your other duties. I will take him to the nursery." To Thorax, she added, "You will accompany us. I'm transferring both of you to Keeper Caste until further notice." Caramel saw Thorax's jaw drop. He clearly wanted to protest the decision, but didn't for obvious reasons. Gonna have to ask him about that later, he thought. * * * * * Chrysalis made him practice channelling magic several times more before they departed, until she was certain that he could do it consistently without dispersing it into his surroundings and wasting it all. The nursery was a part of the hive that he'd never been to before. It was deeper than the fungus chambers, but where those had been humid and warm, the air in the tunnel leading to the nursery was cool and dry. The surfaces of the walls were porous and hard to the touch, and it occurred to him that changelings had pretty impressive climate control for a community that didn't use tools and machinery. "Caramel, meet Tibia," said Chrysalis, gesturing with a hoof towards the female changeling that came trotting over to greet them. "She's in charge of Keeper Caste, and she will be your overseer from now on." "What would you have him do?" asked Tibia. "I've given him some love. Let him feed the young ones." Tibia nodded, then cast a glance at Thorax. "What about him?" The queen paused in thought. "Do as you please. Rax is here to assist you in making sure the pony doesn't get himself or anyone else in trouble. He's hopeless at finding his way around, sometimes." With that said, she left the three of them together. Thorax looked like he had just resigned himself to a fate worse than death, or something. "Great. Now I'm literally foalsitting. This is beneath me." "Oh, quit complaining," Caramel replied. "How bad can it be?" "Very bad if you hurt any of the nymphs. I'd chew you to pieces and bury you alive," said Tibia with a cheerful smile. "Follow me. It's just a little ways in." In contrast to the mannerisms of the previous overseers he'd seen, Caramel thought that Tibia was rather... nice. Although she had given a rather macabre warning in a joking manner, her voice was smoother and more pleasant to listen to than most other changelings. Unless she was deliberately altering her voice, it came pretty close to a pony's. Also, she didn't have that predatory sort of stare that most other changelings gave him when they first met. So it was with unusual optimism that he followed her into the nursery. Between the natural rock columns and artificially dug tunnels, hollowed out chambers and arched ceilings, the place had the appearance of a catacomb like those illustrated in the books of ancient architecture. It was also very dim in there, even by changeling standards. He found himself wishing that the place was a little brighter, and to his surprise, it did become brighter. He could feel a gentle tingling on the tip of his horn as green light shone on-- Eggs. There were hundreds of them scattered in clusters throughout the place. Each was oval in shape and almost as large as a beach ball, seemingly glued to the ground by lumps of resin at its base. There were also huge, sagging sheets of brownish, semi-transparent material suspended from the ceiling on strands of dry resin. An empty husk, shaped like a dragonfly's abdomen. Caramel froze as little blue eyes blinked in the darkness beyond the reach of his light. Something chittered close by, off to his side, and when he turned to look, he found a pair of blue eyes staring at him just inches away from his face. "Whoah!" he exclaimed, hastily jumping backwards. The little changeling clinging to the ceiling gave a frightened chirp and skittered to hide behind a nearby stalactite. "Nice one. You're clearly foalsitting material," Thorax said. Tibia, however, was watching Caramel expectantly. She kind of looked like Miss Cheerilee when she was giving somepony a chance to set things right before she intervened. Gulping, he trotted over to the stalactite. "Hey there. I'm sorry about that--you just startled me," he said. The little changeling peeked out from behind the rock formation and edged closer to him, until their faces were inches apart, with it upside down and he, right side up. It sniffed at him and chirped, "Love?" "Err..." Caramel turned to Tibia for help. "Feed him," she said. "Chrysalis showed you how, didn't she?" He turned back to the little changeling, and found about a dozen others nearby, on the walls, ceiling and floor. Some were no bigger than foals, whilst others were the size of school-age colts and fillies. Wingless, too. And they were watching him eagerly, like children who had been just told that they were about to receive presents from somepony. "Go on," Tibia coaxed. "The nymphs won't hurt you. They're your little brothers and sisters, after all." Brothers? Sisters? Caramel had to take a moment to process that. While it was true that, technically, just about everyone in the hive was a foster sibling if Chrysalis had taken the role of a surrogate mother, they were all his betters when it came to experience of life in the hive. Any one of them could easily look down on him. But now, there were going to be others that might actually look up to him... Turning to the nymphs, he repeated the process of transferring magic as he had done with the queen, gingerly sending out a tendril of power to one of the little changelings. But instead of the vast reserve of power that he had sensed in Chrysalis, he encountered a small, dense pocket of curiosity, playfulness, and hunger in the little one, along with a tinge of impatience. There were others as well, on the edge of his consciousness. They were all hungry. The nymph happily siphoned off a small portion of his reserves before breaking the connection, after which a second prick of consciousness pounced on his own, clamouring for attention. He made another connection and felt another one feed off of his magic. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he heard Tibia asking Thorax, "Aren't you going to help him?" "What for?" "Come on, he's getting swamped. I'm going to help, but it would be better if you did, too. Be nice for a change." "I don't do nice." Caramel was feeding the fifth or sixth one now. It was hard to keep track with their collective consciousness crowding in on him. At one point, the mental din lessened a little as someone else, probably Tibia, joined in feeding them the magic they hungered for. But more nymphs seemed to be joining the fray, so it really wasn't getting any easier. Before long, the magic he'd received from Chrysalis was gone, and he found that feeding them was beginning to physically drain him. His stomach growled, and he stumbled a little when he swooned unexpectedly. But the cacophony of hunger from the little changelings was relentless, and it somehow felt wrong to deny them sustenance. He was beginning to have doubts about the whole thing, though. There were so many to feed! But then Caramel sensed another source of power opening up. He focused on actual sight for a second and saw Thorax leaning down to several nymphs, green tendrils of magic flowing from his horn to theirs. The grumpy changeling caught him looking and shot him a 'mind-your-own-business' glare, and he went back to feeding his own cluster of nymphs. I think I can see why Thorax was worried about coming here... Was the whole chamber supposed to spin like that? * * * * * A dull rumble roused Caramel from the darkness. Quarry eels, he remembered groggily. Those things lived deep below the hive, but their movements would occasionally send tremors further up. Sash had long ago assured him that they were nothing to worry about, though; Warrior Caste was always watching in the lower tunnels. The next thing he realised was that he was lying on the ground with all four limbs splayed out, and he was weighed down by something spread all over his body. He yawned and squinted in the darkness--he was surrounded by changeling nymphs. Some had snuggled up to his sides whilst others had draped themselves over him like a living blanket. Most were asleep, but a couple were playing with the hairy portion of his tail, poking at it with their fore hooves and shape-shifting their short tails to mimic his. Caramel yawned. In spite of apparently having fallen asleep, he didn't feel all that well rested, and he badly wanted to stretch and work out the kinks in his joints. But he didn't want to wake up the little changelings, either. Instead, he slowly shifted until he was lying in a more comfortable position. Some of the nymphs slipped off, but they only stirred and didn't wake. "I probably should have told you about not overextending yourself. You dug into your physical reserves to feed them, didn't you?" somepony said nearby. Caramel turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw Tibia sitting several feet away, watching him like an owl. Thorax sprawled on the ground a little ways off, snoring softly. Caramel guessed that he'd also worn himself out. But unlike him, he wasn't covered in nymphs, though. He nodded in response to her question and winced at the jarring sensation in his horn. Tibia smiled. "You did well, though. I'd expected you to quit long before it got to that. You're pretty good with our children." "Umm, thanks." He looked at the nymphs napping around him. "Why are they so... attached to me?" "They can smell your emotions. I daresay some of the older ones have been snacking on you after you passed out." That was unsettling. He didn't like the idea of being anypony's 'snack'. Speaking of snacks... He was ravenous. There was a crushing emptiness in his belly that was just begging to be filled. He licked his fangs. If only there was somepony nearby that he could--wait... He shook his head. Did I just think about feeding on somepony? That was... not a good sign. Okay, calm down. You're a pony. You're a pony. You're not a changeling. He needed to do something about it quickly. "There any chance of getting something to eat here?" he asked. "Hungry, eh? It usually happens when you use too much magic." Tibia sighed. "Yes, the next ration comes in an hour, but don't expect it to be the buffet I think you're thinking of. The hive is barely sustaining itself, and this brood is far smaller than any of our previous ones." Caramel swept his gaze over the two dozen or so nymphs around him. "How many were in the others?" "The best one I saw had nearly a hundred. But that was over fifty years ago." His jaw dropped. "That's a lot." He glanced around the chamber, taking note of the clusters of eggs everywhere. Some were already hatched, but a good many were still intact. "Are they all from Chrysalis alone?" he asked in disbelief. "You'd be surprised how quickly she can pop them out once she develops her egg sac." She mimed something large and tubular emerging from her side, just behind the ring of chitinous plates encircling her chest. "Tends to happen when the harvest is especially good. And they're so big that she wouldn't be able to move for months." Tibia pointed to one of the gigantic husks suspended from the ceiling some distance away. Caramel whistled. He could just imagine those things when they were fresh--huge, slimy and bloated, one end attached to the queen, and the other constantly squeezing out new eggs. "So, when are these supposed to hatch?" "They need love to hatch; nothing's going to happen until someone gives them enough. But after the disaster at Canterlot, Chrysalis is being quite conservative." She sighed. "Even more so than before the attack. My sister has a lot to worry about these days." "Wait, Chrysalis isn't your mother?" "No." "Then why aren't--" Tibia held up a hoof. "Remember what I said about eggs needing love to hatch? We are both from Queen Gossamer's brood, but hatched at different times. My egg wasn't tended to until almost a hundred years after her succession--she's way older than I. And that's enough for me to consider her my queen. When Queen Gossamer died, Chrysalis, as her strongest daughter at that time, cast out any sibling who did not acknowledge her right to rule. At least, that's what Chrysalis says--she's the only one old enough to be around during that time." "That's pretty harsh." "We have to be. Life down here is hard enough without having to deal with contested rule and civil war." "You know, you guys don't have to live like this. Ever tried living like ponies on the surface?" "Queen Gossamer thought the same. Trouble is, your ancestors were already in the greener lands, and not very keen to share the bounty. Those of us who tried to settle on the surface were eventually driven away. When the surface colonies failed, Gossamer tried to convince those harvesting love from stable relationships to reveal their true nature. It didn't end well. One after another, relationships fell apart, but she continued to order them to do so in the hopes that one, just one pony might understand and take the first step in trusting our kind. We had a famine on our hooves after that--our crops simply weren't enough to sustain the hive." "Nopony accepted you guys? Not even one?" It was hard to believe that every single pony had rejected his or her partner after finding out. Sure, finding that out about Sash had been a freaky experience for him, too, but chances are that there should've been somepony who had a softer heart, right? "Actually, Chrysalis believes that there were some who did. The trouble was that some of our siblings couldn't bear to lose the life that they had found; they cut themselves off from the hive and never came back." She smiled at him. "So, although you're probably not the first to accept us for who we are, you are the first in living memory to have come so far as to join us. It is quite inspiring." Me? Inspiring? Recipe for disaster if there ever was one. Caramel shifted uncomfortably, searching for a different topic. "You're one of the nicer guys I've met in here," he suddenly commented. "I used to be Hunter Caste; I fed on love for most of my younger life. It was part of my job to appear nice and caring." Hunter. The term itself suggested that changelings and ponies were not supposed to be friends. In spite of his apprehension, he was curious about her history. "What changed?" "My mate died of old age. It was time for me to go." Her tone was almost... indifferent. As if she was commenting on something as mundane as the weather. Caramel narrowed his eyes. "Did you really love him?" "Yes." He wasn't convinced. "You sound like you don't care anymore." Tibia looked away, ears drooping, and for a second Caramel almost felt sorry for his blunt remark. "That's part of the problem; I can't," she murmured. "What?" "Changelings who fall in love don't stay in love if their partner dies. It helps us to form new relationships without any... baggage. We can fall in love all over again, and it will feel as new and sincere as the first time. It's just how we are." To forget the feeling of a relationship just like that... It seemed like a terrible thing to happen. He simply stared at her in disbelief. "That's it? You guys won't even remember what it was like to be in love?" Tibia shook her head. "I know I loved him, but don't feel it anymore. It's like the difference between reading about someone in a book and actually being friends with them." She sighed when he didn't reply. "I know it's hard for ponies to understand, but I like to think that I may have taken a bit of your nonsensical sentiments to heart; to honour the memory of my mate, I have not partnered myself to anypony since. Queen Chrysalis wasn't too happy about that, but I was lucky enough that my predecessor kicked the bucket just as I returned, so she reassigned me to Keeper Caste and gave me his job instead. In here, caring for the eggs and nymphs and teaching them our ways, I sometimes like to pretend that they are the children I could never have with my partner." That was a sobering thought. If anything had happened to him, would Sash have simply gotten over it, just like that? Well, he wouldn't want her to be sad, of course, but he couldn't help feeling guilty about not wanting their relationship to just disappear like that... "I'll leave you here for now--there are others who need my supervision," Tibia announced as she rose to all fours. "Soon you will have to learn to care for the eggs as well as the nymphs, but for the time being, you can rest and keep your little brothers and sisters occupied." With the overseer gone, Caramel found himself the sole foalsitter of two dozen changeling nymphs. Well, Thorax was around, but he was still out cold. He felt something stir by his side, and when he turned saw one of the nymphs yawning widely. He had to admit, they were kind of cute. Over twenty new siblings--might as well get to know them. It was also a welcome distraction from the depressing way changelings could simply lose their feelings for their loved ones. He smiled at the nymph and said, "My name's Caramel. What's yours?" The nymph tilted its head and frowned. A moment and a puff of green fire later, there was a miniaturised version of him standing in its place. "My name's Caramel," it said in a foal's voice. "Heh heh." Cheeky fellow. Did I really look like that when I was younger? * * * * * About an hour later, Caramel was scratching lines and circles on the ground when Thorax finally woke up. The nymphs were pretty quick to pick up on how to play Tic Tac Toe, especially the older ones. "Ugh, this is why I don't like being here," grumbled Thorax as he winced and rubbed his forehead. "They're worse than parasprites." Caramel frowned. Granted, the nymphs were rather... voracious, but comparing them to the pestilent bugs seemed a bit extreme. Besides, pony foals probably weren't much better. He'd heard horror stories of the screaming, hyperactive little bundles of terror from some of the mares in Ponyville. "Don't be mean. They're just kids." he said. Thorax was unrepentant. "Hey, I fed them, didn't I? I get to complain all I want." He gestured to the nymphs. "Besides, they don't care." Well, that much was true. "Yeah, thanks for helping out. Don't know what would've happened to me if you didn't." "You could be in a coma, for a start." Caramel froze, glanced at the nymphs, then stared at Thorax. "You're kidding, right?" "Tell that to the guy I sucked dry when I was their age. He only woke up about a week later." The changeling grinned--he seemed rather proud of the accomplishment. "Ookay..." Maybe this was a topic he shouldn't get into. Instead, he returned his attention to the nymphs, most of whom were already awake. I have brothers and sisters. With that thought came the realisation that it was a chance for him to show them that ponies weren't supposed to be their enemies--or their prey. After all, Tibia had told him that there had been ponies who had accepted their changeling partners, friends or relatives, and some of the changelings in turn had even been willing to abandon their hive for the sake of their loved ones. Maybe he was being naïve and idealistic, but a chance was a chance--maybe there was a way to find peaceful coexistence, to bridge the chasm between their kinds. Gosh, that sounds so cheesy. He took a moment of silence to recall the details and piece the story together, before clearing his throat to get the attention of all the little changelings. As one they all turned to him, and he asked, "You guys ever heard of Hearth's Warming Eve?" Several of them chirped, "No." "That bedtime story? Are you serious?" asked Thorax with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe I shouldn't have woken up so soon." "Will you be quiet if I promise not to sing it out?" he retorted. Thorax subsided with a loud grumble. With that settled, Caramel turned to his audience. It was a start; he'd make it count. Even if he didn't succeed, maybe others would pick up where he left off. Without harmony, there can be no peace... He took a calming breath and began, "Well, once upon a time in the land of Equestria, before the peaceful rule of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, there were three tribes of ponies living together..."
Integration	Chapter 7	Five years before Integration... Caramel was sitting on the sofa, watching Sassaflash chat up a storm with Noteworthy, Berry Punch and Minuette. Lucky had invited just about everypony from their schooling days to his house for a reunion, and nearly everypony had come to Ponyville from wherever their lives had taken them, from all over Equestria. He'd not seen some of them for ages! There was Lyra, freshly graduated from the Canterlot School of Music, and Vinyl Scratch too, who was apparently not too far off from becoming a deejay. However, even though he knew he should be catching up with everypony, he had eyes for only one. Come on, Caramel, just tell her. You can do it! But what if I can't? Oh, for crying out loud... Why was he finding it so difficult all of a sudden? Up until a month ago, he was always perfectly normal around Sassaflash. But now, looking at her always made his heart flutter, and the thought of being her friend made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. And just the notion of being close to her filled him with... longing? Desire? Whatever it was, it also had the rather inconvenient side effect of the inability to form coherent sentences whenever he was talking directly to her. It's always been easy, so why is it so hard now? "Dude, are you okay? Why aren't you joining in?" asked a boisterous voice. "Eh, what?" Caramel turned and saw Vinyl Scratch sitting next to him, spiky-maned and energetic as ever. "Erm, nothing. Must've been something I ate." He patted his belly and gestured towards the table, where the plates - once heaped with hay fries, roasted nuts, stir-fried vegetables, and all sorts of other goodies - only had a few measly scraps remaining after everypony was done with them. "The daisies tasted a bit off, I think." Vinyl's magenta eyes narrowed, and Caramel shifted uncomfortably. She's not buying it. Huh, weren't her eyes red before? Must be wearing contacts. Her eyes darted over to where Sash was giggling about something with Noteworthy and Cherry Berry, plus a couple of other mares whose names he couldn't remember, then switched back to him. One of her eyebrows bent upwards, and the corners of her mouth curled ever so slightly. "Oooh," she cooed knowingly. "Finally, eh?" "Finally what?" he asked. "It's cool. Best to move at your own pace!" she whispered, waggling her eyebrows and nudging him conspiratorially with an elbow. Huh? Before he could ask her what she was going on about, there came the sound of somepony hammering a hoof on the door. "Open up in the name of Princess Celestia!" a stallion's gruff voice shouted from outside. A deafening silence settled over the house. But slowly, everypony began to murmur, some in curiosity, some in anxiety. It was already way past evening--few ponies had any business going about at such an hour. "What's going on out there?" Lucky's voice drifted out from the back of the kitchen. "Be out in a minute--dessert is almost ready!" "You have twenty seconds to comply, or we'll break down the door!" the stallion bellowed once more. This time, magical amplification made his voice twice as loud. Something crashed to the floor in the kitchen, and a frantic Lucky came dashing out and into the living room. "Oh, hayseed, hayseed, hayseed..." Lucky muttered under his breath, quivering and sweating profusely. When he was a few steps away from the door, he paused, as if hesitating, then grinned awkwardly at everypony and said, "Okay guys, just let me do the talking. If they split us all up and ask anything about certain boxed goods or my whereabouts in the past thirty hours, just say that I was helping Pinkie Pie out at Sugarcube corner, okay?" "Lucky, are you a criminal?" Minuette shrilled. "What in Equestria have you been doing to get the freaking Royal Guard on your tail?" There was a chuckle by Caramel's side, and he turned and saw that Vinyl was sporting an oddly enthusiastic grin at the prospect of Lucky getting arrested. She placed one hoof on her cheek, rested an elbow on the armrest and said, "Oh boy, I wanna see this! What'd you do, huh? Smoke some poison joke? Smuggle phoenix feathers?" "Ten seconds!" came another shout from outside. "Eh, heh heh... Just play it cool, guys. If we're lucky, nopony else needs to get arrested." Lucky wiped his brow with a hoof and gingerly touched the door handle. "Nopony else? What has this got to do with us?" Berry Punch demanded. "Oh gosh, I knew it. I knew that you'd get into this kind of mess one day," Cherry Berry added, throwing her forelegs up in the air in exasperation. "Ever since day one, you've been getting into all kinds of hijinks and--" Lucky had barely gotten the door open a crack when it suddenly glowed purple and swung inward with blinding speed, slamming into his shoulder before he could leap out of harm's way. He toppled to the floor just as a grey unicorn guard clad in golden armour barged into the living room. His fierce, pale yellow eyes gazed on the prone form of his quarry, and Lucky was quickly engulfed in a purple aura and bodily lifted off the floor. "Your days of breaking the law are over, criminal scum!" the guard growled at poor Lucky, who was cringing and quivering in his magical grasp. Then, as if noticing everypony else staring at the pair of them, he gave them all a brief glance, scowled and added, "And you'll all be coming with me to the dungeons--accomplices are given no leniency in cases like this!" "But... but... but... Oh, ponyfeathers." Lyra leaped from her couch and stomped a hoof, tail flicking in bewilderment. "Okay, seriously, what they hay is going on here?" "Yeah, we didn't do anything. We don't even know what he's in trouble for!" Noteworthy shouted angrily. "Chill, guys, chill. Stuff like this happens all the time in Canterlot," Vinyl soothed, waving a hoof in one slow, fluid motion. When the guard shot her a stern look, she didn't even flinch. "We'll get our names cleared soon, no biggie." "Err, can I convince you to... you know, ease up a bit?" Lucky asked. "Hmph. Give me names, and I might think about it." "Oh, you got it, Sir. It was him, her, and her!" Lucky rattled off, pointing a hoof at Caramel, Sassaflash and Vinyl in rapid succession. "They helped me do all of it!" Caramel nearly choked on his breath in outrage. "Wait, what?" He had absolutely no idea what Lucky had done to get into such trouble, but to pull off a backstabbing stunt like that? It was unbelievable! At the same time, Vinyl's languid demeanour had suddenly turned rather ominous. "Lucky," she intoned in a dangerously sweet voice, accompanied with an equally sadistic smile, "if you're trying to frame me for any of your horse apples... you'd better hope that four-leafed clover on your butt means what everypony thinks it does, 'cause you're gonna need a lot of it." Everypony else, including Sash, was simply staring in silence. Oh gosh, are we going to jail? What are Mom and Dad going to say? Then, Lucky's cheeks suddenly puffed up, and spittle flew from his lips as a hiss of air escaped him. Caramel narrowed his eyes. Wait a minute... The guard's mouth twitched, and one corner of it curled upwards. Oh. Caramel put a hoof to his face in shame as the aura around Lucky faded, and both stallions suddenly burst out laughing. Should've seen that coming; I thought that voice sounded a little phoney... Lucky and the guard were rolling on the floor, guffawing and howling like a pair of hyenas. There were even tears at the corners of their eyes as they gasped for breath, clutching their bellies, but apparently couldn't stop laughing their guts out. Frowning, Lyra trotted over to the guard and yanked off his helmet with her magic. He made no move to resist, and she quickly snagged the buckles on the straps to the rest of his armour and unfastened them. As soon as the metal was all off of him, his grey coat turned a pure white, and his mane, tail and eyes reverted to the various hues of blue that everypony was so familiar with. "You guys are immature fatheads. You know that, right?" Lyra growled. The stallions only laughed harder as groans and snorts abounded from everypony present. "You should've seen your faces!" Lucky said in a voice that had gone shrill with mirth and shortness of breath. "I'll admit, that was pretty good," Vinyl conceded with a grin. "I'll remember to get you guys back for that one day." "That was taking it a bit far, don't you think?" Noteworthy said. "Are you even allowed to use the Princess' name like that? Also, I don't think you guards are allowed to use your gear when you're off duty." Shining Armour coughed as the last snigger left him, then then slowly crawled back onto all fours. "No, you're right. It's sort of against regulations." He paused to pant for a moment, then smiled and continued, "But I think I can put up with one round of disciplinary action just for old friends. I missed you guys." Some things never change--and that's great. Caramel shook his head and grinned. "Nice to see you again, jerk." Everypony began crowding around Shining Armour, pelting him with questions about anything and everything to do with the royal guards and his life ever since they'd parted ways from school. "You're a little late," Caramel heard Lucky say to Shining. "Dinner's finished. I'm afraid I've only got dessert left." Shining waved it off. "That's fine. I've got a present for you guys, hang on a moment." He broke away from everypony and trotted out the front door. He came back a moment later, levitating a pair of enormous barrels and a dozen or so flagons. "Took me a while to drag these all the way from Canterlot," he said, patting one barrel proudly as he set them on the floor. "Only the best cider for you guys--the kind that real mares and stallions drink!" "Can't be much better than the stuff from Appleloosa," Berry Punch commented. "Oh?" Shining tossed a flagon towards her. "Try some before saying that. I'd bet just a couple of mugs will knock you off your hooves." Berry Punch deftly caught it, brandished it at him and smiled. "You and me, Shiny. First one down buys the other lunch for tomorrow." "You sure about that?" "Careful, Shiny. She's a bottomless pit," said Lucky. Shining rolled his eyes. "Sure, if you insist." He tossed more flagons to everypony else and shouted, "Alright everypony, help yourselves; there's plenty for all!" * * * * * Caramel's head was swimming pleasantly. He'd lost count of how many mugs he'd had. Sash was curled up next to him, nestled up warmly against his back. They were both on the sofa. He couldn't remember when she'd gotten so close to him, but all things considered, he really couldn't complain. "Hey... you awake?" He nudged her gently. "Hmm? What?" "You were pretty calm when Shining and Lucky pranked us. Were you in on it?" Hey, I can talk! he realised. Apple cider really did work wonders; he could finally talk to Sash without tripping over every other word! "Nah. I just had a feeling," she replied, shifting her wings to a more comfortable position. Caramel felt a tingle run up his spine as her feathers brushed against him. Maybe it's time... He glanced around the living room. Vinyl was drumming up a lively beat on the empty barrels with her hooves as Lyra whistled in accompaniment. Lucky, Noteworthy, Minnuette and Cherry Berry were listening to them with varying degrees of rapture, sobriety and somnolence. Farther back, Shining Armour lay sprawled on the floor with his tongue lolling out, snoring gently as a tipsy, red-faced Berry Punch gloated over him. She didn't seem to be aware that he was in no state to hear her, let alone admit defeat. Might as well. Caramel slid off the sofa, ignoring Sash's half-hearted protests, landed on his rump, then wobbled to his hooves and grabbed an empty flagon. He thumped it on the wood repeatedly, until almost everypony was looking at him, then clambered up and stood on top of the table. He cleared his throat. "Everypony, I, uh... have a really big announcement to make." Everypony leaned in closer to listen. Except Berry Punch. She was still talking to an unconscious Shining Armour. Caramel turned back to look at Sash, who had tilted her head slightly in puzzlement. He took in a deep breath let it whoosh out. Then, he extended one hoof towards her and said, "Sash, will you be my... special somepony?" She looked stunned for a moment. But slowly, a blush crept into her cheeks, and she spread her wings and fluttered over to stand by his side. She smiled and nuzzled him. "Yeah, sure." His ears began to ring with the chorus of cheers from everypony as they hugged each other, but the only thing he listened to was the resonant thumping of his and Sash's hearts, beating together. * * * * * Thirty-six days before Integration... Caramel clung to the ceiling as he assessed the situation. He could see seven nymphs peering out from behind a rocky projection on the wall ahead. Off to one side, another five were clambering down a pillar in haste to get some distance from him. He felt his ears twitch slightly when they picked up the sounds of another two or three nymphs skittering off into the darker, older corners of the hatchery to hide amongst the clusters of egg shells. He breathed in deep, then exhaled slowly. One. He took a step forward. Two. Through the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a nymph, Itch, leave the safety of cover to watch him, apparently convinced that he was going for somepony else. Caramel grinned. Three. Ready or not... "Here I come!" He whirled round and broke into an upside-down dash, straight for the little changeling. Itch squeaked in alarm and bolted in the opposite direction. Caramel gave chase, dodging side to side as he wove in between stalactites. When the nymph squeezed through a gap in a cluster of coarse rock, he simply hopped onto the wall and carried on sideways, capering about with an ease that had come from days spent exploring every nook and cranny in the hatchery. He soon closed the distance, but just when he was upon her, she deftly switched directions and avoided his outstretched hoof. Itch chirped with glee as he failed to swing around quickly enough; she had gained a lot of distance. Undaunted, Caramel continued to give chase, but was careful to keep track of the other nymphs. Even if the sounds of their movement didn't give them away, he could practically taste their excitement. His quarry dashed past a group that had been milling about, and he promptly changed course and went after them instead. They scattered, and he singled out one for pursuit. He recognised Stickle--the first nymph that he had met, and one that had become rather attached to him. He wasn't about to let favouritism get in the way of a good chase, though! Caramel let loose a predatory snarl for good measure, and grinned when his little sibling squeaked in panic. Stickle took a frantic turn and encountered a dead end. But where a pony would've been thoroughly trapped, he simply transferred his grip from the ceiling to the wall and zipped down like a really fast spider. Once on the ground, Stickle shot off beneath Caramel in the opposite direction. He released the grip of his fore hooves on the ceiling, swung like a pendulum, then did the same with his hind hooves. He buzzed his wings to slow his fall just before he hit the floor, then broke into a gallop for his quarry. Stickle had made a mistake; Caramel was way faster on the ground than on the ceiling. Their dash down the tunnel soon took them back into the central part of the hatchery, where some of the adults were tending the eggs. Stickle dashed past Thorax, skidded to a halt, then whirled round and clambered up his back, much to his surprise and annoyance. "Thorax, help me!" Stickle squealed. "Go look elsewhere," the older changeling snapped. Too late for that! Caramel thought. He was practically upon them. Thorax's demeanour changed to one of alarm when Caramel showed every sign of bowling into them. His eyes widened, and he uttered a changeling expletive when they were only a couple of tail-lengths apart. But before that happened, Caramel simply leapt over the changeling, eliciting a hiss of annoyance when his tail brushed his head. He landed behind him and promptly tapped Stickle with a hoof. "Tag, you're it!" he cried. "Hey!" Stickle protested, but Caramel had already turned around, ready to dash off. What the-- One of his hind hooves knocked into something hard, and he did a rather spectacular kind of running-hopping stumble before crashing into the ground. Luckily for him, his toughened skin was barely scratched. As he lay there trying to get the world to stop spinning around him, he felt something tap his rump. "Tag, you're it again!" Stickle crowed. Caramel turned around and saw him skittering off, chirping gleefully. He could also hear the chittering laughter of the other nymphs nearby. As he got back onto his hooves, he surveyed the spot where he'd tripped, and then narrowed his eyes at Thorax in suspicion. "You know, I'm pretty sure it wasn't a rock that tripped me," he said. Thorax shrugged and began inspecting one of his hooves for parasites. "You'd be surprised. They appear when you least expect them," he replied as he groomed himself. "Those rocks are awfully sneaky." Caramel chuckled. "You know; if you wanted to play you could've just asked." When Thorax didn't answer, he shrugged and readied himself for another round of tag. He wasn't going to let the kids get the better of him this time! * * * * * Something wet plopped onto Caramel's snout. He opened a bleary eye and blinked in surprise when a drop of liquid splashed onto his nose. Some of it dribbled to his mouth, and he stuck his tongue out to get a taste. Water? He looked at the ceiling and saw a droplet forming on the tip of the stalactite directly above him. The rock was glistening with wetness, and the droplet swelled until it was too heavy and fell of its own accord. That was highly unusual. The hatchery was pretty dry all the time. Caramel gently eased out of the pile of sleeping nymphs around him. Thorax wasn't at his usual post, so he made his way to the central chamber instead. He found Overseer Tibia and a few other changelings meticulously cleaning the surfaces of un-hatched eggs. Much to his surprise, he could see a few other wet spots on the ceiling where droplets of water were merrily dripping down, and the changeling grown-ups were completely ignoring them. "Does it ever get this wet down here?" he asked. The overseer gave him a brief glance before returning to work. "Only on occasion. It's been raining for the past few days. Took the water long enough to reach this far down as it is." Caramel blinked. "Did you say days? I never saw even a drizzle when I was on my way here." "These storms are rare--it's been years since we last had one. But when it does rain like this, the surface will be flooded." The water dripping from the ceiling suddenly seemed a tad ominous; it all had to go somewhere, didn't it? "Does the hive ever get flooded?" he asked. Tibia shook her head. "If any water pools, it'll only be in our reservoirs, like the pit that you were first housed in. Besides, it's not the water itself that poses a danger to us; it's what it brings up from below. Flooding sometimes drives diamond dogs into our tunnels. They might not have magic, but they do know how to fight." "That doesn't sound like nothing to worry about," Caramel opined. He'd heard stories that they could get rather violent when if they really felt like it. Personally, he didn't want to be involved in a territorial dispute between the changelings and diamond dogs. Although, if they were to threaten the nymphs... "That's what Warrior Caste is for," Tibia replied. "Hmm." Caramel wasn't fully convinced, but then again, he wasn't the expert. And the overseer's brevity made it clear that it wasn't his concern, either. Oh well. He started making his way back to the nymphs. There was still a fair bit of time before the next cycle began, and he didn't plan on wasting any time that could be spent sleeping. He crept into the chamber with the still-sleeping nymphs and quietly lay down amongst them, taking care not to-- "Caramel, do you have another story?" asked a reedy voice. --wake anyone up. Well, so much for that plan. He looked up and saw Stickle clinging to the ceiling, looking at him with wide, pleading eyes. "Everyone's sleeping," he replied. "Maybe--" There was a flash of green fire, and there was a pegasus colt hanging where the nymph had been a second ago. "Please?" Stickle asked again, pouting slightly. Caramel rolled his eyes. He was familiar with that look by now. Besides the younger nymphs like Pith and Mite, Stickle was deeply fascinated by any story that involved ponies, griffons or dragons. It was in stark contrast to the fact that none of the adult changelings showed much interest in his stories, and it made him feel strangely proud of his foster siblings. "Okay, okay," he said, getting up and heading back out. "But not here. We don't want to wake the others." "Yay!" Another green flash, and Stickle was back in his true form and skittering along. When they were out of earshot of the others, he asked, "What story will it be this time?" The conversation with Tibia was still fresh in Caramel's mind, so the first thing to come to him was something that most colts took an interest in at one time or another in their lives. Even he had entertained the notion of joining their ranks, once. "Remember Commander Hurricane from Hearth's Warming Eve?" Stickle nodded. "Well, his son was the first pegasus to pledge his life in service to a unicorn, and she was none other than Princess Platinum. Blizzard was his name, and he became the first of the Royal Guards." "Guards?" Stickle tilted his head. "You mean like Warrior Caste?" Caramel took a moment to recall what he'd learnt in History class, but was a little miffed by the fact that he couldn't remember as much as he would've liked. But that was okay; he could always embellish. Besides, it wasn't as if nopony ever exaggerated stuff a bit to make them sound more exciting. "Sort of, I guess. There was this one time when a dragon captured Clover the Clever, the advisor of Princess Platinum. And it was up to Captain Blizzard and his brothers to rescue her..." * * * * * "In the end, they had to save the dragon from Clover the Clever. And that's why it's never a good idea to mess with an apprentice of Starswirl the Bearded, even if you want her to turn rocks into gems for you. After making sure that she didn't turn the dragon into a lizard for the inconvenience of getting dragged halfway across Equestria, Captain Blizzard and his brothers were finally able to escort her back to the palace." Caramel sighed after finishing the tale. That took a lot longer than he'd expected. "Wow." Stickle seemed awestruck. "Do changelings ever join the royal guards?" Caramel blinked. "Err... not that I know of." "Do you think someone could disguise themselves as one and go fighting griffons and dragons for the queen?" Is that such a good idea? A changeling having aspirations of joining Princess Celestia's finest, no less, seemed like a recipe for disaster. He definitely couldn't see that ending well without first having real trust between changelings and ponies. One that was more than an official truce written on paper. "Yes, you can. And it's boring." Caramel turned and saw Thorax sitting some distance away. I really need to stop letting these guys sneak up on me... "Why? They do lots of stuff!" Stickle retorted. "Caramel says so." Thorax looked like he was rolling his eyes. "I took a guard's place at the wedding. The most they did was stand around looking like statues, except the part where they got their flanks kicked when we attacked." "Warrior Caste isn't better. You've never fought a dragon," Stickle growled. Thorax grinned. "Of course not; we've fought worse." "Prove it!" "That's what I'm here to do, actually." Thorax turned to Caramel and passed him a bowl of royal jelly. "Eat up and let's go. The queen is waiting for us." "Where are we going?" asked Caramel suspiciously. This was the first time he'd seen Thorax enthusiastic about going anywhere. "Warrior Caste. You might have to make a few changes to your stories after we're done with you." "I'm coming. I want to see this," Stickle piped up. "No, you're not," retorted Thorax. "Maybe when you're older." Stickle glared at his older sibling and took several steps forward. Thorax narrowed his eyes and hissed, "Go back. Now." "No." Caramel decided that it was time to intervene before things got out of hoof. "Go back to your brothers and sisters," he said, giving Stickle a gentle push in the other direction. "I'll tell you more stories when I get back. I promise." The nymph looked up to him, shot a glare at Thorax, and then hung his head. "Fine. Promise?" "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," he replied as he did the accompanying gestures. That seemed to satisfy Stickle, who sighed and trotted back to the main chamber. Thorax, on the other hoof, had one eyebrow raised. "It's a Pinkie Promise," he explained. "Whatever." Thorax pointed at the bowl Caramel was still holding. "Eat it up and enjoy. It'll be your last one." "Err..." "Your last bowl of royal jelly, numbskull. Not your last meal ever." "Oh." * * * * * "I still don't get why Chrysalis wants me in Warrior Caste," said Caramel as they climbed down a vertical shaft. "I mean, fighting isn't my kind of thing, so what good would I be in there?" "She's the queen, and what she says goes whether you like it or not." "Yeah, sure. But I was asking what you think. It's supposed to be your caste, isn't it?" Thorax paused and eyed him critically. "Fine, since you asked for it; you're going to suffer quite a lot," he briskly replied, then continued down the shaft. Well, at least he's honest. Although... Caramel had a niggling suspicion that Thorax had been hiding a smile when he'd said that. Was there something the changeling knew that he didn't? Yeah, that one's obvious. In spite of his doubts about the whole affair, he decided that he'd see what changeling warriors were like before writing them off. Although, if Thorax was any indication, he wasn't going to get the nicest of workmates. And he already much preferred being in Keeper Caste, anyway. The shaft widened considerably as they went further down, and Caramel realised that the material they'd been clinging to up to that point hadn't been plain rock. It was the same kind of hard, porous material that he'd seen coating the entrance tunnel to the hive. It was apparently made by changelings to artificially narrow the shaft, to the point where only about two or three of them could squeeze together at any one place. In comparison, a full grown manticore should have no trouble going through the wider parts of the shaft. And as he inspected its surface, he noted with some measure of trepidation that the rock bore scars--deep gashes and grooves that resembled claw marks. And there were some spots where the greyish-brown rock looked like it had been blackened by fire. Caramel suddenly realised that he must have dawdled and fallen behind, because he could no longer see Thorax below him. He picked up the pace. The shaft opened up into a natural cavern of sorts, one large enough that Ponyville Town Hall could've fit comfortably into it without touching the ceiling. Lengthwise, it was even bigger. It also looked like it might have once housed an underground river. The ceiling was glistening with wetness, and water was steadily dripping in multiple places. "Thorax, you there?" he called out. The only answering sounds were the soft pitter-patter of water on the smooth stone floor. "Seriously, this isn't funny." Caramel conjured some light, focused it into a beam and shone it into the darkness. There was no sign of his companion. His uneasiness grew--there was something gnawing at his consciousness, but it took him a while to realise that it wasn't smell, sound or sight. There was tension in the atmosphere. Hunger, anticipation... It was as if somepony was watching him. Shivering slightly, he released his grip on the ceiling and hovered down, scanning the darkness. Then, his beam of light fell upon a changeling trotting out from behind a column. "What the heck was that about? You had me--" Caramel's words died off. It wasn't Thorax. The changeling standing some twenty feet away was a female. "Umm, hi there," he began, scratching his head nervously. "I just got a little lost." She advanced on him slowly, like a cat stalking a mouse, wings and tail a-twitching. "I was following Thorax down here, and I think he's left me behind." Caramel was starting to sweat. The stranger bared her fangs as she circled him. She reeked of aggression. "So, umm, it would be great if you could point me in the right direction and I'll just be off--" "You talk too much," she quipped, and leapt right at him. Yikes! Caramel just managed to avoid the tackle by twisting to one side. Her hooves crashed to the floor, and he could tell from the cracking sound they made that it was a blow that was meant to injure. He backed off to what he thought was a safe distance and said, "Look, the queen wants me down here, so--whoa!" He dodged another strike and backpedalled and away from her. "All right, I'll go. Just calm down!" he said. She only hissed in response and lunged at him again. This time he was ready. He rolled to the side, tripped her with a foreleg, then scrambled to his hooves and broke into a gallop in a random direction. A moment later, he heard her hooves pounding in pursuit. "What did I ever do to you?" he yelled. She didn't reply. She only kept chasing him. Since running into the unknown depths with a psychotic changeling on his tail probably wasn't the best idea, Caramel simply ran in circles around the area, hoping that she would tire out and maybe stop acting like a lunatic. Of course, as luck would have it, nothing of the sort happened. It was like an absurd game of tag. Eventually, he decided that running in circles wasn't really helping anypony. He scrambled up a rock column and dashed for the shaft leading out of the chamber--he could look for Thorax later. But before he could even stick a hoof into the shaft, something grabbed onto him and clung on. He lost his grip and fell to the floor with a heavy thud. How did--oh right, wings. He kicked at the changeling standing over him, eliciting a surprised shriek. "Come back here, weakling!" she snarled as he righted himself and tried to flee once more. Weakling? Caramel skidded to a halt, turned around and glared at her. She gave him a nasty grin. "That's right. I'm calling you a coward." He could feel his ears growing hot, and he felt his wings twitch irritably. Even though he was panting slightly from the exertion, he seemed to be growing more and more restless by the second. His patience was wearing thin. "What's your problem? Are you seriously asking for a fight?" he growled. "Gee, I guess you're pretty smart too." Her derisive sneer was enough to make his blood boil. Mock him, would she? Call him stupid and cowardly? The nerve! His legs trembled as he tried to rein in his temper. The world seemed to narrow down and close in on him, until the changeling was all he could clearly see. Then, a drop of water plopped onto his snout, and something inside Caramel snapped. He snarled and charged with all the pent-up fury that had been seething within. The changeling hissed and charged as well, and they leaped and collided in the air. His world became a tangled mess of holey limbs and fangs and rock, and as he struggled to pin her down, something hard collided with his face. He reeled from the blow and tumbled to the floor, but quickly righted himself and swept a hoof low to trip her when she came close. Then when she was down, he delivered a swift kick to her side. This is fun! Hitting someone had never felt so... satisfying. "How'd you like that now, huh? Still think I'm a weakling?" he taunted, grinning like a mad pony. The changeling was also grinning as she got back onto all fours and dusted herself off. "I'm afraid so. The results are irrefutable--you're a softie," she said as they circled each other. "You're only good for playing with babies." Why, you little... Caramel hissed and charged again. She stood her ground like an idiot, so he lunged and prepared to tackle her and pummel her into the dirt-- Suddenly, the world became blindingly bright. Caramel cried out and shielded his eyes with a hoof. He stumbled to a halt, and his eyes cleared just in time to see her rear before she bucked him in the chest and sent him flying. He then crashed against a rock column. Surprisingly, he wasn't all that hurt. His heart was pounding with exhilaration, and as he locked eyes with his opponent who was advancing on him, he realised that he liked fighting. A lot. Blind me with magic, eh? Two could play at that game. Better yet, he'd show her how it's really done. Caramel dug into his reserves, felt the tension of energy in his horn, and then focused it into a concussive blast. The changeling's eyes widened in surprise, but she was able to duck just in time, leaving the green bolt to collide with the far wall and explode into a shower of sparks. Grinding his teeth, he sent off several blasts in rapid succession, forcing her to dance and hop around to avoid them. But after the third one grazed her ear, she took to the air, horn aglow, and it was Caramel's turn to scramble for cover when a green, fiery beam of magic lanced at him. Even from behind a stalagmite, he could feel its heat, and wisps of steam where wafting up from the black streak it left on the floor. A quick peek told him that it had taken quite a bit out of her. And he realised that he had one advantage over her: magic. Even if his aim was poor, he had far deeper reserves than she did. Being with Sash and the nymphs had always been invigorating. And what did his opponent have? A few measly mushrooms for dinner? She couldn't spare the energy. He dashed out, readying another bolt of magic. But before he could take aim, she'd whipped down with blinding speed and cannonballed into him. They tumbled together until they crashed into a wall, with him sandwiched between her and the rock. She had her back to him, and when he tried to shove her away, she simply threw her weight backwards and smashed him against the wall, driving out his breath. Ripples of pain shot through his wings as she rammed him repeatedly. Get off me, you stupid bug! His mental scream was accompanied by a wild burst of green energy from his horn, which struck her squarely in the back. She arced a short distance before crashing snout-first on the ground. Her stifled grunt of pain was almost musical to his ears. He peeled himself off the rock and prepared to pulverize her with another blast, savouring the flow of energy in his horn. Where magic was concerned, he clearly outmatched her in terms of raw capacity, and he was not afraid to use it. I'll show you what real love can-- Caramel suddenly froze and allowed the spell to fizz out. Real love? He looked down and saw the scrapes that he'd gotten from the fight. There were burn marks in the cavern where his spells had struck. He could see wisps of smoke coming from the changeling's carapace. This isn't what love is for. Something was wrong. Why was he enjoying this so much? He shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He'd never gotten into such a fight before, and the few times that he did, he'd gone home bruised and sorry about the whole thing. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that he'd been ignoring his other senses. He could hear other changelings in the cavern. They were hiding where he couldn't see, but he could feel their anticipation and excitement at the spectacle set before them. And their eagerness to join in the 'fun'. And then it clicked. Warrior Caste. Of course they would like fighting. But he didn't, and it frightened him to think that they had somehow made him enjoy it. He took a deep, calming breath and sat on his haunches, forcing himself to ignore the urge to continue fighting his opponent. It was hard, like trying not to blink when there was dirt in his eyes. His adversary got back onto her hooves, a little shakily, and spat dark fluid on the ground. "What's the matter? Tired already?" she mocked as she trotted up to him. He could feel his irritation spiking again. No! He wasn't a violent thug. He didn't like hurting others--he was better than that. His wings and tail twitched uncontrollably as he willed the rest of his body to stillness. Surges of magic kept running up and down the length of his horn. "I'm done playing along," he said. She peered into his eyes and gave a smug grin before slapping him. "How about now?" He clenched his teeth and shook his head. He was afraid of losing control if he did more than that. She then poked him in the ribs. "Come on, you know you want to." This time, he didn't give her the satisfaction of an answer. He closed his eyes. Slowly, gradually, his breathing calmed and his heart settled into steadier rhythm. When he was certain that he could look at her without wanting to bite her head off, he opened his eyes. "I'm sorry. Go have fun with somepony else," he murmured. The smugness drained out of her. "Hmph. Killjoy," she grumbled. A chorus of chirps, hisses and clicks followed her words as other changelings came out of the darkness from all around him. Now that he wasn't so worried about being lost, he noticed that there were many fissures in the ceiling where the changelings had been hiding. They were all talking amongst themselves in Vespid, and although it was hard for him to follow, the gist was that they were sort of unhappy about the abrupt end to the fight. Happy to disappoint you. "Well, that was... interesting." Caramel singled out the source of the distinct voice: Queen Chrysalis. She flittered down and stood tall before him, smiling in apparent approval. "You put something in the jelly, didn't you?" he accused. She raised a brow. "What?" "I never liked fighting!" he shouted, silencing the entire cavern. "What did you do to me?" "Oh, that." Chrysalis chuckled and tossed her mane. "Your initial response to Mandible's aggression was, how shall I say it... pathetic, really." Sniggers abounded from the nearby changelings. "So I had to give you a little 'encouragement'. To be honest, I didn't expect it to work, but it's clear that you are responsive to the swarming pheromones--extremely so, it seems." She fluttered her wings in emphasis, blowing a small draft of air at him. There was no smell save for the damp, rotting wood of Chrysalis' scent, but one breath was all it took. His heart rate shot back up, and his muscles started twitching in anticipation of more violence. He gasped and knocked himself on the head with a hoof. No, I'm not getting into that again! Chrysalis leaned in closer and whispered, "I'm impressed that you managed to overcome it, though. You looked like you were really enjoying yourself back there." He shifted restlessly and gave her a noncommittal grunt. That was all he could do--he'd be lying if he tried to deny it. Fighting under the influence of the pheromones was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. But now that his head was clearer, he felt... dirty. "Show's over; everyone back to your posts!" an armoured changeling shouted. Nearly all of the changelings turned and dispersed without complaint. After a while, the only ones left in the chamber were Caramel, Chrysalis, Thorax and the one who'd given the order, who he surmised was the overseer in charge. "Well, Skeehar, will he do?" Chrysalis asked the overseer. "Barely. Ability's there, but attitude, not so much. It'll take some work," she replied. The queen nodded. "Go ahead. I want him ready for--" Caramel stopped paying attention to the exchange. A moment before, something about his legs had been bothering him. They tickled on the inside, rather like having a really drippy, runny nose. And just then, he'd felt something warm running down his foreleg. He looked down and saw a thick stream of viscous fluid oozing out of one of the holes in his leg, down to the floor. Eww, what the heck is this? He used his other hoof to wipe the stuff off, but only managed to smudge it everywhere. When he pulled away, the thick stuff stretched, like some green, sick cross of slime, glue and snot. And more of it was coming out of the other holes in his legs. "Eurgh!" His attempted exclamation of disgust came out more like an incoherent gurgle. He could feel his bile rising when he caught a whiff of the stuff; it reminded him of all the gooey things that can be found in bogs and marshes that were best left alone. Caught up in the moment, it took him some time to realise that everyone had stopped talking, and that Skeehar, Thorax and Chrysalis were all looking at him. The queen waved a hoof dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about that," she huffed. "Your glands are fully developed; it's normal for them to secrete that when stimulated by combat pheromones." "But what is it for? It's... it's--" "Very good for restraining ponies, wrapping them in cocoons, giving them indigestion," Overseer Skeehar interjected. "Really, the applications are endless if you're creative enough. Builder Caste mixes theirs with dirt to produce building materials." "It's hardening," Caramel complained. "How do I get it out?" "It only hardens upon contact with air. And even if it does, your saliva will dissolve it, so you don't need to fear getting your pores clogged up," Chrysalis explained. "And as for your question; you'll eventually learn to control it." Caramel winced as more of the stuff oozed down his legs. He'd need some time to sort this one out. But then again, he'd already picked up magic and gotten used to having wings. What was learning another bodily function? So he sighed and nodded. "It's not as disgusting as you ponies make it out to be; you'll get used to it soon enough." The queen smiled and patted him on the head. "I'll let Calyx know where you're stationed at. Train hard--I'll be watching." "Will I get time to visit the hatchery?" he asked. Chrysalis frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm..." "I kind of have some promises to keep," he added, hoping that it would sway her. "Fine. Once in a while," she finally conceded. "But only because the nymphs like you." The queen then leapt into the air and disappeared up a dark shaft, and he was left alone with the overseer and Thorax. Neither of them seemed about to speak, and he didn't feel like he should be the one to break the silence. Skeehar in particular seemed rather busy inspecting him. Caramel felt himself squirming a little under her critical gaze; she seemed to be sizing him up, and apparently not thinking very much of him. And his oozing legs didn't make it any easier to keep still. At length, she finally said, "I suppose congratulations are in order--you're a part of Warrior Caste now." "So... this was all a test?" "Initiation rite. If you're still standing after the fight, you're in." Skeehar then frowned. "That's usually how it goes, anyway. If Queen Chrysalis hadn't intervened, I would've failed you on the spot for running around like a headless centipede. She seems to want you here, so I'll make an exception--this time." Caramel nodded solemnly. "Thanks." Skeehar's mouth twisted into a smile. "You may be taking that back in a few days. There's no place for weaklings in my caste. I intend to bust your shell and see if you last long enough to grow a new one." Really hope that's just a figure of speech... "I'll do my best." "You'd better. You haven't seen a quarry eel up close, have you?" Caramel shook his head and hoped she didn't see him gulp. He'd been wondering if running into one of those was a possibility. Now, it looked inevitable. "Well, you'll get your chance sometime soon. But for now..." The overseer motioned Thorax over, who had been impassively standing by. When he was close, she continued, "Rax has just saved me the trouble of ordering someone to take you into their unit, so you can thank him for that." There was a smirk hidden in those words--Caramel could tell that she somehow found the fact amusing. "I'll leave you two now. I've got more miserable grubs to whip into shape before starting on you. Rax can show you around, and then you can rest." With that said, Skeehar stalked off into the darkness. "Heh heh." Caramel's eyes widened. Did he just laugh? He turned and saw a Thorax's mouth curled up in a toothy grin. "What's so funny?" "I just won a bet." "Eh?" "My sister said that she'd make you cry before the end of the match. Since you're not, I win." Thorax chuckled again. Caramel scratched his head. "Umm, Chrysalis interfered--I don't think your sister was counting on that." "I know. That makes it even funnier!" His companion seemed quite ready to bounce on his hooves with glee. "And I don't intend to let her forget how she got her shell half-busted by the 'stupid pony'." "Gee, glad to be of service." Caramel discreetly rolled his eyes. Sibling rivalry was apparently just as common amongst changelings as ponies. "Watch your step," Thorax cautioned as they went through a wide section of tunnel that had a gaping hole in its side. "Flying's the only way out of the old city, so unless someone carries you out, you're done for." Caramel slowed down to take a peek. It was too dark to make anything out, and when he tossed a pebble into the blackness, the sound of its impact never came back. "Did you say old city?" he asked. "When the hive was bigger, we were able to hold out much further down. Farming's better, and we actually had real homes. But that's what others think, anyway. Half the stuff about they say about the place is probably rubbish--it was before Queen Gossamer's time. Even our mother hasn't actually lived down there. No one remembers." A city. So, changelings had real architecture? After what he'd seen of the hive, it wasn't hard to imagine. "Have you ever been down there?" Thorax grunted in affirmation. "A fat lot of good it did. I nearly got eaten by a quarry eel. Can't say the same for a whole bunch of others who tried to get a look every now and then. Diamond dogs have been stealing whatever's left in there, and they don't like to share." "Sounds like it should never have been built in the first place," he opined as he gazed down, imagining a ghostly ruin of a city lying at the bottom, filled with monsters roaming its forgotten halls and streets. "Come on, we're wasting time," Thorax rasped. "No one misses it; the stupid eels and dogs can keep it." * * * * * It was a long couple of hours as Thorax showed him the training caverns, water reservoirs, and all the entryways, drainage shafts, and chokepoints that they were supposed to watch over and defend in the event of an incursion. It was difficult to keep track of the patrol patterns and schedules, and his head was positively spinning by the end of the tour. The length of it did give him plenty of time to shake out the rest of the sticky gunk out of the holes in his legs, though. He was almost clean by the end of it. Only after all that was he finally taken to the living quarters. Thorax led him past a series of room-like cavities that were arranged in such a way that they reminded him of a barracks. Unlike the structures and tunnels up above, stonework was clearly involved in the making of these. Probably the last works of the long-gone changelings after being driven out of their city. It looked like anything else farther up was made by those who either had forgotten the craft, or didn't have the time and resources to bother with anything more intricate than simple tunnels and chambers. It was rather saddening to think that the changelings had lost so much--if what Thorax said about the old city was true. He felt a little guilty about once subscribing to the notion that changelings were just dangerous predators. They still are, he thought at the back of his mind. But they were apparently also much more than that, a long time ago. They entered one of the 'cabins', and he froze and stared when he saw one of the room's three occupants. "What is she doing here?" he asked, staring at her. It was the changeling he'd fought earlier. The one Chrysalis had called Mandible. She didn't look all that thrilled to see him, either. "I live here. What's your excuse?" she growled. Thorax chuckled. "Caramel, meet my brood-mates. You'll be staying with us." "I should have known you'd want to keep the pony. Idiocy loves company, eh?" Mandible quipped. Thorax grinned and replied, "Of course. Anything for my dear sister." Caramel's eyes widened. Aside from the part where Thorax was having fun at his expense, this was a side of him that he'd never seen before. First there was the part where he'd actually laughed about winning the bet, then the part where he was being helpful in guiding him around and explaining stuff with enthusiasm; and now he was happily trading insults with his sister. And he wasn't being grumpy or moody, either. I guess he just really missed his buddies. And fighting. The other two changelings in the room sniggered at Thorax's remark. Caramel was surprised to find that the smaller of the two was Chitin, the one who'd originally brought his daily dose of royal jelly--he'd not seen her for quite a while. He didn't recognise the taller one, though. "So you're the pony who got suckered into joining us," said the taller changeling. Caramel bristled at the comment. "Sash didn't trick me or anything, okay? She--" "Heh, relax, no need to have such a thin shell." The tall one smiled and waved his wings in a reconciliatory manner. "Chitin here was talking about you for quite a while; I was just curious. I'm Scritch, by the way." "Caramel," he replied automatically. "Aww, don't be like that," Chitin piped up. "You'll like it down here. We get bigger rations than everyone else, we get to see a lot of action, and we don't have to do boring work like growing mushrooms or cleaning eggs!" Bigger rations? That might explain why Thorax was generally pushed around by the other overseers. It looked like the military changelings were getting the best of everything, to the annoyance of others. Although, to be fair, Warrior's superior attitudes towards the other castes probably didn't help smooth matters along. "Oh yes," Mandible chimed in, "you'll see a lot of action, all right." She pointed a hoof at him and waved it back and forth between them. "I'm not finished with you yet--we're having another round in training, when Mother's not going to be around to give you any help." Caramel yawned. This cycle was nearly over--it was supposed to be bedtime already, and now that the effects of the pheromones had completely worn off, he was starting to feel how much the fight and subsequent tour of the depths had taken out of him. He could already feel scrapes and bruises that he'd previously been able to ignore. "Uh huh, maybe later. I'm tired," he mumbled as he trotted over to a nice, comfy corner and lay down. "Don't ever say that in front of the overseer," Scritch advised. "She'll toss you into the nearest fighting pit and have a match with you personally. And she doesn't lose, ever." Duly noted. "Great, you just had to tell him didn't you? I was looking forward to that!" Mandible complained. Scritch shrugged. "Meh, she'll find other ways. She always does." That prompted a snigger from Thorax. "So does he. You won't believe how stupidly lucky he is at finding a way out of things." "Whatever. I'm going to sleep," Caramel announced. There would be time to deal with everything else later. Before drifted off, though, he thought he could taste the sweetness of a teensy bit of brotherly fondness coming from his formerly moody companion.
Integration	Chapter 8	Six months before Integration... Caramel shivered. He stood on the rocky ledge and risked a look down, but it was a bit too dark to see the foot of the mountain. At best, he could only make out the dark shapes of pine trees and the lighter shades of barren rock on the sheer face of the mountainside. But in the distance, Ponyville glowed a warm yellow in the night, reminding him that a non-pegasus had absolutely no business being on the top of a mountain so late past bedtime. A sharp, cold wind moaned in the gaps between the mountain's multiple peaks, and he shivered once more and retreated to the little cave on the other side of the ledge. Sassaflash was tending to a little campfire at the entrance, humming to the tune of one of Pinkie Pie's songs as she roasted some marshmallows on a stick. "Remind me again why we're up here?" Caramel asked as he trotted over and sat down by her side. "I wanted to show you something," she replied. He looked out and down at the valley. "It's beautiful, yeah." "That's not all I wanted to show you." Sash gestured towards the little cave behind them. "I spent quite a lot of my time up here. When I wasn't at school or work, I mean." Caramel squinted. From what he could see from the firelight, the cave was little more than a hollow in the rock. There was a narrow corner where maybe one or two could comfortably curl up in, but apart from that, it was hardly a place he would consider desirable for somepony to stay in for long. "Umm, I see," he said uncertainly. "Did your mom or dad take you up here for camping or something? Seems an awful long way to come." His muscles were still aching slightly from the long, long climb. Sash grinned and nudged him in the ribs with her wing elbow. "I got these, remember?" Aagh, ticklish! Caramel giggled and brushed her wing aside with his foreleg. "Right, duh. I forgot." "And, uh... my parents didn't take me up here. I kind of got around on my own." Caramel raised an eyebrow. That's new... Sash was quiet for a moment, and seemed to be working up the courage to tell him something. After being her special somepony for almost five years, he was already quite familiar with whenever she got into this mood. Hearts and Hooves Day was tomorrow, and he'd been waiting for a long time to meet her parents. She'd already met Mom and Dad, and they seemed to approve. A little too eagerly, actually. He mentally rolled his eyes as he remembered their words, "We want grandkids, Caramel!" At any rate, parents and relatives were apparently a touchy subject for Sash, and since she'd never actually introduced him to anypony from her family, he could only guess that there was some history behind that. After all, five years was a pretty long time to not talk much about them, let alone their childhood years. But at the same time, he could feel that she was looking for the right moment, and he was sure that he could wait. He'd be there for her when she was ready. That's what friends were for, right? At length, Sash sighed softly. Caramel knew that sigh, too, along with the slight drooping of her wings and ears. Another time, then. "Well, I like this place," he said with a smile. "It's pretty homey." That seemed to lift her out of her pensiveness. "Glad that you do. 'Cause we're going to spend the night in here." She lifted the stick of marshmallows and offered it to him. "Hungry? We could start on these, then move on to the rose sandwiches." He nipped off one of the slightly charred marshmallows and said, "Yeah, I kind of figured that out." * * * * * "Wakey-wakey!" Sash sang as she prodded him with a hoof. "Mmm, gimme five more hours," he mumbled, opening a bleary eye. The sun was already up, and its rays were shining into the cave, casting sharp shadows in the nooks and crannies. He rolled to the side and was about to go back to sleep, until one particularly insistent thought managed to barge its way through his lethargy. The sun was already up. Caramel sat bolt upright and groaned. "Oh rats, I'm sorry. You wanted to catch the sunrise, didn't you?" Sash simply shrugged her wings. "I did at first. But I kind of overslept too." She then smiled and rummaged through her saddlebags. "But that wasn't what I wanted to show you today." "Oh?" Sash pulled out a bunch of apples and carrots and tossed them over to him. "Breakfast first, then you'll see!" Caramel could tell that Sash was unusually excited. She wolfed down her breakfast and busied herself with her saddlebags once more. Her every movement seemed to quiver with anticipation, and as he finished off his food, he realised that she was inspecting an assortment of straps and buckles, though for what purpose, he couldn't tell. No wonder her saddlebags were so bulky. Sash continued to work, checking her equipment with a single-mindedness that didn't end even after he was done with breakfast. Eventually he said, "Err, are those mountain-climbing gear? Are we heading to the summit or something?" "Nah. We're going back down." Caramel glanced at the misty valley, bathed in the morning sunlight, then turned back to Sash. "Over the sheer cliff? Can't we just take the same path that we used to get up here yesterday?" Sash chuckled and shook her head. "Nope. We're not climbing." She then grabbed the tangle of straps and buckles and lifted them up. They unravelled as she did so, and he noticed that they looked like a pair of harnesses. "Err, I'm still not sure what you're getting at," he admitted. "We're flying!" She cracked a mischievous grin and tossed a pair of goggles at him. "I got this from Cloudsdale--remember that time you said that you've always wanted to know what flying was like? Well, now's your chance. Just put this on, and leave the rest to me!" Caramel caught the goggles, but he suddenly felt dizzy. Maybe this was some residual magic from that time when Twilight Sparkle's spell made all the mares in town go crazy for some old doll. Big Mac was skimpy on the details, but he'd mentioned that Sash had actually fought him for custody of the odd toy. He looked back at the panoramic view and gulped. It was a long way down. "Are you sure this is safe?" he asked with a nervous smile. "Yeah, it's a flight harness. Pegasi use it for training those who are too afraid to learn to fly on their own, to help them get used to being in the air. The colt or filly is strapped to the grown up, and off they go. I just needed to get an adult-sized one for you." "But... are you strong enough to carry me?" Caramel looked her over. Her wings were in good shape, as far as he could tell as a non-pegasus, and she seemed fit enough. But he wasn't exactly a colt anymore. Sash was unfazed. "Yep. I've been practicing for almost six months straight. I can easily carry Granny Smith's cooking pot - which I borrowed - from Sweet Apple Acres all the way to town and back without needing to land." Caramel tilted his head slightly to one side. "A pot." "It's a big one. More like a cauldron, actually." "It's a pot." He wasn't sure if this was some subtle joke that he wasn't getting. "It's heavy enough." She favoured him with another reassuring smile. "If I can manage that huge thing with powered flight, a simple glide down from a height with you should be a trot in the park." Not a joke, then. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he was aware of a tiny spark of excitement that was threatening to grow into full-blown enthusiasm for the crazy plan. He bit his lip and shifted nervously. Was there any safe way for him to back out of this? Sash's smile wavered a little. "Come on, it'll be fun. I promise I'll keep you safe." Caramel gazed into her eyes and saw that she really meant it. But still... "You once helped me learn to swim. I think I'd like to return the favour. Trust me." She's got me there, he thought. He'd been wondering when she'd pull that card out. After a moment of silence, he gave her a small smile and put on the goggles. Sash wasn't the reckless type--she wouldn't have planned this and brought him up all the way if she wasn't sure she could do it. Besides, hearing her whoop of delight when he agreed to her plan probably made the whole thing worth it. After some minor hassle with putting everything on, Caramel found himself crouching low on the ledge with Sassaflash standing directly over him with her legs on either side of him. Their harnesses were linked very closely to avoid excessive swaying in flight, but that also meant that outside of flight, they were in a position that would've been considered awkward at the very least. If he straightened up even a little, she'd be lying on top of him. "Why do I get the feeling that we look a bit ridiculous?" he wondered aloud. "Because we probably do. Guess we're lucky that nopony's around to see us." "We're on the second-tallest mountain around here," he pointed out. "Anypony looking up can see us." "Nah. We're too high up right now." Sash squared her shoulders and flapped her wings experimentally. Those few flaps were pretty powerful. She rose in the air, and Caramel felt the harness go taut as she lifted him up. He resisted the urge to flail and get back on solid ground, and instead allowed his legs to dangle freely. It was a little humbling to feel that she was the only one in control, and he was only along for the ride. Sash maintained the hover for almost a full minute, beating her wings in steady, regular strokes. Eventually, she settled back on the mountain, right at the edge of their rocky outcrop. "Warm up's over. You ready for this?" she asked excitedly. Caramel was happy to note that she didn't sound out of breath. "Don't give me time to answer that," he replied. "Just do it before I change my--aaaghhh!" We're falling! His cry of surprise became a silent scream as the wind roared in his ears. But after a second or two, he heard Sash grunt and their direction promptly shifted to a swift, downward glide. The incline was gentle, even though their speed was still considerable. Clouds whipped past them, and when he looked behind, the ledge from which they'd jumped was already far behind, shrinking away. He spared a glance upwards and saw Sash's wings spread wide, teal feathers stiffly fluttering in the breeze. She gave him a smug grin when she saw him looking. "Yeah, yeah, I guess that wasn't so bad," he said. She raised an eyebrow and leaned closer, cocking an ear. "That wasn't too bad!" he half-shouted, so she could hear through the roaring wind. "Told you!" she yelled back. Caramel felt an irrepressible grin coming on as he took in the world far, far below him. Lakes and ponds looked like smooth, blue mirrors carved set into the green carpet of forests and meadows, with the occasional outcropping of rock here and there. Cottages and huts looked like toys from such a height. The morning mist was rapidly clearing, except for the area to the east of Ponyville, where the clouds hung heavy over the gloomy Everfree Forest. A flock of birds were flying far beneath in a V pattern, oblivious to the fact that there was an earth pony directly above them. I'm flying, hee hee! Slowly, he lifted his legs until they were in alignment with the air current whooshing past them, and the hairs on his forelegs actually rippled from the force of the wind. He could feel its substantial tug on his mane and tail as well. Come to think of it, that was probably why she'd given him the goggles. He wouldn't have been able to gaze at the view quite so easily without them; he'd have to squint against the wind like Sash was doing. A glimmer on the surface of a lake below caught his eye, and on a whim, he shifted his weight and leaned a little to the side to try to get a better look. To his surprise, their angle shifted. He shifted the other way, and they tilted in that direction in response. Caramel's eyes widened. It was as if Sash was adjusting her glide to mimic his movements... He looked up and found her smiling as if she'd just given a foal a really nice present. "Go ahead, Cadet Caramel, you get to drive!" she said. "Let's see if you're Wonderbolt material!" He grinned and threw his weight to one side, and gasped in surprise as Sash held him tight with her forelegs and did a barrel roll. It took him a moment of rapid breathing to recover from that, but his glee returned quickly enough. "C'mon, you can do better than that!" she yelled. Caramel complied, and he let loose a whoop of joy as Sash pulled him up into an aerial somersault. He tried various manoeuvres, doing his level best to mimic the moves that he'd seen the Wonderbolts do on their performances. Of course, there was no way that a pegasus and earth pony could do all of that strapped together, but he thought that the dives, rolls and spirals were more than anypony could ask for. For a moment, he truly felt like a Wonderbolt! All too soon, it was time for the ride to end. Ponyville was rapidly approaching, and he could tell that Sash was already tiring. Hang on, how are we going to land? he thought as they rapidly descended. Sash answered that for him easily enough. "Brace yourself!" she said as they swooped past the rooftops of the tallest shop houses, towards the town park. Caramel grit his teeth as the ground rushed up to meet them, but Sash pulled up at the last second and beat her wings rapidly, creating a strong downdraft that blew dirt and grass in a circle, allowing them to descend more slowly. She suddenly stopped when they were about three tail-lengths above the grass, and he landed heavily on all fours. "Phew. So... what do... you think?" Sash asked as she lay panting on his back. "Still think it was crazy? Or was it... totally worth it?" Caramel chuckled and nuzzled her on the cheek as he carried her over to the nearest tree for shade. "Can't it be both? That was... I don't know... there's nothing like it. It was great. You were great!" "Well, you did pretty well yourself. You're a natural." Caramel rolled his eyes. "Heh, you're bluffing." Sash smiled back. "Well, maybe just a little bit. If you had wings, I think with a little practice you'd be able to give Rainbow Dash a flight for her money." Caramel rubbed his mane in embarrassment at her exaggeration. He then glanced around and felt his ears and cheeks heat up. "Come on," he said as he sat on his haunches to set her hind hooves back on the ground. "Let's get out of this rig. I think ponies are looking at us." She followed his eyes and chuckled. "Yeah. Wouldn't want to give them funny ideas." * * * * * Eighteen days before Integration... Caramel had one side of his face squashed against the rocky floor. He could taste grainy dirt mixed with sweat on his tongue. What am I doing here? The world felt like it was swaying to and fro slowly, and everything was dull and muted, as if he was underwater. But that couldn't be right; he could breathe, albeit somewhat raggedly. When he opened his eyes, dark shapes surged around in the air above him, and when they collided, there was an accompanying dull thud. Something's wrong. Pain started seeping into his consciousness; he could feel it somewhere on the left side of his head. He tried to feel it with a hoof, but his foreleg felt like it was made of granite. He grimaced as the pain sharpened and a rapid thumping filled his skull. Wait... He remembered. Something about strange, rough voices echoing through the tunnels. Yellow eyes. Snarls, chirping, loud shrieks of alarm. Rancid stink. A massive shape charging towards him-- "Diamond dogs!" he gasped. Clarity returned with a rush as the weight pressing down on his senses lifted. Sounds seemed to speed up and sharpen, and he realised that the rapid thumping inside his head was actually blood from his racing heart. The dark shape in his foggy vision coalesced, shrinking from an amorphous cloud into more curved and angular features. He blinked once, and a changeling was suddenly looming over him. "Oh good, you're still alive," said Rax as he backed away to give Caramel some space. Caramel tried to get up, and to his relief found that he could move again. He got onto all fours, heard a rapid series of scraping sounds, turned his head... and gasped when he saw a massive, furry brute hurtling towards him, claws outstretched. Luckily for him, his training finally kicked back into action, and he dropped low before the diamond dog could rake his face off. Its claws passed over his head, and he quickly unleashed a burst of energy on its back as its momentum carried it past him. The shot was weaker than he liked, but it was still enough to make the diamond dog lose its balance and crash snout-first to the floor. He readied another magical blast as the dog got back onto its feet. Or tried to. Rax had flown over it and smashed onto its back with all four hooves when it was halfway up. The cracking thud that followed made Caramel wince, but the diamond dog suddenly rolled, unbalanced Rax, and grabbed his neck with a massive paw. The changeling bit down hard, drawing blood, but the diamond dog didn't let go. In fact, it grinned, and as its paw tensed, Rax's eyes went wide. The sight of his friend flailing in the choking grip shocked Caramel back into action. "Let go, you freak!" he bellowed, sending a fiery blast straight at its chest. Rax fell to the floor in a gasping heap as the diamond dog crashed into a stalagmite, bounced over it, and rolled until it was stopped by the wall. Caramel dashed over to Rax, and he could smell the sour stink of singed fur hovering over him. "I'm fine, idiot--stop it!" his friend rasped, pointing a hoof at the diamond dog. Caramel hesitated for a second, but decided that restraining the beast was more important at the moment. It wasn't out cold yet. He broke into a gallop, releasing the tension in his glands at the same time. By the time the trickling sensation inside his legs had begun, he was upon the diamond dog. It growled and swiped at him, but its aim was poor and he easily leaped over it. When he landed on his back, he proceeded to slather the viscous fluid oozing out of his pores all over its limbs, starting with its front paws. The resin was quick to harden, but not quite quickly enough to stop it from reaching out with one paw to grab his hoof, snapping several strands of the sticky stuff in the process. Yikes! He tried to pull away, but it wouldn't let go, and its claws dug painfully into his foreleg as it squeezed. A second later, a pair of hooves came crashing down on the muscular limb, and the diamond dog howled in pain. Rax had leaped and stomped on it mercilessly. "Thanks," Caramel muttered as they spread more resin over the brute. Rax grunted in response. The diamond dog growled again and tried to break free. The resin stretched, and for a moment Caramel thought that it wouldn't hold, but in the next moment the greenish strands snapped back into position as the dog relented. It glared at him balefully and spat out something that sounded like a dirty word. "Go help the others! I'll finish up here," Rax snapped. Caramel made to leave, but stopped when he caught sight of the fractured plates on Rax's neck. They looked like they were bending inwards slightly. Come to think of it, his voice did sound rather strained... "You're hurt," he said. "And you're wasting time. Quit staring and get back to fighting!" Rax retorted. He coughed once, then frowned and added, "Or did that thing manage to punch out your brain?" His hoof instinctively went up to the throbbing lump on the side of his head. Oh, so that's where that came from. He also realised that Rax was getting annoyed with him, so he quickly turned tail and headed back into the tunnel from which they'd come. His mind raced as he recalled what had happened in the past few minutes. Diamond dogs. He'd been on patrol with Rax when someone raised the alarm--the dogs had dug a tunnel up into one of the lower chambers and clashed with some of the guards. Probably trying to expand their territory or something. Whatever the case, when he and Rax had rushed to help, it had become clear that these diamond dogs were far nastier than the ones he'd heard about on the surface. These were dirtier, larger, and more wolf-like in appearance, and they only spoke in some language that he didn't recognise. The ones on the surface were known to speak Equestrian at times. Also, it had become painfully apparent that they could easily kill any lone changeling. This dog alone had managed to push him and Rax this far down this particular tunnel. Two other warriors joined him from adjacent tunnels as he galloped back towards the point of incursion, and sounds of battle became audible. "There you are. Where's Thorax?" asked Scritch. "Back the other way." "Is he okay? We came as soon as we heard," Chitin piped up. "He says he's fine. We've got bigger problems to worry about." Caramel found a scene of chaos when he leaped out of the tunnel and into the lower chamber. There were almost a dozen or so diamond dogs armed with various clubs and axes, engaged in combat with nearly twice as many changelings. Although they had the advantage of numbers, the smallest diamond dog looked easily thrice the weight of any one of them, and their weapons appeared well-used. Caramel could see a few motionless changelings lying on the floor, and only one diamond dog had been dragged to a corner and ensnared with resin. Chitin and Scritch charged forward without hesitation, but Caramel lingered. For a moment, he was paralysed with indecision. But then, he heard a resonant hiss echo from the tunnel behind him, and his next breath made his blood rise and his doubts melt away. It had been a while since he'd experienced it, and although he'd promised himself not to be taken by it again, he couldn't think of a better time to break that promise. He cracked a grin as the combat pheromones coursed through him, firing up his senses and dulling his pain. Chrysalis is coming! Caramel leaped into the fray and bucked a dog that had been about to brain a changeling with its club and scorched its side with a beam of fiery magic before it could get up. Its howls of pain made him giddy with excitement. The other changelings were quickly being affected by the pheromones as well. Everything became a blur of action as the warriors whipped themselves into a frenzy, leaping onto the dogs to bite, buck or burn with magic. Caramel did his part by joining those who were adept at magic, providing fire support whilst clinging to the ceiling, safely out of reach and blasting away at the dogs with his now considerable reserves of energy. But even with their redoubled efforts, the dogs were not easy to take down. Many of them carried on fighting even when their flesh was torn or smoking, and Caramel was aware in some small part at the back of his mind that he was horrified by the sight of a massive, brown-furred diamond dog smashing Chitin on the head with its club. She went down and didn't get back up. Caramel tried to rush to her and see if she was okay, but paused when he saw a lanky dog looking at him. He couldn't see its eyes through the narrow slits on its roughshod, bucket-like helmet, but it was obvious that he had its attention. It snarled and brandished its club at him. You want some, eh? He sent a blast of green fire its way, but it was ready; it leaped aside and hurled its club straight at him. Oh, ponyfea-- The heavy block of wood struck him in the chest. He thought he heard a crunch just as all the air was driven out of his lungs, and he lost his grip and dropped from the ceiling like a stunned insect. Fortunately, he'd not been directly over the dog or he would've been a goner. Instead, his fall was broken by a fellow changeling. "Get off me, you idiot!" hissed Overseer Skeehar. Why does everypony like calling me that so much? he thought, half-dazed as he lay on top of her. Skeehar was wearing her usual carapace-like armour, and there was a black spear lying on the ground beside her. When he didn't react to her warning, she shoved him off and levitated the spear, thrusting it straight at the diamond dog that had dislodged him from his perch. So many. This is crazy. Then Caramel remembered what had happened to Chitin, and he leaped back onto all fours and weaved his way through the battle, dodging blows and scorching enemies whenever he found an opportunity. She had only been less than twenty tail-lengths away, but it seemed far longer than that with all the chaos around him. He saw the dog that had bashed her rake Scritch in the side before punching another warrior senseless. Then, it shifted its attention back to Chitin, its face twisted into a feral snarl. It hefted its club as it trudged towards her, as if it was going to finish her off. Hayseed. She's unconscious. Caramel tried to gallop, but suddenly found that his legs refused to go any faster. He also found that his muscles were burning, and that funny wheezy noise he'd been hearing was actually coming from his lungs. As he collapsed to the floor, he cried out, "Somepony help her!" The diamond dog was standing directly over her. Caramel fired a blast of magic at it, but in his current state his aim was so poor that the diamond dog merely looked at the scorch mark on the ceiling above it, then spared him a glance and chuckled. It lifted its club for the final blow, and he saw that the gnarled, heavy wood was glistening with dark changeling blood. But before it could bring it down and crush her, a blinding beam of green energy struck it squarely in the back, and sent it flying off to the far side of the chamber. Its club clattered to the floor. Caramel turned towards the source of the blast and felt his heart leap. He'd never been so happy to see her before. "Paws off my children, you vermin!" Chrysalis bellowed in a rippling, resonant voice. Caramel winced, hoping that the ringing in his ears wasn't a sign of permanent damage. At the sight of the livid queen, one of the dogs howled something out to its companions, and the half-dozen or so that were still standing began to beat a hasty retreat. Caramel attempted to rise and give chase with his fellow warriors, but fell down with a gasp as pain shot through his chest. Hooves thundered and wings buzzed all around him as everyone swarmed past him towards the fleeing dogs. It was all he could do to focus on breathing and not passing out. Chrysalis' arrival had pretty much put an end the skirmish. She was simply too powerful for the diamond dogs--one of them lay in a crumpled, whimpering heap, its limbs twisted in unnatural angles and its tail in a literal, bloody knot, thoroughly smothered in green resin. The unlucky few to have still been in range of her magic as they retreated had been dragged back and quickly engulfed in a swarm of changelings. * * * * * It was difficult to breathe. That blow to his chest had apparently done more damage than he'd initially thought, now that the pheromones had worn off. It was as if his ribs had been wrapped in rubber bands, squeezing him tight--drawing in breath was a conscious chore that he was painfully aware of. And every now and then, little spikes of agony would run through his ribs as he breathed. Still, there was nothing bubbling in his lungs or any other whistling sounds, so he was sure that at least they weren't punctured. That would've been really bad. He simply lay on the ground, too tired to do more than watch as changelings from other castes poured into the chamber and began their work on the captive diamond dogs. They were apparently going to be wrapped in cocoons. It wasn't exactly a fate that Caramel would wish on anyone, but given the circumstances, he was finding it difficult to dredge up much sympathy for them. "All right, you've had your fun. Back to your posts, I want a full sweep of the passages and any loitering mutts rounded and wrapped up by the end of this cycle!" shouted Overseer Skeehar. She then glanced at a changeling who was nursing a broken leg and barked out another command, "And get the wounded to the nearest pod--we've had no casualties and I plan to keep it that way. Move!" The warriors were quick to obey, helping the injured to their hooves and herding them off to the tunnels that led upwards. Some even carried on their backs those who could no longer walk. Nearest pods? Caramel wondered. Were the injured going to be wrapped in a different kind of cocoon to heal up inside? Queen Chrysalis lingered to stabilise a few severely injured changelings that had been brought to her, one of which was Chitin. There was a nasty crack on her skull, and blue blood was oozing out of it. Her eyes were unfocused and she was barely breathing. From his spot, Caramel watched as the Queen sent tendrils of magic to the injured ones--the green magic slithered over their wounds, and the gashes and cracks shrank a little as they stopped bleeding. Caramel knew healing magic when he saw it, and it only made him more uneasy of the queen's power--even the best of unicorn doctors struggled to perform that spell. The only ones who were known to reliably cast it were the princesses. But at the same time, some part of him couldn't help but admire that Chrysalis was treating the changelings herself and not leaving it to her subordinates. When Chitin hissed in pain as the magic worked on her head injury, Caramel thought he could hear the queen crooning to her. "Huh," he said. He wouldn't have thought the queen to be like that. For all her talk of not tolerating weakness in the hive, she was being rather... motherly. "Surprised?" asked Rax, who was suddenly standing over him. Caramel glanced up at his friend, turned back to the queen and nodded. "Yeah." "Well, there's more on the way." He raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?" Rax responded by sliding a foreleg under his hauling him back onto his hooves. "We'll show you. You can walk, right?" Caramel grunted as pain lanced through his skull, but nodded and took a shaky step forward. The world tilted sideways, and he cried out as he fell, but his shoulder landed on Rax's and he mumbled his thanks as his friend helped to steady him. They headed to one of the tunnels leading upwards, which Queen Chrysalis was already ascending with the injured changelings in tow. Her healing spell apparently hadn't been strong enough to give them a full recovery. They were still groggy and unable to walk on their own, so she was lifting all seven of them with magic. Silently, they followed the queen. It was difficult. Pain would shoot up his hind leg whenever he put his weight on it, and the throbbing in his skull was coming back. His chest was also hurting where Rax was holding him, but he held his tongue--his support was well worth the discomfort. One step at a time... You'll get there. Just don't think about how far it is... Something warm trickled down his cheek, and he paused to wipe it away. When he looked at it, there was a blue smear on his hoof. Wow, I'm literally blue-blooded. Too bad it didn't come with any of the perks that royalty seemed to enjoy. He chuckled and grimaced when his lungs wheezed in protest. They had to ascend a vertical shaft at one point, and Caramel had been forced to swallow his pride and allow Rax to help drag him up. The place that Chrysalis led them to was a chamber that he'd never been to before. It was somewhere above the level of the fungus farms, if his sense of direction was anything to go by. It was cool and moist in there. Something about the curves of its ceiling and hollows in its walls gave the place a cosy feeling, and he found himself thinking that the place would've been pretty nice to live in if it hadn't been for the fact that the surface of its walls were coated in resin, and that runoff from the rains on the surface was dripping in. But deeper in, he changed his mind. The place was littered with the husky remnants of what looked like butterfly cocoons. Massive ones that were big enough for a pony to crawl into. Caramel's blood suddenly ran cold. Some of them were still whole and hanging from the ceiling, and he could see figures floating inside. Pony figures. And there were changelings all around the occupied pods, standing still with their eyes closed, pointing their horns towards the ponies within. Chrysalis called out sharply, and several changelings appeared from amongst the pods and out of nearby niches to assist her patients in tow. One by one, the infirm changelings were carried to a separate pod, and Caramel watched nervously as each one of them grew a little restless and struggled to get as close as possible to the sleeping occupants. Oh no. "Caramel!" someone cried out. "Sash!" He saw her rushing over from one of the pods. She nearly tripped over one warrior lying on the ground, but ignored his hiss of annoyance and skidded to a halt in front of Caramel. "What happened to you?" she asked, urgently inspecting his injuries. "Diamond dogs," he rasped. It was still hard to breathe and speak properly. "As ponies would say--not bad for a rookie," Rax added with a grin. "He just needs to learn to watch his back and be less of a dummy." "Come on, let's get you to a pod," she urged, tugging on his foreleg, "you'll need to--" Caramel brushed her off and broke free of Rax's grip. "Look, I... I just..." He shook his head and glanced at the dozens of changelings around the pods. Their horns were glowing, and green fire was dancing on their bodies, licking at their injuries. Their wounds shrank and closed, and it was like watching fire burning holes in paper, except in reverse. Waves of relief and glee flooded his senses as they experimentally flexed their limbs and peeled off the remaining scraps of damaged carapace still clinging to the sites of their now non-existent injuries. Those who were incapacitated were suddenly able to stand again, and those with lesser injuries looked like they were ready and itching for another battle. "This is... you're..." Caramel suddenly found it difficult to speak. And it wasn't because he was having trouble breathing. "Yes, I work here," Sash interrupted. "But we can talk about this later. You're injured, and you need help." "Yeah, sometime this century, please," Rax added. "But..." he protested weakly. "No buts. Get moving, grub. Skeehar is not going to be very happy if you aren't back in fighting shape." Caramel's mind descended into a haze as he was bullied along by Rax with Sash fussing over his injuries by his side. They brought him to a pod that wasn't being fed on by anyone and released him. It was hanging rather close to the ground--close enough that its upside down occupant's head was level with his when he was standing up. It was too dark to see the pony's face, so he cast a little light on the pod. Sash said something in protest, but he didn't listen. It wasn't somepony he recognised--she was wearing torn clothing that looked like it had been taken through the wilderness and back, and her eyes were shut as she floated, unaware of the fate that had befallen her. "Caramel, look at me, please." He turned to Sash. Her eyes were pleading, but her voice was firm. "I'm sorry that you had to learn it this way, but you need to feed. You're clearly having trouble breathing, and you're losing blood from that head wound. Doing this will heal you. Trust me." "I don't even know how this is supposed to work," he growled. "I'll teach you," she replied. He took a step backwards and shook his head. Not this time. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Rax groaned. "Are you telling me that you're getting cold hooves now? How could you not have figured out what goes on in here after spending all that time with us?" "You're not helping!" Sash snapped at him. She turned back to Caramel and continued, "Please, we can deal with this issue later. Just get yourself fixed first, okay? You're not thinking straight with a head injury like that." "I'm guessing feeding on love heals us, right? Aren't I doing that with you already?" he asked. "I've been feeling it whenever you visited for a long time. Now I know why being with you always made me feel better." "It's not--" Sash frowned. "Hang on, you can do that already? You can actually taste my... emotions?" He nodded. "Well, that's--never mind, we can talk about that later too. The point's that it's not the same." Sash waved aside his protest before it even left his mouth. Then, pushing him towards the pod, she continued, "Love freely given empowers you, but that's not going to do a lot of good if you can't cast a healing spell. But our natural feeding will--" "There's nothing natural about what you guys are doing here!" Caramel shouted, then doubled over as a fit of coughing overtook him. He felt her hoof gently touch his shoulder. "Please... don't make this any harder for everyone, especially yourself. You need help." Caramel spat out a glob of phlegm. "Not the kind that you guys are offering. I'm not going to hurt anypony." "It doesn't really hurt them if you--" "No," he said. From the corner of his eye, Caramel saw Queen Chrysalis trotting over to them. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing for the moment; it was difficult to think when he was hurting all over. When he judged her to be close enough by her hoof steps, he growled, "Was this your plan all along?" "You know enough to make an educated guess. Now do as you're told." He looked up at her defiantly and shook his head. "I'm not going to be a part of this." Rax and Sash fell silent as he locked eyes with Chrysalis. They stared at each other for almost a minute, neither willing to look away. Her face was unreadable, and he could not sense any of her emotions. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead when he realised that he might have crossed a line; he clearly remembered the first time he'd tried to act tough in front of her, and it was an experience that he didn't want to repeat. But instead of the retribution he expected, she simply sighed. "It looks like you're due for another lesson." What? "Calyx, take us to the ones we caught last month," Chrysalis said to Sash. Sash's eyes widened. "Uh, those ponies, specifically?" Caramel eyed her suspiciously. She was clearly nervous, and he'd caught her eyes flicking over to him right after the queen's request. There was definitely something there that she was trying to hide. "You heard me," Chrysalis replied. Sash slumped. "I... they're this way." Caramel followed her and the queen, feeling a pit of dread opening up in his stomach. Sash led them deeper in, to a cluster of pods that were a lighter hue of green than the others, and a little glossier, too. They were apparently newer than most of those he'd seen. "Go on, take a look," said Chrysalis. "It's time your eyes were opened." Sash stepped in front of him and said, "Wait, Caramel, please listen for a second--" He shouldered past her and trotted forward. The closest pod had a fairly large pony inside - a stallion, judging by his size - but it was difficult to see his face. Here goes. Caramel lit up his horn, and felt his ears droop. The greenish fluid distorted the colours, but it was clear that the stallion's coat was greyish, and his mane was black. The four-leafed clover cutie mark was unmistakable. Lucky. His expression was rather serene with the corners of his lips curled up slightly, as if he was simply having a pleasant nap. With his pulse rapidly rising, Caramel shone his light on the other pods and found Cherry Berry in one, plus a few others whom he was sure he'd seen somewhere in Ponyville before. They all looked unharmed, save for the fact that they bore the marks of long and hard travelling. Did they come looking for me? It seemed possible; he'd not really bothered to cover his tracks because he wouldn't have thought anypony would've been crazy enough to follow him. And what were the odds that they would've found the same place? Unless... Caramel turned around slowly and glared at Sash. "Did you guys hunt them down? That's what you do, right? Hunter Caste and all that?" "We do send patrols out from time to time," Chrysalis confirmed. "And, well, your special somepony happened to be out that day and found your little rescue party out there, quite ready to die of thirst, actually. The poor little ponies hadn't planned their little excursion very well. And after hearing the reports, I decided that we simply couldn't let them go to waste." Caramel ignored the queen and continued to glare at Sash. "Well?" She averted her eyes and said, "They weren't in good shape when we found them. The badlands cannot support that many ponies in one place at the same time, and--" He snorted and waved aside her excuses. "I get it; you saved their lives or something. But why did you bring them here? Sash, they're your friends too! Why did you put them in" - he glanced at the pods and wrinkled his nose in disgust - "these things?" "Because I told them to," said Chrysalis. "I had... no choice," whispered Sash as she stared at the ground. Caramel remembered those words. Those were the same ones she'd said when he'd confronted her about the invasion of Canterlot, just before she left him. "No," he growled, stomping a hoof in emphasis. He cringed as pain shot up his leg, but managed to not topple over and continued, "There's always a choice, and this isn't the right one!" "And that's where you're wrong." Queen Chrysalis placed a hoof on his shoulder and slowly but inexorably guided him closer to Lucky's pod, until his face was just inches away from his unconscious friend's, separated only by a layer of resin. "Until now, you've only been passively absorbing love from Calyx, and perhaps a little friendly companionship from your caste mates. It's time for you to learn to actively feed." Caramel coughed, but shook his head and backed away from Lucky. He turned and glared at Chrysalis, Sash and Rax one by one. "You guys can do what you want." He allowed his gaze to linger on Sash, and she seemed to wilt a little. He tasted bitter regret in the air, along with a tinge of concern. "I'm not going to be a part of this." Chrysalis chuckled. "There's no need to delude yourself, my dear. You already are, and you are going to learn how to feed by practicing on your friend in there." He bared his fangs and buzzed his wings in challenge. "Make me." She smiled. "Only because you asked so nicely." Chrysalis leaned in close, jagged horn aglow, and whispered, "Feed. Now." Her voice had taken on a more resonant quality, and something about it was... authoritative. It was difficult to think of a reason why he should refuse such a simple command. All he had to do was to take a few steps forward, focus on Lucky, and-- Oh, ponyfeathers! Caramel realised that he'd been doing exactly as he'd been thinking, and jerked away at the last moment. His magic had been on the tip of his horn, ready to reach into the pod, but he quickly reeled it in. He shuddered at the thought that he'd been so close to obeying the queen and-- An intense feeling of dread, guilt and regret wormed its way up his gut at the thought that he was disobeying a direct order from Chrysalis. "Here, let me show you," he heard her say. He could do that. It was easy enough, and better than listening to her first command. The gut-wrenching guilt subsided to a tolerable level. "Use your magic. Feel your surroundings. You can taste it, can't you? The sweet dreams of the pony before you. Reach out. Don't be afraid." His vision grew blurry. He allowed his magic to flow out, and gasped at the sudden rush of 'smells' and 'lights'. There were many clusters of them, each probably corresponding to a cocooned pony somewhere. The brightest one was directly in front of him, and he could sense the pleasant sweetness of nourishment. He found himself salivating. "It's called dream-stalking. Dive in." Caramel obeyed, and the world instantly became a billowing storm of grey shapes and dark smoke. He caught glimpses of Lucky prancing around, with several happy mares in tow. Then he saw a younger Lucky, laughing along with and equally young Shining Armour as they teased and made fun of other colts and fillies. Then there he was snuggling up to his parents as a foal. Flashes of other scenes blazed past him, and every time a happy or tender memory or fantasy did so, the surging, dark clouds would suddenly glow vibrantly with all colours of the rainbow. "Now, take it in. Feed," said Chrysalis' echoing, disembodied voice. Wait, no. Hayseed, no. Caramel tried to pull himself out of Lucky's dreams, but only managed to withdraw a little. He became partially aware of both his physical surroundings and the dream, unwilling to go back in and unable to fully drag himself out. There was that horrible feeling of guilt and dread again, like he'd been caught stealing, and was awaiting punishment. He was also somehow acutely aware of his injuries. There were numerous gashes on his hide; some of his ribs were fractured; he was losing blood; one of his lungs was now filling with fluid; and through it all, pain was coursing through his nerves like lightning. No. I'm a pony. I will not hurt my friends! Caramel groaned as the pain intensified. So did the unnatural guilt. With every passing second, it was as if he was committing another atrocity. Imaginary ones, he was sure, but they felt so real... He'd stomped on a puppy's tail and kicked it away. He'd slapped a foal when it cooed at him. He'd laughed at somepony's funeral and blown a raspberry at the coffin in front of everypony. Please... stop. One after another, his mind filled with all of the terrible things he was capable doing. He whimpered when he felt like he'd flown into a rage when Shining Armour had teased him in school, leaping on him like a frenzied, rabid animal and pressed both fore hooves on his throat... throttling the life out of his classmate until his eyes glazed over... Tears began to flow. No, no more... Caramel dove back in, and as soon as he tasted what lay in Lucky's dreams, he realised how much he needed it. There was love in there, and it would heal his wounds. It would give him strength. And the flood of guilt would finally end. As soon as the thought occurred to him, he was beyond stopping himself. He fed greedily, siphoning off the love and happiness out of his surroundings. Almost immediately, he sensed fire rush through his veins, burning away impurities, mending broken bones and knitting flesh back together again. And his power grew. He could feel it pooling in his magical reserves, to be called on whenever he needed it. It was like the time when Chrysalis had shared some power with him to feed the nymphs. He felt invigorated, and drew in as much of it as he could. When he was finally sated, he felt a shiver run through him, and the real world came back with a rush. He was just in time to see green flames dissipating around him before he dropped to the floor, panting after the bout of feeding. "Quite the appetite," Rax commented dryly. "Looks like you just gave him nightmares." "Well, at least there's no permanent harm," added Chrysalis. She was wearing a proud smile as she towered over him. "You've far more potential than I've given you credit for. You didn't even need lessons for slipping on your first disguise." Disguise? Caramel sat on his haunches and shook his head. Something was a little off about his body. He felt bigger, and a little ungainly in his movements. Frowning, he inspected his forelegs and noticed that his muscles were a little more pronounced, and... his coat was grey. And the holes in his legs were gone--it was the same with his hind legs. He no longer had wings, and a quick exploration with his hoof told him that his horn was also gone. He looked back and saw that his tail hair was jet black, and his cutie mark of three blue horseshoes had been replaced by a green, four-leafed clover. He stared blankly at the foreign cutie mark for a while. He could guess what had happened easily enough, but reconciling that knowledge with his heart was another matter. He glanced at Chrysalis who was watching him in amusement, at Rax who seemed half concerned and half exasperated, and at Sash, who was looking at him with a mixture of guilt and sympathy. He began to shiver. I can't be seen like this. This isn't me. He whirled around, looking for a place to hide, but there were changelings everywhere, watching him. When he glanced up and saw Lucky floating in the pod, with his face twisted in a slight grimace, Caramel uttered a cry of panic and frantically clawed at his grey coat. "How do you get this off?" he cried. He kept twisting and turning in an attempt to hide himself from everyone, unable to meet their eyes, but there was nowhere to run or hide. After scraping himself raw on his forelegs, he felt another shiver run through his body, and green fire erupted over his coat and ate away at his false form. He sighed heavily as they faded away into wisps of smoke, leaving his familiar tan coat over dark, hard skin dotted with holes on his lower legs. His cutie mark reappeared, and he'd never been so relieved to see it in his life. With a feeble moan, he slumped onto his haunches and hung his head. I really am an idiot. How did I not see this coming? "This isn't right," Caramel whispered to himself. He felt someone's hoof under his chin, and his face was lifted up. Chrysalis smiled at him and said, "Right and wrong is a matter of perspective. You've seen what we have to deal with down here; you know that some of your siblings would die without access to these reserves. And given your role in battle, I'm sure that you also know how valuable magic is in defending ourselves. " "They're ponies. They have feelings. They have families." Caramel felt his voice rising. Although he was emotionally worn out, he could feel his magical reserves bleeding in to compensate. "You can't just keep them here like... like, I don't know, things that you feed on like snacks whenever you feel like it!" He looked at Sash, Rax, Chitin and the others who were standing around and growled, "And how can you guys just go along with this? This isn't right and you know it! How would you feel if ponies threw you into jail, or dragged you out of your homes, or--" Caramel's next word died on his lips as the realisation sank in. "We know," Sash replied. "So did our ancestors," said another changeling at the back. "It's hard being on the wrong side of the fence, isn't it?" asked Chrysalis. "Your forebears drove us into this wasteland." If you guys didn't try to steal love in the first place... But even as he tried to justify their actions, Caramel realised that pointing that out would only lead to an endless game of blaming one another for past wrongs. There was nothing else to be said. "Whatever you may think, the facts remain. We live here because you ponies don't like us. Life is hard in our world, and many of us would die if we didn't make use of our abilities. Feeding on love is the most efficient and reliable source of magic, which happens to be what we need for nourishment and defence, so don't expect apologies from us anytime soon. And lastly, your siblings do this because they have no choice." "There is always a choice," he whispered. "Not for us," said Sash. "The queen commands; the hive obeys," almost all of the changelings said in unison. "Well, most of the time," Rax added. "Caramel, slap Thorax for me," commanded Chrysalis. He promptly got up and smacked Rax on the cheek. At his friend's surprised grunt, he blinked and looked at his hoof in shock. What did I do that for? "Good. Now hit Calyx." Caramel turned to Sash and raised his hoof, but stopped at the last moment when she flinched. But then he felt a growing pang of guilt rising in his heart, and the memory of the horrible things he'd imagined he'd done surged back. Not again! Before he could stop himself, he'd already struck her on the face, far harder than he'd intended, and she was suddenly sprawled on the ground, nursing the growing lump on her cheek. "I'm sorry!" he cried out as he rushed to her side. "I don't know what--" "It's okay, I'm tougher than that," she interjected, gently pushing him away. "Get up and look at me." Grinding his teeth in frustration, Caramel turned away from Sash and found himself face to face with Queen Chrysalis. She wasn't smiling anymore. "You are in our world now," she said in a resonant voice. "And the first rule of the hive is simple; obey the queen. So let me make this clear: you will not attempt to free these ponies or sabotage Hunter Caste in any way; you will not go to the surface or try to flee from work; you will not abandon your post and your siblings." Her horn was glowing throughout her speech, and as each command was iterated, Caramel felt as if a growing weight was pressing down on his mind, harder and harder. But when she'd finished and her horn stopped glowing, the pressure vanished. Her voice returned to normal after that. "But I'll be reasonable; you're still free to go wherever you please within your bounds, and so long as you continue to do your part as you have from the beginning, I will place no further restrictions on your freedom. You are still family, after all, and I would hate to make you miserable after all you've given up for us." Too late for that, he thought numbly. Chrysalis patted him on the head. "You're excused from duty for the next cycle. I'm sure you'll need the time to revise your understanding of how you fit into all of this. But I expect you to be back on duty after that. Your siblings need you." Caramel had no words left. He simply stared at the ground in silence. After a while, he looked up and realised that the queen was gone, and so were most of the onlookers. The only ones left were Rax, Chitin and Sash, and a few other members of Hunter Caste working in the background, keeping a discreet distance from them. "Really, now," Chitin began, "there's no need to be so upset about this. You're all better now, and so am I!" She hopped in front of him and did a little somersault in the air. "We'd still be crawling around like slugs if we hadn't fed." "Leave me alone," Caramel grunted. "But--" "Chitin, not now. Give him some time," Sash interrupted. "Oh, okay." Chitin turned to Rax and announced, "I'm heading back down. You coming? Scritch and Mandy might be getting worried." "I'll come later." Chitin nodded, then waved goodbye and cheerfully trotted off. Caramel watched until she was out of sight, then turned his gaze onto Sash, wondering what exactly he was supposed to make of her now. The others, he could understand--they had no reason to treat Lucky and Cherry any differently from the rest of their 'prey'. But Sash had been their childhood friend for ages, and he felt that she should've at least tried to do something to help them instead of dragging them underground. Sash simply gazed back in silence. It was hard to tell what she was feeling at the moment. Maybe she was guarding her emotions carefully, now that she knew that he could sense them at times. "Do you want me to go too?" she asked. He closed his eyes tight and nodded. More than anything else, her role in capturing Lucky and Cherry felt like a betrayal, and he was afraid that he would tear up if he looked her in the eyes. He could still feel the wetness from when he'd cried after strangling Shining Armour. No, that didn't actually happen! he angrily corrected himself. "I'll see you later." There was silence for a few seconds, and then Sash whispered, "Please don't beat yourself up too hard, okay? Anypony else would've done the same thing in your place." "Just go. Please." "All right, I'll be around if you need me," she said. When her hoof steps had receded, he sighed and held his head in his hooves. He wanted to be angry at her for what she'd done, and for keeping him in the dark for so long. They'd been caught for over a month, for crying out loud! But at the same time, he could see that there was probably nothing that she could've changed. He couldn't expect her to fight all her siblings who'd been on patrol with her, and she certainly couldn't have done anything against Chrysalis. It was painfully apparent that changelings were physically incapable of disobeying direct orders from their queen. And now she's my queen, too, he thought miserably. If he couldn't fight against the compulsion even as a half-pony, then how could he expect Sash, a full changeling to do the same? And now, they were trapped. They were both free to be with one another, but only within the confines of the hive. And it seemed that there was nothing he could do about it. Caramel groaned in frustration and whirled around, searching for something to wreck. He found a loose chunk of rock, seized it with magic, and hurled it as hard as he could against the wall. It exploded into a hundred little pieces, leaving a powdery smudge on the wall and a cloud of dust. "Good throw, though you could've saved it for a real fight," Rax commented. He was sitting in a rather comfortable position, nestled between a rock column and an empty pod, watching him. Caramel rounded on him and growled, "Why are you still here?" "Foalsitting," he chirped. He scowled and supressed the urge to throw something at him. He wasn't in the mood for jokes. "I. Don't. Need. A foalsitter." Rax was unrepentant. But he did wipe the grin off his face and replied, "Fine. It's my job to keep you safe, remember? I'm here to make sure you don't do something stupid." "Like what?" Rax narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin with a hoof. "Oh, I don't know. There are plenty of ways to do yourself in if you feel like it. Strangle yourself, drown, poke the queen in the eye, whatever. It'd be pretty funny to watch you try, but Chrysalis would bust my shell and turn me into mushroom compost if you succeeded." He then grinned again and added, "Can't let that happen. Priorities, you know?" "Gee, how thoughtful of you. I feel so much better, now," Caramel groused. "Oh, that was unintentional. Do you think you could stay miserable for a little longer, then? I don't feel like going back to the barracks just yet. It's much nicer up here; it's not so wet." Enough was enough. He'd just discovered what Sash really did in the hive, and on top of that, he'd had his mind invaded and abused by Chrysalis and been forced to feed on his childhood friend like some dirty leech. Caramel leapt up and stomped over to Rax. "Look, you guys may find all of this normal, but I'm a little out of my depth here, okay? I don't even know what I'm supposed to be anymore!" he shouted. Rax raised an eyebrow. "You don't like being a changeling? Well, that's too bad. What were you expecting when you joined us? You really should have thought this through before coming." I know that! Caramel let loose an angry hiss and raised his hoof, but slammed it back on the ground instead of punching Rax's stupid face. "Hayseed, I hate you guys," he said through gritted teeth. Rax laughed. "Are you sure about that? Because it sure looks like you're hating yourself right now." So saying, he burst into green flames, and an instant later, a half-changeling Caramel was sitting languidly in his place, wearing a smug grin. He had the same dirty tan coat as he did, which had gone patchy in some places on his back and neck, and had completely receded from his lower legs, which were full of holes. His wings were almost full-sized, and the last patch of hair on his tail looked just about ready to fall off. His mane, although filthy, was still intact. All in all, it was the exact appearance he knew he had. Except the eyes. Due to the lack of mirrors in the hive, he'd not been aware that his eye whites had gone completely blue. His pupils remained the same. Do I really look like that now? He backed away a few inches and shook his head. There was no going back for him. He'd already crossed a line. The fake Caramel gave him a toothy grin and asked in his own voice, "Like it?" "Enough..." he warned. "You'd better get used to it, because that's what you'll look like for the rest of--" That's it. Caramel roared as he leapt onto his doppelganger and delivered a swift punch to his muzzle. He then tried to pin him down with both hooves, but he flinched when the fake Caramel snapped at his foreleg and kicked him in the belly. He fell flat on his back, but quickly got up and charged once more. They collided and wrestled for several minutes, tumbling all over the place, smashing each other against the walls and floor and trading blows. He grew hot and sweaty, but refused to quit until he'd beaten an apology out of his opponent. It wasn't until he bit down on his ear that he finally got a verbal reaction. "Yargh!" Rax yelped. Oh, yuck! He'd forgotten about his fangs--they'd pierced Rax's fleshy ear and its hard, serrated edges felt crunchy between his teeth. When Rax tried to buck him off, he simply yanked harder. "Get off, you stupi--aaargh!" Caramel refused to let go, even though the filthy, coppery taste in his mouth was beginning to nauseate him. Rax's wings buzzed futilely against his chest, and whenever he tried to shift to gain leverage, Caramel simply pulled harder and gnawed. "Okay, okay, I give!" Rax whined. Hayseed, I sound pathetic. "Pthlargh!" Caramel released out Rax's mangled ear and spat out a glob of blood mixed with his saliva. The taste lingered, though, and he gagged and chucked up a little splatter of bile onto the floor. When he'd finally gotten his stomach under control, he saw Rax shift back into changeling form in a burst of green fire. "Wow, I need to remember how sensitive pony ears are. Would've been really useful to know during the invasion," Rax muttered, nursing his ear. It was no longer bleeding, but the damage remained. There were two holes in it. They did nothing for but stare at each other for a while, panting from the exertion, but Rax eventually spoke again, "So... feel better after throwing your little tantrum?" Somehow, Caramel did feel better. Maybe changelings could only feel so many things at once before new stimuli crowded out their emotions. He slumped to the ground and sighed. "Yeah." But after a moment, he grimaced and spat out another glob of saliva, saying, "Ugh, revenge definitely isn't sweet. You taste lousy." Rax shook his head and smiled. "Not so fast. Guess whose form I was wearing when you bit me?" Oh, right. Caramel winced at the thought. That wasn't something he wanted to think of at the moment. He rubbed the back of his head and tentatively said, "So... um... thanks for that. I guess I needed it." Rax frowned at him. "What are you talking about? I was just looking for an excuse to do something other than watch you mope." Caramel gave a weak chuckle. Rax had a really... unconventional way of helping things, but he couldn't argue with the results. But he knew that it wasn't going to fix anything in the long run. In spite of feeling a bit better, he was aware that his frustration and turmoil were still simmering at the back of his mind, and no amount of excitement or physical exertion was going to help him forget about his disillusionment. And what had Lucky and Cherry been doing out in the wilderness in the first place? Searching for him? And how many others were aware of the specifics of his disappearance? Before setting out to find Sassaflash, he'd certainly not announced his intentions to the world or anything. "Thanks for helping, but I'm going to need some time to sort this out," he said, staring at the ground as he traced patterns idly in the dirt with his hoof. "I need to think about... all of this." He then heard Rax smacking a hoof to his forehead. "Blargh, more boring stuff." At least you're not the one dealing with it. Caramel remained silent as he lay down. No matter how much he wished it otherwise, things couldn't go back to how they were. * * * * * Caramel awoke with a gasp. But instead of drawing in air, he felt something thick and viscous inside his lungs. What the... His movements felt ponderously slow, and everything was green and distorted, as if he was underwater. He reached out, and his hoof pressed against something that was tough yet stretchy. Panic rose in his chest when he realised that he was upside down and trapped with no air, but slowly, he found that breathing in the heavy fluid was relieving the burning in his lungs. And then the realisation came to him; he was inside a changeling cocoon. That can't be. I remember... He'd joined the hive. He'd been set to work in Forager Caste, then Keeper and then Warrior, and he'd made friends with a few changelings, and Sash was there with him, and Chrysalis had been turning him into one of them... And then he remembered fighting the diamond dogs, and... I fed on Lucky. Like a changeling. Chrysalis made me do it. He looked at his hooves. Even looking through the thick fluid, he could easily tell that there were no holes, and his coat was all there. He couldn't feel his wings, and his magic was completely gone. He wasn't a changeling; he was still a pony. It felt darned real... Relief warred with panic. He'd not actually turned on his friends, then! He wasn't going to become a changeling! But at the same time, he was now the prey rather than the predator. Maybe the changelings had just laughed at him and wrapped him up in his sleep during his first night; it was the only time they could've done it, before he was given his first dose of royal jelly. But before he could decide whether he liked this sudden turn of events, he glimpsed something dark at the edge of his vision. It looked eerily familiar. As his pulse quickened, he heard someone whisper to him. The voice was distorted and indistinct, but it wasn't something he'd imagined. He squinted at the dark, blurry figure outside of the pod. It was definitely pony shaped. Or it could've just as easily been a changeling. Am I going to get fed on? A faint, light green line appeared in front of him, trailing behind a dark little dot that travelled down in a straight line. As he watched, the line fattened and curved out in the middle, until it was more like-- Somepony's cutting me out. Caramel braced himself as he spilled out of the cocoon. His fall was somewhat cushioned by the heavy fluid, and it took him a moment to right himself and begin coughing the stuff up and out of his lungs. It was as thick as honey and incredibly uncomfortable to bring up, especially after he'd gotten some air into his lungs. He took a deep, gurgling breath and choked out little globs of gunk at a time. "Be still. You are safe now," a soothing voice said. Caramel froze. He looked up, slowly, and saw a wraith-like figure towering over him. Chrysalis? But in the next instant, he realised that it wasn't the queen. The figure was dark and blurry around the edges, but he could tell that it - no, she - had no holes in her legs; her horn wasn't jagged, and her wings were neither translucent nor serrated. He frowned as he peered at her. She wasn't quite black; the longer he stared, the more he thought that her body actually had colour. Maybe blue, a blue so dark that it was almost black. Wait a minute... He whirled around, sweeping his gaze in every direction. The cavern's massive, dark expanse was filled with thousands of pods, and far in the distance, he could see the outlines of tunnel entrances that glowed with a deep, purple light. The shadows were angled in impossible directions in relation to the light. "What have they done to you?" asked the wraith. This time, the voice was distinctly feminine, but it also carried a steely undertone. Caramel stared at her once more, simultaneously fighting the urge to flee. Slowly, the wispy edges on her form settled, and he took in a sharp breath. Dark blue coat, feathered wings, a mane and tail that rippled and waved in the windless air, tiara and breastplate. "I've seen you before," he murmured. * * * * * Caramel awoke with a gasp. And this time, it was air and not fluid that filled his lungs. He sat up and found that he was back in what he was starting to think of as the hive's love repository. Lucky and Cherry were still floating in their pods nearby, and so was everypony else. Further down the cavern, he spotted several changelings hanging upside down from the ceiling as they wove strands of resin around a fresh pod. It was a little larger than the others, and when Caramel squinted, he realised that it was because the occupant was a diamond dog. Guess this place doubles as a dungeon. He got up and found Rax asleep right where he'd left him. He peered at him closely and sighed. Nothing had changed. After the dream, he'd entertained the hope that maybe some of the things that had happened in the past hours hadn't been real, but Rax's fractured neck plates and bitten ear were evidence to the contrary. And that meant that he still had a lot to think about. Not the least of which was the fact that he'd discovered what was responsible for his intermittent nightmares. Or more specifically, who. Now that he'd thought about it, they almost always occurred during the cycles that coincided with night time. He could finally put a name to the nameless shade that had chased him in his dreams. Princess Luna. Formerly, Nightmare Moon. If being forced to feed on his friend was like being thrown into the deep end of a pool and finding that there was a shark in it, then this new discovery was like finding there was a hydra in the pool, too. He didn't know who was supposed to be scared of whom. Or whether he was getting out alive once the winner was finished with the other.
Integration	Chapter 9	Six months before Integration... "Come on, grab my hoof and jump!" Sash growled as she hovered outside the window. "But it's so high. Are you sure you can even get any of us to the ground? What if you drop me?" the unicorn mare protested weakly as she stared out the window, at the streets of Canterlot far below. She then backed away and looked at everypony else for help. "And why do I have to be the first to jump? Can't somepony else go first?" "Ugh," Sash groaned in exasperation. "Look, the guards are busy fighting the changelings and the stairways are all blocked, so unless you want to try your luck getting through them, the window's the only way out of the palace. Now jump!" The mare only continued to look around fearfully. Come on, don't take all day. They're coming! Caramel peeped into the corridor from the room that they were hiding in and hastily withdrew when he saw one of the black bug-ponies buzz into another room up ahead. He listened intently for the sound of anything approaching, and when he was certain that nothing was coming after them, he left his post and hurried over to the window where the six other wedding guests were milling about. After the ugly queen thing had knocked out Princess Celestia, most of the guests had scattered. Lucky and the rest of his friends had fled through a different corridor, and Caramel and his small group had so far been fortunate enough to avoid the swarm that had entered through the Great Hall's windows. They'd avoided all the skirmishes between the guards and bugs at the exits, but they now had nowhere else to go. Except out the window. This is crazy. What did that thing do to Shining Armour? If the Princess and the Captain of the Royal Guard had fallen to her so easily, regular ponies like him and Sash stood no chance. And they weren't going to stick around to find out what happens after that. Best to leave the fighting to the professionals. Caramel shouldered his way past the others and placed both fore-hooves on the sill. Looking back at them, he said, "Fine, I'll go first; she knows what she's doing." He then clambered up to stand precariously on the edge. Sash hovered close and grabbed him with both forelegs. He felt a split-second of vertigo as she pulled him over the edge and reflexively hugged her tight as his hind legs dangled over empty space. "Not so tight--need to breathe," she cautioned. He relaxed a bit. Looking over Sash's shoulder and past her flapping wings, he could see the chaos spreading in the city below. Black clusters of changelings were swarming through the streets, clashing with packs of gold and white guards. Regular ponies were running everywhere in confusion. He could hear screams rising up from below, along with the sounds of brawling. "Okay, I'm taking him down and coming back in twenty seconds, so you guys had better form a line real quick," Sash instructed those still inside. "The longer you take to decide, the greater the chance one of those things is going to find you. See you in a bit!" With that said, Sash went into a rapid, tight spiral down to the streets. The wind whistled in his ears and tousled his mane as the ground drew closer. But just before they landed, Sash suddenly gasped, and he felt her pulse quicken to an alarming pace. She dropped him, but they were close enough to the ground that he was only lightly bruised after landing and rolling to disperse his momentum. Sash herself tumbled into a wide stance, wings twitching. She looked like she was trying not to snarl or something; her teeth were showing and her nose was half-wrinkled. "Uh, Sash? Are you okay?" he asked, hesitantly tapping her shoulder. Upon contact, she started rather violently and shook her head, taking in slow, deep breaths. For a moment, Caramel thought something was off about the colour of her eyes, but then she blinked and he saw that they were their usual amber. That's weird... "What on earth was that?" She rubbed her forehead and said, "Nothing. I've got to get the others down. Go hide and wait." And she took off without another word. "Hurry!" he called up, and mentally berated himself for being stupid. The last thing they needed was a shout drawing attention to them. So he made a quick dash to the shop-house nearby and hid in its back alley. When Sash brought down her next passenger, he quickly caught her attention with a short, sharp whistle and beckoned them over. Sash nudged her stallion passenger towards him and immediately flew up again for the next. The unicorn looked at him hesitantly, then shook his head and galloped down the street, heading straight for the nearest gate out of Canterlot. Caramel couldn't fault him for running away - he probably would've done the same if Sash wasn't staying behind to help the others out of the palace. They longer they stayed in one place, the greater the chance of being found. The bugs were raining down into the city like shooting stars. As it turned out, none of the others wanted to wait for Sash to finish ferrying everypony out either. Only the last one, an earth stallion whose name he vaguely remembered as Tinsel or something similar, actually chose to stick with them. Safety in numbers, and all that. "What do we do now?" Caramel asked. They were partially obscured from the flying changelings by the shadows thrown over them by the two-storey shop, but it would do little good if any of them actually were on the ground. And given the way those things were crash-landing all over the city, it was probably only a matter of time before one landed nearby. The sound of shattering glass was his answer. He turned and saw that one of the windows of the shop was lying scattered in a thousand pieces, and their companion had already leaped in. "Come on!" Tinsel urged. "We can hide in the cellar until this all blows over. Give the guards time to do their jobs. The Elements of Harmony should be on their way!" Caramel didn't really like the idea of hiding, much less in a shop that they'd technically just broken into. But before he could answer, Sash zipped up to the roof and dropped back down almost immediately. "Probably a good idea," she conceded as she shooed Caramel into the building. "There's way too many of them around town now. We'd be seen if we tried to make a run for it." "And if they come in for us? We'd be trapped." Caramel nudged the shards of broken glass at his hooves. "And... we've kind of already marked the building for them." "Do what you want. I'm hiding," Tinsel announced, and he disappeared down into the shop's cellar. Caramel looked at Sash. She seemed as bewildered as he was. "You know, if you flew fast enough you could just--" Sash frowned and swept aside his suggestion with a quick flick of her wing. "Shush! Don't even finish that. We're getting out of this together or not at all." Her tone left no room for argument, no matter how much he would have liked her to get to safety first. And a changeling crashing into the street just a block away convinced him that they were pretty much out of options. So they both followed their companion down the cold steps and into the dark. The minutes ticked by as they huddled together in the darkness. They could hear the screams and clashes outside. Eventually, the sounds became less frequent, but louder. They were coming closer. When Caramel had estimated that roughly half an hour had passed since their escape from the palace, he heard the sound of crunching glass. Guess it was just a matter of time. He felt an unnerving tingle creep up his spine. They'd not barricaded the door for fear of being sealed in complete darkness, but now that decision was starting to seem like a big mistake. Hoofsteps thumped on the floorboards as the creature explored the deserted shop. The unlocked door would be a dead giveaway. The three of them shuffled behind the boxes and other odds and ends that were stored below. From the sounds above, the changeling seemed to be alone. Jumping on it and incapacitating it before it could get help would probably be the best thing to do. So they waited. The wooden steps creaked as the changeling trotted down. Caramel didn't dare peep out, but he knew exactly when they needed to make their move. His heart pounded in his chest as he anxiously fiddled with the dusty rags he'd found lying on top of the boxes. As soon as its hooves clopped on the stone floor, he shouted, "Now!" and leaped out of cover and charged the same time as Sash and Tinsel did. The changeling screeched in surprise as all three of them fell upon it like a pack of wolves. Sash leaped and tackled it whilst Caramel and Tinsel rushed to restrain its hooves. He grunted and narrowed his eyes as its wings buzzed in his face. When its horn glowed green, Sash quickly slapped it with a hoof to make the spell fizzle out and promptly sat on top of its chest to stop it from getting up. It hissed angrily, and Caramel quickly brought some of the rags he'd found and gagged it. Sash and Tinsel worked on binding its legs and wings, and once it was trussed up good and proper, they headed up and shut it in the cellar. "What now?" he asked just before they stepped out. Sash hopped out and took to the air, disappearing from view. A few seconds later, she came back down and said, "I can see farther. I'll try to find us a clear path to the gate." "Lead on, ma'am," said Tinsel. No sooner had they left the building than a pair of changelings came galloping round the shop's corner. Their buzzing and chitters stopped when they saw them. They seemed rather surprised, and it took Caramel a moment to realise that they were looking rather intently at Sash as she stood between them and him. One of them gave a chirp that sounded almost like a question. What they hay is going on? "Caramel, run!" Sash hissed. Before he could process what was said, she'd already charged and rammed into the nearest of the two changelings. He heard Tinsel whirl round and gallop off. The second changeling seemed stunned by Sash's boldness as it watched her grapple with its companion on the pavement, but soon turned its attention to Caramel instead. It bared its fangs and hissed. Not good! Caramel was just only able to twist aside to avoid its lunge, and was grazed on his shoulder by one of its legs as it went past him. It left a wad of sticky green stuff on his coat. He tried to buck the creature, but his aim was wild and he only succeeded in setting himself up for another attack. The thing came at him from the side with frightening speed and tackled him to the ground. With all his breath knocked out of him, he was barely able to put up a fight. The changeling smeared on him more of the green stuff that came oozing out of the holes in its legs, and it felt like he was being covered in cold, sticky syrup. It made a mistake, though. He did manage roll onto his back and get his hind hooves under the creature's belly at one point, and quickly bucked it off. But when he tried to rise, he found that the green stuff had stuck fast to the ground. It stretched a bit, but quickly snapped back to its original shape and held him fast. A second later, the changeling came back, grinning. "What did we ever do to you?" he cried out in panic. It didn't answer. Instead, there was a bright flash of green light behind it, followed by a shriek and the sound of shattering glass. The changeling standing over him whirled around... "Get away from him!" he heard Sash bellow. There was another blinding green blast, and the changeling sailed right over him. He heard a crunchy smack as it collided with a building. Though he was plastered to the cobblestones, he managed to turn his head just enough to see it peel off the wall and collapse to the ground with a dazed expression on its face, wings twitching feebly. It had left an outline of its body on the scorched wall. "Are you... okay?" Sash panted. She was standing over him, and there were several cuts and bruises on her body. But that wasn't Caramel's main concern. He blinked once. Then twice. Then twice again for good measure. Sash had a horn, and it was still glowing green. And it wasn't turquoise like her coat--it was black, curved and sharp. "Uh, Sash..." He had absolutely no idea how to begin. She shifted uncomfortably and sighed. "Yeah, I've got a bit of explaining to do. Can I ask you to wait until we're at least out--" A whooshing sound cut her off. He turned and saw a bright, pinkish-purple globe rapidly expanding outward from the palace. It only took a few seconds to reach them, and Caramel felt it wash over him like a warm shower. He also heard what sounded like somepony getting smacked in the face with a rolled-up newspaper and a muted yelp of surprise. Once the purple globe had expanded until it had exceeded the size of the city, it dissipated into thin air. Caramel found that the sticky gunk holding him had shrivelled up and crumbled away, and he was free to move again. He could hear cheering in streets as ponies pranced around in joy, having been freed from their bonds just like he'd been. When he looked up, the sky was absolutely clear. The vicious changelings were all gone. And so was Sassaflash. * * * * * Fourteen days before Integration... It turned out that changelings could function for a remarkably long time without sleep. Skipping out on it for four days straight was unpleasant for Caramel, but he could still go about his daily routine without shambling around and moaning like a zombie. He actually wanted to do just that, though it was entirely for different reasons. Joining the changelings had a far heavier price than he'd anticipated. He might have been able to fool himself for a while into thinking of it as some adventure straight out of a Daring Do novel, where all sorts of crazy stuff happened but nopony got seriously hurt in the end. But now, he was neck-deep in this mess and he couldn't see any way out of it short of starting a rebellion. Which, given what he'd experienced in his recent attempt to disobey Chrysalis, was going to be a ridiculously stupid idea. And to top it all off, at least one of the Princesses was aware of the situation. That was the main reason he was avoiding sleep. She'll be waiting for me... Caramel was afraid. Afraid of what Princess Luna might think of him if he told her the truth. And lying was out of the question. He wasn't sure if that was possible in a dream, or if she'd be able to see right through him if he tried. Would she hold him responsible for what had happened to Lucky and the others? After all, it was starting to look like they'd come out here only because they were looking for him. And instead of freeing them, he'd actually leeched on Lucky. And that was before adding the fact that he looked like some ugly cross between a pony and a bug. And he knew that they were just excuses. One way or another, he would need to sleep soon, and the Princess of the Night would find him. It was like trying to hide from Miss Cheerilee after doing something that he knew was wrong. The longer he waited, the more cross she would be with him, and the less he wanted to fess up. Argh! He wanted to shout in frustration, but kept his mouth shut to avoid disturbing his neighbours. The resting period for this cycle wasn't over yet. Slowly, he settled back into the blankness that he'd grown accustomed to in the past few days. It was a kind of dormancy that wasn't quite sleep, but it still allowed him to feel some measure of rest. It was like daydreaming, without the thinking bit, and it made time pass faster. One moment he'd be lying on the ground, staring blankly into the darkness, and the next he'd realise that a substantial amount of time had gone by. A small nudge shook him out of his dormancy. Caramel blinked and found Sash waving a hoof in his face. "Caramel, I'm getting really worried about you. Are you zoning out like this every day?" she asked. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Now that he'd thought of it, he remembered seeing Sash trotting over to him and asking him something, but he'd simply not responded at the time. "I'm fine," he said. "I just had a long day." Sash crossed her holey forelegs. "Yeah, I'm not buying that. Remember what I said about not beating yourself up too much over what happened? Well, I hate to say it, but you're being way too hard on yourself right now. And..." She peered at him closely, "--are you losing sleep? You look a mess." "I'm okay, really," he lied. Sash gave him a look. Caramel kept eye contact for a few moments, but eventually wilted under the gaze of her unblinking eyes. "All right, fine--I'm not okay. Are you happy now?" "Talk to me, then. Don't let it eat you up from the inside. I know you've been avoiding everyone--" "Hey, I'm not avoiding anyone," he interrupted, "Where I work and sleep is no secret, and I've not changed my schedule." Sash frowned. "Not the point--you're not talking to anyone. And by that I mean dealing with what's happening. It looks like you're just trying to sweep everything under the rug and hoping that it will go away if nopony mentions it." Caramel raised a hoof to stall her. They were already starting to raise their voices. "Can we please take this somewhere else?" He nodded towards the changelings hanging from the ceiling nearby. "These guys are still sleeping, you know." She shrugged. "Lead the way." Caramel led her through the tunnels, only paying half his attention to where he was going. After a while, he realised that he'd gone to one of the water reservoirs. Must be thirsty. Wordlessly, he climbed down to the water mark and drank several mouthfuls. It was more than he needed, but he enjoyed the wetness in his mouth. There was more water than anyone needed at the moment, and most of it would seep into the rock before they could finish it, anyway. After his long drink, he clambered back to the top of the pit and sat on the edge. Sash settled down next to him, and all was quiet for the next few minutes, save for the endless dripping of water from the ceiling directly above the reservoir. "What do you think will happen if I went back to Ponyville like this?" he asked. Sash opened her mouth to answer, but stalled for several seconds. After a while, she hesitantly said, "Caramel, I don't think that's a very healthy train of thought." "You told me to talk. That's what I'm doing. I can't stop thinking about what I could've done differently. What I should have done differently." Sassaflash frowned. She spoke slowly, as if she was choosing her words with great care. "If you ask me, I don't think there's much that you could've done to change how that turned out. I believe Chrysalis wants you to experience every part of life down here, and no matter what you did, it would eventually involve teaching you how to... feed. And, well... you know how hard it is to say no to her." "I could've fought harder--" "Caramel, you were badly injured. The changeling part of you wouldn't have let you pass on the best chance to heal your body, even if you managed refuse her. Between your new instincts and Mother's force of will, anypony would have done the same in your place." She then placed a hoof reassuringly on his shoulder. "The only ones I can think of who might've been able to resist are the Princesses and maybe the Bearers of the Elements, and you know that we can't all be as strong as they are." "But... Tibia mentioned that some changelings have refused to come back to the hive. How did they manage that?" "It's easier to disobey when you're far from the hive. You, on the other hoof, were getting direct orders from the queen, face to face." Caramel fell silent. "It wasn't your fault, and there's nothing you could've done to avoid it." Sash paused, then hesitantly added, "Unless you chose not to come here..." No. Caramel turned to face her and held her with both forelegs. "Please don't say that. After what I've seen, there's no way I'm leaving you alone in this place. You're my friend, you're my special somepony, and I... I love you. I would do everything I can to make you happy." He then winced and looked away. "Ugh, that came out really cheesy." "Doesn't make it any less meaningful to me." Sash leaned in and nuzzled him on the cheek. "I love you too, Caramel." And she really meant it. Caramel could feel her love pouring out like a river, and it was with some measure of guilt that he soaked it in. But there was an undercurrent of anxiety and guilt in her emotions as well, and he realised that Sash was hurting on the inside as well; she was just much better at hiding it. And here he was, being all mopey and useless when she seemed like she needed somepony to talk to as much as he did. She truly did feel bad for capturing Lucky and Cherry. Time to stop feeling sorry for yourself, mister. He hugged her tight and whispered, "I'm sorry." "For what?" "For what I said to you about our friends. I... don't blame you for doing what you were ordered to. I'm sorry for acting like I'm the only one in here who's having a hard time. I know that you wouldn't hurt anypony by choice." Sash's ears drooped a bit as she looked away. After a moment of silence, she sighed and gave him a small smile. "Thanks. I think I needed that." They sat together in companionable silence after that. Caramel was content to simply be with her, even if they were only watching water drip into the pit. It reminded him of the times when they would sit atop the hill overlooking Ponyville and just while away the afternoon in the sun. For a moment, he could almost believe it to be exactly that. After a while, Caramel realised that they weren't the only ones in the reservoir. He twisted around when he heard a pair of voices arguing. They were coming from the single tunnel behind them, and he could see the shadows of their owners moving at the far end. One was significantly littler than the other. "--told you, go back!" That was definitely Rax's voice. Caramel wasn't surprised - he was practically his shadow at this point, so it made sense that he'd come looking for him after waking up. He was actually grateful that his friend and impromptu 'supervisor' was trying to give him some privacy instead of hovering closely when he was with Sash. "Says you, not Mother. Where is he? Did he tell you to help him hide or something?" Stickle? What's he doing out of the hatchery? "What's with those two?" asked Sash. He left her question hanging as he rose and trotted over to the two arguing changelings. Sash followed, and when he got to them, he saw that Rax had a hoof pressed down on Stickle's tail, who was glaring at him stubbornly whilst trying to pull free. "What're you guys doing here?" Caramel asked. Stickle nipped Rax's foreleg, eliciting a yelp of surprise from his elder sibling before breaking loose and leaping onto Caramel's back. "You haven't been around for ages--we've been waiting forever," he complained. "You promised!" Uh oh. Caramel remembered now. Between the rigorous training in Warrior Caste and the recent clash with the diamond dogs, he'd not had much of an opportunity to do much for the nymphs back in Keeper Caste. He grinned apologetically. "Sorry, buddy. I've been really busy. But remember that time when--" Stickle bounced on his back impatiently. "Yeah, yeah. You came back and shared some love and all that. But you didn't tell any stories. We want to hear more about Commander Hurricane or Captain Blizzard! Or you can tell us about what you did when you fought the diamond dogs!" "Oh, sure, the pony gets to be the hero. As if he was the only one fighting..." Rax muttered. "Why, are you jealous?" asked Stickle with a smug grin. "Mite and Pith think that the reason you follow him around everywhere is because you want to be more like him. You want to be his sidekick, don't you?" Rax's left eye twitched. He trotted closer, and Caramel nervously took a step back. His friend looked quite ready to pounce on the little blabbermouth sitting on his back. When he was about a tail-length away, Rax stopped and narrowed his eyes at Stickle. "Oh, really? And no one told you little grubs that it's because he needs someone to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid? Or watch his back? He has terrible spatial awareness, you know. Heh heh." Thanks, buddy. You're such a supportive guy... Caramel felt Stickle prod the back of his neck with a hoof. "Come on; show him how wrong he is!" This was rapidly getting out of hoof. Having the nymphs idolising ponies and him like that probably wouldn't sit very well with Chrysalis when she found out. If she hadn't already. Even if he didn't have a psychopathic changeling for a queen who might disapprove, nothing good ever came out of that kind of hero worship. Even foals were sometimes told not to expect miracles from the Princesses. He just needed to figure out a way to placate both Stickle and Rax... Sash chuckled. "You boys are cute when you're arguing. Well, I'll leave you to it--I've got work to do." As she trotted past, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "See you later." Rax stared after her. "That's just... eww." Caramel frowned. "I thought that's kind of the job and goal of all changelings. Never seen anyone give a kiss before?" His friend snorted. "Of course I have. But she meant it. It's freaky." "I don't see what's wrong. That love looked delicious to me," Stickle piped up. Caramel scratched his head. Apparently, for all his experience as a warrior, in pony terms, Rax was way behind in appreciating sincere affection simply because it existed and not because it was nourishing. On the plus side, though, it had served as a distraction. Caramel decided to make the most of it and steer the conversation away from their previous argument. "Stickle, did you sneak out of the hatchery?" he asked. "Nope." Stickle suddenly seemed very interested in inspecting the patterns of rock on the floor. "Eye contact, grub. Don't look away," Rax advised. Caramel didn't know whether he should be proud of Rax for acting like big brother or horrified at the fact that he was teaching Stickle how to be a better liar. Sure, lying was an important part of their feeding habits, but still... "You should go back. The overseer would be worried about you," he said, giving him a nudge towards the exit. "You're not supposed to be down here, anyway." Boom. Stickle resisted. "Wait, when are you coming to see us again?" Boom. "Maybe after sentry duty, okay?" Caramel said, frowning as he looked around. "But--" "Quiet!" Rax snapped, effectively silencing his little brother. Now that nopony was speaking, Caramel became aware of a constant rumble, punctuated every now and then by a dull, booming sort of crash. It was a familiar sound--the movements of quarray eels deep below had always been audible from almost any part of the hive, to the point where he could pretty much filter out their comings and goings as typical background noise in his everyday life. But this time, the noise was near-constant and significantly louder. He turned to Rax, and his tense posture and urgent expression was all he needed to realise that this was the one, almost-forgotten thing that he'd been dreading since his transfer to Warrior Caste. Now, of all times. "Is that what I think it is?" Stickle asked. "Yes, now get lost and let the grown-ups get to work," Rax replied. His words had the opposite effect on Stickle, though, for he bounced on all fours and cried, "I want to see this!" Caramel stepped in before things got out of hoof. "Stickle, I need you to go home now," he urged, trying to keep his voice from quivering. "This isn't something you'd want to see." Boom. This time, the ground trembled slightly. Water droplets rained from the ceiling. Stickle was still inclined to be stubborn, though. "Come on, I'm already out here. Can't I--" Boom. Caramel remembered the sickening crunch when the diamond dog's club struck Chitin's head. He remembered the sight of claws slashing through carapace and flesh. He remembered the smears of blood on the ground. And that was probably only a fraction of what the sounds he was hearing now promised. That was not something he would wish on anypony, least of all his foster siblings. He rounded on Stickle and put on his sternest expression. "No. This is not a game. Get back to the hatchery and stay with the grown-ups." "But you are a grown-up!" "In the hatchery. Quit dawdling!" Stickle opened his mouth to argue, but Caramel looked him in the eyes, fiercely shook his head and jabbed a hoof towards the exit. "That's an order, Stickle. If you ever want to be a royal guard, you'd better learn to act like one!" he growled. He could feel a spark of hurt and resentment as Stickle gave him a reproachful look, but he knew that it was the right thing to do. After he was satisfied that he'd really gone and wasn't trying to follow, Caramel turned to Rax and saw that he was already rushing off. He broke into a gallop after him as his mind wrestled with what he was hearing and what he'd been taught about quarray eels. Too close. There was an eel boring its way into the hive nearby, and it sounded like it was coming from above. He'd learned that most encounters were in the larger shafts below, which Builder Caste had sealed off with their mixture of rock and resin. It was easier for the eels to come up from there using the natural caves and shafts, whereas the earth surrounding the main parts of the hive was mostly solid rock. Mostly. The rumbling got louder as they went higher, until they were almost level with the hatchery. Caramel and Rax were amongst the first from Warrior Caste to reach where the rumbling was loudest--a small, disused natural chamber which sloped and narrowed into a little fissure in the floor, into which a small stream of runoff from the surface was flowing. Every now and then, the water would bubble and spurt back out from the fissure as air was forced through, accompanied by a loud hiss and more rumbling from the earth. "What now?" he asked. Rax took a few steps back. "Wait for the others." It didn't take long for Overseer Skeehar and more of their caste-mates to arrive. There was only enough room in the chamber for eight or so changelings, even with half of them clinging to the walls or ceiling, so most of the reinforcements had to wait in the main tunnels. "Alright, grubs, to your posts! You should know what to do by now!" Skeehar shouted as she barged to the front. The best magic users were always sent ahead to deter anything that tried to get through, and although Caramel was nowhere near as good with magic as some of his peers, he made up for it with his considerable reserves acquired from his relationship with Sassaflash. The others would wait outside the chamber, ready to jump into the fight if anything made it past them. There was a thunderous crash as he took his spot on the ceiling, and everything shook. A guttural sound reached his ears--deep, resonant and hungry. A quarray eel. He'd always wanted to see those in Ghastly Gorge--from a safe distance. And now he was going to meet one practically face to face. It's funny how life likes to grant your wishes in the worst possible way... Another crash shook the chamber, and water violently jetted out of the crack, drenching Skeehar and a few others who happened to be in the way. No one moved as the rock groaned and cracks branched out from the natural fissure. Water began to pool in the chamber as the only flow out was blocked by the creature on the other side of the cracks. "Fire up!" Skeehar growled. Caramel dug into his reserves and prepared to convert it into heat energy, and stopped just short of releasing it. The entire chamber was bathed in green light as their horns glowed with the fire just waiting to be unleashed. There was another impact on the other side of the fissure, and the cracks spread. The earth trembled with the movement of the creature. It sounded massive. Beads of sweat trickled down Caramel's head as the rock broke into chunks and bulged upward, sending a forth a wave of water that lapped at the hooves of those standing on the ground. Then, the tone of the rumbling changed. It became less like rock being crushed and more like bricks grinding against each other. The bulging rubble suddenly sagged and crumbled, and several chunks of it fell into the darkness as water and air was sucked back into the now gaping hole. With no luminous growths in the freshly dug tunnel, it was impossible to see what lay beyond. "Wait for it to show its face!" Skeehar hissed. Caramel suddenly realised that everything was quiet. There was no more rumbling--just the trickling of water, their breathing, and the steady hum of their readied spells. Somehow, that was even worse than the ominous rumbling. He knew that it was in there, it was just taking its sweet time to show itself. His nerves were already highly strung, and he could feel himself fidgeting in spite of his efforts to calmly wait as he'd been taught. Knowing that the quarray eel was coming didn't make it any less terrifying when it finally decided to attack. There was an explosion of dirt, rock and water, and as he raised a hoof to protect himself, he saw massive head burst into the chamber with blinding speed, jaws agape. He instantly released his blast of magic, and very nearly released his bladder's contents as well. Unfortunately, fright had completely ruined his aim, and the blast struck plain rock. Less unfortunately, though, the opening was still too narrow for the rest of the creature's head, and its jaws snapped shut a full five tail-lengths away from them. Its eyes were yellow and relatively small, but they seemed to glow with predatory intelligence. It also had sharp fangs that protruded from its lower jaw, and Caramel had to stop himself from gagging when he breathed in the sour, earthy stench coming from its nostrils. "Now, blast it!" Skeehar shouted. It snapped its eyes shut as a half dozen or so bolts of fire struck its face, and it snarled and thrashed violently to get itself unstuck. "Again!" This time, Caramel's aim was steady. Their fire struck it once more, and he saw the scorched remnants of scales peeling off from its face and snout. The narrow chamber shook as it wrenched its head free and rapidly slid back down into the darkness. He'd barely had enough time to sigh in relief when it surged up again, effectively shattering what was left of the barrier that was preventing it from entering the hive. Oh, hayseed. "Fall back!" Skeehar bellowed. The others obeyed and hastily scrambled back up the tunnel towards the hatchery. Since Caramel, Rax and another warrior were at the forefront with the overseer, they kept up a steady barrage of fire bolts on the eel as it slithered towards them like a giant snake. They kept moving backwards as it advanced, and had to leap back every now and then when the eel surged forward and snapped its jaws. "Tchaak!" Rax swore when it nearly took his snout off. "Persistent grub," Skeehar agreed. They were steadily losing ground. In spite of the bleeding, smoking gashes on its snout and face, the eel just kept on coming, and their reserves of magic couldn't last forever. If Caramel was already feeling the pinch, the others were almost certainly a few blasts away from running dry. One by one, their bolts grew feebler, until he and Skeehar were the only ones shooting. The eel took advantage of this, and they were forced back into the main tunnels where there was much more room for it to manoeuvre. It hissed and turned towards the tunnel leading into the hatchery. It's after the eggs, Caramel realised. Or the nymphs. The wider tunnel did offer one advantage, though. The extra space meant that more changelings could engage the quarray, and that was exactly what Skeehar's reserve fighters had been waiting for. They swarmed the eel, hacking and bashing it with weapons they'd seized from the diamond dogs and blasting it with fire whenever they managed to open a wound through its scales. Caramel continued to harry it with smaller, more economical blasts to its eyes which were meant to distract and irritate rather than do real harm. Running dry was the last thing he wanted to do, and besides, he was certain that Chrysalis was already on the way. Sure enough, moments later he felt his blood rise with repressed violence. The eel, however, was far from defeated. Caramel estimated its full length to be at least seventy feet, and it thrashed violently whenever the others got close enough to attack it with their weapons, whether natural or scavenged. That made it extremely dangerous for anyone to try to get through the sections of the tunnel that it was occupying--they had to get to its front or back through quick detours through adjacent or parallel tunnels. For the most part, Caramel remained at its front to attack its more vulnerable spots. "Keep it away from the eggs!" Skeehar shouted. "Hold it off until the queen arrives!" They obeyed by clustering around the tunnels that led to the hatchery, forming a living barricade that spat sticky saliva and fired bolts of magic if the eel got too close. It snarled at them, but kept its distance. Every now and then, it would lunge and snap at them, and as one they would leap back to avoid its jaws, only to beat it back with hooves, clubs and magic. The rest of the warriors would also be attacking it from behind, and it would eventually retreat a bit to deal with them. It was a stalemate. At least, until Chrysalis arrives. Caramel had to grin at the prospect of the queen giving it a good thrashing. Then, a distant rumble caught his attention. It was coming from somewhere behind the eel. He could just glimpse the opening from which it had entered the hive, and his jaw dropped when he saw a second quarray slither in. Oh, horse apples. Another one? His blood ran cold when he lost sight of it. The passage it had entered led upwards, which meant that it was heading to any one of three places: the fungus farms, the queen's chamber, or the prison. And it didn't take a genius to figure out which one it was probably most interested in. Skeehar had seen it too. "After it! Keep it busy!" she roared at those harassing the first eel from behind. They quickly took off after it. Lucky. Cherry Berry. I can't stay here. Caramel took a step towards one of the parallel tunnels that would let him get past the eel and chase after the second one. He couldn't just leave his helpless friends there, not when there was a bloodthirsty quarray lurking around. "What are you doing?" Rax hissed. He turned and saw his friend's suspicious frown. "Sorry. I can't leave them," he said, right before the eel lunged at them. Everyone leaped back to avoid its jaws, but Caramel dodged to the side and ran sideways along the wall towards the parallel tunnel. The eel swung its head to the side and chomped down, and he felt a sharp tug on his tail as he dashed away. When he looked back, he saw that the end of his tail had been bitten clean off. Luckily, changeling tails were close enough to ponies' that it was painless, and he managed to scramble into the safety of the narrower passage without further harm. "Get back here!" he heard Skeehar shout. At the same time, he felt a pressure descend on his mind. His running slowed, and he felt a surge of guilt and dread for daring to disobey his commanding officer. Oh, hayseed. She can do that too? He gritted his teeth and stood still, resisting the urge to turn around. Then there came the all too familiar feeling that he was doing terrible things, like kicking colts and fillies aside because he wanted to get past them, or laughing at cripples and beggars. But at the same time, he realised that there was more at stake than his conscience. If the quarray got to the pods and managed to drag one all the way back to its nest, the kind of feeding that would ensue would be a lot less survivable than what changelings did to their captives. If he must trample on others to help protect those ponies, then so be it. May you bugs rot in the deepest dungeons for making me do this, he thought with bitter tears as he injured and abused imaginary ponies in his mind. In the real world, he took one step forward. Then another. And another. With each step, the guilt and urge to turn back increased, but so did his resolve to not abandon his friends. If Chrysalis thinks joining the hive means I must forget all about what makes me a pony, then she can go stuff it up-- A shout and a crash interrupted his train of thought, right before something collided with him from behind. After stumbling a bit, he turned and saw Rax panting by his side. "What're you looking at? Move!" Rax hissed. Caramel complied, but with the compulsion still weighing heavily on him, he was too slow for his liking. That's when Rax started hustling him along like a prisoner being led to the torture chamber. Whenever he stalled, his friend would shove and bully him along until he started moving with appreciable speed. But once he'd put some distance between himself and the overseer, he gradually regained his composure. "You do realise that we're going to get our flanks cooked for insubordination, right?" Rax asked as they followed the trail of the second quarray. "Yeah. Isn't it fun?" Caramel deadpanned. Rax snorted. "Wow, you pick the best times to grow a sense of humour." "Bite me." Shouts and screeching became audible as they approached the captive chamber. The earth rumbled, and a large shadow loomed at the last bend in the tunnel. If Caramel had ever wondered what standing in front of a train was like, he wouldn't have been disappointed. He froze when he saw the massive eel surging towards him, and if it hadn't been for Rax's biting him on the mane and yanking him aside, he might've been squashed flat by its bulk and momentum. He pressed himself against the tunnel wall--there was just enough space in there that the quarray could go past them without grinding them to mushy bits against the rock, so long as it didn't decide to throw its weight to the side or anything like that. But just before it passed them, Caramel realised that the eel had two pods in tow, their torn 'stalks' firmly in its jaws as they bounced against the floor. That's when he saw red. He broke into an all-out gallop after the quarray, with his heart pounding and his horn blazing with energy. He didn't know if it was the combat pheromones finally getting to him, or it was because of the sight of two ponies being dragged to their doom--he only knew that this time, he would not fail anypony. A second later, he heard the voices of other changelings from behind as the eel's pursuers caught up. Sassaflash was apparently amongst them. "Just let it go!" she shouted. "Are you crazy?" he yelled without looking back. "They're going to die!" "There's nothing we can do!" No. You're wrong! Caramel fired an intense blast at the fleeing eel and sheared off part of the fin on its spine, eliciting a pained snarl from it. He fired again and made a smoking gash on its side. He blinked furiously as bits of ash, burnt scale and foul smoke got into his eyes. But it wasn't enough to stop the eel. In fact, his attacks only seemed to make it go faster. No! The tunnel was wide enough to grant him a view of what lay ahead even with the quarray directly in front of him, and he saw that the eel was heading straight for the chamber that it had come from. The first eel was already slithering away to freedom, being pelted by small bursts of magic from Skeehar's group. One had escaped, another was about to. In his panic, Caramel tried to grab the quarray by the tail and quickly found that no amount of desperation was going to grant him the kind of power needed to stop several thousand pounds' worth of predator in its tracks. Come on, think of something... He could vaguely hear the shouts of the others, telling him to forget about the quarray, that there was nothing he could do, that he should just let it go. Or something along those lines. He ignored them. There was a way. There had to be! Caramel channelled as much of his reserves as he could, shaping it into kinetic force rather than heat. If he couldn't stop the eel, he could at least divert it to buy some time for the others to overpower it. Please don't miss, please don't miss... His blast went right over the quarray's back, inches from its highest dorsal fin, and struck the ceiling of the exit tunnel. The explosion sent a shockwave and debris, dust and water from the point of impact, revealing large cracks in the rock. It was enough to make the quarray stop in surprise, but not quite enough to effectively block its escape. In the moment it hesitated, Caramel skidded to a halt and crudely grasped at the cracks in the ceiling with his magic. He ground his teeth as he poured whatever he had left into shifting the chunks loose from the ceiling, shifting pressure into every weak spot he could find in the rock. An ache built up inside his skull as an odd vibration rang in his ears, and it took him a moment to realise that it was his own voice--he was screaming with the effort. Then, one by one, boulders fell from the ceiling and crashed to the floor, their thunderous impacts pulverising loose debris and sending shards and flakes in every direction. When the last pebble had fallen, the tunnel was clogged up by a mound of debris, with only a tiny space at the top. The quarray hissed in frustration and tried to bulldoze its way through, but only succeeded in getting its snout stuck in the opening. It dropped the pods and stuck its head in again, twisting and thrashing wildly. Slowly, the rocks began to shift. It would only be a matter of time till it cleared enough to squeeze through. Caramel whirled round and found a Rax and a whole group of other warriors and hunters standing behind, staring. "Come on, hurry before it breaks through!" he urged. Most of them did little more than take a hesitant step forward. Meanwhile, the quarray had already shifted a quarter of the blockage. "What's wrong with you guys? Help me!" Caramel shouted. "It's going to take those ponies away!" There was no time left to wait for them to wait. He had to move to save the two comatose ponies before the quarray picked them up again. After a taking a deep breath, he charged straight towards the eel. Then, he heard the thunder of hooves and buzz of wings, and his heart leapt when he saw other changelings following his lead. Sash and Rax were amongst them too. Unfortunately, the quarray took notice of them. It immediately abandoned its efforts to break through the blockage, snagged up both pods by their ends with its mouth and surged down another tunnel. It was heading down to the barracks, and from there it would probably find one of the shafts that led to the old city to make its escape. Doggedly, Caramel pursued it down the tunnel with the others close behind. Its wounds were finally slowing it down, but there was no way for them to effectively restrain it by physical means--attempting to latch onto its lashing tail would be a bad idea no matter how many of them there were, and the tunnel was too narrow for them to safely overtake it. Their opportunity came when the tunnel's incline became vertical and opened up into the large cavern beneath the dwellings of Warrior Caste. The same one where he'd gotten a taste of the combat pheromones. The quarray slid out and fell the whole five storeys' worth of distance between the opening and the cavern floor, and there was a bone-breaking crunch when it struck the bottom. Green fluid splattered in every direction, and it took him a moment to realise that one of the pods had burst from the impact. The quarray itself appeared stunned by the fall, as it groggily turned its head this way and that. Caramel saw the whole scene below as he and they others fanned out from the tunnel exit, hovering from a safe height as they waited for everyone to get into place. "Wait," he cautioned, lifting a hoof in emphasis. He could see the pony from the ruptured pod right next to the eel's head, and he did not want to risk getting him or her crushed if the quarray decided to put up a struggle. There has to be a way to get it to leave them... Unfortunately, the eel decided it for them. It abandoned the ruptured pod and began to slither off with its lone prize still in its jaws. "Now!" Caramel shouted, and everyone streaked down towards the beast. At the same time, he heard Sassaflash directing a few others to go and tend to the freed pony to make sure that everything was okay. They fell upon the quarray like ants on a caterpillar. In the openness of the large cavern, their numbers were finally an advantage. It could thrash about all it liked--there was plenty of space for them to manoeuvre, and unless they got sloppy and allowed it to roll over them, the risk of getting crushed was much lower. They only had to worry about its jaws and lashing tail, so most of them chose to land on its midsection and wreak havoc with their hooves and magical fire. Caramel found one of the gashes on its back where the scales had been seared away, and dug the notched edge of his hoof into directly into the wound. Others who had magic began to burn and prize away weakened scales, enabling their partners to attack the more vulnerable flesh beneath. The quarray roared in pain and thrashed wildly, and they broke away and took to the air whenever it attempted to roll and crush them. Still, it kept fleeing, and as it drew closer to one of the tunnels without showing any signs of giving up its victim, Caramel put on a burst of speed, flew ahead of it and started flinging resin from his glands right into its eyes. Most of his shots missed, but one or two globs got into its eye and nostrils, and it shook its head violently in an effort to remove the offending stuff. The pod bounced forcefully, but it didn't burst and its stalk remained intact. And the quarray was still heading towards the tunnel. Does it even use its eyes? How the heck does it know where to go? The hole in the ground ahead loomed wider and wider. Too close. The quarray was going to get away. He had to free the pony now. Caramel flew in close and hovered tantalisingly in front of its face. It was a really stupid move, but he had no choice left. At the back of his mind, he was dimly aware of Rax shouting something at him. Unfortunately, the quarray didn't take the bait. It made no attempt to bite him, else it would've lost the pod. Caramel mentally snarled in frustration and landed directly on its snout. That provoked a reaction. The eel thrashed its head, but he held on tight and fought the onset of dizziness. When it stopped, he clambered to the side of its jaw and tried to burn through the stalk of the pod with magic. He only succeeded in giving himself a headache--his reserves were dry. He then spat on his hoof and rubbed it vigorously against the stalk. His saliva partially dissolved the dried resin and softened it a bit, but there was no time left. They were practically upon the exit tunnel. So he snagged the sharp edge of one of the holes in his foreleg on the stalk. It took a frantic second of working it back and forth, but the rubbery thing finally snapped and the pod bounced away. Job done, Caramel leaped into the air... and heard a loud snap just before bone-shattering agony exploded in his right hind leg. The quarray surged into the sloping tunnel as he hung helplessly, his leg firmly in its jaw and his back grinding against the ground. He screamed as his wings were shredded. But through the tears of pain, he saw Rax and another changeling flit close and land on the quarray's head, just as he had done. The only difference was that they did it from behind, and had to be a lot more careful to avoid getting crushed against the tunnel ceiling. He saw the dismay on Rax's face when he took a look at his broken leg, and as his friend skittered over to the quarray's face, he tried to shout at him, to tell him to just leave. Only an incoherent groan left his mouth. He saw the quarray's eye swivel to glare at his friend, just before Rax gouged it with his horn. The eel roared in agony and jerked its entire head upwards, and Caramel heard a sickening crunch before he tumbled to the ground and bounced several times before coming to a screeching halt on his side. As he struggled to his hooves, he saw the quarray surge through a hole in the side of the tunnel--the one that opened to the old changeling city deep below. Shortly after, a dark shape tumbled down the sloping tunnel after it. No. Oh sweet Celestia, please, no... There was blood everywhere. There were cracks all over Rax's carapace, and his limbs were all bent at unnatural angles. His body rolled and slowed until it was right at the edge. Caramel limped after him, grinding his teeth against the agony in his hind leg and the searing pain in his tattered wings. One of Rax's limbs dangled over the edge. "No, hang on. Just hang on..." he pleaded. He was just only a few steps away... Rax's limp body shifted, and he fell just before Caramel reached out and missed. A second later, panic set in his chest as he found himself slipping on Rax's blood. He groped futilely as he too went over the edge. The wind roared in his ears for what seemed like a very long time. It was utterly dark--there were no luminous growths to provide light, and his horn was useless. Then, there was a tremendous splash, and the world became a muted storm of gurgles and rumbles. Water. Flowing water. He vaguely remembered being told about the old city getting flooded during the rainy season. At the same time, he realised that he was going to drown if he didn't act fast. He tried to tread water, but quickly found that changelings had a tendency to sink, what with their dense frames and holes in their legs. He was terrible at floating, and the current, though relatively slow, wasn't doing him any favours. Green lights flashed from above as he sank, and he made one last, desperate attempt to get back to the surface. Slowly, he ascended towards the light, not daring to release his breath for fear of losing what little buoyancy he had, even though his lungs were burning. With a final, agonised kick, he broke the surface. He gasped as two pairs of hooves grabbed at him, and he allowed himself to be lifted from the watery grave. He blinked when he recognised Sash as one of his rescuers. "Wait..." he murmured. Looking down at the vast expanse of flowing water, he tried to pull her back, to get her to stop. "We need... to find him." "He's gone, Caramel," Sash said in a strained voice. "We'll never find him in this. He probably didn't even survive what the quarray did to him." No, there's got to be a chance. He feebly shook his head. "Please," he begged. He turned to his other rescuer and continued, "We have to try!" The other changeling was silent. "I'm sorry," Sash replied. Caramel was hurting all over. His hind leg was throbbing abominably, his shredded wings were wells of pain, and he was shivering from his dip in the frigid underground river. But on the inside, he was growing numb. It began when Sash carried him back up the tunnel, when he finally got a good look at the occupant of the pod that he had freed from the quarray. She was on old, decrepit earth pony, wrinkled and skeletal in appearance. Loose hairs were floating all around her like dead leaves in the wind. It was immediately apparent that she wouldn't have long to live even if she were freed. When they got back into the cavern beneath the barracks, he found the pony from the ruptured pod to be similarly old. The featherless, balding pegasus was lying in a puddle of green fluid, drooling between slow, ragged breaths. He apparently didn't have much time left, either. Queen Chrysalis and a few others was standing over the elderly pegasus, and when Caramel got close, she gave him a disappointed scowl. "You should have listened," she said. "I couldn't just let them get taken," he murmured. Deep down, he knew that it had been the right thing to do. He couldn't have left them just because they were old! But at the same time, he couldn't help feeling that it would have been better for everyone if he had simply let the quarray take them away. Rax was gone, and for what? To extend the life of two old ponies by a few weeks, maybe months, at the most? It was just... unfair. "Where were you?" he retorted. "You could've beaten the quarray flat!" "She was with us," snapped one of the changelings nearby. Hunter Caste, from the looks of her. "The queen was healing those who got chewed up when that thing broke into the repository and stole two pods. We would've lost three instead of just one if she hadn't stabilised them." "I let it escape because we could afford to," Chrysalis explained. She gestured at the wheezing, half-conscious pegasus before her and added, "He doesn't have much time left anyway. There wouldn't have been much point in trying to get him back. As I said, you should have listened to your siblings when they warned you to let it go." "But... I couldn't..." he whispered. "It's not right--" The elderly pegasus suddenly gasped, drawing everyone's attention. He blinked several times, revealing eyes that had gone milky with age. "Cinnamon? Tarty? Have you been hiding Grandpa's glasses again? Why... why are all the lights out?" he murmured in a wheezy voice. "Because you're free," Chrysalis replied. The old pegasus didn't seem to hear. "Children? Where are you?" he whispered. Chrysalis' horn glowed, and the entire puddle of fluid around the pegasus glowed. It flowed and coalesced around the old pony, until his entire body was engulfed. He stiffened and tried to flail about when it went into his mouth and nostrils, eyes widening in fear. "Just breathe," Chrysalis soothed. "Go back to your family. Sleep." Slowly, the pegasus calmed, until the only movement he made was the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed the fluid. The green aura brightened for a moment, and the surface of the fluid developed a glossy sheen as it hardened. When it was over, Chrysalis levitated the new pod over to the others, saying, "Take it back. And be careful, he's fragile enough as he is." Then, turning her attention Caramel, she sternly added, "Your kind of morality has a steep price in our world, and Thorax paid for your conscience with his life. I'll leave it to you to decide if it was worth it." * * * * * Nearly two hours later, Caramel was huddled up in the dead end of a disused tunnel. Everything had been a blurry haze since Sash had carried him back up into the hive. He hadn't flinched when Skeehar gave him a verbal beat down for disobeying her orders, nor had he been able to answer her when she told him to speak up for his actions. He simply kept silent and took whatever abuse came his way, even when she became physical to provoke a reaction from him. Eventually, Skeehar had seen fit to temporarily discharge him from Warrior Caste. Then, like a homeless pony, he'd simply wandered around aimlessly until he'd found a dead end that was secluded from any activity in the hive. At some time in the middle of the night cycle, he became aware that there were three other changelings in the tunnel with him. When he looked up, he recognised Mandible, Scritch and Chitin. Rax's brood mates. "You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" Mandible hissed. Caramel didn't answer. He couldn't. Mandible shoved her muzzle in front of his and snarled, "Rax might have been an idiot, but he was still our brother." He averted his eyes, then grunted in pain when she slammed her hoof into his chest. Stars exploded in his vision when she followed up with a heavy back-hoof to the side of his jaw, knocking out a tooth. He fell flat onto the floor, gasping for breath. "Useless grub," she spat before getting up and kicking dirt in his face. A moment later, he found Scritch leaning down by his side. "Sorry. We just need to get this out before we stop caring." What? For a moment, the oddity of that statement roused his mind from its stupor. What did he mean by that? But he had no chance to think further, as Scritch grabbed his mane, lifted his head up and then slammed it back onto the ground. Pain shot through his jaw and tongue, and he tasted blood. As he squeezed his eyes tight against the pain, he heard Scritch stalking off. Slowly, he opened his eyes, just in time to see Chitin fling a pebble at him, and it struck him squarely in the forehead. Though it was only a small stone, it hurt just as much as everything else when he sensed her bitterness and sorrow. They really do care for each other... And that was when then he remembered Overseer Tibia's words; "Changelings who fall in love don't stay in love if their partner dies. It's just how we are." Maybe it applied to siblings as well. Maybe that was why they spoke so casually about their dead when he was in the fungus farms, as if the only things they cared about their relatives was how to make the best use of their remains, as if they were little more than forgotten memories... Maybe that was why Rax's closest siblings wanted to punish him before they stopped caring. How long would it take them to reach that stage? Dread formed like a rock in his stomach when he realised that the same might happen to him. Was that why he was feeling so numb? Up until that point, he'd not even shed a single tear over Rax. He just felt... hollow. "Caramel?" He looked up in surprise. Chitin was gone. Instead, it was Sash standing in front of him. When he didn't voice a reply, she lay down next to him. For several minutes, all was silent. He kept his eyes down, but he could feel her concerned gaze on him. She didn't speak, and she didn't touch him either. But she was just close enough that he could lean on her, as if she was giving him the option if he wanted to. She was simply there for him. His numbness was slowly giving way to... something else. Discomfort. Guilt, maybe. Even after all that had happened, Sash was still willing to keep him company. Was it because she had already gotten over the passing of her sibling? Or was it because she was just used to this sort of tragedy? The more he thought about it, the less he wanted to remain in the hive. Would they get over each other just as easily if the same happened to either of them? He didn't know. The silence stretched on as his discomfort grew, and eventually, he could stand it no longer. "I want to go home..." he blubbered past his swollen tongue. "I... I understand." He looked up and saw her gazing sadly at him. She really meant it. "But I can't come with you," she continued. "Why?" It came out like a pathetic whine. "Where would we go? We're changelings. Everypony is already on high alert. We can't stay hidden forever." He shook his head. "I don't know... we'll think of something. Maybe--" Sash placed a hoof on his foreleg. "I'm sorry. I love you, Caramel, but I love my brothers and sisters too. I... can't leave them. Not after the invasion has left the whole hive in bad shape. We can't afford to lose anyone right now." Her firm tone made it clear that she meant what she'd said. She wouldn't leave the hive. Not even for him. Some primal part of him oozed resentment at that, but he regretted the thought almost immediately when he sensed that her love was very real. He could taste it. She was still cared for him. It was just that she cared for others as well, and she was willing to put their needs before hers and his. It was more pony-like than anything he'd exhibited since his coming to the hive. Now that he thought about it, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that had done it for her sake, deep down, his 'chivalry' was still self-serving in a way. He was the one who needed her. Not the other way around. She was so much stronger than him, and he now knew without a doubt that only one of them was capable of carrying on without the other. He slumped and hung his head. Maybe it was better for everyone if he'd never come to the hive. Then Sash wouldn't have to waste her time looking after him instead of her real family. He squeezed his eyes shut as another thought occurred to him; And Rax would still be alive. A low moan escaped him as the guilt and heartache set in. His vision grew blurry as the tears began to flow. He lay flat on the ground and turned away from Sash, covering his face with his forelegs to hide himself from the world. "Caramel..." he heard her say. She sounded like she was going to cry as well, and it only made him feel more undeserving and pathetic for forcing her to share in his sorrow and guilt and shame. "I'm so... so sorry," he choked out between sobs. He heard a sniffle from Sash, and felt warmth as she held him gently like a mother comforting her foal. It was warmth and love that he did not deserve. He tried to pull away, but she did not let go. "It's going to be okay," she whispered, and he felt something drip onto his back. "We'll pull through. You'll see. Just hang in there." Eventually, he stopped trying to struggle and simply cried with her.
Integration	Chapter 10	Four months before Integration... The mixture of hay and potato slices sizzled in the pan. Caramel inhaled deeply and felt his stomach rumble in anticipation of dinner. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time, enjoying the simple pleasure of cooking an evening meal. Somepony knocked on his front door. That was odd. He wasn't expecting any visitors. Mom and Dad seldom showed up unannounced, and his friends were usually a lot more boisterous than the decidedly timid knock that he'd just only been able to make out over the sound of his sizzling meal. He took it off the fire and placed it in the oven instead, then trotted out into the living room. Whoever it was knocked again, more urgently this time. "Coming," he called out. "Just hang on." After fumbling with the keys for a moment, he opened the door and said, "Hey there, good eveni--" The rest of his words died off when he recognised the pegasus standing outside. "Hello, Caramel." Sassaflash smiled meekly. "May I come in?" Oh hayseed, she's back? What do I do, what do I do, what do I do? He recoiled in a panic from the storm roiling up from within. It was about seven weeks since he last saw her in the attack on Canterlot, and about two since he'd finally come to accept that he was never going to see her again. He remembered curling up in his bed like a madmare with a mental breakdown, struggling to come to terms with the fact that their relationship had been nothing more than what Twilight Sparkle called 'a changeling's natural feeding routine' in her seminars. He'd only recently been able to push her out of his mind; why come back now, of all times? His hind legs met some resistance, and he yelped when he found himself tripping over the coffee table. He landed on his haunches and stared as Sash let herself in and discreetly shut the door. Oh no. He knew that he should be calling for help. Guard patrols were now commonplace; a simple shout would bring a troop of them over in moments. She was definitely a changeling. They'd done a full census recently, and Sassaflash was amongst the group of ponies whose identities were totally made up. They were all either currently missing, or already captured by the royal guards. There was no record of a Sassaflash having lived anywhere; Shining Armour had made sure of that. Come on, just shout and they'll take it away. Do it! But he couldn't. Now that she was here, he couldn't help but cling to the hope that maybe Sassaflash was real after all. That any second now, a couple of guards would trot in after her to announce that she'd been rescued from whatever place the doppelganger had hidden her in. That she really was the pony that he'd grown up with. That she'd only been captured sometime during the wedding and that he hadn't spent most of his life with a fake. Nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the turquoise pegasus that was supposed to be Sassaflash simply sighed and said, "I'm sorry." "What?" "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth." "About what?" He wanted to hear it specifically. No more doubts or second guesses. Sash swallowed. Green flames ignited at her hooves, then seared their way upwards. They left her legs black, hard and holey as they went up, and eventually left her eyes blue throughout, along with a curved horn, translucent wings and a fin-like crest in place of her mane. She shifted nervously in her new form. "I'm really not a pony. But I think you've figured that out already. I just want you to know that there isn't anyone named Sassaflash locked away somewhere. I made the name up and pretended to be a pegasus sixteen years ago." Caramel slumped. Guess it was too much to hope for. Then, he stared at the changeling. "So why are you telling me this?" "I felt that I owed it to you, after all we've been through. This is what I really look like." Her voice had gone all raspy. He frowned. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because I don't think it's working." The changeling sighed and took a step forward. Caramel tensed and took a deep breath, ready to shout if she decided to attack. She froze and said, "Caramel, please don't scream. I'm only going to sit on the floor in front of you, that's all." She took another step forward and made a vague gesture with her hoof. "If you'd give me permission, that is." He nodded slowly, then belatedly thought, Not a smart move. "And I don't scream," he added indignantly. "You did when you got your hoof stuck under Big Mac's plough," she said as she casually sat on her haunches in front of him. "That doesn't count. It's a freaking plough, and he was still pulling it!" he protested. "Wait--how did you know that?" The changeling's brows shifted, giving the impression that she was rolling her eyes. It was hard to tell when she had no pupils. "I was there, duh." "Fine." Caramel crossed his forelegs and grumbled. "So, was there something else you wanted to tell me?" She paused few moments, thinking. As the seconds ticked by, Caramel noticed that her posture was exactly the same as Sash's right down to the way she tapped her hoof on the floor absentmindedly whenever she was thinking. Eventually, she sighed and tentatively placed a hoof on his, saying, "There's no way for me to say this without sounding like a bad romance story, so I'll just say it. Yes, I'm a changeling through and through. I picked you as my target when we were in school, and I pretended to want to be your friend. I planned--" "Seriously, this really isn't making me feel better," he interjected with a shake of his head, sliding his hoof away. "Wait, just hear me out," she pleaded. Caramel wanted to just get up and tell her to leave, but he couldn't. Am I under a spell? He'd seen what the queen thing had done to Shining Armour. But Sash sounded really sorry. And she wasn't using her disguise. It would've been so much easier for her to just pretend to be the 'real' Sassaflash after escaping from a bug nest or something. Revealing her true self seemed counterproductive, and if she meant to trick him into forgiving her and accepting her once more, she couldn't possibly believe that he was that stupid, could she? Wait, isn't that exactly what she's doing? If she's lying, I should really be insulted. If she's not, I've got a bigger problem. How can I tell? Argh! He was starting to get a headache. But before he could think of an answer, Sash had apparently taken his silence for acquiescence. "I started liking you. And when we got older, I started--" she paused, apparently searching for the right word, "--um... really liking you." Her eyes widened, as if she'd realised she'd said something stupid, and she growled in exasperation. "Ugh, it sounded a lot better when I was thinking about it. I mean, I started needing you. I loved you. I wanted--no, needed you to love me. Not because I was hungry. It was... something else." Her eyes suddenly brightened. "Remember that night when you asked me to be your special somepony?" "Uh huh..." he said cautiously. Sash was smiling. "It made me feel happy. You made me feel happy. I knew you already had feelings for me, but when you said it freely, I... I just felt like I wanted to make you happy and be with you for the rest of my life. I would fight to protect you, I would--" She suddenly stopped, drew in a deep breath and sighed. Her smile disappeared. "You know, for somepony who feeds on love, I don't know very much about it. I can't even describe it properly. I can only say that what I felt was real. And I wanted to know that you loved me for who I was--that you would love me even if you knew what I was." "So why didn't you tell me?" He asked because he didn't want the silence to grow awkward. He already knew the answer. I wouldn't have told me, either. "I wanted to. But I chickened out every time." She chuckled. "I mean, I know you. You would've freaked out." "And you don't think I'm going to freak out now? I mean, come on!" Caramel threw his hooves up into the air. "You don't know what I went through after Shining's wedding. I thought you'd been replaced like the others!" He continued to let his voice rise, even though Sash was cringing. "And when they told me that there was no such pony as Sassaflash, I, I--aargh!" He stopped when he realise that his eyes were wet. Darn it, not now! "Caramel, I--" He silenced her with a glare. "I thought you weren't real. I thought that I'd been lied to for years." "They weren't lies..." she whispered. "Why should I believe you now?" Sash's ears drooped. Even her crest and wings seemed to wilt. She stared at the floor for several moments before finally saying, "You're right, you shouldn't." What? He stared at her. "We can't be a couple. It was stupid and selfish of me to come back." She grimaced and made a frustrated noise. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here to stir up your feelings again. I told myself that I owed you the truth, but now I see that it was because I was just--" She suddenly got up and shuffled towards the door. "I'll just be going now." In spite of himself, Caramel rose and said, "Where?" "Home. Queen Chrysalis has gotten everyone organised again. Our orders are to go back to the hive." She unlocked the door and pushed it open. A cold draft blew in, and she froze for a moment before shutting it. She then looked at him and gulped. "Caramel, I... I'm sorry." He could see that her eyes were turning a darker shade of blue at the edges, almost the same way somepony's eyes would turn red when they were crying, and her raspy voice sounded brittle, as if each word hurt. "I hope that you'll find someone else who can be the special somepony that you deserve. It isn't me, and I'm sorry for pretending that I was." He tried to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. Sash turned away, and green flames engulfed her body. A few seconds later, an unfamiliar, grey-coated mare stood in her place, and she pushed the door open once more. But just before she darted out, she turned back to him. Her pony eyes were tearing, and she murmured in her original voice, "Goodbye, Caramel. You won't ever have to see me again." Caramel didn't know how long he'd been staring at the empty doorway for, but his house had already grown chilly by the time he realised it. He shivered and hurried to shut the door, then trudged back into the kitchen. His dinner had long since grown stale. He ate a few mouthfuls just to give himself something to do other than think. It didn't work very well. Why did she have to come back? He wanted to just forget about her. Bury the memories deep and hope that he'd never have to dig them up again. But he couldn't help listening to her voice in his mind; her last words left a terrible emptiness in his chest. A part of him was glad that she'd made it easy for him and just gone, but at the same time the rest of him couldn't bear the thought that he was never going to see her again. It was like being tied to two trains going in opposite directions. Was Sash telling the truth? Technically, their relationship could have been genuine on both sides; he just hadn't been informed of her other 'qualities'. If her feelings were false, then why had she sided with him during the Canterlot invasion? She had fought her own kind to keep him from getting caught. And she probably could've just taken the easy way and taken control of his mind just as the queen had done to Shining. Her actions currently leaned towards her telling the truth, and he was pretty sure that he was thinking rationally at the moment. Caramel suddenly realised that he was sitting on his haunches, slowly rocking back and forth and fiddling with his tail. Is this how you become a crazy pony? He released his tail and snorted derisively, then got onto his hooves and headed towards his room without even bothering to tidy up the kitchen or get himself cleaned up. He simply flopped onto the bed and lay still, wishing that things could just go back to the way they were before the invasion. But deep down, he knew that that was just wishful thinking. He was only dimly aware of the wetness on his pillow just before sleep took him. * * * * * Thirteen days before Integration... Caramel could see Stickle at the far end of the cavern, desperately dashing towards him as fast as his little legs could go. His eyes were wide with fear as the ground trembled. There was a quarray not far behind him. "Faster!" he shouted. He tried to gallop towards his little brother, but for some reason his legs felt like they were knee-deep in sticky mud. Each step was ponderously slow. Stickle spared a glance back and let loose a short, sharp screech of fear when the monster snapped its massive jaws. Caramel's heart nearly stopped when the quarray's teeth came together at the spot where Stickle had been a second ago. He'd dodged the bite, but the quarray was relentless. No matter how much he wove between and around the stalagmites on the floor, the massive creature simply bulldozed through them as if they were little more than cardboard. "Help me!" Stickle cried. What's wrong with me? Caramel snarled in frustration as he struggled to get his legs to move faster than a slow trot. There was no way he was going to reach Stickle in time. Desperately, he whipped his head around, scanning the darkness in the cavern for someone, anyone, who could help. Meanwhile, the quarray was gaining on the nymph. A squeal of fright reminded him that time was running out. He had to--wait. Something on the edge of his vision caught his eye. He turned and saw a dark figure lurking in the shadows nearby. It was lankier than the typical pony, and its eyes seemed to have a soft, white glow. He paused to wave at the stranger, then pointed his hoof at Stickle and shouted, "Please, help him! I can't get to him in time!" The shadowy pony didn't comply. It - no, it was a she - merely turned her head and gazed on as Stickle dodged another lunge from the quarray. Caramel felt a fire blaze to life in his chest at the pony's nonchalant attitude. Somepony's life was in danger, and she was simply going to watch? "What the hay is wrong with you? Do something!" he shouted half in desperation, half in anger. The pony still didn't move. But then, Caramel heard a buzzing sound coming from behind. He had barely turned his head around when something dark streaked past him like a giant dragonfly. It took him a moment to realise who it was. Rax! He tried to catch up, but was still hindered by some unseen force. He could only watch as his friend flew in close and snatched Stickle up with his forehooves and spiral upwards into the empty space of the massive cavern. The quarray reared up like an angry snake and snapped at them, but they were already far out of its reach. It let loose a roar that shook the cavern, sending clouds of dust raining down as Rax and Stickle disappeared up a shaft in the ceiling. After watching the shaft for a while in silence, the quarray curled and rammed its head into the ground, creating an explosion of rock and dirt as it burrowed straight down. A moment later, there was nothing but a gaping hole in the earth. The cavern was empty, dark and silent. Caramel sat on his haunches and sighed. That was close. A buzzing sound alerted him to the presence of another changeling, and he looked up just in time to see Rax land on all fours next to him. He was about to thank him for saving Stickle when his friend suddenly punched his shoulder. It wasn't that hard, but it wasn't a friendly one either. "You were taking your sweet time back there," Rax growled. "Sorry. I..." Caramel looked down at his legs and shook his head. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I couldn't move." Rax had a scornful grin on his face. "Scared of a little eel?" Caramel felt the denial right on the tip of his tongue, but stopped short. He was scared. Those quarray eels were dangerous, with all those sharp fangs and a massive yet fast body that could easily crush a pony in its path. "Yes. I am scared," he admitted. "I remember..." "Remember what?" Caramel frowned and peered at Rax. His friend looked perfectly fine. "But, I thought you were..." An ill kind of coldness came over him, and he suddenly didn't want to finish that sentence. Rax raised a brow. "What?" Caramel looked at the ground and rubbed the back of his head. All he remembered a sickening crunch, and... Something plopped on the ground in front of him. It was a dark spatter of blue, and a pit opened up in his stomach. Slowly, he raised his eyes, and a shiver ran through him. Rax was bleeding from gashes and cracks in his carapace. A whimper escaped him when he tried to say something. Rax raised a broken foreleg to look at it, and his quizzical expression disappeared. He then turned to Caramel, eyes wide with fear, and said, "What happened to me?" Caramel shook his head. This isn't happening. His friend suddenly made a gurgling sound and clutched his fractured chest before toppling over. He lay on the ground, choking and gasping for air. A moment later, he started coughing up water. No, no, no, no! Caramel knelt by his side, but was stumped as to what he was supposed to do. He didn't know first aid, and nothing was making any sense! He remembered that--no. Rax was looking at him in bewilderment, as if Caramel was the one causing him pain. Oh, sweet Celestia, somepony please help me, he pleaded silently. Now that he remembered, he didn't want to say it. The thought of telling Rax the truth had a weight of finality to it, that he could never take it back if he did. "Enough," said a female voice. Caramel felt something cold touch his shoulder. He yelped and whirled around, and saw the figure from earlier withdraw the hoof that she had placed on him. Normally, he would have liked to give her a piece of his mind for violating his personal space in such a startling manner, but Rax's suffering took precedence. She might be able to help. "My friend's in bad shape," he quickly said, beckoning her closer. "Can you--" "Be still," she simply replied. "None of this is what you think." "What are you talking about?" he cried, raising his voice and pointing a hoof where Rax lay. "He needs help, can't you see--" he stopped short when he looked at the place where his friend had been. Rax was gone. What in the world... "But, where is..." Caramel found his words trailing off. He scanned his surroundings and saw that the cavern had been replaced by a seemingly limitless expanse of darkness, with only a room-sized circle of rocky ground that was lit by some unseen source of light. There were no other discernible features aside from the mare standing in front of him. She was enshrouded in what looked like a seething cloud of shadow, but as he stared, the dark wisps receded, revealing a tall, graceful body that was a dark blue in colour. Eventually, the shadows shrank and warped until they were a purplish blue, dotted with tiny specks of light, waving in the air where her mane and tail were supposed to be. "It's you. I'm dreaming again," he murmured. Then, after a few seconds, he thought, Oh no, it's Princess Luna. I fell asleep! Panic rose in his chest as he remembered that he'd been avoiding her for days since leeching on his pony friends. A dozen scenarios played in his mind; each punishment was more terrifying than the last. He flicked his eyes about, searching for an escape route, but there was nothing but sheer darkness around them. Maybe I could hide in that? It was worth a shot. He quickly twisted around and broke into a gallop, hearing the pounding of his hooves and his heart as he fled. After a moment, he risked a glance back, and yelped in fright when he saw the Princess of the Night barely a tail length behind him. She was standing completely still. He looked down and yelped again when he saw that although he was galloping like crazy, he somehow wasn't moving an inch. "Calm yourself and show some courage!" Princess Luna intoned. It wasn't a shout, but it was far louder than any that he'd ever heard. He froze and toppled to the ground, and then tried to scoot away backwards on his haunches when she took a step towards him. "I'm sorry--please don't turn me into a two-headed owl!" he blurted in a voice that had gone a little high-pitched. Princess Luna frowned and tilted her head slightly. Her surprise was enough to shake him out of his panicked state. I have no idea where that came from... Blushing a little from the ridiculous remark, he tried to recover a little dignity by getting back onto all fours. "You are Caramel, are you not?" she asked. "Yeah, that's me." Her frown only deepened. It didn't take long for the silence to grow awkward. She was studying him as if he was a particularly interesting sculpture or something. Or bug. He didn't like getting that sort of attention, but stood still and remained silent because she was a princess. The last thing he wanted was to make her mad when he suspected that she already had plenty of reason to be. Guilt and apprehension welled up when he realised that his feeding on the emotions of ponies wasn't the only thing that could get him into trouble. It was also partly his fault that Rax had - he swallowed - been lost. Would she care about something like that? Or would she just shrug it off because his friend was a changeling? He suddenly didn't want to keep silent any more. He had to know. He had to know if she thought so little of them. Maybe this was his chance to help smooth things over between ponies and changelings. Or at the very least - and he felt another pang of guilt for such a selfish thought - she might be able to help get him out of the hive. Everything had gone so wrong... But before he could say anything, she pointed a hoof at him and said, "Speak again, please. It is difficult to understand you." "What... what do you want me to say?" he asked nervously. He did not like her stern expression. "In Equestrian, Caramel. If it even is you." "But I am speaking--" he stopped as he listened to his own voice. He knew what he was saying, but the sounds were all wrong. There was too much clicking and chirping and rasping. "No, no, this isn't right," he muttered. His words were all messed up. Without thinking, he'd scratched the back of his head in puzzlement, but the rough edge of his hoof startled him. That felt wrong. He brought it to the front and felt his heart rate climb when he saw that his foreleg was black and riddled with holes. He craned his neck around and found a pair of translucent, blue wings on his back. He bit his lip and felt his fangs. Everything's wrong. "No, no, no," he muttered. "Not this much. It's too far!" Meanwhile, the Princess' expression had softened, somewhat. She still seemed a little confused, but her sternness had been replaced by... concern? Pity? There wasn't a trace of coat left on his body, and he could feel the jagged horn poking out of his forehead as a sure sign of his guilt. His blood ran cold when he looked at his flanks and found them completely bare. He had no cutie mark; he had crossed a line that nopony was meant to cross. He took a step towards Princess Luna, averting his eyes and keeping his head low in what he hoped was a submissive manner. "Please make it stop," he pleaded. "I don't want to be a changeling. I want to go home. I'm sorry I left!" Princess Luna did not retreat or attack as he had feared, but she did not appear to have understood him either. She looked as if he had spoken Zebrican or some other obscure language. Or Vespid, his brain finally supplied. He groaned and hung his head, but looking at the ground suddenly gave him an idea. "Hang on, give me a second," he said, lifting a hoof to forestall any further suspicion. Hurriedly, he dug his hoof into the ground and found to his relief that it was soft enough to trace words on. His hopes lifted, only to come crashing back down after he'd drawn a curved line and two straight ones. He was stumped; he couldn't remember the alphabet! This time, his groan was more out of frustration than anything else. Oh, hayseed, what's wrong with me? He tried writing again, but only came up with more gibberish. He turned to the Princess, raising a hoof in a silent plea for help. She had grown wary. When she spoke, there was a hint of steel in her voice. "I will keep my questions simple. Just nod or shake your head." She paused for a moment as if to gather her thoughts, then asked, "Are you Caramel?" He shook his head. Wait--no! He tried to nod, but his body simply refused to perform the right action. "I see..." Princess Luna's voice was neutral, but her expression was clearly drifting to the suspicious side. "Are you deliberately lying to me?" Caramel nodded vigorously. What? He grabbed his head with both hooves and groaned. If he had any hair left, he would've torn it out. He couldn't believe it; his whole body was betraying him! "No, I'm not lying to you!" he cried out. "Oh, hayseed, I don't know, I--" He knelt before her. "Please, help me. I don't know what to do!" For a while, the Princess was silent. His heavy breathing sounded awfully loud in the empty darkness. Her expression was guarded again, and it was hard to tell whether she believed him or not. If she'd even understood a word he'd said. Eventually, she placed a hoof gently on his shoulder and gently said, "Your words are foreign to me, but I believe that there is more to your predicament than I can see. Whatever your reasons for joining them, you should know that there are ponies who miss you, and are waiting to welcome you home. I know not what those creatures have done to you, but rest assured that I still consider you my subject, my little pony. I believe that your heart is still in the right place." "Thanks..." he whispered. It was as much as he could have hoped for, given the situation. She believes me! "Now, in order to--" she stopped midway when a tremor ran through their surroundings. Caramel tensed up when he heard the distant roar of a quarray eel and cast his eyes about, searching for any sign of its approach. The darkness beyond the patch of visible cave that they were in remained impenetrable, but as he looked on, he found that the details of the ground that they were standing on were growing indistinct and rippling, as if he was looking through cloudy water. He turned to the princess and realised that the same was happening to her. Or is it just happening to me? He glanced down and found that, aside from being a full changeling, his body wasn't distorted like his surroundings. His relief was short-lived, as he suddenly recalled that he was supposed to be receiving instructions from Princess Luna. "Hang on Your Highness, you were saying something?" he asked. Princess Luna said nothing. Her eyes were glowing white, and she was floating up into the air even though her wings weren't flapping. Gale winds swirled at the edge of darkness around them, causing her mane to billow out. She seemed to grow darker as she rose, until he realised that it was because the source of illumination was directly behind her, up in the sky. The moon was massive; it grew and grew until it nearly filled his entire field of vision, and he gaped as the princess ascended to it, shrinking into a black speck before a vast circle of brilliant white. Too late, he realised that she had been speaking to him, but the words had been lost in the roar of the wind. The black shape flashed, and suddenly the moon had a shadow in the shape of a mare's head on its surface. And that was when the ground which he was standing on exploded. He was thrown upwards in a shower of rocks, and when gravity took over, he found himself plummeting into the gaping maw of a quarray eel. It was a bottomless purple hole rimmed with teeth and coated with slime. He opened his mouth, but couldn't scream. * * * * * Caramel grunted and jerked to wakefulness, tasting dirt. He was lying on his side, and half of his face was squashed up against the ground. He blinked, then sighed in relief. Just a dream. He wasn't getting eaten after all. As he waited for his thumping heart to calm down, he noted that his back was rather warm in contrast to the slight chill of the tunnel that he was in. He stiffened when something fell across the side of his belly, the memory of the quarray still fresh in his mind. Luckily, a quick and slightly panicked look told him that it was just a holey limb. Sash was sleeping behind his back, and she'd simply draped a leg over him. She was mumbling something in her sleep. Under normal circumstances, he would've liked to just cuddle up to her and leave it at that, but he was just too flustered and confused at the moment. Not to mention that he was sore all over from his recent exertions. He must've cried himself to sleep after the quarray attack, and the vivid dream had brought forth a whole cartload of questions and concerns that he had no idea how to answer or deal with. It was a relief that he wasn't eaten by the quarray eel, but it was also meant that meeting Rax again had been nothing more than a dream. His heart sank at the thought that he'd truly lost his friend. Or have I? He had to be sure. There was absolutely no evidence for the idea that he was still alive save for the dream, but it had been so vivid that he had to try. He knew that getting his hopes up was stupid and only going to hurt later on, but... he needed to be sure. It was better than nothing. Probably. Slowly, he eased away from Sash to avoid waking her. Sharp pain made him pause for a moment, and he winced when he saw that it was because the tattered remains of his wings were stuck to the ground, glued in place by dried blood. Are they supposed to grow back? He remembered something about moulting that Sash had mentioned once. He shook his head; it didn't solve his problem anyway. He couldn't reach with his hooves to help peel them off, he was fresh out of magic, and he wasn't about to just pull away and hope for the best. But a light snore from Sash gave him an idea. He eased himself back to her, careful to avoid jostling his wings, then closed his eyes and reached out with his mind. I'll just pinch a bit, he thought. I'll control myself this time. He found her sleeping consciousness easily enough, just like when he'd leeched on Lucky in the pod. Sash's mind felt different from a pony's. It was like the difference between walking in a living room and in a cellar. But that wasn't important right now. He felt like a trespasser, and trespassers don't wait around to enjoy the scenery. He quickly located the 'clouds' of her emotions in the dreamy world and paused when he saw the roiling clusters of darkness mingling with the brighter shades of colours. It looked like she was having a good dream, but it was apparent that there was uneasiness mixed in there as well. There could be a whole list of reasons for that, and he wondered just how many of those were because of him. It made him feel guilty again, but the hunger that was unique to changelings gnawing at the edges of his mind distracted him just enough to latch on and feed. Her love and happiness was sweet, and it made him realise just how hungry he was. But at least he was able to stop, and it was much easier when there was no Chrysalis egging him on like the last time. When he was about to pull out, he paused to take one longing look at Sash's emotions. Maybe taking just a little more wouldn't hurt. After all, he was injured, and he needed to recover as quickly as possible. He sidled back... Horse apples! Caramel had to wrench himself away when he felt his cuts and bruises mending. He'd already taken more than he'd planned! He opened his eyes and growled. So much for controlling yourself, idiot. He turned to look at Sash and was relieved to find that she was still sleeping. One wing was twitching a little, but she otherwise looked peaceful and was still caressing him with one leg. Phew. He was already feeling guilty enough without giving her bad dreams. Come on, slowly... Ouch. Even though magic made it a tad easier to peel his wings off of the ground, it still wasn't exactly pleasant. But at least the rest of him was feeling much better already; his cuts and grazed hide were scabbing over, his tongue was less swollen, and his muscles weren't constantly aching anymore. His wings didn't look much better off, but he guessed that maybe they were supposed to be replaced when he moulted. He wasn't sure if he could, though, given that the top of his back was still mostly covered in his tan coat. Sash didn't wake and only mumbled something when he eased out of her gentle caress. After making sure that she was okay, he quietly trotted off, heading back down to the lower parts of the hive. It was easy enough getting back down; he only needed to follow the trail left by the quarray eel. Changelings from Builder Caste were already busy repairing the damage. No one paid him much attention, and he only received a few cursory glances from those he happened to pass in the tunnels. A few of them seemed inclined to be on the grouchy side, and he wondered whether it was because they knew that he was the one who'd played the hero and created extra work for them. Or maybe you need to get over it and stop thinking that everypony's thinking about you, he scolded himself. There were about ten changelings guarding the tunnel to the old city. He saw Mandible and Scritch when he passed them, but they gave no indication of any strong feelings towards him one way or another. They simply regarded him with passing interest and allowed him to get by without any comment. He wasn't sure what to think about that. A stream of runoff water ran through the middle of the sloping tunnel, giving the impression of a sewer. He shivered when he saw the spot where Rax had been smashed against the ceiling--there was a spatter of dark blue with fragments of carapace, and the rock looked like it had cracked, too. Caramel tore his eyes away and continued down, until he reached the ledge where Rax had fallen off. He sat by the edge and peered down into the darkness of the abyss before him. It was too dark to make anything out, but he could hear the distant roar of the underground river below. What am I waiting for? For Rax to suddenly appear? It was just a dream. But it had felt so real that he simply couldn't just discard the hope that maybe, just maybe, Rax was still alive out there. But as the minutes stretched on, the hope faded away. It was just a dream. Rax really was gone; he wasn't coming back. And the final acknowledgement fell upon his heart like a millstone, dragging him into the depths. But he did not cry; he had no more tears to give. Is this the part where I stop caring? The thought made him shiver. He didn't want that to happen. He couldn't let that happen. He felt partially responsible for what had happened to Rax, and to just shrug off any feelings on the matter like changelings were able to made him feel like a traitor. Chrysalis' words came back to him, "Thorax paid for your conscience with his life. I'll leave it to you to decide if it was worth it." And then he found himself frowning. Rax. Changeling. Warrior. Friend. Friends do not forget, he mentally recited, glancing out into the abyss. He allowed his gaze to linger for a while, and felt hope kindling in his chest. It was a foalish hope, and though he desperately wanted to cling to it like a drowning pony to a reed in a raging river, he tore his gaze away and shook his head. Rax isn't coming back. Wishful thinking was something that he could no longer afford. He still felt for the loss of his friend, and it still hurt to think about it. And he considered that a good thing. It meant that he wasn't losing the connection that made friends and family special. He didn't want it to become some business-like acquaintance that he only half-remembered with little to no feelings for one way or another, like what Tibia had described. At least, it appeared that he had been spared that for the time being. But he had to act quickly, just in case something like that was in store for him down the road. The queen's words rang in his mind once more. "Thorax paid for your conscience with his life. I'll leave it to you to decide if it was worth it." And this time, he felt anger smouldering deep inside. They're not chess pieces! He thought about all the friends and family he had, and what he would have done to save them if they'd been taken by the quarray. It wasn't worth it; but I'd do it again. If it had been Sassaflash or Lucky or any of the others, he would have risked his life to save them. If it had been Rax's life in danger, or any of the nymphs, he would have done the same for them. And even though the two ponies he had saved were long past their time, they must have had friends and relatives who would've missed them too. He had no right to say that they were not worth saving just because they didn't have as long to live as the others. Life was still precious, and he was sure that the Princesses would have agreed. He was just sorry that Rax was the one who had to pay the price. Caramel mourned him, but at the same time believed that his decision had been the right one. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he'd allowed the quarray to get away without trying anything. His fault wasn't in choosing to save the ponies--it was in being careless to the point where Rax needed to jump in and rescue him. The fault was squarely on his shoulders and not on what he believed in. He did not save those ponies just so they could dream the rest of their lives away, unaware of what was going on in the real world. Caramel turned to look at his flank and saw the trio of blue horseshoes on the receding remnants of his coat, and remembered Princess Luna's words: "I know not what those creatures have done to you, but rest assured that I still consider you my subject, my little pony. I believe that your heart is still in the right place." He sighed, somehow feeling unworthy of the faith that the Princess of the Night had placed in him. But then he gritted his teeth, squared his shoulders and stomped a hoof on the ground. It was time for change. If the changelings wanted to treat ponies as if they were little more than cookie jars, then it was no wonder ponies didn't like them very much. Not to mention the fact that many of them had been kidnapped for the express purpose of being kept as food sources. And the same went for ponies being deeply mistrustful, even towards the changelings in Queen Gossamer's time. He already knew enough about changeling history to realise that there was plenty of blame to go around. Change had to start somewhere, and since he was stuck in the Hive with nowhere else to go... Some part of him wondered whether coming to this conclusion meant that he had finally turned into the pragmatic changeling that he'd tried so hard to avoid becoming. If so, he was aware of the irony. If Chrysalis wanted him to change so much, then she was going to get it, all right. But it was probably not going to be on the terms she was expecting. "Chrysalis, it won't matter how many holes I grow in my legs or how much magic I gain--you are not going to make me turn my back on what it means to be a pony,"he whispered. "What was that?" Yikes! He whirled around in a panic, overbalanced, and flailed as he felt himself going over the edge... A dark shape rushed forward, wings buzzing, and then a pair of hooves grabbed his foreleg and pulled him back to safety. "Sorry!" Sash yelped. "I thought I was far enough to not startle you!" Caramel heaved a sigh of relief and leaned on her for support. "Forget it--it's not your fault. I'm just, you know, off balance after all that's happened." He frowned slightly. "How long was I out for, anyway?" "You slept for three cycles straight." She winced when she glanced at his tattered wings. "Not long enough, if you ask me. You look like you need a vacation." Over twelve hours... It was ridiculously long by changeling standards. "And you were with me the whole time?" "You were in bad shape. I couldn't just leave you." His hoof instinctively went to his injuries. "Aren't you going to get in trouble for skipping work on my account?" Sash snorted. "Priorities, Caramel. Punctuality is pretty high on my list, but it's not higher than you. And if my overseer has a problem with that, he can go stick his face into a dung heap." Caramel blinked. That sounded a little... rebellious. It wasn't that he was ungrateful or anything, but it still seemed a little unusual for her to so openly defy authority, especially considering the way changelings did things. Maybe she shouldn't have-- No, no, stop that, he mentally scolded himself. She loves you. Don't insult her. Don't insult your relationship. She deserves better from you. "You're spacing out again," Sash commented. "What's on your mind?" There was a lot on his mind, but he decided that it probably wasn't the best time to share everything with her, especially where Princess Luna was concerned. He wasn't sure how she would react to that, or how the queen would if she found out from Sash. But there was something that was puzzling him, so he asked a question instead. "Sash, I was wondering. If you knew that it was going to be pointless trying to save the two ponies, then why did you help me? Why did everyone try to help me?" She blinked. "Well... I'm not sure. It just sort of happened. I mean..." her voice trailed off for a bit. "I don't know. When you yelled at us, it just felt wrong to not do something." That sounds familiar... She shook her head and regarded him with a frown. "You were right. Letting them go would've been better for the hive, but that doesn't make it the right choice. And you sounded so... angry. You made me feel--" "Guilty?" he finished for her. "Huh. That's one way of putting it. It was a little different, though. I don't think I've really felt like that before." Because you're good at sticking to the rules... Caramel thought absentmindedly. This was unexpected. He'd have to test it out, but that could wait. He thought about what Princess Luna had said. And about what he was willing to do for his friends and family. There was something more important that he needed to tell Sash. And something that he needed to ask her, as well. "We can't go on like this," he murmured. Sash's ears perked up, and she looked at him in puzzlement. "What do you mean?" Caramel waved a hoof in the general direction of the hive above them. "All of us. Changelings. Ponies. We can't stay enemies like this." Her expression grew pensive. "But what are we supposed to do? We've tried everything. Even diplomacy, and that didn't work." "Once," he replied. "And once isn't enough. Queen Gossamer might have tried that before, but that was a long time ago. Maybe it's time for us to try instead. Princess Luna's okay, and with Shining Armour and Twilight Sparkle in their positions, maybe there's a chance. I mean, we're practically buddies with the Captain of the Royal Guard whose sister is the Princess' student. That's got to count for something." Sash shook her head. "I don't know; I don't think Chrysalis would be willing to give it a shot. We're not in great shape, but we're not so badly off that she would be desperate enough to try anything." She then frowned and added, "And what do you know about Princess Luna, anyway?" "Just a feeling." Caramel grunted noncommittally. "Also, maybe I can change Chrysalis' mind..." "You're not thinking of sabotage, are you?" Sash suddenly asked. The thought had crossed his mind. If he could somehow free the captives and get them to the surface, or damage the next harvest of fungus, the lack of food might force the queen to consider other options. But he doubted he could do it with Chrysalis' compulsion weighing so heavily on his mind. "Of course not." "Then...?" Her eyebrows were raised as she waited for his answer. Caramel got onto his hooves and took a few steps back up the tunnel. "It's about time I found a use for my big mouth. I'll go talk to her." Sash blinked. Twice. "Seriously?" He stopped short and snorted. Thanks for the vote of confidence. "Yeah, it's not amazing, but I've got to start somewhere." "Sorry," she soothed. "I mean, I'm sure she'll hear you out, but I don't think she'll do anything. You've talked to her about this before. How will this time be any different?" I'm going to have help. He turned around and gazed into her pure blue eyes. Appearances aside, he knew that she had seen life through the eyes of a pony. He hated the thought of forcing her into such a position, but there was more at stake than both of them combined. "I can't do this anymore. I can't just sit by and leave everypony trapped in here." He broke eye contact and sighed heavily to forestall Sash when she looked like she was about to interrupt, then continued, "I know you guys need em, but this whole mess isn't fair to anyone!" He growled in frustration. When he turned back to Sash, he saw that she was still concerned, but she was listening. "Remember what you told me about pulling through this together?" he asked. "Yes." "I can't do this alone. We need to show everyone that there is a better way." "How?" "Maybe it's time to stop hiding. And all that kidnapping stuff, too. If we release the prisoners, the Princesses should be willing to help us out." Sash's voice was growing incredulous. "How are we supposed to contact them? Even if we did, their guards would just throw us straight into the dungeon. What makes you so sure that the Princesses would just speak to us?" I've already spoken to one of them. Sort of. "It's still worth a shot." "And what if Chrysalis doesn't listen to you? What if she forces you to do as she says like all the other times?" Sash pressed. "I don't want to see you get hurt like that ever again." And she meant it. Caramel trembled as her love poured out to him. And he drank it in, love freely given. As he did so, he looked determinedly in the direction of the hive and flared his horn to life. It still hurt a little to use magic so soon after straining it to its limits, but the pain was easily bearable. Your love will give me strength. "She can try," he growled. He felt a hoof on his shoulder. "Caramel, you're scaring me. What's gotten into you?" He turned around and nuzzled her for a moment. Then, he broke contact and said, "I'm sorry for putting you into this position. But I can't just leave things the way they are without trying." He thought about Stickle and the other nymphs, and the world that they'd have to grow up in. "I've got to try to make things better for everyone. And that includes the hive as well; you guys are my family too." Sassaflash was watching him silently. She was guarding her emotions more carefully now, but he could still catch a little of the turmoil that she was going through. It would be unfair to make her decide there and then, and there would be no point in rushing her anyway. He needed to plan things out first, and he wanted her to be sure of whatever she decided. So he turned and started heading back to the hive. She didn't follow. * * * * * Chrysalis was busily poring over a dusty book, which shared a space on the stone worktable with several glass phials and jars filled with dark fluid, most of which were blemished, cracked or damaged in some way. The inner sanctum of her chamber smelled dank and volatile. "What is it?" the queen snapped. She hadn't bothered to stop her work when addressing him, but her irritable tone was enough to make him quit staring at the clutter of instruments. "Err..." he said, and then shut his mouth. Nice going, genius. You don't even have a plan. He'd been so full of conviction that he'd not even considered how he was supposed to convince her to seek a truce with ponykind. He'd thought that it would just come to him, but now that he'd gained an audience from the queen, he was completely stumped. Is this a side effect of feeding on lots of love? Maybe he was just being his careless self. Great, even with all the changes I've gone through, the one thing I get to keep is my stupid talent. He needed to think things through carefully. "Do try to say something useful within the next century, please," Chrysalis drawled. "You're wasting all the good air in my home. Also, your next shift should be starting soon." He spotted a way out and took it. "I'd like to request a transfer." "What?" Chrysalis actually stopped reading and turned to look at him. Caramel sighed. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a soldier. I would like to work in with the keepers again, if that's okay with you." She frowned at him. "I've spoken to your overseer. Skeehar's not happy with the way you broke formation, but she thinks that you're not hopeless, either. You'd still have a place in Warrior Caste." She then looked him over and grinned. "And I can't disagree with her. You've proven that you can fight when you're properly motivated, and you look like you've just fed to heal some of your wounds. I'd say that you would make a good fighter once you learn to get rid of your... hindering sentiments." He ignored the compliment and pressed on. "Sorry. I'm not ready for that." Come on, positive outlook. Don't sound like a weakling. "I can do better in the hatchery. I know how to take care of the kids and feed them." "Hmm, very well." Chrysalis turned back to her work. "You can tell Skeehar and Tibia yourself. Now get out." Caramel beat a hasty retreat. But just before he left her chamber, he heard her muttering something. Then, there was a sharp flash of light on her table, followed by a sharp crackle and a sputtering sound. He heard her snort angrily. Whatever was causing her so much frustration, he was glad that it wasn't him. * * * * * Things went as expected. Overseer Skeehar dismissed him without much comment aside from the snide remark about him being a bit too soft in the heart, and Tibia was quite amenable - almost happy, even - to have him back in her caste. What he hadn't expected, though, was to be bowled over by a dozen or so nymphs when he entered their chamber. "Caramel, you're back!" Stickle squealed. He recognised Pith, Mite and all the others from Stickle's brood as well, and laughed as they dog-piled him with squeaks and chirps of delight. There were also a couple of older ones whom he didn't recognise, but they seemed keen on joining in the fun. Further back, he could see Overseer Tibia and several other keepers watching in amusement. "Story time!" Pith cried. "Hey, hang on a minute!" he protested. "I just got back here. Who said anything about stories?" "Because we know your weakness, dragon." Stickle brandished a hoof as if it was a deadly weapon and said, "I have Captain Blizzard's magical lance!" He then poked Caramel just below the ribs, eliciting a yelp of surprise. "Hey, wait--no fair! Ouch--careful with the bruises!" Caramel gasped between laughs as several others started tickling him as well. He turned to Tibia and half-shrieked, "A little help, please?" The overseer smiled. "You're on your own, hero. That's what you get for joining Warrior and leaving me to take care of a bunch of nymphs clamouring for stories that almost no one else in the hive is able to tell." He was out of breath and his midriff was aching by the time the nymphs agreed to release him, and that was only after tedious negotiation on how many stories he owed them. And even though they'd caused him some pain when they'd tickled too close to his wounds and damaged wings, he was still grateful for the simple pleasure of spending time with kids, drowning out all thoughts of his problems. At least, for a little while. Gosh, I never knew how much I missed this. "Okay, that's enough. It's feeding time," Tibia announced. Uh oh, Caramel thought as nearly all of the nymphs turned their attention to him. It made sense that they would; he'd recently fed well on Sash's love and therefore was the most nourishing target at the moment. * * * * * It was cold. Caramel shivered as he trotted over the sand dune, leaving a trail of hoof prints on the purplish sand. The night sky overhead was black and starless, but the silvery-grey moon was absolutely massive. It was easily a hundred times larger than normal. I'm dreaming again. He searched for Princess Luna, but scanning the desert from horizon to horizon proved fruitless. There was nothing but black shadows beyond the moonlit sand. He tried shouting out, wondering if he was violating some kind of ancient rule for making so much noise in such an eerily deserted landscape. Dreamscape, he reminded himself. Princess Luna did not answer. If she was even present, that is. There was just sand, darkness, and the moon. Just then, the lighting flickered, and he thought he heard a gust of wind. But when he looked around, nothing had changed. And then he looked up, and saw the flicker of a shadow on the moon's bright surface. And then it whispered to him. He pricked his ears, but it did not help him very much. The moon whispered forbidden things to him. It promised answers to all of his questions, questions that he did not even know he had. For some reason, he knew all of this from whispers that weren't even real words. And yet, he did not question it; he wanted to know more. Somehow, he knew that he had to seek the moon. He knew that it was waiting for him. "Caramel?" a reedy voice called out. Deafening silence followed. A few seconds later, a gust of wind blew up swirls of dust and sand from the dune, and as he turned to shield his eyes, he saw a little dark figure following his trail, leaving its own set of prints in the sand. "Stickle?" he asked, blinking in surprise. "What are you doing up there?" his little brother called out. I'm not sure. Instead of answering, he cantered back down until he was by his side. Stickle seemed a little unsettled by their surroundings, and the first thing he wanted to do was to make sure that he was okay. The moon had stopped whispering. The wind had ceased as well. "You all right?" he asked Stickle. Stickle's eyes suddenly grew wide and his whole body stiffened. Frowning, Caramel followed his frightened gaze and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a dark figure standing only about twenty tail-lengths away. After the moment of panic passed, he sighed in relief. "It's just Princess Luna," he told Stickle. "She won't hurt you." His little brother gulped. Caramel waved at the princess, but his hoof faltered. Something was off about her. After looking at her for a while, he realised that her eyes were glowing a pure white, and save for her mane and tail billowing in the still air, she was completely still. She didn't even appear to be breathing. She was only staring at them. "Caramel, let's get out of here," Stickle whispered. He was shaking. "We'll be fine," he assured. But he wasn't so convinced, now. The princess wasn't doing anything. Stickle was clinging to his leg, trembling like a frightened foal. What's going on? It was just Princess Luna, for crying out loud! And yet, the longer he stared, the more unnatural she seemed. She was unnaturally thin, almost skeletal. And the surface of her coat crawled, like there were worms beneath her skin. But the worst part was her expressionless, thousand-yard stare that was aimed directly at him. Move. Do something. Stop staring! But he couldn't look away, and slowly, he felt fear sinking its teeth into him. His muscles stiffened, and his heart rate shot up. He could hear Stickle breathing heavily as well. Then, without warning, the light in her eyes went out, revealing two pure black orbs where her eyes were supposed to be. And Caramel huddled with Stickle in terror as an unearthly scream filled the world and the darkness swallowed them whole. * * * * * Caramel blinked at the sudden warmth. He was lying on the floor with a dozen or so sleeping nymphs snuggling up to him. After a moment of confusion, he remembered that he'd conked out after feeding them from his reserves. I'm out of practice. Shouldn't have let them drain me... He sighed in relief. Aside from his recovering wounds, rapidly thumping heart and a slight ache behind his eyes, he was relatively unharmed. Except maybe in my head. He was still a little shaken from the terror he'd felt when facing the Princess of the Night. He couldn't explain why she'd been so frightening; she'd simply stirred up a primal kind of fear in him. Just for once, can't we meet someplace that isn't a nightmare for me? But at least it was over, and although he'd not gotten any real answers, the moon seemed to be a clue. He remembered its vague whispers. They had no meaning, yet they seemed important somehow. "Are all alicorns like that?" someone whispered. Caramel glanced around and found Stickle curled tightly into a ball a little ways off. The others were still asleep, so he got up slowly and gently nudged them aside until he was next to his little brother. He sat down and placed a hoof on his back, then asked, "Are you okay? You're shivering." Stickle relaxed a little at his touch and said, "That's why ponies call her Nightmare Moon, isn't it? She's scary." "Wait a minute. How did you--were you in my dream?" Stickle nodded. "I was still a bit hungry, and you were sleeping, and I thought that maybe I could try that thing that grown-ups do to get love from ponies." "Uh, wow." Caramel was momentarily stumped. Stickle was a little young to have picked up dreamstalking. He felt a little proud of him. And a little worried at the same time. He'd seen Princess Luna, and if he told anyone... Caramel wasn't sure if that was a good thing. The princess was pretty much his only contact to the surface, and there was no telling what Chrysalis might do if she found out. At the very least, he suspected she might attempt to block the princess out, if that was even possible. He didn't want-- "Caramel?" His train of thought crashed, and he realised that Stickle was huddled against his side, still shivering. He patted him gently on the back. "Sorry, did you say something? I got a little distracted." "Is this why we attacked Canterlot? Their princess is not very nice." "No, it isn't. She's just... unusual. I don't think she meant to scare us." "How do you know? Maybe we should tell Mother." Uh oh. He racked his brain for a moment. "Well, she and her sister once saved the Crystal Empire from the tyranny of King Sombra. She can't be that bad if she fought him to protect her subjects." Stickle frowned. "You've never told us this one before. Who's King Sombra, and what's so bad about him?" Caramel smiled conspiratorially. "Tell you what; let's keep this bad dream between us for the time being, okay? Go back to sleep first, and once everyone's up, I'll tell you the whole story." "Hmm, fine. I hope it's a good one." He curled and snuggled up to Caramel's side and added, "But what if she comes back? I don't want to dream of her again." "I don't think she will." "How do you know?" You're not the one she's after. He smiled and patted him reassuringly. "Trust me. Princess Luna has better things to do." Stickle yawned and closed his eyes. Relieved that he'd averted potential disaster for the time being, Caramel took the opportunity to simply enjoy the quiet and keep watch over his little brother. Save for the soft breathing of the nymphs, everything was silent as the minutes ticked by, and that was when the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders came crashing back down on him. So much had happened in the past two days. The quarrays, the nightmares, Princess Luna, his hope for a truce... Why bother? It would be so much easier to just fall in line and leave things be. Someday, somepony better than him would settle everything. He was no Commander Hurricane or Twilight Sparkle; he was just a small town pony who had gotten himself tangled in a big, messy web of trouble. But even as the doubts assailed him, he felt an uplifting surge of emotion as Stickle shared in his warmth. It was sweet--the little changeling actually loved him like a brother. Caramel felt it flowing in, pooling into his reserves of magic. And the doubts melted away. No. This is worth fighting for. He had a family--on both sides of the divide. He would find a way. Even if he failed, he would at least start something for somepony else to finish. One way or another, he would do his best to see this through. Even though he would have liked to snatch another hour or so of sleep, he kept himself awake. Just in case. The last thing he wanted was to risk Stickle or any of the other nymphs running into Princess Luna inside his dreams. Besides, she had already given him enough to think about. The moon was significant; he was sure of it. He could still remember its whispers, promising answers to his predicament. Does she want me to just find it? Or is there some hidden meaning? He'd have to figure it out soon. By the end of the hour, just when the others were stirring, he spotted Sassaflash slowly making her way towards him. He remained silent as she gingerly navigated the piles of sleeping nymphs. She looked a little weary, liked she'd been losing sleep, but when she stopped in front of him and made eye contact, he saw intense determination in her narrowed eyes, and-- She slapped him in the face. Caramel put a hoof to his smarting cheek and gawked at her. "Don't ever do that to me again," she growled. "Mm hmm," he mumbled weakly. Then, without warning, she drew him into a tight hug and, ignoring Stickle's sleepy protest, said, "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's time for a change." He stared at her in surprise after she released him. Sash gave him a predatory smile and prodded his chest with a hoof, saying, "I hope you've got a freaking amazing plan cooked up, mister, because if this doesn't work out, we're probably dead bugs." Rax. Changeling. Warrior. Friend. Friends do not forget. The recitation came unbidden to his mind. Caramel felt his heart swell upon hearing her words. She was going to stand by his side, and the way she'd said those words reminded him of his moody friend. He glanced at the sleeping nymphs around them, then at Sash, who was looking at him expectantly, full of determination despite her outward weariness. For the first time in a long while, he no longer felt like he was adrift in a stormy river. He'd found solid ground, and by Celestia, he wasn't going to waste it. "Yeah. I've got some ideas," he said.
Integration	Chapter 11	Four months before Integration... Sassaflash running away might not have been a totally bad thing, as it turned out. Caramel had done a little more research since the night she visited, and he'd found that the authorities had been quite busy tracking down and exposing changelings. There were over fifty cases of infiltration in Ponyville alone, although most of those were only in the weeks leading up to the wedding and only involved temporary impersonations and not actual kidnapping. There were much fewer cases of long term impersonation or replacements. Many of said changelings had disappeared after the attack, but a few had actually been caught and tossed into the dungeons. And that was something that he didn't want to happen to Sash. He had already given up trying to rationalise his feelings on the matter; he knew that he loved her, and as far as he could tell, she had already proven herself to him by risking that visit and telling him the truth. The thought of her spending the rest of her days in a cold, dank cell was unbearable, and he'd already had a couple of nightmares where Shining Armour had been the one to drag her off. Still, those dreams had given him an idea. "You sure you want to go in there?" asked the royal guard as they trotted down the stairwell beneath Canterlot's streets. "I mean, I know that it--err, he was your, um..." He frowned and looked at Caramel. "We were friends in high school," Caramel supplied. "He did me a big favour once; I can't believe that he'd just turn his back on us like that." "Join the club," the grey unicorn muttered. His expression softened, and he added, "But seriously, don't get your hopes up. You're not the only one who's visited these guys, and none of them came back happy. They're kinda good at acting; everypony's been fooled into thinking their love was real." No, not Sassaflash. "To be honest, sometimes I'm afraid that they would actually show some sincerity," the guard continued. "Why?" "It would... complicate things." Yeah. No kidding. Just before they reached the cell, the guard stopped and said in an undertone, "I'll give you two some privacy, so long as you follow one rule: don't go near the bars. They are enchanted so no magic leaves the cell, but that won't stop him from reaching out and grabbing you and I would prefer to avoid an incident." Caramel nodded. "Got it." The cell had a heavy wooden door with a tiny slit near the top. Once inside, he saw that it was roughly square, and was divided into two by bars running from the left wall to the right side. The deeper half was for the prisoner and the outer for visitors. "I'll be standing outside. If there's trouble, just holler," said the guard as he shut the door. The prisoner's side of the cell housed a single bed and a bucket in one corner. Surprisingly, it didn't look as miserable and filthy as he'd pictured before coming. There were no rats or bugs skittering about, and it was pretty dry and warm. In fact, he might have considered it cosy if it weren't for the iron bars. The changeling was hanging upside-down from the ceiling above the bed with its eyes closed. "Hi there," Caramel greeted. One ear twitched slightly, so he knew that the changeling had heard him. But there was no answer. "Come on Corny, don't be like that," he said, slightly louder than he needed to. Although the guards had already scanned him with a spell to ensure that he wasn't a changeling in disguise, he still wanted to give the impression that he was the prisoner's friend. Or rather, a friend of the prisoner's pony disguise. The changeling opened one eye and said, "Do I know you?" No. Caramel had lied to the guards about knowing him personally. Acorn Nut was actually an acquaintance of Lyra. She'd spoken of how he was dragged out of his home by the guards when somepony reported his suspicious behaviour after the attack on Canterlot. Many reports ended up being nothing more than paranoia, but Acorn's case turned out to be real, and like Sassaflash, his identity was completely made up. Caramel raised a hoof and brought it low, motioning for silence. Then, he said in an undertone, "We haven't met, but I was hoping you could help me." This time, the changeling opened both eyes and appraised him. After a moment, he let go of the ceiling, thumped down onto the bed and lounged there lazily. "Oh? And what exactly do you need help with?" "Can you tell me where your, uh... hive is?" Caramel wasn't sure if hive was the right word, but he'd heard the term from some of the guards and hoped it wasn't offensive to the changeling. "I kind of need to go there." Acorn looked incredulous for a moment, but his surprise soon turned into a glare. "Wow. You're the first one to open with that." Huh? "Sure, I get that it wasn't enough that you guys stomped us flat at the wedding, but can't you just give it a rest? I'm not telling you where the hive is!" Acorn growled. The guards had apparently been busy. Caramel wasn't sure of the specifics, but he guessed that they'd been fishing for information so they could keep a better eye out for future attacks. This wasn't going how Caramel had imagined it would. "What? No, I'm not trying to interrogate you or anything!" he blurted. "I won't tell anypony else, I promise!" "Wow. Again. You must be pretty new to this, or your superiors are running out of ideas." "No, I'm serious!" Caramel was starting to get a little irritated, himself. "I just want to find the hive and--" Acorn cut him off. "Just how stupid do you think I am?" "Shhh!" Caramel hissed. The last thing he needed was the guard checking in on them. He was short enough on time as it was. "Just calm down. I'm just looking for... someone I know. And I think she's gone back to the hive." The changeling gave him a measuring gaze for a moment. Caramel resisted fidgeting, and then Acorn finally said, "Why do you want to find her?" "She's my special somepony." "Stop beating around the bush," Acorn snapped. "I'm guessing she's a changeling, yes?" Caramel nodded. "And you've still got your crush on her? Even knowing what she is?" It's more than a crush... "Yeah." Acorn narrowed his eyes, slipped off the bed and trotted over to the bars. "Come closer." Caramel hesitated. "What for?" The changeling snorted and waved him over impatiently. "I know what the guard told you about getting close, but if you want my help, I want to be sure you're worth my time." Slowly, Caramel edged closer. Acorn made no move to grab him or anything when he was right next to the bars. "Okay, what now?" he asked. "How'd you find out about her?" "Canterlot. She got hit by that giant bubble." There was a bright flash of green fire, and suddenly there was a nutty brown pegasus on the opposite side of the bars. Acorn grinned at him and said, "What makes you so sure that your 'special somepony' cares about you? How do you know that it was real? With the way everypony's been acting for the past few weeks, we're apparently lying monsters that need to be flushed out of our hidey holes and stuffed into cages." "She came back for me later. She told me the truth and then left." Acorn smiled knowingly. "Emphasis on left." Caramel glared back. "She left because she didn't want to make things complicated for me, okay?" "And avoid getting caught. How convenient." "She fought you guys during the attack. She protected me," Caramel snapped. "I can still remember the look on your buddy's face when she blasted him with magic!" Acorn blinked at that. "Wait. She attacked one of us?" "Yes. And she was supposed to be a pegasus. She dropped her disguise to save me from getting caught." There was a pause, and then Acorn discreetly licked his lips and swallowed lightly. "Been a while since I tasted some genuine love. And if she really did as you say, well..." he seemed to be thinking deeply for a moment, before he finally shifted back into changeling form and continued, "Okay, fine. I'm convinced. I can give you some instructions on where to go, but because you're not a flyer, it's going to be tough for you." Caramel squared his shoulders. "Better than nothing. Where is it?" Acorn put a hoof up. "First, there are several conditions. You cannot tell anyone where the hive is if you find it, and you cannot ask others for help or let them know what you're planning. And I want it to be a Pinkie Promise." Caramel blinked. "You know about the Pinkie Promise?" "Everyone knows about the Pinkie Promise." Acorn's voice had taken on a haunted quality for a moment, as if he was remembering something particularly nasty. "Do we have a deal or not?" Caramel hated the idea that he was going to do this without telling anypony, especially Mom and Dad, but he couldn't see any other way to do it. The best chance he had of finding Sash was another changeling. So he sighed and went through the motions, saying, "Fine, I promise not to tell anypony where your hive is; I won't ask anypony for help or let them know what I'm planning. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." The changeling grinned. "I hope for your sake that she's worth it, because you're probably in for a world of hurt." "She is, and I don't care what I have to go through to find her," Caramel said resolutely. Acorn looked like he had been about to roll his eyes, but before Caramel could snap at him for his cynicism, he chuckled and said, "Okay, relax, don't get your tail in a knot. If you want to find your special somepony, there's this little trail in the badlands..." I'm coming for you, Sash, Caramel thought. I'm coming. * * * * * Eleven days before Integration... It had been a tiring day for Caramel. Taking care of kids was way more demanding than most ponies thought. For starters, there was a lot more to it than just playing with them and foaling around, especially if you wanted them to learn something at the end of the day. Then, after teaching, entertaining and feeding the nymphs, Tibia had called on him to help with moving several clusters of eggs because some dampness had seeped into that part of the hatchery. And apparently, moving them also involved cleaning and grooming to ensure that they didn't dry out or get infected with mould. Nevertheless, he found the work satisfying, and he always had something to look forward to at the end of the work cycle. When his shift was over and he was done tending to the eggs, he made his way to one of the secluded water reservoirs where he found Sassaflash waiting for him. "How'd it go?" he asked. She sighed. "I finally got someone to listen. It's Grez." Caramel remembered that the guy was a pretty big changeling, and the Overseer of Builder Caste, no less. He was quite the catch if Sash had managed to convince him that the hive needn't be at war with ponies. So why did she look so disappointed? He raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that good news? You don't look too happy about it." "I'm not sure he's doing it for the right reason. He just doesn't like keeping the hive like, well... a beehive." Sash rolled her eyes and made a vague gesture with a hoof. "He believes that we can be so much more than 'tunnel diggers' and 'dirt pushers'. To hear him go on about how Chrysalis keeps toning down his projects, you'd think he'd try to make an underground Canterlot Palace if given half the chance." Well, that wasn't too bad. At least the fellow had vision for better things. "But he's still willing to help, right?" Sash chuckled weakly. "Err, about that... Grez said he isn't committing yet, and he doesn't like being rushed. When I asked what he meant, he just said that he will do what he can to make sure his workers don't stop us if it comes to a fight." She put up a hoof to stop his questions, then grinned nervously and added, "Oh, and you know what the best part is? For some reason, he seems to think that I'm trying to overthrow Chrysalis. He said that if I took over, he wanted free rein to pursue construction projects and organise expeditions to the old city." Caramel blinked. "Wow." "Yeah. It's ridiculous." "Actually, that sounds even better than what I had in mind. If you're queen, we won't have to convince anyone; you can just tell them what to do!" He put a hoof to his chin thoughtfully. "Now we just need to find a way to get rid of her..." Sash's eye twitched. Caramel tried to keep a straight face, but a snigger escaped him. Sash sagged with relief, then snorted and punched his shoulder. "That wasn't funny. Do you know what Mother would do to us if she got wind of this?" When he burst out laughing, she smiled and shook her head. "Why can't you be funny when we're not doing stuff that could get our heads chopped off?" He chuckled. "Blame Rax. It's what happens when you're with him for too long." After a moment, he sat next to Sash and put a foreleg around her back, then made a sweeping motion with his other hoof. "But think about it. Queen Calyx, ruler of the Changeling Empire!" Sassaflash rolled her eyes. "No way. I'm not cut out for mucking around with leadership. But it's nice of you to think so." "Hey, I know so. You'd make a much nicer leader than that nasty--" She raised an eyebrow. "You do know that you're talking about my mother, right?" Oh. Stupid mouth. He grinned sheepishly and scratched his head. "Well, yeah, but... I didn't mean to say that--" Sash silenced him with a quick nuzzle and whispered into his ear, "Now we're even." Caramel chuckled and returned the gesture. They simply sat together in silence, watching drops of water fall from the ceiling and plop into the reservoir. He wished it could last for ages, but there was always work to be done. "Same time tomorrow?" he asked before they parted. Sash nodded. "Yes, but let's make it the old passage on the lower east side. Scorn has already seen me coming here more than once." * * * * * Some hours later, after making sure that the nymphs were sound asleep, Caramel carefully eased away and ascended the nearest tunnel to the surface. He could afford to lose some sleep, and he'd been putting off his plans for long enough already. Though most of the hive was asleep or resting, the passages to Chrysalis' sanctum remained well guarded. He was careful to keep his distance from those; the last thing he wanted was to draw unnecessary attention to what he was going to do. There was still quite a ways to go before he reached the final shaft, but he was already starting to feel a sense of misgiving. But he pushed on, ignoring the feeling of uneasiness that was growing. The hive had multiple exits to the surface, and the passage he'd chosen was one that was only wide enough to accommodate changelings crawling in single file. It was more like a ventilation shaft than an actual passage, but it could serve as an alternative to the main exits in emergencies. He'd learned of it in his time in Warrior Caste, when they were teaching him the few strategies employed in defending the hive from intruders coming from the surface. The narrow passage's opening was supposedly well-hidden on the surface, and could be used to attack intruders from the rear if they had the main tunnels barricaded, effectively trapping their enemies. Caramel had never been given a practical drill on such a tactic because of Chrysalis' orders, but Skeehar had seen fit to educate him anyway in case the need ever arose. Which it had; just not in the way they were expecting. The best part about this particular passage was that it was lightly guarded, since it was easy to collapse a section of it to block it off entirely if anything tried to enter that way. There were only one or two guards stationed by its entrance. Unlike the royal guards he'd seen in Canterlot, it turned out that changeling sentries weren't very alert. At least, not in the same sense. Pony guards would stand at their post and keep watch, but changelings relied mostly on touch and sound. The entire passage had a thin layer of hard, porous material which Builder Caste produced by mixing their resin with clay and dirt. When dry, the stuff was pretty good at transmitting vibrations, which Caramel likened to pressing his ear on a wooden table whilst somepony knocked on it with their hooves. Changeling sentries would settle themselves into artificial depressions in the tunnel walls and simply rest in a half-dormant state, waiting for the movement of an intruder to rouse them. From what he'd heard from some of his former caste-mates, it was easy to distinguish between changeling and non-changeling movement, and they could even tell when a rodent was skittering around. He had no way of telling how true that claim was, having never tried it himself, but it seemed believable enough. After all, it was how he'd been caught when he entered the hive. He remembered freaking out and thinking that they were coming out of nowhere, when in reality they had probably been hidden in the passage with him all along. It seemed such a long time ago. Back when he was a full pony... Focus, mister. This time, it would be a little different. He'd be approaching from the other end, and hopefully his transformation was sufficiently advanced that his movement would be indistinguishable from a regular changeling's. If he was lucky, the guard would mistake him for a forager or scout and not bother to get up and ask questions he didn't want to answer. His uneasiness had grown considerably, and setting hoof into the tunnel proper took more willpower than he liked. Still, he made the next step, and the one after that, and he settled into a steady rhythm, doing his best to ignore everything else. "Where are you going?" asked a voice that seemed to come from the ground. Yikes! Caramel nearly jumped in fright. A changeling that he didn't recognise was peering at him, nestled in a cosy hollow near his hooves. Oh, that's great. He'd been concentrating so hard on fighting against the compulsion that he'd completely failed to notice the sentry! The changeling narrowed his eyes when Caramel failed to answer the question. He racked his brain for an excuse, but nothing convincing turned up. Meanwhile, he was picking up more and more suspicion from the sentry's emotions, and nearly turned tail when the changeling stood up and frowned at him face to face. "Well? What are you doing up here?" Caramel briefly wondered what had spurred him to do something so brash, but he quickly shoved that thought aside. First things first. He might have been able to pass his wanderings lower down as idle exploration, but this tunnel very obviously led to the surface, and now that he'd been confronted directly, the queen would soon hear of his deliberate attempt to disobey her orders even if he backed down and returned to his duties. Now that he had gotten himself into a corner, it was as good a time as any to go all-out. He drew himself up and took a deep breath, fixing the sentry with what he hoped was an indignant glare and growled, "None of your business. Get back to your post." The changeling blinked in surprise, and then turned his head slightly so that his shout would go down to the hive. His eyes remained focused on Caramel as he drew in a breath, but the expected shout only came out as an incoherent noise that couldn't have been loud enough to travel very far. Horse apples, it didn't work! Caramel considered himself lucky that the sentry was hesitating - probably out of sheer incredulity at his attempt to give him orders - but if he didn't do something to fix it, he'd effectively ruined what was probably his best chance to make things right. "What's your name?" he blurted. His mind was racing, and as the words left his mouth, he felt shame that he was crumbling so easily and quickly. He had the opportunity to make things better for both changelings and ponies, and he was bungling it up! Memories of Rax welled up in his mind, of the battle with the diamond dogs and the quarray eels. He remembered seeing him lying broken on the ground, then falling into the darkness. He remembered feeding on Lucky's emotions as he lay unconscious in the pod. He saw the feeble forms of the two elderly ponies he had rescued from the quarrays, taken from their homes and unaware that they were living a false life in their dreams. The changeling was looking at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Did you eat a bad fungus or something? I don't want to call the guards on you, but if you don't get back down there, I will--" Caramel silenced him with a renewed glare. He felt heat rising in his chest as he thought of all the unnecessary suffering on both sides of the divide. He'd lost a friend and brother already, and he was not going to let something like that happen to anyone else, whether changeling or pony. "Look, I asked you a simple question. What's your name?" he growled. This time, he could feel his words somehow resonating. It gave him a rush, like the kind that he got whenever he watched his favourite hoofball team winning in a tournament. The sentry shrank back in alarm, then murmured, "I'm Weave." Caramel pressed on, channelling his best impression of Skeehar. "Well, that wasn't so hard, was it? Now, I've got some business to take care of, and I don't want you wasting my time with stupid questions." He pointed a hoof back to the hollow. "So get back to your post." "But, you're not allowed up there," Weave protested. "What am I supposed to say if they ask--" Caramel didn't give him a chance to finish. He advanced until his snout had practically bumped into Weave's. The sentry leaned back to avoid him, but he carried on until he'd forced him onto his haunches. When he judged that he was sufficiently cowed, he jabbed a hoof at his chest. "Don't waste their time. You should be keeping an eye out for our real intruders instead of bothering your own kind!" "But, but you're not--" "What? Not changeling enough for you?" Caramel flared his horn to life and gave in to the flames. They ate away at the remnants of his coat and he felt the rest of his pony traits being twisted into the changeling equivalent. When they died down, he shook himself and spat, "How about now?" "Okay, okay, fine!" "Seriously, I don't know why you were placed here if you can't even tell who you're supposed to stop or give passage." Weave gulped. "Please don't report this to Skeehar." Caramel felt bad about bullying him, especially considering that he seemed quite young, but he saw no other way to keep him quiet. Still, he relented a little and shifted back to his normal appearance. "Fine. Just don't make it a habit." Weave chirped out a meek response and silently settled back in his hollow, leaving Caramel to continue his ascent unimpeded. Can't believe that worked... He didn't know why he was able to compel others the same way Chrysalis or one of the overseers could, but he wasn't about to complain. It felt good to have unexpected things turn up to his advantage for once. As a bonus, the heady rush he'd gotten from drawing on his own emotions and memories to compel Weave was also making it easier to ignore the uncomfortable fact that he was disobeying Chrysalis in his attempt to reach the surface. However, it soon wore off. Guilt and dread, the unique chains that Chrysalis had around his neck welled up and threatened to send him racing back to the safety and comfort of obedience. There's always a bigger bug, he thought. Each step required conscious effort, and he could no longer ward off the all too familiar feeling that he was doing terrible things. In one instance, he felt like he was stealing from the poor. In the next he was lying and framing his best friends for his misdeeds and laughing when they were taken away by the Royal Guards. Caramel shook his head in an attempt to steer away from such thoughts, but to no avail. When avoidance failed, he turned to his memories. He turned to his purpose. He drew on the love that Sassaflash and the nymphs had given him, and they gave him strength to carry on. But when he was at about half the tunnel's length to the surface, the compulsion had almost become a physical force. Any movement forward was possible only at a sluggish pace. His heart was thumping, and the back of his neck pricked constantly, as if somepony was watching him. Any bend in the tunnel was enough to tighten his nerves, so tight that he felt they would snap at the slightest sound. He could never shake off the feeling that there was some unknown horror lurking beyond the bend, waiting to seize him the moment he peeped round the corner. To his shame, he even lit up his horn when the light provided by the luminous nodes on the wall's surface was more than sufficient for him to see. It did help to calm his nerves, though, and he frequently stopped to gather the courage to push on and reassure himself that it was all in his head. But he could only go so far. By the time he judged that he was through a fifth of the tunnel's length to the surface, his legs were shaking, he was sweating profusely, and he was constantly looking behind, fearing that Chrysalis or her guards were going to find him and punish him for his disobedience. The tension eventually grew unbearable, and images of his demise started spilling into his mind. Chrysalis might feed him to a quarray, piece by piece. Or she might stuff him into a pod and toss it down into the abyss. In another thought, she'd jab her eggs into him with a sting, and his belly would swell as her grubs grew ate him from the inside out... That's ridiculous; ignore it, the rational part of his mind reasoned. He just needed to focus and put one hoof in front of the other. Come on, step by step... But the rest of him was having none of that. Gah, I can't do this anymore! Caramel turned around and hastily retreated a few steps. But once he started, he could not stop. His pace quickened, and he soon found himself galloping back down, scraping himself along the narrow way. The tunnel walls became a blur as he raced towards the safety of the hive--and Weave suddenly appeared in front of him. "Now what--T'chaak!" Weave's expletive was the last thing he said before Caramel crashed into him, and they tumbled the remaining distance to the hive end of the tunnel. Luckily, the distance wasn't too great. Ouch... Caramel groaned as he untangled himself from Weave. His wounds from the quarray attack didn't hurt so much anymore, but his tattered wings were still rather tender. He sat on his haunches, breathing heavily and waiting for his heart and frayed nerves to settle down. Weave, on the other hoof, quickly recovered and darted back to the tunnel. "What was that? Is something coming?" he asked urgently. "Err, no. It's nothing. My mistake." Caramel knew that he'd made a massive blunder, but he simply could not muster the willpower to come up with a cover story or to bully him into keeping quiet. Judging by his half-open mouth, slight frown and silence, Weave was sufficiently confused. Eventually, he shook his head and said, "What were you running from, then? Are you... okay?" "I, um..." No credible explanation presented itself. When the silence had stretched beyond reason, he simply hung his head and sighed. "No, I'm not okay. I just... Never mind. I'm going back. See you." Weave said nothing as he sidled off. But after several steps, Caramel looked back and saw him still staring, completely nonplussed. He grinned sheepishly and said, "By the way, can we please keep that between the two of us?" All he got in response was a frown and a noncommittal chirp. He considered pressing the matter, but Weave ended it by returning to his post without further ceremony. Sighing, Caramel began the long walk back to the hatchery. The others would be up and about soon enough, and he would have his hooves full just keeping the nymphs occupied. But his anticipation of spending time with his siblings was tainted by the bitter taste of his failed attempt to reach the surface. And to make matters worse, it was quite possible that he'd already botched up his plans. Everything kind of depended on whether Weave would rat him out or not, but he was too emotionally exhausted to fret or come up with a contingency plan. He just hoped that Weave wouldn't bother reporting the incident, since keeping quiet would allow him to avoid questions on why he'd allowed the only half-pony in the hive to get past him. * * * * * By some stroke of luck, nobody came after him. Not even on the next day. By that time, he had sufficiently recovered that he was willing to give the surface another shot. Weave was guarding the place as usual, but allowed him to pass with little more than a glance. Caramel did not particularly like that glance, though. It was the sort that you gave to ponies that you knew were a little off in the head, but didn't dare to point it out to them in case they decided to show you the full extent of their craziness. Still, it was something that he could exploit. He ended up failing again, but at least not as spectacularly as the first time. He managed to go a bit farther too. The sense of apprehension and fear was significantly weaker than on his first try, especially in areas that he'd already passed. It was only at the mark of his previous failure where things started getting out of hoof. But progress was progress, and it was encouraging to find that he was gradually gaining ground over the compulsion Chrysalis had placed on him. If he kept it up, he would eventually reach the surface. In between that and work, he would also spend time exploring every nook and cranny of the hive that he could possibly get to. He never found an easier way to the surface, but he figured that it would help later on, particularly where the prisoners were concerned. Getting his friends out of the hive was still close to the top of his priority list, so he took special care in familiarising himself with the layout of the pod chambers, using the excuse of visiting Sassaflash as cover. His wounds continued to heal at a remarkable rate as the days passed, even the fresh ones that he received in a brief clash with a couple of wandering diamond dogs. It probably shouldn't have surprised him, given how much love he was getting from Sash and the nymphs each day. His wings were a little different, though. A couple of days after his first attempt to climb back to ground level, they popped cleanly and painlessly off his back. And in another two days, he found a pair of buds sprouting from where the old ones had been. They were slow to mature, but it was certainly better than nothing. Sassaflash was pretty busy, too. He continued to meet her every few cycles, and almost every time she would report that she'd gotten a few more changelings to consider supporting a different way of doing things. None were quite as dramatic or ambitious as Overseer Grez had been, but Sash seemed certain that they wanted the animosity between changelings and ponies to end, at the very least. One of them mentioned that it would make pinching ponies' love much easier, but Sash hadn't gotten round to telling them that stopping that sort of thing was kind of an important part of the plan. That was another problem for Caramel. The plan. He didn't have a trump card, some ultimatum that he could throw at Chrysalis to get her to at least try an alternative to the half-standoff, half-parasitic relationship they currently had with ponies. He thought about it day after day as he went about his business. Time was running out. Princess Luna had never spoken to him since Stickle's intrusion into his dreams, although he was pretty certain that he'd glimpsed her fleetingly a few times. If he was ever going to have a trump card, she was going to be it. The moon continued to call to him in his dreams, driving him to push himself to the last dregs of his courage each time he attempted to fight his way to the surface. He got closer each cycle, but it would have been great to have some assurance that reaching it would give him what he needed. Unfortunately, it only remained a promise spoken to him in his dreams. Time was running out. Sash was slowly gathering support, and it probably would not be long before she spoke to the wrong changeling and Chrysalis got word of just how committed they were to the plan. Knowing her, she would probably consider it treason. The part that he hated most was that he hadn't told Sash about Princess Luna's involvement. She knew about his attempts to reach the surface, but as far as she was concerned, it was for him to prove that it was possible to fight Chrysalis' compulsion, that they could all do the same if he succeeded. She probably would've been a lot less enthusiastic if his main reason was to reach the moon because it was speaking to him in his dreams. And yet, no matter how many times he tried to tell himself that it wasn't a very convincing reason, he still felt so certain that it would help, somehow. On the eighth day after his first attempt, he finally found out. * * * * * Rax. Changeling. Warrior. Friend. Friends do not forget. Caramel blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes. He felt nice and warm, and it took him a moment to remember that Sash had managed to time her work shift so they could rest together. He smiled when Sash mumble something in her sleep. By his estimation, it was a couple of hours before the next cycle; it was time for him to make another run for the surface. This time. This time, for sure. But when he tried to get up, a pair of forelegs wrapped around his chest and neck and pulled him back. "Mm, too early. Stay a bit..." Sash mumbled as she squeezed him gently. She was very warm and comfortable. Despite his eagerness to get started, Caramel decided that a few minutes more with his special somepony couldn't hurt. He settled back down and patted her foreleg rhythmically, listening to the sound of her breaths. He could also hear the breathing of the dozen nymphs lying around them. He wondered what Mom and Dad would've thought if they saw him right now, cuddling with a changeling deep underground and surrounded by hundreds of eggs and dozens of their juveniles. Not to mention that I'm half bug, too. Their opinions probably wouldn't be very favourable, but he could not bring himself to say that he would want it any other way. Of course, he could very well wish that they were all plain ponies, but that was just asking for the moon. "What would I do without you?" he murmured. Sash nuzzled the back of his neck in response. Eventually, though, he had to go. Sash reluctantly released him, and after giving her a quick peck on the cheek, he cantered off. Weave had long since quit giving him odd looks whenever he passed by. Caramel was thankful, as it allowed him to focus on fighting the compulsion instead of fretting about getting found out all the time. As expected, the going got tough only when he reached the spot where he last gave up. It was the final stretch to the surface; it couldn't be more than forty yards or so. After taking a deep breath, Caramel strode forward, keeping pleasant thoughts in his mind. He was just taking a stroll, nothing wrong with that at all. Just a quick trip topside to get some fresh air. It helped to calm his nerves when the compulsion to flee struck him. Chrysalis was a reasonable changeling; surely she wouldn't begrudge him a quick look at the sky. It had been quite a long time... Keeping such a frame of thought could only work for so long, though. It helped him to ignore the fact that he was disobeying for a while, but his muscles were soon tensing up and every step made him feel like he was a thief walking towards a royal guard garrison. He slowed a little, but made sure not to stop entirely. Casting out all form of pretence, he instead switched to thoughts of why he was doing this. We don't need to be enemies. Changelings shouldn't be kidnapping ponies and imprisoning them; ponies shouldn't be dragging changelings out of their homes and exiling them into the badlands. There had to be a better way. With Sash and Princess Luna on his side, he would find a way. Such thoughts allowed him to stave off panic and pick up the pace once more. Step by step, he got a little closer to the surface. At some point, he even saw some coming from around a bend in the tunnel. Light! It wasn't very bright - more like a dawn or evening sky - but compared to the feeble illumination provided by the luminescent nodes in the hive, it might as well have been broad daylight. It strengthened his resolve, and the going became a little easier for a while. When he went around the bend, he saw that the tunnel sloped straight upwards, giving him a clear view of the sky. It was a muted kind of greyish blue, like an overcast sky in the evening, and it filled him with hope. He only had to climb another fifteen yards or so, and he would be out! And then it struck him. He was so close to committing treason against Chrysalis. She had expressly forbidden him from going to the surface, and here he was happily trotting up as if it was the most normal thing in the world! His muscles instantly tightened in some places whilst simultaneously going slack in others. His movement became uncoordinated, and he stumbled to a halt. Chrysalis was watching him. Surely she couldn't be that stupid. Heck, she was probably up there herself, waiting to catch him in the act, guilty as a foal with his hoof in the cookie jar. No, no, no! Focus! He'd let his concentration slip. The fear was paralysing him, and threatened to send him into a full-on panic if he didn't do something about it. But maybe if he backed down a bi--No! Caramel ground his teeth and forced himself to stay still, ignoring every urge to turn tail and flee. He had to push on. The thought of giving up and coming back another time was tempting, but he'd learned back then that it only made him more likely to give up and procrastinate on future attempts. Slowly, he began to edge onward. Come on, baby steps. Keep at it. He shook his head and focused his thoughts on Sassaflash. She was counting on him. Even in his most pathetic moments, she had been there for him. He remembered her soothing voice, giving him courage when he was all but ready to give up. He would do this for her; he would find a way to make things better. She deserved it, and so did the rest of the hive. Stickle and the rest of the nymphs deserved better than a life of fighting diamond dogs and quarrays, scrounging in the darkness and dragging in ponies unlucky enough to cross their paths. Front left, back right, front right, back left... It was a mantra that he repeated endlessly in his mind. Suddenly, he realised that he was right at the end of the tunnel. The opening was narrow, but he could see the dim light coming from outside. He even spotted a weed growing out there. Just a few steps forward and he would be in the open. Then, terror sank its claws into him. He was practically on the surface. He was so close to leaving the hive! A shiver went through him as he involuntarily took a step back... No, no, stop that! Caramel snarled and wrenched his leg back in place. Rax had died saving his life, and he was not going to let that happen to anyone else. Not if he had a say in it! He took one step forward. Then another. Doubt tried to worm its way into his mind once more, but Caramel had had enough. He barged through and gave it no time to poison his mind and paralyse him again. Snarling, he broke into a gallop and rushed out into the light. Fear and guilt reared their ugly heads, but he roared and trampled them bloody, then left them to rot in the deepest pit in his mind. He only stopped galloping when he tripped over something and scraped his face in gritty mud. For a moment, lying down on the wet earth was all he could do, but he slowly regained control of himself and sat up on his haunches. After regaining his breath, he saw that he had exited the hive from a cleft in a rocky tor, one of several in the area. There were a few dead trees around him, along with clusters of desert grass and some shrubs. Rain drops pattered on their foliage and on the muddy ground. I... I made it. The realisation made him giddy, and he felt a giggle escape him. It was followed by more heartfelt laughter. He jumped and skipped around in the mud, splashing it everywhere, like a colt on a sugar rush. He then trotted over to one of the little clusters of desert grass and took a bite. It was gritty and excessively fibrous, but he didn't care. Oh, that's so good... he thought as he chewed. After calming down, he took more stock of his surroundings. The light shower had stopped, and when he looked up, he found the clouds being blown away by strong winds in the night sky. It took him a moment to realise that it was actually night. Judging by the lighting, it couldn't have been much later than early evening, and yet the stars and moon were out. Oh wow. He knew that changelings could see in the dark, but he hadn't quite realised just how well. Granted, it was way darker in the hive, but there wasn't very much to look at anyway. But up here... He could see splashes of purple in the sky, along with hues of blue and yellowish green that he was sure he had never seen before. It was, for lack of a better word, enchanting. Then, movement caught his eye. Caramel blinked in surprise and stared at the moon. He was pretty sure that he'd seen something around that part in the sky, perhaps something flying in front of the moon. But even after a few minutes of scanning the sky, he found nothing more than clouds and twinkling stars. Princess Luna. The gravity of the situation came crashing back down on him. He had finally found the moon, so where was the help that it had promised in his dreams? If it had been nothing more than a fake recurring theme in his head... Relax, it's only been a few minutes, he told himself. If there's any help, you can't expect it to be instant. With some effort, Caramel was able to climb to the top of one of the rocky tors, though he was a little miffed that his new wings were nowhere near developed enough for flight. It would have been much easier that way. Still, the tor did give him a reasonable view of the landscape, and he whistled in wonder at the sight. The badlands was transformed. The seasonal storm had practically been a deluge, and what water that hadn't gone underground was left in the form of thousands of puddles, rivulets and ponds. It was as if somepony had left thousands of mirrors lying perfectly evenly on the ground, reflecting the night sky. The entire land was bathed in a bluish light, though he was pretty sure that that was partially due to his altered eyes. His memory of the landscape during his journey to the hive was already hazy, but he was pretty sure that there was a lot more greenery because of the fresh supply of water. Sure, they mostly constituted grass, weeds and shrubs, but that was way better than before. There were other tors further out from where he was, but without the sun for guidance, he was at a loss as to which way pony civilisation lay. There were no recognisable landmarks that he could remember, and after several long minutes of scrutinising the horizon in every direction, he could find no sign of ponies nearby. But she has to help. I've found the moon. And so he waited, perched up on the tor's highest point. But with every passing minute, his apprehension grew. He could not stay here waiting all night. He would be missed if he stayed for too long, and if Chrysalis got involved, everything would fly out the window. "Come on, where are you?" he murmured. Eventually, after waiting for what felt like an hour, he sighed in defeat and trudged back the way he'd come. It had been a waste of time. He had been expecting a revelation, or at least some indication that he was going to get help, but silence was the only answer. He didn't know why he had even thought that finding the moon would help him in the slightest; now that he thought of it, it seemed incredibly stupid. He stomped a hoof and growled in frustration. Change had to come from within. They could not rely on any outsider's help for the time being. Before slinking back into the tunnel, he stopped just long enough to give the moon one last baleful glare. He turned away and-- Wait... Caramel whirled back around and stared at the silvery orb. Did the moon just blink at him? He was pretty sure a shadow had moved over it a second ago. He lingered for a minute, but the moon remained stubbornly ordinary. After a while, he shook his head and descended the tunnel. Maybe I'm losing it... The first sign he got that something was wrong was when he realised that Weave wasn't at his post. The second sign came right after that, when he found a pair of Chrysalis' guards waiting for him at the end of the tunnel. "There you are. Chrysalis wants to see you," one of them said. Caramel nearly froze. Oh, hayseed. "Move it," snapped the other guard. This is bad... He wasn't sure if this was about where he'd been, but he could think of no other reason for Chrysalis to send for him like this. If he was lucky, it would be just him and not Sash or anyone else, but that still left the question of whether there would be anything left of his plans to salvage after she was through with him. He racked his brain for something, anything that could get him out of this mess, but it seemed as if his mind had frozen up. He could only nod and follow in silence as he desperately tried to find a solution to his problem. His guts practically wilted when he was taken directly to Chrysalis' chambers. All of the overseers were in there, along with some of her personal guards. Weave and Sash were there too, and she was flanked by a pair of guards. Chrysalis stood in the middle of the roughly circular chamber surrounded by everyone else. Caramel's guards gave him a shove, and he was too stricken to properly keep his balance. He ended up sprawled on the floor in front of her. Chrysalis tut-tutted and said, "Ah, Caramel, what am I supposed to do with you?" Although it was glaringly obvious, she hadn't specified what exactly he'd done wrong, so he decided to play along to buy time. So he steadily got back onto his hooves and replied, "Whatever you want." "Ooh, that's a smart answer. You're learning quickly." Chrysalis chuckled and began stalking in a circle around him. "But that was rhetorical. Did you really think you could attempt to stage a coup and or make a run for the surface without me finding out?" Caramel glanced at Sash and Weave. Sash looked distraught, but the sentry seemed only a little nervous. "You know, I must admit that you've managed to surprise me," Chrysalis stated. "You're taking to life down here better than I could have hoped for, but I never would have guessed that you'd be able to disobey a direct order from me." "How'd you find out?" he murmured. "Weave isn't the only sentry. The others saw you fooling around on the surface." Chrysalis glanced thoughtfully at Weave and added, "And, actually, the fact that you managed to make him keep quiet about your little hobby is very interesting. He had difficulty spilling the beans on your little excursions until I ordered him to. And... your influence on my children is impressive. Disobedience is on the rise, and there's been talk of how my way of running things is a little stale." Something clicked inside of Caramel. Game's on. Chrysalis had them cornered. He had to throw all his cards on the table if he wanted any chance of salvaging anything. So he looked her right in the eye and growled, "It is, your highness. You're not even willing to try anything else." The others present chittered amongst themselves, but Chrysalis' smug confidence remained unaffected. "I've seen my mother's alternatives. I'm sure Tibia has already told you how that turned out for us. None of you are old enough to know, but I was there when we were chased out of our homes. I saw my siblings starve when Mother forbade us to take love that wasn't freely given." Caramel knew that he was trotting on thin ice, but the words were out of his mouth before he could think it through. "I don't think your plan to invade Canterlot was much better." The queen huffed. "Admittedly, not one of my best projects. But the flaw was in execution, not concept. I was drunk on love and power; I allowed myself to get cocky when I should have seized victory. I will not make that mistake again." Caramel could feel his heart rate climbing. Hearing the queen speak like that was slowly making his blood simmer with frustration. Why couldn't she see reason? Why was she being so stubborn? "You're being stupid," he muttered. Chrysalis' tone grew dangerous. "What?" "Caramel," Sash began, "don't--" "Be quiet," Chrysalis snapped at her. "Let's hear what the little pony has to say." Caramel felt fear stirring within, but he quickly squashed it before it could take hold. He no longer cared what Chrysalis thought of him. She had her ideas of what was right, and he had his. The only thing that mattered was that regardless of how things panned out, he would have a clear conscience. He shook his head. "You guys can't carry on like this. You once mentioned that many haven't come back since the attack on Canterlot; you don't have the numbers to keep this place going. How long will it be before the next diamond dog or quarray attack?" He saw a flash of Rax fighting the giant creature, but he quickly set that thought aside and continued, "And those ponies you have trapped down here can't sustain you forever. Equestria's already on full alert for changelings. Once these guys are gone, you won't be able to trick or capture enough of us to feed yourselves!" "And what do you expect us to do?" asked Overseer Anther. "Make peace with the ponies, maybe?" Caramel suggested. "It's about time you guys did!" "Oh, and those ponies will be happy to let us keep our catch, I'm sure," Skeehar drawled. "If they don't come after us for revenge first, that is." "They're better than that!" Caramel snapped. Although Shining Armour had been pretty ticked off about what Chrysalis had done to Princess Cadance, he hadn't been rough or abusive towards the changelings that had been caught after the wedding. He was sure that Shining had it in him to put aside his feelings if it would mean they could all stop being enemies. Princess Luna had already proven open-minded to negotiation, and he was certain that Princess Celestia was just as willing, if not more so. "Really? Somehow, I can't see that happening," another overseer murmured. It was Scorn, the leader of Hunter Caste. "You can't have peace without trust," Caramel explained. "There's got to be give and take; give them their friends and families back, and they'll stop hunting us down." "And what do you expect us to live on whilst they take away our main source of love?" asked Chrysalis. "My children cannot feed on promises alone--promises that ponies might not even keep. We'd be easy targets once our source of magic is gone, and I will not let the Changeling Empire fall again!" "What empire?" Everyone turned to Sassaflash. For a moment, she seemed taken aback by being the centre of attention, but she quickly recovered. "We're practically a beehive at this point, and a failing one at that." "Calyx, I'm warning you," Chrysalis intoned, but Sash cut her off. "Caramel is right. We can't grow enough fungus to live on that alone, and we're losing changelings faster than we can replace them! There simply isn't enough love to raise nymphs in the numbers that we need. We're not an empire anymore. We're living in the ruins of one." Silence followed. For a while, nobody spoke as Chrysalis' appraising gaze went back and forth between Caramel and Sash. Then... "She has a point," said a coarse voice, even by changeling standards. Overseer Grez seemed to be thinking deeply. "Wouldn't it be worth the risk if it means we could be great once more? I'd take that chance over spending the rest of my life in this cave." "Besides, if we earn their trust, we can do work and buy our own food," Caramel added. "I know you guys can live on regular food if there isn't enough love to go around." He could sense hope in the others. And he thought he even heard a murmur of agreement. It's working! "Chrysalis, maybe it's time to try something else," Overseer Tibia said gently. "Maybe there's more to Mother's plans than we've given her credit for." "You too?" the queen asked bitterly. "You know our history better than anyone else but me. Mother's oh so bright idea was the reason we fell!" Tibia didn't skip a beat. "We were falling long before that happened. It just wasn't the right time when she tried it." She smiled at Caramel and added, "And I think that this young fellow here is proof that things are different this time around." "Enough. There will be no more discussion of this," Chrysalis growled, punctuating it with a stomp. "I cannot risk the future of the hive on the yet to be made promises of ponies who have proven, time and time again, that they're a bunch of spoilt brats who are afraid of anyone who looks different from them. I will not let the hive be reduced to beggars picking at the crumbs from Celestia's table, daily pleading for her to tolerate our existence--which is exactly how much power she will have over us if we go down that path!" And we're back to square one. This is ridiculous. Caramel could feel his temper coming to a boil. He shouted, "You're not even willing to give us a chance, for crying out loud! The ponies in Equestria now aren't the same ones who hunted changelings down in Queen Gossamer's time. They're long gone; we're different!" "Celestia sat on the throne during that time, and still does today," Chrysalis retorted. "She even sent her own sister--" "It's been a long time," Caramel interjected. "Things are different now. We can all keep hating each other and fight until someone loses - and let's face it, we're not looking too good right now - or we can change and try to make things better between us." He turned around, giving everyone a pointed look. "Change! Isn't that what you guys do best? If the ponies aren't willing to take the first step, then why can't we be the ones to do it? Prove them wrong; show that you're better than they think!" Chrysalis shook her head. "I won't take that risk. Especially not when I have already found an alternative. You." What? She chuckled and shot a sideways glance at Sassaflash. "I've seen the two of you together. I know you're both drawing love from each other, and yet there is no draining effect on either of you. Or at the very least, you're both getting more than you're giving, somehow. The point is that your relationship is self-sustaining, with plenty of love to spare." She trotted uncomfortably close to him and looked him in the eyes, saying, "The only reason I've tolerated the ideas you've been putting into the children's heads is that you're feeding them really well and at the same time drawing more love from them. They are growing much faster than I could have ever hoped for. You are the answer that I've been waiting for." Caramel took a step back as her horn glowed. "You gather enough love every day to feed many of your siblings. You're a hybrid with a feedback mechanism that could give us the edge we need, if I could only replicate the effect with another pony as willing as you'd been. I have found another way; I just need more time. We will survive." "That was the whole point of this?" He waved a holey leg at her and shook his head. "I... I don't even..." "You don't have to worry." The queen smiled at him. "You only need continue doing what you've always done, minus the disobeying parts. Continue to feed your siblings." "It's not enough, and I don't know if you'll find anypony else--" "Exactly," she interjected. "You don't know. Now, I've had enough of this discussion." She turned to the overseers and waved them off. "Get back to your posts. I want everyone--" "No." Chrysalis rounded on him, frowning. "What did you say?" Caramel bared his fangs. "We're not done here." Silence filled the chamber as the others waited for their queen's response. Chrysalis' horn glowed, and she raised a hoof and pointed it in the direction of the exit tunnel, saying, "Do as you're told. Now." He felt the pressure of the compulsion bearing down on him, but this time, he was ready. Rax. Changeling. Warrior. Friend. Friends do not forget. It was only a matter of time before someone else was lost, whether in a fight or in an accident, and next time it could very well be Stickle or any other of his siblings. Or even Sash. He was not going to let them live in a world where that kind of sacrifice was demanded so often. Not if he could help it. He stood fast as guilt and dread assailed him for not immediately obeying her. Slowly, he mustered the will to look her in the eye and say, "No. I'm not going to be a part of something that will only hurt us in the long run." Chrysalis' expression turned sour. "You've clearly forgotten the terms of my hospitality," she growled. "Give me all of your reserves, right now. And I will think of a suitable punishment for this insolence after you're locked up." Ponyfeathers! Apparently he wasn't the only one who could draw on emotions and memories to fight compulsion; Chrysalis was able to do the opposite. It took all of his will not to cave in under the pressure she was exerting on his mind. He groaned as it almost became a physical force, ripping magic from his reserves and channelling it into his horn to be transferred to the queen. He bowed under the weight of her will, clinging on to any thought that could justify defying her. But no matter what he tried, it soon became apparent that he was going to have to give up some of his magic, one way or another. So in his desperation, he converted the energy into a concussive blast and roared, "Fine, take it!" There was a cry of surprise, followed by a thud and a loud crack. When he opened his eyes, he found Chrysalis leaning against the far wall of the chamber, with a clear outline of her body on black soot on the rock. Wisps of smoke were coming out of her hair. She glared at him as she regained her composure and said, "Guards, seize him." The guards surrounded him, but Caramel snarled at them and roared, "Stay where you are!" When they stopped in their tracks, apparently paralysed by indecision, he lowered his voice and pleaded, "If you really want to do what's right for the hive, help me. There is a better way!" The guards and overseers simply stared at him. "Oh, going ahead with the coup, are we?" Chrysalis chuckled. The others hastily got out of her way as she advanced on him, horn aglow. "It's been a long time since I put an upstart in its place. I think I'm going to enjoy this." Caramel pawed at the ground in anticipation of violence. His heart was pounding, his nerves were fired up, and his horn was blazing. So much for talking sense into her. Now he just wanted to beat it into her thick, stubborn skull. If she wasn't going to listen to reason, he supposed force was the only option left. He knew that it wasn't right, but that didn't seem to make him any less eager to get down to it. His lips curled up to form a nasty grin as they circled each other. Everyone else had backed off to watch from the sides of the chamber. It was just him and the queen. He was the first to strike. The ball of fire flew straight for her chest, but it careened off her green barrier and exploded against a rock column, sending small shards in every direction. Caramel squinted and shielded his eyes with a hoof. And the next thing he saw was a dark blur. Something cracked against his jaw; his head twisted to the side, he lost his balance, and he suddenly found himself skidding on the floor with bits of dirt and gravel grinding into his hide. Horse apples, she's fast! He rolled away just in time to avoid her hooves crushing his legs. A fiery beam seared a line into the ground before him, but he managed to scramble away. A second later, he had to duck beneath a swipe to his face. The move left Chrysalis exposed for a moment, and he roared and rammed his head into her side. His horn only grazed her, but the impact was still enough to stagger and ruin her aimed shot. The bolt struck the ceiling and rained dust upon them. Sash was shouting something at him, but he couldn't spare the attention to listen properly. He twisted around and delivered a solid buck to Chrysalis' side. She staggered again, but this time her magic caught him. He was flung away, and crashed into a wall. As he lay stunned on the ground, he felt her magical grip wrapping around him and lifting him bodily into the air. Caramel yelped in pain. He thought he could hear his bones grinding and joints popping as she held him in a crushing grip. A low groan escaped him as he fought the urge to flail around. Through the growing agony, he was just able to channel enough of his own magic to disrupt her spell, and her grip loosened enough for him to wriggle free and drop to the floor. He got back up--and a green blast struck him in the chest. For the second time, he crashed against rock and slumped to the floor. He had once banged his knee hard against a stone table, and the intense, ringing sort of pain followed by a throbbing ache was something he hadn't cared to experience again. Except that that was exactly what he was experiencing at the moment, just with nearly all of his bones involved. Curling up into a quivering ball was all he could do. "You're pretty new to this whole 'usurping the throne' thing, aren't you?" Chrysalis mocked. With the pain slowly fading away, Caramel tried to get up, but choked out an agonised cry when he put weight on his foreleg. He felt Chrysalis' magic wrap around him once more, and he floated over to her until she had him dangling before her, upside down. "Had enough?" she asked with a smirk. Caramel punched her in the face. With all that pain shooting up his limb, he'd probably hurt himself more that he'd hurt her, but it did wipe away that condescending smirk. Chrysalis glared at him for a moment, then sighed and rolled her eyes. Her magical aura disappeared, and he gasped as the floor rushed up to meet him. He landed on the side of his face, and the rest of his body fell into a crumpled heap. Shards of pain lanced through his ribs and legs, and he was pretty sure he'd lost some coat on his cheek. He winced as she levitated him back to his original position. "How about now?" she asked again. Before he could answer, there was a bright flash of green light, followed by what felt like a thunderclap. He fell, but was caught in another aura just before he hit the ground. "Leave him alone!" Sassaflash screamed. Caramel followed her gaze and saw Chrysalis stumbling to her hooves. There was a trail of scraped rock and soot on the ground between where she was and where she'd been standing in front of him. Her hide looked like it was smoking. "Can you get up?" Sash asked, kneeling down by his side. He hissed a little when she touched a sore spot. "Ouch!" "Sorry. I--" Sash suddenly sprang to her hooves and fired another blast of magic. He had been too distracted to see what Chrysalis had tried to do, but the next thing he knew, Sash was darting to and fro around Chrysalis, dodging green bolts of fire. She was fast; he could see the queen growing increasingly irritated as she missed one shot after another. He tried getting up again, but his limbs didn't seem able to support his weight. Growling in frustration, he helped Sash the only way he could--by using magic. He burned Chrysalis a couple of times, but she was quick to adapt and block his attacks. That was when Sash zipped past and delivered a swift blow to her leg joints. Chrysalis stumbled and Sash dove in for another strike, but this time, the queen faked a magical attack and swung out a hoof that clipped her in the shoulder. Sash spun out of control and crash-landed next to him, groaning. Oh no. He tried to crawl closer to see how badly hurt she was, but to his relief, she was able to get up.Unfortunately, she wobbled and fell back down almost immediately after. She was bleeding from her shoulder. A feral snarl escaped him as he turned to Chrysalis and fired a lance of energy straight at her face. He noted her shocked expression just before the queen met his magic with a beam of her own. The glare from their colliding streams of magic was blinding, but he could feel the immense power in her spell. And the pressure on his horn was growing by the second. It was like beating his head against a brick wall. Panic threatened to overwhelm him when he recalled what had happened to Princess Celestia; he was doing the exact same thing. The smart thing to do would have been to disengage and run, but he was too hurt to move, and ending his spell would mean taking the full force of her magic to his face. But just then, he felt another stream of energy join his own, and the pressure eased up a little. Squinting, he found Sash lying prone on the ground just like him, clenching her teeth and blasting everything she had at the queen. The seconds dragged on, but little seemed to be changing. It was just him and Sash against Chrysalis, locked in a magical struggle. Beads of sweat formed on his brow; it was getting hot, and he was starting to shake from expelling so much energy at once. When it seemed like minutes had passed, the supportive effect of Sash's magic suddenly vanished. He gasped when he saw her lying unconscious, just before the pressure on his horn doubled. It burned like fire. Black spots appeared in his vision. Suddenly, he heard a sound like splintering wood, and he was thrown backwards, tumbling head over hooves several times before rolling to a stop. He simply lay dazed for several seconds, wondering what had happened. And then Caramel screamed when he felt somepony hammering a stake into his forehead. Through the tears clouding his vision, he could vaguely make out changelings rushing to and fro as Chrysalis barked out orders. The chamber was spinning, and he felt sick. He squeezed his eyes shut and flattened his ears, curling into a tight ball as he tried to block out everything. But he could not shut out the agony that was shattering his skull. * * * * * Caramel had the most exquisite headache when he regained consciousness. And he felt... heavy. When he moved he heard a clinking sound, and he realised that he was hobbled up. There was a collar around his neck and fetlock cuffs on each leg. The chains between them were only long enough to allow him to lie down properly; they would allow no running or fighting. Not that I'd want to anyway... Between the chains and the soreness that he was feeling in his bones and muscles, that was the last thing on his mind. Sassaflash was lying on the ground next to him, similarly chained up. He crawled over to her, wincing as the throbbing in his head. She stirred at his touch and blinked slowly. Then, she jerked to full wakefulness and sighed in relief when she saw him. "Thank goodness you're awake--I was worried you wouldn't soon." "Why wouldn't I?" Her eyes went up to something above his field of vision. Oh, headache. Right. He tried giving her a reassuring smile and said, "It's not too bad. I'll be fine." Glancing around, he noted that they were both in a small, circular chamber that was very poorly lit, even by changeling standards. "Where are we anyway?" He tried conjuring a little light... "Wait, don't--" Sash exclaimed, but it was too late. "Aagh!" Pain buzzed inside his horn and jolted down his spine and into his limbs. The room suddenly spun, and he had to spread himself as wide as the chains would allow to avoid falling flat. "Oh, oww..." he moaned. "What hap--" "You broke your horn," Sash explained. So that's what the headache's about. After taking a calming breath, he raised a hoof to feel it, carefully edging it closer. Sash watched with concern as he touched the base of his horn. It was a mess of jagged shards poking out of his skull, reminding him of the blown-out end of a firecracker. But... there was something else there. He winced when his hoof went higher and touched something soft that was shaped like a horn. It was similar to touching a loose tooth that still had enough feeling in it to cause a buzzing sort of pain. Oddly enough, touching it was just as addictive as prodding a loose tooth with his tongue. Sash gently took his hoof and pulled it away. "Don't play with it. You're lucky it was just the outer layer that exploded. Once the new layer hardens you should be able to use magic again, I think." "Yeah..." Caramel's voice trailed off as he recalled the agony he'd experienced. He remembered screaming and crying and--his heart sank. We lost. He turned to Sash and sighed. "What happens now?" Sash lit up the chamber with her magic, revealing a large boulder blocking the only exit. "I don't know. But it looks like we're not going anywhere soon." We failed. Caramel felt his ears droop. He sagged and thumped down onto the floor, letting the memories wash over him, not caring if they dragged him down into the depths. Sash said something to him, but he didn't hear. He couldn't help replaying the confrontation with Chrysalis again and again in his mind, searching for something that he could've done differently that wouldn't end in failure. But nothing credible presented itself. Too many things were out of his control. But if I hadn't messed around with the moon... If Sash had had more time to gather support, they might've stood a chance. It was his stupid foray to the surface that had forced them into action before they were ready; he was the one who-- "Hey, quit it!" somepony snapped. The sharp voice was just enough to yank him out of the pit that his mind was sinking into. He shook his head to clear it and winced when his over-sensitive horn wobbled. Sash was giving him a stern look. "Don't do that. We don't need to add that attitude to our list of problems." He stared at her disbelievingly. She was unfazed and put a steadying hoof on his shoulder. "This isn't over yet. We'll find a way." Caramel sighed. She was right. A truce between their kinds was worth fighting for, and it was unreasonable of him to expect it to happen so quickly and easily. Heck, even the three pony tribes had taken much longer to work out their differences. "Thanks. I needed that." Sash's determined expression softened as she sighed. "Get some rest. There isn't much else we can do right now." "Yeah..." Caramel glanced at the boulder blocking the exit, then raised his foreleg. "But honestly, this seems a little overkill." He jangled the chains in emphasis. She shrugged. "Take it as a compliment. I don't think she would've used them if she didn't respect what you're capable of." * * * * * Caramel was stirred out of his sleepiness by the sound of grinding stone. He nudged Sash awake, and they got onto their hooves and waited in silence as the boulder rolled away and Chrysalis sauntered in. For a moment, he felt the irrational urge to bull-rush her and pick up where they'd left off, but he forced himself to keep still. Her expression was an unreadable mask of neutrality as she sealed the exit behind her. She then trotted close until she stood right in front of them. He flinched when she suddenly lifted a hoof, fully expecting a smack coming his way, but she only ruffled his mane and chuckled. "I must admit, I'm proud of you both," she said with a smile. His jaw dropped. Beside him, Sash was staring wide-eyed. "Huh?" Chrysalis ignored him and began walking in a circle around them. "You know, Shining Armour was supposed to be in your place. I had him all nicely wrapped around my hoof, until that nosy Twilight Sparkle ruined everything. It's a pity; he would've made a formidable warrior." "Wait, you mean you were feeding him that stuff you gave me?" Caramel gestured at his holey limbs. "This was supposed to happen to him? What's going to--" Chrysalis huffed. "Calm down. I was only able to slip him enough to make him susceptible to compulsion. The only thing that Shining will have to deal with is a craving for mushrooms, and maybe the occasional inability to disobey his wife, the prissy little--" She stopped for a moment, then focused on Caramel once more. "But that's not important anymore. The point is that you were a disappointing last resort when you showed up. But then you adapted. And you eventually challenged me for control of the hive." Caramel shook his head. "Wait. I don't want to take over the hive! I just want ponies and changelings to stop fighting!" "The point is that you were ready to take me down if it meant getting what you want for the hive. That's how changeling succession works." She gave him an evil grin. "Tell me, how does the title of Queen Caramel sound to you?" He felt his eyes widen. "Err... don't you mean king?" "Umm, changelings never have kings," Sash pointed out. "So..." Chrysalis chuckled. "If the successor is male, he won't be for long. The hive does need someone to keep laying eggs, you know." Caramel instinctively brought his hind legs closer together. Maybe not beating her wasn't such a bad thing after all... "I'm not sure how it would've worked out for a hybrid like you, though." He tried picturing it; it was horrible. An involuntarily shiver went through him. The queen cackled at him. Then, her expression grew pensive, and she lay down on the floor, motioning for them to do the same. Once they'd done so, she held their gaze with appraising eyes. He resisted fidgeting under her scrutiny; if there was such a thing as somepony reading minds, then that would've been the face used by that pony. At length, Chrysalis sighed and said, "You really do believe that your plan will work, don't you? And you're willing to do everything it takes--even if it means kicking me off my throne." In spite of his surprise, Caramel kept his mouth shut. Is this a trick question? She seemed to anticipate this, for she added, "Now that my head is clearer, I've had time to go over things with the overseers. You are right; the hive cannot go on like this. And though you are the first of those who can be the solution to the problem, it will take too long for me to rely on making more like you." Caramel remembered that one time he'd seen the queen at her worktable loaded with books, phials and jars filled with dark fluid. He recalled that she had been particularly agitated or frustrated at the time, and now it was becoming clear to him why. "You've run out of the stuff that you fed me with, haven't you?" he asked. "I still have some left, but I cannot make more, and what I do have is too little to bring a pony to the middle point that you're at." Chrysalis snorted. "And the only place where I can find more of the active reagent is right in the heart of pony territory." "What's that?" She smiled at him and waggled a hoof. "Ah-ah. That would be telling." "So... what do you want from us?" Sassaflash ventured. "You've already snared the minds of my overseers with your ideas. They want to support you, even if they're too scared to say it to my face after I beat both of you. So... that's why I'm going to release you." Caramel's eyebrows shot up. "Just like that?" Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Yes. If you've defied me once, I'm sure you're quite able to do it again," - she shot a glare at Sash - "and you attacked your own mother. Traditionally, this is the part where I cast you out of the hive, but you're both too valuable to be exiled, so we're all making sacrifices today." "So... you'll let the prisoners go as well?" Caramel asked. "No. This is a compromise, not a total surrender," Chrysalis snapped. "We can't afford to do that yet. But I'm willing to..." she trailed paused and moved her jaw a little, as if there was something with a bad taste in her mouth, "--open up a little to ponies. If they're willing to concede some resources to us in exchange, I may eventually release everypony. And that's a big maybe. I still highly doubt they're going to entertain us." She shook her head at the thought, then continued, "Long story short: I'm still in charge, but I'll let you try to work things out - starting small, mind you - in return for not trying to pull off stunts like that again. No matter how much you think your plan for the best, you are not ready to lead." "Why couldn't we have this talk earlier?" Caramel wondered aloud. "As I said, I believed I could just order you to behave. But you've clearly outgrown your place in the hierarchy." Chrysalis leaned in close and said in an undertone, "I saw how much your influence had grown. You had potential. Just before we fought, I saw the way you looked at me; you would not hesitate to strike me down if it meant you could be in control of our fate. And I will admit: you're the first in ages to make me feel threatened. It was enough to trigger the reaction." Caramel remembered the way his blood boiled at her stubbornness. He remembered taking to the fight like a hungry predator on his prey. It was uncomfortable similar to the combat pheromones. "You mean, we fought because..." "Yes. The rite of succession is more than a mere fight; our bodies physically change because of it." More changeling stuff... It made him wonder if they were really all just slaves to their nature. Chrysalis put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "Which reminds me... I certainly don't remember infusing overseer strains into your royal jelly. The fact that you've developed some of their qualities is most interesting. And disturbing." "It just means that there's more to ponies than you think," Sash asserted. "It wouldn't hurt to learn a few things from them." "Hmm." The queen didn't sound very convinced. But at least she wasn't openly hostile to the idea. "I'll have to--" "Hey, Caramel, are you in there?" cried a muffled voice. The three of them blinked and turned to the boulder blocking the exit. It sounded like the voice had come from-- "We heard you fought Mother! Why?" "Is she beating you up in there?" "Do you need help?" "Any chance of a story if you're not dead?" There was silence for a moment. Then, a giggle suddenly escaped Sash. Caramel felt his cheeks burn and chuckled weakly as Chrysalis brought a hoof to her face in exasperation. "Guards!" she rumbled. "Why are there nymphs outside the cell? I thought I told you not to let anyone near this place!" "Sorry, Your Highness," came the meek and muffled reply. "They came on their own and they're... not listening. Do you want us to force them out?" Chrysalis shook her head and muttered something unintelligible. She then answered, "Never mind, I'm opening the door. They're not going to be prisoners for much longer, anyway." As she began shifting the boulder with magic, Caramel felt his heart leap. This really is happening. They had made a difference. He didn't know how, but it had happened. Maybe things were going to get better, after all. He couldn't help smiling and pulling Sash into a tight hug at the thought. Their chains and collars clinked noisily, but he didn't care too much about that. "You've started a fire," Chrysalis commented wryly. "I really hope you can control it." "We will. You'll see," Sash replied with renewed determination. Caramel grinned when Stickle and the rest of the nymphs barged into the cell and crowded around them. Yeah. Together, we will.
Integration	Chapter 12	Three hours before Integration... Two days had passed since his confrontation with Chrysalis. Although she had promised change, life in the hive remained pretty much the same. They worked, they farmed, they kept watch for intruders, and they harvested love from the sleeping ponies. Caramel had to rein himself in several times throughout, telling himself that it was unreasonable to expect Chrysalis to tell everyone to stop feeding on them immediately. Without a guaranteed sustainable source of food, they'd be in a lot of trouble before long. But that didn't make it any easier to stomach the notion of leeching off on them, even if the queen had ordered everyone to be gentler about it. Stealing was stealing, and he didn't think that would sit very well with anypony they tried to make contact with. The queen was still looking into their options for diplomacy. The other thing that kept itching at the back of his mind was Princess Luna. He still had vivid dreams, but the moon was no longer present in them, and neither was the dark alicorn. At least, not directly. Whilst wandering through the barren landscapes in his dreams, he always felt like he was being watched, and although it did not affect the restfulness of his sleep, it bothered him when he was awake. He still hadn't told anyone else about the princess, partially because he wasn't sure how Chrysalis was going to react to that information. And also partially because he suspected that she was going to think him incredibly stupid for thinking that finding the moon would have helped him in his cause, no matter how uncannily vivid his dreams were. After he was done with his duties for the day in the hatchery, he made his way to the repository to meet up with Sash. It was a chance for him to watch her work and learn a little more about what was involved in looking after the pods and their occupants. It was also a chance for him keep an eye on his friends. Although he wasn't in any position to change their situation yet, he still felt like he owed them something for getting them tangled in this mess in the first place. Making sure that nothing worse happened to them was the least he could do. But all thoughts of his captured friends vanished when he found Sash presiding over two pods that he was pretty sure had never been in that part of the chamber before. Her warm greeting went unanswered as he cantered right up to the pods and stared at them. Sash tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Umm, I can explain." I sure hope so... The two pods had resin that was a light, glossy shade of green, unlike the darker hue of the rest of them. And he did not recognise the two ponies inside. He rounded on Sash. "These are new, aren't they? But I thought we were going to stop kidnapping ponies!" Sash nodded hesitantly. "Yes. But the foragers saw these guys nosing about near one of the entrances yesterday. Anther said the plan was to stay out of sight and wait for them to leave, but then they actually found the tunnel." "Oh, great." Caramel groaned. "No kidding," Sash agreed. "The foragers jumped on them. I guess they thought it'd be better than letting them get away and risk telling somepony." Sighing, Caramel turned his attention to the two captives. They were both pegasus stallions, probably amongst the biggest he'd ever seen. They looked starved, though. Their ribs were showing, their feathers were crooked, and their coats bore the grime and ruggedness of hard travel. If they were in healthy condition, though, he suspected they would have almost rivalled Big Mac in weight. The green colouration of the pod was distorting their colours, but he surmised that one stallion was probably orange or brown with a darker shade for his mane. The other might've been dark green or grey with reddish hair. Both had various working tools for cutie marks. Green light in the corner of his eyes interrupted his musings, and he turned and found Sash with her horn aglow, staring intently at the pegasi. "Hey, wait!" he exclaimed. Sash stopped immediately and looked at him in surprise. "What's the matter?" "What are you doing? They don't look like they're in any condition to be fed on." "Oh, that." Sash shrugged. "They're sleeping; it shouldn't affect their emotions too badly." Caramel frowned. "Are you sure? Would there even be anything worthwhile? Because I don't think I'm going to be all that happy or lovey if I looked like that." He pointed to one of the emaciated stallions in emphasis. "That's what Scorn wanted me to find out." Sash gave him a reassuring smile. "Harvesting their love won't hurt them, and I'll leave them alone if I find they're emotionally drained already. This is pretty much standard procedure for us." "Hmm, okay. If you're sure they'll be fine..." Caramel retreated a few steps and watched as Sash closed her eyes and sent a tendril of magic from her horn, reaching towards one of the pods. After a minute or so, he sat on his haunches and took to observing what the rest of Hunter Caste were doing. Though the work cycle was coming to an end, there were a few others still harvesting love, along with several workers meticulously cleaning the pods and their surroundings. Another minute passed. Then two. This was taking longer than he'd expected. Maybe Sash had found the stallion suitable for harvesting after all. But it was odd that she'd hop straight to harvesting without first checking on the other guy... Eh, she knows what she's doing. Caramel mentally shrugged and went back to watching others at their work. A sudden gasp brought his attention crashing back to Sash. He leaped to his hooves when he saw that she was trembling where she stood. "Are you okay?" He was about to put a hoof on her shoulder, but hesitated at the last second. He had no idea if it was safe to interrupt a changeling in the middle of harvesting love. "Hey, a little help over here, please!" he yelled. Several changelings turned his way, but only one actually came rushing over. "What is it?" she asked irritably. "This." He gestured towards Sash. "This doesn't look normal. What's happening to her?" The changeling peered at her curiously. A second later, her expression grew worried. "I don't know. What was she trying to do?" "She said she was going to check on these two. She wanted to see if they can be fed on. Does it usually take this long?" She shook her head. "It never does. Something's wrong. Give me a moment..." Caramel waited impatiently as the changeling focused on Sash, lit up her horn and slipped into a meditative state. Seconds later, both Sash's and the newcomer's breathing grew heavy and irregular. Oh, hayseed. Sash suddenly collapsed to the ground, whimpering. The other soon followed. Caramel rushed to her side and shook her, no longer caring about the risk. It looked like she was having a nightmare or something. When she did not wake, he leaned in closer and whispered urgently, "Come on, I know you can hear me. Wake up!" Her eyes opened, but she didn't seem to see him. She whimpered and curled into a shivering ball, completely deaf to his pleas. The other changeling was faring no better. What the heck is going on? What could have-- Caramel blinked. Slowly, he looked up and stared at the two stallions floating in the pods above them. Was it possible for ponies to fight back whilst like that? He'd never heard of it before, and he was pretty sure something that important would've been mentioned... Sash murmured something unintelligible, but it was unmistakably out of fear. He tried speaking to her again, but she didn't give any sign of having heard him, not even when he shook her a little. Then she started sobbing, and he growled in frustration. He could taste her fear and desperation; they were washing over him in waves. Glaring at the two stallions, he thought, That's it, I'm coming in. And if you're the ones hurting her... His horn was still recovering after being broken and the new layer of chitin had just only begun to harden, but that was all he needed. On any other day, the thrumming sort of pain as he channelled his magic would have been too much to bear, but Sash's whimpers of terror spurred him onward. He plunged into the stallion's subconscious like a cannonball. The place that he entered was quiet. It was a vast expanse of darkness with the ground only dimly visible. This can't be right. Caramel didn't consider himself an expert on dreamstalking, but he was certain that it wasn't supposed to be so barren and expansive. And dark. His vision was limited to a patch of ground going a hundred paces in any direction, and it had about the same lighting as a deep cave. The swirling masses of 'clouds' that were supposed to be the emotions and memories of the dreamer were still present, but they were dispersed. Where Lucky's had been thick and clumped together, these were long, thin and fragmented. He focused on a relatively bright patch and glimpsed a little orange colt happily running around what looked like an old-style forge. He suppressed the urge to feed, reminding himself that there were more important things to worry about. Sash seemed to be in the grip of a terrible nightmare, one that she couldn't wake up from, and he-- Caramel froze. Nightmare. Oh no... A deep growl shattered his train of thought. He tried to pull out of the stallion's subconscious, only to find himself back in the dark, cavernous space. Except that this time, it wasn't quite as dark. A pair of teal, glowing eyes were watching him. They had slit pupils like a cat's, and although he could not see what they belonged to, it was already very clear that it wasn't a pony. And Caramel didn't want to find out. He whirled around to beat a hasty retreat. Or rather, he tried to. His hooves felt like they were rooted to the ground. At the same time, the creature started moving towards him. Judging by the way the ground shook, it must've been massive. Before it had moved, the distance had simply given him a false impression of its real size. Move, move, move! he mentally screamed at himself. Why can't I move? He looked down and gasped when he saw that his hooves were rooted to the ground. Literally. Right where his fetlocks should be, the black chitin had given way to gnarly bark, and when he tugged hard, the earth gave way a little to reveal wiry roots stuck firmly in the ground. Another growl distracted him, and when Caramel looked back up, he saw the creature step into the dim light. Lines, curves and shadows coalesced around the fierce pair of eyes, until they formed a massive, angular head with thick horns, sharp spines, long snout and smoking nostrils. Two huge forelegs with wicked claws followed. Blue scales so dark that they were almost black glinted in the light. Dragon! Caramel made a sound that wasn't that far off from a squeak and ripped one hoof out of the ground, creating a fountain of dirt and snapped rootlets. He quickly did the same for the others and galloped as fast as he could. Unfortunately, having roots for hooves made running terribly difficult. He'd gone no further than a few yards before his legs got tangled in the ropy mess, and he soon ended up on the ground ensnared and unable to get up. He cringed when he heard the pounding of the dragon's approach and desperately flailed his legs in an attempt to break the tangled roots. There was no such luck. Caramel cringed and curled up when the dragon was upon him, praying that maybe, just maybe, the dragon wasn't actually after him or would just leave him alone if he pretended to be small and insignificant. Again, no such luck. He stiffened when he felt its clawed fingers close around him, then cried out when it lifted him into the air. His legs, roots and all were pinned to his sides, and he was held before the dragon's terrible muzzle like some celery stalk that was about to be eaten. The dragon regarded him coldly for a moment, and then it roared in his face. The hot blast of air rippled with force, reverberating through every bone in his body. He snapped his eyes shut and whimpered as the dragon's claws tightened around him. There were other voices screaming in the darkness, but he couldn't hear them. They didn't matter anymore. The world had shrunk to just the little space that he had left in the dragon's crushing grip. He was completely helpless, and a little squeeze was all the dragon needed to pop him like a grape. Caramel started crying. "Please... I don't... I don't want to die!" he wailed between sobs. The dragon suddenly grew silent, and its grip loosened a little. "It's... it's you," the dragon said in a feminine voice. A feminine, pony sized voice that was tinged with surprise. What? Caramel blinked and stared at the dragon. All at once, she didn't seem quite so scary anymore. The screaming in the background had stopped, the darkness had receded, and he actually recognised the dragon! "Princess Luna?" The dragon's claws went slack, and he gasped as he plummeted to the ground, flailing wildly. The hard rock rushed up to meet his face... "Hrk!" Caramel was lying flat on the ground next to Sassaflash. Then he remembered what had happened when he tried dreamstalking the stallions, so he quickly sat up and patted her gently. She blinked and her eyes darted around for a moment, but they eventually focused on him, and she sighed and curled up tightly. She was still shivering, but at least she had woken up from the nightmare. He couldn't blame her; his heart was still pounding. He glanced around and was about to call for help when he noticed that the other changelings who had been feeding had all toppled over and were also curled up on the ground in catatonic terror. Most of them were trembling and making incoherent noises. Only a couple of them, most likely bystanders, were unaffected, and they were busy tending to the afflicted ones. None of them seemed to know what had happened. Caramel heard a gurgling sound the same time movement above caught his eye. He looked up and froze when he saw one of the stallions looking directly at him. The other guy wasn't but he appeared to be taking stock of his surroundings even as he floated in his pod. Those alone should have been reasons enough for Caramel to sound the alarm, but he couldn't help wondering what the starving pegasi were going to do next. He imagined that waking up floating inside one of those horrible things would've been a panic-inducing experience, and yet they seemed almost... accepting. Was it because they had already resigned themselves to such a fate? They certainly looked like they were only minutes away from passing out from hunger. Then, both stallions pressed a hoof against the side of the pod and dragged it across the inside surface. A thin line appeared in the wake of each swipe. What are they-- The pods bulged at the lines. Caramel felt his eyes widen when the stallions repeated the move in the opposite direction. They looked like they had something sharp hammered into the underside of their hooves. --oh, crud. Caramel grabbed Sash and leaped back as the two pods split open, dumping their contents onto where he and she had been only seconds before. The stallions landed with heavy, wet splats, but they were on their hooves almost in an instant. Caramel watched, torn between apprehension and curiosity as the pair threw up green slime. He then winced when he heard the gurgling noises they made when they drew breath, coughing up more of the fluid they had breathed in. But the moment only lasted a few seconds, after which both stallions turned their attention to him. He took a step back. That should not have been possible. To regular ponies, the hive might as well have been in total darkness, but these two were clearly looking at him. "Caramel?" Sash murmured, rubbing her head. "What was tha--T'chaak!" She scrambled up and turned away to call for help, but at the same time one of the stallions, the orange one, swore under his breath and surged forward to tackle her. He slammed into her and covered her mouth, muffling her cry of alarm. "Hey!" Before he'd realised it, Caramel had already bared his fangs, leaped to her side and slammed a hoof into the side of the stallion's head. The slime-covered pegasus grunted and released her, but recovered quickly and glared at him. Caramel widened his stance, preparing to fend off an attack or intercept him if he tried to stop Sash from getting away, but something heavy slammed into his side and bowled him over. He tumbled and grappled with his assailant, realising that it was the other stallion. The green-coated guy ended up pinning him to the ground, and Caramel was startled by just how heavy he was. He managed to get one hind leg under the stallion and kicked, but the big pegasus only grunted and then whacked his head with a hoof. Stars danced before his eyes. He heard some scuffling nearby, then saw a green blast of magic flying straight at his assailant. The stallion spread his wings and leaped into the air to avoid it, and Caramel took the opportunity to get back onto his hooves. Sash was fighting the orange-coated pegasus, alternating between taking swipes at him and blasting him with magic. The guy was able to block or avoid most of her attacks, but she did graze him a couple of times on the flank. Caramel dashed forward to tackle him, but he had apparently anticipated the attack and whirled round to deliver an uppercut with his wing. Caramel felt his neck crick as the world flipped upside down. He landed on his back and grimaced when his wings got scraped, and whilst Sash moved close and stood over him protectively, he saw the orange pegasus turning tail to retreat to a safe distance. His companion darted over to his side soon after. Hayseed, those guys are strong... Sash kept her horn flared up, panting heavily. "You okay?" Caramel asked as he got back up. "Fine," she replied briskly. "What now?" It had to be some kind of trick; there was no way anypony who looked that starved could move so quickly and hit so hard. His jaw was starting to ache from the blow he'd received. He glared at the two pegasi and growled, "Who the heck are you guys?" They blinked, incomprehension written on their faces. Oh, right. He'd accidentally spoken in Vespid. But before he could rephrase his words in Equestrian, he heard the rapid pounding of hooves and buzzing of wings coming from behind. The others had finally taken notice. Realising that they were outnumbered, the two pegasi whirled round and fled down one of the tunnels leading towards the fungus farms. The pain that Caramel was feeling subsided to a mild throb when the others swarmed past him and down the tunnel, and he felt his heart rate climb steadily to a rapid drumming. He was suddenly itching for a fight, and he realised that he was under the effects of the combat pheromones. Chrysalis was coming. "What happened?" a voice asked urgently. Caramel turned and saw Scritch land next to him. "The two guys we brought in yesterday. They broke out," Sash explained. Scritch turned his gaze to the members of Hunter Caste who were still curled up on the ground and shivering. With a puzzled frown, the warrior asked, "What's up with them?" "Nightmares," Caramel stated. "What?" "It's--oh no." Caramel turned to the tunnel and broke into a gallop after the two stallions. He had a suspicion that Princess Luna was up to something, but he couldn't be sure until he spoke to those two. He had no idea how he was supposed to accomplish that without having the entirety of Warrior Caste as an audience, but he would cross that bridge when he got to it. "Come on!" he yelled over his back. "I'll explain later!" The two pegasi had caused quite a stir; judging by the thunderous pounding of hooves, buzzing of wings and raucous skittering, they might have had fifty changelings hot on their tails and spoiling for a fight. Caramel had to fight to keep his thoughts clear. The last thing he needed was to get into another scuffle with the pegasi. But even the possibility of Princess Luna's involvement wasn't making it easy for him; those guys had hurt him and Sassaflash, and he definitely couldn't let them get away without dishing back something in return for their troubles. Maybe a black eye or two-- Argh, stop that. We're not supposed to be fighting! "Caramel... what are... what are you up to?" asked Sash as she galloped alongside him. She was clearly trying to resist the pheromones too, and her voice was a welcome distraction from the urge to fight. "Let me deal with them! I think... Princess Luna knows where we are." Sash's eyes bulged in surprise. "You mean, she's the reason--" "Think so. I'll sort it out!" They stopped talking after that and concentrated on catching up with the escaped prisoners. Oh wow. They found the two stallions cornered in one of the fungus chambers, surrounded by nearly twenty changelings who were on the ground, clinging to the ceiling or hovering in the limited airspace. There was nowhere for them to go, though that didn't seem to be bothering them. Caramel's jaw went slack as the stallions whirled and danced in their little space, bucking, buffeting and pounding anyone who dared to get within range. The rest of his former caste mates were flitting in and out of the frenzy, but he could see six or seven of them lying on the ground in various states of consciousness. There was an occasional flash of green when someone used magic, but because of confines of that corner of the chamber and their frenzied battle, they were more likely to hit their siblings than the pegasi. He could barely see the stallions in there. He toyed with the idea of charging in to have a bit of fun, but he shook his head violently to get rid of the pheromone-induced thought. "Hey, guys, I think you should stop," he said loudly. No one listened. His jaw dropped again when the green stallion rammed into a group and sent four warriors flying. But the big pegasus was bleeding in several places, and there was a lot of sticky resin around his hooves. It was only a matter of time before they got beaten. It was taking awfully long to reach that point, though. "Uh, guys, quit it!" A couple of his siblings glanced at him, but quickly went back to fighting. Caramel growled. If they didn't stop now, it would never end. He had not come all this way to see one skirmish ruin everything that he had fought for! "Just stop already!" he roared. Everyone froze and all eyes turned to him. Or, most of them, rather. He felt bad for compelling the three changelings grappling with the pegasi to let their guard down, since the two apparently had no qualms about taking advantage of their indecision. Caramel cringed when he heard the crack of their hooves on chitin and winced when his siblings crashed to the ground. But that was the last thing those stallions were getting for free. He brushed past his siblings, motioning for them to help up those that had been knocked out by the former captives. They did as he instructed, and when he reached the middle of the half-circle the changelings had formed around the pegasi, he settled into what he hoped was a non-threatening posture. The pegasi remained poised for battle, but he could see that they'd been worn down by the others. They were bleeding from cuts and had burn marks here and there, and globs of resin clung to their grimy coats and manes. "Relax. I don't want to hurt you guys," he said in Equestrian. The orange pegasus grinned at him with bloody teeth and spat onto the ground. "Oh yes, my loose tooth can certainly attest to that." Caramel blinked. Of all the attitudes that the stallions could have displayed in their situation, sarcasm was the least he would've expected. That tone certainly wasn't mollifying his siblings, if their low, angry buzzing was any indication. Ignoring the snide remark, he said, "Okay, just calm down. Maybe we can--" "Very kind of you to provide the bruises, too," the orange guy interjected. "Hey, you were the one who started it!" Sash snapped. Her anger was met with a wry grin. "Need I remind you that we were simply minding our business before you louts pounced on us like wolves? Your hospitality would put a diamond dog to shame." Caramel felt his temper rising, and the pheromones certainly weren't helping. The others were bristling at the stallion's snarky attitude, but he brushed aside his growing irritation and waved his hoof repeatedly in a placating motion. "Never mind. Can we all just get along without fighting for a few minutes?" "Oh, you mean like them?" The orange stallion gestured at the changelings they'd knocked out. Someone hissed angrily. "You want to find out what fighting is like? Say that again, I dare you!" More angry hisses and chitters of agreement followed. This is getting out of hoof. Caramel considered shouting again to get everyone back into order, but he was spared from resorting to that when Chrysalis herself came trotting into the chamber. Everyone hushed at once and made way for her. Oh, great. This was going to complicate things. After glancing at her incapacitated children, the queen waved impatiently at those standing closest to them and said, "You; get them out of here. I'll deal with these troublemakers myself." She then turned to the two stallions and gave them a nasty smile. "Interesting... you can see in the dark. And it's been quite a while since somepony managed to get out of a pod, let alone fight off a whole squad of my warriors. The fact that you did so while starving makes it all the more impressive." The orange pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?" "Don't you know? I'm Queen of the changelings, the one who defeated your precious Princess Celestia in single combat." Chrysalis chuckled. "Or has she been telling you ponies a different story to cover that up?" "Ah, you mean the one where you and your army get catapulted out of Canterlot by a pair of lovestruck ponies?" Chrysalis' smile disappeared. "Choose your words carefully. You are in my domain now. I still have more than enough power to flatten you." The orange stallion leaned over to his companion and murmured, "I expected someone taller." The other guy shrugged. "Perhaps the princess was exaggerating after all." "I'm standing right here!" Chrysalis snapped. Her horn glowed, and she bared her fangs. "Do you have a death wish, little pony?" She then turned to his partner and growled, "And what about you? Do you have anything to say for yourself?" The green stallion, who hadn't said a word up until then, shrugged again and said, "Don't drag me into your quarrel. I insulted nopony." Mr Orange blinked at him in surprise. "But... didn't you call her a--" He was cut off by a quick wing-slap to the muzzle, after which Mr Green repeated, "I insulted nopony." Rubbing his muzzle tenderly, Orange muttered, "What a friend you are." "At least you have one. I'm not dying for your loose tongue." Caramel had been watching the exchange slack-jawed. What's wrong with these guys? Did the green slime in the pods make ponies suicidal or something? Chrysalis' eye twitched. "That's it." Both stallions were engulfed in green auras and lifted into the air. "I did not come here to be insulted by you miserable bags of bones!" she snarled. "If it is any consolation, you hardly needed our help to--argh!" The queen slammed the orange stallion into the wall behind him. She then glanced at the green guy, then shrugged and did the same to him. "I was going to just put you back to sleep, but now that you've annoyed me, I think that can wait," she growled. Caramel winced as her horn glowed more brightly, and the two stallions started squirming and groaning. He'd been on the receiving end of her crushing grip before, and it wasn't something he would wish on anypony else. "Umm, Your Highness, maybe you could go a little easier on them," he began, but the rest of his words refused to come out when Chrysalis scowled at him. "Your Highness!" A changeling came running into the chamber. "I'm busy; it can wait." "But... there is a--" "Be quiet; I'll be done in a minute!" Chrysalis snapped. "I just need to teach these smart-mouths a lesson." Though the stallions were obviously in pain, their refusal to break eye contact with the queen told Caramel that they were quite unrepentant. Come on, just say you're sorry! After a moment of watching them squirm, Chrysalis frowned and levitated them closer. "There's something odd about you after all. I had been wondering..." she murmured. The green guy tried to take a swipe at her with his hoof, but Chrysalis had already learned from Caramel when he'd tried the same move two days ago. She jerked her head back to avoid the punch and slammed him on the ground for good measure. Then, she shot two streams of magic directly at them. The stallions were swallowed by green flames. There were gasps, chitters and other sounds of surprise when the flames dissipated. Well, that explains a lot... They had been wearing magical disguises. Instead of starving ponies, Caramel found himself staring at two very fit, although injured, stallions in their prime. But that wasn't the most unusual thing about them. They had bat-like wings, ashen grey coats, dark purple manes and tails, extra tufty ears and yellow eyes with slit pupils. Princess Luna's guards. He'd seen them during Nightmare Night, but he'd always assumed that they had just been dressing up for that event. If Chrysalis had stripped away their disguises with her magic, that would mean they really looked like that... "I thought those were just costumes..." Sash said. Chrysalis' frown deepened as she peered at them. "What are you?" The formerly orange pegasus grinned, revealing a pair of fangs that were almost as long as a changeling's. "Single. You would not believe how many times a mare has turned away from me." "Your endless babbling would account for half of that alone," his companion groused. "At least I try. You, on the other hoo--" "Shut up, both of you!" Chrysalis hissed. "I have never seen such..." Her words trailed off as a realisation struck her. She whirled round to the changeling that had previously attempted to give her a message, who was fidgeting where he stood. "You. What were you trying to tell me earlier?" "Probably--aack!" Without even bothering to look, Chrysalis had silenced the bat-pony by squeezing his throat with her magic. He gasped and flailed, but she held him tight. "It's the princess. She's taking away the pods. We couldn't stop her!" Chrysalis' eyes widened. "What? Celestia is here?" "No, it's the blue one!" If Caramel's brain had gears in it, they would've ground to a halt. She's here? But that would mean... she's after... but how... oh hayseed what do I do-- The queen blinked, glanced at the bat-ponies, then looked past the nervous messenger and stared up the tunnel to the captive chamber. "Oh, clever girl." She sneered at the two stallions and blasted them with two concussive bursts of magic after the other, hard enough to smash them against the wall and leave them in crumpled heaps on the ground. "Lock them up in the holding cell; use the chains." Chrysalis spun round as the others descended on the stallions, and Caramel heard her murmur, "So the little sister dabbles in transfiguration..." just before she galloped up the tunnel. Caramel lingered for a moment, but when his brain failed to come up with a plan to deal with the situation, he decided to wing it and galloped after the queen, along with Sash and those who were not tasked with restraining Princess Luna's guards. No wonder they had been acting so strangely; they had been stalling for time! They entered the repository just in time to see a dark blue alicorn slicing one of the pods away from the ceiling with her magic. There were nearly a dozen changelings strewn about the place, and most of them were either curled up and cowering in place or groaning in pain. By her hooves were several pods with their occupants still asleep. Caramel counted the number of severed stalks hanging from the ceiling around the place and estimated that she had probably freed half of the captives already. But where are the rest of them? "I hope we're not interrupting anything," Chrysalis politely quipped. The moon princess tensed when she saw them. Then her horn glowed and the air around her began to shimmer, along with the pods lying at her hooves. Chrysalis growled, "I have captured both of your goons. Teleport out, and I will have them executed." The princess' determined expression wavered, revealing uncertainty for a moment, but she did end her spell. As she gently lowered the severed pods, more changelings poured into the chamber and surrounded her, though their gingerly slow advance made it clear just how little they wanted to mess with her, seeing as she had already incapacitated a fair number of them. Everyone kept at least a dozen paces between them and the princess. Princess Luna, on the other hoof, didn't seem to mind being surrounded. She gave Chrysalis an appraising look, then said, "Resorting to honourless threats so soon? Perhaps my sister's low opinion of you was correct after all." "Oh, look who's talking. You're trespassing and stealing our food. I'll do what it takes to protect my children," Chrysalis retorted coolly. "They are not food," Princess Luna growled. "And you have no right to keep them here against their will." "Would you throw one of my subjects in a dungeon if it meant saving the life of one of your own?" Luna frowned, but she did not give an answer. Chrysalis smirked. "I thought so. Now surrender and maybe I'll consider letting you go with a warning." The moon princess remained silent. "Come on, don't take all day." Chrysalis faked a lazy yawn. "There's no need to feel bad about it; plans fall apart sometimes, trust me on this. You've already spent all your luck just finding the hive." Caramel had been standing in the throng of guards and warriors behind Chrysalis the whole time, but it was at that moment that Princess Luna's eyes flicked over to him. He was sure that her eyes had fallen on him for only a fraction of a second, but Chrysalis had apparently noticed it, for she turned in surprise and swept her gaze over everyone. She too focused on him for a second, then shot a look back at the princess, who was watching intently. "Caramel," Chrysalis asked in a dangerously sweet voice, "did you know something about this?" She waved a hoof at Luna and the severed pods. Could he say that he hadn't known? Well, he hadn't; not really. But after all those weird dreams and odd little things that he did... He remembered seeing a shadow on the moon when he climbed to the surface... Would she blame him? He started sweating when he realised that everyone was looking at him. The smart thing to do would be to deny it first. He could get that all sorted out later. He opened his mouth, but the only thing that came out was, "Err..." Her eyes narrowed. "We're going to have a long, long chat after this." She then turned back to the princess and said, "I've changed my mind. Surrender now and maybe I'll keep the ransom at a reasonable amount." It was Princess Luna's turn to frown. She was hesitating, torn between two decisions that she did not want to make, that much he could tell. She glanced down at one of the sleeping ponies in the pods, then back at Chrysalis, and there was a flicker of anguish on her face. Then, the princess grabbed the loose pods with her magic and quickly shifted them out of the way. At the same time, she flared her wings, took a step forward and snorted. "If you want my surrender, you will have to earn it." The queen lifted an eyebrow. "Really? I still have your guards. Stop this nonsense or they're going to suffer for it." "Would you sacrifice two of your subjects to save more than ten times as many?" Luna pawed at the ground and rumbled, "But know this; if you harm my subjects, I will exact vengeance for their suffering. In blood, if necessary." "Don't be stupid." Chrysalis gestured towards the changelings around the princess. "You are completely surrounded and outnumbered." Luna was unperturbed. After surveying everyone present, she gave a mirthless chuckle. "Well, that is hardly fair. You should have brought thrice as many soldiers." "Umm, Your Highnesses?" Caramel raised his hoof gingerly. "Maybe we should--" Both shot glares at him that were fit to freeze water, and his voice died off. It was over. He'd blown it. He'd lost Chrysalis' trust, and it was obvious now that Princess Luna had other plans of her own. "I'll get the injured out of here," Sash whispered. "See what you can do about getting them to stop." Caramel nodded as she hustled a couple of other changelings to drag Luna's victims to safety. This was going to get ugly. "I defeated your elder sister, little princess. Do you really think you can do better than her?" Luna's only response was to light up her horn with blue magic. Chrysalis sighed. "Fine. Seize her!" A collective hiss sounded from the changelings encircling the princess. Caramel squinted as dozens of flashes went off at once, leaving a crowd of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns charging at the princess. He tried to call out to them to stop, but his voice was lost in the chorus of angry shouts and snarls. Luna had more success, though. "Stand back, you foals!" she roared. Caramel suddenly found himself lying on his back with several other fake ponies piled on top of him. His ears were ringing and it was difficult to tell which way was up or down. The others recovered more quickly, but he wasn't too bothered with that; he shut his eyes and waited for the bout of dizziness to end. When he finally got up, he had to duck back down almost immediately to avoid getting smacked in the face by a flying earth pony. Princess Luna was swatting everyone like flies, using hooves, magic, and even the bodies of other changelings. He winced saw her grab an unfortunate fellow by the tail with magic and swing him around like a flail. It was a ridiculously one-sided fight. Why isn't Chrysalis doing anything? He glanced around, but the queen was nowhere in sight. Then, he spotted her, slinking in the shadows behind the very busy princess. A part of him wanted to call out and warn her, but at the same time, he couldn't help thinking that Chrysalis' trust in him was strained enough already. But if he didn't then the princess might start regarding him as an enemy... Oh heck, this is so messed up. Princess Luna shrieked when a bolt of green magic struck her in the side. She reeled from the blast, disoriented, and then took another hit squarely in the chest. This time she was sent flying and crashed into a pillar, narrowly missing a couple of pods that were hanging nearby. She slumped to the ground, and he saw cracks in the pillar where she'd struck it. Then, Caramel gaped when he saw Princess Celestia striding over to the fallen princess. "I am very disappointed in you, Sister. Does the throne mean so much to you that you would attack our subjects just to get what you want?" 'Celestia' gestured at the injured 'ponies' nearby, shook her head gravely and added, "How could you betray them? How could you betray me?" Princess Luna's expression shifted to one of fear, and she tried to scramble away from the white alicorn. But it was only for a moment, and the fear quickly gave way to outrage. "You... you dare..." Words seemed to fail her. Chrysalis kept up the act and sternly replied, "That's enough, Luna. Come quietly." Changelings advanced on Luna, this time disguised as royal guards, but they had barely laid a hoof on her before she surged to all fours and whirled around, forcing them back with the ripple of air created by her outstretched wings. Before they could recover, she shot a bolt of blue lightning straight at Chrysalis, who just managed to deflect it in time with a burst of green flame. Chrysalis shed her disguise and shouted at everyone, "Get out of the way! Move the pods elsewhere!" The warriors retreated to watch from a safer distance whilst the others moved quickly to detach pods and haul them off. At least, those that weren't too close to the angry alicorn. Luna tried to stop them from moving the captives, but Chrysalis kept her distracted by repeatedly blasting her with magic. Eventually, the princess focused entirely on the queen, and they ended up facing off in the middle of the chamber with cracked stone and scorch marks everywhere. Now that the princess had chosen to focus on dealing with the biggest threat around, her attacks were relentless. She kept shooting lightning bolts at Chrysalis, who was forced to deflect them each time and risk hitting someone. Caramel had to dodge a stray bolt twice, and soon everyone was taking cover behind something solid. At one point Chrysalis managed to envelope Luna in her magic, but after briefly flailing, the alicorn shattered the green aura and resumed her attack. Some warriors tried to help Chrysalis, but it was soon clear from the way Luna picked them off that they could do little against her. But after some time, Caramel noticed that Luna was slowing down, and he saw Chrysalis sporting a small grin. She was letting the princess tire herself. When the alicorn paused for breath, the queen struck back by charging and ramming into her. Luna failed utterly at blocking the attack, having apparently not been expecting a physical assault. She stumbled, and Chrysalis slung globs of resin at her wings. They clung to the feathers, and when Luna tried to shake them off, the movement only helped it spread and stick onto the rest of her coat. Caramel sensed Luna's disgust and distress, and Chrysalis took the opportunity to press her attack. She struck at the princess with bucks, swipes and the occasional slug of resin. With every hit Luna took, she became more ensnared and less able to fight back. She wasn't bleeding, but her coat had many streaks and dirt marks on it where she'd been struck, and her movements were growing sluggish. A particularly vicious buck from the queen made her stumble to the ground. All the while, Chrysalis was buzzing her wings, and Caramel realised that his glands were oozing. A quick glance around told him that the same was happening to the others. More pheromones. "Having fun?" Chrysalis mocked, towering over the prone alicorn. Princess Luna's horn crackled with lightning in response, but the queen quickly swatted it with a hoof, causing the spell to fizzle out. Chrysalis chuckled derisively and then cast a spell that he didn't recognise, but its effects soon became obvious. He felt a weird sensation in his legs and gasped when globules of resin floated out of the holes, enveloped in little green auras of their own. He watched in morbid fascination as hundreds of similar globs of the stuff flew from everyone's pores and smacked into Princess Luna. Before long she was covered in green gunk, but Chrysalis kept them coming until her entire head was engulfed. Luna thrashed and screamed, creating bubbles in the sticky fluid, but the queen continued to smother her in more and more of the stuff. "Just breathe..." Chrysalis cooed softly. "That's a good pony..." The mass of fluid around the princess had grown until it was about the size of one of the pods, and Chrysalis was keeping all of it in place with her magic. From what he could see, the princess was practically floating in the stuff already. Her chest expanded, and Caramel saw some of the bubbles go back into her mouth. She squirmed and coughed, eyes bulging in shock and desperation. I'm watching somepony drown. He knew that he should do something, but he couldn't think of anything, and he was frightened by the sight. It felt like it had taken an obscenely long time, but Luna eventually slowed in her struggling, and her eyes rolled back and closed. "That's right. Go to sleep, little pony," Chrysalis murmured. A tendril of magic flowed from her horn and swirled around the mass of fluid, shaping it into a cylindrical form. When she ended the spell, the princess was encased in a freshly hardened pod, and she casually shaped a stalk from one of its ends and stuck it to the ceiling. Caramel was at a loss for words. Now he had seen the queen defeat both of the princesses. "Clean up this mess," Chrysalis ordered. "I have prisoners to interrogate." She shot a disapproving scowl at Caramel, pointed a hoof at him and added, "As for you... I'm very curious about how she knew where to find us." "I didn't tell her!" he blurted. "Is that so? She did not seem very surprised to see you like this. I'm sure that you were somehow involved, even if it's not as much as I'm inclined to believe." He averted his eyes. "I've... been seeing her in my dreams." The queen narrowed her eyes. "Interesting. Did she speak to you? And what was it about?" "Yeah. She said she was looking for me, but she couldn't understand what I was saying. I didn't know--" Caramel stopped when Chrysalis turned her head sharply. As he followed her gaze, he became aware of a low hissing noise, and he stiffened when his eyes fell on Princess Luna's pod. Smoke was coming off from its blistering, cracking surface, making it difficult for him to make out what was going on inside. But judging by the black swirls in the fluid, it wasn't anything pleasant. "We'll talk later..." Chrysalis said distractedly. The pod split open with a sickly gurgle, releasing all of its contents at once. What came out was mostly steaming, green slop and a dark figure that was curled up in a foetal position. She rose unsteadily after hitting the ground and coughed the gunk out of her lungs as the fluid on her coat evaporated into clouds of steam. Caramel took a step backward. It was Nightmare Moon. Then, the dark alicorn levelled a steely glare at Chrysalis, and he was forced to reconsider. Though she had the black coat and starry, purple-blue mane of the Mare in the Moon, her eyes still had the same colour and round pupils as Princess Luna. She was also wearing her normal breastplate instead of Nightmare Moon's armour. That didn't do much to make her look less terrifying, though. She had grown as tall as Chrysalis, and her eyes were glowing with menace. "Okay, so maybe you can do a little better than your sister," Chrysalis conceded. "No more games. The fun. Ends. Here," Luna growled. He was struck by an urge to flee when he heard her reverberating, dragon-like voice, but he was getting rather used to that sort of thing, so he was just able to stop himself after retreating a short distance. "Fine. Get out of my home!" Chrysalis fired a blast of magic at the dark alicorn, but she managed to counter it with a bolt of purple lightning. The two created a crackling ball of green and purple energy when they met, which promptly exploded and shook the chamber. At the same time, Caramel heard a frightened chirp from somewhere above, and he jumped in surprise when something fell on his back. Yikes! He bucked out in panic when it clung tight, squeezing his wings. He turned to get a look, ready to zap it off with magic if necessary, and if-- Oh. Caramel blinked. Mite blinked back, then pointed a hoof upwards and said, "It was her idea." Caramel looked up and felt his jaw drop when he saw another nymph clinging to the ceiling. "Hey, it wasn't just my idea," Pith retorted indignantly. "Stickle said--" "Stickle?" Caramel felt like hyperventilating. "How many of you came here?" If either nymph gave an answer, it was drowned out by the sound of another explosion. He reeled from the blast and had to shield his eyes when he saw two thick beams of energy from the horn of the two combatants colliding in the middle of the chamber. One was a fiery green, the other was a crackling purplish-blue. The queen and princess were both standing their ground, glaring daggers as they attempted to blast the other away. Some of the warriors, those who hadn't already fled after hearing Luna's voice, tried to surround her once more, but a heavy stomp that cracked the floor and a sideways glance from her made them stop in their tracks. "Don't," was all Nightmare Luna said. Chrysalis herself was starting to show signs of strain. Her ears were slightly laid back, and he could see the beginnings of a tremble going through her limbs. "Stay back, all of you," she commanded. "I'll take care of this brat." Her voice didn't sound as confident as her words might have suggested, though. Speaking of brat... Caramel still had a nymph clinging to his back. "Let's get out of here. It's not safe," he said. "But--" "Shush. We're leaving!" he snapped at Mite. Pointing a hoof at Pith, he added, "Get back to the hatchery and stay there. That's an order, both of you!" Mite leaped off his back just as Pith scuttled off upside down, and Caramel was left feeling annoyed that he probably should have first asked them where Stickle was. Or if there were any of the nymphs sneaking around. Honestly, they were getting almost as bad as the crazy Crusaders... As he skirted the perimeter of the two powerful fighters, he noted that their colliding streams of magic were heating up the chamber considerably. There was even a warm draft coming off from the point of collision. This can't end well. The last time this sort of thing happened, his horn had exploded. And Chrysalis had probably been holding back on him. But now that she was up against one of the princesses, she was probably giving everything she got, and by the time one of them lost, the result was probably going to be spectacularly catastrophic. There you are! He spotted a small figure lurking in the shadows behind a cluster of stalactites. That was practically on the opposite side of the chamber. He broke into a gallop and dashed past warriors who were transfixed by the sight of their queen duelling with an alicorn. Some changelings were running about as well, either dragging pods to safety or - he hoped - hustling other nymphs playing truant back to the hatchery. He didn't dare call out to Stickle for fear of making him leave that spot because it was relatively sheltered should there be another explosion. Caramel stole a glance at the fight and saw that Chrysalis wasn't fairing so well. She was shaking and yielding ground. It was the first time he'd seen her grit her teeth, and her beam of energy was faltering and giving way to Luna's. Not good. He put on a burst of speed, clambered up a rock column and dashed upside-down to Stickle's hideout. "Come on, let's get out of here. It's dangerous," he urged. At that moment, he heard a shriek from Chrysalis. "Children, help me!" He stiffened. The queen's voice was filled with agony and overwhelming need, and he was too stunned by the amount of desperation behind the compulsion to resist. He dug into his reserves of magic and sent it forth to her, despite the stinging tingle it brought to his still-recovering horn. The others were doing the same, creating a swirling web of magical tendrils that converged on Chrysalis who appeared very close to kneeling at that point. But it all changed when she began siphoning power from all of them. It wasn't a gentle transaction like sharing love to feed others. It was desperate and ravenous; Caramel felt his reserves draining at an alarming rate. After a moment of it, Chrysalis was standing tall and proud once more, and her stream of magic had strengthened to a blazing beam of fiery wrath. Nightmare Luna's eyes widened in shock as her magic was rapidly driven back, and it was her turn to grimace when the green energy came rushing to her end. She braced herself and the point of collision halted for a moment, just a couple of tail-lengths from her horn. Then, Caramel saw a blinding flash of green, followed by a thunderclap and the sound of crumbling rock. The drain on his magic stopped abruptly, and when his vision had cleared he saw Chrysalis standing alone in the middle of the chamber, panting and bowed over with fatigue. Smoke and dust clouded the place where her opponent had once been standing, and green embers were floating in the air. She's... gone? Caramel felt empty inside. Princess Luna had been beaten twice. But then smoke cleared a little, revealing Nightmare Luna, still standing in place. She was staring at Chrysalis in surprise, though he could not tell whether it was because she couldn't believe her magic had been outmatched or that she was still on her hooves. Horse apples. What was the princess made of to be able to stand up to a blast like that? He was starting to think that maybe she was secretly a dragon or something. Then, the smoke cleared a little more, and he saw a gaping hole in the dark alicorn's chest, just below her warped, smouldering breastplate. It went right through her; the other opening was between her wings. An impact crater was visible on the wall behind her. Chrysalis' jaw dropped, and Caramel felt his blood run cold. But even more unnerving was the fact that the wound was filled with billowing purple mist instead of the more gruesome stuff that one would have expected. The mist flowed together as they watched, pulling the edges closer together like inky water. Within seconds, there was no trace of the damage. Okay, probably not a dragon... Nightmare Luna grasped her mangled breastplate with magic and bent it back into shape, eliciting metallic groans from it. When she had reworked it so that the edge no longer bit into her chest, she grinned wolfishly. "Just a flesh wound." "Oh, T'chaak," Chrysalis muttered. The princess lunged forward, nimbly dodging a bolt of magic. Chrysalis cried out, and several warriors rushed in to answer her call, charging straight at Luna. She grabbed one with magic and flung him aside, then grunted when a magical blast struck her on the cheek. She stalled, and the other warriors leaped onto her and began slathering her with resin. Blue smoke jetted from her nostrils when she snorted in disgust, and Caramel blinked in surprise when she dissolved into starry, purple-blue mist and whirled around like a miniature sideways tornado, dragging along several of the changelings who had failed to retreat quickly enough at her sudden transformation. They were flung out like stones as she surged and corkscrewed towards Chrysalis. This time, the queen was genuinely out of sorts. Her emotional barriers were down, and Caramel could actually taste her fear. She fired more magic at the mist, but they were relatively weak and poorly aimed. In any case, they passed harmlessly through Luna when they were on target. When she was only a couple of strides away, Chrysalis conjured a wall of green fire than elicited an angry hiss from the purple mist. But a second later, the mist coalesced back into Nightmare Luna. She burst through the wall of fire unscathed, chest fully expanded with a deep breath, and unleashed an explosive roar upon Chrysalis. It was like a cannon blast. The shockwave of sound staggered Caramel and caused dust and bits of debris to rain from the ceiling. A wave of air laden with dust radiated from the shout's point of impact, and Chrysalis, being smack in the middle of it, was pummelled into a kneeling position. Unsatisfied, Luna leaped into the air and blasted her with another roar from above. The queen's legs buckled, and she ended up sprawled on the ground, utterly spent. She was bleeding in several places where her carapace had cracked. Her ears flattened and her pupils shrank to pinpricks as Nightmare Luna landed nearby and advanced on her. Seeing the queen cowed like that stirred something in Caramel. It reminded him of the nightmare when he entered the subconscious of Luna's guard, when he thought that she was going to squash him like a grape. He released his grip on the ceiling, dropped to the floor and shouted as he galloped towards the dark alicorn. "That's enough!" Nightmare Luna either didn't hear or was ignoring him. Her horn was crackling with lightning, which wasn't a good sign. The queen was beaten; there was no need for further violence. And he had no idea if it really was Luna or Nightmare Moon with a slightly different look. Whatever the case, she looked like she was keen on finishing off Chrysalis, and that was something he couldn't allow. But before he could reach them, something small dropped from the ceiling and landed between the queen and princess, then fired a green spark that exploded in Luna's face. She grunted and rubbed her watering eyes as her spell fizzled out, then glared down at the nymph standing protectively before Chrysalis. Stickle bared his fangs and hissed angrily at her. She lifted a hoof, ready to swat him aside... And Caramel lunged in to interpose with his foreleg. It was enough to stop her, but only because she was surprised by the move and had paused of her own accord. He had no doubt that she could've broken his leg if she'd meant to go ahead with her attack. "Your Highness, please..." he said. She glared at him, but didn't lower her hoof. A second set of pounding hooves became audible, and Luna spread a wing in anticipation of the newcomer approaching from behind her. Caramel tensed as a panting Sassaflash galloped into view, skidding to a halt before she got within striking range of the dark alicorn. She was wreathed in green flame for a second and changed into her pony form, drawing a suspicious glare from Luna. "Your Highness," Sash panted, "my name is Sassaflash. I was granted citizenship in Ponyville when I became of age. I was there when you visited on Nightmare Night. As one of your subjects, I beg of you... please don't hurt my mother." Uncertainty flashed across Luna's features for a moment, but her coldness quickly returned. "Stay out of this," she growled. "You were wrong, Caramel. Nightmare Moon really is a monster," Stickle piped up in Equestrian. Luna's eyes widened. She looked at the nymph, turned to Caramel, then slowly lowered her hoof. "Get away from her, all of you." All eyes turned to Chrysalis. She waved a hoof at him impatiently, and he moved aside so that she could have a clear view of Nightmare Luna. The queen had regained her composure and her emotions were guarded once more. "I yield," she declared solemnly to Luna. Her gaze was fearless, but it was clear that it was due to resignation rather than confidence. She had no further tricks up her sleeve. "You will have your guards and subjects returned; all of them. All I ask is that you spare my children and let them go." The princess settled into a more relaxed stance, apparently deep in thought. Caramel noted that she was gazing at Stickle, but her eyes were unfocused and she seemed to be missing the fact that the nymph was staring back defiantly at her. "Nay, children, wait..." he heard her whisper almost imperceptibly. Then, Luna sighed deeply, and the dark colour of her coat dissolved into black smoke that drifted up and disappeared into thin air. She shrank to her regular size, then folded her wings and regarded them gravely. "Apologies. I should not have allowed passion to consume me so." Then, to Chrysalis, she said, "How soon will you return my guards and free my subjects?" "Immediately." Chrysalis barked out some orders to the others present, then settled into a more dignified posture on the ground. "I will have the pods brought to the surface. After that, if you let my children go, you may deal with me as you see fit. I will not struggle." "Mother!" Sash cried, but wilted when Chrysalis gave her a stern look. "Fear not," Luna interjected. "I tire of violence; I have no inclination to cause further harm to your kind, and I do not intend to take prisoners. Once my guards arrive, I will take Caramel to the surface to have a few words with him. Then when all is in readiness, we will leave you in peace." "Wait a minute, whose side is she supposed to be on now?" Stickle asked in confusion. Caramel sighed and drew him close with a hoof. "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure she's not against us for now." * * * * * They waited for the next few minutes in silence. Princess Luna sat passively on her haunches and watched as Builder Caste went about shoring up the points where the battle had damaged the supporting structures of the cavern. Caramel sat next to Sash, who had reverted to changeling form, but he could not find much to say even though there was the possibility of separation if the princess declared it so. Being close to her was all that mattered to him for now. "You're Princess Luna." "You fought Discord, right?" Caramel sat up straighter and turned to find the princess eyeing a pair of nymphs by her side. Mite and Pith came back... Why am I not surprised? "Yes, I did," Luna answered. "He was a bad guy, wasn't he?" Pith continued. "Indeed, he was." "So that makes you the good guy, right?" Mite asked. Luna tilted her head. "I... I suppose so." "So why were you fighting us?" Stickle said as he skittered over to them. Princess Luna opened her mouth to answer, but the words didn't come. Her eyes became unfocused again, as if she was remembering something unpleasant. Or maybe she just didn't want or know how to explain to them that changelings and ponies were supposed to be enemies. "That's enough; do not pester her," Chrysalis chided the nymphs. "Go back to the hatchery before I decide to implement spanking in the hive." The three of them glanced at Luna hopefully, but when she continued to stare at them in surprise, they quickly retreated without another word. An awkward silence ensued, but they were soon spared the task of breaking it when metallic clinking became audible. Up from one of the tunnels came the two bat-ponies, shackled and collared, escorted by three changelings each. Although pretty battered up from their encounter with the queen, their grim demeanours changed to relief when they saw Luna waiting serenely. "Your guards, as promised," Chrysalis said as she levitated a key out of one of her leg holes. Once she had unlocked their bonds, she added, "The rest of the pods are being brought to the surface right now. They will be ready soon." Luna whispered something to her guards as they returned to her sides, then stood up and turned to Chrysalis. "Thank you," she said. "But before I go, I would have words with... one of my subjects." She turned to him and beckoned him over. Caramel noted that she had used the word 'subject' very hesitantly, but he decided that there were bigger things to worry about. He rose and took a step forward, but turned back to look at Chrysalis for approval. She nodded curtly, and he trotted over to the princess. After a moment of hesitation, he bowed before her. Princess Luna's horn glowed, and he felt a tingle run over his body. "Wait, what are you doing?" Sash cried. "Worry not. I am merely teleporting to the surface for some privacy. Caramel will not be harmed." Sash ran over, but skidded to a halt when both of Luna's guards blocked her way with outstretched wings. She scowled at them and added, "I'm coming with him." The blue alicorn frowned, then regarded Caramel with a slightly raised eyebrow. "She's my special somepony and the reason I came here. I'm pretty sure she can listen to whatever you have to say to me," he said. "I see." Luna waved her guards aside. "Very well, let us be off." Her horn brightened and Caramel heard a loud pop. The next thing he knew, they were standing on a rocky tor out in the open. A mild breeze blew through his mane as he took stock of his surroundings. He thought he recognised a rock formation some distance off as the tunnel exit he had used nearly two days ago. As best he could tell, it was late into the night. The stars and moon were out and twinkling in the sky. "Hammer, Anvil, keep watch for trouble," said the princess. Both bat-ponies nodded and took to the air, circling above. When they were high enough, she silently shot a small plume of blue magic into the sky. It burned brightly, but gradually waned until it dissipated entirely. "What was that for?" Caramel asked. Luna gestured at a low hill in the distance. "I have reserve troops hidden nearby. Had I not sent a signal within the next few minutes, they would have assumed the worst and taken action." She then turned her gaze to a patch of drying green resin on the rock that they were standing on and inclined her head towards it. "They also assisted in carrying away prisoners as I extracted them from the hive." Sash frowned. "So... this was supposed to be a rescue mission and not an invasion?" "Indeed. Confronting your queen was not a part of the plan." Luna chuckled dryly. "Neither was the part where my guards got themselves cornered. We were supposed to incapacitate all changelings that we encountered, waking or otherwise, but your presence sent it all awry. I had not expected to find you of all ponies intruding into the dreams of the prisoners." Just one more thing that I'm good at messing up. Woo hoo. The princess sat down and gestured for them to do the same. After they complied, she sighed and said, "Caramel, do you consider yourself a pony or a changeling?" "Huh?" The question caught him totally unprepared. "Err, can't I be both?" Luna gazed at him silently, and he suddenly felt a whole lot more self-conscious about his hybrid appearance. But his fear that she would find him disgusting proved unfounded; she seemed quite unfazed by his looks. In fact, she seemed more fascinated than unnerved, and he supposed that that was to be expected, given her guards' appearances and her own... alter-ego. "Well, I do not see why not." Luna's smile was mild and understanding, but her expression grew stern for a moment. "But your disappearance did cause quite a stir in Ponyville. Your friends were worried, and your parents were frantic. Did you not consider their feelings before running after a mare without so much as a goodbye?" "I'm right here, you know," Sash muttered. "She didn't ask for it," Caramel hurriedly pointed out. "In fact, she... told me not to. But I couldn't leave her. Sassaflash might not be a pony, but she is real, and she is my special somepony." "I can understand that. But did you really have to keep silent? Your friends eventually guessed and brought the matter to my sister, but the lack of information stayed her hoof for weeks. And when they finally decided to go searching for you on their own, they only got themselves captured. I found the remains of Miss Cherry's balloon on my way here." Caramel went a little red. "I... I kind of Pinkie Promised not to tell anypony." Luna raised an eyebrow. "To whom did you make such a promise?" "Err, I don't think I can tell--" "Was it a changeling?" "Well..." He shuffled his hooves nervously, then realised that he'd already given it away. Luna was showing the tiniest hint of a smirk. After sighing, he added, "Acorn Nut. That's his pony name, anyway. I visited him in the dungeons. He gave me directions for the hive, but only after making me Pinkie Promise not to tell anyone." "So he did know something, after all. We suspected as much since he was amongst the last ones you spoke to," Luna mused. "But did it not occur to you that the situation warranted a small stain on your honour for breaking that promise?" "Nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise!" Caramel and Sash hastily said in unison. Princess Luna blinked. "Ah... very well. In any case, at least I eventually did find you." "How did you do it?" Sash asked. "As Princess of the Night, it is my duty to guard the dreams of my subjects. I had hoped to find him in the dreamscape and ask him myself," Luna explained. She looked at Caramel pointedly and continued, "But you were a special case. Tell me, did you have nightmares for the last few months?" Caramel remembered the shapeless figure that haunted his sleep--the writhing mass of shadow with a gaping mouth brimming with teeth. He shuddered at the memory of it chasing him night after night. "Yeah. Was that really you all the time?" "In a manner of speaking. I can interact with the dreamer, but fear is a very common response when I touch mortal minds. It usually lessens with each encounter, whereupon most ponies are comfortable with my presence on the third of fourth attempt." "Umm, I'm pretty sure you were scary for way longer than that." Luna nodded and pointed at his chitinous forelegs. "That probably had something to do with it. I have never interacted with a dreaming changeling, and your condition was... interfering. Your mind was growing increasingly foreign to me even as I familiarised myself with it night by night. Even our most recent contact was disappointingly marred by this." Caramel frowned, recalling the one-sided conversation and her silent, eerie presence in his dreams following that episode. "I could understand you just fine. Why didn't you tell me what you were planning? We probably could've avoided all of this." Luna put a hoof to her chin. "Yes, we probably could have. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing that, and there was scant proof of whether any information I gave you would be safe, regardless of your allegiance." Her ears drooped a bit, and she gave him an apologetic look. "I am sorry. Your friends were missing, and I had to make do with the few options I had left. I could not determine your location through your dreams alone, but if you were to come into the direct line-of-sight of the moon, I could make an educated guess. When you eventually did, I sent my guards in as bait, and through their capture was able to locate the rest of the prisoners." His eyes widened after he'd processed that. "Wait. You mean... the moon idea was from you?" "What 'moon idea'?" Sash asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I planted in his sub-conscious the notion that he would find assistance should he go to the surface on a moonlit night. I also ensured that he would be uncomfortable with the idea of divulging that information to anypony else." "What, I--you can actually do that?" Caramel sputtered. He scooted back several inches. What's with leaders and their freaky mind-control powers? "What else did you leave in my head?" Sash held him close, and her touch helped to soothe his nerves. When he had calmed enough to return to his original spot, she shot a glare at the princess. Luna still looked apologetic, but there was a bit of steel in the way her mouth had set to a thin line as well. "Again, I am sorry, but I had to place the safe return of the others over your dignity. I assure you; such manipulation is not taken lightly by Celestia or myself, and I would not have attempted it were there other reliable options available." "I guess I could live with that," Sash said after some thought. Caramel tentatively agreed. It would probably be selfish of him to think otherwise, especially since he was pretty much the reason Lucky and Cherry Berry had gotten themselves caught. "I am curious about your condition," Luna suddenly said. "How did it happen, and why were you subjected to it?" Caramel noticed Sash fidgeting a little at that remark. "Your Highness, I wouldn't really call it a 'condition'. It's not a disease or anything." "Was it forced upon you?" "Err, not really." He scratched his head. "Chrysalis said she would let me be with Sash if I agreed to this. She even gave me a few chances to change my mind." "Did it hurt?" Caramel glanced at Sash, then turned back to Luna. "I have no regrets." "I see," said Luna. "But what was the purpose behind your transformation? It looks incomplete." "Well, long story..." * * * * * Rax. Changeling, warrior, friend. Friends do not forget. Caramel and Sash told her about the state of the hive. About how they had to scrounge for food and fend off attacks from below. He told her about their flimsy agriculture and their shortage of love, and their reliance on the captives as their primary source of magic and means to defend themselves. The hive's population had shrunk to an unhealthily small number after the wedding attack, and they were hard pressed to maintain and defend their home. But they could not leave because they had nowhere else to go. The princess asked questions every now and then, but for the most part she listened without interrupting. He also told Luna about how Chrysalis had planned to use him and Sash as a more stable source of love energy. "So that's why I can't go back with you," Caramel concluded. "My new family needs me around." "But we can't do without the, uh, captives either," Sash emphasised. "Caramel and I aren't strong enough to feed the entire hive. If you take them away, we soon won't have enough energy to spare for magic, and we kind of need that to fight intruders and heal the wounded." Princess Luna did not look happy to hear that. "That is... unfortunate. But are you truly asking me to let them remain here?" "Just long enough for us to find alternatives. Please, Your Highness, just let us keep them for a while longer. Once we are stable, we will let everypony go." "Does your feeding harm them?" Sash shook her head. "No, not if we are careful. At worst, overfeeding gives them nightmares, but we are taught to control ourselves because bad dreams will make ponies take longer to recover for the next session." Luna frowned and looked pointedly at Caramel. "Is this true?" He nodded tentatively. "As far as I know. I've been keeping an eye on Lucky and Cherry, and they looked fine up until today." "Would you stake your lives on their safety?" "Yes," they said in unison. Luna's gaze intensified. "Even knowing that, should they be harmed by your hive, I will return to personally make known my feelings on the matter?" As she spoke, her mane began to writhe angrily, her eyes glowed, and wisps of black smoke rose from her coat. Caramel shrank back a little, but he forced himself to keep eye contact and nodded. Sash did the same. The princess held their gaze for several moments before she relented and sighed, returning to her normal appearance. "Very well. Then there is little more to discuss. But before we settle this, I must ask you once more, Caramel. Do you wish to stay here? You are still welcome back home, and I will ensure that Sassaflash has a place by your side as well. Your friends and family are waiting for you." He placed a foreleg around Sash. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. But I have another family to take care of now. When things are better, I might be able to visit. But for now, I know that my place is here." Luna was silent for a moment. After a while, she glanced at Sash and said, "My little pony, cherish this stallion of yours. There are few like him." Sash laughed and nuzzled Caramel's cheek. "There are none like him." He grinned sheepishly. But beneath his embarrassment at her public display of affection, he was also thrilled that Luna had called Sash a pony, even when she wasn't wearing a disguise. And her words hadn't sounded forced. Maybe things are finally starting to look up. "Come now," said Luna as she rose to all fours. "I must speak with Chrysalis. We have taken long enough as it is." * * * * * They went back into the hive on hoof, flanked by Luna's guards and tailed by several warriors who kept a healthy distance. Caramel could not sense hostility from anyone, which was a good thing, but he wasn't too keen on the suspicious looks that they were giving him. The remainders of the pods had been arranged neatly in rows outside the entrance, and he spotted Lucky and Cherry amongst them. But Luna had other matters foremost on her mind, and she headed down into the tunnel after telling the workers to keep an eye on them for the time being. When they were half the distance to the queen's chambers, Luna spoke up, "Who was the young one who defended Chrysalis?" "Oh, umm, that's Stickle." "And the other two who questioned me?" "Mite and Pith. Why do you ask?" Luna had a distant smile on her face. "They remind me of a colt and filly I know." "Oh." "It is amazing how children can put one's perspective in order, is it not? I sometimes wonder why it is that when we grow up, we shed so many qualities that we would benefit from retaining." Caramel waited for her to elaborate, but she remained silent after that. He supposed it was true enough. Aside from Sash, the nymphs were the ones that had helped him to keep going when he'd sunk to his lowest in the hive. He wondered how things would turn out if a bunch of nymphs and foals were dumped in the same room, then snorted when he imagined the same being done to grown-ups. With all he'd seen, the kids were more likely to end up friends first. Or at least not start a war. She's got a point. "What else do you want?" Chrysalis asked when she saw them. Caramel detected a hint of resentment in her voice. "To discuss your future." "You already have your subjects back. Take them and leave. We'll survive... somehow. It's been that way for a long time." Luna sighed. "Caramel and Sassaflash have enlightened me. If your feeding does not harm them, I will allow you to keep my subjects for a while longer." Chrysalis blinked in surprise, then frowned. "What's the catch?" "Peace. Let us end our mutual animosity. I have been informed that you have your own form of agriculture and can subsist on physical food; I will provide your hive with supplies, and perhaps even some land in a more fertile region. In return, you will stop abducting ponies and eventually free your current... charges when the time is right." "Is that it?" Chrysalis sounded a little sceptical, as if the offer was too good to be true. Luna nodded. "Well, except for one thing; I will take the elderly home. Given their age and state, they cannot be of much value to you now. Allow them to depart from this world with dignity." "I... I can agree to that," Chrysalis conceded. "Then it is done. I will have my soldiers return those I had rescued." To Caramel and Sash, Luna added, "Take good care of them. I will be watching." Caramel nodded, Sash bowed. "Got it, Your Highness." The blue alicorn gave them friendly smile and extended the same courtesy to Chrysalis. "Then I bid thee farewell. We shall keep in touch." With that, Princess Luna and her guards teleported back to the surface in a flash of blue light. When they were gone, Caramel plopped his haunches on the floor and let his breath whoosh out. "What a day." "Tell me about it," Sash replied. He heard slow steps, then felt a gentle hoof on his shoulder. He turned to look and blinked in surprise at Chrysalis. She had a little smile that was equal parts relief, pride and genuine happiness. After a moment, her hoof went to Sash's shoulder as well. "Well done," she said. Two simple words that somehow carried the weight of an entire hive's gratitude. It made him a little giddy. But in the next moment, Chrysalis' hoof faltered, and she turned and ambled off. Her steps were slow and her body swayed dangerously to either side, and Caramel realised just how weary she was. A couple of her personal guards rushed in to support her as she made for her private quarters. The rest of the changelings present, mostly overseers and a few warriors, soon left to mind their own businesses. The damage to the hive had to be repaired, and the pods had to be shifted back to their places. Before long, he and Sash were left alone in the queen's chamber. Caramel had been feeling a strange tingling sensation after hearing Chrysalis' words. It was hauntingly familiar, like an old memory that was just out of reach. He thought he could hear something too, like the faint sound of a unicorn casting a spell. "Umm, Caramel?" Sash whispered. He saw her pointing a hoof at his flank and looked at it just in time to see the three blue horseshoes of his cutie mark glowing softly. A couple of seconds later, the horseshoes grew transparent and faded away to nothing, leaving his flank as bare as a foal's. He wasn't sure how long he spent staring at it, but by the time he finally said something, the sound that came out was "Erm..." "You okay?" His cutie mark was gone. Though he had never really been appreciative of it, it was at least a part of him. It was something that nopony else in the world had, not even the princesses. Sure, being part changeling meant that he could just make it come back, but it wouldn't be real. He shouldn't have to pretend to be himself! He felt a gentle hoof on his shoulder as his vision clouded. "Caramel, I am so sorry..." he heard Sash whisper. Three horseshoes going in a never-ending circle. Wandering. When he saw her sympathetic expression, he sniffled and tried to shrug it off, saying, "It's okay... I guess it just means I'm not a wanderer anymore. I finally know where I belong." She sighed and gently wiped his tears away with a hoof, then hugged him tightly. "I love you, Caramel." He smiled and nuzzled her back. "Love you too."
Integration	Chapter 13	Two months after Integration... Although Princess Luna had been victorious in her battle against Chrysalis, Caramel had learned soon after her departure that it had cost her just as much as the queen. Chrysalis had lain in her chambers for days on end to recover, but her presence was at least still tangible through the instructions she sent to everyone in the hive concerning repairs and reorganising in the wake of their truce with ponykind. But Luna, in spite of her promise to keep in touch, had been completely absent from his dreams for almost a week after her rescue attempt. He did not even get so much as a fleeting glimpse of her shadow in the dreamscape, let alone a full conversation. It wasn't until the eighth day or so that she finally reappeared in his dreams, and even then her presence felt ghostly and... somewhat weak. She'd given no greeting or pleasantry of any sort. Though she probably could have taken any form and appearance in the dream world, she'd simply been herself, and her drooping wings and bowed head made it apparent that she was in no shape to hold a conversation. She'd simply sighed with weariness and whispered, "Help comes. Expect it in a day or two." And then Caramel was alone in his dream once more. But true to her word, a caravan arrived at the hive the following day, along with a small group of royal guards. They were laden with supplies and various necessities, particularly food and working tools that had come from the nearest towns, all paid for from the royal coffers. There was also a sizeable supply of alchemical equipment and books for Chrysalis, courtesy of Canterlot's Royal Botanical Society. Or perhaps at Luna's behest. Either way, those were meant to help the queen's research in subterranean agriculture. Overseer Grez was never going to admit it, but Caramel was sure that the surly changeling was ecstatic over the supply of tools and small amount of building materials. On the other hoof, Forager Caste was less reserved with their enthusiasm over finding nearly a dozen sickles and other harvesting tools. With the end of the wet season, the teeming plant life would only last for little more than a couple of months. It had been several weeks of frenzied harvesting to collect as much plant material for the hive. Anything that wasn't directly edible was meant to go to the fungus farms. The builders had somehow managed to cannibalise some of the caravans and tools to construct barricades with metal spikes in the lower tunnels to help fend off quarrays and diamond dogs. Warrior Caste even made themselves a few crude weapons, in spite of Luna's refusal to ship them spears and swords. But that was as much as Overseer Skeehar dared to risk; Chrysalis was keeping a close watch on what they were doing in order to avoid angering the princess of the night through misuse her supplies. Given what Caramel had seen of diamond dogs and quarrays, he wouldn't necessarily have considered making the weapons a misuse of materials, but he could understand the backlash that Luna would receive from ponies if they found out that she was indirectly arming the changelings. He'd relayed these concerns to the princess when she'd sufficiently recovered to converse regularly in his dreams, and to his relief, she'd simply told him that she would deal with any political fallout on her end. So long as the supplies were not being used to anypony's detriment, she would have no complaint. In any case, after nearly two months, the hive was relatively well stocked and Chrysalis had finally decided that it was time to release the captives. In return, Luna had promised to bring back the changelings who had been caught. They were going to meet in Dodge City, which was the closest town on the border to the badlands. Princess Celestia would be also present. If all went according to plan, they were going to begin the march to Dodge City in twelve hours' time, after sundown. There was just the matter of releasing them... * * * * * "Are you ready?" He was staring as Lucky cavorted with six attractive mares in the meadow below. They looked like they were having the time of their lives as they galloped and chased one another in the tall grass. Seriously, he needs to have realistic goals. Each mare looked like she was in the peak of health and beauty, with perfect proportions, vibrantly luscious coats and voices that would have put the most exotic songbirds to shame. "Caramel, did you hear me?" Luna asked sternly. He shook his head and returned his attention to her. "Sorry, I got distracted." The princess gave the mares a sideways glance and gave him a tiny smirk. "So I saw. Are you ready to help your friend out of this world?" Caramel nodded. "Good." Without further comment, Princess Luna leaped into the air from the hill that they were standing on and gently glided down to Lucky. Caramel simply sat and waited. This was Luna's third attempt to get the grey earth stallion to converse with her. The first one had been pretty much like his initial reactions to her intrusion in his dreams; it involved lots of running and freaking out. The second one had been better, but Lucky had still been inclined to fear her rather than think rationally about his situation. But at least he was getting used to her, and Caramel's heart leaped when he saw Lucky greeting the Princess instead of running away. Caramel had seen the pattern repeat itself often enough with the rest of the captives. Fear, followed by doubt and then acceptance. Sometimes there would be a little incredulity and frustration in the mix. He watched as Luna and Lucky sat down and conversed; she would be convincing him that everything was just a dream, a fantasy induced by the fluids in the changeling pod that he was really trapped in. A laugh from the stallion told him that Lucky probably did not believe her, but after a few stern words from the princess, his ears drooped, and he glanced around with doubt written all over his face. Yep. She's popped the bubble. Caramel had long since come to recognise that wide-eyed, bewildered expression. Luna drew Lucky's attention back and continued speaking for some time, pausing only every now and then to make sure that the confused stallion's attention didn't wander too far. Eventually, she pointed a hoof in Caramel's direction. That was his cue. He leaped into the air and flittered downhill. Lucky's eyes widened as he approached, but Luna's steady hoof prevented him from running away as Caramel settled onto the grass before them. "Hi." Lucky blinked. "That's... not Caramel," he whispered to Luna. "And what did he say?" he added more softly. Caramel always looked like a full changeling whilst dreamstalking, and so far had been unsuccessful at getting anypony to understand him. Fortunately, Princess Luna had picked up Vespid after hours and hours of visiting him in his sleep, and although she could not speak it herself, she could understand him as clearly as if he'd spoken Equestrian. "I assure you; your friend is right before your eyes. He will appear more familiar to you in the waking world, but you must still be prepared for a few... differences." Luna smiled at Lucky and gestured at Caramel, who grinned and waved back. "No matter what he may look like, he is still your friend, the one you and Cherry Berry came searching for in this desert. He will keep you safe when you leave this place." "But... what happened? Safe from what?" "You will remember when you wake up. For now, you must trust us. Promise that you will do your best to remain calm when the darkness comes." Lucky gulped visibly. "Is it going to hurt?" "No. But it's not going to be nice, either," Caramel said. Luna relayed the message and added, "You will be fine. Everypony has already gone through it unharmed. They'll be waiting for you. Trust your friend; he knows what to do." Lucky glanced at Caramel and shuffled uncertainly, but he eventually murmured, "Okay. Do it." At the princess' signal, Caramel withdrew from Lucky's mind. * * * * * Lucky was still floating peacefully in his pod when Caramel opened his eyes. They were in the hive's repository, but where there had been dozens of pods hanging from the low ceiling, there only remained the severed stalks of the pods that had been removed. Lucky's was lying on its side on the floor. No one else was in the chamber. The grey stallion twitched and twisted in his container, and Caramel took that as the signal to begin. He spat on the pod and pressed his hoof on the wet spots, spreading his saliva in a line from one end to the other. He felt the resin softening, and dug the sharp edge of a notch in his hoof into it. When it split under the pressure, he dragged his hoof along the full length of the pod, widening the cut and spilling green fluid all the way. He then pried both sheets of resin apart and lifted Lucky out. He set his friend down on his side and then transformed into a unicorn version of himself. Slowly, Lucky's stirrings increased in frequency and magnitude. It started off with little more than blinking and drooling. Followed by the occasional spasm and cough. Almost there... After about two minutes, whatever properties the fluid possessed that allowed the captive to stay alive without breathing finally wore off. Lucky's eyes shot open, and Caramel winced when he drew in a gurgling breath that was quickly followed by very wet coughing. He conjured a mild light on his horn and knelt close as his friend desperately emptied his lungs of fluid. "That's right, let it all out," he coaxed. Lucky rolled onto his chest and tried to get up, but only managed to sneeze and snort out two thick streams of fluid out of his nostrils. He groaned and simply lay there panting in a puddle of gunk. "Feel better?" Caramel asked. "Urgh..." Caramel decided not to press him and waited patiently for his friend to recover from the ordeal. He was doing pretty well, all things considered. At least he wasn't panicking like some of the ponies that he'd freed before. Not yet, at any rate. Eventually, Lucky had recovered sufficiently to sit upright on his haunches. After doing so, he wiped his sticky, wet mane out of his eyes and stared at Caramel, with his jaw hanging slightly. "Hey." Caramel grinned nervously. His cheekbone was still aching from when one of the other ponies had freaked out and punched him. Lucky picked his jaw up and shook his head. "I guess Princess Luna wasn't kidding. You're part changeling now, aren't you?" Caramel nodded. "Yeah." "So, umm... how's it working out for you? Did you and Sash...?" He grinned. "Yeah. We're together." Lucky whistled. "Wow. I guess that makes me the last bachelor." His expression suddenly turned glum. "That's so sad. I was having a pretty good dream." His friend's ruefulness was false, though. Caramel could feel his good natured humour beneath his words. He smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Don't worry, you'll find your special somepony someday. Just keep your expectations... realistic." "Says the guy who's found a mare who can look as hot she pleases." Caramel frowned. "That's not what I meant. Love's not all about looks, you know." Lucky chuckled and threw up both hooves in surrender. "Relax, I get what you mean. I was just kidding." He then sighed and asked, "How long has it been, anyway? And where's Cherry?" "Cherry's with the others in the... guest rooms." The chambers were actually storage spaces that had been quickly converted to accommodate the former captives, but Lucky didn't need to know all of that. "You were brought in almost three months ago." "Huh. It doesn't feel like it's been that long--" Lucky paused when a loud gurgle became audible. He then rubbed his belly with a hoof, grimaced and said, "On second thought, it's been forever. You got anything pony friendly down here?" Caramel got onto all fours. "Come on. We've got hay and some oats. Desert grass, if you want something fresh." Lucky put up a hoof. "Hang on, one more question." "Yeah?" "You know this one's a long time coming. Come on; let's see what you really look like. The princess said you're sort of okay with it by now." Aside from him, Cherry Berry was the only one who had asked that question. Although Luna briefed each captive on his hybrid state, he always disguised himself as a unicorn to give them a less threatening face when they woke up. None of the other ponies had asked him to reveal his true self, and when he finally did, he could tell that their feelings about him were mixed at best. But Lucky was a relatively steady guy, and not likely to panic. Besides, he was giving off waves of pure curiosity, so Caramel shed his disguise, flared his wings and gave him a toothy grin. His friend scrutinised him for several moments, after which he returned a grin and said, "Wow, I guess beauty's really only skin deep after all, eh? Not that I would complain, though - that's got to be the coolest Nightmare Night costume ever. Heck, you can practically make your own costumes now, can't you?" Caramel nodded. "Yeah. I guess." But his smile faded when he saw the look on his friend's face. Lucky's was having one of those smiles now. The slightly lopsided one with distant eyes that he got whenever he was about to air perverse fantasies. "You know, outside of Nightmare Night, I can already think of a dozen different ways you could use that to--" La, la, la, not listening! He whirled around and resumed his brisk trot. "--you can even be the mare, and use your horn to--" He flattened his ears and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out images that were an affront to nature. It's awfully warm down here... Darn it, stop thinking about what he's saying! The grey stallion's expression was an unwholesome mixture of childlike glee and filthy curiosity. "Say, since you're now a shapeshifter, just how flexible is your--" Now I remember why we decided to let him out last... Caramel spun round and glared at Lucky, who managed to stop just before their muzzles collided. "Dude. Just shut up." "But--" Caramel bared his fangs. "I kick and bite." Lucky blinked and nodded. "Okay... maybe we can talk about this later." Yeah, right. He gave a disbelieving snort and started walking again. Sure enough, it didn't take long for Lucky to suffer a sudden bout of guffaws as he trotted along. But his humour was good-natured and refreshingly light-hearted, which was something Caramel dearly missed from Ponyville. "Eh, sorry about stuffing those thoughts into your head. I need to get my kicks, and since Shiny's not here and you were the only one around..." Lucky chuckled and gave him a hearty nudge. "Surprised you're still so squeamish, though. I would have thought that turning into half a bug would've fixed that." Caramel shifted back into unicorn form and replied, "There's disgusting, and then there's disgusting. They're not the same." "Heh heh." The grey stallion rolled his eyes, but his humour went down a notch when he caught sight of Caramel's bare flank. "Say, what happened to your cutie mark?" "I lost it." "Oh... That's rough, dude." Caramel shrugged. "It felt that way at first, but all things considered, it's a small price to pay, I think." "Sure, but what about--" Lucky was interrupted by a particularly loud groan from his stomach, after which he chuckled and said, "You know what, you can satisfy my curiosity later. My stomach demands an offering." "You're taking this pretty well. I mean, for somepony who's just woken up inside a changeling hive far from home." "Hey, if Princess Luna trusts you, then what have we got to worry about? Not that I wouldn't without her vote of confidence, but ever since you disappeared we've been getting all sorts of rumours about you and Sash..." Lucky trailed off when he realised the direction in which he was steering the conversation. After a brief gap, he shook his head and continued, "Err, never mind that last bit. We were just really worried about you two. The only reason Shiny didn't tag along was because he now has an empire to run." Caramel blinked. "Empire?" Lucky raised an eyebrow in return. "You know, the Crystal Emp--" "Oh. That." He suddenly remembered Luna's account of the city's reappearance. "Right. I forgot you've been down here for a while." Lucky cracked a grin. "Oh boy, Cherry's going have a field day talking about what you guys have been missing. Let's go!" He tossed his mane, which promptly made a sticky splattering sound when it slapped his neck. "Hmm. Food would be great, but a shower would be really nice as well," he added thoughtfully. "We've got that too." Everypony had been given a chance to take a dip in one of the water reservoirs to get cleaned up. He smiled involuntarily when he remembered how hard it was to convince the first pony that there weren't giant leeches or piranhas in there. "By the way, the princess said something about a truce. Is that really going to happen?" Caramel nodded. "Yeah. The queen will be going over the details with the princesses when we meet them at Dodge City. It's still only a truce for now, but maybe after some time we'll be able to figure out a way for all of us to get along together. I mean, ponies eventually got past the fact that griffons eat meat, and now we're okay with them, right? For now, we're going to get all of you guys home. Princess Celestia will be releasing all the changelings that were caught as well." "Hard to believe that the invasion only happened half a year ago. Do you really believe it will all work out?" Caramel took in a deep breath and released it slowly. We've come this far. We're this close. We're not going to give up now. He then turned and gave his friend a reassuring smile. "Believe it. We're all going home." * * * * * "Whoa," said Lucky as he munched on a mixture of hay and desert grass. His mane and coat were shaggy and a little damp after his taking a quick dip in one of the reservoirs to get himself cleaned. "And I thought living next to the Everfree Forest was bad enough. Can't imagine what it's like to deal with quarrays and diamond dogs popping up every now and then. And you guys don't have the Elements to trump them all when things get out of hoof." It's enough to give you nightmares. But Caramel kept that opinion to himself. "Yeah, that's life down here," he replied. "But it wasn't always so bad. We used to have the numbers and supplies needed to keep things under control, but now that Princess Luna's helping with part of that, we'll get back on our hooves someday." Lucky nodded slowly. "I think I can see why changelings were doing... all those things. It's still not cool, but I guess we don't all have princesses who can solve everything nicely for us all the time." Caramel wasn't sure whether his friend had kept his voice low to avoid waking the others or because he was afraid other changelings might hear. Either way, he was glad that Lucky had at least been willing to listen. He inclined his head towards the other end of the chamber where ponies were huddled together under their blankets, snoring gently. "They'll be up pretty soon, but I'd still recommend getting some sleep before we make our move. You'll have plenty of time to catch up with Cherry on the way home, and Sash will be back from her shift by then." Lucky swallowed his last mouthful and gulped down his bowl of water. After that, he belched lightly and followed it with a massive yawn. "That sounds awfully good right about now," he drawled. "You sure you didn't put anything in my food? It seems silly that I'd want to sleep so soon after doing so for three months straight..." "Your body is getting used to working the normal way again. Sleep helps a lot." "Right." Lucky yawned again and sauntered off. "Good night. Or afternoon. Whichever it is." "If you need to, uh, do business, the refuse pit's that way." He pointed towards a narrow tunnel that had green globes hanging from resinous strands from its ceiling, which had been placed there to provide the ponies with stronger light so they wouldn't bumble around in what would've otherwise been nearly total darkness to them. "Just follow the lights. If you can't see, it's not somewhere you want to be." "Got it." Lucky tucked himself under a spare blanket and was out like a light. * * * * * The hours flew by. Caramel remained in the chamber with everypony else for the most part, ready to assist in whatever way he could, be it to get them stuff they needed or to relay news to them if they asked. Although the princess could speak to them whenever they slept, she could not be with every one of them at the same time, and it often fell to him to pass information to them when Luna was too busy to deliver messages personally. Only a few ponies took up that offer, though. He could sense their unease in his presence, which only grew tenser whenever other changelings came by to deliver necessities. There was also a little bit of suppressed hostility in a few of them. He couldn't blame them, though. He'd probably want to keep his distance as well if he'd been captured and had a doppelganger take his place at home. Still, he did try to be friendly and help mend bridges, even though only a few of them were inclined to openly accept his side of the story when most kept their opinions to themselves or gave him odd stares. They spent most of their waking hours conversing amongst themselves, although some, unicorns in particular because of their light spells, preferred to keep themselves occupied with the books that had been imported. Cherry Berry at least made the situation a lot more bearable; he could tell that she was fighting hard against her instincts to keep away from him and Sash whenever they spoke, and she was making every effort to look at them the same way she used to before the attack on Canterlot. This time was no different. "So, is there any chance we could salvage my balloon on the way back?" Cherry asked. He shook his head. "Sash already went through it with the scavengers. It's a gone case. It won't fly, and it'll probably be easier to make a new one than to drag it all the way home." The pink earth mare slumped. "I guess I shouldn't have hoped otherwise. Would've been nice if I hadn't lost my goggles, though. Mom gave them to me." "Sorry." Cherry snorted. "Heh, don't mind me. If you can get over losing your cutie mark, I think I can get over losing that. By the way, how did Lucky take things?" Caramel glanced over at his friend, who was still snoring in his corner. "Pretty well, I think. He didn't punch me, for a start." She grinned sheepishly. "You can ask him yourself. We should wake him now, anyway. It's almost time to go." Hoof steps came echoing from the entrance to the chamber, and Caramel recognised the pace and gait as belonging to Chrysalis. She stalked into the chamber with Sash and a few warriors in tow, drawing a few gasps and causing a few ponies to move closer together. She rarely made an appearance, and had always remained silent during her inspections. Until today. "Greetings," she said. "As Caramel has undoubtedly briefed you, your journey home begins tonight." Everypony listened intently, some with more than a little trepidation as the queen swept her gaze over them. "Some of you have been in here for a long time, and although I cannot say that I am sorry for what we have done to you out of necessity, I promise that you will be the last to be treated so. Return to your families. The ones who have stolen your lives are gone." "Really, does she think that's all it takes to make it right?" somepony muttered. Caramel tensed. He had seen Chrysalis' ears perk up; she'd heard it all right. The others had noticed too and quickly hushed the offender, a middle-aged pegasus mare, before she ruined their only chance at freedom. The queen gazed at the mare, and the ponies around the mare quickly backed off as if expecting her to lob a fireball their way. To her credit, the pegasus stood her ground and met her gaze, although Caramel noticed that her legs were trembling slightly. "You're right. Words are worthless," Chrysalis eventually conceded. "I have nothing more to say to you. Get packing, we leave in the next half hour. My children will assist and advise you on what to take for the journey." Caramel released the breath he'd been holding as Chrysalis turned to leave. But before she exited the chamber, she added over her shoulder, "It will take some time for us to balance out the... mistakes we have made. But it will happen whether you believe it or not." "Wow, I think that's the closest Mother's ever gotten to an apology," Sash whispered to him. He nodded. It's still better than what we started with. * * * * * They set out as soon as the evening had grown cool enough for everypony to travel comfortably on hoof. They numbered thirty-five ponies in total, plus twenty changelings including the queen. Caramel, Sash and more than half of the warriors were laden with saddlebags of supplies that were meant to last them the three-night journey to Dodge City. Chrysalis had ordered them to bear all of the travel burdens, but Lucky and a few others had insisted on helping out, and Caramel was grateful for their sincerity. The pegasi amongst them were itching to stretch their wings after being cooped up for so long underground, so Chrysalis allowed them to soar overhead so long as they took care not to stray too far from the group. Chrysalis led the way, and as everypony settled into the brisk rhythm of their march, Caramel noticed that they were all forming their own little cliques. The warriors stayed close behind the queen in a roughly triangular formation, with the exception of those who had been tasked to guard the flanks and bring up the rear of their party. Within the group itself, the ponies seemed to have divided themselves according to hometown or trade. There was a group of three Appleloosans, another of upper-class unicorns who were probably from Manehattan, a bunch of traders who were pretty chatty amongst themselves, and several others that were probably from some of the other towns that were closer to the badlands. Though, he was pretty sure that one of the pegasi had a Canterlot accent. Caramel's group was the only one that consisted of both ponies and changelings. It was him, Sash, Cherry and Lucky. Sash and he had taken on their pony forms to ease the obvious discomfort that the others had around changelings. It wasn't a long term solution, but anything that helped ease communication would do for the time being. In any case, coats were much better protection against the cold air, and they had no shortage of emotional energy to draw on this time. "Gotta say, the night looks great out here," Lucky commented. "It's probably because there aren't many clouds," Sash replied. "I'm sure it would look just as lovely back home when Rainbow Dash schedules for a clear sky." Looking up, Caramel had to agree. The stars were twinkling in the sky, and the moon loomed bright and welcoming over them, promising safety from the darkness. The sky itself was deep purple, and although Sash had called it clear, that wasn't exactly true. There were clouds of yellow and greenish blue that seemed to blend in with the rest of the sky. If he stared long enough, he could almost imagine them drifting in an invisible current, like ink in a puddle. Unfortunately, it was something that ponies couldn't really enjoy. He'd learnt quite a while back that changelings could see some colours that ponies were blind to, and those lights in the sky were amongst them. Thinking back to his days before joining the hive, he almost couldn't believe that he'd gotten along just fine without being able to see so many colours that ponies didn't even have a name for. "I'm sure it's pretty and all, but I think I would've liked some clouds for a little more insulation." Cherry Berry pulled her travel cloak tightly around herself and shivered. Lucky chuckled and trotted a little closer to her. "Allow me to be of assistance. You can even sleep next to me if you like." "Thanks, but don't get any ideas if I do," Cherry replied, poking him with a hoof. "Aww, not even a snuggle?" Caramel teased. The pink mare considered it for a moment. "Maybe. But not a hair closer than that." She then rounded on Lucky and added, "No hanky-panky, got it?" "Wouldn't dream of it." Lucky nodded solemnly. But after a moment, he added, "Actually, I can't promise that; you're too good looking. But I won't actually do it, of course." "Keep the details to yourself, and we'll get along just fine," Cherry replied, rolling her eyes. Caramel and Sash chuckled at that. * * * * * "How goes the journey?" asked Princess Luna. "Well, Chrysalis said we're less than six hours away from town. We're just holed up in one of their old outposts," Caramel replied. The blue alicorn nodded. "Very good, but that was not what I meant. My question concerns your travel companions. Specifically, the changelings." "Oh." Caramel paused to think about it, and it wasn't looking all that great. After two nights of traveling, everypony was still keeping to their respective cliques. And he felt a little guilty that he hadn't done all that much to change that. Aside from him and Sash, very few words had been exchanged between changeling and pony. "Well, we're not fighting..." Luna raised an eyebrow. "Communication has been merely for the sake of expediency, I take it?" "Yeah, you could say that." "I fear it may be much the same when we actually meet, then. Although my sister is amenable to peace, the new captain of the guard and his subordinates were not so pleased when they found out that Chrysalis was coming as well. They appear to have been expecting little more than a prisoner exchange." "I guess that's understandable. She did kind of lead the attack on Canterlot." The princess nodded. "Indeed. But I remain hopeful. They have at least expressed willingness to change their minds if Chrysalis is sincere. Do not be disheartened; you have accomplished something that even my sister has not in all her centuries, and I intend to help you see it through to the end." "All right." Then, after a moment, he tentatively added, "Your Highness, could I ask a favour?" "You may." "I need to take back some books. Chrysalis doesn't plan to stay, so I don't think I'll have time to get them on my own." Luna smiled. "For the little ones, I presume?" "Yeah." "Easily done. Just name the titles." After hearing him rattle off of the mental list of volumes he'd compiled, she chuckled and said, "An impressive selection for their age. Ah, would that our children shared their hungry enthusiasm for literature." * * * * * Caramel stirred as the dream faded away. There was a little bit of orange, sunset light trickling in from the entrance tunnel to the cave that served as a changeling outpost. His eyelids still felt too heavy for him to wake up properly, so he kept them shut and tried to sink back into proper sleep. It had been three long nights of burdened traveling, and he doubted that anypony would say no to a little more rest before Chrysalis gave the order to march the final stretch to Dodge City. Unfortunately, it was a little too cold for comfort, and sleep remained tantalisingly out of reach. Sash apparently was feeling the chill as well, for she stirred and shifted until she'd worked her way into his forelegs, with her back against his chest as he lay on his side. He smiled, stroking her shoulder and nuzzling the back of her neck. Her coat was wonderfully soft and warm. Sash sighed at his ministrations, and he felt her sweet, happy contentment flowing freely. Silly though it was, he wished that they could just lie like that for all time, just the two of them, without a care in the world... And then Caramel was dragged back into reality by somepony's loud sneeze. Judging by the close proximity, it was probably Lucky's. He frowned. Typical. The stallion had the audacity to sneeze again, and Caramel found himself a little annoyed that he'd disturbed Sash too. She was stirring a little more vigorously this time. But the third sneeze gave him pause. It sounded more like a snigger... "Caramel, what do you think you're doing?" Sash asked in a highly amused voice. His eyes snapped open. Her voice had come from behind him. He stared at the mare in his forelegs. Pink coat. Yellow mane. Oh, ponyfeathers! "Sorry!" he blurted as he detached himself and scrambled to sit in an upright position. Unfortunately, the sudden movement shocked Cherry into full wakefulness as well, and she yelped when her head bumped on the ground. She got up, stared at everypony in confusion, then narrowed her eyes at Caramel. "Wait. That was you?" "Sorry!" And that was when Lucky lost control and burst out laughing, drawing confused stares and annoyed glances from the other ponies who were also in the process of waking up. "Oh wow, that was perfect! See, Cherry, I told you I wasn't the one you had to worry about!" "I'm sorry!" he yelped for the third time when Cherry's frown darkened. "I thought you were Sash. I could've sworn she was on that side when I went to sleep!" He then glanced at their sleeping positions and searched his memory, but nothing certain came up. "Or maybe I flipped when I was dreaming--I don't know. I didn't mean it!" Cherry Berry's eyes softened. "Okay, I can buy that. Just... don't do it again." Caramel nodded vigorously, which drew another round of laughter from Lucky and a giggle from Sash. He glared at them in response, which only made it seem funnier to them. At length, Lucky finally stopped laughing and said, "You sure about that, Cherry? You were making those happy noises; Caramel's probably getting mixed messages." She reddened and sputtered out something before settling for punching Lucky in the shoulder as he sniggered. "Caramel's already got a special somepony, you knucklehead!" Maybe it was Lucky's goal in life to be hit at least once by every mare he befriended. Or multiple times, in some cases. Whatever the reason, he seemed to treasure it all the same. "You're awfully okay with this, Sash," he commented. Sassaflash chuckled. "Changelings are used to sharing." She then sidled over to Caramel and hugged him, saying, "Not that I wouldn't mind practicing monogamy, though. The idea of keeping my stallion all to myself is very appealing." "Can we please stop encouraging Lucky?" Caramel pleaded. He glanced around and saw that the others, changeling and pony, were already rousing from their slumber and getting ready for the last leg of the journey. Some of their ears were perked suspiciously in their direction. "Or could we at least save this for another time when we don't have everypony listening in?" he added more softly. Lucky gave one last chuckle and replied, "Fine, fine." * * * * * Caramel had never been to Dodge City before, but he was pretty sure that it wasn't supposed to look so... intimidating. It was just supposed to be a quiet mining town with a railroad and a medium-sized population. There were dozens of neatly organised tents and pavilions on its outskirts surrounded with braziers and torches. He recognised the Celestial and Lunar banners billowing in the gentle night breeze. A distant horn sounded as they got within arrowshot of the town, and there was a brief flurry of activity as ponies - probably runners with messages - dashed off to some of the pavilions and houses. The rest of the guards were already in formation, casting long shadows from the blazing torches and braziers. Altogether, it looked like Dodge City was prepared to fend off an attack. It all came off as a little too aggressive for Caramel's liking, but if Chrysalis shared his sentiment, she gave off no sign of it. She simply called for a stop and began giving out instructions rapidly to all the warriors in Vespid. "What's going on?" Cherry asked in bewilderment as the changelings herded them all into a tight group. Other ponies were also voicing their concerns and uneasiness as the warriors formed a defensive perimeter around them. A couple of changelings took to the air and began circling overhead, keeping watchful eyes over the surrounding land. "Relax. The queen's going to speak to the princesses first. Once everything's settled, the royal guards will come and take you all home," Sash said to everypony. Her reassurances failed to fully convince them, though. But that was why Chrysalis had brought him along as well. When several pairs of eyes automatically turned to him for confirmation of Sash's statement, he smiled and nodded. "That's right. We'll just need you guys to hang on a little longer. But don't worry; you'll be tucked into a warm bed before the night's over." A murmur went through the group, and he was relieved when he felt the tension in their emotions ease up a little. He turned to Chrysalis and saw her nod in approval before she broke off from their party with an escort of five warriors. All eyes turned to the town as the queen's approach was met with flashes of white and blue light, each corresponding to a princess teleporting to the formation of guards at the main gate. It was difficult to make out anything beyond the identities of the alicorns at that distance, but everything seemed to point towards a civil meeting at least. After speaking for several minutes, Chrysalis was apparently invited to enter the town, and she went in after the royals. And then they waited. "Is there a reason we can't just go in right now?" a young mare asked. "They let her in just fine, and it's really cold out here." "Hug somepony. Problem solved," a warrior deadpanned. Lucky raised a hoof. "I volunteer!" Cherry grabbed his hoof and yanked it down. "No you don't. She's too young for you. Quit hitting on every stranger you meet!" To the blushing mare, she added, "Trust me, you wouldn't want this guy." That earned a few chuckles from some of the ponies, and even a couple of changelings sniggered as well. But Caramel remained silent. There's a reason. Royal dignity. Princess Luna had agreed that it was best to conduct the prisoner exchange in such a manner where both parties still had some semblance of power over their captives until the negotiations were complete. Chrysalis was under no illusion; she knew that the princesses and royal guards could overpower her force and free everypony without even needing to release the changelings they'd caught if they really wanted to. Unless she decided to kill him and everypony just to spite the princesses if they decided to try that. The same could be done if anything happened to her whilst she was in the town, protected by a paltry five when she was surrounded by alicorns and scores of royal guards. These extra details were all unspoken, of course, but it was clear that Luna and Celestia were allowing it as a gesture of trust and maybe respect. They were giving Chrysalis some bargaining power over them through Lucky, Cherry and the rest of the captives. But wasn't it a hollow gesture when they knew that the changelings probably couldn't afford to antagonise them at this point? Caramel shook his head. Politics is messy. Over an hour had passed by the time Chrysalis reappeared, bringing Princess Celestia, Luna, some royal guards and a whole group of changelings that he'd never seen before. They must've been the changelings that had been caught throughout Equestria, which probably meant that the negotiations for their release had gone reasonably well. The warriors relaxed when Chrysalis motioned for all to be at ease, whilst the ponies grew increasingly excited with freedom so close at hoof. Nearly everypony was practically hopping in place by the time the detachment reached them. "Your subjects, as promised." Chrysalis turned to the warriors and buzzed her wings briefly, and as one they loosened their formation to allow the ponies to pass between them. They were hesitant at first, maybe thinking that it was all a little too easy, until Princess Celestia stepped up, stood right next to the queen and said, "It's quite all right, my little ponies. You can come with us now." She gestured towards the royal guards present and added, "Captain Barding will escort you into town, and there you'll find that we've prepared rooms for you to stay until the trains arrive in the morning. You'll be able to make your way to your respective homes then." Chrysalis seemed a little surprised by Celestia's move, but she quickly schooled her expression back to neutrality and affirmed, "Yes. You are free to go." After the apparent confusion from seeing the two rulers so close to one another without so much as a magical blast being exchanged had worn off, nearly everypony broke into brisk trot to cross over to the other side. Some paused long enough to bow to the princesses or to gush their thanks, and before long were all safely standing amongst the royal guards and breathing collective sighs of relief. At the same time, the captive changelings trotted over to stand beside their warrior siblings. They were more sedate in their movement, but Caramel could tell from their postures that they too were relieved. "I guess you're not coming, huh?" Lucky had paused in mid-stride in the space between the two groups. "Ponyville's still your home, you know," Cherry called out from the other side. He bit his lip, remembering that Stickle and the others were probably waiting impatiently for him back at the hive. They'd been a little petulant over the fact that they hadn't been allowed to tag along for the journey, and he'd only been able to placate them with the promise of bringing back some storybooks. He shook his head. "Sorry. I've got some responsibilities back at the hive right now. Maybe I'll come back and visit someday." "So this is the pony I've heard so much about." Caramel swallowed when Princess Celestia trotted over to him. Oh darn. Was he supposed to bow? Would Chrysalis take that the wrong way if he did? Would the ponies take it the wrong way if he didn't? He could see the guards watching him closely. So were the warriors. But at that moment, he felt the gentle touch of Sash's wing on his back. He turned and saw her bowing to the princess, shedding her disguise as she did so. A murmur of went through the crowd, and he felt surprise and a little bit of suspicion rippling from the ponies watching. And in that moment, he decided that it wasn't his job to make ponies or changelings take things the right way. His job was to show things as they were, as they should be, and trust others to see it. Two leaders, two families. If we do this right, we won't have to choose between them. He bowed before Princess Celestia and shifted back into his normal hybrid appearance, noting with some trepidation that there was a noticeable spike in tension coming from the ponies watching. The sun princess was much better at guarding her outgoing emotions, but her smile appeared genuine enough. "Rise, Caramel and Sassaflash. By all accounts, you've both played an important role in reminding us that love and friendship can and should transcend physical and cultural differences. And what your friends said is true; Equestria is also your home, and you will always be welcome." She then shifted her gaze to the changelings present and added, "The same goes for you all. If you do consider this land and a life amongst ponies your home, then it is not our place to say otherwise." Celestia's words were met with silence, and Caramel was pretty sure he knew what was going through everyone's heads. Luckily, Princess Luna stepped in before it became too awkward. "We realise that such a promise can seem empty and insincere, given our history and the way we have treated one another. No law that we pass can make ponies simply accept changelings overnight, and we know that forgiveness for our past grievances will not come easily. It will be a long journey before we can enjoy widespread acceptance between our kinds, but rest assured - we will make amends for our mistakes." "As will we," Chrysalis affirmed. Then, to her subjects she said, "Form up. It's time we went home." "Wouldn't you like to stay in Dodge City for tonight?" asked Princess Celestia. "I'm sure your subjects would appreciate the opportunity to rest after the long walk here. We have plenty of supplies if you need any." Whilst the sun princess was speaking, Caramel saw Luna conversing with Lucky and Cherry. Although they were whispering, the princess of the night was uncharacteristically animated; she reminded him of Pinkie Pie when she was planning a party... "Thank you, but we can't stay the night," Chrysalis replied. "I do not want to be away from the hive for any longer than I have to." "Very well. We bid thee farewell, then," Princess Luna piped up. "But before you go - we have a parting gift." The princess of the night trotted over to Caramel and Sash, flanked on either side by Lucky and Cherry. She and the stallion had mischievous grins plastered to their faces, and Cherry, although more reserved in outward appearances, was also giving off pleasant vibes as they approached. Caramel and Sash had no time to figure out what the deal was before Luna stopped squarely between them, sat on her haunches and presented him with a pair of heavy saddlebags. Oh. He'd forgotten about the books. It was a good thing that-- "Aack!" Sash and Caramel cried out together in surprise. Without warning, the blue alicorn had swept them up in a hug that was somehow both tender and bone-crushingly powerful. He could feel Lucky and Cherry joining in as well, which probably made this the most unusual group hug he'd ever been a part of. "For the ones you have lost; for the livelihoods we have taken," Luna whispered. Her solemn words puzzled him, but only for about a second. He gasped, as did Sassaflash and several nearby changelings, when he felt the oncoming surge of emotions. He felt Lucky's and Cherry's love and friendship, emotions born from a childhood of growing up and learning together. But Luna's emotions were quite another thing all together. He should have realised it sooner, why she of all ponies had taken such an interest in helping them after her raid on the hive. She knew what it was like to live in exile - the loneliness, the hunger for companionship, the rage and frustration of having everything held dear taken away, the loss of loved ones, the desire for vengeance... but there was also guilt and the longing for forgiveness. She knew. She understood. And she cared. Absorbing all of that pent-up, raw emotion from his friends was like having a lightning bolt surge through his veins. His reserves were soon filled to the brim, and he quickly followed Sash's lead by reaching out with his magic to every nearby changeling and channelling the excess to anyone who would accept it. The air positively hummed with energy, or maybe that was just the thrum of their wings. Although none of them were in any state that could be considered deprived - the prisoners had not been mistreated and the hive had been supplemented with food and other resources as per Luna's instructions - feeding on emotions freely given, without deceit or ignorance from ponies was like tasting the sweetest, juiciest serving of fresh vegies and flowers after ages of wandering lost in a desert. It took Caramel a while to realise that Luna had released him and that he could breathe again. He sucked in a deep breath and wobbled unsteadily to his hooves, noting with some amusement that nearly every changeling was giddy from taking in so much energy at once. It was a little puzzling that Luna, Lucky and Cherry could have provided that much on their own, though. Maybe alicorn emotions were extra potent, or maybe Luna had just been bottling those up for a long, long time. "Sweet Celestia, that was good," one of the changelings murmured. "I think you mean 'sweet Luna'," Sash answered, smiling with gratitude at the night alicorn. Even Chrysalis seemed stunned by what had happened, although he couldn't tell whether it was because of the intensity of his friends' emotions or the fact that Princess Luna had gone so far as to share what must have been some of her deepest feelings attached to her thousand-year exile on the moon. Or maybe it was something else. Wasn't she from Hunter Caste before she became queen? Did she ever have a special somepony? She did seem to have a distant look in her eyes... Chrysalis inclined her head towards Princess Luna and said softly, "Thank you." And, of course, Lucky just had to go and ruin the mood. He waved a hoof in front of Caramel and Sassaflash as if he was checking their eyesight, then chuckled and said, "A hug is all it takes to get you guys high? Wow, I was totally born into the wrong species!" "That's... interesting to note," Celestia said with a smile that was just a tad forced. "If you want him off your hooves and can spare me the necessary reagents, I could try turning him into one," Chrysalis offered. "My children would welcome any help in fending off quarray eels." Lucky paled at that. "Um, on second thought, I'm totally cool with being a pony." "Yes, thank you for the offer," Celestia interjected, "but I believe he has already made up his mind." The queen sighed. "Too bad. I could have used another hybrid." She then turned and spread her wings, saying, "Goodbye. I hope our next meeting will not need to be so... expedient." And she was off into the night sky. As one, Caramel's foster siblings took to the air after her. He followed suit after strapping on the book-stuffed saddlebags, but delayed his acceleration just long enough to glance back at the princesses and his friends. Lucky and Cherry were waving goodbye whilst Princess Celestia and Luna stood and watched in silence. He waved back at his friends and the royals, although it really wasn't necessary for the princess of the night. She could visit him whenever he slept, and it hadn't taken Chrysalis long to figure out that she could carry a conversation with the alicorn simply by dreamstalking him at an appointed time. It was too soon for goodbyes anyway; there was still so much to be done. With fewer supplies to carry and no flightless ponies to slow them down, not to mention the fact that they were brimming with newfound energy, their pace homeward was thrice as fast. Add that to the rising elation he felt at this small step towards what might possibly be lasting peace between ponies and changelings, and it was all he could do to maintain his place in the flight formation and not challenge everyone to a race home. A couple of things about that were bothering him, though. If Princess Luna's emotions carried this much power, it did make him wonder what would've happened if the attack on Canterlot had succeeded. Chrysalis had taken down Celestia after feeding on Shining Armour. How strong would she have become if she'd managed to feed on Celestia and Luna as well? "What are you thinking about?" Sash asked, drifting in close to fly alongside him. "Err..." After a moment's hesitation, he decided to confide in the second thing that was bothering him. "Sash, when we, err..." he paused, unsure of how to frame the issue, but forged on when his brain offered nothing particularly insightful, "You know... compared to what we felt back there. Am I..." She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to finish. "Am I anything like that?" Sash blinked for a couple of seconds before a knowing smile appeared on her face. "Caramel, are you worried about how good you taste compared to everypony else?" He felt himself redden. Or, that would've been the colour if he still had red blood. "Umm, definitely not the words I would have chosen, but--" He was cut off when she careened into him - not too roughly - and hugged him tight. As they spiralled downwards at a slight angle, wings beating hard to compensate for the shift in centre of gravity, he felt strangely calm and secure. Although he was full, he could still taste the sweet love she poured into him as they nuzzled each other. It felt like ages, but it must've been only for a few seconds because they were still pretty high up when they finally separated. "Nopony's love compares to yours," she said. "Don't let anypony tell you otherwise." Caramel smiled. "Thanks. You were great, too." "Well, there's always more where that came from." There was a flash of green fire, and she was suddenly in her pegasus form, reaching out with a hoof. She bopped him on the nose before he could react and then put on a burst of speed, twisting around to yell, "Come on, Wonderbolt. Let's see if you can catch me!" And she was off like a speeding Rainbow Dash. Oh, it's on! He shapechanged into a pegasus as well to trade some manoeuvrability for speed, and was just about to surge off when he realised that Chrysalis was watching. He made eye contact to check if she thought they were stepping out of line, but all she did was roll her eyes, as if she wanted to sigh and say, "Fine. If you really have to..." Sensing no direct disapproval, he grinned and sped after Sassaflash as all around them, the world brightened with the rising sun. .
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	pre	"I can't help if my beauty brings all the stallions to the bar." I face hoofed "Oh...seriously Drift I like you...but acting like that is going to make me want to slap you." Drift smiled sweetly and gave me a friendly nuzzle. Bubble Gum smiled and headed back to her office. Then I went back to eating, same for Drift. "So....did anyone learn what parts of Equestria got hit?" I looked up asking. Drift sighed.. "I heard Manehatten and other areas but I have no idea... Maybe we will learn?" Bowser looked up from eating and he looked at the ponies that were staring at us. Outside the storm was getting worse. The flash hit outside over and over. "Damn....and I thought the Pegasus made storms got intense.." I said softly watching outside slowly ending our dinner. "I am going to head back to our room." June said and slowly got off the chair looking at the ponies and did a fake charge at them and they screamed. She trotted off laughing. I smirked as the ponies stared at me and I winked. "I am going to head back to our room... I need some rest.." Bowser said and walked out of the bar looking to the ponies and stared at them. His eyes changing color to look inside their bodies. "Hmm if you don't relax those hearts of yours are going to give out..and I would say lay off the drugs." He smirks and his eyes go back to normal heading back to our room. The ponies feared him to and they looked towards Drift who was eating her hay burger. Drift looked up to the ponies and opened the chest of her coat. She gave them a look like try it. I turned my head to look at them staring. "Come... Drift lets..head to our room." Drift nodded and walked beside me we stared at the ponies who stared at us. I gave them a smile, softly speaking. "You know boys... If you do want to have some fun..you could just ask me for some time in bed... It would be more fun...then shooting me." I said to them with a wink. They gave me a look of anger and hate... Then before I fully went back to my room. "Oh, and my husband 200 years ago was a pony..and he gave me foals... So I am up for anything." I said to them with a wink swishing my tail and ass at them and I heard one of them vomit and I laughed. Bubble Gum rushed to me and whispered. "You will be leaving tomorrow. The whispers of you and your friends are causing an issue with the Steel Rangers. They heard of the devices you have. So I had to move the caravan to the tomorrow." I gave a smile nodding. "Thank you miss Bubble... I am sorry if we caused any problems." She smiled shaking her head. "Don't worry about it.." I smiled and then went back into our room. Bowser is working on something June is laying in her bed and they look up to me. "We will be leaving tomorrow apparently ponies called the Steel Ranger's learned about us... So we will be leaving early in the morning. So it's best to get some sleep but I am going to go learn more about them... Will you three be alright?" Bowser nods and he sits by Drift as she leans into her friend seeming to relax agents the large Diamond dog. June nodded and laid her head on her pillow falling asleep. I left the room and went to Bubble Gum's office I blinked leaning on the door hearing them talk. "Bound Trot..we can't...do this to them... They're our guest. We can't just have the caravan take them to Steel rangers." Bubble Gum sighed softly. "The Steel Rangers are offering us a lot of caps." "Fine... I guess we will do it.." I grew angry but then I silently trotted off and went into the doctor's office. To see Blitz wing. "Blitz.." I shook him awake and he looked at me... "What?" I looked at him whispering "Bubble gum is setting us up on a caravan that will lead us into the Steel Rangers...do you have a map to get us to Trotting Creek?" Blitz nodded and goes through is bag offering the map. "You better get going... I will meet you in Hickory corners." I gave him a nod and trotted off to the room. "Wake up!!" June stands up on her hooves Bowser looked up so did Drift. "Get ready..we are leaving.." They nod as we get our armor and bags. We slowly sneak out and Bubble Gum trotted up to us looking towards us. "Why are you leaving?" I stared at her. "I heard your talk with Bound Trot...you wish to give us up to the Steel rangers for caps." I stared at her as she looks down sighing. "Go...go right to the bridge and don't look back... If you keep going to you will get to the ruins of Trotting Creek. Please hurry the steel rangers will be in their position tomorrow." We nod and we rush out one the guards stops us for a moment. "Thank you for your help you better get going...they will be heading down this way in six hours.." I nodded and we ran off into the ruins of Detrot. This was going to be a long trek and path. We head right into the ruins. I look towards the factory as we start running as fast as we can..away from the factory... I was told it would take us a few hours to get to the bridge. But for now, we are safe... Drift was flying beside me... Bowser was on all fours going very fast and June was ahead looking at every spot to make sure..we are good she stops every now and then to look. Bowser looks as well and with the steam from her horns. It shows its fine. We vanish into the night and become one with the waste...
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter two: The bridge.	We have found a place to sleep after getting many miles away from the factory we had stayed at. June stood guard because she didn't seem to want to sleep as much. Bowser had cooked for us as well when we woke up and Drift flew off to find the best way to the bridge. When she returned she told us on the bridge is a large town. But she doesn't know if it's friendly. I nodded and we got ourselves ready to leave. From what I noticed we stayed in an old bank. I even had looked through the terminal to see if there were any upgrades. But from what I was told it would only be from military terminal's. To get our upgrades. The Ai in my hooves would send me a message in my brain to tell me where the closest one is. But at the moment there is none. But we left the bank and we did what we did before. June sticking ahead using her horn's to release steam to let us know it's fine. Bowser still searching with his eyes to make sure nothing will get in front of us. Drift stayed with beside me. But we finally saw the bridge and going through many ruins. Looking up I noticed the cloud's just stayed there no sun no nothing. Hearing gun shot's to the right of us. But we ignored it and kept rushing to the bridge seeing a gate in our way. I knocked on the door with my hoof. A pony opened it and stared at us and then his eyes went wide. "It's you four Bubble gum told us to expect you. Quickly!" He opens the door with a mare and we rush in as we heard more gun's behind us. Then the door's closed quickly and bullets smashed into the gate's and we heard yells outside. " You can't keep us out of there forever!!" The stallion yells back. " We will never let you get past." I blinked a moment looking at the entire city on a bridge." Anyway, welcome to Bridge city. This bridge is sixty miles long. It would take you two days just to get through it. Lucky for you some of the bridge is tamed. While some parts are off-limits." June snorted looking around. The Buffalo just stood there. Her eye's studying everything like it was going to harm her. " But there is a bar here looking for some folk's that could work for them. Then we can get a caravan moving to bypass the bridge. But it would take maybe a few days to get it set up. Since the bridge is not wise to walk along alone. " June snorted again stomping her hooves. "I will ask if they need a bouncer." I chuckled but noticed how many ponies gave Bowser some nasty looks. I stood beside him he looked around with his eyes. He looked to be like he was studying something." Then he looked back down at me the eyes retracting back into his head. " This bridge is made to last forever. But there are some spot's the metal need's some work. But I doubt they can get down there to fix it." The stallion guard blinks. " Wait you can see the weakness in the metal?" Bowser turned to look at the guard nodding. " Yes The Black Hooves Gave me this eye's so I can see some pretty interesting things like that mare that works with you she is pregnant. That old mare her heart has clogs in it. That mare walking from that brothel she...." He cover's his eyes. " Yeah, enough of looking into their bodies.." I blinked a moment looking at the mare walking strangely then looked up to him. He looked down at me. Then I understood what he saw. Drift got some odd look's because of her wing's. Her face was bright red from all the looks. The orb in her chest glowed bright red. " Alright, let's see what we can find here job-wise. Then maybe we might find more terminal's to update more of these machines on us." We walked to the bar. Many ponies staring at us. My metal hooves clipped along the bridge. A large bouncer stallion stood in front of us. " You don't belong here!!" The stallion said. He looked at me. I could tell he didn't like zebras. I heard the armor on June's body form. Then smashed into him tossing him away. The armor going back into the horns. I looked to see the stallion smash into the ground. Seeming to pass out from the pain. But I didn't hear any bones break when he landed. I do feel bad for him though. I feel very bad for him. " Now we can go in," June said snorting. I sighed nodding went inside the bar. I sat at the bar. Looking to the tender who is a mare in a maid outfit. " Excuse me miss we are looking for the owner of the bar." The mare just stared at us. " Speaking dear. I'm the owner of this bar. You can call me Hops. But how may I help you all?" I sighed looking towards the others. " Well, they said we need to get a job. Before we are allowed to leave on a caravan. If you could we would like jobs. I would mind working behind the bar. Since Bubble gum gave me and Drift here those jobs." Hops smirked. " OH Bubble Gum sent you eh? Good good. She must like you, folks if she sent you here. There are other ways to get to the other side. But ten time's more deadly. Since most of the bridges are either broken or ran by Steel rangers or raiders. So I can give you and the Pegasus. A bartending job. I can give" She looks at Bowser. " Oh sorry miss. I am Bowser a diamond dog. I was given these eyes to see through things. So If you need someone to search for you I can do it." She nodded. " I have never seen a creature like you speak so pony like." Bowser sighed. "A group of ponies helped me learn. They helped me learn manners." I nodded but something came up in my vision military terminal in the back of the bar. " Um...excuse me miss. May I use that military terminal you have in the back?" The bartender gave me an odd look. " How do you know that I have that?" I sighed and smiled. " The Black Hooves did some nasty things to me and my friends. They infused us with strange robotic parts. That seemed to be connected to every one of us." The tender nodded. " But after that, I need some work done so you wish to help us before we allow you to leave?" We gave a nod sighing the four of us went into the back. Lifting my hoof to get connected to the terminal. The wire's from my hoof connected into the terminal. <HR> My vision went into the computer and the voice spoke. " OH Well again miss Desert Rose. I see that you found another terminal now let's see...Ah yes, this update will place more of the cybernetics up your legs protecting your bones. Now for the others. Ah, your Diamond dog friend will be able to see through thicker walls. The other mare will have protected wings. Learning to fly with those will take time. Now June's armor will be thicker. But for you, this will take time to download. So up for some card games?" I gasped a bit in pain feeling the download take effect. It hurt when it entered my brain. But I played cards with the computer. " So what have you found since you have been going around?" The computer asked. " Well, the entire world is dead. From bombs that fell at the end of the war. It seems most of the land is fully dead. But I do hope it gets healed. " I said with a grin. But I could see the computers face frown and he sighed. " It's sad to hear that to bad I can't download myself into your head. Then you can see me wandering around as something I wish to be part of." The computer said snickering. I gasped feeling the metal fusing with my bones. It hurt so much. But then the download was done and he smiled. " Now remember it will hurt your friends. to do this. Now I will let you go." I groaned but I spoke again. " No, I need to know more about these devices. What was the real reason they were made? I doubt they were made because of this war." The computer thought a moment and tried to dig into the files. " Hmm, let's see what was the biggest reason for these. Ah, they were made to help crippled ponies and blind creatures. But of course, it didn't end up being used for that. The Black Hooves wanted to find a way into a land...Called Wymarnic to find the Blue Hats. So that's why they're after you." Blinking a moment. I heard stories of a group of ponies called the Blue hats in that area. But why would they want to go to that land? It's not like its a simple way to get in there. " I am sorry I wish I could be more helpful to you, Miss Desert Rose. But of course, it's a lot harder to help you then you think. Now I need to rest the download screwed me over. So The next terminal you find you will see it in your vision." My mind finally got thrown back out of the computer. <HR> Shaking my head and Drift stared at my legs. " Rose...your legs...what happen?" I smiled weakly moving my legs with no issue but I felt the metal in my bones. " its an upgrade. You ready for your upgrade?" Drift nodded I placed my hoof to her chest infusing the wires into her. As it downloaded her upgrade. her wings grew some strange armor but she closed her eyes a concentrated and the armor turned into her fur color she smiled flapping the wings. It hurt at first. But of course, she would have to get used to it. The wire's left the device. She went over to Bowser. " Sorry big guy." She lifted her hoof the wire's going into the eyes. The download happens and he groaned as he blinked. " So I will see through thicker walls? What is this used to catch someone's daughter having sex?" I laughed removing the wires going to June placing the wires in her cybernetics. June snorted blinking at the fact that her armor gets thicker. This is amazing to her but when she spoke she laughed. " So that's it I get thicker? Oh if my family could see me now. I am so thick." She laughs softly. After the downloads finished we walked back out to the bartender." " Alright now, what jobs do you have for us?" The tender looked to be and Drift. " Alright, I would like you two to help me with the bar. I would like your Diamond dog and your Buffalo to patrol with the guards. We may be protected here but we do get some crazy ponies." June nodded. Bowser nodded as well they walked out. Drift and I got behind the bar now it was time to see if we could do this again. But I see most of the time that Drift would get hit on again. Looking over to Drift who placed on a uniform looking to Me she offered one to me in her mouth. Sighing I placed it on. 00000 This was pretty much the same as the factory Drift got hit on by every male and female. Most just ignored me and I just gave them the drinks. But of course, some of my species came into the bar. I didn't know who they are but the mare sat on a stool in front of me. " I have hard stories about you. Miss Rose." I looked up to her not sure what she heard. " That you were around before the war and woke up after the bombs had fallen." I sighed looking away a moment then nodded. " Yes I was there before the war and then woke up after the war ended. I was happily married to a pony stallion and he was convinced to turn on me or be killed. But he was killed anyway along with my family in a fire. Then they blamed me for it." The mare blinked nodding. " I see so is it true that you run with three others?" Nodding. " Yes, I run with three others. The other is.." Looked over to Drift who is flirting with a stallion sighing softly. "Drift!!" Drift blinked looking over to me blushing trotting over. " Um yes??" " This is Drift. She was frozen along with me. Also, It seems she attracts anything that wants to sleep with her." Drift blushed deeply. " I don't know why I never had this happen to me before." The Zebra laughed. " It could be that device in your chest." Drift blinked looking at the device in her chest. It glowed brightly but it had an odd question mark in it. Like it wasn't sure how it worked itself. "Maybe this device is very strange even to me. I'm learning how to use it and what to make of it. But I need to control my emotions." I lifted my front hoof. " I have to deal with these and the fact my entire legs are now metal. Whatever they did to us. I'm now fully going to become a full metal Zebra at the end of this journey." I hated the fact that most of my life is going to be defined by these cybernetics. Maybe I will learn why these were created again. I will never understand. But maybe someday I will understand Then again maybe not. "Hmm, I see well I was on my way to Wymarnic they welcome Zebras but no ponies from the outside. It's run by Gang members who hate pony outsiders." Blinking a part of Equestria I have heard about before hating pony outsiders but not Zebra's. Huh, I could be welcomed there maybe they could use me. But I feel maybe we need to head to that place that robot told me to lead us to. "Well we would follow you but we have a mission. It's not an easy mission but we need to get to Battle trot" The mare nodded. "I'm known as Stripped. Yeah, I was a slave for a long time born as a slave. So I got named this by a pony and raised by ponies. So it's why I no longer really care about my kind. But I still get attacked like I am a Zebra. Well, I may be one just being raised with ponies is different." Nodding. "I was raised by ponies as well. Since well most of my family died trying to get to Equestria away from Rome. I don't blame them myself. The stories I heard about it when I was young it's a good thing. That I didn't live there myself. But I had a family I wish I still did and not be in this nightmare." Stripped smiled. " The war was a bigger nightmare, Desert Rose. I am sure you would be one of those ghouls roaming around if you stayed. But It seems you two are sure close." "Of course." Drift said with a smile. " I care deeply for my friend here and our other friends." We heard a big commotion outside and the sound of Bowser and June. "You have no right to hurt this Zebra," Bowser yelled. Then a pony is smashed through the door. June ran inside the bar, her armor to allow bullets to smash into her thick armor. Hops shook her head standing right beside June. " ENOUGH!!" The ponies that were trying to harm the Zebra outside turned to her. They looked at her with fear. This mare is very small but she seems to have a temper. " These four are under my protection and they can protect themselves. Their leader is a Zebra. So if I see you ponies harm anymore Zebra's" I walked out of the bar my metal hooves clomping on the ground. I had to make a show. " Who is the leader of this group of attackers?" The ponies pointed to a large stallion who had a patch over his eye. "How about this I fight you.. and If I win you leave us alone If you win. We will leave." The stallion thought a moment looking at my hooves. "No, I know what happens to you. The Black hooves destroyed your lives in the past. I don't think you need to prove yourselves if you had to run away from them. We need all we can get to protect ourselves from the attack that is coming. from the ponies outside." Nods. " Good to see a pony of this future is respectful sir." The stallion smiles. " Just call me Spikes. I don't dare fight a mare that I could mate with." He winked at me. I just stared at him like he was a nut. Why would he wink at me? I am not even interested in a random fun time. Maybe that needs to change. My family is no longer alive. my husband is not either. Maybe I need to be loose. Giving a small smile. " Let me see how I feel after our jobs here. If you be a good boy and start harming other zebra's I could lower myself to you." I gave him a wink and walked back into the bar. June just stared at me and snorted. " You would risk getting pregnant to that guy?" June seemed very upset as the prospect, of course, Bowser rolled his eyes. We all knew June was very protective of us. " No June just to see if he would leave us alone for the time being. if I really want a stallion it would be a Zebra." June smirked then rushed at the ponies that are still over the bleeding Zebra they all run from her but she just stopped near the Zebra. She laughed and Hops along with Stripes helped the Zebra up helping her inside the Bar. " Come along Bowser lets keep up this simple job." Bowser turned to me and Drift he looked annoyed that He had to work with such a crazy female. The two went off and I sighed shaking my head. Drift went back to flirting with stallions. Of course, I did see her leave the bar a few times. " Um, Hops were is she going?" " There is a bed in the back. She has been using it." I sighed in anger going over to Drift pulling her away from the stallion. " Drift this has to end you need to protect your body. We can't have you getting pregnant." Drift ear's pinned to the back of her head looking down tear's streamed from her face. I could tell that hurt her alot. "I miss my family, Rose. I wish I didn't have to do this to make myself happy. " I sighed shaking my head a bit looking over to Hops. " Hops is there a place we can stay at?" Hops gave a nod. " There is an empty apartment upstairs." "Thank You I need to talk to Drift." Hops nodded. Opening the door for us allowing the two of us to go upstairs. 000000 The Apartment was pretty the same it looked like a very nicely kept together apartment looking at Drift who had tear's in her eye's still. I didn't know what to say to her. But I was angry I didn't want her to get pregnant and then we had to take care of a little one while we go on our journey. "Drift look. I am sorry but you can't sleep with every stallion you see. It will make it harder for us to do our journey." Drift sighed. "I can't help it... This thing in my chest controls my emotions and my bodily functions as well. Maybe it's a flaw?" Thinking a moment nodding lifting my hoof the wire's slowly come out of the hoof connecting to the orb in her chest. I hated it when this happens my brain is transported to the computer realm again. The computer looks at me blinking. " Miss Rose, why are you bothering me again?" I had to figure out how to ask this thinking a bit and then finally spoke. "I'm trying to understand why does the device that was given to Drift makes her so sexy to stallions and well some mares. She has been mating with every stallion she has met lately. I'm worried that we will have to deal with a pregnant mare. sooner or later." The computer stared at me a moment. " Hmm let me see." The computer pony looked through the device's code and whatever else. "Oh, it's a feature that can be turned off. Basically, it's a way for the pony to spread his or her foals around just in case there is a need for more. So it thinks there are not enough ponies in the world thanks to the bomb. But I think it's not wise to turn it off. It's healthy for her to do this." "But she is going to get pregnant. I don't want that to happen if we go battle someone." " Listen Desert Rose I understand you care about Drift. But you need to let her make her own choices. If she gets pregnant it';s her choice. It's like with you. You might find your lover along this journey. You might get pregnant yourself. You can't just control what she does. This could be her only chance." I sighed shaking my head. " I figured talking to you would be a bad idea since.. You don't seem to fully get how ponies are." " Oh no no I get it. It's just something I had to think about it while I was being forced in you four. I can tell that Drift thinks of you as her leader. If you tell her no and to clean herself up she will do it. But maybe she needs these random bouts of sex to make her happy and feel better. Like with your friend June she needs to be an ass to make herself happy." Sighed "I do have a question then. Is there a reason why the Black hooves gave us these?" "If I knew this miss Rose I would have told you. I have been out of the loop as much as you. So get back to your jobs let Drift relax her way. You relax your way...How do you relax?" I thought a moment. How do I relax? I relaxed by teaching ponies how to fight like a Zebra that's all I remember. " Look I am sorry for bothering you I am sure you have much better things to do then rather speak to me." The computer pony laughed. "I have nothing better to do but stay in here watching you folks use the abilities I give you and maybe you could find me a body. A body that I could live on my own and then we'll see the world for myself and then take over the world." The computer laughed. I blinked watching the computer that looked like a mare. " Ahem sorry I mean I would love to help you" I had a feeling that trusting this computer is not wise. But she hasn't done anything wrong yet. Just didn't give me the answer's I wished. I am sure she knows more then she is letting on. "If we find a body that can be used for you. We will place you on it. But You will stay close to me because I don't trust you. I am sure you can understand." "Oh yes, I can understand it's very easy to see. I'm a computer a non-living creature that lives in your devices. I am sure you understand that I know everything you think about. I see everything you see I even feel everything you feel." Blinking at that. " You feel Drift have sex with all those mares and stallions?" "Oddly yes it's an interesting sensation. I wouldn't do it myself it's just so strange to me. I understand that for creatures like you that sex is a very normal thing. I do hope that someday I could see it for myself if drift would allow me to." I sighed shaking my head. The fact that this computer knows what we do and how we think and feel it's making me feel strange that I have a computer in my hooves that can see through my eyes. I am very very unhappy about that. It's going to bother me to no end. But maybe this a good thing it will keep me on my hooves. I am sure when I bring her a body she will explain more to me what this project was. " I will be leaving now." 0000 My mind finally left the computer realm and looked up to Drift who had a gentle smile on her face. " I am so sorry for getting on your case Drift. I know you're having a bad time. So I should trust you more." Drift smiled nodding. " I can understand it's hard to trust me. I used to be like this when I was in my younger years. But of course, that's what forced me to get married the first time. I slept with a lot of stallions in my collage." A sigh came from me looking up at Drift. " Alright, let's go back down stair's and do our job before we go check this down out and buy some supplies." Drift nodded and we both went back downstairs. Getting back behind the bar. " Welp all is good Hop's I just needed to have a private conversation with Drift. But when can we go to town and buy some supplies?" Hops blinks and smiles. " Thanks to what you and your friends are doing Miss Rose you will be given the supplies for free when you leave." I blinked. " Hmm sounds wonderful but are there any other jobs we could do for you?" Hops thought a moment. " How are you folks at taking care of problems?" I had to think about it for a moment. Not sure but maybe June and I could go take care of something for these ponies. " What's the problem? Maybe the four of us can go take care of it for you." Hops sighed placing down a wanted poster. "There is a group of raiders that attack our caravan's their the one's that tried to attack you when you first came here. So if you could go take care of them. Then we will give you the supplies for free and some caps." I looked to Drift smiling. " Think we can handle this?" Drift shrugged. " Maybe?" " Could you go get the other two Drift." Drift nodded spreading her wings flying out of the bar. After that happen though a stallion came up to me smashing his hoof into my face making me back up a bit shaking my head staring at the stallion. My nose bled just a bit. "So what did I do wrong now?" The stallion blinked. "Oh, the goddess I am sorry miss. Just after miss Drift left I grew very angry at you for some reason. I better go." The stallion trotted out. I blinked at that. That device on her chest does more then the computer told me? Or does the computer not even know half the things the orb in her chest does. "Oh, I am sorry about that Rose." Hops looked at my nose with worried eyes. "I felt something strange myself when your friend left. That orb of hers gives off a really strange aura. Like it makes her so attractive than when she leaves. It makes many ponies hate Zebras" Rolling my eyes. "I have a feeling that these devices were never meant to be given to a Zebra." Lifting my hoof up looking at it. It doesn't even look like a Zebra hoof it looks so much like a pony hoof. But it has the sharpness of a Zebra hoof. "So maybe I'm not affected by it because the devices are connected by a computer that all four of us have in our heads." Hops blinked. " You mean you have a computer that speaks to you in your head?" I nodded. " Yes, she knows everything we do feels what we feel. So when Drift has so much sex she knows how that feels. In great detail even." Hops sighed. " I am very happy I wouldn't have to deal with that but I feel very bad for you four. What about June though. She seems to love these devices she was given." "Well, That's because she likes beating the shit out of anything that comes and will keep beating anything." June walked into the bar along with Bowser and Drift. Bowser had his claws around the neck of a stallion. He lifted the stallion to me and Hops. " Can I hurt this stallion? He already slept with Drift." Bowser always acting like the protective big brother. Drift blushed. "Bowser please....don't hurt him." " I am going to hurt whoever touches you." He snorted. Hops sighed shaking her head. Drift nuzzled Bowser to relax him. He sighed dropped the stallion and the stallion run's out like he was about to die. Bowser just shook his head. "Drift you need to be careful any stallion here could take advantage of you like back at the factory and get you pregnant. We don't need that at all." "Bowser we don't need you hurting every pony that looks at me like I am a sexy mare. It makes me happy. But for you and the sake and lives of others, I will do better." Bowser sighed nodding. "Now before this lovey-dovey party keeps going why did you call us Rose?" June seemed upset. She had blood on her horns. "I was busy putting the hurt on a fool that was trying to insult Bowser. It was so much fun to bad the pony won't be walking anymore ever." She smirked laughing steam coming out of the horns. I sighed. " Anyway, I got a job for the four of us." Setting down the wanted poster. " These are of the raider's that tried to cause us some issues. Now we can't leave yet. They wish us to finish our jobs here. "Well, then I have an idea. Excuse me miss Hops do you have anyone here that know's how to fix the bridge?" Hops blinked thinking. " Oh we do but he's in a wheelchair he could teach you how to fix it." Bowser nods. "I am going to need your help then." He looks at the three of us I nodded. "I will be back miss Hops. " I said taking off the uniform same with Drift. 00000 The four of us went to a very run-down building. I knocked on the door and a mare opened the door. She blinked. "Are you here for my husband?" I gave a nod. The mare goes back inside. "Bolt you have some creatures here to see you." The mare brings her head back out. "Sorry I don't mean to be rude." The mare gave a sweet smile. I just smiled trying to show we aren't upset. A stallion in a wheelchair slowly comes out. He looks very beat up from all the jobs he has done for this bridge. "What can I help you with?" Bowser stood in front of us looking around with his eyes. He could see so many problems that need to be fixed. "I have these eye's I can see the weakness in the bridge and every building on this bridge. We need help fixing it all. So are you willing to tell us how to fix it?" Bolt blinks he sighed looking at his wife. " Get my book, my love." The mare nodded rushing back inside to get a book. " Look I haven't been able to train any pony else to work on this. That would mean you have to work on parts of the gate in the front and back. The entire bridge needs some work. I doubt it will be standing in a couple of years." Bowser's eyes looked around. " Hmm, I doubt it would even last a few more years. The gate needs some reinforcement the struts of the bridge need some work. Some of the buildings look like them about to fall and the pips for your bathrooms are clogged." June snorted. "I refuse to work with shit. If you want someone to be your shit cleaner you pick Drift. Since she has properly had someone's shit in her mouth." Drift stares at June. The orb in her chest had no idea how to read her emotions. "What the hell June?" "Hmm? You mate with whatever you see Drift... What do you expect me to say hmm?" Drift snorted. The mare brought the book it was a large book but it had everything in it on how to mix cement and were to get the wood and anything to help fix this bridge. " Take this and read it. I warn you though the lumber and cement yard is blocked. It used to be connected to the town. But we had some nasty creature's take over that part of the town." Bowser took the book and we went off to a heavily blocked off area of the large bridge. This bridge is so many miles long. The door into it had a heavy lock on it. Looking to June. She snorted putting her steam horn's on the lock using the steam to melt the lock. " Your lucky you have me." She smirks. 000000 We walk into the blocked off part of the bridge. Everything seems very well kept. But these creatures are no were to be seen. There are old bones and blood from ponies then we heard nasty howls. A large evil dog-like creature came out of the buildings. They didn't seem very threatening but they had some nasty looking claws. I stood back along with the others. But Bowser stood in front. " Listen we come in peace." The leader of the creature's steps forward at our friend. He had strange robotic parts all over him. But there was something wrong. Bowser acted as he knew them. "Dad...." " Bowser?" The old dog came up to him sniffing him tear's fell from both their eyes and they hug. " What did they do to you my son?" "Ponies known as the Black Hooves captured me and my friends here. But father why are you stealing land from these ponies here?" The hell hounds sighed. "This town used to be full of raiders. We helped clean it out for them but instead of giving us anything in return. They locked us behind here. They also fed us in the meat of raiders. Why you see the blood here. But then we hurt the workers that were trying to rebuild the bridge so it wouldn't fall." Bowser snorted in anger. Rushing back out the door. The three of us followed him to the bar. "Hops who is the leader of this town?!" Hops sighed. " White hat is the leader of the town. I think he's in the bar right now." A large stallion stood up after hearing his name. The black stallion walked over to us. He had a giant hat on his head. I have never seen such a hat. He bowed his head in respect trying to show he is kinder than most. " First why did you lock my family behind a wall?" White hat sighed. " Look back then I was young I wasn't the boss of the town yet. My father was and he was a bigot most of the town has some bigoted ponies. So I did that for their protection as well as our own. But if needed I am willing to let them out. But I do warn you if I do those ponies will attack them." "My friends and I will take care of them," I tried to stay calm. It's getting harder because I no longer feel like I am flesh and blood. 0000 The wall's around the hell hounds are slowly taken down by the town's folk but what looks to be the ones causing the issues are one's not even part of the town. They come with weapons. But my friends and I stand in front of them. June has her armor fully on. Bowser is holding a shotgun. Drift's orb on her chest is bright red showing her anger. She is ready to smash them if needed. I stand in front of my friends. "You have no right to harm these creatures." "We have every right to. This world is for ponies only." June didn't care that there was no fight. She just charged her horn stabbing through the stallion that was speaking. Tossing him off her horn turning to the other ponies who had a large amount of fear in his eyes. I quickly used my abilities that I trained others in back then to fight. Using my metal hooves to bruise not kill the other ponies. But Drift of course didn't understand her anger or her might. She smashed her hooves into one of the ponies breaking his neck. The ponies didn't know how to act with us. They just gave up. I doubt they wished to fight a group of creatures that had strange abilities like us. But the issue's with these abilities they were more harm then helpful. Bowser starts to speak staring at the ponies attacking. "Enough my family means no harm to you or these ponies inside this town. Are you ponies that full of hate that did nothing wrong but clean this former raider's town of raiders?" The ponies looked at each other and they lowered their weapons. "They wish to help fix this bridge along with every inch of it to make sure it will be standing for more years to come." I softly spoke. " Eh, these ponies have no idea what peace is. All they care about is the old hatreds of the past. Allow them to die at the guns of those that wish to remove the hate of the past. I will do it myself." I snorted slowly walking away. "They don't deserve to be in a world of peace like we used to be. They will never understand that peace comes working hard for it." "Wait..." The leader of them said's. A very young mare who looks to be sad and upset about this. "We." "No, I won't listen to your ponies," I said. " Go find something to murder." June snorts. "I agree with giving worthless beings like you another chance is not worth our time," June said. "Just go don't try to impress me or anything. Just go. While we work to fix your home." The ponies that did the attack going back to the bar. I and the others walk into the yard to do our work. 0000 The walls were removed from the yard. Wood and metal were taken to rebuild some of the homes or reinforce them. I made drinks for the workers. The Hell hounds lifted strange platforms that helped the ponies to repair the struts and what they could of the bridge. Drift flew down and gave drinks to those from there. Bowser looked through each weak spot on the bridge marking them with a claw to make sure they know what spots need to be fixed. June used her steam to heat parts of the metal so they would be easily placed. Drift even got to use her newfound might to break some of the rotted parts down then kept them up. They had to make her angry though. So June kept insulting her from above. " You are nothing but a worthless slut," June yelled. Some stallions and mares looked at this with a bit of unsure how they would take this. As for me, I worked with Hops to just make the drinks. "Tell me miss Rose what was the past like?" I sighed not sure if I should talk about it using a strange device I learned I have in my new hooves that is like a mixer. I would have to think of a way to explain. "Well, the past was pretty peaceful. Ponies respected the fact you were different then they are. But some of them were pretty silly. The higher up's felt they were better than everyone else. That's the sad thing we had to deal with in the past. But that's what we had to deal with. Now I was around before the war happen. But the Zebra's did start having issues with ponies before I was frozen." Hops nodded. " I am sure you feel bad that you were used for this strange test of these devices on you." I sighed softly looking towards the way we came from then back to Hops. "We had a group known as Steel Ranger's looking for us. Do you think they would come this way to find us?" Hops smiled laughing softly. "Eh Steel rangers refuse to use our bridge to get through here. They have their bridge not far from us. But in a large casino like five miles from here is were the Raider's are holding up. They attack us almost every week trying to break through the door." 0000 It's late at night me and my friends are pretty tired. But we stayed in the apartment to rest. Drift was in the shower. Bowser was cooking for us and June. She was pacing around. She didn't like to just sit and wait. She wanted to do something but she is willing to wait. But as for me. I lifted a book to read it. We would have to do more work on the bridge but a lot of the big issues have been taken care of. "GAH!! I can't stand just being in here sitting doing nothing." June kept pacing she was getting very upset. " I need to find someone to kill or to stomp on or.." "Dinner!!" "OHH!!" June rushed to the table to sit in one of the chairs. I stood up sitting there as well. Drift came out all clean and laughed. " Yes, Food something to eat yes." Bowser sighed putting down the food. it didn't look to be that interesting a lot of it looked old but it was an old food that had so many preservatives. We calmly ate to ignore the world around us for the moment. But what's odd that we needed to rest to be. June calmly went to a bed she lay down closing her eye's snoring deeply. Drift looking to Bowser smiling at him nuzzling him. "Goodnight Bowser." Bowser nodded she went to the other bed to sleep. "I caught her in the middle of having sex with a mare. I don't understand but when the mare left she told me that.. she didn't understand why she did that with her. But it was fun just the same. I am starting to wonder if we need to find another terminal to turn off some of those features in that device. But I am going to get some sleep." I nodded laying in a chair trying to sleep with this computer in my brain. The pony Ai showed up in my vision in pajamas. The silly Ai tried singing me to sleep. "Oh, hush little Zebra don't you cry." The Ai sang. "Oh... shut up you." The Ai folded her forehooves
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Three: Robots and love	I woke up to the sounds of gunshots going off. But I was back home rushing out watching the war starting to unfold. Seeing the battle coming to Ponyvile. I didn't know what to think but we saw contrails and suddenly an explosion. I woke up quickly after it all happen. I looked around not sure what to think. Slowly went out of the room. I heard sobbing I looked into the room Drift is in and she is alone dreaming. The chest orb is changing many colors. Slowly I walked to her gently shook. She woke up reaching up to me hugging me tightly. She sobbed hard. "Shh Drift I am here don't wake the others. I don't want Bowser to worry." "Rose... I'm sorry for what I have been doing.. I have been having sex with every pony under the sun." I smiled shaking my head holding her close stroking along her back. Even though I had the metal hoof she didn't shake or sob from the feel of the metal. I'm starting to wonder what is the point of these. I don't feel like a zebra anymore. But I didn't wish to tell my friends that anymore. June and Bowser were standing there. "Listen, Rose, Bowser, and I was talking. Remember those raiders they told us about that attack them at a random time. How about we leave and take out that base." Bowser nodded. "I would say that we do it carefully we aren't fighters. Unless these things they gave us made us fighters. But I am just a worker I'm not a fighter." I had a thought it made me wonder. "I got a better idea. Let's have them attack the town. Then we find a way to get out the back way. Then we come in behind. The best way to do this is to have me and June go. You two stay here and help protect the town." Drift looked very unsure about this. "I will do my best I'm not a fighter but I think I will be able to fight off whoever wishes to attack me." Bowser nods. "Should we tell Hops what we are doing?" I shook my head. "I think a pony is working with the raiders. I doubt its Hops. I do wonder. She did give us something that we could use to wake her." I hit a strange bell and quickly Hops the bar mare ran into the room. "What's wrong?!" She looked worried. "Hops I got a question for you. Do you know any pony of this town that would work with the raiders?" She blinked thought a moment a frown formed on her face. "I think I know one who would. But he has no power. He runs a weapons store near the other end of the bridge." I looked to the others thought a moment. "If you went there and told him that the ponies here are weak and low numbers. Do you think he would leave and get the raiders to come?" She stared at me like I was crazy. "Rose why do you want him to send Raiders to attack us." "Because Rose and I will find a way to get behind them blow up their base to take out their reinforcements everything else blows the building up and then takes the rest out. This will clean up any threats that wish to harm you." June snorted. Hops looked away from us I could tell she didn't know what to think. But she looked at me I could tell she knew that If we did this they would be more protected. "Look Rose I know you wish to help. But this is not your fight. You should just go on your way." I shook my head. "I was friends with the six mares that helped cause this world. I want their names to fight for them to make sure they will be honored for the world that they caused. I know this doesn't seem like much of a reason. But look at it through my view. I am forced to sleep for two hundred years. Now I am back. I have to do something to help protect this world." "I agree even if I didn't know them that well. I just grew and had a family on Clouds dale till they captured me and said ...I was a slut using my husband and kids to get to the leadership." Hops stared at us. She didn't know why were put into these tubes to be frozen for so long. "Rose what did you do to have this happen to you?" I sighed. "I was just at home I trained others in the way of fighting like zebra there was not even any war going on at the time. Then these ponies come in murder my family telling me that I have been chosen and then they burn down my home with my family inside. Then they blame me for it and I was forced to have my hooves cut off and have these put on." I lifted my hooves. Hops stared at us I could tell that she had tears streaming down her eyes. "Well think of it this way at least you didn't see the bombs fell like I am sure many did that day." I sighed looking away I never thought of that. "The Buffalo would never get in the middle of a silly war. We would have just stayed in our area of the land. Allowing the ponies and zebras to kill themselves. But here I am. I am going to do what I can to help. That also means goring every single raider I see." She snorted laughing. "Alright, I will help. I will talk to him in the morning and I will show you another way to get out of the town. That is not a wise way to go. But It will get you to their base." "I promise Hops we will leave soon after. I know we haven't had a good impression on you folks since we got here. I know that Drift has pissed off some married mares." Drift blinked blushing. "The stallions told me their wives didn't care. But I can understand if I angered some of the married mares. I'm trying better not to attract so many males." June snorted. "Enough talk lets get this done. I want to take care of these raiders and then maybe try to find my species again. Even though I might not be welcomed by them." Hops looked away sighing. "If you all feel that this will go without some pony dying. I will do it. I trust you Rose I trust you more than half the ponies in this town." I blinked "You trust me?" Hops nodded. "I trust you because well. Would it bother you that I find myself a bit attracted to you?" I blinked shaking my head. "Huh sorry, Hops that's a bit odd to me. But thank you I feel honored." "Mind if I talk to you privately Rose?" Hops asked. I sighed nodding and wet left the room she turned to me. "Sorry for blurting that out. But I have a personal reason for saying that. I need you to protect Drift. If Drift gets pregnant Rose. it's not going to be pretty." I sighed looking away not sure what to think. "Then why did you tell.. hmpf.." She forced me into a kiss. I just closed my eyes not pushing her away. Even though to me my family just died. I felt that I needed this I pulled the mare closer to me feeling that this is right. I look back on everything that happens to me and two hundred years passed me by. Hops broke the kiss and we stayed near each other longer she breathlessly spoke. "Sorry..." I just smiled my cheeks bright red. "It's fine...Hops. If you want to pursue this. I am willing to. Just I won't be staying...here." I just grew very attracted to her myself. I don't know why but I am starting to think she has a point about drift. I didn't feel this way till now. Maybe the device in Drift's chest causes the emotions of ponies and other creatures to lose it. She pulled me downstairs and the two of us had a night of deep bliss. 0000 Next morning I woke up with Hops laying on my chest. I blinked looking around a deep blush formed on my face. So what happened last night happen. Hops opened her eyes staring at me blushing deeply. "Oh... Oh my, we...what happens?" Hops asked looking down at me and at the mess we are. "I oddly... like this." I sighed. "It seems you're right about Drift Hops... But you came on to me last night. Kissed me and wanted to have me as your mare friend. Do you still want this?" Hops blushed nodding. "I will this myself. But I won't be here will you be able to handle it?" "I don't mind waiting for you Rose. Just something about me makes me want you more. I don't know fit's your taste or y our wonderful body." I blinked then it hit me. The devices were created to enhance the emotions of all of them. So it seems we are linked. I have to wait... I have real feelings for this mare. I feel it's wonderful. I don't want her to leave. "Hops I will do this with you. But we won't always be together I do hope you come and find me." Hops nodded and slowly got off me. "I am going to shower before opening up Um want to join me?" I blinked shrugging and well another wild time happen. 000 Late morning I finally came back upstairs and the others stared at me. I blinked looking at them I wasn't sure what to think. Then June smirked. "Well, you're back from your conquest Rose?" She laughed snorting. "Rose you had to?" Bowser asked. "Your more level headed than all of us and suddenly you go downstairs and have sex with a mare. You barely know." I sighed. "It felt right and it still does. We are going to be mare friends but I need to talk to the computer. So I need to connect to one of you." Drift sighed and allowed me to connect to her. My brain went into the computer and the computer was doing a dance and a song of pure love. "Oh, can you feel. Oh hey, Rose. Did you enjoy your night?" The computer pony asked me. I just stared at the computer. She knew how did she know but I remember how she can make things more pleasing. "Why did you do that to me?' The computer frowned looking down and sighed. "Rose you had your entire family killed just to have me installed into you. When I see that you could be happy with a mare that I already knew ad feelings for you. I felt you would be happy that I made it more pleasing to you." I sighed sitting on my haunches closing my eyes with a soft smile. "Thank you though. I feel that it's needed I have been alone even though I with three friends. But I thought it was just Drift that had that. Do all of us have this?" The computer nodded. "It was a way just in case sooner or later there was a sickness or something that would cause the population to fall as it did during the war. So yes I won't do it to you. You and Hops deserve to have the happiness that you will be getting." I didn't know what to think about this. But maybe she had a point. Since the war happen there have been fewer ponies I have no idea. what to think. "Just the smile on your face when the deed was finished and the fact she asked you to be her marefriend. You need to understand this new world. I doubt you would find someone else that is willing to go with you Rose." I sighed I get it and I went out of the computer. "Well, I am stuck with this with Hops. I won't complain. Now let's get ready for this battle." 000 It was early afternoon everything was said and done. It didn't take long for the raiders to attack the bridge. They fired on the heavy door. I looked to June and nodded to her. Hops lead me and June to a spot that would take us down the bridge and into the sewers. June went on ahead as Hops stopped me "Look Rose I am very sorry for coming onto you. " She smiled weakly. I put my hoof to her lips whispering. "I loved it Hops. I accept what you want. But be prepared for me not always being there. I am doing this for your happiness and mine. Its time to ignore the past even though it wasn't that long ago for me. But now I found you." I lowered my hoof kissing her smiling. Pulling back. "I..." Hops tried to speak. "Shhh just go to your bar. I will be back to enjoy your company until we leave." I winked at her and followed June into the sewers." June had her armor on. I just looked around didn't see any of the threats I was told that we're in the sewer's then I heard some nasty growling it was ponies. June snorted lowered her head. When the threat showed up the armor started to form on my legs giving me pain since the armor also formed on my bones to protect them. June charged like a train into the creatures and she just kept going while I followed her leaving the broken bodies behind. June slowly stopped looking around. "Didn't Hops give you a map?" I nodded looking into my bag looking at the map. "left." June went left we quickly walked making sure we didn't stop for anything even the ghouls. We finally made it and had to climb a ladder. June didn't like the idea of climbing. "You go I will find another way up." I didn't want to leave June but I quickly climbed up the ladder into the street. Looking at the map I looked up seeing the base. It's built-in an old hotel Looking up to it the computer formed in front of my vision. "Rose the best way for you to go is through the bank connected to it." She pointed her hoof forming an arrow to show me. I didn't know what to think. "Are you sure no pony is there waiting?" She stared at me. "Rose I am a computer I can sense life signs but. I can't tell you where they are. So you need to trust me. I am connected through your hooves. When the battle mode is over I will leave again. So I need to get you back to Hops." I had to ask. "Are you helping June find a way in?" "She is waiting for you to get inside so she can charge in and blow everything with her horns." I sighed I knew it I am the one that needs to be there. 0000 I was in the old bank I finally made it in here. Seeing all the bones I wonder how many had been in here during the end. It made me feel bad that I beat that. But I found the door that the computer wished me to find. I opened it up and it leads to a secret room in the hotel. Slowly I went down the stairs looking at the bodies of zebra bones. But that's not all I found I found an old drug station. These zebras were... making drugs. I shook my head 'No need to be angry Rose.' I said to myself. I found the way into the hotel an arrow was leading me to June. I tried to sneak with these metal hooves. But I didn't find much of anything. It's like all the ponies left to go do this attack. So I found June and she charged out. I heard screaming when she had her fun. After a while, she came down holding many various bombs. "Alright, lets set these up I am going to take one of these for the Raiders." June nodded while the two of us set the bombs around the hotel. Then after a while, we returned to that they had broken into the town. My eyes went wide and we rushed in seeing the raiders holding the entire town hostage along with her friends. I didn't see any pony dead. "Halt," The raider said. "How about this. We don't blow up your base and you let them go." I said. "Excuse me?" The raider said I lifted the detonator and the building blew up. "Oops. Now we had them pretend that they wished to surrender. Now leave or I and my friends will kill you." The raider started to laugh when Lighting Drift stood up and with her hoof, she smacked into a raider's head making his head fly off into the air flying far away. The raiders stared at the four of us. "We are weapons created by the past. The Black Hooves." We said that name and the raiders looked at us in fear and started to run. I grabbed the bomb and tossed it into the group making sure to get the rest of them. I felt a large body of mare run into me hugging me. I didn't know what to think but I turned to see Hops she had been crying. All I did was hold her close kissing her deeply. 0000 "And that is how it will end." The computer smiled at me. I just got to the bank and I rolled my eyes. "So you mean to tell me that's how you did the simulation? You mean to tell me the raiders would just run like that and that we just allowed them in like that. No the ponies of that town aren't that stupid." The computer frowned at me folding her legs together. "Well, then how would you do it? You can't just do it that easy. You don't even have a gun." When she said that I found one just laying on the ground near a pile of bones. The computer rolled her eyes. Lifting the gun looking at the ammo making sure it's enough. "Fine be that way and not do it my way. It will lead you to have another wonderful night of sex." My cheeks turned bright red. "Listen I would love something like that to happen. I really would. But this is now real life and we need to do it the real way. I doubt raiders are that stupid." Then a door opened up a raider looked out he stared right at me. But his eyes were so bloodshot from all the drugs. "I see No pony out here Zipper. " "Okay never mind.."I sighed. "See my simulations are 99% percent true." "What about the 1%?" I could swear the computer pony is not only blushing but looking scared to say. "Uh, program error?" I just stared at her unsure how to take this AI. "Oh come on I am a powerful computer built in the machines that you were given. I have given you and Drift endless pleasure. Well, not you but Drift I have given her married stallions mares... I am starting to think I should have turned off the aura with the married ones." "You think? Look I know you were created to help expand the population in our robotic gear here. But June and Bowser wouldn't sleep with it would be their kind. Me you pushed me into a relationship with a bar mare. You made our kiss so much more interesting and our sex as well. I didn't want to break her heart since she was so attracted to me like that." Placing the gun in my jaw since I don't have magic as others did. But I followed an arrow showing me where June is. Slowly I sneaked making sure to take my knife and grabbed one of the raiders gutting them in the darkness pulling them being a bar. I needed to get to June before I find anything else. Slowly sneaking watching two raiders laughing about what they will do the ponies of the bridge. I heard the words of what they would do to Hops. I felt very angry as if it was a flash I attacked them in a flash without them even able to scream. One of them I slit the neck and the mare raider I caved in their face with a smack of my hooves. Then the anger subsided wait why did I get so angry? I set the gun down. "Do you have a name computer?" The computer formed in my eyes again. "Well, most ponies don't name me. Just call me a computer. Now you seem upset why did you stop. I was wondering if you enjoyed the pleasure of killing those raiders." That is what happen she made the pleasure of killing more amazing. "Please don't do that again.. You may do that with June. Now how are the others doing?" The computer went to go check on my other friends and then she returned. "Oddly these ponies can fight off raiders better then I thought. They have the raiders hiding and they captured the betrayer. It sounds like they were expecting him to open the door for them." I smiled loving how things come together. Then I had to ask. "How is Hops?" I was worried for some reason. I don't know her that well and just the fact she gave me herself for a lovely night. That I still feel it's so amazing to me at how pleasing that was. "From what I saw she is talking to Drift and it sounded like she misses you. Drift is trying to tell her that you're a strong mare. You will come back to her. Also, Drift just blew up a few raiders with the chest orb. Now you need to get going. They might run back and find you." I nodded so we needed to end this quickly. I found the door after a while that June was behind. But a raider was guarding it. I didn't know what to do. But then I heard some hooves stomping and some more raiders came. "The battle has gone bad they will be returning. They even reinforced the gate." 'Shit' I thought to myself. Great now we have to end this. Quickly I got on my hooves and fired the gun missing of course but it caused the door to smash open showing June. The two of us took the raiders out with no issue. "Computer tells the town to start charging in. We need to end this now. Before they can get back." The computer nodded and vanished to tell others. Quickly June and I ran upstairs to find the leader of these Raiders. We went through many a raider to find them. Opening a door sitting in the chair was the leader. But the leader just looked at us and smiled. "Ah, greetings. I see that you have finally removed those fools from my care." He stood up I could tell he wasn't a real pony. But a creature a robot. A robot made of pony flesh. I stared at him. Then it started to hit me. That robot that came to me. She warned me about something like this. "Now I have to ask you to let me leave or you will join the war.." June snorted. "There is no war.." June charged at the raider but the robot lifted able to toss her back. June stared at the robot in horror. But she smirked snorting scrapping the ground. I fired three bullets into the raider his head flew back then he came back up. With half his skin missing showing robotic parts. June and I stared at the creature. He smirked pulling out a cigar from his mouth blowing smoke. "You wish to get into the middle of a war you know nothing about?" Then he stared at me in horror. "You have her mark... You have spoken to her. where are you heading?!" I took a deep breath. "BattleTrot." The robot raider smirked. "So you have already been asked to join the war. I'm so sorry for you. But I can't allow you to go any further." I didn't know what to think. June quickly charged at the robot this time he grabbed her horns with strange robotic hands that came out of the hooves she was tossed out of the room. I turned back staring at the robot slowly backing out. I had to speak to the computer. "Computer.. Or whatever you wish to be called. How many raiders are left?" "All of them have been taken down. Do you wish me to get Bowser and Drift in here?" "No, tell them we will be coming out." I was grabbed myself and thrown into the wall and the robot smashed me through it. I groaned after it tossed me out of the room I was thrown into it. I quickly stood up feeling hurt. But I was still able to walk. But the rest of my body was in pain. June and I ran to the outside door and June stood in front to keep the robot from going after me. "Rose?!" Drift rushed to me the town is out watching this and June is tossed out again standing on her hooves. The entire skin is off the body of the robot. "Ah, we have more. You have been pulled into a war.. Rose" I stood there blood pouring out a wound. I felt so weak groaning a bit. "Now I am not going to kill either of you. I Just want to show you. How powerful I can be. Now I am heading on my way. Allow me to leave but first.." He simply rushed to me grabbing my neck with his robotic hand lifting me. "Don't try to help her.. I am going to show her this war." Wires from the creature go into my brain. I see Flashes he speaks in my mind. "You have no idea what you got into did you?" he showed me flashes of large robot war. Then a stable that had is 00 I turned to look at Hops I stared at her. She stared at me. "We know you two want to kiss go ahead," June said smirking. The two of us gave each other a deep kiss. I didn't want to let her go she had tears streaming down her face. We just stood there for a long time kissing. This felt amazing and wonderful. No pony tried to break us up but after the kiss was over. I just passed out. 000 I woke up in Hop's bed I had bandages on my chest and neck. Along with parts of my face. I tried to get up but when I did she pushed me back into the bed. "You won't be leaving till you heal Rose. Besides you have become a hero of the town." I sighed and sat up I smiled at her. "Thank you Hops. I am sorry I have to leave." Hops smiled. "Oh don't worry about it, Rose. I know you will love me even if we aren't close. If you find a place to stay I will come to you." She stroked my face with her hoof. "Besides I need to get to know you before I fully go into well we did have sex. before we got to know each other. But I don't know why." I sighed. "The systems that we were given has a program to push reproduction or love between ponies and zebras. In case the population is low." "Oh, good thing then I wasn't under its control when I pushed myself on you." I blinked she wasn't under the control of it when She kissed me the first time? The capture formed in my eyes and winked mouthing. 'Told ya.' I blushed deeply thinking that's why she wanted me so badly. "What made you want me so badly Hops?" Hops grinned. "Well Watching you help with my bar Rose. You cared so much about Drift and forgave me after almost attacking you." I just smiled. "Hops I had a family a husband. I just didn't know what to think when you did that with me. I woke up after our night I felt odd. But happy. I will pursue this with you. If you don't mind dealing with whatever I am in now." Hops gently kissed my cheek. " Its fine Rose. I am willing to take all of you even if you're some weapon. I love you and I like your friends they have been so helpful around town. June has helped clean up what is left of the raiders. Drift and Bowser cleaned up the weapons. Bowser has even reinforced the bridge more." "I'm happy they helped. But I got a question what is the other side of the bridge like?" Hops sighed softly. "The other side is pretty harsh the weather is much worse in Battle trot. it's not like it was in Detrot. But you will soon be leaving there. Again I was told that you helped Bubble Gum and you made her happy with everything you did." I smiled "I will stay till I heal then we will leave." Hops gave me a nod. She left her room but before she did she kissed me deeply to the point it didn't stop and then pulled back. "I will make sure I give you a wonderful night before you do." I blushed a bit smiling closing my eyes letting sleep take me and we will be ready for the next day to continue our journey.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Four: Maria	It's the next morning. It was time for our trek across the old bridge. I stood by the back gate with my friends. A waypoint filled my vision to get to the next computer to upgrade ourselves. Before we left though the ponies of the town set down a giant bag of food and other things. Hops came up to me kissing me. "Is there anything we can do for you while we trek along the old bridge?" I glance over at Bowser who asked that question. The ponies look at each other unsure how to answer that. One of the older stallions known as an elder we didn't see the first time we came here. "Since you have given us peace again with the hounds. Make sure to use your eyes to mark weak support beams on the bridge. But we have another request. This entire bridge used to be a town. The town used to be a city along that bridge. Fifty or so years ago something came in and attacked the ponies killing and forcing a lot of us to move back here." I glance towards the door. The waypoint to the next computer is like a few miles from this town. So this used to be an entire town I figured that after coming here. I took a deep breath and the door opened up. We get to see the old run-down buildings. Some of them look to be ripped apart and some are still standing. "Let's go. I am getting sick of not gorging something." June snorted trotting out of the gate. Drift stayed beside me while Bowser went ahead. The door closed behind us and I sighed, not happy that I won't see Hops again for a long time. It's an hour later and we spent most of the walk marking spots that need some fixing and ransacking homes for guns and ammo. What we mostly found was a lot of trash and some stim packs. We stopped for a bit sitting in the middle of an old picnic ground. Old dried and bleached bones all over. I am starting to wonder whatever was here is finally gone now. I glance at the waypoint again hoping we will get there soon. "So have you talked to the computer today?" I look over to Drift and shake my head. "No, she hasn't bothered me yet. Maybe she will at the next update." I shrugged my shoulders unsure really. It's not that I am not happy that the computer is not invading my life every single time I try to do something. "Maybe the computer in our bodies is shut down. I haven't felt the orb in my chest gather my emotions like it normally does." Bowser sighed, shaking his head. "Well, at least you three can turn it off. I don't since they replaced my eyes. With it. So I never can turn it off unless it's a feature that will be added later." Bowser sighed it was harder for him than the rest of us. Of course, my legs felt so stiff as of late and that is from the metal in them. I stopped right on my hooves when we got to the town hall in the middle of the bridge. The rest of us stopped when we saw old robots all broken and burn marks like this battle just took place: Not too far from us a consent beep kept sounding. On the ground, we noticed a body. Junes armor formed over her as the rest of us got ready for a fight. When we got closer to the town hall to the body a voice spoke over a PA system. "Are you friend or foe?" The rest of us looked at each other. "Again fleshlings are you friend or foe?" The others looked at me and I took a deep breath moving forward so whoever is watching us can get a better look at me. When I finally got close enough I saw the cam staring right at me. It unattached itself from the pole it was latched onto and skittered to me on spider legs. "A zebra... A pure zebra with no radiation and robotic legs?" The robotic creature skittered around and looked at us. The robotic being then quickly connected to other parts and created itself a bird body flying into the air to look at the rest of us. "Um, what are you?" "What am I?" The creature just looks at me then I noticed the waypoint that is in my vision is pointing to this robotic creature. The cam looks right into my eyes and the computer finally comes to life. "Oh, finally you come back to us." The pony in the computer stares at me and looks at the cam creature. "It seems we have a new friend." Suddenly without warning the cam bot jammed right into my head and I screamed in pain as the others ran to me to help get the bot off my head. I felt the wires jam right into the robotics in my brain. My entire world went black. <0000000> Mindscape I woke up in a computer mindscape and I woke to see two computer Ais talking to each other. The pony from my mind and the strange cam that has a body, not the body of a pony but a two-legged creature with a camera for its head. "Okay...I am going to say this. Ask me, ask me!! Before doing that again." "We got a problem, Rose." I glance at the computer that normally sits inside my vision when she wishes to. "We have a lot of problems. But now what is the problem?" "This creature is the reason the town got attacked fifty years ago. It's also the reason why there was another attack on the town again. They're looking for this creature. This creature is being fought over. She calls herself a Frozen clock." "And why does she call herself that?" "I don't know....I don't even remember how I ended up in the town I am in." "So... we now have to protect her?" The computer nods. "I will be able to talk to you more than in your vision. It will make it easier for me to understand what is going on. It also seems she has small upgrades for you four." A deep sigh filling my lungs. "What is the upgrade now? Making others hornier around us? Making us more like robots. Removing our free will like what happened to us 200 years ago?" The frozen clock looks away from me. I could tell I hurt the creature's feelings. I thought, wait it has feelings? I shook my head. I need to be kinder to this creature. It's all we know about what is going on. "Listen I am sorry. We have been thrown into this new world. Many wish to kill me because I am a zebra. But what is this upgrade?" "Can you give me a name first? I don't wish to be known as the frozen clock." I had to think of a name for this creature now. She could build herself from robotic parts and make a body for herself. I wonder if there is more that she could do. "I know a great name for you. Maria." The robotic creature looks right at me the cam focusing right on me like it's looking right into my soul. "I like that name...and yes the upgrade. This upgrade is not needed unless you all want it. You could skip this upgrade and feature. It's more a feature I don't know about it. All I know it was created just in case everything backfires. So it's not needed." I shook my head again my head started to hurt so much having her dug so deep into my skull to get to my brain. "Oh, it seems I am harming her Deco." I lift my head to stare at the robotic creature. The name Deco went through my ears. I groan, closing my eyes tightly, tears falling from my eyes. I try to grunt asking. "Who..is Deco?" I stare at the computer mare who smiles. I finally know her name and I scream as I wake up. <00000> I finally wake up and the blood drains down from my head. After the cam bot or we named her Maria. I look up to finally see the creature again and to her gathering parts of robots. She quickly places them in my bags and turns to me still in the small bird form. It took me a while to get back on my hooves since the pain was too much still. Bowser helps me up and I quickly stare at the bot. "So you know I don't trust you or the computer that was forcibly placed in our heads," Deco spoke through a part of Maria since they're connected now. "I don't blame you. Now we need to trust each other. We need to follow the path that Maria is leading. It sounds like she is heading to the same place we are going to. Across the river and we need to be watching. Some bots are after her." I glance at the former town. The town is very well kept and parts of the bridge have been reinforced. I wonder if it was done by those that took over this area for a bit. I look over to drift nodding to her. "Tell them the place is clear. We will wait for you to return." Drift lifted off and while we waited I sat down and got our food ready. We stayed silent and didn't know what to think about Maria. I could tell Bowser didn't trust the little bot. June did what she did best and jabbed her horns in everything she could think of. She was bored and she just wanted to gore something. It took an hour for me to get the will to fully cook our dinner. Too much to think about and it was getting to the point I wasn't too sure about. Finally drift made it back. It took her longer to get back than I thought but she shrugged her shoulders smiling at me. "Sorry I needed a drink so I got some water and talked with Hops. She is very into you Rose. They asked me to tell you that they want us to wait for them to get here then we go. Do you mind doing that Rose?" I just sighed shrugging my shoulders. I could tell Drift and the others are very worried about me. I could see the worry in their eyes. It's not easy for me to deal with things sometimes. I normally have to kick something to get used to it. Right beside me, Maria sat by me. Looking down at the little cam robot that recently built itself that bird body. The creature or she or it just studied me with its one eye. Like she was trying to learn everything about me. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I look down at Maria. The stress in my eyes showed heavily my body is very tense up and it doesn't help that I got these cybernetics in my legs. I snorted in anger standing on my hooves and leaving the food behind. I was going to eat but I don't feel like eating. I head into one of the broken-down houses. I want to be alone, my ears perk up while I hear a set of hooves following me. I turn to see June walking inside the same house and closing the broken-down door. "You know you zebras are like ponies. Always so highly stressed over nothing." I stare at the Buffalo. June may not be fully grown like one of her kind would be. But she is just staring at me with very judging eyes. "I am not a pony. I don't act like a pony. I don't stress about every little thing. I don't judge a whole race because of a silly war." I grew more upset the tone in my voice didn't help matters. June just stood there staring at me judging me with her eyes. "No, you're not a pony. But neither am I Rose. But you have the same issues that every pony does. You allow stress to get to you." I snorted in anger, stomping my hard front hooves on the wooden board splintering them. "Of course my stress is getting to me. This is not my time. I had a fucking family!!" My voice carried to the others outside. "We have these cybernetics in our bodies. They removed your damn horns June. They took me from my family." I said the same words again. "There are words I live by Rose. You don't allow the world to control you. You don't allow the world to break you. You allow those around you to break and you become the simple creature of life. We don't live in a simple world we never did. A world of friendship that was a lie. The ponies used that friendship and they started a war. The ponies are much to blame as the zebras are. Unlike my species." Unlike her species? Those words hit me hard but then I remembered something. "What about that time your species tried to push a group of ponies out of your land and they fought you with pies?" June smirked. I could tell she had a counter to this right away. "That is very simple. It was our land and we had every right to do what we did. Was it the right way to do it though? I would say yes. But it would have been better if we did it with more peace in our hearts than hatred. If your kind and the ponies listened to that logic. The world wouldn't be like it is now. Ponies and zebras can be the racist assholes in this new world and they could get ahead. It's the sad truth and you know this." I shook my head knowing she was speaking the truth. I ain't happy it's going to be hard to be peaceful with this new world. I sat down on my haunches and glanced at June. June sat beside me and all I could think of is she is going to insult me or something. Instead, she leaned on me and nuzzles my side. "You can't always be the strong one Rose. You need to allow others to be strong as well. I know I may not show it. But I am scared too. I show my fear by wanting to gore things. It's the only way one of my kind can cope with issues like this." A soft chuckle came from my throat. I found that so funny that the only way a buffalo can handle the world is by being a bitch and goring things. At least she is good in a fight. They are all good in a fight. I have nothing to fear now, I just don't trust this new one we met. "I don't trust this new soul we met in June. Maria, I can't trust her. I don't know why just looking at that robot brings chills to my heart. I wish I could understand why I felt this way. I think I know why though. She forced herself in my head and then said she had an upgrade for us called the frozen clock or some other. I don't remember the name of it." June nods, lifting her head to look at me. "Before we leave could you tell me about your life before this new world Rose? I wish to understand why one like you got taken like the rest of us. Oh, and It wasn't just us five. There was almost an entire group of creatures. A changeling and many others." I look at the buffalo unsure how to answer that. I never saw others there myself. I never even saw my new friends. I just remember being put to sleep and then waking up in the tube. I wonder if the others saw something. "I am worried June. We might walk into others. Others may have not had the same luck as we have. What if they aren't friendly? What if they wish to kill us because we had a lucky break. Maybe they're part of this war I learned about from this robot pony." June snickers. "Well, then we escaped one war that ended the world. We are now in the middle of another set of wars." My ears perk up. Did she say another set of wars? "What do you mean June about another set of wars?" June took a deep breath shaking her head. Taping her metal horns with her hoof. It may not be constant since she is not in a fight. Just little bits of steam pour out of the steam stack like horns from her head. "Thanks to the fillings in my teeth I can hear radio singles. I have been hearing stories of many heroes in many parts of Equestria. A toaster pony, Some strange Security mare, or whatever they called her. A pink ghost a wolf and a pear tree dancing. I think that was correct or I got some strange radio show." A laugh comes out of my mouth at the mention of the pear tree. Just the idea of a pear tree dancing is amazing to me. A commotion sounds outside and it got me worried. Junes armor quickly formed along her body. She charged out and it was our friends from the village we left a few hours ago. I shook my head staying inside the old building. I did hear Hop's voice outside but I couldn't see her now. Since it was hard for me to get over this problem I was having. Taking a deep breath and lay down on the old dusty wooden floor to relax. Turning my head to see Maria looking at me still looking like a bird. She broke herself off from the robotic parts and quickly on her little wires hides in my mane. "Maria, what is wrong?" The little robotic creature didn't answer and just shook. Does this creature have emotions? I am wondering who created this little one. I help the little cam bot out from behind my mane. "It's okay they won't harm you." I finally saw a symbol on the little cam bot. I swear I have seen this symbol before but I don't remember when or where I saw it. I felt sorry for this little creature. She has no idea who made her. She now even has Deco in her brain. It's better than her being in my brain. "From what she told me, Rose. She has been attacked by ponies before. Since they don't trust robotic creatures in this area. I guess many have been attacked by robots wanting to kill flesh creatures." I shrugged my shoulders. I remember back in the day all the robots made to fight my kind. I remember from time to time that going into big cities having their guns aiming at me. Because of course ponies in bigger cities didn't trust my kind. Of course, I couldn't blame them for not trusting any of my kind. It's what happens because sometimes fear is a big issue and fear will always be a big issue. I still feel bad about all this fear is the only way some can control others. I shook my head sighing. "Rose?" I lift my head seeing Hops. I smile weakly and Maria hides in my bags. Hops nuzzled along my back. A deep sigh leaves my mouth standing on my hooves staring into the eyes of Hops. I could feel the love for her building. I still feel upset that Deco pushed it on the two of us. But now I am understanding that she is what I need to get through this land. "I will be fine Hops. Just when we finally get on our way I will be more relaxed." Hops nodded. I finally got a look at her without Deco in my brain blinding me to it all. I finally got a look at her cutiemark and her fur color. She is light green with a blue tail and blue main. Her cutiemark is a set of Hops in beer. "What are you looking at Rose?" Finally came to my senses. "Without the computer pony in my brain. I can finally see you for how beautiful you are. I was so blinded by the robotics it made me blind to your eyes as well. I have a feeling these robotics are meant to fully control us. I have a feeling we never were meant to have free will." I shook my head at the idea. "Heh heh, maybe you do need some rest, Rose. Why not eat with us and then you can get some rest before heading on." I nod following Hops to the campfire. <000000> Unknown. Deep in Detrot in a broken-down factory. A hidden group of creatures in the shadows stays silent till a larger being walks in front of them it comes into the light and it's a large female-formed assultponytron. One eye glowing brightly and on its chest is its name HeatFlash. "I have learned that the other part of the puzzle has been found. Follow this group of fleshlings. Don't force them into joining either side until we know how they will act to our war with broken ones." Another robot comes out of the darkness. From the looks of it. It's a large flame thrower bot and flame fuel drips from its flamethrowers. It pulls out its cigar from its mouth blowing out fire and laughs. "Allow me to meet them and give them a little burn." He laughs coughing out oil from the cigar. "Not yet. We need to get ready just in case the broken ones regain their leader. We have to stop them and this time we need to be kind to the flesh. Then we can break them for how weak they are." The flamer lifts his flamethrower. "For the true ones!" They all scream.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Five: The other side	I woke up with my forelegs tightly around Hops. The two of us had a wonderful night. But I wanted to give her what I felt. I kiss her forehead and slowly untangle myself from her legs. I stood up and everyone else was already awake. "Hey, Rose we were talking to Maria and Deco. I think you need to sit down and hear this." I glance at Bowser unsure what he means by this. I sat down by the others we have become close friends over these past few days. We protect each other and they told me to pursue this relationship with Hops. Maria turns on her holo device on her systems and Deco forms infront of us so the others can finally see her. The pink pony looks around at them smiling at them. The fact the others can see what I have seen in my vision for so long now makes me happy. "It's nice to see you all finally. I am the one that has been in poor Roses' vision the entire time. Now I have been learning more about what is going on. I was able to learn something but not why Maria is a Frozen clock." I finally hear the word frozen clock again. I had no idea what it meant normally it meant a clock is frozen without power. I look at the others who stay silent. I could tell they weren't sure how to take Deco and all this. "I am sorry to say you can't back out of this. You are now part of a war between two robotic factions One faction is called the True ones. The pony that attacked you Rose is part of them. The other is the faction that might help us if we help them. They're called the worker's old worker robots created during the war.". I took a deep breath I wanted to lose my cool. I exhaled because I didn't want to wake Hops. I looked to the others to see what they thought about all this. On each of their faces, there are no emotions. "My question is this why we were forced to have these devices implanted in us?" I look over to Bowser that is a good question. I wish I had the guts to ask that myself. I didn't understand why us? "That I am still unsure. I am hoping maybe we will learn from the workers why you did. Maybe we will find out in random factories we see if they have upgrades that could teach us why. Now I want you all to gather what food you can. Maybe ask Hops to go back to her down and get you more supplies. Because we have a long trek ahead to get us to the worker's main base. It's in the middle of Detrot." I took a breath standing on my metal hooves heading back to Hops shaking her awake. Kissing her cheek. The mare wakes up looking up at me with a sweet smile. I give a smile in return and I tell her what is going on. "So the stories of two robotic factions is true then. Many of us have been hearing stories going on for a long time. Now you need ammo food and whatever else? Well, then I will do so but remember to search every nook and cranny love. You will find many items in them and sometimes chems." I stare at her that confuses me to even do all that. I quickly nod and she leaves I go back to the others sighing. Sitting down on my ass again stroking my head with my metal hoof unsure what to do or feel. "She will go gather what she can for us. But she told me to go look in random trash and other places to find useful things." Bowser shrugs. "Well, we learned that Deco has more for us. She thinks she could lead us to the workers but also some upgrades along the way. But she also is going to try to find more info on why the four of us." I didn't trust Deco at all. I trust Maria even less. "Listen Deco I don't trust you. I am sure you understand this correct?" The computer pony didn't look hurt from what I could tell she understood. "Well yeah, I understand I was kind of forced on you. But I feel maybe we should do our best to at least trust each other. But I feel like I am part of your family now. We need to make Maria feel welcomed as well. I want to understand what she meant by Frozen Clock." I quickly nod at that. "A frozen clock to me is one that we trample as buffalo do. Also, can we go I need to feel the real ground under my hooves." I glance at June I could tell she was getting tired of being on the hard ground. Looking over to the others I took a deep breath and exhaled soon after again. "Maybe we can help others on the way and maybe gain friends in this world that won't attack me on sight if you know what I mean." Drift looks over to the others she is unsure what to think. The orb in her chest turns purple from the look of a bit of fear and blue for sadness. She keeps silent she uses her wings to hold a fork to eat some veggies. "Drift do you have anything you wish to add?" I look over to Drift who just shrugs her shoulders. "I ain't sure about all this. I have no choice but to follow and if I feel we need to leave you will listen to me correct?" I look to the others. Bowser from how he looks over to Drift and then I look over to June. She just stands there looking very confused. "If Drift feels it's best to leave then we do so. But you better let me at least gore something. I am not going to just sit by and allow her or Bowser or even you to get hurt. Like it or not we are now family. I know that is much to say but for now, we are family." I agree with her we look to Maria and Deco and I look to the others. "If you do leave me and Maria behind we won't feel angry at that at all. I have been forced on you and Maria is just another tag along. Even though she doesn't feel that way herself. But we can't just leave her here." I agree with her we can't just leave these two here. I look at Hops and others from her town farther down the bridge bringing the supplies we need. I wasn't sure really but we will know. It took us like an hour to get ready. We had been given a wagon to make us look like traders. Maria wraps around my leg making her look like a decked-out pip-buck. She had to push herself into my nervous system so Deco could tell me if we are near any upgrades. "Alright, are we all ready to go?" I look to Bowser who has been given a machine gun. Drift who has been giving a battle saddle. June doesn't need any weapons but her horns. Looking at the barding and armor on my body. I have an old run-down zebra gun on my side and a chipped sword. They all say they're ready and I look back to Hops as we get ready to leave. "What will you be doing with this village?" Hops shrugged her shoulders. "This town used to be connected to mine it might happen again but I don't think we can defend ourselves. It would be too big unless we use the hellhounds to let them be the guards of the extended town." I nod and the others are getting ready to leave. I look to them as they call to me. I look back to Hops. I took a deep breath expanding my cheeks breathing out. "So um..." Hops rolls her eyes and kisses my lips and pushes me away to the others. "I will wait for you so go do what you need to do then come back to me you zebra." I was confused at the sudden kiss and then looking to the others walking close to them and then looking back to Hops. I wave to her and when we leave the town an old door closes to block off anypony else from entering that town till it's time to open up again. Deco forms in my eyesight again. "You seem happier since you meet her Rose. Now um thank you for allowing me to be in your vision again. Now um if we follow the road with these old factories and if you wish to go into any of them you might find something interesting." I took a deep breath feeling a bit stressed from having to deal with all this again looking to the others. "Well Deco had an interesting idea since we need to look the part of traders maybe we should go through these factories " Bowser looks at the factory we are close to and then back to me. "Well, It may take us more time to get Deco and Maria to the workers. I am sure they don't mind since it may keep them from being found." June unhitches herself from the cart and I stay with Drift near the cart. Bowser and June go inside since it may take a few hours or so for them to get out. Drift and I get out some of the food that we have with us and eat. "Do you think it was wise for two of us to stay out here Rose?" I was about to speak when I heard laughter. Looking around and seeing strange ponies with bloodshot eyes and blood all over their armor and bodies. I look to Drift nodding to her as we keep eating and not allowing this to bother us. "Heh heh heh. Two mares all on their lonesome." The strange ponies come towards us I have a bad feeling about them. They get closer to us and surround us there must be like five of them. I could tell from the orb in Drift's chest was very scared. I pat her shoulder giving a quick nod. "How may we help you, boys?" The raiders look at each other confused. They whisper at each other because I have a feeling they aren't used to others not scared of them. "We are raiders shouldn't you be trying to shoot us or scared of us?" I shrug my shoulders. "No, I am not scared of you. You just seem to try too hard and if you were trying to scare us you would have shot us from far away instead of doing this. So why don't you stop playing and move along please." They aim their guns at me they leave Drift alone. Who enrages because she is not only scared by full of rage from them wishing to harm me. I look over to Drift and then to the stallions I took a deep breath. "Excuse me." They force their guns into me more. "Shut up!!" "But.." "Shut up!!" I shrug and Drift smashes her hooves into the ground causing the ground to shake to make the ponies drop on their butts and I quickly smash their guns with my metal hooves and then sit back down making Drift sit again. When the raiders stand back up they look at their guns. "Oh got to watch for those sudden ground shakes. I am sure they don't like guns either." They look at each other scared. "Boys she is a zebra she could have done her magic on us." Wow, these ponies are dumb they think my species use evil magic. Maybe there is more to the zebras of this new world than I give them credit for. I pick up a rock with one of my hooves and smirk showing them it. "I shall do one of my magic spells then on this rock it would be used on you as well then." I chant some strange words that would sound like my species way of speaking. Then when they stare at the rock I crush it down with my metal hooves and it turns into powder and I pour the dust onto the ground. "I think... we better leave her alone." I smash my hoof on the ground staring at me. "Leave us alone. If you even try to harm me or my friend again I will not only use a spell on you. I will eat YOU!!!!" I laugh loudly causing the raiders to run away in fear. They drop all their broken weapons. I laugh softly looking at Drift and she relaxes as we both go back to our normal time of eating. I place the broken weapons on the back of the cart. "What made you think of doing that Rose?" I shrug my shoulders. "Their brains looked cooked from so many drugs. They look used to everyone being scared of them. I think we may have to deal with ponies like them on our journey." After a while, June and Bowser came back out. Bowser had a lot of strange items in his arms. June snorted she was covered in dust and the metal that forms around her has burns on it as it forms back into her horns. "That was fucking dumb... Bowser here triggered an alarm and we got attacked by security but we found some drugs and magic bandages but there wasn't much in there." Bowser laughs putting the stuff he found in the cart. He looks at the broken guns and looks back to Drift and me. He sat by Drift she still looks a bit shook up he whispers to her and they talk and she told him what happened. "Wait you two got attacked?' June looks over to Bowser she snorts loudly looking around to see if she could find the ones that tried to attack us. But she cools down when she doesn't see anyone steam shooting out of her horns. "Yes but we better get going just in case." We finally get going again and before we could do anything we get an hour on our journey and we don't even see other souls along the path but when we get to another large factory standing infront of us is a large robotic creature. The robot looks poorly created and like it was put together very quickly. On the shoulder of the robot creature is a wrench. It stands up on its two legs looking ready for something. We stop before we even go even further. "Surrender the frozen clock or die!!" We look at each other and the armor forms on my legs. June hides the cart behind a large rock from a building. Drift and Bowser ready to defend themselves I took a deep breath and the robotic creature opens its gun ports. For our first battle has come
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Six: The price	I wish I could tell you what it was like to wake up in a strange world. To see the world you knew to die in a fire and then you wake up with these cybernetic parts inside your body ad you have no idea why it even happens. I am a zebra and sometimes we have spiritual body experiences but this wasn't one. I met a diamond dog named Bowser. I don't know why he was captured but the stories he told me he wasn't like the others of his kind. "There are times when I think being a Diamond dog is trouble since most ponies find it hard to trust us." Then a great surprise the next creature I meet is a buffalo named June. I don't get why these ponies called the Black Hooves went after her. From what I learned about her she is just a simple creature that likes to trot through empty lands. At times she is a cool-headed gal. I can also see she is a teen and not even a full adult of her kind. "Sometimes when it comes to running. We see the past behind us. The future of time around us and when our horns gather air or dust we finally see the focus of our spirits that lead us into our future lives. It's when our future lives become one with our past lives then we are one. Maybe someday all of us could do this trot and become our old selves again." During this time when I woke up with these two, I met another mare. A pegasus her name is Thunder Drift. I don't know much about her. Just that she was a mother a happy mother like I was. She was accused of being a slut and then forced into this program she won't go into her former job. I have a feeling there is more to her than even I know. "We are all seeking the true path even if I have to flap my wings for us to see. I just wish my emotions didn't get tied to this strange machine in my chest. I feel that I could hurt my friends without even noticing it." Even though the four of us showed up in this time of death and destruction. We weren't alone a computer or Ai that she called herself. We learned later she calls herself Deco and she was placed inside me to help us on our journey. From what I have no idea even though we may never learn. "There are times that an Ai may or may not understand what is told to them. I have never learned what is told to me ages and ages ago. I may have learned and may have understood why I was created. But why was I placed in your head Rose? I will never understand it myself and maybe I will learn." We followed a road down to a few factories and met a mare named Bubble Gum. She helped us and told us many things about this new world. We even got hired at the bar and helped who we could and some of the guards did try to have their way with Drift. But the biggest thing we got from that is the next stretch of our journey. "I thank you so much for helping me. I warn you though this world is not kind to zebra even after the war. Even some of the zebra tend to hurt their own. For more reason than we understand. I wish I could be of more help to you but you need to find your way to other factories. Most of them are pretty filled up but you will find more souls to help after the bridge." When we followed the path that she set for us. We found some upgrades faced many that we could and then we found a whole community on that bridge. When I went there I felt something strange happened. We learned that cybernetics make things more attractive to us. So I slept with a bar owner named Hops. I learned that there is more to than I gave her credit for. She did fall for me. "Rose I know you're are a mare out of time and would be older than me in life. But I can't allow you to be alone in this world. If you were so alone I couldn't stand it and I would feel like I lost you. I love you Rose and I will wait for you when your journey is finally over so we can become lovers for life." We did the task they wished of us. We even fought raiders and a robotic creature that ran across to the other side of the bridge. We never saw them again. Then we found ourselves on the other side of the bridge in a dead village. We met a little creature that we named Maria and calls herself the Frozen Clock. I wish I could understand what she means by this. "I have no idea why I was created. I just know that I am something that many are after. I am sorry for being such a trouble to you and your friends Rose. If you need to leave me behind and let whoever is coming for me come for me. Don't worry about whatever is going on. It seems a war of robotic nature is going on something that you don't belong in." After all this, we finally get on with our journey. We make ourselves look like traders and gather what we can to get us on our way. We go into many buildings to loot them if they haven't been gone through yet. Then we think we will become traders till our journey is over. But the first roadblock has come. A robot that looks like it was hastily put together so long ago. Blocks our path June takes the cart and hides it behind a building so it doesn't get destroyed with whatever is going to happen. We get ready for the first real battle that we have had since we have come to this world. "Surrender the Frozen clock or die!!" The missile ports open up and instead of firing. We start hearing loud music playing and the robot starts to dance. I look at the others very confused as the robot dances to this strange music. "Oomp oomph I have come. To defeat you but I shall beat you in song and dance. Give me the Frozen clock and I will not end your lives. Give me the clock and I won't destroy your ass. I shall dance on your corpses and put a wrench in your plans!!" I had no idea what to do but June looks like she had an idea and her horns blow out the steam. They add to the music and she dances on our four hooves. As if she has done this before. The steam pours out of her horns. "Oh big eh? Do you think you could dance and sing to get this clock? You got another thing coming. We shall not only fight through dance. But through death and battle." June charges and the two force each other back and the music gets thumpy and louder with each beat. The two push each other adding to the music. "You're strong but I am stronger I am made of metal you're made of flesh. I shall win in song and this battle." The robotic creature takes its claws and tosses the buffalo on the other side of it before June hits she forms her metal shell and smashes into the ground it takes the wind out of her. While she can't sing anymore because of that. "One down. Now give the frozen clock before I dance on your graves!! Oooo YEAH!!!" I roll my eyes wishing I had a gun but I don't know if any of these guns had ammo. But I can't believe what I saw I heard claws clicking looking over to Bowser wait he is getting in on this. The music turns from heavy rock to blues and Bowser looks through the cart to find a coat and a saxophone?! Why would one be in there? He plays it slowly and leans back. "Oooh, the moon normally sings for us oooh whoa. The whiskey grows hot tonight in these streets. For the bourbon, noon shall sing for us." I stare at Bowser and I look to Drift who shrugs her shoulders. "Oh come on boy the blues come sing sing sing. I will dance on your grave now give me the frozen clock!!" I took a deep breath shaking my head at this. I watch Bowser snap his claws as he dances towards the robot. Why is everypony so strange in this new world? Why does music make everyone dance and sing? "The bourbon street shines with gold. The whiskey has become too toxic for these days old. It's time to end this dance it's time to end this song of whiskey and bourbon. Now come let's duel and dance." Bowser drops the saxophone and tries to rip apart the wiring he can see in the robot but he gets punched in the gut and tossed into a wall and the robot laughs. Turning his sights to me and Thunder Drift. He turns off his music just for a moment. "You have no idea what you hold, do you? We can't allow you to learn then." The music starts up again. Why won't it even use its real weapons? I then stare at the weapons it has. It has no ammo it has no missiles. It's like they don't even have weapons. I wonder I look over to Maria and starting to wonder if she is the key to fix this. Maybe the weapon's creation has been frozen. Before I could even answer Drift charges at the bot with all her force but even with the emotions of the orb she smashes into the bot and she bounces off the metal of the bot is in a daze. But she did leave a dent and the bot tries to go in for the kill but his programming stops him. "Program don't harm flesh activated restarting cores." Finally, he turns to me after he restarts and I just stare down at him. His music turns into zebra drums and chanting. I felt insulted how dare this robot pretend to be one of my kind. I took a deep breath and stood on my back hooves and close my eyes chanting. "I shall dance to your music zebra. I shall destroy your land in the name of the ones who created me. I shall." He goes silent from my chanting. The drums he plays get louder as it's time for me to sing. "Egameni lamadube ngaphambi nasesiphethweni. Izinkanyezi ziyasina futhi ziyasiculela. Umlingo ezimpilweni zethu awusoze waphela."' The bot tries to translate but it's having trouble and the music grows louder my friends slowly get back up and they watch to see what I will do. I reach down with my hoof and chant magic forming around me. I haven't done these spells in so long it takes more than sand to do them. It takes the spirit of a zebra. If I do this wrong I could harm myself. Since I only have sand it will be harder to do the spell. "Oh Stars yizwani ingoma yami. Ngicela unginike amandla engiwadingayo ukulwa nalesi sitha. Sicela unginikeze nabangane bami amandla okwenza lokhu .. Ngeke sikwazi ukukwenza ngaphandle kwezinkanyezi o. The drums get louder and harsher the robot stares at me like it's losing control of itself and I do one more chant to the spell trying to sing the last few words. If I do this wrong it will harm me more than it will harm this robot. "Ukunyakaza okukodwa .. Umdanso owodwa .. iculo elilodwa ngikunika kancane umphefumulo wami kuwe izinkanyezi .. Ngizokunika igazi lakho lapho kufika isikhathi" The last verse of the song is blurted out. My eyes open and glow just a bit as a green mist connects with the dust. It becomes a weapon and the spell is cast a sand storm made of a bit of my soul and the rage of a zebra spell. "What are you doing?! This doesn't compute you did a zebra spell some spells use your soul. You" "I did what is needed I will do what is needed to see the end of this journey. So will my friends." He stares at us in the dust as we walk into the dust like it doesn't bother us. "We may not agree to her methods. I for one don't as the only diamond dog here. We make due. If she used her soul to bring up this dust spell. To just win this battle then it's the only way to win." Bowser swings his claws and slices into one of the wires on the bots back and he screams robotically feeling his left arm no longer working and he tries to move. Bowser laughs backing up into the dust. "I could care less about what our zebra friend does. If we could win a battle just for the use of her soul and win this battle then I will do whatever I can to make sure it counts." June forces her horns into the bot and flips him over smashing him down with a thud holding him down and the final one before me puts her hoof on his chest as June holds the bot down. I feel weak myself from using the spell. "Rose and I had our whole lives taken from us. Now you wish to harm us? All you were doing is singing and not using real weapons on us? How do you expect to beat us if your programming won't allow you to?" She smashes her hoof hard into his chest. She uses all her might to force her rage into the chest and exposes the core she tries to smash the cor with her hoof but her hoof couldn't break the core. The dust slowly starts to leave after I come over to see the bot lifting my metal hoof. "I normally don't care for the idea of killing. Even if you don't have a soul creature of robotics. I will mourn you as now the count of the blood of the stars. I have to give them blood now if I don't another will be tasked to do the blood. If this happens then the life of such a one will never become true again." I lift my hoof feeling my heartbeat. I grunt feeling the pain from the spell and I force my metal hoof down in the door and it just breaks and shatters it the robot trying to gasp like it's breathing air and the robot shuts down. I kinda expected an explosion and I pull my hoof out of the core grunting feeling weak. "Rose... why did you?" I lift my hoof to silence Drift. "I did it to protect Deco and Maria we need to learn this journey. We need" I gasp holding my hoof to my chest I feel it finally the part of my soul being taken to the stars, They didn't get their blood and I feel they will be coming to me soon. I grunt groaning and I fall to my side. "Rose?!" They rush to me as my world goes black and I see nothing but the stars before me. I feel the judges will be harsh to me and I will have to fight to not fulfill this deal and give it to another poor soul.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Seven: Court of Stars.	There are times that many would say that the stars are a threat. They can be a big problem to a zebra. It's no only zebras that will be chosen by them to be their givers of blood. The stars will demand you to give them an amount of blood. Even though the one chosen can say they aren't worthy to do such a thing. It takes a lot of doing but another poor soul will be forced into doing the deed. The deed will never be known only maybe to the zebra that spoke to the stars. There are two versions of the stars. The stars crave blood and sometimes cause many of the problems in this lovely world. Then there are the stars that have vanished. They're the stars that wish to help the good and bring forth peace and even dreams. They haven't been heard from at all in years. Some say they have heard them but those are ravings of mad zebras. Just be prepared if you meet the stars they will give you a fair due. Written by Beezen Judge of the stars I open my eyes after the spell I cast that I connected with my soul. I try to stand but I am heavily chained down on the floor. I look around quickly worried that I got captured. I look at my legs and hooves though they're normal. "Hey!!" There is no answer soon after I woke up the entire cell vanishes I am standing in the middle of a strange room the entire area is so dark but the floor is under me. Then the horror fills my heart. My ears fold to the back of my head. I finally know where I am I used a spell that connects my soul with magic. It didn't take too long as a group of masked robe figures forms infront of me. Behind them, the stars shine. One of the judges in a green robe. He strokes my mane and back in just a few seconds. Like he is trying to read what is going on inside my mind. He laughs softly shaking his head. From whatever he is doing I could tell he found something very funny. "This poor mare lost her entire world. She was one of the lucky ones. Of course, I doubt I would say lucky. This poor creature has lost so much that she even used her soul in a spell that called us." This wasn't even something I wanted to even say was real. It felt real I am sure though this is just a dream. I hope it's a dream at least. But I have been told if I wake up in the court of the stars. They will try to demand blood. So the only way is to say I am not worthy. Sadly though if you do this. They will force this blood debt on another soul. I have to find a good way to get out of this without having to murder. "Yes, I felt it was the only way to fight a robotic being. I do regret doing that myself. Sometimes though if you feel that is the only way then it's the only way. I am sure I would have found another way later down the battle line." The judge in the green cloak turns to the others. He gives them a nod and they leave. The judge removes his mask. I have never seen a species like him before. He is green with a long nose. I have heard stories of ancient beings known as trolls. But they haven't been seen in a land such as this. "I shall be your judge. At least for now unless the stars get upset at what you have to say. I'm known as Beezen. I will be honest with you I don't care for this job as a judge of the stars. The others relish it. I am more the reasonable one." How is he the reasonable one? He is a judge of the stars a creature I have never seen before. He unlocks the chains to allow my legs to move. I am kept in place on the middle of the floor though by a spell. "Why would a creature like you want to be a judge?" Beezen chuckles. "I have done things that I ain't proud of. I became a judge because of those things. Along with the other judges, I helped destroy the land known as Dream Valley. Some would say that is the land ponies came from. Some say that is the land where magic first formed. But to be honest it's just another land in this dead world." I shift pacing in the middle of the room. Before I could speak one of the judges returns. His robe from what I can tell is lava. Steam comes out out of the robe. I could swear I see lava coming out of the hood of the robe. "Get on with it Beezen. Before I take over and put this creature where they belong below. My foot." Beezen turns his head to stare at the other judge. He rolls his eyes turning to look at me. "Lavan is right. If we delay this any longer. The judges that want to cause harm will take over. Now Desert Rose as you call yourself. I know you have another name but that is your zebra name. I don't blame you for removing yourself from your zebra name. It's a way to fit in and move on from the past." The past looking away. Yes, zebras mostly do remove themselves from others. It's a way to protect those that are around you. For me at least I changed my name because of my family's stand on ponies. "I changed it because the family had issues with ponies way before the war started. I felt the way to fit in and protect my family from themselves. As well as to save face in case my kind did their war. Then I learned ponies were just as racist as my kind after marrying into husband's family." Beezen sighs shifting on his feet pacing and nods. "Yes, that is a normal issue. It's not an easy issue to move on from. The Ponies of Dream Valley had this issue as well. But we are getting off-topic. You're not here to be put on trial. Just the stars like to make everything crazy." I tilt my head a bit. I am not on trial then why am I here? "Then why am I here?' "To give us bloooood: "Yes, blood murder kill. Give us blood souls kill." "BLOOD." The stars around me screech laughing. They all say the same words blood, souls, and kill. Do they wish for me to cause death? But why on such a high scale? All I did was use a spell that was connected to my soul. "The spell you cast Rose made them think. It made them think you're willing to go that extra mile." I am not willing to go that extra mile. I am not willing to become their murder of a killer in the name of the stars. Ones who normally do this turn out to be lost souls. Many of my species can become those lost souls. Then the stars get other souls to be in that trap. "Then I am the wrong one to give you this glory oh stars" The stars quit their laughing and their calls for blood. Everything was an eerie silence I fear I made the wrong choice. I have to quickly think and this would mean. Getting another soul lost in this "I may not be the one to bring you your blood oh stars. I am sure you will find another soul to do so." Beezen frowns sighing. I look over to me I have a feeling they already have a choice. A choice that could cause more problems than are worth dealing with. "Then the next soul will be truly lost. They already made that choice before you. I tried to convince them otherwise. But now we have no choice but to do this poor soul." He pulls a wand out of his pocket. The wand has eyes and looks to be alive. I can hear complaining while he waves the wand casting a spell. The spell causes a strange magical screen like those monitors that were made way before the war. On the screen is a young bug-like creature. Her exoskeleton is pink and she looks to be at peace laughing. "This is the soul. The soul that will be taking your duty. I hope you can understand this Rose. You will be her target. When things for her are said and done. No matter how she leaves the island she is on. She will have a call in the back of her head. The call will be to hunt you for putting her on this trial. At first, she won't know till she is near you." I look at the creature. The creature looks young. I wish I could go back on what I just said. But I refuse to become a weapon of the stars. It's a matter of pride for me. If this creature becomes my hunter later then so be it. "Does she have a name?" Beezen sighs. "Ruby Glide." After the name is said. The world around me vanishes the stars laugh in the darkness. As I feel like I am forced back into my body. The world around me goes at super speed. I feel pain filling my body and my brain is throbbing. I have come back to the waking world. I open my eyes. I was on the back of a makeshift bed in the cart. The others have started a fire and I just lay there thinking of everything. I don't think what I saw in that vision or dream? Was real it could have been real. Of course this world there are stranger things. I look at my chest I see a symbol on the white part. I know that symbol quickly shines bright red and vanishes. It wasn't a dream I am now the target. This creature could come any time to when I am on my death bed. It could even be never from what I learned years ago. I don't dare tell the others. I get out of the makeshift bed walking to the campfire. "OH!! You're awake!!" Bowser smiles standing up to hug me tightly. Then grabs my face with his claws staring into my eyes. "Don't even think of using that spell again." June and Drift stay silent. Of course, their mouths are full so I doubt they wish to be rude. I look over to Maria who is connected to the robot we fought. I don't know what she is doing and Deco is over the fire with Ai marshmallows. "Oh, you're awake Rose. Maria will be out for a moment. I asked her to connect to the robot so we can learn why he attacked us. It's been a few hours since you've been out. I haven't even seen a file yet." I shrug my shoulders. "Well, at least you're enjoying yourself while she does Deco. As for me. I am hungry so.. let's eat." I grab a stick jabbing a few carrots on it putting it over the fire to cook them. I think about what I did. I have a feeling I ruined the poor creature's life. Maybe someday though I will meet her. Maybe I will tell her how sorry I am. Maybe we will fight to a standstill. But for all, I know the life of the creature known as Ruby Glide is going to be a hard one. "Maybe you can tell us what you were dreaming about." I glance over at June tilting my head. "What do you mean?" June laughs. "Well, you talk in your sleep Rose. You were talking about the stars or something. Like you were in some trial. " I didn't know if I should. But these are my friends, my family, now. Even I consider Deco and Maria part of this family. I shift uncomfortably on the ground where I am sitting. I am not up for doing this but I need to. "To explain. I would have to go into zebra's problem with the stars and why they had a problem with Luna and Nightmare Moon. I know it's not easy to go into but are you sure you're all willing to listen." Drift smiles. "I am sure I speak for all of us. I would love to learn." The others agree with Drift. I take a deep breath unsure how to start looking into the fire. "It all started years ago." Perk finally added: Wait you finally get a perk? Wow, you must be powerful already. Bad perk: Stars target: You refused to become the star's weapon. When the time is indeed right. You will meet the stars pick for the bringer of their blood.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Eight: A pony zebra community	A community of mixed-species never tends to get along like most believe. But when they have good leadership and good elders they become a strong connected community. At times though outsiders try to ruin that for those communities since they try to force their views on everyone else. Written by Unknown. It's been like three days since we first ran into that robotic creature that attacked us. I haven't been able to get a good night's sleep since then. I have been more stressed than the others. We set up camp in the middle of the street surrounded by factories. I stand up pacing around worried about the creature I just ruined the life of. "You're heavily stressed, Rose. Your heart is beating a bit too fast. " I glance at Maria who is recharging but Deco is the one controlling the body right now. I took a deep breath trying to relax. "Deco have you ever had the feeling that you made an awful mistake?" Deco tilts her head. I knew it was best not to ask an AI this question. But she sat down on a chair that she created from nothing. It's like she is thinking. "The only feeling of regret is me being forced upon you. I feel you had no choice at all. I worry that just being with me will cause you more problems than you deserve. I know this is new to me as well but I consider you family." Closing my eyes, sighing. Before I could say anything I heard a strange sound. I hear hooves seeing lights and they blind me with the lights. I look at who is holding the light. It's a unicorn with a zebra beside her. They say nothing to us for the moment the others are fast asleep. "Are you Desert Rose?" I didn't answer. The unicorn lifts her light into my face. "Are you Desert Rose or not?" I cover my eyes with my hoof. They see that I have a metal hoof and some metal up my leg. So I am sure they know now who I am. "Get that light out of my face first then I will answer." The unicorn removes the light from my face. I blink a few times to get my vision back to normal. It's not as easy as most think it is. It's not the first time I had a light forced in my face. During the start of the war. I had many ponies that did not trust me. Of course, if I was trusted this wouldn't have happened to me back then. "I am Desert Rose. Forgive me if I don't answer with a damn light on my face. Now are you here to kill us or are you here to talk with us?" The zebra laughs. "No Rose Bubblegum told us about you a few days ago. She told us what you did for them and told us to be on the lookout for you. We got a story to tell you and it's not going to be a sane story." I think I know what they're talking about. "I see I would love to learn what it's about. Let me wake up my friends." I stood on my hooves looking at Deco nodding to her. Deco attaches herself to my metal leg to look like part of my metal. I don't trust these two. I shake my friends again and June opens her eyes, snorting. "Damn it Rose I am trying to sleep here!!" I laugh softly, shaking the others awake. Bowser stood up staring at the two that are with us. He looks at them like he is looking through them. Leans in to whisper to me. "The mare has a pistol and the stallion has at least a couple of rounds in his machine gun. The mare is pregnant and the stallion is a bit hard. I think I know why he wants you." Bowser smirks. I roll my eyes, Drift sitting up spreading her wings. Thanks to learning to control the orb in her chest. "Now before we go anywhere with you we will gather our gear." The zebra nods and sighs. "You saw the stars didn't you?" I stop from gathering my gear, turning my head a bit to glance at the stallion. I have no idea how he even knew and the unicorn mare glances at her friend then at me. "The stress in your eyes. The way you move. You have been in their court. You did a spell with your soul didn't you?" My friends stare at me. It's like what they mean by this. I took a deep breath not even saying anything. I just keep gathering the gear with the others. I sigh June hitches herself to the cart and we walk with the two to wherever. I didn't care but I am a bit upset that the others know. I glance at the stallion while they lead us to the dirt road. Up ahead is a large metal gate and the mare hits her hoof on the metal door. A little port door opens up. The head of a large earth pony mare with stripes on her face comes out. "Did you find them?" The unicorn nods to the earth pony. Her red eyes stare at me. A smile forms on the mare's face. I didn't know what to think at all about that. "I am sorry I can't let you into the community right away. We will lead you to a heavy closed room and you will get enough food. While we make sure you don't bring any sickness with you. It's no offense to you of course. It's more to protect you four just in case. Some don't trust you." June rolls her eyes shooting her mouth off. "Oh no, a world that doesn't trust me. It's just like the old world again. Just dumber and braindead. How about this I gore you. You let us in and then I don't murder your fucking family!!" I stare at June. Bowser strokes her side to calm the buffalo. "Down girl." June snorts. "I will not be locked in some room. Because ponies and zebras don't trust me. I will not be caged!!" I turn my head to June. "June shut up, you will do what is best for now. You got that?" June stares at me snorting, smiling sweetly. "Oh come on Rose you got to scare them now and then. I will do whatever you say. But I will never be told by anyone I don't know what to fucking to do. If you even think you can control me. I will kill them." The zebra stallion smirks. "Oh, I like her." The unicorn mare rolls her eyes. June is unhitched and they take the cart into the city. But we are led through an old plastic tunnel. I read the words on the plastic tunnel. It's an old magic radiation cleaning crew that came through trying to clean the end of the war. But I am sure most of them died before they could. The unicorn opens the door. "Again I am sorry for this." I finally got a good look at her. She is a pink furred mare with zebra hooves and stripes on her legs. "I will be the one giving you food and bedding as well. Just remember I am known as Ziggy." We didn't even speak to her Bowser sighs sitting down near one of the pipes. I just sat down in one of the old chairs. Drift flew up into the air and perched herself on a platform. June just snorts. "How about you let us go. Then I, the only buffalo here, don't trample you." I roll my eyes. "June you can't stop showing off. We all know you're all talk." June laughs. "But she doesn't" I laugh loudly and Ziggy snorts, closing the door. I shake my head. Maria removes herself from my leg. She turns on her eye so Deco can speak to us. "Maria and I found an upgrade for you four. I am hoping this upgrade will explain why you four were chosen. We also found out what this place is. It's a former flying wagon factory turned into a weapons creation factory. A bomb like a balefire bomb went off. But it was smaller and it let off magic radiation though. They tried very hard to contain it and everyone died around the area." So there is an upgrade here. "Okay everyone, what do you think of them? Do you think we can trust them?" June shrugs her shoulders. "I don't trust ponies or zebras easily. But you're all family to me. So I will trust you with my life. I am not happy. I don't like being stuck in closed rooms like this. I doubt it's to protect us. I think they just don't trust us." Bowser just looks at me. "That zebra said that you saw the diamonds in the sky. " Drift stares at me. June shifts on her hooves to look at me as well. "I...yes I saw the stars. They wanted to use me to become their warrior of blood. So I was put into some court and then forced a new deal. A creature I have never met before. She is now going to be taking my place. If she and I ever meet she will try to kill me for putting her in this situation." June shakes her head. "I don't know anything about the zebras and what they think about the stars. I don't know though if forcing this on another soul is wise though Rose." Drift looks at the others. "Is no one else worried that the stars have minds of their own? Are we even in control of our own choices then?" I shift looking up to Drift. "Drift the stars aren't like that. There are two versions of the stars. The stars want peace and love for all species in the world. Then the stars that want nothing but blood. Old stories: the stars that want blood took over." Bowser shakes his head. "If this is true then what do we do? Do we stay here for three days? Do you think Deco or Maria can get us out of here?" Deco finally chimed in. "There is no way we can get you out of here. That door there is not connected to anything that is powered. This place was built in the early stages of the war. It was before the ponies of the past relied too much on tech. Maria stays silent just to chime in herself. "I feel I have been here before. I remember. I remember being built somewhere near here. Then I remember being larger and then destroyed. I think that is my memory." I stare at the poor robotic creature. She is trying so hard to remember who she is. If she was built close around here. Maybe we can learn who she is. I look at the others and then at Deco. "Excuse me Maria could you shut yourself down at least enough so we can talk to just Deco? I don't want you to feel unwelcome but you can understand why can't you?" The robotic creature turns her head to me. It stares at me for a while. I have a feeling that she is feeling hurt. I do hope that she understands why. "You don't trust me, do you?" I shift on my hooves. I am unsure how to answer but I need to try anyway. "It's not that I don't trust you, Maria. I just need to make sure that you can trust us. If we ever find what you're made for you might have to be destroyed. You understand this right?" Maria just stares at me for a while. At least I think it was staring. Hard to tell when the head of this robot is a lamp. "Yes, I understand. I could be an awful weapon for all I know. Just please be truthful to me when the time comes." I look at the others. The others nod, as well as Maria, shuts herself down. Deco is the only thing left of her. Deco paces and looks up to us. Deco is not very happy with us. I could tell from the look on her face. "She and I talk to each other a lot and she is worried that you're just going to give her up. Because she is a tag along. Like it or not she is now part of this family. We are all family and we need to stick together." June sighs. "It's not that I don't trust her Deco. If I can gore it or stampede over it. I will have an issue trusting it." Bowser strokes his head. "That is the weirdest way of saying I trust you even if I can't kill you. I have no issue with trusting her Deco. I just want you to understand I am a diamond dog. Ponies find it very hard to trust us just from things we did in the past." Drift lands beside Maria. "I trust her with all my heart Deco. Just how do we know that she is not some weapon?" I turn my head just a bit to see some strange black ball in the corner of the room. I have no idea what it is. "Look everyone, let's just get some sleep. Maybe whoever runs this community will let us out. They can't keep up this lie forever." Bowser stares at. "What makes you think they're lying about this? We could be carrying a heavy sickness for all we know." I laugh softly. "Oh come on Bowser you and I fully know this place is properly run by one of my species. They don't trust outsiders at all and they will never listen to a pony. No matter how much-mixed blood is in this community." June laughs. "Listen to you Rose." I smirk then hear a latch on the door seeing a large pee hole open up. I stand on my hooves and the same mare that left us here is looking in. "Our leader is willing to meet with you Rose and only you. So please come with me" The door opens up and I look at June and the others. I stood up and headed out of the room to follow the unicorn. "Welcome to our community." When the two of us got out of the strange building I was locked in. I look around seeing the community of mixed breeds mostly zebras and ponies. The community is heavily guarded by a high metal wall and uses the factories around the road to make homes. Too bad it's night though I would be able to learn more about it. "Our community has been here since a few years after the war. It was an old hospital camp of ponies and zebras working together to try to find any survivors. They didn't find much but they made this into a community a few years after leaving with who they could." I found it strange they came back after so many years just to make a community out of it. There could be a reason for it but I will never understand at all. Maybe I will someday but it's going to get harder. I take a deep breath. Breathing the air out of my nose trying to relax. It's harder to relax since the stars are forcing me in court. We go inside a building that looks like an old guardhouse. Sitting on a chair is a pretty young zebra mare. She is downed in a robe with gold twinning. Skull earrings and staff beside her made of an old dragon tooth. "Good evening Rose I am Inhliziyo yegolide." I tilt my head. Her name is Gold heart? I wonder if there is a reason for this name. Of course, knowing my species there is always a meaning for a name. I just wait to hear what she will say. I am wondering if she will ask for our help. "I am willing to give you lodging a place you four could make a home out of. No strings attached, just I need to know what that thing is that came with you?" I look at Ziggy and then Gold heart. "If you're talking about our robotic friend. Her name is Maria she calls herself a frozen clock" Gold Heart leans on the tooth staring at me. "Frozen clock? There are old stories about such a creature. We had some scouts go into one of the old factory basements and found info on something like that. They couldn't get any of the info out before they got attacked. Now the door is locked and we won't allow anyone else down there. But before I even think of letting you down there. You must do what you did in Bubble Gum's community. Work at the bar with others and so on like you did there." I shook my head not caring for this idea. But if it's the only way to get the others out of that room. I know the others will hate me for agreeing to this. It's the only way we can do anything and get anywhere. "Alright, I will tell the others to agree with it. Is that all you wish to know?" The young mare leans more on the tooth. "I would like to know what it was like." I tilt my head. "What do you mean?" The young mare stands on her hooves looking at old paintings of the old world. Paintings of Luna and Celesta. "You four are from the old world. Could you explain to me what it was like?" All I could do was smile. The old days weren't amazing like many feel it was. It was a peaceful time only when some monsters didn't want to prove themselves. The old world is what the world will always be. "Is this a demand from a leader to one below them Gold heart?" She laughs, shaking her head. "No, this is a request from zebra to zebra." I sit down on my haunches and the young mare lays down. I didn't know how she would handle it. So I explained to her what the past was like. The amazing world that it was and the pain of the world. It's not a perfect world but no world was ever perfect.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Nine: Odd jobs Part one	It took a while for me to wake up. Bowser shook me awake. I open my eyes, staring at my three friends. Groaning sitting up in the bed looking at the others. A weak smile formed on my face. Stroking my head with one of my hooves. "We are all sorry for waking you, Rose. The guards came by and told us to go to the tavern to look for our odd jobs. What do you think we should do? I don't trust this group at all but I doubt we have a choice." I got out of bed looking at my friends. Looking down at Maria who is still attached to my leg. I sigh deeply unsure what to do. "Tell me Deco and Maria do you two feel safe here?" Maria doesn't say a word but a little orb that on her back brings out a hologram of Deco. Deco is in a strange outfit and she is wearing a strange hat. I have no idea why she is wearing any clothing, it's just stranger and stranger. "Maria feels safe. As long as she is connected to one of you she will feel fine. I don't fully know, just know there is a place here for upgrades. All I can say is that it's in that area that they told us has been locked for a long time." I glance at the others. "Alright then let's go to the tavern get something to eat then ask if there are any jobs they have for us. Just June be prepared, your job might be a bouncer heh." June laughs. "As long as I get to gore someone that would be great for me. I'd rather stick around to at least protect you three. I don't trust this place at all. I have a feeling that they might try to push us into something that we would all regret." Drift stayed silent. I have been worried about her ever since we came here. I hope that I will be able to talk to her in private. Maybe someday we will be free of these objects in our bodies. The four of us head out of the place they gave us. A home they said that we can do whatever we want with. If this is true then I will try to tell Hops that we now have a place that I can be with her. Walking through the community there are many creatures I have never seen before. I glance at a strange rat walking past us. The rat turns, taking his hat bowing his head in respect to me. "Good morning." I was taken aback by how kind he was. "Morning." I am not sure what to think. There are so many creatures and races I never thought I would see. I am starting to wonder if I will see more. I don't know, it just makes me worry. How do we know that all these races get along? We walk into the tavern and I nod to the others to go get a place to sit. I walk to the counter sitting on one of the stools. Behind the bar is a female Minotaur. She is wearing a dark black dress with a blue hat on her head. She looks up at me smirking. I get a good look at her. She is light green and her eyes are pure red. "So our new friends have come to grace my bar hmm?" I lift my hoof to their hand so we both in a way shake. "I am Kador. I was told you would come here to look for a job. I can tell you about every job that is up for grabs right now. It might be best for you to get food inside you first. Am I correct?" I sigh, nodding. "I am unsure what you have here though." Kador smiles. "Allow me to order all the food for you. It will be on the house till you get our way of currency here." That was kind of her I thought. I could be worried about everything that is going on. Worried that we are going to get into the middle of a war. I could also be worried that the stars told me the one that I pushed my task on will come for me. "Miss you have a lot on your mind from the look in your eyes. Maybe Kador can help you. Would you like to talk about it?" A smile forms across my face. "No, I am fine, I am still new to this new world. I am so used to the world of the past. Even my kind still didn't get treated the best at all. Just it was better than having guns aimed in your face the entire time." Kador nods. "I would kill to be in that old land you talk about. Even if the racism was still pretty normal from what you say. I'd rather have that than the threat of sickness or radiation storm that tends to happen now and again here." I sigh, nodding. "The old world may have been many things. But what I wouldn't give to just be back there again. I still think though I would have been treated just as badly as the zebras of old got treated. The point that most don't understand. Do zebras tend to harm their species in the name of the stars?" Kador shrugs her shoulders. "Anyway, we will get the food to you. I hope you four become citizens of this lovely town. I would love to serve you daily." A larger smile goes across my face. "I will talk to the others. I would love a place to come home to. I am sure the others would as well. So thank you so much." I leave the stool heading to the booth that my friends found. I sit beside Drift relaxing in the seat. "I find this place too peaceful." I glance at June who is unsure about this place. "Well I don't know about you three but I am willing to become a citizen here." They look at me. "I am willing to work to become a citizen here." Drift leans into me. I glance at the pegasus. I think she likes the idea too. "Just a place to stay would be great. Maybe we can become traders for them. Then go on our journey to learn why we have these creations in our bodies. I am hoping that we learn that and maybe learn more about ourselves." I shrug my shoulders. "I agree, I talked with the bartender. She will bring us the food. She said that we will have to earn the type of currency they use here. I don't know what they use here." Kador comes over with a large tray of various foods. She places all the meat infront of Bowser. She sets down a few daisy sandwiches for me and Drift. Then she gives June what looks like freshly pulled out grass. "On the house and after you eat I will bring the list of jobs we have on the wall. I will even tell our leader to allow you to become citizens if that is what you all want?" June shrugs her shoulders grazing on the grass ignoring the world around her now. "I wouldn't mind being a citizen of this place." Drift smiles digging into her food. "I am with them as well. Also, don't worry about June, she normally does what we do." Bowser snickers getting an angry look from June. "What do we have to do to become a citizen, Kador?' Kador smirks. "Well, you have to prove to be a worker of this community. Now enjoy your food and don't worry about the others here. Some may not respect you because of Rose. Some have issues with zebras. Even though we have zebras that live here. If they come to you Rose and express how they feel just give it back to them." I nod. "I wish I didn't have to do so. I hope that we can find a peaceful way to handle ourselves. I don't want to be a problem here already." Kador laughs. "Oh don't worry about being a problem. You're a guest to this community. If you get into a fight with someone you will be fine. Just as long as you don't kill someone then yeah you will be fine" June smirks. "No June you will not cause any problems here." Bowser chided her and tried everything he could to stop her from thinking it. June laughs. "You won't stop me from at least enjoying myself Diamond Dog." I sigh. "June for me please don't cause any problems." June lifts her head looking at me. She pouts and all I could do was roll my eyes and she laughs softly. "For you Rose, I won't cause a problem but if anyone tries to harm you three then I will cause a problem. I will not just sit by and let them hurt either of you." I let out a sigh. I am unsure what to think right now. June could be a problem all by herself. I am hoping that she will never cause a problem. There is no way I can stop her though even though she makes me think I can. "I will return." We watch while Kador leaves. I took a deep breath staying silent for a while ignoring this gut feeling I have. After a while, a band comes out on the stage and a large rat creature that I have never seen before. He looks like the one that we walked past earlier. "Hello everyone, I wish to welcome you to the tavern this morning. I hope you enjoy the music and the meals you're given. We also have a couple of new souls with us. I hope you can at least give them a warm welcome." He looks to the others in his band. A zebra stallion, A strange ant creature, and a hornet? "All four of us know what it's like to be new. Our magic eater friends behind me and my zebra friend are still new here. Just they enjoyed becoming part of this new land." My ears perk up magic eaters? "Magic eaters?" Bowser looks at the stage. He shifts his eyes to see if he could learn anything from them. He gasped covering his eyes., "I can't see those two creatures. I wonder if these creations of ours don't work on creatures that eat magic." June ignores us and Drift looks at the zebra stallion who looks back at her. It's like love or something. I just stare at Drift. "No.. not till we are sure we are staying here got it?" Drift sighs nodding. The band starts up their music. It's soft, gentle, and cool. The rat grabs the mic while the music drifts through the tavern. "Oh welcome to a world of endless torment. A world that follows with death and torment of souls that never see a new tomorrow." "A new tomorrow." The others with him sing. "This tomorrow will never come. If we don't work together and bring back the light. Ooooh, the light shall never end. If the light sings for our hearts. Oh, our hearts shall never end. Our hearts shall sing to become one with the others." The zebra stallion comes up to sing as he glides his hooves along with a string instrument. "I have lost my way as a zebra in the dark of the night. I have left my home. I have left the others to rot. They're dead, my tribe is all gone. I hope they never scream in the endless torment of souls and rendering of flesh. But there is always a new tomorrow." "A new tomorrow." The others sing. "Even though I have lost my tribe. My home, my life. I never allow the end to take me. I never allow the end to be near. I shall always sing in my heart. I look up to the stars and curse. Curse them under my breath. Curse them under my song. I shall never let them lead me again. I shall end them in my mind and move along." The next is the hornet that somehow blows a horn? "I am known as a magic eater. I am called Venom Sting. I am part of a brood that lives in this loving community. That welcomes my kind that welcomes my soul. I have been lost. I have been found. We have been welcomed and our queen sings her heart for us all. We are a brood of lost souls. We are a brood of mixed broods. Lost in the grand scheme of the evil land. A land that refuses to give us our fate." He buzzes to add to the music. The buzz sings through the tavern adding to the calm gentle music. The buzz adds to his horn a horn that blows through his lips. Hooves and hands clap to add to the music. "So my new tomorrow is to please my queen. She may not be my brood mother. She is a queen and she deserves all my love and joy. I shall sing to her and her kings till the day I end. For I am a magic eater and I sing for them. So I sing of the new tomorrow our new today. Our new sun that rises in the east. Our new hearts see the light. Our new dawn, our glowing hearts. Our glowing love with our families and wives or husbands." The others sing. "Our new tomorrow. Our today. Our new story just started today. Allow the sun to set on our new today. The month of our lives has become a way within the dreams. Welcome oh, welcome new souls to this new world of yours." The final one to sing. "I am what is called a tunneler. I am from a land of sand, land of death. A land called windowmaker desert. I am a scout. I am lost within this land. I have been wanting to learn and to understand this world. I have been here for almost ten years. I will never return, I will become the music within my heart." I felt a little stress come over me. I nod to my friends and get up from the table to go to the bathroom. I look around for the mares bathroom but I don't see it. It's for all sexes. I go in and it's a pretty big bathroom. I look into the mirror and my eyes look heavily bloodshot. I feel the stress getting to me. Looking down at Maria I have a feeling she is going to stay offline. I am sure she and Deco are either resting or trying to find out the next spot for our upgrades. The door opens behind me. I ignore whoever it is. "Well well, we have a zebra here." I look up into the mirror staring at ponies who want to cause a problem. "What will we do to her boss?" The stallion laughs. "Oh, I am unsure." The gang of stallion ponies surrounds me. Closing my eyes tightly, turning the water on to watch my face and my eyes with my metal hooves. Taking a deep breath blowing the air out looking into the mirror to stare at the ponies. "Are you going to keep bothering me?" I turn around on my hooves to stare at the stallions. Many of them seem to want to cause me a problem and all I want to do is be left alone with my friends. I didn't want to harm anyone with these metal hooves. "Zebras need to learn their place; they're below us, we are above." I sigh deeply. "Is that what your egos tell you?" Another stallion finally walks in. "What are you boys doing?" They turn to look at the larger stallion. "Oh just giving this mare a welcome." The stallion is wearing a guard-like uniform and he rolls his eyes. "Right I am sure you weren't about to rape her because there are more of you than her. That would be a great welcome to a mare looking for a place to stay. So Red I have an idea how about I let you fight her and if you win your boys can have their fun. If she wins you leave her the fuck alone." Red the leader of these stallions smirks. "Oh, and she is not going to fight fair either." Red looks confused and I smack him right in the crotch so hard that he screams. Since he turned around he fell to the ground screaming in pain. I lift my metal hoof putting my hoof on his family jewels. "I am not in the mood for stallions and their egos and ponies thinking they're above my species. I was told everyone is welcomed in this community. If you want to rape me because you think I am an easy mare I am not. I am from a time when stallions like you would be put in their place." I move my hoof away from the stallion looking at his gang. The large stallion smirks forcing the ponies to move away from me. He used his large bulky body to let me get away from the other stallions that tried to force their egos on me. He walked out of the bathroom with me and I didn't get to hear the rest of the song. "I am sorry about them. They don't even live here but they come in here to cause problems with the zebras of this community. No zebra ever dared to fight them and I learned you're not from this time. So you have no issue fighting them." I chuckle. "I do have an issue with killing. But I don't have an issue putting stallions in their place. If I did scream my friends would have charged in. Knowing my friend June they would have been dead. So is there anything else I should be warned about with that group?" The guard shrugs. "Na they will leave for a while. But if you leave and do not become citizens they will target you as a threat to them and their raider gang." Raider gang? "I am sorry for following you. I was asked to keep an eye on you and your friends. I am Tower and yes just Tower since I was a pretty large colt when I was young. So it stuck. I will be your friend and try everything to protect you and your friends." A smile forms on my face. "Thank you but if I may ask why is a raider gang allowed in this community? Do they not understand what raiders do? I am still new to this land and I knew what raiders did. I have seen what they did." Tower nods and we stop in front of the bar. He looks back to the bathroom seeing the stallions leave. "You stay here, they might still be angry for what you did to their leader. Now look, Miss Rose, I may not always protect you. Just what did you use to smash poor Reds jewels?" I lift my hoof and leg. "My friends and I got lucky, unlike the others. I had my hooves removed with these metal ones and with each upgrade the metal goes up my legs. I am sure my entire legs will be metal before my journey is over with." Tower nods. "I will let you get back to your friends. Just please don't allow those stallions to get to you. If they try again you will have to fight them on your own." I get up from the stool. "I won't rely on you big guy. Just please If I do call for you, will it be over tea or just a talk fair?" Tower nods. "Fair take care, Miss Rose." I walk back to my friends. A soft sigh comes through my mouth. The stress is getting to me heavily and I need to relax. I can't think of a way to relax at all. I get back to the booth my friends are at and they are laughing and talking. "Rose, are you okay?" "No no I am not. I also got attacked and raped by a gang of stallions." June lifts her head from the grass she has almost fully eaten. Steam comes out of her horns. I thought oh no I think I just triggered the angry horns. "No no I am fine June no need to lose your mind." Bowser sighs, shaking his head. "Let me guess that one stallion that has ice between his legs is the one you hit?" I glance at the stallion who is in a chair holding ice on his crotch. I smirk weakly looking at Bowser. "Oh, Rose, there is no way to start or end a fight. It's a way to make sure the stallion will hold a grudge because you hurt his jewels." June smirks. "You got to hold his family jewels now he can't give his family jewels to anyone else. Awww soooo sad." Bowser groans Drift laughs. Kodor comes back with a list of jobs. She sets it down and looks up at me with a smirk forming on her face. "Tower told me what you did." I let a heavy sigh, shaking my head. "I am sorry I didn't mean to cause any issues." Kodor laughs. "No no don't worry about it, Rose. He has had that coming for ages now. He may try again later. But I would say he will think twice about it. Just if he does try to harm you just come find me. I will gather the other girls he and his gang have harmed or attacked and we will join you in the fight." A smirk comes across my face. "I see now, let's see the job list." Looking through the job list. I see a job to go through the old ruins of a factory with a creature called a ghoul. She wants just one other creature to come with that could be of good help. Bowser signed up for maintenance work in the town. June takes to patrol and guarding and Drift takes working with Kador. Things went pretty quickly after the choices were made. It was pretty much the next day since we all spent the rest of the day resting in our new home. I went to the tavern when I was asked to sit at the table the ghoul is sitting at. "Oh, a zebra and." She looks at me over a smirk forming over her face. "You must be the zebra that was frozen for 200 years, am I correct?' I nod quickly "I am yes." The ghoul gave a rotting smile. I could swear I could hear her flesh stretch. I could smell her but I didn't want to be rude to her. I took a deep breath and blew out to relax. "So what are you looking for?" The ghoul sets down a map. The map has a large circle around it on an old factory that created water bottles or clean water. It's a pretty long trek from here to there. "We are searching for this old factory so we can get fresh water for the area. A warning for you though there are a lot of mutants or creatures mutated by the magic weapons used in this area during the war." I shake my head unsure what to think. But this is the only way to make money and become a citizen. "Now we will be leaving after Kador gets done making your food for the trip and getting enough water for you to take with us. Tower will be giving you a choice of weapons for the trip as well. They will be needed and I can teach you how to live through the waste." It took about an hour for Kador to get all the food ready for me. She gave me what is called a magic bag. Then attaching to my leg a pip-buck so I could look through my life signs and what is in my bags. "This will save your life and Tower is making you armor and weapons. This will protect you from whatever is out there. Since many of us haven't been to this area of the city before." After a while Tower brought heavy armor that fit me very well. I was able to see my pip-buck through the protection and use it as well. He set down a set of weapons. For the first set, I need to choose from three swords. I found a zebra sword that has a strong zebra name 'Ngiyethemba' Meaning hope. I grab the hilt in my mouth housing the blade in its scabbard on my armor. The next set of weapons he sets down are various pistols. I look through each pistol finding a magnum that has a powerful name to it. 'One song.' I look at the gun itself. It seems to house only one small shell but there are many of them. I look through the shells and notice these have been made just recently. It looks like this gun was made recently itself. I put that in the holder for the weapon and then the last set of weapons. A couple of large rifles, one of them is a crossbow and even a sniper rifle. Since I feel the best way to deal with far-away targets and stay silent is a crossbow. I take the crossbow looking at the name. 'Bolt tosser.' I put the crossbow on my armor and all the ammo is placed in my bags. Looking into my inventory like I am told to. Seeing all the food, water, ammo, and medical drugs, and normal drugs. "You're ready then come on let's go." I follow the ghoul to the next leg of this journey. I have no idea what I am going to find but maybe I will find something that brings me closer to my path. I am starting to wonder if I will ever find the true path. I am hoping I will learn whatever I can about myself. I look down to Maria and Deco who are still offline. Maybe they will help me through this journey.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Ten: Dunewalker Part two	There are stories about a strange robotic creature made from parts of pip-bucks. Many think this robotic creature was not only made from these parts and some of these parts don't even look like a Pip-buck I found this robot though. The robot is attached to the leg of a zebra mare. This mare doesn't even know the power of this robot. They call her Maria. I didn't even think it was a real pip-buck. Till she said the words Frozen clock attached to her leg. I wish I could ask you to come and recruit this mare and the frozen clock. But they saved my life and I will not tell you the truth. Maybe someday I will tell you the truth. Or maybe I won't. It's time for me to do what I feel is right. Ripped up old letter written to Wheel Tread from Dunewalker. It's been at least a day since I got the job to go with the ghoul. I learned it is named Shadow Bloom. From the stories, she told me she used to be part of the military before the war ended and went awol after many of her friends got murdered during an attack. She won't go too deep into it but she is not going to. Mostly out of respect for the fact I am a zebra. "Now Miss Rose, I see you're having no problems surviving in this new world. I wonder though why would the Black Hooves pick you and your friends for those robotic upgrades?" I look down at Maria and wonder if Deco could explain. But right now Maria is still charging. I am wondering if she is having issues keeping her battery charged. "The Ai who I speak to now and then who I named Deco. Has no idea why we were even picked for these upgrades so to speak. She doesn't even remember why she was placed inside our upgrades and the start of everything only be allowed to talk to her." Shadow chuckles. "Sounds like a pain in the ass." She quickly stops crouching in a way to sneak and I follow her. Even though my hooves make a soft metal clomp. We hear a battle going on of swords and even guns going off. We lift our heads around a building and we see the factory we need to get to for the water. But right now there are many robots and camel fighting creatures. The robots though are yelling one thing. "He rises he is returning from the dead." The camel laughs while swinging a strange sword that is attached to a shotgun. Her eye is cybernetic and the rest of her is fleshy. On the sword, I see the name Dunewalker. "OI!!! The creatures attacking them are hard to see what they are. They look like mutated lizards holding heavy weapons and guys firing back. When a robot falls another rises to take on the lizards. "Alright, We could try to sneak inside while they fight or we could join into the fight." I glance down at Maria hoping Deco would help. Before I could say anything though the mutant lizards do what they can to run. Many of the robots with the camel are either destroyed or about to fall apart. "I think we should talk to this camel." The ghoul shrugs her shoulders and we walk out from the side of the building we were hiding. The camel quickly turns, aiming her shotgun and we both stop in our tracks. The camel looks at the ghoul with her eye and then at me. She then looks down at my leg. "Hello, Miss Camel, we come in peace. I am Desert Rose." The camel looks up at me again and then at the ghoul. She just sighs looking at all the robots around her who are now gone and dead. "A stripes willing to talk about peace. I don't fucking care if you're a peaceful zebra you're still striped now tell me what you want or I will kill you like many of your kind should have been killed." I stay silent now, a hater of zebras. I don't blame her for what happened during the war. I am told many things my kind did during the war were insane. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes. I try my best not to get upset. "Listen, this zebra recently came out of magic hibernation so don't pit her like the others. She is from 200 years ago and if you can't accept it. Then we will leave you here with your broken toys." The camel shifts again looking down at my leg. Maria finally comes online and looks up with her camera eyes. I put my hoof on Maria to hide her and the camel smiles. She comes over to me after she puts her sword back into the scabbard. She stands right in front of me. I look up at her. It's not easy to look at her from how tall she is. "I am Dunewalker. I am here from the desert known as the Widowmaker. I am sure that after being around for 200 years I know what that desert is." The widowmaker desert? I have heard stories of that place. It's not something I know much about. I glance at Shadow and she pushes the camel away from me. The two stare at each other. "Now listen to Dunewalker betrayer of your species. We are here to get water if you come with us or get out of the way." I didn't know what she meant by betrayer of her species. The camel rolls her eyes. She reaches into her pack bringing out a cigarette lighting it and taking a deep drag from it. She stares at the two of us. "I see a ghoul pony just another one willing to insult rather than speak. Now tell me why you are here or I will be the next problem you deal with." I close my eyes, shaking my head. Opening my eyes I glance up at the camel. "Listen, we didn't come here for any trouble. We came here to find water and whatever else we can find here. If you wish to get in our way I am willing to fight you. I trained and what the black hooves did to me I can assure you. I can break every bone in your body." The camel watches while the metal in my legs gets harder. I stomp my right hoof on the ground causing the ground to shatter. The camel didn't seem that impressed and she smirks. She leans down to look right into my eyes. "You got moxie zebra. You said your name is Desert Rose? Do you also know what the world was like before the end of the war? Impressive I thought only my species lived to be very old age." Shadow shakes her head. "Now are you willing to help us?" The camel shrugs her shoulders. "I don't mind and I won't expect any payment. I am just here for something myself. Because back in the war this wasn't just a water packing plant. There are old files that were also a weapon-making plant. Now I don't fully buy it. The one who hired me for this job thinks all the weapons would still be here." Dunewalker tosses the cig away, smashing it out. She sighs and I glance at Shadow who shrugs her shoulders. We get ready just in case there are more of those strange lizards inside this building. When we get in though it's very silent in the factory and all the sounds we hear are old metal bearings groaning trying to hold together. "This place sounds like it has seen better days." Of course, I didn't know any better. I kept forgetting it's been 200 years since the end of the war. So a lot of the old buildings which are still standing are at least built to last. I do believe though if it was built to last. "Excuse me Shadow, what do you expect to find here?" I try to at least say as silently as I can. She turns to look at me and she swings her hoof at me for me to follow her. She opens a door looking inside. The room is very empty; it looks like an old waiting room area. All three of us go in and she sets down some of the food she held for me. "I am expecting to at least find a water talisman. Don't get me wrong, the community is very good at finding them. The ones we have been finding are weaker and tend to fall apart very easily. So I am hoping to find the top-of-the-line versions." Dunewalker laughs. "Leave it to you ponies you give the worst versions of your magic creations to those that need to live and give it to those that want to go to war and destroy the world." Shadow snorts angrily and after a second smirks. "You're not wrong there, Dunewalker. One of the biggest reasons I went awol was because of how the elites treated the rest of the army and citizens that just wanted to live peacefully through the war." I guess I am lucky I didn't live through the war. The war sounds like it was worse than most stories talk about. The fact I have seen some old newspapers like a newspaper about Big mac saving Celestia and his life being taken for doing so. "What's on your mind, Desert Rose?" I am taken from my thoughts back to the present looking at the ghoul and the camel. I shrug my shoulders. "I may not enjoy how I came to this new world. Having my family killed and accused of many things just because I am a zebra. I am not the only one my friends had some stupid things said about. Of course, June was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I guess one pony said oh look a buffalo let's use her." The camel for a moment stands on her paws pulling me into a tight hug. "I...didn't expect this Miss Dune." The camel chuckles. "If you're the Desert Rose I have been told about then you deserve it. You lost everything because some group called the Black hooves wanted to make an example of you. Am I correct?" I back away a bit from the hug looking up at the camel. She is correct and I am amazed she knew about this. It took me a second for the words to come out of my brain to my mouth. I still haven't had an easy time after Maria inserted her wires in my head. "Yes, I am that Desert Rose. But before we go on, I want you to meet two others who are with us." I lean down to Maria who I have no idea why looks like what I learned is a Pipp-buck. "Maria Deco please say hello." Shadow and Dunewalker look at my leg. Maria lifts her cam head looking at the two. She tries to stay very calm. I could feel she was unsure what to think of these two. I don't know why I can feel her emotions, maybe the fact she is connected to me? "I am Maria. A creation that both those robot factions are after. Also, this is Deco." Her cam eye glows and the pink Ai pony looks around giggling. "Hello!! Now forgive us for staying silent. We had no idea if we could trust you two. Like Maria said she is hunted by these two robotic factions. I was just forced in the head of Rose here. I have no idea why." Dunewalker stares at Maria. "When I heard you had the frozen clock. I felt you were talking out of your ass. I have heard stories of the frozen clock but all the information on them has been lost. If any information of the project exists I doubt it would tell us the whole truth about you." I could feel Maria's emotions. The emotions are so strange I am not used to feeling them. I groan a bit holding my head. "Sorry, Maria is sad at least it feels like she is sad." Shadow tilts her head. "She is connected to you like a parasite ain't she?" I glance at the ghoul nodding. I grunt again feeling a lot of fear from Maria. The emotions Maria is going through are overwhelming. I wish I could block them. Maybe I will learn to do so someday. I grunt a bit more. "I don't mind it. It's the only way my friends and I can protect her till we find out why these factions are after her. If they want her for some weapon I am going to flatly say no. She has a soul at least that is how it feels to me. A robotic creature normally never has emotions. I am wondering if the years of being on their own helped with it." Maria looks up at me with her cam eye. I look down at her with a weak smile. The poor robot hasn't done anything harmful to me. I feel she is worried for me and all I do is pat the robotic creature let her rest. "So miss Dunewalker. What are those creatures you were fighting?" Dunewalker shrugs her shoulders. "I know nothing about them. I just know they're a creation of a group called the Blue hats. The Blue hats aren't even located in this area of Equestria. They're in an area of Equestria that is surrounded by mountains. So how they got here I have no idea." I shift grunting feeling my body convulse. I gasp deeply in pain. I try to catch my breath, closing my eyes in pain. I open my eyes and look around, seeing how the others are worried about me. All I do is smile. "I will be fine." Deco gasp. "Oh, an upgrade is here." She lifts her hoof to the locked door in the resting area. It saids on the door of the director's office. Why did it take her so long to tell me there is an upgrade for my cybernetics there. I stand on my hooves going to the door. "Wait, what do you mean upgrade?" I turn back to the other two. "An upgrade for my cybernetics and the others as well. I will download it into my cybernetics and they will take over more of my body. I think soon I may lose the flesh in my legs altogether and every time there is an upgrade I feel I must download it." Dunewalker shifts on her paws looking down at the ghoul mare. She shrugs her shoulders. I don't think Dunewalker understands what is going on. Shadow sighs come up to me and put her hoof on my shoulder. "Are you sure it's wise to do this before we find what we need? What happens if you're out of it and we have to defend your body?" I glance at Shadow. "Then you have to defend me. I am sorry I won't be too long hopefully." I try to open the door with my mouth but it's locked. So I get on my back hooves and smash the door with the metal hooves. I dent the wooden planks on the door. I try to smash the door again but the camel stops me with her large weighted by and her paws. "Why are you stopping me?!" The camel laughs. "It's already unlocked. Here let me show you." Dune grabs the door handle with her paw and pushes the door open. I was trying to pull it open. My cheeks burn brightly feeling stupid about all this. I should have known about these types of doors. "Thank you..." I softly say. I head into the room where there is a terminal on the wall and I look around seeing there are many dead in here. On the chair I am sure is the owner of this building and there is a bullet wound in the head. I head to the terminal wires come out of my metal front hooves as they insert themselves into the terminal. "Searching for the upgrade." I look down at Deco and Maria they're talking in computer speech and all I can do is watch the terminal screen. The screen turns to bright white and I feel my brain getting sucked into the computers like last time but this time it's more painful. I can't scream, I can't do anything but feel myself enter the computer. My entire world goes dark. I open my eyes in the computer world looking around a tall the files and what would be thought to be a virus. But they're more from what I learned the last time I went through this is protection files. Deco forms into a large Ai pink pony beside me and we both look around. I look down at my leg seeing Maria is still attached there. "Maria?" I look up to Deco and she shrugs her shoulders. Maria from what I feel is scared and doesn't want to move. Deco looks around for the upgrade. It will take us a while. Until the entire area turns bright red. "Alert... alert invasive program found. Alert destroy it." Fear fills my heart as the attack files turn to attack. I look down to Maria who I have a feeling is this program they're after. Deco tries her best to find the upgrade before these get to us. I try to get ready to attack these files. I have no idea if I am going to be able to. To be Continued
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Eleven: Upgrade and water search part three	There are always old files in these terminals. I am unsure if I could find what you want Wheel Tread. There is no more info on finding Project Storm Watch. If I do find anything on the project then I will give you all info. I have found methods of brainwashing. Find a useless hero and then put them through these methods. They won't only break, they will join you. After I am done with this I am going my own way. I never wish to deal with a hero. Written by Dunewalker to Wheel Tread. I smash my hooves in the strange anti-virus programs while Deco quickly searches through the files to find the upgrades. They don't seem to be focusing on me though they're after Maria. I worry if she is this creation of the Frozen clock that she is some virus or whatever they call it. Maria holds to my leg tightly I feel her emotions and it's getting overly taxing. "I should find it soon and keep protecting her Rose!!" Another antivirus program comes right for Maria and I turn around bucking the program while it shatters. More keep coming I know I can't keep this up for long. I feel this taxing on my mental ability to stay awake. I feel bleeding from my nose like my body is not handling my brain being in this state very well. I glance up at Deco who is not very happy about digging through all these files just trying to find upgrades for me and the others. I groan, my back legs buckling. I can't handle this anymore. I try to stand but my legs won't let me. Deco quickly splits to keep herself looking while trying to talk to Maria. "Maria Rose needs you. You can't just keep being scared. You need to do something you need to try to get these programs to stop attacking. If you don't Rose might get badly injured or worse her brain could get destroyed." Maria shakes and robotically cries. "I can't, I am too scared. I don't want to hurt anyone if I am this creation. Please don't force me please!!" Deco grabs Maria's cam head stroking her head with her hoof. "Listen, look up at Rose, she is not doing well. We need you to do something please before she gets very hurt." Maria looks up at me. I look at her pain filling my body. Tears stream down my face while I look up seeing more coming towards me. I try to stand but I can't. I watch while Maria's cam eye turns bright red and a strange gun comes out of the back of her body. The gun fires at the programs and while she does wires come out of her body and enter various ports in the system. After many pregnant seconds, the world around us turns to light blue, and after all, is said and done things calm down. Maria from what I feel shuts off she used too much energy and needs to recharge. I finally stand feeling the strain on my system subside. I look around and stand right in front of Deco and a strange computer avatar pony appears in front of us. The pony for a moment just stares at us and something turns on. "Welcome to Hope water factory. How can I help you?" The pony stares at me and Deco. "I am Deco. I am searching for upgrades related to the Black Hooves' cybernetic project I believe it was called. I would like it if you could download the upgrades into this Zebra and then she will pass it on. Before we leave, what is the upgrade for the cybernetic hooves?" It takes a while for the computer pony to answer. The pony dims and vanishes and then returns like it's looking through its files. The pony opens its eyes again and looks at me. Then it looks at my hooves and wires attached to my legs. "Downloading what these upgrades will do for the hooves. Will to make them rust-resistant and harder. The bones in your legs will slowly get replaced by metal bones in the legs and you will start rejecting your old bones. If you hear bones cracking and breaking it's the program taking over. For the eyes upgrade it will mainly give a type of night vision. How it's used is up to the user. The emotions orb. It's given the ability to sustain the hunger of the user. It can use fat or other calories and keep them working in the system till proteins are gone." It takes a second for the computer to read what June's upgrades will be. It's taking so long that I worry about what is going to happen to June. "The horns upgrade the ability to release more heat from the body. Since the need for body heat to use these horns will be intense and the body could catch on fire if there are not enough vents. The user will feel a lot of pain if these upgrades aren't given to them." These upgrades just sound dumber than the other ones. Why would metal bones replace the normal bones in my legs? How will I be able to move and bend my legs? I wonder if I will have to learn to walk again. Hopefully, I won't have this issue but knowing me lately I will get used to the pain. "I have a question for you before you log us out. Do you have any files on the Frozen clock?": The computer pony stares at me. Before I could do anything the pony gets upset like this pony had emotions the entire time. "Please don't bring that creation up. Why would a computer terminal connected to a water packing plant have a file on a creation the military created. Check old military bases or bases which had connections to the military. Now, do you need anything else?" I shook my head "Good and please never return here. I never want to see you or that thing on your leg again. Also, miss AI takes your other half of yours before I try to delete it." Deco fuses the other part of her back into her. She then goes back into Maria I am finally kicked out of the computer world and when I get back to the world of the living I am tossed back into the body of Dunewalker. "Are you okay stripes? Your nose is bleeding and your eyes are bloodshot." I grunt getting on my hooves, wiping my nose, shaking my head. A weak smile forms across my face. "It wasn't very nice there.." I turn to look at the terminal. The screen is shattered and the parts are strewn all over the place. I glance up at Dunewalker. "Shadow and I felt we should destroy the terminal. Those lizards I was fighting are regrouping. So If you want to be attacked let's get moving and find what you need in here." I wonder if we could talk with them. Tell them we are just here for a good amount of water and the ability to get clean water. "I am going to try something." I walk out of the room to head back to the main door outside. Shadow and Dunewalker are right behind me trying to stop me. When I get outside the lizards turn right at me aiming their weapons and all I do is sit on my butt. "Do any of you speak?" They look at each other. A large one comes out of the crowd I can't tell what sex this creature is. But I am not going to guess. The creature sits down on its butt staring right at me like it's mimicking me. "You're willing to talk to us rather than just shooting?" I shrug my shoulders. "I am not from this world. I am from the world which came before." The lizards look at each other. The large one's eyes open in shock. It's like they have never seen a creature from before the war got as bad as it did. It took a while for the lizard or me to speak again. "So you're from before the war then? I have been told stories about it by ghouls. Now before we go on with these talks. Why is that camel with you? You know who she is right? The Dunewalker is the betrayer of her species and the cursed one of her kind. Everywhere she walks danger or pain comes with her." I glance at the camel behind me. Then back at the lizard, I shrug my shoulders. "I don't see anything wrong with her. She just seems to be a camel and I know that camels have genetic memory. So I am sure she is many generations from the Dunewalker that became the Dunewalker. I am not going to judge her unless she needs to be judged." Dunewalker stays silent. I have a feeling she wasn't expecting me to say those words. I do know the camel herself is pretty racist just from what she called me a while ago. Of course, there are harsher things you could say to a zebra. She hasn't used any of those words yet and I am sure she would. The lizard shakes their head. "I am Yellow Eyes, the leader of this pack. We used to live in Wymarnic but ran off after our creators let us go. We gave ourselves a new name and I felt since we have these." She lifts her flat claw. "I named us the Flat Feet pack. It's a bit on the nose but eh I am not interested in making such a big deal out of a name or tribe. Anyway. you seem to be the more reasonable of most of your species. I haven't met many zebras mostly ponies. But if we can make a deal I am up for it." I take a moment to think about the best way to answer. I glance at the ghoul and then at Dunewalker. Then back at Yellow eyes. "My friend Shadow and I are after as much water as we can take along with a water talisman since she was told there are very good long-lasting ones in this factory. Dunewalker is here searching for some military bunker or factory below this place." Yellow eyes chuckle. "Well, my kind don't drink as much water as your species do. But the military bunker or whatever? I can assure you there is nothing of that here. We have searched all over and even made this place a place of living for us for a time." I tilt my head. "Why did you leave?" Yellow Eyes shifts standing back on her claws. "We left mainly because of some strange robot in the robot war that went through here. We came back after a few years and we found this camel with many robots spouting he had risen and they kept yelling ``the Storm King has risen!!" I glance behind me to see Dunewalker not wishing to talk about it. "Let me just say the one I work with has many followers who believed the Storm King wasn't the monster the ponies of old said he was. I on the other paw know the truth. Just I can't stop what the one I work with wants right now. Since I am indebted to him." Yellow eyes help me on my hooves looking at my metal hooves. "What happened to you?" I take a deep breath sighing. I explained to her what happened to me and my friends. I go into what happened to me and my family and how I was accused of being a zebra spy and how they cut my hooves off and put these hooves on my legs and they now make my legs metal. I then talked about the others and Yellow eyes just held my hoof tightly. "You and your friends are always welcomed with my species. You deserve it for all the bullshit you and your friends have been through. In fact please accept our help with carrying all the water we can get you." I was flabbergasted about how kind these creatures are. I look over to Dunewalker who snorts. But shrugs her shoulders. Shadow laughs. "Thank you!! That is going to be so much help to our community." Yellow eyes stare at Shadow. "We are only doing it for Desert Rose and her friends. Till you and other ponies prove themselves as kind and respectful and peaceful as this zebra we will help you as well. But if the leaders of your community are willing to sit with us and talk. Then we will do so but if any of my pack gets hurt then all bets are off and we will fight you by leaving Rose and her friends alone." I shake my head. "Yellow Eyes I feel it might be best to not get angry if they dislike or hate you. Just show them you're not monsters like they think you are." Dunewalker grumbles. "You have something to say to Dunewalker?" I look up at the camel. "I am sorry I am just so used to everyone attacking each other like it's like back in the land I am from. I normally don't even say I am sorry I just keep forgetting that not everyone is from the desert of hell I am from." I nod "Alright, let's get all the water we can for our friend Desert Rose here. Oh and Miss Shadow you said you wanted a talisman right?" The ghoul nods. "Yes, I found information about many of them in this factory including one which is so powerful it can last ten times longer than a normal one. So if you please very kindly find ones that aren't broken while Rose and I go get the other one. I got my tools to work with it and then carry it. I am worried about the security connected to it though." Yellow Eyes nods. "I am sure the camel can protect you two while we get all the water and whatever else you want." I followed Shadow and Dunewalker to the basement and when we got down to the basement there was so much fresh water and Dune just stared at the water and she reached her paw into it and took a drink. "The land I am from ponies would kill anyone to protect this water. How long this water stayed down here without bodies dying in it or anything making it toxic is amazing." We get to the magic talisman and Shadow works on unhooking it. I hear splashes in the water. I look over to the water and see nothing "I think we aren't alone." Dunewalker grabs her sword. I don't know what she is so concerned by when Shadow gets through the first security water splashes. Coming out of the water are robotic marine life. Many creatures fused with cybernetics. "Alert alert" An alarm sounds off while Dunewalker and I deal with the cybernetic creatures. They fire lasers like us while we do what we can to defend Shadow. Most of these creatures are dolphins and from the looks of them, they're in so much pain from staying alive for so long. These creatures don't make sounds like the other robots do. I do my best to make sure these creatures die without any pain. While the camel slices into them and I smack the power supplies. "This is too easy, this security is weak!!" The camel of course had an ego. Thankfully I didn't and when Shadow goes through the second part of the security ports in the walls open up and robotic birds fly out and these seem to be the same thing as cybernetic creatures with the robotic parts controlling what they do. I can't get to them for a while. I smash the last robotic dolphin and it screams in pain. "Shh shhh let me." I do my best to make sure the passing of this creature is less painful. I inject it with med x while the poor creature slowly passes away. It was the last of them I looked around at the oil and blood. Dunewalker swings her sword missing a few times and gets scratches on her body from the claws. I got hit a few times in the flank. Shadow gets back the last of the security and the alert goes into the full blast and a large door opens up in the water. We hear screaming and roaring and coming out of the water is a cybernetic shark connected to large legs. "Who the hell comes up with this stuff?!" Dunewalker didn't wait and attacked the sharp teeth of the shark, catching her sword and laser's aim at her she pulled off getting hit by some of the lasers after pulling the shotgun out of the hilt. She fires while the armor on her body smokes a bit. I can't do anything but get out of the way and hide. Shadow trots over to me, giving me the back which holds what we came for. I look at the barding and see I still have my weapons. I may have been trained in how to fire them but my brain can't handle that right now. Shadow arms and cocks all her weapons on her barding. She fires at the creature while Dunewalker does the same. The battle takes so long that I am sure this creature would have killed us all if one foot didn't trip on the bodies of dolphins and falls. I get one good hit with my metal hooves into the cybernetic head breaking through to the flesh and robotics brain. I pull my hoof out covered in blood and oil. Dunewalker laughs putting the gun back into her sword. "WHooo what a rush. At least they had good security to protect their water. The issue is though we might have to make sure only some know about this place. If too many know the purity of the water will be gone." A door opens up after all the security is removed. It looks like an office and the three of us go inside. Inside looks like a lost and found. Inside the lost and found is a zebra weapon. A powerful-looking zebra-made machine gun. As well as zebra-made armor it needs some work and the gun needs some cleaning. I open the magic bags by putting them in there and Dunewalker looks through the files on the terminal. "Nothing. Everything about what I am after is not here. I will let you take that armor and gun, Desert Rose. Do you mind if I continue to come with you till I find what I need?" I glance at Dunewalker. "I don't mind, I will have to talk to the others. Anyway, we should head back. Do you think the community would mind if I take the gun and armor Shadow?" Shadow smiles. "I will talk to them about it. I feel you should be given something for what you have done for us." I follow the two of them out looking back at the body seeing it's a zebra. The poor zebra looked like they were stuck in this place. I wonder if the security closed in on them and I sigh deeply following the others out and when we get out of the factory. The lizards are holding as much water and talismans that were in there. "We could get everything but we got enough water that could help a big community. If you can promise they won't shoot us on sight." Shadow nods. "I will make sure they don't. If they do, I will have heavy words with them." Shadow leads the way while Duneawlker and I follow behind the lizards. "Forgive me Rose if I become awful towards you. With how your kind treated camels during the war I am sure you won't blame me. So sometimes I might outright insult you and be racist towards you." I shrug my shoulders. "I don't care as long as you don't try to kill me." Dunewalker laughs. "Oh, I got no reason to kill you." I take a deep breath very unsure of what to think of Dunewlker and the fact she wants to come with us on our journey. I hope she is ready for the rough journey ahead. To protect Maria and to find the Black Hooves who did this to me and the others.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Twelve: Guardians	Wheel Tread I write to you to let you know I can no longer use this group to help you find out more about Project StormWatch. I draw the line on these kind gentle four souls. They may have done some awful things from what the wasteland has done to them. But I will draw the line when it comes to this group. Signed Dunewalker. Oh, deer Dunewalker. I think you don't understand the deal you're under. Because of me, your family hasn't been treated as an outcast by your species. You will do what I ask or I will make sure when you return here you're treated worse than your mother was. Now I know the info of Project Stormwatch is around in that city. I need to find the info on where they hid the old threats. Now be a good girl and do what you're told. Signed By Wheel Tread. Forty years before Ruby Glide. Shadow, Me, And Dunewalker spend the night in a tent. Yellow eyes and her pack stayed close to us since we are worried about raiders wanting to attack us with all the water we have with us. From the sounds of it, raiders are scared to death of creatures like them. I watch Dunewalker while she sharpens her sword looking outside like she is ready to fight. She hasn't stopped holding her sword and she has a strange sniper rifle on her back. I glare at it as I feel that the metal came from the place of the stars. Just from the look of the metal of it and how it has that strange power of the moon on it. Dune glances at me as she notices I am looking at her sniper rifle and a gentle smile forms across her face. She pulls the sniper down from her back, setting it down beside me. I could still feel the anger from the stars on it. "What is this made of?" Dunewalker chuckles "It's made from space trash that fell from space a long time ago. The one that came before me took it and made this sniper rifle. So from how you're looking at it your strange issue with the stars is making you have a problem with it am I correct?" I quickly nod. "Well, I don't understand it myself. Every time I am near something the stars have touched I have a strange feeling towards it. I don't get why I was told a long time ago by a seer it's because of how we are connected to the stars. Our time with ponies has dulled our nature and made it harder for us to understand these things." I am very unsure if it's true it could be because I mixed my blood with a pony. I haven't felt like a normal zebra since I started living with ponies. It's not always going to be easy for me to get over the feeling of betraying my kind. Closing my eyes tightly remembering my family disowning me because I fell in love with a pony. "I wonder are you one of those zebras who broke off from their species and your senses are not as good as a zebra who stays with their kind would be? If this is true my kind can be the same way. It might have been harder for us if we didn't have this damn genetic memory. Trust me you don't want it." Closing my eyes again, yes I am one of those who broke off from my species over love. I look back and wonder if I would do it differently and try to get my family to accept my husband. Back then though ponies didn't come off very kind to them. It took a while for my husband's own family to even trust me. His father treated me as an enemy and I didn't allow it to stop me from making a family with him. "My family disowned me. I was then treated as an outcast after I gave it up for the love of my husband. His family didn't even care about me either. I had to prove to them I was on the up and up and I wasn't around to destroy their family. It took so many years and after the Black Hooves, I have no idea what happened to them. I know they never even defended me or even tried to find me afterward." Dunewalker pats my shoulder. "Don't worry you're a strong mare. I may not respect your kind for what they did during the war. I know you don't know much about what happened. The zebras and the ponies tried enslaving us and used us to fight for them. We turned on them and beat them both in submission and told them they're welcome to stay in our land. But they would have to work together to try to find peace. Then the bombs fell one bomb fell in our land in an area called the salt flats. We have no idea why they attacked over there but it caused a lot of problems." I am concerned about why my kind tried to turn another race into slaves. I wonder if they felt with how high and mighty some of the zebras thought they were they felt they had the right of way of to do so. "So ghoul what is your story?" Shadow glances up at the camel shrugging her shoulders. "Not much to tell former soldiers. When the bombs fell all I remember is dying and then waking up many days later like this. I did what I could to help those who became like me. I found my way here and learned about the old community that used to live in the area we are in now. A community of doctors and whatever else." She takes a deep breath. I am sure this is very hard for her to keep going on. Everyone she knew is dead. All those that she knew even while she lived like she is now are dead. I wouldn't want to be able to live forever. I have a feeling though with these cybernetics taking over my body. I may be unlucky and live forever. " I was just told stories by one of the robots left there about what happened. They didn't wish to talk much about it; they just stayed there till anypony else would take over. They recently shut down after being unable to repair them without having the parts. We kept them in a room just in case we found parts for them." A robot parts? I wonder if that locked-up area holds these parts. I am very unsure what is going to happen when we get back. But I am hoping they will let us at least go in there. If they do, I will convince the others to go in and maybe we can understand more about Maria. "Shadow my request to you, do you think after all this we would finally be allowed in that building that the leaders told us is locked?" Shadow glances at me. "Oh, I am unsure if any pony has been in there for years after we lost some ponies to something inside there. I don't know if you will be allowed in there. The leaders are very untrusting. I wish I could say otherwise." Closing my eyes disappointed. "I see" Opening my eyes looking down at Maria the poor creature is shut down and I can tell Deco is trying to repair whatever happened to the poor little one. I don't know why I have become so attached to this little one. "I just wish to understand what Maria is and what this Frozen clock is. I am worried Mara was built for something she has no power over. I am hoping I can at least give her a choice. If I can't give her a choice my friends and I will protect her." Dunewallker stays silent. She looks outside the tent looking back at me. "It's silent out there. I am not used to it being so silent. The land I am from it's always in battle. Even the weak try to fight each other while they die with parasites in their stomachs. It's strange to me not seeing another trying to one-up another or steal something to survive. Maybe it just doesn't happen as much." Shadow laughs. "It's never silent here either. I think with the lizards outside protecting us and keeping the raiders at bay. I think for once in my ghoul life things are very silent. I am not used to it myself. I am used to battle and the world dying around me." I lay my head on my pillow trying to relax my mind. I have too many thoughts going through my head. My brain slowly turns off while I feel my eyes dim as my mind finally falls asleep. I don't know what I will dream about but I am sure I will be dreaming. _______ Dream. I am in a world of darkness with a light above me. I am not sure why I am here but this is the court of the stars again but what comes to see me is a guardian of the stars. The large zebra stares at me, her eyes showing through the skull's helm on her head. She has many scars and former wounds on her body. "An outcast opened her mind to speak with me? From the look in your eyes Desert Rose you have no idea why you're here?" I shook my head. I shift on my hooves looking around the realm of darkness. I look up but I don't see any stars looking back at me. I just saw the guardian of the stars. I don't know the name of this guardian, no one knows them. But I have a feeling this guardian will be upset with me. "I don't know why it's true. Why am I here at the court of stars?" The mare smiles showing her teeth as they connect with the cow skulls she wears. She sits on her ass staring down at me. "There is something you need to know. I am one of the only guardians awakened by the stars of peace. I have been waiting for one to come to my place of rest for years. All I know is I am in the heart of some old land. There is no legend, no stories of a hero coming to find me. I just know that someday a hero will come to me. A hero that is working with the stars. I know her name and she will be after you someday. Hear me, a close little friend." I try to listen closely but I feel I am waking I shake my head try to keep my brain in this dream. "The one who caused the stars of good to vanish and leave will reveal themselves in 50 years. Most know him as the goat of the undead. But others know him as Grogar. Not just Grogar though many creatures of the past caused all this. Including the betrayer Zeb...I am sorry to break this to you miss Rose but you're not meant to be a hero. I can't see your future or what is going to happen to you." I shook my head. If she is a guardian she would never be able to tell me the story of a hero. Guardians can never tell the story of a hero. Someday I will learn what my future is. I am sure my future is to fight in this war. This war of robots and machines to protect Maria. "I think I already know my future guardian. To protect the one known as Maria. It may not be the path of a zebra but it's all I can think of in this new world." The guardian zebra chuckles softly, shaking her head. "Then I was correct about you. You're an outsider but you follow your path as a zebra would. A zebra with a strong heart and hooves of diamonds." I sigh a sigh of disappointment. I am an outsider. I doubt I will ever fully be accepted again by my kind. I don't know or understand why this is going on. A guardian of the stars wishes to speak to me then calls me an outsider. "You would think being called an outsider by another zebra that I would be used to it. I doubt I will ever be used to it." The guardian laughs, shaking her head. "You should have thought of that little Rose before falling for a pony. I understand you fell in love with them. Your love was for them deep and full of life. I am sure many of those would get the idea of love. Just you got to remember to our kind mixing with a pony wasn't only a bad to our kind but a problem it happened too much." My ears pin to the back of my head. She is correct that it happened far too much back then. Male zebras would go for pony mares and zebra mares fell for pony stallions. I don't remember what the problem was. I think it was because our kind got tired of all the old ways. The guardian put her hoof on my head. "I do know a way you could become one of us again. There is only one way I am sure you know what it is." I know the path of truth. I must go through many trials to prove I am still a zebra. The only way to do this is to find a seer and I am sure there might be one. "Do you know if there are any seers?" The guardian nods. "In that community, you're helping there is a zebra tribe they gave one of the buildings to. It's a big building and they help protect it. Now they're mostly outcasts but they have proved themselves. When you get to the community, look for the far-seer. Don't say her name, walk up to her, bow your head and then say why you're there." A deep sigh filled my lungs. "I will talk with them. I doubt they want anything to do with me since I am an outsider who gave herself to a pony stallion." The guardian sighs. "I can't promise you anything Rose. Be careful on your way back. I can't tell you anything but there is a strange army after your friend. I know you took one of them and used part of your soul to take one of them down. It's one of the reasons I am here now. Please don't use any more of that type of magic. Now I think you should wake up and it's time for you to go." I stood on my hooves to head back to the light showing my mind is leaving the world of dreams. "One last thing." I turn. "What?!" The mare gets as loud as she can. "If you survive the battle ahead. Be prepared for what is going to happen to you in the future." I wanted to call back to ask what she meant by it. I couldn't and the world of darkness turned to pure white as I am waking up. _______ The waking world. I open my eyes and I look around seeing I am being carried by Dunewalker and looking at the others behind me seeing we are missing some of the lizards. "OH you're awake we had to get going we spotted some robotic creatures coming towards us and we figured they were after you and that creature on your leg. So Yellow eyes sent some of her pack to take them on and she is with us and we have everything still we aren't far from the community." I look up seeing Shadow is not far ahead of us but she is heavily armored now and ready to take on anything which comes towards us. I look at the sign we pass seeing we are very near the community. Shadow turns to us and she nods to Dunewalker. Dunewalker lifts her paw telling Yellow eyes and the others to stop. "I will go on ahead and tell the guards we will have guests and tell them if any of them are shot on sight all the water and talismans will be taken by us. Meaning I will tell them Rose will destroy all the water and such to make sure they agree to it." Shadow trots off, I get off Dunewalkers back and we wait for Shadow to return. It took about an hour but Shadow returned. "Alright, they have been told. I told them if anyone fires on Yellow eyes and her pack it won't end well for the community." Shadow leads us to the gates and a large group of guards stood by the door waiting. They hold weapons ready to fire just in case Yellow Eyes and her pack attack. We go inside and Yellow Eyes and her pack bring everything in setting it down waiting to see what will happen Golden Heart comes to look at the boxes then Yellow eyes they stare at each other a soft smile comes on the zebra's face. . "I see you're still alive, old friend." Yellow eyes laugh. "I never thought I would see your big ass again, Golden Heart." I stare at the two of them confused. "You two know each other?" Yellow eyes nod. "I met her when she was a young mare and not as old as she is now. Golden Heart here is older than most zebras. Even though she doesn't look at it. I never understood why and I doubt she will ever tell me. But thank you for your welcome Golden Heart." The old zebra nods. "Yes now Rose, you helped us greatly. I will lead you to the home I will be giving you and your friends. You look like you need some rest. Then we can talk about letting you into that area you want to go into. But you may have to prove yourself first to the others of our species." I know I will have to prove myself to my kind. I take a deep breath and Golden Heart leads me through the community and right in the middle of a courtyard is an old building. It's pretty big I look at the sign it saids research building. Dunewlker followed behind me while I left Shadow to help Yellow eyes and the others with the water. Golden heart stands by the door looking back at me. "We have no use for this building. There are beds here, places for weapons and food, and all that. We keep this place highly stocked just in case someone proves themselves to us. But your camel friend is not allowed in because of who she works for." Dunewalker stays silent. I look back at her, who is she working for? "So you know I work for Wheel Tread?" I have heard of the name before. I know nothing about them though. I am wondering if I should come to Dunewalkers defense. I look over at Golden heart and then back at Dunewalker thinking a moment I am worried she might get chased out. "Ngizohlala ngimbhekile. Ngicela ungithembe Inhliziyo yeGolide" Golden heart turns her head to look at me. She stands close to me to look into my eyes. Dunewalker doesn't seem confused about what we are talking about I look up at Dunewalker I worry she understands what we are saying "Sizolokhu simqaphe ngeso lokhozi uRose. Uma ekugwaza sizomnakekela." I think a bit before I talk again. I need to get my species to respect and trust me again. I want to get back into their good graces. "Ngingathanda ukuhlangana nomuntu obona kude. Ngifuna ukwamukelwa ngabahlobo bami futhi." Golden heart is taken aback by my words. She tilts her head and she doesn't say anything. She puts her hoof on my shoulder and a smile forms on her face nodding to me whispering in my ear. "Get some rest, I will take you to meet her tomorrow." The mare opens the door for us. I go inside and when the door closes with me and Dunewalker inside the lights come on. Looking around I see many rooms and a place for me and the others to sleep. Looking through the area I see places to work on weapons and armor. I can work on what I got. "Dunewalker, why don't they trust you?" I turn to her and she smirks. "Let's just say the one I work with is not a very popular pony. He has done some nasty things to the ponies and zebras of the wasteland. He is searching for a project called Project Stormwatch so he can continue it and mind control the old villains from the land known as Dreamvalley." Dream valley? I heard stories about the land of old ponies and magic. A land lost from the world would take a map of old to find it. "I see why would he want this?" Dunewalker sighs. "I will tell you another time Rose. I am going to get some rest. I promise you I will tell you so please go rest." I sigh softly, shaking my head. I take the weapon and the armor I got putting it on the workbench sighing. I looked for a room for myself and I found a room full of zebra masks and everything else. I look at the others, it's like they're made for us. I go back to my room and close the door when I get in and take a deep breath to smell the air. I have no idea why it's so good in this room. Laying on the bed to fall asleep I hear the door opening for the others but all I can do is fall asleep I will talk to the others later.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Thirteen: Ukuvumela	I open my eyes looking beside me. I feel sad not seeing the mare I fell in love with. I stroked my hoof along the bed wishing she was here with me. I slowly sit up wondering what will happen today. I am going to go meet the elder or who they consider the elder of the zebras. I fear it's not going to be easy to redeem myself. "Hey Rose, the food is ready." I was confused who in the world cooked food for us? I get off the bed noticing June in the kitchen. What in the world is a buffalo that knows how to cook? Bowser and Drift worked on setting the table. I sit at the table waiting for the food to come over. I take a deep breath wondering if I should ask. "What are you three going to be doing?" Bowser sits at the table sighing. "I will be working on becoming a citizen of this community. The only way though is to prove myself to the diamond dogs and the hellhounds. I need to prove that I can work for myself and bring enough food and money to the entire community." Drift's ears wilt. "The ponies of this community don't care much for Pegasus. They may have something they call dashites but it takes a lot for them to accept them. I guess it has something to do with what the enclave has done." Great, I worry for my friends. I glance at the buffalo "So June what do you have to do to be accepted?" June brings over the food sitting down with the rest of us. It takes a while for her to answer while we put the food on our plates. June seems silent about it. I took a drink of water and it was when she gave me a bombshell. "All I got to is get fucked by the chief and then if I am still standing then I will be able to become part of the community." The three of us went silent. It would have been funny if I spit out the water I drank. I swallow it looking at June all she does is stare at us laughing. "I got you guys. I don't know what I need to do. It could be as simple as running over a path to another path. When it comes to my species and ideas on how to do things it's really hard for them to come up with anything at all. I wish I could explain I never understood my race myself and why we just run back and forth back and forth. " They look at me knowing how my species feels about me. After what I have told them and everything else about the past. I take a deep breath knowing it will not be easy for me to explain to them. "We won't be speaking in ponesh. I have to prove myself by talking in zebra. I have to allow myself to be attacked and ripped apart for whatever they feel is correct. If they feel my body and soul need to be cleaned then I shall allow them." Bowser sighs stroking my shoulder with his claws "I doubt you will be able to call on us for help. You may need to tell Maria she needs to not go with you. You need to go as you were during birth. They may have issues with your legs, it's not something you can control. Just Rose, don't let them break you because you gave yourself to a pony." I lift my leg Maria makes herself home right now. I know I will have to tell her to stay here. She has Deco in her system so maybe I can convince them both to behave and do their best to hide in this place. I try to ignore my feelings while eating my food and drinking the water. It's gotten to the point I can no longer ignore my feelings. I know my species will rip me apart for what I did. I broke off from my older tribe. I became part of a race they hated because of the war. "I could talk to Maria." I look up to Drift. The pegasus mare taps on my leg and the robotic creature looks at her. She tries to explain to her in a soft gentle manner. It's such a gentle manner I don't hear many questions from Maria and Deco stays silent. I think she is staying silent for now so as not to butt in and make Maria feel she is being attacked. "But why? Why do they have the right to question what Rose did in her life?" I take a deep breath and Drift looks up at me. So I am going to have to explain myself. Maria turns her cam eye to look at me. I am now put on the spot. I am going to have to tell her the truth and she is not going to like it. "Maria, I know this is going to be hard to explain to someone who is still young. Maybe while we are away Deco can explain. Back in the day, I was part of a small tribe of zebras. I broke off from the tribe to get married to the enemy. It was before the war fully started but many didn't approve since hatred was a big thing in the past." Maria goes silent and Deco finally shows up holographically. I feel my stress leaving my body for the moment. Deco is such help even though I haven't been kind to the poor holographic pony who was forced on me and the others. I do hope she will be a big help later. "Let me explain it in a way you can understand Maria. To other zebras, Rose is flawed and has a computer flaw in her code. She is going to get the code flaw fixed so she can be approved in the grand scheme of the files." Maria takes a second before she speaks again. "Okay so she may be flesh but she is still a cog in the machine of the tribes or at least she will be?" Deco nods. She turns to me, winking quickly. I smile loving the fact Deco is willing to do anything she can to keep these issues out of my head. Maria removes herself from my metal leg and I notice the metal she was attached to is very shiny. A knock hits the door, a very gentle knock. June heads to the door opening it up. Golden Heart walks into the house looking at us and she chuckles. I think she likes how we made this house ours in so little time. "Rose, they're ready for you. You know what you have to go through first right?" I stand from the chair sighing I know what is first. I have to cleanse my soul and my body from the filth of a pony. I may not enjoy the idea of removing the filth of a stallion from my body. I would have to ask if a mare pony is okay in my life. "Cleansing, am I right then painting myself in the paint of the tribe?" Golden Heart frowns "You have been through this before haven't you?" I chuckle weakly. "In the past, you had to go through every single time you went to speak to zebras. It was even before the war fully started. The zebras felt the stars corrupted everything and I frankly agree the stars are big in zebras' lives. I should know I stood in the court of stars." Golden Heart sighs, shaking her head. "Please don't bring up the stars. Maybe you can explain to all of us how bad it was before the war. Maybe we can finally work our problems out with the ponies of now. Too many teachers of the past wanted to hate so much on ponies. I will never understand it either." I stroke my head with my metal hoof. I will never forgive myself for putting the will on the stars on another. Maybe someday I will have to face this creature and they will blame me for everything they went through. Closing my eyes tightly remembering what I went through to convince the stars I am not the one to fulfill their hunger for blood. "I will do my best to explain." Before I could leave and head to the door Bowser stood in front of us. I look behind me to see the other two. They seem unhappy about something. "Before you go, Rose. Since the four of us are family here. I need no I demand to know what this cleansing is." I sigh deeply, turning my head to look at Golden heart. In her gentle eyes, she could tell I needed to tell them what this means. "They have a right to know." Golden sighs shifting on her hooves. She knows when she tells them what this cleansing is they will not be happy with what is about to happen. "She will be stripped of her fur as a zebra and her mane. Including her glyph, she will be forced to drink a brew that will make her release everything in her stomach. It will cause her great pain and while she lays there she will have to scream in pain and fight to prove herself." Bowser and the others stare at each other. "She will then be chained and dragged through our community and they will pelt her with rocks and whatever else they can. She will then be brought in front of the elder and she will have to admit she is a failure of every zebra everywhere. The elder will not be happy we did this to her, it will enrage her. But we are doing this to stop some of the anti pony groups from attacking her." Bowser sighs, stroking his head. "What will happen after?' Golden sighs "She will have to go on a journey alone in the waste to not only find herself. But to find materials for a weapon that sings with her soul. She will then have to forge it in any of the broken factories. Then she will have to hunt a strong creature. Bath in the blood and then she will be doused in cold water and to bring her into our tribe. She will be sliced across the stomach allowing blood to be collected. Then she will be welcomed with us once more." June snorts. "It seems a bit too much just because she married a pony ages ago? Can't your kind just move on and admit you're the biggest reason the sand-forsaken war began in the first place? Or did we forget it was a holy war for your kind hmm?" Golden Heart sneers at the Buffalo I lean into the old mare shaking my head. "She is not wrong Golden you have to admit the zebras themselves didn't do enough to try to stop the war neither did the ponies. So both sides are heavily to blame. But the zebras are more so in some parts." Golden's ears wilt nodding. "You're not wrong Rose. Many of the anti pony groups will even admit it as such. They will still welcome you even if you don't do this. But the older souls demand you be cleansed before you even see them. They know you're in love with a mare pony now they don't have an issue with it. Since you won't be making children with her." I look over to Maria and Deco who are talking among themselves. "What about those two?" Golden stares at Maria and Deco. Maria turns her eyes to look at Golden and quickly skitters into the darkness. The poor old mare gets pretty spooked from what she just saw. She shakes her head. "The Frozen Clock I take?" I nod. "I told her the four of us needed to do this without her. She may not understand but she will not be causing any problems. She will stay right here and if needed I would like a guard placed here just in case. I may have trusted Dunewalker but I doubt she will not try something." Golden Heart shifts on her hooves nodding. "Since you four are family, this home is now fully yours. You will live together and if you get tired of living together. We will find homes for each of you. First, you need to become citizens and you know what Rose will need to go through. I hope you all have a safe time with your task." I take a deep breath closing my eyes dreading what is to come for me. I know deep in my heart that I deserve all this treatment to make the other zebras trust me. I just wish it wasn't so harsh and so soul-shattering to prove myself once again to them. After a world-ending war we had I am not surprised my species would refuse me rest and succor. In need of such rest and succor is not but a weary dream. It's something I hope I can get again someday. Golden heart leaves I follow her feeling each weight in my hoof steps while we walk through the community. I watch many zebras and other races mingling one zebra mare looks at me with a frown forming on her face. She bows her head. I have a feeling she knows what is to come. ______________ Redemption My species have a word for the cleansing redemption. It's for zebras to do this to others of the tribe. I am part of no tribe. I have no right to be part of a tribe since I gave myself to a pony stallion. I learned back then that they would have had no issue if I gave myself to a mare. It would mean we could have herded with a zebra stallion. Golden Heart leads me into the zebra city within the old hospital location. I am amazed at how big this place is. I looked to the side seeing this entire medical area was an entire big city in the middle of Detrot. It was going to be used as a base to fight the zebras if they ever made it this way. I am led to one of the old medical buildings before I am allowed inside the city of the zebras proper. Golden heart waits for me by a large wooden door. It's not even part of the main building like the zebras built into the old building. "Do you remember how to speak like we do, Rose? Has the way of our speech been fully lost to you as well?" I take offense to what she just said there. Of course, I know how to speak as we do. I have never forgotten it's a zebra's pride to remember our old tongue and speech. If we forgot how to speak to others we would have been as good as dead years ago. "I had the speech of zebras drilled into me for years upon my birth and I never let it go from my life. I even made sure my children would be able to speak like it. Including my husband, he wanted to learn how to speak like us so he could join my tribe." Golden Heart sighs. "I see so you wanted him to be a zebra-like us just stripless. I feel sad asking this question. How racist did the zebras get back before the war fully took effect." I chuckle softly. "I am unsure of myself. Both species treated every species outside of their kind as something below them. Zebras did the same now and again because they felt they had the right to be above. Now not every zebra felt this way. But they hated the pony elites of Canterlot." Golden Heart sighs, shaking her head. She knows full well the truth of the elites. I am sure there are still pony elites who still feel above others in this new world. I glance over at a zebra male coming in and looking through the old trash. He pulls out old ammo boxes looks at me and nods his head. Heading back outside. "Wait, how in the world did he find all those boxes of ammo? From the sounds of it you have been living here for years you haven't gone through everything yet?" Golden Heart nods. "There are many places to salvage and dig through. We have all been here so long we haven't even looked into every area ourselves. So there could be some powerful items to healing objects. There are rumors of spirits refilling those places you dig through. I just find it silly really." I shake my head. It's strange to hear stuff like this. Like Discord is still around after all these years. I wonder if zebras or ponies just haven't had the time to look through everything, maybe they don't wish to. Maybe since there could be some broken shards of glass or sharp metal it could be the other reason. "Rose, I wish you didn't have to go through with this. When the door opens up, do whatever they say to do. If they tell you to wear tribal headdresses. They will demand that you beg for succor and do what you can to stay strong." I sigh deeply watching Golden Heart leave. The door behind me opens slowly. I stand there not turning around feeling the stress from what is about to happen to take over. I feel a gentle hoof on my shoulder. "Kulungile ngizoqinisekisa ukuthi abakulimazi. Ngicela ungene uzihlenge." I look over my shoulder looking at a kind gentle mare. She had yellow eyes. I didn't look more at anything else but her eyes. I turn fully noticing what she is wearing. She is a seer when seers tell you things won't be too bad it's normally true. "Woza" She leads me inside while two other mares stroke strange cream into my fur. I watch the seer mix the brew I am meant to drink after everything is said and done. The two mares shave my fur off. It hurts feeling the fur being pulled out. After the fur is fully removed they start placing paint on me. "Lo pende uwumlingo futhi uzoba phezu kwakho uze uqedele ukuhlolwa kwakho futhi uzibonakalise. Ngifisa sengathi bekungadingeki ngikwenze lokhu kuwe. Owakwenza wukuthanda ihhashi." I sigh happily the seer is not upset at me for giving my life to a pony stallion. I watch the two mares place the magic paint on my body. I have been through a test like this before when I was growing up to prove myself. Now I must accept this and allow my body to be cleansed and then I shall be saved by the elder. The two mares put the paint on my face after they were all done and left bowing their heads in respect. The seer comes over holding the potion on the flat part of her hoof. She looks at me with a weak smile. "Ngiyaxolisa ngalokhu okuzokwenza kuwe. Uzoba sezinhlungwini kangangokuba umzimba wakho uzovutha. Uma uphela amandla bayokubopha bakuhudule." I took a deep breath and put the potion in my mouth, setting it down on the floor looking at the seer. I wrap my hooves around the mare hugging her tightly. I am very happy she is kind and gentle to me. "Ngizokwenza konke engingakwenza ukuze ngikujabulise." The mare stares at me tears fall from her eyes she hugs me back hugging me tightly. I have a feeling she didn't expect me to say I would try my best to make her proud of me. I barely know this seer and I am willing to do this just to make her proud. The seer leads me to another room. This room looks like it's an old shower she turns on the water, taking the cover off the drain. I think I know what she wants me to use as a toilet. She smiles while hugging me this time. "Ngatshelwa ukuthi ngingabi nomusa kuwe noma lokhu kube lula kuwe. Kodwa unomusa nenhlonipho angiboni ukuthi kungani bekuzonda kangaka." A weak smile comes across my face. So I just had to be kind to her for her to be kind to me in turn. I go back out of the room to pick up the potion and head back into the shower. I get under the shower and she closes the door. I take a deep long swig of the entire potion knowing it will take time for it to work. I feel the potion start working. I scream in pain feeling my blood boil. I try to drink the shower water to stop my insides from burning and feeling so much pain. My body starts to react very badly to the potion. I feel myself going constantly to the bathroom and vomiting into the drain. I scream louder feeling every inch of my joints and nerves screaming for relief. After so long I passed out. _______ I woke up a few hours later. I feel myself being dragged through the road. But when I look up I don't see any of the zebras tossing stuff at me or making fun of me for what I did. I have a feeling the seer talked with the elder. I am sure the elder told the zebras to not allow these zebras to have any power. "Let her go." I see the group of anti pony zebras arguing with the mare who looks like a guard. They say everything under the sun about why I deserve this. "She is a pony-loving bitch who gave herself to a pony." The guard growls "You seem to forget she is from the world of the past. To her, we must look like barbarians and too full of ourselves. Now let her go before I run you through." I look up. "I accepted this and I felt it would be wise. To do what they wanted. Unless the elder knew ahead of time they would try this." The guard looks at me and the zebras look at me as well. I stood up on my hooves forcing the rope off my leg. They notice I don't have normal legs or hooves anymore. I quickly swing my metal hoof into the face of one of the zebras. He is knocked out with a crack in his skull. "I am going to tell you what happened to me. I was accused by a group of ponies called the Black Hooves and they zebra napped me and my friends. They changed my hooves to these metal hooves and each time I upgrade my legs will turn more into metal and lose all my flesh in those legs." I walk between the zebras giving them hateful looks. "I am not going to be treated again as a monster because you have some problem with me wanting to give my heart to a pony stallion. Why the fuck do you hate them so much? Oh, could it be because of the war? Who do you fucking think start the war? On both sides, zebras made it worse because we can't lego our religious problems. Oh yes, the stars I have been in their court I talked to the stars so. Before I kill you all for your racist bullshit, leave me alone." The zebras run to pick up their wounded friend. I sigh deeply. I don't enjoy acting that way towards others. "You must be Rose." I turn to look at the heavily armored guard. The mare is larger than I am. She is wearing bones connected to metal armor and heavy weapons. I tilt my head wondering why this guard cared so much about wishing to defend me. "Uh, may I ask how did the elder learn about all this?" The guard laughs. "The seer told us everything. They wanted to use you as an example to make the elder look bad so their elder could take over and try to start a small race war with the ponies. It wouldn't have worked since they don't understand what happened during the war. You seem to know what happened before it started though." I chuckle weakly, feeling my stomach still in awful pain. "I still don't feel so well after having to take that potion. So what now do I still have to redeem myself in the eyes of the elder?" The large guard nods. "She does have deep respect for you. The respect is from you trying to redeem yourself for giving yourself to a pony stallion in the past. We have no right to judge you for who you fall in love with though. Now before we fully go on we are going to give you food and a coat to keep you warm. Oh sorry, my manners, I am Izikhali." I am confused who would name their daughter Armor? "Can you please lead me to the elder then?" Izikhali nods and I follow her inside. In a large room made from a former hospital waiting room, there is a middle-aged mare sitting on a throne made of gold, and torches around her are lit and she is wearing roman armor and holding a heavy sword near her side. "Hello, Miss Rose, I am sorry you had to deal with those zebras. They may have gained traction in their hate of ponies. Not many wish to go to war with the ponies of this community. We work together with them and these zebras feel the ponies caused war crimes. The ponies who committed such war crimes are now long dead, same with the zebras who did the same thing." I smile. I like this mare. She knows you can't accuse every single pony since those from the past no longer live to bring the pain they caused the same with the zebras of the past. Even if the thoughts of hate are still there though. "I have grown tired of ponies of today being accused of being racist and need to prove themselves to the zebras of today. If this is true then zebras need to do the same. Zebras did worse on their own. I am sure ponies did worse on their own as well. But most focus on emotions rather than caring about what is true." I bow my head to the elder. "Now what do you need me to do?" The elder smiles. "Come with me I will explain." I follow her to the next room to wonder what she will tell me and maybe I can redeem myself in the eyes of many zebras. I am unsure now all I can do is deal with what is to come.
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Fourteen: Mines and Candles	"Follow your journey through the ruins to a forested area in the middle of the city. In the middle of the city was a mining complex. In there you will find what you need for the armor you will make and your weapon. Just remember Rose the only way you will become a citizen is if you show us you're willing to fight." It's been at least half a day walking through the ruins of Detrot to find this forested area in the middle of the ruins. I huddle tightly in the warm coat they gave me while I have a pack full of food, water, and a tent. I remember what the elder told me. "If you need to sing like a pony. Singing will scare away some of the creatures in ruins. It's not just raiders you need to worry about some awful creatures in these ruins. I wish I could tell you more but I don't want you to have too much fear in your heart." I come out of the memory hearing a howling from a hungry beast. I look around seeing strange wolves made of metal? Timberwolves I wonder if they mutated over the years and gained the ability to form themselves from metal. I cough sniffing the air. It's a rusty smell coming into my nose. I know they're close but I don't think they're after me. I hear the wolves screaming smelling melting metal. I look over to the ruins seeing a community of scavengers, one of them holding a smoking flamethrower. The pony turns to look at me, bowing her head at me. I nod at her as well. I was told I can't ask for help but I can trade with those I run into. I feel maybe it's wise to deal with whatever I have with me with these ponies. I walk toward the scavengers and the mare gets ready to fire her flamethrower aiming at me. "Don't worry, I am not here to harm anypony. I came over to see if you would like to trade." The mare lowers the flamethrower. "Heh, a force of habit you get used to somepony being kind to them backstabbing you to get everything you own." I keep my distance just close enough to be on the outskirts of the camp. I can understand fully how you can tell if those around you will suddenly or someone new would just try to kill you for what you have. "I have some food if you need any as well as some water." The mare smiles shaking her head. "We are alright for now. May I ask why you are out here though?" I take a deep breath sighing. "I am out here to prove myself to the zebra community in the medical complex not far from here." The mare nods. "I see we trade with the merchants there. I heard stories of a zebra mare showing up with a hellhound or diamond dog. A buffalo and a pegasus you wouldn't be that zebra mare would you/" I nod "Yes, I am the mare who showed up. What else do you know?" The mare shifts on her hooves. "You knew the world before the war. Is that true? Did you know the world before the war and before the end of the world?" I sigh remembering the world I came from. A world of peace, a world of love, a world with no care in the world. A world I would do anything to get again if I could. I doubt I could do anything big enough to bring it back. "Yes, I was there. I was then frozen in a pod before the war fully started and woke up to see this world before me." The mare looks towards the group of tents. "Do the zebras expect you to return on time so you don't fail to prove yourself or do you just show back up when you want to?" I shake my head. "I was never given a time or a ticking clock on when to return. They just want me to find an old mining complex, make myself armor and weapons and kill a powerful creature to prove myself. Then they wish me to bring back everything for brews." The mare smiles as she looks back to the tents. "Do you think you could tell my friends and me about the past? We find so many things during our scavenging and we never find any ghouls around long enough to explain anything. So are you willing to do so and we will give you something to eat?" A soft smile forms on my face. "Would the rest of the ponies in your group welcome me?" She chuckles. "I am sure they will let me go find the head of our group. I do have a request while I do this. Do you think you could stand guard for me just in case?" I give a quick nod as she trots off and I stand guard for her. After a few minutes, a large stallion comes out from the group of tents. "Is this her Dusty?" The mare nods. "Hi there Dusty told me you're a mare who got frozen in a pod and knew what the world was like back then?" I turn to nod. "Yes, I lived in the old world." The stallion smiles nodding to Dusty. Dusty gets back into her spot to guard and the stallion leads me to a campfire in the middle of the camp. I sit by the campfire removing the hood from my head. "Before we ask you about the past, why do you have no fur?" I chuckle weakly. "There is a group of anti pony zebras in the community in that medical complex. They wanted to make an example of me since back in the past I fell in love with a pony stallion and had his foals. So yeah they felt I had to cleanse myself and make an example of me." The stallion sighs, shaking his head. "I guess some zebras don't wish to move on. Of course, even some ponies I have met don't wish to move on either. So I don't blame them for having issues with the other species. Since some hate others." I sigh, nodding he is correct. I notice they have a pot of food cooking over the fire. I glance at the stallion. "May I have some?" The stallion chuckles "It's veggie stew. I doubt the vegetables were the best of the best but we are willing to share if you share your stories with us of the past." Many hours later I am still telling stories to the ponies. I didn't sugarcoat how things were back then. Even though the world wasn't as bad as it is now. We still had to deal with threats sometimes worse than others. "The biggest reason I left my tribe was mostly because of the constant wars between us. It was a peaceful world but not for zebras. For ponies, they did all they could to make it peaceful for themselves. Even though at times they mostly failed because they cared more about friendship than peace." I lost track of time since these ponies have been so kind and let me have as much food as I wanted. I knew full well it was getting late but I need to go on my way before I find myself staying here. I get up from the stool looking at the group of ponies. "I need to be on my way. I want to thank you so much for what you did for me." The leader of the scavengers nods. "You helped us learn more about the past. I wish we could go back and give the foals who live now a peaceful land." I shrug my shoulders. The only way a peaceful land will return is if a pony or a zebra says enough is enough and tries to fight for the freedom of everyone around them. I am sure there is those type of heroes around. I doubt I would ever become one of those heroes. I just want to survive and become a simple citizen of a simple community. I don't need the glory or pain of being a hero. "If I wished to be a hero I would do so. But I am just a simple zebra wanting to live a simple life after I become a citizen. If others consider me a hero I will just ignore them. I am sure you ponies don't blame me." The large pony leader nods. "I don't blame you, the idea of trying to be judge and jury makes no sense. It makes perfect sense to put slavers and raiders in their place. Why turn a pony or a zebra into a hero for doing what is known as common sense. Those types of ponies or zebras don't deserve to be in the world if they prey on others." I nod agreeing. "I need to be going it was great to meet you. I hope to meet you all again." I bow my head walking out of the camp to head on to my task. I look back at the ponies feeling sadness in my heart. These ponies know nothing about the peace of the past. War and strife are all they know. They only know how bloody things get and they normally may never see a foal grow to adulthood. _________ The Destination. I finally made it to the former park turned into a mining complex back during the war. I look around seeing many ghouls wandering around and larger creatures. I am told if I stay far away from the ghouls they won't bother me. I do have an idea to make sure they don't bother me. I set down my bag and brought out some fertilizer I was given. I was told the ghouls normally go for flesh or anything that smells good to them. I doubt this will work but I have to see. I place the fertilizer in a bucket I brought with me and dumb a little bit of my water supply and mix it to make it wet and stink. I place my hoof in it, sniffing it and coughing a bit. It's enough I guess I rub it all over my body. I hope what I was told is right. If it's not my body is going to be already stinking before it decays. I grunt at the smell as I dumb the rest of it on me. I take a deep breath looking through my bags more to find a pike ax and look at how much I need to make what is needed for me. Looking at the list I need enough to make an entire set of armor and I need to use my soul to make a weapon that calls to me. I need to allow the stars to open my heart to sing to me so I can make it. I sigh deeply, finding everything taking a deep breath gagging, and smelling what I placed on myself again. I sneak even though I already did what I did. I sneak into one of the mining tunnels I was told it's not too deep into the mines "May I ask why you're here?" The voice makes me suddenly jump. I turn around to see a ghoul with a top hat on. The mare smirks. A ghoul whose mind is still there I cough smirking weakly and she covers her nose after a second. "Sorry I was told the way to sneak past the feral ghouls I just need to make myself stink." The ghoul laughs. "It won't work as you think. Now zebra, why are you here?" I sigh "I am here to get some of the ore to make armor and a weapon to be welcomed to a community in this day and age." The ghoul tilts her head. "This day and age?" I sigh knowing I am going to need to explain. I explain to her what happened to me and the others and about waking up in a factory in sleeping pods. The mare's eyes are wide open and she has a large smile on her face. "It's good to see another from the past who knows what I remember. I would attack you for yes the war ended badly but I see you as a gentle soul. I don't want to cause another small war because I have issues of your kind from the past." I shrug my shoulders. "I don't blame you for the past things that happened, not everyone will be happy about what went on. I can understand perfectly." Then it finally hit me. How long has this ghoul been here? I was told these mines are empty from other souls. Maybe no one has been deeper into the mines and this is just a guard. It's confusing. Maybe they knew and I would learn by myself. "I was told no one lived in these mines, are there more of you?" The ghoul chuckles "There are underground tunnels and we have used them ever since the bombs fell. I don't blame others for not telling you about us since we normally hide pretty well here. But I could tell you didn't seem to be like any other zebra walking in here. Most of your kind normally have weapons and try to kill ghouls. You just tried your best to hide and sneak through like a zebra of the past." I just stare at the mare confused. She didn't answer my question but I am not going to press it. I don't want to feel like I am invading but I doubt she cares. The past is long gone and I doubt they have anything to gain for stopping me. "Do you have an issue with me taking what I need and then leaving?" The mare tilts her head shrugging her rotting shoulders. "I doubt any of us would care. We have no use for the ore anymore. The ore didn't help us win the war. Some of the ore you will find here have been magically moon-touched and it's a rare type of ore you would find." I felt a shudder come over me. Moon touched ore is something I learned about years ago. It's not ore you want to deal with. It can corrupt your soul of course back in the day anything connected to the moon bothered zebras. "Is all this ore moon touched?" The ghoul shrugs her shoulders. "It's what we were told. I highly doubt any of it is moon touched. Now we do have some metal which fell from space years ago deep in the mine if you would like to help yourself with this metal." Metal that fell from the sky? It could be one of those probs or old space junk I have heard about. I will take the ore I need then take some of this metal and make the weapon I need. I glance at the ghoul. "I just need enough ore to make armor and I could use the space junk to make a weapon. Unless a ghoul in your community is going to have an issue with me doing so?" The mare chuckles. "I highly doubt that we live with zebra ghouls who attacked us years ago. After the war ended we all felt it would be best to work together. I am sure they would like to meet you if you have time to speak with us?" I take a deep breath smelling the stink again coughing. Finally regaining myself after all the coughing. A weak smile forms over my face. I don't know what to think. I worry I might make too many friends but it's always good to have friends. "I would love to and maybe I could make it easier on myself." The ghoul chuckles "You're an odd zebra." I shrug my shoulders. She is right I am an odd zebra I always have been. At first, I didn't buy the stories about the stories of the stars. After going through the court of the stars and hearing about the judges they have under their control. I wonder how powerful they can be? "I am sure I know what you mean by me being odd. I will just add I didn't care about how my kind lived half the time. But I still followed the traditions of zebras and also accepted the ones of ponies. No matter how many crazy fairs and holidays they had. They had far too many by the way." The mare laughs shaking her head. "We can talk about all those things on the way below. I do have a question: do you think you will fail for not doing this yourself?" I shrug my shoulders. The mare leads the way deeper into the mines. I look over at the feral ghouls looking at me but they seem to ignore me since I am with the ghoul mare. We go down many stairs and when we get deeper in I notice a strange door. "Forgive the door, it's to keep the ferals out. We may be ghouls like them but we don't want them near us. It makes us worry we will become like them sooner than later." _____________________ Ghoul community. The mare opens the door letting me inside. I notice there are no guards, just many ghouls wandering around. A zebra ghoul turns to look at me and the stallion comes over to me staring down at me. "One touched by the stars. Have the stars asked you to come to draw our blood?" I shudder and shook my head. I am tired of being called the one touched by the stars. I get it I was stupid and I deserve to be called everything. "No, I stood in the court of stars and placed my punishment on a non-zebra who might not even be born yet." The stallion stares more at me, a dark smile forming on his face. He laughs loudly patting my shoulder. From the look in his eyes, he is impressed with me. I am sure when the day comes I will be forced to meet the life I destroyed. "I see one touched by the stars giving their task to one not even alive yet. They could be alive but you aren't sure. I am not sure if I should praise you for the guts you have to take on the court and their judge. So may I quickly ask why are you here?' I sigh explaining to him what is going on and what happened to me and the others. His eyes turn to sadness hearing what I went through. I could tell from his emotions and his decayed face he wishes he went through what I did but not with losing a part of himself. "I see you're a zebra who gave herself to a pony stallion. But ponies accused you of a crime you never caused and then did that to you with your hooves. I wish I could have been frozen. I wouldn't have lived through so much pain. I have learned so much though about those I used to fight." I shake my head. I am learning so much about this world. I am not enjoying what I am learning. I glance at the mare. "Would any of these ponies or zebras have issues with me taking the ore and the metal from space?" The mare shrugs. "I doubt they will have to do something while the world is destroyed. I don't see any of us going out there to try to make deals with ponies or zebras. Unless you're some powerful conversationalist able to convince us into an alliance with them." I don't want to be anything. I just want to live. I want to live in this new world and if it changes around me from a real hero destroying everything around us to trying to bring back the old world more power to them. "No, I don't care about making alliances or making the world around me better. I am going, to be honest with you, what did the old world do for me? The old world turned me into a monster. The war destroyed the world. I could care less if the world around me kept falling apart. I'd rather focus on my personal life. I am sure none of you are to blame really." The mare snickers and the stallion nods. "You're a mare after my own heart. With me, I used to be a beautiful mare and a knockout and all it gave me was this dumb job. So I had to work in this mine till the end of the war. I was told oh the war was going to end. It did end but with fire." The stallion sighs. "Yes, I was bound to kill every pony I saw. Then the bombs fell The ponies allowed us to hide with them in the mines. We spent a while getting to know each other. I learned we aren't much different from each other. Just our idea of sex and marriage is very different." The stallion nods to me leaving to head back into his home. The mare who hasn't given me her name yet. I doubt she will or if they even remember their names. She leads me through the community and I am led to a large storehouse. "Here you go, just take what you need. Don't take too much and I will go get you one of those probes from space." The mare leaves and another mare who I can tell is pure white she has some fur around her ears and it's on her body. She hasn't been decaying as much as the others. She sits on her haunches looking at me. "Miss, may I request something from you?" I finish gathering enough of the ore looking at the mare. "As long as I do your request and you don't call me a hero or a savior." The mare laughs. "Nothing that silly dear. From what I see you will be heading to one of the factories to find a forge. Am I correct?" I nod. "Alright, there is an old wagon-making factory. It's been taken up by a group of raiders. If you don't mind after you make what you're making with the ore you're taking and from the sounds of it the probe. If you wish just to clear it out, we can use it to help build weapons for this city to fight back." I shrug my shoulders. "Sure I will be living in this area so why not." I gather what I need and another ghoul sets a probe and another piece of space junk into my bag. I look at the ghoul they're another zebra. She smiles nodding to me. "I can tell you where a working forge is. One of us would have to go with you though. Since it's full of ghouls." I sigh deeply looking towards the community of ghouls and then towards the zebra ghoul. I don't mind having others come with me. But I don't want to feel like I am failing my task. Maybe they won't care if I make friends with ghouls. "Shall we then?' The ghoul nods and I follow her to her home. She puts on her armor on her side is a spear made with a gold tip. She nods to me, leading me back outside. She looks back at me with a weak smile forming on her face. "I am named Story. Stay close to me if the ghouls attack you. I will make sure to kill them for you. Warning though if you see a ghoul releasing pink smoke stay as far away as you can. You don't want any of the mist to get on your skin and you don't want to breathe any of it in." I am confused why she is named Story? I know I am named Rose or Desert Rose to some but I have another name in the words of a zebra. Just Story? Maybe she forgot her name. I shrug my shoulders following the ghoul zebra out of the mine and to one of the factories which are closer. I glance at the ghouls looking at me. They gnash their teeth hungrily and stay away from me because of Story. It takes us a little bit of thirty minutes to get to the factory. Since we have to go through some traps left by soldiers of the past. I finally got to see the name of the factory. It used to be a candle maker and it was turned into making guns for the war effort. "The reason this forge is still going. Because there is a ghoul in here with a mental mind like mine and he makes candles as a way to force punishment on the lives he took during the war. He feels the only way he can be redeemed till he makes enough candles to count every single life he took." ________ The candle factory We are led into the empty factory. All the ghouls are dead and have died for some time. Around there are candles. Each candle is either lit or slowly smoking. Most of them have been melted over the years. When we get deeper into the factory I hear a voice echoing through the building. "All deaths during the war are not only my fault. I never praised Celestia for either death. I never praised her or Luna. I just lit them again to honor those I killed." I follow Story listening to the ghoul. I can tell from his crying and anger he regrets everything. We hear a gunshot and a ghoul screaming in pain. "Another death from the fire. No. It's not the fire, it's for the wax, yes! For the wax, there is no way we can do it." We walk into the main room holding the forge. The candles are big here. Two large ones with Celestia and Luna's cutie marks. I stare at the burning and they have been burning for a very long time. "This poor stallion hasn't forgiven himself for so long?" The stallion comes into the room looking at me and Story. He sets down his sniper rifle and quickly comes to me putting his hooves on my face. He stares into my eyes, his eyes full of tears shaking as he holds my face. "Life!! Oh goddess thou have failed me.. OH Goddess, how dare you bring me life!!" He removes his hooves screaming, kicking the sniper rifle, and breaking it. He chuckles weakly looking back at me. "Zebras dead on my hooves. Watching their souls vanish from their eyes. The eyes are the windows of the soul. I can't... I can't do it anymore no NO!!!" He screams and charges at me but doesn't hit me. He cries holding me tightly. He sobs loudly. I could feel his sorrow and his pain. All those he killed he killed so many in the name of war in the name of death. I wonder at times if I would have become like this if I stayed awake and fought during the war. "PLEASE FORGIVE ME!! The idea of a zebra alive is here to see me. Are you here to kill me?! The story is the hope of the endless waltz of dreams in the ending bugs and stones of blackholes death!!" He laughs loudly, sighing. "I am sorry I didn't mean to lose my mind there for a moment. Just when I see a zebra I regret all I did to them. May I have your name please before I lose my mind again?" I gulp wondering if it's a wise idea. I glance at Story and she nods. "I am Rose. I never fought during the war. I was frozen in time with others who became my family and friends. You have no right to ask me for forgiveness for you never did a thing to me. I may be a zebra but I have no issue with what you did." The stallion sighs stroking his face. "I see you got saved from the nightmare of war only to see the world end and become death like this. I pity you. I wish I could have seen the world like this. I..worry someday I will be judged for what I did. Maybe I should be judged but I don't see you judging me for all the deaths I cause." A sigh escapes my mouth, shaking my head. I have no right to judge this stallion. I have never met or dealt with this stallion before. I wish I could help him but I have no right to help him. I lean down to look into his eyes. "Listen, I am not here to harm you or anything. I am here to use the forge. Do you have a problem with me using the forge?' The stallion stands up on his hooves looking at all the candles. He holds his head like he is hearing the screams and voices of all those he killed over the years. He rushes towards the candles of the princess and kneels to them. "They all scream for relief, my princess. I can't give them what they want. I know you won't answer me oh goddess of the past. I see the future, I see the past. I wonder should I give them access to the rooms? Story walks over to the stallion and puts her hoof on his shoulder. He looks up at the zebra mare and she weakly smiles. "I am sorry to say they will never give you the answer you want. Please give us the key so she can go in there and do her task. I know this is much for you to take in but please do it?" The stallion tosses the key to the ground and Story picks it up heading back to me. She swings her head to head to the door. I follow her to the door looking back at the stallion. He screams in anger again laughing loudly. "You will answer me!!" I quickly follow Story into the forge room. She locks the door and a deep sigh comes from my mouth. shaking my head. I have a feeling I am going to have to put him down. Looking towards the forge there is coal within. Story walks over to the forge starting it and now one who has no skills in this department I need to learn how to make weapons and armor. With the help of Story, she tells me what to do. So I formed a helmet of metal, made a visor, and connected it to a strange solar battery I found in the area. Then make the body armor to hold my weapon and wiring to make it work with the helm. Then the legs connect to the metal legs and let Maria connect to it so I can talk to Deco in the visor if needed. "I know it's strange how in the world do I know how to make armor like this? I was one of the soldiers who came down here to kill ponies. Then I, along with the others, broke off from the platoon so during all these years I learned things." I chuckle weakly. I hear the screaming ghoul hitting the door leading into the forge. I have a feeling he has fully lost it. I take a deep breath. I got more than one thing I need to make. Pulling out the space junk. I was told to let the stars tell me what to make. I close my eyes communicating with the stars if they wish to hear me again. "Oh, great stars who lead us through much strife and blood. Tell me in your grand design of the universe what to make. Oh please, stars of hope, stars of blood and strife. Bring forth the dream of what I should make and tell me the name." In my mind I see it forming. As I have my eyes closed I work to make the weapon letting the stars tell me what to make. I sing what they tell me. "Take our light and our will to live. The universe is vast. We sing for our will to bring us blood and peace. Oh, a small zebra trying to bring forth a dream. The judges shall put you in your place. For the return and with the goat of undeath. We shall win our battle but for now. We shall help with our song." I ignore what they say about the goat of undeath. I know who the goat is but I doubt he will ever return. With the help of the stars, I forge the weapon looking down at the weapon I made after I douse it while staring at the weapon. The weapon is made of a gray color. It's a giant hammer. It has a rubber mouth grip so I don't hurt my mouth. I take a chisel and hit in the name of the hammer. 'Stars Wrath.' I put on the armor with the help of Star and she connects the wires to make sure they work and the visor comes up. I made a zebra-like armor. I look at my hammer again and I notice I added something else. I didn't even notice ways to hold it by the hooves. I can fight as I trained. I put my one forehoof into the hoof holder looking at Story. "Open the door and please hide if he starts attacking." Story trots to the door opening it after she unlocks it. The ghoul comes in holding a large sword and laughs softly. He slowly walks toward me holding the sword in his hoof. I hold my hammer tightly in my hoof. "You...you're a monster zebra. I am going to stop you from what you're planning to do. You're a figment in my mind. A story to my heart. I have killed so many. How do I know you're real?! Are you a door to keep my mind closed? Thou will sing to me so I can understand the path to come?!" I stay silent just looking at him through my visor. I don't know why I made armor like this. I doubt I will use it all the time. But I feel this is the only way I can find my path. The two of us start to circle each other. "The princess demands I kill you. Let's make this a grand battle to end all battles. Maybe my soul can be taken to the hell it belongs. So much blood, so much death. YOU CAUSED IT MONSTER!!" I keep calm "Listen stallion, you need to remove yourself from what you did. I am not a monster or the zebras you fought in the past. Lower your weapon and I won't kill you, please. I don't want to harm you, I don't want you to become another victim of the past." The ghoul laughs as he shifts, swinging his weapon. He is not even close to hitting me. "Oh thee devil, I see what you're doing. You wish to pull the wool of sheep over my eyes. To stop me from freeing Equestria from the monsters who have taken it over. Stay behind me oh monster and become another one of the ground." I take a deep breath. "I shall end you devil we shall sing." I charge at him and he charges at me our weapons smash into each other and they sing. Each hit and with one swing I smash into his sword and sparks fly and he falls back and he turns on a bright light. I felt it was blinding. I could see it through the visor. I swing my weapon and he does the same with our weapons smashing together. The stallion gets out of the way soon after climbing up a ladder and jumps down at me from above. My heart slows as I feel the world around me freeze our weapons ready to strike. To be Continued
Fallout Equestria: Frozen Clock	Chapter Fifteen: A battle worth a song [End of arc one.]	I stood in front of the elder of the zebra community in my armor. Leaning on my bloody hammer. Blood splattered all over my armor. Standing beside me was the ghoul mare Story. I look around seeing the wide eyes and the horror on their faces. "I was starting to worry when you didn't return. It's been almost at least four days. Rose, maybe you can explain to me what happened?" I take my helm offsetting it down looking at the elder and the other zebras around me. I take a deep breath. The smell of sweat and blood doesn't mix well. I feel my heart beating slowly unlike the last few days. "I will first introduce my friend here. Her name is Story, one of the zebras from the military years ago. Who came to destroy ponies in the name of Caesar. I met a group of zebra ghouls and pony ghouls living in harmony." I stare at the anti pony zebras. "Get it harmony dumb asses?" I snort at the anti pony zebras who look away from me. I look back to Story nodding to her then looking back to the Elder. I take a deep breath again feeling more sweat falling down my body from the armor. "They offered to help me and I gathered ore from them and they gave me space junk. Touched by the stars and the moon. Using it I made this hammer the wrath of the stars. During all this in the factory was a former candle factory and a ghoul pony took up lighting all the candles." I went silent for a moment. I still feel bad for the poor ghoul. He had to live with all the deaths he caused and still has the screams and nightmares. It's gotten to the point I worry it's what caused him to snap. "He lit every candle on every pony and zebra death he caused during the war. Two of the candles were the princess themselves and he asked them for forgiveness for everything he did and every time he killed a ghoul he added to the choir of screams and voices in his head." I go silent again waiting for the elder to speak. "I see so you did something most zebras don't wish to do. You do what you can to bring the land together. Before I say the words hero don't worry I don't consider you a hero. I consider you a mare with common sense. I can tell in the look of your eyes you want nothing to do with praise and fame." I nod that she is correct. I don't want the praise being a hero brings. I just want to be part of a community and do what I can for all those around me. If I can be a part of a community then I will do everything. "I have a question though: what happened to the ghoul?" I look back in my memory. __________________ The candle factory The ghoul and I charged quickly at each other and he climbed a ladder with the lights getting brighter from the rush. My eyes went hazy from the rush of the battle. I smashed the hilt of my harm hard into the stomach of the ghoul and I was able to toss him over me to the ground where he lay there in a heap. I turn back staring down at the poor ghoul feeling the rush leave my body. He had tears streaming down his face. "Please end it. I deserve everything I did. I deserve to follow the path of those who came before me. The candles scream at me, they laugh at me. I can't stand it any longer and scream in pain, please!!" I remove my helm, putting it down on the ground with sweat pouring down my face. I lean down to the poor ghoul and stare into his eyes. I see he is so lost and broken. I wish I could help him. I can't do anything but pity him. "Killing you won't bring any of those lives back. I know you find it hard to cope with what you did. But you have lived for many years and you still can't get over it? The past is the past. I am sure it will take you more time to free yourself from this pain." I pull the ghoul into a hug. The ghoul shakes, wrapping his hooves around my head shivering in pain and crying loudly. He screams over and over he is sorry for all he did. I feel bad for this poor ghoul. I hope one day he will be able to finally forgive himself. I sat with him for at least a few hours as he cried. Story didn't say a word. She watched all this unfold as I did my best to talk to the poor stallion. After everything, I put my helmet back on looking back down at the ghoul. "I need to do one last thing before I head back. Will you be alright on your own?" Ghoul stood on his hooves sighing and nodding. "I will reach out to the community in the mine. Maybe they can help me get this factory back up and running to make weapons and candles again for everything else. I know there is another war on and I know I may fail with my mind. But if I have others with me to help me then I know I will fulfill the task." I nod looking towards Story. I smile at her. "Can I count on you to come with me and we can fulfill the next thing I was asked to do?" Story smirks. "I would be honored to." ______________ Zebra community "Well, that is the full story. I did what I could. I am sure he will do what he can. But he will always feel the guilt. Guilt is big for those who lived for a long time. I know many won't be happy I helped ghouls regain some control of the factories to make weapons. They wish to fight back to take out the raiders and slavers." The elder nods listening as she looks at the zebras around her. She strokes her chin with her golden endowed hoof. She looks back at me after a second and then chuckles weakly. "I see what the ghouls take on our community here?" I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, I didn't ask. I did tell them about the anti pony zebras here. Story used to be the same way. Then she lived with them over the years. She started to see we are all the same and thinks any zebra who thinks this way needs to be exiled." Story nods. "I feel there is no room for this type of weakness." The elder smirks looking at the anti-pony group again. Her eyes are full of hate for them. I think she knows though but she can't toss them out. They will have to learn to live with the ponies or die. "Now your name is Story?" Story nods. "Tell me about yourself." Story turns her head to look at me. I nod to her to go ahead. "As Rose said, I am of a former invasion who came to destroy everything pony because it was war. I was raised and trained to kill ponies. I hated ponies and then I watched how they treated their little ones. Many of those with me didn't want to harm ponies after learning to live with them for so long. We infiltrated and we were meant to kill as many as we could and then destroy their ability to make war." The mare sighs looking down. I can tell she has regret and she is never going to be able to forgive herself. She looks back up to the elder, a weak smile forming on her face. She looks over at the anti pony zebras. "It was time for us to kill and I did the unthinkable: I killed a foal and a mother. I had the thought that they were all evil. Every single one of them is unholy but after I did the deed I watched their blood leak from their wounds. We all have blood going through us and we all have thoughts and dreams." Story sighs looking away. "So then after all this, the bombs fell. I learned who sent them and the ponies sent them. So I and others of those who survived attacked the ponies. Ran into the mines with ponies from the mines and we watched the world end." Story goes silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. "We were there, they knew what we did. They had every right to kill us and a stallion came up to me. He started so much and hated wanting to kill me for what I did. The tension was bad enough to cut it with a knife. A large black mare blocked us from killing each other." A large black mare I had never seen. Maybe she didn't survive. It wouldn't surprise me if she didn't survive at all. "She called herself Black Nova. During the many years, she helped us find food and whatever else we could get ahold of and worked to make our community work. She died and didn't turn into a ghoul and we buried her and after that we became ghouls and she did everything for us. Her last wish was for us to live together as one." Story went silent after telling her story. I remember the name, Black Nova. I have seen the name from old wanted posters. I remember reading she was wanted for being a zebra lover and respect zebras. It's just something I picked up and I feel bad she didn't become a ghoul like the others. "Impressive I am learning more about the past than most ever would. A pony mare wishing a pony and zebra ghoul community to live as one. How well has it worked over the years?" Story looks up to the elder. "To be honest it wasn't easy the first few years. But we learned how to work and live together. We have fought and we argue but that is normal for every family. We have become one and we do everything we can to work together." The elder gets off her chair to come down to me looking at my armor and weapon. She didn't even ask about the blood. "My next question is, why are you covered in so much blood?" A weak smile forms across my face. I didn't want to go into this part of what happened. I just feel the only way to finally get it off my chest. I feel what I did was awful even if the raiders required a good beating. "Well like I told you I was asked by a ghoul to help empty a factory of raiders. I didn't know it at the time but they also had prisoners." _______________ The old wagon creation factory. Story positioned herself with a sniper rifle she had with her since the early days. I hid with her while she fired on the raider's ponies standing guard outside. Each time she fires it makes a sort of sound that makes the raiders look around and each one she picks off. I stood on my hooves. I am sure she missed some. "Do you always have a sniper rifle with you?" Story stands up on her hooves and the sniper rifle folds into itself so she can place it into her bag and she shrugs her shoulders. "Heh really Rose if this world was peaceful I wouldn't have to carry it everywhere I go. Now come on, let's see if we can clear this place out." We both head inside and Story holds a sword in her mouth. I hold my hammer in my hooves. I feel being able to fight as I did in the past makes it easier for me. Story charges in first we go other ways and raiders are screaming and cussing. "A ghoul has broken GAH!!" I go the other way deeper above to get to the area which normally controls the factory itself. When I open the door I see cages of many mares and fillies, even some old ponies. I stare at all the ponies. I see a pregnant mare chained to the wall. She is covard in various juices I am sure she was used as a sex toy. I stare at all the cage ponies. There are even some zebras here. I hear large hooves come down the stairs and a dark chuckle. "So what do we have here? Are you hearing of heroes like Security the wolf or the toaster pony?" Hero? Security the wolf? Toaster pony? Are there heroes out there trying to help? I don't see myself as a hero. I am just doing what comes naturally helping a community live. If what I do makes me a hero to others I will tell them the truth I don't want fame I don't want glory. Everyone should do what I am doing and fight for what is right. "I am no hero. I have been asked to clear this place out. So we can fight to bring civilization back to this city." The raider stares at me like I have a mole on my head. I have a feeling what I said hit the raider hard. The large stallion comes down, sighing, shaking his head and his horn glows as he lifts a large hammer. "Noble I haven't heard those words since I was a colt. I have seen so many just showing up for fame. When my family was killed I was on the run and raiders chased me. I remember seeing a Silver pony saving me. He said these words. 'What is the core value of friendship?' I didn't answer him and he went off fighting for others. I never saw him again after that." I take my helm off holding it in my hoof. "I have never had to deal with a world such as this. I come from the world before the war. I was frozen with three others for crimes we never committed because those who had a stake of money in the war used me and my family. So here I am doing what should be right not in the name of a hero not for glory but for what is right." The stallion sighs looking at everything he has done. For I can tell the words are affecting him but he has gone down too many dark paths to lead this way. I doubt he could ever be free from his sins. "I will not see this future you want to make. I and others who do what we have done don't deserve to live for all our sins. The only way to free those I have fucked destroyed their lives and broke them in the name of power over them means death. I have rapped I have murdered." He looks at the mare chained to the wall; she looks scared of him and does not even wish to look into his eyes. He gets ready to lift his weapon. I put my helm back on holding the hammer and we circle each other. "Fight me like a zebra warrior of old. Fight me for our fight should be worthy of the song. I am not worthy of those songs of old. Remember me for who I was and not for who I became. I grew to become a worker and a blacksmith. Then I fell into hell and felt the only way to win was chems and battle. Then raider life. For the final battle, I shall." I watch him force many chems into his body and his eyes turn bloodshot. The speaker worth a song is now gone. I feel drums beating humming and our hooves stomping like drums as I hear his heart with my own. "Swing the hammer right boom boom." I swing my hammer right and he swings it left and our hammers clash. The hammers swing right twice and smash again. "Our hearts sing within the battle of blood. Boom Boom our hearts sing in the battle of strife. The hearts of old become the drums. We sing as the lust flies from our movement in the dirty ground of dust." In each step we make the dust fly and flow from the air. The sand and hair from the various ponies in here fly all over. Our hammers smash into each other harder making sparks not enough to cause fires. "There is a battle worth a song. Blood gore within our hearts. If a soul could be lost within the battle of life. Bring forth the sword brings forth the screams. The battle shall never end, be it worth a song. Dance like the drums and sing like the rocks." Our hooves heavily stomp adding to the music. His heart beats harder like a drum. My heart drums quickly with the magic music which fills the air. Our hammers keep smashing into each other and I take my hilt smashing into his gut and he backs up into the room he came from. A group of raiders comes out the door charging at me with him stomping his hooves and he sings while I fight his minions "This battle is worth a song. Fight for your life, fight for the dream fight to bring forth the ending of this hopeless world. Never break a promise, always break a sweat within the ending night. If the moon shall shine it shall shine in the night." A mare raider before she charges at me sings. "A mare of hope, a mare of dreams. Can you keep that promise, can you bring that hope? Hope without the song of a hero to back you. You hold you down within the want of glory, the want of a home." I swing my hammer before she swings her sword and with one swoop I break her head open and blood splatters all over my hammer and my armor. The next raider, a stallion, comes with many swords floating beside him. "Never trust a pony with empty eyes. Always show the song within a dream of life. Bring forth the ending night. Bring for the sun. Let it shine in our eyes so we can dream again. Bring us the dream. Bring us the heart so we can dream and shine again." The sword is my armor and I feel a sword break through the armor just a bit to stab me in my side. I swing my hammer down on him and he screams as I break through his chest with a loud squish. Blood splattering all over my hammer and me. "Free us from this moon. Free us from this hell." I look over at the slaves and those in cages. While they sing to me and I look back at the remaining pony about to attack me. I suddenly charged before she could do anything and stabbed the hilt of my hammer into the mare's stomach. "Free us, save us." They all sing and I leave the mare to die from her wound and I head to take on the leader. He smirks, his eyes heavily bloodshot and he laughs. "The drums have sounded to us all. Do you forgive the heart that comes? For the god of war is here. He has sung to us. Discord himself is using us as puppets for his amusement. We are chaos, We have our songs. You're order I am of the house of chaos and fight for either." I feel myself gaining the desire to sing. "I will not build this house of chaos. I will not build this house of order. I will free those from the house of order. I am beholden to neither of these houses. I am a zebra of the past. I am Desert Rose. I am neither a hero nor one who wants glory. I do what is right, come bring the drums, sing the drums." The stallion stops singing and the song ends as we both charge at each other and our hammers smash into each other again and he uses his magic to take a knife and try to stab in my leg and the knife breaks and I quickly turn using my metal hooves to smash right into his face and he stands there his face caved in and I turn smashing him with his hammer hard. He falls to the ground, his skull crushed and he tries to see me so he could speak. His pants are having trouble breathing and I take off my helm, setting it aside as I hold his hoof. He smirks weakly about to see me in his good eye. "Such beauty who beat me. I wish I could have seen you before I went down this path. I made this..." He coughs up blood. "Gang to protect the weak and then it went the wrong path. I met a mare from an order called the order of Mimic. She told me I need to be ready for the return." I lean to the stallion. "What do you mean whose return?" He leans up to whisper. "Grogar." He falls back down as he slowly dies from his wounds. I know the name Grogar but it means nothing to me at the moment. I grab the keys and go to the cages opening them up and they look at me scared. "You're free.." I go to the pregnant mare freeing her from the wall. "Thank you..." I smile watching the others leave looking at the mare. She quickly trots out following the others. Story finally comes into the room, her sword is stained with the blood of the raiders and I look down at the raider. "Come let's go tell them it's done and then I can go back." __________ Zebra community. I finished my story. "That is the entire story, did I pass the test?" The elder chuckles. "You never really had a test, you just had to prove yourself you're able to become part of this community. You have done the right thing and now it's time for you to meet up with your friends again." I could tell though this angered some of the zebras. "She didn't prove herself from killing a manticore or anything or bringing the meat or the heart." The elder glares at the zebra who spoke it was the leader of the anti ponies she lifts her hoof to silence him. "I am the elder here and I say she has proven herself enough. Now please go meet with your friends." I nod, putting my helm back on and attaching the hammer to my armor. I head back to the main area of the community connected with the others. Waiting for me are my friends. Drift is wearing blade wings on her wings and has a visor on her face that glows now and then. June is waiting with the others. She has no armor and is pretty much the same but has a red bandana I am sure that means something. Bowser is wearing a leather suit with one eye covered by a scope and he leans on a strange sniper rifle. "What is with the sniper rifle?" Bowser shrugs. "I had to save a group of hellhounds and they gave me this after all that. June had to beat the shit out of a manticore. Drift proved herself from what she said by doing odd jobs and then saving a village from a slaver attack." Each leader of the community stands waiting while the elder of the zebras stands by them. "Now we shall pass our judgment." The first to come forward is the hellhound leader. "I Saw Tooth saw Bowser do everything he was asked of. He didn't only prove himself in the matter of a diamond dog but he proved himself to be a hell hound. He shall be allowed to live where he wishes and any female he wishes to bed." He backs up a female buffalo wearing a strange headdress. "I Soft Breeze watched June with every cuss word in the book kill and defend. She is one of us and she is strong. She shall become part of us with no issue and she shall walk our roads but she shall live with who she wishes." The next is a white pegasus mare she has a strange rainbow dash cutie mark burned into her hip. She looks at Drift. "Drift wasn't easy to get along with at first. She didn't always listen to the chain of command. But we tended to forget she wasn't part of the enclave at all. But she showed herself strong in the field of battle. She was given the weapons of a warrior of the sky and she shall stay with her friends." The elder comes up with a Golden Heart standing beside her. "I Umphuphi" Her name is Dreamer? Huh, I am impressed. I take a deep breath waiting to see what she saids. "She has redeemed herself from her past. Giving herself to a stallion wasn't what she was put to the task for. She didn't act like a normal zebra. But everything she did for those in this area and even the community she now is part of us and we shall sing for her. We shall let her marry the mare Hops and then they can choose a stallion to herd with." I take a deep breath, I look at my friends and everyone around us cheers for us and the crowd disperses, and everything with our bodies we are tired very tired. I take a deep breath looking towards the crowd and seeing Dunewlker watching us. I don't know what is ahead but we have a journey ahead. We got to find out what Maria is, we got to find out who this Grogar is. I have never heard of the order of Mimic before and I look to the side to see a camel wearing a strange outfit and she has a small golden horseshoe around her neck. It's time to rest then it will be time to dance to the song of life. Arc one complete.
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	pre	Twilight nodded "I'm equally curious about Ragnarok myself. I know he said some harsh things in the past but..." She eyed Crona intently "I want to learn the secrets behind his origin; How he came to live inside of Crona." Pinkie grinned "I wanna know how he can pop out of Crona whenever he wants to. That's just super cool!" Rainbow Dash winced "Pinkie Pie, I doubt popping out of somepony would come off as cool..." After her words, she felt a weird bulge on her chest "H-Huh?" She looked down in shock and worry "What is this!?" On cue, what appeared to be Discord's head popped out of Rainbow Dash's chest, smiling at the wide-eyed pegasus "I beg to differ." He managed to teleport the moment the cyan pegasus yelped. She looked back and glared at the draconequus in the other room whistling innocently while standing next to Rarity, who was laying unconscious on Fluttershy's sofa. Fluttershy cast a stern glance at Discord "That's enough for now." She turned to Crona "I'm actually curious myself, but I don't want to offend Ragnarok in asking that much from you." Crona looked away with a sad glance "I'm not comfortable with bringing up my past so much. I don't like it at all." Twilight frowned "Was it that bad? If so, we won't trouble you with all the details, but could you at least explain how Ragnarok is inside of you? This is unlike anything that has been witnessed by pony eyes!" Crona gazed at Twilight with its sorrowful glance "B-But I don't feel like talking about the little one..." Twilight blinked "You mean Spike? I never expected him to make you recall something so horrible. Speaking of..." She turned to glare at Discord "I wonder where he is right now..." She stated in a leveled tone. Discord waved a dismissive paw "Oh, would you stop? He's back at the library safe and sound. Nothing to worry about at all!" He shifted his gaze to the door "Then again, I should probably make sure he isn't on his way back here..." Twilight pointed a hoof at Discord "I'll only allow that notion for Crona's sake. Keep an eye out for Spike, and if you see him at the door, just let him know that he shouldn't be seen until Crona can properly adjust to him." Discord gave a mock salute before he plucked his eyes out and set them at a nearby window as another pair grew back in his sockets. He noticed the disgusted look on Twilight's face "What? You said keep an eye out for him. Mind you, I'm doing twice the work." He quipped. Fluttershy gently rubbed Crona's back "We'll let you talk about it once you feel confident enough." She said with a reassuring smile. "Then you'll never know!" Ragnarok appeared out of Corna's back once more "The only time you'll ever see Crona acting confident is when a fight's about to start! Other than that, you're all shit out of luck!" Rainbow Dash winced "Great. You again..." She said in an unenthusiastic tone. Applejack narrowed her eyes at Ragnarok "We ain't in th' mood t' hear yer dirty mouth. Why doncha crawl back inside where ya belong?" Ragnarok gave Applejack the cold shoulder "I can do whatever I want! I can even tell how I'm inside of Crona." Twilight's eyes lit up "You can?" She asked quickly. "But..." Ragnarok added in a low tone, causing Twilight's spirit to waver. "But?" She asked cautiously. Ragnarok stared at Twilight until he looked away again "I want some candy before I feel like telling my story. I'm not running a charity or anything!" Rainbow Dash craned her head back "You'll talk about yourself in exchange for candy? What are you, a child?" Applejack snorted "An' what would a pile o' jelly like you want with some candy?" Ragnarok turned to Applejack "To eat it, of course! I'm pretty hungry, you know." He clarified his remark by showing the ponies around him his large and grotesque mouth with some drool rolling down his teeth. Everypony around Ragnarok tried not to feel nauseous, except for Pinkie and Discord, who stared at his mouth up close with intrigue "Wowee zowee! I wonder how many cupcakes you can eat!" Pinkie exclaimed as she gaped at the sight. Discord stroked his goatee with an impressed smirk "You know, Ragnarok, I'm starting to take a liking to you with each trick you're showing us." He said in a friendly tone. Ragnarok closed his mouth "If you're my friend, then feed me!" He drew himself back and crossed his arms "But that's with other food. If you want me to tell my story to you all, then I better expect some candy!" Discord shrugged "Consider it done, friend." He snapped his talon and a platter containing a large pile of assorted candies appeared on the table "Would this suffice as tribute to your wondrous tale?" Ragnarok widened his eyes at the display of candy "Gooopeee~!" He called out in glee as he lapped up the platter and chewed up his portion. As he gulped it down his eyes rolled for a quick moment before straightening again "This candy tastes funny..." He turned to Discord "It's like asparagus or something." Discord shrugged with an innocent smile "My special blend. I have more if you want." He said nonchalantly. Pinkie hopped up and down, staring at Ragnarok with eager eyes "So can you tell us your story? Please? Pretty please?" Ragnarok waved a paw at Pinkie "Would you cram it already? I'm gonna start!" He ignored the intent gazes in everypony's eyes as he cleared his throat "I'll bet you thought I was born inside of my meister, but back then, I never was a part of Crona at first." Twilight piped up "You weren't? Then you were your own being?" Ragnarok leered at Twilight "AS I was saying..." He watched Twilight droop her ears with an apologetic gaze for her interruption "I was my own guy back then; my own weapon!" Rainbow Dash "Your own weapon? Is that what you are?" Ragnarok glared at Rainbow Dash "Would you all just let me tell the story?" He heaved a sigh as he continued "Anyways, yes, I am a weapon. I'm the Demon Sword Ragnarok!" Fluttershy perked up and shivered profusely "D-D-D-Demon?" She squeaked in fright. Ragnarok took in the first sign of fear from his audience with enjoyment as he extended his body and leaned in towards Fluttershy "That's right, a DEMON sword~!" He repeated in a mock grave tone. Crona looked up at Ragnarok "Please stop scaring Fluttershy, Ragnarok. She gave us food." Ragnarok scoffed as he retracted back towards Crona "Fine. But I am a demon sword; one of the best, that is!" He looked down at the frightful pony below him while his paws were perched on its head "Then there was the unfortunate time that I had a share a body with Crona here." He looked up with an unreadable look of nostalgia "I was basically a part of this twisted experiment where I was melted down and mixed with black blood before I was injected inside of Crona. It was so infuriating back then, being reduced to just sticking around in someone elses body!" The rude growth looked at his audience, whom all of which appeared to be captivated in the regaling of his past "The one who did this to me was Lady Medusa, Crona's mom." Twilight blinked "Medusa? Like the wicked gorgon of legend?" Ragnarok turned to Twilight "Actually, that's her last name, but that's not important." He looked back down at Crona "The reason Crona here has black blood was because not only did she make it, she replaced all the old blood in Crona's body with it." Applejack piped up "So that's why Crona seems so different! Who in the hay does this Medusa girl think she is puttin' th' poor boy through all o' that?" She asked in outrage, then noticed Crona cringing from her volume and chuckled in embarrassment "Sorry 'bout that." Pinkie tilted her head with a quizzical glance "Wait...So you've been melted and put inside of Crona just like that?" She leaned in "It's that easy?" Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie with a pleading glance "Please don't get any ideas from this story, Pinkie..." Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash "Which one?" She asked absentmindedly, ignoring the dumbfounded look on the cyan pegasus' face. Twilight held up a hoof "If you're done with your story, I have two questions." She looked up at Ragnarok's indifferent glance "How is it possible to melt somepony and still manage to make them sentient?" Ragnarok stared down at Twilight "How the heck should I know? I may have been a part of all this, but I was just as confused on how it was possible myself! If anything, it's probably magic since Lady Medusa's a witch." Fluttershy gasped, then turned to Crona "Is this true, Crona?" Crona looked back at Fluttershy with a reluctant nod "Lady Medusa is a witch. She's very powerful and-...and-..." It looked away with mild fear in its eyes "She's scary..." It muttered quietly. Discord poked his chin with a talon "Well, how about that? Looks like Twilight Sparkle's got some competition..." Twilight glared up at Discord "You forget that I'm not a witch, Discord." She then held a thoughtful glance "But I'm honestly surprised she would use Crona as a test subject. What was Medusa trying to accomplish by putting her own child through so much tribulation?" She asked, nearly begging for an explanation. Ragnarok looked away with an impish stare "I only told you the story of how I'm inside Crona and nothing else. I'm not obligated to tell you anything more than that." He said in a fickle tone. Discord smirked "Would more candy change your mind?" Ragnarok shifted his glance towards Discord "Maybe..." He looked away again "Maybe not..." Twilight frowned at Ragnarok "I still have one more question. You said you're a weapon, and one of the best. Are there more weapons like you?" Ragnarok turned to Twilight "Of course there are. I doubt there'd be any around here, though; In fact, I don't really care." Fluttershy frowned to herself as she took in this information. She wanted to disbelieve that Crona could possibly be the same murderous pony she had laid eyes on in the forest, but Ragnarok's identity as a weapon was gradually crushing her hopes. She laid eyes on Crona, who remained silent with a sad, albeit blank gaze. Something told her that its mind was wondering throughout Ragnarok's story "Crona? Are you alright?" Crona flinched as its eyes widened for a moment, then turned to Fluttershy "Y-Yes...Why?" Fluttershy eyed Crona with concern "You didn't look so well earlier. Is there something bothering you?" Crona wrapped its body with forehooves while looking away shyly "It's nothing, really. I don't wanna bother you all." Fluttershy smiled sweetly "You haven't bothered any of us while you've been here. You can tell us anything and we'll do the best we can to help you out." Crona blinked at Fluttershy "Really? You can?" It asked curiously. Fluttershy nodded "Mhm. Can you tell us what's bothering you?" Crona paused, then looked around at the several eyes that were surrounding it, quickly looking down afterwards to break eye contact. It fidgeted its hooves before it finally spoke "I...I want to go back to Death City." Crona said with a minimal amount of confidence, raising its head towards Fluttershy "That's all I really want." While it was happy to let out its true feelings, Crona was unsettled by the myriad looks of confusion plastered on everyone's faces. End of Chapter 4
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 5	Chapter 5 Crona's true origin! Meeting the solar princess? Crona looked around and began to grow uncomfortable with the perplexed looks the others gave it "Wh-What's wrong? Did I say something strange?" It asked nervously. Fluttershy looked away awkwardly "Um...It's not so much what you said was strange, Crona, but...It's just-" She said, trying to come up with a way to lay Crona down gently "Well..." "We ain't heard o' no Death City 'round these parts." Applejack finished bluntly, though was still confused by what was said. Crona widened its eyes "What? There isn't?" It nearly shouted. Twilight frowned "I know this might come as a shock to you, but such a place was never heard of throughout the reaches of Equestria. In fact, I'm honestly surprised you hail from such a place. Is it a new city?" She asked curiously. Crona shook its head "No, it's an old city ran by Lord Death. I live there with my other friends." Pinkie grinned "Other friends? That's great! If we somehow manage to find this 'Death City' place, maybe you can introduce them to us!" Rainbow Dash blinked "Let me get this straight." She said to Crona "You come from a place called Death City." The frightful pony nodded "Ran by some guy named Lord Death?" She asked, wishing to clarify what was heard. Crona nodded again "Uh huh, the Grim Reaper." Most of the room went pale. Discord leaned in on Crona "Okay, pal, I know you've got two otherwordly tricks up your sleeve, but you must be yanking our chains if you're saying that you've actually lived next to the very aspect of death for the longest time." He said with a skeptical look in his mismatched eyes. Crona shook its head after backing away from Discord "I-It wasn't long. I've just gotten used to living there, and then..." It looked down "And then..." Fluttershy approached Crona "And then?" She asked gently. Crona frowned as it recalled another horrible memory in silence. "Nosy little girl...Say goodbye." stab "CRONA!" "Great...Now we're both dying...And it's all because of you, idiot..." "No, you'll be alright." "Maka..." "This is the end of the line...We're really finished now. You've been nothing but trouble since we've known you. You really suck...Yeah, you suck...but at least you're here with stupid Crona in the end..." "Maka, please...don't cry. I-...I'm happy now for the first time...I finally am. Because you...are my friend...It's okay..." Crona really thought it was happy, but ever since it woke up in the dark and dangerous forest in a different form, it was as if the happiness had never happened. Crona had already missed Maka; It regretted seeing the look of sadness on her face. The frightful pony had calmed down and looked at the others "I've...made a sacrifice. But I really miss Death City." Pinkie frowned "Why? Who'd wanna be happy at a place where anypony could die the next moment?" Crona shook its head "It's not like that at all. Death City's a nice place." Applejack scratched her head "But we already told ya that there ain't no such place in Equestria. If y'all know about it so much, then who else would?" Discord hummed before a mischievous smirk crept onto his face "I think I know what to do..." Fluttershy turned to Discord "You do?" Rainbow Dash leered at the draconequus "If it's another prank, then so help me-" "No prank." Discord interrupted with a serious tone "If we're actually going to pitch in and help Crona while dealing with knowledge that is barely known to us all, it's only best we turn to the go-to pony for Crona's troubles." He said while pointing up a claw. Twilight paused before looked up at Discord "You're talking about the princess? You think she'd help Crona?" Discord shrugged "Only one way to find out. Let's go wake up Rarity and prepare for departure." He said as they trotted into the living room. Twilight perked up "Departure? But shouldn't I just send her a letter to let us know we're going to meet her?" Discord smiled "Twilight, sometimes you have to drop formalities for the sake of getting things done. Besides, we're doing this for Crona, aren't we?" He turned to Rarity laying on the sofa "Now how to wake up Rarity...hmmm..." A smirk appeared on his face as he snapped his talons to make a floating bucket of water appear over Rarity's head. "Discord..." Fluttershy spoke in a warning tone with a light glare. The draconequus frowned in defeat "Oh alright. We'll do it your way." He said as he made the bucket disappear, then brought a paw down on Rarity's shoulder and lightly shook her "Wakey wakey." Rarity murmured as she stirred from her comatose state and lifted herself up as she shook her head "Huh? Where am I?" Twilight smiled "You're inside Fluttershy's cottage. We wanted to get you up so we could head for Canterlot." Rarity rubbed her eyes before blinking "For what occasion? Is it something important?" Fluttershy nodded "We're going to see if Princess Celestia could possibly help Crona out with finding this place called..." She donned a light wince "Death City..." Rarity arched an eyebrow "Clearly I must be hearing things now. I've already thought I've witnessed something grotesque coming out of Crona's back earlier." She noticed Crona and smiled lightly "Oh, hello, darling." Crona smiled awkwardly "Hello, Rarity..." Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared worried and awkward glances before looking back at Rarity "Errr, Rarity, ya weren't seein' things earlier..." Applejack pointed out hesitantly. Rarity tilted her head at Applejack "Whatever do you mean?" Rainbow Dash held up a hoof "She means that you've actually saw Ragnarok come out of Crona's back before blacking out." Discord held up a paw "I gave you a nice couch to lay on when that happened. No need to thank me!" He said in feigned modesty. Rarity frowned "And who, pray tell, is Ragnarok?" The mentioned growth appeared behind Crona and looked at Rarity "What do you want?" He asked rudely. Rarity stared wide-eyed at Ragnarok before giving off another tired moan and laid back on the sofa. Crona and Ragnarok glanced at each other before looking back at Rarity. Discord sighed "Well, that's one less pony to take with us, I suppose. Why don't we get going so we can sort things out?" Pinkie voiced herself with a frown "Wait a minute. What about Spike?" Discord snapped his talons and a parchment of paper appeared in his grasp. He lightly placed it on Rarity's horn as it stabbed through it and covered her face; The note read: 'Gone to Canterlot.' BRB - Discord and friends Discord dusted his paw and claw together "There we are, problem solved. Now, if everypony would kindly join hooves please?" Everypony did as requested, and Discord joined in as his tail formed a pair of digits that snapped and caused everypony beside Rarity to wink out of existence; Discord's pair of eyes on the window have also disappeared in a flash of light. After a moment of silence, the front door to the cottage had opened to reveal Spike waddling in "Hello? Girls? Discord? Where is everypony?" He noticed Rarity laying on the sofa with a gasp and rushed to her side "Rarity!" After inspecting the note laying over her face, he pulled it off of her horn and read it "...BRB?" He craned his head with a quizzical glance "What does BRB mean?" He asked himself in confusion. _____ Discord and the ponies reappeared in the middle of a vast courtyard that rested behind sturdy castle walls. Twilight looked around before turning to Discord with an arched eyebrow "Your aim's accurate as always. We're at the front of the castle. I'd expect us to be at the throne room." Discord scoffed "I have my standards, you know. Not to mention, I want this to be a surprise for our new friend." He smiled down at a dazed Crona "Isn't that right, Crona?" Fluttershy was instantly concerned when said pony was mentioned "Oh my goodness." She said to herself in worry as she carefully held Crona "Crona, are you okay?" The frightful pony shook itself out of its daze before looking at Fluttershy "Yes, I'm fine..." Discord smiled down at Crona "Good to hear, dear Crona. Now it's time for you to get acquainted with royalty." Crona looked up at Discord "Royalty? Who lives in this castle?" "This is a castle in Canterlot that is home to Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna. They both rule Equestria together." Twilight explained to Crona in a lecturing tone. Crona turned to Twilight "Are they nice?" Twilight smiled "Very nice. You'll know once you get to meet them." Discord leaned down and whispered in Crona's ear "Be careful around Celestia. I heard she kills ponies with kindness..." He warned with feigned caution in his voice. Crona went pale "Wh-What?" Twilight quickly recovered with a reassuring smile "It was a figure of speech." She turned to Discord with narrowed eyes "Right, Discord?" She asked in a firm tone. Discord smiled "Oh, that's what she wants you to think. But I suppose it's best to have Crona find out firsthoof. Let's step inside the castle and pay Celly a visit, shall we?" He said as he took point in the group entering through the castle's large doors. Once inside, Crona took a look around and gave a light gasp in awe at the castle's interior architecture; The many features inside had given off a vibrant display in its eyes. Crona continued to look around until it finally turned to Fluttershy "Will Princess Celestia actually help me and Ragnarok out? I'd be very grateful if she did." Fluttershy smiled reassuringly at Crona "I'm sure she'll do whatever it takes to make sure you'll be happy, Crona." She looked ahead as her smile grew thin, uncertainty starting to grow onto her face 'I'm confused...Crona couldn't really be serious about living in a place called Death City. I hope Princess Celestia could go out of her way to help out just this once...' She then thought about what was said between her and Discord, stealing a small glance at Crona. Crona acknowledged Fluttershy and spoke again "What does Princess Celestia do as a ruler? Is she as powerful as Lord Death?" Fluttershy blinked "Um...I can't say for certain, since I haven't actually met Lord Death, but..." She smiled "She is very powerful and very kind." Discord looked back at Crona with stealthful eyes and waggling eyebrows of mock warning after Fluttershy's words. Crona ignored Discord's gesture and looked down "Well, hopefully she'll be as kind as you are if what you're saying is true." Pinkie giggled "That's funny. Fluttershy's the Element of Kindness, silly. Nopony's kinder than her!" Crona glanced at Pinkie "Element of Kindness?" Fluttershy perked up "Oh, that's right. You don't exactly know about us yet." She placed a hoof on her chest "Me and my friends are known as the Elements of Harmony. I'm the Element of Kindness." Pinkie grinned "And I'm the Element of Laughter!" Crona shifted her glances between Fluttershy and Pinkie before turning to the others "And what about the rest of you?" It asked curiously. Rainbow Dash glided over Crona with a proud smirk "I'm the Element of Loyalty! There are times when you gotta stick with your friends to the end, after all." Applejack tipped her hat "Ah'm the Element o' Honesty. Best policy if Ah do say so m'self." She said in a friendly tone. Twilight looked back at Crona with a smile "I'm the Element of Magic, and Rarity's the Element of Generosity. We've been protecting Equestria for quite some time now." Pinkie pointed up at Discord "They even had to use it on Discord one time." He said to Crona nonchalantly. Discord frowned deeply at Pinkie "Sure, bring that up, why don't you? I'd say I'm making very good progress right now!" Fluttershy smiled at Discord "Of course you are. And we're very grateful for that." Discord donned a cheerful smile "As always, Fluttershy, your kindness knows no bounds. It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside..." On cue, a collective of goosebumps were seen on Discord's chest as he looked down "Oh, wait a minute." He said as he stopped in his tracks and opened his chest like a door, pulling out what appeared to be a chicken clucking and flailing wildly while it was in the draconequus' paw "So THAT'S where you were. Who'da thunk it?" He said with a raised eyebrow. Crona craned its head back "He had a chicken inside of him this whole time?" Its eyes widened slightly "How did he do that with his chest? Is he a robot?" Fluttershy widened her eyes "Henrietta Hen? How did you get inside of Discord?" She asked in surprise. Discord smiled at the disoriented fowl in his clutches "She must've crawled into my mouth while I was asleep after I had a midnight snack consisting of corn and toothpaste. Guess she couldn't resist." He chuckled in amusement before he snapped his talon, causing the hen to disappear "At least now she'll know not to be as curious as a monkey." He said as he pointed towards the throne room doors "Onward!" Discord said as he marched like a trained soldier, the others following him. When they reached the doors, two identical guards in golden armor stood and regarded the group's leader with cold and calculating glances. Discord merely held out a paw with a laidback smile "No need to flatter yourselves, gentlecolts. We've got an appointment with Celestia." Twilight smiled politely, albeit regretfully towards the two guards "We're sorry to come here on such short notice, but we have a pony in need." She looked back at Crona with a carefree gaze "Isn't that right, Crona?" The others turned to the pony in question waiting for an answer. Crona flinched at being in the spotlight, but managed to nod to the guards "Uh-huh..." It muttered. The guards traded glances before nodding to Twilight and giving the group room to enter the throne room. Rainbow Dash looked at Crona with a frown "Here's hoping she'll last against the princess." Applejack smiled "Ah think Crona's in good hooves. Let's get a move on." Discord opened the doors while he was found wearing a stetson of his own on his head, holding a toothpick in his mouth as he tried to look intimidating before tossing off the hat to the side and eating the toothpick "Ding dong! Friendship calling!" He piped up jovially. Crona got a look at the vast throne room ahead; There were stained glass windows of different portraits, and at the end of the room sat a large alabaster pony with both a set of wings and a horn on her head, a tiara resting behind it; her body was adorned with a golden breastplate with a gem encrusted in the middle. Crona was nearly captivated by her mane and tail; how they were multicolored and flowing in a nonexistent breeze like clouds 'Wow...She's pretty...' The pony seemed to appear gentle at first, but her expression shifted to that of deadpan as she glanced back at Discord "You really need to work on your entrances, Discord." Discord crossed his arms and looked away with a mockingly indignant look on his face "I'm not here to impress you..." He muttered. Twilight and her friends all stepped into the throne room and bowed to the one on the throne; Crona looked at the others before it tried to bow as well, although it was haphazardous at first. Twilight rose to smile, then trot towards the regal pony to embrace her "Nice to see you, Princess Celestia. We've actually come here for something we hope you could handle." Princess Celestia returned the embrace and looked down at Twilight "Is it something involving your friendship reports?" Twilight shook her head "Not at all." She directed a hoof towards Crona, who was still in a bowing position "It actually involves that pony over there. We were wondering if there could be a way for you to be of assistance." Celestia examined Crona and blinked at its features, namely its cutie mark "I see..." She trotted over towards Crona with Twilight following her. Discord watched them approach and leaned down to whisper at Crona "Remember...watch out..." Celestia stopped in front of Crona and looked down at it with a warm smile "You don't need to remain bowing to me. Feel free to rise." She said kindly as she watched Crona look up at her while rising to its feet "And what is your name, my little pony?" Crona stared up at Celestia and rubbed its left foreleg with a hoof "It's Crona...I was hoping you could help me return to a place called Death City." Celestia went silent, and Discord shifted his eyes between her and Crona "Awkward~..." Crona kept its gaze locked on Celestia "Can you do that for me? Please?" Celestia stared down at Crona with mild befuddlement "I-...I don't exactly understand your request Crona. Could you perhaps elaborate on what it is you desire?" Crona felt troubled "But that's all I want. I just want to go back to Death City if it's possible. Can you help me out?" Celestia stared with a frown before taking a deep breath "You're unlike anypony I've been approached by to ask me such a thing. Could there be an explanation for this request?" "Allow me." Everypony turned to Discord as he crossed his arms "No doubt this situation has reached an all-time high, so I suppose an explanation is in order." He pointed his paw at Crona "You see, we've found this one here in the Everfree Forest as of this morning." He smirked "And prior to that, a shooting star had somehow soared across the sky since last night." Twilight perked up "A shooting star?" Discord shook his head "Now I see where Ragnarok's coming from..." He muttered before he continued without facing Twilight "Yes, a shooting star." He turned to Fluttershy "According to Fluttershy, of course. Anything to add?" Fluttershy looked away "Umm...Well, I thought about how there were some ponies in Equestria that go through so much trouble, that I wished that I could try and help at least one." She looked down at the carpet, not facing the others "I noticed a shooting star in the sky, and I didn't hesitate to make a wish. But when I did..." She looked up "The star fell from the sky...and into the Everfree forest..." Twilight pieced together the explanation "So what you're saying is..." She turned to Crona with realization "Crona is the star; your wish?" Fluttershy hesitated, feeling lost on what to say. She thought about what would be the best response to Twilight's question, but her mind had drifted back what was seen inside of the forest last night; The maddening gaze; the intimidating sword; the floating wisps "W-Well...I-" "In layman's terms, it's a plausible theory, but we haven't really come to that conclusion yet." Discord said, twisting the truth and subtly defending Fluttershy. Twilight rubbed her chin "Well, I'd be willing to consider it just this once." She looked away in thought "Then again, I saw a shooting star with my telescope two nights earlier and nopony came out of that, what with it being distant and all..." "But I wasn't a pony before I came here..." Everypony quickly directed their attention towards the one that spoke while it looked down "Before I ended up in the Everfree Forest, I wasn't even a pony to begin with." Fluttershy turned to Crona with widened eyes "What? But how? How could you not have been one before, Crona?" Crona glanced at Fluttershy despondently "I-...I had trouble trying to deal with this form the moment I was in the forest. I didn't even know where I was or how I came here." It sat down and stared at its forehooves "Especially like this...It doesn't even make any sense." Discord smirked and went to speak, only to be stopped by Twilight and Celestia raising their hooves and speaking simultaneously "Not now." Discord slumped his arms and turned away. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at Crona "Well, then what WERE you before you came to Equestria? If you're even from Equestria, that is." Crona looked up at Rainbow Dash "I was a human." It held up a hoof "I looked completely different. I had hands instead of hooves, and I-" Crona looked down and blushed in embarrassment "I wore clothes..." It murmured sheepishly "I didn't know how to deal with being naked..." Celestia looked into Crona's eyes, frowning in concern 'That poor pony must've been through so much...' She smiled compassionately "Crona, would you feel better if I said that I'll find a way to sort this issue out?" Crona instantly looked up at Celestia with hopeful eyes "Y-You would? Really?" Celestia nodded "While this may seem like a situation of otherwordly proportions, it wouldn't be right to make it seem like you've come all this way for nothing. Let it be known that I'll do my best to help you, but I'll need some time." Crona stared at Celestia before embracing her in a hug, burying its face into her chest. She was taken by surprise at first, but smiled warmly as she gently returned the embrace "Don't worry, Crona. I won't go back on my word." She looked down at Crona "In the meantime, can you spend time with Fluttershy and her friends while I help you?" The frightful pony was frozen in its embrace until it nodded its head and muffled a positive answer "Good. I assure you that you won't be disappointed in the long run." Fluttershy gave a curt bow to Celestia "Thank you very much for your help, princess." She smiled up at the solar princess "I'm sure this will mean a lot to Crona." "It's the least I can do for Crona." She said as she lightly ended the embrace with Crona "I'll let you know when I've reached a solution." Crona frowned "It won't take too long, will it?" Celestia gently stroked a hoof on Crona's mane "It won't, but you'll have to be patient." She turned to the others "Can I trust you all to care for Crona for the time being?" Twilight nodded "Of course, princess. You can count on us!" Rainbow snapped a salute with determined eyes "We'll make sure she'll enjoy herself with us." Applejack looked up at Rainbow Dash "Ah think ya mean himself?" Pinkie grinned "Why not-" "No way!" Rainbow Dash and Applejack said in unison to Pinkie. Crona trotted back to Fluttershy, who held a determined gaze of her own "We'll do it." She turned to Crona with a smile 'After all, Crona is the pony that I've wished for...' Discord smirked "I'll do it, but only because I feel like it. I don't exactly have to take orders from you." Celestia gave a light glare at Discord before she chuckled "Then it's settled. I'll let you all go about your business while I take care of Crona's problem. It was nice to see you all again." Twilight nodded "The pleasure is ours. We hope to hear from you soon." Pinkie grinned and waved "We'll tell you how much fun we've had with Crona once you're finished!" Discord clapped his paw and claw together "Okay, everypony, we're ready to leave! Join hooves, please." When everypony but Celestia huddled together, Discord snapped his talons and the group was gone in a flash of light, leaving Celestia by herself. Celestia stood idly by as her mane and tail continued to move by themselves, then closed her eyes as she frowned "This could be a problem..." "Oh, but of course. I could tell you were about to crack the moment you heard Crona's request." Celestia opened her eyes and shifted them to look back at one of the throne room's curtains "You and I both know that what Crona wants from me won't be easy. No...It could no doubt be impossible." "And yet you went with the generic 'I'll do my best' to lift the poor child's spirits? You could've at least been a little honest about your thoughts." Celestia looked down in reluctant sadness "I couldn't risk breaking Crona's heart in front of everypony, even myself; It would've been devastating for us all." "True enough, though once little Crona finds out about your little fib, you're going to be looking at some serious character development. But at least you won't have to beg for forgiveness around that time." Celestia sighed before she turned to face the curtain she was looking at with a glare "And just who are you to judge me about honesty? If I'm not mistaken, you've been twisting the truth yourself..." She narrowed her eyes "Discord..." The curtain shuffled, and from behind it hovered the draconequus in plain sight with his arms crossed, a neutral frown on his face "What if I am? You think I wasn't surprised myself when Crona mentioned the words 'Death City'? This is really tying me in a knot!" He said as he literally twisted his body into a pretzel knot "That pony isn't just timid, we're talking about somepony who ISN'T a pony, from a different world!" There was a flash of light around him until it receded to show that Discord's body was back to normal "And considering the location, I'm already intrigued with our new guest." Celestia turned to the throne room's doors "Yes. Crona does have an interesting background, and yet..." She looked sympathetic "I could plainly see the pain behind that poor pony's eyes. Crona must have been through a lot of trouble in the past." Discord nonchalantly walked up to Celestia "Part of it has already been explained to Fluttershy and friends; the poor thing's led a hard knock life, being a guinea pig and whatnot. But who's to say that we can't turn it around?" He smirked at Celestia "After all, Crona's going to spend time with your most dependable subjects yet." Celestia managed a smile "That's true. I'm certain that they can do their best to make Crona happy." She then held a calculating glance "But I should make some private consultations before I can go further with helping them out." Discord raised an eyebrow "What, you think that would be best? I mean sure, we've already got enough on our plate as it is, but what can some measly advice do for our cause?" He laid comfortably in the air "By the way, where's little Lu-Lu? I'd figure she'd be with you in here when we swung on in." Celestia turned to Discord with a frown "She's at Donut Joe's, indulging in a small treat before returning to her duties." Discord chuckled "I suppose you've made a mistake by introducing her to baked goods." He brought a lion paw to his face, which had a wristwatch on it "I should be returning to my other half before everypony gets suspicious." Celestia stared at Discord "Please promise me that you'll watch over Crona." Discord rolled his eyes "You heard me before, didn't you? I'm all over it. Meanwhile, you do your thing and speak with that old windbag. Tell him I said hello." He said as he snapped his talons and disappeared in a flash of light. Celestia sighed to herself and trotted towards her throne when Discord was gone, thinking to herself 'Could something possibly be done about Crona? Only one way to find out...' Instead of sitting on her throne, she decided to use her horn to teleport into her bedchamber, looking around to see nothing amiss before she trotted over to a large mirror beside her bed, gazing upon her reflection; The mirror gave a slight gleam when it was hit by the sunlight from the bedroom window. She looked away towards the window, looking out into the sky 'I don't understand...What was the intention? Why?' End of Chapter 5
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 6	Chapter 6 Welcome to Ponyville! Fitting in with the crowd? Discord and the others had teleported back to the yard just otuside of Fluttershy's cottage, and the draconequus stretched his arms "Well, that was a pleasant ride, but now I'm bored." He said as he looked at the others "What say we get down to business and make Crona feel welcome here?" Fluttershy smiled "That would be a great idea." She turned to Crona "Would you like to go see Ponyville with us, Crona?" Crona looked away reluctantly "I don't know...I'm already wondering how Princess Celestia will sort things out." Discord felt inwardly troubled at the frightful pony's words and glided towards it, hovering over Crona while his body was curved up "Hey now, there's no need to be hasty. Besides, she said it would be a lengthy process, didn't she?" Crona hung its head down "Oh yeah..." It muttered despondently. Discord frowned 'Poor kid...Here's hoping Celestia knows what she's doing.' His frown was quickly replaced with a chipper smile "Now now now, there's no need for that mopey behavior when there's tons of fun to be had." Crona looked up at Discord "Fun? But what's there to do?" Discord poked a claw at Crona's forehead "Well, for starters, you can spend copious amounts of time with your new friends. You can explore their interest and compare them with your own, too." He lifted Crona up with his paw and claw as his smile widened "You'll end up repeating the process with the rest of Ponyville, and before you know it..." He tossed Crona in the air, who screamed and flailed before it landed down in Discord's grasp, being held to where its back was facing the draconequus while it gazed at a distant town "You'll end up loving Ponyville in no time!" Discord concluded brightly until he stared at Crona's back blankly "...Provided they get used to Ragnarok as well..." He added quickly. Rainbow Dash looked up at Crona "You know, I'm actually surprised that gooey jerk didn't show his face around Princess Celestia. Did he not feel like talking to her or something?" Twilight remembered the growth inside of Crona and heaved a sigh of relief "The way I see it, it was one less problem to deal with when we were talking with the princess." Applejack scoffed "Ah'd probably buck that thing back inside o' Crona's body th' moment he showed his face." She flinched before looking away awkwardly "Erm, that is, IF Ah can get t' him..." Pinkie smiled "Maybe he just needs to hang around Fluttershy more often. Then he'd be nice like Discord!" Discord shrugged while holding Crona "Here's to dreaming." "I can hear you all, you know!" Ragnarok emerged out of Crona's back, regarding the group with a cross expression on his strange face "What if I don't want to change to your liking? You ever think about that for once, or do you not think at all?" Applejack gritted her teeth "Ya dirty little..." She muttered venomously. Discord smirked playfully at Ragnarok "There's no need for hate, my friend. Join the herd; You won't regret the decision." He said in a mock persuasive tone. Ragnarok pointed at Discord "Shut it! I don't care if you make plenty of candy, I'm not gonna bend to your stupid rules!" He snapped harshly. Crona looked back at Ragnarok "But they didn't lay down any rules yet." It shifted his glance to Discord "Could you put me down, please?" Discord nodded "Of course, Crona. After all, you DID say the magic word." He said as he gently set Crona on the ground "As for my lecture, take it to heart and go out for a day in the town with us. Time flies when you're having fun, you know." He stated encouragingly. Crona and Ragnarok looked up at Discord in silence before facing the mares, namely Fluttershy, who gave a reassuring smile. After thinking over what Discord had said, it sounded like a good idea, although Crona was still nervous about meeting more people it wasn't familiar with. With a thin smile, the frightful pony gave a curt nod to Fluttershy. Ragnarok looked down at Crona "You're actually gonna go through with this? I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." Crona looked up at Ragnarok "Everyone's already helping us out. We might get back to Death City sooner than expected." It looked over at the others and paused "...But they're still very nice to me." Ragnarok huffed "I don't care how they act, just try not to make any mistakes, alright?" He requested rudely as he sunk back inside of Crona. Applejack stomped a hoof "Land Sakes! How'd ya put up with somepony like him fer so long?" She asked Crona in a mixture of irritation towards Ragnarok and amazement over the frightful pony's patience. Crona frowned "Well, it wasn't easy. Ragnarok was my partner from the beginning." It trotted towards Fluttershy, standing next to her while looking over at the distant town "So this is going to be...fun?" Crona asked shyly. Rainbow Dash frowned "Not if you're gonna hide your face the whole time." She smiled "Stick with us and we'll make sure you have a good time here without having second thoughts." Twilight hummed "I should probably let Spike know about-" She gasped in realization "Oh no, I forgot about Spike!" She looked over at the cottage when she heard the front door opening. Spike was seen exiting with Rarity "Hey, everypony. Why'd you all leave for Canterlot without us? We were-" Spike instantly winked out of existence before he could begin his rant, startling Rarity in the process. Discord wiped the sweat from his brow "Dodged a bullet there..." He looked down at an angry Twilight and shrugged it off "He's back at the library again. Gimme a break, will ya?" Rarity trotted down the steps towards her friends "I can't believe you would just leave me and poor Spike behind like that." She said in a hurt tone "Have you at least met your goal when you visited the princess?" Pinkie trotted up next to Rarity "Yeppers! We're gonna be doing stuff together until Celestia finds a way to send Crona back to Death City." She faced Rarity with a chipper smile "You're not hearing things, by the way. Just to let you know." She chirped kindly. Fluttershy nodded "It's true." She smiled "We were just about to go into Ponyville to give Crona a tour. Would you like to come with us?" Rarity gasped before her eyes glimmered "Would I? I wouldn't dream of passing up an opportunity in making another lady feel welcome here." She trotted up to Crona and held out a hoof "Shall we, Crona? I cannot wait to show you around my shop and see what clothes would be suitable for you to wear." Crona gave a small and bashful smile as it met Rarity's outstretched hoof with one of its own "I'd like that. I don't think I like being naked all the time." Discord held up a paw "I'll catch up with you gals later. I think it's best that I fill Spike in on the details before anything bad happens." He said as he snapped his talons and winked out of existence in a flash. Twilight hummed "I guess that leaves us for now." She said as she faced her friends with an encouraging smile "Let's get started!" The others voiced themselves in agreement, save for Crona, who felt nervous about being around more ponies. _____ Ponyville, just like yesterday, was full of bustling activity, namely around the market square. Right now, the element bearers traveled with their newest friend around town to show Crona the sights and possibly introduce other ponies to it. This would seem easy if Crona hadn't been hiding between Applejack and Fluttershy while the group traveled together. Pinkie darted her head around with an invigorated grin, trying to think of a place to start "Why don't we head to Sugarcube Corner? Maybe we can give Crony a treat or two!" Crona peered its head from behind Fluttershy "Cro...ny?" It blinked "B-But my name's Crona." Applejack smiled and lightly nudged Crona, grabbing its attention "Pinkie's infamous fer givin' her friends nicknames, sugarcube. It'll take some gettin' used to." She then thought over Pinkie's idea until she had one of her own "We all could meet over by my place an' enjoy some lunch." She prodded Crona's chest "Poor feller needs some food in 'is system." Rainbow Dash examined Crona from above "Now that you mention it, Crona does seem a bit scrawny at first glance; Not that it's a bad thing, though." Rarity huffed at Rainbow Dash and Applejack "I'm certain she has her reasons. After all, I'm following a diet of my own." She smiled pridefully as she caressed her mane. Crona stopped and frowned "Actually, I haven't eaten much other than what Fluttershy made for me..." It noticed the other mares stopping as well to stare and Crona waved its forelegs frantically in a placating motion "Not that it's bad or anything. I don't want to be any trouble." It added quickly. Applejack shook her head in amusement "Ya won't be imposin' at all. 'Sides, Ah believe Ah should make it up t' ya fer accidentally hurtin' ya earilier." She held out her hoof to Crona "Whaddaya say, Crona? Feel like enjoyin' some Apple Family hospitality?" She asked, as if expecting a positive answer. Crona stared at Applejack, then her hoof, then smiled as it brought a hoof of its own to meet her's "Okay..." Fluttershy watched Crona with a warm smile 'Crona's adjusting nicely around my friends so far. Maybe we'll succeed in having Ponyville get to know Crona better in no time.' She voiced herself "Then we'll have lunch at Sweet Apple Acres before we show you around the rest of Ponyville." Pinkie giggled "This is a great idea. Maybe some of Applejack's fizzy cider will boost Crona's spirits!" Crona tilted its head at Pinkie "Fizzy cider?" Rainbow Dash groaned impatiently as she hovered above her friends "I know we can talk and stuff, but can we do it at Sweet Apple Acres? We're burning daylight over here!" Twilight, though a little miffed from Rainbow Dash's impatience, nodded in agreement "She is right, girls. Let's have a quick meal before our tour." The group resumed their pace, though Crona still took comfort in traveling in between Applejack and Fluttershy. Fluttershy glanced at Crona and observed how wistful the frightful pony appeared. She wondered if it was still homesick, but decided not to press on it in fear of possibly making Crona sad. She looked around to see that some of the passing ponies near her and her friends were glancing curiously at Crona's shape 'Oh my. I think we might be drawing attention at the wrong time...' Fluttershy thought fearfully. While there had been several glances with each passing, the group was lucky to reach what appeared to be a large farm with several acres of land without a hitch. Crona snapped out of its wistfulness to gaze upon the several trees and the fruits they beared "Wow...So many apples..." It stated in mild awe. Applejack smiled proudly "That's Sweet Apple Acres fer ya." She proclaimed without hesitation "We have th' finest apples in Equestria, an' we work hard t' make sure they're good fer everypony that wants 'em." She winked at Crona "Wait until ya try some o' our apple pie; it'll probably change th' way ya think." Crona blinked "Really? Well, I never actually had pie before..." Rainbow Dash frowned "I'd be willing to believe that after hearing Ragnarok's story." She smiled shortly after, pointing down at Crona "You're in for a treat, though, I'll tell you that much." Applejack took point and led the group towards a picnic table near her homestead, where she laid a hoof on the wood "Alright, y'all. Jus' make yerselves comfy while I go inside an' fix us up some food." She turned to Pinkie "Wanna tag along, Pinkie? Ah could really use an extra set o' hooves." Pinkie grinned "Okie Dokie Loki!" She replied as she pronked beside Applejack and followed her into her house while the others sat themselves down at the picnic table; Fluttershy sat next to Crona while Twilight and Rainbow Dash sat at the opposite end. Rarity sat herself down on the picnic table next to Crona - though she fussed with getting herself comfortable beforehand - and looked over at the pony beside her "Crona, from one lady to another, may I ask you something?" She earned Crona's attention as she continued "Forgive my curiousity, but I wish to know what this 'Death City' is like. If my friends are telling the truth, then you're really from such a place?" Crona nodded "Yeah..." It shuffled its forehooves "It's not a bad place once you get used to living there." Twilight leaned her head in slightly, curious about Crona's life herself "Did you manage to make any friends there?" She asked, wondering about the concept of Death City. To her, it sounded as if there were possibly nothing but ghosts that took residence in a large city; not that she would actually believe in spirits. Crona shifted its glance to Twilight "Actually, yes. They just welcomed me as one of their own. I was scared at first, confused as to why they would even want me, but they were all nice to me." It looked down with a small nostalgic smile "It felt good after a while; I never thought I could deal with talking to anybody other than Ragnarok or Lady Medusa." Fluttershy nodded "I agree. It's never good to be alone alll the time. I'm glad you were able to make some friends at least." Rainbow Dash tilted her head at Crona "They sound pretty awesome from your point of view. Were they like you at all?" Crona perked up and shook its head at Rainbow Dash "No, not at all. They were very different." It looked up with a calm glance towards the sky "My friends had their own goals and their own powers. Maka was the first one to make friends with me; She always loved to study and become a good meister." Rainbow Dash blinked "Study? That sounds an awful lot like a certain egghead, don't you think?" She asked as she smirked playfully at Twilight. Twilight flashed a bright smile "She seems like a very good friend if she chose to make you one of her's." She complimented, but her smile vanished with a look of curiousity "But what exactly is a meister?" Crona shuffled its forehooves awkwardly "Well...I'm not all that good at explaining it, but it's basically someone who uses a weapon in combat. The meister and the weapon are supposed to work together whenever they fight an opponent. They resonate their souls together if they want to draw out their true power." Fluttershy felt her heart stop as she heard Crona explain; A part of her wondered if she would have the misfortune of seeing Crona actually fight if it ever felt the need to. The thought of seeing somepony so gentle and timid being forced to take arms seemed saddening to her, but if Crona was the same pony she had seen last night... Twilight squinted an eye towards Crona "And you and Ragnarok...?" Crona stared at Twilight until it understood her question and sheepishly looked away "Y-Yeah...We work together...or try to, at least." Rainbow Dash stared blankly at Crona and pointed a hoof "You can fight?" She earned a reluctant nod "How good are you? Rainbow Dash asked curiously. Fluttershy, who gradually felt troubled at the thought of listening, raised a hoof "Umm...I don't think we should talk about fighting...I don't think Crona would like that." She turned to Crona with a curious glance "Would you?" Crona glanced back at Fluttershy "Not really." It said with gratitude tinted beneath its feeble response "I don't think I could deal with it..." Rainbow Dash was dumbstruck by Crona's reason "You can't deal with talking about a few fights? What's up with that?" Rarity cast a stern glare at Rainbow Dash "Well, for one thing, it's uncouth to even regale the tales of partaking in battles that Crona obviously did not enjoy in her time!" She defended Crona, placing a hoof on her chest with a frown of displeasure "I, for one, am not exactly proud of our little 'Changelings in Canterlot' debacle, even though Shining Armor and Cadence have tipped the scales in their favor." Rainbow Dash arched an unconvinced eyebrow at Rarity "Really now? Cuz even if we WERE outnumbered, you looked like you were enjoying yourself." "That's enough, girls." Twilight cut in authoritively "We don't need to fight amongst ourselves when we're only having a friendly conversation." She said to Rarity and Rainbow Dash before turning to Crona "Why not talk more about your friends, Crona?" She asked gently. Crona looked down pensively "Well, while Maka's a meister, Soul is her weapon. He sometimes gets hurt by Maka if he acts out." It looked up at the others "Then there's Black Star, who wants to surpass God...Whoever that is...He's very strong and confident." Twilight smirked playfully at Rainbow Dash "Looks like somepony's got some competition." Rainbow Dash flinched and pointed a hoof "H-Hey! He doesn't sound so tough! What kind of name like 'Black Star' is better than 'Rainbow Dash'?" She defended herself tersely. Crona looked down again "His weapon reminds me of Fluttershy a lot. Her name was Tsubaki, and she was very kind to me and Ragnarok, even making food for us." Fluttershy smiled warmly "She sounds like a great person." Her smile faded "But why is she a weapon? Did she choose to be one?" Crona shook its head "She was born that way, and she was okay with it." It frowned "I kind of envy her sometimes...Being able to deal with things easier than me..." Some distant screams reached the ears of Crona and the other mares "What was that?" Crona asked as it looked around the farm. Twilight jumped from her seat and looked towards Ponyville "It came from Ponyville. But what could it be?" Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes "Whatever it is it can't be good. What say we skip lunch and see what's going on?" "Awww, but we got everything ready~!" The group turned to see Applejack and Pinkie balancing trays of food and drinks with the latter bearing an expression of disappointment "Why does something bad have to happen while we're enjoying ourselves?" Pinkie complained as she neared her friends and set her tray on the table. Twilight held a determined glance "We shouldn't ignore this, everypony; Let's move into town and see what's going on!" Applejack set her own trays down and nodded in agreement "Couldn't 've said it better myself!" She said as she began to gallop with everypony else following after. Crona was tailing the group while trying to catch up with its friends, a look of distress on its face. Fluttershy fell back with the frightful pony to keep it company as they both managed to catch up. While galloping, however, she couldn't help but feel that she was bound to see if Crona was unlike the pony she had seen at the bush in her yard. End of Chapter 6
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 7	Chapter 7 Skirmish in the Square! A frenzied enemy approaches? Meanwhile, in Ponyville library, Discord pointed a claw as he was discussing the issue about Crona with Spike "In conclusion, you just need to keep your distance while we make sure Crona adapts to Ponyville." Spike stared "How does that explain why I can't be around you guys?" Discord shot an inquisitive glance back at the purple dragon "How could it not?" Spike deadpanned "All you said was 'In conclusion', and nothing else." Discord's gaze became quizzical, almost cross-eyed "I have? Well, in that case, let me reiterate with more clarity to my reasons." He gestured his paw and claw as if passing an item left and right "You, Spike, obviously bring about bad memories towards poor Crona just by being there, and we cannot afford to have somepony go into a panic attack while you stand idly by as if nothing were happening. Our newest friend needs time to adjust and forget about such haunting visions to the point where it were like they've never even happened. Therefore, you'll have to take up the idea of becoming a prepubescent hermit in this library until we actually feel the need to have you around for the sake of friendship." He conjured a set of shades and put them over his eyes while leaning his head towards Spike "Ya dig?" Discord asked in a mock urban accent. Spike frowned "But I don't wanna be cooped up in here for a long time; I'll get bored easily! Plus, you may have forgotten my thing with Rarity." He said as he crossed his arms. Discord held back a snicker as he composed himself "Well, stud, use this as an opportunity to make yourself more presentable and desirable around Rarity. I'm sure there could be plausible tomes of knowledge to impress a mare." Spike looked up at Discord with faint interest "Really?" Discord spread his arms with an encouraging smile "Of course. In fact, I have one right here for your viewing pleasure!" He proclaimed as he snapped his talons and made a book appear in his paw; It was an ebony tome titled 'How to impress your mare in one easy step'. Spike eyed it with a wide grin on his face, but it faded when screams were heard outside "Did you hear that?" Discord conjured a hearing horn and held it to one of his ears as he made out the sound himself "Sure did." He shrugged to Spike "Sorry, my boy, but duty calls. In the meantime..." Discord gently placed the book on top of Spike's head "Educate yourself. I'll be back in a jiff." He said as he teleported out of the library. Spike paused with a bitter expression until he took the book off of his head and cracked it open. There was no content seen in the book other than one small sentence. Step 1 Be yourself It may have been short and to the point, but Spike was outraged at what the book had to offer "This doesn't help me at all! I've been myself around Rarity for the longest time now!" He snapped in complaint before heaving a sigh and waddling towards a couch as he began to mope "I get no respect around this place..." From a perch on the other end of the room, Owlowiscious flew towards Spike and landed next to him, giving a reassuring hoot. Spike eyed the owl until he patted his head with a smile "Well, at least you're here for me." _____ Crona and the element bearers galloped into town to see the many citizens running amock in a panic. They traversed through all of the unrest, trying to spot the disturbance that was being made in the town. Rainbow Dash flew above to get a better view, and her eyes widened when she spotted the source "Girls, you might wanna get a look at this!" She called down to her friends as she pointed ahead of their direction. Fluttershy, curious about the disturbance herself, flew up next to Rainbow Dash and followed her outstretched hoof. When she spotted what was up ahead, she gave a low gasp at what was seen. A few feet away from the fleeing townsfolk, a large manticore with ruffled fur was seen ravaging the ponies that were nearby without hesitation, its claws leaving massive wounds across their bodies. Screams of agony and terror filled the air that were only toned out by the manticore's feral roar. A maddening gaze in its dilated pupils scanned the area as what appeared to be black ichor trailed from the right side of its maw while he breathed deeply. The manticore had caught the element bearers and Crona in its sights and let out a threatening growl. Rarity stared back at the manticore and the bleeding victims with a look of distress "A manticore in Ponyville? But how!?" Twilight, tensed up by the beast's appearance, watched how it slowly advanced towards them "Your guess is as good as mine. Creatures of the Everfree forest don't even come out of their territory unless they're provoked. This occurrence makes no sense at all!" At Twilight's last sentence, Discord teleported next to them with a relaxed smile "Now who has the gall to say-" He spotted the manticore and the wounded ponies left in its wake, staring blankly at the carnage "Oh...That's happening." He said as he pointed a claw at the manticore. Fluttershy looked down at Discord "Discord! Please get everypony to safety!" She called down to him. Discord nodded "Can do." He replied nonchalantly, as if the manticore wasn't around. He snapped his talons, causing the wounded ponies to wink out of existence, and looked ahead at the manticore with a grimace "Yeesh, I remembered manticores to be more groomed despite being wild animals." He looked up at Fluttershy gliding towards it and frowned in concern "Are you sure about trying to reason with it? Need I remind you of the ponies I rescued just now?" Fluttershy looked back at Discord with a gaze of resolve "Go help everypony, Discord. I can do this..." Discord stared, then closed his eyes as he took a deep breath "You better be careful, Fluttershy..." He muttered as he teleported away from the group, leaving them with the manticore. Fluttershy descended towards the manticore's eye level and eyed it with a stern glance "Why did you do this?" She asked in a low tone towards the advancing manticore "Why would you leave the forest and harm so many innocent ponies? Don't you have any shame?" Crona watched Fluttershy with a quivering heart "Fluttershy..." It murmured in fear of what could happen to her if she weren't careful. Her courage against the manticore was surprising in Crona's eyes, almost reminding her of Maka's own display. Fluttershy's eyes narrowed "I don't know what your reason is for hurting everypony, but you've caused enough trouble, mister! You're going to go back inside of the Everfree Forest right now!" She said, her volume reaching levels unlike her usual inside voice. Applejack felt herself shake as the manticore continued undeterred, turning to Fluttershy "Ah don't think that there manticore's listenin', Fluttershy!" Fluttershy's gaze stayed the same until her eyes widened with a burning intensity that entered and coursed through the manticore's body the moment they locked eyes; She had used her reliable disciplinary tactic known as 'The Stare'. The beast was confused at first, but found the feeling inside of his body to grow annoying, roaring in protest as he brought up a massive paw and went to strike Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash widened her eyes "Fluttershy!" She said as she sped towards her friend and quickly snatched her away, letting the manticore's paw slam into the ground. When they were at a safe distance, she carefully, but hastily lifted Fluttershy to where their eyes met "Are you crazy? That manticore nearly killed you back there!" She said in worry. Fluttershy, whose expression shifted to shcok and sorrow, looked back at Rainbow Dash with trembling eyes "B-But I don't understand...How could he even resist against the Stare?" Rainbow Dash looked back at the large beast growling at the two pegasi "I don't know, but you made him very angry!" "Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Run!" Twilight called out to her friends. They complied without a word and flew away from the manticore, who unfurled his own wings and roared before pursuing them. Pinkie watched them leave, until her body began to twitch uncontrollably "O-O-O-O-Oh bo-o-o-o-o-o-y~!" Crona was unsettled by Pinkie's sudden display of movement "P-Pinkie Pie? Why are you doing that? Your body's moving all weird and wobbly. I don't know how to deal with that!" Applejack watched in surprise "A Pinkie sense now? But what could it be? Ah'd figure that manticore was the biggest doozy we've had in a while." Pinkie grunted as her body moved about "It isn't! I dunno what it is, but it's bound to happen soon!" Rarity frowned "I hope this doozy is something that would rid Ponyville of this manticore." Twilight turned to her friends "Whatever the prediction, we can't leave Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash by themselves. C'mon, everypony!" She said as she galloped away, the others following after her. _____ Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew for their lives away from the rabid manticore that gave chase; Fluttershy whimpered to herself while her mind was wrapped around the question of why a manticore wouldn't even listen to her while Rainbow Dash kept a tight grip on her friend as she accelerated away "That stupid beast isn't gonna get us so easily. Hold tight, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash proceeded to use evasive maneuvers in the air that consisted of some of the tricks she would practice on her own time. She expected results from her demonstration of tricks, but despite her deft movement, she noticed the manticore did not let up on his pursuit; He would roar in irritation for each trick he fell for, but he would eventually be back on their tail without much effort "What gives? He should've been winded by now! Nopony could just catch up to me like that!" Rainbow Dash shouted dumbfoundedly. Fluttershy looked back at the manticore's unchanged expression of latent insanity in his eyes while he stayed hot on their trail 'I'm just as confused as you are, Rainbow Dash. Whatever drove him to cause trouble in Ponyville must have given him some kind of boost in strength...' She watched how more of the black liquid seen on his lips trailed off 'Wait...is that...?' Fluttershy yelped when she felt herself yanked as Rainbow Dash made a sharp turn to the right before she could deduce the blackness seen on the manticore. Rainbow Dash groaned when she looked back "Darn it. Looks like we're gonna have to knock some sense into him." Fluttershy turned to Rainbow Dash "What!? But we can't!" She cried. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes as she looked down for a place to land "I know that manticore's an animal, Fluttershy, but he's acting like a monster! Besides, I don't see him leaving us alone as long as we keep this up!" She said as she swooped down towards town square near the fountain, where she took a defensive stance while she watched the manticore descend nearby "It's time to get tough!" Rainbow Dash flared her wings and launched herself at full speed towards her target, hitting him square in the chest with a headbutt. She expected a painful reaction, But Rainbow Dash heard nothing but another low growl 'Huh?' She looked up to see that the manticore wasn't even fazed by her blow, and he roared as he swatted Rainbow Dash away with a massive paw, sending her through a wall of a nearby building. Fluttershy gasped "Rainbow Dash!" She went to gallop to her aid, but her path was blocked by the manticore, who snarled at her threateningly. With eyes wide as dinner plates, Fluttershy backed away from the advancing beast, fearing for her's and Rainbow Dash's lives. While Fluttershy was backing up, Twilight and the others managed to reach town square to see the manticore advancing on her. Crona widened its eyes at the terrifying sight "Fluttershy!" Applejack called out to the timid pegasus in worry "Shake a leg, girl! Yer gonna be attacked!" Fluttershy whimpered while her eyes were on the manticore "I-I can't..." she whimpered as her legs began to tremble profusely, fear beginning to overtake her. Never had she been met with a predicament that involved not only her life, but several others. Right now, the timid pegasus was staring death in the face that took the form of a savage beast that she was unable to communicate with. As she watched the manticore raise his paw up, Fluttershy's pupils trembled while she broke into a cold sweat, and she instantly clenched her eyes shut at the realization that running away was futile. Her friends couldn't bear the sight, namely Crona, who instinctively galloped towards her with a distressed look, ignoring the mares behind it before shutting its eyes as it reached its caretaker "Fluttershy!" After Crona's call, the manticore had brought down his paw, but instead of striking a pegasus and an earth pony, it had smacked against a large, red, and dome-like magic shield that had instantaneously formed the moment Crona reached Fluttershy; on the former's back was a wingspan containing large and black wings in a covering position over the two ponies. The manticore roared in surprise before he was reeled back by the force it exerted from his attack. Rainbow Dash crawled out of the hole she had made and shook her head before she noticed the spectacle herself, her jaw nearly dropping "What the...!?" Pinkie gasped in surprise while she watched the shield protect Crona and Fluttershy "No way! Crona's a pegasus that can use magic? That's amazing!" Twilight would have been at a loss for words had it not been for Pinkie's deduction "Pinkie Pie...I don't think those wings actually belong to Crona..." She said as she watched the scene carefully, although was nearly captivated by the demonstration of Crona's skill. Pinkie blinked at Twilight "They don't? Then who would they-" She gasped again, this time in realization before she bursted into a cheer "Ragnarok is actually helping! He really is a nice guy!" Rarity was in awe at the fact that Ragnarok was displaying immense power by himself, or so she thought "Amazing...And to think Ragnarok was just inside Crona for show!" Applejack gave a light scoff before she held a thin smile and remained silent 'Guess he ain't all bad iffin' he's willin' t' risk his life with Crona...' Fluttershy heard her friends speak, and she opened her eyes to view the sudden bulwark she was inside of, followed by the pony who held her close "Crona?" She asked in a whisper. Crona looked down at Fluttershy in worry before it had smiled in relief "I'm glad you're okay, Fluttershy...Don't worry; We'll protect you." It said as the shield had lifted, the wings receding into Crona's body while it gently lifted Fluttershy up. The manticore had recovered from the backlash of his earlier strike and roared in agitation as it leapt to strike Crona and Fluttershy again, but was met with another obstacle in the form of an angry Ragnarok easily matching his force with the paw over his own "Personally, I don't give a rat's ass about the new friends Crona has made, but Fluttershy managed to make us food; and we could've had some of Applejack's if you didn't show up. Now I'm gonna beat you down before I can enjoy a good meal!" He said as he added more force to his defense and sent the manticore reeling once more. Fluttershy had never been so dumbfounded over such an otherwordly feat; She never expected so much physical strength from Ragnarok. What drew her away from it was Crona's unreadable expression that slowly contorted into a light glare towards the frenzied beast. The pony who seemed frightful to her at first had now appeared to have gained some courage in the face of adversity in her eyes. Crona remained frozen until it spoke in a leveled tone "Ragnarok..." After he was mentioned, Ragnarok melded down into a black ooze and slithered down into Crona's open mouth, shifting into a shape of a long and thin blade as the once-frightful pony bit down on the hilt. While Ragnarok was held in his new form, Crona's eyes began to change; rather than their regular purple, its pupils dilated slightly as their color became lighter and pale. Fluttershy would be happy to know that Crona was willing to protect her, but a new fear had wormed inside of her; the fear of the new pony that stood before her with the same nightmarish features; the sword in its mouth; the maddening gaze; the defensive stance. She had inched herself away while Crona was focused on its recovering opponent 'I can't believe it...Crona really is the same pony I've seen in the Everfree Forest last night...' Fluttershy thought while she stared in disbelief. The manticore recovered again, his full attention directed on the armed pony in front of him. He roared indignantly before readying his scorpion tail and launching it at Crona, who managed to sidestep and block the poisonous tip that clashed with the ebony blade. Crona quickly dropped its guard and charged towards the manticore to slash at his chest, eliciting a growl before it dodged a paw that dropped towards the ground, crushing the spot it touched. Fluttershy's mind was in flux at the sight of Crona fighting against the ferocious beast; So much had happened in the course of two days, and it all led up to a horrific sight taking place in her home. While he was still feral, Fluttershy's heart went out to the manticore as she watched him bleed out black blood '...What!?' Upon closer inspection, Fluttershy noticed that the wound Crona made on the manticore was indeed leaking black blood. From noticing the familiar substance that dripped from his mouth, the wound had drawn her to a palpable conclusion: The manticore had somehow gotten a hold of Crona's black blood, and it was quite possibly the source of its current ferocity. Crona was busy blocking clawed swipes that had come in left and right with the help of Ragnarok, all while showing no reaction towards each attack other than its maddening gaze. When it spotted an opening, the sword-wielding pony lunged Ragnarok forward to stab at the manticore's chest, only to be swatted away after the hit had connected. Fluttershy had snapped out of her thought after seeing Crona roll across the ground "Oh my goodness!" She went to fly towards Crona until she noticed the swift recovery it made. Crona lifted itself up, showing no expression of pain as it kept Ragnarok in its mouth. Its eyes narrowed at the manticore before it galloped back towards him with Ragnarok at the ready; Paw met sword as they clashed after closing the distance in minimal time. From the sidelines, Rainbow Dash was easily amazed by Crona's demonstration of swordplay and endurance "Wow...She may look scrawny, but Crona can take a beating and come back stronger!" She said to herself before she grimaced "...I'm glad she's on our side..." Rainbow Dash muttered with faint fear. She then realized two things: She remained motionless in the hole she made, and Fluttershy was close to the two combatants. Not wanting to waste another moment, Rainbow Dash recovered from her spot and quickly flew towards Fluttershy, swooping her off from the ground and taking her by surprise "Don't worry, I gotcha." Fluttershy whimpered "But what about Crona?" Rainbow Dash frowned and looked over at the mentioned pony holding its own without any problems "Personally, I think she's got this one." She reassured Fluttershy as she let her friend fly, the two pegasi gliding back to their friends "You girls seeing this?" She asked curiously. Applejack nodded "Darn tootin'. Ah'm surprised Crona's even standin' up t' manticore as if it were nothin'." She said as she noticed the wounds on the manticore "What in the hay..." Applejack muttered "Since when do manticores bleed black blood?" The others were confused by Applejack's question until they caught on themselves, stupified at the fact that there existed a manticore holding the same blood as Crona. Twilight spoke up "By Celestia's mane, that is black blood." She uttered dumbfoundedly "But how is that possible? No manticore could be born with such a thing!" Rarity eyed Crona carefully while it defended itself "Crona couldn't have something to do with this, could she?" Pinkie tilted her head "Well, Crona's the only pony we know with black blood so far. Maybe we should ask once this battle's over?" She suggested obliviously. A thought had crossed her mind and she spoke again "Say girls..." The other mares gave Pinkie their attention "About my Pinkie Sense earlier...I've already been called crazy a couple of times, but what if Crona's the doozy?" She asked as she watched Crona fight. Before anypony could answer, Crona had hopped away from the manticore and bit down hard on Ragnarok as its eyes narrowed "Scream resonance." After Crona's command, a set of large red lips sprouted from the blade just above the hilt. They grinned before they opened wide to give off a deafening scream that brought up a sonic wave throughout town square. Twilight and the others covered their ears from the scream's intensity, clenching their eyes shut and gritting their teeth as the sonic wave continued to permeate the air. The manticore had been stunned from the scream as well, giving off a desperate roar to try and tune out the sonic wave. While it was distracted, Crona spotted another opening in the manticore's chest; this was the ideal target for the killing blow. It charged forward, and after rearing its head back with Ragnarok, Crona gave a mighty swing to the desired area, hitting the manticore in the chest as his roar was ceased. Everypony on the sidelines widened their eyes when Crona managed to cut the manticore in two, but their surprise had doubled as they saw the beast fade to black before it swirled in a spiral and gathered to form a glowing red wisp that hung in the air over the small puddle of black blood. Fluttershy went pale; This was the last thing she remembered when seeing Crona in the forest last night. She didn't want to believe it, but she was now caring for a killer pony carrying a demon inside, and while she cared for Crona and Ragnarok, she was worried that they would be ostracized by the rest of the town. Twilight, enraptured by what was present in place of the manticore, approached the floating wisp and examined it up close "What is this?" She asked in a whisper. Rarity felt troubled with the wisp's presence "Twilight, get away from that! It could be dangerous!" She warned. Sadly for Rarity, her friends, save for Fluttershy, were just as curious as Twilight, gathering with her to study the glowing ball themselves. Pinkie poked at it "What do you think it is? If anything, it's shiny!" Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow at it "Whatever it is, I dunno if it's a good idea to keep it here..." Twilight darted her head at Rainbow Dash "Are you kidding me? We should study this further!" She glanced back at it as her eyes glimmered with inspiration "For all we know, this could lead us to a new breakthrough in the study of magic." Twilight said, bristling with excitement. Applejack frowned "Don't seem all that interestin'. Ominous, yeah, but y'all don't think it actually has anythin' t' do with magic, do ya?" "It's a soul..." The element bearers turned to Crona, whose eyes went back to their former color as Ragnarok shifted and sunk back inside of its back. It turned to the others "That soul belonged to the manticore I just killed." Rarity stared blankly at Crona before she saw the moment to drape a hoof over her forehead, give off a tired moan, and faint again. Rainbow Dash looked down at her in irritation "Seriously? That's like the third time today!" Applejack regarded Crona with befuddled eyes "Ya mean t' tell us that's a soul of a fallen critter?" She turned to look at it as her heart quivered "Now Ah feel disturbed just lookin' at it." Applejack commented. Twilight was just as disturbed as she watched it "But the soul is immaterial according to magic study. We're actually seeing a soul in a tangible form?" Fluttershy neared the floating soul and gently placed a hoof on it "I don't believe it..." She began to tear up as she continued to stare "That poor thing...I can't believe he's gone..." Crona saw the sadness in Fluttershy's eyes and felt sorry for her, cautiously drawing near her before it pawed at the ground shyly "I-...I'm sorry if this bothers you, Fluttershy. But that manticore...it nearly killed those ponies back there...If we didn't act sooner-" "I understand." Fluttershy interrupted tersely, though she was still lamenting over the manticore that had died "Everypony would've suffered if he wasn't stopped..." She said as she caressed the soul before holding it close with her forelegs. Tears streamed down her face "If only there was another way around this..." Fluttershy whimpered as she began to sob. Crona couldn't watch Fluttershy act so sad over something that had affected her town so horribly. It then looked down at the puddle of black blood and widened its eyes, its pupils trembling 'Oh no...The black blood! Why didn't I notice this sooner!?' While everypony was gathered around the soul of the fallen beast, Discord teleported back and quickly looked around "Are you girls okay? Where's the manticore? Is it-" He looked ahead to see the group with their own respective expressions, feeling confused himself as he raised a bushy eyebrow "I've obviously missed something here...The question is what it was..." End of Chapter 7
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 8	Chapter 8 The Truth About Souls! Discord has a secret? Discord tilted his head at the huddled ponies, ignoring Rarity laying unconscious on the ground. He glided towards them with curiousity in his eyes "Hey there, everypony. What's going on? Is there something interesting the manticore left behind?" Twilight turned away from the group to see the draconequus approach them "Discord. Is everypony safe and sound?" "Actually, I have terrible news..." Discord said with a look of heavy sadness in his eyes "When I came in and swept away the victims, I was unable to save them all in time..." He said as his eyes closed "They will be missed..." He murmured, earning the attention of the other ponies, save for Fluttershy and Crona. They shared his look of sadness until a snickering was heard, to which Discord bursted out laughing "I'm just kidding! They're all alive and well! I was on the ball when I dragged them out of harm's way." While Twilight was relieved to hear the news, she groaned "That wasn't funny, Discord. They were lucky to survive any unexpected danger." She said in aggravation. Discord held his claw and paw in a placating motion "Take it easy, Twilight; I was only trying to lighten the mood is all." He looked over at Fluttershy and Crona, both of their backs turned as they focused on their own interests "And I see that it hasn't entirely worked. What's going on?" Applejack shuddered "Ya should probably see this fer yerself. Ah dunno if ya'd like it, though..." Discord inched towards Fluttershy and heard the sound of her sobbing, causing his heart to nearly wrench itself "Oh dear...Fluttershy, what's wrong? Did that manticore hurt you?" His eyes narrowed as he darted his head about "That fleabag's looking for a world of pandemonium if he's anywhere around!" He snapped apprehensively, unhappy with the fact that his best friend could be possibly hurt. Fluttershy cast a sideways glance with her tear-stained eyes "Oh, Discord...It's awful...The manticore-" "The manticore's gone, Discord." Twilight interrupted "But he did leave something behind..." She looked over at her sorrowful friend "Show him, Fluttershy." Fluttershy was hesitant at first, but she shifted her body to show the manticore's soul nestled in her forelegs, shining its bright red glow while the pegasus sniffled. Discord widened his eyes "I-...I don't believe it..." He pointed a claw "That belonged to the manticore, correct?" He asked in an unusually serious tone, though he was surprised all the more. Twilight nodded "It happened to become that right after Crona..." She looked away with her ears drooping, a frightened look in her eyes "...Well, I don't want to say it for Fluttershy's sake." Discord held out his eagle claw "Fluttershy, may I see what you're holding please?" Fluttershy reluctantly offered the soul to Discord, who held it carefully with two talons as he inspected it up close "It's been so long since I've seen anything like this." He looked down at the other ponies "But how did this happen?" Pinkie Pie held up her forehooves "Let's just say the manticore's here, but at the same time he's NOT here thanks to Crona." She looked over at the mentioned pony staring into the puddle of black blood "Crona? You okay over there?" Rainbow Dash hovered with a frown "You know, ever since Crona brought up the whole 'manticore's soul' thing, she's been standing over there and hasn't moved at all." She glided over to Crona's catatonic face, then where its eyes were directed towards, wincing at the puddle "Oh, I get it...You don't like staring at blood a whole lot, don't ya? I don't blame you." Crona lightly whimpered "The blood...But that could only mean..." _____ Crona laid in the middle of the darkened forest, giving off a pained moan as it picked itself up. It rubbed its head with a forehoof and opened its eyes to scan its surroundings "Huh? Where-...Where am I?" Crona said, waking up and looking around, feeling panicked about the scenery "Th-This isn't Lady Medusa's hideout...What happened?" It looked at its forelegs and yelped "What's going on!?" The human-turned-pony couldn't comprehend its current situation, being sent to a different area after being fatally wounded by their own mother. There were sounds of snarls and hisses that brought Crona out of its thoughts "Who's there?" The frightened pony picked itself up and looked around 'What's going on? Is this the afterlife? I-...I-...' Crona's face grimaced, never anticipating to end up in such a random and dark situation. '...I don't know how to deal with this!' Crona's heart stopped when the many horrors of the dark forest came into plain sight; several ferocious animals unlike anything seen in the demon sword meister's past life slowly inched closer to surround their prey. Crona bared its teeth and whimpered "Why? I thought I would be through with this kind of suffering...Why?" As if any unexpected actions have already occured, Crona was caught off-guard when something jabbed its head. Hovering over the frightened pony was an irate Ragnarok "Would you quit your whining!? I'm trying to sleep here!" After catching a glimpse of Crona's new form and the monsters that surrounded them, Ragnarok's anger was forgotten "What the-...Where are we?" Crona looked around with discomfort "I don't know, but I don't like it..." It murmured. What appeared to be a wolf made of wood salivated in front of Crona and bent down in a pouncing stance, ready to strike at the seemingly helpless target. Ragnarok leered at the advancing monsters and grunted "Whatever, these idiots are starting to bug me! Let's get 'em, Crona!" Crona looked up, showing Ragnarok one of its forelegs "But I have no hands..." A set of fangs biting down on Crona's foreleg caught its attention. It stared at the wolf biting down before yelling and flailing its hoof, knocking the wolf away and turning it into a pile of twigs. Traces of Crona's blood dripped from the wound it suffered before it was hardened up by Ragnarok. Before the rude growth could ask for a 'thank you', a set of claws slashed at Crona's back, eliciting a surprised look on its face while it was sent forward into the ground. Ragnarok hardened the wound shortly after some blood flew while Crona picked itself up to look back at the giant lion with wings swatting the pony away with a paw. Ragnarok growled after his meister took so many hits "Quit fooling around and kill them, Crona!" Crona picked itself up and rubbed its face "But I can't use you with no arms, Ragnarok...I don't know what to do." The frightened pony said, feeling helpless in its new form. "Then use your mouth! Let's just kill these bastards and find out where we are!" Ragnarok spat while he defended Crona. Crona nodded before looking ahead at the group of monsters, its look of anxiety gradually replaced with faint conviction "Scream Resonance..." Ragnarok melded down into a liquid trail that lined across Crona's mouth and formed a long thin blade, the pony biting down on the hilt. From the blade sprouted a set of red lips that sported a toothy grin before giving off a piercing yell. The monsters gave off roars, screeches, and hisses from the intensity of Ragnarok's shout, but it was short-lived when Crona improvised with Ragnarok in mouth and made quick work of each one. When there was nothing but blood and souls, Crona stood with its maddening gaze 'I don't know where I am...I don't know what to do other than fight anything that comes my way...I don't want to fight anymore...' A gasp was heard, and Crona turned its head to see what appeared to be a pony with wings staring with frightened eyes 'Another pony...Maybe...Maybe that pony can help me...' Crona slowly trotted towards the pony while she backed away and whimpered. She then jumped back into the forest out of sight, much to Crona's disappointment 'Oh no...Now what am I gonna do?' Crona's eyes went back to normal, a look of sadness seen as tears welled up in its eyes 'I'm lost...We're lost...' "Hey!" Crona looked down on the blade that had red lips "Quit standing around like a moron! Just grab the souls and let's get moving. We gotta figure out where the hell we are now!" The frightened pony looked back at the carnage left in its wake and shook its head before opening its mouth to let the sword meld into liquid and seep back inside Crona "We don't need souls, Ragnarok..." It opened its eyes to see the brush where the other pony ran through "But you're right. We have to keep moving..." Ragnarok popped out of Crona's back and glared "Seriously!? It's bad enough you decide against not nabbing a few well-earned souls back at the DWMA, but you're still gonna stick to that!?" The rude growth looked down at a rare sight to his eyes: an agitated meister who was more focused on the current matter. There was seldom a time where Crona would ever get angry at Ragnarok; he would be lucky enough to counter with his own anger with greater force, but even he knew not to antagonize his meister when they had enough. Ragnarok cautiously inched away from Crona "A-Alright, fine. Let's get out of here..." He muttered. After coming to an agreement, the deadly pair attempted to follow after the pony through the brush that she jumped through. Little did they know that another monster stepped into the battle's aftermath and inspected the blood that was left behind by Crona and Ragnarok. It leaned down towards the black blood and sniffed at it before lapping it up. _____ Crona stared at the blood for what felt like an eternity and shook its head "No, this isn't good. This isn't good at all!" Rainbow Dash inched away from Crona after its outburst and arched an eyebrow "What's gotten into you all of the sudden, Crona? The blood isn't that bad, is it?" Crona darted its head towards Rainbow Dash "It is! We have to get rid of it!" Pinkie trotted over to Crona as she rolled her eyes "Well, duh~! Nopony wants to look at blood, even if it's a different color." She smiled at Crona "At least you're considerate about cleaning up a mess, Crony." Crona turned towards Pinkie "It's not about that! My black blood is dangerous!" Twilight looked over at Crona "I'm willing to agree on two factors." She held up a hoof "For starters, we know that any creature from the Everfree Forest wouldn't leave their home unless they were provoked. Secondly, we've noticed that the manticore was bleeding black blood throughout the whole battle." She trotted over towards the puddle and frowned "We'll have to dispose of this stuff as soon as possible." Applejack - who carried Rarity onto her back while she was still unconscious - pointed a hoof "What about Crona? We already know he's partially responsible fer this. If anypony else were t' find out, they'd drive 'im outta town in a heartbeat!" Discord scowled while holding the manticore's soul "...I get the distinct feeling I'm being ignored..." He snapped his talons, and the traces of black blood seen through town square had vanished, and the damages have been easily repaired. All the ponies present directed their attention towards the spirit of chaos, who wore a smug grin "See? Simple as that. Normally, that would've taken hours, if not days to clean up." He stared until his expression of uncharacteristic seriousness kicked in "Now back towards the matter at hoof. Crona was responsible for this, right?" The mentioned pony nodded slowly when it was acknowledged "Then it's no doubt you're from another world." He held up the soul towards the ponies "Something like this is unattainable through simply felling foes. This shouldn't even be seen by pony eyes." "Whoops!" said Pinkie as she reflexively covered her eyes with her forelegs "There we go." She chirped with a wide smile. Discord shook his head "You and your friends don't count, Pinkie; you're already aware of the spectacle." He looked at the soul in his hands "Although, we'll have to get rid of this before it's discovered by any unwanted onlookers." Ragnarok popped out of Crona's back with a gleeful look in his eyes "Done and done! Hand it over here!" Discord blinked at Ragnarok before reaching his eagle claw towards him. Ragnarok examined the soul before he revealed his mouth and wrapped the soul in his tongue, snatching it from Discord's grasp and swallowing it whole. He ignored the many looks of shock from the other ponies while he smacked his lips "Finally! That was another good meal!" He paused before turning to Fluttershy and Applejack "Speaking of meal..." Crona looked at the element bearers and their shock and blinked "What's wrong? We got rid of the soul, right? Why are you all looking at us like that?" The meister was beginning to think that what Ragnarok had done in front of its friends wasn't considered to be normal in Equestria. Twilight twitched an eye and pointed a shaky hoof towards Ragnarok "Y-...Did you just-...!?" Rainbow Dash's jaw was dropped before she covered her mouth with her forehooves as her face turned green, her cheeks puffed. She flew away without warning, and a distant sound of release was heard. Applejack covered her face with her hat "That jus' ain't right!" She blurted out. To her credit, she was lucky that Rarity did not see such a thing to faint for a fourth time. Pinkie was the only pony that wasn't creeped out by the grotesque display "Wait a minute...Souls can be eaten?" She looked down and silently contemplated on what her soul would taste like, oblivious to the current scene. Fluttershy was the most devastated "How could you?" She uttered. Ragnarok looked at Fluttershy "What are you gawking at? I was hungry, and I haven't had a soul for a long time!" He narrowed his eyes "Also, I remember you promised us a meal after we chose to acknowledge your dumb friends! I'll look the other way since we're gonna eat at Applejack's first, but I expect you to keep your promise next time!" Fluttershy's look of shock was replaced with that of anger as she stared at the rude growth "How dare you?" Ragnarok raised an eyebrow, confused by Fluttershy's question "What's that supposed to mean?" Fluttershy flew into Ragnarok's face, her anger intensified "How dare you!? Why would you go so far as to eating someone's soul as if it were candy!?" Ragnarok narrowed his eyes "What does it matter to you?" He spat irritably "In case you haven't noticed, I have a taste for souls and that one was ripe for the picking! Besides, that stupid manticore was already dead, so he's fair game. Why are you acting like it's a crime?" Fluttershy gritted her teeth "Just because he wasn't with us anymore doesn't mean you can just go about and eating his soul like that! Who do you think you are!?" She shouted. Ragnarok growled "Obviously I'm a weapon! If you don't like me eating souls, then it sucks to be you!" He shouted back. Crona grew unsettled over the argument that started between them. Discord was just as unsettled as Crona, though attempted to quell the argument before more voices were raised "Look, Fluttershy, I'm just as surprised as you are about this, but at least Ragnarok was able to mask the evidence. We shouldn't dwell on this when there are bigger things to worry about!" Sadly, his words fell on deaf ears as Fluttershy pointed a hoof at Ragnarok "I don't know where you get off with doing something like that, but it's unacceptable! How would you like it if somepony devoured YOUR soul?" Ragnarok laughed defiantly "Like that'll ever happen! Who would even do that? You? You can't even fight to save your life!" Fluttershy growled at Ragnarok's intolerant words and focused her eyes against his own, channeling an unknown power that found its way into the rude growth's body, causing his eyes to widen "Agh! What is this!?" Applejack watched the sene and cracked a thin smile "Heh, serves him right..." She said to herself until she caught a glimpse of Crona, who wasn't looking so well. To her, Crona held the same exact reaction of Ragnarok and looked as if it were suffering pain "Oh horseapples." She looked over at Fluttershy "Fluttershy! Ah know Ragnarok deserves yer stare, but Ah think Crona's feelin' it, too! He ain't likin' it at all!" Discord looked down and grimaced at Crona's expression. He gently nudged Fluttershy and grabbed her attention, then pointed at the weakened pony under Ragnarok. She gasped as her anger instantly vanished "Oh my goodness! Crona, are you alright?" Fluttershy asked as she held Crona's cheeks. Crona's eyes wandered as if it were in a daze "What happened?" It moaned while Ragnarok was in a similar state after dealing with Fluttershy's stare. Twilight gazed intently at Crona and Ragnarok "Incredible...It must be their symbiotic relationship that's causing them to feel 'The Stare' simultaneously." She frowned "It'll be tough for Fluttershy to get used to Ragnarok without having to resort to using it if he acts out too much." Applejack narrowed her eyes at Ragnarok "Well, that don't help us none." She turned to Twilight "But that just leaves one thing..." Twilight shared a glance with the farmpony "How does Discord know so much about souls?" Twilight perked up "Hey, you're right!" She looked up at Discord with a suspicious glance "How DO you know about the concept of a material soul, Discord?" Discord stared blankly at Twilight before laughing "Oh, Twilight, you know how me and Celestia are so old and more acquainted with the aspect of certain magics. It's nothing to worry about right now, since we've just avoided something big." Twilight narrowed her eyes "Funny, because for as long as I've studied magic from literature, there hasn't been a single passage that stated that souls can easily be acquired through killing somepony!" Discord stared before shifting his eyes left and right. He then inched back when he got an idea "I'd love to stay and chat about that, but I should check on Spike. The little boy's all cooped up in the library with nothing to do. Oh, and I should tell everypony that the manticore's gone. Bye now!" He said hastily as he snapped his talons and winked out, much to Twilight's frustration. Applejack sighed "Of course he'd know somethin'. Should we follow 'im?" She asked Twilight. Twilight huffed "No...He'll come back eventually." She said with an annoyed glare towards where Discord once stood. Twilight then turned to Crona with concern "The better question is if Crona's alright." Crona moaned before shaking its head frantically to brush off its daze "What just happened? All I remembered was you and Ragnarok fighting, and then I felt something inside of me..." It looked at Fluttershy with bewildered eyes. Fluttershy sighed in relief before smiling at Crona "It doesn't matter now. At least you're alright." They stared until something pulled on Fluttershy's mane, causing her to yelp. Ragnarok pulled on Fluttershy's mane with both of his paws with an irate gaze "What the hell did you do to me and Crona!? You think I'm just gonna let that slide!? I'll get you if one of us is weaker because of you!" Applejack watched and carefully set Rarity down before charging at Ragnarok "Hey! Let 'er go, ya jerk!" When she knew that Ragnarok wasn't using Crona as a shield, Applejack turned around and reared her hindlegs back before landing a good hit on Ragnarok's face, causing him to drop his hold on Fluttershy. Ragnarok froze after getting hit before slowly focusing his eyes on Applejack "Why...you..." He went to lunge at the farmpony, but was held in place when he was covered in a magical aura courtesy of Twilight. The two mares glared at Ragnarok while he struggled. Crona looked up in awe "Huh? Ragnarok?" When it spotted Twilight's horn, the ambiguous pony's eyes widened "How are you doing that?" Twilight grunted while Ragnarok struggled in her hold "It's just a simple telekinetic spell. No offense, Crona, but Ragnarok really needs to learn some manners." Fluttershy straightened her mane and looked over at Ragnarok flailing about while yelling obscenities, feeling threatened over his sudden retaliation 'This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. Crona is nice, but Ragnarok is very mean...' She stared until she took a deep breath 'No, I can't let that discourage me. Crona needs our help to be kept in good spirits.' Rainbow Dash flew back with an exhausted look on her face, which vanished when she got a look at Ragnarok "Did I miss something?" Applejack snorted "Ragnarok here was hurtin' Fluttershy, but me an' Twi gave 'im what for!" Rainbow Dash instantly flew down towards Ragnarok with anger in her eyes "They said you hurt Fluttershy? You better be lucky Twilight's holding you down!" Fluttershy hummed before she turned to Applejack "Umm...Why don't we head back to Sweet Apple Acres? I would feel horrible to have your food go to waste." Applejack sighed before smiling at Fluttershy "Good point. Maybe we should head back." She narrowed her eyes at Ragnarok "Though a part o' me wants t' call it a day with HIM around..." Fluttershy shook her head "I'm sure it won't be no trouble at all." "What?" Rainbow Dash said incredulously "Fluttershy, this giant zit was hurting you, and you're just gonna ignore that?" Fluttershy held her mane "Yes, I know he did, and I'm still disappointed with what he's done. But maybe he needs some time to adjust." Applejack shook her head "Y'all 're gettin' too nice fer somepony like Ragnarok, sugarcube." Twilight grunted again while Ragnarok continued to struggle "I agree. Something tells me that Ragnarok's gonna be more difficult to adjust." Ragnarok continued to flail and shout until he was losing energy, his actions becoming more haggard and sloppy. When he was finished, he slumped his arms and began to catch his breath. Twilight relinquished her hold on him and heaved a sigh of relief as she rubbed her head. "Souls..." The mares, Crona, and Ragnarok turned to Pinkie Pie, who sat with a pensive stare at the ground "What would souls taste like..." She looked at her friends "Would they be good?" Everypony except Crona and Ragnarok thought to question Pinkie's sanity after her question. To draw them from their fears, Discord teleported back conveniently "Okay, so it turns out that Spike was actually doing fine along with everypony else. I already told them that the manticore's gone, so they should get back to their normal lives without any trouble." Crona blinked at Discord "It's that easy for them?" Discord shrugged "It wouldn't be the first time Ponyville was met with something big." He smiled "Though I'm guilty of some of the more recent events." "Yeah, like the part where you're not telling us about your knowledge of souls." Twilight snarked with a gaze that demanded answers. Discord flinched and looked away "Oh blitznak..." Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground and picked up Rarity, lightly shaking her and waking her up "Why don't we talk back at AJ's place?" She looked away "I'll pass on the food, though. I'm not really that hungry after what I just saw." Rarity murmured and rubbed her eyes before she looked at Rainbow Dash "What did you see, Rainbow?" Rainbow Dash gave Rarity a deadpan stare "You don't wanna know..." _____ At Sweet Apple Acres, the group enjoyed their food that was prepared by Applejack and Pinkie Pie, although they didn't approve of Ragnarok's lack of table manners, especially Rarity. When they got their fill, they all stared at Discord with expectant glances, waiting for him to start his tale. He sighed and spread his arms "Before I begin, this doesn't leave the table. Understood?" He earned the nods of his audience "You all know what you saw back there. What you DON'T know is that there are more than just one kind of soul." He held up his claw and paw, and two objects that resembled souls rested in his palms; in his lion paw was a blue soul; his eagle claw held a red soul "There's a saying...A sound soul lies within a sound mind-" "And a sound body..." Crona finished in a whisper "Maka would always tell that to me whenever we study together." Discord nodded "That's correct, but there's more to my explanation." He raised his lion paw "This soul is the sound soul I'm talking about. See its pure blue hue and its vibrant brightness. These are the good souls that can be found in the nicest of creatures." He then raised his eagle claw with a frown "Then you have these bad seeds called 'kishin eggs'. These are corrupted souls that dwell within history's greatest monsters." Pinkie grinned "So Raggy did us a service in eating a bad soul!" She then frowned "But wouldn't they taste bad?" Ragnarok waved a paw "Of course not! The flavor of souls depend on their strength. I should know..." The two souls in Discord's claws disappeared "Yes, well that kind of thing varies from different creatures, but I digress." He pointed a claw "There is one more soul that is more of a rarity than your friend Rarity..." Rarity blinked "What could that be?" Discord squinted his eyes "A witch's soul..." He brought his lion paw forth to conjure a soul, though it was coated in a malevolent purple; the wisp resembled a witch's hat "These babies are few and far between, simply because there hasn't been any records of witches in Equestria." Rainbow Dash raised a hoof "Does Queen Chrysalis count?" Discord laughed before calming himself "No, not exactly, but that was a good one." He chuckled as he made the soul vanish "But those kinds of souls reside in feminine beings with uncanny magical abilities..." Crona frowned "Like Lady Medusa..." Discord nodded "Yes, like old Snake-eyes. There isn't much to worry about though, since they aren't exactly a dime a dozen." He leaned in to whisper in Crona's ear "Watch out for Twilight, though..." "Discord!" came the firm voices of Twilight and Fluttershy, to which the draconequus grinned sheepishly before moving back to his spot "Anyways, that's all I can tell you about souls. There isn't much to gain from eating them, and I trust that none of you would go on a killing spree..." He turned to Crona, then blinked "I should probably keep tabs on you while we're hanging out." Fluttershy smiled "That won't be necessary, Discord. Crona's gonna be around us, so it won't be any trouble." She frowned "But as far as the manticore..." Discord patted Fluttershy's head "We're over that, remember? There's no use in letting that bother us when we've been through so much in just one day." He looked at the group "Just show the little one around, talk with other ponies, and make sure you all have a fun time." Pinkie grinned "In that case, I should probably throw Crona a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party later on tonight!" Crona looked at Pinkie "You would...throw a party for me?" Pinkie giggled "Of course, silly! How else would we greet a new friend?" Each of the group smiled at Crona, and it looked back and felt a wave of nostalgia over how they would welcome a duo of complete strangers without hesitation. The ambiguous pony was driven to smile back at them with a small giggle 'Maybe I shouldn't rush going back to Death City...They're all so nice to me. I think things will be much better if I stay with them for a little bit...' End of Chapter 8
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 9	Chapter 9 Madness Redux! Catering to a Pony's Whims? Fluttershy felt rewarded in seeing Crona return the happiness that was shown by the timid pegasus and her friends, but she couldn't help but think back on the very thing that was inside of her guest. Her smile wavered as she looked at Crona "Umm... Crona? I don't mean to ruin the mood for you, but could you tell us about your blood, please?" Twilight had caught on to Fluttershy's question, and her own curiosity was restored "I'd like to know myself. We really didn't think about it back there while we were mulling over that kishin egg, and we'd appreciate you sharing with us the capabilities of your blood." Crona's good mood instantly vanished, and it looked down as it shuffled its forehooves "Well, you know how Ragnarok said that Lady Medusa filled me with black blood, right?" The many nods from Crona's audience signalled for the demon swordpony to continue "Well... She created the blood that's inside of me..." Crona looked away shamefully "It's used to make other things stronger, but it fills whoever has it with madness..." "That explains how I found myself inside of a building in one swing..." Rainbow Dash said with a grimace as she rubbed her head, still feeling sore from the earlier fight. "This black blood sounds less like its namesake and more like an experimental magic serum." Twilight said pensively. She heard Ragnarok let off a scoff and noticed that he looked bored. "What more do you want? We don't know the full details. Lady Medusa created the black blood, not us." He spat before looking down at Crona "Gotta admit that Crona had balls, staying alive after having all that blood replaced with the black blood." Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity all traded worried glances before turning to Crona. "Y'all ain't at risk goin' crazy on us, right, Crona?" Applejack asked cautiously. Crona looked over at Applejack and shook its head "No. I'm okay, really." "But your body's chalk full of black blood! How do we know you won't snap on us right now?" Rainbow Dash asked as she stood warily. "Because I can control my blood. Not everyone's good at it like me or Ragnarok." Crona answered calmly. "You heard Crona, everypony. We've got nothing to worry about." Discord said reassuringly "All we have to do is make sure that our little friend doesn't get any nasty paper cuts so that we can enjoy our time together without any wrinkled sprinkles." He added teasingly. "That's nothing to worry about. I can harden my blood anytime." Ragnarok said proudly as he flexed his small arms. The ponies, save for Crona, smiled at this. "Well, that's one less problem to worry about." Rarity said as she flicked her mane. "At least we have the rest of the day to ourselves now." "Correction: YOU have the rest of the day to yourselves!" Pinkie said with a toothy grin, before pointing a hoof at herself "Pinkie's got places to be. Smell ya later!" She said before zipping off in a pink blur. Crona stared in awe, amazed at how fast Pinkie was going before it felt a tap on its shoulder. The demon swordpony looked over at a smug Rainbow Dash. "Don't let that sight fool you, sister; I'm the fast one out of all of us." She said cockily as she flew up and performed a loop-de-loop in the air "Just you wait and see me practice." Crona stared up at Rainbow Dash and tilted its head. The cyan pegasus really was similar to Black Star with her pride. Meanwhile, Ragnarok let off a tired moan "I'm bored now. Have fun with your little group hugs and picnics, I guess." He said before sinking back into Crona's body. "Well, why don't we go back into town?" Fluttershy offered, wanting to move things along with her friends, and getting Crona acquainted with Ponyville. "Sounds good t' me. Let's saddle up, y'all." Applejack said as she and her friends got up from the table and trotted back to Ponyville. Fluttershy went with her friends, but stopped when she noticed Crona lagging behind. She smiled and matched the black pony's pace, staying at its side "Don't worry, Crona. This time will be a lot different." "I'm not worried about that..." Crona muttered with a shy look. "What's bothering you?" Fluttershy asked inquisitively, ready to help her new friend if the moment called for it. She watched Crona meet her gaze and blushed lightly. "I would like some clothes, please..." _____ Griffhala: Capital of the griffon kingdom. At first, it was solely populated by griffons, but over time, thanks to continuing relations with the ponies, griffons and ponies alike were able to cooperate with one another in terms of business and living arrangements. The only one who was partial to such an issue was Gilda the Griffon. She was busy enjoying a small stroll through the city, thinking to herself on what would sound entertaining for her to do, given that the city bored her to death ever since she returned home. What would snap her out of her thoughts were griffons and ponies that obscured her path before they moved out of her way, not paying them any mind as she made her stride. She would often cast a nasty glance to any pony she came across until they were out of her sight. Whenever the path ahead of her was clear enough, she would simply go back to her thoughts. 'What to do... I could always scare one of those stupid ponies again. Or maybe I could grab some food. Decisions, decisions...' She thought to herself, a thin smile forming on her face. Sure, her cycle was repetitive at times, but Gilda was able to make the best of whatever she did without any trouble on herself, especially when it came to pranks or snatching food when no one was looking. However, as much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't the same without her old friend. Before her thoughts became wistful, she steeled herself and focused on having her fun rather than dredge up painful memories 'I don't need that flip-flop. I'm better off without her...' As Gilda trailed off in her own mind, she was oblivious to a cloaked pony coming her way; its head hidden beneath its brown hood. As the mysterious pony made its stride, Gilda unknowingly bumped into her, stumbling in her step before coming back to reality and scowling at the passing pony, who acted as if nothing happened "Hey! I'm walking here!" She snapped irritably. The mystery pony had briefly stopped and shifted its head back, a beige muzzle seen in Gilda's view "I can see that. You merely bumped into me, so basically, you're at fault. You should watch where you're going next time." The pony said in a mature feminine voice before resuming her trot. Gilda was perplexed before she growled at the mare's reply. She had the audacity to act as if the griffon was in the wrong and just get off scot-free. Gilda walked back towards the mare and placed a claw on her shoulder "Mind saying that to my face, dweeb?" She said angrily. Some passing ponies and griffons stopped at the small scene taking place. "I would gladly do so, but I'm on a tight schedule. Would you kindly release me so that I may be on my way, please?" The mare asked nonchalantly. This earned a snort from Gilda, as she kept her grip on the hooded pony "Fat chance. Either you prove to me you're not all talk or I'll just wreck you here." She said abrasively. There was silence as the two stood until it was broken by a small fit of laughter courtesy of the mare, much to Gilda's confusion. Without turning towards her, the hooded mare donned a short smile "If you wish to go that route, I'd rather not make a scene. Would you like to follow me somewhere so that we may settle this trivial matter properly?" The mare asked in an eerily polite tone. "Are you serious?" Gilda said incredulously, before smirking admirably "And here I thought all ponies were just peace-loving yahoos. Alright, lead the way..." The griffon released her hold on the mystery mare, whose smile grew slightly wider afterwards. "Excellent... This way, please..." The mare said as she resumed her trot with Gilda following close behind. Gilda couldn't believe she was actually going to have fun by knocking a pony senseless, especially when said pony had no trouble going through with it herself. For once, her day was both different and interesting. She was befuddled when she noticed that the pony turned into a dank and shady alley between two large buildings; one being a shop and the other an apartment. Once the two had found themselves in the middle of the alley, the mystery mare faced Gilda, her face obscured under the shadow of her hood, while Gilda merely looked ahead, raising an eyebrow. "Fighting in an alley, huh? There's something you don't see everyday." Gilda quipped as she tried to study her opponent's features. "With all due respect, I've witnessed similar barbaric traits around this city. This is merely a spot I've desired to settle our matter in without any unnecessary witnesses..." The mare replied cooly. "Touche on the first part, but why so secretive about this? Can't have a good fight without an audience, you know." Gilda said as she cracked her knuckles and got into a fighting stance. "Let's just say I'm still trying to get a good feel of this place. I'm glad you were willing to oblige to my request as far as destination." The mare said before she slowly got onto her hind legs and held out her forelegs, both of which appeared to have large, black, dotted snake tattoos winding down towards her hooves. She began to make slow waving gestures as a strange incantation was uttered from her lips. "Nake Snake, Cobra Cobubra... Nake Snake, Cobra Cobubra..." Gilda stared blankly at the pony in front of her, who was acting as if she were in some kind of dance audition while she continued spewing what the griffon perceived as gibberish from her mouth. Gilda craned her head back while staring at her strange opponent, her guard slightly lowered. "What the heck are you doing, lady-AUGH!" Before she could finish her question, Gilda found herself swept upward a couple of feet in the air, painfully constricted by what appeared to be several black, arrow-tipped tendrils that had sprouted from the ground below her. As she tried to struggle in her bonds, the mysterious mare plopped back down to all fours and trotted up to Gilda with a smile that betrayed no satisfaction from her deed. "You know, you've made this a lot easier for me by letting me properly test my powers in a secluded area. It seems I still haven't lost my touch..." The mare said as she donned an insane smile that stretched from ear-to-ear. She let off her hood to reveal that she had a spiked blonde mane and yellow eyes that were narrowed to slits "Now all that remains is deciding what to do with you... Do I just punish you? Or perhaps I should sate my hunger and cook you on a spit?" Now she's seen everything; Gilda was not only being handled by a pony, but a pony that was so far off the deep end that she belonged in Tartarus. For the first time in her life, she was nearly scared out of her wits. 'N-No... It can't end like this! It can't!' Gilda clenched her eyes shut as she flailed about in her bonds, the thought of survival clouding her mind. She was unable to escape no matter how hard she had tried to break free. The blonde mare watched Gilda's helpless struggle in amusement and chuckled to herself. It would be no hard task to end the life of her prey, but then she realized that there are some things about this world that she needs to study, and she could make use of the captive in front of her to get what she wants. Even she knew that there are certain tasks that require some assistance. She took another step forward towards the struggling griffon, the smile refusing to leave her face. "Clearly, you do not wish to die, correct? Perhaps we can negotiate some terms if you're willing to lend an ear..." She said persuasively. Gilda instantly ceased her flailing after she had heard the mare's request. Wasn't she on the verge of ending her life a few seconds earlier? It seemed too good to be true that a crazy earth pony capable of magic was quick to let her live so long as she was interested in what was going to be said. "...I'm listening..." Gilda said in an even tone, unnerved by the mare's shift in attitude. She was perplexed when the mare appeared to look gentle, as opposed to her earlier mask of insanity. "Wonderful. You're aware that I've made mention of being new around here. In fact, I'm looking for some capable assistants that can aid me in some research for the time being. Would you like to be one of my assistants?" The mare asked politely, despite the gentle expression on her face that belied her malicious intent. Gilda never thought she would be forced into a corner by a stranger like this. She was thrown off by the request of being the mare's so-called assistant for a short time, but looking at her situation, it was a whole lot better than dying. Gilda swallowed her pride and looked down at the smiling madmare below her. "Fine, I'll be your assistant. But mind telling me who you are and what you're trying to learn or accomplish here?" Gilda asked inquisitively. She grunted when she remembered the bonds she was trapped in "And what the heck kind of spell did you use just now? Aren't unicorns supposed to be good at magic?" The mare hung her head as she closed her eyes. "I should've known that what I'm capable of seems to be out of the ordinary to you, but I suppose there's no harm in filling you in, since you've graciously accepted my offer." She looked back up at Gilda "My name is Medusa, and what's keeping you bound in place is my vector magic. As for what my intentions for research are... well, I may just need more assistants and accumulated knowledge before I can share with you my true intentions. I'll need you to accompany me and scout for any plausible candidates for our cause." "Wait a minute, our cause?" Gilda asked. "Of course. You are my assistant, after all, so this is just as much your cause as it is my own." Medusa said in a seemingly friendly tone "So, if I have your full commitment and cooperation, I'll see fit to release you so that we can get started, provided I won't have to put up with any unnecessary treachery. I do have your trust, right?" She asked as her smile widened at Gilda, who felt her spine chill just from looking at the strange mare. "Yeah, whatever. You know I wanna live and junk; just get me down, please?" Gilda said quickly, trying to keep her cool. She wanted to kick herself so badly for feeling this submissive around Medusa, even if she was a supposedly powerful earth pony capable of magic. A wave of relief swept across her body when the many vectors that wrapped around her had relinquished their hold and retracted back into the ground, while Gilda hovered downward as well. She rubbed her forearms before she stared warily at Medusa. "So, now that we're working together, do you have any possible leads on who would likely join us? Mind you, we mustn't continue without some more help on our side." Medusa said as she inspected her hoof 'I should also look into the limitations on my new body in case I do not exert my power at the wrong time.' Gilda pursed her lips at the thought of picking through different ponies and griffons to see who would actually want to join a crazy mare in some shaded agenda, but she sighed in resignation knowing she was already being ordered around. She thought for a moment before she remembered a point of interest. "I think know somepony who could possibly roll with us. It'll be hard to convince her since you're being so secretive though." Gilda said in a straight tone. Medusa's smile widened, much to the griffon's distaste. "Perhaps I was lucky to have you run into me. Won't you lead me to this lady?" Medusa asked somewhat cheerfully. "Sure thing. I think I know where she is right now." Gilda said as she looked down at Medusa "Say, you think you could ditch that cloak of yours? I know you're magical and all, but it's kinda rubbing me the wrong way that you're wearing it the whole time. You're probably gonna end up drawing more attention to yourself that way around here." "Oh? So you think I won't stick out..." Medusa brought a foreleg to her cloak and she pulled it off to reveal the rest of her body; her upper body was covered in what appeared to be a sleeveless black hoodie with white eye-like markings on either side of the hood. Instead of a regular tail, there was a black arrow that trailed down from the back of her attire that somehow acted as a suitable replacement. Her cutie mark was that of two snakes coiled around a black rose "...looking like this?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. Gilda was at a loss for words after taking in Medusa's appearance. This was indeed no ordinary pony. She winced as she watched the tail attached to her hoodie move. "Alright, you raise a good point. That tail of yours is way past freaky." She commented as she watched Medusa put her cloak back on. "Hence, why it was necessary to cover it up in the first place. I'm no stranger to concealing my identity towards others." Medusa said pointedly, as she placed the cloak's hood over her head "Besides, we're wasting precious time standing around. Show me where your friend is." "Alright, sheesh." Gilda groaned as she turned and left the alley with Medusa. A part of her wondered if she could make a break for it the moment the two made it out of the alley, but three things held her back: Her own pride upon running off as a coward, the fact that Medusa could possibly track her down, and Gilda's curiosity over what her new superior was planning that required an extra set of hooves and claws. They treaded along the sidewalks of the city until they reached a shabby, but spacious cafe to their left. Peering into the window, Gilda could make out some griffons sitting on some of the stools at the bar. She perked up when she spotted the shape of a pegasus near the far end who appeared to be slouching on the counter. "Found her. Guess I was right about her being here." Gilda said, looking over at a neutral Medusa "Gonna pop in for a visit?" "I don't see why not. Let's go inside." Medusa said as the two opened the front door, triggering a bell that announced their arrival. The cafe's customers, save for the pegasus, whose appearance was obstructed by the others, stole a glance at Gilda and Medusa before they went back to their own business. Medusa took the lead as she and Gilda made their way across the room and got a better look at the pegasus up ahead that was grasping a cup of coffee. She appeared to have an opal coat and a two-toned yellow mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a bolt of lightning with three stars under it. Medusa shifted her eyes at Gilda. "She's the one you mentioned? I thought you weren't exactly fond of ponies." She said quietly. "This one's different, alright? She reminds me of somepony else is all... And if anything, she's plenty qualified for whatever it is you got going on in that sick head of yours." Gilda shot back. "I'll be the judge of that..." Medusa said with a smirk as she approached the slouching pegasus on her left. She noticed the pegasus beared a bitter look in her yellow eyes. Medusa stared quietly at her and wondered if Gilda's words held true. "Hey, Lightning Dust. How's it hanging?" Gilda said nonchalantly, grabbing the mare's attention after her ears lifted up at the sound of the griffon's voice. She looked up at Gilda. "Oh, hey Gilda. Didn't think you'd come here around this time." She said lazily, before sipping her coffee "What brings you around here?" Gilda pointed a talon at Medusa, and Lightning Dust followed her talon, only to flinch at the sight "Aaaand you are?" She asked as she shifted away from the hooded mare. "Medusa. And you would be happy to know that Gilda was kind enough to lead me to you." Medusa said with a smile. Lightning Dust looked over at Gilda with an incredulous expression. "You serious? Who's this pony, Gilda?" She asked in surprise. Gilda held up her claws in a placating motion. "Just somepony I met, alright? I wanted to introduce you to her was all..." She said, nervous about both Medusa and the fact that she was telling a half-truth towards Lightning Dust. The aforementioned pony looked over at Medusa with a calculating glance. "Not that it's any of my business, but why the cloak? You hiding something?" Lightning Dust asked. She and Gilda were thrown off when Medusa cringed uncharacteristically. "Only my appearance; I'm quite shy about my figure, you know. Some ponies can be so quick to judge about me..." She said with feigned embarrassment. Lightning Dust and Gilda merely stared at Medusa's gesture, the latter sending a deadpan stare. "Okay, so why come here? What's your thing with Gilda?" Lightning Dust asked inquisitively. "Oh, it's not so much with her as it is with you as well. I'm gathering some assistants for some research, and according to Gilda, you'd make a fine addition to my little team." Medusa said "If you'd like, we could discuss this further in a more appropriate area." Lightning Dust blinked at Medusa's explanation. Not only did she leave out how she had met Gilda, but she brought up the topic of research as if Gilda actually enjoyed the idea. She looked back at Gilda with a confused expression. "Seriously, what happened when you met this pony? And research? Aren't you a griffon and not some kind of nerd?" Lightning Dust prodded, causing Gilda to grit her teeth. "She didn't tell me the full details, alright?" Gilda nearly snapped before she took a deep breath "Look, let's all just go to my place and talk this over. It's not too far from here." "Excellent. Why don't you lead us back home, Gilda? This could be quite the experience for you and your friend once I share with you what I'm working on..." Medusa said almost cheerfully, easily hiding the dark glee in her tone. Gilda rolled her eyes, but then noticed that some of the other griffons were glancing at her and the ponies. She glared at the onlookers "What're you all looking at?" She spat, causing the other griffons to quickly look away and act as if they were talking amongst themselves and sipping their coffee nervously. "Well, if the matter's settled, let's depart from here, shall we? I wish to get started soon." Medusa said in a seemingly polite manner. Lightning Dust merely hopped up from her stool after setting some bits on the counter. "Alright, fine. But this better be good. I got my own stuff to worry about, so don't be quick to assume I'll just work with you." Lightning Dust was unaware that Gilda was trying to maintain a calm impression, but was inwardly anxious over the pegasus' choice of words towards Medusa. The hooded pony merely smiled at Lightning Dust. "No worries. I do hope to convince you once we arrive. For all you know, it could be quite interesting..." She said as she luckily suppressed the urge to smile deviously 'Such a callous little brat. She has no idea what lies ahead of her...Once I assess this world and its features, perhaps I can try and recreate another kishin. This time, I'll make sure that nothing stands in my way...' End of Chapter 9
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 10	Chapter 10 Surrender to the Snake! Medusa's Comeback Plot? Gilda's home wasn't the most glamorous, as with most griffon residents, but it was at least hospitable for any company she wished to invite. However, while she didn't mind the company in her home, Gilda mentally kicked herself for making it the base of operations for her new 'superior'. She lounged on her sofa and observed how Medusa was taking in the scenery of her home while Lightning Dust trotted in and joined Gilda in sitting down. "For a brash girl, you know how to keep a house clean. I'm impressed." Medusa said halfheartedly after she finished surveying the living room, earning a bitter scowl from Gilda. "Would you just get to the point, please? We're here now, aren't we?" Gilda said impatiently. She watched Medusa lightly exhale before she gripped the cowl of her cloak with a hoof. "Of course, but allow me to rid myself of this cloak. Knowing that I'm in the presence of trustworthy individuals, I can finally take this off." Medusa then took off her cloak, revealing the black hoodie underneath, complete with its prehensile arrow-shaped tail. She examined the snake tattoos on her forelegs with a smile "Much better. It was getting rather warm in that thing." "Okay, now I see why you were wearing that cloak. You're freaky!" Lightning Dust said with a wince as she watched the tail protruding from Medusa's hoodie give a flick. "Welcome to my world..." Gilda muttered, sharing Lightning Dust's sentiments and gawking at Medusa's appearance. Medusa merely giggled at their respective expressions. "If I weren't so self-conscious about my image, perhaps I could show this to the rest of the world. But I digress..." She turned to Gilda and Lightning Dust with a playful smile, though carried a serious gleam in her eyes "Let's get down to business. I have a big... project in the works that would require a gratuitous amount of study, planning, and running around." She looked over at Lightning Dust "This may seem bland for an opening statement, but perhaps you'll be convinced as I go into detail." "Sure, just make sure I don't fall asleep." Lightning Dust snarked as she rested her cheek on a foreleg. Medusa huffed, though smirked at the pegasus nonetheless. "Let me ask you two a question..." Medusa said, pausing before she continued "Are you two bored of this world?" "More than you'd know, lady." Gilda answered coolly, "It's the same old song and dance for me, and nothing interesting usually happens around here. I could use a little more excitement now and then." She explained, although thoughts of her encounter with Medusa lingered in her mind. "Sort of the same thing with me." Lightning Dust answered before turning away with a distant glance "Though apparently too much excitement doesn't fly with other ponies." Medusa's grin widened. "Then in that case, you'd be happy to know that my 'project' is bound to grant you what you desire so long as you follow my lead. I, as a scientist, also wish to enforce a change of pace onto this world. To do so, we're going to travel abroad and gather intel to further our goals of obtaining a key." "A key?" Lightning Dust asked quizzically, "What kind of key?" "This 'key' is the same one used to change this world and thereby issue more excitement to it. We're to find a source of power so great that it could grant us this wish." Medusa eyed Lightning Dust and Gilda in deadpan, "Knowing the two of you, we may have to search long and hard, as well as purchase some supplies that would aid us to our benefit." "Does this mean I'm gonna have to dip into my life-savings for your sake?" Lightning Dust said with an arched eyebrow, "I know I want more excitement in my life, but I never really agreed to some psycho babble about changing the world, let alone funding that mumbo-jumbo." She awaited a reaction of disappointment from Medusa, only to find her closing her eyes with a patient smile. "I had a feeling you would say that. You know, I'm not exactly forcing you to partake in this little project of mine, but I'd gladly give you time to think about it." The witch said as she opened her eyes at Gilda and Lightning Dust "In fact, perhaps I can tempt you with some more info tomorrow while you think it over?" She looked eerily playful as she closed her eyes again with a giddy smile, "We could even have a sleepover!" Lightning Dust craned her head back as she stared at Medusa. "Oooookay~..." She looked over at Gilda, "As creepy as she sounds, are you down with me staying here tonight? I mean, for as much as I've visited, I'd probably be your roommate at this point." This earned a chuckle from Gilda. "Got that right. But at least you're okay in my book. Sure, I wouldn't mind you crashing here. It's not like neither of us have nothing better to do." The griffon replied. The two were unaware of Medusa's fixed smile. 'You have no idea...' Medusa thought deviously "Well, then I'll gladly take you up on your generous offer myself. You've already invited me in here, after all." Gilda frowned at Medusa. "Yeah, but I only got the one bed. Sorry, but you're gonna have to sleep on the floor while Dust has the sofa. Don't exactly run a motel here, you know..." Gilda said matter-of-factly. "I do not mind it in the slightest." Medusa said as she gave a curt and polite bow "Thank you for letting me stay here." "Whatever..." Gilda said as she waved a claw. As lucky as she was to remain calm the whole time, she was troubled by what was to come if Medusa was actually serious about her ambition and wanting Lightning Dust to tag along whether she wanted to or not. She figured it was best to try and mingle with Medusa and stay on her good side if it meant keeping her entertained. _____ Party blowers and cheers rang through the room in Applejack's barn as several ponies inside were having a moment of merriment in celebration of both Crona's arrival and Discord's aid in rescuing the pony folk in their time of need. While Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Crona were enjoying the party, her friends were busy having a conversation amongst themselves over how to sort out the issue with the reason behind the manticore attack and Crona's possession of Ragnarok. "Okay..." Twilight said after taking a deep breath "As thrilled as I am for Ponyville's safety thanks to Crona-" "And Discord." Discord interrupted smugly, earning a small glare from Twilight. "It's going to be even harder to have Crona adjust to Ponyville, let alone Ragnarok, knowing that their black blood had almost cost the lives of innocent ponies," Twilight pointed out with mild anxiety, "If Princess Celestia found out about this, how do you suppose she would react to this?" Upon unconsciously mentioning the princess, Twilight's anxiety began to grow "Oh no...Even SHE wouldn't condone that type of action. What do we do?" She mewled as she shivered profusely. A orange hoof on her shoulder managed to calm her down a little. "Simmer down, sugarcube. This is just as much our problem as it is yers." Applejack said comfortingly before looking serious, "This is a bit of a pickle we're in, though. Th' poor guy'll be chased outta town iffin' word got out that it was his blood that caused all this, an' we can't jus' relocate Crona since he's still adjustin' t' Ponyville." "I can't believe how complicated this got in one day." Rainbow Dash complained "What's the plan to make sure Crona doesn't come off as a... a... pear... parry..." Rainbow Dash looked down in thought at the proper word she was searching for. "Pariah?" Twilight guessed inquisitively. "Yeah, what you said. There's gotta be something to make Ponyville look the other way." She looked over at Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Crona dancing together. The former was carefully assisting the sword pony as it tried to move properly in a dance "I mean, look at her. You think she'd be able to take being labeled as a freak?" "As much as I'm uncomfortable with the situation myself, I, too, am open to suggestions." Rarity said as she donned a sympathetic look, "Who are we to look after the poor dear without a plan?" "I'm certain we won't have to worry too much about the manticore's passing, what with everypony having a good time and all." Discord said, "The only thing that matters is having all of Ponyville cope with the fact that Crona's carrying a talking cyst around that shows itself at will." He said as a reddening bump began to grow on his forehead, popping and revealing a small Discord sticking out and cackling in a high-pitched voice. "That's right..." Twilight said anxiously "We still have Ragnarok to deal with. Between his behavior and the rest of Ponyville reacting negatively to the most obscure happenings, we'll either have to work out a compromise with Ragnarok or show him to Ponyville for all to see and hope for positive feedback." She held a deep frown, "Worst case scenario, we're gonna be met with copious amounts of problems knowing the respective success rates of both plans..." She murmured bitterly. "Poppycock." Applejack said with a confident smirk "Th' first plan's doable enough. We jus' gotta convince 'im real good is all." "It would probably mean having to feed Ragnarok more...souls, wouldn't it?" Rarity said with a disgusted shudder "I'm still shaken from such a vile display, even from him." Applejack shook her head. "No no no, not souls, Rarity. Jus' some food. We all know how much he loves t' be fed, so we could do that t' keep 'im occupied, or we could talk it out with Pinkie, Fluttershy an' Crona, too, since they're jus' as involved as we are." "Here's hoping that jerky pimple would listen to us." Rainbow Dash said with a small scowl, "Something tells me he's just gonna mess it up for the heck of it. Besides, knowing the fact that he and Crona share the same body, it's gonna happen sooner or later, isn't it?" "Good point..." Twilight murmured as she rubbed her chin with a forehoof "Let's just settle this while we have the time." She looked over to Discord, who had his eagle claw in a snapping gesture while smirking playfully. "Three ponies and one demon sword coming right up." Discord quipped before he snapped his talons. In a flash of light, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Crona had joined the group sitting at a table, the former pouting irritably. "Hey! We were dancing!" Pinkie comically complained. "Why are we sitting here all of the sudden?" Crona looked around before focusing on Discord, frowning at him "Discord, you could've warned me first. I don't know how to deal with sudden movements." The swordpony complained. "It was easier that way." Discord shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "We're sorry for disturbing you three, but we just needed to talk things over with you." Twilight said with a serious gaze, "We need a plan for Crona and Ragnarok to adjust to Ponyville without coming off as suspicious or threatening, given their earlier performance. We don't really have much to work with other than keeping Ragnarok dormant in public or having all of Ponyville get used to his appearance." "Personally, I don't see the harm in the latter. After all, they've gotten used to me, haven't they?" Discord said encouragingly. "Yes, but only because of your reckless mischief and the fact that ponies have been aware of you for the longest time." Twilight stated tersely, causing Discord to give off a mock frown. "Um...Why don't we let Crona decide?" Fluttershy offered, looking to her left at Crona with a smile "After all, between Crona and Ragnarok, it falls on what they feel is the most comfortable." "You're damn right it is!" Much to the element bearers' dismay, Ragnarok erupted out of Crona's back and crossed his arms at the ponies. He completely ignored the many stares he was receiving from the other ponies. "I'll admit, I was open to your offer of feeding me whenever I want, but that's not gonna stop me from staying inside of Crona all the time! I'd say Fluttershy's the smartest out of all of you." Ragnarok jibed, turning his head away in a snide fashion. As much as Rainbow Dash wanted to knock Ragnarok upside the head, she realized that the demon sword had drawn the attention of everypony in Applejack's barn. Crona looked around at the crowd before developing the urge to hide. Discord, for his part, acted quickly and directed his lion paw and eagle claw to Ragnarok with a look of feigned amusement "Ta-da~!" All of the ponies stared at Discord and murmured with looks of displeasure before going back and enjoying their party. The element bearers heaved sighs of relief while Crona tried to process what had just happened. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but nice save, Discord." Rainbow Dash said calmly, albeit begrudgingly. "Well, you know me; appearances and whatnot." Discord replied before smirking coyly at the cyan pegasus "You're not the only one who can steal a show, you know." He savored the look in Rainbow Dash's narrowed eyes. "Don't push it..." Rainbow Dash muttered in agitation. "I don't get it." Crona turned to the others, "Do they all hate me? They all looked mad. What did I do wrong?" "Nothing of the sort, darling." Rarity said with a reassuring smile "Let's just say that now you can walk around Ponyville without having to conceal Ragnarok." She gave a distasteful look at the demon sword "As bittersweet as that sounds." "Bite me!" Ragnarok snapped. "I still don't understand. What made them all look away like that? I thought something bad was about to happen to me." Crona said while looking down and grasping its left foreleg with its right hoof. "Long story short," Applejack said in a straight tone "they thought that Ragnarok was Discord's doin'. That is, y'all was about t' be exposed until Discord swooped in an' made it look like he made Ragnarok come out." "I have to say that it was a bold move on your part, Discord." Twilight said with a smile "I guess you aren't all bad." The draconequus laughed mirthfully. "Oh, Twilight, since when was I ever-" He noticed all of the ponies shooting deadpan looks his way, save for Crona and Ragnarok "...I was gonna say prior to my reformation, but fine, give me the stink eye. See if I care." Discord looked away with a mock pout. "Reformation?" Crona said "From what?" "Remember our story when we used the elements on Discord?" Pinkie asked "He used to be the biggest meanie pants you'll ever see, and after we turned him into stone, Princess Celestia decided to free him and have Fluttershy make him one of the good guys!" Pinkie explained jubilantly. "All he needed was a good friend to turn his life around." Fluttershy said warmly with a smile to match. Crona had a look of realization. "Wow... So... Discord's kind of like me in a way." Crona said, earning the perplexed stares of the ponies and draconequus "I..." The swordpony hesitated before looking down "Back then, I was ordered around by Lady Medusa to eat plenty of souls and become a kishin. I had no control of myself, and even with Ragnarok, it was hard for me to deal with anything." Crona flashed another nostalgic smile "...And that's when Maka came along. She became my friend and helped guide me in the right direction." "Not to mention she made me look like this!" Ragnarok chimed in, although irritably "I missed being big and powerful." "I'd very much love to meet this Maka for myself, if she had indeed saved you from a life of misery." Rarity said cheerfully. "Me too. She already seemed like a nice gal before." Applejack added. "Not that it matters as much, but what's a kishin?" Rainbow Dash asked inquisitively "Doesn't sound very good if it means having to maintain a soul diet." She placed a hoof on her chest and stuck her tongue out as she made a gagging noise in disgust. "I don't really know myself." Crona said truthfully "Lady Medusa just keeps mentioning it to herself when I'm around her sometimes. All she ever does is want me to kill things and eat souls." "Okay, first off, how sick is your mother, and secondly, why even call her Lady Medusa when you have nothing to do with her anymore?" Rainbow Dash said incredulously. "And what do souls taste like?" Pinkie asked, only to have her friends chorus her name impatiently. Discord simply hid his face while snickering. "I guess it's just a habit with me. She was my mother, after all. I had no one else until Maka came into my life..." Crona looked down despondently. "Hey! No frowny faces!" Pinkie said as she grasped Crona by the cheeks "We got a party to enjoy, and I can't have the guest of honor be down in the dumps." Pinkie smiled and hopped onto her hooves "Now let's go dance some more. It's a surefire way to make you feel loads better!" Crona looked over at Fluttershy, and after sharing a smile, the two rose from their seats and followed Pinkie onto the dance floor, while Ragnarok grew bored to the point of sinking back into the swordpony's body. Discord stroked his goatee as he watched them go. 'Wonder how Celestia's doing on her end. Perhaps I'll hit her up when I'm not busy...' Discord thought to himself before he donned a smile and snapped his talons, appearing in a disco suit "If ya can't beat 'em, join 'em! The dance floor beckons!" He said with a chortle as he flew after the others. The rest of the group followed suit, wanting to contribute into making Crona feel welcome, even if their friend had a dark past. _____ Later that night, Fluttershy, Discord, and Crona were retreating back to the cottage after an exuberant party thrown by Pinkie Pie. Much to Fluttershy's satisfaction, Crona was seen with a small, but bright smile on its face. Discord, for his part, was equally satisfied in his own way as he hovered over the two ponies. "Another excellent party, if I do say so myself. I managed to have all the fun I want and nopony bellyached about it too much." Discord said as he examined his eagle claw while his lion paw rested on his hip. "It really was fun." Crona hung its head, though kept its smile "I never thought Pinkie would even throw a party for me." "I'm glad you're both happy." Fluttershy said warmly, "Maybe tomorrow will be no different from today." "Am I hearing a wish for time to stand still?" Discord quipped "Cuz I can do it, you know..." "Now, Discord, you shouldn't joke like that." Fluttershy chided softly, though she almost laughed at his joke, "Besides, I'd like for you to be there for Crona when we'll be taking care of the animals tomorrow." "You mean those animals you were feeding?" Crona asked. "That's right. I'm sure they'll just love you when you get to know them." Fluttershy looked over at Crona, "Maybe you'd like to keep one of them as a pet." She said as she and the group reached the door to her cottage. Fluttershy opened it up and allowed for the three to step inside. "I don't know if I could handle keeping a pet. I never had one before." Crona said as it looked around the living room at the many birdhouses "Besides, I don't think I'm ready to care for any animals just yet." "You will in time. We'll be there to help you." She looked up at Discord "Won't we, Discord?" "Oh, of course. I wouldn't dream of leading you astray, dear Crona." Discord grinned exuberantly and held out a claw "What do you say? Friends?" He watched as Crona eyed Discord's claw carefully and slowly inched a foreleg to meet one of its talons. The draconequus merely stared blankly at the gesture before shrugging "Eh, close enough." Fluttershy giggled before she ended up yawning. "Oh my...Perhaps it is getting late. Why don't we all retire for the night?" Fluttershy proposed to her friends. "But...where will I sleep?" Crona asked with a tilted head. Fluttershy donned a friendly smile. "You can sleep with me if you want. I don't mind at all." She watched as Crona inched away and began to blush profusely. "I never actually slept with someone other than Ragnarok before..." Crona said in embarrassment. "I don't mind in the slightest. If you're not comfortable, you can always have my bed while I sleep on the sofa with Discord." Fluttershy offered. "Oh, say yes, dear Crona!" Discord piped up as he swooped Fluttershy off her feet and held her close, nuzzling her cheek with a smile, "Fluttershy here makes for a good teddy bear whenever I get the chance to sleep with her." Crona blinked at the display of affection before looking down and fidgeting its forehooves. "Well, I don't feel happy kicking Fluttershy out of her bed, and she's already done so much for me, so maybe I'll..." Crona blushed again, "I'll try and sleep with her." "So much for having my good teddy bear." Discord said in disappointment as he set down Fluttershy, "Looks like I'll have to improvise." He snapped his talons and a beat-up plushie of himself appeared in the grasp of his lion paw, as well as a nightcap on his head. "Hope you two have a good sleep." The draconequus hovered towards the sofa and coiled himself up before laying upside down on it, closing his eyes with a content sigh. "We should get going, too." Fluttershy said as she trotted towards the stairs "Follow me, Crona. My bedroom's upstairs." The two ponies went up the stairs and Crona was led to a bedroom that held a fireplace, and some bird nests on the ceiling beams. There was a chest at the end of a comfortable looking bed, to which Crona felt drowsy by just looking at it. Fluttershy caught Crona rubbing its eyes and smiled "I can see you're pretty tired. Let's get you tucked in." She said as she guided the swordpony towards the bed. Fluttershy grabbed the blanket with her teeth and moved it out for the two to get on and tuck themselves in. Crona felt more relaxed than ever after feeling the plush mattress on its back, humming pleasantly as it wriggled deeper into the sheets. "Good night, Crona. I hope you sleep well." Fluttershy whispered before shutting her eyes. "Good night, Fluttershy..." Crona smiled at the gesture, then hesitantly snuggled closer to Fluttershy, who gently embraced the swordpony as its head rested against her chest. As seconds passed, Crona saw fit to shut its eyes and drift off to sleep without a problem. Fluttershy had never been so happy to care for a pony in need. Despite what had happened, she managed to get her wish. End of Chapter 10
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Interlude Chapter	Interlude Chapter Lord Death's Hidden Technique! Crona gets a second chance? Out in a vast wasteland laid a city. A large and architecturally eccentric mass of buildings known as Death City. At the top of it rested the pinnacle of the city known as Death's Weapon Meister Academy. A place where children are taught to become meisters to defend the world and reap evil souls to turn their weapons into death scythes. Many students hone their skills and grow up to be expert warriors to their academy's cause. One of the best students, however, had the worst day... A girl wearing a black coat and a plaid skirt ran in the hallway with her tears marking a trail behind her while carrying a wrapped blanket. She had blonde hair with two ponytails that flowed with the speed she was going. Catching up behind her was a boy with white hair, wearing a yellow and black jacket and a headband. On top of said headband was a sticker that said 'Soul', and an emblem with a set of teeth-bearing lips with the word 'Eat' shown in an endpoint pattern. It didn't show on his face, but he was entirely concerned as he pursued the girl. "Maka, come back! You shouldn't be worked up over this!" He called out. His words went ignored as Maka continued to run. She couldn't believe what had happened, and she tried hard not to remember what was said and done earlier. _____ Maka had just came back to Death City from defeating the kishin Asura, feeling invigorated from her victory and sharing it with her friends. She wanted to see if her friend Crona was recovering from their fight against Medusa. She walked with Soul on her way to the infirmary, eager to check on Crona and possibly talk about what to do next now that the kishin was defeated. As she reached the door down the hall, she noticed a little girl with brown hair walk out, and smiled at Maka the moment she laid eyes on her. "Hello!" She waved happily. This caught Maka's attention as she approached her. "Hello, Rachel. I see you're doing fine!" She returned the greeting, smiling back at the little girl. Rachel nodded. "Mhm. Dr. Stein said that I was healthy enough to go back to my mommy and daddy! Ms. Marie and Ms. Azusa were gonna take me home, but I wanted to thank you for helping me!" She said as she looked up at Maka. "It was nothing, kid." Soul walked up to his meister's side and smirked "Maka here is just an experienced meister, and I'm lucky to be her partner." He laid a friendly jab on Maka's shoulder, "Pretty strong with that punch of hers, too. Didn't think it'd be enough to take down the kishin." Maka lightly blushed and looked away "Stop it, Soul." She looked back at Rachel "It really is nice to see you again. I was just on my way to see Dr. Stein and Crona!" "Crona?" Rachel blinked "You mean..." She paused, then looked down in thought "That pink-haired person?" Rachel guessed. "That's the one!" Maka nodded. "I haven't really seen that person. That and Dr. Stein looked sad when I asked about Crona." Rachel said innocently with a frown. This made Maka curious. 'That seems unlike Dr. Stein...Why would he act like that...Unless...' Her eyes widened for a moment before she shook off her grave thought. If there's anything she knew about the academy's staff, it was that Dr. Stein was both the ultimate meister, and one of the most brilliant scientific minds in existence. He managed to save Soul, even though he has a small trace of Crona's black blood. The infirmary door opened to show a woman with golden hair, wearing a black outfit and a black eyepatch to compliment her attire. As she walked out the door, she noticed Maka and smiled warmly. "Oh, hello there, Maka. Congratulations on taking care of the kishin!" She said cheerfully. Maka nodded and returned the smile. "Hello, Miss Marie. I was just about to make my way into the infirmary to see Crona. May I step inside please?" She asked politely. Maka noticed the look on Marie's expression shift from kind to bereft, causing herself to grow confused. _____ Maka did not stop, nor did she wish to. She was already close to reaching Lord Death's halls. After bursting through the doors and running under each guillotine arch, she finally reached the center of the room. The walls and ceiling were vividly similar to that of a bright sky, save for the windows, and the ground decorated with many crosses surrounding the platform containing Lord Death himself. She caught her breath while holding the blanket in her hands tightly as more tears streamed down her eyes. The large shroud of darkness containing a kid-friendly skull mask looked down at the worn meister. "Maka? This was an unexpected visit." Lord Death said in a jovial tone as he tilted himself to the side, "Are you trying to get your exercise by running around the academy?" He asked absentmindedly. Eventually, Soul caught up to Maka in Lord Death's room and caught his breath before he spoke up. "Lord Death, we can explain. It's just something that has to do with-" "Crona." Maka interrupted as she brought her head up to face the grim reaper, "Please, Lord Death, can't you do something to bring Crona back?" She asked with a look of sheer sadness. Lord Death stared ominously at the blanket resting in Maka's arms, feeling two familiar presences inside of it. "...I see. So that's why you've ran all the way here." He said in a serious tone. Lord Death turned around and drifted away, "Maka, you realize that there isn't much I can do about what you're asking of me. This is a very serious matter, but not something that you should dwell on." "But Crona's our friend!" Maka cried indignantly "If it weren't for Crona, I-" She choked up as she hung her head, staring down at her blanket with trembling pupils, "I wouldn't have made it..." Maka whispered. '...Maka...' Soul frowned at Maka's sadness, feeling sorry for losing a friend to Medusa. Lord Death turned to face Maka. "Be that as it may, my point stands. I'm sorry, Maka, but it cannot be done. I can't bring Crona, or Ragnarok back into this world. It wouldn't be right at all." Two large hands popped out of his body in a shrugging motion "Besides, I doubt you'd want a zombie living in your home, right?" He said in a comedic fashion. _____ In another part of the DWMA, zombie professor Sid Barett sneezed while he was giving a lecture to his students. _____ "Please, Lord Death! There has to be a way..." Maka furrowed her brow despite her sadness. She carefully unraveled the blanket in her arms to reveal two glowing wisps, one blue and one red. Her eyes leaked more tears as she stared at them 'Crona...You shouldn't have gone out like that. You had so much to live for...' Lord Death had one of his large hands under his supposed chin. "You're really not going let this one go so easily, are you? Is there any other way I can convince you about this?" Maka tightened her grip on the souls in response, making the grim reaper sigh "It seems we may be at an impasse..." There were footsteps heard in the hall's corridor, and the three looked ahead to see two men running towards the platform. One man had red hair and a black suit with a cross-shaped tie. A serious expression was seen on his face. The other was a man with glasses and a large screw lodged in his head. He had noticeable stitches on his face, as well as his lab coat, though his expression was hidden beneath his glasses. "Ah, Spirit and Stein! Good to see you both. Looks like we have a full house, don't we?" Lord Death quipped lightheartedly. "We came after we heard the news..." Spirit looked down at Maka with concern "Maka, why would you do such a thing? You know this is overstepping your bounds as a meister..." "Who cares what you think!?" Maka snapped harshly, not facing her detestable father. She looked down at her souls, "I came home from my fight and expected to see Crona in good health. I just can't believe that this happened..." "I'm sorry you had to hear about this, Maka." Stein said as he held up his arms "I've done all I could, but as it turned out, Crona was wounded beyond comprehension, Medusa's blow had proved to be fatal. There was no point in leaving a corpse for you to look at, so I made it to where both Crona and Ragnarok would reside as souls. I never expected you to take it so hard..." "Look, Maka," Soul held out a hand to Maka, "It's not worth it to act like this. You know that. Wouldn't Crona think the same way?" He asked, hoping to reach his meister. Maka didn't face her weapon as she looked up at Lord Death. "I know I'm breaking a rule right now, but this isn't fair to Crona!" She said as she stood her ground, "Before we've even met, Crona had to go through so much suffering under Medusa! I can't in good conscience leave one of my friends behind like this!" She got on her knees, much to the surprise of the trio behind her and she tried her best to bow while holding the souls in her hands "I beg of you, Lord Death. There has to be another way out of this. I only want Crona to live on in a peaceful life. Can't you do that?" There was silence in the room. Soul and Spirit shared looks of unease over the possibly rising tension between Maka and Lord Death, whereas Stein's and Lord Death's expressions remained unreadable. "There is...one way." Maka instantly lifted her head with a surprised expression at the unexpected response; the others, saved for Stein, had followed suit "Really? There is!?" Maka asked hopefully. Lord Death held up his hands in a placating motion. "Now before you go and peg this as an attempt to bring Crona back into this world, it isn't." Maka's reinvigorated spirits had wavered from his statement "But I can guarantee that Crona will live on. If you may hand me the souls of Crona and Ragnarok, I'll demonstrate what I'm speaking of..." "You promise? Crona will live on?" Maka stared up at Lord Death cautiously. 'I hope Lord Death isn't going to pull a fast one. I can't risk Maka feeling betrayed...' Spirit stifled a light grunt. While he was well-aware of Maka's disdain towards him, he still cared about his daughter no matter what. "What are you gonna do? Is this something you haven't done in a while?" Soul said with a quizzical glance towards the grim reaper. Lord Death chuckled. "You catch on well, Soul. I see that your study sessions with Maka have paid off!" He ignored Soul's scowl from his remark and focused on the meister in front of him "Now, will you hand me the souls?" Maka hesitated, but wordlessly complied with Lord Death's request, placing the two souls in the palms of his large hands. He held them at a flat level, and he turned to present them at his mirror. The mirror had shined briefly before glowing and covering the once-dark lense into a bright light. As it happened, the two souls in Lord Death's hands levitated into the air before shooting inside of the mirror at bullet speed, leaving no trace behind. From there, the brightness had receded as the mirror went back to its former state. Lord Death turned back to face the group and gave a curt bounce after his actions. "All done!" He chirped. "Lord Death? What did you do?" Maka was surprised and intrigued. "I'm curious, too. Did you send them both to heaven or something?" Soul cocked his head to the side as his hands rested in his pockets. Lord Death scratched the back of his head "Well, not exactly, but I did send their souls someplace beyond my trusty mirror. They'll be drifting about in an unknown void for a short period before they'll finally take refuge in a new world to call their own!" "Seriously?" Soul arched an eyebrow "You're capable of doing that?" From behind him, Stein smirked after Soul's question. "Lord Death has several techniques that are unknown to the students in the academy. It shouldn't be surprising considering this is the grim reaper we're talking about." "So you've actually done it?" Maka clutched the blanket in her hands "You let Crona and Ragnarok be able to live on?" She asked as a smile grew on her face. Lord Death laughed. "Well, even if I'm out of my power here, I still owe you a favor for taking care of the Kishin and stopping the world from going mad. Consider this a token of gratitude for your hard work!" He said as he gave the young meister a thumbs up. Maka felt like hugging Lord Death, but decided to take a deep breath and wipe away her tears. She then gave a polite bow to him. "Thank you so much for this, Lord Death. You don't know how much it means to me." Maka said as she looked up with a bright and grateful smile. Lord Death gave a nod. "The pleasure is all mine. Just enjoy some R&R with your friends. You've earned it!" He replied cheerfully, though he inwardly felt troubled, 'Here's hoping I won't receive any harsh callbacks from the world they'll land in...' The grim reaper waved his hand in a friendly shooing motion, "Now, off you go. Wouldn't want to waste anymore time in here." Maka took the hint and turned to leave the hall with Soul, but stopped to look back "Before I go..." Lord Death stared at Maka's pensive glance "Seeing as how you were able to perform that trick with your mirror, would it be possible to reach any other world Crona and Ragnarok could land in?" Lord Death was lucky not to flinch after the question. 'Her aptitude is nearly immeasurable! No wonder she fended off the kishin alone...' He held up a large hand "I can't exactly guarantee that. For all we know, their souls haven't found the right place just yet. These things take time, you know." "Of course." Maka felt slightly guilty before she nodded "Thanks for the help!" She gave off a wave before she ran off with Soul. The only ones who didn't leave were Spirit and Stein. The former looking suspicious while the latter intrigued, his glasses giving off a slight gleam of light while his right hand rested on his chin. The silence hung in the room before Spirit saw fit to break it, his eyes narrowed. "What did you really do, Lord Death? Normally, I'm not one to question your actions, but I don't want to find out that my daughter's been lied to." Spirit warned. Stein turned the large screw on his head as it made a clicking sound similar to a wind-up toy. "I'm also curious about your little trick myself. I know you're the embodiment of death, but I never thought that you would be connected with worlds other than our own. You've got a lot of secrets kept behind that mask of yours..." Lord Death turned to Spirit first, feeling obligated to answer him and put his mind at ease. "Spirit, trust me when I've actually obliged to your daughter's wish with my suggested alternative." He then faced both Spirit and Stein "As for what you've just witnessed...yes, it has been almost a thousand years since I've performed such a skill." Lord Death stated seriously "I'm glad that I haven't abused it for so long here. My influence as the lord of death carries farther than any of you may realize, but that stays between us." "You have our word," Stein smirked "but not only do you have to deal with whatever world Crona and Ragnarok happen to stumble in, but Maka as well, seeing as how eager she is to see how her friend is doing once they're alive." Lord Death hung his head in defeat, his body slumping forward. "I have to admit that for a meister her age, she's quite perceptive. She really does take after her mother!" He said his last sentence incredulously. "I'm glad she managed to come so far..." Spirit grinned proudly. There was a pause before he found himself at a distant part of the platform away from Lord Death and Stein, sobbing in a corner "If only she could forgive me for what I've put her through! Maka~!" Lord Death and Stein sweatdropped at his sudden shift of emotion. "Well, regardless of what has transpired," Lord Death turned to Stein, "only time will tell when Crona and Ragnarok manage to find their new home. Before that time comes, we'll just have to move on and carry out the cause of our beloved academy." "Just so we're clear..." Stein stared at Lord Death, then pointed a finger with a seemingly skeptical look behind his glasses "You're certain they won't end up in an entirely hellbound world, right?" Lord narrowed his eyes, feeling offended despite being teased by one of his best meisters. "The audacity, Stein! I would never do such a thing!" He then pointed a finger with a wink "In fact, I've sent them to a world that I, myself, have walked in for the longest time other than this one." He said confidently. "Oh?" Stein tilted his head "And where would that be?" He said, his scientific curiosity growing at the possibilities of a new world. Sadly for him, Lord Death waved a large hand "Well, I don't think it'd be right for me to show you before the others. I'll just wait until I get a connection and I'll call you all in for a meeting when the timing's right. Just be on your way and get back to your own devices until then." He turned over to the still-sobbing Spirit and gave a look of pity and disappointment "Erm, and take Spirit with you..." "Of course." Stein gave a curt nod, then walked over and grabbed Spirit by the back of his collar, dragging him off as he walked down the corridor leading to the room's entrance while the death scythe continued to mourn his poor relationship with his daughter. When Lord Death was by himself, he let out a sigh, and looked back at his mirror, feeling nervous for the first time in a while. "I'm happy to help my students and all, but Maka really asked a lot from me to perform my hidden reincarnation ability...I just hope they won't be angry with me over this." For the first time, Lord Death carried a troubled look on his face "Especially not her...Oh dear..." End of Interlude
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 11	Chapter 11 Clipping the Wings! Backed into a Corner? Lightning Dust had slept soundly on the sofa in Gilda's living room while the window above it was showing a clear view of the moon, which cast a trail of moonlight into the living room down to the floor as the opal pegasus shifted in her sleep. She made it her goal to head out of Gilda's house first thing in the morning to avoid anymore seemingly scientific banter and talk of partnership towards a complete stranger, especially one as creepy as Medusa. Before she even decided on sleeping at her house, she could only wonder about the circumstances of how Gilda and Medusa have met. Lightning Dust wasn't entirely fond of her only friend actually leaving her in the dark and having her so-called assistant doing the talking. She thought it'd be best to prod her friend for more answers once they have some time alone later tomorrow. As she was sleeping, however, a shadow slowly emerged from the darkness and approached the slumbering pony without making a sound. It closed in on Lightning Dust with a malicious air and an active tendril slowly advancing towards her mouth. The shadow had a wide and toothy grin before it was about to finish the job... _____ Crona instantly rose from Fluttershy's bed with a gasp, hyperventilating with widened eyes as it held the covers tightly. A chill traveled down its spine as it tried to forget what could have been a nasty nightmare. Looking outside the window, the swordpony noticed it was morning, then looked down at the bed to see that Fluttershy was gone. Crona took a deep breath to regain its composure as it went to leave the bed. "Crona?" The ebony pony yelped in surprise upon hearing its name to see Fluttershy at the door looking concerned. "Oh my, I'm sorry...I was just about to wake you up." Fluttershy said penitently. "No, it's okay. I woke up myself." Crona said with a sigh as it rose from the bed and rubbed its eyes before approaching Fluttershy. "Well, I hope you're hungry. Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs." Fluttershy said with a smile before she turned and left the room. Crona just stood there and looked back at the bed, contemplating on what might happen in the future before following Fluttershy outside of the room. As they went downstairs, the scent of a good meal wafted in Crona's nostrils while it looked around at the many animals staring back with intrigue, with the exception of Angel, who kept a wary eye on Crona despite being spooked by Ragnarok the other day. The dining room was as clean as ever, and the table was seen with a jar of strawberry jam and some silverware. When Crona sat itself down on the chair, it finally noticed something amiss while Fluttershy was preparing a breakfast consisting of toast and orange juice. "Where's Discord? Shouldn't he be here with us?" Crona asked. Fluttershy trotted towards the table, balancing one plate on her head and another on her back. "I don't know, really. Discord's usually out and about sometimes, not that I don't mind it. We should be happy he's even reformed for us." Fluttershy said as she carefully set the plat on her head down onto the table, then doing the same with the second plate "I hope you and Ragnarok like the food I've prepared. There's not much here at the moment, but we'll go shopping some time tomorrow." "Thank you, Fluttershy." Crona responded politely before nibbling on a piece of toast. Ragnarok sprung out of his master's back and stretched his arms. "Haven't had good sleep like that in ages." He then noticed the food on the table and showed his teeth in a voracious grin "Alright, food!" Ragnarok said as he lapped up his pieces of toast in one lick and chewed loudly. Fluttershy wasn't entirely pleased with Ragnarok's table manners, but she should at least take comfort in the fact that she was caring for a human-turned-pony from a far away world. She hoped that Crona's stay in Equestria, her cottage especially, would be as enjoyable as possible, even if she had the help of her friends to make it happen. Fluttershy donned an embarrassed smile over Ragnarok's poor eating habits before looking over at Crona. "I'll be sure to give you seconds if you're still hungry. Perhaps you can help me with the animals later, if that's alright with you." Fluttershy said, to which Crona blinked at Fluttershy. "You think I'll do well with them? I don't know if they're used to me yet." Crona said feebly. "It's alright. I'll be at your side, so you'll be fine." Fluttershy assured with a warm smile "I'll walk you through what you need to do, and soon enough, it'll be easy for you in the future." "Why do we need to feed animals when we need to be fed, too? Are we getting paid for this, or something?" Ragnarok asked rudely. "Umm...Well...Not really. I just enjoy caring for all the animals is all." Fluttershy replied as she looked over at the docile creatures in her living room "It is my special talent, after all, and I really like my job." "So you do all of this without getting paid? How stupid are you?" Ragnarok spat, to which Fluttershy recoiled and looked down with a hurt expression. Crona flinched and instantly rose from its chair to comfort Fluttershy frantically. "I-I'm sorry! Ragnarok didn't mean that! Your job's as nice as you!" Crona quickly said, causing Fluttershy to look up at the swordpony in mild surprise before giving a thin smile. "It's no trouble, Crona. I just have to get used to the way Ragnarok acts the same way you have. Just finish your food and you can meet me outside." Fluttershy said as she went into the kitchen and looked for her many bags of animal feed. "So she honestly spends her time caring for animals? Who has time for all of that?" Ragnarok whispered. "I don't see the problem with it. Fluttershy cared for us, didn't she?" Crona stifled a pained moan when Ragnarok gave his master a noogie with both paws in anger. "I'm not an animal, you moron!" ______ Celestia trotted along the halls by herself, thinking about what to do for the time being before it was appropriate for her to break the news to Crona. She felt that her private matter would go along swimmingly, but much to her chagrin, there was more to Crona's appearance in Equestria than what she had thought. A sigh escaped her lips as she pondered the best way to explain to Crona about what she had gathered... "Sister?" The solar princess stopped to hear a voice behind her, and noticed a midnight blue alicorn smaller than her. Her mane and tail were even similar to Celestia's, only it was a flowing ocean of stars. She wore an onyx chestplate and tiara, ice blue shoes, and her cutie mark consisted of a crescent moon surrounded by blackness. "You seem troubled. Are you still on about what you've revealed to me the other day?" She asked in concern. "Indeed it is, Luna. I'm at a loss for what to do about Crona once the time comes." Celestia said as she shook her head slowly "All I can hope for is that Twilight and her friends make it to where Crona is comfortable enough to bear the news regarding to returning to Death City." "Ah, yes. I've yet to look into little Crona's mind for myself. A pity that I wasn't around to catch a glimpse of that pony with my own eyes." Luna nodded in confirmation before looking at Celestia "Perhaps you require my assistance on the matter? How can I be of service pertaining to your situation?" "You needn't fuss about it, Luna; the issue's been slightly resolved, albeit in a less satisfactory manner. It all depends on how Crona takes the news." Celestia closed her eyes "But we'll need some time before we arrange another meeting." "I'm sure you can squeeze one into your tight schedule." Celestia and Luna perked up at the male voice that echoed in the halls before a light flashed above them and faded to reveal a floating Discord holding a clipboard, reading it with a feigned expression of boredom behind a pair of glasses. "Of course, I wouldn't want to be evil and cut into your precious cake time. We all know how much you love your cake, Celly." Discord said before sneaking in a smile, much to the displeasure of the white alicorn below her. Meanwhile, Luna stifled a giggle while covering her mouth with a hoof. "That was uncalled for, Discord. Shouldn't you be back with Fluttershy looking after Crona?" Celestia asked. "Why do you think I'm here?" Discord replied as his clipboard and glasses vanished into thin air "I figured you wouldn't mind a little info swap with Yours Truly revolving around our new guest. You don't mind, do you?" Discord asked innocently, although his eyes had deeper intentions hidden within. Celestia and Luna had both managed to catch on before the former nodded. "Not at all. We'll converse in the throne room." Celestia said curtly before the trio made for the throne room in silence. After reaching the large doors leading to their destination, they opened them and went inside, making sure that nopony was around. Luna then shut the doors behind her before looking up at Discord. "This isn't like you to be so direct with certain issues, Discord. What do you have to share with us?" Luna asked, to which the draconequus smirked and wiggled a talon. "I believe the saying goes 'Ladies first', if I recall." He then turned to Celestia, raising an expectant eyebrow "Celestia, if you will?" "Regarding today? Well, I've managed to make contact with the one responsible for sending Crona into Equestria. It really is none other than Lord Death himself." Discord and Luna's eyes widened. "The Lord Death? Surely, you jest, sister!" Luna exclaimed in shock. "It's all true. And the worst part is that Crona and Ragnarok's return to their original world-" "Wait, wait, wait, wait, back up for a moment." Discord said as he tilted his head at Celestia "Since when did you know about Ragnarok?" "I'll admit that it wasn't when I first met Crona, but rather from what I gathered from Lord Death himself." Celestia shook her head "I've never imagined two different beings sharing the same body; and with tainted blood no less. The explanation was even more gruesome to hear." "Oh, you're referring to that Medusa character? I'd say we're lucky if we don't find her here." Discord said with a laidback grin "I mean, it's not like some divine force would manage to bring her here for Crona to try and settle the score, right?" _____ Back in Ponyville, a zebracorn wearing a top hat let off a sneeze while fiddling with an old typewriter in his house. _____ "Be that as it may, it doesn't change the fact that Crona and Ragnarok are unable to go back to their own world." Celestia looked saddened as she hung her head "It pains me to have them remain in Equestria, far away from their old friends and without any hope of return." she said morosely "As I've mentioned before, I dread the moment where I'll have to break the news to them." "Don't fret, sister. Remember that we're at your side. I still need to make contact with Crona myself, after all." Luna said with an encouraging smile, to which her sister reciprocated. Discord stroked his goatee in thought. "Say, you still have that old mirror of yours in your room, right? Was that how you made contact with Lord Death?" Discord asked inquisitively. Celestia gave a curt nod in response "Why not ease Crona's - and maybe Ragnarok's - spirits by allowing them access to your mirror? Maybe that should cushion the blow for when you see them again." Celestia blinked before smiling at Discord. "It's funny you say that, really. Lord Death mentioned a promise of letting his star pupil do the same thing." Her smile wavered "Hopefully, it'll be enough for them." "Hey, we'll never know until we try, correct?" Discord asked rhetorically before laying back in the air with his claws behind his head "And besides, better sooner than never. You wouldn't want to stretch things out too much, do you?" "You know, Discord. While Celestia has been rather gratuitous with her information, you've yet to share yours? How are Crona and Ragnarok faring in Ponyville?" Luna piped up curiously, to which Discord's expression slightly shifted. "Oh yeah, I forgot..." Discord then got up from his resting position and rubbed the back of his head "You said that Lord Death filled you in on Crona's capabilities, right? Well, the funny thing about that is..." _____ "Black blood? Crona has black blood?" Spike asked with a bemused expression. He was slightly sore at Twilight and her friends having a party without him the other day, but what he had been shared with today has piqued his curiosity, especially since it involved the swordpony in question. "That's right, Spike." Twilight replied as she went through a book as she sat on her sofa "Crona has a special black blood that's capable of certain abilities that could prove harmful to other ponies if they were to manifest it into their own system. Not to mention there's this intriguing, but rude creature named Ragnarok who lives inside of Crona's body." Spike's eyes widened before he bared his teeth in a shudder. "That's just too creepy...and Crona's afraid of me because I bring out some unpleasant memories? Talk about weird." Spike said as he scratched his head. "I know this might be a lot to take in, but with enough time and effort, maybe Crona will be able to adjust to you. We just need to take this one step at a time." Twilight said reassuringly "That is, if Princess Celestia still hasn't managed to find a way to send Crona and Ragnarok home." "When do you think that'll be?" Spike asked. "I'm not so sure, Spike. Things like this can take long periods of time." Twilight said before smiling "But it's more than enough to make sure Crona and Ragnarok enjoy themselves." Her smile wavered "Or at least Crona, if it's not so difficult." Her ear twitched as she heard the library's front door open to reveal a stressed out pink mare with a blonde mane and a flower cutie mark. She was seen with a saddlebag bearing a flower pattern. "Twilight? Do you have any books on stress relief, by any chance?" She asked anxiously, to which Twilight got up from her seat, but not before closing her book with a bookmark. "Certainly, Lily." She sifted through her shelves with a concerned frown "This isn't like you to come to the library looking for stress relief. Haven't you been practicing your breathing exercises and enjoying some time at the spa?" "Those can only work for so long with what Daisy and I are dealing with at the moment." Lily said as her ears folded back. "Daisy, too? What's wrong?" Twilight said, momentarily looking back at Lily with interest. The flower mare merely took a deep breath before explaining. "It's just, Roseluck left for Griffhala on a small sightseeing trip, promising to come back two days ago. Needless to say, we're getting worried she might be caught up in some nasty business that might delay her return..." "Oh, that is worrying news." Twilight replied in comprehension before going back to her bookshelves "I hope she'll be fine myself." After a short time, she managed to pull out a blue book with a confident smile, levitating it towards Lily's saddlebag "Here you go; Inner Calm's guide to Serenity. I hope things work out well for you and Daisy." "I just want Roseluck to come back to Ponyville safe and sound. Her safety's all that matters to us. Thanks for the book, Twilight." Lily said before she made her way out, trying out her breathing exercises to ease her current mood. "Wow...So much has been happening recently. Crona coming to Ponyville, Roseluck turning up missing, and didn't you mention a manticore attacking in town the other day?" "Yes. That was when we assessed the black blood's power for ourselves. I'm sure it's the last time we'll be met with something like that, so now we can focus our efforts on Crona when we get the time." _____ Lightning Dust stirred from her slumber with a groggy moan as she rubbed her eyes with a hoof. She got up and began to stretch her limbs, letting off a loud yawn while doing so. It might not be a luxurious experience, but it was satisfying to get some sleep on a nice couch once in a while. She looked down on the floor to see that Medusa was sleeping contently herself, frowning at her as she laid down. 'It's about time I go find Gilda, talk it over, and ditch this weirdo. The sooner the better.' Lightning Dust quietly hovered into the air and glided towards Gilda's room, finding the griffon on her own messy bed. She nudged Gilda awake, much to her friend's displeasure upon waking up, and whispered to her with a serious expression. "Sorry, Gilda, but this is me saying that I don't want any part of all this junk. I don't know your relationship is with that scientist, but I have other places to be, and I sure as hay don't wanna be anywhere near her right now." Lightning Dust, feeling accomplished by her explanation, went to go leave, only to see Gilda's bitter gaze be replaced with one with mild worry. "You're choosing to bail at sunrise?" Gilda hissed "Lightning, I know she can be creepy, but you can't just ditch me like this. I came to you for a reason!" "What reason!?" Lightning Dust hissed back "All you've done was hang around that other pony like she matters to you while beating around the bush! I wanna know what made you feel the need to come to me like this, let alone with some crackpot and her unreachable dreams!" "It's...It's hard to explain, alright?" Gilda shifted up to sit on her bed, with Lightning Dust joining her "I just don't wanna lose you like this, and there's more to this Medusa than you realize. This is really uncool for me to ask, but you gotta bear with me on this." Lightning Dust stared at Gilda and her uncharacteristically pleading glance for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Alright, Gilda, I'll do it for you. But that doesn't mean I'll be willing to dive head first into this 'project' like I would my usual performance tricks; I got plenty of ways to spend my time, and this isn't one of them." Lightning Dust said reluctantly, somehow eliciting a sigh of relief from Gilda. "Thanks...Maybe I can try and convince her to find somepony else so you won't have to deal with this whole thing." Gilda replied softly, satisfied with her friend's answer. "Oh, that won't be necessary, Gilda." The cheerful voice sent chills down Gilda and Lightning Dust, and they both turned to see Medusa smiling at them at the door, wide awake and with mischievous eyes. What seemed off to both of them was Medusa's forelegs: Both of them were completely bare, without the swirling snake tattoos that formerly took up most of her fur. "M-Medusa? You're up early..." Gilda said, trying to keep calm in the ominous presence in front of her. Medusa merely looked away innocently, her smile refusing to leave. "I can be pretty manageable with my sleeping schedule sometimes. But I digress. I'm glad that you two are up as well. Perhaps now we can get on with business over breakfast, provided I have your rapt attention..." Medusa said as she shifted her eyes towards her soon-to-be cohorts. "Okay, but can you give us a minute here? We were kind of in the middle of something." Gilda said, trying to urge Medusa to leave her room without appearing suspicious. "Whatever you have to say to Lightning Dust, you can say to me, Gilda. After all, we're all in this together, aren't we?" Medusa said nonchalantly. Her words irritated Lightning Dust as she rose from Gilda's bed. "Hey! I never agreed to your little science venture, and you got another thing coming to think I'll just work with you flat out!" She snapped defensively, to which Gilda flinched and darted her head up at the opal pegasus. "Lightning, reel it back a bit, would ya? We gotta be cool about this..." Gilda said. "Be cool about what, Gilda? It's obvious that this earth pony's so demented to assume that I agreed to be her lackey overnight! I'm sorry, but this is where I bail." She landed on the floor and trotted towards the door, where Medusa stood in front of her, smile and all. "I'd reconsider your choice of words, if I were you. You think me to be presumptuous in my claims, but you'll find that leaving here won't be so easy..." Her quip earned a forceful nudge from Lightning Dust as she moved past her. "Watch me." She spat as she moved away. When she made it into the living room, she went to reach for the door, only to stop when an uncomfortable feeling welled inside her body "Huh?" Lightning Dust looked down at her chest "What the...?" She grunted when she felt a small twinge of pain, and she noticed a wide lump grow from her chest and slithered around her body, receding into the lower region of her stomach. Lightning Dust went pale as her pupils trembled. 'What in the name of Tartarus was that?' It was entirely unnatural, and she didn't like it one bit. A part of her wondered if a certain strange mare was responsible. She darted her head towards the hallway to see that same taunting smile on that wicked face directed at her. Gilda stood behind, confused at what was happening. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Lightning Dust, was it? I'm sure you're behavior's sure to make a turn after your little act of rebellion." Medusa said in an eerily calm tone. "You..." Lightning Dust said as she placed a hoof on her chest, her mind ripping itself apart to find the best emotion to convey towards Medusa "What did you do to me!?" "It's not so much as what I've done as it is what you've done, my dear. You were merely coaxed into joining me through your friend, and through your eagerness, you chose to stay with us..." She said in a decidedly playful tone, enjoying the look of shock on Lightning Dust's face. "Wha-..." Lightning Dust turned to Gilda, who was sweating bullets "Gilda...is this true?" "I swear, it wasn't like that at all! I was just-" "Oh, but it was." Medusa said, flashing Gilda a supposedly cute smile "And I cannot thank you enough for your support, Gilda; I very much enjoy Lightning Dust's attitude. It might work wonders on our mission." "Hey! Don't even pull that kind of joke, lady! What did you do to my friend!?" Gilda snapped, finding the courage to glare at Medusa, who merely chuckled at the display of anger. "Let's just say that I wanted to make certain that you two would actually help me in my pursuit since we all share the same mindset. What I've done was nothing short of a gesture to seal the fact that neither of you would leave me." Gilda growled, and then took a moment to examine her forelegs again. Unlike the other day, they were without her snake tattoos, and something in Gilda's mind began to click. "Wait a minute...You pulled some kind of spell on her, didn't you!? Why are your tattoos gone, huh?" Gilda asked. Medusa fought back the urge to applaud mockingly at Gilda despite her observation. "Clever girl. And here I thought you weren't without intellect. Indeed my...'tattoos', as it were, have been removed. But they're not exactly what you think..." She said as a few arrow-pointed tendrils sprouted from Medusa's back, giving off a malevolent purple glow on the edges. The witch's face was now considerably frightening to those around her; widened eyes and an ear-to-ear grin "I simply filled her up with some of my snakes, just to make sure her allegiance remains intact. If she were to disobey me, or simply choose to abandon me, let's just say that she won't be losing just her friend..." Gilda was shivering, and she cursed herself for it. Lightning Dust fared no better as she staggered back in her fear before plopping down on her haunches, pointing a trembling forehoof at Medusa. "You're insane!!" She shouted, to which Medusa looked over at the opal pegasus with a small smirk and an arched eyebrow. "So I was told. Anyone can be considered an outcast when their goals are considered extreme to some people...But I'm sure you'll think differently of me as we move along." She looked over at Gilda, taking in the dread in her eyes. "Wait...So you're saying that Lightning's full of snakes now? How's that possible?" Gilda asked feebly. "Oh, it's quite simple really." Medusa raised her left foreleg with a seemingly cheerful smile "All it took was this leg and nothing more." "What? Then what about..." The griffon was full of dread when she noticed that not only was Medusa's right foreleg bare, but that Gilda herself was the remaining bystander for the witch to prey upon "Why!? I thought I already had your trust!" "Oh, you do, Gilda, but I couldn't really take any chances. I had to make sure that your allegiance was absolute." Medusa said, brushing off Gilda's volume. "That's not even funny! Get them out of me!" Gilda shouted, to which Medusa's smile disappeared momentarily, her face donning feigned disappointment. "Well, I could make it happen, but calling all my snakes back at once means that your body will be destroyed, leading to death. Then I would be short one associate. Can't have that, can we?" Medusa shrugged before smiling again "But now that that's out of the way, we can now get some food in our bellies before preparing for our trip. We'll be discussing locations and landmarks over breakfast, of course. I'll need you all to be at your best while planning for today's itinerary." Gilda immediately regretted ever bringing Lightning Dust along to her home with Medusa. She regretted ever meeting Medusa to begin with. This was going to be a long day for herself and her new 'superior'. She looked over at a nearly-catatonic Lightning Dust silently contemplating her current position. All she knew for herself was that her fate was sealed, and she had no one to blame but herself. End of Chapter 11
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 12	Chapter 12 A Heartfelt Reunion! Death Can Feel Fear? Medusa rested her cheek on a hoof as she sat at the dining room table with an unamused look on her face and a plate with a couple of eclairs. She expected her new 'partners' to be more skilled and disciplined, but they really were nothing more than children who carried potential that was better off wasted. Gilda had no map for the group's intended use, since she rarely ever travels, and all Lightning Dust could do was sit around in a near-catatonic state in her chair after the dreadful realization of having snake familiars resting inside of her body. She heaved a sigh as she looked over at Gilda, who tried to look back at the witch with narrowed eyes, although she was sweating. "Clearly, I overestimated your respective abilities. I should at least take solace in the fact that you prepared an acceptable meal." Medusa said as she used one of her tendrils to grab one of the eclairs and took a bite. After finishing it, she held a content smile "I must say, these are divine. You're quite the cook." Medusa complimented genuinely. "Just something I learned from my uncle. No big." Gilda responded shakily. She tried thinking of different ways for her and Lightning Dust to try and escape Medusa, but what stopped her was the fact that she, too, had some snakes lurking inside of her own body. "Well, regardless, I'm not entirely pleased with the lack of information we possess for our trips, let alone funds." Medusa took another bite of her eclair and swallowed before continuing "I'll need you to either scrounge up some money yourself, or find the time to snap Lightning Dust out of her little trance so she can contribute. Of course, before that, we'll need a proper destination." "...I know a place where we could start, but I don't really wanna go back there..." Gilda said, looking down as her tension was replaced with wistfulness. "Oh? And where, precisely, would that be?" Medusa asked curiously. "Ponyville. It's far west from here, and we can travel by airship, since you can't exactly fly..." Gilda said as she raised her head at Medusa. "That sounds prudent enough. Alright then. See to it that our partner snaps back to reality and that you're both properly fed. You'll need all the energy you can get for this adventure of ours..." Medusa said deviously with a widened smile. _____ Sometime after tending to the animals, Fluttershy and Crona trotted into Ponyville, although the latter tried keeping its face hidden while moving. Fluttershy looked down at Crona with a sympathetic and caring smile as she draped a wing over the swordpony's seemingly frail body. "So, you said we were going to Rarity's?" Crona mumbled. "Of course. I remembered how you wanted to have something for yourself to wear, so I thought it would be nice to get you an outfit from the boutique." Fluttershy replied softly. "That's nice. At least I won't be naked all the time." Crona piped up, its fear lessening. "Don't worry, Crona. You'll be fine once we reach Rarity's place." Fluttershy said as the two ponies continued to trot. Up ahead was a building resembling a carousel, much to Fluttershy's delight "Here we are. I hope she isn't too busy for us to show ourselves in." "I don't wanna bother her if she's busy." Crona said, taking a step back "Maybe we can come back another time." Fluttershy felt bad about making Crona nervous and placed a hoof on the black pony's shoulder. "Oh, I didn't want to sound like that at all. I'm sorry. I'm sure she wouldn't mind in the slightest." Fluttershy reassured, encouraging Crona to follow her to the front door as they made their way inside, where Rarity was seen placing a frilly dress onto a ponnequin. She looked over at the two ponies after she finished and greeted them with a bright smile. "Why hello, you two. What brings you to my shop today?" Rarity asked. "Well, it's just..." Crona looked down, placing its left hoof on its right leg "I was wondering if you would..." Rarity stared at Crona between pauses and chose to smile confidently. "Say no more, Crona. You're free to browse any available dresses, or you can even request me for one of your own design." The fashionista offered. Crona instantly looked up to face Rarity. "Really?" Crona asked incredulously. "Of course! Although, if you're going for the latter option, it may take some time before I finish." Rarity added "But that's not a problem, since I can whip up something exquisite for one of your delicate frame overnight." "That's great." Crona said with a small smile before it vanished "Too bad I don't have any money, though..." "Oh, perish the thought, darling. Whatever attire of choice is on the house." Rarity replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof, surprising Crona. "R-Really?" Crona asked incredulously. "Why not? Think of it as a late welcome present, even if you're possibly not going to be here for long." Rarity winked at Crona, who continued to stare in surprise. Fluttershy stifled a giggle at Crona's reaction before she spoke. "Go ahead, Crona. Don't be afraid to pick something that suits you." Fluttershy said happily. Crona took a deep breath and took a first glance at the several dresses available. So far, they - like the latest dress Rarity placed - were all rather frilly. Crona gave a slight wince and looked down, pawing at the ground in nervous thought. Rarity smiled in embarrassment at Crona. "There are more to choose from in the back if these dresses don't suit you, Crona. You can follow me if you like." Rarity offered. Crona picked up its head and blinked. "Oh...Okay." Crona muttered before following Rarity along with Fluttershy. Going through another door, the swordpony noticed a larger selection of outfits, varying from formal to casual in appearance. Crona was nearly overwhelmed by the options until it noticed one that stood out; a plain white and long sleeve jacket. It wasn't complicated in design, and it seemed better than getting lost in thought over the other choices. "I'd like that one there, please." Crona said, pointing at the jacket. Rarity looked over where the hoof was directed at. "That jacket there?" Rarity asked before she nodded in comprehension and levitated the white jacket with her magic, bringing it over to her "Consider it done. Would you like to try it on?" Crona nodded and approached the jacket, but then inspected its body. After a brief moment, the ambiguous pony bowed its head in shame. "I don't know how I can do this..." Crona murmured sadly. Fluttershy donned a caring smile before she neared Crona. "Don't worry, I'll help you. Just sit down on the floor, okay?" Crona looked at Fluttershy before following her command, satisfying the yellow pegasus "Good, now just lift your upper body up and stretch out your hooves like you're about to hug somepony." Crona slowly lifted itself up and extended its forelegs out, shocked that it was able to do so with ease. Fluttershy then nodded to Rarity, who was then able to carefully put the jacket on Crona, one sleeve at a time, making sure to button it up as well. "Very good, Crona." Fluttershy said warmly. Crona rose up on all fours to inspect the jacket it was wearing. Rarity was seen with intrigued eyes. "I must say, darling, you've made a wonderful choice. I can see how you would want to go with something white to go with your black coat. It probably would have been redundant to go with a black outfit." Rarity then tilted her head with a pensive stare "Then again, how would you look in an outfit that matched your mane color?" She then shook her head "No, I mustn't dwell on it; your choice was made." Crona continued to inspect the coat before being seen with a small smile. "I like it." Crona looked up at Rarity "Thank you for the outfit, Rarity." "It was my pleasure, Crona. Do be careful with it, won't you? I'd hate for you to be caught in another scuffle with it on." Rarity replied. It was at that moment that her eyes widened "Oh dear, I almost forgot..." "What? What's wrong?" Crona asked, starting to feel worried upon seeing Rarity, who then took a deep breath and looked at Crona. "Crona, I may need to borrow that coat and make a slight...alteration to it, so that Ragnarok won't see fit to ruin it himself. Do you mind?" Rarity asked. Crona stared before nodding to the fashionista. "Splendid." Rarity said as she used her magic to take off Crona's jacket "I'll have it ready for you later on today, so you won't have to worry too much." "Okay. Thanks again, Rarity." Crona said, looking down with a smile. "No problem at all. Perhaps you could join Fluttershy and I on our next visit to the spa. After a good treatment, you'll look and feel better than before." Rarity said cheerfully. "That could be a great idea." Fluttershy said. "A spa, you say?" Ragnarok sprouted out of Crona's back and perched himself on the black pony's head. He ignored the slight look of disdain on Rarity's face. "I never been to a spa before. It seems kinda girly to me." Ragnarok said rudely. "Only one like yourself would say such nonsense." Rarity said, turning her head away from Ragnarok "If you must know, it's something you'll probably need as well sometime." "Can we please not fight?" Fluttershy pleaded anxiously "I don't want to make this visit go bad..." "Why would I need a visit to the spa when I'm just fine the way I am?" Ragnarok asked with a sneer "I don't need some pony telling me what I need and what I don't need!" "Ragnarok, I'm sure she didn't mean it like that..." Crona piped up while looking up at the rude growth before scratching its head "But I never been to a spa either. Is it that good?" Rarity's eyes widened as she approached Crona. "Darling, you would be surprised at how much a visit at the spa can work wonders on a pony's body. It's a very luxurious experience." Rarity said passionately. "I'll gladly pay for both of us on our next visit if you like, Crona." Fluttershy offered kindly "It really is nice, and the ponies there are good at their jobs." "Sure. That sounds nice." Crona replied. "Hey, Rarity! Are you in here?" Everyone in the room turned to the door at the sound of a new voice. "Is that Rainbow Dash? For whatever reason would she visit here?" Rarity asked, befuddled that the cyan pegasus would usually pick a time to stop by Carousel Boutique. Placing Crona's new jacket back on its ponnequin, she proceeded to trot out of the back room with Fluttershy and Crona following suit. As Rarity confirmed, Rainbow Dash was seen in the main lobby with a smile. "Hey, girls! How's it going?" She asked in a chipper tone until she noticed Ragnarok perched on top of Crona "Oh, hey, Ragnarok..." Rainbow Dash said with less enthusiasm, earning a dirty glare from the demon sword. "Hello to you, too, Rainbow Dash. What brings you to my shop around this time?" Rarity asked inquisitively. "Well, it's not just me, actually." Rainbow Dash said as she scratched the back of her head before pointing outside "Discord actually rounded Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, and I saying that Princess Celestia wanted to see us in Canterlot. Him and the others are waiting outside." "Really? I wonder why she would ask of our presence the day after our last visit." Rarity asked curiously, rubbing her chin with a hoof. "Maybe she managed to resolve the issue with Crona returning home?" Fluttershy asked. While she was happy on the possible thought, she at least wished to spend a little more time with Crona and Ragnarok. "We won't know until we get there, right? C'mon!" Rainbow Dash said as she trotted out the front door, with the other three ponies and Ragnarok following suit. 'Could the princess have actually found me a way home? I really hope so...' Crona thought, developing a small smile while following the mares out of the boutique 'If she did, I can't wait to see Maka again. It feels like it's been too long...' Outside, Discord was seen with the other element bearers lounging in the air as if resting on a hammock and perked up upon the new additions to the group. "There you all are. I was beginning to think I was on a wild goose chase, and that's usually a sport for me." Discord quipped. "Spare us your banter, Discord. You said that Princess Celestia wished to see us?" Rarity asked. "Correct. I'm glad I found you all at a good time, because you'll probably need to witness this as well as dear little Crona." Discord smirked as he readied his talons "One trip to Canterlot coming up!" At the snap of his talons, the group found themselves instantly teleported out of Ponyville. _____ Celestia and Luna stood in their throne room, waiting patiently for their intended guests to arrive. It was about time for them to break down the situation the best way that they could. Luna, for her part, was seen with a thin and nostalgic smile on her face while Celestia was seen with a neutral expression, calculating the possible outcomes of the upcoming event to herself. The doors to their throne room opened with a loud creak as Discord was seen with the Elements of Harmony and Crona. Luna took it upon herself to greet the new visitors. "Hello, all. It's a pleasure to see you again." Luna looked down at the black pony and smiled "You must be Crona. So nice to meet you face to face. Are you enjoying your time in Equestria?" "Yeah...Who are you?" Crona asked. "My apologies, Crona." Celestia voiced herself as she approached the group with Luna "I've forgotten that you haven't met my younger sister Luna. I'm glad that you made it here, because..." Celestia stopped herself, her spirit wavering before she continued "I have some good news and bad news..." "D-Do I really wanna hear the bad news?" Crona asked anxiously. "It is your choice, Crona. I only wish to impart what I have to say before we continue..." "Okay...I suppose it's best to get it out of the way." Crona said, not feeling happy with what was about to be said. "Alright." Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath "It is with a heavy heart that you will be unable to return to Death City." The following news shocked the element bearers, namely Fluttershy. Needless to say, Crona was feeling worse. "Wh-What?" Crona mewled. "I'm sorry. I've done what I can, but I'm afraid it is out of my hooves to provide you with a way home." Celestia explained morosely, before she smiled "However, that is where the good news comes in." "Princess Celestia, what could possibly ease the fact that Crona and Ragnarok won't be able to go back to their home?" Twilight asked "No offense, but I doubt there would be a surefire way to turn Crona's depression around..." "That's where you're wrong, Twilight." Discord said as she hovered to the princesses' side "In fact, the good news will wipe away dear Crona's pain in the blink of an eye." "Really?" Twilight blinked before facing Celestia "What is it?" "I'd like for you all to look behind, Discord, Luna and I. What do you see?" Celestia asked. Complying to her request, the element bearers and a saddened Crona looked behind Celestia to see what appeared to be a large mirror on a golden frame. "Oh my!" Rarity gasped at the mirror's appearance "I could really use one of those in my home." She swooned. "What's with th' mirror, princess? Is it some kinda magical item?" Applejack asked. "In a way, Applejack. You see, this mirror is very special to us, and is an item that nopony else in Equestria knows about." Celestia explained "And, like Discord, I can assure you that this may ease the troublesome news I've shared." The group made their way towards the mirror and stopped in front of it. Everypony and Discord watched how Celestia's horn glowed as she focused her magic on the mirror, which began to light up. The group, save for Celestia, shielded their eyes until the light receded. It was then they noticed that upon looking at the mirror, their reflection was replaced with another sight that was strikingly familiar to Crona, who stared with wide eyes along with the other element bearers. "It's-...It's Lord Death!" Crona nearly shouted. From what the swordpony seen in the mirror, it was indeed the same black shroud wearing a comical skull mask staring back from inside the mirror. The background seen inside consisted of a partly clouded blue sky with windows in the air, and on the ground, there appeared to be several crosses, as well as the platform the shroud was standing on. "Crona, is that you?" Lord Death asked "Splendid! So you're still around after all!" "Wait, what!?" Rainbow Dash piped up "That's Lord Death? He looks...weird..." She cringed at his sight. "Lord Death, what's going on? Why am I here?" Crona asked frantically. "Now now, Crona, everything will be explained in due time. You'll have to calm down before I can do so." Lord Death said as two large hands appeared on his being, holding them up in a placating motion before disappearing back into his body "In fact, you'd be surprised that I'm not the only one expecting to hear from you today." "Who else is here?" Crona blinked before noticing several other people enter the mirror's view. The swordpony gasped at the group that came into view, namely the blonde girl that stopped next to Lord Death. A tear could be seen rolling down Crona's right cheek. "Maka..." "Crona?" Maka asked before gasping and smiling "Crona, it is you! I'm so glad to see you again!" They stared at each other through the mirror before another person showed up, only this time, it was a white-haired boy. "Crona, is that you?" He blinked at Crona's new form before turning to Maka "Are you sure that's Crona over there, Maka? All I see is a pony..." The boy looked back at the rest of the group "In fact, all I see is nothing but ponies." "Hey! What am I, chopped liver?" Discord complained. "Of course it's Crona, Soul! Can't you tell?" Maka said before looking down at Crona "Then again, now that you mention it..." She stared before placing her hands on her cheeks, a sweet smile on your face "You do look rather adorable, Crona." The swordpony looked down with a bashful smile and a blush. "You again!" Ragnarok sprouted from Crona's back and pointed a paw at Maka with an angry glance. "I never thought I'd have to see your stupid face again after Crona decided to play the hero!" Maka could only giggle in embarrassment at Ragnarok's words. "It's nice to see you, too, Ragnarok." She greeted awkwardly. "So you must be the same Maka Crona was talking about." Twilight said with a smile "It's a pleasure to meet you finally. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Crona told me you shared the same enthusiasm for studying as much as I do." "Oh! It's nice to meet you, too. I see Crona's been talking about us, huh?" Maka said with a smile "But yeah, I do like to study now and then." "Can anyone tell me why Crona's a pony?" Soul piped up "I'm seriously lost here." "And you must be Soul." Twilight said "I heard from Crona that you're a weapon, correct?" "Yeah, what about it?" Soul asked "Got any questions for me?" "Hey, you two, move aside! I wanna see Crona, too!" The raspy voice from behind Maka and Soul earned their attention before another person came into view in between the two. He was a boy with spiked blue hair, a black shirt, a silver scarf, fingerless gloves, and white pants with black stripes on the bottom. A star was seen on his right shoulder, as well as the silver toes on his black shoes. "Huh? Why are there ponies here?" The boy looked at the group, flummoxed as he scratched the back of his head. "I know, right? I was thrown off, too." Soul said from behind. "Black Star? I'm over here." Crona said, raising a hoof to grab his attention. Black Star's eyes fell on the black pony and he blinked before going slackjawed. "Crona!? What the heck happened to you!?" Black Star shouted. "I-...I was turned into a pony when I got here." Crona replied feebly. "Wait a minute." Rainbow Dash said before pointing at Black Star "You're supposed to be the guy who surprasses what's-their-name?" After grabbing his attention, Black Star grinned proudly at Rainbow Dash as he pointed a thumb at himself. "Nice to see my reputation's spreading. That's right, I'm Black Star. The one who will surpass God!" He proclaimed with bravado. "Well, before you surpass God, whoever that is, you gotta remember that there are other awesome figures out there, like me." Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on her chest. "And who are you supposed to be?" Black Star asked as he crossed his arms. "Name's Rainbow Dash; fastest flier in Equestria and soon-to-be Wonderbolt." Black Star stared before he broke out in laughter. "If you're supposed to be an obstacle for me, that's no problem. If I could go to that Equestria place, I'd surpass you in no time at all!" Rainbow Dash stared before narrowing her eyes. "I'd like to see you try. I doubt you'd be able to keep up with me." Rainbow Dash shot back, earning a glare from Black Star. "Is that a challenge? You don't know just how powerful I can be-" BONK! Black Star was seen face first on the ground with a large dent on the back of his head. Over him, Lord Death was seen with a large hand held out in a chopping gesture. Needless to say, the element bearers were shocked. "I do hope you can forgive Black Star. He has a rather 'eager' nature, as it were." Lord Death said to the group. "I feel I must say the same for Rainbow Dash." Celestia said maturely, while the cyan pegasus looked away in shame. "Sorry about that..." She muttered penitently. "Whoa! That must hurt somethin' fierce." Applejack said as she inspected BLack Star "Is he gonna be alright?" "Oh, he'll be fine." Maka said with a reassuring smile "He might seem like he's all talk, but Black Star is tougher than he looks." "Oh no, Black Star." Soul moved out of the mirror's view for a girl to show herself in next to Maka as she picked up Black Star. She had long black hair done in a ponytail, and was seen with pale yellow clothing with a yellow star emblazoned on the right side of her chest. There were grey and black bandages on her arms from the shoulder down, and a sweatband with a star symbol on it on each of her wrists. "Hey, Tsubaki, have you seen Crona yet?" Maka asked as she pointed to the black pony in question. The girl named Tsubaki noticed Crona and Ragnarok before she stifled a gasp and smiled warmly. "Crona, Ragnarok, it's nice to see you both again." Tsubaki greeted as she held Black Star. "I missed you." Crona said, returning a smile. "I missed your food!" Ragnarok piped up, making Tsubaki giggle. "Are you both adjusting well here? I must say, I'm surprised at your new form." Tsubaki said as she examined Crona. "Yeah, it was hard at first, but I'm dealing with it." Crona said with a nod. "Excuse us. We would like to see Crona as well." The sophisticated voice heard behind Lord Death and the humans beckoned for them to move out of view for three other people. Two of them were women who looked nearly identical in their attire, including a white cowboy hat and tie, tight and sleeveless red bellyshirts, and high-heel black boots. Their noticeable differences where that the taller one had dark blonde hair that reached her back, two silver bracelets on each hand, and long blue jeans, while the shorter one had chin-length blonde hair and puffy blue shorts. The boy standing between them had pale skin and yellow eyes, and was dressed in a black tuxedo with white lines in a symmetrical pattern, with a crest resembling Lord Death's mask on his white shirt. Unlike his attire, his black hair was adorned with three white lines on the left side of his head. He was seen with a stoic expression. "Whoa, they weren't kidding when they mentioned ponies." The taller girl said with a raised eyebrow as she looked at the group. "Yay~! Ponies~!" The smaller one said, cheering and gushing at the ponies' appearance "They look so cute, don't they, guys?" "Indeed." The boy piped up as he noticed Ragnarok on top of a black pony, blinking in surprise "Crona, is that really you? You look rather different." "Hi, Kid, Liz, Patty." Crona said "Yeah, this is what I look like now." "I see you're doing well, although..." Kid looked at the entire group "I'll need you to stand perfectly in the middle..." "Oh, okay." Kid continued to observe the rest of the ponies, then turned to Twilight and Rarity "You two, won't you stand on either side of Crona?" Twilight and Rarity stared at Kid, then at each other before complying to his request. "Now for the winged ponies on either side of the unicorns." "Oh, okay..." Fluttershy said as she stood next to Twilight, though she wished to stand next to Crona. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash descended and reluctantly stood next to Rarity, wondering where Kid was going. "The regular ponies next now, but..." Kid trailed off before pointing at Pinkie "That one must wear the same kind of hat!" "Just what in the hay are ya tryin' to do here?" Applejack asked, oblivious to the fact that Pinkie fished out an exact replica of her stetson from her own mane before putting it on and grinning. "Now for the tall ones in regalia. Stand behind the ponies, please." Celestia chuckled as she and Luna decided to stand next to each other behind Crona. Luna arched an eyebrow at Kid. "Just who is he?" Luna whispered. "Judging by his attire, he might be affiliated with Lord Death." Celestia whispered back, albeit in amusement. Kid made a motion with his hands as if he were focusing a lens as he stared through them at the ponies before nodding in approval. "Much better. It's much easier for me to talk to you all now-" "How about me, hm?" Discord said with a playful smile as he appeared in front of the ponies, in Kid's full view. Kid, for his part, immediately caved in at the sight of Discord, as if he saw a ghost. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S SYMMETRICAL IS THAAAAT!?!" Kid shouted before he reeled back and fell in a sitting position. Discord only guffawed at his reaction. "Discord!" Twilight chided. "Oh, Discord, I see you haven't changed." Lord Death said cheerfully as he took up most of the mirror's view. "You'd be surprised, Lord Death. It seems we both have undergone changes as of late. I like your style." Discord said. "Thank you. Anyways, I'd like you to meet my..." Lord Death looked over at Kid, who was seen cradling himself in a fetal position while Liz and Patty tried to comfort him "...son that you just scared." "Oh my goodness, you actually have a son? How exciting! Did you do this yourself?" Discord asked curiously "I doubt there would be anyone willing to find a soulmate in the Grim Reaper." "Yes, well, personal issues aside, I have made sure he's on his way to inheriting my role." Lord Death said "He just needs more training is all." "...Does this mean we can stop standing like this now?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Lord Death." Crona said, prompting Discord to float out of view "You still haven't answered my question yet. Why was I sent here and not back at Death City?" "Well, Lord Death?" Celestia said with a smile that appeared serene "Given what poor Crona has been put through, I believe now would be the time for a proper explanation, don't you?" She said in a seemingly kind tone with her eyes closed. As Lord Death looked upon the solar princess in silence, some beads of sweat were seen on his mask, and the Grim Reaper began to tremble as if the ground beneath him were quaking. The children in the background, save for Kid, Liz, and Patty, watched in surprise. "Wait...Is Lord Death actually shivering?" Soul asked as he watched Lord Death give a slight whimper. End of Chapter 12
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 13	Chapter 13 Lord Death's Confession! Conquering One's Fear? Medusa wore her cloak as she stared the train that rested at the station far outside of town. As crazy as most people consider her, the snake witch found this mode of transportation to be absolutely sacchirine and gaudy in design. To her, it looked like something out of a child's dream. "And you're saying this is our way to Ponyville?" Medusa asked in deadpan before sighing "Well, if it means getting to our next destination fast enough, I suppose I have no qualms." "Yeah, I know it's not the best." Gilda said with mild disinterest "In fact, I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole and fly to Ponyville, but seeing as how you're an earth pony, we don't have much of a choice." "Definitely beats carrying you, that's for sure." Lightning Dust muttered. "Now, don't go giving me ideas, Lightning Dust." Medusa teased with a knowing smile, reveling in her forced cohort's discontent "Let's be off, shall we? We have a long way to go..." She said as the three entered in a cart on the train. The conductor looked at his watch before shouting. "All aboard! Next stop, Baltimare!" _____ Lord Death continued to shiver at Celestia's expression, surprising the inhabitants of both worlds as they stared at him. He finally stopped and took a deep breath. "Of course. I owe both you all an explanation for all of this." Death looked over at Crona's curious face "Listen, Crona, about you appearing in Equestria..." "Hang on, please." Lord Death looked over at Maka, who stood alongside him at the mirror and looking at Celestia and Crona with her sad eyes. "If it's alright with you, I want to explain, too. I'm just as responsible for this as Lord Death." Maka said penitently. Celestia blinked at Maka's interjection. "Maka, was it? What makes you responsible for Crona residing in Equestria?" She asked inquisitively, to which Maka hung her head. "You see, I don't know if you were aware of this or not, but in our world...Crona died two days ago." The ponies and Discord were shocked at the reveal. "What!?" Twilight blurted out "But-...But that doesn't make any sense!" "Too easy." Discord piped up smugly. "Indeed it doesn't, but this is where I will shed some light on this whole thing." Lord Death said as he laid an oversized hand on what appeared to be his chest "Maka came to me, crestfallen after hearing about Crona and Ragnarok's passing and wished for me to find a way to revive them. Such a way was impossible without them ending up like Sid, one of my instructors." "He's a zombie, by the way." Soul spoke up. "A zombie?" Fluttershy whimpered. "Yeah, Sid can be very scary when you first see him." Crona said before smiling "But he's good. At least, Maka says so." "Moving on." Lord Death said "Maka refused to accept Crona's death, so I decided to do the impossible and send their souls into a different world to live on and adapt to their rules. Thankfully, I remembered my fond connection to this world and let Crona and Ragnarok have a nice new life." He bowed to Celestia "You have every right to be cross with me for not letting you know about this sooner, Celestia, but my hands were quite tied, and we just averted a crisis back in our own world." "Wait! You sent us here?" Ragnarok shouted indignantly before flailing a fist "I don't remember saying it was okay to drop us into a different world!" "You don't say." Celestia spoke up, gradually taking in the explanation "It may be inappropriate of me to ask, but who was responsible for Crona and Ragnarok's death?" Maka's eyes narrowed as she looked away. "Medusa..." She uttered venomously. "Medusa?" Rainbow Dash voiced in confusion "You mean Crona's mom killed her? That's messed up!" "Huh? Crona actually told you about Medusa?" Lord Death asked in surprise "Well, that's something I never anticipated. Yes, Medusa was responsible for Crona's death, but she's been dealt with, thanks to Maka." "That is indeed good news." Luna spoke up "Now that this whole ordeal has been cleared up, I suppose that means that Crona and Ragnarok shall make Equestria their new home. But seeing as how they're still attached to their previous home, perhaps we can make arrangements for them to stay in touch with their old friends?" "I would like that very much." Crona said with a smile "I got so much to talk about, too. Fluttershy's been taking care of me ever since she found me outside of her home the other day." "That's great, Crona!" Maka beamed at her friend "I should tell you about how my friends and I defeated the kishin." "Yeah, it was amazing!" Black Star said as he poked his head in between Lord Death and Maka. A comical bandage was seen on the back of his head "We had that goofy kishin on the ropes and Maka managed to finish the job!" He pointed at himself with a thumb "Of course, Yours Truly could've taken him down no problem." Crona chuckled softly and amiably at Black Star's comment, used to his proud personality. "Wow. I never saw Crona this happy before." Rainbow Dash said, looking over at the swordpony. "I know, right?" Pinkie chimed in with a wide grin "Now this is something I wanted to see since we met!" "While I'd love for us all to bond, I'm afraid we'll have to cut things short on account of Luna and I taking care of our royal duties." Celestia said before smiling "Although Luna's proposition can be done easily, rest assured." "Awwwwwwww~!" Pinkie and Patty moaned in unison. "Thank you so much, Princess Celestia." Twilight bowed curtly "Crona might not be able to go home, but this is the next best thing." "Well, in that case, I'll leave you all to it, then." Lord Death said as his body bounced a little from where he stood "Considering how well the introductions went, I'm sure we'll meet you all again someday." "Goodbye for now, Crona." Maka said with a wave "It's really nice to see you alive and well again." "I'll definitely see you soon, Maka." Crona said while waving back, though Ragnarok had his arms crossed while looking away coldly. The mirror flashed briefly before the image of Lord Death and the others were gone instantly, leaving only a regular reflection of the ponies. "They were really good company." Applejack said while looking at the mirror "Nice t' see what another world looks like, even if th' reaper himself lives there." She shuddered after remembering Lord Death's occupation. "Yes, and some of them had good attire." Rarity said cheerfully. "Some?" Applejack asked. "Soul's ensemble left much to be desired, in my opinion." "I'm so glad things have turned out much better for you, Crona." Fluttershy said with a brief nuzzle to Crona's cheek "Maybe we can find the time to talk to them tomorrow if possible." "That would be nice." Crona replied contently. "In that case, we'd better get you all back to your usual lives." Discord said as he hovered over Crona and the element bearers. "Before you leave, I have something to say." Celestia said before approaching the pony in question and gently placing a hoof on its left shoulder. She looked into Crona's eyes with a maternal gaze "I heard about what had happened yesterday, and all I can tell you is this: Be careful, Crona. Knowing the roots of your blood, please be careful. And don't be afraid to defend your friends if things go bad." Crona stared back in silence, noticing how Celestia's gaze seemed so comforting, and yet pleading at the same time. After a moment of silence, Crona nodded with a soft, affirmative grunt. With a satisfied smile, Celestia distanced herself from the other ponies as Discord snapped his talons, making the group disappear in a flash of light. "To think that such a disturbance was caused by a sample of black blood." Luna said as she shook her head "I can't imagine what would happen if a wicked life source were to be found in yet another pony." "Thankfully, we won't have to worry too much, considering Crona and Ragnarok have their blood under control, and their respective minds intact." Celestia responded "While they're going back to a life of peace, I'm sure they'll be more cautious of their surroundings from now on." _____ Discord and the ponies found themselves near Town Hall when they arrived back to Ponyville. The ponies sought to go their separate ways once they said their goodbyes until they noticed the doors to Town Hall open to reveal a certain dragon carrying a pile of assorted parchments. Twilight perked up after noticing. "Spike? What are you doing out of the library?" Twilight asked, growing nervous over Crona's possible reaction from seeing Spike. "Well, I noticed we were low on paper, so I grabbed some spares from Town Hall after asking Mayor Mare." Spike replied. He peered his head to the side to get a better look at the ponies and noticed Crona in the group, flinching before hiding his head "Um, I'm just gonna head home now. See you later, girls!" Spike said before quickly scampering off, dropping a couple of parchments along the way. "In my defense, I had no knowledge about this." Discord said while placing a claw on his chest. "It's okay, Discord. None of us knew about it." Twilight replied before looking at Crona "Are you okay, Crona?" "Yeah, I'll be fine." Crona replied, only slightly shaken from noticing Spike "So that actually is a little one, huh?" "Just what in th' hay's a little one?" Applejack asked "Is that what they call dragons where yer from?" "Well, not exactly..." Crona said while looking down "No...I just called the last one I saw before I-..." A lump was found in Crona's throat as they chose to pause. There was anticipation from the other ponies as they awaited an answer. "Before you killed it, correct?" Discord piped up, earning the attention of the ponies below him "Not to sound nonchalant about this, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were forced into such a position, given your tragic backstory and your combat experience. I'd venture a guess that your 'precious mother'..." He said while making air quotes "...was responsible for this?" "Y-Yeah..." Crona sunk into a sitting position, feeling downcast about dredging up a painful memory. "Discord, you could at least be more sensitive about Crona's feelings." Twilight chided sharply. "All I was doing was piecing the puzzle, and it turns out I was correct." Discord replied with a shrug "It beats waiting for an answer in the form of tears." "Be that as it may, Discord, that wasn't very nice." Fluttershy spoke up before approaching Crona and sitting in front of her "I don't want to ask too much of you Crona, but maybe tell us more about your experience? We'll be willing to help as your new friends." "Yeah! You can always count on us to turn that frown upside-down!" Pinkie Pie cheered with some random confetti spewing out of nowhere. "Well, Lady Medusa forced me to do it because...well..." Crona softly pawed at the ground with a foreleg "I don't really know...I think she wanted me to become a kishin, since she wanted Ragnarok and I to eat a lot of souls." The mares shuddered at the image. "I didn't want to at first, because I didn't want to deal with it, but then Lady Medusa punished me by locking me in a dark room with no food and Ragnarok beating me up." Crona quivered after recalling it "It happened a few more times until I went through with it." All the mares stood slackjawed at the brief story. "...Just tossing this out there: Your mom has serious issues." Rainbow Dash commented with an even tone that belied her shock. "I agree, and I'm rarely one to ever sympathize with anypony." Discord said with an incredulous look. "So wait..." Twilight said "You're only afraid of the Little One because you had to kill it?" "It was kind of scary at first, but I didn't want to kill it, no." Crona rubbed its eyes as if tears were about to form "I don't want to go through with it again." "Maybe that's the problem." Crona looked over at a smiling Twilight "Yes, he triggers a bad experience, but maybe you fear Spike not because of his appearance, but because you think you'll repeat something bad?" "I-I don't want to! I don't know how to deal with-" Crona's mouth was gently closed by a hoof as Twilight shushed. "Don't worry, you won't have to. In fact, maybe this can be a chance to try and overcome your traumatic experience by making friends with Spike." Twilight said encouragingly. "Y-You think it's best?" Crona asked Twilight. Fluttershy hovered into the air with a warm smile on her face. "Don't worry, Crona. I'm here for you if it means getting through this together. Spike really is a very nice dragon once you get to know him." Crona stared up at Fluttershy and slowly got on all fours, although was visibly nervous about the trial to come. "Okay. I-I'll trust you, Fluttershy. But how aren't you afraid of him?" "Oh, I'm not afraid of baby dragons. Full grown dragons, on the other hoof..." Fluttershy shivered before she regained her composure "Spike's very different from the one's we're familiar with. And to prove it, we'll spend the day with Twilight." She paused before grinning awkwardly at Twilight "If that's alright with you." "Of course." Twilight replied "If it's possible, we can make it to where Crona can actually be tolerant of Spike's company." "Well, iffin y'all can manage that, we got our own stuff t' deal with." Applejack pointed out "Ah gotta get back home an' do my chores." "And I have to get back to work at my boutique, so I'm afraid I'll be occupied as well. Sorry we won't be joining you all." Rarity apologized. "It's alright, girls." Fluttershy said kindly "We wouldn't want to interfere with your business. Besides, I'm sure we can handle Crona without any big problems." "I'm game." Rainbow Dash said "Got nothing better to do right now." "Me, too!" Pinkie chirped. "Are you forgetting about me as well?" Discord asked with a smirk. "Then it's settled." Twilight said proudly "We'll all band together and help Crona make friends with Spike." She said as the group made a path to the library, with Rarity and Applejack going their separate ways. "Here's hoping it'll be easy..." Rainbow Dash muttered, thinking that her and her friends will be caught in an ordeal. End of Chapter 13
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 14	Chapter 14 A New Friendship Blossoms! A Meister and a Dragon? Fluttershy and Crona sat in the library with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Discord. Needless to say that Crona was rather nervous about the whole ordeal, but the silver lining to this was that its anxiety was lessened after the latest visit to Canterlot. Silence hung in the air before it was broken by a confident Twilight. "Okay, Crona. Are you ready?" Twilight smiled. "I think so..." Crona murmured, looking down at the wooden floor with mild reluctance on its face. Fluttershy and Twilight felt that it wouldn't be easy with that particular response, but they weren't deterred from their goal. Twilight took a deep breath and looked over towards the stairs. "You can come down now, Spike!" She called out. A moment later, the aforementioned dragon was seen going down the stairs and approaching the group, with Crona instantly looking away and mildly trembling. Spike crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side as he stared at the black pony. "Don't worry. You're doing good so far, Crona." Fluttershy said encouragingly while she gently rested a hoof on Crona's back "Just remember that Spike is just as much of a friend as the rest of us, and we'll be there for you." She gave a brief nuzzle to punctuate her fact. "O-Okay..." Crona said quietly before slowly turning its head to face Spike, only to quickly look away after catching a small glimpse of his face. "Ummm, are you sure this is a good idea, Twilight?" Spike asked, turning to the pony in question with a raised eyebrow "I mean, Discord already gave me the gist of Crona's fear, so wouldn't it be best for me not to be anywhere near him?" He paused before shifting his eyes at Crona briefly before looking back at Twilight "Her?" He corrected himself hesitantly. "It's no trouble at all, Spike. We're going to try our best to help Crona overcome their traumatic experience and see you as a friend." Twilight explained before looking over at Crona, who was still looking away while Fluttershy comforted them "...That is, if we can make good progress while doing so." "Why not let them talk with each other and see what they have in common?" Pinkie suggested with a smile. "Pinkie, we're trying to make Crona and Spike friends, not get them to date each other." Rainbow Dash said with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, that would be a bad idea, considering one wouldn't easily converse with the other." Discord added matter-of-factly, although he couldn't deny the hilarity of possible awkward silence between the two. "Why don't we do some activities together and try to connect from there?" Fluttershy offered "I'm sure we can find some things to do in the library together." "How about some Daring Do books?" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly "Crona hasn't lived til she's read the awesome adventures of a great treasure hunter!" "Treasure hunter?" Crona blinked. "Yeah!" Rainbow Dash replied instantly "She's as awesome as the adventures she goes on. So awesome that ponies are making unofficial stories of their own based on her." "A-Are they good?" The swordpony asked, to which Rainbow Dash paused. "Well, some of them are..." She then leered outside of a window "Others just make the stupidest stories, I was unlucky enough to read one of them." Noticing Rainbow Dash's expression, Twilight merely heaved a sigh and shook her head while Crona, Fluttershy, and Discord traded glances. Meanwhile, Pinkie only giggled and muttered something about 'Excalibur'. Fluttershy then smiled awkwardly. "How about we let Crona decide what we should do together?" Fluttershy asked, hoping that everypony else would comply. "Maybe you're right, Fluttershy." Twilight responded before smiling warmly at the swordpony "Something in their comfort zone would possibly work wonders for future friendships. What would you like to do, Crona." "Um..." Crona looked down, clutching their right foreleg with a hoof "I don't know how to answer that one..." They said uncomfortably. Twilight hummed before an idea came to her. "Okay, is there something that you would do that would lift your spirits? Something you and Maka did together?" Crona perked up at the mention of Maka and decided to think back on the memories they spent together back at the DWMA. "Hmm...Well, Maka once told me that she writes poems whenever something's bothering her." The swordpony suggested. "Poetry? Really?" Spike asked with a raised eyebrow while Twilight's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Maybe we can each make our own poems and read them to each other." Twilight said vigourously while clopping her forehooves. "Poetry? That sounds fun!" Pinkie chimed in. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs and closed her eyes. "I dunno. I mean, yeah, I'm writing a novel of my own, but I don't think I'm up for poetry." Rainbow Dash said with mild protest. "C'mon, Dashie. I know you'll make an awesome poem." Pinkie grinned brightly at the cyan pegasus, who picked up a smile after hearing her praise. "So this is turning into a poetry corner, then? Very well." Discord snapped his talons and was seen wearing a black shirt and beret, as well as framed glasses while holding a set of bongos "If it's what Crona wants, I suppose I'll try and project my muse." He said before hitting the bongos rapidly with his paw and claw. Fluttershy giggled before smiling at Crona. "I'm glad you're willing to cooperate with us, Crona. I can't wait to read what you'll write for everypony." Fluttershy said warmly. The black pony looked down and fidgeted their hooves. Twilight glanced at Crona with a grin. "Say, Crona. Have you ever wrote a poem with Maka?" Crona nodded to Twilight's question, to which her grin widened "Great. Why not show us that one?" Crona looked up and blinked at Twilight. "R-Really? Well, okay..." Crona murmured. "I'll go get the parchments!" Spike said with a smile as he scurried back up the stairs. _____ Sounds of scribbling filled the air as the group worked on their own poems. Crona, however, was struggling with using its mouth while the other ponies did so flawlessly. It gave up on trying to write while staring down despondently at the scribbles that covered the parchment. Crona then looked at its forehooves with a frown. "I miss my hands..." The swordpony said somberly. Fluttershy looked up with a frown before she had an idea. She trotted over to Discord and began whispering into an ear, making the draconequus stop what he was doing as he stared blankly before a smile graced his lips. With a snap of his talons, Crona's forehooves flashed and developed five black digits. "Wh-What?" Crona muttered in surprise. "Just to help you out with your little problem. Thank Fluttershy for the idea." He directed a claw to an equally surprised Fluttershy. "Um...Discord, when I asked if you would please help Crona, that wasn't what I had in mind..." Fluttershy explained as she stared at the black pony's mutated hooves. Pinkie gasped as she looked up as well, although she grinned at the sight. "Hey! I can do that, too! Watch." She said before she took a deep breath and breathed into her right hoof, while the left hoof began sprouting four tiny digits resembling a hand. Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash shuddered at the sight of it. "Maybe one of us should help Crona with her poem?" Rainbow Dash asked. Crona, after flexing the fingers on their new set of hands, spoke up. "I think I can work with this. It feels weird in this body, but..." Crona balled its hands into fists "Thanks, Fluttershy. And Discord, too." "No problem, my friend. Anything to get your creativity flowing." Discord said as his eyes shifted to resemble orange lava lamps. Crona stared at the draconequus and smiled awkwardly before picking up a pen and began to write more on their parchment, much better than before. The others went back to their own papers and did the same. "You can give Crona hooves again when this is over, right, Discord?" Fluttershy whispered, to which Discord nodded with a genuine smile. "Anything for you, Fluttershy." He replied. _____ "Okay, everypony. Who will read their poem first?" Twilight asked her friends as the entire group held their own respective finished projects in their grasp. Crona, now with forehooves again, kept its parchment face down, away from any curious eyes. Pinkie flailed a raised hoof as she grinned ecstatically. "Oh! Oh! Pick me!" Pinkie asked with glee. "Why not let Crona do it?" Spike asked "Isn't this what the whole exercise was about?" "Good idea, Spike." Twilight responded with a proud smile before turning to Crona "What do you say, Crona? Care to recite your poem to everypony?" "Um...I-I'd rather not. I don't know how to deal with reading to crowds..." The black pony fidgeted its forehooves before Fluttershy came to their side with a warm smile. "It's okay, Crona. I understand completely." Fluttershy said while placing a hoof on Crona's back, setting them at ease. Spike tilted his head before he smiled. "Why don't I read it, then?" Spike asked as he went to pick up Crona's poem. He stopped to look up at the nervous pony in front of him "Do you mind?" When he was met with a shaking head, he picked up the parchment and skimmed the contents for himself before going over to Twilight. He was surprisingly silent as he continued reading until Twilight joined him. "I'm curious about this, too. What's it say?" She then found herself enraptured by the parchment as the two read it in silence. Rainbow Dash stared at them before cocking her head to the side. "Hey, what's the holdup? You gonna read it or not?" She asked. Instead of a verbal answer, Spike had placed the parchment face down on a nearby coffee table and walked over to a corner with Twilight following behind. What happened next surprised everyone in the room, bar Crona, as they watched Spike and Twilight sit down and curl up next to each other with their backs turned to the others. Both of their ears were flopped downward to show their apparent depression before they croaked in unison. "I wish I was never born..." Needless to say, the others were shocked about this sudden happening. Crona merely stared at them before looking away in slight embarrassment. "Wow. I look at Twilight and get a case of deja vu." Discord piped up incredulously. Three sets of glaring eyes followed after his quip, to which he pointed at Twilight "Don't give me that! This is practically a spitting image of our first encounter; the only difference being that a piece of written paper did this and not me!" Fluttershy looked over at the parchment and went over to pick it up. "Crona, what could you have possibly written?" The timid pegasus asked with morbid curiosity. She skimmed the poem for herself, quickly joined by Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. "I wanna see, too. It can't be that bad, can it?" Rainbow Dash asked rhetorically. "Yeah. It's just a poem, right?" Pinkie asked as she read silently with her friends. In one quick motion, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie joined Spike and Twilight in the corner, sitting down in the same depressive fashion as them. Pinkie's mane and tail even became straight somehow, much to Crona's surprise. "I wish I was never born..." They whimpered. Crona saw how Spike and the ponies had gathered to share their newfound misery together. Depressing as the sight may be, it felt oddly nostalgic to Crona. So the swordpony did the one thing possible to support its new friends. By joining them. "I wish I was never born..." Crona moaned in the same depressive tone as the others while sitting with them. Discord was the only one who remained, silently staring at the face-down poem in front of him that somehow held the power to bring down two thirds of the Elements of Harmony. If he hadn't have been reformed, he would've used it to his advantage, but right now, he was entirely curious about the poem's effectiveness. This curiosity was replaced with caution. He knew what would happen if he decided to read it for himself and did not feel up to following the crowd. He looked away with his arms crossed, muzzle in the air as he attempted to look strong-willed against the piece of paper beneath him. He continued to stand tall, until one of his eyes opened up, looking down at the poem. Then he merely closed it again. Discord then opened his eyes to stare at the wall of books, wondering if he should eat one of them. Maybe he could eat the poem, he thought, but he realized that something that bad would probably give him indigestion. He continued staring at the books until something slowly rose up into his vision, held up by his tail. It was the poem. Discord cursed his curiosity before he dropped the poem and decidedly joined his new friends in the corner, literally shrinking down to size before curling up with a look of profound sadness on his face. "I wish I was never reformed..." Discord mewled. _____ Later, after Pinkie Pie was the first to get out of her funk and quickly baked some cupcakes for her friends, they decided to skip their poetry session, especially when Discord volunteered to send Crona's poem into 'another dimension'. They were now currently mulling over alternative activities to help Crona and Spike bond with each other. "Okay, since poetry's out of the question, who has some other ideas?" Twilight asked, oblivious to the shameful look on Crona's face while she asked her question. "Anything that doesn't involve us getting sad aga-" A look from Fluttershy instantly silenced Rainbow Dash as she rolled her eyes, trying to think of a better idea "Uh, h-how about something fun? Maybe reading some Daring Do books?" "Daring Do?" Crona blinked "Who's that?" Rainbow Dash wanted to appear shocked, but remembered where the black pony once hailed from before she donned an enthusiastic smile. "Only the best treasure hunter ever seen in a story." She boasted "Twilight owns all of the books made so far, and I've read through each one twice." "Oh." Crona looked down "I'm not really much of a reader." "Neither am I, but this series is what got me into it!" Rainbow Dash countered with a grin "It's that good!" "You must have at least one hobby, Crona." Fluttershy said before directing a hoof towards herself with a smile "My hobbies include spending time with my animals, and going to the spa with Rarity. Sometimes, all of my friends go there, too." "I like to read, study, and socialize with my friends, but of course, you already know that." Twilight giggled sheepishly. "Whenever I'm not making sweets, I like to make sure everypony has a smile on their face." Pinkie chimed in brightly. "I like to exercise and practice some tricks while flying, myself." Rainbow Dash added pridefully "Though, I always love me a good nap or two." "And I personally enjoy some chaos now and then." After all eyes were on Discord, most of which unpleasant, he cleared his throat "Of course, I also enjoy spending tea time with Fluttershy." Crona looked around at the group until its gaze focused on Spike, which made the swordpony tense up slightly. "Wh-What about you?" Crona asked. Spike smiled as he held up a claw "All I ever do is assist Twilight around the library and clean the place, but I also like to help Rarity dig up gems whenever she needs them. But other than that, I like to collect comic books! Oh, and I also play piano, but I barely do that." Crona perked up and looked at Spike with intrigue. "Maka said that Soul plays piano as well." The black pony uttered with a nostalgic look on its face. Spike blinked. "Soul? Who's he?" He asked inquisitively. "An old friend of mine. He's Maka's weapon." Crona explained briefly. Spike stared blankly at Crona before turning to Twilight in bewilderment. The lavender unicorn giggled at his expression. "It's complicated, but maybe we can introduce you to Crona's friends the next time we visit Canterlot." Twilight said. "Huh. Well, anyways..." Spike turned back to Crona with a smile on his face "Maybe you're not much of a reader, but you haven't lived til you read a good comic book." "Are they better than Daring Do?" Crona asked Spike. Before Rainbow Dash could speak up, Discord sealed her lips with a zipper with a smirk on his face. "They're pretty good. Wanna read some?" Spike asked. Crona stared and hesitated. It felt so sudden to see a trigger of bad memories as a friend, but considering the effort everypony was putting into helping Crona overcome its fear, there wasn't any other alternative. Suppressing a shiver, the swordpony nodded with a small smile. "S-Sure. I'd like that." Spike grinned at the answer. "Great! Follow me. I'll lead you to my stash!" He said as he waddled toward the stairs with Crona looking. It cast a quick glance over at the others, namely an ecstatic Fluttershy, before tentatively following Spike up the stairs. After they were out of sight. Discord made Dash's zipper vanish, ignoring the baleful glare he received from his actions. Meanwhile, Twilight looked up the stairs in contentment. "Well, I'd say that we're off to a good start, everypony." Twilight chirped "Crona might adjust to Spike faster than we realized!" Discord inspected his bird claws while he hovered in the air. "That's good and all, Twilight, but I believe we're forgetting one more little black and grumpy obstacle." Discord said matter-of-factly. Everypony present perked up. "Oh no, that's right! Spike hasn't seen Ragnarok yet!" Twilight nearly shouted. "It's weird that he hasn't shown his ugly face yet. You think he's just tired or bored?" Rainbow Dash asked. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!" The group looked up the stairs, hearing the sound of Spike screaming. Fluttershy paled slightly while Twilight's ears flopped. "Whatever it is, we should probably go up there..." End of Chapter 14
"I don't know how to deal with this!"	Chapter 15	Chapter 15 Hidden Depths! A Friendship Forged In Fire? Upon reaching his and Twilight's bedroom, Spike was eager to actually bond with someone willing to share his interest of comic books. He knew that he would have to take it one step at a time with Crona out of their noted fear of the purple dragon, but he was happy to do so, regardless. However, it was when he was about to search for his comics that a sudden development had taken him by surprise. "Wh-Wh-What the heck is that thing!?" Spike stammered, shakingly pointing at the glaring growth that hovered over Crona "It just popped out of your back!" "Don't act so surprised, idiot. Just show us your comics already!" Ragnarok barked at Spike impatiently. "Sorry. I forgot to introduce Ragnarok to you." Crona said quietly, looking down in embarrassment. "How long has that thing been living inside of you!?" Spike asked The three soon heard several hoofsteps outside of the room before the door opened up to reveal the other ponies and draconequus making their way inside, the ponies sporting looks of varying anxiety. "Oh, it's you guys again." Ragnarok groaned "What do you want now?" Spike perked up and darted his head to Twilight while pointing at Ragnarok. "You knew about this the whole time? Where was I when this thing showed up!?" He asked in shock. Twilight folded her ears back, realizing that it was a bad move on her part to forget about Ragnarok and not introduce him to Spike. "We're very sorry about that, Spike. It's just that between Crona's inherent fear of you, Ragnarok's brief appearances, and all the things we were occupied with since yesterday, we couldn't find the time to properly introduce them to you." Twilight explained penitently. "I guess that's fair. So, what is the story with Crona anyways? I've never seen a pony with a talking..." Spike glanced at Crona and Ragnarok before cocking his head to the side "...thing on their back before." "I'm a demon sword, moron. Get it right!" The rude growth snarled, causing Spike to flinch. "Wait, what!?" He blurted out before looking at Twilight once more, his gaze pleading for a coherent explanation. "Well, to put it simply, Spike...Crona's not exactly from this world. In fact, in the world they were born in, Crona used to be what was called a human." She explained "Ragnarok was merely a sentient weapon who was integrated into Crona's body via a gruesome experiment, and he usually reveals himself whenever he feels like it." "Only problem is that he's a total jerk most of the time." Rainbow Dash added as she shot Ragnarok a look, the two of them staring each other down. "Whoa..." Spike looked over at Crona, who reflexively averted his gaze "Is all of this true?" "Yeah. Sorry if I didn't bring it up sooner. I don't know how to deal with long explanations." Crona replied. It slowly looked back at Spike with a nervous glance "You're not mad, are you?" Spike arched an eyebrow at the question. "Why would I be? I mean, I am surprised by both Ragnarok and the fact that you two are from another world, but I'm not mad about it." The purple dragon smiled "I just need to get used to you both while you try getting over your fear of me. We'll be friends in no time!" Crona gave Spike a ghost of a smile while Ragnarok merely inched down towards Spike over the swordpony's head. "That's good and all, but where are the comics? You promised us comics!" Ragnarok said impatiently. Spike perked up and then waddled over near his bed, which appeared to resemble a pet basket, before sifting through a pile of comics. Meanwhile, Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "At least nothing bad happened." Fluttershy said with a smile "I think there could be hope from having Crona bond with Spike after all." She said before turning to the others "What's say we give them time to themselves?" "I don't know, Fluttershy." Twilight interjected "While it's true we're seeing progress with Crona and Spike, a part of me has reservations about Ragnarok messing things up. We all know how crude and unpredictable he can be..." "Yeah, like a certain draconequus we know." Rainbow Dash chimed in while shooting Discord a look. Discord, for his part, craned his head back with a look of mock hurt as he placed a paw on his chest. "Moi? Surely, you don't mean that, do you?" Discord asked, feigning ignorance while Rainbow Dash merely snorted in response. "The bottom line is," Twilight cut in while looking at Rainbow Dash and Discord "at least one of us should stay here and oversee their interaction and intervene when appropriate." Twilight said. "Or have fun with them, at least." Pinkie piped up "Why bother watching them when you can enjoy what they like as well?" "Well, in that case, perhaps I'll stay with Crona and Ragnarok." Fluttershy offered "After all, I'm still their caretaker, and I could take this time to know them even more while they befriend Spike." She smiled hopefully at the thought. "Are you serious, Fluttershy!?" Rainbow Dash asked incredulously "Crona, I can understand, but you'd still be willing to put up with more of that jerk's abuse!?" "You realize that we can here you all, right?" The group looked at Spike, Crona, and Ragnarok, the latter two staring back at them in confusion. Spike arched an eyebrow. "If you're wanting to stick around and read some of my comics, be my guest, but could you not badmouth Ragnarok while he's within earshot?" He requested with mild sarcasm "It's kind of annoying to talk bad about someone when they can hear everything you say." "Preach, brother." Discord quipped with a knowing smirk. "But Spike, what we're saying is true! He'd be lucky to even treat you like a friend, unlike Crona." Rainbow Dash defended. "That's enough, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said as she trotted towards Spike, looking back at the others "I know you all have your reservations, but Spike is right: We shouldn't constantly be mean to Ragnarok when he's as much of a friend to us as Crona. All he needs is some time to adjust." "I never said you could speak for me." Ragnarok muttered bitterly, only for Crona to glance up at him and make him silent. "So, as I was saying, I'll stay and keep these three company." Fluttershy said warmly "It'll be nice to spend some time with them. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes." "If you insist, Fluttershy." Twilight said reluctantly "Just please be careful." She then turned to Ragnarok with a stern glance "As for you, Spike is a very close friend of mine, so I would appreciate it if you would treat him decently." The lavender unicorn stated firmly. She fumed when she was met with Ragnarok sticking his tongue out and placing a paw under one of his eyes, lightly dragging it down. "Ragnarok, please behave." Fluttershy pleaded, trying to be patient with the rude growth as he irritated Twilight. She was relieved to see Ragnarok comply with a scoff. "Just call us if that thing causes too much trouble." Rainbow Dash said before she gave Ragnarok a small glare. "Good luck, Fluttershy!" Pinkie chimed in with a chipper grin. With that, the three ponies and draconequus left the room for the others to bond. "So, anyways," Spike said as he held up some comics with a grin "These are some of my favorite issues of Power Ponies." He handed a comic to Crona and Ragnarok to look at "I took the liberty of giving you the first issue so you can get started, since you're interested." "That's very nice of you, Spike." Fluttershy smiled warmly as she sat with Spike and Crona. She would have indulged in a comic or two of her own, but she was more into certain books and the foreign graphic novels that she usually reads to herself at times. Crona tried turning the page with a hoof, but only succeeded in mildly folding the cover with each attempt. Spike noticed this and supressed a wince, while Fluttershy got near the swordpony. "Here, Crona. Like this." She said as she smoothened the comic's cover with a hoof before delicately opening it up. Crona watched with intrigue at both Fluttershy's action and the contents inside the comic. "Thank you." Crona said softly "It really is hard to get used to hooves when I had hands earlier." Spike blinked before he tilted his head to the side. "What are hands? Are they like claws?" He asked. Crona nodded to the purple dragon with an affirmative hum "Huh. You know, when Discord gave you claws, that was pretty weird, but I shouldn't be coming down on you, since you and Ragnarok are from another world and all." "No offense to this place, but I miss it back there." Ragnarok complained as he rested atop Crona's head "Things were a lot more fun, and there was more delicious food for us." He then scoffed down at Crona "Too bad this one had to play the hero, but I guess it was necessary if Maka actually beat Medusa..." "Oh yeah." Crona replied with a smile "I'm glad that Maka's still okay after everything that happened." The swordpony hung its head down as it contemplated, not even paying attention to the comic book on the floor "In fact, if it weren't for Maka, I wouldn't have even been here, meeting Fluttershy, Discord, her friends, and..." Crona looked back up at Spike "...and you." "I really missed out on a lot, haven't I?" Spike arched an eyebrow as he scratched his head "Who's this Medusa you're talking about?" Fluttershy looked down. "Crona's wicked mother. I can't believe what she put her own child through..." She piped up morosely. "I wasn't too happy with being joined with Crona, either, but I did enjoy eating souls to my hearts content that time!" Ragnarok stuck out his tongue voraciously as it was covered in drool. Spike perked up and quickly pulled away the comic in front of Crona before a drop of drool hit the floor. "Hey! I'm not sure if you know this, but these comics are special to me." Spike said to Ragnarok, his brow furrowed. The growth merely receded his tongue before he cast an indifferent glance towards Spike. "So?" He shot back callously. "So the least you can do is be more careful with them!" Spike snapped in response as his eyes narrowed. Both Crona and Fluttershy noticed the growing tension and squeaked in unison before the latter sought to resolve the problem before it could grow any worse. "Ragnarok, I know that you can be rowdy at times, but don't you think you could at least be more mindful of Spike's belongings? He was kind enough to share them with you and Crona after all." Fluttershy urged softly. Unfortunately, her plea fell on deaf ears as Ragnarok shot a glare. "And what are you getting on my case for, huh?" Ragnarok pointed down at an embarrassed Crona "This one here did more damage than I could've done, and you didn't even raise your voice!" "Creases on the cover page is one thing, but drool on an open page is another!" Spike countered vehemently "Twilight's got her books, I got these," He held up his comic book for emphasis "and we both take good care of our stuff!" "Good for you. What's done is done, so why not put a lid on it, huh?" Ragnarok spat with a dismissive wave. Spike, for his part, grew more agitated as he put up with more of the demon sword's remarks. "Ragnarok!" Spike, and Fluttershy focused their shocked and respective gazes on Crona, who regarded Ragnarok with a light glare. "I know you don't like everyone here, and I also know how much you bullied me back then, but could you please stop this? It's hard enough to deal with bonding with Spike when all you're doing is make them angry." Crona interjected, much to Fluttershy and Spike's surprise. "Whoa. And here I thought Crona was just shy." Spike looked over at Fluttershy "Does this happen a lot?" "No, this rarely happens." Fluttershy said, though she didn't take her eyes off of Crona and Ragnarok "But Ragnarok does tend to press everypony's buttons, Crona included..." "I only went through with this because I didn't want to be afraid of Spike anymore. Couldn't you at least be nicer to him? Like you were with Maka?" Crona asked nicely. Ragnarok scoffed before looking away with his arms crossed. "That time was different. I was at the peak of my power, and she took it all away from us." He then shifted his gaze back down at Crona "She didn't even pay me with the candy she promised when we saved her from that stupid golem." "You fought a golem!?" Spike asked in shock before grinning "That sounds awesome!" Ragnarok looked over at Spike, and felt a faint sense of pride well up after his remark. "Sure did. Maka was struggling for her life before turning to us for help. We really stuck it to that golem back then!" Ragnarok chuckled proudly. "Too bad that chainsaw guy nearly got us that time, though..." Crona murmured as it pawed at the ground. "Don't tell 'em that!" Ragnarok hissed down at Crona. "Chainsaw guy?" Spike parroted as he cocked his head to the side. He looked over at Fluttershy, who shrugged with a confused look of her own. "Just another guy who thought he was tough, but failed to realize that I can harden the wounds in Crona's body after each time he attacked." Ragnarok recovered. He felt proud of himself, knowing that it wasn't a lie, but also hated to be reminded of the time him and Crona nearly died. "Wow. You can really do that?" Spike asked, visibly impressed by the story. "Duh~!" Ragnarok responded rudely, to which he was quickly - but softly - reprimanded by Fluttershy. "You know, a story that exciting reminds me of the time I helped Twilight save the Crystal Empire." Now it was Ragnarok's turn to be curious as he climbed over Crona's head to look down at Spike. "You? Save an entire empire? That's kinda hard to believe." Ragnarok replied with an unconvinced glance. Spike, for his part, frowned at the demon sword's feedback. "But it's true! I mean, even I couldn't believe it, but Twilight solved lots of puzzles and traps, and some how managed to reach this thing called the Crystal Heart, then she got trapped, but not before tossing the heart to me." He scratched his head "It's a good thing Shining Armor had the crazy idea to throw Cadence near me, or we never would've won against King Sombra." Ragnarok only stared at Spike after his story before he showed a deadpan expression. "Now I know you're full of it. Who were the last three you brought up, anyways?" He unabashedly demanded. "Shining Armor is Twilight's older brother, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or just Cadence, is his wife." Spike then stood up with his claws curled as he tried looking menacing "Meanwhile, King Sombra was this old and evil tyrant who was good with dark magic. He enslaved the Crystal Empire 1000 years ago before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna banished him into an icy prison, although he took the Crystal Empire with him." He smiled smugly "Twilight and I saving the Crystal Empire only happened recently, of course." "Only about a month ago, really." Fluttershy piped up "I was there along with my friends. As it turns out, it was a part of Twilight's test." "Test? What test? A test of strength or something?" Ragnarok asked, faintly intrigued by the story despite how ludicrous it sounded to him. "Did she pass?" Crona asked softly. "Of course she did!" Fluttershy chirped before looking down pensively "That is, she said so after leaving the castle." She smiled at Crona "Spike and I have a lot more stories to tell if you and Ragnarok would like to listen. "Well, I don't mind a good nap if all your gonna do is tell me some stories." Ragnarok looked away gruffly before glancing at Spike from the corner of his eye "That is, unless you actually have more exciting stories to tell, but I find that hard to believe with you." Spike took this moment to sport a challenging grin as he pointed at Ragnarok. "In that case, strap yourself in, Ragnarok, cuz you haven't heard nothing yet!" He said proudly before he carefully set his comics aside and cleared his throat before telling his next tale. Crona and Ragnarok listened intently to the stories Fluttershy and Spike said to them pertaining to their adventures before the duo came into Equestria themselves, including more details about Discord before he became a friend. At times, Ragnarok would bring up a rude remark, which was only met with a countered remark from Spike. What made this better for Fluttershy was noticing not only less vitrol in Ragnarok's words than before, but Crona smiling more often than before. She couldn't wait to report to her friends on how successful the bond between Crona, Ragnarok, and Spike was. End of Chapter 15
Colgate Takes Acid	pre	"Just over this hill top. Easy now, it's about to become steep." Vinyl had been the navigator of this trek with the use of two eye holes she had fashioned with the use of her horn prodding the exterior of the box. . From the alleyway, they had waddled their way towards the area they remember the sound coming from. That just so happened to be Ponyvilles public park. The public land was usually a bustling area for families and friends alike to enjoy their day in peace during the day. But at night it had become the stalking grounds for one high mare and one disgruntled mare crammed in a waddling cardboard box. "What hill? I can't see anything." "This hill. Careful now, the grass is slick." Octavia gave a flustered huff as she puffed Vinyl's tail away from her face. Just being in the confines of the box was driving her up the wall with the greatest of ease. "Hold." Vinyl stated as she shot up her right arm straight up to the sky, almost punching a whole right through their disguise. The box that had been hovering a couple of inches above the ground below collapsed down making a hollow thud sound. Throughout the trek Vinyl had taken command of the actions Octavia was to take. And although these actions only consisted of 'hold' and 'go', it annoyed her to no end to be force led by Vinyl. "Oh come on! Why are we stopped this time!" "A hunch..." Vinyl replied. "A what?! A hunch!" Octavia shouted at her in the lowest tone she could possibly manage while in her state. "Yes a hunch, and my hunches have gotten us this far have they not?" "You're counting us crossing the street aren't you..." "Yes." "The light was green! You nearly got us killed. Good thing that car swerved out of the way." "Right, and if wasn't for my hunch to waddle faster, we would be pancakes right now." Octavia took a long exasperated blink, "I'm going to kill you." "I had a hunch you'd betray me." Vinyl replied honestly. "I'll hunch you!" Octavia shoved at Vinyl, forcing her to topple forward and in turn flipping the entire box over. The two mares slid down the deep slope that Vinyl had warned about just a couple of seconds earlier. Now instead of moving at their own pace they were now forced to weave in and out of rocks, bushes, benches and trash cans that seemed to be littered all through their path, or they would had been weaving in and out of rocks, bushes, benches and trash cans if either one of them were sitting right side up. With their rear ends towards the sky, the two slid out of control rolling over multiple times before the started to skip down the hill landing on every part of their body instantly gaining bruises ranging from purple to blue. With one final skip the box landed in the sand, spitting the two from the inside. Landing on the stomach the two began groaning and rubbing various parts of their body. "Mutinous traitor." Vinyl whined out. "Self fulfilling tyrant." replied in the same tone. "Where are we now?" Spitting out a few grains of sand Vinyl answered, "Kiddy sand box." "Are we at the bottom of the hill?" "I think so." "How's the disguise?" "It's... seen better days." "Really? And being mold ridden wasn't it's golden days?" Octavia asked as she lifted herself up, soon helping Vinyl up as well. "Ah crap." Octavia exhaled as she could see the tattered box lying over a swaying swing seat. "Now what..." "Excuse me." A voice called out at them. The two froze in place. Both quickly breaking into a cold sweat with beaded eyes. Both of them shot looks at one another, communicating only with their eyes. "Excuse me, a little help here?" The voice called out again. Octavia reluctantly turned her head over to see a shocking scene. There laid a elder colt on a metal trash bin. A massive indent on it's side where he laid. His leg covered in a cast and his head bleeding slightly from a cut just above his eyebrow. Rushing over, Octavia got down onto his level. "Oh my- are you alright?" Octavia asked. "Oh yeah I'm dandy don't ya know? I'm just here, freezing my ass off, gazing at the stars while the trash can shoves its pointed edges into my back some more. No I'm not alright! What's wrong with you!" The elder colt yelled at Octavia. "Not her leg." Vinyl hushed under breath having recently come to the side of Octavia who was still kneeling down helping the colt up. "Zip it missy." Quake snapped at her, pointing his hoof towards her. "Sorry for my friend, she's a bit... Much at times." Octavia apologizing for Vinyl who was glaring down Quake. "Here, let me help you up." Octavia wrapped her hooves underneath Quakes pits and begin lifting him up to his hind legs. Leaning on her on his one good leg her, he gained his bearings once more. "What happened to you? I can't imagine you did this to yourself." "Of course not! Some crazy blue mare showed up out of nowhere, yelled 'tally ho' at me and rode me like a freaking bike down the hill over there and I ended up crashing down here." "That's Colgate!" Octavia cried jumping up again. Quake still a bit unstable lost his balance and fell down onto the cement again letting out a massive cry of pain. "Oh this is going to be fun." Vinyl noted as she smirked at Octavia who glared back at Vinyl. This is what I thought the smirk looked like xD
Colgate Takes Acid	WEE - Part 6	Colgate Takes Acid - Part The trio straggled along as they walked up the hill Quake had previously been ridden down on. Vinyl was far ahead of the pack and Octavia took notice. "Ya know, a little help would be appreciated here..." Octavia proclaimed in a strained tone to the white mare. Octavia had been carrying the older stallion up the hill thus far but was quickly running out of steam to keep him aloft. "Yes, yes it would." Was her only response as she slowly sauntered ahead of them some more. "Vinyl, help!" Octavia demanded this time rather than giving a subtle suggestion, hoping to get the gears in the white mares mind running. "Why? You're the one that decided to help him," Vinyl responded turning back to face the duo. "But you're the one that kept going on and on and on about how we have to help this guy. Why? We know which way she went, let's go get her!" Vinyl, still trying to persuade Octavia to leave Quake to rummage in the garbage that had begun to engulf him from the impact earlier. "We coudln't just leave him down there!" "Why the hell not?" Her voice cracked at the peak of her new found octave. "Is it our fault he crashed? No. Is it our fault he decided to get ridden like a bike down a ridiculously steep hill? No. Is it our fault that Colga-" "Yes, it is our fault..." "How!?" "Well technically it's your fault, and you know damn well how. Not stop your crying and get over here and help me." With a pouted look and ears pinned back, Vinyl took her time to reach the two who were still struggling up the hill. Once she reached them she took the other free hoof and draped it over her back taking a great deal of weight off of Octavia instantly. After a few moments of silence, Vinyl puffed some of her stray hair from the front of her face. She could now see the full brightness of the yellow beams of light being sprawled through to every crack and crevice of the neighborhood via the lamp lights. She looked up into the distance, to the base of the hill and then back towards Mr. Quake. "So just what the hell were you doing out here this late at night anyways?" She questioned. "I-I was out for a walk." Quake stammered out. "A walk?" "Yes, a walk. What? You never go outside every now and again to clear your mind? There's nothing wrong with that!" Quake took a defensive tone as he completed his explanation. "Vinyl has - other means of clearing her mind. Or at least that's what she claims." Vinyl shot daggers at Octavia for her unsubtle comment. "Well I'm sorry we're not all born with a stick up our butts." Vinyl shot back at her with head held high, and eyes fully shut. "Yes and we're not all competent enough to take a friend out for a nice night on the town and not loose her." Octavia calmly and coldly retorted. "I told you already, It's not my fault!" "Well it sure wasn't mine, so that only leaves you..." "Ya know what!?" "No I don't know 'what', please enlighten me." Octavia quickly shot back. A few puffs of air escaped Vinyls mouth. What were meant to be the words of a sassy comeback were coming out in a flustered bunch of grumbles. She couldn't pick one thing to say in response to Octavia other than 'Forget this!', before she shrugged Quake off of her, forcing all of the weight to come back onto Octavia. The grey mare nearly topped over from the sudden shove. Octavia cried out to Vinyl to come back to her and help but Vinyl was already walking away at a speedy pace with no intentions of coming back to help her. "Dammit Vinyl..." Octavia muttered as she struggled to keep a wincing Mr Quake off the ground. Barely regaining both of their composure, Octavia stood there panting for a few moments to catch her breath. The two of them took only a few steps more before Octavia's legs began to buckle underneath their combined weight. "W-would you mind if we rest for a moment?". Quake only responded with a simple nod. Carefully positioning her body, Octavia slowly leaned Quake downwards onto the grass besides the sidewalk, in hopes not to harm him any further. Once he was firmly down on the grass, Octavia collapsed her rump onto the grass as well, having to shoot her forelegs behind her quickly to prevent a stumble. She panted aloud as she looked up at the sky silently thinking to herself of how out of shape she had gotten. Quake on the other hand just sat there staring at the grey mare. "She's a bit brash isn't she?" He questioned, breaking Octavia's heavy breathing. She chuckled at the question as she steadied her breath. "Yeah, she can be at times. Well, most of the time at least." "I couldn't tell." Quake earned another chuckle from Octavia. "So, what's the story with your friend?". "Oh I don't know... Sometimes I wonder why I'm even with someone like that. I mean, I guess I love her. But I can't help but feel like she takes me for granted. She tries, and I know she does but it just seems like whenever something gets to be too much she just bails on me." Octavia turned to face Quake and put her hoof on his leg and leaned in to him to put more weight on her words. "And this isn't even the first time shes done something like this! Oh no. No, she's left me plenty of times before. Just this last month, at our friend Roses party, she announced that her and her marefriend had just been approved for adopting a foal of their own. They've only been together for two years! Me and Vinyl, five. Five years and no signs of commitment. I ask her if we'd ever consider having a foal of our own and she gets incredibly defensive with me and leaves the party! Not right away of course and not obviously, but she slid out when no one was looking. When we all got together at the end of the party to take a group picture was when we all finally noticed she had left. I was the only person standing there by myself! I couldn't believe her. I felt so embarrassed!" Quake stood there, his stare blank as he let her vent to him. When she finally stopped talking, Quake spoke up. "I was actually talking about the friend of yours that rode me like a bike down the hill back there..." "Oh... O-of course you did." Octavia turned away from Quake and tried covering her face with one of her hooves to hid her immense blushing. "Do you want to keep talking about her?" He questioned. "Oh no no!" She waved her hooves in disapproval at the proposal in hopes to stop the topic dead in it's tracks. "We uh-" she cleared her throat, "we can talk about Colgate, sure." "So why did she do what she did?" "It's a long story..." She took a deep breath as she looked up at the night sky once more. "It's her birthday today you see. And although I wanted to help her make it special, I actually have an audition in the morning for a cellist spot and was unable to join her. So, I entrusted Vinyl, Ms. Brash rather, with taking her out this evening and treating her to a nice night out. I had 'assumed' that she would just take her out to dinner or do something that 'she' wanted to do. Instead I come to find out, quite rudely at that, that she had in fact taken the birthday girl to a club that Vinyl frequents. And because Colgate felt like a fish out of water, Vinyl offered her acid... Multiple hits at that. And thanks to the fact that she, to the best of my knowledge, has never been on drugs before in her life, is currently out of her mind somewhere out in the city tonight." "Well that wasn't a very long story." "No there's more..." Octavia hung her head in shame. "We're kind of sort of maybe just the littlest smidgen bit of fugitives from the police now..." "What!?" "Yeah... Remember how I said I had a rude way of finding out about all this? Well, I was actually just about to fall asleep so that I could get an early start in the morning, when I get a phone call from Vinyl. She was completely freaked out on the phone and ended up hanging up on me. Knowing the kind of messes she gets into I decided to see what was going on... You know, in hindsight I probably shouldn't have trusted her with something this simple in the first place. Anyways, upon arrival I searched the club and eventually found them in the bathroom, or Colgate's makeshift prison for the time being. Apparently she had made so much ruckus they had to confine her in the bathroom." "Why didn't they just throw her out?" "From the events of tonight, I'm assuming they couldn't truly catch her. Only lead her into a trap. So I began questioning Vinyl about what was going on exactly. During our conversation I come to learn that Vinyl still had some drugs on her. I demanded she give them to me so I could get rid of the evidence and just as she hands it to me, the cops bust the door in and catch me red-hoofed. So naturally I just ran away, Vinyl in hoof..." "Wait, you just left your friend there?" "No, of course not... She wiggled her way through a ceiling window right as the cops busted in. We've been trying to catch her ever since." Mr. Quake began to chuckle at the very idea of a mare being able to perform such an act. Slowly his chuckle became a full on chuckle. "And just what the hell is so damn funny?" Octavia scowled. "I think you mares are going about things all wrong. Think about it? You've escaped for now, but then what? You think the police are just going to let you go? Tomorrow they're still going to be after you. And the day after that, and the day after that. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it's not going to work out well for any of you..." "So why in the world are you laughing?!" Octavia was growing impatient with Quake's words. "I'm laughing because there is an obvious solution for all of this..."
Colgate Takes Acid	WEE - Part 7	Chapter 7 "This is it?" Octavia questioned Quake as the two sauntered towards a house. "Yup that's her alright. How do I look?" Quake jokingly asked. Through her broken breathing pattern she had developed from hauling the two of them up the steep hill she replied, "Like trash." The two shared a laugh that was highlighted from the clanging of wind chimes that hung suspended from a wire in front of Quake's home. The house was a two story, victorian styling. Support beams covered in white, slightly chipped, pant accented the overhead roof that led in front of the entrance. The entrance way was a massive entity split between two wooden doors, one could pick and choose which to enter or exit from. A large window displayed a warm homely setting on the inside where Octavia could make out Quakes wife in her chair sitting next to a lit fire place, focusing on her book. "Look." Quake spoke up. Octavia turned her attention from the house back to the stallion. "My wife is known for... Being a bit over dramatic. If I look half as bad as I think I do, then she's gonna get hysterical. Best let me do all the talking for a bit alright?" "Uh, sure yeah." Octavia responded as they reached the door to the house. Quake padded himself all over his body a few times before slumping his head down and muttering a curse. Lifting his head back he looked at Octavia with an ironic smile. "Seems I've lost my keys somewhere along this trek. Just my luck huh?" He chuckled slightly along with Octavia before he cleared his throat. He straightened his back up a bit and knocked the door several times. An immediate motion was heard from the other side, heading closer and closer. The door creaked open a bit. All that could be seen was a small slit of the inside accompanied with a sliver of a face and one full blue eye peering through. Without even a second passing by, the door slung fully open and an audible gasp could be heard from the mare inside as she put a hoof to her mouth. "Hi honey." Quake said as warmly as possible before a knee jerk slap struck him across the face. The stallion quickly fell to the ground from Octavia's grip. "Oh crap, you alright Quake?!" Octavia cried as she reached down towards the stallion. ** "I mean, it's not my fault right?! I-I mean, come on! That stuck up...Prissy... Annoying, know it all! Gah!" Vinyl cried aloud as she flailed her hooves over her head before letting them fall behind her head, slinging over the bus stops bench, almost hitting her new found friend. Her eyes focusing at the sky above before she looked over at a hefty mare, half way in a fetal position. Clearly uncomfortable with Vinyl. "You don't think I'm wrong right?" Vinyl asked as she turned her body towards the mare, lifting one of her hooves away from behind the bench to point at herself. The mare instantly shook her head as a firm 'no', maintaining the look of fear that had been in her eyes the entire time. "Ha!" Vinyl cried again as a bus pulled up to the station. "I knew I was right! She can't be the queen of I told you land forever now can she?" Vinyl proclaimed as the mare once again shook no as she got up and walked towards the bus in a hurried pace. The door hissed as it opened for the mare who couldn't wait to shove herself into the vehicle. The driver tried to welcome her with a friendly 'hello' before being silenced by the mare. "That pony is crazy! Just drive and get us the hell out of here." She hushed at the driver. Without an hesitation the driver closed the door back up and pulled away leaving Vinyl at the stop alone. Vinyl watched as the bus pulled away from her, still caught up on the thought of possibly being right before snapping out of her daze. "H-Hey, good talking to ya! I knew I could count on you!" She cried, "Whoever you were..." She whispered, biting her hoof in the process. Vinyl leaned back into the bench and let out a large sigh. "Doesn't matter anyways." Her ears drooped down as low as they can drop. She stayed motionless for a minute or two before crying out in anger, "Argh! What the hell good is being right if everyone is either pissed off at you, or you can't even find them!?" Her sudden burst ended and she fell back down into a slumped position on the bench. This whole night is so fucked up... Hell who am I kidding? I'm not right, this entire thing is my fault.It's not enough that I ruined Colgate's birthday, but probably messed things up with her and Roseluck... Man, not enough that I probably messed what they had going on up, but Oct-. Vinyl tried snapping herself out of her thoughts, slapping her face with both hooves multiple times. before slowly letting them slid down her cheeks into her lap. She sniffled a bit before clearing her throat. "What the hell do I do Tavi?" A rattling of a nearby trash can at the corner of the street echoed into Vinyl's ears. She glanced over it slightly before turning her gaze to its point of origin again. "Stupid raccoons..." Another noise shook through the nights air. "Hey! Can you not see I'm having a crisis over here you filthy rodent!?" Vinyl proclaimed as loudly as she could, turning her vision back over to the trash can. She could now see the swishing of a blue and white tail dancing just above the rim of the trash can. "What the hell is that?" She questioned as she got up from her seat. Taking very cautious steps she made her way towards the trash. During her walk various objects were being thrown out of the top of the Trash. Anything ranging from wrappers, to old moldy food, to yesterdays newspaper. "H-Hello?" Vinyl called out as she began to use her horn to illuminate the area. The creature stopped its rummaging as the tail disappeared into the can. Vinyl repeated herself and called out to the creature again. Instantly Colgate's head popped out of the trash, a pair of panties in mouth. Startled, Vinyl shot back a foot or two before realizing it was her friend within the can. "Colgate? holy crap, is that you?" Colgate's entire face was covered in smears of various colors. Her hair looked to be slightly singed at the tips and her pupils were now the size of saucers. Vinyl took a step forward her friend. "It's okay Colgate, Just relax. I'm here to help..." Vinyl said as calmly as she possibly could. Her heart continued racing at a steady pace from the startling she had just received. Colgate's saucers for eyes took a quick look at Vinyl's motion towards her and reacted with a large hiss. "You little shit, did you just hiss at me?!" Vinyl proclaimed in a stern voice as she took another step forward, this time with a pouted chest. Colgate let out a yelp as she shot out from the trash can and began running through the streets, leaving a trail of rubbish in her wake. "Wait! No, crap! Hey come back here!" Vinyl cried as she quickly followed in suit of the deranged mare. ** "Well you deserved it. Dammit Quake, I was worried sick! Imagine my surprise when I walk upstairs, dinner in hoof, expecting you to be there in bed and then you're gone! Celestia only knows how in the hell you got down the stairs with that wheelchair of yours without making a ruckus." Penny Marble, Mr. Quake's wife exclaimed as her cleaning of the dishes became more intense. She took a pause and let loose a sigh, setting down the dishes before turning around from the sink. "I guess I should thank you though Ms.?" Octavia looked up from her cup of tea that she had been given by Penny. "Oh- Uh, Octavia ma'am. And it was no problem really, it was the least I could do for somepony in trouble." Octavia smiled a bit as she set down her tea onto a brown cork coaster that rested on the wooden dining room table where her and Quake were both seated. Quake winced a bit as he positioned himself to a more pleasing position. In addition to a reapplied casting on his broken leg, his front forearm was now hanging within a sling. His head where the cut had been exposed was not completely concealed by fabric, knitted tightly in the back by Penny Quake. "Like I said dear, I didn't mean to make you worry. I just wanted to get out of the house is all. It's been so damned frustrating having everything done for me lately. I just wanted to have a minute alone is all." A quick huff of air was all the response Penny gave to Quake before turning around and focusing her attention back to the dishes. "Well I hope you got all the fresh air your lungs could hold. Lord knows you're not going anywhere for a while longer now." Penny said with a aggravated tone. Octavia sipped from her tea again, darting her eyes back and forth between the two. Setting her drink back down she leaned in and hushed at Quake. "Is uh, is everything okay?" Quake glanced at his wife's backside before leaning in towards Octavia. "Believe me this is nothing. You should have seen the kind of backlash I got when I was going through my midlife crisis and bought a boat. She's never lived that one down." "That doesn't sound like that terrible of a thing..." "Oh it wasn't buying the boat. It was when we first set sail. She must have fallen overboard at least ten times. Each time I died laughing." Quake chucked a bit in amusement in the memory. "She didn't speak to me for a week and made me sale the dang thing too." Octavia shared in the laugh Quake got from his reminiscing. She leaned back in her chair and picked her cup back up for another drink, pausing halfway through. "Hey, Quake?" "Hmm?" Quake hummed as he was taking a sip from his drink as well. "Back at the hill," Octavia started off before setting the cup back down onto the coaster. "you said that you had a solution?" Octavia had begun to swirl her hoof on the rim of the cup a bit. "What exactly do you have in mind?" Gulping down his drink Quake set his cup back down and looked saddened by Octavia's question. "Really? Hmm, I thought the answer would have seemed obvious. I took you to be the one who wore the brain in your relationship." "I am!" Octavia cried out. "I mean... Vinyl has her moments... But that's besides the point." Octavia shook off her comment as she waved her hoof at Quake. " I've played through every single scenario and I honestly can't come up with a way where we end up scotch free in this. Option one, is we all get caught by the police, I loose my audition and Colgate, along with Roseluck. If I throw Vinyl under the bus, I loose my marefriend but I keep my audition and my friends. Last If I just let Colgate get captured we both loose Roseluck and Colgate." Octavia pinned her ears back and looked down at the oaken floor. "I-I just don't see any way of winning..." She muttered. "Obviously." Quake exclaimed nonchalantly. "That's cause there is none. You can't let any of them go down cause the police know about all three of you. What do you think is going to happen when they find one of you? They're gonna ask where the other two are and so on." "But-" "But nothing. I hate to be the bearer of bad news hun, but you're in a no win predicament. But there is the best option available to you still." "There is?" Octavia perked back up waiting intently for the next words to come. "Turn yourselves in..." Octavia instantly drooped back down. "That's a horrible idea." She pouted. "Is it?" He questioned the mare. "Let's see. Your friend is not only a danger to herself but those around her. The longer she's out there, the larger the hole she's going to be digging. Likewise for yourselves. Each time you bail her out and try to help her escape, that's just more of aiding a fugitive and resisting arrest. Best option for everyone is to capture your friend or at least try and corner her and give yourselves up. Will you loose your friends? Maybe. But you're doing what's best in a crap situation. Will you loose your marefriend? Probably not. She's done worse from what you tell me. The least she can do is forgive you this once, especially since she's the one that dragged you into this." Quake swished around his drink before killing it off. "That's the only real option you have darling. Wether or not you choose to use it, is completely up to you." Octavia bit her bottom lip as Quake finished speaking. God dammit Vinyl...
Colgate Takes Acid	WEE - Part 8	Chapter 8 "Well? What are you waiting for?" Quake asked from his slouched position within his leather reclining chair. The two sat in Quake's living room. His wife could be seen from where Octavia sat, across the house finishing up her chores within the kitchen. The living room was wide and welcoming. A giant fur rug laid underneath multiple pieces of furniture almost engulfing the entire floor. White drapes, laced at their ends like doilies, covered the main window from prying eyes. A bookshelf stood tall behind Quake who was a mere arms length away from Octavia, placing his beverage upon an old end table that sat beside his chair. Octavia, was pale. Quake's idea had left her fear stricken for what the rest of the night, and the days to follow had in store for her. Her hoof just hovering over his telephone. A bead of sweat running down the side of her face as she remained motionless. "I don't know." She replied as she dropped the suspended hoof to her side. "Maybe for you to talk me out of this?" She looked over at the stallion and gave him a forced smile. Her only response was a furrowed brow. "I know, I know. Get it over with." She waved her hoof at him. "It's not as easy as it sounds ya know..." Octavia raised her hoof back up from her side, picking up the phone this time. She held the phone in hoof a moment. Biting her lip she reluctantly pressed the numbers into the pad. The ringing could barely be made out throughout the room. A brief crackling noise was heard before a voice spoke on the other side of the line. "Ponyville Police Department, please state your emergency." A female voice stated. "Hi, um. I'd like to report a tip about the incident that took place tonight at the Apple Bobber night club." "Yes, what would you like to report?" "Well. I guess it's not really a tip..." Octavia said as she looked at Quake. He shook his hooves at her, urging her to continue. "I mean yes, I uh, well-" "Ma'am this line needs to be kept as open as possible, please state the information you wish to relate." "Right! Sorry!" Octavia's posture shot straight up, as if someone replaced her spine with a broom handle. "Ya see, I'm kind of, well I'm one of the mares the police are looking for right now." There was silence on the other line of the phone. "I-I'd like to turn myself in, if that's alright." The mare's voice on the other side of the line became faint, Octavia could tell she was conversing with someone else at the station. A bit of muffled noises came through the phone before a new voice echoed into Octavia's ears. "This is Police Chief Raindrops, I've just been informed you're one of the fugitives that more forces have been trying to apprehend for the evening. State your name." "My name?" Octavia had forgotten who she was for but a brief moment. "Right, sorry yes. My name is Octavia." "So you're one of the mares that caused the incident at the club this evening?" "Yes." "Are you also one of the mares that escaped from the back of a police cruiser?" With a reluctant sigh she replied with a groaned, "Yes..." Scribbling on paper could be heard across the line. "Is the rest of your party turning themselves in as well?" The chief questioned. "No, not at the moment. I mean, we were but then we had this fight words were exchanged and long story short my marefrie- err, the other mare went her separate way." "Uh huh, and this would be the white unicorn that you're referring to, yes?" "Yeah that's right. Her name is Vinyl. She's actually a regular at the Apple Bobber. She's their go to DJ on any given night." "Right, and do you know where she is? Or the blue mare per chance?" "Colgate? I mean that's her, the blue mare. No I don't know where either one of them are ma'am. That's actually partially why I'm calling you myself." There was silence on the other side of the line. "I want to strike a deal." "A deal?" The Police chief responded with extreme hesitance. "Yes." Yes Octavia replied with the best stern tone she could give. Albeit failing to accomplish the tone she set out for as she could no longer control it, cracking a bit at the end of her response. "Ms. as it currently stands, you're in no position to be making demands of a deal. Need I remind yourself of just exactly what you're confessing to? Evading arrest, police harassment, private property destruction, carrying paraphernalia, destruction of evidence, disturbing the peace. The list here is extensive, even for a couple of hours I gotta say I'm impressed, albeit pissed at the fact that you've evaded me for this long." "Right I know, and believe me half of what I did tonight I wouldn't have done if it were with any other pony. I'm usually very law abiding and never dreamed that I would have a night like tonight. But it's not the kind of deal that you might be thinking of." Octavia withdrew the phone from her cheek and covered the mouth piece with her hoof. She drew in a sharp breath and released it with a slow steady flow before placing the phone back to her mouth." I'll gladly accept any and all punishment that'll be brought down upon me. Or the other two of my friends. But you see, one of them isn't well. She's intoxicated and well out of her mind. She's not only a danger to herself but those around her as well. I wanna help capture them, before anyone gets seriously hurt. Please, understand I just want to help and put an end to this." "Where are you?" Was the Policemares only response. "Is that a yes then?" Octavia questioned, a bit hopeful. She was met with the exact same response, a bit harsher in tone this time. "Where are you..." She lowered the phone from her face and looked on at Quake with the saddened eyes. He shrugged at her trying to comprehend what was said. She closed her eyes and shook her head as a response. Lifting the phone back to her face she whimpered out the address of Quake's home before limply placing the phone back on it's base. **** She cries out for us... Hark! Hear my name and engrave it upon the inside of your skulls. I am the one that strikes fear within my foes. I am the one who's name is hushed under the breath of scum that scurry the streets. I am the one who lays waiting within their own shadow, ready to pounce and strike a mighty force of justice upon the lower jaw of my enemies. I am both night and day, life and death. But not good nor evil. I am, the bat mare! "Hey, get down here you little shit!" Vinyl cried out at Colgate. Colgate's ears drooped a bit, annoyed that her rant was ended. She peered down below and saw Vinyl. Vinyl's hair was completely frazzled. Her breathing erratic. Her lower eyelid of her right eye was twitching with fury, accented with her grinding teeth. Colgate sneered at first before a large grin overtook her face. Colgate had somehow managed to perch herself upon a old diner in the middle of town and begun ranting off a monologue of a recent movie she Vinyl and Octavia went to see the week before. "You dare to challenge the likes of me?!" Colgate shrieked at Vinyl, pouting her chest out in confidence to her foe. "When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna give you the beating of a lifetime for making me go through all this crap." "Ha! I like your spunk evildoer. But one must have more than spunk if you wish the face me. One must also have, speed!" With the completion of her sentence Colgate jumped off the ledge of the diner's roof. "Shit no!" Vinyl cried out as she dashed towards the now air born mare. Vinyl took only a couple of sprinted steps before Colgate crash landed into a pile of trash bags that laid aside the edge of the diner. Vinyl paused a moment looking at the bags, her friend had been completely engulfed within the garbage. "Are you okay Colgate?!" She cried out, fear and worry washing over her entire being as she steadily walked towards the rubbage. Standing but a foot away from the bags Vinyl lifted one of her hooves, leaning in to see the status of her friend. Before her hoof touched the bags Colgates blue and white tail popped right up and begun swerving around like a spyglass on a submarine before turning it's attention to Vinyl. "mmmhmmm-mmhmm" The blue mare exclaimed, muffled. "Wh-what?" A confused Vinyl responded. Colgate's head popped up this time. "Not quick enough evildoer!" She exclaimed before jumping out of the garbage, sprinting away from the now enraged mare. "Hey! Celestia damnit not this again! Get back here right now!" Vinyl cried as she chased the insane mare down the alleyway of the diner.
Colgate Takes Acid	WEE - Part 9	Octavia sat there, plainly, looking at the phone. did i do the right thing? she questioned. What's to happen to me? To us? She shuddered at the thought. Pausing for a moment she reaffirmed her actions as she looked up at Quake who had a solemn look upon his face. "You did well." He exclaimed. A smirk arrived on his face. "I feel dirty. Like I betrayed my friends." Octavia sunk her head back down to the hard wood floor beneath. "Why? There's no reason to feel the way you do." Quake retorted back at her. "In fact, i'm rather proud that you followed through with it. It takes guts, real courage to do what you did. And you showed that, with flying colors!" Quake streaked his hoof across the sky, painting an imaginary rainbow. Octavia could only bashfully sigh. "I know. What you say is true. And I believe it. But, it's difficult. I tought-" Octavia took a pause before lifting her head up to meet Quakes gaze, "I thought I could handle this on my own. Take charge, and sweep it under the rug, ya know?" Octavia sighed for a pause, "It's just so- so frustrating. Here I am, a mare. Of order, of sophistication, elegance incarnate. And my marefriend just had to go and muff the whole damned thing!" Octavia exclaimed as she thrust her hoof into the air, and her body back into the chair. She lazily let her hoof drop down by her side as she regained her composure. "its just difficult." Quake sat there, looking upon Octavia in her strained state. "Yeah, I know I wouldn't want to be in your position right now." He chuckled out. "Gee, thanks. That makes this situation all the more pleasurable." Octavia said as she swirled her hoof into the air. Not to make trace anything, just to exude her frustration. "Now now," Quake interjected. "What you did took guts. Real courage. Now, I'm positive, to my bones, that what you did tonight will fix things for the long haul. I mean, how often is one presented with the difficult position of turning oneself in? Even more so, admit their guilt. You're getting locked up darling. Yet, here you are. Still worrying about your friends, not about what's to come of you. That, that's remarkable." Octavia strained out a laugh. "I suppose you're right-" Octavia gathered herself up into an upright position. "still, what I wouldn't give for five minutes alone with those two. Especially Vinyl..." Octavia muttered the last bit out, glaring out the window. "I'm sure" Quake followed up with, just allowing Octavia to vent out her frustrations. A solemn pause overtook the room as Octavia continued to glare out the window, almost as if she was searching for her friends. "Hey-" Octavia started up, as she obstructed her view from the window back to Quake. "do you think it's possible I can trouble you for a cup of coffee?" She asked bashfully. Taken back, Quake hesitated for a moment before slouching himself back down. "Why not at all. I'll ask the misses to put a fresh pot on." He said with a warm smile that gave Octavia every bit of ease she could desire. **** "Can I freshen that cup up for ya sugar?" The hostess asked Vinyl who had been staring into an empty cup for the past couple of minutes. "What? oh- y-yeah sure. Sorry." Vinyl replied as she snapped out of her daze only to go back to her slouched position. One hoof in cheek and both eyes into the abyss that was her drink. "Something on your mind sugar?" The mare asked as she refilled Vinyl's empty cup. "No. I mean yes, but- ahh you wouldn't understood." Vinyl muttered out. "Well, try me." The hostess retorted back as she finished the last bit of pouring. Vinyls head slammed against the counter top of the dinner. It took her a few moments, partnered with a long exasperated sigh before she raised her head back up to the inquisitive mare. Her eyes were a radiant blue, while her mane was unkempt. Apron stained with every color under the sun. Her fur was a brindle, a spectrum of black, brown, and white. No doubt she was reaching the end of her shift. I long exasperated inhale, quickly followed by an exhale left Vinyls nostrils. "Okay, you wanna know? Well, sister lemme tell ya sister! I, was SUPPOSED to show my friend a good time for her birthday. A big to do right? So i thought, gee vinyl you dont wanna muff this up right? of course not. Ya know what makes for a fun time? Acid. Acid makes everything more fun. So what do I do? I slip a couple of small, meezly, insignificant hits into my friends drink-" Vinyl begun, squeezing both her hooves together to exclaim just how small the hits were. "And you know what? For a while there, she WAS fun! By golly, she was the funnest mare you've ever seen. Gawking it up with everypony, loving life and having a grand old time. And then everything, and sister when i say everything, i mean every-thing, went wrong. She became belligerent. Uncontrollable. And I mean Uncontrollable. She was over the top, bananas, in every sense of the word, bananas. Then, oho you'll love this part-"Vinyl gave an air shoulder nudge to the hostess, "my marefriend, whom of which I PERSONALLY reassured that everything would be handled, shows up at thee absolute worst time!" Vinyl poured out the words with such a veracity that the hostess had already begun regretting her interest. "You think that's it?!" Vinyl questioned, as she leaned forward, grabbing the hostess by her stained apron. "That's not the least of it. My Marefriend is to the point of breaking up with me. My friend is reciting movie quotes while under the influence. I can only imagine how mad they're gonna be at me when they're finally sober." Vinyl took a pause before continuing. Pulling on the strap of apron she had grabbed, she pulled the hostess closer to her. Leaning her face in, closer as well. "And you wanna know the worst part is? What really gets my goat?" Vinyl asked. The hostess, with her head tilted as far back as ones anatomy would permit, nodded reluctantly. "I'm a wanted criminal." She deadpanned, releasing her deathgrip on the hostess. "So there, that's how i'm doing. Thanks for asking." The Hostess finished filling up the cup of coffee before scurrying to the back of the kitchen, alarmed as Vinyl's behavior. " How am I doing? Are you kidding me?" Vinyl exclaimed to nobody but herself. The diner was empty. Itwas an odd hour after all. She reached for some packets of sugar along with the cream container beside them and fixed her cup up. Sugar, cream alike we added to the blackened water and stirred with a spoon with the aide of Vinyls unicorn magic. Setting the spoon back down, she took a long sip, before setting the cup back down. "Tonight's been a disaster... I damned disaster." She paused for a moment. "And I have no one to blame but myself..." She mopped, before laying her face on the counter. "Hi there! Are you tired of paying premiums for apples? I know I am. You know folks, after a hard days work, I want to come home to a hefty batch of lovely apples. Thick, juicy, and ripe for the eating. I don't want to worry about the nuances of living after eight plus hours of hard labor. That's why I trust Applejack farms, the premier and number one rated in customer satisfaction when it comes to apples and apple deliveries of all kind. Be ya old, small, tall, young, or just plain dumb, you can rest assured that when it comes to Applejack acres, all your troubles will melt away." a familiar voice sounded off on the small TV screen within the diner. The voice was so abrupt Vinyl had to choice but to look up and see what was playing on the tube. "Son of a bitch..." Vinyl could only mutter out, astounded, as she saw her friend on the TV. Cowboy hat, leather chaps along with a fake country accent to boot. "How in the hell did she get on there." Vinyl questioned. "No wait... How in the hell did the have time to shoot this, and then put it to TV?! It's been ten flipping minutes since she burst out of the trash and ran off down the alley way!" Vinyl screamed as she slammed her hooves against the counter top, rattling her newly topped off coffee. The white mare took a pause. "Its fine, this is fine." She said to herself, trying to reaffirm the situation. A moment passed. "This is not fine! How in the hell was she cast so quickly!? No, not that. Why would they allow someone, clearly not in the right mindset- no wait I take that back. They do that sort of thing all the time. But why my Colgate?!" Vinyl cried out. "That's it, I'm putting an end to this night. To hell with this." The mare exclaimed as she threw a few bits onto the counter. Vinyl was many things, a good tipper being one of them. "I'm gonna make everything right. With Colgate, With the Bobber, with Octavia, I'm gonna set the whole thing straight." Vinyl got up from the diner stool. A new found passion evident in her eyes. She stomped towards the door, clearly driven on a new mission. As she approached the diner door she could see a flicker of blue and red lights across the street from the corner. Not thinking twice, she made her way out the diner and into the street. As she existed, she was blinded by a bright and warm, white light. The mare immediately covered her eyes with both hooves. Squinting hard, trying to get an image of the situation, Vinyl peered through the light and saw what appeared to be multiple police cruisers that had parked themselves in front whilst she had been taking in a coffee. "Vinyl Scratch," A loud borrowing voice called out over a microphone. "This is Canterlot Police. Surrender now, and this will all end quietly. The voice exclaimed. Vinyl, still squinted, tried peering through her hooves to see just who was shining the light upon her. It was the Canterlot Police Department. They had her, and the entire diner, cornered. Vinyl grunted from the light before starting up. "You got the wrong mare, Colgate is-" "Vinyl. This is Octi-" A voice called over a microphone. Sweet, warm, and all too familiar. It was Octavia. "I had to put an end to tonight. It's, it's all gotten so out of hoof. Just accept it. They're here to help. Lay down. They'll take care of Colgate, and whatever will be, will be." "Are you freaking kidding me?!" Vinyl cried to herself, eyes still being shielded from the light. reluctantly, Vinyl took her hooves away from her eyes, raised them behind her head, and knelt down before the blinding light. Still unable to see properly, she head the sound of hooves running towards her, and eventually around her before she felt the icy sting of metal wrap around her hooves. Almost immediately as she became used to the cold that radiated from the hoovecuffs, she was grabbed and lifted up before being tossed in the back of a squad car where her marefriend sat waiting. Octavia didn't say a word as Vinyl's eyes were still blinking, trying to focus. "You narked?!" Vinyl said, still unable to see. She fidgeted a bit, trying to get somewhat comfortable. "I didnt 'nark' as you so put it." Octavia harshly retorted. "What, you think they don't know who you and I are?" "No, clearly not." Vinyl hissed back. "Well, they did." Octavia slammed back with a stern tone. "Look-" Octavia started off "I know. Things tonight, they haven't exactly gone to plan. Your plan at least, but still not as planned. I want what's best. Not just for Colgate, but for us. You had to turn yourself in you know that." Octavia took a moment to gather herself. "And, you know as well as I do, that you'd never turn yourself in... That;s why, I did it for you. These policemares are here to help. You know that, I know that. Everypony knows that. You just have to accept it." "You sold us out... Why, just why couldn't you have just the littlest amount of faith in me?! Just one ounce?! I told you, I had you when you asked me to take care of Colgate. And yeah, things got out of hand, but i was on it! And you sold not just me, but yourself out... so now here we are. Way to go" Vinyl lashed out as Octavia before finally slouching back down onto the leather seating of the squad car they were sharing. Octavia was about to lash out with the the same veracity as Vinyl. before she saw the dew that had formed in her eyes. Biting her tongue, Octavia slouched back into her corner of the squad car, looking down at her feet. "I only did what I thought was best..." Octavia mumbled. Vinyl didn't hear a word.
Colgate Takes Acid	WEE - Part 10	A small pitter patter could be heard on the windows of the squad car as Octavia looked outwards. Was this the right move? Was she truly doing the right thing? What else could she have done? Her friend was on the loose, her marefriend was a wanted criminal and she was just trying to put an end to the nightmare that was Colgates birthday. Her head in hoof, she lifted herself up and looked back at Vinyl. Vinyl's eyes still wet with the dew of her pouting. Initially, she felt remorse but immediately evaporated and was replaced with anger or was it frustration? Her emotions had become so convoluted that she herself couldn't pinpoint the exact nature of what she was feeling. Reluctantly she let out a sigh of exhaustion and returned her head to her hoof, looking back out to the slight drizzle that had begun rolling down the window of the police cruiser. Colgate on the other hoof was just sitting there, uncharacteristically quiet for her usual brash loud self. Her eyes were fixated at the cuffs that had just recently become bestowed upon her. Periodically wincing from the police lights that flooded through the window by the neighboring squad cruisers. She broke her mindless gaze to quickly peer at her marefriend. Or at least what she could tell was still her marefriend. Her mind raced with the right words to say to break the silence between them as soon as she fixated on her. The flood was too much for her brain to take before she quickly broke her line of sight and returned to her new fashion statement. The random calls from dispatch could be heard coming from the police cruiser, calling out different events of the evening not related to theirs. Vinyl let out a sigh and clunked her head against the window on the right side of the cruiser, never breaking sight of her hooves. The melodic sound of rain continued on, now getting ever increasingly heavier as the continued their cruise towards the police station. Suddenly it lightened up and Vinyl raised her vision upwards, seeing the red light that had stopped them in their tracks. The stop gave a quick moment of reprieve from the moving car and the silence had become even more deafening. Her eyes darted to the front and could see the cops chattering between each other. The driver, an older grizzled veteran from the look of things. His mane whiter than snow and his fur a strike contrast. Blacker than night. His voice raspy, periodically clearing his throat as her talked to his partner. The opposing mare was the complete opposite. Bright cyan blue was her mane, with a streak of purple riding on its edges. Her fur was a warm, hazelnut colored. What a clash thought Vinyl, but she made it work. Vinyl's eyes drooped down again, slowly making their way towards Octavia. "You just couldn't trust me. Not even for one evening." Mumbled Vinyl. The break of silence perked Octavia's ears up as she quickly twisted her head towards Vinyl who continued not to make direct eye contact with her. Instead, she saw her fixated at the seat in front of her. Octavia shifted herself to face her marefirend. Her rump making a rough sound against the leather making an ever-greater break in the silence. The policemares paid no mind to the noise, they were still fully engaged in their conversation. Octavia took notice of this and pursed her lips. Her eyes met the image of Vinyl before she retorted. "Don't you pin this on me." She stated firmly. "None of this would of happened if you could've, oh I don't know. Maybe just take her out to a nice dinner? But no. No. You had to take her out and do something that you wanted to do." Her words were hushed but did nothing to hide the venom laced within them. Vinyl shifted her head at Octavia, locking eyes for but a second before reluctantly leaning her head back over onto the cruisers glass. Her head meeting the glass with a loud thud. "You've never trusted me." She retorted. With no sign of emotion evident in her voice. To her, she was just stating facts at this point. Octavia hadn't left her gaze from Vinyl. However, they had begun shifting back and forth, looking her up and down as she searched for the right words to come back with. Dumbstruck with what she just heard; she couldn't believe her ears. "How fucking dare, you." She whispered. A pause came through as the police cruiser became illuminated with a green light. The cruiser once again picked up speed and the pitter patter of the rain returned in full force. "How fucking- dare you." She said again, this time taking an aggressive body posture. "I don't trust you? After everything. After everything we have been through. Screw up after screw up, that I looked the other way and forgave because I believed you could do better. That I thought, wholeheartedly with every single fiber of my being that you could do better. You have the absolute audacity to believe I don't trust you?" Her words still tainted with scorn. But the scorn wasn't due to the present situation. They were built up on resentment. No reaction could be seen from Vinyl as she continued to look out the window, prompting Octavia to continue. "I have been nothing but understanding, loving, supportive. Everything that you haven't been for me. Who was the one that bailed you out of jail not once. Not two, but five times from jail. Who's the one that looked the other way when I found clothes neither of us owned in our own laundry and you said it was just a 'friends'?" She made air quotes with her hooves. "Who's the one that spotted you the last five grand for your student loans? Who's the one that pays all the rent for our ridiculously priced apartment that YOU chose? Even when I said it wouldn't be a wise decision, but you assured me that you'll cover YOUR end of the rent. Who's the one that even now, with complete and justified rage towards you still believes there is something redeemable in you?!" He words raised from a hush to a slight yell prompting a quick tap on the glass that separated them from the police in the front of the car followed by a 'be quiet back there.' Octavia looked back at them and remained silent for a second before the policemare turned back around and continued her conversation with the driver. She noticed a freshly made tear had begun to pool under her eye. Wiping it away, she followed with a sniffle and slouched herself back down. Her anger had been replaced with sadness. "Why do I even bother with you. Celestia damn you." She muttered. Those words did not fall on deaf ears. Vinyl heard every single one of them, and they resonated in her mind. Still not moving a muscle but her lips, she answered Octavia's words. "You think you're without blame? Do you realize the pressure I'm under? Compared to you? Honestly, why do you bother with me? I have no job, no money, and here I am. With one of Canterlots premier musicians that for some reason decided it would be a fantastic idea to be with, move in with, and deal with me. I must live up to your standards. Not my own. I have to struggle every day to be the mare you think I am. Not the mare I want to be. Sure, I'm a klutz. A screw up. A numbskull... The list is never ending, and yet, I continue to strive and try and be the mare you think I am. And even now, even when I've fucked up more than I ever have, I still wanted to do right. Even if that meant I was in the wrong. I wanted to bring Colgate home safely. I wanted to get you out of this mess, scotch free. I wanted to have this whole thing fixed. So, years down the road we could just look back at it. Like a fond memory." Colgate shifted her head, finally making eye contact with Octavia. She noticed the fresh tear smear that graced her coat. Forcing a smile through her sheepish demeanor. "And now. Now, I don't know." Her body slumped over, again clunking down her head against the glass. Octavia was taken aback. She never knew how Vinyl had perceived her, or the pressure she put herself under. Octavia wanted to snap back quickly with something witty and filled to the brim with scorn. The words escaped her though. Her mouth agape instead spewed out air. Letting her frustration and rage flood out of her as she herself slumped back into her seat. Her head now took on an uncomfortable position, looking upwards towards the ceiling of the squad car. Deafness returned to the car as she searched the remnants of her mind for what to say next. A purely blank slate were the only results. A few stop lights came and went before she continued on with her marefriend. "It would have been funny huh?" She questioned, her vision never leaving the ceiling. The only response from Vinyl was her eyes shifting away from the seat in front of her, only to look into the corner of her eye, barely revealing Octavia's silhouette coming in and out of the lights. "I mean, who else can have a story like this?" She continued, almost talking to herself. "Every event I go to, it's always me me me. Every single one I meet, gushes and boasts about their achievements. And it's all so- boring. Meanwhile, I'm living this absurd life, I mean hell, I'm in the back of a police cruiser." She chuckled slightly to herself. "I have never, felt more rage. And resentment. And pain in my life than tonight. Nothing right now, is a single emotion of positivity." She paused for but a moment, wiping another new tear that had begun to form. "And yet-" She stalled on finishing her sentence. "And yet?" Vinyl interested in what she had to say, had shifted her gaze more towards Octavia. "And yet, I have never felt more alive than tonight. More excitement. More, I don't know, real?" She chuckled again to herself at the thought. "I have lived my entire life, set by rules. Law. Order. Everything that a civilized society deems appropriate. Then here you are, a living embodiment of anarchy. That for one reason or another I decided to let into my life. Maybe I knew this would be the road you ultimately lead me down, or maybe I simply knew you'd be able to bring excitement to me. Whatever it is, you're here now. With me." Vinyl perked up even more. "I'm sorry you feel the pressure to impress me, or I suppose impress others around me. To make you feel, worthy? I never asked for you to, and you never had to." Octavia shifted her head over, still resting firmly on the headrest behind her. Her eyes now meeting with Vinyl's. "I knew who you were before. And I still know who you are now. I accepted you as an imperfectly perfect being. Flaws and all." A weak smile graced her lips. "I loved you for who you are. Maybe I was a fool for trying to think I could change you, when you didn't need changing. Granted tonight was an extreme and I'm still filled with such anger. But, - " She let loose another sigh. "It's what I signed up for. Maybe I didn't expect 'this' to ever happen, still. I'm here aren't I?" An uncomfortable chortle came from Octavia trying to lift Vinyl's spirit up. She returned in kind. "Yeah, not exactly willingly though." Vinyl shift her hooves a bit, rattling the cuffs bestowed upon her from the police in front. "Yeah, not the quiet night I was hoping for. You're right about that part. Still, regardless of why I'm here, I'm here." Octavia slowly lifted her head, breaking their gaze with each other. Her head returning back to the headrest behind her, "Are you?" Vinyl, who had the full attention of Octavia looked her up and down. Puzzled with the question. "I mean, obviously? Yeah. We're clearly in the same squad car." Stating the obvious. "Mmhmm. We are. Physically, sure. We're here right now. But, are you here." She deadpanned, still fixated on the ceiling above. Still unsure of her meaning behind her words Vinyl questioned her once more. "I-I'm not sure what you're getting at here Octi." Octavia chuckled to herself once more and shook her head left to right ever so slowly. "Clearly you're not. The vinyl I know couldn't be contained. Believe you me, I've tried. The vinyl I know, wouldn't let a small speed bump get in her way. The vinyl I know would come up with something. Even if it was stupid, and ill conceived and would probably never work out in the end. That vinyl, that Vinyl would have a plan. But I guess she's not here right now." Octavia Slouched herself over as she finished, her back facing the cyan mare. She now understood what she was getting it. She swallowed hard. "Octi, I don't have a plan. Every plan that I've had tonight has just ended up making things worse and worse. To the point of where you've got caught up in all of it. I-I can't do that again." "That's never stopped you before-"
The Changeling That Bugged My Heart	pre	He decided to use the torch to its fullest, and try to see where the tunnels went. He set up a system before braving the claustrophobic holes. Starting from the left, he would take fifty steps into each cavity, and if he didn't reach the end, he would turn back and try the next one. The first three hole were no longer than ten paces and had nothing at their ends. The fourth and fifth ones went a little further, but they merged at the end making a long hairpin shape. The sixth hole had a barely noticeable downwards slope to it, and there was a tiny vein of water trickling down in the middle of the circular tunnel. Moon Lantern walked down the tunnel exactly fifty steps, where it opened up to another spacious cavern. The hall was too big to be entirely lit by his torch and had giant pillars of stone that reached into the darkness to the ceiling above, almost like a subterranean forest. The damp air was permeated by the smell of fungi, and on closer inspection he discovered that the pillars had rotten wood debris around their base, and on those grew all kinds of mushrooms. "Jackpot! An all you can eat buffet." he exclaimed in giddy anticipation of food. Lantern went closer to the mushrooms and snapped a few of them off the decomposing logs and deposited them under his good wing for later consumption. He put the nearly spent torch on the top of a boulder, and by the last precious light he quickly stuffed as much of the mushrooms into his face as he could before the flame gently sputtered out as it reached the saliva coated part of the stick. Still munching on the rich taste of the mushrooms he decided there would be no point in trying to feel around for more in the dark. He could always come back with Archive for more once she could walk again. He started to climb up the tunnel he came from in the dark and making his way back to Archive. By the time he reached the exit of the tunnel he was sweating like a horse. "I'm not in shape." he commented to himself while trying to catch his breath. In a few minutes he reached the pool, but his head started to hurt and the small glowing stones in the wall seemed to be dancing before his eyes. His feet started to shake and he felt weaker and weaker with every step. Before he could reach the water to have a sip he collapsed and fainted. He woke up in a swirl of fog. He was still next to the glowing wall and the light it gave off gave the place a creepy feeling, when suddenly he saw a shape moving in the fog. "Archive! Sorry I took so long, I must have exerted myself more than I thought and I seem to have fallen asleep." The shape stepped closer, and suddenly threw something at Lantern. The object sailed through the air then hit the ground with a metallic clang and bounced the rest of the way before it came to a halt at Lantern's foot, making a loud thumping sound that got deeper with every bounce. It was a Guard helmet, scratched and dented to a point where it would be impossible to wear. Lantern recognised it. It was his helmet. "Moon Lantern," said the shape in a familiar voice, before it stepped out of the fog. Rusty Sickle stood there in his full Guard's armor, scorn on his face and deep hatred in his eyes. "Decorated soldier of Their Majesties, Hero of the Changeling Invasion, who fought until the bitter end. Your funeral was quite the spectacle...traitor." Lantern froze in place dumbfounded. He looked at his friend and opened his mouth to speak, but he never got the chance. "SILENCE!" shouted the earth pony. "Your words are useless. You have betrayed the Crown, your family, and me." In silence, Rusty turned and walked back into the fog where he came from, but just as Lantern lost sight of him, another figure stepped out of the fog. The regal form of Princess Celestia, standing at her full height and her wings flared. She looked down upon Lantern with a stern expression on her face. "I am disappointed in you. Your crime is beyond any forgiveness, and you shall be punished accordingly." she said coldly. Shackles and chains appeared on his legs and wings, and a heavy collar on his neck, that brought him down to his knees. "The same goes for your little friend over there." she pointed to the side, and Lantern saw Archive in matching bindings and a ring around her horn, with two Unicorn Guards standing on either side of her. Fear gripped Lantern at the sight of the bound Nymph. Anger and pain flooded him, but the sheer amount of fear dominated both of those feelings. Another voice spoke up and Lantern turned back to where Celestia stood just seconds before, only to see his mother. "And even now, your heart beats for that MONSTER!" she shrieked, then closed her eyes and turned her head away in disgust and continued "You're no son of mine." Lantern felt like his heart was stabbed, and tears started flowing freely from his eyes, still unable to utter a single word. Her mother faded from view, and the swirling fog all around him seemed to be spinning ever faster. A loud cackling sound echoed around him, and the fog fused into a single point, and became...him. His other self stood in front of him, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. "How's it going, pal? Sucks, right!? Well, it's kinda your fault. She's gonna rot in a dungeon because of you... because of your Love!" Lantern growled at 'himself' "I don't love her!", but as the words left his mouth, he felt his stomach drop and he started to feel sick. His other self laughed loudly. "Are you seriously trying to lie to me? Is it that hard to understand? Should I spell it out for you? I. AM. YOU." he sneered. "She WILL die because of you!" "I won't let that happen." Lantern flared up. "Then FIGHT!" The chains and bounds disappeared and a spear fell from above, embedding itself in the hard rock of the cave floor. Lantern grabbed the spear, and in one fluid motion swung it at his other self. The apparition deftly blocked the blow and without hesitance returned the strike. They went at each other fiercely, like ancient dragons fighting over a hoard, stabbing, striking, slashing countless times, and matching the other's hits with a block or dodge each and every time, when suddenly Lantern stabbed his opponent squarely in the chest with a rising strike. He wasn't prepared for the strike to actually connect. As the spear sank into the fake Lantern, time froze around them. Lantern looked at the tip of his spear, which penetrated his other self. There was no blood. Then he looked at his face, just a few inches from his own. The accursed thing smiled at him and whispered: "Fight!" Lantern felt pain in his chest, and the world around him lurched, his vision blurred then faded to complete darkness. In the dark, he could hear a quiet voice: "Lantern, fight!" It was Archive's voice. Her normally cheery, chirping voice sounded so distressed. Lantern wondered why. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and his eyes flew open just in time, to catch the hardly digested mushrooms flying out of his mouth onto the floor in the company of some stomach acid. He kept retching and coughing for a few seconds before he realised Archive was lying behind him, her hooves clutched around his midsection, and she was crying and sobbing into the fur on his back. Lantern wiped his maw with one of his hooves, and used the other to shakily take hold of Archive's hoof and gently lift it to his face, where he placed it just under his old scar. Archive brushed her hoof along the scar, tightened her grip around Lantern, buried her face in his back and kept on crying.
The Changeling That Bugged My Heart	Bug Alone	Chapter 8. - Bug Alone "Lantern! Be careful." said Archive with a hint of worry in her tone. The pegasus nodded then trotted away from the fire with his torch in his mouth. Archive kept her eyes on him as he got farther and farther away, right until she finally lost sight of him as he took a turn around a large boulder. Even after he disappeared in the midst of rock formations, she still followed the glow of his torch until the light dissipated into the darkness as the pegasus gained distance from her. Archive sighed deeply and decided she would take a short nap until her fresh chitin armor solidified completely. The gentle crackling of the fire and the carefree dance of the flames proved to be the perfect lullaby for the Nymph as she fell into a comforting sleep. Actual dreams came few and far between for Archive since the day she reached adulthood and started her work in the hive. Usually she would use her time in the dreamworld categorizing and storing useful memories that she gathered from her siblings throughout the day. This time though, she saw herself with Lantern in the cave around the fire, chatting and laughing and just generally having fun. The dream was simple and soothing, nothing deep nor profound. She woke up refreshed and well rested. After a jaw splitting yawn she stretched her limbs one after the other. As she gathered her feet under herself she noted with a smile that her chitin set perfectly, and it adapted a beautiful shiny black color. "Okay. I think I'll make a quick checkup until Lantern gets back." With that, she rose her previously crushed back hoof and slammed it down hard on the solid rock floor of the cave. The crisp 'clop' sound of her hoof hitting the stone and the echo from the high ceiling satisfied Archive greatly. "Good as new." she stated to herself. She lay on her stomach and reached around to her back to feel where her wings used to be. Just as she was expecting, the two small nubs where her new wings would sprout in a few days were there, and felt like there was no problem with them. She spent the following minutes flexing and exercising her flight muscles, lest they become weak from disuse in the time until her new wings grow out. By the time she finished the simple muscle training, she built up quite a giddy anticipation for the last thing to check. She couldn't wait any longer to try her gorgeous new horn. Archive was indeed impatient, but she was not a fool. Her old horn was damaged very badly. In fact, it was beyond bad. The old horn was essentially crippled to the point where she couldn't even actively channel magic through it. Fortunately it was still able to passively gather emotional energy and support Archive's recovery. Had her horn not been able to perform its primary function in its broken state, her only option would have been to forcefully drain Lantern's emotions to sustain herself. The memory of kissing Lantern and draining him flashed before her and made her blush, but at the same time it brought a feeling of deep shame and regret. She didn't do it on purpose. It was on instinct but she still knew she shouldn't have done it. She shook herself to get rid of the gloomy thoughts and concentrated on her horn. She made sure to be very careful and slowly charge her horn with the smallest amount of magic she could, so as not to overcharge and burn the magical appendage out on the very first trial run. She was concentrating so hard on the task, that she stuck her tongue out while looking up at her horn. The horn started to glow with the faintest of green aura and Archive felt the arcane channels opening up in her horn to let the built up magical energies out into the air. As she let go of the magic, the glow dissipated nicely without any residual energy around her horn and the channels closed properly. Now that she's charged it once, she could feel the network of arcane channels and she couldn't detect any kind of damage left over from her injuries. That meant that her horn healed perfectly. "Oh, I've missed you so much." she said as a warm and fuzzy feeling flooded her. She grew confident and decided to actually try it. She scooped a few pebbles closer to her chest with her hooves and started to levitate the small stones in a circle before setting them down one by one in a neat line in front of herself, then looked around and located a bigger stone, about as large as half a pony. Although she wasn't a Drone, she could lift the stone without problem. A test of magical dexterity followed the two previous tries. She took three smaller stones into her magic and positioned them on a flat section of the floor, then lifted the big one and put it onto the three little ones. She stood up triumphantly, then proceeded to bounce around the stones like a foal that found a bit on the ground. "Hoof? Check. Wings? Looking good so far. Horn? Beautiful. Magic? Works, with precision and strength. Change?..." Archive was about to try changing her form, but she collapsed to the ground from a sudden pain she felt in her chest. Her heart rate skyrocketed instantly and every single beat shook her whole body. Her eyes grew wide as she lay on the ground and tears started to roll down her face onto the cold floor. She took a shaky breath and stood up again. It took her a couple of seconds to realise that the pain she felt wasn't actually her own. "LANTERN!?" She turned in the direction of the pool and started running as fast as her hooves could take her. She hardly even touched the floor. Her muscles protested against the sudden exertion and her lungs burned with the flames of Tartarus but Archive payed no mind to the pain. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, dulling the ache of her muscles as she raced to Lantern at a breakneck pace. As the rooms and tunnels of the cave flew by her, time came to a screeching halt as she stepped into the hall of the pool and spotted the pegasus guard lying on the floor, in the dim blue light of the glowing rocks embedded in the wall. She run up to his prone form, kicking the small bowl out of her way. She started checking his vitals the moment she reached him. He was still breathing, although very raggedly. His face was red and his expression showed he was in severe pain. Lantern was swimming in sweat and he had a burning fever. Foam was gently oozing out at the edge of his mouth and pooling around his muzzle. Archive checked his eyes for pupil reflex, but his pupils kept randomly dilating. "Oh, no. This is bad!" From the corner of her eye Archive spotted a pair of small mushrooms partially obstructed by Lantern's wing, that glowed green in her natural night vision. She recognised the mushrooms in a blink of an eye. They were the same kind as the ones that appeared in the hive a few years ago and caused a mass infection, knocking out the majority of the Drones for days with just their spores. She dared not to think what those could do to a pony if one were foolish enough to actually eat them. She started panicking and froze completely. Her mind was buzzing with memories, but everything seemed to be just a jumbled mess. The only thing that made sense was her own voice ringing in her ears 'Ancient Law', but her body was paralyzed. Just then, she felt as if the sun was shining on her face, but the warmth that washed over her was coming from Lantern. He was shaking and Archive felt his immense fear, but underneath that a much stronger feeling radiated towards her. Pure Love, directed straight at her. She only felt it for a second before fear overpowered it again, but that second was enough to snap her out of her stupor. Her emotions fought inside her for dominance. "If you really feel that way, at least have the guts to say it out loud!" she shouted in anger. "Don't you dare die on me now Lantern!" Archive started crying. She reached around his barrel and cried out at the top of her lungs "Lantern, FIGHT!", before she suddenly tightened her grip and yanked her forelegs upwards so hard that she fell over backwards with Lantern strongly clutched against her chest. As they hit the ground, Archive could see Lantern throw up the contents of his stomach. He kept retching, even when he had nothing left to expel. After Lantern settled down from his coughing, she felt him taking her hoof and placing it on his face. Archive gently stroked his face along the line of his scar, pulled him tightly against herself, buried her face in the soft fur on his back and kept on crying.
The Changeling That Bugged My Heart	Ups and Downs	Chapter 9. - Ups and Downs Lantern was lying in Archive's embrace on the ground. He was conscious, but just barely. He was taking deep breaths. Behind him, Archive was still sniffing. She started stirring and let go of him to get up. When she walked around Lantern, her eyes fell on the coughed up mushrooms and the puddle of stomach acid. Only one of the mushrooms Lantern ate was actually poisonous, and even that was only bit into two pieces before he swallowed it. That single mushroom was enough to color most of Lantern's digestive fluids to a sickening green color that glowed in Archive's night vision. She took the mushrooms in her magical grip and threw them as far away into a ditch as she could. She looked around and found the little bowl that she made earlier. She tiredly walked over to it and picked it up, and then submerged it in the pool to scoop up some water. She then stepped up to the puddle of puke and splashed the water onto it and went back for more water. Archive brought the fresh water to Lantern. She gently levitated the bowl to Lantern's mouth, who took a mouthful of it, sloshed it around in his maw then turned away from her to spit it out. The rest of the water, he drank with gusto. When Archive turned to get some more from the pool, Lantern stopped her by grabbing her hoof before she could move away. Lantern sat up with a lopsided smile on his face. "It was enough. Thank you." "You need to drink more to dilute the trace amounts of poison still in your stomach." Archive's flat tone surprised Lantern and he let go of her. He watched as she walked to the pool with shaking legs. When she returned with the bowl her whole body was trembling and tears were welling up in her multifaceted eyes. All of a sudden she splashed the water in Lantern's face. "You almost killed yourself!" she shouted through her tears. "If you had died, you would've killed me as well!" she stomped with her hoof in anger. Lantern looked her in the eyes and took a step towards her. Archive clenched her eyes shut and turned her head away for him. When she heard him taking another step, she pushed him out of the way and ran off into the darkness. Lantern tried to call out after her, but the words just didn't come. He hung his head in shame. "Lantern, you dumbass!" he cursed himself, punching the ground with his good hoof. After a minute of self-pity, he collected himself and decided he should go after her, but he had a small problem. "How in Tartarus do I find a jet black changeling in the dark?" "Maybe if I go back to the fire? No, that would take too long." "Luna damn this cursed darkness!" he exclaimed in his frustration. When he almost conceded to the idea of having to light his way with his little sparks, his eyes wondered up to the glowing specks of little stones on the wall. "The Princess of the Night provides...sorta. Sorry for the one before, Princess!" Lantern apologized for taking Her name in vain, while the idea he just got started to seem more and more viable in his head. He grabbed the upturned bowl and waded into the water to the opposite side of the pool to reach the wall. He set the bowl into the water like a toy boat and it floated on the surface calmly. Lantern started picking up the glowing stones from the bottom of the shallow parts of the pool that fell into the water from the erosion. He filled the bowl to the rim and even stashed some of the stones under his wing, just to be safe. Once he was out of the water, he put down the bowl and shook himself like a dog to get rid of most of the water that soaked into his coat. Picking up the bowl again, and balancing it on his head, he started down the path after Archive. The little stones parted the darkness around Lantern with a soothing blue light, which wasn't as strong as a torch would have been, but it was more than adequate to help the pegasus find his way around the cave. It took Lantern a few minutes to get back to the hall where the small tunnels were, but when he arrived, he spotted Archive right away. She was sitting in the center of the hall and was staring up in silence. Lantern walked up to her and sat by her side. Making sure not to ruin his light source, he gently set it on the floor and sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry for what happened. I know I should have been more careful. I messed up big time. If it wasn't for you, I would be dead twice over so..." "Lantern," Archive cut into his apology, while still only staring up into the darkness. "I've been here before." Lantern's mind screeched to a complete halt. For three whole seconds he even forgot to take a breath. "W--w-what?" "I've seen this place once a long time ago." "How is that possible?" Lantern asked. "The hivemind. When Queen Teshya created the hivemind, she connected with Queen Arathea too and she must have shared her memories with her. Just like when I became an Archive Nymph and my predecessor shared hers with me. This used to be the old Hive. I didn't recognize this place, because we were in a part of the cave that Queen Arathea has never seen." she explained. "Wait! Does that mean, what I think it means?" "I know the way out!" said Archive calmly, with a hint of a smile on her face. Lantern grabbed Archive in a bear hug and started spinning around. "Oh, dear Celestia! I could kiss you right now. This is amazing! I can't believe we can go home at last. I can't wait to see Rusty's face when I tell him all about this." Lantern was so happy, he didn't realize what he just said. Archive blushed and tried to get out of his hooves, but he was way too strong for her to wrestle herself free. "Lantern! Let go of me! You're squeezing the air out of me!" "Oh! Sorry! Hehe, I didn't mean to." Lantern said as he set Archive back on the ground. When she was on the ground again, she collected herself and got ready to tell him the bad news too. "There IS a little problem though." "Problem!?" Lantern was so pumped, that when his brain parsed the meaning of 'problem', he looked like a confused dog. Archive turned away and looked back at him "How fast of a flyer are you?" "Why?" Archive looked at the tunnels on the lower level of the hall and pointed at one of them. "I assume that's the tunnel where you've found the mushrooms." "Correct! How did you know!?" "The entrance to that tunnel shines just like the green fire that our changeling magic produces." "I can't see a thing!" "That's expected, but believe me, I can see it. You have unsettled the poisonous spores in there, and now the air is filled with them. The problem is, as far as I know that's the only way out of here. We have to get through that tunnel and reach the end of the hall on the other side to get to the old hive as fast as possible, without breathing in the spores." "I'm no Wonderbolt, but they're the ones training the pegasi of the Guard. I reckon I can do it." "The cave is about a hundred and twenty meters long, full of randomly positioned pillars, it's pitch black, you have to hold your breath and also have to carry me. Are you sure?" "Hmm...if you take off this thing and give me some time to warm up, I can carry you without any problem. I'm worried about accidentally breathing in the spores." Lantern was thinking hard on how to prevent inhaling the toxic air for a few minutes, but he eventually came up with a stupidly fantastic idea. "Wait! Could you seal up my mouth and nose with your resin?" "Yeah, I guess I could do it, but would you be able to last that long without air?" "I may not look like it, but I have completed the archery training in the academy. Some of the classes only consisted of breathing excercises. I might be pushing my limits a little, but it's doable." "Okay, but how will you know where to go?" Lantern's mouth turned into a confident, shit-eating grin,"You'll be my compass!" "What? If I call out the directions for you, I'll inhale the poison you idiot!" Archive shouted at him. "I never said you have to talk. Give me your hoof!" Archive lifted her hoof in front of Lantern uncertainly. The pegasus grabbed onto the offered hoof and picked up a bunch of glowing stones from the bowl. He tried to insert them into the holes on Archive's front left hoof, but when the first stone slipped into a hole, Archive moaned out loud. Lantern froze from the surprise, but before he could look up she slapped him across the face so hard that he stumbled to the ground. Archive's face was completely green from equal parts embarrassment and anger. "Never EVER do that again! Those holes are very sensitive, and it's rude to just put stuff into a changeling's holes!" "Ouch! You should've warned me!" Lantern looked up from the ground, but when the hilarity of the situation hit him, he started laughing. "Stop it! If you say a word of this, I swear I'll suck your soul dry and leave you in a ditch. Ancient Law be damned!" Archive kept huffing and puffing, but she actually put the stones into the holes herself, and sealed them in with a thin layer of resin, lest they fall out while flying. Lantern was still snickering on the ground. He thought that Archive looked very cute at that moment! Once she was done with her hoof, she got up and walked over to the pegasus on the ground and raised her hoof to strike. Lantern reflexively shielded his face, but the hit never came. When he looked up again, his wing was free of it's resin cast. Archive leaned over him threateningly and growled "Get your wings moving!", then she retreated to let the guardspony get up and start his warmup. While Lantern exercised his flight muscles, Archive made two masks that would keep them from accidentally breathing. Once Lantern was ready, and Archive has finished her task too, she calmly said to the pegasus "I hope you know what you're doing." Lantern smiled at her and said "That makes two of us."
The Changeling That Bugged My Heart	By Her Grace, We Walk the Dark	Chapter 10. - By Her Grace, We Walk the Dark Lantern was lying on the floor, eyes closed, wings stretched and was doing his breathing technique. Archive watched him, all the while worst case scenarios zig-zagging in her head, but for some reason his calmness soothed her uneasiness. When he slowly opened his eyes, Archive could see the light of the stones reflecting in them, but there was something else too. Some kind of tired wisdom. He was at peace. She couldn't tell if he was just so confident or he gave up and put his life in the hooves of fate. His mouth curved into an endearing smile, and he radiated a warm feeling. "What are you thinking about?" she asked. "My grandma. Whenever I'm facing a difficult situation, I think of what would she say and her words usually help me, but for some reason all I can think of is her favorite saying." "What's that?" "The Night belongs to Her and by Her grace, We walk the dark. The Night Mother provides." "Night Mother?" "Princess Luna." "Why would she call her Night Mother? Aren't you ponies more biased towards Celestia?" "Granny was a thestral." "You mean you have bat pony blood in you!?" Archive looked surprised. "Huh, never woulda guessed." "Please don't say 'bat pony', it's kinda..." Lantern trailed off. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." she apologized sincerely. "Nevermind. I called you a bug before, now we're even." he said with a lighthearted smile plastered on his face. Lantern got on his hooves and stretched one last time before he nodded to Archive. "So? How are we doing this?" asked the nymph. "Stand over there," he pointed. "I'll start from here. When I give you the sign, we put on the masks and I'll pick you up. I know the tunnel leading into the chamber, but once we're down, you'll have to guide me. I'll be fast, so be quick and plan our course in advance as you get visual on the chamber below. Make sure I have clearance. Remember, my wingspan is a lot wider than yours. A moment of hesitation could lead to us crashing." Archive nodded and took her position. She calmed herself as best she could and looked back at Lantern, waiting for the sign. "Are you ready for this?" Lantern called over. "As ready as I'll ever be." "Then go!" With that, both of them put on the masks with a deep breath. Lantern took off and rose a few meters off the ground, then swooped down and grabbed Archive around her midsection. She was slightly startled form the sudden jolt of movement, but as they entered the tunnel leading downwards, she got ready to point the way for Lantern. Lantern was fast. Faster than Archive ever flown on her own. As they burst into the chamber, Archive's eyes flicked around quickly, picking up little details about the place. It was in a much worse state than the mental image she had in her head. She was scanning around for suitable ways, gaps in the pillar forest wide enough to allow easy flight for the pegasus. She guided Lantern with her outstretched hoof, hovering it in his sight so he would be able to see the little stones no matter which way they turned. They crossed half of the chamber at a breakneck speed when she first started to feel the burn in her lungs. She was panicking, but forced herself to focus. Lantern's heart was pounding in his ears. He was pushing himself hard. This little flight would probably kill an ordinary pegasus, but he was trained to be Their Majesties' shield and sword. He knew he could do this. By the time they reached the exit of the chamber, Archive's vision was blurry and she pointed a little lower than what would've been enough for them to make a clear exit. As Lantern dropped lower, Archive's dangling hoof got caught in the lip of the stone step, which sent both of them careening through the air and they hit the ground rolling. When they came to a halt, Lantern ripped off his mask, and did the same to hers as well. His head was swimming, but he managed to ask her "Are you okay?" Archive was breathing so hard she couldn't say a thing, so she simply pulled Lantern closer until their foreheads were touching and nodded her head. Lantern dropped to the ground backwards and hollered on the top of his lungs "Wooooo!" His voice echoed throughout the large hall they were in, but for long minutes after that, the only sound that could be heard, was their panting. At one point Lantern actually fainted from the exertion and his hyperventilation. He didn't even realise this, but Archive could see through the darkness as his eyes rolled back and he passed out. Archive wasn't worried, since it only lasted a minute or two. When he came to he was still panting hard. They lay there for minutes, just a few meters from the mouth of the tunnel they flew out of and when they caught their breaths Archive looked back at it. She could see the eerie green glow of the spores starting to get stronger in the hole. "Lantern! We should move. The draft we made is pulling the toxic spores out of the tunnel. If we stay here, we'll be in trouble. Can you stand?" Lantern got on his hooves unsteadily. His wings hurt like they were burning in the flames of Tartarus, but the rush he got from flying again after being grounded for days helped him. "Yeah, I'm okay. Where to now?" "First, we'll make some distance between us and the poison. After that I'll need a few minutes to gather my memories of this place, and you can rest some more." A deep rumbling sound echoed around them. "Aaand I'll get you something to eat too." giggled Archive. In spite of the dark, she could see the blush on Lantern's face. "Let's get going before you collapse again. Here, let me guide you." she said and brushed up against his side. The halls of the old hive were more practical than they were decorated, but Archive could see a few battered and crumbled pillars that stood by every archway leading to certain areas of the hive. These had little engravings on them that said what was behind each portal. One of them caught her attention. This pillar, unlike all the others, were made of some kind of black stone and it was the only one that was in perfect condition. Etched in the smooth surface of the stone was a single word, that Archive found so inviting that she had to see the chamber behind it for herself. She stopped Lantern as they reached the pillar. She traced the writing on it with her hoof. "Mother." "What?" "This used to be Queen Arathea's throne room. We should be fine inside." Archive led Lantern into the throne room. The room was less spacious than Archive imagined and about as spartan as it comes. Aside from a stone bed in the center that had some kind of black fabric on it that has seen better days, the room was practically empty. Archive felt a little underwhelmed, but it still felt strangely homely. They settled on the tattered blanket. Archive carefully removed the glowing stones from the holes on her leg and pushed them over to Lantern so that he had at least some small light in the utter darkness that enveloped them. "Try to get some rest. It'll take me a few minutes to recall the layout of the hive, then I'll look around for some kind of food for you." Lantern was so exhausted that he fell asleep in the time it took Archive to gather the memories she had of the place. Archive left the sleeping pegasus behind and walked around the now familiar halls and tunnels of the hive, looking for something that would be edible for a pony. She passed by a pillar that had fallen centuries ago and entered the resting place of her distant relatives. The walls here had rows upon rows of small cavities on them. Each little hole housed a piece of carapace armor of Arathea's lost children, sealed into them with changeling resin. Broken ring plates, fangs and every now and then even nearly intact horns as well. She buzzed a quiet prayer for them to rest in undisturbed peace for as long as the sun may rise. As she looked around, she spotted some hanging moss dangling from a lip above one of the holes that was carved into the far wall. This hole was much larger than the rest, and strangely, this one stood on its own. As Archive pulled down the curtain of moss that obstructed the hole, her heart almost stopped from the fright. This particular hole housed a large, crystallized block of resin. In it, a curled up, seemingly peacefully sleeping body of a changeling. In her shock, she almost missed the elegantly curved hornwriting of Queen Arathea, etched onto the face of the crystal resin, 'I forgive, and thank you my son'. The memory of Arathea's gratitude towards her son for his sacrifice warmed Archive's heart and her mouth curved into a smile. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "Thank you." she said sincerely, then picked up the fallen moss and turned around to head back to where Lantern was sleeping. She was in a good mood, now that things were starting to look a little up again. When she stepped back into the throne room, Lantern was lying on the stone bed on his side, his wings extended limply behind him. In his sleep, he knocked the glowing stones off the bed and they rolled away, leaving the bed in complete darkness. He was snoring quietly. Archive walked up to the bed and dropped the moss onto the floor. She looked over the resting pegasus and her smile spread wider, then she sat down next to the bed and propped up her head on her hooves. As she stared at the sleeping face of Lantern, her heartbeat picked up to the point where she could even hear it. Their 'kiss' flashed before her, and her gaze wandered to his lips. The memory of his soft lips made her blush furiously. They looked so inviting. Overtaken by a sudden curiosity, she closed her eyes and inched her mouth closer to his. She could feel his warm breath wash over her muzzle. When she was about to touch her lips to his, she froze to the sudden noise of Lantern's growling stomach. Lantern opened his eyes, and drowsily called for her. "Archive?" She popped her eyes open. His unexpected awakening freaked her out and she shouted into his face. "Waah!?" The glow of Archive's eyes filled Lantern's vision. Her light stung his eyes from this close, and the sudden shout startled him in turn. "Waaah!?" Both of them backed away from the other. "Holy Celestia!" Lantern was clutching at his heart and panting heavily. "What was THAT for!?" he asked. "I-I-I w-was just dropping this moss down when you called my name, so I looked up." Archive was thankful for the darkness that hid her burning face from Lantern. She was hoping that he wouldn't call her bluff. "Yeah, but why did you shout into my face?" "Damn." she thought to herself. "Y-you just surprised me. Here, I've brought you some food." she said, and with that, she shoved the moss into Lantern's chest. "Oomph! Oh, thanks!" Lantern started munching away on the lush piece of moss happily, but followed Archive's eyes from the corner of his. She was behaving oddly. Lantern could be as dense as a bar of lead at times, but he wasn't an idiot. Archive tried to calm her racing heart. She gathered up the glowing stones from the ground and put them in a neat little pile in front of Lantern. He seemed to be very fond of these stones, but maybe it was only because ponies tend to gravitate towards the light and in the darkness down in the hive, this was his only source of light. Archive looked at him as he was eating, and told him "We should spend the night here and rest up. Tomorrow will be a long day of walking." Lantern finished up his piece of moss and put the rest of it away for the next day. He gave a sigh of satisfaction. "Agreed. I'm still beat, and you could use some sleep too, I'm sure." He lay back onto the torn black sheet while Archive climbed up to the bed. She settled down behind him, facing away. "Good night, Lantern!" "Sleep well, Archive!" After wishing each other good night, it only took Archive a minute to fall asleep. She was more tired than she let on. Lantern couldn't fall back to sleep right away. Thoughts kept swirling in his mind. Thoughts of what would he do first once he got back to Canterlot. Thoughts of his family and friends, and thoughts of Archive. He thought back to earlier, when he woke up and Archive scared him. "Is it possible, that she was trying to...? Damn, I'm not even sure if a changeling can actually love a pony, or if they're even allowed to!?" he wondered. Archive suddenly started shivering in her sleep. "Weird. I thought she said they didn't get cold in the night." recalled Lantern. He turned around and put his hoof around her ring plates and covered her with his wing. Somehow, embracing her felt right. It made him feel at ease. As he relaxed, his lingering fatigue catching up with him. When he felt that she stopped shivering, he let his eyelids fall and his breathing synchronise with hers, then he fell asleep too with the nymph in his hooves.
The Changeling That Bugged My Heart	Into the Night	Chapter 11. - Into the Night The stone bed of the Queen, and the quietly buzzing nymph in Lantern's hooves provided him such comfort that even his cloud bed couldn't match, back in Cloudsdale. Which was strange, he thought, because the bed was made of, well...stone. When he got up, he noted with amusement how Archive stopped buzzing just as he retracted his wing from her sleeping form. He thought he would let her sleep in a little more, because the journey ahead of them would be just a tad shy of the pilgrim's road around Equestria, and seeing as Archive's wings haven't sprouted yet, flying was not an option. Lantern thought of wandering about the caves, but the lack of a proper light source deterred him from this idea as he poked his head out of the throne chamber. Sure, he had the little glowing stones, but their light was way too miniscule to use in such a wide open cave, being only enough to penetrate the darkness ahead of him for about two steps, and even that was only if he piled them up, which made them less than adequate as a mobile light source. That left him with few options for any kind of activity before Archive would wake up, so he decided to grab the rest of the moss from the previous day and eat. Once he finished the meager breakfast, he started a trimmed down workout routine for his recently abused wings. He noted that the injured joint healed completely, and did not suffer any additional damage from their little stunt from before, but his neglected flight muscles were still kind of sore. Nevertheless, proper maintenance of wings was part of his life as a pegasus, and he couldn't recall when was the last time he actually preened his wings. He was just about done doing so, when Archive stirred and got to her hooves groggily. "Good morning, Archive!" he called over to her, after spitting out a feather that came loose. Just as she was about to answer, Archive gave out a weird noise and jumped off the bed, running over to the corner of the room. It would've been very disrespectful to be sick all over the Queen's bed, even if she hasn't used it in centuries. Lantern grabbed his light stones and ran up to the hunched over nymph and started rubbing her carapace armor while she threw up in the corner. "Whoa, are you okay?" he asked with worry clear in his voice. By that time she was only panting and spitting the residue of clear liquid, that to Lantern's relief, wasn't glowing in the dark, which meant there wasn't any of her blood mixed into the bile. "Yeah." she said wearily, "It's probably only the leftover resin that got decomposed in my primary stomach. I should've spit it out before going to sleep, but this has never happened before. Well, it's not like I make resin on the regular, being a nymph and all that, but still." "If you say it's okay, that's all that matters." told her Lantern calmly, still patting her back gently. "Thanks. It's out now, and I'm already feeling better. I hope you're done with your breakfast." "Yeah, but that little episode didn't help." laughed Lantern, surprisingly not actually feeling grossed out by Archive's puke on the floor. "Oh, that reminds me, do you know how we, pegasi callout before puking?" asked Lantern with a hint of mischief. "Do you actually have a separate word for it?" "Yep, exclusively used by us. Well, us and lunar pegasi, but they usually only fly after sundown, so for them it's more like an inside joke." proclaimed the pegasus proudly. "What's that?" asked Archive curiously. "When we get sick in the air, we say 'chunder'." "Ew, that sounds gross! Why chunder, though?" "It's short for 'watch under'." giggled Lantern. "LANTERN! That's disgusting!" "I know, but hey, I didn't make it up! Learned it from Granny." "Your grandmother sounds like an interesting character." "Yeah, she was." said Lantern with a half smile on his face. Archive picked up on his feelings even without her changeling senses. "You're missing her that badly?" "It was hard to accept it. We were very close. She always said I reminded her of grandpa." "I'm sorry." "Don't be. She was very strong even at the very end, and wasn't afraid of dying. She accepted it and when she went, she did so with a smile and told us that she would live on in all of us." Archive hugged Lantern for a long moment. "I think we should get going." said Archive after separating from the pegasus. "Yeah, that would be for the best. Which reminds me, are you gonna walk around outside like that?" pointed Lantern to the black form of Archive's outline in the dark. Archive looked down at herself, the light of her eyes illuminating her holey limbs. "Oh, now that you mention it, I should probably put on a disguise." "Try not to use a copy of somepony's looks." "Don't worry, I can come up with an original look without copying somepony." "That's a relief. Let's see it." "Okay. Get ready to be amazed!" said Archive with smug confidence. Archive fired up her horn and the green flames lit up the room for a second before they faded away. "So, how do I look?" asked Archive proudly. "Like a changeling." said Lantern flatly. "That's odd. Let me try again." And with that she did so, but again, she failed. Archive tried again and again. "I think you should stop. You'll tire yourself out, and you'll need your energy." "That shouldn't have happened. I'm not the best at changing, but I never failed to change before." "Whatever is wrong, you can't just go out like this. Wait, I have an idea." Lantern trotted back to the bed and took the piece of black fabric from it. He laid it over the changeling, then he tore off a strip from the edge of it, and used it to fasten the thing around her neck. "That should do it." "Cozy." smiled Archive from under the makeshift hood of her new cloak. Lantern returned to the bed to collect the rest of his glowstones, and stashed them under his wing with practiced ease. Archive took a deep breath. "It smells like Lantern." muttered the nymph to herself with a light blush. "What?" "Nothing." replied Archive a bit too quickly to be convincing. "Okay then. Lead the way, please!" Archive took her place beside the pegasus, and they headed for the exit of the hive. After a few minutes of walking, the silence and the constant bodily contact made Archive a little flustered. "Hey Lantern?" "Hmm?" "Would you tell me a little more about your family? You know, just to break the silence." "Well, sure. I wouldn't mind, but it's only fair if you tell me about yours in return." "Deal." They walked on in the darkness, Archive leading them around the pitch black tunnels, halls and various chambers of the hive, all the while talking about family stuff, like how all of Lantern's siblings inherited better aspects of their lunar pegasus blood than his majestic blue-grey coat, or how Archive tried to change into one of her drone brother's form to play a trick on her favoured siren sister and got immediately busted, and for her mischief she had to do the work of the drone she copied for the rest of the day. After about an hour or so they reached a tunnel that had a gentle upwards curve to it, and at the end Lantern could see a faint glow. "Is that what I think it is?" Archive looked ahead and nodded. At the entrance to the tunnel where they stood, they could feel a refreshing draft coming from the surface. Lantern picked up his pace, urged on by the promise of freedom and the open sky. When they got up to the mouth of the cave and parted the curtain of vines hiding the entrance, they were surprised that it wasn't the light of the Sun that shone upon them, but Luna's full Moon. They stepped out into a clearing surrounded by mountain peaks. A sprawling valley was just barely visible to them in the moonlit night over the edge of the cliff beyond a sheer drop in the side of the mountain. Lantern suddenly flared his wings, which made Archive blush under her hood; and the glow stones to drop to the ground beside him. He took off into the sky, flying above the deep valley to make a circle and then return to the surprised, but still blushing nymph. He landed gracefully in front of Archive and flapped his wings a couple times before folding them up to his sides. He gathered up the stones again, tucked them back to their place under his wing and turned to Archive. "Ah, that felt refreshing. Sorry about that. Being out of that cave made me so excited, I just had to stretch my wings for a bit." Archive just kept looking at him, before turning her eyes down to the ground. She felt sad because they would be parting ways from here on out, and a dull ache took hold of her. When she felt ready to come to terms with being alone for the rest of the way, she steeled herself to say goodbye, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, Lantern beat her to it and stunned her into silence. "So? Which way is it to your hive?" he asked. For a full minute, she just stood there and was staring at him with wide eyes. "What?" she asked, her mind still lagging behind and not comprehending Lantern's implication. "I mean, which way should we be heading, to get us to the hive?" "We? US? No, no, no! You can't come with me, you have to get back to Canterlot to your Princess, or more like Cloudsdale to your family. They must be worried sick about you. That, and I can't just reveal where the hive is. We aren't really fond of taking ponies, but you would never be able to leave with the location of the hive." "Look, Canterlot is that way," he pointed with his resin encased hoof towards where the city lay, "about one and a half day of flight's distance. I assume your hive is even farther, considering that Chrysalis' original attack came from the south, and this old hive where we ended up is in the hills of Neighara Falls. You can't fly, might I remind you!? Even reaching Canterlot would take about four days on hoof." "How do you know where we are?" "I took a look at the stars when I flew up to check. "It doesn't matter. It's not a problem of how long it would take me, I just can't take you there." The more she protested the more adamant he became about going with her. "Archive. Time is exactly the problem here. You can't fly, as I've mentioned before, which at least triples the time you would need to reach Canterlot. That's four days, and that's not even your destination. I don't know where the hive is, but a changeling that can't fly, and not to mention can't change forms, which means it can only travel by night, lengthening the journey even more, WILL be caught and that's probably the better outcome. You can't disguise yourself, meaning you'd have to avoid populated areas, hence wouldn't be able to feed. You would starve halfway home if our energy needs are even remotely comparable. Not to mention I'm indebted to you for saving my life on multiple occasions. You kept me fed, healed my wing and hooves and last but not least, gave me a chance to be able to see my loved ones again. Let me repay you." "But..." Lantern continued heatedly, not giving her a chance to object. "You're not even sure if there's anyling in the hive anymore. Just this once, please think about yourself. If you even get there, but find the hive empty, then what? I couldn't live with the thought of you dying out there. I could never forgive myself for letting you go alone." Lantern panted heavily by the end of his monologue and his face was flushed. Archive looked at the pegasus, now with a full green blush on her cheeks. "So...what happens if there's noling in the hive when we get there?" Lantern thought for a moment. He almost said he would take her to Cloudsdale to his family to hide, but that would just cause them trouble he wouldn't want to bring on his kin. "I'll...I'll stay with you in the hive. Sooner or later the rest of the scattered changelings are bound to turn up there for sure." "The Badlands." she said quietly. "The...the BADLANDS?" Lantern's face paled in an instant, the effect multiplied by the light of the moon, "You must be suicidal if you thought you could get there on hoof by yourself." "Not funny." she started crying, which made Lantern falter a bit, but just as he was about to try to console her, she threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. For minutes they stayed like that, the nymph slowly calming down. When her quiet sniffles died down, she pulled away from the pegasus and took a deep breath. "You know if something happens to you, that would make me an outcast." "It takes more than a little walk across half of Equestria's most dangerous parts to kill Their Majesties' Guards." said Lantern confidently. Archive shoved his shoulder a little, giggling a bit and wiping her eyes, "Boaster." Lantern chuckled at her reaction, feeling glad that he could convince her. Lantern looked into her eyes, his form radiating slightly in the reflection he could see there by being backlit from the light of the moon. "Shall we then?" he offered. Archive nodded once eagerly, and the two dark shapes started out into the night.
The Changeling That Bugged My Heart	Formica of the Three	Chapter 12. - Formica of the Three If being in the caves for days came with an advantage to the pair, it was the fact that their sleep cycle adjusted to them being awake in the night, but at the same time, this appeared to be a double-edged sword. While they could make good progress under the dark veil of the night, they would be vulnerable in the daytime when resting. Lantern was nervous about the seemingly burning horizon, as the first rays of sunlight hit the bottom of the clouds. They entered the forest in the valley at the base of the mountain they descended from, and the place seemed to be dense enough to provide cover from wandering eyes for the time being, but they would need to come up with a plan in the following days of how and where to hide when the sun was up. Lantern, being a pegasus, came up with the idea of making a 'nest' and sleeping up a tree. Their first day passed without incident. When the night descended on them, Lantern got the flightless nymph in his hooves and brought her down from the tree. Now that they were on the surface, food wasn't a problem for Lantern anymore. He enjoyed the variety of berries that the undergrowth provided for 'breakfast'. He could've done without the thorns though. In the end it was all worth the trouble. He swore he'd never touch another mushroom of any kind, ever again. Lantern stuck his head in a bush looking for more tasty little berries, but suddenly withdrew with a hiss and a quiet "Ouch." Archive was next to him in a moment as she heard him quietly yelp. "What happened?" "Argh. It's just a scratch. A thorn caught me on the cheek in there." As he spoke, a line of red appeared on his cheek, and a single drop of blood dripped from his fur, onto the ground. "Ooh, that looks nasty. Here, let me..." Archive said and cupped his face with her hooves, gently turning his head to the side to take a better look at the wound. She used one hoof to brush his fur out of the way, revealing the bleeding scratch to be quite deep for a thorn cut. Lantern's heart was picking up pace steadily under the nymph's stare. "Hmm, it's not deep enough to leave a scar later, but it would be for the best to clean it before it gets infected." said Archive, and without missing a beat she leant closer and slowly licked the pegasus' wound. "There. It should be fine now." "T-Thanks." stammered Lantern as he looked away. After that, they made their way to the mouth of the valley, where the first real obstacle of their journey lay. They came upon a small village, not more than twenty little houses and some farmlands, but the problem was, they were in the dead center of the mouth of the valley. To either side of the village were steep cliffs, forming a gorge that would be impossible for the duo to climb in their current condition. Crossing the village was way too risky, and the night was still young enough that some of the houses still had some lights in their windows, and they could even make out a few stray ponies walking about in the distance. "Well, this is a pickle." said Lantern. "You think we should wait here for a while?" Archive asked. "Wasting the night in the hope that there's no Guards in a village as small as this?" "Well, I don't see any armored ponies up ahead." "The thing is, there should be at least a pair of them. One for the day, and one for the night. They might not have guard armor, but one of them should be patrolling right now." Lantern said, matter-of-factly. "Then what? We sneak across?" "No, that would be too risky. Looks like we're going to have to fly over, and hope that none of them are pegasi." Archive eyed the sky above the village looking confused. "Why? What difference would that make?" "You know, earth ponies and unicorns rarely look up, but if there are pegasi in the village, we might get spotted. It's kind of an instinct for us to look up frequently." "I say it's worth a shot, and even if we do get spotted, you're a pretty fast flyer." "I'm pretty sure any decent flyer could catch up to me while I'm carrying you ." "Well, down in the hive you tore plot pretty fast, and it's not like flying over the village is a crime. They shouldn't even come after us." "Yeah, but they might get suspicious of two ponies just snooping around in the night, if the news of the invasion reached here." While they were going back and forth in the cover of the treeline, a shadow snuck up behind them. It kept its distance and listened in on their chat, and smirked at them from its hiding spot. A glint of moonlight reflecting off of something catched Lantern's eye, and he fell silent immediately, motioning for Archive to do the same and get low. He swivelled his ears around listening for the sound of movement, but aside from the noises of nature around them, he couldn't pick out anything. His eyes were searching their surroundings, but he couldn't see any more of the thing stalking them but quick glimpses of a pair of eyes. He was in full combat mode by this point, and he gestured to Archive to stay where she was, then bolted into the forest after the shadow as it moved away from the village. Archive heard a feminine giggle from around her, then a whisper, coming from every direction. "Follow him!" the voice said. Archive ran after Lantern without a second thought. While running, Lantern could see a ghastly shape ahead, and suddenly he saw the thing in its entirety for a split second through a gap in the bushes. It was something he thought only existed in horror tales, something made-up to scare little fillies and colts around a campfire. He was chasing a Wraith. Dark, torn rags surrounded its body, but the creepiest thing were the eyes, and the fanged grin it was wearing while looking at its pursuer. Lantern's train of thought came to a screeching halt. "Wait...what!?" The blasted apparition was facing him, while running. Lantern growled and shouted, "Are you mocking me!?". All he received in response, was an amused chuckle. When Lantern reached a clearing in the forest, he stopped and looked around for the Wraith. "Show yourself!" he shouted, anger rising in his chest. "Mmm, no!" "Come out here, so I can send you to the next world where you belong!" "Haaah, such a fiery one." sighed the Wraith, "Well, fine." Lantern braced himself for a surprise attack from any direction, but what he didn't count on was for the Wraith to daintily walk out from the bushes in front of him, wearing the same creepy smile it did before. Its eyes paralyzed him. He was wound up like a spring, ready to attack, but his body just wouldn't move. The she-ghost came closer and closer, her movements silent and flowing like water. When she reached him, she circled around her prey, brushing up against him and then she came eye-to-eye with him again, sitting down in front of him. She cupped his cheek in one of her forehooves and traced his scar with the other. "Hmm, a real warrior. Such a rarity." she said, then looked to the side. "Ah, and here comes our little friend." she stated, letting go of him and backing away from the pegasus. Archive burst through the bushes panting. "L-Lantern! That's..." she held up a hoof, silently asking for time to catch her breath. "It's alright dear, take your time, we're not going anywhere." said the Wraith in a calm voice. When she could finally breathe again, she looked at Lantern, and saw that he was nervous and confused. "Lantern. That's a Changeling." she said in a perfectly calm manner. "Indeed." she said, her creepy smile widening even more, before an emerald firestorm erupted around her form, revealing a large female changeling in the place of the Wraith. Archive's eyes lit up, and she smiled warmly. "Aunt Humbug!" she cried out as she tackled the larger female, who froze for a few seconds after hearing the name. "A-aunt? HUMBUG!?" She broke down, howling with laugher, hysterically flailing her hooves while rolling around on her back. Archive let go of the thrashing changeling, looking at her with confusion clear on her face even to Lantern, who fell over from being suddenly released from his magical restraint. He got up and stood between the two changelings, ready to protect Archive, while looking at the madly laughing 'ling on the ground. Archive called over his shoulder "Aunty, are..are you okay!?" After hearing that, her laughing fit got a second wind, and she covered her ears. "Aahahaaa, please, please no...no more. I can't take it." The stumped pair just kept staring at her for a few minutes while she calmed down. She was laying on the ground, panting hard, and still giggling from time to time, before speaking up. "Haa, haa, I'm not HumBUG!" she said and erupted in another laughing fit. It took another minute before she could speak again. "Oh dear Queens, I needed that." she finally said. "If you're not Hum..." was all Archive could get out before the other changeling snorted and covered her muzzle with her hooves. "I-I mean, if you're not her, then who are you!? You look exactly like her." "There is rhyme and reason for that, but it's not something to be discussed in the open like this. My place is just a few minutes from here. Take your trophy-colt and let's head on over there." The changeling looked over the pegasus and licked her lips, then motioned for them to follow and disappeared into the bushes. "Archive, I have a bad feeling about her." "Don't be silly. She could help us." "She called me a 'trophy-colt'." deadpanned Lantern. "Well, I admit she's kinda weird, but she might be the only one that could help us get to our destination." "Okay, but keep your eyes open. We don't know anything about her." When they arrived at the house in the middle of the forest, it wasn't exactly what either of them expected. It was a two story building, made entirely out of timber save for the stone chimney. It had a white fence around it, and a rose arbor as the gate into the front yard. In the yard, there was a small fireplace, and a swing bed that moved in the gentle breeze. The pair stopped under the arch that held up the obviously enchanted roses, and stared at the brightly glowing purple flowers. "Wow." they said at the same time. Archive reached out for a rose, to see if they were real, when their host shouted at her. "Don't touch them!" Archive flinched back from the sudden cry and retracted her hoof. Lantern immediately jumped in front of Archive to protect her from the anger of the other changeling. His wings shielding the nymph, he took an aggressive pose, ready to react to any attack. He was serious, and he would kill the other changeling to protect Archive, or die trying. Archive could weakly feel the warmth of love emanating from the pegasus, and she blushed. The other changeling started to shake, and her breaths left little puffs in the cold night air. "I-I'm sorry." Archive said meekly, looking out from behind Lantern's wing. The shaking changeling's knees buckled under her and she fell to the ground. Archive run up to her in panic. "Are you alright!?" When she looked at her, her eyes were distant, looking into nothing. She had an elated smile on her face, her tongue lolling out of her maw, and she was drooling and panting hard. When her eyes came into focus again, she looked up at Lantern and stared at him with a dreamy look. "Haaah, haah...I just came." she said as bluntly as a hammer to the face. Lantern's face bloomed in deep scarlet and he looked away, hiding his face with a wing. It would have been very rude staring at her, he concluded. "What the buck was that?" he asked from behind his wing, still looking elsewhere. Archive was blushing like mad, but helped her stand up. "Lantern, would you please wait here?" She started towards the house, propping up the still shaking changeling with her smaller form. "I'm not going to leave you alone with her." Archive looked back at the pegasus with a hard stare. "If you think I'm going to let you watch as I help her get herself presentable, you are gravely mistaken." "T-that's not what I meant..." Lantern lay on his stomach, and grumbled something to himself about 'That's a very dangerous mental image'. "Good boy. Stay there!" said Archive. A couple of minutes passed since the 'lings disappeared into the house, and in the meantime Lantern had a chance to cool off himself. The door opened and Lantern could see Archive standing there, backlit by the light coming from the house. She motioned from him to come in to the house. When they entered the living room, Lantern saw their host lying on a sofa by the fire, covered in a towel, her mane dripping wet. "Cold shower?" he asked flatly. She nodded, and kept her eyes intently on him. While he was waiting outside, he prepared himself to all kinds of awkward situations, and when he finally remembered that he was a Guard, he decided that he would use his most stoic Guard manners to shield himself. It worked. He stared back at the changeling with an utterly neutral expression. "Please, have a seat." she purred. Well, maybe it didn't work, but it helped him to calm down. The room had two armchairs opposite from the sofa, and a low table between them. The pair settled in those, while keeping their eyes on her. An uneasy silence fell between them, while the changeling looked them up and down smiling. She broke the silence by clearing her throat. "I imagine we have quite a few things to talk about, but before that, I would like to apologize for my earlier outburst. I didn't mean to snap at you, but those flowers mean a lot to me, and I'd rather no one touch them. They were left behind by my special somepony, who worked really hard on them, and the magic they have is a very fragile charm that could be broken by a slight touch." she explained. "I'm very sorry, I didn't know. They are just so beautiful, I couldn't help but to reach out to them." said Archive. "That's alright. So, would you mind introducing yourselves? I'm sure you've realised by now, but I'm not connected to the hivemind, so I can't really forego such things by looking inside your head." "Actually, me neither." mumbled Archive, earning a slight twitch of an ear from the changeling. "My name is Moon Lantern, Royal Guard to Princess Celestia." cut in Lantern with a flat tone. "Day Guard? Weird. I would've pegged you as Night Guard, what with all the lunar pegasus vibe around you." "I've inherited none of the benefits of my ancestry." "Hmm, interesting." she switched to Archive "And you, dear?" "Arc Hive. Daughter to Queen Lilith, archive nymph. Call me Archive." stated the nymph. "Lithy named you herself, right?" Archive just nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, my name is Formica, first born of Queen Seera, former Queen candidate, at your service." said Formica. The last part of the sentence came in a sultry tone, and she winked at Lantern for good measure. "So that means that aunt Humbug isn't the oldest Siren alive?" asked Archive marvelling at the intricate horn of Formica. Formica snorted at the name again, but kept her laughing fit in check. "No, she's not, but she never was, and neither am I. Me, your mother, and indeed, mighty Lamia 'The Serpent', or as you know her, Humbug, we're nymphs, just like you are, darling. But our case is a little special, when it comes to castes. You see, we were born of the very first eggs that Mother laid, and Lamia and I came from the same egg, hence the uncanny resemblance. All three of us had the Gift, and so Seera had to choose between us. Being nymphs meant that we would all took to our studies well at an extremely young age. We were sent on gathering expeditions, just like the sirens, and that was where our Gifts would shine. Lamia had an incredible capacity to store emotional energy, your mother had her special heart, that she could use as a converter, to produce nectar, and I..." she trailed off smiling, before disappearing. Lantern felt a shiver running down his spine as he felt a light warmth settle on his back, between his wings. Invisible hooves hugged him from behind, and when she appeared again, Formica's head rested on his shoulder smiling at Archive. "I'm the Chameleon." she said cheerfully. Lantern was as rigid as a statue, his face a perfect mask of an emotionless, stoic Guard, but internally, he was freaking the fuck out. The fact that he could spot Formica in the forest earlier, was only because she let them see her. At this moment he felt very much like prey to a predator, he could not escape. Archive glared at Formica. "Ouch, jealousy doesn't suit you dear." said Formica retreating from the embrace she kept Lantern locked in, and returned to her sofa. "Why not share him, hmm? I'm pretty sure a stud like him, charged and ready to blow, could easily satisfy both of us at the same time...a real Love God, if I do say so myself." Lantern's mask broke. He was blushing like a filly, and as he looked at Archive for help, she just turned her face away shyly, mirroring his blush in green. "W-w-what do you mean?" asked Archive. "Oh darling, have you not seen what he did to me outside? Quite frankly, I'm surprised you didn't keel over spasming yet from all that love he exudes. Say, did you molt lately perchance?" "Yeah, my carapace broke up very badly, so I had to. He actually saved my life when it happened." "Mmm, yes, that answers why you didn't have any wings. Then this will be easy to demonstrate." Formica looked at Lantern, and froze him in place, then did the same to Archive. "I'm going to hurt her." she told Lantern matter-of-factly with the utmost seriousness. As she approached the little nymph, she felt her fear, and saw a drop of tear at the corner of her eye. She could also feel the seething rage coming from Lantern, but most of all, the overwhelming warmth of love he radiated. Her knees were already shaking as she rounded the chair Archive was sitting in. She cupped her face in a hoof and turned her head towards Lantern, so that he could see her frightened eyes. She used the crook of her other hoof to take hold of her horn, and with a sickening, crunching sound, she yanked it upwards, simultaneously releasing Archive from her lock. She let out a loud, but very short cry, before she fell forwards. Formica caught her twitching body, and when she came off her high, she let out a very unladylike sound before clasping her hooves around her face. The larger nymph levitated Archive out of the room and called after her. "There are some empty barrels in the corner, use those if you'd be so kind. It would be a crime to waste all that precious nectar, simply throwing it up all over my carpet." Lantern was struggling in the magical binds. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" he demanded. Formica smiled at him. It was not a cocky grin, but a genuine, motherly smile. Something that he was all too familiar with, being a Guard in Celestia's employ. "Why, I've just fixed her horn. I can't imagine how could she have not realised that something was off with it. She must have only barely felt you and your emotions through that thing." Lantern was not convinced. He kept trying to break out from the magical body-lock, and he might have succeeded with his rage, but then Archive staggered back to the door, leaning on the frame. "I'm good..." she panted, but just as she got closer to Lantern, she hurked again, and ran back to keep vomiting into the barrel. Formica looked at Lantern again, her features serious. "I didn't actually hurt her, but I needed you to believe I did, so I could show her the cause of what happened out in the yard. I would never hurt my family. Now if you'll excuse me, I have the obligation to return the courtesy she showed me, when she helped me wash away my shame. I'll take her upstairs, to the shower, second room on the left. When we're there, I'll release you too. I want you to calm down your pretty plot while I do that. You being worked up is kinda punishing for us. Oh, and you are free to wait outside the bathroom, but should you dare barge in to seek revenge or some valiant save-the-mare bullshit like that, I will actually kill you. Better yet, make you my slave and suck you dry. Are we clear?" The menacing nymph left the room without waiting for a reply. Lantern's eyes following her as she swayed her hips on her way out. Formica did as she said she would, and took her niece to the bathroom, and when Lantern heard the door lock upstairs, he could move again. The primal parts of his brain told him that he should ignore the danger, and snatch up Archive and get the buck out of there, while the rational part was confused, uncertain, and hoping. That smile was honest, and what she said made sense in a way...also, she's hella scary. Like a starbeast. Seriously! Dude, she'd kill you, or mind control you, or molest you! There was chaos in his head right now, and somewhere a certain statue dropped a tear of pride. Lantern stood up, walked outside, located a drum of rainwater under the leaves, and promptly dunked his head into the cool water.
The Changeling That Bugged My Heart	Nymph Talk	Chapter 13. -Nymph Talk Formica closed the door of the bathroom and locked it, just to be safe, before releasing her magic on the pegasus downstairs. She listened for a minute, but she couldn't hear the sound of stampeding hooves coming up the stairs. That was a good sign. Either Lantern was a reasonable fellow, who understood that she didn't mean harm to Archive, or she succeeded in intimidating him. Both options were fine by her. She levitated the panting nymph into the large tub, and decided that a warm bath would be much better for her than a cold shower. She helped Archive clean her chitin of the various remaining fluids, before starting to fill the tub with water. She walked over to the sink and started rummaging in the little cabinet above it. She levitated out a vial, and sprinkled some of its contents into the water before putting it away again. As the small crystals dissolved into the warm water, they tinted it a light shade of pink. A sweet aroma of candy with a hint of lemon, filled their nostrils. Formica joined Archive in the soothing bath, her mane was still damp from her previous shower. She smiled at the exhausted nymph, and saw nothing but eager curiosity in her eyes. "I can see it on your face. Go ahead and ask away, before you burst like a bubble." she said, emphasizing her words by blowing a pink bubble through one of the holes in her forehoof. Archive felt reinvigorated by the bath water, and she couldn't decide what to ask first. "Aunt Formica..." "Stop! If you call me 'Aunt' again, I'll tell your colt-toy a few interesting facts about the holes on your feet." Archive blushed and looked aside. "He already knows." she muttered. "Wow. Kinky." replied Formica, with a sultry look that took the place of her initially surprised expression. "For Hive's sake, would you stop with the lewd jokes!? It wasn't like that, it was a misunderstanding. He tried to jam some glowing stones into them, so I could guide him in the dark." Formica's ears twitched imperceptibly at the mention of the glowing stones, but she decided not to push Archive for details. "Okay, okay, but seriously, 'Formica,' will do just fine. So, what did you want to ask me?" "C-could you tell me about what Mother was like when she was a nymph? I've been cut off from the hive-mind for days, and I miss her presence in my head." "I can imagine how unsettling it is for you not to have her reassuring hum in the back of your mind. Like missing a piece of yourself, that was always there since the day you hatched. It took me weeks to get used to the silence after I left the hive behind. Let me see, how about I tell you how she became a Queen?" "Ooh, that sounds interesting. She never let us into her memories, it feels kinda naughty to hear something so intimate about her." "Haha, yeah. Queens do that, but there's a reason for that. There's a ritual that's required for one to become a Queen, and it's not without danger. Say Archive, did you know that any nymph could be a potential Queen?" "Well, yes, as long as they have the Gift. Then they'd be trained to be one, just as you said." "Technically, the Gift is not a requirement. It's only there to help the hive advance. If you recall, Teshya didn't have the Gift. She made it herself, after Csillag appointed her to be her successor. The only actual requirements are that the 'ling has to be a Nymph, and the completion of a certain ritual. Anyway, the reason the Queen keeps her memories from her children, is to prevent them from learning about the ritual I've mentioned. I hope you're responsible enough not to spread what I'm about to tell you, or to actually try it, but then again, I'm not part of the Hive anymore, so it's not really a concern for me." Archive nodded, that she would keep it a secret. "Clever girl. You see, we were finished with our training when our mother shared it with us. A test, and a necessary step to become a Queen. She told us we had to go out and live with the ponies for a month, but not to gather emotional energy, instead to find a mate. She said a nymph in itself is not capable of laying eggs. Every nymph has the eggs, but they're unfertilised, so we would have to find a mate, a stallion, who would do just that. Each of us would have to find a stallion to mate with, so we could become Queens and lay fertile eggs to raise a new generation of changelings. But there was a condition. Having sex with a stallion in itself would be worthless, if we did it while being disguised. For the seed to take, we were to do it in our true-forms. It was up to us how we would accomplish this, but we had to do it without revealing ourselves to the ponies." "How would you do that?" asked Archive incredulously. "There are a lot of tools for that, starting with partial transformation, a simple illusion, or you can even knock the stallion unconscious before getting down to business." said Formica, flashing a mischievous smile at Archive. "But where was I? Oh, yeah! So, we set out on our mission. Each of us chose a village for ourselves. I came here to find myself a mate, but the ponies of the village were very distrusting, and I had a hard time fitting in. If it weren't for that one pony, I would've starved after the first week." "That's weird. From what I heard about ponies from my sisters, they're generally very welcoming to new faces." "While that may be true to small towns, this little village was a very tight-knit community at the time, and they were slow to accept any new addition to their circle. That's not to say they were hostile, but aside from nods and greetings they tended to keep to themselves. It helped that both of us were new in the village, so it was easy to find common ground, and lean on each other for help. We became good friends, and even more. I knew then, that I would not become a Queen." "How come?" Archive asked incredulously. "Not only have I fallen in love with a pony, which was kind of a taboo in and of itself, I fell for a mare. I decided that I would stay here and start a new life, but then something happened. A message came to me in the middle of the night to inform me, that Lamia has returned to the hive after completing Mother's trial. I was called back. I couldn't disobey Mother. I snuck away from the village that same night and kept crying the whole way back home." Archive's expression fell at hearing Formica's saddened voice. "Wait, Aunt Lamia? But...but Mother's the Queen now." "Yes, well...when I got back to the Hive, Mother welcomed me with grave news." she said in a sober tone of voice, "I rushed to my sister's chambers. Lamia was lying on her bed, crying, broken, clutching a single egg to her body. She fed everything she had into that single egg, but it just wouldn't hatch, and she couldn't lay another. Her body rejected the seed, and she became infertile after laying her first egg, almost dying in the process. Her failure drove her to the edge of insanity. She would go out to gather emotional energy, then return to feed it to her egg for weeks, barely leaving any to herself to keep going." "I can't even imagine what that must have felt like. Poor Aunty. Now it makes sense why she's guarding her memories so closely." "As you know, she recovered eventually, but at the time she was a wreck. Mother felt for her and never treated her like she had failed her expectations, but the fact remained that the hive needed another Queen. She decided with a heavy heart, that we would need to return to our mission, and find a mate. Another Queen was necessary for the hive to survive, and for that an heir was needed who could lay eggs, and nurture new generations for a long time to come. By this time my heart was almost shattered by the pain of leaving the pony I loved behind, and the unfortunate fate of my sister. I was torn between my family and love. I decided to leave the Hive forever, to go back and live with the one my heart was beating for. I visited Lamia one night, before heading out. I told her everything. She just smiled at me, as she hung onto her egg. It was definitely alive, but it looked so fragile, that I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and as a parting gift, I channelled all the pure love I got from my significant somepony into her, and said goodbye to her. Then I went to Lilith, and told her the same. She protested that she wouldn't be able to handle a hive of her own, but I told her, that I always thought that she would be the best Queen out of the three of us." "Please don't get angry at me for saying this, but that was very irresponsible of you, Formica. What would've happened to the hive if the same thing happened to Mother as Aunt Lamia?" "I know it was foolish, but as I've told you, Lamia and I are twins, hatched from the same egg. It's more likely that I would have run into the same complications as she did, rather than Lilith. Confident that Lilith would succeed, I snuck out of the hive, silenced my mind and severed the link that bound me to my family for all those years. I almost gone insane, had it not for the welcoming hooves and love of my Rose Vine, who wept and cried and was about to give up hope when I showed up in the village again, half dead by the starvation that I had to endure on my way back. Next time I heard of the hive was on a chilly winter evening, about half a year later, when Lamia knocked on the door downstairs." "If you cut the Link, how did she find you out here?" "I told her where I'd go, in case the worst scenario would come to pass. She found me easily, and when Rosie opened the door for her, she saw right through her disguise. I still remember that hilarious face she made when Rosie called out that my 'Humbug' was here to visit." Formica was laughing mirthfully, "Lamia was back to her old self, and it was good to see that she did not succumb to her grief over her failure, and how she was genuinely happy to tell me about Lithy's first brood of about five hundred little grubs. She also told me that Mother was furious with me after hearing what I'd done, but in a few months she calmed down and decided to let the new Queen pass judgement on me. Lithy convinced her that I'd never let any harm come to the hive because of my actions, and that I should be left alone to live how I saw fit. She conceded, and took her place beside her Mother in the chamber of Queens. Before Lamia left to return home, Rosie came up with the idea to send some love to Lithy as congratulations on her becoming a Queen. When I last saw Lamia, she was filled to bursting with love and was literally hobbling her way out after saying goodbye to us. They were faring far better than I could ever hoped, and the hive was in good hooves. I only regret that I forgot to ask what happened to little Chrysalis, before she left." Archive's expression turned to fearful at the mention of the name. "C-Chrysalis?" she asked shakily. "Yeah, Lamia's egg. She kept calling it her little princess, Chrysalis. It was a sad deal, seeing her like that." "F-Formica...there's something you should know." she said in a serious tone. Formica looked at her questioningly. As Archive retold the events of Chrysalis' actions, what she had done in Canterlot, and most of all what she had done to the Hive. Formica's features filled with rage and she jumped out of the tub. "Archive, get out of there and dry yourself! When you're done, meet me downstairs...also, prepare a disguise! We're going to the village." "B-but I can't change!" she protested. "I'm sure you can, now that your horn is fixed. We have a lot of things to do, and very little time to do it." she said, before storming out of the bathroom, dripping with water. Archive climbed out of the tub, fired up her horn to change, and as the fires consumed her form, she dried off instantly. Lantern was sitting by the fire, trying to dry his mane after dunking his head into the water barrel, when Formica flew down the stairs, leaving a wet trail behind herself. He jerked his head around to the sound of her landing behind him. "Pull yourself together, ponyboy. We're going on an adventure." "W-what?" "Archive told me what happened at Canterlot. Our family needs us now, so we'll go to the village. There's a pair of ponies there I want you to meet. They'll help us, so we can help my kind." "Weren't you guys supposed to keep your identities a secret?" "If it were that serious, you'd be dead, boy." "HA! You can't hurt me! I know about the Ancient Laws." Lantern shot back. "It took you way too long to figure it out...but, it's not like I'm bound by those laws. I'm an outcast by my own choosing. Who's there to punish me for breaking it?" "Wow, you're rotten." "Do you think it's wise to say something like that to a changeling who could either help you, or freeze you in place and bite off your tongue? Hmm? I do wonder how you taste, dear. Wanna give me a kiss?" Lantern paled a little, and shut his mouth. "I thought so. Now, if you need to use the toilet before we head out, this would be the perfect time to do so." laughed Formica. Lantern's cheeks colored and he looked everywhere, but at her. "Actually..." his voice trailed off. "Are you for real?" Formica said in a deadpan tone. "Hey! Nature's calling and there's only so much I can do not to violate your garden." he shot back. Formica's laugher was uproarish as she pointed down the hallway "Last door on the left." Lantern stomped his way across the room, looking indignant as all Tartarus. Formica watched him go as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye that spilled by the laughing, "He's a good pony. Archive's lucky that she didn't happen to grab some heartless idiot when she got blasted." she murmured under her breath while smiling. She collected her thoughts as she stood in the middle of the room, closed her eyes, and changed.
Earth to Soarin	pre	Soarin shrugged, "well you girls might as well get confey. This is what happened..." "Y'know the view is really beautiful." Rainbow Dash said. I nodded my head and then saw Rainbow Dash gazing into the sky, then I told her. "Not as beautiful as you are," "S-Soarin--" "Dash, I need to be honest with you here. Right here right now." "What do you mean right here right now? Soarin what's going on?" "Rainbow Dash, I-I. I like you," I replied, Dash got up and looked at me. I got up to and held her hooves. "Rainbow Dash, I like you, a lot. I want you, I want you to want me, I want to be the guy who you can cry on, I want to be that guy who will always support you with anything, I want to be the guy who loves you to bits. I don't just like you for your beauty, I like you for you. I've been crushing on you since the royal wedding, when we became friends. When you joined the Wonderbolts I was overjoyed when I got to hear I get to see you everyday. Now that I see you everyday the only thing I can think about is you, I'm craving you, I'm crazy for you. When I try to sleep at night I can't, because your in my head. I stay up all night thinking about you. Sometimes the best moments we've shared together it felt like a dream. Your awesome, smart, funny, cute, hot, sexy, pretty, beautiful, you're perfect. In every way your just perfect. I can't help myself from trying to kiss you or go further with you. Let me be your Soarie Bear? " I confessed to her, I'd never thought I would say that to her. Rainbow Dash was very speechless, a couple of tears started to run down her face. She tried to hide it from me but I wiped them away. "S-Soarin, I-I l-like you too. I'm j-just s-scared." Rainbow Dash struggled to tell me what she wanted to tell me. "What are you scared about?" Rainbow Dash had more tears coming out of her eyes, she wiped them away. "I'm scared of this, I feel like something is going to go wrong in this relationship. And I don't want to go through the same thing again." "Dash I can promise you I'm not that type of guy that pretends to say 'I love you' and then next minute leaves you. I'm the type of guy that will do anything for the girl." Rainbow started to laugh quietly, I was so confused why she was laughing. "That's what they all say Soarin. Two years ago I was with Thunderlane and he tricked me. When I was coming over to his house for a sex night I caught him in the bed with another girl. I'm just scared that will happen. I know your lying that you think I'm beautiful, your lying that I'm pretty, hot and sexy. I've heard it before Soarin. I'm not the type of girl everypony wants the girl to be. I don't want to go through the same thing again. Just try to understand please?" "But how will you know if you don't try again. I know how you feel Dash, I've been cheated so many times before but I still give romance a chance, heck I nearly became gay before we danced together!" I exclaimed. Rainbow Dash looked at me and I saw her face, she was pretty disgusted by what I just said. "Point is I nearly gave up but when I met you, you gave me that hope that I will be happy." "I know what you are trying to say but not everypony can take things the way you take things. I really like you a lot, no. I love you! But I don't want take things further with you because I just feel like something bad is going to happen in the relationship we have together. I'm sorry but I can't be with me, ever." "Dashie?" "DON'T DASHIE ME!" "Please just give me a chance?" "SOARIN JUST TRY TO UNDERSTAND I CAN'T! PLEASE JUST LEAVE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T EVER WANT TO TALK TO YOU OR SEE YOU AGAIN!" "Rainbow Dash," "Get your stuff and get out of here!--" If I was really going to leave her forever I might as well kiss her on the lips. I kissed her and she kissed me back but two seconds later she pushed me. I grabbed a rose and gave it to her. "Something to remember me by, just letting you know I will always love you and you can't stop me." When I said my final words to her I left her, for good. When I was flying away from her house I could still hear her crying. Tears started to flow down my cheeks because I can't take it when she's upset. I wanted to fly back and give her a big hug but I didn't want to upset her, still I flew to her and gave her a hug. While I was hugging her she punched me on the back until she gave up. I was kissing her on her neck for a while, she liked it and didn't want me to stop but I let go of her. "Goodbye Rainbow," And I flew of not turning back. "...so that's what happened." Soarin finished off. All the mane five was crying but AppleJack. "OMC That was beautiful!" Twilight shouted hugging Soarin. "I know right!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "That was so romantic darling, why did she have to reject you?" Rarity asked. "I CAN'T STOP CRYING!!" Fluttershy responded. "Will ya gurls stop cryin like babies?c Ad how is that unforgivable? I don't get it" AppleJack asked her friends. "I made her in the state she is now, that's why I said it was unforgivable!" Soarin exclaimed. "She'll never forgive me, I know it." "Darling you've got admit that was a beautiful confession, I just don't understand why she rejected you." "Because of what Thunderlane did to her two years ago. She's scared that I'll do what Thunderlane did to her. But I don't get it! I know Thunderlane and he would never do something like this!" Soarin exclaimed. Soarins head landed on Twilight's shoulder. "Actually he did do it Soarin. Rainbow Dash talked to us about what happened with Thunderlane two years ago, I think she nearly broke my favourite book" Twilight replied. "What is up with you and books Twi? It's like your in love with them," Soarin asked. "Say's the guy who loves Rainbow Dash to bits," Twilight chuckled. "Did you read my journal?" Soarin asked. Twilight stayed silent her eyes were moving like crazy, "I'll kill you later," "Anyway, we all as her best friends tried to encourage to move on from the past but she isn't the best with moving on. One thing I know is that if you really want Rainbow Dash to be yours your going to have to impress her, and impressing her goes to extreme levels. Deep down she wants you bad, she's just scared you'll do what Thunderlane did to her." Fluttershy explained. "If you want to impress Dashie your going to need our help and your friends." Pinkie Pie replied. "Ok, I'll come up with something. Thanks for you girls talking to me, I feel a whole lot better now." Soarin replied. "Aw thanks Soarin, I'm glad your feeling better now. Maybe we should head back down to my castle now." Twilight said. "I agree! I think this spell is wearing of now! WEEEE!!" Pinkie Pie jumped of the cloud falling into a lake. "WOOHHH THAT WAS GREAT!!! Can I do that again? HELP ME UP TWILIGHT!!!" "NO!! STAY DOWN THERE PINKIE!!" Twilight shouted. Twilight teleported her friends and Soarin back to her castle.
Earth to Soarin	End of the Rainbow	Earth to Soarin By Galaxy Swirl Chapter 7: End of the Rainbow; Part 1 Nopony P.O.V "Spitfire it's been one hour an we still haven't found Crash!" Fleetfoot complained. One hour ago Spitfire and the Bolt's began there search for Rainbow Dash but they haven't been successful. "Can we just go back to the castle and look for her later?" "Fleetfoot come on! It's not that hard to search for a Rainbow mared pony!" Spitfire shouted. Fleetfoot rolled her eyes and shrugged, "we would've found her ages ago if you weren't so blind," "Me, blind?! Why you little!" Spitfire was just about to argue with her best friends. "SPITTY! FLEETY! SHUT UP!" Surprise yelled. "We aren't getting anywhere if you guys keep arguing. Hey is that a cloud mansion?" Surprise pointed. "I'm not sure, maybe? We should check it out, come one!" Spitfire replied. The Bolt's went over to the cloud mansion and tried to look for the main door. "Guys, I'm not an expert on cloud mansions but I think this is the door," Misty Fly replied. "Well what are you waiting for Mist! Knock already before we become old," Surprise commented. Misty Fly knocked the door. There was no sound of the owner in the house so Misty Fly knocked again. This time somepony came down the stairs and opened the door. "Derpy, for the last fucking time?! DROP MY MAIL IN THE MAIL BOX BEFORE I FUCKING RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Well your not a pony who likes guest," Fleetfoot replied. Rainbow Dash blinked twice and looked at her house guest. "Guys? What are you doing here? Look I don't wanna talk about what happened in practice," "If we were talking about practice, I would come hear on my own. We just wanna talk about what happened with you and Soarin." Spitfire replied. Rainbow Dash's face looked very nervous. "Everything ok Rainbow? Come on we're all friends!" "I know I know, it's just..." Rainbow Dash paused. "Hey why don't we come inside and you can talk to us about it," Rapidfire suggested. "Rainbow Dash nodded her head, "yea it would be easier to talk, can we all talk in my room though?" "Whatever your comfortable with Crash--MAMA MIMA CAN WE TRADE HOUSES?! THIS IS AMAZING!!" Fleetfoot exclaimed. "FLEETFOOT!" The Bolt's shouted. "Hehe it's fine most of my friends said that to me when they came over hear for the first time, even him." Rainbow Dash replied. "Who's him?" Fleetfoot replied looking puzzled. Spitfire glared at her and rolled her eyes, "ooohhh, nevermind." "Well this is my room, get confey cause it's a long story. It all started with..." Y'know the view is really beautiful." I said. Soarin nodded his head. Then I gazed into the sky, "Not as beautiful as you are," He told me "S-Soarin--" "Dash, I need to be honest with you here. Right here right now." "What do you mean right here right now? Soarin what's going on?" I was so nervous on what was going on, and it was something I didn't expect. "Rainbow Dash, I-I. I like you," Soarin said. Wait like-like me? I got up and I looked at Soarin, he did the same. Soarin held my hooves with his hooves. "Rainbow Dash, I like you, a lot. I want you, I want you to want me, I want to be the guy who you can cry on, I want to be that guy who will always support you with anything, I want to be the guy who loves you to bits. I don't just like you for your beauty, I like you for you. I've been crushing on you since the royal wedding, when we became friends. When you joined the Wonderbolts I was overjoyed when I got to hear I get to see you everyday. Now that I see you everyday the only thing I can think about is you, I'm craving you, I'm crazy for you. When I try to sleep at night I can't, because your in my head. I stay up all night thinking about you. Sometimes the best moments we've shared together it felt like a dream. Your awesome, smart, funny, cute, hot, sexy, pretty, beautiful, you're perfect. In every way your just perfect. I can't help myself from trying to kiss you or go further with you. Let me be your Soarie Bear? " I was very speechless, a couple of tears started to run down my face. I told myself not to cry but I couldn't control my emotions, it was so beautiful. Soarin saw I was crying so I tried to hide my tears but I couldn't. I felt his hoof on my face as he wiped them away, it was so soft. "S-Soarin, I-I l-like you too. I'm j-just s-scared." My voice was cracking and starting to go high pitch. "What are you scared about?" I had more tears flowing down my cheeks. "I'm scared of this, I feel like something is going to go wrong in this relationship. And I don't want to go through the same thing again." "Dash I can promise you I'm not that type of guy that pretends to say 'I love you' and then next minute leaves you. I'm the type of guy that will do anything for the girl." Once Soarin told me that I started to laugh very quietly, I could see Soarin's face all puzzled up. "That's what they all say Soarin. Two years ago I was with Thunderlane and he tricked me. When I was coming over to his house for a sex night I caught him in the bed with another girl. I'm just scared that will happen. I know your lying that you think I'm beautiful, your lying that I'm pretty, hot and sexy. I've heard it before Soarin. I'm not the type of girl everypony wants the girl to be. I don't want to go through the same thing again. Just try to understand please?" "But how will you know if you don't try again. I know how you feel Dash, I've been cheated so many times before but I still give romance a chance, heck I nearly became gay before we danced together!" Soarin exclaimed. I was shocked and surprised. I didn't think that Soarin would become gay but I can kinda understand where he was coming from "Point is I nearly gave up but when I met you and you gave me that hope that I will be happy again." "I know what you are trying to say but not everypony can take things the way you take things. I really like you a lot, no. I love you! But I don't want take things further with you because I just feel like something bad is going to happen in the relationship we have together. I'm sorry but I can't be with me, ever." "Dashie?" "DON'T DASHIE ME!" "Please just give me a chance?" "SOARIN JUST TRY TO UNDERSTAND I CAN'T! PLEASE JUST LEAVE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T EVER WANT TO TALK TO YOU OR SEE YOU AGAIN!" "Rainbow Dash," "Get your stuff and get out of here!--" Soarin just stood there like a lifeless soul and then pounced, he kissed me. I kissed him back but for only two seconds, then he gave me a rose. "Something to remember me by, just letting you know I will always love you and you can't stop me." When he said his final words to me he left, for good. Soarin was flying away from my house and I started to sob. Then he came flying back to me and gave me a big hug. I started punching him on the back shouting to him that he should leave but then my punches became weaker and weaker. He kissed me on the neck and honestly it felt really good. When I finally stopped punching me he let me go. "Goodbye Rainbow," Soarin flew of not turning back to look at me. "...So that's the story. Um are you guy's ok?" Rainbow Dash looked at her Wonderbolt friends and all of them we're nearly in tears except for Fleetfoot who was crying really hard. "Aww Crash, t-that was b-beautiful!" Fleetfoot exclaimed while hugging on one of my pillows. "Yea I gotta admit dude that was pretty beautiful," Misty Fly replied. Rapidfire chuckled, "who knew Soarin Skies was all soft?" "I did," Spitfire commented. "This is all my fault! None of this wouldn't have happened if my past got in the way of things. Today this wouldn't have happened and maybe we would've been a happy couple!" Rainbow Dash grabbed a pillow and started sobbing on her pillow. "Look Crash, Soarin's been obsessing over you! He always talks about you and you always talk about him! I just don't get what gives Thunderlane the right to spoil your love life?" Fleetfoot questioned Rainbow Dash. "It's j-just I don't w-wanna lose h-him," Rainbow Dash struggled to reply. Spitfire hit her head with her forehoove, "Dash, like Fleetfoot said, he's practically been in love with you since the royal wedding and trust me. Soarin doesn't want to lose you and you won't lose him." "Even though if it is true that he really loves me, I just need some time." Rainbow Dash replied continuing to sob on her pillow. "What do you mean need some more time? Needing more time to cry away all your feelings for him?" Surprise asked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash kept silent. "Don't let Thunderlane get in the way of your love life," "It's not that," Rainbow Dash mumbled. "Then what is it?" Rapidfire asked. "It's the mare Thunderlane was hooking up with, and that was none other than Cloud Chaser," Rainbow Dash mumbled.
Earth to Soarin	Here's the plan	Earth to Soarin By Galaxy Swirl Chapter 8: Here's the plan Nopony P.O.V "What do you mean need some more time? Needing more time to cry away all your feelings for him?" Surprise asked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash kept silent. "Don't let Thunderlane get in the way of your love life," "It's not that," Rainbow Dash mumbled. "Then what is it?" Rapidfire asked. "It's the mare Thunderlane was hooking up with, and that was none other than Cloud Chaser," Rainbow Dash mumbled. "WHAT?! Hold up hold up ladies and gentleman, did you just say the reason why Rainbow doesn't want to try romance again is because Thunderlane hooked up with Cloudchaser and that she's Soarins younger cousin and she's scared that Soarin will do the same to Rainbow Dash?!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Yes," Spitfire nodded. "But I don't just get it! Cloudchaser is older cousin (by a few months) and she's never been with a stallion that has a marefriend! You can't just accuse her like this!" Fleetfoot exclaimed. "Fleetfoot nopony is accusing nopony, please try to understand." Spitfire replied. "Besides Fleetfoot, do you really think Rainbow Dash would lie in a situation like this?" Fleetfoot shock her head, "Hey I'm on Crashes side here but Cc is my cousin," "Anyway, now that we got both sides of the stories we should set those two up on a--" Twilight got interrupted by a pegasus flying at full speed into the castle none other then... "Soarin what the hell are you doing? Y'know knocking was made for a reason," Pinkie Pie: WAIT WAIT WAIT, Isn't it supposed to be 'Twilight got interrupted by a pegasus flying at full speed into the castle none other then, Rainbow Dash Author: OMG Pinkie Pie please just let me tell the story and hey I decided to use Soarin cause why not it's my story, also stop breaking the fourth wall or else I'll burn all the cakes and pies and cupcakes and all the other things you love Pinkie Pie: NO!!!!! PLEASE ANYTHING BUT THE BAKINGS!! TAKE ANYTHING YOU WANT PLEASE JUST NOT THE CAKES!!! Author: Good, now shut up and let me tell the story. "Twilight does it look like I care?! I have got the craziest idea I just came up with now and this plan will make Rainbow Dash change her mind but I'm gonna need all of yours help and Spitfires approval for this," Soarin exclaimed. "What is it?" Spitfire asked. "Y'know how Rainbow Dash does her sonic rainboom, y'know how the show is like at sunset? Well, I was thinking the Bolt's could make a love heart in the sky having Rainbow's initials and then there would be like a bit of a firework show or something like that when the sun sets and then I could final convince Rainbow Dash to be with me," Soarin explained. "You know darling, that doesn't sound like a bad plan," Rarity commented. "If you really wanna win Rainbow Dash, Soarin, you're going to have to do something more than a firework show," Fleetfoot . "I mean I'm a mare and lot's of ponies have tried to impress me before and I understand what a mare demands from a stallion." "I know I know it's a stupid idea but I just came up with it now but I think it would be a good time to do it because we are on off season after the show and I might not get to be able to see her and I can't live with that!" Soarin whined breathing heavily. "Breath Soarin, breath," Twilight said. "Well you're lucky you got us to help you with this, but the show is tomorrow so how the heck can we pull this of?" Spitfire asked. "Easy, stay up all night practicing what I have planned," Soarin replied. Fleetfoot sighed then rolled her eyes. "Do we have a choice?" "FLEETFOOT!" Everypony shouted at Fleetfoot. "What I'm just joking! Did you guys really take me seriously?! Anyway, of course I'm going to help my 'cuz out. Besides if I don't he'll be begging and begging and oh my celestia he just won't stop!" "...your a nice pony Fleetfoot. I hate you," Soarin grumbled under his breath. "I love you too Soarin," Fleetfoot exclaimed. "Wait Fleetfoot's your girlfriend Soarin?" Pinkie Pie joked. "WHAT?! Ewww...." Fleetfoot screamed. "Jokes! I know your Soarins cousin I mean like the world knows it. I just wanted to see how you'd like to taste your own medicine!" Pinkie Pie explained. Fleetfoot's face looked very disgusted, "It taste like shit," Soarin rolled his eyes "can we stop with the talk and help me out here?! Y'know it's not like we can stop time here," then the door swung wide open and hit the castle walls. "Did somepony say time travel?! By the way that's not a good idea," Starlight exclaimed. "Something like that, Starlight how was going over to your dad's place?" Twilight asked Starlight. Starlight started to burst into laughter uncontrollably and then she started to cry. "Was it that bad?" "YES! OMFC! I'd rather rot in tartarus then spend time at my dad's place, he made me wear the most ridiculous thing in the world." Starlight replied having a fake smile on her face and nodding her head quickly. "Well he can't be that bad darling, I think you're over extracting." Rarity commented. "Oh it's bad. Twilight save me! Anyway, I feel like I've missed a lot since I've been away, hey where's Rainbow Dash?" Starlight asked. Everypony looked at each other and look very puzzled expect Soarin. "W-what's a Rainbow Dash? I've certainly never heard of a pony named Rainbow Dash who is my bestest friend in the whole entire world." Pinkie Pie pretended to be very puzzled but she knew that Starlight wasn't dumb to fall for her tricks. Starlight stood there and giggled, then her horn started to glow. She performed a spell on Pinkie Pie that would force her to tell the truth of whatever she wanted. "Pinkie Pie, where is Rainbow Dash?" Starlight asked. "Rainbow Dash is at home crying her eyes out because she feels really bad she rejected Soarin when he confessed her love for her and she loves him back but she can't show it so we are coming up with a plan to bring the two lovebirds together!" Pinkie Pie answered quickly. Soarin blushed in embarrassment while everypony was quietly giggling. "Ok so now that everypony is on the same page can you guys help me out here? Like I said we don't have all day and night," "Like we said Soar we are going to help you, so what do you have in mind?" Spitfire asked. "Also Twilight is secretly a lesbian and she's in love with Princess Celestia and writes fanfictions of them together." Pinkie Pie replied while pretending to be on Starlights spell. Twilights eye began to twitch very quickly and everypony started laughing away. "What the heck?!" Fleetfoot bursted into laughter. "Ok I did not cast the spell again but wow Twilight," Starlight replied. "That's not true and besides I don't like Princess Celestia like that and I am not a lesbian, also Pinkie Pie I lied about that just to keep your mouth shut so you wouldn't find out who I like," Twilight explained blushing in embarrassment. "Now if you excuse me I'm going to go," "Oh m-man I'm d-dying over here! T-This is p-priceless!" Fleetfoot struggled to say because she was still laughing, really hard. "Sure Twilight, sure." Pinkie Pie replied walking to the door. Twilight opened her wings and zoomed over to Pinkie Pie and started to 'playfully tackle' her. "Twilight I swear I didn't mean it!" "Yea right! I hate you!" Twilight hissed while 'playfully tackling' Pinkie Pie. "Y'know what I'm just gonna go, anybody else with me?" Soarin chuckled. Everypony nodded their heads and left Twilight and Pinkie Pie do their thing but Soarin. "Oh Twilight by the way, y'know how your helping me with Dash? Maybe I can help you with Pinkie Pie." Twilight's face started to turn to bright red. "Shut up!" Soarin couldn't help but chuckle too. "You done yet?" "Yup!" Twilight exclaimed while coming closer to Pinkie Pie. Twilight leant over to Pinkie Pie's ear, "Not a word Pinkie, not a single word about this day." "Sure thing Twilight but it was so worth it!" Pinkie Pie giggled. Twilight softly punched Pinkie Pie and Soarin started to chuckle. "Come on you two. I was kind enough to wait for you both." Soarin replied while leaving the castle. "COMING!" Both Twilight and Pinkie Pie shouted. While Twilight and her friends along with the Wonderbolt's tried to come up with a plan to bring Soarin and Rainbow Dash together, Rainbow Dash was still sulking. Usually, Rainbow Dash wouldn't have a big breakout but today she couldn't help it but cry over Soarin. As much as she tried to stop she couldn't stop crying over him. She tried to do things that would make her feel better like performing some flying stunts, playing with Tank, doing some pranks on ponies, reading Daring Do books, napping but none of her personal hobbies made her feel better. Rainbow Dash was still lying down on her bed still crying over Soarin. "What have I done?" Rainbow Dash asked herself. "None of this would've happen if it wasn't for my stupid past, why can't I just be with him?"
Earth to Soarin	Soarin's big act	Earth to Soarin BY: Galaxy Swirl Chapter 9: Soarins big act The day of Lunas return has come again, that means the day of the big show and Soarins big plan. Last night Soarin was working on his big act for the show along with the help of Twilight and her friends and the Wonderbolts. Soarin needed everypony to nail the act for the big day, many rehearsals were runned throughout the night. He wanted to make sure that on the day everything would be perfect and that Rainbow Dash will change her mind. Right now the Wonderbolts are preparing for the big show while everypony has taken there seats. Soarin is thinking about the stunt he added in the show. He was nervous that something will go wrong during his stunt but he had no choice but to do it. Just do it Soarin, do it for her. "H-hey Soarin," Rainbow Dash mumbled. "Hi R-Rainbow, looking good as always," Soarin smiled. "Uh thanks. I just came here to wish you good luck," Rainbow Dash awkwardly replied. She walked away from Soarin and joined the rest of the Wonderbolt's. "Soo does that mean you and Rainbow are finally together?" Twilight crept up behind Soarin. Soarin's wings shot up to the air. "You still get frightened when I come up behind you? Seriously?" "Hey I'm just jumpy! And no she just came to wish me luck," Soarin cooed. Twilight rolled her eyes. "Are you really sure you want to do this stunt of yours? You do realize you could get seriously hurt after doing it so many times last night, and what if you don't open your wings on time, if you don't you will get seriously injured!" Soarin didn't care if he got hurt, he didn't care if Rainbow Dash didn't care he was hurt. All he cared about was Rainbow Dash seeing how much he loves her. "Twilight I had those second thoughts to but I swear on Celestia's throne I'm sure. Besides it'll all be worth it." "But what if Rainbow Dash doesn't care about how you care about you?" Twilight asked. "I know she does but I don't care if she doesn't like it, either way it'll be worth it" Soarin reassured Twilight. Twilight sighed in defeat and nodded her head, then she hugged Soarin and whispered good luck in his ear. "Thanks Twilight, I'm so lucky to have a friend like you." "Thanks Soarin, means a lot. I have to go meet the other Princesses now, like I said be careful." Twilight left Soarin to go meet the other Princesses. "Hey Spitfire, Fleetfoot," Soarin replied. "How long until the show starts?" "Like ten minutes, I guess." Spitfire answered. "Are you really sure you want to do this 'cuz?" Fleetfoot asked. "Surprised your asking me Fleety but yea I'm sure, already had a pet talk with Twilight." Soarin replied. Fleetfoot rolled her eyes, "Soarin I know I joke around a lot but I'm also concerned about you." Fleetfoot commented. "I know," Soarin smirked. "WONDERBOLTS IN POSITIONS NOW! I REPEAT, WONDERBOLTS IN POSITIONS!" "Looks like we have to go Bolt's, don't screw this up. We only got one shot of performing this, am I clear?" Spitfire replied. "Yes ma'am!" Everypony replied while leaving the building and entering the stadium. "HELLO EVERYPONY!" Twilight exclaimed while the crowd cheered. "I'd just like to thank all of you for coming here today to celebrate Princess Luna's 3rd year of being back with us!" Twilight paused as the crowd became louder. "Now today you will be seeing some special items performed by many talented ponies. I would like to welcome the Wonderbolts to the stage!" As Twilight finished the Wonderbolts entered the stadium leaving a trail of thunderclouds behind them. Twilight flew of to backstage as the Wonderbolts began their routine. Many tricks were performed by the Wonderbolt's. As the Rainbow Dash finished the act with her very famous sonic rainboom, she flew towards the ground and the crowd went wild. The rest of the Wonderbolt's didn't end the show yet, they were performing the routine that Soarin planned for Rainbow Dash. As Soarin flew up towards the sky he gave Twilight and Starlight his signal to do their magic. "That's the signal! Now!" Starlight shouted while performing a spell with Twilight. As Soarin was continuing to fly up as Twilight and Starlight finished his spell, he closed his wings so that he would fall to the ground. As Soarin closed his wings, the rest of the Bolt's made a love heart in the sky. As he was nearly close to the ground he spun around three times and opened his wings and zoomed across the sky spelling out Rainbow Dashes initials. The crowd went really wild. "Rainbow Dash! I just wanna say I love you with all my heart. I promise I will be always love you no matter what happens and that I will be on your side always." Soarin exclaimed. The crowd 'awwed' to Soarins confession to Rainbow Dash. Soarin came to the ground and came over to Rainbow Dash. "Is this true?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Of course it is Dashie. I love you!" Soarin exclaimed while bringing her close and kissing her on the lips. Everypony 'awwed' more including Twilight and her friends and the Wonderbolt's. Soarin broke the kiss and spoke softly, "will you be my marefriend Dashie?" Rainbow Dash wasn't pleased with Soarin. She backed away from Soarin leaving her left hoof on Soarins chest. "Um... Soarin can we talk alone?" Rainbow Dash grumbled. The crowd did not like Rainbow Dashes answer to Soarin so they booed her. "OH SHUT UP WILL YA!" Rainbow Dash shouted to the crowd. "Uh, we are having some technical difficulties and so, we're going to introduce our next act Songbird Serenade!" Twilight exclaimed as the cheers appliused. Twilight quickly teleported Rainbow Dash and Soarin backstage while flying of to meet Spitfire. "I don't think she liked it," "I think all we have to do is pray now," Spitfire replied. "Hey guys! So sorry I couldn't make it to see Soarins confession to Rainbow I was getting cotton candy, so what did I miss?" Pinkie Pie replied. "You missed nothing..." Twilight lied, Twilight tried to hold a fake smile but that didn't convince Pinkie Pie, "ok fine! Rainbow Dash didn't react in a good way." "I knew it! Well we have to do something then!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Spitfire sighed, "I think it's best to leave those two alone to talk things out Pinkie." "TWILIGHT! SPITFIRE! PINKIE PIE! Thank goodness we found you darlings," Rarity exclaimed. "What's going on?" Twilight asked. "W-well, because of Dashies reaction to Soarins stunt, and when he kissed Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy began to explain but was interrupted by Spitfire. "It got on the news, didn't it?" Spitfire mumbled, Fluttershy nodded her head. "Those two are in a pickle," Applejack replied. "WAIT! I THOUGHT YOU LOVED APPLES!!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Starlight punched Pinkie pie softly. "Now's not the time Pinkie!" "And besides it's not like I make out with apples," AppleJack commented. "Ok this just got weird, even for me. Let's just hope those two don't end up murdering each other," Fleetfoot replied. "Those are wise words coming out of your mouth Fleetfoot, like the first time in forever!" Thunderlane exclaimed. Fleetfoot rolled her eyes, "I know 'Lane,"
Earth to Soarin	Double the drama	Earth to Soarin By Galaxy Swirl Chapter 10: Double the drama "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU EMBARRASSED ME IN FRONT OF EVERYPONY!" Rainbow Dash yelled at Soarin. Rainbow Dash and Soarin were arguing about what happened in the stadium earlier today. Rainbow Dash wasn't pleased with Soarins actions. "HOW IS IT EMBARRASSING SAYING I LOVE YOU?!" Soarin yelled at Rainbow Dash. "BECAUSE YOU DON'T MEAN IT AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING!!" Rainbow Dash bursted into tears. Soarin breathed out Rainbow Dash's name and came closer to her to confront her. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Soarin immediately backed away from Rainbow. Soarin wanted to calm down Rainbow Dash but he was powerless. "Do you really think I would've tricked you Rainbow?" Soarin asked. Rainbow Dash started to nod her head, "your wrong Rainbow. Like I said I've been in the same position you are in, I've been afraid to love too. Why do you think it will be the same? Just forget what Thunderlane did to--" "I lied about Thunderlane cheating on me. We actually broke up with each other but are still friends today," Rainbow Dash interrupted Soarin. "I don't get it..." Soarin thought for a second, he pondered carefully on Rainbow's words. He tried to remember moments in the past that were relevant to Rainbow's words, but nothing clicked to his mind. "I'm not afraid to love anyone Soarin, I'm afraid of becoming close to you." Rainbow Dash mumbled. "W-Why? D-Did I do something wrong? D-Did I say something that you didn't like? Did I confess to you to early and you weren't ready?!" Soarin shouted "IT'S NOT YOU IT'S ME!" Rainbow Dash yelled back at Soarin, more and more tears escaped Rainbow Dash's eye. "Please, just tell me why you can't be with me?" Soarin begged Rainbow Dash, "please?" "If you really want to know so bad, fine! Soarin when I was sixteen I tried to murder you! My mom was a general for a spy company who wanted to do bad things who wanted to hurt, kill, torture the most of the powerful people in Equestria so she could run this Celestia damn world! She assigned me on my first mission to murder you and your parents along with Fleetfoot. I had to go undercover and live with my dad and pretend I'm all sweet and innocent. The day of when I was supposed to murder you, you were my first target. You were fast asleep and I was just about to stab a knife through your heart but as I came closer to you, you woke up and I lost my chance to kill you. Then you asked me who I was but I didn't say my name because I felt like I was going to get caught. As time passed we got to know each other but later on my mother found out that I didn't complete my mission so she went out herself to kill you. I stopped her but I paid the price, instead of you and your family being dead my mother murdered my father. I feel like if we get into a relationship I'm going to hurt you more." Rainbow Dash explained. "Wait, you were the mystery mare who appeared in my room that night?!" Soarin exclaimed. "Y-yes," Rainbow Dash cooed. Out of the blue Soarin came closer to Rainbow Dash and started to hug her. Rainbow Dash was very surprised. Why is Soarin hugging me? I tried to murder him for Celestia's sake! Rainbow couldn't help herself but hug him back. "Why are you hugging me?" "I knew there was something odd about you. I felt like you looked very familiar, and to be honest I'm not mad at you because I can never be mad at you," Soarin replied. "W-what? You s-should hate me! I-I m-mean I tried to m-murder you. H-How can you s-say everything is alright when it's not?" Rainbow Dash boldly stated. "True but, you said after you got to know me and when your mother was set out to kill me and my family, you didn't let her touch me. Instead you protected me and my family, I don't see why I should be mad with you. In fact I'm glad you chose me but I'm truely sorry about your father." Soarin softly responded. "Still I can't. Even though you still wanna be around me after what I tried to do to you, I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you, and I don't want that because I care about you." Rainbow Dash whispered the last part. "Did you say something because I couldn't hear you?" Soarin asked. "I said I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you." Rainbow Dash answered, she paused then looked away from Soarin. "I can't be around you much longer. Like I said it's not you it's me, I'm just afraid I'm going to hurt you again." Soarin sighed, "The only pony hurting is you Dashie. Look at me, I don't care if you were about to hurt me then and I don't care if you hurt me now. I'm saying this because I know deep down in your heart you would never hurt me and that you really care for me a lot." Rainbow Dash broke the hug and placed her hoof on Soarins chest. "I hear what your saying Soarin but, I think it's better if we see other ponies and that we should stop hanging out." Rainbow Dash opened her wings and flew away from Soarin leaving him heartbroken. Soarin was about to go after Rainbow Dash but instead he chose not too. A couple of days later before the Wonderbolts go on leave... After Soarin and Rainbow Dash's big fight at the stadium, Soarin has been depressed and miserable. In the mornings usually Soarin would get out of bed and wake everypony up in the compound, instead he was in bed not wanting to get up. Near breakfast when the Wonderbolts have to go to the mess hall he would go criticize the food because it is tasteless and disgusting instead he didn't say a word and just ate it. In the afternoon when practice is scheduled he would be really energetic instead he acted all mopey and saying that life has no purpose. At night the Bolt's would hang out together and Soarin would usually be the one who makes the night fun but he did the opposite. Soarin was laying down in his bed thinking about Rainbow Dash. He tried to stop thinking about her but he couldn't no matter how much he tried. Soarin pondered on Rainbow's words when she said she nearly murdered him. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened today. "Soarin, can Fleetfoot, Rapidfire and I come in? Please?" Spitfire asked softly. Soarin moaned and did nothing. "Come on Soarin! You've been acting like this for six days now. Six. Bloody. Celestia. God. Damn. Fucking. Days." Fleetfoot whined. Again Soarin moaned even louder and did nothing. "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR US!" "Dude why can't you just forget about Crash? Is she that important to you? Just move on man, find another girl." Rapidfire replied. Soarin rolled his eyes then got up to open his bedroom door. "I-I c-can't move o-on. D-Dash is i-important t-to m-me," Soarin struggled to respond. Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Rapidfire's eyes shot wide open and looked at Soarin. He looked like he just came out of the trash. "Soarin quick question, have you taken a shower for the past few days? Cause you smell like you just came out of the trash," Fleetfoot replied while holding her breath. "I agree with Fleetfoot Soarin, you look awful." Spitfire said. "So what? Not like I care anyway, she doesn't care for me one bit so whatever. Now if you excuse me I need to catch up on being depressed and a lonely poor soul." Soarin snuffled. As Soarin was going to his room Raipdfire rolled his eyes and started to drag Soarin by his tail. "LET GO OF ME RAIPD!" "No way Skies, you are going to get yourself freshened up. You smell like the dump, literally. And besides summer vacation is coming up and it's the best time to meet new hotties. Let's go to the bar right now so freshen up." Raipdfire explained to Soarin. Soarin sighed in defeat. "Fine but under one condition. Please let go of my tail, it hurts badly and it reminds me of Dashie." Soarin whined. Rapidfire let Soarin out of his grasp. "Now go freshen up, we'll meet you in ten." Spitfire replied while leaving Soarin. Fleetfoot and Raipdfire both followed Spitfire.
Earth to Soarin	Part 1: Truth or dare?	Earth to Soarin By Galaxy Swirl Chapter 11: Part 1: Truth or dare? "Ok guys I'm ready!" Soarin exclaimed to his friends "Wow Soarin, loving the new style." Spitfire replied. Soarin chuckled, "thanks, from today I'm gonna be a new stallion. No more Rainbow Dash and hello new hotties!" "Really getting over her that fast?" Fleetfoot asked. "Dude, by the way loving the new you!" Rapidfire exclaimed. "Yea Fleetfoot, if she doesn't love me then I might as well move on. Anyway lets go and fuck some hotties!" Soarin shouted. "Uhh psst, did Soarin have a shot in the shower?" Spitfire whispered into Fleetfoot's ear. Fleetfoot shrugged. "Uhh Soarin before we go can you wear this?" Spitfire handed Soarin a blindfold which left Soarin in confusion. "Why do you want me to wear a blindfold?" Soarin asked. Spitfire paused as she thought of an excuse why she wanted Soarin to wear the blindfold. "Because I um, this is just for you um...surprise?" Spitfire lied as she smiled. "Right Fleetfoot?" Spitfire nudged Fleetfoot on the shoulder but Fleetfoot gave no response. "Fleetfoot?" "Huh? Oh sorry I was just playing Pokemon Go, you were saying something?" Fleetfoot apologised to Spitfire and went back on her phone to play Pokemon Go. "Stop playing Pokemon Go and help me out here." Spitfire whispered as she continued to nudge Fleetfoot. "Yea yea, you're awesome girl. Can we like go now or whatever?" Fleetfoot said not focussing on what Spitfire is saying. "THATS IT GIVE ME THE DAMN PHONE!" Spitfire shouted as she snatched away Fleetfoot's phone and flew away with it. "NO MY PHONE! I WAS SO CLOSE! GIVE IT BACK TO ME YOU BITCH!" Fleetfoot shouted as she chased Spitfire. Soarin and Rapidfire went after Fleetfoot as Fleetfoot was chasing Spitfire. Spitfire held Fleetfoot's phone over the edge of Wonderbolt island. "NO NOT MY PHONE! YOU CAN HAVE ANYTHING BUT MY PHONE!!" Fleetfoot shouted as she tried to stretched her hoof out trying to reach for her phone. "Let me think about it..." Spitfire began to ponder as she began to hear Fleetfoot whine and beg for her phone back. "Please? I'll do all the cleaning in Wonderbolt HQ. For a month. For a year. For two years. For the next three years." Fleetfoot begged Spitfire. Spitfire knew if she didn't give up Fleetfoot would be begging and be willing to do anything for Spitfire. Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "I'll do the cleaning in HQ, Reserves, Academy bunks, all the buildings on this godamn island for four years and I promise I'll give you anything you want." "Ok I'm convinced." Spitfire shrugged. Fleetfoot smiled as she flew quickly towards her phone, but Spitfire 'accidentally' dropped her phone. "NO!!!! MY PHONE!!! YOUR SO DEAD SPITFIRE AFTER I RETRIEVE MY PHONE!! COME TO ME PRECIOUS!!" Fleetfoot screamed as she dived towards the ground to grab her phone falling from the sky. "I suggest we leave now before this get's worse, uhh Soarin put the blindfold on and let's go." Spitfire quickly said as she pushed both Soarin and Rapidfire to leave before Fleetfoot kill's her. "Three words Spitfire. That. Was. Amazing." Rapidfire exclaimed. "Thank you, thank you. Now let's get the fuck outta here." Spitfire replied. Half an hour later.... "Ok dude, we're here!" Rapidfire exclaimed removing the blindfold from Soarin's face. Soarin had a very excited look that he was just about to go into the bar and forget about life but instead he was in front of Twilight's castle. Soarin had a fake smile on his face. "I don't get it, is this where they moved the bar?" Soarin asked. "Surprise! We're not going to the bar." Spitfire exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. "NO!" Soarin whined. "Why not?" "Because Twilight ACTUALLY had a surprise for you, right Rapidfire?" Spitfire lied and Rapidfire agreed with Spitfire. "I swear on Celestia's throne if this is a lie I'm leaving and going back to being depressed, ok?" Soarin rolled his eyes while Rapidfire and Spitfire nodded their heads. "We'll see about that," Spitfire mumbled. "What was that?" Soarin asked. Rapidfire put his hoof around Soarin's neck, "she said let's go in. We don't want to keep the Princess waiting, do we now?" "I don't wanna keep Twi waiting any longer," Soarin flew over towards Twilights door and knocked. Spitfire, Rapidfire and Soarin waited until somepony answered the door. A minute later Soarin decided to knock the door again. "COMING!" A male voice shouted across the hallway from inside the castle. "Oh hey guys! Where's Fleetfoot?" Spike replied. "ARGH! A DRAGON!" Rapidfire exclaimed. "Rapid, relax. This is Spike. Twilight's assistant/kinda little brother." Spitfire reassured Rapidfire. "Sorry, I kinda wasn't expecting that," Rapidfire apologised. Spike chuckled. "All goods, Twilight is waiting for you guys in her library with a couple of 'other' ponies. Anyway come in!" Spike lead the trio inside the castle. Soarin blinked twice, "wait wait wait, other ponies? Spike spill the beans now." Soarin demanded. Spike smirked. "No can do Skies.I know you're my bro but I can't help you out with this," Spike winked at Spitfire. Soarin rolled his eyes. "Fine but it better not be bad," Soarin muttered under his breath. "So this castle likes it's doors a lot, I mean. A. Lot." Rapidfire replied. Spike rolled his eyes, "yea I know, even now I still get lost in the castle despite living here for almost two years." Rapidfire and Spitfire chuckled. "Do you even know how many doors this castle has?" Spitfire asked. "No idea, probably a million. That would be question you'd ask Twilight though," Spike shrugged. "Are we there yet?" Soarin asked Spike, Spike nodded his head. As the library doors opened Soarin saw his friends and Twilight's friends in the library chatting. Soarin eyes widened when he saw Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash?!" "Soarin?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Everypony stopped talking and left an awkward silence in the room until somepony spoke up. "Surprise?" Pinkie Pie replied slowly laughing until somepony said something. "Spitfire. Rapidfire. What. Is. Going. On. Here?" Soarin grumbled under his breath. Rapidfire and Spitfire looked at each other with stressed faces trying to come up with a plan. "Well?" "Um, Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?" Rapidfire pretended to be shocked. "Ok that's it I'm going back home and being depressed. Bye," Soarin turned towards the exit but Twilight stopped Soarin from leaving. "WAIT! Um actually you see, it's my birthday coming up?" Twilight lied. "What are you talking about Twilight your birthday is in eight months from now," Pinkie Pie corrected Twilight but Twilight gave Pinkie Pie an evil glare. "What did I say something wrong?" "No more lies what is going on here?" Soarin demanded answers. "Ok fine you win Soarin, I just wanted to catch up with you guys because why not, and I thought we could spend a night together, right guys?" Twilight looked at her friends and Soarin's friends. Everypony agreed with Twilight. "Fine, let's just have this meeting really quick and then I wanna leave ok?" Soarin asked. "Uh you can't leave!" Rarity shouted not knowing what to say next. "Yea she's right you can't leave!" Twilight tried to add more to Rarity's lie but couldn't come up with anything to make Soarin stay. "Because..." "Because theres a storm tonight and it wouldn't be best heading back to Wonderbolt HQ man, you understand right?" Thunderlane lied. "What storm?" Soarin asked. Then a sound of thunder was heard, and lighting began to tear the sky with heavy rainfalls. Soarin flew up towards one of the windows to see the storm breaking out in Ponyville. "I spoke too soon. I'm only staying here because I don't wanna get injured or die." "Rainbow Dash are you ok?" Rarity asked. Rainbow Dash glared at Soarin with a dark evil glare. "I'm fine, I just don't him near me." "SO who wants to play truth or dare? Sweet I'll go first. Truth or dare Spitfire?" Rapidfire exclaimed. "I thought we were...." Rainbow Dash got interrupted by Spitfire. "Truth! Sorry you were saying Crash?" "I thought we were having a meeting and then heading out." Rainbow Dash replied. "Uhh Rainbow why be so serious right now? Let's just have fun first and then do serious shit later." Twilight exclaimed. "Since when did you say 'serious shit?'" Rainbow Dash asked. "ANYWAY! Spitfire is it true that you 'accidentally' dropped Fleetfoot's phone?" Rapidfire asked. "Well to reassure you I didn't, I have it right here." Spitfire revealed Fleetfoot's phone to everypony. "HOW?! But you dropped something I-I s-saw you," Rapidfire replied. Spitfire laughed. "Well that was actually a rock I craved to look like a phone," "Fill us in this will ya now?" AppleJack replied. Spitfire finally stopped laughing. "Ok so I got annoyed with Fleetfoot playing Pokemon GO because it's retarded and stuff so I stole Fleetfoot's actual phone and we had a fight like we do always. Anyway I went over to the edge of Wonderbolt island and held Fleetfoot's phone where I could drop her phone. I made her beg for it back, she said that if I'd give her phone back she would do the cleaning in all the buildings on the island for four years." Spitfire explained. "F-four years? OMC she's desperate," Rainbow Dash bursted into laughter like everypony else including Spitfire. "A-anyway, I was just like fine and when she was coming towards her phone I realised I'm not gonna give up that easy and luckily enough I found a rock that I craved earlier into a phone. I still don't now why a craved a rock into a phone. Anyway who cares about the stupid rock." Spitfire kept explaining the story. "I care about rocks!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Well i'm sorry I don't give a fuck right now! SO ANYWAY I dropped the roc and Fleetfoot thought it was her phone and screamed, 'NO!!!! MY PHONE!!! YOUR SO DEAD SPITFIRE AFTER I RETRIEVE MY PHONE!! COME TO ME PRECIOUS!!' and that was pretty much it." Spitfire said. "Ok I know your evil, but that was evil." Spike commented. "So do you know what's gonna happen now?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I dunno to be honest, I'm probably gonna die. I might as well prepare my grave." Spitfire chuckled slowly and then let the joke die out very painfully and slowly. "Yea you need to prepare your grave, trust me don't mess with Fleetfoot." Rainbow Dash explained. "Wait you experienced something similar to what Fleetfoot did?" "No but egghead here tried to kill me last week for 'accidentally' sending one of her 'fan fictions' to Princess Celestia," Rainbow Dash replied starting to burst into laughter. Twilight's face started to light up bright red. "EXCUSE ME I NEVER WROTE THAT!" Twilight yelled at Rainbow Dash. "Continue Rainbow..." Thunderlane said. "Ok, ok, so once I did Twilight found out two months later from when I actually did it and tried to kill me last week for it." Rainbow Dash explained. "Thats it?" Fluttershy asked. "Oh theres more Shy' but honestly it's painful and I don't wanna talk about it..." Rainbow Dash explained as her voice became more quieter. "Anyway, let's keep going with this game." Spitfire replied as everypony continued to play truth or dare.
Earth to Soarin	Part 2: Truth or dare?	Earth to Soarin By Galaxy Swirl Chapter 12: Part 2: Truth or dare? After a whole hour spent on playing truth or dare, Soarin and Rainbow Dash didn't say one word to each other. Their friends tried to get them talking again but they refused to even make eye contact with another. What would happen is that both the pegasus would give a dark glare to each other and then look somewhere else. Rainbow Dash would look at Soarin with innocent eyes when Soarin is not looking but when Soarin goes to look at Rainbow Dash, she tilts her head towards one of her friends and makes eye contact with them. All the ponies in the room started to get annoyed with Soarin and Rainbow Dashes awkward and immature behaviour, it was time for them to get them in a room together so that they can finally talk things out. It was Rarity's turn to ask truth or dare to somepony, so she chose Rainbow Dash as her victim. "Soo Rainbow Dash truth or dare?" Rarity asked Rainbow Dash. "Dare, but you better not get me in a girly dress or whatever," Rainbow Dash groaned as a hint of pink appeared on her face. Rarity smirked and started to get ideas, "I told you not to think about anything!" "Don't worry darling I would never think of such a thing," Rarity chuckled. Rainbow Dash wasn't happy with Rarity's answer so she hid behind Twilight. "Actually I dare you to wear this blind fold and I'm going to guide you to somewhere. When I tell you to take it off you take it off." Rainbow Dash blinked twice, "Easy thats it? I have to put on a blindfold? Ok?" Rarity levitated a blind fold towards Rainbow Dash and started to tie it around her head. "This better not be anything I regret though ok?" "Oh I promise you won't regret it darling. Hold my hoof and I'll take you somewhere, and no flying while I take you got it?" Rarity explained. "Awww," Rainbow Dash whined as Rarity took her towards another room. "HEY don't I get to ask somepony truth or dare?" "DON'T WORRY CRASH! I'LL TAKE YOUR TURN!" Surprise exclaimed. "Aww but I had a really good one in mind..." Rainbow Dash mumbled. "Who cares," Pinkie Pie replied. "I DO!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "I'm suddenly scared," Soarin said once Rainbow Dash had left the room with Rarity. Surprise quietly laughed to herself. "Truth or dare Skies?" Soarin paused and pondered on which option he could chose. Soarin tried to make sure he chose the right option so that he wouldn't regret it later. Everypony wanted Soarin to say dare because then their plan of getting Soarin and Rainbow Dash to talk to each other again would succeed. After a full minute of silence Soarin had came to a decision, "...dare." Everypony's eyes lit up in the room but tried to contain their excitement. "IdareyoutowearthisblindfoldandI'mgoingtotakeyousomewhereandyoucan'taskanyquestionsgotit?" Surprise quickly explained taking a big breath. "What did you say? All I heard is blah blah blah and shit," Soarin replied. "Urgh! what I said was I dare you to wear this blindfold and I'm going to take you somewhere and you can't ask any questions and you can take it off when I say you can," Surprise explained again and passed Soarin the blindfold to put on. Soarin wrapped the blindfold around his eyes and then remembered that Rarity had dared Rainbow Dash to wear a blindfold. Oh shit, I feel like I'm going to be doomed in 3, 2, 1. "Y'know what I chose truth," "Stop chickening out of things Soarin," Spitfire replied. "JUST DO THE GOD DAMN MOTHER FUCKING DARE SO WE ALL CAN BE BLOODY SATISFIED!" Twilight shouted at Soarin while everypony else were bursting into laughter. "OMG I did not expect that!" Pinkie Pie struggled to reply because laughing got the best of her. "Yea what she said," Surprise replied while trying to contain her laughter. "Psst Twilight come here and help me direct me around this castle." Surprise whispered as she started to take Soarin around the castle. Twilight nodded her head and flew towards Surprise. Once the three ponies left the room everypony in the library finally let their excitement out in the open. "YES! FINALLY THEIR FiNALLY GONNA DO IT!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "I know right, took them long enough." Thunderlane commented. As everypony was letting their excitement out Thunderlane wanted to celebrate but he couldn't. "Oh come on Lane why aren't you celebrating that those two idiots are finally gonna get together?" Spitfire asked. "This is all my fault. This wouldn't be happening if I didn't toy with Rainbow Dash two years ago. My best friend Soarin shouldn't be putting up with a heartbreak because of me. I don't deserve to even have Soarin as my best friend. Once I found out that Soarin liked Rainbow Dash I was scarred because I didn't want him to find out what I did to her. I'm the worst pony alive. I regret messing with Rainbow's heart I wish i could kill myself," Thunderlane explained while shedding a few tears. "Don't be such a sour puss Thunderlane, it's in the past and theres nothing you can do to change it." Pinkie Pie replied. "Yea I mean yea that was pretty mean what you did to Rainbow Dash..." Starlight said as everypony gave her the evil stare. "STARLIGHT! We are supposed to be showing Thunderlane some compassion so can you please stop being sarcastic and help?" Fluttershy exclaimed as Thunderlane started to quietly whimper Starlight rolled her eyes. "Anyway, yea that was mean what you did Thunderlane but it's in the past, it's not like you can go back in time and change it or the fate of Equestria will be at risk." "What?" Rapdifire said. "Long story, continue your explanation Starlight. I am intrigued to hear what ya gotta say," AppleJack replied. "Ok soo my point is Thunderlane just move past it, it's in the past and there is nothing you can do about it so get over it. Be happy that Rainbow Dash doesn't consider you as a heartbreaking bitch." Starlight explained. "ANYWAY I'm not liking this sad talk so truth or dare? Anypony?" Spitfire said. God I hope Rarity isn't gonna put me in a dress or whatever. Because the last time that happened that was in front of Soarin annnddd...wait, why am I thinking of that cute adorable...RAINBOW you are supposed to hate him..right? Rainbow Dash pondered as Rarity was guiding her in the castle halls. "Ok Rainbow Dash, step into this room and stay there until I tell you to take your blindfold off." Rarity instructed Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash nodded her head and stepped into the room not knowing what will happen next. I'm not liking the idea of Surprise taking me somewhere where I have no idea where I'm going. Well I'm about to find out sooner rather then later. Soarin thought to himself while being guided by Surprise and Twilight. "Everything ok darlings?" Rarity whispered. Surprise and Twilight nodded their heads. "SO Soarin, all you have to do is step into this room and then take of your blindfold when i say so." Surprise explained too Soarin and pushed him into the room and closed the door. "Lock the door, somepony!" Surprise whispered. "I'm on it!" Twilight whispered back while closing the door and casted a spell where both Rainbow Dash and Soarin can't escape from. "Ok Rarity, tell Rainbow Dash to take off her blindfold and then Surprise you ay to Soarin take off your blindfold." "Dashie darling! You can take off your blindfold now!" Rarity exclaimed. "Soar take of the blindfold," Surprise said. "Finally I can take this stupid.... SOARIN?! RARITY WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "WHAT?! For celestia's sake what is she doing here? Surprise what's going on?!" Soarin yelled while Surprise, Rarity and Twilight were snickering on the other side of the door. "You two are going to sort your differences out and then you will be released from this room." Twilight explained. "TWILIGHT?!" Both Soarin and Rainbow Dash shouted. "You didn't..." Rainbow Dash was interrupted by Twilight. "....yes I casted a spell that both of you cannot leave this room. Not even to go to the bathroom. So like I said sort out your differences and become a cute couple! We'll be watching..." Twilight explained again. "Cameras?" Soarin questioned Twilight. "Yes cameras, hidden cameras that you will not find in this room because I hid them very well. Besides the point, take your time if you want or you can solve this now." Twilight replied. Rainbow Dash looked up and down multiply times and then spoke up, "Oh Soarin I love you so much! Ugh you can just FUCK me if you want to. I fucking NEED you INSIDE of me!" Rainbow Dash lied. Rainbow Dash tried to convince Soarin to join her little lie, Soarin agreed to continue the lie. "Oh my Celestia Rainbow your pussy looks amazing I could just eat you out right now!" Soarin lied and started too blush out of embarrassment. Both Soarin and Rainbow Dash made sexual moans and weird sounds of pleasure to convince Twilight to let them free from the room. "Did you two not hear the part where I can see what you're doing?" Twilight growled under her breath. "And the camera here doesn't show any sexual interaction between you both. And by the way, have you both considered being voice actors?" "Uhhh maybe you're just seeing wrong," Rainbow Dashes voice cracked during the middle of her sentence. "I'm seeing perfectly fine, so this is the part where I say au revoir." Twilight replied leaving the room and going back to the library. "BYE!" Surprise and Rarity both exclaimed while trying to catch up to Twilight. "Now what? We're stuck in here!" Rainbow Dash replied. "We'll get out of here I promise..." Soarin said. "Don't ever promise me anything, got it?" Rainbow Dash barked. Soarin sighed and nodded his head.
Earth to Soarin	Stuck	Earth to Soarin By Galaxy Swirl Chapter 13: Stuck "Now what? We're stuck in here!" Rainbow Dash replied. "We'll get out of here I promise..." Soarin said. "Don't ever promise me anything, got it?" Rainbow Dash barked. Soarin sighed and nodded his head. 30mins later... "So, you're not even gonna talk to me now?" Soarin asked Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash looked at Soarin and then looked back to the ground and sighed. "Look, if you don't wanna talk, I won't either." Soarin replied as he tried to find a way out of this mess. Why does she have to be so stubborn? I mean I don't care if she tried to hurt me in the past cause that doesn't matter now. What matter's is now that we get out of this room and get our sweet revenge on everypony. Whahaha!! I honestly sound like a pony who wants to take over Equestria right now... As Soarin was trying to find a way out, Rainbow Dash got up and tried to find a way out herself. She tried to break the door down but didn't succeed. She tried again, and again, and again, until she lost it and punched her hoof on the door. A harsh groan escaped Rainbow Dashes mouth and tears started to flow down her face, this caught Soarin's attention. Rainbow Dash saw that Soarin noticed the a few tears flow down her face. Rainbow Dash didn't want Soarin to worry about her so sh quickly wiped it off. "Hey Rainbow, you ok?" Soarin cooed. Rainbow Dash looked at him with an innocent look, then turned away from him, Soarin chuckled. "Soo are we playing hard to get here?" Soarin walked over towards Rainbow Dash to comfort her. "I'm fine Soarin, you don't have to do this..." Rainbow Dash replied trying to resist Soarin. Soarin refused to listen to Rainbow Dash and began to comfort her even more. What does this stallion think he's doing? Why is he still being nice to me after whats happened?! But if I'm being honest here, this is nice. No Rainbow Dash, resist, resist, RESIST SOARIN FRICKIN' SKIES! "Rainbow? Rainbow?" Soarin called out Rainbow Dashes name as Rainbow was lost in her mind. "Huh?" Rainbow Dash replied. "There you are! I was calling your name like fifteen times. Are you sure you're feeling ok?" Soarin asked. Rainbow Dash smirked, "didn't curiosity kill the cat?" "Yes but satisfaction bought it back to life," Soarin replied in a flirty tone as he started to wrap his wing around Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash blushed as Soarin's wing touched her back. She liked that feeling of having something soft against her skin. Rainbow wanted to brush Soarin off but deep down she didn't want him to go, again. "Nervous?" "I bet you do this with every girl Skies, win their heart and then play with them like a sex toy." Rainbow Dash sarcastically replied while rolling her eyes. Soarin chuckled, "so are you saying that I've won your heart, and now you're my sex toy?" Soarin teased. Rainbow Dash jumped and flew up towards the ceiling. "W-WHAT N-NO! I-I D-DID'T MEAN ME YOU STUPID DORK!" Rainbow Dash shouted at Soarin. "Damn, I was going to enjoy that. Admit it Rainbow Dash, you can't resist me." Soarin mumbled under his breath. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes again and groaned. Rainbow Dash flew over to Soarin and became close and closer to him. Soarin walked backwards as Rainbow kept going closer to him until Soarin felt something solid hit his back. "Remember, you're the one who can't resist me~" Rainbow Dash flirted as she ran her hoof down Soarin's chest. "Wanna test that theory Dashie?" Soarin questioned Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash become closer and closer towards Soarin's face. Soarin couldn't resist Rainbow Dash any longer. He tried to go for a kiss but Rainbow Dash put her hoof on Soarin's lips and pushed him away. "Welp, I've got my answer now. I'm not gonna waste anymore time and try to get us out of here." Rainbow Dash replied as she trotted away from Soarin. Still the same cute dork...Wait cute?! YOUR SUPPOSED TO HATE HIM! WHY WERE YOU FLIRTING WITH HIM?! URGH RAIIINNNBBBOOOWWWW YOU STPUD MARE! URGGGHHHH!!!!! "Wait what just happened?!" Soarin mumbled to himself and stood there like an idiot. Another 30mins later... "Have you figured out a way of getting out of this room Soarin?" Rainbow Dash asked Soarin but he didn't seem to respond. "Soarin?" Rainbow Dash called his name again and then caught him sleeping. Why does that idiot have to be sleeping now?! URGH! Isn't that my job, sleeping on the job? "Mmm...Dashie..." Rainbow Dash was just about wake up Soarin but he cooed out her name in his sleep while curling into a ball. "you....taste....so....gooodd....." Rainbow Dashes face lit up but continued to watch Soarin sleep, "I.....love.....you...." Rainbow Dash gasped but covered her hoof over his mouth. "I love you too," Rainbow Dash whispered. Soarin woke up and looked at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash stood there not knowing what to do next. Rainbow Dash pondered Soarin's words carefully, she thought she was hearing those words in her head but those words were very real. "Mmm, you ok over there? You look really flustered," Soarin replied while rubbing his eyes. Rainbow Dash nodded slowly, "uh, yea I'm f-fine..." "Are you sure? I felt like I might've said something weird earlier, I'm sorry if I did..." Soarin apologised. "You didn't do anything wrong. You just wanted to be there for me, I should be the one who is sorry. I've tried to push you away knowing I want you by my side, but because of my stubbornest I just made things complicated between us." Rainbow Dash explained. "You didn't complicate anything, you just wanted to protect me that's all. You were scared something might happen to me because of our past together, but Rainbow Dash, I want to protect you because I love you." Soarin replied. Rainbow Dash giggled as tears rushed down her cheeks., "I know you love me..." "Are you being cocky or not? I can't tell right now..." Soarin asked. "I'm serious! Besides you just said it in your sleep," Rainbow Dash chuckled. Soarin's face turned to the colour red really quickly. "You didn't hear anything else did you? Also is it hot in here or is it just me?" Soarin cooed. Rainbow Dash giggled again and rolled her eyes "It's ok you dork, I feel the same way as-well remember?" "Soo..." Soarin said. "What now?" Rainbow Dash asked. The two ponies made eye contact with each other not knowing what to say. "Rainbow Dash, do you want to be my girlfriend?" Soarin asked Rainbow Dash. "Does this answer you question?" Rainbow Dash leaned closer to Soarin and kissed him. The kiss shocked Soarin at first but he kissed her back. The two held the kiss for a minute or two and then let the kiss die out. "I dunno, you might have to answer it again Dashie," "Hehe, I love you, you dork." Rainbow Dash nuzzled Soarin. "I love you too, Dashie." Soarin wrapped his wings around Rainbow and began to embrace her. The two continued to embrace each other for a while not caring if they were stuck in the room or not. What mattered to both of the ponies is that they were with each other. Back in the library.... "So what do you guy's think? Are Soarin and Rainbow Dash making out now or not?" Fleetfoot asked. "I dunno, let me check the camera--" Twilight replied as she went to check, she caught Soarin and Rainbow Dash kissing each other and dropped the camera to view the live footage. "Uh Twi? You ok over there? Twilight?" AppleJack asked as she waved her hoof in front of Twilight. "Guy's I think she's dead..." Everypony tried to snap Twilight out of her 'phase', but nothing seemed to work. "WHAT THE HECK THEY REALLY ARE BANGING UP EACH OTHER!" Twilight shouted. "Finally she's alive again," Fleetfoot replied. "Who exactly are kissing right now?" Thunderlane asked. Twilight showed the live footage to everypony. "HoLY ShIt!" Everypony exclaimed.
Earth to Soarin	Bonus chapter	Earth to Soarin By Galaxy Swirl Bonus chapter Five minutes later till they discovered that Rainbow Dash and Soarin hooked up with each other... "Soo are we going to let those lovebirds come back or should we just let them make out with each other?" Rapidfire asked. Everypony was stalking Rainbow Dash and Soarin on the camera until they stopped. "Yea bring them back and let's pretend we know nothing..." Rarity replied. "Soo who's going to get them?" Fleetfoot asked. "TWILIGHT!" Everypony exclaimed while pointing at Twilight. Twilight got annoyed by the fact how nobody wanted to volentered and made her go. "Why is it always me?" Twilight complained. "Because you're the one who casted the spell in the room and no one in this room is an alicorn and only you can reverse the spell, and it would be more funnier if all of us were here so we could kill them slowly. Very. Slowly." Pinkie Pie explained. Twilight blinked twice as she was processing what Pinkie Pie just said. "Ok maybe let's not kill them, just slowly torture them and then slowly embarrass them to death," "Yea, yea thats what I was thinking as-well," Pinkie Pie shrugged. With Soarin and Rainbow Dash... "Do you think they'll let us out now or did they forget about us?" Rainbow Dash asked Soarin. "I dunno Skittles, they made a big deal out of this so I'm sure they haven't forgotten us." Soarin replied. "Skittles?" Rainbow Dash shrugged. Soarin chuckled, "what your hair is the colour of a rainbow and you kinda smell like skittles, Skittles." "Don't call me Skittles," Rainbow Dash groaned. Soarin had a cheeky smirk on his face and shifted one of eyebrow's up. Rainbow Dash laughed and rolled her eyes, Soarin joined in laughing with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash and Soarin heard the door starting to unlock so they got up and figured Twilight was coming to get them. "Hi guys! Hope you didn't spend too long in there," Twilight said. "Well you kinda left us in here for an hour," Rainbow Dash replied. "With no food or water, what are you trying to do deprive us?" Soarin commented, Rainbow Dash giggled to Soarin's reaction to the whole situation. Twilight smirked, "so I figure that you guys are ok now?" "Yea well I think we have something to tell everypony..." Soarin replied and looked at Rainbow Dash. "We don't have to tell them yet..." Rainbow Dash mumbled to Soarin. Soarin sighed. "Knowing all your friends and my friends Dash, they'll want to know everything that happened..." Soarin whispered back to Rainbow Dash. "Um hello? I'm still here remember?" Twilight muttered. "Right sorry! Uh, we do actually have to tell everypony something, last one to the library is an egghead!" Rainbow Dash raced off leaving Soarin and Twilight behind. "Wait up Dash!" Soarin shouted as he flew to catch up with Rainbow Dash. "Hey! This isn't a fair race! You both are better flyers than me!" Twilight shouted. Back at the library... "I win! Wo!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed doing a little victory dance leaving Soarin behind. "That wasn't fair you had a 3 second head start," Soarin whined. "Oh stop being such a baby about it Soarin," Rainbow Dash replied. "Yea Soarin stop being such a little bitch about it," Fleetfoot sarcastically commented. Soarin gave Fleetfoot a very cold evil glare, "I was joking dude, c'mon!" "At least you're not the egghead, speaking of egghead, where is egghead?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Twilight took a deep breath as she came inside the library, "I'M RIGHT HERE YOU MODER FORKER!" Twilight shouted. "Are you speaking english or french Twilight?" Rarity asked. "Neither! Come on I already told you two idiots not to fly in the castle, Celestia kill me..." Twilight mumbled the last part. Everypony looked very confused on what Twilight had just said. Twilight finally got her breath after flying from one side of the castle to the other side of the castle, "what did you two want to tell us anyway?" "Well..." Soarin and Rainbow Dash shrugged and their tails started wrapping around each other. "You say it Soarin..." Rainbow Dash replied. Soarin chuckled, "isn't it ladies first?" "really?" Rainbow Dash muttered. "I'm being a gentlemen Rainbow, I'm giving you respect." Soarin cheekily said smirking. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Ok then, well we've sorted out our differences and..." Rainbow Dash paused because she couldn't find the words to tell her friends that Soarin and Rainbow Dash are officially dating. She stood there for a minute trying to figure out what to say. Soarin's tailed held Rainbow Dashes tail tighter then before, Rainbow Dash responded and held his tail tighter as-well. Soarin looked at Rainbow Dash while giving her a confident look. "Soarin and I are dating now..." Everypony was in shock to this news. The room was filled with an awkward silence for a minute until somepony said something. "AAHHHHH!!!! MY SHHIIIPPP FINNALLLYYYYYYYY!!!!!!" Fleetfoot exclaimed hugging both Rainbow Dash and Soarin while nearly chocking them. "I KNEW IT! THATS WHY YOU TWO WERE KISSING ON THE CAMERA! PINKIE WANT'S HUGS TOO CONGRATESS!!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she hugged Rainbow Dash and Soarin. "Wait camera?!" Rainbow Dash and Soarin exclaimed. "Did you forget about the hidden cameras I had installed in that room." Twilight smirked. "I regret everything..." Rainbow Dash muttered. "So are you going to give us any details or not darling?" Rarity asked before everypony was starting to ask questions about the new relationship. Soarin and Rainbow Dash had no idea how to answer their friends questions so they stood there like idiots not knowing what to do. "Maybe we shouldn't have told them we were dating..." Soarin chuckled. "Agreed..." Rainbow Dash replied.
Harmony University: Riding the Storm	pre	"Good morning, dear!" Monsoon smiled warmly as she smoothed her skirt under herself and sat in her usual seat at the right of her daughter's bed. "H-Hey!" Cyclone, who had been caught by surprise by the sudden entrance, quickly wiped her eyes on her already wet pillow. "Hi guys!" she put on a much too wide smile, which she just knew wouldn't fool anyone. Naturally, Monsoon saw straight through her daughter's fakery. "Difficult night?" "I'm awake now," Cyclone thought she had rather skilfully dodged that question, though the look that her mother and girlfriend shared said she hadn't been good enough. Like rolling a one on a deception test. "That's what matters!" Shaking her head, Monsoon leant over the bed and she wrapped Cyclone up in a hug, leaving space for Bluefeather to do the same on the other side of the bed, which of course she did. "Are the meds not working?" the teenager asked, snaking her arms around her girlfriend and squeezing tight. Blushing, Cyclone looked away from the two of them. "Good Hope didn't give me any last night." Even though her daughter had jet black skin, Monsoon could tell she was blushing just from the look on her face. It was an ashamed look that she didn't like, and one that as a mother she wanted to see gone. "Do I need to talk to him?" she asked gently. "Can you, please?" Cyclone asked desperately, not even trying to keep the pleading tone from her voice. "Mom I don't want that dream anymore!" "Then I will," Monsoon carefully disentangled herself from her daughter's arms, a difficult task given how tight Cyclone was hanging onto her, "But I think I know something that will cheer you up right now." What on earth could that be? Cyclone didn't know. Her mother wasn't one for arranging surprises. Her dad was the spontaneous one. "But I've already got my two best ladies and this month's Power Ponies comic!" Giggling, Bluefeather blew her girlfriend a kiss and then she stepped out of the hospital room, waving the 'surprise' to enter and take her place. That someone was Rainbow Dash. Wearing a broad smirk on her face like she wore her skin-tight leggings and tee shirt, she sauntered into the room like she owned it. "Nice to be in a hospital that I didn't put myself in for a change," she drawled. Monsoon wished she could have framed the look of pure delight that came over Cyclone's face. She settled for burning it into her memory instead. "Blue and I will go get coffee so the two of you can chat." She left the room followed by Bluefeather. "Hey Cap," Cyclone grinned wide as Monsoon and Bluefeather both left the room in a fit of giggles, "I see Twi let you off the leash for once, huh?" Rainbow Dash's smirk only widened as she ran a sky blue finger along her purple collar around her neck. "Comments like that will have you running laps," she shot her track mate a wink, "Interesting to see how far you get with just your hands." "I'd give it a damn good go," Cyclone shot back determinedly, her competitive streak rearing its head, "Have you met my nurse?" "No," Rainbow replied with a shake of her head, "But I hope your nurse is tough as nails. Any chocolates left?" she had spied the big heart shaped container of dairy milks that were sitting on the far night stand. "Yes cap, help yourself to one," Cyclone gestured to the half full box and giggled at her long-time friend, "And just so you know, my nurse is a griffon. Don't get much tougher than that." Now, Rainbow Dash was impressed at that. "Woah, that is tough as nails," she commented as she helped herself to two chocolates, her mind wandered to Gilda, a particularly tough girl she knew by name and reputation at CHS. "There's lots left, someone have you on a short leash?" "My tough as nails nurse," explained Cyclone, "She says I'm allowed one per visit as long as I impress her on my rehab." She then rubbed the back of her head, "We should talk about the track team, Cap." Her mouth full of chocolate, Rainbow Dash savoured the rare treat before she replied to that. "You'll be the first disabled girl racing for the school. I've checked. We have three wheelchair bound students now, but none were interested in sports. You can change that." "Damn right, Cap. And thanks," Cyclone moved the bed to more of a sitting position, "I mean, I do still wanna race. I was kinda worried I'd be shelved and forgot about, y'know?" "First," Rainbow said firmly as she tossed a chocolate to Cyclone, who caught it one handed, "You have spirit, and I'm not going to step on that. Second, the city would come down like a ton of bricks if I, or anyone, thought to exclude you from the team. And last, the team would hand me my ass if I dropped you." "Yeah, I am awesome," Cyclone snickered thickly around the chocolate she was munching on and she fist bumped her friend, "Comes from having to keep up with you. Mom and dad got me a racing chair for when I escape outta here." "I know," Rainbow nodded, "They consulted with me. You need to get your body ready for it." "That's what I'm working on with True Heart. See?" Cyclone couldn't resist flexing her biceps and showing off like she was on the cover of Muscles Monthly, "I got guns!" Taking a long, very long moment to admire Cyclone's arms - they were nowhere near as well defined or as large as Applejack's were, but damn - Rainbow Dash nodded her approval, "Am I going to lose you to the gymnastic team after all this?" Definitely, Cyclone shook her head. "Nah, Cap, I love to race too much to do gym, besides, I have no idea what gym-ness I'd do anyway." "Well, you do have the rings above your bed," Rainbow's eyes flicked up to said rings, "Or there is the circus route with that trapeze bar," she added with a laugh. Cyclone shared a good natured laugh with her friend, "I can do fifteen chin ups on that now. So uh," she paused for a moment as something that was bothering her came to her mind, something she could really only talk about with her. "Dash, you were at the mall that day, right?" Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to blush, as she rubbed the back of her head like Cyclone had done moments before. "Um, well, no..." it was hard to explain. Actually it was real simple. She was at the mall, but she was caught inside a magic mirror in some magic dimension. "I mean, I was at the mall, but uh...I was with my friends sort of trapped in a room." She decided to go with that instead. "Huh." Cyclone could tell by the way her friend was blushing and by the way she was avoiding eye contact with her that she wasn't telling her everything. "I was hoping you'd know what happened. Whenever I ask, all I get is 'Juniper threw a sunglasses stand at me'." "Yeah," Rainbow Dash found the wall of the hospital room incredibly interesting as she spoke, "That was all kinds of messed up. A friend of Sunset's took care of the issue, but it was a bit late. She uh...lives out of the country and had to go home." Yeah, that sounded better than 'it was another magic pony girl from magic pony land', she just hoped Cyclone bought it. "What I don't get is how Juniper managed to throw a stand!" exclaimed Cyclone, angry that yet again she was being given the run around, "C'mon, Dash, level with me, huh? We've been mates a long time." 'I am so gonna regret this...' Rainbow thought to herself as she carefully inspected the two tone paint on the wall again, but she knew that her friend was right. Besides, she knew she'd hate being messed around. "Um, okay, so a while ago there was a lot of strange things that happened round the high school. You've heard about that?" "Yeah, kinda hard to miss Sunset Shimmer turning into a huge flying demon at that Fall Formal, oh and the Sirens that mind controlled everybody..." "Right," Rainbow Dash finally looked Cyclone in the eyes, "That, so Juniper Montage turning into a thirty foot tall raging she demon in the mall shouldn't be much of a stretch for you." "I also remember the magic attack vines at the Friendship Games and the demon fight afterwards," Cyclone was quick to add that in as well, "So, it's magic then. The thing everyone knows about but the thing nobody acknowledges at CHS." "About that," Rainbow's tone took on a warning note. Not threatening, just warning. "You just try going to tell some doctor here that you experienced 'magic' from another dimension and you'll find yourself on the thirteenth floor faster than I can run." Cyclone, now sat fully up in her bed, gave her friend the most witheringly deadpan look she could manage. "Dash, do you really think I'm gonna go and run my mouth? I wanna get out of here, not be wearing a straitjacket for the rest of my life. I'm right though, aren't I?" After a few moment's consideration, Rainbow nodded her head. "Yeah, Juniper was possessed by Equestrian magic and Sunset's new friend kicked the demon back where it came from. Juniper did a lot of property damage, and there were a few minor casualties, but you were the only one seriously hurt. She had a solid insanity defence at the trail. It really wasn't her," explained the star athlete as best she understood what had happened, "It was the possession. Her uncle, Canter Zoom, took care of the damages. He also put half a million to your medical expenses. Doesn't help you walk again, but it's something. Juniper got community service, total of a thousand hours." All the while Rainbow Dash spoke, Cyclone listened attentively. "So Blue was right," she commented when there was silence between them, "Just wrong place at the wrong time?" she let out a deep sigh, "I know future me will be cool with this, but right now I wanna punch her right in the tits." "Yeah, I'm sure you do," Rainbow grinned wide, because that was how she felt about Vignette Valencia, "But shit just happens. If you punch her, you won't be punching the one that did it." Rolling her eyes as she let out another deep, deep sigh, Cyclone said, "I know, Cap." Then, she smiled, "Besides, I couldn't keep up with you anyway. Least now, I can do my own thing and maybe win once in a while." "You think that, huh?" Rainbow smirked, "Maybe I'll get one of those racing chairs just to push you." "Oh, it's on!" Cyclone laughed and shared a fist bump, "We're so having a race when I get outta here, Dash." "I'll give you chance to get some training in first," promised Rainbow, who fully intended to go through with it, "But come the Fall, you better bring your A game. I don't care if I'll have graduated, we're racing." "Like I ever bring anything other than my best, Cap," Cyclone grinned, picturing the competition in her mind's eye, "When I get out, you'll see, I'm gonna tear up the track at CHS." "I'll hold you to that, Cy." The rest of the visit was rather mundane. Rainbow Dash spent twenty minutes talking about what she'd been doing, and how the track team was looking forward to the start of the next school year. Most notable was that Tempest Shadow would be replacing her as team captain once she graduated and left. With half an hour of visiting time left, Monsoon and Bluefeather returned with a tray of institutional coffee for everyone and they all shared more of Cyclone's chocolates. ~ ~ ~ After a couple of medicated dreamless sleeps, Tuesday came around and, once Cyclone had polished off her dinner, the evening nurse wheeled her and her bed into the meeting room at seven p.m. sharp. Unlike her room, which was a two tone blue and white, this was a warm rich burgundy on the walls, though it smelled no less sterile and disinfected. Already there, in addition to Good Hope, were five other patients. There were two men and a woman sat in chairs, one man in a wheelchair and a woman in a bed, like she was. Since she wasn't really sure what to expect, having never done anything like this ever before, Cyclone raised a nervous hand in a tentative wave to the group, "Hey..." "Greetings Cyclone," Good Hope welcomed her with his easy relaxed smile, "And welcome to the support group this evening." "What's up, Doc?" Cyclone had always wanted to say that, and she was pleased to see at least two of the group cracked a smile at her joke. "Let me do introductions," Good Hope continued, very much the conductor in charge of the assemblage, "Cyclone is a very recent paraplegic from the waist down." He then pointed to a maple coloured man in a chair, "Logger will be released in seven days. Car accident, hit by a drunk driver. He lost his wife in the accident." Without pausing for breath, Good Hope moved onto the next man, "Loadstone," he indicated a dark grey skinned individual, "He has stage four leukaemia." After that, he pointed to the woman in a chair, she was at least twice Cyclone's age, golden yellow with white hair, "Pyrite, her mother is in the hospital in hospice care for stage four lung cancer." After that, he moved onto the man in the wheelchair, "Allegro, he was shot in a convince store robbery and he's a paraplegic from the waist down. This is his last meeting as he will be released tomorrow." Finally, the doctor pointed to the pale blue woman in the bed. "This is Sea Breeze; She's had a stroke. Learning to talk, but she can hear just fine. Cyclone, please start off with why you are in the hospital." "Um..." Cyclone didn't know where to look for the best, so she settled on Good Hope. "Well, mine seems pretty lame compared to all of you," she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, feeling like she didn't belong with these people, "I was at the mall with my girlfriend when I got a sunglasses stand thrown into my back. When I woke up, I was paralysed." "Allegro," Good Hope turned immediately to the cherry red man, "Do you have anything to add?" "Let go of the hate," Allegro responded wisely, "You're starting a new life. Live it better than the old one." Despondently, Cyclone shrugged her shoulders, again searching for something to look at that wasn't a person more injured than she was. She was looking for a long time. "I dunno who to even hate, y'know? The one who did it got arrested, got off on insanity, so...I really dunno, here I am, I guess..." "Then why the nightmares on repeat?" asked Good Hope, getting straight to the core of what was bothering the troubled teenager. "I know all about nightmares," Logger spoke up as he brushed his unruly dark brown hair out of his eyes, "The shattering of glass and the bending of metal. Why her and not me. Unlike Allegro, I'm having a hard time letting go of the hate. But like Good Hope says, it's pointless to hate a dead man." Why the nightmares? That was something Cyclone had been asking herself ever since they had started. "I guess," she led with the best theory she had, "I was a runner at CHS. Not the best, but y'know, I wasn't bad, I got up early, I trained hard, won my share of cups and trophies. I'd just made it to the CHS national team. Then this happened, and like, out of nowhere I woke up and I can't walk. Then a day or two later I woke up after a surgery and I'm incontinent. I got scared and freaked, scared that the next time I'd wake up, I wouldn't be able to move, and so on, and it got worse." "Sea Breeze knows that feeling now," added Good Hope, who received a wink of approval from the woman in the bed, "But she will fully regain the ability to move in time." "Where's the break?" Cyclone turned to the cherry red Allegro and replied, "I have a spacer for my L3 and rods. I suppose...the nightmares freak me out so much cos I end up totally paralysed, and I can't race at all, or do anything." "Mine is my T12," Allegro commented with a rueful smile, "I have to wear a bag, because I wouldn't know if I've crapped myself till it hits my nose." "Thank you," Pyrite balked at the man's frankness and at the image he had placed in her head, "It's not a pleasant smell." "Do you think you'll have any more surgeries, Cyclone?" asked Good Hope, for the moment ignoring the little spat that had developed between Allegro and Pyrite, both of whom were sticking their tongues out at each other. "I dunno, I mean, I hope not," Cyclone replied defensively, very much on the back foot, even if she couldn't stand on her back foot, "They haven't said anything. The other day, I was being a brat to True Heart, I said why bother exercising my legs, she said would you rather they be amputated, I said save that for the next time I wake up." She paused and shuddered, "Now I'm scared to go sleep..." "Made my mind up, I'm keeping mine." Stated Allegro definitely, "I'm gonna put a pully system in and kick some ass from my chair!" when the others laughed at the old jock's humour, Cyclone found herself laughing along with them before she knew what she was doing. "I know it sounds lame," Cyclone said once the laughter had died down, "Some bratty kid running her mouth all over the place." "The nightmares are real," Logger spoke from experience, "It took a long time for me to wake up knowing I wasn't in the car. I still have them, even now." "And what are you taking for them?" "Nothing," Logger responded quickly to Good Hope's question, "I took those trancs for a week, but the last thing I wanted was to be taking them for life." "Come on!" exclaimed Cyclone, drawing everyone's attention to her, "I think the drugs are amazing!" she smiled a most contented smile, "I took it and I had the best night's sleep since I've been here. No dreams, no nightmare!" "Work it out, kid," Allegro said gruffly, earning a nod of agreement from Logger, "Know where you are, and get off the drug quick sharp." Good Hope agreed with Logger and Allegro. "The medication has a use, Cyclone, but it's not meant to be the solution." In her bed, Cyclone couldn't help but think back to the first day after she had taken the drug, and the recent days when she had been taking it, and to her full wastebasket. "Well..." she conceded, "I'll admit the throwing up wasn't any fun." Loadstone spoke up then, for the first time. The dark grey woman's voice as low and gravelly as her name suggested. "Try chemo, kid." Cyclone had never experienced that, nor had she had a relative that had experienced it, but she knew instinctively it was a bad thing to endure. "That must really suck, huh?" "Yeah, it does," agreed Lodestone with a reluctant smile to the young girl, "But someone after me might have a chance. All I live for is the now." "Is it worth it?" "Day to day on that, Doc." "And?" "I'm going to beat this." Listening to the back and forth between Lodestone and Good Hope, Cyclone found herself genuinely smiling for one of the first times in recent days. It was infectious. "My team captain told me in no uncertain terms that it wasn't going to slow me down." "Like I said, the old life is gone," Allegro repeated, this time not quite as gruffly as before, "Make the most of this new life." Pyrite quickly agreed with them. "It's hard though to go on knowing you'll leave someone behind." "Someone dying isn't the worst part of death," stated Good Hope, "The worst part is after, all the days they stay dead and you don't. It's never easy on the living. Even harder for some who are living on borrowed time." Logger and Allegro both raised up an imaginary glass of beer in a celebratory toast to the good doctor, "Preach it, brother." "Yeah, I guess I'm having trouble seeing it, y'know? Like," Cyclone paused and she tried to organise her thoughts. She had never been all that eloquent, that was her girlfriend's forte, using impressive words that teachers liked in her essays, "I'd be out training and running, and everything made sense. I could run for ages and ages and everything was right. Now all I can train is my arms, I miss running..." she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head and blushed, feeling really lame next to these patients. "Sorry..." that made her feel twice as lame. "I miss a good bowel movement," Allegro said bluntly, earning him a snigger from Logger and a roll of the eyes from Pyrite. Logger added, "I miss my wife." Loadstone put in, "I miss the energy I used to have." "Yeah," Cyclone decided she needed to pony up if she was ever going to get over this, "I need to stop whining about not running and embrace the wheelchair racing." She smiled, because she knew there were people who had her back, no matter how much of a brat she was. "More power to you," Allegro grinned, "Me, I want to go fishing." "Part of moving forward is to let go of what you can no longer have, and taking on what you now have," stated Good Hope wisely. After that, he produced a large box full of cupcakes, enough for them all to have two each, a tradition, as it was Allegro's last meeting with the group. ~ ~ ~ Following the rather sobering group therapy session, Good Hope continued to reduce Cyclone's medication, swapping it out for a placebo three days in the week. When she didn't notice said change, the doctor reduced it even further, offering the placebo four nights. After the second week in the hospital, Cyclone was only having the actual drug on every third day, and by the time the fourth week rolled around, she was only having the prescribed medication on the Monday. It certainly helped that by the start of the third week of her 'incarceration', Cyclone was getting about in a wheelchair as thanks to her physical therapy, she was now strong enough to get in and out of bed herself. Before anyone knew it, the time for Cyclone's dismissal was at hand. Good Hope gave her a thirty day dose of placebos and told her to take them only as needed. Since this date was known to them all well in advance, Tropical Storm, Monsoon and Bluefeather were there to escort her out. "I suppose they're going to make you leave in a wheelchair," Tropical Storm couldn't resist the cheesy dad joke, and Monsoon couldn't resist performing an eyeroll at her husband's cheesy dad joke. Cyclone looked to Bluefeather, who was trying very hard not to lose it in a fit of giggles, and instead she addressed her nurse, who was also trying not to laugh. "Hey, can I wheel myself out, at least?" True Heart, who was uncharacteristically giggling at the scene playing out before her, clapped Cyclone on the back and only nearly spilled her patient from the chair. "That you can," she snickered, "Not that I don't enjoy your company, but do try to be a stranger." "And here I was gonna come see you every week too, True!" At that, True Heart really did laugh out loud and she was still laughing when she waved Cyclone good-bye and went back into the hospital. For everything she had said, she really would miss the young woman. In the two months she had known her, she had grown fond of her. The rest of the group followed Cyclone out of the elevator and out to the parking lot. "We do get better parking now," Tropical Storm proudly showed off the bright sky blue minivan that was parked up in the disabled zone. "I have you signed up for Driver's Ed at CHS so you can drive this beauty yourself." "Oh cool!" Cyclone clapped her hands in giddy excitement at the prospect of driving the blue beauty. It looked like it could carry the whole track team! "Maybe I can drive this better than a regular car, I mean...yay!" "That's all part of being independent," Tropical Storm grinned at his daughter, "More than enough room for you and your girlfriend in here," he then added a completely unnecessary, "Nudge nudge wink wink," along with actually nudging and winking at Cyclone and at Bluefeather, causing the grey skinned teenager to blush hard and Monsoon to use her best eyeroll, the one she saved for occasions like this. "Sweet!" Cyclone cheered in the middle of the parking lot, her fists punching the air like she had just won a big race at CHS and she had been presented with a massive shiny trophy, "Make Out Mountain here we come!" Poor Bluefeather was now burning up, doing an excellent imitation of a tomato while Tropical Storm led Cyclone around the van to the passenger side. They had to shield their eyes against the hot summer sun. "Use the side door handle and back up with the door," he explained, "The button under the handle extends the ramp, but only with the door fully open." "I got it, dad," Cyclone giggled as she operated the gizmo - she called everything she didn't understand a 'gizmo' - and she manoeuvred herself into the vehicle's seat. "Hey Blue, you know you're cute when you blush, right?" In the van, Cyclone found the front right seat was missing so that she could move into that spot, wheelchair and all. The driver's side looked normal, but for some extra levers on the steering wheel that weren't 'normal'. "The wheelchair locks there and behind the driver seat," explained Tropical Storm while Monsoon and the intensely blushing Bluefeather sat in the first row of the back seats. "Once you pass the Driver's Ed class, you can have the keys." "Sweet! Driver's Ed here I come!" Cyclone had a very happy look on her face, one that rivalled the look she had the first time she had seen the work of art that was Exploding Ninja Pirates from Outer Space, "It's so good to be free!" Monsoon openly smirked at her daughter from her place in the back, "Cy did take Driver's Ed in her junior year, and she only had one minor incident on some ice, and I can attest there was no damage." She rather enjoyed the pout on Cyclone's face, "You do have a week before classes start, and you have a membership to a gym now that specializes in paraplegic clients." Having finally recovered from her blush, Bluefeather added, "You'll have that racing chair working in no time, babe." Just as Tropical Storm started up the van and pulled out of the lot, Cyclone looked over her shoulder and she saw the blush was missing from her grey cheeks. She determined to put it back. "You just want to ogle the gun show, right babe?" she demonstratively flexed an arm. And as quick as that, Bluefeather felt that blush return to her cheeks, warming her face, again. It wasn't her fault, how was she supposed to resist that bulging bicep. "I'm not going to complain," she retorted, "You're all sexy and buff!" Modest as ever, Cyclone flashed her girlfriend a wink, "Damn right I'm sexy, I'm even sexier with my top off..." "Please save the flirting for when we get home," interjected Monsoon, despairing that yet again she was the voice of reason. "I'm sure your father has a camera somewhere to record it." Quickly, Cyclone shut up. She remembered what her dad had said to her weeks ago, that he didn't want her in his magazine. Still. "Consider it saved, mom. Oh..." a thought occurred to her then as her dad drove along the street, "I guess my room isn't upstairs anymore, huh?" "It is, actually," replied Monsoon, "We redecorated the house to suit you. Of the settlement you received, you have just over two hundred thousand left." "While you can't get the money," Tropical Storm added quickly, because he knew what his daughter was thinking, namely how many comics she could buy with that amount of money. "You can submit expenses for anything related to your injury. This minivan, the house remodelling, your hospital visits and any rehab you might need." A short time later, they arrived back at Cyclone's home, the first time she had seen it in two months. One of the first things she took note of was the ramp at the front entrance. "There's a ramp at the back too and another to get to the pool," Tropical Storm explained to her while Monsoon helped her out of the van. "You're on your own if you use the diving board." Inside the large house - that was admittedly more of a mansion than a house - Cyclone immediately caught sight of the new chair lift for both the stairs going up to the second floor and stairs going down to the basement. All doors had also been made wide enough for a wheelchair to go through. There had never been much in the way of clutter in the home, thanks to her mother and the cleaning staff being so assiduous, so Cyclone judged that moving around room to room shouldn't pose her a problem. "Wow..." Cyclone exclaimed, "Look at this place! All these things were changed in a month? I'm impressed!" she wheeled herself through the house and she looked around eagerly like it was Hearth's Warming morning, "Not that I wanna ditch you guys, but I want to ditch you and get to my room." As it happened, Bluefeather was also keen to get herself and Cyclone into her bedroom. It had been two months, after all. A girl had needs. Needs that hadn't been attended to in two months. "Come on, check out the lift!" "I'm right behind you, babes!" and she was, too. She was just as eager as Bluefeather to get upstairs. Thankfully, the lift was simple to operate, simple enough for Cyclone to operate, and it was slow enough that Bluefeather was able to walk up the stairs with her. Luckily, Cyclone found her bedroom where she had left it, with a few new additions, notably her new bed with bars so she could get in and out with ease. The desk had a chair, but it could also accommodate the wheelchair. The balcony outside had a small ramp to get over the sliding glass door hump. Bluefeather closed the door behind her, shutting them both inside faced with the sprawling views out of the huge windows. There was a smirk in her voice when she spoke. "Alone with you at last." "I've been waiting for this for so long!" "So have I..." When Cyclone turned her chair around, she saw Bluefeather was already halfway undressed. She had her top off and she was swiftly removing her bra, "Oh my..." she quickly wheeled herself over to the bed and got on, and she immediately started to take off her tee shirt in order to catch up. "I'm going to do everything I can to make you feel me," promised Bluefeather with intent in her eyes and her voice as her skirt quickly joined her top and her bra on the bedroom floor, "Your nurse was a wealth of information." "Yeah, that sounds like True," Cyclone giggled and, inspired by the sexy eyes she was getting, she managed to strip off her denim shorts and her admittedly unflattering panties. Those gone, she looked down at her unshaven crotch and blushed, "You'll have to ignore the forestation..." "I don't mind at all," Bluefeather was up on the bed in one motion, secreting herself between her girlfriend's hairy legs and her even hairier vagina. The hair didn't bother her. After two months she wouldn't have cared if it had been certified as a jungle. She was going in. Giggling away to hide her uncertain nerves, Cyclone said, "There was no way I was letting True shave me." She trusted her nurse, but there was limits. "I could give you a trim, but then I could do this..." Bluefeather took hold of a turquoise pubic hair at the top and pulled it hard. Cyclone did feel the pressure, but not as much pain as she would have expected. "Ah!" the black skinned teenager yelped, "I felt that, like...not as much as before, but I felt it!" Experimentally, Bluefeather moved down to the centre of the labia and she pulled out another hair, "Ah!" Cyclone gasped pre-emptively, because she could see and should feel something, then she frowned a little when she felt nothing. A frown that matched Cyclone's crossed Bluefeather's face at her apparent failure, "I think trimming you one hair at a time is not the best way to go." So, she decided on another path. She parted the labia with her fingers and she playfully toyed with her girlfriend's clitoris. While Cyclone certainly felt the pressure of Bluefeather's fingers, there was no joy from the love button. After a few seconds, she grunted in frustration, then she immediately felt double guilty because Bluefeather was doing her best. "Babes, don't think I don't appreciate it, I do, but um...could you maybe go inside?" "This is for me, not you," Bluefeather looked up from her workstation with a giggle, "I'm just confirming what True Heart told me. Now to get you to really feel me. Ah, wait!" she got off the bed and she moved to the desk and investigated the bottom left drawer. There, she pulled out a tube of lube and she returned to the bed. "I'm glad you parents transferred everything from the old desk to the new one." "Sorry babes," Cyclone completely missed the implication that both her parents had seen the contents of their sexy times drawer, "I'm being a brat again, aren't I?" Bluefeather saw the guilty blush her girlfriend wore and she had to agree with her. "You're my brat. You are a bit dry down there, but I think I can change that. When I'm done you're going to need to change the sheets." It amazed Cyclone how Bluefeather made squeezing out a dollop of lube onto her fingers an intimidating gesture, but she did and it really turned Cyclone on. "Oh yeah?" her familiar cocky smile returned, "And just what are you gonna do, huh?" A smile crossed Bluefeather's face, because her girlfriend was as slow on the uptake as ever. Instead of replying, she worked her fingers inside her tunnel far enough that she could reach the G spot. "Time to see if what True told me was true..." Up at the head of her bed, Cyclone's eyes went wide as she watched all Bluefeather's fingers fit inside her. That was new. "Y-You got them all in! We...we've never done that before!" By contrast, Bluefeather was a picture of control. "Relax and let me take you away on a pleasure cruise." "Blow me away babes!" Cyclone bit her lip and she watched the grey hand disappear in and out of her like a magic trick, going deeper every time. Bluefeather, smirking, ran her fingers not too delicately around Cyclone's wet inner walls but mostly she toyed with her G spot. As the natural vaginal fluids started to flow, Bluefeather knew she was doing it right. She had a plan, and her thrusting fingers were going to achieve that plan. The more she played with her G spot, she got what she wanted. Cyclone shot a little fountain of urine after spluttering out a too late, "I'm gonna p...'." Usually one who was fastidiously super clean, Bluefeather couldn't care less that she was splattered over her arm and face with Cyclone's pee as the golden liquid dripped down to her modest B cup chest. "Don't think I'm done with you yet, brat." Now they were fully lubricated, she pushed her fingers deeper inside her. "Wh-Wha...MMmmm!" Cyclone gave up questioning what Bluefeather was doing as she felt those fingers going deeper. She had been worried in the hospital that she'd never feel this again, but she could definitely feel it. "O-Oh my, Blue!" "I have toys," Bluefeather smirked, feeling like she was on such a power trip with her hand and some of her forearm in her girlfriend's snatch, "But they're at home. I want you to feel me, and trust me, it is hot to watch this." "Oh, it's hot..." Cyclone looked down again and she was greeted to the sight of Bluefeather's hand completely inside her and she felt her fingertips so close to her cervix, "It looks hot and it feels hot!" Leaning down, Bluefeather kissed just above her arm, "I'm sorry you're not getting pleasure from this, but I am." Finally, before Cyclone could say anything, she tapped her cervical wall. "Oh...oooOOH!" Cyclone was unprepared for the tap; she was even more unprepared for Bluefeather to start pulling her arm out and thrusting it back inside. "I-I wouldn't say Mmmm I'm not getting any!" Each deep thrust she felt a firm tap to her cervix, and soon she was a mewling and moaning mess. "Be sure to thank the nurse for my education, Cy." "I-I'll MMMMmmm I'll send her a Hearths Warming card!" it wasn't possible for True Heart to be further away from Cyclone's thoughts as four fingers and a thumb tapped her in rapid succession like a machine gun and she came to an Equestria shattering climax in no time at all. When Cyclone had ridden out her orgasm, Bluefeather pulled her hand out and while she licked her glistening fingers clean, she admired the gaping pussy before her knowing she had made it happen. "My turn, brat. I could make you crawl your body around to eat me out, or I could just sit on your face." There was only one choice. "I was born to be your seat, Blue." It wasn't really a choice. That suited Bluefeather just fine. "A fine seat you are, lover," she promptly spun around and she swung her left leg over Cyclone's face. Satisfied, she lowered her clean shaven pussy down on her face. While she was facing her feet, she started playing with her almost non-existent A cup boobs. "MMmmm!" Cyclone's pleasured moan was muffled considerably by Bluefeather's toned shapely rear. She quickly got to work, teasing her at first with slow deliberate licks up and down her girlfriend's slick labia. While she was being attended to, Bluefeather was discovering she was enjoying being the dominant partner. There was something about having a tongue forced up into her as she ground down on her face that she found really, really arousing. To encourage her seat to lick her harder and faster, Bluefeather groped Cyclone's tiny breasts and tweaked her nipples. Hard. After a few moments of teasing, she went to work properly on Bluefeather's dripping wet snatch, alternating between thrusting her tongue in and out and licking at her hard throbbing clitoris. That really hit the spot. Or multiple spots, as it were. Bluefeather expressed her pleasure by pressing down on her seat. in pleasure. "There!" she squealed when that tongue went in her again, "Right there, Cy, it has been too long!" "MmHHHMMmm!" Cyclone swirled her tongue in deep around Bluefeather's muscular walls a few times and then she returned her attention to sucking on her clit. "Do me Cyclone! Do me!" screamed Bluefeather, and her girlfriend's muffled, 'Yes ma'am!' only made her hornier and hornier, wetter and wetter. Under her, Cyclone wrapped her lips around Bluefeather's clit, nibbling on it gently and sucking on it as hard as she could. That did it for her. Bluefeather spasmed on top of her. "Cyclone!" After a full minute, Bluefeather fell forwards panting for breath and supported barely by her arms. After that minute, sixty full seconds of no air, Cyclone desperately tapped at her girlfriend's leg when she showed no sign of letting up or getting up. Heeding the signal, Bluefeather slid forward until her head was between Cyclone's knees. "Thank you for being there for me..." "Thank you, babes, for the same thing..." Cyclone breathed, and she groped at Bluefeather's ass, since it was right there on her chest in front of her at arm's reach. On top of her, Bluefeather murred, one hand was tickling under a knee, but Cyclone couldn't see or feel it. Even so, she was still smiling at doing it. "I always did like a full moon..." Cyclone massaged Bluefeather's ass, her hands dangerously close to her wet moist pussy. "I still think you owe me another. I'll let you breath this time." "I think so too!" in complete and utter agreement, Cyclone slid two of her fingers into Bluefeather's tunnel, her thumb of the other hand playing with her sensitive nub. She wasn't sure if she could take a hand like she could. Bluefeather allowed Cyclone to move her forward or back until she was comfortable and, after that, she was content to rock back and forth on her girlfriend's two fingers. Under her lover, with her grey feet either side of her head, the athlete was struck by an inspiration. She stopped thrusting her fingers in and out of her for a moment so she could put Bluefeather's feet on her face, where she kissed them like she was making out with her. While she planted wet sloppy kissed on her girlfriend's toes, she returned to sliding her fingers in and out of her and thumbing her hard clit. On top, Bluefeather squealed and giggled as she felt her toes get pleasured. It was new but it certainly wasn't unwelcome. To tease her, she wiggled her toes in Cyclone's mouth. Smirking, Cyclone kissed and sucked on each wiggling toe and then she slipped in a third finger into Bluefeather's dripping snatch. When Cyclone paid full attention to rubbing her sensitive clit harder, Bluefeather screamed as she came hard. Not only did she squirt her orgasm all over Cyclone's face, but she also splayed out her toes, rubbing them over her nose and mouth. Riding out her climax, she slid forward some more until her head was between a pair of black legs. "Cyclone!" she breathed, "I...wow!" "I know," Cyclone didn't bother to keep the smug grin out of her voice, "I blew you away." She sounded very proud of herself, which she was, "Like...a cyclone!" Then, she hugged the only body part she could reach, Bluefeather's lower legs and more importantly, her feet. Slowly, Bluefeather rolled over so that her back was laid on Cyclone's front, "I find comfort in your storm, baby," she grinned, before smothering her grinning face with the soles of her feet.
Harmony University: Riding the Storm	Chapter 4 - Home Sweet Mistress	"So uh, are you gonna explain the pee?" asked Cyclone, whose voice was somewhat muffled and slurred by Bluefeather's grey feet which were still planted firmly on her face, "You're pretty chill with it on your face," she pointed out as she nuzzled those sexy feet. Giggling, Bluefeather rubbed her soles over her girlfriend's face, smooshing her cheeks and her nose between her toes and the balls of her feet. "I knew the risks going in that you wouldn't have good bladder control. I'm not going to do you wearing a nappy, so I decided it didn't matter if you pissed on me or not. When we did nappy play, you never really used them, well that will change too!" "And you have the sexiest feet I've ever seen," Cyclone planted several wet kisses all over Bluefeather's feet, worshipping her arches and her toes, before she let out a nervous giggle, "I've kinda wanted to try kissing them for ages, but I chickened out before." Bluefeather adjusted her position and laid alongside her girlfriend on the bed, "I think I'll stay from your groin up myself. It's a good thing my feet aren't ticklish..." "So...you don't think it's weird?" Considering that for a moment, Bluefeather took careful note of the fragility and vulnerability in Cyclone's voice. It wasn't often her brat showed that side of herself, so she knew to handle it with care. "You, love," she said carefully, "Are weird, then I'm weird, so I guess we're normal?" she finished her point by hugging Cyclone tightly. "I'll go with that," Cyclone hugged Bluefeather to her and she kissed her lips, "The past month taught me not to hold back on stuff, cos life is short and shit happens." Laughing at her lover's rather crass philosophical view on life, Bluefeather found herself agreeing with her, at least in spirit if not in the exact wording, "And I'll clean that up to. No issues." Smirking, Cyclone playfully booped Bluefeather's nose, "I didn't mean that kind of shit," then, with a dawning realisation, she got the joke, "You know what I mean." Again, Bluefeather laughed, because she swore she could see the gears turning in Cyclone's head as she got her joke. "I do know what you meant, but it was funny when I said it." "So um, if you want," Cyclone started nervously, her blue eyes looking everywhere in her room except at the teenager laid beside her, "I'd love to do that with your feet again. If you wanted to. And uh...what you did was cool too." The sheer nervousness and open vulnerability that Cyclone was presenting to her made Bluefeather's heart melt. It was so adorable to see. "You mean making my hand disappear?" "Better than one of Trixie's magic tricks," Cyclone tried to cover her nerves with a joke and a giggle, "I've never been fisted before." "You've never had this ease of access before," countered Bluefeather, making the very good point. "I love you, Cy, and I'm going to use what you have to the best of both our worlds." "Well, I can't argue that. I know you mentioned doing it a while back," Cyclone admitted with a blush, "And I kinda shut it down. I'm glad you did it now though, it felt amazing!" "Experiences change," Bluefeather said with a wisdom beyond her years, "And I'll change to make sure you still experience all of me. So, I think I'll let you have my toes," she leant in and whispered in her girlfriend's ear, "If you're a good girl." "I can be a good girl!" instantly, Cyclone caught the sceptical look on Bluefeather's face, "I can! Well...maybe less of a brat, any way..." A grey finger on her lips silenced Cyclone. "Don't change for me, my lovely brat." Then, she gave voice to a thing that had occurred to her during the incredibly hot sex she had just had, "Would you like me to be a disciplining nanny?" That made Cyclone think. As much as she ever thought about anything. She thought about how dominant Bluefeather had been while she had been rubbing her feet over her face. She immediately decided she wanted more of that. "I would very much love you to be a disciplining nanny." "I thought you might," Bluefeather smirked knowingly, able to read her girlfriend like an open book, "True Heart said she kept a firm hand and you stayed focused." That sounded like True Heart to Cyclone. "So the camp commandant hired a helper, huh?" the black skinned teenager giggled, "We'll have to get you a uniform from the MiAC store." Bluefeather was down with that, though probably not the visit to the mall, "Leather is very fashionable." "So...here's an idea," started Cyclone, "You want to get a shower, get dressed and take a walk to the mall?" Quickly, almost too quickly, Bluefeather shook her head. "This is your first day home. I'm sure your parents know you're alive. Enjoy exploring the home built for you. And pass that driving class. Your car is way cooler than mine." All that said, Bluefeather really didn't want to take Cyclone back to the mall yet. Too soon. "You're right," Cyclone didn't want to argue with her, "It probably is too soon. I was thinking of the whole 'get back on the horse' thing. I totally wasn't thinking about Exploding Ninja Pirates From Outer Space 4, at all..." A roll of her eyes from Bluefeather said she didn't believe her. That dumb franchise was the other thing she was forced to endure, as well as Power Ponies. "If we walk out like this is your dad going to take pictures?" way to change the subject! "Well...he said he doesn't want me in the magazine," pondered Cyclone out loud, more to herself than to her girlfriend, "But I wouldn't put it past him to take pictures for our benefit." "Pfft," Bluefeather snorted dismissively, "Bathrobes for the both of us. If we want pictures for us, I'll let him take them." Again, Cyclone wasn't about to argue with her, "Bathrobes it is, babes." "Bathrobe for me, you can do as you please," Bluefeather hopped off the bed and slipped on a spare bathrobe hanging off the back of the door and she waited for Cyclone to catch her up, "You are the exhibitionist." "When you look this hot, it's a shame to cover it up," Cyclone responded as she slid herself off the bed and into her chair, a move she was getting really good at now. Before she opened the bedroom door though, Bluefeather instead opened the adjacent bathroom door like she was a professional doormen as she wanted to see Cyclone's reaction. "Thank you, babes," Cyclone wheeled herself across her bedroom to the open door and she was immediately impressed, "Wow!" What greeted her was a wall mounted sink, which was lower than normal with no vanity underneath so that a wheelchair could roll right up to it. There was a standard toilet/bidet with rails, and a walk in tub/jacuzzi that had a mesh seat at the foot of the tub inside it and a rail for the seat along the foot and back side of the tub to make easy reach of the shower head and controls. Cyclone wheeled herself inside and her head was on a swivel trying to look at everything all at once. "I'll say again, wow! Look at all this!" she moved herself under the sink and looked around the walk in tub. "Everything's designed for independence," commented Bluefeather, "But since I'm here I'm going to clean you up before we venture back out into the house. Shower or bath?" About to ask why she wanted to clean her, Cyclone caught a whiff of herself and she knew why. They both stank of sex and sweat, though she reeked a great deal more. "I would love a real proper bath." "You can open the door for easier access, unless you're comfortable to use the rails to go over the side," explained Bluefeather as she removed her robe and hung it on the back of the bathroom door. Expertly, Cyclone parked herself up at the side of the tub and, "Watch this!" she used the hand rails to get in over the side with a sigh of relief. The last time she said 'watch this' she had tripped in a race and ate track, coming in stone dead last. As soon as she was in the tub, Bluefeather held up a bottle of bubble bath soap in the shape of a Power Pony, because of course Cyclone's things were Power Pony shaped. "Look, I've got Mr. Bubbles!" she had no idea who the character was, "Get the water started." "Yes ma'am, you know I love me some bubbles!" Cyclone giggled and she quickly got the hot water running. While she did that, Bluefeather added a good amount of bubble bath and she set up some towels. She then got in with her. "Now this, I missed," the black skinned girl snuggled up to her lover, "Bath times just weren't the same with a nurse who's as wide as she is tall and solid muscle too." Giggling, Bluefeather was only too happy to snuggle up to Cyclone in the hot bubbly water. She had missed this, too, not just the physical sex, although that was awesome, she missed this, too, just being with the girl she loved. "So, you want me to get a sponge?" "I do want you to get a sponge," having said that though, Cyclone didn't let her go. While she lacked the ability to say just how much she had missed just being with Bluefeather, now she was there in the bath, she wanted to hold her forever. Luckily, Bluefeather was fluent in 'Cy Body Language', and she knew just what the iron hard grip on her meant. ~ ~ ~ "Dinner's ready!" Monsoon shouted up from the kitchen just over a couple of hours after Cyclone and Bluefeather's bath had concluded. She had of course asked the teenager to stay, and she had been overjoyed when she had agreed. Bluefeather was too eager to stay for dinner. Not only did she want to spend more time with Cyclone, but Monsoon was an excellent cook, and she wasn't about to pass that up. "Hey," she nudged Cyclone on the bed, "You wanna race down the stairs?" "You're on!" Cyclone, who was at last dressed in her denim shorts and a loose tee - not her idea, Bluefeather had 'suggested' she wear at least something - slid herself from her bed and into her chair, where she wheeled herself to the chair lift. "On three!" On three it was. The race began with Cyclone setting off the chair, then Bluefeather 'raced' her down the stairs walking backwards keeping pace with her, but right at the bottom, just before the end, she jumped off and won. While the chair was still reaching the end, Bluefeather was dancing a victory dance and waiting to see how Cyclone would react. Cyclone, who did not like to lose at anything, even games of Snakes and Ladders, sat wide eyed at the apparent betrayal. Then, seeing the happy look of victory on her girlfriend's face, she blinked once then twice, then she grinned. "Nicely won, babes!" Smiling a smile a mile wide, Bluefeather hugged Cyclone tight. "When you're on the short track, your teammates will be doing that to you. You going to be okay with that?" she asked, though she fancied she knew the answer to that. It wasn't that long ago that Cyclone would have had a ten minute meltdown at losing like that. "Yeah," Cyclone disengaged herself from the lift and she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. That old familiar burning tantrum feeling was bubbling in her gut, but somehow, for some reason, she didn't let it go like she would have before. "I mean, it'll sting, sure, but, I'll be fine." Bluefeather could see the fight in her girlfriend's eyes, and she gave her a kiss to show how proud she was of her growth. "Captain Dash told me and she'll tell you. She going to turn you into a distance racer," appreciatively, she ran her hands along Cyclone's developing biceps and triceps, "You'll need to keep working on these beauties." Cyclone flushed hard at Bluefeather groping her arms, "We-Well....I-I um..." she stammered, "I've never been one for greater distances than eight hundred metres, but there is the five thousand and the ten thousand metre races." "Time will tell," Bluefeather affectionately stroked her fingers over the black muscle, "But I'll always believe in you." "I believe in you fondling my arms..." Cyclone couldn't resist, and predictably Bluefeather blushed at being called out like that. "Brat." Bluefeather shrugged, trying to play it off, "Jocks, gotta love them when they're as cute as you." Making their way through the house to the dining room, Cyclone found that her spot at the table was a small platform with a ramp that put her at just the right height and the others were in chairs. Bluefeather of course was sat next to Cyclone, as Monsoon and Tropical Storm bought out platter after platter to feed them. "Oh, steak, that looks good, ma'am." "Food!" Cyclone clapped her hands at the arrival of trays full of hot steaming food. She wondered briefly why her mom and dad were doing it, then she just assumed the staff had been given the night off. "Real actual food! And it's not in a tiny white tray!" "Sorry," grinned Tropical Storm mischievously, "We only have placemats. I hope you'll still be able to eat without a white tray." That earned him a very noisy eye roll from Monsoon and a giggle from Bluefeather. "Ha, ha, dad, very funny," Cyclone looked around like she expected True Heart to appear from a side room and start feeding her like she had done in the hospital, "Mom, food me up." After a moment of nothing being done and no movement taking place, she added, "Please." When Cyclone said the magic word, Monsoon happily served up a generous helping of baked sweet potatoes, slices of medium rare steak and a ladle of cheesy broccoli on the plate. Not only did she serve her daughter but Bluefeather and Tropical Storm as well. "We may need to do something about soundproofing the rooms, Storm." "You know what," there was a cheeky glint in the man's eyes, "I think you're right, my love, we don't want the neighbours complaining about the noise." The deep blush that adorned Bluefeather's cheeks was utterly adorable. Cyclone laughed, for the closest 'neighbours' were half a block away, "Come on, dad, you can't blame Blue for being loud when she rides 'this' storm!" While Monsoon and Tropical Storm both laughed, poor Bluefeather blushed harder until her grey face was almost completely bright red. "Dig in, you two," she beamed affectionately, particularly to Bluefeather, "Or I'll think you don't like my cooking." As soon as her mother said that, Cyclone began to eat like she had been starved on a desert island for a month. Bluefeather ate at a rather more refined pace than Cyclone, who was shovelling in the food like an excavator. "I think I need to up my game," Tropical Storm grinned, "It's easier to tease my daughter's girlfriend than it is to tease her." Monsoon not only rolled her eyes, but she also shook her head this time too. "Some things never change." Looking for any chance she could to get the attention away from herself, Bluefeather said, "You wouldn't think she'd been fed at the hospital, would you?" she giggled, but still blushed while the oblivious Cyclone hoovered her food down. The good food was followed by and even better chocolate mousse for dessert. Once she was all done, Cyclone let loose with a window shaking burp that was her judgment on the meal. "Excuse me!" she giggled, completely unashamed. In a stark contrast, Bluefeather daintily placed her spoon into her empty bowl, "I do believe that is the Cy seal of approval." "Do you need a ride home Blue?" asked Tropical Storm as he and his wife began to clear away the empty dishes. "Well, if you don't mind, I could let my folks know I'm spending the night?" Tropical Storm and Monsoon both shared a look and a nod between them. "One less thing to worry about," he agreed, seeing no problem with her staying over. "That just means you can work without interruption, Storm," commented Monsoon over her shoulder as she carried away an armful of empty bowls and spoons to the kitchen. After she had wiped her face clean on a napkin, "What are you working on, dad?" "I'm finalising a spread for the next Playcolt edition called Bondage Babes of Kappa Alpha Theta," explained Tropical Storm, "I'm using stills taken from the DVD we shot over the last week." Monsoon poked her head around the kitchen door frame. "He's only using that title because I was a member of the KAT house." By way of explanation, her husband just smiled in his seat. "But were you a bondage babe, mom?" smirked Cyclone, asking the important question of her mother. "No dear, I'm afraid not," called Monsoon from the kitchen where she had loaded the dirty dinner dishes into the dishwasher, "I had other more pressing activities at college." "I have the pictures to prove it..." Tropical Storm didn't elaborate further because his wife had silenced him with the 'Wife Glare'. Instead, wisely, he chose to help her clean up in the kitchen. Even Cyclone, dense as she was, recognised 'that' glare. "Oookay...moving on, bondage is that thing you do with the collars and whips, right?" Monsoon decided to let her husband carry on cleaning everything away in the kitchen while she went back to the dining room. "Do you know what BDSM stands for?" she asked as she sat back down at the table. "I do!" Bluefeather thrust her hand up like she was in class and the teacher had called on her to answer a nastily hard question, "It stands for Bondage and Discipline, Sadism and Masochism." Cyclone blinked dumbfoundedly at Bluefeather, her mouth hanging open like she was going to say something and it got stolen away from her on the way from her brain to her lips. "I-Is that really what it means?" "You're close," Monsoon corrected her gently, "It's three things, each a pair of letters. The first has nothing to do with collars and whips, the last has to do with whips. The middle is collars. It really means Bondage and Discipline, Domination and Submission, Sadism and Masochism." "Hmm," Bluefeather pondered that, "I guess it's easier saying BDSM than saying BDDSSM," she said with a giggle in her voice. Again, Cyclone stared at her girlfriend like she had three heads. "How do you know that, Blue?" Three heads and she was suddenly bright pink. "Hey, dad," she called to the kitchen, "Are the people you shoot really into it, or like, they say they are for the pay check? Or can you even tell the difference? Does it even matter?" "A bit of both," he replied, along with several clanks and bangs that was him wrestling with the dishwasher, "But all of them are in my line of work for a pay check, Cy." "Because you find romance novels dull, you brat." Monsoon gazed at Bluefeather like she was seeing her for the first time, "You read Woodiwiss?" "Oh yeah!" With the enthusiasm in Bluefeather and her mother's voice, Cyclone couldn't help but feel invisible all of a sudden. Guessing she wouldn't be missed, she wheeled herself into the kitchen. She needed to talk to her dad. "So huh, that discipline, the uh, dominance and submission, that's normal, right dad?" she asked awkwardly, "Suppose someone had ideas about it, just suppose..." Tropical Storm, who was busy scrubbing the dishes that were too dirty to go straight into the dishwasher, turned to his daughter. "Normal is a point of view. Fantasies are normal. Everyone has them, Cy." Her body language gave away her blush, "Acting out the fantasy can, or cannot, be normal. Forcing your fantasy on another is not normal. Sharing with another is. Do you have a fantasy you want to share with someone, or just force it down their throat?" "I'm a jock, not an idiot, dad." Cyclone replied defensively, "It's one I want to share, it's just...well, I didn't know I felt this way about this till earlier, like a few hours earlier." Smiling, Tropical Storm handed the dishes to Cyclone to put in the dishwasher. "I hope it's not leg wrestling." "Oh ha de ha, Captain Funny, not..." she started to load the dishwasher, "It's not leg wrestling, genius, it's Blue." "Duh." "Yeah," Cyclone rubbed the back of her head and found literally anything in the kitchen more interesting that looking at her dad, "Well um, namely Blue dominating and disciplining me." Recognising his daughter was being completely genuine and vulnerable, Tropical Storm nodded, deciding not to tease her, for once. "If you go that way, you need to be very clear in what you expect, want, and desire. Then make sure you tell that to Blue." Quietly, Cyclone considered that. It was what she wanted, but was it what Bluefeather wanted? Once the washer was loaded, she decided there was no time like the present. "Hey babes, are you ready to go up?" When no response came from the dining room, Tropical Storm asked, "What nefarious activity were they up to when you left?" "Talking about boring books with no pictures in them," Cyclone answered with a disinterested shrug, "I figured it was egghead stuff, that's why I came to talk to you." "Trust me, Monsoon was never into egghead books." "Mom mentioned someone called Woodiwiss," another shrug came from Cyclone, "You know me dad, if it's not comics, I assume the worst." With a deep sigh, Tropical Storm facepalmed, "Oh gods, bodice rippers. Those novels are so cheesy they make our scripts look good," he started laughing, "Now you need to find out if Blue wants to dominate or be dominated." "Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do, dad. Now uh," she asked, trying not to be awkward in it, "Should I be tactful about it, or should I be me?" "Be you, but not in the dining room. She is staying the night." "I was going to wait till we were upstairs, dad." "You? Reserved?" Tropical Storm laughed at the totally adorable pout on his daughter's face. "Come on, let's save your girlfriend from your mom," he grabbed a blunt butter knife. "Just follow my lead." "Yes, me!" Cyclone raspberried her dad and she wheeled herself after him back into the dining room. As he left the kitchen, Tropical Storm began to monolog like he was on a Saturday morning cartoon, "The villain saunters into the room twirling his moustache. What is this? Monsoon, how dare I find you courting this harlot! The villain pulls out a knife!" he brandished the butter knife like it was a longsword. "That bodice you are wearing looks far to uncomfortable. Allow me to release you of that!" "No, it is not what it seems," Monsoon quickly stood up and declared just as overdramatically as her husband, "Spare me!" she fled from the dining room giggling with him in hot pursuit. Left sat in her seat, Bluefeather wore an amused look on her face as surely as she wore her knee length skirt and her shirt. "I rather like your parents, Cy." Shaking her head, Cyclone giggled, because she could still hear her parents running around the mansion playing their game. "And people think I'm immature. They never wonder where I get it from." Giggling along, Bluefeather added, "It was fun talking to your mom about things you wouldn't do." "Like what?" Bluefeather's giggles gave way to a bright smile, like a spider who had caught her latest prey. "Reading without pictures." Cyclone pouted, realising that she had wheeled herself right into that. "Fine, you got me there. So uh, you ready to go upstairs, babes?" she was ready, she just hoped she was able to actually talk to her properly and not mess it all up. She was very good at that. Smirking, Bluefeather put the back of her hand across her forehead in a very good imitation of Monsoon, "That dreadful villain called me a harlot! I fear I don't have the strength to walk!" she playfully staggered from the chair and flopped dramatically in Cyclone's lap. "Let's away then, my sexy harlot!" Cyclone snickered and, more than happy to play her part, she wheeled her way through the house to the stairs and the chairlift. On the way, Bluefeather whispered, "Just don't hit my head on a door frame, okay?" "Deal," extremely carefully, Cyclone secured her wheelchair in the lift and she rode it with Bluefeather up to her bedroom. "Blue," she said with a serious tone, "Babes, I need to talk to you." Planting a soft and delicate kiss on Cyclone's lips, Bluefeather slipped out of her girlfriend's lap so she could stand back up. "That sounds serous. Something from you and your dad in the kitchen?" "Yeah, I mean, kinda," Cyclone rubbed the back of her head in order to get her thoughts in some kind of order, "Something I've been thinking about since we did it on the bed." "What, you want to do it somewhere other than the bed? My, my. Adventurous." "Well, yeah, but that's not what I wanna talk about, but it is, but..." Cyclone snorted out a breath of frustration and she rubbed the back of her neck again, "The thing is..." she looked down at her knees and suddenly her mouth was all dry. Why was this so damn hard? Taking a little bit of pity on her wheelchair bound lover, Bluefeather bent over and kissed Cyclone deeply on the lips. "Love, just let the words out. We can sort them after." Encouraged, Cyclone closed her eyes and a deep breath later, a torrent spewed out, "I want you to dominate me and humiliate me, make me crawl to kiss your feet and be used as your seat!" the girl's blue eyes were wide and she was breathing hard after all that in one go. After listening to that, Bluefeather spent a good thirty seconds thinking, 'This is more than just the AB/DL thing we did those few times...' For Cyclone, the silence seemed to drag on forever and ever, it sounded like a judgemental silence, and it was deafening. "Say something?" she practically squeaked as she continued to look down at her knees. "I know, I'm a freak, we can pretend I didn't say anything, and just snuggle, go sleep!" Bluefeather though didn't want to pretend she hadn't heard anything. To stem the tide of her girlfriend's doubt, she pressed her fingers against Cyclone's mouth. "I said we'd sort the words after they fell out. You're a brat, Cy, but now is not the time to be one." She sat and gathered her thoughts in order, "I've been your nanny and I've taken care of you. What I want to know is, is this something you've thought about, or is it because of this?" Cyclone was so astounded that her girlfriend was even willing to listen to her that she didn't notice at first that she was tapping her useless legs. "No no no!" she said quickly, "I have thought about it, I promise! Look, I know I wasn't really submissive and all that before, but when True Heart started the physiotherapy in the hospital, she was so dominant, I mean, easily dominant. After a few days it was a thrill to obey her, to push myself and please her. And if I didn't push, she'd be all discipline..." thinking back to those days made her heart race, "Earlier, when you said should you be a disciplinarian nanny, it was so hot, and when you said I should crawl to please you...I would crawl a mile to please you, babes. And when you had your feet on my face, like I was your foot washer, and when you sat on my face...fuck it was so hot!" In a very self-assured manner, Bluefeather placed her fingers back on her brat's lips, effectively shushing her without saying a word. "Well," she smiled, "That was a lot of words. Did True Heart use anything other than her voice to discipline you?" she removed her fingers. Cyclone recognised the gesture as her permission to speak. "No, babes, her words were enough, to do punishing and rewarding things. When she said she was disappointed, it really felt like a slap, y'know?" "What if I used more than just words to discipline you?" asked Bluefeather, who had to admit that the direction the evening was taking was making her extremely wet and aroused. "That would be cool, Blue." "Just so you know," Bluefeather warned her, "Everything I know came from some really trashy romance novels." "You mean the books without pictures you teased me about?" Cyclone smiled while her girlfriend pouted ever so slightly, "Look, I know it's a lot to just dump on you, and if it's not your thing, it's cool, just say, and we'll do snugglings." Without another word, Bluefeather stood up ramrod straight and she walked over to the foot of the bed. "I'm wondering about two things," she said without turning round, "Why aren't you on the bed, and why are you still dressed?" she accentuated the last word with a level look over her shoulder. Wide eyed, Cyclone blinked once then twice as the words washed over her. "I'm sorry ma'am!" she quickly wheeled herself over to the bed, and there she tugged off her tee shirt and, when she was topless, she lifted herself onto the bed, and she removed her jean shorts and panties. "Scoot yourself closer to the headboard, brat." She was pleased to see she was quickly obeyed, when Cyclone moved herself closer to the wall on her back. When she was satisfied she was in position, Bluefeather stepped up onto the bed and she walked up until Cyclone's head was between her bare feet. She placed her hands on the wall to steady herself and she lifted her left foot to Cyclone's mouth. "Lube me up, brat." "Yes ma'am," without further ado, the black skinned teenager wet her tongue with as much saliva as she could and she stuck it out, where she started to drag it over Bluefeather's wiggling toes. After that, she lifted her head a little and she sucked on them one after the other. "Make it sloppy, brat," ordered the newly dominant teen, who was fully embracing her role on top. "MmMmmmm!" murmured Cyclone who had all five toes in her mouth and she was happily using her tongue to slather her spit and drool all over them. A few solid minutes of toe sucking later, Bluefeather's foot was dripping ropes of saliva. Happy her foot was sufficiently lubricated, Bluefeather pulled it away and she made sure to keep it raised as she slid her hands down the wall into a crouch. "I got my hand in you earlier, now let's see if I get a foot in..." she used her big toe to separate Cyclone's labia and she tried to work the foot into her pussy. The best thing, from her point of view, was that Cyclone was always loose at the opening. "No way...your foot?" Cyclone, who was as slow as ever, looked up at her dominant girlfriend towering above her, "Is it working? Has it gone in?" Bluefeather was aware she looked like a bit of a contortionist. She didn't let that stop her. "The big toe is in; I'm just wigging to get more toes inside you." The mental image was not lost on Cyclone. "God that's so hot, Blue!" "I'm not done with you yet," said Bluefeather, whose whole body was wigging above her brat. "Three toes are in; the rest should be easy." "I can't believe you've got three toes inside me!" squealed Cyclone, for just the image alone was turning her on. She couldn't feel it, but she was lubing up her dominant's foot for a second time. One firm push later and... "And I'm all in," she reported, "But I can't get my foot to go too deep. Saying that, it does look hot from here." She was a little disappointed. She wanted to reach the G spot but it wasn't happening, no matter how she tried to angle her foot or wiggle her toes. "Heh," Cyclone snickered, "I bet it does, wearing me like a shoe." With a loud, lewd squelching noise, Bluefeather pulled her foot out of her brat's snatch and she slid back up the wall so she could bring her wet foot to Cyclone's mouth. "Clean up on aisle foot." The wiggling toes said 'now' for her. "Yes ma'am!" willingly, Cyclone opened her mouth and she didn't bother with the licking foreplay, she went straight to sucking on toe after toe, and then she ran her tongue between each and every one. Above her, Bluefeather didn't make it easy as any time her toes were free, she rubbed them and her wet foot over Cyclone's face before returning them to her mouth. "Mmmm pppfft...pphbbt mmmm!" was all Cyclone could 'say'. After a few rounds of licking and sucking like that, her jet black face was covered in a sheen of her own spit. Looking down at her footwork, Bluefeather laughed, "You are such a mess..." she then moved her wet foot down to play with both of Cyclone's tiny little breasts, where she tweaked the nipples between her toes. On her back, Cyclone didn't care one bit about the state of her face, not when her breasts were being toyed with by her girlfriend's toes. "Okay," Bluefeather smirked, "This is fun. I didn't think it would be the same as a hand, and it isn't, but watching you squirm and moan makes it all worthwhile." She then lifted her foot off of Cyclone's breasts and the moan she got was like sweet music, "Scoot back some more so your back is against the headboard." Cyclone couldn't obey quick enough. She shoved herself back a short way, so that she was half sitting up, half laying down. Bluefeather then spread Cyclone's knees apart so that she could sit her ass down as close to Cyclone's groin as she could. With her hands braced behind her, she raised both feet up to her newly submissive girlfriend's face. "Feel free to use your hands and mouth, brat. I'll give you thirty minutes of toe time." After she had watched Cyclone lovingly worship her feet for a few minutes, Bluefeather relaxed and she laid back fully on the bed. For her part, Cyclone was thoroughly enjoying sucking and licking her dominant's feet. She made sure to slide her tongue between each toe in turn. Twenty nine minutes in, she said, "Your one minute warning." "Mmhhhmmm!" Cyclone placed one grey foot on top of the other and she sucked on all ten toes at once for the last full minute. She could have done that all night long had she been allowed. "Well, that was very relaxing," Bluefeather said once the last minute was up, "May I have my feet back, please?" "Yes ma'am, you may," once her feet were freed, Bluefeather did a backwards roll, then she grabbed Cyclone's feet until her head was back down on the bed, and she crawled forward to snuggle and kiss her. "Mmmm that was fun, Blue." "No complaints from me," smiled Bluefeather, even though her girlfriend's kisses did taste a little like her feet. "I take it you liked being all dominant, standing over me like that?" "Since you like my feet so much, I thought it would be fun to dominate you with them, and it was!" "Yeah it was! So um," Cyclone blushed hard in her lover's tight embrace, Is this something you'd do again?" "Yes, but I need to work on some more variety. We can include the nappy play along with my domination. Just, well," Bluefeather paused as something occurred to her, "Do you want more control over your body?" "I'd be happy to give up control to you Blue, you know I trust you completely," replied Cyclone, who had completely missed what her girlfriend had meant. "And I'll take it," Bluefeather let out a sigh as she realised she'd have to rephrase the question. It was worth it, because she wanted there to be no guesswork in what they were about to do. "What I'm asking is, do you want to gain control over your bladder and bowels, so a messy nappy is bad, or good?" At last, Cyclone understood. "Ah, right, I've got you. Well, I can control it, so a messy nappy should get me punished." Taking a mental note, Bluefeather nodded, "Anything else I should be looking for?" "Your suggestion of making me crawl to service you was awesome!" An ultimate act of willpower meant Bluefeather resisted the urge to facepalm. It was like giving an over eager child a bowl full of ice cream and telling them they can only have two spoonful's. "Yes," she said carefully, "Dominating you isn't difficult, but I don't want to fall into a rut. I'm thinking more of what you'd expect me to notice as bad behaviour, Cy." "Right, bad behaviour," Cyclone felt a bit of an idiot, "Well...excess brattishness, y'know, like when I get that bad I make you do that face you make." Laughing, Bluefeather proceeded to make the face in question. "Yeah, that one, like Cheerilee about to give me a detention." Again, Bluefeather checked an item off her mental list. "So you messing the nappy, and, well, being excessively you," she giggled, "Anything else to look out for?" "I don't think so, not yet anyway. We can always add things later as and when we think of them." "Okay, so, when do I know I went too far?" asked Bluefeather, for that was one rather important thing that was weighing at the back of her mind. "Oh!" exclaimed Cyclone, struck by a sudden inspiration, "We should have a signal for that, something simple, so we don't forget, like a word or something!" she was rather proud of her quicker than usual thinking. "Good thing we have 'tap my leg' as a safe gesture for when I sit on your face," commented Bluefeather thoughtfully, "Okay, you choose your safe word, I just need to remember what it means when you say it." "Gherkin." Cyclone knew exactly the word to choose. "Seriously, you know I hate them in a burger." The grey skinned dominant simply gave her the 'brat face' look, but she fell over on the bed laughing. "It's not funny! Gherkins always ruin a good burger, and I swear they put extra on to taunt me!" "That is because I like them and you give them to me!" Bluefeather exclaimed like it was the most obvious thing ever, "Okay, if you say it, I'll know you're in trouble and I'll stop what I'm doing." "Cool," Cyclone huffed, "And let's face it, you'd think I was insane if I said that during our sexy fun times." A sly look crossed Bluefeather's face, "I don't know, maybe you want me to use one on you?" "It'd have to be a bloody big gherkin..." That sly look only deepened on Bluefeather's face, "Maybe, but I could slowly eat it in front of you when I'm finished." And just like that, Cyclone was sold on the idea of food play, should it come up in the future. "Okay," she grinned, enjoying the image that conjured up, "Yeah, that'd be really hot." Laughing, Bluefeather asked, "Would it be as hot if I stuck my toes in the gherkin jar?" "Being made to suck gherkin juice off your feet?" Cyclone shuddered, "That's gotta be a punishment, surely?" to which Bluefeather nodded brightly, "It'd be hot though. Humiliating, but it'd be very hot too." "That is going to be a challenge. Humiliating you." "Like you've ever passed up a challenge." "True," Bluefeather conceded the point with good grace, "You're dumb enough...I mean, jock enough, to go along with anything though. I'll work on it," she said as she idly played with Cyclone's tiny breast. "Before I get undressed, would you like some hot chocolate or ice cream?" "Ice cream please!" "What a great idea!" beamed Bluefeather, "I'll have two scoops, please." She rolled herself off of the bed and very slowly she started to unfasten the buttons on her shirt, starting with the ones at the top. "I'll be right back, Blue!" as quickly as she could, the naked Cyclone hauled herself from the bed to her chair, where she reached for her tee shirt. Just as black fingers closed on the garment, Bluefeather stopped her from putting on the tee. "No time to waste, Cy." "B-Bu-But..." Cyclone stammered, for she hadn't actually been naked in front of her parents since she was born, but the way her girlfriend was looking at her said the choice wasn't hers to make. She was good with that. "Yes ma'am!" as she left her bedroom, she found obeying her was such a thrill. For her part, Bluefeather thought that sending her brat downstairs naked wasn't much of a risk, given the way her parents had left the dining room. Cyclone, on her way down the stairs, figured that even if she was caught, her folks weren't going to freak out too much, so instead of worrying about getting caught, she got busy getting two bowls of chocolate ice cream, two scoops in each, on a tray on her legs and she wheeled back to the lift. "I got ice cream babe!" Cyclone declared proudly as she made her way back into the bedroom. Huffing ever so slightly, Bluefeather put away her phone when Cyclone entered the bedroom. "Your parents never answer the phone. I was going to tell them I thought I heard an intruder in the kitchen." "They're probably doing gross parent sex or something," commented Cyclone as she passed Bluefeather her bowl of ice cream. "So that's how you play, huh? I like it." Taking her offered bowl, Bluefeather simply smiled a very wide unapologetic smile, "It's a good thing what we do isn't gross." "But we're cute," countered Cyclone as she helped herself to a loaded spoonful of the chocolate ice cream, "And they're old, and I don't want to think about the two of them doing it. Old wrinkly people shouldn't be doing...that." Bluefeather just laughed, "That is a scary thought," then she rested a hand on Cyclone's leg. "First night out of the hospital. How are you doing, babe?" Swirling some ice cream around her mouth, Cyclone really thought about how she was doing. "Good. I'm doing good. I'll uh," she looked aside and admitted, "I'll be honest, I was a little concerned how it'd go, but yeah, I'm good." Slowly, Bluefeather moved her hand up the leg, over Cyclone's belly, across her small chest and finally she cupped her black cheek. There, she looked intensely into her eyes, "You 'will' let me know when it is not good. You are not alone." She punctuated her point with a long, slow kiss. "On the good side," Cyclone pointed out, "I haven't had that dream for almost a week now, so um...I'm not worried about that." "Are you going to miss the weekly sessions? Or True Heart for that matter?" "I will, I mean I got used to the structure, y'know?" as she spoke, Bluefeather nodded along, "And in no way am I replacing them with you. For a start you are way cuter than True." "Well, at least I know your eyesight is still working." "I mean, you could always grow an extra two feet, put on a hundred pounds of muscle and have biceps as big as Baltimare, but I love you as you are." "With your kink, you'd be happy if I had four feet." Bluefeather had a smiling glint in her eye as she polished off her ice cream. The lusty look on her submissive girlfriend's face, as well as the creeping blush, aroused Bluefeather no end. She quickly pulled her hand away from Cyclone's cheek and blew on it. "Watching you enjoy my feet has made me think of something." "What's that, babes?" "Shopping!" "Shopping?" Cyclone asked, a little warily perhaps, "You want to go to the mall tomorrow?" Recognising 'that' tone in Cyclone's voice, Bluefeather teasingly wiggled her toes to distract her. "Yes, the mall is where I want to go. You're finally out of that hospital, and we start our senior year soon. You need a new wardrobe, and maybe a few other things." Bluefeather's salacious wink was utterly lost on Cyclone. "And Exploding Ninja Pirates From Outer Space 4?" she asked, looking at her like a hopeful puppy wanting to be taken for a walk. "Is there a matinee show?" she asked, resigning herself to having to 'endure' the awful cheesy B movie. Bluefeather decided to make her work for it by directing her submissive to get back on the bed, and when she was laid down, Bluefeather removed her skirt and her panties, and promptly sat herself down on her face. Taking up her phone from the night stand where she had left it, Bluefeather investigated the mall movie theatre's web page. "Keep working down there, brat, if you want tickets," she ordered as she felt Cyclone's tongue slow down. Uttering a muffled and muted, "Yes ma'am!" Cyclone resumed her given task of eating out her dominant girlfriend with a renewed vigour. She desperately wanted to go see the fourth instalment of the Exploding Ninja Pirates, but she would have done this anyway regardless. Just as Bluefeather completed the purchase of two tickets for the two p.m. slot the next day, she was bought to a screaming orgasm. Panting hard, she lifted herself up and off her sub's face so she could breathe. "Okay!" she sighed happily, "That performance deserved two tickets to some crazy space ninja film." She showed her phone to Cyclone so she could see it was a done deal. "Wohoo! Super Tongue Cyclone strikes again!" Cyclone snickered and she then giggled, especially when her lover gave her the 'brat look' again. She did so enjoy earning that. Kneeling above her submissive's face, Bluefeather tapped her chin thoughtfully while her pussy juices dripped onto Cyclone's face. "I hereby dub thee the three C's!" "Yeah, Three C Me!" she didn't know what it meant, but she was happy to take it. Looking up, she licked her lips as she caught another of Bluefeather's drips. "Damn, I will never get tired of this view..." Above her, Bluefeather snorted, "Cyclone's Cunnilingus Cuisinart!" "I'm so putting that on my school reports," giggled Cyclone as she gently ran her fingers along her girlfriend's sensitive crotch. Murring softly at her sub's delicate touch, Bluefeather said, "The three F's is my gig." Underneath her, Cyclone wasn't really listening. She leant her head up and she kissed all along her lover's moist pussy, and then, lost in the moment, for the first time, she placed a kiss right on her anus. Above her, Bluefeather felt the touch on her backdoor and she squirmed uncomfortably and backed up out of reach. "I bet you don't even known what those three F's are." Correctly, Cyclone took note of the squirming and the change of position as a request to not touch her butt again, so she ventured, "Footing, Fisting and...um...Finking?" "Well, you got part of it right, and feet is your thing," Bluefeather swung a leg over Cyclone's head and she laid down by her side, where she lightly tapped her nose with a closed fist, and whispered in her ear, "Fist Fucking Fury." Cyclone giggled along with Bluefeather, "I now need a collar with 3 C on it, and you should get a 3 F bracelet." "Shopping! So, am I in the guest bedroom?" Bluefeather asked with a playful teasing nibble along Cyclone's ear. "No, silly," shuddered Cyclone in sheer delight at the ear nibble and the sensations it was giving her, "You're my guest, in this bedroom, duh." Somehow, Bluefeather managed a completely innocent voice, "But where will you sleep, my lovely brat?" "I can always warm your feet, ma'am." That was what Bluefeather loved about her Cyclone. She was smart where and when it counted. "What an intriguing idea!" she declared as she kissed her lips, "I think we can start that way, but later I do want you to warm all of me." "Yay!" Cyclone squealed happily, "Let's get under this duvet then babes, I've got feet to warm!" True to her word, Bluefeather did allow her brat to worm her way down and curl up around and over her feet under the thick warm blanket. However, when she became sleepy, she helped her girlfriend to lay next to her, before they both fell asleep together.
Harmony University: Riding the Storm	Chapter 5 - Return to the Mall	Early the next morning, so early the sun hadn't risen, Bluefeather woke up with Cyclone still asleep next to her in the bed. "Some things never change," she said softly to herself. Said 'thing' was her brat laid on her front, snoring like a buzzsaw and drooling into her pillow. Quietly, but not too quietly, she knew a bomb could go off and her brat wouldn't wake up, the grey skinned teenager slipped out of the bed and she put on a long knee length t-shirt she sometimes slept in. Modesty covered, Bluefeather crept out of the bedroom in search of coffee and some pastry for breakfast for the two of them. "Good morning, Blue," Monsoon, dressed in a long cream coloured bathrobe, greeted Bluefeather in the kitchen with a pleasant smile. She was nursing a large mug of steaming hot coffee and a plate of pancakes. "Buzzsaw still asleep?" "The puddle of water around her mouth makes her less noisy," Bluefeather giggled as she padded barefoot across the hard wood floor to the life giving miracle that was the coffee maker. "Just getting coffee for two and some pastries." "You deserve a medal, dear," Monsoon giggled and sipped at her coffee, an act that elicited a happy contented sigh from the older woman, "How's she doing now she's free?" "We're keeping each other distracted," answered Bluefeather honestly, while at the same time not going into too many details, "I think she has moved to acceptance, and I'm there now too." "Good, good." Monsoon thoughtfully swilled her coffee around in her mug and in her mouth, "I must admit, we were worried while she was in the hospital." "I think the nurse helped a lot," Bluefeather commented as she manipulated the coffee machine to produce two fresh, steaming mugs, "She really helped me to know what to expect, and how to cope with it when it happens." Monsoon nodded her head at that. True Heart had indeed been a god send to them all, as had Good Hope the psychiatrist. "So," she said once she had swallowed her coffee, "What's the plan for today?" "Mall," when Monsoon raised her eyebrows in surprise, Bluefeather followed up quickly, "Yes, that mall. Movie theatre and then some shopping your husband would approve of." she winked, "I think you would too." It was a good thing Monsoon had drank her coffee, else she would have spurted it over the kitchen table. "Oh, I see," she said carefully, "Getting back on the horse. I approve. I assume you'll be giving the MiAC some money?" "You have to help the economy," Bluefeather snickered as she placed the two mugs on a silver tray and proceeded to raid the fridge for pastries, "For therapy of course. I'll bring back the receipts." "Oh yes," Monsoon gave the teenager a wink of her own, "Therapy. Good luck with the mall, and I wish you even better luck with enduring the movie." she raised up her empty mug in a salute and a show of solidarity. "Ah yes, Exploding Ninja Pirates From Outer Space 4," Bluefeather playfully rolled her eyes, "I have an audio book on emergency backup ready to go in case it's too ridiculous to laugh at." Having successfully raided the fridge, she placed four pastries on the tray and she walked out. Up in the bedroom, Cyclone was awake and, having used the bed's function, was sat up, and she was busy wiping the sleep from her eyes and the drool from her mouth on her pillow as Bluefeather walked in. "Hey babes!" she squealed excitedly, feeling much more awake than she had before. "Good morning. Have you wrung out your pillow?" snarked Bluefeather, "I have coffee and Danishes for us." "Yup!" Cyclone casually nudged her wet pillow onto the floor, where it landed with a dull flumf and a wet splat in equal measure, "All awake and drool free!" After Bluefeather set the tray down on the roll around table and slid it over the bed, she cast open the curtains to allow the rising sun to illuminate the bedroom. Then, she got in bed to join her beloved brat for breakfast. "Ooooh breakfast!" Cyclone's belly welcomed the food, "I knew there was a reason I love you!" "What? Only one?" Bluefeather responded as she sat back comfortably against the raised up part of the bed and smugly drank her coffee. Realising she had fell one hundred per cent into her girlfriend's trap, Cyclone coughed and spluttered for a few seconds. "One reason among many, babes," she tried to save herself when she could speak. Happy and satisfied she had won, Bluefeather giggled and nibbled one of her pastries in celebration. "It's your first morning at home. How are you doing?" "Uuuh..." Cyclone set aside her pastry and her coffee and she actually took a moment to think about the question. Was she okay? Really? She had no idea, and she knew she wasn't articulate enough, she didn't know the fancy words, to say what she felt. "I'm okay, I guess..." she offered eventually. Bluefeather could see her girlfriend struggling to find the words, and it comforted her she was taking it seriously for once. "I'm okay too, Cy." Acceptance was where she was at, and it had been a journey for her to get there. "I mean, I'm not gonna burst into a song or anything," Cyclone expanded upon her previous comment, "But I'm not super down either." She rested her head solemnly on Bluefeather's shoulder, "I'm glad you're okay too." "The movie is at two, and we'll go shopping after," Bluefeather said softly as she laid her head on her girlfriend's and held her hand. She then tilted Cyclone's head up and gave her a pastry and coffee flavoured kiss. "You know where the theatre is, right?" "Like I'd ever forget that," Cyclone shuddered, because she had been walking past the movie theatre with Bluefeather when Juniper had thrown the sunglasses stand at her. "It'll be fine!" she tried to convince herself, "Just going to the mall, to watch a movie. Happens all the time." "It does," agreed Bluefeather, "And I'm going to take advantage of it." "I'm just...ugh...nervous I guess," Cyclone was loathe to admit just how nervous she actually was, "Y'know, us going back there, after everything that happened..." "I'll be with you," promised Bluefeather earnestly, taking the two black hands in hers and holding them tight, "And this time I won't turn away." "Well," Cyclone pointed out as she tore savagely into her second pastry, "Hopefully this time I won't get something huge thrown at me." Smirking, Bluefeather decided to teach her brat a lesson in talking with your mouth full like that, "Popcorn is small." Predictably, Cyclone laughed and she almost choked on her pastry in her mouth. "Good point, babes," she responded after she had been clapped on her back several times. "I'll try to watch the film too." Having recovered from her choking coughing fit, Cyclone laughed, "If you manage to stay awake for the whole thing I'll be amazed." "That won't be the problem," Bluefeather said with a teasing wink, "It will be listening to you telling me over and over how much better the comic was compared to the movie, and how you could do it better." "That was entirely your fault, babes," Cyclone crossed her arms defiantly, "I believe it was you who bought me the first edition of the Exploding Ninja Pirates From Outer Space graphic novel?" "Plus the subscription." Added Bluefeather, who carefully chose to omit the fact she only bought that because she forgot her girlfriend actually liked the Power Ponies and she had needed a birthday present a year ago. Right!" cheered Cyclone like she had just won a huge argument, "So when they make a movie out of it, you know I am going to love it!" to seal her perceived win, she gave Bluefeather a pasty flavoured kiss of her own, "And you'd tolerate it!" Playfully, Bluefeather rolled her eyes in a very good imitation of Monsoon, "The price one pays for unconditional love." "And I do love you unconditionally, Blue." Even if she wasn't sure what that meant. "So...shopping. I'd really like to keep doing the dom sub thing we did yesterday, y'know, if you liked it too as much as I did, I mean." After they had finished off their breakfast of pastries and coffee, Bluefeather said in a most confident dominant tone of voice, "I want to drive your van around. Let's go to the park and get some exercise before the movie starts." "Yes ma'am," Cyclone, as slow as she was, recognised the tone in her girlfriend's voice, and she was fine with that. "The park it is. Just need to get dressed first." "So do I!" "What," Cyclone snickered, "In more than that long tee shirt?" she giggled, knowing she might pay for her snark later. Then, she stopped smiling and her face fell. She felt a horribly familiar sensation in her nappy. She was wet. It was a cold, clammy wet unpleasant feeling. It was her first day without the nurse on hand. "Before we get dressed, I uh, I'm wet..." her blush didn't show on her jet black skin, but it was obvious to anyone who knew her she was hugely embarrassed, more so than when she was playing the 'baby'. "You're wet?" Bluefeather remembered what the nurse told her in the hospital. "Oh, right, wet. Since we've been playing, I think this is the first time you've used your nappy. Um, would you like me to help you with that?" "Yes please, Blue." Bluefeather's heart broke for her girlfriend in that moment. She could read her body language like a book, and she was definitely embarrassed, and Bluefeather thought it would be hard to do that to Cyclone. "Okay," she rubbed her hands, "I got this. Do we have supplies?" "Yeah," Cyclone suddenly found the window very interesting indeed, "True Heart sent me home with a bag full of stuff, it should be under the bed somewhere." Quickly, Bluefeather put on her 'assertive nana' voice. She had to shut this down pretty fast. "Okay, little Cy. Just lay still and Nana Blue will take care of your nappy." As she laid the bed down flat, Bluefeather could feel the heat radiating from Cyclone's face like a mini sun. While she opened her nappy, she watched her shut her eyes tight. "Jeez, you're like wet, wet." Bluefeather giggled and reached for the bag of supplies, "Um, okay, it doesn't smell too bad." She removed the sodden nappy and used a wipe to make sure her brat was clean. "Gotta say, this isn't as sexy as last night when I was diddling with you." "I'm sorry Blue." Cyclone's extremely tiny voice, a voice that said it was no fun for her either, made Bluefeather finally look up from her work at her face. "Hey now, none of that. If you start feeling guilty, then I'm going to start feeling guilty, and we'll be back to where we were a month ago. Do we want that?" "You're right," Cyclone conceded, "I know you're right. It's just, well, like you said, you've never had to change a real wet one before." "I was okay with that, and saved on buying nappies," Bluefeather efficiently put on a clean one. "Now, we just need to get with the reality of today. So, you want to wear a onesie?" "Don't tell me, a bright pink one," finally, Cyclone opened her eyes and she made a little tentative giggle, "And you said you'd never embarrass me. Proved you wrong." Bluefeather closed up the wet nappy, "Catch," she tossed it to Cyclone, who caught it. "Okay, I'm going long!" she ran over to the waste basket by the door, and, laughing at last, she threw it to Bluefeather, who dropped it in the trash can. "Score!" Dancing in victory, she went over to the dresser. "Yes, the pink one. You're going to look so cute!" "You know I've never worn that outside, right?" Now Bluefeather blushed, "I know, and we don't have to, but a light dress over it and it will look like pink leggings and sleeves." "Let's do it!" Cyclone made her mind up with a smile before she could change it. "You're very cute when you blush like that, you know that, right?" "I'm cute all the time," responded Bluefeather with a roll of her eyes, before she went to the closet and pulled out the pink onesie she had in mind and a royal blue dress. "This is going to look hot, and I'll know what is under the dress!" "I can't wait to couple it with a grey collar," Cyclone was almost giddy, "That'll make it double hot!" Onesie and dress in hand, Bluefeather helped Cyclone get dressed, starting with her uncooperative legs. She then swapped the long shirt out for a green dress in the same summer style as her girlfriend's blue one. "Now for the finishing touch," she announced as she walked out of the closet and wrapped a grey collar around her black neck. "Oh jeez...Blue...I mean, ma'am...this is so hot!" Cyclone didn't know where Bluefeather had gotten the collar from, or how long she'd had it. She didn't spare it a second thought on the way out of the mansion to the blue minivan. The Front passenger seat was still removed for Cyclone to put her chair there. She was happy to sit and be driven, humming a little tune. "How you finding the van?" Bluefeather was finding the van remarkably easy to drive. It helped it was early in the morning and there wasn't much traffic about. "I think I'll need to get you a chauffeur's hat." "Yes ma'am," Cyclone had a moment's thought as the van drove along. She wasn't looking at the road ahead, but at the city moving past the window. "Do you prefer ma'am, or should I call you Mistress, or what?" "Wow, I've not thought about that," admitted Bluefeather, and she hadn't. She supposed she really ought to though, if they were going to be doing this play. "When we played before, it was Nana. I guess things are getting a lot more serious now," she said as she pulled up at a junction and ran her fingers along the grey collar her girlfriend now wore. "You put a collar on me, Blue," Cyclone shivered when her grey fingers delicately brushed against the skin of her black neck, "That's new, and I think that's pretty serious, babes." "It got serious today when we're doing this in public," agreed Bluefeather, "I love you. What term makes you more comfortable?" "Well," Cyclone gave the matter some serious consideration as she felt the van turn onto the next road, "Mistress is the accepted thing, I kinda know that much, but uh...well, Ma'am feels like a grown up version of Nana, y'know?" "Maybe we can use Ma'am in public, but..." Bluefeather added with a wide smile, "Perhaps you call me Mistress in our private time." "Yes Mistress," then, in response to the questioning look that Bluefeather gave her, she explained, "What, we're alone in the van, aren't we?" Laughing, Bluefeather had to admit, "That we are, Cy." "Damn..." Cyclone muttered softly, but not so softly that her girlfriend couldn't hear her over the van's engine, "I never really thought I was that submissive, but that felt good, calling you Mistress, Mistress." Thoughtfully, Bluefeather nodded. "I can definitely get used to this." She could also get used to the tingling sensation of arousal between her legs that being called 'Mistress' gave her. "You need a pet name. Brat could work." "I like that," Cyclone was quick to agree to that, "Brat it is, Mistress." Moments later, and Bluefeather pulled the minivan into the botanical garden park and she found a nice up front handicapped spot in the parking lot. "Now, for some relaxing in our nature in the middle of a city." "Look at this!" exclaimed Cyclone with a happy grin, "We get the premier parking. I can get used to this." "One of the things I'll be happy to take advantage of," Bluefeather nodded as she killed the engine, "I got a review hanger for my car too, when you ride in it." "That's awesome!" Cyclone removed herself and her wheelchair from the passenger side of the minivan while Bluefeather daintily made her way around to her, "C'mon then, let's go do nature, babes. I mean, Mistress babes." As Cyclone wheeled herself along, Bluefeather walked by her side, a hand resting on her shoulder. "Is this where I say I think you're being naughty?" she asked with a giggle, that hand squeezing gently, "Or you're being a brat?" "I wasn't being a brat, Mistress, honest," Cyclone's blue eyes went wide with the realisation that she'd admitted to being naughty. "I'm so used to calling you 'babes', it just slipped out." On the main path, Bluefeather stopped to look at some of the flowering summer plants. "I don't think either of us will drop into this role overnight, Cy." "You getting nervous about it?" Cyclone quickly added on, "Mistress?" While she was studying the beautiful flowers, Bluefeather shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not nervous, as such, but I'm maybe uncertain, as to what I need to do and be for you." "Yeah, I think I get that," Cyclone reached up and she took hold of her girlfriend's hand while she was looking at the flowers. They weren't her thing, but she could appreciate they were pretty enough. "I guess it's easier for me. I just have to worship your feet and be your seat." Thankfully, Bluefeather squeezed the hand that held hers. "I just want you, and everyone else to know that you're just as sexy now as you've always been. Then, that is why I want to go shopping after we've watched the movie." Cyclone smiled up appreciatively at Bluefeather, "I look like me, only I don't feel like me sometimes. I know there are other people that have it worse than I do, than we do, but...I dunno...I have to remind myself I'm sexy, I guess." Looking around the park, Bluefeather saw that the place was empty before lunch. A very naughty idea crept into her brain. "You have something I don't have, brat." "What's that, Mistress?" asked Cyclone, who was slow as ever. With a wide smirk all over her face, Bluefeather gripped the hem of her dress and flipped it up, revealing her bare behind to her girlfriend and the empty park, "Underwear!" Treated to such a beautiful sight, Cyclone's eyes almost popped out of her head. "Holy shit, Blue!" laughing, Bluefeather skipped around her wheelchair bound girlfriend, but she teasingly held her skirt down. Cyclone reached for her skirt and missed. Out of her reach, Bluefeather turned and mooned Cyclone, then she moved close enough for a pat and she quickly moved away as she turns around. "You're not the only exhibitionist. I'm just trying to avoid your father's camera." "That was the best full moon ever!" Cyclone giggled after patting Bluefeather's toned round butt cheeks. "Is that why you sent me downstairs naked last night, miss exhibitionist?" "I see you're on to my game," Bluefeather said with a faux snap of her fingers like she had been caught out, "I'm going to get you to the little park down from your house in just a onesie." Not for the first time, Cyclone's body language betrayed a very intense blush, "R-Really, Mistress?" While Bluefeather's dress was too tight to give her brat a good view of her breasts, that didn't stop her from bending over and kissing Cyclone's cheek. "Oh yes I am..." she left that hanging in the air as she kissed her on the mouth. "Mmmmm!" thoroughly aroused, Cyclone returned the kiss and she allowed her hands to wander as far down her body as she could reach, stopping at her hips. "You want another peek, don't you?" "The thought had occurred to me, Mistress, y'know, seeing as we're alone." Smirking, and only because they were alone in the park, Bluefeather stepped up to the wheelchair and flipped her dress over Cyclone's head. "Close enough for you?" "Hmm yes Mistress..." Cyclone immediately had her right hand on Bluefeather's hip and her left on her inner thigh almost between her legs, where her head was, mere inches away from her perfect hairless pussy. Standing over her, Bluefeather rubbed her crotch all over her brat's face before she stepped away from her, leaving her panting in her chair. "Hmm, I want to do more of that in the future." "I'd like that too, Mistress," responded Cyclone with a glistening sheen of pussy juices all over her face, "I'd like that a lot." Bluefeather took up Cyclone's hand as they continued around the gardens. "Sometimes I think nothing has changed," she started, then she tapped a tire with her shoe, "And other times I think that everything has changed. Then I realize we are who we are now, and nothing will change that." "I'm still sucking air in, Blue," Cyclone said as she squeezed her girlfriend's hand, "And I'm thankful for that. I mean, yeah, this whole deal sucks, I won't lie, but y'know what? Like True Heart said, it could've been way worse." She pulled Bluefeather into her lap and she hugged her tight. "I'm still here, I still got you. I'll work with what I got." "As will I. Now, what should we do for lunch? Mall food court? Burger Joint? Something healthy?" "I fancy a BJ, babes." First, Bluefeather rolled her eyes at the old in joke she shared with her bratty girlfriend, then she laughed along with her. "You'll have to get a foot long then," she sniggered, giving the correct old response. "First, let's go to the pond. They have feeding stations for the ducks and I'll get hungry watching them eat." "Come on then, let's get the duckies fed," Cyclone laughed as she wheeled herself along the path. "By the way, I know what MiAC thing I'm getting you later." "Good, I look forward to the surprise." ~ ~ ~ After spending an hour feeding the ducks in the park, Bluefeather parked up at the mall. "I still want popcorn for the movie," she said as they got out of the minivan and she locked the doors. "You can't have a movie without popcorn!" agreed Cyclone, and the two of them crossed the parking lot, with Bluefeather heading for the theatre entrance. When they got inside, Cyclone was struck by how normal everything looked. The damage was all repaired, like nothing had ever happened. When the sunglasses stand was in sight, and she was roughly twenty or so feet away, Cyclone froze. "It was here," she said softly. "It happened here." Bluefeather knelt down next to Cyclone and she put an arm around her shoulders. "Yes," she said softly but assuredly, "You were there." She pointed to a spot on the ground not too far away, "And I was cowering over there," she pointed again to a different spot. "You were trying to get me to look at a purse you thought my mom would like, and I was in a mood being an utter nasty brat. You said, "I'm shopping for your mom, Cy, you can at least show interest"." Cyclone paused and took a deep breath as the memory came back to her, "Then...there was screaming, and everything went black." "Well, if it helps, if you were destined to get hit, by not being next to me you saved me." "We wouldn't have been there at all if I'd just picked out a damn purse, instead of demanding to go to the comic store." "It's a bit late for wouldn't haves, ifs, buts and maybes," said Bluefeather wisely, "If we got you mom's present early, we would have been playing nana and baby." "I think that's a moral for me, don't be a mardy bitch," Cyclone reached over and hugged and kissed her girlfriend to her, "You're right though, Blue. Bit late for what ifs and might've beens." "Are you ready to be a brat about how Hollywood did your bestest comic wrong?" asked Bluefeather once she had been hugged enough. She did though have distinctly wet eyes when she stood up, a fact she was glad her girlfriend was too slow to notice. Suddenly smiling, Cyclone's mood took a huge upswing. "Am I ever! I mean, surely you can't mess up a movie about exploding ninja pirates?" Bluefeather was sure the creators of the movie had found some way to annoy her girlfriend. "Let's roll and see how they found a way to do so, shall we?" "Your wish is my command, Ma'am!" much to the amusement of a couple of passers-by, Cyclone offered Bluefeather a cheeky little salute and then she sat her on her knee, before she quickly rolled them both over to the movie theatre. ~ ~ ~ Two hours later, and by some miracle, Bluefeather still had just under a third of her popcorn left as she headed out of the movie theatre. She glanced down at Cyclone by her side and at the sour look on her face. "Are you still upset that they used grenades instead of exploding shuriken?" "How in the name of God's High Heaven can you mess up the signature weapons?" fumed Cyclone, who was still as angry now as she had been thirty minutes into the movie, "Fucking grenades! Grenades! When was the last time you read about a pirate ninja using grenades? Never! Why? Because they're ninjas!" "Samurai Wolf used grenades," Bluefeather pointed out as she opened the doors for them so they could leave, "But he wasn't a ninja. Having a shuriken stick in your head and explode is cool, but I think they just couldn't get the special effects." Cyclone though was in no mood to be diplomatic or generous to Canter Zoom, the movie's creator, "And the effects were cheaper than a two bit steak!" she continued her rant unabashed, "The bad practical effects of the first movie are charming! There's nothing charming about shit CGI. And the Busty Bess is supposed to be a flying galleon, not a battleship!" Realising this was going to go on for some time, Bluefeather took a deep breath and she reminded herself she loved her girlfriend. "I'm sure they did some study that said battleships are cool, and no one these days knows what a galleon is." "You know what the crowning turd in the cow pat cake was?" Cyclone raged as if Bluefeather hadn't spoken at all, "Four movies in and they finally got to the Nightmare Ch..." Unfortunately, the rest of Cyclone's rant was silenced by her girlfriend's grey hand clapped over her mouth. They were walking past the line of people waiting to get in, and Bluefeather didn't want to spoil the movie for them. As it was, when Cyclone had said 'Nightmare', there were a few nasty looks and muttered curses thrown their way, which was nothing compared to the muffled rants and squeals and grunts from the wheelchair bound athlete until they were well away from the line. "Okay," she said once Bluefeather had removed her hand, "I'm fine, I'm over it." With a kiss, Bluefeather doubted whether or not her girlfriend was actually over it yet or not. "I noted you didn't mind they changed the number two to a female," she pointed out, "Explained how she was always a she in the earlier editions." "Some bits I will admit they did well, y'know?" Cyclone admitted, and she did want to like the movie, "That Number two was a good actress too! Chestnut Magnifico is awesome, but come on..." she found herself getting angry again, "It was the Nightmare Child! Batmare doesn't kill the Jester in the first ten minutes!" "Uugh..." Bluefeather absolutely did not try to hide her annoyance at this point. She wasn't here for this. "What if that was just a rouse for the next instalment?" "Oh my God!" Cyclone came to a halt in the middle of the mall's ground floor, making several shoppers have to walk around her. Her eyes were very suddenly wide open. "I forgot about that! In Issue seventeen of the Galaxy Wars the Nightmare Child returned more powerful than ever to lead the Horde of Travesties!" Although she didn't know that, and she had no desire to be schooled on the subject, Bluefeather nonetheless still whapped Cyclone upside her head. Not necessarily playfully, either. "Duh." "Ow!" Cyclone, who was getting lost in the possibilities of future movies, giggled like an idiot. "I can't wait for the next one! I hope they make the next one! They need to make the next one now!" "Maybe with more shuriken and less grenades..." added Bluefeather slyly. Cyclone snickered, "Did I get too carried away again?" "Brat." "Guilty as charged," Cyclone didn't even try to argue the fact. Instead, she looked over the mall to their next destination. "Guess I'm in need of punishing, huh?" Casually, Bluefeather waved her hand towards the pinkest pink store front that was ever likely to exist, "We shall choose your form of punishment." Crossing the mall and entering the store, Bluefeather went straight up to the counter, "Hello," she greeted the tall young man who was staffing the register. The young man, who according to his nametag was called Binder, greeted his two latest customers with a practised smile, recited, "Welcome to MiAC. Can I help you?" "Me and my girlfriend are a bit new to all of this," explained Bluefeather, who was surprised at how not embarrassed she was to be where she was. She pointed to her girlfriend in the wheelchair, "And she's a brat and I need to put her in her place." "Oh?" when Binder smiled this time it was a genuine 'not work', but a real smile. "And where's her place usually, miss? Under you, or on top of you?" "Under me," Bluefeather spoke like Cyclone wasn't there at all, "As you can see, there are limitations as to what we can do together." "I do see. And when your brat is under you, do you sit on her?" asked Binder with warm inquisitive smile that reached his eyes, "I don't need all the details miss, don't worry, I'm just getting an idea of what you'd like to buy today." Thoughtfully, Bluefeather nodded. "But her tongue can only reach so far. Is there a gag that doesn't stick down her throat, but upwards instead?" Binder had the very thing his customer needed. "We have just the thing, miss. Down the third aisle on your left. They come in three sizes and a variety of colours, perfect for reminding a brat of her place." "Do you have any literature?" asked Bluefeather, "I'm really new to this, and she doesn't have any experience either." "Of course, miss," Binder was quick to suggest the books in question. It wasn't the first time he had been asked about that. "The first aisle, you'll find all the books. I recommend Binding for Beginners if you're thinking about restraints, or the Voyeur in You, if you're an exhibitionist. Failing that, there are the general BDSM guides starting at volume one, or you can pick up the Dom / Sub, S & M book if you want to specialise your play." "Other than my hand," Bluefeather showed off her right hand, "Which I do have experience with, what is a good starter tool for spanking?" "We have an extensive range of paddles for you to choose from," the shop assistant saw Cyclone open her mouth to say something, but he carried straight on before she could speak, "We also have some wooden hairbrushes. Good for starter players." A wide smile split Bluefeather's face, "Thank you for being so helpful!" "Any time, Miss. Just holler if you need anything." Before Bluefeather left the counter, she at last turned to Cyclone like she was remembering she was there at all. "Anything to add, Brat?" "No ma'am." "Oh, by the way," added Binder, "If you want a cute tag for that collar, 'Brat' is quite popular. Second aisle, halfway down on the right." Laughing, Bluefeather gave her submissive girlfriend a 'follow me' motion with her finger as she headed for the books first. Eagerly, Cyclone wheeled herself after her, feeling rather horny after all that. "I see someone's getting into their role," to that, Bluefeather glanced back at her with a raised eyebrow, making her shiver, "I like it, Mistress." "Help me look for what may interest you," said Bluefeather after she had affectionately cupped Cyclone's cheek, "These two. Intro to Top and Intro to Bottom." "Yes Ma'am, we should get these, one for you, one for me." "I see they have an intro to Adult Baby Diaper Lover...are we ready for that?" "Well," Cyclone looked apprehensive, "We can get it, at least. We can't read it if we don't have it, right?" Nodding her head, Bluefeather added the book to their basket. "I'm really not comfortable with using ropes, Cy." "Yeah," Cyclone was glad Bluefeather had said that, because she felt the same, "I don't fancy them either. I guess the cuffs are okay, they're padded and safe. These ones are buckled instead of using keys. I like that." "Check, cuffs!" with a giggle, Bluefeather added the set of four to the basket. "A lot of these books look pretty advanced." She then pointed to something that had caught her eye, "This is exactly what I wanted. The guy at the counter was really helpful." She picked up a dildo that looked like a mouth guard with cock attached. "Not a lot of colour choices though." Cyclone noted there was only black, white and the primary colours to choose from. "You should go for the blue one. It'll match those cute blue freckles on your br..." at a 'look' from Bluefeather, she changed her tone, "On you, Mistress." That made Bluefeather chuckle, "Good save, Brat. Blue one it is. Now for something to correct that brattishness of yours." "To the paddles!" when they were there at the right aisle, Cyclone was open mouthed at the vast selection of crops, floggers, paddles and other instruments of correction that were on sale. Drawn to one in particular, Bluefeather selected a black paddle with a heart cut out. "You may pick one also." Cyclone chose a blue one with a star cut out. Taking it, Bluefeather added both paddles to the basket. "Okay. Now to just look around." "Hey, look at these, Mistress," Cyclone pointed out a vast selection of nipple clamps next to a tray of differently sized ear clamps. Apprehensively, Bluefeather looked at the clamps and shuddered, "Those look like they would hurt, Cy." "At least I'd feel the clamps though." "That is true." Bluefeather conceded the point and she added the nipple clamps and for good measure, she threw in a set of the ear clamps as well. Then, she turned down the clothing aisle and Bluefeather just stopped and looked almost in awe at the sight that greeted her. Behind her, Cyclone, who was looking at something else, almost rolled into the back of Bluefeather's knees. "What, what you seen, Mistress?" "That. Is. Majestic..." Bluefeather pointed to a black leather dominatrix outfit. "That is calling out to me." "Yeah, it's calling to me too, saying Blue would look awesome in that!" "It's a good thing that outfit can call me 'Blue' then, isn't it?" Bluefeather spared Cyclone a rather imperious arched eyebrow look before she gathered up the outfit and she walked down the aisle, though she slowed considerably when she came to a bright pink maid's outfit. "That..." Cyclone stopped alongside her dominant girlfriend and looked where she was looking, "Is very pink, Mistress, and it's frilly and lacey and...pink." Carefully, Bluefeather looked it over, casting her critical eye over the garment on the rail, "Yes, it is very pink. Would you like to wear it, Brat?" "It would be extremely humiliating, Mistress," all that being said, Cyclone still nodded her head. Being made to wear such a thing, she couldn't imagine herself being much of a brat, but she could see herself blushing with embarrassment. And that turned her on a lot. Smiling, Bluefeather didn't say anything, she just added the outfit to the basket. "Now, to the check out."
Harmony University: Riding the Storm	Chapter 6 - MiAC	When Bluefeather and Cyclone entered the large house following the shopping trip to the mall, Monsoon was sat in the kitchen nursing a freshly made coffee. She took a look at the receipt that she was given and raised an eyebrow. "I will need to inspect the merchandise first, you understand." Retrieving the two bags from Cyclone's lap, Bluefeather giggled, "Of course!" she promptly set the bags down on the table. "What do you think, mom? They're the best 'therapy aids' I've ever seen!" Cyclone snickered at her own little joke and, devoid of the shopping bags, she wheeled over to the fridge and helped herself to a chilled water. Casually, Monsoon lifted the contents out and inspected each item, placed it back, until she got to the paddles. Then, she paused, weighing them in her hands. They took her right back to her sorority initiation. "You need to be careful using these paddles above the waist, Blue." "Oh, ah..." Bluefeather's grey cheeks took on a red tinge as they flushed, "Well, mostly they are for sound..." she crossed her arms and looked anywhere but at Monsoon. "I remember someone looking at my breasts too while she was picking out the paddle," added Cyclone, who was pleased to see her girlfriend's blush deepen but at the same time she looked proud. Nodding her head thoughtfully, Monsoon reached for her phone and fired off a quick text message. She read the equally quick reply before she spoke again, "Just a moment. The paddle is a bit too much surface area for the breast." A sly look crept over her face, "Especially Cy's breasts." Pouting at the dig at her tiny little mounds, Cyclone asked, "Should we have gotten a crop or something else?" Monsoon knew from her inspection that there was no crop in the bag, just the two paddles, one with a star cut out and one with a heart cut out. She sat there nursing her coffee and she smiled a smug smile. A moment later, her husband walked in twirling a black crop like he was a sergeant major on parade. "Did someone order a cropping, my love?" "Not me, silly," shaking her head, Monsoon pointed to the two teenagers, "They didn't quite get all the right items." While Tropical Storm was nosing into the shopping bags, Cyclone noticed that Bluefeather's blush was starting to look very uncomfortable and awkward. Well, as a good pet, and a better girlfriend, she wasn't having that. "I was obviously too much of a brat to let my Mistress shop properly," she stated as she sipped at her water. "Hey, dad." "Nice outfits, by the way, girls," Tropical Storm had found the dominatrix outfit and the maid's dress. He approved greatly. Smirking, he added the crop to the paddle bag, everything but the two outfits were in that bag. "The outfits are cool, right? Laugh at my maid dress and there'll be trouble," Cyclone passed Bluefeather a bottle of water. She knew if she didn't want it, the act of drinking would distract her from her awkward blush. "We got some other sweet stuff too, didn't we babes?" Though she was still blushing, Bluefeather nodded, "Thank you for the crop. I'm sure the brat will earn that." "While you're dressed all in leather?" asked Tropical Storm, to which Bluefeather nodded earnestly. "Yeah, thanks dad," Cyclone rolled her eyes at the overgrown child that was her father, not that she'd ever change him for anything. "Mistress," she had a more pressing thing on her mind than her dad, anyway, "Do you uh, you wanna head on upstairs, try out some of the new stuff we got?" "Did you buy lube?" Eagerly this time, Bluefeather nodded. "Yes sir, we have that covered," she giggled, casting her mind back to the lube she had used earlier when she had fisted Cyclone like a glove puppet, "Get it, covered?" "Oh, yeah," Cyclone shifted uncomfortably on the seat of her wheelchair, "We're well covered for lube, dad." "Have fun, you two." Taking his wife's hand in his, Tropical Storm grinned, "Yes, do enjoy yourselves. As loudly as you like...eeek!" he loudly squealed himself, because right then, Monsoon had tweaked his ear, hard. "Oh, hey dad," Cyclone said after she had stopped sniggering, "You know that director guy friend of yours, Canter Zoom? Next time you see him, tell him Exploding Ninja Pirates 4 sucked. Hard. Like, ultra-sucked." Recovering from her blushes, Bluefeather laughed, "It's all because they used a battleship instead of a galleon. I talked her off the cliff for the other reason she thought it sucked." "I can tell him," replied Tropical Storm, who was rubbing his hurt ear, "But he'll just point to the box office receipts and compare that to what the comic shops take in, just like he does with the Daring Do movies." "You know, if he needs a continuity and accuracy consultant - and he really does need one - I'm happy to volunteer... eeek!" Cyclone never got to finish her sentence because right at that moment, Bluefeather had tweaked her ear in a very good imitation of Monsoon. "Upstairs, brat, now." Bluefeather kept a firm grip on her girlfriend's left ear, "I'm sure you'd rather see the next movie in your lifetime, and not in twenty years with your 'help'." "Ooow! Ow!" Cyclone yelped while Bluefeather used her tweaked ear to steer her towards the stair lift, at the same time she dumped the two pink bags back in her lap. "Okay, okay I'm going Mistress!" she wheeled herself quickly to the lift to convince Bluefeather to let go. Cyclone was more than happy to play the pack mule and carry the purchases, but when they were upstairs, she became all serious, a rarity for her. "Hey, time out for a sec, Blue. Are you okay?" When she was in Cyclone's bedroom, Bluefeather looked back to be sure they hadn't been followed and she kept her voice low. "I'm okay with your mom pawing through our stuff, but it is so embarrassing when your dad does. You know, like finding out he folded your underwear in the laundry!" "I saw you blushing up a storm down there," explained Cyclone as she set the bags down on her bed, "I figured you could use a bratty distraction." she chuckled, "I do know what you mean though, about dad." Smiling, Bluefeather bent down for a long, deep and very overdue kiss, "You're a very pleasant distraction, brat." "Always, Mistress!" Cyclone enthusiastically returned the kiss with a lot of tongue, not that Bluefeather minded the sloppy smooch at all. "At least that embarrassment is over," stated Bluefeather with a shake of her shoulders like she was shrugging off the various stresses of the day. Then, she walked over to the door and closed it, sealing them inside. "I'd like to start fisting you again, brat." As it happened, that was what Cyclone wanted too. "I'd like you to start fisting me again, Mistress!" As much as Bluefeather wanted to throw her sexy brat on the bed and get on with it, there were things she had to attend to as a good dom. "Do you need to use the bathroom first?" "Uuuh...yeah, actually, I do, it's been a few hours." While Cyclone took herself off to the adjacent bathroom, Bluefeather busied herself with emptying out the bags and putting the crop and mouth-dildo on the dresser. The outfits and paddles went inside the dresser. That done, she got out the lube from a drawer and put that on top the dresser. When Cyclone emerged from the bathroom, she was dressed in just the pink onesie. "Ready!" "Up onto the bed with you, so I can have my way!" Bluefeather turned dramatically and she rubbed hands together along with a silly cackle that came straight from one of Cyclone's comics. "Yes Mistress," although Cyclone had to really, really fight to not laugh, she didn't, because that would have spoiled the mood. She got herself up onto the bed and laid with her useless legs apart, "B-Be merciful, Mistress, please?" "Nah, I'm drilling for oil!" Bluefeather leapt up onto the bed where she swiftly and deftly removed the pink onesie her brat was wearing, leaving her naked but for the grey collar, "And you look like a fertile field." After that terribly cheesy line, Cyclone's body was rocking with barely supressed laughter. "Oh yes," she snickered, "Very fertile, Mistress." Rolling her eyes, Bluefeather coated her hand in a very liberal helping of the lube before she replaced it on the dresser. "I wonder if I should tie a rope to myself in case I fall in, or maybe just lead with a flashlight?" "You could always send a canary in first..." Cyclone chose not to finish her retort and she simply blushed, "I mean, Mistress." With her left hand glistening and dripping wet with the applied lubricant, Bluefeather turned a smile and raised an eyebrow to her brat, "Not going to give anyone else the pleasure." On her back, Cyclone's blush deepened at her bratty mouthed come back, "I'm sorry Mistress." "Not yet, you're not," promised Bluefeather as she gently worked her slickened fingers into her girlfriend's vagina along with lots of entirely necessary wiggling of her hand to spread the lube around. Watching the hand disappear inside her, Cyclone let out a little squeak, knowing what was going to come. When Bluefeather reached deeper inside her brat, she paused once the last of her knuckles disappeared inside. Then, she wiggled her fingers for her own benefit inside her wet muscular tunnel. "You're nice and tight and warm, my love..." "Must be all that exercising keeping me tight for you, Mistress." "I'm glad that machine is helping you out," commented Bluefeather, who knew from the position and the depth of her forearm that she was close to her target. She pushed in just a bit more and without warning, she flick out a forefinger. "AaaaAAHHNNN!!" as soon as that finger made contact with her, Cyclone let out the loud moan as a large amount of her juices leak out around Bluefeather's forearm. "YEEESSS!!" Now she was where she wanted to be, Bluefeather kept up what she was doing, alternating pumping her arm in and out and tapping her cervical wall on the 'down' thrusts. By the time she had experienced her second climax, the athlete was reduced to a panting drooling mess squirting all over her Mistress's arm, moaning 'fuck' over and over again. "It looks like I've survived the tunnel of doom!" Bluefeather giggled as she slowly pulled her arm out of its new favourite resting place, "Now it is my turn to mount your face." Lost riding the high of her two climaxes, Cyclone couldn't laugh any longer or harder than she did then, "That is so damn cheesy babes!" "At last I made you really laugh," Bluefeather said in a satisfied tone as she rubbed her wet hand over the business end of the mouth-dildo. "Oh!" a realisation hit her, "Damn! I need to soak your end in some warm water so it will better mould to your mouth. Don't run off!" slipping from the bed, she ran to the bathroom. "I'll try not to!" Cyclone laughed and she put on a deadpan voice, "Oh no, I'm escaping, so very fast," even though she hadn't moved a single muscle. The next thing she heard was running water from the sink. That just made her want to pee, so she looked up at the ceiling and tried to distract herself. About three minutes later, Bluefeather came back out with the prepped dildo in her hand. "Ah, good, you didn't run off. I know how you sprinters can be," at the bed, she held the mouthpiece over Cyclone's face. "It's warm, but not silly hot. Just bite down so it moulds to you." "Yes Mistress," Cyclone opened her mouth and once the end was inserted, she bit down on the mouth end hard. While she was doing that, Bluefeather kissed and nibbled her way all around her brat's face. "MMmm hhhhmmm!" the black skinned submissive let out lots of muffled moans, especially when her Mistress got to her ears. When she decided she had teased her pet enough, Bluefeather whispered in an ear, "Time to meet my needs..." she checked the straps on the dildo were secure around Cyclone's head before she climbed up onto the bed and, facing the head of it, she slid down onto the dildo. She was able to lean back just a bit and look past her breasts into Cyclone's blue eyes. "I'm so going to make a mess all over your face." Cyclone blushed hard, but as she was jet black, only Bluefeather could tell by the look on her face. It was highly embarrassing being 'used' like that but at the same time it was also very hot, watching her Mistress slide herself up and down the seven inch long watching her fuck herself so close to her face. At first, scared of hurting her girlfriend's face, Bluefeather didn't bottom out on the dildo, but as she steadily grew more and more aroused, she started move faster and more assuredly. Before long, she was tapping Cyclone's lips with her lips and she was using her nose to rub her clit. Under Bluefeather, looking up at her dripping wet shaved pussy stretched around the dildo gag, Cyclone was left thinking this was the single hottest thing she had ever been a part of or experienced, ever. As Bluefeather got close to cumming, she started to rub her own clitoris and her moanings picked up in volume. Through it all though, she never once broke eye contact with her sub. For her part, Cyclone couldn't look away even if she had wanted to. She kept her eyes open like she was daring Bluefeather to squirt on her. Predictably, after just a few deep thrusts, Bluefeather came, squirting her juices all over Cyclone's face as she was bouncing just a couple of inches up and down as she rubbed away at herself with ferocity. Cyclone let out a pleasured moan as she was covered in her Mistress's fluids. Bluefeather continued to ride the toy and rub herself till she neared her next climax, then she just dropped down all the way to press her pussy right up against her pet's mouth and nose. When Bluefeather came the second time, Cyclone was barely able to take a breath through her nose before her face was again flooded by her ejaculate. Sweet sticky cum squirted up her nose and then suddenly breathing became an issue. "Let go." She ordered and no sooner had Cyclone obeyed, releasing her bite on the end in her mouth, than Bluefeather reached down, unbuckled the strap and, clenching down and, she lifted a bit before she rolled off to the side. "That was a lot better than I first thought it would be." "Tha..." Cyclone coughed and snorted a large cum bubble out of her nose, "That was so hot babes!" Smirking, Bluefeather opened her toned legs. "Hotter is you cleaning the business end of that," she motioned between her legs where the mouthpiece was still deep inside her sopping wet vagina. "I'd be happy to, Mistress!" Cyclone moved her hand to remove the toy from her girlfriend's depths like a knight removing the sword from the stone, albeit a very lewd sword from an extremely wet stone. "I think I can do a bit of clean up too," Bluefeather started again with alternating the kisses and nibbles around Cyclone's face, making her pet giggle at how she was being cleaned. Just to be a teeny bit naughty, Cyclone 'accidently' rubbed the toy all over her Mistress's cheek as she was licking it clean, however she failed to see the naughty as she wasn't fazed by that in the slightest. When the toy and Cyclone's face were equally clean, Bluefeather moved up so she could lay alongside her on the bed. "That was proper fun, my bratty pet. How well did you hold up to that? In the end I was in sheer bliss, and I am so very proud of you." ~ ~ ~ Two months later, and as summer was switching to autumn, the sun still warm and the breeze still welcome, Cyclone pulled up outside of Bluefeather's house in her sky blue minivan. Sat in the driver's seat, she was wearing a nappy underneath a pink onesie and a cream dress combo, her ensemble topped off as ever by her grey collar around her neck. Engine killed, she wheeled herself out of the van and up the neatly preserved path past the well mown lawn to the door of the large four bedroom red bricked townhouse, where she rang the bell. A pale blue skinned woman, pleasantly chubby in her mid-forties with her white grey hair up in a bun / ponytail combination, answered the door. Wind Sprint, Bluefeather's mother, wore her years like Cyclone wore her onesie. Unapologetically. "Hi, Cyclone. Blue is up in her room. Do you want to come in, or should I get her?" "Hey Ms Sprint, how's it today?" Cyclone greeted her second mom with an easy smile. It was easy to smile around Wind Sprint. She was one of those cheery people. "If you gimme a hand getting me over the step, I'll come in for a moment if it's no trouble?" "I could," Wind Sprint smiled and pointed along the path that ran around the back of the house, "Or you can wheel your way in through the patio door." She stepped out as she said that, happy to walk around with her. "Patio door it is! Thanks Ms Sprint!" Cyclone promptly wheeled herself along the walk that led to the back, through an unlocked fence gate to the rear patio door. There was only a tiny hump, which she negotiated easily enough. In the back yard, she was greeted by Bluefeather's two brothers, younger than her by six years, playing football. Rousted by her mom, Bluefeather was there ready to great her as her brothers both waved at the visitor. "Hi Cy," she beamed a wide smile, "Did you get dropped off?" "Hey sexy!" Cyclone waved back to the two boys and took a moment to admire her girlfriend and Mistress's blue jean shorts and white tee shirt. She made them look damn good. "Nopes, today I drove myself all the way here! Aren't I amazing?" "Oh, I see," Bluefeather led the way through the townhouse to her bedroom, "You going to drive me around so we can make out on the back seat?" "That's the plan, your cho-four at your whim, Mistress!" Cyclone deliberately said chauffer wrong on purpose, she wasn't the brightest sub in the world, and languages was one of the things she struggled with. "Now you have four wheels under two, you can be my go-four," grinned Bluefeather as she sat on her bed, "And I have so many whims!" "Any time babes! So what's the plan, you wanna go do something now I have my license? Ha, Old Cranky's face at the school parking lot when I passed my test, thought he was gonna explode!" Bluefeather laughed at that, because almost nobody actually liked the dour mean old teacher, "I'm sure he wasn't going to explode that you passed, only that you took something serious for once." She finished her point by directing a knowing finger at Cyclone. "Alright, well I guess you called me out on that one," conceded Cyclone with her usual good grace, "But hey, you gotta give me credit, since school's starting again soon, I've been serious. A bit." Bluefeather swapped her accusatory finger for a loving kiss, "You can be when it really matters, but I do love your care free fun side. Other than making out in the back, what would you like to do?" "I guess having a life changing thing happen to you changes you," Cyclone smiled and she gave her girlfriend a kiss of her own, "I'd like to drive my Mistress to a park of her choice, make out with her and do whatever else she might want." Looking out of her window, Bluefeather saw the sun shining through the trees on the street and she made her mind up. "It is a beautiful day, and walking and playing in Central Park would be nice. We can get some unhealthy street food while we're there. But making out is either up Canter peak, or under the viaduct for the Friendship Express." There was no option for that in Cyclone's mind. "It has to be Make Out Mountain, Mistress. We can be super naughty and there's an awesome view!" Smiling, Bluefeather's eyes wandered down her submissive's body from her face to her crotch, her smile widening all the time, "Yes that valley is an awesome view," she winked suggestively at her. "You can admire the valley while plundering my valley, Mistress." Giggling at the crudity of her girlfriend's remark, Bluefeather wandered over and wrapped her in a hug. "Such delightful poetry is not likely to make me swoon, but it was still a good effort. Let me change into a nice light summer dress, if we're going out." She did so in front of Cyclone, stripping down from her jean shorts and tee shirt to her lacy black thong panties and a matching lacy black bra before putting on a long white dress that was sheer enough to see her underwear through it. "Oh...oooooh my god I'll never get tired of you doing that..." Cyclone was of course openly staring at her Mistress all through the clothing change, licking her lips when she bent over and slipped on a pair of open toed sandals. "Oh hey, if you want poetry, I got a good one about a girl from Nantucket..." Now dressed, Bluefeather snorted out a laugh as she tied up her hair into a pony tail, "Limericks are your bread and butter. I believe I shall allow my crude but sexy Cho-four to escort me out." "It's my dad's fault!" Cyclone laughed and turned her chair to face the bedroom door. Most of her more obnoxious bratty traits came from her dad, and she loved him for it. "May I carry a bag for you, Mistress?" Murmuring appreciatively, Bluefeather placed a small clutch purse on her submissive's lap. "I shall entrust you with my possessions." As they made their way out of the house, Wind Sprint intercepted the two teenagers like a middle aged ninja, albeit one who was busy with a crossword puzzle and a large mug of coffee with her feet up on a plush footstool. "Where are you off to, and will you be back for dinner?" "I have the privilege of driving my Mistress to Central Park and then to Make Out Mountain, Ms Sprint," Cyclone answered without a trace of shame whatsoever, "We should be back for dinner, ma'am." Wind Sprint finally looked up from her puzzle, her reading glasses low on her nose and her pen pointed like it was a loaded rifle, "If you get her pregnant, young lady, my husband has a shotgun." Resisting the urge to laugh, Bluefeather instead rolled her eyes at her mother, "Later mom." Predictably, Cyclone showed no such restraint, and she giggled on the way out, in fact she was still laughing mirthfully all the way to the minivan. "I like your mom," she said as she remotely unlocked the doors, "She's fun, even for a vanilla." "I've never seen this shotgun either," smirked Bluefeather as she took a look at the new layout for the van's interior. The driver's side had been altered to allow Cyclone to drive it. "Explain to me how it all works." "Um..." Cyclone's smile vanished like one of her math grades as she struggled to remember what she was taught. Her usual comeback was to say 'many clever things' but she really wanted to give Bluefeather a proper answer this time. Fortunately, Bluefeather was patient while she watched her girlfriend show her by demonstration what things did. "So that's that!" Cyclone smiled a little too widely once she was done, "I was paying attention to what dad and the man told me, honest!" and she had been. She knew what the things in the van did, she just didn't know why, just that it did. Rather condescendingly - ironic, as Cyclone could never hope to spell that - Bluefeather patted her submissive's hand, "I'm depending on that, but you did make it here in one piece. Now," she said as she buckled herself into the passenger seat, "Take me away in your cruising ship, brat." "Your wish is my command, Mistress!" Cyclone, who had showed how her chair strapped into the driver's seat, and how she operated all the controls, was ready to go. "Where to, M'lady?" she asked in her best 'Parker' imitation. "Take me higher and draw me closer, and pull me deeper than I've ever been." "Very good, M'lady," Cyclone couldn't help but snicker at her purposefully awful impression and she pulled out into the few cars that accounted for the traffic. It was still morning, after all. "Hey uh, Blue," she asked, for the moment breaking character, "Did you by chance happen to do Ms Adagio's history homework yet?" "I did," Bluefeather kept her tone even, and her eyes facing forwards. She knew from long experience what was coming next, but there was no need to make it easy. "In modern and in ancient equestrian for extra credit too." While Cyclone loved her girlfriend, and she did love her, right then she rather hated the smugness in her voice. Mostly because she hadn't done it, and she knew Bluefeather knew that, too. "I um...I don't suppose you'd let me have a sneaky look at what you done, y'know, to uh, compare essays..." "You are so transparent, Cy," Bluefeather remarked, though not unkindly. "Don't copy it word for word, but get the facts down. She'll know if it doesn't sound like you." There was no fooling Adagio Dazzle, they had learned that in their first lesson back at school. The woman had a mind like a steel trap, and she could smell when a student was trying to hokey doke her. "It's so not my fault!" Cyclone protested as she drove along, "Who even knows about the fall of Rome!? I didn't even know they were in trouble!" "Well it did happen a few years ago, Cy." "How many is a few, like, more than ten?" "Maybe more than two thousand." "Ugh!" Cyclone grunted in frustration, "I am so stupid sometimes..." Bluefeather laughed, but it wasn't a mean laugh. She knew how sensitive Cyclone was about her perceived dumbness. She also knew she wasn't dumb. When she was approached the right way, she was actually quite intelligent. "I don't date stupid people, so you're safe. Maybe you're just more unaware of things that don't affect you in the here and now." "Yeah, let's go with that," Cyclone giggled, "Least I'm not panting after the hot history teacher like half the class." "She is one thicc lady though," commented Bluefeather, who could readily understand why half the class was panting after Adagio. "Then there was the day she wore that short skirt but didn't wear panties. Too bad there's a no cell phone policy in class." Cyclone figured that very policy saved the history teacher from a blizzard of photo flashes. "Oh, believe me, I did notice," she admitted shamelessly. "I also noted the yellow and pink choker she wears like a collar with the handcuffs clasp at the front. I reckon the no panties thing was an order she was following, y'know?" "Well if it was, it was daring," commented Bluefeather, who found it remarkable that Cyclone, who thought she was dumb, noticed that of all things. "I'm daring enough wearing this dress. Still, she is sharp, so don't copy me word for word." "Yes ma'am, no copying, ma'am!" Cyclone snickered, "I gotta admit, I find her scary, like creepy scary. The way she talks about history it's like she's actually lived through it, y'know?" Bluefeather was quick to laugh that off. "Yeah, right, Cy. She's just very well read and good at what she knows. Her memory is what's scary." In Cyclone's opinion, it was Adagio Dazzle's wide ass and the way she sashayed her way up and down the class that made her scary, but she - wisely - chose not to voice that opinion. "Yeah, you're right, babes. There's no way she's that old." she drove a little further, "We're here, Central Park. Wonder why they called it that?" "Maybe because it's in the centre of the old city?" offered Bluefeather with a playful snicker in her voice, "Thank you for the ride, my sexy brat, and your driving is really good, by the way. I don't know if I could drive with just my hands." "That's because I'm awesome with my hands!" replied Cyclone with a proud smile, a snicker and a wiggle of her fingers in the air that left nothing to the imagination. "Let me get your door, Mistress." More than happy to wait for Cyclone to exit and open her door, Bluefeather gracefully disembarked. "There we go! Where shall we head to first, Mistress?" "Hmm..." Bluefeather thought about it for a moment with a finger on her chin, "It's a bit early to get wet, so we'll go to the adult playground next to the kiddie one. We can take turns on the swings." "Swings it is, as long as we don't swing too high." They made their way through the park to the playground, where they spent about thirty minutes in the adult play area. Cyclone was able to get on a swing by herself, and using her chair, she could push herself, switching sides as it was a good one arm work out. Helpfully, Bluefeather carried her up to the top of the large slide built into the side of a small hill. Cyclone liked that, as it didn't seem too high up, not like the one that had its own ladder. Seeing as she was being very, very brave, Cyclone went down the slide three times! On the third time down, she saw a girl she recognised from CHS. The new student, a tall light brown skinned girl with an unruly mop of white hair, walked through the area like she owned it in her natty ripped jeans, worn leather jacket, smoking as she went. "Hey, hey Blue, it's that new kid, the griffon?" before Bluefeather could answer her, Cyclone waved, "Hey! Gilda! Gilda, over here!" Pausing in mid stride and blowing out a lungful of smoke, Gilda spared Cyclone a look like she had just stepped in something unpleasant and her heavy boot was soiled as a result. "Fuck off, dweeb," she snorted. "You're too late," shot back Bluefeather, who protectively wrapped her arms around her handicapped girlfriend's shoulders, just in case, "She already taken." "Gilda!" when Cyclone called her again, Gilda casually flipped her off and, middle finger still raised like she was saluting her, the griffon turned her back and walked away without another word. "Huh," Cyclone hmphed, "How'd you like that?" "Griffon bitch," Bluefeather scoffed at the back of the tall muscular well-built tough girl, "I don't like it at all, so she can go fuck herself back to Griffonstone." As soon as she heard that, Cyclone burst out laughing, and she guffawed out loud. "I don't think I've ever heard you curse except when you're sat on my face." Noncommittally, Bluefeather shrugged, happy to see the back of the surly girl. "Most people don't piss me off. Shouldn't she be on some street corner under a red light?" "I was thinking she got lost on the way to West Side Story," commented Cyclone with a shrug equal to her girlfriend's. "Oh well. Her loss, I guess. You want to get something to eat?" "Let's play in the water jets and then we can go and dry off with some food at one of the tables." Bluefeather leant in close to Cyclone's ear, "I'm sure you'd love to see this dress get all wet." "Yes Mistress, I most certainly would, Mistress!" as if Cyclone was going to say no to that. The square area not too far away from the playground had a number of water jets arranged in a pattern that shoot up at timed intervals. There were a few adults and number of kids running around the area squealing and laughing. "I'm so getting in on this!" Just as carefree as her wheelchair bound lover, Bluefeather skilfully used her feet to send the spray of cold water up at an angle to ensure that Cyclone's chair didn't keep her dry from the spray. All too soon, her white dress was quite transparent and her black lacy underwear was on full display as was her grey skin. After a few more moments of playing in the water, Cyclone's dress and her onesie were just as wet as her Mistress's dress, but nowhere near as see through. She was a laughing mess though, having had a blast in the water. "Foot longs and cheesy fries sound good?" asked Bluefeather as she wiped her wet hair out of her face. "Yeah they do!" exclaimed Cyclone eagerly, uncaring of her messy turquoise hair hanging in strands over her face, "I am starved!" Another benefit of the dousing in the cool water did have another welcome effect, namely that of Bluefeather's nipples being extra 'perky' under her bra and soaked dress. In no time at all, the two made it to a food stand at the edge of the park. "Half smoke with kraut and mustard and some cheesy fries, please." "Make that two, dude!" added Cyclone quickly, who was suddenly very hungry. The server, a pleasant looking young man, smiled at both his new customers. He never got tired of serving hot wet young girls. That was why he put his food truck where it was. "You got it, miss," he chuckled, "You two look like you need a towel." Usually shy of her body, Bluefeather instead practically flaunted herself. "Gotta enjoy what's left of the weather while we can, right?" "You're quite right, miss," he quickly got the two orders together, as well as the two cokes Cyclone asked for. As much as he wanted to stare at them all day, there were other customers. "Eight bits. Who gets the bad news?" "Money bags here," Bluefeather pointed to Cyclone, "She's too loaded to even walk. Besides, I have no pockets." "I got it sir," Cyclone quickly fished out a ten bit note from her purse and passed it over to him. "Keep the two, my man." Hot food in hand, Bluefeather pointed to a nearby empty table, "We can go dry off over there." "You got it, Mistress," Cyclone, guided by her empty rumbling belly, quickly followed Bluefeather over to the table like an obedient puppy. "Yeah," she sighed happily under the dappled shade of the overhanging tree, "This Fall sun's a bit nice, huh?" Passing out the food, Bluefeather nodded, "I can't imagine doing this in a couple of months. Good thing your van will stay warm all winter long." "Can't beat climate control," Cyclone laughed thickly around the sandwich in her mouth, trying to eat and speak at the same time, "I'll need tank tracks on my chair when it snows." "Maybe just some knobbier tyres," Bluefeather reposted, "The snow doesn't get that bad around here, we aren't like Vanhoover, but the ice may turn your ride into a comedy routine." "Yeah but tracks would be cool, like some wheelchair ATV deal." "That's what the internet is for." "Nah, that'd be silly. Oh," Cyclone struggled to swallow her sandwich after having taken a way too large bite, "I meant to tell you, guess who got her first second place in her race yesterday?" "Hummm..." Bluefeather, by stark contrast to her girlfriend, was taking far more delicate bites of her food, "Is it anyone I know?" "Me!" exclaimed Cyclone who was, as usual, completely and utterly oblivious to Bluefeather's sarcasm, "You could have come and watched me, but you were doing some dull lesson or something, y'know, at school." "Yes," Bluefeather arched her eyebrow, "Like taking notes or something. For a certain Ms Adagio's history assignment," she gave her submissive a kiss that was flavoured by her sandwich, "Is there another chair athlete?" "Nah," replied Cyclone after the kiss had been broken, "There was one, a girl called Blur, but she graduated last year. I remember she had an attitude not too far away from dearest Gilda." "That must be why I don't remember her on the team." "Yeah," said Cyclone as she popped open her can of coke, "You wouldn't. She had two legs before the Fall Formal." when Bluefeather nodded, she continued, "Blur got hit by the falling masonry when the school facade collapsed. Had to have her right leg off to save her life." Bluefeather shuddered. Of course she remembered the Fall Formal. Everyone at CHS remembered the Fall Formal. "Maybe she didn't taking it as maturely as you are. I don't know what to say, but don't follow her example." "Maybe she never had the support I've got," suggested Cyclone as she washed down her sandwich with the coke, "I've only ever seen her mom, and most times she looks three sheets to the wind, y'know? I mean, I'm lucky. I got you, mom and dad. And that Requiem lady." "Keep an eye out," warned Bluefeather cautiously, "Don't let people like that hurt you." "I will. Oh, I gotta tell you about this little 'Little' girl. She's a senior," Cyclone paused to empty her can and let out a rather loud and pronounced burp, "She's like three foot tall, but damn she runs like a stabbed rat!" Like the young lady she was, Bluefeather chose to ignore the crass statement her girlfriend made, "Think she can outrun your chair?" "Nearly!" exclaimed Cyclone, "We raced yesterday for fun, and it was a dead tie. You'd like her too; she's got a wicked sense of humour. She's got this boyfriend who's like, twice her size. Gilda called her on it and she said, 'We're all the same height laid down', it was awesome!" "Really?" smirked Bluefeather, "I think I'm taller than you laid down." "Only cos my boobs don't exist," Cyclone affected a very realistic fake pout. "Actually I wear a larger sized shoe..." "Yeah, I uh, I had noticed..." Cyclone's pout disappeared fast as her eyes slid down her Mistress's body to fully appreciate her perfectly pedicured feet in her perfect open toed sandals. In a very good imitation of Miss Cheerilee, Bluefeather wagged her finger at her submissive girlfriend. "Not until we get to Make Out Mountain." "Fine," Cyclone made a rather bratty whine, then she quickly apologised, "Sorry Mistress." "I love you, brat, and I'm ready to go." Bluefeather finished off her sandwich as well as her coke at the same time Cyclone drained her can. The grey skinned teenager then looked down and checked herself out, "Back to translucent. Will you need a nappy change in the van?" It was only when Bluefeather asked, did Cyclone realise she was wet in her nappy. And not from the water fountains. "Um...yeah..." she muttered, her good humour evaporating, "I uh, I thought it was the water. Sorry." Lovingly, Bluefeather reached over and squeezed her girlfriend's hand, "It's fine, Cy." "I know, I know..." Cyclone let out a long, deep, sigh, "It's been a couple months since what happened, happened, now, I should be over this! I know it's nothing to be ashamed of, Requiem said it enough damn times!" "I like Requiem," stated Bluefeather kindly, but there was a firmness to her tone at the same time, "And you should listen to her. Then, you'll listen to me." "She says I'm making progress," muttered a sullen Cyclone, "I'm not so sure sometimes." With an added roll of her eyes, Bluefeather gave Cyclone a - not very - light punch in the shoulder. "I'm sure," she stated like there was no room for argument, "I can get all True Heart on you if you want." "Not a threat. You do it in a sexy way," As soon as Cyclone said that, Bluefeather almost doubled over in gales of laughter, leaving Cyclone looking nonplussed. "Ha de ha, c'mon, let's get back to the van." On the way back, Bluefeather got in the lead and she wiggled her toned shapely ass before she dropped back to walk along with her. "Now that's a view I can appreciate." "Lay out on the back seat and I'll change your nappy." Said Bluefeather who was mindful to keep the soft kind tone, because she knew how uncomfortable her girlfriend was feeling. "Alright, Mistress." When they reached the van, Cyclone heaved herself out of her chair and she laid herself down. She then looked up at the roof of the vehicle and told herself she was being very silly. Didn't stop how she felt though. "Yeah," confirmed Bluefeather after she had pulled up the onesie and unfastened the nappy to look inside, "That is more than fountain water in there." Efficiently, she used a handy wipe to make sure that Cyclone was clean and she made sure she was dry before putting on a new, clean nappy. "Thank you Mistress," Cyclone found that in spite of her fears and anxiety, she had actually relaxed somewhat, she was definitely not as tense now the clean fresh nappy was on. Without hesitation, Bluefeather swooped in and she delivered a deep kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "I'm here for you, Cy. Now, let's get this chariot up the mountain." "You got it, Mistress." Once she was back in the driver's side of her minivan, dressed in a clean dry onesie and dress with Bluefeather beside her also in a dry clean dress - a foresight of theirs to pack spare clothing at all times just in case, Cyclone drove to the mountain. "It's dumb," Cyclone spoke up after a few moments where she steered the van in silence, "I know, being hung up on the nappy changing thing. I mean, we've been naked with each other tons of times, done stuff with each other tons of times..." "How many times did True Heart change a dirty nappy for you?" "Um...lots?" offered Cyclone after a moment of deep thought, a moment in which she couldn't offer up a better answer. "I've done two so far," Bluefeather reached over to take Cyclone's hand for a moment, then she gave it an affectionate squeeze, "We're good, Cy." "Yeah," she spared Bluefeather a quick smile back, "We're good, babes." Bluefeather simply smiled brightly, content to sit and watch as Cyclone easily maneuvered the van back on to the main road. Her appraisal didn't go unnoticed. "She doesn't handle too bad for a huge crate," the athlete giggled as she drove along, "Took me a few attempts around the mall parking lot to get the hang of the van. She's bigger than Cranky's instructor car." "I think you secretly want to be a soccer mom." That remark came so far out of left field for Cyclone that for a moment all she could do was drive. "If you get me pregnant," she said at last, "My dad definitely won't come after you with a shotgun. A camera, maybe." "Not sure which is scarier, your dad with a camera, or mine with the shotgun." "Splattered over your front porch or splattered over the centrefold...tough one!" Bluefeather couldn't help but giggle at the ridiculous comparison. "Our grandchild having to explain to the sitter why there is a naked picture framed in their bedroom." "Yeah, that'd be fun alright," Cyclone snickered at the ludicrous scenario, picturing it playing out just like that. But, as she drove along, she found her thoughts lingering on being that soccer mom, driving the kid to games, watching, cheering them on when they won and consolidating when they lost. It was a good little fantasy. Naturally, Bluefeather noticed the contemplative look on Cyclone's face. She also knew enough not to push when such a rare look came over her. She didn't want to scare it away. She resolved to remain quiet until they neared the parking area as she looked out between the scenery and back at Cyclone. "You have a rather serious look about you, Cy," she said at last. "I was thinking..." Cyclone replied as she pulled up in the parking space a third of the way up Make Out Mountain. "I know, it's not something I do a lot of...but...were you joking about the soccer mom thing?" "Nope," Bluefeather shook her head, "Nor was my mom joking about a shotgun. If one of us gets pregnant, we're getting married. I'd rather get married without the pressure." "You just got me thinking, that's all, it'd be really cool, y'know? Driving him or her to a game, watching, cheering, all that cool mom stuff." "Taking us on tour." "Yeah," Cyclone's smile grew wider and wider, "I know, I'm eighteen, I shouldn't be planning away our whole lives like that, but now I'm thinking about it, having a kid would be cool." "I agree having a child would be cool," said Bluefeather, who was choosing her words very carefully, "But maybe we can wait till after university. I'm good before grad school though, if either of us goes to that." "After university it is!" she fist bumped Bluefeather, which in her mind all but sealed the deal, then she looked out at the view of the city sprawling below them. "Damn that's something to look at, huh?" "It certainly is," agreed Bluefeather as she unclipped the seat belt from her, "But there are better things to look at in here..." she left that hanging in the air and she moved across the seats to Cyclone's lap, where she not only kissed her but freely groped that non-existent chest she loved so much. "Mmmm I have to agree with you, Mistress..." while Bluefeather was groping her, Cyclone returned the favour by slipping her hands up underneath Bluefeather's dress aiming for her black lacy bra. In a rare display of exhibitionism, Bluefeather was more than happy to let the undressing go on right there in the front of the van. None of those windows were tinted in any way like the back ones, and an adventurous Cyclone had slipped her hands under the bra, flipping it up over Bluefeather's ample chest so she could gently play with her nipples. To show her intense pleasure at that, Bluefeather gave out a soft sigh and she groped at Cyclone with a renewed vigour. When her onesie was unbuttoned down to her front, Cyclone moaned almost in tune with her lover's sigh and in the moment took hold of her dress to remove it. Affectionately, Bluefeather nuzzled Cyclone's ear and, after a quick nip, she whispered, "Be gentle on the dress, but not on me." "Yes Mistress," in no time at all, Cyclone had carefully removed the white dress and the black bra along with it. Then, after she had folded them neatly, she began to suck roughly on her lover's breasts and nipples. Bluefeather leant back and she ran her hands down Cyclone's sides, not tickling, but roaming free to feel up her athletic body. Cyclone moaned again, and she tentatively bit on the nipple of her Mistress's left breast in her mouth. "Unlock the chair," she ordered breathlessly, "I'm taking you to the back."
Harmony University: Riding the Storm	Chapter 7 - Senior Year	Bluefeather leant back and she ran her hands down Cyclone's sides, not tickling, but roaming free to feel up her athletic body. Cyclone moaned again, and she tentatively bit on the nipple of her Mistress's left breast in her mouth. "Unlock the chair," she ordered breathlessly, "I'm taking you to the back." That allowed Bluefeather to push the wheelchair away from the steering column so she could unbuckle Cyclone and lift her up. Then, she carried her to the back seat where she was able to finish undressing her. "I'm bottom and you can do as you please to make me cum, brat." Bluefeather then laid back across the seat and pulled her girlfriend on top of her. "Nice to be the one on top for a change," smirked Cyclone as she crawled between her Mistress's legs and she stroked her hairless labia with her fingers, at the same time kissing up her inner thighs. A very contented sigh left Bluefeather's lips. Her girlfriend might be a brat, but she was a brat who was very skilled with her fingers. "I love all of you as you are right now..." "I love you too Mistress," murmured Cyclone as she slowly kissed her way up and over Bluefeather's hard throbbing clitoris and down her other thigh. Only when she was whimpering with her back arched up did she then move back to her pussy, and Cyclone dragged her tongue over her nub. A very happy Bluefeather was laid back in utter bliss with her cute moans filling the van as Cyclone expertly worked her dripping wet sex. "Heh," the athlete snickered, "And you said you can't sing..." she then wrapped her lips around her clit and slid two fingers inside her hot wet tunnel. Naturally, Bluefeather was enjoying herself too much to bother with any kind of response to that. Cyclone, between her trembling legs, in an attempt to get her off, now used three fingers thrusting in and out of her Mistress. At the same time she was plunging knuckle deep, she was sucking and nipping her clit. Fortunately for Bluefeather, Cyclone knew what she really enjoyed. It was the slow burn that really got her off. It wasn't her thing, but she nonetheless slowed down her assault and made her climax in ten minutes. For her second climax, Cyclone went even slower. She gradually bought her up to the boil taking well over twenty minutes. After she had ridden out her second climax, it was an extremely grateful Bluefeather who dragged Cyclone bodily up her until she was able to give her a long and passionate kiss. "MMmmmmm!" was all she could comment to that after having a tongue thrust into her tired mouth. Now she had her where she wanted her, Bluefeather allowed her hands to roam freely over Cyclone's toned body, but she didn't dip below her waist. The athlete felt the soft delicate hands on her and she moved hers to cup and grope Bluefeather's breasts, her thumbs toying with her nipples. "It must be the altitude that has me in the mood," she smiled. "I love you in the mood, Mistress," replied Cyclone, who was happy to play with those perfectly perky breasts a few moments longer. "Um," she looked up after a few moments though, "Can you make me cum, please Mistress?" Letting out a well-practised sigh, Bluefeather rolled her eyes at her needy brat. That said though, she was her brat. "I guess your adequate performance should be rewarded, hmm?" "Adequ...!" exclaimed Cyclone indignantly, for her tongue skills had been off the charts! Then, she caught herself in mid protest and she shut up, her whole submissive body language showing her blush as she remembered her place. "I mean, thank you, Mistress." Bluefeather counted herself a lucky dominant to have such a bratty submissive who was so easy to read, punish and reward. She slid to the edge of the back seat and rolled so that Cyclone was on the bottom. There, she used her legs to make sure her pet's were straight. "Always the brat," she kissed her, "Never change." "I-I w-won't M-Mistessssss!" moaned Cyclone while Bluefeather began a very slow burn attack on her with gentle nibbles to both her ears complete with delicate licks up the lobes and poking of her tongue inside. Cyclone hissed and squirmer her upper body to no avail as her Mistress slowly got her going, and little needy whimpers emerged the more she was teased. Gradually, with all the speed of a glacier, Bluefeather moved a bit lower along her sub's neck and jaw line. "C...C'mon Blue..." whined Cyclone, who knew perfectly well she was being demanding and bratty, but she didn't care. "Make me cum, please?" Pointedly ignoring her brat, Bluefeather giggled as she moved a bit lower so she could play with Cyclone's flat breasts with her hands and her mouth. "B-Blue pleeeeease!" she begged like the desperate sub she was. While she couldn't feel it, from her own scent she knew she was wet and incredibly aroused. Keeping a hand on each of her breasts, Bluefeather bought her lips, teeth, and tongue into play as she worked ever downwards heading for the navel. "MMMMmmmm Miiiiistreeesss!" Cyclone groaned, by now leaking so much of her arousal between her legs. She had never been one for foreplay before, but Bluefeather has upped her teasing foreplay game considerably in the past few months and it was really, really getting her off. That didn't go unnoticed. "You smell so nice," Bluefeather commented as she worked her way down Cyclone's body to the imaginary line where feeling stopped and she danced along that line with her mouth. "M-Must be a-all t-the teasing, Mistress!" squeaked Cyclone through panting breaths as she felt her Mistress's hands slide lower down her body, "Damn you're amazing!" "That I am," smirked Bluefeather, who wasn't about to argue. One hand then moved past her mouth to Cyclone's dripping snatch. A moment of sadness did cross her thoughts as she knew that no amount of playing with her clit would gain her anything. Still, she was wet and her fingers easily entered her, looking for that bundle of nerves just inside on the upper wall. She knew it would be dull, but she would feel that. "Ooooooh Mistress!" Cyclone moaned, as she definitely felt that, the dull building pleasure adding to that which her Mistress had already given her on the way down. The athlete's body soon rewarded Bluefeather with more of her fluids leaked out onto her forearm. Smirking, Bluefeather slowly worked her hand further in, allowing her sub's natural lubricants gain her deeper entry. A few inches in and Operation Cervix was a go. As her arm entered her, Bluefeather's mouth moved back to the belly button, and the other hand was up on a breast. "BLUUUUUUE!" Cyclone screamed out loud and squirmed, panting and whimpering under the massive sensory assault that was getting her off. "I-I'm cumming....fuuuuuck I'm gonna cum soon, I swear!" That was what Bluefeather was waiting to hear. She pinched at a nipple, bit just above Cyclone's navel and she flicked her fingers hard against her cervix. That was all it took to get Cyclone over her edge. With a loud scream that could be heard outside the van, she gushed her cum all over Bluefeather's chest like a waterfall. ~ ~ ~ Monday came as ever, following a wonderful weekend where Bluefeather dominated Cyclone all day long. This morning, the dominant teen out of her front door as soon as the minivan pulled up. "Should I call you Jeeves now that you are my valet at my beck and call?" she asked with a sly grin as she got in the passenger seat. Cyclone, in a poor imitation of Parker, greeted her with a, "Good morning M'lady Mistress," she snickered and adjusted the sun visor on the windscreen to keep the morning sun out of her eyes, "If you're calling me that, I want a hat." "I'm sure I can arrange for that," Bluefeather sat and smoothed out her dress and appreciated the tee shirt and jean shorts her girlfriend was wearing. "Ready for our first day of the last year?" "Seniors!" Cyclone's cheer gave way to a sigh, "I'm ready to have this year behind me. I'm ready to be back to racing. Not so much Cranky's math class...or any of the other classes..." "Just be careful where you park when you get to school," warned Bluefeather, "The terror of the faculty lot is now in charge." "I remember Dash told me," commented Cyclone as she slipped the van into gear and pulled out, "When she came over to see us the other week." She steered around a few cars in her way, "Can you believe Celestia actually went through that portal thing to pony land?" A roll of her eyes was all Bluefeather could muster to that. Magic was Canterlot High's worst kept secret, particularly with Rainbow Dash running her mouth. "Rumours are she got married and retired, but after all that has happened, I think I'd believe anything." "Yeah, tell me about it. Well," Cyclone continued, "Wherever she is, good luck to her that's me. After last year with Sunset, the sirens and the Friendship Games, I think she's earned an easy retirement in Pony Land." "I for one hope our last year will be 'weirdness' free," declared Bluefeather, "Neither of us need what happened at the mall to happen at school." "Blue," Cyclone spared her girlfriend a wry glance when she stopped at a junction, "You don't have to say 'weirdness'. You can say magic, you know. You won't combust or anything, everyone knows about it." Bluefeather couldn't help but giggle, "What if I say 'Trixie' instead? I'm going to miss her crazy shows." "Me too." Cyclone replied with a very deep sigh. A short time later, she pulled into the Canterlot High student parking lot and took advantage of the handicapped zones close to the school. "Hopefully, with Sunset and those others all gone now, they've took the weird magic stuff with them. Gonna miss Dash. Hope the new captain's not a jerk." "A lot of people thought she would be a fifth year high school student. Oh," Bluefeather gasped in pleasant surprise at their new spot, "I'm going to like this curb to curb service. You get one of the fancy close parking spots." "We have arrived, M'lady Mistress," Cyclone giggled as she killed the engine. "Let me get your door for you." Bluefeather was good for that, and she nodded approvingly. Cyclone got herself and her bag out, and she wheeled herself around to the passenger side. "Here you are, Mistress, may I take your bag for you?" "Certainly, Jeeves!" with a giggle, Bluefeather placed her bag on Cyclone's lap, "Let's see what Harshwhinny has for us for home room, shall we?" "Shame she couldn't have retired..." "We don't have any of her classes this year. Just show up, smile, and move on." Together, Bluefeather and Cyclone made their way along the halls to their home room, where the ever professional Miss Harshwhinny was waiting for them. She already had a class full; they were the last two. "Ms. Cyclone, you are to report to the Principal's office immediately." As one, the whole class started laughing but, turning on the spot, Bluefeather said it for all of them. "Wow Cy, first day and you're already in trouble!" "What?" Cyclone was stunned and shocked, indeed it was a good thing she was sat down, "But I haven't done anything! Um...have I?" "Bet you parked in the faculty lot!" called out a tall boy who Cyclone vaguely remembered was called Hightower. "I did not...did I?" asked Cyclone, to gales of laughter from the rest of the class. "Just be on your way, please, Ms. Cyclone." Harshwhinny huffed, irritated at the disruption to her class before it had even started. She dearly hoped this wasn't an indicator for how the rest of the year was going to go. Bluefeather shook her head no, but she couldn't speak, she was laughing along with the rest. "Ugh, fine..." Cyclone stuck her tongue out at her Mistress, something she knew she would pay for later, and she wheeled herself out to the empty corridor. When she reached Principal Luna's office, she knocked on the door. Cyclone was greeted by Crescent Moon, Luna's secretary, in the outer office. "Good morning, Cyclone. Principal Luna will see you now," she looked over her half-moon glasses and she motioned to the closed inner door. "Hey Principal Luna!" Cyclone greeted the tall dark blue skinned woman in her typically cheerful manner in an attempt to disarm her should it be necessary. "Um, I didn't do it, honest, whatever it is." Luna, sat imperiously in her chair like it was a throne, spared Cyclone a tiny little smile, "I think we both know it was Juniper Montage that did it, even if the person in the security cameras will never be found. Welcome to the effects of Equestrian magic." She said and her smile widened, just a little. "As for why you are here, it is just a short tour so you can be indoctrinated in the handicapped facilities in our school." Somewhat uncomfortably, Cyclone scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, she did, but you know? I'm not bitter about it. I've had the summer holiday getting that out my system, with Blue's help." She indicated the light grey collar she was wearing around her neck. When she saw that, Luna's smile grew wider and far more genuine, as she was thinking of her beloved Cheerilee's collar, but she said nothing about it. "The elevator is not for student use, but you are an exception. This key card," she produced a simple plastic card with CHS stamped on it, "Will gain you access to it. I'll show you where it is." Walking out of the office, Luna held the door open for Cyclone to pass. "Alright, nice one, Principal," she moved along at the older woman's side, easily keeping pace with her, "What's that like, being the one in charge now?" "A decent pay raise," commented Luna with a smirk, "But I'll have to see how it goes over the year. I understand you have your own vehicle, with a better parking spot than mine." She was only a teeny bit peeved at that. "You need to let the front office know if that changes so we can arrange for a correctly equipped bus to pick you up." "What can I say? It's the upside of having a mall stand thrown at you," Cyclone giggled, "And I will, let you know, I mean." Luna walked on through a 'Staff Only' marked door and there was an elevator on the other side. "To activate the up down arrows you need to swipe the card over them. The basement has all the sports equipment, which includes your racing chair, where Mr. Will put it. There is roof access also, but I wouldn't bother. That card will not open the exterior door. It will override the system so you can use it when the fire alarm goes off. And for your curiosity, it only works on this elevator. No sneaking in at night." "Trust me," responded Cyclone quickly, "I can think of better places to be at night than here, no offence, ma'am. And don't worry about the roof. I'm not great with heights. I'm more than happy with my wheels on the ground, thanks." Approvingly, Luna nodded her head, "The only wheelchair fire exits are the one in back out of the basement, and the front one on the first floor. I'm sure, in an emergency, you'd be willing to let someone carry you down an exterior fire exit, or interior stairwell?" "You got it, ma'am," Cyclone agreed very quickly, "One brush with death per lifetime is quite enough for me." "Good," Luna could tell the teenager was being sincere, "You may have seen the other facilities, like the hoist for the pool. You are currently the only wheelchair bound student in school, now Miss Blur has graduated. If you have any issues, please let the front office know. I don't want any hindrance to your education. Any questions for me?" "No, well I have a couple questions," Cyclone clarified as Luna was about to walk away, "But not about school. You've just about covered everything I'll need to know." "Questions I may not want to answer then," answered Luna sharply but not unkindly, "I'll leave you to get to your first class, which I believe is on the second floor. Enjoy your ride. Oh, students are still not authorized to use the elevator, so no passengers. Have a good day." "Before you go," Cyclone stopped Luna in her tracks with her back half turned towards her, "Uh, can I ask what's it like, where Principal Celestia's gone to retire? Only question, I promise. I figured you'd know, since it was magic that did this to me." Pausing at the door, Luna thought for a moment. Ultimately, she turned to face the teenager. "I'm sure Rainbow Dash has said way too much. Anyway, I can say I've visited her, and it is a nice place. Different, but nice. My sister is happy, and that is what matters to me." "Thanks, Principal. Here's to everyone being happy. Even Juniper." Cyclone smiled at the older woman; grateful she had been as open with her as she had been. "Anyway. I'd better get to Home Ec. Miss Peachbottom's showing us how to bake a cake!" On her way out of the door, Luna muttered, "I hope she isn't using kirshwasser again..." Since Cyclone didn't know what - or who - that was, she didn't question it. "Maybe I'll cook something that's edible this year?" she giggled to herself and took herself off to the Home Economics room for her class. ~ ~ ~ A few hours later and the school bell rang, signalling the start of the lunch hour. Bluefeather was waiting at the entrance of the cafeteria for Cyclone to arrive, which she did some minutes later. The black skinned teenager wheeled herself up to the cafeteria doors with a deeply unhappy look on her face. "Hey babes." "Wow Cy," Bluefeather was stunned by the sour look on her girlfriend's face, "I don't know if the lunch menu will be able to turn that frown upside down." Food was one way to do it though. "I hate cooking," Cyclone muttered darkly, "Cooking sucks. Peach Ass sucks and so does Home Ec. Stupid cake, stupid oven, stupid class!" Bluefeather, who did not have the class with her, simply giggled, "Was the smoke detector used, or a fire extinguisher?" Despite her mood, the corners of Cyclone's mouth curled up slightly, "Peachy had to use the extinguisher. What came out wasn't edible in any way..." she then grumbled a series of choice swear words, "The only thing that saved me from an F was the cream filling I made was pretty decent." "School still stands," said Bluefeather breezily, looking around her as if to make sure, "So it is a win!" "Still two and a bit hours of my life I won't get back..." Cyclone reluctantly giggled, "The only upside was that Gilda was even worse than me." "Who's Gilda?" asked Bluefeather completely innocently, "Don't remember that name." "Let's get something to eat, and when we're set, I'll show you the video Snapshot took on his phone." "After we're done eating," added Bluefeather with a wink, "I don't want to snort dink out my nose in the cafeteria." "A wise precaution, cos trust me, you will laugh," remarked Cyclone knowingly as she went with Bluefeather to join the line of students waiting to be served, "I've been dreaming about a burger and fries all morning." Bluefeather snorted derisively at the predictable choice, "They always have that, but I'm going for the pizza today." "Ooh...what do I want..." Cyclone was lost in a world of too much choice, and ultimately she decided to buck her usual trend. "Okay, pizza or burger...damn it, okay, pizza me up!" "Copycat," snarked Bluefeather as she helped herself to a couple of slices of the vegetarian pizza and a soda. "They've got that thing they call pudding or the other choice looks like vanilla cake with chocolate frosting." As she got three slices of the pizza on her tray, Cyclone surveyed the dessert options. Both looked amazing, if she was honest. "Looks better than the burnt effort I made; I'll go with the vanilla cake looking thing." Likewise, Bluefeather took the cake for her pudding and she followed Cyclone over to an empty table between the Fashionistas and the Techies. Not her first choice, maybe, but at least they weren't the Rockers or the Jocks. "Cafeteria food is one thing that will never change." "It's a good thing too," commented Cyclone after very carefully getting to the table and balancing her tray on her knees. The last thing she needed was a spill on the first day. "How would we know the outside world had good food if CHS's didn't suck?" "Based on that reasoning, the Burger Joint has good food." "Pfft..." snorted Cyclone as she took a large bite out of one of her pizza slices, "I've been telling you that for ages, now you believe me?" "There's a saying," commented Bluefeather after she had taken a far more ladylike bite of her food, "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger." "Jeez," Cyclone said thickly around the food in her mouth, "Does that mean I'm invincible versus mall sunglasses stands?" Wisely, Bluefeather nodded, "You're future's so bright you'll need to wear shades." "Awesome!" cheered Cyclone heartily as she polished off her first slice of pizza in short order. "New superhero, Sunny Girl." When she saw Bluefeather reach for her soda, the athlete made her move to sabotage her, "She's wheely good!" Predictably, Bluefeather snorted a waterfall of soda out of her nose, which she utterly failed to catch in her hand. "You fiend!" she exclaimed when she was done laughing. "One point to me!" cried Cyclone happily as she set aside her pizza and she pulled out her phone and calls up the Facetube app. She was pleased to see that the video clip 'Gilda Cake Fail' was already posted and it had over two hundred views. Bluefeather found the three minute clip of a very flustered Gilda pulling open the oven door so hard that she ended up on her ass with the cake splatting on the floor extremely funny. When the heat from the oven burned her eyebrows off she was laughing so hard she almost fell out of her chair. "Well," she said eventually, "That one does make it look like you know which end of the spoon to stir with, at least." "I know right? This is hilarious! Honestly, I could watch this over and over all day!" and so she did, Cyclone repeated the video while she ate her second slice of pizza and slurped up half her soda. "Yeah, but don't take it too far," Bluefeather caught sight of Miss Peachbottom walking into the cafeteria, but she chose not to say anything, "Remember, that was you three years ago." "C'mon! It's Gilda!" exclaimed Cyclone, unwittingly too loud and she drew the Home Economics teacher's attention, "Are you gonna tell her I'm laughing my ass off at a clip of her? Cos I'm not." Just then, Cyclone heard the loud footsteps coming up behind her and she gulped, "She's behind me, right?" It wasn't Gilda. "Ms. Cyclone." Miss Peachbottom's usually affable easy going tone was notably absent from her voice. "I've already given Mr. Snapshot detention for taking videos in class. Do you seek that?" "Gah!" Cyclone flinched in her wheelchair like ice had been dropped down her back. On the one hand she was glad it wasn't Gilda, on the other hand, it was a teacher. "N-No! Not on my first day, anyway. I mean, no ma'am!" "Then we can agree that the school is not a place to show videos that shouldn't have been made in school, can't we?" "No ma'am, um...I mean, yes ma'am, I mean I'm turning it off, ma'am!" it was a very flustered Cyclone who snatched up her phone and who scrabbled with the buttons to turn it off. Naturally, the buttons were suddenly the size of pinheads and her fingers huge. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am..." Letting out a snort of satisfaction, Miss Peachbottom turned and walked off without another word, leaving a very embarrassed couple sat at the table. When she was safely gone, Bluefeather whispered, "Busted." Cyclone huffed, "Well that sucked balls..." she then muttered not quite under her breath, "I'm not that much of a bratty bitch...anymore..." At that, Bluefeather raised a pair of extremely sceptical eyebrows so far they disappeared up into her fringe. "Keep saying that and it might become a reality someday." "I'm really not!" Cyclone protested and then her eyes caught her phone, and she looked aside like it was accusing her of a war crime. "Well, maybe not much..." Smirking, Bluefeather leant in close across the table, but she didn't kiss her girlfriend's lips, "As long as you're my brat, all is good." "Always, Mistress, I'm always your brat." "I'd kiss you," smiled Bluefeather affectionately, "But I don't want detention either. I'll have to find a van to make out with you in later." "It just so happens, Mistress, I know of such a van!" Lightly, Bluefeather bopped Cyclone's nose with her index finger, "After school, my brat. Right after school. Now I have a class I need to get too." "Uuuuugh...I hate you're so responsible!" whined Cyclone completely predictably, "Fine, I've got...something, too, I think." She reached into her bag and took out her schedule planner. Also predictably, she let out a deep groan that came from her soul, "Not IT! That's worse than cooking!" Giggling happily, Bluefeather skipped out of the cafeteria, leaving Cyclone to bang her head against the table. "High school hates me!" ~ ~ ~ Following a very, very long and incredibly boring afternoon round of lessons that made three hours feel like three years, the school finally let out for the day. Moving like she had a purpose; Cyclone reached her blue minivan first. A few moments later, she saw Bluefeather waving goodbye to some students she didn't know and then she headed her way amidst a tide of students. "Hey Mistress, I thought you weren't coming." Amusedly, Bluefeather wiggled her eyebrows, "Not yet, brat." The grey skinned teenager thoroughly enjoyed the way her girlfriend blushed at that. "Shall we step into your van of iniquity and find out?" "You can step in," Cyclone smirked as she opened up the back door and lowered the ramp, "I'll kinda do a rolling in thing." "And I love you for it," Bluefeather blew Cyclone a long, lingering kiss on her way into the van. While the mass of students leaving the school was thinning out, Bluefeather moved deeper into the van's interior. "Adding this curtain was a good idea." She closed the curtain behind the front seat positions to afford them some privacy, and then she laid back on the back bench seat. "Whoever thought of that was a genius!" agreed Cyclone eagerly, as she carefully slipped out of her wheelchair and onto the bench. "Mistress, I need to confess. I've been a naughty brat today." "After lunch?" asked Bluefeather with a casual lift of an eyebrow. "Well," Cyclone nodded her head and took a deep breath. She had to admit what she had done. "I stuck my tongue out at you in the home room, but yeah. It was pretty shitty of me to laugh at Gilda." "You also made me laugh playing that video at lunch," pointed out Bluefeather, who had kept herself amused with the memory of the Facetube clip all afternoon. "I didn't mean laughing at the video," explained Cyclone, looking down at the floor of her van, "I meant in class." "You were very much a brat," declared Bluefeather in the manner of one passing judgement, "What should I do with you?" "I should be punished immediately, Mistress," as she said that, Cyclone's eyes flickered down to Bluefeather's shoes and her socks. She knew she had been wearing those socks and shoes all day, and that her feet within would be nice and sweaty by now. "Oh yes, immediately," agreed Bluefeather, "But now to think of just how I'll punish you..." The way her girlfriend left that hanging in the air drove Cyclone crazy with arousal and need. "I can think of a couple of things, Mistress," she grinned, her eyes again going southward to those very sexy feet, "But they aren't really punishing me." "You're right." Bluefeather stood up in the van, "Top off," she ordered simply. She was pleased to see her submissive quickly obey her and take her dress off, leaving her in her onesie. "So that's what was under your dress." She then unzipped the pink onesie to leave her bare chested and exposed. Sat with her chest exposed, Cyclone's eyes flicked down to her very flat chest and she blushed. "I like it..." Smirking, Bluefeather pulled out a small bag from her backpack and out of that, she took a pair of nipple clamps, which she brandished like they were a deadly weapon. "Hmm, that is good to know, brat." "You carried those around all day?" asked Cyclone, then she quickly remembered she was meant to be in character, "I mean, ma'am?" "Brat..." Bluefeather didn't look at her as she reached back into the smaller bag and this time she took out a pair of ear clamps and a couple of short length fine stainless steel chains. When Bluefeather did look up, she saw Cyclone eyeing the nipple and ear clamps warily, she knew she was wondering what she had in mind. "It's not like I can spank you. I'd just get a sore hand and have to watch you yawn." Having said that, she attached the nipple clamps where they were supposed to go and gave them a testing tweak. "You will stop me if I go too far." "Ah!" Cyclone gasped at the short sharp pain in her nipples, "Aah! Y-Yes ma'am, I'll stop you, ma'am!" she then giggled slyly to test her, "Like that time you tried to make me watch Marley and Me?" Somewhat predictably, Bluefeather resorted to eye roll number three as she proceeded to apply the ear clamps to her submissive's lobes and she tweaked them, hard. "Okay, now for the next trick!" Bluefeather then pulled some one quarter inch white nylon rope out of her backpack. "I wonder what they would have said if they inspected my backpack." "They'd have said Shop Class isn't till Wednesday?" offered Cyclone, who reached up and touched the clamps at her ears but she wisely made no attempt to remove them, not without permission. "Arms out straight, brat," ordered Bluefeather who, after Cyclone had extended her arms out, made a simple coil binding that went from four inches below to four inches above the elbows so she couldn't bend them. "Now to see just how much upper body strength you really have." "I've got plenty, Mistress," Cyclone responded quickly. She was rather proud of the way she had been working out lately, and her developing upper arms were a testament to her hard work. That said, she was wary of the way Bluefeather was smiling at her. Her ropework done, Bluefeather helped Cyclone up into a sitting position on the bench seat and she moved her arms so they were straight out from her body to the sides. "Now hold them there." "Easy, Mistress!" Cyclone didn't see what the big deal was. She could do this all day! "So you think..." smiling a wide smile, Bluefeather attached one of the fine metal chains to the nipple clamp on her submissive's left breast, then she ran it through the fingers of her left hand, around the wrist and back through the fingers and up to the ear clamp on her left ear. She then repeated for the other side. "I've given some thought to this," she said once she was done, "Raise or lower your arms." Not understanding the predicament she was in; Cyclone rolled her eyes as she lowered her arms first. Immediately she yelped at the tug to her ears. When she raised her arms, she yelped again, this time at the sharp tug at her nipples. The cutest thing was the look on her face like she expected a different result. "Ow! Ooooow!" she cried, "Oh...I get it, Mistress." "You will, my lovely brat." Dramatically, Bluefeather reached a hand into her bag, a sinister look on her face, "Now it's time for the instrument of your correction. Are you ready?" Almost like she was daring her, Cyclone placed her arms at the neutral position. Smirking, Bluefeather pulled out a long peacock feather like she had pulled the sword from the stone. "My lovely topless brat with her armpits fully exposed!" "Oh no..." As ever, Cyclone had been slow on the uptake, she had been completely oblivious, right until the reveal of the feather. Then, she got it. And she knew she was going to get it. The dawning look of horror on her brat's face was the best thing Bluefeather had seen all day, even counting the Gilda video. "MWAHAHAHAHA!" she gave the poor villain laugh as she flourished the feather like a fencers sword, but she didn't touch her with it, not yet. "Eeeek!" Cyclone squeaked, a squeak that was followed up with an 'ow!' because even though the feather didn't touch her, she flinched and moved her arms up. It was then that Bluefeather lunged forward with the feather only to reverse it at the last second and poke at her brat's right breast with the pointy end. "Gaah!" Cyclone lowered her arms without thinking and grunted as she pulled on her ears. "I put a lot of thought into this," grinned Bluefeather as she used the fluffy end of the feather to lightly trace her way upwards from her brat's hip to where she knew it would be felt towards her armpit. "Ah! Haha...mmmm!" Cyclone giggled a little but she forced her arms straight out, refusing to give in and laugh. "Vat ist dis resistance?" cried Bluefeather, sounding a lot like Photo Finish's long lost sister. If Cyclone wouldn't laugh, she would make her laugh. She made the feather dance rapidly over her upper torso. "N-N-No...no-oohohoho!" Cyclone tried valiantly to keep her arms straight and immobile, but that didn't last long as she started first giggling, then laughing, then guffawing, which of course was interspersed with yelping in pain, then laughing again. To further increase the torture, Bluefeather added the fingers of the non-feather holding hand to the mix. "Gaaahahaha!" Cyclone laughed harder and she started to spasm and squirm, laughing so hard that she pulled the clamp right off her left nipple and her right ear. "Ow!" she cried, "Ooow! St-staaaahahahahp!" there were tears in her eyes and she was struggling to breathe. Aa few minutes of tickling later, Bluefeather duly stopped and she used one hand to rub the sore nipple, while the other hand released the other nipple clamp and ear clamp and them she moved to rub the pulled ear. "I noted the right nipple, so you have foiled me again, brat." "S-So-Sorry..." Cyclone gasped for breath, blinking away some tears from her eyes, "Mistress!" Bluefeather though thought she had nothing to apologise for, and she moved into a kissing / tongue battle with her brat. "MMmmmm!" it was a battle she was more than happy to lose, as she hugged Bluefeather close, feeling suddenly a lot better. Following her victory, Bluefeather went into snuggle mode. "On a one to ten on originality. How'd I score?" "Solid eight," replied Cyclone after a second of consideration, "I really wasn't expecting the predicament thing. That was clever, babes." "I was a bit worried about the amount of pain it would cause," admitted Bluefeather, "I don't think they heard your scream outside the parking lot." "I'd have given you a ten, but the dick move of knowing I'm ticklish earned a minus two." Cyclone giggles and kissed an outraged, pouting Bluefeather's freckled nose. "Brat." "Your brat, Mistress." Carefully, so as not to pinch her skin, Bluefeather zipped the onesie back up, "You may drive me home, Jeeves." "Yes Mistress, home it is." When she was back in front, safely secured in the driver's position, Cyclone asked, "You gonna be on SnapChat later?" "Once my homework is done." "Oh, yeah, homework..." Cyclone swore not quite under her breath as she headed on to Bluefeather's place. The smug look on her girlfriend's face didn't make it any better, either. "If I get mine done, can I get another pic of your feet?" "Only after I get a pic of your finished homework." "Awwww Blue! That's not fair!" whined Cyclone as she made a very fake pout, "You'll wear those sexy stockings for me?" Annoyingly, Bluefeather tapped her chin like she was actually thinking about it. "Please? Pretty please?" "I want to see neat homework." "I'll spell check it and everything." "I do look good in fishnets." "You're even better when you've worn them for three days straight and you rub them on my face," commented Cyclone, who somehow managed to resist falling into her favourite fantasy. As she drove along, Bluefeather offered her girlfriend her best eye roll. "Fishnets, Cy. Sexy yes, but not enough to hold anything. Now those wool stocking of mine really do make me sweat, but not sexy." "Uh...yeah, I knew what you meant, honest," giggled Cyclone, who knew she wasn't fooling anyone, "And I think it's sexy." Affectionately, Bluefeather fluffed Cyclone's turquoise hair. "But of course you do, I'm the sexy after all." When they arrived at her home, she got out and blew her girlfriend a kiss. "I'll be online at eight, so you have a target goal. I'm off to bed at ten." ~ ~ ~ A couple of days later and Cyclone was very, very excited at Canterlot High. Thursday was track day! This was the afternoon of the day of the week she had been waiting for all week! After her class was over, Bluefeather met Cyclone at the athlete's locker and found her excitement thoroughly adorable. "Since you're my ride, I'll stay and watch, and do my homework." "Homework sucks," Cyclone rolled her eyes at her locker, "Why do that when you can enjoy the Cy show?" "You say it sucks," commented Bluefeather with a wide smile, "But you did have it done by nine the other night, didn't you?" "Yes ma'am!" Cyclone had the picture of her Mistress's stocking clad feet on her phone to prove it. Just then, a girl, who Cyclone recognised as Long Stride walked up already changed into her sports kit. "Cy," she beamed, "Coach Iron Will asked for me to show you where your chair is. Hi Blue." "Hey Stride," Cyclone high fived her fellow track girl, demonstrating the proper 'jock hello' complete with a fist bump at the end. "I'm so looking forward to this!" "Rumour on the team has it you get to skip hurdles practice," grinned Long Stride, who was as tall and gangly as her name implied, "Which is the room your chair is in." Not being the tallest girl in the world, Cyclone laughed at that. She wouldn't miss hurdles any more than she would miss math, if only she could miss it. "Good thing. I hated hurdles anyway." "You could always put rockets on the chair..." suggested Bluefeather, who nonchalantly inspected the back of her hand. "Could you? Really?" predictably, Cyclone took all of the bait, "That'd be amazing!" Long Stride and Bluefeather both shared an eye roll and a laugh, "When she sends you to the moon, Cy." As all three of them moved off towards the basement, Bluefeather paused when her girlfriend peeled off to the forbidden door. "Staff? Where are you going? I thought you'd go out the front and around to the building to the back." "To the lift," Cyclone pointed to the forbidden 'staff only' door, "Luna said I get to use it, come on." Another look was shared between Long Stride and Bluefeather. As one, they made their minds up. "Okay!" "Well, the stairs are a bit tricky nowadays, so I use this," they both followed Cyclone through the door and they got on the elevator with her. "This is pretty sweet. I get what Blur was on about now." When the elevator finished its short ride down to the basement level, the door opened, revealing a rather smug looking Luna sitting in a chair waiting for them like a lion would wait for a passing gazelle. "Tsk, tsk, Ms. Cyclone." "Hello Principle Luna," Bluefeather greeted her like nothing was amiss, while Long Stride simply smiled brightly. "Oh come on! I..." Cyclone caught herself way too late following her frustrated outburst, "I mean, hey, Principal Luna!" Luna looked like the cat with all the cream. "No able body people to ride in the disabled people lift. You know the rules, Ms. Cyclone." "Um, escort?" offered Bluefeather lamely. Long Stride was just as lame, "Ahhh, I'm a guide?" "I do need a guide and an escort, ma'am." Cyclone didn't seriously think that would wash with the new Principal. She was right. "I'm sure you need many things, Ms. Cyclone," Luna said as she stood up, "I doubt a guide and an escort are those things. As for you two, don't do it again. I think I'll go watch the track team." Basking in her win, she walked off to the back exit. "Ha!" Cyclone cheered only when Luna was well out of earshot, "I wasn't worried for a moment." "It's strange," said Bluefeather in a most accusatory tone directed to her girlfriend, "She acted like she already told you that." "I guess she kinda did," admitted Cyclone, "But I figured we'd get away with it, y'know, it's the end of the day, nobody's about..." Grinning, Bluefeather messed with Cyclone's short unruly turquoise hair, "I guess she knows you're a brat, just like me, and that you'd try to get away with it." "She did seem to be waiting here," pointed out Long Stride. "That was such a Celestia dick thing to do!" protested Cyclone as the three of them made their way through the basement to the storage area. There was an excited gleam in her eyes at the sight of her shiny red racing chair. "There she is!" Long Stride then gave Cyclone a copy of the storage room key to Cyclone. "If someone steals the hurdles, I'll never suspect it was you." She grinned and, after another high five, she headed off to the sports field. Left alone next to her new as yet untested and unused racing chair, Cyclone parked herself next to it and with some help from her girlfriend to get settled, she was securely strapped in. Unlike with her regular chair, Bluefeather made sure the straps were right and tight. "Now, to put all that rehab to the test." "You know it, c'mon, I want to give you something to watch!" Out on the track, Cyclone did very well. Thanks to her exhaustive physiotherapy regimen, as well as her brutal training, she was easily able to beat the other girls, and only two of the boys finished ahead of her. Iron Will was most pleased. "Keep up the gym work on your upper body, Cy. You need to lean more into the turns but that means you need to work out each arm different so you can do that with a leaning position. Just practice so you don't fall out of the chair." "Yes sir!" though she was sweaty from her exertions, Cyclone was all smiles at her performance. While she didn't beat everyone, she did well enough for a first time out. "That was a blast!" Accordingly, Bluefeather applauded, "You were very much in the zone!" "Babes that felt awesome!" Cyclone flexed her arms, only too happy to show off for her girlfriend, who blushed at her bulging muscles, "I think I'm faster now than I was before! Just need to nail those corners..." Affectionately, Bluefeather placed a finger on Cyclone's lips, "Let's go back to your place for a bath and I'll give you a rub down." "Yes ma'am!" Cyclone was very much up for that, and after she had taken the racing chair back to the basement, swapped over to her every day chair, she lead the way out of the school back to the van. "Then I'll help you with your homework so we can relax a bit," Bluefeather smiled as she kissed Cyclone lovingly on the lips. The athlete's deep groan into the kiss was a priceless thing, one that Bluefeather savoured, "I'm not going to college without you, doofus."
Harmony University: Riding the Storm	Chapter 8 - Gilda	A couple of days later and Bluefeather left Cyclone on the second floor and rushed down the stairs to meet her on the first, knowing full well that the elevator was off limits, she didn't want another surprise Luna attack. It was the end of another long day at CHS, the longest of all, a Friday. It just so happened that Gilda, along with a few other students who had piled out of their classrooms, was walking past the staff door minding her own business on her way to her locker. Right at that moment, Cyclone burst out of the staff door like a wheeled comet. "Coming through!" she screeched delightedly, going way too fast, "Wohoo! Outta the way, coming through!" Fortunately, Gilda's quick reactions kept her from being hit by the speeding wheelchair, but in the act of sidestepping her, she shoved the back of Cyclone's chair with enough force that the athlete was propelled into a wall. "Watch where you're going!" the griffon yelled angrily. Bluefeather, who had heard Cyclone's loud cheer on the stairs and who had seen Gilda shove her girlfriend into the wall when she rounded the stairs, shouted, "What the hell!?" "What the..." Cyclone, caught by surprise by the hard shove, suddenly saw wall looming at her at very great speed, "Hey!" she promptly hit said wall face first and she almost spilled out of her chair. "Oh," she grunted once she had turned around, "It's you." "It could have been anybody, you maniac!" Gilda growled, her temper rising like an angry serpent ready to beat some sense into the idiotic racer. Full of panic now, Bluefeather ran up to her girlfriend just as a crowd of other students who were going to their lockers at the end of the day started to hang back and watch the scene unfolding, though they said nothing. "What's the idea shoving the chair, huh?" shot back Cyclone, who didn't want to lose face now she had attracted an audience, "That eager to get to remedial home ec and ruin more cake?" "I'm eager not to get run over by a loser like you!" snarled back Gilda, who had her hands curled into fists and her target locked in. Her developed biceps throbbed dangerously, in time with a vein in her forehead. One of the boys who was watching the scene, whose name was Trefoil, suddenly became very brave, "You know you did, like rush out without warning, Cy." At the look he received from Cyclone, his boyfriend pulled him back into the anonymity of the crowd. When Bluefeather reached the epicentre of the scene, her first priority was making sure that Cyclone alright. Cyclone shrugged her off, not wanting to look weak, "I clearly called out 'coming through', it's not my fault feathers-for-brains can't understand Equestrian!" Left Long, who had pulled Trefoil back, shot back, "Dude, yelling after you've gone through the door is a bit late." "See," threw in Gilda, whose temper was diminishing a little, "You only care about yourself and no one else!" "Okay, well, leave her alone," put in Bluefeather, who put herself in front of Cyclone between her girlfriend and Gilda, "No one got hurt. Lesson learned." Gilda though was unsatisfied, as was her personal honour in the situation. The idiotic loser hadn't even apologised when it was clearly her fault! "Like she can learn anything," she muttered loudly before she started to stalk off the way she was going to her locker. Cyclone, who had to have the last word, said, not quite under her breath, "Moody cow!" Though she didn't turn around, it was clear from the way Gilda flipped Cyclone the bird as she stalked off that she has heard her. Left Long held his boyfriend's hand supportively, "That could have been bad if you were just a second or two later coming out of there Cy." Crouching down, Bluefeather whispered into Cyclone's ear as the watching crowd started to disperse lest they attract a teacher's attention, "They are right you know, brat." Having recovered her composure in her chair, Cyclone gave Bluefeather a rather mutinous look before she slumped and rubbed the back of her head in defeat. "Yeah, I know." That established, Bluefeather looked her girlfriend over closely inspecting her head and face. "You did hit that wall hard, are you okay?" "I'm fine," the last thing that Cyclone, ever the jock, wanted to do was to appear weak, "I didn't feel a thing!" "You must have hit your head then," snarked Bluefeather as she playfully tousled her girlfriend's messy turquoise hair, "I'll check you out for bruises when we get to your place." "Fine," with a sigh and an exaggerated roll of her eyes, Cyclone started to roll along by Bluefeather's side. School was out for the day and she didn't want to be there longer than she had to be. "Whatever, you were right. I was wrong. It was my fault." "Yes you were, and yes it was," agreed Bluefeather with a wide 'I told you so' smile, "But she didn't need to react by pushing you. Yelling would have been enough." She then leant down for a quick kiss. "Thank you for not escalating it to a fight." A fight was the last thing Cyclone wanted. She was a jock, she wasn't stupid. Even when she could walk she wasn't much of a fighter, but now? "What am I gonna do, roll over her foot while she punches me? No thanks, Blue." Affectionately, Bluefeather ran her hands down Cyclone's arms, up and down her developing upper arms, where her hands lingered. "You've got some guns now," she pointed out after a long kiss, "Just you are a sitting target." "I also don't have much reach though, do I?" snickered Cyclone as she flexed her arms and enjoyed Bluefeather's swoon, "Otherwise I'd make you squeak in class," she added with a salacious wink. "Brat." "That's me!" Cyclone declared proudly with a delighted little giggle, "C'mon babes, let's get you home." Like Cyclone, Bluefeather was more than ready to be on her way. "Oh," she delicately stroked her fingertips along one of those firm biceps she loved so much, "I'm defiantly going your way." "Cool," as Cyclone wheeled herself outside into the rather pleasant afternoon sun, a far more important thought than school or Gilda entered her mind. "That new show starts today, 'Adora and the Magic Princesses'. All the reviews I've read say it's gonna be awesome!" "We'll have to see if it's as awesome as you." "That'll make it like, triple awesome!" ~ ~ ~ Monday came around way too fast for Cyclone's liking. She wanted to watch the Magic Princesses again, but Bluefeather had placed it under lock and key after having to endure the pilot episode for the tenth time. Or, rather, she had changed the pin number on Cyclone's TV and not told her the new number. After she had devoured her lunch in the cafeteria, Cyclone was haphazardly zooming along the halls of CHS in her regular wheelchair. Bluefeather was doing something boring in the library, something about researching some boring thing or other, which left the athlete to her own devices. She could have been practising outside on the school track, but instead she chose to make the empty halls her own personal track. The hall she was currently racing her third lap along wasn't empty for long though. From the shop room, where she had been doing extra work on her project, Gilda emerged. Smirking broadly, Cyclone faked running the tall imposing bully over, just for the fun and giggles of it. However, even though she actually missed her target by quite a lot, Gilda was in no mood for Cyclone that day. Scowling nastily, she shoved the dowel she held in her hand into the spokes. Now, it was a fact that Cyclone never wore the seat belt when she was in her wheelchair. The dowel stopped the speeding chair suddenly, and immediately, which then launched Cyclone forwards out of her chair like a long dart. While she hit the wall head first and comically slid down it to land a crumpled heap, the chair came off worse. The wheel was buckled way out of shape and the back was twisted. Fortunately, Cyclone was only bruised by her encounter with the wall. She realised quickly that the walls of CHS were beating her two to nothing, she should stop hitting them. "Who's laughing now, huh?" demanded Gilda, who loomed over the fallen athlete with her fists clenched tight. But, out of the corner of her eye, she saw two students watching her with their phones out, and so she quickly took off. Fleetfoot, one of the watching students, came up to check on Cyclone, suddenly brave now that the bully was gone. To her relief, the handicapped girl was only shaken. She helped to get Cyclone back in her damaged chair but it wasn't going anywhere thanks to the damaged wheel. As quickly as she could, Fleetfoot went to get the racing chair from the basement while the other student stayed behind to keep an eye on Cyclone. Just in case. True to form, Cyclone refused to go see Nurse Redheart. She knew she was okay; she was just aching all over where the wall had won their little tussle. Instead, as soon as she was able, she went to the Principal's office, where much to her surprise, she saw Gilda sat in the outer office. "I told them what I did." Gilda didn't look up from the seat she was sat on. She was content to sit and stare at her knees through her ripped black jeans. It was a hot competition between those and her battered heavy black boots. "Oh yeah?" Cyclone wheeled up to the bully and in her mind she did a perfect handbrake turn. "I didn't think I'd see you here." "I was so mad at you after home ec..." Gilda didn't manage to finish her sentence before her words were swallowed up in a deep sigh. The floor was exceptionally interesting at that moment. "Yeah," Cyclone had a bit of a laugh on her face at the memory of the cake incident then she dropped it real quick when she saw the body language of the bully. It wasn't the usual super confident self-assured look she normally employed. "Look, uh, it was shi...I mean, crappy, of me to laugh at you like that." "A bit late for that now, huh?" Before Gilda could say anything else, the door to the office opened and there stood Luna, beckoning her forward. "Gilda, come in please." As Gilda disappeared into Principal Luna's office, her secretary turned her attention to the wheelchair bound athlete. "Miss Cyclone, your detention is in the library at four, do you need to see the Principal?" "Yeah I uh...um..." Cyclone was suddenly unsure of herself, "I was gonna tell her it's not all Gilda's fault." The secretary looked over her half-moon glasses at Cyclone, "What she did was pretty serious, but I can give you a pass to stay and talk with the Principal, once she's done with Miss Gilda." "That'd be cool, thanks." Ten minutes later, Gilda came out of Luna's office looking like a scolded puppy. "I, ah, I need to know how much it will cost to fix your chair." Holding in her rage, that was all she said before walking out without another word or waiting for Cyclone's reply. Cyclone, who was about to try and talk to Gilda, realised that it was probably best not to bother trying. While she was processing that, Luna opened her door once more. "Miss Cyclone, you can come in." she heard the door close and assumed the athlete was in her office with her. "Miss Gilda said you took a spill into a wall. Are you sure you're okay?" "My thick head absorbed the impact," explained Cyclone, "So yeah, I was well protected." A laugh from Luna said she appreciated the joke for what it was worth. "Miss Gilda also told me about the home economics class, and of course the teacher confirmed it with your detention, but that is no excuse for her actions." "It kinda is, I mean, I did wind her up," explained Cyclone as she nervously rubbed the back of her head like she did when she was feeling like that, "Bluefeather told me I'd gone too far into the whole not funny brat stuff." At last, Luna did turn to face Cyclone, utilising her dramatic turn she had been practising at home, "Not funny is injury and property damage. For your information, that you don't need to spread, is Miss Gilda will attend boiling pots after school. Until they release her, she is to pay for the damages to your chair. With that, I consider this case closed. Be cautious who you tease, Miss Cyclone. Today's outcome could have had someone in jail and Bluefeather without her girlfriend." "Would I have gone to jai...ooooh, I see." Realisation suddenly dawned upon Cyclone as she got the older woman's meaning. "I understand, yeah, I guess I've had two near misses now, huh?" she couldn't help but feel extremely guilty, "I won't tease her again, ma'am, I don't want to see anyone locked up." "Ink Well will give you a pass," Luna said as she took her seat behind her desk, her mind wandering to Cheerilee and what they would be getting up to later at home. It was far more entertaining than dealing with idiotic teenagers. "Try to keep the rumours in check in future." When Cyclone got to the library, she found Bluefeather already there waiting for her in the entrance foyer. Seeing her girlfriend approach, she stopped playing with the hem of her sundress, but her smile was lost to confusion. "Why are you in your racing chair?" Letting out a sigh, Cyclone readied herself to receive her girlfriend's tirade. "Gilda shoved some wood in the wheel of my ride, I took a spill into a wall..." predictably, Bluefeather glowered with anger on her face. "It's okay," Cyclone quickly tried to calm her down, "Luna's sorted it. Gilda turned herself in." Not wholly convinced, Bluefeather quickly moved over to her and looked Cyclone over, checking her out for any cuts or bruises or even scrapes. Straight away, she saw the bruises on her face and her right arm. "Are you sure you're okay?" "Blue I'm fine," Cyclone rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's incessant fussing, "I've took worse spills on the track." she sighed dejectedly, "You were right. I was an unthinking immature brat. Again." Quick as a flash, Bluefeather narrowed her eyes dangerously, "Are you saying there are times when I'm not right?" "No Mistress!" Cyclone corrected herself just as quickly, "I'm not saying that at all, Mistress." Amusedly, Bluefeather raised her eyebrows, "Well it is quiet in here," she giggled, "Now, go see Ms. Just Now and I'll go read a book with no pictures." "Yes Mistress," Cyclone turned and took herself over to the librarian's desk where Cheerilee's assistant was busy working on a stack of returned books, "Hey, ma'am, I'm here for my detention." Wondering why she had to be the one to deal with this, Just Now pulled out an anti-bullying pamphlet from under her desk along with a piece of plain paper and a pen. "Read that," she said shortly, "And write two hundred and fifty words on what you learn." Groaning deeply, Cyclone took the pamphlet, paper and pen and made her way over to one of the empty tables to get started. "Uuuuuugh..." she moaned after she was done with her pointless work and she slumped her head on the desk and wished she was anywhere but there. Cyclone knew that now she was destined to spend the rest of the one hour time sitting at the desk doing absolutely nothing. It didn't help that Just Now only checked in with her to make sure that Cyclone wasn't sleeping. "Is it over yet?" wailed Cyclone despondently. Nearby, she heard Bluefeather giggling at her but Just Now refused to say anything. "Uuuugh I hate this!" Cyclone banged her head on the desk in utter frustration and settled in for the remaining thirty two minutes of terminal boreditess. It was utter hell just sat there all quiet and non-moving, and the end couldn't come quick enough. Eventually, when the allotted hour was up, Bluefeather put her finished book away and she walked over to her languishing pet. "Yours had pictures, but I didn't have to do a book report on mine." "Is that it?" Cyclone asked, a look of desperate hope plastered all over her face, "That was worse than watching Marley and Me!" Smirking, Bluefeather got out her phone, "Someone must have that on DVD..." "Blue please, not again!" Cyclone pleaded. If she could have gotten on her knees and begged, she would have done, right then and there in the middle of the library. "I'll do anything you want, anything!" Bluefeather's smirk grew wider, more victorious. "No you won't, but at least I know you'll try." "Can we go home now?" "Where's your damaged chair?" "Fleetfoot said she'd put it down in the equipment room for me." "Okay," Bluefeather checked her watch and did a few calculations in her head, "We'll need to load that up to get it fixed before we go back to your place. I'll see you at the elevator in the basement." "Yes Mistress!" Cyclone was only too eager to be getting out of the library and away from all the nerdy books, and indeed away from the school as a whole. It was the end of the day and she had cartoons to watch. Bluefeather walked with Cyclone from elevator down to the equipment room, which Cyclone had a key for, and she whistled appreciatively when she saw the extent of the damage Gilda had done. "Are you sure you're okay?" "Yeah," Cyclone brushed off the multiple aches and the throbbing bruise on her face, "I'm fine, it was just a wall." "Fine," the roll of her eyes said Bluefeather didn't wholly believe her, "But I'm going to check you out very closely when we get home," she pushed the damaged chair while Cyclone took care of herself, "At least one wheel works. Let's go out the back." "Will you wear that sexy nurse's outfit?" For a moment, a very brief moment, Bluefeather was tempted to say no. But, she reasoned Cyclone had endured detention. She'd suffered enough. "Of course. I do have to play the part of a medical professional to make my diagnosis!" "Score!" hearing that, Cyclone was moving a fair bit quicker towards the exit and on her way to her van. When they got to the blue minivan, one of only three vehicles left in the student parking lot, Bluefeather loaded the chair into the back and locked it down. She then sat in the passenger seat while her girlfriend secured herself and her racing chair in the driver's side. "You can tell your mom and dad about this." "Uuugh, do I have to?" Cyclone thought she wouldn't mind five minutes with Gilda and her fists than spending an evening with her parents clucking over her like over protective mother hens. "Fine...I suppose I really should." She knew she couldn't avoid that fate for long, "I guess we should get the chair fixed first, huh?" Bluefeather nodded with a smile, "I bet it's a total nerd shop." "Yeah," Cyclone agreed as she put the van in gear and pulled out of the parking lot onto the street, "And not the cool kind of nerds either. I bet none of them have ever read a comic book in their lives." "So I'm cool then," Bluefeather shot Cyclone a sly look, "As I think you read them to me in my sleep." Cyclone caught the sly look and she saw the trap that her girlfriend was setting for her. She wasn't that dumb. "Yeah you're way cool. You're with me. That makes you cool, like that science thing, uh...os...osmo, that thing I can't say." "Did you mean when you put an orange on your desk. sleep through class, then eat the orange at the end to gain the information through the orange by osmosis?" Honestly? Cyclone really had no earthly idea what she meant or what Bluefeather meant any more. Ultimately she decided to play it safe. "Yeah, that one. That's what i meant. Probably." Wisely, Bluefeather just looked smug while Cyclone drove along. "I hate that look sometimes." "I love you." Cyclone's pout disappeared pretty quickly. "I love you, Mistress." Upon arrival at the repair store, Bluefeather lightly patted Cyclone on the head like she was petting a well behaved puppy. "You are a good girl," she spoke to her like she was a well behaved pet, "You didn't go total brat on the drive here." "Does that mean I get a reward when we get home?" asked Cyclone hopefully as she watched Bluefeather get out and wheel her broken chair out the back ramp. When she had the chair out down the ramp, Bluefeather looked back over her shoulder, "We're not home yet, brat." She replied curtly, not waiting for her to get out before she moved to the repair shop. "I wish we were at home," Cyclone muttered under her breath as she rolled her head back on the head rest and she found her thoughts lingering on the events of the day, the spill from her chair, being an utter ass and then finally Gilda herself. "Are you coming?" called Bluefeather who was waiting on the sidewalk. "Yep!" Cyclone cursed herself for drifting away like that and she quickly got herself out of the van, then she hurried to catch up to Bluefeather, who had just gone into the store. The inside of which looked like any other bike shop Cyclone had ever been in. She only knew of the place at all because her parents told her about it. The counter was low enough for her and she thought the guy behind it was sat down. "Hey, how's it going, uh, you got a sec?" The guy at the counter looked up from his magazine and, taking one look at the damaged chair, whistled appreciatively and wheeled himself around to where his new customers were stood. "Woah, what happened here?" "Awesome, Gas Pedal," Cyclone referred to his name tag, "We match chairs!" she giggled, "I uh...I had a spill at school. Going way too fast, a bully thought I should slow down." "Let me guess, a broom handle in the spokes?" Gas Pedal asked shrewdly, having encountered many of those bullies in the past. "Wooden dowel," corrected Cyclone, "But yeah, that." "That's rough. We have wheels and axels in stock," Gas Pedal spoke as much to himself as to the two girls in his store, "I'll need to order the back frame, but it would be here tomorrow. Can you leave it overnight?" "Yeah, I got this to get around in. You can fix her right?" asked Cyclone like she was asking a vet if they could save her beloved pet, "She's my first chair." Gas Pedal looked at Bluefeather, "Could you park it left of that door, please?" he pointed at the door in question, then turned to Cyclone. "Join me at the counter and I'll draft a cost estimate. It'll be ready after five p.m. tomorrow." As he wheeled himself back behind the counter and Bluefeather did as she was told, Cyclone followed him to the counter. "So uh, how much does something like that repair cost, anyway?" "The wheel, a hundred bits. Axle that makes it work, one hundred and fifty bits. The frame is two hundred, so you're looking at four fifty in total. That includes a complete tune up after the repair. If you've got twenty minutes, we can tune up your racer too. Came with the purchase." "I've got twenty minutes," agreed Cyclone quickly, though her mind was racing along a whole other route, one that involved Gilda and money. "You can make her go faster?" "No," Gas Pedal laughed, "That's your job. We can make sure it's operating at peak performance." When Cyclone nodded her head, Gas Pedal pointed to an empty wheelchair by the counter. "Transfer over to that," he said of the second tier chair, "And have a look around. There's a nice coffee shop just down the block across from a mom and pop grocery store." "Thanks Gas," with just a little effort, Cyclone transferred herself over to the empty chair, "I'll go find Blue." As it happened, Bluefeather had placed the chair and was busy snooping around the otherwise empty store looking at go faster decals. She saw Cyclone coming and rushed over to intercept her. "Everything go okay?" "I'm good, Mistress," replied Cyclone, "Gas Pedal is tuning the racing chair for me. Comes with the repair, apparently. He says there's a coffee shop down the block. You want to go get a drink?" Quickly, just in case Cyclone had noted where she had been looking - it was a longshot, but you never knew - Bluefeather said, "Yes! Great idea." "Had to really twist your arm, huh?" giggled Cyclone, "Come on then, he said it was across from a grocery shop not far away." Out on the sidewalk, Bluefeather looked down the street to the left and then to the right. Unfortunately, nothing she saw gave away the presence of a coffee shop. So, she ducked back inside, "Which way to coffee?" smiling, Gas Pedal pointed to the left. "Thanks!" Cyclone gave him a cheery wave but, on the way to the coffee shop, she was unusually quiet. Apparently she was deep in thought, because even Bluefeather's attempt at conversation went unanswered. After the second attempt, Bluefeather contented herself with walking alongside Cyclone with a smile on her face, happy to look around. Cyclone was still quiet all the way to the coffee shop. "That must be it. Stripes Cup of Java," Bluefeather led the way across the street with Cyclone by her side. "It smells good, right Cy?" she noted that her girlfriend was still silent as they approached the counter. This was unusual. "Something weighing you down?" "I'm thinking." "Usual cream coffee?" "Yeah, please," replied Cyclone, "But that's not what I'm thinking about." At the counter of the half full coffee shop, a tall rather well built zebra by the name of Grassland was the one to take their order. "Do you have Luna coffee?" asked Bluefeather of the dark green young man. Grassland though didn't immediately move. "You have ID?" he asked in a voice so deep it could be felt not heard. "I'm just asking," replied Bluefeather with a smile, "One creamy coffee and one Celestial coffee please." "I'll have them right up for you," he turned to operate the coffee machine behind him, "That'll be eight bits, please miss." After paying for the drinks, Bluefeather turned to her girlfriend, "Cy, would you please get us a table and I'll be over with the coffees." "Yes ma'am," Cyclone scanned the half full shop for an empty table and, when she found one over by one of the large windows, she carefully made her way over to it, all the while thinking so hard that steam could appear from her ears at any moment. A very short time later, Bluefeather was over and she sat opposite her and slid the creamy coffee in front of Cyclone. "Okay. Talk to me." Cyclone looked down at her coffee like the liquid held the answers to life, the universe and everything. Sadly, it didn't. "Gas Pedal said it'd be four hundred and fifty to fix my chair." "Okay," Bluefeather mulled that over with a mouthful of her own coffee, "What did it cost?" "Oh, I dunno, Blue," Cyclone spread her hands apart in a shrugging gesture, "I'm not sure dad ever told me. The thing is, four hundred and fifty is a lot of bits." It wasn't for her, her mom and dad were loaded as all heck, but Cyclone had been taught to appreciate money. "Yeah it is," the more grounded Bluefeather readily agreed, "But it does look like a lot of damage. You thinking of not sending the bill to Gilda?" That was exactly what Cyclone was thinking. "Does she look like she has four hundred and fifty bits?" Now it was Bluefeather who shrugged, "None of us look like it, but that doesn't mean much. It's her responsibility. Let her try to persuade you. Griffons do have that honour thing going on." "Yeah, that, I was thinking about that," Cyclone said thoughtfully along with a long, slow drink of her coffee and she took her time to swallow and savour the flavour. Zebra's did make the best coffee. "What if I suggest she works it off, get her a work experience thing with dad?" "What?" Bluefeather exclaimed, "She's underage like us. Your dad wouldn't ever take her on. You know he only teases you about being in the magazine." "I didn't mean for her to appear in the magazine," explained Cyclone with a 'duh' look on her face like what she was thinking was obvious, "I mean like be a runner, fetching stuff, behind the scenes assistant type stuff." "You know what she's doing now?" "Not a clue. I wouldn't even know which trailer park to find her in." suddenly, her eyes went very wide, like she had come to a brilliant conclusion, "Rainbow Dash knows her though!" "Pfft," Bluefeather snorted and rolled her eyes, "Dash knows everyone. Use your settlement money to pay the repair costs and give Gilda the bill via Principal Luna on Monday and see what happens." "You're right," Cyclone sipped at her coffee, "I'll do that." Smiling, Bluefeather looked around at the coffee shop and she liked that she saw. There were griffons sat with zebras and there was even a dragon sat in the corner. Within those, there were heterosexual and lesbian and gay couples all sat minding their own business. "I like this place and guess what?" "What?" "One, the customers here are just a bit older than us, and two, we're three blocks from the University." "You thinking about making it our college hangout?" "Well," Bluefeather responded like Cyclone was being particularly dumb, "Our hangout, but I guess the college kids can keep coming too." Looking around at the patrons in the coffee shop, the ever dense Cyclone completely missed the point that Bluefeather had made. "It's a cool looking place," she commented at last. "Oh, look, zebras!" Resisting the urge to facepalm, but not by much, Bluefeather leant over the table and whispered, "Looks like it's an accepting place. Maybe even a chair jockey like you can fit in," she added with a giggle. "That's what I meant, accepting." Lightly, Bluefeather punched her girlfriend's upper arm, "I know what you meant silly. And I'll prove it." Again she leant over the table, but this time she placed a long, loving kiss on her lips, to no reaction at all from the other patrons. "MMmmm, I really like that, Blue." Whether it was the kiss or the lack of reaction she liked, she didn't elaborate. "Graduation looking a little closer now?" "Yeah, I mean what with everything that's happened," Cyclone swirled what was left of her coffee thoughtfully around in her mug, "I've kinda not been thinking about 'after CHS' much, y'know?" She knew. Bluefeather gently tapped the bridge of Cyclone's nose. "You know your grades are going to reflect that, and I think you'd rather race full time in college and work part time, rather than work full time and have to come visit me." "Yeah I would, do the racing in college thing I mean. But well...I dunno, Blue." Cyclone hated feeling like she was feeling right then. Vulnerable. "I'm not the fastest or smartest cookie in the jar, am I?" Though she didn't see it very often, Bluefeather recognised the vulnerable look on her girlfriend's face at once. "You're not stupid, Cy, and I haven' t seen a cookie with wheels. But, that said, you do need to apply yourself." Then, she adjusted her tactics ever so slightly, "We'll keep our study group going and I will get me a sexy teacher outfit and a metal ruler to keep you in line." She hoped making it sexy wouldn't scare her off. "That's okay while we're not at school," Cyclone pointed out, "What happens when I'm in class? You know I don't think as fast as the other students, by the time I've worked something out, the whole class is onto the next thing." Of course Bluefeather knew it, but it was a rare thing indeed for Cyclone to openly talk about it with no prodding or cajoling on her behalf. Curiously, she tilted her head. "Why do you think that is? Is it one class or all of them?" "Math, History, Geography, Science, English," Cyclone gestured with her hand with every subject she named, "All the hard stuff. You know my grades barely pass there." Bluefeather thought that over for a moment before the answer presented itself. "You want a real tutor and not me just beating sense into you? That settlement money could easily cover that." "Yeah," Cyclone nodded, "I've got to do something drastic, Blue, or I'm not going to Harmony U, no matter how fast I race. But...I still want you beating sense into me though." "That is a given, my lovely brat," Bluefeather winked salaciously, "Ask the councillor at school who they recommend. No point in someone that teaches the same way the teachers you already have does." "Consider it on my 'to do' list on Monday, babes." "We are going to get through this together, my beautiful brat," Bluefeather kissed her once more, "Trust me, I'm not leaving you behind. If you leave me behind it's only because you're racing." "I know," then, Cyclone's voice went a lot quieter, almost inaudible. "Mistress, I'll do better." "You will do better." Bluefeather knocked back what was left of her coffee, "Your chair should be ready by now, so next stop is the mall." "Yes Mistress, the mall it is!" Like Bluefeather, Cyclone downed her coffee. The walk back to the repair store was pleasant and uneventful, mercifully. Both girls had enough excitement for one day. At the store, they found the racer was good to go and ready for them to pick up. Gas Pedal looked justifiably proud of the tune up job he'd performed. "I double checked the paperwork. Your racer has insurance with fifty bits deductible. There was nothing on the regular chair, but it was only a thousand bits." Bluefeather stood stock still and blinked several times at the revelation of the wheelchair's cost. Cyclone on the other hand was more vocal. "How much? It's a good thing I'm sat down, or I'd have fell down!" "It's one thousand for the one we're fixing," Gas Pedal patted the side of the racing chair like he was patting the side of a high powered exotic supercar. "This beast right here is eight thousand. If one was to get wrecked they thought it would be the racer as it's a tough sport." "Are you serious?" Cyclone could tell purely by the look on his face that he was very serious. "I can get all the Exploding Ninja Pirate merch ever made for that!" Having recovered from her shock at the money, Bluefeather laughed out loud. "I can see you trying to pass it off as a medical expense too!" "The account you used to buy it can be used to fix it too," put in Gas Pedal helpfully, because he had no idea what a Ninja Pirate was or why one would explode, "But you should take the person that did it to small claims court." "Yeah, I'm all over that, Gas Pedal, don't worry, it's taken care of," Cyclone then giggled at Bluefeather, "And I do mean the six foot long super deluxe galleon playset with the rigging and the working guns..." "Then hop in your battleship," Bluefeather barely managed to cover her broad smirk at Cyclone's predictable outrage at her getting it wrong on purpose, "I mean galleon and board the mothership." "Yes Mistress!" not caring for the puzzled look that Gas Pedal gave her when he heard her refer to Bluefeather as 'Mistress', Cyclone quickly transferred herself from the store chair to her newly tuned up racer. Once the good byes had been exchanged and the two girls were back in the minivan, Bluefeather couldn't resist a little fun. "Next stop 'The Mall'," she announced like she was an air stewardess, "Please keep your head and hands inside the vehicle at all times." The short twenty five minute drive to the Canterlot City mall was an uneventful one, unless you counted Cyclone swearing dramatically at an old man who cut her up, which amused Bluefeather immensely, because she learned several new words to add to her vocabulary. "You know, I really don't think you'll get away with buying toys with the settlement money," Bluefeather added once they had found a handicapped spot to park in, "Or at least some toys. You can always try." "You do know I was joking right?" Cyclone snickered as she killed her van's engine, "I mean where would I even put a six foot long galleon? Even if it does have all the rigging and working guns..." "Well, not in me, but..." Bluefeather left that hanging in the air as she looked her brat over with an appreciative eye in the light of the van's interior lights. "Well, you can fit five fingers in me." At that, Bluefeather let out a delicious little giggle at her girlfriend's innumeracy, "And a thumb." "Yeah! That makes six!" Cyclone blushed when she realised her mathematical mistake too late to cover it up. "Besides," she changed the subject, "I'm loose. I'm not a dry dock." "You are a sexy port of entry, my love." Before Cyclone could say anything to that, she placed a long hard kiss on her lips, "Now, the coffee and the muffin was nice, but I could use more fuel." Predictably, Cyclone's stomach gave an extremely loud rumble, "Yeah, I could go for something too." "You want a BJ?" "I can handle a foot long, Mistress." After a rather nice meal at the Burger Joint outlet in the mall, Bluefeather took a moment to wipe Cyclone's chin clean of the hot sauce that had dripped there. "Okay," she beamed, "You have been a good brat, overall. I authorize you to spend twenty dollars at the comic shop." "Thank you Mistress that's awesome!" Cyclone's eyes actually sparkled with the possibilities, "I can get the new Captain Black figurine, y'know, from the Exploding Ninja Pirates movie we saw!" For the life of her, Bluefeather couldn't recall who Captain Black was. "It's your twenty." Unable to resist the snicker, Cyclone teased, "You don't remember her do you?" "Um, ah, well..." Bluefeather blushed at being so quickly called out like that, "I just don't know if it is less than twenty is all," she finished with a firm nod of her head that said that was that. Cyclone laughed almost to the point of being bratty but fortunately for her she knew when to stop, which was just on the right side of the line. "She's nineteen ninety nine, Mistress." "I hope you have the tax money in your pocket then," Bluefeather then added in a low voice, "Was she one of the ninjas?" "Yes Mistress," replied Cyclone as three late afternoon shoppers walked past them on their way, "She was the Pirate Ninja sister of Captain White. That was Chestnut Magnifico's character. She got her real life wife to play the part of Captain Black. All she had to do was look mean." "Go me!" Bluefeather did a little happy dance, "I passed a Cy quiz." "You did, and I'm very proud of you," Cyclone reached up and she patted Bluefeather's head, even going so far as to tousle her blue hair. Snorting at that, Bluefeather followed Cyclone into the comic store. "Don't you worry, Mistress. You're the coolest person in here." "Yes I am," agreed Bluefeather with a knowing grin, "And if there was a figurine of me in here?" "Then it would be the coolest figurine in here, Mistress." Bluefeather's grin became a warm smile, "Get your figure. But, you can look around for a bit first." That was a ruse, and as Cyclone made her way around the store, Bluefeather slyly looked at the Power Pony figures so she could match the names to the designs. Adorably, Cyclone was literally like a kid at Hearths Warming morning opening the biggest present first. "Oooh look! The Power Pony glitter figures!" she scooted over past a few other shoppers in the store before she set a determined look on her face, "No! Focus, Cyclone. Captain Black. She will be mine!" The figurine in the box that Cyclone eventually picked up looked a lot like Aria Blaze, but an Aria Blaze wearing a steampunk pirate costume. For her part, Bluefeather was happy that the unaware Cyclone had narrowed her search for Power Pony figures. She was now close enough to read the boxes, but not too close as to seem interested in them. "This figure is awesome!" Cyclone showed off her find, "Look at this, it even has shuriken throwing action! Shame it's never coming out of the box!" "May be a good thing," snarked Bluefeather, "I don't need you lobbing exploding shuriken grenades at me." "You know if I played with it, I'd wear the spring out in the arm." The way her girlfriend was practically caressing the box gave Bluefeather an amused thought. "When you squirt on it, will that box be enough protection, or will you need a condom bag over it?" While Cyclone just snorted out a laugh, a couple of nearby nerds reading comics swooned on the couch they were sat on. Much to Bluefeather's annoyance. "It seems I'm going to have to up my embarrassment game." She huffed with her arms crossed under her breasts. "Nice try, babes," Cyclone giggled, "But you forget, I've had sex, they haven't." Playfully, Bluefeather cuffed her girlfriend upside her head, just hard enough to make her laugh louder, "To the checkout, brat." "Yes Mistress," Cyclone had the figure in her lap and she wheeled herself over to the counter, where the Cashier looked just like he worked in a comic store, was waiting to charge her twenty one nineteen, with tax. Cyclone handed him a twenty five bit note and when she told him to keep the change, she was informed they didn't take tips. Bluefeather was quickly on hand though, "She's a germaphobe for non-plastic toys. I'll take the change." Now, Cyclone was actually embarrassed at that, "Blue!" she exclaimed, and she blushed at the same time squirmed in her chair, because several very dorky people were snickering at her! "Finally I score a point," Bluefeather licked an index finger and drew a 'one' in the air and wore her 'smug' face. "Time for more shopping!" she promptly walked out of the store without looking back. "Shopping!" still very embarrassed, Cyclone quickly scooted herself out of the store with the geeky laughter warming her ears. At the entrance to the pinkest store on the planet, Bluefeather paused and turned to her girlfriend with a serious expression on her face. "We've been having fun. Should we try to do anything more advanced, or should we just spice up the role play?" Right or wrong, the competitive Cyclone took that as a bit of a challenge. "I'm good with trying something more advanced, Mistress. You know I trust you." "I'm thinking of adding chains to go with the clamps," Bluefeather tapped her chin, apparently deep in thought, "Maybe get some rings for your fingers and toes with chain clips?" "I'm here for that!" Cyclone agreed readily, "That predicament thing you did in the back of the van with the clamps and chains was sweet. I'd love to do more of that kind of thing." "It's almost like gaming to overcome a puzzle," Bluefeather snickered and inside the store, she went up to the front counter. "I'm looking for the sexiest teacher outfit you have, please." The woman serving, Tight Loop, if her nametag was to be believed, greeted them with a warm genuine smile. "Halloween or private?" "Very private." In an instant, Tight Loop had pulled out a catalogue from under her counter and she flipped through it to a page. "Here are the two female models." She showed them to the two girls. "Oh wow look at that one!" Cyclone pointed to the one with the extremely short skirt and the top so tight and low cut that absolutely nothing would be left to anyone's imaginations, "You're right, that is very definitely a private outfit." "I think breathing will have me falling out of that one." Commented Bluefeather, though she wasn't against it. "All part of the charm," smiled Tight Loop, "We don't have it in stock, but discreet package can be delivered to your door in two days." "That works," said Bluefeather, her mind made up, "What do you have in the way of AB/DL stuff?" Tight Loop pointed into the store, "Aisle three, in the centre on the right. There are pamphlets to order items that aren't in stock. Something in particular you're looking for?" "How about a nice pink crib?" Cyclone said it like a joke, then she realised Bluefeather was being totally serious. "Take a pamphlet on that," smiled Tight Loop as she fished one out and gave it to Bluefeather, she was clearly the one in charge. "Too much space to stock, but they are discreet in delivery, too." "If someone uses a nappy in a naughty way," started Bluefeather, "I want to leave them in it without causing any serious harm, just some discomfort." "That we do carry," Tight Loop's smile remained, "There are three types of ointments that will keep away diaper rash as long as they are applied at least ten minutes before they're needed, but you need to reapply every six hours. I think they carry a strong warning to clean up a mess with in five hours of use." Beside Bluefeather, cyclone was opening and closing her mouth in a good impression of a stunned fish, but no noise was coming out. Both Bluefeather and Tight Loop ignored her. "We do have a number of cute adult onesies in stock too, along with a line of toys." She leant forward conspiratorially, "Not all of which are children friendly." "Okay that's kinda awesome," commented Cyclone, who was still about the most embarrassed she'd ever been in her life. "Chains?" again, Bluefeather spoke like Cyclone wasn't there. "What type?" "Lightweight to use with clamps and such." Tight Loop pointed again, "Aisle two." "Thank you!" Bluefeather tapped Cyclone's shoulder. "Come along, Brat." When she walked further into the store, Cyclone hurried to keep pace with her, rolling by her side. Bluefeather started with aisle two. "Wow, there are a lot of different chains. I didn't even notice these when we bought the clamps. Rings too. Four of those and what type of chain would you not mind being seen in public?" "Um...that gold one's pretty cool, the links look nice and functional," Cyclone looked over the ones on offer, "Not too many swirly bits." Bluefeather gathered up half a dozen chains in that colour, "Now to aisle three." On one side of the middle of aisle three was all AB/DL things. "Look at all the onesies," she breathed out as she moved over to the variety of creams. "Yeah, I'm looking. They have a lot, huh?" the wheelchair bound athlete scanned the onesies on the shelves, it was like being surrounded by a pastel explosion, "Never knew there were so many shades of pink!" "It is a hard shade to get on your cheeks," commented Bluefeather with a smirk, "This cream will protect you from rash for up to five hours and masks any smell for public use. This other cream enhances the smell to highlight the stinker in the crowd." Cyclone giggled, "You always know when I'm blushing, Mistress," she then took in what Bluefeather had said, and it was obvious she was doing just that. "This one I don't want," Bluefeather threw one cream back on the shelf, "Simulates diaper rash even in a clean and dry diaper. We're getting the smell suppression one. Pick out two onesies, but not in the shade of pink you have." "Why on earth would you want to stimulate that?" asked Cyclone incredulously, "It hurts like a bitch!" she surveyed the onesies on offer, and eventually she went for a yellow and a cream one. "O. M. G.!" exclaimed Bluefeather and without warning, she grabbed Cyclone and dragged her and the wheelchair over to a section labelled 'Nappy Covers' and she pointed excitedly. "Power Pony nappy covers!" "Oh wow! Are these for real? They're amazing!" Happily, Bluefeather started putting them on Cyclone's lap. "There are eight of them, two Saddle Rager and one Hum Drum along with ones of the rest of the characters, "Do you want them all?" "Yes please Mistress. Oh," Cyclone added, "I did see these things by the onesies, cotton mittens that you Velcro on around the wrist. They must be new." Bluefeather thought about that for a moment, "Right now I don't want to take your hands away. Maybe something to add as our play progresses." "You're right. Baby steps!" Cyclone snickered at her own bad joke. "Okay, I'll get a couple of new pacifiers, and this," Bluefeather giggled, "Pacifier gag is a must. Oh, and these baby bonnets. One to match what you got and what you're wearing now." "A pacifier gag? Now that is definitely new." "I think AB/DL is going mainstream," commented Bluefeather nonchalantly, "Now let's take a look at the crib pamphlet." "Do they really need so many cribs?" asked Cyclone as her girlfriend opened it up and showed her the options on offer. "Surely all you need is 'crib', and you're done?" "Some of these look more like cages than cribs." "Yeah, especially that one there," Cyclone didn't really like the one she referred to. It looked oppressive, just like a cage. She didn't like it much. "That looks kinda scary, like if the Child Catcher had a kid, that's what he'd keep it in." Obliviously, Bluefeather missed the reference that Cyclone made, but she laughed at it anyway. "Y'know, from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The scary dude? The one I really hate and you have to hold my hand when it's on?" Bluefeather nodded her head, but she also smiled, because she vaguely recalled the hook nosed guy with a net dressed all in black. "I like holding your hand when you're feeling unsafe." Automatically, Cyclone reached up and she took hold of Bluefeather's hand, "Just thinking about that douchebag makes me feel unsafe." Bluefeather did like the way Cyclone holding her hand like that made her feel. Like she needed to be 'nana'd' and taken care of, and she was the one to do it. Bending at the waist, she gave Cyclone a very sound kiss. "You'll be safe with me, brat." "Mmmmm I needed that, a lot." "To the checkout!"
Corruption of Equestria: Sweetie Belle's Fate - Extended Edition - Ultra Deluxe Version	pre	She moved forward of her own volition and took the first cock in her hand. There she started to stroke up and down its length with her claws, marvelling at how thick it was and how she failed to fit her fingers around it at the thickest points. She smelled its musk, inhaling deeply and letting her mind go blank with it. Her long tongue slid out of her mouth and she began to lick all around the length of the cock, desperate to taste it. The taste was even more amazing than the smell, and her thighs clenched in arousal. Another cock neared her, and her eyes crossed as she tried to look at both. She reached out with her other hand and began to jerk off that one too. She began to alternate kissing and licking one cock and the other, trailing her tongue up their undersides slowly and worshipfully. She adored their taste and smell, and she could feel her thoughts leaking out of her cunt and out of her tits. Milk spilled free from them, making a puddle on the floor together with her juices. Her tail moved fitfully from side to side, flexing out of her control in a display of need. Meanwhile, after watching her former husband getting railed by demonic cocks, Cadance had been unable to contain herself. She needed pleasure, and if the imps weren't going to give it to her right away she would get it herself. She'd tried to use magic at first, but she'd found herself too distracted and overtaken by lust to be able to focus. So she'd resorted to using her own hoof, rubbing it hard up and down her marehood in a wanton display of need. Her pussy winked and leaked as she ground her frog hard into it, and her fat teats let out sprays of milk all over. Twilight at her side was still holding on, but not by much. Spike had started to gag herself on the cocks. She would take one in her throat, pull back, and move to the next one. Tears were streaming down her cheeks from the exertion but she refused to stop, needing more and more of those titanic slabs of meat to spread her. She wiggled her ass from side to side, and flagged her tail, leaning forward on her knees to expose her leaking slit as her thighs quivered with arousal. She looked dazed and about to pass out from how little air she was getting, and her face was slick with spit and drool and precum from spearing it on the cocks before her. As she was so completely taken by what was in front of her, she failed entirely to notice the imp coming up behind her. That is, until he made himself known by gripping her hips within his claws and ramming his shaft forward into her dragonesshood with all his strength. Spike squealed around the cock she was kissing and her eyes rolled back fully. Her nipples stiffened and shot milk down to the floor and her muscles seized up. Her breathing became fast and erratic. Since she'd stopped pleasing them by herself, the two imps on the front thought well to use her mouth themselves instead. Only they both thought so at the same time, and so together they rammed their cocks forward into Spike's gasping maw. It was a tight fit, but neither of them relented, and Spike was pinned there by the cock behind her. She could do nothing as, inch by inch, the two cocks spread her throat wide as they both slid in into her. She could only convulse around them as her airflow was cut, and convulse around the cock spearing her from behind as the imp it belonged to began to thrust. She was sandwiched between the three cocks, completely powerless against them. Not that she minded, as she was just so overtaken with pleasure she couldn't think about anything in her condition. All she could do was feel good, and with a shuddering moan that was choked out by the cocks forcing their way into her maws she began to cum. Her nethers clenched and leaked and shot her arousal onto the floor, and her tits leaked even more than they had before. Her eyes were fully white and her mind was blissfully blank, drowning in ecstasy. With such a reaction from her, and with how tight her holes were between her virgin pussy and her overstuffed throat, it didn't take long for the imps claiming her to cum too. The one behind her was first, as after a few more tremendous thrusts within her scaly hole he hilted into her and began to unleash a veritable deluge of his spunk deep into her womb. Her belly instantly bloated up, already getting pregnant from the act, and her tail straightened firm in a display of pleasure. The imp came and came, shooting many ropes into her from his rock-hard cock as his gargantuan balls churned with even more thick seed. Spike screamed around the cocks in her throat, losing her balance and only being held up by those same cocks speared into her neck. The extra vibrations of her convulsions and choked yelling led the other two imps past the edge, and they too began to cum, thick and huge ropes of hot, musky cum leaving the tips of their dicks and bloating up her gullet. Spike's belly swelled, filled on both ends by the flow of three gigantic imp cocks bloating her up. She quickly reached the limits of how far she could be stretched, with her belly pressing against the ground, and even past the two cocks lodged in her throat some of them cum began to flow back out. It couldn't make it past her mouth, and so it leaked out of her nose, leaving her unconscious but in a world of sheer bliss. Next to her, Shining was practically in the same state. She had been used more than thoroughly by the two imps, who had in the meantime cum into her another time, leaving her belly huge and round and surely pregnant and cum leaking out of both her throat and her abused cunt. She was panting slowly, spent from all the sex she'd experienced and yet already eager to receive more eventually, already broken and embracing her new role as imp breeding stock. The imps who had gone at her, seeing her condition and knowing she'd gladly follow them back to the camp, moved to a different target. A better one, even. Cadance was practically jamming her entire hoof up her leaking cunt, and yet at seeing the imps advancing on her she drew back, suddenly uncertain. She had nowhere to go to though, and even if the exits hadn't been blocked her pathetic attempt to crawl away wouldn't have taken her to them. Not when she still had her hoof over her pussy, feverishly masturbating as she tried to move away on her back. The first imp was on her in a matter of seconds. He stood over her body and motioned his hard cock to the entrance of her mouth, already spread in a whorish O by her moans and pants. Cadance again hesitated, but not for long. The musk of the imp's shaft hit her nose, and her thoughts all disappeared for a moment. She sat there, not even masturbating for a few seconds, going practically limp as she inhaled the smell. Her tongue reached out without her conscious thought, simply eager to taste the cock in front of her. When she did taste it she was jolted awake, a spark of electricity travelling from her muscle up to her brain and shocking her back into consciousness. She was no stranger to fellatio, having sucked Shining's cock more than once when he'd still had one, but what she'd just tasted was something else. She'd never known anything like the taste of the imp's cock, and it alone was driving her to hyperventilate all of a sudden. There was a moment more of hesitation on her side, where her eyes went wider and wider and she started rubbing her hoof over her cunt again, and then she dove forward. Though the cock was massive, she tried to get as much of it into her mouth as she could, desperate to taste it and please it with her body. It was a needy, irrational reaction. But the more she tasted of the thick, heavy, musky cock, the more she wanted. She spread her jaws wider and wider, hungry for the demonic slab of meat, and onward she pushed as it began to sink into her throat. It was far from an easy task to fit all that cock in her, but Cadance was a determined mare. She wanted it like she'd never wanted anything before, and she'd get it one way or another. Her horn lit, and in a rare display of lucidity for someone in her conditions she used her magic to guide the cock deeper into her. She did so for a while, bobbing her head slightly but always pushing onward, and eventually the entire length of the cock made it into her. She rested her chin onto the imp's massive balls, satisfied in more ways than one. Her magic, still coating the imp's dick, began instead to massage his balls as she started to move her face back and forth. Her concentration didn't last long, however. She had been so taken by the cock on her face, and by focusing on using her magic, she had practically stopped caring about anything else. She hadn't even realised when another one of the imps had moved her hoof aside, nor had she seen him line himself up. As his cock came to rest against her exposed, swollen marehood, however, she became fully aware of his presence, and of just how impossible to ignore it would be. Her mental focus was instantly shattered, her horn sputtered uselessly, and she gagged and choked around the dick in her throat. The imp ground his shaft back and forth over the entrance to Cadance's sex, delighting in the way the mare squirmed beneath him. Her nethers quivered and shot out jets of her arousal, winking desperately and trying to wrap themselves around the cock pressed over them. Cadance's thighs were shaking and spasming, and her legs were flexing without control. She was needy and desperate, a slut in heat for imp meat. And the imp was glad to satisfy her need, if only after mercilessly teasing her a little longer. Back and forth her ground his cock into her, pressing it into her winking sex. Back and forth, back and forth. Back. Forth. Back. Then farther back. And then, all at once, he slammed forward and speared Cadance's pussy with his titanic shaft. Cadance screamed delirious around the cock in her mouth, and her whole entire body convulsed as she came on the spot, overpowered like nothing ever before by the sheer virile strength and absurd size of the cock within her. No magic or means she'd ever known could have ever compared. The imp drove himself forward, hilting into her cunt as it came all around him. Then, not satisfied, he pulled back and started to thrust at a frenzied rhythm, like Cadance's hole was just a toy for him to enjoy fucking. And she was reduced to barely more than that as he hammered into her, all her higher mental faculties relenting to the tide of overpowering arousal that consumed everything else in her and made her its bitch just like the cock and the imp were doing. She barely even registered the cock in her mouth anymore, the one she had been so focused on just a little bit before. That is, until the imp it was attached to tired of her passivity, and began to thrust as well. Cadance found her shreds of attention suddenly jerked back there as well, split between her two holes just as she was being split in two by the cock hammering into her with no regard for her. Not that they needed any regard. Cadance was in a world of bliss, a dimension of pleasure unlike anything she'd ever thought possible. Normal sex wasn't even close, and regular orgasms couldn't compare. What she was feeling was something else, something far greater that she wanted more and more of. It was a drug, and she was quickly getting addicted to it. Had she gotten separated from the imps, she would have done anything in her power to return to them and to that wonderful, all encompassing sensation that was devouring her whole. The imps kept at it, still uncaring to her state. All they cared about was their own pleasure as they fucked the alicorn relentlessly in both holes, and the ultimate goal of that pleasure were their own orgasms. Which did not take much at all to arrive, with how tight and eager Cadance's holes were and with how wet, warm, and quivering they had become. It was just a matter of time before both imps blew yet another load, this time inside the pink alicorn herself, just as they had with her husband turned imp fuckslut. An husband she didn't love anymore, as her heart only had room for imp cocks left. As one the two imps came. Thick, white, hot shots of cum burst forth from them. One cock in Cadance's throat and the other in her pussy, both bloating her up from opposite ends of her body. The one within her mouth shook with each spurt, filling her up more and more to the point where some of the cum was leaking out of her nose. The one inside her pussy kept all the cum in her with its girth, ensuring her impregnation. Cadance was already sure she was going to birth more imps from then on, as she was familiar with being impregnated and could tell their cum had claimed her. Or at least, she could have done so if she'd been in a greater state of awareness. As it was she was too overwhelmed to properly appreciate how thick, virile, and incredibly strong the cum within her was. She could just shake and shiver in perpetual orgasm thanks to it, completely at the mercy of the imps fucking her holes and bloating her up. And she loved it from the bottom of her now corrupted heart, as it gave her pleasure the likes of which she'd never even thought possible. She almost passed out from sheer bliss, and was left in a half-conscious state of relentless cumming. The three imps who had been fucking Spike, and who had bloated her up one more time since, pulled their titanic cocks out of the passed-out dragon slut. Seeing how Shining was already a bloated mess and Cadance was occupied, they moved on to the only remaining female in the room. Twilight Sparkle, their final prize. She shrank away from them, but it was a weak motion. She didn't have much fight left in her. The smell of cum and sex that was filling up the room was getting to her head too, and she was dizzy. Her nethers leaked and her bloated tits did the same, leaving a huge stain of milk and arousal on the floor. Still, she had something left in her. Shakily she stood on her hooves. While the musk of imp sex was overtaking her, the lust potion's effects were ebbing, and she could think a bit more clearly than before. She flexed her legs, trying to steady herself, and spread her wings for balance. Her vision swam, but she knew she had to get away. The castle was compromised and lost, but she could still save herself. All she had to do was teleport away and fly to safety. She began to gather magic in her horn, preparing a spell to move herself away from the room. And then an imp presented his cock in front of her face, and all of Twilight's focus was shattered. She shrieked as her horn sputtered, its magic scattered away uselessly. Drool leaked from her mouth, her pussy winked, and her front legs gave out. She found herself on the ground, panting heavily and barely seeing a thing through her fogged vision, incapable of reacting or doing anything. The strength of the musk that had hit her was so thoroughly overwhelming it had practically battered her mind, leaving her unable to form proper thoughts. Not that she needed thought for what would come next. Smirking to himself, the imp began to inch his cock closer and closer to Twilight's face on the ground. Her body responded on sheer instinct, something deeply ingrained within her biology that commanded her to act a certain way even while she couldn't understand it or perceive it. Her head lifted a little and her mouth opened. Her tongue reached out, needy and desperate to taste the dick. She looked like a bitch, an animal in heat, all her intelligence undone by sheer lust and base breeding instincts. The imp was more than happy to give her what she so clearly wanted. His cock moved forward still, and soon it was entering Twilight's mouth. The contact made Twilight moan around it and her eyes widen in shock, though she didn't move beside flaring her wings wide. The sensation was electric on her tongue and lips, flaming as it went up to her brain. It imprinted one command onto her mind and one alone. Breed. She was being undone with just a taste of the giant demonic shaft, remade into a slut for imp cocks who lived to please them. She got a lot more than just a taste though. The imp didn't stop, and began to push his cock deeper and deeper into her. Past the confines of her lips, stretching her jaws, past the entrance to her tight throat and deeper in still. He took hold of her horn with one hand and placed the other behind her head, and on he pushed, forcing more and more of his length in. Twilight choked and sputtered, shaking involuntarily as she was utterly stretched and denied air to breathe, but she didn't try to pull back. If anything she pushed forward a little, desperate and needy for more of the huge cock. She was completely addicted already, defeated and enslaved by giant imp shafts like that one. Finally, with a loud wet sound, the imp hilted into her throat. His huge balls were on her chin and Twilight's eyes were rolled back into her head. She was shaking all over and panting feebly. Her tongue writhed beneath the shaft, and her throat convulsed in an attempt to milk the cock. She needed it more than she needed air, as evidence by her not even trying to push it off to breathe better. All she could think about, all she could conceive of needing was cock. Thick, giant, long, throbbing imp cock. Her virgin throat was on fire with alien pleasure and sensation and she craved every moment of it, and she craved more and more and more. Her teats were leaking milk like faucets and her sex was leaking profusely, winking invitingly, her legs spread wide and her ass up behind her, with her tail flagged in a display of submissive need. It was no wonder that two other imps, the ones who had previously used Spike's throat together, both spotted the eager hole and chose to come onto it and use it for themselves. Together they lined up behind Twilight, cocks held up at the ready, preparing to penetrate the purple pony's virgin pussy. Together they moved their shafts forward, their tips pressing onto her entrance. Immediately Twilight tensed up. Her sex was burning where it was being touched. Her coat stood up like she was being electrified, and her wings spread wide. Her throat convulsed around the cock filling it and her teats visibly twitched as they shot milk onto the floor. Her clit winked and spasmed as her pussy tried to invite the new cocks in, and as it did more of her flesh touched the tips, igniting more pleasure within her. She was leaking down her thighs copiously, and her eyes began to water from the overwhelming sensation. The imps didn't stop at just teasing her pussy with their tips though, of course. Slowly but surely they began to push on, inserting themselves into Twilight's gushing sex. Twilight's legs kicked and magic sputtered from her horn, and her chest heaved with half-formed breaths. Her heart beat fast and faster in her chest and she struggled to remain conscious, between the lack of oxygen and the new influx of tremendous sensation. But the imps were relentless, pushing deeper and deeper into her. Both cocks were massive as a result of the potions the imps had made and drunk, and if one alone would have been a tight fit and enough to spread her wide then two of them were bordering on tearing her apart from the inside. It was only a combination of her alicorn biology and the potions she'd been doused in that made her stretch around them, and stretch she did. Bit by bit, the farther into her the cocks moved the wider her hole became. Her inner walls hugged the twin cocks tight, writhing around them as Twilight moaned around the one in her throat. Still the gargantuan cocks pushed on, as the imps were determined to get all the way inside her. They clawed at her ass and grabbed at her tail, pushing in roughly with all their strength. Twilight's fat tits sprayed milk all over the floor and her legs shivered and kicked without her control. Red claw marks ran all over her backside. Her wings were limp at her sides, spasming, and her eyes were fluttering and half-rolled back. She couldn't pass out though, not with the sheer amount of pleasure she was feeling. It was like electricity running straight through her brain, like pure pleasure injected into her veins. Through much struggling and pushing and stretching, the imps finally managed to get all the way in. With a final lurch they slid into Twilight, spreading her apart like nothing should have been able to. Her eyes shot wide open as their balls slapped against her clit. Her pussy gushed harder than it already had been as her ongoing orgasm crested into a peak of ecstasy and refused to come down from it. Her whole frame was shaking like she was being shocked. Drool and pre were flowing out of her nose and an absolutely stupid, sex-drunk expression was on her face. Then, with a look of understanding between each other, the imps began to thrust. They did so alternating each other, so that while one was sliding out of Twilight the other was firmly in her, and when one thrust in the other started to pull back. Their pace was frenzied, helped along by the copious amounts of fluids Twilight had leaked, but even so, with all the existing lubrication, their cocks still burned against Twilight's inner walls. Her sex was in fire, ignited by the massive shafts pounding into her nonstop. Her eyes were watering, adding to the pre and drool and sweat that covered her face and matted her mane to her forehead and back. The imp in front of her had his hand gripping the back of her head roughly and he was pounding into her, slamming her nose and face into his crotch. The smell and taste of cock were all she could feel anymore at that point. Cock was all she could think about, and sex was all she could feel. She lived and breathed for imps, a broken fucktoy for their pleasure first and foremost. And it was pure bliss to exist that way, a joy above anything else in her life. She was forgetting and forsaking everything else she'd ever cared for. Friendship? Friendship didn't give her pleasure like cocks did, and all her friends would be much happier as imp fuckholes like she was. Family? Her family was right there, and they were enjoying themselves far more than ever before. Shining was in ecstasy and so were Spike and Cadance, and soon hopefully many more mares would share the same fate. Knowledge? The only knowledge she needed was knowing how good it felt to be fucked. Everything else was completely useless, and to be discarded from her mind as she devoted herself fully to her new role. She put newfound vigour and dedication in it, even in her struggling state. Her neck flexed and her tongue danced around the cock devastating her throat, and her magic, as little as she could manage to control it, reached to the fat balls hitting her chin and neck and cradled them. It was the least she could do to bring pleasure to the imps that were giving her so much, from a new purpose in life to happiness unlike anything she'd ever thought possible. With her efforts towards it, it wasn't long before the imp going at her throat and mouth came. He hilted inside Twilight, holding her hard against his face, and unleashed a torrent of cum into her. It overflowed quickly, spilling from her nose as it hit her gullet like a flood. It bloated her belly and it was as if it was drowning her brain itself, submerging her thoughts in cum and finally fully overpowering her mind. She drank of it greedily even as it choked her completely, and when the imp pulled back and she fell forward she began to lick it off the floor like a starving animal eating the only food available. The imps behind her, still busy thrusting at an alternating rhythm, found newfound pleasure in the new angle they were suddenly hitting her from. They quickened their pace, reddening her thighs and ass with impacts with their crotches, and hitting her legs over and over with their huge balls. They were close too, and they knew it. At once they shared another look, and they both hilted inside Twilight's pussy at the same time. The sudden added stimulation of the extra tightness born from her tunnel being stretched to its limits by both their girths once again was enough to push them over the edge, and finally they came. With how plugged up the entrance to her pussy was, the cum had nowhere to go but forward. It surged from the twin cocks as a proper stream of seed and it quickly began to bloat Twilight up even more than what the cock in her throat had already done. Her belly swelled, absolutely huge, looking pregnant already and absolutely ensuring she was indeed going to bear imp kids from then on. With that, Twilight was finally and completely broken, utterly undone, a complete imp breeding slut and nothing else. Her brain short-circuited and she fell forward, limp on the ground, swollen with cum and leaking from all her holes. A perfect image of a corrupted pony, all her power as a princess useless in the face of imp cocks and their strength. The imps, satisfied with how thoroughly they had used her, had a look around at their work. The ones on Cadance were just then finishing up, leaving the mare ballooned up and surely pregnant. They pulled out of her with satisfied grunts, leaving the pink alicorn just as broken as her sister in law. She babbled something incoherent, likely begging for more cocks and cum judging by her state. Her face was a ruined mess of smeared makeup, tears, spit, drool, cum and precum. Her ass was reddened and her teats were leaking milk, and her pussy winked as cum dribbled out of it alongside the juices of her own orgasm. Shining and Spike were getting back up to their legs, still utterly dazed and drunk on sex and cum and demonic cocks. The imps shared a knowing look with each other, and the trio that had been on Twilight went to Shining while the Cadance duo took on Spike. Soon the room was once more filled with the lewd sounds of fucking and thrusting and cumming. By the time dawn came, three mares and one dragon, all leaking milk and cum and heavily bloated with imp seed, were being carried out of Ponyville and to the camp where they would spend the rest of their lives as imp breeding stocks, blissfully happy all the while.
Finding Your Family	pre	"Are there any more of those balaclavas?" asked Barb, craning her neck to find one. "Those were really good!" "No," answered Pinkie, "but I have a ski mask you can borrow!" "Baklava," corrected Holiday. "What do you think is your favourite part?" "I don't know," admitted Barb. "It's all great. What's in it?" "Phyllo, butter, pistachios and honey!" squeaked Pinkie. "Oh, this is great news! I'll be right back!" As Pinkie dashed off to the kitchen, Holiday pulled out her purse. It was safe to say that Pinkie was already planning a party for later, and when it came time to fund such an event, she would be glad to pay for it, even if Pinkie didn't give anypony a bill. But without any kind of indication of what was going on in Pinkie's head, Holiday at least knew she was going to bring back a box of baklava, which she'd then take home to share with the whole family, so she may as well prepare to pay for it. Pinkie came back a moment later with three boxes, one of which she dumped the remaining treats into. as soon as she spotted the coin purse, she held up her hoof. "Hold it right there, Aunt Holiday! These are on me!" She loaded the boxes onto her back. "See? Right there on my shoulders. Woo! Let's go!"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Tenth: Scootaloo and Spike	Shortly after the kids left with their escorts, Spike placed his claws on Scootaloo's shoulders and began to rub. "You ready to go?" Scootaloo sighed. On one claw, she did want to go out and see what had changed about Ponyville. She wanted to catch up with her old friends, and find out if they still remembered her. She wanted to find out if anything hadn't changed, and was still the same as when she was a kid. On the other claw, she was still tired from the move, still had some unpacking to do, and had spent the last few weeks doing everything she could to ensure that her family made the transition properly. She'd barely found any time to relax outside of sleep, and even then, she was plagued with worry. In the end, Spike was supporting that second claw with his own. His shoulder massage felt nice, and she needed some time to decompress. "Actually," she moaned, "I'd kind of like to stay in today." She turned and looked up at him. "You and I haven't had any time alone in almost a year. I'd really like to change that." "Say no more," smiled Spike. Without further warning, he scooped her up out of her chair and curled her up in his arms, to her mild squealing and squirming, which calmed down rather quickly. "Let's go somewhere a little more cozy, shall we?" Scootaloo wrapped her claws around his neck and her tail around his waist, holding tight to him as he carried her out of the dining room and up the stairs. She didn't let go until he was lowering her onto the bed. "Let me grab some protection," said Spike, disappearing into the master bathroom. The sound of a lock clicking open was heard, and then out he came with a small rubber sleeve. Unlike their first time using condoms, this one was made for Spike's shape and size, courtesy of Ember. "Make sure that thing's secure," smirked Scootaloo. "I just came back from the dragon lands; the last thing I want is to be forced to go back." Spike chuckled and pulled off his shirt. He had, over the past few years, grown accustomed to wearing a shirt and pants given to him by Rarity that made him seem more approachable by anypony that hadn't met him. There was still some stigma against dragons, and having Spike look more pony-like kept newcomers from complaining about having to deal with him when Twilight was busy. As the enchanted shirt cascaded to the floor, Spike's wings unfurled, stretching across half the room as he pushed them out all the way. He stretched and flexed his arms and chest, both priming himself and showing off to his dragoness. Scootaloo was certainly smitten by his display of his body, running her claws over her own to combat the tingling she felt in her scales. With a soft jingling, Spike's belt came undone, and his pants dropped. He was just barely protruding his tip from his sheathe as he kicked his clothing aside and climbed onto the bed next to Scootaloo. Scootaloo leaned forward, sniffing at his vent. His pheromones were intoxicating, and as she exhaled, some steam puffed out of her mouth. "Is this..." "For you?" Spike smiled broadly. "Yes it is. Just for you, and nopony else." "I was going to ask if the room was fireproof," huffed Scootaloo. "Oh. Yeah, mostly." "What does "mostly" mean?" "Well, if you tried to set it on fire, it'd light, but it's difficult to set it ablaze accidentally." With a small smirk, Scootaloo blew a small, steady flame across Spike's tip, the flames licking at him, with the tips of her forked tongue occasionally popping out to join them. After a few moments of that, with Spike now fully exposed and ready, he slipped the rubber over himself, securing it snugly and properly. It was ribbed, but otherwise was a perfect facsimile of Spike's rod, if it were lubricated and painted green. "Allow me to return the favour," grinned Spike, shifting their positions so that he was down between her legs. Pushing apart the protective scales with his thumbs, he exposed her vent and, pushing his snout into the crease, dug most of his tongue into her pussy. The tip stayed out, letting the salivary glands on the underside of his tongue add a bit more lube, but more importantly, the tines of his tongue wrapped around her clitoris, pulsing regularly. With both of them warmed up, Spike brought himself forward until he was snout-to-snout with Scootaloo. Their tongues wrapped helically around each other, digging into each other's throats as Spike moved his body into position. He had to compress himself a bit, as Scootaloo was still shorter than he was, but as soon as they were lined up, he pressed himself in. While they had done this multiple times since they became a couple, it always felt special. While multiple dragons had tried to court Scootaloo while she was living in the dragon lands, citing that she wouldn't need to worry about her children if they had a father figure, she had remained loyal to Spike. She'd even ended up in fights with a few that wouldn't take "go away" for an answer. Likewise, Spike had been tempted by a few mares, especially from the Crystal Empire, but had always refused. Unlike Scootaloo, he had wanted to lie with them, but refused because the one time it had made it as far as a kiss on the lips, he felt disgusted with himself and put an immediate stop to it. He was a noble dragon, and his decisions would be made by his brain and his heart, not his dick. In a single press, he was all the way in, and Scootaloo's fiery breath jetted up past his ears around his face. He kept his breath steady for now, acting as her rock as his claws slipped up her arms and wrists, locking into hers. Once their fingers were intertwined, he pulled them back behind her head, bringing a pillow along for the ride. With as long as it had been since last they had done this, he wanted to make sure she didn't injure her neck with the addition of a headboard.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Eleventh: An Afternoon Alone	Spike slammed his rock-hard shaft into Scootaloo one last time, letting her clamp down on his knot. The barbed tendrils just below the tip stretched and wriggled, pressing against their rubber cage as Scootaloo's interior milked out the fluid into the reservoir tip. As soon as she stopped convulsing, she lowered herself onto Spike's chest, panting. "You win again," she gasped. "Best of five?" Spike looked over at the three tied-off condoms they'd already filled. "I think tied at two and two is good for now," he huffed back. "Let's take a break and rehydrate." He reached down into the small cooler he had brought up after their second time and pulled out a couple of juice bottles. "What do you want? Pineapple? Grapefruit?" "Do we have any white grape?" Spike dug around for a bit until he found one. "Here we are." They sat there for a moment in silence, simply enjoying each other's embrace as they drank their fruit juices and waited for Spike's knot to shrink. Every so often, Scootaloo would feel him inside her and spasm with pleasure. "What do you think the kids are up to?" asked Spike, wrapping his claw around her shoulder. "You think they're having fun?" "I hope so," smiled Scootaloo. As she thought about it, the smile faded away. "Hey, that thing with Aunty Lofty... How long has her health been that way?" Spike shook his head. "Not that long. She was fine a month ago. And you know, like she said this morning, it's benign. Sure, it's something she has to look out for, but she's pretty tough." He clapped his claw gently against her back. "I have it on good authority that her whole family is pretty durable." Scootaloo blushed. "Still, I'm glad she took Twilight's advice and double-checked it. I'd rather know for sure that she's okay than live in ignorance." "I'm glad she had someone like you to help keep an eye on her." "And now she has someone like you to keep an eye on her," smiled Spike, booping her snout with his claw. "If I haven't said it yet, I'm glad you're back." Scootaloo curled up on his chest, listening to his heart beating. "I'm glad to be back." After a few minutes, she let out a groan, and Spike's knot slipped free of her grip, sliding out smoothly. With practised claws, Spike gripped the tip and slid the rubber sleeve off, tying it deftly in a knot while Scootaloo leaned down and licked him clean. "Are you still nervous?" asked Spike as she came back up to snuggle with him. "A bit," answered Scootaloo. "But I am feeling better. You know what I think it is?" "Tell me." Scootaloo gestured around. "The place is a little too bare. Doesn't quite have that "lived-in" feel, you know?" "I know what you mean," nodded Spike. "One of the reasons I didn't do that was because I wanted you to be here for it. I mean, I already decided the layout, the materials, I even decided that we were going to be sharing a bed, when you might have grown used to sleeping on a rock. I know I had trouble sleeping when I changed from a dog bed to a regular bed. I thought you might want to pick what goes on the walls, since you're going to be looking at them." He looked around. "We can even repaint, if you want. We'll just have to wait for a bit before we can do that." "Why's that?" Spike cleared his throat, slid out from under her, and walked over to the cardboard box that was currently serving as his wardrobe. He was silent for a moment, then started digging. "I kind of spent all of my pay from the last ten years building this place. Plus some money I took from your aunts that I need to pay back." He pulled out a smaller box and grasped it firmly in his claw. "Holiday told me I don't have to; that the money they spent was for the well-being of you and the kids, and myself as well, eventually. Lofty just said not to worry about it. But it didn't feel right." "Can't you just leave it alone?" asked Scootaloo. "I mean, they're right. If you spent the money building this place, tending to the garden, setting all of this up without me around to help you out, all so that we could have a nice place to come back to, then they have what they wanted." Spike shook his head. "It's part of my code of honour. A dragon should be strong enough to, under his own power, provide for his family. Having friends is great, but... I feel like they've done me a huge favour; one which I should repay. Friends are a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," sort of thing, but they've been scratching my back for awhile, and I don't know if I've scratched theirs enough. It feels icky to just take without giving back." Scootaloo smiled. Spike's selflessness was what drew her to him in the first place. He'd taken some time out of his day just to make her feel better all those years ago, and she'd felt the same way about stealing his wings, something she hadn't actually done. "You'll manage, Spike. They're practically your family, now." "That makes it even worse," answered Spike. "Disrespecting your family like that is a terrible thing to do. And yet, I have taken their help without returning the favour. I have only five gemstones remaining." "Why don't you give them those?" suggested Scootaloo. "It's a start, at least." Spike shook his head as he brought the box to her and kneeled down next to the bed. "Because I saved them, so I could give them to you." Spike opened the box and pushed it forward. Inside was a silver ring. On the face of the ring, two semicircular gems, one tourmaline and the other amethyst sat on either side of three smaller squares, one tourmaline, one amethyst, and in the middle, a garnet. The symbolism was not lost on Scootaloo. The large semicircular gemstones were meant to be herself and Spike, matching their colours perfectly. Between them, each square was one of their kids, embraced between them. "Scootaloo, I don't want to lose you again," said Spike. "You don't have to answer now, but I want to know if you'd consid--" He was cut off as Scootaloo tackled him, knocking him to the floor and kissing him as deeply as she could. "Yes," she breathed. "Of course I'll marry you! You even have to ask?!"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twelfth: An Unexpected Dinner Party	When everyone left that Morning, Spike and Scootaloo expected they'd be back by the afternoon. Instead, the first one to arrive at their house was Pinkie Pie and her three boxes of sweets; one leftover, one sampler with two of everything, and one baklava. She immediately went into party planning, but with some urging from Spike, downgraded to something simpler; a private dinner party with very few guests. It was meant as a way to welcome them back without overwhelming them. Pinkie eventually agreed, but with the caveat that there would absolutely be a block party not too far into the future with the same theme, specifically to introduce them all to the neighbors. As Pinkie moved into the kitchen to start preparing for a smaller dinner party, Sweetie Belle arrived, tackling Scootaloo against the wall with a big hug before alerting them to the cooler she'd brought, with punch. It was strawberry kiwi, with orange sorbet on top in little scoops. Pinkie quickly whisked that away as Lofty and Slash came in with their dresses. Next was Apple Bloom, Cudgel and Smolder. Apple Bloom and Smolder carried pies, and Apple Bloom came forward to give a less excited but every bit as caring hug. Cudgel was carrying a new plastic figurine of Kin'nrath, Dreadbeast of the Desolate Sands, a gift from Big Macintosh after they bonded over their separate adventures, both of which were penned by Spike himself. Holiday and Barb were the last to arrive, having gone for a long walk through a nearby park. It would have been a quicker walk, but Barb kept stopping to look at and smell the flowers. There weren't a lot of flowers in the dragon lands. She'd even picked a few wild ones for her mother. It wasn't long before everyone was sitting down to dinner, except Pinkie Pie, who was rushing through the kitchen to make sure everything went smoothly. "Why didn't ya tell us y'all were back?" asked Apple Bloom through a mouthful of nachos. "We'd a' been here yesterday mornin' if we'd a' knew." "We weren't here until the afternoon," answered Scootaloo. "We were still moving in. We are still moving in. Not quite finished putting everything away. I wanted the house to be spotless before inviting anypony to come see us." Sweetie waved her hoof. "Oh, come on, darling, your best friends don't care if the house is a little messy. In fact, we'd even help you clean it up. What kind of ruffians do you think we are?" Scootaloo snorted. "You're starting to sound a lot like Rarity." "Oh, forgive me," huffed Sweetie. "Here and I thought she was my sister and role model." "Ya sure are talkin' like 'er, though," noted Apple Bloom. "And you talk like Applejack does," snarked Sweetie. "Whoa, whoa, guys, let's not fight..." "Whatever you say, "Rainbow,"" they said in unison before giggling. "What?" Rainbow Slash looked up toward them, not sure why they had called for her. "What's happening?" "Nothing, dear," smirked Spike. "They were talking about your aunt. Go back to your food." "You still could have come out to see us this morning," offered Sweetie Belle. "Twilight's out of town right now, so Spike has the free time." "Well, I took that into account," countered Scootaloo. "I wanted to spend some time with him before he had to go back to work." Apple Bloom smiled slowly; a lecherous grin. "Oh... You wanted to spend some "alone" time with him." Scootaloo blushed. "Well, no, but yeah." Sweetie looked around for a bit, confused, before it dawned on her. "I see..." "And on that note, we have some news," smiled Scootaloo. "Three more?!" gasped Pinkie Pie from the kitchen doorframe. Apple Bloom scowled. "Y'all just came back! Now you're leaving fer another ten years?!" "What?" said Scootaloo. "No! I'm not leaving again!" She pushed her claw forward. "We've just been engaged!" Everypony's jaws hit the floor as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom inspected the ring. Meanwhile, Lofty and Holiday were looking at Spike. "Is this that ring you were arguing with the jeweler about?" asked Lofty. "The one that he tried to talk you out of because it wouldn't make a good engagement ring?" "Yeah," said Apple Bloom. "Aren't engagement rings s'posed to have diamonds or somethin'?" "This one's way better than a silly old diamond," gushed Scootaloo. "Look, that big one is me, that one there is Spike, and these three in the middle are the kids." "Really?" Cudgel climbed up on top of the table to try to see it better. "Which one's me?" "Why are there jewels in the ring?" asked Barb. "Aren't they supposed to be for eating?" Scootaloo closed her claw and held the ring against her chest. "This ring represents a lot to me. The very family we made together is now brought back in this ring. I don't want to lose this ring, ever, because what matters most to me is right there on the back of my claw." "Way better than some diamond," agreed Lofty. "That jeweler didn't know what he was talking about." Holiday chuckled. "Our wedding bands were made of braided silver. No stones, just a series of interwoven bands, stronger together than any could ever be apart." Lofty took her hoof and gripped it tight. "They were twisted, too. If you looked at them from the side, they would resemble tears. But if you put them together, it would form a heart." It was only then that Scootaloo saw Pinkie Pie shuddering. "Pinkie? You okay?" Pinkie composed herself, then pulled a clipboard out from who-knows-where, along with a novelty oversized pen. Lacking a pair of normal reading glasses, she pulled out of her mane a rather large full-face mask, complete with moustache nose filter, party horn so other ponies could hear where she was, and a banana nose because... well, she thought it was funny. Also, it could act as a snorkel in poolside reading emergencies. "Welcome to Ponyville party. Engagement party. Bachelor party. Bachelorette party; probably the same night. Bridal shower. Wedding. Reception." She looked at Spike and Scootaloo "Birthday parties?" "We just had them," answered Scootaloo. "A couple days ago." "Wait, birthday parties are a real thing?" asked Rainbow Slash. "Those are normal? I thought it was something my mom made up." Pinkie tucked the clipboard and pen behind her back; an amazing feat, considering the size of the pen. "Party planning is a serious business, and I take it very seriously." She bopped the banana on her nose, and it swirled around a bit as she blew the party horn.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirteenth: Morning in Ponyville	Scootaloo pulled the waffle from the press and tossed it onto the plate just as the doorbell rang. Not knowing who it could be at this hour, she unplugged the press, in case this took too long. When she came to the door, she was met by Gridline, one of Cudgel's new friends. "Hi, miss Scootaloo. Can Cudgel come out to play?" Scootaloo shook her head. "He's not up yet. Even if he was, he hasn't had breakfast yet." She squatted down and placed her claws on her knees. "Would you like some waffles?" "No thanks, I ate at home." "I see." She stood back up. "Well, you can wait in the dining room. I'll go wake him up so he can have breakfast, and then you can go play." She went upstairs and knocked on every door but her own. Spike had left an hour ago to tend to Twilight, so there was no need. Once she'd received a response from them all, she went back to the kitchen and resumed making waffles. A week and a half had passed since they had all come back to Ponyville. The day after the dinner party, Pinkie had announced the block party, and the day after, they'd all attended, though Spike was back at Twilight's side by then. Still, with Twilight being in attendance, the kids were able to meet a princess that wasn't Ember, and more importantly, other kids that lived nearby. That was a real boon, as they'd all stopped moping around as soon as they had friends to hang out with. Cudgel had found a group to play Ogres and Oubliettes with, Rainbow Slash had found somepony who was good at carnival games and won her a giant stuffed badger, and Barb had fallen in with a board games club. Scootaloo had met their neighbors, too, and some of them were visibly concerned at the fact that she was a dragon. Granted, they'd been living next to Spike for awhile, but one dragon that was known for being friendly was different than the other four who were less well-known. One of them that was particularly fine with his neighbors being a family of dragons was a familiar face: Rumble. He'd been a few years younger than Scootaloo, but now he was all grown up and splitting a house with two other ponies. He'd even offered to help her find work when the kids started school again. Since he worked in the post office, and sometimes the weather team when necessary, he had an in with both places, and could put in a good word for her. Had she remained a pony, she could only be a part of the postal service, as she could scoot around with her malformed wings, but as a dragon... Rainbow Dash started her career as a weather pony, and was now a headliner in the Wonderbolts and one of the harbingers of harmony. Working up in the clouds would be wonderful. Still, for now, she needed to be able to stay home and watch the kids, so she had thanked him for his offer and said she would take him up on it later. Cudgel rushed through his breakfast and ran out the front door with Gridline. Barb left shortly after, but stayed within view of the dining room, as the park in which her board games club was meeting was cata-cornered to the house. Only Rainbow Slash stayed, as her friend had come over just as Barb was leaving. The two of them would spend the next few hours in Slash's room, playing with their stuffed animals and chattering. Scootaloo sat down on the couch with a book, and made it a few pages before the doorbell chimed again, and she moved to the door to answer it. "Apple Bloom. Good to see you." "Glad ta see you, too," answered Apple Bloom. "The kids around?" "Slash is upstairs, but otherwise, no." "Good." She walked in and sat down on the couch. "Because Pinkie sent me over to plan out your bachelorette party." Scootaloo sighed. "We're not having the wedding for another month. Plus, I'm not sure how I feel about having a bachelorette party." "That's just stinkin' thinkin'," waved Apple Bloom. "Bachelorette parties are great. The whole point is to enjoy one last freedom before you're hitched to the same pony for the rest a' yer life." Scootaloo scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, that's what I mean. It's kind of bleak, isn't it? Like, if I marry Spike, my freedoms are all going to disappear; that being bound to the dragon I fell in love with is going to cage us together and lock us in place." "Well..." Apple Bloom sighed. "When ya put it like that, Ah guess it does sound kinda rough." She shook her head. "Forget the prospect of being stuck to Spike forever. He's great, we can all agree on that. Just remember what Pinkie says: Parties are for havin' fun with yer friends. We'll just have this be the last all-girl party before the wedding." "That's better," nodded Scootaloo, "but I'm still on the fence about having a party like this." "Girl, Ah painted a lotta fences in my day. And somethin' Ah know you ain't never done was paint a stallion's fencepost. This kinda thing is expected of bachelorette parties. Ah guarantee Spike will understand." Scootaloo took a deep breath, then shook her head. "No. I don't like it. And I especially don't want to end up pregnant again, or turning back into a flightless pegasus. I'm perfectly happy to spend the rest of my life with Spike. If we're dead set on having a bachelorette party, we need to find something else to do." Apple Bloom sighed. "Okay, fine. What were you thinking?" "I was thinking we could skip it and go right to the bridal shower..." Scootaloo tossed her head back and spat a small, harmless tuft of flame from her nostrils. "If I've learned anything since coming back to Ponyville, it's that I'm terrible at parties. My own kids have detailed out for me how awkward their birthdays have been, and seeing Pinkie's block party welcoming us back held up a mirror to my inadequacy." She leaned forward. "I'll probably go along with whatever she suggests, but... No strippers, no hookers, no mentioning anything that even suggests that marriage is a bad idea. Otherwise, I'm open to suggestions."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Fourteenth: Life in Equestria	"Now, Twilight, I think it's great that you want the flagship at the front of the fleet where everypony can follow its lead, but I think that's maybe exposing it a little too much." "What are you talking about, Thorax? Having the ship out front gives the head of the fleet all of the information on the enemy it's intercepting. The commander of the fleet needs that information as soon as possible!" "Yes, but that's what a comms officer is for. Keeping the commander at the rear means he can see everything that his team is doing, without the need to have multiple comms teams to relay that information back, sometimes stepping over each other. He can more easily issue vital orders forward without having to turn around." "Or she," corrected Twilight, "and it's easier for the crew to hear those orders when their forward-facing ears are pointed in the same direction as the captain." Thorax narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward. "Alpha six," he growled. "Hit," answered Spike, putting a red peg on Twilight's aircraft carrier. "Bravo six!" "Hit." "Charlie six!" "Hit." "Delta six!" "Hit." "Echo six." "Hit and sink." Thorax leaned back. "Now, where is your destroyer?" Spike sighed. They had played Battleship so often that they'd made up their own rules, and had accused each other of cheating time after time. Spike's job now was to moderate their game and make sure that their decisions did not violate any of their made-up rules. "Spike, I'd like to move my Destroyer," announced Twilight. "It's not your turn," announced Spike. "Thorax's turn ended with a hit, which gives him another turn." Thorax brought his hoof up to his chin. "If moving your ship is what you're trying to do... India two." "Hit." Twilight lowered her head into her hooves. "Juliet two." "Hit, sink and match." "Well done," offered Twilight, pushing her hoof forward. "And to you as well," Thorax answered, pulling her hoof toward him and kissing it. "Best of seventy-one?" There was a knock at the door, and Spike stood up, wobbling a bit, as he'd been sitting all day. As he opened the door, he issued his canned response. "Apologies, but Princess Twilight and King Thorax are currently engaged in an accurate representation of a naval battle simulation to help tune the adequacy of the Equestrian Royal Navy and the allied Changeling Royal Navy. Please come back during public audience hours." "Looks like they're just playing Battleship," snorted Pinkie, bouncing in. "Yesterday, they were bouncing on the bed!" Both Twilight and Thorax blushed and looked away, covering the back of their necks with their hooves. "Uh huh," sighed Spike. "Now's not the time to bother them, Pinkie." "That's fine," said Pinikie. I wasn't going to bother them, anyway. I was going to bother you!" She grabbed Spike by the elbow and tugged him toward the door. "Twilight, I'm borrowing your assistant for a few minutes!" "Take your time," answered Twilight. "I'm inclined to ask why," inquired Thorax. "We have to plan his bachelor party!" answered Pinkie. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" interjected Thorax. "As Spike's best bug, not only is it my responsibility to plan out the bachelor party, but also to deliver the first speech. How else am I supposed to earn my place right by his side during the wedding?" Twilight turned to Thorax. "Wait, he asked you to be his best bug?" "Please don't take it personally, Twilight," begged Spike. "I can only choose one. I can't make you, Shining, Thorax and Big Macintosh the best mare, stallions and bug all at once. You're wonderful, but I couldn't decide between you, and I just happened to see Thorax first." "You can help plan the party and write the speech," offered Thorax, wrapping his hoof around Twilight's shoulders. "We can still do it together." Pinkie sat down. "Right then. Now that the party planning committee is all here, let's begin." "First things first," proclaimed Thorax, "let's talk venue. There're some really great new spots back at the hive; they're a little experimental, but--" "Oh, no," waved Twilight. "You're talking about the one you told your brother about last month?" Thorax's face turned red. "I thought you were asleep." Twilight shook her head. "You're not taking him there. He may be more mature than most dragons his age, but he's marrying Scootaloo, not a changeling that looks like Scootaloo. We'll be having the party here in the castle, and we have to protect the image of the castle as a place that is dignified." "My changelings are very practised at their craft. They can arrive looking like dignitaries and turn into six different Scootaloos when they're inside." "I said no." "Well, fine, then. I'll take him to the hive, and we'll make our own party! With Blackjack! And hookers!" "Can't we just... not?" asked Spike. "See?" glared Twilight. "Spike doesn't want anything to do with your gambling." "Blackjack isn't gambling," waved Thorax. "It's a game of skill and strategy. Roulette is gambling. Slots are gambling. Blackjack is not gambling." "It's also not the problem," sighed Spike. "Just... No hookers, and don't downgrade it to strippers, either. Please, keep it tame..." "Huh," huffed Pinkie. "You know, that's just what Scootaloo said yesterday." "Really?" "Yeah. She also said not to ever mention that this is the last party she'll ever be allowed to attend without Spike being invited along with her, and also not to mention that she's never going to be allowed to mount a stallion again." Spike swallowed. He wasn't sure why she would stipulate any of that, but the fact that she had unnerved him. That she had even thought about it being a trap at all made him question whether or not it was a good idea to go through with this. "How about Apploosa Hold-em?" offered Thorax. "That's a game that takes a lot of strategy and skill." "Oh, yeah?" challenged Twilight. "Prove it." "Gladly. Spike?" Spike looked up, sweating. "What?" "Apploosa Hold-em," repeated Thorax, sliding him a deck of cards. "Oh. Right." "Deal me in, too," said Pinkie, sliding around the table. "Minimum bet, two peppermints." She dumped a small bucket of peppermint candies on the table, dividing them up between the players, including Spike. Thorax pushed one candy forward as the small blind. "Twily, you have to put two candies forward before Spike can deal. That's how the blind bets work." "Uh huh..."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Fifteenth: Fire Suppression	Spike and Scootaloo didn't talk about their respective parties for a few days after they were planned out. They didn't want to spend what little time they had together those days arguing, and opted to wait for the weekend to discuss it more openly with a less restrictive timeframe. "So, has Pinkie contacted you about your bachelorette party?" asked Spike, pulling back the covers. He already knew she had, as what would be going on at Scootaloo's party was openly discussed at his own meetings. "She has," answered Scootaloo. "Did she talk to you about it?" Spike nodded. Both dragons slipped into bed and clasped each others' claws. Spike, in particular, wrapped his around Scootaloo's waist, hugging her as he took a deep breath. "Do you feel... trapped by me?" Scootaloo pressed the back of her head against his neck. "What do you mean?" Spike's grip tightened for a moment, then relaxed. "Pinkie Pie told me you didn't want to be reminded that marriage was a cage that kept you locked to me." "And I don't," answered Scootaloo. "I don't want to be made to feel like my social life is ending because we're going to be married." "Does that mean you do feel that way?" Scootaloo turned around and looked into Spike's eyes. "Spike, if I want to go out to a bar with my friends, are you going to tell me I can't; that I have to stay home and watch the kids?" "Well..." Spike hesitated. "I can think of a few scenarios where I would, but I don't think you'd be that irresponsible." "Like what?" "If Barb is sick with rotscale, or if you can't find a babysitter, or if it's early in the morning and you still have to prepare their lunches and send them off to school." Scootaloo's jaw dropped. "You have that little faith in me?" "No! No, I think you'd be a great mom! It's just, I don't think you'd go out to drink without ensuring that the kids are taken care of, first. If everything's taken care of, of course you can go out and have a good time! I won't stand in your way unless it's important." Scootaloo pressed herself against Spike. "I would never do anything to harm our kids. And Barb was vaccinated for rotscale; they all were." "Good." "I wasn't, though. They said I was too old, and that I'd end up worse for wear if they gave it to me." "Yeah, I'm also not," replied Spike. "Same reason. Twilight meant well, but didn't know any better. Big risks over age three, and I was five when she found out." "Well, I was fourteen," chuckled Scootaloo. "That's the way it goes, I suppose... So, what's the plan for your bachelor party?" "Oh, nothing much," shrugged Spike. "Pinkie's having a string quartet come to the castle, and a bunch of casino tables. Oh, and an open bar. What about you?" "Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are taking me bar hopping in a stretch carriage, and that's all I know. While I was able to convince them not to hire a stripper, I was unable to convince them not to do water pistols shaped like dicks. Pinkie apparently has a modified Super Soaker that she wants to use, and she already waterproofed the carriage." "So you're not... You're not bringing any stallions to yours?" "No, but... I don't mind if you have mares at yours. I know how boys can be." Spike shook his head. "Thorax offered to bring in changelings so I could have six of you while you were out with the girls, but... It didn't feel right." "Really?" Spike leaned down and kissed her. "The only dragoness I want is you. Why would I want the fantasy version when the real one is right here in my bed?" Scootaloo blushed, pressing her forehead against his chest. "I still wouldn't mind," she smiled. "It's the bachelor party. Things like this happen. Just as long as you don't bring back any diseases or fertilize another clutch of eggs." "I wouldn't be fine with it," answered Spike. "I kissed a mare and felt bad about it. Sleeping with one would ruin me. But I won't deny you the experience of having a stallion, so long as you come back to me at the end of every day. I don't want to be what stands in the way of your happiness." Scootaloo shrugged. "I guess that's it, then. No hookers for either of us." "No strippers, either," nodded Spike. He paused for a moment, and then added, "It's possible that Thorax might bring one, anyway. He was pretty adamant about it. Said it wouldn't be a real bachelor party without the guest of honour having his dick milked, but I think I'm still allowed to refuse." Scootaloo had to stop herself from bursting out in laughter. "Were those his exact words?" "Yeah. He can be a bit vulgar at times." "I'm bet he's glad Twilight wasn't around to hear him." "Oh, she was. They were sitting right next to each other." Scootaloo's jaw dropped as she looked up at him. "You're joking..." "No, ever since they started sleeping together they've--" "They're having sex?!" Spike fell silent for a moment, then brought a claw to her lips. "That's supposed to be a secret..." "Oh..." Scootaloo made a motion like she was zipping her mouth closed. "I won't tell anypony, I swear." "Thanks," sighed Spike. "They want to keep it quiet, just spoken of in rumours with no outright confirmation for the public until they're ready to announce it, which they don't want to do until they're sure how the population will react. Since there's a species barrier, there's still a lot of stigma around these kinds of relationships, which would burn for us, as well, if you still looked like a pony. While I don't have a preference for what you look like, I don't want ponies harassing us or the kids for this." "Me, neither," chuckled Scootaloo. For a few minutes, they lay in silence, each content in the knowledge that the other one was in this relationship for the long haul. What they wanted was to remain with each other, and that was very encouraging to the other side. Still, one question burned in Scootaloo's mind, and she had to ask. "Who do you think Thorax turns into when they're in bed?"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Sixteenth: The Bachelorette Party	"--But if you do that, they'll take on the form of a stratocumulus, and you need a bunch of those to do anything worthwhile. Great for emergencies, when you need to remove a cloud from formation right away, but try to stay away from doing that unless the plan is to create a lot of cloud cover." Scootaloo nodded. She was taking a lesson from Rumble on weather control so that when it came time to apply for a weather licence, she'd pass more easily. "So, any questions?" "Just one. What if the resulting stratocumulus is too heavy and dense, and falls down lower?" "I just use my tail to whip it back into a less dense, lighter, fluffier froth." To show how, he turned around and whipped the air over her living room rug. "Just like that." "Ah thought y'all said no strippers?" Scootaloo and Rumble turned to the archway to see Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle standing there, having let themselves in. Rumble blushed and turned away, pushing his books into a small pile. "I should go..." "Nice tail strike, by the way," added Rainbow Dash, popping into the room and fitting Scootaloo with a tiara and scepter. "Were you showing her how to turn a cumulostratus into an altostratus?" Rumble nodded sheepishly. "Well, we're kidnapping her. Watch the kids until her aunts arrive, would ya? They should be here in a few minutes." Rumble nodded and saluted. "They'll be safe in my hooves, ma'am." Scootaloo was escorted out the door and into a stretched carriage that already had loud music playing inside before she even stepped into it. "Party dragon's in tha house!" shouted Pinkie as the door closed. "Whole carriage is waterproofed and insured, so don't be shy about using this!" She placed in Scootaloo's claws a very large pump-action water cannon, made to resemble a stallion's cock and balls. "It's filled with champagne!" "Not the good stuff, though," said Rarity. "I've stored that away and reserved it for the wedding." Rarity was definitely the strangest-looking pony there, wearing a protective suit to prevent her from being spilled on or sprayed. All but her face was covered, which would allow her to drink without finding any alcohol in her mane. "Alright, girls, let's start the pregame!" shouted Rainbow, pouring all six of them a shot of bourbon. "It's going to be a good ten minutes before we arrive in Whinnyapolis, so--" Sweetie Belle interrupted her with a shot from a medium-sized squirt gun. "Less talk, more shot!" Everyone grabbed a glass and swallowed it down. The dragon lands were not a dry state; you could legally drink alcohol there, and very little would come of it. There wasn't even an age limit on it. But no one ever drank it. Scootaloo had learned early on that the fire in their guts prevented them from drawing on the effects, as it would all burn off rather quickly inside of them. So it was no surprise to her that she was less effected by the single shot as everypony else was. "Let's have another round!" called Rainbow, pouring another shot. Then came a third, and then a fourth, and then a fifth before everypony except Scootaloo was sufficiently buzzed. "So, what's the plan here?" asked Scootaloo, almost entirely lucid. Rainbow shook her head. "No, no, no... You'll have to wait until we pull up to find out." "Fine by me," shrugged Scootaloo. "I just thought you might want to play a guessing game." "OOH! Let's play a guessing game!" shouted Pinkie. "I'll go first! I'm thinking of a stallion--" "Cheese Sandwich," answered Rainbow and Rarity at the same time. "Right! Who's next?" "I shall go," volunteered Rarity. "I'm thinking of a colour." "Is it white?" asked Pinkie. "Close." "Yellow," said Rainbow. "Light pink?" guessed Pinkie. "Snow!" shouted Sweetie. "Snow ain't a colour!" scolded Apple Bloom. "Snow is close," answered Rarity. "Alabaster." "Eggshell." "Linen?" "Cotton?" "Lace?" "Porcelain!" "Y'all are just makin' things up at this point..." "Chiffon?" guessed Sweetie Belle. "Chiffon is correct," confirmed Rarity. "I'll go," called Scootaloo. "I'm thinking of a place." Rainbow snorted. "You're going to try to draw a hint out of me as to where we're going, aren't ya?" Scootaloo waved her claw. "No..." She had been trying to do that, and was hoping that Rainbow was tipsy enough to not notice. "Is it the park bench past the main fountain on the east side of Willow Park, just under the maple tree where you kissed Spike for the first time?" asked Pinkie. Scootaloo's jaw dropped. "How'd you know that?" "Spike told me where it was!" giggled Pinkie. "Twilight wanted to commemorate it as a town landmark, but after being vandalized a few times, she gave Spike the plaque she'd made and said she would put it up again when interspecies relationships were less frowned on!" "Hey!" interjected Rainbow. "Are we here to frown about the fact that some arseholes can't stomach the idea of other ponies having fun with species that aren't their own, or are we here to party?" "Party!!! WOOO!!!" Pinkie pumped her Super Soaker, spaying everyone in the carriage with champagne as it began to slow down. Rainbow poked her head out of the carriage sunroof. "We're almost there. I can see the sign now." She pulled her head back in and poured a new round of shots. "Last call before we go in. Ground rules: Stay with the group, observe all safety procedures, and on my whistle, everypony returns to the carriage. Clear?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Cheers." As they all gulped down their last shot, the carriage came to a halt, and one of the drivers came back to open the door for them, offering them each a towel as they stepped out to dry themselves before walking into their first stop. Scootaloo couldn't believe what the sign said. "Kiss my Axe?" "Yeah," laughed Rainbow. "It's a lumberjack pub. They also have something special in the back." Scootaloo sighed. "Please tell me it's not a stripper pole..." "Why don't you head to the back and find out?" With a shrug, Scootaloo went in, leaving the collection of squirt guns in the carriage. As she walked past the bouncer, he gave each of them a bracelet that would identify them throughout their journey, something Pinkie had set up with each establishment they'd be going to. All they had to do was flash their bracelet at the bar, and they'd be entitled to a set amount, prepaid by Pinkie, as well as a variable line of credit that Pinkie would be charged for later. This would simultaneously put them over the minimums and keep them from drinking too much. All the way at the back, however, was a large room with a bunch of wooden targets on one wall, and a bunch of tomahawks by the other. "No fuckin' way..." gasped Scootaloo. "You think I'd let ya have a boring party?" snorted Rainbow. "Give me a little bit of credit, Squirt..."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Seventeenth: The Bachelor Party	Spike had a bit more warning that his bachelor party would be today than Scootaloo did. Rather than popping in and dragging him out of his house, he was unceremoniously roped into carrying in tables for his own party. That is to say, Twilight had ordered some lab equipment to arrive on the same day, and Spike was sent to carry that in, but it was the wrong delivery. Still, he knew how to pretend to be shocked when the party began. Pinkie had considered, being that she would be out of town at Scootaloo's party, having Cheese Sandwich come handle Spike's event, but Thorax had insisted that, as the best bug, he would make sure everything would go perfectly. What was the point of having a best bug if he wasn't going to do anything important? So, for his sake, and for the fact that the party was already planned out, she agreed. After setting up, including hanging a banner that said "Congratulations, Spike!" he returned to Twilight's side. Thorax had yet to arrive, so they couldn't start without their overseer. Twilight still had some other duties to perform, and Spike was still her number one assistant. The lab equipment did arrive soon, and Spike was once again sent to help carry it to where it needed to go and set it up so that it was ready to use. Two hours went by before Thorax showed up, but it still wasn't time for the party. Thorax wasn't doing a good job of hiding his smile or excitement, which was odd. Spike would have thought that a changeling would have a better poker face, but he couldn't stop smiling. Plus, he'd brought Pharynx and a few other changelings along, and one of them right out of the carriage asked Spike to direct them to the kitchens so that the ice cream cake didn't melt. After a very light dinner that Twilight insisted on, again, not being very subtle, they had a guard come in and say there was something going on in the ballroom, and that Spike should come immediately. What was already very obvious was made even more telling when everyone stood up and followed Spike down to the ball room. "Surprise!" shouted a few dozen ponies as Spike pushed open the doors. Spike immediately rocked back onto his tail, gasping as he brought his claws up to his cheeks. "Oh, my goodness! I had no idea!" Twilight hung her head for a few seconds. She had known Spike long enough to know that he was lying, but on some level, she appreciated that he was trying to spare their feelings. Thorax and Pharynx could feel it, too, as they tried to share in his shock, but found it to be lacking. Still, there was joy to be had. Spike walked into the center of the room. He figured the first thing he should do was greet his guests. He knew all of them, sure, and had good relations with them, but they weren't exactly his best friends. The Cakes, for example, he liked a lot. He'd spent a fair bit of time talking to them, and had even helped file the paperwork when they needed to expand Sugarcube Corner. They were great ponies and he held them both in high regard. But he wasn't going out of his way to visit them on an average day. "Hey, Spike," greeted Waddles. "Happy birthday." "I knew you could graduate from college," congratulated Berry Punch. "Your first marathon complete," smiled Raspberry Delight. "I always believed in you." Perhaps a third of these ponies had forgotten why they were here. Then again, Waddles was ninety-six years old, Berry Punch had likely been drinking earlier in the evening, and Raspberry Delight was forgetful at the best of times. And Discord probably gave the wrong reason on purpose. "Well done, Spike! I thought that tapeworm would be there for the next decade or so, but you certainly proved me wrong!" "Congrats on your marriage, Spike," said Fluttershy, pushing Discord out of the way. "He knows why we're here, he just wants to make a scene. He's been going around telling everypony about different things that this party could be about. He told Big Macintosh that this was to celebrate your first successful colonoscopy." "Eeyup," confirmed Big Mac. "Well, pardon me for thinking Spike would want to be congratulated not just for this, but for all of the many things he's done, and the marvelous things he will do in the future," huffed Discord, turning up his nose and folding his arms. "I've never had a tapeworm," scowled Spike. "Did you want one?" asked Discord, holding up a tape dispenser. "It's often a trick reserved for children's birthday parties, but I'll make an exception for you, just this once." "I'm fine," declined Spike. "Suit yourself," shrugged Discord. "Or better yet, I should suit you!" Discord pulled out a black paintbrush and splattered a black goo all over Spike's chest. "Oop! Excuse me. Let me clean that up for you." Wiping it down with a lint roller, the goo morphed itself into a black and white tuxedo. "There." Spike looked himself up and down. It was actually a fairly nice suit. Fluttershy cleared her throat as she glared at Discord. "What?" Fluttershy grabbed a piece of paper that was taped to the back of Spike's suit, and pulled it forward. "Ask me about my cats," read Spike. "What?" asked Discord again. "It encourages other ponies to talk to him." "I don't own any cats," sighed Spike. "You don't have a tapeworm, either," smiled Discord, offering his tape dispenser once more. From it sprouted a bunch of tape, coiled up tightly to resemble an earthworm. "Sounds like you're zero for two." "Discord, be nice," urged Fluttershy. "Oh, fine..." Spike greeted everyone else in turn, and Fluttershy made Discord apologize to Spike and to the ponies he'd misled every time somepony congratulated Spike for something that wasn't being celebrated, from a successful sex change to buying a boat to conquering Yakyakistan with a single breath that lasted four days, to having the biggest testicles in the whole of the dragon lands. That last one, Spike would have left as a rumour, but Discord corrected the statement anyway, detailing their size and shape with a very odd and precise level of accuracy and detail; something Mrs. Cake could have gone her entire evening without knowing. With all of the greetings and apologies out of the way, Discord spun around, and was dressed in a bright orange and purple zoot suit, with a hat to match. "Now, then, what are we waiting for? Let's play some games, already!" "Eeyup."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Eighteenth: Tomahawk	Two tomahawks thunked hard into the wooden targets, embedding themselves a good few centimetres through. The third one rang loudly as it bounced off the back wall and was silenced as it came to rest on the floor. "Edge alignment, Sweetie Belle!" called Apple Bloom from behind the chain-link fence. "Ya have ta keep the edge lined up proper; like choppin' down a cedar tree!" "I don't cut down a lot of trees, Apple Bloom," snorted Sweetie Belle as she, Rainbow and Scootaloo collected their axes. "Neither do I," admitted Scootaloo. "But I have spent a few months learning how to throw knives." "Why in Equestria would you want a skill like that?" scoffed Rarity, having lost herself in her tequila sunset. After another sip, she remembered that she was supposed to be nice, and added, "I bet it would be a spectacular act." "Oh, we offer knives," offered the attendant. "After this round, if you want to show them your skill, we can organize that for you." "Count on it," smiled Rainbow. "Scoots has this in the bag!" "Alright, last throw!" bounced Pinkie. "Let's go!" Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo nodded, and after clinking the butts of their axes together, pulled themselves to the ready position. Once Sweetie Belle was in position, the attendant counted down, and they threw once more. This time, it was Rainbow and Sweetie Belle that stuck in the wood. Rainbow had scored three points, just outside of the center ring, and Sweetie had only just wedged her toe over the line. Normally, that wouldn't count as a point, but it was the first time she'd actually made her axe stick into the target, and was standing in last place with zero points. Even Rarity had scored three. It was a stick, so out of pity, she was awarded a single point. It was Scootaloo's axe that brought the most attention, though. While it had not stuck, there was a very good reason for that. When it had wedged itself into the board, it had pushed enough wood out of the way that the remaining connections had snapped, and where her axe had connected, a large chunk with dozens of splinters rained down to the ground below, and with nothing holding up that side of the axe, it slipped right out of the hole it had made and clattered to the ground. "That was right in the center," noted the attendant. "That'd have been five points if it hadn't collapsed." She went to pick up the ruined target to haul it out, but as she passed, she offered the chunk of shattered wood to Scootaloo. "Souvenir?" Scootaloo accepted it, looking it over. "Awesome job, Squirt," smiled Rainbow, wrapping a hoof around her shoulders. "Something to take with you to remember the night!" "You think so?" asked Scootaloo. "I mean, you won that round." "I win all kinds of stuff," waved Rainbow. "I hate losing, but you heard her; If you'd have landed that last hit, you'd have won by two points. But here's the thing." She tapped the piece of wood with her hoof. "I may have won, but you're going to be the one who walks out of here with a trophy." Soon, the attendant came back with a brand new, untouched target. As swinging an axe into a piece of wood would always result in damage to the wood, having extra targets to replace them was always a good idea. And since they were made from pallet wood, something department stores would often throw out, they were easy enough to come by. Just pry out the nails and put them in different spots, and as long as the wood didn't split, it would hold up for quite some time. "Alright, who's ready to see some knife-throwing?" asked Scootaloo, downing the remains of her old fashioned. With cheers from the party, the attendant brought out a display of five flat knives with smooth wooden handles. "Here we are. Let's see what you've learned." Scootaloo grabbed the first knife by the handle and twirled it in her claw until she was holding it by the tip, then tossed it into the air and caught it by the handle. "These are lighter than the ones we had in the dragon lands. I may not be quite as accurate as I claimed." "Try anyway," urged Rainbow. With a shrug, Scootaloo spun the knife in her claw until it was right where she wanted it, lined it up with the new target, and flung it as precisely as she could. It stuck in the center, but her rotation was off by just under a quarter turn, meaning the handle was almost touching the target, and the tip was sticking out, while most of the blade edge was embedded. The second toss went better; still off a bit, but closer. It was the third one that finally found its way and went straight in. It was about this time that a stallion that had been watching them, as this room was still open to the rest of the bar patrons, came over to the group. He and a few of his buddies had come in awhile ago and played a round, but the other two had left a few minutes ago. "Hey there," he said, wrapping his hoof around Sweetie Belle. "You look like you could use some company." "I have company, thanks," answered Sweetie, removing his hoof, which he put right back. She pushed it away again, but he persisted. "Oy!" called Scootaloo, drawing his attention. "Watch this." She tossed the fourth knife down the way, and embedded the tip into the handle of the third knife. She then held up the final knife by the blade, displaying the smooth, sleek handle. "I know that was a bigger target that what's swingin' down between your thighs, but I bet I can hit it at fifty paces, anyway. You wanna see me try, or do you want to keep those hooves to yourself?" He just snickered. "I don't take orders from wee dragons. You can't fight me, I'm an Equestrian citizen!" "Then allow me!" shouted Rarity, slapping him hard across the face. "Keep your hooves off of my sister!" He stood up to show he was taller and more muscular than Rarity, then grabbed her by the wrist. That's when Rainbow stepped in. "Hooves to yourself!" she shouted, bucking him hard in the gut. "Don't forget your facepaint!" twittered Pinkie, slapping him with a sponge, leaving his face covered in clown makeup. As he stumbled backward, Apple Bloom ducked under his hooves, and he tripped over her, landing flat on his back, out cold. "I think it's time for a change of scenery," said Scootaloo. "Alright everypony," called Rainbow. "Finish your glasses and back to the carriage!" Scootaloo nodded, flipping the knife around in her claws, and then launching it at the wall target, embedding it in the center of the wood. "Twenty-five points!"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Nineteenth: Poker	"Three of a kind!" Discord shouted, laying his cards out on the table. Seven and six of clubs, queens of diamonds and spades, and the king of hearts. "Sir," sighed the dealer, "that's only a pair of queens. The other face card is a king." "How dare you!" shouted the king suddenly. "I didn't choose to be this way, I was printed this way! I am not a king, but a queen!" Discord folded his arms. "And here I thought this was a nice place. I didn't realize that my dealer was transphobic!" Not wanting to cause a scene, the dealer pushed the pile of chips toward Discord. "Hey, that's not fair!" shouted Licorice Snap, who legit had three of a kind. "I had three sevens!" "How dare you!" shouted the seven. "I'll have you know that I've never eaten a nine in my life! I'm a one, I was just leaning to one side. Or does that confuse you?" Licorice pushed his cards forward, completely ignoring the fact that "one" does not exist in a standard deck of playing cards. That's when Fluttershy stepped in, pushing the chips right back toward Licorice. She turned to Discord and scowled. "This is the second time I've caught you cheating. First, you try to pull five aces, and now this? Do I need to take you back home for the rest of the night?" "Oh, lighten up," chuckled Discord. "These chips are worthless, anyway. It's not like I can cash these out for bits at the end of the night..." "It's still cheating, even if you don't take their money," barked Fluttershy, landing on the table and walking closer. Without breaking her gaze, she grabbed another stack of Discord's chips and scooted them back towards Licorice. "I'll not warn you again." Spike chuckled. While this was the second time Fluttershy had caught him, Discord had cheated five times that Spike had caught. He hadn't said anything, though, as it was at least entertaining, and because Discord's cheating had only twice benefitted himself. The other three times, it had benefitted nopony, just going from a less exciting group of hands to a more valuable one. A pair of threes beating a pair of twos was fine, but a straight flush being beaten by a royal flush was way more interesting and exciting, even if the outcome was the same. "Your drinks, sirs," mentioned a server, extending a tray between Spike and Thorax. Spike took his lowball of bourbon on the rocks, with actual emeralds being the chilled rocks he would use. Thorax and Pharynx both had a glass of red wine, unchilled and warm. Pharynx, however, had asked for half an orange slice to be placed in his glass. "So, how do you like tonight's activities?" asked Phanynx, swirling his merlot. "Having fun so far?" Spike nodded. "It's been good so far. I think I might move over to blackjack before too long, but not quite yet. I want to see how some of this plays out, first." "Well, don't drink too much. We wouldn't want to ruin what we have coming up." "Hey, don't spoil the surprise," whined Thorax, setting his glass of port down on a coaster. "He already saw the tables hours before the party. Let him keep at least one surprise..." Spike shook his head. "I already saw the cake, too. Butterscotch ice cream is a good setup, and it's thankfully nice and big. Plus, I was in the planning committee. I know what's going to happen. It's no surprise, but I'll enjoy it anyway." As he lifted his drink to his lips, however, he very nearly spat it out. Discord had swapped out his emeralds for amethysts, and he didn't notice until he tasted them. He knew it had been Discord, because while everypony else looked mildly concerned, Discord was chortling with glee. "No surprises, eh?" smiled Discord, tenting his fingers in front of his snout. "That sounds like a challenge to me. Prepare yourself for the unexpected." A few seconds passed in silence as Spike looked around, trying to find out what Discord had prepared. "What are you looking for?" questioned Discord. "If you could see it coming, it wouldn't very well be unexpected, now would it? If you expected it, that makes it not an unexpected event. Come now, Spike, you know better than that..." Spike sat back in his seat. He checked his glass before taking another drink, this one bigger. "Very well. Hit me with your best shot." Discord shrugged and shook his head. "If you insist." He folded his arms and everypony watched in silence as the two had a staring contest. This was perhaps the most still Discord had ever been without first being turned to stone. He didn't move, didn't blink, he just sat there and stared at Spike. And Spike just sat in his own chair and stared back. After two and a half minutes of silence, Discord fell over, to shocked gasps from the crowd. Many of the ponies that had been watching were behind him, and hadn't caught the moment when Discord replaced himself with a cardboard cutout of himself. Only Fluttershy seemed to be able to guess where he went, as she fluttered up to the ceiling right away and pulled him out of the chandelier. "Now, nonsense is fine for having fun, but this is supposed to be a quiet, dignified evening. I shouldn't have to fly in my evening gown, letting everypony see my undergarments, nor should I have to climb up onto the table. Discord, you promised you would behave yourself, and you're on thin ice, mister." She turned to Spike next. "And you shouldn't be antagonizing him." "Right. Sorry, Discord," sighed Spike, extending his claw. "Oh, apology accepted," smiled Discord. As he shook Spike's claw, Spike pulled away, as Discord had a very sticky claw. "Oh, sorry about that. I was making a sandwich earlier with jellies and jams, and one of them must have ended up stuck there." "It's fine," sneered Spike. "I'll just go wash it off." As Spike went into the lavatory to wash his claw in the sink, he questioned how Discord had managed to play a dozen hands of five-card draw without marking the cards with strawberries and sugar. A few seconds after he walked through the door, a shriek was heard, and he burst out, his face bright red. As the fake colts' room sign slid out of the way to reveal the fillies' room sign, he composed himself, and went in the other door.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twentieth: The Bull Ride	Scootaloo was having a lot more fun after the axe-throwing match. While she hadn't participated much in the spraying of champagne before, she was all in after the axes, and the carriage ride across town felt significantly shorter and without much in the way of words. After drying off and disembarking, she didn't question the name of the bar, Whomping Whiskey. Knowing that Rainbow Dash had likely tossed her own hoof into matters meant it was going to be a lot of fun, whatever it was. It was also a bar and grill, which meant there was food to be had. Upon entering, Pinkie immediately bounced to the back, where a large squared-off area covered in pads and ringed by netting was. It almost looked like a wrestling ring, except that there was a large mechanical device in the center. Sweetie Belle and Rarity went to the bar, instead, opting not to ride the padded piston, which meant they could start eating right away. Rainbow, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, however, followed Pinkie to the back. "Howdy," smiled the attendant, tipping his cap. "Y'all ready ta play?" "Cousin Applesauce," chuckled Apple Bloom. "Ah didn't know y'all'd be here!" "Cousin Apple Bloom," he smiled back. "Ah didn't know y'all'd be comin' by! Y'all gonna hop on up 'ere?" "Y'all know it!" Apple Bloom hopped into the ring and with a second leap, situated herself firmly on the mechanical bull. With one hoof on the handle and the other in the air, she called out "Ready!" The bull started swinging around wildly as Applesauce started running the controls. Some of the newer models were hooked up to computers that operated them, but having an attendant operate the bull gave an alternative flavour that was appreciated by most patrons. Apple Bloom was actually really good at this. Applejack would have been better, being a rodeo champion more than a dozen times over riding real bulls, but Apple Bloom was still pretty skilled. She managed to hold on tight for a good thirty-eight seconds, before being slammed forward forced her off and into the padding. "Ya done did good, cuz!" cheered Applesauce. "Who's goin' next?" "Ooh! Pick me!" bounced Pinkie. "I wanna go on!" "Well, climb on up 'ere!" Pinkie bounced into position and grabbed the handle. "Ready!" "Here we go!" "Waa--!!" With the very first buck, Pinkie was sent flying into the netting, bouncing around and coming to a rest in the corner. "Whee-he-hee! Again, again!!" "Pinkie," sighed Rainbow, "The point is to hold on for as long as possible. Like this." Rainbow fluttered onto the bull and gripped it tight. "Ready when you are! Give it everything you haAAA--!!" As soon as she said she was ready, Applesauce started slamming her back and forth, swinging her around, spinning her and bouncing her around as wildly as he could manage. She managed to hold on until a buzzer on the control panel sounded. "HOOWEE!!" shouted Applesauce. "Lookee here who just won themselves a FREE bucket a' hot nuggets!" The whole bar seemed to cheer as Rainbow swung off the bull and hopped down, giving Scootaloo a high hoof before collecting her voucher. "You're up next, Squirt!" "What have we here?" asked Applesauce, despite having kept an eye on her since they'd come in. "Not a whole lotta dragons come in here, and even fewer hop up on the steer here. Ah wanna be absolutely clear that this thing has a weight limit. Are you under a hundred kilos? Ah ain't so good at guessin' when it comes ta non-ponies..." "Sixty," answered Scootaloo. "Or just over." "Okay, should be fine. No breathin' fire, alright?" "No problem." "Okay!" he smiled. "Hop on up 'ere, then!" Scootaloo climbed up and grabbed ahold of the handle and raised her other claw as everypony else had. Applesauce started out slow and easy, not making hard or fast movements, but slow and direct movements. As she spun, she could see Apple Bloom whispering to him, and she could see that Applesauce was looking for anything that might be out of place. As he said, though, he'd never bucked a dragon on one of these, so Scoootaloo was fine being a test drive. "Crank it up!" shouted Rainbow, and Applesauce did just that. Before long, Scootaloo was flying around, lifting her wings straight up for stability. Being flung back and forth, she would sometimes be lifted from the padding and brought back down. The rough surface of the padding and scaled stitching on the saddle reminded her of Spike's hips, and for a few seconds, she softened her underbelly with the thought of him gripping her thighs and slamming up into her. For a brief few seconds, she lived in that fantasy, and let go of reality. Unfortunately, she let go of the handle, too, and with an unexpected spin, she was flung into the netting, landing upside down. "Forty-eight seconds," said Applesauce, pointing to the timer. "Ah ain't s'posed ta do this unless ya go the full minute, but fer bein' the first dragon we ever done had, Ah'd call that a winner! Y'all have a hayburger, on me!" As he pulled her up to her claws, he made sure to whisper into her ear, "Hey, ya might wanna go clean up in the restroom, first. Don't worry 'bout it, it happens to mares, too." As Scootaloo looked down, she noted that some of her arousal had made itself physical. Some was left on the bull, but as if he were well-practised at it, Applesauce yanked a towel out of his belt and mopped up the sticky mess she'd left on the saddle without drawing any attention to it. Just as quick as he'd pulled it out, the towel disappeared back into his belt, and the only evidence remaining that Scootaloo had been aroused by the machine was between her legs. She did take his advice, disappearing discretely into the lavatory and cleaning herself with a couple of paper towels and a sink. When she came out, Rainbow escorted her over to a table, where her free hayburger was already waiting, as well as Rainbow's spicy oat nuggets and the food everypony else had ordered. In addition to their food, Rarity had ordered a round of margaritas for the table, and after a toast to Spike and Scootaloo's wedding, those disappeared right away.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-First: Blackjack	When Spike returned from the lavatory, the group has dispersed across the room, and Discord was now sitting at the blackjack table. While Spike was still wary of what may or may not go on, he made his way over to the table and sat down. "Come to join us?" smiled Discord, pulling Spike's chair right up to the table. "I had always planned to," answered Spike. He held up his claws for the dealer to show that he had washed off all of the strawberry seeds and sugar; something he didn't need to do, but he wanted to prove that he was playing fair. He was dealt in on the next hand, and was immediately met with a pair of aces. On his turn, he split, and was dealt a nine and a jack. With such a good setup, spike waved his claw. He already had the two best hands at the table. That was, until Discord's turn, where a split pair of eights was met on one side by a three and a king, and on the other side by four twos and a five. "Looks like I win," he smirked. "We shall see, sir," answered the dealer. Flipping up his down card, he had a five and a six, and a queen leveled the match. "You know we're not playing against each other, right?" Spike asked, turning to Discord. "My cards don't have to beat your cards. We're playing exclusively against the dealer." Spike's second hand had not beaten the dealer, and he, Thorax and Pharynx all had to slide some number of chips to the dealer. In fact, Thorax's nineteen and Pharynx's twenty-three lost all of their chips, where Spike had only lost half of his. "I'm well aware of how to play the game, Spike," snorted Discord. "It's not that complicated." "Excuse me," scolded Twilight. "I had to learn how to play this game in order for it to be even allowed on the premises. I will have you know that it is a very sophisticated, probability-based game that is every bit as complicated as it is educational." "And I will agree with that," nodded Discord. "It is every bit as educational as counting to twenty-one and determining which of two whole numbers is larger. It is very sophisticated. But sophistication does not directly translate to complication." He popped an old-school smoking pipe into his mouth and blew a few bubbles from it. "Do you really think I can spread chaos effectively without understanding order?" Twilight folded her hooves. "It's still a game that teaches mathematics." "Of course it is," shrugged Discord. "We should show schoolfillies and colts how to play, and teach them probability and addition." Twilight's brow could furrow no further. "No, we shouldn't!" "Why not?" grinned Discord. "You just mentioned how it was educational in the field of mathematics. Why should it not be used as a teaching tool?" "Because it's a form of gambling!" "Princess Twilight!" called Thorax. "Please, compose yourself. As we have discussed, Blackjack is not based on luck, but skill. It is a game where knowledge and mathematics are king. Take a deep breath." Twilight took a breath and a drink of her chardonnay. Without another word, she sat down between Spike and Thorax. In the next deal, it was Twilight who was caught cheating right away, flipping her cards face-up right away for all to see, and everyone turned to glare at Discord. While her face-up card was the three of clubs, her face-down was the eighteen of diamonds. "What is it?" asked Discord. "Something on my face?" "You're cheating again," answered Thorax. "Cheating?" scoffed Discord. "I'll have you know that I haven't even been given the chance to play this hand yet, and I'll need a lot more cards to reach twenty-one." He flipped over his card out of turn order and showed that he had the three of hearts and the negative ten of spades. "If I were cheating, wouldn't I be a step or two ahead?" As Discord settled back into his seat, his ear fell into Fluttershy's hoof, and she pulled him out of his chair. "Don't wait up for us. I'm going to take Mr. Grumpy home and put him to bed. He's had a long day and needs a nice nap." With a quick snap of his fingers, Discord called for a portal that would jump them into his home, right underneath the branches of his thinking tree. After they both disappeared behind it, it closed. "I guess that's the last surprise of the night," shrugged Spike. "A shame, as that means he won. I was expecting something unexpected to happen. Since I didn't expect him to leave without a real surprise, I guess that makes this the real surprise. Very clever, Discord..." "I don't even think he was expecting that one," chuckled Twilight. "I think he expected that Fluttershy would be more lenient." "I think we all expected Fluttershy to be a bit more lenient," shrugged Thorax. "More lenient than what?" asked Fluttershy, returning from the kitchen with one of the serving staff. "Where's Discord?" "Oh, he said he was tired," answered Pharynx. "So one of my changelings took him home." Slowly, a toothy grin spread across his face. Spike smiled and clapped his claws. "Now that was a surprise!" Pharynx shrugged. "Not even my idea. I just happened to spot it." "Okay," answered Fluttershy. "Well, I was just down in the kitchens, and they're ready to serve the cake, now." "Excellent," smiled Twilight. "Let's have it brought up, then." The serving pony bowed and dashed out of the room, presumably to the kitchens to bring up the ice cream cake. He returned two minutes later with it on a very large cart. Now that it was out of the box, it looked much better than What Spike had seen through the plastic window. Only the top tier was butterscotch, with a second, larger layer of fudge, and a third, even larger layer of vanilla. The bottom layer was massive, at seventy-five by fifty centimetres. "We did consider hiding a stripper in the cake," whispered Pharynx to Spike, "but we thought it might be a bit too cold in there for them." "Unless their body heat melted the ice cream," answered Spike back. "But then we wouldn't have any cake." "Well, we didn't bring it all the way here just to stare at it," barked Thorax. "Let's cut into it!"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-Second: Winding Down	Sweetie Belle wasn't feeling well after eating, so after the carriage ride, she didn't go into the new bar. Rarity stayed behind to take care of her, and just in case, Pinkie broke out the ginger tea to assist in calming her stomach. With two of their party staying behind, the rest of them walked into the South End Taphouse, one of the oldest establishments in the city. It was so old, in fact, that with the city mostly growing southerly, it was now on the north end. That wasn't to say it was rickety; it had been rebuilt twice and was subject to regular inspection, but had kept the name because of how recognised it was within the community. Immediately, the sound of a saxophone and drum kit filled the air as they walked in, as a local jazz quartet was playing, and it was time for the sax solo. Before long, the piano and upright bass joined back in as the sax lowered in volume and settled down. "So, what are we doing here?" asked Scootaloo. "Not much at all," shrugged Rainbow. "Consider this a break." "A break?" "Let this moment be a reminder, champ, that not every day is going to be wild and crazy," smirked Rainbow, pulling out a chair for Scootaloo. "Even for as awesome as I am, I still need a nap every so often." Scootaloo smiled and shook her head. "I already know this. Being a mother, I've had my fair share of days where I just couldn't handle any more, and I needed some time off." "Do you?" asked Rainbow. "Because when we walked in this afternoon, you were studying, not taking a break." "Well, yeah, but I had a long bubble bath this morning while listening to a cello concerto. Count that as taking a break." "Count this as another one," shrugged Rainbow. "Even the best parties need bathroom breaks!" bounced Pinkie, skipping past the table on her way to said room. Apple Bloom flopped down in a chair next to Scootaloo. "We was gonna take in a strip show, but y'all said no. That means either a dance club, where it's too easy to end up separated due to the sheer volume of patrons, or a jazz bar. Or a country music stage, but you ain't a big fan a' that..." "Jazz is fine, as long as it's smooth," answered Scootaloo. "None of that freeform junk. Anything capable of standing the test of time has to have some kind of stable structure." As if he had heard her, the saxophonist winked at the bassist and started into a freeform structure, while still adhering to the beats and measures dictated by the bass and drum. The pianist followed his lead, with the time still being kept, but the rhythm flying wildly around it. It still held the structure, but gained an openness to it that allowed for both sides of the argument to be true. Scootaloo would have been embarrassed if she weren't impressed. They sat there for awhile, just listening to the performance that seemed to go on and on, changing its structure to bleed into other pieces, rather than stopping to change what they were playing. In that time, Pinkie had returned to the table with a tray of drinks for everypony still interested. After the set, the saxophonist hopped down from the stage and approached the table. "Mind if I sit?" "Closed group," answered Apple Bloom. "Nevermind her," waved Pinkie. "As long as you're not a creep, you can sit until we leave." "You sure your band won't be mad?" asked Scootaloo. "Nah, they do this all the time. Sometimes, in the middle of a set. Last night, Ivory walked out with a magazine and came back ten minutes later with a trail of toilet paper on his hoof. It was fine." He sat down and leaned back as another set began, this time with no sax or drums. "That's one of the upsides of being a jazz musician, is nopony cares if you just leave for a bit, or if you mess up a little. Alto, by the by..." He extended his hoof, and Scootaloo shook it. "What brings you ladies here tonight?" "Bachelorette party," answered Rainbow. "I see. Well, I'm sure I don't compare to the pole dancers you've been seeing all night." To accentuate that, he patted his hoof against his stomach and a couple of ripples radiated outward. He wasn't exactly large, just a bit overweight. "Probably a more stimulating conversationalist, though." "Not like that's hard to do," scoffed Apple Bloom. "What are you talking about?" shot Rainbow back. "He's said more dumb things than any stripper we've seen all night." Alto pouted. "Really?" "Well, yeah," chuckled Scootaloo, knocking back another glass of whiskey. She'd had four times as much as anypony else, and was only now starting to feel a bit light-headed. "They're kind of hard to beat, though, as you've said a non-zero number of words, and at least one of them was bland. That makes a higher count than zero." Alto chuckled. "None of them approached you? What a letdown! It sickens me when even the sexual deviants of society are so disgusted by ponies hanging around with dragons. Come now, even the princess is trying to open relations of all kinds with other races. Rumour has it she even dated a hippogriff. Or was it a gryphon?" Scootaloo shook her head. "I heard something different. But yeah, I'd heard about the stigma." Alto shook his head. "I don't understand why it's a big deal. If a dragoness were interested in me, I'd sweep her off her claws, take her back to my place, and show her the true skill that comes from playing an instrument that requires your lips to constantly be pushing air in one direction only." He waggled his eyebrows seductively. "Can I buy you a drink?" Scootaloo couldn't help but laugh. "My drinks are already paid for, but I'll tell my fiance your joke; he'll find it a riot." The smile fades from Alto's face as he turned red. "So you're the... Heh, heh... sorry..." "No big deal," smirked Scootaloo. "He's not the type to hold a grudge. Plus, he'd agree with you that dragons are sexy beasts. He's one of us, but we're not together because of the stigma. He'd feel the same about me, even if I was a pony, and I can say that with absolute certainty."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-Third: Ice Cream and Presents	Being that he was most often filling in as a host or assistant to the host, and also very caring by dragon standards, Spike made sure to serve everypony a brick of ice cream cake before taking one for himself. Thankfully, there were still four slices of butterscotch left. It was not only the smallest layer, but also the most popular, just outpacing the fudge. "You know," chuckled Thorax, "You really should have reserved a piece if you wanted butterscotch. It's your cake, after all." "I know," answered Spike. "But it's all okay. Even if it wasn't an option, I still like vanilla, and there's plenty of that left." "And fudge," added Pharynx. "Who doesn't like a good fudge?" "I'll give you this," shrugged Spike. "It's better than straight chocolate ice cream." "It's just a shame Discord had to leave early," sighed Fluttershy. "I think he was just upset that Pinkie wouldn't let him take over and plan the party himself. Perhaps that's why he kept trying to change things." "I kinda feel sorry for him," shrugged Spike. "I don't dislike him, but... half a dozen other ponies were also mad that they couldn't help plan the party. And that included Twilight and Thorax, at first. But I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, I just... I already had three party planners trying to decide the best way of doing things, you know?" "Too many cooks spoil the broth," proclaimed Twilight. "What broth?" asked Pharynx. "Did we forget to make soup?" He glared at Thorax. "Were we supposed to bring soup?" "It's an expression," explained Twilight. "It means that too many ponies trying to make a party for Spike going in too many different directions would have made the party basically nothing because everypony would be competing for the right to say that their contribution was what made it special. Three of us was already a crowd; five more would have been a nightmare." "This seems a dour subject," swallowed Thorax, setting his empty plate aside. "Perhaps we should move on?" "Yes!" smiled Twilight. She set down her own plate and galloped out of the room. Spike didn't know what to make of it until she came back with a small cart loaded with presents. This actually was a surprise to Spike. Gifts were not part of the plan he'd written down, meaning they were added outside of the planning committee. "Did Pinkie okay this?" he whispered to Thorax. "It was her idea," he whispered back. "And don't be too upset with Twilight's; she's only trying to help." "Why? what's wrong with it?" "You'll see..." Twilight started pulling presents from the top. The last guests to arrive would have put theirs on top, meaning Twilight's would be among the last to be opened. First came a gift from the Cakes. They had purchased him a set of attachments for a stand mixer that he didn't have. As soon as he brought that up, Mrs. Cake started to say something, but her husband cut her off. Still, the damage was done, and Spike now knew what wedding present he should expect from them. Berry Punch was next, and she'd bought him a crate with six bottles of wine. That paired well with the bartop tools that Misty Step had given him, which included six wine glasses, six champagne flutes, and a corkscrew. Big Macintosh had given him a present that both of them would enjoy together, as well as Cudgel; a new expansion to Ogres and Oubliettes with eight new character pieces. While some might have assumed that this was a gift from Big Mac to himself, Spike would make no such claim. This was something Spike really had wanted. Then came a gift that had four names on it: Raspberry Delight, Applejack (who had not made it to the party due to being busy), Corn Pudding and Elastic Snap. Apparently, they had all gone in together on a gift, and it was very large and heavy. It was actually three boxes packed together; The largest was a charcoal/woodfire grill, the middle, a smoker barrel that would attach to the side, and the smallest was filled with accessories, those being a steel brush, spatulae, tongs, a grill fork, and all manner of other tools for use with a grill. No lighter, but Spike had that covered five times over, as Scootaloo and the kids could all breathe fire. A selection of naughty gifts followed from ponies that didn't read the whole invitation or took the smiley winky face Pinkie had put on the card as a sign to disregard that part, when it was meant to just be a smile and a wink, and attached to the next sentence, "Don't be late!" Included in this cavalcade, Spike received a blow-up doll, four fleshlights, free passes to a strip club, some bondage gear (which was one of the few things he might actually use), a picture book filled with scantily-clad or completely nude mares and a steamy romance novel about a mare being kidnapped by and making love to a very large dragon. For as upsetting as that last one was, Spike still smiled and thanked everypony for their gifts as he went along. Fluttershy openly admitted that she had not bought Spike a gift; that she and Rarity had opted to join together and make one for him, and that it wasn't ready yet, but would be before the wedding. Spike was more than happy to wait, as the personal touch of making the gift almost guaranteed that it would be spectacular. The fact that Rarity was involved meant that, even if it wasn't spectacular, Spike would love it anyway. Now for Twilight's present. Twilight was known for giving the same present every time; a book. It wasn't always the same book, and sometimes it was even relevant to the situation. While most of the time, it was just something to be enjoyed, his eighteenth birthday saw her giving him a book on tax law. When he'd first bought the land for his house, she'd given him a book on house construction techniques from all across Equestria. When he finished the house, she gave him a book on decoration. Tonight, she gave him two books. "Reigniting the Spark: The Therapist's Guide to a Long and Happy Marriage," read Spike, looking at the first one. "You're breaking up?! gasped Berry Punch. While Berry Punch was not known for being the most in-control of her state, some of the guests had to wonder if the flames of passion Spike had for Scootaloo had gone out. Why else would he need such a book? The mutterings finally made the thought click in Twilight's head why Thorax had told her this was a bad gift idea. "How considerate!" shouted Thorax, patting Spike on the back. "Princess Twilight wants your marriage to be long and happy, and gave you something to ensure that, whatever happens, you have the knowledge required to prevent it from coming apart! Good gift, Princess; to reinforce their love and make sure they never break apart!" Twilight could tell by how forced his smile was that Thorax was covering her mistake. He'd tried to warn her, and she'd fallen through, regardless. Spike moved to the next book. This was a far better gift, but one that Spike was embarrassed to find that Twilight had even considered. Still, he had to remember that she was just trying to help, and was looking to improve his relations with his soon-to-be wife. Hells, she'd watched them have sex before to make sure they were staying safe. "Th-the Draco S-sutra..."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-Fourth: Darts	After their short break at the jazz club, things started to wind down. Apple Bloom was the next to bow out, and Pinkie Pie after that, leaving the last stop of the night to be just Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. Neither one was at peak condition anymore, as the night's events had taken a lot out of them. When they walked in, they were immediately spotted by Alto, who was already there, for some reason. Rather than waving them over, he approached. "Didn't expect to see you again tonight. Your friends ditch you?" "They drank too much," said Rainbow. "Real lightweights." "Yeah, not like us," smirked Scootaloo. She'd had a lot to drink by this point, enough that, were she a pony, she'd probably have bowed out ages ago, or would have been passed out in the carriage before Apple Bloom. Or, if she had just kept going at the same pace to this point, she'd be needing a new liver and kidneys. Even Rainbow had told her to slow down after having an entire quart. "Well, I hope they find their way home alright." "Oh, don't worry about them," waved Scootaloo. "We have a deservated driver." After realizing what she'd said, she sputtered into laughter and almost fell over. "Desiccated driver..." "You sure she hasn't had one too many?" asked Alto. "How much can dragons drink safely?" "More than a pony," snorted Rainbow. "I'm keeping an eye on her, and our desperated driver said she seemed okay." The driver had said no such thing. It was Rarity that had said she was fine for one more stop, but this was it. Sweetie Belle had already vomited in her lap, but the protective suit Rarity had brought had protected her and was easily cleaned up with a hose, provided by the driver. "If you say so," shrugged Alto. "I was just about to look for a dart game to join once my nachos arrive. Would you ladies care to join me?" "We actually had reserved a dartboard," said Rainbow, "but I'd love some nachos right now..." They all returned to Alto's table. It was a two-seater, but stealing a chair from another table rounded them out. It wasn't long before the waitress brought out a large platter of nachos. "Wow," chuckled Rainbow. "You were going to eat all of this yourself?" "Nah, I was gonna leverage it to convince somepony to let me join their game. And look, it worked!" "Damn right, it did!" laughed Rainbow, grabbing a hoofful of chips and shoving them in her face. Scootaloo made a grab for some of her own, missed twice, and when she grabbed some, her claws were covered in cheese. As she started to lick it off with her forked tongue, Alto watched intently. He was still very into the idea of bedding a dragon, and even though Scootaloo was spoken for, he still thought she was hot, and watching her lick her claws was going to provide a visual for his fantasies for the next month. After a few minutes of the girls eating nachos, Scootaloo pushed the plate towards Alto. He'd paid for the food, after all, and hadn't eaten any of it. He refused with a blush, just letting them gorge themselves while he tried to hold down his erection. While Rainbow saw it, she didn't process what or why it was. Even if she had, she wasn't the type to make fun of him for his taste any further than playful ribbing. Plus, she didn't want to insult him because he might retract his offer of nachos. "Alright," Rainbow said after a loud burp. "Where's that dartboard?" "I'll show you," offered Alto. He squirmed in his seat for a bit, then stood up. His tail was between his legs, and as he led them to the other side of the room, Scootaloo could swear he'd hidden something inside of it. There were four dart boards and an open space in front of them that was fenced off to keep ponies from walking in the path of the flying darts. It had reduced the injuries by twelve percent in the last six months, making this the safest bar in the city. Alto went first, but just as he was readying his throw, he turned to Scootaloo. "Hey, which game are we playing?" "Darts?" shrugged Scootaloo. "It's not throwing knives or axes, and I can't recall the rules." "Just count up," answered Rainbow. "I thunk we're too drink to keep an even count for three-oh-one." "Good enough for me," answered Alto. As he launched his darts, he scored a sixteen, a double ten, and a four. Scootaloo was next, with a triple twenty, a double nineteen, and a bullseye. Rainbow missed the first throw, sticking the dart in the wall as her throw was interrupted with a burp, but the next two were triple twenties. "Wow," chuckled Alto. "Didn't realize I was playing with two pros..." "I've actually never played before," said Scootaloo. "We threw axes. We didn't play darts. But I still won because no one else hit the bullseye!" "I scored a forty," said Alto. "Your friend scored a hundred and twenty, and you made one hundred and forty-eight. So yeah, you're winning." Seven rounds later, Rainbow had played an almost perfect game at one thousand, three hundred and eighty points. If she hadn't flubbed the first throw, she'd have played it perfect. Scootaloo was trailing at six hundred and eighty-two, and Alto had nearly caught her at six hundred and seventy-six. Scootaloo had fallen over twice, the second time right into Alto's hooves. It was after her score was tallied, and she had passed out before she heard Rainbow's final score. "I think it's time we took the little Squirt home," said Rainbow. "Carry her out for me, would ya?" "With pleasure," blushed Alto. He managed to keep his hooves to himself for the most part, but when she started to slip, he was all too happy to adjust her position to be more comfortable, resting her chin on his shoulder. Still, he didn't want any issue with her soon-to-be-husband, not knowing how big and strong Spike was. It was enough just to feel her claws on his shoulders... for now...
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-Fifth: Rules Broken	Spike went through the last few gifts, including a lackluster but still appreciated one from Rainbow, being scale polish, and a framed picture from Pinkie Pie that showed Twilight and her friends that Spike had taken, but with Spike cut into the picture to remind him that he was part of the friend group, even if he was mostly mechanically involved. They were old pictures, too, meaning Pinkie had been keeping these for a very long time. That pony really knew how to bring out a smile. "Thank you all for thinking of me," smiled Spike. "It's good to know that I have so many friends who care about me enough to celebrate my engagement." "But apparently not enough to read the whole invitation," whispered Thorax to Pharynx, who chuckled in turn. "Seriously, this means a lot to me. My only regret with tonight is that not everyone could be here to revel in the joy I feel tonight. I wish everypony in Ponyville could participate in this. I understand that they have their own things to do, but... It'd be nice to bring happiness to ponies like Applejack. Aunty Lofty and Aunt Holiday, they deserve a good time, and you all know how wonderful it is when Rarity smiles." "And that's my cue!" The lights shut off, and a spotlight shone down to one of the doors. Through it walked Rarity, wearing the same protective suit she had been seen leaving in. "Rarity?" questioned Twilight. "I thought you were going to watch over Scootaloo's party to make sure it didn't run out of hoof?" "Oh, nevermind that, darling," chuckled Rarity. "They're all fine. They have each other, don't they?" "Well..." "Besides, it's my Spikey-wikey's last big party being single! I would never dream of missing his big day! Especially since I have a present for him!" "It's ready?" asked Fluttershy, her jaw dropping. "We were only a third of the way done this afternoon!" "Not that one, dear..." Rarity unzipped the outer shell of her clothing. Under the protective coating, a second outfit hid, and as she kicked aside her protective gear, what was left was the seductress Spike had created, Princess Shmarity. "This is one I've been working on alone for a long time." She gave a twirl, and showed off her crotchless panties and quarter-cup bra. Pulling a makeup kit from a puff of smoke, she adorned her lips with a cherry-red lipstick and a lavender eyeshadow. "Rarity, what are you doing?" asked Spike, already uncomfortable. He'd dreamed about Rarity for years, but he'd openly admitted to her that, in all of his fantasies, it was an intimate, private, quiet affair. If she was going to do this, a public event was not the place. If she had just asked him, he would have brought her home to plead with Scootaloo to give him permission. And knowing Scootaloo, she'd probably let him, after giving him a list of stipulations. "What does it look like, mighty Garbuncle?" Rarity asked, her horn lighting up with a green aura that pulled a chair over to collide with the back of Spike's knees, knocking him into a sitting position. "I'm going to give you something I've always wanted to." She climbed up on the chair with him and sat down on his lap, digging her tongue into his mouth. Spike grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back, but she'd grabbed his tongue between her teeth. "Rarithy, sthtop id," he slurred. "Now, now, Spikey-wikey," argued Rarity, pushing his claws behind his back. "You know better than to touch without asking." "Can we slow down a bit and just talk?" "Oh, Spike, you know actions speak louder than words..." She reached down between his legs and ran her hoof along his slit. "I said no!" shouted Spike, tossing her aside and bolting from the room. He didn't slow down until he was outside, his eyes filled with tears. He looked around to make sure there were no pegasi up here on the roof or flying overhead before he lowered his back against the wall, sobbing quietly. He felt betrayed, on a night that was supposed to be a happy occasion. Twenty minutes passed before he felt a hoof on his shoulder. "Mind if I sit?" asked Thorax. Spike uncurled his tail and scooted over, wiping his face. "Why did she have to embarrass me like that?" "I don't know," answered Thorax. "I specifically told her not to do that." "You knew Rarity was going to show up?" Thorax wrapped a hoof around Spike's shoulder. "That wasn't Rarity. When you threw her to the ground, her disguise slipped off. It was one of the changelings we'd brought with us." Spike sniffed. "It felt real, though..." "I'm sure. She's very good at disguises." "Why would she do that if you told her not to? Doesn't she know that a king's word is law?" "We don't know. And we won't know until she regains consciousness." Spike looked up, his eyes wide. "I... I didn't mean..." "You didn't," waved Thorax. "Not wholly, anyway. Pharynx said there was something wrong with her eyes and vowed to eviscerate whoever had been puppeteering her. Quite loudly, too. That's probably why nopony's coming forward; he's vicious." As Thorax pulled out a hoofkerchief, Spike blew his nose and wiped his face. "I hope he's not serious. I don't want anypony else to be hurt on my account..." "It's the way he cares," shrugged Thorax. "He won't actually hurt them, I don't think, he's just angry because he likes you, kind of, and he hates when somepony tries to hurt somepony he likes. A little tough to work with, but, hey, he's my brother." Spike took a deep breath. "Hey, listen. Nopony would blame you if you just went home. After that little snafu, some ponies already left, much to Pharynx's chagrin. He wouldn't stop blocking the door until Twilight promised him that she'd find out who tried to ruin your party. So if you'd rather go home and see your kids, maybe wait for Scootaloo, I'll tell everypony to head home, and we'll bring all your gifts by tomorrow evening. You know, so your kids don't see the worst of them." Spike took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "No. I'll take them home tonight. The right thing for me to do is go back downstairs and let everypony know that I'm okay." "Are you, though?" Spike shook his head. "But I should tell them I am. Otherwise, they're just going to worry about me. I'll manage." "If you're sure," said Thorax, standing up and offering his hoof to Spike. "I am," answered Spike, taking his hoof and standing up. "And thanks."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-Sixth: Reunited	After informing everypony that he was all patched up now and sending them home for the evening, Spike loaded up his gifts onto the cart. He would come back tomorrow for the ice cream cake remnants, but for now, just putting it back in the freezer was priority. Before leaving, Spike looked at the changeling that had jumped on him in Rarity's skin, and sure enough, her pupils were twisted into a swirl. Pharynx was sitting next to her, and with the way he was looking at her, and the scowl he gave Spike, it was safe to say that Thorax was wrong about Pharynx's intentions. He wasn't after the one who had ruined Spike's party, but the one who had harmed a fellow member of his hive. Which would be the same pony, but he had his priorities. It was early in the morning already, and even though it was still dark out, dawn was right around the corner. Not wanting any early-rising kids to spot him out the window, Spike threw a sheet over the cart and brought it back to the house. The streets were mostly empty, so he had an unobstructed path, and a guard following behind him to make sure he didn't drop anything. Holiday and Lofty were still there when he arrived, sleeping on the couch together. He did his best not to wake them as he brought everything inside, storing the sex stuff in his bedroom before anything else came in, as he wanted all of that out of the way as soon as possible. As he came out to unload the grill, he saw a carriage approaching. A big one. As it stopped in front of his house, his assumption was proven true; this was Scootaloo's carriage. "Hey, Shpike," slurred Rainbow out the window. "Good morning, Spikey-wikey," smiled Rarity. "How is my favourite dragon this morning?" Spike reached up and scratched the back of his neck, grinning weakly and blushing. "I'm good, I guess..." "Something wrong, darling?" "Well..." He leaned up and whispered into her ear. "Oh... dear..." She shifted uncomfortably. "Now, Spike, you know we've had this conversation before." "I know. And I respect your decision. That's why I thought it was so... odd." Rarity ran her hoof around his face and gave him a gentle kiss on the nose. "You're very special to me, Spikey, and a true gentlecolt. I love you dearly, and wish you a long and happy marriage. Speaking of, would you mind coming in?" After melting a bit at her touch, Spike opened the door and climbed inside the carriage, where Rarity was still in her protective gear and Scootaloo was passed out on the seat. Without a word, he knew what he needed to do. Scooping Scootaloo up in his claws, he draped her chin over his shoulder. "Did you have any problems?" "There was a drunk that tried to abscond with Sweetie Belle, and a stallion that tried to hit on Scootaloo until he found out that she was engaged to a dragon, but otherwise, smooth sailing," smiled Rarity. "As far as I'm aware, anyway. I bowed out pretty fast." Spike smiled and rubbed Scootaloo's back, cradling her wings as he did so. "I don't have to worry about that stallion, do I?" "He seemed sweet," admitted Rarity, "but I would put your faith in Scootaloo. The two of you are intended now, after all." Spike nodded. "I trust her. I'm just being protective, I guess." Scootaloo wrapped her tail around his waist and gripped him a bit tighter. She was still out cold, she was just reacting to his smell and touch. "I should take her to bed," chuckled Spike. "Looks like she's had a long night." "Oh, two quick things before you go?" "Sure." "Did you enjoy your party, Spike? Other than, you know, that one part... I heard Applejack gave you something big and wonderful." "A grill," answered Spike. "Yeah, it was pretty good, overall." "Good. One last thing:" Rarity leaned forward and kissed his snout once more. "Rest well, my Spikey-wikey. I'll have a real present for you soon, and this time, it will have all of the care and consideration you have come to expect from me." Spike felt very weak in the knees at her second kiss. But feeling Scootaloo wrapped around him kept him strong. "I hope to see you soon, Lady Rarity." As Spike descended from the carriage, it took off again, carrying the rest of the girls to where they would spend their morning: Fluttershy's cottage. That was where Rarity was staying, and Fluttershy had already volunteered to make sure they all recovered properly. She'd even already made tomato soup and left it in the fridge for them, just to make their hangover recovery easier. The exception to this was Apple Bloom. Since Fluttershy had moved nearby, Apple Bloom could just go right back to Applejack's care and be just fine. Scootaloo, however, still needed care, and even though Spike was physically, emotionally, and mentally drained, he was going to watch over her. She stirred when they reached the top of the stairs, and groaned as he carried her into the bedroom. "My head..." "Shhh..." calmed Spike, whispering. "I'll bring you something to drink." "Nooo... drinksh made me like this... an stop shouting..." Spike lowered her into bed and covered her up, rolling up the rug with his foot to move it out of the way. Knowing how wild she could be in bed, he'd opted out of carpeting for the bedrooms to make it easier to clean, and the rug provided protection from the cold of the hardwood floor. If she threw up, it would be easier to clean it up without the rug. After closing the door as quietly as possible, Spike rushed downstairs and offloaded the grill in the backyard, covering it with a tarpaulin before going in through the back door to make waffles and coffee. But not just any coffee; this was lemon coffee. Lofty came into the kitchen as Spike closed the waffle iron. "Oh, you're back?" she yawned. "I didn't hear you come in." "I was quiet on purpose," said Spike. "I didn't want to wake you." "Oh, no worries. Is Scootaloo home yet?" "Upstairs in bed. She had a lot to drink, so... Can you take the kids for the day? I'll stay beside her and help her recover." "Oh, sure." Lofty looked over what Spike had already done. "You know what would be better for a hangover than waffles?" "Hm?" "Waffles with fresh fruit. Strawberries and kiwi." As she pulled some from the fridge, a loud pounding at the door woke everyone up. Lofty poked her head into the hall to see Holiday turn around and head for the door to find out who was being so loud. When she opened the door, her jaw dropped. "Snap? Mane?"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-Seventh: Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood	Holiday took a step backward. "Please, come in. Have a seat on the couch. I'll go tell Lofty you received her letter." "Sure thing, Holly," said Snap. "And while you're at it, isn't it about time to wake Scootaloo? We need to talk to her." "Oh, I'm sure she was out late last night. It's probably better if she just rests." "Nonsense," waved Mane. "After hearing that we've arrived, she'll perk right up!" "She only just went to bed," scowled Lofty. "Let her rest for a bit. She'll be just as excited this afternoon." As they spoke, Spike plated the waffles, covering them with a cloche to keep the fruit from being swarmed by flies if Scootaloo had already passed out. He also had her coffee under there, but would remove it as soon as he set down the tray to keep the fruit from steaming. As he made it to the stairs, he felt a hoof on his shoulder. "Is that for Scootaloo?" asked Snap. Spike nodded without a word. He'd have brought a talon to his lips to urge them to be quiet, but both hands were holding either side of the tray. "See? She's already awake!" smiled Mane, pushing past Spike and climbing the stairs. "Scootaloo!" Lofty planted her hoof on her forehead and chased after her, with Snap following them both up ahead of Spike. Holiday sighed. "We'll try to keep them out of your horns if we can coax them out of the house. How about we take the kids, too?" "That'd be great, Holly. I already asked Lofty to watch the kids so I could tend to Scoots." "Good. Need any help with that tray?" "Nah. Ponies pushing past me while I was carrying stuff for Twilight gave me lots of training. If you could bring them back downstairs, though, that'd be great." Holiday rushed upstairs with a nod, careful to avoid bumping Spike to make it easier for him in spite of his assurances. "Scootaloo?" Mane and Snap were opening the doors, trying to find out what room Scootaloo was in. "Where are you?" "She's trying to rest," growled Lofty, grabbing Snap by the shoulder. "You're going to wake the kids; come back downstairs so we can talk about this." "Oh, it's time to wake up, anyway," said Mane, opening Barb's door. "Scootaloo, are you in here?" By now, they'd opened every door except Scootaloo's, and as Holiday reached for the handle to open it for Spike and only Spike, they pushed past him again to invade the room. Scootaloo was quite upset by this, holding her pillow against her head hard with her claws. She'd heard the whole thing from when they entered the front door, but her head hurt too much to justify pulling herself out of bed. "Scootaloo?!" called her dad. "Are you in here?!" "Out!" she growled, a small torrent of flame spurting from her nostrils. Lofty and Holiday managed to pull her parents away, and Spike entered, regardless of her warning, closing the door gently with his tail. He set the tray on her nightstand and separated the coffee from everything else. "Hey," he whispered, placing a claw on her shoulder. "I brought you some breakfast." "Please, no more shouting," she whined. Spike gently rubbed her shoulder, just bringing the coffee under her nose so she could smell it. She immediately grabbed it and took a few gulps, draining the cup in seconds. "There's some waffles and fruit, too. Your aunt insisted on it." "Thank her for me?" groaned Scootaloo, pushing the empty mug at him. "I'll set right to it," smiled Spike, kissing her cheek as he took the mug to refill it. "I'll be right back." As he exited the room, he noted that Scootaloo didn't reach for the food at all. Instead, she pulled up the covers over herself and snuggled into them. He made sure to close the curtains with his tail to reduce the light level in the room. When he went downstairs, he could hear Lofty arguing with Snap, and thought he should back her up, as well as deliver Scootaloo's thank you, but at the same time, he should endear himself to his in-laws. But first, the coffee. Or perhaps not, as they walked into the room while he was mixing up another mug. "Hey!" shouted Snap, grabbing Spike's shoulder and nearly spilling the lemon juice. "Where's my daughter?!" "She's upstairs," answered Spike, trying to calm the mood of the whole room by maintaining a level and calm tone. "And she said she wasn't happy about all the yelling, so if you would calm down a bit, sir, it would make everything a lot easier." "Not until I see my daughter!" "Sir, you have seen her. She told you to leave her bedroom, remember?" "Don't play stupid! That was not my daughter!" "I gave birth to a pegasus filly!" agreed Mane. "I didn't lay an egg that hatched a dragon, so stop trying to convince me otherwise!" Spike placed his claws together against his lips. "I never said anything about laying eggs, ma'am." "Well, dragons don't give live birth," growled Mane. "I'll have you know that I've studied the dragons in passing while I was looking into the viability of the dragon lands as an alternative place to house Equestrians. Dragons lay eggs." She folded her hooves. "One would think you'd know that." "I do, yes. I was hatched from an egg, and all three of my children were hatched from eggs. And while I was not there, I can safely guess that you did not lay an egg." "You see?" "But that dragoness upstairs is Scootaloo." "Which is exactly what I was trying to tell you," groaned Lofty. "And she thanks you for the chopped fruit," added Spike. "She's very welcome," waved Lofty, brushing it aside. "Now do you believe me?" Snap pushed his jaw forward. "No." "Then let me ask you this," growled Holiday as she walked in from the hallway, the opposite direction as the others had come because she'd been upstairs prepping the kids for a day out. "How stupid do you think your big sister is?" Snap didn't answer, looking away. "If you think this is all some big conspiracy to trick you into thinking that it's time for your daughter to marry, then abandon all respect you have for your big sister, because I believe it wholeheartedly, and you should talk to the one she's marrying, because you're about to be related." "Fine," grunted Mane. "Where is this stallion, anyway? Shouldn't he be here trying to keep Scootaloo out of trouble?" Spike picked up the mug and smiled. "On my way."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-Eighth: Shower Talk	The morning was slow for a good chunk of Ponyville. Much akin to the days long ago when Twilight was bunking in the library, when the whole town was small enough that any event would be a big one, having the most boisterous and powerful ponies sleep through the morning caused quite a stir without directly causing any kind of stir at all. Some of the quieter ponies were wondering why it was so quiet all of a sudden, but without complaint. That's not to say that it was wholly quiet. More than eighty percent of the town had not been invited to the event, and as such, were still walking around. Since a fair few of the guests were teachers at Twilight's school of Friendship, Pinkie had scheduled the parties on a Saturday so that they could all spend Sunday morning in bed without having to go back to work. While Scootaloo was one of those sleeping through the morning, Spike forced himself to stay awake. This was made much more difficult by the fact that he spent most of the morning in bed next to her, his arms and tail wrapped around her to help her burn off all the excess alcohol with his warm embrace. Rather, that was a lie he told himself. Her liver was doing all the work, and if anyone was helping, it was her kidneys. But believing that he was helping was enough to keep him right by her side, and if she woke up and needed anything, he'd be right there to aid her. She finally woke up at two in the afternoon. Spike helped her out of bed and into the shower, where she leaned back against the wall and let him scrub every square inch of her body, from the tips of her horns to between her toes. She was aware and agile enough to do it herself, but Spike wanted to, and when he was done, she reciprocated right away. "Did you have a fun bachelor party?" she whispered, still a bit sensitive to sound. "I did," answered Spike. "Except for one part where a changeling being controlled by some kind of spell or potion or something tried to jump me, but otherwise, yeah." "Oh. I'm sorry..." "Nah. It was mostly fun." "Oh. Well, mine was mostly fun, too. Just having to deal with a drunk." "And a musician?" Scootaloo chuckled, but then groaned. "Oh, it hurts to laugh... Is my big, strong dragon feeling a bit jealous?" "A bit," admitted Spike. "You know how dragons are..." Scootaloo chuckled. "Well, don't worry. Rainbow was at my side the whole time." "I thought Slash stayed home with your aunts?" teased Spike. "Rainbow Dash, silly..." she rested her cheek against his hip, letting the water run down his chest and onto her face. "If I were disloyal to you in her presence, she'd never talk to me again." "I'm sure she would..." "He was a great big flirt, but he didn't actually do anything." She kept scrubbing, moving down his legs until she reached his feet. "So, was that my parents here earlier, or did I dream that?" "No, they were here. They left with your aunts." "And did they have tentacles on their face?" Spike grimaced. "I mean, your dad looked like he hadn't shaved recently, but... no." "So I dreamed that." Scootaloo nodded. "Good." "And I invited them to dinner," said Spike. "I haven't even thought about what I'm going to make yet." "No, no, no," corrected Scootaloo, pressing her chest against his groin. "I've inconvenienced you enough for one day. Staying up with me all morning was nice, but it's made you miss some much-needed sleep. I will handle dinner tonight." Spike reached down and rubbed her cheek and neck. "You sure you're feeling up to it?" "If I'm not, Aunt Holiday and Aunty Lofty will probably offer to help." "Yeah, but I wouldn't rely on her too much. We've already had them all day and last night..." "Yeah, you're probably right... We should invite them to eat with us, too." She turned her head until his thumb was in her mouth, then started licking and sucking on it. "What's that for?" asked Spike. "Oh, nothing much," smirked Scootaloo. "Just a little teaser for what you can expect tonight after dinner. I already know what I want for dessert..." Spike chuckled and shut off the water. "That reminds me, I have to go make a stop at the castle to pick up the rest of my ice cream cake." Scootaloo looked up suddenly. "Ice cream cake?" "Yeah. Thorax brought a big one from his hive. Real nice." He tossed the curtains aside and grabbed a pair of towels for the duo to dry themselves. "I should put that grill together, too." "What grill?" Spike frowned. "Did you not receive any presents at your party?" "No..." Spike bit his claw. "Well, I'll share some of mine, then." "That's sweet of you. What'd they give you?" After drying off, but before his erection went down, Spike brought Scootaloo out into the bedroom to see the collection of toys and books he'd been given. Scootaloo had a good laugh at some of them, and was just as shocked by Twilight's as everyone else was, and even had a chuckle at Thorax's quick, albeit ineffective, coverup. "I wonder if Twilight gave him any "special treatment" for that..." "I didn't stick around to find out." "I'm just saying, anyone willing to damage their credibility to save somepony the embarrassment of a bad gift like that deserves a little something something to repay them. If I were dating Thorax, and he covered my arse like that, I'd let him inside of it." Spike lowered his face into his claw. "I can't believe you just said that," he chuckled. "Wow. I don't even know how to respond to that." Scootaloo shrugged. "Having you wrapped around me and running your claws all over my body put me in a randy sort of mood. And having a big, strong manly dragon to protect me makes me wanna do things for him." She ran a talon down the center of his chest. "So... can I watch you put that grill together, Spike?" Spike swallowed hard and nodded, glad that the backyard had a privacy fence.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Twenty-Ninth: Meet the Parents	The table was extended as far out as it could go, but it was still a bit of a tight squeeze near the door. Spike sat on one end, his back to the window, while Scootaloo sat on the other side, next to the kitchen door. To her left, Aunty Lofty sat with the kids, who were scooted together on a bench seat. On her right, her mother, then her father, and Aunt Holiday sat next to Spike. For awhile, no one spoke. The entirety of the noise was coming from forks scraping against plates and glasses being placed on their coasters. The first words spoken after sitting down were from Lofty to Rainbow Slash. "More shakshuka?" Slash nodded in response. After a few more minutes of silence, Scootaloo turned to her parents. "You're going to have to talk to him eventually." "He's being very rude," grumbled Snap. "He hasn't even asked what we do for a living." "I'm sorry," swallowed Cudgel. "What do you do for a living?" "They're both researchers that travel all over the world, but are based at the Royal Canterlot University," answered Spike. "Snap in Botanical Biology and Pharmaceuticals, and Mane in Animal Biology and Chemistry. Eight months ago, Mane suggested a new lightweight, yet sturdy alloy that, while it failed to meet expectations, did manage to create a new self-mending metal, and three months ago, Snap found that the extract from a flower native to Yakyakistan has the exact same chemical makeup as the medicine for the trots. I had to compile both of those reports, so that's how I know what your grandparents do." "No need to be rude about it," pouted Mane. "He wasn't," replied Holiday. "All he did was say what you do for a living and list off some of your most recent accomplishments." "He was very cold when he said he was forced to compile them." "I never said I was forced to," replied Spike. "I was asked to, and I accepted. Part of my job is to keep up to date with scientific advances and compile them into more easily digestible explanations so that they can be more easily skimmed, because normal ponies can't tell the difference between trichlorodiphenhydramine and monoferrotriphenheptamine. Some of them don't even know what dihydrogen monoxide is." "I don't know what it is, for example," shrugged Scootaloo. Both of her parents turned to her, with their jaws dropping in unison and their eyes going wide. "She was out of the country during her high school years, and was studying dracology in earnest," explained Holiday. "She's not dumb, she was just never enrolled in a chemistry class. She's taking classes now to make up for it, and we take care of the kids on those days." "Why doesn't their father do that?" asked Mane accusingly. "Because he has a full-time job," answered Lofty. "Transcribing and normalising reports shouldn't take that long," said Mane. "It should only be a full-time job if he's bad at it." "It accounts for maybe one percent of my work," answered Spike. "I only go over that about once a month, or as needed, and it usually only takes a couple of hours. I spend a lot more time overseeing events than I do transcribing. I used to do a lot more stenography, too." "So, you're a clerk?" asked Snap. "Seems like that could be a part-time job..." "I'm an aide," clarified Spike. "My job is to do whatever I must to make Princess Twilight Sparkle's job easier. And sometimes, that means actually doing her job for her." "So, you're an assistant," Mane smirked. "A number-one assistant," defended Lofty. "If it weren't for him, we'd have lost the Crystal Empire. It was Spike that carried the Crystal Heart to the stand that drove away Sombra. It was his writing that was the catalyst that triggered Discord's defeat, and it was his claws that built this house." "That would explain the lack of decoration," snorted Snap. "I thought to hold off until Scootaloo moved back to Ponyville," answered Spike. "And then once she did, we decided together that it was more important that she start studying for her weather licence and secondary education." "Plus, there's a photograph we hung on the wall this afternoon," added Scootaloo. "Yes, the poorly edited one." Holiday turned and smacked Snap in the shoulder. "Don't be mean. You do realize that by criticising the lack of decor, you're inferring that your own daughter has bad taste?" Scootaloo lowered her head. She had intended to defend Spike, but in doing so, she'd not been paying attention to the fact that she was taking the hits for him. "Spike is a fine, upstanding dragon," continued Holiday. "He has the trust of not only the princesses, but also Lofty, myself, and your daughter. Even your grandchildren can see how happy they are together. Why can't you?" Snap leaned in. "Because we've never met Spike before." "Sure you have," answered Spike. "Eleven years ago, when you sold your house. I was in attendance at the Cutie Mark Crusaders Appreciation Day party. I helped pack your luggage onto the train to Shire Lanka." "That was handled by Big Macintosh, Troubleshoes and some third pony whose name I can't remember," dismissed Snap. "Spike," answered Lofty. "I was there, too; I saw him." "Even with that being the case," sighed Mane, "we still haven't seen him in over a decade. How could we possibly know what he's like?" "I didn't even see you to the station," replied Scootaloo. "You've seen Spike at least twice since you last saw me." "Scootaloo, we're just trying to do what's best for you." "And how would you know what's best for me?! Even if Spike only showed up for a weekend every three months, he was there! Sometimes isn't the best, but it's better than never!" As tears began to well in Scootaloo's eyes, it was Lofty whose wing wrapped around her shoulder. Spike had kicked his chair back and stood up, but seeing that Lofty was handling it, he sat back down. "Perhaps we should change the subject," he suggested. "We can pick this up another time." "I think that's a good idea," agreed Lofty. "And I have the perfect solution." Giving Scootaloo one more hug, she popped into the kitchen and came back with some chocolate-stuffed pastries. "Who wants some rugelach?"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirtieth: Tension	Scootaloo had intended to have her parents stay at the house before dinner, but after their argument, was glad that Holiday and Lofty still had their own house. Scootaloo's old bedroom was a better guestroom than the cot in the basement and the living room couch. More importantly, she didn't want to shout all night. The kids were pretty tired, as was Spike, so after dinner, they all went to bed early. However, with Scootaloo hinting throughout the day that she wanted to fool around, Spike kept himself awake in their bedroom, and when she crawled into bed, he wrapped his arms around her. "Not tonight," she sighed. "That whole thing put me in a bad mood..." Spike relaxed his grip a bit. He'd already warmed himself up. He had been there, too, and he wanted to make her feel better. At first, he'd thought to do so through an intimate internal massage, but now he was thinking that warm hugs were the answer. "Is everything alright?" he asked. "No," she grunted, pressing her forehead against his chest. "None of this is alright. I can't believe my parents don't like you!" "Well, to be fair, I'm a bit upset with them right now, too." "Well, yeah, but you have good reason to be. They just barged in and started messing with stuff that you worked hard to put together." "Yeah, but I proposed to the daughter they worked hard to put together. And I did it without asking their permission first." "You didn't have my aunts' permission, either." "Yes, I did," answered Spike. "Lofty was there when I requested the ring. In fact, she talked the jeweler out of overcharging me for the custom cut. She knew my intent, and approved." "Now if only my parents felt the same way," sighed Scootaloo. "They'll come around," assured Spike. "Everypony in town can see that we should be together. We can show two more." "I don't know," answered Scootaloo. "They tried to separate me from my loved ones before, and it took the whole town coming together to convince them to let me stay, and even that took two attempts." "But they did eventually see that Ponyville was best for you. Just give them a little time, and they'll see that I'm good for you." "Are you sure?" Spike pulled her close. "Even if I'm not what's best for you, I'm at least a good influence." "You made me pregnant," snorted Scootaloo, jokingly. "Those eggs were really painful to lay, you know..." "But now you have a son. And two wonderful daughters. And soon, a pretty alright husband." "And a house," added Scootaloo. "Don't forget that." "You see?" chuckled Spike. "If you can reach that conclusion, so can your parents." When Scootaloo awoke the next morning, Spike was still asleep. He'd been up for two days, and he'd stayed up even later making sure she felt well enough to sleep, so she understood why he was so tired. She took a deep breath, smelling the musk off his chest. He really was wonderful, from the way he thought about her to the way he smelled. She'd made a promise to him yesterday, and had broken it. Now, it was time to make good on that offer. Gently, she reached behind him and made sure his wings were tucked in, then rolled him onto his back. She was trying to manipulate his position without waking him up. Once he was facing the ceiling, she slid down his body, moving slowly so as to not drag the blanket down with her. The cold air would wake him, for sure. When she reached his legs, she could smell that his musk was way stronger down here. She'd smelled more virile and pungent dragons before, having lived in the dragon lands. Some of them had stenches so powerful that she could smell them across the cavern. But Spike's was the one she wanted. She knew his smell, and it was the one she chose to desire. Even if the other dragons had triggered more of a response than he had, she liked the way he smelled, because she liked him. She dug her tongue into his slit and wrapped it around his length, gently massaging it and wriggling inside his sheath. He stirred a bit, but did not wake. However, he began to peek through, just a bit, his tip just pressing past her lips. She kissed it, letting it slide into her mouth until the whole thing was out and ready to go. She gave it a few long, sensual licks, starting at the base and running up to the tip, then kissing it incrementally as she went back down. She rubbed her thumbs against his internal testicles, giving them a small fondle as she went. She knew he liked that, and even if he wasn't awake, it would be a pleasant ending to his dream. As she started to bob her head, the blanket came up, and Spike looked down at her. "Well, good morning to you, too. I take it you're feeling better?" Scootaloo said nothing, going all the way down and swallowing his entire length. He was longer than her mouth, and ended up in the back of her throat, but she was taking it like a champ. She was used to him by now, and not only did she know what he liked, but she knew how to do it. "You wanna scoot that tail end up here?" he asked. She came up slowly, sucking as she did until she had pulled off of him. "Nope." "You sure? I have a tongue of my own..." "This is your reward for being such a good husband," she smirked. "I'm not your husband just yet," he chuckled. "That's going to come soon, though." "You're going to cum soon," she teased back. With a snort, Spike reached down and grabbed her ankle, pulling her hips close enough to massage her slit with his claw. "And so are you, if I have any say in the matter." With a chuckle, she swallowed him again, moaning as he dug his claws into her pussy, rubbing and stretching it as she continued. She'd successfully made his awakening very special, and if he was about ready to pop, he would have to make up for her rather significant headstart.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-First: Shadow	"Sorry I'm late," huffed Spike, walking into the dining room. "I had to walk here today." Twilight looked up from her pancakes. "Why? Did you hurt your wing?" "No, but I was asked to bring Scoots's dad along with me today, and he can't fly. So instead of going in a straight line, we had to weave through the buildings." Snap walked in as Spike mentioned him. "So, this is the castle, eh? Seems pretty cushy." Twilight furrowed her brow. "Spike, can I talk to you in private?" she asked. "Of course." Spike knew she wasn't asking, but telling him that they needed to talk alone, and he was pretty sure he knew why. He'd told Scootaloo that this was a bad idea. "Why didn't you ask me first?!" shouted Twilight as soon as they were sealed in a bubble of silence. "I haven't even brushed my mane today!" "It just sort of happened!" answered Spike. "I didn't ask him to tag along, but I can't send him back now!" "Why is he here, though?!" Spike took a deep breath. "So, you know I'm marrying Scootaloo." "Right." "This is her dad." "I'm aware." "And he doesn't like me." "Oh, stop being ridiculous," waved Twilight. "Why wouldn't he like you?" "Because I'm marrying his daughter without his permission." Twilight shook her head. "Scootaloo's an adult by Equestrian standards. And since she's living in Equestria now, those are the practises she has to follow. She doesn't need parental consent for marriage." "I know that," growled Spike. "And she wants this marriage to go through. She's happier now than she's been in years, and I want her to stay that way. But yesterday, her parents showed up and started listing off ways that I wasn't good enough for their daughter, and that I'd forced her to change to meet my standard of beauty, and all of that." Twilight shook her head. "They just don't know you very well. You're a great dragon, Spike. Anypony can see that." "Anypony but Scootaloo's parents," he sighed. "When they showed up again this morning, Scootaloo was insisting that I spend some time with them. At first, I declined, citing that I had to come to the castle, but she insisted. I think seeing me providing for her and the kids will change their opinion of me, is her thought process." "Well, I can't argue with her logic," sighed Twilight. "Look, I have a few important meetings today with sensitive information." She leaned down and whispered "and right after breakfast, the first one is with Thorax." "You know he can't hear us inside this bubble, right?" Twilight glanced around. "Right..." "So you and your coltfriend want some time alone. I understand. Just give me something that looks hard to do so I can look busy?" Twilight put her hoof to her chin, then moved it to her forehead. "I'll tell you what. I was going to have you reorganize the library in a few days to make sure it was done properly. Why don't you take care of that this morning?" Spike furrowed his brow. "Are you mad?" "No, I'm just trying to look like I'm mad," she said, waving her hoof at him and scowling. "If I make it seem like you messed up by bringing him into the castle without my permission, maybe he'll feel bad about imposing on you like this. He should already feel bad about imposing on me." "Okay," sighed Spike, dropping his shoulders. "Thanks, Twilight." "You're welcome." She dropped the bubble and pointed to the door. "And make sure you do it right this time!" "Yes, ma'am," saluted Spike, rushing out of the room with Snap following behind him. Spike rushed to the library and started pulling books off the shelf one by one to check if they were, first and foremost, in the right section, second, on the right shelf, and third, alphabetised. The information was printed not on the spine, but under the front cover. He worked very quickly, and often just put the book right back where he'd picked it up from. Twilight was the primary user of this library, and Thorax was usually pretty close when putting books back, or he asked Spike for help if he'd forgotten where they went. That left the biggest offender of misplaced books just being on the return table, which Spike usually tended to every Monday and Thursday. Snap didn't really help, not being a librarian. As a researcher, his job was to record the information, not organise it. His reports were reviewed and edited long before being categorised, and when they went on the shelves, so many hooves had handled the information that it may have gone in a new direction than when he had originally filed his report. He wasn't trained as a librarian. Even if he had been, Spike had spent a lot of time doing this, and the first book he didn't put back just went onto the return table after only ten minutes. "What's wrong with that one?" asked Snap. "Card's full-up," answered Spike. "Also, there's no return stamp, so I have to send a notice that it was not listed as returned to the guard who borrowed it. Then I have to ask her when it was returned so it can be recorded." "Does that happen a lot?" "It happens sometimes," answered Spike. "Most of the time, it means that the guards who borrow the book are trying to be helpful and put the book back on the shelf for whoever reads it next. Puts it back in circulation faster. But it's like sending out a dish that's not fully cooked." "Could it have just been unstamped by a librarian who wasn't paying attention?" "It's possible," nodded Spike. "Or maybe they couldn't find the stamp, or the stamp was out of ink, or a few other reasons. All kinds of things could have led to this small mistake. I just have to make sure that it's corrected by stamping it as returned. It's more important that the problem is corrected so that we don't repeat it." "So, why do you think it wasn't stamped?" "The librarian probably missed it." In actuality, the return card had been marked as returned. The stamp was missing one of its rollers that changed the date, so the return information was printed in pen on the back. This had been two weeks ago, and a new stamp had already been purchased to replace the broken one. "The librarian missed it," repeated Snap. "Do you often miss things like that? Is that why Princess Twilight said you messed up last time?"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-Second: Lesson Interrupted	After the kids left with their friends, or left alone to join their friends at another location, Scootaloo went into the study and pulled a book off the shelf. "Is that what you're reading?" asked Mane, who'd followed her in. "No, I was just looking for something to stand on so I could reach the higher shelves," snarked Scootaloo. "Yes, I'm reading it, mom." "And you don't see the problem with that?" "I honestly don't," she answered. "But I'm sure you'd be willing to tell me." Mane folded her wings in front of her. "I'm not one hundred percent in love with your tone right now, Scootaloo. Aren't you happy to see your mother?" "Aren't you happy to see your daughter be married and starting a happy family?" "I would be, if I knew the stallion, but I don't." "That's not my fault. He's been living here since before this house existed. Back when this was a freshly-purchased plot of land with a tent and some rocks, this was his. And he and my aunts put the place together. They did that for me. This house was specifically built with the intent of raising the kids here." "So you knew going into it that you wanted kids?" Scootaloo froze for a moment. She had to pick her next words carefully. "When construction started, we knew we'd have kids, yes." "And how old are the kids?" Scootaloo took a deep breath. "The youngest just turned nine." "And the oldest?" "Just turned nine." "So this house has been in the works for ten years?" "It has, yes." "So tell me again why it's not decorated?" "I've been out of the country, mother. I've been living in the dragon lands." "The dragon lands." Mane took a deep breath. "For ten years?" "Yes." Mane paused. "You know, the whole reason we let you stay in Ponyville was because you had important work to do here. Why would you leave?" Scootaloo brought her claw up to her face and rubbed her temples. "I didn't want to leave; I wasn't given a choice. When I changed into a dragon, Princess Twilight contacted Dragon Lord Ember about checking up on my health. We found out that there's a law about dragon children growing up outside of the dragon lands, so I had to go. I had to escort the children." "Did you?" asked Mane. "You couldn't find a trustworthy babysitter in the dragon lands?" Scootaloo sighed, then turned and glared at her mother. "Do you know how it feels to grow up without your parents around?" "Scootaloo, I--" "Answer the question, mother," she growled. "Do you have any idea what that's like?" "It's less bad if you have a good babysitter." Scootaloo dropped her shoulders. "Aunt Holiday and Aunty Lofty were great three days a week. Jumping from house to house to be watched by ponies who would sometimes forget that I was staying with them the other four days was terrible. Do you know how many times I showed up at someone's place to stay the night, and they just weren't there?" "Forty-three," answered Mane. "You told us every time that happened." "And since Aunty Lofty forgot the key in her pocket, and the trains wouldn't run again until morning, I--" "You slept on a bench at the train station. I remember." "You slept on a bench?" Both of them turned to look at Rumble, who had just poked his head into the living room. "Sorry, your door was halfway open. I could hear you arguing from the street." "And who is this?" asked Mane. "Don't tell me you're seeing two different stallions?" "Don't be ridiculous," sneered Scootaloo, finally replacing the book on the shelf. "Rumble is helping me study. Rumble, this is my mother." "A pleasure," smiled Rumble, extending his hoof. "The pleasure is all mine," smiled Mane back. As she turned to look at Scootaloo, she cocked her head to the side. "Now, why couldn't you marry a charming stallion like this one?" "Mom?!" "What? He's kind of cute, and he's your age!" Rumble retracted his hoof to rub the back of his neck and blushed. "Mom, I'm not breaking up with Spike and marrying Rumble just because you think he's cuter than my fiance." "I'm not saying he's just cuter than Spike. He also made a better first impression." "When you just made a new first impression with Spike, he was trying to nurse me back to health. How is that a bad first impression?" "Rubble, here, was very polite, and he's trying to help you study for school." "It's Rumble, actually," he mumbled. "Sorry, should I come back later?" "No, no!" ushered Mane, pushing him to the couch. "You two sit down and study! I'll bring some snacks!" As she disappeared into the kitchen, Scootaloo sighed as she sat down next to Rumble. "Everything alright?" he whispered, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "My mom hates my fiance, but otherwise, no problem. How are you?" "I'm embarrassed. How was your party?" "I drank too much and fell asleep in another stallion's hooves." "Oof." "Nothing happened, and Spike forgave me. I was drunk, after all." "Well... I do think you look pretty..." He blushed again. After a short, but very awkward pause, he changed the subject. "So," he clapped. "Did you read that book I left with your aunts?" "No, I... I guess they forgot to give it to me. Things were really hectic yesterday." "Well, no matter. We can come back to it next time." He stood up and turned around. "So, let's talk about tornadoes..." Ten minutes later, Mane came in with a tray of hors-d'oeuvres, then left them alone to continue their lesson. They didn't hear a peep out of her for almost half an hour, when there came a shriek from upstairs. Scootaloo and Rumble dropped what they were doing and bolted up to the bedroom, where Mane was standing, surrounded by Spike's brand-new collection of sex toys. "What is all of this?!" she asked, mortified. Scootaloo buried her head in her claws. "Mom, what are you doing in here?!" "I was cleaning up!" she shouted back. "Is this what he's done to you? Has that dragon turned my daughter into some kind of sex maniac?!" Rumble, perhaps showing his intellect, or perhaps just his cowardice, slipped out of the room. He suddenly realised; he didn't want to be here anymore.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-Third: Friendship Seminar	Spike, Scootaloo, Twilight and Thorax sat with their faces covered by claws or hooves. Twilight had expected more problems to arise with Scootaloo's parents, but she hadn't expected them to arise this quickly. Twilight was the first to raise her head, taking a deep breath. She turned to Snap and Mane. "Would you two go out into the hallway for a moment? I'll call you back in once I've dealt with this." "We think we should be in attendance," argued Snap. "Our daughter is the one being indoctrinated, here." Twilight held up her hoof. "I'll call you back in when it's time." "Fine." Mane stood up. "Come on, Scootaloo..." "She stays," commanded Twilight. "She needs to see what happens." With a nod, Mane and Snap stepped out into the hallway. Twilight immediately locked the door and put up a sound barrier just as Thorax broke down in a fit of tears and laughter. "Thorax!" "I'm sorry!" he wheezed. "I'll just need a moment, you go on..." As he moved aside to resolve his fit of giggles, Twilight took another deep breath. It didn't do much to hide the fact that she, too, was giggling. "Now, Scootaloo, I want the whole truth. It's not that I don't trust Spike; I do, but you were there when it happened, and Spike was here. Undoubtedly, you and Spike had a conversation about this sudden influx of sex toys. Would I be correct in that assumption?" "Yeah," sighed Scootaloo. She wasn't quite happy about Thorax laughing at her situation, but had enough emotional maturity not to blame him. After this ordeal was over, she'd probably laugh about it, too, or if it had happened to somepony else. "Good. Communication is important, after all. My question is, was there anything there that he hadn't just brought home?" Spike looked up. "Twilight, you know I wouldn't!" Twilight held her hoof up. "Answer the question, Scootaloo. And be honest." Scootaloo thought back. "No, I don't think Spike had one to begin with. In fact, he should be pretty satisfied now that I'm back." "Scootaloo?!" gasped Spike. "Twilight, you see Spike five days a week. You have him for the whole day. You know he's not a sexual deviant." "Yeah, he's not nearly as bad as... that other guy..." deflected Thorax. Despite everyone in the room being aware that he was talking about himself, only Spike and Scootaloo knew that Scootaloo had been let in on that secret. "I'm just checking to make sure," dismissed Twilight. "I was pretty sure all of that stuff was new." "Like I said, it was still in its original packaging," confirmed Scootaloo. "Okay." Twilight took another breath. "Where were they being stored?" "In a box under the bed," answered Spike. "I didn't have a better place to put them to keep them away from the kids." "Yeah, that locking cabinet isn't big enough to hold all of them," nodded Twilight. "Especially since it's full of condoms, lube, and that one vibrating dildo," added Scootaloo. All eyes went wide and turned to Scootaloo. "What?" "Is that yours, or Spike's?" Twilight smacked Thorax for even asking. Scootaloo blushed as the realisation washed over her. "Oh. Yeah, it's mine." During one of their scheduled meet-ups, Spike had been particularly busy with an emergency crisis in Equestria; a swarm of parasprites had swarmed Appleloosa, and Spike was helping Twilight with food distribution while they waited for Pinkie to come to the rescue. To rescue Scootaloo from being "lonely," Smolder had given it to her. It had seen three uses in four years, because that was how often Spike missed their meets. Twilight clapped her hooves. "Okay. We now have a firm grasp of the situation." "Better the situation than the alternative." Thorax was smacked again. "Now, with the situation now fully understood, I have the solution. Wait right here." In a flash of light, Twilight was gone. Thorax turned to Scootaloo. "Your parents love you very much." "I know," sighed Scootaloo. "I don't feel that way right now, but I know it." "I can taste it," said Thorax. "It's that powerful." "I wish they could be happy for me," sighed Scootaloo. "They are. They're just more scared." "Don't be silly," chuckled Scootaloo. "My parents fight cragodiles and ursas and other monsters all the time. They're not scared of anything." "They're scared that Spike is going to turn you against them." "That's ridiculous," scoffed Spike. "I would never!" "I know that," nodded Thorax. "You both know that, Twilight knows that, everyone in Ponyville knows that. But her parents aren't residents of Ponyville." With another flash, Twilight returned, sliding a key across the table. "There is a locked chest in your basement, tucked under your train table." "You still have the train table?" smiled Thorax. "He does," answered Twilight. "And the whistle you gave him." "Nice." "So, we keep the box locked," concluded Scootaloo. "That is what you were about to say, right, Twilight?" "Yes," nodded Twilight. "It solves the problem of keeping your parents out of it, and also hiding them from your kids." "Thanks, Twilight," sighed Spike. "I don't know what we'd do without you. You've saved our scales." "Don't even worry about it," smiled Twilight. "Now, look..." she pressed her hooves together and leaned in. "I can't be called on for every small thing, and I know you two aren't the cause of that. But if you can, do try to come up with viable solutions on your own." She clapped twice. "Here's a good idea, Scootaloo. Why don't you go for a fly with your mother? One of the big reasons you wanted to stay with Spike in the first place is that he cured your inability to fly; tell her that." "Well, I guess I don't have a lot of options," sighed Scootaloo. "She already scared off my tutor, and he's probably preparing to go to work by now, so we can't really finish. That's two days I have to make up for, and a book I still have to retrieve." She sighed. "Well, I guess I can go see my aunts. They apparently have my weather book." "That's the spirit," smiled Twilight. "Now, I'm about to let your parents back in. Thorax, prepare to look disappointed. Spike, look hurt, and Scootaloo, look scared. Ready?" Everyone took their poses, though Thorax added a bit of disgust to his disappointment. Twilight put on a scowl, and unlocked the door, disspelling the sound block. "You can come back in, now..."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-Fourth: Maternal Instinct	After asking her mom to come fly with her for a bit, Scootaloo hadn't said much. She wasn't quite as fast as she usually flew, partially because of her sadness, partially because she was trying to come up with a way to start the conversation that wouldn't result in more shouting, and partially because her wing structure made her a remarkably fast flyer with little effort, and she didn't want to outfly her mom. She could probably even outpace Rainbow Dash if she tried, but just being enough to almost match was more than enough for her. Speaking of, Rainbow Dash flew by about ten minutes into the flight, waving passively, as she was doing a synchronised formation practice with Soarin and three other Wonderbolts, one of which was a cadet. Rainbow was at the left flank of the formation, keeping an eye on the others to be better able to critique them at the end so they could improve. Scootaloo considered asking Rainbow for help, but as she seemed busy, she just let her go on. "She seemed friendly," commented Mane. "Is she a friend of yours?" "She's practically family," sighed Scootaloo absently. "And if anything happened to me, she's the one we selected to take care of the kids." "Because Spike can't be trusted?" "Mother..." Scootaloo stopped and glared at her. "Why are you being so mean to him? What has he ever done to you that makes you think it's okay to infer that he's a bad parent?" "You're the one who said he wasn't going to be taking care of the kids," she shrugged. Scootaloo rubbed her claws over her face. "If something should happen to me or Spike, she's going to step in. If something happens to both of us, she's our first pick for making sure they all grow up happy and healthy." "Why not your parents?" "Because you don't know the kids like she does!" "I'm still their grandmother." "Name them." Scootaloo folded her claws. "What are the names of your grandchildren? You've met them a few times already. Start with my son. What's his name?" "Cudger." "Cudgel. Do you know why?" "I assume it sounded pretty at the time?" "It's because the dragons that took me in when I had nowhere to live were named Scepter and Mace. For ten years, they opened their home to us. I sent you pictures, mother! He was named after them as a show of gratitude." She sighed. "What about the next one?" "Rainbow Something." "Slash. She was named for her godmother, the very same pony who just flew by. She was there to support me when I needed it, and with her permission and in her honour, I named the middle child after her." "The last one is Barb, I know that." "Good. At least you remember one of them." "Who was she named after?" Scootaloo snorted a small jet of flame from her nostrils. "She is named after her father," she answered through her teeth. "Why are you so angry?" Scootaloo took a deep breath and sat down on a cloud. "Mother, since you came to Ponyville, there have been two things that I wanted more than anything. First was to sleep off a hangover, which I did eventually manage, and second was for you and dad to like my husband. At this point, I'd tolerate just being okay with him, but all you're doing is looking for any reason not to trust him." "I'm not looking for reasons, I just keep finding them." "In a closed box hidden under my bed, mother? In a place I wanted to keep out of sight? A place specifically chosen to make sure they stayed hidden while you tried to set me up with somepony else?" "Somepony who bolted at the first sign of trouble," scoffed Mane. "What a coward he turned out to be..." "That's because Ponyville is a nice place. If you don't cause problems, there aren't a lot of problems to deal with. Before I left, my whole reason for existing was to make the town of Ponyville a nicer place to be. That was always a key part of my need to be here in Ponyville, and my need to return. When I was gone, everypony worked really hard to make up for that, and nopony worked harder than Spike. Solving problems and making this a happy place are core tenets of what makes Ponyville great. All I want now is to live a happy life, making Ponyville a nice place to live, with all of my family being happy for me. Why can't you be happy for me?" "We are happy for you, Scootaloo." Mane rubbed her shoulder. "We love you, and we want you to be happy. But Spike--" "Wants me to be happy. He makes me happy. You may have noticed, we flew up here, mother." "Of course we did, sweetie," smiled Mane. "How do you think I managed that?" "With your wings, of course." "Right. Do you think I could have flown up here if I was a pegasus?" "Easily. When you were born, you had very big wings." "And they didn't grow through my entire life. When I was twelve, I had the tiniest, most malformed wings in Ponyville. Maybe even Equestria. I couldn't fly." "Yes, but the doctors said that you may yet fly one day. There was a likelihood." "A low one, and it was looking more bleak by the day. There was always a chance, but it was dying with each passing dawn. Then one day, just being referred to as a "cripple" hit me harder than it ever had before. Spike made me feel better, and the very next day, he gave me wings. It was the kindest, most generous thing anyone had ever done for me." "Aside from your aunts buying a house in Ponyville so you could live here?" "Close second." Scootaloo looked up into the sky. "Flying was something I'd always wanted to do. I wanted to be a magnificent flying ace, but now, I'm content to just be good at it. I like flying, mother, and if Spike never gave me dragon wings, I'd be stuck to the ground, still dreaming that I'd one day find that joy. I want to hold onto that happiness. Will you be the one responsible for taking it away?"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-Fifth: Fatherly Protection	"You still missed a few," called Snap. "There are still books on this table." "I am aware," said Spike, placing a stack of books on the cart that didn't quite fit. There were a lot of books that needed to be returned to their shelves, now that the shelves were properly organized, and Spike had already overloaded the return cart twice today. What would normally be five trips, he'd made four, with only half a cart or so remaining after this third run. "I'll come back for them." Spike had organised the books on the table before loading them up onto the cart, something he regularly had help from Twilight for. She'd have them organized the night before and stacked up, and all he had to do was return them to their shelves. After all, Twilight was better at it, and her magic specialized in organisation. Twilight could, and had, done this just for fun. But right now, Spike had to prove himself, and Twilight was going to let him do what he needed to in order to be impressive. But it wasn't working. Even if Spike was working harder and more efficiently at a task that was usually done by now with help, Snap wasn't having it. Then again, Spike could have guessed this. Having never been a librarian, Snap was ill-suited to be amazed with how smoothly and soundly Spike was working. Based on his arrival in Ponyville ten years ago, Spike would have to wrestle a cragodile. And unfortunately, Ponyville wasn't in crisis right now. Thankfully, a crisis did arrive. Not a large-scale, city-destroying crisis. It was one guard hobbling in on three hooves. "Oh, thank Celestia you're here, Spike. I need your help." "Gladly," answered Spike, puffing out his chest. "What do you need?" "Oh, no," interjected Snap. "The princess gave him a job to do, and he has to finish up. But I can help you. What do you need?" The guard turned her hoof forward, showing two puncture wounds. "I need to find out what kind of snake just bit me." "Why did you come to the library?" Snap scowled. "Why didn't you go to a hospital?" "I needed to find out what kind of snake it was!" she answered back. "If it's poisonous, I need to know what it was so they can give me the right antidote!" "Venomous," corrected Snap. "The snake would have to be venomous, not poisonous. If the snake was poisonous, that means you would have to have bitten it, not it having bitten you. If it was a poisonous snake that bit you, you don't need any antivenom, just antiseptic and a bandage." "No, I've seen what happens to ponies bitten by poisonous snakes. It turns bad quickly." "If the snake is venomous, it can turn bad very quickly." "What colour?" asked Spike, opening up a book. "Black, with a red-orange underbelly." Spike started flipping through the book. "Sounds like the south Saddle Arabian king viper," answered Snap. "There's no cure for that bite." As the mare began to turn pale, Spike turned the page. "They don't live anywhere near here, so unless you brought one in without declaring it at a customs office, we shouldn't have any." Spike looked up at Snap. "Did you bring a venomous snake into Equestria without permission?" "Just what are you accusing me of?" "Of what am I accusing you," corrected Spike, "and the answer is nothing. Just trying to figure out if the snake that bit her is one that lives on this continent." He turned to the guard. "How long was it? Twenty centimetres?" "Twenty-five, more like." "Collar around the neck?" "Yeah?" "dark brown collar?" "no, it was bright red-orange." Spike flipped to the next page. "Did it look like this?" He turned the book around and pointed to a picture. "Yes! Exactly that!" "Diadophis Punctatus Punctatus. Ring-necked snake. It's not very venomous. You'll be fine, just go see the royal physician." "Okay. Thanks, Spike!" As the guard left, Spike closed the book and set it on the table before resuming putting away the others. "You know, you could have killed her if you picked the wrong snake," snarled Snap. "What made you so sure you had the right one?" "It can't have been the Saddle Arabian king viper," answered Spike. "That's a seven-metre-long reptile that likes burrowing in warm sand. I looked for something local, then started asking further questions until I was sure, then had her confirm. Even if I'm wrong, the fact that I didn't see the snake means I'm not really liable. All I can say for certain is that she described what seemed to be a ring-necked snake, and those are decently common around here. She almost described the red-bellied snake, too, but that's why I asked another follow-up question. If I made the mistake, it was just as likely that anypony else would." "But you're supposed to be an authority..." "I'm trained as a librarian. I know how to organise, compile and locate information at a moment's notice. It's far more likely that she was bitten by something that lives nearby than something that would have to swim across the Sparkling Sea." "But it could have been that red-bellied snake you mentioned." warned Snap. "What if you're wrong?" Spike turned around. "If you're right, then she was just bitten by the smallest Saddle Arabian king viper to ever exist, and she's probably still safe, because it would have literally just hatched, and hasn't produced nearly enough venom to be deadly yet. If she lied to me and said the collar was a different colour than what it was, then she'll notice symptoms, and the first thing a doctor would do is check if there are similar-looking snakes nearby, and that doctor will find that red-bellied snakes also live nearby and are a close match." "Well, maybe you're right about this, but you could be wrong about other things." "Like Scootaloo?" Spike locked eyes with Snap. "I didn't say that." "You were thinking it." Both were silent for a minute or two, just glaring at each other. "Why are you bound and determined to make it seem like I'm a bad choice?" "I'm just concerned that my daughter isn't living up to her full potential," answered Snap. "She has an adventurous spirit, and you have a humdrum job as a librarian's assistant. How can she reach any lofty goals if you're anchoring her to this place?" Spike took a moment to breathe. He could argue that he wasn't holding her down, that he was trying to elevate her beyond what she could do alone, but to what end? Snap still wouldn't believe him, no matter what he said. He'd already made up his mind about Spike, and it had taken this long for Spike to realise that this argument would be unwinnable. "Fine," he said. "You win. Consider your daughter to be released from my bonds."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-Sixth: Broken Up	The next four days were the longest ones of Scootaloo's life. She had to go around town and tell everypony individually that she and Spike had broken up, and because they had been the cause of the problem, she dragged her parents around to every single meeting. There was a wide range of emotions, from Rarity screaming and demanding they leave her boutique, to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle bawling, to Rainbow Dash telling them they were the worst, most awful parents to ever exist, to Pinkie Pie saying that the six thousand bits that'd already been spent on the ceremony could not and would not be refunded. It was a wide range of negativity, but always the same intensity. When they came back from Sweet Apple Acres, the selected venue, Scootaloo didn't feel like talking, and went up to the room she'd been staying in since the breakup, that being Lofty's craft room. She and the kids were sleeping there in sleeping bags, rather than in the beds and rooms built specifically to match their tastes. "Are you happy with yourself, little brother?" asked Holiday, not looking up from her knitting. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?" Snap sat down and sighed. "Look, Spike wasn't a good fit for her. In time, she'll come to realize that this was just a crush, and she'll find somepony better. And it'll hurt less then, because she'll not have to go through the inevitable messy divorce. I saved her a lot of time and pain." "Did you?" snorted Holiday. "What if she really was in love?" "No one spends eternity with their first love," scoffed Snap. "Sooner or later, she'll realize that the only reason she picked him was for the sake of the kids, and if she's married, she'll grow to resent him." "She's already growing to resent you," countered Holiday. "You had her removed from her home, you deprived her children of one of their parents, and for what? So you can pretend to know what you're talking about?" "We're her parents. We know what's best for her." "We raised her," said Lofty, walking in from the kitchen. "Even if it turns out that Spike was the wrong choice, and he's not, your daughter has a truly remarkable ability to bounce back. Every time life hit her with a hard blow, she has stood her ground and faced it. If she woke up one morning and realised that she wasn't happy, the first thing she'd do is try to fix what's wrong. That's just the kind of girl she is. It doesn't matter if Spike is causing the issue; she'll make it work." "She's still too young to know for sure." Lofty sighed. "Do you remember when your sister and I married?" "That was different." "Was it? My father kept telling me that it was a bad idea; that Holly was a horrible influence on me, and that she was the only pony I'd ever dated, so how could I possibly know if it was real love if I've never experienced a stallion before. My dad hated your sister, and my mom only convinced him to let the marriage happen with the assurance that we'd be separated within six months." "I actually never knew that," admitted Holiday. "Did your parents really hate me? I thought they were just uncomfortable with you being a lesbian?" "No, they thought you were terrible," affirmed Lofty. "And that's why I always insisted on not visiting them for Hearth's Warming." She turned to Snap. "So what do you think? Does father know best? Should I abandon your sister because nopony ever makes the right choice the first time? Or do you think your daughter is smart enough to make the right choice and strong enough to handle the consequences of her actions?" "She's just a filly." "She is an adult pony in the body of a young adult dragon. She's older than you were when you and Mane eloped. And remind me why it was that you did that?" "Because..." Snap snorted. "Because Mane's parents didn't want her marrying a stallion with no money..." "Did her parents know better?" Snap didn't answer, but his silence spoke volumes. "You're allowed to not like him," concluded Lofty. "I didn't for a long time. For two and a half years, he was the boy who stole Scootaloo from Ponyville. He lost me my niece. There have been times where I was glad to be right, but this time, it's good that I was wrong." Snap sighed and stood up, walking out into the hallway. Lofty was right; Scootaloo was very capable, even as a filly. She could handle this. She just needed a bit of fatherly advice, and she could handle this. As he raised his hoof to knock on the door, though, he found that he couldn't bring himself to do so. It was a soft whimpering on the other side of the door that stayed his hoof; somepony was crying. "Come here, dearest," said Scootaloo. "What's the matter?" "I wanna live with daddy!" sobbed one of the girls. "I miss my bed," moaned the other. "We just came here to Ponyville," growled Cudgel. "I thought we came here to reunite our family? Now we have to split it up again. Are we all abandoning our new friends to return to the dragon lands?" "Cudgel, stop," sighed Scootaloo. "This situation is already bad enough; we don't need to make it worse." "Are my parents going to end up the same as Gridline's?" he asked. "Are you and dad going to fight each other for my affection? Are you each going to buy me shiny new things and then taint the gift by immediately saying "Your dad doesn't love you enough to buy nice things like that?" I listen to his parents hate each other all day when I go to his houses. I don't want to pretend not to see the problem like he does." Scootaloo sighed. "I really hope it doesn't come to that, Cudgel. Your father loves you all very much, and he wants to be with you. He wants us all to live together. That's why he proposed right after we moved in." Snap hung his head. There was something he had to do before he could face his daughter.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-Seventh: Reengaged	Snap moved deliberately through the streets until he came to Spike's place. All the lights were off, but he pounded on the door with his hoof, anyway. When no answer came, he pounded even harder. "You know they have a doorbell, right?" Snap turned around to see a young hippogriff sneering lightly at him. "Do you have a key?" "No," she scoffed. "Why would I have a key? It's not my house..." Snap grabbed the door handle and tried to twist it, but it was locked. He pounded again, rang twice, then pounded again. "They're not home right now," the hippogriff said, returning to her gardening. "Scootaloo and the kids haven't been here in days. It's just Spike there, now, and he's not in." "Where is he?" "Probably still at the castle. He usually shows up ten minutes from now. I suggest you wait for him." Snap sighed and approached her. "Do you spend a lot of time with them?" "Not really. I just live next door. I used to spend some time with Spike, back when he was living alone, but I haven't really spoken to him outside of some passing platitudes since his family came back. Well, and the block party, but that's another story for another time." "Are they good together?" "Sure. I don't know how long they've been married, but they seem fine." "They're not married." The hippogriff looked up. "Seriously? I thought they were. They certainly act like they are." "Do they?" "Yeah. They behave like they've been happily married for years. Are they seriously not married yet?" "Not yet," sighed Snap. "But they're going to be." "Oh. I'm guessing you're helping to plan the wedding, then?" "You could say that..." Suddenly, the kitchen light clicked on. Spike had entered through the back door. He walked in, as could be seen through the archway, and grabbed a half-eaten plate of nachos from the fridge, placing it on the counter as he clicked on the oven with his tail. "Excuse me," bowed Snap. "I have a wedding to plan." As he pounded on the door again, Spike came to answer it. "We have a do-- oh." "I need a word with you," growled Snap, pushing past Spike into the hallway. "Sure, come in, I guess," shrugged Spike, closing the door. "I was just wondering if tonight was going to be quiet..." Snap turned around and glared at Spike. "I have some questions for you, and you're going to answer them honestly. Do you understand?" "Clearly." Snap scowled. "Are you mocking me?" Spike sighed. "Not at all. I'd like to change my answer to something more succinct, though: I understand your request unobsequiously." Snap pouted. "My doctorate is not in literature or language arts. Speak Celestia's plain Ponish!" "I understand exactly what it is you mean when you say you want me to answer honestly," groaned Spike, rolling his eyes. "Good. What are your intentions for my daughter?" "I had intended to marry her," answered Spike. "Now, I intend to find some way of making her and the kids happy without me being around." "You don't intend to marry her anymore?" "She values very highly the opinion of her parents. She's been seeking your approval since she was three years old. And you told her I was a terrible dragon, and that she shouldn't marry me. You told me the same." "Do you still want to?" "Of course. It's you that doesn't want that." Snap was silent for a moment. Upon hearing the oven sound off, Spike retreated to reheat his nachos, then returned to the hallway. "Was there something else you wanted to ask?" "Show me the ring." Spike pursed his lips. "That's not a question." "Just do it." "I can't." "Why not?" "I don't have it." Snap scowled deeply. "You didn't even buy a ring?! Not even a simple one?!" "I had one made," answered Spike calmly. "It was a custom job." "Then show me!" "I can't!" "Why not?!" "Because Scootaloo took it with her when she left!" They were both silent for a moment, just staring at each other. "She probably still has it," shrugged Spike. "I had it made to represent the family we wanted. If she still has it, and she probably does, the only think I can see being changed about it is a missing amethyst. The big one in the half-round. The rest would be too precious." "Amethyst?" Snap turned up his nose. "What kind of engagement ring has amethysts?" "The one I designed," answered Spike. "Yeah, but it's supposed to be a diamond. It's supposed to make her feel beautiful." "That's nonsense," waved Spike. "All the ring does is cover up the natural beauty that is her claw. It's meant to represent more than that, but what it means and what it does are two different things." With a snort, Snap grabbed Spike by the wrist. "Come with me." "One moment..." Spike pulled away and returned to the kitchen, pulling his nachos out of the oven, placing them on a stand under a cloche and turning the oven off. "Okay, lead the way." Snap grabbed Spike's arm, holding him tightly as he dragged him through Ponyville to Holiday and Lofty's home. It was there that he pulled Spike down to the ground, kicking the back of his knee to force him to kneel. "You're going to ask her again. Properly this time." He rang the doorbell. Lofty was the one who answered. "What in Tartauros?!" "Bring Scootaloo down," said Snap. "Your favourite dragon wants a word with her." Scootaloo appeared from the dining room, having not been upstairs. "What's going on?" she asked, confused. "You're both going to make a decision," said Snap. "Now..." With the strike of Snap's hoof against the back of his shoulder, Spike looked up at Scootaloo. He offered his claws, and she took them. His thumb ran over the ring twice, firmly wound around her claw. With little effort, he retrieved it, then held it up for her to see. "Scootaloo, ever since the day we met, we've been on good terms. Occasionally, we have had our spats, but given time and effort, we have always come to forgive each other. Much like any relationship, we've grown together, each with the help of the other. You've always seen the good in me, and I in you. That is what love is, and I love you. "But there's more to it than that. I feel that way about almost everypony in Ponyville. But with you, it's different. It's stronger. It's the kind of love that is uncompromising; unshakeable. With everypony else, any blow at the right place could topple the mountains and burn the bridges on the way down. But with you, an army of bloodthirsty Timberwolves couldn't shatter what we've made together. "That's why I want you to have this ring. It represents my dream for our family, and it is my hope that you share this dream with me. While I would prefer not to make a spectacle of the event and force you to say "yes" just to keep onlookers from booing you, it is, in this circumstance, unavoidable. Regardless of what your aunts' neighbors think, regardless of what your dad thinks, I want to know what you think. "When I asked you this before, you answered right away. With how long it has been since I last asked, I trust that you've thought it over and asked yourself if this is really the right choice. "Scootaloo. Will you marry me?" Scootaloo took the ring and fit it back onto her claw. "I would love to, Spike." She grabbed him by the jaw and pulled him up into a deep, passionate kiss. "I told you it'd work," whispered Lofty to Holiday.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-Eighth: Shrouded	With the wedding back on, Spike took his entire day off to rush around Ponyville and make sure everypony important was informed of the change in plans. Some of them already knew that the wedding wasn't really cancelled, as Lofty had told them to just act like it was. She and Spike had been working together to design a scenario of how bad Scootaloo's life would be if she was forced to abandon the marriage. Scootaloo was let in on it, of course. Spike had told her first, then Lofty had made sure to let her know when they moved in. Half of Ponyville was happy to play along if it meant helping the couple out. After all, they were both beloved by the original citizens of the town back when it was a fifth the size. When it came time to tell Apple Bloom, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy, he ran into Pharynx, who was slamming his body against the barn door. "What are you doing?!" shouted Spike, grabbing him by the hooves. "Stop, Pharynx!" "He's in there!" snarled Pharynx back. "That arsehole that poisoned Hemiptera, and now I'm going to show him just what happens when you mess with my hive!" He wrenched his hooves free and slammed into the door hard enough to crack it. As he wound up again, Spike noted that Pharynx's left front leg was limp, and bleeding. That was the hoof he grabbed this time, prompting a deeply pained yelp from Pharynx. "Let go!" he shouted, not pulling very hard to remove his leg. "Let me go!" "Just talk to me," said Spike. "And let me bandage that arm before you break it beyond repair." Pharynx looked back at the door, and even Spike could see a large yellow eye behind it. "If he flees--" "I'll hunt him down myself and deliver him to you." "Twilight said the same thing before we figured it out..." He snorted in frustration, then landed, not taking his eyes off the door. "Do what you must." Spike began patching up his shoulder as best he could. He was no doctor, and Pharynx definitely needed one after this, but he could at least keep him from bleeding as much. "Now, what's going on?" "You remember the changeling that turned into Rarity at your party?" "Yeah?" "Hemiptera. She's a florist back home. She gives flowers to changelings that will be interacting with ponies, and when the ponies enjoy the flowers, they give love to the changelings, who are fed, and can even bring some of that back to the hive. She's literally farming love." "Right." "She's also the one that dressed up as Fluttershy and sent Discord back home." "Okay." "When she left, she was fine. When she returned, she was under a chaos mind-control magic." Spike swallowed. "So, that was..." "Discord pulling another prank," finished Pharynx. "No one hurts my hive-mates..." "And now he's hiding behind Applejack's barn door." Spike stood up. "One moment. Keep an eye on him, but stay here." He walked to the farmhouse and came back a few minutes with a compression wrap. "He's still in there," said Pharynx. "I can see him." "Not for long," said Spike. "Just wait." After a brief pause, the doors flew open, and Big Mac came out, carrying a cardboard cutout of Discord. "He wasn't in there?!" fumed Pharynx. "Nope," answered Big Mac. "But I saw him go in there! He was moving around!" "Eeyup." "He was in there at some point, but he disappeared." "I'm going to find him," swore Pharynx. "Mark my words, I will find him!" As he flew off, Spike returned to his task, going to Fluttershy's cottage. "It's Spike," he called, knocking on the door. "May I come in?" "One moment!" called Rarity. After a few moments and some clattering, she returned with "Come in!" Spike pushed the door open, but kept his head outside. "Are you decent, now?" "Oh, I usually am, darling," smiled Rarity, her mane slightly matted. "We just had to make sure Scootaloo's dress was put away before you came in. Bad luck to see it before the wedding, you know." "Is it?" asked Spike. "Who decided that?" "Well..." Rarity shuffled her hooves. "That's a bit of a sore subject. Let's just call it tradition, hm?" Spike shrugged. "I'll look it up later. It can go into Twilight's notices of historical facts. I promise, if you tell me, though, I won't be hurt by it." Rarity took a deep breath. "Okay. You want to know? It dates back to when marriages were arranged far more commonly. You see, it was often the case that, when the groom would see the bride for the first time, he would think her to be plain, drab, or even ugly. If he saw her before the wedding, he could call it off. But if they were already married, divorce was almost unheard of." "Wouldn't he see her at the altar during the ceremony?" "Not if she's wearing a veil," answered Fluttershy, draping a thick cloth over her head. "Well, Scootaloo isn't ugly at all," answered Spike. "I don't know if we want to cover her face with a veil. Surely, we can play into her natural beauty, can't we?" "Well," thought Rarity, bringing her hoof up to her chin. "I was going to have her veil very billowy, as that's very in right now, but I think you're right. Maybe just a crown of flowers? Some horn wraps?" "I'll let her decide," smiled Spike. "I just don't like the idea of covering up her face so that I can't see her." "Now." Rarity clapped her hooves together. "On to the real reason we called you out here. Fluttershy?" "Right." As Fluttershy dashed into the kitchen, Rarity turned to Spike. "Now, I don't know if Fluttershy told you, but we were working on something for your wedding. We had intended for it to be your gift for the bachelor party, but it wasn't ready. With the big day approaching, it's high time we showed you what it is you're going to be wearing. We're also going to have you try it on to check the fit." "Here it is!" smiled Fluttershy, pushing a covered mannequin forward. "Are you ready to see it?" Spike nodded. "And keep in mind, Spikey-wikey, that if something doesn't fit right, we can fix it." Rarity pulled back the curtain, revealing his suit. "Well, darling? What do you think?" Spike had to pick his jaw up off the floor. "It's perfect..."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Thirty-Ninth: The Last Night Apart, Together	All of Ponyville was in an uproar. As the last of the preparations fell into place, Dragon Lord Ember herself showed up with a royal entourage. While Thorax was a somewhat common sight in Ponyville, he and Twilight dressed up in full regalia was far less common. Even to creatures that had nothing to do with it, this wedding was a big deal. While a lot of the core services of Ponyville were going to remain open for the day, others were shutting down. Sweet Apple Acres, for example, would be closing their gates to all but invited guests. Sugarcube Corner was closing down to cater the reception. Rarity's Carousel Boutique would even be closed on the day, as Yona was filling a special order and had to focus on making a new dress, and couldn't run the shop at the same time. She was still an apprentice, after all. After the rehearsal, everyone went back home, rather than going out to eat. Spike could tell that Thorax wanted to give his speech, but the rest of them wanted to save that for the wedding itself, so the guests could hear it. It just wouldn't hit the same if only the wedding party were allowed to hear it. Twilight had promised to go over it again with him, though, if he wanted to practice. "Are you nervous?" asked Scootaloo when she and Spike came upstairs. "It's okay if you are." "A bit," nodded Spike. "This is a big change." "It's a big change for me, too," assured Scootaloo. "I'm nervous. But there's something I use to fight it." "Oh?" Scootaloo pulled Spike in close and stared into the middle distance that was the window at the end of the hallway. "There I was, twenty metres in the air. The chill of the wind rippled across my skin. My heart was pounding in my chest. I didn't know if I could do it. Everything seemed to make sense, but I'd never even practiced this move. But it was time. "Kicking off the back wall, I started careening down the ramp, keeping my mass tight and low, building up as much speed as I possibly could. The air whistled in my ears, the bugs splattered against my chest, and my tail whipped behind me. "And then came the dip. The sudden shift in gravity threw me off-balance, and at the end of the ramp, I had turned ten degrees off course. My Scooter flew one way, and I flew the other. I ploughed face-first into the ground." "That sounds terrifying!" gasped Spike. "How is that supposed to calm my nerves?" "It isn't," answered Scootaloo. "It just provides context. What's actually supposed to calm you is this: I walked away from that crash. Aunty Lofty wouldn't let me even climb up the ramp without my helmet and pads, and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were close when they guessed where I would land and almost managed to drag the mattress over. I was okay, because the ponies I loved were there to protect me. And when we come back down from that altar, they're going to be right there by our side." "That... Actually, yeah, that does make me feel better." "We just had the rehearsal. You did well at the practice session. We're going to have an officiant guiding us through line-by-line. Our vows are written out on paper that we'll have, and can just read if you forget. Even then, if we mess up, we can just roll with it. No one's going to care that much if you forget a line. You could even forget my name, and blame it on stress or pressure to perform. Just do your best." Spike shuffled in place. "Are you sure you won't be mad if I forget your name?" "Oh, I'll be pissed. But I'll probably forgive you, eventually... That doesn't mean just do it, though." "Well, I'll just have to come up with something else," smiled Spike, scooping her up. "Something to make this big day more memorable." "Oh, stop," waved Scootaloo, wrapping her tail around his waist. "It'll be memorable enough with all of the work we put into it." "Now," Spike closed the door with his tail, "what do we have here? A delicate, unwed dragoness in the prime of her youth?" "And what's this? A big strong drake in gleaming scales, ready to ravish her all night long?" "Maybe," answered Spike. "We really should find some time for sleep, though." "We can sleep after," huffed Scootaloo, leaning in for a kiss. "Right now, I want you to take me." "As you wish," smirked Spike, lowering her to the bed. He slid down her body, kissing her as he went, until his claws reached her curled-up toes. "You're not going to mount me?" she asked. "Consider that my reward for doing a good job at the ceremony," answered Spike before digging his tongue into her. "An extra vow," breathed Scootaloo. "I like it..." Spike said nothing, but smiled in response. His mouth was better utilized in another task, and he was going to ensure that it was done properly. From the fork in his tongue pressing against her clitoris to his claws pushing her legs back and apart for deeper, wider access, he buried his snout between her thighs. When she was done, he gave her a second climax with his claws before curling up around her. She could feel him throbbing against her thigh with every fifth pound of her heart in her chest, but she was content to just leave it as it lay. If Spike wanted to wait until he'd done the ceremony proper, she'd support him. If having something to look forward to would remind him to ensure that he did it right, then she would oblige him. In the meantime, she drifted off to sleep. She was ready for her big day. But Spike was still nervous. He'd wanted to exude an air of confidence, as a show to Scootaloo that he was ready, but in truth, he was terrified. This was, without a doubt, a big step, and any small stumble could see him messing up everything they'd worked toward. If everything was about to change, and it inevitably would, what if that change only made things worse? After all, if everything was already perfect, wouldn't a big change make it worse? He pulled Scootaloo close to his chest. He'd lost her before, and he almost had a second time. He didn't know if he could handle a third.
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Fortieth: Finality	When Scootaloo awoke, she was cold. Spike wasn't in bed behind her. She even rolled over to check. He was nowhere to be found. She rolled out of bed and took a deep breath. Today was her wedding day, and her husband was missing. Twilight knew what day it was, so she definitely wouldn't have scheduled him to work today, or for the next few days as they enjoyed their honeymoon. They hadn't even talked about their honeymoon yet. Twilight had brought it up in terms of scheduled time off, but Spike had opted to focus on making sure the wedding went smoothly. All he'd said about the honeymoon was that they'd be spending time together, and that was enough for him to be happy. Well, no matter. She moved over to the bathroom and started up a shower. She had to make sure she was clean before slipping into the dress. However, a few moments into her scale scrub, the doorbell rang. She continued scrubbing for a bit, but then it rang again. Wherever Spike was, he wasn't in the house, and that was worrisome. She rushed through the rest of her shower, tossed a towel around herself, and came downstairs as the doorbell rang out a third time. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she shouted, yanking the door open. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were waiting for her. "Y'all almost ready to go?" asked Apple Bloom. "We need ya down at the farmhouse ta fitchya inta yer dress!" "I was in the middle of my shower," answered Scootaloo. "Hurry up!" urged Sweetie Belle. "We'll wake up the girls, and they can have breakfast while we do up our manes." "I don't have a mane," answered Scootaloo, running her claws back along her spines. "Go finish your shower!" repeated Sweetie Belle. "We need to go!" Scootaloo rushed upstairs and finished her shower while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle woke Rainbow Slash and Barb. There wasn't a lot left to do, as she'd scrubbed most of her body clean, but had left a few sections undone, as she'd not had time to scrub between her toes. Fully clean and dried, she came out to the hall to find that her friends and daughters were waiting. "Where's Cudgel?" "Prob'ly in the barn by now," ushered Apple Bloom, trying to push everyone toward the door. "He should'a been out of the shower by now." "He's at Sweet Apple Acres?" "Yeah! Let's go already!" Scootaloo hurried everyone out the door. "I'll meet you there!" she called back as she immediately took to the sky after locking up. She flew in as straight a line as she could manage, as fast as her wings could take her, not slowing until she saw Spike and Cudgel standing in the barn door, coming to a stop next to them. "There you are!" "Here we are," said Spike back. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming out here early?" "I left a note," answered Spike. "It was right there next to your plate of latkes." "What latkes?" Spike looked back at her. "I was having trouble sleeping, so I made you breakfast. Cudgel had a nightmare, so he ate with me, and then I left breakfast for you and the girls in the kitchen while we came out here for an early start. Have you not eaten yet?" "Can't have that, can we?" said Applejack, coming out of the barn. "Nope," answered Big Mac. "Come on, let's stuff ya full a' fritters." The next half hour passed rather quickly as Scootaloo ate and her daughters used the shower. Fluttershy had arrived to help with the mane styling while Rarity was out in the barn helping Spike and Cudgel dress up for their parts. "Now, we have to have all of you dressed up properly," said Pinkie, going over her party plan. "Scootaloo is the most important, obviously, but she's also going to be the last one to show up. The first two to go out will be Slash and Barb, so they have to be in their dresses first. After that, we have a small amount of wiggle room, and we all know how much I love to wiggle. I should put a wiggle room in my house. A place where you go just to wiggle." "That's ridiculous, Pinkie," snorted Applejack. "Is it?" asked Pinkie. "I guess it is. I already have two of those, anyway..." Applejack rolled her eyes. "Anyway, once they spread the flowers down the aisle, Spike's groomsponies take their places. That is, Big Macintosh, Shining Armor, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and finally, the best bug, King Thorax. Once they take their places, Spike walks down the aisle, alone, as he's opted to have Twilight standing next to him, rather than sitting in the front row. "That's when we start. Sweetie Belle, you're first, then Apple Bloom, then Rainbow Dash." She looked around. "Is Rainbow Dash here yet?" "Not coming," said a voice from the front door. Two mares in Wonderbolt gear had just walked in. "Thee thent uth to take her plathe." "She did what?!" fumed Applejack. "Whadda ya mean, "not coming?!" She's the mare a' honour!!" "Yeah, she was pretty pissed off when she heard the news this morning," answered Spitfire. "You've never heard such a tantrum." "I think halfway through, her thwearing turned into gibberith," huffed Fleetfoot. "Thee thaid thee'll be back ath thoon ath thee can, and that if we meth up your thpethal day, that thee'll kick our atheth." "Ah'll kick hers if she ain't here by the time the vows are done!" shouted Applejack. "Why didn't y'all handle it so she could be here?" "We don't control the cutie map," shrugged Spitfire. "It wanted her and Soarin. And Soarin's not even involved with it." "It'll be okay," assured Scootaloo, though her voice betrayed her fear. "She'll be here. She'll make it back in time. Rainbow Dash always does the right thing, right?" Pinkie placed her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder. "Of course she does. She'll be back in time to put on her dress and greet you at the altar." When even Pinkie sounded unsure, it didn't bode well for the wedding. Still, Scootaloo tried to stay positive. At least this was the only problem they would have... Right?
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Forty-First: Opening Ceremony	"Is everyone ready?" asked Thorax. "It's almost time." Spike looked around the room. He and Cudgel were wearing the same suit. Big Mac was wearing a black and white tuxedo, the most basic wear in the room. Shining Armor was wearing a blouse and jacket befitting a prince of Equestria. Finally, Thorax was in his royal gear, looking very kingly. The only member of his half of the wedding party that wasn't here was Twilight, and she was in the farmhouse with all of the other girls. It was better that she dress away from wandering eyes, especially if her brother was in the room. "How do you feel?" asked Spike, putting a claw on Cudgel's shoulder. "Scared," admitted Cudgel. "What if I mess up?" "No one's going to be mad if you mess up," assured Spike. "Just walk to the front and step to the side, just like we rehearsed, okay?" "There go the flower girls," announced Thorax. "Big Mac, Shining Armor, you're up." Big Mac pushed the comb through his mane one more time before exiting the barn, keeping in step with Shining's pace. Twilight came out next, wearing her golden gorget and tiara. Her dress was a pastel yellow and satin blue gown, bedazzled with small amethysts and trimmed with gold and silver stars. She was joined by Thorax at the end of the aisle, bowing to each other before walking up to the altar. Thorax wore no crown, as his horns served to emulate one, but he had covered them in trumpet honeysuckle and fuchsia. Over a simple red jacket, he wore a stunning purple cape embroidered with a lilac print and trimmed with faux lavender petals. "A little overdressed, aren't we?" whispered Twilight. "A little," whispered Thorax back. "But until this stigma disappears, this is the closest I'll come to the altar with you. I wanted to show you how well I clean up." "You do, that," chuckled Twilight. "Just try to remember who's most important today, would you?" They reached the end of the aisle, and Spike stepped out of the barn in time with the music. He was all dressed up in the outfit Rarity had made for him. His ensemble started with a pair of light brown boots with silver wingtips. That was the one change he's asked Rarity to make to his outfit, as this had all started with Scootaloo's wings. Going up, he wore a pair of black breeches with a green outer seam. Above the dark purple sash, a white shirt peeked through, but was swiftly covered up by the main piece of his garb; the jacket. Rarity had really outdone herself with this design. It had started as an embroidered dark green satin tailcoat with black epaulettes. Atop the epaulettes were six embroidered chevrons and a star with six points, done up in purple thread. The sides, back and sleeves had been embroidered entirely in running stitches, arranged in a floral pattern Spike had not recognised, but didn't question because it was just beautiful. The cuffs, waistband and collar were puffed up and looked to be some sort of gambeson, with the outermost layers being silk. Down the front of the jacket were two sheets of black satin with intermittent brass buttons. Running horizontally across the chest were six straps of unknown material, likely something Rarity had brought from abroad, coming together in black metal clasps. Finally, over his heart was a golden badge with a chain to match, with the inscription reading "Maximo Optimo, Amicus Omnibus." After taking his place, Spike watched as Cudgel came up the aisle. He had no badge, but he carried a small round pillow with two rings. One was the ring he had given to Scootaloo, as he would be presenting it for the third time. The second was a simple silver band, which she would be presenting to him. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle came next. They were both wearing the same gown, a simple yet elegant affair, with a corset running into a puffy skirt with pleats. Separate from the rest of the dress were the sleeves, smooth and shiny, and a little bit billowy. Sweetie Belle's dress was a pastel violet, where Apple Bloom's was peach. Next would have been Rainbow Dash. Her outfit would have been her Wonderbolts jumpsuit, sans the headgear, with a rainbow cloak draped over it. The cloak was lined with white faux fur with black tips, and a crown of flowers would sit on her head. But since she wasn't here, Spitfire and Fleetfoot walked up together, instead. They just wore their jumpsuits, with their hoods up and goggles on. As soon as they took their places, the string quartet drew to a close on their first march. Everypony stood up and turned around, and Spike had his first look at Scootaloo in her wedding dress. It was big, first of all. Spike had not expected something quite so large. Still, it was beautiful. Having her father walking next to her, Spike could tell that the ball gown was very soft and mostly full of air, so it wasn't heavy. Like the dresses the bridesmaids wore, the skirt was pleated, but rather than being boxed like theirs, Scootaloo's was gathered, giving it a softer appearance. Around her waist, she wore a thin, pastel green sash. At the top of her shoulders, cutting down into her bust, a pouf of chiffon banded around the top of the dress like a collar. Much like her friends, her sleeves were not connected to the dress, but instead, the gloves. Rarity had taken Spike's advice to heart, and had skipped the veil. Tiny flowers, as white as her dress and gloves, wrapped around her horns, culminating in a big orange tiger lily at the base of the left one. These flowers made up for the lack thereof in her bouquet, which was filled with aromatic herbs, much to her mother's dismay. That feeling was not shared by the crowd, however, who were all quite taken with the pleasing scents of sage and rosemary permeating the air as she walked to the altar. She did stumble twice, but her dad was there to catch her both times until she was standing in front of Spike, both smiling to see each other again as the second march came to a close. "Everything alright?" asked Spike, whispering to her. "I think something ended up in my shoe," answered Scootaloo as her parents and aunts ceased following her and moved to their seats in the front row. "I'll be fine to stand, just, hold my claw as we leave, would you?"
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Forty-Second: The Vows	As the band fell silent, Smolder, who had been standing at the altar the whole time, raised her claws. "Everyone, take your seats!" Everyone sat down with the exception of the wedding party and a few of the ponies running the event. Spike could see that Pinkie Pie was bouncing around the farmhouse though the window, and the Cakes and Applejack were in the kitchen. Ember was slow to sit, as were some of the other dragons she'd brought with her, and Garble had to be told a second time to sit down. Dragon weddings were not like this. Smolder pulled up a small booklet that she'd brought with her and flipped it open. "Fillies and gentlecolts... and other non-pony races, we gather here today to witness the union of groom's name and bride's name." There was a murmur from the assorted guests, and a bit of sniggering from the crowd. Rather than continue reading, Smolder closed the book. "You know what? This book needs updating before we use it again. It's not fit for our situation." As she set the book aside, Twilight grabbed it and a pen, and started scribbling. It wasn't the original, just a copy she'd made, so if there was to be a revision, this was a good template. Smolder clapped her claws. "Anyway, we all know why we're here. Spike and Scootaloo have loved each other for a long time. They've built a home, built a family, and now, we're here to wed them to each other. By dragon standards, they're already married, but I guess ponies have a whole ceremony for it." Twilight unbound the booklet and gave the first part, now revised, back to Smolder. "If, for any reason, someone here believes these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace," she read. "That line seems kind of strange, doesn't it? First of all, if someone didn't want to see them together, why would they come to the wedding? To stop it from happening? Kind of bleak, if you ask me... If they wanted to object, tell them before they spend all this time and effort putting it together. This would be the worst time for it." She sighed. "Okay, then. If anypony wants to ruin this whole thing, just belt it out now." The crowd was deathly silent. Everyone from the ponies to the dragons, and even the birds were afraid to make a single chirp for fear of destroying all of the hard work being presented to them. If Equestrian, changeling and dragon royalty were supporting this union, no one wanted to be the one arsehole that openly opposed all three of them. "Excellent," nodded Smolder as Twilight gave her the rest of the book, tossing a lot of the unused pages aside for later revision when she had time. "Now, the couple has decided to write their own vows, which is good because the one in the book sounds a mess. Spike, you're first." Spike squeezed Scootaloo's claws. He'd written his vows with Twilight, and she'd made him redo them twice, and she had made him practice three times a day for the past week, even when he wasn't working. He turned to wave Cudgel up. "Scootaloo, when I saw you crying on that park bench, I was instantly stricken with the desire to make everything alright. All I wanted in that moment was to help you find your smile again. To that end, I postponed the task I was supposed to be doing just to make sure you'd be okay. Since then, that has been my prerogative; to ensure that you are well, both physically and emotionally. "On this day, my promise to you is that, for the rest of our time together, I will be by your side. If not physically, I will be there in spirit. I will be holding you aloft when your weather license comes in. I will be keeping you strong when the kids go off to college. When they start lives of their own, I will be right there beside you. Nevermore will you be lonely or defenseless, for I will be on your guard until the world itself is torn apart. This I swear, on my honour as a dragon." A small scattering of applause rang out through the crowd As Spike slid the ring onto Scootaloo's claw, but it wasn't very much. Most of the reaction came from Twilight, who had to dab at her eyes with a hoofkerchief, which she stole from Thorax's pocket. All Smolder had to do was look at Scootaloo, and she was ready to begin. She had taken some advice from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and it was her aunts that helped her memorize it. "Spike, when I was at my lowest point, you brought light to my heart. You gave me a reason to keep going forward, and wings to reach my highest of goals. I was so scared when I saw these gifts, because I thought I was taking away from you something that I wanted, and that I'd deprived you of your own joy. "Something I've heard from everypony here in town is "That's just the way Spike is. He's a kind, generous, loyal and honest dragon, who spreads laughter among his friends." I have found this to be true beyond any shadow of a doubt. Spike, you are a credit to dragonkind, and to ponykind. "It is for these reasons that I want to return the favour. You have made me the happiest dragoness in the world, and I promise that a happy drake is what you shall be. I vow to be a joy in your life, even when you've given yourself wholly to everypony you care for. I give to you myself, wholly, in hopes that I can be even a fraction of what you deserve for all you do." Holiday blew her nose in Lofty's hoofkerchief, having been brought to tears halfway through. As Scootaloo took the ring from Cudgel's pillow, he sat back down, letting the crowd see the ring fit onto Spike's claw for the first time. "Now then," Smolder checked the notes Twilight had written, and then, grabbing the sashes worn by the couple and draping them first over the other's shoulders, placed the ends in their claws. "It is in the tying of this sash that we show the bonds that have already formed. Honestly, the fact that you each insisted separately that your sash match the eyes of your significant other was a bold step, but sure, let's tie the knot." Spike took the ends closer to the crowd and bound them in a double fisherman's bend. Scootaloo took the ends in front of Smolder and tied them together in a Flemish bend. "Let the strength of these knots represent the strength of your commitment for each other," noted Smolder. "Finally, by the power vested in my temporarily by Princess Twilight, representing the legal council of Equestria, I now proclaim you to be husband and wife." Scottaloo jumped forward into Spike's arms, and Spike picked her up, passionately kissing each other as the crowd cheered. "I mean, sure, you can kiss her," shrugged Smolder. "I was about to tell you to do that, anyway."
Finding Your Family	Chapter the Forty-Third: The First Dance	As the quartet began to play, Spike escorted Scootaloo down the steps. She'd forgotten that there was something stuck in her shoe, and stumbled a bit, but he caught her before she could fall, and to prevent further incident, he picked her up and held her in his claws, to an uproarious approval from the guests. "We're going to want to fix that before our first dance," said Spike quietly, just loud enough for Scootaloo to hear him over the din. "Dance?" Scootaloo shrank a bit. "I haven't danced since I was a pony, and never with a partner." "Don't worry," smiled Spike, pressing his forehead to hers. "Just put your feet on top of mine, and I'll do the rest." "You dance?" Spike chuckled. "Twilight's had me attend more than a few balls and galas. I had to learn at least three." "I should probably kick the shoes off entirely, then," smiled Scootaloo. As they receded down the aisle, they were showered with dried petals of roses, lavender and marigold. Before they could reach the end of the aisle, though, a gust of wind suddenly rushed through the orchard, and with a loud crack, an explosion of colour permeated the sky above them, leaving a trail of rainbow light streaming from its epicenter. Rainbow Slash's eyes widened to the size of dinnerplates. She'd never seen anything like this before. The rainbow stopped at the ground as Rainbow Dash skidded to a stop. "Did I make it in time?" she asked, panting. She was covered in slime and thorns. "Ya missed the whole dang thing!" shouted Applejack, running up to her from the house. "Kitchen! Now!" As Rainbow Dash walked off with Applejack, Scootaloo sighed. "Kind of disappointing that she wasn't here..." "She's here now," comforted Spike. "And she gave us a Sonic Rainboom. Second wedding ever to have one of those." They proceeded to the barn, which had been fixed up to act as the main hall. While the boys had all dressed themselves in there, they had done so in a small section that Pinkie had set up for them last night and taken down during the ceremony. All of their belongings that had been left behind had been moved into the house for safekeeping. Spike sat Scootaloo down at the long table at the back of the barn, which was sitting on an elevated platform. There were enough seats at that table for the wedding party, plus three more. While Ember was a guest, she was still royalty, and had been afforded a seat at the main table. As the guests filed in, Spike bent down to remove Scootaloo's shoes, and found that two bits had been stuck in her left shoe. He swiftly pocketed them, and took his seat while he waited for everypony else to do the same. The quartet came in last, setting up in one of the corners where a couple of stools were waiting for them, along with an upright piano and a drum kit. While a piano was a string instrument, it was very odd that they would have a drum kit. Even if it could be presumed that the Apple family owned the piano, it was unlikely that they kept a drum kit lying around. That was more Pinkie's schtick. Scootaloo, now barefoot, walked out to the middle of the floor with Spike leading her. They were still tied together by their sashes, and a quick tug on both ends of Spike's knot pulled their bodies close together and held them there. Scootaloo stepped up onto the toes of Spike's boots, wrapping her claws around his shoulders and holding on tight. With a nod from Spike, the quartet counted in and started to play the waltz he'd requested. To the rest of the guests, it looked like they were dancing together, but Spike was the one who knew what he was doing. Not only was this their first waltz as a couple, but it was also Scootaloo's first waltz ever. After a moment, Scootaloo rested her head on Spike's shoulder. She had felt his skill on the dance floor, and was confident that he would continue to dance with her, whether she knew what she was doing or not. And given that this dance felt entirely unfamiliar to her, she knew for a fact that Spike knew better than she did, and was perfectly content to follow his lead. As the piece came to an end, they kissed once more, then separated, with Rarity taking off their sash and moving it to their table as Twilight and Snap stepped into the dance floor. Scootaloo would dance with her father as best she could, and Spike and the closest thing he had to a mother would try not to show them up with their clearly superior dancing prowess. Thankfully for Scootaloo, it was another waltz, though a bit quicker than the last. She had at least some inkling of what to do, and her father knew the most basic steps. "I'm so proud of you, Spike," whispered Twilight. "I know I'm not your birth mother, but I feel every ounce of pride one could, seeing her son starting a new chapter of his life." Spike, hugged Twilight a bit closer. "Even if you aren't my birth mother, you were the closest thing to a mother I have, and that makes you even more special to me. I love you, "mom."" "Love you too, "son."" The dance ended all too soon, and it was time for the third. Spike was to dance with Mane, but since he had no father figure to dance with, Scootaloo stepped back, until Thorax approached her. "I know I don't quite fit the bill, but would you allow me to fill in? I can shape myself into Spike, if it would make you more comfortable." "I'd be delighted," smiled Scootaloo, taking his hoof. "And you can stay as you are." As the third waltz began, Mane looked up at Spike. "Thank you for letting this happen," smiled Spike, taking the lead. "I appreciate the vote of confidence." "Oh, I still think this is a mistake," replied Mane. "But you proved to Lofty that she was wrong. I'm banking on a repeat of that performance. I give you a year at most. Prove me wrong, and I'll give you some of that confidence you're seeking." Spike was quiet for the rest of the dance. When he returned to the table, he told Scootaloo what her mother had said to him, and to his surprise, she smiled. "My dad told me he'd help me through the divorce three months from now. I think they're still against us." Spike rolled his eyes. "At least they didn't interrupt the ceremony..."

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.