Chaotic Harmony: Do Over

by shirotora

Chapter 54: Did Anyone NOT See This Coming?

“And she just offered herself? Just like that?” Fluttershy asked

“Yeah. It was actually rather upsettin’,” I said. “She really thought the only path forward for her people was to be bred like cattle.”

“Damn... is she at least hot?” Scootaloo asked.

I couldn't help but laugh at that. “Ah mean, she's the first female of my species Ah've ever seen, but sure.”

“Ah don’t think that matters, Scoots,” Applebloom said.

“It is if he's going to knock her up,” Pinkie said as she set a platter of cookies on the table before hopping back to work.

“Are you going to give her a baby, like she wants?” Midnight asked.

I leaned back, sucking down some of my root beer float as I thought. “No clue. Ah've already said Ah refuse to do anythin’ with anyone Ah don’t have some kind of bond with. If Ah were a bettin’ man, Ah'd say it's pretty likely if she doesn't find a male of her own.”

“I want to meet her, first, before you do,” Midnight said.

“Me, too,” Scootaloo agreed.

“Oh, so now Ah need your permission?” I asked.

Midnight rolled his eyes. “Dad, we know you. You aren't going to sire a kid without being involved in their life. Even if you're just more of an uncle type, that would make them my cousin, so I want to meet my aunt.”

I had to laugh. “That's not how it works, but Ah get what you're sayin’. Besides, Ah doubt she's gonna be comin’ to Ponyville anytime soon. The princesses'll want her close.”

“They'll want her close to the ones spearheading the campaign against the cult, which is you and Twilight,” Midnight countered.

“Ah don’t think Ah'm exactly spearheadin’ anything. Ah mostly just stumble across them, or someone else points me in their direction.”

“Still, you're involved and are a key figure in the fight against them,” Midnight insisted.

“Do you want her to move here?” Fluttershy asked.

I took a bite of one of the cookies to give myself time to think. “Ah don’t know. On the one hand, Ah would like to know more about tigerians. On the other, her presence could cause a lot of problems. Then there's the fact that Kronos’ goons are likely goin’ to be gunnin’ for her, she might be safer in Canterlot.”

“Sounds like somethin’ you, her, and the princesses need to talk about,” Applebloom said. “Of course, they might just decide she ain't trustworthy.”

I shook my head. “Nah. Ah think she can be trusted. Mah instincts haven't been wrong, yet. Like now, they're tellin’ me to change the subject and ask if anythin’ interestin’ happened while Ah was gone.”

Applebloom giggled. “Yeah, your instincts are pretty good.”

“Oh! Somethin’ did happen?”

Scootaloo chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah... I kinda... asked Sweetie out... and she said yes.”

Applebloom snortled. “More like you stuttered and stumbled until Sweetie showed you mercy and said yes.”

“That's great news!” I cheered, giving her a hug and a quick kiss. “Ah'm so happy for you. So, you gonna wear a tux or a dress to your weddin’?”

Scootaloo gave me a soft punch on the shoulder. “Keep on and you won't even get an invite.”

“Ah can't imagine her in either, honestly,” Applebloom commented.

“I know, right!” Scootaloo said. “I'll have to talk to Rarity about it, but that won't be for a while.”

Our little impromptu double lunch date was exactly what I needed. We didn't even plan it. After the girls and I returned from Canterlot, Jynx and the Crusaders were waiting for us on the train platform. Since everyone else had things to do, Midnight had the idea for me, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Applebloom, and him to go get something sweet together.

I was certainly glad we didn't linger on the topic of Valrin. My feelings on that were twisted up too much and I needed a distraction to let them loosen up a bit.

Learning Scootaloo had finally asked Sweetie out was amazing news. Her idea for what they would actually do, however, needed some intervention. She was going to take her to the skate park like she did with me. As much as I loved it, Sweetie wasn't as into extreme sports. I recommend a leisurely skate around the regular park. There were enough ramps and rails for Scootaloo to show off and have fun, but Sweetie would be under no pressure to do the same.

Midnight and Applebloom talked about the possibility of marriage. They asked when I would recommend they take that step. All I said was they should at least wait until they were fifteen to take the final step, but they could make their engagement official after they turned fourteen. Of course, I made sure they knew the ultimate judge of that would be themselves and they should only go as fast or as slow as they felt they should.

Then came the topic of foals. Applebloom's season was coming up and they were wondering if they should try now or wait until after they were married.

It wasn't unheard of for ponies to start with the foal making at their age. Applebloom's parents had Applejack at fourteen and fifteen. Still, it was weird to me, even accounting for the age equivalence. How many humans responsibly have a child at eighteen?

It wasn't a fair comparison, honestly. Ponies are much more sociable than humans and any foal would be raised by several ponies. Heck, me, Jynx, Pinkie, and the Cakes were all pretty much raising our kids together. We babysat the twins as much as they babysat Razor. Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight, too, help raise Razor. That's the norm in pony society, so having a kid when you just become an adult isn't irresponsible.

However, I still had to interject. “You have to consider several things here. First, you still have several months schoolin’ left. Do you really want to be dealing with pregnancy on top of that?

“Then, there's the matter of schoolin’ after you graduate. Ah know you're just plannin’ on gettin’ your alchemist certification, but Midnight's plannin’ on college. That means you either have to move with him to wherever he goes, leavin’ behind your support network, or you stay here and your foal's father has to either commute if close enough, or visit on weekends and holidays. Either way, he'll be out of the picture for extended periods.

“Ah recommend skippin’ this year so you can plan it all out.”

After some consideration, they agreed waiting until the following year at least was the best.

The talk of higher education brought up Scootaloo's plans of going into aviation, which sent her off on a gushing rant about the engine Jynx made for my bike and how she planned to implement it.

Apparently, her dream is to build and fly aircraft that will rival the Wonderbolts. She also had plans to introduce airliners to Equestria. I always wanted to be a pilot, so naturally, I said I'd be her first.

I placed a few bits on the table as we all got ready to leave. “Thanks for the cookies, Pinkie. Amazin’ as always.”

“Naturally,” Pinkie replied.

“Ah take it you two are goin’ off to spend more time together?” I asked my son.

“Yeah. Miss Top said she had found a few sick crops and asked if I wanted to see if my magic can do anything,” Midnight said.

“Sounds fun. Let me know how it goes,” I replied. I turned to my dates and said. “Be right back.”

I made my way behind the counter and up the stairs. Just down the hall, I paused, watching Razor chasing the Cake twins around.

“Ah hope he wasn't too much trouble,” I asked their current caretaker.

Missus Cake smiled up at me. “Not at all. He was a little angel, as always.”

“That's good to hear. You ready to go, buddy?”

“Dada!” Razor leaped at me, a big smile on his face. “Pay?”

“Not this time, kid. Say bye.”

“Bye, Mimis Cay.” Razor gave a big wave.

“Come back anytime,” Missus Cake replied.

“Enjoy the peace and quiet,” I said, watching Pumpkin yawn from the corner of my eye.

Cup giggled. “I will.”

I set Razor on my back and made my way back to my girls.

As soon as I got back, Razor cheered, “Fuffer fy!” and launched himself at the yellow mare.

Scootaloo, hearing how much better he was getting with names, got excited. “Oh, what's my name? You know my name?”

Razor smiled brightly. “Titin nuggee!”

Scootaloo gave Razor a flat look. “You're lucky you're adorable.”

He just giggled.

“Alright. Where to, next?” I asked.

“My place?” Fluttershy suggested. “I have a new tea I've been wanting to try, and Razor looks like he still has energy. He can play with my animals.”

I give Scootaloo an inquisitive look.

She smirked. “And then, when he falls asleep, we can have some real fun.”

Fluttershy giggled, blushing slightly. “Oh, my. That does sound exciting.”

“Only if the fuzz ball is off to Luna land,” I said.

We walked mostly in silence, just enjoying each other's company and laughing at Scootaloo goofing off with Razor.

As we approached the cottage, though, a familiar feeling hit me. The others stopped at my low growl.

“Wh-what is it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Watch Razor. Someone's inside.” I passed my son to Fluttershy and marched through the door, ready to lay into the creature I knew was waiting.

I found her in Fluttershy's kitchen, making tea and sandwiches as if she owned the place.

I growled at her. “What the hell do you think you're doin’?”

The ‘pony’ turned and smiled. The innocent expression did nothing to ease the predatory aura she exuded.

“I'm making refreshments. What does it look like?”

“You can't just come into someone else's home and start messin’ with their food,” I said with a growl, trying to keep from yelling.

“Oh, she won't mind. Besides,” her grin widened, showing off her sharp teeth. “It's my cottage.”

I was stunned in confusion for a moment before I heard, “Shiro? Is everything okay?” behind me.

Before I could warn her, Fluttershy peaked into the kitchen and met eyes with the false mare.

However instead of the expected fear, a wide smile spread across Fluttershy's face.

“Nana!” Fluttershy cheered as she rushed to the not-a-pony and put her hooves around her.

“Hello, Kataya.” She returned the gesture as she gave me a smirk. “You don't seem very surprised, Shiro.”

“Ah had mah suspicions. A predatory being with obvious shapeshifting abilities that always seemed to know what was going to happen before it happened?” I turned to shout out,

“Nana, were you tormenting my boyfriend?” Fluttershy asked.

“Only a little.”

I shook my head. “You can come in, Scoots. It's safe.”

Scootaloo poked her head in and gingerly took slow steps into the cottage. “Uh... he-hello?”

Shy's Nana gave Scootaloo as reassuring a smile as she could. “Come in, please. I apologize for any unease you feel. I am Fluttershy's grandmother, La'alia. When a dragon reaches a certain age, they can exude a frightening aura, even when disguised as another race. When one reaches my age, they can no longer really turn it off. It takes years of familiarity before one can ignore it.”

I grinned, pointing down at her hooves. “Looks like someone didn't get the memo.”

La'alia looked down to see Razor smiling up at her. He reached his paws up, grabbing at air. “Pay?”

La'alia laughed. “Well, now. This one must have a will of pure adamantine. May I?”

I was still a bit nervous around her, but at Fluttershy's nod, I acquiesced. “Fine, but Ah'm watchin’ you.”

La'alia's forehooves shifted into claws, much like Fluttershy's in her dragony form, and picked Razor up.

“Hello. My name is La'alia. Can you say La'alia? Lay ah lee ah.”

“Ay ah ee ah... Ayaheeah! Ayaheeah!”

“You are just precious,” she cooed “Fluttershy, would you mind taking this little sweetheart so I can finish preparing our snacks. Shiro, be a dear and grab the plates. That plate is vegetarian, that one isn't, please make sure Miss Scootaloo knows.”

“Ah gotta know,” I began as I grabbed the plates. “Why didn't you just tell me who you were?”

“Two reasons. The first and most important is that your mistrust of me kept you on your guard.”

That made sense, I guessed. “And the second?”

She smiled. “It was amusing.”

As we set the trays on the coffee table I warned Scootaloo about the meaty treats. She looked at them curiously before taking one of the little bagel pieces with cream cheese and bacon. Ponies did eat meat on occasion, but rarely. Most didn't care for it, and of those that did, fish was the go-to.

“That's actually not bad.”

“Don't eat too much of it,” Fluttershy warned. “Pork is a lot harder for a pony to digest than fish or poultry. A little bit is fine, but too much will make you sick.”

“I won't. Maybe just one more.”

“So,” I began as I took a seat between my ladies. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

La'alia took a sip of tea before she spoke. “It has come to my attention that a tigerian has come under the crown's protection.”

“You mean you saw this comin’ years ago,” I said, derisively.

“Not exactly,” she responded. “While I did assume one would eventually escape, it was only a matter of deductive reasoning, not my sight. Chaos is rippling across the world. My future sight is no longer reliable. My present sight, however, works just fine.”

“Yeah, one of them surrendered to me. Why?”

“Did they tell you of their group?”

“A little,” I replied. “She said there were a hundred of them lookin’ to get out of Tartarus.”

“They are more than a hundred,” La'alia corrected. “That hundred are just the young females. You were only told of their part of their plan. What you weren't told is that those that were not accepted as breeding stock would launch a coordinated attack, assassinating several key figures at the cost of their own lives.”

Fluttershy gasped. “They... Are they truly that desperate?”

“They live in literal hell. Wouldn't you be?” Scootaloo said.

“But, they don't have to,” Fluttershy said. “They only think they do because they think we won't let them live here in peace.”

“Their faction has operated in secret for generations,” La'alia explained. “Their hopelessness is ingrained into their doctrine. The greatest beacon of hope they've ever had is Shiro. He showed that ponies can accept them, but only because he was never one of them. He gave them hope that their deaths won't be in vain and that their cubs may be accepted.”

“If they really do want to live in peace, they can live here, too, though,” Scootaloo said.

“But they don't know that,” I pointed out. “So, the question is, how do we tell them?”

“That's simple,” La'alia said, taking another sip. “You tell them in person.”

Author's Note:

What a... twist? No? Yeah, I was pretty obvious with her identity, I think.

Comments

[Dragoknight92]

Good thing there's no caribou in the story.

[shirotora]

11937545
Damn that was fast.

[Booster Spice]

the biggest problem with having a folowing thats desperate to do anything, is according to narrative causality, even if you go full evil and do absolutely sure to hunt down every last one to ,cleanse, them, there will always be at least one missed through the most tortutous circumstances that will come back and return the favour.

I think the one where the child is slingshot through the collapsing wormhole created by her parents triggering the ships FTL drive combined with prototype transporte, clean accross the galaxy, but at that time without all the far more exreme effects is the most extreme I can think of.

Oh, it was Acorna by Anne Mccafrey.

[Armored_Shadow]

Ok, the "predatory non pony" when looking back makes sense....now did it when I read it originally?.....nope

m night shyamalan: What a twist!

[ShadowSpectrumSwordtails]

So Shiro is going to dive into Tartarus to save his kind from the evil king. Why do I feel like, unbeknownst to him or the ones he's trying to save, something, or rather someone, else is going to follow them out.

[shirotora]

11937660
Well, then mission accomplished. That was my intent, but I thought I made it too obvious.

11937941
Maybe it will, or maybe it won't. Then again, if something does, who's to say it will be malevolent?