Humans and ponies--as well as everything else--are living together in utmost, perfect harmony. Many even share the same schoolhouse. And this is where five children of odd pairings start their tale...
Ten years is quite a long time to wait for some action in the form of delivering beat-downs. For this time, harmony has remained unaffected, unaltered, unchanged. It's just perfect. Humans, ponies, Gryphons and dragons...even the Changelings have found this harmony thanks to the efforts of the Mane Six and eight brave adventurers who stopped at nothing to right the wrong. To think the eight have settled down and had families after so long of battling wicked demons and demented gods of all things!
Those ten years have proven them quite worthy of the luxurious life of Equestria--with a few added obstacles throughout. What are those obstacles, you ask?
Children. Really needy children. And this is their tale, for all five share one story.
____
The sequel of sorts to Arcane Shadow. It will be labeled everyone as my first attempt at an everyone-rated story. Criticism is advised and strongly cherished. Dark things are applied but is said in a way that doesn't evoke the teen rating shenanigans. '---' is used to indicate changes in time (i.e, flashbacks); '~~~~~' is used to indicate some time later/at another place later; and '=====' is used for change in perspective. Story remains third-person, however.
EDIT: Removed the Cheerilee tag because she doesn't play that big a role.
It had been years since the merging had occured--a little over ten, to be exact. Humans built homes in all the cities for not only themselves, but for everything else as well. Ponyville had become a trade center of sorts, dragons and Gryphons traded with the locals with little to no arguments arising. Undisguised Changelings buzzed to and fro from the town, some searching for food and others seeking jobs or a way to another town. Human homes were built much in the same way the ponies built theirs (depending on the town/city you happen to be standing in at the moment), only they built roofs that were not made of straw. The sun was shining very brightly now, the day was clear with no clouds save for Cloudsdale.
A door belonging to a house made of wood and iron next to Twilight's library swung open, revealing a young, green-haired woman and her nine-year-old son. He had murky brown hair and eyes of green with brownish rims, and he was in a T-shirt decorated with a few paint splotches. He wore black jeans and matching shoes that shined spotlessly. In his hand was a metallic crossbow of old French design, and he had a brown quiver wrapped on his body filled to the brim with arrows of wood and steel.
Soon, a young man in a Nazi-esque uniform joined them. He eyed the landscape and nudged his son off the stairs before he and his wife went with. Humans and ponies greeted them the most, and a few Gryphons did the same here and there. They walked through the bustling streets of Ponyville and stopped a house short of Sugar Cube Corner's famous bakery. The house they stood next to was much like their own on the exterior, except it was made with bricks instead of steel. The man went up and knocked a few times before the door opened to reveal another young man with long, blond hair that was tied up into a low ponytail. After conversing for a few minutes, the blond man nodded and retreated indoors before he returned with a black-haired, half-demon man and a red-haired, young woman who was carrying another child. A third stood between the three, her mahogany hair and green-blue eyes making her stand out. She had little wings on her back that could not support her weight, a school uniform covering most of her body. In her hand was a black staff with diamond-esque patterns on its top, a blue orb settled between the open gap created by the pointed ends. A pink-haired woman stood almost invisible behind the other three adults, and she was at least five months along.
Once more, the group of humans was in the bustling streets as they tried making their way west of the town--toward Sweet Apple Acres, which had doubled in size and profits thanks to the human helpers. Between said Acres and the town was an oriental house with traditional Japanese lanterns. Sitting on the nearby bench was a human-like woman in a kimono, she was calmly sipping her drink while watching her twin children play with wooden swords. They were trying to use them like rapiers even though a castle in the Middle Ages was more appropriate given the shape of said swords. Then again, rapiers existed then at that time, didn't they? They weren't that common according to the woman's memory. A set of nine fox tails billowed out behind her, coiled up like sleeping basilisks while wings covered in feathers were folded up.
She noticed the group and smiled, calling out to her children to put the swords in the toy box. She then got up and went inside for a few minutes before returning with a werewolf who was also in a kimono. He hugged the man in the Nazi uniform before greeting his son and introducing him to his twin aunt and uncle. Both children were black foxes, one had wings and the other had the power to pick an adult up as evidenced when he bear-hugged his big brother.
The group ran to the improved schoolhouse where human and pony teachers alike taught their respective species with a few variations here and there throughout the curriculum. The parents took the weapons from their children and hugged them as summer break ended for them and the bell rang for the first day of school. The kids ran into the building and went into their classroom that had a few ponies and a Changeling with minotaur horns on her head.
All the children and foals rushed to their assigned seats as a human teacher and Miss Cheerilee entered the room and quelled the gossip running amok. Everyone turned their attention to the human teacher as he cleared his throat and took roll.
"Alexis Redwing?" The teacher called. The girl with the mahogany hair rose her hand and said 'here.'
"Alright. Nicholas Schröder?" The boy with the murky brown hair mimicked Alexis.
"Okay. Um... Blue Horn?" The triple-horned Changeling did the same, her wings buzzing anxiously.
"Fangtail Moon?" The wingless twin rose his paw.
"Wing-Gale Moon?" The twin with wings mimicked her brother.
"Welcome to second grade." The teacher smiled warmly, "My name is Mr. Rhodes, and I will be helping Miss Cheerilee to teach you as best as I can. Just follow the rules and it's all fun and games. Understood?"
"Yes sir!" The children cried in excitement.
"Let the learning begin!" Cried both teachers in joy as the bell rang once more.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright, class." Mr. Rhodes said with a stern, Scottish accent, "Today, your first assignment is to write about your summer break. We will present our reports Monday, first thing after the bell. You will tell us who your parents are, how you spent time with them, how you spent time elsewhere if it matters, and the like. There will be no profanities in your essays or they will get five points off for every individual profanity. Is that understood, children?"
"Yes, Mr. Rhodes!" Cried the eager children together. There were humans and foals and even a triple-horned Changeling whose middle, small horn was crystal blue.
"Excellent!" Miss Cherilee chimed in a cheery tune, "You will start in five minutes and..." The magenta pony looked at the clock that currently said 8:23 AM, "...end at nine sharp. Understood?"
"Yes, Miss Cherilee!" Cried the children once more.
Little Alexis Redwing was already jotting down simple ideas on paper. She was brainstorming, and it was a good idea to brainstorm during such few precious minutes given.
Fangtail and Wing-Gale darted their heads nervously, as if expecting some bully to call them out on something ridiculous.
Blue Horn spent the five minutes poking her small horn.
Nicholas sighed, wiping cold sweat off of his forehead. Confound this accursed anxiety.
"Alright!" Miss Cherilee called with a smile, "Begin writing!"
At once, all the children and foals began writing about their summer break. Some wrote slowly to avoid many spelling errors while others wrote as if their fingers were attuned to the wind. Some only wrote a few sentences because their summer was what they said was particularly boring while the others wrote more than four paragraphs because their summer was outlandishly awesome, to say the least.
The minutes seemed to turn into hours as many of the classmates were already done. As a matter of fact, Alexis was still writing by the time the hands on the clock pointed to 8:53 AM.
"Time's up!" Mr. Rhodes called in a happy tune right as the hands of the clock chimed at precisely 9:00 AM. "Now, who wants to go first?"
"I do! I do!" Alexis replied, shooting her hand up in the air. She was standing tall, her little demon-wings fluttering in excitement.
"Alrighty then!" Mr. Rhodes said with a smile comparable to that of Pinkie Pie, "You will go first Monday."
Alexis smiled and sat down, waiting for everyone else to hand in their reports while she sat there and doodled stick figures. She used red crayons and yellow and pink and grey for the people and brown and red for the house. And blue for the house cat who had no legs.
~~~~~~~~~~
The children and foals were talking about this and that. Some foals gossiped about the only Changeling in the room while the human children could not stop yapping about the twin hairballs in the room--or the little girl with mahogany hair and bat-wings, for that matter.
"Changelings are dumb..." "I know, right?"
"What's with the over-sized dust bunnies in here?" "Should we vacuum them up and out?"
"That girl with wings sure is a freak." "I hear her dad is a half-demon." "No way! Demons aren't real!"
The bell rang for recess, and the classroom was quickly emptied as everyone ran out into the playground. There were swing-sets and sew-saws, slides and basketball courts, monkey bars and benches for the kids who were tired or merely wanted to gossip some more. Separating them from the rest of the town was a wire fence to keep the children from skipping school and mysterious adults away--and this applied to both humans and ponies.
Two children began pulling Alexis by the hair in an effort to push her into the ground.
"Stop!" Alexis cried as she tried to get away from the bullies.
"What is going on?!" Mr. Rhodes cried as he grabbed the boys by their shirt collars.
"I-I was minding my own business and then I was jumped!" Alexis sobbed, hugging Mr. Rhodes frantically.
"Boys! Principle's office, now!" The teacher bellowed in an angry tone of voice. "Not even one day in and already you are harassing somebody?! That will not be tolerated!"
The boys, whimpering and crying, ran to their destination as they were instructed to do so. It was an utter so clear and shocking that nobody on that playground could ignore.
The teacher then knelt down and held Alexis tightly, stroking her hair in an attempt to soothe her. It hurt him very deeply to see someone--anyone--being bullied, and it made it worse considering it made the victim break down into tears half the time. He looked around and saw more children stop their charade before the twins and triple-horned changeling--and he immediately gave those children, not their victims, another cold glare.
~~~~~~~~~~
"This is quite the gathering of parents we have here today." Miss Cherilee sighed as she looked at the aforementioned parents sitting next to their children.
"I for one," Called the red-haired woman, "Wish to give those bullies a lesson. But I won't because the law simply forbids it."
"Natalie," Scoffed the half-demon man, "I want to do much the same and am in the same predicament. It's Miss Cherilee's job to deal with this unless some extreme happens and then police have to be involved."
"Daddy..." Alexis cooed, holding the half-demon's hand.
"I wish I could do something besides a parent-to-parent talk."
"Your dad's right," Sighed the man in the Nazi getup, "Can't really do anything."
"Lance, maybe we--" Started the green-haired woman.
"Anna, it's Friday, so we might as well teach Nick to stand up for himself in a way that doesn't bend the rules." Lance replied. "Besides, we'll have time Saturday, right?"
Anna looked surprised. As quickly as it had come, her question went straight out the window.
"I know, we have to deal with bullies." Ranted the fox-woman, "But I think they...err...haven't been exposed to our children before and simply react in the only way they know how: to terrorize."
"You're too philosophical today, Katie. Then again, wisdom takes its toll eventually." Called the wolf-man.
"Fen-Fen, the kids last year were no different. This is simply the same batch with a different set of names and looks." Katie snapped.
Fen-Fen, whose real name was Fenrir, shut his mouth. There was no point arguing with the wise woman here.
"Why do they think all of us Changelings are bad?" Chimed the older Changeling with an azure carapace, set of eyes, and dark blue wings.
"I don't know, Azure." Sighed the minotaur, "Blame Chrysalis."
"Matt and Coryza, you two are quiet today. Why is that?" Katie asked, turning her attention from her twins to the blond man and pink-haired woman.
"We..." Matt stuttered, "We...um... we're trying to think of something here."
Coryza merely held up a sign with the words 'no comment' carved into its woodwork.
"Iron," Azure said with a half-frown, "We need to calm Bluesy right now."
Iron Will nodded.
"Blake, are you okay?" Natalie asked. The half-demon nodded, his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
Miss Cherilee sighed. "If it happens again, I will give them detentions and notes to their parents. After that, I will heap homework on them. Is that fair?"
The parents nodded, all of whom were satisfied with the proposal. They and their children left the classroom and closed the door behind them.
Mr. Rhodes had finished looking over the reports and put them neatly into a paper holder. He let off a defeated sigh. This is gonna be a long year, breaks or none.
The group of parents and children were in the streets of Ponyville once more, all taking note the bustling seemed to have calmed for the time being. The less crowded the street was, the better it was to keep an eye on one's children.
"Whose house do we hold the meeting at?" Natalie asked, making sure her most recent child was safely secured in its stroller.
"Well, whose house has a dining room for half the town?" Replied Blake.
"Mine does. Mainly because I have a freaking army." Lance answered with a sigh as he rubbed his hand in Nick's hair, making it quite frazzled.
"It's settled!" Matt chimed, "To Lance's house it is!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"This food is great!" Katie called as she stabbed a fillet of salmon with fork and knife, "Who cooked this?!"
Anna gave a nervous chuckle, sweat forming on the back of her head.
Fenrir was busy downing many crescent rolls. It had been way too long since he had them, and they tasted best with beef and veal. Sweet, buttery morsels...how they sang to him about their delicate taste.
"Save some for everyone else!" Natalie snapped, using a BBQ fork to take one for herself.
"Natalie, there's more coming our way. Chill." Anna said, motioning to the mage with her hand. Natalie turned away from the archer as a man in a waiter outfit had a mountain of the rolls headed their way.
"More rolls, anyone?" The waiter asked in a gentlemanly tone.
"YES, PLEASE!" Cried everyone in unison as he put the rolls in the center of the table. "Help yourselves, and call me if needed."
The butler left the room with a smile all the while Anna took more rolls for her mashed potatoes.
Iron Will helped himself to steamed vegetables while Azure sat there with a satisfied grin on her muzzle.
Matt was eating steak complete with gravy.
Coryza had insisted on ravioli in ranch dressing. She was busy chowing down five bowls of the stuff.
The children were eating their vegetables without whining. In fact, unlike the so-called normal child, they adored vegetables. They also had sweet teeth, but those were regulated--candy was saved for either desert or rewards on an achievement of sorts.
"So," Lance said after he cleaned his plate, casting a glance on Fenrir, "What do we talk about? We've been silent unless someone eats all the rolls."
"Perhaps we should discuss the issue at hand." Iron called, wiping a napkin on his muzzle.
"Those meanies who pulled my hair?" Alexis asked in despair.
"Yeah, them." Iron sighed in defeat.
"Mommy!" Called Wing-Gale.
"Yes?" Katie asked, confused.
"Why are there meanies in the world?" Wing-Gale bluntly stated.
Katie's ears perked, her heart skipped a beat. "Come again?" She asked.
"Why are there mean people?" Matt translated.
Katie nodded before turning to Wing. "Humans, demons....even ponies by nature can be very mean indeed. Now, to defend oneself is understandable--but to let that part of nature take over and act savage? Nope, you can't get away with that and not expect consequences. Is that understood?"
Wing nodded. So did everyone else.
"But why do they attack us?" Blue Horn called, slamming holey hooves onto the table and causing her plate to clatter a bit, "It's not like we did anything to them!"
"I was getting to that. Chill." Katie scoffed before sipping on her glass of tea.
"Yes, ma'am..." Sighed Blue as she slumped down into her chair again with a forlorn look on her face.
"Anyway," Ranted the fox, "There's another reason--well, a few-- that they attack. Either one of three things, all of which are of dire importance, are happening as we speak. One, and this applies to Blake and me especially--and I hope you don't take offense when I say this--it's because we're very different. We're so different the others thought we broke the rules by existing, for crying out loud! Two, they simply are too bored and have nothing better to do. Three, and this is the most likely out of all of them, they themselves have been...tormented by the ones that are supposed to love them, and as such, take their rage out on others. They don't want to, more often than not, but that's how they were raised. They simply know no different and the only way out for them at that point is tossing them into a foster home. However, not everyone recovers from this and they can grow into abusive adults who carry on this vicious cycle of abuse. It's a sad reality, even here, and it happens on planets where civilizations are present. Furthermore, it may be an ancestral curse--that is to say, going on for generations. Only very few choose to break free of the curse and they get ridiculed and even hunted down like a stag for it! Should they survive, it's the best choice one can make in this horrid predicament. Do all the children present understand what I am getting at?"
The children nodded. They understood her message loud and clear.
"Alright. Now, we had better not be catching you picking on the bullies. That makes you stoop down to their level." Katie sighed before downing her tea in one fell swoop.
"Let's talk about some happy things, please. I'm reminded of Legion already..." Natalie shuddered at the very thought.
"Sure, why not? We need to get off this topic anyway!" Fenrir chimed.
"I think Mr. Rhodes would make a fine teacher." Lance called with a grin, elbows on the table with his chin resting on his closed hands.
"I know, right?" Anna exclaimed before shoving another roll into her mouth.
"But all teachers have a bad side." Iron pointed out.
"He's right. But it shouldn't be too bad." Natalie smiled.
Coryza, again, held the 'no comment' sign in her hand. She looked fairly unamused.
"Yeah. The only ones to anger him were the bullies." Matt chimed.
"Why is this house a mansion?" Blake asked.
"I have an army, remember? But instead of manning the Valkyrie and all that, it's pretty much an army of man-maids." Answered the Nazi.
Katie fell onto the ground still sitting in her chair, holding her hands over her mouth and breaking out into hysterical laughter.
Everyone else had at least a chuckle at the remark.
Lance threw the covers off of his body, shooting straight up at that sound. He rubbed his eyes on a pajama sleeve before...
"DAAAAAAAAAADDDDYYYYY!!!!!!" Cried the voice again.
Lance was wide awake now, his eyes shrunk in pure terror.
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDYYYYYYYY!!!!!" Called the voice again.
In that instant the Nazi was on his bare feet, not even bothering to put on his fuzzy slippers as he ran out the bedroom door. Anna woke up soon after, glancing around quickly before she heard the dreaded sound of a vase shattering so loudly--so close by, and yet, so far away. Her own eyes shrunk and her hair stood on end. The archer got up and threw a bath robe over her nightgown before she herself ran out the door in a hurry.
Lance was nowhere to be seen in the massive hallway. However, a few man-maids were present and one of them was cleaning up the remains of a shattered vase.
"He ran past me." Said the man-maid.
Anna nodded and proceeded to do the same thing.
"Lance!" She called in terror. No answer.
"Laaance! Where are you?!"
The archer saw an open door, ran into the bathroom and saw the Nazi, and he was holding his son who was crying nonstop. Lying next to them in a pile of shambles was his favorite teddy bear.
"Thank goodness! What happened?!" Anna cried as she hugged her family.
"Nick had a very bad dream. He won't say what, but when he woke up, someone had taken his teddy from him and this is where he found it." Lance answered, a hideous expression of pure rage scrawled on his face.
"Someone hurt my teddy!!" Nick cried in agony.
'I can see that...' Anna thought bluntly before she picked up the remains right as Natalie walked in with her own crying child.
"What is this all about?" Demanded the mage who was struggling to calm her infant down.
"We have ourselves an intruder problem." Lance answered as he stood up, carrying his child in his arms.
"A what?!" Katie shouted from the other end of the mansion. Footsteps were heard rapidly approaching--meaning she was climbing up the stairs.
"I hope there aren't any busted windows with how loud she is now..." Matt sighed as he walked in. He was half-asleep still.
Katie stomped into the room, her face fuming with rage. In her arms she held Wing. "Someone had the nerve to knock a tooth out!"
Iron Will marched in, and he was holding two miserable little boys by their shirt collars. They were struggling to get free from the minotaur's grip. "These punks have some explaining to do."
Katie looked at the fist of one of them. It had a tooth in between the thumb and index fingers. The other boy's hand had meager traces of cotton stuffing.
Everyone cast a glare on the bullies except for Nick and the infant, both of whom were still crying.
"Let me repair the teddy and then we talk." Anna sighed as she ran out of the bathroom to get a sewing kit.
"You two done dug your own graves." Matt hissed as though he were literally breathing fire.
"Anyone have a pacifier?" Natalie asked as she tried and failed to soothe her kid.
Katie found the needed item on the floor and went to the sink to wash it in soapy water before she handed it to the mage.
~~~~~~~~~~ "So, yeah. I do not know what has driven them to do all these things in two seconds, but I have a feeling it's bad." Lance sighed as he watched Nick clutch the now-repaired teddy with the look suggesting his life was shattered before him.
"This is highly unusual." Mr. Rhodes pointed out. "To think they'd go this far."
"Will the tooth fairy visit me, Mommy?" Wing asked.
"Yes, she will. But I'd have to give her an explanation." Katie answered bluntly.
"Okay." Wing nodded.
"We need an alarm system." Anna heaved, traces of anger still lingering in her voice.
"I think I will go ahead and install that tomorrow. Right now, it's the dead of night and I am pretty sure Twilight will stop me should I wake her up." Lance replied.
"There's that." Natalie sighed, her hair frazzled.
"I will call their parents and inform them of what they did. Should they not take action, they will be detained for child neglect." The teacher said with a yawn. "In the meantime, everyone needs a nap now."
It was early morning now--around five, to be precise. The children were safely tucked into bed four hours earlier, yet Natalie remained restless. There were heavy bags under her eyes and she was very tired indeed, but no matter how much she tried, no sleep came to her. Confound it all, then--sleep be darned. She tossed and turned so much she was wondering why a frying pan had yet to meet with her skull and knock her into la-la land.
Gah! Why can't I sleep?! I hope I don't collapse tomorrow in front of Alexis! Ooh, she'd be so worried then!
The mage shot up, her hair frazzled so much a few strands stuck out from the top of her head. Her eyes were scrunched shut, yet they continued to deny her sleep.
For crying out loud!
She bashed her head against a pillow repeatedly as if she expected it to answer her.
Silence greeted her. So too did the softness of the pillow.
I suppose I could take medicine.... No, that won't do.
At last, she drifted off...
She now stood in a very dark place. In front of her was Princess... wait, who was this pony again? Luna?
Yeah, her name was Luna.
"You seem to be restless." The princess remarked.
Natalie sighed in defeat.
"Anyhow, I would have a task for you if you weren't as exhausted as you are." Luna chimed.
"That being?" Natalie asked, confused.
"I do believe you remember the Mane Six so vividly, correct?"
Natalie nodded. She giggled when she remembered the mock wedding Anna bragged about.
"Each one of them had a foal or two--about the same time you gave birth to your second." Luna said. "Not only that, but Twilight is now a princess herself."
"Really?! Is that why we haven't seen her in the last ten months?!" Natalie gasped, her whole body white with pure shock. As a matter of fact, her jaw hung open.
Luna only nodded with a grin.
"So, um...." Natalie stuttered, clearly struggling to regain color, "They have to...um, what was the word ponies use again?"
"Foal-sit?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, that's the word."
"Of course, there are things that need be taken into account, and I think nobody in the whole household knows what newborn foals can do." Luna sighed. "You see, they can already walk perfectly after only a few minutes or hours after birth. It really depends on the circumstances thereof. Furthermore, unless defective, Pegasus foals can fly and unicorn foals can use magic. So, do the norm of changing diapers and feeding them and simply be prepared for the worst. They will visit the mansion at noon and their parents have to leave for a week. Gem-hunting to aid the dragons. Is that understood?"
Natalie groggily nodded.
"Good. And before you ask, I already talked to the teacher...."
"Mr. Rhodes?" Natalie asked.
"Yes, him. I also talked to the principle and they realized a week-long break is needed given the scenario I hear Wing landed in. A broke tooth, was it?"
Natalie nodded again.
"I see. Well, the...accused will have to go through character class during that whole week. It will only be them at the school until the week is up, so no need to worry. All you need now is a nice, relaxing sleep." Luna chuckled before she disappeared with a flash of the horn.
~~~~~~~~~~
"SHE IS A WHAT NOW?!" Everyone's jaws dropped.
"Yeah. Luna paid me a visit and she said so." Natalie deadpanned.
There were murmurs of confusion echoing throughout the mansion now.
"No way!"
"Really?"
"You gotta be kidding me..."
"I hate forgetting where Canterlot is..."
"HEY!" Natalie bellowed, which hushed the murmurs altogether. "There's more, everyone!"
"Care to share?" Matt asked with a yawn.
"Next week there is no school for the children. The bullies are in a reform class during that time, and... also, the Mane Six had foals of their own and are entrusting their care to us for the same length of time. They have to go gem-hunting or something like that." Natalie explained.
"WHAT?!!" Anna shouted, her soul fleeing her body. "WH-WHEN?!"
"Today at noon is when we're entrusted with the foals. Also, Pegasus and unicorn foals can fly and-or use magic." Natalie answered.
Everyone's jaws dropped once more--and this time they all lost color.
"Just calm down, all we have to do is do the norm of foal-sitting like we did with our own kids...and also to be prepared for the worst. Okay?" Natalie sighed.
Everyone was relieved to hear that. Shouldn't be too hard, right?
Somepony began knocking on the door.
"I'll get it." Sighed the mage again as she walked to the door as if she were drunk. She opened it and sure enough, the Mane Six were there and Twilight had wings and the Element of Magic perched on her head behind her horn. They all carried saddlebags on their midsections that had one foal or two.
"It's been too long, sugarcube." Applejack grinned as in her saddlebag a little colt tried reaching her mane in an attempt to chew on it. He had her coat color and a white mane with the most adorable hue of green eyes and for some reason was a Pegasus.
"Darling," Rarity started, "We heard all about last night." Her little filly had her mane (it was nowhere near as curly as Mommy's) and the coat of blazing vermillion. Her eyes were earth brown and a little hornbud was settled on her head.
"I really hope Wing gets better. Those meanies had no right to do that!" Pinkie stomped a hoof. Her colt had her poofy mane but a golden pelt and eyes of sterling silver. Little fangs and a horn were present which meant Pinkie most likely paired with a vampire of some sort (either that or a Changeling). He was nonetheless painstakingly cute.
"It's already taken care of, Pinkie. No need to get riled up. I know--what they did was inexcusable, and they're probably still mad about it. But there's no reason to do anything rash--especially since we settled down ourselves." Rainbow pointed out as she glared daggers at the pink pony. Her twin fillies--one a Pegasus and the other an earth pony--both had her cyan coat and a deep shade of magenta irises. The Pegasus had a mane of teal and the earth filly had a mane of stark stardust yellow and both had many highlights and shades of the other's color throughout.
"Dash is right, Pinkie. There isn't much we can do." Fluttershy sighed, pulling one of her wings from her.... baby Changeling?
"Alright everypony, calm down." Twilight called in defeat. "We are not here to argue, after all." It looked like she had a dragon-alicorn hybrid. It was purple like her but its mane was green. Little dragon wings were on its midsection where Pegasus wings would be located. It had four horns (not counting the central unicorn horn) on its head and many spine-spikes lining its back. Hey, who said a pony and dragon couldn't have kids together?
The ponies went inside and unloaded their offspring into a playpen before trotting back out in order to start the week-long errand of gem-hunting. They also gave the mage a list of their names, what they ate, and the like. The names of the foals were as follows according to the list that was written in native Equestrian:
Apple Leaf--really into pie Emblazoned Ruby-- adores high-quality milk Golden Streamers-- has a sweet fang, PLEASE REGULATE Dusk Rose and Moon Flight-- milk from the sky and nothing else Umbralina--she's a changeling, you know what goes here, though milk will also go here Claw Shine-- gemstones ground into a powder mixed with milk. Gems must be precious (i.e. diamond). For every pint of milk a teaspoon of gems is to be added
"I hope nobody has to go grocery shopping." Lance sighed, sweat on his forehead.
"It looks like we're good on food for the little tykes. The problem comes from the chaos they can cause." Matt replied, his eyes sideways white ovals.
All at once the foals began crying.
"Feeding time, anybody...?" Anna stuttered, a contorted wobbly grin of pure worry on her face.
The foals had just finished feeding (i.e. leeching off their babysitters' grocery supplies) and they were in the playpen once more. There was an assortment of toys of the stuffed, rattling, and suckling (pacifier) variety, and there was simply one of all three for each of them.
"Whoo boy," Lance sighed, his face blue in exhaustion, "they really are picky."
"I hope changing diapers isn't as bad, given there could be worse," Anna exhaled, her eyes white circles.
Apple Leaf flew out of the playpen and latched himself onto Matt's head. His little wings moved so fast it looked as if he had fly's wings.
And then a smell much worse than a Beholder in a dumpster hit everyone's noses.
"Anna," Natalie gasped, coughing left and right, "I'd suggest you eat those words now."
"OH MY STARS AND COMETS!" Fenrir shrieked in agony, "SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!"
Matt ran into the bathroom quick as a rabbit enhanced with Reflex whilst running from a hungry bloodhound. He wore a gas mask on his face as he opened the diaper-changing unit, took Apple off of his head and put him on said unit before changing the diaper so fast it put Lance to shame (which said a lot.)
And right when he was going to put the safety pin on, Apple ruined the new diaper.
"Oh come on!" Matt cried in horror.
~~~~~~~~~~ Moon Flight began annoying Natalie by flying upside-down whilst walking on the ceiling. Pound Cake style no less. Worse, Katie was knocked out by the horrid diaper-stench only a few moments earlier.
"Really?!" Called the mage with an audible face-palm.
The filly giggled. Dusk Rose climbed out of the playpen in such a way it fell on its side, allowing the other foals to roam the house.
Golden Streamers teamed up with Emblazoned Ruby and proceeded to run into the basement....that housed the freaking Valkyrie.
"OH NONONONONONONONO!" Anna wailed as she followed suit with a Bind net in her hands. "NO! NO! UH-UH, LEAVE THOSE STAIRS ALONE!"
Natalie face-palmed yet again.
Umbralina began running around Fenrir so fast he became dizzy. His eyeballs literally span in their sockets.
Claw Shine began flying over the man-maids, making them stop whatever they were doing in shock.
Coryza held a sign that said 'Y'all are on your own--I ain't helping on little bit!' And she meant it.
'This is going to Tartarus really fast....' Natalie thought with a sigh of defeat.
"And you thought that was bad?!" Katie snorted in frustration, "That smell was horrendous!"
"Okay, everyone, quit fighting!" Anna yelled at the top of her lungs. "The foals are trying to sleep."
Katie sat on the couch with a pomf. "So....tired...." She murmured.
"Well, at least the dads of the foals will take them out of our hands shortly. That sure was unexpected." Natalie sighed in relief.
"Not to mention chaotic." Lance commented.
"My legs hurt now..." Matt complained.
"So does my head." Blake retorted.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Daddy?" Nick asked.
"Yes?" Lance replied, confused.
"How did you meet Mommy?"
Lance froze in his tracks.
"Well?" Nick asked impatiently.
"M-Meet me in the....uh, whatchamacallit.... um... oh, yeah! Meet me in the study." Lance sighed with relief.
TIME SKIP!
Lance was sitting in front of the fire in a big recliner chair, reading a book titled Equestrian Technology and Human Advancement Thereof. Anna was sitting in a chair adjacent to the Nazi, also reading a book titled Forces of Nature: Equestrian Edition. The fire flickered silently, occasional cracks filling the room in unison with paper being turned as though said paper was but a feather. Neither seemed to notice nor mind the stillness of the room or its darkened corners at all.
The door to the study creaked open slowly, allowing a faint vein of light to pierce the darkness and making a bridge between the door and the fireplace. A lone shadow slimmed out over this bridge of light as the owner peeped in on the couple.
Lance put a bookmark in his book before he gingerly placed it on a side table to his immediate right. Anna did much the same with a table to her left. Both then leaned on the sides of their chairs and saw their little boy looking at them funny.
"There's a rolling chair to the side of the door, son. Come take a seat." Lance beckoned, motioning with his hand to point out the location of said rolling chair. Nick did as instructed and found himself seated in the formerly empty space between his parents' chairs.
"Lance, what did he ask this time?" The archer asked rather impatiently.
"How I met you." The Nazi bluntly replied.
Anna looked at Nick, who nodded in response.
"Whoo, what a toughie... Lance, you start."
_____
Almost a year had passed since this explosion, followed by a mist of some kind, wrecked the world beyond belief. Surviving humans were either killed by freak mutations created by this mist or were too busy arguing to even attempt to survive.
A man had been searching for supplies all this time, figuring he was the last of his kind. Given this, what point was there to search for others if you had the land--no, the whole world--to yourself? All the mutations needed to be purged, yes, but that was easier said than done. However, a few humans suddenly swore eternal loyalty to him and helped his ambitions greatly. With this, the man officially donned a Nazi-esque suit.
They built him a factory of greatest proportions, and in that factory they made a tank befittingly called the Valkyrie. With this, nothing would dare stop him.
Nothing. Of course, he was bound to leave in the tank soon, so he ordered his men into said tank after they built the Guardian.
~~~~
"What's this?!" The man shrieked in surprise as he replayed blurred images on his camera in the factory. A blond blur and a red blur repeatedly felled his machines. The Guardian was no exception.
"I shall make a new base, my men. And this time, I will wait for the infidels!" Bellowed the Nazi in a fit of rage.
~~~~~~
"I don't like the looks of this place... and what's with that fancy car?" Matt asked, jaw dropping and a finger pointed to the alleged car that had a gun attached to its top rectangle thing.
"I am not a car," Said a robotic voice from nowhere.
The mage and swordsman looked around before returning their glances to the...car that apparently had a mistaken identity. A hatch opened on its top, and out climbed a young man dressed like a Nazi.
"Out of the way nooblets, this area has been quarantined. Well, your lives are forfeit either way now that you've seen me. This world must be purged of all infidels." Said the Nazi man.
Matt's expression remained quite the same, and his finger was still pointing to the identity-crisis car. "Huh? Have we met before?? So, what's your plan--just trying to kill everything?" The swordsman asked.
Natalie sighed.
"It sickens me to see things the way they are," Sighed the Nazi in bitter disgust, "And only by destroying everything can the world be rebuilt." A contorted laugh came out of his mouth soon after, indicating he was some level of crazy.
"I don't like that." Matt hissed, readying the Anarchy, "We're gonna have to smash your tank, bro."
____
"No way! You tried destroying the world?!" Nick shrieked in utter shock. He had nearly fallen over in his chair from the looks of it.
"Yeah. And I got my butt kicked." Lance sighed in defeat.
"So, what happened next?" Nick asked, now excited despite the fact he really wanted to hit his dad upside the head with an iron skillet.
"Well..." Lance started with another sigh of defeat.
____
"So, is this the place?" Matt asked, glancing around and noticing chains leading him and the party onwards.
"Seems like." Natalie replied, lighting the dim cave with a Flare.
"I heard legends about this place. Something to do with an Akron or other." Lance chimed in a bleak tone of voice.
They found their target: a demonic form whose eyes were concealed with bandages, deep earthen horns jutting out straight to the heavens. Wings of the same color were chained around its dark-colored body and an unknown mass of the thing rested buried into the earth in which it slept. It seemed to be lifeless--no breathing, no movement, nothing indicating it had been alive at some point in time. As a matter of fact, it looked as if it had been dead for millennia.
The humans examined the creature. Had this been what they were searching for?
Matt lifted his sword ever so silently.
"Matt," Natalie started, "Don't do it. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Chillax, Natz," Matt sneered, "It can't be that bad." With that, he poked the end of his blade onto the thing...
...and the party found themselves screaming as Akron stirred awake and drained them of their powers. Soon, they were sent flying into the quickly-distorting sky and blacked out.
____
"So, Akwon--" Nick started.
"Akron," Anna corrected.
"Yeah, he drained us nearly dry." Lance sighed once more, sipping his tea.
"I guess it's my turn now." The archer chimed, and this was confirmed with a nod from her husband.
____
A green bush sat on top of a bed that had a covered form under its quilt. Scratch that, it was jumping on the form like it was on a trampoline. The form shifted for a few minutes before the covers and bush flew off the bed, revealing a green-haired teenager that looked like a trainwreck.
"What time is it...?" She groaned, rubbing her eyes on a robe sleeve.
The bush snatched a felled alarm clock off the floor and ran toward the woman, who took it and looked at the time.
Her eyes widened in shock and her jaw physically dropped.
"Oh no!" The woman shrieked as she threw the clock onto a wall, jumping out of bed and donning a brown leather dress. "I have to check to see if the Forest Ritual can be done today!"
Once she donned her bow and quiver, she took the bush and ran out the door and into the town of trees known as Greenwood Village. An elderly man with a tree-cane shambled his way to the woman, a look of despair on his face despite his Gandalf-like beard concealing half his expression.
"Anna, the Forest Jewel has been stolen!" The elder wailed.
"Huh?!" Anna shook her head in disbelief.
"I'm afraid it's true. I hope the legend of GodCat doesn't come to pass..." The elder cried.
"W-Who did it?!" Anna demanded in an aura of fury, making sure to keep her tone low enough to not scare the old man.
"I saw three young adults steal items and run off toward Ashwood." Answered the old man.
"I will find them and...!" Anna hissed as she ran to the Sacred Stump where, sure enough, the Forest Jewel was gone.
The archer, now fuming with fury, turned her glare to the old man once more. "What did the thieves look like?"
"One was blond with long hair, another wore a black suit, and the third wore a red dress," Answered the elder.
With this new information on hand, the archer ran into Ashwood in hopes of finding the thieves and bring them to justice.
On the way, she heard barking. A dog with a thick, creamy coat and medical pack wrapped around its neck greeted her.
"I don't have the time. Maybe later." Anna scoffed, walking past the dog.
The dog suddenly tackled her to the ground and began licking her face.
"H-Hey! T-that tickles!" Anna cried, trying to shove the doggy off. The dog stopped licking her face, whimpering and wagging its tail.
"Okay, you can come with me." Sighed the archer in defeat.
The dog got off of her and barked happily. When she sat up, the dog began licking her nose again.
"You're so cute." Anna sighed before remembering she needed to bring the thieves to justice. She stood up, readied her bow, and ran into Ashwood; the dog following her tracks.
____
"What happened after that?" Nick asked.
"Well, I met them and...after that, well... GodCat." Anna answered with a meek grin.
"And how did you meet Grandma?" The boy asked once more.
"Holy...." Lance gasped, eyes wide, "Well..."
TIME SKIP!
"So, she's not human?" The boy sighed.
"Nowhere near it unless appearance counts." The Nazi answered. "And don't call her an old hag unless you're me--in which case, unless I get cloned, is a no-go...but can be an alternative to those who want to get smacked upside the head at best."
"Sounds like we need to go grocery shopping... AGAIN." Natalie hissed in irritation, her eyes narrowed very low.
"Let me guess: everything." Coryza sighed.
Natalie nodded slowly.
"Who do we send this month?" Matt asked inquisitively.
"It's my turn today." Lance answered bleakly.
"I'll go with him to make sure no issues arise." Anna chimed, her face grim.
"Daddy! Can I come too?!" Nick asked, hopping up and down like Pinkie Pie.
"Sure, why not? Just behave."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Thank you, kind sir--err, stallion," Lance smiled as he paid the required bits for the following items per what was written on the grocery list:
Tuna Mustard Mayonnaise Ketchup Rice Ranch dressing Salad Ravioli Noodles of all kinds, if available Salt and pepper Herbs like sage, thyme, and other spices Canola oil Baking oil Turkey, duck and chicken (we need a Turducken) Whole potatoes with skin Macaroni and cheese Muffin and cake batter mix Some items not meant for children's eyes or hands
They walked out the store with the items, which were immediately teleported to the mansion via inter-dimensional transportation. (Hey, who said Lance couldn't have his own pocket dimension?) As they were walking into the busy streets in an attempt to get home, a group of tribal-esque persons of young and old stopped them. From them stood out a really old woman, long grey hair concealing most of her body as she was hunched over a cane that had both hands resting on it. Her dim earthen eyes seemed to glare daggers at the family--as did the other tribal people's eyes.
"Convert to our religion and obey our God, heathens." Rasped the crone.
Anna and Lance were bewildered and they smacked each other to make sure they weren't hearing nor seeing things. Returning their glance to the unmoving elder who only nodded with a look of disgust, they knew she wasn't kidding--especially considering she had backup.
"Okay, um..." Anna stuttered.
"My name is Isabella." Sighed the crone, her expression of clear hate unwavering.
"Alright, Isabella," Lance started, each of his fingers on his right hand extended. As he spoke, he placed the left index finger on each right-hand finger, "First off, I tried destroying the world. Would someone like me really have the honor of converting to a religion of any given sort? Second, I battled two gods--three counting two separate avatars of one thereof--and beat them with two to three other people with the same goal. Then this demon came along and nearly destroyed the world, so he'd technically be a fourth god if anybody formed a cult and began worshiping him! Three, my momma ain't human and lastly, she's against organized religion for a flipping reason!"
"Not....human?" Isabella ask, raising a wrinkle-heavy eyebrow in confusion.
"You heard me." Lance hissed, his own anger showing.
"What is she?!" Demanded the whole tribe in unison, making Nick hide behind his mother.
"She's a fox. And I do not wish I were making this up." The Nazi answered.
"Prove it, fork-tongued serpent!" Isabella nearly wailed in a fit of hate.
Lance took out a cellphone and dialed some random numbers before holding it to his ear.
"Yeah?" Katie answered on the other end. "What's keeping you?"
"A bunch of crazies. They demand to see you." Lance replied, holding out his other hand toward the tribe to make sure they didn't jump him. "Just use the teleporter to come to me, you won't believe what I am seeing at the moment."
Katie hung up and pretty soon she landed behind her son on all fours. She eyed the tribe and her face immediately went white.
"Its her!" Cried one muscular man who pointed the accusing finger at the fox. "It's her! The one who brought us grief!"
"Seize her!" Wailed another.
"She brought us trouble! She brought us the ruin of our humble village!" Isabella shrieked as she shambled to Lance in an effort to whack him with her cane.
"Halt!" Cried a group of male voices that sounded so similar they almost sounded like one.
Everyone looked around and saw a group of police ponies approach the tribe. Some human members were among the pony forces to deal with the big, buffed up aerobics instructor should he resist. Soon, the tribe, save Isabella, was overpowered and taken to the precinct.
"Mommy, Isabella's scary..." Nick cooed as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"She will be dealt with," Anna sighed as she hugged her son, "It's gonna be OK."
Katie hefted the crone onto one shoulder and growled 'you owe us an explanation.'
~~~~~~~~~~
"Why did you kill my father?" Lance demanded, arms crossed and glaring daggers at the elder. "Why did you take him away from me?"
Isabella snorted, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"Answer me! Either that or go to prison!" Lance hissed, his eyes becoming a blazing red.
Matt, Natalie, and Anna kept to the darkness, their sets of blue and green eyes casting a glare that meant they wanted vengeance.
"I think you're 300 years old. You are so wrinkled a dirty rag looks prettier!" Matt called.
"Heathen." Isabella hissed, showing her bare gums and missing teeth.
"You want a taste of my Pulsar?" Natalie bellowed, her voice echoing around the room.
"You...you're a witch!?" Isabella asked, pounding a wrinkled fist onto the chair's arm.
"Not necessarily." Natalie answered.
"For crying out loud! Answer him already!!" Anna screamed impatiently, an audible face-palm being heard shortly after.
"FINE!" Isabella screamed back accusingly before returning her gaze to Lance. "There was supposed to be a wedding between your father and his cousin. He liked her, and she complained about him. We told her to suck it up."
"What happened after?" Matt asked.
"Hush, mutt!" Isabella cried, "Anyway, his cousin disappeared for a day and returned suddenly. What's more, she liked her cousin all of a sudden. I thought it strange, but didn't say anything and neither did anybody else. They married and did something that resulted in this heathen being born. When we found out she....replaced the missing woman, that was when the whole hunt started. We called it the Hunt for the Doppelganger."
"What happened to the missing woman?!" Natalie yelled in disgust. She was already ticked.
"We found her... in a neighboring rival village married to some red-head warlock a few years later. We got rid of them both, only for their red-haired daughter to burn our village in a fit of false sorrow."
Natalie immediately stepped out into the light, her face fuming in fury. She grabbed the crone's hair and turn her face to meet her cold, blue eyes. "You...! You....! You.....you did that!"
Matt pulled the mage away from the elder, holding her under the arms. Natalie began screaming in a fit of rage and pain, shouting a lot of profanities to Isabella and calling her all sorts of names.
"Anything else?" Lance asked, his hands clenching into fists.
"Another man and woman--a set of siblings, mind you--also fled the village. We brought them, their spouses, and their children to be executed. One had green hair and the other a golden yellow. And that was when the brat proceeded to burn everything." Isabella answered. "After that, the Village of Greenwood took in the green-haired girl--who was holding a bundle at the time--and you and the other two were never seen by us again. Not once."
Two police ponies forced the crone to stand and they cuffed her before escorting her out of the interrogation room.
~~~~~~~~~~
"So, you've originated from members of Valleywood Village?" Blake asked.
"Yeah. They were also what caused the meteorite to make Ashwood." Anna sighed in defeat, "They performed some ritual to stop Greenwood from growing or stopping their sick ways for that matter."
"I can't believe they killed mother...." Natalie sobbed, "What'd she do wrong?"
"Who wants to bet there's gonna be a court issue over this dilemma?" Matt cringed.
"Can't wait to see Celestia banish them to the stars for what they did. They're against any and all forms of deviant." Katie chimed in sorrow.
"Talk about another form of the Ku Klux Klan..." Lance said, shaking his head. "With voodoo magic no less."
Natale threw herself onto Blake and continued screaming into his chest. He hugged her before taking her upstairs into a guest room.
"Let's....give us all some time to come to terms with these....harsh truths. At any rate, it's better than seeing a Supernova." Coryza cooed. Everyone else nodded.
Alexis ran downstairs before jumping onto Matt. "Why's mommy crying?" She asked, thankfully unaware of the current situation at hand.
Luna flew across the dusky sky, bringing with her a glorious full moon. The moon rose behind a moor between Canterlot Castle and the faraway Crystalis Fantasia (code for the Crystal Kingdom). It was rapid at first but slowed down with the flying pace of the Lunar Princess. Eventually it slowed just enough to keep its pace with the tick-tock of a grandfather clock.
Lance was outside on the doorsteps, wrapped only in a blanket and a bunch of ice (note: he is wearing shorts like the kind used to go swimming in). He had been having severe hot flashes when he tried sleeping, and he had no idea what to do about it. The moon's glow caught his attention and kept his eyes fixed on the reflection of the sunlight. The Mare in the Moon seemed to be gazing at him in turn. Rising alongside the Equestrian moon was the moon belonging to his old planet, much smaller and also full.
Grunting in pain because a burning heat shot throughout his right hand, Lance scrunched his eyes shut briefly before deciding to trek into the Everfree Forest....alone. Without the ice or blanket for that matter. No need for them, given nobody or nopony was out in the open to see him.
With only the light of the dual moons to guide him to who-knows-where, the Nazi pushed onward as he defied the pain that wrecked havoc on his sinews. Twigs snapped under his bare feet as another new hot flash nearly blinded him. The walk was reduced to a mere shamble typical of the famous zombie.
Lance nearly tripped, and when he caught himself, he sighed in relief. In front of him was a moonlit pond.
He gasped in shock--his eyes became red. Vermillion red, not his normal mahogany. What's more, it looked like he grew a beard.
"Wh-What is....th-this...?!" The Nazi screamed, pain shooting in his throat as each word flew out of his mouth.
Glancing at the moons once more, the burning heat coursed throughout his entire body as he felt his teeth growing sharper. Returning his sight to the pond, he was in utter panic now.
The beard...no, the fur covered his chest now.
"N-Noooooo!" Lance cried in agony as his face grew more hair and seemed to stretch both wider and longer.
The pain doubled and breathing became painful.
=========
Alexis had secretly followed Lance to the pond, watching in horror as he changed into...something else. He kept screaming and thrashing in pain as the moons seemed to mock him. Her jaw physically dropped and she wanted to scream. Nothing came out of her dry throat except for gasps of fear.
=========
Lance's hands were becoming more animal-like, wicked claws growing and curving around the former fingertips. His nose became more triangular as from his backside a slender, bony tail was growing in length and fuzz. His ears became pointier and eventually jutted out from the top of his head.
His lower body soon completed the gruesome metamorphosis into beast while the upper half retained some human features, like elongated fingers and a mane of scarlet-brown hair. His whole furry body was black, but he had a white underbelly starting from the muzzle and ending at the tip of the medium-length tail. His hands and paw-feet were also white.
The creature that was once Lance a few moments earlier opened its eyes and looked up at the dual moons. Its maw opened up a tiny bit before a man-like wolf's howl shot through the night and tore the very fabric of sleep to invisible shreds.
=========
Alexis cringed, wondering how the shorts didn't get affected by the transformation. Upon hearing the roar of the beast, she had no choice but to turn back and run as fast as her legs could carry her. She screamed left and right, twigs snapping under her feet as she heard more howls sound in the distance like sirens in the ocean sea.
=========
Upon hearing the screams, the beast turned its head to the direction they originated from and instinctively followed the scent of a terrified young girl. It seemed to find the intended target, paws moving swiftly, silently.
It saw that young girl already being circled by wolves made of twigs. The beast growled before throwing the adversaries to the Gryphon Kingdom. It sighted the little girl huddled with her back to a tree.
It took a cautious step forward. The girl winced.
Another step. She whimpered like a sad puppy, tears filled with the essence of fear flowing from her eyes.
Yet another step. The girl found herself looking into those crimson eyes, as if expecting something to happen. He reached a paw up to her terrified face and wiped the tears away. Picking her up and placing her upon his back, he ran back to the mansion as another howl flew from his maw.
The beast was greeted by a green-haired woman.
"A...nna?" The beast asked, his voice having a hint of a snarl to it.
"Lance....?" Anna asked in shock before hugging the beast. "Get back inside, you had us worried."
~~~~~~~~~~~
"I swear, unless I was sleepwalking, I didn't bite him!" Fenrir exclaimed for the sixteenth time.
"We know that. Just shut up." Katie snorted, eyes scrunched in half-sleep.
Lance the were-fox-wolf-thing sat in the middle of the room on all fours, his unkempt mane extending to his shoulder-blades.
"Big brother is now as fuzzy as we are!" Wing called.
"Yeah! All he has to do is control it!" Fang chimed with a grin.
Lance looked at his siblings funny.
"I blame Legion and his cage hax." Matt sighed, pointing a finger at Lance.
"Okay, everyone, chill." Anna bellowed, carrying an entire deer as she strode in through the front door. And yes, this one had antlers.
The Nazi-wolf began sniffing at his wife's catch before he took it off her shoulders and ran into an empty basement with it. (You know what werewolves do at this point.)
TIME SKIP!
Luna walked in with a few bat-pony night guards in tow. She sat on her haunches and conversed with Lance, who had a deer skull with antlers on his head like it was a helmet.
"So, its one thing to have a first transformation--which is currently your case and is entirely understandable." Luna sighed with a faint grin. Lance nodded.
"You must learn to will the transformation. It won't be easy, but doable nonetheless." Said one bat-pony. He himself turned into a were-bat-pony in two seconds, no pain added.
The Nazi's jaw dropped.
"Just train yourself in taming your new beast and all should be well. For now, just go back to sleep. It's needed, trust me." Luna ordered.
"S-Say what?!" Mr. Rhodes' jaw proceeded to drop, make a full circle across the globe after somehow phasing though the center and other side of said globe and landed with a clang on top of his head.
"Yeah... Natalie....hasn't taken it as well as we have. Then again, just remembering a horrid childhood memory has its effects, I suppose." Anna grimly shook her head, her expression grave with a hint of despair. "It hurt her real bad that people she loved were taken from her and...what she wound up doing in return."
"Vengeance is a dish best served cold..." Matt quoted.
"So, I have found out the bullies belong to that tribe." Miss Cherilee sighed.
"Huh?!" Lance's eyes widened. He looked like a furry humanoid mosquito now, and who was to blame him? He was still in beast form, the only thing aside from his mane making him recognizable was the Nazi hat.
"Well, that explains everything!" Blake chimed.
"We'll have to go to court as well, it seems." The vice principle, a woman with grey hair, pink irises and an outfit reminiscent of a nun, sighed. Her name was Sister Emily.
"At least there shouldn't be any complications, especially since Legion has been defeated." Mayor Mare sighed with a shake of her head.
"Like I said: Can't wait for Celestia to banish them if Fen-Fen doesn't jump them first." Katie repeated.
"I can see why he's been angry enough to warrant breaking the Valkyrie." Lance stated with a nod, causing the hat to shift downward slightly. With a flick of a clawed hand the hat was fixed into proper position.
"I would really hate it if GodCat got into this... who knows which avatar would do what then." Blake chimed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
"How many witnesses does that make now?" Iron Will asked as he stepped in from the kitchen.
"I dunno. A lot." Katie answered.
"When's the court date?" Asked Azure.
"Two days if we travel by foot, immediately if we use Lance's teleportation hax. And then we get interrogated." Coryza answered.
"In any case, why the heck not?" Everyone else agreed.
"Let's just wait on Natz and Fen-Fen to calm down." Katie pointed out.
"The tribe better be praying Phoenix Wright didn't take their case." Lance snorted, "Let alone Miles Edgeworth."
"I vote that Franziska von Karma shows up." Blake commented.
TIME SKIP, because who says there is no such thing?!
"Citizens of Equestria!!" Celestia and Luna bellowed to appease the peanut gallery of the court room that is known as the jury, "Calm thy conversations! We understand that this issue has only been made known in the past month, and have expected such controversy! But there shall be no slander of any kind! Have we made ourselves perfectly clear?"
The jury nodded. Strangely enough, both avatars of GodCat were in it as well.
The party and their children were in the first and second rows of the gallery attending the court case befittingly called Valleywood vs. The Wandering Heroes.
The whole tribe had the defendant's table to themselves with Isabella at the front. She stared at the sisters in bizarre wonder. Just what were they going to do? Perhaps the tribe would get leeway regardless of what the bringers of the village ruin had to say about it.
"Celestia, who should we call first?" Princess Cadence asked.
"That's up to the defense attorney." Celestia answered, pointing to a pony with a magenta coat and a dark red mane. On her flank was a scale like the one the ancient Egyptians used, and it had a feather on one side and a valentine's heart on the other. Her sterling silver eyes darted to and fro, as if she were nervous.
The prosecution was a tall man, around 5'10'' or more. He had black hair that was greying, and it was trimmed so low ponies looked hairier than he. He had a set of shades on and a cane in his hand, indicating he was blind. His other senses were sharpened, however.
"Rightful Scale!" Luna bellowed, causing the defense to look at her. "Call your first witness!"
"Y-Yes, Princess... I call Isabella to the stand!" Scale replied, her voice sounding like a nervous wreck worse than a sobbing Natalie.
The crone slowly hobbled to the stand, her cane colliding loudly with the ground.
'I am older than she is and she's slower than me? Does she have arthritis or something?' Katie thought with a silent sigh.
By the time Lance read the whole newspaper back to front the crone was on the stand.
"Witness, state your name." Sighed the prosecution.
"My name has already been stated when I was called. But if you insist, my name is Isabella. Nobody in the tribe has a last name, so don't bother asking for it." Replied the crone.
The prosecution nodded.
"Please testify about what exactly happened during the 'Valleywood Tragedy' based on how you saw it." Scale sighed.
Isabella cleared her throat after having a coughing fit. Loud and clear this came out of her mouth:
"Alright, as all of the people in here are aware of, we have a very strict lifestyle when it concerns personal matters. We also have a legend that states ruin will be brought to the village when one of two things happen. One, villagers marry outsiders and live with said outsiders or two, a poor choice of sacrifice is offered to our God. The first of the two happened precisely four times--all of which were simultaneous. Now, when we first found out about it went something like this, and I hope you do not mind my rambling.
Ahem, a woman of our village was destined to marry her cousin. She complained about it quite a lot, and we all told her to deal with it. She ran into the forest for a day and showed up so suddenly...with an unusual love for this cousin. We thought it all strange, but we assumed she took some time to think about it and didn't pay it any mind. They were married and did what married couples always do at some point in time. When she gave birth to a little boy, one fox tail was exposed--and we knew something was wrong. She took the boy and fled, not saving her mate seeing as we already burned him for adultery. We had not seen her since.
Then, a pair of siblings--a man and a woman--fled shortly after. We had a difficult time finding them, I ask you why else would it take a few years to do so! When we found the true woman who disliked her cousin, she was married to a red-head heathen. She told me she entered a deal with the fox a few years prior. We simply got rid of the traitor and her heathen husband on the spot and left. It was there we had also found the siblings, their heathen spouses, and their children. We dragged them to the village to be burned. Then I heard a shout and turned around.
A red-haired girl was nigh-blue in the face from falsified sorrow. She pointed at me and was screaming all sorts of complex gibberish which, at the time, I didn't understand so clearly. The two children brought to the village fled, their parents already gone. The green-haired girl carried a bundle, though I didn't know what it was. The girl was surrounded by fire which didn't hurt her, and soon a thunderous hailstorm attacked the village.
Valleywood burned before the eyes of the tribe, and all of them fled except I. I dared ask the girl why flames of the abyss and weather of the cursed came at the sound of her voice. She ran away, and I never saw her again for the next thirty years, nor did I see the others."
"So much for trying to be innocent." The prosecutor scoffed. "You blatantly admitted to starting the whole Tragedy yourself!"
"I agree." Scale admitted with a hiss.
Isabella's face went white with shock.
GodCat's white half stood up. "It is too late to right your mistake."
"Salvation won't be granted for the pitiful fools who had to follow everything. I truly feel sorry for your kind, as they most likely will have to suffer because of your own errors." The dark half chimed. "Celestia, what is your judgement?"
Celestia was more than fumed now, and Lance could smell that anger.
"I shall spare the tribe on the grounds that they no longer follow the strict lifestyle forced upon them at such a young age! Isabella, however, is to be petrified for all eternity!" Celestia bellowed in such a loud voice it made Katie look quiet.
"P-Petrified...?!" Asked the crone.
"Much like Discord. The Grim Reaper would be much too kind for you." Luna added, shaking her head. "Court is adjourned!"
Two Royal Guards took Isabella away while everyone else left. Along the way home, GodCat's avatars stopped the party.
"We are truly sorry that happened all those years ago." Said the white half.
"Humans suffering as much as cats...frankly, until then, I would never have guessed. Advanced nature, perhaps?" Asked the dark half.
"Mommy, what did the Princesses talk about?" Asked Alexis. She and the other children had really loud MP3's with earbuds and that was permitted by Celestia herself.
"A lot of things you do not need to know about until I am 60," Natalie answered.
'At least it's been taken care of, seeing that old, heartless, walking pile of cobwebs get what she deserved.' Lance thought.
"I can't stand seeing my family in pain. It makes me so....." Fenrir started.
"Voracious for justice?" Katie asked.
"Yeah, that."
"Oi, next week is Nightmare Night week, right?" Blake sighed.
"WE COMPLETELY FORGOT!" Matt and Coryza shouted in unison, jaws hanging open.
Katie sat on the couch, having gotten outfits for the children to use on Nightmare Night. She watched the housecats--NoLegs, Chewy, and Opalescence--seemingly argue with Mog the Moogle.
"Meow." NoLegs said.
"Kupo." Mog replied.
"Rawr." Chewy sighed.
Opal huffed.
Katie's ears heard it all:
"How come you have legs? You're more cat-like than Chewy!"
"I am not a cat. I have wings, kupo."
"At least I get tuna."
"Ugh, quit arguing."
She kept watching them accuse each other of this, that, or the other. All the while she ate popcorn.
"Did not!" NoLegs hissed.
"Did too!" Chewy bellowed.
"That's it, I am leaving." Opal puffed, keeping true to her word.
"So am I, kupo." Mog sighed, flying away with his small wings.
"Yo momma's so ugly she won an ugly contest with Akron!" NoLegs shrieked.
"Katie!" Called Fenrir as he entered the room. "We have some more Moogles here!"
"Really?!" Katie asked in shock.
"Yeah, and they all want to stay here with us!" Fenrir replied.
"Well, this is new. Alicorn magic versus human magic." Natalie sighed, brandishing her Crystal Staff for the first time in years.
"Yeah. I never got the concept either. But one species sparring against another isn't really that uncommon." Twilight agreed, flaring out her wings.
Natalie spread her legs apart, both hands on her staff as a runic circle flared out from underneath her. At the same time, a circle with three inverted triangles and a smaller circle in between their corners formed in front of her. A red force field surrounded her, greatly increasing her magic defense by a whopping 70%.
Twilight's horn was flaring with offensive magic. It started in lavender and gradually changed to a pale yellow. Another runic symbol flared underneath her as lightning sparks began dancing to and fro around the alicorn. The sparks and circle turned into a sinister obsidian.
'An Abyssal Lightning spell?!' Natalie thought as panic tried taking over her mind. 'I have to disrupt it now!'
The lightning was fired at the Barrier, which shattered immediately and was followed by a cloud of smoke that obscured the sight of all in the arena.
The alicorn cleared the smoke and looked around. The human mage was nowhere in sight.
"I have to say!" Natalie called out from nowhere, "I always wanted to see that and try this at the same time!"
Twilight looked up and saw her adversary fly on wings of pure energy. Her staff was in front of her hands, which were meshing together to form another spell. Instinctively, she put up her own force field to deflect whatever was coming.
Natalie let off an insane cackle before casting Debilitate. And she was still charging that other spell!
The alicorn, refusing defeat, began firing magic blasts of energy. They homed in on the mage, who began dodging them whilst flying around the whole arena (built by Lance). That spell she had in between her hands was still charging...!
"Gotcha." Natalie grinned as she fired a Thunderstorm, Firestorm, and Icestorm combination at the alicorn. The three spells danced around one another in a contorted spiral of energy before hail and lightning clashed in the sky while fire trapped Twilight. The homing missiles of magic were turned against their creator in favor of the red-haired wizard.
'Well, it looks like she does have me. Good thing I have a plan B.' Twilight thought before charging up another spell to counter Natalie's Demented Storm Overdrive. The spell needed utmost concentration, but then a missile caught her off and--
"What is happening!?" Natalie shrieked as the Overdrive stopped altogether, revealing an aura of clashing purple and vermillion encasing her flailing body.
And the rest of the human/beast-person party in the arena (who were sparring against the rest of the Mane Six) had the same thing happen to them.
Katie, quite simply, was cursing left and right. Matt was spinning like a top and Coryza was hung upside down. Fenrir was howling and Blake's demon form nearly exposed itself. Lance and Anna were screaming in pitch-perfect unison.
'What did I do to them this time?!' Twilight thought as the whole of everything became enveloped in a searing white light.
The humans/beast-persons began screaming in sheer panic now, and when the light died down everypony gasped at what they saw.
In place of the humans and beast-persons stood precisely eight ponies whose overall appearances were almost exactly like them. Fenrir was a wolf-like unicorn pony, a fuzzy horn at the base of his forehead. A full moon with a paw in its center could be seen on his thick layer of hair.
Lance was an earth pony, a blazing red body accenting his mane. Mechanical pegasus wings--the joints that allowed movement, the bolts that held the wings to the body, and the base being made of iron and the actual feathers made of a bronze-colored alloy--adorned his sides. A nuclear bomb and a tank made themselves quite evident on his haunches.
Anna was a unicorn herself, a leather brown coat complimenting her green mane. A bow and three arrows with a water drop, ice cube, and sparks sat on her flanks.
Katie was a dusk-orange alicorn. A blazing series of fists was on her flanks.
Matt was an earth pony, a stark white coat making his mane shine like the sun. Three swords crossed together were on his rear end.
Coryza was a Pegasus, a stark black-purple was her coat color. A purple guitar and a loudspeaker were paired in a duet upon her rear end.
Natalie was a light grey unicorn, a black orb of energy and white shimmers of light dancing around each other upon her haunches. And her horn was still glowing.
Blake was a dark purple bat-pony unicorn, and a skeleton with a tombstone showed themselves to be his cutie mark.
"Um, guys, I guess I messed up the spell. You'll have to be ponies for a day since my own missile hit me. I do apologize, but even I can make mistakes." Twilight sighed.
"How do these metal wings move, much less make me able to fly?!" Lance demanded, noticing his wings were on par in fluency with those of Rainbow's.
"Anna," Natalie, Coryza, Blake, and Matt complained in unison, "teach us how to walk on all fours."
Anna's ears flattened and she gave a nervous chuckle. "Don't look at me, look at my in-law."
"Look, mommy!" Alexis cried, holding a whole sack of candy on her back. She was dressed like a mini-Satan. "I got lots of candy!"
"So did we!" Wing and Fang cried in unison, both having to share a bag. They were mummy-wolves.
"I wanna eat it all now!" Nick, who was dressed as a vampire, called out. Who wouldn't want to eat a whole sack of candy?
Katie smiled as she piloted the Valkyrie homewards. "I understand that you want to eat it all up right here and now, but you have to wait until tomorrow. We don't know which bits of candy have something bad like poison in them, and nobody wants to get sick from a sugary sweet. Understood?"
The children nodded.
TIME SKIP, because screw logic!!
The parents had two batches of candy in bowls. One was labeled 'safe' and the other 'bad.' They were then divided into more bowls for the respective child. They did one sack at a time, and it was mildly time-consuming.
They used scent (via Fenrir) to detect any unusual smells and Katie's keen eye to detect something wrong with the wrapper, like said wrapper already being open or the wrapper is different than what should be necessary altogether. To make extra-sure nothing was wrong at all, Lance built a candy-checking machine specifically for this purpose. Any rejects were automatically put into the bad bowl, but thankfully, there were no bad morsels to be had in any of the sacks.
"This is their first Nightmare Night and already there are no bad apples." Anna sighed in relief, laying on the couch because her whole torso hurt.
One of Lance's man-maids was busy tending to Natalie's baby because she was on the floor out cold. (In case you were wondering, the child belonged to Matt and was a little boy. Yes, Matt technically has his own harem. Shut it.)
The child began crying because neither parent was there to soothe him, and he didn't take too kindly to strange people. Blake, who was the only one who wasn't tired, picked the child up and soothed him in two seconds.
TIME SKIP AGAIN, because screw sanity!
"You got a whole sack of candy, Alexis?!" Cried one of the former bullies in shock, "How is that even possible?!"
"Blame Mommy and Daddy." Alexis answered with a cat's grin on her face.
"You shared one sack of candy?!" Shouted a little blond girl, who was pointing at the twins accusingly.
They wrapped an arm around each other and shared toothy grins. "Big brother Lance helped us!" They admitted.
"LANCE?!" Shouted all the so-called normal children in unison. The twins nodded, their smiles unwavering.
Mr. Rhodes walked in, his grey hair accompanied by a slight beard. "Alright, children, calm down please."
The children and foals sat in their assigned seats, and all fell silent.
"How was everyone doing?" Mr. Rhodes asked, his greenish-brown eyes hidden behind clear glasses.
"Good." The class replied, all nodding in unison.
"I think we'll do a project this week! How's that sound?" Asked the teacher with a grin.
The children and foals jumped up and cheered. At least, until Mr. Rhodes spoke again.
"Well, this project will be a doozy: show us your special talent by Friday! It will be hosted in the playground and magic can be involved if needed."
Nick, the twins, and Alexis immediately deadpanned in horror. Their parents forbade them to use magic--no ifs, ands, or buts lest another Akron-related incident occurred. How would they react to this? Surely, they'd find solace in some other talent, but weapons would be involved and as everyone knows weapons aren't allowed in school.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"SAY WHAT?!" Natalie shrieked in horror, color fleeing from her body and her hair standing on end as her very soul escaped from her.
"B-But Mr. Rhodes said we could if it was needed, he didn't say we had to!" Alexis caterwauled.
Natalie let off a sigh of relief, wiping sweat off of her forehead with an arm. Her color returned shortly after.
"And it's due when?" Anna asked, arms crossed and tapping her foot with an annoyed look on her face.
"Friday." Nick deadpanned with a frown.
"I don't think we have a choice anymore..." Katie sighed, shaking her head sadly. "We'll end up having to teach them. I mean, the foals in that classroom mostly consist of unicorns. Who's to say they won't be envied by our kids?"
"Point taken." Matt agreed. "That and the self-defense issue."
"Cannot believe I... well, things happen." Lance choked.
"At least we remembered now. At any rate, what the hay? Let's do it!" Fenrir chimed.
Blake could only chuckle, but it quickly fleeted and was replaced with concern. His little girl was only a quarter-demon, and he worried she would not be able to contain--let alone control--her powers should they be present.
Coryza was busy listening. She stepped into the room and nodded. "It has to be done at some point--the sooner, the better. We all are in this together. Should we be not present when, say, another Akron shows up, who will fix it then in our place?"
The rest of the party looked at her, then exchanged glances with one another.
A long silence.
At last, Katie spoke. "Cory has made a very good point. Who will be there to save the world if we're dead? I think the Mane Six will be finding themselves asking that same question in a few years' time."
Natalie stood up. "I am going to hate myself now for saying this--but the ban on our abilities has been officially removed on the grounds they not be used needlessly or in situations that aren't dire!"
"Tandem videbimus nisi ut salva sit virtutis opus! Id hac re ignis, grando, nec minis caelum fulmen." Katie agreed.
"Latin sure is an old language. Good thing I understood every word." Blake nodded.
"Alright, kids!" Lance called with his familiar Nazi-barking tone of voice. Each child, save Blue Horn, was lined up in singile file in front of him. He was holding a checklist in his hand and the (other) original three party members stood behind him. Each had their respective,strongest weapons with them as well. "We'll give you a total of thirty-two tests!"
"THIRTY-TWO!!?!" The kids cried, jaws agape.
"Yes, thirty-two. However, you will each take one test per day under our supervision. Tomorrow, it will be switched around to the other adults, and in total for all of you, there's only eight tests. We also made negotiations with your teachers and they moved the project to next Friday, so don't worry about time constraints." Lance explained, his voice dropping to normal speaking thanks to Anna whacking him upside the head with her Fairy Bow. This made a bump appear on the back of his head.
"When do they start, Sir Barks-a-lot?" Matt asked, unamused. He was already leaning on Heaven's Gate and on the verge of falling asleep.
Lance rubbed the bump on his head. It was pretty swollen now. "Right now. We're already in the plains where the Beholder hoard swarmed us, so why not?" Lance sighed.
He was whacked with Natalie's Crystal Staff, as if she was saying 'do not remind me of that again.'
"Alright, I'll shut up now." Complained the Nazi, rubbing the bump that appeared on the first bump.
"You better, or we'll put you in the maid dress again." Anna scoffed in irritation.
'Not that! Anything but that!' Lance thought in horror.
Natalie and Matt shared hushed giggles. First time it happened, let's just say Matt needed a hospital and Natalie refused to take her hands off the video camera. Anna objected to it left and right, but soon saw it was quite an effective way to control his devious tendencies when they weren't needed.
_____
"Now, remember," Anna started as he helped her son aim his medieval French crossbow, "These things are nowhere near as effective as my variants of longbow or your dad's guns."
Nick nodded, taking steady aim at a Furry Slime hopping toward them. It was very far away but very large--as large as a Big Muddy Bush, to be accurate. Its four slime-paws helped it trudge to its target. It was, strangely enough, red with black furry ears and a really big fox tail. In short, a fox variant.
The ground began shaking as the huge adversary approached the trainer and trainee.
"Aim for the eyes and make it blind. After that, it won't turn you into a slime." Anna rhymed.
"How do you know I can be slimified by that?" Nick asked.
"Experience. Frankly, I want to try it again, but I won't because then Daddy will raise all sorts of Tartarus." Anna explained.
Nick gasped in shock, momentarily letting the crossbow slip in the process. But he quickly regained his posture and took aim again, this time without help.
The slime got closer, the earth trembling with each collision. The mini-quake almost became too much now, yet Nick's aim remained steady. A few bolts were already loaded.
The slime kept approaching.
And it screamed as two bolts landed in its eyes.
It started swinging its slime-paws in rage, Nick deftly dodging thanks to him casting Reflex in a fraction of a second.
The slime's paws kept flailing about, the earth shaking in response as another round of bolts was fired. It screamed again, a paw sending Anna flying into the air halfway across the plains.
That was it. That was final.
Nick screamed to the high heavens, and as if in response the Ion Cannon activated. It homed in on the Furry Slime before firing a solitary gold-white beam that instantly ended it. Don't worry, only the slime was felled.
Lance ran to Nick and picked him up before running to where Anna was presumed to have fatally landed. The others were there as well, worried looks on their faces. There was a dust cloud obscuring the sight of everything.
The Nazi thought they were too late, until he saw a silhouette in the flying dirt running amok. It...was as high as his shin. It was also fairly round and it hopped. The cloud blew away in the wind, revealing a hue of green and...!
"Not again!" Everyone cried.
"At least I didn't die!" The slimified Anna objected as Lance picked her up.
The following day after the Anna-Slime Incident, it was Alexis' turn to train. Her dad was with her and they were in a cemetary, and before anyone asks he did indeed negotiate this issue with Celestia (and Luna was watching them.)
"Alright, Alexis." Blake sighed, waving his right hand in circles for no discernible reason. "We will practice necromancy."
"What's necromancy?" The curious child asked, small wings fluttering so fast she put hummingbirds to shame.
Blake was shocked before he mentally smacked himself upside the head. "It's....well...err....." He shuddered, turning to Natalie like she'd suddenly forgo this whole mess everyone landed in.
"Let me explain since your dad is currently derping." Natalie groaned in annoyance, her eyes squinted. "You see all these tombstones surrounding us?"
Alexis nodded.
"These house...how should I say this... dead people and ponies. Some died....unfairly and others at peace. There are those that should be here but....aren't. They died elsewhere..."
"Really?" Alexis asked.
Natalie nodded. "Like my parents... they should be here. I guess I have some explaining to do about that..."
"Why say that?"
Natalie began tearing up. Her hair covered her eyes, concealing them in darkness. She was shaking like a leaf. "Th...They died unfairly..." She choked, her voice sounding as if on the verge of letting off a scream. "Y-you remember....that old...bad woman, r-right?"
Alexis nodded once more, vividly remembering the crone. Why did her mother say Isabella was a bad woman?
"Sh....she killed my parents...when I was little." Natalie heaved, more tears falling off of her face. The painful memory flashed to and fro in her mind, and she found herself unable to escape it.
________
Little Natalie heard her parents and some strange voices shouting. This was followed by the sounds of quite a many things breaking.
Fear overtook her, and she hid under the bed as footsteps were heard marching upstairs.
Towards her room.
Soon, a strange woman and a few men burst into her hiding place. They glanced around, the woman huffing. In her hand she held two Obsidian Idols by a single, gossamer string. Hissing like a cat, she and the other intruders left.
Silence. It was all that reigned. It was all that was there.
Slowly, she crawled out from under her bed and flew into the hallway. She looked in all the other rooms and saw no signs of life.
"Mommy? Daddy?" The girl called. Yet, nothingness was all that greeted her.
Tentatively, she shambled downstairs--and what a horrid sight greeted her. Her parents lay on the floor, their bodies motionless. Tables and chairs lay broken in much the same manner.
"Mommy...?" Natalie asked, slowly making her way to her parents. Her legs were stiff, almost as if petrified. Her mother had yet to move.
Time seemed to freeze for the little one. Almost immediately no less.
"Mommy...?" Natalie squeaked, shaking very badly as she reached a set of hands and put them on her mother's shoulder. She then began moving the shoulder in an attempt to awaken her.
The shoulder felt cold.
"No! Mama!" Natalie cried as she ran to her father and did the same. He felt cold too. "Papa!" She cried again as the dreaded realization had occurred.
Her parents had died. Because of that woman.
The idols...they...
Natalie screamed in pain. Her head was thrown upwards as the agonized, gut-wrenching howl escaped her mouth and sounded throughout the village. It was not just a cry over the sorrows of parting...
No, it was a call to war.
The girl reluctantly got up, donned her father's tattered traveling cloak, and ran outside, barely catching a glimpse of a green-haired girl and her best friend Matt struggling to get away from the men who were with her.
Natalie made up her mind: to hurt the bad woman the way she hurt her.
~~~~~~
"You big meanie!" Natalie called as the bad people were holding Matt and the other girl. The bad woman, in quite a shock, turned around and glared at her immediately.
"You...!" The woman hissed.
Natalie's eyes became a brilliant cobalt first, then a searing scarlet, and at last a burning gold. As this happened she was chanting something--a spell--almost subconsciously. The cloak wavered in a breeze as the spell was chanted.
"Seize her! We can't let her get away!" The woman cried, pointing a finger at the girl.
A circle of the hottest fire formed a protective barrier around Natalie, thus keeping her safe from those meanies.
The horrified villagers looked up as the clouds obscured the sun, turning morbidly black in doing so. The men holding little Matt and the other girl dropped the children, who ran into the woodland beyond.
Thunder crackled and lightning danced across the sky. Blue bits of hail soon fell in such a torrent it was as if the very heavens suddenly hated the village.
"N-No!" Cried the villagers as the fire suddenly spread out in such a way the whole town was engulfed in what was to be called the Storm of Disaster. Only Natalie stood in the village on that very day in that dark moment, the burning embers and snowball-sized hail wrecking houses beyond all forms of repair. On occasion the thunder crackled as though it mocked the bad people. The cloak continued to partially fly in the winds and rain that soon doused out all the fire--and thus, all traces of the entire village.
"Mama...Papa..." Sobbed the little girl who was frantically clutching the two Idols in her grasp, hugging them tightly, "I'm s-sorry..."
_______
Natalie was curled into a ball now, her face buried into her knees as her frantic sobbing continued. Blake sat next to her, stroking her hair. He looked at Alexis and shook his head, his expression saying it all.
Luna could...only sob once the horrid projection of the wizard's memory ended. She stood there, tears falling down her cheeks and mouth hanging open. Having no choice and with Blake's approval, the Lunar Princess put the grieving Natalie into a peaceful slumber complete with good dreams.
"Let me show you how I raise...the dead." Blake sighed as he wrapped a blanket around the sleeping wizard. He raised a hand to the sky before pointing it accusingly at a gravestone marked with a cross. He began chanting some strange words before out from the ground a pony skeleton emerged from it. It looked at him with wonder before throwing a wad of dirt at him and promptly going back into its earthen, dark slumber.
"You try it." Blake said with a sudden smile despite having dirt in his face. He was busy trying to shake it off.
Alexis sighed, getting over her own sorrow, before mimicking her dad. She chanted a few words as a humanoid skeleton emerged from his grave. He shambled toward the little girl and looked at her with wonder.
"Speak." She commanded.
The skeleton laughed a demented laugh.
"Speak!" Alexis cried again, this time with a giggle.
The skeleton laughed again.
"What's that? You can only cackle?" Alexis asked with another giggle.
The skeleton nodded before cackling once more.
"Your first familiar...." Blake shed a manly tear at the sight.
"And his name is now Chuckles!" Alexis grinned wide.
Side Story 3 (kinda part of main story)- The Heck? + Chapter XIII- The Project
Today was now Saturday, which was a day that a break in training and school (training school?) was much needed. Anna had regained her human shape, but was essentially still a slime. Wing learned how to use illusions and Fang learned how to use aura as a means of defensive offense.
"Daddy!" Nick complained as he suddenly climbed into Lance's lap, disrupting what everyone came to call Newspaper Hour. It was simply where Lance read the newspaper front to back three times in one seating, a watch handy should he forget something like dinner's burning.
"Yeah?" Lance asked, confused. He actually rolled the paper up and put it next to him.
"Why's Mommy still slimy?" Nick asked.
Lance choked. His heart skipped three consecutive beats in one millisecond. "U-um, w-well.... wh-when..."
"When someone gets slimified," Katie sighed since Lance apparently could no longer talk, "It takes days to be cured of it completely. Worse yet, you can get it all over again."
"Grandma! You're not supposed to be here early!" Nick pointed out.
"A, training went much smoother than expected, and B, there was a flipping snowstorm headed out way! Still, the Crystal Palace does have a good training spot." Katie retorted.
Anna tipsy-walked into the room, and she could not stop laughing her fool head off! Her still-slimy body seemed to sway one direction, and then its semi-opposite in one fell swoop.
"Honey....?" Lance asked, smelling something wrong with his wife. Even in human form his senses were enhanced beyond the mortal comprehension.
"I've never felt so happy before~" Anna replied as she awkwardly walked to the couch, nearly tripping thrice in the process. She was still laughing like a maniac.
"Um....Lance, can I take Nick upstairs into his room?" Katie asked.
"Sure." Lance answered. "Son, go upstairs with grandma and behave."
The fox and archer's apprentice walked up the stairs in such haste Anna didn't even have time to comprehend why.
The archer wrapped her arms around the Nazi from behind, her chin resting on his head. A cat's grin formed on her face and she looked like she wanted something.
"Honey," Lance sighed in defeat, his eyes scrunched in annoyance, "please stop drinking all the sugary stuff."
"Awww......" Anna started in shock, her eyes wide.
Lance got up off the couch, walked up to Anna and picked her up. "I think you really need a nap."
Nature woman could only agree. She yawned and was soon asleep as Lance himself ascended the stairs with her.
TIME SKIP, because I said so!
"Alrighty, children!" Mr. Rhodes called out to the children and foals lined up before him military-style. "We will go in alphabetical order, starting with the children with 'a' in their last names and so forth. Should they not have a last name, they will go by their first, hence the unusual lineup."
The first in line was a unicorn filly with a blue body and fiery red hair. Her green eyes surveyed everyone else. On her flank was a set of colored pencils in all the colors of the rainbow.
"Now, Vibrant Color, show us your talent."
Vibrant did as told, making a canvas appear out of nowhere. She then took out so many pencils, erasers, what have you it put a factory to shame. Two seconds later, a drawing of the freaking Mona Lisa sat on the canvas and there were many jaws dropping.
"Next up..."
The children and foals had to wait a long while for the slowpokes to hurry up.
"Fangtail Moon, you're up."
Fang went up before looking at a tree stump that was in the playground. It needed to be removed somehow, but the people in charge of the playground were too lazy to do so.
A crimson aura encased him before he made his hand into a fist. The tree quickly became nothing but a mere pile of splinters. Afterwards, said pile of splinters were flung into the nearby trash can. He made his way back into line, dusting his hands together with a toothy grin.
"Wing-Gale's next."
The little winged fox skipped before the crowd. She turned to face everyone as her own eyes began glowing. The wings on her back extended to the length of a harpy eagle before she took flight. The other children gasped as fire began dancing around the little one, which turned her into a flaming bird. After this display, she landed onto the ground, reverting to normal form.
"Alexis."
The quarter-demon child stood before the other children. She giggled for a bit before raising a hand to the heavens and suddenly throwing it onto the ground whilst kneeling. A runic circle appeared underneath her as a skeleton started to emerge behind her. The skeleton began cackling madly.
"This is Chuckles." She said with an innocent smile. "I also have another talent."
"NOBODY CAN HAVE TWO TALENTS!" Shouted the foals accusingly.
"Mommy said otherwise." Alexis grinned again before her little demon wings suddenly turned angelic. Meshing both hands together to create a white glow, she looked into the skies and made a portal to the cosmos.
Stars began to fall toward the school, but as they were about to collide with the atmosphere, they made fireworks. "Who said I couldn't have two talents?" Alexis asked as her wings returned to normal.
Nick was up now, and he took a log and carved it into a wooden target. He then made arrows of frost and hit said target with them.
_____
"How did the project go?" Matt asked the kids as they tackled him for no reason other than joy.
"We did perfect!" The kids replied in unison.
Chuckles, as usual, laughed his fool head off.
"OI!" Anna shouted from the kitchen, "DINNER'S READY!"
Everyone suddenly stampeded to the table and tonight was a whole roasted pig!
Natalie was walking to the store to buy more things the household had run out of. It was a bright day, and that only enhanced her cheery mood. It was Thanksgiving Break, so why not? Katie wanted a Turducken in addition to the traditional turkey. She also needed ingredients to prepare the brine in which the turkey would sit. Then there was the stuffing. She NEEDED bacon for it. And don't get her started on the vegetables! Corn, mashed potatoes, green beans and peas, good god there was so much to get! Good thing Lance was pretty much rich.
She took the grocery list from her purse to make sure she had it all memorized. She sighed in content before going about her merry way when a man bumped into her, causing both to land on their rear ends.
"I-I'm sorry!" Natz cried in shock, getting up before helping the man to stand. He had greying blond hair and brown eyes.
"I-It's nothing." Smiled the man who was busy dusting himself. He had a slight British accent going about him.
"Don't I know you...?" Natalie asked, confused.
The man looked at her before taking something out from his pocket. He showed it to the wizard.
Examining the thing, she found it was an employee card. On it bore the words "Doctor Harry Fernandez." Her jaw dropped. This man...was paid by Lance to aid her.
Fernandez, too, seemed to remember the whole ordeal.
"Ah, now it's returned to me!" Harry cried in joy, "You were a patient of mine, no?"
Natalie nodded. This was more than embarrassing.
"Hmm...I think you were accompanied by a soldier and swordsman, no?"
Natalie nodded again.
"It was...how do I say this since there are foals present... er... you had...an issue with a Beholder, right?"
Another nod.
"I just wanted to refresh my memory, Miss...."
"Natalie."
"Alrighty then! Before you start to panic, I have something I need to tell you...something my crazy wife normally forbids me to do." Fernandez sighed.
"I didn't know you had a crazy wife!?" Natalie replied in shock.
"It was after the appointment." Harry groaned, eyes squinted. "I was...blackmailed left and right."
"What happened after the wedding? Please skip the honeymoon formalities." Natz asked. She had a feeling she didn't like where this was going.
"Well, she found out about the...spawns. Let's just say she took it upon herself to get them to go full term. She made me do it. And the only reason I am out here in the open is because she wants to turn the...triplets over to you." Harry answered.
Natalie's soul fled once more, and color went with. Her jaw hung open in the breeze...
...and for quite a while, a long silence was all that there was between doctor and patient.
After a while, a stallion ran toward them. He had a light brown coat and a silver mane, green eyes surveying the humans.
"I was sent by a Lance to find a Natalie." The stallion puffed, and he was tired.
"I found something really disturbing, please send this kind man to the Lance-meister, now." Natalie gasped, realizing she'd forgotten about the store. Her legs moved so fast they spun like wheels, a dust cloud trailing behind her as she went.
"What was that all about?" Asked the stallion.
"Just do as she says. Lead me that-away!" Harry sighed bluntly.
______
"SAY WHAT?!" Matt cried in shock.
"YOUR WIFE DID HUH?!" Anna shrieked, jaw hanging open.
Blake's anger was over the roof. For him, this bit of news did not bode well at all. As such, he refrained from uttering a single word.
"I dare say," Lance started in sheer discomfort, his left eye twitching as he slammed the rolled-up newspaper onto the table, "your wife is a nut! You'd have no idea what Natalie would do once she saw them!"
Katie merely shook her head as she ate her tuna.
Fenrir face-palmed.
Coryza sighed.
NoLegs meowed at Harry.
Natalie soon returned with all the groceries in tow. With her was, strangely enough, the Beholder. Not just any Beholder, but it was the same one who fathered the alleged triplets. He was helping her with the groceries.
"Hooray for packaging." Katie sighed as she unloaded the massive load and proceeded to place said load in the kitchen where it belonged.
Natalie flew up the stairs, running past Harry and causing him to spin in place. She was crying, her sobbing echoing throughout the house. The Beholder shrugged his tentacles. He didn't know what was going on.
"YOU!" Blake shouted, pointing accusingly at the tentacled freak, "YOU! YES, YOU! YOU!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH PAIN YOU CAUSED MY WOMAN?!"
The Beholder froze in place. All five of his eyes were pinned on the half-demon.
"I am outta here." Katie sighed, grabbing Fenrir's arm and rushing upstairs with him in tow.
Coryza backed into a corner, clutching Matt so tightly his face began to turn blue.
Anna fainted, a Wooden Idol hopped around her even as she fell onto the floor.
Lance found himself unable to get up. It was as if there was glue under his rear end.
Harry was most terrified. He was in a fetal position. Just what kind of people did Natalie trust again?
NoLegs was, to be blunt, on the ceiling. His eyes were wide.
Blake grabbed the Beholder's body and with a stone cold glare he murmured, "You are going to apologize to her--right here, right now. And then you will keep to that apology. Is that underSTOOD?"
The Beholder trembled. He actually let off a squeak of fright. He knew at last he angered the wrong person. Sure, he'd loved everyone even if they hated him, but too late had he realized he'd done crossed the fine line. And now was the time to pay for that very penance he'd inflicted all those years ago. He was going to right his wrong.
Blake let the Beholder go. Pointing a finger to the stairs, he added, "Third room to the right after you pass the vase. I better not hear her screaming one measly FOUR-LETTERED WORD. IS THAT CLEAR?!"
The Beholder squeaked again.
_______
"What of the triplets?" Blake asked.
"L-Let them s-stay. That crazy woman h-has no right to r-raise them w-wrong." Natalie answered. She'd just gotten over the shock that even Beholders could apologize.
"This is new." Matt sighed, his eyes white ovals.
"I shall fetch them and hopefully not argue with my wife...if I could even call her that now." Harry stated.
To all the Wandering Heroes and whomever else this letter may concern,
I request that you head for Canterlot Castle in a few hours' time. I have found one of Isabella's most disturbing secrets, and only you are worthy to know it. I shall explain the urgent matter once I have made preparations. Please make sure Anna brings her ocarina, as it too is of grave importance. You will receive another letter later today once everything is set.
Princess Twilight Sparkle.
"Okay....?" Lance sighed as he finished reading the letter to the rest of the party. "Things just got strange."
"Y'think?" Anna stated, watching her husband roll the scroll up in a respectful manner before he set it on the table. She then ran upstairs to get her ocarina, wherever it went.
"One of Isabella's secrets? What more could the old dustrag be hiding now?" Blake snarled, his eyes glancing at the floor.
"Might as well start calling her Oldbag since Lance went and brought up Phoenix Wright before we went to court." Katie chimed.
"I don't think this bodes well." Matt commented, his face expressionless.
"When does ONE MONTH go by without her in it somewhere?!" Fenrir howled, looking as if he was going to rip some fur out of his head.
"Beats me." Natalie answered, shrugging her shoulders.
Coryza wheeled into the room holding her own newborn daughter (yes, she's in a wheelchair). "I assume a Princess called us?"
Another letter appeared from thin air before it unceremoniously dropped onto Katie's head, bounced off doing cartwheels, and rolled along the floor before hitting Natalie's feet.
"Quicker than I expected." Sighed the wizard as she bent over and picked the closed scroll up. She undid the seal before reading this aloud.
It seems preparations went much smoother than normal. Then again, when doesn't Spike help me? Anyhow, please head to the castle. I hope to see you all soon.
Princess Twilight Sparkle.
"Well, what the hay are we waiting for? I know I just left the hospital a few hours ago, but who gives a hoot? Let's move, people!" Coryza called, hitting one wheelchair arm with a fist.
"I ain't risking getting a guitar to the face." Matt agreed, his eyes white ovals again.
TIME SKIP!!
The room the party stood in was dark and dismal, with eight candles lighting up a circle that bore a runic pattern similar to Mother Earth. Anna stood in the middle of this circle; ocarina at the ready. Just at the margin of the candlelight were groups of two things and two things only: a heap of Obsidian Idols and another heap of pony bodies that had eyes, ears, and hooves--but no mane, tail, wings, or horns. Not even cutie marks were present on these white, pony-like beings. Everyone wondered if they were inanimate Anon Ponies, for crying out loud.
"She made...homunculi?" Kate gasped in shock.
"But why?" Matt asked.
"I think we'll see soon enough." Alexis chimed.
Twilight stood before the group-heaps, looking Anna in the eye. "Listen closely, because this spell needs you the most. You are to sit down on your knees with the soles of your feet underneath your rear end. Then, put the ocarina to your mouth and look at the candles. When they change color, that's when the spell will take effect."
Anna did the first two instructions. "It's been so long I need a music sheet."
"I've prepared just that." Twilight grinned as a maestro's sheet holder was place before the archer. "Don't worry about turning the pages; they turn themselves."
"Alrighty then. Everybody else, quiet please." Sighed nature woman as she put the ocarina in her mouth whilst looking at the candle directly in her line of sight after Twilight moved out of her way. And into the instrument went the first note.
Followed by another. And another. And another still.
The strange song kept playing as the first candle became a fiery vermillion whilst the one to its left turned a brilliant orange. The one next to that was a fierce gold and the one after that was as green as Anna's hair. The next three became cyan, indigo, and purple; respectively. The last candle became a holy white.
The candlesticks began floating in the air and spinning in a slow, melancholic circle around the main rune circle that did much the same.
Anna's eyes proceeded to close as the song carried on. The Idols jumped forth from the pile and began dancing in unison with the candles. Around and around they twirled before jumping up to the flames and landing on their flat feet and resuming their course. The spell seemed to have such a grip on the archer that the song could be performed even if she were blindfolded at that moment.
Right as Anna opened her glowing white eyes an Idol looking back at her split in two. Right where the split had occurred was a white orb that quickly flew towards a homunculus and took control of it. The other Idols stopped for just long enough so that the now-possessed body could join them. The candles and rune also stopped their spinning to allow it.
The strangely melancholic dance resumed. Anna closed her eyes once more. The song took on an eerie familiarity mostly among Katie's ears. She swayed her head side to side slowly, almost as if she attempted to capture the music.
Two more Idols were shattered once they saw Anna's eyes open yet again. They--that is, the orbs within the Idols--proceeded to mimic the first.
Dance, song, Idol breaking, possession, resume dance. The process repeated three more times. The first in pairs of two and the last by itself.
Now the homunculi were dancing in unison with the candles as if they were ballerinas. Two grew horns, two grew pegasus wings and the rest remained earth. The song was coming to a close, the candles slowly levitating in place as they were before the ritual started.
Anna opened her searing white eyes again, looking at the white fire. It diminished, leaving the seven colors of the rainbow radiating from her eyes.
Then out went the vermillion flame.
And soon, all that was left was a rune whose glow was fading and an unconscious Anna.
Fast-forward to a few hours later.
A stallion with a golden-silvery coat and a fiery red mane opened his brown eyes. Looking back at him was a red-haired woman with blue eyes.
The unicorn coughed a bit before his eyes went wide. His hooves flung themselves around her shoulders. "M-My dear Natalie! Has it really been that long since I was trapped in that dark place, unable to escape? M-My goodness, you've grown quite a lot!"
"Daddy..." Sobbed the wizard as she clutched her revived father tightly. "I....I thought I'd never see you again!"
Anna was busy hugging her unicorn mother whose pelt was leathery brown. Her mane was of the prettiest pearl ever seen. "Anna, did you take care of Sarah for us?" Asked the mother. "Yes, I did. Right now, she's in Canterlot with the job of a florist." Anna answered with a grin.
"WHY DID I FATHER A NAZI WITH A FOX?!" Shouted a Pegasus stallion with a blond mane, white pelt, and ruby-red eyes.
"Because you were dumb." Lance sneered sheepishly as he made the 'loser' sign on his head.
"Um, mom...?" Matt asked an earth pony mare who had blue eyes, grey pelt, and orange mane. "Where's dad?"
"He cheated on his wife with me." Answered the mom. "The Nazi happens to be mocking him at the moment."
Matt and Lance immediately looked at each other.
"W-We're....?" Both shuddered. "WE'RE HALF-BROTHERS?!"
"Talk about a family reunion." Katie smiled as she proceeded to pick the Pegasus stallion up. Turning her gaze to him, she said, "You ain't gonna run from the responsibility at all. I simply forbid it!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CANNOT RUN FROM THE RESPONSIBILITY!?" Shouted the Pegasus angrily, desperately trying to free himself from Katie's nine tails that had him entangled.
"Remember the woman you cheated with?" Katie asked, "Yeah, we both loved you but you didn't love us in return. I dare say you are quite the....casanova."
"So, since we have no other option," Sighed Matt's mother in annoyance, "We're all living in the same household until further notice."
"Why am I a unicorn?" Anna's mother asked.
"Well..." Twilight explained, "I cannot build human-shaped homunculi yet, so I only worked with what I had on hoof at the time. And no, we're not redoing that spell since Anna could die if she tried it again. We all saw how she passed out."
"I got turned into a unicorn once." Anna reminisced, "It was only for a day but quite fun nonetheless."
"Dad?" Natalie asked, hints of worry still in her face, "Will you be able to do things like you always did now?"
"Once I get to know my new body, I will. Give me some time." Answered the unicorn stallion with a sigh.
Natalie hugged him in glee.
Natalie's mother, who had a tan mane, brown pelt, and blue eyes groaned. Why was her daughter with a bunch of crazies?
Anna's father--another pegasus with green mane, white pelt, and blue eyes--was trying to fly. And he failed miserably.
The last two of the revived, both earth pony foals, danced around the room. They sang and laughed and it was just joyous to watch them. They were just happy to be alive.
TIME SKIP!!
"Grandma Nina?" Nick asked as he hugged Anna's mom.
"Yes?" Asked Nina, raising a brow.
"Why did Isabella do bad things to you?"
"She's a bad person. That's why." Nina answered.
"I am a woman Hitler." Katie commented as she sat on the couch.
"What makes you say that?" Blake asked.
Katie pointed to Lance, who was in wolf form. "That." She answered.
Blake chuckled. And so did Fenrir. In the past, she had indeed acted like a woman Hitler, taking leadership right out from under Anna's nose the instant she first joined the party (remember, Anna stole leadership from Matt before all this!).
"Woman Hitler." Lance cackled. "Yay."
"I wish I didn't have two sons..." Sobbed the male Pegasus that was Lance and Matt's father.
"Lance said you were stupid, dad. Shut up." Matt sneered, poking his dad with a twig.
Anna's father, whose name was Richard, was busy tending to the twins as they kept fondling his wings.
Natalie's parents, Garnet and Magnus, spent some time getting used to their pony bodies while simultaneously making Alexis giggle with jokes.
Matt's mom, whose name was Miriana, eyed Coryza. She could not decide if something had yet to sit right with the mugician or not.
"Alrighty, kids!" Mr. Rhodes announced as he spun in his chair with a grin on his face. "Today, we'll go on a field trip!"
"Where?" The children cried.
"To the Everfree Forest! There has been a preselected route and we will all stick together. No fighting or wandering off, ya hear?" Mr. Rhodes answered.
"YES MR. RHODES!" Cried the children in glee.
TIME SKIP!
"Hey, Alexis." Whispered Vibrant Color to the quarter-demon child with a grin, "I heard there are killer plants here."
"Nonsense." Replied Alexis in another whisper, "The killer plants are just bedtime stories used to make children behave."
"WATCH OUT, KIDS!" Mr. Rhodes bellowed as he scooped Nick up before a green, rapier-like plant with five pink petals surrounding the base could harm him.
"I stand here eating my own words!" Alexis cried as another plant--same green base but with yellow petals and a topaz-like orb instead of the stabby part--tried to shock her with electricity.
Another flower, similar to the yellow one except with frilled petals and the color blue, suddenly shot hail-spikes at the twins. The spikes were grabbed and thrown at the pink flower. It hit the flower right in its stem, but it hadn't fell. As a result, it dug its way back into the earth and attempted to hurt the twins by becoming a colossal spike comparable to a tree. It missed, but its petals fell of and the plant itself sank slowly back into the earth.
A fourth--white, thin, blade-like petals with white orb--blessed the other flowers present. It blessed them!
Nick suddenly called out to the heavens again, and this time dropped a circular bot with wheels on its sides. It was mostly gray in color but it had a green eye.
SCAN BOT ACTIVATED. SCANNING ENEMIES NOW..... HEASY, FLORN, STUNFLOWER, FROSE. HEASY HAS THE ABILITY TO HEAL, FLORN STABS ADVERSARIES, FROSE CAN FREEZE ENEMIES AND MAKE THEM WET WITH RAINWATER, STUNFLOWER CAN STUN ENEMIES IN MULTIPLE WAYS. ALL ARE WEAK TO WIND AND ABSORB WATER; OTHER WEAKNESSES AND RESISTANCES VARY FROM FLOWER TO FLOWER.
Alexis slammed her hands onto the ground, chanting an ominous spell as a staff that had one angel wing and one bat perched behind a cross with a demon's tail wrapped around it in such a way the triangle was behind the top formed before her.
The Stunflower began to absorb sunlight.
"Guys! That flower's gonna fire a Solarbeam!" Alexis bellowed, taking hold of the Hallowed Demon Staff, "Take it out now!"
"On it!" Wing cried, allowing her wings to become huge. She suddenly took to the skies before quickly swooping over all, slicing the Stunflower in the process. The Frose and Heasy went with before she landed.
"Well, kids." Mr. Rhodes said, clearly impressed by the youngsters' fighting skills, "I think the flowers need to be addressed. Should we find their source?"
The children of the Heroes banded together. "Ve'll take care of it. You guys go on ahead and continue vith the trip." Nick mimicked Daddy, right down to the German accent he'd used when speaking about a serious matter.
"Just be careful, alright?"
"We promise." Nodded the kids before they and the Scan Bot ran off the preselected path and into a bunch of dense woodland.
"Alexis," Nick sighed, "Do you know what's causing these plants to attack?"
"I dunno," Alexis replied with a shrug, "But we said we'd take care of it. Now we have to take care of it."
"Guys!" Fang called out, pointing a hand to a pile of rubble beyond the river. "Over there! I see something!"
"What are we waiting for?!" Wing called, "LET'S GET A MOVE ON, PEOPLE!"
The children ran towards the river and across an old bridge. There they saw wrecked walls, broken statue, and a huge pile of rocks in the far back.
Bursting out from under the statue was a green plant that stood on multitudes of sharp, pointed roots. It had the face of a fiend, complete with yellow shark teeth and bad breath. Sharp, elongated leaves frilled out from behind its head, making it look like it was wearing a sort of wig. On its head was a gargantuan pink flower complete with a little crown of filaments. On its sides were two Heasies, a Stunflower, and a Frose.
"It's the Rafflesia mom told me about!" Nick cried, readying his crossbow, "How'd it get here?!"
"I wish I knew, Mr. Wise Guy!" Alexis replied as Chuckles appeared behind her.
"This doesn't look good!" Wing cried, readying an illusion, "I think he's hungry!"
"Quit your complaining and take it down!" Fang yelled angrily, forming an aura.
Tartarus quickly broke loose. Nothing seemed to even phase the Rafflesia or its pet flowers. The children were exhausted, and it looked like it was over....
....when a tank dropped down onto the giant, Malboro-esque plant with a man in a Nazi suit on top of it. He had a blaster in both hands and he was busy firing shots into the tank.
"WRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Lance cried, jumping off the Valkyrie just before it detonated. Natalie came and cast a Barrier around the children to ensure the Oblivion didn't hurt them. When the Overdrive ended, Anna quickly sent the Mighty Oak into battle--and even after being hit about what, fifteen times, the Rafflesia still didn't give up. Matt suddenly rushed in with the Devil's Sunrise on hand as he performed a Cleaver that was quickly followed with a Ragnarok. Once all that was said and done, Natalie decided to finish things off with an Absolute Zero.
The plant fell into the ground, and so too did its pets.
"You guys okay?" Lance asked, worried.
"No. We didn't even scratch the Rafflesia..." Alexis answered, her sight spinning too much for comfort.
"Yeah, I figured as much." Anna scoffed, crossing her arms.
"They did their best to take care of it. Chillax, Anna." Matt sighed as he picked up the twins.
Anna sighed before picking Nick up. Natalie did the same with Alexis and Lance held the Scan Bot.
"Why did this little bugger come to my kid?" Asked the Nazi.
"Prolly the same reason the Ion Cannon activated when he first screamed on the battlefield. Ya might as well give him a walkie-talkie." Matt sneered, a cat's grin on his face.
"I'd be afraid if he ended up summoning the Praetorian." Natalie agreed with a nod. "Right now, they need a nap."
"When we're all asleep. Though one of us HAS to make sure he doesn't accidentally trigger the alarm. I mean, we don't want anything bad happening to Santa, right?" Natalie answered, pulling her daughter in for a hug.
"Who puts up the star this year?" Fenrir asked as he put the stockings above the fire the chimney was connected to.
Katie pulled out a piece of paper from her Christmas Star, which had always miraculously worked despite being 40 years old. She unfolded the paper after placing the star on the couch and cleared her throat. "Well, Alexis ain't had her turn. Why not?"
Alexis froze. "I-I can't fly!" She cried.
"When I fly, I usually fluke it like REALLY bad." Natalie commented, stroking her daughter's hair.
"When I first flew, I landed in a tree. The woman living in said tree attacked me with a scrubby brush." Fenrir sighed, sweat forming while he was trying to hide a giggle.
"First time flying I fell like a peregrine falcon." Katie chuckled, shaking her head nervously, "I still wonder how I landed on my legs without breaking them. I was actually racing somebody and won."
"Flew so high I saw angels." Blake retorted with a smile, "Wound up being thrown into the Eiffel Tower. I am surprised that didn't break."
"First time using a helicopter... ended up stranded on Mount Everest for days on end." Lance admitted, a wobbly grin on his face.
"Leaf-riding... nearly got eaten by a Giant Red Slime." Anna retorted, trying not to laugh out loud.
"Crashed into Natz in the worst way possible." Matt sighed, a look of worry on his face.
"Remember when I became a Pegasus?" Coryza called, to which everyone else nodded. "Like a numbnut I challenged Rainbow Dash. Ended up crashing into a thundercloud and sweeping her doorstep until she saw her face in it."
"I nearly fell into a house at the Crystal Kingdom." Wing ranted, "I hate having my wings frozen."
"You all flunked on your first time?" Alexis gasped.
"Yeah, and it's likely you're gonna do the same. Hey, nobody's perfect. Why strive for the impossible?" Natalie reassured.
Chuckles, as usual, laughed.
"You can fly too?!" Alexis asked. Chuckles nodded and laughed again. Natalie placed her daughter on the shoulders of her familiar and entrusted her with the star. All the other decorations were on the tree. The skeleton slowly ascended to the top of the tree to ensure Alexis didn't either fall off or drop the star. Carefully, she placed the star on the top of the tree and plugged it to the lights. This ensured that, when the lights were plugged into the wall and turned on, the star was on too.
Chuckles then flew down and took his master off of his shoulders.
"Plug 'er up!" Katie called.
Natalie, who was now lazy, used magic to plug the lights into the wall. Suddenly, the whole thing lit up as all other lights in the house, save for the fire, went off. The lights danced and faded in and out, a rainbow of colors and shapes like hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs making quite intricate glows and patterns.
The party took their time to marvel at this sight they worked so hard to make. Deciding it was time to turn on the lights, they nodded and headed off into the kitchen. Anna was a step ahead of Katie--she was already preparing the cookie ingredients to become sweet, semi-soft, semi-crunchy morsels of intricate design that made even the angels above drool in delight.
"We have everything?" Katie asked.
"You bet!" Anna cried as she threw some raisins into a bowl, followed by cookie mix. The women worked furiously to make the cookies, and it was a good thing Lance had a super-oven that was capable of holding three cookie sheets, a ham, and turducken in one sitting. Of course, all the other foodstuffs were ready and only the cookies were main concern at the moment.
"It's snowing! It's snowing!" Nick cried as he gazed out the window.
The cookies were safely secured in the oven, which also had an auto-timer feature entirely dependent on what went in and out. Katie ran to the window and smiled warmly.
"It's pretty." She sighed in content.
Fenrir put his paws on her shoulders from behind. "Not as pretty as you." He grinned.
"I know, right?" Katie replied. "After we eat and all that, it's gonna be.." She yawned, "..naptime."
After the feast, it was voted that Coryza would stay up to make sure the alarm wasn't tripped. Everyone else tucked in their children and went into their own beds. Katie literally fell asleep on the stairs, so she had to be picked up and carried to her room. But Cory was much too tired to stay up all night, and she fell asleep on the couch.
Little did she know, Santa knew his way around the alarm without setting it off. He had many presents in his overflowing sack, some were small and others were as big as the drills on the sides of the Valkyrie tank. One particular present was labeled everyone, and it was much too big to fit under the tree, so it was placed next to the couch. The other gifts went under the tree and into their respective stocking. Santa then tiptoed his way upstairs and with a snap of his fingers, five small presents found themselves in the hands of the children and the hooves of Blue Horn (she and her parents had fallen asleep before the tree came in), followed by two more gifts sitting outside the cribs of the babies. Three more found themselves in the hands of the Beholder's triplets.
With another snap of his fingers, he went into the next house. And all was quiet. Not a creature was stirring in the house, not even NoLegs or a simple mouse.
Alexis woke up to soft rays of sunlight permeating her room via the bedroom window. Her hair was messy and there was some sand in her eyes. Hey, at least it wasn't as bad as Mommy's. She slowly sat up to stretch her arms and silently yawned before smacking her lips so she'd be able to speak. Her room was just like it was last night: clothes neatly folded and put away into dresser drawers; an assortment of toys stored in a toy bin that looked like an orange train that had previously been owned by Katie; a study desk that had books, a pencil cup, and a laptop used for research and entertainment; the closet that held the vast assortment of winter coats and the Hallowed Demon Staff; a bookshelf for books that belonged to her; and who'd forget Chuckles sitting in a chair snoring away with an eye-mask on his head? The snow was still falling, but the rays of light made them seem like they were dancing prisms of color that greeted one and all with their fantastic spectacle.
The quarter-demon necromancer yawned once more before feeling something odd resting under her hand. Without looking at it, she poked and prodded at the thing for a bit. There were...ribbons and wrapping.
She turned her gaze to the thing and saw it was a small present left for her. It was from--
The girl jumped out of bed with the present in her hand and she got dressed quick as a rabbit. She put the mittens in her pockets, as they'd hinder present-opening.
"Chuckles, wake up!" Alexis commanded. The skeleton jumped in shock, took off his mask, and looked around frantically before sighing in relief.
The girl and her familiar ran out the bedroom door and both flew downstairs--only to see that Nick, the twins, Blue Horn, and the triplets were already wide-awake. The only other one present was the Beholder, and he didn't do anything because he didn't know present opening regulations. All he did, in fact, was hold a sign that said 'Wait for the pretty lady to come down here.'
"We got presents too!" Cried Ini, who was the eldest triplet with a bad case of tentacle hair.
"Yeah!" Cried Mini, the youngest twin whose lower body consisted entirely of Beholder. Her hair turned into tentacles at the middle margin.
"Yay!" Cried Meini, who was the most human out of all of them. The only trace of Beholder on her person was the fact she had a third eye in her forehead.
"This is a really huge present!" Nick pointed out the present behind the couch that Coryza was asleep on.
The mugician snapped awake, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head. She groaned in tiredness. "Y'all are down here already...?"
The kids nodded nervously.
"What's going on in here?" Called Natalie as she descended from the stairs. Her hair shot straight up and it was in horrendous tangles. Did someone put hair gel in her hair again?
"Excited kids. They've behaved." Cory sighed as she got up and stretched.
Natalie went to the kitchen...only to freeze once Katie tumbled down the stairs and hit her head on the very edge of the last step. She shrieked in pain, causing everyone else (save for the newborns) to jolt awake and run into the hallway to see what had happened.
"ARE YOU OKAY?!" Fenrir howled as he flew down the stairs and helped the fox up.
"J-Just a bruise. N-Nothing to worry about. I hate being half-asleep." Katie answered, groaning in pain. She rubbed the back of her head where she had been hit. It was a bruise, but nothing she couldn't shake off. "Ow."
"Good thing I got the camera on hand." Lance sighed in relief.
"Let's eat breakfast first! That way we're fully awake when the presents are opened!" Natalie called from the kitchen.
"She has a point." Anna commented.
Fast-forward. To after the presents being opened.
The triplets each got toy snakes, two sets of specially designed clothes to fit on tentacles should they be present, quite a bit of candy, and a whole train set that could circle the Valkyrie five times. Their small presents had a personalized train for each of them.
Nick got his own Idol familiar (apparently, familiars can be presents too!), whom he named Stumpy. He also got a book on weaponry and magic (written by Iron Hoof, a unicorn blacksmith in Canterlot), his own toolbox, and three sets of toy airplanes he could disassemble and splice back together until a misfit among the airplanes ensued. His small present? A personalized ocarina.
The twins got claw posts (their claws began growing out too much, and nail clippers weren't enough), a telescope, a set of brass claw-knuckles for Fang and illusion helper for Wing since her illusions were still on the weak side. They also got lots of candy (GodCat save us all!) and their personalized presents were necklaces--one of the full moon and the other of the crescent. Pink crescent moon and cyan blue full moon.
Alexis got little string dolls that she could take apart and weave back together much like Nick's airplanes. She also got a wood-carving set, quite a few chunky tree-limbs to start work on, some other decorations (crystals, ribbons, metal, solidified water, contained lightning in jars, and sunfire encased in phoenix feathers to name a few) to go on said tree-limbs when she was satisfied with the result, some arts-and-crafts stuff, and a few sets of rings to help her out with magic. Small gift? A holy crucifix that could contain a potential evil half.
Blue Horn got more candy, some dolls, a personalized door mat (that said 'Buzz off!'), and her small gift was a book she could draw in.
The wrappings were discarded and the ribbons attached to the wrappers were handed over to Katie (who was a ribbon fanatic.) The party surrounded the huge present behind the couch.
"It says to all of us." Lance sighed.
"In that case, who touches it first?" Katie asked, holding all the ribbons with her tails.
"Rock-paper-scissors." Blake chimed.
"We all have to have a free hand and the kids are putting their new toys up." Natalie scoffed.
"She has a point." Anna agreed.
The kids ran down the stairs and all of them smiled.
"NOW let's commence with the rock-paper-scissors." Matt sighed.
It was Lance who won. He removed the ribbon and handed it to his mom.
Blake removed the wrapping to reveal a big, brown box.
Matt sliced the box open, careful not to wreck the contents inside. The box contained an individual present for everyone.
"Apparently, this couldn't go under the tree." Katie said, impressed. They were sleek white boxes that lacked ribbons. Each present had a name on it to avoid confusion. Each person took their respective box and opened it.
Fen-Fen found a small claw-sharpener of his own. How he really needed one.
Katie found a gold necklace adorned with hearts. Her eyes gleamed.
Natz found a set of earrings. They had the colors of fire, ice, and lightning.
Blake had a ring to himself. It kept his evil at bay, all he needed to do was wear it.
Lance found a metal polisher. "Eine rostige Kugel ist eine Kugel nutzlos." He said in awe.
Anna saw a flute cleaner. "Kinda hafta agree with Lance--just replace 'bullet' with 'flute.'"
Matt got a small, sword-sharpening rock. Cha-ching!
Coryza got a set of ten guitar picks. Feh; guitar picks are incredibly easy to lose and who knows how many times she lost count!
Azure got a Changeling-specific toothbrush. Hey, fangs are kinda hard to clean.
Iron Will found a set of folded neck-warmers. He grinned.
The triplets got a comb each. Two of these combs were tentacle-helpers as well.
Nick got a pair of needle-nose pliers.
Alexis had a clip with a miniature Freezie on it.
Blue got a pair of neck-warmers herself.
The twins got star bracelets.
They put their presents away safely before all donned their winter wear, rushed outside, and proceeded to engage in quite the snowball fight!
Everyone was now back in the house sitting in front of the television set holding mugs filled with hot chocolate and blankets wrapped around their bodies; a vicious snowstorm hammering Ponyville outside the front door. It howled in diabolic fury, intent on making the very landscape freeze and tremble under its might. As a matter of fact, Katie still had quite a bit of snow still on her head. She didn't bother to dust if off, as she took no notice of it. Even NoLegs, Chewy, Mog the moogle, and Anna's Friendly Dog (whose name was Benji) sat alongside their respective partners.
The television had some Christmas/Hearth's Warming specials running every other different TV show (take Digimon, for instance.)
"Kupo." Mog stated as he flew onto Natalie's head.
"Kupo to you too," Replied the wizard as she took a sip of her hot chocolate.
"Yay," Katie grinned widely with a chuckle, "Natalie knows moogle-speak now."
Benji barked, wagging his curled tail in glee as another Christmas show came on. Anna pet him and scratched the back of his ears, causing him to wag his tail faster.
Chewy didn't meow. "I'm hungry, Master."
"THE CAT TALKS?!" Lance shrieked, turning his head to the brown cat and twitching his eyes on shock.
"Took him long enough," Katie scoffed as she drank the rest of her hot chocolate, "Yesterday was his tenth birthday. You know the legend of the nekomata, right? He's now one of those...from...uh.... bah, you guys know what I am trying to say."
Everyone nodded.
"You want the feast to get started?" Matt asked as he pet NoLegs.
Chewy nodded. Katie pet him.
"Kupo." Mog sighed as he hopped off of Natalie's head and clumsily onto Blake's lap.
The wizard got up and helped Anna to her feet. Both went into the kitchen to work on the feast. The moogle went with them, flapping his little wings faster than a Changeling could say 'take off'.
"I cannot believe Katie was buried under snow despite her advantage over all of us." Blake sighed with a smile, shaking his head.
"That's why y'all went and stormed me." Katie retorted with a laugh. "Take out the winner before they win."
"Chewy's a hairball." Wing sneered.
"And so are you." Chewy retorted with a gleaming grin.
"Chill, everyone." Cory called at last, holding her baby in her arms. The baby seemed to point at Matt and giggle. When the mugician turned towards the TV, the baby started to cry.
"Oh, I see she wants daddy," Matt sighed as he gently pried the child from Coryza's arms and into his own. The child stopped crying and started grabbing his braids in order to chew on them.
Lance began holding Natalie's son simply so Matt wouldn't end up with full arms. He was busy entertaining himself by plucking Lance's hat off his head and putting it on his body. He wasn't wearing the Nazi hat, mind you--it was a simple wool snowcap.
"We're one big happy family!" Blake bellowed with a wide grin.
"YEAH!" Fenrir howled, shooting a fist into the air.
"Yay." Katie said as if she were Fluttershy after having a giggle fit.
"Daddy, what's fractious mean?" Nick asked.
"It's to cause either an argument or discord." Answered the soldier.
"Did someone call my name?" Asked a voice as a chimera-like thing suddenly appeared behind the couch, standing on a pony leg and a dragon leg. Next to him was a female Gryphon who had a Gryphon-chimera hybrid on her back.
"No, Discord. I was explaining the definition of a word to my kid." Lance answered as he took his gaze off his son and to the draconquus.
"Well," The god of chaos sighed, "I thought it'd be fun to bring my wife and daughter here and join you in the holiday feast anyway. I was in fact wondering when you'd take notice of me."
"Yay." Katie repeated with a grin. "More full bellies and less leftovers to deal with."
"The more the merrier." Gilda nodded, allowing her daughter to get off her back. Her daughter, you see, had Discord's rear legs and dragon tail but the rest was like Mommy, save for a pointy tooth jutting out from the lower beak.
"Is mommy chaotic?" Fang asked, tilting his head to the side and trying not to drool as the aroma of turkey wafted into the room.
"Yes, she is. Think about it: illusions are used to deceive and her fire is more often than not used to annihilate. Her natural wings help her spread her own form of chaos. Of course, someone always finds her out somehow, and then more chaos results. But she means no harm unless that harm is absolutely necessary." Discord answered with a grin.
"Big brother," Wing called nervously, "How come mommy has nine tails?"
"Same thing I told Nick--she's simply old. And I mean THOUSANDS of years old." Lance answered, expecting a backlash from his mother. She instead laughed it off.
"By the time I reach a million years old," Katie declared, "I'll be sure to have at least five hundred thousand descendants that all stem from either Lance or the twins!"
"One of my many jobs. The twins have yet to experience this." Katie smiled, shaking her head with a grin, "And besides, your foster mom probably did much the same anyway."
"Point taken." Lance answered with a sigh.
"EVERYONE!" Anna and Natalie called in unison, "DINNER! NOW!"
Everyone got up and scrambled to the table like a stampede. Discord and Gilda, being the cheaters they were, flew toward the table and got the best seats. There on the table was the biggest Crystal Turkey everyone had laid eyes upon--the thing must have weighed in at around a whopping 80 pounds before going into the oven with stuffing in tow. There were croissants and mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese with tuna in it and a wide assortment of vegetables cooked to perfection. There was even a regular, 50 pound turkey for those who didn't like the Crystal Turkey.
Everyone's jaws dropped open in pure shock and happiness; stomachs growling loudly and waiting to be fed. Even Mog, NoLegs, Benji, and Chewy had this response.
"Merry Christmas, everybody!" Everyone shouted as they dove right into the food and proceeded to feast!
"Mom?" Alexis, now ten years old (her birthday is December 28th), asked with bouncy motions similar to Pinkie Pie.
"Yes?" Natalie asked with a sigh as she downed a cookie with coconut shavings in it. Her stomach had another bulge.
"Are you pregnant again?" Asked the quarter-demon.
"No. The dress I'm in makes me look that way, though." Natalie answered with a blush on her face. She got up from the couch and her blush burned brighter than her fiery ginger hair. Unexpectedly, she flew up the stairs right then and there and suddenly came back wearing not a simple 30's house dress but in her old Red Dress. It was as if time had stopped to allow this feat!
Alexis giggled, "Mommy, you're funny." It was then she noticed the Crystal Staff in her right hand and the Hallowed Demon Staff in her left. "Is it training time again?"
"Yeah. And I forbid you from learning Kyun!" Natalie answered in a hissyfit tone of voice. "Who wants a bunch of freaky strangers running around asking you out and calling you something along the lines of 'Miss Fanservice' because of it?! It's bad enough that Blake threw a tombstone at this one stupid old man and I am surprised he lived after that!"
"But you look cute using that move!" Nick called from upstairs.
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA!" Natalie called back, her face in an even bigger blush. Beads of sweat formed on her entire body at such a rapid rate that for all we knew she could've made the biggest oasis in the Sahara.
"WHOSE FACE MUST I WRECK WITH A TOMBSTONE THIS TIME?!" Blake shouted from upstairs as if war had started and he were somehow made a general.
"I'm trying not to argue with Alexis! Chill!" Natalie replied with a wobbly grin.
"Okay!" Blake called back. The wizard grabbed her daughter and ran out the door while Katie went and cued Yakety Sax on a radio and taped it onto her dress at the right moment before the door slammed.
"Not all things can be prevented in the early stages...well, at least they could be prevented later on, I suppose." Sighed the fox before she curled up and fell into a nap on the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alexis and Natz stood in what was quite literally a ruined church just five miles away from Ponyville. Its walls were wrecked beyond repair and pebbles of its former glory lay strewn about as if Lance went and made the thing go boom. Moss began growing over the remains and the only thing aside from its graveyard that remained intact was the bell tower. The bell was a dull gold, a sign that said it had been unkempt for at least as long as Alexis had been alive. A dusty rope hung from its bottom and there wasn't a ladder leading upwards but rather a winding staircase that seemed to go on for a mile into the sky before the aforementioned bell was reached. It must have been a grand church of some kind before whatever had happened that made it was it was today: the Sinfilled Hallows, so named for alleged rumors about head pastors doing bad things to their followers before the whole place was, to be blunt, demolished. It looked much creepier considering grey clouds hung overhead but did allow the full, evergreen moons to pierce the heavens with their light thus illuminating the whole area. A thin mist hung just over Natalie's feet but over Alexis' shins. The wind blew and it carried the sound of not one, but two wolves howling in what was assumed to be triumph.
"Do all demons train under the moon?" Alexis asked.
"No. Blake did, but that was because his mom pretty much made him do it." Answered the wizard bluntly. "That, and with school interfering once more with your training, how was I to find the time given homework load after homework load was heaped on you?"
Alexis nodded. "Hooray for Saturday."
"My point exactly." Natalie agreed. Glancing up towards the sky, a chill ran down her spine as more wolf howls sounded off so far in the distance...and yet, they sounded so close by. Confound that which was the wind. And Lazarus. Confound him too. Because he was the alleged God of the Winds. Him and his hax.
Returning her gaze to her eager daughter, she sighed in relief. "I'm going to teach you an Overdrive I have."
"Will it hurt anybody?" Alexis asked, worry in her voice.
"If you want it to, yeah. It does massive holy-based damage and revives the recently dead and auto-revives everything else you hold dear. And it can repair houses, though this church isn't going to be so lucky..." Natalie trailed off as she sighed for the thirteenth time.
"Show me how!" Alexis begged with the puppy-dog eyes.
"Alright, alright. Just keep your panties from going into a knot." Natalie sighed again. Her eyes took on that soul-breaking white as angelic wings made of pure energy--four in total--sprouted from her backside. A gold cross with runic writing flared out behind her. Soon, everything was enveloped in a searing white light that blinded the little girl.
As quick as it had come it had gone. Opening her eyes, she saw her mother land on her feet as her eyes reverted to normal and those wings fade from the world. Natalie struggled to catch her breath for a few moments before her breathing cycle had also reverted.
"Y-You try it." Assured the wizard with a nod.
Alexis charged up the Overdrive. Her own little wings turned angelic themselves and grew as long as Katie was tall with her nine tails. Two more sets of wings, also made of pure energy, grew from her back and so too did the cross that appeared just behind her. Instead of white, the wings and eyes took on a pinkish hue. Another bright flash of light blinded the wizard almost immediately. She, unlike her daughter, had to cover her eyes.
The light lasted not as long as Natalie's, and so it faded quicker. Alexis landed on her rear end.
Natalie opened an eye and sighed with a grin. She walked up to her child and hoisted her up onto her feet. "Got everything except for the landing. I remember the first time I used Genesis: I ended up with my head literally stuck into the ground."
"I think Chuckles will be back with the new sticks soon. Let's go home!" Alexis smiled before she noticed two figures running in her direction. They seemed to have been coming from Ponyville.
The creatures drew closer, and Natalie could see paws kicking up dirt as they collided with the ground even in the fog-obscured moonlight. She didn't take up a battle stance--nope, she merely ended up raising a brow instead.
The creatures stopped right in front of the wizard and her child. One of them was Lance, who was in werewolf form. Standing next to him on all fours was a dark brown werewolf with lighter brown paws and underbelly. Most of her tail was tied up in bandages starting from base to 3/4's the tail's length. A long and messy green mane of sorts shaded heavily over her right eye and the mane frilled out into miniature pegasus wings in dire need of brushing behind her shoulders. Two gold bangle-esque hairbands hung on both sides of her head two inches behind her ears and more strands of green hairy mess jutted out from them like elongated paintbrush tips. A solitary evergreen eye looked at Natalie, and she noticed a small slit making the frame of its pupil.
"This feels great. But still, let's go home." The lycanthropic Anna sighed with a toothy grin, to which both mother and child nodded in agreement.
Chapter XXI- For Mother Russia and Father Scotland!
"Blake." Lance sighed as he walked up to the half-demon.
"Yes?" Replied the half-demon curiously.
"You. Me. Plains. War. Tomorrow evening after the moons rise." Lance answered sternly, his face darkening.
"Oh. Right. That. I see. Very well then." Blake smiled deviously. His green eyes flashed crimson for a mere moment as his grin widened.
Anna and Natz eyed them from the second floor stairway, and both were nervous until 'after the moons rise' flew out of Lance's mouth.
"They're really going to have a contest of moon-endowed strength?" Anna asked worryingly.
"Seems like. I don't know if a peanut gallery is allowed." Natalie answered, cringing. She turned to the archer before saying, "Anna, just how in Tartarus did you become a werewolf?"
Anna let off a nervous chuckle and her face turned red in embarrassment. "I'd rather not answer," She replied, turning her gaze away from Natz and towards a vase. Natalie could make out very faint bite marks on the margin between shoulder and neck.
"Please tell me you didn't do it during a full moon." Cringed the wizard as her left eye twitched.
"I...kinda had to." Anna sighed as she glanced towards her mage-friend. Her eyes had changed to those of the wolf within already. Her teeth grew sharper as she spoke, "It was really awkward. Being a werewolf has its perks, I suppose."
"True." Answered the wizard as she glanced in the direction of the bathroom window. She walked towards it before peeking out of it and looking towards Crystalis Fantasia. Luna was raising the twin full moons off in the distance. They shined a brilliant gold. A hand tapped her shoulder, causing Natz to whirl around in surprise.
"M-Matt! Quit scaring me!" Complained the wizard with a sigh of relief. She then noticed his eyes had changed as well. "Don't look at me," Matt sighed with a face-palm, "I woke up with an injury on my arm and I dunno who to blame."
Well, he's still the same despite him becoming a hairball before my very eyes. Natz thought, But I still wonder what I should do...
"I'mma have a talk with my half-brother after the war ends." Matt sighed again as a bushy blond wolf's tail wagged for a bit before drooping down. "I'll bet it was his fault."
~~~~~~~
The following day after the blue moons rose and graced the plains with their soft blue light, a skeleton army was placed opposite an army whose ranks were filled to the brim with all sorts of machines. Heading the skeleton-zombie army was Blake and heading the machine army was Lance, who was in werewolf form.
"Sometime today, bird-brain!" Blake called accusingly.
"CHARGE!!!!" Lance howled in absolute fury as machine and corpse crossed path and sword.
Lasers were fired from both sides--magically natural against artificial. Blake sat there watching the whole war unfurl whilst he enjoyed a glass of apple cider. Lance was busy crushing all opposition by running almost everything over with his tank. Bones were sent flying and so were screws and bolts. More lasers decimated both sides of the battlefield.
Blake had just finished his drink when he saw Lance duck into the hatch of the tank. He was going to make a comment along the lines of 'giving up already' when he saw a giant missile emerge in place of the werewolf. It launched into the sky and suddenly came back down at a hastening rate. In response, the half-demon grew his wings and flew up and up to meet the Nuke. His hands met with the head of the missile, and it was then he noticed that his Giant Skeleton familiar was having difficulty with the intruding machina. Eying a solitary tree as a lightbulb appeared above his head, he snatched said tree from the ground to which it stood and tied the nuke on its end. The Giant Skeleton saw this new plaything and took it from his master before proceeding to lay the utter smackdown on Lance's army. Miraculously, the bomb didn't go off--meaning Lance done screwed up somewhere. Blake then released the Lunar Eclipse Overdrive--which gave all supernatural creatures of the night triple stat boosts. Even though he himself got the boosts thanks to his lycanthropy, Lance was still overpowered. Having no choice, he waved the white flag of defeat.
The half-demon walked up to the Nazi and removed a baseball glove that was on his hand. And then smacked him with it over and over until he was knocked out. Yakety Sax played the whole time. Lance just stood there and took the beating like a champion, though he still could not believe he lost to a half-Scottish man. Yes, Blake's father was a Scot and nobody knows what his mother's nationality was. For all we know, she could've been Greek. Let's just assume she's Russian.
~~~~~
"Which one of ya cheeseheads turned me into a furball?" Matt asked with a sigh, glaring at Lance and Anna.
Both remained silent, beads of sweat visible on their foreheads.
"Which one of you was it?!" Matt hissed, his voice rising in anger.
"I-I did." Anna confessed before breaking down into tears.
"I-I pers-suaded her. I-I was t-told th-that....we-we'll l-live longer if we...uh..." Lance lost all strength to finish the sentence as he hugged Anna tightly.
Matt's expression went from angry to downright shocked. "We'd....live longer?"
"Y-Yeah." Lance nodded nervously, "S-So I thought th-that it'd be better that way."
Matt went over the facts in his head: Katie was pretty much semi-immortal thanks to reincarnation, Blake was almost fully immortal, he wasn't quite so certain about Fenrir... he had to admit that the Nazi was sadly correct.
"Do we have to turn everybody?" Matt asked.
As nervous as he was, Lance only nodded again.
"Fine." Matt groaned. "Next time, just tell me these things, bro. It's gets me all antsy when something happens behind my back and I don't know about it until the next day."
Blake sighed as he sprawled his body across the cold floor of the forest. It was only a brief rest that was to last about thirty minutes at most, but good gracious were his legs and brain overworked! He and Alexis were the only two persons--four counting Katie and Fenrir--who were not, to be blunt, under the influence of the wolf. Even Natalie carried the curse and Matt was to blame. But what the hay? At least there were no casualties of any sort; it was only them getting used to their other forms so as to use them appropriately. The two infants, now one-year-olds, were also unaffected and they were asleep snuggled into their mothers' fur. The night was somewhat crisp with hints of winter air still lingering about, but not as much now since spring was at least supposed to be on its way. Ini, Mini, and Meini as well as Wing and Fang were all huddled into a blanket and they were busy telling each other bedtime stories.
"Daddy?" Alexis asked as she eyed the moons.
"Yes?" Blake replied as he sat up and glanced at his child.
"Why is mommy...well...fuzzy?" Alexis asked, cocking her head to the side, "Why does she have big teeth now?"
"Werewolves are by nature that way. Most are also...err, how shall I say, savage." Blake answered. "But they don't mean to be that way--the Goddess of the Hunt controls the majority of them like puppets on a series of strings. But the lot I find myself surrounded by cannot be affected by those strings, only by their rage should it take over."
Alexis nodded, fully grasping the concept. "Why aren't they affected by those 'strings?'"
Blake pointed at Natalie before saying, "Your mother picked up on magic charms. They won't control the times she changes--she has to do that manually. But after she changes, she then controls what she does from there on out."
Alexis nodded once more. A grin etched on her face.
Nick was busy running around on all fours in his new form and he, quite frankly, was giving his mom a rather hard time. It was catch-me-if-you-can at this point. Lance was already laying on the ground and he was dizzy. His eyes spun so rapidly they were black crooked swirls. Matt was busy scouting the area using scent alone. Something didn't sit right with him, and his ears were kept straight up half the time, occasionally moving his ears to and fro to catch the faintest sounds. Fenrir was tending to an itch right between Katie's wings. Even with her nine tails she could not get that one spot and it sure drove her wild in agitation! Natalie was chowing down on a rice ball; keeping one eye on her meal and the other on Matt, whom she knew was at unease. Coryza was looking towards the pond where Lance first transformed. The brilliant blue moonlight that somehow reflected from dual vermillion moons bounced off the bogwater and seemed to illuminate the area.
Anna had just managed to grasp her son by the tail and hoist him off the ground when the roar of a beast--no, the roar of a lion--shook the area around them. Matt pushed both of them out of the way shouting to high heaven and back as a sword appeared in his clawed hand. It wasn't a sword--it was the Gaia Axe. In his other hand he held a manticore by its face. It roared and tried to swipe at its adversary and this sight had some sort of electric impulse on Natalie as she suddenly gave her child to Coryza to hold as the Epoch appeared in her hand. She too lunged forward and in doing so ended up kicking Lance right in the muzzle. He, in turn, got out of his stupor and jolted to his feet before drawing his gunblade and Shadow Blaster. Anna put Nick down onto the ground before the Crimson Dragon Bow entered the palm of her hands (but not before telling him to stay put). The manticore had just managed to push Matt off of it when a red wolf-like woman suddenly jumped onto its back and held a piece of metal against its maned neck. The woman refused to relent whilst the beast reeled onto its hind legs as its tail tried fruitlessly to stab her. It roared and roared as the she-wolf leaned her body to and fro just enough to dodge the deadly stinger and in turn make the beast do an awkward dance of sorts. It went forward two feet, then to the right five, and on and on. At one point it nearly fell over on its back and stung itself. Roaring in pain, the beast suddenly flung its mass towards a tree and in doing so managed to coax the she-wolf to let go. It turned and was just going to finish her off when another wolf-person hit it on the back with a giant mechanical contraption. Instead of incapacitating the beast, it served only to make it more purple with rage. It nearly stabbed the wolf-person in the eyes when a hand--a brown, furred one at that--grabbed it just below the stinger and the beast found itself spinning in circles above the hand's owner. The wolf-person let go and the manticore roared one last time as a loud SPLASH echoed into the night.
"I knew this was a bad idea." Matt growled as he helped Natalie to her feet, "But we're all okay now."
"Good thing I packed an umbrella." Coryza sighed as she shook a black umbrella she held before her free of water.
Alexis felt a sudden pang of pain at her midsection. She clutched her stomach and grit her teeth tightly. Tears began streaming out of her eyes and she shouted, "Mom! It hurts!"
Natalie's ears perked before dropping flat on her head. Her eyes shrunk and her jaw dropped only for a moment before she snapped it shut.
"You have some more explaining to do." Blake sighed to which Natalie nodded as she hugged her child so as to soothe her woes. "Looks like I do."
"We've been enlisted to help--and I quote from this piece of paper--buck apple trees in order to help the Apple Family make more apple cider for the town. It states the current workers who are not ponies are sick with the flu and there's nobody else to turn to since all other invites were pretty much more or less cursed at or denied in favor of something else." Natz sighed as everyone else--Beholder, minotaur, changeling, gryphon, draconequss, and their offspring included--listened intently.
"Pfhah!" Lance declared with a grin, "Pathetically easy!"
"For us." Anna scoffed as she crossed her arms, "The kids...ehh, not so much."
The Beholder shrugged. He had no clue what bucking trees meant.
"What's bucking?" Nick asked.
"Where ponies literally kick trees to get apples into baskets. Bucking can also mean a pony kicking another in the face due to a dislike of some kind. In short, it revolves around ponies kicking things." Katie explained, eyes squinted.
"With a touch of chaos apple bucking is made stupidly easy," Sighed Discord as he drank chaos-brewed chocolate milk.
"Mom!" Alexis cried as she stared out the window, "What's that big clanky thing going down the road?"
Natalie groaned and walked up to the window. The thing was red, had clear and gargantuan LED-esque lightbulbs on it, a barrel, an oven-looking thing and was quite literally what was assumed to be a failed Valkyrie prototype on carriage wheels! Piloting the drivers seat were two...identical unicorn stallions? The hay were they doing here...and was that a human with them? A human with a cannon that Natalie could've sworn had the word 'e-Bay' written on it? The thing was moving too quickly to be described properly. The wizard turned her head to the group.
"Guys. Farm. Now." Natalie cringed as everyone else nodded and rushed out the door like a stampede. Feet, hooves, tentacles, claws and paws were galloping and carrying their owners right to Sweet Apple Acres with such terrific speed the earth shook as they went.
When they got to where the Apple ponies would be serving their cider, their jaws dropped and stayed onto the ground. The unicorn stallions--one with a red mustache and the other without--had red and white striped manes and tails and light tan coats. They both lime-green eyes and one had a slice of apple on his flank and the other the rest of the otherwise-complete apple on his. Standing between them with the infamous e-Bay cannon was none other than Lazarus himself. Behind him was Lancelot the dragoon. Someone had to have cued the sound of a record scratching horrendously, but nobody knew who.
"YOU?!" Matt cried in such shock he sounded like a woman. "H-HOW?!"
"I am the God of the Freaking Winds with a capital 'F', you pathetic dingbat!" Lazarus shouted accusingly before his gaze went off the swordsman and onto the kitsune.
"Isn't she the fox that we've been hitting on in our spare time?" Lancelot asked.
Katie responded by flinging a few rotten tomatoes at them. The spray hit the human and God right in their faces.
"Yep, it's her." Lancelot commented, eyes visibly squinted behind the dark red obscuring his face.
"I'm already married and neither of you nitwits can have me now!" Katie bellowed as she stomped a foot onto the ground.
Matt glanced at her. What in Tartarus just happened? He thought.
"What in tarnation is going on ou--" Shouted a farm mare's voice before it deadpanned right as Applejack herself appeared next to the party. She shook her head for a few moments before turning to Natalie and asking, "Is that the so-called God of the Winds and his dragoon partner y'all told me about?"
Natalie could only nod as her jaw refused to lift itself off the ground.
"Well," Shouted the mustachioed stallion, "I've never expected this many guests! Flim, what say you?"
"Well," Flim, who was the other pony, replied, "I'd actually have expected Applejack and her family to help her win this cider season. Lazarus here was a good choice to add to our team--but, to be frank," Flim stopped before teleporting right into Matt's face and sticking his muzzle on the swordsman's nose, "I'd never expected his rival to show up!"
Matt fell over on his rump. He shot up and stuck his nose in Flim's face, "Let me tell ya! I'd never expected Lazarus and Lancelot to come back fully alive, without injury, and during this situation no less!"
Lazarus yawned and so did Lancelot. It was then the dragoon noticed the soldier and ranger. In an instant and quicker than Flim he stood right in front of the husband and wife duo with a suspicious glare focused entirely on Anna for some reason. He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and yanked her forward in order for the two to lock eyes. His eyes narrowed as he spoke, "There's a reason I hate green-haired people!"
"And there's a reason I hate random people looking like they'll kiss my girl!" Lance snarled as he pushed the dragoon away from Anna before dusting her off.
Lancelot now focused on the soldier with another glare. "Your WHAT?"
"TIME-OUT!" Alexis cried, catching everyone's immediate and undivided attention. "Why are those unicorn stallions here?!"
"We're here to make the Sweet Apple Acres into Flim Flam Fields!" Bellowed the mustachioed stallion.
"HAH!" Katie snorted, "On what luck? Even with the God of the Winds and his dragoon buddy you're vastly outnumbered! No way in the name of GodCat will you win!"
The stallions looked at her and then the rest of the party, and by golly was she right about them being outnumbered. But Lazarus wasn't called the God of the Winds for no flipping reason. And just why was there the God of Chaos and a tentacley...eyeball monster alongside them? Why the misfit gryphon? Why the pink-haired woman? Why the werewolf? Why the minotaur? Why the despicable changeling? What? How? Why?!
And then everyone present, Lazarus included, noticed the long line of humans and ponies waiting for cider to be dished out. Both parties then glared at each other as the rest of the Mane Six joined Matt's side.
All hissed two words and two words only--"cider contest."
"NOW HOLD UP JUST ONE SECOND!" Katie shrieked, catching everyone's attention. "Why are there no rules as of yet?!"
My in-law's inner Nazi has awoken... Anna thought with a sigh. I suppose she does have a solid case to point out.
"You have a point!" Flim said as he ran up to the fox and almost scared her into a heart attack while doing so. "Since we have human helpers, I'll propose a deal: Only two humans and two ponies can gather apples per team! If there is a lack of either, then four ponies or four humans will do!"
"What about children?" Lance asked.
"And the sick or injured!" Natalie cried.
"Flam," Lazarus said as he turned to the mustachioed stallion, "They also make a point."
"Well, then!" Flam smiled widely, "Since children are small, two would have to equate to one adult for either species. As for the sick and injured, they'd fall under the 'lack thereof' category my brother Flim mentioned earlier!"
"AND WHAT ABOUT HIM?!" Fenrir shouted as he accusingly pointed at the Beholder, who in turn proceeded to look at him funny.
"Simple: given his girth, he accounts for two whole adults and four ponies!" Flam replied with a sly grin.
Fenrir face-palmed.
"And what of the Apple Family team who, mind you, are currently missing two members--one because of natural causes and the other on an errand?" Anna wailed.
"The Apples are incompetent!" The brothers shouted in unison.
A bulky red stallion with an orange mane, green eyes and green apple cutie mark walked up to Flim and pushed him away from the fox. He looked like he was in his mid-30's but even then his morals didn't deteriorate.
"Eenope. We ain't what y'alls callin' 'incompetent.' Y'all fancy-schmancy Flim-Flam Brothers are nothin' but a bunch of cheaters!" The stallion paused to look at Applejack before shifting his gaze to Twilight Sparkle. His gaze then moved onto the party. "This here group of fine, dandy people helped save us all and y'all treat 'em like scum? What kinda ponies are you, anyway? I dare say these humans are better than you will ever be as far as morale and courage are concerned! Their legless cat could do better than your machine at apple-pressing!"
The party smiled at the stallion's comment. NoLegs meowed, and he sure was happy to hear it. The Beholder held a sign with a smiley face engraved in its woodwork since he couldn't really express himself given all he had to do so were tentacles and eyeballs.
"Hadn't seen y'all in forever. I wonder what's taken ya." The stallion smiled.
Natalie picked up Alexis and walked up to the stallion. "This little girl's gettin' too big for me to carry her." Sighed the wizard.
The stallion nodded. He fully understood. "Mah nephew's been learning how to give his uncle grief."
"He ain't givin' ya grief, Bic Mac. He's jus' showin' ya some love!" Applejack protested with a hearty laugh.
"Let's discuss the battle plans and then the contest of...well, cider-making will be held!" Matt declared, although grudgingly. He could not remember the last time strategy was involved because strategy was a thing he hated.
The party, counting the Mane Six, huddled together and discussed this and that.
"Just who do we send in first?" Natalie whispered worryingly.
"I dunno." Lance sighed in defeat since his brain kept pulling blanks.
"Any ideas, big brother?" Applejack asked.
"Eenope." Mac sighed, shaking his head.
"I'll decide who gets sent in first. They didn't mention anything else about the Apples, so I guess they're in the clear until more help arrives." Twilight sighed.
Everyone in the massive circle turned to her.
"Flim and Flam!" Twilight cried, "Do the Apple ponies count as a separate team?"
"No, they do not. However, the new rules apply to the old since its the Apples we have to settle scores with. In short, think of last time only with another rule added." Flam sighed before returning to his huddle circle.
"Yeah, they're in the clear." Twilight sighed before using her magic to levitate Katie, Natalie, Anna, and Fenrir off the ground.
"Natalie, can you use your Star Shower to get apples out of their trees?" Asked the alicorn.
"Yes." Replied the wizard before she was set down onto her feet.
"Anna, you help in quality control."
"Roger that!"
"Katie, gather apples from the trees using your tails."
"Sure!"
"Fenrir, help Big Mac press apples."
"Will do!"
Next, Matt, Lance, Coryza, and Blake. Blake got assigned Natalie's role should she falter somewhere; Lance to Katie once she fell; Coryza to Anna's; and Matt to Fenrir's. And so on.
"Is everyone ready?" Flam asked.
"More or less!" Katie replied.
The cider-making stations were soon prepared, and before anybody asks, the foals and infants were left under the care of Chuckles and the Beholder.
Natalie Star Showered all the trees that Applejack hadn't bucked, and each star hit the individual trees thrice as all the apples fell out and were scooped up in baskets being carried by Katie's tails. The baskets were then given to Anna who sorted out the apples so fast Rainbow Dash looked slow. Fenrir and Big Mac ran alongside a treadmill that operated the press that turned apples into cider. The brothers, as lazy as they were, simply made the machine work with their magic. Unlike all the other times before, however, it could do a quality check and make 15 barrels in three seconds. The funnels the apples went into didn't suction anymore--as that was more or less Lazarus' job now, with Lancelot entering Rage status and performing insane Monkey Dances to and fro along the treetops. Good god, he could rival Rainbow Dash now!
Matt held his hands before him and cried out in disbelief. The brothers really were cheaters! And with Lazarus and Lancelot on their side--well, you could see what went on in his head at the time.
Lance almost fainted. He was foaming at the mouth with an index finger pointed accusingly at the brothers.
Coryza's eyes were white in shock.
Blake was waving his arms and hopping around like a madman, and he was screaming this and that and the other thing too and they all had to do with Lazarus.
The Beholder held up a sign that had a picture of Lady Gaga doing a Poker Face. Yes, a Poker Face was his current expression.
The children were infuriated, and this drove them to cheer their parents on like mad beasts during a lunar eclipse. The ponies not participating also did much the same.
"They're making a measly 14 barrels compared to our 15!" Flim shouted as he drank a mug of cider.
"Hah! Good thing we put the limiter on them!" Flam agreed, "There's a reason they're called the Wandering Heroes!"
"Keep it up!" Applejack cried as she kicked a tree, "Just because they've got some machine and this God on their side doesn't mean we'll give up!"
"You heard her!" Natalie cried before a stray Star hit her on the face and pretty much told her her mana was more or less depleted. She was immediately ousted from the contest and Blake rushed in head-first into trees. He literally flew into them, shook them violently twice and then went on to the next.
Katie tripped on a rock and found herself literally crashing into Lancelot. Good thing she emptied the baskets beforehand as her son took over. With him were a few robots that simply carried excess baskets. Feh; the brothers were complete and total morons compared to him--they themselves technically used a freaking robot, so why couldn't Lance do the same? It made him smile whenever he thought of it.
Anna passed out because the sheer load of apples in need of sorting did more than overwhelm her. Cory soon took over and she worked twice as fast as Anna (let's assume she had way too many energy drinks.)
Fenrir ran so fast the treadmill sent him flying right into Lazarus, halting the enemy's cider production in doing so. Matt soon followed his comrades and he ran like a hamster in a wheel.
Lazarus pushed the wolf-man off him and hovered over Matt. "I will hurt you and get that pretty fox when this is over!" Declared the Wind God.
"You know the Nazi, right?" Matt asked, keeping his eyes forward as adrenalin kicked in.
"What about him?!" Lazarus screamed in frustration.
"He's my half-brother. We have the same father. His mom is the fox. You hurt me, she wrecks you." Matt answered as a Reflex was cast on him. His legs moved even faster, and he could do more than give Sonic the Hedgehog a run for his money.
Lazarus was fuming with fury. The fox he was hitting on all these years had the soldier with a man and then that man cheated on her, thus creating the swordsman he most despised? What?
Matt was too busy running on the treadmill whilst under Reflex to carry on the conversation. "Uh, dude, your team's losing and it's because you're slacking off."
Lazarus looked at the brothers, who now were glaring at him. Matt was right--he, the God of the Winds, was slacking off. And that was a no-no. He soon left the swordsman to fall by the hand (hoof?) of the treadmill as he gathered more apples by the hundreds. Get rid of the swordsman and maybe, just maybe, make the wizard cry like a girl...later.
Lance's machines aided Coryza in quality control--she really needed it. Yes, the mugician was being overpowered much like Anna was. The machines internally scanned the apples for any worms--and any rejects were put into the reject pile. Lance himself was collecting apples alone now, but he laughed out loud and pointed accusingly at the brothers whenever he had a free hand with which to point. He also flung the occasional insult in German just for giggles.
Blake was quickly wearing out. Sure, he was half-demon and he did have help in the form of Applejack, but even he had his limits. His fuel was about to hit empty soon, and he needed someone to replace him stat. Wait! He had just the plan. But it would have to involve his tank hitting beyond empty first.
The children were rooting on their parents like no tomorrow. They hopped and shouted and chanted like raving lunatics. Alexis even flung tomatoes at Flim and Flam as a means of saying 'I don't like you!'
Lancelot began his Monkey Dances after he flung Katie into a tree, much to Fenrir's anger. Fenrir, in response, pointed out that rivalries beyond that of the Flim-Flam Brothers and Apple Family should be saved for later. Thus, Mr. Rage-a-lot was penalized--any other penalty afterwards would result in him being banned from the competition and would jeopardize the amount of barrels and quality of cider the brothers would make. Lazarus berated his comrade for his incompetence before resuming with the apple-plucking.
The treadmill cursed Matt out in the form of sending him flying. This made him rush headlong into trees and bounce off a lot of them like a pinball before he ran right into the Beholder and flipped him over in the impending crash. The trees that had apples released said apples for Lance to gather before the enemy got hold of them. Blake wore himself out at last, and by now his face was purple. He sauntered towards the party, aiming specifically at Twilight Sparkle, who stood next to Discord. When he got there, he gathered the two and pointed at Natalie and Anna.
"WHAT?!" Twilight cried, raising a hoof and spreading her wings in shock.
"A-Are you certain about this?" Discord asked worryingly, scratching his chin with his gryphon claw. Blake nodded, motioning for the archer and wizard to walk towards him. Both women did as told with looks of shock on their faces. He then glanced at them and smiled.
"Natalie, Anna, listen carefully. Twilight will turn you into ponies and then Discord will enhance you with chaotic energy. The catch is, you can only perform your tasks for fifteen minutes. But the good news is that your mana never runs out." Blake explained.
Natalie and Anna gasped briefly before looking at each other wide-eyed. Natalie then returned her glance to Blake and worryingly asked, "Are you sure about this? Is it safe?"
"It is safe to be imbued with chaotic energy for no more than an hour a day if you aren't a Chaos God," Discord reassured with a hearty nod.
"In that case," Anna started, "Let us have it!"
Twilight's horn began glowing and so did her eyes. A purple aura encased both wizard and archer while a white light covered their bodies head to toe. Hand and foot became hoof. Horns grew out of their foreheads. They grew tails similar to the hair on their heads. Pelts replaced clothing so fast time seemed to slow for them. Two-legged bodies changed to four-legged equine shapes. Their bodies completed the metamorphosis and were lowered onto the ground on all fours. The Flim-Flam brothers watched this and so did Lazarus and Lancelot. And all their jaws dropped wide open for all to see. The question 'what in flaming tartarus just happened?' ran through their minds and halted production yet again. The most recent cider barrel actually dropped, rolled, and broke open because the machine itself was stopped mid-launch. Cider spilled all over that patch of grass.
The mares shook off the wobbly feeling of walking on all fours before their eyes opened. Instead of blue and green, their eyes were glowing a vivid purple, thus signifying their chaotic enhancement. They then bounded off--Anna took over the treadmill and she ran faster than Matt while Natalie resumed her waylaid Star Shower. This time, it was now the Chaos Shower because the magic Natalie had was also enhanced. As a result, the Stars turned purple and emitted wisps of chaos rather than sparkles consisting of more Stars. The chaos-imbued Stars also directed the fall of apples towards Lance's baskets and overflow was contained by chaotic levitation magic.
Flim and Flam panicked. Lancelot was now busy running away from the fact that the sky was falling on his head and Lazarus seemed to lose his aerial balance every five seconds because Lancelot kept running into him--either that or the Stars hit him in the face. As another result, they quadrupled the power on their cider making machine and this time used the funnel for once. This didn't suck up whole trees--nope, it sucked up patches of land which equated to at least three trees per suction. Good (bad?) thing the machine was enhanced so that it would spit out anything but apples. What everyone failed to notice was that three mares--one earth, one pegasus, and one unicorn--were approaching the farm with Mr. Rhodes and Miss Cheerilee just inches behind them.
The mares and teachers approached the party and all collapsed from exhaustion. Lance, having ran into a tree like an idiot, was ousted and replaced by Matt. He approached his friends and noticed the three mares--one of whom looked strangely familiar. Or was it two? The earth pony had a creamy yellow coat that was a hare darker than Fluttershy's own. Her mane was reddish-pink that was leaning closer to the red and her eyes were gold and adorning her flank was a blooming, pink flower. The unicorn had a white pelt similar to that of Rarity's, but her mane hung in two-colored bouncy curls of light purple and crisp pink. Her green eyes shined like emeralds and on her flank was a pink heart flanked on either side by two purple swirls--one looking up and the other looking down. The pegasus had an orange pelt and magenta mane with magenta irises. Adorning her haunches was a wheel with a lightning bolt in front of it.
The aforementioned pegasus mare trotted up to Lance and gave him a great big hug. "Mister Lance, I've been searching for you all over since I got my cutie mark! Where've you been?" She complained in a worried voice.
The unicorn used magic to pull her off the worn-out soldier and said, "Scootaloo, get of off him."
Scootaloo...that name did sound familiar. Wait. A. Second. Wasn't this the first pony he saved when she was a filly as timberwolves attacked the town?
Yes, this was her alright. All fully grown up now by pony terms. "Well, Scoots," Lance started with a grin, "I missed you too. Big adventure, then I ended up being a dad. Long story."
"Really?!" Scoots asked, ears perked and eyes gleaming.
"Yeah." Lance answered with a nod, "Right now, we're trying to stop the Flim-Flam Brothers from taking over Sweet Apple Acres. Problem is, it's a cider making contest and only four ponies or two ponies and humans each are allowed to help the Apples at any given time."
"That's bad!" Shouted the earth pony mare as she stomped a hoof, "Last time they challenged us, they won!"
"I heard they were driven out shortly afterwards." Lance sighed. "But now, it's worse. They have the God of the Winds on their side and I'm sure you've heard about him by now."
"There is no way--" Started the unicorn mare.
"It's true. See for yourself." Lance cut her off. The unicorn looked around her and noticed a human form carrying an e-Bay cannon. "I-Is that even ALLOWED?!" She asked.
"He's yet to use it, so I dunno." Lance replied with a shrug.
"We're helping!" Scootaloo called in anger as she flared out her wings.
"Yeah!" Bellowed the unicorn mare as her horn flashed in anger.
"I ain't letting mah home--mah birthplace--get taken over by some good-fer-nothin' sleazeballs!" Wailed the earth pony mare with a hiss.
"Crusaders!" Scootaloo called, "This is no crusade here! Here is a war we intend to fight! A war we intend to win!"
Lance smiled. How did Scootaloo learn so much from him when they'd only met once prior? Must've been the rumors and stories about him and his party spreading quicker than a nuke could decimate half the continent. That speech, unbeknownst to him, made everyone stop and turn to the pegasus. The fraction of the party who were busy with the trees then set back to work with more determination than ever--even so, the chaos-enchantment clocks of Natalie and Anna were ticking and so were the clocks of the cider barrels.
Coryza was overwhelmed and was promptly replaced by Rarity. Scootaloo replaced Lance. She collected apples and zigzagged throughout the orchard while Rarity checked apples by the dozen using magic alone. This made the machines help Scootaloo collect apples.
"Brother!" Flim shouted as he realized the enemy made more barrels than they, "We have to do something else!"
"I've got it, oh brother of mine!" Flam replied as he summoned Drill Bots of his own. They then took more apples than even Scootaloo could manage with the help of Lance's machinery. This way, they made 100 barrels compared to the 99 barrels of the enemy. With Lazarus and Lancelot, that number soared to unbelievably new pinnacles and dwarfed all opposition in such a way it looked as if the battle had been lost right then and there. Not only that, but all the apples were plucked. Every last one. Meaning no more cider for the teams to make--thus resulting in the party's loss, or so it would seem at the time. Discord suddenly let off a laugh that could only belong to a sadist afflicted by the moon's curse during the witching hour. Putting gryphon claw and lion paw together and tapping his bare finger-like tips, he smiled oh so warmly. "Do you, Flim and Flam, really think you have won?"
The brothers looked within their barrels. All their cider was bad. They looked at each other with jaws agape. Lazarus and Lancelot glared at the Chaos God right as his and Twilight's magic wore off of Anna and Natalie, thus returning them to fully normal.
Discord let off another cackle before continuing, "I've heard all about your foul practices--and I thought to myself 'Who'd want you flimsy brothers here?' Of course, I was dragged along the first part of the whole ordeal thanks to a flyer that somehow hit this wizard in her face." He stopped to pick up Natalie. "The first part was largely her fault. Now, the failure of your cider? Well, like Lazarus is called the God of the Winds, I am not called the God of Chaos for no reason."
The brothers stood there as if petrified. Lazarus and Lancelot glanced at each other and both were wide-eyed. Matt wanted to point and laugh at them for their apparent stupidity, but he refrained from doing so for the time being.
Discord put the wizard down and patted her on the head with his lion paw, "You see, after the fox tripped, she and I discussed a secret battle plan. I would never have guessed I would've met such a fine creature who, like me, is insanely creative! But, you also fail to notice she has a serious side when trouble brews. And when that trouble brews, something almost indescribable sparks in her brain and churns her gears. Then, an idea formulates--either that or an inference, depending on the situation." By now, Discord was in the faces of the brothers and his voice was barely above a whisper, "And then, she puts her idea--her interpretation, her grasp of the situation--and quickly works on a way to stop it. As the saying goes, 'desperate times call for desperate measures.' Now, leave Ponyville and never come back unless you have urgent business and cannot traverse though any other routes. And as for you two," Discord paused to grab Lancelot and Lazarus by their wrists and hoist them off the ground before his gaze met with their eyes, "I believe you and Matt need to stop your oh-so-pitiful feud. It's pointless now--he's got not one, but two children to look after and he would gladly give his life up so they can have a bright future. Unless you yourselves are fathers somehow, which I highly doubt given your peculiar circumstances, I wouldn't think you have the faintest idea of the meaning of my words. Maybe you do, but your minds cannot possibly grasp it because you two are literally blinded by a desire for revenge. Please, stop this tomfoolery or Celestia will turn you to stone as she had done to me."
Both the dragoon and Wind God found themselves gulping. Turned to stone? That did them in. With weak nods of pure worry, they were set down onto their feet as the brothers took their locomotive and drove off into the distance.
The party was hoping that the brothers would never try wrecking any more families ever again.
"Go on," Discord persuaded as he slowly, deliberately, gently pushed Lazarus and Lancelot towards Matt, "Tell him. It's perfectly fine."
Both were very nervous. They put their feet onto the ground in such a way a pile of dirt formed as they were pushed, thus slowing the Chaos God. The very idea that their long-time enemy settled down and had kids drove them bonkers. But not the 'I am going to kill you!' kind of bonkers. They were confused, nervous, scared even of the very thought. If those children were at least five years old now, who knows what he'd taught them. And who'd he have them with? The magician who'd helped him? Some other chick? The pile was cleared away by the unicorn whom Scootaloo identified to be Sweetie Belle, the sister of Rarity.
At last, both dragoon and God stood before swordsman.
A very long and rather awkward silence stood between them while everyone else listened for the faintest mishap--words, breathing patterns, what have you. The only sound that came for what seemed to be a few hours on end was the breeze of the wind that whispered into their ears. Time felt like it stopped, especially for Blake and Katie since they were immortal. They were wondering if Celestia was in the sky right then looking at them funny.
The silence continued.
Nothing stirred at all.
Absolutely nothing moved. Even the ability to breathe had been paralyzed.
After that silence, Lancelot was the first to speak. "U-Um, Matt...I...I think we need to stop f-fighting."
"I can see why," Matt replied calmly, "I mean, I've already adjusted to a non-violent life. Given Equestria is generally peaceful, monkey see, monkey do." He paused, motioning for Natalie to stand next to him. Almost subconsciously, the wizard complied with the silent command. He didn't speak until she was next to him, "It's very hard to change habits, especially if you've done them for years on end."
Everyone nodded heartily in agreement.
"Some things never change, though." Matt continued like he'd been elected in place of Barack Obama, "Like the desire to go on adventures or beat up monsters nobody else would dare take on. The desire to protect and help what I hold dear has taken such a firm grip on me that, when I was told the kids were going on a field trip to the Everfree Forest, I couldn't help but think something was off. Me, Natz here, Lance, and Anna secretly followed the kids and guess what we saw: A freaking Rafflesia. At first, the kids did have the upper hand but after a while the giant plant began cheating. Right when it would've delivered its fatal injuries did we step in."
Lazarus looked at the children. One looked like the child of the soldier and ranger, two looked like furballs and the last kind of looked like the wizard. When he saw her little wings, he couldn't help but say, "That one isn't yours."
Blake stepped forward. "Matt and I also had a truce of sorts. I think you can see where that went."
Lazarus raised a brow and Lancelot's jaw dropped open.
Blake only chuckled with a reassuring nod. He understood what they were trying to say.
Natalie smiled wide. "It was the only way I could think of to shut them both up and make all three of us happy at the same time!" She flung one arm around the swordsman and the other around the half-demon.
Coryza flung her arms around Matt. "And don't forget about me!"
"I was getting to that, take a chill pill." Matt sneered with a goofy grin. "You can see what this resulted in, Lazarus. Don't you lie to me!"
Lazarus couldn't help but look shocked. The swordsman had his own...he could not bring himself to say that word.
"What say you?" Blake asked as he cocked his head to the side.
"I-I must a-ask," Lazarus nervously started, his legs shaking, "H-How a-are we...err..."
"Gonna stop fighting?" Matt finished for him. Lazarus nodded.
Another long silence followed shortly after.
"How about this?" Lance started, "We let them live with us so they can get used to us. When we're all situated and happy and whatnot, we go from there."
"That sounds like the best plan." Matt agreed.
"Like literally live with you guys?" Lancelot asked, shocked.
Lance nodded. "What better course do you have to offer?"
"We've no other option, Lancelot." Lazarus agreed. "We have to get used to them before we can forgive them and vice-versa."
"HEY!" Applejack bellowed, "Who wants some cider!?"
Lance smiled.
"WE DO!" Everyone called.
~~~~~~
"This cider is sweet!" Alexis called with a silly smile. She had some cider froth on her face.
"It's supposed to be!" Miss Cherilee chimed, "Because apples are sweet!"
"This is better than I remember," Lance cried in ecstasy, "It's just so darn good I'd drink fifteen gallons before I fell asleep!"
"By then, your tastebuds will have skidmarks!" Anna remarked before downing what was in her mug.
"I'd eat the mugs if it were allowed!" Katie commented with a cat's smile.
"You said it!" Lance sneered.
Lazarus had a mug of his own and he was hogging a barrel. "First time having cider ever since I started chasing that swordsman around left and right, I forgot how good cider is!"
"Amen!" Lancelot agreed.
"Why do the Flim-Flam brothers cheat?" Wing asked, her whole muzzle covered in wonderful cider froth.
"Beats me." Matt replied with a shrug. "For all I know, they could've grown up knowing that was the 'only way,' as it were. Well, cheating isn't the only way to live life to the fullest nor is it a good way to make a living!"
"Yep." Natalie nodded as she heartily drank her cider.
Weeks had passed since the whole cider incident, and Lazarus and Lancelot actually liked the change of pace. Of course, both would spar with Matt and Natalie every now and then, but other than that, no fights of any sort had broken out. Both men had to learn how to use choice wording around the children (Katie went and pointed out everyone's cursing habits, so it was more or less necessary.) You could say they made peace with each other and as a result, the party got two more additions to its framework. Just how much bigger will its ranks get, for crying out loud?! Next thing we know, GodCat will join! There were some disagreements, of course. But those were quickly averted with the power of compromising.
Anyhow, Lazarus was reading the newspaper and the main headline was 'Foalnapper apprehended! All nine missing foals declared to be in critical condition!' To be honest, the God of the Winds was thoroughly disgusted at the article. "Good thing he didn't have kids of his own with anyone," Lazarus snarled to himself in a whisper, "I bet he'd treat them just as bad as the victims."
"I read that article too." Lance sighed, his voice bitter, "If he did that to my kid, let's just say the foalnapper would be practically nonexistent by the time I was finished."
"I can see why," Replied the God with a nod.
The phone started ringing. Natalie answered it.
"Hello?" Asked the wizard.
"Um, you need to come to the school now. Bring Blake," Mr. Rhodes replied on the other end.
"Why?" Natalie asked worryingly.
"T-This man..." Mr. Rhodes started, his voice now shaking in what could be best described as fear, "H-He tried pulling a fast one on Alexis and...well..." He stopped, as if struggling to find words.
"Well what?" Natalie gasped in shock.
"He...succeeded. We're still trying to find him." Mr. Rhodes choked out.
Natalie's hair stood on end. "I-Is she at the s-school?!"
"She's in the nurse's office screaming." Mr. Rhodes choked. "Get here as soon as possible."
"Will do." Natalie answered before hanging up. She turned around, took a deep breath, and...
"BLAKE!!!!! GET OVER HERE NOW!!!"
I've the feeling that someone's going to die. Lazarus thought as the half-demon rushed down the stairs and flew toward the wizard.
"W-What happened?!" Blake asked.
Natalie grabbed his head, turned his ear to her mouth, and whispered something into it.
"Do they know where he last was?!" Blake shrieked, his eyes turning crimson.
Natalie shook her head. "All I know is Alexis is in the nurse's office. We have to get there immediately!"
Both of them ran out the door as if the house had been set ablaze. Anger and panic overcame the duo as they ran to the school while many other people and ponies gawked at them. One peculiar mare understood that, whatever the reason for them to run like that was, it was bad. But she didn't speak.
Sister Emily greeted them at the door and led them towards the nurse's station. Opening the door, they saw Nurse Redheart clutch a bruised and shrieking Alexis in her forelegs. Her hair was a mess and there was a bandage wrapped heavily around her right hand, indicating it had clearly been broken.
"My God..." Natalie murmured before she walked up to the nurse. "Nurse, could you hand her to me? I think she needs to stay home for a few days."
Redheart complied, handing the quarter-demon to the wizard. She clutched her mother with her good hand and started screaming into her chest.
"T-This man beat me up!!" Alexis wailed, her voice causing worry.
"We should've brought Fenrir with us." Blake sighed, trying very hard to not punch the wall. His mind was reeling with questions.
The next thing everyone knew, Lancelot dragged a man in his mid-40's into the room. He had greying brown hair and blue eyes.
Alexis moved her head off of her mother's chest to look at Blake. When she saw what Lancelot dragged in, however, she went into complete freakout mode and pointed him out as the culprit before hiding behind Mommy once more.
"Want me to take him to jail?" Lancelot asked.
"Please do--before I add him to my skeleton army." Blake answered sternly.
Lancelot dragged the man out of the building.
"Take her home and soothe her. It's really all I can say." Nurse Redheart nodded, motioning for the now-infuriated parents to leave. The parents did as told, and along the way home after checking with the principle they stopped at Sugar Cube Corner's bakery.
"Should we inform Pinkie about this mess?" Blake asked.
"It's what I'm asking." Natalie replied with a worried sigh.
"Momma..." Alexis cooed, her face red in bruises and tears.
"Yes?" Natalie asked.
The quarter-demon whispered something into the wizard's ear.
"If you told anybody?" Natalie asked in worry.
"Where in Tartarus did Lazarus hide his e-Bay cannon?" Blake asked.
Natalie would shrug if her hands weren't full.
Pinkie Pie opened the door, but rather than her familiar poofy, bubbly, happy-go-lucky appearance, her mane lay flat on her face and her colors had somewhat faded. "I overheard the whole ordeal, and I am sorry I couldn't do anything to catch the wrong-doer myself."
"It's okay, Pinkie." Natalie nodded, "We'd only gotten wind of it earlier in the last 30 minutes."
Pinkie's mane grew just a hare poofier than its flat appearance. A faint smile crossed her lips. "Things happen beyond our control, I suppose. And as parents, we have to move on from there."
"Yeah." Blake sighed. "I really hope Golden Streamers never undergoes what...." He trailed off.
"Horrors?" Pinkie finished.
Blake nodded. By now, Alexis had fallen asleep against her mother's chest.
Pinkie's mane flared out into its usual, frazzled mess and her bubbly colors returned.
"I think we should visit those poor, injured foals in the hospital." Pinkie said.
"That's most likely the best course of action given Alexis will have to stay home for a few days." Natalie agreed.
The pony and humans stood before--you guessed it--Harry, who had a concerned look on his face. It wasn't just concern, but it was downright sadness.
"I know the foals just got admitted today and they've been in critical since who knows how long," Blake sighed, "But they're able to make it, so why the long face?"
"After they've recovered..." Harry started as a single tear slid down his cheek, "...they're going to one of the worst orphanages ever. Their parents....are long gone."
Natalie's jaw dropped.
Blake's eyes went wide.
Pinkie's colors faded and her mane deflated.
"Y-You can't mean..." Natalie's lips quivered. Harry only nodded solemnly. "Nobody will adopt them because their injuries cannot be healed without the proper equipment and thus a lot of money."
"B-But why?! Can't they see those foals need more help than ever now?! W-Who's going to help them cope with this...this...disaster?!" Pinkie bellowed, ears flattening. Tears began falling from her eyes.
"But what if their physical woes can be healed with magic?" Blake asked.
"My boss forbids it. Let me say he discriminates against non-humans." Harry answered sadly.
"Then he better not meet me in a dark alleyway under the full moons." Natalie said to herself.
"Hmm?" Harry asked, confused.
"Harry, could you let us see the foals?" Natalie asked, raising her voice for him to hear.
"Sure." Replied the doctor as he motioned for the group to follow. They passed many rooms and two flights of stairs before they stopped before a set of double doors. Into the room they went and saw five fillies and four colts--all of whom were unicorns that were sadly dehorned--laying in hospital beds. All were crying in unbearable pain as they kept on shrieking about their tormentor.
Natalie couldn't help but cry. These foals...they deserved better. And then there was the fact they were practically hornless now...there was no way they'd use magic to tap into their talents; no way to defend themselves; no way to be able to make friends outside of what was labeled 'the other side of the fence.' She could sit there and name so many things from the book that would affect these foals from here on out if nothing was done. Now add the fact that one of the worst orphanages ever would take them in and...
One unicorn colt noticed her. He raised a hoof towards her and said 'help us.'
A filly looked at the wizard, her milky eyes barely able to see. "You look like momma! I want my momma!" She cried.
"Poor things all shared one mother..." Harry started, another tear hitting the ground.
"I'm helping them." Natalie sighed, trying not to cry anymore. She handed Alexis to Blake before causing the Seraph Staff to appear in her hands. She walked to each foal, held their horns where they were broken off, and chanted a spell along the lines of Heal-More. The wounds went away, the horns re-attached effortlessly and charged with magical energy, the filly's eyesight recovered drastically...
Once all the fillies and colts recovered in the blink of an eye, all nine of them surrounded the wizard with a group-hug.
"Where's the adoption agency?" Natalie asked, her sadness now replaced by a smile.
~~~~~~~
"So, they're staying out of school as long as Alexis is?" Lazarus asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Yeah. They're also living with us now." Natalie answered, still being dog-piled by the foals.
"Harry apparently found himself surrounded by discriminatory loons." Blake sighed. "At least the adoption went through alright."
Lancelot picked up a filly with a curly orange mane and gold pelt by the tail. "Are you trying to get her to play tag or something?"
"I'm trying to hug her and my brothers and sisters keep getting in the way." Answered the filly as she tried to make Lancelot do funny faces with her hooves. Despite having a repaired horn complete with magic, Harry suggested that she lay off the magic for at least a week before trying.
"Put the filly down before she yanks your tongue out!" Lazarus sneered with a cat's smile.
Lancelot did as told, being sure to let go of the tail only when all four hooves were on the ground first. The filly began running in circles around the dragoon playfully. The other foals quickly followed this trend and they did this for everyone. Katie had the most difficult time because they each used their mouths to grab a tail and spin her like a tornado. Alexis really adored her new siblings and she kept hugging them like no tomorrow. Hooray for Heal-More.
Anna went head over heels when she saw the foals. They were so adorable it was almost blinding to her. Nick wasn't envious. Oh no, he also went head over heels! Lance, while understanding that the foals were adorable, was nonetheless 'meh.'
Matt and Coryza kept insisting that the foals take at least one nap. The foals had been taken into a loving family after being healed by one of said family members--what else in Tartarus would they expect?
The twins and triplets were trying to coax the foals into hide-and-seek. For a while, it went well but then it went into catch-me-if-you-can.
Fenrir looked at the time. It was well past everyone's bedtime. But with all the foals causing all sorts of chaos every five seconds, how was he going to convey the message across? He pulled out one of those magic 8-balls and shook it vigorously before looking at the triangle that appears within. The only thing the triangle told him to do was 'ask again later' and nothing short.
"Welcome back!" Mr. Rhodes said heartily as he picked up the quarter-demon, "Did you get all better?"
"Yes, I did. And I have even more siblings now!" Alexis replied with a cat's grin.
"Are they being admitted to the classroom now?" Asked Miss Cherilee, confused.
"Yeah. They should be here any moment now."
Mr. Rhodes put the girl down as she rushed to her seat as if in a hurry. On her desk in a pile was all the assignments she missed due to her injuries. They consisted mainly of English assignments, some math problems here and there...and was that a chemistry project among the math sheets? She sorted out the papers into proper piles by subject and level of difficulty, and it was a good thing Katie helped her do just that. The fox had so many drawings of her current incarnation's child-and-teenage-hood she needed over 30 filing cabinets. Yes, that many. She sorted them out by skill level and what they were at least supposed to be--stick persons, mythical beasts humans previously thought to be nonexistent, animals like housecats, houses, scenery, comics and her attempts at manga with what she had on hand at the time...Jesus Flipping Christ, the woman was loaded with drawings galore! And then there were projects when she was in school, which included sketch books. Things like wire sculptures covered in paper-mâché and then painted over went into their own cases instead of the filing cabinets. There was a cabinet the kids weren't allowed to access until they were eighteen, and she made sure to back it up with a platoon of locks. Anyhow, the chemistry project struck her as odd because one had to have a pony partner--preferably a unicorn--in order to best succeed. The catch was one had to have the pony equivalent or closest thereof of Natalie's magic power if a unicorn partner was chosen.
Grrrreeeeeaaaaat. Not even Vibrant Color qualified unless she could somehow make her paintings literally come to life and do the work for her. But she was the closest thereof, so why not? But there were other things to be done and bigger fish to fry now, so she set that aside, took out her favorite pen, and set to work on the math problems first. They were the hardest for her. Right when she finished her first problem did the new siblings enter the classroom and all nine stood before everyone so as to introduce themselves.
The filly with the curly orange mane, gold pelt, and blue eyes was Shimmering Copper. Another filly with the same coat and cobalt mane with green eyes was Golden Cobalt. The colt next to Golden had a silvery pelt and blue mane and eyes. His name was Silver Adamantite. Another colt that had green-blue eyes, orange and blue stripped mane, and silver pelt with gold splotches here and there. His name was Mineral Ore. A filly with an orange mane that was wavy beyond belief and silver pelt with sea-green eyes was named Iron Zircon. The next colt had gold pelt, blue mane, and eyes of evergreen. His name was Cobalt Emerald. The colt after him had gold pelt and brownish...blue hair (orange + blue = brown, people!) and sapphire eyes. He was named Earthen Iron. The last two fillies looked like color swaps of each other--one had a blue mane with a single orange streak and silver pelt and the other had an orange mane with blue streak with silver pelt. Their eyes were sky blue with green rims. Their names were Sapphire and Bronze, respectively. They all had yet to obtain their cutie marks, so their magic was a little on the weak side. Granted, it was still usable, but then, they couldn't muster up a levitation spell to save their souls.
Class resumed as soon as the foals were assigned to their seats. Alexis resumed working on her missed assignments, though the chemistry project kept on bugging her...
~~~~~~~
"What in the...?" Natalie asked as she reread the chemistry project paper for the fifteenth time. "Why can I not make sense of this?"
Blake plucked the paper from the wizard's hands before reading it himself. "I get it."
"Hmm?" Natalie asked, confused.
"She needs to make one of those volcanoes with a unicorn helper. But the power that unicorn has must rival your own in some way." Blake said before adding, "Think of fireworks powered by unicorns and gunpowder."
"Oh. Do you use paper-mâché to form the volcano?" Asked the wizard.
"No, because this volcano is a keeper item. But it does state you can make one out of paper for testing purposes to make sure the design can take the pressure and whatnot." Blake answered again. "I mean, you have to make sure there are no faults which could jeopardize the whole thing. Why else would Lance have failed Valkyrie prototypes?"
"Now that you mention it...." Natalie said aloud as she became lost in thought.
"What's it gonna be like?" Alexis asked excitedly.
"Well, to be blunt," Blake started with a half-smile, "You have to have a lot of building materials and a unicorn helper, for one. Two, you're gonna be working your little tail off to make a perfect model. Three, you're going to rebuild that model not in paper but in stone. I'd prefer if you used obsidian, but that's expensive. I forbid bedrock. Heck, use cobblestone if need be!"
Alexis giggled. She wondered if Daddy was having another nutty moment. Being a crazy had its benefits.
The foals immediately dog-piled the wizard again, knocking her out of her stupor and back into reality. "H-Hey! C-Could you guys lay off so I can make dinner?!" She cried with a laugh.
"I'm already making dinner! Just keep the foals busy for a while longer!" Anna called from the kitchen.
"What in flaming Tartarus is wrong with these people today?!" Lazarus snarled in fury at a newspaper article as if he threatened Matt with his e-Bay cannon at point-blank range. Police had restrained and later arrested a man who was trying to save his eight-month old son from a house set ablaze. The cause of the fire remained unknown, and the child didn't make it. By the time firefighters had arrived, the fire was out of control. Those two officers who made an unlawful arrest and stood around like the belated, pompous jerks they were DESERVED to be obliterated by Lazarus' former rival....no, they deserved the wrath of Celestia herself. They deserved to be petrified and then added to Blake's skeleton army.
No. They deserved worse. They deserved the unspeakable. That was how infuriated the God of the Winds was.
Lance remained silent, his face falling under the shadows of his hat. His arms and legs were crossed, and his lips were etched in a frown. He looked asleep but had been, in fact, wide awake. Lazarus could notice faint, stream-like glimmers on his face...trails that only tears could've left behind. The Nazi's hands were clenched into tight fists that looked as though they could break through iron. Lance heaved in uncouth fury, and this was the only sound he made. It was as if a dragon had awoken in him and started spewing blackest smoke. It became apparent that the extremist was sick to his stomach and needed some time to think things through before he performed another infamous atrocity to add to his list of evils.
And this is why I refrain from newspapers....things like this happens. Katie thought as she went up the stairs to check on the others. She was certain they read the bad news as well, as the majority was locked in their bedrooms or the sparring chamber. Thank goodness the children remained unaware of the bad news.
Lance got up from his seat and raised his head so the shadows would get off his face. His face was red from silent mourning and anger and his eyes were even redder. They would glow in the dark at this point.
"I am going to exchange words with those quacks. I also plan on talking to their...hostage." Heaved the extremist, his voice having such a snarl to it a manticore was shamed. He then walked out the door and closed it behind him. One window was opened, and a breeze wafted into the room and lifted the curtains gently, thus allowing the God to see outside towards Crystalis Fantasia in time to see a rising full moon just behind the mountains...
~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sorry, but we cannot allow that." Said Policeman A sternly.
"Do you realize he was trying to save his own son? Or are you too ignorant to see that?" Lance replied with a snarl as his red eyes flashed briefly.
"We didn't know. We thought he was suicidal." Policeman B answered.
"Sure, I agree on the suicidal part. But he was trying to save his own kin and you stand around restraining him and simultaneously watching the child...literally turn to ash and not seek help until it came to you?!" Lance barked, now bearing his teeth. He entered a fisticuffs-like battle stance and was more than ready to fling the first flurry of punches.
"We'll have to throw you out." Policeman A sighed as he drew a taser and aimed it at Lance.
"Throw a werewolf out?" Lance smiled grimly, bearing his teeth--which had now became a mouthful of daggers--once more.
"Werewolves aren't real, pal." Policeman B laughed as he drew a nightstick.
"Then what explains unicorns with an assortment of symbols decorating their flanks? What explains GodCat?" Lance jested as his eyes burned brighter.
The policemen were left shocked and at a loss for words.
"C'mon, I am waiting for a viable answer." Lance sneered as his ears became pointier.
None came whatsoever. The policemen didn't move a muscle.
"Suit yourselves. I. Bid. You. SAYONARA!" Lance bellowed as his whole body became wolf-like in seconds. He then charged at the wrong-doers with claws extended while the taser-laser missed. The nightstick found itself broken in two. And both humans found themselves held against a wall by the necks. Their faces began to turn blue right as....
"Stop this instant!" Shouted what could best be described as Princess Celestia. Lance complied with the order before turning around and laying down obediently.
"I've....heard about the issue at hoof. I understand why you're angry. But rest assured, I will take care of this." Celestia nodded to Lance, motioning with a hoof for him to stand. "Guards, take these so-called policemen to my dungeon for further interrogation!"
Two ponies in regal armor grabbed the men and literally dragged them kicking and screaming out of the station. A third guard ran into the station and quickly escorted the man who tried saving his son to the Nazi.
"What became of my child...?" Asked the man in worry.
Lance let his head fall under his hat. "He....didn't make it. When those.....sacrilegious jerks held you back, all hope was lost....there's a memorial just for him, and me and my pack intend to pay a visit only when you're with us."
The man was devastated. His eyes widened in shock and his jaw shook. "N-no...." His hands fell onto the werewolf's shoulders, "Say it isn't so..."
"I am just as hurt as you are. I may not look it, but I just confronted those jerks...and it was going to get very messy when Celestia stopped me." Lance replied, his snarls hinting at despair. "I hope something like this never happens ever again."
The man looked at Celestia, who only nodded in sadness. "I shall see to it they get just what they deserve. A trial is not needed for monsters like them."
Nick and the other children were about to go past the newly-installed gates of the house when they saw Natalie tending to the garden in place of Anna, which was very odd. She was even in gardening clothes and was surprisingly good at the profession herself. She only stopped to look at the children, and her hair was a soaking wet mess despite the big braid that took up a good length of her backside. Some strands were loose, her gloves were obviously dirty, and her face was red. The unrelenting heat of summer made this more evident.
"Mom, why are you tending to the garden?" Alexis asked, shifting her parasol slightly.
"Well, Anna's found herself at the hospital again. She should be back before dark, though." Natalie answered, taking the hat off her head and wiping her forehead with her arm. How long had she been out here, for GodCat's sake?!
"Is she--" Nick started.
"She'll be fine." Natalie groaned as she opened the gates and ushered the children towards the house before closing said gates and following the kids inside.
"Uncle Matt!" Nick suddenly bellowed as he tackled the swordsman. The impact was so hard both found themselves rolling up the stairs and into the bathroom....only for Katie to scream and toss both of them out using her nine tails, which were covered in soap suds. Yes, the kitsune was having a bath. Both then landed a few inches from the first step on their feet, much to everyone's surprise.
"Good gracious, you're getting as strong as I am! Chill with the flying hugs!" Matt shouted in glee. "What's up?"
"The project went great!" The twins cried, both having a volcano made of brimstone on their backs. Given they were emptied of their contents, they were lightweight.
"We can see that." Lance jeered with a cat's grin. "Welp, how's the grades rolling in?"
"All A's and B's," Alexis replied as if she'd been studying for one million years straight.
"That's good to hear." Fenrir sighed with a toothy grin.
"When's the bathtub available?" Natalie asked.
"Next year!" Katie shouted in response as she shut the door to the bathroom.
"Okay, then." Natalie huffed with a sigh.
Somepony began knocking on the door, and Coryza answered it because Natalie was literally too dirty right now. Opening said door, she saw a pegasus mare with grey pelt, blond mane, and golden eyes that were...criss-crossed in such a way one eye pointed up and the other pointed down. On her body she had a saddlebag loaded to the brim with mail, and there was a complimentary hat on her head.
"Hey, um..." Coryza sighed, her eyes white.
"Name's Ditzy Doo. I have important letters for...uh....an...Anna, I guess?" Sighed the mailmare.
"Give them to me so I can put them on her desk. She's not here at the moment." Coryza sighed, taking the...two dozen letters and brown packaging box as she promised. Ditzy then left, flying rather clumsily over the gate harmlessly.
"How much mail did we get now?" Lance asked, confused.
"Twenty-three items in total, ninety-nine percent of which is envelopes." Coryza answered, her tone of voice hinting quite clearly that she was in fact annoyed with something.
Lance's eyes nearly doubled in size from such shock. He was hoping they weren't overdue bills in need of payment. That meant the government trying to make him broke since all the bills were already paid off for the month. The package didn't concern him at all, in fact!
Anna walked in from the front door and she was...wheeling her younger sister Sarah into the living room. Sarah had...a bundle in her arms and she was in a hospital gown. What's more, a unicorn stallion trotted alongside the duo, and there was a ring just above his right hoof. He had a blue pelt and cerulean mane and tail. His eyes were as green--or perhaps greener--than Sarah's own hair, and on his flank was a bush adorned with sky-blue flowers. Anna put her fingers to her mouth and whistled, catching everyone's immediate attention. When they saw Sarah and her bundle, they couldn't believe it.
"I came to visit my sister today, but I didn't know I was due. Nobody tells me these things until they happen." Sarah sighed with a faint smile creeping upon the corners of her mouth. "I was rushed to the Ponyville Hospital and helped bring this little guy into the world."
"I wanna see!" Nick shouted, jumping up and down like a hyperactive looney. He ran towards his aunt and looked at the face that remained uncovered by the blanket. It was...a unicorn colt with a darker shade of blue and a light blue-green mane that was leaning closer towards the blue. His little hornbud poked no more than a centimeter at best. The colt's green eyes widened at this new face looming over him, and he raised a hoof to try to poke it whilst giggling in such a fashion even the most cold-hearted of all would drop dead in cuteness overload.
"How did you have a pony?" Nick pointed out as he tickled the colt's nose.
"I married one while I was still up in Canterlot." Sarah replied, pointing to the stallion in the room. "That's how."
Lance's jaw dropped. Sarah...cross-bred with...? He was praying Matt didn't intend on doing the same.
"Name's Floral Bouquet. I know, sounds...girly. But I put up with it after I got my cutie mark," Sighed the stallion as he sat on his haunches.
"How'd ya swoon my sister?" Anna asked with a laugh.
"Really long story." Floral replied, shaking his head with a blush on his face.
"Anna, you have a LOT of mail. It's all on your desk, so go open it all before the Beholder eats it." Coryza stated.
Anna was sorting the mail, making sure the box sat at the right hand corner of her desk.
Opening one envelope and unraveling the contents, she began reading the letter.
"Social security declares...that..."
"Junk mail." Anna scoffed as she crumpled the letter and tossed it into the waste bin. Next envelope.
"You win a free trip to..."
"W-Who'd send this to a married woman?" Anna froze stiff as what was before her face appalled her. She refused to look at it any longer than necessary, so she crumpled that up and into the bin it went. Next envelope...
"First Church of GodCat celebrates..."
"I...might actually consider this. Hope it doesn't involve holy water." Anna sighed as she set the invitation aside. Next!
"Free Date provided by..."
"My god!" Anna shrieked as she crumpled that and tossed it into the waste bin with a blush forming on her face. She drank a few sips of water she had in a nearby glass.
She took deep breaths in order to calm herself down. Good gracious, who'd want a free date with King Sombra? Besides, he's more or less gone now, so what was the point?
She slowly opened the next envelope. This was one reason she didn't like the mail system--a whole lot of people sent her and her family the strangest of things. She recalled one letter sent to Natz that was an invitation to a party that consisted entirely of Beholders. As expected, she flipped. Another invitation was directed at Katie and it requested she go to a meeting hosted by vampire hunters. Yes, Katie had enough vampirism in her the need to feed was evident. Good thing Lance didn't inherit that!
She unraveled the paper concealed in the envelope, not noticing a small papercut on the tip of her index finger.
"Hello..." Sighed the archer as her eyes went wide. She began reading this letter.
Dear Step-daughter-in-law,
I am writing this to you since I have just located my adopted son Lance. Ever since the day I told him his real mother had abandoned him many moons ago, I have grown very worried and my grief is unmeasurable. Not one day goes by without that pang of guilt that comes with the harsh truth hitting my very soul and cracking it a smidgen further. I felt horrible since the truth was revealed to him. I recall it like yesterday: He suddenly took off and I do not know what happened afterwards.
Recently, I heard you married him some odd 10 years ago. I have also gotten ahold of your address, so please pardon this letter and forgive me. It just hurts me so much that I don't get to see him at all, and what's worse is...what I have heard about his real mother.
I was told she was many things. A monster, a caretaker, a friend....I could keep writing about the endless possibilities.
I wonder how Lance is treating you. I wonder how he treats everyone. You could say that I wonder if he's treated anyone coldly since that fateful day.
I don't know when I will arrive, but I will show up in due time.
And I will make amends.
Sincerely sorry for this,
Aura
P.S. If you know his real mother in person, inform her of this and pray she isn't hostile in any way...
Anna shed a few tears. With all the adventures Lance had partaken in, who would have the time to pay the poor woman a visit?
Then, there was the sheer heartbreak. Was...was this what had driven Lance to make a world-wide conquest of everything? Was the anger of being abandoned more than enough to fuel his evils?
She quickly remembered when Katie flat-out said that Lance was going to be a big brother. But Isabella...forced the poor kitsune to carry out the deed, as much as she hated to do so. It was done so...he could live his life. It was done so he wouldn't...suffer the fate of his father.
But this would have to wait until the rest of the mail was sorted.
Junk mail, invitation to a god-forsaken illegal activity (which she set aside to take to the police)...and the rest consisted of letters from obsessed stalkers. Good god, couldn't they see she was already married to a murderous man who had a much more ferocious mother that could easily send them from here to Jupiter with one motion of her fuzzy pinky toe?
Anna picked up the brown box and shook it for a bit. Something...jingled within.
She opened the box--no, wait, she ripped it asunder and found a sleek, small, white box. Opening that box carefully, she saw a turquoise-studded gold ring and the pattern around the central gem flared out like the outer rims of the flower. Between the inner margins of the ring itself was a small piece of paper rolled up like a scroll. Whoever done that had paid some delicate attention to detail!
She took out the paper and unfurled it and her heart exploded in happiness.
Will you marry me for the eleventh time?
Lance
"I think....I do." Anna sighed with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So," Katie sighed as she finished reading Aura's letter, "We're gonna have....a discussion."
"More or less. I talked with Lance about it and he agreed to hold off the anniversary until Aura shows up." Anna answered with a nod.
"I knew it was coming sooner or later. But I didn't predict when it would slap me in the face." Katie sighed, eyes squinted.
The door was being knocked on.
"W-Who's this woman?!" Matt shouted from the house entrance.
"I think she's here already." Anna stated.
"I think that's why Matt's trying not to freak out." Katie replied with a nod.
"This is getting awkward." Matt sighed, jaw agape. The woman standing before him looked at least 50 years old, yet faint traces of auburn still existed in her grey hair. Her blueish eyes sat on a face that looked surprisingly young for such a woman. In fact, there was only one wrinkle on her forehead. She stood upright and was as tall as Blake. But deep into her eyes was what Matt saw as...longing. But for what was beyond him.
"Is there anyone in your house named Lance?" Asked the woman with a frown.
"Um...yeah, we do. And by 'we,' I mean everyone that comes here for regular sleepovers and things like that." Matt answered sheepishly, "Let me go fetch him." With that, the swordsman turned around and ran up the stairs like a Quick Slash was being performed.
Lance just walked out of the bathroom and he was wearing a bathrobe. A green, wet towel hung on his head like a nun's habit on Saint Patrick's Day (somebody please explain why nun's hats are called habits, please?!). Matt almost knocked him over, but the Nazi got out of the way just in time to see his half-brother land right on his face.
"Matt, what is with you?" Lance asked, raising a brow.
"An olb woban thwants fo thee you." Matt replied, his voice muffled because his face was on the floor.
"An old woman?" Lance asked, clearly bewildered. It sounded like a toad decided to make a hotel room out of his throat before he cleared it and shouted, "Son of a lumberjack!" Quick as a whip, he ran into his room and changed into his regular uniform and then flew out the bedroom door, down the stairs, past Blake who immediately spun in place like a top, and stopped before the wide-open front door. Sure enough, there stood the elderly woman Matt had spoken of. But this wasn't any elderly woman...
Lance's jaw dropped. No, this couldn't have been...
The woman's eyes went wide, though only slightly. Her mouth quivered and she found herself hugging the Nazi with a case of wet-head. "Oh my adopted child, it's been so long! Please, tell me what you've done after you dashed off like that!"
"Let me go and come inside first, I have some people you need to meet." Lance replied. The woman complied immediately before smiling sheepishly. Lance led her to the living room couch before running upstairs and yelling at the top of his lungs, "EVERYONE! WE HAVE A VISITOR!!"
Matt stood up as everyone else, save Blake who was still spinning in place, ran to Lance and crowded both sides of the hallway.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Matt sighed in annoyance.
"So," Sarah sighed as she held her foal, who was trying to get out of her arms so he could go exploring the house, "Why call us, exactly?"
"It's my adoptive mother, and I'd like her to meet you all. And yes, it counts Mr. Tentacles," Lance answered, his eyes mere white dots.
Everyone, save for Anna and Katie, went wide-eyed in shock.
"NO WAY!" Nick cried.
"HUH?!" The twins shrieked.
"WHAT?!" Alexis objected.
The Beholder shrugged. All five of his eyes dilated.
"REALLY?!" Natalie caterwauled, holding her hands on her cheeks.
"She's on the couch downstairs. See for yourselves." Lance sighed in defeat.
Everyone rushed downstairs and saw the woman looking at them like they were the Ku Klux Klan who recently converted to Islam.
"Which one of you is my.....err...adopted child's wife?" Asked the woman.
Anna stepped forward and raised her hand. "Me."
"You are..." The woman was at a loss for words.
"Wait till you hear about how I met him to begin with." Anna cut her off, playfully sticking her tongue out in the process.
"TRICYCLE!" Katie shouted for no reason.
"Is she alright?" Asked the woman worryingly.
"She does that on a daily basis." Natalie answered, "Besides, she's always been like this until someone with a gun threatens those she loves."
"And then someone gets hurt." Lazarus chimed.
Rainbow Dash suddenly burst into the room from the window. Good thing said window was open already.
"Oh hello..." Matt sighed as he nearly had a heart attack.
"GUYS!" Rainbow yelled in panic, her wings keeping her airborne, "Normally, I would've called all the pegasi in town, but half of them are sick and we need to get water up to Cloudsdale so we can make rain!"
"Can it wait for two more days maximum?" Anna asked impatiently.
"Why?!" Rainbow asked in frustration.
"My anniversary is tomorrow." Anna answered, eyes squinted.
"Alright, alright." Rainbow said, now calming down. "I'll postpone it until the day after tomorrow."
"Who wants to explain who did what to the kind woman over there?" Sarah asked, pointing to Lance's adoptive mother.
All the pegasus ponies in Ponyville who weren't ill were gathered in the Golden Oaks Library. Katie, Natalie, Alexis, Wing, Blake, Lance, and Coryza (she and Lance were turned into ponies again) were also attending this gathering. Twilight Sparkle was also there.
"Okay, as you pegasus ponies know, save for those two over there," Rainbow started as she pointed to Lance and Coryza with a hoof, "That we've been made the team to send up water to Cloudsdale once again. But half of the pegasi here have gotten sick, so it's the reason we have humans as a sort of back-up plan.... Twilight, turn the others into ponies too!"
"On it," Replied the alicorn princess as her horn glowed again. A bright flash of light soon blinded everyone in the room.
"NOT THAT BRIGHT, TWI!" Rainbow yelled as she covered her face with her forelegs.
The bright light ended. The humans and beast-person were ponies again. Now Wing was a little fuzzy alicorn. Alexis was also an alicorn of sorts, and unlike Wing, she had a cutie mark--a cross-shaped tombstone with six wings growing out of it with the middle set longer than the other two sets. The wings were black and the tombstone was a light grey-gold to contrast her dark grey-purple.
Alexis tried walking on all fours and stumbled and tumbled for a bit as a hearty giggle left her throat.
"Why aren't you a pegasus?" Rainbow asked, pointing towards Natalie.
"I have to be in Overdrive in human form. But now that I have a horn..." Natalie stopped as her horn began glowing a soft gold. Before Rainbow knew it, two sets of gold wings--the second larger than and placed above the first--appeared on her sides. "There. Happy? Satisfied??"
"That's a lot better." Rainbow deadpanned with a sigh before she resumed, "As I said, the humans-now-turned-ponies over there, foals included, are to help us get the water up to Cloudsdale....Lance, step forward before the rest of us, please."
Lance did as told, noticing all eyes were on him. Was it his choice of attire, his mechanical wings, his cutie mark, his eyes? Or was it just him being different altogether??!
Rainbow took hold of a mechanical wing and, using her hooves, extended it to full length. Lance winced in pain. Did this mean...? "I don't know how much wingpower these could produce, but they look like they could fall off in the tornado we'd create. And since you're wincing, I think these need a new....re-attachment job. Otherwise, you're good."
Lance looked at the bolts holding his wings to his body, and good god was he deathly horrified. The bolts were so loose that one swift tackle from Pinkie Pie could result in a good three days' worth of severe back pain. Rainbow folded the wing back, being careful not to accidentally cause any more damage than needed.
"Listen up! We'll have three weeks to train!" Rainbow bellowed.
"I thought it was two!" Orion, a pony whose cutie mark was the constellation he was named after, protested. A hoof shot up to object when--
Rainbow pointed to Lance. "Why don't ya come up here and point out the problem of this pegasus stallion before us?! Then you'll see why I said three!"
Now she understands how I felt when she waxed me clean ten or so years ago?? Lance thought, rubbing a hoof on his chin. The more, the merrier, I suppose.
Orion trotted up to Lance and inspected his wings. Lance put his hoof back onto the floor.
Orion grabbed a wing and nearly yanked it clean off.
"LET THAT GO!" Lance protested as a gold aura separated him from the blue stallion.
Natalie's horn was glowing again. "C-C-Could someone reprimand Orion before I do??"
Rainbow crossed her forelegs and groaned in annoyance. She stuck her muzzle in Orion's face. "DO I REALLY HAVE TO GROUND YOU, ORION?!"
Orion shuddered, shaking his head nervously.
"Alright then!" Rainbow snapped with a sigh. "Sorry about that, Lance."
"It's alright, it can be fixed." Lance nodded.
Natalie kept eying a yellow filly with a wisteria mane and tail. One minute she looked like a normal pegasus and the next she could've sworn that said filly was an alicorn. Then the minute after that, she was a regular old earth pony--after that, she was a unicorn!
"Natalie, are you okay??" Rainbow asked, crossing her forelegs again. She was now airborne and her body was upright, making her wings look like they were attached to her buttocks. Pegasus wings were closer to the hind quarters of the average pegasus.
"That filly..." Natalie replied, pointing to the filly she couldn't take her eyes off of. "She...keeps changing races before me and I don't know which one she is."
"That is Princess Erroria. She's not really a princess, it's just what we call her. She changes races so much it's no wonder her name is Erroria. I'd be surprised if she stayed a pegasus for the whole three weeks and one day where we'd create the tornado. Heck, she changes cutie marks too!" Rainbow answered, another sigh escaping her lips.
Natalie's jaw dropped to the floor. Erroria ran up to Lance, her race and cutie mark changing each second as she drew closer to him.
Lance looked at the filly, and he was wide-eyed. She really was as Rainbow said--the best word he could use to describe her was a non-Changeling shape-shifter. The filly grew a horn and a pair of wings and her cutie mark changed from a horseshoe to...a mechanical wrench?
Her horn began glowing the same wisteria as her mane and the aura encased Lance's wings and a good portion of the midsection to which they were attached.
The bolts were painstakingly removed and re-inserted properly. They were then tightened in such a fashion that the only thing that could rip them out was an infuriated King Sombra is he were still alive! Lance choked back a shriek of pain as the filly re-adjusted and repaired his wings. It was as if they were connected by a series of nerves, and he was hoping that wasn't the case! Regardless, the filly's work was done and everyone could say she was on par with the Nazi himself!
"Mister, you had wing stumps attached to holes within the mechanical wings you have now." Erroria grinned as she became an earth pony for the nth* time.
"WING STUMPS?!" Katie shrieked in surprise before fainting.
"My adoptive mother owes yet another explanation." Lance deadpanned as he folded his metallic wings.
"I can't grow any bigger! I think I am hexed." Erroria answered, now growing a horn and shedding her wings for the zillionth time.
"This is strange...." Natalie nervously chuckled, shifting her larger set of wings slightly.
"Wait. Where's Twilight? Wasn't she just there next to Lance a few seconds ago?" Rainbow asked, her eyes wide. She landed on all fours and trotted to Blake and examined his wings. "As long as they're wings, they generate wingpower." She sighed before turning to her fellow true-blooded, non-magically-enhanced pegasi, "Therefore, do NOT let me hear about any form of prejudice from the necromancer!"
"Yes, Sergeant Rainbow Dash!" Cried the native pegasi.
"Sergeant...? What's a sergeant?" Wing asked, clutching Rainbow's foreleg in such a way Blake was reminded of what Alexis always did when she wanted something--latch on and hang tight.
"It's the second-highest rank in the Wonderbolts, the first being Captain. Until Spitfire retires, I am her right-hoof mare." Rainbow answered with a grin as she used her free hoof to pet the furball hanging onto her.
Katie was still on the floor unconscious. Her mouth hung open and there was a decent-sized puddle of drool growing larger around it.
Lance was on his rump now. Rainbow Dash a Sergeant in the Wonderbolts? Sacrebleu!* He should've recruited her into his army now. Confound it all! No wonder Orion shut up as soon as she threatened to ground him.
Twilight galloped into the room, bringing two more stallions--one a pegasus and the other an alicorn--with her. The alicorn was almost black and his brown mane was spiky. It covered much of his face and blue eyes, as well as a white bandana with a red circle located under his horn. His cutie mark was a white paper fan with the same circle and Japanese characters that literally translated into 'divine wind.' Underneath the fan was the word 'HAX' in vivid crimson. The pegasus had a similar mane, except it was a brilliant crimson with less spikes and his eyes were brown, which contrasted his gold pelt. His cutie mark was a darker gold spear shaped strangely like contorted demon tails with a red sash seemingly blowing in the breeze.
"I...figured....we'd.....need more help...ohmygosh...." Twilight said in between breaths, almost collapsing onto her forelegs horrendously in doing so.
"Lazarus, I feel funny!" Complained the pegasus, fluttering his wings in annoyance.
"Shut it, Lancelot. We're helping." Lazarus replied sternly, his horn pulsating with hax even though he wasn't using magic. Lancelot backed down and sat on his haunches to show respect.
~~~~~~~~~
Lance fluttered his metallic wings like a hummingbird to ensure the bolts were properly secured. Even with Erroria's help (he was thinking of adopting the poor, misfit filly since nopony else would...confounded people and ponies who didn't know what to do with her), he was still paranoid about the ordeal. Was this yet another thing he picked up from mommy? His hooves were planted so firmly into the ground liftoff wasn't guaranteed until he shifted an inch on each individual leg. Simultaneously. Which wasn't an easy thing to do, and it was better that way. How did he...have organic wing stumps still functional in a sense? Another thing from mommy? He knew he was going to grab Aura by the shoulders and shake her--no, she was an old woman. Old women couldn't take it that well unless they were superhuman or something like that.
"I've never seen clunks of metal that shouldn't work flap so fast! Get a life, bro!" Thunderlane called from afar.
Lance snapped his dark glare towards the pegasus and shouted, "Sie denken, Sie haben es schwer! Ich schlage vor, Sie auf meiner Valkyrie Panzer reden!"
"THUNDERLANE!" Rainbow bellowed, causing Lance to jump and accidentally fire himself towards the machine that indicated a pony's wingpower.
"I know that was an accident! But your wingpower nonetheless is 15!" Pinkie Pie beamed with a salute. She failed to notice Lance landed with his backside against a tree because that second shout sent him into a cartwheel. Confound flying, it was awkward for him. He was teleported back to the starting line by Twilight and looked over.
"A few bruises occurred along your spine because the tree didn't like you. You need to shut the loud voices out before something like that happens again."
"Can I have a turn since Nazi-loon has a problem with center-of-attention?" Lazarus asked as he confidently spread his wings.
"Only prerequisite: no hax." Natalie sighed, all four of her wings tensing up.
"I was going to make that proposition. How can I hax flying?" Lazarus beamed as he took Lance's place at the starting line. His body shifted into the pouncing position, his wings still spread wide.
Then, his wings moved in small flaps, followed each time with increases in speed.
Hummingbird speed achieved. All he needed was that signal. That opportune moment. He closed his eyes and focused as the characters on the fan began glowing.
Flying lessons abound. Who's willing to teach me? Lance thought as he observed the phenomenon unfolding before him and everyone else.
Wings aside, Lazarus remained unmoving. If anything, his legs and face seemed petrified. The wings kept beating faster and faster until Rainbow Dash sounded the signal.
In an instant, Lazarus took off creating a maelstrom of dirt whipped by the wind in his feathers. He passed the machine, sliced the tree in two and took it with him, shot up like a rocket to the sky whilst bringing the torrent of winds with and then thrust them back into the earth where they belonged.
"WHOA!" Everyone shouted in amazement.
"H-He has....he has 50 wingpower!" Pinkie cried in glee.
"Augh," Anna sighed as she frantically paced back and forth in circles.
"Hmm?" Sarah asked as she held her colt, whom she decided to name Greenwood Glory. Yes, you read that right. The little tyke was once more trying to pry himself from her arms and go exploring.
"Why do I get the urge to have another kid?!" Anna scowled as a blush came on her face, "There is no way I am reliving the pains I had during my first childbirth!" It had yet to occur to her that the second time she would give birth, it'd be a lot less painful.
"I heard your sister is a werewolf now," Floral sighed with flattened ears.
"Really?" Sarah asked, worryingly.
Anna moved her head up and stopped pacing, revealing to her sister a charm made of bear claws and wolf fangs wrapped around her neck like a string of pearls. Her pupils became meager slits once more. "Sadly, it's true. It started with Lance, and I dunno whether to blame his real mother or his step-dad. Heck, I'll just assume it's both. Because I can."
"Do you--" Sarah started.
Anna shook her head. "Only the transformation takes place. After that, same old me with a bunch of hair." The claws were developing on her hands.
Lance and Matt's father, who shall be called Moron from here on out, ran out the door screaming about how his own sons were going to make him into stew...or something like that.
"He sure is stupid." Anna sighed as her teeth grew sharper.
Twilight Sparkle came in levitating Moron with her. Behind her were Coryza, Katie, Lance, Alexis, Wing, Lazarus, Lancelot, Blake, and an odd, yellow filly. She kept changing races and cutie marks so fast it was an anomaly to everyone else.
"Did the hurricane make it?" Anna asked as tufts of fur grew onto her hands.
"It reached over 1100 wingpower." Twilight beamed proudly.
"I ain't called the God of the Winds for no reason." Lazarus laughed.
"I had more wingpower than Rainbow! What's that tell ya?!" Natalie bellowed as she preened her wings.
"Guys... Matt's sick." Anna sighed as her tail revealed itself to the world again.
"With what?!" Wing asked, jumping up and down like a flea.
"I dunno..." Sarah replied, shaking her head. "He's been coughing and getting weaker since Rainbow announced the hurricane thing."
"Is it bad?" Lancelot asked, eyes narrowing.
"It's getting progressively worse." Floral answered, "And we went to Zecora about it and she couldn't provide a cure."
"Lance, what is wi--" Anna started.
"This little filly?" Lance cut her off, "I am adopting her. We have ourselves a daughter now."
Anna ran up to the Nazi and hugged him so much he turned blue in the face.
Twilight reversed the spell she put half the household under.
Years passed by since that night. Matt didn't get any better--no, he gotten worse. So worse, in fact, he was practically bedridden. The sheets hat to be changed every hour, he had to eat mushy food, and....sometimes he'd enter violent fits that would require him being restrained so that nobody got hurt. Soon enough, the rest of the Heroes, save Katie, got the same whatever-it-was that inflicted the swordsman and caused him so much pain. Lance lost all ability to speak. Anna coughed so much it was a wonder she lived. Fenrir had to be tied down at all times because he...tried pulling some funny stuff when he moved. Natalie would enter periodic comas. Blake found himself unable to keep his tail from being bruised every once in a while. Coryza couldn't move her arms. Azure had to be fed liquid love, which wasn't an easy thing to get. Iron Will, Discord, and Gilda, sadly, passed away, which caused everyone a lot of grief.
Houses were locked always as the Royal Guards began acting strangely.
Katie opened the door and turned to everyone. "I'm headed to Canterlot to see what the hay is going on. If I don't return in seven days' time, find me and bring me back here. This oddity has gone for too long now, and I ain't taking anymore of it." With that statement, she walked out and the door closed behind her.